Two for the Win
Mike is a U.S. Navy Veteran and Bryan has more than a decade of civil service experience. Together, these blue collar guys dissect the latest sports headlines and events.
Two for the Win
Two For The Win - S2.74 - Playoffs & Priorities; Welcome Jason Swain!
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The sports world doesn’t pause, and neither do we. We start with two losses that hit fans in a different way: Ted Turner’s massive influence on how America watched sports and John Sterling’s iconic Yankees radio legacy. From there, we jump to a Kentucky Derby moment that belongs in the history books: Golden Tempo wins, and Sherry DeVaux becomes the first woman to train a Derby champion. We also talk about what it means when that winner skips the Preakness and why “rest versus glory” is becoming a real modern sports argument.
Baseball stays messy and fascinating, with a heated Red Sox Tigers incident that leads to a suspension, the Mets’ bad run meeting a James Wood highlight reel, and quick hits on milestones, injuries, and division leaders. Then it’s playoff time: we track the NHL bracket and shift into the NBA postseason with a weekend full of Game 7 pressure, star availability, coaching fallout, and the never-ending debate over refs and fines.
Next we step back for a bigger conversation about athlete priorities and public choices. One rookie, Mendoza, skips a White House visit to focus on proving himself. Angel Reese takes heat for missing team activities while building her brand. We break down both sides and ask what “professional” should look like in 2026. Finally, we’re joined by Jason Swain, MATW’s heel commentator Alexander B. Thomas and a longtime working musician, to talk networking, coachability, getting over with an audience, and why the best careers are built on preparation and relationships.
If you like smart sports talk with real culture debates and a great guest interview, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. What take do you disagree with most?
Welcome, Agenda, And Sponsors
SPEAKER_04May 6th, 2026. Welcome back everybody and thank you once again for joining us for another episode of Sports Talk. I'm Brian with an eye, and I'm Mike, and we are two for the way. Mike, what do we have on tonight's agenda?
SPEAKER_03Well, playoffs in the hockey hockey and the NBA are doing their thing. Gotta touch in with them. I had a little uh horse play, you might say, going on. And baseball rolling along, doing its thing. And as always, we gotta talk a little NFL. You said horseplay? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I think that was my line. Yeah, a little horseplay with the Kentucky Derby. Oh, okay. You just went ahead and took the opportunity away from me there. I like that. You're creative.
SPEAKER_03Speaking of creative, how about you get creative on them sponsors and partners?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, let's go ahead and dive into our sponsors and partners real quick before we get too deep here. Uh, Body by D Gym, located in Yorktown and Gloucester. Uh, Deshaun Wright is a former bodybuilding champion and training future bodybuilding champions in their own right, as well as many other community and youth-oriented uh events, as well as now AKC events going through. So a lot of exciting things happening up there in that fitness center. Uh, our good friends Caden and Christian over at Solace Outfitters. Uh our friends over at Maiden Norfolk and our good our good friend Money Making Dub. Sorry, I get them a little triple over my words again there. And then our good friends over at MATW, Mid-Atlantic Territory Wrestling, who, by the way, this weekend have a live taping coming up at Body by D Gym 106 North Constitution Drive. Doors open at 515, bells are at 6, and we hope to see you guys there. Mike, let's dive in. Oh, wait, I got one last thing. Yeah, I was about to say, don't you skip over. Later this episode, tune in, okay, if you're not already tuned in. Our good friend uh Jason Swain, or the voice of uh Alexander B. Thomas, uh heel commentator for MATW and very uh talented musician, uh interview, exclusive interview with him coming up later on this episode. And next week, look forward to our good friend and also wrestler and musician, Brian Mad Max Morrison, next week. So we got two very interesting guys coming up two weeks in a row. This is a great uh this is a great time to tune into our show, Mike.
Remembering Ted Turner And Sterling
SPEAKER_03I agree. Yes, definitely stay stay with us for those interviews. Or if you just want to skip past us and go to the interviews, that's okay too. Anyway, wow. Anyway, let's dive in. All right. We uh unfortunately we're starting uh the show off with some bad news. Uh we unfortunately lost uh two individuals. We're gonna start off with uh Ted Turner passed away at the age of seven, at age of eighty-seven. Ted Turner was the owner of not only the Braves, but the the Atlanta Hawks as well.
SPEAKER_02He was also a media mogul who started CNN and uh the Turner Broadcasting Station network, TBS as most people know it.
SPEAKER_03Uh very, very impactful for a lot of people. I know growing up, if it wasn't for TBS, I wouldn't have caught as many Braves games as I did. Probably partially the reason I became a Braves fan. Right. So huge impact there. He definitely had had an eye for conservation as well, has a ranch up in Montana where he you know basically helps the wildlife maintain itself on his ranch. So kind of cool. Uh very eccentric billionaire that passed away, had a good run. And unfortunately for the Yankees, they're no longer going to hear the voice of their radio being done by John Sterling's. Yes, he passed he retired, but he passed away at the age of 87 as well. Uh long time, I mean, for most Yankee fans, if you listen to any radio broadcast of the Yankee games, this is the voice you heard.
SPEAKER_02You know, there's probably a slew of fans out there that grew up listening to John Sterling, and you know, I'm sure they both will be very, very missed.
SPEAKER_04Yes, our thoughts and prayers go out to them, their families, and the community, and everyone affected uh by their passing. They both very um uh significant figures uh in their in those fields. So they will be missed.
SPEAKER_03Yes. And uh let's go ahead and roll into our first situation that's going on. Uh we just had the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. Kentucky? Good lord. Uh we had a first for the Kentucky Derby. Um, the winner of the Kentucky Derby was a horse named Golden Tempo. And you would say, well, a horse winning the Kentucky Derby, how's that a first? Well, it's not so much about the horse as much as the trainer. The trainer is a woman and is the first woman to ever train a horse to win the Kentucky Derby.
SPEAKER_04I like how you broke that down for us, Mike. I'm very impressed.
SPEAKER_03And since we love this segment, Brian, what's her name?
SPEAKER_04Again, I thought this was gonna be AI's job. Well, you haven't got to that. Is Sherry DeVoe. DeVoe. Sherry DeVaux. Devo sounds right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So this comes this comes with a little bit of a sadness though, because recently they have announced that Golden Tempo is not going to contend in the Preakness. So there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Because usually what happens is you have the Kentucky Derby winner, you're hoping they win the next race, the Preakness, and then they win the race that follows to give the triple crown.
SPEAKER_04You know, it's funny. I don't know if we did actually mention something like this or if we almost had it in our agenda. But I remember reading something about this last week or the week before, where they were talking about uh is it good uh nature, is it becoming the norm to skip practice, just like PGA golfers skip specific tournaments in order to rest up or prepare for bigger ones later. Um so I mean I say give the horse a rest. Uh the trainers and their team know it better. I mean, if they I don't know, obviously they they want to keep their horse fresh and healthy longer. So don't run the piss out of it, in my opinion, I think is what this comes down to.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but when you when you get a triple crown, you as a as a trainer, you're forever cemented as one of the best because I feel I could I could understand missing out on that.
SPEAKER_04That is kind of a blow, especially in your career if you work for that team. But uh, you know, I sometimes life just doesn't always work out. I I understand that. I could I I feel that for them.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean it's their choice ultimately, yeah. But you know, congratulations nonetheless. You know, when you're the first in any sport or any form of fashion in life, that's a cool thing, you know. So like congratulations to Golden Tempo and what did you say, Miss DeVoe? Miss DeVoe.
MLB Fights, Slumps, And Standings
SPEAKER_04Yes. No relation to a Cruella Cruella DeVo, though. That was DeVelle. Yeah. Whatever. Anyway, I thought I could make it sound cool. Don't don't don't judge me. Just don't.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, moving on into baseball, it has been announced that the uh agreement that we had talked about where the Padres may be getting maybe sold has gone through. The Padres will be sold and to the group that we had discussed earlier.
SPEAKER_04They are an escrow. Yes.
SPEAKER_03So so this this is going through this week. This is going through. They still have to finalize a lot of the stuff, but it's coming along. This the sale will happen. It is coming down. But coming down, coming down. So I gotta, I gotta bring something up, and and I want to get your take on this. All right. So and I I have to play the video for my partner here because he has not seen the video, and I want him, I want to play this video. It's from a reason.
SPEAKER_04This is not his romantic partner.
SPEAKER_03No, I'm talking about my podcast partner being you. Co-host, co-host, partner, whatever. We have to be PC up in this moment, you know. Oh Lord. Anyway, so what we're gonna do is I'm gonna play this video for him and see if his opinion on it. So, after this little ad is done, and here we go.
SPEAKER_00Brian, watch that. That's it. Story takes one, and look out, look out. Trevor Story doesn't like it at all. Bromber steps in front of the mound, and here come the Red Sox, and here comes everybody spilling out. Ten runs was enough. The Tigers and Red Sox all fall out onto the field down the first baseline. Everybody coming out of the dugout. Trevor Story got pelted by Bromber Valdez.
SPEAKER_03The full so for those who may not have been able to catch what happened there, there was a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers with the Tigers pitcher Valdez. He basically. Well, Brian, you saw the video. Yes. Do you think he hit him intentionally?
SPEAKER_04Uh, you know, it was so quick and the video was so small. Uh I I want to say he did. Uh I mean, if somebody racks up 10 runs on you, you're kind of frustrated.
SPEAKER_03So you so you you do think this is because they racked up 10 runs and he's frustrated and he's just like, screw it, I'm gonna plunk this dude.
SPEAKER_04Oh, I I believe, yes, that that's what happened. I'm not even gonna like, there's just no way to twist that. Like, you because of the way it hit the player, right? It wasn't like uh oh, and the and his also reaction to hitting him.
SPEAKER_03So well, do you think it's a fair action to hit somebody out of frustration? Now, mind you, let me tell you that he did give up two home runs before that. I feel like I'm in kindergarten.
SPEAKER_04Do you feel like that was fair?
SPEAKER_03Well, he gave up two home runs before story came up, and then he plunked story. Do you think that he did this out of anger and do you think it's okay?
SPEAKER_04I I do think he probably did it out of frustration. I don't think it's okay, though. Um, I don't condone that kind of behavior. Oh, I get we all get frustrated.
SPEAKER_03Oh, you know, well, I'm glad it you said it that way because you're lockstep with MLB baseball. Because after this happened, MLB baseball said, or I don't know why I said MLB baseball. It is MLB being baseball.
SPEAKER_04Major League Baseball Baseball.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, baseball, baseball. It's like saying ATM machine. It's still the automatic teller machine. So it's still machine. You're saying machine machine. Anyway, Major League Baseball banned him for five games because of his action. Plunking story.
SPEAKER_04Which is a funny name to call it. I actually had to ask Mike before we went on air. I said, Mike, what is plunking? Is that where you like is that like planking? He was like, No, no, it's way more violent. That's way more passive aggressive.
SPEAKER_03Anyway. So oh boy, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Well, yeah. Uh I think that they called that right. Um, and really, like I said, if you really want to break down the video, look at his reaction. Uh look at the way the ball hits the player. It doesn't look accidental. So no. Now that I've had it's not incidental. Now that I've had an opportunity to really break it down, yeah, I definitely think it was on purpose.
SPEAKER_03So let's move on and talk about the bad luck Mets here recently. The Mets are just, you know, they're on a slide. They're not having a great, great time of it. And recently against the Nationals, they lost a game five to four, but it was James James, not James. Jameis. James Wood. Not James. Not James Woods. Just Wood. Woo. Their young outfielder, their six six foot six right fielder. He not only does he jump up and rob Soto of a home run, but also makes a diving catch in this game. Just, you know, adding insult to injury. The Metch just can't catch a break. You know, Soto thinks he has this. And he just jumps up and goes, nope, plucks it right out of the air. And hell of a catch, by the way.
SPEAKER_04Um I highly recommend going back and looking for it. I'd show you, but we don't have video yet.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we don't have video yet. But go look for the James Woods robbing the Mets in right field, and you'll probably see the catch. And it's pretty it's a pretty cool catch. The kids. Always like to give a little nod to the younger players.
SPEAKER_04Well, he's catching.
SPEAKER_03Let's talk about some steals. Who's out there stealing? Well, right now, we gotta give a nod to a longtime Cleveland player. Tip of the hat. What'd you say? Oh, tip of the hat. Oh, tip of the hat. Okay, I was like, what? What did you say? I heard something way different. You should say that. So uh so Jose Ramirez, longtime Cleveland player. He's he was even there before they made the trans transition in names. Are they clear? But he stole his 300th base, which is the second to reach that milestone in Cleveland's franchise history. Now think about that for a second. The Cleveland team has been around forever.
SPEAKER_04They're like one of the first teams. I'm sorry, Mike. I want to sidebar this. What? Can we not think of a better nickname for Jose Ramirez than J Ram? No, that's his nickname. That is horrible.
SPEAKER_03First initial, first three letters of his last name. J Ram. Yeah. That's what the fans call him. We we can't come up with something better. Duck. The man's doing his thing. Just let it be. Alright. He's got 300 stolen bases. Second to do it in the franchise history. He's doing things. Whatever, back to him.
SPEAKER_04Back to this evening's featured story.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Anyway, congratulations to Cleveland and their fan favorite reaching 300 stolen bases. Now to something that it's been a little while since this has happened. It hasn't happened in about 43 years. And you hate when your team is the one that does something like this. But in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Reds walked seven straight players. Oh Lord. Seven. Seven. You saw seven batteries. You almost saw the entire lineup and you walked them. The second half of six, seven, but seven. So that leads to what came to be a 17-7 route of the Reds. The Pirates just doing some things and you know scoring them runs. They're loving the month of May because this is how they started out. Their first game, you know, really in May. But you go back and let's talk about this Pirates team doing something pretty historic. You know, because they started off this month 2-0.
SPEAKER_04It's the season of plunder.
SPEAKER_032-0, thanks to the Reds. You know, so they're they're they're hitting a milestone for them that hasn't been done in a long time. Where basically their entire lineup getting involved with one point and another another team-wide 19 hits, 11 walks, and a performance. This is a feat that has not been done by the Pirates since like 1975. So, you know, they're they're getting this the second part of the season, or second alright, not second part of the season, but the second game of this month started off pretty well. And everybody's getting on the hit parade. Like everybody everybody is getting hits. So congratulations to the Pirates for them starting out starting out the month of May with a bang, you know? So they had 18 runs in one game and had 17 runs in the other game. That's pretty impressive. Not too bad. Not too bad at all. Now, you said bad, and I gotta talk about this bad. Bad for the bad for the Detroit Tigers because not only are they losing Valdez for a little bit, but now they just found out Scuba's gonna be out for an unknown table of time to get loose bodies out of his elbow. Scuba? I love scuba. Do you scuba? Ruben, are you for scuba? Lubin! That's not what this is. This is Scuba. But Scoobal, their Cy Young award-winning pitcher, is gonna be sidelined for who knows when. He might come back in August, September at the best.
SPEAKER_04At the best.
SPEAKER_03He might not even pitch again this year. Who knows? But one player we know is not gonna play again this year, the poor Astros got a bit of bad luck finding out that Carlos Correa is having ankle surgery and ending ending his season for 2026. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is. So good luck to them.
SPEAKER_04Tough luck to him.
SPEAKER_03They will be missing him, though. So don't let anybody ever tell you that being a parent isn't hard. When you hear things like this, Cubs pitcher Boyd hurt playing with kids. Yes, you heard me right. His meniscus in fact. He got hurt. He had he hurt his meniscus in his knee while playing with his kids.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03Had you ever hurt yourself playing with your kid?
SPEAKER_04Many times. I probably have injuries I don't even know about. To be honest with you. Well, what's the worst?
SPEAKER_03Or do you have a worst?
SPEAKER_04Probably when I was trying to change his diaper in the backseat of my truck, and he throws my phone over my own shoulder and it just smashes on this. And it wasn't even pavement. It was like that pavement with like rocks in it, like stony kind of pavement. Like if you kneel down, you're gonna get a scab.
SPEAKER_03Like that that kind of hurts your feelings, but that's not like a you know, hurt your knee, hurt your ankle. It's still got a black eye.
SPEAKER_04Well, it's still it hurt me and my wallet. Fair enough. It hurt a lot.
SPEAKER_03Fair enough. But real quick, let's go ahead and check in with the league leaders for each of the divisions in Major League Baseball. Leader. So right now in the AL East, the New York Yankees lead that division with a 25 wins and 11 losses. Detroit, despite their losing of their top two pitchers, they're in the lead now, tied with Cleveland at 18 wins, 19 losses. The AL West, the Athletics still leading that with an 18 wins and 17 losses. The NL East is being led by the Braves with 26 wins, 12 losses. Comfortable, comfortable lead there. Yes, yes. And coming over to NL Central, the only division that has everybody in the division over 500, with the Cubs leading the way with 24 wins and 12 losses. Coming over to the NL West, the Dodgers lead with 23 wins and 14 losses, but not far behind them is San Diego, only down by a half game.
SPEAKER_04You know, I really want to see the Rockies change their name. You're not worthy of that.
SPEAKER_03Bro, they're not in last.
SPEAKER_04They're close.
SPEAKER_03Right now, the Mets are the worst team in baseball with 13 wins, 22 losses. Well, instead of Met, they should be the New York Forgets. Look, I'm still wondering how they haven't fired their coach. I mean, hell. The Boston Red Sox fired their coach. They have a better record than the Mets. And the Phillies, who are second in the NL East, uh fired their coach.
NHL Playoff Bracket Check-In
SPEAKER_04His employment is driven by backroom deals. That's why. I have no clue. Anyway, so let's roll over here or slide over here to some hockey. Let's get into some hockey. We're talking about some playoffs here, man. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Playoffs? Let's talk about the playoffs.
SPEAKER_03So we'll start off by talking about because we already know the Avalanche moved on because they swept their series. But the Wild, for the first time in a long time, have advanced in the playoffs, knocking out the Dallas Stars, moving on to face the Avalanche, with right now the Colorado Avalanche up 2 0 in that series. The Golden Knights, well, they did their thing. And unfortunately, Brian, your mammoth got knocked out, and they won that series 4 2. Two moving on to phase the other contender you love the Ducks, the Mighty Ducks, they are knocking off the Oilers. So we're not gonna hear anything about Dry Sidal in this playoffs. Right now, the Golden Knights are leading that series 1-0 against the Ducks. Coming over to the Eastern Conference, of course, we know we already know about the Sabres moving on, and we needed to see if the Lightning and Canadians were gonna fare out because that was a tough matchup all the way to the end. The Canadians with the Canadians moving on to face the Sabres. Right now, that game's going on right now as we speak, and the Sabres are up four to one on the Canadians.
SPEAKER_04Looks like the Sabres are gonna lock this up. Hopefully the Canadians uh can make a comeback, but they might have to wait till game two for that one.
SPEAKER_03And we already talked about the Hurricanes sweep moving on. But we needed to find out if the Penguins or the Flyers were gonna move on with the Flyers getting the four to two victory uh in that series, moving on to face the Hurricanes.
SPEAKER_04And thus forgetting my hopes and dreams of having a Ducks versus Penguins championship. I told you it wasn't gonna happen.
SPEAKER_03I know. But but right now the Hurricanes are up 2-0 in that series. So plenty of playoff action still to come.
White House Duty Versus Brand Building
SPEAKER_04Yeah, very hot uh running here into these Final Eight teams, and uh I can't wait to see how it plays out as usual. Uh let's go ahead and uh so before we we we always talk a little bit about sports, but sometimes we like to talk a little bit ethics, okay? And this one may have a bit of crossover, uh they're not really directly related, but there's a there's a story in the NFL and there's a story in the WNBA, which by the way, before we get to the WNBA here, uh we'd like to address. So basically in short, uh Mendoza, if you're unfamiliar, just went number one overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, uh has refused his White House visit, okay, because his college won the national championship, so they get a visit to the White House. He is skipping his White House visit because he doesn't want to miss any practices as a rookie. He believes he has to prove himself on that level. And I'm wondering, so this is a this is kind of a two-part question, Mike, okay. Would you agree with him? Would you skip the White House visit because you got to prove yourself as a rookie? And thus, I want to jump over here to Miss Angel Reese, whose situation is a little bit 180, okay? So this is gonna be a fully loaded multi-level uh question for you, Mike, uh, and our listeners. So Reese has actually been skipping team activities. She just got traded, okay? This is a brand new team for her, and they now have championship hopes with her now being on roster. Um she has been skipping team activities, notably practices, uh, to make appearances such as this recent Met Gala, uh, as well as to quote, build her brand. She believes she gets a pass because she's quote multi-talented. And I'm not gonna dog her or try to talk shit. I just want to objectively talk about this for a second because uh these are two polar opposites here, and uh it depends on how you view the equation.
SPEAKER_03Like, okay, so I look at it, I look at it this way for a few things. One, if you're invited to the White House, you don't know how many times that's gonna happen, right? So maybe you can't go at that point in time. Maybe you can swing another trip. Maybe you can say, hey, I can't come, I have obligations right now, but can I come at a later date? Maybe. If not, okay, you might miss it. But and and I'm not look, I get political things, people might not want to go because they don't like the person's there. Look, it's a trip to the White House, period. The historic nature of the White House, you should go just on precedent. You don't have to like the person that's there.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I would go just for the fit the sake of saying I had I had got a chance to go to the White House.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I I want to echo kind of what Mike is saying as well. It I don't really care if you support or don't support who's who the president is or whatever color your beliefs are. Like, it is a huge honor to be invited to the White House and to shake hands with an American president, okay? Um, you should take you should have value in just that fact. It really doesn't matter, in my opinion, who you who it is, uh because of what it is, if that makes any difference, right?
SPEAKER_03Now, I will say the fact that he wants to go and be present and dedicated in his new situation is a big plus because one, you're showing up and you're making an impression right off the right off the rip. I mean, because you only get a chance one chance to make a first impression, and you want it to be a good one. And this is where in Angel Reese's case, yeah, I get you're trying to build a brand, but it shouldn't be by crippling your your chance to make a first impression with this new team. You got traded to this team, this is your team that's paying you. You know, the you I know your brand you're trying to build to get sponsorships and get more money, but you also want to make a good impression on your teammates. I mean, this is your first interaction with your teammates, with your coach, with your city, and it if you're kind of blowing them off, it's kind of like, well, yeah, well, wait a second.
SPEAKER_04And this is you even respect us, and this is sparking, especially the Angel Reese side of this, is sparking actually a huge debate among kind of splitting her fans and WNBA fans alike. Uh, because excuse me, sorry. Oh, they some people believe she's trying to set herself up for her post-MBA WNBA career, which is great. I'm not knocking it, but I agree, Mike, it should not come at the expense of your team. Um, you will have these opportunities. You are already a big enough name in this sport that and you look let's let's face it, you've made a ton of money already off of endorsements.
SPEAKER_03Well, let's face it, Mendoza also got crushed for not being present at the the draft, knowing that he's gonna be the number one pick. And but you know, when people found out the reason why, because his his mom has uh advanced MS and it's really hard for her to travel, then you kind of go, Oh, all right, I get it.
SPEAKER_04So I didn't I did not know about that, but that rings a bell with me.
SPEAKER_03But anyway, but I'm but I'm saying like you understand why he didn't, but it's not the first time somebody has decided I'm gonna stick at home and be with the people that helped me get to this point. Because I mean, look at look at Joe Burrow. He's sat at home.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I mean, if you don't really have any competition and you know you're gonna be the number, especially as a quarterback, like I think it's the dog and pony show. I'm indifferent, okay? Everybody knows where you're going, they already know what they're getting, you know what you're getting. Why dog him over not being at the draft? Why? Because you want to see how he performs, you'll see him on the field when the season hit starts.
SPEAKER_03I think the narrative around that was you only get one draft. You only get one time to be out there, you only get one time to be surrounded by your peers where you're all being kind of highlighted and celebrated and you know, get that walk and be standing there in front of you know I agree with you, thousands of fans that are they're they're I I agree with you, and he did have a legitimate reason, but if you're a guy who don't really care about that, whatever. And plus, I mean, it it's kind of the culmination of all your hard work to get there.
SPEAKER_04So neither of the more it's more symbolic, probably, than meaningful, but yeah, it's neither here nor there for this conversation, right?
SPEAKER_03But like going back to to Angel Reese and her situation and trying to build her brand, and and I I I get it because the stronger your brand is, the more marketable you become, and the the more you can build off of that after a playing career, which let's face it, when you're in a athletic career, it can be cut short at any time. You know, it all takes is you know a bad hit to your to your knee, and it's like, hey, you're never the same. Or you know, you you take a bad fall and your shoulder separates and you can't lift your arm like you used to. A number of things could happen.
SPEAKER_04Now, don't get me wrong, I and this is why I'm not gonna drag Angel Reese, okay? Because they get on the say they get on the court, the team is winning, she's meeting her her assignments on the court well, she's gelled well with the team, nothing really seems out of place. Okay, I guess we really can't say anything in that situation.
SPEAKER_03Were these mandatory practices or this like you know, rookie practice kind of you know that's one thing I want to check into because I'm gonna be.
SPEAKER_04Are they their season ends in July?
SPEAKER_03No, they have their season's gonna start here soon. Yeah, but they it starts right at the wrap-up of NBA.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, but it's only a couple months long because they have their championships in July. Are you sure about that? Yeah. Might have to fact check you on that. There's only 13, sorry, 15 teams now. Yeah, that might expand. Yeah, so it might go into August a little bit, but we'll see. But they have a notably shorter season than their male counterparts. I understand that.
SPEAKER_03That's fine because they have they have a smaller league, but I'm sure with the more teams they get, the the more the the I just want to do that.
SPEAKER_04I just want to see if it translates to the court for Angel Reese. I'm not dogging her. Uh I think you gotta get it where you can get it, but I also think that you should prior, I think you should prioritize your team above all. That is what you're doing right now with your life and career. That should be number one. Okay. Prioritize the the I think your brand should be number two. Well, prior prioritize making a good impression. On the flip side, I like Mendoza's commitment. So I think they both have something to say for each other for themselves. Yeah, and and they're not direct comparisons, but no, but I I felt that they were close enough that this would have been a good uh conversation.
SPEAKER_03And let us know, weigh in if you think that or you have things you want to say based on those those two scenarios, just that's right, go to our Facebook two for the win or Instagram two for win.
SPEAKER_04You know, or at two for the win. So I'm still learning the social media thing.
NBA Game Sevens And Ref Fines
SPEAKER_03Anyway, let's go back and talk about uh or move forward and talk about let's move forward backwards. Yeah, forward backwards. Because we got to talk about what happened in the NBA recently. We this past weekend, it might as well have been in a slot machine because we had a 777.
SPEAKER_04777 meaning lucky number seven.
SPEAKER_03Three game sevens happening there. The really starting starting out with Saturday's game on May 2nd between the Sixers and the Celtics, man, which we didn't find out until a little bit before game time that Jason Tatum was not gonna play in this game. So that's a big hit because you're you're taking away one of the scoring options for the Celtics. So that definitely was gonna play into this. But this game, this game came down to a couple of things. For me, I really liked the play of the Sixers because of the fact that they had an embiad who looked just invigorated, like he looked like young embiad. He was playing he was playing well.
SPEAKER_04Mike is salivating at the sight of a no, no, stop.
SPEAKER_03Look no, look, he the guy's been riddled with injuries, which we'll get to something about that in a minute, but he'd been riddled with injuries and he was playing more like his former self in this game, and it really also led to a Tyrese Maxie big game because Tyrese Maxie put up 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Not to be outdone, Jalen Brown put up 33 points, nine rebounds, and three blacks. So he had a pretty good game there. Not bad. But the Celtics came away with the game seven win with the 109 to 100 victory, knocking the Celtics out in their house.
SPEAKER_04You know, this seems to be the story of the Celtics season. This season, just letting it slip away.
SPEAKER_03This this was a kind of a shocker to a lot of people because they didn't think that the Celtics were gonna bounce like this once they got Tatum back, but Tatum didn't play in this game. You know, yeah, that is another notable uh observation. But what came after this game, uh gotta say, Jalen Brown, he just gotta because we talked about this before. Jalen Brown has been critical of the refs before, but he criticized the refs again, and now the NBA has fined him$50,000 for his for criticizing the refs once again. It's like, come on, bro, don't be giving up your game money for like something as stupid as criticizing the refs. I mean, you made it to playoffs, you made some bonus money, just like look.
SPEAKER_04This is something that was hammered into me at a young age. Leave the refs alone, okay? If you disagree with them, let your coach handle it, okay? Your coach has avenues, your coach has ways to deal with these things. It to me, that's a professional thing, right? Leave the refs. You they shouldn't even be in your sight, okay? They should be ghosts to you. Don't interact with the refs. If you get a penalty, let your coach handle it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let your coach do your Friday. Moving on into Sunday's action with our other two game sevens, starting off with the Magic and the Pistons, which has been a really interesting series because remember, the Magics took out to a 3-1 lead, which kind of has a little bit of deja vu when it comes to these two franchises playing each other in the playoffs because Tracy McGrady had a little bit of stuff to say back in the day when they were up 3-1. It didn't end so well. Oh, Grady. It did not end so well for that magic team. And, you know, history has a time has a bit of a thing where it repeats itself at times. And history has repeated. It has. It has repeated this time when you have the Pistons with the game seven victory with the 1164 for the Magic. Cunningham coming away, coming away with 32 points and 12 assists.
SPEAKER_04And look, can I say thank you, Cunningham, for keeping my parlay alive? Sure, you can. You can. Thank you, Cunningham.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, thank you. Overall, the Pistons defense is really the winner in this game because they came back from being down 3-1. And not to be be outdone here, with that having happened with this comeback, the Pistons coach, Bickerstaff, actually got a contract extension. So I begs to ask if he didn't win this game, was he gonna be out the door? But we already know the Magics coach, he got fired.
SPEAKER_04So that that was kind of I mean, I got the the Pistons are my favorite to make a deep run and or possibly win it. So thank you, Cunningham, for keeping me alive and the rest of your team as well. Yes, yes, but this this was a this was definitely a good victory, and very solid victory at that way to come back being down early in the series. And gotta give a little nod.
SPEAKER_03Way to rise above, gotta give a nod to to uh rise above it. Are you done? You remember that song? Yeah. Tobias Harris had 30 points in that game and was a huge part of that onslaught that just took them down. And you know, when you need that second scoring option, they were getting it in this in this particular game to close out the series and knock the magic off again after having a commanding lead in the series. So bad, bad look for the magics, doing it again, losing it again to the Pistons years later. But coming over to the other game seven on Sunday, the Raptors and Cap Cavalier, they came into this game with an unusual stat. So it's only a second time going into a seven-game series where both teams had the exact amount of points leading into game seven, where Toronto and Cleveland both came in with six hundred-nine points apiece. That's hilarious.
SPEAKER_04First six games. I'm eating my words on this because I really thought the Raptors would have enough gas to get past the Cavaliers, and they just didn't. And I'm I'm sorry for that. Yeah, they fell short. They fell well short. Well, one one game short is four to three. They fought hard, but Cavaliers inevitably get it in game seven.
SPEAKER_03It took it to a game seven with the Cavaliers coming away with the 114 to 102 victory. Barnes for for Toronto came away with 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists. But a little bit of a surprise, none of the big three were the top performers for the for the Cavaliers. Brian. Who's that Jim? Was that Jonathan Allen? What's his first name?
SPEAKER_04I'll help you out here, sir. We are looking Jared Allen Allen. Why did I say Jonathan Allen? I'm thinking NFL. Yeah, you're thinking NFL.
SPEAKER_03He had a pretty good stat line, Jared Allen did. Uh he had 22 points, 19 rebounds, two assists. Yep. Pretty good, pretty good little stat line. But the the more surprising point was like looking at the fact that Mr. Hardy. Harden only came away with 18 points.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, Harden, he's he's kind of like KD, right?
SPEAKER_03You know, he's probably more of a mentor type role here. Evan Mobley, only 13 points. Donovan Mitchell, he did alright. He got his 22 points, but like you really want to see a better average. You want to you want to see a better average coming out of it, one of your top guys when it comes to these first first series. You want to see him average at least 25 points in a series like this, and it just that was not the way it went. But kudos to the Cavs to making it on on to the next round.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, congratulations to them getting by uh the Raptors. Again, I really, really would have liked to see the Raptors get by the Cavs, but it's okay. Uh maybe next year, fellas.
Second Round Starts And Injury News
SPEAKER_03So with that said, we moved on, we moved on to the next series where the Sixers were going to play the Knicks. And in game one, boy, do the Knicks just beat up on the Sixers. Now, Embiid, he was knocked out of this game. He did not play well, he did not play in this because he was hurt. And the Knicks came away with the one the 137 to 98. So they didn't even get triple digits in this game. And just a bad look. Brunson coming away with 35 points. Paul George coming away with 17 points. Paul George has been playing some outstanding defense for the Sixers, but it wasn't showing up in this game. The Knicks had this the whole way.
SPEAKER_04Brunson just dropping a whopping 35 points. No other stats, just 35 hard ones for you, bro. Yeah, bad luck for the Sixers to start out this series against the Knicks.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and by the way, we have them. You know, I won't jump the horse. We'll keep it all rolling. Just leave it, leave it alone. But with that said, this game was also not coached by their coach Nick Nurse. He was not at the game. Nick Nulty? No. The Sixers coach Nick Nurse. He was not at the game. And and I I wish that it wasn't something of this nature, but Nick Nurse did not attend the first game and was not part of the first game because of the passing of his brother. He he did not make it for this game because his brother passed away suddenly at the age of 62. So he went to his funeral and uh had to had to organize that and get that all straight. So you know that's a huge, that's a huge life-altering thing, and and I'm sure his team had no problems with him going to do that.
SPEAKER_04But my thoughts and prayers out to him and his family for that as well.
SPEAKER_03He did say after missing game one, he said he will be there for game two because what his brother would want. His brother would want him to be coaching and doing his thing.
SPEAKER_04So, yeah, all that they're dealing with, clearly a rough game one for them. Uh, we'll see how they do in game two.
SPEAKER_03So, coming over to the other game that happened for the first first series, the Timberwolves, the Timberwolves played against the Spurs.
SPEAKER_04I'm not gonna lie, the the Timberwolves, I like to call them the troublemakers of the NBA because every time there seems like there's a headlining fight, the Timberwolves are involved.
SPEAKER_03So the Timberwolves come away at the 104 to 112, or not 112, 102 victory. And a kind of peculiar thing, Anthony Edwards played in the game. A lot of us thought. He was going to be done for a while, but he came out, gave 18 points. That's pretty good.
SPEAKER_04Little performance, not a bad little performance, no other stats. Yeah, 18 points on an injury, and then going down the Spurs side.
SPEAKER_03Victor Wimba Nama came away with the triple double. I mean, barely. He had 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocks. I mean, come on, you you had more blocks than points. That's pretty crazy. But they wind up losing that first game. Now, one thing I gotta go back and discuss.
SPEAKER_04One thing we have to discuss. We must go backwards just a little bit.
SPEAKER_03Just a little bit because we gotta touch we gotta touch on the fact that the Rockets got bounced by the Lakers with the 98 to 78 victory. LeBron having 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. And Ahmed Thompson came away with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. But that was not enough. Old man LeBron found a way to make this work.
SPEAKER_04I'm not gonna lie, when I saw the Rockets matched up with the Lakers, I was really sad. I said, Well, good luck next year, Rockets. Yeah, it did not end well for them. No, it did not. I thought they could have had a deep playoff run against anybody except the Lakers. So and probably the Spurs.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, but the Spurs or the Lakers. So with that said, we roll into Tuesday's action where the Cavaliers took on the Pistons, Pistons coming away with the victory 111 to 101. Harden showing up, giving 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, but was not enough. Cade Cuttingham coming away with 23 points and seven assists. Just not a good way to start out the series. Need a little more out of that. And one thing that came out of that. I think it's great because my parlays on the pistons. One thing that came out of that game was a little criticism of Donovan Mitchell where they asked him, you know, how come you weren't trying to get the line more? And he said, I quote, I don't flop. Now that's been met with a little bit of controversy where some people say, um, you don't what now? What? You don't flop? Because he says he doesn't, but I implore our fans to go onto social media and let us know. Do you think we implore you? Do you think Donovan Mitchell is a flopper or not? I mean, flopping is a common thing in the NBA.
SPEAKER_04The power of flopping compels you to go to our social media and give an opinion.
SPEAKER_03And with the Lakers getting their victory and moving on to the next round, for their efforts, they wind up going against Thunder. Good luck with that. So the Thunder in their first matchup come away with the win 108-290. LeBron James, 27 points and six rebounds. I mean, I love Chet Holmgren coming away with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I love Braun and the Lakers like everybody else in the universe, but I really love the Thunder trying to make or make a double run here.
SPEAKER_03So the real story coming out of this is not LeBron's performance because he was fine. He did his thing. Yeah. He just couldn't get other people on the pretty good stat line.
SPEAKER_0427 points, six assists.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so as you previously just mentioned. Yeah, he did his thing. But who wasn't doing their thing was Austin Reeves. Austin Reeves was three of 16. Shooting was persisting for his defense was kind of subpar in this game. But to add injury to this insult, the Lakers also insult to injury. No, I said it backwards on purpose.
SPEAKER_04How the how the turn tables stop.
SPEAKER_03Jared Vanderbilt, he is gonna be missing some time because he dislocated his right pinky in the game. Uh, if you didn't see it, it's pretty gruesome. Not a great look. And speaking as someone who has dislocated a finger before, it does not feel great. And it's gonna be a while, especially when you play basketball because people are trying to swat at the ball and hit at your hands. Yeah, you're gonna need some time to heal up. That's not a quick one. He might not be playing again in the playoffs. Yeah, they might be they might be missing him a little bit there. And by the way, I did say that Embiid is out. He is he's gonna miss two games due to injury. Uh he's dealing with multiple things, gonna keep him out of those first two games with with the uh Knicks. So we'll see how the Knicks can fare without Embiid.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they'll also miss him as well. And real quick, before we jump into some NFL action, I just want to direct you guys to our social media. Check us out on Facebook, Two for the Win, and on Instagram, two at two for win. And we are getting ready to get our landing page back up to the number two for the win.com. Uh we're getting ready to be rock and rolling. We're gonna be launching our TikTok here soon, uh, our YouTube here soon. We're gonna be doing some interesting things. If you guys have probably seen some of our videos and promos popping up, a lot of interesting things coming up uh for the show, and we're very uh happy to uh experience this level of growth, and we very appreciative of all the support we've received from you so far.
SPEAKER_03Mike, by the way, before you roll over into the NFL, I did want to point out the fact that we do, as we are recording right now, have the uh Sixers and Knicks going on right now where the game is tied 79-79 with five minutes to go in the third. So maybe they're doing alright with out Embiid.
NFL Stories From Jordan To Journeymen
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah, they the both these teams uh scoring pretty well, sinking some beautiful three-pointers. Uh not a lot of bad basketball happening. But anyway, I die, I digress. Moving on into NFL here, okay. So imagine, right, being a young NFL rookie and a sports legend, uh, such as Michael Jordan, finding out he has a parlay riding on you. So this is a little bit old. I meant to bring this up last week, but we didn't fit it in. Uh so Julian Edelman said on uh on the St. Brown podcast that he met the legendary Michael Jordan, who told him before his Patriot Super uh Patriot Seahawks Super Bowl 49 back in 2015, which by the way, Mike, I remember like it was yesterday. Uh geez. Anyway, so Edelman was dining when he noticed Jordan and Derek Jeter at a nearby table. Uh Edelman was leaving, actually on his way out, uh, and Jordan approached him and I said, quote, don't F it up, kid. You know he actually probably said the word. I'm trying to be a little more family-oriented on this show. He said, Don't F it up, kid. I got a lot on you tomorrow. No pressure. Yeah. So Edelman, and this is a quote from Edelman, he said, I was already a nervous wreck. Then you have the greatest athlete of all time telling you his bank account is writing on your hands. I just said, Yes, sir, Mr. Jordan, and got out of there. By the way, in that game, Edelman had nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Do you think he was stepping up to the occasion?
SPEAKER_03Yes, I do. I do. And you know what? He probably did make some money on that. And that's that's the thing with Jordan. He likes to gamble. Everybody knows it. He used to go play golf, and people would literally sit there waiting for him to show up because they knew he's showing up with straight cash and ready to gamble.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah, he uh I really like Jordan. He's you know, he's a man's man. Okay, we'll put it that way. Uh, and next up here, excuse me. This is a little bit of a homer for us, Mike. I just came across this one. It's not a homer, it's giving some love to a local. Well, that's what I mean. I'm not talking about the commanders, although I will here in just a moment. Uh, 757, if you're unfamiliar with the Hampton Roads area, there's actually quite a number of popular athletes and musicians uh and other folks that come out of this area. Uh so Jalen Jones uh is getting a roster shot. He's been signed to the Commander's roster. He's from Chesapeake, graduated from William and Mary. Uh so this sounds a lot like uh D'Angelo Hall's story, except D'Angelo Hall went to Virginia Tech. What position does he play?
SPEAKER_03He plays sorry, I had it. Standout defensive back and wide receiver.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, out of Deep Creek. So this this is actually, I think, why I say this. This kid reminds me a lot of D'Angelo Hall, who, by the way, also is from Deep Creek, and instead of William and Mary went to Virginia Tech. So he's getting a shot here uh with the commanders, and very big congratulations to him. I wish we could have him on the show to pick his brain. Uh, Mike, maybe one day that'll happen. Do you know who else went to William and Mary?
SPEAKER_03Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin. And the former Buffalo Bills head coach.
SPEAKER_04That's right. So, again, a lot of notable people coming out of Hampton Roads there, both sports and music-wise, which is also why now Two for the Win has delved slightly into the local music scene. So we will be having on some musicians and uh Mr. Swain as well as Mr. Morrison are kind of our bridge into that industry, Mike. So very exciting things coming up for our show.
SPEAKER_03So, with that said, you know, a career starting and maybe a career winding down, but still very competitive. Yes. And Mr. Calais Campbell is coming back for a 19th season and reuniting with one of his former teams in the Ravens. And a very big congratulations to him because 19 years on the defensive line, yeah, that's a big feat. And he's a big man.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he's a big guy. That's a big feat to first of all to play the game of football professionally that long is a feat in itself. And you're doing it at one of the most uh rigorous positions there is to play on a football team, defensive tackle. I mean, do you just defensive end, defensive tower? He plays all up and down the line. Well, yeah, he plays all over the D-line. Uh, if you play anywhere on the O-line or the D-line, you're susceptible to a lot of wear and tear, okay? Well, yeah, it's like car, like car crashes happening, you know. It's one of the the anywhere on the line, O-line or D-lines was among the shortest-lived positions.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, but speaking of defensive linemen, uh, the Seahawks have signed edge rush edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., who was with the Cowboys. He's kind of bounced around between a few teams, but he's been productive everywhere he's gone. So good luck to him with Seattle. And the Giants, after getting rid of, uh not getting rid of, but trading uh Dexter Lawrence, they have signed a replacement, or kind of a replacement, in defensive tackle, DJ Reader, who's a very productive veteran player. It's a very good signing for them, low-key signing.
SPEAKER_04I like this. DJ Reader is an absolute beast. He's gonna fit right into that program.
SPEAKER_03So, Brian, I gotta have you say the next one. Who who is being signed by the Green Bay Packers to be their backup?
SPEAKER_04Oh, well, another Virginia local we got here. It's Tyrod Taylor, who actually come from Bayside High School.
SPEAKER_03No, he's not Bayside, he was out of Hampton.
SPEAKER_04He was out of Hampton. No, I'm thinking of what's that other kid? You're you're thinking of E.J. Manuel. Yeah, E.J. Manuel, who is name I haven't heard in like a decade.
SPEAKER_03But I want to play a game with you. Oh Lord, I want to play a game with you. I'd like to play a game. Since you since you brought up Mr. Taylor, I need to know. Hold on. You point to me to read the name and I brought him up? Okay. Yeah, you brought him up. I wanted you to bring him up on purpose because I want to play this game with you. Can you name every team that he's played for? Tyrod Taylor? Yeah. Can you name every team?
SPEAKER_04He's played for quite a number of teams. He is an NFL journeyman.
SPEAKER_03So find the teams you have he has played for, and I will tell you if you're right or wrong.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so he just got signed with the Packers. He's played for the Bills. Yeah. Uh he's played for the Cardinals. No? No Cardinals. Uh the Jets. Yes. He's played for the Browns. Yes. The 49ers. Uh 49ers. He has played for uh You know, I really don't know. That's the best I got.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Now I'm just guessing. How many how many more teams do you think he has played for? Because you said Cleveland, Jets, and Packers. I think he's played for at least five more teams. So let's see. I have one, two, three, four, five. Exactly five more teams. I just don't remember which ones they are. Okay. So I'm gonna give I'm gonna I'm gonna give you the breakdown on this. Alright, let's hear it. So he played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2011 to 2014. Then he went to the Buffalo Bills from 2015 to 2017, had a stop with Cleveland for one year in 2018, then went to the Los Angeles Chargers from 2019 to 2020. Remember, it was a needle to the lung that caused him to have a collapse, which started Justin Herbert's career. That's right. Then spent a quick stop one year in 2021 with the Texans, then played for the Giants from 2022 to 2023, then played for the Jets from 2024 to 2025, and is now with the Green Bay Packers.
SPEAKER_04I once was an athlete like you, then I took a needle to the lung. Well, that needle to the lung started started Herbert's career. I used to be a traveler like you that took an arrow to the knee.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, I thought that'd be a fun little game to play.
SPEAKER_04I thought that was a very interesting, and also for our listeners, I think this is especially given he's a uh Virginia native, uh you know, Virginia and 757 native at that.
SPEAKER_03So I will take this next story because you're gonna call me a homer, but this is kind of an interesting story. Don't so recently Kyle Van Noy everybody knows who that is. Van Noy, not Kyle Anoy. I said Van Noy. Van Noy. I like his name. Anyway, Kyle Van Noy was recently on a podcast where he was asked, and let's be correct, not our podcast. It was the Up and Adam podcast with Kay Adams, and they went over a wide range of topics that you know basically asking him if he still wanted to play, if he still had drive to play, and the energy to play, and then he said, Yeah, I do want to still play. And, you know, kind of you know, Kay doing her job is trying to figure out where would he like to go. And you know, he said, Who cares at who cares at this point, you know? Uh I'd really like to play with my little brother, Fred Warner, his exact words, with the Niners. But he realizes Freddie Warren, but he realizes that they kind of have a little tie to Joey Bosa because of Nick Bosa, and doesn't know if they will bring him in or not because of that connection. But he has come out and said he likes what they're doing and would like to play with his little brother Fred Warner.
SPEAKER_04I don't think it's I mean, honestly, I'd like to see them, but I think they'd be an absolute terror on the same team.
SPEAKER_03I think it would be kind of a good veteran fit and kind of having that guy on the defense that brings that pedigree of you know he's won playoffs and Super Bowls, and you know, he's been in a number of different locker rooms. Sometimes you just need that guy that kind of when things are rough, he kind of comes in there and he goes, guys, stop. We're good. Don't worry about it. Just do your assignment, get in your spots, we're good. You know, kind of right the room beyond just the coach, you know, the on-field coach. Yeah. So I think he would be a good pickup. Field general. Exactly. Field general. That's a good way of saying it. But there's plenty of guys still out there, you know, free agent-wise. We're still gonna see a few guys get plucked here and there, as we discussed earlier.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and we will still see some trades, especially as we get up to the trade deadline in November. Uh, some guys are gonna be move right. Keep an eye on AJ Brown as well as Brandon Ayuk, uh, two notable receivers.
SPEAKER_03AJ Brown can't be moved until after the June 1 designation. That's right, yeah. So, and it's already pretty pretty much been predetermined he's gonna go to the Patriots. There's been a lot of back and forth with action. So we'll we'll it's like an it's it's like a secret, but not a secret.
SPEAKER_04And then I believe one reason the commanders didn't go after a big name in the draft or free agency, because they probably believe IUK is gonna come over at some point as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they're probably waiting for him to be released or something. But I will say this there was uh uh an article I read from a beat writer who basically said the best thing IUK can do for himself right now is show up and at least train and be there present in the locker room to show these other teams you're actually interested in playing football. Well, yeah, he quit communicating because he basically went ghost. Yeah, even even your team and other teams have reached out and asked to speak to him from his agent and actually just cold calling him. Yeah, he does not answer. Even other teams, he is not answering. Yeah, so do you think your team is gonna want to give up picks or give up money to a guy who is not a good one?
SPEAKER_04Well, I see it. I I see it being very much like the Debo situation. I think they'll give up a late round pick for him, they'll take a small chance. Well, I think a lot of teams are hoping that he just gets released. But I I think that's what they're hoping for, is that he's gonna get released. But I think the 49ers know there's too much value in him. So I'm I'm eager to see how they play this.
SPEAKER_03Well, I gotta say it this way. I think there's a little pettiness going on. I don't think they're gonna release him. I think they're gonna just keep him in purgatory until he decides to do something. And that's why I say that one reporter, the beat writer, I wish I remembered his name, he said that the best thing he could do for himself and his agent is just show up and start training. Well, yeah. Because it at least shows teams that you're interested in playing football. Because if you're not even answering phone calls, even from teams interested, you're basically giving the middle finger to the NFL.
SPEAKER_04And I gotta give the 49ers some credit here. And I don't think they're just being petty. I I think that they're also protecting the rest of the league, the rest of the league. Like, we had we see some gatekeeping going on now, right? Uh the AJ Brown situation, uh, some of the other situations happened before them. They're like, okay, well, not well, not just AJ Brown, I mean the Antonio Brown. Uh so like I think they're saying, no, if you can't act right, we're not gonna send you to another team. Like, yeah, we're gonna go to the next one. We're just gonna end you right here if you can't act correctly. Why send you to another team on a vacation, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then that team be mad at you because they're now bringing in, you know, players with issues into the league.
SPEAKER_03Well, and once he violated the terms of the contract by going ghost and not communicating whatsoever, they just voided all of his guarantees, making it to where you're not making any money. Yeah. So it behooves him to start playing ball so they can at least move him or at least show other teams you're interested. Because look, the I'm glad you said Antonio Brown, because there are a number of teams when Antonio Brown was doing all of what he was doing, yeah. It basically they that was a non-starter. They're not even gonna call, they're not even even interested, even if it was a one-dollar contract, they did not want them on their team. And that's what's gonna happen with Iuk if he doesn't start playing ball. Yeah. So your team, and even though they're very interested, I don't think they're gonna want to deal with somebody who won't even give them the time of day.
SPEAKER_04And I'm gonna be honest with you, Mike. I think there's only two minuscule reasons why they even have any interest at all. One is Adam Peters. Adam Peters brought Ayuk into the league, okay? He drafted him. So Peters probably still has somewhat of a relationship there, maybe. And you're QB. Jaden Daniels is good friends with him as well. And I think Jaden Daniels is probably pushing this a little more. And I think Adam Peters may be like, well, if he can get his shit right, maybe we can bring him over.
SPEAKER_03If he can answer some phone calls from us.
SPEAKER_04I think they want guarantees built in from IUK, like, hey, whatever happened with the 49ers ain't gonna happen. You're you're not gonna deal, you're not gonna do business like that here, okay?
SPEAKER_03Right. You know, you're not gonna want to bring in a player who's doing the team that gave him a huge contract. Right. They gave him a huge contract, and then all of a sudden he's being ghost and he's not participating in drills, he's not calling or talking to anybody in the facility, yeah whatsoever. I agree. Yeah, you no team is gonna be like, yeah, let's sign up for that. Yeah.
Jason Swain Joins The Show
SPEAKER_04All right, everybody. Uh we're getting ready to slide into our much anticipated interview. Uh, we have here on the show M A T W's ABT Alexander B. Thomas. Uh, welcome to the show. Uh, how are you doing today? Thank you for joining us again.
SPEAKER_01Uh first off, that's the voice of reason, Alexander B. Thomas. If you watch the show, you would know this. What it What what what what is this? Mike, can you keep him straight? I try.
SPEAKER_02I can't. I can't keep him straight.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm I'm gl you guys are are very welcome to have me. I'm you're you should be very thankful. Um are you paying with cash, check, uh charge? It's in the mail. Gold to bloons? Pride.
SPEAKER_03It's in the mail. Pride pride. So we do it, we do it old school. We send it in the mail.
SPEAKER_04Maybe a little bit of ego, but definitely maybe pay for some pride. No, no. What kind of currency is the thing? Do you think he doesn't have pride?
SPEAKER_01Whoa. Come on now. Look, I have never been pinned or defeated in a match in METW in my entire wrestling career.
SPEAKER_04You know, actually, you might find some luck here because after we had the flipping problems on, they won the tag team titles.
SPEAKER_01So they stole the tag team titles. They stole. I've seen who you've had in this show. Party McFly, the flipping problems. There's an obvious bias here. People like Doug Delicious should be in this show. Like BBL, like like like Brian Morris, like Lee Petrie. Where's Lee Petrie on this show?
SPEAKER_04I mean, I'm not gonna disagree with you to be honest with you.
SPEAKER_01Mike, imagine if you just fired Brian and replaced him with Lee Petrie. Oh, he can't fire me. I'm in charge. Anyway. That's a lie.
SPEAKER_03Well.
SPEAKER_01So anyway. So anyway, my name is Jason. I'm the voice behind Alexander B. Thomas, the voice of reason, and I'm very uh very glad to be here with you guys today talking to you. Oh, that is awesome.
SPEAKER_03Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER_04Thank you for joining us, and thank you for showing us ABT as well. Uh so uh do you want to start with this mic or do you want me to shoot the first one?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so for the for those of you who may not know, uh Jason here is not only a wrestler, but a professional musician, and we're gonna dive into what's that what that that is like trying to balance you know a musician career and a wrestling career.
SPEAKER_01Well, to be fair, first I should correct you because uh it's a stretch to call me a wrestler. I was in one match in the Revolution Rumble, um, but I'm certainly a professional wrestling color commentator. Um, it is definitely a big balance. I've wanted to be in the wrestling business for a very long time, but the thing is it's all about weekends, right? Wrestling shows are on weekends, you don't see a lot of Thursday night shows, right? So um it it took me a while to get uh a balance for that. I I played music professionally and have played music professionally for 20 some years. And I at one point just said, you know, look, I all my weekends, my New Year's Eve, my my Thanksgivings, I'm always out playing music somewhere. I'm gonna take some time off and do some things for myself. And one of those things was was pro wrestling. One of the things I wanted I wanted to be a manager, actually. So right before the pandemic hit, I went to wrestling school and I trained, and uh all these kids are just doing these bumps up, down, up, down. And I'm you know, I mean, you look at me, I'm not really in tip top shape for this kind of thing, but I'm in there doing what I can do, bumping around, you know, and uh and you can see the kids kind of like okay, look at the old man trying to keep up, right? And then uh and then the ring broke, and then we had to do promos. Well, when we had to do promos, I remember they had us cut promos on a bottle of water and like all that stuff, and none none of these kids were that they were some of them were okay, but none of them were great at promos. Then I got up and cut promo, and immediately you could feel the tone shift, like, oh, that's why he's here. I'm like, yeah, I'm not trying to be Bret Hart or Kenny Omega. I'm out here, I want to be Bob Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornett, right?
SPEAKER_04Like, and that's that's one of my favorite parts is the you know the personality, the persona, seeing how these characters come to life.
SPEAKER_01Oh, 100%. And I think the other thing too for me, I'll say before we move on from this, is it was very interesting for me starting in pro wrestling because uh when I start a new project in the music music scene in the music world here in where I live in 757, I I I know people already. I know the scene, I know how it goes. I don't I don't mean to s I don't necessarily have to start it from scratch, I guess is what how I mean. Whereas in wrestling, you you know you get what you earn, right? Like you start from scratch and you work your way up and you have to figure out yeah, okay, this is this, and you you know you're worth what you're worth right now, right here at this spot at this moment. And um, you know, that's that's I don't want to say it's humbling, but it's very different when you walk into something like that.
SPEAKER_04I think it's very genuine because uh it seems like the moment is what you make it, and it's like building a brand. The more you put into it, it seems like the more you tend to get out of it.
SPEAKER_01I I agree with that. I'd also say there are a lot of parallels in music and wrestling. Um there's the adage is in wrestling and in music that you should always be prepared, right? Always bring your gear, they say in wrestling, but always be prepared for something, right? So the um the biggest match that I've gotten to call, I got to call because I was in the right place at the right time. I I messaged a person and said, Hey, I would like to be accommodated for this event. If you need somebody, let me know. And a date, uh like three days ahead of time. If something falls up falls through, let me know. The day of the show, the guy had a flat tire and couldn't make it. He goes, Hey, are you still up for that? Yeah, absolutely. So um, I got to call like a TNA Impact World title match between Moose and Rich Swan. So that's pretty cool, right? And that was like my second or third show. I cringe so much when I go back and watch that show. I'm like, man, there's so many things I've learned and learned to do better and learned not to do, but um, but it's still it's just a matter of putting yourself in front of opportunities. Yeah, you don't know until you're in it, you know.
SPEAKER_03Right so one of those on the job kind of training.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and be prepared reminds me of a lifelong model I grew up with in the Boy Scouts that you recently played. I did.
SPEAKER_01I played I played at a Boy Scout camp uh a couple couple weeks ago. The uh it was very different. I was a Boy Scout for two or three years, two years maybe, and um the the kids kids were quite wild, but it was fun. They had a good time.
SPEAKER_04It's a good time up there. I know exactly where you played at, so that was fun. And it was fun kind of seeing some crossover from my childhood as well as in what you do, and crossing over with me, you know, the wrestling and the podcast. It's it's awesome to see these worlds kind of collide.
SPEAKER_01Well, we talked a little bit earlier, uh, a mutual friend of ours, uh Max Morrison, pro wrestler, and he played drums for me before he was in wrestling, so I kind of know him through two different paths now, right? So it's it's interesting how that happens sometimes. Um I think but I think music is like wrestling, it's networking, it's it's connections, it's uh it's it's I don't want to say leveraging your friends like it's a bad thing, not using people, but it's it's you know it's it's making those connections and not just when I I don't want to say leveraging, let's say, but being there for your friends and then being there for you, right? Like because that happens a lot.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you like you get over, they get over, they get over, you get over.
SPEAKER_01And I constantly recommend people to other promotions and stuff based on you know my interactions with them. And I don't and and here's here's the kicker. This is the kicker for music and wrestling, right? Um, and I'll I'll say this as an office person a little bit in both because I I sometimes make some advisements in METW, and I certainly book my music for my band. I don't really care how good you are, I care how easy you are to work with, I care how coachable you are, I care how how much you're willing to listen, how much you're willing to uh do whatever it is I need you to do. Like PQ says that to people all the time, to wrestlers that want to work for him. Cool, how coachable are you? How how much can I give you this thing and can you do this thing? And if I give you the ball, can you run with it? Right? We've had people in METW that are really, really talented that have not lasted at MEW because they don't understand the focus, the vision, and the direction. We're going this way. If we're going, if we're all going right and you're running left, I okay, have fun over there. But we're going this way.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, team effort kind of like they want to do their own thing. Oh, 100%. 100%.
SPEAKER_01And and they're and they're good. A lot of these people are very talented, but they're just not um they don't fit w what we're doing, the vision that we're doing. I've had musicians, I've had bass players and guitar players in my band before. They're extremely talented, but I don't need you to play a a crazy, you know, bass screw from from Jocko or something. I need you to play the bass line for Uptown Funk so people can dance, right? This is the job. And people don't understand, I think, in entertainment sometimes, uh, because there's so many different egos and so many different personalities, even you don't have to be uh it's not an ego thing, but there's so many different ideals. I don't think people understand that you sometimes this is the job, right? If you want to do this, this is what I need from you. And I mean I and as an example, Party McFly. I remember when he came into MHW, he was he came out and he was in some of the opening matches and stuff, and he's he worked his way up and he proved himself and he got better. I mean, I I don't want to go into everything I told him, but there were I remember one show, I will say this party came into the back, and five people had told him I was the fifth person to tell him the same thing, right? Some advice. The next show knocked all of that out of the park. That's awesome. He's just like, okay, cool, let me do that. And the asterisk to that is of course that not all advice is good advice, not all advice is good advice for you. Sometimes people give you advice and you go, that's cool, and you just it's not gonna work for what you want it to do. But you have to be smart enough and have the sense enough and be open enough to listen to that and do it, or listen and apply it to how you're trying to do what you're trying to do.
Bands, Gigs, And Wrestling Travel
SPEAKER_03So you you mentioned your band, but for those who don't know, what is the name of your band?
SPEAKER_01So I'm actually in uh three bands. Request station is the primary band, which is a concept where people come out, they scan a QR code, go to our website, and they pick what we play. So as we as the show goes, the crowd kind of picks where we go. Um I'm in a band called the Phoenix 90s band, which is pretty self-explanatory. It's very nice. It's 90s and 2000s. And um, I'm in a band called Popwire that doesn't play as much. Sometimes you'll see it like weddings events, um City of Suffolk's 4th of July, stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03So what's so what's like the furthest you've had to travel for both band gigs and wrestling gigs?
SPEAKER_01I I try to keep band gigs fairly local, you know, Richmond and up north a little bit to DC. I think I've been as far north as DC for band gigs to Richmond and then down to Carolina to you know, Gates, Sahoski, Outer Banks. Um for wrestling, the furthest I've traveled is New Jersey. So I got to work a show. I didn't get to call them coming out, but I got to work a show with like Sting, Jerry Lawler, Matt Cardona, like a whole bunch of names. Oh, that's awesome. That's incredible. Um I again I didn't get to call their matches, but I got to call a match on that show and you know be in the same locker room and talk to some of the guys and stuff. And networking, right? We talk about networking, it's all networking.
SPEAKER_04And so with wrestling, it's very cool how this industry works. I mean, you have your bad apples, but that's everywhere, right? Uh, it's cool in this industry that you literally can just be one or two people removed from somebody who's in the pros right now or who was there.
SPEAKER_01I remember even when I first started, like I told you the couple shows I was doing. I mean, Friday night I called a show, and here's this guy, and then Wednesday, they're on dynamite, right? Like, I mean, it's I remember I called a match, I called a uh ROH television title match, and two weeks later the TV title was being defended on Dynamite, right? Because uh Tony Tony Conn had bought it and all that stuff, and so it was like that's kind of cool, like we're right there, you know. Um, and yeah, that's that's definitely the way that it works. Um, it's it's interesting to see who who you talk to in wrestling, who you network with, and who you become close with, and who you're not as close with, and that often has no relation to maybe where fans think their position on the card is and all that stuff. Some people are more accessible than others, right? There's a a um a former WCB and TNA world champion that I'm in pretty good contact with that has given me a lot of good advice and helpful, been very helpful to me. And then there's other people where you think they'd be very easy to get in touch with for something and they're not. So it's just it's um it's interesting to see, I don't say who's accessible, but who is accessible to each person through your network of people, right? Right. And I think there's an overarching feeling in wrestling too, and I like this, I enjoy this a lot. Um, everybody wants everyone else to succeed, they want to help each other. You know, one of the pieces of advice I was given as a commentator by by people, a couple people, was always get the wrestlers over. And what did I say earlier? You take that advice and sometimes you follow, sometimes you don't. I disagree with that advice. I mean, you obviously get the wrestlers over. I think as a commentator, you should get the referee over and the promotion over and the wrestlers over and the stipulation over and the titles over and the commentators over. Everything should be better than the way you found it when you're done with the match, and that applies to a wrestler, to a referee, to anybody in the business. Um, I understand what people are saying when they say, you know, get the wrestlers over because some people are very self-indulgent. But but even when you listen to me on these shows as Alexander B. Thomas, I try to do things in a way that will get everyone over. Right? If I'm dogging somebody, I'm actually trying to get them over. If you listen, you can you can hear it. I'm trying, I'm giving you a reason to care about these people, right? Right. Two wrestlers in MEW once came up to me and Brent and said, uh, hey, I'm really sorry that we didn't give you much to work with because there matches a lot of theatrics, there weren't many moves and stuff. And I'm like, Are you kidding? You gave me 12 minutes, 10 minutes to get you guys over. I didn't have to call, oh, it's a double chicken wing butterfly suplex off the top rope. No, I can say, Oh, this guy did this. He went to this school, he did this thing, he hates this guy because this guy stole his pet chicken or something, right? I I can I can give you a reason to care about these people. There's a lot of value in that in how you do that. And I can give you a reason to care about these people way easier than calling a bunch of moves. U anybody in wrestling can do moves, right? That's the thing, is and that's what that's one of the things I love about METW, and I think makes it unique in the wrestling landscape, is that it's um we have a uh a motto in the locker room, CW Anderson, I believe, is the one who coined it from for us, but I won't swear to that. But it's uh it's emotion over motion, right? I like that a lot because it's not to say that there can't be motion, but my the point is emotion. I want you to feel, I want you to leave the show going, man, that's really cool, right? I grew up listening to Bobby Heenan on Nitro. That's what I try to emulate as much as possible. You can see it. And and I and we grew up seeing these larger-than-life characters. I mean, Hulk Hogan was never an in-ring superstar, but when you ask somebody who name a pro wrestler, that's one of the first people that first names, right?
SPEAKER_02So okay, brother. Yeah, the little Hulk. Hulk.
SPEAKER_01And and even and even Steve Austin, when he was in his prime as Stone Cole, was not, you know. I mean, he's never a bad wrestler, but he was never Bret Harr or one of these guys, right? So that that's but he didn't have to. I mean, how many times Steve Austin was injured for what, like a year or something? And he was on Raw each and every week, and no one knew it because he'd come out there, he'd cut a promo, he'd draw ratings, and he'd okay. Right. Yeah, good.
SPEAKER_03He had a vein, he knew it. Injuries are just part of the game. Uh so being that you're in both of these industries, do you see similarities that kind of work one on the same through both industries, or things that you could take from one to the other and kind of help maybe not just you, but maybe band members or wrestlers that you say, look, this is what I saw so and so do, and this will translate. You need to do this.
SPEAKER_01100%, 100%. I think both industries are very similar. Um, I've had this discussion as well with a number of wrestlers where it's like these are very similar things. There is no equivalent of a cover band, I don't think, in wrestling, right? There's no, I mean, there's always an exception because you know there's some wrestlers who've obviously emulated folks and made a good living at it, but you basically can't just, you know, be a cover band and make a living in pro wrestling. Whereas obviously you you can in music, because that's what I do. But I think um, I think aside from that, I think a lot of the other things are the same. A lot of the business end of dealing with people, um, approaching promoters and talent bookers and and venues, I think a lot of these things are the same. There are the same I hate to say stigmas, but there are stigmas with the forms of entertainment like this where you have to sometimes disapprove. You have a venue owner that says, Oh, we can't have wrestling here, we can't have bands here. Um, one of the things that I I do with my band, because my band will play a lot of contemporary hits and things like that, and I tell people sometimes I have the first thing I have to do is explain to someone what a live cover band can be. Because they hear cover band and they think it's a bunch of guys in cargo pants that are you know 80 years old playing the same tired classic rock songs, and there's nothing wrong with that, but that's not what we do. We're playing like whatever's on the radio, you know. And I think you have to educate your sometimes not just your audience, but your actual talent buyers. And I think METW has had to do that sometimes when they're like, Oh, we've had wrestling here. And I'm like, Yeah, you had an outlaw group that had flaming tables and no guardrails and you know no promoter's license, and you know what I mean? Like, that's not wrestling.
SPEAKER_02That's that's it wasn't a promotion, it was a couple of guys that were in back on wrestling and showed up here.
SPEAKER_01And you've seen MHW, it's not your standard indie promotion. There is where is a lot more production, a lot more thought put into what we're doing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, they got a TV deal for a very good reason, and I'll be honest with you, I really like what MATW is doing. Uh I like the shows they put on.
SPEAKER_01I th I think we've we've hit a good groove where people come and see MHW and they go, Man, I miss that. That's something that I haven't seen in a long time. Um, I think it's it's a nice balance of nostalgia while still being fresh. They say things come back around, you know. Yes and um and I think WE and AEW and even TNA, I think a lot of that has just been lacking for years. I mean, I'll tell you, you know, as a heel commentator, right? That's what I do, heel color commentator. I had someone in the W office tell me, uh kind of roll their eyes about that and say how played out it was to have a heel commentator, right? And uh when we started MHW, PQ actually didn't want me to be a heel commentator. He actually said he's he's like, I just want you to play it straight. And I said, I'll tell you what, first taping, let me do it. If you don't like what I do, I'll do it your way. And uh I did it, and PQ's like, do that, absolutely do that. Keep doing it. And let me say this too, that's another thing that I think makes MHW good, is he has a team, we have a team of five or six of us that are really engaged in ideas and things. And and if PQ has a lot of really good ideas, he he is a genius when it comes to pro wrestling. If one of us says something that makes sense, let's try that. Like, like it's such a collaborative, um, good environment where none of us are worried about egos or who has the right idea. All that matters, I used to I say in my in the music business a lot of times, all that matters is what comes through the speakers and if people like it, right? I don't care what else happens, I don't care if who sings this, like there's a song or two that I do that one of my guitar players sings better. So you sing it. I don't care what comes through the speakers, and if they're happy, I'm happy. And I and PQ has the same philosophy, I think. And METW has the same philosophy of hey, if the fans are happy, we did it right. Right? If they if they have a good time, if people leave there and they go, Man, that was great. I want to come back and say it again. I gotta watch that on on YouTube again, I gotta watch that on on right now TV again.
SPEAKER_04You know, I think that's incredible. Sorry, Mike, I think that's incredible because it's a healthy way to do business. Um, and like you said, you have more than one person putting an input. Uh it's a very creative process.
SPEAKER_01Uh, and you see the results of it now, you know, it's and it's good because you do have some you always have to have someone in charge of things too, and you have a very good person in charge of things.
SPEAKER_03What you said kind of reminded me of uh a buddy of mine. He was in he was in a cover band and he had recently broken his hand, and he was maybe a couple months removed from having the cast off, but was still really sore, and he played bass. And they did a show, and it was a big show, they had a pretty good turnout, and he was after the show, he just looked so despondent. I'm like, dude, why are you upset? He's like, I screwed up so much, the show was awful. It's like I said, look over there. You see all those people? They were cheering, they were happy, they enjoyed it, they had a great time. Y'all put on a good show. Just because you notice it doesn't mean they notice it, they enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_01Well, and I I can't count how many people I have told that to, and I've probably been told that a time or two. Um, we I actually opened up for uh an artist named Billy Currington, a country artist. Um what song he had it when I opened up for only he only had like one hit, but um, he did this the song Good Directions and uh People Are Crazy was his. But um it was it was early in his career, I guess, and his career is a big name artist. And he was really nervous too backstage, it was just like like shaking, it was Norva and shaking. I'm like, dude, like you've these people all pay to see you. You can do no wrong. It doesn't matter what you do, like they're gonna like what you do. Like it was very weird to be giving up for the local guy to be giving like a pep talk to the national guy. But that's again, you know, I I've I've never really been starstruck by people, right? Like, we're all just people. We're like, like I'm I'm doing the same thing that Excalibur is doing or or Michael Cole is doing, right? Party McFly is doing the same thing that that that Cody Rhodes is doing. We're just doing it on a different scale in front of different people. It doesn't make it lesser or more, it just means it's just a different position, a different place doing it, right?
SPEAKER_04Right, yeah. And where wherever you get intimidated, wherever I get intimidated, I have a saying, right, and I learned this from a very wise person. Just remember they put on their pants the same way you do, one leg at a time. Exactly. Well, you I mean unless they jump into both legs at the same time. Look, so look, there's always an exception to the rule, okay?
SPEAKER_01Wait, you guys are wearing pants? Well, you can't see that. But yeah, but it's I mean, it's like the podcast. But it's like the podcast thing, right? I mean, you guys are doing the same thing Jim Cornett's doing. He just he's got a bigger audience right now. But that might not be the case forever, right? You can't. I don't think that I like I don't want to say I'm not impressed by people because I'm very impressed by people and there's people I look up to, but I again, like you said, everybody puts their pants on one leg at the time, so to speak.
SPEAKER_03So unless they're a weirdo.
SPEAKER_04Or they have tear away pants.
Favorite Music, Wrestlers, And Matches
SPEAKER_03I don't know how those go. You talk about people that impress you or you know, kind of who you're you like, and I've heard you mention a few names, but like I'm interested to find out music wise who are some of your all time favorites, and wrestling wise, who are some of your all time favorites and for wrestling what's your all time favorite match?
SPEAKER_01Okay. So for m for music, uh I'm a big nineties country fan.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_01I like like Garth Brooks and um you know Dwight Yoak and Randy Travis kind of stuff. Um but Garth Brooks is one of my favorites, Big and Rich, one of my favorites. Um as far as not country stuff, I like I like um Matchbox 20 was a big big favorite growing up. Uh Bowling for Soup is one of my favorite bands of all time. Now we're getting to my generation. And here and here's the thing too, Bowling for Soup is like, because behind 90s country, like pop puck is probably one of my favorite genres. But bowling for soup is a very good example of like if you see them live, they're they're not great. Like, I mean singing wise, like the music's good, but like Jared is not the best singer in the world, but you don't have to be. He's fun, the shows are fun, the crowd likes it. Like that that's a win, right? Like it's and it's not I'd rather see that than like you know, we we open up for Florida Georgia Line at the Amphitheater, the Amphitheater, and like everything's just awesome, but it's all just pre-recorded, right? They're just dancing it, and and that's fine if that's what you want to see. But I would rather go see somebody maybe not singing as good, but everything is authentic if they're doing a live on stage right there, right? Um, and it's it's very uh so I'm a big fan of like bulling for soup and and a lot of that kind of you know, that arrow stuff like those harmonies, a lot of those really cool harmonies in the pop punk stuff is you know, it's under it's very underrated. People brush it off because it's simple, but it's it's it's intricately simple, you know?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I'm a fan of that stuff myself, and I have a very wide taste in music myself, and I think Mike does too. We both have a come from a long history of music appreciation.
SPEAKER_01I mean, and I think too, like, I mean it you it my age shows, right? I'm like Garth Brooks, Big and Rich, Match Facts 20, Gooodolls, Ludicrous, like this is all stuff that was in high school, right? Yeah, um bullying pursuit, blink when it too, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, definitely um we we are we are one of us, one of us.
SPEAKER_01So the so the wrestling thing, um so my favorite wrestler is Rick Flair. Oh, great. I mean, you can't you can't deny that. Um let me let me stop before I tell you my favorites and say this. I had this discussion with some friends of mine. Who do you think is the best professional wrestler of all time? And I don't miss, I don't mean in ring, I don't mean the microphone. I mean it's an overarching whole thing. Who do you think is the best professional professional wrestler of all time, Mike? Oh no, don't think don't think too hard. Don't think too hard. Just go.
SPEAKER_03Well, I see I was I was always kind of partial to like the luchadors.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_03Because they were they're all the action and the stuff you would always get out of the.
SPEAKER_01But I'm not asking you your favorite, I'm asking you who is the best at doing the wrestling thing. Who's the best? That's where my compliment is. The best at pro wrestling and promos. And if you had to like pick who who is the one person that like this is pro-wrestling, this is all of it in one piece, right? He can he can sell, he can work, he can do promos. Oh, he or she or she I got an answer for you.
SPEAKER_03Well, I don't overthink it. I don't think you can really pass over the longevity of Rick Flair and the fact that his he was like really like one of the first ones that Rick's doing promos that you know, he's walking out and telling telling people like, you know, I'm styling and profiling, you know, look at what I'm wearing, it costs more than you make in a year.
SPEAKER_01No, Rick, Rick's my favorite, but I don't think he's the answer to this.
SPEAKER_04I mean promos, I'd say he's probably no, you might you might beat me in the head, but I'm gonna say the rock.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So I had this argument with with a um one of my partners. We talked about this, and I was like, we're talking about Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels and Eddie Guerrero and all this stuff, right? Yeah, wrong. Chris Jericho. Think about that. Jericho can fly, he can he can do mat work, Jericho can sell, Jericho can cut promos. He's invented himself in like six different, seven different characters and been successful in every freaking company that matters in wrestling almost. He is also a musician, you know.
SPEAKER_03I was trying to think about two by and all the different things.
SPEAKER_01And I'll say this is and Jericho's not even among my top 20 favorite wrestlers. I like him, but but he he's gotta be the dude, right? He's gotta be the goat when you think about it. It's weird. It's weird to say that because he's never drawn like Flair or Hogan or any of them, but like or ticker or but he's always gotten everybody over, right? But when you just talk about like the person that has just had like this spot, right? It's just it's really weird to think about. Now let me say that.
SPEAKER_03And across two different organizations.
SPEAKER_01Well, two. EC. I mean, he was a vital part of WCW in my opinion. Exactly. Right? He was a vital part. I mean, he married him a vital part of ECW. He was responsible for New Japan's American boom, when you think about that, right? When he came back and did the match with Omega, then that put New Japan focal in America more so. Um, if AW may well not have succeeded without him, right? Exactly. And he's been a big part of W, I I mean, again, man, I just you gotta look at that and say, well, well, dude, I mean and and show me a bad match that he's had, right? Like he doesn't really have bad matches.
SPEAKER_04I think that's awesome.
SPEAKER_01You know, it's just but but that's it. You asked you didn't ask me, you asked my favorite wrestlers. So Ric Flair, uh Sting, a big fan of Sting, because you know, I'm I'm watching WCW in 1994, how could you not be a fan of Sting, right?
SPEAKER_03Comes right up out of the rapture.
SPEAKER_01Right, well, even before that, even before that, just the bright colors and the face paint. Oh, yeah, yeah, you're talking about it. And then and then when he's the yeah, all that is how could you not love that? Yeah, so then these are these are wrestlers that I liked as a teenager too, like Ric Flair, Sting, um, uh Shawn Michaels, because how can you not like Shawn Michaels, right? Yeah, um, and I was a big fan growing up of some of the Mid-Card guys. I was a really big fan of Raven, really big fan of Arn Anderson.
SPEAKER_04Arn Anderson, that's my PQ's favor. Yep, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I was a huge fan of Owen Hart, uh, and everybody said that, well, he died, so yeah, I like Owen Hart. No, I liked Owen Hart before before he died. I was like, this is the why are they pushing Brett? Owen is the Owen's the guy. Like, I you know, yeah controversial opinion if you say so, but like I thought Owen was the better brother. Brett was there first, so I get it. But it's like, you know, I thought Owen, I Owen was for me, I was like, that's the dude, right? Um I'm a big fan of Shane Douglas. Um I Christopher Daniels is one of my favorites. Uh CM Punk. Um, you know, I I would say it varies, you know, day to day, some of the newer people.
SPEAKER_04Um I think those are all good choices, by the way, and some of those are also my favorites uh from when I was really, really into wrestling. Uh I'm gonna shift gears a little bit real quick.
SPEAKER_03Well, he hasn't given us his favorite match of all time.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah, you're right. I forgot all about that. We'll go ahead and get that and then we'll shift. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Favorite match of all time. Um let me also say, you know, I did mention Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornett before, as far as managers go. You know, I I really the Bobby Heenan thing, I think that was sorely missing from commentary. It's something that I would love to bring back on a bigger scale, and I'm very happy to bring back MW. But um, so I'm gonna say that to say that the the Royal Rumble 92 Royal Rumble Royal Rumble where Rick Flair wins the title, and Bobby Heenan's commentating was fantastic from start to finish. I think this is gonna sound bad, and all of my old school friends that are listening to this are gonna kick me for this. I think my favorite match is still CM Punk and John Cena at Money in the Bank for the title. I remember that. I I thought that was fantastic and just excellent. Um, that or Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero and Halloween Havoc. Yeah, it's one of those two. Another one.
SPEAKER_03I definitely loved their matches. I definitely loved their matches.
SPEAKER_04And I obviously you everybody always always gonna miss Eddie Hero.
SPEAKER_01And if it's not those two, it's it's uh Steamboat and Flair, the third third of the Steamboat. Oh, there you go. Yes. Yeah, he didn't quite get it.
SPEAKER_03He didn't quite get the the love Steamboat. Like he didn't get the love that he kind of deserved, you know.
SPEAKER_01Well, I mean I I'll I'm guilty of that. I wasn't I didn't get as much into him until later on. I mean, I started watching wrestling in November of '94, so it was right about the time he was out of the room. Winding down, yeah. Um so I kind of went back and and but but the thing is, and this is this is this is me putting on the business hat of things, right? Ricky was not not a bad promo, but he wasn't I mean, against Ric Flair. That's you know what I mean. Ric Flair is a a fantastic promo. Yeah. And the promos didn't matter as much in that in that time either, I don't think. I think as long as you could get people behind you at any point, you're fine. It's not as polished as it is today. Right. Um, I kind of it's kind of a better thing. But you know, I think that Steamboat in the ring, it was absolutely 100% excellent, right? There's no question about that. I think it was just that as a kid I'm drawn to the loud personalities and you know, the the stings and the interview of Hogan and all this stuff, right? So Steamboat's like, okay, that's cool, he's wrestling, you know. And then as I'm older, I'm like, oh man, he's really good, you know. So it's funny how the the observation changes as you get older. I listened to your interview with party, he kind of said the same thing, right? Like he's like, I like Triple H and then I like Bret Hart, right? Okay, yeah, I get it. Yeah, sure.
NASCAR Memories And Sports Fandom
SPEAKER_04Yeah, exactly. I think that was great. Um, so yeah, I wanted to shift gears a little bit real quick. Um and it's okay if it's quick, and it's okay if you don't have much to say. I just want to know real quick, do you follow any sports?
SPEAKER_01Uh no, not really. It's totally fine. Um every once in a while, uh someone someone makes me sit through a through a uh Boston Red Sox game, you know. That's cool. Okay, yeah, he loves the Red Sox. Yeah, there you go.
SPEAKER_03Well Braves. Come on now.
SPEAKER_04I had to do that to you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, they were originally in Boston. It was the Boston Braves.
SPEAKER_01That used to be a football team. I um I've I don't really follow a lot of sports. I I followed NASCAR when I was younger, and then about the time Dylan Hart died, I got out. Not because of that, but it was about the time they kind of changed everything around. I like the idea of people just taking their car to the track and you know, the independent owner operators, and now if you watch NASCAR, there's like five or six cars by the same team, and they all have, you know, yeah, one day one day there will be a two for the win race car. Yeah. I I just you know, so that matter of fact matter of fact, that was the first thing I was into as a kid. I was really into NASCAR when I was before wrestling. I was really young, I was really had all the die-cast cars and went to the races and stuff. Um, you know who Harry Gant is, either one of you? He's a NASCAR driver um the early 90s. But he was kind of getting out of NASCAR when I was getting into as a kid. I remember going to a race in Richmond with my dad, and he's I guess he's contract contractually obligated to be at his trailer signing autographs. So he's kicked way back down in the seat, he's got his ball cap covering him, and and me as a kid, I'm like shouting across the field and I'm like, hey dad, it's Harry Gantt. And he looked at me. If looks could kill, I'd have been a dead kid. Because he was just like, like, because then all of a sudden everybody just swarms his trailer to get his autograph, you know, and it was just it was funny.
SPEAKER_03But he's like, dang it.
SPEAKER_01Right, because that's hilarious. I like watching a lot of sports, I just don't have time to follow them, and I'm very obsessive about things.
SPEAKER_04So if I'm gonna watch it, I'm gonna get all in, and I just don't have time to to it does take a lot of energy, and some of these things come on at not so convenient times as well.
SPEAKER_03So you said you were a fan, but who was that your favorite driver?
SPEAKER_01No, no, I liked uh Darrell Waltrip, actually. Okay, okay. Yeah, when he was a driver before he was the boogity boogity guy.
SPEAKER_03So not Dick Trickle.
SPEAKER_01No, no, but I but but but uh no, there was a driver named Dick Trickle, yeah. But as as a 10-year-old kid, though, you're you chuckle every time you get that car.
SPEAKER_03All right, every time that was announced. We're highlighting this part of the well every time every time he got in the lead, you're you just have kids across America just laughing, like, wait, what? Yeah, he is what's his name?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and then you retired and it's like I mean he could have gone about he could have gone about Richard, you know, Richard Trickle.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Everybody was still got it. Yeah, it was like he owned it.
SPEAKER_04That's that's all great stuff. Um, well, before we start to wind it up, uh Mike, Jason, do you guys have anything else that you'd like to talk about or add to this?
SPEAKER_03Or it do you want to promote any of your upcoming gigs?
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. Whatever you want to do.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you can you can find us on Facebook, Request Station, the Phoenix 90s, man. We post some we're gonna be places. Um, given we don't know when this is coming out, I don't want to say too much. Um there's a lot of really cool stuff in the works for MHW uh that I probably will get you know 50 lashes if I talk about right now. So better not.
SPEAKER_03Well, can you give us one thing? We're not we're not trying to get you into it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I understand. Um MHW is gonna be part of some very interesting stuff this year. That's all I can I it's I want to give you more than that, I do.
SPEAKER_04Um that's okay.
SPEAKER_01But but I can't. Um and I'm going to get to work with somebody that I very much look up to in the wrestling business, if all goes according to plan, that I may or may not have mentioned.
SPEAKER_03So so how about this? When should people pay attention to when these things are? At all times, of course.
SPEAKER_05Well, I know pay attention.
SPEAKER_03At all times, every week on right now television time frame that they should be really invested in.
SPEAKER_01So one thing I have learned about in in wrestling and in in music is that sometimes the wheels turn fast and sometimes they turn really, really slow. Yeah. Um matter of fact, I will say this. There's one thing that I would like to tell you guys that it can't, that if I if this had happened a month ago and I told you, everything would have changed since then. Right? Everything things are in a constant state of flux, things move, things it's it's it's very living and breathing. Yeah, inner the entertainment business.
SPEAKER_03Life happens.
SPEAKER_01And especially when you have so many people you rely on for a thing. Like it's gotta be all the pieces have to line up.
SPEAKER_03So yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, but you know, that said, I think um I think every year there's more and more cool things that happen for MEW. I think it's a lot of growth, it's a lot of cool stuff. I got to work with Kevin Kelly for the scars and stripes thing, right? It's there's a lot of we've had some cool people come through the doors at MECW. Um, we've got more cool people coming to the doors at METW. You know, we have our big tag tournament coming up in August.
SPEAKER_05Yep.
SPEAKER_01Um, that's gonna be really cool. Um, and then like I said, there's there's a lot of really cool stuff on the horizon past that before the end of the year.
SPEAKER_04So I don't see we got a little bit. I was I look forward to all of it uh to be honest with you. Sorry, I'm trying to find something as we go through this.
SPEAKER_01But I I would I would give you more if I had more. Um if I if I could. Um and or get too horrible, or even if I were sure that all of the details were correct.
SPEAKER_04Well, I I think there's I think there's value in protecting the storyline as well as I respect the integrity of keeping it close to the vest, right?
SPEAKER_01I I also say this, I'm not necessarily talking about a particular storyline. Well, it well, yeah, true. This is true as well. Um we're talking about that. There's a lot of cool stuff, you know, coming up in METB for that too. But even that I'll say sometimes things have to shift. Sometimes your best-laid plans could somebody get injured or some I mean Blade Brown had to relinquish METB title for injury, right? Um, and then he's gone on to do other things in other companies, and now we have other things going on here, and you know, it's all about what makes sense for the situation at the time, right? Right. So there's you can say, well, this is what we're planning. That's it's uh you know, right now we're writing pencil, right? Because it might have to change.
SPEAKER_03It's like you said, your break came because somebody got a flat tire.
SPEAKER_01A hundred percent. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Being at the right place, right time, stars aligned, things happen.
What Makes Talent Bookable
SPEAKER_01Well, and there have been MHW guys that have started with us because they were in the right place at the right time, look for an opportunity. One came up, and then okay, you did a good job, and that let's do this. Okay, that worked well, let's try this, right? And um, I will say this about about PQ. I think that uh I think of most people I've met in wrestling, he is one of the best at g at being fair to people. He will treat you fairly every time. Yes. Um that you know that can be to your advantage or to your detriment, but he's gonna treat you fairly. He's gonna treat you the way that you've told him to treat you, kind of, right? So I mean there was one yeah, there was one kid in METW that was really I was really, really high high on. I was I was like, oh man, this guy's gonna be a big thing for us. He's really gonna get over and be a thing. And some stuff happened and it was like, okay, no, let's we again shifting gears because dependability is important, being there is important. I mean, party touching that with you guys, like you if you're not here, you know, a lot of people want to work for MTW, but i if if PQ is gonna give you two weeks or two two shows of TV, that's I need two dates from you at least, right? Like what what good is what good is you coming in for one date and taking away time from one of our guys, right, and taking away TV time. I can't how do you build a story on that, right? And and there are occasions, there are occasions. You know, we had uh Notorious me and me and Gabby Ortiz both came in and they did they did an excellent job, and we had four four weeks of TV for that, and that went well, I think. We we did an interview with each of them and they had a good match. And I think um so it can be done, but I think a lot of times I think people are guilty in wrestling with this a lot of just sending messages to every promoter they can find. They don't do any research, they don't do they don't look to see are you really gonna fit this, right? And to be fair, if you are a guy who does a ton of acrobatic moves and doesn't sell much and do the super indie kind of stuff, right? Stuff stuff that you might have seen like DPW and stuff, and that's kind of what they did, right? Like I'm not knocking that, it's what they did. But if you're that kind of guy, and I'm not saying this about every DPW talent, but if you're if you're that kind of guy, why would you message METW? You see what we do. We don't, we don't, I mean, even some of our guys that might do that elsewhere, when they're with us, they don't do that, right? We have we're doing a certain kind of thing here, and if you don't want to be a part of it or you don't want to be in that style, you don't wrestle that style, if that's not your thing, why are you messaging? Why are you wasting people's time? Yeah, right? Like, and why are you wasting your own time? Like, find places that fit what you do, find places that will showcase you and what you want to put out there instead of just uh I mean that's why so many promoters get so upset because their inboxes are so full, is because if you were to really take somebody and go through the 300 messages they have, how many of those wrestlers have researched that promotion and fit that promotion that they are messaging?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So do you think that probably ties into maybe some wrestlers they're just trying to get out there? Oh, yeah. Part of it is they haven't really experienced enough to know that they don't fit that promotion. Right. And everybody they need that, like you were saying, that connection where somebody says, hey man, you're not good for us, for what we do, but maybe talk to these guys. Right. Because what I've seen your tapes, you fit these guys. Go go get with them.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, and everybody wants, everyone wants an opportunity, right? But it's just what do you present? What do you what do you bring to the table? Well, why yeah, give me a reason to care, right? That's what I always say. You know, people people pine for the attitude era, and the and you know, it's funny because like it was fun, but it's funny because like PQ's thing is like right before the attitude era, the 90s, early 90s wrestling. And for me, it's the 90s and attitude era stuff. People pine for that, and you know, it's funny because at first glance they'll say, well, it's this and it's the vulgarity, and it's like no, you know what it was, and I'm not I'm not saying that Vince Russo is the best writer that's ever written wrestling television, but both in WCW and WF at the time, with those teams of people that they had, you had a reason to care about everybody. Prince Iokea comes out and you have a backstory and a reason to care about him. Steve Blackman comes out and you have a reason to care about him. And the thing is, if you give people a reason to care about your whole show, why are they gonna flip it? They're not, because they care about the whole show, you know, and I think that's important.
SPEAKER_03I think one of the things that attests to that is how many people still do imitations of interviews and stuff from that time frame. Oh, yeah. People will just bring up you know, they'll they'll quote word for word just a promo from a wrestler back then that I mean, you're talking guys that weren't even alive then, they're making making comments and it's not a good thing.
SPEAKER_01And I think I think too, if if it was just Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane, Undertaker, Foley, Triple H, and that's it, right? And that's the only people you had to care about, uh those talents are good enough that it would have been a good show. But I think what really made it is the fact that every you had you had 50 people that had personalities and reasons and and uh interactions with other people and it you talk about make it an issue versus triple H, ooh, I'm I'm in. Let's see this, you know what I mean? Like, and um, and I think that's lost. I mean, I had a conversation with TJP uh years ago, right? And he said to me, he goes, the problem with WE is that they basically have a they're basically a television show that revolves, and they'll tell you this, the writers will tell you this if you press, that they're a television show that revolves around eight people, and everybody else is supporting cast. It's like Game of Thrones, it's it's the story of these people, and everybody else is just supporting cast. That's why they keep rolling out the hits. But but how do you but how do you have all these talented people and you don't give me a reason to care? And and I'll even be a little critical of AEW about that. Like they have so many good people on the roster. Why, why, why would there ever not be a reason to give like I should care about these people, you know, especially when they go out there and have a crazy good match because a lot of these guys are just so talented. And I'm like, invest the TV time to make me care, right? Like, like, not just the matches, but give me a reason to care about the people. And they do some of that. They have done, they have built Darby Allen and Brody King and some of these guys where you do care about them, but then other ones I'm just like, man, like just give them 30 seconds on a microphone at least, right? Give me, give me something. Let me let them. I mean, James Ellsworth got his WE deal, right? Off of like what, 10 seconds? Yeah, but he got people to care. I'm not saying anything else about James Ellsworth except this. But like, like I'm not I'm not saying he's he's the best wrestler I've ever seen, I'm not saying he's terrible. I'm just saying f as a flat out statement of fact, they gave him ten seconds on a microphone in what should have been a squash match in the end of his career, and he extended it to being getting action figures made and thinking might have been a video game and like I Good on him. But like that's the kind of thing, right? You you sink or swim. Here's a microphone. Go out and do it. You know, I d you either figure it out or you don't, right? Yeah. I mean, we've hit at METW a lot of times, because I do a lot of the help with a lot of production stuff too. And there are times that I'll have a microphone in my hand. I don't know what I'm gonna say. I'm just go out there and do it, right? And either you either do it right, or sometimes you hey, I'm leaning on Brent, you know, carry me through this one. We had one show where I went out and I couldn't get them to boo me for it didn't matter. I I insulted the sports team, I was had just nothing. And I go back through the curtain yelling, good luck, guys.
SPEAKER_03So so would that be like considered like one of your best moments in performing as a as a musical artist? Um in what way? Like We all have we all have a lot of people.
Do The Work And Take The Shot
SPEAKER_01I was saying I was saying as a as a wrestler, as Alexander B. Thomas, I went out and tried to get them to boom me one boom me one time, and they just would not boo me. It's just it wouldn't like this crowd was not conditioned to boo the heels. And so you we had to work uphill for that, right? But okay, that's what we're gonna do. They loved the heels. Well, they just they loved everybody. It was like, but it's no, it's pro-wrestling. It's okay, you can boo us. Um I don't even know what my most memorable moment or fun thing. I mean, as a musician, I've opened up for so many big artists. We opened up for I've opened up for Jim Blossoms and and Gary Allen and Chris Cagle and Eric Church and Clarence Carter and I mean just uh uh uh Rascal Flats, um Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Lion, Lady Annabelle, like a ton of people. And um some of those people are really cool, and some of them were not, but that's kind of how it goes, right? Um in wrestling, I think the coolest moment for me has been able to call a TNA world title match and to be a women's title match, ROH TV and pure title matches, that's pretty cool. Um, and just work with people that I grew up watching on TV, right? Or that I have seen on TV before, right? I've I mean I've orbited the wrestling business my whole life. I've again with the music, it's been hard to find time, but like I'd work security for shows, I'd run sound for shows, um, you know, do a lot of stuff like that. But it but I really didn't really get into it until like I said, when I just kind of put my foot down and said, I'm gonna live my life the way I want to live it. Life is too short, you have to take time. And I decided I'm gonna take time and took time, and here we are uh now doing the commentary thing, and it's it's a lot of fun. And I want to do more of it, I want to do more commentary in more places, but it goes back to what I said. I don't want to just do commentary everywhere. You know, I went down to DPW before they closed and tried to talk to them and stuff, and that was kind of kind of difficult to do, but I finally got in touch with the guy and talked to him. He's like, hey, look, email me and we'll bring you in for a trial. And I I never really did because like I mean, I watched their show and I do want to advance, and that's a good, you know, a good they had a very good thing down there. But like, is that a setup for a heel commentator? They don't they didn't have a lot of faces and heels. They had Adam Priest as a heel, and everybody else is kind of just going here, let's have a great match. And there's nothing wrong with that, but like, does that lend itself to Alexander Thomas? Can I improve that product? Can they improve it? Like, you know what I mean? I talked before, everything needs to be better when you're done. Is this a good spot for me to do that, right? Um, putting me on AW or W show is easy. There's the heels, here's the faces, do your thing, right? Putting me in MHW is super easy because we are very much about here's the heels, here's the faces, right? Um, but I think you have to look at like where does that fit? Where do you have to be honest with yourself? Where do I fit? Where what things can I add value to and what things would I detract from, maybe with what I do, right? Yeah, but that goes back to what we said before about like how some every every every promotion has different things that fit. Every uh every every aspect of entertainment has different things that fit, right? Pavardi might be great, but is he is he gonna be a good bass player for Nickelback, right? Like this is this is you know what I mean? Like this is this is the kind of thing, right? And I think that that gets lost a lot with people in in in the entertainment business, but it's particularly in pro wrestling, you know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I I think that's a lot of uh very good information. I want to go back to where you said you're just gonna go after it and live your life the way you want. I think that in itself is very admirable because I had done something similar myself around a year or so ago as well. Uh and starting this podcast was part of that. So there's a lot of people in the world who just never take that step. Well, stop being dumb.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, hard, let's just be harsh about it. Like, here's the deal, we're all gonna be in the ground eventually. I've had a lot of people die way too young in my life. I have seen a lot of people fail to do the things they want to do. Um, one of the questions I ask a lot of people is I'll say, Well, what is it you want to do? And they say, Whatever it is, uh, well, why aren't you doing it? Well, this, that, and the other. Okay, cool. What are you doing to get rid of those goals? What are you doing or to get rid of those obstacles and go for your goals? Like, what are you doing to focus on it? And people might find that, like, you know, I want to go to Hawaii. Okay, well, I don't have money for that. Okay, well, maybe you don't want to go that bad. Like, maybe, maybe, maybe when you say, Well, are you trying to get rid of that? No. Okay, so you don't want to go that bad. Yeah, but what do you want to do?
SPEAKER_04You guys you gotta set goals, you gotta know how to achieve them. And that's one thing Deshaun actually says a lot, too. So Deshaun and BQ, you gotta have goals.
SPEAKER_01And and I would say that we always have goals in a meeting. We always have have ideas of here's what we want to be, here's what we want to do. Um, and again, things are fluid, things change. Sometimes those goals have to change with those things. But I think um I think focusing on the things you can control and the things you can do. Um, I I told you I wanted to do more things this year, so I actually took um I actually took a green screen and I recorded promos for like because it because promoters get all kinds of stuff in their inbox, right? So I actually recorded promos for a number of companies, a couple of different companies, and sent to them with their logo in the background and the green screen and me cutting promos specifically for their shows, right? And that resulted in responses. I won't say bookings this time, but I've done that in the past and gotten bookings for sure. Um, but that resulted in responses, but I think most of all it it responds in people being very shocked that someone would take the time to do that. But why would you not? Like what why would you just send another email with no here's here's my match reel, here's my here's my my photo, here's my thing. Okay, cool. Again, why do I care? And I don't mean that harsh. I'm not I'm not down, I'm not saying people aren't talented, but give me a reason to care. Give me make yourself undeniable, give me a reason to book you, give me a reason to care. So when I'm pushing, I want to here's why you should book me. Here's why it's undeniable. And if you don't book me, I don't know what to tell you because here's here's what it is.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, make yourself stand out. I've gotten 300 emails. How are you the one that I need to book? Right.
SPEAKER_04And this this applies across everything to me, not just wrestling, but like you want to you dress for the job you want, right? So show me why I should buy your product, show me why I should buy your personality right now. Well, wait a second.
SPEAKER_03Are you saying saying that you know strippers dress for the job they want? Sir, where are we going with this?
SPEAKER_02I'm just saying you said dress for the job. Technically they would undress. I don't know who's dressing for the job.
SPEAKER_04You're right. I guess if you want to be a stripper, you would undress for the job. So you just walk outside naked? How do we get onto this? You'd start.
SPEAKER_01I feel like this is a valid career path.
SPEAKER_04I I mean, hey, strippers make money. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Probably more than I do in my day job. Probably more than indie wrestling pays, I would imagine. But um I would say so. Hopefully. But but I would say you're definitely getting attention. Yeah, yeah. But I would say too, I think um, in general, I think that wrestling and music, there's a lot of parallels. I think there's a lot of um we talk about adding value. I really think that people if you're promoting, if you're pushing yourself to a company, if you want to work for a company, you should have a clear-cut idea of this is what I want to do, this is where I want to be. Um And you should almost like envision this is what I can do. I mean, I talked earlier about how some with the band, the first thing is to tell a client, here's what a band can be. I've had to do the commentary with companies because a lot of companies they don't think about commentary, and they put two people in the in the booth that takes so much away from their show, or two or three or one person who'll have a commentator that don't have commentary. Like, if that's what you have for commentary, please just don't have commentary. Yeah, right? And um, and I've worked with so many people that I'm just it you're like, dude, like what? Like, like I had one person one time I'm calling a show and the guy slips on the top rope and the other commentator says, Oh, he really messed up there. I'm like, no, bro, he he he say he was exhausted, say he slipped on the sweat from the ring, like anything. Give sell it a little, you know. But the thing is, if something happens and everything's happening pro wrestling is a live, it's live entertainment, right? Right. Give me a reason to care without insulting the fans' intelligence. I don't want to say if if a kick misses by a mile, and I'm I'm not gonna say it connected, but I'm gonna say, oh, he didn't quite get all that. But but we caught him with his arm on the way down. I mean, give me give me a reason. Um you're narrating to the viewer, you're explaining things to them, right? Give give us give them a reason to care. And one thing Kevin Kelly always said his seminars and talking to him and stuff and advice from him is onboard people constantly. Assume they've never seen pro wrestling, give them a reason to care about what they're watching in front of their eyes right now, right? And um, and I think you have to think on your feet for that, you have to be quick, you have to, you have to um I don't ever want to salt insult the fans' intelligence, which is weird to say, because obviously Alexander Thomas, right? But but I don't when it comes down to it, I don't want to I don't want you to watch it and think, oh well, yeah, you know, what is it, what is that? Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining, right? I d Right, okay, so like this is this is the thing. Like I don't I don't want I don't want you to see this and go, oh whatever and Roy Raz. Like I mean I want you to I I want to be honest about what we're seeing and just I'll I'll spin it in a way that makes sense. And if I can't do that, I shouldn't be in the booth.
SPEAKER_03And see that kind of that kind of makes me think of like a parallel to sports. Like there's there's some commentators over the years that it's they almost spin a story and make things more than just what you're seeing on the field. You know, like there's I think I think there's almost a teaching moment and stories that come out. Uh like Bob Euchre was great at getting people interested and putting funny clips and stories out there. Right, right. And then you you had John Madden, who is literally teaching people football because you might not know what you're looking at.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03So here's what's going on. This is what's going on.
SPEAKER_01And as a coach, he can do that easily. Right.
SPEAKER_03And then uh dang, I don't know why it's escaping me right now. But the uh the former Dodgers broadcaster that was the first broadcaster for them when they left Brooklyn and went to Los Angeles, and it kills me that I don't have him blanking on his name right now. But he he he had a way of telling stories and they always seemed to wrap up right before commercial break because the timing was just impeccable.
Commentary That Makes Fans Care
SPEAKER_01Well, and I also think, too, though, in pro wrestling, it's a there you also have the added layer of the fact that you know the story is what you make it, it's the commentators, right? You have to you the wrestlers are telling a story, you have to convey that. You're almost like a translator, right? You have to translate what they're trying to do, both you have to explain that to an audience, and sometimes you have to dumb it down a little bit or push it up a little bit, depending on the match and the audience that you're talking to, right? There's there's something to be said for that. An audience on IW TV or something that's they're wrestling fanatics and they watch a million shows up and down everywhere. Well, that's a different audience than the audience on right now TV or maybe the audience that's watching this on YouTube. So you have to explain things a little differently in different context. Um but again, the the narrative is what you make it. Good commentators can make or break a pro wrestling show, a television show. If you if you are broadcasting something of pro wrestling, good commentators can can accentuate bad wrestling, good commentators can make it better, and good wrestling, bad commentators can make it bad, right? I mean, I it's just that's facts. And um, but I think I think things work best when everybody, you know, and that's when I love that about METW. I I can't name a bad wrestler at METW. I can't name a bad referee or I mean every everybody from April doing the ring announcing to I mean everybody just does such a good job in that company. Everybody is so on point and fills the roles that they fill so well. It's it's amazing to see from a company like MEW. And and and I'll pat us on the back too. It's amazing with what we've done with the budget we've done it with and with the you know the the learning as we go, right? I mean, we're hey guys. Hey, we're let's we're learning on the job right now. It's like, hey guys, give us a national television show. Okay, well, we'll figure that out, you know. But but I think we're not scared, right? We're not scared to try that. Let's let's figure out what we got to figure out to do it.
SPEAKER_04But I really admire that because you're not afraid to take it on. And that's what I was saying earlier. A lot of people, for whatever reason, they don't take that step, but you gotta be willing to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. And I think MATW does a good job of that. Uh, that's kind of what we've done here as well. So I really admire you know, hearing things like that.
SPEAKER_01I think people in general, I think, you know, you you shouldn't be afraid to fail. The fail is when you don't try. Failing is a learning experience. Right. You you have to fail to learn how to do anything. You have to you have to, you know, there's there's there's a lot of things. I this is uh I don't tell this story a lot because it's one of those things people roll their eyes and they think, oh yeah, sure you did. But but I promise you this is true. Um when I was younger, uh when TNA first started, they were looking for a writer, and I looked up the this is before the internet was I think this was the internet, but it wasn't like it is now, right? So I looked up their offices, I called their offices, and Jeremy Borash answered the phone. You familiar with who he is? He is he was the ring announcer, I think, from that time. He works for an X T NL, he's a producer. But he answers the phone because obviously it's TNA, they don't have a ton of, you know, it's they're probably working with who they got for you know that everybody has a different job, right? So he answers the phone, and I'm just this kid. I'm maybe I don't know, 21, 22, maybe, maybe not. I don't know how old I'd have been, but it it it was I was young. It's funny how we lose sight of that. Yeah, so so I call him and I say, Hey man, I've always wanted to be a script writer for wrestling, which you know I'll say script writer, but I didn't know any better. I was gonna be a script writer for wrestling, and I've done this, this, and this. I've you know, I mentioned my little things where I dabbled in security and all this stuff, and he kind of he's like, Well, he's like, I admire you looking up the number and calling me, but you know, we're probably not gonna do that. But I'll tell you what, man, you did call me, we did have a conversation, and this is what I'm talking about. Networking, right? I don't know this guy at all, and I'm this is an absurd phone call, but it's networking. I've made it some enough of an impression in our five-minute conversation. He goes, Here's my email address, shoot me an email, but you know, good luck, right? So, okay, I'm I'm I'm excited, I'm ready to go, so I'll write me up a script, I send him send him the script for the TNA show. Expecting kind of like I'm excited, but I also realize like this is not gonna happen. He uh he emailed me back, I think it was, and he was like, Hey, I like your script, uh rewrite it and push pushing these this talent, right? These people, and then um push these people and then uh and this format, like you need to be in this format. So I'm like, Oh, cool. And I did all this because I had seen T and Abs look for a writer. I said it had to be in some internet because I'd seen that. And uh so I did that, sent it back to him, and they hire adventurers like a week later, who's infinitely more qualified, especially at that time than I am, right? Not probably still now, but like I was like, okay, well that's not gonna happen. But like my thought on that is okay, look, I wanted to do this. I picked up the phone, I called a guy out of nowhere and said, Hey, I want to do this, and made enough of an impression on him to get a door open and send something to him, and he liked it enough to message me back and say, Hey, okay, that wasn't that bad. Let's see this. Like, that's that's a win, that's not a fail, right? And that's the thing people understand is you don't have to you don't have to accomplish the goal you're trying to do. You just have to try and you have to make an effort at it, make your best effort. Your best effort is still not a failure, right? So I think um I think stuff like that is is very important for people to understand. Just because you didn't get the thing you were going for right away, or you didn't accomplish it overnight, doesn't mean that you didn't succeed because you succeeded the moment that you picked up the phone and called the guy in this case, right? Like cool, making the effort. I'm trying to do the thing.
SPEAKER_04And I say anytime you make progress towards a goal, that is also success.
SPEAKER_01Well, it it is, but even that, I mean, I I mean, I'm I'm never gonna be a uh a a writer for TNA, probably, right? And that's fine. I don't have to be, but the fact is, like, I wanted to see, hey, look, I can talk about this, I can say, well, I'd like to do this, or or I can see what steps I can take to maybe try to do this, right? And I think that's the thing is is um a lot of people have a lot of dreams, and I don't I don't know if they you you have to be willing to take some sort of step to turn those dreams into reality. And they can be simple, I agree. They can be simple dreams, they don't have to be being a national TV star or a huge musician or an actor or whatever else. They the dreams can be I want to own a house, the dreams can be I want to have my car paid off, the dreams can be I want to take a trip to this place. It doesn't matter what the dreams are, it matters that you are trying to make progress towards them, right?
SPEAKER_04I think I think that's uh very good advice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think um I think a lot of people could use that. And and I think too, um when you are trying to do bigger dreams and you are trying to do more grandiose things, I think that it does pay to plan, figure out what's like we talked about that you know, what's your path, what's what things are gonna be better for you. I mean, there have been people who have called me to book my band that I have talked out of booking my band because as they describe the gig there, they don't need a band. Like this is like this isn't gonna work. It's not gonna it's not it's not the fit for what you're trying to do. Or or our band is not the fit. Let me give you a band that is the fit because this is not what you need for this event, right? Um because again, I want to put myself in situations where I can be a positive success, where I can leave things better than I found it. I know I can do that in MHW. Uh, I know I can do that in a lot of the places of things I do with the cover band, but I think that that is, I think if you you know, Bob Evans is very much about that, right? Like be a positive force.
SPEAKER_04I love me some Bob Evans.
SPEAKER_01And um, and I mean I've thought long before I Bob said it, but I agree with Bob on this wholeheartedly that you you should always try to be a positive force. Like you will find that you good things happen to you if you go into places trying to make them better than they were before.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he he puts out a lot of good advice as well. Uh I follow him closely. Um, and I'll say real quick, we got you want to do one more before we wrap it up. We're running a little short on time, I don't mean to be rude, guys, but I love talking with you and I love having you on the show, and I would love to do more work with you in the future as we go along. Uh, do we have anything else we would like to add to this conversation?
SPEAKER_03Not unless you have any any extra things you want to promote or talk about?
SPEAKER_01Or no, I like I said, I I stay tuned for MHW. It's gonna be a really fun year. Um, you know, and I'd love for you to come see the band. Whoever uh is listening and wants to come see the band in the Hampton Roads area, we are always playing somewhere.
SPEAKER_04Oh, we would we would love to come see it. And me and my girlfriend love live music, we're always out and about. Um, and I'd love to do some work and some promotional stuff with the band as well. Like we're we're pretty much wide open at this point. Come one, come all.
Upcoming Shows, Promos, And Goodbye
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, and and we play we play a lot. Uh we are doing the City of Virginia Beach. This will probably air before then. We're doing the uh City of Virginia Beach's Memorial Day weekend event. Uh it's gonna be us, the Delore, the the DeLoreans 80s band, and Pop Topic, which is an emo cover band.
SPEAKER_04They're really really all all three bands instantly good line up.
SPEAKER_01So we're not we're not we're all in different stages, but you can you can walk and you can see us all as you walk past. You can see this.
SPEAKER_04Almost like a battle of the bands kind of thing.
SPEAKER_01Kind of it's I think we're on we're either on 17th or 24th Street, and they're on Pop Topic, I think is on 7th. I can't remember.
SPEAKER_04Oh, we will be we'll be down.
SPEAKER_01We're in the middle of the two. I know that.
SPEAKER_04So and that sounds like it's gonna be a fun gig.
SPEAKER_01It'll be fun, yeah. So there's there's always something. Um follow us on Facebook. Um, you know, like I said, I I hope to be doing more stuff as Alexander B. Thomas, but uh, if I'm not doing stuff for more companies, I'm very happy and very uh proud of my friends at MECW and the things that we have done and the things that we are gonna continue to do. It's um could you you guys have both seen the show? You've seen things. Could you imagine if this was on a big TV network? Could you imagine I think one day it could be, but could you imagine the reaction from people? Because it's pro wrestling in a way that they've a lot of these people have never seen pro wrestling like this. They've never seen I mean it's old school to me, but they've never for somebody who is 21, this is not old school. They don't know what this is, right?
SPEAKER_04So it's a whole new thing. Well, well that and you've given us a lot of insight here today on the inner workings of an indie uh production as well. I mean, you haven't given us too much, you know. You know, nothing gets you in trouble. But you've you've given us some very good insight onto the industry, how MATW does things, how you do things as an experienced uh persona in the industry, along with your uh your path that you've taken. So um I think some of the things we've talked about here today, there's a lot of value in that because there's the these things that you just don't get uh insight into uh I will throw that in too.
SPEAKER_01Um this goes to any wrestler in MHW, anybody that any any wrestler that works a show that I'm commentating, please feel free to come to me and ask for critiques, advice, or anything else. I've had a number of wrestlers do that over the years. The thing is that me and Brent at MHW, we see more matches than everybody else, right? Than any of the fans, and I mean the wrestlers like we because we're sitting there watching all of them, every little thing. So, like I said, some occasionally I try not to stick my nose in other people's business too much, but occasionally if I see something, I will go to a wrestler and say, hey, XYZ would really change your game up or really fix this. And again, with advice, sometimes you listen, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you should listen, sometimes you go, okay, cool, thanks. And you you're it's not what you want to do. That's fine. I take no offense to that. But um, like I said, in at least one case, I know one guy that it's wow, knocked him out of the park, right? And I uh he's not The only one where I've said, Hey, XYZ, and they've gone, Okay, that's good idea. Or you can see that they didn't want to hear, and that's fine too. Um, and because I mean the best advice is always to do your own thing, right? I tell people real quick, I know we're in rush time, but I will see this.
SPEAKER_05Oh, yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01And the cover band thing, like I always tell people, I said the path leads least resistance is to play popular songs that people know and can dance to. You know, and I equate that to opening up a McDonald's and selling hamburgers. It's easy to sell hamburgers. Everybody likes hamburgers. Can you open up a restaurant and sell nothing but fine ostrich burgers? Yes, I'm sure, but it's a different climb, right? And I that applies to wrestling or anything else. Like, yes, you can do something off the beaten path and weird and unique, and there might be some big reward in that, but you have to understand that it's you can't get mad when the McDonald's well, they're all going to McDonald's. Well, yes, but you have to make them come to you. You have to explain why you're different and why they should care. And and I think that's um, I think that's another thing that that it also translates to wrestling, right? It's it's this is the path. Can you this is the path, but also Matt Cardona did this. This is the path, but Danhausen did this. This is the path, but Bob Evans did this, right? Like everybody has Jack Vaughn, right? There, this is the path, another bit Ben Bishop, right? Here's the path, but but here are ways that you can do something differently and that will translate to people and they'll care. Um, what's the pizza guy, Luigi Primo, right? He had a cup of coffee in AW, right? And he still does a lot of shows doing that. Something different. Is it goofy and silly? Yeah, sure. But the people, if this crowd pops, right? Yep. It is it for me? Probably not, but it's again the crowd pops. If the if what's coming through the speakers gets the crowd dancing, then it's a good thing. That's a great thing, too.
SPEAKER_04Well, thank you, uh, Mr. Swain, Alexander B. Thomas. We've had a lot of fun having you here, and again, I hope to hear more from you in the future. I hope to collaborate more with you in the future. Uh, I hope you enjoyed it as well.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it's it's a great time, and you'll hear from me at uh M E T W every week on Right Nell TV or on YouTube because I'll be flapping my gums and uh bringing down all your favorite wrestlers.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. And everybody, uh, thank you for listening. Uh, I hope you also appreciate his insight as much as we do. Uh, for the last time tonight, I'm Brian with an eye. And I'm Mike. And we are two for the win.