My 5 favorite wrestling podcasts

Podcasting has really blown up in the last couple of years and there are so many podcasts that I can’t even keep up with the ones that I want to listen to, much less try new ones. That being said, I do have a rotating list that I try to keep up with and I do make an effort to try out new podcasts when I can. Here’s my five favorite wrestling podcasts at this moment…

1. The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana

Cabana’s story is a unique one as he came up in the business and watched his buddy become one of the most over wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling while he just got a cup of coffee with WWE and was sent packing. Despite that, Colt has marked out his niche in the world of wrestling. Colt is insightful, funny and vulnerable and when you listen to him you just know that he is speaking from the heart and that’s what makes his podcast so great. Colt has had some of the biggest wrestlers on the planet on his podcast (Steve Austin, Roddy Piper, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Mick Foley, Bruno Sammartino, etc) but some of my favorites are the ones that you might not expect (Cliff Compton, Tomasso Ciampo, Justin Credible). Cabana does a great job humanizing the sport where performers are larger than life as he continues his journey as a true independent wrestler and because of his personality and the respect that other wrestlers have for him, they have a habit of opening up to him. If you listen to just one wrestling podcast each week, this should be the one.

2. We Watch Wrestling Podcast

I had never heard of these guys until they got a shout out one week in the AV Club’s Podmass. From that point on, I’ve been hooked. This show has three hosts: Matt McCarthy (who recently was on @midnight), Vince Averill and Tom Sibley; with two of them being absolute wrestling nerds (McCarthy and Averill; McCarthy also worked for WWE as a writer for a year) and one being a noob that they are teaching the business to (Sibley). These guys are unapologetic fans of the business and while they might not always agree with what’s happening in the “sport”, they always bring a fun opinion. The flow of the show is what brings me in. One minute they can be talking about Raw and the next minute they are talking about the Fabulous Freebirds, riffing on Hulk Hogan or telling a story about a PWG or Lucha Underground show they attended. The beauty of the show is that these guys are fans first and have such passion for wrestling and they (especially McCarthy and Averill) have diverse tastes that expand way beyond the WWE Universe.

3. The Steve Austin Podcast

During the “Attitude Era”, I liked Steve Austin but I wasn’t a huge fan of his so I really didn’t know if I would like this podcast and was apprehensive of giving it a try. It was actually when Colt Cabana was on that I decided to give it a chance (note here: there are two Steve Austin podcasts and you have to subscribe to both the “uncensored” and the “family friendly” if you want to get all the episodes). What I like about the podcast is that Steve is a very well-rounded guy and his podcast isn’t just about wrestling. It’s about anything. Some weeks it’s about his fight with rats at his ranch and some weeks it’s just about his hatred of Trader Joe’s parking lots. What makes the podcast great is that Steve is a great storyteller and he can tell a story about just about anything.

Where guys like Jim Ross and Chris Jericho really lose me with their long (and boring and repetitive) intro’s to their podcast, Steve brings a unique voice to his. The only thing I wish he did more of was have guests. I love hearing him answer questions but sometimes you will get a string of a bunch of guest-less shows and that can wear on me a bit. Overall, though, this is the best podcast from the list of former “WWE” guys that now have a podcast.

4. The Human Podcast Machine with Taz

Taz is a guy that I really dug when he was with ECW but then his WWE run was blah and he fell into announcing. When it was announced that he had a podcast I ignored it. It was just recently that Cabana was a guest (man, maybe Cabana should quit doing these. Maybe it’s just me or maybe he’s really helping these other guys out) that I gave it a shot. Taz seems like a real straight shooter and he seems humble. I like that Taz is not afraid to share his critiques and also tell why he doesn’t like something. This is a new one on my list but I’m digging it and it will be a weekly listen.

5. The Cheap Heat Podcast

This is a Grantland Podcast that features David Shoemaker and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg. They have a unique voice and I think the reason that I like it is that I can’t quite figure out if I love or hate Rosenberg. Every show needs a heel and Rosenberg comes off like he thinks he’s smartest guy in the room (I’ve never met him so I have no idea if this is correct) as a contrast to Shoemaker’s “every man”. On one recent episode Rosenberg even asked Shoemaker if he had done podcasts before this one. Isn’t that a conversation you would have when you were starting up the podcast? Yikes. If WWE is your favorite wrestling promotion then this is a podcast to check out. This one is #5 for now but if JR or Jericho were to improve their intro’s or tweak their show they could definitely pop up into the top five because I do enjoy listening to them talk with their guests but JR- you don’t have to ask EVERY SINGLE guest what they thought of Brock Lesnar beating the Undertaker.

 

Did I leave out one that you love? Let us know….

About Kevin Causey

dry humorist, craft beer enthusiast, occasionally unbiased SEC fan, UGA alumni, contributor for The Student Section, This Given Sunday and Crossover Chronicles

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