Talk Is Jericho

Reed Tucker returns to do some comic book talk, and this time it’s about the creators and writers who all got conned by Marvel and DC – the guys who helped create and develop some of the most iconic superhero characters in pop culture history, and then died creditless and penniless. Guys like Bill Finger, Steve Ditko, and Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, who came up with some of the original ideas for Batman, Spider-man, and Superman.  Reed shares their stories, and also talks about the state of the comic book industry today, what DC can do to up their game when it comes to competing with Marvel at the box office, and which other comic book characters should be developed for the big screen.

One of the greatest Japanese reporters, and longtime friend of Y2J, Fumi Saito, joins to preview Wrestle Kingdom 13, with legit predictions about who may be keeping and losing titles!  They run through the card and dissect matches and matchups including the opening Gauntlet, Will Ospreay vs Ibushi, Ishii vs Zach Sabre Jr, Cody vs Juice Robinson,  Okada vs Jay White, and the double main event of Jericho vs Naito and Kenny Omega vs Tanahashi. They also breakdown the IWGP Tag Team and Jr. Tag Team Championships, and do an overall analysis of the recent resurgence of New Japan and wrestling in general.

Rey Mysterio, Konnan, and Diamond Dallas Page help CJ pay tribute to the great Eddie Guerrero (recorded live on the Chris Jericho Cruise)!  They share stories about “Wee-Wee-To,” “Eddie The Giant,” Halloween Havoc 1997, and the time Eddie got into a shoot fist-fight with Kurt Angle! They remember the infamous Plaza Madrid hotel in Mexico City, Eddie’s early days wrestling in Tijuana, and some of his best matches at WCW and WWE.

Jim Cornette returns with thoughts on the current state of the business, and how events like “All In” and The Young Bucks and Cody are changing the wrestling landscape. He’s talking about the resurgence of New Japan, ROH’s show at Madison Square Garden, and what 2019 might hold for indie promotions around the world. Jim’s also got plenty of great stories about the NWA, WWE, his time at Impact Wrestling, and Dave Batista’s early days in developmental!

What has the very introspective Sami Zayn been doing while rehabbing from double shoulder surgery? Examining his own mental state for one! And watching some WWE wrestling for two. He’s also tried his hand at improv, given up eating meat, caught up with his friend, Neville, pondered the parallels between him and Kevin Owens’ careers, debated and analyzed the impact of social media on culture and society, and opened a mobile medical clinic in Syria! Plus, Sami shares his plans and vision for his imminent return to WWE, along with a few things he really misses (and mostly doesn’t) about performing in the ring!

Y2J has turned over the hosting duties of this episode to Scott Bowling of “Good Company with Bowling,” and Scott takes Y2J through a detailed history of Fozzy – from Chris’ first introduction to guitarist Rich Ward to their first performance together to the day they decided to start their own band.  You’ll hear stories about the making of Fozzy’s first album, what inspired them to start writing original material, how the set list has changed over the years, why the “Painless” video had to be shot twice, and what the “Judas Effect” has done for the band’s career and future.  

The Classic Album Clash returns with a KISS battle! It’s “KISS Alive” versus “KISS Alive II” with Nick, Andy, and Chris L. from the “Pod of Thunder” podcast (one of Y2J’s favorite KISS pods)! The foursome go track-by-track in a head-to-head battle to determine which songs, and ultimately which album, reigns supreme! They dissect cover art, KISS letters to fans, photographs, audio quality, recording locations, and share some of their favorite KISS stories and lore along the way! Weigh in with your own vote on twitter @TalkIsJericho!

Dave Meltzer joins to pay tribute to the late Dynamite Kid (aka Thomas Billington) who passed away last week on his 60th birthday. Dave and Y2J discuss Dynamite’s complicated legacy, the influence he had on many including Chris Benoit, Bret Hart, and Finn Balor, his early days in Calgary at Stampede Wrestling, and his jump to WWE and his tempestuous relationship with Vince McMahon. They remember Dynamite’s run in Japan and some of the incredible matches he had with Tiger Mask, his tag team partnership with his cousin Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs and their matches against the Hart Foundation, and the devastating injury that all but ended Dynamite’s wrestling career.

What do Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Costner, and Dustin Hoffman have in common? They all made their feature film debuts in Troma movies! And what do directors Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Spielberg have in common (besides directing)? They were all influenced by Troma’s crazy, over-the-top special effects!  Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman shares those stories, and more, as he gives an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at what it took to get his latest movie, “Return To Return Nuke ‘Em High” made. He has tales from the set, the crew, and the fans! And some pretty wild stories about late Motorhead frontman Lemmy, who made his last film appearance in this movie.

What happened when WCW closed in 2001? Well, Tony Schiavone quit the wrestling business cold-turkey for one. Tony’s talking about the rise and fall of WCW, his near 20-year absence from wrestling, and what recently brought him back. Tony’s also got stories about his early years working for Jim Crockett, his short run with Vince McMahon and WWF, the Monday Night Wars, why he jumped to WCW, and the message Tony received from Vince on his first day on the job at WCW. Plus, Tony shares backstage and road tales about Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Bruce Prichard, Vince Russo, and the NWO.