Between The Sheets

Kris & David are back to discuss the week that was March 30th - April 5th, 1998. We start off in the WWF and Monday Night Raw from night after WrestleMania XIV, where Sean Waltman made his return as the unnamed new member of DX, but he wasn't the only debut: Kaientai and Dan Severn showed up, plus Val Venis’s vignettes started airing, too. (Also, the New Age Outlaws joined DX and The Nation of Domination turned on Farooq.) We then go to Japan to talk about Antonio Inoki's huge retirement show at the Tokyo Dome, Mitsuharu Misawa getting injured on the road to AJPW’s own show at the Big Egg, Promo Azteca's TV situation in Mexico, and so much more. After that, go back to North America, where we talk about the greatness of Robin Hood, one of the greatest matches in ECW history in the form of Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Rob Van Dam, Dave Brown’s return to Memphis wrestling being finalized, & STEVE SAX showing up for a NWC show. We then close with a typically loaded 1998 WCW section, featuring a wild an

Kris & David are back this week by Between The Sheets Patreon subscriber David Davis (@GratefulSeconds) to discuss the week-plus that was March 18-29, 1985. You too can pick your own show by donating $25, $50 (join us for a segment), or $100 (join us for the whole show) on our Patreon. We start off by talking about Jim Crockett Promotions, where they are heading to TBS, and we talk about how that will work out for them, Mid-South, & the WWF, including the ACTUAL story of why the WWF sold their time slots to Crockett. Elsewhere in JCP, we also talk about Magnum T.A. winning the U.S. Title from Wahoo McDaniel and how Crockett's expansion is in full swing, among other things. We then go to Japan, talking about Shiro Koshinaka leaving AJPW, which was greatly outshone by Bruiser Brody joining NJPW in a shocking move that changed the business in Japan and around the world, with a highly detailed rundown about why it happened. We even go to Kuwait this week for a JCP-adjacent tour, as well as England, Me

Kris & David are joined this week by our old friend and BTS Patron, Mark Coale (@black_bile), who donated the required $100 to be the guest on the whole show that he requested. Mark requested the week of March 16-22, 1984, and it’s a doozy. We open with the WWF, as they are taking over TV slots around the country from other promotions, with our week focusing on the San Francisco Bay Area. We also talk about Andre the Giant entering Piper's Pit for the first time, Akira Maeda's jobbing tour, and other early WWF expansion things. We then move on to the international scene, where we talk about NTV wanting Satoru Sayama to join AJPW but Giant Baba wouldn’t stand for it, Riki Choshu running wild in New Japan, Ric Flair & Harley Race trading the NWA Title in/around New Zealand, Ricky Steamboat returning from his 2 month retirement in JCP, Tim Horner scoring a major upset over Road Warrior Hawk on WTBS, and Hacksaw Duggan heeling in Florida en route to returning as a babyface hero in Mid-South that s

Kris & David are joined by Robert O'Connor (@ghostofquinones) to discuss the (almost-)week that was March 9-14, 1995. We start off with Dave Meltzer going over the changing world of the PPV business in wrestling with the introduction of In Your House and World War 3 as well as the return of the Great American Bash, and how that affects the whole business. We then go to the WWF, where Crush/Brian Adams gets arrested, Men on a Mission turn on the Smoking Gunns, Carl Ouellet becomes a pirate, and so much more before going to Japan, where we talk about New Japan’s faction-based and interpromotional feuds, Los Power Raiders debuting in AAA, CMLL getting a TV contract extension from Televisa, Jim Cornette & Bob Armstrong going to war with The Gangstas in SMW, DIAMOND MIKE AND HIS CREW in Memphis, Marcus Dupree showing up in Memphis, a promotional war brewing in Mississippi, Paul Alperstein’s AWF announcing their title tournament in grand fashion, and then WCW, where Ric Flair is about to lose his mind a

Kris & David are guestless this time, as we discuss the week-plus that was March 1-8, 1992. We start with WCW, where we talk about Jesse Ventura being pulled off of the 1992 Minnesota Vikings radio broadcasts because of his relationship with WCW, Dave going to a pair of WCW house shows in two different timezones, Steve Williams & Terry Gordy coming to WCW, and so much more there. We then go international to talk about Doc & Gordy losing their AJPW Unified World Tag Team Titles in preparation for their departure to WCW, New Japan running their 20th Anniversary Show with a major card featuring the Japanese debut of the El Samurai gimmick, the greatness of Sean Waltman and others in Japan’s Universal Lucha Libre, the UWA moving its TV tapings to Arena Neza, Paul Roma’s pro boxing debut, Rip Rogers squatting throughout the whole hour on SMW TV, as well as all the other news from the just about everywhere before going to the WWF. The WWF section this week is MASSIVE, as Pat Patterson & Terry Garvin

Kris & David are joined this week by Patreon subscriber Tyler Gignac (@Tyler_Gignac), who wanted us to do the week that was February 23rd-March 1st, 2003. You can have us do a week that you want, as well, by signing up for a month in the $25 tier ourPatreon. ($50 gets you the ability to join us for a segment and $100 gets you the option to join us for the whole show.) Tyler joins us for the WWE section, featuring a wild three days in Canada, including Raw in Toronto, which Tyler attended. But we also have the No Way Out PPV in Montreal with the Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock rematch as well as SmackDown taping in London,Ontario the next night. There was a ton going on there, far too much to put here, but it's on the road to WrestleMania, which is full of all kinds of wackiness. We also talk about a major weekend in Japan where Shinya Hashimoto won the Triple Crown and Kenta Kobashi won the GHC Heavyweight Title in VERY different matches in terms of "workrate." We also talk about the rest of Japan, Me

Kris & David are back with another episode of Between the Sheets! We discuss the week-plus that was February 15-22, 1996, a show that was requested by one of our Patrons, Andy Linton. You can have the opportunity to have us do a week that you want if you join our Patreon and put down $25. We start the show with WCW, talking about their rapidly improving house show business and a wild Monday Nitro, which was par for the course in this era for some reason. We also talk about a crazy UFC PPV in Puerto Rico, Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue regaining AJPW’s unified world tag team titles, AAA almost getting kicked out of Acapulco, Tommy Morrison telling the world that he was HIV positive and how that would affect all combat sports, Brian Pillman making his debut at the ECW Arena in a wild spectacle, the WWF invading the WMC studio in Memphis, and IN YOUR HOUSE 6 among other topics in a loaded WWF section, including some long-buried details of the Billionaire Ted skits and resulting fallout. All that and much m

Kris & David are guestless as we discuss the week that was February 9-15, 1997. We talk about USA Network giving the WWF an extra hour for Raw every week and how that will change their TV format, as well as THURSDAY RAW THURSDAY, featuring Shawn Michaels losing his smile in one of the all-time most memorable Raw moments. We also talk about Rocky Maivia winning his first title and the timing of that, the WWF's relationship with ECW, and so much more to round out a very newsworthy WWF section. We also talk about New Japan trying to sign Ken Shamrock to a major deal, Michinoku Pro’s top stars coming to ECW, and Sunny & The Truth Commission (as well as John Lister!) showing up at the WMC studio in Memphis for the USWA. Then we go to WCW where we talk about TBS wanting to add a new wrestling show, Ted Turner possibly showing up at Nitro, Kevin Sullivan going off the rails on Nitro, and a whole lot more. Timestamps:0:00:00 WWF1:29:20 Eurasia: AJPW, NJPW, WAR, FMW, IWA Japan, Pancrase, AJW, JWP, & NW

Kris & David are joined by John Muse (@JMuseMich) to discuss the week that was February 2-8, 1993. We talk about the major power shift in WCW as Cowboy Bill Watts & Jim Ross are on their way out the door and Eric Bischoff is about to make a big power play to become a top boss in the company. John goes in-depth with us talking about all the aspects of the company at the time, especially the booking, and this was a fantastic discussion. We also talk about Jim Cornette & The Heavenly Bodies showing up at Center Stage for some fireworks with Bill Watts and The Rock ’n’ Roll Express, as well as an update on Ric Flair coming into the company, Johnny B. Badd possibly leaving, and so much more. We then go to Japan were we talk about the great scene at that time where everyone, including the indies, was doing good business before going to Mexico, where we talk about the groundbreaking product AAA was putting out at that time. We then go to the U.S. Indie scene, talking about Bobby Eaton joining the Heavenl

Kris & David are joined this week by Case Lowe (@_InYourCase) to discuss the week that was January 26-February 1, 1999. a week that was requested by Jared Hunt as a $25 pledge pick on the Between The Sheets Patreon page. We start out the show discussing the death of Giant Baba, how that rocked the wrestling world, and how it would affect the Japanese wrestling world for many years to come. We also talk about the birth of Toryumon Japan in the form of their debut show, leading to a great discussion about their beginnings and how far the key players have come since then. We also talk about a busy week in the World Wrestling Federation as we have HALFTIME HEAT with The Rock vs. Mankind, the WWF Super Bowl commercial, a wild episode of Monday Night Raw featuring Vince, Patterson, & Brisco invading a Texas bar, and so much more. We also talk about Rey Misterio Jr.’s impending unmasking in WCW and how that would affect him in Mexico, Carlos Colon & Abdullah the Butcher teaming up in Puerto Rico, the fin

Kris & David are joined by Mike Sempervive (@Sempervive) to discuss the week that was January 19-25, 1991. We talk about WCW being forced to move the next Clash of the Champions from CNN Center’s atrium to the Georgia Mountain Center in Gainesville due to the Persian Gulf War, as well as Dusty Rhodes beginning in his new job as head booker, The Steiners killing jobbers, Arn Anderson & Barry Windham tearing up the hood, and so much more in a great section. We then talk about a Triple Crown title change in AJPW, Greg Valentine re-upping with the WWF and possibly being punished in the process by the company in the process, Joe Pedicino making moves at NATPE, the war between the USWA and the TWF in Dallas, Jesse Ventura/Grudge Match news, and then a huge WWF section. There, we have Royal Rumble ’91 with all of the news from the show, plus Dave Meltzer going scorched earth on Hulk Hogan & Vince McMahon for the way they are handling the Persian Gulf conflict and Sgt. Slaughter's character. Fantastic

Kris & David are guestless as we discuss the week that was January 12-18, 1998. We talk about the WWF’s build to the 1998 Royal Rumble, featuring Goldust dressing up as Sable, the debut of the Rock ’n’ Roll Express, and Kane pretending to be cool with the Undertaker before we move on to the Rumble PPV itself. That show features Cold Stone" Steve Austin getting hs big win in front of a giddy Mike Tyson plus Shawn Michaels torching his back in the main event against the Undertaker. We also talk about New Japan wanting their older guys to retire, Ryuji Yamakawa getting thrown off of the Kawasaki City Gym balcony in Big Japan, Antonio Peña suing everyone in Mexico, and Shane Douglas’s greatness as a house show promoter for ECW. We close, of course, with WCW, featuring Nitro is Lawyers plus all the wackiness that you would expect of WCW(, everybody!) in this era. Lots of great clips and just a great time in general on this week's BTS!!!Timestamps0:00:00 WWF1:52:43 Japan (& Kenya): AJPW, NJPW, WAR,

Kris & David are joined by John Philapavage (@JohnPhilapavage) to discuss the week that was January 5-11, 1996. We talk about ECW's House Party ’96, which featured the farewell of Public Enemy, the return of "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, the debut of Rob Van Dam, and Beulah announcing her “pregnancy” with Tommy Dreamer’s spawn. Needless to say, this was a watershed show in ECW history, so we go in deep detail discussing all the major happenings in the promotion at that time. We then go to WCW to discuss Hulk Hogan's legal issues in Minneapolis, plus another Nitro in the Carolinas where Hogan gets booed heavily by the crowd. From there, talk about all the international news and results before coming back to the U.S. for the indies, where we talk about Scott Bowden having quite the day on USWA TV, the early days of IWA Mid-South, and the infamous Bodyguards vs. Bandits PPV being taped at the Sportatorium in Dallas. We then close with the WWF where Shawn Michaels gives an…interesting speech

Kris & David are back for another episode of Between the Sheets! This week we talk about the week that was December 29, 2006-January 4th, 2007 by request of Sean Doherty, who put down the $25 on our Patreon to pick this one. We talk about RAW IS K-FED, as Kevin Federline showed up to wrestle—and defeat!—John Cena on New Years Day 2007 and look at how it was covered in the mainstream. Speaking of the mainstream, we also talk about Vince McMahon starting the big Donald Trump WrestleMania angle, WWE's house show business picking back up, a note on the future Roman Reigns, and so much more in a big WWE section. We also talk about Japan, where the first week of the year was always a big one including the first ever Wrestle Kingdom, featuring AJPW vs. NJPW and a lot more. We then talk about Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Indies, and then close with TNA with a nutty ass episode of Impact featuring THE VOODOO KIN MAFIA and all the usual TNA wackiness you have grown to love. This is quite the entertaining show, so L

Kris Zellner is joined yet again by Jeff G Bailey (@JeffGBailey1) & Dan "The Dragon" Wilson (@revdanwilson) as we take yet another Walk on the Wildside, discussing the last three months (October-December) of 2001. We talk about the genesis of the Jeff G. Bailey as Wildside CEO angle and how it was taken from the John Collins/Main Event Championship Wrestling fiasco. We also talk about the rise of Iceberg in Wildside, plus all the young players like A.J. Styles, Jason Cross, J.C. Dazz, Jimmy Rave, Adam Jacobs, Onyx, Lazz, Blackout, the Lost Boyz, and so many more who stepped it up, turning Wildside into one of the premier wrestling promotions in the world. We also talk about Fright Night 2001 & Christmas Chaos 2001. so we have TWO major shows to discuss, as well as all of the big angles that built up to those shows.This show also serves as a tribute to James Michael Guffey, better known as Jimmy Rave. who left this world way too early on December 12th, 2021. This point in time was when Jimmy wa

Kris & David are guestless this week as we discuss the week that was December 22-28 1986. We talk about Jim Crockett Promotions and their early plans for running in Florida, Ole Anderson's future as a Horseman, plus all the news from JCP’s Christmas week shows. We also have an update on New Japan's TV situation, Weekly Gong’s year-end awards, the Savoldis’ ICW running Florida, Championship Wrestling from Florida being in a state of flux, Continental focusing on the Northern part of their territory, Soul Train Jones debuting in Memphis, Bill Watts cutting classic Bill Watts promos in UWF…even if they were aired out of order, the dire state of World Class, the WWF advertising Dynamite Kid for house shows while he is in the hospital, and so much more. Yet another extremely fun 80's show, so LISTEN NOW!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Jim Crockett Promotions0:59:53 Int’l: NJPW, Gong Awards, AJW, Joint Promotions, Montreal, Stampede, Vancouver/Tomko, EMLL, & UWA1:19:39 USA East: ICW, CWF, Continental, Gula

It’s the overstuffed holiday season, and you know what that means: We’re releasing a past deep dive Patreon special episode of Between the Sheets for free! This is a great show that looks at all of the drama as ECW tried to launch its own pay-per-view events, including all of the immediate fallout from New Jack slicing open the forehead of last-minute substitute Mass Transit at the Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Massachusetts. For dozens more deep dives like this, including our six part ECW on TNN series, our two-part Death of ECW series, other entries in the Paul Heyman Expanded Universe, our two part Sale of WCW series, and MUCH more, all you need to do is sign up for our Patreon at just the $5/month level ($50.40/year if you pay for a year up front) or higher by going to Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets.----------Our friend and “Barbed Wire City” director John Philapavage (@JohnPhilapavage) joins us for an all-inclusive look at ECW’s issues securing a deal to get on pay-per-view. Everything is looking go

Kris & David are joined by Joe Blair as we discuss the week that was December 15-21, 1990, which he grabbed as a $100 Patreon pick to sit in for the whole show. We discuss Andre the Giant's days being numbered in the WWF due to injuries and other assorted health issues, Vince McMahon letting Dusty Rhodes leave with his "dignity" (in theory), Tokyo Sports Awards political nonsense, Akira Maeda promising a new UWF, Silo Sam of all people opening up a wrestling school, what's really going on in the soap opera that is Jerry Jarrett “selling the USWA” to Joe Pedicino and Kongi Sports’ GWF, Jesse Ventura's GRUDGE MATCH TV show, and in a giant WCW section, we discuss Starrcade ’90 featuring Ric Flair being revealed as The Black Scorpion, the Pat O’Connor Memorial Tag Team Tournament, and so much more. This was great fun, so enjoy it with us!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWF (featuring a Jimmy Rave tribute at the beginning)1:06:01 Int’l: Tokyo Sports Awards, AJPW, NJPW, UWF, CMLL, Juarez, UWA, & W

Kris & David are joined by TARO (@loknloll) to discuss the week that was December 8-14, 1995. We recap a wild Monday Nitro in Charlotte where Hulk Hogan got crucified by the pro-Horsemen fans en route to a Nitro overrun where everyone forgets what they just did, which is the epitome of WCW EVERYBODY. We also talk about the awesome of AJPW Real World Tag League finals, WAR hosting Super J-Cup 2nd Stage, a more standardized WAR show featuring El Gigante, ECW bracing for the loss of Public Enemy, the SMW vs. USWA feud being red hot in Memphis after SMW folded, the saga of the WWF women's division as Alundra Blayze/Madusa Miceli leaves and while Aja Kong stiffs Chaparita ASARI on Raw, Diesel's new attitude, and much more. But most important of all? TARO gives us a live rundown of one of the holy grails of the last 30 years....the STAR OF DEATH CAGE MATCH on a AAA show at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Fantabulous show, folks, so LISTEN NOW!!!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WCW1:12:42 Eurasia: AJPW, NJPW, MUGA, S

Kris & David are joined by "The Bone Collector" Dominic Garrini (@dgarrinibc) to discuss the week that was December 1-7, 1996, a show requested by Jared Hunt after dropping $25 on our Patreon. We start with the UFC and their big Ultimate Ultimate 2 PPV show, which Dave Meltzer was in attendance for. Dave gives a full rundown of the fight week wackiness along with all of the happenings during the card…and there were a lot of them. We then go to the WWF, talking about WWF & AAA hooking up to try and sell out the Alamo Dome in San Antonio for the Royal Rumble, babyfaces and heels blurring the lines more than ever before, as well as Shawn Michaels having a bad night in Poughkeepsie, New York when the fans were getting to him. (His first WWF trip to upstate NY since being assaulted in Syracuse over a year earlier, to boot.) We also talk about the birth of Samurai TV! in Japan and the impact that would have on the business there and tape collectors abroad, as well as all of the other major news ther