How Wrestling Explains the World

Phil Schneider is a widely respected wrestling historian. Nick Bond is a useful idiot. And at least once (sometimes as many as twice!) a month, they get together to talk about professional wrestling the way it was meant to be discussed: each picking a match from wrestling history, presumably as a way to work out feelings about their childhood and the never-ending creep of time. Or, like, talk abou...

Phil Schneider is a widely respected wrestling historian. Nick Bond is a useful idiot. And at least once (sometimes as many as twice!) a month, they get together to talk about professional wrestling the way it was meant to be discussed: each picking a match from wrestling history, presumably as a way to work out feelings about their childhood and the never-ending creep of time. Or, like, talk abou...

Phil Schneider is a widely respected wrestling historian. Nick Bond is a useful idiot. And at least once (sometimes as many as twice!) a month, they get together to talk about professional wrestling the way it was meant to be discussed: each picking a match from wrestling history, presumably as a way to work out feelings about their childhood and the neverending creep of time. Or, like, talk about...

Phil Schneider is a widely respected wrestling historian. Nick Bond is a useful idiot. And at least once (sometimes as many as twice!) a month, they get together to talk about professional wrestling the way it was meant to be discussed: each picking a match from wrestling history, presumably as a way to work out feelings about their childhood and the neverending creep of time. Or, like, talk about...

Nick Bond and Andy Miller kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of How Bret Hart in Canada Explains Wrestling. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - How did the New Hart Foundation and Bret Hard in Canada "soft launch" the Attitude Era? - What made the Canadian Stampede match so effective? - Was Bret Hart the last WWE performer to become as big as...

Nick and Mark Macyk kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of Infinite Jest & David Foster Wallace. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - What kind of universe(s) do the Teleputer and WWE Network create? - The self-torture of Bret Hart and David Foster Wallace  - The weight of influence on future generations - How does palpable greatness works to wa...

Nick and Andy kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of the WWE Network. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - What it was like in a land before time/the WWE Network - How did the WWE Network change the very foundation of the WWE? - Why Vince McMahon was so ahead of his time - Does the Network make the WWE worse? - Which lesson learned from the WWE...

Nick is joined by a very special guest this week: Dylan Roth, member of The Hell Yeah Babies and writer of the Gotham City Book Club series of critical essays on the Caped Crusader's catalog.  Dylan and Nick dissect the connections between Batman and Shane McMahon, discuss the intersection of art and commerce and try to decide how much Batcontent is too much Batcontent. (Spoiler Alert: this podcas...

Nick and Andy kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of the Shane McMahon. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - What made Shane one of the boys? - Why do promoters trust their family more than their performers? - How could Andy bring himself to wear a Shane O Mac jersey? - Did Shane change the industry for the best or the worst? - Would Shane have...

Nick is joined by a very special guest this week: Mark Macyk, author of Kaboom and K2B22M from Mouse House Books. Mark and Nick dissect the connections between Kaboom -- the harrowing tale of Stan "Thunder Man" Parker, a weatherman who winds up in a web of conspiracy, racing against the clock to the save the world (or at least Western PA) from catastrophe, all while maintaining the rugged handsome...

Nick and Andy kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of the Money in the Bank ladder match. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - What made Edge the ultimate opportunist? - Why don't you want to be Shelton Benjamin in a Money in the Bank ladder match? - How did they botch Damien Sandow so bad? - Has the Money in the Bank replaced the Royal Rumble? -...

Nick is joined by two special guests this week: NYWC's Rich Kasin and WWE Studios' Daron Jackson to attack the Hobbs and Shaw trailer from every angle.    Rich and Nick breakdown the connections between last week's topic, Cesaro, and Deckard Shaw himself, Jason Statham. Then Nick spend some time with Daron to dissect the trajectories of WWE's Hollywood hopefuls and the future of the studio after t...

Nick and Andy kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of The Swiss Cyborg, Cesaro. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - When does Andy first meet Cesaro? - Why did it take so long for Cesaro to get signed? - How is he not more successful as a single competitor despite his matches with Sami and Cena? - What makes The Bar work? - Who would have made t...

Nick Bond of Juice Make Sugar and Andy Miller of NYWC hit for the cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of Baseball. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - What made Booker T a five-tool player? - How much do Mike Trout and Booker T have in common? - Is AEW AAA or the mid-00s NL West? - When should WWE use more numbers in the presentation of their show? - Which baseb...

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE -- AND A WAY TO MARKET OUR NEW PATREON-ONLY PODCAST -- THE GOOD FOLKS AT JUICE MAKE SUGAR PRODUCTIONS PRESENT: THE POD BEYOND. The Pod Beyond is a journey through the wonderful world of World Championship Wrestling during the Jim Crockett Era. We're starting with the very first episode of the JCP-produced version of NWA's flagship show from April 6, 1985, as Dave and Ni...

Nick and Dave jump back into our survey of the legendary career of soon-to-be two-time (two time!) WWE Hall of Famer, Booker T., with a focus on his post-WCW run in WWE, as King Booker and in the Main Event Mafia during his time in TNA. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - Where does his SummerSlam match with the Rock rank on the list of best bouts in both their careers? - Wha...

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE -- AND A WAY TO MARKET OUR NEW PATREON-ONLY PODCAST -- THE GOOD FOLKS AT JUICE MAKE SUGAR PRODUCTIONS PRESENT: THE POD BEYOND. The Pod Beyond is a journey through the wonderful world of World Championship Wrestling during the Jim Crockett Era. Although the show proper will start with the very first episode of the JCP-produced version of NWA's flagship show from April 6,...

Nick and Dave kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of WCW's most accomplished performer and a soon-to-be two-time (two time!) WWE Hall of Famer, Booker T.. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - Which two performers were the most influential in his storied career? - When should WCW have realized that he was the future? - Why did it still take them...

Nick and Dave finish out this infinitely diverse cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of Star Trek featuring (Deadshirt.net founder) Dylan Roth of The Hell Yeah Babies . WE ALSO HAVE  A MAJOR, EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! This week’s edutaining banter breaks down ... - Why was the Ruthless Aggression era so bad for both WWE and Star Trek? - How does the act of fans making the product change...

The Wrestling Estate 's  David Gibb  and  Juice Make Sugar's  Nick Bond are here with their off-cycle supplement to the pleasantly in-depth discussion on what makes professional wrestling, well, professional wrestling (and, at least every other week) what that means for the world. For today's essential viewing of the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, Nick and Dave break down the ever-evol...

Nick and Dave kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of one WWE's most prestigious championships, the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - The brazenness of pre-internet/pre-Meltzer professional wrestling's promotional tactics - Why Savage is the definitive Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (OHHHH YEAA...

Nick and Dave finish out this sensational cycle of How Wrestling Explains with a discussion of A Fish Called Wanda. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - The parallels between Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Sherri Martel, as femme fatales and physical performers - How does Otto (Kevin Kline) relentless shit-heelishness helps to define the central themes and values of the movie? -...

The Wrestling Estate 's  David Gibb  and  Juice Make Sugar's  Nick are here with their off-cycle supplement to the pleasantly in-depth discussion on what makes professional wrestling, well, professional wrestling (and, at least every other week) what that means for the world. For today's essential viewing of the "Sensational" Queen Sister Sherri Martel, Nick and Dave break down her transcendent wo...

Nick and Dave kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains  with a discussion of one of the greatest workers of her era, "Sensational" (Queen/Sister) Sherri Martel. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - The reverberating damage of Fabulous Moolah's reign over Ladies' Wrestling in the mid-century - Why Sensational Sherri walked so Becky Lynch could run - What place in the p...

Nick and Dave kick off the next cycle of How Wrestling Explains (sponsored by One of the Greatest Heroes in the History of Our Pod, Michael Montalbo) with a discussion of the seminal animated film The Beatles: Yellow Submarine. This week’s edutaining banter features discussion of... - The importance of knowing your audience - Liverpudlian accents - The oddness of voice actors playing "The Beatles"...