When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture (DragonKingKarl) Podcast By When It Was Cool cover art

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture (DragonKingKarl)

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture (DragonKingKarl)

By: When It Was Cool
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For all shows including our archived content visit our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/wiwcool Pro wrestling history. WWE, WCW, NWA, AEW, NXT, NJPW, TNA, Impact, ROH, AWA, ECW, and the pioneer era of pro wrestling. Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) is a pro wrestling historian who has produced the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show for over 15 years at Wrestling Observer. This is the free version of some of the pro wrestling podcasts we produce at When It Was Cool. There is much more available to Patreon supporters. Enjoy these free shows for a deep dive into pro wrestling history and retro pop culture. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Frank Gotch, William Muldoon, Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Strangler Lewis, Farmer Burns, Bob Armstrong, Ron Fuller, Jerry Lawler, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Andre the Giant, Dusty Rhodes, and hundreds more are discussed. This feed now also features selected retro pop culture reviews from our Patreon website.WhenItWasCool.com Art Combat Sports & Self-Defense
Episodes
  • Master of the Flying Guillotine
    Apr 5 2026

    Bullshido at its finest! The 1976 post-Bruce Lee era Master of the Flying Guillotine is one of my favorite Kung-Fu movies. It is utterly ridiculous. Featuring a one-armed Kung Fu master who is the target of an evil Kung Fu master. The evil Kung Fu matches shows up at an incredibly ridiculous Kung Fu tournament and starts killing every one-armed person there! This movie features everything you love about wacky Kung Fu movies: bizarre tournament to the death, evil Kung Fu heels, traps, and more! Prepare to be destroyed!

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    43 mins
  • May 29, 1986 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Review
    Apr 7 2026

    With the release of my new book DragonKingKarl's 1986-1987 Pro Wrestling Omnibus available on Amazon, I continue a deep dive into those two years to look at the stories between the stories. Wrestling Observer Newsletter Dave Meltzer begins the May 29, 1986 issue by stating that there isn't 'any big news this week' which allows us to look at a lot of stuff that doesn't get regularly discussed. Buddy Rose and Doug Somers have won the AWA World tag team titles from Curt Hennig and Scott Hall, 'Cowboy' Bob Orton has been arrested, UWF is running a hot angle with Bill Watts, Eddie Gilbert, and Korstia Korchenko, and the big powerhouse team of The Bladerunners (the future Ultimate Warrior and Sting) are changing companies... sort of. This week is a fun deep dive back into 1986 pro wrestling history.

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    47 mins
  • Longform History of Wrestling Podcast - April 1986 - WrestleMania 2, Crockett Cup 1, and WrestleRock!
    Mar 31 2026

    On this installment of my Long Form History of Pro Wrestling Series, I cover one of the business months in pro wrestling history. Taken from the pages of my latest book DragonKingKarl's 1986-1987 Pro Wrestling Omnibus, April 1986 featured multiple giant supercards including WWF WrestleMania 2 featuring the debut of the Big Blue Steel Cage and NFL Football players in a battle royal, the first ever NWA Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament, and AWA WrestleRock '86. This is literally one of the most packed months in the history of pro wrestling. Join me as I discuss it!

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    56 mins
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