The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana
Episode 300 – AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Release Date: May 5, 2016
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Report by Chris Davidson
Hot Topics
– Colt Cabana answers listener’s questions in a very special 300th episode.
– Colt Cabana touches on WWE, TNA, and many other topics from his life and career.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Introduction
4:31 – Colt and Marty DeRosa talk about The Art of Wrestling.
9:01 – Colt talks monetizing the podcast, enjoying wrestling, his favorite episode, and Australia.
17:38 – Colt talks Tough Enough, his secret to success, highlights on other podcasts, and getting a crowd to react.
21:41 – Colt talks interviewing women, his first day of wrestling training, gifts from fans, and putting comedy in wrestling.
30:11 – Colt talks Irn Bru, Cliff Compton’s Nigerian money, Chicago Cubs as wrestlers, and his hypothetical retirement match.
34:34 – Colt talks Ball Cocktail, anxiety meeting fans at outside wrestling events, getting around internationally, and whether he has a HOF career.
42:18 – Colt talks interviewing WWE Superstars, traveling to Sweden, the WWE toy closet, and Pro Wrestling Tees.
54:28 – Colt talks singlets, recording gear, pre-podcast listening habits, and his lack of a “most cherished moment.”
1:02:23 – Colt talks indy shows making money, global travel, his favorite non-wrestling podcast appearance, and recent opportunities with TNA.
1:16:01 – Colt talks about how he’s feeling, wrestling as Dan Severn, signing autographs, and interviews with wrestlers who have passed away.
1:24:08 – Colt talks getting signed by WWE, not writing a self-help book, seeing Tom Hanks once, and the WWE tape library.
1:33:25 – Colt talks feuds, must-stop restaurants, and encourages fans to talk to him on the street.
1:36:44 – Colt and Marty close the AMA.
1:39:09 – Colt wraps up the show.
EPISODE SUMMARY
0:00 – Introduction – Colt opened the show celebrating that he is now at episode 300 and briefly discussing the format of the episode. During a few episodes in the past, Colt asked fans to submit questions to him via voice memo, and he had Marty DeRosa play them for him to answer. Colt said this episode was likely more for die-hard listeners who listen every week, but that’s who he makes the show for. Colt plugged a few of his sponsors before going straight to the question portion of the show.
4:31 – Colt and Marty DeRosa talk about The Art of Wrestling – Colt talked with Marty about recording the intro in post-production, and talked briefly about recording podcasts in advance, sometimes as many as two months prior to when the episode airs. Colt mentioned an instance when Roadkill got mad at some comments Jay Lethal made, but Colt had completely forgotten what Lethal had said. Colt talked about lightly editing the podcast, and Marty brought up an episode with PAC (Neville) where PAC opened up after the recording was over. Colt said there were some long questions, and he may do something on YouTube with them, and discussed word gaffes over the years.
9:01 – Colt talks monetizing the podcast, enjoying wrestling, his favorite episode, and Australia – Robin from London asked about the business of podcasting, particularly how Colt can monetize the podcast, while keeping his integrity. Colt said that the podcast was never made to make money, but after the first episode he got a call from Highspots.com. After he appeared on an episode of Sklarbro Country, Colt teamed up with The Midroll, where he was able to get connected with a lot of other brands and make some money. Marty applauded Colt for not taking on sketchy sponsors, such as a marijuana dispensary, and for only sponsoring things he actually uses. Nick from Bloomington, Ill. asked if, once you are a wrestler, it is harder to get into and enjoy wrestling. Colt answered that he has definitely changed how he views wrestling, but he can still lose himself in it if it is done well, such as when C.M. Punk beat John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. Marty said he likes watching wrestling with wrestlers, because they see things he would never see. Adrian from Melbourne, Australia asked what Colt’s favorite episode he has done, but Colt didn’t have one individual episode that really stood out. Dave from Melbourne asked if Colt would be touring Australia soon, and Colt answered that he was asked to tour with House of Hardcore, but was going to be in Ireland at the time. Colt does want to return to Australia at some point.
17:38 – Colt talks Tough Enough, his secret to success, highlights on other podcasts, and getting a crowd to react – John from Pennsylvania asked if Colt ever tried out for an early season of Tough Enough. Colt answered that, since he was already in wrestling, he didn’t feel the need to make a Tough Enough video. Colt discussed the lack of Tough Enough competitors who are still in wrestling, and said that you can find a quick way into wrestling, but unless you want to learn and improve you won’t stay in the business. Colt mentioned that also got asked to audition for a season of Tough Enough, and some great wrestlers got kicked off the show for no reason. Kevin from Carterville, IL asked what Colt believes is his secret to success. Colt answered that his “big secret” is to be reliable, since he always makes his bookings, never shows up drunk or a mess, is nice, and has few demands. Eric from Bakersfield, Calif. asked Colt’s biggest highlight on a podcast, and Colt answered that being on Marty’s Wrestling with Depression podcast was the highlight. Colt also mentioned the boost he received from being on WTF with Marc Maron and Mystery Show with Starlee Kine. Tim from South Philadelphia asked how wrestlers feel when they don’t get a reaction from the crowd. Colt said he may challenge himself to get a reaction, but if the challenge fails, he just moves on to the next match.
21:41 – Colt talks interviewing women, his first day of wrestling training, gifts from fans, and putting comedy in wrestling – Drugs Delaney from Connecticut asked if, after their interview, Colt and Sunny had sex. Colt joked had that happened, he would have filmed it and made a lot of money, and said he has a lot more men than women on the show, but feels he maintains a similar ratio to the locker room. Marty said his mind was blown when Lita said on the podcast that she wrestled on her period. Colt briefly mentioned sounding flirty when he interviews women. Rick from Minnesota asked how Colt felt emotionally on his first day of wrestling training. Colt answered that he couldn’t wait, because he had to wait until the college semester was over to start training. Colt knew that he didn’t know anything, even though he read PWTorch every week, and he tried to be respectful. Jonathan from St. Joseph, Ill. asked what some of the stranger things Colt has received in his P.O. Box. Colt mentioned Subway and Chipotle gift cards, CDs, magazines, and graphic novels. Adrian from Maryland asked what Colt’s inspiration was to add humor to his wrestling style. Colt brought up his “light bulb” moment when he once tripped A.J. Styles during a match, but he’s always been a goofy guy. Colt joked about a recent interview he did with Myspace, and that his friends were always a bunch of jovial guys. Colt called a lot of the guys he trained with goofballs, which was influential to help him come out of his shell as a performer.
30:11 – Colt talks Irn Bru, Cliff Compton’s Nigerian money, Chicago Cubs as wrestlers, and his hypothetical retirement match – Rory from Dundee, Scotland asked Colt’s thoughts on the beverage Irn Bru, since his tag team with Grado is Irn Jew. Colt answered that he hates Irn Bru, and talked about the genesis of his team with Grado. Wes from Bowling Green, OH asked if Cliff Compton got his money from the Great Power Uti in Nigeria. Colt and Marty joked that it is unlikely Cliff ever got paid. Kevin from Westchester, IL asked which Chicago Cubs would have made the best wrestlers. Colt decided he would mention any baseball player, since his knowledge of the sport ended when he started wrestling. Colt called the Phillies in the 1990s as all being wrestlers, and said Hector Villanueva of the Cubs making a great, super-porky, luchador. Marty said Bill Watts would push Andre Dawson to the moon, and they joked about Sammy Sosa. Eric from Aspen, Colo. asked who Colt would wrestle in his retirement match. Colt said his retirement match will be in 30 years, and whoever he’ll wrestle probably isn’t even born yet.
34:34 – Colt talks Ball Cocktail, anxiety meeting fans outside wrestling events, getting around internationally, and whether he has a HOF career – Adam from Orlando, Fla. asked Colt to tell the legend of Ball Cocktail. Colt used to take the bottom out of a Styrofoam cup and put his testicles through it and ask for a refill of a Ball Cocktail. Craig from Youngstown, Ohio offered Colt a free window tinting and didn’t ask a question. Marty said it’s nice to know people are listening to your podcast when they are tinting windows or doing other work. Colt brought up the nice memories of listening to podcasts and briefly mentioned anxiety behind weird invitations, such as a window tinting, birthday invitation, or blind date. Dwight from Aurora, Ill. asked what the hardest part of the language barrier is when traveling internationally. Colt called finding another English speaker who can translate the key to getting by internationally and he reiterated his respect with overseas locations, as he does not want to get arrested or in trouble while traveling. Michael from Athol, Mass. asked if Colt felt he had a hall of fame caliber career. Colt answered he may be a hall of famer for the independent wrestling hall of fame, with a handful of other wrestlers known for their independent work. Colt and Marty discussed the qualifications for a Hall of Famer.
42:18 – Colt talks interviewing WWE Superstars, traveling to Sweden, the WWE toy closet, and Pro Wrestling Tees – James from Tampa, FL asked why Colt no longer has WWE superstars on his podcast. Colt brought up his infamous C.M. Punk interview as the turning point for getting WWE guys. Prior to that point, he was able to fly under the radar and interview WWE guys who were interested. Marty mentioned the Chris Jericho, Stone Cold, and Jim Ross podcasts as putting podcasts on to WWE’s radar and made them crack town on talent. However, Colt said he stopped asking WWE wrestlers after the Punk podcast. There were a few guys he was planning to have on that hopefully he can if they leave WWE. Kim from Sweden asked if Colt was going back to Sweden soon. Colt briefly mentioned his 16 hour stay in Sweden, and said he would love to go back. An unnamed fan asked about a closet in WWE headquarters that anyone can get free toys, videos, and other WWE items. Colt briefly ran down the background of this closet and the amount of free stuff available, but he was so new they ended up not letting him tour headquarters before he got fired. Byron from Chicago asked about Colt’s involvement with Pro Wresting Tees. Pro Wrestling Tees started because Colt was spending a lot of time in One Hour Tees in Chicago, and the owner came up with the idea of making and mailing shirts for wrestlers. Colt started networking with other wrestlers to get them interested and word of mouth from many other wrestlers helped it succeed. Colt mentioned being one of the first people to have a lot of merch, and now every wrestler is selling something at shows.
54:28 – Colt talks singlets, recording gear, pre-podcast listening habits, and his lack of a “most cherished moment” – Michael from Manhattan, N.Y. asked what Colt’s inspiration is when he sews his singlets. Colt called himself “so uncreative” because he doesn’t feel he’s ever made a perfect singlet that became his signature singlet. Fans send Colt shirt and singlet designs, but he feels bad because they never match what he wants. Colt and Marty joked that he wants to look like an LJN figure. Marky from Cleveland asked what recording equipment Colt uses. Colt has two Shure microphones, a Zoom H6 to record, and he edits on Garage Band. Colt talked about his early equipment, including an iPod recorder and some $20 microphones. James from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada asked if Colt was a fan of WCW live or if he listened to Dave Meltzer in the pre-podcasting years. Colt answered that when he got fired from WWE, he listened to a lot of old Pro Wrestling Torch interviews and Meltzer recordings, but hearing Marc Maron talk to comedians was really what inspired him to podcast. Sergio from Chicago asked what Colt’s most cherished moment on the road was. Colt didn’t have an answer, but said the person who asked was adorable.
1:02:23 – Colt talks indy shows making money, global travel, his favorite non-wrestling podcast appearance, and recent opportunities with TNA – Palmer from the Great Northwest (Portland) asked how indy wrestlers are making a living with small crowds, when they are being flown in from across the country. Colt called this a great question, but said he doesn’t know how money is made. Colt discussed a change in shows from having one ex-WWE wrestler and a bunch of no-name wrestlers to having a handful of top notch indy wrestlers for the same price as a King Kong Bundy or a Kamala. Colt said he has a lower rate, and he promotes the show on his podcast and tries to make the promoters happy, but not everyone is as nice as he is. Colt discussed the newer “VIP” experience promoters offer that make a little more money, but he still doesn’t know how everyone is even breaking even. Colt didn’t go into too many details, but he discussed different scenarios of payment, including bad contracts with Ring of Honor. Chad from Indiana asked Colt’s favorite part of global travel, and whether he would be a globe trotter if he wasn’t a wrestler. Colt answered that if he wasn’t wrestling, he’d try to be an actor, but no matter what he loves traveling and can’t imagine not traveling. Roel from San Antonio asked what Colt’s favorite podcast he has appeared on was. Colt enjoyed being on Stop Podcasting Yourself, and plugged his live shows from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as “hidden gems” because comedians bring a different element the show. Ghetto187 from Twitter asked about a recent reference to an opportunity with TNA and, without going into details, said he was lucky to be able to turn something from TNA down because he didn’t want to have to sell himself to anyone. Colt said he would go to TNA if someone higher up said they needed him, but he didn’t want to have to go show why he’s valuable.
1:16:01 – Colt talks about how he’s feeling, wrestling as Dan Severn, signing autographs, and interviews with wrestlers who have passed away – Andrew from Knoxville, Tenn. asked, after years of wrestling and podcasting, how is he feeling. Colt said he’s doing all right, and credit his, for the most part, not crazy style for his longevity. Colt said he feels young for a 36-year-old and feels he can wrestle another 17 years. Marty asked what bump Colt last took that really hurt, and he mentioned a German suplex from Kimber Lee. Landon from Oklahoma City asked if Colt would ever wrestle as fake Dan Severn again. Colt briefly told a story about dressing up as Dan Severn to wrestle as heel, and Colt said he’s love to do it again, and face Dan Severn. Solomon asked what the weirdest thing Colt has ever autographed, and his favorite thing to autograph. Colt said he’s “signed some titties” and told a brief story of getting an erection while signing autographs because a fan wanted to have sex with him. Colt said his new policy on pictures is either a picture is free with a purchase, or free after the show, because he doesn’t want to charge fans who are trying to be thrifty. Amanda from San Francisco asked who Colt’s top five to ten guests, alive or dead, would be. Colt didn’t answer the question, but he talked about Bison Smith and his memories of Bison listening to their interview multiple times and dissecting it.
1:24:08 – Colt talks getting signed by WWE, not writing a self-help book, seeing Tom Hanks once, and the WWE tape library – Gerald from Colton, Calif. asked how Colt got the call to go to WWE and what the process was for him. Colt answered that all of his friends had been getting signed and campaigning for him to be signed. Allegedly, John Laurinaitis got drunk and signed Colt Cabana because he was a good worker, but Vince McMahon didn’t sign him so he was never given the same chances. Colt retold a story where he told McMahon he was into alternative comedy, and McMahon asked if he meant Jackie Gleason. Ray from Indianapolis asked if Colt was ever planning to write a self-help book. Colt answered that he did sit down to write a book when the podcast started taking off, but he realized he hates writing and reading, and the podcast is his book where he tells his stories. Marty mentioned that Colt’s version of a book is a documentary, which Colt loves. Petrie from Pittsburgh asked if Colt has any Bill Murray stories. Colt said no, but that he saw Tom Hanks at a Cubs game when he was eight years old. Brendan from Yucipa, Calif. asked if Colt was too scared to ask for anything from the WWE tape library, and the craziest request he made that was granted. Colt said he asked for a lot of midget matches because they kind of fit his comedy style because of how unorthodox they can be. Colt talked about some WCW Saturday night matches of Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean, but instead got some bad matches between Brookside and Dean Malenko.
1:33:25 – Colt talks feuds, must-stop restaurants, and encourages fans to talk to him on the street – Justin from Tampa asked which feu propelled his career more: his feud with Nigel McGuinness or his feud with Homicide where he dumped Clorox into Colt’s mouth. Colt didn’t think either propelled his career, because he loves comedy wrestling, but people still talk to him about the Homicide feud. Amy from Jersey asked if there is a place where no matter what he has to stop and eat. Colt used to go to Niskers in Kalamazoo, Mich. for beefalo burgers, until it closed. Paul from Chicago asked if he sees Colt out on his longboard if he should say hi, or leave him alone, and if he’ll ever sell fanny packs. Colt answered that he would love it if people said hi to him, because he doesn’t get recognized a lot and he’s very approachable. Colt did not give an answer to whether he will sell fanny packs in the future.
1:36:44 – Colt and Marty close the AMA – Marty said that Colt has great fans and that none of them were mean or terrible. Colt credited his great fans to having a different type of show than other wrestling podcasts, and volunteered to sit in with Marty for episode 300 of his show, Wrestling with Depression. Marty thanked Colt on behalf of the fans for introducing him to a lot of great wrestlers. Colt called the podcast his “territory” and said the podcast is supposed to help fans meet new wrestlers, and wrestlers gain new fans.
1:39:09 – Colt wraps up the show – Colt said this episode has gone on too long then plugged his website, social media, and upcoming events. Colt thanked his fans, his tech help and sponsors. Colt thanked the fans again, and said he wasn’t going a YouTube thing like he mentioned at the start of the show, before signing off.
OVERALL SCORE/REVIEW
Score: 10.0 – Colt Cabana is a man of the people. He has built an empire from practically nothing and weekly puts out, in my opinion, the best wrestling podcast on a week to week basis. He started this week’s Art of Wrestling saying that this episode is more for long-time fans, and it is definitely enjoyable for listeners who have stuck with Colt through the years, but it is also a primer and a brilliant introduction to Colt Cabana. Except for a few of the questions, where Colt didn’t want to single out a moment or a guest he liked more than others, he was very open to answering listener’s questions, and even discussed his relationships with some of the listeners he knows from seeing them at live shows. While this episode was almost twice as long as a typical episode, it never felt like it was lagging or retreading information, and carried along at a brisk pace. I would highly recommend this episode to fans of Colt Cabana, or any fan that wants to truly get into the mind of one of the greatest independent wrestlers today.
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