The podcast industry has become a huge part of wrestling today. Most active and retired wrestlers have been interviewed for podcasts at some point in their careers in recent years. An interest from fans in hearing wrestlers discuss everything that goes down behind the scenes has allowed the wrestling circles to dominate the podcast industry for sports. Various wrestlers find their way into the top of the overall podcast charts with the most downloads. Many of these wrestlers have new relevance and a new successful career path thanks to their podcasts reaching prominence.
We will look at some of the talent to enter the podcasting field. The better ones will feature wrestlers that know how to deliver an interview that comes off as honest and informative. These podcasts are extremely entertaining and give diehard fans a great look at the business. Unfortunately, there are also some negative instances of podcasts failing to deliver. The wrestlers to host these shows have done a poor job of delivering compelling content consistently. Find out if your favorite wrestler is doing a podcast today and if it is worth trying out. Here are eight wrestlers that need to stop podcasting and seven that are great at it.
15 Bad: Booker T
The recent controversy of Booker T threatening Corey Graves on his radio show and podcast made headlines before being revealed as a work. Graves appeared on his show and Booker mocked the fans for getting suckered into it. Booker is often playing a character on the microphone rather than trying to have an informative or engaging show.
At one point, Booker used the term “fake news” and accused the wrestling media a story out of nothing. However, Booker was the one at fault for trying to make people believe an inaccurate story. Most of his interviews provide very little insight aside from him talking about how great the performer is. You won’t get more than lip service and standard talking points from Booker on his show.
14 Great: X-Pac
X-Pac has been considered one of the more intelligent minds for the wrestling business when it comes to the behind the scenes aspect. Chris Jericho revealed Vince McMahon made him learn from X-Pac in 1999 when he joined the company and needed help adapting to the new style. X-Pac has overcome his personal demons in recent years and is still a fixture in the wrestling business.
The current role of podcaster is what X-Pac does most these days. He works with Afterbuzz Studios and the Jericho Network to bring both an audio and video show of him interviewing wrestlers. WWE has X-Pac on their approved list of shows where contracted wrestlers can appear and talk about their current life. The lighthearted show is often a fun conversation with wrestlers sharing their thoughts on today’s wrestling climate.
13 Bad: Ryback
Ryback has been one of the most disappointing stories of a wrestler falling apart after WWE. The early comments from Ryback suggested he was going to make an impact on the wrestling scene and show why WWE made a mistake giving up on him as a potential top guy. Instead of progressing his wrestling career, Ryback has been relatively quiet when it comes to in-ring success, but he has started a podcast.
The weekly podcast of Ryback sees him make ridiculous comments about wrestling and the world beyond it. Most stories about his show feature him saying idiotic things that leave fans laughing at him. It is one of the tackier wrestling podcasts on the market today. Ryback’s former co-host Pat Buck even walked away from the show and was replaced with a random adult actress. This is clearly not a podcast meant to appeal to intelligent wrestling fans.
12 Great: Chris Jericho
The podcast success of Chris Jericho has been arguably the greatest of any wrestler to enter the industry. Jericho has been dropping two podcasts per week for years now with guests ranging from wrestling to rock stars to various entertainers. The strengths of Jericho allow him to ask the tough questions while remaining friendly and not crossing the line.
A few of Jericho’s shows this past year featured special breakdowns on interesting topics like The Montreal Screwjob, the career of Chris Benoit and other unique stories. Jericho’s success was impressive enough to land his own podcast network allowing other wrestlers to host shows on his brand. An open mind in the world of wrestling and a variety of guests makes Jericho one of the best podcast hosts in the game today.
11 Bad: Vince Russo
Vince Russo’s presence in professional wrestling refuses to go away no matter how many times he gets fired. WCW and Impact Wrestling each saw their company fall apart to new lows whenever Russo received control. Spike TV flat out kicked TNA off their network when realizing Russo was still being secretly employed against their knowledge. With no companies wanting to hire him, Russo has now become a podcast personality.
The audience of Russo is the Attitude Era fan base that still watches the product and complains about it not being edgy. Russo has delivered controversial and all-around gross rants at various points to try to create publicity in the worst ways. It seems he is blatantly aware no relevant promotion will ever hire him again and he is going all in on being a shock jock personality.
10 Great: Edge and Christian
2017 saw Edge and Christian enter the podcast game with their new show. While arriving late, they have been able to deliver an entertaining show different from the rest. The dynamic of two lifelong friends interviewing their guest is creating a different flow to the conversation. Edge and Christian being two of the smartest and most entertaining guys in the business adds to the show as well.
Big name guests like John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista show they have great connections. Current stars like Kevin Owens, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks also give you reason to believe Edge and Christian have a pulse for today’s industry. The general wrestling insight of the friends breaking down various topics before the interview adds another show within the show. Edge and Christian are making an impact in the podcast game as a premiere show today.
9 Bad: Steve Austin
The shocking choice of Steve Austin as one of the worst wrestling podcasts has to do with how far he has fallen. Austin instantly had a hit podcast with two entertaining shows each week often interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. However, the past couple of years have seen Austin basically give up on trying to get the top names more than a handful of times per year.
We get shows with Austin interviewing his wife, neighbors and wrestling pundits that already have podcasts to share their opinions. Unless you want to hear about his hunting or dieting, Austin’s podcast has reached the point of unlistenable territory. The legendary figure seems to be complacent with the fact that he will have listeners due to his name value and often mails in his podcast efforts.
8 Great: Tazz
Tazz was trying to break into the broadcasting world all the way back in the 2000s when he retired from the ring. WWE giving him a spot at the commentary table made him fall in love with the broadcasting role and he wanted to get his own radio show. It took quite some time, but Tazz started his own daily radio show and podcast a few years ago breaking down today’s wrestling stories.
The success of Tazz’s wrestling podcast on CBS’ platform led to him being hired for a bigger role this year. Tazz is now the co-host of a daily sports talk program on CBS’ national radio station. Despite having the workload of a daily gig, Tazz still drops two wrestling podcasts per week. The honesty of Tazz when giving his opinions makes his show unique compared to the other guest-driven podcasts.
7 Bad: Terri Runnels
A negative about the podcast climate in the wrestling industry is that everyone wants to have one now. It looks like easy money for forgotten wrestling personalities to return and talk about wrestling for an hour or two every week. Terri Runnels seems to be one of the wrestlers on this side of things. The former manager is attempting to get her podcast Cigars, Scars and Superstars off the ground.
Early indications are that the podcast is off to a terrible start. There is little chemistry between Terri and her co-hosts. Most of her knowledge is about less interesting stories for her angles rather than the overall climate of the Attitude Era involving bigger stars. Runnels is struggling to create an audience for her podcast and that is a bad sign for a new show.
6 Great: Lance Storm
Lance Storm has been one of the most respected people in the industry throughout his career. Following his retirement from active in-ring work, Storm became a credible trainer. Tyler Breeze, Emma and Laurel Van Ness are a few of his successful students. Chris Jericho decided to bring Storm’s wrestling intelligence to his podcast network for a show with fellow friend Don Callis.
Storm and Callis hosts the weekly show called Killing the Town. The insight of Storm typically breaks down the current wrestling stories with a credible perspective. Storm is often blunt about what he likes and isn’t afraid to trash the things he dislikes. There aren’t as many guests on this show as other wrestling podcasts, but Storm does break down older wrestling matches for a mix of the past and present.
5 Bad: Konnan and Disco Inferno
One Jericho Network show that has not impressed is Keepin’ It 100 with Konnan and his co-host Disco Inferno. The former WCW wrestlers host a long show ranging from discussing current wrestling topics to social topics. Both guys often get problematic to create controversy as if it were the late 90s and they were trying to be a shock jock show. At one point, Disco tried to convince viewers to take pictures of female fans at show without their consent to tweet to him.
The show has seen multiple non-wrestler hosts join as it is difficult for normal people to deal with them. Konnan working for Impact Wrestling has taken away his unbiased opinions as he is trying to shill the product on his podcast. Most shows will fall apart if the host is attempting to try to manipulate listeners into liking something. Konnan and Disco are essentially goofs trying to sound intelligent every week.
4 Great: Bruce Prichard
A surprising success story in the wrestling podcast world is Bruce Prichard becoming one of the best in the game. MLW Network hired Prichard to have his own show with co-host Conrad Thompson. Something to Wrestle With receives numbers and fans clearly love hearing Prichard go in-depth about topics from his time in WWE and TNA through the years.
The fact that Prichard was rarely an on-screen character aside from his Brother Love days makes it more impressive. Most in his position would have flopped trying to start a podcast, but his memory and blunt nature about memorable wrestling moments makes for entertaining content. Prichard received one of the biggest pops at the RAW 25 special for his Brother Love appearance. The popularity of his podcast has earned him new fans in recent years.
3 Bad: Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff’s podcast on the MLW Network is less impressive than Bruce Prichard’s. The podcast is meant to have the same format of Bischoff breaking down various stories and rumors from his time in WCW. Bischoff was the most powerful person backstage in WCW during the Monday Night Wars leading the company to prominence.
However, the memory and authentic of Bischoff is far less accurate than Prichard’s. Chris Jericho has even referenced that Bischoff pretends to forget about things that happened in WCW to get out of giving an honest answer. The lying nature of Bischoff hurts the overall podcast as fans want to hear the legitimate facts about things they’ve wondered about for years. Bischoff is struggling to get the same success as Prichard despite being a generally bigger name in the industry.
2 Great: Colt Cabana
Colt Cabana was the first wrestler to strike gold with a successful wrestling podcast. The idea came in the early stages of podcasts becoming big in the comedy world. Cabana realized he and his friends had fascinating stories to share about their journeys in the wrestling industry. Big names like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Miz and many more were interviewed to help establish the show.
Cabana saw his territory invaded with a plethora of podcasts joining the field in recent years. A decision was made by Colt last year to end the prior format of his show interviewing guests every week. Cabana didn’t want to continue doing the same thing as every other wrestling podcast. The new format will see him discuss his career and share his thoughts on various topics like a true personal journal rather than an interview show.
1 Bad: Jim Cornette
One of the worst things a wrestling personality can do on a podcast is taint their legacy. Jim Cornette has shown this as he is now a caricature of the legend he used to be. Fans often enjoyed Cornette’s wild rants and tirades when they were authentic. Unfortunately, he has started to play it up for the sake of his podcast. The comments of Cornette sees him deliver over the top rants cursing out today’s talent.
Cornette has gone as far wanting Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks killed for ruining the wrestling business in his eyes. The Young Bucks claim Cornette approached them at an independent show and was overjoyed about how their angle was working the internet, even though they wanted no part of it. Cornette’s parody has become a parody of inauthentic opinions.