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Watch Great Wrestling

WGW is an informal research project with little-to-no methodology seeking to answer the question "What makes a great wrestling match, and why?" We watch the best wrestling matches of all time, suggested by you, and then show them to our friends to see if they hold up!
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Now displaying: Page 5
Sep 26, 2019

It's show and tell time from your favorite mind palace architect as Joaquin has returned from his brief excursion to Mexico City and is bearing gifts - both literal and figurative - for Frank and Chuck.

The mezcal flows as much as the stories do in our loosest episode yet. Have a listen as Joaquin talks CMLL, Arena México, mezcal, mole, and more! This one is full of vuvuzenergy...

Don't forget to keep the match suggestions coming for future episodes! Hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com

And you can find everything TIA (where else) at thisisawesomepod.com

Sep 19, 2019

On this week's episode of the TIA off-season your boys have gathered together on the couch for another installment in our Let's Watch series - and this one is Fully Loaded. That's right: two matches in one episode.

The first match, from In Your House: Fully Loaded 1998, it's Ken Shamrock vs Owen Hart in a Dungeon Match! Who will win before Stu get's home from the grocery.

And then: Fully Loaded 1998. Ken Shamrock vs Steve Blackman in an Iron Circle match. A gimmick match so great that it was never booked again.

You can find both matches on the WWE Network. Press play when we do at the timecodes below.

1st match timecode: 01:14:46 IYH:Fully Loaded 1998

2nd match timecode: 01:20:45 Fully Loaded 1999

Sep 12, 2019

On this week's off-season episode, Producer Tom has once again donned his auctioneer's cap and grabbed his skinny mic to challenge Chuck & Joaquin to go head-to-head in another installment of Producer Tom's eBay Game (patent pending). 

This episode's items include: a Jake the Snake Funko Pop, a "signed" Becky Lynch microphone, a classic piece of wrestling-film memorabilia AND MORE.

Hit us up on twitter @TIAPOD or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com with match suggestions for the upcoming season! And remember you can find everything TIA at thisisawesomepod.com

Sep 2, 2019

Welcome to Watching the Elite - The only podcast you need to stay current with everything All Elite Wrestling! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? : Joaquin, Frank and Chuck.

For this edition of WTE we are breaking down all of the action from AEW's most recent blow-away pay per view. Recorded late into the evening shortly after the end of All Out, highlights from the show include: A Freshly Squeezed surprise, Hangman making good on his promised horse, and a jaw-dropping ladder match between two of the best teams on the planet.

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Aug 29, 2019

Welcome to episode 22 of Watching the Elite - The only podcast you need to stay current with everything All Elite Wrestling! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck.

For the August 2019 edition of WTE we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 164-167, episodes of Road to All Out, as well our giant-sized All Out Preview. Highlights from this block of episodes include: Cody singing his hearts’ song, Hangman talking about Cowboy Shit, and Kenny Omega cutting an all-time promo on Jon Moxley.

Skip to timecode 01:13:18  to go directly to our AEW All Out Preview

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Aug 22, 2019

On this brand new off-season offering: your boys vamp about their favorite and not-so-favorite wrestler nicknames. Past, present and future, it's fun and unfocused!

Then, Chuck has put together another set of lists...

On one ledger: a list of silly wrestler names who have appeared on the PWI top 500. On the other ledger: a bunch of names Chuck has made up. Can Frank, Joaquin and Tom figure out which is which?

Keep those match suggestions coming by visiting our landing page thisisawesomepod.com or hitting us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

And don't forget to rate and review us on whatever thing Apple has going on right now, in addition to all of the other podcatcher apps that we appear on.

Aug 8, 2019

On this week's raw, summer-themed off-season offering, your boys discuss what a WWE Theme Park would look like. THEN, Joaquin challenges Frank, Chuck and Producer Tom to compete in an all-new TIA Lyrics Game. It does not go well.

Keep those match suggestions coming @TIAPOD on twitter or at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com

And find everything TIA at thisisawesomepod.com

 

Aug 2, 2019

Welcome to episode 21 of Watching the Elite - The only podcast you need to stay current with everything All Elite Wrestling! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck.

For the July 2019 edition of WTE we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 159-163, episodes of Road to Fight for the Fallen and Road to All Out as well as covering the entire Fight for the Fallen show. Highlights from this block of episodes include: Shawn Spears allying with a Horsemen legend, Rick Knox refereeing outside the squared circle and an above average Fight for the Fallen card.

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Jul 25, 2019

On this week's off-season episode Producer Tom is finally making good on the bet that he lost many, many episodes ago - he's watched "The Jetson's & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!" and is giving his full report.

Then, Joaquin has grown tired of coming up with bits to open the show, so he's come up with a solution - The Cameo game! Chuck & Tom face off in a game of Joaquin's design, with the winner choosing a wrestler off of Cameo who (fingers crossed) will do a brief intro for the rest of the off-season.

Jul 11, 2019

It is the finale for season six and the entire gang has come together to take care of some housekeeping before they dive headfirst into the off-season.

On the agenda: three tie-breakers for the TIA Big Board. Frank, Joaquin and Chuck present their arguments for which match goes over, but ultimately the decision resides in the hands of Producer Tom.

Then, the boys talk big picture thoughts for the season and the resource project as a whole.

The three ties to be broken are:

S5E04 Aztec Warfare 1 vs S6E3: Masashi Taked  OR Masaya Takahashi

S2E10 Will Ospreay vs Jimmy Havoc  OR  S6E10 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock

S4E08 The Young Bucks vs The World's Cutest Tag Team  OR  S6E05 Triple H vs Cactus Jack

Thanks again for listening this season! We hope you had as much fun as we did. Find everything TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com 

Shoot us match suggestions @TIAPOD on twitter or via e-mail at thisisawesomepod@gmail.com

See you in the off-season!

Jul 4, 2019

Happy 4th of July to all of our listeners in the US of A! Happy Thursday to everyone else!

In celebration of the day that the American hero Lex Luger slammed Yokozuna on the deck of the USS Intrepid your boys are cracking some Croix and trying to pretend like the AC isn't broken by discussing their favorite use of fireworks (aka pyro) in wrestling. 

THEN - Joaquin and Frank go head to head in a light quiz of Charlie's design about everyone's favorite July (but mostly June) tradition: The Great American Bash!

Find everything TIA at our landing page thisisawesomepod.com

Hit us up on twitter @TIAPOD or via e-mail at Thisisawesomepod@gmail.com with your match suggestions for season 7!

And stay tuned next week for our season finale where we'll break some tie scores and talk big picture for our research project with little to no methodology!

Jul 1, 2019

Welcome to the Watching the Elite - The only podcast you need to stay current with everything All Elite Wrestling! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck.

This is our special Fyter Fest recap show where we break down everything that happened at what was being billed as The Most Luxurious Gaming & Wrestling Festival of All Time. We also close out our coverage for the month of June 2019 with a classic Superlatives party.

Find everything WTE at our landing page, WatchingTheElite.com

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Jun 29, 2019

:::SKIP TO TIMECODE 01:19:51 FOR OUR FYTER FEST PREVIEW:::

Welcome to episode 20 of Watching the Elite - The only podcast you need to stay current with everything All Elite Wrestling! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck. 

For the June 2019 edition of WTE we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 155-158, episodes of Road to Fyter Fest and Road to Fight for the Fallen as well as previewing the entire Fyter Fest card. Highlights from this block of episodes include: Kenny scrambling to finalize Fyter Fest, Christopher Daniels wrestling with CIMA's challenge, and Luchasaurus flexing his master's degree on Rick Knox.

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

 

Jun 20, 2019

It's the final match of season six, and finality is central to all of the proceedings. We're flashing back to WrestleMania 19, specifically the semi-main event that saw The Rock clashing with Stone Cold Steve Austin in what would ultimately be the last match of their WrestleMania trilogy. We know now that, in hindsight, it was also the final match of Steve Austin's storied career.

Will The Rock, now a burgeoning movie star with an always expanding shoulder tattoo be able to defeat the bionic rattlesnake? Or will Austin once again defeat his rival as top dog in the WWE on wrestling's biggest stage?

Joining your boys in the research lab this week to don the lab coat and toss some (pseudo) science around is returning guest Ryan Saucier! (@FlyingSaucier)

[Steve Austin vs The Rock, WrestleMania 19, March 30 2003]

Jun 13, 2019

There is a Russian proverb that says jealousy and love are sisters. Perhaps it's that sentiment that drove Manami Toyota to demand a match against Toshiyo Yamada, the woman with whom she shares a tag team championship, a years-long friendly rivalry, and a bond borne out of respect.

Regardless, in the main event of AJW Mid-Summer Typhoon, Toyota defends her IWA Championship against Yamada, with the added stipulation that the loser will suffer the indignity of losing her hair.

Also discussed on this episode: Jackass, Terrace House, Marsupilami, and Bonkers.

Joining in this week to supply some of the much needed data points is development executive Katie Clifford!

[Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada, All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, August 15 1992]

May 30, 2019

 

Welcome to episode 19 - part 2 - of Watching the Elite! The internet’s only podcast binging, recapping and annotating YouTube’s favorite pro wrestling show: Being The Elite and discussing all things AEW!

Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck. Each episode we cover a month of AEW activity and episodes of BTE.

In this episode we are discussing Double or Nothin (AEW's first PPV event), Being the Elite episode 154 and an assortment of other pieces to finish our coverage of the month of May, 2019. Highlights from this block of episodes include: The Rhodes brothers' bloody brawl, a peek behind the curtain of Double or Nothing, and the surprise debut of Jon Moxley!

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Essential Elite Episode List - Youtube Playlist

May 24, 2019

Skip directly to 00:31:02 for the Match Card Preview.

Due to a technical error, some portions of the audio are not mastered to our normal standards. Thank you for understanding, and enjoy the episode.

Welcome to the WTE Double Or Nothing Preview Show! Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck.

In this episode we are breaking down the entire card of Double Or Nothing happening on May 25th, 2019! We'll discuss every match, hit you with some of our predictions, and even give you the cliffs notes for what BTE and RTDON content to binge in preparation for each contest.

But first, your boys have some unfinished business from the month of May. We start by discussing BTE 153 and RTDON 16 as well as the ITV special "Before the Bell".

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

May 21, 2019

Welcome to episode 19 (part 1) of Watching the Elite! The internet’s only podcast binging, recapping and annotating YouTube’s favorite pro wrestling show: Being The Elite and discussing all things AEW!

Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck. Each episode we cover a month of AEW activity and episodes of BTE on the road to Double or Nothing!

In this episode we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 150-152 in addition to episodes of Road to Double Or Nothing, covering most of the month of May, 2019. Highlights from this block of episodes include: AEW signing a TV deal, The Best Friends demanding tag team action, and Hangman's Full Gear Challenge coming to an end.

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Essential Elite Episode List - Youtube Playlist

May 16, 2019

On this week's episode your boys dip their toes back into the world of Lucha Libre and finally break the TIA seal on the CMLL promotion. It's the final match of the Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles 2016, a tag team tournament with a unique wrinkle: each team is comprised of a rudo and a técnico. 

Who will take home the honors tonight as Mephisto & Mistico square off against Cibernético and Carístico? And what happens when the original Mistico tangles with the young star who assumed the mantle when he left for the States?

Running in this week to help sort out the STAR ratings is screenwriter Aaron Mobley!

[Mephisto & Mistico vs Carístico & Cibernético, CMLL Arena Mexico 60th Anniversary, April 29 2016]

May 9, 2019

They say its good luck to find a penny. They say if you carry a nickel with a hole in it you'll never be without money. Well I'm not sure about those superstitions, but I do know that a roll of dimes will win you the AWA World Heavyweight Championship!

This week we're taking a look at the American Wrestling Association's Superclash II, where champion Nick Bockwinkel is defending against young upstart Curt Hennig. This one is shaping up to be an all time cl--

Wait...who's this fella in the tuxedo heading to the ring?

Helping fill out the incredibly empty Cow Palace with your boys this week is comedian and podcaster Genevieve Gearity! (@genevieveismyname)

[Nick Bockwinkel vs Curt Hennig, AWA Superclash II, May 2, 1987] 

 

 

May 2, 2019

Welcome to episode 18 of Watching the Elite! The internet’s only podcast binging, recapping and annotating YouTube’s favorite pro wrestling show: Being The Elite  and discussing all things AEW!

Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck. Each episode we cover a month of AEW activity and episodes of BTE on the road to Double or Nothing in May!

In this episode we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 145-149 in addition to episodes of Road to Double Or Nothing, covering the month of April, 2019. Highlights from this block of episodes include: Kenny's Fyter Fest Prep, Two Fantastic Rhodes Promos, and a Surprise Ending!

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Essential Elite Episode List - Youtube Playlist

Apr 25, 2019

0-7.

Hirooki Goto has had seven chances to reach the top of the New Japan mountain and claim the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. Seven times he has failed. Coming off of a stunning victory the month before at WrestleKingdom, the Aramusha has one more chance to prove it to the world - but more importantly to himself - that he can do what some state is impossible.

With new ring gear and stunning war paint, Goto heads to the ring in Osaka to take on Champion Kazuchika Okada. Is 8 the lucky number for the challenger? Or is Goto fruitlessly (but nobly) fighting against the inevitable?

Joining your boys this week to help found the Goto Fan Club is producer Caleb Negassa!

[Kazuchika Okada vs Hirooki Goto, NJPW New Beginning in Osaka, February 11 2016]

Apr 18, 2019

Of the three faces of Foley, it is said that Cactus Jack is the most vile, the most sadistic, the most willing to sacrifice his body. Well, in this week's offering Triple H will find out just how true that sentiment is. Your boys are back in Attitude Era, getting granular on a street fight for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship. Its Triple H vs Cactus Jack from Royal Rumble 2000.

This one is BYOP (that's "bring your own plunder" for the uninitiated).

Running in this week to help adjudicate some STAR ratings is Muscle Temple founder, writer & story artist Zach Marcus! (@zach2themax)

[Triple H vs Cactus Jack, WWF Royal Rumble 2000, January 23 2000]

Apr 4, 2019

Welcome to episode 17 of Watching the Elite! The internet’s only podcast binging, recapping and annotating YouTube’s favorite pro wrestling show: Being The Elite

Your hosts are the boys of This is Awesome? - Joaquin, Frank and Chuck. Each episode we cover the past month of BTE on the road to Double or Nothing!

In this episode we are discussing Being the Elite episodes 141-144 in addition to episodes of Road to Double Or Nothing, covering the month of March, 2019. Highlights from this block of episodes include: Michael Nakazawa, Michael Nakazawa, Michael Nakazawa, and Michael Nakazawa

If you have any questions, comments, or corrections please e-mail us at watchingtheelite@gmail.com or hit us up @TIAPOD on twitter.

Essential Elite Episode List - Youtube Playlist

Mar 29, 2019

On this week's episode your boys are loading up the cooler and picking up some sun screen, because this episode is a real Beach Blast! Put on your favorite swimsuit and check out Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat in an epic 30 Minute Iron Man Challenge from WCW's Beach Blast 1992.

Classic commentary, expert pacing, airbrushed tights, lackluster entrance music and one iconic fan. There's something for everyone in this gem from Watts Era WCW.

Running in to help apply some science for this match is comedian and actress Karen Silbert (@mylifeinrattan on Instagram)

[Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat, WCW Beach Blast 1992, June 20 1992]

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