The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

We are a week into the 2025 baseball season.  We chose this very short-lived series from 1983 about minor league baseball as our tribute to America's Pastime.  This series featured an amazing 20 people who appeared on every episode, covering all the bases from the players, the coaches, their partners, and even the mascot.  As one might guess with an entry on this podcast, the series got benched after a brief period of time.

The United Football League kicked off the 2025 season in Houston on Friday as the Houston Roughnecks hosted the St. Louis Battlehawks. In this live show we look at what notable names are in the UFL this season along with some discussion about NCAA March Madness and Opening Day in MLB.

Thanks to the WWE Vault YouTube Channel, Greg and Dane look at this early 1984 Georgia Championship Wrestling House Show from The Omni in Atlanta that was recently unearthed.

Among some of the discussion, differences in wrestling crowds then compared to now, Tommy Rich in a mask, Referee Gary Ewing, the greatness of Brad Armstrong and King Kong Bundy as a babyface?

You can watch the full show on YouTube at this link. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-jsn9tXGg

Some shows age like a fine wine.  Others age like bad milk.  This show falls under the latter, a show which would never see the light of day in 2025 but did get 13 episodes in 1988.  Scott Bakula stars in this series as a new hotshot lawyer who has a way with the ladies, a year before Bakula would hit it real big.  In true 1988 "don't give a darn" fashion, there was enough misogyny and quasi-racism to go around.

The 21st century has brought new forms of inspiration for TV shows.  This show is an example of that, taking one social media user's rants about his father as the basis of a comedy series.  In what we believe is beautiful casting, the father is played by William Shatner, whose 94th birthday is coming this Saturday.  With the Shat, you never know what $h*! he may say.

Greg and Dane, in Episode 5 of The Squared Circle Time Machine, do a deep psychological dive into their favorite maniac, Mr. Bob Backlund, who has never eaten Mary Jane!

They go back to 1982 when Superstar Billy Graham destroyed his WWF championship belt to his loss to Sheiky Baby in '83 to him holding a cardboard championship belt to cope with his loss and finally to the events after he snapped when he lost to Bret Hart in 1994.

Enjoy as we explore The Twisted Mind of Mr. Bob Backlund!

Our second and last entry into our annual foray into shows that were lost in translation takes us to this Japanese import, where a show that started with almost 1000 competitors whittled the competition until one person survived, all while traveling around the world.  Sounds sort of like contemporary shows Beast Games or Squid Game?  Nope.  Over 4 decades ago, Ultra Quiz was the biggest game in Japan.  Naturally, an American version followed.  After one attempt and two shows, the extravagant American version was grounded.

It's Lost in Translation time on the podcast!  To start, we look at the second attempt to Americanize the classic British comedy Fawlty Towers, but with Bea Arthur as the lead.  It followed a stinker of a show.  (Condo, see episode 79.)  However, it also was up against one of the most popular series of the 1980s.  Despite being evicted after 13 episodes, that number is still more than the number of episodes of Fawlty Towers.

In the newest edition of Before the Show, Greg and Mike discuss the shocking heel turn of an invisible man at the WWE Elimination Chamber PLE last week in Toronto. Mike also talks about the recently released Cheers trading card set from Rittenhouse.

Then Chico joins us for Segment 2 where they discuss the Sun Belt Gauntlet, Doug Gottlieb's Reign of Error in Green Bay, and the recent passing of George Lowe the voice of Space Ghost before they preview what's to come this week on the podcast.

Download this or Dwayne will threaten to take our souls!

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this PPV, Greg and Dane are bringing you an unauthorized, unsanctioned, and UNCENSORED episode! WCW Uncensored 1995 is a show that has it all! It has a King of the Road match that transcends space and time! A Martial Arts Match! A Boxer vs. Wrestler Match! A Concession Stand Brawl! And most importantly Ric Flair in drag!

Get the leather strap ready and prepare for an episode of The Squared Circle Time Machine like no other!