Why Should I Watch Wrestling?

Host Cal and co-host Kenny welcome Billy Strachan, the host of the Scottish Wrestling Podcast. The episode begins with the classic question non-fans pose: "You know it's all fake, don't you?". Billy’s response is that it’s "Panto". He says the best way to enjoy the Scottish Wrestling Scene is to "Go see it live". He explains that wrestling is "triumph over good over evil in person with Lycra". Ultimately, for two or three hours, you get invested in the characters. You just want to shout and cheer, making it live entertainment at its absolute rawest.

A Primer on the WWE Eras

Billy provides a primer on the history of WWE. He notes that Vincent J. McMahon owned the promotion before his son, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, bought up everyone. This created a worldwide phenomenon. The discussion then moves through the different eras of WWE:

• Golden Era: Featured major stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Warrior.
• New Gen: After a steroid scandal, the focus shifted more to wrestling talent like Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Shawn Michaels.
• Attitude Era: Known for controversial storylines and stars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
• Current Era: Following Vince McMahon’s retirement, the promotion is currently in what people refer to as the Renaissance Era or the Triple H Era. This happened after the Ruthless Aggression Era (John Cena, Brock Lesnar).

The Talent Boom and Drew McIntyre's Impact on Scottish Wrestling

Billy points out that Scotland is vastly over-represented in WWE given its size. The current roster features a host of talent, including Wolfgang, the Coffee Brothers (Mark and Joe), Noam Dar, Piper Niven, Alba Fire, and Isla Dawn. Furthermore, Billy credits Drew McIntyre with the mainstream "boom" in the Scottish Wrestling Scene. Drew’s return to the local ICW promotion in 2014 and the BBC ICW Fight Club documentary helped drag the independent scene up with him. As a result, the scene grew large enough to draw crowds of 6,000 people to the Hydro in Glasgow.

The Future of the Scottish Wrestling Scene

The hosts discuss the current Scottish Wrestling Scene, noting that local media still shows a "snootishness towards wrestling" despite the success. Billy, who runs the Scottish Wrestling Network, admits he struggles to understand why it doesn't get major coverage. Finally, he observes that the numerous independent promotions are unlikely to merge. This is true even though promotions like ICW, Discovery Wrestling (owned by Joe Hendry), and WrestleZone are drawing big crowds and attracting major guest stars (like Billy Gunn and Gangrel for WrestleZone). He concludes that this is because, in his experience, "nobody agrees with each other in Scotland" on how to run things in the Scottish independent scene.

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