5 YRS AGO FLAGSHIP: Keller & Martin: McMahon choosing Cena over Batista, remembering Howard Finkle, WWE roster cuts during pandemic, more

Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast

Wade Keller

Leisure, Sports, Tv & Film

3.8 • 903 Ratings

🗓️ 17 April 2025

⏱️ 124 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this week’s Flagship Flashback episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast from five years ago (4-16-2020), PWTorch editor Wade Keller was joined by PWTorch's Todd Martin. They discussed these topics:NEWS ANALYSIS:

Howard Finkel and what he represented as a great ring announcer but also how Vince McMahon treated him and what that says about McMahon.
Todd's strong view on WWE’s decision to release so many wrestlers yesterday during a pandemic just days before the next investor’s conference call.
A review of that week's AEW Dynamite (including the Jon Moxley vs. Jake Hager main event)
A review of NXT on USA
Thoughts on WWE Smackdown (including Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura)
Analysis of WWE Raw (including Drew McIntyre’s promo, Drew vs. Andrade, and Nia Jax squashing Kairi Sane).
The latest on UFC

MAILBAG TOPICS:

What was the reason Vince McMahon backed Chris Benoit enough to give him the title win at WrestleMania 20, and is he the most surprising WrestleMania main eventer ever?
Why did Vince McMahon ultimately choose John Cena over Batista?
Why does WWE have such unbalanced power over their independent contractors compared to how things work in Europe?
Is A.J. Styles a former WrestleMania headliners now that he closed out the first night of WrestleMania 36, or does that not count?
What is a list of Bret Hart’s best matches in WCW?
What was the deal with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in the fall of 1996?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	One benefit of VIP membership is access to our back issue library, contemporaneous, in-depth, insider reporting on pro wrestling in real time over the past 30-plus years.
0:11.7	And throughout the year 2022, we're going to begin our March through the year 2002 with back issues posted each week in PDF and all text formats.
0:20.8	You can read it in a PDF format with our original
0:22.7	magazine slash newsletter style layout on your screen and flip through the pages, or you can read
0:28.0	a straightforward all text format on your phone or tablet or laptop. The back issues early in 2002
0:33.5	covered the arrival of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan to WWE, and all the controversy
0:38.4	that came with them. Plus my cover story that broke the news on the planned launch by Jerry
0:44.3	and Jeff Jarrett of a promotion called TNA. Also, the early 2002 features are 2001
0:50.4	year-in review features, including ranking Pro Wrestling's most influential power brokers and our
0:55.9	torch year-end awards, the year in quotes, and the top 50 stories ranked in order from the year
1:02.5	2001. So go VIP and dive into our back issues. We have most of our back issues available
1:08.2	as soon as you sign up with new back issues week by week from the year 2002 one at a time throughout the year 2022 pwtorch.com
1:16.5	slash go VIP pwtorch.com slash go VIP that's pwtorch.com slash go VIP for full information
1:24.8	and our sign up form. It's more than podcasts.
1:28.3	It's an unmatched library of wrestling history spending more than three decades as soon as
1:33.5	you sign up with more issues added throughout the year.
1:53.2	Now. Now, P.W. Torch and Spreaker bring you the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling podcast.
2:09.6	Five years ago on the flagship, PW. Torch vat analyst, Todd Martin,, joined me and we talk about Howard Finkel and what he represented as a great ring announcer and also how Vince McMahon treated him and what that says about Vince McMahon.
2:18.8	Also, Todd, with a strong viewpoint on WWB's decision to release so many wrestlers during a pandemic just days before the next investors' conference call and what that said about them as a corporation.
2:22.8	Our view of that week's AW Dynamite, including the John Moxley, Jake Hager main event.
2:26.5	A full report on that episode is up at pwtorch.com today in our five years ago flashback.
2:31.2	Also a review of that week's Nxti on USA Network, thoughts on WWB Smackdown,
	...

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