When It Was Cool Wrestling (DragonKingKarl)
For all shows visit our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/wiwcool Pro wrestling history. WWE, WCW, NWA, AEW, NXT, NJPW, TNA, Impact, ROH, AWA, ECW, and the pioneer era of pro wrestling. Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) is a pro wrestling historian who has produced the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show for over 15 years at Wrestling Observer. This is the free version of some of the pro wrestling podcasts we produce at When It Was Cool. There is much more available to Patreon supporters and there are over 2500 shows available for subscribers. Enjoy these free shows for a deep dive into pro wrestling history and we hope if you enjoy these shows you will become a Patreon supporter and gain access to many others. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Frank Gotch, William Muldoon, Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Strangler Lewis, Farmer Burns, Bob Armstrong, Ron Fuller, Jerry Lawler, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Andre the Giant, Dusty Rhodes, and hundreds more are discussed.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 53 minutes
- Episodes
- 118
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
September Q&A Show!
Tons of great questions and topics submitted by our Patreon supporters this month. A wide range of pro wrestling history questions including a few great ones on the pioneer era of pro wrestling plus …
The Rise of Catch as Catch Can Wrestling - 1000 Hours
On hour 80 of my 1000 Hours podcast series covering the pioneer era of pro wrestling, we continue in my latest book DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus further into the 1880s. For year…
Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - October 1985 - A Wedding and World Champion vs World Champion
On this weeks show I continue my long form history of pro wrestling series taken from my book DragonKingKarl's 1984-1985 Pro Wrestling Omnibus. I take a deep dive into October 1985 where Vince McMaho…
1996 in Pro Wrestling History
Join me today for a look back at one of the most significant and impactful years in pro wrestling history - 1996! WCW was exploding in popularity with the formation of the NWO, the heel turn of Hulk …
Muldoon and Whistler Get into a Fist Fight - 1000 Hours
1000 Hours is my series on the pioneer era of pro wrestling history and is taken from my latest book DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus available from Amazon. On this episode, hour 79…
1992 When Ron Simmons Became World Champ, Scandals and more!
Welcome to my pro wrestling history podcast where, this week, I am going to look back at 1992 when Ron Simmons defeated Big Van Vader for the WCW World championship in an angle that also involved Sti…
The William Muldoon Tour Begins - 1000 Hours
On this edition of the 1000 Hours Podcast, the podcast all about the pioneer era of pro wrestling, author and historian Karl Stern takes a look back at 1881 in pro wrestling history including the evo…
The Last Newsletters of the 1990s
I am back this week with a new podcast looking back at the 1990s. Recently, I took a look at the first pro wrestling newsletters of the 1990s to get a feeling for where the 1990s era begin, and it be…
August Q and A Show!
Today is my birthday! And what better way to celebrate than with a packed mailbag and this month is probably our best yet with questions ranging from the pioneer era up to the 1990s! We have a few ne…
Why Study the Pioneer Era of Wrestling? - 1000 Hours
The 1000 Hours podcast this week answers a sponsor's question: Why should we study the pioneer era of pro wrestling? What relevance does it have to the modern era? Well, I am glad you asked. The myth…
A Look at the Beginning of the 1990s Through the Newsletters
What did the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s look like in pro wrestling? What did it look like in real time through the lenses of the pro wrestling newsletters? There was a real busin…
Death of Hulk Hogan (2025) Podcast Special
Join pro wrestling historian and author Karl Stern as he talks about the complicated history and legacy of pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who passed away on July 24, 2025, at his home in Florida. H…
1992: The Best-ish of Times, The Worst-ish of Times
As I continue my look back at the 1990s, I make a stop in one of the strangest eras of pro wrestling history- 1992. The pro wrestling business has cratered. Ticket sales are terrible, PPV is struggli…
H.M. Dufur's First Reign as Champion - 1000 Hours
This is hour 76 our podcast series looking back at the pioneer era of pro wrestling. We pick up in 1880. H.M. Dufur has recently defeated James Owens as American heavyweight champion and on this epis…
106 Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - August 1985 - WWF Grows, NWA Tries, AWA Hanging On
I am back with the latest long form history of pro wrestling series from my book DragonKingKarl's 1984-1985 Pro Wrestling Omnibus book taking a detailed look at August of 1985. On this show we discus…
July Question and Answer Show!
You've got the questions, and I have the answers! We have several great topics and questions to discuss on this edition of the show including the Roddy Piper movies Hell Comes to Frogtown and Body Sl…
There is a New Champion - 1000 Hours
The 1000 Hours podcast series focus exclusively on the pioneer era of pro wrestling or the era before Frank Gotch. This episode of the show is sponsored by Andy C. with information taken from my late…
The Late 1990s Were Wild
Today I want to look back at the late 1990s in pro wrestling history. The 1990s were a wild time and the late 1990s saw the rise of the NWO, WCW passing WWE in popularity only to implode, and the har…
Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast - July 1985 - King of the Ring, Great American Bash, More!
My Long Form History of Wrestling Series continues with a detailed look back at July 1985. July 1985 was a big month in pro wrestling history featuring the first ever WWF King of the Ring Tournament …
The Pioneer Era Erupts - 1000 Hours
This is hour 74 of the 1000 Hours podcast series looking back at the pre-Frank Gotch era of pro wrestling in the United States. This podcast is taken from the pages of my latest book DragonKingKarl's…