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Episode 91: Shad Gaspard
On this episode of 10 Bell Pod Nick, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning tell the full story of Shad Gaspard.
He was a fighter, wrestler, actor, writer, and real life hero.
From a rough Brooklyn upbringing and legit combat sports background to WWE’s Cryme Tyme era, indie runs, Hollywood work, and a reputation as one of the toughest and most respected men in the business, we look at a career shaped by talent, charisma, and a system that never fully knew what to do with him.
It’s an honest conversation about stereotypes, missed ceilings, creative control, and who Shad really was beyond the gimmicks, culminating in the tragic and heroic final act that defined his legacy forever.
Come discuss the episodes:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod
ProWrestling Tees: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html
PayPal Donation - 9BHDW7Y2KMBTY
EPISODE NOTES
Shad Gaspard: Cryme Tyme, Constraint, and What Real Toughness Looks Like
This episode exists to explain Shad Gaspard beyond the two lazy frames he’s usually given: “problematic gimmick” or “tragic ending.”
Using his full arc, from Brooklyn kid to legit fighter, from Cryme Tyme’s missed ceiling to a post WWE life that was just getting started, the episode treats Shad as a case study in how wrestling limits people who don’t fit clean archetypes.
It’s about talent meeting a system that confuses control with creativity, and toughness with obedience.
Core Takeaways
Cryme Tyme was a success the system didn’t know how to reward: Shad and JTG took a tone-deaf gimmick, wrestled control away from the writers, and got themselves over anyway, exposing WWE’s inability to capitalize once something works without permission.
Legitimacy without fear: Shad’s real world toughness gave him leverage most wrestlers don’t have. He wasn’t scared of Vince, didn’t need to posture, and that quietly disrupted power dynamics backstage.
Over without elevation: Cryme Tyme consistently drew reactions, moved merch, and worked with top acts, yet were denied titles or long-term investment because the company didn’t believe they needed rewards to stay over.
Monopoly punishment: Their firing wasn’t about performance. It was about discipline. In a one-company ecosystem, talent could be “taught a lesson” with no safety net.
A life bigger than wrestling: Post WWE, Shad pivoted toward acting, writing, and stunt work, showing how much untapped runway he still had when wrestling stopped giving him one.
What Usually Gets Missed
Shad Gaspard wasn’t a “what if” because of talent, he was a “what if” because the system never knew what to do with someone that solid, that fearless, and that human.
This episode isn’t about mourning a wrestler. It’s about understanding an actual hero. A real life good guy.
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By 10 Bell Pod
4.9
5555 ratings
On this episode of 10 Bell Pod Nick, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning tell the full story of Shad Gaspard.
He was a fighter, wrestler, actor, writer, and real life hero.
From a rough Brooklyn upbringing and legit combat sports background to WWE’s Cryme Tyme era, indie runs, Hollywood work, and a reputation as one of the toughest and most respected men in the business, we look at a career shaped by talent, charisma, and a system that never fully knew what to do with him.
It’s an honest conversation about stereotypes, missed ceilings, creative control, and who Shad really was beyond the gimmicks, culminating in the tragic and heroic final act that defined his legacy forever.
Come discuss the episodes:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod
ProWrestling Tees: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html
PayPal Donation - 9BHDW7Y2KMBTY
EPISODE NOTES
Shad Gaspard: Cryme Tyme, Constraint, and What Real Toughness Looks Like
This episode exists to explain Shad Gaspard beyond the two lazy frames he’s usually given: “problematic gimmick” or “tragic ending.”
Using his full arc, from Brooklyn kid to legit fighter, from Cryme Tyme’s missed ceiling to a post WWE life that was just getting started, the episode treats Shad as a case study in how wrestling limits people who don’t fit clean archetypes.
It’s about talent meeting a system that confuses control with creativity, and toughness with obedience.
Core Takeaways
Cryme Tyme was a success the system didn’t know how to reward: Shad and JTG took a tone-deaf gimmick, wrestled control away from the writers, and got themselves over anyway, exposing WWE’s inability to capitalize once something works without permission.
Legitimacy without fear: Shad’s real world toughness gave him leverage most wrestlers don’t have. He wasn’t scared of Vince, didn’t need to posture, and that quietly disrupted power dynamics backstage.
Over without elevation: Cryme Tyme consistently drew reactions, moved merch, and worked with top acts, yet were denied titles or long-term investment because the company didn’t believe they needed rewards to stay over.
Monopoly punishment: Their firing wasn’t about performance. It was about discipline. In a one-company ecosystem, talent could be “taught a lesson” with no safety net.
A life bigger than wrestling: Post WWE, Shad pivoted toward acting, writing, and stunt work, showing how much untapped runway he still had when wrestling stopped giving him one.
What Usually Gets Missed
Shad Gaspard wasn’t a “what if” because of talent, he was a “what if” because the system never knew what to do with someone that solid, that fearless, and that human.
This episode isn’t about mourning a wrestler. It’s about understanding an actual hero. A real life good guy.
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