Just kidding, this is an hourlong podcast with “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn. About fourteen minutes into it I start trying to put my head through the computer monitor and die from blood loss.
But no, welcome to episode 2 of the (thankfully) ongoing With Leather pro wrestling podcast With Spandex. In episode 2 we go from pro wrestlers to people who write about them on the Internet and talk to David Shoemaker, “The Masked Man” of Deadspin’s Dead Wrestler Of The Week column and “David Shoemaker” of Grantland.com. We talk about our favorite and least favorite dead wrestlers, our experiences at WrestleMania 28 and the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. It’s gonna be extreme~!
You can listen to the podcast below. We’ll have it up on iTunes as soon as they stop finding reasons to turn it down.
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A direct link to the podcast for your downloading pleasure: Click here.
Your likes, comments, shares and plus-whatevers are greatly appreciated. Worst case scenario, let’s hear your early predictions for Extreme Rules. It’s gonna be EXTREMELY RULED.
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Can’t wait to listen to this. Shoemaker’s articles on Grantland started getting me interested in wrestling again and eventually led me here.
Also, I started watching NXT, surprised by how good it actually is, if it wasn’t for the discussion threads here, I’d probably look forward to that more than I would Raw.
NXT is the best. I’m happy when anyone tells me they’ve been watching it. The worst thing a wrestling fan can do is just assume something that was once bad still is.
(note: TNA is still the worst)
NXT season three was one of my favourite things WWE has done, for many reasons, including but not limited to:
AJ, who emerged fully formed as exactly who she is now, except she got shouted at less
Kaitlyn, her interactions with Vickie Guerrero, and Matt Striker’s ridiculously out-in-the-open crush on her
Aksana, who would say the most gloriously nonsensical things in charming broken english like “let me entertainment you”, “all of you wanna, be just like aksana”, “very popular in Lithuania”, all in that voice that the WWE microphones can’t seem to pick up properly
the really muscley blonde who was a ring announcer for a while and got fired after declaring her talent as “turning men on” in the talent competition
Naomi rapping awfully
Michael Cole’s gong and the full emergence of his heel character
So many things!
Love the music about 2 minutes in. It’s like listening to ESPN Radio on Sirius when they need music to fill time during the commercial break.
So basically WWE writers “trolled” the internet fans or “smart fans”. Funny, but I would of preferred to see a good match.
fucking right WCW/NWO Revenge was and is the best wrestling game ever.
No Mercy would have been the best wrestling game ever if it wasn’t for the bug that erased my saved games.
@Dennis and @Joe Beste…
They are both very good games, but Donkey Kong is… wait, nm…
Seriously, though, that gaming engine from AKI/THQ is phenomenal. I’m dumfounded that WWE hasn’t tapped into the legion of fans that those games have and released an updated version, similar to the new NBA Jam. Sure, clean up the graphics or whatever, but give us the same basic gameplay and I’m there.
Playing the hacked versions (like ECW Barely Legal mod) of No Mercy is way more fun than WWE ’12, imo.
Your voice is much deeper than I imagine when reading your work, and David’s is much higher – love the way you both write about what many incorrectly dismiss as a non-intellectual topic.
I know I shouldn’t have been impressed so much with Brandon’s voice and cadence but it was off-the-charts. Great listen all the way around.
+1 on the podcast. love this shit.
Awesome work on the podcast. This was a lot of fun. I liked hearing the back and forth.
Boy Meets Pod? Pod Meets World? I demand it. I need it.
Mankind was also on an episode. Just pointing that out. And the one where Shawn joined a cult was one of the more annoying episodes.
Oh also I liked the thorough and honest analysis of the “fuck Sheamus” sentiment. The reasoning and analysis were solid.
“Slam Jam Vol. 1 features ‘The Man Called Sting’ which is one of the worst entrance songs of all time.”
1. THE worst of all time. /fixed
2. Thank you for validating my opinion of 20 years
3. Don’t forget they ruined the entrances for Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, et al. But especially Sting.
Great job, Stroud. *Tips invisible cap to you*
So you felt like you went to the circus in Gotham City to watch the flying Graysons, then Doink asked you why you were being so serious?
Great podcast, Brandon. I’m a little disappointed that the Masked Man didn’t have a voice modulator, though that’s hardly your fault.
It’s Lex’s fault for not modulating it in post! Jeeze, Lybrand, some studio engineer you are, gosh!
Who’s to say I didn’t make him sound like regular dude? You’d have to hear the master tapes to know for sure… ;)
My brain has been busted! Koko B. Ware ain’t got nothin’ Grand Master Lexay!
It would be great if Masked Man had like, the most bass voice in the history of the planet.