Nick Piccone

Nick Piccone is a Pro Wrestling Contributor for PhillyVoice.com. Nick was the founder of the popular sports and pro wrestling blog Bleed Philly before joining Philly Influencer as Editor and Writer in 2015. He's hosted a weekly pro wrestling podcast with Vaughn Johnson, The Straight Shooters, since 2015. Nick also does editing, writing, and audio engineering for the only sports betting radio station in Philadelphia, Fox Sports Radio The Gambler. Nick graduated from nearby Neumann University after growing up in south Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. His family history is entrenched in Philadelphia culture, as Nick's great aunt Dolly's house was used as Rocky's and Adrian's new home in Rocky II. Nick is a huge Philly sports fan, and he has watched professional wrestling since he was five years old; he has not only a strong passion, but also an abundance of knowledge about the industry. Follow Nick on Twitter: @_piccone.

June 14, 2021

Wrestling

Podcast: Stone Cold Steve Austin achieves royalty by winning King of the Ring

by Nick Piccone

On June 23, 1996, the World Wrestling Federation decided to stack the annual King of the Ring card, marking the first time ever the pay-per-view only had the semifinals and finals of the King of the Ring tournament.

June 3, 2021

Wrestling

Podcast: Viva Las Vengeance! Batista and Triple H visit hell in Vegas

by Nick Piccone

In 2005, there was a monumental change going on in WWE. No, it wasn't Vince McMahon stepping down (he's still the chairman and CEO of WWE), it wasn't yet WWE deciding to relaunch ECW as a third brand [they would the next year], nor was it the aforementioned McMahon deciding to revive the XFL [that would have been 13 years too early].

May 13, 2021

Wrestling

Podcast: Shane Douglas wrestles with four separate fractures at ECW Wrestlepalooza '98

by Nick Piccone

Extreme Championship Wrestling continued its ascent into the national spotlight in 1998 as Paul Heyman increased the number of pay-per-views in the United States from three the previous year, to four. Wrestlepalooza — what a name, huh? — was the second pay-per-view of the year for ECW, following Living Dangerously in March.

April 9, 2021

WWE

Remembering WrestleMania XV in Philly with the legendary Blue Meanie

by Nick Piccone

March 28, 1999 was an epic date in the life of Brian Heffron, better known to the Philly crowd as the Blue Meanie, and his thousands of fans around the world. Just a few months after joining what was then the World Wrestling Federation, Heffron would be booked to make an appearance in the biggest pay-per-view in the wrestling business, WrestleMania, and in his own backyard of Philadelphia in what was then known as the First Union Center.

March 4, 2021

Podcasts

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into WrestleMania 29 from MetLife Stadium

by Nick Piccone

MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, and in the past 10 years has been the host of two WrestleManias and one Super Bowl, among many other sporting and entertainment events.

February 25, 2021

Straight Shooters

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into WCW SuperBrawl VII, Paul Wight to AEW

by Nick Piccone

On February 23, 1997, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper escaped Alcatraz.

February 19, 2021

Straight Shooters

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into the 'Beyond The Mat' wrestling documentary

by Nick Piccone

At the height of the World Wrestling Federation's popularity near the end of 1999, Barry Blaustein directed, wrote, produced, narrated, then released a wrestling documentary that became one of the most critically-acclaimed in industry history.

February 11, 2021

Straight Shooters

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre 1999

by Nick Piccone

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre 1999

February 4, 2021

Wrestling

Straight Shooters: Deep dive into WWF No Way Out 2001

by Nick Piccone

On February 25, 2001, the World Wrestling Federation headed to Las Vegas for their annual No Way Out pay-per-view, emanating from the Thomas & Mack Center.

January 28, 2021

Straight Shooters