Historically Speaking: Secret American History

From the Intergalactic Sports Network and Ember Media we bring you a new look at the history of Wrestling, Media, and Culture! Join us for deep dives into the subjects, humans, and spectacles of American Society Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historically Speaking: Secret American History is a sports podcast hosted by Matthew Ryan, with 22 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Matthew Ryan hosts Historically Speaking: Secret American History, a sports show with 22 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #3

  Masked Men and The Birth Of Wrestling's Most Beloved and Reviled Tropes

  Aug 19, 20261h 8mS3

  In the longest single episode of Historically Speaking we've ever done, Matt returns to take a deep dive into the first masked STARS of wrestling, as finding the first masked wrestlers seems nearly impossible... for now. From the Masked Men of Paris who took the world by storm for a brief period in the 1860s, to the Masked Marvel who saved the International Wrestling Tournament in New York, we dig into the moments that solidifed them as stars, the wrestling world they inhabited, and the birth of the Heel Turn, the shoot run-in, and more tropes that have been codified in wrestling longer than anyone may have realized! Research resources The Kings Of Wrestling by Edmond Desbonnet (Edited and Translated by David L. Chapman) Masked Marvel To The Rescue by Ken Zimmerman Jr. https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/frrlbj/the_masked_marvel_the_earliest_known_masked/ https://x.com/Phil_Lions/status/1943305199667552389 https://phil-lions-research.blogspot.com/2026/06/homme-masque-1867.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawTTTvNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFMRkZ1MzJxMU5jUUNCbnNYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoMOpa9xcaVNspH57VAUOHEDBZzDuAjqdU6b0NJsLziTs9v4IB25aY_mCzgo_aem_ES-DtErbQxO9kvK2A8uQBg https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/1s1iwlt/an_account_of_the_oldest_known_masked/ https://web.archive.org/web/20221013121001/https://www.prowrestlinghistoricalsociety.com/articles-0147.html https://web.archive.org/web/20221016065423/https://www.prowrestlinghistoricalsociety.com/articles-0150.html https://web.archive.org/web/20221016042748/https://www.prowrestlinghistoricalsociety.com/articles-0155.html https://slamwrestling.net/archive/translated-kings-of-wrestling-a-major-contribution-to-wrestling-history/ https://nemfrog.tumblr.com/post/687267394209677312/masked-wrestlers-la-lune-november-3-1867 https://www.whenitwascool.com/history-of-wrestling-1915 https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1302&context=cparpublications https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/manhattan-opera-house-1254 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Napol%C3%A9on Prince Imperial https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=22337&page=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_05HWQ9vAcc New York Herald, September 10, 1867 Chicago Tribune, September 15, 1867 The Newcastle Journal, September 10, 1867 Chicago Evening Post, September 20, 1867 The Birmingham Post, October 2, 1867 New York Times, October 6, 1867 The Pittsburgh Commercial, October 11, 1867 Birmingham Daily Post, October 22, 1867 Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1867 The Daily News (London), December 2, 1867 The Hagerstown Herald and Torch Light, December 25, 1867 The Morning Post, January 6. 1868 Bucks Free Press: January 17, 1868 The Tewkesbury Register, and Agricultural Gazette, February 8, 1868 The Grenfell Record and Lachlan District Advertiser: March 7, 1868 San Francisco Call Bulletin, January 5, 1902 New York Times, November 16, 1915 Altoona Tribune: December 1, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 8, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 9, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Times: December 9, 1915 New York Times: December 9. 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 10, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Times: December 10, 1915 New York Herald: December 10, 1915 Pittsburgh Post: December 10, 1915 The Evening World: December 11, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 12, 1915 New York Herald: December 12, 1915 Boston Globe: December 12, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Times: December 13, 1915 New York Tribune: December 13, 1915 New York Herald: December 14, 1915 New York Tribune: December 14, 1915 Trenton Evening Times: December 14, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 16, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 18, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 23, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 21, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 21, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 27, 1915 The Evansville Journal: December 27, 1915 Brooklyn Daily Eagle: December 30, 1915 Baltimore Evening Sun: December 30, 1915 The Daily Standard Union: December 30, 1915 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #2

  The Legacy Of Bobby Davis, Medium and the Message

  Jul 4, 202629 minS3

  Known as "The Elvis of Pro Wrestling," Bobby Davis rose from ring attendant and fan in Al Haft's Columbus, Ohio territory into the first real manager in the history of the sport. Matt Ryan breaks down his path with some information from those who worked with Davis, Davis himself, and how he played a key part in Capitol Wrestling reclaiming Madison Square Garden and nearly the NWA as a whole. References Evolution of Communication: A Comparative Study from Cave Paintings to Emojis By. Aamir Ayub, Yasir Shehzad, and Shakeel Ahmad Irresistible Force: The Life Of Gorilla Monsoon by Brian R. Solomon Master Of The Ring by. Tim Hornbaker Capitol Revolution by. Tim Hornbaker The Hard Way by Don Fargo My Life In Wrestling: With A Little Help From My Friends by. Gary Hart https://www.nyprowrestling.com/results/1960s/1963.html https://www.nyprowrestling.com/results/1950s/1959.html https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1024&page=4&s=500 https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/wrestling-managers/ https://www.wwe.com/classics/classic-lists/10-overlooked-managers-you-need-to-know https://slamwrestling.net/legend/bobby-davis/ https://www.postwrestling.com/2021/01/07/pollocks-news-update-trendsetting-manager-bobby-davis-dies/ https://x.com/allan_cheapshot/status/2033931489042190808 https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Bobby_Davis https://retrowrestlingarchive.substack.com/p/the-blueprint-of-belligerence-bobby https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=25227&page=4 https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrestlingbackintheday/posts/707068248896169/ https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2023/10/24/what-are-we-even-doing-get-bobby-davis-into-the-won-hall-of-fame/ https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/bobby-davis/ https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.454311777921291.109380.254252634593874 https://slamwrestling.net/features/mat-matters-the-quizzical-calls-from-bobby-davis-1937-2021/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcAeQjDy05g Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #1

  How TV, A Riot, And Timing Helped The McMahon's Own The Garden and A Meditation on Wrestling and Parasocial Relationships

  Jun 23, 202629 minS3

  Matt is BACK with some Secret Wrestling History! Join him as he looks back to the 1957 riot that saw Antonino Rocca, Edouard Carpentier, Dr. Jerry Graham, and Dick the Bruiser fighting each other... and hundreds of fans inside the Garden! That plus a look at NWA Politics from that time, how McMahon was able to take control of the Garden and build a power base with Toots Mondt as his heater, plus how Kayfabe was dead in 1957, and a meditation on parasocial relationships and wrestling from that time period and now! Madison Square Garden Riot Resources Assassin by Joe Hamilton W/ Scott Teal Capitol Revolution by Tim Hornbaker https://www.nytimes.com/1957/11/20/archives/wrestling-ends-in-riot-at-garden-2-policemen-hurt-as-fans-storm.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/1266028211/?match=8&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/660015726/?match=7&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/560864594/?match=1&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/1010597847/?match=2&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/1191516910/?match=6&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/255990503/?match=2&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/530584361/?match=1&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot https://www.newspapers.com/image/535577323/?match=2&terms=Rocca%2C%20Madison%20Square%20Garden%2C%20Riot Wrestling Observer Newsletter History of WWF: March 17.2003 https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrestlingbackintheday/posts/818985334371126/ Dr. Jerry Graham Obituary: Kurt Brown/Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer: February 3, 1997 https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/1957-msg-riot/?srsltid=AfmBOoonhm_7W4b3KbekUCQGOccCJRlf_Upya2CDOS2hZmUd3PFhHRFg https://www.nyprowrestling.com/results/1950s/ https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=8&nr=2113&page=4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Athletic_Commission_World_Heavyweight_Championship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5EFSOeVgI&t=261s https://books.google.com/books?id=j1YEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA165&dq=wrestling+script+gone+awry&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju4oTe2JmVAxX7rokEHaOMAI8QuwV6BAgIEAc#v=onepage&q&f=false https://x.com/BJBethelTweets/status/2064562167353954481/photo/1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #3

  Demagogues, Demos, And Disgust: Joe Pyne, Bob Grant, And Rise Of Right Wing Talk

  Nov 3, 202535 minS2

  <p>With the New York Mayoral Election upon us, we look at the founding fathers of Conservative Talk as Bob Grant and his mentor Joe Pyne set the stage for our modern media landscape, and weirdly play into the backstory of the same racial and cultural animosity we've seen in the 2025 New York Mayoral Election, as the son of the man Grant brought down with smears, jears, and a catchy parody song, Andrew Cuomo, is caught playing the same game as the man who dispised his father, Mario, and Cuomo's political mentor, Bill Clinton.</p><p>References</p><p>https...

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  Episode #2

  Consultants, Blackouts, and Broken Backs or the Rise Of The Superstar DJ

  Oct 20, 20251h 10mS2

  <p>In this edition, we take a look at the first radio station and disc jockeys to play their own songs, the impact of consultants, and how much they kill creativity.</p><br><p>Also, a look at the origin story of WNEW, how they seized an opportunity when another station failed, and the story of a guy who broke his legs working in a uranium mine and then became the biggest name in radio by being the first shock jock, Don Imus.</p><br><p>Resources</p><br><p>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNEW-FM</p><p>https://www...

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