Wrestling With Optimism
Latest Episodes
#25 - 2013 Year In Review Roundtable!
Brad and Grant assemble a cross-section of their contemporaries for a year in review roundtable discussion. What organization featured the best wrestling in the world in 2013? What was the best TV show? And where the heck did the powers that be go wrong o
#24: Remembering the Original Starrcades - Thanksgiving Edition!
Brad & Grant reminisce during Thanksgiving week about the first five Starrcades. They compare Starrcades '83-'85 to WrestleManias 1, 2 and 3 and talk about how Starrcade was both similar and different to WrestleMania. The guys also chat about the effects
#23: Our favorite Survivor Series memories! Part 3: 2000-2012
Despite the traditional elimination matches not being the main drawn of the show or getting as much time as they used to, there are still some hidden gems in the modern era of Survivor Series. Brad & Grant weigh on Survivor Series events from 2000-2012 an
#22: Our favorite Survivor Series memories! Part 2: 1990-1999
Grant & Brad continue their fantastic voyage through the history of Survivor Series in part 2, discussing 1990-1999. The guys talk about a decade's worth of traditional elimination matches and how in this era they began to lose their luster. They also tou
#21: Our favorite Survivor Series memories! Part 1: 1987-1989
Brad and Grant discuss the first three installments of their favorite pay-per-view event, Survivor Series. They talk at length about how the novelty of seeing major stars together in a group photo, much less a match, is virtually lost in the modern era as
#20: The Halloween Episode: Havoc, tasers, visual presentation, & the ECW tribute match!
It's a special Halloween edition of #WrestlingWithOptimism as Brad and Grant discuss famous Halloween moments with Halloween Havoc, the most important moment in wrestling's Halloween history, tasers, visual presentation in wrestling, and our own Halloween
#19: The History Book, Recapping the CWF Rumble, & the returns of Cena…and Hogan?
On this edition of TheHistoryofWWE.com's #WrestlingWithOptimism, Brad & Grant discuss the brand new "History of Professional Wrestling" book, they recap the CWF Mid-Atlantic Rumble, and discuss the abrupt return of John Cena, the potential return of Hulk
#18: Interview with WWE Encylopedia Author Brian Shields
On this episode of TheHistoryofWWE.com's Wrestling With Optimism, Brad interviews WWE Encyclopedia Author Brian Shields!
#17: The Do’s & Don’ts of Production in Wrestling
On this week's #WrestlingWithOptimism, Brad and Grant discuss the do's and don'ts of production in professional wrestling. From interaction with your audience to entrance music to timing and pacing, they discuss everything a worker should know about his s
#16: The current state of WWE…and gimmicks from 1996
Brad and Grant return from summer vacation to talk about the current state of the WWE including the fallout from Money in the Bank, was SummerSlam the best ever, their thoughts on Triple H, what exactly IS the #2 show of the year now, all of the recent ba