Posted on 5/05/126 by Brian Tramel
đź“Ľ THE YEAR OF THE CASSETTE đź“Ľ
What happens when someone sends you a box of wrestling
cassettes from the 1990s?
👉 You turn them into a podcast.
We’re officially launching The Year of the Cassette, a deep
dive into Cassette Wrestling News — the OG audio wrestling
experience that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin once called the
first ever podcast.
📅 Here’s how it works:
• Episodes will drop on the MAIN FEED every month until we
post them all!
• BUT… they’re ALL available RIGHT NOW on Patreon!!
https://www.patreon.com/c/shootintheshiznit
These cassettes were mailed to subscribers during the heyday
of wrestling fanzines, featuring Jeff Osborne & John Seaton
delivering zany fun, real talk, and raw 90s wrestling
energy.
Sit back, hit play, and take a trip to the past with the
usual gang of CWN.
Cassette Wrestling News – Episode #21
(Originally released as Issue #61 — Archive / Patreon
Edition)
Episode #21 of Cassette Wrestling News finds the wrestling
world settling into an uneasy new normal, as the
consequences of industry consolidation, talent migration,
and creative stagnation become impossible to ignore. With
the shock of recent upheavals fading, CWN turns its focus
toward the long-term damage — and the few remaining bright
spots keeping wrestling fans invested.
Jeff Osborne and John Seaton continue to function as
unfiltered observers of a business that feels increasingly
disconnected from its roots. The episode blends reporting,
speculation, editorial frustration, and underground insight,
reflecting a fanbase struggling to reconcile nostalgia with
reality.
Key topics and themes include:
Ongoing analysis of the post–Ric Flair jump landscape,
including how the WWF is reshaping its hierarchy and how WCW
continues to lose momentum
Continued criticism of WCW leadership and creative
direction, with declining houses and wasted talent serving
as recurring talking points
Growing concern over wrestler morale, as performers face
fewer options and greater creative limitations
Praise for independent wrestling and “super-indie” cards,
positioned as the last refuge for meaningful in-ring action
Continued focus on Cactus Jack as both a standout performer
and a symbol of wrestling’s increasingly dangerous
escalation
Updates from wrestling media insiders, newsletters,
hotlines, and tape traders — illustrating how fans stayed
informed before the internet
Listener correspondence and commentary reflecting widespread
fan disillusionment with the state of the business
Episode #21 reinforces a recurring CWN theme: wrestling has
not simply changed — it has lost its center. What once felt
like a sport driven by competition, personality, and
regional identity now feels corporatized, risk-averse, and
creatively exhausted.
Rather than explosive controversy, this episode captures
something more subtle and more telling — fatigue. The
outrage has cooled, but the disappointment lingers, and CWN
captures that emotional shift with remarkable honesty.
Episode #21 stands as another crucial chapter in Cassette
Wrestling News’ role as a living time capsule, documenting
not just what happened in professional wrestling, but how
fans felt while it was happening.
This transcript is preserved for historical and archival
purposes as part of an ongoing effort to document Cassette
Wrestling News as one of the earliest and most influential
precursors to modern pro wrestling podcasts.