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PODCAST

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club

Steve Cimino and Walt Schwenk

The only thing better than watching wrestling and complaining about wrestling is reading about wrestling. That"s why we have Awesome Truth, the internet"s finest pro wrestling book club. On every episode, your hosts will discuss a classic wrestling book, movie, or documentary. WWE, AEW, even WCW, and ECW; they"ve got it all covered.

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All Episodes

27:04

Warrior and Hogan Survive a Jobber Barrage: The...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/11/19

We all know November is Survivor Series month, so we're harkening back to when this event was truly about surviving: 1990, when the babyface and heel survivors of each match met in the main event. That meant Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Tito Santana (!) versus the all-star squad of Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord, Hercules, and Paul Roma. Sound like trouble for our all-star superheroes? You bet it wasn't. Join us for the squashiest main in Survivor Series history.

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38:32

The Smashing Machine

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/11/05

You knew we'd get to it eventually: It's time to review Dwayne Johnson's Oscar play, the 2025 film The Smashing Machine. How does Rock do as UFC original Mark Kerr? Is he finally showing off some dormant acting chops, or is he just playing another big fighter guy with slightly more emotion? And is this MMA movie actually an MMA movie at all?

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37:00

Cena vs AJ for the Last Time: The Retirement Tour...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/10/22

As John Cena's very bumpy retirement tour nears its conclusion, WWE did the smartest thing since re-turning him babyface: They booked a match with AJ Styles. Cena vs AJ is quietly one of the best rivalries of the last 10 years, and it's exactly the kind of showdown Cena should be having as he sails off into the sunset. Join us as we rewatch this finisher-heavy instant classic (kinda) from Crown Jewel 2025.

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28:56

Ronda Rousey's Debut at Mania: The Stephanie McMahon...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/10/08

We promised (or threatened) it and now it's here: Stephanie McMonth concludes with our first-ever Stephanie McMahon watch-along. It was tough to choose from all the exquisite Stephanie matches, but we finally found a hidden gem: Stephanie and Triple H versus Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34. This is Ronda's debut, when hope was everywhere and a beautiful future seemed right around the corner. Did it all work out for everyone? Join us and find out.

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36:50

Stephanie's Places, the ESPN+ Stephanie McMahon Show

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/09/24

With Stephanie McMahon announced as the next major inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, there's no better time to sit back and review her ESPN+ show, Stephanie's Places. We totally planned this, you guys. Join us as we discuss Stephanie's latest foray as a WWE-adjacent personality and examine her first guest, Phil "CM Punk" Brooks.

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24:09

Cena Gets Squashed by Lesnar: The SummerSlam 2014...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/09/10

With WrestlingPalooza right around the corner, it was time to revisit the most iconic showdown between Brock Lesnar and John Cena: SummerSlam 2014. Everyone expected your usual main event between two beefy legends, but instead we got a squash for the ages. Join us as we discuss this famous match and also speculate wildly about Cena's mediocre retirement tour.

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37:24

WWE Unreal on Netflix: Worth a Watch?

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/08/27

Once Raw hit Netflix, you knew a documentary series couldn't be far behind. And now it's here: WWE Unreal, an intimate and up-close look at the inner workings of WWE. They'd have you believe it's unprecedented; we think there is tons of precedent, including dozens of backstage docs that previously aired on the WWE Network and Peacock. So is Unreal worth a watch, especially with the ho-hum year that WWE is having?

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37:42

Hulk Hogan vs 8 Guys in a Triple Cage: The...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/08/13

To "honor" the late Hulk Hogan, we decided to watch the most Hogan match in history: the Hulkster (and Randy Savage) versus 8 guys in a Doomsday Cage match at Uncensored 1996. That's right, to satisfy Hulk's massive ego, WCW put him up against Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, actor Tiny Lister, and professional beefy boy "Jeep" Swenson (amongst others) and ... he won. How did it all go down? Watch along with us and find out.

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39:11

Hulk Hogan Is Dead

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/07/30

It's true; my boy Terry has passed away. Hulk Hogan was pro wrestling's first megastar and arguably its most controversial; he couldn't give up the spotlight and loved to lie, the quintessential carny until the day he died. We've talked about him for hours and hours on this show, and we're gonna do it one more time. Join us as we discuss the life and legacy of the Hulkster.

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39:12

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/07/16

When it comes to professional wrestling in popular culture, there are two eras: before and after The Wrestler. The 2008 film from director Darren Aronofsky changed the way wrestlers were perceived by the public. It used to be "out of sight, out of mind," but now everyone knows the toll pro wrestling takes on people's bodies, minds, and lives. In fact, we don't think there would be Dark Side of the Ring, The Iron Claw, or all these nostalgia podcasts without it. Join us as we discuss Mickey Rourke's

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26:51

Worst Match Ever? The Goldberg vs Undertaker Watch-Along

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/07/02

With Goldberg heading toward his retirement match with Gunther, we thought it was time to revisit the moment he probably should've retired: His 2019 match with the Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. Is it as bad as everyone says? Is it worse? And what was the ceiling for old man Goldberg versus broken-down Taker anyway? Join us as we grit our teeth and watch along.

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34:00

R-Truth on Table for 3: Unleash the Charm

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/06/18

For the last few weeks, the internet has been abuzz with talk of Ron Killings. Did WWE release R-Truth? Did they just decide not to renew his contract? How could Truth, a low-key legend and beloved locker room presence, get the axe? We may never know exactly how it all went down, but we at Awesome Truth knew the best way to honor our half-namesake was to watch him turn on the charm. That's why we're discussing our first-ever Table for 3 episode, featuring Truth, Carmella, and Dana Brooke. It's the

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33:45

Remembering Sabu by Watching Him Bleed: The Born to...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/06/04

The hardcore legend Sabu passed away on May 11, 2025; in his honor, we're watching what's probably his most famous match, the 1997 barbed wire showdown with Terry Funk at ECW's Born to Be Wired event. It's a grotesque bloody mess that also perfectly illustrates what made Sabu special and why teenage Walt and Steve thought he was one of the coolest wrestlers in the world.

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32:34

Bigger! Better! Badder! WrestleMania III and the Year...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/05/21

WrestleMania III, the Pontiac Silverdome, Hogan versus Andre. It's where everything changed, at least according to the new book by friend of the show Keith Elliot Greenberg. Keith's been on before talking about the book's genesis; now we've read it and we're breaking down his latest opus. Join us as we discuss Bigger! Better! Badder!, aka the story of pro wrestling in the mid-1980s.

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27:54

WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/05/07

Who asked for a feature-length documentary on WrestleMania 9? Nobody, of course, which makes it even more wild that this thing is somehow fun. WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle gives us exclusive backstage footage of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Undertaker, and a ton of other wrestlers at the first-ever Vegas Mania. It also, unfortunately, features a ton of Hulk Hogan's world-famous "exaggerations" about the day he magically regained the WWF title. Join us as we dissect this doc on the first time

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38:00

Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns Finish the Story: The...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/04/23

WrestleMania 41 dropped the ball with Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena — flat, forgettable, and included heavy involvement from Travis Scott. So to wash the bad taste out of our mouths, Awesome Truth decided to revisit a more memorable main event match from WrestleMania XL between Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes! Does last year's epic showdown stand the test of time?

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30:01

Superfan: The Story of Vladimir

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/04/09

We've been begging for WWE documentaries to focus on more than just the same old wrestling stories, and they finally listened ... for better or worse. Superfan: The Story of Vladimir follows Vladimir Abouzeide, a lifelong New York wrestling enthusiast whose fandom was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. But is it a story of celebration, or are they exploiting Vlad for content? Is WWE even equipped to tell these types of wrestling-adjacent stories? Join us as we ask these questions and more.

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29:19

The Lasting Legacy of WrestleMania III (w/ Keith...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/03/26

It's 2025 and we're still talking about WrestleMania III. It was one of the biggest nights in wrestling history: Hogan versus Andre, Savage versus Steamboat, Butch Reed versus Koko B. Ware ... OK, not every match was a banger. But what exactly made that show in Pontiac, Michigan so special? And why did it so thoroughly reshape the industry? Friend of the show Keith Elliot Greenberg joins us to discuss his new book, BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER!: WRESTLEMANIA III and the Year It All Changed, in stores

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30:56

John Cena vs Cody Rhodes, Round 1: The Road to...

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/03/12

Remember the first time John Cena faced Cody Rhodes? That's right, WrestleMania 41 won't be the debut match between these two legends; for that, we have to go back to April 6, 2015, when Cena kicked off his US Open Challenge with a match against Stardust. And to start down the road to WrestleMania properly, we're watching along! Join us as we discuss what's been accurately described as "a pretty good Raw match."

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52:35

WrestleMania: The Album

Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club ·

2025/02/26

It's our 200th episode! To celebrate this milestone, we are turning to a musical gem from deep in wrestling history: "WrestleMania: The Album." That's right, the 1993 album where Bret Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Undertaker, and many more sing! Actually, it's more like talk-singing or spoken word. And they don't sing their theme songs; just odd, unexpected tunes about their gimmicks or occasionally love. It's a work of art! Listen along on YouTube and enjoy this very special episode.

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