Tights and Fights

This interview was originally published in February. Hal and Danielle are joined by former WWE Champion Ettore “Big E” Ewen. It’s been some time since we’ve seen him in a wrestling ring. But he’s stayed extremely busy: You can catch him on the Peacock series “Laid” and on Netflix’s “WWE RAW Classics.”Hosted by Hal Lublin and Danielle RadfordProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. Go to the Maximum Fun YouTube page for regular slices of the show.If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Hal, Danielle and Lindsey are shocked to see WWE’s partnership with ESPN manifest itself VERY early.Wrestlepalooza will air live at the end of September from Indianapolis. But there are a lot of issues revealing themselves in the modern WWE streaming portals– Lindsey will explain that no matter how much you’re paying for Netflix, you’re still dealing with ads.The Main Event:Hollywood reporter published a list of what they call the best wrestlers turned actors. That has inspired a LOT of opinions. What actually makes for a good transition? Is it acting ability? Range? Box office appeal? And who ACTUALLY has made the jump most effectively?The Three Count:Danielle put over Iyo x Rhea.Lindsey put over Roman acknowledging regional pronunciation.Hal put over Chelsea Green's Wrestlemania 2000 knowledge.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford and Lindsey Kelk.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. Go to the Maximum Fun YouTube page for regular slices of the show. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Hal and Danielle are joined by Denise Winkelman. A former wrestler and current comedian, she tells us about some of the stories about getting trained to be a “Mad Scientist" character. Plus, we’ll learn more about some of the big names she’s worked with as well as the… interesting financial advice she was given early on.Plus, did Naomi just deliver the greatest pregnancy announcement of all time?The Main Event:Becky Lynch is the current Intercontinental Champion. It is the latest step in her incredibly strong career that's taken her afterthought to the main event of WrestleMania and so much more.The Three Count:Danielle put over Becky Lynch wanting Nattie.Denise put over Cyrus' run in ECW.Hal put over Ethan Page x The Secret Hervice Canadian power.Hosted by Hal Lublin and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. Go to the Maximum Fun YouTube page for regular slices of the show. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Say it ain't so… Naomi was not medically cleared to perform last Monday Night on RAW. With the caveat that we don’t know the reasoning yet, we rampantly worry about what the future holds for her and the World Championship.Plus we’ve got some fun things to discuss about the current state of the World Heavyweight and WWE Championships as the scene for both titles continues to grow.Also, a breakdown on why socks are the least sexy clothing.The Main Event:Iyo Sky went from being a cut candidate under the previous WWE regime to being a multiple time world champion and big match wrestler.The Three Count:Danielle put over Latino Heat on GBA.Lindsey put over Josh Johnson x Wrestling x Taylor Swift.Hal put over Karrion Kross NOT working anyone.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It was the first ever two night Summerslam event in history. And it was marred in controversy for booking decisions and real-life implications:The most striking is that for the first time in recent memory, WWE publicly acknowledged Donald Trump on its show. The relationship between the company and some of its executives (including Paul Levesque) isn’t surprising– but there have been those who say this will affect their desire to watch WWE content going forward. We discuss.Plus, months after being named in the Janel Grant lawsuit, Brock Lesnar has returned to the company. The primary concern of those on this show is how safe the women within WWE feel that he was brought back so publicly.We’ll also take a look at the rest of the card which featured some absolutely great stories and some of the worst repeating patterns of the company.The Three Count:Danielle put over Linda McClown.Julian put over CM Punk fantastic four gear.Hal put over Seth Rollins breaking hearts.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

We had some major late-breaking news that necessitated coverage: the death of Hulk Hogan. Most outlets have focused on his status as a high profile figure of wrestling and pop culture. But for many, he’s remembered as a man whose racist opinions were recorded and published; in addition to being a liar who made false claims to support his own narrative. Danielle and producer Julian deliver some quick thoughts in the aftermath of his passing. Then, Lindsey, Hal and Danielle discuss why the build to Summerslam has felt so weak lately. Where has WWE come up short as it builds to the first ever two night version of its second biggest show of the year?The Main Event: wrestling comfort foodWhen we're inundated with wrestling events, sometimes it's good to take a step back and remember what made us fall in love with this crazy art in the first place. The Three Count:Danielle put over Unreal Worked Shoots.Lindsey put over Nia and Tiffy Barbies.Hal put over The downside of Worked Shoots.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Take a deep breath because with all of the wrestling from last weekend you have little time to rest before SummerSlam.After so many wrestling shows, we have so much to get through and unfortunately it’s not all good news: Adam Cole was pulled from AEW All In for an injury that was severe enough that he considered immediate retirement.And Seth Rollins has apparently hurt his knee again– thus upending WWE’s presumed plans for the next several months.We break down the implications there, plus some things that actually made us happy: Roman Reigns is back! And Evolution was an absolutely KILLER show, top to bottom.The Main Event: Evolution + Naomi’s Big WinSunday was a big day for Naomi and the World Championship. Jade Cargill and Naomi showed out in their Falls Count Anywhere match; Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley absolutely delivered in the main event before Naomi set the world on fire with her Money in the Bank cash-in. And now she’s the World Champion!The Three Count:Danielle put over getting ready for a Big Show.Lindsey put over the longest tenured WWE superstar of all time.Hal put over Becky mfin’ Lynch.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It’s an absolutely massive weekend of wrestling! Who can say if anyone will actually be able to watch it all?Danielle and Julian first tell Hal about their experience at AEW Dynamite 300, where they saw tons of matches and moments and tried not to block the aisle for picture time.Then the team will dive into the first crop of shows and how they plan to watch: NXT’s Great American Bash, AEW’s All In and Saturday Night’s Main Event.What matches are most notable? How will they deliver commentary on everything for this very podcast? The answers await here!The Main Event: WWE EvolutionAmid a crowded wrestling weekend, this is the show the team is most looking forward to: WWE Evolution! Just the second time ever the company has put on an all women’s event.The Three Count:Daniell put over Seattle’s own Big Dumper.Julian put over receipts on Dave Meltzer.Hal put over Season 2 of LFG.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Julian Burrell, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It’s the origin of our love story with AEW’s RJ City— recorded all the way back in 2019!This pre-dates his brief stint in WWE, his time with AEW and so much more; he was just a humble indie wrestling comedian making coffee in his underwear. RJ tells us all about what it’s like to be a triple threat in the world of entertainment, the cross-section of comedy and what he actually thinks would help wrestling go mainstream. Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Our beloved RJ City has finally returned to the podcast!He’s been an AEW broadcaster and personality for years now. He’ll tell us how the company has changed since his start. RJ will also explain how he and Toni Storm collaborated to create the “Timeless” character (hint: It was almost entirely here), the balance of freedom and structure that AEW has to straddle and why he thinks fans of the company could stand to be more critical of it. But since it’s RJ City, we naturally get side-tracked and discuss everything from 90s sitcoms to fashion choices.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Hal Lublin makes his triumphant return and finally gets the chance to share what’s been on his mind.Specifically, the state of the World Heavyweight Championship. Has WWE effectively capitalized on Jey Uso’s popularity? And is Gunther the right person to hold the World Title in Goldberg’s presumed retirement match?Plus, with King and Queen of the Ring well underway, we continue to advocate for Jade Cargill as our winner on the women’s side and wonder who would be the right choice for the men.The Main Event:Liv Morgan has really leveled up in the past year and a half. Now her momentum has been derailed by an untimely injury, but hopefully it's not enough to stop her from playing into WWE's plans this summer.The Three Count:Danielle put over Rhea Rhipley training Zelina Vega. Lindsey put over Kairi Sane's reaction to Liv's injury.Hal put over Cathy x Rhea Shipping.Hosted by Hal Lublin, Lindsey Kelk, and Danielle Radford.Produced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

What a complete emotional whiplash after last week! Money in the Bank was a fine PLE that delivered some great highlights; not the least of which is Naomi as the brand new Ms. Money in the Bank! Plus, R-Truth made his short-awaited return, and has redefined himself as Ron Killings. We geek out about some of these great developments and look ahead to who we think would be a great Queen and King of the Ring.The Three Count:Lindsey put over Jey's Journal.. Julian put over 2K18 playable at last.Danielle put over Naomi being a total pro.Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Julian BurrellProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It’s time for another big wrestling weekend! We give a full preview to Saturday’s “Worlds Collide” and Sunday’s “Money in the Bank” shows from WWE. But as we pick winners and what we expect to see… we can’t help but wonder if WWE has overplayed its hand and delivered TOO many shows. Main Event: R-Truth is no longer in WWER-Truth is no longer a WWE superstar. He's one of the most beloved members of the roster by both fans and his peers and was just part of a big match against John Cena. But it looks like this is the end for now as the company chose not to renew his contract. Maybe he was getting undersold on the money? We don’t really know for sure yet. The Three Count:Lindsey put over Stephen Fry x WWE. Hal put over AC/DCenaHosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Julian BurrellProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Saturday Night’s Main Event was the start of an incredibly busy wrestling Summer. There wasn’t much in terms of titles exchanging hands, but we did see the return of Bronson Reed for Seth Rollins’ unnamed stable.Plus Cody Rhodes is back! And he set up a Money in the Bank match with him and Jey Uso vs. John Cena and Logan Paul.Rerun: The Rock’s Entrance MusicIn 2017, we broke down all of The Rock’s entrance music over the course of his career so far; everything from Rocky Maiavia to his final time as WWE champion. We replay this segment and also add in our thoughts on the new Final Boss music.The Three Count:Julian put over Nattie’s birthday party.Danielle put over Bardcore wrestling.Lindsey put over Rhea in Stephanie’s places. Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Julian BurrellProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Our beloved Open Mike Eagle rejoins the Tights and Fights family!Of course Mike’s still busy watching a lot of wrestling. And because of that, he’s noticed a number of shortcomings in WWE, specifically in the main event scene. He’ll explain.Plus, he’ll tell us more about what he thinks is missing from the John Cena heel turn and why he’s so optimistic about Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman’s connection. The Main Event: Theme SongsIt seems like people are more dissatisfied with wrestling entrance music than they have been in years. We’ll explore why that is and listen to some of our favorite tracks of all time.The Three Count:Mike put over the art of selling.Danielle put over the Joe Hendry bit.Lindsey put over CM Punk getting sung to the ring. Hal put over Hamilton x Wrestling!Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Open Mike Eagle, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

Backlash is often regarded as the come-down show for WWE. There’s plenty to criticize; why is Gunther taking on Pat McAfee on his road back to the World Heavyweight Championship picture? And why is WWE intent on protecting Pat McAfee as an in-ring performer?Let’s not let that completely distract from the fun moments: Danielle gets to squee about Jeff Cobb fka Monster Matanza in her dearly departed Lucha Underground. And despite us being a little pessimistic going into it, John Cena vs. Randy Orton delivered a solid enough match for Randy’s hometown crowd to get behind. Plus, raise a glass to the RAW women’s division!The Three Count:Danielle put over RIP Sabu and his FUs .Julian put over Michin's suspect challenge. Hal put over a celebration of love.Hosted by Julian Burrell, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. 

Backlash weekend is upon us!Five matches doesn’t inherently make for a light card, but there it is a problem when one of those matches features Pat McAfee. Between that, the women’s tag title scene and maybe a few other things, there’s reason for pessimism in WWE.But there’s also a lot to enjoy– just take a look at Chelsea Green who hasn’t let her title loss diminish her character in any way. Hopefully that continues!The Main Event: Seth Rollins as a Paul Heyman guy.Seth Rollins is one of the longest tenured stars in WWE. And after years of playing second fiddle to the likes of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, he's got Bronn Breakker and Paul Heyman at his back to make him into the top guy.The Three Count:Danielle put over Dom-Dom hyping up the children.Julian put over Seth Rollins at the Met Gala. Hal put over Becky having jokes.Hosted by Julian Burrell, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

We’ve barely had time to breathe after WrestleMania but on we go to Backlash. There haven’t been many matches announced, but things look really solid so far: Becky Lynch will go after Lyra Valkyria’s Intercontinental Title and Drew McIntyre and LA Knight will go after Jacob Fatu’s U.S. Title. And speaking of the U.S. Title— let’s mourn Chelsea Green’s championship run and hope that Zelina Vega can effectively pick up the baton.The Main Event: A primer on wrestlingThis conversation will be all about introducing newcomers to the world of pro wrestling– all the basic questions that you've ever been afraid to ask will be covered here so that you can mark out with the rest of us the next time wrestling's on TV.For further lessons, check out episode 269.The Three Count:Danielle put over Dom-Dom being Dom-Dom.Lindsey put over Cody Rhodes fighting for his life. Hal put over Dom-Dom being Dom-Dom x2.Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

The biggest weekend in wrestling has come and gone; and all anyone wants to talk about is how disappointed they were by that main event between Cody Rhodes and John Cena. And sure there’s disappointment between that, The Rock’s absence, and the Travis Scott of it all, there still was a lot of good too.New champions were crowned and we even had a really strong Monday Night RAW that could mean this slog we went through is only temporary.The Three Count:Danielle put over Steiner MathLindsey put over Nina Marie living the dream. Hal put over Karrion Kross.Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.

It’s the biggest weekend in wrestling at last!And while we’d love to express our full joy at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, there’s no doubt that this build feels… a little weaker than the last few years. Maybe that’s due to the fact that the show is later on the calendar than usual; maybe it’s because WWE is focused on stars we’re less invested in. In any case, it will be a big show that will draw a lot of attention and will, hopefully, over deliver. The Three Count:Danielle put over the Great-EST mash upLindsey put over wrestling treatsHal put over Becoming a Spectacle.Hosted by Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, and Hal LublinProduced by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun. The music for our new promo is provided by Incompetech.comIf you want to talk about more wrestling throughout the week be sure to join us on BlueSky, TikTok and Instagram. If you liked the show, please share it with your friends and be sure to leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts.