Vacationing Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from Friday’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter as well as the big events from the weekend.
The Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live has arrived.
We had tons of debuts and returns on TV Friday. One of them was Bray Wyatt, who returned for a seemingly emotional promo on SmackDown only to be interrupted by a video with mysterious iconography. Where is this leading?
Rey Mysterio won’t fight his son on Raw, but he will fight for the I-C title on SmackDown….Roxanne Perez debuts on SmackDown…The Kingdom debuted and Stu Grayson returned on AEW Rampage. We discuss.
Plus, we talk to author and friend of the website Pat Laprade about his good friend Sami Zayn (seen above) and how Sami has defied many traditional wrestling conventions and gotten over huge in this latest WWE run. How far can Sami go? We have great interview with lots of history and insight you may not have known about the former El Generico.
Wrestling Observer Radio returns for an early Sunday edition featuring with Dave Meltzer and myself, guest co-host Garrett Gonzales.
We start by talking about WWE’s first COVID-19 positive test, their reason for doing live shows, thoughts on empty arena wrestling after a month, Ronda Rousey starting controversy in the wrestling world via Twitter, and the NXT interim cruiserweight championship tournament.
Timestamps:
Start: First WWE COVID-19 positive test
9:34: Can WWE continue running these type of shows?
26:12: Ronda Rousey
29:41: Cruiserweight tournament
33:30: Pat Laprade on upcoming Andre the Giant book
‘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.
