The Random Wrestling Review- Podcast!

What else could the world need more in 2021, than yet another podcast featuring 3 white guys in their 30’s talking about wrestling?! Actually a lot more, but we’re hoping you’ll settle for this. Ben, Tom and Sam are 3 long-time friends who have each been watching wrestling for the last 30 years and here, each week, they will select a wrestling show from the past at random and then talk about it. It’s a heady mix of in-depth analysis, juvenile humour and everything in between.

WWE Royal Rumble 2002

There is a moment, just minutes into the opening encounter of the 2002 Royal Rumble pay-per-view that sums this whole event up pretty well. The bout features Tazz and Spike Dudley against The Dudley Boyz for the WWE Tag Team Titles, and with the contest barely started and with The Dudleys already firmly in control, the crowd break into a hearty chorus of “we want tables”. Disregarding the fact that the Dudley Boyz were the heels and that the tag team titles were on the line in a match that had barely began, the fans were calling for them to fast-forward, past their pursuit of the belts and in contradiction to their disposition as heels, to using their most over spot. Like a rock band, past their best, and being heckled to play the hits of yesteryear rather than the material they’re attempting to promote from their most recent release, in this moment it was clear that The Dudley Boyz were no longer relevant beyond the nostalgia of their biggest hit. The feeling of staleness wasn’t helped by the concept behind the opener which would see Bubba Ray and D-Von on the opposite side of the ring to their kayfabe brother Spike, and Tazz; a combination of rivals which had been seen before in ECW, and even in this different setting, still felt like a rehash. The lack of fresh ideas and the sense that those involved were trying to recapture former glories is the abiding theme of this show.

TNA Genesis 2011

In January 2010 TNA signed Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff to contracts in a bid to turn the wrestling world on its head, reprise the Monday night war and lead the company to new heights of commercial success. There were a number of changes made, perhaps the most significant of which was the company’s decision to take Impact head to head with Raw on Monday nights and attempt to engage in a ratings war with the established WWE programme. That was, of course, an absolute failure; ratings for Impact dropped to such an alarming level when on at the same time as WWE’s flagship show, that TNA was forced into a humbling retreat, back to their regular time slot despite heavy investment in talent including Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Mr Anderson, Sting and others. By the time Genesis 2011 rolled around however, TNA had recovered slightly from their embarrassing defeat, and with the new regime (that not only included Hogan and Bischoff, but also involved Vince Russo and Dixie Carter herself) having been around for a full year, they were presumably presenting the vision for the product that they had from the beginning.