The Pro Wrestling Stories Podcast

So concludes season 1 of The Pro Wrestling Stories Podcast. Tune in as we reflect on this past season and how you can keep up with the latest news about our show! You can read our official press release here. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter:...

“Michael Hayes was in a booking meeting when Vince McMahon said, ‘Who the f*** hired Johnny Polo?’ My heart was broken when I realized I wasn’t going to be used right.” Scott Levy performed under various aliases over his long wrestling career though by far, his most successful run in wrestling came under the guise of Raven. After finding success in ECW and WCW, Raven re-signed with the then-WWF, and the fans were excited. This should have marked Raven’s greatest run of all, but Vince McMahon had different plans. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Raven in WWE - Where Did It All Go Wrong?" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

SummerSlam 1992 was assembled at outdoor Wembley Stadium just outside London, England. The 80,355 in attendance were buzzing throughout the evening, mostly in part to cheer on their hometown hero, The British Bulldog. He was set to take on his real-life brother-in-law Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in the evening's main event. Both competitors were incredibly over with the fans at the time, but not all was what it seemed. In a match he would later consider the greatest of his career, Bret would have to carry Bulldog through the entire match as he forgot everything he was supposed to do. It was a result of many unfortunate choices made in the days leading up to their match… Listen to the full story behind the match below as we also provide our commentary on the incredible match itself. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Bret Hart and British Bulldog at SummerSlam 1992 – The True Story" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive "Bret, I'm fooked!" t-shirt, inspired by today's story, on PWSTees.com! PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Harley Race was considered by many to be one of the legitimately toughest men to ever grace the squared circle. This is a man who beat polio as a child, survived cancer, plus a near-fatal car crash. As Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan once said, "The only two men in the world that Andre the Giant feared were Meng and Harley Race." He packed a hard punch and even his voice was enough to make the hardest of men tremble in fear. Not only was he tough, but he also had a heart of gold and looked out for his own. They don’t make them like him these days. These stories show why! Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Harley Race – Tales of His Tenacity and Strength" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive Harley Race-inspired t-shirt on PWSTees.com! PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Every story about the life of Tony Halme, professional wrestling’s Ludvig Borga, seemed so outrageous they couldn’t possibly be true. Halme truly lived the “foreign heel” gimmick in his surreal, shocking life; he was openly racist and homophobic and even had a Nazi tattoo. Yet, despite being an overtly bigoted man with deplorable views, he kept surfacing in public worlds of celebrity: he was a pro wrestler, boxer, UFC fighter, actor, writer, and musician before getting elected to parliament in Finland. Before he was even a year into his political term, he overdosed on amphetamines and alcohol, shot an illegal firearm in his apartment during an argument with his wife, and went into a 3-week coma where he possibly suffered brain damage. As unbelievable as it all seems, it was all actually real. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Ludvig Borga – The Surreal, Shocking Life of Tony Halme" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Want more? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

One of the few constants in World Championship Wrestling was Sting. He had many classic matches, won numerous titles, drew immense crowds, did big business with the nWo, you name it. He was a big deal. That’s why it boggles the mind that it took 14 years for WWE to hire him after WCW was bought by Vince McMahon on March 23rd, 2001. Here is the story of his unlikely journey to the WWE, and where it all went wrong. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Sting - His Unlikely Journey to the WWE (And Where It All Went Wrong)" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Wrestlers' Court is a very real collective of talent that meets whenever WWE employees need to hash out differences on the road. Undertaker was usually the judge, though JBL and Triple H have sat in at the helm on many occasions. There were prosecuting attorneys as well as defense attorneys who backed up the accused. Punishments were usually on the lighter side of things (the guilty party generally settling ordeals through gifting bottles of Jack Daniels, cases of beer, or food). However, some unpopular figures backstage have been on the receiving end of much harsher justice in wrestlers' court. Whether it was having words taken the wrong way, sharing matzo ball soup with a script writer's mother, accidentally spilling chicken crumbs on Chris Benoit's bags, or taking the term "diva" a bit too literally, as you'll soon hear, almost everyone had their day in court! Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Tales from WWE's Wrestlers’ Court" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive "Wrestlers' Court" t-shirt featured in the logo of today's episode on PWSTees.com! PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

“If you’re going to have a story, have a big story, or none at all.” The Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels feud involved two of the greatest artists painting a beautiful piece of work full of layers of emotion that could resonate with any pro wrestling fan. In the process, they created one of the most memorable wrestling feuds of all time. And to think, it almost didn't happen! Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels – Their Emotional, Memorable Feud" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Rick Rude was a special, once-in-a-lifetime kind of wrestler. He went by the nickname “Ravishing” — and rightfully so. He had a solid moveset, great looks, flashy attire, and unbridled arrogance with the in-ring skill to back it all up. He played hard in the ring, but even harder out of it. This is his story. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Rick Rude – More Than Ravishing" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Brian Pillman and his “Loose Cannon” gimmick was the talk of the wrestling business in 1996, with everyone from promoters, fans, dirt-sheet journalists, and the wrestlers themselves all discussing what was real and what was part of Brian’s character. He managed to play the management of ECW, WCW, and WWF against each other, thus securing himself the first-ever WWF guaranteed contract in the process. This is the story of how The Loose Cannon pulled it all off. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Brian Pillman: How ‘The Loose Cannon’ Worked the Workers and Made Himself a Superstar" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

The Rock vs Hulk Hogan, “Icon vs. Icon”. An attendance record-shattering 68,237 fans jam-packed Toronto’s storied SkyDome to bear witness the absolute best from two generations. When the two stood face-to-face and the electricity from the crowd and the flashes of camera light illuminated the space all around them, it was quite evident that one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history was about to take place. The classic staredown, the look to the crowd. The throng of people were behind both stars, but mostly Hulk Hogan. The first lock up. Hogan shoves Rock down. The crowd cheers heartily for the villain. What a reaction. It was only the beginning. But the match did not go according to plan. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "The Rock vs Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 – The Real Story" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Hulkamania had run its course and Vince McMahon was on the hunt for a new hero who could defy all odds. Cue: Lex Luger and the Lex Express. Oh, how it all went wrong… Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Lex Express and The Failed Lex Luger Experiment" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

"This was not what I had expected. What Hulk Hogan had done was perfectly clear to the boys." - Bret Hart. In today's episode of The Pro Wrestling Stories Podcast, we discuss WrestleMania 9 which took place from Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and specifically, the controversy surrounding the WWF World Heavyweight Champion by the end of the show — Hulk Hogan. Follow along with the article! Click here to read "WrestleMania 9: The Controversy Behind Hulk Hogan Winning the Title" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive Hogan-inspired t-shirt on PWSTees.com. PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

Many have attempted to claim the title of the toughest man in the locker room, but only one man earns that title — Meng aka Haku. In the inaugural episode of The Pro Wrestling Stories Podcast, we explore the legendary stories shared by his peers including fighting off officers, gouging out eyes, and ripping out a man's teeth. Each tale has led Meng to earn the reputation of being "Wrestling’s Toughest S.O.B."! Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Meng: Tales of Wrestling’s Toughest S.O.B." on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive Meng-inspired t-shirt on PWSTees.com! PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!

In 2002, unbelievable chaos ensued on a fateful flight that has since passed into wrestling folklore as The Plane Ride From Hell! It was an orgy of excess, violence, and sexual misconduct that would ultimately spell the end of at least two notable careers in WWE. Put your seat upright and fasten your seatbelt – there may be some turbulence along the way! Follow along with the article! Click here to read "Plane Ride From Hell! The Exclusive WWE Inside Story" on Pro Wrestling Stories. ProWrestlingStories.com, your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestling’s past! Looking to kill some more time? Click here to choose from over 500 great wrestling stories! Follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Facebook: @prowrestlingstories, Twitter: @pws_official, Instagram: @prowrestlingstories, and on YouTube: @prowrestlingstoriespodcast. Follow Chris Toplack (host/producer): @christoplack, Cory Rivard (host/video editor): @coryrivard, and JP Zarka (executive producer/"the man behind the curtain"): @jpzarka. Click here to purchase our exclusive "Plane Ride From Hell" t-shirt featured in the logo of today's episode on PWSTees.com! PWSTees.com - Your favorite pro wrestling stories, on a tee! Don't forget to use promo code PODCAST to get an additional 10% off your order!