The year is 2020 and the global pandemic is in its early stages, leaving pro wrestling as the only game in town as the world shut down. This allowed wrestling to use their creative freedom to try new things, which created the cinematic match and AEW's first go at a cinematic was at the second ever Double or Nothing PPV, which saw the Elite with Mat…

The year is 2008 and wrestling is chugging along to the beat of its own drum in many places. WWE is fully into the Cena Era, complete with an overhaul of the WWE title to a more commercialized and controversial design while TNA continued to grow despite some of its story telling being questionable quality. One such story saw TNA make a mockery of t…

The year is 1999 and the peak of wrestling just about to pass as WCW and WWE still go back and forth for the higher ratings but with a corporate merger, WCW's better days are behind them, despite names like Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Sting, and Ric Flair. But the returning Randy Savage caused a boost in morale as yet another all time great w…

The year is 1991 and Wrestling is about to exit its first nationwide boom period. The hokey, over the top characters had not yet worn out their welcome as characters like Typhoon, Earthquake, IRS, and more still drew a loud reaction from the crowd. Perhaps no over the top character benefitted more at this time than The Mountie, the evil Canadian la…

The year is 2005 and wrestling in America has become a bit stagnant with WWE at the top of the food chain and the American indies still forming. TNA Wrestling tho, seemed poised to make a change to the food change, beginning to have monthly PPV specials and in an effort to be the alternative to WWE, one such event became infamous for its gimmick: E…

The year is 2004 and WWE is starting to see their next stars take the next step: John Cena has gone from two dimension prototypical WWE star to a quick witted, popular rapper. Dave Batista has gone from a deacon to being the muscle of the dominant stable of the time, Evolution, Brock Lesnar has gone from monster rookie to future NFL tryout. But one…

The year is 2007 and TNA is beginning to find its stride after 5 years of aiming to be an alternative to WWE, and while WWE is putting on large grand shows, TNA was taking their pay per views on the road finally. When it came time to take Lockdown on the road, they asked, "how do we make every match feel different if they're all cage matches?" and …

The year is 2002 and wrestling is waking up from the attitude era hungover. WCW left the party, ECW got bounced from the club, and the sun hasn't yet risen for the independent scene, leaving WWE groggy and wondering whats next. As the Turner exclusive contracts for talents like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan expired, WWE would bring in the …

The year is 2008 and wrestling is a one person town where it matters, but that's not stopping the WWE from trying to grow bigger and bigger. WWE has always benefited from the use of celebrities at WrestleMania, from Muhammed Ali at the very first Wrestlemania all the way to even the previous year, Wrestlemania 23 with Donald Trump. 22 years after M…

The year is 2007 and WWE is powering forward with record setting events like Wrestlemania 27, while trying to find itself fully entrenched post Ruthless Agression era. As stars like Randy Orton, John Cena, and Batista mix with legends like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, the undercard looks very similar. Matt Hardy, nearly a decade in…

The year is 2008 and wrestling is about to hit its peak in terms of brutal watching, but not quite there yet. As the end of the decade approaches, WWE was firmly cemented as teh top company in America, leaving the independents wide open, but in between was TNA, who in 6 years became arguably the top alternative to WWE. Led by a blend of realistic s…

The year is 1987 and it is possibly the biggest Wrestlemania of all time: Wrestlemania 3, the show that featured one of the greatest Wrestlemania matches ever between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat and one of the most hyped Wrestlemania Main Events of all time between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant. A history making night for sure, but underneath…

Due to technical issues during recordings, Im left with no new records and as such in need of something! Look no further than the content available on support.grumm.tv. 5 recorded watchalongs from the first year of The Dork Side of the Ring, First the King of the Road Match with close personal friends Jimjam and Diggy. Then the wedding of teddy lon…

The year is 1996 and WWE is trailing behind WCW, fueled by their mid-year acquisitions of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and their involvement with the nWo. While it would be a good year and some change before WWE would have their own fired up acts like Stone Cold Steve Austin and DX, WCW ran away with the wrestling business, something no one has done b…

The year is 2012 and stagnant is one way to describe wrestling in America. WWE has fully established its international dominance and TNA has failed to compete with the juggernaut and drove away its fans. While stagnant, there is still room for wrestling to be its silliest it can be, especially around the holidays. Fans are treated to holiday discou…

After a month plus hiatus, Grumm returns for a short episode to update you on the ongoings for the Podcast and what to look forward to for the year from Dork Side of the Ring You can support Grumm and The Dork Side of the Ring Podcast: - Twitter: @IAmGrumm and @DorkSideRing - Instagram: IAmGrumm and DorkSideRing - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c…

The year is 2001 and the WCW Invasion is over in the WWF, and the wrestlers who once called WCW home have begun to assimilate to their new company and even some have finally made the move to WWF, like Ric Flair, who found himself back in the WWF for the first time since 1993. With Flair taking up the role as co-owner, he looked to make Vince McMaho…

The year is is 1994 and wrestling is down bad. WCW has gone out and gotten Hulk Hogan to help save the company and the WWF has asked nearly every celebrity in the 90s to come in and be a part of their biggest shows. From Burt Reynolds and Donnie Wahlburg to Leslie Nielsen, the biggest shows of the year for the federation had celebrities involved in…

In 2007, while WWE chugging along making money in spite of itself some times, the little company that could, TNA, had organically reached the pinnacle of TV wrestling: a 2 hour primetime show. With established names like Sting, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and the former Dudley Boys working along side with homegrown talent like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Rober…

By the end of 1999, WCW and WWF were in a heated battle with both companies having top of the industry level stars. Names like Hollywood Hogan, Sting, Bret Hart, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg were atop WCW as WWF had the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H, and The Undertaker. However, one of those names would have to miss a year due to a neck injur…

In the year 2005, the US had one major wrestling promotion while the independents were coming along. WWE stood tall and alone, removed from the attitude era and its stars as WWE now relied on the likes of John Cena and Batista to carry them through a more new era in the company. As Cena and Batista carried the top of the card, the undercard was fil…

The year is 2005 and WWE is the only game in town as the independents are still in their toddler phase. This leaves WWE to self-create and think outside of the box, which is something that has worked for WWE before. Outside the box thinking is what gave them Wrestlemania and the success it brought. Its the kind of thinking that gave WWE gimmicks li…

The year is 2014 and wrestling is in a weird time. Far removed from the Attitude Era and the Ruthless Aggression Era in WWE, but not quite at the boom that the late 2010s would hit in terms of quality alternatives. What could only be called a transitional era for WWE as acts like John Cena and Randy Orton were into their second decade on TV and Ind…

The year is 1999 and the attitude era is in full effect in WWF. From the anti-authority energy from Stone Cold and The Rock to the over the top sexualized gimmicks like Val Venis and Mark Henry, WWF was in full effect in pushing the envelope. One such situation was the rampant misogynist gimmick of Jeff Jarrett. Throughout the summer and fall of 19…

The year is 1998 and wrestling is at its peak popularity. As WWF and WCW go back and forth in the ratings every Monday night, each company looked for whatever edge they could when it came to competition. Be it mocking their opponent, threatening to invade the others show, challenging the other's boss to fight on PPV, any inch in the "battle" would …

The Year is 1996 and wrestling is at the start of its second wave of popularity as WCW's hot nWo angle is drawing a lot of attention and WWF's Stone Cold Steve Austin is barreling down the road to stardom with his carefree attitude and Austin 3:16 slogan. Amid that, a long time fixture of WWE, The Undertaker was in the middle of one of his fiercest…

The year is 1993 and wrestling is falling. The appeal of pro wrestling has gone away from most American people, but not kids. Always the easiest to target demographic, kids still love pro wrestling. They love the action, the super hero like physique, the comic book like characters. No one in the history of professional wrestling and sports entertai…

The year is 2000 and the WWF is running away with the Monday Night Wars as WCW gasps for air in the dust. Looking for anything to draw in viewers and gain headlines in an effort to catch up, WCW was presented a chance to do so, a chance that wrestling fans wish never happened. In April of 2000, Ready To Rumble was released in theaters and featured …

In 1998, as the Monday Night Wars were in full effect, each promotion tried to bring a different draw to their show. WCW leaned on its previously established relationships with professional athletes like Kevin Greene and Dennis Rodman, going so far as to feature Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone on separate sides of as tag team match at WCW Bash At the…

The year is 1998 and wrestling is fully into the Attitude Era. As WCW and WWF go back and forth atop the Monday Night ratings, each company attempting to win the week with the most eye-drawing show they can. In August of 1998, WWF won one night in particular thanks to the help of Val Venis and his feud with Kai En Tai as the culmination of Val Veni…

The year is 2000 and the world of media and content continue to push the boundaries of what is and what isn't acceptable for television. As Jerry Springer looks after the well being of day time television, WWF and WCW saw to prime time. Though as WCW reined in its content under the eyes of multiple mergers, WWF continued to push and push, including…

The year is 2006 and the WWE is on its way to becoming the Global powerhouse of entertainment it is today, but it still holds dear to the days of the Attitude Era, finding new ways to recreate the biggest and most important feud in WWE of the time: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. Throughout the early part of 2006, Vince would reprise his…

The year is 2003 and WWE is fully off the wheels in terms of storytelling. After spending much of the year letting Smackdown run wild from Big Show swinging Rey Mysterio on a body board like a baseball bat to Brock Lesnar maiming a one legged wrestler to Vince McMahon wrestling his own daughter, and everything in between, RAW was not to be out done…

The year is 2000 and WCW is in the hospital gasping for life as WWF continues to print money with nearly every new character of theirs. Outside of wrestling, the world is in love with the on going boy band craze, as Backstreet Boys and N*Sync waged war for the top of the charts much like WCW and WWF did years prior. To cash in on the craze, WCW's c…

The year is 2007 and WWE is about to make the leap from simply international to a global entity, and to do that they would need to have the largest Wrestlemania to date. On a card that would feature John Cena taking on Shawn Michaels in a battle between two faces of the company for the WWE title, The Undertaker's streak against Batista's World Heav…

The year is 2003, gone is the Attitude Era and fully into the Ruthless Aggression era is the WWE, the lone super promotion in America. As Monday Night RAW continued to be more about the over the top entertainment with the big names, Smackdown spent their time focusing on a more focused drive into creating new names with the help of quality workers …

The year is 2003 and wrestling is in a good place. The early 2000s independents are set up and becoming the cult hits they were, TNA has found its footing after early launch scandals, and WWE is chugging along on the road to Wrestlemania 19, where for the last time ever, we would see the iconic rivalry of Stone Cold and The Rock. Prior to their las…

The year is 2000 and wrestling is strong, though the days of being strong are numbered, especially for World Championship Wrestling, who were going through rough times behind the scenes with corporate restructuring and creative changes. Part of the creative changes included new gimmicks for old names, names like Price Iaukea, a milquetoast good guy…

The year is 2003 and WWE is the only game in town when it time to matter. The independent scene is slowly growing and with no competition, WWE remains the top of North America. With the attitude era behind them, but global expansion not yet what it would be in the coming years, WWE continues to lean into the patriotism of the early 2000s America. W…

The year is 1996 and Wrestling is in its final days before its biggest boom period, but the seeds for the attitude era were laid in the first half of 1996, including the return of Roddy Pipper in January, talking about the rights and wrongs of America and Goldust's obsession with the machismo of Razor Ramon. WWE was getting close to the edge with i…

The year is 1995 and wrestling is not in a great place as both major American are struggling to keep the attention of fans, top stars aren't awe-inspiring, and a new gas station just opened up around the corner. One top star that was drawing was Bret Hart, whose international appeal was unrivaled, and as such Bret Hart, even when not the champion w…

The year is 1998 and wrestling is in the midst of the Monday Night Wars, when both WCW and WWF were doing their best to make the most entertaining wrestling show they could, and for the most part, succeeding. While WCW started to slow down, WWF picked up steam behind the power of Stone Cold's ascent to the top of the company as well as the feud bet…

The year is 2003 and WWE is the only major promotion in North America as independent companies like ROH and TNA are in their infancy. While we've covered how the early years of the brand split gave way to Smackdown being more focused on the sports part of sports entertainment, it didn't not preclude the blue brand from partaking in antics, such as …

The year is 2009 and the wrestling world is in an alright place, WWE is chugging along just fine and the only things that slow it down are live sports, but one particular week more than others. The NBA Western Conference Finals were due to be played in Denver the same day that WWE had booked the Pepsi Center, home of the Denver Nuggets. What ensued…

The year is 2006 and professional wrestling is doing okay, there are a handful of healthy independent promotions, TNA is growing upward momentum, but at the top is WWE and without a true alternative, WWE's growth expands outwards into other forms of entertainment, like movies. In 2006, WWE began their movie division starting with the horror movie S…

The year is 1991 and wrestling is falling behind in the world of main stream attention. Hulkamania is running on less steam than ever before, Sting hasnt been healthy for long enough for WCW to give him the reigns and let the promotion be built around him. In need of drawing in fans and attention, both companies would introduce new character that a…

The years is 2001 and pro wrestling has become a much smaller world with the WWE purchasing WCW and ECW. The bubble had burst and the fallout began shortly after Wrestlemania 17, starting with Backlash 2001 but not because of effort. As the main event featured the Two Man Power Trip vs The Brothers of Destructions, the undercard would feature this …

The year is 1996, a year that is pivotal in the history of pro wrestling and sports entertainment, mainly for the sudden shift both major American promotions make as well as the swelling support of ECW. The shift from over the top cartoony to realistic and gritty was sudden in the grand scheme of things, but at the start of the year, you'd be unabl…

The year is 1999 and the Attitude Era is in full effect in WWE, from the sexualization of their female talent to satanic like crucifixion like sacrifices.. One talent though, had seen the depth and lengths the Attitude Era could go for villany more than the rest: Big Boss Man. From being hung at Wrestlemania to feeding Al Snow his own dog, Big Boss…

The year is 2006 and WWE is coming off the high of its largest box office at the time in Wrestlemania 23 and the WWE is on its annual post mania European tour when someone in creative gets an incredible idea as Monday Night Raw plans to emanate from Milan, Italy for the first time ever: What if we debut a hometown hero? BRILLIANT! Except, WWE didn'…