The Retro Wrestling Archive

Help us settle a debate we're having at the Retro Wrestling Archive. Is Jimmy Garvin a "Real Freebird"?

1 week ago | [YT] | 21

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Before the Retro Wrestling Re-View ECW Podcast officially begins its watch-along journey through 1993 ECW television and beyond, Gene Jackson and Brandon Wheeler kick things off with Episode 0: Setting the Table, a primer on how Eastern Championship Wrestling came to exist before it became the ECW fans remember.






This episode is not about tables on fire, balcony dives, New Jack, Raven, Dreamer, Sandman’s Metallica entrance, or Joey Styles yelling “Oh my God!” Not yet. This is the story before all of that when ECW was still a small Philadelphia wrestling promotion trying to survive after the collapse of Joel Goodhart’s Tri-State Wrestling Alliance.




Gene and Brandon walk through the roots of ECW, starting with Tri-State’s influence on the Philadelphia wrestling scene and how Joel Goodhart helped create the blueprint for the “super indie” style of promotion: local talent mixed with national names, hardcore fans, wild dream matches, and a rabid audience that wanted something different from the mainstream.






From there, the episode follows Todd Gordon as he moves from wrestling fan, advertiser, investor, and ring announcer into the man trying to keep wrestling alive in Philadelphia. After Tri-State shuts down, Gordon joins with names like Larry Winters, Bob Artese, and Stevie Wonderful to create Eastern Championship Wrestling, hoping to build something more financially stable while still serving the fanbase Tri-State left behind.






This is the ground floor. It’s ECW before it found its identity. Before Paul Heyman, before the cult following, before “extreme” became the brand, this was a small promotion full of local guys, aging names, too many managers, strange booking choices, and a promoter learning on the fly.




If you’re joining Gene and Brandon for the full Retro Wrestling Re-View ECW Podcast ride from 1993 through 2000, Episode 0 is essential listening. This is where the road begins, not with a bang, not with a flaming table, but with a bar in Philadelphia, a jewelry story/pawn shop owner, and a group of people trying to figure out what comes next.


***watch the video version here***
rumble.com/v7av924-retro-wrestling-re-view-ecw-pod…

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

The Retro Wrestling Archive

The Retro Wrestling Re-View WCCW Podcast officially begins as Robb Helt and Scottie Wince head back to Dallas, Texas for the May 8, 1982 episode of World Class Championship Wrestling from the legendary Sportatorium.




For the premiere episode, Robb and Scottie start right in the middle of one of the most important early periods in World Class history with Fritz Von Erich’s promotion beginning to find its television identity, the Sportatorium in Dallas packed, and the foundation being laid for the boom that would soon make WCCW one of the hottest wrestling territories in the country.



***WATCH ALONG WITH THE GUYS ON RUMBLE***
rumble.com/v7ahhr2-retro-wrestling-re-view-wccw-po…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Check out the BRAND NEW episode of the Retro Wrestling Re-View USWA Podcast!

1 month ago | [YT] | 5

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Join LIVE right now for our Power Pro Wrestling Review show!

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Check out Episode #5 of the Retro Wrestling Re-View Power Pro Wrestling Podcast!

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Episode #4 of our Power Pro Wrestling Review podcast is available now!

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Have you watched the Retro Wrestling Re-View USWA Podcast Episode #102 yet?

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

The Retro Wrestling Archive

On Episode #4 of Beyond Wrestling w/Robb, Robb Helt sits down with Conrad Thompson with one of the most recognizable voices in the wrestling podcast space, but this isn’t about wrestling or fandom, it’s about the man behind the success.



Growing up in small-town Alabama and overcoming financial struggles



Building First Family Mortgage and taking big risks to grow



How he cracked the code on advertising and marketing



The accidental start of his podcast career with Ric Flair



Turning podcasts into a business to promote his business and building a media empire in the process



Real stories, real hustle, and the mindset behind one of wrestling’s most successful voices. You may think you know the "Podfather", but this interview goes to places we guarantee you haven't heard before.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

The Retro Wrestling Archive

Episode #3 takes us deeper into 1998 Power Pro Wrestling and things are already getting wild.

Brian Christopher vs. Billy Joe Travis in a bizarre stretcher match



Jimmy Valiant with an all time ridiculous promo about kissing Corey Maclin ("Re-dick-uh-luss")

The Young Guns division keeps delivering (albeit with a confusing finish)

Derrick King steals the show both in the ring and in his promo!



"Stone Cold" Samantha hits a stunner on Bruno while trying to get hired by "Randy Hale"



Plus behind-the-scenes insight into Austin Idol’s no-show and major creative changes, from people who were there, plus Miss Jackie is on her way!


Memphis chaos, real stories, and a show trying to find itself in real time.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1