Survey Says #19: Halloween Havoc 1995

It's hard to believe we're two years deep and have yet to survey one of WCW's most celebrated events: Halloween Havoc! If you've been clamoring for the mid-fall classic, well... be careful what you wish for? We decided to tackle a show less celebrated than it is infamous. So infamous indeed that we needed a little help from our friends. For the first time ever, Survey Says welcomes TWO guests, and both are returning champions. Jennifer "Miss nWo" Smith (fresh off episode 16) and Steve "Wildcat" Wille (back from episode 4) join Andy and Tim atop Cobo Hall as we steer into the skid known as Halloween Havoc 1995! THRILL TO the following:
 
-The maximum number of times any four people can watch Halloween Havoc 1995
-Candy corn costumes
-A brief history of Ed Leslie, again
-The meaty thighs of Kurosawa
-The best fireball spot you'll never see
-King Curtis: kid from Wife Swap or busted-ass Thanos?
-Making the case for the Dungeon of Doom as the next WWE Hall of Fame group induction lol
-Dissenting views on Lex Luger vs. Meng
-High drama in Sting and Flair vs. "Daddy" Arn and Brian Pillman
-Strong sumo psychology in the MACHINE VS. MACHINE monster truck challenge
-Exposing our complete ignorance and cultural elitism in speculations about the monster truck circuit
-Hulk Hogan, Murderer
-Bobby Heenan, show MVP and voice of reason
-THE YETTAYYY COMETH! At least until the Super Giant Niiiieeenja.
 
They said we couldn't. They said we shouldn't. But we did it, Survey Says style. Tune in and treat yo'self to our bag of tricks while your ice dildo is thawing.
 
Steve Wille can be heard twice monthly on PTBN Main Event, and when the spirit moves him on the Mission: IndiePossible podcast.
 
Jennifer Smith can be heard on approximately all Place to Be Nation POP podcasts in the month of October.
 
NEXT MONTH: We head back to New York?? But not in the way you might suspect!

Survey Says: A WCW Retrospective #18: Diamond Dallas Page

Andy and Tim celebrate two years of podcasting inanity by welcoming Andrew Riche back to the show! And with the Survey Says Triad reunited, what better way to commemorate our anniversary than heading down to the Diamond Mine for a spotlight on none other than Diamond Dallas Page. We track the career of the "People's Champion," from his early days in the AWA to the dying days of WCW. Join us for:*First impressions and memories of DDP*Polish superhero movies*Early DDP connections that would eventually come full circle*The shitty midcard early '90s Wargames match we should've gotten*1995 WCW Saturday Night quietly turning into the DDP Show*WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS BENEFACTOR??*Countering the smarky argument that DDP bullshit-politicked his push from the back
*The awesomely complimentary styles of DDP and Randy Savage*DDP's curious role of WCW's go-to celebrity wrestler tag team partner
*Positively Kanyon: IWC cult hero
*Oddball late 2000s tag team The Insiders
*Coolest Diamond Cutter variations
*Making the case for DDP as the ultimate feel-good, runaway success story in professional wrestling...And a great deal more! It's safe to say this podcast would not exist, nor would we be the fans we are today, if not for the contributions of Diamond Dallas Page. We are unabashed marks for the man, so this episode serves as both an effusive tribute and birthday gift to ourselves. Whether you love us, or hate us, we thank you the listeners for never forgetting us over the course of two terrific years!
 
Two-time, two-time guest Andrew Scum Riche is one-half of the NBA-Team Podcast, available on the Place to Be Nation POP! feed, and he cannot be found on Twitter.
 
NEXT MONTH: Our take on one of the most talked-about PPVs in the annals of WCW podcasting, as the booth gets a little more crowded and spooky (and inebriated?).

Survey Says #17: Road Wild 1999

It had to be done! An event we've referenced, talked around, and expressed some inexplicable degree of of nostalgia for, dating to our every first episode. No longer merely within our orbit, the Summer of Survey Says now touches down directly in Sturgis, SD for Road Wild 1999! Join Andy and Tim on a winding ride through the following:
 
-The show's sneaky historical significance
-Butterfly fries, and other fair food
-ICP as secondary celebrity wrestlers
 
-The worst place for a Harlem Heat reunion
-Bad WWE Network dubs
-Cosplaying Sonny Onoo
-Sid and Sting: great chemistry, meh matches
-A strange coda to the WCW careers of Randy Savage AND Dennis Rodman
-Gimmicked feces?
-WCW's directionless 1999 World Heavyweight Championship scene
-Kevin Nash's retirement from the wrestling industry forever LOL
 
Strap in, *makes motorcycle noises* ride hard, *more motorcycle noises* and... put it up... wet? Tired cliches aside, it's Destination Podcasting with Survey Says! 
 
NEXT TIME: Celebrating our second anniversary with a BANG

Survey Says #16

We're swapping our metal detectors for surveying implements with a WCW summertime tradition that promises to be a BLAST! At long last, Andy and Tim proudly welcome "Miss nWo" Jennifer Smith as our special guest, for a fond look back at Beach Blast 1993. Enjoy Jenny's recent, yet enviable wrestling origin story and the surprising role that WCW played in that experience. Then we dive into a treacherous sea, where the the following wonders await: 
* A time bomb-toting miniature shark-man 
* WWE Network easter eggs?!? 
* The infamy of WCW's mini movies 
* Sting and Davey Boy Smith's apparent audition for Baywatch Nights 
* A svelte, sexy, and spry Tony Schiavone 
* Paul Orndorff's Good Friend, The Equalizer, who's ready to get evil on a lot of people 
* Cutting-edge, theme-setting 1993 production values 
* A salute to "Too Cold" Scorpio 
* Lord Steven Regal vs. a left-out-in-the-sun-too-long Mike Rotundo? 
* Arn Anderson, Daddiest of Dads, putting his "brown fat" theory to the test 
* Crowd control, Hollywood Blonds style 
* Jenny's son's favorite wrestling match (or: how to lose fans and alienate people, 25 years later) 
* Controversy Creates Confusion in the Ric Flair/Barry Windham finish 
* Most Extra Professional Wrestler: Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair 
* Davey Boy Smith: 2010 Ass-Off Tournament Oversight Become your own multicolored anatomical hot take and join us at the cabana for a Mai Tai or seven! In addition to her guest spots for Place To Be Nation Wrestling, Jennifer Smith is the co-host of Geek & Sassy and Talk'n Pop for Place To Be Nation POP! Follow Jenny on Twitter @JennyCruz2814 as she takes wrestling fandom by storm (thirsty hoes, however, should slide on past her DMs).
 
Next time: a dedicated episode for a "wild" show that always seems to fall into our orbit. The Summer of Survey Says continues, and at a nonspecific accelerated rate!  

Survey Says Episode 15

Andy and Tim continue their "show within a show" with the second round of Who Booked Them Better! We survey the careers of another 20 (or so) wrestlers who appeared in WCW and the WWF, pitting the promotions head to head in a battle for brand supremacy -- with the all-important cutoff of March 26, 2001 in order to ensure that both companies get a fair shake. Unfortunately, we begin these proceedings on a down note, with the news of Survey Says favorite Leon "Big Van Vader" White's untimely death breaking just hours before this recording. Listen as we pay tribute to THE MAN and appropriately recount his North American highlights. Also up for evaluation, in no particular order:
 
- Lex Luger
- The Nasty Boys
- Terrence Chainsaw Charles Funk
- The Environment's very own Barry Windham
- The British Bulldog 
- Dusty "Choc'lat Brown" Rhodes
- Mick Foley
- The Steiner Brothers
- SyxX-Pac
- Ahmed Johnson, until stealing Booker's T
- Lord Steven William Regal, Man's Man (with his GYRLLFRIEND, Trish Status!)
- Big Bubba Boss Man
- Brutus The Barber Bruti Butcher Bootyman, second member of the One Warrior Nation
 
 
To name a few! PLUS: a new Fan of the Month, shout-outs to our Midwest contingent, Water Polo, Jeremiah Johnson, and a dedication to our friend, Jenny Smith, who thankfully is very much alive. The Summer of Survey Says rolls on, and we'll be back for more topical (or tropical?) festivities soon. Sooner than usual, in fact!

Survey Says: A WCW Retrospective #14

Survey Says slides into summer with a seasonally appropriate theme AND a Place To Be crossover special! For this episode doubles as an installment of PTP POP's Rank & File podcast. To that end, Andy and Tim welcome Rank and File host Jordan Duncan as their guest/master of ceremonies. The subject of our assessment? Top 10 matches of the Great American Bash! Tune in for:
- Surprising WCW connections to the city of Baltimore- Jordan's WCW origin story- The unusual evergreen appeal of Steve "Mongo" McMichael- Karate Master Stan Lane- A truly reaching and unflattering anatomical hot take on Bobby Eaton- Blood in wrestling: for or against?- Bash '89's place in history- Our definitive, scientific ranking of the greatest Great American Bash matches! (Spoiler: Kane vs. Batista vs. the Great Khali did not make anyone's list.)
What did we overrate? What did we underrate? What did we overlook? What did we immediately regret owning up to? School's out, so lay down your compass, your protractor, your files, your surveying implements, and hop aboard the most rip-roarin', rootin'-tootin', crackerjack WCW podcast of Place to Be Nation Wrestling! Survey Says has got you covered for the summer!
Follow Jordan Duncan on our companion feed, Place To Be Nation POP, where he co-hosts PTBN Play, in addtion to Rank & File.
NEXT MONTH: The boys have a "blast" with another first-time guest and friend of the show.

Survey Says: A WCW Retrospective #13

Andy and Tim are in studio and guest-less for an all-new thought experiment edition of Survey Says! This episode is concerned with answering the question, "Who used 'em better?" as we conduct a speed run through the careers of various personalities who had stints in both the WWF and WCW. Up for evaluation this round:
 
*Roddy Piper
*Randy Savage
*Ricky Steamboat
*Ric Flair
*Curt Hennig
*Sid Vicious
*Rick Rude
*Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard
*Dustin Rhodes
*Meng
*Jim Duggan
*Chris Jericho
 
To name but a few! How much stock do we put in work rate vs. character? Who overcomes the limitations of their booking? Can we navigate our own biases and guilty pleasures? There are bound to be some surprises along the way as we consider these issues to ultimately determine where each performer's best years were spent! This is a concept with some legs, so join us to see which promotion reigns supreme in the first installment of a series we will revisit periodically.
 
PLUS: Andy shares a Very Important Phone Call, and we bestow a unique honorific on one lucky listener. Stay tuned next month when we return, scorecards in hand, for a thematically appropriate summertime survey! Until then, keep on SARSA-ing.

Survey Says: A WCW Retrospective #12 - The NWO

Ready or not, Survey Says is here at long last to tackle the topic that inspired our namesake. That's right, it's the New Worl--New Worl--New World Order! And to do it, we welcome returning guest and Expert Impersonationalist Greg Phillips as our third man. This extensive survey of the New World Organization of professional wrestling (brother) shall encompass the following:
*Scott Hall's debut cutting short the storied career of The Mauler
*Kevin Nash's forced pseudo-intellectual jerkass wit*Alternate (and SOMEWHAT UNIQUE) Third Man options for Bash at the Beach 1996*The tumultuous moral axis of Paul Wight*A different take on the MegaPowers Explosion via Ms. Elizabeth's perspective*Heel Eric Bischoff as the embodiment of '80s AND '90s sleaze
*Winners and losers of the 1997 nWo membership drive
*The nWo as a template for subsequent biker enthusiast faction Aces & Eights
*Attempted vehicular homicide, or just another day in the life for the Steiners
*Eric Bischoff vs. James J. Dillon: The Administrative Powers Explode!
*The unsung character work of Heel Referee Nick Patrick
*The questionable decision to break up Hall & Nash in the nWo split
*Awkward nWo Hollywood non-member/biggest fan Bret Hart
*Possible missed opportunities of the brief Scott Steiner leadership
*The ultimately pointless nWo Elite
*Deja vu with the Black & Silver
*The nWo's role in kickstarting the '90s wrestling boom
 
Plus, we unearth an astonishing gem from the WCW media archives! Join the three-man power trip for this jam-packed edition singing the praises of the most dominant and iconic faction in the history of sports entertainment. Survey Says: one more for the good guys!
Two-time (two-time!) guest Greg Phillips is one half of the Hard Traveling Fanboys, which can be found each and every week on Place to Be Nation POP. Some might call it the longest-running weekly episodic comic book podcast in allllllll of Place To Be Nation, but that's not for me to say.