Tim Kail's Wrestling Journal, 4/18/25

WrestleMania 41 Poster

Hello there, dear reader. How are you?

It feels like it's been a while, though it's only been a few weeks since I wrote my last RAW REVIEW. I don't regret not reviewing the latest episodes in the slightest, but I do miss the weekly interaction with you (hence this journal entry).

I'm overjoyed CM Punk will be main-eventing night one of WrestleMania. There's a lot of pressure on this match - at least, I know I'm putting pressure on it. I want it to steal the weekend, a clash of styles and an intricate contest of wills. I predict Roman Reigns will win it, and I'm fine with that. A case could be made for each participant, though, which makes the match more difficult to figure out. And how will Paul Heyman factor into things - where does his loyalty lie?

I haven't been keeping up with Dynamite so I can't comment on AEW. I enjoyed Dynasty but nothing happened to make me feel like I need to get back into AEW's weekly offerings.

I've started reading Fight Forever: The Ballad of Kevin and Sami by JJ McGee. It's superb, a riveting history of two of modern wrestling's best performers. I only have time to read on the weekends so it's going to take me several weeks to get through its 300+ pages. It's like an academic text that's actually fun to read. JJ's vivid descriptions brings matches to life and sets your imagination on fire. I highly recommend it.

WrestleMania is this weekend. For the first time in at least five years I'm not taking a vacation from work the week after Mania. I'm out of vacation time, sadly. But I still plan to make this weekend a celebration of wrestling. I might even do a special preview podcast based on the current proposed cards. The matches I'm most excited for are Punk v Roman v Rollins, Cena v Rhodes, and Uso v Gunther. The rest is a lot of filler and fluff. I'm not counting out Damian Priest v Drew McIntyre in a Sin City Streetfight though. The stipulation is fun and these two can do a lot of creative damage to one another.

I haven't kept up with the Charlotte v Tiffy, unfortunately, so I have no idea how that feud is going. I'll enjoy the match regardless because Charlotte is one of my favorite all-time wrestlers.

The tag division is woefully under-served on WWE's weekly shows so I couldn't care less about either tag titles matches. WWE's midcard is weak so I don't care about most of those matches. The IC title four way is the only one that has the potential to elevate into something worth watching given the mix of talents present.

My numbers have been down across the board. I lost a lot of my audience for two reasons. 1) I went crazy after Trump was elected the first time and ranted about how dangerous he was in an episode almost immediately following my appearance on Steve Austin's podcast. 2) I went on several hiatuses over the years and once people hit unsubscribe it's hard to get them back.

I've learned from these mistakes. It doesn't serve my interests, nor the interests of my listener, for my politics to enter into the equation unless somehow directly connected to professional wrestling. I have no hesitation sharing my politics (I'm basically left of Bernie Sanders), but an unrestrained rant about tariffs isn't helping anyone. I want to provide my listeners, regardless of their personal politics, a respite from the world, a space where they can breathe easy and think and feel about wrestling the way I want them to think and feel. That's the service The Work of Wrestling can provide listeners. I want everyone, even someone I vehemently disagree with on issues of policy, sex, race, or gender to regard professional wrestling as art. I want this because I believe elevating one's mind in one area of life (art) is a gateway to widening one's view on all subjects. Put another way - I believe the kind of mind that's keen to regard professional wrestling as an art is a more open mind capable of change. I believe in nudging, carefully, over time. In the past my politics have been hurled at my listener like a brick through a storefront window, and I don't think I did anyone, even those who agreed with me, any good.

I don't know what to do to get more listeners, and I'm not even sure I have the energy or interest to put any effort into that process. My goal with The Work Of Wrestling podcast has not changed in ten years; analyze professional wrestling as an art. All other goals have been accomplished already. I don't even desperately hope to get any particular wrestler on the podcast anymore. It's almost too nerve wracking to have a wrestler on - the anticipation, coming up with good questions, etc. Also, I feel completely disconnected from that part of the wrestling world. Where there was a time I had connections with wrestlers via Twitter, I have severed that contact and now I'm adrift, paddling in a life raft in the middle of a vast and lonely ocean. I've given up trying to be "famous" within the framework of the wrestling community and instead doubled-down on the audience I still have, hoping to give them that respite I mentioned earlier.

I tell myself success comes in waves, that if I keep trying to produce the best podcasts and the best writing I possibly can that it will lead to good things in time.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy Mania!

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