The Bearhug Club Podcast

The on-going series returns but this time with a twist. This time the roles are reversed. Usual host, Greg, is in the hot seat with hosting duties shifting to the man who was the subejct of the first episode, Scott. In this very frank and personal episode, the Bearhug Club's commander-in-chief breaks down the matches that mean the most to him and how on more than one occasion, professional wrestling has saved his life.

This past week saw the blockbuster announcement that All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will be hosting a joint show in Chicago on June 26th called Forbidden Door. Already full of glee about the event, Greg and Garrod could not resist the chance to get their booker caps on to fantasy book what they would like to see at the event. The pair agreed on a pre-show Rumble match and an 8 match main card. They then eached pitched and debated their matches to agree on an overall card. Simple. Well, as you will see, not so much... Tune in to see what they were eventually able to string together! Let us know in the comments and on the socials what your Forbidden Door match card would be.

As part of an on-going series, Greg sits down with a special guest each episode to find out their Top 10 Favourite Matches of All Time. More so than just discovering what is their favourite, he hopes to learn what they love out of wrestling and what it means to them to be a fan of this bizzare but beautiful sport. In this second edition, Greg sits down with original Bearhug co-host Garrod to learn about his journey into wrestling in what became a total obsession following a brief hiatus.

It’s the official debut of the Bearhug Bookclub! Every month Greg and Garrod pick a wrestling related book to read and then gather to share their thoughts. From biographies to novels, from comics to encyclopaedias. As long as it is wrestling centric it can be recommended for the club. For this first episode, the boys start with the book that opened the floodgates for wrestling biographies to come - Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweat Socks. Mick Foley has a hell of a story to tell and does so in such an endearing way. It’s a long journey that goes all the way from his teenage days of hitchhiking to Madison Square Garden to watch Snuka jump off the cage. Going all the way to one of his crowning moments when he beat the Rock for the WWE championship. There is so much to tell and Foley keeps you hooked throughout this thick page turner. There is a reason this is still the benchmark for wrestling biographies over 2 decades on from when it was first published.

It's been a while but MYNTS is back! In this episode, Greg takes a look back at one of WWE's most brutal matches, discussing the "kingmaking" abilities of Mick Foley as he puts Triple H through a baptism of violence to help him become a mainevent player. For more Matches You Need to See content visit the section on our website - https://bearhugpod.wixsite.com/bearhugclubnetwork/matches-you-need-to-see Let us know your suggestions for matches we should add and which should be a future deep dive episode.

It's Wednesday night! And you probably don't know what that means! The Bearhug boys return with another livestream of wrestling chatter and banter. Knockoff wrestling toys, top 5 favourite baseball bats, creating beef with Will Ospreay and more in this latest episode.

As part of a new series, Greg sits down with a special guest each episode to find out their Top 10 Favourite Matches of All Time. More so than just discovering what is their favourite, he hopes to learn what they love out of wrestling and what it means to them to be a fan of this bizzare but beautiful sport. In this first edition, Greg hears from his Bearhug co-host Scott about why he wants to see a bit of Greek Tragedy in his graps and realizes his love for NXT.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, WWE released an unprecedented amount of talent and staff on a near consistent basis. True, typically every April the company usually has a round of “spring cleaning” where they would release talent that they had no more plans for. Which although tragic for the names involved at least often made sense as it was typically lower card talent or talent which had not been seen on TV for some time. Except following the April 2020 cuts WWE kept on having more and more rounds of releases which included many surprising names. In this episode, Greg and Garrod take a look back at most of the talent released over this period to see where they are now. Who is doing well for themselves? Who has yet to make a statement? And who are we yet to see return to the ring?

In some earth shattering news, one of the founding farthers of AEW has left the company. Join Greg and Scott as they try to untangle the overload of information surrounding Cody Rhodes shock departure from AEW. Elsewhere the pair discuss a possible Stone Cold return for Wrestlemania 38, a rundown on NXT Vengeance Day and a look at the new MyGM Mode in WWE 2K22.

It's been a while but Survival of the Quizzest has returned with it's first chapter of 2022 - I See a Rabbit Hole of Horrors in My Future. Not only that but it is the most stacked chapter we have ever had, with 6 contestants battling it out for victory. Not only that! But it's a different prize they are fighting it out for. Bearhug Club champion Garrod steps into the role of quiz master, with the winner earning a one point advantage going into the Royal Rumble 2022 preidctions battle AND if they tie with the champ the champions advatage rule is waved away. It is hands down one of the funniest and most chaotic chapters yet!

It's the debut of our brand new livestream show - Friday Night ROARR!!! - Tune in every Friday for; news roundups, watch-alongs, let’s plays, interviews, reviews, quizzes, board games and more! Check social media and the website for start time announcements. In this livestream, Greg and Garrod gave a rundown of the 12th January edition of AEW Dynamite. Greg has some figure news to cover, showing the new teaser images of the Moxley/Omega Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch two pack Ringside Exclusive. Greg also does his first ever figure unboxing, opening the Kazuchika Okada from the Super 7 NJPW Series 1. Finally, the boys wrap up the episode by talking about the state of Progress Wrestling. With the company under new managment and getting ready to welcome fans back for live shows, can the company reclaim some glory?

The new era of Wednesday Night Paw has arrived! Not only is it the place for the live podcast recording but it is now the place to catch live streams from the boys in the Club. Along with its new sister show, Friday Night ROARR!!!, you can expect plenty more chatter about the world of wrestling. News roundups, watch-alongs, let’s plays, interviews, reviews, quizzes, board games and more! Keep your eyes peeled to our social media channels and website for start times. In this first stream of a new era, the OG Club members, Garrod and Greg, chat Garrod’s first week of wrestling training, discuss thoughts on the up-coming Royal Rumble and have a look at some incredibly bad Buzzfeed wrestling quizzes.

New Year. New Style. Same Club. The boys are back after a short break to welcome everyone to the new era of the Bearhug Club. There is going to be some new changes coming but you can still expect the same ole' wrestling chatter. In the start to this episode the gang run through what you can expect in this new phase. For the rest of the episode, the boys throw out their predictions for 2022 and it got a little wild to say the least... Including; Garrod entering into a shoot feud with Alberto Del Rio. Chrisp (potato chips to you Americans) Deathmatch. Wrestling gaining Loney Tunes logic. And they answer the question - will we see the sale of WWE?

2022 is fast approaching, so now seems the fitting time to look back on the year that was 2021. It's been another rollercoaster of a year for many, as the on-going pandemic seemed to ease off a little but might be back in full swing thanks to the new variant. Thankfully, wrestling has still remained a great escape with 2021 going down as landmark year for the business. There has been some tremendous wrestling and we are going to honour it with the 1st Annual - Golden Huggies - End of Year Awards! This new prestigious award allows us to celebrate the best (and some of the worst…) in wrestling from 2021. Highlighting the stand out talent, teams, matches, shows and everything in-between. Who do you think was deserving of a Huggie? Let us know in the comments!

Happy Anniversary to us! Who'd a thought it has been 1 year of this podcast?! Come join the boys as they share their favourite memories, look at some highlights and cast an eye towards the future, with the arrival of Bearhug Club Day 2... A massive thank you to all the people who have listned/watched/downloaded the pod! Cheers to another year and many more to come!

We here at the pod owe a lot to WWE. In fact it's fair to say that without WWE; Greg, Scott, Garrod and Jace would not be fans of wrestling without it. Same can be said for pretty much the majority of fans out there. And when it wants to, WWE is capable of producing brilliant moments and matches that will stay with fans forever. Yet it's impossible to deny that the company has been in a very questionable place these last few years that has mostly resulted in anger and frustration. Case in point, 24 hours after we recorded this episode, WWE announced they had turned another record profit whilst going on to release more talent due to "budget cuts". But it doesn't just stop with the backstage issues, the on-screen product has been long suffering as well. In this episode, the boys throw out their ideas for what they think would "fix" the many issues with WWE. There is a lot of ground to cover in this episode, so settle in and be sure to let us know your ideas in the comments section and on social media.

It's back baby! Survival of the Quizzest returns for the spookiest time of the year with CHAPTER 6: THE GOTH CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR. Expect Thrills! Shock! Horror! The Graps! Witness Greg having his first title defence since being crowned the Bearhug Club Champion from the Summerslam predictions. Garrod and Jace are stepping up to the plate to challenge him with former champ Scott stepping into the role of quiz master. Will Greg be successful in his first defence or will a new champion be crowned this Hallows Eve? Grab a pen, paper and a pumpkin to play along and find out.

When you think of tournaments in wrestling, they really don’t get more iconic than the G1 Climax. New Japan’s annual tournament can trace its lineage all the way back to 1974, boasting an impressive list of legendary winners and being responsible for some of the most incredible matches. It’s tough. It’s brutal. And it’s always a must watch. Join the pod’s resident NJPW expert, Garrod, as he takes us on a journey through the history and legacy of the G1 Climax. Starting all the way back at early iterations of the tournament which were dominated by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki and charting it all the way up to the present day with casting an eye on the 2021 edition. And also, Greg is along for the ride as well.

Is WWE the place wrestlers still aspire to be? Up until very recently it was the main place to go if a wrestler wanted to make big bucks while doing the thing they loved. However, that no longer seems to be the case. AEW has now become the place alot wrestlers want to go, especially as it is more focused on the actual "wrestling" instead of "entertianment". And it is hard to deny the company has had one of the hottest signing streaks in recent memory; CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Ruby Soho, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo. Not to mention all the names that are rumoured to be arriving in the near future. With this in mind; Greg, Scott and Jace decided to throw out the names that they would want to see become All Elite. With all three taking a vastly different approach, they each picked their Top 5 names making a total of 15 different wrestlers/tag teams/factions they want to see arrive in AEW. What did you think of the names they picked? Who would make your Top 5? Let the boys know down in the comments or leave them a message via the website. As mentioned in the episode, Garrod has a t-shirt avaliable to buy for a limited time! It is cute, quirky, unique, funny, stylish - what more could you want out of a shirt? Grab "Polite Frog" before it is gone - https://everpress.com/polite-frog-cap

Since it's inception, professional wrestling has always been marked with controversy. After all, a predetermined sport was always going to raise a few eyebrows. When it comes to the story driven aspect, wrestling has always tried to push the envelope with mixed results. On this episode, the boys take a look at a variety of examples to see what worked and what didn't. From Pillman pulling a gun on Stone Cold to McMahon vs God to Andy Kaufman blurring the lines of reality. The guys deep dive into the good, the bad and the ugly of controverisal storylines in wrestling.