Tales from the Attitude Era

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Tales from the Attitude Era Former Conan writer Tommy Blacha talks about his time as head writer for World Wrestling Federation with co-host Rob Pasbani.

New episodes every Monday at noon eastern.

10/13/2026

The “who ran over Steve Austin” story has gone on long enough that during our latest SmackDown review, Tommy Blacha and Rob Pasbani have started writing their own endings.

Gillberg drives the car. The entire roster buries him. May Young takes the wheel. Raven makes his debut as the driver before he even debuts. Ric Flair makes the most sense if you want a real program. Goldberg is the only name big enough to justify how long this has dragged. None of it happened. Now they want to know what you think.

Drop your fantasy booking ideas in the replies. Who should have been behind the wheel?

On our latest episode, SmackDown bounces back after a rough RAW with more wrestling and better storytelling. Austin give...
10/12/2026

On our latest episode, SmackDown bounces back after a rough RAW with more wrestling and better storytelling. Austin gives Foley the closest thing to an apology you will ever hear from him, then stuns him anyway. In the main event, Rikishi runs in to help The Rock and accidentally tips his hand on the biggest mystery in WWF. Low Down upsets the Hardys in a match nobody saw coming. William Regal debuts on commentary, and he “besmirched” his way into our hearts. Tommy says he has the full checklist. Watch the new episode on our YouTube, wherever you get podcasts or on our site.

10/06/2026

For the first time in this entire run, Tommy is annoyed with Mick Foley. Rob agrees. The commissioner who was beloved for being unpredictable and real is starting to feel like a guy who walks out, says something charming, and books a match. No pressure. No consequences. Austin is running roughshod and Foley just seems happy to be there. Tommy spent enough time around that building to know what it looks like when a character stops having a purpose and starts just filling time. Watch the full episode on our YouTube, wherever you get podcasts or at TalesFromTheAttitudeEra.com

Foley gives Austin one last ultimatum and gets stunned mid-sentence. Billy Gunn clears himself as a suspect and drops th...
10/05/2026

Foley gives Austin one last ultimatum and gets stunned mid-sentence. Billy Gunn clears himself as a suspect and drops the only real clue in months: blond hair. The Brooklyn Brawler falls over a catering table without being touched. Meanwhile, the opening segment runs over twenty minutes and features The Rock, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Mick Foley, Chris Benoit, Kane, and Rikishi all taking turns at the microphone. Tommy has a word for this. It is not a compliment.
Watch the new episode on our YouTube, wherever you get podcasts or at TalesFromTheAttitudeEra.com

10/02/2026

Raven's debut just didn't work. He shows up and they immediately pair him with Tazz and point him at Jerry Lawler. Former writer Tommy Blacha breaks down why that combination is thematically wrong from the jump.

His pitch: lean into the real heat. Raven had legitimate backstage history with Vince stemming from his days as Johnny Polo, partying with Shane McMahon and burning bridges on his way out. That's the story. Put Raven with Shane, let that real-life tension inform the character, and you have something. Instead they gave him Tazz and a bad first impression.

Find more in our latest episode on YouTube, wherever you listen to podcasts or on our site, TalesFromTheAttitudeEra.com

On the 26th anniversary of the match, Tommy and Rob watch the iconic Joe vs. Kobashi match from Ring of Honor. Mark out ...
10/01/2026

On the 26th anniversary of the match, Tommy and Rob watch the iconic Joe vs. Kobashi match from Ring of Honor. Mark out along with us on our Patreon.

09/29/2026

A former WWF writer tells you exactly how the "who ran over Stone Cold" story fell apart from the inside. Tommy Blacha breaks down how Vince McMahon kept changing his mind about who to pick, how the delays piled up, how the goodwill from Austin's return was slowly being eaten alive, and why saying so out loud doesn't even qualify as controversial. This is what it looks like when a great premise outlasts the plan behind it.

Mick Foley tells Steve Austin to play by his rules or else. Austin responds by hiding in a phone booth and jumping Road ...
09/28/2026

Mick Foley tells Steve Austin to play by his rules or else. Austin responds by hiding in a phone booth and jumping Road Dog during a hardcore match. The whole "who ran over Austin" angle is starting to feel like nobody in the room knows where it's going.

Lita introduces the new tag champs. Raven's first promo gets buried on arrival. Stephanie costs Triple H and Rock the main event.

Tommy used to work in that writers' room and has a pretty clear idea of why everything feels slightly off. Watch the new episode on our YouTube, listen wherever you get podcasts or at TalesFromtheAttitudeEra.com

09/24/2026

WWF just moved to TNN and needed to make a statement. So they gave away a ladder match and a first blood match on the same episode of free TV.

Tommy Blacha wrote for WWF during this era and he has a theory: this wasn't really for the fans. It was for the Viacom suits who just handed WWE the biggest TV deal in company history. You put on two pay-per-view quality matches on night one, you get them off your back, and you worry about next month later.

The question Rob asks is whether there is a next month. Because once you've gone to the well, you've gone to the well.

Full episode on our YouTube and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

09/22/2026

Six months before WrestleMania 17, Edge climbed a giant ladder on a random episode of RAW, waited for Jeff Hardy to dangle from the tag titles with no ladder under his feet, and speared him out of mid-air.

thinks it looked better than the WrestleMania version.

The crowd hit a holy chant. On RAW. In 2000. For a match that nobody remembers.

Full episode review is up now on Tales from the Attitude Era.


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