All posts by TGBL2022

Episode 179: Darla Staggs

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #179 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian welcomes Cauliflower Alley Club executive board member and lifelong wrestling fan Darla Staggs to the show!

Darla has been been a die-hard fan since she saw Pat O’Connor win the NWA World title from Dick Hutton in 1959 at six months of age, and is here to talk about her lifelong wrestling fandom, including friendships with Eddie Gilbert, the Briscos and others, as well as her memories of the WFIA, and more!

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 178: Dan Madigan

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #178 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian welcomes former WWE creative team member Dan Madigan to the show!

It’s a peek inside the WWE writer’s room that you won’t want to miss! Brian and Dan both worked for WWE during the Ruthless Aggression era, and have a lot to say about working for the McMahons and lots of other stuff.

Plus, Dan talks about writing the script for See No Evil, and there’s other horror movie talk slipped in there as well!

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 177: Rick Del Santo

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #177 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian welcomes podcaster, journalist, lifelong wrestling fan and fellow Connecticutian Rick Del Santo to the show!

Brian and Rick get into all the wrestling they loved as young fans in the ’80s and ’90s, bringing back more WWF/NWA/WCCW/WCW/ECW nostalgia than you can handle! From the wonders of cable television, to the glory of late night radio shows, and all the great stuff that made us fans, it’s all here.

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 176: The NWA World Champions Series, Part 2 – Lou Thesz

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #176 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! It’s part two of the NWA Word Champions series, with special guest Mark Fleming.

The name “Lou Thesz” is synonymous with wrestling greatness, and with being world champion. This week, Brian sits down with a man who was trained and mentored by Thesz, and shares his priceless memories and insights on this iconic figure.

Learn what Joe DiMaggio thought of Thesz… Behind the scenes of the title switches with Nomellini, Hutton, Carpentier, Watson and Rogers… How Thesz was at the center of the NWA/AWA/WWWF world title splintering of the early ’60s… Plus, Strangler Lewis tries to get Lou to forgive Toots Mondt, and much more!

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 175: Joe Marotta Talks WrestleMania IX… and More

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #175 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian welcomes podcaster and classic WWF enthusiast Joe Marotta to the show once more, this time to discuss the legacy of WrestleMania IX!

In light of WWE’s recent documentary, WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle, Brian and Joe break down this controversial and much-discussed watershed event in WWE history, and happily go on lots of other early ’90s WWF tangents as well…

It’s everything from Max Moon to Chris Walker to Giant Gonzalez, this week on Shut Up and Wrestle!

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 174: Paige “Von Hess” Sutherland and Bob Smith Talk the NWF

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #174 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian welcomes Paige “Von Hess” Sutherland and Bob Smith to the show to look back on the classic NWF territory of the early 1970s!

Pedro Martinez and Johnny Powers embodied this vintage Buffalo/Cleveland territory that’s rarely discussed today. It’s remembered well by Paige, whose father Kurt Von Hess wrestled there, as well as by wrestling magazine legend and podcaster Bob Smith, who got hooked on wrestling thanks to the NWF back in the day.

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 173: Discussing Queen of the Ring w/ BJ Colangelo

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #173 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian is joined once again by film critic, film maker and wrestling aficionado BJ Colangelo, this time for a discussion of Queen of the Ring!

Brian and BJ give their unfiltered views on the new Mildred Burke biopic from director Ash Avildsen, as both wrestling fans and film buffs. Unlike with wrestling itself, no punches are pulled in our honest appraisal of this cinematic take on the ultimate pioneer of women’s wrestling!

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 172: The NWA World Champions Series, Part 1 – Orville Brown

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #172 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon! It’s part one of the NWA Word Champions series, with special guest Dr. Robert Stinson.

This week, Brian and the good doctor look back at the life and career of an often-overlooked legend, the very first National Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight champion, Orville Brown.

It’s a journey back to the very beginning of the Alliance in the late 1940s, to understand how Brown’s efforts helped to establish the brand-new world title.

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 171: Tony Richards Talks Dory Funk Sr.

Hello, wrestling fans! It’s time for Episode #171 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon!

This week, Brian is joined by podcaster and historian Tony Richards to discuss the legacy of Dory Funk Sr., patriarch of the Funk family, as well as the West Texas territory he ruled.

Tony is the author of the upcoming book, Dory Funk Sr. and the Amarillo Territory, and the perfect guest to speak with authority on such a cherished territory and era in professional wrestling that doesn’t get talked about enough.

Time to relive the days of Doc Sarpolis, Gory Guerrero, Ciclon Negro, Mike Dibiase and many others who ruled the roost in Amarillo, Lubbock, El Paso and elsewhere–this week on Shut Up and Wrestle.

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 170: The Blue Meanie Remembers Sabu

Hello, wrestling fans, and welcome to Episode #170 of Shut Up and Wrestle, with Brian R. Solomon.

This week, Brian is joined by “Blue Meanie” Brian Heffron to remember the life and legacy of the legendary Sabu, who passed away several days ago at the age of 60.

Meanie recalls some classic moments from ECW history, while Brian discusses Sabu’s connection to his famous uncle, The Sheik. It’s a heartfelt tribute to a generation-defining wrestler who never fully got the recognition he so richly deserved.

Shut Up and Wrestle is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.