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PODCAST

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture (DragonKingKarl)

When It Was Cool

For all shows including our archived content visit our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/wiwcool Pro wrestling history. WWE, WCW, NWA, AEW, NXT, NJPW, TNA, Impact, ROH, AWA, ECW, and the pioneer era of pro wrestling. Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) is a pro wrestling historian who has produced the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show for over 15 years at Wrestling Observer. This is the free version of some of the pro wrestling podcasts we produce at When It Was Cool. There is much more

sports wrestling

All Episodes

46:34

Long Form History of Wrestling - December 1983

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/09/05

On this edition of the Long Form History of Pro Wrestling series, host Karl Stern wraps up 1983 by looking at December. Ric Flair has newly regained the NWA World heavyweight title but the big news is the end of the long reign of Bob Backlund as WWF champion as the Iron Sheik famously defeats him at Madison Square Garden to set up January 1984's transition to Hulk Hogan. Plus, the New Japan and All Japan annual tag team tournaments wrap up and Hulk Hogan is part of that story too. SECW trends

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42:12

History of Wrestling at MSG - John Pesek and Rule...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/30

In this 14th installment of the History of Pro Wrestling at Madison Square Garden series we look at one of the toughest and scariest shooters ever in wrestling history who you seldom hear about but should: John Pesek. Plus, how a pioneer era wrestler shockingly and bafflingly help change the rules of pro wrestling in a way that had a serious negative impact on pro wrestling in the era. Plus, there's a new promoter in town as the war between Tex Rickard and Jack Curley ends in a whimper. Lots of

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59:30

Matsada Sorakichi - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/27

Matsada Sorakichi was the first Japanese star in America. He faced all the top names of his era including Evan "Strangler" Lewis, Duncan C. Ross, Edwin Bibby, Tom Cannon, and others. Though on the small side, he gave the top wrestlers of the day all they could handle and was highly respected by the best champions of the pioneer era. Yet, he died destitute in the streets of New York at age 32. What went wrong? What was the real story of the first Japanese pro wrestling star Matsada Sorakichi? This is

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57:43

Farmer Burns, Cigarette Cards, Evan Strangler Lewis -...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/21

Among the pioneer era of pro wrestling few names stand out bigger than Martin "Farmer" Burns and Evan "Strangler" Lewis (the original Strangler Lewis). On this episode of 1000 Hours Podcast we look back at one of the most famous matches of the pioneer era when Farmer Burns defeated Strangler Lewis for the American title in a match the press (and crowd) was certain was fake. Plus, we'll look at the life of Farmer Burns and also discuss the first pro wrestling collectable- Allan and Ginter's Cigarette

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58:08

Jack Carkeek Goes to Prison - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/13

Jack Carkeek was a well known top level wrestler during the pioneer era who later got into the promoting end of things. As we have discussed often in our series so far, gambling was a big component of pro wrestling becoming worked and Jack Carkeek was very much a shyster. So much so, that he ended up being indicted with a major crime syndicate in one of the first federal cases of using the U.S. Mail for criminal purposes- fixing wrestling matches, and ends up serving time in prison for it. This is

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49:25

Adrian Adonis - Flowers for Adrian (2023) Book Review

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/08

A fantastic new book by John Ellul looking at the life and career of pro wrestling star Adrian Adonis. This book is tremendously well written and researched and is probably my favorite pro wrestling biography written in years. The life of Adrian Adonis (Keith Franke) was rough, confounding, and interesting. His gimmick in WWF / WWE was infuriating and embarrassing but the performer behind the gimmick was one of the best of his era. His tragic death in 1988 was overshadowed by a bigger and more

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57:59

Opera House Cup - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/07

Pro wrestling promoter Court Bauer claims his MLW Opera House Cup dates back to the "pioneer era" and was last held by Stu Hart in the 1940s. While that is a little outside our range of exploration for this show, one of our Patreons requested we investigate the pioneer era claims. What we found had less to do with MLW but a lot to do with the evolution of how entertainment got mixed with sport. An interesting investigation that lead to some very informative conclusions! This is hour eight.

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01:03:17

John McMahon - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/08/01

Who was the pioneer wrestling legend John McMahon? Was he related to the later McMahons? How did he compare to contemporaries like William Muldoon and Col. James H. McLaughlin? On today's episode of 1000 Hours, host Karl Stern dives into the life and career of one of the top stars of the pioneer era of pro wrestling: John McMahon. This is Hour 7 or 1000 Hours. To get a new hour of 1000 Hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com

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01:00:53

William Richardson - Belted Champion - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/26

Hour six of the 1000 Hours Podcast features a look at one of the pioneer eras most famous wrestlers in Britian. William Richardson was a famous and celebrated wrestling champion at the turn of the 1800's, pre-dating most of the people we have talked about so far. We have numerous accounts of his exploits including, what may be the earliest references to championship belts being used in wrestling and why. Some of our earliest evidence of what pro wrestling became starts here with Richardson and the

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59:15

Inside Wrestling (April 1988) Retro Wrestling...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/25

Let's take a look back at a retro Apter mag- the April 1988 issue of Inside Wrestling Magazine. This issue features a look at the storyline run up to the Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant feud where Ted DiBiase tries to buy the WWF title from Andre. Also in this issue are features on Lex Luger verses Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Jack Funk, some great VHS ads, Michael Hayes, King Kong Bundy, and the Von Erichs! A fun issue plus Roll Call of Champions!

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53:08

Terrible Turk - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/19

1000 Hours Podcast - The Terrible Turk Yusuf İsmail What a great show I have for you today. On the 1000 hours podcast where we talk about the pioneers of pro wrestling I want to look at one of the biggest gimmicks ever to hit pro wrestling: Yusuf İsmail, the Terrible Turk. We will look his background before he came to America and his much lauded American tour which he died returning back to Europe from. Why did he inspire such a rabid response from the press and fans? Why did he inspire so many

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48:38

Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - November...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/18

On this installment of the longform history of wrestling series we are up to November 1983 which is hugely important because we have NWA Starrcade which sees Ric Flair regain the NWA World title from Harley Race in a steel cage. That show wasn't even the biggest drawing show that day as many areas had traditional Thanksgiving Shows and this year may have been the peak of that tradition. Plus, more on David Von Erich, Japan, and much more. A giant, historically important month in pro wrestling

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01:03:14

Duncan C. Ross Tells All - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/13

There have been several wrestlers and promoters over the years who have gone rogue and spilled the beans on pro wrestling. We all know the famous story of Jack Pfeffer and the New York Daily Mirror in the 1930s, Eddie Mansfield on 20/20 in the 1980s, and others. However, in the 1880's former champion wrestler Duncan C. Ross gave an earful to the newspaper as well exposing the lives of several former major champion wrestlers including Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, and straight up call

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52:36

History of Pro Wrestling at MSG - The Trust Busters

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/11

A very interesting era greets us on this edition of the history of wrestling at MSG series. We are moving away from Earl Caddock into the Ed "Strangler" Lewis era and there are those out there who are not pleased with the wrestling trust. Marin Plestina is giving the trust trouble but runs up against John Pesek. Joe Stecher begins to show signs of future problems that would plague him for the rest of his life. Tex Rickard and Al Haft bump heads. A packed edition of the history of pro wrestling at

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01:00:16

The Trial of William Muldoon - 1000 Hours

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/07/05

Hour three of the 1000 Hours Podcast where wrestling historian Karl Stern takes a look at the pioneer era of pro wrestling. In this episode we travel back to 1885 where pro wrestling champion William Muldoon is put on trial for allegedly attacking a security guard at a theater in New York City. Plus, more on the career of William Muldoon and his place as one of the most prominent figures in early pro wrestling history. In order to get an hour 3 of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any

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48:47

Matt 'Doink' Borne - From the Pages of the Wrestling...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/06/27

On this episode we take a look at Dave Meltzer’s obituary for wrestling journeyman Matt Borne who worked numerous territories including World Class, Mid-South, Pacific Northwest, Georgia, and WCW but was probably most famous as the original heel clown in WWF- Doink. The troubled life of Matt Borne is examined in great detail including his real life feud with Jim Duggan. Show Transcript - Here

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59:25

Viro Small, William Muldoon - 1000 Hours Podcast

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/06/26

Hour two of the 1000 hours podcast takes a look at the first widely known and studied African-American wrestling star: Viro "Black Sam" Small. Viro Small was born into slavery in South Carolina. After being freed following the Civil War, he traveled north and became a wrestling champion and well known boxer. He survived being shot in the neck but what happened afterward has been lost to history. Plus, some discussion about one of the most important pioneer wrestling stars: William Muldoon. In order

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44:35

Iron Sheik and Tiger Mask

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/06/19

On this week's When It Was Cool exclusive When It Was Cool Wrestling Podcast, host Karl Stern remember the Iron Sheik including the time he tried to book him in a match that had never happened before (and never did happen!). Plus, I've been watching a lot of Tiger Mask recently. Was he over hyped? Did Dave Meltzer's love for him give him more credit than he was due? The answer might surprise you!

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59:15

Abraham Lincoln verses Jack Armstrong

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/06/16

Abraham Lincoln was honest. So the story goes. And, he honestly was an actual wrestler. Abe Lincoln did, in fact, participate in organized frontier style wrestling during his youth including a famous match against Jack Armstrong. There is another famous match of Lincoln, a loss, which we'll look at in this episode. If you want another hour of pre-1900 pro wrestling talk, then become a Patreon supporter at WhenItWasCool.com or donate via PayPal or Cash App on the front page. This is hour one.

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54:21

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine Review - December...

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture... ·

2023/06/13

This week I have another classic news stand magazine review for you. Travel back in time with me to 1983 and let's grab a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine featuring a ridiculous Dusty Rhodes cover. Let's find out what Bill Apter, Stu Saks, Craig Peters, and all the real and imagined staff writers of the Weston Magazines are cooking up this month!

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