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On this episode of Chewin’ The Fat with Chubby Dudley, Bay Ragni welcomes the man at the center of one of Philadelphia wrestling’s most important chapters: Tri-State Wrestling Alliance promoter Joel Goodhart. This is not just another old wrestling interview. This is Joel telling the story of how a fan, a radio show, a tiny wrestling store, a fan club, and a whole lot of wild ambition helped create the foundation that Eastern Championship Wrestling would eventually be built on.
Bay opens the show by making it clear how much this appearance means to the old TWA crew and the early ECW originals. The workers, the fans, and the people who lived through that Philly scene have wanted to hear Joel speak on all of this for a long time, and Joel comes ready. As he says early on, “You ask, I answer.”
The heart of this episode is Joel’s honesty. He does not try to rewrite history and pretend he was a flawless promoter who had everything figured out. He flat out says he was a wrestling fan first, that he booked matches he wanted to see, that he paid too much, that he spent too big, and that he did not have the right business structure around him. But that is also what made TWA special.
Joel wanted to give fans something they could not get anywhere else.
He brought together Terry Funk, Jerry Lawler, Cactus Jack, Eddie Gilbert, Abdullah the Butcher, The Sheik, Buddy Landell, Austin Idol, Kevin Sullivan, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Bam Bam Bigelow, Luna Vachon, Woman, Baby Doll, Sabu, and so many others. But Bay and Joel keep coming back to the real truth: the local guys were the soul of it. Johnny Hotbody, Tony Stetson, Larry Winters, D.C. Drake, J.T. Smith, Glenn Osbourne, Mr. Sandman, Jimmy Jannetty, and the rest of that Philly crew gave TWA its identity.
The discussion of TWA as the foundation for ECW is the biggest piece of this interview. Joel is direct about it. He believes ECW never happens without TWA. Bay agrees. And when they talk about the fans, the radio show, the fan club, the local workers, the brawling style, the ECW Arena roots, Todd Gordon, Bob Artese, Bob Ortiz, and the whole Philly hardcore fan scene, it is hard to argue. ECW may have taken the ball and run with it, but TWA put the ball on the field.
This episode is also full of wild wrestling stories. The Sheik calling Joel. Sabu showing up as the driver. Bulldog Brower wandering into a show and becoming Terry Funk’s manager. Buddy Rogers wanting one more match. Steve Austin calling for a booking before he was Stone Cold. Adrian Street getting flown in because Joel wanted to see a Georgia style match. This is the kind of stuff that makes old wrestling history feel alive.
For fans of Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, early ECW, Philadelphia wrestling, Joel Goodhart, Chubby Dudley, Johnny Hotbody, Tony Stetson, Larry Winters, D.C. Drake, Sabu, The Sheik, Terry Funk, Eddie Gilbert, and the pre-Extreme roots of what became one of wrestling’s most influential movements, this is an essential listen.
TWA may have ended too soon.
But after this episode, it sure doesn’t feel forgotten.
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