When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture by DragonKingKarl

Now, on Monday's we are putting up retro pop culture shows from When It Was Cool to supplement our many pro wrestling history shows! Today, we look back at one of my favorite Hanna-Barbara superhero characters- Space Ghost! Yes, Space Ghost had a renaissance in the early 2000s with his Cartoon Network talk show but before that he was a straight up space hero!

Today on my 1000 Hours podcast series which focuses on the pioneer era of pro wrestling, two of the biggest stars of the era head to court for very different reasons. First, William Muldoon is arrested and hauled to court for slapping a security guard upside the head and calling him a dirty loafer for daring to tell Muldoon to move along. While the Muldoon trial was largely humorous, we see the dark side of Japanese wrestler Matsada Sorakichi who, freshly married, has already began abusing his wife. Amongst all the legal happenings there is actual pro wrestling going on as Col. James H. McLaughlin continues his return and faces a very violent man. The content for this episode is taken from my latest book: DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus available on Amazon.

YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put "1000" in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 116.

On this last DragonKingKarl show of 2025, I grab a copy of a really cool book I've been looking at for a while - the WWE Encyclopedia. I have versions of this same type of book for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, etc. but I expected the WWE book to be well... full of lies and cheesy. It was full of kayfabe, but it wasn't cheesy and we have a good bit of fun looking at some classic characters featured inside and a few stories that you won't believe!

On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show 1000 Hours podcast series we finally get not one but TWO matches between the two biggest stars of the pioneer era of pro wrestling. William Muldoon had not previously wrestled Col. James H. McLaughlin mainly because Muldoon was not a fan of collar and elbow wrestling nor did McLaughlin consider Greco Roman his style. But Muldoon has now been largely disgraced on the west coast and crowds aren't what they used to be so the two finally had two matches... which were flops.

YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put "1000" in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 111.

Today, I wrap up my months long look back into the early 1990s, a time when the pro wrestling business was in its worst state during my lifetime. Thanksgiving 1992 gave us two interesting shows to discuss. First, WWF Survivor Series 1992 was a very mixed bag with a great main event and a lot of not-so-great stuff, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling had its biggest show to that date during the worst era of business. Join me today as I discuss both these 1992 shows!

On this edition of the DragonKingKarl show, pro wrestling historian and author Karl Stern begins wrapping up our months long look at the 1990s by taking a look at a rare one-off pay per view from 1991 which took place on a Tuesday (as the name suggests). WWF This Tuesday in Texas featured Hulk Hogan ending the very short first WWF title reign of The Undertaker. Plus, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Skinner, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, British Bulldog, The Warlord, Repo Man, Ted DiBiase, Virgil, Tito Santana and more!

The year is 1884 and the first national pro wrestling star, Col. James H. McLaughlin has been semi-retired for quite a while working as a train engineer. He had been the American heavyweight champion and won pro wrestling's first major tournament in Detroit, MI in 1870 setting the course for pro wrestling going forward. Now, he suddenly returns and wins the World Mixed-Styles championship! His return to glory wouldn't last for long, however. Plus, the sponsor of this episode, Wrestling With the Dawg Podcast, has a question: What is the strangest or most inexplicable thing to happen during the pioneer era of wrestling? Well, the answer is strange indeed.

Please check out my latest book DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus available at Amazon.

This is the extended Patreon version of the show.

YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put "1000" in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 107.

We have now exited 1985 and finished my book DragonKingKarl's 1984-1985 Pro Wrestling Omnibus and sail into uncharted territory- 1986! This is a red-hot time in pro wrestling. WWF has established itself as a dominate national brand, but Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA are putting forth some of the best action of the era. A strange tag team title change takes place in the AWA giving two top stars of the future a major championship in Scott Hall and Curt Hennig!

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In 1994 the train wreck that was WCW somehow managed to pull off one of the best PPVs of all-time. In association with Mexico's AAA promotion, When Worlds Collide featured not a single bad match. It featured multiple classic matches including Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr taking on El Hijo del Santo and Octagon. Today, let's revisit this show through the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and remember one of the greatest shows of the era!