Between The Sheets

Kris Zellner is joined by Rob Naylor (@NINaylor) as we do a different kind of show than we've ever done before: Thanks to an idea from one of our listeners, we went through a list of wrestlers that were active in August 1986 to create our own SUPERCARDS. We each went through 11 sections and built a roster of 18 singles wrestlers and 4 tag teams to create our mega shows. We then go over our Supercards match by match, talking about the matches and the finishes, and both of us had an awesome time doing this type of show. This was a wrestling nerdy show if there ever was one, so if you’re into that type of stuff, then you can't miss this!!!!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 segment, a Pa

Kris & David are joined by Beau James (@kingofkingsport) to discuss the week-plus that was July 27-August 3, 1987. We lead off with Vladimir Petrov being convicted on various drug-related charges from his pre-wrestling life and how he tried to avoid the situation. We also have Dusty Rhodes going off on the Horsemen fans at Techwood, Terry Funk returning to Florida, Kevin Sullivan being wacky, the dying days of the UWF, and much more from the JCP conglomerate. We also talk about Bam Bam Bigelow's last match of his initial New Japan run, George Barnes and other awesomeness in Memphis, including WRESTLING’S PRICE IS RIGHT(!), Joel Goodhart's Squared Circle Fan Club going to Memphis, Bruiser Brody doing the unthinkable in World Class, the early days of Wild West Wrestling, Rick Rude making his WWF TV debut, and so much more on an extremely fun episode of BTS!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 Jim Crockett Promotions: Traditional JCP, CWF, & UWF1:47:31 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, Grand Prix, Stampede, Al Tomko’s All-Sta

Kris & David are back with our 6th Anniversary episode of Between the Sheets....that's right: SIX FULL YEARS! Hard to believe, isn't it? This show was also a Patron-requested show by Jayce Naccarato, as we discuss the week-plus that was July 18-27, 1992. We open with the coverage of the explosive Penthouse Magazine article on Vince McMahon and the WWF, which touched on all the major scandals that Titan Sports had on their name at the time. We also talk about the Natural Disasters winning the WWF Tag Titles, new and old faces coming into the WWF, ticket sales for SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium, and steroid use in wrestling. We then go to around the world for all the news and results from our week before coming back to the United States to talk about the end of Joe Pedicino’s Superstars of Wrestling block in Atlanta, Rock ’n’ Roll Express reuniting in both SMW & the USWA, Robert Fuller making his SMW debut, confusion over the identity of the original Gorgeous George after the death of George Aren

Kris & David are joined by Ed Kody (@PodVanEd) to discuss the week plus that was July 14-23, 1997. We start with the WWF, where we get the debut of DUDE LOVE—which is why Ed is on this week in the first place—and how that debut affected a 10 year old Ed back then. We also talk about both the July 14 and July 21 episodes of Raw, featuring the debut of The Patriot, Shawn Michaels cutting quite the promo in Nova Scotia, Bret Hart attacking Vince McMahon, the impending arrival of Kane, and much more. We discuss the Raw abandoning airing live every week as a cost-cutting measure, as well as the changing TV structure in wrestling in general, plus we also talk about Masahiro Chono breaking his ankle at an Orlando WCW taping, Great Sasuke being unhappy with the WWF as Michinoku Pro was in flux, Rickson Gracie & Nobuhiko Takada getting much closer to actually happening, ECW wanting to sue WCW over Raven & Stevie Richards appearing at Bash at the Beach, Rick Rude turning heel in ECW, changes coming to WCW i

Kris Zellner is joined yet again by Jeff G. Bailey (@JeffGBailey1) & Rev. Dan "The Dragon" Wilson (@revdanwilson) as we Walk on the Wildside, discussing the amazing months of June & July 2001 in NWA Wildside. We talk about the fantastic buildup to Freedom Fight 2001 featuring Adam Jacobs's trek in the Wildside TV Title tournament, Jason Cross making a big career decision, the Kohl Twins dumping Jeff for Steve Martin, Caprice Coleman & Jimmy Rave's war for the Wildside Jr. Title, and so much more. We then talk about Freedom Fight 2001 and WAR GAMES!!!!!!!! featuring a major surprise, including why it happened, plus all the major happenings from that show. We also talk about the rise of "Mr. Delicious" Jacey North, the debut of TANK, the Wildside Tag Division becoming elite, Rick Michaels & The Lost Boyz joining the Sinister Minister, and so much damn more. A fantastic show about a fantastic era of NWA Wildside!!!!To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards li

Kris & David are back for the second (and final) part of this week's BTS, which was requested by CasualWayne via our Patreon. Here, we start with TNA, where we recap both the weekly PPV and Impact episode on Fox Sports Net, as well as running down all kinds of other TNA drama as usual. We also talk about Pierre Carl Ouelett making waves in Montreal for IWS, El Hijo del Santo getting pranked the Mexican equivalent of Punk'd, CZW running Best of the Best 4 and Chikara having Young Lions Cup the same weekend, PWG The Reason for the Season in Los Feliz with CM Punk vs. Super Dragon, nostalgia shows in Tennessee, Hulk Hogan on Best Damn Sports Show Period, and so much more. Don't forget this one as we got some really great audio here!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 TNA0:46:48 Other North America: IWS, CMLL, ENESMA, Monterrey, El Hijo del Santo, IWAPR, & WWC1:05:02 Other USA: Bam Bam Bigelow, CZW, Chikara Pro, WXW, Knoxville, Memphis, PWG, Inoki Dojo, Real Pro Wrestling, Hulk Hogan, & OVWTo support the

Kris & David are joined by Alan Counihan (@Alan4L) for the first part (of two) of this week's BTS, as we discuss the week that was July 7-13, 2004. This was a Patron-requested show, selected by CasualWayne, who we thank for his contribution. We lead off with Pro Wrestling NOAH running their first Tokyo Dome show, headlined by Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama in one of the best matches of the era, and also featuring the first ever meeting between Keiji Mutoh & Mitsuharu Misawa, as they faced off in a tag team match. We also talk about Rusher Kimura's retirement, plus give a detailed rundown of every match on the show. We also go in depth on everything else in Japan, including the real stories of why Hiroshi Tanahashi didn't jump to All Japan in 2002 and the genesis of Dragon Gate, with information that very few even knew. Alan also joins us for the WWE section, where we talk about the Vengeance PPV featuring the Evolution/Eugene angle, as well as Raw & SmackDown that week. Raw also include

Kris Zellner & Rob Naylor are back with another episode of Cover 2 Cover, this time discussing the December 1987 issue of The Wrestler. We talk about Ric Flair and how he "must" wrestle "Dr. Death" Steve Williams NOW!!!, as well as the whole booking of the JCP/UWF merger, going over what should've been done. We also talk about the turnover at the top of the card in the WWF, as Hulk Hogan had a new wave of heels coming in to challenge him, as well as Curt Hennig & Jerry Lawler feuding over the AWA Title, plus all of the columns, news, and more on this extremely fun episode of Cover 2 Cover!!!!!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 segment, a Patron-only chat room on Sl

Kris & David are, once again, joined by Robert O'Connor (@ghostofquinones), he whose views may not reflect those of Between The Sheets, to discuss the week plus that was June 26-July 4th, 1994. We talk about the buildup to WCW’s first Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair match at Bash at the Beach 1994, with Hogan “training” with George Foreman and advising Jimmy Hart to punch out Sherri Martel, plus all kinds of other WCW goodies. We then go to Japan where we talk about Tom Zenk in AJPW, Art Barr and MAX MOON in NJPW, a major WAR show, and all kinds of other Japan goodness. We also talk about Mexico’s Double Power shows ending via a major falling out between AAA and the UWA, before going back to the United States to talk about Cactus Jack throwing down his WCW Tag Team Championship belt on ECW in ECW, SMW airing a “training video” featuring Jim Cornette’s F.I.T.E. “union,” Nobutaka Araya and Takashi Okano as the Masters of the Orient in Memphis, Chris Adams winning the GWF Championship in Dallas, and so much mor

Kris & David continue with the week-plus that was June 21-29, 2001; this is the 2nd show which features everything except the WWF. We lead off with a very newsworthy and loaded UFC card at the Meadowlands, featuring Tito Ortiz vs. the unlikely challenger that was Elvis Sinosic, as well as the emergence of B.J. Penn and much more. Then we go to Japan and talk about the major happenings there, including Shinya Hashimoto’s falling out with New Japan, as well as Mexico & Puerto Rico. We then go back to the United States for the indie scene, talking about the Jersey J-Cup, Chris Adams being indicted in Texas, and much more. Don't miss this one as this is a fun show…and there’s a very special announcement up top!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 UFC0:32:00 Eastern Hemisphere: AJPW, NJPW, NOAH, BattlARTS, BJPW, DDT, FMW, Michinoku Pro, Osaka Pro, Toryumon, AJW, ARSION, JWP, LLPW, NEO Ladies, Chyna, & Vince Russo1:25:30 Classic Commercial Break1:28:44 Halftime1:49:53 Other North America: BCW, Stampede, ECCW, AAA,

ris & David are joined by Tyler Gignac, our Patron who requested this week's show, and little did he know it would end up needing two files to be safe, as we discuss the week-plus that was June 21-29, 2001. Tyler joins us for the first half, where discusses all the happenings in the World Wrestling Federation, their planned version of World Championship Wrestling, and their developmental program, which is in upheaval. We talk about a very newsworthy King of the Ring PPV featuring Kurt Angle going to war with Shane McMahon and Booker T making quite the first impression on Steve Austin, Raw & Smackdown featuring more buildup for the WCW invasion, the insanity of the DDP-Undertaker feud, the debut of Tough Enough, Chyna’s excommunication from the company, the quarterly report, and so much more. Then we move on to the WWF's version of WCW and the planning that was going into making that a reality, with the former Turner property getting Raw on TNN, plus lots more talent news. Then we talk about th

In this free preview clip of the second episode (of two) in our deep dive Patreon series on the post-TNN death spiral of ECW, Kris and David look at an unsigned letter that Wade Keller ran in the Pro Wrestling Torch in May 2001. A couple months before Wade would accuse Paul Heyman of sending numerous burner email accounts to fabricate demand for ECW joining the WWF’s WCW invasion angle, he get what reads like…well…a letter from a Paul Heyman burner account. And it’s very, very obvious. If you like this level of peak Paul Heyman shenanigans, then you’ll love how this story develops in the full version of the episode for Between The Sheets Patreon members.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:2021 is *still* the 20th anniversary of American professional wrestling changing forever, and you know what that means: The second and final part of our deep dive into the death of ECW! With

Kris & David are joined by ACTION Wrestling promoter Matt Griffin (@MattTheMouth) to discuss the week that was June 16-22, 2003. We talk about NWA TNA's 1st anniversary show—not yet called Slammiversary—which was quite the event, with Vince Russo killing the timing of the show with a long promo, Sting making his in-ring debut, Sean Waltman making his return, and much more, plus the well-received after-show party with the Nashville fans. We also have other assorted TNA news, and then we go international, where we have all kinds of results from many promotions, plus Shocker turning back technico in CMLL, before returning to all of the news in the U.S. On the indie scene, Buff Bagwell & A.J. Styles beef in a Georgia locker room, Matt works a Florida indie tournament under his alter ego of "Mr. Delicious" Jacey North, and much more before closing out with an epic WWE section. Not only does Randy Orton start his feud with Mick Foley on Raw, but Stephanie McMahon also bares her soul on Smackdown

Kris & David are joined by Roy Lucier (@RoyLucier) to discuss the week-plus that was June 7th-June 15th, 1992. We talk about Lex Luger’s serious motorcycle accident that changed his career as well as the fortunes of the World Bodybuilding Federation. Speaking of which, we talk about the 2nd WBF PPV with lots of clips of the show, which very few people were able to watch. We also have a extremely interesting Randy Savage promo, plus the debut of Razor Ramon’s vignettes to finish off the WWF section. We then go to the international section, where we talk about the official birth of Heisei Ishingun in New Japan & promotional wars in Mexico, as AAA is just a month into its existence while CMLL has some of the Japanese female talent headlining Arena Mexico. We go back to the U.S. and talk about John McAdam's promotion, Jerry Lawler creating The Hornet in the USWA, big time uncertainty in the GWF, and the Los Angeles lucha scene. We then finish with WCW, where “Cowboy” Bill Watts has fully taken over an

Kris & David are guestless this week as we discuss the week that was June 2-8, 1991. We talk about booker/talent coordinator/color commentator Dusty Rhodes being removed from WCW television by Jim Herd and how that will affect his spot as a booker two big shows coming in the next several weeks. Also in WCW, we talk about the birth of Jim Ross' radio show on WSB in Atlanta, which was a big deal to Georgia’s wrestling fans. We also go over all the things going on in Japan, Mexico, & Puerto Rico before talking about the farce that was Derrick Dukes vs. Mark Gastineau in an alleged pro boxing match in Virginia, which was a pretty big deal at the time. We also have various updates on wrestling on ESPN and Herb Abrams' UWF, plus Eddie Gilbert being awesome in USWA, Demolition Crush showing up in Portland, and a major controversy erupting when the WWF kicked some newsletter readers out of a house show in Omaha, Nebraska and banned them from every returning. We’ve got an awesome show this week, so don

Kris Zellner & Rob Naylor are back with our latest episode of Cover 2 Cover, where we go way back in time to discuss the May 1980 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. We talk about Harley Race & Dusty Rhodes battling it out for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, simmering issues between Bruno Sammartino & Larry Zbyszko, Antonio Inoki as an American hero, the origin of the Super Destroyer "Marks," the crazy roster of Jim Crockett Promotions at that time, PWI asking if Hulk Hogan will dominate the 1980’s, and much more. This is an extremely fun show, so don't miss it!!!!!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 segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do ou

Kris & David are guestless this time as we discuss the week that was May 26th-June 1st, 2002. We talk about changes coming to the newly-renamed WWE’s creative team and how that would affect the new brand split. We also talk about Chris Benoit returning from spinal fusion surgery on Raw in Edmonton despite having been drafted to SmackDown, Tommy Dreamer launching his short-lived Fear Factor gimmick, Steve Austin burying creative on Byte This in THAT interview, and tons more that fills out a long WWE section. We also opine about the greatness of 2002 Japanese wrestling, going through all of the news and results from the many promotions that we were watching heavily at that time. We also talk about a possible name change for AAA, WWC and the IWA in a TV ratings war in Puerto Rico, Jim Cornette spitting in Ed Ferrara’s face in Nashville, the MAW Hardcore Cup, and much more. To close out the show, we have NWA TNA getting their ducks in a row as they prepare for their first show, which is coming in a few weeks.

In this free preview clip of the first episode (of two) in our deep dive Patreon series on the post-TNN death spiral of ECW, Kris and David take a look at two of the many choice Paul Heyman rants to the newsletters featured in the full episode. After going off on the possibly WCW-bound Kid Kash, Paul turns his attention to Jason Powell at the Pro Wrestling Torch during one of their phone calls. If you’re a fan of Paul Heyman saying things like “since I am a member of the Hebrew tribe, I may not be as educated as the vaunted journalists at the TORCH may be on the Christmas holiday,” then this is the show for you!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:2021 is still the 20th anniversary of American professional wrestling changing forever, and you know what that means: We pivot from the sale of WCW back to ECW for the brief and depressing post-TNN era. This show, the first of two “De

Kris & David are joined by Phil Schneider (@philaschneider) to discuss the week-plus that was May 17-25, 1990. We start the show talking about ROBOCOP and the entire Capital Combat pay-per-view from WCW (featuring the stars of the National Wrestling Alliance!), with all of the highs and lows as well as Ole Anderson having just taken over as head booker. We also talk about the NWA being spotlighted on Connie Chung's show on CBS, Mr. Perfect winning the Intercontinental Title for the first time and announcing Bobby Heenan was his new manager, The Snowman showing up “unannounced” on Memphis TV in a wild angle, all of the insanity going on at The Sportatorium in Dallas on Saturday morning, and much more. This is a very fun show, and everyone should definitely go out and buy Phil's new book "Way of the Blade" on Amazon!!!!!!!!!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 NWA/WCW2:09:51 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, FMW, CNWA, & WWC2:33:41 Classic Commercial Break2:37:51 Housekeeping/In-House Notes3:07:08 Other USA: SportsCh

Kris & David are guestless this week as the discuss the (almost-)week that was May 13-18, 1995. We start with the WWF where we go IN YOUR HOUSE for their first foray into monthly PPVs, featuring Bret Hart working twice, a middle school student winning a house in Orlando, and lots of mullets on the talent. We also talk about Bob Backlund “running for President of the United States,” a big WWF talent meeting at Titan Towers featuring a big mixed bag of drug testing policy changes, Bill Alfonso making his ECW debut, Brian Christopher causing problems with the Dundees & Wolfie D, Dave Meltzer watching Paul Alperstein’s AWF for the first time on MSG Network, and Randy Savage gets some fatherly advice from Angelo Poffo before Slamboree. All that and so much more on this week's BTS!!!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWF1:54:07 Japan: NJPW, WAR, FMW, IWA Japan, IWA Kokusai, Michinoku Pro, Pancrase, UWFi, AJW, GAEA, & JWP2:21:24 Classic Commercial Break2:24:21 Housekeeping/In-House Notes2:48:57 Mexico: AAA, CMLL, &