100 episodes

Every Monday, Kris Zellner and David Bixenspan go over how a given week in professional wrestling history was covered by the wrestling media, primarily in the "dirt sheet" newsletters. The deepest dive into wrestling history that you can find.

Between The Sheets Kris Zellner & David Bixenspan

    • Sports
    • 4.3 • 243 Ratings

Every Monday, Kris Zellner and David Bixenspan go over how a given week in professional wrestling history was covered by the wrestling media, primarily in the "dirt sheet" newsletters. The deepest dive into wrestling history that you can find.

    Ep. #454: April 17-25, 1987

    Ep. #454: April 17-25, 1987

    Kris and David are guestless as we discuss the week-plus that was April 17-25, 1987. Topics of discussion include:
    The UWF to JCP transition beginning with the first set of JCP-controlled UWF TV tapings and how it the landscape looked about a week after the deal was finalized.Big Bubba Rogers winning the UWF Heavyweight Title from One Man Gang in the first major change.Dave Meltzer attending a JCP house show in San Francisco and giveing his thoughts on the promotion’s future, which were pretty ominous.Akira Maeda doing his first pinfall job in New Japan since he returned in January 1986.Exactly what the NWF’s business model was.PAUL E. DANGERLY has a new team in Memphis.Mike Von Erich's funeral plus Kevin Von Erich addressing the fans at the Sportatorium.Curt Hennig finally turning heel in the AWA.Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant’s house show rematches after WrestleMania III that never end up happening.Jim Neidhart being found not guilty in his criminal trial for assaulting a flight attendant.The Ken Patera Story and how it didn't work for 1987.The absurdity of Missy Hyatt’s unaired Missy’s Manor talk show segments in the WWF, the second round of which was taped during our week, and how they were a terrible misuse of her talent.The complete insanity of MR. FUJI GOES TO HOLLYWOOD and how it was re-aired on Prime Time Wrestling as if it was new over a year after it premiered on TNT.All of this and so much more on a wacky episode of BTS.
    Timestamps:
    0:00:00 UWF
    0:36:07 JCP & CWF
    1:26:21 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, All-Star, Dale Martin, Stampede, Montreal, EMLL, Promociones Mora, UWA, Tijuana, & WWC
    1:55:08 Classic Commercial Break
    1:58:45 Halftime
    2:33:47 Other USA: NWF, Deep South, Continental, CWA/Memphis, WCCW, AWA, Central States, & Portland
    3:45:28 WWF
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.


    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    • 4 hr 47 min
    Ep. #453: April 6-12, 1998

    Ep. #453: April 6-12, 1998

    Kris and David are guestless as we discuss the week that was April 6-12, 1988. Topics of discussion include:
    The WWF staying on USA Network even though they were undergoing a leadership change.X-Pac's contract and how it differs from other WWF contracts at the time.Cactus Jack cutting an impassioned promo on Raw that the fans in the building didn't give a shit about.Stone Cold goes corporate....or does he?Mitsuharu Misawa, like Shawn Michaels, is breaking down physically.Paul Heyman suspends Sabu and The Sandman for some of their out of the ring chicanery.Adrian Street's career is in jeopardy after a serious injury.Who exactly owns Music City Wrestling?he reasons why Sid Vicious won't be working for Memphis Power Pro Wrestling.The saga of Ric Flair and the 4/9 episode of Thunder in Tallahassee, Florida, plus how close was he to jumping to the WWF for their 4/26 PPV in Greensboro.WCW wrestlers hanging out backstage at ECW shows and how that got them heat in WCW.Some amazing clips of some wild episodes of Nitro and Thunder that you can't miss.This is a fantastic show, so LISTEN NOW!!!!
    Timestamps:
    0:00:00 WWF
    1:18:27 Int’l: AJPW, IWA Kokusai, AJW, JWP, LLPW, AAA, CMLL, IWRG, Monterrey, Promo Azteca, Tijuana, & WWC
    1:49:14 Classic Commercial Break
    1:53:35 Halftime
    2:38:28 Other USA: ECW, SSW, Adrian Street, IWAMS, Music City, Memphis Power Pro, NWA Southwest, Mike Modest, & Oregon Lucha
    3:10:02 WCW
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.


    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    • 5 hr 20 min
    Ep. #452: April 3-9, 2000

    Ep. #452: April 3-9, 2000

    This week on BTS, Kris and David take a look at the week that was April 3-9, 2000. Topics of discussion include:
    Ready to Rumble debuts in theaters and does decently at the box office. Plus we have reports from the premiere, which featured a "match" between Vampiro & The Wall.Nitro and Thunder being clip shows as this was the week before the big Bischoff/Russo reboot.New Japan has DOME IMPACT at the Tokyo Dome featuring the last major Shinya Hashimoto vs. Naoya Ogawa Tokyo Dome main event.The awesomeness of Kazunari Murakami.Tatsumi Fujinami announcing his retirement.Jushin Thunder Liger winning the 3rd Super J-Cup tournament.Mike Awesome deciding to leave ECW as all heck breaks loose.Paul Heyman scrambling as he tries to sign talent to "contracts."Shawn Michaels wrestling his "retirement" match in his TWA promotion against Venom (Paul Diamond).Andy Rooney talking about wrestling in his weekly segment on 60 Minutes.Court TV airs its "Wrestling With Death" special.Chyna turns on Chris Jericho to help Eddie Guerrero on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw, forming a memorable partnership.The WWF's TV in general after WrestleMania and their direction moving forward.This is an extremely fun show, so take a listen!!!
    Timestamps:
    0:00:00 WCW
    0:41:13 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, Super J-Cup, BattlARTS, BJPW, FMW, Onita Pro, Osaka Pro, Bull Nakano, Arsion, Jd’, JWP, Saudi Arabia, AAA, CMLL, IWRG, & Monterrey
    1:46:49 Classic Commercial Break
    1:51:10 Halftime
    2:37:25 ECW
    3:15:08 Other USA: CZW, JAPW, NWANJ, OVW, MemphisCW, Memphis Power Pro, TWA, Oregon commission, Andy Rooney, & Court TV
    3:40:25 WWF
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.


    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    • 5 hr 8 min
    Ep. #451: March 28-April 4, 1999

    Ep. #451: March 28-April 4, 1999

    Kris and David are guestless this week as we discuss the week-plus that was March 28-April 4, 1999. Topics of discussion include:
    WrestleMania XV: The Raging Climax in Philadelphia, which was one of the biggest pro wrestling events of all-time up to that point.Butterbean destroying Bart Gunn in the last-ever Brawl For All match.Chyna and Triple H reuniting and then Triple H joining The Corporation the same night.PETE ROSE making his shocking return to attack Kane while wearing the San Diego Chicken CostumeSable and Tori having a match for the ages in all of the wrong ways, complete with ringside fans hearing Sable loudly complaining about Tori working too stiff.The Undertaker vs. The Big Bossman in HELL IN A CELL…in a manner of speaking.“Stone Cold” Steve Austin regaining the WWF Championship by defeating The Rock.Stephanie McMahon making her debut as a TV character debut the night after Mania.Vince and Shane McMahon GET DOWN at the WrestleMania Rage Party the night before the PPV.ESPN's Outside the Lines takes on pro wrestling in an amazing episode that looks at the business’s influence on children and the ever-increasing rate of young wrestler deaths.Sid burning his bridge in ECW as only he can.Bret Hart and Goldberg having a very memorable angle in Toronto on the final WCW Monday Nitro before the unveiling of the infamous new logo and set.All sorts of mass confusion in WCW as Kevin Nash's run as booker is in full insanity mode.A highly newsworthy show and a great one at that, so LISTEN NOW!!!!
    Timestamps:
    0:00:00 WWF
    2:02:29 Int’l: AJPW, NJPW, Arsion, GAEA, JWP, Stampede, AAA, CMLL, Ricky Banderas, & WWC
    2:22:09 Classic Commercial Break
    2:32:33 Halftime
    3:01:59 ESPN Outside The Lines: Pro Wrestling’s Hold On America
    4:18:10 Other USA: ECW, NWA Georgia, Memphis Power Pro, & APW
    4:32:48 WCW
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.


    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    Exile on Badstreet #83: Thunderbolt & The Express

    Exile on Badstreet #83: Thunderbolt & The Express

    Kris Zellner is joined by Barry Rose as we discuss the history of Thunderbolt Patterson as well as Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham, a.k.a. The U.S. Express, all from a Championship Wrestling from Florida perspective.
    We talk about how CWF was vital to their careeers and some of their major moments in the territory among other topics.
    Barry also talks about his upcoming convention "Glory Days Grapplecon" which takes place on the weekend of April 20th at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, FL.
    Take a listen, and we hope you enjoy the show!
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.



    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    • 1 hr 49 min
    Ep. #450: March 20-26, 2003

    Ep. #450: March 20-26, 2003

    Kris and David are guestless as we discuss the week that was March 20-26, 2003. Topics of discussion include:
    We learn how Curt Hennig died the same week that “Bruiser” Brian Cox passes away.D-Lo Brown suffers a concussion in his first big TNA match.A.J. Styles uses an unfortunate slur on TNA’s weekly PPV. (The same one he used everywhere else.)AJPW starts the Champion Carnival tour with some big foreign names in the tournament.NJPW runs some big shows with Yoshihiro Takayama defending his NWF Heavyweight Title against Scott Norton in the marquee match.World Japan's first tour is officially classified as a disaster.Konnan jumping from the WWC to the IWA in Puerto Rico.Samoa Joe winning the ROH World Title from Xavier and how undervalued Xavier was by the fans in this era.The story of the "ROH Riots."Portland Wrestling returning to TV. Again.An update on the WWE buying the ECW intellectual property rights out of bankruptcy court.John Cena getting hot with his raps.Los Guerreros hustling on the golf course on SmackDown.Stephanie McMahon & Brian Kendrick's "chemistry" in their segments together.Vince McMahon bloodies up Hulk Hogan during their WrestleMania contract signing angle.Shawn Michaels sounds off on Bret Hart on Off the Record on TSN in Canada.Steve Austin gets into a pillow fight with Cousin Sal on an early episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.Vince McMahon makes a very odd appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.This was a funky time in wrestling history. and we had quite the show as a result!!!
    Timestamps:
    0:00:00 Curt Hennig cause of death and Brian Cox passes away
    0:25;02 NWA-TNA
    0:52:23 Eastern Hemisphere: AJPW, NJPW, NOAH, World Japan, BJPW, IWA Japan, Kageki, Michinoku Pro, NMC, Osaka Pro, Toryumon, WMF, AJW, GAEA, Jd’, JWP, NEO, WWA, & TWA
    1:33:16 Classic Commercial Break
    1:36:40 Halftime
    2:20:27 Other North America: Stampede, CMLL, IWRG, Monterrey, Tijuana, & IWAPR
    2:29:05 Other USA: JerseyCW, ROH, IWAMS, MAW, AWS, Portland, & OVW
    2:56:25 WWE
    To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!
    If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.
    For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.
    And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.
    To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.


    Support this podcast at —

    • 5 hr 2 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
243 Ratings

243 Ratings

Deadhead-Dan10 ,

Just when I thought I was reducing my wrestling podcasts

…I came across this one by accident and really enjoyed the first two listens. A bold and worthy endeavor. Not they I care what Meltzer says, but sweet little microcosm snapshots of “the week in wrestling” years ago. I’ll take all the mid-80s you can muster!

kylefaseisdead ,

Be nice to Bix, Kris!!!!

I want to see Kris and Bix shoot fight.

Zach from nyc ,

Yawning

The constant yawning while reading kind of kills my interest, not sure why they don’t have the person who doesn’t constantly yawn do more of the reading?

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