The Heel Federation

One week. Two very different live wrestling experiences.Erik was in the building for both AEW Dynamite and WWE's Sunday Night Main Event, and the difference between the two shows sparked a bigger conversation about what wrestling fans actually want from the live experience. From WWE's nonstop commercials to AEW's more intimate atmosphere, we break down what worked, what didn't and whether wrestling has become a little too corporate.We also discuss AEW's emotional tribute to Rebel, Randy Orton reminding everyone how a heel is supposed to work, whether Cody Rhodes' babyface act is starting to wear thin, Bronson Reed's monster potential, the rise of Steve Borden and some of our favorite celebrity wrestling matches ever.Plus: Motor City Machine Guns, NXT, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, WWE in Mexico and plenty more.00:12 Intro04:14 Pops of the Week04:50 Motor City Machine Guns07:09 NXT Delivers13:08 Bronson Reed's Monster Potential15:20 AEW Honors Rebel23:50 Dynamite & the AEW Live Experience35:42 Sunday Night Main Event40:17 WWE's Commercial Overload42:18 AEW vs. WWE Live47:16 Disney Wrestling?54:19 Favorite Celebrity Wrestling Matches1:09:00 The Shit, The Shits & Not Shit Yet1:11:16 Randy Orton Knows How to Be a Heel1:12:57 Should Cody Rhodes Turn Heel?1:15:55 Three Count: Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling1:20:26 WWE in Mexico, TripleMania & CMLL1:23:21 Steve Borden's Potential1:29:45 Around the Horn & Goodbye

She didn't grow up watching professional wrestling. In fact, Kelley Berk didn't even want to attend her first indie wrestling show.A few years later, she's standing in the middle of the ring.Kelley joins The Heel Federation to tell the unlikely story of how she went from sitting in the front row with her friends to becoming a ring announcer for One Fall Wrestling (1FW).We talk about the unexpected text that led to her first announcing gig, learning the wrestling business on the fly, getting advice from AEW's Stokely Hathaway, working around names like Jay Lethal and Paul Wight, accidentally mispronouncing Tony Schiavone's name — twice — and whether her wrestling “side quest” could eventually lead somewhere even bigger.Kelley also takes us inside her life away from wrestling as a certified prosthetist and explains how one chance encounter completely changed the direction of her career.Plus: Why is everyone trying to convince Kelley to get in the ring herself?From wrestling outsider to part of the wrestling family, this is Kelley's story.Follow The Heel Federation for more conversations about the wrestling we love, the wrestling that drives us crazy, and everything in between.

AEW All In delivered a huge-show atmosphere, Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega made the main event feel worthy of the stage, and the card gave us plenty to like — but does AEW still need to learn when enough is enough?Will, Danny and Erik break down All In, including the Ospreay-Omega main event, the Casino Gauntlet format, Darby Allin’s increasingly insane style, Mercedes Moné vs. Willow Nightingale, New Level’s AEW arrival and why AEW pay-per-views may simply be getting too long.Plus, the guys review NXT Heatwave, debate whether NXT can ever recapture the magic of the Black & Gold era, talk about a tremendous week for women’s wrestling, the importance of making world championships feel like the biggest prize in the company and one veteran Will thinks would be perfect for NXT.Timestamps00:49: Intro 13:12: NXT Heatwave review 15:56: How should fans judge NXT? 39:02: AEW All In review 01:07:24: A huge week for women’s wrestling 01:09:24: Women’s wrestling deserves more respect 01:11:09.: The Royce Keys faction 01:14:39: Why everyone should chase the world title 01:20:33: TJP would be perfect for NXT

TNA brought Lockdown back after a decade away, but did eight cage matches prove that some concepts are better left in the past?This week on the Heel Federation, Will, Erik and Danny break down an uneven TNA Lockdown, including the matches that worked, the finishes that didn't, Avery Styles' uncomfortable live debut, Leon Slater invoking Option C and the mystery surrounding the attacks happening backstage.Plus: Rey Fenix continues to impress, Royce Keys finds new life alongside OTM, we debate the ending of Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk, rank some of our favorite wrestling entrance themes ever and ask why modern wrestling factions rarely feel as dangerous or important as the NWO and Four Horsemen once did.And in the Three Count Close: All In London, Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker and the strange career of Moose.

Will, Erik and Danny are back on The Heel Federation, and this week they're asking a question wrestling fans have been debating for years: has WWE's Bloodline story finally gone on too long?The guys debate where the story should have ended, whether Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is still the ultimate payoff, and whether WWE is already rushing Zilla Fatu by putting him directly into the NXT main-event picture.Plus: Chelsea Green shows a completely different side of herself, Jay White's AEW booking sparks an argument, Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay finally gets the story worthy of the match, Johnny Gargano's never-ending planking continues, Jeff Cobb returns to New Japan, and Will breaks down a G1 final built around old-school wrestling fundamentals.Then, for halftime, the guys draft fantasy football teams made entirely out of pro wrestlers — and things get ridiculous very quickly.Before all that: Danny's five-hour flight to Orlando, Epic Universe in 106-degree heat, and why wrestling might not be the only thing trying to kill these guys.Timestamps00:33 Intro02:32 Danny's five-hour flight from hell06:11 Surviving Epic Universe in 106-degree heat10:37 Pop of the Week11:48 Jeff Hardy vs. Nick Nemeth and TNA momentum16:41 Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay gets a real story23:51 Is AEW using Jay White correctly?29:53 Main Event Topics30:27 Chelsea Green's emotional promo39:03 The never-ending Bloodline story50:09 New Japan's G1 final and its next generation58:44 The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet59:30 What is WWE doing with Johnny Gargano?1:05:18 Why Jeff Cobb didn't work in WWE1:11:39 Is WWE already rushing Zilla Fatu?1:14:18 Book It Better: Zilla Fatu and Birthright1:18:56 Wrestling Fantasy Football Draft1:41:03 Three Count1:41:52 Ethan Page calls out sing-along wrestling entrances1:47:43 Looking ahead to TNA Lockdown1:49:55 Subscribe and outro

SummerSlam dominates the first official episode of Heel Federation — but first, can wrestling fans please stop turning WWE vs. AEW into a full-time job?Will, Erik, and Danny break down the best and worst of SummerSlam, debate whether the show actually topped WrestleMania, look back at Brock Lesnar's remarkable career and discuss WWE's next generation of stars.Plus: Is Oba Femi vs. Bron happening too soon? Did WWE miss its moment with LA Knight? What's wrong with the Royce Keys presentation? How would we book him better? Can Danhausen become WWE's next great comedy character? And just how good could CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens get once they start talking?Wrestling criticism without being miserable about wrestling. Welcome to Heel Federation.Timestamps00:40: Welcome to Heel Federation01:15: Why we had to change the podcast name05:25: Pop of the Week06:08: Wrestling tribalism has gotten ridiculous09:26: Stop comparing every wrestling promotion13:06: Grayson Waller’s NXT promo15:57: SummerSlam’s opening match gets disrespected18:12: SummerSlam review begins53:18: The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet53:50: What is going wrong with Royce Keys?55:27: Book It Better: Royce Keys1:00:50: Big Cass returns1:05:10: Should Enzo return too?1:06:50: Wrestling collectors and Matt Cardona1:09:23: Erik’s wrestling memorabilia collection1:19:24: The Three Count1:29:30: Closing thoughts

In the premiere episode, Will, Erik and Danny introduce themselves, explain what kind of wrestling podcast they want to build and share the stories that turned each of them into lifelong fans. From Hulkamania and the Attitude Era to ECW, Ring of Honor, New Japan, NXT and AEW, the guys look back at how their wrestling tastes have evolved—and why there is now more wrestling to watch than anyone could possibly keep up with.They also address one of the biggest problems with modern wrestling fandom: Why does everything have to become the worst segment, match or booking decision of all time? The reaction to Joe Hendry and Danhausen sparks a larger conversation about comedy in wrestling, Orange Cassidy, online negativity and why wrestling should be treated like a buffet. You might not enjoy everything being served, but that does not mean it should all be removed from the menu.The guys reveal their favorite wrestlers and matches, discuss the importance of a great crowd, show some overdue appreciation for women’s wrestling and revisit everything from Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect and Rock vs. Hogan to Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, John Cena vs. RVD and Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson.Plus, get a preview of the segments coming to the show, including The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet, Book It Better, the Nostalgia Intermission and the Three Count Close.This is a wrestling podcast for fans who still love wrestling, still want it to be good and can criticize it without being miserable about it.Follow the Heel Federation Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.