Wrestlespective

Wrestling at the Movies: Below the Belt

Below The Belt, a mostly unknown 1980 drama centered around women's wrestling, is reviewed by Jason Mann and Casey of Hammer Dialectic and The Mandible Claw.

Original airdate: 3/25/13

The WWE career of Shane McMahon is discussed by Jason Mann and Will Pruett of ProWrestling.Net. They talk about his famous feuds with X-Pac, Vince McMahon, Kane, Big Show, Randy Orton, and DX, Shane's penchant for jumping from high places, his good and bad points as a wrestler, and ultimately how much he mattered to WWE. They also have a lively debate about the Shane vs. Kurt Angle match at King of the Ring 2001. #WWE #wrestling

Original airdate: 3/4/13

The 2000 film "Ready to Rumble" starring David Arquette, Scott Caan, Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg, Randy Savage and other WCW wrestlers is discussed by Jason Mann and Adam and Matt from KayfabeComedy.com. They talk about the oddness of how WCW and wrestling are portrayed in this movie, imagine a world in which Caan had been WCW champ instead of Arquette, wonder how good Joe Pantoliano would have been as a wrestling character, speculate where plot points and wrestling characters were taken from, and appreciate the oddball performances by Oliver Platt and Martin Landau in a paycheck movie. #WWE #wrestling

Original airdate: 2/8/13

Hulk Hogan vs. Jeff Jarrett, the infamous Vince Russo promo insulting Hogan, and Jeff Jarrett vs. Booker T at WCW Bash at the Beach 2000 are discussed by Jason Mann and Rich of Calling Spots. They talk about the confusing nature of Hogan lying down for Jarrett, how well it was presented to the audience and by the commentators, what seemed real and what seemed like part of the show, Russo's strengths and weaknesses as a character, whether Jarrett and Booker were good choices as WCW's champions, and more. #WWE #wrestling

Original airdate: 2/6/13

Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H vs. The Undertaker & Kane at WWE Backlash 2001 is discussed by Jason Mann and Trey Irby. They talk about the fascinating period between WrestleMania 17 and the WCW/ECW Invasion, rising talents like the Hardys, Edge & Christian, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho getting cameos in main events, the intense effort it took to get Austin to be booed, the merits of putting all the titles on the line at once, whether Undertaker and Kane were good choices as Austin and Triple H's first foils, and how this is an interesting meld of Southern-style tag and Attitude Era antics. #WWE #wrestling

Original airdate: 1/31/13

Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley at ECW Guilty As Charged 2000 is discussed by Jason Mann and Danielle Matheson. They talk about the merits of big vs. little matches, how ECW was dealing with losing top talent, the lost footage of Awesome beating up Spike's girlfriend, how both wrestlers evolved after ECW, and Spike's recent appearance at the TNA Impact wedding of Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan. (Unfortunately, there's some muffled audio throughout.) #wwe #wrestling

Original airdate: 1/22/13

The Royal Rumble 1990 match is discussed by Jason Mann and Scott T. Holland. They talk about the famous Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan confrontation, whether it was a good idea for Hogan to win the Rumble, an undercard that is much better in practice than on paper, the evolution of Randy Savage's fashion sense, the potential magic of a Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect tag team, and much more. #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin

Original airdate: 12/24/12

Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit & Maven vs. Triple H, Batista, Edge & Snitsky at WWE Survivor Series 2004 is discussed by Jason Mann and Eric Allen of the What a Maneuver!! podcast. They talk about the rushed story of Evolution turning against Orton, Eric's great affinity for Snitsky and some of his best/worst moments, Maven's completely ability to be forgettable, and how novel was the stipulation of each winner being GM of Raw for a week. #WWE #wrestling

Original airdate: 12/9/12

This joint two-part episode of Wrestlespective and Where The Big Boys Play looks at the first Clash of the Champions. Jason Mann and Parv talk about the Varsity Club, the WWF Wrestlefest arcade game, "Leave It to Beaver," why the Warlord is better in 2012 than 1988, NWA-style booking of babyfaces vs. WWF-style booking, the relative merits of the fan-fake Sting and fan-fake Hogan, the life and times of the 1988 "Pet of the Year" Patty Mullen, discussion of the decision-making skills of the NWA Board of Directors, and whether Sting vs. Flair is as great as it is cracked up to be. #WWE #WCW #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin

Original airdate: 12/5/12

This joint two-part episode of Wrestlespective and Where The Big Boys Play looks at the first Clash of the Champions. Jason Mann and Parv talk about the Varsity Club, the WWF Wrestlefest arcade game, "Leave It to Beaver," why the Warlord is better in 2012 than 1988, NWA-style booking of babyfaces vs. WWF-style booking, the relative merits of the fan-fake Sting and fan-fake Hogan, the life and times of the 1988 "Pet of the Year" Patty Mullen, discussion of the decision-making skills of the NWA Board of Directors, and whether Sting vs. Flair is as great as it is cracked up to be. #WWE #WCW #wrestling #prowrestling #rasslin

Original airdate: 12/5/12