The best podcasts for Rasslin

Busted Open is a pro wrestling staple. An underrated brand on Sirius XM, which, in my opinion, should have their very own channel. Busted Open 24/7, make it happen, walking zombies. I've been a nation member since 2013. I got to meet and interview Dave Lagreca on a couple of occasions, he's a very good guy, a bad-ass host and his passion for pro wrestling is second to none. Do I agree with all his takes? No, but my respect for Dave comes with the fact that when I hear Dave speak, I know it's coming from a genuine point of view. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He's busted his ass and Busted Open is the big leagues of daily and or weekly pro wrestling conversation. The crew of wrestling legends have been a great addition for the last 6-7 years. I'm a really big fan of Bully Ray and Mark Henry and their perspective on the industry. Also, a bias take here, Busted Open gets brownie points because they have my favorite women's wrestler of all-time, Mickie James, as a co-host and she kills it every week. Their weekly bonus pod, "The Master's Class" is a must listen for those like me who want to be in the wrestling business without relying on dirtsheets and learning from those who actually did it. One of my goals as a broadcaster was to be part of the Busted Open Crew, so I had to put it on my list.

83 Weeks is a fun podcast. Eric Bischoff is a national treasure. It's like hearing myself at times when Bischoff points out flaws in the dirtsheet bubble and Dave Meltzer, specifically. It can get contentious at times with Eric and Conrad, but I appreciate the dialogue, especially when AEW comes up. 83 Weeks is a Monday morning tradition for me, so I wouldn't miss it.

Gonna give a shoutout to my mentor and friend, J-Hood. TWT now known as Good Karma Wrestling is a great podcast. Hoodie is the man, there's not enough words to describe my appreciation for him as a broadcaster and friend. Without J-Hood there's no me. Hoodie was my teacher at Illinois Media School. It was during a really dark time period of my life and he was one of the first industry people who actually believed in me and gave me confidence to do this. And helped me keep focus when I was dealing with personal issues at home. Me and Hoodie had a mini run on TWT called Hood and Lopez. Wouldn't trade that time period for anything. I enjoyed the on-air chemistry I have Hoodie. But that's the charm of a great broadcaster, you can adapt and have chemistry with anybody and he does that. Hoodie's wrestling IQ is top tier, restaurant quality some might say. While I haven't had the opportunity yet to work with Hoodie on ESPN 1000, hopefully that can change soon, no matter what show Hoodie puts out, I'd advocate for it.

Insight With Chris Van Vliet is a fantastic pod, whether you're a wrestling fan or not. Chris is a superstar. His interview skills are on another level. I was very fortunate to have Chris as a guest on my old Pro Wrestling Experience radio show 10 years ago. And even got to watch WrestleMania 37 in person with him. He's a great man. He's talented. It's just a good conversation regardless of who the guest is. It's not misleading with the title of this podcast, you definitely gain a lot of insight on the world of pro wrestling, conducting interviews and having nuanced conversations. Chris deserves his flowers.

This will be a combo shoutout to The Masked Man Show with David Shoemaker and Kaz, plus my guys at Cheap Heat, Peter Rosenberg (congrats on the wedding) and my uce Stat Guy Greg I'm just a big advocate for both these shows. I'd say outside of Busted Open, these two are the best podcasts when it comes to covering current events surrounding the entire pro wrestling industry. Always had big respect for Shoemaker for his writing background and historical knowledge. KAZ is great to hear on the podcast and seems like a cool guy to hang out with which should be the goal for most podcast. Kaz also has experience working in WWE, so his perspective is deeply appreciated on my end. Again, I prefer listening and learning from people who actually did something in wrestling. Cheap Heat, just like Busted Open is a pro wrestling staple. Always digged Rosenberg's work. Stat Guy Greg is like my long lost audio uce, I basically agree with everything he says. Cheap Heat is a good vibe.