Talking Taker
Digging up the career of The Undertaker one PPV match at a time every Friday. Hosted by wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White.
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Episodes
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Friday Jul 01, 2022
In July of 2002, three of the greatest WWE superstars of all-time did battle for the WWE Championship and history was made. Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration digging up The Dead Man as we take the time-traveling hearse back to Vengeance 2002 to revisit one of our favorite matches that just doesn't get enough love on its 20th anniversary - The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock for the Undisputed Championship! We're doing it Watch-Along style this time so we'll give you the timestamp to cue it up on the Peacock, but as always it'll still be plenty entertaining if you're just listening. We'll discuss why this is a Top 20 all-time Undertaker match for us, why it seems to get overlooked by fans due the craziness going in in the WWE at the time, and try to remember what exactly the storyline here was. Along the way we'll also cover the insane series of stolen finishers during the match, the seemingly effortless chemistry between these 3, the confusing crew member seemingly just hanging out at ringside, the infamous carabiner on Taker's belt loop, whether this is the best triple threat match in WWE history, and of course the always hilarious looks of the fans of the crowd. Plus we'll get an audio recap from our time-traveling reporter Randy Turco of his memories of being at this show live! All that plus our monthly "Undertaker Sightings" and more. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "TCB - Taker Care Of Business" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Check out Alex's recent appearance on the Collecting Deadman podcast discussing "The Phenom" VHS tape!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Sirens" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
It's time to plug in your VCR and rewind with us to the days of Coliseum Video on this month's Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration digging up The Dead Man as they dive into some of the Undertaker's early Home Video Classics! These WWF compilation videos were a staple of growing up as a wrestling fan in the early 90s and they contain so many unique match-ups of The Undertaker that we've never covered before. Join us as we rent 5 tapes from the virtual video store that is Peacock containing 6 unique matches: World Tour 91, Rampage 91, Crunch Classic, Battle Royal at the Albert Hall, and Rampage 92. Included are matches featuring Taker in the ring with Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, British Bulldog, Sgt. Slaughter, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Berzerker, Papa Shango, and more. And the best part - there's no late fees! It's a truly old school Talking Taker episode as we get the chance to riff on so many topics including brutal commentary from Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes, incredible crowd reactions, an all-time great forgotten Undertaker entrance, Paul Bearer hamming it up for the camera and taking us on a tour of his home, all the chokes and punches and kicks you could ask for, babyfaces acting like heels, new nicknames for Taker, the Royal Samovar Trophy, and so much more. Plus we discuss "The Undertaker" on an episode of "Young Rock" and Alex getting to meet the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Sirens" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Sunday May 01, 2022
Sunday May 01, 2022
Now that The Undertaker has entered the Hall Of Fame, we're ranking the greatest entrances of his career on our very special 200th episode! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration of The Undertaker's career as they rank and debate the Top 10 most epic entrances of The Dead Man. That means we're talking all the grand WrestleMania walks, hearses, chariots, motorcycles, vultures, caskets, batwings, torches, pyro, and druids across his 30 year career! And speaking of druids, we've actually got an interview with former independent wrestler Ralph Squillante who played one of the druids for one of Taker's most epic WrestleMania entrances! Ralph walks us through how this opportunity came to be and what it was like to be a part of a defining moment of the Attitude Era - you don't want to miss this exclusive behind-the-scenes talk.
Before all that we of course have to kick things off with a rundown of The Undertaker's stupendous Hall Of Fame speech! There were moments that made us laugh. There were moments that made us cry. And we talk about all the reasons why this might just be the greatest Hall Of Fame speech ever. Plus we discuss all of Taker's activity during WrestleMania weekend and get an on the scene report from Princeton John about seeing it all in person. It's a jam-packed podcast to celebrate our 200th episode - download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Sirens" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
As The Undertaker takes his rightful spot in the WWE Hall Of Fame, we turn this very special episode of Talking Taker over to his most loyal Creatures Of The Night! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White as they take a backseat in their time-traveling hearse this week and present a collection of messages from listeners of the podcast paying tribute to The Phenom and saying #ThankYouTaker. You'll hear from some old friends we've had on the show in the past. You'll hear the voices behind some of our most frequent commenters for the first time. You'll hear from international listeners from around the globe. And through all these messages you'll hear truly heartfelt confessions of what The Dead Man has meant throughout so many wrestling fan's lives. This is an unforgettable episode unlike anything we've ever put out, and it makes the perfect companion piece to The Undertaker's Hall Of Fame induction this WrestleMania weekend. So sit back, reminisce with your fellow fans, and Taker Easy!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Radical" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Scott Hall. Razor Ramon. The Bad Guy. Whatever you want to call him, he was one of our all-time favorite wrestlers. And with his untimely and sudden passing earlier this week, we wanted to pay tribute to a legendary performer that we never covered in the original run of Talking Taker since he surprisingly never had a PPV match with Taker. Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration of The Undertaker's career as they do a Watch-Along commentary for two rare matches featuring Scott Hall and Mark Calaway. The first is from New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1990 with Hall teaming up with a young Taker, known at this time as Punisher Dice Morgan! They take on Masa Saito and Shinya Hashimoto for the tag team titles in a match unlike any we've covered on this show before. Then they fast forward a couple of years to Rampage 92, a classic Coliseum Video you can find on Peacock, and one of the only singles matches in history between Razor Ramon and The Phenom! Plus we share our favorite memories of a man who revolutionized the wrestling business including the times we met him and saw him live and how his mannerisms and catchphrases transcended the wrestling business. Download, enjoy, Taker Easy, and Rest In Peace Scott Hall!
You can find the New Japan match we're covering by clicking here!
Don't forget to join us on April 1st for our Hall Of Fame special episode - contribute your #ThankYouTaker message to the pod by sending a video or audio message to talkingtaker@gmail.com by Sunday, March 20th!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Radical" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
The Ministry Of Darkness is one of the greatest factions in WWE history - but what if we could make it better? That's the question we're asking on an all new Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White and on their journey digging up The Dead Man as they welcome back friend of the show Randy Turco for a one of a kind Fantasy Draft crafting an all-time Ministry Of Darkness faction! Alex, Travis, and Randy each have 10 picks to select wrestlers from any era and any company to stand behind The Undertaker and create their own unique and ultimate dark, demonic, dominant group. The picks go from the obvious to the obscure as each of us try to outmaneuver the other - you won't believe some of the choices (and some of our reactions)! Once you've heard all of our selections, hit us up on social media and let us know who you think came out on top crafting their Ministry - @TalkingTaker on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Before we get to the draft we'll also catch up with Randy and discuss the latest acquisitions to his Undertaker merch collection as well as this month's Undertaker Sighting on "Rowdy's Places" on ESPN+. Download, enjoy, and, as always, Taker Easy!
Follow Randy @PokeysLittleDog on Twitter and listen to his guest appearances on Collecting Deadman!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Radical" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Friday Feb 18, 2022
Friday Feb 18, 2022
The news finally broke on Friday, February 18th that The Undertaker would headline the 2022 WWE Hall Of Fame class! Join Alex and Travis for this emergency session of the podcast as they share their reactions, talk about the obvious stats that make up his HOF resume, discuss the outpouring of support from the wrestling community, wonder what his attire might look like and speech might sound like, and share who they'd like to see induct The Phenom!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a new "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
We're celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of our favorite underrated Undertaker matches as we revisit the Final Four on this month's Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey digging up The Dead Man as they cover the topic you the listeners voted for them to discuss this month and look back at a Top 20 Taker match of all time watch-along style. And who better to join us than friend of the show Watchalong Tommy to give his unique analysis on this legendary match! The Undertaker faces off against Vader, Stone Cold, and Bret Hart in the first major 4-Way match in WWE history and it's brutal and bloody brawl that influenced so many classic Attitude Era matches that came after it. The three of us discuss the impact of this match on the business and on all 4 men's careers as well as just how much freaking fun this match is! Watchalong Tommy (the Forrest Gump of wrestling fans) wasn't there for this show, but the does share some great stories of some other events he was at around this time, plus his memories of attending another lost Royal Rumble match from 1994. We also talk about Tommy's case of mistaken identity with a Travis sound-alike in Las Vegas, The Undertaker's recent appearances including his role in the new WWE 2K game, and our fantasy WrestleMania opponents for The Dead Man just in case he were to step in the ring this year. Plus Alex unboxes his birthday gift from Travis on this jam-packed episode! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Subscribe to Watchalong Wrestling on YouTube and be sure to follow Tommy On The Spot on Twitter!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a new "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Radical" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
We've got a different kind of New Year's Countdown on this month's Talking Taker as we look at the Royal Rumble match you thought you'd never see! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration digging up The Dead Man as they unearth a lost Royal Rumble from Osaka, Japan that turns out to be the first Rumble ever won by The Undertaker! We're doing it watch-along style as we always do for Royal Rumbles, but this one isn't available on Peacock (see below or our social media channels for the link). In fact this match is so rare there's only footage available from a fan's home camera footage! And though it's an unofficial Royal Rumble and it only has 18 superstars in it, it's an important historical footnote in The Dead Man's career and we're excited to bring it to you. We'll discuss the odd timeline of this match as it occurs during Taker's supposed hibernation in the spring of 1994, Undertaker's squash of the future Hakushi earlier in the night, an impressive performance from Bob Backlund, the surprising effort these superstars put into a house show match, the rare interaction between Randy Savage and Taker, and so much more. Plus, we'll also discuss Undertaker's recent appearance on Kevin Hart's "Cold As Balls" YouTube show and share our hopes and dreams for The Phenom in 2022! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Watch the match along with us:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjrodb
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a new "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Radical" - also available on Spotify and Apple Music!
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
We enter the multiverse of Undertaker podcasts as the host of Collecting Deadman joins the show! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their encyclopedic exploration digging up The Dead Man as fellow Creature Of The Night Stephen Zieman cross over to Talking Taker for the first time. Stephen started the Collecting Deadman podcast earlier this year to chronicle the vast and never-ending world of Undertaker figures, merchandise, and collectibles - and we do our best to talk about it all on this special crossover episode! Stephen schools us on some of the rarest, wierdest, and most WTF Undertaker merch ever created, gives us a checklist of the 3 Undertaker figures you must have to start a collection, shares his favorite Batman movie, and then we all share some of our favorite wrestling-related Christmas memories!
Of course, the main event for this month's episode is a special watch-along of - what else? - The Undertaker vs The Undertaker from SummerSlam 1994! It's widely regarded as one of the worst PPV main events of all time, and we have a blast looking back at this bizarre moment of The Phenom's career. Plus we discuss recent Undertaker news and notes from The Bump, The Broken Skull Sessions, and a Pitbull concert! Don't miss this jam-packed episode - download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Follow Collecting Deadman and subscribe to the podcast!
Stay connected with our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pick up a new "Taker Easy" Talking Taker shirt & more merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Subscribe to Travis's YouTube channel to stay connected and hear his latest release, "Windrush Sessions: Volume 2"!
Check out our Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match - updated every week!