Rich Sigwald and Tim Hackman

The Wrestling Archives

Sports EN ↓ 122 episodes

Two nerdy librarians aim to preserve the art form that is Professional Wrestling by watching old shows and discussing their place in the lore. They also interview wrestlers and wrestling personalities to share their story and have conversations on topics relating to the pro wrestling community.

Author

Rich Sigwald and Tim Hackman

Category

Sports

Podcast website

thewrestlingarchive.com

Latest episode

Jul 11, 2026

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Episodes

Nice & Smooth 11.07.2026

Former VCW Tag Team Champs, "Too Nice" Trace Parker and "Smooth" Tom Mitchell, together knkown as "Nice & Smooth" join Tim and Rich on show. Topics include hair, Dolph Zigler, original music, and their plans to get back the gold from Greek God Papadon, Mr. Xcellence Brandon Scott and their stooge Mr. George Pantas at the VCW Liberty Lottery on July 25 in Portsmout...

Dr. Myles McNutt 15.05.2026

Tim and Rich have a visitor! Dr. Myles McNutt, noted media critic, blogger, author, and professor swings in to talk about the changing dynamics of kayfabe in this new era of streamers, influencers, and backstage documentaries like WWE's Unreal on Netflix. They have a great conversation sure to change your perspective on modern professional wrestling! Thanks for listening!

WrestleMania 42 Preview! 15.04.2026

Every year, the boys hop on the mics to talk about the biggest event of the year in sports entertainment. But this year, maybe they're not feeling it? They certainly get distracted fast by all the great tv shows that aren't wrestling they've been consuming. Once they get around to actually talking about the 2-day Las Vegas extravaganza, it gets hot! Thanks for listening!

2025: Year in Review 07.01.2026

Tim and Rich look back at what was the year 2025 in the wrestling world. There were monumental shifts in the wrestling paradigm that certainly warranted a revisit and discussion. Thanks for listening!

Dr. David L. Shabazz: Pro Wrestling's Black World Champions 15.09.2025

Tim and Rich welcomed David L. Shabazz to the show. He is an award-winning writer, author, educator, speaker and recording artist. He is author of four books: Public Enemy Number One, Discover Your Gold Mind, and co-author of Dolemite: The Story of Rudy Ray Moore and the newly released Pro Wrestling's Black World Champions , both with his late brother Julian.

The Loss of Hulk Hogan & More 28.07.2025

We lost the living icon, Hulk Hogan (1953-2025). We discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of the legend Hulk Hogan and the flaws of the man who portrayed him, Terry Bollea. We discuss his imprint on the entertainment form that we adore and confront his downfalls. We also discuss the happenings of the Maryland and Virginia Indie scene as several friends of the show had a huge weekend. The events...

The WrestleMania 41 Preview 14.04.2025

The annual tradition for Tim and Rich returns with their picks and whatever else is on their mind for the big weekend of WrestleMania 41, April 19 and 20 from Las Vegas, Nevada!

Interview - Chris Slade 03.03.2025

Tim and Rich take a break and sit down with The Picture Perfect Assassin, the Sharpest Blade, Chris Slade. Chris is quickly rising young talent out of the DC Metro area. He's got the look, he's got the moves, he's got the talk. You can see him at shows by ACW, VCW, MCW, PPW, and countless others in the Mid-Atlantic region. He's got hustle, and is just striving to be the best in the world.

Episode 4 - Gaijin 2: Homecoming 17.02.2025

Tim and Rich pick up with one of the most infamous stories of anyone quitting a job in any business, not just wrestling. "It wasn't a truck....no comment." Then, we get back to where Stan Hansen is clearly comfort, in the Land of the Rising Sun, fighting former sumo and some of the most legendary professional wrestlers from the Pacific rim.

Episode 3 - "A Fat Wife and Nine Kids" 10.02.2025

Episode 3 finds us following The Lariat back to the states where Stan agrees work with the AWA where he immediately makes a huge mark, capturing their World Title and our hearts.

Episode 2 - Gaijin! 03.02.2025

Rich and Tim follow Stan Hansen to the early 80's where he's is cutting his teeth and really making a name for himself in Japan. We watch as Stan's popularity explodes with matches against Giant Baba, Hulk Hogan, Terry Funk, and Andre the Giant.

Episode 1 - Stan Hansen in the WWWF 27.01.2025

New year, new format, same great hosts. Rich and Tim have decided to really focus and bring you the story of Stan Hansen told through his greatest matches. In this episode, they talk about the early days of Stan Hansen's career, and his rocket to fame when he broke Bruno Sammartino's neck in Madison Square Garden.

Bruno! 26.11.2024

Tim and Rich were finally able to find time to record! This time, they went back to Madison Square Garden on August 7, 1976. It's Bruno Sammartino's return to MSG after the Texas bounty hunter, Stan Hansen, broke his neck. This injury not just nearly ended Bruno's amazing career, but nearly ended his incredible life. Bruno gets his revenge on Stan in a brutal steel cage match. Also on the card, Th...

The Return of the Boar! 08.10.2024

Our favorite member of the Suidae family, Boar joins us again to talk smack about his upcoming match with Myles Hawkins at the next Virginia Championship Wrestling event, Grave Conflict, on October 12th! When then decided to watch the instant classic of Diesel vs. Bret Hart from the 1995 Survivor Series from Landover, MD (We covered this show before because Rich was there, but it's the favorite ma...

Clash of the Champions XXIV 27.09.2024

Tim and Rich pop into the vault to bring up WCW's 24th Clash of the Champions from 1993. If you know, you know, amirite? This show starts out pretty good, but you can tell it's just doomed from the start, and then it happens, the most shocking debut in all of professional wrestling, and not in a good way. It's another one of those times where kayfabe is broken and a landmark moment in the history...

WrestleMania 31 30.08.2024

Today, we travel back to 2015 for WrestleMania 31. I was going to make a Terminator timeline reference since this show is heavily sponsored by Terminator: Genisys, but the timeline is so messed up I can't tell what happened 2015. What we do know: Sting is not Japanese, HHH is not a robot, DX and the NWO are old, and Roman Reigns can work a shoot with Brock Lesnar. The Undertaker gets back on his w...

When Giants Walked Here 16.08.2024

We were truly blessed to be given some time to talk with Cliff Bumgardner and Chris Lea, the makers of the new PBS documentary, When Giants Walked Here. This fantastic documentary tells the story of the famed J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, NC. It's the little engine that could of wrestling arenas. The story of the creation of the building to the stories of the incredible wrestling presented there b...

SummerSlam 2024 Preview 30.07.2024

For the first time ever, Tim and Rich recorded in the same room with each other! They took some time out of Rich's visit to the tidewater to sit down and talk about SummerSlam 2024, which is coming live from Cleveland, Ohio. Who will keep their belt? Who will have their hearts broken? Hear what Tim and Rich think, plus they recount the awesome weekend they had going to the VCW Liberty Lottery wher...

The Brooklyn Brawler 16.07.2024

When the Brooklyn Brawler says "Let's do it, baby" to you, you do it. That's exactly what happened here. Tim was given a phone number. He called it and Steve Lombardi answered and was ready right then to talk, so Tim got to have a 15 minute chat with the legend. We decided that wasn't quite enough for an episode so we hopped in the studio and had a talk about The Brooklyn Brawler/Abe "Knuckleball"...

UK Rampage ' 92 12.07.2024

We dig into the VHS vault for this one and present a forgotten gem of the Coliseum Video era. A live show, recorded at the last stop of the 1992 European Rampage Tour, in Sheffield, England. Boy was this one a treat! Bret Hart and Rick Martel, Macho Man vs Shawn Michaels. This card, for the most part was banger after banger, and got Rich waxing nostalgia over the importance of the Coliseum Video c...

WCW Greed & Who Killed WCW? 21.06.2024

Tim and Rich are back, this time getting into a favorite topic of every longtime wrestling fan, the fall of WCW. We've heard the stories a million times. Tim and Rich approach it from what the WCW product looked like at the time of death, WCW Greed, March 18, 2001 from a 50% capacity Jacksonville Coliseum. It's just a mere 8 days before the final Monday Nitro where Vince McMahon shocks the world w...

David Crockett: Revisited 31.05.2024

Our first re-release. With Tim and Rich occupied with travel and family stuff, they felt it was a goof time to reflect and re-release their fantastic interview and chat with David Crockett. Enjoy!

Jesús Ricardo Rodriguez 22.05.2024

We stayed up past our bedtime to have the opportunity to talk with the legendary Jesús Ricardo Rodriguez. He shares his incredible story that took him around the world twice over. We talk about his introduction to the business, his love for Eddie Guerrero, and his meteoric rise to fame as the personal ring announcer and valet to the WWE/World Heavyweight Champion and AAA Mega Champion, El Patròn A...

SummerSlam '92 10.05.2024

Alright, you've been having a pretty killer summer. In an exchange with your mom, you watched (and secretly enjoyed) "A League of Their Own." In this bargain, you got to go see "Batman Returns." Your dad said no to "Lethal Weapon 3," but felt bad so he secretly took you to see "Encino Man" because Pauly Shore is so funny!!! In the lobby of the movie theater, you blasted through $10 (oh no, your po...

1990 Royal Rumble 19.04.2024

It's January 1990. You're happy they've finally stopped playing that dang Christmas song by Band Aid and you are fully jamming to Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block. Most Sundays you have to decide between America's Funniest Home Videos or ALF. But, not this Sunday. You were really good and did your chores and washed your grandma's feet so your parents would spring for the Royal Rumble on Pay-...

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