The Rabblecast

Robo Calls, they come and go. Even if you're on a "Do Not Call" list, solicitor's find a way to get by them. What do you do? Do you answer? Do you ignore them? Have you tried turning the tables on the caller? What would you do if your own number called you?

What about when you're relaxing at home and you hear a knock at the door? You open the door before seeing who it is and you're ambushed by someone trying to give you a pamphlet about their religion. Do you talk to them? Do you close the door?

We also talk about the ALL IN Pay Per View and go over the highlights of the show. All of this and so much more!

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In this day in age, it's sad to say that, shootings have become quite frequent in the USA. Shopping malls, schools, concerts, churches, etc. At a recent Electronics Arts(EA) Sports sponsored Madden tournament in Jacksonville, Florida one of the tournament participants opened fire killing two and injuring another ten before committing suicide. News outlets were quick to turn the shooting in a political topic as gun laws were once again put under the microscope.

EA Sports released a statement saying their "most heartfelt sympathies" went out to the families of the victims and those who were injured and that their focus was on those affected and aiding law enforcement. The publisher would later cancel the three remaining Madden Classic qualifier tournaments in order to reevaluate safety protocols for future live events.

Our conversation also includes talk about MMA and Pro Wrestling(WWE to be more specific). PED use, painkillers vs marijuana use, and some wrestling stories.

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James Henry Neidhart(aged 63), was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bret Hart in The Hart Foundation. He also won titles in Stampede Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Mid-South, Memphis and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. He is part of the Hart wrestling family through marriage, teaming with various members throughout his career.

Neidhart's passing comes shortly after the passing of three other Professional Wrestlers. It's easy to forget and dismiss the amount of sacrifice that these performers endure to be part of the Wrestling world. Extended periods of time away from family, nagging injuries that often times go undiagnosed, and the relentless uphill battle to make an impact.

We continue talking about other Wrestling news and stories. We even talk about WWE's Summer Slam 2018. It's not a full blown rundown, but it does bring us to a place we know and love, talking about the world of Professional Wrestling.

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A couple of weeks back, major companies in the realm of social media decided to remove Alex Jones' show InfoWars from their respective platforms. If you're not familiar with his work, Alex Jones is the host of InfoWars and is often called a conspiracy theorist due to the various topics he likes to cover on his show and website.

For years Jones has been able to reach millions of viewers and subscribers through social media. But it wasn't until August 6, 2018, Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify removed all content by Alex Jones and Infowars from their platforms for violating their policies. Fans of Alex Jones were upset, to say the least. A debate over Freedom of Speech became hotly contested on various news outlets, articles, and social media.

We do our best to add our thoughts to this conversation.

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On this episode of The Rabblecast we say goodbye to a few of Professional Wrestling's talented individuals that have entertained us through the years.

Brian Christopher Lawler(aged 46), was an American professional wrestler. He was the son of professional wrestler Jerry Lawler and brother of wrestling referee Kevin Christian. He was best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE), where he performed as Brian Christopher and Grand Master Sexay. Lawler was a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion as part of Too Cool with Scotty 2 Hotty, and won 44 titles within the United States Wrestling Association.

Frederick Seawright(aged 57), was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Brickhouse Brown. He was a top heel in Southern promotions in the 1980s and 1990s. With his recent passing a few funny and heart warming stories have come out about Brickhouse Brown. One of those stories involved a grateful Mick Foley being invited in out of the cold after Brickhouse Brown found out Foley didn't have a room on one of their trips.

Josip Hrvoje Peruzović(aged 70)better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, was a Yugoslav-born American professional wrestler who was best known for his performances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In the 1980s, he was known for teaming with The Iron Sheik, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship at the inaugural WrestleMania event, and later with Boris Zhukov as The Bolsheviks.

We also have updates on Chris Hardwick's return to AMC and the ongoing story with James Gunn and the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.

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San Diego Comic Con is a time for celebrating all things Pop Culture. Comics, movies, TV shows, toys, and the list goes on and on. But this year's Comic Con was mired with a bunch of different news that put a dark cloud over the usual festivities.

Jon Schnepp(aged 51), was an American producer, director, voice actor, editor, writer, cartoonist, animator, and cinematographer. Schnepp was known for the documentary film, The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?, for which he directed and wrote. He also directed episodes of Metalocalypse, The Venture Bros. and a segment of The ABC's of Death. To say that he was a busy individual would be putting it lightly. Thank you for all of your hard work Mr. Schnepp.

One of the many big headlines out of SDCC this year was the firing of James Gunn from the upcoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Disney/Marvel. The news broke after a bunch of old tweets resurfaced and Disney was pressured to take action. James Gunn was writing and was set to direct Vol.3 of GotG which was to begin production this coming Fall. (In the time since we have recorded this episode there have been further developments in the story that we will cover in an upcoming episode.) The use of social media to take down people in "Hollywood" has been a growing trend as of late. This case in particular is concerning as it has some political connections to it.

We cover all of this and so much more on this episode!

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Hey, there's a new Kevin Smith project out making the rounds. So you know Hernandez is excited. But what about Doug? The pilot for Hollyweed is currently up on Rivit TV for free! Watch it and if you like what you see, pledge a few bucks per episode and become a Producer of the show with many others.

In more movie news we talk about Robocop Returns! Now, Robobcop has already been rebooted before back in 2014 with Joel Kinnaman in the leading role. But this reboot/relaunch(it's hard to keep track of the terms) has Neill Blomkamp(known for: District 9, Elysium, Chappie) in the Director's chair and the original writers(Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner) from the 1987 Film. Can Blomkamp and returning writers hit the mark?

And then the conversation turns to the best Horror movies from 1981 and 1987. Hellraiser, The Lost Boys, An American Werewolf in London, Scanners, and many more.

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Matthew Cappotelli(aged 38), was an American professional wrestler. After co-winning Tough Enough III with John Hennigan(aka John Morrison), he worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the primary developmental territory for WWE. He ended his career due to a malignant brain tumor.

Steve Ditko(aged 90), was an American comics artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Ditko largely declined to give interviews, saying he preferred to communicate through his work. 

We also continue to follow the story of the 21st Century Fox buyout by Disney. Comcast had previously challenged Disney's bid to acquire 21st Century Fox, but Disney out bid Comcast. Everything seemed like smooth sailing until a lawsuit was filed by a Fox shareholder, causing yet another road block in the acquisition of 21st Century Fox.

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Not long ago, when you wanted to find the latest movie releases for your home entertainment you had to leave the comfort of your home, get in your car, and take a trip to your local video store. Now we have streaming services and digital downloads that allow you to side step all of that. But what the adventure of going to a rental store? The oddball places and their staff? When was the last time you watched a movie based on the cover art of the VHS/DVD?

Leon Allen White(aged 63, aka Big Van Vader),  was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. He performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) during the 1990s and 2000s. White, who gained legendary status in Japan, is widely regarded as one of the greatest super heavy-weight wrestlers ever.

Also on this episode, we have an update regarding the on-going story of the Fox and Disney deal that many are hoping will soon be resolved. After a $65 billion all cash bid from Comcast, Disney has responded with a larger bid. Originally, Disney put a bid out for $52.4 billion in stocks, but they have now upped their bid to $71.3 billion in cash and stocks. Is this it? We'll have to wait and see.

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It's no secret that we love movies. Good movies, bad movies, weird movies, take your pick. Doug recently watched, Oasis of the Zombies and soon after regretted watch said movie. Hernandez watched, Yoga Hosers and was taken back to the 80's when monster movies were a thing(anyone remember the 1987 movie, Munchies?)

We also talk about the recent essay written by Chloe Dykstra(actress, cosplayer, and model) that was posted on Medium. The essay details a relationship in which she was the victim of emotional and sexual abuse. No one was named in the essay but it didn't take much to realize that the other person in the relationship was, Chris Hardwick(stand-up comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and podcaster). We talk about the essay and the reactions that followed soon after social media and news outlets picked up on the story.

We are The Rabblecast!