I Like Wrestling

What happens when you take away a wrestler’s signature move? It’s not quite the Chekhov’s Gun comparison Matt claims, but taking away Shawn Michael’s Sweet Chin Music at his Survivor Series match against Randy Orton adds a unique level of storytelling and finesse to this oft-forgotten banger. Rachel finally impresses Matt and Audio Ben by redeeming the so-called “unwatchable era” as the gang talks...

Get ready to feast and eat eat eat with the one and only Bobby Buffet! Bobby joins Rachel to talk about his experience on Apple TV’s hit show “Monster Factory”, the moment he discovered wrestling wasn’t real, and the origins of his name. He revisits some of his career highlights, including headlining the iconic 2300 arena and composing his intro music.  BOBBY’S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BobbyBu...

Chambea, ¡jala! We can still hear the crowd cheers reverberating through our ears over a week later as the I Like Wrestling trio returns to react to Backlash. Shawn Michaels may have lost his smile but Rhea Ripley could barely contain hers during Zelina Vega’s entrance, just one of many memorable moments in a night filled with blood and Bad Bunny. Matt and Ben are feeling the “Jury Duty” vibes as...

Luke “Twitch” DiSangro joins Rachel to discuss mental health in professional wrestling and his experience filming the hit Apple TV show “Monster Factory”. Rachel puts Twitch’s publicity training to the test when bringing up a polarizing topic and discovers a potential mob connection.  LUKE’S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/lucastwitch318   LUKE’S INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lucastwitchdisang...

We’re blasting back to the past again, landing on the countdown to Eric Bischoff’s firing and quest to sign Stone Stone Cold on Monday Night Raw from February 2003. Rachel, Audio Ben, and Sean discuss the disappearing art of on-location promos, the fast-paced storytelling and development of Booker T and Goldust, and why Molly Holly would thrive today. They question the presentation of the recent d...

This week’s main event is brought to you Solo-Sikoa style as Rachel reacts live to her second viewing of the recently discovered Victoria vs. Trish Stratus Chicago Street Fight from 2003 Raw. She’s witnessing the formation of Evolution in real-time and praises the new TV show “Jury Duty”. Matt joins for the second half and they both agree that the Pretty Deadly trunk match almost makes up for thei...

The first official Pretty Deadly shirt finally dropped and Rachel is underwhelmed to say the least. We provide some constructive criticism for the current lackluster WWE merch (shruggies and hairbrushes, anybody?) that would make this a “Yes, Boy!” in Rachel’s book. Audio Ben enlightens us with some background on the deceptively titled Main Event. Matt declined to join us after failing to finish W...

Step into the ring for this week’s main event with indie wrestler Hunter Gallagher aka Jet Jameson. He shares stories about his career and training with Rikishi, developing a unique character and wrestling style, and how LGBTQ representation in professional wrestling has shifted over the years. Rachel threw a dart into the multiverse and stumbled upon the quietly iconic WCW Superbrawl 8, Matt bemo...

Love him or hate him, Roman Reigns is still your undisputed champion and Rachel might finally be ready to acknowledge him after his divisive win over Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania Hollywood. Matt and Ben voice their disappointments over the Cena/Theory match and they all agree that the family matters match with Dom and Rey sponsored by Cinnamoji Toast Crunch was the highlight of the weekend. Rachel...

We’re just a few days away from the biggest wrestling weekend of the year and the ILW Team is stoked to predict what will go down in the ring. Matt has a hard time getting behind the opening match of John Cena vs. Austin Theory, Ben thinks that Gunther vs. Drew vs. Sheamus could be the biggest sleeper match, and Rachel loves the idea of Rhea and Bianca as dual champions. They time travel back to t...

Wrestlemania is coming to Hollywood next week and the ILW Team is main eventing an iconic moment in Wrestlemania History, Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston at Wrestlemania 35. The world went crazy for Kofimania and the ILW is joined by Ron Wilson to discuss the road to Kofimania and the emotional journey leading to his much-deserved championship win. Rachel is mesmerized by the odd-couple match-up of...

Rachel and Matt are joined on the bimah by long-awaited guest Andrew Goldstein to break down the biggest moment in Jewish wrestling history, MJF’s Re-Bar Mitzvah. Andrew takes us back to his time writing for WWE in 2006 and provides insider knowledge on the catering services and shocks The ILW Team with a connection between the VonErichs and Israel. We climbed the corporate ladder for a Super Size...

Sometimes in wrestling (and life), we have to pivot, and that’s exactly what the ILW team does when presented with guest-turned-main-event Ron Wilson. We’ll bring you Pandy MITB next week, but this week, the ITCOG’s very own Nostradamus joins Rachel, Matt, and Audio Ben to talk about Cody Rhodes. They examine his trajectory leading up to his match against The Tribal Chief, bemoan the eyesore of hi...

The 1998 King of the Ring PPV is peak Attitude Era – mannequin heads, sexually ambiguous cowboys, and a supernatural family feud. The infamous Mankind and Undertaker Hell in a Cell match could be a main event in itself, but we supersized our episode to bring you a run-through of the whole card. Ben laments the All-Star booking of Wrestlemania Hollywood, Matt praises Pandy Era Asuka, and Rachel dis...

The road to Wrestlemania is fully paved with the blood, sweat, and tears of Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns in last week’s Elimination Chamber. The ILW Trio reunites to discuss the implications of Roman retaining and long-term storytelling for Sami and The Bloodline, and Rachel might finally be ready to start acknowledging the Tribal Chief. We trace Roman’s heel line back to the beginnings of Pandemic...

Rachel, Audio Ben, and returning guest co-host Sean AKA I’mBoredBrother are here to draft the first (and probably only) ILW Tag Teams! We’re all over the board, from odd couples to memorable gimmicks and quite a few that Rachel has never even heard of. They contemplate the history of Daniel Bryan and the virality of The Yes Movement and what worked (and what didn’t) for them in The Undertaker vs....

The energy was electric at NXT’s first touring PLE in over two and a half years and all 3 members of The ILW Team are ready to discuss their favorite moments. Matt and Audio Ben re-contextualize the importance of Charlotte Flair’s opening, Rachel finds new appreciation for Toxic Attraction, and Pretty Deadly continue to dominate despite not winning the belts *sadplate check*. Rachel thinks Batista...

While the rest of the world shut down in March 2020, WWE pivoted their crowds but not their content and delivered one of the most unique Wrestlemania’s in history. Rachel and Matt analyze the surrealism of John Cena’s swan song farewell match vs. Bray Wyatt (The Fiend) and why pandy wrestling is so divisive. They’re joined by special guest @ImBoredBrother to recap his experience attending the Roya...

The stars have aligned to bring the entire ILW team together to celebrate the upcoming Royal Rumble and Raw’s 30th anniversary. We start things off with the Bloodline and predictions for Sami Zayn’s future but are diverted away before Audio Ben can make Rachel cry. They all agree that Raw failed to acknowledge the importance of women in professional wrestling, make a case for Paul Heyman’s spot on...

The 1999 Royal Rumble has it all: peak Austin/McMahon feud, Sable vs. Luna Strap Match, Rock vs. Mankind I Quit, and plenty of DX. Rachel royally stumbled upon it late at night and was soon royally riveted by peak Attitude Era work from some of wrestling’s greats. Matt “claims” he watched it live and comes to a powerful realization about how watching matches from the past can be so transcendent. W...

It’s Always Sunny in I Like Wrestling land as the two-man power trip of Rachel and Matt revisit an iconic episode from the series. They talk about other TV show/wrestling crossovers, why it matters that Ben the Soldier is given denim shorts, and the gang’s development over the years. Rachel catches us up on Total Divas and wonders why Fandango is even a thing. Matt lives out his Eva Marie Dream gi...

The ILW Tag Team is back for the New Year and celebrating over six months of podcasting with a recap of their favorite moments and yearly highlights. They talk about how to deal with family and friends who are quick to dismiss the pros of sports entertainment and react to John Cena’s Smackdown appearance. Special guest Pickle Pete from TikTok joins them to talk about why he likes wrestling and how...

What happens when Matt steps on a toy block, leaving Rachel and Audio Ben to fend for themselves in an unplanned end-of-year episode? You enter Rachel’s East Coast Fun House, with a special guest segment where her sister Emily tries and fails to reason why hockey and wrestling have nothing in common. Spur-of-the-moment questions like favorite wrestlers, matches, and WTF moments of the year are pon...

Internet fame comes in all shapes and sizes and this week the bug bit Matt when one of his old Tiktoks went viral. The ILW team reacts to the funniest comments from twitter and reflects on internet trolling, AEW fan rage, and if Matt is really as tired as he looks. Rachel finally  watched the first episode of Total Divas, deconstructing the multiple layers of reality within the show, and enjoyed c...

Wrestlemania 13 (1997) brought us one of the greatest matches of all time: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Rachel was 3 years old, Audio Ben was a senior in high school, and they both celebrate the importance of a storyline that set the stage for the beginnings of The Attitude Era. NXT Deadline PPV is a surprise hit for both and the lads of Pretty Deadly exceed expectations des...