He flips. He flies. He bleeds (occasionally on purpose).

This week on New to Wrestling: After Dark, we’re joined by high-flying indie standout and deathmatch up-and-comer Christian Starr, a.k.a. The Starchild.

We get into:

• How GCW reignited his love for wrestling
• Training in Canada and prepping for Japan
• His first-ever deathmatch (featuring barbed wire, thumbtacks, and a dart gun 💀)
• Why he writes out match spots like homework
• The beautiful chaos of planning a match when your opponent shows up 5 minutes before bell time
• What it means to balance show-stealing flips with glass-shattering violence

Christian is thoughtful, intense, and way too calm about skewers to the head—and that’s exactly why we loved this one.

🎧 Stream now on all podcast platforms.

Timestamps:

• [00:01:21] – How GCW reignited Christian’s love for wrestling
• [00:03:11] – Learning flips on instinct, not gymnastics
• [00:07:40] – Wild match story: accidental nose break leads to a shoot finish
• [00:09:58] – What it’s like stepping into a deathmatch for the first time
• [00:12:43] – Plans for more deathmatches—with light tubes next
• [00:14:52] – “I’m a spot monkey”—leaning into high-flying chaos
• [00:19:40] – Prepping to train in Japan with TAKA Michinoku
• [00:22:11] – Dream match types: steel cage, no-rope deathmatch
• [00:24:07] – On turning up the volume on your real self in the ring
• [00:26:25] – “Pro wrestling is mental and physical”—why it’s the hardest sport
• [00:32:38] – Big goals: GCW, Tournament of Survival, Best of the Super Juniors
• [00:33:40] – “Deathmatch guys are the nicest”—backstage camaraderie

📲 Follow @cprstar on [Instagram/Twitter/etc.]

🎟️ Catch him at a show near you. You’ll know him when the barbed wire comes out.

📲 Follow us @N2WPodcast for more chaos every week.

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 After Dark, we’re joined by indie wrestling standout and certified harvester of sorrows, Sammi Chaos—our first-ever female guest and instant icon. From the Mecca to the middle of a triple threat she wasn’t even booked for (until 10 minutes before bell time), Sammi brings the chaos, heart, and eyeliner.

We talk about growing up an Attitude Era kid, falling into wrestling after a very honest drunk epiphany, and balancing a 9-to-5 with throwing bodies on weekends. She shares how she’s carved out space for herself in the intergender scene, why she trains like Rey Mysterio but throws like Bam Bam, and what it’s like cutting promos on your real-life best frenemies. Also: eyeliner symmetry, kids calling her an a**, and why indie wrestling is the real land of misfit toys.

It’s chaotic, it’s emotional, it’s funny as hell—and it’s everything we love about wrestling and the weirdos who make it worth watching.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 – Intro & Guest Reveal: Sammi Chaos joins as the first female guest
• 00:02:23 – Wrestling Origins: Drunken epiphanies, desk jobs, and jumping in
• 00:04:00 – Social Anxiety & Performance: Overcoming fear and finding power through wrestling
• 00:06:20 – In-Ring Psychology & Influences: Learning from ROH, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio
• 00:10:30 – Hard-Hitting Style: Sammi’s love for physical matches and making them feel like fights
• 00:13:28 – Improv & Adaptability: Last-minute bookings and the value of in-ring chemistry
• 00:15:20 – Intergender Wrestling: Storytelling dynamics and flipping the usual power narrative
• 00:17:54 – Full Circle Moments: Wrestling her trainer Brother Greatness
• 00:20:24 – Promos & Character Work: Her chaotic feud with Brian Baum and the power of creative freedom
• 00:21:32 – Pride Shows & Representation: Why inclusive shows matter
• 00:24:25 – The Persona vs The Person: Sammi Chaos as armor for social anxiety
• 00:27:42 – Makeup, Gear & Rituals: How visual identity enhances confidence
• 00:31:04 – Balancing Wrestling & Work: The physical toll and emotional reward of the grind
• 00:32:56 – Favorite Collaborators: Locker room love and tag team chaos
• 00:35:11 – Tough Coaching & Growth: Getting pushed beyond physical limits
• 00:40:53 – The Beauty of Indie Wrestling: Diversity, gimmicks, and true creative freedom
• 00:43:01 – Hopes for Intergender Wrestling: Acceptance, visibility, and booking without boundaries
• 00:45:09 – What’s Next: Upcoming shows and staying busy

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!

What happens when two hungry, hard-hitting tag champs take over the mic? You get a whole lot of honesty, hustle, and heat.

This week on New to Wrestling, we sit down with Da Prospectz—Collin Parker and Jayy Alfredo—the reigning LoudEast Tag-Team Champions, to talk about what it really takes to break through on the indie scene. From overlooked grind to in-ring brotherhood, nothing’s off the table in this no-filter conversation.

🔥 We get into:

• Their unlikely tag team origin story (and the group chat moment that started it all)
• Being LoudEast’s “Most Wanted” while still overlooked
• The indie hustle no one sees—including working, training, and self-promoting 24/7
• Who they want next—and why it’s personal
• What being champions actually means to them

If you’re into tag team storytelling, rising talent, or just straight-up real talk, this one hits hard.

🎧 Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

#NewToWrestling #DaProspectz #LoudEast #TagTeamChampions #IndieWrestling #WrestlingPodcast #WrestlingInterviews

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!

Wrestling is art—and Matt Awesome lives that truth with every bump, beat, and Bronx-infused promo.

In this After Dark session, Matt joins Kelsey and Xavier to talk about everything from his deep-rooted love of music (and how every promo has a secret Easter egg) to surviving a terrifying in-ring asthma attack that nearly ended his career. He shares how that moment lit a fire under him to take his health seriously, train with the best, and reframe what it means to push through—on the mat and in life.

We get into the birth of the Uptown Boyz, why nobody hits harder than your best friend, and how tag team chemistry isn’t something you fake. Plus: what it’s like to wrestle your heroes (Savio Vega and Homicide), build a signature weapon blessed by the souls of a thousand abuelitas, and fight for legacy as much as titles.

Also, if you’ve ever wanted to know whether Kelsey and Xavier would survive taking a bump… well, we might find out soon.

🎶 Signed chanclas. Chair tattoos. Bronx storytelling.

This one hits different.

Timestamps

• 00:25 – Matt Awesome joins the show!
• 01:57 – Favorite movies: The Crow & The Lost Boys
• 03:19 – Music in promos: Matt’s secret sauce
• 06:46 – The Fabolous promo and the asthma scare
• 08:59 – In-ring medical emergency and fitness comeback
• 13:00 – His mom’s impact and strong women in his life
• 17:09 – Sister’s cancer battle and staying motivated
• 20:12 – “Your best friend hits hardest”: Wrestling Jarett Diaz
• 22:32 – Brutal match with Steve Peña: Teacher vs. Student
• 28:49 – The chuncla origin story (and merch hustle)
• 33:36 – Forming the Uptown Boys tag team
• 42:08 – The feud with Jay Bougie and Bronx intensity
• 46:37 – Tagging with Savio Vega: Dream come true
• 53:12 – Homicide tributes and the power of storytelling
• 55:28 – Why Eddie vs. Rey (Halloween Havoc ‘97) still hits

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: After Dark, we’re joined by “The Prospector” Wes Barker—independent wrestler, old-school soul, and walking masterclass in how to grind with grace.

From training under Chris Knight to Reality of Wrestling with Booker T, Wes takes us through a journey built on passion, adaptability, and a little chaos (like debuting in front of the puppeteers from Fraggle Rock—yes, really). We talk about learning to work a crowd with no camera to save you, what it means to be character-first in a world chasing clout, and why sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen to the silence between moves.

We get into the difference between TV wrestling and indie madness, the art of staying present when the match goes off-script, and how Wes manages to keep it real even when the bookings get weird. There’s talk of Kentucky, camaraderie, and keeping territory-era authenticity alive in 2025.

Whether you’re deep in the indies or just getting your boots laced, this one’s for the folks who know wrestling’s about more than spots—it’s about stories, heart, and showing up better every time.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Intro: Welcoming The Prospector Wes Barker
• 5:41 Wrestling's simple storytelling: conflict and resolution
• 12:08 The Prospector's origin and wrestling philosophy
• 24:32 Training with Booker T, childhood hero
• 37:04 Creating authentic wrestling content on social media
• 46:27 Differences between TV and indie wrestling
• 58:03 Social media's impact on independent wrestling
• 1:04:52 First match for Fraggle Rock cast
• 1:07:22 Upcoming wrestling tour in Kentucky

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, we dust off the VCR and jump back into the chaos of the Attitude Era with the February 16, 1998 episode of Raw Is War—and y’all, it’s a MESS in the best way. Kelsey remembers the Quebecers just in time, Xavier’s stressed about the Legion of Doom’s ongoing dumpster trauma, and we all agree that Jackyl’s “intellectual intercourse” is a war crime.

PLUS: We talk about our trip to Anniversary 8: A Jurassic Celebration, give major love to Vince Steele Jr. and the Mecca crowd, and try to process The Rock giving out Rolexes… and a framed portrait of himself.

Match Card Highlights:

• The Quebecers vs. Legion of Doom
• Ken Shamrock vs. Sniper (RIP, Truth Commission)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (c) vs. The Headbangers — NWA Tag Team Titles
• Owen Hart (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett — European Championship
• Águila & Taka Michinoku vs. Brian Christopher & Pirata Morgan
• Steve Blackman vs. Farooq (feat. The Rock’s literal face)
• Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie vs. Marc Mero & Goldust — Main Event

🪩 Sable’s still THAT girl.

🪓 Chainsaws are swinging.

📸 And Kane may or may not have sent Doc to the underworld.

We’re back on the road to WrestleMania 14 and trying (emphasis on trying) to keep our sanity.

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!

In our first-ever crossover event, the New to Wrestling crew links up with the brilliant (and brilliantly unhinged) minds behind the Invasion Angle podcast—Johnny, Jason, and Chris—for a late-night wrestling roundtable that goes way off the rails in the best way.

We cover everything from how these lifelong friends and film school grads bonded over suplexes and storytelling, to how ECW changed their brains forever. We break down three wild matches—Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka, Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon, and PAC vs. Orange Cassidy—and explore everything from chair shots and shooting star presses to why Orange Cassidy is lowkey a comedy genius.

Also on the table: indie wrestling horror stories (yes, there’s blood), the underrated genius of Toni Storm, why Paul Heyman is either your hero or your villain, and how a wrestling podcast became a lifelong group chat with mics.

If you’ve ever wanted to hear five wrestling fans spiral into chaos over Bryce Remsburg, Plexiglas, and the psychology of match time, this is your moment. Welcome to After Dark.

🎧 Check out the Invasion Angle podcast wherever you listen—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and more. For indie match breakdowns, wild stories from the front row, and the kind of wrestling commentary you won’t hear anywhere else, follow them at @invasionangle and @invasionanglepodcast on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Timestamps:

• 0:58 – “I haven’t been in a chatroom with this many men since…”
• 3:12 – Origins of the Invasion Angle pod: film school, group chats & wrestling obsessions
• 5:46 – Vintage shirts & finding your people in public
• 8:00 – The wildest places they’ve traveled just to see a match
• 10:27 – Why match length matters more than you think
• 12:02 – Everyone’s gateway into wrestling (feat. banned brothers & secret dads)
• 26:00 – “I took a light tube to the face at a deathmatch show”
• 32:29 – The Kurt Angle vs. Shane match: real glass, real blood, real chaos
• 42:34 – Orange Cassidy, rodeo clowns & the power of comedic wrestling
• 57:02 – Paul Heyman discourse… gets spicy
• 1:00:26 – The nightmare of falling asleep to Busted Open
• 1:03:40 – Evolve Wrestling: why it’s giving “indie show with a budget”
• 1:14:49 – Toni Storm supremacy, and why the women’s divisions are thriving
• 1:16:57 – Wrap-up & where to find the Invasion Angle podcast

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!

On this episode of New to Wrestling: After Dark, we sit down with one of the sharpest minds—and smoothest talkers—in independent wrestling today: Jarett Diaz. From learning the ropes with a SmackDown writer in summer school, to grinding through the indies with wisdom beyond his years, Diaz brings a rare combo of humility, hustle, and heat.

We dive deep into his start behind the scenes at WWE, why he wrestles with a notebook full of goals (and how he lost it), the pressure of representing his community in a hometown title match, and what it really means to be the face of the franchise. Plus: Full Sail stories, training at Pete Dunne’s school, match psychology against legends like Rich Swann, and the unexpected family drama that unfolds when your mom wants to throw hands with Dan Maff.

This isn’t just an interview—it’s a wrestling masterclass from a rising star who’s not only chasing greatness, but lifting others as he climbs.

🎧 Listen now.

📱 Follow him at @thejarettdiaz

Catch Jarett Diaz in Action! 🥊🔥

• 🗓️ May 17 – Loud East Wrestling
• 📍Rockaway Beach, NY
• 🌊 Jarett takes on the East Coast crowd in what’s sure to be a high-impact showdown.

• 🗓️ May 25 – Shadow Wrestling Alliance x Brii Combination Wrestling
• 📍New Jersey
• 💥 The Uptown Boys (Jarett & Matty) take on the Tag Team Gauntlet at Anniversary 8 – and the New to Wrestling Podcast will be there!

• 🗓️ June 7 – Puerto Rican Weekend with House of Glory
• 🇵🇷 Back by popular demand — Jarett returns for HOG’s second Puerto Rican Weekend event after a standout debut!

Timestamps:

• [0:00] Viewer discretion disclaimer
• [0:27] Kelsey introduces Jarett Diaz
• [1:45] Jarett shares how an English teacher got him into wrestling
• [3:22] Seeing WWE creative scripts as a kid
• [6:29] Interning at WWE & learning at Full Sail University
• [9:17] How production experience shaped Jarett’s in-ring growth
• [10:22] Transitioning that knowledge into the indies & AEW
• [11:57] Thoughts on WWE’s new ID/Evolve indie scouting programs
• [14:50] Who’s on Jarett’s “must wrestle” list
• [17:38] Shouting out Robert Martyr + their match history
• [20:25] Why Jarett sees wrestling as a variety show
• [22:20] Superman tattoo, his dad, and deep family ties
• [24:47] The match journal Jarett lost (and the heartbreak)
• [26:26] Has he tried the shooting star press yet? Spoiler: no
• [28:13] Cody Rhodes as an inspiration & what “being the guy” means
• [32:31] Losing in his hometown—but thriving in the chase
• [35:04] His mom tried to find Dan Maff after the match 😂
• [37:00] The emotion of wrestling in front of his family
• [40:45] Match psychology: Facing a brawler vs. a high-flyer
• [43:59] Who makes wrestling hard? Wrestlers do.
• [47:06] Leading matches, learning from vets like Rich Swann & Tony Deppen
• [51:12] Tag team dynamics with The Uptown Boys
• [53:32] Social media, personal values, and balancing a public voice
• [1:00:16] Wrapping up with gratitude

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!