The Must See Matches All-Star Panel of Eamonn Bell, Sarah Parkin and Matty Edwards join Kieran and Mark for our final episode, the most nominated match on the list: the Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin No Holds Barred, Submission match from WrestleMania 13 on March 23, 1997. PLUS: our feelings on the project and show in general, (some of) your questions answered, ECW, David Hasselhoff, Triple H’s hair conditioning routine, we all love Owen Hart, we all hate Honky Tonk Man, “puppy dog” Ken Shamrock, Br...
May 06, 2024•3 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 104
A bonus amuse bouche before our final, most-nominated match next week: Eamonn Bell returns with his concept for drafting the 104 into supercards, with the twist that once a match has been picked, all other matches with all participating wrestlers are eliminated. Listen now for all the twists, turns, intrigue, drama, discussion and lunacy! PLUS: novelty draught excluders, El Generico, penalties, Coke Zero, the European Title, BRUCE, squeaky bum time, the Florida Bros., pandemic wrestling, colour ...
Apr 27, 2024•1 hr 33 min
If there’s ever a match worth of lengthy discussion, it’s arguably Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata from Sakura Genesis, April 4, 2017. Globetrotting Eamonn Bell returns to talk the build, action, story, fallout, legend and legacy. PLUS: brain swapping, Jimmy vs. Jey, Mania without Mania, engagement, Matt Tremont’s toilet, wild stats, the curse of long matches, Taken starring Katsuyori Shibata, bloody Robin, Suzuki vs. Tanahashi, Heat, Super Dragon, wrestlers as fighting game characters, “U...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Dave Ryan & Lee Malone from the excellent Days of Thunder return to discuss THE Crusierweight classic and a fair shot for the best match WCW ever put on as Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero go Mask vs. Title at Halloween Havoc on October 26, 1997. PLUS: Goldberg and Gillberg, DSF, throwing people under the bus, WCW stats, Raw vs. Nitro ratings, Lucha Libre And The Mexican Luchadors, El Hijo del Santo’s off-putting trophy collection, the title of Dave’s autobiography, Steven Regal vs. Mongo...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Kieran & Mark enlist MOJ’s help one more time to cover the highest ranked tag match on the list: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue from June 9, 1995. PLUS: potential unemployment, Nick Jackson, three Zacks, Bridge of Dreams, Japanese handhelds, THE YETI, cool T-shirts, DAN, Austin Powers, toy cars on the commentary desk, Akira Maeda, Antonio Inoki, Sting, Shingo Takagi, “back titty mist”, the physics of Misawa’s frog splash, Dixie Carter, The Greedy So...
Apr 06, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 101
It's brother versus brother, brother! Veteran wrestler RJ Singh joins Kieran and Mark to talk the build, action, details and legacy of Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart from WrestleMaina X on March 20, 1994. PLUS: a rolled up magazine to the eye, RJ’s fandom and journey into wrestling, the FWA, correcting a Cagematch error, watching wrestling matches via Twitter videos, sibling rivalry, wrestling storytelling and match psychology, loose sunset flips, Misawa vs. Kobashi, the dragon screw in 90s WWF, more f...
Mar 30, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Do we have your attention now? Kieran and Mark are joined again by GRAPPL founder and co-host of BRETRO, Gareth Hodgson, to get into everything surrounding CM Punk vs. John Cena from Money in the Bank on July 17, 2011.PLUS: Taboo Tuesday: Text Message Edition, Nickelback, anonymous General Managers, Mason Ryan, dance contests, The Nexus, the highly prestigious Tag Team Title, Tough Enough, making a mess in Australia, GCSE Humanities, “BRUTIS”, Colt Cabana and Ace Steel, “award-winning” commentar...
Mar 24, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 99
The excellent (and disgustingly young) Squill returns as two broken down old men talk about two broken down old men having the fight of their lives: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi from March 1, 2003. PLUS: youth, the All-Japan/NOAH split, injuries, Jake Lee, Takeshi Rikio, Count Binface, Vermin Supreme, SEM, Grand Sword by the pool, NOAH video games, the King’s Road’ll own you, the accountant Ken Smallbridge, Billy Gunn, Akitoshi Saito’s umbrellas, Bob Backlund, beavers, Bush, MMA Misawa, AJ...
Mar 17, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 98
You’ve got to be kidding us! Garrett Kidney returns to discuss the importance, build, action and legacy of THAT TNA three-way: Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles from Unbreakable on September 11, 2005. PLUS: Pratchett, bad reasons, Air Raid, bootleg VHS, Florida, Flo-Rida, autocorrect woes, Simon Diamond, Konnan being dogshit, Shark Boy, Monty Brown, Count Marquis Von Cor, hotshot reporter Shane Douglas, Sabu, teleporting Chris Daniels, Larry the Cable Guy, the root of “This Is Awes...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Pro-Wrestling Torch columnist and podcaster Rich Fann returns to help us finish a rivalry at the beginning as we talk the first Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega singles match, from Wrestle Kingdom 11, on January 4, 2017. PLUS: car mould, sealing kids in tubes, Wrestle Kingdom on the treadmill, voting patterns, Ezio Ospreay, Low-Ki 47, HORIPRO, baseball, product placement jackets, shotguns, HUSTLE, BOAT RACE, disconcertingly cheap noodles, the Marty Asami retirement plan, the maddest table bump AN...
Mar 02, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Mark & Kieran fire up the podcycle and sidecar for a two-hander to tackle "the perfect match": Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada from June 3, 1994. PLUS: a bad week with no mint tea, “choppy-choppy your peepee”, When Worlds Collide , Kieran’s VHS collection, “how much does this guy weigh?”, Eddie Kingston, Champion Carnival, Joseph Montecillo, an alternate Holy Demon Army, the thirty day rule, the crowd, Baseball Cap Man, VPW 2 , Dan Kroffatt, roids, Tony Schiavone, a mime you don’t get t...
Feb 24, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Kieran and Mark are joined by the COO of wXw, Tasslio Jung, to talk Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness from ring of Honor Unified on August 12, 2006, as he provides his unique perspective on the match... PLUS: Ring Warriors, the Dungeon of Doom, Alessandro Del Piero, Tiger Mask, the day-to-day of a wrestling company COO, Ryanair, Desmond Wolfe, the Natural Born Thrillers, Andy Quildan, moustaches, RoH/CZW Cage of Death, hard cam woes, Mark Sloan, Dragon Gate, James Tighe, All-Star, a random bo...
Feb 17, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 94
The Noted Raconteur, Sean Orleans returns for a magical night in Sendai: Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. The Can-Am Express of Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat from May 25, 1992. PLUS: a fiesta, Makoto Hashi, the differences between the All-Japan and New-Japan Junior divisions, indoor gardening, world records, a 40in vertical leap, Ladder matches, the WWF run, Jushin Liger vs. Yoshitsune, a new word, Richard Slinger, the All-Asia Tag Title, the Phil Lafon Appreciation Society, “ZERO-SEN KE...
Feb 12, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Wrestling historian and author Patrick W. Reed returns to help us talk the history, context, details and legacy of Katsuyori Shibata and Tomohiro Ishii beating the piss out of each other on August 4, 2013. PLUS: Classic G1, the rise of Ishii, RevPro, Stone Pitbull factoids, descriptions of fabulous violence, opposing wrestling philosophies, Unchained Melody, Lance Storm, the Royal Rumble, 3D, a phone call, TITTY MIST, Shibata lariat bumps, headbutts and the OTHER Shibata match on the list, Marty...
Feb 04, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 92
On loan from POST Wrestling, the incomparable Karen Peterson joins Kieran & Mark to discuss the highest-ranked women’s match in the project: Sarah Banks vs. Bayley from NXT Takeover Brooklyn on August 22, 2015. PLUS: paperwork in Japan, the Stephification of WWE women’s wrestling, “Divas”, main eventing in the semi-main event spot, Gail Kim vs. Amazing Kong, yellow dots on a black background, Ricky Steamboat, NY/NJ vs. Mass., unkind chants, Big Match White Gear™️, The NXT Big Match Heel Mono...
Jan 27, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 91
It's the Summer of 69(-minute long matches) as Mark and Kieran tackle the epic, seven-star, Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega No Time Limit 2/3 Falls match from June 9, 2018. PLUS: it’s far too cold, match length, Kota Ibushi’s magic feather, How2KennyOmega, trousers, callbacks, balloons, Winnipeg shovel hands, “CHOTTOMATTECHOTTOMATTECHOTTOMATTE!!”, how to film pro-wrestling, Kenny’s core strength, the Rainmaker ego, signature flash pins, Doug Williams, Bushwhacker Unno, one of the best counters w...
Jan 21, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Author, podcaster, Mastermind contestant and mahjong master, George Twigg joins us to deconstruct The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian in TLC II from WrestleMania X-7 on April 1, 2001. PLUS: a live book review, Mark’s vast wrestling physical media collection, a quiz, ICW, the WWF booking of 1999, the milestones that led to the match, 1995 ECW TV, WWE as King’s Road, Anheuser-Busch advertising, Roy Keane, an unrelated match with an incredible finish, Hamlet, the first match...
Jan 20, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 89
One of our great joys in doing this show has been talking classic joshi with Sarah Parkin, so lets’s do it one last time for Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori from AJW Dream Slam I on April 2, 1993. PLUS: books, heat, Eastenders booking, the history of LLPW and its battles with AJW, Kandori hates everybody and they hate her, Tom Magee vs. Bret Hart, the lost Eagle Sawai tape vault, angry judokas in wrestling, French ref and waiter ref, Steve Lynskey, 90s screensavers, Astronauts vs. Crazy Lovers,...
Jan 07, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Comic writer and artist, and big wrestling fan, Daniel Warren Johnson joins us to give a live perspective on Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks from AEW Revolution 2020 on February 29, 2020. PLUS: the G1, Jushin Liger, what it’s like being a “new” wrestling fan in this day and age, finisher larceny, AEW’s positioning within the MSM project, the TV of AEW at the time, the relatability of the Hangman character, The Undertaker, Jim Ross, DNA, Matt Morgan, “what is a Nando?”, Goggleb...
Dec 30, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Captain of the good ship GRAPPL, Benno joins us to talk about Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi from October 1, 2005, including his experience of being there live, and the crazy year 2005 both men had. PLUS: Matty, kayfabe cousins?, a Rashomon holiday, International Showdown, a fateful raffle, getting what one is owed out of Alex Shane, fandom of the time, Gabe Sapolsky: tour guide, commentary or lack of, prepping the ring for a legend, the industry and fan perception of Joe at the time, an alternate ...
Dec 24, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 86
***Our friend and frequent guest Eamonn Bell's partner recently lost their home in a tornado. If you can help, their GoFundMe is https://bit.ly/GFMD Thank you*** wXw CEO Felix Kohlenberg returns to finish what he helped us start a full year ago: the Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair I Quit match from Clash IX on November 15, 1989. PLUS: Terry Funk vs. Eddie Guerrero, brilliant Terry Funk squash matches, brilliant Terry Funk promos, a Terry Funk PSA mostly just a lot of Terry Funk being brilliant, the per...
Dec 16, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 85
All-Japan expert Joseph Montecillo returns to help us with the lead up to, and fallout from, the pivotal Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta match from June 8, 1990. PLUS: Christmas talk, Philippine Time, Asian traffic, Misawa’s tinfoil jacket, Jumbo’s scoop slam, sporting referee Kyohei Wada, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King, 80s British wrestling, Mick McManus vs. Clive Myers, the Misawa Selling Cam, Jumbo Tsuruta’s intimate relationship with the ropes, Triple H, The Fingerpoke of Doom, Essa R...
Dec 10, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 84
The Peak of The Streak? The marvellous Kefin Mahon of How2Wrestling, The Attitude Era Podcast and Cinema Swirl joins Kieran and Mark to talk everything Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker from WrestleMania 25 on April 5, 2009, including the experience of being there live. PLUS: broken hearts, the better brother, Doink the Clown, burning down the house, Randy Orton’s “menagerie of wives”, Shawn Michaels’ lack of financial acumen, Seven (not the film), The Chaperone, Kieran goes to Smackdown, a weir...
Dec 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 83
The only person we could call to talk about the March 17, 2000 Atlantis vs. Villano III Mask vs. Mask match was The Cubs Fan. He brings all the context and history as we get into our final lucha libre match on the list. PLUS: lucha fever, Arez, Mascara Dorada 2.0, RevPro, Dragon Lee goes boxing, an honourable villain, Kieran’s misspent youth, Conan the Barbarian, fireworks safety, Atlantis’ promotional posing routine, “Baby Richard”, arthritic referees, the worst wrestling TV director of 2000, f...
Nov 26, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Bang bang, he's back! Matty Edwards tears off the mask and shirt to discuss the Triple H vs. Cactus Jack Streefight match from Royal Rumble 2000. PLUS: Stranger Things, ratings rivalry, the “phony” Mankind, WWF on Channel 4 and its influence, Heat, Brock Lesnar, WCW Worldwide, The Radicalz, the taxi, STORY, butts in seats, chefs, a ghost that’s definitely a ghost, Mark the vandal, fake barbed wire, universal handcuff keys, censorship, and controversy. Follow Matty: @MattyEdwards86 // Follow Grap...
Nov 18, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Might-as-well-be-the-third-man, Eamonn Bell joins Mark and Kieran once again to debate the merits of Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA from Glory By Honor V - Day 2, from September 16, 2006. PLUS: RevPro at the 229, Gadge, Ian Hamilton, show-off heels, technical difficulties, Baldur’s Gate, D&D, Lykoses, Kamala, FIP, Cyber Kong, Hideo Itami, interpromotional politics, Samoa Joe, New-Japan, Scrubs, Butlins, the physics of the figure-four leglock, Kirby, office carpet, “finisher prowres”, GDPR, Low-Ki...
Nov 12, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 80
The marvellous Sarah Flann returns to discuss a dream collision for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke MNakamura vs. Kota Ibushi from Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 4, 2015. PLUS: more Cardiff ramen chat, Tetsuya Naito, Jeff Jarrett, not that Kevin Sullivan, “wobby-wobby dubstep”, metaphorical hats, Transformers, Kieran channels Leonard Nimoy, Ong Bak, Bruce Lee, Bishop Brennan, callbacks, violence, accidental bootlicking, “the Murder German”, Cribs with Kota Ibushi, only the finest ...
Nov 05, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Kieran and Mark go tandem to talk the most epic chop battle in pro-wrestling history... oh, and the rest of the match around it: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Kenta Kobashi from NOAH Destiny 2005 on July 18, 2005. PLUS: suspect mathematics, the handling of the GHC Heavyweight title, highly dated references, Heavies and Juniors, The Wrestling Channel, Coventry, Mark Haskins, Riki Choshu, the “Triple Clown” title, the slow-motion Rey Mysterio hatch, Kobashi’s knees, Kensuke Sasaki: daredevil aerialist, “titt...
Oct 29, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Even the flu couldn't stop Eamonn Bell from joining Mark and Kieran on their first BONUS episode, as all concerned decided Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura from Kakuto Tanteidan: We are the Fighting Detectives on October 12, 2023 needed to be talked about. PLUS: the live experience, encounters with a mysterious western wrestler, Hipster Pro-Wrestling, the worst of the Tigers, a struggle to describe Battlarts, New-Japan booking, Munenori Sawa/Lingerie Muto, “Tekken energy”, Final Fantasy, detective...
Oct 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min
The incomparable MOJ joins Kieran and Mark once again, this time for the “fierce battle” of Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi from AJPW Fan Appreciation Day on April 20, 1991. PLUS: an immediate tangent, Mark’s trip to Japan, the history of Fan Appreciation Day, Taue’s hair, cardigans, hatred, donuts, Fuchi the evil little prick, John Terry, the low dropkick, James Tighe, Caiman, jeet kune do, Dean Ayass, TV commentary traini...
Oct 22, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 77
