When It Was Cool Wrestling and Retro Pop Culture by DragonKingKarl

The New NWA that Never Was

Today pro wrestling historian and author Karl Stern takes a look back at the February 7, 1987, issue of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter which covers the litt

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2013

Rip open those newspapers to the funny pages and dive back into the worlds of The Peanuts, The Wizard of Id, Beatle Bailey, Mary Worth (?!?) and Dondi the little WW2 orph

Annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Ballot Show!

Today is one of my most popular shows of the year where I run through the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballot. It is no secret that Dave Meltzer and I have

2026 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Ballot (Patreon Edition)

Today is one of my most popular shows of the year where I run through the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballot. It is no secret that Dave Meltzer and I have

1000 Hours Podcast - The Life and Times of John McMahon (Part 1 - The Early Years)

On this edition of the 1000 Hours Podcast by pro wrestling historian and author of DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus book available from Amazon, Karl Ste

Revenge of DragonKing Dark - Cryptids

Rising from the grave like Zoomvie or humvee or whatever Marvel Comics had to call Zombies back in 1970s, I have resurrected DragonKing Dark for this week only to celebra

Uphill Both Ways Podcast - 2012

It's that time of year, boys and ghouls! Halloween! Long time listeners will know that Mike and Joseph love Halloween so it's only natural that this time of year they tal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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