The podcast week in review, brought to you by Snack Basket.
The Usual Suspects
Talk n’ Shop (12/6/14): AJ Styles is back with Doc and Karl, although he disappears pretty quickly. Maybe Doc’s song calling out people complaining about the Styles Clash had something to do with it. It’s an OK outing but not the best show. I hope they Young Bucks are back soon, as they always tend to have the best shows. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
MLW Radio (12/7/14): Just Disco and MSL this week, as they take calls from fans as well as Larry Zybysko and a presumably pre-criminal charges Teddy Hart. Larry and Hart are fun calls, but the fans just don’t add much. Disco has been fine for his little run here, but I hope Konnan is back soon. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
Piper’s Pit (12/8/14): Austin Aries is the guest this week. He talks about his career, and it’s pretty interesting, although declaring ROH to be a niche product when you’re on Destination America on Fridays is pretty funny. Piper was just off the rails on this episode though, decrying “two guys from the Wrestling Observer” for making jokes at Adrian Adonis’ funeral (Dave Meltzer wasn’t there, in case you needed me to tell you that). He also legit thinks the animosity between the public and police officers stems from Cops reruns on Spike TV. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
Who’s Next With Goldberg (12/9/14): Former Buffalo Bills star running back Thurman Thomas is the guest this week. They talk about college football, Jim Kelley, getting cut from the Bills, and losing four Superbowls. Thurman’s a great guy with a few interesting stories, but overall there just isn’t a lot here. THUMBS DOWN
Steve Austin Show (12/9/14): This is a rebroadcast of the McMahon interview we covered last week, only without pictures in the background. My thoughts are the same as they were last week – it was an occasionally interesting but flawed look at the most powerful man in wrestling. There’s also a new wraparound with Steve and Ted Fowler that doesn’t add much. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
Talk is Jericho (12/10/14): Dean Ambrose sits down for part 1 of a chat with Jericho. Lots of really interesting talk about hiking, interviews, and random tag team names. Dean has some great stories as well about how he got his wrestling names and a fun story about how he got hired by WWE out of the blue. Very strong show. <Dean’s interview starts at 23:10> THUMBS UP & BEST OF THE WEEK
The Ross Report (12/10/14):Sean Waltman joins JR for a pretty comprehensive review of his career, from the early days in the indies, to getting his break in the WWF, the glory days of the Attitude Era, and his recent trials and tribulations. Sean is always an honest and thoughtful guest, and this lengthy show is well worth your time. <Waltman’s interview starts at 28:30> THUMBS UP
Bauer & Pollock (12/10/14): A lengthy recap of CM Punk going to UFC, Wrestle Kingdom, Lucha Underground, and a lot more. Unfortunately, Court does not have a good week, running the Jeff Katz Kickstarter rant into the ground again and making a terrible Time Splitters joke. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
Art of Wrestling (12/11/14): Dr. Tom Pritchard joins Colt for a talk about his career as a wrestler and trainer. Stories about breaking into the business through Paul Boesch at age 12 and being tested on the road are just fascinating. They also cover Pritchard’s transition from wrestler to trainer, and how his philosophies ran counter to WWE. Wasn’t a big fan of Colt rehashing his WWE experience, but Dr. Tom is an awesome guest. THUMBS UP
Steve Austin – Unleashed (12/11/14): Steve and Ted Folwer drink and answer listener questions. The show has become the Austin n’ Fowler Hour at this point. Thankfully they discuss a lot of wrestling, and a lot of fallout from the Punk podcast and McMahon interview is addressed. However, this just goes way too long at 100 minutes, especially when Teddy keeps laughing like a hyena. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
THE Jim Cornette Experience (12/11/14): Jim and Alice return after a week’s absence. They spend the first half of the show discussing travel woes, Billy Cosby, and of course CM Punk. Then Kenny Bolin thankfully joins the show to give Jim grief in a fun but all too brief segment. Bolin’s interview starts at 33:58 THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE
Talk is Jericho (11/21/14): Part 2 with Dean Ambrose, as they cover the rise of the Shield, fighting for their characters, the breakup, and Dean’s run as a single. Ambrose has lots more great stories, and his philosophies on keeping things unpredictable are very interesting. We were threatened with another Egypt appearance, but for some reason it didn’t happen. Merry Christmas. <Dean’s interview starts at 19:40> THUMBS UP
