Gentlemen's Wrestling Podcast #129: Winter Mailbag
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Voices of Wrestling
Linda McMahon / Ring Boy scandal
If I had an opportunity to interview Linda McMahon, I would want to ask her about the Ring Boy scandal. She's currently named in this lawsuit for rehiring Mel Phillips. I very highly doubt Linda McMahon would offer a substantive answer, but you've got to ask the question.
Wrestling media landscape
I think it's really difficult going forward to make like to break into the wrestling news industry as a news aggregator or as a content creator. The industry is going away. Things are being consolidated. Websites are being sold.
Evolution of wrestling fandom
The pro wrestling that you like today is not going to be the pro wrestling that's popular in five years. You need to realize that you can change your expectations. It is going to constantly evolve.
WWE talent development
I think there's something with Javon Evans. I think he can connect with teenagers and kids as a cool, modern personality in the ring. Whether or not the old white guys that write WWE can understand that remains to be seen.
Wrestling industry transparency
I wish the professional wrestling industry was more transparent and less secretive. I think that would help the industry in general be more successful as opposed to the behind-closed-door atmosphere that still permeates across basically every promotion.
New Japan Pro Wrestling booking
I refuse to believe that Aaron Wolfe is so green that he just can't do anything right. I have seen no evidence so far in his limited time to suggest that he's not capable of having a controlled, solid eight-minute match at this stage of his career.
AEW talent development
I think that Tony [Khan] has shown that he's really methodical in the way that he wants to elevate talent. Kyle Fletcher, Brody King, and Konosuke Takeshita are all on long journeys to eventually maybe becoming world champion.
AEW vs. Ring of Honor
The reason AEW was able to come in and be successful is because there was so much momentum for a new exciting thing, not just a better version of something that already existed. Ring of Honor was never going to be at that level.
Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame
Kenta is the strongest candidate of the new candidates on the list. He seems to be probably a really historically significant wrestler in terms of being the first undersized guy to wear kick pads and wrestle with this MMA-inspired offense.
State of modern wrestling
I would give wrestling as a whole a B plus. There are some things that I'm really concerned about, but overall, I am entertained by pro wrestling. I don't feel like I'm getting tired watching this stuff.