Only The Best Independent Wrestling Podcast showcases an assortment of outstanding independent wrestlers and a curated collection of their recent matches from first-rate independent promotions.

The featured wrestlers this episode include Brad Hollister, Brad Baylor, Sammy Diaz, Zak Patterson, TJ Crawford, Ray Jaz, "Fancy" Ryan Clancy and Jermaine Marbury.

Wrestling Open and Limitless Wrestling are the two featured promotions.

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* Listen to my other podcast The Pro Wrestling Exuberant at https://theprowrestlingexuberant.buzzsprout.com. The shows covers topics from the ‘80s to present, as well as wrestling memorabilia.

* Show topics for consideration for both shows, as well as business inquires for writing services and podcast projects, can be sent to: tpwemedianetwork@outlook.com.

* Subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant e-mail newsletter at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant for original feature articles from me and to see pictures from personal collection of wrestling memorabilia spanning four decades.

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Before he was X-Pac and 1-2-3 Kid, Sean Waltman was The Lightening Kid in the early '90s.

He changed professional wrestling for the better with his innovative ring style. The effect is still felt in every major wrestling promotion today.

The Lightening Kid was pivotal, and necessary, in changing the narrow perception of what it meant to be a professional wrestler.

He is the defined beginning in the U.S. of making in-ring ability a viable component to connect with an audience on a large scale and find sustained success as a wrestler.


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Host Russell Franklin in Part II of outlining a suggested AEW territory promotion names the five underutilized AEW wrestlers he would use and push. He also talks about interviewing a pre-WCW Chris Jericho for a wrestling magazine in the early '90s, as well as discusses Roddy Piper's impact on professional wrestling. Other topics include reflections of interviewing and writing about Ivan Koloff, an overview of the content of a Pro Wrestling USA wrestling program from the Star Wars 85 card that featured NWA and AWA talent, and reviews of assorted recent wrestling figure releases. Subscribe monthly to The Pro Wrestling Exuberant Podcast and get subscriber only content. Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2366340/subscribe. Also, subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant e-mail newsletter at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant and follow The Pro Wrestling Exuberant on X for original content at https//www.x.com/tpwexuberant.com

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In the September 1985, Hulk Hogan was immensely popular and had rapidly growing mainstream name recognition. He was bringing lots of new fans into wrestling. His fans were known as "Hulkamaniacs".
Subscribe monthly to The Pro Wrestling Exuberant podcast and get subscriber only content. Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2366340/subscribe and also subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant email newsletter, with original feature articles on past and present topics, news analysis on the latest happenings, wrestling figure reviews and more at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant

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Host Russell Franklin discusses the first ten wrestlers he would sign for an AEW territory/developmental promotion. He also profiles the wrestler he believes will be the number one star in all of wrestling within a couple of years, headlining either WWE or AEW into the 2030s. Other topics include reflections of interviewing and writing about the late Louie Spicolli, memories of the original Four Horsemen, and a review of the book Keirn Chronicles Volume One: The Fabulous Wrestling Life of Steve Keirn, as well as an overview of the content of an NWA wrestling program from the Great American Bash 87 tour. Subscribe monthly to The Pro Wrestling Exuberant and get subscriber only content. Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2366340/subscribe
Subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant email newsletter at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant.

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Host Russell Franklin discusses the importance of world championships in the history of professional wrestling and how they should be presented as the focal point of a promotion, and the dominant title reigns of Hulk Hogan in the WWF and Ric Flair in the NWA in the mid to late 1980s. He talks about the immensely popular recent storyline in wrestling involving Cody Rhodes and his chase for the world championship, and he parallels it to Sting's chase for his first world championship over three decades earlier. Other topics include reflections of interviewing and writing about Sean Waltman when he was early in his wrestling career and working under the name The Lightening Kid, coverage of Pro Wrestling Noah and independent promotion Limitless Wrestling, breakdown of Zombie Sailor and Major Bendies figures lines, a review and historical overview of a DVD with St Louis Wrestling footage from the early 80s, a review of the new book The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of WrestleMania, and an overview of the content of two WWF wrestling programs from house shows in the late 80s. Subscribe monthly to The Pro Wrestling Exuberant and get subscriber only content. Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2366340/subscribe.
Subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant email newsletter at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant.

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Host Russell Franklin talks about how he first became interested in professional wrestling in 1985 and discusses the different wrestling promotions and programs that were available for a viewer to watch on TV in the 1980s, as well as the general wrestling landscape of that time period and major players. He also discusses what recently brought him back to watching and surprisingly discovering he immensely enjoyed WWE after not watching and being critical of the product for many years. Other topics include overviews of TNA and independent promotion Wrestling Open, review of a DVD with Mid-South Wrestling footage, discussion of different wrestling figure lines from the past four decades, reviews of POWERTOWN figures and Brutus Beefcake's autobiography, and reflections from meeting and writing about Verne Gagne in the early 90s. Subscribe monthly to The Pro Wrestling Exuberant and get subscriber only content. Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2366340/subscribe.
Subscribe to the free The Pro Wrestling Exuberant email newsletter at substack.com/@theprowrestlingexuberant.

Support the Show.