Shut Up and Wrestle with Brian Solomon

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #155 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes wrestling’s leading financial reporter and analyst, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, to the show! Brandon joins Brian to discuss the business of professional wrestling, how attention to TV ratings have changed over the years, plus … Continue reading Episode 155: Brandon Thur...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #154 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes collector and archivist Barry Rose of the Breaking Kayfabe podcast to the show! A longtime booster of the glory days of Florida wrestling, Barry joins Brian this week to wax nostalgic about the glory … Continue reading Episode 154: Barry Rose → The post Episode 154: Barry Rose...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #153 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes his former WWE colleague Lou DiPietro to the show! Lou has worn many hats for WWE over the years, but some of the most fascinating stuff he worked on took place in the early … Continue reading Episode 153: Lou DiPietro → The post Episode 153: Lou DiPietro appeared first on Shu...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #152 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes leading Japanese wrestling historian Fumi Saito to the show! Brian and Fumi’s conversation focuses on a little-discussed topic: Gorilla Monsoon’s wrestling career in Japan, and the significance of Japan to his legacy. Plus there’s … Continue reading Episode 152: Fumi Saito → T...

Hello, wrestling fans! Join Brian R. Solomon this week for the Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vol. 2! To kick off 2025, Brian has once again pored over the archives of SUAW to bring you more of his favorite moments from the past three years. * RVD talks wrestling psychology and training with The … Continue reading The Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vol. 2 → The post The Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vo...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #151 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes independent wrestling manager and wrestling history buff Sidney Bakabella to the show! Sidney and Brian get into the weeds on the timeless psychology of drawing heat, the origins of wrestling managers–including memories of Bobby … Continue reading Episode 151: Sidney Bakabella...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for the landmark 150th episode of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! To honor the occasion, Brian welcomes the pioneering wrestling journalist and indispensable wrestling historian himself, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter to the show! It’s a one-of-a-kind conversation that focuses on Brian and Dave’s love … Continue reading Episode 150: D...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #149 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes former NWA President Bruce Tharpe to the show! Bruce has spent a lifetime in the business, including living through the last glory years of the territorial era! Listen in for a conversation covering his … Continue reading Episode 149: Bruce Tharpe → The post Episode 149: Bruce...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #148 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian welcomes Jeff Bowdren of the Breaking Kayfabe with Bowdren and Barry podcast! Listen in for some convo on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, as well as Jeff and Brian’s takes on some of … Continue reading Episode 148: Jeff Bowdren → The post Episode 148: Jeff Bowdren appea...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #147 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, we head back to the Pacific Northwest with a visit from collector, historian and longtime listener, Kerby Strom! Brian and Kerby’s conversation goes all over the place, starting in Portland and Tacoma, heading to New York, … Continue reading Episode 147: Kerby Strom → The post Episode 147: K...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #146 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, one of Brian’s earliest guests, “Blue Meanie” Brian Heffron, returns to the show! It’s a conversation covering ECW, Paul Heyman and Meanie’s experiences in the WWF, as well as many of Brian’s memories of encountering legends … Continue reading Episode 146: The Blue Meanie Returns → The post...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #145 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, it’s the finale of Brian’s epic two-part conversation with the returning Joe Marotta of the Our Vantage Point podcast! Get ready for more unpacking of the classic 1980s/1990s WWF/WCW announcers, including the Art Donovan debacle, the … Continue reading Episode 145: Joe Marotta Returns, Part...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #144 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, prolific podcaster Joe Marotta returns to the show for the first of an epic two-parter! Buckle up for more in-depth nostalgia on the WWF commentators of the ’80s and ’90s, as well as some Attitude Era … Continue reading Episode 144: Joe Marotta Returns, Part 1 → The post Episode 144: Joe Mar...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #143 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian is joined by Paige Sutherland, daughter of one of the most fearsome “foreign heels” of the ’70s and ’80s, Kurt Von Hess! Paige talks about her cherished relationship with the loving father she knew away … Continue reading Episode 143: Paige “Von Hess” Sutherland → The post Episode 143:...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #142 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! It’s WON HOF season again, and Brian has author, historian and podcaster Greg Klein on this week to talk about some of the candidates, especially Morris Sigel and the Junkyard Dog. Brian and Greg discuss why Sigel and … Continue reading Episode 142: Wrestling Observer HOF Episode w/ Greg Klein → The po...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #141 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian is joined by wrestling writer and historian Jamie Greer, author of Killers, Butchers, Cry-Babies & Canadian Destroyers: The History of Pro Wrestling in Windsor, Ontario! It’s a deep-dive into the history of Ontario wrestling, but … Continue reading Episode 141: Jamie Greer → The post E...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #140 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian is joined by independent wrestler Bull James, also known for his time in NXT as Bull Dempsey! Brian and Bull go back about 15 years in the business, and get together this week to remember … Continue reading Episode 140: Bull James → The post Episode 140: Bull James appeared first on Sh...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #139 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! Shut Up and Wrestle returns this week with Brian’s guest, wrestling writer and historian, Dan Murphy! Brian chats with Dan about his work with the CAC and his history in wrestling magazines, as well as his upcoming book … Continue reading Episode 139: Dan Murphy → The post Episode 139: Dan Murphy appea...

Hello, wrestling fans! Join Brian R. Solomon this week for the Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vol. 1! Brian has combed through the archives of SUAW to bring you some of his favorite moments from the past two and a half years. * The infamous Crash Holly story, as told to Brian Last * … Continue reading The Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vol. 1 → The post The Best of Shut Up and Wrestle, Vol. 1 appeared...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #138 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, film critic and dedicated wrestling lover BJ Colangelo makes her return to the show! Join BJ and Brian for a conversation on film, and yeah, a bunch of wrestling stuff too, of course! We get into … Continue reading Episode 138: BJ Colangelo Returns → The post Episode 138: BJ Colangelo Return...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #137 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! Can you imagine being the son of Harley Race? Well, Justin Race doesn’t have to imagine it–he lived it! And he’s here to talk about it with Brian this week. From going on the road with the traveling … Continue reading Episode 137: Justin Race → The post Episode 137: Justin Race appeared first on Shut U...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #136 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian is joined by promoter and longtime fan of professional wrestling and all things pop culture, Dan Farren! Dan has been a fan of the business and a denizen of the California/lucha libre wrestling scene for … Continue reading Episode 136: Dan Farren → The post Episode 136: Dan Farren appe...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #135 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, Brian is joined by prolific wrestling podcaster and 1980s/90s WWF enthusiast Joe Marotta! Brian and Joe get deep into the weeds on all the announcers of the classic WWF, most notably Gorilla Monsoon, but also Bobby … Continue reading Episode 135: Joe Marotta → The post Episode 135: Joe Marot...

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #134 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! This week, join Brian for a roundtable discussion with both John McAdam and Steve Gennarelli of the Stick to Wrestling podcast! John and Steve have been deep diving into the 1984 WWF expansion on their show, and this … Continue reading Episode 134: John McAdam & Steve Gennarelli → The post Episode 134:...

This week, Brian remembers the late, great Kevin Sullivan, sharing a November 2019 interview with Sullivan that was conducted in preparation for the writing of Brian’s biography of The Sheik, Blood and Fire. Kevin speaks not only about his close relationship with that other great wrestling icon, but also goes into detail on his thoughts … Continue reading Episode 133: From the Archives – Kevin Sul...