The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo

This week, it is our privilege to bring you an interview with TV producer and New York Times bestseller, Keith Elliot Greenberg! You may know him from co-authoring Ric Flair’s, Freddie Blassie's, and "Superstar" Billy Graham's autobiographies (among many, many others). We talk memories of "Classy" Freddie Blassie and the man who had the largest penis in professional wrestling and how his misadventures shaped the WWE! An incredibly fun conversation you don't want to miss!Topics discussed: Keith’s memorable write-up on Randy after he passed away, Freddie Blassie’s knack for exaggerating the truth, Bruno Sammartino saving Freddie’s life from the mafia, vicious ribs played in the locker room and why Ric Flair (who was revered amongst the boys) would get ribbed but Randy would not, Angelo Poffo's thoughts on ribbing, which manager quit the WWF and threatened to burn down wrestlers’ homes with their children inside due to wrestlers leaving “treats” in his shoes, Lanny’s memories of Freddie from when he was younger and living in Hawaii, Freddie’s regret on being an absentee father and how he sadly died before making peace with his children, the love/hate relationship between Freddie and Lou Albano, the reason Freddie never drank, what stopped Freddie from partnering with Gorgeous George and Don Carson, the mental sickness of Dr. Jerry Graham and how he attempted to steal his dead mother from the hospital, who had the largest penis in professional wrestling and how his man part changed the wrestling landscape forever, how the autobiography of Iron Sheik was co-written by Greenberg but was deemed too colorful to ever be published, the time all the boys in the back sang in the tune of John Lennon about Iron Sheik’s umpteenth return to the WWF after one of his many drug charges, a deeper look on the story of Hacksaw Jim Duggan getting suspended after being caught in the car with Iron Sheik with marijuana and cocaine right before he was set to have a massive push, what makes a good heel according to Nikolai Volkoff, Lanny discusses going 20% heel on commentary for New Japan, and so much more!Also in this week's show: Lanny and JP discuss their friend "Mean" Gene Okerlund getting involved with The Genius Cast, Chicago winters, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan's health, Jake "The Snake" Robert talking "bullshit" on a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan "Experience" podcast, Lanny's memories of Newfoundland and singing old traditional Newfoundlander folk songs, a fan writes a "thank you" card to Lanny, how Angelo Poffo's relationship was with Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens, the story behind Lanny's "Killer Bees-esque" trunks from old promo photos, why Lanny was once billed from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, the content of an exchange between Randy Savage and Donald Trump at Trump Plaza, Lanny's thoughts on the Bushwackers' Jamison, Randy and Liz separating on screen but being together still in real life, Lanny's thoughts on Liz and Randy's breakup, whether or not there's an ICW tape library, and so much more! This is a jam-packed show you don't want to miss!Recommended reading to go along with this week's show:The Night Bruno Sammartino Saved Freddie Blassie’s LifeThe Time WWE Hall of Famer DR. JERRY GRAHAM Kidnapped His Mother’s Dead BodyMissed an episode? No worries! Watch hundreds of clips from The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo on our YouTube channel! Don't forget to hit subscribe!Follow us: @TheGeniusCast

We are thrilled to have third generation wrestler and promoter, 2018 WWE Hall of Famer, J-E double F J-A double R, E double T, Jeff Jarrett on The Genius Cast today!Topics discussed: Training under Tojo Yamamoto, the yin and yang relationship between his father Jerry Jarrett and long-term business partner Jerry Lawler, memories of Randy Savage and the Poffo family, the Double J character, the resurgence in popularity of the song "With My Baby Tonight," why he and Road Dogg Jesse James walked out when they both seemed to be on the cusp of great things storyline wise in the WWF in 1995, memories of Owen Hart, "taking the WWE hostage" - his side of the story, what he's most proud of from his TNA/Impact years, the surprise of being asked to join the WWE Hall of Fame, the NWA 70th anniversary show, working with Billy Corgan, Global Force Entertainment, what's next for Jeff Jarrett, and so much more!Also in this week's show: A heartwarming story of Randy Savage playing wiffle ball with neighborhood kids in Lexington, Kentucky, Thanksgiving traditions, whether Vince McMahon ever did anything special for talent who worked on the holidays, the story of Kentucky promoter Dale Mann murdering one of his referees, Lanny's favorite vegetarian dish, Hacksaw Jim Duggan's bout with cancer while with the WWF, Lanny's thoughts on the rumors Randy was on drugs during his promos, Lanny's favorite kind of music, and more! Plus- Lanny and JP take turns singing at the end of the show. This is an episode you don't want to miss!Pull back the curtain with The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo and JP Zarka of ProWrestlingStories.com each Monday from 12 p.m. GMT / 7 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. CST / 4 a.m. PST.Got questions for our show? Use the #AskTheGenius hashtag or e-mail us at [email protected]!Missed an episode? No worries! Watch hundreds of clips from The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo on our YouTube channel! Don't forget to hit subscribe!Follow us: @TheGeniusCast on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

It is a pleasure to have our friend Evan Ginzburg this week on The Genius Cast! He was the associate producer for the films 'The Wrestler' and '350 Days,' he is the host of the Evan Ginzburg Show, a senior writer over on ProWrestlingStories.com, a published author, and an overall fantastic person.Evan has been a fan of professional wrestling since 1972 and has fascinating stories to share of a foregone era and what it was like to witness real-life superheroes in and out of the ring at Madison Square Garden when growing up in New York City. We talk John Tolos, Dick Slater, losing close loved ones in wrestling, heartwrenching personal stories with Eddie Guerrero, 'Sensational' Sherri Martel, Johnny Valiant, Nikolai Volkoff and Nicole Bass. Evan also shares all the details of his involvement with the films 'The Wrestler' and '350 Days.' Learn how Lanny almost got a role in 'The Wrestler' but was ultimately denied for a specific reason, what it was like to show Nicholas Cage around when he was auditioning to be in the movie, what Nicholas thought Ring of Honor was, and so much more, this conversation between three friends will leave you smiling and wanting more!Also in this week's show: JP recently visited Italy. Hear tales of his travels, handshake agreements in wrestling, the story of how Lanny and JP met, how this podcast became a reality, and so much more!Featured image (from left to right): Evan Ginzburg with hosts Lanny Poffo and JP Zarka.Pull back the curtain with The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo and JP Zarka of ProWrestlingStories.com each Monday from 12 p.m. GMT / 7 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. CST / 4 a.m. PST.Got questions for our show? Use the #AskTheGenius hashtag or e-mail us at [email protected]!Recommended reading to go along with this week's show:Wrestling at Madison Square Garden – Our Top 5 MomentsRemembering “Sensational” Sherri MartelMy Friend, Nicole Bass – A Loving Tribute One Year After Her Death350 Days: The StoryMissed an episode? No worries! Watch hundreds of clips from The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo on our YouTube channel! Don't forget to hit subscribe!Follow us:twitter.com/thegeniuscastfacebook.com/thegeniuscastinstagram.com/thegeniuscast

We’re excited to have the head trainer of Ohio Valley Wrestling, Hustler Rip Rogers (@Hustler2754) on our show today! He’s a guest many listeners have been asking us to get on for a while now. Rip started off his time in Angelo, Randy and Lanny's ICW territory in 1977 and he has had a significant history with the Poffo family over the years. In this week's episode, Lanny and Rip look back on their time on the road together and let us take a peek behind the curtain to what it was really like to be a wrestler in the 70s and 80s! From wrestlers dodging their restaurant bills, to creatively saving money on the road by sleeping sixteen to a hotel room, the Iron Sheik, "smelly" ribs in the car, Ronnie Garvin crashing his car due to being "preoccupied", and more, this colorful conversation is one you don't want to miss!Also in this week's show: Lanny gives his thoughts on Japan, New Japan Pro Wrestling, how one of the most influential men in professional wrestling, Rikidōzan, was murdered by the Japanese mafia, wrestling his brother Randy and why it never happened in the WWF, wrestling in Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Macho Man on the Arsenio Hall Show, wrestling Ciclón Negro in Venezuela, and so much more!Pull back the curtain with The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo and JP Zarka of ProWrestlingStories.com each Monday from 12 p.m. GMT / 7 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. CST / 4 a.m. PST.Got questions for our show? Use the #AskTheGenius hashtag or e-mail us at [email protected]!Follow us:https://twitter.com/thegeniuscasthttps://www.facebook.com/thegeniuscashttps://www.instagram.com/thegeniuscast

In the final ever episode of The Genius Cast, we're doing something memorable and special for you all. If we’re going to take a bow here, we’re going to do so with a bang by putting out two versions of this episode that you will never forget!Version one: This is the version of the episode you're listening to right now. In this version of our finale, we go into full detail on why we’re calling it a day, JP plays a song he wrote entitled “Hope For Tomorrow”, Lanny shares one last song and poem, and we give tribute to Roddy Piper with guest Pete Rosen. Lanny was the final ever guest on Roddy’s podcast “Piper’s Pit” so we thought it would only be fitting to have Roddy be the focus of Lanny Poffo’s final ever show.Version two (3 hours, 45 minutes long): The unedited, uncut “Super Genius Cast” version of the show.What’s included in the “Super Genius Cast” finale:– Everything heard in version one of our final episode.– All of our unaired interviews including an interview with Outback Jack where he breaks down crying after singing a nostalgic song, plus he pours out his heart sharing stories of malicious ribbing and the Dynamite Kid that will make your jaws drop. This is not an interview to miss!– A conversation with Jason Mosher where he and Lanny talk wrestling in the Maritimes and the upcoming documentary Lanny is narrating.– Wrestling promotor Jason Gagne out of Winnipeg shares stories of which legends were the best and worst to work with over the years.– Former ICW announcer Tim Eppenstein (also known as Tim Tyler) share stories from his time in the Poffo family’s ICW promotion.– Michael William Braun, the man responsible for creating the amazing robes and ring attire for Randy and many other wrestlers. He also created outfits for Jimi Hendrix! Some really amazing stories here.– Nora Greenwald (aka Molly Holly) in a special interview where she shares her memories of Crash Holly, Eddie Guerrero and how she was one of the last people to see him alive, and more!– Plus, we include extra treats that haven’t been made available until now including the very first recording Lanny and JP had where in this conversation JP makes the pitch to Lanny about doing The Genius Cast. Believe us when we say this, you do not want to miss the “Super Genius Cast” version of our final show!As we’re making this version of the final episode chock-full of surprises, we’re going to make it available in a different way. We have had a lot of people helping us behind the scenes here that we would like to give thanks to in a monetary way as we close the door to this chapter in our lives. To help us with that, browse on over to tinyurl.com/thegeniuscast. This will lead you to a page where for a donation of your choice, a link will be e-mailed to you to hear the uncut version of our final episode.–> tinyurl.com/thegeniuscast <–From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for coming along with us on this fun journey!– Lanny & JP--------- Lanny can continued to be reached at @LannyPoffo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or on his Lanny "The Genius" Poffo Facebook page.JP can be reached on Twitter @JPZarka, his wrestling historical stories can be read on ProWrestlingStories.com or followed on Twitter @pws_official, Facebook or Instagram, or you can hear his music on YouTube at Sterling Avenue or JP Zarka.