The first Episode of 2019 has a lot of stuff going on. We begin on a somber note however as we honor the memory of one of the all-time greats, Mean Gene Okerlund. The industry was rocked by the passing of one of the most beloved icons of the Golden Era of sports-entertainment this past week and there was no shortage of tributes, nostalgia, memories, tears, and laughter from across the pro wrestling universe. Things are no different here as Big Dave offers his thoughts on Mean Gene and relives some of his favorite Mean Gene moments here to kick off Episode 243.
From there, Dave recaps the eventful week that was in WWE as the road to the Royal Rumble continued. Highlights of this past week included Drew McIntyre v Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage, Triple H challenging Seth Rollins to be more like the Seth of old, Apollo Crews taking Dean Ambrose to his limit, AJ Styles winning a Fatal 5 way to earn a shot at Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at the Rumble, and John Cena returning to SmackDown Live and being greeted by The Man herself. On 205 Live, two of the three men trying to qualify for the Fatal 4 way Cruiserweight Championship match, earned their way to Phoenix. NXT honored the best of 2018 and Matt Riddle took on Kassius Ohno in a rematch from Takeover War Games II. Across the pond, NXT UK continued to gear up for the very first NXT UK Takeover as the challengers for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship came into focus and Joe Coffey emerged as the next challenger for Pete Dunne’s WWE UK Championship. If you missed anything this past week, tune in to Episode 243 and get caught up.
From there, Big Dave is joined by Christopher Platt from Chairshot Radio. They talk about Mean Gene and Hulk Hogan’s imminent return to Raw this Monday to honor his fallen friend. But they also discuss the biggest news story of the week: the official announcement of All Elite Wrestling (AEW). What do Dave and Chris think of this new organization. Can they be big-time players and what does this mean as far as the most sought after free-agent in pro wrestling today, Kenny Omega. Tuine in to Episode 243 and see what we think.