The Story Of Wrestling is a podcast that examines the world of pro wrasslin through the lens of storytelling. The A.V. Club's crack team of wrestling writers (plus hanger-on Alasdair Wilkins) break down the week in wrestling by focusing on the stories WWE is trying to tell, why those stories work, and why they sometimes don't. Plus, we do our level best to keep it positive (in as non-obnoxious a way as possible), just to mix things up.
…
continue reading
Bear Or Fowl has transformed for round 2 into Bear U; your one stop shop for anything college football, and sports in general related. Listen to hosts Kyle, Tim, and Connor spew their thoughts weekly on this NCAA football season, and all the drama and story lines that come with it.
…
continue reading
Alasdair takes another sidestep out of the usual discussion to explore how wrestling compares with other kinds of collaborative performance like improv and Dungeons and Dragons. And who better to do that with his own Dungeon Master? Gideon Bautista is a writer, actor, wrestling fan, and longtime D&D player, and he joins Alasdair to discuss how putt…
…
continue reading
Alasdair is back in the podcast studio this week joined by Rob Blatt, the "management representative" for the Queens-based promotion House of Glory Wrestling and senior referee for Dropkick Depression in New Jersey. That's right, we got a worker on the podcast! Rob details how he got into both wrestling and wrassling as a kid, including his dad's V…
…
continue reading
The team reunites this week, as Kyle rejoins Alasdair for a look back at a fun week in wrestling. Uh, except Survivor Series. We didn't get to that. But my goodness, is there still a ton to talk about! We look at the two explosive WarGames matches from the latest NXT TakeOver, then segue to a look at the latest episode of Dynamite. Are we all ready…
…
continue reading
For the first official episode of the podcast's bold new era, Alasdair is joined in by Luis Paez-Pumar, late of Deadspin, a good website. We were planning on really only talking about AEW and Full Gear, but then C.M. Punk had to... well, not technically rejoin WWE, but do the next closest thing. Also, AEW head Tony Khan may not be stepping into the…
…
continue reading
From out of nowhere, the podcast lives! After more than a year's hiatus, Alasdair has dusted off the podcast, with plans to start talking wrestling again now that there's so much (mostly outside WWE, we'll get into that) to talk about. As is typically customary for podcasts, there are plans to, uh, have *other* people on as well, but some last-minu…
…
continue reading
It was a massive WrestleMania weekend, and Alasdair and Kyle are here to work through all of it. We save the perfection that was NXT TakeOver: New Orleans for the end of the show, especially since the brilliance of that ladder match and that unsanctioned match have our brains still melted days later. In the meantime, we talk about what worked and w…
…
continue reading
Just in time for NXT TakeOver comes our big look at WrestleMania weekend! Alasdair has been going through a whole bunch of stuff lately and is fighting off a cold, so Kyle steps up to carry him much like we assume John Cena would carry the Undertaker if that matches actually happens. (It's going to happen, right? Right!?) We talk through all the ma…
…
continue reading
Yes! Yes! Yes! That chant can mean only one thing: EC3 got fired on TNA! (What? There were three yeses.) FINE, let's talk Daniel Bryan and his big return to in-ring action. Kyle especially is over the moon about this, and we consider just what it means for WWE to suddenly have another bona fide main eventer at its disposal and the potential stories…
…
continue reading
It's Fastlane time! And... Alasdair and Kyle try to bring their trademark positivity and optimism to this, but even we have our limits. We discuss just why this whole main event feels like such a mess, throw out an alternative or two, and then try to drag ourselves away from Sunday's action as soon as possible. We talk NXT and future callups, and A…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle do something they have been putting off for far too long and turn their attention to SmackDown Live, whether SmackDown Live wants it or not. We start positive by looking at the fiery promo battle between the Usos and the New Day, and we're still insistent that, whatever else you might say about it, the actual match between Charlot…
…
continue reading
We're back from a week off to get you ready for this evening's Elimination Chamber. Kyle pays tribute to the glory of Seth Rollins, while Alasdair nods along sagely. We consider how that incredible gauntlet match has set things up for tonight, plus where Rollins can go from here on the road to WrestleMania. Honestly, we try to figure out where abou…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle dive back into a couple classic Elimination Chamber matches to get ready for the big pay-per-view in two weeks. We look at the first ever such match at Survivor Series 2002, and how so much of it feels like a rough draft for what later iterations would perfect. Then we consider the match from 2014 featuring Randy Orton at his best…
…
continue reading
Kyle and I will be recording later this weekend, and we will be looking at a pair of past classic Elimination Chamber matches to get ready for the upcoming pay-per-view. If you want to watch ahead of time, they are the 2002 match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series and the 2014 match from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view f…
…
continue reading
With an incredible Royal Rumble weekend behind us, Alasdair and Kyle start preparing for the Elimination Chamber and Fastlane. But first, we try to figure out what's realistcally next for Kane, what could ideally be next for Kane, and just generally what purpose Kane could usefully serve in 2018. We feel like we owe him that much. We consider what …
…
continue reading
We wrap up our weekend in Philadelphia with our emotionally spent, frequently hoarse reactions to Sunday night's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The handicap match was better and way more simply booked than we had expected, and the Raw tag team match furthered Jason Jordan's story in spectacular fashion. Beyond that, well, the other two non-Rumble match…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle are recovered from the incredible, emotionally exhausting draining experience of going to NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia! We have some spoiler-free praise for the pre-show matches set to air on next Wednesday's show that feature Roderick Strong, Tyler Bate, TM-61, and more. We then break down a card that has some all-time great stuff …
…
continue reading
We're coming at you live from Philly! Alasdair and Kyle are together in the same room at last to break down the Royal Rumble before they head off to NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia! We're excited about the tag title matches, confused about the heavyweight championships, and just generally prepared to be watching the two Rumble matches for hours upon hou…
…
continue reading
It's Royal Rumble weekend, and Alasdair and Kyle are headed to Philadelphia! We'll have a bunch of episodes coming at you from our trip, and we run down the entire bonkers schedule that we have ahead of us. First up though we have to struggle through technical difficulties one more time to bring you this preview of NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, which…
…
continue reading
Kyle and Alasdair have another round of awesome listener questions. We consider whether the returns on Raw 25 will throw off the thrill of the legends who might be in the Royal Rumble. We look at just who we want to see show up in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble. We try to work out just how the WWE Championship match can work out that isn't jus…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle are here to answer your questions as we continue on the Road to the Road to Wrestlemania, otherwise known as the build to the Royal Rumble. But first, we discuss the all-over brilliance of Jason Jordan, the most wonderfully annoying wannabe in WWE, and the incredible coolness of the Balor Club. We're asked to pay our respects to t…
…
continue reading
We keep it simple for our first episode of 2018. Recording the night after New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom, we look at the most Canadian match ever (give or take the Harts, Edge and Christian, and Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn), as the twin toasts of Winnipeg Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega went at it for 36 glorious minutes. Check out this match if you have…
…
continue reading
We look back at the year in wrestling in 2017, which somehow -- because we're idiots -- means looking back on the Fastlane card and trying to convince ourselves that the Club and Bayley were champs on the road to WrestleMania. Then we look ahead to what's coming in 2018, including who we think could be a Braun Strowman-like breakout star next year,…
…
continue reading
Never fear, listeners, Kyle is back to stop Alasdair from just talking to himself for another 42 minutes. We talk all things "Clash of Champions," including the shocker that was the United States Championship match being maybe the best of the night. Possibly? Kyle is ready to say so, but Alasdair doesn't want anyone discounting how Jinder Mahal (an…
…
continue reading
With Kyle busy on a special project, Alasdair podcasts with a broomstick for a ridiculous 42 minutes of solo talking on Clash of Champions. He breaks down the title matches, including a lengthy discussion of the SmackDown women's division, whether Baron Corbin can continue his streak of shockingly good triple threat matches, how pretty much all the…
…
continue reading
We're back after a week off with plenty to talk about, thanks to another fantastic round of listener questions. We look at the two new women's factions on Raw and SmackDown and how they look in their first few weeks. We're optimistic about Absolution and think the Riott Squad could be good, but the general state of SmackDown's women's division is s…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle look back on the many joys and occasional frustrations of NXT Takeover: War Games and Survivor Series. Wait, that's ambiguous: Takeover was just joys. The weirdness was all on Survivor Series, though we did legitimately have to struggle with which was the better show because both had some classic matches and stories. We start smal…
…
continue reading
It's a Big Four weekend, and Alasdair and Kyle are here to talk Survivor Series and -- thanks to a delay in editing -- preview an NXT Takeover that has already, you know, happened. Never mind, though, as the main focus is on Survivor Series and which matches have us most excited. There are at least four incredible-looking matches on the card, but w…
…
continue reading
Happy Rusev Day, everyone! But before we get to the most gloriously ludicrous yet strangely perfect Rusev fantasy booking ever -- seriously, Kyle got chills from Alasdair's latest idea -- we talk about everything else that's happened this week. We consider how Chris Jericho built a feud with Kenny Omega for New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 12. We talk a…
…
continue reading
Another amazing batch of questions means Alasdair and Kyle have plenty to talk about without even bothering to worry too much about what's been going on in WWE this week. We consider which wrestlers early in their careers could be huge breakout stars. We ponder managers and who could benefit most from having one. Special attention is paid to Sami Z…
…
continue reading
The best round of listener questions ever means we mostly spend this week's episode talking about what you all want us to talk about. We kick off with some general discussion of the two-match affair (apologies, Asuka-Emma) that was TLC, with Alasdair asking Kyle the all-important question about the bonkers main event. Alasdair is also finally willi…
…
continue reading
It's our landmark 50th episode, which Alasdair, in true WWE at WrestleMania 25 fashion, keeps wrongly calling the 50th anniversary show. Seriously, where to begin with this one? To mark the milestone, we asked original cohost and much cooler person LaToya Ferguson to make a one-off return, which she did! She talks about the book she's working on an…
…
continue reading
Alasdair and Kyle talk about Hell in a Cell, which we pretty much just confine to those two Hell in a Cell matches, because (with apologies to that triple threat, maybe) what else is there really to talk about? We consider the future of the tag team division and the New Day's place in it (or elsewhere?), along with plenty of discussion of one Mr. S…
…
continue reading
We were too busy to get in a podcast last week, but we're back! Alasdair and Kyle take a look at the baffling storytelling of the Braun-Brock match at No Mercy, then move on as swiftly as WWE has. We take a look at most of the non-Jinder stuff to be excited about from Hell in a Cell. Alasdair goes fully mental with a ringing endorsement of 205 Live…
…
continue reading
It's a big week in college football this week as the boys bring you their thoughts and prayers about the Michigan / Michigan State game!By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
Anthem Watch Returns this week on Bear U. We heard the fans asking for it, so we talk all about this weeks anthem issues we saw in both the NFL and College. Listen to this sure-to-be controversial episode.By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Week 4: Dance with the one who brought you
34:28
34:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:28
The boys come this week with a new segment and a smattering of other college football talk. Be sure to listen, it's great!By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
Just in time for tonight's No Mercy, Kyle and Alasdair weigh in on the card. We're so, so ready for Lesnar-Strowman and Cena-Reigns, but we've also been weirdly run over by all things Jason Jordan, though maybe that's just a continued tribute to the Miz. And Alasdair seriously wants nothing more than Neville to hit the Empire Elbow on Enzo. All tha…
…
continue reading
Warning: Alasdair is wrong and confused all over the place in this episode. He apparently thinks Shelton Benjamin's tag team partner is Kurt Angle, and he totally launches into the wrap-up forgetting we hadn't yet talked about the Mae Young Classic. Hopefully these momentary lapses make all his other takes all the more brilliant and trenchant? Or m…
…
continue reading
Kyle, Tim, and Connor bring you this week early and often. While it may be slow, not many match ups, we still try to analyze last week while giving insightful thought going forward.By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
Kyle is otherwise busy this week, but that's not going to stop Alasdair from being you your weekly podcast fix. He and his Inverse coworker Eric Francisco grab 30 minutes to talk all things Asuka after the Empress of Tomorrow officially vacated the NXT Women's Championship on this week's episode. We discuss what stories Asuka could get into on the …
…
continue reading
Kyle, Tim, and Connor are back this week with more football talk then ever. Quick recap of the previous week, how our teams did, and some very controversial Bear Or Fowl topics. So dial down the down marker and dial up your headphones, because this one is a doozy.By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
We spend the first hour talking nothing but women's wrestling, which makes perfect sense given the Mae Young Classic began this week. That said, Kyle wanted to talk about Nia Jax, so that's where we actually begin. Seriously, what's going on with the Raw women's division, and what's the best way to cure what ails it? Then we do indeed turn to the b…
…
continue reading
Tim and Kyle are back this season with Full-Time host Connor! The show has become all college football all the time, and they're kicking things off this season with a college football season overview.By The Bear Talk Podcast
…
continue reading
We open with what was, at the time of recording, breaking news about Asuka's status in WWE. It's a nice distraction from a largely disappointing SummerSlam weekend, though we do find plenty of post-Takeover goodies to dig into, at least once you get past how weird John Cena has been lately. There's the ascendancy of Braun Strowman, the continued re…
…
continue reading
The latest NXT Takeover was so good that we just had to talk about it the next day! Alasdair was in the building in Brooklyn for the second straight year, while Kyle was following along on the network. We go match by match through the card. We revel in the awesomeness of Gargano-Almas. We explain why Sanity-AoP worked as well as it did, and why thi…
…
continue reading
It's SummerSlam week! And, more importantly, it's "What the hell is going on with Baron Corbin?" week! We look at Tuesday's failed cash-in from every possible storytelling angle we can figure, as we try to work out what the Lone Wolf has to offer after this insane development. In happier news, we take a look at this weekend's activities, with a par…
…
continue reading
We kick off with a couple announcements! Alasdair is looking to enlist some of you lovely wrestling fans to help predict the event of SummerSlam for Inverse, while Kyle is getting back in the WWE reviewing game at Real Sport 101! We've got all the details on both of those at the top of the episode. Next up, Kyle was in the building for SmackDown Li…
…
continue reading
We take a quick look at the state of the SummerSlam card after an exciting SmackDown, wondering just what the future holds for new number one contender Shinsuke Nakamura. (We're really feeling the Baron Corbin cash-in, but maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves.) But the real focus of today's episode is a look back at two recent classic matches, bo…
…
continue reading
Kyle returns for a late-night recording, which is always way crazier and sillier (and, yeah, probably better) than our morning recordings. Battleground was very mean and rude to all of us, but then SmackDown Live went ahead and completely redeemed itself. Alasdair tries to discuss this without just being a shameless A.J. Styles mark, but, come on..…
…
continue reading