Wrestlespective

Josh Hachat and Jason Mann talk about the end of the Second Monday Night War (what a glorious struggle it was) and what TNA should do now that it has to tuck its tail back to Thursday night. We also talk about the disappointing Wrestlemania 26 buyrate and the reasons why it was disappointing. #WWE #TNA #wrestling Originally broadcast: 5/8/10

Josh Hachat and Jason Mann's wide-ranging discussion on "Pure Sports Builds" focuses on Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock at WWE Summerslam 2002 and Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe at TNA Lockdown 2008. We also talk about how emphasizing wins and losses can make wrestling better, the Gary Cubeta and Larry Matysik St. Louis booking sheets discussions at 57talk.com, how sports entertainment is more passe than “rasslin,” the inflexibility of TNA and WWE, the pitfalls of automatic rematches, stellar training montages, developing in-match strategy through interviews and commentary, cutting down on nonsense and shenanigans and much, much more. Originally broadcast: 5/6/10

Jason Mann and Josh Hachat discuss Wrestlemania 2000, headlined by a fatal four-way between Triple H, The Rock, Big Show and Mick Foley with a McMahon in every corner. Topics include: how too many McMahons can ruin a perfectly good thing, seeing Paul Bearer do crotch chops, watching our first Chris Benoit matches in nearly three years, how Eddie Guerrero being a perfect heel can make something out of nothing, Val Venis being the worst referee in WWE history, how nonsensical table-setting can ruin an otherwise fun ladder match, a T&A (Test and Albert) match that might have been worse than any TNA match in history, the stunning lack of sense used in the 13-man hardcore battle royal and the fact that perhaps pimpin’ might not be easy after all. A huge, overbooked cluster of a show (the Wrestlemania, not Wrestlespective) that had many puzzling things and lent itself to good discussion. #WWE #wrestling Originally broadcast: 4/8/10

Part two of our review of the 2000 Royal Rumble. Jason Mann and Josh Hachat discuss the greatness of Mick Foley, how patience paid off with the ascension of Triple H, detailing why their street fight might be among the greatest WWE matches ever, the Royal Rumble match itself, how The Rock was really developing into the No. 1 babyface, the merits of “Ass Man” and more. #WWE #wrestling Originally broadcast: 4/4/10

Part one of our in-depth review of Royal Rumble 2000. Jason Mann and Josh Hachat talk about one of the best debuts in WWE history, the violent tables match that helped establish the Hardys and the Dudleys, the surprising length of time it took WWE to hire models, Chyna’s terrible punches, the New Age Outlaws and the vortex of catchphrase hell and lots, lots more. #WWE #wrestling Originally broadcast: 4/4/10

Josh Hachat and Jason Mann break down the highs and lows of Wrestlemania 26 on the first episode of Wrestlespective. We talk about the awesomeness of Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker and whether it topped last year’s Match of the Year, discuss how Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon never reached the heights we hoped it would, consider whether Edge deserves an immediate rematch with Chris Jericho, ponder why hated rivals John Cena and Batista had a straight wrestling match and concede that Randy Orton is pretty over as a babyface, even if he did make Ted DiBiase (Jr.) look like a goof. Original airdate: 3/31/10