Between The Sheets

Kris and David are guestless this week as we discuss the week that was February 21-27, 2000. Topics of discussion include:

• A rundown of the chaos that was going on behind the scenes at WCW, which was bad enough that both Bill Goldberg and Sting basically wanted nothing to do with it all until there was a permanent booking team in place.
• Nitro and Thunder having plenty of crazy shit going on including yet another fake La Parka, the Harris Twins getting a huge push for some reason, Buff Bagwell striking out with valets, Kevin Nash having amnesia, and so much more.
• Kenta Kobashi becoming Triple Crown Champion in AJPW as Mitsuharu Misawa is getting his ducks in a row for a potential split.
• Big Japan makes a deal with Combat Zone Wrestling to trade talent.
• Dan Henderson wins the first annual RINGS King of Kings tournament amidst a loaded field.
• Perro Aguayo makes his grand return to Arena Mexico after being gone for seven years.
• The sordid details of Jim Thompson — a.k.a. Detroit News wrestling columnist “M.L. Curly” — being charged with child molestation.
• The ECWA's fourth annual Super 8 tournament, which doubled as a DVDVR message board gathering and and a coming out party for Scoot Andrews.
• Shane Douglas showing up in XPW and, naturally, shooting on Ric Flair.
• Raw at the Georgia Dome featuring one of the all-time great Rock promos: “I am The Game-uh.”
• SmackDown featuring Mick Foley cutting one of the greatest promos of his career and ANOTHER one of The Rock’s most memory promos, this time mocking The Big Show’s “AAAAHHHH THE CHOKESLAM!!!!!!” pose.
• The No Way Out PPV featuring Foley vs. Triple H in an insane Hell in the Cell match that was purely nuts and started Foley’s “retirement.”

This is just scratching the surface, as this show is loaded, so....LISTEN NOW!!!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 WCW

1:49:09 Eurasia: AJPW, NJPW, BattlARTS, BJPW, Capture, DDT, FMW, Onita Pro, Super J-Cup, SkyPerfecTV/DirecTV Japan merger, RINGS, Jd’, JWP, & FWA

2:28:51 Latin America: CMLL, IWRG, Mil Mascaras, & IWAPR

2:37:05 Classic Commercial Break

2:40:59 Jim Thompson charged in child molestation case

3:07:36 Other USA: JAPW, ECW, ECWA, Norm Connors on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” on ABC, IWAMS, Memphis (MCW & Power Pro), Rev Pro, XPW, & Rena Mero on “Relic Hunter”

3:51:50 WWF

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Kris and David are guestless as we discuss the (almost)-week that was February 15-20, 1994. Topics of discussion include:

• WWF firing Marty Jannetty for at least the fourth time overall and the third time in just two years.
• Vince McMahon co-hosting Radio WWF with Jim Ross — and it's a doozy.
• Shinya Hashimoto beating Genichiro Tenryu for the first time as New Japan is red hot.
• UWFi running a big grandstand angle at a press conference challenging all the big champions in Japan.
• The very first match between Chris Benoit and Sabu taking place on a NWA New Jersey show.
• The status of Paul E. Dangerously with both Jim Crockett's WWN and Tod Gordon's ECW.
• Bob Armstrong returning as SMW Commissioner.
• The Thrillseekers officially “signing their contracts” on SMW TV.
• A wild update on the Jerry Lawler statutory rape case in Louisville.
• Eddie Gilbert running wild on Memphis TV.
• An update on Hulk Hogan in WCW.
• A detailed look at WCW SuperBrawl IV, one of the most forgotten PPV's in WCW history in part because it was never released on home video.

That sounds like a great show, doesn't it? Well, it was!!!!

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Kris and David are joined by Pete Stein (for the international sections) to discuss the week that was February 7-13, 1995. Topics of discussion include:

• WCW adding more PPV events to their schedule.
• The upcoming Cruiserweight Title tournament that doesn’t happen for another year.
• Rick and Scott Steiner's impending return, which ALSO doesn't happen for another calendar year.
• Dave Meltzer's thoughts on the DDP/Evad Sullivan angle.
• Some great videos on WCW Saturday Night centering on Ric Flair, Sting, and the Hogan/Vader feud.
• WCW's presence at the New York Toy Fair.
• A wild time in New Japan featuring one of the greatest TV episodes in NJPW history as they went full ECW, featuring Masa Saito becoming the BULLODAWOODS.
• Just which Rayo de Jalisco had actually passed away.
• Victor Quinones running IWA shows in the Dominican Republic.
• ECW becoming a cult favorite promotion in Japan.
• The Gangstas’ feud with Bob Armstrong getting hot and heavy in SMW.
• Sid Vicious turning babyface in Memphis.
• The National Wrestling Council runs a big show in Las Vegas.
• Dick Murdoch does Dick Murdoch things on WWF house shows.
• Why exactly Shawn Michaels abdicated his color commentary job on Raw.

All of that and so much more on a solid episode of Between the Sheets.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 WCW

1:28:56 Japan: NJPW, WAR, FMW, IWU, Nishi Nihon, & AJW

2:23:02 Classic Commercial Break

2:25:53 Halftime

3:00:29 Other North America: CRMW, AAA, CMLL, & IWA Dominican Republic

3:24:46 Other USA: Crockett/NWA woes, ECW, All-Star (NC), NCW, SMW, USWA, NWA Dallas, & NWC

4:33:08 WWF

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Kris and David are guestless as we discuss the week that was January 31-February 6, 1988. Topics of discussion include:

• The Main Event airing live in prime time on NBC featuring Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant for the WWF Championship and DOUBLE DAVE HEBNERS! We also talk about the Nielsen ratings for the show, Honky Tonk Man refusing to do a clean job to Randy Savage, and much much more from this history-making TV special.
• Ted DiBiase showing up in Boston and Philly the next day wearing the WWF Championship belt and how that was received.
• New Japan on tour featuring Buzz Sawyer and Owen Hart, and how they were being received.
• Scott McGhee suffering a stroke that ends his career.
• Dave Meltzer's rundown of the Lucha Libre scene in 1988.
• Jerry Blackwell's Southern Championship Wrestling doing some great things in Georgia, plus a look into their feud with Deep South.
• Ron Fuller makes a big announcement about the future of wrestling in Knoxville.
• Brother Ernest Angel comes to Memphis.
• The AWA having issues drawing in the Twin Cities.
• The Road Warriors/Powers of Pain bench press contest angle where Animal broke his orbital bone.
• And RIC FLAIR NIGHT in Raleigh, North Carolina on NWA Worldwide Wrestling, which started the build to Sting’s title shot at the first Clash of the Champions.

We always love the 80's shows and this one is no different, so LISTEN NOW!!!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 WWF

1:32:00 Int’l: NJPW, Stampede, Tim Flowers, Mexico, & WWC

1:54:05 Classic Commercial Break

1:57;53 Halftime (contains discussion of the Vince McMahon sex trafficking allegations, albeit mostly in broad strokes)

2:46:10 Other USA: Canarsie High School, Georgia (SCW-Deep South war), Global (FL), Continental, CWA/Memphis, WCCW, Central States/WWA, AWA, Chavo Guererro, Alexis Smirnoff, & Portland 

4:12:29 Jim Crockett Promotions

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Kris and David are guestless as we talk about the week that was January 24-30, 2014, a Patreon request from Sean Doherty who put down the $25 for us to do it. Topics of discussion include:

• TNA making a deal to return to Universal Studios for TV tapings.
• MVP being revealed as the top secret “investor” in TNA in the big angle of their United Kingdom tour.
• Prince Devitt weighing his offer to join WWE at the same time as KENTA has a tryout at the WWE Performance Center
• CM Punk walking out of WWE less than an hour before the Raw the night after the Rumble, and we go in-depth about his interview with Ariel Helwani earlier in the weekend that foreshadowed this happening.
• The Royal Rumble PPV — the next to last PPV before the launch of WWE Network — which had one of the wildest atmospheres of any wrestling show of the era as the fans in Pittsburgh made their feelings known to WWE about their displeasure with the booking of Daniel Bryan.
• Batista winning the Royal Rumble in his return and the craziness of that moment.
• The Raw after the Rumble. which was a course correction in some ways, but it wasn't enough.
• Much more, including Smackdown, NXT, WWE getting a new TV deal, Jake the Snake going into the HOF, Sin Cara speaks out in Mexico about the new Sin Cara and tons more.

This is a STACKED show, so you better not miss it!!!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 TNA

0:38:03 Everything That Isn’t TNA or WWE: AJPW, NJPW, NOAH, Osaka Pro, AAA, CMLL, ROH, & Jim Ross to FoxSports.com

1:02:12 Classic Commercial Break

1:05:50 Not Exactly Halftime

1:08:27 CM Punk walks out on WWE

2:10:01 SmackDown & Royal Rumble

4:08:10 Other WWE

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Since we want everyone to be able to learn from our Patreon series on the 1992 "Titangate" sex and drug scandals in WWE, want to be able to direct everyone to the shows, and don't want to give anyone the idea that we're trying to make money off of the awful new lawsuit against WWE, we're releasing all four Titangate shows for free. Permanently. We're really proud of the work we did on these, and we hope that everyone can learn from them.

---

Content warning: By necessity of covering this topic, though it is not the sole focus, this episode contains a significant amount of discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse, a non-trivial amount of which is descriptive. If you have any concerns that this content may be triggering or otherwise upsetting to you, then skipping this episode may be advisable.

It's July, and you know what that means: The fourth and final part of our Patreon-exclusive deep dive into what became known as Titangate, the overarching collection of scandals that hit the WWF in 1992. Topics include:

• Alex Marvez breaking the story of the federal grand jury investigation into the ring boy scandal in the Miami Herald...weeks after Dave Meltzer buried the lede while reporting it in the Observer.
• The emergence of "Barney," the teenage boy who came off like a plant when asking an audience question on Donahue and then came forward with a new sexual assault allegation against Mel Phillips.
• Jeff Savage's Penthouse feature that expanded his San Diego Union-Tribune reporting into a larger feature.
• Paul Roma, in John Clark's Wrestling Flyer, accusing Pat Patterson of telling him to sleep with a different Titan Sports executive if he wanted a bigger push.
• Murray Hodgson's confidence eroding after his lawyer quit during his deposition.
• Cheryl Vasquez's protest of a WWF house show in Poughkeepsie, where at least one wrestler allegedly tried to run her over with his car.
• Pat Patterson's return to the WWF in late August.
• Bill Kunkel going scorched earth in his Potshots column in Three Count, criticizing Savage for how he handled errors in the Penthouse story, Marvez for not reporting on his and the New York Times' own back and forth with Jerry McDevitt, and others.
• Our summation of the scandals and how they relate to Vince McMahon's 2022 downfall.

...and much more. When we started this series in April, we had no idea it would become as topical as it has, but here we are.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Weeks of June 15-July 20, 1992

1:05:35 Week of July 27, 1992

2:18:14 Week of August 3, 1992

3:02:27 Weeks of August 17-August 31, 1992

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Since we want everyone to be able to learn from our Patreon series on the 1992 "Titangate" sex and drug scandals in WWE, want to be able to direct everyone to the shows, and don't want to give anyone the idea that we're trying to make money off of the awful new lawsuit against WWE, we're releasing all four Titangate shows for free. Permanently. We're really proud of the work we did on these, and we hope that everyone can learn from them.

---

Content warning: By necessity of covering this topic, though it is not the sole focus, this episode contains discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse. If you have any concerns that this content may be triggering or otherwise upsetting to you, then skipping this episode may be advisable.

It’s June [2022], and you know what that means: Time for a new Patreon-exclusive deep dive. This time, it’s part 3 of a series on what became known as Titangate, the overarching collection of scandals that hit the WWF in 1992. The topics include:

• A Current Affair covering the scandals, which included, at the last minute, a letter that Murray Hodgson sent Vince McMahon out of the blue looking for work…while he was suing the WWF. Also: The production of the segment leads to an incredibly strange, forgotten Wrestling Observer item about someone claiming to be a former wrestler going to different shows with conflicting versions of what  he said Rita Chatterton told him about Vince McMahon…before disappearing.
• How the scandals begat John Arezzi and Vince Russo splitting as business partners, with both giving their sides in material that we didn’t have when we did the “Vince Russo Origins” show a few years ago.
• John Arezzi and Bill Kunkle writing about their memories of Mel Phillips’ red flags going back to the mid-1970s.
• Sid Justice getting suspended for cheating on a drug test.
• Steve Planamenta word vomiting to Mike Mooneyham about the successes and failures of the drug testing program so far.
• Lee Cole accusing the WWF of trying to get him sent to prison.
• Tom Zenk and Jim Ross’s thoughts on Titangate, including Zenk revealing for the first and only time that he left the WWF over a vaguely-described incident of sexual misconduct, as well as an overly glib Barry Orton interview where he goes off on Tom and Lee Cole.
• Vince McMahon benefitting from how many different stories were being shoved into one overarching “WWF scandals” box.
• The WWF repeatedly airing matches with Mel Phillips doing ring announcing during this period.

All that and much more on the latest installment of a series that’s become increasingly relevant in 2022 over the last few weeks.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Week of April 27, 1992

0:44:06 Week of May 4, 1992

1:38:52 Weeks of May 11 & May 18, 1992

2:08:36 Week of May 25, 1992

3:14:58 Weeks of June 1 & June 8, 1992

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Since we want everyone to be able to learn from our Patreon series on the 1992 "Titangate" sex and drug scandals in WWE, want to be able to direct everyone to the shows, and don't want to give anyone the idea that we're trying to make money off of the awful new lawsuit against WWE, we're releasing all four Titangate shows for free. Permanently. We're really proud of the work we did on these, and we hope that everyone can learn from them.

---

Content warning: By necessity of covering this topic, though it is not the sole focus, this episode contains discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse. If you have any concerns that this content may be triggering or otherwise upsetting to you, then skipping this episode may be advisable.

It’s May [2022], and you know what that means: Time for a new Patreon-exclusive deep dive. This time, it’s part 2 of a series on what became known as Titangate, the overarching collection of scandals that hit the WWF in 1992. This time, the topics include:

• The Now It Can Be Told and Geraldo episodes covering the scandals, especially the new allegations from Rita Chatterton (accusing Vince McMahon) and Mike Clark (accusing Terry Garvin), as well as the CBS Evening News story the same week where Vince McMahon loses his mind. Also: Just how shook was Murray Hodgson by sitting next to Rita during the Geraldo taping?
• The WWF steroid symposium at the Plaza Hotel and how it led to the dissolution of John Arezzi and Vince Russo’s business relationship.
• Steve Planamenta going wild as WWF spokesman, particularly to kvetch about Phil Mushnick to Mike Mooneyham, with Mushnick striking back the following week.
• Dave Meltzer’s many back and forths with Dr. Mauro DiPasquale about the WWF drug testing program.
• The Allentown Morning Call attempting to look into the local side of the Mel Phillips allegations.
• Karate Kid and Lord Littlebrook accusing the WWF of blackballing their “midget wrestler” troupe for accusing Pat Patterson of sexual harassment.
• Roddy Piper ranting about steroids and Hodgson in a radio interview.
• David Letterman referencing the scandals in his own way.

…and much more. You will probably learn a lot from this show.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Week of March 23, 1992

0:59:07 Week of March 30, 1992

1:51:15 Week of April 6, 1992

3:17:37 Week of April 13, 1992

4:05:54 Week of April 20, 1992

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Since we want everyone to be able to learn from our Patreon series on the 1992 "Titangate" sex and drug scandals in WWE, want to be able to direct everyone to the shows, and don't want to give anyone the idea that we're trying to make money off of the awful new lawsuit against WWE, we're releasing all four Titangate shows for free. Permanently. We're really proud of the work we did on these, and we hope that everyone can learn from them.

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Content warning: By necessity of covering this topic, though it is not the sole focus, this episode contains a significant amount of discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse, a non-trivial amount of which is descriptive. If you have any concerns that this content may be triggering or otherwise upsetting to you, then skipping this episode may be advisable.

It’s April [2022], and you know what that means: Time for a new Patreon-exclusive deep dive. This time, it’s part 1 of a series on what became known as Titangate, the overarching collection of scandals that hit the WWF in 1992. We start in February 1992 with the attempted DEA raid of the locker room at a St. Louis house show as well as Barry Orton going public with sexual harassment allegations against Pat Patterson and Terry Garvin, which was actually the first public trace of that side of the scandals. After skipping the first week of March because we just covered it in-depth on the main show (ep. #344), we move on to what are probably the two longest weeks in the history of our Patreon shows to date.

The week of March 9,  everything starts to blow up with the Village Voice story that unleashed Murray Hodgson on the world, San Diego-Union Tribune article about drugs and the abuse of ring boys that introduced Tom Cole and Chris Loss, a bizarre WWF press release, the Los Angeles Times story that dwelled on Hulk Hogan’s cocaine use way too much, and more, including Vince McMahon heeling on Bruno Sammartino on Larry King Live. And in the week of March 16, we get the legendary Titangate episode of The Phil Donahue Show and all of the related chaos, Phil Mushnick going scorched earth on Vince McMahon in the New York Post while revealing Vince’s shocking admission about what he suspected of Mel Phillips, Wade Keller hitting the nail on the head about the direction of the media coverage, and more.

And that just scratches the surface: There’s tons more, including Hulk Hogan’s gun charge, the WWF still using underage ring boys after being contacted for Jeff Savage’s Union-Tribune story, how heavily Savage’s article was edited before publication, Dave Meltzer spotting Hodgson’s true nature early on, tons of media criticism including Alex Marvez’s less than ideal handling of a rape allegation blurted out by Orton, Dave Meltzer’s handling of the Vince/Phillips stuff, and the degree to which media went way too hard on Hogan/drugs to the exclusion of the more important story, and MUCH more.

This is the longest Patreon show to date, and it’s a doozy. We put a lot into it, so we hope you appreciate it.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Weeks of February 17 & February 24, 1992

Check out BTS episode #344 for the week of March 2, 1992, which includes the resignations of Pat Patterson & Terry Garvin and everything else that happened that week in extreme detail.

0:58:56 Week of March 9, 1992 

3:23:11 Week of March 16, 1992

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

We thought we would record something quick for halftime about the new sex trafficking lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon, and John Laurinaitis, but then realized that there was no way it would fit, so we're releasing this here. We made a point of not discussing the graphic, potentially really triggering stuff from the lawsuit. But given the topic, there are obviously discussions of sexual assault and other abuse more broadly, so tread carefully.

We also talk about how we've made the executive decision to make the four-part Patreon series about the 1992 Titangate scandals in WWE available for free going forward. They'll go up here on the free feed soon. but in the meantime, they've been unlocked on the Patreon page, so check out the Titangate collection page to listen.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands