You know that feeling when you're watching a wrestling match and you start wondering what the guy in the spandex is actually thinking about when the cameras aren't rolling? Like, what does his bank account look like, or how does his body feel after falling off a twenty-foot ladder? That’s basically the itch that the Between the Sheets podcast tries to scratch. It’s not your typical "who's winning the title" show. Honestly, it’s much more about the human wreckage and the surprising business brilliance behind the curtain.
Hosted by Kris Zellner and David Bixenspan, the show doesn't just talk about wrestling. It dissects it. They take a specific week in history and just... go for it. It’s a massive, sprawling, often chaotic look at the industry that treats wrestling history like a crime scene investigation.
What Between the Sheets Podcast Gets Right About Pro Wrestling History
Most people think wrestling history is just about who pinned whom at WrestleMania. They’re wrong. The Between the Sheets podcast works because it realizes that the most interesting stuff happened in the boardroom or in a dirty locker room in Memphis in 1984.
Bixenspan and Zellner aren't just fans; they’re researchers. They dig into the old newsletters—the Wrestling Observer, the Torch, the stuff that used to be whispered about in the pre-internet era. They find the weird contradictions. One week they might be talking about how a promoter in the Pacific Northwest was secretly funneling money into a failed real estate venture, and the next, they’re analyzing why a specific wrestler's drug arrest was scrubbed from the local papers. It's granular. It's dense. Sometimes, it's honestly a bit much if you aren't a hardcore nerd, but that’s the charm.
The Research Obsession
The sheer volume of paper they sort through is staggering. We’re talking about police reports, court transcripts from the 90s steroid trials, and obscure radio interviews that only existed on a cassette tape in someone's basement for thirty years.
You’ve probably heard stories about the "Monday Night Wars." Everyone has. But have you heard about the specific travel logistics that caused a mid-carder to miss a flight, which then changed a booking decision, which then led to a multi-million dollar lawsuit three years later? That is the Between the Sheets podcast brand. They find the "butterfly effect" moments.
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Why the Format Isn't for Everyone (And Why That's Okay)
Look, I’ll be real. This isn't a "commute-friendly" 20-minute recap. These episodes are long. Like, "pack a lunch and a sleeping bag" long. Some of them push the three or four-hour mark.
It’s a commitment.
The flow is conversational and loose. Sometimes they get sidetracked talking about a weird 7-Eleven promotion from 1987 for twenty minutes. If you want a polished, corporate, high-energy "Morning Zoo" vibe, you’re going to hate this. But if you want to feel like you’re sitting at a bar with two guys who know way too much about Jim Crockett Promotions, it’s perfect.
- It’s unfiltered.
- It’s deeply cynical at times (because wrestling is a cynical business).
- It’s incredibly detailed.
The Business Behind the Bodies
One thing the Between the Sheets podcast excels at is explaining the "why" behind the money. Pro wrestling is a carnivalesque business built on smoke and mirrors. Zellner and Bixenspan peel back the mirrors. They talk about the "gate," the "pay-per-view buy rates," and the "territory system" in a way that makes you realize it was all just a giant, high-stakes gamble.
They’ve covered the death of the territories in grueling detail. You see how Vince McMahon didn't just win; he essentially conducted a corporate raid on the entire country. Hearing the week-by-week breakdown of how certain promoters tried—and failed—to fight back is like watching a slow-motion car crash. You can't look away.
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Correcting the Record
A lot of wrestling history has been "sanitized" by the WWE. The Between the Sheets podcast acts as a necessary counter-weight. They don't care about the "official" version of events. They care about what the tax returns say. They care about what the disgruntled ex-employee told a reporter in 1992.
For instance, the way they cover the 1990s—specifically the "New Generation" era—is fascinating. Most people remember it as a flop. Between the Sheets shows you the specific financial pressures that nearly bankrupted the company. They talk about the legal fees from the federal government's investigation into Vince McMahon. It puts the "bad wrestling" into a context of survival.
Navigating the Massive Archives
If you're just starting, don't try to listen in order. That’s a mistake. You'll get burnt out.
Instead, find a year that you actually lived through as a fan. If you loved the Attitude Era, find an episode from 1998. If you’re a fan of the weird, experimental stuff, go back to the mid-80s. The Between the Sheets podcast is basically a time machine. You pick the date, and they show you what the world looked like from that specific vantage point.
The show also frequently branches out into "special" episodes. They’ve done deep dives into specific scandals or the careers of singular figures like Brian Pillman or Rick Rude. These are usually a bit more focused than the "this week in history" episodes.
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The Impact on Wrestling Media
There is a whole generation of wrestling podcasters now who try to do what Zellner and Bixenspan do. But most of them lack the "receipts." It’s easy to have an opinion; it’s hard to have the primary sources.
The Between the Sheets podcast raised the bar for what "wrestling journalism" looks like in a post-print world. It proved that there is a massive audience for long-form, academic-level research into what many people consider a "low-brow" art form.
It’s not just about the matches. It’s about the culture. It’s about the guys who gave their lives to a business that didn't always love them back. It’s about the weird, wonderful, and often terrifying reality of being a "worker" in the squared circle.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Listening
To actually appreciate what’s happening in these episodes, you need to change how you consume podcasts. This isn't background noise for when you're doing dishes. It's more like an audiobook or a documentary series.
Actionable Steps for the Dedicated Listener:
- Use a Podcast Player with Variable Speed: Honestly, these guys talk at a steady pace, but with 4-hour episodes, 1.2x or 1.5x speed is your best friend.
- Cross-Reference with Video: When they mention a specific match from a random episode of WCW Saturday Night, go find it on a streaming service. It makes the technical critiques they offer much more vivid.
- Check the "Sheets" Yourself: If they reference a specific article from a 1989 newsletter, many of those are archived online. Seeing the original text helps you appreciate the nuance they bring to the discussion.
- Focus on the "Why," Not Just the "Who": Pay attention to the segments about TV ratings and arena bookings. That’s where the real story of wrestling is told, and it’s where this podcast shines brightest.
Wrestling history is messy. It’s full of liars, geniuses, and everyone in between. The Between the Sheets podcast doesn't try to clean up the mess. It just hands you a flashlight and a pair of gloves and tells you to start digging.