This week, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by John Walsh. His fans on YouTube know him as Super EyePatch Wolf, where he’s gained following for deep dives into anime, video-games and wrestling. The panel takes a look at the latest stories and characters in NXT. That includes the drama surrounding the Undisputed Era, Matt Riddle’s cannabis and shoe habits, who the next women’s champion should be and the potential of Mr. Eric Bugenhagen. The Beatdown For years it was considered the sacred cow of WWE: The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak. The drama and mythos behind “The Streak” really ramped up when Shawn Michaels and Triple H tried to end it for four consecutive years. We’ll take a look at what made The Road to 20-0 so effective, including our thoughts on this 20+ year story and how we felt about its conclusion. If you want to see more about the Undertaker and what The Streak meant to his character, be sure to check out this Super Eyepatch Wolf video. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk and John Walsh. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey take a look at WWE’s new Wild Card rule! For the last several years WWE’s two shows have existed as (mostly) separate shows with separate rosters. But a lot of that went right out the window this week, as more crossover is guaranteed in the future. We’ll discuss the positives and negatives of this new strategy. The Wild Card rule is meant to spur interest in the product. And let’s face it: there’s a LOT of negativity surrounding WWE right now from most viewers. And this goes beyond the disingenuous IWC criticism; ratings have dipped, fans say they’ve lost faith in the company’s story-telling ability. What’s the cause of this? Well, that “Ucey Hot” segments with the Revival probably didn’t help. But we’ll take a look at what the problems are and whether or not WWE is being held to an unfair standard that other popular media isn’t. The Three Count: Danielle put over Detective Pikachu dancing to Sami Zayn’s music. Lindsey put over Kushida’s NXT debut. Hal put over this Twitter thread of crazy Vince McMahon stories. Hosted by Hal LublinDanielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It’s that special rare week where Julian Burrell steps out of the production booth to join Danielle Radford in the hosting chair! They’re joined by Elle Collins, podcaster and writer for Uproxx. Elle actually became a fan of wrestling fairly recently. That’s given them a unique perspective on wrestling’s history, especially after the four horsewomen helped change WWE for the better. The panel will first take a look at a company that had a big PPV this week: Impact Wrestling! We’ll break down the biggest matches on the show, including Tessa Blanchard vs. Gail Kim and The Lucha Bros. vs. LAX. And we’ll speculate about what the promotion will look like once AEW is completely off the ground. Plus, WWE has begun its build to the Money in the Bank PPV. If done well, it sets up someone up for stardom. Now that the crop of competitors has been revealed, who would be best served by getting the guaranteed title match within the briefcase? How do we hope that this is different from the other recent cash-ins? The Three Count: Elle put over NXT UK. Julian put over Hobbs and Shaw. Danielle put over Tessa Blanchard and Jordynne Grace’s work outs. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Julian Burrell, and Elle Collins. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Jo Graham from the How2Wrestling podcast joins Hal, Danielle and Lindsey to break down tons of news from the week in wrestling! She originally got into wrestling as a way to bond with her partner. Now, that’s turned into her own podcast and rabid fandom. WWE continues to move their stars across both shows, with multiple people making their debuts on RAW and Smackdown. Most significantly, AJ Styles is set to face Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship. It’s seemingly being billed as a "dream match." But is this the most interesting direction that WWE can lean into? Becky Lynch has not one, but TWO challengers for each of her titles at the next PPV. We’ll decide whether or not Becky should already lose her championships in her first major defense. And Kevin Owens did as Kevin Owens does and beat up Kofi Kingston to get his shot at the WWE Championship! Are we broken up about him never doing the New Day intro again or do we just miss the guttural tones from Big E? Main Event In the weeks since WrestleMania, several WWE stars have either left WWE or voiced discontentment with their position within the company. That includes Sasha Banks, Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper. We take a look at each of their situations and our reactions to the difficulties they’ve faced. Plus, with it being more possible than ever to be a truly independent wrestler or get signed by one of the many growing companies (including the popular AEW), will WWE have a harder time holding onto talent that’s either unhappy or lacking direction? Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk, and Jo Graham. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Lindsey rejoins the show to regale us with stories of her journey to WrestleMania! She’ll talk about what it was like in Metlife Stadium, how much she enjoyed the G1 Classic and the special project that she was a part of while she was there. WWE Interviews As part of her journey through the biggest week of the wrestling year, Lindsey got to talk with some of WWE’s most popular stars. Check the timestamps to see hear one: 26:14 - Roderick Strong 31:23 - Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush 38:32 - Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder 44:23 - Billie Kay and Peyton Royce 50:24 - Kacy Catanzaro 58:03 - Alexa Bliss Hosted by Hal Lublin and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Congratulations! You survived WrestleMania week! Hal and Danielle are joined by James Durin. He’s the lead singer of the band Quiet Riot. As a kid, he had a hard time being comfortable in who he was. But through the character-driven aspects of wrestling, he learned to express himself and find tons of new career avenues. NXT TakeOver: New York Johnny Gargano stands tall as the NXT Champion! He along with Shayna Baszler, the War Raiders and Velveteen Dream hold the gold of WWE’s yellow and black brand. With this year’s post-TakeOver featuring fewer call-ups to the main roster than usual, how should WWE balance building up NXT its own promotion and making sure their budding stars have the biggest possible platform to entertain? WrestleMania Happy Ice Cream Christmas! What a show it was. The culmination of KofiMania. The return of Roman Reigns. The coronation of Becky Lynch. The slaying of the Beast. The team will take a wandering look at a show that was incredibly lengthy, but also delivered tons of fun moments to keep everyone engaged. What was the deal with the finish of the main event? How many tears were shed for the new WWE Champion? How did the long runtime affect our enjoyment of the entire program? All that and so much more. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford,and James Durbin. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Welcome to another episode of Riteoga agus Troideanna! This week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Kefin Mahon.. He’s one of the hosts of the "How2Wrestling" podcast. The show started as his earnest attempt to introduce his girlfriend to the world of wrestling, one character at a time. He’ll tell us about how he saw his fellow Irish native Becky Lynch in her formative years as a wrestler and was convinced WWE would never give her a proper shot. Now that we’re just a few days away from WrestleMania, WWE wants as much positive press as they can get. But that’s not happening now after John Oliver’s recent piece about WWE’s shoddy business practices. We’ll take a look at how we reconcile the reality of WWE’s business practices with our fandom and explain how hopeful we are that this could lead to change. Plus, our reaction to the final card of WrestleMania and the final confrontation between Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey. Main Event Kofi Kingston is an 11 year veteran of WWE. In that time, he’s become a 15-time champion and a part of one of the most bankable acts of the last decade with the New Day stable with his counterparts Xavier Woods and Big E. When he faces Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, it will be the culmination of a story that’s focussed on how much work Kofi has put in for a WWE Title opportunity. In honor of that, we’ll go back through Kofi’s career. We’ll touch on some of the highlights, including his debut in WWE’s ECW revival, his feud and de-push with Randy Orton and the original formation of the team that pushed him to new heights. The Three Count Kefin put over Big E’s tweet about RAW. Danielle put over Kofi Kingston’s fan-made ‘Monster’ video. Lindsey put over Rhea Ripley seeing snow for the first time. Hal put over Ricochet and Aleister Black’s match against the Revival. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Kefin Mahon. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Happy #MaxFunDrive! For our second episode of the week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Matthew Gaydos. He’s the host of the "I Love It" podcast. One thing that he loves is wrestling. Growing up his family was not very well off, financially; but they still managed to watch a number of wrestling PPV’s (he’s not sure if those two facts are at all related). The panel will get into everything from the week in wrestling. That includes the highs like Kofi Kingston finally getting his WWE Title against Daniel Bryan; and the confirmation that Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch will be the closing match at WrestleMania! Unfortunately, it also means looking at the worst things that happened this week. Like Asuka losing her Smackdown Women’s title to Charlotte. Does that inherently devalue the title? Or does having both brand’s championships in the main event help raise the stakes? This show is dedicated to our Max Fun Members! If you’d like to join them, sign up at maximumfun.org/donate as part of the #MaxFunDrive to support this and other Maximum Fun shows you listen to for as little as $5 a month. Your membership gets you all sorts of gifts like bonus episodes of every Max Fun show, including Tights and Fights! The Three Count Matthew put over Dean Ambrose on the "Major Wrestling Figure" Podcast. Danielle put over Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon discussing their WrestleMania ladder match. Lindsey put over Nikki Bella’s retirement announcement. Hal put over Elias and Finn Balor rendition fo ‘Shallows.’ Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Matthew Gaydos Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Happy #MaxFunDrive! For our second episode of the week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Daron Jackson. He’s a production attorney for WWE Studios and a lifelong wrestling fan. He’ll recount tons of details about his fandom throughout the years from making snow angels with CM Punk at an ROH show to crying at the Undertaker’s WrestleMania 29 entrance. Plus, he’ll explain what it’s like to interact with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H during the film-release process, how he managed to land a job in the WWE machine and how the new film Fighting with my Family signals a change in the creative direction of WWE studios. This show is dedicated to our Max Fun Members! If you’d like to join them, sign up at maximumfun.org/donate as part of the #MaxFunDrive to support this and other Maximum Fun shows you listen to for as little as $5 a month. You’ll get all sorts of gifts, including bonus episodes of every show, including Tights and Fights! Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Daron Jackson Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.  

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey will break down some of the biggest news on the road to WrestleMania. That includes what some are calling the hottest angle in WWE: KofiMania! Kofi Kingston ran the gauntlet, defeating five men to earn a shot at Daniel Bryan. But even that wasn’t enough to convince Vince McMahon to give Kofi his title shot. As we try to collect ourselves and our shattered emotions, we’ll try to determine what comes next. Plus, why was Travis Browne on RAW this week with Ronda? Why is Kurt Angle facing Baron Corbin for his last match ever? And does it look like the Miz will actually be a great babyface in his match against Shane McMahon? Salina de la Renta The team is joined by Salina de La Renta! She’s a rising star in Major League Wrestling, both as a wrestler and as a manager. She’s had to deal with a lot of injuries right now and is able to get in the ring. But she doesn’t think the pain of the bumps will ever stop her. According to her, "The bump is the sacrifice you’re willing to take to make the show great," She’ll tell us all about her goals, why Total Divas is directly responsible for her career and about the craziest story of her first night working in Mexico that involved a minivan, police and the dangerous kind of heat. This show is dedicated to our Max Fun Members! If you’d like to join them, sign up at maximumfun.org/donate as part of the #MaxFunDrive to support this and other Maximum Fun shows you listen to for as little as $5 a month. You’ll get all sorts of gifts, including bonus episodes of every show, including Tights and Fights! Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal and Danielle are joined by Hunktears! They’re the host of "Wrestlesplainia" podcast. Elby will talk about how her parents were actually closeted wrestling fans… for over 50 years. This past Sunday was Fastlane. It’s normally a distinctly filler program before the main show of WrestleMania. But this year, reactions to the event were very positive! Stories and matches were strong throughout to keep everyone’s attention The show was headlined by The Shield supposed last match together. Now that Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are all about to be pulled into different directions, we’ll examine how WWE can be sure that they’re all used correctly (hint: none of us want another Baron Corbin match). Perhaps the most significant narrative piece at Fastlane was Kofi Kingston’s ongoing trials on the road to his presumed match against Daniel Bryan for the WWE title. Has WWE struck the right notes as his journey continues? All of that, plus a look at Finn Balor losing his Intercontinental title, Becky Lynch officially being added to the RAW Women’s title match (for the second time) and our excitement to RAW finally having a tag scene again. The Three Count Elby put over Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito’s match in the New Japan Cup. Danielle put over Mustafa Ali on The Secret Life of Muslims. Hal put over Randy Orton’s promo on AJ Styles. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Elby Hunktears. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe! She’s the host of "Women Wrestling Friends". She’s also part of WOW - Women of Wrestling as Razor ". It’s the first time she’s wrestling more on her own and less as a manager. But she’ll explain why she thinks managers are due to make a comeback in wrestling. This Sunday will be the last WWE PPV before WrestleMania (yeah we can’t believe it’s already here either!) Fastlane has had a number of stories that are really clicking and some that we take issue with. Becky Lynch and Charlotte will face off once again, this time with Becky’s inclusion in the RAW women’s championship match at stake. Why has it been such a convoluted role to get us to this point? Especially with Becky already having won the Royal Rumble! Plus, with Mustafa Ali finally returning to active competition, how does he fit into the WWE Title scene with Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston? And while we all agree that Kofi Kingston getting the title at Mania would be for the best, we’re at odds with how long he should hold the title. All of this plus, why we’re not sold on Mandy Rose, Ronda Rousey finally turning heel and Triple H giving Batista… what he needs. The Three Count Sarah put over WOW Women of Wrestling. Lindsey put over the campaign to get Cyndi Lauper in the WWE Hall of Fame. Danielle put over the most legendary stunner edit ever. Hal put over Randy Orton’s burn on AJ Styles. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Olive Rae Brinker! She’s the creator of the webcomic "Rae the Doe". Olive came in and out of wrestling as a fan for years until she finally found the one storyline that actively hooked her. Hint: it involved Cody Rhodes, but not in a role that he was very proud of. The panel will get into what was week of returns for the WWE. That includes Batista coming back to beat up Ric Flair and presumably challenge Triple H to a match at WrestleMania. Who would’ve thought it would be so hard for an Avenger to get the attention of Hunter! Plus, how do we feel about Kevin Owens being immediately inserted into the WWE Title match to replace Kofi Kingston? And whose stock is on the decline after they’ve had to deal with so much sub-par booking over the course of the last month? Main Event Roman Reigns returned to Monday Night Raw to deliver the message that we’d all hoped to hear for months: His leukemia is officially in remission. What does this mean for the WWE’s flagship star? Does he have a match at WrestleMania? And hwo soon should the WWE wait before putting him back in the Universal Title picture? The Three Count Olive put over Macho Man not talking. Lindsey put over Batista’s love of dogs. Hal put over "Something to Wrestle With Bruce Prichard’s"episode focussing on Christian. Danielle put over Refs as wizards. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Olive Rae Brinker. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Matthew Klein! He’s the VP of sales and marketing for Valiant Comics. Matthew has some vivid memories of wrestling from throughout his life; so vivid that he’s willing to share them with anyone, even his therapist. The team will focus on Elimination Chamber, the second to last PPV before WrestleMania. The highlight of the show was Kofi Kingston narrowly coming up short for his first WWE Championship in the main event. Even though some have shrugged this off as a bandwagon situation, the panel vehemently disagrees and will explain why Kofi has always been ready to be in this position. Plus, there were tons of NXT stars who made their debuts on RAW and Smackdown this week. While it’s not clear how Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and Aleister Black will be used going forward, they made a great impression that should bode well for their continued success. All of this, plus the latest on Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair, Chyna’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of DX and why the main event of WrestleMania is still very much up in the air. TO GET A SPECIAL COPY OF ISSUE NO. 1 OF "LIVEWIRE" LISTEN FOR THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: Which famous Broadway actress gets a shoutout in this episode? GO TO TWITTER WITH THE ANSWER AND TAG @VALIANTCOMICS WITH THE HASHTAG #LiverwireTAF. A WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM THE CORRECT ANSWERS AT RANDOM! The Three Count Matthew put over Daniel Bryan’s promo before the Elimination Chamber. Lindsey put over the Fighting with my Family. Danielle put over Cody Rhodes’ potential plans for WrestleMania weekend. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Matthew Klein. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Chris Gethard! He’s a comedian who’s worked in TV and hosts the podcast "Beautiful/Anonymous.". He’s also someone who wouldn’t let a little thing like parent’s permission get in the way of his childhood wrestling fandom. To start, the team will discuss some of the biggest things that happened in wrestling this week. This includes things in WWE like Kofi Kingston’s new opportunity to the WWE Championship and the fact that Charlotte has officially been inserted into the RAW women’s title match against Ronda Rousey. Regarding the latter, it was something we all saw coming. So how are we feeling now that it’s official? Beyond WWE, AEW had a lot of talent announcements from this week, with confirmations that Nyla Rose, Sonny Kiss and Kenny Omega are now under contract. Plus, Jay White is now the IWGP heavyweight champion after beating Hiroshi Tanahashi. Where do these moves leave each respective promotions as they prepare for the rest of 2019? The Beatdown: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart After Hulk Hogan left WWF, the company faced a creative valley as it searched for its next big star. Eventually, two stars emerged in the early to mid-90’s that would be expected to carry to company: Bret “The Hitman” Hart and The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Their talent eventually coalesced into one of the most bitter rivalries in WWF and a moment that would change wrestling forever. The team will get into the biggest moments that defined their story from the WrestleMania to the Montreal Screwjob to their reconciliation in Dayton, Ohio. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Chris Gethard. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Omar Holmon. He’s the content editor for the website Black Nerd Problems. He’ll explain which part of WWE is keeping him engaged with the company’s programming. WWE is currently building towards Elimination Chamber, which will likely determine who will be the WWE champion going into WrestleMania. One of the competitors in that match is Samoa Joe. He’s been doing brilliant work. But how much has his character taken a hit with all of the losses he’s accumulated? Becky Lynch will also likely pay a big part in this event. She’s the most active part of WWE TV these days, appearing on both RAW and Smackdown as part of the story to her match with Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania. We’ll discuss how WWE’s playing with the possibility of Charlotte entering the match… and if Asuka has been lost in the shuffle as Smackdown women’s champion. All of this, plus the on-going drama surrounding Dean Ambrose, the possibility of Seth Rollins working hurt and the return of Halftime Heat on the WWE network. Main Event In just a few weeks, WWE will crown its inaugural women’s tag team champions. It’s been a long time coming and there are tons of talented women who will compete for the titles. But do we have any assurance that WWE will be able to build this into something consistently interesting? And who should be trusted as the first champions to help establish the division? The Three Count Omar put over the the entire WWE women’s division which he credits for maintaining his interest in WWE Lindsey put over the worlds collide tournament. Danielle put over the campaign for Drew Gulak to join NXT. Hal put over the 2015 tag team Elimination Chamber match. Julian put over Oso_Obscuro’s portrait of Eddie Guerrero. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Omar Holmon. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Vita Ayala. They’re a comic book writer whose work has been published by Marvel, DC Comics and Valiant. Before getting into the news, Vita will explain how they getting into wrestling led to them to some rough sleeping arrangements growing up. For a limited time, from Thursday, January 31st to Sunday, February 10, Tights and Fights listeners can go to Comixology and put LIVEWIRE #1 in their cart and enter the code LIVEWIREFIGHTS at checkout to access it for free! NXT TakeOver: Phoenix Like most of the last few TakeOvers, this show was built around the ongoing drama between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. Now both of these two are on the same page and are champions. What’s the future hold for Dark-DIY? And while those two are fixtures of TakeOvers, Bianca Belair had her first showing at the event, coming up short against Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s championship. But no one on the panel is ready for this feud to be over any time soon. Plus, how the War Raiders finally won us over as the top tag team on RAW, who the ashiest NXT star may be and why Matt Riddle has gotta wear some shoes (a controversial take, to be sure). The Royal Rumble For the second consecutive year, WWE succeeded in giving us two great Royal Rumble winners. Seth Rollins won the men’s contest and is in line to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal title and Becky Lynch was a late entrant in the women’s Rumble and will finally have her match against Ronda Rousey. But that doesn’t mean we’re on board with everything that happened on Sunday. Was it the best move to have Asuka tap Becky out in the opening match of the night? And why didn’t WWE ever address why Finn Balor didn’t use his Demon persona in his match against Lesnar? All of that, plus all of the fallout on RAW and Smackdown and our favorite moments from one of the most chaotic matches in all of WWE. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Vita Ayala. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal and Lindsey discuss the premier of WOW: Women of Wrestling. The show finally made its AXS TV debut last Friday. It’s got tons of great action and colorful performers. But does it lean too far into caricature rather than character? We’ll discuss. Plus, Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan have major title matches at WWE’s Royal Rumble event on Sunday. Will Finn regain the Universal Title against Brock Lesnar and fulfill the underdog win of the decade? Will Daniel Bryan retain the WWE Title against AJ Styles in his quest to be the planet’s champion? And with the WrestleMania card still looking murky, there are still tons of options in play including who will take on Ronda Rousey for the RAW women’s title, whether or not Asuka will still be the Smackdown Women’s champion and plenty more Main Event It’s the annual event that symbolizes the road to WrestleMania: The Royal Rumble. Last year we had two really solid versions of the match. Will the men and women be able to deliver shows of similar quality? How should the women follow up their second ever edition of the event? And who do we expect to be the winners? The Three Count Lindsey put over the Sasha Banks’ interview on the Edge and Christian podcast. Hal put over Aiden English on commentary for 205 Live. Julia put over Bobby Lashley and Apollo Crews’ pose-off on RAW. Hosted by Hal Lublin and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal and Lindsey discuss NXT TakeOver: Blackpool. It was the very major TakeOver event from the UK side of WWE’s developmental promotion. Responses from viewers were incredibly strong, with plenty of familiar faces to reintroduce some new ones to a wider audience. What’s behind the positivity surrounding the brand? And what does the future hold, especially now that WALTER has debuted to challenge Pete Dunne for the UK Championship? One person who was at the TakeOver event was Finn Balor. But that was just the start of his week. Not only did he defeat his protege Jordan Devlin, but he was named the new number one contender for the Universal Championship! But do we have any hope that he’s going to win, even with that +10 Demon modifier? Plus, WWE introduced their brand new Women’s Tag Team Championships. The designs are great, but WWE hasn’t followed it up with quality women’s wrestling for all of its stars. There’s some great stuff like with Becky Lynch and the IIconics; And then there are some awful things like Mandy Rose’s home-wrecker character and Alexa Bliss being involved in a topless segment. What’s the response to the inconsistency? Stephy Slays Stephy Slays began wrestling when she was 18 years old. Now that she’s 25, she’s come a long way; from learning how to take her first bump, to developing her character and training the next generation of stars for WOW Women of Wrestling. She’ll tell us all about how she got her start, what her goals are and why wrestling helped her combat her depression. WOW Women of Wrestling debuts on AXS TV on January 18th. Hosted by Hal Lublin and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Shawn Marek. He’s a podcast host and producer who’s worked with wrestlers such as Lance Storm, Steve Austin and more on their respective shows. The panel will take a deep dive into New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 13. The annual show from Japan featured matches from Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Jay White and more. The show had the feeling of the start of a new era, with champions The Young Bucks, Cody and Kenny Omega all losing their titles. The reason for that is that Cody and the Bucks will be devoted to their new promotion All Elite Wrestling. The organization had their first ever promotional press rally that outlined new details on the company. That includes practices like equal pay for men and women and paying for wrestling injuries. Also announced was the involvement of stars like Britt Baker, PAC, Hangman Page and Chris Jericho. What are the reasonable expectations for AEW as it gets set for launch? What does this mean for Kenny Omega, now that his New Japan contract is done and he’s courting offers from multiple parties? And where does New Japan go now that the baton has been passed to a new crop of stars? All of this and plenty more… including some yelling about Hulk Hogan showing up on RAW. The Three Count Shawn put over the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast. Lindsey put over Kota Ibushi’s appearance on game-show. Danielle put over Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas cosplaying as Team Rocket. Hal put over his birthday buddy Ruby Riott. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Shawn Marek. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Mat Ricardo. He’s a variety performer who actually sees a lot of similarities between his profession and the art of pro wrestling. There’s a lot for wrestling fans to look forward to in 2019, including WWE finally announcing new tag team titles for the women’s division! Danielle share her reaction to the news and Lindsey will explain why she knew this was a real possibility for months. Plus, All Elite Wrestling has officially been confirmed! The panel will explain how they hope that this builds on the success of All In and offers another place for wrestlers and fans to benefit. All of this, plus a requiem for Mean Gene Okerlund, reactions to Becky Lynch teaming up John Cena and which matches we’re looking forward to from Wrestle Kingdom 13. The Main Event The panel reflects on the wrestling news and events in 2018. Whether it was Kenny Omega winning the IWGP title, the rise of Becky Lynch, the return of Daniel Bryan or the news from Roman Reigns, there were tons of things to remember. The Three Count Mat put over the match between Les Kellet and Leon Arras . Lindsey put over Kenny’s Quest. Danielle put over her recent article on Vice Sports. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Mat Ricardo. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Selina Majors. She’s been a wrestler since the 80’s for promotions like AWA and WCW. These days, she spends her time with WOW - Women of Wrestling, where she continues to perform and train the next generation of stars. Amid laughs and tears, Majors will discuss why she’s still passionate about wrestling after all these years, who she’s had a hand in training and why she’s so excited to share WOW with a new audience. WOW - Women of Wrestling debuts on AXS TV on January 18th. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Hal and Danielle are joined by Chris Cubas. He is a podcaster and TV host who’s been watching wrestling for years. Lately he’s gotten more into New Japan Pro Wrestling, Progress and other international wrestling promotions than WWE. But he is ready to dive into TLC and the fallout from RAW and Smackdown… especially because he really liked it! There were tons of great matches on the show, especially the main event for the Smackdown women’s title match between Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Asuka. Where will each of the three competitors go from here? We’ll discuss. Perhaps the biggest WWE news of the week, though, came from RAW. The entire McMahon family opened the show to declare that both brands were due for a fresh start. The thing is, no one on the panel is feeling all that optimistic about how “fresh” this new direction is going to be, especially when the first match of the new regime was a rematch from Sunday. But maybe things like Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens returning and Mustafa Ali being added to the Smackdown Live roster, maybe things will get going soon. The team has their takes ready for both the good and bad. The Three Count Chris put over the noises Charlotte made as she was in pain her TLC match. Danielle put over a recent thread of wrestling safety from @Shoulders_Up on Twitter. Hal put over Renee Young’s commentary during the Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins match. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Chris Cubas. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

For the last several weeks the panel has been in agreement: RAW is in a funk. It’s featured segments with juvenile humor, interesting stories and a lack of stars that make us want to watch. Turns out there’s someone who agrees with our commentary: Vince McMahon! We know this because he had Seth Rollins come out chastise Baron Corbin for all of RAW’s shortcomings. But was this acknowledgment of the problem properly followed up with steps to fix the issue? The crew will take a look. In the meantime, Smackdown continued its momentum from the past several weeks with a match that got the internet buzzing: Mustafa Ali vs. Daniel Bryan! It’s the first time a 205 Live star has wrestled the WWE Champion and everyone hopes it won’t be the last. All of this plus a look at the Asuka vs. Charlotte match and how the Nation of Conversation feels on the way to TLC this Sunday. WOW - Women of Wrestling David McLane is a wrestling promoter who’s known for creating the original 80’s program GLOW. The show gained a reputation for being one of the biggest programs that featured all-women’s wrestling on TV at a time where that was rarity. McLane’s taken everything he learned working on that show and applied it to Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Jeff Dye is comedian and star of numerous TV shows like Girl Code and Money From Strangers. He also happens to be a lifelong wrestling fan who’s got tons of thoughts about WWE’s past and present. That includes things like why he wants WWE to hardly ever turn and why he supports Vince McMahon’s image of a promotion full of giants. Jeff, Hal and Danielle also break down why Smackdown continues to be so good (especially with its women’s division), why it may have been too early to break up Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler and he’ll even turn Hal and Danielle onto some promising future careers in wrestling. The Three Count Jeff put over the promotion Wrestling Pro Wrestling in Burbank. Danielle put over Rhyno’s career after his apparent retirement. Hal put over Daniel Bryan’s new catchphrase. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Jeff Dye. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

TLC is the last WWE event left in the year and both RAW and Smackdown have begun to build towards it. The difference is that the reception for both shows has been very different for the last few weeks. While Smackdown has generated a lot of buzz with exciting new directions for Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Daniel Bryan, RAW has struggled to regain its identity with both Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman out of action. To figure out what’s behind this dichotomy, we’ll start by taking a look at the things we’ve loved from Smackdown; that includes Asuka winning a battle royal to be included in the triple threat TLC match with Lynch and Flair and Samoa Joe’s mic work against Jeff Hardy which could give Joe his long-elusive win. Then we’ll draw that back to RAW and its shortcomings; Whether it’s a lack of competent babyfaces, Dean’s trite promos about burying the local city while he gets his booster shot or that AOP(ee) segment, there’s plenty to get into. All of this, plus a look at the latest rumors surrounding the creation of All Elite Wrestling. It’s a promotion that supposedly has The Bullet Club at the helm and may be confirmed to exist soon. The Three Count Julian put over Incineroar’s inclusion in the upcoming game Super Smash Bros: Ultimate. Lindsey put over Kevin Owens’ return to Twitter. Danielle put over the latest episode of How 2 Wrestling featuring William Regal. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun.

Dave Schilling is ready to join the Nation of Conversation! He, Danielle and Hal were all in Staples Center on various days this week to take in all the WWE wrestling that happened in Los Angeles. NXT TakeOver: War Games The final NXT TakeOver of the year featured a pair of great matches that all had strong character work and wrestling. But as for the War Games match itself? The panel will explain why it still feels like a concept that needs to be refined to be as effective as possible. Plus, what’s the deal with Velveteen Dream dressing up as Hollywood Hogan for the second time? Is it a cheeky homage or something that will ultimately end up biting us as fans if Hogan does eventually return? Survivor Series This could have also just been called “The Putting Smackdown in its Place” show. In the battle-of-the-brands, RAW emerged victorious in every match (minus the tag match on the preshow, which WWE obviously doesn’t care about). But even though the traditional Survivor Series elimination matches were a pretty standard affair, there were some great encounters. Daniel Bryan has officially adopted a new persona and had one of the best Brock Lesnar matches in years. The team is really excited to see where the WWE champion goes from here, especially after his great promo on Smackdown. And how about Charlotte Flair? Her beating down Ronda after a great match was a lot of fun, but is she just stealing Becky Lynch’s shine or is this a great new path for her character to take after losing the championship? All of this plus thoughts on Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, Randy Orton once again wrestling Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman officially being out for at least a few weeks as he deals with elbow surgery. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Dave Schilling. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This Saturday, Danielle Radford, Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk and Julian Burrell will be at NXT: TakeOver War Games at the Staples Center in Los Angeles! If you’d like to meet up with them beforehand, they’ll be eating lunch at Yard House at 2 PM. Katie Willert is ready to rejoin the Nation of Conversation! Becky Lynch is as hot a star as anyone in WWE right now. She led the Smackdown invasion into RAW that left her a bloody mess and as a bonafide sensation in wrestling. Unfortunately, because of a stray shot from Nia Jax, Becky is no longer medically cleared for her match with Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. Where does that leave her as the champion? And will Charlotte Flair, her replacement in the match, be able to deliver a satisfactory replacement for a conflict everyone was excited for? Plus, Daniel Bryan defeated AJ Styles for the WWE championship! But in the process, he turned heel and shunned the persona and attitude that made him the hottest babyface in the company in 2013-14. The panel will discuss what they hope for Bryan as he prepares to face Universal Champion Brock Lesnar on Sunday. All of that and a look at everything coming up for NXT TakeOver: War Games in Los Angeles; that includes Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream… and the possibility of a Matt Riddle appearance. Misandry Corner TRIGGER WARNING: This segment contains a discussion of a WWE situation that involved staged sexual assault. To skip this segment, scrub forward from 24:26 to 38:09 on the episode. Trish Stratus was the WWF women’s champion in 2001. Throughout this time, she was heavily involved in storylines that featured Vince McMahon and their supposed affair. This led to a moment on Smackdown when Vince tried to make her join his infamous club, only for her to be rescued by the Rock. We’ll take a look at what made this segment so awful and rewrite and recast it to make it better. The Three Count Katie put over Becky Lynch’s tweet to Ronda Rousey, which he considers Lesnar’s last great match Lindsey put over the promo for Daniel Bryan’s heel turn. Danielle put over the trailer for Fighting With My Family. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Katie Willert. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Jacquis Neal from the Culture Kings podcast joins the Nation of Conversation! Crown Jewel was that rare show that managed to disappoint and frustrate just viewers of every stripe. Hulk Hogan made his return that many dreaded, but also felt inevitable. And Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman to become a two-time Universal Champion. Even as the build to Survivor Series begins, there’s a distinct lack of urgency in booking right now that hopefully gets filled soon. But that’s not to say everything is doom and gloom in the land of WWE; Becky Lynch is on her way to being the most white-hot star in the company. Her promo skills have been remarkable and her matches have been great, including her victory this week over a debuting Nikki Cross. The panel will explain what’s making her work so effective right now. The Beat-Down The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were two of the biggest stars in the history of the WWE. Their star power and fan interest culminated at and on the road to WrestleMania X-Seven. We’ll take a look at how the company built up to this match and why their final WrestleMania main-event confrontation signified the end of one the companies most storied times. The Three Count Jacquis put over CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar, which he considers Lesnar’s last great match Danielle put over the promo for Sasha Banks’ WWE Network Collection. Hal put over The six-way Hell in a Cell Match from Armeggedon 2000. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Jacquis Neal. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Evolution was WWE’s very first all-women Pay-Per-View. And by most accounts, the event delivered in just about every way possible, including providing a candidate for match of the year. Mike, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey provide their reactions to the matches (including Lindsey’s account from attending the event in person). But now this is immediately being followed up Crown Jewel. Not only will no women wrestlers be at the event, but John Cena and Daniel Bryan have also been written out due to, in all likelihood, their own personal disagreement. Plus, Lindsey and Mike explain their feelings about Roman Reigns’s leukemia diagnosis and WWE decision to immediately capitalize on the real-life illness for story-telling purposes. How do you balance the need for the show to go on with sensitivity towards consequential issues? Especially with WWE toeing the line between characters and reality as much as ever with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins? All this, including Danielle looking forward to Lucha Underground’s Ultima Lucha Cuatro, finding out who attacked Aleister Black and grooving to that sweet sweet Brood music. The Three Count Lindsey put over her conversation with NXT women’s champ Shayna Baszler. Mike put over the YouTue video Kanye and the End of Reality. Danielle put over the House Hardy Halloween Special. Hal put over Becky Lynch’s social media prowess. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Mike Eagle Lindsey Kelk. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Roman Reigns opened RAW with the announcement that he will be surrendering the Universal Championship since his leukemia has returned. This was the first time Roman had gone public with his diagnosis. His first encounter with the disease was 11 years ago. Danielle and Hal discuss their reactions to the news, including why it affected them personally, their hopes for Roman’s return and what this means for a Monday Night RAW and WWE that now has to move forward without their biggest full-time star. Plus, the pair will discuss the lackluster build to Evolution. The booking has been slipshod and lackluster for the past several months. Outside of the novelty of a brand new women’s only event, WWE hasn’t done much to get people excited about this show. Add in the fact that it’s happening so close to Crown Jewel, which won’t include any women and will still air from Saudi Arabia, and it’s hard to take the “women’s evolution” seriously these days. The Three Count Danielle put over Asuka and Naomi’s fun moment in the Mixed Match Challenge. Julian put over Samoa Joe’s well wishes to Roman Reigns. Hal put over Dean Ambrose’s supporters after his heel turn. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Hal Lublin. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Mike Eagle is already known as the insightful, funny and sometimes heelish co-host of Tights and Fights. He’s also regarded as a great rapper; he’s even started touring for the next several weeks. But recently he also became an undefeated pro-wrestler. That’s right… Mike went to the promotion OVW and took on wrestler Shiloh Jonze and actually came out victorious. How did all of this get started? What possessed Mike to think that he could actually have a successful wrestling match? He’s ready to tell the story. Mike will detail everything; from why he was petty enough to answer Shiloh’s callout to any MC on the internet, to how he only had one day to learn how to wrestle, and how he decided what he was going to wear in the ring. Plus, he’ll talk about how this may have been the ultimate culmination of everything he’s done throughout his life and career as a rapper. If you want to see Mike’s wrestling debut, It will be on episode 1000 of OVW. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Mike Eagle. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Dan Sinker Dan Sinker. He’s the host of the creator of tons of things on the internet including the Says Who? podcast and The Hitch podcast. But his presence on the internet pales in comparison to his greatest accomplishment: Getting his wife and kids into professional wrestling. Which segment does he credit for helping him do this successfully? None other than the Festival of Friendship. The panel has plenty of things to get into this week, including the ongoing International drama surrounding WWE’s planned show in Saudi Arabia, the lack of build towards Evolution and why the Bellas vs. Ronda Rousey already feels like it’s off on the wrong foot. Main Event Last week Shawn Michaels, one of the WWE’s all-time greatest performers announced that he was officially coming out of retirement for a match against The Brothers of Destruction alongside his partner Triple H. Retirement rarely ever sticks in WWE, especially when it’s by choice. And while we never want to deny someone the right to do what they do well for money, where do we draw the line between nostalgia and an over-reliance on legacy? The Three Count Dan put over Austin Creed and Xavier Woods’ Battle of the Brands series on YouTube. Lindsey put over John Oliver on Last Week tonight discussing WWE’s business with Saudi Arabia. Danielle put over put over indie wrestler Effy using YouTube to get his name out to potential bookers. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk and Dan Sinker. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, we’ve got two conversations with people who have made big waves in the world of wrestling in the past few weeks. First, Mike Eagle speaks with Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno. They’re the creators of The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling. The two go deep on the book and what it was like creating the first major historical record of the art form that is wrestling. Then, in a conversation recorded live at San Diego Comic-Con courtesy of Gamma Ray TV, Danielle and Hal sit down with Marty the Moth. These days he’s known for being the Lucha Underground Champion. But there was a time that he was just trying to get the attention of WWE for a chance to live his dream as a professional wrestler. Marty will detail his journey from watching wrestling for the first time to WWE’s reality show Tough Enough all the way to the temple of Lucha Underground. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Hal Lublin. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, the founding members of the Nation of Conversation return for a fun look at all things wrestling! There’s been tons of news this week to dive into, especially in the midst of the go-home shows for WWE Super Show-Down in Australia. Which titles should change hands at the stadium event? Is there actually any chance that WWE follows up on the possibility of Dean Ambrose betraying the Shield? And in news from the international wrestling scene, Neville is officially back in the ring. He’s returned to his original name of PAC in Dragon Gate is finally set to perform everywhere that the WWE doesn’t touch. But why Dragon Gate? We’ve got some ideas. The Main Event This Saturday begins a string of 5 PPV’s for the WWE in two months. It’s two international stadium shows and three arena events. But for the viewers, is it really ideal for them to have so many shows airing at what, for U.S. fans, are off hours? Especially when so many of them are in this weird space of mattering to the overall narrative but not to having outcomes that actually affect said narrative? The Three Count Danielle put over Carmella’s finishing sequence against Zelina Vega. Mike put over Shiloh Jonze calling him out from a grocery store. Hal put over the latest episode of Table for 3 featuring 3MB. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Hal Lublin. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Danielleis joined by Joe Starr! He’s a comedian and writer who’s new EP is entitle A British Murder Robot Tries Stand Up Comedy for the First Time. He’s been a wrestling fan since he was young enough to unironically pretend to be the British Bulldog and is here to chat about the week! That includes Lucha Underground’s new champion: Marty the Moth. The wrestler’s managed to come all the around from being a total joke to the top of the mountain and it’s really been something to see, even if you haven’t watched the entire saga from the beginning. Plus, Samoa Joe has taken his rivalry to a whole new level after threatening AJ Styles’ family via Facetime from Smackdown. But Joe will explain why he wishes the rivalry for the WWE title was kept a bit more simple. And why Danielle Radford is no longer interested in watching wrestling without any women, what the duo thinks of some of the biggest teams in the WWE and why The Revival is having such a hard time getting establishing themselves as a solid heel tag team. The Main Event Friendship is a fickle thing in wrestling. No matter how tight a team appears to be it always seems inevitable that they’ll be broken up by one person deciding to betray the other in their quest for singles glory. As recently as this past Monday, WWE planted the seeds for Dean Ambrose to be the one to break up the latest version of the Shield. Why does it seems like betrayal is constantly in the background of wrestling? What are the other ways that WWE could try to separate its teams? And who on the current roster is set to receive that ultimate push that comes with both turning on your partner(s)... or being on the receiving end of that turn? The Three Count Joe put over Truth TV, as a reminder for why R-Truth is one of the greatest wrestlers ever. Julian put over the unaired pilot of NXT Kids. Danielle put over Asuka being a hardcore aly for Naomi. Hosted by Danielle Radford and Joe Starr. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, Hal, Danielle and Lindsey joined by Josiah Williams! He’s the creator of the online series Wrestle and Flow, where he raps over remixed versions of different wrestlers’ entrance music. He’s been a fan for 15 years and is equipped and ready to talk about Hell in a Cell weekend! The team’s feeling a little sour at the cluster of a main-event from Sunday, especially after the return of Brock Lesnar. Plus, they’re none too happy about WWE having another woman-free Saudi Arabian show, so quickly after Evolution no less. But there were a lot of other things to get excited about, including Becky Lynch finally capturing the Smackdown women’s championship! And if the panel has anything to say about it, she won’t lose that title until WrestleMania. But between Samoa Joe, Miz, and Andrade “Cien” Almas, who should get the WWE Title? And is anybody else still feeling a little sick from watching Randy Orton rip off Jeff Hardy’s ear? The Three Count Josiah put over the RAW tag team division, which finally looks like it’s on an upswing. Lindsey and Danielle put over the Mixed Match Challenge. Hal put over Dolph Ziggler talking smack in the middle of his, match on Sunday. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Josiah Williams. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week the team is joined by Brian Brushwood! He’s a magician, comedian and host of the podcast Night Attack. And he also happens to be a lapsed wrestling fan. Even though he still checks in with wrestling on occasion, he actually finds the stories behind the in-ring action to be even more fascinating than the TV product. Mike and Danielle will bring Brian up to speed on some of the hottest stars and stories in WWE today and what they think of them; that includes Braun Strowman turning heel and relying on others for victory after being such a capable monster for a year, Becky Lynch’s new characteristics heading into Hell in a Cell and the amazing outfits from Alicia Fox. Ring Tones ¡Viva La Raza! This segment is devoted to the music of Latino Heat, Eddie Guerrero! He died much too soon, but he still had an incredible career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. We’ll hit all of his best tracks including LWO, the Radicalz, Latino Heat and more! The Three Count Brian put over David Shoemaker’s bookThe Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling. Mike put over OVW, even though they have someone who may have one of the most insulting musical gimmicks of all time. Danielle put over The New Day’s newest bit, Kramer Kingsman. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Brian Brushwood. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, the team is joined by Jensen Karp! He’s a lifelong wrestling fan who has fond memories of watching WWF and WCW go to war as a kid. He also got the chance to write for WWE in 2006, which gave him a special insiders perspective to the madhouse that is the McMahon family creative HQ. Jensen was in Chicago this past weekend to watch All In live (as part of his bachelor party!). He tells Danielle and Lindsey about what he thought of the largest independent wrestling show ever. Plus, the team discusses their favorite matches from the event; matches that included the likes of Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, Pentagon DARK, Joey Ryan and tons more. And they’ll explain why the match between Tessa Blanchard, Madison Rayne, Chelsea Green and Britt Baker could be a turning point for independent women’s wrestling. Plus, there’s plenty of WWE stories progressing... even if we're still not sure what to make of all of it. Why is Braun Strowman now aligned with the entire heel roster against Roman Reigns? Why is Drake Maverick now managing The Authors of Pain? Is Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz hitting all of the notes that we want it to hit? And why… WHY… do the Authors of Pain still look like adult toddlers? The Three Count Jensen put over PWG’s Brody King and all of the potential he has as a future champion. Lindsey put over Brie Bella returning to the ring after lengthy maternity leave. Danielle put over Lio Rush and Keith Lee reuniting in WWE. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Lindsey Kelk and Jensen Carp. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, the team is joined by LaToya Ferguson! She’s written about wrestling for The AV Club and Paste and is ready to share her thoughts on tons of the biggest happenings in wrestling. That includes LaToya’s renewed anxiety about the women’s division slipping back into some Divas era tendencies like shorter matches with as many competitors as possible shoved into the ring. The team will set it straight that this doesn’t make for quality showing, especially as roads lead up to Evolution. Plus, many indications are that Braun Strowman is leading into heelish tendencies. But how good of an idea is that when he’s really over with the audience? And speaking of which, has WWE corrected course with Becky Lynch and learned that having her antagonize the audience is a losing game? All of that and the team will finally, definitively explain what Baron Corbin’s outfit makes them think of. Seriously, you’ll never be able to look at him the same way again. The Three Count LaToya put over Kevin Nash’s Paparazzi Productions. Danielle put over Hal Lublin at Dragon Con. Mike put over Danielle Radford on Patreon. Hal put over Mike’s upcoming tour dates in the U.S. and Europe through November. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and LaToya Ferguson. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, Hal, Danielle and Mike are joined by Meghan Sullivan, formerly from IGN! They'll breakdown the news from NXT: TakeOver Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam. Ep. 105: The 2018 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam Special w/ Meghan Sullivan This week, the team is joined by Meghan Sullivan! She’s a 12-year alumna of IGN, the internet’s biggest video-game website. Most of her coworkers there weren’t big wrestling fans, but she joins Hal, Danielle and Mike to let her mark flag fly. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 For the third consecutive time, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano headlined TakeOver. This time it was a last man standing match for the NXT championship. Mike was there live and he can confirm that there was a pocket of the audience chanting “Johnny Loser” in the aftermath of the match. So is it time to give this feud time to breath? Plus, we’ll highlight the other big matches of the show, including two title changes and why we’re so nervous for some of the brand’s MVP’s to be moved up to the main roster. SummerSlam It’s WWE’s second biggest show of the year, and the reviews have actually been great, both from the internet and from the team. Roman Reigns is now the Universal Champion after beating Brock Lesnar (fifth time’s the charm!). But where does this leave Money in the Bank holder Braun Strowman, especially now that the Shield is back together and ready to run roughshod on WWE once again? Plus, what other title changes did the group think made a lot of sense? And just what was it about this show that led to so many great matches throughout the card, in spite of some slightly wonky finishes? All that… and why Meghan and Danielle are ready for Samoa Joe to forever refer to himself as "Daddy." Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Meghan Sullivan. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. You can keep up with Meghan on Instagram and on Twitch! If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

The road to WWE’s second biggest show of the year is finally coming to an end! This weekend NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 and SummerSlam will take place live at the Barclays Center. Hal, Danielle and Lindsey will look ahead to the biggest things happening ; that includes the Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, the next installment of Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa and (hopefully) the final installment of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. Kris Wolf Kris Wolf joins the Nation of Conversation! She’s a wrestler who got her start at the Japanese promotion Stardom after she left her job as an English teacher. Since then, she’s gone completely independent and is in the middle of touring all over the world to perform in the ring and meet fans. She talks to the team all about her unique promos, what it’s like being best friends with Kairi Sane and why she believes in living a full life beyond just wrestling. Kris Wolf has merchandise available on What a Maneuver and can be supported on Patreon. She’s also got a match coming up this Saturday, August 18th, at FSW in Las Vegas! Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Kris Wolf. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week Mike Quackenbush joins the Hal, Danielle and Mike in the Nation of Conversation! He’s one of the founders of the independent wrestling promotion Chikara, which he says is, “the Marvel Cinematic Universe realized as a pro wrestling company.” The organization has gained a following for its original approach to stories and hosting the largest tournament in pro-wrestling today. Quackenbush is also a semi-retired wrestler who’s had a hand in developing some stars in WWE, including Cesaro, Ruby Riott, Mandy Rose and Drew Gulak. He’ll explain what goes into teaching wrestling and what it was like to spend a week as a coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Plus, he’ll talk about why there’s so much disappointment among fans with the WWE’s current product, who he thinks are the greatest wrestlers of all-time and why he believes wrestling is just starting to discover its power as a storytelling medium. More of Mike Quackenbush’s work can be found in his recent book “7 Keys to Becoming a Better Performer: A Book for Fellow Pro-Wrestlers.” The Three Count Danielle put over Twitter user CokeIbushi’s edit job on Ronda Rousey’s promo. Mike put over Randy Orton’s promo on Smackdown. Hal put over Paul Heyman’s promo on RAW. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Mike Quackenbush. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun.

This week, Danielle and Mike are joined by Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe! She's a wrestling manager who's been in wrestling rings all over the country and the host of the podcasts Women Wrestling Friends and Women's Pro Wrestling Weekly. This week, Danielle and Mike are joined by Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe! She's a wrestling manager who's been in wrestling rings all over the country and the host of the podcasts Women Wrestling Friends and Women's Pro Wrestling Weekly. Sarah joins the Nation of Conversation to discuss a BUNCH of women's wrestling; everything from the Sasha vs. Bayley saga, to the Smackdown in-ring debut Zelina Vega to the prospect of WWE creating women's tag team titles. Plus the team discuss Brock Lesnar attacking his advocate Paul Heyman and what this could mean for the audience reaction for his match with Roman Reigns; t how excited they are for Samoa Joe to be competing for the WWE title; and why they're so disappointed with WWE's direction with tag team of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. The Three Count Mike wants to Robbie E's podcast "Why It Ended" with Wildcat Chris Harris AKA Braden Walker. Sarah wants to put over Queen's Quest vs. Oedo Tai Tag Team Elimination Match on Stardom. Danielle wants to put over Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks helping make sure a fan would have enough money to make it to All In. Julian wants to put over Juan Francisco De Coronado's contributions to Tights and Fights. Hosted by Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Sarah "The Rebel" Wolfe. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week, Hal, Danielle and Mike are joined by Jamie Loftus! She's a comedian and the creator and star of Irrational Fears on Comedy Central. She joins the Nation of Conversation to discuss our favorite news from the week in wrestling including the announcement of WWE Evolution, the first ever all-women PPV that the company has ever put on. But even though we're excited about this show and hope that it's as good as it could be, this is yet another example of WWE patting themselves on the back for removing barriers that they established. And Roman Reigns is officially the number one contender for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship. What hope is there that it will be better received than the WrestleMania match? And is this guaranteed to end with a Money in the Bank cash-in to send the Brooklyn crowd home happy? All of this, plus why Smackdown was a very strong show this week and we'll heap praise upon Impact Wrestling for their recent influx in talent and last weekend's Slammiversary PPV. Ring Tones He's been known as The Giant, The World's Largest Athlete, Paul Wight and The Big Show. He's had a 20+ year career that's included being a grand slam champion and Jamie Loftus's favorite wrestler! She'll talk all about her fandom for him as the team takes a journey through his entrance music over the years. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and Jamie Loftus. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

When Danielle is away, the heels will play! Mike and Danielle have the booth all to themselves this week and they have plenty of things they need to talk about. That includes, perhaps most significantly, the return of Hulk Hogan to the WWE Hall of Fame. Wrestlers like the New Day, Titus O'Neil and Mark Henry have voiced their opinion about and Mike is happy to speak his truth Then, Now and Forever. Plus, the two will break down Extreme Rules and all of the subsequent fallout from the event. That includes the audience in Pittsburgh that decided that instead of paying attention to Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler's Iron Man match, they were going to countdown the end of every minute, Royal Rumble style. Thus, Hal has no choice but to take them to task. The Three Count Mike wants to The New Day's response to Hulk Hogan returning. Hal wants to put over the recent episode of Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard about Muhammad Hassan. Hosted by Hal Lublin and Mike Eagle. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

This week BJ Mendelson joins the Nation of Conversation! He’s an author and comic book writer and he's got tons of thoughts on everything that happened in wrestling this week, from the pull-apart brawl between Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley to the continued reunion between Daniel Bryan and Kane as Team Hell No. Plus, a closer look at the next phase of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa’s feud in NXT, who BJ thinks may be better than Paul Heyman on the mic and Danielle explains to the team what the Aztec Medallions of Lucha Underground are. The Main Event A few weeks ago, WWE promoted a special encounter between the New Day and New Japan’s The Elite. Sure it was a Street Fighter V competition at E3, but afterwards, Triple H said that the company is open to a cross-promotional show with New Japan. But how likely is such a meeting to REALLY happen? And what would we like to see go down at this hypothetical event? The Three Count BJ put over Fantasy Super Cosplay Wrestling. Danielle put over Episode 8 of Season 2 of GLOW. Mike put over Robbie E’s podcast Why it Ended. Hal put over the recent segment on Smackdown that featured Rusev on commentary. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, Mike Eagle and BJ Mendelson. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun.

We’re in the middle of a holiday week, so it’s a good time to take a look at the greatest holiday for wrestling fans: Ice Cream Christmas! That’s right, we’re looking back in the time of our fandom to once again take a look at a past WrestleMania. For our previous special member-only episode, Mike, Hal and Danielle looked at one of the best events ever, WrestleMania X-Seven; this time, the gang is taking a look at one of the worst: WrestleMania 2000! In a year of so many great PPV’s from the WWE, ironically the one show that didn’t live up to standard was the biggest one for the company. But what made it not work? Was it the convoluted main event? Or the lack of any traditional singles matches? Plus, we’ll talk about the things that definitely did work, like the Triangle Ladder match between the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and the Dudley Boyz, and share some fun facts from the show that you may not be aware of, even if you already watched this show 18 years ago. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Mike Eagle. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. Money in the Bank, Jinder Mahal, NXT, TakeOver, Chicago, WWE, SDLive, RAW, Smackdown, wrestling, E3, New Japan, NJPW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, Baron Corbin, James Ellsworth, Asuka, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, Alexa Bliss, Drew McIntyre, If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

SPOILERS: SKIP FROM 4:32 TO 5:43 TO AVOID A SPOILER REGARDING NXT Tights and Fights is set to Feel the GLOW once again as Sydelle Noel and Britt Baron join the show once again to talk about the upcoming season premier of one of the best shows on Netflix! But first, there’s plenty of news in wrestling to discuss. Danielle is once again heavily invested in the drama of Lucha Underground including the debut of Jake Strong (fka as Jack Swagger in the WWE) and the title defense of Pentagon Dark. Fwendships in WWE have run the gamut this week from Sasha Banks and Bayley finally coming to blows and Team Hell No reuniting on Smackdown! But which Union is the team incredibly concerned for as the months continue? GLOW Sydelle Noel and Britt Baron sit down with Danielle to discuss the second season of GLOW. They’ll also take a deep dive into their training schedule, what it’s like to be on a TV show with a bunch of your best friends and even what their favorite “bad” movies are. Season 2 of GLOW premiers on Netflix on June 29th! The Three Count Danielle wants to put over Batista’s adorable family photos. … and the food that Mustafa Ali misses most when he’s away from home. Hal wants to put over the recent episode of the 83 weeks podcast focusing on Chris Jericho. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, and Mike Eagle. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. Danielle wants to put over Batista’s adorable family photos. … and the food that Mustafa Ali misses most when he’s away from home. Hal wants to put over the recent episode of the 83 weeks podcast focusing on Chris Jericho. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, and Mike Eagle. Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. If you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on Facebook and @TightsFights on Twitter and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.