Sorry Pal Podcast — Season 3, Episode 13“The Ladder Analogy”

You climbed the ladder. Congratulations. But who the hell gave you the right to kick it out from underneath everybody else?

On Season 3, Episode 13 of the Sorry Pal Podcast, Levi tackles an attitude in professional wrestling that pisses him off: a wrestler who reached the national level looking down at wrestlers who didn't make it as far and telling them they shouldn't be giving advice about the business.

Levi doesn't deny the accomplishment. Making it to national television matters. Working for major companies matters. Reaching a level most independent wrestlers never reach deserves respect.

But does reaching a higher rung suddenly mean everybody below you knows nothing?

That's where “The Ladder Analogy” comes in.

Levi compares it to a guy who climbs a ladder, reaches the roof, then kicks the ladder away and looks down at everybody underneath him saying:

“If you knew anything about climbing, you'd already be up here with me.”

There's just one problem...

You didn't build the fucking ladder.

This week, Levi talks about the difference between success and knowledge, why a wrestler's résumé doesn't automatically make every opinion correct, and why someone who never reached national television can still have decades of experience worth listening to.

Coaches don't have to be Hall of Fame players.

Trainers don't have to be world champions.

And a wrestler doesn't need to have worked WrestleMania to recognize bad wrestling, bad psychology, bad business or bad advice.

Levi also turns the argument around and asks a simple question: If only wrestlers who reached the highest levels are qualified to give advice, how many trainers, bookers, veterans and wrestling minds throughout history would suddenly have to shut their mouths?

Levi never claims he reached the same heights as the people he's talking about.

He doesn't need to.

He trained. He wrestled. He paid dues. He took bumps. He set up rings. He sat in locker rooms. He made mistakes. He learned from veterans. And after spending enough time inside professional wrestling, you learn some shit.

You don't have to take his advice.

But don't tell him he's not allowed to give it.

Because sometimes the guy halfway up the ladder sees something the guy standing on the roof has forgotten.

And sometimes...

the guy you're looking down on is the guy holding the fucking ladder steady.

It isn't all Levi being pissed off this week.

Levi is fired up about XICW bringing back PROVING GROUNDS for SEASON 9!

For a show that's always been about giving wrestlers an opportunity to prove themselves, develop, learn and earn their way up that ladder, the timing couldn't be more perfect considering this week's topic.

While some people are busy looking down from the top, Proving Grounds is about giving the next generation a place to start climbing.

Levi talks about why he's excited to see Proving Grounds return, what a platform like this means for developing talent, and why opportunities to learn and grow are so damn important to independent wrestling.

AND THEN THERE'S SOME DAMN GOOD NEWS...

SORRY PAL PODCAST — SEASON 3, EPISODE 12

THE ART OF THE PROMO

Everybody thinks they can cut a promo—until somebody hands them a microphone and tells them to make people care.

In this episode, Levi breaks down the lost art of the professional wrestling promo. It isn’t about screaming until your face turns red, repeating the same tired catchphrases, or tossing around insider terms to impress the boys in the back.

A great promo has a purpose. It tells a story, sells a fight, builds an opponent, and convinces the people watching that what happens next actually matters.

Levi pulls no punches as he explains why so many promos today sound rehearsed, phony, and completely forgettable. He talks about knowing your character, believing the words coming out of your mouth, listening to the crowd, and understanding that burying your opponent only makes beating them mean less.

You can have the look. You can have the moves. You can even call yourself a professional wrestler. But if you can’t make the audience care about you—or pay money to see somebody kick your ass—then you’re missing one of the most important parts of the business.

No scripts. No excuses. No sugarcoating.

Sorry, pal—that’s the art of a good promo.

Sorry Pal Podcast — Season 3, Episode 11“

Whose Ring Is It Anyway?”

With this weeks controversy, I decided to drop this early

Everybody wants to be a professional wrestler.

Everybody wants the entrance. The music. The gear. The spotlight. The match.

But when the last bell rings and it's time to tear down the fucking ring... where did everybody go?

This week on Sorry Pal, Levi tackles one of those arguments that's probably been happening in wrestling locker rooms since somebody built the first damn ring: Is helping set up and tear down part of paying your dues?

And more importantly—if a wrestler doesn't help, whose fault is it anyway?

Is it on the wrestler for not having enough common sense to lend a hand? Is it on their trainer for never teaching them? Is it on the veterans for complaining about "kids these days" without showing them how the business works? Or does some of that responsibility fall on the promoter who never bothered to tell their locker room what was expected in the first place?

And this isn't just about carrying ring boards.

Levi gets into what "paying your dues" actually means—from loading trucks, setting up chairs and promoting shows to respecting the building, watching matches, helping the people around you and being someone the locker room can count on.

But there's another side to it, too.

Where's the line between paying your dues and being taken advantage of?

Because helping the show is one thing. Hazing somebody, treating rookies like personal servants or expecting free labor simply because "that's how we did it" is something completely different.

Old school versus new school.
Tradition versus entitlement.
Respect versus exploitation.

And somewhere in the middle is probably the truth.

So grab your ring boards, find the fucking socket wrench, and stick around after the main event...

Because this week we're asking:

WHOSE RING IS IT ANYWAY?

The show where everybody wants to wrestle... but nobody wants to tear down the fucking ring.

Sorry Pal... Not So Sorry.