Then, now, forever, together. The ILW Lounge’s Wrestlemania 41 and Stand and Deliver Predictions are officially in the books.

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We’re in the single-digit days away from Wrestlemania and matches are coming out of the woodwork, promos are blurring the line even more between work and shoot, and AEW keeps on keeping on. Uncle Naitch gives time, space, and thanks for Kevin Owens’ work, Adam is all in for the cattiness between Charlotte and Tiffany after last week’s off-the-rails promo, Audio Sean thinks the implications of CM Punk’s favor are more crucial than the reveal itself, Ice realizes he might be older than Swipe Right’s parents, and Rachel reminds us all to reflect on how far women’s wrestling has come since the first Wrestlemania 42 years ago.

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YES BOY, Pretty Deadly have finally scored a win! The news of last week’s roster releases inspires a new game “Where To Next?” where we book the fantasy futures of the dearly departed wrestlers. Rachel embraces the 2K MY GM mode when thinking about AJ Styles’ transfer to RAW, Audio Sean is ready to celebrate Rusev Day at any moment , Adam wants to know what Uncle Howdy has been whispering in Alexa Bliss’ ear, and Uncle Naitch comes to the defense of Charlotte Flair. This episode is not sponsored by Kit Wilson or Elton Prince of Pretty Deadly.

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This week’s episode is full of tricks and treats, from The Curse of Camp Cornette to Hornswoggle vs. McMahon in a Steel Cage. Rachel offers periodic updates from watching NXT Halloween Havoc live and we book The Crown Jewel Card with some extra-spicy takes from Audio Ben. We find out how much vintage Shawn Michaels merch hats currently go for and speculate the booking for Jade Cargill’s opening run. Audio Ben poses a tough question about today’s commentators, Rachel finds a moment of endearment in Santino Marella, and Lola Vice dances her way into all of our hearts.

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Spooky season continues on ILW as we travel deeper into the past and revisit the electrifying Chamber of Horrors match between eight legends on WCW’s 1991 Halloween Havoc. We question the origin of Cactus Jack’s leopard print pants, how Abdullah the Butcher can bleed so much and still be alive, Sting’s tight bod, and the shocking ending to a chaotic match. In true Everything Everywhere All At Once Fashion, Evolution is all over the map: starting with Stone Cold’s origins at 1996 King of the Ring, to Cena vs. Orton at 2008 No Way Out, to 2010 heel Michael Cole on NXT, and 2023 NXT Halloween Havoc. Badabing BadaBeSure to Rate, Review, and Subscribe!

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Fresh off of finishing the entire series of Total Bellas and Total Divas, Rachel is finally ready to experience Evolution and recount the first (but hopefully not last) all-women PPV on WWE. Audio Ben and Matt watched live when it first aired and look back five years later on some new and old faces that still hold up today. Roman Reigns returned to Smackdown and in true ILW fashion, we all have different opinions on his face-off with LA Knight. Rachel actually took one of Matt’s suggestions and went to an indie wrestling (GCW) show. She relives the joy of seeing electrifying performers like iconic gay wrestler Effy, Michael Jackson impersonator Santana Jackson, Dark Sheikh, and more in the beautiful Ukrainian Cultural Center. We discuss our favorite karaoke songs and Audio Ben discloses the last song he remembers performing. 

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It was a big week for wrestling, from Fastlane to a star-studded episode of NXT, and your trusty ILW team is here to talk about it with you. The surprising new Universal Tag Team Champs Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso prove their buddy-cop status with hilarious chemistry during a yeet-filled press conference, especially in contrast to the stilted awkwardness of John Cena and LA Knight together. NXT’s star-studded episode hits the right mix of cameos and spotlighting new talent, though we can’t say we’ll be tuning in to next week’s Bada Bing Bada Boom Battle Royale. Rachel reflects on her experience as she approaches the final few episodes of Total Bellas, Matt finds parallels between important losses for Shinsuke and Sami, and Audio Ben successfully battles Covid. 

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Dust off your tombstones, unlock the mausoleum, and get ready to watch along in real time with Rachel and Audio Ben as they revisit WCW’s iconic 1997 Halloween Havoc match between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. The iconic props and backgrounds immediately captivate us, and the high-flying acrobatics and electric chemistry between two legends proves why this is such a legendary match. After watching The Godfather for the first time, Rachel has some thoughts on how the Corleone Family parallels The Bloodline and we book the damn family. Audio Ben has a Tiffany Epiphany after watching NXT No Mercy and Trick Williams wins us both over. 

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What do Kofi Kingston, Damian Sandow, and Tommaso Ciampa have in common? They were all trained by legendary coach Mike Hollow, who joins the ILW Team today to talk about his coaching career, the independent wrestling scene and how it has and hasn’t evolved throughout the years, and what gets him to tune in on a weekly basis. He weighs in on the divisive Roman Reigns vs. Rock debate and the effects of shows like Monster Factory and Wrestlers. Rachel watched the Andre the Giant documentary and realizes things like the importance of cable TV in developing the WWF while Audio Ben recounts his experience tuning in as a child. As always, we continue to remain #EltonStrong. 

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Grow out your beards, lather yourself in grease, and get ready to watch along in real time with the ILW trio as they revisit The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family. Audio Ben keeps us on track with the proper times, while Matt is derailed by ads and Rachel overzealously fast forwards a couple of minutes ahead. We talk about the trajectories and tragic endings of the iconic trio's careers and The Shield’s fashion choices spark almost as many tangents as Seth’s vest pockets. The Rock’s return to Smackdown has us torn on whether or not he should have acknowledged The Bloodline, and we book a fictional Brawl at the Mall PPV. Listen now to find out how Matt is connected to Dink the Clown, Audio Ben’s throwback to Limewire days, and which action figure Rachel added to her collection this week!

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Nothing brings people together like wrestling and thanks to a friend of a friend (hi, Addy!), sports reporter and broadcaster Pierre Noujaim joins the ILW team for a discussion full of surprises and hot takes. He takes us through experiencing The Attitude Era as a teenager, seeing the iconic Kurt Angle Milk Truck incident live, and shocks us with his favorite interview experience. Pierre thinks about Jeff Hardy on a daily basis and we attempt to understand why. Audio Ben revisits his own WWE action figure collecting past and Rachel finally appreciates Tropic Thunder.

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Lower the steel cage chamber and get ready for a new episode of ILW reacting, recapping, and proselytizing about last weekend’s Payback PPV. Rachel and Audio Ben are your tag team representatives this week and they rave about Becky vs. Trish, celebrate the new Undisputed Tag Team Champions, and try not to get too excited when discussing Rhea vs. Raquel. Amidst a discussion about mid-2000s action figures, Rachel makes a purchase live on-air with Audio Ben’s encouragement, and Producer Jason quickly stops by to discuss his future booking for Rhea Ripley. 

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Stone Cold vs. McMahon. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. MVP vs. Matt Hardy. Feuds between superstars is an ancient tenent of professional wrestling, a storyline as old as time, and we’re here to revisit an underrated, nuanced feud between Montell Vontavius Porter and Matt Hardy. The wacky antics of this odd couple gave us iconic moments like a boxing match with Evander Holyfield, beer drinking contest with Stone Cold, and an eventual dissolution with one of the most eccentric losses in wrestling history. Producer Jason joins us to recount his experience watching the story unfold back when it first aired, Audio Ben feels all the feelings from LA Knight’s promo tribute to Bray Wyatt, Matt provides color commentary from the car, and Rachel analyzes the 2011 WWE Documentary “Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator”. This episode of ILW is brought to you by Sikk the Shokker. 

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YEET. WOO. Charlotte Flair and Jey Uso are our 2025 Royal Rumble winners and the Road to Wrestlemania is officially underway. Uncle Naitch is still raising his hands days after attending RAW live, Frolf recounts the Rumble moment that almost made him spit out his beer, Audio Sean finds multiple opportunities to showcase his disappointment in the Women’s Rumble Winner, Ice is now a Jey Guy, Adam pokes holes in Becky Lynch’s return theories, and Rachel delivers a GOAT transition discussing the possibility of John Cena’s final run as a heel.

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The professional wrestling community lost two legends this week and we pivot our Main Event to honor their impact and legacies. Producer Jason joins Rachel and Ben to recount the many stages of Terry Funk’s career and his parallels with iconic figures like Jake the Snake. We discuss the importance of Bray Wyatt’s promo skills and creativity and look back on what was far too short a run. Millennial Mania caps things off with R&J’s review of Twisted Metal and Rachel tries her best with transitions. 

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Rev up your engines and get ready to race down the 405 as we travel from the backlot of Universal to the stage of Wrestlemania 12 in an epic, multi-part brawl between “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Goldust. The ILW Trio discuss why this match still holds up almost 20 years later, the importance of Goldust’s character, and how OJ Simpson might have played an even bigger role in Wrestlemania. It doesn’t matter if Jey is quitting the WWE - we know he’ll still be there, but can’t say the same for Lacey Evans as Matt salutes her departure. We talk about our current favorite in-ring talent, with Audio Ben spotlighting Ilya Dragunov, and Rachel provides a close analysis of the next lyric in “Line in the Sand”.

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Rachel is joined by Chad Kultgen, renowned Bachelor expert and co-host of Dudesy, to discuss the parallels between reality TV and wrestling, why he’s able to go all in for The Bachelor community but not for WWE, and how both universes are really all about the game and how you play it. 

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Fresh off their live in-studio episode with THE Brian Campbell, the ILW Team and guest co-host/face of the pod ImBoredBrother are here to bring you their highs, lows, and woahs of Summer Slam 2023. They celebrate LA Knight’s Slim Jim Battle Royale win and subsequent promo with The Miz, reveal some fun facts about Cody Rhodes that may or may not be true, and Iyo Sky’s MITB Cash-In literally brings tears to Rachel’s eyes. Who should break Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship Streak? Was that Brock and Cody hug actually unscripted? And how much Bloodline is too much Bloodline? All this and more, only on I Like Wrestling!

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It’s Episode 50!!! And what better way to celebrate than by opening the new I Like Wrestling studio headquarters with an exclusive interview featuring THE Brian Campbell! Audio Ben and Producer Jason join us on the mics for a hot fire discussion about professional wrestling, combat sports, why stupidity and levity are just as important as violence, and what it might take to get Brian to relapse back into that secret sauce. 

We’re all in for the importance of community and This Corner OG’s (ITCOGs) give their flowers to the OG of OG, The BC. Matt is happy for a super duper Summerslam.  It’s Producer vs. Producer as Jason responds to Audio Ben’s takes on Roman Reigns. Does Rachel break Brian with her final question? Listen (and rate, review, subscribe) to find out!

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Rachel is Lost in LA with her family so the FIBs (Matt, Ben, and Ron) linked up to discuss The Bloodline, New Japan, and more. Ron drops a surprising take that makes a ton of sense and we book the Elders as Jey gears up to take on our Tribal Chief at SummerSlam. Ben steers us through the past, present, and future in our Evolution segment and Matt stays back on his BS as usual. The boys finish off the pod with a frank talk about violence in pro wrestling and why strong style resonates with some but not with Ron. Next week: The 50th Episode featuring THE BRIAN CAMPBELL! Download, rate, review @ilwpod @ilwpod @ilwpod 

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The first official I Like Wrestling x I Like to Read collab is here as journalist Bobby Matthews joins Rachel to discuss his book “Living the Gimmick”. Bobby shares tales from the territories he’s watched and worked in, thoughts on Cody Rhodes, and what it means to fully live the gimmick. 

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BUY “LIVING THE GIMMICK”: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Gimmick-Bobby-Mathews-ebook/dp/B09XFDLRQK

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Bang your cymbals, play your trombones, it’s time for The New Day vs. The Usos in the electric opening match from 2017’s Hell in a Cell. The first and only tag team match in a cell is deservingly iconic of its many dramatic spots, fluid choreography, and electric tension between two of the most important tag teams in history. 

Evolution takes us back to the dark side of Adrian Adonis’s past through booking the end of the Roman’s reign in the future. Meanwhile in the present it’s G1 season and Matt takes us through what he’s loving in current NJPW from A (Alex Coughlin) to Z (Zach Sabre Jr). Ben ate Little Caesar’s in the Navy and drops and in this week’s Millennial Mania Rachel watches “Apocalypse Now” for the first time; does it compare to the Bloodline? More importantly, is Rick Rude proud of his son Bobby? Find out on this week’s I Like Wrestling!

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Foley Week continues on ILW as our Main Event centers on the man, the myth, the legend - Mick Foley! From Cactus Jack to Mankind to Dude Love and back again, we revisit iconic matches like Cactus Jack vs. Sting at Beach Bash, Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, and the revolutionary Mankind/JR Interview. We may disagree if he’s a heel or a face but either way, we’re having a nice day. Rachel revists a romantic date between Jamie Noble and Michelle McCool, Audio Ben connects with a custodian on Alice in Chains, and Matt shows off his Kabuki Warriors shirt to the invisible viewers. 

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Watch along live for Rachel's first reactions and Matt/Audio Ben's reliving of Mick Foley vs. Edge at Wrestlemania 22 (2006). Queue it up on Peacock at 1:02:18 and let the hardcore madness begin! 

Let’s get ready to rumble in the ILW Lounge as we point toward that Wrestlemania sign predicting the outcomes of this weekend’s Royal Rumble. Uncle Naitch fantasy books a parallel timeline where Karron Kross wins, Ice is ready to talk about wrestling again, Adam foresees Roxane Perez’s Final Four potential, Sean gives us another weekly live show recap, Rachel compares 2020’s Rumble to today’s card, and Frolf and his mustache are just happy to be here.

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Ronda Rousey may not give a damn about her reputation but all eyes were on her during Wrestlemania for her mixed tag-team match with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Does the ILW Team buy her face? Rachel watches the full match for the first time after seeing teasers on Total Divas and the ILW Team recalls their experiences watching live and the reverberations of Ronda’s career. We cash in on Evolution, spending a good chunk of change discussing last weekend’s Money in the Bank PLE and we discover a surprise comedian on Celebrity Family Feud.

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Matt takes a hot minute for a hot take about what Ronda Rousey and Shayna Bayszler’s feud could mean for the future of combat sports. He projects the upcoming Endeavor era and makes a strong case for why it will be better than anyone thinks.

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The following episode is scheduled for one-fall, brought to you by KFC and Cricket Wireless. Natty’s claws are out and ready to pounce onto Naomi’s Smackdown Women’s Championship during arguably one of the best matches on the card of a rough SummerSlam 2017. Rachel brings her Total Divas context and insight into the history of their feud and whether or not there was real animosity in that slap. Matt is fresh off meeting Mick Foley after his live show recounting the famous Hell in a Cell Match and Audio Ben gets a new mic. It’s glow time baby!

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Wipe off your shoes before you step into the ring, because Matt’s here to tell us all about his official in-ring professional wrestling debut last weekend at Vermont Pro Wrestling Entertainment. From an eye-opening interaction with Punk (no, not that one) to an impromptu catering business, we’ve got a maple-soaked behind-the-scenes peek into the wood and steel of the indie wrestling scene. Rachel tries the new McDonald’s Grimace Shake, Audio Ben recalls his solo White Stripes concert experience, and we are officially approved by the cast of Jury Duty!

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It’s Matt’s week to choose our match from the past and we were forced to suffer through the atrocity that is the Midcard Maharaja vs. The Not-Yet-Tribal Chief. It may not be the worst thing ever but it’s certainly not good and we talk through why, along with the absurdity of the rest of the four hours and counting that is Money in the Bank 2018. At least we had Alexa Bliss.Audio Ben considers Triple H’s plans with the new belts, Matt gets ready for his in-ring announcing debut this weekend, and Rachel finally gets to talk about the parallels between “Jury Duty” and professional wrestling. 

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1-2-3 Kid, Shawn Waltman, X-Pac, Syxx… it doesn’t matter what your name is when you face the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, Bret Hart. This week’s match from the past is brought to you courtesy of Audio Ben and Rachel took approximately one note on the actual moves, though there’s still plenty of discussion to be had surrounding this 1994 diamond in the rough. Is LA Knight’s character too derivative of the past? Which woman from Total Divas set a groundbreaking precedent with her entrance? And does Matt make an appearance on this episode? You’ll have to listen to find out!

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Catch Matt LIVE for his in-ring announcer debut at World of Hurt Wrestling presented by Vermont Entertainment Wrestling on Saturday, June 17 in Burlington, VT! Buy tickets at: https://sevendaystickets.com/events/vermont-pro-wrestling-entertainment-presents-world-of-hurt-wrestling-6-17-2023/tickets 

From Night of Champions to NXT Battleground, last weekend was filled with premium live wrestling, and the ILW Team is here to recap, review, and share their hot takes. Matt takes us for a spin on commentary for a live watch-along of Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya’s match. Evolution is as strong a segment as ever, with another heated discussion on the merits of 2007 Smackdown to the futures of Mustafa Ali and Baron Corbin in NXT. Rachel explains Barbiecore to the clueless guy, we predict the future for Ilya Dragunov, and Audio Ben considers Brock Lesnar for his Mount Rushmore.

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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 through the blood, guts, and pretzel of it all. We react to Pretty Deadly’s cheeky debut on Friday Night Snackdown, Rachel watches a 2014 Lana/Rusev and Jack Swagger/Zeb Colter promo, Audio Ben made some nice tables, and Matt turns heel on GCW.

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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/BobbyBuffetMFPW 

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MONSTER FACTORY YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCanPPFoWc0pxyNgmJ_WtzaA 

WATCH MONSTER FACTORY ON APPLE TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/monster-factory/umc.cmc.38kf4x2lvqiqdb0up8kcptnd 

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Rachel, Matt, and Ben, the OG Three, are back for their first episode of the New Year. It’s too sweet to hear Evolution Drop as we dive into 2008 Backlash, last weekend’s SNME, this weekend’s upcoming Rumble, and the Rhode to Wresltemania.

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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 they introduce Rachel to Wrestler’s Court. Matt further emphasizes the importance of a hot crowd as he recounts his experience attending a GCW live show in Brooklyn, Rachel enjoys more of 2007 Smackdown, and Audio Ben keeps us afloat. 

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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/lucastwitchdisangro/ 

MONSTER FACTORY YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCanPPFoWc0pxyNgmJ_WtzaA 

WATCH MONSTER FACTORY ON APPLE TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/monster-factory/umc.cmc.38kf4x2lvqiqdb0up8kcptnd 

BUY LUKE’S SHIRT: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/mrfanspastic

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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 draft and Sean tells us what it was like to hear the choral next-level crowd booing of Domink Mysterio. And if you haven’t watched Jury Duty yet, what are you waiting for??

SEAN’S TWITTER: @Imboredbrother

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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 their terrible shirt. Is Bad Bunny the most important celeb to ever join professional wrestling? Does the new championship belt matter? And how did bread and butter pickles get their name? We answer these questions and more, only on ILW!

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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 Wrestlemania for the third week in a row and we question Ric Flair’s social media presence.

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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 bemoans AEW’s burying of Jay White, and Ben questions if Matt is living inside a U-Haul. Live from two basements and one apartment, it’s ILW!

HUNTER’S INSTAGRAM: @hunterjgallagher @jetjamesonwrestles

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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 runs through the Stand and Deliver card, having been April Fooled on a live Pretty Deadly experience, and discusses the differences between that crowd and the RAW after Wrestlemania. Plus, a deep-dive into how Paul Heyman may be orchestrating the entire Brock betrayal and a theory on the future of Solo Sikoa. 

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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 the 1980s as Rachel discovers “Tuesday Night Titans” and we can’t believe it’s been 22 years since WWE bought WCW. 

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 Mick Foley vs. Coachman refereed by Hornswoggle on 2007 Smackdown, Audio Ben talks about the internet discourse surrounding the KO/Sami Zayn hug, and Matt weighs in on some directly from the sewers of NYC.

RON’S TWITTER: @ronwil96 

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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 Sized Super Pandy Party re-visiting Money in the Bank 2020 and the unique production that gave us an insider look into the WWE Headquarters. From the Zoom promos to fake Doink cameo, this MITB PPV is one worth cashing in on.

ANDREW’S TWITTER: @AngeGold

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(Most of) The ILW roster has always believed in Joe Hendry and now the rest of the world gets to experience his glory too. Sean gives us the rundown on his weekend of live shows, overflowing with TNA gems, Adam raises a good point about the history of Women’s Royal Rumbles, the Original Host of the A Show makes a cameo from his car, Uncle Naitch poses an unexpected Wrestlemania opponent for Sami Zayn, and Rachel argues vehemently against media scrubbing. 

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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 his infamous neck tattoo, and how Sami Zayn’s entire Bloodline path may have been forged from The American Nightmare’s pec injury. Natalya meets Grumpy Cat on Total Divas and we graciously allow an alternate perspective on Pretty Deadly.

RON’S TWITTER: @ronwil96 

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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 disovers “How Low Will America Go?” with Tiger Ali Singh on Sunday Night Heat. What do Terry Funk and Squishmallows have in common? Who is Dick Togo? We explore these questions and more, only on ILW!

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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 Wrestling as Matt enlightens us with unabashed passion for a unique time not just in wrestling but in overall society. Rachel questions if Total Divas might just be fool’s gold, but immediately digs to find solid gold in the layers of reality. Audio Ben can’t get over Karl Frederick’s new name and introduces the other 2 members of The Hart Foundation to NXT Level Up.

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