Bruce and Conrad have covered the Mega Powers exploding and Zeus, but what about the rest of Hogan's 1989? Learn more about the script for No Holds Barred, how Hogan taking a dump saved the movie, how the movie nearly didn't make theaters, and all about the Rumble, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam matches that year with fun sidebars on Honky, Schiavone, Bad News, and Sherri. When we get to 1990 you won't believe what Bruce was suggesting but Vince shut down, why Vince shut it down, hear a hilario...
Aug 10, 2018•3 hr 40 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast 1997 was one of the most important years in WWF history. We will examine the story lines like the USA-Canada angle of course but the real story is what is actually happening within the company. The WWF has greater attendance but ratings and PPV buys are down. We're less than two months away from Vince McMahon coming to Bret to tell him, "I can't afford your contract." We know that the following month, Vince "found the money." But how? We examine what changes the company made to cut costs and rai...
Aug 03, 2018•2 hr 27 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast This is a sleeper episode! Bruce and Conrad discuss the brand split and how it allowed guys to be featured who may not normally have a chance to do so, why the US Title was created, the rumor and innuendo surrounding Zack Gowen, the infamous HBO interview where Vince got frustrated discussing deaths in wrestling, why Hogan left, the original plan for Hogan and what the backup plan was, Chris Bell's brief run backstage, Billy Kidman being the envy of the locker room, why Terry Taylor was out (aga...
Jul 27, 2018•2 hr 20 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast What were the original plans for the Invasion angle? When did they change? Why did they change? What missteps were made? Was McMahon impatient? The "dream" angle became a nightmare, but why? Bruce and Conrad examine the ins-and-outs of the "Dream Card" that didn't live up to the hype on today's edition of Something to Wrestle! Want more content? Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/SomethingToWrestle New York, San Antonio, Winston Salem, LA, the UK, and Phoenix on sale now: www.BrucePrichard.com A...
Jul 20, 2018•3 hr 41 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast Anti-American "gimmicks" have been done in wrestling for decades but Muhammad Hassan is the only character to ever be banned from television in the WWE. Join Bruce and Conrad as they examine the "how" and "why" of one of the most controversial characters in wrestling history. Who had this idea originally? How was it different than what had been done before? How did they choose who would portray the character? What were the booking plans before the incident? How did the man behind the character h...
Jul 13, 2018•2 hr 3 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast We're struttin' and cuttin' this week on Something to Wrestle as we do three hours on Brutus the f'n Barber Beefcake! That's #BTFBB for short! We discuss who came up with the name Brutus Beefcake, the original gimmick, how it became a barber, whose idea that was, how it was received, who helped Brutus see how to get it over, why he never won the IC title in 88, why he was chosen to be by Hogan's side in 89 vs. Zeus/Savage, what the plans were at SummerSlam 90, all about the accident and the reco...
Jul 06, 2018•3 hr 59 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast Rochester, New York, San Antonio, Winston Salem, LA, and Phoenix on sale now: www.BrucePrichard.com Watch Bruce answer your Sable questions LIVE next week: facebook.com/SomethingToWrestle Ask questions for the "King of the Ring 1998" episode right now: twitter.com/PrichardShow Tees are at BrucePrichard.com and everything else is at BoxOfGimmicks.com Save Yourself Some Money: www.SaveWithBruce.com And don't miss our "Big Evil" Undertaker episode next Wednesday on the WWE Network! Support our spon...
Jun 29, 2018•2 hr 19 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast The Sable story is unlike any other. There's an old saying about keeping your wife away from the business but Marc Mero didn't listen. He brought her to meet Vince McMahon in 1996 and nothing was ever the same. Perhaps no one could have predicted the star she would become when she debuted at WrestleMania 12 with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. We can't help but cover the story of Marc Mero's push, IC run, and the horrible timing of his ACL injury. But that ACL injury presented an opportunity for Rena Me...
Jun 22, 2018•3 hr 14 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast Business was down for the WWE in 2003 compared to 2002, but why? Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson discuss "the State of the WWE" for two hours this week and it's based around Bad Blood 2003, which exceeded expectations. Was it the Hell in a Cell that was responsible for the bump in business? Was it the return of Mick Foley? The show also featuring a burping contest, a poontang pie eating contest, and a singing contest -- who booked this?! Nobody was asking that for Flair-Michaels, a full five ...
Jun 15, 2018•2 hr 8 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast The Summer of 1993 might be one of the most interesting times in the history of the WWF. With the Federal investigation looming, Vince McMahon steps down as President of Titan Sports after 12 years in the role, Tom Cole's story and the "ring boy scandal" continues to twist in the media, Hulk Hogan is working with NJPW but he's the WWF Champion and he wants to leave to do TV full time, Bret Hart feels like his opportunity to be the top guy was taken from him by a "half-in" Hogan, Yokozuna is the ...
Jun 08, 2018•2 hr 22 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast You won't believe what Bob Holly thought of working for Jerry Jarrett in Memphis, or maybe you will, but his story doesn't stop there. Nobody has a story like Bob Holly. From quitting his job to wrestle to quitting wrestling to get a job and back again, he got his big break out of nowhere and felt like he was going nowhere as "Thurman 'Sparky' Plugg" for Vince McMahon. Bruce discusses Bob's claims of poor pay from the company in 1994, dropped Thurman for Bob, the real life racing situation that ...
Jun 01, 2018•4 hr 46 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast Instead of a single topic in long form this week, Conrad lets YOU ask Bruce the questions! The result is questions about anything and everything including Adam Bomb, Bruce's "WCW Dream Team" for the Invasion, Bruce's WCW gimmick as a manager, why Shamrock left, why Joey Styles wasn't on WrestleMania, babyfaces being clean shaven, Windham's "Widowmaker" gimmick, Vince as a heel in Memphis in 1993, the custody match with Rey & Eddie, the Warrior Award, Jericho's secret meeting with Vince, 02 compa...
May 25, 2018•2 hr 48 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast It's all about Davey Boy Smith with more than three hours on the "British Bulldog!" Of course Bruce and Conrad discuss Dynamite's injury, the infamous ribs from the Bulldogs, the Rougeau fight, why the Bulldogs left the WWF, how Davey wrangled the Bulldog name, his relationship with Dynamite, all of the feuds through 90-91, the May 1992 suspension, the famous SummerSlam 92 match with Bret, why Bret was disappointed in Davey heading into that match, how Davey responded to dropping the IC to Shawn...
May 18, 2018•4 hr 38 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast The 1992 Royal Rumble is regarded as being THE best Royal Rumble of all time. Bruce wasn't there so as a special bonus episode, Bruce and Conrad provide alternate commentary! So fire up the WWE Network, press mute and list to the guys cover all of the news and notes from the WWF at the time. Of course no one can hold a candle to Bobby Heenan's commentary so the guys talk about Ventura's lawsuit, Billy Graham trashing the company on TV over steroids, why Elizabeth came off the road, how the house...
May 12, 2018•3 hr 51 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast "I LOOOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOU!" made Bruce Prichard a television star for the WWF as "Brother Love" back in 1988. But how did a 25-year-old kid working behind the scenes suddenly become a television character? Bruce tells the full story of the Brother Love character, who loved the idea, who hated the idea, and how it was never supposed to be him portraying the character. How did Bruce land the job? How did they "disguise" Bruce originally? How did the make up, the white suit, and the red shirt come...
May 11, 2018•3 hr 43 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast From an untrained enhancement talent to the main event at Madison Square Garden against Hulk Hogan in under three years, nobody has a story like Ray Traylor! Bruce and Conrad briefly touch on the Big Bubba Rogers days before breaking down how Boss Man got his big break in the business and how the gimmick came to be, why he was chosen to work with Hogan, why the character got over, why Hogan loved working with him, why Slick was chosen instead of Bobby Heenan, how much money Boss Man was making o...
May 04, 2018•3 hr 5 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast The WWF is on fire by April '98. In this episode we cover the "RAW after WrestleMania" where Sean Waltman returned to the company to join DX, the New Age Outlaws became made men, Vince tried to "tame" his new champion, and everything else on the way to the Pay Per View after WrestleMania 14, Unforgiven 1998. Why was Dude Love the right opponent for Austin's first title defense? When did the company know that Austin-McMahon had "it" together? What did Waltman change that resulted in a better cont...
Apr 27, 2018•2 hr 52 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast ROB! VAN! DAM! This week Bruce examines the entire run of "Mr. Monday Night" for hours on end. From training with the Sheik, to how he got into WCW, to why he left WCW, visiting Japan to fully become Rob Van Dam, finally getting into ECW, and the big break being featured on Monday Night RAW in 1997. You've got to hear Bruce and Rob's take on Paul Heyman's "management style" at the time, the first time Rob met Vince, when the WWF made overtures to sign Rob the first time, who actually arranged th...
Apr 20, 2018•4 hr 34 min•Ep 97•Transcript available on Metacast Is the podcast over?! Did Bruce and Conrad sell out? After the rumor and innuendo is put to bed, we have a special announcement about another podcast project, and then it's time for the main event... WHAT HAPPENED WHEN the WWF FINALLY beat WCW in the Monday Night Wars? It took 84 weeks but the magic bullet was under the nose all along: Vince McMahon fighting "Stone Cold" Steve Austin! Fire up the WWE Network, find the April 13, 1998, edition of Monday Night RAW, press mute and come along for a f...
Apr 13, 2018•2 hr 9 min•Ep 96•Transcript available on Metacast WHO'S NEXT?! GOOOOOLDBERG! He was the hottest star for WCW during their hottest period but his first run in the WWE wasn't quite as stellar. Did JR try to bring him in before he signed with WCW? What did Vince think about him? What run-ins did he have with WWE superstars before coming in? Who helped bring him in? Who was against it? Why didn't he come in sooner? Was he supposed to be a part of WM19? Why did he debut in jeans and a jacket? What REALLY happened with the fight with Jericho? Goldber...
Apr 06, 2018•3 hr 59 min•Ep 95•Transcript available on Metacast How do you follow a show like WrestleMania III? Was the pressure on Vince McMahon to outdo himself once again in 1988? How did the company try to capitalize on the success of III, what was thinking behind moving from a dome to casino, what package did Trump offer that "won" Mania for his site, what sucked about the arena, how did the live gate compare to the prior year, ticket pricing strategies, why the crowd was dead, why tickets didn't sell faster, the original idea for the featured match, ho...
Mar 30, 2018•3 hr 50 min•Ep 94•Transcript available on Metacast Bruce has had enough and he blows a gasket to start the show this week. Around 18 minutes in, it's all about the first time Vince McMahon decided to do the very first "brand split" with the First Draft on March 25, 2002! Who had the idea first? What was the original plan? Who in the office was against a split? Was Flair always supposed to be the first "General Manager" in company history? Was the idea to create "dream matches" for super shows? Was the brand split based on revenues being down or ...
Mar 23, 2018•3 hr 34 min•Ep 93•Transcript available on Metacast Is WrestleMania 19 the most underrated WrestleMania of all time? It's Brock's first WrestleMania and he's in the main event for the World Title. It's Steve Austin's last WrestleMania and finale of the Austin-Rock trilogy. It's Shawn Michael's first WrestleMania in five years and he stole the show with Chris Jericho. This is the most "stacked" roster in company history. Jeff Hardy, Batista, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, and John Cena are all on the roster but not on the show. With this loade...
Mar 16, 2018•4 hr 50 min•Ep 92•Transcript available on Metacast Fire up the WWE Network and find Saturday Night's Main Event from 1988 in the Vault to watch-along with Bruce Prichard providing alternate commentary over the final major event before WrestleMania IV! The music, the graphics, the over-the-top characters -- this is everything you loved about the WWF in the 1980s! Bruce and Conrad discuss Harley Race allegedly trying to set the WWF ring on fire and pulling a gun on Hulk Hogan before finally agreeing to join the company. You'll learn about the inju...
Mar 10, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep 91•Transcript available on Metacast Bruce Prichard addresses all of the "rumor and innuendo" about Shawn Michaels during two of the most controversial years in his career. In today's episode you'll hear about THE ladder match that set the standard for all that followed, the Kliq riding together, how HHH joined the group, Shawn's first WrestleMania world title match, what Shawn and Nash fought Vince about, the night Vince changed his mind about Shawn, why the Heartbreak Hotel was created, what personal problems Shawn had at the tim...
Mar 09, 2018•4 hr 36 min•Ep 90•Transcript available on Metacast "The Heartbreak Kid" has been in singles action for about a year and as we start 1993, he's the Intercontinental Champion who just headlined a Pay Per View for the World Title. We address the rumors of what really happened when Shawn said he scuffed his face when he tripped in a parking lot, why Shawn's matches always had the same finish, how he liked working with Backlund, the original plan for WrestleMania 9, why Sherri was out and Luna was in, a ref knocking his teeth out, why Shawn and Perfe...
Mar 02, 2018•2 hr 22 min•Ep 89•Transcript available on Metacast As we build towards WrestleMania 19 the roster has never been more stacked but was Goldberg supposed to wrestle the Rock at WrestleMania? Was Bischoff supposed to wrestle McMahon? Was Austin supposed to wrestle Hogan? Why wasn't Scott Steiner on the card? Was Austin-HHH considered? We address all of the rumor and innuendo for Mania plus the Tough Enough incident with Bob Holly, moving SmackDown to Fox, the lawsuit regarding Owen, how Johnny Ace rose to power, the crazy story of Nathan Jones, Hey...
Feb 23, 2018•3 hr 41 min•Ep 88•Transcript available on Metacast The WWF has struck gold with Mike Tyson agreeing to participate in WrestleMania to the point that the New York Daily News had a headline that read, "Vince Revels as King for a Day!" Business is up and the public attention in WrestleMania is hotter than ever. In the middle of all this Mike Tyson has a very public split from long time promoter Don King and many think the WWF deal was the "final straw." We dig into that full story, Vince hilariously coaching Tyson in front of reporters at the press...
Feb 16, 2018•2 hr 9 min•Ep 87•Transcript available on Metacast "Ohhhhhh yessssss!" we've got everything you could ever want to know about the Phenom, the Undertaker from 1995, 1996, and 1997! "REST IN PEACE" that we cover why the "druids" were with Undertaker, how Undertaker handled autograph signings in the mid 90s, how the WWF almost did Baywatch, an incredible never-before-heard story about what Vince wanted to do to create controversy at NAPTE in 95, how Vince tried to piggyback the Super Bowl, why King Kong Bundy was chosen for Taker at 11, whether or ...
Feb 09, 2018•5 hr 42 min•Ep 86•Transcript available on Metacast WWE still refers to our topic today as, "the most watched wrestling program in American TV history." February 5, 1988, was the first time pro-wrestling had been on network TV since 1955 and 33 million viewers tuned into NBC to see the biggest rematch in history: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant for the WWF World Championship. The largest audience in wrestling history was in for a treat: "How can there be two Dave Hebners?" Bruce breaks down arguably the best angle in WWF history and it was so good...
Feb 02, 2018•2 hr 48 min•Ep 85•Transcript available on Metacast 
