In our final podcast of 2017, the whole gang gathers together for another round of New Year's Revolutions. Joaquin, Frank, Chuck and Tom choose wrestlers at random from a bowl and giving them a resolution to take into their new year.
Then, Frank has been messing around with Cagematch.net's internet wrestling database and has put together a quick game about Win/Loss ratios - not only do we end up with a winner, but your boys also learn a thing or two along the way.
Remember to send in your suggestions for matches to watch for season 4 via twitter @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
Of course you can also find everything else TIA at thisisawesomepod.com
Have a wonderful new year. See you in 2018!
Happy holidays to all of our friends in the TIA universe. This week, we kick things off with Tom giving some holiday hosting tips to Joaquin, Frank and Chuck by way of a few wrestling-themed recipes culled from the internet.
Then, Charlie hosts one of the more esoteric games of the off-season that involves the career average positions of wrestlers all-time on the PWI Top 500 wrestlers of the year list. It's more entertaining than it sounds, we promise!
If you want more information about the charity that Frank plugs during the show, please visit their website at www.worldcentralkitchen.org
Remember to send us your match suggestions via twitter @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And of course visit thisisawesomepod.com for everything TIA.
In this week's off-season episode, hop aboard the Ship of Jericho with Joaquin, Frank, Chuck and Producer Tom as they break down Chris Jericho's Rock N Wrestling Rager at Sea. Find out everything you need to know before you book your tickets, from which band and comedians will be performing to the importance of making sure Glacier is your +1.
Then, the boys pitch some holiday-themed gimmick matches for a brand new December network special called "Season's Beatings" that they just made up and isn't actually happening.
Remember to get your match suggestions in for season 4 by hitting us up @TIAPOD on twitter or e-mailing us at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
Also don't forget to check out our landing page at thisisawesomepod.com for everything else TIA.
In this week's off-season episode, your boys talk about the most recent additions to the WWE women's division and ask important questions like: What are the implications of these two new stables? Why would WWE run the same angle on back-to-back nights? And what effect will this have on NXT?
Then, Joaquin springs yet another closest-to-the-pin game on Frank, Chuck and Tom as they play Faction Fractions (working title) and learn a little something about how long stables really stick together.
Season 4 is right around the corner. Send in your match suggestions for future episodes to @TIAPOD on twitter or e-mail us as thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
You can also find everything TIA at thisisawesomepod.com including the phone number to our hotline where you can leave a brief voicemail telling us what match to watch and why.
On this week's off-season episode, the whole gang gathers together to figure out which unlikely duo will be the next Shinsuke vs Jinder odd-ball matchup. Then, Tom wants some suggestions for celebrities if (Vince forbid) the WWE ever brings back guest hosts to RAW.
Remember to get in your match suggestions to us @TIAPOD or thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And don't forget to visit our landing page thisisawesomepod.com for everything TIA including the number to our hotline.
In this episode, the boys beg Joaquin to divulge juicy details about working on set with a certain Sports Entertainer. Then, Frank grabs his game show podium and his copy of WWE 2K18 for a rousing game of "GUESS THE POWER RANKINGS." Spoiler alert: The Big Dog always goes over!
In this very special off-season episode, we are once again joined by Ana Espinoza who has returned once again with her a very unique game for your boys to play. Listen in this week to hear Joaquin, Frank and Chuck try and guess which wrestlers are the subject of the Imagines and Head Cannons that Ana and Producer Tom have culled from Tumblr. It's an interesting look at a side of WWE fandom that your hosts don't often get to see.
Remember that the 4th season will be coming down the pike eventually. Get your awesome match suggestions in to us via twitter @TIAPOD or at our e-mail address thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
You can also use our hotline and leave us a 30 second voicemail letting us know which match to watch and why. That number and everything else TIA is available at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com
It is the off-season once again in TIA-land, and your boys are kicking things off by playing the first ever edition of The King of the Thing! Listen in as Joaquin, Frank and Tom battle against each other in a wrestling trivia game of Chuck's design. The categories for the game include "Ready to Rumble" "Tuning Up the Band" "Completely Unstable" "Flair for the Gold" and "Potpourri & Plunder"
Don't forget that even though we're in the off-season we still need suggestions for awesome matches to watch. Please hit us up on twitter @TIAPOD or e-mail us at thisisawesomepod.com
You can also check out our landing page thisisawesomepod.com to find the number for our hotline if you want to have your match suggestions played on the air.
It's finale time once again at TIA so of course that means Joaquin, Frank and Chuck are joined by Producer Tom to decompress before the off-season. Listen in as your wrestleboys break a couple STAR rating ties, discuss whether technicality scoring needs to be adjusted for inflation, and give their final thoughts on what they've learned this season.
Meltzer: The numbers all go to six. Look, right across the board, six, six, six and...
Twitter: Oh, I see. And most scores go up to five?
Meltzer: Exactly.
Twitter: Does that mean it's better? Is it any better?
Meltzer: Well, it's one better, isn't it? It's not five. You see, most blokes, you know, will be wrestling at five. You're on five here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on five on your stars. Where can you go from there? Where?
Twitter: I don't know.
Meltzer: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Twitter: Put it up to six.
Meltzer: Six. Exactly. One better.
Twitter: Why don't you just make five better and make five be the top number and make that a little better?
Meltzer: [pause] These go to six.
Joining your boys this week is TIA's first returning guest Ana Espinoza! (@Espinoza_Ana)
Also, for an extra deep dive on this match, check out episode 9.5 that posted last week. It's a time capsule of Joaquin, Frank and Chuck's in-the-moment thoughts on the match days after it happened - what effects has time had on their meticulous scientifically based opinions.
Remember to send in your match suggestions for season 4! @TIAPOD on twitter, thisisawesomepod@gmail.com or leave a short voice-mail via the hotline phone number found on our home page thisisawesomepod.com
[Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega - January 4 2017 - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11]
Next week's final match for season 3 is Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada from Wrestle Kingdom 11 - the match that melted the internet for a few days in early 2017 when Dave Meltzer gave out his very first 6 star rating and people were discussing whether or not it was the greatest match of all time.
Back in January of 2017 - shortly after the match took place - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck sat down to record their fresh thoughts and feelings on the match as an experiment to see how much, if at all, their opinions would change when they finally got around to reviewing it for an episode. Consider this podcast supplemental material to next week's final match when the guys re-visit Omega/Okada I and answer the questions that they posed to themselves in this time capsule recording.
On this week's episode Joaquin, Frank and Chuck are excited to finally explore the wonderful world of Joshi with an absolutely wild inter-promotional brawl. It's AJW's "Dangerous Queen" Akira Hokuto taking on LLPW's Shinobu Kandori.
A bit of a content warning for this week's pod: if you're not a fan of blood then this might not be the match for you. But if you've got the stomach for it then watch a match that garnered 5 stars from Dave Meltzer and is widely considered one of the greatest women's wrestling matches of all time.
And of course joining your boys this week to break down this Joshi classic is Sam Krumrine! (@samkrumrine)
[Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori, All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, April 2nd 1993]
I'm sorry. I love you.
So grab a box of tissues and settle in for one of the most emotional matches in WrestleMania history. It's a "Career Threatening Match" for hall of famer Ric Flair as he takes on Mr. WrestleMania himself: Shawn Michaels. Who will prevail in this battle between The Nature Boy (age: 59) and The Heartbreak Kid (age: 42)?
And joining your hosts this week to view her first ever wrestling match from bell to bell is actress and model Brittany Brown (@brittbrownmeow)
Even though the season is winding down you can still send in awesome match suggestions at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com or @TIAPOD on twitter.
And of course you can find all things TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com
[Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania XXIV, March 30 2008]
No, this isn't leaked footage of next week's episode of NXT - but we wouldn't fault you for thinking that. This week Joaquin, Frank and Chuck are heading to beautiful Reseda, CA to watch TIA's very first PWG match. It's Chris Hero vs Tommy End from all the way back in 2015! Of course, this match was live from American Legion Post #308 so to get the authentic PWG experience be sure to turn off the AC, grab a pitcher of Croix and pile you and 400 of your closest friends into your living room.
Joining in the fray this episode is Doug Keller of the amazing nonprofit Big Class (bigclass.org)
Remember, season 3 might be almost over but there WILL BE a season 4 so we still need match suggestions. Shoot them to us @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And of course you can find all things TIA at thisisawesomepod.com
[Chris Hero vs Tommy End, PWG Don't Sweat the Technique, March 4 2015]
It's an epic battle of the hosses as the Bad Man from Borger, Texas trades massive, gladiator-like blows with the man they call Dr. Death. So grab your singlets and your cowboy hats and join Joaqiun, Frank and Chuck as they see who will be crowned Gaijin #1!
And coming in hot through the crowd this week to help break it all down is actor and voice-voice over artist Brian Ibsen!
Remember, we want to know what awesome matches you want us to watch so send us suggestions via twitter @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmai.com
And of course, you can find everything TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com
[Stan Hansen vs Steve Williams, AJPW, June 5 1990]
Pip pip cheerio! This week your pod boys are heading back to New Japan Pro Wrestling to watch the "controversial" high-flying showcase from the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in 2016 - it's Ricochet vs Will Ospreay. That's right, it's the match that moved Vader to take to twitter and forced Jim Cornette to declare the wrestling business dead for the second time that week.
And diving into the pod head first from the top rope to help break down all the action this week is performing arts publicist Niki Blumberg (@blumbergy)
Remember, you can suggest awesome matches for the show by getting @ us on twitter @TIAPOD or e-mailing us at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And of course you can find everything awesome? at thisisawesomepod.com
[Ricochet vs Will Ospreay - NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tournament 2016 - May 27, 2016]
Put down that infinity gauntlet and grab your nearest sledgehammer because this week your boys are stepping back inside the Devil's Duplex and watching the epic conclusion to one of the hottest feuds of the Ruthless Aggression Era: It's round 3 of Batista versus Triple H for the big gold belt.
And zooming in on a sweet-looking light cycle to help make science this week is Tyler J Hutchison (@tylerjhutchison) director/lead developer of Dream Daddy and creator of rad comics like Die Homer!
As always, hit us up @TIAPOD or thisisawesomepod@gmail.com with match suggestions on stuff to watch for future episodes. Throwing us 5 stars and leaving a review on iTunes never hurts either.
And of course, check out our landing page thisisawesomepod.com for all this awesome.
[Batista vs Triple H - WWE Vengeance - June 26, 2005]
It's The Gathering! Not of the Juggalos, or even the Highlanders. It's a gathering of the American Dream and The stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun!
This time, your boys sat down to talk the classic match-up that sees Ric Flair defend his World Wrestling Heavyweight Title against his long-time rival Dusty Rhodes.
Joining the fray this week is writer/director Ben Mekler (@benmekler).
Remember, if you have match suggestions for your boys to watch and discuss on the show his us up @TIAPOD or e-mail us at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
Also, don't forget to rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you get your podful. It's greatly appreciated.
[Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes - NWA Starrcade 1985 - November 28, 1985]
No flips, just fists. And apparently a poorly placed hashtag.
This week, Joaquin, Frank and Chuck sit down to talk the 2 out of 3 falls show-stealer that was DIY vs The Revival from NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
Joining us to throw some science at this match is Pizza Collection curator Sam Wachs (@pizzacollection thepizzacollection.com)
Remember, if you have match suggestions for us to watch hit us up @TIAPOD or e-mail at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And you can find everything TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com
[DIY vs The Revival, NXT TakeOver: Toronto, 11/19/16]
Cain & Abel, Noel & Liam, Stannis & Renly. Throughout history there have been many great sibling rivalries, but perhaps none greater than wrestling’s quintessential blood feud: Bret & Owen. This week we kick off Season 3 with a deep dive into what might be the greatest opening match in PPV history. Join us as we watch Bret Hart do the unthinkable and step in the ring with his little brother Owen at WrestleMania X.
Running in this week to help us out is comedian/writer/actor Minhdzuy Khorami (@Minhdzuy @MudvilleComedy)
Remember, if you have match suggestions for us please hit us up @tiapod on twitter or e-mail us at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
And of course you can find each and every episode of TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com
[Bret Hart vs Owen Hart, WrestleMania X, March 20, 1994]
When someone as despicable as The Big Bossman feeds you a dinner made of your own dog, the only way to settle the score is inside The Kennel From Hell. Join us as we fire up the WWE Network and take a trip back in time to enjoy this once in a lifetime gimmick match in all it's attitude era glory!
The match is from the Unforgiven 1999 PPV - make sure to set your timecode to 1:25:39 on the WWE network and press play when we do to watch with us.
On this week's off-season pod Joaquin, Tom and Chuck talk about the issue of spoilers in professional wrestling. Do they matter? Whose responsibility is it to protect the results of matches? Should we treat wrestling more like Game of Thrones than the NBA?
Then, Joaquin finally dons the games master hat and treats Chuck and Tom to the first ever Everything is Wrestling Quote Off.
On this week's off-season pod Frank, Joaquin, Chuck and Tom square off against one another by pitching original television show ideas for the WWE Network.
Then, Tom terrorizes the rest of the boys by forcing them to live-call fan made MUGEN matches featuring WWE wrestlers. What the hell is MUGEN? Well you'll just have to find out won't you?
On this week's off-season episode, your boys gather together to discuss NJPW's 2 day event last week in Long Beach. Some of your hosts were there in person, others caught it streaming on the net - but they've all got opinions.
Then, another three-strikes game with Chuck as the moderator. We find out who can name the most obscure nWo members and win the ultimate prize: the last can of Croix.
Remember, the off-season is nearly over so be sure to hit us up @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com with match suggestions for season 3. Also, please rate and review us on your preferred pod platform - it's greatly appreciated.
And as always, you can find everything TIA at thisisawesomepod.com
On this week's off-season pod Frank, Joaquin, Chuck and Tom gather together to discuss the subtle art of tag team finishers. They talk favorites, least favorites and why Tom hates the triple powerbomb.
Then, your pod boys use Frank’s WWE trading cards to book the unlikeliest of world champions and accidentally chart the rise to power of the newest and most dominant stable in professional wrestling.
Remember, the off-season is nearly over so be sure to send in match suggestions for your boys to watch for season 3 via twitter @TIAPOD or e-mail at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com
Also, rate and review the show on whatever is your preferred pod platform and check out everything TIA at thisisawesomepod.com