The Wrestle Special

It's the end of The Wrestle Special as we know it! 

After spending the last 3 episodes of Where In The World by watching wrestling in Canada, the guys "travel" over the Atlantic to check out pro wrestling in Italy by watching Italian Championship Wrestling and their Fight Forever series of events.  

While Pro Wrestlers have finishing moves, they don't compare to the brutal and gory finishing maneuvers found in the Mortal Kombat video game series. Travis brings his life partner and Mortal Kombat partner Jess back on to the show to talk about the hypothetical fatalities their favorite wrestlers from AEW and WWE would use to finish their opponents. 

You know when someone announces that they are leaving social media, and how cringe that is? Imagine if someone did a whole podcast episode about that. That would probably be the cringiest way to announce something like that. 

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Which WWE superstar could pull off a Flavortown gimmick, where should MJF go in the bidding war of 2024, how many gallons of sweat were sweated by pro wrestlers from 1990-2000, and more!

Grab your ruby slippers, it's time for the finale of the Wet Hot Canadian Summer as the guys travel to Vancouver (and also Oz) to watch Wrestlecore's Wrestlecore of Oz, a Wizard of Oz themed pro wrestling event. 

While Travis made it out of last episode with a win, he felt like he needed to CRUSH Wikipedia to really hammer home the fact that pro wrestling is everything, so enjoy their rematch! Also scavenger hunts are fun, can you blame him for wanting to do a second episode?

To gain back some of the dignity he has lost to the machines in past episodes, Travis undertakes a challenge best described as a pro wrestling Wikipedia scavanger hunt, to prove once and for all that the cornerstone of the podcast (that pro wrestling is everything) is indeed the ultimate truth. 

The title is not going to make sense unless you listen, but this episode is a tribute to Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt. Rest in Power.

Recently, Matt Cardona declared himself 1/2 of 1/2 of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champion....except that's just not true if you look at it as it's own lineal championship. Join Travis as he finds out who the true lineal 1/2 of 1/2 WWE Women's Tag Team Champion is, while doing his best to put Matt on the right path to becoming the lineal champ. 

The Wet Hot Canadian Summer rolls on as the guys continue their tour of pro wrestling in Canada, this time stopping by Quebec to watch North Shore Pro Wrestling's Golden Opportunity XIII, which is 13 in case you're like Travis and can't figure out how Roman numerals work. 

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Which wrestlers have slicked back hair, is "The Angry Possum" a wrestling move, which Spice Girl would win in a cage match, and more!

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis is once again finding the Mr. and Ms. of a WWE premium live event, and since Summerslam is the 2nd biggest event WWE puts on, it's only fitting that the path to finding our Mr. and Ms. Summerslam offered new challenges that no other Mr. and Ms. episode has had. 

In an effort to bring more positivity to pro wrestling, Travis sets out to watch the worst rated matches on Cagematch, "The Flop 50", and only say positive things about the matches. This week, Travis reviews matches 50-41 on the list, including the infamous New Jack scaffold match, multiple Mable matches, and The Doomsday Cage Match from WCW Uncensored 1996.

For this month's expedition into pro wrestling world wide, Travis makes good on a promise he made to Matt last month, and the two "travel" to the Northwest Territories of Canada to check out Totally Arctic Wrestling, the only wrestling promotion above the Arctic Circle!

ChatGPT asks the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Travis enlists the help of computer AI to see if it can live up to the questions the wrestle friends ask during regular mailbag episodes. Spoiler alert: It can't.

It's only been a few weeks since AEW's first video game Fight Forever was released, and folks have A LOT of things to say about it. Join Travis as he attempts to cut through all of the nonsense of what may be the most polarizing wrestling game of all time, while he reviews the reviews of the game, and provides realisitc perspective from someone who has played the game at length. That probably won't stop someone from calling him a fanboy though. Oh well. 

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis is once again finding the Mr. and Ms. of a WWE premium live event, this time for Money In The Bank, and no the title is not a typo. They already call the winner of the briefcase Mr. and Ms. so it had to be called something different, ok? There wasn't a better option!

Travis and Matt once again set out to explore professional wrestling from across the world! This month, they "travel" to Tultitlan de Mariano Escobedo Mexico to watch Zona 23, a lucha libre deathmatch promotion that takes place in a junkyard!

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: How does a wrestler know they are pro, is there a wrestling equivalent to a rick roll, which color of mist causes the most damage, and more! 

While the Mt. Rushmore of Pro Wrestling conversation has long been played out, Travis thinks he's found a way to end the trend once and for all: By choosing the wrestlers based off of how the designer of the actual monument chose the presidents. Find out who the pro wrestling eqvialents of the most important U.S. Presidents are, and join Travis for the last Mt. Rushmore of Pro Wrestling debate ever. 

Fearing Computer AI replacing him as host, Travis faces the threat head on, and has ChatGPT script an episode of The Wrestle Special. Can ChatGPT invoke the spirit of The Wrestle Special and successfully replace Travis, or will human creativity reign supreme?

Following the tradition of Shawn Michales being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis once again sets out to find a Mr. and Ms. of yet another WWE premium live event. With Night Of Champions returning after 8 years, find out which familiar names will be in the running, and if a dark horse candidate finally becomes a Mr. or Ms. 

It's the dawn of a new era of The Wrestle Special, as Travis invites Matt Applegate on to the show to begin a new monthly series in which they explore the wide world of pro wrestling together! This month, Matt and Travis "travel" to Stockholm Sweden to watch STHLM Wrestling and find out if they like Swedish wrestling as much as they like ABBA. 

The pro wrestling trade machine returns once again to explore the alternate realities in which trades can happen in wrestling! This time, we look to the multiverse to see what would happen if FTR was traded at different points in their career, and explore the butterfly effects that happen as a result.

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis attempts to find a Mr. and Ms. Backlash. It turns out trying to find a Mr. and Ms. of an event that took a 7 year hiatus may not be the easiest thing to accomplish, but Travis attempted it anyway!

Citing a recent study that found wearing a mask increases a person's attractiveness, Travis brings The Wrestle Special's resident hot guy expert Amber Moreau back on the show to see if the study's findings apply to the stars of lucha libre. 

While Peekaboo Sampson's legacy will live on forever, it's time to move on. In this episode, Travis plays a new pro wrestling choose your own adventure game called Be The Indie Wrestler, and attempts to find a new love, and leave the past behind. 

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Was Rick Rude really that ravishing, which KISS songs would make the best wrestling entrance music, where does Batista rank amongst wrestlers turned actors, and more!

The Wrestle Special is turning 5, and instead of a crazy celebration, Travis takes some time to slow down, and reflect on where The Wrestle Special has been, and where it goes next. 

Travis takes on ChatGPT in a battle for the ages to see who knows wrestling best, as they predict the winners of each match on the Wrestlemania 39 card. This episode was recorded in two parts, predictions and reactions, so make sure you stick around to hear the winner of the showdown cut a promo on the loser.

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis is bound and determined to exercise the demons of the past and crown the one true Miss Wrestlemania based off of their performances at The Showcase Of The Immortals. This one's for the girls. 

If you've ever wanted to learn how to do some of pro wrestlings most iconic moves in podcast form, look no further! With the help of instructors Google Translate and Wikihow, Travis opens his own pro wrestling school and gives step by step directions on how to pull off The Spear, The Tombstone Piledriver, and The Sharpshooter.  *THIS EPISODE IS SATIRE AND NOT A LEGITIMATE GUIDE ON HOW TO DO PRO WRESTLING MOVES. PLEASE DO NOT TRY ANY OF THESE MOVES AT HOME OR WITHOUT ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION AS TRAVIS IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL*

With WWE 2K23's release, Roman Reigns is now officially the highest rated wrestler ever in the series at a 99. How does Roman's run at the top stack up to the superstars of the past, and how do we adjust THEIR ratings based off of Roman's? Is there of version of Stone Cold Steve Austin that should be rated higher? What about John Cena? Travis looks at the legendary reigns throughout the history of the WWE to help find the right ratings for some of WWE's greatest champions.  

Travis and the Computer AI Booker continue their exploration into the alternate realities in which wrestlers meet the characters they played in videogames, movies, and television. If you are here for the trainwreck that these episodes sometimes become, you're in luck! Listen to find out what happens when every character The Rock has ever played meets one another, as well as what would happen if Kevin Nash met the stripper he plays in Magic Mike and Super Shredder in a triple threat match.

The famed Computer AI Booker returns to the show, this time to find out what would happen if wrestlers met the characters they play in movies and television. In this episode, CM Punk fights ghosts from The Girl On The Third Floor, Macho Man Randy Savage teams up with Bonesaw to fight Spiderman, and the members of Evolution throw down with The Guardians of the Galaxy, with a twist. 

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis sets out to find a Mr. and Ms. Elimination Chamber immediately following the 2023 edition of the event. Who, if anyone, has accomplished the most at The Elimination Chamber*, and why is there an asterisk there?

It's UFO season on The Wrestle Special, and while SOME wrestling podcasts might not react at all to the US military shooting down multiple "objects", Travis decides he must prepare for the worst case scenario of an alien invasion, and plans the pro wrestling related content he would beam into space to deter any looming threats. 

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Which Taylor Swift album matches which wrestling storyline, which wrestlers would Travis cast in a wrestlers only production of Glee, which wrestler smells the best, and more!

Once again follwing the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis looks to his favorite event, The Royal Rumble, and examines invidual wrestlers performances at the event to find out who lives up to the title of Mr. and Ms. Royal Rumble. 

In the fourth and final episode of The Wrestle Special Retrospective, Travis revists an episode dedicated to the biggest movie star in the world Dwayne Johnson, The Rock. Travis brings on friends Ted and Andy to help Dwayne finally find his place amongst the legendary action stars, and create The Johnson Line to celebrate this!

In the third episode of The Wrestle Special Retrospective, Travis brings his mom onto the show to discuss what it was like raising a teenage boy during the attitude era. It turns out his mom is a better podcaster than he is!

In this edition of The Wrestle Special Retrospective, we flashback to one of the earliest episodes of The Wrestle Special in which Travis is joined by his friends Matt and Brian to debate which version of The Undertaker was the best and hopefully remain friends after. 

In the first episode of The Wrestle Special retrospective, Travis revists an episode that he's still afraid to type the title to. Let's just say things get weird brother. Really weird. 

Travis reveals his favorite things in wrestliing in 2022! He also promises he'll come up with a better name for the awards next year. Maybe.

Due to the overwhemling amount of questions from last week's mailbag episode, Travis collected all of the sexy questions and put them in one mailbag episode. In this thirstbag: Which old school WWF talk show sets would be the best to get romantic in, FMK The Mean Street Posse, what would happen if the WWE brought back Bra and Panties matches, and more!

You ask the questions, Travis answers them. In this mailbag: Is Macho Man a typical Scorpio, should Buried Alive matches start with the wrestlers buried alive, what WWE Universal Champion would make the best Universal Monster and more!

Inspired by a tweet about Eric Young, Travis sets out to celebrate wrestlers who primairly wrestled in the middle of the card. In this case, celebrating midcard wrestlers means Travis creates his own Midfinity Stones to complete a Midfinity Gauntlet. Would this really be an episode of The Wrestle Special if there wasn't some sort of weird stipulation?

While changing a wrestler's gimmick has been a cornerstone of pro wrestling since the beginning, only now has someone linked those gimmick changes to the way Pokemon evolve in game. Did anyone ask for someone to find this link between the two? No, but Travis did it anyway. Only by listening to this episode, will you unlock the true secret of what The Rock and Bulbasuar have in common, and the truth behind the evolution of pro wrestlers. 

Following the tradition of Shawn Michaels being known as Mr. Wrestlemania, Travis sets out to crown a Mr. and Ms. Survivor Series by looking back at the history of the PPV and the performances throughout the 30+ years of the event. 

The computer AI Booker makes its return to finish some of wrestlings greatest unfinished storylines and character arcs. This time there are some absolutely legendary storylines that finally get a resolution including: the Samoa Joe Ninja Abduction storyline, the Who Pied Kevin Owens storyline, and we find out if Kizarny was actually destined for superstardom.