- 4 hours ago
In this episode, we discuss various free egents and their potential landing spots. What is the latest on Tony Khan counterprogramming WWE WrestleMania 43? What did a piece of rare wrestling memorabelia sell for?
All of this and the rest of the day’s news and rumors are covered in this episode of the Fro Wrestling Podcast!
Find us on all social media, including:
Spotify: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Pandora: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Facebook - Fro Wrestling Podcast
Reddit: u/frowrestling
On X - @frowrestling
Instagram - @frowrestlingpodcast
Discord - Fro Wrestling Podcast
Flipboard: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Bit Chute: FroWrestling
Pinterest: Fro Wrestling Podcast
As well as these and many other platforms:
Daily Motion, Rumble, Podomatic, Odysee, Bluesky, and many more!
Please support our sponsors:
3WA Wrestling
www.worldwidewrestlingalliance.com
Beezle Games - Sketchy People
Doodle Games - Banani Market
Foo Games - Legendary Elements
ALL AVAILABLE AT
www.thegamecrafter.com
Fro Life Educational Planning
www.frolifeplanning.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fro-wrestling-podcast--2103073/support.
All of this and the rest of the day’s news and rumors are covered in this episode of the Fro Wrestling Podcast!
Find us on all social media, including:
Spotify: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Pandora: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Facebook - Fro Wrestling Podcast
Reddit: u/frowrestling
On X - @frowrestling
Instagram - @frowrestlingpodcast
Discord - Fro Wrestling Podcast
Flipboard: Fro Wrestling Podcast
Bit Chute: FroWrestling
Pinterest: Fro Wrestling Podcast
As well as these and many other platforms:
Daily Motion, Rumble, Podomatic, Odysee, Bluesky, and many more!
Please support our sponsors:
3WA Wrestling
www.worldwidewrestlingalliance.com
Beezle Games - Sketchy People
Doodle Games - Banani Market
Foo Games - Legendary Elements
ALL AVAILABLE AT
www.thegamecrafter.com
Fro Life Educational Planning
www.frolifeplanning.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fro-wrestling-podcast--2103073/support.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hey, yo, Fro Wrestling Podcast listeners, welcome to the show where we don't sing it,
00:05we bring it.
00:06Help us out.
00:06Click subscribe to show your support.
00:08This episode, we are talking some free agent news, a new television show coming for WWE's
00:14intellectual property, and a crazy amount of money goes for a historic WWE piece of
00:21merchandise.
00:22We'll get into all that and more in a few seconds, but for now, check out some tunes
00:26and I'll be right back with you.
00:49I got 141 and two-thirds chance of winning and sacrifice.
00:54Woo!
00:55Fro Wrestling Podcast.
00:58As long as my witness is broken in half.
01:01And you are just a bucktooth nepho baby who ate dog food for a weird old man.
01:08Yeah.
01:09Just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions.
01:15Did he do it?
01:16Cover.
01:17Oh, and a kick out.
01:19Unbelievable.
01:20I will never repair.
01:23Turn too hot to handle and too cold to hold.
01:27And I am a macho-thin-many savage.
01:31Shut your mouth, you thong-wearing fatty.
01:33It's me, Austin.
01:35Whoa!
01:36Bang!
01:37I love you, Austin.
01:39I love you, Austin.
01:39I love you, Austin.
01:40Jacob 5-2 is all game.
01:43No breaks with it.
01:45Y'all are made.
01:47Fire!
01:48Fire!
01:48Fire!
01:49Fire!
01:50Fire!
01:52Fire!
01:54I said WWE stands for!
01:57Fire!
02:00Promotional consideration paid for by the following.
02:04We are back.
02:05We are ready for this episode.
02:07We got a lot to talk about.
02:08Before we get into that, let's hit the legal stuff.
02:11First off, are you sick and tired of dropping $60 to $100 for the latest and greatest wrestling video game?
02:17Stop right now.
02:18Put all that cash back in your pocket and head over to Wrestler Unstoppable.
02:22It's totally free.
02:24Wrestler Unstoppable lets you create a wrestler, sign contracts, get into storylines, headline PLEs, even build your own corporation from
02:31the ground up.
02:32All included.
02:33Totally free.
02:34When I say that new corporation, I'm talking about everything from championships to signing people to contracts and giving opportunities
02:41to other people, creating your divisions, scheduling your own PLEs, everything.
02:45It is all included, totally free, and it is against real people.
02:50This is not computer simulation.
02:51You get to play against real people.
02:53While you're in there, take the opportunity to look up Odin Maximus.
02:58That would be my avatar.
02:59If you find me and send me a message through Wrestler Unstoppable, I will be happy to send you a
03:04contract offer to join my company, Universal Wrestling Evolution, to help you get started in the game.
03:09If you want to become a member of the Fro Wrestling Podcast family, you want your name in the shoutouts
03:13like my good buddy John in Texas and my newest Patreon, Sarah, the best way to do that is to
03:18go to our Patreon page, patreon.com slash frowrestlingpodcast, and here's the deal.
03:23You could sign up with no cost and no obligation.
03:26We do have a free tier.
03:27If you sign up at the free tier, they will notify you every single time we have a new episode
03:32or any new content go live.
03:35We'd love to do that.
03:36It brings you into the podcast family.
03:37We'd love to have you.
03:38And if you would like to be a monetary donor to the show, it doesn't matter to me what level
03:43you're at.
03:43You would donate at any of the monetary levels and you get your name in the shoutouts like John and
03:47Sarah.
03:48If you want more than that, you really want to be a part of the show, I would love that.
03:52We can do an episode completely catered around the things you're interested in, and I would do that with you
03:58for the $15 a month tier.
04:00If you are a 750 month member, you also get entered into a drawing to possibly do one of those
04:06episodes with me.
04:07I'd love to do that.
04:09Spend time with my listening audience.
04:10You guys are the biggest part of this show.
04:12You're why I'm able to do this show.
04:14Your loyalty is just unbelievable.
04:16Especially the last two months.
04:18September, October have been just crazy views.
04:20You guys are amazing.
04:22Thank you, thank you, thank you for that.
04:23If you've got questions, concerns, something you want me to touch on in a future episode, the best way to
04:28do that is to head over to the Fro Wrestling Sound Offline, 267-642-1160, and let me know through
04:34that media, and then I can get to those in a future episode.
04:37But if you want a faster reaction from me, if you go to whatever streaming platform you're getting our show
04:44through, and you like, share, subscribe, and most importantly, comment.
04:49All comments, no matter what the format is that you're getting the show in, come straight to me.
04:54When I get one of your comments, I can then address whatever your concerns are in a direct message to
05:00you, as well as if there's something really, really exciting.
05:03I'd love to add those types of things to the show itself, so other people, if you have questions, it's
05:07very possible that other people have the same exact questions you do.
05:10So if there's something you want to hear from me, by all means, please let me know one of those
05:14two ways.
05:15Tonight's episode, I am Dr. Fro, thank you for joining me, I really appreciate it.
05:20As we go through this, we're going to talk about some free agent contracts, updates on what some people have
05:25been doing lately, how long we've got till we see a legendary wrestler leave the business,
05:30and just all different things all over the world of pro wrestling, let's start with some contract conversation.
05:35AJ Francis, TNA superstar, former top dollar competitor in WWE, his contract with TNA wrestling is up at the end
05:44of the year,
05:44and it has been announced that TNA and AJ Francis have gotten along so well that they fully expect a
05:50new contract in place prior to his contract running out in December.
05:54You know, this is one of those guys, he has done anything TNA has asked him to do.
05:58He's done a great job of getting himself over for TNA, and he has become a premium member in their
06:04roster.
06:05His match has been very solid, very crisp.
06:08He's putting on just an absolute clinic with people, and he's able to work with just about everybody.
06:13I've seen him work with everybody, small guys like Trey Miguel size, all the way through to Moose size opponents,
06:18and he still has great engaging matches.
06:21So I'm thrilled for AJ Francis that it seems as though he has found his home.
06:26He really enjoys being in TNA, and it sounds like he'll be doing that for the foreseeable future.
06:31In terms of another, now I would have to say former TNA personality, Eric Young, who asked for and was
06:38granted his release shortly after Tommy Dreamer was released earlier this year.
06:42Questions were, what does Eric Young do from this point?
06:44Does he go elsewhere?
06:45Does he show up in AEW?
06:46Well, we've got an answer to that question.
06:48Eric Young is back with WWE.
06:51Eric Young is now working as an agent and producer in NXT.
06:55Does that mean that he's done wrestling?
06:56Not necessarily.
06:57He could always wrestle at any point in time, but for right now, he's getting very much used to the
07:02backstage element of things.
07:04And here's the thing.
07:05When Eric Young was in NXT originally, he got along very well with Triple H.
07:09When he got moved to the main roster and Vince was kind of having his issues, Eric Young didn't want
07:14to be a part of that.
07:15They ended up releasing him.
07:16He was a member of Sanity.
07:17They ended up releasing him.
07:18He was thrilled to be away from Vince.
07:20Him going back now with Triple H being the head of creative at the main roster, Shawn Michaels at the
07:25NXT level, I think is a very good place for him.
07:27I think he has a lot to offer the business.
07:29He's got great insight.
07:30And he's been a part of some pretty important moments in wrestling history.
07:34So, thrilled for Eric Young that he's being able to do some in WWE that clearly holds merit.
07:41And hopefully, he's being appreciated in WWE better than he was the first couple times he was there when they
07:45really just, I think, sometimes didn't know what to do with him.
07:48At least on the main roster.
07:49They always knew what to do with him on Black and Gold NXT.
07:53That's where he really, in my opinion, did some of the best work of his entire wrestling career.
07:57So, hopefully, he's able to bring some of that and pay it forward for the next generation wrestlers.
08:02But, yeah, back with WWE.
08:04Very exciting stuff.
08:05Let's keep with the trend.
08:07AEW superstar Anthony Bowens, whose contract was said to have run out.
08:12He is still listed on the AEW roster page, but he may have now hinted at where his next part
08:18of his journey will take place.
08:20Posting on X, he put up a post where he was standing in front of the New Japan Pro Wrestling
08:24Dojo.
08:25Which, if you aren't unfamiliar with the dojo, many wrestlers go there to learn the style in New Japan.
08:31To get an opportunity to train there.
08:34Get some exposure.
08:35International competition.
08:37I think it is a fantastic step for him if he does go to the dojo.
08:41It will give him some new people to work with.
08:44Hopefully, get him to really, like, this guy is super, super athletic.
08:48And, I think he's got a lot to offer.
08:50But, in AEW, he doesn't have the same brand name recognition as some of the other top tier guys do.
08:55So, he doesn't really get a lot of opportunities to move up to card.
08:59The closest thing he had was when he was with Max Caster as the acclaimed with Billy Gunn.
09:03And, they were the trios tag team champions.
09:05But, beyond that, there just hasn't been a lot.
09:08You know?
09:09And, this is a guy who, look, let's be honest.
09:11He's got a great look.
09:12He's got, he's perfect for the pro wrestling business.
09:15He just needs the right training, the right opportunities.
09:18And, if you've never noticed, New Japan Pro Wrestling finds a way to really showcase the heck out of their
09:24gaijin competitors.
09:25Their non-Japanese wrestling talents.
09:29So, hopefully, Anthony Bones gets some well-needed seasoning over there.
09:34And, we'll see him back stateside in a show somewhere in the near future.
09:39I mentioned at the top of the show that there is a new television program coming.
09:43And, it is for NXT, WWE Intellectual Property, all over the place in so many different categories.
09:49Well, this one is being requested by the CW Network.
09:52And, this is going to be NXT Beyond the Bell.
09:54Which is essentially going to be, from what we understand, a backstage, more personal, intimate connection to the NXT roster.
10:03Trying to garner some interest from fans in what these people, you know, how they're wired, what they do, what
10:09their backgrounds are, where they came from, how they got into the business, all that kind of stuff.
10:14So, that people can connect better with those talents and be able to really enjoy them on a different level.
10:20And, I think this is a great idea.
10:21I really do.
10:22The question I have, though, is everything in WWE is related to dollars and cents and, you know, viewership.
10:28I don't know how many people are tuning in for a show like this, other than, you know, the over
10:33-the-top, you know, huge fans like you and I are.
10:36We probably will tune in.
10:37I mean, let's be honest.
10:38I tune into LFG all the time.
10:40I like Evolve.
10:41A lot of people don't follow those shows.
10:43But, if you're a diehard like I am, and I hope you are if you're listening to this show, this
10:48is just one more piece of intellectual property.
10:50We're going to be able to observe and try to get better perspective on these talents that are wrestling for
10:55NXT.
10:56Dustin Rhodes in the news having conversations about his remaining time in the wrestling business as an active competitor.
11:04He mentioned there's somebody gave him a shout-out on X talking about, you know, whether he comes back to
11:08wrestle or not.
11:09You know, they still appreciate him, this, that, and the other.
11:11And, he said he's definitely coming back, but he only has a year or so left before he's going to
11:16hang up the boots.
11:19He said, I have a year or so at best.
11:21I don't know how soon he'll be back to AEW television.
11:24It can't be soon enough.
11:26I feel like he did some of his best work at the latest stages of his career.
11:29And, I hate it that he's, you know, they always say that, like, Mother Nature is undefeated or whatever.
11:36Father Time is undefeated.
11:38You know, I know Dustin has to stop wrestling at some point.
11:40When you're seeing a guy, though, go out there and put on the kind of matches he's been putting on
11:45the last couple years,
11:45it's really sad to see somebody who can compete at that higher level and still have to, you know, hang
11:50up the boots.
11:50It's really a shame.
11:51I love that he's still, he's working, you know, his wrestling school.
11:55He's getting the next generation ready.
11:57And, I'm sure he's going to continue to do that and help cultivate talent, much like his father always did.
12:03And, Cody apparently is as well with the Nightmare Factory.
12:05But, I really hope that he gets one last run where he can do something significant.
12:12I'm not saying he has to necessarily win the AEW World Championship.
12:15Though, I'll be honest with you.
12:17I would have no problem if he did.
12:18This is a guy who has never won a World Championship.
12:21This is a Hall of Fame level competitor who has never won a World Championship.
12:25And, to me, that's an absolute travesty.
12:27It really is.
12:28Especially when you consider how great he is in the ring and how talented he is naturally.
12:33That's the reason they call him the natural Dustin Rhodes.
12:35Because, he really is that naturally talented.
12:37So, I hope he gets an opportunity.
12:39I don't know that they'll ever give him a World Championship, which is horrible.
12:42But, I would love to see him get that TNT Championship back.
12:45Or, the National Championship.
12:47I actually think the National Championship might be even cooler.
12:49Because, it looks so much like the NWA Television Championship.
12:52And, his dad held that for, you know, such a significant run.
12:56That would be pretty cool.
12:57But, again, we'll have to wait and see when he's coming back first.
13:00And, then, how much longer we have to see him before he rides off into the sunset.
13:04Brian Alvarez from Wrestling Observer Radio.
13:06Giving some information about Drillistico.
13:08We've been talking about Drillistico for the last couple weeks.
13:10He put out some tweets on X and things like that that got people abuzz.
13:14He and his brother, Dragon Lee, copywriting a name for them to work as a tag team.
13:19And, people saying about him wanting to leave AEW.
13:21Well, now, is that true?
13:23Well, possibly.
13:24But, here's the thing.
13:26Brian Alvarez is reporting that because of a pre-existing injury that limited some of his
13:31ingering time.
13:31The reason his contract is extended out until December is because Tony Khan in AEW added
13:37injury time to his deal.
13:38Or, he'd be done already.
13:40So, it sounds like once he works off this injury time, he's going to have a lot of options
13:44open up to him.
13:45And, you would think if he was staying in AEW, they would be working on that right now
13:49and they haven't.
13:51So, I don't know.
13:52I think if you, where there's smoke, there's fire.
13:55If you read the tea leaves and things of that nature, you probably can assume that Drillistico
13:59may be headed for WWE to work with his brother, which I'm sure he would love doing.
14:03But, it does sound like he's waiting until December because of a previous injury.
14:09AEW, the conversation about whether or not they're going to counter-program WrestleMania.
14:13Tony Khan did say in a media scrum earlier this year that he was planning a big show for
14:18when that happens.
14:19Well, we've been seeing people give questions about, you know, when is this going to happen?
14:23Where is it going to happen?
14:24Word is that Tony Khan does have a location in mind ready to go for that show.
14:29But, he's not going to announce a date or anything like that until WWE announces the
14:33dates, times, and locations for their WrestleMania show.
14:36Because, with everything going on in the Middle East the way it is right now, I know they're
14:39working towards Crown Jewel going on as scheduled.
14:42I know they started building the set and the stage just today.
14:46So, I'm beginning to believe that one way or another, by hook or by crook, they're going
14:50to make this happen in Saudi Arabia.
14:52But, by the time we get to WrestleMania, hopefully tempers have calmed a bit there.
14:57Hopefully, some of these conflicts have been resolved.
14:58I don't think they will be completely, obviously.
15:01But, hopefully, they de-escalate some of the violence and then we'll see what happens
15:05with Mania.
15:06But, once they announce where Mania is going to be and what the dates are for Mania, more
15:10importantly, Tony Khan is going to counter-program and he's going to bring something big.
15:15And, honestly, if you think about it, what I would love to see and what's happened previous
15:19years for WrestleMania is a lot of these independent companies put all these shows together
15:23in the same city as WrestleMania.
15:24Well, with WrestleMania being in Saudi Arabia, that's not a reality this year.
15:29So, wherever Tony Khan puts this, what he's claiming is going to be a big show, wherever
15:34they put that on, I think that's where all those small independent promotions will flock
15:38to, to put on their own shows.
15:39Which, if you're a diehard wrestling fan, again, that's the kind of thing you love seeing.
15:43There's so much variety during WrestleMania weekend normally and I was concerned that we
15:48weren't going to get that opportunity because of the show shifting to Saudi Arabia and I
15:53was actually kind of thrilled that Tony Khan is trying to counter-program.
15:55You know WWE would do it and so I'm glad he's thinking of doing it and putting together
15:59a great show.
16:00I can't wait to see what's going to be on the card.
16:01I hope they do something crazy, over the top, something brand new, something we've never
16:05seen before, but we'll have to wait and see, but until we get dates and all that information
16:11for Mania, we're not going to hear an announcement from Tony Khan because he's not going to play
16:15his cards before he knows what cards he needs to play and it's smart business.
16:19It really is.
16:20So, kudos to him, but I love that we got confirmation he is still planning to do a show and
16:23it's going
16:24to be a big one.
16:25And the last thing for tonight, if you think back in wrestling history, it's some of the
16:29most important championships in the history of the business.
16:32Um, there's certain ones that just jump to the forefront of your thought process and
16:38one of those is the WWE Intercontinental Championship, the one that was held by Macho Man Randy Savage.
16:45It was held by Tito Santana first, um, when he won his second Intercontinental Championship
16:50from Greg Valentine in a cage, Valentine destroyed the IC title belt.
16:54That's when WWE commissioned a new belt.
16:56Tito Santana got it for the short time he was champion.
16:58He lost it to Randy Savage, who lost it to Ricky Steamboat, who lost it to, um, Honky Tonk
17:04Man.
17:04And after the Honky Tonk Man lost the title to the Ultimate Warrior, at some point after
17:10that is when it had a slight cosmetic change, but the actual belt from Savage and Steamboat
17:15and Honky went up for sale.
17:18Now it was acquired by Conrad Thompson previously.
17:21He had traded the original Pat Patterson Intercontinental Championship to WWE to get this belt.
17:27And, um, he had it in his collection, but he decided to put it up for auction and no lie
17:34before this auction, the highest selling championship belt of all time was Hulk Hogan's 1986 world
17:40championship.
17:41The one that he defended against King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania two, and that's all for
17:46over $400,000.
17:47Um, this belt, because it's so iconic and a part of such big moments, this belt just sold
17:54for over $700,000 to be specific, $716,750, which is insane.
18:04Oddly, it's not the most expensive piece of wrestling memorabilia ever.
18:07Hulk Hogan, a pair of his boots went for over a million dollars.
18:10But this, in terms of championship belts, this is the highest paid ever for a championship
18:15belt in wrestling memorabilia.
18:17Um, Conrad must be thrilled.
18:18He got paid out the yin yang for this.
18:21Um, I'm actually surprised he sold it, to be perfectly honest with you.
18:24He always comes across as being like just an absolute collector.
18:27And I'm really shocked that he would let this one slip away, but he certainly got paid for
18:32it, you know?
18:33So, but for now, that's all the time we have for this episode.
18:36Check back with us next episode, run down the latest wrestling news and rumors.
18:39And while I'm thinking of it, this championship belt conversation in the comments, tell me
18:43what is your absolute favorite championship belt from all time, whatever it is.
18:48I don't care what it is.
18:50I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.
18:51My favorite championship belt is one that nobody would guess.
18:54Nobody.
18:55As a matter of fact, when you're putting in your comments, take a guess on what you think
18:59mine is.
18:59And I'll tell you in a future episode.
19:01Um, I will tell you this.
19:02It's, it's so not what people would think.
19:04It's, it's a shocker if you, if, if you really break it down.
19:07But, um, as I said, that's all the time we have for this episode.
19:10Check back with us next episode, run down the latest wrestling news and rumors.
19:13Special thanks as always to Suno for creating music and sound effects we use in our show.
19:16If you want to bring a new friend to family game late, it's easy.
19:18I got three options for you.
19:19Sketchy people by Beezle games, kind of like a cross between shoots and ladders and, uh,
19:23Pictionary, or you can do banana market, grabbing your shopping list against and compete
19:28against everybody else in your click to see who can get in and out of the supermarket the
19:31fastest.
19:32But if neither one of those is your thing, you could always cruise the cosmos, collecting
19:36relics and artifacts on your way to the final mission in Legendary Elements by Freddy
19:39Food Creations.
19:40All three games are available at the GameCrafter.com, these and hundreds of others, where GameCrafter.com
19:46allows independent gaming creation to take place.
19:48Let's be honest.
19:49You've been playing the same board games your whole life.
19:51You've been arguing with the family over who won at Monopoly.
19:54You've been debating the rules of Uno, playing Life and Clue and, you know, pop a lot of
20:00trouble on a Pop-O-Matic bubble, Kinect 4, Yahtzee, dialing cars, poker, all that kind
20:05of stuff, chess, checkers.
20:07You've been doing that.
20:08It's time for something new.
20:10Put some smiles on faces in the household.
20:12I got three kids and a wife.
20:13They all love all three of these games.
20:15I have one of each.
20:16And like I said, there's hundreds of others.
20:18But again, my recommendations, Banani Market, Sketchy People, Legendary Elements, grab your
20:22copy today.
20:23If you're looking for your next career move, you're considering college, university life,
20:26maybe you just need some formal training for your next opportunity.
20:28Go to my website at FroLifePlanning.com for all your higher education needs as FroLife
20:33Educational Planning is for today, for tomorrow, and for life with FroLife.
20:37I'm Fred Froelich, better known as Dr. Fro.
20:39I want to thank you so much for taking some time with us today.
20:42Until next time, take care, everybody.
20:43Have a great night.
21:10I want to thank you so much for joining us today.
21:20I want to thank you so much for joining us today.
21:37Thank you so much for joining us today.