In this episode of New to Wrestling, we sit down with independent wrestling standout Joey Conway — “The Cause of It All.”

What starts as a conversation about presence and first impressions quickly becomes a deep dive into what it actually means to love wrestling while living inside it. Joey opens up about staying a fan in a business that can burn people out, why being a great heel is really about making everyone else better, and how character, intention, and detail matter just as much as moves.

We talk about his journey through the indie scene, adapting on the fly when plans change, learning through injury and setback, and why entering every room like nobody knows you is the key to earning a reaction anywhere in the world. From fur coats and grills to hardcore shows, international wrestling, and the art of making people agree to hate you — this is a raw, thoughtful, and unexpectedly emotional look at the grind behind the persona.

This isn’t just an interview about matches.
It’s about craft, community, and finding your place inside the chaos.

The New To Wrestling Podcast follows two friends who enjoy wrestling but are in different stages of their fandom. Xavier Cruz serves as your guide through generations of professional wrestling while Kelsey Silva experiences these matches for the first time. Climb into the ring weekly to relive the famous matches beginning with the Attitude Era!

This week on New to Wrestling, we dive headfirst into the May 18, 1998 edition of Raw Is War — an episode that somehow manages to be chaotic, hilarious, deeply cursed, and strangely heartfelt all at once.

Vince McMahon stacks the deck against Stone Cold Steve Austin yet again, the Stooges clock in for overtime nonsense, and Dude Love continues his deeply confusing villain era complete with gratitude speeches and… strong yet sensitive hands. We get the official (and highly suspicious) DNA reveal involving Kane and Paul Bearer, Val Venis makes his long-awaited debut, and DX and The Nation turn Monday night into full-blown gang warfare.

Along the way, Sable continues carving out her power era, Austin refuses to stay arrested, Al Snow and Head somehow evade all law enforcement, and Raw barrels toward Over the Edge with absolute confidence and zero adult supervision.

Some important community updates:
🧥 Our New to Wrestling Coat Drive is happening right now, and the response so far has been incredible. If you have gently used or new coats, hats, scarves, gloves, blankets, or winter gear, you can drop them off at DollyMoo in Montclair, NJ or The Coven’s Cupboard in Piermont, NY. We’ve got one week left, and every donation helps keep our community warm.

Plus, we check in on:
📚 The return of Reading the Ring with Becky Lynch’s Not Your Average Girl
🎙️ Our recent interview with Kevin Herrera Sanchez (Ringville)
💥 And what’s next as we keep building a more community-driven New to Wrestling

It’s loud. It’s messy. It’s very 1998.
And it’s exactly why we love this era.

The New To Wrestling Podcast follows two friends who enjoy wrestling but are in different stages of their fandom. Xavier Cruz serves as your guide through generations of professional wrestling while Kelsey Silva experiences these matches for the first time. Climb into the ring weekly to relive the famous matches beginning with the Attitude Era!

Welcome back to Reading the Ring, the New to Wrestling book club where wrestling is real and books are too.

This episode kicks off our three-week journey through Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Girl by Rebecca Quin, focusing on Season One: The Growing Years. From Becky’s childhood in Ireland to discovering wrestling during the Attitude Era, we unpack how belief, rebellion, and stubborn determination shaped the foundation of The Man long before the spotlight ever found her.

We talk early influences like Mick Foley, training without a ring, lying about her age just to get through the door, navigating a wrestling world with few women and fewer opportunities, and the complicated relationship between chasing a dream and protecting yourself while doing it. This section of the book is raw, funny, and deeply human — less about championships and more about why someone refuses to quit.

If you’ve ever chased something that felt impossible, doubted yourself mid-journey, or had to bet on yourself before anyone else did, this one’s for you.

📚 Reading the Ring — where wrestling stories live far beyond the ring.

The New To Wrestling Podcast follows two friends who enjoy wrestling but are in different stages of their fandom. Xavier Cruz serves as your guide through generations of professional wrestling while Kelsey Silva experiences these matches for the first time. Climb into the ring weekly to relive the famous matches beginning with the Attitude Era!