{"podcast":{"title":"Tales from the Attitude Era","slug":"tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544","podcast_index_feed_id":6910544,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6643cc1845c59a00122f52c0","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/tales-from-the-attitude-era","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1715719019875-6343d81b56de721196e9aac17faf12be.jpeg","author":"Tommy Blacha & Robert Pasbani","episode_count":115,"summary":"Pro wrestling shows dominate the top sports podcast charts, but none are from the perspective of the show's writer, until now. Tommy Blacha has written on Conan O'Brien, Da Ali G Show, The Eric Andre Show, and co-created Adult Swim's Metalocalypse . He was also the head writer of WWE (then WWF) during their big boom period, affectionately referred to as The Attitude Era. Tommy was a significant figure in the Attitude Era, primarily known for his work as a comedy writer and performer. He played a crucial role in shaping the entertainment aspect of the WWF product during this time. Joined by co-host Rob Pasbani (Metal Injection, Squared Circle Pit), the two look back on the unique moment in time. discussing the creative mindset behind some of the biggest stories of the Attitude Tales from the Attitude Era is a weekly one-hour podcast looking back at a specific famous moment or storyline from the period in WWE when Blacha was head writer, between 1999 and 2001, producing some of wrestling's most iconic personalities, both in front of and behind the camera. There was a sense of heightened sensationalism surrounding the industry during this time. Fans were eager to learn about the back…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T00:17:27.290274+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544"},"episode":{"title":"Rikishi’s INSANE Stage Splash & Lita’s Signature Look! - WWE SmackDown 6/8/00 Review","slug":"rikishi-s-insane-stage-splash-lita-s-signature-look-wwe-smackdown-6-8-00-review","published_at":"2026-01-12T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544/rikishi-s-insane-stage-splash-lita-s-signature-look-wwe-smackdown-6-8-00-review","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544","url":"https://shows.acast.com/tales-from-the-attitude-era/episodes/rikishis-insane-stage-splash-litas-signature-look-wwe-smackd","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6643cc1845c59a00122f52c0/e/6963cce488da0c07c141c3d1/media.mp3","summary":"Former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani dive into the June 8, 2000, episode of SmackDown from Buffalo! The road to King of the Ring features a chaotic main event and one of the most dangerous splashes in WWE history. We break down Rikishi’s legendary splash off the 10-foot stage onto Val Venis, a move that still makes our knees hurt just watching it. We also witness a historic character shift for Lita, who debuts her signature \"Whale Tail\" look while getting robbed of the WWF Women’s Championship by Stephanie McMahon and a fast-counting Tori. Meanwhile, The Rock, Undertaker, and Kane are forced to team up against the McMahon-Helmsley faction. Accidental chair shots and internal friction threaten to destroy the alliance before the pay-per-view. Tommy Blacha also pulls back the curtain on: - The real-world pressure of the Parents Television Council (PTC) and Steve Allen trying to pull WWE advertising. - Why Mosh (Chaz) was being \"ignored\" by The Rock backstage and the abandoned disgruntled worker storyline. - Early impressions of a young Kurt Angle in dark matches and how one specific promo video made his career. - Behind-the-scenes reality of \"Sweeps Week\" and why the network pressure didn't apply to the Attitude Era juggernaut. - Chris Benoit and Jeff Hardy in a technical \"work-rate\" masterclass. - Crash Holly’s continued parking lot brawls with Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson over the Hardcore Championship. - The night Tommy saw Brock Lesnar in developmental and the frustration of the \"need to know\" basis in the writers' room. Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the notification bell! 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - The \"Number One Contender\" trope 8:06 - Match 1: Chris Jericho vs. Test (KOTR Qualifier) 9:10 - The Rock ignores Chaz / Disgruntled worker storyli…","meta_description":"Former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani dive into the June 8, 2000, episode of SmackDown from Buffalo! The road to King of the Ring feature…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4175,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544/episodes/rikishi-s-insane-stage-splash-lita-s-signature-look-wwe-smackdown-6-8-00-review/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544/rikishi-s-insane-stage-splash-lita-s-signature-look-wwe-smackdown-6-8-00-review.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}