When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture by DragonKingKarl

Mike and Joseph break out the turntables and cassette players as they dive back into the musical world of the 70s and 80s. First albums, first singles, first concerts - it's all here. Plus, Joseph tells of his exploits at getting free records and driving hours to see concerts multiple days a week. Of course, there's also a Mix-Tape Challenge to cover. New Wave to heavy metal, funk to hard rock - this one goes to eleven!

This week I take a deep dive into the September 29, 1986 issue of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter and look at the events unfolding just before the tragic car accident of Magnum TA which changed the course of pro wrestling history. Plus, Chris Adams gets charged for assaulting an airline pilot and THE MASTER BLASTER arrives to save the dying AWA (Spoiler alert - It died anyway).

This week on the 1000 Hours Podcast series which about the pioneer era of pro wrestling I discuss one of the most famous boxing matches in history. Pioneer era boxing was on the rise at the same time pioneer era pro wrestling was and the biggest name in pioneer era wrestling was William Muldoon. John L. Sullivan, the pioneer boxing legend, was having some problems, namely, he was a sodden drunkard who ate and partied too much. Not only did William Muldoon whip Sullivan into shape but Sullivan won the boxing World heavyweight title in the most famous (and illegal) boxing match of the 1800s.

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 144.

This is the second part of my series about the history of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World heavyweight title. On this episode I cover most of the Harley Race era including other champions like Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, Giant Baba, Dusty Rhodes and more. It was a huge era for the NWA where the world champion literally traveled the world and territory to territory defending the NWA heavyweight title.

There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now controlling the transmission. We control the horizontal and the vertical... You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to - - the outer limits.

Yeah, okay, that doesn't work too well for an audio show like a podcast, but you get the idea - it's time to talk science fiction! But before the guys can get back to the future, they've got a mix-tape challenge involving locations on a map to get to. Let's roll the tape!

Today's DragonKingKarl Show is only being distributed through the When It Was Cool Podcast Network. After speaking with Wrestling Observer/F4W boss Tony, I have decided, out of respect to he and Bryan, not to discuss their website problems over there. I finish up answering any questions you have about the situation over there on this show and that's probably the last I will say on the matter. There are plenty of fun and games to be had also as on this episode I talk about a 1980s newspaper article and off-brand newsletter that has an article that must be experienced to be believed. I have attached that newsletter to this post if you want to read it for yourself. Today's show is wacky, fun, and packed full of information. I hope you enjoy it.

I continue my look at the new William Muldoon biography by author Scott Beekman. On this episode we find William Muldoon traveling to San Francisco to continue touring with the play As You Like It with Madame Modjeska and Maurice Barrymore. Muldoon continues to wrestle as well and begins working in San Francisco and other places on the West Coast. However, as always, troubles both legal and otherwise follow him. Muldoon's schemes not only continue to cost him friendships but also his marriage and he ends up arrested as well. Oh yeah, and there is that time he sort of helped kill a dude on a boat... this episode is worth hearing, I promise.

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 144.

Today, I do something I have never done before. The Patreon extra section (about 30 minutes) is at the BEGINNING of the show discussing is the Wrestling Observer Website Failing or Dying? I've been talking with Bryan Alvarez, front page editors, and more this week.

Today on the DragonKingKarl show I begin a deep, deep dive into the true history of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World heavyweight title. The NWA World title actually began before most people realize it did. Although the National Wrestling Association World title had been around for years before the Alliance, there was an actual NWA World title associated with Orville Brown before the official version. Today, I look back at the forgotten origins of the NWA World title and its earliest years.

Oh, no - there goes Tokyo! Joseph and Mike take on the world of tokusatsu and daikaiju and how they both came to love the adventures of Godzilla, Ultraman, and other kaiju brethren. Mothra, Gamera, Rodan, and the Gargantuas are all up for discussion in this episode. But first it's time for the mix-tape challenge of planes, trains, and automobiles and Joseph answers the added challenge of being able to make a mix containing songs from one singular artist!

Today the time machine takes us back to August 1986 from the pages of my latest book DragonKingKarl's 1986-1987 Pro Wrestling Omnibus available from Amazon. In August 1986 Ric Flair won his fifth NWA World title from Dusty Rhodes. WWF was dominating the wrestling scene and doing massive TV tapings for its new shows Superstars and Challenge. The AWA was out of luck, and Stan Hansen defended the AWA World title he no longer held in Alabama!