The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith – Details, episodes & analysis

On this very special editon of The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (the former managing editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated), the veteran writer greets a pair of living legends from the glory days of Big-Time Wrestling in Detroit: announcer and commentator Terry Sullivan and Dave Burzynski - better known to Detroit and Canadian fans as the wily manager "Supermouth" Dave Drason! This podcast is one for the books - if you're a 1970s pro wrestling fan, we guarantee you that on this show you'll hear facts about a host ouf legendary stars: The Sheik, The Mighty Igor, The McGuire Twins, Dr. Jerry Graham, Tony Marino, Bull Curry, Killer Brooks, Eddie Creachman, and the list goes on and on. You'll learn about the classic Cobo Arena program, and a lot about the Big-Time Wrestling TV show. Take a trip back in time with one of the best episodes of The Outdated Wrestling Hour yet!

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The popular website The Ringer - which recently received national acclaim for its recent, in-depth biography of the legendary Kevin Sullivan - has a wrestling section included in its array of articles on tech, pop culture, and sports. The Sullivan article was written by a recent Outdated Wrestling Hour guest in Lee Douglass, who penned and researched the piece along with Oliver Lee Bateman - who joins the OWH for a spirted conversation on the state of pro wrestling then and now. It's one of wrestling's best writers on The Outdated Wrestling Hour once again, and it's the kind of freeform discussion that's captivated listeners during the two years of this singularly unique podcast!

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Former PWI managing editor (and current Outdated Wrestling Hour podcast host) Bob Smith has been talking about it for two years: The mid-1980s Bruiser Bedlam TV series from the Indianapolis area featured some of the best wrestling that too few people knew about. Among the stars were Dr. Jerry Graham Jr., The Great Wojo, El Bracero, a young and hungry Scott Rechsteiner (who soon became Scott Steiner) - and an "All-American" babyface named Chris Carter ... whose heel turn Smith considers to be one of the best of the entire decade. Check out this new edition and hear Carter offer memories of legends such as Dick The Bruiser, The Sheik, Moose Cholak, and many others - and learn how a new breed of stars and booking turned an almost dormant territory in the WWA into a hotbed of big crowds and white-hot excitement - and you'll find out how you can enjoy many of these programs today!

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Bob Smith traveled the country covering pro wrestling for Pro Wrestling Illustrated - but he states strongly the best time he ever had was covering the USWA in Memphis in 1991. Like other fans, Smith - now the host of The Outdated Wrestling Hour podcast - was a huge supporter of the legendary Channel 5 wrestling on Saturdays hosted by the incomparable announcer Lance Russell. On this special edition of the OWH, Smith welcomes Shane Russell, the son of Lance Russell, who recalls so many stories about his Hall of Famer father that we don't have room to list them all here. Tune in for pure nostalgia as Smith and Russell take you back to the days of the Mid-South Coliseum and Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Lance Russell, Curt Hennig, and all the legends that the mat world will never forget!

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The great Lee Walker of the hit wrestling podcast Perched On The Top Rope suggested it, and we jumped on it: The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (the former managing editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) welcomes Bay Ragni - better known to early ECW fans as the one and only Chubby Dudley! Despite his humorous wrestling persona, Ragni explains the travails of being a young wrestler in a most unusual role, and also talks about how his life took a turn for the better as the years rolled on. This is an interesting fellow, that Chubby Dudley - so snack on the newest edition of The Outdated Wrestling Hour!

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Following a record-setting episode featuring the top 100 pro wrestlers of the 1980s, The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (former managing editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine) takes on a most unique topic: The pro wrestlers who engage in acts of charity and kindness behind the scenes. The guest is an expert on the subject: Stanley Karr, the host of the Wrestling With Heart podcast and a radio pro as well. BONUS: Bob Smith reads a fan letter that absolutely floors him - and you might feel the same as you listen to his unique wrestling show!

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This edition of The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (former PWI managing editor during the 1980s and 1990s) brings back a concept that was a smash hit upon its conception - expert rankings for an entire decade of pro wrestling stars. Previously, a ranking of 1970s legends was a smash hit - and now, Smith brings back John McAdam and Steve Gennarelli of the mega-popular Arcadian Vanguard podcast Stick To Wrestling With John McAdam for a ranking of the top 100 wrestling stars of the 1980s. It’s the longest OWH podcast to date, but there’s not a second wasted; it’s an in-depth look at the stars and moments that made the ’80s one of the sport’s most important decades. So - who’s #1? Who is in the Top 20? The only way to find out is to listen!

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Somewhere along the line in the history of pro wrestling, TV broadcasts went from a single announcer to announce "teams" - with the second person being a color commentator. This edition of The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (the former managing editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) takes a deep dive into the talents of those voices that kept us on the edges of our seats while describing the action. From legends such as Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan through a new breed in Tazz and JBL to others you may not remember, this is a fond look back at great talents that most fans will never forget. So don't forget to log on and listen to another edition of the most unique nostalgia podcast around! The special guest: The renowned wrestling writer Joe Puccio, who chimes in with expert commentary on many of the sport's most legendary pros in the booth.

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Run With The Bull - the new book that's sweeping the wrestling world - features the story of comedian Eric Johnston and his wrestling grandfather, Bull Johnson, and mat star father, Danny "Bullwhip" Johnson. The book was written with Johnston and the famed author Greg Oliver - but a young and promising third writer was involved with young Joseph Casciaro. This promising new author is already a regular at SLAM! Wrestling, and offers a unique glimpse into that company as well as the new book on this podcast. It's the thinking person's wrestling nostalgia show, and it's conversations like this that make it so unique.

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Watch out for banana peels: This decidedly different edition of The Outdated Wrestling Hour With Bob Smith (the former managing editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) sees his editor-in-chief, Craig Peters, return to the show for the fourth time - and they basically just talk...about wrestling and comedy. It's a fond remembrance of such truly funny personalities as Andy Kaufman, Bill Apter, Jim Cornette, Bobby Heenan, and moments that were actually full of real laughs in the midst of all the classic action. There's more "insider" tales of PWI office jokes, and even more oddball stuff than we have room to list here. Bonus: Re-life the best moments of "staff announcer" Bob Twenty Minutes From Now, and vote yay or nay about whether the hapless helper stays or goes!

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Contact us at outdatedwrestling@gmail.com!