On this episode of Chewin’ the Fat with Chubby Dudley, Bay Ragni sits down with another true Philadelphia wrestling original: Tony “The Hitman” Stetson. This is a deep, honest, and at times emotional conversation between two guys who lived through the earliest days of the Philadelphia independent scene, the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, and the birth of Eastern Championship Wrestling before it became the ECW most fans remember.
Chubby opens the show by making it clear how much respect and love he has for Stetson, crediting Tony as one of the people who beat respect into him, taught him the business the hard way, and helped shape not only his wrestling career but parts of his life outside the ring. From there, the conversation becomes a full career retrospective: from childhood fandom, the Monster Factory, WWF enhancement work, Montreal, TWA, ECW, Johnny Hotbody, Paul Heyman, Todd Gordon, Ivan Koloff, and the painful reality of watching the extreme version of ECW take off without some of the men who helped lay the groundwork.
One of the strongest threads in the interview is Tony’s partnership and rivalry with Johnny Hotbody. Stetson explains that they were both smaller guys, both from South Philly, and both knew they had to do something different if they wanted to stand out. Their answer was to make the people believe it. They worked stiff, bled, fought around buildings, and built a rivalry that fans reacted to like it was real. Tony makes it clear that what he and Johnny were doing was not “fake tough guy” posturing. It was physical, painful, and designed to make the audience feel like they were seeing something dangerous.
The Tri-State Wrestling Alliance discussion is especially important. Tony talks about how Joel Goodhart’s promotion gave local guys a stage, how the radio show helped build the fanbase, and how the Stetson/Hotbody feud became one of the things people demanded more of. Without TV, TWA still drew fans through word of mouth, radio, magazine coverage, and matches that felt like they had real heat.
The ECW portion is just as fascinating. Tony discusses the first Eastern Championship Wrestling show, working Ivan Koloff, and how surreal it was to be in the ring with someone who scared him as a child. Koloff insisting on putting Tony over clean says a lot about the respect veterans had for him. Tony also talks about the early promise of ECW, Todd Gordon’s direction, and the complicated feelings that came later when Paul Heyman’s version of ECW took off while some of the original Philadelphia guys were left behind.
This episode also gives a lot of insight into Chubby Dudley himself. Bay talks openly about being trained by Tony and Johnny, getting his ass kicked in the ring, struggling for two years before finally debuting, and how different the training became once Stetson and Hotbody replaced Larry Winters as his main trainers. There is a real teacher-student bond here, even with all the ball-busting.
This is not just an ECW nostalgia interview. It is a look at the roots of Philadelphia hardcore wrestling from someone who was there before the branding, before the national attention, and before the mythology. Tony “The Hitman” Stetson tells it straight: the good, the bad, the painful, the funny, and the bitter.
For fans of Eastern Championship Wrestling, Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, the Monster Factory, ECW originals, Johnny Hotbody, and the real roots of Philly hardcore wrestling, this episode is essential listening.
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