Going Ringside With The Local Station

On this episode we're joined by Fred Ottman who was just inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Ottman gained fame early in his career when he joined WWF (today it's WWE) as the character Tugboat and teamed with Hulk Hogan. A few years after that Ottman teamed up with another star Earthquake (the late John Tenta) to form the team The Natural Disasters. That team was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame over WrestleMania Weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is this coincidence or planned? That's the question we explore on this episode of Going Ringside. As WWE is undergoing its version of the Super Bowl over the weekend for WrestleMania 41, two headlines dropped the days leading up to it. The news started to roll out late this workweek when Vanity Fair dropped a profile piece on the company's top star, Roman Reigns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest stars during WWE's (then WWF) most popular era was Charles Wright. He started in the company during the early 1990's as the voodoo-themed character Papa Shango. Then along the way he morphed into a few other characters including Kama (The Supreme Fighting Machine) and The Godfather. In this interview he opens up on all three characters and becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. Then he explains his decision to leave WWE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're a fan of pro wrestling this is a name you definitely remember but often overlooked in the ring. The third man in the ring, the invisible one but also massively important. We're talking about Mike Chioda, a 35 year referee for WWE. You remember his name because while often overlooked he was at the center of the biggest matches in pro wrestling history. From Hulk Hogan vs The Rock to Shawn Michaels vs “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Chioda was there. During the interview one of the matches we focus on is the Hogan vs Rock match at WrestleMania X8. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first match ever on Going Ringside we are joined by two ring veterans, both alumni from WWE. We're talking about Indi Hartwell and Victoria Crawford, who WWE fans knew as Alicia Fox. The two face off for the first time ever in this match which you can watch in its entirety on this episode. Crawford also joins host Scott Johnson to call the match, then afterward we interview Hartwell. You will see Crawford (who now wrestles as Vix Crow) is the fan favorite as she's a Northeast Florida native and this match takes place at the Florida Man Games in St. Augustine. Hatchet Pro Wrestling booked the match and brought in the two stars to wrestle in St. Augustine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are a fan of hearing stories about — let's say scuffles — wrestlers have been involved with in real life this is the episode to see. The WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long is back on Going Ringside and he has some great stories! We're talking about some brutal real life stories involving Road Warrior Hawk, Haku, Barbarian and more. Some of the real-life tough guys have been in some real-life fights over the years. And Teddy Long was along for the ride to witness many of them. These are some stories guaranteed to get longtime wrestling fans talking. And it's not just that, Long will also sound off on the current status of WWE and give some ideas of who he thinks is top in the company right now. He also has a lot to say about his longtime friend The Undertaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special on location episode of Going Ringside we catch up with Hulk Hogan on his “Real American Beer” Tour. You want to hear what he has to say about former Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Walz claiming he could beat people who are MAGA in a fight, John Cena turning heel and whether Dwayne Johnson should run for President. We're also joined by his running buddy Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart. This is a must-see episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few wrestlers who reach the level of controversy of former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle. Since leaving WWE in 2023 (Riddle said he was fired) the former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler has traveled the world. Riddle has wrestled for various promotions around the globe. Most recently, Riddle was at the Florida Man Games in St. Johns County where I caught up with him. In this episode, we discuss Riddle's most difficult opponents. You'll be shocked who he names. We also ask Riddle about former WWE owner Vince McMahon. McMahon has been back in the headlines in recent months with massive speculation that he's considering starting a new entertainment company. It's unclear at this point if that company would be specifically pro wrestling or some other form of entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few wrestlers who legitimately terrify children. At the top of that mountain is “The Boogeyman.” -- real name Marty Wright. He became famous as the face-painted nightmare who actually eats worms in the wrestling ring. He's the latest guest on Going Ringside, and he'll describe how the idea for The Boogeyman became a thing and the backstory of the worms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few wrestlers ever who have made the impact that Sgt. Slaughter did throughout his career. The first major splash for Slaughter happened in the 1980's when he made the extremely successful decision to leave wrestling and become the face of G.I. Joe. The massively popular cartoon and toy line thrust Slaughter into every home with children in America. It put him on a level only Hulk Hogan had achieved in the industry. In this interview we discuss the impact of that business move. But we also discuss his other major decision when he returned to wrestling. That was to start a storyline where he became an “Iraqi Sympathizer” during the Gulf War and publicly backed Saddam Hussein on WWE (then WWF) television. This was an era when many fans still believed WWE storylines as reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Going Ringside we're joined by arguably the most impactful UFC fighter in history. We're talking about Royce Gracie. Gracie brought his family's style of jiu jitsu to America in the early 1990's when he was the first ever UFC Champ. He beat Ken Shamrock (who's appeared on Going Ringside several times) at UFC 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the history of pro wrestling, so many men are credited with making wrestling what it is today. From Gorgeous George to Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and The Rock. Each one is credited with moving the industry forward. But in the world of women's wrestling, one name seems forgotten. And she's the woman who truly started it all. Today fans know stars like Trish Stratus, Lita, Bianca Belair and Mariah May. But the true history of women's wrestling stretches back to one woman. Her name is Mildred Burke. And her story is no longer forgotten. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WWE legends Undertaker, Mickie James, Bubba Ray and Booker T will train 16 up-and-coming “Future Greats” and show the process of becoming a star in the unique world of pro wrestling. “It's amazing to come out and come back for something that's so unique,” said James. “Especially when I'm sitting alongside people who I've considered mentors and I look up to so much and admire.” This is a unique venture for WWE to essentially show viewers how the process works from becoming a student to becoming a star. The four “Legends” will act as coaches on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tragic day in May 2003 ended with the loss of a life that had been adored by millions for years. Elizabeth Hulette (better known as Miss Elizabeth) was dead at the young age of 42. Her untimely death followed a historic career where she lived out the nickname she had been given: “The First Lady of Wrestling.” First known to fans around the world as the valet of “Macho Man” Randy Savage (her real-life husband), Miss Elizabeth was the opposite of everything in the wrestling world she lived in. Unlike the loud, chaotic and downright crazy world of pro wrestling, Elizabeth was gentle, kind and soft-spoken. The total opposite of Savage. Fans grew to love her at a time when some pro wrestling shows garnered tens of millions of viewers, with Elizabeth at the center of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 On this special episode of Going Ringside we are taking a look at one of the figures in pro wrestling who fought for civil rights. We're joined by “Thunderbolt” Patterson. He's a WWE Hall of Famer you may have never heard of, but his story is critically important. He fought for civil rights in an industry that's often overlooked. On this episode we'll discuss why he was an outcast in the Georgia territory and struggled to find work. Then in front of a national audience Patterson brought up racial pay disparities on the old Morton Downey Jr Show in one of the most controversial televised wrestling segments of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In pro wrestling there are several wrestlers who are controversial. Some are actually really controversial. And then there's Scott Steiner. Arguably the man who angered fans more than anyone is this week's guest on Going Ringside. Steiner came in as a babyface for many years alongside his brother Rick as part of the Steiner Brothers tag team. But in the latter half of the 1990's he decided to change his presentation. And “Big Poppa Pump” was born. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The AEW world champion is here! We're talking about Mariah May. She's on the show to discuss AEW Collision in Jacksonville, her career and some of the other top stars like Toni Storm and Britt Baker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The attorney for former WWE owner Vince McMahon has released a statement indicating that his criminal investigation is over. This comes after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced fines against McMahon last week for not disclosing hush money payments while he ran WWE. Going Ringside covered this in-depth earlier this week asking the question of whether Trump could make McMahon's legal troubles go away. But now the attorney for McMahon has been quoted as saying his DOJ investigation is over and he will not be charged. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Re-entering society is a concept that's often associated with military combat veterans for very understandable reasons. But there's another group that deals with similar issues, combat fighters. It's a jarring change of life to go from fighting in front of huge audiences to private life. When your life is filled with violence and perhaps fame, going back to day to day mundane activities is not as easy as it sounds. That's why Jason “Mayhem” Miller's story is so fascinating. “For me it was a nightmare,” said Miller. “For me, I went from the fight world to crime because I had no other way to really make it. I didn't have any structure in my life.” In the interview Miller opens up on violent mistakes that cost him dearly as he was coming out of the fight world. “I got in a bar fight and did some time, serious time,” said Miller. “Nothing would shake me out of this mindset until I found MVP.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have finally been developments in former WWE owner Vince McMahon's legal saga. Last week the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) determined McMahon failed to disclose hush money payments to two women. McMahon has to pay back $1.3 million to WWE and a $400,000 civil penalty. But this SEC decision does not end McMahon's legal woes. The U.S. Department of Justice has not announced they've ended their investigation into the former WWE boss. He's also still being sued by a former WWE employee named Janel Grant, who alleges multiple things against McMahon including sex trafficking.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To honor the 100th episode of what has become one of the top wrestling talk shows on Earth we have brought together a WrestleMania-level lineup of guests. And that's not an exaggeration. The biggest wrestling stars in the history of the world are on this episode. We've compiled our biggest interviews since starting Going Ringside in March of 2023. If you're ever going to start this series, episode 100 is the place to do it. On this episode, you will hear from: Shawn Michaels, Trish Stratus, Lita, Bill Goldberg, Montez Ford, Bianca Belair, Tony Khan, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Linda McMahon, Mick Foley, Swerve Strickland, Jeff Jarrett, Bayley, Jerry Lawler, Hulk Hogan, Booker T, Toni Storm, Ted Dibiase, Eric Bischoff, Kane, Jim Ross and Paul Wight (formerly “Big Show”). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seldom do people last in an industry that most wash out of in a few years. Then, there's Jimmy Hart. The legendary pro wrestling manager started in the late 1970s and has been relevant in the industry ever since. In fact, Hart was on WWE programming as recently as last month for Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC. The nation really learned who Jimmy Hart was in the mid-1980s when he was one of the top managers in the newly nationalized World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In any relationship, things can turn toxic. But pro wrestling has seen very few relationships that have turned as toxic as the one between AEW megastars Adam Cole and MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman). The two will face off this Saturday at AEW's “World's End” pay-per-view, which is being held in Orlando at Addition Financial Arena. Their match will be one of the main events. The famous song from the band REO Speedwagon “Can't Fight This Feeling” has a memorable line in it: “What started out as friendship has grown stronger.” That line is the opposite of what's happened between Cole and MJF. They were the best of friends in 2023 but that changed, and they are now mortal enemies. In fact, they got so personal over the weekend that the two came to blows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She's one of the hottest stars on Smackdown who will be in Jacksonville for the WWE Holiday Tour Dec. 26 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. We're talking about Michin (also known as Mia Yim). The popular superstar will be there for thousands of fans but not only in Jacksonville, the tour will hit multiple cities. And along the way Michin is in the middle of her own personal journey, pursuing the U.S. title. Frustratingly, she was unsuccessful when WWE returned to NBC for Saturday Night's Main Event earlier this month and lost to Chelsea Green. Something she plans on fixing in weeks to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When your legacy is perfection, success is a natural. That was reality for Joe Hennig or as wrestling fans knew him better: Curtis Axel. The son of “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and the grandson of Larry “The Axe” Hennig it wasn't a surprise when Joe Hennig first arrived in the squared circle. To fans nationally it happened around 2010 when he arrived in the WWE “Nexus” stable. It was the hottest heel stable at the time in company, filled with “bad guys” looking to dethrone the veteran WWE heroes. With perfect genetics (get it) it was no surprise he was a success in the global company where his dad was argued to be the greatest pure wrestler of his era if not all time. But his journey into wrestling wasn't as guaranteed as you might think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She has gone from one of the hottest stars in WWE to one of the hottest stars of all time. The icon Bayley joins us to discuss numerous things, including the WWE Holiday Tour. The tour stops in Jacksonville on Dec. 26 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. In this interview, I'm joined by Going Ringside regular guest Victoria Crawford, who wrestled in WWE under the name Alicia Fox and was one of Bayley's first matches when she was in NXT. Our interview came days after Bayley and her team were victorious in WWE WarGames, which is one of the most brutal matches in existence. “I feel good,” she said while taking a much-needed rest from the road. “Luckily I didn't have to go to Raw. I didn't have to do like a Netflix appearance in L.A. I didn't have to do that. So I got to stay home and lick my wounds.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A reality in pro wrestling is fans by nature wonder whether they could beat the wrestlers in a fight. They wonder whether the performers are truly gifted athletes. But no one asks that question about Jake Hager. No one. The former football, amateur wrestling and mixed martial arts star is a genetic freak of nature. He has excelled in everything he's tried and WWE noticed that when he was first brought in during 2006. He didn't keep his real name in WWE and went by Jack Swagger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grayson Waller is back on “Going Ringside.” The cocky and brash WWE Star is returning to preview the WWE Live Holiday Tour. It will be in Jacksonville at the VyStar Veteran's Memorial Arena on Dec. 26. In this interview, Waller discusses his future in WWE and how he expects big things in 2025. He also talks about his partnership with Austin Theory. And you won't want to miss what he says about the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. It's brutal. Then, Going Ringside is turning the tables on me. Show regular Victoria Crawford (formerly Alicia Fox in WWE) returns to interview me about how Going Ringside became a thing. It started as a rough idea in a Jacksonville TV station in 2022 and became one of the hottest wrestling talk shows on Earth in 2024! We're also joined again by Deseree Joson with the up-and-coming “Shoots and Ladders” Podcast to break down Waller's career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this packed episode of Going Ringside we're joined by Mayor Glenn Jacobs or as wrestling fans know him better Kane. Jacobs joined us on episode 75 and is back with a lot of newsworthy updates we discuss in this episode. First, we talk politics following the election of President-elect Donald Trump. Jacobs is an outspoken supporter of Trump and made headlines when he appeared in a social media video along with Trump and The Undertaker. This came when Trump appeared on Undertaker's podcast shortly before the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this packed episode of Going Ringside we're talking a lot of politics. We start with the question of whether Dwayne Johnson is the best option for the Democratic Party looking to rebrand itself in the 2028 race for president. As the party searches for a way to improve its standing with male voters, we analyze whether Johnson might be the best alternative for the party. Going Ringside has followed Johnson's flirtation with running for president for more than a year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are very few wrestlers who took off out of the gate and enthralled the planet: Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock ... and Bill Goldberg. When he entered the pro wrestling scene for WCW in 1997, Goldberg's unprecedented 173-match undefeated streak was like nothing the industry had ever seen. Not only was a star born, but he has remained shining brightly three decades later. We caught up with Goldberg in Jacksonville where he was inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame. He was a defensive tackle for the Bulldogs before being drafted in 1990 by the Los Angeles Rams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you discuss the greatest professional wrestlers in history one name is almost always in the conversation: Shawn Michaels. The “Heartbreak Kid” joins us for an in-depth sit down interview at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. He was once the bad boy of WWE but now he's the man in charge in a fashion. Michaels now oversees WWE's popular NXT program which airs on CW Tuesday nights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is not a story about a SmackDown main event in 2007 or a match at WrestleMania 23. This is about the presidential race in 2024 when the Undertaker and Dave Bautista are facing off once again over politics. This hybrid wrestling-politics storyline started last week when former WWE Champion turned actor Dave Bautista went on Jimmy Kimmel Live with a video mocking former President Donald Trump. Bautista is an outspoken supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris. Bautista has since put similar videos on his own social media platforms. Then days later, word started to leak out that Trump had agreed to appear on the “Six Feet Under” Podcast hosted by the Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calaway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The civil lawsuit against Vince McMahon has been put on hold while a Department of Justice investigation into the former WWE Owner is ongoing. (Going Ringside has covered this case extensively here, here and here). But the spokesperson for McMahon's accuser Janel Grant is speaking out. Going Ringside Host Scott Johnson spoke with Kendra Barkoff Lamy, who's also a former spokesperson for President Biden when he was Vice President and has joined Grant's legal team. We touch on many subject in this interview. They include Grant's legal team pushing for WWE to release current and former employees from non-disclosure agreements (NDA's), what type of high profile stars could be called to testify in this case and whether McMahon's DOJ case could be dropped or he could be pardoned if Donald Trump is elected President. Trump has a close relationship with McMahon and his estranged wife, Linda that stretches back several decades.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wrestlers come into the company with all sorts of athletic backgrounds. For Oba Femi, it was shotput. For others like Kelani Jordan, it was gymnastics. But for Lola Vice, it was fighting. Also on this episode, Victoria Crawford is back to discuss numerous topics, including the new Vince McMahon docuseries on Netflix, the return of The Rock this past week and the new media deal for AEW. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Going Ringside it's an episode of champions as we're joined by NXT Champ Roxanne Perez and NXT North American Champion Kelani Jordan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The champion is here and the challenger is too. When NXT debuts on CW Network on Oct. 1, all eyes will be on the main event between champion Ethan Page and his challenger Trick Williams. On this episode, host Scott Johnson sits down with the two men at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode of Going Ringside we're joined by All Elite Wrestling owner Tony Khan. Khan was profiled just this week by NFL Films for a day in his life. It detailed what it's like for the man who lives between two worlds: Pro Wrestling and Pro Football. The documentary which was featured on FS1 highlighted why he went viral at this year's NFL draft for wearing a neck brace because he had been attacked in the wrestling ring the night before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In sports and music it's Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. In music alone it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. And in the world of pro wrestling, the biggest power couple is Bianca Belair and Montez Ford. “What a time it was,” recalled Ford about when he arrived in NXT at their Orlando studio in 2015. A year later he met his future bride, Belair. “In that first year I was at NXT in developmental learning myself as a WWE Superstar.” “NXT is not just close to our heart because of wrestling,” said Belair. “It's close to our heart because we met each other. So our life started in wrestling in NXT and our life together in NXT.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Riddle knew how to fight before ever setting foot in pro wrestling. A dominant fighter in the world of MMA and UFC the transition to WWE was natural. “Well wrestling was my first love,” said Riddle. “But growing up in the late 90′s early 2000′s, I didn't think I was big enough. And I started amateur wrestling, then started wrestling in college and then the natural progression took me on the route of mixed martial arts.”

On this episode of Going Ringside we're joined by pro wrestling FSU football legend Ron Simmons. Simmons made history as the first black world champion with WCW in 1993 with his historic win over Big Van Vader. That cemented him in the industry as a major player. Following that Simmons was on the radar of the World Wrestling Federation (today's WWE) and quickly was brought over to that company. Simmons was immediately thrust into a controversial faction called the Nation of Domination. That faction help launch the careers of stars like Mark Henry, D-Lo Brown, The Godfather and most notably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who had just entered the company as a rookie.

She walked in late to the Going Ringside interview as Al Snow yells “Now business is picking up!” In the art of pro wrestling, entrance is everything and Hollywood Haley J knows that. By nature she's a heel, and by the reality of society she's an overnight superstar. She's one of the young wrestlers thrust into stardom when the juggernaut streaming platform decided to produce a show called “Wrestlers”.

From their time gaining national prominence in the “Attitude Era” to AEW and beyond in the 2020′s the wrestling world has belonged to Matt and Jeff Hardy. The duo really cemented their legacy at WrestleMania 2000 against Edge & Christian and the Dudley Boyz in a tables, ladders and chairs match. The match was so well received it eventually spawned its own TLC Pay-per-view. On this episode Host Scott Johnson is joined by A.J. Francis who wrestling fans knew as “Top Dolla'” to interview the brothers as well as take questions from fans. It was on a panel set up by River City Wrestling Con.

The dynamics of politics and pro wrestling have been fascinating to watch this summer. First, the Republican National Convention was headlined by Hulk Hogan speaking where he endorsed Donald Trump. Now, weeks later it appears the Democrats have a response with another very high profile ex-wrestler. Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Ventura did as much for mainstreaming the industry as anyone in 1998 when he was elected Governor of Minnesota. The former Navy SEAL is now endorsing Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz. This comes two years after Ventura, a self described independent endorsed Walz for Governor.

On this episode we're joined by Nease High School graduate and former WWE Superstar VIctoria Crawford. Crawford spent almost two decades in WWE under the name Alicia Fox where she won the world title. Now Crawford is out of WWE and on her own traveling the independent wrestling circuit and the only black Divas champion for WWE. And she's using her success in a new business venture for independent wrestlers. It's called MastersOfTheRingAccelerator.com. It's a free virtual event on Sept. 9-10 to teach new wrestlers skills like building a personal brand and developing a social media strategy.

It was 1997 and the World Wrestling Federation brought in the closest things to a demon from the depths of Hell they had ever seen. Kane had arrived. A character made famous by Glenn Jacobs to portray the brother of the famed Undertaker. “The Kane character was amazing. I'd had a couple failed runs then Kane came along,” said Jacobs who often gets confused as Undertaker's real life brother. “A lot of people think we're brothers outside the ring because we look alike. We're virtually the same size.” His iconic career spanned several decades in WWE but an image that could not have been more opposite from how he began was shown 21 years later. Glenn Jacobs, now with his hand on the Bible, was sworn in as the Mayor of Knox County, Tenn.

A fascinating thing — from a wrestling fan's perspective — happened at the Republican National Convention. The final night, which is the big one, was filled with stars from pro wrestling and UFC. Specifically three primary speakers: Hulk Hogan, Linda McMahon and Dana White. Why this matters: It shows the sheer cultural influence of these forms of entertainment.

In an unprecedented interview for pro-wrestling podcasts, we're joined by former WWE owner Linda McMahon, who built the WWE alongside her longtime husband Vince McMahon. But several years ago Linda McMahon stepped away from WWE to pursue a career in politics. Following two failed runs for the U.S. Senate in the McMahon home state of Connecticut, she was tapped by former President Donald Trump to head up the Small Business Administration and served in his Cabinet. Linda McMahon stepped away from the administration midway through Trump's term to take on other priorities but remained a large financial and political backer of Trump. In this interview, I caught up with Linda McMahon at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where she will be a featured speaker.

In 1988 no one ever suspected a young man named Mick Foley would be one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history. However, by 1998 the world totally realized he was special. After spending years wrestling around the world in the scariest of hardcore matches — including everything from barbed wire to flaming 2X4s — the beloved veteran captured the hearts of wrestling fans around the world. In fact, his popularity soared so much that he was voted Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1998 by WWE fans who flooded the voting. Time Magazine actually disqualified Foley because they didn't feel a pro wrestler deserved such an honor. Foley responds to that in this interview.

Seldom does one person affect an entire industry the way Eric Bischoff has. When Ted Turner owned World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the early ‘90s he had a few different old-school bookers in charge like Ole Anderson and Bill Watts. But when Turner changed things up and tapped a third-string announcer with a sales background as the new executive in charge of WCW, everything changed for the Atlanta-based promotion. Bischoff's first major move was asking for a primetime spot to go head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation (today's WWE). That was unheard of in the industry and quickly Monday Night Nitro was started on TNT. And the “Monday Night Wars” were underway.

On this episode of Going Ringside we're joined by Bray Wyatt's fiancée JoJo Offerman. Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) passed away last summer and Offerman opens up about life without him. Offerman of course was a WWE star herself for many years and is now still recovering after losing her fiancé and father to her children. In this very special interview, Offerman will discuss life now as a single parent and her plans for the future. Also, on this episode we'll discuss the “Wyatt 6” Clan that has recently arrived in WWE.