Talk Is Jericho

Kia Stevens is Awesome Kong in AEW, The Welfare Queen on the Netflix series GLOW, and she was Karma at WWE. She also from suffers from coulrophobia (fancy word for legit fear of clowns, and she’s got the stories to back it up)! Kia got her wrestling start in Japan with All Japan Women, lived in the dojo for years, and speaks fluent Japanese. She spent some time in TNA and talks about her historic match against Gail Kim, and recounts her jump to WWE and the birth of Karma! Plus, Kia takes us behind the scenes of GLOW, and explains how she landed at AEW.

Donald Trump Jr. drops by in what’s sure to be the most controversial episode in TIJ history. Yes, he speaks about Russia, Jussie Smollett, and his father, the most polarizing President in American history. He addresses impeachment, the 2020 election, the “leftist media,” and his own political aspirations. Donald Jr. also remembers his father’s WWE run, the Battle of The Billionaires, the family friendship with the McMahons, and the moment that Stone Cold Steve Austin gave his father a stunner!

Wendy Dio, wife and manager of the late, great, legendary, Ronnie James Dio, is sharing stories from her life with Ronnie! She’s talking about how they met, why he left Black Sabbath to start his own band, what inspired the swords and dragon imagery of Dio’s early days, and about his stomach cancer diagnosis. She also explains why she was shocked by his passing, and how she’s keeping his memory and legacy alive through is music and philanthropy (the 5th Annual Bowl For Ronnie is tomorrow night, November 7th)!! Plus, Wendy’s taking us behind-the-scenes of last summer’s DIO hologram tour, and what it took to make that happen.

Halloween week concludes with paranormal stories about the King of Rock, Elvis Presley! Jeff Dougherty of the Christian Whistleblower YouTube channel spent time around Elvis and the Memphis Mafia. Jeff’s childhood friend, Charlie Hodge, was close to Elvis and actually lived at Graceland! Jeff shares stories about Elvis’ ghost haunting Graceland after his death, the real reason Elvis wanted to meet the Beatles, and what he warned John Lennon and Paul McCartney about. Jeff’s also talking about the secret international, multi-government organization that was exerting mind control over Elvis, and how Elvis’ Hollywood career and stint in the Army were all part of a bigger plan!

"We Need To Talk About Ghosts" podcast host Kevin Eustace lives in Liverpool and is an expert on all things paranormal Beatles! He’s collected and researched paranormal stories about the Fab Four for years, and now he’s sharing them with Chris and fellow Beatles fanatic, Charlie Benante of Anthrax. Kevin speaks to sightings of John Lennon’s ghost, weird experiences at the famous Cavern Club, and other well-known Beatles locations like Strawberry Field and Penny Lane (home of the Penny Lane Poltergeist). He also talks about the alleged Beatles curse, the ghost that haunted George Harrison’s home in the 1970s, and John Lennon’s UFO experience with May Pang during his infamous Lost Weekend! Plus, Kevin recounts the story of how Lennon sold his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune!

Court Bauer is the founder of MLW: Major League Wrestling, and getting ready for his promotion’s big “Superfight” PPV event on November 2nd! Court shares what he learned as a WWE writer working directly under Stephanie and Vince McMahon for two years, and how that experience shaped his thoughts on promos and in-ring storytelling.  He talks about working with Edward Fatu (aka Ecky), and how he helped develop the Umaga gimmick. He remembers the Battle of the Billionaires between Vince and Donald Trump, and recalls some crazy stories about the now-President of the USA. And Court explains how all of that led to the creation of MLW, and his incredible roster of talent including the Von Erich boys, Jacob Fatu, MJF (who’s also part of AEW), and Salina de la Renta.

Shhhhhh! AEW’s resident librarian, Peter Avalon, makes his TIJ debut! He’s talking about how a career in books and reading lead him to the AEW ring, and who exactly offered him the roster spot. He’s also got stories about meeting The Young Bucks in wrestling school, working with and learning from the late, great Roddy Piper, what happened during his WWE tryout, how he and his tag partner Ray Rosas make a little extra cash during Bar Wrestling shows, and why he agreed to help David Arquette make his big return to wrestling!

Artimus Pyle played drums in Lynyrd Skynyrd with original frontman (and band founder) Ronnie Van Zant, and Artimus survived the tragic plane crash that took Ronnie’s life at the height of Skynyrd’s popularity almost 42-years ago to the day. Artimus relives that fateful October day in 1977, and details both the circumstances leading up to it, and the events that immediately followed. He remembers the bandmates and friends lost, and explains why no one should have survived that crash. He also recalls his first introduction to Ronnie, his own audition, and his first live gig with the Skynyrd. Artimus is talking songwriting, performing, the big Skynyrd reunion, the reasons he quick the reunion line-up of Skynyrd, and the importance of honoring Ronnie’s legacy and music.

Don Callis and Paul Lazenby return to help Chris pay tribute to their old friend and fellow Calgary wrestler, Rick Bognar, who passed away unexpectedly last month at the age of 49. They remember their training days together, Rick’s first success in Japan, his Big Titan gimmick, and his brief stint at ECW with Paul Heyman. They also talk about Rick’s WWE gimmick as the “Fake Razor Ramon,” his relationship with Bret Hart, and why Rick’s career didn’t prove to be as successful as it should have been.

Bryan Alvarez from the Wrestling Observer has written a new book, “100 Things WWE Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die,” and he’s sharing more details about some of the items on his comprehensive list!  He’s explaining how he narrowed down the events, superstars, and even the controversies featured in the book including the obvious stuff like Wrestlemania, the Monday Night Wars, Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan, the not-so-obvious stuff like the Intercontinental Championship and indie wrestling, and the eyebrow-raising items like Crown Jewel and Chris Benoit. Bryan’s also talking about the state of wrestling today, AEW’s debut, and why the chapter on Chris Jericho was one of the hardest for him to write!