Podcasting is the hottest trend among pro wrestlers since deleting ill-advised tweets. The number of stars who’ve taken to the airwaves continues to rise – as the success of a handful of standouts seemingly suggests broadcating is a viable career choice for an experienced wrestling mind looking for an outlet. While I find the increasing amount of these shows to be excessive, there’s no denying that fans have gotten some top tier content lately. Steve Austin and indie wrestling’s own Colt Cabana have produced some excellent interviews over the last year – with the latter really stepping up his game, to the point I almost think of him as a broadcaster first, and a wrestler second.
However, as the internet continues to turn the entertainment world on its head – I’m beginning to wonder how these intimate tell-alls, downloaded straight to your device of choice for free every week, are going to effect the culture of shoot interviews.
This tweet from Court Bauer earlier in the week got me thinking on the subject again; as a glut of podcasts flood the market, offering insight, laughs and news – does that begin to nullify the appeal of $15 DVDs that offer a similar service?
I’ve written previously about some of my issues with shoot interviews, but that’s not to say all of them should carry a negative stigma. There’s a wide spectrum of styles and genres these interviews fall into, from the restrained and informative, to the sensationalised and tacky – each appealing to different sects of fans for different reasons. The current crop of podcasts also come in a variety of styles, each with their own pros and cons.
The widely acclaimed Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana has offers listeners a humourous and insightful look at some of the most interesting characters in all of wrestling. From the electric positivity of Drake Younger, to the blunt and intriguing Dean Ambrose on last week’s episode – Colt has developed into quite the interviewer.
Likewise, Steve Austin took to the radio game like a fish to water and has a great on-air presence. His interviews with the likes of Jim Ross, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and more have offered the shoot-like tales from the road and commentaries on the business that could be seen as comparable to what you get in release from the popular shoot interview vendors.
Court Bauer’s own MLW radio show is mainly notable for the one-of-a-kind presence of Konnan, whose razor sharp tongue provides some sensational barbs, for listeners who are so inclined. The show’s increasing popularity has spawned a subscription based premium service, and the introduction of new shows. As well as an endless stream of shoot interviews and public Q&As, Jim Cornette now appears under the MLW banner, as he continues to make more money off Vince Russo than Russo probably ever made for himself.
Given that there’s only 24 hours in the day, I haven’t yet had a chance to listen to Chris Jericho’s latest endeavor on PodcastOne (the same service that hosts Austin’s show and will soon host Jim Ross’) nor Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett’s on FanOff.com, home to the excellent RBR Weekly Wrestling Talk podcast which I’ve been lucky enough to host on occasion. I’ve heard great reviews of both – with Jericho offering similar big name interviews as his PodcastOne peer.
With so many free options, bolstered by main event WWE names no less, what can shoot interview providers do to keep interest?
As insightful as some of these projects might be, it would still appear that the most indepth and probing of questions will be answered on, for example, a Highspots release. Whether it’s the money factor, or the fact that someone like Cabana won’t pressure his acquaintances to burn bridges, there is a lot to be said for some interviewers who insure the customers money and time not be wasted. An example of such would be AJ Styles’ new shoot, which Jerome gave a positive review to here.
Some projects like The Kevin Steen Show offer a lot more personality than the often drab ‘traditional; shoots which usually feature a wrestler airing their grievances to a camera, while speaking to a disembodied voice. Steen’s interviews have also been praised here on PWP, and elsewhere online.
Time will tell whether or not the few advantages shoot DVDs have will be enough to counteract the convenience and cost of a podcast but regardless; it’s a great time to be a curious pro wrestling fan.