SHOW SUMMARY: In this edition of the Wade Keller Hotline, PWTorch editor Wade Keller continues his series on Hulk Hogan with various topics and cohosts. This is the first of a two-part conversation with pro wrestling historian George Schire, a former cohost of the “Pro Wrestling Focus” radio show from KFAN in the early 1990s.

This theme focuses on Hulk Hogan’s breakout years from 1981 to 1983 in the AWA when he was brought in as a heel, but was turned babyface by the fans who cheered him and ushered in a new era of what defined a modern babyface main event act. This includes insights from that era, including George’s many conversations with many wrestlers from that time period who worked with Hogan. They chronicle Hogan’s rise in the AWA, disputes with promoter Verne Gagne, Japan commitments complicating things, who helped hone Hogan’s overall promo skills and babyface act, theories on what would have happened had Hogan stayed in the AWA and not signed with the WWF in 1983, and much more.

This is part one and part two will be published tomorrow.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back 18 years to the daily Wade Keller Hotlines for the June 1-6, 2007 period, all combined into one file lasting nearly two hours. The following are the updates and the theme of each:

WEDNESDAY – JUNE 6 (News)
TUESDAY – JUNE 5 (News)
MONDAY – JUNE 4 (Raw Analysis)
SUNDAY – JUNE 3 (One Night Stand Analysis w/Caldwell)
SATURDAY – JUNE 2 (Lesnar’s MMA debut, Goldberg on color)
FRIDAY – JUNE 1 (Random News Items)

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the Apr. 20, 2007 episode of the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show with host Wade Keller. This was part one of a four part series discussing the “Ric Flair & the Four Horsemen” DVD released by WWE that month, covering it chapter by chapter with the inside story that the WWE didn’t tell, analysis of their perspective, and first-hand accounts from Bruce who was front row and center for that era of WCW.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault, PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch columnists Pat McNeill and Bruce Mitchell discuss the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view event. This was loaded with big names including a Team Angle (Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe & Jeff Jarrett & Rhino & Sting) vs. Team Cage (Christian Cager & Scott Steiner & Tomko& Abyss & A.J. Styles) main event, plus Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jerry Lynn, Team 3D, Gail Kim, Jay Lethal, and more.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich discuss these topics:

• Jimmy Uso bloodbath angle with Gunther
• AEW Collision’s possible move to Thursdays
• Parsing Cody Rhodes and John Cena exchanges from Raw
• AEW Dynasty preview
• Athena arriving in AEW, but on Collision instead of Dynamite
• Saraya’s interview in The Guardian
• Furor of Mickie James’s comments about women’s attire on LFG
• Tetsuya Naito’s New Japan status and future
• Rey Fenix’s imminent arrival and how WWE should feature him
• The “That’s not the favor?” moment with C.M. Punk and is this WM main event really what Punk and his fans dreamed of
• Rich reflecting on his interview with Kate Kroll, the director of the Luna Vachon documentary, “Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story.”

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back 18 years to the daily Wade Keller Hotlines for the Feb. 1-7, 2007 period, all combined into one file lasting nearly two-and-a-half hours. The following are the updates and the theme of each:

WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 7 (News Items on Hogan, WM, Ratings, TNA)

TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 6 (Insider news on WM & Raw, Raw analysis)

MONDAY – FEBRUARY 5 (WSX episode 2, WSX/TNA/SD ratings, more)

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 4 (Jericho interview analysis, Smackdown thoughts)

SATURDAY – FEBRUARY 3 (Impact Analysis and Ratings)

FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 2 (Guest: Sean Radican on Joe leaving ROH)

THURSDAY – FEBRUARY 1 (Audio Ask the Torch)

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade talks with Rich about these topics:

• The follow-up to the heel turn of New Day
• Paul Heyman on how to deal with the plethora of titles
• AEW Continental Classic overview and ideas for how to improve it
• The Rey Fenix saga and related issues
• Athena being hidden in ROH
• The WWE “transfer window” concept
• Thoughts on NXT Deadline
• The Wyatt Sicks and whether they’ve been creative abandoned and how to get them back on track
• Reaction to AEW Dynamite ratings

SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade talks with Rich about his thoughts on the AEW All Out PPV, the discussions the last few days about the level of violence, the strengths of the show, PWTorch poll results including what the Best Match winner might indicate, whether Tony Khan is super-serving too small of an audience when violence goes that far, and much more.

SHOW SUMMARY: In the latest Flashback episode of The Fix with Todd Martin & Wade Keller, we jump back seven years to part two of the August 16, 2017 episode of The Fix. CURRENT EVENTS

• G1 Finals and more stories from his trip including whether these are the best wrestling shows he’s ever seen and how crowds are different than WWE and UFC big event crowds
• Analysis of big segments on Raw and Smackdown including the Baron Corbin MITB cash-in
• Fatal Four-way hype
• Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
• Shane McMahon
• And more

MAILBAG

• Bill Watts’s potential had he been given more time to run WCW
• Eric Bischoff’s chances at success with the WCW buyout with Fusient Media
• Paul Heyman’s chances of succeeding if Dixie Carter hired him to run TNA
• Whether Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton last year had unplanned aspects
• Baron Corbin’s MITB cash-in
• A potential WWE point system tournament like G1
• Stereotypes in wrestling and the responsibly of fans and reporters to speak out
• And more

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back 18 years to the August 3 and August 4, 2006 Wade Keller Hotline podcast where PWTorch editor Wade Keller covers these topics:

• Vince McMahon’s surprising favorite match on ECW
• C.M. Punk’s backstage demeanor
• Why Cole was more into his job
• Steve Austin-Hulk Hogan talk
• Jeff Hardy’s return to WWE
• And more!

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the July 21, 2006 episode of the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show. They covered these topics:

• ECW’s late-night rating
• Undertaker headlining an ECW show
• TNA ratings compared to ECW
• The content of Saturday Night’s Main Event and it ratings
• A look back at what made SNMEs in the 1980s rating successes whereas today they’re not
• Whether it’s wise to feature top stars on TV so often and, if it’s not done, what an alternative is, how UFC fits into all of this, and more.
• The injury to Mark Henry
• A preview of Sunday’s Bash PPV, and a couple other current events
• Then they dedicate the majority of the update to looking at the headlines of the recent two pairs of “5 Years Ago” and “10 Years Ago” Torch Newsletter back issues focused on Hulk Hogan’s heel turn in July 1996 and the original WCW/ECW Invasion angle from July 2001.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the July 9, 2006 episode of the Bruce Mitchell Audio Show. They covered these topics:

• The Sabu and RVD situation
• Happenings on TV throughout the week on the four major first-run national programs.
• Analysis of the new WWE Magazine format
• What question would Bruce ask Vince McMahon if McMahon had to give an honest answer?

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the Real Deal with Pat McNeill from June 22, 2006 including:

• Pat gives his thoughts on a loaded episode of WWE Raw, and gets you ready for Sunday’s big Vengeance show.
• Plus all the wrestling news that’s unfit for print, including the scoop on the next ECW-related book, what surprise could be waiting for fans at Saturday’s ECW house show in Philadelphia, where and when a former ECW champion is locking up with Ring of Honor Bryan Danielson, and which former TNA gladiator would really like to sell you a T-shirt.
• The Hot Five Stories of the week include the end of the Christian era in TNA, Dave Batista back on the road for Smackdown, and confusing moments from Raw.
• The Indy Show lineup of the Week features former ECW Tag Team Champions in the same building for one night only at the New Alhambra,
• Listener Mail on The Warlord, Jeff Jarrett and The Yeti
• Pat’s dramatic audio reinterpretation of the opening segment from Raw.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back 18 years to the June 8, 2006 Wade Keller Hotline podcast where PWTorch editor Wade Keller covers these topics:

• Backstage notes on the ECW TV special including Vince McMahon’s demeanor
• Why they had both Taz and Jerry Lawler on commentary
• What familiar name booked the ECW battle royal
• Which top execs were and were not at the ECW PPV
• Randy Orton’s mood backstage
• Big Show’s relationship with Paul Heyman
• How ECW wrestlers got along with WWE wrestlers backstage
• Raw quarter hour ratings
• TNA’s big Steiner vs. Sting TV match
• More

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In part three of this week’s episode of The Fix with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they answer emails from VIP members on the following topics:

• Why did WCW give away the Steiner Brothers vs. Terry Gordy & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams tag match on a TBS Clash of Champions?
• Does WWE have any exclusivity agreements with arenas to keep out AEW or others?
• What period of time or moment marks when AEW lost its magic?
• Todd responds to and refutes Dave Meltzer’s arguments defending WWE’s decision not to turn John Cena heel
• What is Gunther’s trajectory for the next 6-18 months?
• Why is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin the best to ever lace wrestling boots?
• Is it fair to say AEW is now more like WWE in the mid-2000s than the ridiculous WCW 2000 era?
• Does Wade Keller have any stories on Ricky Rice or Teijo Kahn?
• Would Todd rather debate Jim Cornette or Dave Meltzer on the modern state of pro wrestling?
• Why did WrestleMania 19 do so poorly in terms of buyrate compared to WM17?
• Ideas about how to get Becky Lynch out of a rut
• Who are the top five “gatekeepers” in pro wrestling?
• How many reboots will Karrion Kross get?
• Is the average fan concerned with logic gaps like Prince Nana arriving in the SUV to block Christian Cage leaving during Dynamite?
• Are AEW fans too smart since they react in appreciation of wrestling rather than getting emotionally wrapped up in stories?

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to May, 2006 episodes featuring five straight News Vaults with solo updates by Wade Keller and James Caldwell ranging from May 10 to May 16. The first topic is the locker room right with Booker T and Batista including a response to Batista’s comments afterward and what was revealing about them. Also, a difference in vision between Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman for the ECW relaunch, Umaga’s early push, Jim Cornette’s agreement to work for TNA, and much more. This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this VIP Post-Event Audio Roundtable covering WWE Backlash PLE event, PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch columnist Todd Martin and PWTorch contributor Brandon LeClair. They review the show start to finish, beginning with thoughts on the enthusiastic fans in France and then evaluating the matches including how Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Damien Priest, Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes all came across in elevated positions on this show.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to our TNA Analysis Podcast from Apr. 28, 2006. PWTorch columnist James Caldwell was joined by Torch specialist Paul Madavi to discuss TNA in-depth including the first two weeks of Impact on Thursday nights, the Lockdown PPV after-the-fact, and what the next few weeks of TV looked like. They also discussed Samoa Joe being put into the heavyweight spotlight, who should be the first person to defeat Joe, how TNA could use Brock Lesnar and Goldberg if brought into the company, the pros and cons of TNA taping TV weekly, moving PPVs to other cities, and then the discussion moves to “See No Evil” and “The Marine” and whether either one could draw at the box office, and much much more.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back 18 years to the Apr. 6, 2006 Wade Keller Hotline podcast where PWTorch editor Wade Keller covers these topics:

• A ton of insider news on the prospects of a Hulk Hogan vs. Steve Austin match – how close it came to happening at WM22, what stood in its way, what the prospects are of it happening in the future, why Austin said what he said about Hogan at the HOF during his Bret Hart intro, and any backstage interaction between the two.
• Lots of news on the ECW PPV including the possible main events with Rob Van Dam, whose idea it was for him to win the Money in the Bank match, who he’s most likely to face and why, who else he might face, plus other big names signed for the event and how it will be formatted and booked this year compared to last year.
• The inside story on Randy Orton’s suspension, how it is perceived by his colleagues, and why he has a ton of heat for other reasons.
• Backstage notes on Bret Hart at the Hall of Fame.
• Insider news on Joey Styles and some mistakes he made at WM on air and off air.
• Pro wrestlers live on ESPN next week.
• Survivor Series notes.
• Rosemont Horizon notes.
• And more.

This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.

SHOW SUMMARY: In this week’s episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich dissect and analyze C.M. Punk’s nearly two hour interview this week with Ariel Helwani including what Punk seemed to confirm about his controversies, how he handled explaining his side, what he might’ve revealed when it came to his body language and intensity ratcheting up when he covered certain people and situations, how he talked about key figures such as Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, Tony Khan, and others, and much more.