Brad Shepard  SmackDown: Duke Loves Rasslin Week 453 - podcast episode cover

Brad Shepard SmackDown: Duke Loves Rasslin Week 453

May 13, 202446 min
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Episode description

The most controversial man in wrestling media is BACK and he's got a lot to say!


This week on Duke Loves Rasslin', Brad Shepard dives headfirst into the hottest topics:

  • Is a return podcasting in Brad Shepard's future?
  • Paywall Jesus whines for cheeseboards? We unpack the latest from WWE.
  • Is Jimmy Van the true P.I.M.P. of wrestling media?
  • Matt Koon: The Jingle Man gets the spotlight.
  • Tony Khan on the ropes? Brad weighs in on AEW's mismanagement.
  • PLUS MUCH MORE!

Don't miss these hard-hitting stories and Brad's signature brand of wrestling analysis. Tune in for another episode of Duke Loves Rasslin'!


** Visit RiveryCityWrestlingCon.com to get your tickets for this year's biggest #RCWC event ever!**

--*Ready to shop better hydration? Use my special link DukeLovesRasslin to save 20% off anything you order over at LiquidIV.Com


--*All views expressed on #DukeLovesRasslin are that of those expressing it. If you love it too bad. If you hate it too bad. #PullUpYourSkinnyJeans


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Transcript

Love this podcast? Support this show through the A Cast Supporter feature. It's up to you how much you give and there's no regular commitment. Just click the link in the show description to support Now strictly for the culture brothers and sisters you have seen. The T-shirts, the hats, the hoodies, the mugs in the hands of some of your favorite pro wrestling stars, podcasters and influencers out there and now

it's time. Visit strictlyfortheculture.ca and you too can be part of the movement. Bigger than sweatshirts and commercial success Strictly for the culture aims to build with like minded people and elevate their position in the world through knowledge, self love and desire to unite. So what are you waiting on? Visit strictlyfortheculture.ca. Do it for the love. Do it for the knowledge. Most importantly, folks, do it strictly for the culture you are locked in.

Look at what we have here folks, to the only show that matters. The queen of the crop, Duke, loves wrestling and there is no. One that does it better. Than your house. I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out above. You brothers and sisters, he's back. I I tried to warn you. This man is like that, that Candyman movie, OK? You keep saying his name and eventually he's going to

reappear. And you know, for those of us who are on the right side of history, and who respect and and who uplift our brother here, it's all good. And for the rest of you who keep begging and pleading for someone that you can direct your ire at, well, hey, your hero, you made him come back. You made him do this thing. So now it's time to paint the town red. It's time to to to set the world on fire. It is go time, Jack, because the man himself, Brad Shepard, has

officially returned. What's going on there, Shepard? Duke, what's going on? Good to be here, as always. I'm kind of like Beetlejuice. You say my name three times and I appear. Well, you know what I love about the fact that, at least with Brad Shepard, we know that you're not begging for cheese boards or or having emotional breakdowns over anything that Triple H may or may not say about you, Right? Some people just need a little

cheese with their wine. But yeah, there would be no Gofundmes. There'd be no cheese spreads or anything like that with Brad Shepherd. Let let's just. Jump right into it Shepherd, because I know that people are are curious about your opinion on this. At the scrum the the media event that happens, you know after the pay-per-view WWE just had in France, there was a question posed to Triple H and you know what was stated and attributed to fight Full and PW Insider was

inaccurate information. They said that Drew Gulick was released and that is not the case. Triple H was able to correct the record and say no, he wasn't released. We just chose not to renew his contract, which you know, we do that all the time. The NFL does that. That's part of doing business.

So but the thing that everybody latched onto and the thing that made our good buddy the thigh rubber himself sniffles Sean Ross Sapp literally have a conniption was the fact that Triple H said you got to get some better sources more accurate ones you know and and I guess that SAP took that as a personal attack on him, even though he wasn't the one that

reported it initially. At least that he's not attributed as being the person reporting it initially and Triple H never said his name but this guy took it upon himself to turn it into a personal crusade and and and he got all the the band of Mary Dirt Sheep gang and and GoFundMe warriors and goofballs all together and they're threatening Triple H they're threatening WWE SAP is talking about his emotional stability because he just lost a loved one and he can't believe

that the WWE and Triple H would attack him and his company this way. He can't believe it's. And he's gonna, he's gonna and then suddenly you you you going to give me a public apology? And you and you better do this

and you better do that. And then he's posting a picture of a cheese board that was mailed to him because Triple H and Nick Khan felt so sorry for this emotional, unstable con man who utilized the passing of a loved one to leverage sympathy at a time when no one was even talking about him. He pulled a 649. The switcheroo. This, this, this literally morally bankrupt goofball,

right? And he managed to get a gift and a letter out of it. And and and instead of just accepting that and and moving on, he's got to put it up in lights and post it online because you know what? The grift has to keep going. Brad Shepherd, tell us we haven't heard from you in a while, our brother. Tell us what you think about our good man's sniffles pulling another fast one. Well, I think they wrote a song about it. Yeah, you're so vain.

You probably think this song is about you, you know? And and that sums up Sean Rossap in a nutshell. And you know, he presumed this was about him. And because Fightful, you know, was named, He's not fightful. He's part of Fightful, but why would that automatically be about him? Well, that's an ego thing. He is so vain. You said, you know I'm going to puke, right? I'm going to puke. That's how I felt. Listen to that. Look, I mean, we have all lost loved ones.

I sympathize with him. And everyone who has lost a loved one, they're close to that. They've cared for. I can totally sympathize and relate with Sean on that. I'm not criticizing that. I'm criticizing that Sean Ross Sapp has to use things in his personal life for sympathy and share them with the world. I have challenges. You have challenges. We all have challenges and hard times.

And you know, we, we don't share those with the world for sympathy and and certainly don't make things about us that aren't. And so that is where I take issue with Sean Sapp. And I shouldn't use his middle name. I don't know why I'm doing that. Who goes by their middle name usually only douche bags. So Sean Sapp, Sean, that's who he is. We shouldn't call him Sean Ross Sapp. So I'm going to call him Sean or Sean Sapp.

So excuse me for that. But yeah, that's my issue with Sean. And I see not a lot has changed with him. He can't stop mentioning me or putting me over in some way, and neither can his friends. And then again, you know, hey, maybe they're they're rubbing the magic lamp and they're asking the genie for their one wish, for Brad Shepherd to return. But they can't keep my name out of their mouth, whether it's

public or private. Well, and and that's got to be disturbing just to be on the receiving end of that Brad. I know they do it to me, certainly not even close to the scale. They do it to you. But when they do it to me, it's always bizarre because it's like, I'm not even talking about you. I'm not even thinking about you. Why are you talking about me? Why are you posting about me? Why are you taking shots at me?

This is what these goofballs do. And then they cry foul when we have to do an episode where we start doing a little dive into them, right? The fact that every single solitary day, whether it be Twitter, X, whatever the hell you want to call it today, whether it be Instagram, whether it be Facebook, whether it be Reddit.

The fact that every single day, these goofballs and they're all connected with each other, by the way, they will mention Brad Shepherd in general conversation that has literally absolutely nothing to do with you. The fact that they mention your name every single day, I just don't know what to do with that. I got to ask you, Brad, are you flattered or are you disturbed?

Honestly, a mix of both. You know, I am flattered that they think so highly of my opinion because if they did it, they wouldn't talk about me. I mean, my opinion only holds as much value as they allow it to. So that's why I'm flattered, because clearly they allow it and they care about what I have

to say. I mean, I've, I've been out of the spotlight for quite a while now and they are still mentioning my name on X, on Instagram, on Facebook, Podcasts, you can go down the list and these are you know, professional wrestlers and people in the media and wrestling fans. So that is flattering.

It's also a little disturbing because generally speaking, don't know these people and don't know why they're so invested in me. And a lot of them don't have good intentions, you know, people who are not my supporters, for example. So it is definitely a mix of both. But you want Brad Shepherd, you're going to get them because every time I try to go away, Duke, they pull me back in. They want Brad Shepherd. The pro wrestling community genuinely wants Brad Shepherd.

I mean, and there's a lot you can look at. You can look at my podcast Numbers, a top ten global podcast, and I have it recorded an episode in almost a year. Think about that. The people want Brad Shepherd, whether they want to admit it or not. So I'm going to give the people what they want, Duke. Plain and simple. And what they want is they want, you know, some people want a hero. They want someone that they can believe in and and and blindly follow. In your case, they want someone

to blame. And there was something about Brad Shepherd. He it's like you're their favorite stepdad. You know what I mean? That it's just they they cannot make it in this world without you. And without you they start turning on each other. They cuss each other. They threaten each other. You know you have, since we talked about them already. You have SAP. He's going around bragging about head butting Billy body, which is legitimately one of the more bizarre things that I've ever

seen. You don't score points because you head. But a guy that's barely 130 lbs with a brick in his pocket? I don't know what to say about that. Literally. This guy is an emotional wreck. OK? I'm telling you right now, SAP is an emotional wreck. He wants to be known as Billy Badass, and it's the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. Because you're an adult, OK? No one is afraid of you. No one is impressed with the fact that you can go beat up some some little pipsqueak.

Who who? His biggest claim to fame is that he was some reality * and he likes to say a lot of bombastic things. Good for him. But the fact that you think you did something because you headbutt that guy. I'm just telling you, Sean, and I've told you this directly, you need help. You have a lot of emotional issues with you, buddy, OK? And the fact that you want to be known as some tough guy. Listen, go go go fight in UFC or PFL or something like that.

Go show us what you really can do against professionals. Beating up some little skinny punk who doesn't even really want to fight anyway. Who? Who? Who, as you claimed, he runs away from you. You don't score points today. You just look like a goofball and a bully, OK? That's what you are talking tough online and then picking on these little scrawny goofs buddy. You don't get any any Pats on the back for that and all those weirdos and and emotionally unstable people that cheer you

on for that. Just look around. What does that say about them? Do you really feel good about that? You need help, man. You you need a lot of help. Yeah, I mean, I have to agree. You know, I I think mental health in full transparency is something to take seriously. And if you're a loved one of Sean, you should encourage him to get help with his emotional issues. You know, I think that's important. He clearly does have a lot of issues and could probably talk to someone.

I mean, I look at Sean and I just see a guy who's, you know, in his 30s and is like living this childlike life with a meaningless existence, you know, no kids. And he covers pro wrestling for a living. He just lives this childlike existence, you know, for himself and I. It's just kind of a sad situation when you think about it.

You know, I can't relate. I don't have, you know friends in a similar situation but I do think you know he's had some difficult things going on and I I don't think it's a bad thing for him to talk to somebody and and seek help. But I the behavior that I've seen from him online and again you know here's a guy in his 30s married you know and and he's you know seeking out fights with people, challenging people to fights threatening them, you know people in the industry,

people who are fans etcetera. And I I get the, you know, the threats and the stalking and harassment. He and his group have been doing that to me for years and responsible for that. So I'm, I'm well familiar with that scenario. I would just say he should address that and it's OK. It absolutely is OK. And this is a thing, you know, his his way of dealing with things. Again, he wants people to believe he's some kind of Billy Badass tough guy, and he's not.

He, he legitimately is a scared little person. That's what he is, a scared, emotionally bankrupt little person. And we know this by the way, that he conducts himself, OK? You don't need to cuss and carry on and threaten and literally and at one point beat up the the, the weakest guy in the room, A person who legitimately could not do anything to anyone, right. You do not score points beating up Billy Body.

That's just goofy. It legitimately is goofy and and and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Sean. You know, by the way, Duke, I just want to say he did this allegedly during WrestleMania weekend while he was there potentially doing work for Fightful, right?

That's what we would presume. So that's how professional he is. He's on the job, the biggest show of the year in the industry he covers and he's literally chasing down and physically assaulting other people allegedly and so and not in self-defense. And so if I'm WWE, I have to remove that guy from covering any of my events moving forward because he is a safety risk to be at events covering them. That's not a good thing for WWE. And if you're Jimmy Van and FIFO, what the hell are you

thinking? Why is that OK? Why has he not talked about it? Has that been addressed with Sean? A lot of questions surrounding this story that Sean came out with. That's a great point. And I I don't even know what to make of this this Jimmy Van character. I mean, clearly he's finding ways to tap into emotionally unstable people who like being lied to and will pay to be lied to. That seems to be his thing. So if he can find the ringmaster, like like SAP, who

is very skilled. By the way, I've never taken away the fact that this guy is talented. He has figured out how to take emotionally unstable people who part of their kink is just to give money and and be mistreated, and that's what they do. SAP is very good at that, and Jimmy Van is very good at convincing that person to essentially be his, his earner. Bring me the money and I'll give you a couple of pence on the dollar. Bring me the money.

You know, So is, is Jimmy Van, is is that like a form of pimping? I don't know what that is. I'm just asking a question here. I'm not, you know, I'm not the arbiter of anything, but maybe Jimmy Van. Maybe this is a question I'm just pondering out loud. Maybe Jimmy Van is the greatest pimp in the history of quote UN quote wrestling media and he has his his workers who know how to go and get the tricks. Maybe, Who knows, Who knows.

But you know Jimmy, I don't have much nice to say about you brother cause your your business practices are bizarre. You should have been paying Denise Salcedo the most money and the fact that you have that woman of color who is carrying that company, especially during the pandemic. And yet you were paying this emotionally disturbed individual and SAP who's going around threatening people and beating up folks from other countries who who can barely, who can't

defend themselves. Quite frankly, the fact that you're paying that guy more when Denise, whether you like her or not, Denise was carrying that company and you were just disrespecting her by not paying her as much as you would pay any other goofball Jimmy Van. You, in my opinion, are a disgrace. It's as simple as that. Well, a wise man once said pimpin ain't easy, but I'd have to beg to differ because he is indeed the pimpin chief Jimmy Van, and he's made it look easy. He sure has.

And and listen, you know, Speaking of which, since we're lining them all up, it's been a while Shepherd. I haven't been cancelled in a while, so I might as well make it good. I want to bring up another name that popped up recently, surprisingly. Matt Coom. My my favorite Jingle man. All right, this this guy, he can he can make a Jingle brother. Let me tell you that man knows how to make a tune. OK, Matt Coon, the Jingle man found himself in a little bit of

controversy recently. He was presenting himself as captain SJW no hashtag boy and all that good stuff there. He loves to. Try to cosplay, caring about causes and and being anti racist and all this other stuff which is interesting when strictly for the culture.

Our friends over there shout out to them and some other folks raised the question about MJFA guy who disrespected all black folk and and anyone who's an ally by essentially comparing slavery to the Holocaust and saying that the Holocaust was much worse, literally pitting different folks, different cultures who have been brutalized, pitting US against each other. And MJF is Jewish.

So the fact that he would take it upon himself to try to uplift himself and his culture by putting down my culture is kind of strange and kind of scummy and certainly racist in my opinion. And strictly for the culture. They felt the same way and they brought it up and they brought it to Matt Coon's attention. And Matt Coon suddenly could not identify the racism in that situation. In fact, he said he didn't see it.

So when I observed this Shepherd, I just pointed out, listen, Matt Coon, you know, you your your Conrad's goofy buddy. You're a talented guy. I like when you make the music and all that stuff, when you make your jingles stick to making the jingles and stay out of the racism talk because clearly you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Clearly you you are not honest enough, brave enough to stand firm and just call it what it is.

You you pick your spots depending on what the popular crowd says. So so let me get your take on this here, Shepherd. I mean is am I missing something here with Matt Coon or? Or is he as as phony as a $3.00 bill? Well, I think first of all, his name is extremely racist. I just want to point that out for the record. So I think he should change his name immediately unless he is in fact racist. With that being said, look, the problem with Matt Kuhn is Matt

wants to be liked. I mean, he is mentally ill by his own admission, so there's that. But ultimately he's, you know, kind of a loser. He is mildly talented. I will definitely give him that. But he's just one of those like outcasts in society that wants to fit in, that wants to be liked and wants to be liked more so than the average person. Because at some level everybody

wants to be liked. But even more so, like in Matt's case, he wanted to be part of this cool kids club with the, I guess, the online pro wrestling communities and with the wrestlers themselves and that's why he would drive them around. It shows for free, you know, That's why he's made friends with people like Sean, SAP and others, you know. So that's Matt in a nutshell. I think pretty much, you know, I don't think he has good intentions.

I don't think he's stable or trustworthy and he's certainly proven that to be true. So you know I'm not a fan of Matt Coon at all. Like most white male liberal SJ WS I think he is much more likely to be the actual racist one. You know and and doesn't actually believe in what he's saying. But yeah, I I, you know, Matt is a is another guy who loves to talk about me, who loves to lie about me in spite of evidence. And it's all ultimately to get people to like him.

Because hey, if you say my name and you say bad things about me, this sort of toxic online Internet audience, you know this Twitter wrestling group of people, they're going to like that. So, you know, and then they're going to like Matt and Matt's going to be loved and that makes him feel all warm and fuzzy. But you know, Matt needs to focus on himself, believe me, and not people like me or others. I agree. And I'm just going to, you know, say this and and this is just me

talking. So you know, Matt, you don't need to invoke Brad's name and what I'm about to say, because I'm talking directly to you, You talk to me, young man. Again, I like the Matt Coon who who's Conrad's goofy buddy? That's what we know you As for better or for worse, when you start venturing off into things that you're really not qualified

to venture off into. You make a fool of yourself and you and you really make a fool out of Conrad who used his cachet to vouch for you and and help you even. You know, be somebody that anyone knows anything about. Because without him, I don't know if anyone would know who the hell you are. Matt. Now again, I think you're a talented guy, so just do me a favor And again, this is me talking to you here, Matt. I need you to get up, take your big back self into the studio.

Get your Jingle machine and make me something that I could tap my foot to and just do that and stay out of grown folk business. Thank you. All right, Shepard. Moving on here. A little birdie told me that you are putting the band back together, Shepard. I am putting the band back together again. I tried to stay away, but these people just won't let Brad Shepherd stay away, so I'm going to give them what they want. The band is coming back together. Brad Shepherd Unleashed is returning.

I'm very happy to announce that. And every week on Tuesdays, starting May 14th, you'll have a new episode of Brad Shepherd Unleashed. I'm back. And whether you like it or whether you don't, you know you're going to be talking about me. You heard it straight from the man's mouth.

And again, for for all of us who you know, appreciate Brad and appreciates the idea of somebody being able to just tell it like like it is and tell it like they see it, there is no reason why we all have to sound the same, think the same, have the same perspective on things. We need variety in the space, and certainly Brad Shepherd provides some excellent and much

needed variety in the space. So for all of us who appreciate that this is wonderful news and for all of you who have a problem with that, this is wonderful news for you, even more wonderful news for you, because now you have something that you can hate. Listen to again. You know, I I kind of love you to sleep with my interviews and stuff like that because we don't get too controversial. We got to get the sizzle back here with Brad Shepherd.

It really gets you stirred up because that's what you folks are missing in your miserable lives. So guess what? You're going to get it, OK? Brad Shepherd is back, baby. Like you said, we got what, another five weeks before we get the the next episode there, Brett? Yeah, absolutely. And look, it's coming, and it's coming hard. No ditty. There it is. There it is. What else?

What else in the wrestling world before before we let you go there, Brad, what else is something that you want to weigh in on? Because we had again, we haven't heard from you in a while and so much has happened since the last time you were on. I mean the WWE has a totally different ownership company now and Vince McMahon is completely

out. Folks like Triple H has been exalted as you know the the big thing now and and you know everyone is a Triple H guy suddenly you know, which is interesting to me. Then on the flip side, you have AW losing international partners who don't want to carry their programming anymore because of how terrible it is.

They still don't have a deal from WBD even though their their current contract, which they had an extension on it ends in December. So it's so literally as it stands right now, the United States of America, AEW has no place to air their content in 2025. What do you want to talk about, Brad? Well, the wrestling scene has certainly changed a lot since my last podcast, that's for sure. And you know, some for the

better and some certainly not. I don't think that knows man Paul Leveque is the savior like many people in the IWC do. There are things under his leadership that have changed, I think for the better, and certainly some things for the worst. Look, I don't need a video package on DIY. I don't want to see a video package of them. I want to see them, like not in the company wrestling somewhere else where I don't have to see them because they don't belong in the biggest company in the

industry. They're not at that level. And so I don't want to see DIY shove down my throat every week in any capacity. They don't belong. They belong in the minor leagues like AEW. So that's what I would like to see. So I would like for Paul very much to stop promoting these little fellas. What's this other one? These little UK guys who were A tag team. Some, they've got some weird name now, I don't even know, but they came from NXTNXTUK, whatever. And you know, they formed A-Team.

And I don't know why, but it's like he's taking all these little NXT guys and tried to bring them up. And you know, I I I just don't understand that mindset. That's to me something that Vince McMahon was smarter and better on from a business perspective than Paul. Look, I've said it before, Rey Mysterio is a legend. Rey Mysterio is someone I want to see wrestle. When you got 30 Rey Mysterios, you got too many Rey Mysterios.

You don't need a bunch of little guys in pro wrestling and and that's one thing that that Paul has done, you know, So I don't like that. At the same time they seem to have more freedom and I think we've seen some positive things out of the product that are taking place even down to getting rid of Kevin Dunn in the camera.

What you're seeing as ATV Viewer has improved tremendously without Kevin Dunn and has really shown how they can take things to the next level as good as they were already from a production perspective. So they've done that. Now you look at AEW and again, they're the minor leagues. They're a clown show run by a clown. I mean, that is an embarrassing pro wrestling company filled

with embarrassing pro wrestlers. You know how many times are they going to mention CM Punk's name and put over that he bitched out Jack Perry. And the greatest thing about Jack Perry is his father. The guy has no charisma. Now he's being promoted as one of the bigger stars in this faction with the Young Bucks who also have been a complete disappointment in AW who haven't really been over, haven't really

made any impact whatsoever. They brought in a bunch of people like Mercedes, who's been a total flop, which I knew would happen. They brought in Will Osprey. They paid these people a bunch of money. They're not moving the needle. In fact, the needle is moving in the opposite direction. They're losing viewership year over year over year over year. That's what's happening.

That's undeniable. And then you've got this crazy man with wild hair who who looks like he's on, who knows what and telling you they're about to get some massive rights deal. I mean, this is total delusion and the show is unwatchable. It's, you know, when when WWE is doing well, so goes the industry, It should be providing opportunities for others. But AW isn't taking advantage of that because it's so bad, you know, and Tony Khan has the money to make it work, but he

doesn't have the vision. He doesn't have the creative ability and so it's not working. Impact Wrestling is awful. It is the shits. Look, this Joe Hendry guy heard a song he did recently. I think he's entertaining. That should probably push him. But when I look at that show, I mean, that show is awful. It sucks. So pro wrestling should be getting better as WWE does great, but in many ways they're really not.

So I, you know, I think overall I've been more interested in WWE recently than I was historically. But at the same time, they're still missing opportunities too. Cody had the big story. He finished it. Well, what happens next? What happens next is they have to create a story that's going to keep you invested in Cody as the champion, not a guy who's the underdog trying to win the big one because he's done that now. So what is the story? And they haven't been able to

capitalize on that. And I see Logan Paul come out and cut a promo with Cody, and Logan Paul outshined Cody in that promo, in my opinion. So they have to figure out what they're doing with Cody because he is clearly someone they're pushing as the top of their brand. And frankly, he'll probably be outshined by Roman when he returns, and certainly The Rock when he returns.

So they have to figure that out. Those are a bunch of jumbled thoughts, Duke. I've got a lot more, of course, which I'll talk about on the podcast. Brad Shepherd coming in hot with this one. My goodness, I love it. I love it. This is the stuff we've been missing, man. Again. You know, things have been a little too too quiet. A little, a little too. What do I say, Sybil? We need a little chaos in here.

Brad and you being unfiltered with your takes and just calling it the way that it is, that's good stuff that that really is. And I I just wonder about something because we had Devon

Dudley on the show. In fact it was the last episode he made his his second appearance in less than six weeks and Devon talked about his impression of Tony Khan and and and AW now he said yeah you know that there are some talented wrestlers on that roster and and what have you but they just they're they don't have proper direction. They don't they don't have a Booker. They don't have agents that they're listening to because if they were then things would be a lot better.

And overall the root of the issue is Tony Khan he he just needs to get his shipping order. Devon told the story of Tony Khan using his sons to try to lure Devon in to AEW. And you know, the sons were were were given an opportunity to be on TV and wrestle with them and things like that. And they brought Devon in for a few meetings and and offered him a position and Devon told them, look, I don't want to wrestle, you know, my back is in bad shape and what have you.

I I I would love to be an agent. I'm willing to compromise and be a manager for my boys just to help them, you know, get out there and get some visibility. But I don't want to wrestle because I I don't want to have that kind of problem there. And AW strung him along or, or as I should say, Tony Khan strung him along three meeting. Shepherd strung him along and then finally said, hey, we don't have any open positions for agents, but you know, you could wrestle.

And Devon, that was the last time you spoke to him. Thank you for your time. No thank you. And left. And then promptly. Devon's sons suddenly aren't getting any more bookings in AW. They were essentially shown the door because their father wouldn't wrestle for the company. That is essentially the story that was told. Devon was diplomatic and respectful, but he also just stuck to the facts. What's your take on that type of way of doing business on on Tony Khan's front there?

Well, I think it's awful, but this is the same person who trashed WWE for their treatment of wrestlers and what is he providing? Is he giving health insurance to his contracted pro wrestlers? You know, what kind of benefits do they have? So he can talk a big game certainly, but what I've seen from Tony, not the words but the actions is not very desirable. It's not impressive. I think that's an awful way to do business. And again, I think, you know, the biggest hindrance to AEW is

Tony Khan, ironically. And without Tony Kahn, there is no AEW because he, along with his daddy Shad, are obviously funding the operation. So he's necessary, but at the same time he's hindering them. So that's obviously a problem, you know, And he's bringing in people who aren't telling him no. You know, I don't know where Will Washington's nose begins and Tony Kahn's ass ends.

And that's a problem because there should be people telling him when he is going astray, when he's doing something that may not be good for the business, for the company, for the creative, et cetera. And that's what Tony Kahn has to have. I want AEW to fail, just to be clear. I want to be very clear about that. I do not want them to succeed and I don't have to want them to succeed.

That's OK. You know, I don't look at all businesses and think just because I like one specific thing they offer that I should support all stores that offer that I I'm a Patriots fan in the NFL. I I don't want the Buffalo Bills to succeed, you know, That's all totally normal and healthy. I don't have to like something just because it's pro wrestling and I'm a pro wrestling fan.

I like movies too. I don't want all movies to be successful or I don't want to see all movies because I like what I like and that's OK. So you know that that kind of trope is overplayed in the IWC. It's OK to not want AW to succeed and and I want them to fail because they are not my style of pro wrestling. They're not something I'm interested in and I think there are numerous examples of them being actually harmful for the industry and and surely they've

done some things that help. I agree with that, right? They've offered job opportunities to pro wrestlers, not in WWE where they can make a living. At the same time, they've certainly made the business a negative. Tony Kahn has whipped up these lunatic fans and made this sort of cult of personality worse, And that's been a negative for the interactions in the IWC. And you see that. You see that on X, you see that on the different social media platforms.

So just to be clear again, I want AW to fail and go out of business. I'm telling you, Brad Shepherd, OK, the man that you either appreciate because he tells it like it is and he's not afraid and and he's not going to worry about the popular opinion. He's just going to give an honest take or you can't stand them. But you also can't stop listening to him because he can do the thing that you're not brave enough to do. That's the Brad Shepherd we know as the Brad Shepherd we

appreciate. And and and look for all you humanoids out there. You love to try to paint this, this false picture. Brad and I disagree about a lot of things and we have always through the years openly disagree about things. But the difference between Brad and I and you is that we are adults. We are actually emotionally stable enough to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

We can, we can disagree on a topic, agree on another topic, laugh about something else, you know, come together about providing for our family and and and just being decent human beings in society and move on. We don't need to sit here and turn it into some stupid Crips versus Bloods nonsense that a lot of you weaklings. This is all you know. You want to gang up and and and try to destroy people because they actually had the audacity to have a different opinion than

you have. Oh, the horror. My God. But you know, I I really do appreciate you, Duke. And you're right. It it's, it's two adults and you know I'll be honest with you. You know, I don't. I don't have really many friends, or any friends that I agree with on just about everything. How boring would that be? Surrounded by a circle jerk of, you know, exactly similar beliefs. That'd be so boring. You know, I like to culture myself.

I like to have different experiences and backgrounds and, you know, kind of branch myself out and diversify myself. So I like to surround myself with people who have different experiences just as much as people with similar experiences or more. So I can definitely appreciate what you bring to the table. And you know, I I have friends that have opposite views of me, politically and and otherwise.

And that's OK. So you know all the haters out there, you know who are, who are categorizing me in a certain way. You know, we may have more in common than you think. You know, I have a lot of life experience. I'm easy to talk to. I'm very relatable. And you know, if you just had a conversation with me, you may realize that I'm not going to

bite. It's OK. Brad, if anyone listening right now wants to keep up with you and and and make sure that they're dialed in so that when the new content drops they are absolutely there to listen and and go along for the journey, What's the best way they can do that? The best way to reach me as on X at B Shep Unleashed. That's BESHEP Unleashed.

Follow me on X I'll be branching out from there, but that is the one place right now where you can find all of the information on Brad Shepherd and Brad Shepherd Unleashed. You know, Brad, I appreciate you, man. It's the eighth year anniversary of Duke close Rosslyn and it's always fun to have you in the mix. You know since moment one, you you and I have always been straight up with each other and we've always made magic when we

collaborate, which I appreciate. And this show has grown partially because of your contributions to it, man. So I don't take that lightly and I appreciate you for it. And it's it's interesting because when I reflect back on the type of individuals that consistently give you a hard time and who consistently give me a hard time, it's as if they think they are sunny in The Godfather.

They think that they're these rough and tumble badasses who can beat people up in the streets and they fly off the handle and that's cool and it's awesome. And you know, the kids are giggling and cheering them on and stuff. They think they're sunny when in reality they're bumbling, stumbling goofballs who want to be smart, who want respect because they're smart. They're Fredo. They absolutely are Fredo.

And I just want to tell you Brad Shepherd from 1 Michael to another thank you for always being who you are, brother. And always remember, Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal. I. Want to remind you to check out Zencastr? ZENCASTR that is my favorite program to use for all my recording needs. And the great part is not only do they have audio, but they also have video options as well.

So whether you're video conferencing, podcasting, just catching up with friends and loved ones, you definitely want to check out Zencaster. They have a paid subscriptions. They also have a free version which I'm actually using right now. Transcripts the whole 9 yards. And even get this, Zencaster has started to do hosting. So for all you podcasters out there, if you're looking for a host for your show, please consider Zencaster.

You will not regret it. I'm telling you right now, once again, ZENCASTR made on Zencaster. That's right. So next time, be kind to yourselves and be kind to others. Take it away, Tony Shivani. Mr. Tony Shivani. And we're definitely out of. Time on Duke Love wrestling.

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