The wrestling world is filled with podcasts these days.
Many will argue about who does it best and who the true innovator of the genre was (the correct answer there is Colt Cabana), but when it comes to the subject of video podcasts, there is only one show which stands atop as king. That crown belongs to OSW Review.
OSW, or Old School Wrestling Review, started with three friends sitting around talking about old Hulkamania era pay-per-views. Today the show, hosted by Jay Hunter, V1, and Mr. OOC, has blossomed into one of the most popular video series among wrestling fans. And while I stand by that statement, I must admit I might be a tad biased.
You see, if it wasn’t for Jay Hunter there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be reading this article right now. I “got my start” writing about wrestling on the now dearly departed PiledriverWrestling(.)net site which was created in conjunction with OSW Review. It was a tweet from Jay Hunter that led me to apply and for a year I reviewed Impact and SmackDown for the site.
After Piledriver’s demise, I wrote a bit for Brian Fritz’ Between the Ropes before landing here at TWM. So, after seeing OSW mention TWM in a recent facebook post, I thought it would be nice to sort of blend my two worlds together and celebrate the greatness that is OSW Review by counting down OSW’s Top 10 catchphrases! So, let’s do it to it (grammar that is)!
10. Kane Frizz
Created as a way to describe the way Kane’s hair frizzed up during matches, this phrase became a general way to chart the frizzing up of anyone’s hair, including the likes of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Kane Frizz should be a part of every wrestling fan’s lexicon so they too can keep up with such pressing matters.
9. Rubbish Ronnie Garbage
I cannot look at or hear about Rugged Ronnie Garbage without thinking about his OSW gimmick. The former NWA World Champion was given this name by Jay Hunter’s brother Greg back in the 80’s and happened to recall the name when seeing Jay watching old footage for the show. The OSW Lifetime Achievement Nominee had a great run on the series not only with his nickname but with his bad announcing. The faux Rubbish Ronnie Garbage line “State of your onesie” from V1 on SummerSlam ’90 is one of my favorites.
8. Roidy Magoo
Another term that should be universally accepted by all wrestling fans, Roidy Magoo is used for anyone who is clearly on the gas, brother. Used for the likes of Warlord, Don Morocco, and Jinder Mahal. The Roidy Magoos of the world are typically the ones Vince fawns over the most… but more on that in a bit.
7. Brah Brah
“Doink, brah! You’re making kids cry, brah!” is the loose quote attributed to Kona Crush during his feud with the evil clown Doink. At WrestleMania 9 when two Doinks appeared, the term “Brah Brah” was used to reference the double Doinks. Since then, the term Brah has been used to refer to fans, where the men are called Brah and the women as Bras.
6. Myah Myah Myah
Mention this entry to Dustin Rhodes on twitter and you’re likely to get blocked. In 2007 Dustin made the jump (or fall) to TNA and started donning the “Bin Bag” that transformed him into Black Reign. This gimmick was wonderfully terrible and even got its own story arc from the OSW gang. Myah, myah, myah is the impression of Black Reigns’ theme song, which was mostly distorted noise with that phrase repeated over and over again. The term comes up quite a bit and it’s one of my favorites to imitate.
5. Gary Strydom….WOW!
As mentioned above, Vince loved his Roidy Magoos. He loved them so much so that he started his own bodybuilding federation, aptly named World Bodybuilding Federation, WBF. At one WBF, Vince was nearly orgasmic at the appearance of one Gary Strydom. Vince’s enamored “Wow” was immortalized at that point. So now anytime Vince’s obsession with muscle freaks is on display, you’re likely to hear one of the hosts give out that breathy “Wow.” This is one of the quotes that I use in my day to day life and most people have no idea where it came from.
4. *Abyss arm squeak*
This noise from V1 was used to describe Abyss’ “arm cross taunt” that he was known to do in TNA. The noise evolved, however, into a response for possible sexual innuendo. Think of this noise as OSW’s version of “that’s what she said.” I think the noise works better in these cases, because who doesn’t love farty arm noises!?
3. Aloha Arn
Ah, this is the reason we’re here. You see, it was this phrase that was used in a TWM article which led to OSW mentioning TWM in the first place. And that’s because OSW has changed wrestling fans’ vocabulary to the point that many automatically think of Aloha Arn when someone is trying to avoid a sunset flip. Aloha Arn is currently used masterfully by Fandango and part of me hopes he got the idea by watching our boys from OSW.
2. Nogger
This term has taken on a brand new meaning through OSW. Originally a reference to an ice cream bar, Nogger is now one of the go-to words for OSW. It serves as a reference to all the OSW fans (as heard in Jays traditional intro “Welcome, Noggers”), it lends its name to the OSW year-end awards (The Golden Noggers), and it is the name of OSW’s Patreon community Nogger U! It’s become quite an important term for OSW and its fans. It’s crazy to think that it all came about because of Virgil’s resemblance to the packaging of said ice cream bar. Which leads us to our number one entrant… but first! How about some Brucie Bonus words in our honorable mentions sections?
Honorable Mentions:
Lex Luger selling: While not technically a word or catchphrase, hearing it from OSW has changed the way I watch old Lex Luger matches.
Dammit D’Lo: A reference to either repetitive booking or sloppy booking, it’s a staple in my lexicon for any wonky booking decisions.
Shave them sideburns: Not a major hit, but definitely worth the mention if only because I use the expression outside of wrestling now.
Duck Arse: The hilarious term given to Bob Backlund because of… well… his duck arse!
Toad Stool and Fudge Fingers: Jay’s brother Greg again gets the credit for this one. It’s a reference to Greg’s nicknames for Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson respectively. It’s a hilarious line, but only mentioned a couple of times in the series.
Bag of Ham: “Black hole slam, bag of ham…” this allusion to Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun was in reference to the OSW guys’ in-joke that TNA wrestler Abyss got paid with a bag of ham. It can also be paired with Dusty Rhodes’ theme, Common Man (Bag of Ham).
And now, for our number one entrant…
1. What BARRR!?
This phrase (prefaced by a resounding STEVE!) is the cornerstone of what OSW has become. What started out as a random comment about Randy Savage looking like a Bruiser Bar at Survivor Series ’91 has morphed into OSW’s most recognizable sayings with its own dedicated segments on the shows. This phrase gave way to the popular What Bar shirts which came with its own What Bar candy bar. What makes this number one is not just the important role it plays in each episode, but the interactive nature the phrase has taken on. With fans sending in suggestions to be read on episodes, What Bar has become something of a communal experience for fans of OSW and has served as an example of the overwhelming popularity of this series that we love so dear.
So, there you have it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of OSW words and catchphrases. What do you think of the list? Feel like I left something out? Want to rave about how great OSW is? Let me know on twitter!
That’s it for me on this go around. Until next time, make good decisions… and remember… a winner is you!
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You can find the author of this article on Twitter @THExWilliam. Thanks for reading!