With WrestleMania 33 only weeks away, I sat down with Lawrence (Disco Stu) to get his thoughts on WrestleMania, podcasting, The Undertaker and so much more.

WrestleMania 33 is next month are you excited about any of the matches?

So far the only one that really has peaked my interest is the Jericho vs. Owens match. There is potential for some good matches that haven’t been booked yet. A lot will depend on how AJ Styles is booked. The E also seems on path to book a Neville vs. Austin Aries match which I would pop for.

The Undertaker has been booked to face Roman Reigns, do you see Undertaker walking out of Mania with the win or will we see 23-2 in the streak?

At this point I don’t see why they should book the Undertaker to lose this match unless its to fully cement a Roman heal turn. The Undertaker is special and should only be beaten if its going to result in something that will change the company for the better. To beat Undertaker just to push a guy who has failed to get over with the fans as a face over and over again would be a huge waste of a valuable Undertaker loss.

It has been said WrestleMania is the can’t miss wrestling event of the year. But I disagree, last year I watched Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s BOLA tournament and to me it was better than Mania. In your opinion, is there any “big event” shows that could or get close to surpassing WrestleMania if you take out all the glitz and glamour, celebrities, etc?

I don’t think it’s fair to take out the glitz and glamour as that is as big of a part of WrestleMania as the wrestling is. I agree there are shows that are better wrestling shows than Mania, as you mentioned BOLA and Wrestle Kingdom year after year deliver at the highest level. The thing that makes Mania different though is the glitz and glamour, the big show feel. WrestleMania is a spectacle and nothing will come close to topping it.

We all read them and we all have our go to people when it comes to reading the dirt sheets. What’s your thoughts on people like Meltzer, Keller, and Satin… Are they fair with their criticism on pro wrestling?

For the most part dirt sheets are just another form of entertainment for the “smart” fan. They serve a purpose, that is to allow smarts to think they know what’s going to happen or to give us the “inside” scope. Whether it’s true or not. As long as you read them for what they are and that is an extension of the entertainment wrestling provides.

I will say I think Satin is right on. He is very reliable and doesn’t give into the pressure to break news on a weekly basis. If there is a story he will pursue it, but so far I have not witnessed him create a story for the sake of breaking news. That is something I believe all the other dirt sheets have been guilty of.

I like Satin, he’s good and his credibility hasn’t insulted my intelligence, when talking about his website or podcast.

Since leaving the E Cody Rhodes has been leaving his mark in many indie promotions. Thoughts on the grandson of a plumber since leaving the E?

I think Cody has done a great job of building his name into something creditable over his last eight or so months. The key is now for him to do something with it. We have watched ten’s of indie darlings over the years get over but then not do anything with that momentum. I think his end game is to go back to the E and show them what he has done and that they were wrong. If there is money to be made VKM will swallow his pride and have him back. The problem is that a shelf life for an indy darling is two years tops before that shine starts to wear off. I would like to see him talking with the E in early 2018 about a return. I think it’s what he ultimately wants and the fans win because we will get to see him weekly and hopefully with a rocket ship attached to him.

To change the subject a bit. You are someone who host their own podcast, The Awesome 80’s Pod. Nowadays it seems like every wrestling podcast needs a hook and that hook being having a wrestler on their show to give insight on today’s product. As for myself, I’m not too keen of those types of podcast. What’s your opinion?

So I was in early on the originals, Colt, Austin, JR, Jericho. I however have backed off. I still subscribe to all of those but I rarely to more than one show a month per show. I’m a completist and used to believe I had to listen to everyone start to finish to feel whole. The guests are mostly recycled and most hooks are similar. There are 100’s of them out there now and they are all too similar. To be honest the only must list wrestling podcast out there is Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard. I plan my Fridays around it. The Monday Nitro version is also good but not nearly as good as Prichard. The cohost Conrad has been friends with my show since he first entered the podcasting realm and now he had the #1 podcast in all of wrestling. It feels good to see a friend succeed.

Over the past month or so WWE has been announcing the 2017 Hall of Fame class. People like Rick Rude, Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix and Diamond Dallas Page to name a few. Thoughts on the class of 2017 and who would you like to see go into the Hall?

Brad Maddox, I kid I kid. Actually I don’t think too much about the HOF. I have been to two of the last three ceremonies and I love the spectacle of it. Ultimately it’s all about entertainment. It’s a show produced to get the best fan reaction. There is always a little truth a little spectacle and a lot of awesomeness. People hate on the HOF which I think is ridiculous. The business is a work. The HOF is a work. Enjoy it or stop watching. Yes their are wrestlers in there who don’t deserve it and wrestlers who should be but aren’t. When it makes sense from an entertainment stand point they will be in. I saw the Ultimate Warriors last three public events in person and to this day I am only half joking when I say Vince booked his death perfectly. I mean Vince knows WTF is up.

Lastly… The year is still young, what are you looking forward to seeing in pro wrestling this year?

Honestly there is not one thing I look forward to specifically. Don’t get me wrong I’m not some old smart who thinks they can’t do anything right since Smokey Mountain folded. I love the business and I love the surprise aspect. When I was younger I would had notebooks full of fantasy booked cards and I would have WCW & WWF booked out months ahead of time. Now I just watch for the experience and enjoyment of the shows. I don’t agree with everything they put out but ultimately the product dictates whether I watch more or don’t. My biggest thrill will be what they do with Joe and if my man SN gets called up from NXT. Either way I’ll watch and consume it’s just a matter of how much and only they can dictate that.

There you have it… A bit of an inside scoop from Disco Stu.