Tales from the Attitude Era

Pro wrestling shows dominate the top sports podcast charts, but none are from the perspective of the show's writer, until now. Tommy Blacha has written on Conan O'Brien, Da Ali G Show, The Eric Andre Show, and co-created Adult Swim's Metalocalypse . He was also the head writer of WWE (then WWF) during their big boom period, affectionately referred to as The Attitude Era. Tommy was a significant figure in the Attitude Era, primarily known for his work as a comedy writer and performer. He played a crucial role in shaping the entertainment aspect of the WWF product during this time. Joined by co-host Rob Pasbani (Metal Injection, Squared Circle Pit), the two look back on the unique moment in time. discussing the creative mindset behind some of the biggest stories of the Attitude Tales from the Attitude Era is a weekly one-hour podcast looking back at a specific famous moment or storyline from the period in WWE when Blacha was head writer, between 19

Tales from the Attitude Era is a sports podcast hosted by Tommy Blacha & Robert Pasbani, with 124 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Tommy Blacha & Robert Pasbani hosts Tales from the Attitude Era, a sports show with 124 episodes published.

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  Episode #124

  Foley Says "Or Else" & Former Writer Explains Why That's the Problem - WWF SmackDown 9/28/00 Review

  Sep 28, 20261h 8m

  SmackDown comes from Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on September 28th, 2000. Before Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani get to the show, they read a listener comment that takes about two minutes to accurately diagnose every creative problem WWF is about to run into over the next two years. Tommy cannot disagree with a word of it. Foley opens the show warning Austin to play by his rules or else. Austin responds by hiding in a phone booth backstage and jumping Road Dog in the middle of a hardcore match. Raven gets his first WWF promo and it is immediately buried by a Jericho interruption, dragged into the Taz and Lawler comedy feud, and aimed at entirely the wrong people. Rock and Triple H team up against Angle and Benoit in a main event that works as a match and means nothing as a story. Stephanie pulls a chair away from Rock at the worst possible moment. Angle slam. Three count. Tommy, still occasionally sending in material but increasingly disconnected from the room, explains what is actually happening behind the scenes: not laziness, but too many voices, a soap opera decree from management, Hollywood writers who do not know the roster, and a company so financially successful it has stopped being hungry. The people there are working harder than ever. The output is getting worse. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Lita introduces the new tag champions the Hardys before beating Jackie in a match that Edge and Christian have no business being ringside for Steve Blackman gets nothing from his SummerSlam moment; six weeks later he is in a throwaway hardcore match used as a vehicle for an Austin run-in Trish recruits Kane for a six-man by mentioning Rikishi; the hosts assume it leads somewhere; it does not Raven and Taz beat Jericho and Lawler after X-Pac interferes and Raven hits the DDT; the Dudleys run out after; Tommy says Raven and X-Pac should have been the team Chyna strips down mid-match to intimidate Steven Richards; the hosts note she looks exactly the same; she wins anyway Stephanie pulls the chair away from Rock and hands Angle the win; Rob says the milk on the Triple H and Angle story is starting to turn Chapter Marks 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:27 Welcome / SmackDown 9/28/00 0:03:06 Listener Feedback / YouTube Comments 0:11:04 Foley Opens the Show 0:19:16 Benoit / Angle / Main Event Booked 0:22:40 Austin Finds Road Dog and X-Pac 0:26:23 Lita vs Jackie / Hardy Tag Titles 0:27:35 Road Dog vs Blackman / Austin Phone Booth 0:32:32 Trish / Kane Backstage 0:33:54 Taz / Raven Promo 0:40:46 Jericho Interrupts / Tag Match Set Up 0:42:37 Triple H / Rock Backstage 0:43:15 Sunday Night Heat / MTV Discussion 0:45:42 Too Cool & Rikishi vs Kane & T&A 0:46:53 Jericho & Lawler vs Taz & Raven 0:49:13 Rock Promo / Kevin Kelly 0:50:01 Chyna vs Steven Richards 0:54:42 Foley on Stage / Austin Stuns X-Pac 0:58:38 Triple H / Rock Backstage 0:59:48 Rock & Triple H vs Angle & Benoit 1:06:23 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #123

  WWF RAW 9/25/00 Review: The Hardys and Edge and Christian Have a Forgotten Ladder Classic on Free TV

  Sep 21, 20261h 2m

  Raw moves to TNN. Austin is back on Monday night for the first time in almost a year. The Viacom suits need to be impressed. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani review WWF RAW from Penn State University on September 25th, 2000, a show that hotshots two pay-per-view quality matches in one night and still finds time for Tommy to notice that the machine is getting too big. Austin opens the show, stuns Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in the same segment, visits Undertaker backstage in a scene that felt like a western, and walks in on William Regal reading Shakespeare before stunning him before he can finish a sentence. The Hardys and Edge and Christian have a ladder match that Rob calls forgotten and incredible in the same breath. Edge pulls off a spear from the top of a giant ladder onto a dangling Jeff Hardy, the same spot he will use six months later at WrestleMania 17, and nobody in the building even knows it yet. Tommy, still loosely working on things for the company at this point but feeling the ground shifting, talks about what it smells like when the writing staff gets too big, the synergy people start showing up, and creative gets convoluted. He also raises the question nobody on screen seems to be asking: every time Austin stuns someone, is there a next week? Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Kane vs Rikishi barely starts before Rikishi grabs a chair and the whole thing collapses Raven DDTs Lawler and Bubba Ray Dudley in the same night; a Tazz and Raven alliance appears to be forming Chyna cuts an emotional promo about her Playboy cover; Right to Censor immediately interrupts; Eddie Guerrero challenges them for the IC title on the spot Kurt Angle reads the USA Today while Trish Stratus puts his gold medal somewhere he does not notice until he looks up X-Pac smashes a glass bottle over Jericho's face to win the first blood match; Jericho puts him in the Walls of Jericho on the announce table after the bell Triple H inadvertently helps Rock retain the title by throwing Benoit into a Rock Bottom; Benoit headbutts Stephanie on his way out Chapter Marks 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:29 Welcome / RAW on TNN 0:02:01 First RAW on TNN Overview 0:06:40 Penn State / Show Context 0:11:14 Austin / Foley / Benoit / Angle 0:21:28 Kane vs Rikishi 0:24:58 Austin Visits Undertaker 0:26:11 Foley / E&C Backstage 0:30:10 Tazz vs Bubba / Raven Returns 0:36:22 Stephanie / Triple H Backstage 0:38:24 Ladder Match: Hardys vs E&C 0:42:58 Austin Interrogates the Stooges 0:44:16 Chyna Playboy Promo / RTC / Eddie 0:48:38 Angle / Trish Stratus Backstage 0:49:56 X-Pac vs Jericho (First Blood) 0:51:15 Austin / Triple H Locker Room 0:53:20 Eddie vs Val Venis (IC Title) 0:55:30 Crash at WWF New York / Regal Returns 0:56:25 Rock vs Benoit (Main Event) 1:00:53 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #122

  WWF Unforgiven 2000 Review: The Main Event Everyone Built Toward Gets Eaten by Backstage Segments

  Sep 14, 20261h 25m

  Stone Cold Austin arrives at the First Union Center, attacks Kevin Kelly in the parking lot, and spends the entire night demanding answers that nobody gives him. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani review WWF Unforgiven 2000 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their verdict: the first pay-per-view since WrestleMania that delivers good, but not great. Raven walks out during the Tazz and Lawler strap match, DDTs Lawler, Tazz wins, and Jim Ross says on commentary that Raven is not even on this roster. The ECW crowd pops accordingly. Jericho and X-Pac have the match of the night, it ends clean, no ref bump, X-Pac taps to the Walls of Jericho. Edge and Christian face the Hardys for the tag titles in a steel cage with convoluted rules, Jeff Hardy gets eliminated three minutes in, re-enters through a door, Lita does a hurricanrana from the top of the cage, and the Hardys win their first tag team championship. Triple H and Kurt Angle in a No DQ match with Foley as special referee is the most anticipated match on the card. It runs short because backstage segments ate the time. Stephanie low blows Angle. Triple H wins. The hosts describe the finish as sweaty. Tommy, who wrote for WWF during this period, observes that the writers' room was expanding, performers were becoming less empowered, and scripted lines were taking over. He ends with: "Boy, am I glad I don't work there anymore." Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: RTC, the Dudley Boyz, and the Acolytes are thrown together into an 8-man tag with a Steven kick finish; everyone looks weak Al Snow represents Italy in the Hardcore Invitational with a Tony Danza portrait and a red cloth; Blackman wins; the 24/7 rule is suspended until RAW with no clear explanation Austin and Angle meet on screen for the first time; Angle offers him an honorary gold medal; Austin tells him where to put it Shane McMahon presents "evidence" involving old footage of Blackman bumping into Shamrock; Austin stuns Blackman (the hosts say this badly herbs him for a pop), then stuns Shane Rock survives the Fatal Four-Way against Benoit, Undertaker, and Kane; Benoit "wins" the title but his foot is on the rope; Foley restarts; Rock retains via Rock Bottom; the hosts hate the fatal four-way format Chapter Marks 0:00:00 Cold Open 0:00:53 Welcome / Unforgiven 2000 0:02:03 Pay-Per-View Value / Black Box 0:05:50 Card Overview / Show Impressions 0:08:31 RTC 8-Man Tag 0:14:29 Triple H / Stephanie Backstage 0:15:41 Tazz vs Lawler / Raven Debuts 0:26:34 Austin Arrives / Kevin Kelly 0:27:23 Hardcore Invitational / Blackman Wins 0:35:32 Austin Meets Angle 0:36:32 Jericho vs X-Pac 0:39:07 Foley's No DQ / Rock and Austin 0:41:28 E&C vs Hardys Steel Cage 0:50:17 Austin / Stephanie Locker Room 0:53:36 Eddie vs Rikishi / Chyna 0:57:13 Triple H vs Angle (No DQ) 1:07:53 Shane McMahon's Evidence 1:16:22 Tommy's Insider Take 1:17:08 Fatal Four-Way / Rock Retains 1:21:09 Overall Assessment 1:23:45 Patreon / Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #121

  Kurt Angle Has a Sledgehammer & a Kiss for Stephanie - WWE SmackDown 9/21/00 Review

  Sep 7, 20261 hour

  Kurt Angle ends the main event with an Angle Slam, a sledgehammer, a surprise kiss on Stephanie McMahon, and the line "ask your wife if I kiss like a pansy." Stone Cold cuts a pre-tape from his house in Texas that sells both hosts on Unforgiven more than anything else on the show. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 21, 2000 edition of WWF SmackDown, live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the final SmackDown before Unforgiven 2000. The opening segment puts the entire 40-man roster around the ring while Foley plays amateur detective. Rock denies running over Austin with a Swedish Chef impression. Triple H defends himself. Angle says maybe it was SA Rios. Xpac accuses Jericho. Undertaker arrives to a big pop. Brawl. The hosts agree this works. The gay panic jokes Triple H keeps making backstage do not. Eddie Guerrero comes out with roses, delivers a speech about how Chyna is a superstar and he is nothing, reveals her Playboy cover for the first time, and gets on one knee. The crowd chants "just say no." She says yes. The hosts discuss whether this storytelling decision serves Chyna or undermines her. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Shane McMahon makes a surprise return two months after Blackman knocked him off a scaffold at SummerSlam and says he'll reveal who ran over Austin at Unforgiven; Triple H hears it, turns to Stephanie, and points out Shane said he was "all alone" in the hospital Jeff Hardy wore Sting facepaint as a kid and called himself the Wolverine; Edge and Christian found old footage and screened it in a dark room with a projector, then attacked the Hardys with chairs Al Snow represents Spain as European Champion with a Ricardo Montalban portrait, a pinata, and a red cloth; the Hardcore title match collapses under 247 rules and Blackman wins by kicking a garbage can into Taka's face Jericho and Lawler vs Xpac and Tazz ends in a DQ when Tazz chokes Lawler with a strap; the stipulation that those two couldn't touch before the pay-per-view is never acknowledged as lifted Too Cool forces a reluctant four-man dance on both the Acolytes and the Dudleys; Bradshaw holds out longest SmackDown Your Vote: 90,000 registered, and they give you the real number, not 100,000 Chapter Marks 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Welcome / Milwaukee / SmackDown 9/21/2000 01:55 Show Overview 03:06 Opening Segment / Who Ran Over Austin? 06:39 Triple H Defends Himself / Gay Panic Analysis 09:08 Angle / Xpac Accuses Jericho / Stephanie Blamed 11:32 Undertaker Arrives / Brawl 14:18 Val Venis vs Scotty 2 Hotty 17:20 Backstage: Triple H / Greg Luganis Jokes 22:48 Hardys Promo / E&C Dark Room 24:19 Al Snow (Spain) vs Steve Blackman 27:54 Austin Up Next / SmackDown Your Vote 32:34 Austin Pre-Tape 33:23 Shane McMahon Returns 35:09 Triple H Catches Stephanie in a Lie 37:32 Jericho and Lawler vs Xpac and Tazz 39:42 Chyna Confronts Eddie Backstage 40:41 Eddie's Apology / Chyna's Playboy Cover 44:16 Eddie Proposes / Chyna Says Yes 48:10 Acolytes / RTC / Too Cool Dancing 49:41 Main Event 52:07 Gay Panic Spot / Undertaker's Motorcycle 53:31 Angle Slam and Sledgehammer 54:11 Angle Kisses Stephanie / "Who's Crying Now?" 57:10 Final Thoughts / Patreon 59:11 Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #120

  HHH Questions Kurt Angle's Lifestyle; Final Episode on USA - WWE RAW 9/18/00 Review

  Aug 31, 20261h 11m

  Triple H tells Kurt Angle he just wants to be friends with Stephanie, maybe go shopping for drapes. Kurt has never been more offended. Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani recap the September 18, 2000 edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, live from the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois, six days before Unforgiven 2000. Also the last Raw on USA Network. The opening promo ends with Rob, as a gay man, explaining exactly why "shopping for drapes" works and why "batting on the other side of the plate than the rest of us" is the one line that doesn't. Foley books TNA and Trish against Triple H, Angle, and Stephanie, and the hosts are almost surprised it took this long to get here. William Regal makes his WWE debut at the Rosemont, which Tommy calls the single best venue to debut anyone who needs an immediate reaction. Regal sets up a dinner table, demonstrates proper napkin usage, and explains that American parents have clearly failed their children. Jericho interrupts with a fake British accent and a failed tablecloth magic trick. Xpac shows up with nunchucks. Undertaker pins the world champion in a non-title match six days before Unforgiven. The four challengers brawl to end the show. The hosts spend two minutes establishing the correct wrestling terminology for what just happened. Please support the show, and join our brand new Patreon, featuring watch-alongs for classic matches. You also get these episodes uncensored and one day early! Please subscribe at https://patreon.com/talesfromtheattitudeera Other major discussion points include: Tazz arrives as substitute ring announcer in a thug'd up suit jacket with the arms ripped off, a bow tie, and Thug Life on the back, introduces Rikishi as "6,000 pounds from the waist down," and announces the result directly into Lawler's ear Hugh Hefner recorded a video for Chyna's Playboy issue and could not learn Eddie Guerrero's name in however many takes, referring to him only as "the boyfriend" Eddie fakes being sick to send Chyna in to wrestle Rikishi in his place, then sprays mace in Rikishi's eyes, and Rikishi gives Chyna a bonsai drop while staring directly at Eddie The USA vs Viacom lawsuit backstory: USA claimed first right of refusal, WWE argued they did not match the deal because Viacom included $5 million in advertising that USA could not offer Tommy has a detailed memory of rooting for heels as a teenager at Cobo Arena, a drunk accountant in a suit who produced a small Soviet flag from his blazer pocket, and what his mom thought of all of it The Rosemont Horizon: 15 straight sellouts, Tommy calls it a top five guaranteed hot show venue, and WWF chose this specific building to debut Regal and switch networks for good reason Chapter marks 00:00 Cold Open 02:50 USA vs Viacom Lawsuit 07:42 William Regal Debut Discussion 09:47 Show Starts / Stephanie Opens 19:47 Acolytes Attack RTC / Dudleys vs Goodfather and Bull Buchanan 21:59 Rock Promo / "Lord of Monkey Piss" / Undertaker Responds 24:44 Foley Books Rock vs Taker and Kane vs Benoit / Hugh Hefner Can't Say Eddie's Name 27:04 Backstage: Eddie's "Sick" / Kane vs Benoit / Ring Bell Chaos 30:10 European Championship Discussion / 2004 Dark Period 31:28 Backstage: Triple H, Stephanie, and Angle / "Girls Room Is Down the Hall" 38:32 TNA and Trish vs Triple H, Angle, and Stephanie 44:42 Angle Hugs Stephanie Post-Match / Triple H Spears Angle 46:01 Eddie Wrapped in a Blanket / Tazz as Ring Announcer 48:49 Rikishi vs Eddie / Chyna Caught in the Middle 54:13 William Regal Debuts / Table Manners Promo 56:39 Tommy's House Show Story / The Drunk Accountant with the Soviet Flag 1:01:36 Jericho Interrupts Regal / Xpac Attacks with Nunchucks 1:03:07 Too Cool vs Edge and Christian / Austin Pay-Per-View Promo 1:04:15 Foley: "Smackdown Your Vote" 1:05:08 Main Event: Rock vs Undertaker (Non-Title) / Benoit on Commentary 1:05:59 Undertaker Pins Rock / Four-Way Brawl to End the Show 1:08:02 Final Thoughts / Patreon / Rosemont Wrestlemania History 1:10:49 Sign-Off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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