Tag Archives: John McAdam

Episode 186: The Best and Worst of 1981

STICK TO WRESTLING is once again joined by Jeff Bowdren, and we talk about the Best of Wrestling in 1981!

–Who was Wrestler of the Year?

–What was the Best Feud of 1981?

–Who was Best on Interviews?

–Which was the Best Promotion?

–Who was 1981’s Best Babyface and Best Heel?

–What was 1981’s Best Match? I

t’s a special New Year’s Eve edition of the STICK TO WRESTLING podcast, the final edition of 2021, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 185: You Guys Are Totally Embarrassing Me

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by popular guest Jeff Bowdren as we discuss the 1981 Year End Awards from Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We discuss the Most Embarrassing. Most Popular, Best Babyface, Best Heel, Biggest Shock, Worst Feuds, and more to commemorate the Year of 1981.

Plus Johnny and Jeff talk about the top SONGS of 1981, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 184: Was That Too Short?

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING we talk about WWF championship runs in the 80’s, discussing both the World and the Intercontinental titles. We have conversations on Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Bob Backlund, Ultimate Warrior, HonkyTonk Man, Pedro Morales, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Magnificent Muraco, and more.

Plus there’s free bonus content where we preview the upcoming College Football Bowl Games and Playoff, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 183: Swimming Caps and Siberian Salt

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is once again joined by popular guest Lou Kipilman as we discuss Ivan Koloff and his career in yearly results. The conversation includes:

–In 1976 Ivan Koloff was in the main event of a tag team match at the Boston Garden. This would be the last time a tag match was the main event in Boston until 1984.

–Koloff puts over Iron Mike Sharpe at the New Orleans Superdome in 1979.

–“The Russian Nightmare” was one reason Ricky Steamboat left the Mid-Atlantic territory in early 1985. We tell you the backstory.

–Ivan Koloff and Don Kernodle winning the NWA tag team titles in 1984, despite Kernodle being a bottom of the card guy in the WWF in 1983. –

-The emergence of Nikita Koloff and how it affected Ivan’s career.

–Ivan Koloff once again main eventing the Boston Garden…in 1988?

Plus we talk about the Pee Wee Herman story from thirty years ago, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 182: Brad’s Grandma

On this week’s STICK TO WRESTLING popular guest Brad Breitzman makes his return! Brad grew up watching the AWA and attending their events, so why not take questions from our listeners on the old American Wrestling Association? We talk about:

–Fantasy time! What if Verne Gagne, somehow, was able to retain Hulk Hogan’s services instead of Hogan jumping to the WWF?

–How should the AWA have booked Rick Martel as their champion?

–What was the best AWA match we’ve ever seen? —After Stan Hansen abruptly left the promotion, who was the best choice for the AWA to have as their champion?

–Are the High Flyers tag team of Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell underrated? Overrated? Rated correctly?

–When the AWA aired on ESPN, the network was not the monolith it is today. But could the AWA have better used the exposure they got from them?

Plus there are “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” references and we have bonus content where we talk about David Bowie, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 181: Finishing Third

On this week’s STICK TO WRESTLING popular gust Barry Rose makes his return! For the past two weeks Steve Crawford and Johnny Mac have discussed Starrcade ’86, but what else was going on Thanksgiving Night, 1986? We talk about what World Class, the AWA, the UWF, and the WWF were doing that evening.

–The sum was greater than the parts: Buddy Rose, Doug Somers, and Sherri Martel weren’t much on their own in 1986, but it was a different ballgame when they were put together.

–Why couldn’t Vince McMahon just give his guys Thanksgiving Night off to spend with their families instead of keeping them on the road to appear on meaningless house shows in Dayton and Springfield?

–World Class draws 6,000 to Reunion Arena on Thanksgiving Night…somehow.

–Nick Bockwinkel vs Larry Zybysko in the main event, again?

–Michael Hayes was in his prime and in the Superdome main event for Bill Watts’ UWF.

–Why wasn’t there a major Hulk Hogan vs One Man Gang feud in 1987?

Plus there’s FREE BONUS CONTENT where Barry and Johnny Mac discuss their favorite Twilight Zone episodes, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 180: The Greatest Heel Turn Ever

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by popular guest host Steve Crawford as we present Part Two of our conversation on Starrcade ’86, which happened 35 years ago this month. We discuss:

–The Midnight Express vs The Road Warriors Scaffold Match, a bout that wasn’t just dangerous, it was reckless. No one should have ever been asked to participate in one of these.(Did they do another one the next year? Of course they did).

–This was the absolute peak of the Rock & Roll Express, as the promotion would soon make a giant marketing error with them.

–We now have what was once unthinkable- A Russian babyface.

–The future of the Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson team after not winning the tag titles from the Rock & Roll Express.

–What was the original plan for Magnum T.A. on this night? (Yes, loyal listeners, this has been previously discussed on Stick To Wrestling. But someone asked).

–WHY wasn’t this event available on pay-per-view television?

Plus we provide physics information from “The Splat Calculator” and Mike Gunter provides his reaction to Jim Cornette’s bump from the second row, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 179: A Very Poor Investment

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by popular guest host Steve Crawford as we discuss Starrcade ’86, which happened 35 years ago this month. We discuss:

–Dusty Rhodes is in his 40’s, but he adopts the hairstyle of college football sensation Brian Bosworth. The Boz had twenty years on Dusty, so that’s not a good choice.

–Speaking of hair, not having any made you a “bald headed geek” in 1986. How times change.

–The Four Horsemen, as a unit, threaten to boycott Starrcade unless Tully Blanchard gets the match he wants against Dusty Rhodes.

–Brad Armstrong, Tim Horner, and Don Kernodle: good workers, but what can a promotion really do with them?

–Nelson Royal sits in front of a campfire and explains what a Bunkhouse Stampede is.

–Dutch Mantel and Bobby Jaggers bought some expensive looking gear for their Kansas Jayhawks gimmick, which lasted about six months and they never got pushed. Whoops.

Plus Steve guesses how many of these matches involved blood and Johnny Mac goes on an anti-Peacock rant, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 178: I Threw Out My Magazines

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by popular guest host Lou Kipilman, as we take questions posed by our listeners. On the table this week:

–Has Dave Meltzer’s influence had any negative effects on the business?

–What’s one match that hooked you and sealed your wrestling fandom?

–Does Paul Orndorff belong in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame?

–What was our favorite match at a house show?

–Would canceling Over the Edge after Owen Hart died really have caused a riot as Vince feared?

–What is the worst you’ve seen somebody bleed live in person?

What are so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 177: We Don’t Need You, Fred

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by popular guest host Jammie Ward, as we discuss what was going on in the WWF forty years ago during the Fall of 1981! We discuss:

–The WWF title being held up in New York State only in an absolutely crazy scenario following a Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine match.

–Bruno Sammartino wrestling in his “retirement” match. He was still active six years later.

–Killer Khan breaks Andre The Giant’s leg…in a Rochester, NY hotel room, apparently.

–Pedro Morales surprisingly regains the Intercontinental Title.

–Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura invade the WWF with Fred Blassie as their manager. Ventura later complained that they didn’t need a manager, hence the episode’s title.

–Both Dusty Rhodes and Mil Mascaras are making appearances, but have limited roles.

Plus Johnny Mac tells you what crazy lengths he went to in order to find out the result of the Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine match, so what are so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network