Welcome to my list of the top 5 wrestling podcasts as of May 2018. If you are a fan of wrestling these are five shows you should add to your favourite podcast app immediately. If you don’t have a podcast app then you are a loser and need to sort your fucking life out! On to the list.
1. Wrestling Observer Radio
Often imitated, never duplicated. Wrestling Observer Radio is the best source for up to date wrestling news from all major US and overseas promotions. The show is hosted by Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer. The latter has been producing a weekly newsletter for over 35 years and has been the main source of inside knowledge in the industry as long as most can remember.
His influence on the business is such that there are several ‘copycat’ websites that only post news that comes from either the newsletter or his podcast. Dave has also been covering UFC since pretty much day one and is one of the go-to sources for MMA as well.
It should be noted that this podcast is only available as part of a Wrestling Observer subscription which costs $10 per month. You get loads of different podcasts plus access to the Observer and F4W newsletter.
The best source for breaking news and show reviews. Also there is a minimum of three shows per week. Late Monday with news and the RAW report, late Wednesday night with news, SD Live, 205 Live and NXT report. Then at least one weekend show, sometimes one Saturday and Sunday night depending on what UFC, WWE or NJPW shows there are that weekend.
Some, including myself, think they cover a bit too much NJPW, but for many that would be a plus as not many other sites/podcasts do. The news isn’t always accurate, but this is in large part because Vince is forever changing his mind. What you’ll often find is that Dave will run through potential scenarios out loud, make it clear that he is only speculating and then feeder sites report it as news and he gets stick when it doesn’t pan out.
2. The Fix with Todd Martin
As far as a deeper dive into what’s going on in the wrestling and MMA world, The Fix is the best place to go. The show is hosted by Wade Keller of The Torch and one of the many shows he does each week is this one with Todd.
Every week I come away from podcast feeling like I have learned something. Todd will break down storylines and outline great ideas for where they could go next. The only downside is that it eventually results in a massive let down when Vince goes in a different direction that leaves everyone scratching their heads.
As with Wrestling Observer Radio, The Fix is a paid podcast. It comes as part of a subscription to The Torch. Along with The Fix you also get access to 15+ podcasts a week as well as access to the archives and Wade’s Torch newsletter.
3. OSW Review
One of the great things about OSW Review is that it’s also (and more predominantly) a video podcast. It is hosted by Jay Hunter and his two Irish friends. They started off by reviewing all the WWF PPV’s in the Hulkamania era. So they started at WrestleMania in 1985 and finished at SummerSlam 1992.
That was in 2013 though. Since then they have chosen different timelines from WWF, WCW, ECW and even TNA to cover. A lot of work goes in to the shows, especially the videos and the three guys bounce off each other well, often with hilarious outcomes.
The one negative I would say is the release schedule. The show is so popular that two have now quit their job to work on the show/podcast full time but episodes don’t appear to be releasing any quicker. It can be roughly two months between episodes and if you don’t like TNA (which many do not) and don’t care about their odd review of the Rumble or WrestleMania from this year, they haven’t done a proper review show since December 2016. And they haven’t done a classic WWF show, which is what brought them to the dance, since October 2015.
They have been teasing a new timeline for over six months now and I believe it was going to be announced during the bonus show they did for this years WrestleMania which I have yet to listen to, so hopefully the show gets back on track. If you haven’t checked out this podcast yet though, the archives of great content will keep you going for months!
4. New Generation Project Podcast
The New Generation Project podcast was born in part off the success of OSW Review and then the Attitude Era podcast. Host Stewart alongside Adam and Paul have reviewed all the WWF PPV’s from King of the Ring 93 up to WrestleMania XIV in 1998 with a few bonus shows like Survivor Series 92 and Royal Rumble 93 thrown in.
The level of detail Stewart goes in to is really impressive and while some of the shows during this era were fairly dire, those are sometimes the most entertaining ones. As the show progresses you can see it naturally grow as well. Episode 1 (King of the Ring 93) was just shy of an hour and a half, while the last episode, WrestleMania XIV was split into two parts totally over eight hours.
The show is currently on hiatus and may some day return but even if it doesn’t it deserves a place on this list. Ninety-four episodes will keep you going for a long time and it is well worth your investment.
5. Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard (and Conrad Thompson)
I have went back and fourth on my opinions of this one over the near two years it has been around. Bruce was near the top of the WWE ladder for many years and has some great insight into the business. The downside to that though is that when you are so engulfed in the wrestling industry (by his own admission) sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Prichard has what seems like an oath to protect the business at times and no matter how hard the host, Conrad Thompson (who is excellent by the way), tries to call bullshit, he sticks to his guns. His explanation for the Montreal Screwjob and Hogan getting the title in 1993 being two prime examples.
This is still an excellent podcast with great backstage insight. I also admire how they have stuck to their guns and not changed the show despite now having a sister show on the WWE Network. If you want a great informative look at a different topic each week, this is the podcast for you. Just don’t expect everything from Brother Love to be the gospel truth.
Well that’s it. My top 5 wrestling podcasts. Is there one I don’t have that you think deserves a place on the list or would you organise them differently? Well get in touch via the comments or on Twitter @VizualDze and I’ll explain to you why you’re wrong.
VdZe.