The year is 2002 and the wrestling landscape has just one major American company, WWE. In an effort to create a competitive landscape, WWE split their company into two brands: RAW and Smackdown. Smackdown was a more athletic based presentation while RAW aimed for soap operas and more entertainment. In an effort to do more soap operas, WWE began a story featuring the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and the #1 contender, Kane, surrounding the death of Katie Vick, a made up person made up for an entirely different reason than it happened, and what happens lives on in infamy.

The year is 2000 and WCW is in full toilet bowl swirl mode. While WWE has a surplus of marketable and drawing talent, WCW is trying to play catch up all at once by dividing their young talent and old talent into warring factions, fighting in extreme gimmick matches to draw attention to them, and getting any celebrity name they could to seem relevant to WWE. That includes Vampiro, coming off throwing a enflamed Sting off the NitroTron and being associated with Insane Clown Posse, who at Bash at the Beach 2000 would face the Kiss Demon in a Graveyard Match, the second Graveyard match of 2000 in WCW.

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The year is 1991 and the golden age of wrestling is just about over. Hulkamania is losing its luster, Ric Flair is being asked to dye his hair black, the Ultimate Warrior could carry the company like Hogan, and it seems pro wrestling is just running the same plays to diminishing returns. But wrestlers like Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Rick "The Model" Martel had a job to do at Wrestlemania 7 and that was to don black bags over their heads and some how wrestle each other blindfolded.  

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The year is 2000 and the wrestling world has begun to exit its highest high, just as WCW is just about done swirling the toilet bowl. Relying on "get over quick" schemes and shocking to diminishing returns angles has proven to not be the way to keep WCW afloat amid corporate restructuring. Nothing could seem to keep WCW from its doomed fate, not pushing new faces of the company like Booker T, Scott Steiner, or Jeff Jarrett. Not international tours of Australia, Canada, or England. Not giving incredibly impressive Mike Awesome a gimmick riding the high of the hit sitcom That 70s Show and certainly not his feud with ICP and Vampiro  

The year is 1999 and wrestling is the middle of its most popular time. WWF is riding high on Stone Cold and The Rock and WCW is about to come crashing down due to corporate politicking and generally bad creative, but that was not the case just yet in February 1999. WCW had a fully healthy main event roster featuring the likes of Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Hollywood Hogan, DDP, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart. So much star power meant someone would be lower than they should, and thats where Bret Hart and Roddy Piper. After MadTV's Will Sasso help Roddy Piper beat Bret Hart for the US Title, Bret Hart challenged the sketch comedian to a match the following week, and that brings us to this week's episode

The year is 1994 and the WWF is clear and away doing everything they can to make money. From making more syndicated programming to making as many colorful characters as they can, and that includes bringing back an old favorite without threat of legal action from Canada. The Quebecers along side with their manager Johnny Polo took to the WWF and wrecked havoc on both the tag division and American's understanding of Quebec.

The year is 2005 and WWE in the midst of the Ruthless Aggression Era, backing talents like John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton as the new faces of the company. Creatively, WWE is still trying its hand at more realistic and boundary pushing angles, such as today's topic, playing off the real history of Eddie Guerrero's affair, and saying he is the father of Rey Mysterio's son, Dominick. The months long slowburn exploded at Summerslam 2005 as Rey and Eddie battled over custody of Dominick in a Ladder match.

Twitch.tv's Aurorn (@SamPr0n) and Shaunningham (@Shaunningham) join the podcast to experience it, talk about the match and delve into the evolution of pro wrestling, gatekeeping, and Steve Blackman.

The year is 1996 and wrestling is about to change forever, but before that we have to get through the first half the year, which is tough because while the second half the year holds such things like the nWo and Stone Cold, we got cry baby matches and wrestling trashmen.  This week's episode is that wrestling trashman, Duke The Dumpster Droese, not be confused with Danny Devito.

Love is in the air because its Valentine's Day on the Dork Side of the Ring Podcast. What better way to celebrate love than quite possibly the most successful wedding in wrestling history. We dont have to go far back in time as the year is 2021 and NXT is dead, long live NXT 2.0 as WWE kicks off a new age in their developmental brand with the wedding of a lifetime between Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis

My girlfriend joins the show to partake in some Valentine's Day fun and watch the wedding, share wedding stories, her guess at what im doing for Valentine's Day. Two goofballs who are in love having a grand old time watching the dorkiest in wrestling

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Despite what Tommy Boy Callahan says, brothers dont always hug, sometimes they fight, and sometimes when they fight they go over the top with fireworks, burning ed hardy statues, and dilapidated boats! Thats right this week's Dork Side topic is Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy in Final Deletion! What gave Impact wrestling a boost in traffic in 2016 is our first Impact Dork Side topic.

CPFs Mid Man and Pudge join the pod to watch and discuss Final Deletion as well as proper firework usage, meat mountains and Matt Hardy's gift for naming his children.

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