Raised by Wrestling: My 40-Year Journey

From watching Hogan with my grandfather in Brooklyn… to cutting promos in school like Stone Cold… to training under Bubba Ray and D-Von… to podcasting with all of you—this is my 40-year journey through pro wrestling.

In this birthday special, I reflect on growing up alongside wrestling: the moments that hooked me, the matches that made me believe, the heartbreak, the hustle, the VHS tapes I hid from my mom, and the live crowds that reminded me why I never gave up on this dream.

If you’ve ever screamed Austin 3:16, stayed up to watch ECW on public access, or just needed wrestling to get through a rough day—you’re in the right place.

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00:00 – Intro01:38 – Opening Monologue: From WrestleMania to My 40th Birthday06:07 – What Wrestling Was Like in 1985: My Birth Year & Hulkamania09:58 – My First Pro Wrestling Memory Will Surprise You11:15 – How Kofi Kingston Accidentally Killed Wrestling for My Mom14:06 – Stone Cold Steve Austin Got Me in Trouble as a Kid19:53 – Growing Up on Pro Wrestling in the 90s: A Vibe Check21:26 – Why the 90s Were the Most Savage Era in Wrestling23:21 – We’re NOT Going Back to the Attitude Era – Here’s Why24:35 – What It Felt Like Watching Wrestling in the 90s as a Kid27:08 – That Awkward Moment When My Mom Walked Into My Room28:49 – How I Got WWE Magazine for FREE (Yes, Really)31:45 – The 2000s: Ruthless Aggression and Growing With Wrestling37:12 – Discovering TNA Wrestling: A Game-Changer for Me39:06 – What Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley Taught Me at Wrestling School45:30 – Are You a Mark? The Truth About Wrestling Fans48:57 – Wrestling in the 2010s: From Punk to Podcasting49:53 – Launching The Tristen Law Show: How Wrestling Led Me Here55:12 – How Modern Wrestling Has Evolved (And Why It Matters)56:31 – Reflecting on 40 Years of Wrestling and 40 Years of Life59:23 – A Toast to the Past, Present, and Future of Wrestling01:05:33 – Final Thoughts: What Wrestling Means to Me Now01:12:23 – Outro

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