Episodes
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Monday Night RAW is upon us, with three episodes from the Manhattan Center taking us into and out of the 1993 Royal Rumble. A new era begins and a Federation career comes to an end as we enter…The Calm Before The War!
We're looking at all the hits here, from Bobby Heenan trying to get inside during the first-ever show to the curious feud between Randy Savage and Repoooo Maaaaan, and the way the show handles being taped before a PPV event when airing after...and it all leads up to Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair duking it out to see who leaves the Federation!
Thanks to Josh Innes of INNESX for the sweet 80s remix of the Monday Night RAW theme song to open and close the podcast! Josh is from the Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland area, and has some awesome work in music, photography, and more across his YouTube and other social media channels at INNESX! -
In 1993, the World Wrestling Federation stepped into unknown territory, promising a weekly live broadcast that was “uncut, uncooked, and uncensored.” In the two years that followed, Monday nights became a bit more RAW…even before the looming threat of an explosive WCW show going head to head. Submitted for your approval, dear listener, is a podcast series that looks back on The Calm Before The War!
In this first episode of The Calm Before The War, we take a brief look at the history of televised professional wrestling, with a particular focus on the impact of early WWE programming like Saturday Night’s Main Event and Prime Time Wrestling for better context of what paved the way for Monday Night RAW!
Opening/Closing Theme courtesy of Josh Innes of INNESX (@INNESX on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@innesx_), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/innesx_/), and elsewhere on the Internet!)
This series officially kicks off in January 2024, but for now enjoy the first look as a holiday gift from Occupy Pro Wrestling!
Thank you for your support in 2023 and we'll see you in the new year! -
Missing episodes?
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In celebration of Smarktober, Alex Smiley is joined by the former CHIKARA Grand Champion and forever Broadsword of Nazmaldun, Hallowicked, to talk about pro wrestling and horror!
We touch on how Hallowicked discovered each for the first time, leading to some fun chat about ECW, horror gimmicks in wrestling, Pet Semetary, and Evil Dead, before getting into the Broadsword's quest to find pro wrestling in horror movies with his Grappling With Demons videos!
Hallowicked's central hub, where you can find Grappling With Demons and Arcade of Terror, can be found at nazmaldun.com (http://nazmaldun.com)
Intro/Outro music courtesy of White Bat Audio
Hallowicked's 4th CHIKARA theme: "Never Wake Up" by Josh Jones feat. Ian Vaflor
"The Lords Theme" (from the film The Lords of Salem) composed by John 5 & Griffin Boice
Be sure to check out OPW on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@Power2TheSmarks) for a video version of this episode as well as more fun videos for Smarktober and beyond! Special Guest: Hallowicked. -
On this special episode of the 'cast, Alex Smiley examines the central role IMPACT Wrestling plays in bridging gaps between promotions after a history of short-term failures, and how it brings full circle its partnerships with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor!
(NOTE: A video version of this will soon be available on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr1RWLPyWkqILcms7daD97A), be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you know when it comes out!) -
On this episode of the podcast, I have a retrospective on Occupy Pro Wrestling’s eight years of existence before giving a nice little bonus: the debut of the Bright Side of Wrestling podcast!
As always, I take a look at the latest from our site partners in the Partner Spotlight, and talk a little bit about what’s to come. Be sure to look for The Bright Side of Wrestling on its own podcast feed coming soon! -
The OPW Podcast is finally back, picking up where we left off with a fun interview in store with Pittsburgh and West Virginia stalwart Bradley Ruthers about watching the fine graps on Saturday mornings, the history of wrestling in Pennsylvania, and much more! Before that, the latest Partner Spotlight showcases the latest from all of our site partners, including our newest friends at ESPN Sports Sims! Special Guest: Bradley Ruthers.
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Did ya miss us? I hope so, or this is gonna be awkward. Occupy Pro Wrestling is finally back with a new podcast, and I got to chat with Kevin Lee Davidson about Glory Pro, #NoNewFriends, the NWL, wrestling for ROH, and the upcoming Resurgence show where he takes on Shigehiro Irie! All this, plus some announcements about the future of Occupy Pro Wrestling and a condensed version of the Partner Spotlight, await you on a brand new episode of the OPW Podcast!
If you're in the area of Swansea, IL, be sure and check out the Resurgence show! Tell 'em Occupy Pro Wrestling sent ya! Special Guest: Kevin Lee Davidson. -
All the worldâs a stage, and the best stage to be on is in a wrestling ring! This week I celebrate the amazing performance art that is pro wrestling, and Iâm not alone as I have a fun chat with Kate Nyx and Liberty Park about wrestling, musicals, and burlesque and how their upcoming GLOB event brings all of it together! All that and the latest in our Partner Spotlight await you in this episode, so enter stage left to this weekâs Occupy Pro Wrestling podcast!
Thanks as always to our various site partners, and a shoutout to The Mystery Men for âKeep My Heat Onâ from their album Musica Enmascarada, as well as Lee Rosevere for some great music you can use for podcasting. Check that music out at the Free Music Archive!
Special Guests: Kate Nyx and Liberty Park. -
Solar eclipses, a new podcast, cats and dogs sleeping togetherâŠmass hysteria! This week I talk about wrestling streaming services and the highlights of Summerslam weekend before getting into a chat with Todd Joerschel of Filsinger Games, looking at old-school WWF, CHIKARA, Lucha Underground, and the global (one would even say galactic) reach of Filsinger Games! All that and the return of the Partner Spotlight await you, so strap on those proton packs and letâs get to it!
Thanks as always to our various site partners, and a shoutout to The Mystery Men for âKeep My Heat Onâ from their album Musica Enmascarada, as well as Lee Rosevere for some great music you can use for podcasting. Check that music out at the Free Music Archive!
Special Guest: Todd Joerschel. -
SMAAAARRRRRRRRKS! The podcast has finally returned, and weâre picking up right where we left off:The latest from our site partners, including two new partners in What A Maneuver and Keyboard Warriors;A quick look at some great media, including the book Titan Screwed, a podcast called On This Very Screen and the Hell in a Cell precursor known as The Last Battle of Atlanta, which you can find on the WWE Network;And the long-overdue chat I had with Mike Sorg (Sorgatron) back in May, in which we talked about what got him into wrestling, what started the Wrestling Mayhem Show, the origins of his video production work with Sorgatron Media, and more!Itâs absolutely great to be back, Ten Percenters! Be sure to check out our new Patreon page and pitch in a buck or two to support the show and march, and in return weâll have early shows, bonus content, and a chance to win FREE shirts! Special Guest: Michael Sorg.
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On this edition of the podcast, it’s all about, well, positive vibes! Here’s a quick rundown:
I talk about the latest from our partners, including Dashawns2cents interviewing THE Maffew from Botchamania, the MFX Podcast doing alternative commentary for WWE Fastlane, and my time on Wrestling Mayhem Show to talk about Roadblock and play the Patreon in the Bank round of Mayhem Mania;In this week’s Wrestling Media Review, I give my thoughts on The Boom Boom Girls of Wrestling, a fun little thriller with wrestling and reality show themes, and talk about IWC’s anniversary show Fifteen and put over the amazing website you can find that and other great wrestling shows, IndyWrestling.US (which yours truly had a hand in putting together);And in this week’s interview, I talk to Kenny Pete from The Mystery Men, the band that plays the tune you hear on this show! We talk about a lot of stuff, from Wrestlemania 2 to PWG Sells Out Volume 1, watching CHIKARA (and playing some tunes for them) and much more!Thanks for checking the show out, you can now find it on iTunes and Stitcher so be sure to leave a review and rating when you get a chance and help me get an idea of what’s working and where I can improve! Don’t forget, if you want to chat about what YOU love in wrestling, contact me on Twitter @Power2TheSmarks or find Occupy Pro Wrestling on Facebook and we can work out a day and time that works for ya!
Links:
Dashawns2cents with Maffew from BotchamaniaMFX 135: Row-Man and Dingy Fight The MonsterWMS 511: Patreon in the BankThe Boom Boom Girls websiteIWC Fifteen at IndyWrestling.USThe Mystery Men on Twitter and Bandcamp Special Guest: Kenny Pete. -
It’s here, Ten Percenters! The debut of the OPW Podcast, a pilot of sorts, and a chance to get an idea of what I’m hoping to do with the show! Like a delicious casserole, there’s plenty of layers to enjoy:
In the Partner Spotlight, I give an introduction to each of the partners I’m working with, from podcasts to wrestling results to a wrestling film;I give a little introduction of myself, how I get into wrestling and why I’m doing this show;I give a review of Colt Cabana’s Pro Wrestling Fringe, an awesome mini-series you can find on HOWL.fm;For my first interview, I chat with my buddy Babs about how she got into wrestling, her involvement with CHIKARA and the origins of CHIKARA in 15 and Chattin’ With The CHIKARMY, working with Excellence Pro Wrestling and if there are any “shady dealings in catnip,” and much more!Thanks for listening, and please leave some feedback! It’s a growing project, and all your feedback will help foster that growth. Interested in chatting with me about what you love in wrestling and why? Contact me on Twitter @Power2TheSmarks or on Facebook so we can work out a day/time! Big shout out to The Mystery Men for letting me use their tunes for the opening and closing, be sure to follow them on Twitter and check out their music on Bandcamp!
