ESW: Inside the Empire

The newest episode of Inside the Empire features one of the founding fathers of Empire State Wrestling - Jonny Puma!

Puma goes into great depth not just on the beginnings of ESW, but also his own career and the early days of independent wrestling in Western New York. He also touches upon such topics as the early years of ESW's history, Ballpark Brawl experiences, his comedy career, the sale of ESW to Ray Erway before leaving off at the transition to NWA Empire.

This is our longest episode to date, as it's also filled with many fun stories from over the years. However, there's so much more that still needs to be covered that Puma's career will be broken down into multiple episodes.

Stay tuned to your favorite podcast streaming feed for future episodes featuring Puma throughout the rest of the year.

*NOTE: The mini-prize pack giveaway winner will be selected at the end of the final Puma episode.

Daniel Garcia returns to Inside the Empire on this episodes, and this time he does so as the ESW Heavyweight Champion!

Recorded live at the WNY POD-CON, Garcia discusses bouncing back from the injuries he sustained from the Buffalo Brothers car accident, winning the ESW Heavyweight Championship and his expectations for himself in the near future.

Chris Cooper is the next guest on "Inside the Empire". As a 3-time ESW Heavyweight Champion and one half of the current tag team champions, Cooper has been an integral part of ESW over the years and goes into detail about his experiences.

The next guest on Inside the Empire is three-time former Empire State Wrestling Champion Will Calrissian. He is joined in this episode alongside special co-host ESW Commissioner The Caesar, regular host Chris Gullo and engineer Brandon Thurston.

Calrissian talks about a variety of topics, from what he loves about pro wrestling, why decided to return and answers several fan questions. He also told quite a few interesting stories from throughout his wrestling career.

This is a great episode. Check it out!

Link to Calrissian's Mullet promo: https://youtu.be/dn3FTx4pFTM

Photo Credit: TMK Ringside Photography

This episode of "Inside the Empire" features current ESW Heavyweight Champion and podcast engineer Brandon Thurston!

Listen to how Thurston fell in love with professional wrestling, his thoughts on his 15 year career and answer many questions submitted by the fans.

Our hiatus is officially over! The next guest on "Inside the Empire" is former Empire State Wrestling wrestler turned commentator "Maverick" Matt Milan! Matt goes into detail about how he became a wrestling fan, breaking into independent wrestling, the ups & downs of being in the business and his move to the commentary table. We also recap the recent happenings in ESW, including experiences at WrestleCon and briefly preview future events.

It's been a while, so here is one from our archives - our very first episode in December 2017 with ESW promoter Brett Mednik!

Stay tuned for some new content over the next few months.

"Inside the Empire" kicks off 2019 with "Sparkle Hunter" Kate Carney as its next guest! 

Hear about how Kate started in the Pacific Northwest then ventured to South America before eventually landing in Western New York. She also gives her perspective as a woman in the professional wrestling industry and her views on where the business is heading.

Kate also answers a few fan submitted questions. This is a fun episode that you will enjoy listening to!

***Producers Note: This episode was recorded prior to the car accident involving the Buffalo Brothers. Donations toward their recovery can be made at this Gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/buffalo-brothers-car-accident-recovery-fund

With 2019 upon us, this episode of "Inside the Empire" features one of indy wrestling's fastest growing stars: Kevin Blackwood! The Albion, N.Y. native goes into detail about how he fell in love with wrestling, how he began training and his quick ascension into one of Western New York and Ontario's biggest performers on the independent wrestling scene.

You can check out Blackwood's matches and many other of ESW's top stars on Powerslam.TV!

The "Inside the Empire" crew sits down with ESW promoter/owner Brett Mednik and reflects back on ESW's 2018. Hear about ESW's biggest highlights and challenges over the last year and what 2019 holds in store for Western New York's independent wrestling destination!

Checkout ESW events on Powerslam.TV!