Tag: Left My Wallet

Left My Wallet: Sean Grande and Garrett Gonzales on AEW, NBA, more

Posted on by Antonio Garza

‘Left My Wallet’ is back with a super-sized edition featuring Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Sean Grande and some NBA talk with our very own Garrett Gonzales.

Garrett joins me as special co-host to discuss his Golden State Warriors and the fallout from all that happened with them in the past week. GG gives his take on what Kevin Durant will do next, what Steve Kerr needs to do to protect Steph Curry, Klay Thompson’s injury, who do they bring in, and more on his beloved Bay Area hipsters. We then talk the Anthony Davis trade, Kyrie, and the love we both share for the lineal heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Fury.

I am then joined once again by Celtics play-by-play man and former Bellator MMA announcer, Sean Grande.

Sean is a huge wrestling fan and longtime subscriber to the Observer. He gives his take on AEW, Jon Moxley, his thoughts on Double or Nothing, AEW on TNT, touring and more. He then discusses his time with Bellator, what his vision was for his play-by-play and the entertainment aspect of the company, his thoughts as he was calling the Kimbo Slice/Dada 3000 bout, and why he left the company.

Of course, we have to talk some Celtics. Sean pulls no punches in talking about Kyrie Irving, what the Celtics need to do to return to their 2018 postseason form, a great story on Kevin Durant almost signing with the C’s, a great draft story that led Boston to getting Kevin Garnett, and more.

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Left My Wallet: Erick Stevens on his wrestling return, BJJ, and football

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back and so is former Ring Of Honor star Erick Stevens.

After stepping away from the squared circle in 2010, Erick recently returned to the ring two weeks ago. We met at Beyond Wrestling, where he had his second match back, and he’s here to tell all about it.

We talk about what prompted him to step away from the ring, his decision to leave Ring Of Honor, what brought him back, his mindset before his first match back, how he felt after, how he kept up with wrestling while he was away, coming up on the Florida indie scene with Roderick Strong, and more.

Erick is also a huge Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, so we delved into his fandom for his hometown swashbucklers. We discuss what led him to be a fan, his longtime love for football, the heyday of the Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden years, their history with running backs, their 2002 Super Bowl, the heartache they faced against the Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense, Jameis Winston, Bruce Arians, his thoughts on the current regime, and where he sees the team in the next few years.

Finally we talk some jiu-jitsu as Erick is an avid practitioner.

It took him nine years to step back in the ring and those that have seen his two matches back know that it was worth the wait. It’s a fun, honest, and heartfelt talk with a truly talented and humble individual.

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Left My Wallet: Ace Steel on action figures, cartoons, and wrestling

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back for your Memorial Day Weekend with former Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling NOAH star Ace Steel.

The man who established and ran the fabled Steel Domain wrestling school and trained both CM Punk and Colt Cabana is here to talk his love of action figures, 80s cartoons, and, of course, a little wrestling.

We talk about what started his love of action figures as a kid and what were his favorites growing up. He tells of his love of all superhero movies and his fascination with the original Batman series from the 60s. We discuss which superhero cartoons we liked, why we agree on Marvel being better than DC, the original live action Fantastic Four movie from the 70s, Hanna Barbera’s Superfriends, and more.

The talk then turns to our mutual love for G.I. Joe figures and why I recently spent $360 on a Joe lot, Remco AWA wrestling figures, WWF LJN figures, what he’s collecting now, his favorite wrestling figures, and what rare ones he owns and still wants.

Finally, we finish up with some wrestling talk as Ace shares some amazing stories. An example: what happened when he, the MIdnight Express, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express visited an inner city Burger King? Hear of his firsthand account of playing Kimchee during the Bryan Danielson/Kamala match (yes, that happened), and what happened when he worked out in the ring for Killer Kowalski and was then rewarded with a match against Ahmed Johnson! 

It’s a really fun episode with one of the all-around nice guys in pro wrestling.

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Left My Wallet: Pat Laprade on everything Montreal sports

Posted on by Antonio Garza

‘Left My Wallet’ returns with some serious Montreal sports talk with Montreal wrestling historian and friend of the site, Pat Laprade!

There’s no better place to start our conversation with the Montreal native than with some hockey talk. We discuss this year’s NHL playoffs, growing up a Canadiens fan and the downfall of the franchise, the Patrick Roy era and divorce, and what the team needs to do to get back to the NHL elite.

We then talk about his memories of collecting autographs after Canadiens’ shootarounds, the backstage information he received on trades and player personnel moves before the advent of the Internet, players he’s met, and more.

Our talk then turns to the Expos. Pat recalls memories of going to Olympic Stadium as a child in the 80s and the heyday of the franchise, all his favorite players, Vladimir Guerrero, and the phenomenon in Canada that is his son. He then shares some great stories about getting autographs from ballplayers, who was great, and who were no so kind. He also tells a story about when he approached Barry Bonds for an autograph.

It’s a different side of the “Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screwjobs” author that you’ve never heard before.

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Left My Wallet: Vinny Marseglia on his strange journey to ROH

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back for a second time this week with Ring of Honor superstar and one-third of The Kingdom, “The Horror King” Vinny Marseglia!

Vinny and I go way back to when he just started to train in New England and we discuss the strange journey he’s taken to get to ROH. We talk about what Vinny “wrestled” as before he got proper training, where he trained, his evolution, our first encounter and why I said I wanted to slap him, his struggles, the time he took away from wrestling, and his repeated chances at getting into ROH. He also talks about the process it took for him to get signed and the evolution of his “Horror King” character.

Then, we talk Vinny’s specialty, horror! What are his top horror movies of all time? Which are overrated? Which ones still scare him? What famous movie memorabilia does he own? 

There’s no sports talk (even though we discuss his relation to Canadian hockey icon Don Cherry), but it’s a fun listen about Vinny’s path to ROH and a whole lot of horror.

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Left My Wallet: Conrad Thompson on Starrcast II, JR, and football

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: ESPN

‘Left My Wallet’ returns with the man behind Starrcast and who bleeds Alabama crimson, Conrad Thompson.

We start our discussion about the disappointing showing for Alabama in the BCS championship game, how much the loss hurt, his thoughts on Dabo Sweeney, Kyler Murray’s NFL prospects, the ten Alabama players drafted in last week’s NFL Draft, and more.

The talk then tuns to Starrcast II as part of AEW Double or Nothing weekend. The man behind the all-around wrestling experience tells what made him decide to do a second Starrcast, what changes he’s made for the second, what he learned to do and not do, the impetus that made him decide to run again, and all the amazing experiences and shows he’s bringing to to Caesars Palace during the weekend.

Finally, he talks about his newest podcast endeavor with Jim Ross and what makes the reformatted podcast improved and unique.

It’s a quick and easy listen on wrestling, football, and podcasting with the 22-year Observer subscriber and the man responsible for so many polarizing podcasts today.

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Left My Wallet: Vinny V on the NFL Draft and offseason moves

Posted on by Antonio Garza

The NFL Draft is upon us and “Left My Wallet’ is back with our resident football expert, Football Outsiders assistant editor, and co-host of the Bryan & Vinny Show, Big Vinny V.

Vinny breaks down this year’s quarterback class and why he thinks Kyler Murray really is the top QB prospect. He also discusses this year’s draft strengths and weaknesses, if Josh Allen is the next Von Miller, who could be this years Khalil Mack or JJ Watt, the New York Giants’ draft strategy, and more.

He also talks about the newly signed deal by his hometown QB Russell WIlson, key off-season acquisitions, if the Browns are for real, and so much more from a busy NFL off-season.

It’s a quick and fun listen with the man who puts the V in the B & V and one of Football Outsiders most popular writers.

Click below to listen and also check out my past talks with Dave Meltzer, John Pollock, Ariel Helwani, Dlo Brown, DDP, and more in the archives.

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Left My Wallet: POST Wrestling’s John Pollock on Toronto sports, WrestleMania

Posted on by Antonio Garza

‘Left My Wallet’ is back with POST Wrestling and former Live Audio Wrestling co-host John Pollock.

Many subscribers to the site know John from his work with Wai-Ting for years on the LAW’s Review-A-Wai and various other shows, and now he joins me to talk about the burgeoning Toronto sports scene, his WrestleMania week, POST Wrestling, and so much more.

John talks about the precipitous fall over the last few years of the Toronto Blue Jays, why the team went from a contender to a cellar dweller, his thoughts on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Rogers Centre and network, and more.

We then break down some of the NHL playoffs including the Columbus Blue Jackets’ stunning series upset over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the frustrating playoff history of his Toronto Maple Leafs, their lack of success against the Bruins, and which team he thinks might come out of the East.

We round out our Toronto sports talk with the city’s hottest franchise, the Toronto Raptors. John tells of his memories going to games in their inaugural season, his love of Damon Stoudamire, their huge upset of Jordan and the ’96 Bulls, Vince Carter, what the city thinks of Kawhi Leonard, and their playoff outlook.

Finally, John talks about his WrestleMania week in NYC, his highlights, a chance meeting with Ric Flair, he and Wai’s journey to Bloodsport, and much more!

It’s a fun and enjoyable hour with one of Canada’s foremost wrestling journalists and a great friend to the site.

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Left My Wallet: NHL playoff talk with Ryan Pike and Paul Fontaine

Posted on by Antonio Garza

After a brief hiatus for WrestleMania week, “Left My Wallet” is back to its weekly schedule with some NHL playoff talk with Calgary Flames and NHL beat writer Ryan Pike, and our very own Paul Fontaine!

We talk about the playoff collapse of everybody’s pick for the Cup Finals and the team with the regular season’s best record, the Tampa Bay Lightning. We also discuss who we think will come out of the East, the surprise Columbus Blue Jackets, why the Bruins are a threat, why the defending champ Capitols should be feared, the Islanders’ playoff surge, and who this year’s version of the Vegas Golden Knights could be.

We then talk about Ryan’s hometown Calgary Flames, Paul’s Winnipeg Jets, how St. Louis went from the worst record in the league at the trade deadline to a Cup contender, and more from the wide open Western Conference.

We then finish up with our opinions on Tiger Wood’s remarkable and historic win at the Masters, his place among the all-time great sports icons in history, and more. Ryan is also a huge wrestling fan, and although he didn’t make his yearly WrestleMania pilgrimage this year, we talk about his favorite moments of Mania weekend, his favorite match, our thoughts on the long show, and whom he wants to see face Minoru Suzuki at next year’s Bloodsport!

It’s a fun hour of NHL playoff, Tiger, and WrestleMania talk with one of the young, upstart writers in the NHL today and our very own UFC and MMA correspondent!

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Left My Wallet: WOR’s Garrett Gonzales on sports and hip hop

Posted on by Antonio Garza

‘Left My Wallet’ returns for a pre-Wrestlemania weekend show with our very own Garrett Gonzales, fill-in co-host of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Despite losing my voice over the weekend, we go into the wayback machine to discuss his sports roots growing up, as well as his love of the early 80s Golden State Warriors….who weren’t quite exactly like the current version.

We also talk our mutual love for the San Francisco 49ers, the trouble the franchise has had since JIm Harbaugh left, their offseason moves, and the outlook for 2019.

The talk then turns to the current Warriors team and Garrett’s reasons for the up and down regular season. We also discuss Kyrie and the Celtics’ woes, but also why Garrett believes they could make it to the Finals.

We then delve into another mutual love of ours: hip hop! Garrett talks about what got him interested in the genre, his favorites in the 80s and today, the documentary you should check out to get a true sense of the culture and art form, the Bay Area scene, and more.

Finally, we wrap up talking about the seamless transition he has made on the website and the different perspective he brings to Wrestling Observer Radio.

WrestleMania week is here, but its also a busy time in the sports world. Check out the Empire’s newest addition to our audio content discuss a few different topics in the world of sports and hip hop.

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Left My Wallet: Ariel Helwani on Ronda’s WWE run, ESPN, the Knicks

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back with return of ESPN’s Ariel Helwani!

Ariel is back to talk about the current state of his beloved New York Knicks, Zion Williamson, the fear of not signing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the current state of the NBA, and some of the young up-and-coming fun teams he loves to watch.

Then, the talk turns to his thoughts on Ronda Rousey’s run in WWE thus far. Ariel has some candid thoughts on her year in pro wrestling and what he would like to see more of from her. We also talk about his thoughts on the current product, Wrestlemania, All Elite Wrestling, and what he’s watching now.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk some MMA with the foremost mixed martial arts reporter today. Ariel discusses the new deal with ESPN, what he loves about it, his dislikes with Fox sports coverage of the UFC, how he’s loving the earlier start times, what fights he would like to see made, and what have been his favorite shows to cover as a journalist.

Click below to listen:

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Left My Wallet: MLB fantasy draft with ‘Smart’ Mark Sterling

Posted on by Antonio Garza

The baseball season is upon us and “Left My Wallet” returns with a live MLB draft companion show to get you primed and ready for the 2019 season.

Join myself and returning co-host “Smart” Mark Sterling as we draft his fantasy team and talk our favorite players, sleeper hitters, draft strategy, teams on the rise and teams on the decline, and more.

We’ve brought you the NFL and NBA draft companions and now we do something a little different as we draft a fantasy baseball team live on air. Whether you’re a casual or diehard baseball and fantasy fan, you will enjoy this unique chat as we make our picks and discuss them. What pitcher do I think will emerge as an AL Cy Young candidate? Which Red Sox player do I despise? Who is the hitter I think will finally break through to his potential?

All those questions and more will be answered in this fun and enjoyable listen with MJF’s attorney and the producer of numerous podcasts, “Smart” Mark Sterling.

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Left My Wallet: Wrestling stories with ‘The Grappler’ Len Denton

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back to talk some Houston sports with Texas native, “The Grappler” Len Denton!

Len and I go back to his childhood to talk about being a minor league baseball prospect, getting looked at by major league scouts as a catcher, his love of Johnny Bench, the Houston Colt 45’s and the Houston Astros, and the great Astros teams with Nolan Ryan. Len discusses why he chose wrestling over a career in baseball and what led him into pro wrestling.

We then talk about the Houston Oilers and Bum Phillips, Earl Campbell, his love of the Dallas Cowboys, and more from the NFL.

Finally, we talk a little wrestling as Len remembers our good friend, the late Buddy Wayne, memories from the Pacific Northwest, Buddy’s legacy, Cauliflower Alley Club, what Muhammed Ali told him when they met at the Superdome, the drives in Mid-South, and so much more.

Enjoy this rare talk with one of the most notable masked workers from the 70s and 80s and go down memory lane with some great stories from the past.

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Left My Wallet: D’Lo Brown

Posted on by Antonio Garza

“Left My Wallet” is back with former WWF Intercontinental, European, and the first Euro-Continental champion, D’Lo Brown!

Aside from his children and wrestling, D’Lo’s two loves of his life are video games and sports. I pick up where CW Anderson and I left off a week ago as he and I talk about their obsession with playing Madden, what it’s like to game against “The Big Red Machine” Kane, Stevie Richards’ genius plans for gaming on the road, what games he loved growing up, Tecmo Bowl, Zelda, and more!

The talk then turns to sports as D’Lo explains how he became a Bears fan growing up in New Jersey, being a fan of the great 80s Bears teams, Walter Payton, Mitchell Trubisky and the current state of the Bears, where Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell might end up, why he thinks the NFC is the dominant conference, and more.

Finally, the talk turns to wrestling as D’Lo tells what he’s up to now, training aspiring pro wrestlers, learning the business through car rides with veterans, how he gives back to his students, and more.

I’ve met D’Lo briefly on a few shows, but this is the first time we’ve really had a chance to talk at an extended length. This was personally one of my favorite shows and I know you’ll like it too.

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Left My Wallet: ECW Original CW Anderson

Posted on by Antonio Garza

‘Left My Wallet’ returns with a fun filled talk about sports and video games with ECW original CW Anderson!

I’m joined by CW and his lifelong best friend Moe, who, by all accounts, is the greatest Madden player on the planet. Check out this fun group chat as CW and Moe talk about their love of all things Madden, why D-Lo Brown and Stevie Richards say Moe is the GOAT at Madden, what Moe did to make Stevie break his controller, what other games they love, Tecmo Bowl talk, and so much more.

We also talk about growing up in North Carolina, the full court that CW had growing up, their favorite NBA and college players, why they bleed Carolina Blue and can’t stand Duke, and who they love watching today. We also touch on baseball as CW was drafted as a catcher by the San Diego Padres and his amazing exploits on the baseball diamond and behind the plate. Hear who his favorite players were growing up, his favorite catcher, what can be done to speed up the game, and why he decided to not pursue a career in baseball.

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