Between The Sheets

Kris & David are guestless this week as we discuss the partial week that was November 25th - November 29th, 1994. We start off with WCW, where we talk about Eric Bischoff getting a promotion of sorts and what that meant, as well as the WCW creative structure at the time which was basically Hulk Hogan and everyone else. We also talk about Randy Savage appearing on Chet Coppock's NewSport Talk, Gene Okerlund's hotline shenanigans, and much more in an always entertaining WCW section. We also go international, talking about Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase winning the IWGP tag titles, AAA being in a state of flux thanks to issues with their U.S. expansion and the death of Art Barr, and more, before coming back to the United States. There, we talk about ECW taping TV in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Jim Cornette asking to manage The Gangstas in SMW, Paul Alperstein's AWF continuing with its first/forgotten cycle of TV, NWA Dallas drawing their alleged biggest crowd, and much more. We then close with the WWF

Kris & David are back with another episode of Between the Sheets—this time with a Patreon pick submitted by William Lanham, who dropped the $25—covering the week that was November 17-23, 2001. We talk about a monster week in the WWF featuring the returns of Ric Flair and Jerry Lawler, the exit of Mick Foley, and a Survivor Series that spelled the end of the WCW/ECW/Alliance invasion angle. We analyze everything in and out of the ring, why everything happened the way it did, and what should've been done differently. We also take a look at the WWF financials at the time plus what the future held post-Invasion. We also talk about all the happenings in Japan in all the major promotions and indies, as well as Mexico and Puerto Rico, before coming back to the United States where we talk about the indie scene. We check in on the XWF after their first TV tapings, AOL/Time Warner possibly getting back into wrestling, some wild Hart Family drama, and much more. This is an action packed show, so LISTEN NOW!!!!!!

Kris & David are joined by Devon Hales (@kingmotivatorh) to discuss the week that was November 10-16, 2003. We talk about Lex Luger making his debut in NWA-TNA and how polarizing it was in and out of the ring, plus we we look at the state of TNA's creative at the time and who wasn't happy with it, as well as all sorts of other wacky TNA notes. We then do a full sweep of Japan with lots of results before moving back to North America, with TNA talent coming to AAA in Mexico, Rey Misterio Jr. making his return to Tijuana…with his mask, Teddy Hart doing Teddy Hart things online for the first time, a nice glimpse of the U.S. indie scene at the time, the aftermath of the tragic death of Mike “Crash Holly” Lockwood, and then a gigantic WWE section. We talk about the creative changes in the company and all the tension between Raw & Smackdown's writing teams, some business notes from the quarterly report, Lance Storm’s large endowment gimmick, and Vince McMahon being insane on SmackDown before movi

Kris & David are guestless as we discuss the week that was November 3rd-November 9th, 1996. We talk about the wildly controversial Brian Pillman/Steve Austin home invasion/gun angle from Monday Night Raw, as we go in depth with clips and analysis from many different perspectives, including just how USA Network REALLY felt about the controversy. We also check in with the episode of Livewire that aired the following Saturday with a sullen and somber Vince McMahon apologizing like crazy. We also talk about Ken Shamrock battling with Pancrase behind the scenes, more guys jumping from AAA and CMLL to Promo Azteca to get jobs in WCW, Randy Hales going nuts on Bert Prentice on live USWA TV, as well as all the other big independent news before going to WCW. There, we analyze an nWo-heavy Nitro, as well as Roddy Piper signing a contract, Randy Savage being at an an impasse for a new deal of his own, and Hulk Hogan making a wild appearance on “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.” This was a tremendous show, so LISTEN

Kris & David are back and joined by Robert O'Connor (@ghostofquinones) to discuss the week that was October 27-November 2, 1989. We talk about the NWA's inaugural Halloween Havoc PPV from Philadelphia, including the live perspective from Dave Meltzer as well as thoughts from watching it on tape back in San Jose and our own musings. We also discuss the state of the NWA after Havoc and how Ric Flair was doing as head booker, Angelo Mosca campaigning to be named CFL Commissioner, the wild world of 1989 Stampede Wrestling, promotional wars in Georgia, some great clips from Continental, Jerry Lawler beginning his heel turn in Memphis, a new booker in Dallas, the second “pink room” taping of the Team Challenge Series in the AWA, and Tully Blanchard getting fired by the WWF, plus so much more. A fantastic show, as it always is when O'Connor joins us, so if you want to laugh your ass off, then LISTEN NOW!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 NWA/WCW1:50:25 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, CWA, Angelo Mosca, Stampede Wrestling, PCCW

Kris & David are joined by Black Label Pro's Mikey Blanton (@BLPMikey) to discuss the week that was October 20-26, 1993. We talk about the fallout from Randy Savage's Radio WWF interview where he buried Hulk Hogan and accused him of breaking up his marriage to Elizabeth, including the confusion about whether or not it was a shoot. We also talk about Sabu & Glen Jacobs getting tryouts with the WWF, Giant Gonzalez making his last appearance in WWF…in street clothes as a babyface, how AJPW's booking of the Triple Crown in this era constantly stuck it to Toshiaki Kawada, Vampiro making crazy money in Mexico, John Arezzi's final Weekend of Champions fan convention including a controversy involving Sabu and the cost of broken tables, the Bruise Brothers turn babyface in SMW, and the wackiness of WCW, including HALLOWEEN HAVOC, one of the worst-booked PPVs you will ever see. This was an awesome show, so listen now!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWF1:20:44 Eurasia: AJPW, NJPW, NJPW, FMW, Michinoku Pro,

Kris & David are joined by Beau James (@kingofkingsport) to discuss the week that was October 13-19, 1985. We start off by talking about the beginning of the hype for Starrcade 1985, as we have a major title change, plus Ric Flair turns up the heelishness on TV. We also talk about AJPW moving to prime time on Saturday nights on Nippon TV, Vince McMahon pulling WWF talent from NJPW tours, Satoru Sayama retiring for the second time in just over two years, the WWF going head-to-head with WWC in Puerto Rico, the Windham family reuniting in Florida, the future Lex Luger joining them in the Sunshine State as THE LUGAR, and Bill Dundee does a mega heel turn on Jerry Lawler in Memphis. All that and much, much more on a awesomely fun episode of BTS!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Jim Crockett Promotions1:23:58 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, UWF, AJW, Stampede, EMLL, UWA, & WWF vs. WWC in Puerto Rico2:01:22 Classic Commercial Break2:05:21 Halftime2:16:13 USA East: CWF, IWA (FL), Continental, & Memphis/CWA4:01:52 USA West: Mid-So

Kris & David are joined by Dave Prazak (@DavePrazak) to discuss the almost-week that was October 6-10, 1999 as we covered the 11th & 12th on a previous episode. This show starts with a fantastic discussion of the infamous Heroes of Wrestling PPV—the reason Kyle Rieger asked for this week as a $25 Patreon pick—and folks, if you haven't watched this show, you need to, as it's one for the ages. Of course, we talk about Jake Roberts, but there is so much other stuff that was crazy as well, both on camera and behind the scenes, so this is a can't miss segment. We also talk about the death of Gorilla Monsoon and the tragic career ending injury suffered by Darren Drozdov, including how the WWF really dropped the ball in many ways with how they handled the injury publicly on SmackDown two days later. Other things discussed are the pro debuts of Wataru Inoue, Katsuyori Shibata, and Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Japan, Ray Gonzalez becoming “Mr. Raytings” in WWC, Tammy Sytch's infamous sit-down inter

Kris Zellner is joined once again by Jeff G. Bailey (@JeffGBailey1) and Dan "The Dragon" Wilson (@revdanwilson) as we take yet another Walk on the Wildside, discussing the months of August and September 2001 in the history of NWA Wildside. We talk about how the promotion changed in those two months as the power structure changes and talent shifts in and out, with various guys getting pushed higher and the overall roster getting younger. We also go over the awesomeness of the extremely deep tag team division, the artistry of the A.J. Styles/Jason Cross feud, and the violence that went down at every taping at the NCW Arena in Cornelia, Georgia. All that plus talk about Jeff having incidents with fans, how the promotion handled the aftermath of September 11th, the TV show becoming more organized, and so much more. This was a fantastic show and always, a treat to be a part of, so LISTEN NOW!!!!!!To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to o

Kris & David are joined by John McAdam (@CCMilani) to discuss the week that was September 29th-October 5th, 1984. We talk about some major happenings going down in Japan, as Riki Choshu's entire Ishingundan/Restoration Army group leaves New Japan to hook up up with former NJPW local promoter Naoki Otsuka and this All Japan by proxy. We have LOTS of major details about what happened and how the landscape was shaken up by this going on. John then joins us for the television debut of Pro Wrestling USA and how that changed wrestling in many ways, the sad state of Georgia wrestling after Black Saturday, why Jim Cornette's best work was in Mid-South, Chris Adams turning heel in World Class and how that all went down, and George Scott shaking up the WWF for the right reasons as he gets more control as Vince McMahon’s official booker of record. All that and so much more on a 80’s-riffic episode of Between the Sheets!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, UWF, AJW, CWA, Joint Promotions, Montreal, EMLL,

Kris & David are back as we discuss the (almost-)week that was September 23-28, 1994. We talk about WCW making the decision to retire Ric Flair at Halloween Havoc 94, why it's taking place, and who was most likely pushing that decision. We also talk about the power that Hulk Hogan had in the company at the time and how crazy that was since he was on a 6 month contract, plus all kinds of other WCW wackiness. We also go to New Japan and talk about Jushin Thunder Liger breaking his ankle and how that would affect NJPW coming off of Masahiro Chono’s heel turn. We then talk about FMW running a death match in a swimming pool, AAA building towards the When Worlds Collide PPV and running some hot shows in general, ECW running shows in Florida for the first time, the Gangstas running wild in SMW, Scott Bowden giving the Florida State football team a pep talk, Herb Abrams running the iconic final UWF show that was the BLACKJACK BRAWL, Jerry Lawler destroying Dink’s tricycle on WWF Superstars, and so much more.

Kris & David are guestless as we discuss the week-plus that was September 14th-21st, 1990. We start with the major news out of Dallas, where Kevin Von Erich revived World Class Championship Wrestling after Jerry Jarrett packed up and left town when Kevin accused him of embezzlement. We go over how and why all of that happened, Kevin's first two shows, why Jarrett was genius in doing what he did, and how nobody ever noticed some very obvious catalysts for the split. We also talk about WWF possibly getting on Fox for a prime time special and how that allegedly affected Joe Pedicino's Kongi Sports in their own alleged negotiations, as well as Vince McMahon’s Titan Sports crashing Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia competition to announce the formation of the World Bodybuilding Federation. We then talk about Great Muta & Hiroshi Hase having a bloodbath in New Japan, Konnan & Eddie Guerrero making their Arena Mexico debuts, all sorts of U.S. indie news including some great clips from Memphis, and then we

Kris & David are back with another episode of Between the Sheets, as we discuss the week that was September 8-14, 1995. We talk about the inaugural battle of the "Monday Night War,” as Nitro went head-to-head with Raw for the very first time and it was quite the pair of shows. We talk about the first ever Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger singles match, Sabu going wild on Alex Wright, Scott Norton being made to look like a goof in his first match back, and much more in a very fun WCW section. We also talk about New Japan being on a collision course with the UWFi en route to their Tokyo Dome show on October 9th, Tarzan Goto wanting a piece of Rickson Gracie, AAA trying to make new stars to replace departing headliners like Mascara Año Dos Mil & Universo Dos Mil, Marco Ruas: King of the Streets being the baddest motherfucker on the planet for at least one night in the UFC as he runs the table at UFC 7 in Buffalo, Cactus Jack & Buddy Landel cutting amazing promos in ECW & SMW respectively, MR. COREY g

Kris Zellner & Rob Naylor return after a long absence with a new episode of Cover 2 Cover, in which we discuss the May 1989 issue of Inside Wrestling. We talk about Hulk Hogan's love for Elizabeth.....like a sister…….as well as Rick Steiner possibly becoming the new Dusty Rhodes. And speaking of Dusty, we have quite the letter written about him, as well. We also talk about Terry Taylor dumping Bobby Heenan, Ricky Morton telling the fans to screw off in Memphis, and just who should've replaced Arn & Tully in the Horsemen, plus all the news, results, and everything else you love from these magazines. Another great show, so listen now!!!!!!To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segme

Kris & David are joined by Al Getz (@AlGetzWrestling) to discuss the week in wrestling that was September 2-8, 1998. We talk about the WWF post-SummerSlam and what was going on there, as they were making some big money both on PPV and in merchandise sales. We also talk about Kurt Angle signing with the WWF, Tiger Ali Singh having a wild segment on a Saturday Night Raw special that also featured Jim Ross grilling Al Snow in an interesting interview. We then talk about The Great Kabuki “retiring” in IWA Japan, a CMLL referee assaulting a Box y Lucha reporter, Al's run in the office with Music City Wrestling and his thoughts on the late Bert Prentice, and Dave Brown getting disturbed by the shenanigans in Memphis Power Pro Wrestling, plus a wild WCW Monday Nitro featuring THE WARRIOR hanging The Disciple upside down in the locker room and lots more. This is a great show, so listen now!!!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWF1:19:54 Japan: AJPW, BattlARTS, BJPW, FMW, IWA Japan, WAR, Wrestle Yume Factory, Akira Maeda,

Kris & David are joined by Vera Thoris (@StillYourGhost) to discuss the week-plus that was August 25th-September 3rd, 1997, which was Vera's pick using the $50 tier on our Patreon (linked below the description). Vera was able to sit in on the WCW section, where we talked about the Arn Anderson retirement saga, as we covered both relevant episodes of Nitro, which featured Arn's retirement speech and the nWo parody of it a week later. This was definitely an explosive time for WCW, both on TV and behind the scenes, so you definitely don't want to miss that. We also talk about Akira Maeda making a shocking appearance in New Japan to congratulate Riki Choshu on his "retirement,” plus Kensuke Sasaki winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title for the first time on the same show. We also talk about a wild meeting between Eric Bischoff, Konnan, & Paco Alonso that caused all kinds of hell in Mexico thanks to Victor Quinones, the final live USWA TV show on WMC, and, of course, the WWF, featuring a rare F

Kris & David are joined by Mike Sempervive (@Sempervive) to discuss the almost-week that was August 17-21, 1989. We start with WWF business discussion via Jim Troy talking to Multichannel News, then delve into the legal issues that Andre the Giant & Jake Roberts were facing, which were extremely interesting. That’s followed up by quite the episode of Prime Time Wrestling, featuring Roddy Piper bantering with Rick Rude & Bobby Heenan throughout the whole show, which sounded like it turned into a quasi-shoot on Roddy's end. We also go over Big Van Vader beating Otto Wanz for the CWA Title in Austria and kick off his legendary triple champion run, Stampede Wrestling trying to get on ESPN, Ronnie P. Gossett winning the rights to be the promoter for the week in Memphis, the first ever USWA-branded TV show as World Class goes bye-bye, Sgt. Slaughter being robbed of the AWA Title via a horrific Dusty Finish, and then there’s World Championship Wrestling, Featuring The Stars Of The National Wrestling

In this free preview clip of our new deep dive Patreon special on Superstar Billy Graham’s early 1990s legal and media battles with the WWF, Kris and David look at the fallout from Hulk Hogan singling out Graham for a shot on The Arsenio Hall Show. We play clips from Arsenio as well as Graham and Shults reacting to the interview on Inside Edition, as well as looking at just how much of the WWF scandals from that era can be traced to Hogan’s aforementioned disastrous Arsenio appearance.To hear the whole show, you need to become a Between The Sheets patron at the $5/month level or higher by going to Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets.-----Full show description:We’re back to take a deep dive into Superstar Billy Graham’s battles with the WWF in the early ‘90s, complete with a lawsuit and all sorts of media coverage. Topics include Graham’s initial media onslaught in 1990 and how it was noticeably less hostile than his later interviews, how his various health problems relate to his steroid abuse, the trial of Dr. Georg

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Jahmale Hepburn (1989-2021). We love you and we miss you, brother. Rest in peace.Kris & David are joined by Mark Coale (@black_bile) to discuss the week that was August 11-17, 1985, which Mark requested as part of his $100 pledge to our Patreon, which is linked at the bottom of these show notes. We start off talking about Jim Crockett Promotions and everything going on there post-Great American Bash, featuring some great promos from Dusty Rhodes & Ric Flair, which is an interesting overall look at them as they prepare to expand nationwide while trying to manipulate the territories at the same time. We also talk about New Japan negotiating talent-sharing deals with various promotions, Pro Wrestling USA being on the ropes in the Northeast, Robert Fuller turning on Bob Armstrong in Continental, Dave Meltzer in Memphis for the Wrestling Fans International convention and a wild Badstreet match with the Freebirds against Austin Idol & Jerry Lawler, World Class

Kris & David are guestless this week, as we discuss the week-plus that was August 3-10, 1991. We talk about Ric Flair and his pending arrival in the WWF, including how the big gold NWA World Heavyweight Title belt itself made its debut on TV in our week, long before Ric himself did. We also talk about Sid Justice allegedly overshadowing Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior, as well asJake Roberts teaching the Ultimate Warrior about “the dark side,” plus Lou Ferrigno signing with the WBF and various notes on the steroid scandal as it stood at the time. We also talk about the birth of the G1 Climax including the legendary Big Van Vader vs. Keiji Mutoh match, a major SWS show featuring WWF talent, the birth of W*ING, Atlantis vs. Blue Panther drawing big at Arena Mexico, Cactus Jack & Eddie Gilbert changing the independent wrestling world forever, Leatherface in Memphis, and Joe Pedicino having quite a week, plus in WCW, we talk about all the major issues with Jim Herd at the time, running off what was