Portland Wrestling

🎙️ Mid-Card Chronicles #6 – The Ones Who Passed Through Main events get remembered. Champions get photographed. But this week… we look at the ones who came through, did the work, and kept moving. In Episode #6 of Mid-Card Chronicles , Frank Culbertson explores another layer of Portland Wrestling history—the wrestlers whose time in the Northwest was brief, transitional, or quietly important , even...

One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we go ringside with one of the men who held it all together. On Episode #30 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers welcome a special guest whose name may not have headlined the posters—but whose work made those posters matter: Rocky Della Serra. This is a conversation about the carpenters of pr...

🎙️ Mid-Card Chronicles #5– The Ones Who Filled the Gap Main events get remembered. Champions get photographed. But this week… we focus on the ones who stepped in when the territory needed them most. In Episode #5 of Mid-Card Chronicles , Frank Culbertson continues the journey through Portland Wrestling’s dependable talents—the wrestlers who didn’t always headline, but who kept the machine running...

 Ringside in Rose City #29 – Matt Farmer: The Historian’s Historian One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we bring in someone who’s spent a lifetime uncovering them. When Lisa Hughes punches the button, Frank Culbertsonand Mike Rogers welcome a very special guest into the Rose City ring: Matt Farmer. Historian. Researcher. Wrestler. Promoter. And one of the most respected voices i...

The Mid-Card Chronicle – Episode 4 Featuring the Dependable Talents Who Made Every Card Complete The spotlight doesn’t always land on the middle of the card—but that’s where the foundation of Portland Wrestling was built. The wrestlers who filled those roles made every show work. In Episode 4 of The Mid-Card Chronicle , host FrankCulbertson takes a closer look at three more dependable talents who...

The Mid-Card Chronicle – Episode 3 Featuring the Dependable Talents Who Made Every Card Complete Main events tell part of the story—but the heart of PortlandWrestling lived in the wrestlers who showed up night after night and made the entire card work. In Episode 3 of The Mid-Card Chronicle , host FrankCulbertson highlights three more essential contributors to the Northwest territory: • Ricky Hunt...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #27 – The Grappler: The Man Behind the Mask One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we focus on one of the most important figures in Portland Wrestling history. When Lisa Hughes pushes the button, a name that carried an entire era enters the studio: The Grappler. In Episode #27 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike...

In Episode 2 of The Mid-Card Chronicle , host Frank Culbertson explores three more wrestlers whose contributions helped shape the Northwest territory: • Alexis Smirnoff – A seasoned veteran whose brief 1985 Portland run hinted at a big feud before his sudden departure to the WWF. • Dean Higuchi (Dean Ho) – A respected veteran, bodybuilder, and trainer whose career stretched from Portland to Vancou...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #26 – PSA November 1968 (Plus the Legend of Dirk Sheets) One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we return to November 1968 , when Don Owen’s gamble on the brand-new Portland Sports Arena was only in its second month and the future of Portland Wrestling was still very much in doubt. When Lisa Hughes spins the wheel, the envelope reads “PSANovember ’68.” That...

The Mid-Card Chronicle – Episode 1 Featuring the Dependable Talents Who Made Every Card Complete Main events get remembered. Champions get photographed. But every wrestling territory—especially Portland—was built on something just as important: the wrestlers who anchored the middle of the card and made the stars shine. Mid Card Chronicle #1 In the debut episode of The Mid-Card Chronicle , host Fra...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #25 – Voices of Portland Wrestling One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… you’ll hear them for yourself. In Episode #25 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers do something a littledifferent. Instead of just talking about the wrestlers of the Pacific Northwest, they let the voices of the territory speak direc...

In the final chapter of Northwest Favorites: The Heart ofPortland Wrestling , host Frank Culbertson closes the series with three unforgettable figures whose careers span different eras, styles, and legacies — yet each helped define what Portland Wrestling truly was. 💥 Mark Lewin — A world-traveled star whose Portland chapter came late in a remarkable 30-year career. From early success in Vancouve...

This week, we don’t spin the wheel — Lisa punches thebutton. Episode #24 brings a very special guest into the squared circle as legendary Ed “Moondog” Moretti joins Frank Culbertson and Portland Wrestling historian Mike Rogers for a deep, revealing, and often hilarious conversation about a life in professional wrestling. From building a backyard ring in Daly City… To learning from the Guerreros at...

Episode 13 explores four wrestlers who each broughtsomething unique to the Northwest — from youthful fire, to rugged toughness, to historic greatness, to heartfelt family legacy. Together, they represent four decades of the Portland Wrestling story. Host Frank Culbertson spotlights: 🔥 Ricky Santana — the high-energy spark who helped revive the territory in the late ’80s, capturing multiple tag ti...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #23 – Fantasy Land One ring. One city. A thousand stories. But this week… we step into Fantasy Land. Frank thinks he’s in control. Lisa spins the wheel. The envelope says “Fantasy Land.” Actually… every envelope says Fantasy Land. Because this time, Mike Rogers is taking over. What if Portland Wrestling history had just tilted slightly in a different direction? What if cer...

Northwest Favorites: The Heart of Portland Wrestling – #12 Episode 12 takes a deep dive into three very different careers — a brilliant but troubled natural, a fiery heel who became a legend just north of the border, and a smooth technician who would go on to train some of wrestling’s biggest stars. Host Frank Culbertson covers: 🎭 Matt Borne — the intense, gifted second-generation star whose Port...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #22 – Voices, Ribs, and the Missing Tape One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we keep digging. After last week’s deep dive into Excitement in the Air:Voices of Northwest Wrestling – Volume Three , Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers return to finish what they started — spotlighting even more overlooked names, locker room legends, and unforgettable stories fr...

Episode 11 dives into three unforgettable names who eachhelped shape the Northwest in their own way — from technical wizardry, to wild brawling chaos, to the cunning presence of a future worldwide star. Host Frank Culbertson explores: 🦅 Johnny Eagles — “The Houdini of Wrestling,” a technical master whose British grappling style, smooth counters, and surprising main-event run made him one of the m...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #21 – Excitement in the Air: Voices of Northwest Wrestling, Volume Three One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… the voices that carried the Northwest. In Episode #21 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers crack open Excitement in the Air: Voices of Northwest Wrestling – Volume Three , the latest installment in Mike’s acclaimed interview...

Episode 10 dives into three wildly different careers that helped power Portland Wrestling’s identity during the territory’s most memorable eras. Host Frank Culbertson breaks down: 💥 Dynamite Kid — one of the most explosive wrestlers ever to work in Portland. From shocking turns with Buddy Rose to legendary matches with Curt Hennig, Dynamite’s 1983 run delivered some of the hottest action anywhere...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #20 – GIANT Episode: Andre the Giant in the Northwest One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… we go bigger than we’ve ever gone before. Episode #20 of Ringside in Rose City is a GIANT episode in every sense of the word, as Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers finally tackle one of the most mythologized figures in wrestling history: As always, Lisa Hughes opens t...

Episode 9 explores three powerful personalities who shapedthe territory in very different eras — the fiery babyface, the world champion, and the mud-covered villain fans never forgot. Host Frank Culbertson spotlights: 🔥 Jay Youngblood — the dynamic young star who helped stabilize the roster during a major talent exodus, captured the Northwest title five times, and delivered some of the territory’...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #19 – From Armory to Arena: October 1968 and the Birth of the Portland Sports Arena One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… the moment everything changed. In Episode #19 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers turn back the clock to October 1968 , the mostuncertain—and most important—month in Portland wrestling history. This is the story...

Episode 8 spotlights three unforgettable performers whohelped shape Portland Wrestling from the middle and upper-middle of the card — the wrestlers who brought emotion, excitement, and personality to every show. Host Frank Culbertson breaks down: 🔥 Brett Sawyer — the fiery young babyface who shocked the territory by winning a battle royal for the vacant Northwest title, becoming a 3-time champion...

🎙️ Ringside in Rose City #18 – Mount Rushmore of Portland Wrestling (Sports Arena Era) One ring. One city. A thousand stories. And this week… the debate every Portland Wrestling fan has had at least once. In Episode #18 of Ringside in Rose City , Frank Culbertson and Mike Rogers finally tackle one of the most passionate, personal, and controversial topics in territory history: The Mount Rushmore o...