If you've watched WWE Smackdown Live in the last few weeks, you've noticed that tag team champion Rowan has started wearing a different metal shirt every week . We felt that Rowan would be a perfect guest for our wrestling-meets-metal podcast and so here he is, talking to me about his favorite metal bands, how he discovered all the folk and power metal he listens to, the inspiration for his metal tattoos, how he ended up in the new Amon Amarth video trilogy, who in the WWE he shares metal talk w...
Jun 14, 2019•37 min
If you haven't seen Viceland's new series, Dark Side of the Ring , we can't recommend it enough. (All the episodes are up for streaming ). I had a chance to talk with the creator of the series, Evan Husney, who takes me through his pro wrestling journey and how his fandom of wrestling and heavy metal intersected. We dive deep into the series and the episodes, including Bret Hart's Montreal Screwjob, the death of Bruiser Brody, the Von Erichs and Gino Hernandez. After the interview, Rob gives his...
May 21, 2019•1 hr 27 min
Chris Jericho returns to the Squared Circle Pit and we have a lot to catch up on. First, we reminiss about the first Chris Jericho Rock and Wrestling Rager at Sea, as both Rob and Chris share some memories from the boat. We discuss what fans can expect on the 2nd run of the cruise, for which there are still limited tickets available . Chris recaps his memories at Ric Flair's star-studded 60th birthday bash, including that infamous photo with Triple H. We switch gears talking about AEW, and Chris...
May 10, 2019•29 min
This podcast is finally back! It's a very special edition of the show, with extended interviews from WrestleCon. Rob headed to the annual WrestleMania weekend convention and got killer interviews with Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, Vampiro, Road Warrior Animal, The Rock N Roll Express, Joey Janela, Frankie Kazarian, Chris "Dirty Daddy" Dickinson, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky. Take a listen to all the extended interviews from the con with some fun tidbits not included in our video report. Check out p...
May 01, 2019•49 min
It's an honor to welcome one of my all-time favorites, RAVEN to the show. Throughout his career, Raven hit all the major promotions – WWE, WCW, ECW and has some awesome stories to tell and created one of the most unique characters of the 90s. We talk about how the grunge scene in the 90s influenced his character, his favorite music (some picks may surprise you), his time working as a producer for WWF (at the time), how wrestlers dress, the current season of Saturday Night Live, comedy and his cu...
Dec 04, 2018•1 hr
Aubrey Sitterson, the author of The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling, sits in with Rob on the podcast this episode. We talk about Aubrey's book, the history of pro wrestling, the connection between metal and wrestling and then we dive deep into New Japan vs. WWE and of course, we talk some good old fashion doom and stoner metal. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit interviews about wrestling with Slipknot's Corey Taylor , Chris Jericho , former WCW boss Eric Bischoff , NJPW star Kenny...
Oct 12, 2018•1 hr 4 min
This Friday is the premiere of Blackcraft Wrestling with their debut event, Burning Bridges. We talk with the owner of the company, Bobby Schubenski, who also runs Blackcraft Cult clothing. We talk to Bobby about how he got into wrestling and heavy metal, the idea for starting a wrestling league, the concept behind it and how he plans to differentiate from other wrestling leagues and their big show this Friday, Burning Bridges. Also, we discuss his stint on Total Divas with his ex-fiancé Rosa Me...
Aug 23, 2018•39 min
On this edition, I talk to Dave LaGreca, host of SiriusXM's daily wrestling talk show, Busted Open Radio. We talk about the current wrestling scene, the NJPW G-1 Climax tournament, ROH and NJPW selling out Madison Square Garden and just the aura of the Garden in general, and how Dave keeps up with all the wrestling. We also spend a huge chunk of time talking about Dave growing up an 80s metalhead, and all the early shows he's seen, with great stories about Metallica, Alice Cooper, KISS and more....
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 5 min
I'm very excited for you to hear this episode of Squared Circle Pit. First up, a quick conversation with CM Punk about how he got into punk and wrestling, what he's been listening to while preparing for UFC 225 this weekend, if he'll be at All In, and more. Then, I hop on the phone with my buddy Seth Leibowitz who talks about his time working for Turner Entertainment and how they worked with WCW. We also go off on our love for ECW and Sabu in particular. I end the show giving my opinions on NJPW...
Jun 08, 2018•1 hr
This episode is a double header. We kick things off with a quick conversation with Chris Jericho, who talks about his upcoming Rock & Wrestling Rager at Sea Cruise. The cruise happens Oct. 27 – 31st from Miami to the Bahamas. More info here . Chris talks about the concept of the cruise, how he got the idea, who you can expect on the boat and more. Also on this episode is my good friend, writer Pat Driscoll. Pat kicks things off talking about what it was like writing for Chris during Chris' s...
May 23, 2018•1 hr
This is an amazing edition of Squared Circle Pit as we have guitarist Nita Strauss on the show to discuss her incredible performance at WWE WrestleMania 34 with Shinsuke Nakamura. Nita talks all about how the whole thing got set up, her interactions with Shinsuke, Vince McMahon and Michael Hayes the day of the show. Nita also discusses how she got into pro wrestling, some of her favorite matches, going to indie shows like PCW in Los Angeles and more. We also discuss Nita's upcoming solo album, w...
May 02, 2018•38 min
Neurosis' Scott Kelly & The Atlas Moth’s Stavros Giannopoulos return to the Squared Circle Pit to preview the biggest event of the year – this weekend's WrestleMania, which features Ronda Rousey, Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan – a completely stacked card. We go through all the matches and get predictions from both Stavros and Scott and some hot takes on what some of the endings to the matches will be. A very conversation about this weekend's event. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit interviews ...
Apr 05, 2018•51 min
One of the guests I knew I wanted to get on the show when I started the podcast two years ago was Bubba Ray Dudley. Bubba is a proud metalhead, with his favorite bands being AC/DC, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Metallica, etc. Bubba talks about going to shows as a kid in New York City, what other wrestlers he has a group chat about metal with, the origins of the table as a weapon in wrestling, how booking a wrestling show and a metal set are similar, and being in the ring for the most metal entranc...
Mar 24, 2018•57 min
Did you know that Dethklok co-creator Tommy Blacha also was a writer for WWE (then WWF) between 1999 and 2001? I was delighted that he took some time out of his busy schedule to talk about me about his experiences in the WWF when he worked there. Tommy talks about landing the job, taking over for Vince Russo, the Triple H/Stephanie McMahon wedding storyline, delivering Mae Young's hand, the angle with Steve Austin getting run over by a car, and working with Edge and Christian. We also talk about...
Feb 27, 2018•1 hr 36 min
I have a huge guest on this edition of Squared Circle Pit, Eric Bischoff – the guy who ran the show in WCW during its heyday. We talk about licensing music for the nWo, what the conclusion of the nWo angle was supposed to be, working with KISS, his plans for the WCW Big Bang PPV that wasn't and we get really deep into why it's so hard to get television clearance for a wrestling company that isn't WWE. It's an absolutely fascinating listen if you're a wrestling fan, and even if you're not. Eric i...
Feb 01, 2018•52 min
In a very special episode of the show, Rob talks to The Nobodies (Ariel Italic, Lady Bearica Andrews and DJ Accident Report). They have a Youtube review show. Rob talks to them about how they got into wrestling, how the idea to do a show about drag queens reviewing wrestling came about, the connection between drag and wrestling, and drag and metal & punk, queer wrestling fans and more. If you're in New York City, check out their Royal Rumble meetup. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit inte...
Jan 23, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Skeletonwitch frontman Adam Clemans steps into the pit, and Adam and I spend a good chunk of the show going through all of the matches of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12. Adam also talks about how he got into pro wrestling, watching on the road, and friends in the metal scene who he enjoys watching with. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit interviews about wrestling with Slipknot's Corey Taylor , Chris Jericho , NJPW star Kenny Omega , Cannibal Corpse's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher , Jamey Jasta , Ev...
Jan 12, 2018•47 min
Our guest is from across the pond on this edition of Squared Circle Pit – we talk to David Lo Pan, a compose who has scored tons of music for independent pro wrestlers including War Machine, Drew Galloway, Bram, Joe Coffey and more. David talks about his process for creating a song, some of his favorite classic entrance themes, watching WWF and WCW during the Monday Night Wars and anticipating hearing his music at the Tokyo Dome. We also play some music from his synthwave band, The Van Dammage ....
Dec 03, 2017•54 min
When I first started this podcast, one guest I knew I had to get on here is the epitome of the intersection between metal and wrestling – Chris Jericho. The conversation start with discussing how to be successful, how to go out and achieve your dreams. We also talk about the new Fozzy album, Judas, and their whirlwind promotional tour for the album. We talk about Chris' prolific podcasting career and tips on interview style and Jericho talks a bit about his most recent run in WWE, including the ...
Oct 16, 2017•41 min
We're back with a great guest on this episode. The Atlas Moth's Stavros Giannopoulos talks about his life long love of pro wrestling, how his attending WrestleMania VI got him signed to his first label deal, his current feelings on his childhood idol Hulk Hogan, being backstage at a recent WWE event and seeing two wrestlers work out a match and some New Japan stuff. Rob also briefly discusses his PWG experience and there's a quick cameo from previous guest Aniz Ansari talking about PWG Battle of...
Oct 02, 2017•57 min
This week's guest is a long-requested guest on Squared Circle Pit – Landphil Hall, who you may know from his work with Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan and of course Cannabis Corpse. Landphil talks about attending both NXT Takeover and Summerslam last weekend, which type of wrestling shows he prefers to go to, his first live wrestling show ever, ECW, Andy Kaufman and more. All of LandPhil's bands released new music this year, so make sure to check em out: Municipal Waste put out Slime and Punishment...
Aug 26, 2017•57 min
This podcast is all about the intersection of heavy metal and pro wrestling, and Ladybeard is the perfect representation of that (sprinkled in with a little cross-dressing and J-pop.) In this incredibly insightful episode, Ladybeard talks about his journey from disovering heavy metal and watching pro wrestling at a young age to eventually finding himself training at the only wrestling school in Hong Kong, with Ho Ho Lun, who was recently seen on the WWE Cruiserweight Classic and WWE NXT. Ladybea...
Aug 12, 2017•57 min
One of the biggest stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling is my guest on the Squared Circle Pit this week, "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega. Omega is one of the most hyped wrestlers in the world right now, so I'm eternally grateful that he made some time to talk about his favorite power metal bands, namely Blind Guardian and Stratovarius. This interview occured on the morning of the first day of the grueling G1 tournament tour, so we also talk about that, his rivalry with Kota Ibushi, touring on buses, his t...
Jul 28, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Two dudes I've wanted to get on the Squared Circle Pit are the two guests on my show this episode: Aniz Ansari and Kyle, the dude behind my favorite Instagram, @selfies_food_and_pets . We kick off the episode talking about the North Carolina metal scene, grindcore, and metal fandom in general. Aniz talks about seeing early Between the Buried and Me shows and Kyle talks about how he needs to grind. Then we transition to pro wrestling talk, and we nerded the fuck out on Japan, old school wrestling...
Jul 13, 2017•1 hr 10 min
On this edition, I talked to former WWE announcer Justin Roberts, who was the main ring announcer for WWE for about 10 years. Justin talks about his time in WWE, the backstage grind, how he found his way in to WWE and his new book, Best Seat in the House: Your Backstage Pass through My WWE Journey . Justin is currently working with TOOL hosting their VIP experiences, and we discuss how that came about and his friendship with the band. For more info on Justin's book, visit JustinRobertsBook.com a...
May 18, 2017•48 min
I'm so excited to finally have my friend Arda Ocal on the show. Arda is a lifelong metal and pro wrestling fan, and we discuss his fandom journey in both recreations and also his incredible journey from intern at a Canadian cable channel to a full-time WWE announcer. Arda shares some great stories from his time at WWE and also offers some top-notch advice for people looking to make it as an announcer, and honestly, the advice can be applied to anybody looking to climb a corporate ladder. Check o...
May 03, 2017•1 hr 21 min
There were a lot of laughs between myself and this episode's guest, Jordan, aka Gwarsenio Hall from Two Minutes to Late Night. Jordan talks about how he got into wrestling through watching RuPaul's Drag Race, the similarities between drag and wrestling, his favorite wrestlers, the Undertaker, we talk about the Superstar Shakedown and what Jordan likes in a finisher. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit interviews about wrestling with Slipknot's Corey Taylor , Cannibal Corpse's George "Corpsegri...
Apr 14, 2017•57 min
This is a very special edition of our metal-meets-wrestling podcast, Squared Circle Pit, where I welcome my Metal Injection Livecast co-hosts 3D and Noa to recap the biggest wrestling event of the year, WWE WrestleMania. We all watched the show together at Darren's house, and after every match, we paused the show to give our thoughts on what happened. If you dig what you hear, let us know if you'd like us to do this more often. Check out previous Squared Circle Pit interviews about wrestling wit...
Apr 03, 2017•56 min
I'm trying something different on the new edition of the Squared Circle Pit. With WrestleMania this weekend, I wanted to invite two of my favorite all-time guests back on the show to talk predictions. First up, I catch up with Killswitch Engage's Mike D., who just got on the road with Anthrax, to talk his predictions. Then, I talked to Andy Williams of Every Time I Die about everything going on this weekend, including Andy's match tonight at Joey Janela's Spring Break and all the matches this we...
Mar 30, 2017•1 hr 23 min
On this edition, I interview 19-year pro wrestling veteran Frankie Kazarian – Frankie has been in WWE, TNA and now is a member of the Bullet Club in Ring of Honor. Frankie talks about training with Killer Kowalski, the controversy with his hair in WWE, the downfall of TNA, teaming with Christopher Daniels and ROH's 15th anniversary PPV this Friday. Frankie also talks about his favorite metal bands, going to metal shows with other wrestlers and his band VexTemper , whose new album, Doom Engine is...
Mar 10, 2017•55 min
