When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture by DragonKingKarl artwork

Wrestling · When It Was Cool

When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture by DragonKingKarl

by When It Was Cool

For all shows including our archived content visit our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/wiwcool Pro wrestling history. WWE, WCW, NWA, AEW, NXT, NJPW, TNA, Impact, ROH, AWA, ECW, and the pioneer era of pro wrestling. Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) is a pro wrestling historian who has produced the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show for 20 years at Wrestling Observer. This is the free version of some of the pro wrestling podcasts we produce at When It Was Cool. There is much more available to Patreon supporters. Enjoy these free shows for a deep dive into pro wrestling history and retro pop culture. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Frank Gotch, William Muldoon, Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Strangler Lewis, Farmer Burns, Bob Armstrong, Ron Fuller, Jerry Lawler, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Andre the Giant, Dusty Rhodes, and hundreds more are discussed. This feed now also features selected retro pop culture reviews from our Patreon website. Karl Stern: Professional Wrestling Historian: Author of DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

The Mummy's Ghost (1944) Retro Movie Review

Today we are going back to 1944 and revisiting one of the later Universal monster movies — The Mummy's Ghost, starring Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Ramsay Ames, and a

Oct 22
22 min

Long Form History of Pro Wrestling - November 1986 - NWA Starrcade, WWF TV, UWF and More

My Long Form History of Pro Wrestling Series here on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Podcast continues this week and is taken from the pages of my latest book Dragon

Oct 20
51 min

1000 Hours Podcast - The Life and Times of Ernest Roeber

Ernest Roeber was the protege and friend of William Muldoon and continued his Greco-Roman legacy into the 1900s. He was a star in the early days of New York City's Madiso

Oct 18
44 min

February 2, 1987 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Review

From the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer, pro wrestling historian Karl Stern takes a look at the February 2, 1987, issue which includes stories

Oct 13
47 min

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2011

Episode 2011 (October 12, 2026) Last episode it was sitcom families, this time around Joseph and Mike discuss non-sitcom families like the Cartrights from Bonanza, the

Oct 12
1 h 14 min

The First Wrestling Observer Newsletter of 1987

Today the DragonKingKarl Show hosted by pro wrestling historian Karl Stern is available exclusively only at When It Was Cool (I am running Wrestling With the Dawg Episode

Oct 6
53 min

1000 Hours Podcast - The Death of William Muldoon

Today is an interesting topic for me personally. The death of pioneer pro wrestling legend William Muldoon fell outside the scope of my groundbreaking book DragonKingKarl

Oct 4
52 min

SPECIAL - Wrestling With the Dawg Podcast - EPISODE 500! The Montreal Screwjob - WWF Survivor Series 1997

For the 500th episode of Wrestling With the Dawg Broadcast at FlairFlop.com, the Three Faces of Fear unite to debate and discuss the MONTREAL SCREWJOB from WWF Survivor S

Oct 2
1 h 13 min

NWA Starrcade 1983 from the Pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Today I discuss the December 8, 1986, issue of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter which covers NWA Starrcade 1986, the show where Magnum TA should have won the

Sep 29
50 min

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2010

Episode 2010 (September 28, 2026) It's time to travel back and visit some sitcom families from the 80s, 70s, and earlier. The Bradys, the Bunkers, the Bundys and even s

Sep 28
1 h 09 min

DragonKingKarl Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - October 1986 - The Magnum TA Tragic Car Accident

Today we crank up the time machine and travel back to the fall of 1986 and cover October from my latest book DragonKingKarl's 1986-1987 Pro Wrestling Omnibus and discuss

Sep 22
55 min

The Retirement of William Muldoon - 1000 Hours

Karl Stern: Professional Wrestling Historian: Author of DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus takes a deep dive into the retirement of the most famous pro wr

Sep 21
52 min

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Review (11-03-1986) Magnum TA Accident Podcast

Today I look back at the November 3, 1986, issue of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter which first reported details from the career ending car accident of Magnu

Sep 15
47 min

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2009

Episode 2009 (September 14, 2026) School was back in session last episode so it's only natural that Mike and Joseph cover after school TV watching this time out.  Ultra

Sep 14
1 h 10 min

True Crime: Mr. Wrestling II Part 1

Aaron Gartlan presents SECW Action News Podcast. Over the few weeks pro wrestling historian and author Karl Stern will be posting a 3 part series about the little known a

Sep 9
49 min

True Crime: The Blackjack Mulligan and Kendall Windham Case

Blackjack Mulligan was a major pro wrestling star in the 1970s into the 1980s and his sons Barry and Kendall Windham also joined him as wrestlers. Married into the family

Sep 8
44 min

True Crime - Ricky Morton vs Tracey Smothers

Aaron Gartlan presents SECW Action News Podcast, and this week pro wrestling historian and author Karl Stern takes a look at a crime that took place years after SECW and

Sep 2
49 min

The History of the NWA World Heavyweight Title - The Indy Era

Free week 2026 is here! It only happens once a year but this week, all the shows we release are free! This episode concludes my series on the history of the National Wres

Sep 1
30 min

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2008

Grab your #2 pencils, your Trapper Keeper and head out to the bus stop because it's time to go back to school!  Join Joseph and Mike in homeroom for our trip back to the

Aug 31
1 h 05 min

Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - September 1986 (Chris Adams, New WWF TV Shows, More!)

Today we travel back in time to September 1986. Taken from my latest book, DragonKingKarl's 1986-1987 Pro Wrestling Omnibus available at Amazon we look at the outcome of

Aug 25
54 min

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