10 Bell Pod

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nickohlessa, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning dig into the life, career, and tragic end of Mike Awesome.From his rise as a foundational monster in Japan’s FMW, where his size, speed, and brutality made him a legend, to his turbulent runs through ECW, WCW, WWE, we talk about how timing, injuries, politics, and bad creative repeatedly undercut a generational talent. It’s a full scope look at a wrestler who redefined what a “big man” could be, helped reshape modern wrestling’s pace and spectacle, and whose story ends with a sobering reminder about mental health, CTE, and the quiet struggles even the strongest people carry.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESMike Awesome: Timing, Violence, and the Cost of Being Built for the Wrong SystemFramingThis episode exists to explain Mike Awesome as more than a highlight reel or a cautionary tale. From the Florida indie grind to FMW superstardom, to ECW chaos to WCW and WWE misfires, the episode treats Awesome as a wrestler whose body and instincts were perfectly suited for one ecosystem and fundamentally incompatible with the others. It’s a story about timing, labor, and what happens when an industry can’t translate excellence across borders.Core TakeawaysJapan made Mike Awesome a legend: His FMW run as The Gladiator wasn’t a side chapter. It was the peak of his career, built on trust, pay, and a style that rewarded risk.Highlight reels hid the cost: Awesome thrived in clips and car-crash matches, but the same fearlessness that made him spectacular accelerated injuries, heat, and long term damage.American systems failed to adapt him: ECW, WCW, and WWE all wanted the spectacle without the infrastructure, protection, or commitment that made him work in Japan.Money promises broke careers: ECW’s contracts and WCW’s chaotic politics turned momentum into resentment, pushing Awesome into survival mode instead of stability.Violence without a safety net ends badly: Years of deathmatches, untreated mental health issues, and career instability formed a pressure cooker with no release valve.What Usually Gets MissedMike Awesome didn’t “fail” in the U.S., the American wrestling system failed to understand what kind of worker he actually was.This episode frames Mike Awesome as a generational outlier: a big man ahead of his time, trapped between promotions that wanted his body but never learned how to protect his future.

On this episode of  10 Bell Pod, Nick, Tyler, and The Man Scout Jake Manning take a rare deep dive into the life and career of Nicole Bass.Nicole was a bodybuilder, actor, Howard Stern regular, and one of the most physically imposing figures to ever step into a wrestling ring.We discuss her elite bodybuilding career, mainstream fame, and chaotic run through ECW & the WWF at the height of the Attitude Era.It’s a look at missed potential, industry failure, media spectacle, and the complicated reality of a woman who briefly broke wrestling’s mold.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠Discord: https://discord.gg/64GdAqEGEPISODE NOTESNicole Bass: Strength, Spectacle, and the Cost of Being EarlyFramingThis episode exists to explain why Nicole Bass is remembered far more than her in ring résumé should allow. Using her life as a case study, we look at what happens when elite athleticism collides with late-90s wrestling culture, shock radio, and an industry that didn’t yet know what to do with women who didn’t fit the mold. This isn’t a nostalgia trip or a hit piece. It’s about timing, labor, exploitation, and how spectacle often replaces development.Core TakeawaysElite athlete, wrong system: Bass was a legitimately world-class bodybuilder, but entered pro wrestling at a time when training was minimal, women’s wrestling was an afterthought, and “monster” roles replaced long-term development.Visibility without protection: Howard Stern gave Bass massive exposure, but that visibility came without structural support, setting a pattern that followed her into wrestling.Wrestling’s 90s shortcut culture: She was thrown into ECW, WWF, and even WrestleMania-level spots before the industry had modern developmental pipelines, especially for women.The Chyna match that never happened: Wrestling routinely books “big man vs big man,” yet balked at giving Bass a meaningful counterpart, opting instead for novelty and humiliation angles.Labor without leverage: Her WWE tenure ends not with a creative reset, but a lawsuit, highlighting how little power performers had when crossing management or locker room norms.What Usually Gets MissedNicole Bass wasn’t a failed wrestler. She was an elite athlete who arrived too early, in an industry more interested in using her than building her.If this episode does its job, you don’t walk away thinking “what a sideshow,” but instead wondering how many careers wrestling burned through before it figured itself out.

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod Nick, Tyler, and The Man Scout Jake Manning unpack the strange, messy, and oddly endearing career of Wrestling Superstar Virgil. We discuss everything from Virgil's bodybuilding start to his early territory days to becoming the Million Dollar Man’s long suffering bodyguard, a surprise mega babyface, a nWo foot soldier, and eventually a late career internet folk hero.We will dig into the contradictions, the kayfabe mysteries, the highs, the long stretches of “what now?”, and why Virgil somehow became more memorable after wrestling than during it. It’s a funny, affectionate, and honest look at a guy who spent decades orbiting wrestling’s biggest stars, hustled his way into cult status, and left behind a legacy that’s impossible to neatly categorize.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESThis episode exists to explain why Virgil’s career makes more sense when viewed as labor history instead of a punchline. Rather than treating him as a meme or a cautionary tale, the episode tracks how wrestling’s economic structure, naming politics, and carny incentives shaped a career defined less by wins and losses than by proximity to power. Virgil isn’t the story of a star who failed. He’s the story of a worker who stayed employed by any means necessary.Core TakeawaysProximity over push: Virgil’s real value wasn’t championships, but placement. He was consistently positioned next to top money acts, which kept him visible even when creative stalled.The servant gimmick wasn’t accidental: Pairing Virgil with Ted DiBiase wasn’t subtle symbolism or long term storytelling. It was heat first booking rooted in 1980s wrestling’s comfort with racial and class caricature.The pop that didn’t pay off: Virgil’s 1991 babyface turn produced one of the biggest crowd reactions of the era, but the company lacked either the patience or belief to convert that moment into sustained elevation.From employee to independent operator: Post WWF and WCW, Virgil leaned fully into wrestling’s gray economy: signings, merch tables, and self-promotion while treating notoriety as inventory.The meme era misunderstood the man: “Lonely Virgil” reads differently when you understand that showing up uninvited was less delusion than survival.What Usually Gets MissedVirgil wasn’t confused about who he was in wrestling.Fans were confused about how the business actually works.This episode isn’t about laughing at Virgil. It’s about recognizing him as a clear-eyed participant in a system that rewards persistence more than dignity.

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nick, Tyler and The Man Scout Jake Manning take on one of the most accomplished figures to ever wander into professional wrestling: Steve “Mongo” McMichael. The NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion, and Chicago Bears icon, made his way into the Four Horsemen with his blinding charisma. We trace his jump from football superstardom to WCW commentary and how he became an unforgettable part of WCW’s wildest years. Steve McMichael’s wrestling career was exactly what it needed to be: loud, messy, fun, and impossible to ignore.DONATE:https://www.als.org/stories-news/media/our-impactIMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESSteve McMichael: Mongo, Toughness, and the Value of BelongingThis episode exists to reframe Steve “Mongo” McMichael not as a wrestling punchline, but as a case study in toughness, transition, and why locker rooms matter more than star ratings. Using Mongo’s path from the 1985 Bears to WCW commentary and the Four Horsemen, the episode looks at how pro wrestling absorbs outsiders, what it rewards, and what it forgives. This isn’t about pretending Mongo was a great technical wrestler. It’s about understanding why he mattered anyway.Core TakeawaysElite toughness travels, skills don’t always: Mongo’s football career places him among all time greats, but wrestling exposed how sport-specific conditioning and repetition really are.WCW valued presence over polish: As a commentator and later a wrestler, Mongo worked because he sounded real, looked legitimate, and reacted like a fan who believed.The Four Horsemen as credibility machine: Mongo’s induction worked not because he was perfect, but because the Horsemen historically legitimize tough, flawed, real guys.Character beats execution: His offense was limited, but his personality, promos, and physicality often outweighed clean mechanics.Wrestling as replacement family: For retired athletes, wrestling’s real value isn’t championships. It’s locker rooms, travel, and shared purpose.What Usually Gets MissedSteve McMichael wasn’t trying to become a great wrestler, he was trying to stay part of something, and wrestling gave him that when football was gone.This episode argues that Mongo’s legacy makes more sense when you stop asking “was he good?” and start asking “why did he belong?”, because he did.

On the Season 5 premiere of 10 Bell Pod, Nick, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning dive into the life, career, and legacy of Windham Rotunda, better known as Bray Wyatt. From his deep wrestling lineage and early struggles in developmental, through the creation of one of the most daring and original characters wrestling has ever seen.We recall how Bray consistently pushed the art form forward while fighting against the limits of the system around him.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESBray Wyatt: Art, Control, and the Cost of Not Pulling the TriggerFramingThis episode isn’t a tribute reel or a highlight package. It’s an attempt to explain why Bray Wyatt mattered, why he frustrated people who loved him, and why his career feels unfinished even though the body of work is enormous. Using his full arc, from Husky Harris to cult leader, from The Fiend to cinematic experimentation, this episode treats Bray as a performance artist working inside a system that never fully trusted him. It’s about creativity colliding with corporate fear.Core TakeawaysBray Wyatt wasn’t misused, he was interrupted: WWE repeatedly stopped his momentum at the exact moment it required faith, not course correction.Character over mechanics: Bray proved that wrestling doesn’t require technical perfection if the character logic is airtight and emotionally grounded.WWE’s core flaw on display: The company repeatedly prioritized short term brand safety over long term myth making, even when the audience was clearly ahead of them.The Fiend as modern wrestling art: Firefly Funhouse and The Fiend worked because they acknowledged wrestling as media, memory, and trauma, not just matches.Loss as legacy: Bray’s influence is clearer in the wrestlers and creators he inspired than in the titles he held.What Usually Gets MissedBray Wyatt’s story isn’t about spooky gimmicks, it’s about a system that could showcase imagination but couldn’t live with its consequences.This show frames Bray not as a “what if,” but as proof that wrestling’s biggest limitation is rarely talent.

On today's episode we wrap up season 4 and our coverage of the great Macho Man Randy Savage. This episode is all about the NWO, rap beefs and legacy. Come discuss the episode: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/KYHxh8ezb6⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On today's episode we wrap up Macho Man's time in WWF and start his run in WCW. It's all about snake bites, Steph rumors and Yetis.  On today's episode, and Macho Man part 2, we're going through some of the best stuff pro wrestling has to offer. We'll discuss Savage vs Steamboat, The Mega Powers and Wrestlemania 7. Come discuss the episode: ⁠https://discord.gg/KYHxh8ezb6⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On today's episode, and Macho Man part 2, we're going through some of the best stuff pro wrestling has to offer. We'll discuss Savage vs Steamboat, The Mega Powers and Wrestlemania 7. Come discuss the episode: https://discord.gg/KYHxh8ezb6 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On today's episode we start our series on season 4 headliner Macho Man Randy Savage. We'll discuss Angelo Poffo, Randy's early career and the war between ICW and Memphis. Come discuss the episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠

On today's episode we discuss the very underrated Butch Reed. We'll get into his time as a territory star, his short run with WWF and da da da da da DOOM! Come discuss the episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nickohlessa, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning break down the full, chaotic story of The Public Enemy: Rocco Rock and Johnny GrungeWe discuss this table carrying, crowd igniting tag team that helped define ECW’s identity in the 1990s. From their roots as Cheetah Kid and enhancement talent grinders, to becoming the heartbeat of early ECW hardcore chaos, and then struggling through awkward WCW and WWF runs, this episode looks at how fast they rose, why the magic didn’t always translate elsewhere.We also define why their impact still echoes through modern wrestling. It’s a funny, tragic, and overdue appreciation of a team you can’t tell ECW’s story without.Also, Nah, na-na-na-nah, Na-na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, Na-na-na-nah, Nah, na-na-na-nah, Na-na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, Na-na-na-nahIMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESPublic Enemy: Chaos, Credibility, and Why the System Rejected ThemThis episode repositions Public Enemy not as ECW crash-TV novelties, but as a tag team that broke the unspoken rules of how wrestling was supposed to look, sound, and function in the mid-90s. Tracing Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge from the Northeast indies through ECW superstardom and into hostile runs in WCW and WWF, the episode treats Public Enemy as a stress test for wrestling systems unequipped to handle real chaos.They were over before they were polished. Public Enemy connected instantly with ECW crowds through energy, danger, and attitude, not traditional structure.They exposed promotional values. ECW embraced their chaos; WCW and WWF revealed their rigidity by trying to punish, flatten, or ridicule them.The style was the product. Tables, brawling, and crowd immersion weren’t shortcuts. That was the act.The backlash was institutional. They weren’t rejected for being unsafe, but for breaking hierarchy and ignoring how respect was “supposed” to be earned.Coming out of the Northeast indie scene, Public Enemy thrived in environments where proximity, hostility, and unpredictability were features, not bugs. In ECW, Paul Heyman recognized that their value wasn’t precision, but controlled mayhem.They weren’t technicians. They were a bookable riot, and the reactions proved it.A key correction in the episode is dismantling the idea that Public Enemy lacked skill. They could sell chaos, structure brawls, time disorder, and protect each other in violent settings.What they didn’t do was wrestle politely, a distinction that mattered deeply to locker rooms that confused tradition with professionalism.Their WCW run is presented as a textbook case of institutional rejection. They were placed in deliberately hostile matches, most notably against The Nasty Boys, meant to embarrass and punish them.Instead, those segments exposed WCW’s dysfunction more than Public Enemy’s limits. This isn’t framed as gossip, but as a cultural clash: a company claiming to want edge recoiling the moment it lost control of it.WWF didn’t punish Public Enemy physically. It erased them creatively.No ECW contextNo environment for their styleNo interest in adaptationThe episode argues this was worse than WCW’s hostility. They didn’t fail. They were never allowed to exist.Public Enemy’s influence is clearer in hindsight. They helped normalize hardcore tag wrestling, crowd first energy, and chaos as spectacle rather than accident. Modern wrestling borrows heavily from their DNA, often without acknowledgment.They didn’t ask permission.And wrestling never quite forgave them for it.

On today's episode we tell the EPIC OF MANTAUR.We'll get into Mike Halac's time in Germany as Bruiser Mastino, his time in the Truth Commission, and of course his run as THE MIGHTY MANTAUR.  Come discuss the episode: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nickohlessa, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning investigate the death of kayfabe. Framed like a true crime autopsy, this episode traces more than a century of moments where wrestling’s illusion cracked, leaked, or was outright bludgeoned.From early exposés and tax dodges to televised betrayals, corporate self-interest, and modern meta-nonsense. It’s a chaotic, funny, and brutally honest conversation about when fans first realized wrestling wasn’t “real,” and why that realization never actually mattered.The the magic of pro wrestling has always survived not through lies, but through storytelling, performance, and our willingness to care anyway.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESKayfabe Is Dead, and It’s Been Dying for a CenturyFramingThis episode isn’t about “exposing” wrestling. It’s about tracing how kayfabe actually lived, mutated, broke, survived, and finally became something else entirely. Using personal stories, territorial history, media exposés, and modern booking habits, the episode argues that kayfabe didn’t die because fans got smarter. It died because the business slowly stopped caring about storytelling, patience, and consequence.Core TakeawaysKayfabe was never as fragile as people claim: Fans have known wrestling was worked for nearly 100 years. What mattered wasn’t belief, but willingness to play along.The real damage came from inside the business: Promoters, exposés, lawsuits, tax avoidance, and ego-driven power plays hurt kayfabe far more than fans or the internet ever did.Spectacle vs believability is an eternal tradeoff: Punches, dives, monsters, zombies, and celebrities all made wrestling bigger while quietly making realism harder to defend.Modern wrestling didn’t kill kayfabe, it replaced it: Handshakes, dream matches, and frictionless booking removed the emotional tension that once made stories feel dangerous.The last magic lives in commitment: Kayfabe now survives only when performers commit to characters, consequences, and discomfort, on purpose.What Usually Gets MissedKayfabe didn’t die because wrestling is “fake”, it died because too many people stopped wanting to tell stories that take time, risk, and patience.This episode moves from locker room absurdity, including a legendary indie story involving Bobby Fulton, through the Gold Dust Trio, media exposés, the Curtain Call, and modern booking philosophy, landing on a simple conclusion: fans never needed wrestling to be real, they just needed it to care.

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod Nick, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning tell the full story of Shad Gaspard.He was a fighter, wrestler, actor, writer, and real life hero. From a rough Brooklyn upbringing and legit combat sports background to WWE’s Cryme Tyme era, indie runs, Hollywood work, and a reputation as one of the toughest and most respected men in the business, we look at a career shaped by talent, charisma, and a system that never fully knew what to do with him. It’s an honest conversation about stereotypes, missed ceilings, creative control, and who Shad really was beyond the gimmicks, culminating in the tragic and heroic final act that defined his legacy forever.Come discuss the episodes:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠EPISODE NOTESShad Gaspard: Cryme Tyme, Constraint, and What Real Toughness Looks LikeThis episode exists to explain Shad Gaspard beyond the two lazy frames he’s usually given: “problematic gimmick” or “tragic ending.” Using his full arc, from Brooklyn kid to legit fighter, from Cryme Tyme’s missed ceiling to a post WWE life that was just getting started, the episode treats Shad as a case study in how wrestling limits people who don’t fit clean archetypes. It’s about talent meeting a system that confuses control with creativity, and toughness with obedience.Core TakeawaysCryme Tyme was a success the system didn’t know how to reward: Shad and JTG took a tone-deaf gimmick, wrestled control away from the writers, and got themselves over anyway, exposing WWE’s inability to capitalize once something works without permission.Legitimacy without fear: Shad’s real world toughness gave him leverage most wrestlers don’t have. He wasn’t scared of Vince, didn’t need to posture, and that quietly disrupted power dynamics backstage.Over without elevation: Cryme Tyme consistently drew reactions, moved merch, and worked with top acts, yet were denied titles or long-term investment because the company didn’t believe they needed rewards to stay over.Monopoly punishment: Their firing wasn’t about performance. It was about discipline. In a one-company ecosystem, talent could be “taught a lesson” with no safety net.A life bigger than wrestling: Post WWE, Shad pivoted toward acting, writing, and stunt work, showing how much untapped runway he still had when wrestling stopped giving him one.What Usually Gets MissedShad Gaspard wasn’t a “what if” because of talent, he was a “what if” because the system never knew what to do with someone that solid, that fearless, and that human.This episode isn’t about mourning a wrestler. It’s about understanding an actual hero. A real life good guy.

On today's episode we discuss another strong branch of the Anoaʻi family tree, Rosey. We'll get into his time in Japan, 3 Minute Warning and of course his superhero tag team with The Hurricane.  Man Scout also shares the exact moment pro wrestling died for him. So, that's kinda cool. Come discuss the episodes: ⁠Instagram.com/10BellPod ⁠ Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠ Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees: ⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html

From capturing the erymanthian boar to battling a guy stuffed like pig, on today's episode we tell you the epic tale of the Mighty Hercules. We'll discuss his immortal father leaving him to meager humans, his adventures on the territories to prove himself a hero, and the quest to conquer Titian. Come talk about the episodes: ⁠Instagram.com/10BellPod ⁠ Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠ Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees ⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html

On today's episode we're discussing THE HUMAN WRECKING MACHINE ZEUS.We will get into Tom Lister Jr's shot put career, various acting roles, forays into pro wrestling and of course NOOOOO HOOOLLDSSS BAAARRREEDDDDDD. Come discuss the episodes: Instagram.com/10BellPod Discord: https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod Pro Wrestling Tees https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html

On today's episode we're discussing one of the most important wrestlers of all time, Gorgeous George. We talk about his early days as George Wagner, his climb to the top as arguably the industry's greatest heel ever and his devastating downfall.George was an A-list celebrity, a cultural icon and possibly pro wrestling's first great tragedy.  Come discuss the episode: ⁠https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu⁠ ⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠ Pro Wrestling Tees Store: ⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠

It's October 12th 2023, and you know what that means... We're starting season 4 with the great Brodie Lee. We talk about his love for pro wrestling, journey through the Indies, finding a home in Chikara, his WWE run and his time with AEW. Come discuss the episode: https://discord.gg/H45nvTMu https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod Pro Wrestling Tees Store: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html

On this episode of 10 Bell Pod, Nick, Tyler Wood, and The Man Scout Jake Manning close out Season 3 by dissecting the most chaotic, controversial stretch of Scott Hall’s WCW run, and, by extension, the moment WCW began eating itself alive.From the Goldberg streak, the Georgia Dome Nitro, and the Fingerpoke of Doom to the infamous “drunk angle,” backstage politics, AOL–Time Warner corporate rot, and the slow collapse of creative control, the crew separates bad ideas from bad timing and cruelty from storytelling. It’s a raw, funny, and unflinching autopsy of late-era WCW, Scott Hall’s demons being weaponized on screen, and how one of wrestling’s smartest minds got caught in a system that no longer knew how to save itself, or him.IMPORTANT LINKS:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/10bellpod⁠⁠⁠Reddit: ⁠⁠https://www.reddit.com/r/10BellPod⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/10BellPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ProWrestling Tees: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/related/10bellpod.html⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal Donation - ⁠⁠9BHDW7Y2KMBTY⁠⁠Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/64GdAqEG⁠EPISODE NOTESScott Hall (Part 3): Collapse, Exploitation, and the Myth of Creative FreedomThis episode exists to explain Scott Hall’s late-WCW and post-WCW years without turning them into either a morality play or nostalgia sludge.Using the collapse of WCW as the backdrop, the episode looks at how addiction, backstage politics, corporate interference, and “reality” storytelling combined to eat one of the smartest performers of his generation. This isn’t about bad decisions in isolation. It’s about what happens when a failing system decides to monetize a man’s real problems instead of fixing anything.Core TakeawaysWCW confused chaos for creativity: Angles like the Georgia Dome Nitro, the Fingerpoke of Doom, and the Scott Hall “drunk” storyline weren’t bold risks. They were symptoms of a company with no plan after the pop.Reality angles became a dead end: Using Hall’s real addiction issues on television created heat without resolution, exploiting authenticity while offering no structural support.Creative freedom without guardrails is a lie: Hall had leverage, money, and screen time, but no one was empowered to stop the spiral once it became “content.”Corporate takeover finished the job: AOL–Time Warner didn’t kill WCW creatively, but it removed any tolerance for wrestling logic, accelerating the collapse.Hall’s post-WCW arc proves the talent never left: Japan, selective U.S. runs, and later recovery show that the worker was still there long after the system failed him.