FREE PODCAST 4/16 – WKPWP Thursday Flagship: Keller & Martin talk Howard Finkel and the WWE cutbacks and how both of those topics reflect who Vince is, Mailbag, more (130 min)

April 16, 2020

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

SHOW SUMMARY: PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents the Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast with guest cohost PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin. Todd and Wade discuss Howard Finkel and what he represented as a great ring announcer but also how Vince McMahon treated him and what that says about McMahon. Todd then gives his strong view on WWE’s decision to release so many wrestlers yesterday during a pandemic just days before the next investor’s conference call. From there, they run through AEW Dynamite (including the Jon Moxley vs. Jake Hager main event), NXT on USA, WWE Smackdown (including Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura), and WWE Raw (including Drew McIntyre’s promo, Drew vs. Andrade, and Nia Jax squashing Kairi Sane). Plus the latest on UFC. From there, they answer Mailbag questions on these topics:

What was the reason Vince McMahon backed Chris Benoit enough to give him the title win at WrestleMania 20, and is he the most surprising WrestleMania main eventer ever?
Why did Vince McMahon ultimately choose John Cena over Batista?
Why does WWE have such unbalanced power over their independent contractors compared to how things work in Europe?
Is A.J. Styles a former WrestleMania headliners now that he closed out the first night of WrestleMania 36, or does that not count?
What is a list of Bret Hart’s best matches in WCW?
What was the deal with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in the fall of 1996?

THESE ARE ADDITIONAL TOPICS COVERED IN THE EXTENDED VERSION EXCLUSIVELY FOR VIP MEMBERS…

Can’t stats help determine the type of career someone had?
Reacting to a list of Lex Luger’s better matches that weren’t covered last week.
Why was the Hulk Hogan heel turn in WCW such a big deal?
Has AEW been designated an “essential business” in Florida or does it just apply to WWE?
Which of the WWE releases should AEW hire?
How despicable really is WWE after the decisions they’ve made in the last week or so?
Why doesn’t Brock Lesnar do more moves than he does and have longer matches than he does since he is capable of so much more?
Is it a good idea for WWE split off and have a show that’s just cinematic matches, separate from the traditional presentation?
Why should anyone be sensitive about the term “fake” when it comes to professional wrestling like Ronda Rousey said?
Did AEW pay a retainer fee to keep talent available for when they launched? Would it make sense for other companies to do that now for the recently-released WWE talent?
Revisiting 20 years ago when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo stripped everyone of their titles, with thoughts on each of the champions who were stripped? Also, what does Todd think of that time in WCW history and the idea of relaunching like they did?
Is Brock Lesnar really worth the money he is paid given his output and lack of clear impact on business?