Historically Speaking: Secret American History

Known as "The Elvis of Pro Wrestling," Bobby Davis rose from ring attendant and fan in Al Haft's Columbus, Ohio territory into the first real manager in the history of the sport. Matt Ryan breaks down his path with some information from those who worked with Davis, Davis himself, and how he played a key part in Capitol Wrestling reclaiming Madison Square Garden and nearly the NWA as a whole. Refer...

Matt is BACK with some Secret Wrestling History! Join him as he looks back to the 1957 riot that saw Antonino Rocca, Edouard Carpentier, Dr. Jerry Graham, and Dick the Bruiser fighting each other... and hundreds of fans inside the Garden! That plus a look at NWA Politics from that time, how McMahon was able to take control of the Garden and build a power base with Toots Mondt as his heater, plus h...

With the New York Mayoral Election upon us, we look at the founding fathers of Conservative Talk as Bob Grant and his mentor Joe Pyne set the stage for our modern media landscape, and weirdly play into the backstory of the same racial and cultural animosity we've seen in the 2025 New York Mayoral Election, as the son of the man Grant brought down with smears, jears, and a catchy parody song, Andre...

In this edition, we take a look at the first radio station and disc jockeys to play their own songs, the impact of consultants, and how much they kill creativity. Also, a look at the origin story of WNEW, how they seized an opportunity when another station failed, and the story of a guy who broke his legs working in a uranium mine and then became the biggest name in radio by being the first shock...

The only way to tell the tale of radio in New York City is to look back... all the way back to over a century ago, as the concept of broadcast radio would be developed on the backs of a massive international tragedy, David Sarnoff being the reason we have culture and a culture war over the airwaves, and the philisophical question of how do you accurately cover a subject with a limited amount of wo...

Before we kick off season two of Historically Speaking, Matt Ryan provides us with a bit of prologue ahead of our deep dive into the history of radio in New York City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With it being Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame season, our resident favorite Wrestling Historian/Blabbermouth runs through his unofficial ballot for the 2025 class! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to Matt's new monthly/bi-monthly podcast where he tells you stories that come from inside his mind! It's a literal place for his stuff! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the season finale of Historically Speaking, and Matt Ryan lays out the case for why we are where we are now was inevitable, setting the through line from the fall of the IWA to 1982 as the Wrestling Establishment began to topple over like a Jenga puzzle. Resources Death Of The Territories: Tim Hornbaker Capitol Revolution: Tim Hornbaker The Solie Chronicles: Robert Allyn, Pamela Allyn, S...

In our penultimate episode of Season 1, we return to Johnny Powers as he touches down in the Carolinas to try and put out the fire that is the International Wrestling Association, as the Pro Wrestling Establishment becomes the Bacchae for the God known as the Status Quo, while at the same time one old God was cut down the expense of a newer and flashier model down in Tennessee. Plus Matt breaks do...

In what is sure to be our longest, most detailed, and most use of our production resources to date, we bring you the war as it sat between the IWA and the Pro Wrestling Establishment. From the return of the 1956 Consent Decree, to Sam Muchnick crying poverty amid massive houses at the Kiel, the WWWF looking to combat Operation Hairy Hail Mary with Operation Molotov Cocktail, and it working... kind...

We go deeper into 1975 on the 13th edition of Historically Speaking, as IWA's TV continues to be a burr in Vince McMahon's heel and both sides play games in the press or politically on the road to the IWA's northeast debut inside Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey. We also debut "Suspend Your Disbelief Theater" as we go back to what we think may be July 5, 1975 as George "Crybaby" Cannon tries to con...

After 11 episodes, we finally discuss matches and television that aired from IWA, spanning nearly three decades of context and over a dozen scenarios, brawls, and pseudo-national territories. Eddie Einhorn's dream becomes a reality. From stealing TV Stations from Vince McMahon, Ted Turner's more than curious involvement, Thunderbolt Patterson's war on Jim Crockett Promotions, Jim Crockett Promotio...

With 1975 upon us, we look at the three wrestlers tasked with leading the top of the card in the IWA, along with some of the other burgeoning stars, regional icons, and longshot supernovas that would launch the first national wrestling promotion. Plus a look at some of the territories that the IWA looked to take aim at, and some of the stars either ripe for the taking or waiting at the gates for t...

Our return to Secret Wrestling History takes us to 1975, the end of Johnny Powers' run as a promoter... for now, as the Martinez's and Eddie Einhorn's IWA begins to take shape in a time where pro wrestling was in the midst of change, evolution, and for Vince McMahon Sr., a rare time of peace on top of promotional prosperity. Resources http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb...

Our deep dive into the secret history of pro wrestling continues as Johnny Powers goes from top guy to top promoter in this chapter of the "first" national wrestling promotion. At the same time, Matt gets nostalgic about a "backyard" wrestling company that was just teenagers fighting on some random Brooklyn beach. From Buffalo, To Cleveland, To Tokyo and beyond we look at the rise of Powers and Pe...

The story of the International Wrestling Alliance takes us to 1964 and 1965 this week as Johnny Powers goes from up-and-coming wrestler to main eventer to the hottest free agent in wrestling, much like someone else we know. He also...refuses to do jobs. All of this plus a secret Crockett-McMahon Wrestling War of the mid-60's, payola scams, and Johnny Powers in his own words on Historically Speakin...

Fun times in Cleveland seems like a misnomer, but this week we head to The Land and get a look at some of the secret wrestling history that played into Bruno Sammartino becoming WWWF Champion! This plus Bruno's path to the title, Buddy Rogers final act in Capitol Wrestling, Johnny Powers and how he connects to not only these two, but our story, the comparisons between this situation and the Montre...

This week, we look at how the National Football League, their rivals, the American Football League, and the Department of Justice set the stage for not only Johnny Doyle and Jim Barnett's last act as a tandem in the United States but for Vince McMahon and Toots Mondt to keep Buddy Rogers as their World Heavyweight Champion without the NWA and the Federal Government looking breathing down their nec...

We return to the Johnny Doyle saga as he's now partnered with Jim Barnett to slowly take over the United States with their revolutionary brand of pro wrestling in the wake of the NWA's Consent Decree and an investigation by the Department of Justice. Despite Barnett and Doyle's former partnerships with Fred Kohler, Vince McMahon, and Toots Mondt, don't expect those partnerships to be sustained as...

Our look at the first national wrestling promotion brings us to when the NWA was at the peak of its powers but would see Toots Mondt's lack of success at the track and at the gate, kneecapping of nationally televised cards, and the Federal Government create major cracks that would not only lead to the IWA in 1975 but to the creation of World Wrestling Entertainment. Resources https://www.legacyofw...

We continue our look at Pedro Martinez and his road to the International Wrestling Alliance and the role he played in New York Wrestling in and out of the city, a look at NWA's power structure, a mini-wrestling war, and we finally talk about Toots Mondt getting punched out at MSG. Subscribe to learn more the secret history about pro wrestling and how we went from the carnivals to AEW and WWE on Ne...

In the second edition of our season, George Scott gives Eddie Einhorn his answer, we meet the man who would partner with Einhorn, learn how a Genovese boss fought a referee, and more! Resources https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2010/02/24/announcer-martinez-was-instrumental-in-iwa-video-world/ https://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/ohio/cleveland/cleveland-history.html https://www.kayfabememories.c...

In the open of our first full season, we look at the thesis statement for our project and the man responsible for our subject matter, Eddie Einhorn. References! EINHORN LINKS https://seamheads.com/2014/03/01/an-interview-with-white-sox-owner-eddie-einhorn/ http://www.wrestlingepicenter.com/RIP/Einhorn.html chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://drive.usercontent.google.com/dow...