Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club

Microdramas, also known as "verticals," also known as "Quibis," are short videos designed to be watched on your phone that are either sweeping the digital world or a massive money laundering scheme. Either way, companies are starting to invest in them, including WWE. Their first foray is called "Agent of Shadows" and it stars a bunch of young actors you've never heard of and also Drew McIntyre, Royce Keys, and a handful of special guests. Are the first 10 "episodes" worth your time? Can we judge these on the same scale as actual scripted entertainment? Join us and find out.<...

It's a match so buzzy that it even got us to watch Raw, or at least an extended clip: It's Roman Reigns versus Penta from the Sept. 14 Raw in Mexico City. This is the match that seemingly boosted Penta from "cool guy" to "possible main eventer and future champion" and is also the rare chance to see Reigns put his true working boots on. Is it as good as advertised? Join us and find out.

Benjamin Satterley, better known in the wrestling world as PAC and Neville, died on September 27, 2026. In his honor, we're taking a break from our usual format and discussing his career, his legacy, and the AEW tribute show that honored his work within the squared circle.

And so Total Nonstop Autumn is ending, fortunately with the finest match TNA ever put together. It's Samoa Joe versus AJ Styles versus Christopher Daniels at TNA Unbreakable 2005, widely regarded as one of the best triple threats of all time. And spoiler alert: It's as good as advertised. Queue it up on YouTube and watch along as we say farewell to TNA.

Total Nonstop Autumn continues with Total Nonstop Agony, the third (!) memoir by "legendary" pro wrestling writer Vince Russo. We've somehow avoided Russo's previous two books but now we're compelled to read about his tumultous stint at TNA. Was it worth our time, or is the book just an excuse to badmouth Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard and (to a lesser extent) Hulk Hogan for 250 pages? Spoiler: It's the latter. Yikes.

To continue Total Nonstop August (which may turn into a 2-month event) we have found what many call the "best Jeff Jarrett match ever." It's against Kurt Angle at TNA Genesis 2009, a no-DQ showdown at a pay-per-view no one watched or remembers. Is this actually the best Jeff has to offer? And what makes a 'good' Jeff Jarrett match anyway? Join us as we watch along and find out.

It's time to make our semi-regular return to the world of Dark Side of the Ring for their recent 3-part series on Jeff Jarrett and TNA. We've barely discussed Jeff or TNA during our 9-year run; does this batch of episodes do the promotion justice? Is Jarrett worthy of so much analysis? And has a company like AEW learned from the mistakes TNA made? Join us for Total Nonstop August and find out.

Back in 2019, Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair made history with their triple threat main event at WrestleMania 35. They were the first women to ever occupy that spot, the deserving end to a solidly built 3-way feud. But was the match itself worthy of its place on a very, very, very long card? Join us for the final episode of Rouse-ly as we discuss this well-regarded but perhaps underwhelming showdown.

Ronda Rousey's short WWE career was filled with high highs and low lows; she main evented one WrestleMania and particpated in a 4-way tag match in the other. She was a UFC legend who was treated like a mega-star and then downgraded to "weekly competitor" as fast as the WWE machine could manage. And now that she's a free woman, she's talking shit about everyone, including John Laurinaitis, Vince McMahon, and Bruce Prichard. Join us as we discuss the juicy WWE section of Ronda's latest memoir, Our Fight.

He did it! Somewhat out of nowhere, in Saudi Arabia, at a second-tier PLE, Sami Zayn won the world title. To celebrate, or at least check out the video evidence, we're watching along with Night of Champions 2026 and (hopefully) enjoying the triple threat between Zayn, Gunther, and now-former champ Cody Rhodes.

It's finally time to talk about the Hulkster's Netflix doc. Hulk Hogan: Real American is a very high-profile look at the life, times, and death of a pro wrestling legend; it's also executive produced by Paul "Triple H" Levesque, so how scathing can it be? Does this 4-part series capture the lowest lows of the formerly beloved superstar? Does it need to be 4 parts, or is it overstuffed to appease the streaming gods? And is this finally, blessedly, the last time we talk about my boy Terry? Join us and find out.

Yes, sigh, it's Hulk Month on Awesome Truth. That's what happens when Netflix releases an exclusive 4-part documentary on the life, times, and utter bullsh*t of the Hulkster. To gear up for discussing that series next episode, we're revisiting arguably Hogan's greatest match: his showdown with the Rock at WrestleMania X8. Is it as good as we remember? Of course it is. Join us as we watch along with a stone-cold classic.

To end our short run talking about Shawn Michaels and begin our short run talking about (sigh) Hulk Hogan, we're watching along with their "classic" match at SummerSlam 2005. It's remembered as the night when HBK made Hogan look terrible by overselling everything, but is that reputation fair? And is the match any good? Join us and find out.

Despite mostly moving their content to Netflix and ESPN, WWE is still putting out documentaries on Peacock. Their latest entry, The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels, is a full feature-length look at Mr. WrestleMania. Do we need another HBK documentary? Is his latest turn as head of NXT worth diving into? Join us for one more journey through the career of this all-time legend, from the Rockers and the Kliq to Flair and Taker at Mania and back again.

Now that WrestleMania 42 has entered the history books with a resounding "meh," it's time to revisit the already maligned Night 1 main event from this year's show: Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton. It could've been the easiest feud to book in history; instead, they made it about Pat McAfee. Was the match as boring as everyone claims? Watch along as we find out.

How would you rank the top 50 WrestleMania matches of all time? Pageantry, work rate, legacy, recency? WWE has taken a crack at this very project with a YouTube playlist, led by Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 and featuring (surprisingly) very few long boring Triple H matches. Did they do a good job? What stood out as smart and what was overrated? Join us as we tackle our first playlist review.

With WrestleMania 42 only weeks away, we decided to travel very briefly back in time and get a preview of this year's premier match (plus Seth Rollins). That's right, we're watching the Night 1 main event from WrestleMania 41: CM Punk versus Roman Reigns vs "The Architect" himself. Most people said it was the high point of a particularly dreary Mania weekend; do we agree? Join us and find out!

Sometimes YouTube recommends videos and sometimes Walt clicks on them, and that's how we ended up watching The Epic Story of The Shield, a wrestling documentary from the good people at Spotfight. What is Spotfight? How do their wrestling documentaries stand up to the dozens of WWE docs we've watched for this show? And did we learn anything new about Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and the man formerly known as Dean Ambrose? Join us and find out.

To celebrate ElimChamb week, the most thrilling week of the wrestling season, we're revisiting one of the best matches in the history of the event: The Wyatt Family versus The Shield. It's from way back in 2014, when Bluetista was getting booed, Jack Swagger was still a thing, and these 6 guys were lighting the world on fire. Not to mention, you may be shocked by who ends up eating the pin. Join us as we watch along with this classic 6-man tag.

Now that AJ Styles has ridden off into the sunset, temporarily or otherwise, we felt it was time to revisit a classic WWE Network documentary on The Phenomenal One. The years 2017 and 2018 were fascinating ones for Styles, from an incredible match with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series to a very disappointing title defense against Shinksuke Nakamura at WrestleMania. Join us as we watch the WWE 365 recap of one of AJ's biggest years and discuss Styles' WWE run as a whole.

Hot on the heels of reading Keith Elliot Greenberg's This Book Is All Elite, we're giving AEW an official Awesome Truth performance review. How has the company evolved from 2019 to today? How do the so-called Four Pillars hold up in 2026? Spoiler alert: Sammy Guevara is not quite pillar-y these days. Join us as we discuss the peaks and valleys of All Elite Wrestling.

Welcome to 2026! With Royal Rumble season right around the corner, we're watching a very famous Rumble singles match: The Rock versus Mankind for the WWE championship at the 1999 Royal Rumble. This is the infamous I Quit match that ends with a dozen chairshots right to Mick Foley's unprotected head; it's a tough one to revisit but also a reminder of how good Dwayne was at playing a total asshole heel. Join us as we cover our eyes and do our best to watch along.

Happy holidays from Awesome Truth! We are currently on Christmas vacation so please enjoy this classic episode from January 2024, an in-depth discussion of the very depressing feature film The Iron Claw.

It's somehow been 6 years since AEW opened its doors, which means its time to chronicle the company's dramatic rise in book form. And there's no better man to do it than Keith Elliot Greenberg, author of This Book Is All Elite: The Inside Story of All Elite Wrestling. It's full of photos and stories that document how Tony Khan and a handful of truly elite wrestlers formed the first viable alternative to WWE in decades. Join us as we chat with Keith about this unique opportunity and debate what the future might hold for All Elite Wrestling.

I don't think anyone expected Braun Strowman to go from "pro wrestling goliath" to "food show host," but here we are! Strowman's new USA show, Everything on the Menu With Braun Strowman, has been a surprise hit for the beefy former WWE star and may end up being a solid second career. But is it any good? And are the tie-ins with wrestling even remotely organic? Join us as we follow Braun around Washington, DC, as he attempts to eat the whole dang menu.

We all know November is Survivor Series month, so we're harkening back to when this event was truly about surviving: 1990, when the babyface and heel survivors of each match met in the main event. That meant Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Tito Santana (!) versus the all-star squad of Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, The Warlord, Hercules, and Paul Roma. Sound like trouble for our all-star superheroes? You bet it wasn't. Join us for the squashiest main in Survivor Series history.

You knew we'd get to it eventually: It's time to review Dwayne Johnson's Oscar play, the 2025 film The Smashing Machine. How does Rock do as UFC original Mark Kerr? Is he finally showing off some dormant acting chops, or is he just playing another big fighter guy with slightly more emotion? And is this MMA movie actually an MMA movie at all?

As John Cena's very bumpy retirement tour nears its conclusion, WWE did the smartest thing since re-turning him babyface: They booked a match with AJ Styles. Cena vs AJ is quietly one of the best rivalries of the last 10 years, and it's exactly the kind of showdown Cena should be having as he sails off into the sunset. Join us as we rewatch this finisher-heavy instant classic (kinda) from Crown Jewel 2025.

We promised (or threatened) it and now it's here: Stephanie McMonth concludes with our first-ever Stephanie McMahon watch-along. It was tough to choose from all the exquisite Stephanie matches, but we finally found a hidden gem: Stephanie and Triple H versus Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34. This is Ronda's debut, when hope was everywhere and a beautiful future seemed right around the corner. Did it all work out for everyone? Join us and find out.

With Stephanie McMahon announced as the next major inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, there's no better time to sit back and review her ESPN+ show, Stephanie's Places. We totally planned this, you guys. Join us as we discuss Stephanie's latest foray as a WWE-adjacent personality and examine her first guest, Phil "CM Punk" Brooks.

With WrestlingPalooza right around the corner, it was time to revisit the most iconic showdown between Brock Lesnar and John Cena: SummerSlam 2014. Everyone expected your usual main event between two beefy legends, but instead we got a squash for the ages. Join us as we discuss this famous match and also speculate wildly about Cena's mediocre retirement tour.

Once Raw hit Netflix, you knew a documentary series couldn't be far behind. And now it's here: WWE Unreal, an intimate and up-close look at the inner workings of WWE. They'd have you believe it's unprecedented; we think there is tons of precedent, including dozens of backstage docs that previously aired on the WWE Network and Peacock. So is Unreal worth a watch, especially with the ho-hum year that WWE is having?

To "honor" the late Hulk Hogan, we decided to watch the most Hogan match in history: the Hulkster (and Randy Savage) versus 8 guys in a Doomsday Cage match at Uncensored 1996. That's right, to satisfy Hulk's massive ego, WCW put him up against Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, actor Tiny Lister, and professional beefy boy "Jeep" Swenson (amongst others) and ... he won. How did it all go down? Watch along with us and find out.

It's true; my boy Terry has passed away. Hulk Hogan was pro wrestling's first megastar and arguably its most controversial; he couldn't give up the spotlight and loved to lie, the quintessential carny until the day he died. We've talked about him for hours and hours on this show, and we're gonna do it one more time. Join us as we discuss the life and legacy of the Hulkster.

When it comes to professional wrestling in popular culture, there are two eras: before and after The Wrestler. The 2008 film from director Darren Aronofsky changed the way wrestlers were perceived by the public. It used to be "out of sight, out of mind," but now everyone knows the toll pro wrestling takes on people's bodies, minds, and lives. In fact, we don't think there would be Dark Side of the Ring, The Iron Claw, or all these nostalgia podcasts without it. Join us as we discuss Mickey Rourke's performance, the movie's legacy, and which pro wrestler likely inspired Randy...

With Goldberg heading toward his retirement match with Gunther, we thought it was time to revisit the moment he probably should've retired: His 2019 match with the Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. Is it as bad as everyone says? Is it worse? And what was the ceiling for old man Goldberg versus broken-down Taker anyway? Join us as we grit our teeth and watch along.

For the last few weeks, the internet has been abuzz with talk of Ron Killings. Did WWE release R-Truth? Did they just decide not to renew his contract? How could Truth, a low-key legend and beloved locker room presence, get the axe? We may never know exactly how it all went down, but we at Awesome Truth knew the best way to honor our half-namesake was to watch him turn on the charm. That's why we're discussing our first-ever Table for 3 episode, featuring Truth, Carmella, and Dana Brooke. It's the perfect example of Truth turning garbage into gold and...

The hardcore legend Sabu passed away on May 11, 2025; in his honor, we're watching what's probably his most famous match, the 1997 barbed wire showdown with Terry Funk at ECW's Born to Be Wired event. It's a grotesque bloody mess that also perfectly illustrates what made Sabu special and why teenage Walt and Steve thought he was one of the coolest wrestlers in the world.

WrestleMania III, the Pontiac Silverdome, Hogan versus Andre. It's where everything changed, at least according to the new book by friend of the show Keith Elliot Greenberg. Keith's been on before talking about the book's genesis; now we've read it and we're breaking down his latest opus. Join us as we discuss Bigger! Better! Badder!, aka the story of pro wrestling in the mid-1980s.

Who asked for a feature-length documentary on WrestleMania 9? Nobody, of course, which makes it even more wild that this thing is somehow fun. WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle gives us exclusive backstage footage of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Undertaker, and a ton of other wrestlers at the first-ever Vegas Mania. It also, unfortunately, features a ton of Hulk Hogan's world-famous "exaggerations" about the day he magically regained the WWF title. Join us as we dissect this doc on the first time Vince (and Terry) screwed Bret.