To all the pro wrestling fans worldwide, the place to converge September 1st - 3rd is Chicago, Illinois where Starrcast VI is taking place this year. There will be something for everybody and especially if you are an All Elite Wrestling (AEW) fan. Friday night AEW Rampage will be at the NOW Arena in Chicago, Saturday night AEW Collision and Sunday night AEW All Out Pay-Per-View will both take place at the United Center in Chicago. So that weekend, almost all of the AEW superstars will be present at Starrcast VI for autographs, photos, stage shows and more. This is destined to be a Heaven sent weekend especially for all AEW fans.
Fans can go to www.starrcast.com for all the information concerning tickets, all the superstars that will be at Starrcast VI, the schedule of events, the meet and greets, vendors and more. Also for those not able to attend, they can watch everything from the comfort of their home on the Premier Streaming Network at https://watchonpremier.com/section/Starrcast?pathname=/section/Starrcast&state=undefined&search=
Yiorgo: With us today is Conrad Thompson, a wrestling fan and mortgage guy, who became an award-winning multi-winning podcaster and founder of Starrcast. Tell us Conrad, what exactly is Starrcast?
Conrad Thompson: Starrcast is a pro wrestling convention like no other. We give wrestling fans plenty of opportunities to meet their favorite wrestlers, purchase wrestling merchandise, memorabilia, photo ops, autographs, stage shows and more.
Y: Who are some of the names that will be in attendance for the fans to meet, have a photo op and get autographs?
CT: A who’s who of just about all of AEW talent will be there including AEW founder Tony Khan who will be the special guest for a live All Elite Wrestling Unrestricted podcast. There are too many superstars to list here, but some of them include: Sting, Jon Moxley, Jeff Jarrett, Jim Ross, Orange Cassidy, Renee Paquette, Rob Van Dam, Dr. Britt Baker, Ruby Soho, Saraya, Thunder Rosa, Buddy Mathews, Britt Baker, Hardy Boyz, Malakai Black, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Jake Roberts and the list goes on and on.
Some of the non-AEW superstars and legends that will be there include: Dennis Rodman, Scott Steiner, Tashiaki Kawada, Marty Jannetty, Matt Cardona, Steph Delander, Blue Meanie and more.
Y: What are some of the stage shows at this year’s Starrcast?
CT: Along with the aforementioned Tony Khan on AEW Unrestricted podcast live, Eddie Kingston will host his hero Kawada, Swerve Strickland will have a special guest on his Swerve City podcast live and so much more.
Y: Let’s talk a little about you. As a true wrestling fan, who was your favorite wrestler growing up?
CT: The reason I became a wrestling fan was because of Hulk Hogan. He was marketed to kids and was a real life He-Man. A comic book come to life, he was my Marvel super hero.
Y: It is your love of pro wrestling and your many podcasts with the who’s who of the wrestling world that made all this possible. From Bruce Prichard to Ric Flair, from Tony Schiavone to Arn Anderson, from Kurt Angle to Jeff Jarrett, from Eric Bischoff to Mick Foley, to Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts, you are constantly adding even more as we speak.
CT: We are very blessed. Fans can find us on all social platforms and at www.adfreeshows.com for many exclusive contents.
Y: I notice with your different podcasts, your style and questions vary. How do you find your flow with each podcast?
CT: I view my job as being the point guard, and getting the ball where it needs to be for my teammates to score. It’s not about me scoring points, it’s about me scoring assists. I let the play develop if you will, by letting our conversation evolve and based on the feedback, I’m going to support him by asking questions just like when you try to make a sale. I have to be able to adjust. I can’t be the same. My job is to be a chameleon. I have a background in sales and I’ve been blessed to talk to people from all walks of life and the way you ultimately make a sale is to ask questions from the very generic to the very specific and as you get more specific, now you can “close the sale”. Well that principle can apply to a really good podcast. We start very generally and we get more and more specific and at the end we get a story that the rest of the world has not heard. We move on and I try to do it again with a different topic.
I view the art of what these guys have done to be pretty valuable, special and very important and in order for us to hang it on the wall, well it needs a frame and I think that’s me. I’ve got to frame this conversation and frame this art. I’m just the vehicle but also I know that I am the demographic. I am 41 years old and our average listener is 41. I have a pretty good idea of what we want to hear. Sometimes the talent, “the boys’ ‘, they don’t know. It’s been so long that they have been a fan that they don’t think like a fan anymore, they think like an insider. I’ll always think like a fan and have a pulse on what the fans want to hear.
Y: Your venture into podcasting all started with Bruce Prichard, who was Brother Love, manager of the Undertaker in WWF/WWE and currently the Executive Director - CWT at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). How did you and Bruce originally meet and how did the idea of doing a podcast come to be?
CT: I met Bruce through Ric Flair. Bruce and I hung out a couple of times. With Bruce’s background in production, that led to us doing some business together and in our quiet time sitting around drinking beer, I would ask, Hey man, What happened when? and he would answer my questions. But then I asked what happened when “The Radicalz” jumped over from WCW to WWE? How did you sign them all at the same time? He gave me an hour-long answer that had me at the edge of my seat, and I wanted more. It was a lightning bolt moment. I said, Dude, that’s a podcast.
Bruce was like, “No I don’t want to do a podcast, they suck, and you got to have guests.” I said, No, nobody cares about quests. They want what you just did and it’s a way better version of a shoot interview because it’s a specific topic, long form. This is what people like me, a wrestling fan, are thirsty for. I am the target demographic for a podcast. You need to do this. Over the course of two weeks I beat him down, I convinced him to do one and he had one caveat: he demanded that I do it with him.
Y: How do you feel your podcast with Bruce has evolved from the type of questions you ask to the humor and the banter that goes back and forth between the two of you from the first one to now your 400th episode?
CT: Of course when we started, Bruce was not working for WWE and now as Executive Director of WWE, he barely has time to breathe. It is a testament to his character and speaks volumes about Bruce that he makes every effort to do the podcast. To answer your question, Bruce has loosened up and he has made a conscious effort to quit being so guarded and just trust the process and me. We were already good friends at that point and had really good rapport but now we have a better on air rapport maybe because we have figured out our rhythm and the fact that what the people want is the whole story in detail.
Y: Especially the first few years, your episodes with Bruce would go on for two to three hours. I love it; I do not want them to end.
CT: You know that long format goes against every conventional wisdom in the podcast industry. Every matrix says you should not go past 1:20 min, you should be under an hour and now there is a push to make them 40 min, 20 min even 10 min. Meanwhile we are going the opposite way. Some of our shows have been over 3 hours and we had to actually trim it down because the file was too big for us to share. We know if the shows were shorter we probably have more downloads but we know if the content is riveting they will keep coming back. And we work hard to make sure the content is good stuff.
Y: Your frustration with Bruce on the “No Holds Barred” episode made it real to me, the listener, of how seriously you take your part. You were pissed off at him for not being very forthcoming with his info.
CT: Yes, I hung up on him and called him back. I put in 8-15 hours before I call him and he just has to answer. On my end, I’ve got all the equipment, doing all the leveling, the research, putting it all together and all I need Bruce to do is give me some good answers. I’m giving him the wrestling mad-lib and all he has to do is fill in the blanks and it will be captivating and funny, entertaining, insightful and educational. I felt like in that particular episode I was getting one-word answers. I needed him to give me something.
Y: Who are some of the names that you are impressed with that listen to the podcast?
CT: The biggest name for me has been Rick Ruben (former co-president of Columbia Records) and when I got a direct message from Rick Ruben it was one of those I have to tell someone in my office moments. I have such respect for him and to know that he is listening is unbelievable to me. As far as WWE, more guys listen than don’t. When I go to the WWE shows, a lot of the guys come over and introduce themselves to me and tell me how much they appreciate the show. The biggest thrill for me was Paul Heyman who introduced himself to me at a show, then followed me on twitter. ECW was my absolute favorite as a kid and to know he listens to something I do and appreciates it is awesome. Sean Waltman has been a huge supporter and put us over and me specifically on the Pro Wrestling Torch. The fact that Ricky Morton listens to our show shocked me. At WrestleMania 33, he told me how much he enjoys the show and Bruce’s impression of Jim Cornette. It’s weird when guys you have grown up being a fan of are telling you they are a fan of your work. I’m just a fan. I buy tickets to shows. I have replica belts, I’m a fan, so for them to listen, it is super humbling. It’s a great honor.
Y: Another one of your great podcasts is “What Happened When” with Tony Schiavone. You are now on episode 344. How did you and Tony meet?
CT: I met Tony through Ric Flair. We had Tony on our original “Woooo Nation” podcast from a few years ago and I had his number. When I started to think about the success of Bruce’s show and how the numbers have grown because people are thirsty for the WWF/E stuff, I said you know this is only half of the story. The other half, WCW and the Crockett side of the story, the only right guy to do that with is Tony Schiavone. He was there from the beginning: the Starcades, the JCP years, the WCW years, everything. He was there for the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is the guy. He is a professional broadcaster; he is not overexposed. The Tony I saw at NWA Legends was witty and foulmouthed. He really is the Bob Saget of professional wrestling. Everybody grew up with him being his or her dad, then you go to his stand-up comedy, and you’re shocked with what you hear.
Y: How have you been able to get Tony to open up more with his answers and be more forthcoming?
CT: I love that you ask the question that way. Tony has not changed, I have. Our debut show was Goldberg. I approached it as if I had Bruce in front of me and I did not. I spent a week doing my research, really worked hard on it. We got a lot of info to ask, but I did not get a lot of info back. My rapport with each one is different. And in reality, their jobs were different. Tony’s job was calling matches, and Bruce’s job was helping creative for everyone. So I learned in time to ask questions in order to get Tony’s opinion, and he could say it was stupid if he wanted to.
Y: Let’s talk about one more podcast. About a year ago, you added Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts to your podcast family. How did that happen?
CT: I didn’t know it but behind the scenes, Jake was talking to DDP for a long time about doing a podcast. Eventually, Dallas gives in and says I will if Conrad would do it with us. I had seen Dallas and Jake do an update video when Jake was in town in Atlanta after a long, long time of him not being there. They used to put content out together all the time when Jake was living with Dallas but that was not their circumstance anymore. So when I saw their update video on YouTube, I messaged Dallas at two o’clock in the morning because Dallas stills runs on that old wrestlers schedule and I said, Hey man, I see you guys talking again on camera and I just wanted you to know how great I thought it was.
Dallas said, “Man, your ears must have been burning, I’ll call you tomorrow.” So he called me the next day and said, “Jake has been after me to do a podcast and I told him I would do it only if Conrad has time to help us.” And when Jake and Dallas ask you, you say YES.
Y: What has been your favorite episode of Dallas and Jake’s?
CT: I have had such a great time with the guys. The episode I am most proud of is the Scott Hall episode. It was an emotional show about their friend Scott, the ups and downs of life, just the human conditions. I just think it was a home run episode and really, really special.
Yiorgo is an arts, entertainment and sports writer. A stage, TV and movie actor, he is also a sports entertainer, educator, motivational speaker, writer, storyteller and columnist.
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