The Straight Shooters

The Straight Shooters

Nick Piccone (CrossingBroad.com, Fox PHL Gambler) and Vaughn Johnson (Inquirer.com) started a pro wrestling podcast in 2015 and have continually produced excellent episodes weekly ... Live commentary specials before they were cool, deep dives into career retrospectives, high profile guests, current product analysis, and much more ... For exclusive content and more live commentary specials, become a patron: patreon.com/shootersradio

Episodes

July 1, 2026 144 mins
In this episode, Nick and Vaughn dive deep into the 1995 WWF King of the Ring (59:40 mark). Why? Well, for one, it took place at The Spectrum in Philly. For two... uh... well... we don't exactly know. However, join us for a conversation about the New WWF Generation in the mid-90s as Diesel teamed up with Bam Bam Bigelow to take on Sid and Tatanka in the main event. Mabel is crowned king - and has a lot of stuff thrown at him. Shawn...
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    In this episode, THE THIRD MAN Brian Isley joins Vaughn Johnson and Nick Piccone to discuss WWE Night of Champions! Sami Zayn is the Undisputed WWE Champion! Oba Femi is the King of the Ring! IYO Sky is the Queen of the Ring! The guys discuss everything heading into SummerSlam!They also give their thoughts on AEW Forbidden Door before it takes the air live on PPV. Predictions? What are the guys looking forward to the most?
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    REWIND TIME.It's our first time diving deep into a show that was in the prime Vince Russo WCW era. Great American Bash 2000 saw a ton of reasons why this era will go down as possibly the worst era in professional wrestling history. All capped off by Bill Goldberg turning heel to join the New Blood.Recorded June 2025. Featured in episode 433.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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    REWIND TIME.The guys head back to the circus of 1998 WCW and dive deep into the Great American Bash. Sting vs. Giant for... the WCW Tag Titles? Goldberg against the nWo Wolfpac, Eddie Guerrero and Chavo with a family feud, Heenan cutting off Schiavone, and more!Recorded June 2023. Featured in episode 367.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_pi...
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    REWIND TIME.We head back to the golden era of 1997 WCW! It's the Great American Bash! DDP vs. Savage II in a Lights Out Match! Flair/Piper vs. the Outsiders for the WCW Tag Team Titles. Kevin Greene vs. Mongo! Madusa's career ends!? And much, much more!Recorded June 2023. Featured in episode 366.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_piccone⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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    REWIND TIME.In this episode, we head to 1996 WCW, just weeks after Scott Hall appeared for the first time on WCW Monday Nitro. He and Kevin Nash would have a surprise in store for Eric Bischoff at that year's Great American Bash. So would Kevin Greene with his monster promo skills, Steve McMichael making the most shocking turn in WCW in the summer of 1996, and plenty more good stuff!Recorded June 2022. Featured in episode 329.--Twi...
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    REWIND TIME.
    After WWF purchased WCW in 2001, it was all downhill from there, we just didn't know it yet. King of the Ring took place in June 2001 and it was the last "WWF-only" PPV until December's Vengeance PPV later that year. Shane McMahon - the "owner" of WCW - took Kurt Angle to the limit (!), Booker T made his WWF debut and injured Stone Cold Steve Austin - hell, there were a ton of injuries on this show - an anticlimacti...
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    REWIND TIME.We revisit, cautiously, 2000 WCW. Hulk Hogan vs. Billy Kidman? Sure. Booker T is GI Bro? Why not. Vampiro vs. Sting in a Human Torch match? Vince Russo, baby!Recorded June 2025. Featured in episode 434.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_piccone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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    June 19, 2026 92 mins
    In this episode, Vaughn and Nick dive deep into WCW's Beach Blast 1992. It's the Bill Watts era and a lot of things don't make sense. Sting is the WCW World Heavyweight Champion and facing Cactus Jack in a Falls Count ANYWHERE ON THE GULF COAST but the title isn't on the line. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Ravishing" Rick Rude face off in a 30-minute Iron Man Challenge, but Rude's U.S. Heavyweight Championship isn't on the line...
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    REWIND TIME.28 years ago, we saw one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history. The Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the Hell in a Cell and created one of the most significant moments not only in the Monday Night War era, but in the history of wrestling, period. Oh, yeah, there was also a King of the Ring tournament that night and Stone Cold Steve Austin lost the WWF Championship. It was a busy night! Recorded June ...
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    REWIND TIME. Nick and Vaughn dive deep into the 1997 WWF King of the Ring. Recorded June 2021. Featured in episode 288.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_piccone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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    REWIND TIME.On June 23, 1996, the World Wrestling Federation invaded the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for their annual King of the Ring pay-per-view. This would be the first year where only semifinals and the finals took place on the actual pay-per-view, with more stacked matches than ever before. It certainly was, to date, the greatest WWF King of the Ring card ever. There certainly were seeds planted well before the Feder...
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    REWIND TIME.Join Vaughn Johnson and Nick Piccone as they dive deep into ECW's One Night Stand 2006. This was the beginning of the new ECW brand that would be headed by Paul Heyman as GM and Rob Van Dam as the ECW Champion... only for it to fall apart literally weeks later. Recorded June 2022. Featured in episode 328.--Twitter/X: [⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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    REWIND TIME. Nick and Vaughn are joined by author Dave Rueter, who wrote Kayfabe: A Love Story, a fantastic look at the insane world of professional wrestling as if it were real life. Because kayfabe is alive and well, brother. Dave takes us through his journey, some behind-the-scenes stories of how the book came to be, some of his favorite stories, and much more. If you have a taste for the 80s and early 90s nostalgia of professio...
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    In this episode, Vaughn Johnson and Nick Piccone dive deep into NWA/WCW's Capital Combat 1990: Return of RoboCop! It was a show of all time. With Sting unable to wrestle due to injury, they tried something. We've also got some guys on the card that would soon make their way to the WWF. In fact, there were A LOT of guys that fit that bill.BUT FIRST, the guys discuss their thoughts on the AJ Brown trade to the Patriots, Love Island U...
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    This week, the guys dive deep into the latest Patreon request - WWF Backlash 1999. It's a rematch from WrestleMania XV as Stone Cold Steve Austin defends the WWF Championship against The Rock in a No Holds Barred match with Shane McMahon as the special referee!BUT FIRST, they discuss the latest round of WWE releases and what it could mean for the future, asking talent to take pay cuts, NEW DAY WALKING AWAY, Darby Allin becoming AEW...
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