Will, Danny and Erik break down WWE’s big weekend, including Roman Reigns vs. Penta, whether Penta proved he belongs in the main-event picture, Sami Zayn’s latest title win and why a little championship unpredictability might actually be a good thing.

Then the guys get into Stephanie Vaquer’s title moment, the rise of El Grande Americano, and whether fans are being asked to pay for too many different services just to follow one wrestling company.

Plus, Nostalgia Intermission takes us back through our favorite wrestling video games—from WCW vs. nWo: World Tour and WrestleFest to Def Jam and the SmackDown vs. Raw era—and Book It Better tackles TNA’s taped television format and why the company may need a permanent home base.

0:42 Intro
2:54 Reaction to Our Viral WWE vs. AEW Reel
10:16 Pop of the Week
15:03 TripleMania’s Four-Way Tag Match
20:28 The Lucha Style Debate
24:20 Stephanie Vaquer’s Championship Moment
29:06 Main Event: WWE’s Weekend in Mexico
33:50 Did Penta Prove He’s a Main Eventer?
35:36 WWE’s World Title “Hot Potato”
41:49 Should Penta Have Beaten Roman Reigns?
47:12 El Grande Americano & WWE’s Mexico Stars
50:31 Nostalgia Intermission: Greatest Wrestling Games
1:08:03 The Shits
1:11:01 How Many WWE Paywalls Are Too Many?
1:14:53 Book It Better: Fixing TNA’s Weekly TV
1:22:52 TNA’s Attendance Problem
1:27:49 Three Count Close
1:35:18 Outro

Erik was in the building for both AEW Dynamite and WWE's Sunday Night Main Event, and the difference between the two shows sparked a bigger conversation about what wrestling fans actually want from the live experience. From WWE's nonstop commercials to AEW's more intimate atmosphere, we break down what worked, what didn't and whether wrestling has become a little too corporate.

We also discuss AEW's emotional tribute to Rebel, Randy Orton reminding everyone how a heel is supposed to work, whether Cody Rhodes' babyface act is starting to wear thin, Bronson Reed's monster potential, the rise of Steve Borden and some of our favorite celebrity wrestling matches ever.

Plus: Motor City Machine Guns, NXT, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, WWE in Mexico and plenty more.

00:12 Intro
04:14 Pops of the Week
04:50 Motor City Machine Guns
07:09 NXT Delivers
13:08 Bronson Reed's Monster Potential
15:20 AEW Honors Rebel
23:50 Dynamite & the AEW Live Experience
35:42 Sunday Night Main Event
40:17 WWE's Commercial Overload
42:18 AEW vs. WWE Live
47:16 Disney Wrestling?
54:19 Favorite Celebrity Wrestling Matches
1:09:00 The Shit, The Shits & Not Shit Yet
1:11:16 Randy Orton Knows How to Be a Heel
1:12:57 Should Cody Rhodes Turn Heel?
1:15:55 Three Count: Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling
1:20:26 WWE in Mexico, TripleMania & CMLL
1:23:21 Steve Borden's Potential
1:29:45 Around the Horn & Goodbye

A few years later, she's standing in the middle of the ring.

Kelley joins The Heel Federation to tell the unlikely story of how she went from sitting in the front row with her friends to becoming a ring announcer for One Fall Wrestling (1FW).

We talk about the unexpected text that led to her first announcing gig, learning the wrestling business on the fly, getting advice from AEW's Stokely Hathaway, working around names like Jay Lethal and Paul Wight, accidentally mispronouncing Tony Schiavone's name — twice — and whether her wrestling “side quest” could eventually lead somewhere even bigger.

Kelley also takes us inside her life away from wrestling as a certified prosthetist and explains how one chance encounter completely changed the direction of her career.

Plus: Why is everyone trying to convince Kelley to get in the ring herself?

From wrestling outsider to part of the wrestling family, this is Kelley's story.

Follow The Heel Federation for more conversations about the wrestling we love, the wrestling that drives us crazy, and everything in between.

Will, Danny and Erik break down All In, including the Ospreay-Omega main event, the Casino Gauntlet format, Darby Allin’s increasingly insane style, Mercedes Moné vs. Willow Nightingale, New Level’s AEW arrival and why AEW pay-per-views may simply be getting too long.

Plus, the guys review NXT Heatwave, debate whether NXT can ever recapture the magic of the Black & Gold era, talk about a tremendous week for women’s wrestling, the importance of making world championships feel like the biggest prize in the company and one veteran Will thinks would be perfect for NXT.

Timestamps
00:49: Intro
 13:12: NXT Heatwave review
 15:56: How should fans judge NXT?
 39:02: AEW All In review
 01:07:24: A huge week for women’s wrestling
 01:09:24: Women’s wrestling deserves more respect
 01:11:09.: The Royce Keys faction
 01:14:39: Why everyone should chase the world title
 01:20:33: TJP would be perfect for NXT

This week on the Heel Federation, Will, Erik and Danny break down an uneven TNA Lockdown, including the matches that worked, the finishes that didn't, Avery Styles' uncomfortable live debut, Leon Slater invoking Option C and the mystery surrounding the attacks happening backstage.

Plus: Rey Fenix continues to impress, Royce Keys finds new life alongside OTM, we debate the ending of Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk, rank some of our favorite wrestling entrance themes ever and ask why modern wrestling factions rarely feel as dangerous or important as the NWO and Four Horsemen once did.

And in the Three Count Close: All In London, Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker and the strange career of Moose.

The guys debate where the story should have ended, whether Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is still the ultimate payoff, and whether WWE is already rushing Zilla Fatu by putting him directly into the NXT main-event picture.

Plus: Chelsea Green shows a completely different side of herself, Jay White's AEW booking sparks an argument, Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay finally gets the story worthy of the match, Johnny Gargano's never-ending planking continues, Jeff Cobb returns to New Japan, and Will breaks down a G1 final built around old-school wrestling fundamentals.

Then, for halftime, the guys draft fantasy football teams made entirely out of pro wrestlers — and things get ridiculous very quickly.

Before all that: Danny's five-hour flight to Orlando, Epic Universe in 106-degree heat, and why wrestling might not be the only thing trying to kill these guys.

Timestamps
00:33 Intro
02:32 Danny's five-hour flight from hell
06:11 Surviving Epic Universe in 106-degree heat
10:37 Pop of the Week
11:48 Jeff Hardy vs. Nick Nemeth and TNA momentum
16:41 Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay gets a real story
23:51 Is AEW using Jay White correctly?
29:53 Main Event Topics
30:27 Chelsea Green's emotional promo
39:03 The never-ending Bloodline story
50:09 New Japan's G1 final and its next generation
58:44 The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet
59:30 What is WWE doing with Johnny Gargano?
1:05:18 Why Jeff Cobb didn't work in WWE
1:11:39 Is WWE already rushing Zilla Fatu?
1:14:18 Book It Better: Zilla Fatu and Birthright
1:18:56 Wrestling Fantasy Football Draft
1:41:03 Three Count
1:41:52 Ethan Page calls out sing-along wrestling entrances
1:47:43 Looking ahead to TNA Lockdown
1:49:55 Subscribe and outro

Will, Erik, and Danny break down the best and worst of SummerSlam, debate whether the show actually topped WrestleMania, look back at Brock Lesnar's remarkable career and discuss WWE's next generation of stars.

Plus: Is Oba Femi vs. Bron happening too soon? Did WWE miss its moment with LA Knight? What's wrong with the Royce Keys presentation? How would we book him better? Can Danhausen become WWE's next great comedy character? And just how good could CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens get once they start talking?

Wrestling criticism without being miserable about wrestling. Welcome to Heel Federation.

Timestamps
00:40: Welcome to Heel Federation
01:15: Why we had to change the podcast name
05:25: Pop of the Week
06:08: Wrestling tribalism has gotten ridiculous
09:26: Stop comparing every wrestling promotion
13:06: Grayson Waller’s NXT promo
15:57: SummerSlam’s opening match gets disrespected
18:12: SummerSlam review begins
53:18: The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet
53:50: What is going wrong with Royce Keys?
55:27: Book It Better: Royce Keys
1:00:50: Big Cass returns
1:05:10: Should Enzo return too?
1:06:50: Wrestling collectors and Matt Cardona
1:09:23: Erik’s wrestling memorabilia collection
1:19:24: The Three Count
1:29:30: Closing thoughts

They also address one of the biggest problems with modern wrestling fandom: Why does everything have to become the worst segment, match or booking decision of all time? The reaction to Joe Hendry and Danhausen sparks a larger conversation about comedy in wrestling, Orange Cassidy, online negativity and why wrestling should be treated like a buffet. You might not enjoy everything being served, but that does not mean it should all be removed from the menu.

The guys reveal their favorite wrestlers and matches, discuss the importance of a great crowd, show some overdue appreciation for women’s wrestling and revisit everything from Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect and Rock vs. Hogan to Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, John Cena vs. RVD and Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson.

Plus, get a preview of the segments coming to the show, including The Shit, The Shits or Not Shit Yet, Book It Better, the Nostalgia Intermission and the Three Count Close.

This is a wrestling podcast for fans who still love wrestling, still want it to be good and can criticize it without being miserable about it.

Follow the Heel Federation Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.