Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club
Sports
About
The only thing better than watching wrestling and complaining about wrestling is reading about wrestling. That's why we have Awesome Truth, the internet's finest pro wrestling book club. On every episode, your hosts will discuss a classic wrestling book, movie, or documentary. WWE, AEW, even WCW, and ECW; they've got it all covered.
Episodes
- The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels
This episode reviews the WWE documentary 'The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels,' examining the career of the wrestler known as Mr. WrestleMania, from his early days to his later roles.
- Cody vs Orton + McAfee, Yeesh: The WrestleMania 42 Watch-Along
This episode of Awesome Truth reviews the WrestleMania 42 main event featuring Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton. It examines the match's booking, particularly the inclusion of Pat McAfee, and discusses whether the match was as uneventful as…
- Ranking the Greatest WrestleMania Matches
This episode reviews WWE's official YouTube playlist of the top 50 WrestleMania matches, evaluating their rankings based on criteria like work rate and legacy. The discussion considers Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels and other notable inclus…
- Punk vs Reigns vs Rollins for Custody of Heyman: The WrestleMania 41 Watch-Along
The Awesome Truth podcast reviews the WrestleMania 41 Night 1 main event featuring CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. The hosts discuss whether this match was the peak of the event.
- The Epic Story of The Shield, a Spotfight Wrestling Doc
This episode of Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club reviews "The Epic Story of The Shield," a documentary by Spotfight. The hosts discuss the documentary's creators, its relation to other wrestling documentaries, and its coverage of wrest…
- The Wyatt Family vs The Shield: An Elimination Chamber Watch-Along
To celebrate ElimChamb week, the most thrilling week of the wrestling season, we're revisiting one of the best matches in the history of the event: The Wyatt Family versus The Shield. It's from way back in 2014, when Bluetista was getting…
- WWE 365: AJ Styles (Retirement Edition)
Now that AJ Styles has ridden off into the sunset, temporarily or otherwise, we felt it was time to revisit a classic WWE Network documentary on The Phenomenal One. The years 2017 and 2018 were fascinating ones for Styles, from an incredib…
- AEW Performance Review
Hot on the heels of reading Keith Elliot Greenberg's This Book Is All Elite , we're giving AEW an official Awesome Truth performance review. How has the company evolved from 2019 to today? How do the so-called Four Pillars hold up in 2026?…
- Dwayne Breaks Foley's Head With a Chair: The Royal Rumble 'I Quit' Watch-Along
Welcome to 2026! With Royal Rumble season right around the corner, we're watching a very famous Rumble singles match: The Rock versus Mankind for the WWE championship at the 1999 Royal Rumble. This is the infamous I Quit match that ends wi…
- Awesome Classic: The Extremely Sad Von Erich Family Movie
Happy holidays from Awesome Truth! We are currently on Christmas vacation so please enjoy this classic episode from January 2024, an in-depth discussion of the very depressing feature film The Iron Claw .
- This Book Is All Elite: The Inside Story of All Elite Wrestling (w/ Keith Elliot Greenberg)
It's somehow been 6 years since AEW opened its doors, which means its time to chronicle the company's dramatic rise in book form. And there's no better man to do it than Keith Elliot Greenberg, author of This Book Is All Elite: The Inside…
- Everything on the Menu With Braun Strowman
I don't think anyone expected Braun Strowman to go from "pro wrestling goliath" to "food show host," but here we are! Strowman's new USA show, Everything on the Menu With Braun Strowman , has been a surprise hit for the beefy former WWE st…
- Warrior and Hogan Survive a Jobber Barrage: The Survivor Series Watch-Along
We all know November is Survivor Series month, so we're harkening back to when this event was truly about surviving: 1990, when the babyface and heel survivors of each match met in the main event. That meant Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, a…
- The Smashing Machine
You knew we'd get to it eventually: It's time to review Dwayne Johnson's Oscar play, the 2025 film The Smashing Machine . How does Rock do as UFC original Mark Kerr? Is he finally showing off some dormant acting chops, or is he just playin…
- Cena vs AJ for the Last Time: The Retirement Tour Watch-Along
As John Cena's very bumpy retirement tour nears its conclusion, WWE did the smartest thing since re-turning him babyface: They booked a match with AJ Styles. Cena vs AJ is quietly one of the best rivalries of the last 10 years, and it's ex…
- Ronda Rousey's Debut at Mania: The Stephanie McMahon Watch-Along
We promised (or threatened) it and now it's here: Stephanie McMonth concludes with our first-ever Stephanie McMahon watch-along. It was tough to choose from all the exquisite Stephanie matches, but we finally found a hidden gem: Stephanie…
- Stephanie's Places, the ESPN+ Stephanie McMahon Show
With Stephanie McMahon announced as the next major inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, there's no better time to sit back and review her ESPN+ show, Stephanie's Places . We totally planned this, you guys. Join us as we discuss Stephanie's…
- Cena Gets Squashed by Lesnar: The SummerSlam 2014 Watch-Along
With WrestlingPalooza right around the corner, it was time to revisit the most iconic showdown between Brock Lesnar and John Cena: SummerSlam 2014. Everyone expected your usual main event between two beefy legends, but instead we got a squ…
- WWE Unreal on Netflix: Worth a Watch?
Once Raw hit Netflix, you knew a documentary series couldn't be far behind. And now it's here: WWE Unreal , an intimate and up-close look at the inner workings of WWE. They'd have you believe it's unprecedented; we think there is tons of p…
- Hulk Hogan vs 8 Guys in a Triple Cage: The WrestleCrap Watch-Along
To "honor" the late Hulk Hogan, we decided to watch the most Hogan match in history: the Hulkster (and Randy Savage) versus 8 guys in a Doomsday Cage match at Uncensored 1996. That's right, to satisfy Hulk's massive ego, WCW put him up aga…
- Hulk Hogan Is Dead
It's true; my boy Terry has passed away. Hulk Hogan was pro wrestling's first megastar and arguably its most controversial; he couldn't give up the spotlight and loved to lie, the quintessential carny until the day he died. We've talked ab…
- Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler
When it comes to professional wrestling in popular culture, there are two eras: before and after The Wrestler . The 2008 film from director Darren Aronofsky changed the way wrestlers were perceived by the public. It used to be "out of sigh…
- Worst Match Ever? The Goldberg vs Undertaker Watch-Along
With Goldberg heading toward his retirement match with Gunther, we thought it was time to revisit the moment he probably should've retired: His 2019 match with the Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. Is it as bad as everyone says…
- R-Truth on Table for 3: Unleash the Charm
For the last few weeks, the internet has been abuzz with talk of Ron Killings. Did WWE release R-Truth? Did they just decide not to renew his contract? How could Truth, a low-key legend and beloved locker room presence, get the axe? We may…
- Remembering Sabu by Watching Him Bleed: The Born to Be Wired Watch-Along
The hardcore legend Sabu passed away on May 11, 2025; in his honor, we're watching what's probably his most famous match, the 1997 barbed wire showdown with Terry Funk at ECW's Born to Be Wired event. It's a grotesque bloody mess that also…
- Bigger! Better! Badder! WrestleMania III and the Year It All Changed
WrestleMania III, the Pontiac Silverdome, Hogan versus Andre. It's where everything changed, at least according to the new book by friend of the show Keith Elliot Greenberg. Keith's been on before talking about the book's genesis ; now we'…
- WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle
Who asked for a feature-length documentary on WrestleMania 9? Nobody, of course, which makes it even more wild that this thing is somehow fun. WrestleMania IX: Becoming a Spectacle gives us exclusive backstage footage of Shawn Michaels, Br…
- Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns Finish the Story: The WrestleMania XL Watch-Along
WrestleMania 41 dropped the ball with Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena — flat, forgettable, and included heavy involvement from Travis Scott. So to wash the bad taste out of our mouths, Awesome Truth decided to revisit a more memorable main event…
- Superfan: The Story of Vladimir
We've been begging for WWE documentaries to focus on more than just the same old wrestling stories, and they finally listened ... for better or worse. Superfan: The Story of Vladimir follows Vladimir Abouzeide, a lifelong New York wrestlin…
- The Lasting Legacy of WrestleMania III (w/ Keith Elliot Greenberg)
It's 2025 and we're still talking about WrestleMania III. It was one of the biggest nights in wrestling history: Hogan versus Andre, Savage versus Steamboat, Butch Reed versus Koko B. Ware ... OK, not every match was a banger. But what exa…
- John Cena vs Cody Rhodes, Round 1: The Road to WrestleMania Watch-Along
Remember the first time John Cena faced Cody Rhodes? That's right, WrestleMania 41 won't be the debut match between these two legends; for that, we have to go back to April 6, 2015, when Cena kicked off his US Open Challenge with a match a…
- WrestleMania: The Album
It's our 200th episode! To celebrate this milestone, we are turning to a musical gem from deep in wrestling history: "WrestleMania: The Album." That's right, the 1993 album where Bret Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Undertaker, and many…
- Dark Match, the Wrestling Horror Movie
Awesome Truth is once again going to the movies, aka the Shudder app, this time to watch the new hit Dark Match ! It's a wrestling slasher film starring Chris Jericho as a psychotic cult leader and aspiring world champion. It's kinda bad!…
- HBK, Bulldog, and a Ring Full of Jobbers: The 1995 Royal Rumble Watch-Along
It's the 30th anniversary of one of the quickest, oddest Royal Rumbles in history, and we're watching along! It's the night Shawn Michaels became a main event star, and the first pay-per-view Walt ever watched. Join us as we rewatch the 19…
- Raw on Netflix: Yay or Nay?
As Triple H, The Rock, Michael Cole, and 500 other people keep telling us, the Raw on Netflix era has begun. But how do we feel, two episodes in? Is it any different than what we've been seeing on cable TV for decades? And what do we think…
- Omega vs Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom: The Happy New Year Watch-Along
Welcome to 2025! To kickstart the year, we are rewatching a match we both saw in person: Kenny Omega versus Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in the Tokyo Dome. It's one of the reasons AEW exists and a reminder that Jericho was on top of…
- WWE: Ring in the Holiday
Happy holidays from Awesome Truth! To celebrate, we turned to what seemed like a December treat: WWE's Ring in the Holiday special on Peacock. Instead, we got a steaming lump of coal, a collection of Mick Foley interstitials and unmemorabl…
- Battle of the Bloodlines + CM Punk: The WarGames 2024 Watch-Along
It's watch-along time! As a rare treat, we're watching the main event of the most recent WWE pay-per-view: the 2024 Survivor Series. It's the OG Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, the Usos, and ... CM Punk) versus the New Bloodline (Solo…
- Bonesaw McGraw vs Spider-Man in a Cage: The Macho Month Watch-Along
We're wrapping up Macho Month by watching along with a famous cinematic match: Bonesaw McGraw versus Spider-Man. That's right; we're watching the scene from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man where Macho Man Randy Savage takes on Tobey Maguire in, for…
- Macho Man Randy Savage's Rap Album
Macho Month is here! For no reason in particular, we are devoting November to the extracurricular post-wrestling career of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, one of the all-time greats. Of course, that means starting with "Be a Man," his 2003 hip h…
- Goldberg's Best Match Ever?! It's the Halloween Havoc Watch-Along
For this year's Halloween watch-along, we've found the spooookiest wrestling moment possible: a good Goldberg match! That's right; when Goldberg faced Diamond Dallas Page at Halloween Havoc 1998, people stopped and said, "Pretty good!" Wer…
- Netflix's Mr. McMahon: Worth a Watch?
By now, you've probably started or even finished the new Netflix docuseries, Mr. McMahon . It claims to be a no-holds-barred look at the disgraced billionaire Vince McMahon, aimed at a broader streaming audience instead of wrestling freaks…
- Mankind vs HBK in Philly: The Mind Games Watch-Along
It's a match that Awesome Truth has discussed over and over: Shawn Michaels versus Mankind at In Your House: Mind Games, a show attended by none other than Steve Cimino. And we're finally watching along! Does this showdown live up to its r…
- Damian Priest: The Rise of El Campeón
The spirit of the WWE Network lives on with WWE 24, a documentary series that's covered such luminaries as The Miz , Big E , Edge , and now Damian Priest. Does Priest deserve the full doc treatment? Has he truly become a main eventer and t…
- Bret vs Taker w/ HBK in Pinstripes: The SummerSlam 97 Watch-Along
August 1997 was a quaint period in wrestling history: Before the Montreal Screwjob, before D-Generation X and Hell in a Cell and the Attitude Era, there was a tame little title match at SummerSlam 1997 that would redefine everything. It's…
- WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain
Finally, WWE's long-awaited YouTube documentary about WrestleMania XL is live for the world to see . Is it weird to release a Mania documentary in July? You bet. Is it because The Rock had approval and took his sweet time to give a thumbs…
- The Night WCW Ruined Hogan/Sting: An nWo Botch-Along
Now that we've talked with Marc Raimondi about his upcoming nWo book, it's time to revisit the night that whole angle fell apart: Hollywood Hogan versus Sting at Starrcade 97. It should've been a nice clean Stinger win, capping off an epic…
- ESPN Reporter Marc Raimondi Discusses His New nWo Book
New new new world order! Those 5 words (ok, 3) changed wrestling forever, and maybe pop culture as well? That's the thesis of the upcoming book Say Hello To The Bad Guys , written by ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi and chronicling the rise, fa…
- When Women Stole the Show at WrestleMania: The Becky Lynch Watch-Along
We've talked about Becky Lynch's new book , now we're revisiting one of her classic matches. It's Becky versus Sasha Banks versus Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 32, by far the best match on that card and also maybe the first time women we…
- Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl
The written word is back on Awesome Truth! This week, we're talking about the hottest wrestling book of 2024: Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl , by the one and only Becky Lynch. How did Becky go from a young Irish upstar…