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The Straight Shooters Episode 42: The WWE Brand Extension II Edition

This week, the guys are joined by Nick Kayal to talk about WWE’s brand extension v. 2.0. The guys run down their rankings and Kayal provides a mock draft as we talk about what talents will benefit from the brand split.

 

They also talk about Cody Rhodes and Adam Rose being released and NXT’s next TakeOver special, titled, “The End.”

 

Nick Piccone

Vaughn Johnson

Nick Kayal

Taylor Kredatus

 

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 40: Raw, Indies, Extreme Rules and Adam Rose

This week, the guys return to the Wildfire Radio studios and are joined by Bill Matz and Eric “Turtle” Golden as we run down our draft from Episode 39 . Who won the Twitter poll? We talk about it.   We also hit on the happenings from Raw this past week and look forward to Extreme Rules. Dana Brooke debuted. What does that mean for the women’s division? Tune in to find out.   The guys also discuss the indie scene in pro wrestling. It’s a great convo you don’t want to miss.  

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The Straight Shooters Episode 39: WWE Releases, Payback, Styles/Reigns and our WWE Draft

 

This week, we took over the 94WIP studios on Market St. in Center City for a huge two-hour plus show. Eric "Turtle" Golden, who's a fantastic producer at the radio station and a big wrestling fan, joined us as we talked about Payback, the AJ Styles/Roman Reigns angle and how it's playing out with the additions of Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and The Usos to the mix.

 

Also, WWE made a slew of releases on Friday afternoon. None of them were earth shattering, but they got rid of Damien Sandow, Alex Riley, Zeb Colter, and King Barrett just to name a few. Barrett's contract was already expiring, so that was no surprise. Will there be more releases in the future?

 

Then, we had our first official Straight Shooters WWE draft. Vaughn had the first overall pick, yours truly had the second, and "Turtle" had the third. We made it a snake draft and we went 20 rounds picking the best of the best in WWE.

 

We're opening up voting for who you think has the best roster. Of course, there's no doubt that I do, but I figured I'd throw the other guys a bone here and see if they can barely compete with my roster.

 

ROUND	VAUGHN	NICK	TURTLE
1	AJ STYLES	SHINSUKE NAKAMURA	KEVIN OWENS
2	FINN BALOR	BROCK LESNAR	SETH ROLLINS
3	JOHN CENA	SAMOA JOE	NEW DAY
4	DEAN AMBROSE	CESARO	ENZO & CASS
5	CHRIS JERICHO	SAMI ZAYN	THE ROCK
6	LUKE GALLOWS/KARL ANDERSON	SASHA BANKS	ROMAN REIGNS
7	AMERICAN ALPHA	ASUKA	BRAY WYATT
8	BAYLEY	NEVILLE	THE MIZ
9	CHARLOTTE	HIDEO ITAMI	BECKY LYNCH
10	UNDERTAKER	EMMA	PAIGE
11	RUSEV	RANDY ORTON	TRIPLE H
12	AUSTIN ARIES	APOLLO CREWS	NATALYA
13	DOLPH ZIGGLER	DUDLEY BOYZ	VAUDEVILLAINS
14	THE USOS	LUKE HARPER	TITUS O'NEIL
15	NAOMI	BLAKE & MURPHY	KALISTO
16	ALBERTO DEL RIO	THE REVIVAL	BARON CORBIN
17	RYBACK	NIKKI BELLA	STARDUST
18	TYLER BREEZE	PRIMO & EPICO	CARMELLA
19	NIA JAX	ERIC YOUNG	SHEAMUS
20	MARK HENRY	DARREN YOUNG	MANDY ROSE

 

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 38: Payback Preview, Eric Young in NXT

This week, the guys preview Payback, which airs Sunday, May 1st. Will there be a big angle to close the show? Will AJ Styles walk away with the title? The guys talk about it!

The guys also talk about Eric Young’s debut in NXT and if the developmental brand is becoming more about the TNA stars than the young guys? The guys discuss that and more this week on The Straight Shooters!

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 37: Chyna's death, Samoa Joe wins NXT Championship

This week, the guys talk about the sudden death of Chyna, aka Joanie Laurer. Her greatest memories in the ring for WWF/E are relived and the guys talk about how much she really did for women in wrestling and how overlooked it was back then.

Then, the focus moves to Samoa Joe and his surprising win against Finn Balor to capture the NXT Championship at a house show Thursday night. Brian didn’t like the move. Nick and Vaughn did.

Does that mean Balor is being called up? Listen to what the guys think.

They also touch on Shane McMahon, the No. 1 contender’s tag team tournament and more on this edition of The Straight Shooters.

 

 

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Nick Piccone

Vaughn Johnson

Brian Isley

Taylor Kredatus

The Straight Shooters Episode 36: The Show That Went off the Rails

 

 

This week, Brian Isley joins us to talk about the latest in pro wrestling, including the debut of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on Raw this past week. We also talk about the injury to Bray Wyatt and what it could mean for the future of the roster regarding a possible brand split.

The show goes off the rails as we talk about anything and everything from Booty O’s to The Patriot Del Wilkes. We also listen to two of the best wrestling promos in history with “Jumpin'” Jeff Farmer, Flex Kavana and Bart Sawyer.

We also talk about the untimely death of Balls Mahoney. RIP.

 

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The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 35: NXT Call ups and AJ Styles the No. 1 Contender

 

This week, the guys talk NXT TakeOver: Dallas, WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and WrestleMania 32. What was better, NXT or WrestleMania? Answer’s easy, and the guys tell you why.

WWE also called up a plethora of talent from NXT this week. Enzo and Cass, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, and The Vaudevillains just to name a few were introduced to the main roster this week. What does it mean for them and WWE’s future? The Shooters talk about it.

And AJ Styles is the No. 1 contender to Roman Reigns’ championship. The guys talk about whether that’s a good or bad thing. You won’t wanna miss this show.

 

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The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 33: What's the Best WrestleMania of All-Time?

 

This week, the guys talk about their experience at Monday Night Raw this past week in Philly. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t good at all. Brian Isley of The Brian Isley Show joins the show as we discuss the best WrestleMania of all-time in bracket form. They go in-depth on some of the best WrestleManias ever and the ending causes quite a controversy. Why? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

Let us know if you agree or disagree:

 

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Straight Shooters Podcast 32: Sting retires, debating which WrestleMania match was better and Temple's heartbreaking loss in the NCAA tourney

 

This week, we discuss March Madness and Temple’s heartbreaking loss to Iowa in overtime – live as we record the show.

 

Sting is reportedly retiring, so we wanted to list some of our favorite moments of his career. 

 

Did you catch Raw? You might have missed a few things, so we recap the week's events, which includes a look at how WWE completely botched Roman Reigns’ return to television.

 

We end the show with WrestleMania match debates – which match was better? Let us know what you think!

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The Straight Shooters Episode 31: WWE Roadblock, Ring of Honor, Christopher Daniels, March Madness and More

This week, the guys preview WWE Roadblock which features Triple H defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dean Ambrose. What will the ramifications be from the event heading into WrestleMania? We talk about it!

We also touch on Ring of Honor, which visits Philly this weekend. The guys also talk about their respective busy weeks interviewing stars for Philly.com and PhillyVoice.com. And we throw in a little college basketball talk because it’s March Madness!

Be sure to check us out on the first edition of The Brian Isley Show, as Vaughn and I make a special guest appearance.

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The Straight Shooters Episode 30: WrestleMania Debate Topics, WWE Roadblock, Doink the Clown and More

This week, the guys discuss WWE Roadblock and why the name change from March to WrestleMania sucks. They also talk about a myriad of topics which include WrestleMania debate topics and some historic figures in the world of professional wrestling! All that and more on this special 30th episode of The Straight Shooters.

 

Vaughn and Taylor also debate what’s better – Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 27: Daniel Bryan's Retirement, Titus O'Neil's Suspension and More

 

This week, Brian Isley joins the show as Nick and Vaughn discuss the suspension to Titus O’Neil for grabbing Vince McMahon in a playful moment after Raw went off the air this past Monday.

What’s going on with the AJ Styles and Chris Jericho “feud” and does it mean anything? The guys discuss that along with some conversation about Dolph Ziggler and... Aunt Viv?

The guys also talk about the retirement of Daniel Bryan and what it means for the future for him and WWE.

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 26: Wing Bowl 24, Jim Cornette's Rant on Lucha Underground and Live Commentating Halftime Heat

 

This week, the guys tackle Wing Bowl 24, which was earlier in the day in South Philly. The debauchery knows no bounds.

 

Then, Vaughn and Nick talk about Jim Cornette’s hot take on Lucha Underground. Was he right? Vaughn and Nick talk about how Cornette shouldn’t just be ignored, even if you disagree with him.

 

And finally, the guys live commentate the Halftime Heat from 1999, when Mankind and The Rock fought in an empty arena match during halftime of the Super Bowl.

 

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 25: Royal Rumble, NXT, Shinsuke Nakamura and Raw Talk with Brian Isley and Andrew Goldstein

 

This week, the guys are joined once again by BoomBoxLife Radio’s Brian Isley to run down some of the biggest stories in pro wrestling, including: Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, NXT, Royal Rumble, Raw and a lot more!

 

Former WWE creative writer and current TV writer and producer, Andrew Goldstein, joins the show to talk NXT, Triple H, Fastlane, WrestleMania and more! Tune in at the end to hear my rant on people that don’t watch wrestling who complain about wrestling.

 

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The Straight Shooters Episode 23: The 1992 Royal Rumble

 

On this week’s edition of The Straight Shooters, Nick and Vaughn, along with Brian Isley of BoomBoxLife Radio, watch and comment on the 1992 Royal Rumble match in its entirety. The guys are doing this as a sort of tribute to the upcoming Royal Rumble where Roman Reigns defends his WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the Royal Rumble match itself. It'll mark the second time ever that the championship is on the line in the Rumble match.

It's a fantastic ride down memory lane, so pull up the 1992 Royal Rumble on your VHS, DVD or WWE Network and join us as we take a stroll down memory lane.

 

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The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 22: Talking John Cena's Injury, WWE Acquiring NJPW's Stars, Monday Night Raw and More

The holidays are over and the Straight Shooters are back! On this week’s edition of The Straight Shooters, Nick and Vaughn talk about the shoulder injury to John Cena and its ramifications heading into the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania. They also talk about the reported WWE acquisitions of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson from New Japan Pro Wrestling and what it means for not only the future of WWE, but also the future of NJPW. And we’ll explain why WWE isn’t exactly “raiding” NJPW’s talent, which is the popular narrative right now.

Brian Isley from BoomBoxLife Radio also joins the guys during the second half of the show to talk a bit more about Cena’s injury, the NJPW talent that’s reportedly coming to WWE, and Monday Night Raw’s weird, weird ending. Nobody was a fan of it.

Make sure you tune in next week! The guys will be live commentating the 1992 WWE Royal Rumble, the only other Rumble match in history that had the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line before Roman Reigns defends his at this year’s event.

 

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Your WWE Raw Roundup at The Philly Voice: Vince McMahon Stacks the Deck against Roman Reigns... Again

 

Monday Night Raw’s first episode of 2016 got off to a hot start, as WWE tried to begin the new year by advertising a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match a week in advance. Oh, and Vince McMahon would also be the special guest referee.

The AT&T Center in San Antonio, T.X. played host to one of the most convoluted endings in a main event I can long remember. But, not long after that, Vince McMahon redeemed some questionable creative decisions and made a huge announcement that’ll change the entire Royal Rumble match on January 24th.

If you haven’t been paying attention to WWE lately, Vince McMahon being back on television is a huge deal, and ratings have gone up since he’s been back. Will he continue to show up week after week? In short, if the ratings keep going up, then yes.

 

Click here to read my Raw roundup exclusively at The Philly Voice.

Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 21: The Best WWE matches of 2015

 

With 2015 coming to an end, Vaughn and I list our top 10 matches in WWE for the year for our Christmas present to you. Needless to say, there are a few matches we differ on that makes Vaughn question me, I think. Oh, well. He can deal. And so can I. Maybe. Listen!

 

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The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 20: Talking Roman Reigns' Huge Title Win on Raw in Philly

 

This week on the Straight Shooters, the guys talk about this past Raw from Philly and Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Where does Reigns go from here? And the guys also talk about NXT TakeOver from London on Wednesday. Did Samoa Joe capture the NXT Championship from Finn Balor?

Brian Isley from BoomBoxLife radio joins the show to give us his take on what went down this week in WWE. Of course, the guys hit on some history of wrestling and the best recap show ever in Livewire.

 

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Shooters Radio Episode 13: Reviewing Hell in a Cell, Monday Night Raw with Brian Isley

This week, the Shooters are joined again by Brian Isley of BoomBoxLife radio and talk about Hell in a Cell, Raw, the 1990’s, Blockbuster Night, and a whole lot more on this jam-packed episode of The Straight Shooters. Tune in for wrestling, stay for the humor.

 

The Straight Shooters Episode 12: Previewing Hell in a Cell, Reviewing Monday Night Raw, and More

This week on the Straight Shooters wrestling podcast, Philly.com’s Vaughn Johnson and I preview Hell in a Cell, where the final battle between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker will take place on Sunday night. Do the guys agree on the match outcomes? Listen and find out.

The guys then review the positives and negatives of Monday Night Raw. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? We’ll answer that question.

For my Hell in a Cell preview, click here.

Wildfire Radio MVP Bill Matz, wrestling writer for SonsofPenn.com, also joined the show to give his take on the upcoming pay-per-view, Raw from Monday, and other general goings on in WWE.

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The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode #4: What's Next for Taker/Lesnar, the Dudleys Return, Wyatt Family, Divas Revolution, NXT Takeover, Ring of Honor and More!

 

 

Thursday night, Vaughn Johnson and I were joined by a special in-studio guest, and Sons of Penn and Ava Graham Hour host, Bill Matz. We all talked about what’s next for Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, the controversial finish of their match at SummerSlam, the return of the Dudley Boys on Monday Night Raw, the newest addition to the Wyatt Family and the now universally-accepted floundering Divas revolution.

The guys also hit on NXT Takeover: Brooklyn from last Saturday night and Ring of Honor’s TV tapings from the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

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The Straight Shooters Episode #3: SummerSlam predictions, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Ring of Honor in Philly and More

 

This week, Nick and Vaughn run down the SummerSlam card with their predictions as well as listing odds for each of the matches. They touch on NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and predict the matches for Saturday night's sold out event.

Vaughn then talks with Ring of Honor star Roderick Strong ahead of Friday night's show at the 2300 Arena. It's a fantastic interview by Strong and a must-listen for any wrestling fan. The guys then run down the Ring of Honor card for Friday's show.

 

Listen below, and visit our Straight Shooters archive for past episodes.

 

The Straight Shooters Episode #2: Former WWE Creative Writer Andrew Goldstein Joins the Show

 

This week, Vaughn Johnson and Nick Piccone are joined by former WWE creative writer and current producer for MTV2’s “Uncommon Sense,” fellow Philly guy out of Temple University, Andrew Goldstein. Goldstein and the guys talk about Summerslam and Goldstein books what he would do at the biggest event of the summer. The Shooters then talk about AAA’s Triplemania disaster, Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling, and Sheamus’ possible faux concussion.

 

Listen below, and visit our Straight Shooters archive for past episodes.

 

The Straight Shooters Podcast Episode 1: Roddy Piper, WWE Summerslam, Indies and More

 

On Thursday, Philly.com's Vaughn Johnson and I began our journey into the podcasting world by bringing you The Straight Shooters wrestling podcast, recorded live at the Wildfire Radio studios.

We'll be live every Thursday night at 6:30pm talking about everything in the world of professional wrestling, and we're just getting started. Here's the synopsis of what our first episode entailed:

 

"Vaughn Johnson and Nick Piccone lead off the inaugural Straight Shooters episode with their own tributes to the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. The discussion then shifts to WWE's build of the biggest event of the summer, Summerslam. They break down the big angles heading into the show, including the new Divas revolution. They then cover some of the other pro wrestling promotions with Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor and more."

 

 

We'll have former WWE creative writer, Andrew Goldstein, on as a guest for our second episode. You won't want to miss that.

 

You can listen live every Thursday night at 6:30pm or catch us on replay right here.