Loser Leaves Town Unknown

LLT Episode #4 - Jimmy Korderas Former WWF referee Jimmy Korderas, author of "The Three Count: My Life in Stripes as a WWE Referee“ and co-host of ”Aftermath“ on The Score in Canada joins me this week. The majority of the show is basically everything you ever wanted to know about being a WWE referee.  Getting time cues and other instructions in his earpiece, different styles of refereeing, calling matches "as a shoot,” what other referees did he like watching, what wrestlers were the best at hiding their cheating to make the referee’s life easier, working on the ring crew, etc. In addition to touching on his book and his new career as a broadcaster, we also debunk the rumors surrounding what exactly happened in the ring when Owen Hart died, since he was right there when it happened. This was recorded a few weeks before the book came out in case we happened to cover anything in there, but I read it since then (it’s quite good, BTW) and I think I managed to do a good job keeping our chat on a different path.  Jimmy is basically the nicest guy on the face of this planet (although that may be a Canadian thing where he’s just tied with everyone else…) and I had a lot of fun learning about the ins and outs of pro wrestling refereeing from him. Download it here.

LLT Episode #3 - T.J. “TJP” Perkins T.J. Perkins, best known nowadays as TJP, sometimes referred to as “the youngest veteran in pro wrestling,” is one of the more unique talents around.  Making his debut at 15 years-old in 2000, he ended up traveling the world less than 3 years later thanks in part to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s LA Dojo.  He has a ton to talk about (we went 90 minutes without even touching on his many trips to Mexico in any substantial way), including: - A ton of stuff about the LA Dojo and Japan in general, including the politics of wrestlers switching promotions and how it affected Samoa Joe. - The inner-workings of New Japan Pro Wrestling and why the booking team of Gedo & Jado is so good. - Ignoring wrestling news that’s reported online and in newsetters. - Why he left Dragon Gate USA/Evolve. - The influence of Kevin Quinn, why he was a great trainer that influenced so many great wrestlers, and the bad timing that kept him from getting key spots in WWE & CMLL. - Moving to Florida so he could pay to go to FCW to try to get a WWE developmental contract and the tailspin the move soon sent his life/career into. And that’s just scratching the surface.  Like I said, we didn’t even talk about Mexico, so I’ll have to get him back on soon.  T.J. is a really interesting guy and a tremendous talent, but he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, which is a shame.  Anyway, this is well worth listening to, and hopefully it encourages some of you to check out his work if you haven’t before. You can follow T.J. on Twitter at @MegaTJP and if you want to ask him anything, he answers just about every question he gets on his Formspring account. Download it here.

LLT Episode #2 - Steve Corino Part 2 Here is the rest of Steve Corino being awesome.  Topics include: - Asking about how his rib injury was healing leads into a great discussion of wrestler safety, including “the magic” behind how he took the superplex into a guardrail bump before without incident and some interesting details about his blading habits. - What makes Tony DeVito and Kane great workers. - Working as a road agent/producer in ROH and trying out for a similar gig in WWE. - The first time he worked with Dusty Rhodes and the awesome story of how he found out about it. - Calling Da Crusher “a boy toucher” in Milwaukee. And much more.  Corino is so awesome.  I hope you enjoy listening to him being awesome again. Download it here.

Loser Leaves Town 9/7/10 w/ Colt Cabana on the Observer HOF Colt Cabana returns to discuss his ballot for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. A fun show as always w/ Cabana, as he discusses his reasoning for his picks as well as his other projects including his own podcast and his comedy.  As usual, other fun topics come up as well.  Check out his podcast, his store, and his Twitter account for more fun from the world of Colt Cabana, and remember to check out Cageside Seats for my daily writings on the pro graps and the occasional Cageside Radio podcast, including my interview with Frank Shamrock. Download it here. Loser Leaves Town Podcast 1/10/10 w/ Ross Hart The foremost historian on all things Hart family and Stampede Wrestling, former program seller/TV producer/booker/wrestler/TV interviewer Ross Hart joins me for a fun look at everybody’s favorite prairie territory.  We talk about his first memories of wrestling, producing the TV show, Stampede leaving the NWA, the British and Japanese wrestlers who went through Stampede, wrestling in Hungary and England, the origins of the ladder match, and much more.  A really good show. Download it here. Loser Leaves Town Podcast 12/5/09 w/ Dave Walsh: Discussion of Umaga’s death, Gail Gagne’s criminal charges, and more Dave Walsh of Cageside Seats and Head Kick Legend joins me to discuss the big news items from this past week and much more.  We talk about the death of Umaga and related topics including drugs in wrestling and how the decline in Japan has hurt American wrestlers, Gail Gagne’s arrest for allegedly having sex with a student at the school she worked at, and other stuff including Shane McMahon and Mark Cuban: Raw Guest Host. Download it here. Loser Leaves Town Podcast 10/29/09 w/ Bill Dundee Memphis legend “Superstar” Bill Dundee oins me to discuss his career including his various booking jobs, pushing younger wrestlers, various Memphis-related topics, working for the Cole Brothers Circus, his wrestling school, and much more.  Definitely worth a listen if you’re a fan of Memphis and/or Mid-South.  You can email Bill via his website if you’re interested in wrestling training or the circus. Download it here. Loser Leaves Town Podcast 10/14/09 w/ Colt Cabana & Rob Naylor on midget wrestling I’m joined by Rob Naylor and Colt Cabana as we discuss midget wrestling throughout history.  Lots of fun stuff including whether or not it’s okay to find midgets adorable, Cabana on his love of using comedy spots borrowed from midgets, Little Beaver’s appearance in Meatballs III, Billy Barty and Lou Albano in Bodyslam, a green Cabana missing his shot at being (a) Doink, Ninja Turtles, Roger Ebert’s dirty mind, and much more.  An action packed 80 minutes! Download it here. Loser Leaves Town Podcast 9/21/09 - Live at Lucha Va Voom w/ T.J. Perkins and Cassandro! Recorded last night at Lucha Va Voom’s successful New York debut, it’s the Loser Leaves Town Podcast. First I’m joined by T.J. Perkins (AKA Pinoy Boy/Puma/Cobra II, currently El Bombero in Lucha Va Voom) to discuss his travels around the world as a 25 year-old who’s a 10 year veteran.  Lots of great stuff about going to New Japan and the LA Dojo including wrestling in the Tokyo Dome, the MMA training that led to him actually having fights, becoming Cobra II while being tempted with promises of maybe eventually being Tiger Mask V, and much more. After that is Cassandro, the top exotico in wrestling today.  A 21 year veteran, he talks about his pre-wrestling career as a medical assistant, being trained by Rey Misterio Sr. in the class that included the original Psicosis/Nicho and a very young Rey Mysterio (Jr.), wrestling in Juarez and El Paso, being a gay man in the wrestling business in Mexico, how Antonio Peña helped him and others, his current travels around the world (including wrestling El Hijo del Santo at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France!), and more. All in all, a very