📼 THE YEAR OF THE CASSETTE 📼
What happens when someone sends you a box of wrestling cassettes from the 1990s?
👉 You turn them into a podcast.
We’re officially launching The Year of the Cassette, a deep dive into Cassette Wrestling News — the OG audio wrestling experience that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin once called the first ever podcast.
📅 Here’s how it works:
• Episodes will drop on the MAIN FEED every other week starting February 11th, 2026
• BUT… they’re available RIGHT NOW on Patreon — WEEKLY!!
https://www.patreon.com/c/shootintheshiznit
These cassettes were mailed to subscribers during the heyday of wrestling fanzines, featuring Jeff Osborne & John Seaton delivering zany fun, real talk, and raw 90s wrestling energy.
Sit back, hit play, and take a trip to the past with the usual gang of CWN.
📼 The Year of the Cassette has begun.
👉 Patreon listeners get it first.
https://www.patreon.com/c/shootintheshiznit
Cassette Wrestling News – Episode #16 (July, 1991)
(Originally released as Issue #55)
Episode #16 of Cassette Wrestling News is one of the most volatile, controversial, and infamous installments, capturing the absolute breaking point of early-90s wrestling fandom as the business spirals into scandal, chaos, and internal collapse.
The episode is dominated by the aftermath of Ric Flair’s departure from WCW, with hosts John Seaton and Jeff Osborne unleashing sustained fury at Jim Herd and Dusty Rhodes, whom they blame for forcing out the greatest world champion of all time. The show opens with detailed discussion of Flair’s contract dispute, WCW cutting off the “sheets,” and the growing war between wrestling management and independent media.
From there, the episode escalates rapidly both in subject matter and on-air tension.
Major topics include:
Continued fallout from Ric Flair leaving WCW, including speculation on his future and the long-term damage to the NWA
WCW creative chaos, endless heel/face turns, gimmick overload, and backlash to The Great American Bash
Harsh criticism of Jim Herd, Dusty Rhodes, and WCW’s booking philosophy
Coverage of WWF steroid fallout, Vince McMahon’s public statements, and deep skepticism toward WWF’s “clean image” narrative
Explosive discussion of rumors involving HIV testing, resignations, and locker-room secrecy (presented as rumor and speculation within the context of the era)
Reports from Dr. Mike Lano on Japanese wrestling and growing international tension between WCW and New Japan
Extensive coverage of John Arezzi’s infiltration of a WWF press conference, including firsthand audio detailing Titan’s hostility toward wrestling media
Promotions, mail-order tapes, newsletters, hotlines, and conventions that formed the early wrestling media ecosystem
Most notoriously, Episode #16 features a complete on-air meltdown, culminating in a heated argument between Seaton and Osborne that turns physical, leading to Seaton being fired live on tape, a moment that blurs the line between shoot, work, and pure chaos in a way few modern podcasts would dare attempt.
The episode later pivots back to wrestling coverage, including:
A full John Arezzi interview breaking down WWF press manipulation
A classic Jersey Devil segment from the CWN archives
Editorial reactions from listeners and newsletter writers
Additional rumors surrounding WCW, WWF, UWF, and the state of the industry
Episode #16 stands as a raw, uncomfortable, and historically fascinating snapshot of wrestling fandom before social media — where rumor traveled by cassette, media battles were fought in real time, and unfiltered emotion ruled the airwaves.
