From Billionaire Ted's War Room to Missy Hyatt suing WCW, Jesse Ventura suing WWF, Hulk Hogan suing his former restaurant's PR person, to a crazy Royal Rumble and Clash of the Champions, January and February of 1996 saw a lot of crazy stuff and tons of change. WCW had just turned a profit for the first time ever in 1995 and was looking to capitalize. WWF was looking for their next big hit as Diesel and Razor were heading out the door. ECW was finally coming into their own and was about to hit their peak. This is just the start of this multi-part series where we dive into the news, notes, and big events of the year 1996!

(Special thanks to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter & Wikipedia)

1996 - A Year in Wrestling Review Pt. 1

"With a tear in my eye, this is the greatest day of my life!" Those were the words spoken by "Nature Boy" Ric Flair after winning the first Royal Rumble that the WWF/E Title was ever up for grabs in.
Hosts Troy & Greg go in-depth into what this Rumble was like to watch, what it meant to them, and whether or not it's the best. They also go into details about Vince McMahon being in the fight of his life during the infamous Steroid Trial at this time.
There were also a lot of big things going on storyline-wise, like the blow-up between Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice on the way to WrestleMania 8 and the angle that saw Ric Flair claiming he was once with Miss Elizabeth to goad "Macho Man" Randy Savage into a blood feud that also culminated at WrestleMania 8.

WWF Royal Rumble 1992

It was a Texas-fueled event! The soon-to-explode Stone Cold Steve Austin won the Rumble match in controversial fashion after some of the greatest character work we've ever seen in this match type. Shawn Michaels, with his mentor Jose Lotherio in his corner, took on WWF World Champion Sycho Sid in his hometown of San Antonio. Also, as WWF flirted with the idea of a working relationship with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, they featured a few of the Mexican stars in this event.
Greg is finally back to co-host this episode with your boy, Troy! They go in-depth into the storylines leading up to this event, the matches and stories unfolding at the Royal Rumble event itself, and all the fallout from the show going into WrestleMania 13.

WWF Royal Rumble 1997

In the build-up to WrestleMania 31, this show was panned by critics and fans alike as one of the worst Royal Rumbles in history. The Big Dog saw victory and was booed out of the building just one year after being cheered like crazy over Batista, Brock Lesnar took 500 finishers from John Cena and Seth Rollins only to emerge from the remnants of a broken table and retain the WWE Title, and the Ascension faced off against the "Middle-Aged" Outlaws. Delvin Cox from The Delvin Cox Experience & PlayStation Experience joins host Troy to dissect this historically bad Royal Rumble that came to us from the City of Brotherly Love.

WWE Royal Rumble 2015

Host Troy Adams is joined by 2chambz from the Big Gold Belt podcast to discuss the Japanese equivalent of WrestleMania; Wrestle Kingdom. For the 14th installment of New Japan Pro Wrestling's biggest show of the year, they've spread it out to two days in the Tokyo Dome instead of just one. Someone was also crowned both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion at the same time, Chris Jericho brought the AEW Title to Japan, and much more!

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

In this abbreviated episode to kick off the new year and new decade, host Troy Adams is hyped about the upcoming NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 show that, for the first time ever, will stretch across two days! On top of this, he also gives his opinions on the current state of pro wrestling across the world and runs down what's next for Becky Lynch, who should be the hood ornament for WWE in 2020, where AEW will take Dynamite next, how long it took them to sell out their Revolution pay-per-view, if "aliens" should be wrestling, what the hell is going on in Impact Wrestling, and where the former Sin Cara has landed.

CREDIT: The Wrestling Observer / Figure 4 Online

Latest Wrestling News & NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Preview

This was the first Clash of the Champions after Jim Crockett Promotions sold their properties to Turner Broadcasting, which changed the NWA to WCW. This was also big in building to the first December Starrcade, Starrcade 1988. This was the final Clash of the Champions for Dusty Rhodes in WCW before being fired. There's so much to cover on, before, and after this event!
On top of all of that, Troy goes solo to reflect on 2019 and the 2010's as a whole before taking a look forward into the 2020's. What's been good? What's been bad? What needs to change? What needs to stay the same? And your listener questions are answered to close the show!

NWA Clash of the Champions IV: Season's Beatings & 2019 In-Review

After Bill Watts' territory went out of business, he sold it off to Jim Crockett Promotions. This was their first collaboration as The Wrestling Network. This was also the night that Vince McMahon directly competed with Starrcade on Thanksgiving night with Survivor Series '87. Dusty Rhodes took on a young, fresh-faced Lex Luger in a cage, Ric Flair faced the forgotten NWA Champion Ronnie Garvin (also in a cage), Arn Anerson & Tully Blanchard vs. The Road Warriors killed the town, the Midnights and Rock n Roll were on a scaffold again, and so much more!

NWA Starrcade 1987: Chi-Town Heat

For the first time in history, Kurt Angle defends his WWF Championship against 5 other men (The Undertaker, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Rikishi) inside a Hell in a Cell! Current AEW Champion Chris Jericho takes on Kane in a Last Man Standing match! The women show us how far we've truly come with women's wrestling in 19 years! And how many cringy Attitude Era things happened on this show? How good or bad was the event, really? Hear all the breakdown from host Troy & guest host Delvin Cox (from the Delvin Cox Experience & PlayStation Experience podcasts).
Also, before diving into the past, the guys discuss the latest craziness surrounding Jordan Myles/ACH. Also, who will go where after the latest round of WWE releases?

WWF Armageddon 2000

The main event was the much anticipated WCW World Title match between Hollywood Hogan and Sting, culminating a year-long buildup of their feud. Also on the show was an impactful pay-per-view debut of Bret Hart, Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff for control of Monday Nitro, Curt Hennig vs. Diamond Dallas Page for the US Title, and more! Troy & Greg talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of one of the biggest wrestling shows of the 1990s!

WCW Starrcade 1997

Troy & Greg were in Chicago live for NXT TakeOver: WarGames & Survivor Series 2019. While they review they matches, they also review the atmosphere. For wrestling figure collectors, they also run down the best places to find great collectibles in the Windy City. This episode has a personal touch for those who couldn't make the trek to Chi-Town for the weekend.

Survivor Series 2019 in Chicago Weekend

The great Delvin Cox guest co-hosts! This was the second Survivor Series event not to include any Survivor Series elimination matches. The main event from the Raw brand was the first ever Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship the returning Shawn Michaels. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show for the WWE Championship, where Paul Heyman turned on Brock. There was also an amazing elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championships involving Edge & Rey Mysterio, Los Guerreros, and Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit. Hear about it all, where everyone is now, and much more!

WWE Survivor Series 2002

The year 1989 in WCW had a lot of stupidity to laugh at (it was peak Jim Herd era) like the Ding Dongs and other goofy characters, but this year also offered great feuds like Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk. In honor of Veterans Day in America, this show is going full red, white, and blue, showing off their scars and stripes! Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory emanated from an Army base and Great American Bash showed off the "glory days"! Also, in honor of the upcoming NXT TakeOver: War Games show, GAB '89 features a fantastic War Games match.

Clash of the Champions VII & Great American Bash 1989

This is, of course, one of the most famous events in WWE history. The show was famous for one moment: The Montreal Screwjob. However, unlike most shows, Troy & Greg aren't just talking about that moment, but rather everything leading up to this event as well as every single match and segment on the card. Besides the historical significance of the event and time period, Troy & Greg find the humor in things. Such as Team Canada only having 1 Canadian on it, Team USA being a rag tag group of thrown-together guys, Road Dog (with only 1 G) makes some very non-PC comments, Stone Cold's entrance not going as planned, and so much more!

WWF Survivor Series 1997

This event was freaking brutal, and that always makes for the best shows! Troy & Greg review one of WCW's most historically terrible pay-per-views ever. It was a usual Halloween Havoc, with a terrible Hulk Hogan match, old guys fighting, and a goofy ending. Listen in for terrible memories and tons of laughs!

WCW Halloween Havoc 1998

The guys started recording this career retrospective on "The Demon"; "The Big Red Machine"; "The Monster" Kane and realized there was just too much to get into in one single episode. So enjoy the look back on Kane's career up until the point where he lost his mask!
Troy & Greg also talk about a contest giveaway coming up on the show in a couple of weeks, give an update on La Parka's scary injury, the firing of Eric Bischoff from WWE, and they talk about if TV ratings really matter for wrestling in the year 2019.

The Career of Kane, Pt. 1

Halloween Havoc returns to Vegas for 1997! This event had a weird intergender match, one of the greatest matches in WCW (and all of wrestling) history, and Age in a Cage! The business was hot, the nWo was running wild, and both Troy & Greg snap into it all like a Slim Jim! On top of all of that, the guys give their opinions on night 1 of the 2019 WWE Draft.

WCW Halloween Havoc 1997

The pay-per-view was headlined by two icons in the business, Hollywood Hogan & Macho Man Randy Savage. It was notable for the big, surprising WCW debut of "Hotrod" Rowdy Roddy Piper. The show, as a whole, was pretty decent. However, there's still plenty to laugh at with this one. Join the guys down the spooky path of WCW in the year 1996 as Hogan dons a hairpiece and Savage pimps a monster truck! What is it with Halloween Havoc and monster trucks?

WCW Halloween Havoc 1996

In honor of Halloween being around the corner, Troy & Greg cover one of the most historic pay-per-views in WWE history--Badd Blood: In Your House, from October 5, 1997! The event was notable for the first Hell in a Cell match pitting The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels and the debut of Kane! This event also led to Shawn Michaels becoming the #1 contender for Bret Hart's WWF World Heavyweight Title. They would clash at Survivor Series '97 in Montreal for an infamous ending to Hart's WWE career. The death of Brian Pillman is also announced on this event. Hear everything from the show and surrounding the show on this action-packed podcast!

WWE Badd Blood: In Your House 1997

It's one of the biggest outdoor events of all time and one of the biggest crowds in history to ever see a live wrestling show! Troy is joined by Ryan Green from Blazer Tag for a great, dynamic show! They go back and forth from the current WWE product to the 1986 product, and how they relate and contrast. It's a different kinda show that's fun as hell!

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