Occupy Pro Wrestling

Monday Night RAW is upon us, with three episodes from the Manhattan Center taking us into and out of the 1993 Royal Rumble. A new era begins and a Federation career comes to an end as we enter…The Calm Before The War! We're looking at all the hits here, from Bobby Heenan trying to get inside during the first-ever show to the curious feud between Randy Savage and Repoooo Maaaaan, and the way the show handles being taped before a PPV event when airing after...and it all leads up to Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair duking it out to see who leaves the Federation! Thanks to Josh Innes of INNESX for the sweet 80s remix of the Monday Night RAW theme song to open and close the podcast! Josh is from the Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland area, and has some awesome work in music, photography, and more across his YouTube and other social media channels at INNESX! Support Occupy Pro Wrestling [https://www.patreon.com/occupyprowrestling] Links: * OPW Merch at Brainbuster Tees! [https://brainbustertees.com/other/occupy-pro-wrestling/] — Home of new shirts, caps, and more featuring Wrestling Explains It All and I Can't Believe It's Not A Swerve! * OPW Website [https://occupyprowrestling.com] — The central hub for all things Occupy Pro Wrestling! Videos, podcasts, merch, and more!

In 1993, the World Wrestling Federation stepped into unknown territory, promising a weekly live broadcast that was “uncut, uncooked, and uncensored.” In the two years that followed, Monday nights became a bit more RAW…even before the looming threat of an explosive WCW show going head to head. Submitted for your approval, dear listener, is a podcast series that looks back on The Calm Before The War! In this first episode of The Calm Before The War, we take a brief look at the history of televised professional wrestling, with a particular focus on the impact of early WWE programming like Saturday Night’s Main Event and Prime Time Wrestling for better context of what paved the way for Monday Night RAW! Opening/Closing Theme courtesy of Josh Innes of INNESX (@INNESX on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@innesx_], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/innesx_/], and elsewhere on the Internet!) This series officially kicks off in January 2024, but for now enjoy the first look as a holiday gift from Occupy Pro Wrestling! Thank you for your support in 2023 and we'll see you in the new year! Support Occupy Pro Wrestling [https://www.patreon.com/occupyprowrestling]

In celebration of Smarktober, Alex Smiley is joined by the former CHIKARA Grand Champion and forever Broadsword of Nazmaldun, Hallowicked, to talk about pro wrestling and horror! We touch on how Hallowicked discovered each for the first time, leading to some fun chat about ECW, horror gimmicks in wrestling, Pet Semetary, and Evil Dead, before getting into the Broadsword's quest to find pro wrestling in horror movies with his Grappling With Demons videos! Hallowicked's central hub, where you can find Grappling With Demons and Arcade of Terror, can be found at nazmaldun.com [http://nazmaldun.com] Intro/Outro music courtesy of White Bat Audio Hallowicked's 4th CHIKARA theme: "Never Wake Up" by Josh Jones feat. Ian Vaflor "The Lords Theme" (from the film The Lords of Salem) composed by John 5 & Griffin Boice Be sure to check out OPW on YouTube [https://youtube.com/@Power2TheSmarks] for a video version of this episode as well as more fun videos for Smarktober and beyond! Special Guest: Hallowicked. Support Occupy Pro Wrestling [https://www.patreon.com/occupyprowrestling]

On this special episode of the 'cast, Alex Smiley examines the central role IMPACT Wrestling plays in bridging gaps between promotions after a history of short-term failures, and how it brings full circle its partnerships with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor! (NOTE: A video version of this will soon be available on our YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr1RWLPyWkqILcms7daD97A], be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you know when it comes out!) Support Occupy Pro Wrestling [https://www.patreon.com/occupyprowrestling]

On this episode of the podcast, I have a retrospective on Occupy Pro Wrestling’s eight years of existence before giving a nice little bonus: the debut of the Bright Side of Wrestling podcast! As always, I take a look at the latest from our site partners in the Partner Spotlight, and talk a little bit about what’s to come. Be sure to look for The Bright Side of Wrestling on its own podcast feed coming soon! Support Occupy Pro Wrestling [https://www.patreon.com/occupyprowrestling]