#92 – WrestleMania 13
This week we travel back in time to 1997 for a very personal and special look at WrestleMania 13 and review one of the greatest matches of all time. We also give Robert from the Atomic Elbow a call to discuss the fifth issue of The Atomic Elbow! Please support the podcast by visiting flairchop.com where you can buy our tremendous “mail-order wrestling gimmicks” t-shirt, posters, and the box set of our first 50 episodes. You can also get a free OSWP sticker by leaving a comment on the iTunes store.
This episode has been archived. It is available either by ordering the physical “OSWP Season 3 box set” with episodes 76-100 or it can be instantly downloaded in a digital version of the “OSWP Season 3 complete set” with episodes of 76-100. The physical box set will always be our favorite, as it comes with a full color booklet featuring art by our friend Dean Stahl and looks great on your bookshelf next to your coliseum home videos. The instant digital download version also comes with high resolution PDFs of the booklet that you can view on your computer. Both the physical box set and the digital download come with two bonus episodes featuring our reviews of the Clash of the Champions 9 and the Royal Rumble 1988. These episodes have never been available on flairchop.com. But if you only want to hear this one episode, we also offer the option of instantly downloading just the individual episode for a small price.
Not sure if you guys mentioned it, but rumor has it that Sid pooped in his trunks when Undertaker gave him the Tombstone at the end of the match. I mean, that just sucks. For Sid. And for the Undertaker.
Hey Guys,
You were talking on the show about the Howard Stern looking guy who always went to shows during this period. His name was Lenny I do believe, he was apart of the ECW crew with Hat Guy, and Mike Johnson from PWinsider. I’m not sure what he did to acquire the funds to go to shows, but that is who he was.
Enjoyed the show thanks.
You guys were talking at the beginning about how Eddie Guerrero transformed his character from bland to amazing. Just think of what he did for Chyna. He made her a palatable character. Then she moved on to Jeff Jarrett, and, well…yeah.
I have also met the Headbangers on one occasion. They were doing an autograph signing at the mall. They were in a full page ad in WWF Magazine for Shotgun Saturday Night in like a mug shot. I had them sign it and they made a comment something along the lines of “Oh, that was that night we pushed that old lady” or something like that. I thought it was very cool that they took the time to comment on the picture, and not just do whatever the routine was for every person the same way.
How is it that Samoans are so versatile that they can play Japanese (Yokozuna) and Middle Eastern (Rikishi) characters so well? Next you’ll be telling me that The Russian Brute is actually part of the Anoa’i family, and is Samu’s brother.
This Bret-Austin match is one of the most vivid memories of my teenage years. More so, yelling at my mom and brother that Austin bladed, and them just sitting there telling me it was fake. I’m pointing at the blood squirting and pouring out of his head saying “If that’s a blood packet where is it coming from when his hands are nowhere near his head?” I lived with a couple of “wrestling is fake no matter what” people.
Exhibit A: I ordered the Over the Edge Pay Per View where Owen Hart passed. I remember telling my brother that Owen fell and was hurt, and he just told me it wasn’t true, it’s all fake. Then when they said that Owen had died, I burst into his room and yelled “He’s dead, are you happy now?” It’s one thing to know that wrestling is “performance art”, it is another to just assume everything that happens is fake no matter what. Stupid brother. We’re cool now, so don’t worry about wrestling breaking up our family.
I have a GENIUS Kickstarter idea. Let’s raise money to convince Chris Jericho that, during his Wrestlemania match, the following exchange MUST take place.
Fandango has Jericho in a rest hold I MEAN painful submission hold:
Fandango: What’s my name?
Jericho: …
Fandango: I asked…WHAT’S MY NAME?!?
Jericho: Gius….Giuss….GIUSEPPE BADALEMENTI!!
Bonus OSWP karma for anyone who gets a “GIUSEPPE BADALAMENTI 3:16, I just touched your slammy” sign on a wrestling card.
I hope my old friend Guiseppe Badalamenti is getting google alerts for his name.
i propose you issue a challenge to the guys that get your bumpers: whoever gets to Dusty first wins!
another great episode boys!
also a great tribute to Paul Bearer, one of the best managers in the history of wrestling!
and i have a serious question for dre. i have never been to chicago or the surrounding areas, but do italians really sound like canadians or extras from the movie fargo there?
thanks fellas can’t wait for the next show
So good!
I like the “train full of wrestling fans” reflection. That would happen when I’d attend events in Portland. We’d all congregate at the mall near the arena in our wrestling shirts and nod (or shout) at each other pre-show and then cram onto the MAX post-event.
[spoiler] So glad you guys just sang that Wrestlemania theme about fifteen times.
Let us know immediately if you learn anything about ECW guy.
On the new Stone Cold dvd there is an audio track with Ross and Austin calling the Mania 13 match , it’s awesome!
Thanks for the extra long podcast. Definitely made my trip to Ohio go by much quicker.
Recently rewatched the Chicago Street Fight on the WWE Falls Count Anywhere DVD. Definitely a fun match. I love how Hawk brought a kitchen sink to the match.
Love the Lawler intro! I especially like that he snuck in some 1993 Jerry Lawler into the mix.
If you watch closely during the Road Warriors/Ahmed Johnson/NOD Street Fight, you’ll see a 16-year-old Colt Cabana punch Hawk in the arm.
I’m with Dre that I was focused pretty much on all WCW during the time of Wrestlemania 13. I would flip to Raw during Nitro’s commercials but rarely did I stay on Raw for a full segment. I would get WCW’s PPV’s but only listened to the scrambled version of the WWF ones.
The WWF re-hashed a few old tag teams during this time like the new Midnight Express. You have to hand it to whoever put together the new Black Jacks though. If there were any two guys who could have been Black Jacks, it was Windham and Bradshaw. I heard the gimmick was supposed to start earlier than it did but Barry Windham thought he was being ribbed when they told him to dye his hair black. He showed up with blonde hair still and everyone got all mad.
If Zero and I were in a friendly competition to see who could get the best bumpers, he would win hands down given the places he wrestles for. His promotions bring in names way more often. It’s more like we root for each other to get the bumpers.
Brad Garrett. A light bulb just should’ve gone off.
So just to confirm:
1997 WWF pyros go: “pop-pop-pop”. Whereas, WCW Nitro pyros go: “pew-pew-pew”.
Didn’t the Road Warriors also do the Chicago Street Fight in JCP/NWA vs. the Midnight Express?
Btw, it sounds that Linda McMahon theme you were humming took a few bars from Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. Wacky!