The podcast week in review, brought to you by TrueCar.

They Said It…

  • “I actually don’t remember him being in creative when I was in TNA. Now, it’s certainly quite possible he was, because back then the creative was really really bad.” – Don Callis on Disco Inferno claiming he invented the Ultimate X match.
  • “We got some really cool stuff cooking. Stay tuned, because 2016 is going to be a monumental year for us.” – Jeff Jarrett, in an interview taped a few months back, on Global Force Wrestling’s future
  • “The best analogy I’ve heard is from Bubba Ray Dudley, who compared ECW to Napster. Napster never made a dime but changed the whole music industry. ECW never made a dime, but in a way revolutionized the entire business.” – Joey Styles

The Usual Suspects

Something to Wrestle With #12 (10/21/16): No WWE topic this week, as instead we get a comprehensive look at Bruce’s time in TNA. We hear it all, from Bruce’s thoughts on talent, what happened when wrestlers weren’t paid, and just crazy stories of corporate incompetence. As comprehensive a look as we’re going to get at the inner workings of TNA from someone who was there. Don’t be put off by the immense 3 hour running time – the show flies by. THUMBS UP & BEST OF THE WEEK

Deep Blue Something #7 (10/23/16): Mike & Bryce talk about the potential Chikara video game, Mike changing a tire, writing fan mail, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, a philosophical disagreement with Bull Pain, and Bryce’s fan mail to Debbie Gibson. Some really good stories here and I can never dislike a show where the guests geek out over the classic WrestleFest arcade game. THUMBS UP

VIP Lounge (10/23/16): Two guests this week, as MVP and Alex welcome Shelton Benjamin and Miya “Jade” Yim to the program. Shelton serves as co-host, as Miya is here to plug #PutTheNailInIt, her campaign against domestic violence. Sounds like a heavy episode, but there are a good amount of laughs to be had as MVP and Shelton bust on Jade like older brothers. The show goes a bit long but I enjoyed it enough. THUMBS UP

Conversation with the Big Guy #9 (10/24/16): Ryback and Pat talk various subjects, including a lot about wine and El Pollo Loco. Thankfully Ryback digs into wrestling, talking about his “Pre-Show Stopper” weight belt and not giving a damn in WWE, plus where the name “Shellshock” came from, his entrance, and why he marches around the ring. It may be me but I always appreciate minutiae like that so the episode wasn’t a total loss. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

The Card is Going To Change #20 (10/2416): Part 2 with Grado, telling stories about being threatened with arrest on airplanes, prank calling wrestlers, and working Tracy Smothers. If you liked “Talk N’ Shop” this is basically a lost episode, as most everyone is pretty drunk and there’s a bunch of random stories that get cut off. So it’s pretty great. THUMBS UP

The Steve Austin Show #371 (10/25/16): Part 2 with Jesse Ventura. Like last week, a fairly even split between wrestling and other stuff. For the former subject, we hear about working as a heel his whole career and his ill fated attempts to start a union. For the latter it’s more about his new book on marijuana, his lawsuit against Chris Kyle, and working for Russian TV. Jesse is entering Mt. Rushmore podcast guest status for me, as he’s always entertaining, even if you have to take his tales with a shaker of salt. THUMBS UP

Killing the Town #2 (10/25/16): Lance and Don regroup for episode #2 with thankfully much improved audio. They discuss the Goldberg return promo from Raw, and segue into a discussion of writers and sounding natural on interviews. Then they’re joined by Paul Lazenby (who, let’s face it, was going to show up sooner or later) for a brief story of a time he had to play policeman backstage. A marked improvement over #1. [Lazenby’s interview starts at 31:06] THUMBS UP

MLW Radio #250 (10/25/16): For the momentous 250th episode of MLW Wrestling, Court and MSL…talk about the news. Topics include the FloSlam announcement, Hell in a Cell, TNA vs. Billy Corgan, gimmicks getting stale in WWE, and is the business heading for a lull (I thought we were already there). Enjoyable enough discussion. I’m toying with the idea of dropping this show from my column – it’s basically two guys talking the news, weekly reviews seem unnecessary. But this is a long running, popular podcast. Let me know your thoughts. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

The Ross Report #141 (10/25/16): JR first talks briefly to Goldberg, who doesn’t say much of note except that he doesn’t mind getting booed (good news after Monday Night Raw). Then Ross is joined by Stacy “The Cat” Carter. There’s some interesting stuff here – Carter wasn’t a trained wrestler and was around when women’s wrestling wasn’t handled as seriously as it is now. But JR asking about how she started dating Jerry Lawler just feels icky. [Goldberg’s interview starts at 12:33, Carter’s interview starts at 27:01] THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

Talk is Jericho #294 (10/26/16): It’s nearing Halloween, so that means it’s time for a spooky scary episode. This time Jericho talks to Robert Murch, an expert on…Ouija Boards. They talk about the history of the product, how it supposedly works, and Murch’s collection and personal experience with the Boards. A couple of interesting tidbits (Abraham Lincoln apparently held séances, who knew?) but the show ultimately didn’t hold my interest. [Murch’s interview starts at 13:45] THUMBS DOWN

Bischoff on Wrestling #14 (10/27/16): Joey Styles is the guest this week, as he and Eric talk about how he got into wrestling, almost working for Eric in WCW, and a disagreement about ECW’s true role as a springboard for wrestlers who went to WCW. Good interview, but nothing about Joey’s exit from WWE (and the sound quality is a little iffy). Even the wrestling discussion is more palatable than usual. [Styles’ interview starts at 21:20] THUMBS UP

Art of Wrestling #323 (10/27/16): A live show from a Global Force Wrestling sees Colt welcome Brian Meyers (talking the indies and Vince McMahon playing a prank on him at WrestleMania), Pat Buck (opening two wrestling schools and giving out Sid’s cell phone number), Chris Dickinson (his nickname and Paul Roma), Sonjay Dutt (wrestling in the Sudan), Karen Jarrett (being involved in wrestling) and Jeff Jarrett (the term “slapnuts”). The show is a few months old (Meyers hadn’t even resigned to the company yet) but fairly evergreen and definitely enjoyable. THUMBS UP

The Steve Austin Show – Unleashed! #371 (10/27/16): Steve and his wife Kristin tell a tale of going to the Reno airport (Steve had to throw out a knife!). Then Steve cracks open the mailbag and answers questions about wrestler handshakes, being crucified by the Undertaker, the potential AJ/Shawn Michaels match, the Thesz press, and stunning Donald Trump. Some good wrestling tidbits save this one. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

Jim Cornette Experience #152 (10/27/16): No guest again, as Jim and Brian talk about Cornette’s recent bout of gout and the sorry state of TNA. The first subject is what it is, and the second starts off like a typical LOLTA rant. But Jim weaves in some history of other territories being bought and their ultimate outcomes, and it makes for an interesting history lesson. Jump to that segment and ignore the first half. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

Keepin’ it 100 #17 (10/27/16): First up is Lance Storm for more discussion on his time in WCW and ECW, then Kevin Kleinrock has the Lucha Minute (which segues into Scott Steiner stories), Shane Helms discusses the Eddie Edwards’ upset title win over Bobby Lashley, Demetrius Johnson talks appearing on talk shows, the gang talks football, and Juventud doles out love advice. Solid show, but then they air Disco, Jericho, and Billy Kidman’s appearance on the Dating Game, which pushes this into positive territory. THUMBS UP

Ric Flair Show #17 (10/27/16): Former WWE commentator and current ESPN personality Jonathon Coachman joins Ric and Conrad. The show is mainly about three topics: (1) How great Charlotte is, (2) Coachman stumping for his own talking head ESPN show, and (3) sports. Coachman has been a great guest on other shows but he just comes across as grating here. [Coachman’s interview starts at 14:04] THUMBS DOWN

Talk is Jericho #295 (10/28/16): Avenged Sevenfold just dropped a surprise new album, and Chris Jericho gets the scoop from lead singer M. Shadows and guitarist Sinister Gates. The parts of deciding to release a surprise album, the process behind keeping it a secret, and taking cues from hip hop artists. But then they get into the subject matter (the potential danger of artificial intelligence), which sounds like a rejected prog rock album in the 70’s.[Shadows & Gates’ interview starts at 12:02] THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

MSL & Sullivan Show (10/28/16): MSL and Sullivan discuss the sad world title situation in the WWE and the history of arm wrestling in, uh, wrestling. Then it’s a mailbag with the interesting question of whether the New World Order would have to wear pink during October, and wrap things up with a review of the back half of Starrcade ’96. Good stuff per usual. [The Starrcade review starts at 47:51] THUMBS UP

Something to Wrestle With #13 (10/28/16): The Edge/Matt Hardy/Lita triangle is the subject for this week’s show, although they extrapolate that topic to how everyone got into the company and their various gimmicks and phases. The show’s not as great as usual since there’s just not a lot to the topic you don’t already know nor any cool anecdotes. Bruce is just extra obstinate at points too. THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE

Not enough podcasts for you? Here’s what the Voices of Wrestling team put out this week:

New Japan Purocast (10/24/16): Collin and Damon review the last Kouraken Hall show and talk about Wrestle Kingdom and the upcoming World Tag League.

Burning Spirits #1 (10/25/16): New show alert! This one focuses on independent Japanese wrestling, as Kevin, Drew, and Brennan take a hard look at DDT’s 2016.

Lucha of the Hidden Temple (10/19/16): Chris and Miles review the 10/19 episode of Lucha Underground, featuring Killshot’s match against Matanza.

Voices of Wrestling (10/28/16): Joe and Rich talk about TNA legal battles, the big FloSlam announcement, the recent big NOAH show, and preview Hell in a Cell.

Shake Them Ropes (10/28/16): The Hawk flies solo! (God Lord I apologize) Jeff Hawkins previews Hell in a Cell and talks the NXT’s Women’s Division

Wrestlenomics Radio (10/28/16): Mookie! Chris Harrington returns to break down the WWE’s Q3 results.