{"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":"When Shaft Saved the Hardcore Title! Samuel L. Jackson on WWE SmackDown 6/15/00 Review","slug":"when-shaft-saved-the-hardcore-title-samuel-l-jackson-on-wwe-smackdown-6-15-00-review","published_at":"2026-01-26T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544/when-shaft-saved-the-hardcore-title-samuel-l-jackson-on-wwe-smackdown-6-15-00-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/when-shaft-saved-the-hardcore-title-samuel-l-jackson-on-wwe","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6643cc1845c59a00122f52c0/e/6976482b79d88bc8ee962dd2/media.mp3","summary":"Former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani are back in the Windy City (or at least Rosemont) to recap a star-studded June 15, 2000 episode of SmackDown. The headline is the guest appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft! We break down the surreal crossover segments in Time Square and WWE New York, including the legendary moment where Shaft offers to \"protect the booty\" of Hardcore Champion Crash Holly. Tommy Blacha provides unique insight into the \"on-the-fly\" nature of the Shaft shoot and what it was like working with a Hollywood A-lister at the peak of his powers. We also discuss the acoustics of the old Rosemont Horizon, the mystery of The Undertaker's sudden arrest for \"carjacking,\" and why Vince McMahon thought Dean Malenko needed to be paired with the Godfather's ladies to get over. Other major discussion points include: - The Dudley Boyz taking a 10-foot plunge off the stage inside a tied-up dumpster. - The Rock, Undertaker, and Kane dealing with a new high-stakes stipulation for their King of the Ring main event. - Lita carving her own path: How her legitimate in-ring ability in Mexico and Mexico's CMLL forced WWE to take the women's division seriously. - The ongoing \"Faction vs. Regime\" branding war and Triple H's questionable grammar. - Chris Jericho getting \"splashed\" by a bucket of water from Stephanie McMahon. Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and tell your enemies about us! Follow Tales from the Attitude Era: Email: tftattitudera@gmail.com Instagram/TikTok/X: @TFTattitudeera 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - The \"Stay Out\" Bar and Rosemont's 23-hour liquor laws 3:54 - WWE Post-Production: Making Linda McMahon sound dramatic 6:55 - Match 1: Edge vs. Grandmaster Sexay (KOTR Qualifier) 7:50 - Stone Phillips in the front row / Celebrity cameo talk 10:42 - McMaho…","meta_description":"Former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani are back in the Windy City (or at least Rosemont) to recap a star-studded June 15, 2000 episode of…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3493,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tales-from-the-attitude-era-6910544/episodes/when-shaft-saved-the-hardcore-title-samuel-l-jackson-on-wwe-smackdown-6-15-00-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/when-shaft-saved-the-hardcore-title-samuel-l-jackson-on-wwe-smackdown-6-15-00-review.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}