The Wrestling Archives
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.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Bruno!
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 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, The Executioners, who despite their masks, aren't fooling anyone on their identities. Bruiser Brody whips up on a baby Kevin Sullivan. We have the always beloved Chief Jay Strongbow in tag action, a late career appearance of Bobo Brazil, and the other pillar of MSG events, Ivan Putski and his Polish hammer. This show was incredible and we had fun talking about it! Thanks for tuning in!
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
The Return of the Boar!
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 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 match of the guest Sus Scrofa). Did we ever mention that we LOVE Bret Hart? We did? Are you sure? Ok. I believe you!
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Clash of the Champions XXIV
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Friday Sep 27, 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 of wrestling is created, for better or worse. Thanks for listening!
Friday Aug 30, 2024
WrestleMania 31
Friday Aug 30, 2024
Friday Aug 30, 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 winning ways, The Rock panders, and the WWE wants to be the NFL. I think that's pretty good summary of WrestleMania 31. Obviously, we explain these points, so download and take a listen!
Friday Aug 16, 2024
When Giants Walked Here
Friday Aug 16, 2024
Friday Aug 16, 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 by Jim Crockett Promotions. You don't want to miss this documentary or this interview. These guys are real cool and great wrestling fans.
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
SummerSlam 2024 Preview
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
Tuesday Jul 30, 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 where they got to meet and chat with The Brooklyn Brawler and Paul London! Thanks for listening!
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
The Brooklyn Brawler
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
Tuesday Jul 16, 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" Schwartz/Kimchee/Doink the Clown. We watch one of his classic matches in real time and a legendary promo. Enjoy our reminiscing of the Brawler then Tim's great conversation with him. Don't forget, he'll be appearing at the VCW Liberty Lottery on July 27!
Friday Jul 12, 2024
UK Rampage ' 92
Friday Jul 12, 2024
Friday Jul 12, 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 collection. Download today!
Friday Jun 21, 2024
WCW Greed & Who Killed WCW?
Friday Jun 21, 2024
Friday Jun 21, 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 with his bargain basement purchase of WCW. There's big time absences, like Hulk Hogan, Sting, Hall and Nash. Scott Steiner, the world champion, is the standard bearer with his brother Rick! It's unrecognizable and plagued with bad attitudes, bad booking, and a low-budget appearance. Is it even still WCW? Do we see any resemblance to the legacy of the NWA, Jim Crockett Promotions, Mid-Atlantic Wrestling? I guess at least Tony Schiavone is still hanging in there. Plus, hear what Tim and Rich think so far of the new Vice miniseries, "Who Killed WCW?" (How can you not love Bret Hart???)
WrestlingArchives.Com
Friday May 31, 2024
David Crockett: Revisited
Friday May 31, 2024
Friday May 31, 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!
Who We Are
Co-Hosts Tim "The Hammer" Hackman (Huracan Ramirez) and Rich "The Natural" Sigwald (Prince Puma) met at a library conference in 2015 and bonded over their shared love of professional wrestling and other nerdy interests. In 2020 the pair decided to pursue the epic, some might say quixotic, project of watching All the WrestleManias in order and writing about their experience. When blog writing became too burdensome, they started to podcast about the shows instead. Quickly, they decided to branch out from just WrestleManias and in 2024 decided on a new name to reflect their common goal and love of information, and thus the name "The Wrestling Archives."
Sound editing and original music by Rich Sigwald
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