Casual Yelling

The Wrestle Buddies are back bay-bay! Chris Hayner comes on this week, and they discuss about the monetization of WWE 2K26 and the whole Ringside Pass situation. Overall, the gameplay aspect and most modes are great, but it's hard to overlook the new implementation and monetization of this year's installment.

Patreon subscribers can get a video version of this episode, which contains 12 extra minutes of Mat and Chris goofing off and being off-topic.

Find Chris Hayner!

Haynerland Substack

Haynerland Bluesky

Continuing to dive into WWE 2K26, we're going into story mode... also called MyRise. In order to unlock everything, you have to play through four times. There are essentially two different stories, and I give all my fine opinions about this mode and the best way to play it (with a controller).

If you know me, then you know I greatly enjoy playing the WWE 2K games. This year, I'm breaking down every single game mode as separate episodes. First up, we're talking about the first thing I play with this series: Showcase Mode. CM Punk is this year's focus, and we're going through the matches, the unlockables, and what worked and didn't work for the mode.

It's time for Season 2 of Casual Yelling, which will focus entirely on interviews with indie game developers. First up is friend of the show Xalavier Nelson Jr. from Strange Scaffold. In Part 1, we're discussing Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, and the development of video games in general.

Note: This interview took place in early March 2025. Some of the games Nelson Jr. mentions are available for purchase.

Enjoy these fine links for Nelson Jr., and Strange Scaffold below

Season 2 of Casual Yelling will be made up entirely of interviews with indie game devs. We'll be talking about their games, the development of the games, and creativity, in general.

Casual Yelling: Season 2 debuts in May 2025.

We're wrapping up Season 1 of Casual Yelling with a bang: Discussing a line of mediocre-to-bad movies, living in the same shared universe, where nothing makes a lick of sense. I have watched all of Sony's recent crop of live-action superhero movies, and I discuss what they are, my likes and dislikes, and then at the end, I rate them all.

I like TTRPGs. I've been playing D&D and other "yes and" fantasy games for over 20 years, with roughly the same four people in our core group. Over the years, I've DM'd a few times, and I've found that, in certain situations, the core book or DM guide for rules does not work for me, so I made tweaks: homebrewing. So, I talk about these rules, including one that everyone in my group thought was a fake system called "pegs." Yes, pegs is real, and I explain the heck out of that, and other homebrewed rules like death saves, "...

I went to a store called Gamer's World, and I wanted to buy a cool board game. However, the store turned out to be something completely different than what I experienced from there in the past, and I get a little annoyed about it.

This was originally a post on Patreon, but I decided to go a bit more in-depth with what happened and trying to prove to you all that I like sports and I also like TTRPGs, and that's fine.

I talk about my first time doing a comedy set on a weekend show and getting bumped by another comedian. This is prefaced by an invitation to do a stand-up set in 2025 and writing a bit about what happened to me. So, um... I'm not doing that show now. It's kinda in podcast form now.

Casual Yelling on Apple

Casual Yelling on Spotify

For the next couple of months, the show will be changing formats--again. Instead of lambasting the job market and how workers are treated, I'll be doing a series of interviews with indie game developers. We'll be discussing the games they are working on and their art. It'll be fun, and it will be so less angry than normal. I also discuss a project I'm working on for this show, which won't arrive for a few months.

Anyway, Patreon for early episodes! https://www.patreon.com/c/ImMatElfring

Is this just a "Here's what sucks on LinkedIn" podcast? I have no idea. This week, we discuss the conversations I had online with tech bros about how my career is dead because AI can data scrape writing. It's quite a bit of me reading posts and then a lot of not-so-casual conversation about how content creators need to speak up for their livelihoods and tell tech bros to buzz off.

I saw a bad post on LinkedIn about a person offering a $1K a month service in order to have freelance writers make up to $30K a month through Zoom coaching. I dive into the person's post, website, and specifics of what they offer, and why this is problematic.

After the first press release for WWE 2K25, I go over the all the new announcements for the video games, which will be released on March 14. I cover the new mode The Island, intergender matches, and the disappointment of some characters not being included in the base game.

For a breakdown of the press release, check out my Substack: https://immatelfring.substack.com/p/wwe-2k25-heres-everything-new-coming

On this week's adventure of me stumbling upon a bad LinkedIn post, I discovered someone in the replies about American tipping culture who hated tipping. I break down this person's post about their feelings--many of which I agree with--but focus on why they're an a**hole and why they're lying about having ever worked in the service industry. I also discuss the whole aspect of the service industry being a mess for employees. Seriously, can we fix this?

While "YPOLAOYAAA" sounds like gibberish, it stands for "You Posted On LinkedIn And Outed Yourself As An A**hole."<...

This week, I saw a post on LinkedIn about remote work that I found a bit enraging and talked about why everyone should work in an office again--mainly because "that's what we did before the pandemic." I discuss why the post is problematic and what's wrong with it. My opinions and statements may be wrong, but at least I'll admit it if I'm proven so.

While "YPOLAOYAAA" sounds like gibberish, it stands for "You Posted On LinkedIn And Outed Yourself As An A**hole."

WWE 2K PR asked me if I wanted a liner for my podcast, and I said that would be very funny. What followed was WWE's Paul Heyman yelling at me, and I respond to the points he makes, all while discussing what "Casual Yelling" is and means.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImMatElfring

Substack: https://immatelfring.substack.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ImMatElfring

DLC. Microtransactions. In-game currencies. It's a part of the majority of Triple A games now, especially ones that have yearly releases. Is this something people should be mad about? I don't think so. Why? The price of games hasn't changed since the late-80s. It's all $60 and more. I explain the lack of inflation over the past 40 years, the amount of people that work on games now, and the pressure developers are under to put out these games.

Honestly, there's a lot of talk about inflation here.

DLC. Microtransactions. In-game currencies. It's a part of the majority of Triple A games now, especially ones that have yearly releases. Is this something people should be mad about? I don't think so. Why? The price of games hasn't changed since the late-80s. It's all $60 and more. I explain the lack of inflation over the past 40 years, the amount of people that work on games now, and the pressure developers are under to put out these games.

Honestly, there's a lot of talk about inflation here. And I will eventually discuss game developer abuse and payments...

"I'M RIGHT AND EVERYONE IS WRONG" -All of us on the internet.

The debate no one should be having: "Pineapple doesn't belong on pizza!"

It's silly. It's stupid, and yet, I'm talking about it. Why? Because I love irony. This go-around, I'm discussing pineapple on pizza, the way we engage with each other online, and get way into when we should respect people's opinions and when we should fight them.

Prior to the 2024 Presidential election, I noticed something on Facebook that felt like it popped up in my feed every third post: Sam Elliott poorly photoshopped, looking like he's holding a political t-shirt with the loudest opinions on them. So, I did some digging into the accounts posting these, and here's what I found--in audio format.

Here's a link if you want to see the dumb Sam Elliot t-shirt I made: https://www.teepublic.com/user/metalframe/

I used a bunch of AI writers to see if it can tell me who I am: the most existential crisis question possible. In the end, AI writing is bad for the exact reasons you already know.

I was scrolling through Google Discover and came across an article on Buzzfeed about being old and how young kids didn't have to do things old people had to do! The piece was called "25 Very Common Things That Millennials And Gen X'ers Did Growing Up That Today's Generation Just Wouldn't Understand." I decided to yell about it.

Hi! I had a recent run-in with trying to go back on unemployment and hit a wall. So, I was a little bummed/annoyed/frustrated with the situation and went on a little bit of a rant about it. It's not like an angry rant or anything though. The video version of this is on Patreon!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

Substack: https://immatelfring.substack.com/

I've been podcasting for a long time, and I've learned a few things here and there. After having a CEO of a guest booking website pull the wool over my eyes, I give a lot of advice about starting and maintaining a podcast. Am I wrong in some of my opinions? Probably. Am I right with a lot of this? Probably. Anyway, this is the show now--me casually yelling, like the title suggests.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

Substack: https://immatelfring.substack.com/

Matt Drufke interviews billionaire Oliver Jetts Sr. about his life. Oliver spends most of the time with his obsession with the store Kohl’s and not understanding the purpose of handicap spaces.

This is the last time you'll ever hear from Oliver Jetts Sr. again.

Here are some places you can find Matt Drufke on the internet:

Fancy Boys Club: https://fancyboysclub.com/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ihatemattdrufke

I'm One Of You With Oliver Jetts Sr. was originally part of the Unaired Podcast Pilot Project series I'm doing on Substack, where I release podcasts I recorded in the past that never saw the light of that. This was recorded in mid-2023 with comedian Matt Drufke as an improv comedy series. The trailer was released but the episode was never cut together because I felt it wasn't good by any means. After putting together this first episode, there are some good moments in here. The funny thing is that Drufke and I actually recorded two episodes, so that...

On July 8, the New York Times' Threads account returned--we didn't know it was gone. Upon coming back to the Meta-owned social media stive, NYT posted, "👋 Threads, we’re back. We did not deactivate our account, and are working to understand what happened here."

The response was pretty funny and completely fair. For this very brief episode, I'm reading a few comments to the Times. This isn't a highly-curated list, but it will be the next time this happens. This is a trial run of this format, and it will change if I keep doing it. Anyway, enjoy.

...

Here's the last Jack Baker episode, for now. We're doing the whole "Breakfast Lasagna" thing. It's a short episode, but you may actually enjoy it. This will most likely be the final Breakfast Lasagna episode, since there's no place better to end it then with J-Bakes.

Jack Baker links:

Watch Jack at the Comedy Vault live: https://www.comedyvaultbatavia.com/

Jack Baker's Disease comedy special: https://youtu.be/WYaU1ApQZoA?si=xuf1XndhLVlodJxt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamjackbaker/

Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

In the third, and kinda final interview with Jack Baker, we talk about doing charity shows, Jack's book he was writing, and specific jokes we used to tell on stage. Did you know Jack is working on a children's book? Well, you do now.

Jack Baker links:

Watch Jack at the Comedy Vault live: https://www.comedyvaultbatavia.com/

Jack Baker's Disease comedy special: https://youtu.be/WYaU1ApQZoA?si=xuf1XndhLVlodJxt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamjackbaker/

Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

Substack...

In part two of the "way-too-many episodes with Jack Baker saga," Baker (Who I also call J-Bakes and Jackie B) returns and we discuss some personal things, like Jack being allergic to milk, Capri Sun, talk about each other's bits, weird character work, Jack's wedding, how I lost my mind after losing my job--because of course we do--and what we want to do with our bodies when we die. Anyway, go see Jack live at the link below.

Jack Baker links:

Watch Jack at the Comedy Vault live: https://www.comedyvaultbatavia.com/

Jack...

Comedian Jack Baker and I have a long history together. We did comedy together for years, and he was my intern during our shows Barely Watchable and the podcast Mat & Lewis Vs. The Internet, which became Vs. The Net. This is a multi-part episode as the conversation took place over the course of two and a half hours. This week's primarily revolves around podcasting and creating videos in the Chicago suburb comedy scene, as it was starting to blow up.

Jack Baker links:

Jack Baker's Disease comedy special: https://youtu.be/WYaU1ApQZoA?si=xuf1...

After randomly running into each other at Adepticon, Ross Thompson and I decided to do an episode of Casual Yelling together. If you like talk about gaming conventions or conversations about TTRPGs, then this is probably the episode for you. If you don't, just listen anyway. Ross is good people.

Ross Thompson links:

Tabletop Game Jobs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/250255155496061

Links:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

Substack: https://immatelfring.substack.com/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casual-yelling/id1723929468

Facebook: https...

The world of wrestling is a vast, open landscape with something for everyone. You can enjoy hardcore matches, pure wrestling, or the wild comedy of DDT Pro. This week, Jimmy from Job'd Out Wrestling comes on to talk about wrestling as a whole and what he does on his YouTube channel, diving into the world of forgotten moments in wrestling.

Job'd Out Wrestling:

https://www.youtube.com/@JOBdOut

Links:

Video version of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/rate-my-create-103105370

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ImMatElfring

Apple...

WWE 2K24 gameplay producer Bryan Williams returns to the show, but he's not talking about the cool features or improvements 2K Games has made this time around. Williams returns to judge wrestlers I created for the new game. This is an episode where the video version does all the heavy lifting, so there is a link below to the free version on my Patreon. Williams judges great, memorable wrestlers I made like Pasta Hogan, A Spooky Ghost, Stay At Home Dad, "Tiger Force" Mat Elfring, and more.

Links:

Video version of this episode: https://www...

Disclosure: This is an episode originally uploaded in December 2023 for this show, previously called "I Just Wanna Talk To Friends." Since then, you have not been able to download it, so this is a new/old episode.

Xalavier Nelson Jr. and I met when I interviewed him while I worked at Meow Wolf—as he has an incredible game called Dreamfather Loves You in Meow Wolf’s Grapevine location. Nelson is the Creative Director at Strange Scaffold, with the company’s most recent release being El Paso, Elsewhere. He’s worked on over 80 games in his career, which confu...

The mind behind some of the funniest and weirdest toys I've ever seen comes on the show this week. I'm talking to Dan Polydoris of Death by Toys. The first time we met was at a local toy show, where he was buying the Ghostbuster firehouse playset. Now, he makes toys like "Me Trying To Fix Something But Injuring Myself in the Process While Also Making the Problem Worse: The Action Figure" or "The Weirdo At A Party Wearing a F***ing Vest." Dan and I talk briefly about his company, then go full on into painting, airbrushing, and...

Wrestlemania XL was a fun, wild WWE event, but the aspect of being surrounded by people that also love wrestling was a little tough, for me, as I didn't have anyone to share the joy with. In past years, I relied on Twitter to engage with that community. Now, Twitter is dead to me, so where do I go next? For this year's Wrestlemania, I decided to try out Threads to see what the community had to offer there, and overall, it was great. I go into detail about my experience and discuss engagement--which I hate talking about. Anyway...

Years ago, there was an ongoing bit in comic book journalism where Van Jensen and I hated each other, which went on for years. However, in the background, we were buds. Van is a comic book writer and now a novelist. His novel Godfall is out now, where ever you buy books, and it's getting made into a TV series by Imagine Entertainment and will be directed by Ron Howard. Throughout this episode, we talk about Godfall, of course. We also talk about our fake feud, comic conventions, comic book journalism, AI, and the fact my video feed has...

During the course of recording the Breakfast Lasagna episode of Casual Yelling, Mat and Chris Hayner kept talking--because we're close friends. So, Mat decided this is a full episode, recorded a couple months prior to release. They discuss using Streamyard, why LinkedIn is a bad place, losing work, and how the journalist's relationships with PR can get kind of weird at times.

Chris links:

Big Kid Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-kid/id1678101444

Big Kid Podcast (Video version): https://www.youtube.com/@bigkidpod

Casual Yelling links!

Patreon...

What is baking? That's a silly question. You know what baking is. This week, Wyatt Sinclair comes on the show to talk about baking things and sending them to people. I met Wyatt on BlueSky, and he seemed pretty cool, so why not talk to him? This week, we discuss his company, his favorite food-based video games, and why some weird woman yelled about his food without ever having tasting it.

Wyatt Links:

Buy things from Wyatt: https://wyattswickedgoods.com/

Talk to Wyatt about things on BlueSky: @wyattswickedgoods.com

Casual Yelling...