Pro Wrestling Forever Podcast

For more than 70 years, professional wrestling has been home to one particularly enduring character: the rich, arrogant, impeccably dressed heel who is absolutely certain he’s better than you.

Professor Degree and Blade Daily continue their exploration of pro wrestling archetypes with The Aristocrat.

From “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers establishing a template that would influence generations, to Ric Flair transforming wealth, style and superiority into an art form, to MJF bringing that same sneering arrogance into modern wrestling, the fellas trace how the archetype has evolved across wrestling history.

Where did th...

Does Beyond the Mat still hold up 27 years later?

Professor Degree and Blade Daily revisit Barry Blaustein’s landmark 1999 professional wrestling documentary and discover that Terry Funk was only 53 when they originally watched him and thought he was approximately 900 years old. This development has caused considerable distress.

The fellas revisit the unforgettable stories of Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Droz, along with Dennis Stamp, Michael Modest, Tony Jones, Roland Alexander, New Jack, Paul Heyman and the strange collection of wrestlers and wrestling personalities Blaustein captured at wildly different stages of the...

Did we just watch the night that changed AEW forever?

For this special SHUT UP FOREVER, Professor Degree, Blade Daily, and Books and Bodyslams bring Pro Wrestling Forever and Sit Down Shut Up Mark Out together to look back at an extraordinary All In 2026 — and ask where it belongs among the greatest shows in AEW history.

The defining moment came at the top of the card, where Will Ospreay finally defeated Kenny Omega to become AEW World Champion. After years of their careers intersecting, was this the moment Omega officially passed the torch an...

AEW doesn't have a Hall of Fame…so naturally, Pro Wrestling Forever decided to build one.

Professor Degree and Blade Daily sit down to answer a deceptively complicated question: What should an AEW Hall of Fame actually look like?

Before anybody gets a plaque, the fellas have to make the rules. When should the Hall of Fame open? Does a wrestler need to be retired? How much of someone's career needs to have happened in AEW? Should accomplishments in NJPW, ROH, CMLL and other promotions count? And should Ring of Honor have its ow...

AEW has always wanted professional wrestling to feel a little more like a real sport. But what would happen if they took that idea even further?

This week on Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily look at AEW's sports-like presentation and ask what the company could borrow from baseball, football and other sports to create deeper history, traditions and lore.

Remember AEW's win-loss records and rankings? Those were only the beginning.

What about career records and all-time statistical leaders? Baseball fans know the legends who lead in home...

What exactly is a transitional champion?

It’s one of pro wrestling’s most commonly used terms—and one of its most commonly misused.

This week on Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily dig into the history of transitional champions: wrestlers who won a championship because their real job was to get that belt from one person to another.

And no, “he had a short title reign” doesn’t automatically count.

From Stan Stasiak and Ivan Koloff to Sgt. Slaughter, Raven and plenty more, the fellas examine some...

Few moments in wrestling history changed the industry like WCW Bash at the Beach 1996.

Professor Degree, Blade Daily, and special guest Books and Bodyslams revisit the legendary pay-per-view that gave us Hollywood Hogan, the birth of the New World Order (nWo), and one of the greatest heel turns professional wrestling has ever seen.

Three decades later, does Hulk Hogan's shocking betrayal still hold up? Why did the Third Man storyline capture the imagination of wrestling fans around the world? And how did one leg drop reshape the Monday Night Wars, WCW, and modern...

AEW has often been accused of letting incredible matches do the heavy lifting while the road to pay-per-views struggles to find focus. Did Redemption change that?

Blade Daily is joined by Pippin and Shane G from Ethos Media to review every match from AEW Redemption through the lens of storytelling. Which matches meaningfully advanced the journey to AEW All In, and which ones simply delivered excellent wrestling without moving the larger narrative forward?

The panel discusses Kenny Omega's surprising decision to attack Will Ospreay after Ospreay came to his aid, Willow Nightingale's championship...

What if Sting had been revealed as the Third Man instead of Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1996?

In this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily return to Into the Wrestleverse to tackle one of the greatest "what if?" scenarios in professional wrestling history. Could Sting have led the New World Order? Would the nWo have become an even bigger cultural phenomenon, or would it have fizzled out before changing the industry? And how would Hogan, WCW, and the Monday Night Wars have been rewritten?

The hosts explore...

Twenty-five years after its release, Ready to Rumble remains one of the most divisive movies in professional wrestling history. Was it an unfairly maligned comedy that genuinely celebrated wrestling fandom, or did it become an unfortunate symbol of WCW's final days?

Professor Degree and Blade Daily revisit the 2000 cult classic starring David Arquette, Scott Caan, and Oliver Platt, discussing Jimmy King's unforgettable journey, the parade of WCW superstar cameos, the outrageous Triple Cage finale, and whether the film still holds up today. The crew also explores the movie's lasting legacy, including its connection to David Arquette's...

Blade Daily is joined by Shane from Ethos Media Network for a supersized edition of Pro Wrestling Forever as they review one of the most talked-about events of the year: AEW x NJPW x CMLL x STARDOM Forbidden Door 2026.

With so much to unpack, the pair dives into every major match and the biggest stories coming out of the show. Did AEW finally deliver the true international supercard fans had been asking for? Was the women's division the real MVP of the night? How did Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland somehow surpass their previous classic? And...

Who are the most underrated wrestlers in professional wrestling history?

On this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily celebrate the forgotten stars, overlooked talents, and underappreciated performers whose contributions to wrestling far exceeded the recognition they received. From the technical brilliance of Brad Armstrong to the trailblazing career of Luna Vachon, the hosts examine why some wrestlers remain absent from Hall of Fame discussions despite leaving a lasting impact on the industry.

The conversation also explores the vital role of enhancement talent throughout wrestling history. Who were the very best...

Who will be the next generation of wrestling main event stars?

On this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily look ahead and ask one of the most fascinating questions in professional wrestling: Who's next?

Every era produces new headliners, but identifying them before they break through is the fun part. The hosts discuss a wide range of wrestlers they believe could be destined for bigger things, including Athena, Willow Nightingale, Bandido, Lee Moriarty, and many more from across AEW, ROH, NJPW, STARDOM, and beyond.

What separates...

In this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily are joined by special guest Books and Bodyslams to review the original SummerSlam from 1988—one of the most important events in wrestling history.

Featuring the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) against the Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant), the inaugural SummerSlam helped establish what would become one of WWE's signature annual events. But nearly four decades later, does the show still hold up? Which matches feel timeless? Which moments are unmistakably products of the late-1980s wrestling boom?

A...

Welcome to the debut episode of Into the Wrestleverse, a new Pro Wrestling Forever series where Professor Degree and Blade Daily explore the biggest alternate-history scenarios in professional wrestling.

This episode tackles one of the most fascinating "what if?" questions ever discussed by wrestling fans: What if Ric Flair had left Jim Crockett Promotions and debuted in WWF at SummerSlam 1988? With Ted Turner's purchase of JCP looming later that year, a move by Flair could have dramatically altered the future of the wrestling business. Would WCW ever have been created? What happens to Sting, Lex Luger...

The worlds of Sit Down Shut Up Mark Out and Pro Wrestling Forever collide as Blade Daily, Professor Degree, and Books and Bodyslams unite for the first-ever Shut Up Forever to break down the fallout from AEW Double or Nothing 2026. With massive character shifts, shocking betrayals, and major summer implications, the crew digs into one of AEW's biggest events of the year.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage survived a brutal war with FTR, Konosuke Takeshita reached a major career moment only to face painful consequences, and Kevin Knight stunned viewers with a shocking heel turn to...

On this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily dive into one of wrestling’s most overused — and most beloved — storytelling devices: the guaranteed title shot match.

From the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank to the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Casino Gauntlet, King of the Ring, G1 Climax, and beyond, wrestling promotions constantly rely on stipulations designed to instantly create contenders and reshape championship scenes. But do these matches still feel exciting when the pool of believable winners keeps shrinking? Has modern wrestling accidentally trained fans to predict outcomes weeks in advanc...

Professor Degree and Blade Daily take a deep dive into one of the strangest artifacts in wrestling history: The Wrestler (1974), starring Verne Gagne and Ed Asner.

No, not the Mickey Rourke movie. The original. The territory-era wrestling film packed with sweaty locker rooms, aging wrestlers refusing to retire, impossible levels of baldness, and cameos from legends like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham, and Vince McMahon Sr.. The fellas break down the movie itself, the reality of territory wrestling, the mythology of “one last run,” and why old-school wrestling films feel simultaneously completely authentic and comp...

What makes a great pro wrestling faction? On this episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily dive deep into wrestling history, classic wrestling, and vintage wrestling nostalgia to explore the greatest factions and stables of all time. From legendary groups that defined entire eras to bizarre disasters that collapsed under their own weight, the fellas break down what separates immortal wrestling factions from total chaos. AEW, NJPW, WCW, WWF, ECW, ROH, and more are all on the table as they debate iconic groups, forgotten favorites, and the members who completely derailed otherwise great stables.

In the debut episode of Pro Wrestling Forever, Professor Degree and Blade Daily dive headfirst into one of the most chaotic and revealing topics in wrestling history: “Best Worst Wrestlers.” From classic wrestling and vintage wrestling eras to modern contradictions, they break down the performers who had everything… except the one thing they needed most. Whether it’s unbelievable look with no in-ring ability, elite workrate with zero charisma, or baffling careers that somehow thrived anyway—this episode challenges the conventional wisdom that wrestling fans have accepted for decades.

This is pro wrestling nostalgia, analysis, and debate at...