Going Ringside With The Local Station

Seldom does one person affect an entire industry the way Eric Bischoff has. When Ted Turner owned World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the early ‘90s he had a few different old-school bookers in charge like Ole Anderson and Bill Watts. But when Turner changed things up and tapped a third-string announcer with a sales background as the new executive in charge of WCW, everything changed for the Atl...

On this episode of Going Ringside we’re joined by Bray Wyatt’s fiancée JoJo Offerman. Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) passed away last summer and Offerman opens up about life without him. Offerman of course was a WWE star herself for many years and is now still recovering after losing her fiancé and father to her children. In this very special interview, Offerman will discuss life now as a singl...

In the history of women’s wrestling one feud sits above all others. On the men’s side we had The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, but for the women it was Trish Stratus and Lita. The two mega stars redefined what it meant to be a female performer in the world of pro wrestling around the turn of the century. Stratus (real name Patricia Stratigeas) started with t...

 On this episode of “Going Ringside” we’re joined by arguably the greatest pro wrestling color commentator in history: Jerry “The King” Lawler. Alongside Jim Ross (who appeared on the first episode of Going Ringside) the two comprised an iconic duo through WWE’s “Attitude Era” when pro wrestling was hotter than it ever had been. But that was all after a lengthy pro wrestling career where Lawler do...

 Seldom do you find stars that have been at the top of the industry for 30 years. Booker T Huffman is one of those few. He came to national fame in the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as one half of the team Harlem Heat alongside his brother Stevie Ray. After years of tag team action, Booker T was given a singles push in WCW and it propelled him to five world championships. And that...

The can’t-miss event of the year for fans of professional wrestling is taking place at World Golf Village the weekend of June 8-9. River City Wrestling Con has moved out of its old home at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds and this year will be held in St. Johns County for what’s expected to be a better fan experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1970s and 1980s the pro wrestling industry was broken up into territories around the country. And each territory had its top star. In Florida, it was Dusty Rhodes; in Tennessee, it was Jerry Lawler; and in Texas, it was the Von Erichs. Then up in the Pacific Northwest there was Portland Wrestling. Their top star was a wrestler named Billy Jack Haynes. “He was the closest thing the Northwest...

It’s not often a person in wrestling starts at the absolute bottom and works his way to the absolute top. That’s exactly what Teddy Long spent decades doing. It all started for him in the late 1980s. A young Long ran errands for wrestlers in Jim Crocket Promotions, which was broadcast weekly on WTBS out of Atlanta. He would also set up the ring before the matches. And quickly, he got his first pro...

The brash and cocky duo will discuss everything from Theory’s problems with The Rock to hanging out with Logan Paul. Waller will also discuss a few things from the last time he joined Going Ringside. That includes things like his not-so-subtle shot at Jacksonville -- home of competing AEW -- and a dream tag match against Travis and Jason Kelce. This came after Waller’s very unflattering comments l...

On this jam-packed episode of Going Ringside, we have two major guests. The first is WWE Smackdown Superstar Montez Ford. Ford is also just as well known for being married to another WWE star: Bianca Belair. On this episode, Ford will talk about WWE Smackdown coming to Jacksonville on May 17 and his time with the Street Profits team and doing other projects like starring in the reality show “Love...

On this episode of Going Ringside, we’re joined by a longtime pro wrestling veteran who is ready to get back into the industry. We also explore the week that was for AEW owner Tony Khan, who was spotted wearing a neck brace at the NFL draft and called WWE the “Harvey Weinstein” of pro wrestling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Swerve Strickland first joined the podcast shortly before last Christmas he made a bold proclamation. “Only to the top and I said in the middle of this year, if I had gotten the opportunities that Hangman Page would’ve gotten my first year, I would have been the first African American AEW world champion. And I do believe that. I can still do that,” said Strickland at the time. And over the we...

On Wednesday’s packed episode of “Going Ringside,” we start with WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champion Grayson Waller. Waller recently won the Smackdown tag team championship with Austin Theory at WrestleMania 40. Waller will perform in Jacksonville when WWE Smackdown comes to the city on May 17. The Australian-born Waller is known for his brash style and willingness to say things that make him a lightn...

At one point in her life Marilyn Monroe uttered this phrase: “We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.” But in the past year, the star that is “Timeless” Toni Storm has done anything but “twinkle.” We’re now into the supernova portion of her career. Traveling around the globe as a wrestling star was one thing but when Storm decided to change up her presentation inside and outside of the...

If you take a moment and google the definition of hero, here’s what it will give you: “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” In the world of pro wrestling, that definition could easily have an image attached to it. That would be the image of Shad Gaspard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WWE veteran star Natalya stood in the center of the ring in St. Petersburg on January 27. More than 48,000 fans were screaming as she was the center with pink lights billowing throughout Tropicana Field. She was the first entrant into the Royal Rumble, but it was the second entrant who would steal the show.” As for what’s coming in 2024, expect big things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

In 2022 Marvel Studios released the movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Well, you could argue the sequel has come to Going Ringside. Specifically “Macho Madness.” Going Ringside has collected the top Macho Man Randy Savage impersonators from all over North America for one unprecedented interview. In this must-see segment, the Macho Men will discuss everything from Hulk Hogan to Mi...

In the performance art of professional wrestling, many of the top stars are assigned a gimmick. Some work, some don’t. But there was one, that on it’s face shouldn’t have worked. Unless you’re Brutus Beefcake (real name Ed Leslie), he made what seemed ridiculous into a wrestling sensation. It was 1988 when Beefcake had languished in the mid-card of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) with some su...

The day was March 30, 1987. Hulk Hogan was still on top of the world as he had just beaten his biggest foe ever (literally and figuratively) the day prior at the historic WrestleMania III in front of 93,000 people at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. His opponent however, now billed at more than 500 pounds was entering the last phase of what had been a larger than life existence in every sense....

The pro wrestling world lost two globally known names last week: Ole Anderson & Virgil. Anderson was a longtime wrestler and booker from the 1960s to 1990s and Virgil became famous overnight in the late 1980s as the muscle-bound on-camera bodyguard of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re a Division I college football star or just a person who watches pro wrestling on television, getting into the industry is not as simple as just showing up. You need training. From taking a punch or bodyslam to giving one, training is key to avoid injury and do it well. In late January, Sam Shaw (who WWE fans know as Dexter Lumis) opened Hatchet Pro Wrestling in St. Augustine.  Learn...

The stigma of pro wrestling for being a pre-determined sport has been the basis of criticism for the industry for several decades. And with that comes questions about whether pro wrestlers are legitimately tough in real life. So naturally there are debates on who’s legitimately the toughest. In practically every conversation on this subject, one name sits atop all others. He wrestled primarily und...

First, on the WrestleMania booking all the focus has surrounded the main event and whether Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson should face champion (and real life cousin) Roman Reigns or whether WWE star Cody Rhodes should be given that honor. Both prospective matches have been discussed for the past year and there was overwhelming outrage when fans found out The Rock may get the honor over Cody. Learn more...

Days after Going Ringside released its previous episode concerning the lawsuit filed against former WWE owner Vince McMahon for alleged sex trafficking, the Wall Street Journal reported it has confirmed through sources that McMahon has been under investigation by the federal government since 2022. This concerns allegations of sexual impropriety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

The bombshell lawsuit that alleges sex trafficking against Vince McMahon and others was first reported in the Wall Street Journal Thursday only three days after WWE and its parent company TKO were on the New York Stock Exchange announcing a major deal with Netflix. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined other stars like McMahon and his son-in-law Triple H to announce the major deal and ring the bell to...