Going Ringside With The Local Station

Following a September 2019 pay-per-view, Chris Jericho was flying back to Tampa from Chicago. Jericho lives in the greater Tampa area and AEW is based in Jacksonville. But his plane was diverted to Tallahassee. And as soon as he got off the plane is when this whole drama that reads almost like a wrestling angle, but was certainly real life began. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

It was more than 20 years ago and a young Melina Perez was working as a medical assistant for a cardiologist. Like a lot of young women she was looking for an option to stay in good shape. While yoga was an option, Perez decided to go a different route. She entered an independent wrestling school and the rest was history. Plus, River City Live host Jana Angel described what it was like to try out...

Quite possibly the top “bad guy” or “heel” in wrestling today is Maxwell Jacob Friedman a.k.a. MJF. MJF has propelled himself to the top of Jacksonville-based All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He’s done that through something more than wrestling ability. Something a lot of performers don’t possess. A keen understanding of how to get an audience to hate him. It’s his job, and few have ever done it as well...

When fans of pro wrestling think of “hardcore” performers, they often think of guys like Mick Foley and the wrestlers from the old ECW. But a man who pre-dated them all in the genre was Abdullah The Butcher. He was successful everywhere except the WWF. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg really going to face off in a ring or an octagon? It's a wild thought and one that might not be too far off from becoming reality. Mixed martial arts and WWE legend Ken Shamrock joins Going Ringside to talk about that potential matchup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three legendary fighters who performed in UFC, MMA and pro wrestling sit down to discuss their careers. Butterbean (real name Eric Esch), Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn join host Scott Johnson. Who would Butterbean fight now if he could? Severn talks about the new UFC/WWE merger. And Shamrock talks about his Valor BK league and how he made his transition into WWF in the late 1990s. Learn more about y...

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is about to leave office following two terms at City Hall. One thing that is often overlooked during his tenure is the great strides he’s made with pro fighting leagues in Jacksonville. That includes Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and the upcoming Valor Bare Knuckle. Also, UFC Fight Night is in town with the main event between Josh Em...

Wrestling icons Arn Anderson, Ron Simmons, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Bryan Danielson, Ken Shamrock, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and more stopped by during River City Wrestling Con for a chat with "Going Ringside" host Scott Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are very few professional wrestlers who have found a simple gimmick that works with the public and stick with it. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan has done that as successful as anyone for decades. His wrestling gimmick is simple and memorable. It consists of carrying his 2X4 to the ring, raising his thumb and yelling “Hooooo!” and fans loved it. Particularly when the patriotic character followed up wit...

This week on “Going Ringside” we analyze everything you need to know if you plan on attending the River City Wrestling Con event from stars who will be on hand to dates, times and highlights of the fourth annual event at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. River City Wrestling Con (RCWC) is Florida’s annual celebration of pro wrestling fandom. Experience nearly 100 globally recognized wrestling icons,...

Perhaps no professional wrestler in history has been as public with their personal struggles and demons as Jake “The Snake” Roberts. The wrestling legend who started in the 1970′s joined “Going Ringside” to discuss his decades in the business along with battling drug and alcohol addiction to finally be clean and sober in 2023. He now works for Jacksonville-based All Elite Wrestling. Roberts plans...

Considerable — almost seismic — events have occurred in the world for pro wrestling since the debut of the “Going Ringside” podcast. From the WWE-UFC merger to Jacksonville based AEW starting to make a major footprint in the international market. Everyone from Wall Street to media executives across the county are gearing up for some potential major changes happening in the world of Sharpshooters,...

The wrestling world stopped in June of 2007 when a tragedy beyond anything the industry had ever seen occurred over a three day period in Fayetteville, Ga. The industry had dealt with a considerable number of younger wrestlers die from a variety of causes. Drug abuse, suicide and freak accidents had hit the industry hard. But this was something different. One of the top performers in the industry,...

On this episode of ‘Going Ringside’ we speak with ex-wrestler Marc Mero about numerous topics including speaking out following the tragic murder-suicide involving Chris Benoit and his family in 2007. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news was out and shocked the pro wrestling world on April 20. Ted DiBiase Jr., whose father was known best as the 'Million Dollar Man' during a high-profile wrestling career, was named in an indictment by the federal government. Among the charges are money laundering, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and theft concerning federal funds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Ken Shamrock answers questions on dream fight with Brock Lesnar, Endeavor-WWE merger and his new Valor BK promotion. Plus, Shamrock explains how fighting has always been apart of his life. From his early days in Warner Robins, Georgia, to the bright lights of mixed martial arts and professional wrestling, Shamrock covers a lot of ground in this week's episode of Going Ringside with The Local Stati...

The possibility of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson running for President someday is a story that has continually popped up for the past seven years. Really since former President Donald Trump was elected. Trump was characterized by some as a “celebrity” and that led to multiple articles contemplating whether Johnson, one of the most well-known celebrities on the planet, could in fact run for the Oval Of...

The overlap between the professional wrestling world and the world of politics has been considerable in recent years. Perhaps a lot more closely aligned then you realize. Two areas show the overwhelming merging of the two bloodsports: politics and wrestling. One involves how the state of Florida responded to the pandemic with respect to professional wrestling. The state deemed pro wrestling an “es...

“J-E-double-F” is how the golden-haired grappler introduced himself to a national audience in 1993. “J-A-double-R. E-double-T” is how he finished that introduction. If you’re a longtime fan of professional wrestling it has been impossible to miss the name of Jeff Jarrett in the squared circle. The third-generation talent grew up in the business of steel chairs, heel-turns and backstage politics. A...

On the latest episode of “Going Ringside With The Local Station” we explore the rise to fame of arguably the most popular professional wrestler in history: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. We explore his start in the early 90’s in WCW then his move to ECW after famously being fired following an injury. That’s where Austin developed his on-camera persona. Shortly thereafter he gets the call to the World...

In this episode of “Going Ringside” we conclude our discussion on the potential sale of WWE. Specifically we spend a lot of time looking at whether Shad and Tony Khan could realistically buy the largest wrestling company on the planet. We’ll hear from both Tony Khan and a financial expert from the University of North Florida on how a purchase would unfold if the Khans did beat out other potential...

In this episode of “Going Ringside With The Local Station” we analyze the biggest story in the industry right now: The potential sale of WWE. Numerous potential buyers have been named including Comcast, Endeavor and a Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. But one other name has been tossed around and that is Tony and Shad Khan. The Khans own All Elite Wrestling based in Jacksonville. We have split...

In the debut episode of our new podcast, “Going Ringside With The Local Station”, we explore the background of the Khan family’s (Shad & Tony) reported $100 million investment in the wrestling company All Elite Wrestling in Jacksonville in 2019. That was the spark that led to major TV deals for the Jacksonville-based company, which has become the second biggest wrestling promotion in the country,...