Episode 7 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with “The American Danger Man” Mad Man Pondo. Pondo is one of a handful that predates Jim in IWA Midsouth as Pondo started on the first show in the main event of Winter Warz 1996 in January of that year. They talk about Pondo growing up as a wrestling fan, becoming a wrestler, linking up with Ian to become a traveling opponent, Old K-Mart building, getting kicked out of Kentucky armories, working as a talent scout for the Jerry Springer show, going on 49 tours of Japan, the grandfather clock incident, the failed KOTDM tournament in Japan (the real story behind it), Memoirs of a Madman, what Pondo’s been up to lately & so much more on this week’s episode of Fannin’s Flashbacks

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Episode 6 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with “Britney Spears’ Boyfriend” Chuck Smooth/Chuck E Smooth/Paul E. Smooth (if ya nasty). Chuck talks about growing up as a fan in the Chicagoland area, being able to watch ECW, USWA & SMW on syndication, finding local shows & finally being trained to be a wrestler. He talks about how he got his start in IWA…..then getting started at “the real” IWA, becoming a light heavyweight champion, demons that followed him during his time in pro wrestling, being friends with people he watched on TV, taking a deathmatch wrestler around his college campus, people he wasn’t fond of & so much more this week on Fannin’s Flashbacks.

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Episode 5 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with “The Mayor” Rich Wayne. Great friends for the past 28 years that met at IWA Mid-South where both were mistaken for being with the Kentucky State Athletic Commission because they took notes to post results on AOL Grandstand! That friendship grew into late nights at JBoy’s restaurant until 5 am after shows, midnight bowling with Brent Blades and Nick Maniwa, doing a podcast called Seinfeld, Friends, and Wrestling together and going to 25 out of the 30 current MLB stadiums together on their yearly baseball trips together. Hear Rich discuss his friendship with Reckless Youth, putting the IWA softball team together, and being fooled into hauling around a broken trophy thinking it was legitimately the Brawl For All trophy that Bart Gunn received from WWF! Listen to Jim tell the story of sleeping with a WWE HOFer on the very first road trip he did in the wrestling business & so much more this week on Fannin’s Flashbacks!

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Episode 4 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with the man truly responsible for getting him into the business, Les Johns. College friends that bonded over their love of wrestling, they talk about how Les calling the IWA hotline and leaving a critique of the show ended up with Ian Rotten calling at 3 am to yell at him about the critique. That phone call grew into Les Johns, Ben Rich, and Jim becoming involved in IWA Mid South and bringing shows to Lexington. The release date of this episode (11/7/25) is the 28th anniversary of that debut show in Lexington (11/7/97). So the day before his 49th birthday, Jim celebrates the 28th anniversary of entering the wrestling business. Les and Jim discuss going to ECW fan cons, the 1997 Final Four to watch their Alma mater UK, Starrcade 1995 & 1996, and the 1996 King of the Ring. Where was Jim when Stone Cold Steve Austin was born and debuted the catchphrase Austin 3:16? You have to listen to find out! All that & so much more this week on Fannin’s Flashbacks!

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Episode 3 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with multiple times over former IWA Midsouth Light Heavyweight champion American Kickboxer. Despite knowing each other for close to 30 years, this podcast & leading up to the recording is the most Jim & AKB have ever talked. They start the conversation with Kickboxer’s start in the business, his training, meeting Les Thatcher, proper training, starting in IWA Midsouth, the Tarek/Kickboxer matches actually being the draw for Jim & his friends to make the trip from Lexington every week and listen to Kickboxer actually make Jim speechless for the first time in his life with an answer about acknowledging what happened in IWA and having gratitude for it. All that & so much more this week on Fannin’s Flashbacks!

Check out Kickboxer’s podcast channel – https://www.youtube.com/@WMWPodcast-c2k

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

BOO~!

Surprise drop here at the BNMVS Podcast Network, as we give episode 1 of Maniwa’s Mausoleum of Mysteries. I wanted to drop this on Halloween proper to really set the tone. Big fan of the spooky podcasts & super excited to bring this style of podcast here to the BNMVS Podcast Network.

On this debut episode, I speak first with Chad French as he tells a story of his childhood living in Cleburne, TX with strange happenings around his family’s home.

Later, I chat with James Duncan as he tells me about his first ever paranormal event involving a neighbor’s Ouija board then follows with an out of body experience with a lost loved one.

If you have a story you’d like to share on the podcast, I can be reached on all social media – @nickmaniwa.

Thank you for listening & please rate, subscribe & share if you enjoy!

Additional thanks to our music providers & graphic designer-
Sinister · Anno Domini Beats
An Alien Presence - Geoff Harvey
James - @Candido24k_ on Twitter

Apologies for the first upload, something got clicked. This is not a subscription service, all the podcasts on the BNMVS Podcast Network are free!

Episode 2 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! On this episode, Jim sits down with “The Whole Reffin Show” Brent Blades who served as the IWA senior official from 2000-2003. They talk about starting out in the front row at IWA shows at the old KMart building and how many eventually got involved on shows, the world famous piss bucket, the infamous snow storm in Morris that wrecked the attendance for CM Punk vs. Eddie Guerrero in 2002 at Jim’s old high school, the tomfoolery on the drive thru the show from Indianapolis, how eerily similar their actual wrestling records are in IWA, midnight bingo, midnight bowling, and everything in between. You’d never guess who argued for Brent to make his first payday in the wrestling business, gotta listen to find out who!

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Episode 1 of Fannin’s Flashbacks is LIVE! The first episode features a conversation between Jim & his old college buddy Ben Rich as they talk about becoming friends during their time in college at University of Kentucky, finding IWA Midsouth, bringing IWAMS to Lexington and everything in between.

Be sure to follow Jim on X – @JFannin73
Subscribe to his Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@sportsfannin

Next episode is scheduled with “The Whole Reffin’ Show” Brent Blades. If you have any questions, please send them on X.

After the hell month of Maniwa’s life, we’re finally dropping out AMA episode. We took questions anonymously on NGL & on social media.

Editor’s notes –
My timeline was wrong. KOTDM 2018 was May, Bentley did not perform in the tournament but was at the show. He wrestled at Prelude to Death the night before. So apologies for that.

Reed Bentley has been EPW Elite champion for 4,353 days.

As always, you can follow Nick on all social media – @nickmaniwa & Reed – @TheReedBentley

Take a trip down memory lane as the most decorated manager in IWA Midsouth tells his tales after serving a 12 year sentence in the craziest independent wrestling company in history. Look for the first episode to drop in the very near future. Welcome to Fannin’s Flashbacks!