Wrestlesplania

This week, Rachel and Kath are finally joined by Producer Nate on mic! They get into the first season of Lucha Underground, talking big cat classification, sacred symbolism, the joy of a self-contained universe, and what the heck IS THAT in Drago's mouth anyways? Material discussed includes: Lucha Underground season one (available on Netflix), Russell Madness (also available on Netflix.)

This week Rachel and Kath are joined by voice of Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Excalibur (http://www.twitter.com/shutupexcalibur)! They talk PWG, live wrestling, leftist politics, Blink-182, prestige TV, and getting wrestlers to sign up for health insurance. PLUS: We scoop the Best Friends on whether or not Excalibur believes in aliens!

In this conclusion to our trilogy of submission wrestler episodes, aspiring lonely warriors Rachel and Kath celebrate the fabulously scary Minoru Suzuki. They talk aging, versatility, Instagram, and making pro wrestling more accessible. Material Discussed Includes: Minoru Suzuki vs Hiroshi Tanahashi at The New Beginning in Sapporo 1/27/18, Minoru Suzuki vs Sanshiro Takagi at DDT Street Wrestling in Tokyo Dome 6/1/17, Minoru Suzuki's ongoing feud with Mecha Mummy, Minoru Suzuki vs Kazuchika Okada at Minoru Suzuki 30th Anniversary Outdoor Festival 6/23/18.

In what might be our horniest episode yet, Rachel and Kath explore the career of Jeremy Corbyn’s favorite wrestler: Zack Sabre Jr. They talk jawlines, jackets, sex appeal, emo hair, and the erotics of submission wrestling. PLUS: the inspiring story of two hipsters who threw a wrench into WWE’s booking plans. Material Discussed Includes: Zack Sabre Jr vs Chuck Taylor for the PWG World Championship at Only Kings Understand Each Other 2/18/17, Zack Sabre Jr vs Drew Gulak in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic 8/24/16, Zack Sabre Jr vs Kota Ibushi in G1 Climax 28 7/15/18.

This week’s episode is all about power tool thirst traps and choking people out. That’s right…Rachel and Kath are talking NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler. (Also, psst, hey Shayna, what's up? Our DMs are open so can you please hit us up with your skincare regimen?) Material Discussed Includes: Shayna Baszler vs Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship 2/23/17, Shayna Baszler at the WWE Performance Center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2LtbnlgwU, Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon at Takeover Philadelphia 1/27/18, Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon at Takeover New Orleans 4/7/18, Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross at Takeover Chicago 6/16/18, Shayna Baszler’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/qosbaszler

This week, Rachel and Kath go dumpster diving into the oeuvre of the world’s hottest possum. Adam Cole is a piece of shit and he. is. VALID. They talk about sex appeal, lake energy, and masculinity. PLUS: Rachel torments Kath with improv warm-ups. Material discussed includes: Adam and Kenny sing Call Me Maybe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cxTCDdK08); Adam Cole, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson vs. Chuck Taylor, Kenny Omega, Zack Sabre Jr PWG BOLA 2014 (Night 1); Adam Cole vs. Candice LeRae for the PWG Championship, 2014; Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver Philadelphia 2018, NXT War Games 2017.

Can Rachel and Kath keep it tranquilo when confronted by sweet suits, magnificent manes, and our weird Uncle Chris trying to do goth makeup? Find out in this week’s episode, which is all about the ingobernable one himself: Tetsuya Naito. PLUS: We launched our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/wrestlesplania Content discussed includes: Showbuckle's The Fall and Rise of Tetsuya Naito (https://vimeo.com/266985812), Naito vs. Tanahashi Dominion 6/11/17, Naito vs. Ibushi G1 Climax 7/17/17, Naito vs. Okada Wrestle Kingdom 1/4/18, Chris Jericho yells at a turtle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZvLQtC9j-U), Naito vs. Jericho Dominion 6/9/18, Liger pinning sleeping wrestlers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gS2nSn42Ag), also that one super sad episode of Futurama with the dog.

In this episode, Rachel and Kath are joined by special guest Jaka (Evolve, Beyond), who dropped by Wrestlesplania HQ to chat over some white wine. They celebrate the career of Patrick Swayze, have a feet debate, learn how moves are taken, talk about some of Jaka’s favorite opponents, and finally settle the BSB vs. N*Sync question once and for all. (This episode contains spoilers for Blade Runner 2049.) Follow Jaka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yeowsavage

In this episode, producer Hunktears returns to lead Rachel and Kath through the outfits, moves and (inappropriately smooth) grooves of Akira Hokuto and Manami Toyota. It’s a celebration of fringe, body fluids and Japanese tables. Plus: Rachel eats an apple. Matches discussed include: Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori AJW Dreamslam 4/2/93 https://youtu.be/T0fIGg4mIUY, Akira Hokuto vs. Manami Toyota AJW 9/2/95 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf_Z3y_7R0c, Manami Toyota & Akira Hokuto vs Kyoko Inoue & Toshiyo Yamada AJW Tag League 12/10/93 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp1fBczyU8E, Manami Toyota vs. basically everyone 30th Anniversary Retirement to the Universe 11/3/17.

This week, Rachel and Kath delve into the cat-filled, crayon-drawn, spine-endangering world of New Japan’s Hiromu Takahashi. They talk lucha masks, beautiful mentorships, weird kids, and wild moves. PLUS: The many kinds of wrestling crazy, smooching KUSHIDA, Belto-San, ADHD, wrestler cosmetic lines, and cat marriage. Matches discussed include: Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA Dominion 6/11/17, Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado BOSJ 25 5/22/18, Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee BOSJ 25 5/25/18

Rachel and Kath went to Beyond Wrestling Solid Gold in Rhode Island with fellow wrestling zealot Tim Faust (https://twitter.com/crulge). They talk about Randy Savage mixtapes, masseurs, committing to gimmicks, Chuck Taylor vs Chuck Taylor, and more. The card for the show, with results, can be found here: http://thechairshot.com/2018/05/beyond-wrestling-solid-gold-results-5-26-18/

Rachel, Kath, and special guest Chris Cubas feel the power of cereal, twerking, and delight in this New Day episode. Topics include: growing up a black wrestling fan, confusing Vince McMahon as a strategy for success, failed kazoo consumption, cool matches, hot dudes, and dangerous trombones. Matches discussed include: New Day vs Usos vs Lucha Dragons: Tables Ladders and Chairs 2015, New Day vs The Wyatts at the Wyatt Compound: 7/11/2016 RAW, New Day vs Usos: Hell In A Cell 2017, New Day goofing on Brandi Rhodes ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=3njPLuqeJiw), Summerslam Brooklyn entrance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpqnGJPRUGM), E&C Dudleys and Seth Rollins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bE-yvLs_xk), New Day's Time Machine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ojl_hxipr8)

Rachel and Kath are joined by comedian Jake Flores to work their way through the truth, ethics, tiny beers and enormous dumps of HBO’s Andre the Giant documentary.

Rachel and Kath talk Total Divas, the WWE-produced reality show.

Rachel and Kath talk about the Omega vs Okada trilogy, one of the most critically acclaimed feuds in recent wrestling history. Matches discussed include: Okada v Omega I (Wrestle Kingdom 11), Okada v Omega III (G1 Climax), and Atsushi Onita v Terry Funk ("Exploding No Rope Barbed Wire Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match")

Rachel and Kath are joined by west coast producer hunktears, who introduces them to joshi: Japanese Women's professional wrestling. They watch: Chigusa Nagayo vs Dump Matsumoto hair vs hair match, Bull Nakano vs Aja Kong cage match, Bull Nakano vs Alundra Blaze, and more.

K+R recap Wrestlemania 34 after seeing it live in New Orleans. They share their takes on Elias, The Undertaker, young Nicholas, AJ v Nakamura, Charlotte v Asuka, and other favorite moments and biggest disappointments.

Kath and Rachel talk about the shows they saw in New Orleans in the lead-up to Wrestlemania. They discuss Evolve 102, RevPro 2018, Joey Janela's Spring Break 2, and Supercard of Honor XII.

Rachel and Kath meet with comedian Ron Funches during Wrestlemania Weekend. They talk being a wrestling fan, actually wrestling, and plugs (ronfunches.com)

Rachel and Kath discuss AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in preparation for Wrestlemania. We watched: AJ Styles vs Kota Ibushi, Invasion Attack 2015 (NJPW) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi, Wrestle Kingdom 9 (NJPW) AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura, Wrestle Kingdom 10 (NJPW)