This Saturday, Danielle Radford, Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk and Julian Burrell will be at NXT: TakeOver War Games at the Staples Center in Los Angeles! If you’d like to meet up with them beforehand, they’ll be eating lunch at Yard House at 2 PM. Katie Willert is ready to rejoin the Nation of Conversation! Becky Lynch is as hot a star as anyone in WWE right now. She led the Smackdown invasion into RAW that left her a bloody mess and as a bonafide sensation in wrestling. Unfortunately, because of a ...
Nov 15, 2018•47 min•Ep. 128
Jacquis Neal from the Culture Kings podcast joins the Nation of Conversation! Crown Jewel was that rare show that managed to disappoint and frustrate just viewers of every stripe. Hulk Hogan made his return that many dreaded, but also felt inevitable. And Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to become a two-time Universal Champion. Even as the build to Survivor Series begins, there’s a distinct lack of urgency in booking right now that hopefully gets filled soon. But that’s not to say everything...
Nov 08, 2018•52 min•Ep. 127
Evolution was WWE’s very first all-women Pay-Per-View. And by most accounts, the event delivered in just about every way possible, including providing a candidate for match of the year. Mike, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey provide their reactions to the matches (including Lindsey’s account from attending the event in person). But now this is immediately being followed up Crown Jewel. Not only will no women wrestlers be at the event, but John Cena and Daniel Bryan have also been written out due to, in...
Nov 01, 2018•52 min•Ep. 126
Roman Reigns opened RAW with the announcement that he will be surrendering the Universal Championship since his leukemia has returned. This was the first time Roman had gone public with his diagnosis. His first encounter with the disease was 11 years ago. Danielle and Hal discuss their reactions to the news, including why it affected them personally, their hopes for Roman’s return and what this means for a Monday Night RAW and WWE that now has to move forward without their biggest full-time star...
Oct 25, 2018•48 min•Ep. 125
Mike Eagle is already known as the insightful, funny and sometimes heelish co-host of Tights and Fights. He’s also regarded as a great rapper; he’s even started touring for the next several weeks. But recently he also became an undefeated pro-wrestler . That’s right… Mike went to the promotion OVW and took on wrestler Shiloh Jonze and actually came out victorious. How did all of this get started? What possessed Mike to think that he could actually have a successful wrestling match? He’s ready to...
Oct 18, 2018•42 min•Ep. 124
This week, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Dan Sinker Dan Sinker . He’s the host of the creator of tons of things on the internet including the Says Who? podcast and The Hitch podcast . But his presence on the internet pales in comparison to his greatest accomplishment: Getting his wife and kids into professional wrestling. Which segment does he credit for helping him do this successfully? None other than the Festival of Friendship . The panel has plenty of things to get into this week, inclu...
Oct 18, 2018•52 min•Ep. 123
This week, we’ve got two conversations with people who have made big waves in the world of wrestling in the past few weeks. First, Mike Eagle speaks with Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno . They’re the creators of The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling . The two go deep on the book and what it was like creating the first major historical record of the art form that is wrestling. Then, in a conversation recorded live at San Diego Comic-Con courtesy of Gamma Ray TV , Danielle and Hal sit d...
Oct 11, 2018•49 min•Ep. 122
This week, the founding members of the Nation of Conversation return for a fun look at all things wrestling! There’s been tons of news this week to dive into, especially in the midst of the go-home shows for WWE Super Show-Down in Australia. Which titles should change hands at the stadium event? Is there actually any chance that WWE follows up on the possibility of Dean Ambrose betraying the Shield? And in news from the international wrestling scene, Neville is officially back in the ring. He’s ...
Oct 04, 2018•51 min•Ep. 121
This week Danielleis joined by Joe Starr ! He’s a comedian and writer who’s new EP is entitle A British Murder Robot Tries Stand Up Comedy for the First Time . He’s been a wrestling fan since he was young enough to unironically pretend to be the British Bulldog and is here to chat about the week! That includes Lucha Underground’s new champion: Marty the Moth. The wrestler’s managed to come all the around from being a total joke to the top of the mountain and it’s really been something to see, ev...
Sep 27, 2018•52 min•Ep. 120
This week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey joined by Josiah Williams ! He’s the creator of the online series Wrestle and Flow , where he raps over remixed versions of different wrestlers’ entrance music. He’s been a fan for 15 years and is equipped and ready to talk about Hell in a Cell weekend! The team’s feeling a little sour at the cluster of a main-event from Sunday, especially after the return of Brock Lesnar. Plus, they’re none too happy about WWE having another woman-free Saudi Arabian show, so...
Sep 20, 2018•52 min•Ep. 119
This week the team is joined by Brian Brushwood ! He’s a magician, comedian and host of the podcast Night Attack . And he also happens to be a lapsed wrestling fan. Even though he still checks in with wrestling on occasion, he actually finds the stories behind the in-ring action to be even more fascinating than the TV product. Mike and Danielle will bring Brian up to speed on some of the hottest stars and stories in WWE today and what they think of them; that includes Braun Strowman turning heel...
Sep 13, 2018•51 min•Ep. 118
This week, the team is joined by Jensen Karp ! He’s a lifelong wrestling fan who has fond memories of watching WWF and WCW go to war as a kid. He also got the chance to write for WWE in 2006, which gave him a special insiders perspective to the madhouse that is the McMahon family creative HQ. Jensen was in Chicago this past weekend to watch All In live (as part of his bachelor party!). He tells Danielle and Lindsey about what he thought of the largest independent wrestling show ever. Plus, the t...
Sep 06, 2018•52 min•Ep. 117
This week, the team is joined by LaToya Ferguson ! She’s written about wrestling for The AV Club and Paste and is ready to share her thoughts on tons of the biggest happenings in wrestling. That includes LaToya’s renewed anxiety about the women’s division slipping back into some Divas era tendencies like shorter matches with as many competitors as possible shoved into the ring. The team will set it straight that this doesn’t make for quality showing, especially as roads lead up to Evolution. Plu...
Aug 30, 2018•49 min•Ep. 116
This week, Hal, Danielle and Mike are joined by Meghan Sullivan, formerly from IGN! They'll breakdown the news from NXT: TakeOver Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam. Ep. 105: The 2018 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam Special w/ Meghan Sullivan This week, the team is joined by Meghan Sullivan ! She’s a 12-year alumna of IGN, the internet’s biggest video-game website. Most of her coworkers there weren’t big wrestling fans, but she joins Hal, Danielle and Mike to let her mark flag fly. NXT TakeOver: ...
Aug 23, 2018•49 min•Ep. 115
The road to WWE’s second biggest show of the year is finally coming to an end! This weekend NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam will take place live at the Barclays Center. Hal, Danielle and Lindsey will look ahead to the biggest things happening ; that includes the Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, the next installment of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa and (hopefully) the final installment of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. Kris Wolf Kris Wolf joins the Nation of Conversation! She’s a wrestler who go...
Aug 16, 2018•51 min•Ep. 114
This week Mike Quackenbush joins the Hal, Danielle and Mike in the Nation of Conversation! He’s one of the founders of the independent wrestling promotion Chikara , which he says is, “the Marvel Cinematic Universe realized as a pro wrestling company.” The organization has gained a following for its original approach to stories and hosting the largest tournament in pro-wrestling today. Quackenbush is also a semi-retired wrestler who’s had a hand in developing some stars in WWE, including Cesaro, ...
Aug 09, 2018•50 min•Ep. 113
This week, Danielle and Mike are joined by Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe! She's a wrestling manager who's been in wrestling rings all over the country and the host of the podcasts Women Wrestling Friends and Women's Pro Wrestling Weekly. This week, Danielle and Mike are joined by Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe ! She's a wrestling manager who's been in wrestling rings all over the country and the host of the podcasts Women Wrestling Friends and Women's Pro Wrestling Weekly . Sarah joins the Nation of Conversa...
Aug 02, 2018•52 min•Ep. 112
This week, Hal, Danielle and Mike are joined by Jamie Loftus ! She's a comedian and the creator and star of Irrational Fears on Comedy Central. She joins the Nation of Conversation to discuss our favorite news from the week in wrestling including the announcement of WWE Evolution, the first ever all-women PPV that the company has ever put on. But even though we're excited about this show and hope that it's as good as it could be, this is yet another example of WWE patting themselves on the back ...
Jul 26, 2018•52 min•Ep. 111
When Danielle is away, the heels will play! Mike and Danielle have the booth all to themselves this week and they have plenty of things they need to talk about. That includes, perhaps most significantly, the return of Hulk Hogan to the WWE Hall of Fame. Wrestlers like the New Day, Titus O'Neil and Mark Henry have voiced their opinion about and Mike is happy to speak his truth Then, Now and Forever. Plus, the two will break down Extreme Rules and all of the subsequent fallout from the event. That...
Jul 19, 2018•45 min•Ep. 110
This week BJ Mendelson joins the Nation of Conversation! He’s an author and comic book writer and he's got tons of thoughts on everything that happened in wrestling this week, from the pull-apart brawl between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley to the continued reunion between Daniel Bryan and Kane as Team Hell No. Plus, a closer look at the next phase of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa’s feud in NXT, who BJ thinks may be better than Paul Heyman on the mic and Danielle explains to the team what th...
Jul 12, 2018•53 min•Ep. 109
We’re in the middle of a holiday week, so it’s a good time to take a look at the greatest holiday for wrestling fans: Ice Cream Christmas! That’s right, we’re looking back in the time of our fandom to once again take a look at a past WrestleMania. For our previous special member-only episode, Mike, Hal and Danielle looked at one of the best events ever, WrestleMania X-Seven; this time, the gang is taking a look at one of the worst: WrestleMania 2000! In a year of so many great PPV’s from the WWE...
Jul 05, 2018•38 min•Ep. 108
SPOILERS: SKIP FROM 4:32 TO 5:43 TO AVOID A SPOILER REGARDING NXT Tights and Fights is set to Feel the GLOW once again as Sydelle Noel and Britt Baron join the show once again to talk about the upcoming season premier of one of the best shows on Netflix! But first, there’s plenty of news in wrestling to discuss. Danielle is once again heavily invested in the drama of Lucha Underground including the debut of Jake Strong (fka as Jack Swagger in the WWE) and the title defense of Pentagon Dark. Fwen...
Jun 28, 2018•53 min•Ep. 107
What a week of wrestling it’s been! And not just because of WWE; we’re still basking in the afterglow of New Japan Dominion and Kenny Omega finally capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight. But Kenny’s big month wasn’t done there; he traveled to Los Angeles with the Young Bucks to take on the New Day in Street Fighter at E3! And our own Mike Eagle was there live to watch the whole thing happen. He’ll tell us all about and explain what he did with the Pancake he caught from Xavier Woods at the event....
Jun 21, 2018•49 min•Ep. 106
Before their back on Netflix in GLOW , Kimmy Gatewood and Rebekka Johnson are BACK in the Nation of Conversation! They chat with Hal and Danielle all about what will change with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in the second season, how the show has been a huge hit with WWE women wrestlers like Natalia, Charlotte Flair and more, what it's like to get actual injuries from wrestling and how they keep their wardrobe fresh as they tour the press junkets around the country. Plus Kimmy and Rebekka wil...
Jun 18, 2018•41 min•Ep. 105
Adam Pranica officially joins the Nation of Conversation! He’s the host of other amazing shows on the Maximum Fun Network, Like The Greatest Generation and Friendly Fire , but he also used to be a HUGE wrestling fan. It all started when he learned that his grandfather could very easily be mistaken for Ric Flair and blossomed from there. Even though he’s lapsed as a fan over the years, he’s still got great memories of being huge fan when wrestling was at its zenith in pop culture; think back to t...
Jun 14, 2018•49 min•Ep. 104
Aubrey Sitterson officially joins the Nation of Conversation! He’s a comic book writer and editor who actually used to work for WWE’s web team. But nowadays, he’s a bigger fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. In that spirit, he’s got a lot to say about Hiromu Takahashi winning the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada IV and Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito! Plus, the team will discuss tons of things from WWE, including Baron Corbin’s new job as the constable of RAW...
Jun 07, 2018•49 min•Ep. 103
It’s a brand new week in wrestling as Money in the Bank is finally on the horizon! The stage is set for those who will compete in the ladder matches on June 17th, but who’s in the best position to get that golden ticket for the world title match? And has WWE been building this up the contest for all of the entrants in the right way? Plus, NXT red-hot angle between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa has continued to pick up steam, and has now incorporated Candice LeRae, Gargano’s real-life wife. B...
May 31, 2018•49 min•Ep. 102
Simon Grimm is ready to join the Nation of Conversation! Grimm formerly wrestled for WWE under the name Simon Gotch. There he was a member of the NXT Tag-team champion Vaudvillains. From there, he made his way to the Smackdown live main roster along with his partner, Aiden English. Then he was let go by the WWE, a decision he says he couldn’t be happier about. Why? Because the independent wrestling scene is thriving. And Grimm sees tons of talented wrestlers that he can’t wait to work with. Grim...
May 24, 2018•50 min•Ep. 101
Brian “Sunny D” Fernandes is here to make his Tights and Fights debut! Whether you’re familiar with him as the creator of the Tights and Fights logo or the producer of “Jordan, Jesse, Go!,” you should know that he’s rediscovered his longtime fandom for wrestling specifically for THIS show! He’ll chat with Hal, Danielle and Mike all about some of the week’s biggest stories, from Ronda Rousey getting a RAW woman’s title opportunity, the sell-out of the upcoming “All In” event in Chicago, which mod...
May 17, 2018•56 min•Ep. 100
It seems like everyone’s got opinions on Sunday’s WWE show Backlash. Audiences in attendance walked out on the main event of Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns. But was the match really all that bad? Or has WWE just put Roman in such a poor position after WrestleMania that this level of disconnect between the product and the fans is understandable? Contributing to the disappointment in the show was that the WWE championship match between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles did not close out the evening. Is ...
May 10, 2018•52 min•Ep. 99
