Podcast
Wrestle Buds
Mat Elfring and Chris Hayner are the Wrestle Buds! Each week, the duo discusses something from the world of wrestling, and often times, it ends up being about food that's wrestling branded. Also featuring, interviews with actual wrestlers and a horde of neverending characters that refuse to leave us alone.
- Episodes
- 25
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 58 min
- On air since
- 2026
- Latest episode
- 3 days ago
Episodes
25 episodes, newest first
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1 hr 24 min
Our Version Of The SPOOKY Mount Rushmore Game: Part 2
Episode 24
Show notes
It's a special Halloween episode of Wrestle Buds! Chris and Mat are doing the Mount Rushmore Game again, but this time... IT'S SPOOKY. Find out the most and least spookiest things in wrestling. Also, Chris quizzes Mat about popular Halloween costumes. Please try not to be too scared during this episode. Thanks.
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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38 min
The Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match... We Were There. It Was Dark.
Episode 23
Show notes
The last time Chris and Mat hung out was in 2023 in San Antonio, Texas, for the 2023 Royal Rumble. During the event, Bray Wyatt had his final wrestling match before passing away. He battled LA Knight in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match. What is that match? No one really knows for sure, but there were a lot of pretty colors, and a lot of great character-building for Wyatt. Chris and Mat discuss what it was like being at that show, along with rewatching the match and realizing that this was a match for people at home, not so much at the arena.
Also, Messy Ventura stops by to tell a spooky story about when he went to Dublin, Ireland.
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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1 hr 6 min
One Weird Smackdown: Halloween Party Backstage And John Cena Raps For The First Time
Episode 22
Show notes
It's spooky season, and is there any better way to kick things off than to discuss a not-so-great episode of WWE Smackdown from 2002? We don't think so. This week, Chris and Mat are going over every moment from this episode, including a really good match, a few terrible matches, wrestlers wearing bad costumes, and more! Plus, enjoy more of Chris's Cameo Corner and Mat's Game Show!
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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21 min
WWE's Main Event on Rumble: What is Rumble and Why this Matters
Episode 21
Show notes
Jokes are aside for this short episode. Mat discusses the recent WWE deal where its show Main Event will be hosted on the video platform Rumble. He explains what Rumble is, who backs the company, why it exists, and what that means for WWE.
This episode is half new and half editorial commentary from Mat about WWE's latest move. Links to the news articles provided below:
WWE’s ‘Main Event’ to Move From YouTube to Rumble - Variety
The Role of Alternative Social Media in the News and Information Environment - PEW Research
Trump-Linked Rumble Rebrands To RUM Group, Unveils Quake AI After $767 Million Northern Data Deal - Yahoo Finance
Brazil Joins France, Russia, China in Banning Rumble - The Arabian Post
This Toronto-based website surged to a half-billion-dollar valuation almost overnight — thanks in part to interest from conservative American investors - The Toronto Star
Can Dan Bongino Make Rumble The Right’s New Platform? - Buzzfeed News
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1 hr 10 min
We Watched Every Dungeon of Doom Vignette... And Lost 5 Years off Our Lives
Episode 20
Show notes
Over the years, Chris and Mat have made many jokes about the WCW faction the Dungeon of Doom and their "reign of terror." Recently, every vignette for the DoD popped up on YouTube. We thought it would be very fun to watch it, and boy, we were wrong. Learn about the Rare White Bengal Tiger, "Big Van" Vader, and why you can't make out a word The Master says while we slowly die inside.
Don't Watch Every Dungeon of Doom Vignette!
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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1 hr 5 min
Was The First WCW Nitro Any Good? (Spoilers: It Was Very Good)
Episode 19
Show notes
On September 4, 1995, WCW officially entered the Monday Night Wars with WCW Monday Nitro. The debut episode took place in the Mall of America, and no one go hurt on the escalators trying to watch in. But was the first episode any good? Chris and Mat discuss every match and what made it great, and Mat surprises Chris with a game show based on Hulk Hogan's limited ability to cut promos with more than seven words in it!
Watch the WCW Nitro episode for yourself!
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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52 min
The New Level Takes AEW To A New Level
Episode 18
Show notes
With the arrival of Austin Creed and Kofi at All In, Chris and Mat discuss The New Level coming to AEW and how they'll finally be appreciated as a tag team at a company with a solid tag team division.
Also, check out the donation page for the 5K Mat is "running" for the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago!
Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago 5K for Team ImMatElfring
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
Patreon (Featuring extended episodes of the podcast for free!)
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28 min
We're Too Tired And Did A Post-Show/Ask Werner Anything
Episode 17
Show notes
We're releasing another one from the vault. This week, Mat and Chris discuss the future of Wrestlemania and WWE deciding to go overseas. Additionally, to introduce the new video series "Werner's Wrestling Photo of the Week," Mat is releasing a pilot for a podcast called "Ask Werner Anything!" We'll see you all next week!
Also, check out the donation page for the 5K Mat is "running" for the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago!
Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago 5K for Team ImMatElfring
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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49 min
The Lost Episode!
Episode 16
Show notes
With Mat out sick, it's been a little tough to record, but FEAR NOT! We have episodes on the backburner. This week, it's the original pilot episode for Wrestle Buds that we never released! Some of this episode was actually worked into the REAL episode, but most of it was Chris and Mat finding their groove. There are actually fun moments here, we promise.
Also, check out the donation page for the 5K Mat is "running" for the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago!
Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago 5K for Team ImMatElfring
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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1 hr 31 min
What Else Happened When DX Invaded WCW?
Episode 15
Show notes
The year was 1998, and on one spring evening on WWF Raw/War Zone, a group named Degeneration-X saw that WCW Nitro and Raw were running wrestling events in the same town. Degeneration-X took it upon themselves to "invade" Nitro's taping in a jeep and make a bunch of references to the male anatomy.
But... what else happened on that episode of Raw? Chris and Mat dive into every match on the card and the storylines that led to the main event.... Stone Cold vs. Goldust for the WWF Championship, with Gerald Brisco as the special guest ref. Yes, that happened. Also, was the DX Invading Nitro good? No... it wasn't.
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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43 min
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (We Mention Seth Rollins During The Episode. That Counts, Right?)
Episode 14
Show notes
Seth Rollins has a bunch of scenes filmed for Captain America: Brave New World, so this week's episode does have a wrestling connection. It's mentioned this week. Outside of that, Chris and Mat are just talking about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and this episode is FULL OF SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE.
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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57 min
Summerslam 2026 Thoughts/Mat Says Gable's Theme Is AI Slop (Allegedly, Reportedly)
Episode 13
Show notes
WWE's Summerslam happened, and why not talk about the two night show? Mainly, this whole episode exists because Mat thinks (allegedly, reportedly) that Chad Gable's new theme song is AI Slop--at least the vocals are. This was before Mat did a Google search and found out that this isn't the first time music producers Def Rebel have been accused of using AI to make WWE wrestlers' theme music.
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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1 hr 39 min
Our Version Of The Mount Rushmore Game: Part 1
Episode 12
Show notes
So many interviews with wrestlers ask the question, "Who is your Mount Rushmore of wrestlers?"
You know what, we should do that too! Chris and Mat come up with their own hyper-specific Mount Rushmores that are more than just wrestlers. For some odd reason, Mat went serious and Chris went wacky.
As an added bonus!!: The end of the episode gets REAL weird!
Find Wrestle Buds at these places:
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1 hr 31 min
Lan Pitts Writes Wrestling Comics, And Other Things (Featuring Lan Pitts)
Episode 11
Show notes
The Wrestle Buds welcome comic book writer and former coworker Lan Pitts onto the show! Lan discusses his career in writing wrestling comics--and comics in general. There's also tons of talk about how we all haven't seen each other in forever. Look, our interviews never stay on topic, so enjoy the carnage.
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1 hr 30 min
Movie Time: No Holds Barred Is Absolutely Awful
Episode 10
Show notes
Rip em! Chris and Mat watches No Holds Barred, and it is absolutely the worst movie they've ever watched. Does this movie make one lick of sense? No. Do the Wrestle Buds make jokes about how insane this movie is? Yes. Join us into a discussion about what truly can be called "A Movie That Exists."
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1 hr 35 min
WWE 2K26's Ringside Pass And Creative Suite: Thoughts, Prayers, And More?
Episode 9
Show notes
A few months after the release of WWE 2K26, Chris and Mat have a lot of opinions about the game and changes that could be made in future installments. They both really like playing the game. HOWEVER, they have so many opinions about what direction the series should take in the next year. Lots of chatter about Ringside Pass, the Creative Suite, MyFaction, MyRise, Showcase, and more!
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1 hr 1 min
Who Is The Best Wrestler-Turned-Actor? It's Not Randy Savage, Surprisingly
Episode 8
Show notes
There have been many wrestlers who have stepped into the world of acting either during the height of the career or at the end of it. Throughout the years, there have been so many that have made an impact on the big and small screen: Vader and others. Sorry, we didn't mention Vader's role in Boy Meets World, so we wanted to mention it here.
BUT WHO WERE THE TOP 5 WRESTLERS-TURNED-ACTORS? Mat and Chris made their own lists and compare them. Also, Messy Ventura makes an appearance from an Italian restaurant.
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32 min
Chris Buys Seth Rollins And Becky Lynch's Coffee
Episode 7
Show notes
This week, Chris recounts the recent adventure in Florida where he headed to Tom Pestock's (FKA Baron Corbin) Autonomy Coffee Lab where Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins held an event for their AMO coffee brand. Chris went and bought some, drank it, and discusses his caffeinated-adventures.
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1 hr 12 min
WCW's Halloween Havoc Isn't Spooky Enough But It Does Have Monster Trucks
Episode 6
Show notes
This one is a journey... Mat wishes it was the holidays, so he could talk about WCW holiday shows, but there's no good Christmas episodes. So Mat decides to watch a bunch of Halloween Havocs to see which one is the spookiest. After being let down, Chris and Mat go back to the well and watch a Dungeon of Doom vs. Hulk Hogan match, but this time, there's monster trucks and a Yeti!
Also, WrAIstler explains hedonism to the guys... So there's that.
Episodes are available here:
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49 min
XWF: The Post-WCW/Pre-TNA Weird And Failed Promotion The Put The "X" In "Xcitement"
Episode 5
Show notes
After WCW closed up shop, there was a void in wrestling, Chris stumbled up a pre-TNA federation that tried to fill that void: XWF. It was a wrestling promotion that couldn't get a TV deal, did a bunch of house shows, had plenty of titles no one won during tapings, and included names like Hulk Hogan, The Nasty Boys, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and more.
Check out our Patreon with extended episodes for paid subscribers!
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