Brady Hicks
Encyclopedia
Brady Hicks is a Philadelphia area journalist
, radio personality
, blog
ger, columnist
, wrestling reporter, professional wrestling
manager
, color analyst, and occasional Pro Wrestling Illustrated
contributing writer.
Over the years, Hicks has penned thousands of columns, features, and news stories, and starred in weekly radio programming
and podcasts, including his own IN THE ROOM program on WEXP 1600, and other shows such as Jay V Mail and About 12 Minutes.
, where he gained recognition for his syndicated online wrestling columns, and time spent as head booker for his own subscriber-based e-mail wrestling league. As Hicks has stated on his show, this group had more than 500 subscribers at one time. Brady was also an avid reader of PWI "Apter Mags" growing up, and has credited Bill Apter
himself was his biggest inspiration in his podcasts, as he often claimed during broadcasts of IN THE ROOM.
Hicks would go on to write and edit for several publishers and area newspapers, including weekly newspapers under the Journal Register Company
banner, and Metblogs-sponsored sites. During this time, Brady - serving in his capacity as a blogger - attempted to use only Six Degrees of Separation
to acquire an interview with then-WTXF-TV
Fox 29 traffic reporter Dorothy Krysiuk, now of WCVB-TV
ABC 5 in Boston
, a challenge somewhat modeled after film My Date With Drew
. After catching the attention of Philadelphia Weekly
, Hicks would succeed in his goal.
In 2005, while on assignment with the Northeast News Gleaner
in Philadelphia, Hicks met and interviewed former WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels
for a cover story for the now-defunct newspaper. It was this interview (Michaels was the recipient of a Christian service award from Holy Family University
) that inspired Hicks to become more active in wrestling journalism.
Brady is also a color commentator for the East Coast Wrestling Association
and Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, including their radio broadcasts, i-ppvs, and DVD releases. He also hosts Go Fight Live's pre-iPPV media conferences, and has done work with Kayfabe Commentaries, including the 2010 DVD release of
a shoot interview with TNA owner Dixie Carter, in which Hicks served on the media panel.
Hicks is also a frequent in-studio guest of the VOC Wrestling Nation radio program, on WNJC
in Philadelphia, lending his expertise on a variety of wrestling-related topics.
Megan Wants a Millionaire reality star Matt Riviera and Jeff Jett against former multiple-time WWF tag team
champions Demolition
(with Stacy Carter
), for a Tri-State Wrestling Alliance show in Voorhees, New Jersey. Even though Riviera and Jett would fall short in their bid to defeat Demolition, their match earned the three of them placement on the cover of the TWA's DVD release for this show.
Hicks also managed former Combat Zone Wrestling
champions "The Best Around" Bruce Maxwell and TJ Cannon helping them defeat former ECW
star The Blue Meanie and his tag team partner Kid America. In 2011, he began accompanying his legit wrestler cousin, El Mascara Amarilla, to the ring for matches in various independents.
Hicks, who hosts the show alongside fellow journalists DJ and Kevin McElvaney (on hiatus), quickly emerged as one of the more popular personalities on Who's Slamming Who, especially as the program began to feature interviews with high-profile guests such as AJ Styles, Kurt Angle
, Tammy Sytch, Don West, Jake Roberts
, Madison Rayne, Serena Deeb
, Kevin Thorn, Jamie Dundee, Nick Dinsmore
, Luke Gallows, Justin Credible, Jimmy Snuka
, Al Snow
, and Austin Aries
, among others.
In particular, Hicks' 60-minute sitdown interview with TNA
star AJ Styles gained a lot of recognition, given the controversial nature of many of Styles' comments, particularly in regards to his TNA title loss to Rob Van Dam
and the manner in which the company had treated him.
The interview would get Styles in hot water with TNA officials.
ITR show hosts.
ITR recurring characters.
's Philadelphia Eagles
. This frequently puts him at odds with In The Room cohost DJ, a fan of the Eagles rival New York Giants
team. This has resulted in much banter and a good bit of trash talking.
Brady was once engaged to an unnamed prominent Philadelphia reporter. He dedicates his writing to his younger sister and friend.
His cousin is Peruvian luchadore El Mascara Amarilla ("The Yellow Mask"), who now competes in independents throughout the Northeast portion of the US.
Entrance themes
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, wrestling reporter, professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
, color analyst, and occasional Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
contributing writer.
Over the years, Hicks has penned thousands of columns, features, and news stories, and starred in weekly radio programming
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
and podcasts, including his own IN THE ROOM program on WEXP 1600, and other shows such as Jay V Mail and About 12 Minutes.
Early years
Hicks was raised in suburban Philadelphia and attended La Salle UniversityLa Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
, where he gained recognition for his syndicated online wrestling columns, and time spent as head booker for his own subscriber-based e-mail wrestling league. As Hicks has stated on his show, this group had more than 500 subscribers at one time. Brady was also an avid reader of PWI "Apter Mags" growing up, and has credited Bill Apter
Bill Apter
Bill Apter is a journalist specializing in professional wrestling and best known for the kayfabe or so-called "mark" magazines for which he edited and photographed matches from the 1970s to the present. The magazine he became most prominently known for was Pro Wrestling Illustrated...
himself was his biggest inspiration in his podcasts, as he often claimed during broadcasts of IN THE ROOM.
Hicks would go on to write and edit for several publishers and area newspapers, including weekly newspapers under the Journal Register Company
Journal Register Company
The Journal Register Company is an American media company, serving an audience of 21 million Americans in 992 communities. The company operates more than 350 multi-platform products in 992 communities. The company is led by CEO John Paton who openly blogs about the changes he is making to transform...
banner, and Metblogs-sponsored sites. During this time, Brady - serving in his capacity as a blogger - attempted to use only Six Degrees of Separation
Six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer...
to acquire an interview with then-WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
Fox 29 traffic reporter Dorothy Krysiuk, now of WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Hearst Television and affiliated with the ABC Television Network. WCVB-TV's studios and transmitter are co-located in Needham, Massachusetts. WCVB is also one of six Boston television stations seen in Canada by...
ABC 5 in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, a challenge somewhat modeled after film My Date With Drew
My Date with Drew
My Date with Drew is a 2004 documentary film starring Brian Herzlinger. Since he first saw E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as a child, he has had a crush on its star Drew Barrymore. Now, more than 20 years later, Herzlinger combines his passions for filmmaking and Drew Barrymore to document his quest...
. After catching the attention of Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly , is an award-winning alternative newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published every Wednesday.The paper was founded in 1971 as a sister publication to the South Philadelphia Press. In 1995, the paper became Philadelphia Weekly...
, Hicks would succeed in his goal.
In 2005, while on assignment with the Northeast News Gleaner
Northeast News Gleaner
The Northeast News Gleaner billed themselves as "the oldest weekly newspaper in Northeast Philadelphia". Known informally as the News Gleaner, and founded in 1882 by the Henry family, the publication had been housed in a building on Gantry Road since March 1999.In 2002, News Gleaner Publications...
in Philadelphia, Hicks met and interviewed former WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
for a cover story for the now-defunct newspaper. It was this interview (Michaels was the recipient of a Christian service award from Holy Family University
Holy Family University
- History :Holy Family University is a liberal arts university that offers graduate, undergraduate, and non-degree programs. The university strives and believes that it has a lifelong responsibility towards God, Society and Self. The mission statement of Holy Family Includes six core values that...
) that inspired Hicks to become more active in wrestling journalism.
Wrestling journalism
Hicks is a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and is a former featured columnist for prowrestling.com and other websites. His work can also be found periodically on 1wrestling.com.Brady is also a color commentator for the East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner in 1967. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country...
and Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, including their radio broadcasts, i-ppvs, and DVD releases. He also hosts Go Fight Live's pre-iPPV media conferences, and has done work with Kayfabe Commentaries, including the 2010 DVD release of
a shoot interview with TNA owner Dixie Carter, in which Hicks served on the media panel.
Hicks is also a frequent in-studio guest of the VOC Wrestling Nation radio program, on WNJC
WNJC
WNJC is a radio station broadcasting brokered programming. Licensed to Washington Township, New Jersey, it serves parts of the Philadelphia radio market and is currently owned by Forsythe Broadcasting, LLC.-History:...
in Philadelphia, lending his expertise on a variety of wrestling-related topics.
Managing career
In 2010, Hicks seconded the team of "Reckage & Romance," VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
Megan Wants a Millionaire reality star Matt Riviera and Jeff Jett against former multiple-time WWF tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
champions Demolition
Demolition (professional wrestling)
Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s / early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation made up of Ax , Smash , and later Crush . In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign...
(with Stacy Carter
Stacy Carter
Stacy Carter , better known as Miss Kitty or The Kat, is an American former professional wrestling valet.During her tenure in the World Wrestling Federation, she held the Women's Championship once, although she was not a trained wrestler...
), for a Tri-State Wrestling Alliance show in Voorhees, New Jersey. Even though Riviera and Jett would fall short in their bid to defeat Demolition, their match earned the three of them placement on the cover of the TWA's DVD release for this show.
Hicks also managed former Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
champions "The Best Around" Bruce Maxwell and TJ Cannon helping them defeat former ECW
ECW
ECW may refer to:Professional wrestling* Extreme Championship Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001...
star The Blue Meanie and his tag team partner Kid America. In 2011, he began accompanying his legit wrestler cousin, El Mascara Amarilla, to the ring for matches in various independents.
ITR and the AJ Styles Interview
In early 2009, Hicks took over hosting duties for the PWI Weekly podcast, which he renamed In the Room. Originally, this program aired exclusively for Who's Slamming Who, however, Hicks would soon begin to syndicate the show on wrestling news sites and his own website, before also taking the show to terrestrial radio on WEXP Philadelphia.Hicks, who hosts the show alongside fellow journalists DJ and Kevin McElvaney (on hiatus), quickly emerged as one of the more popular personalities on Who's Slamming Who, especially as the program began to feature interviews with high-profile guests such as AJ Styles, Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
, Tammy Sytch, Don West, Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
, Madison Rayne, Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena...
, Kevin Thorn, Jamie Dundee, Nick Dinsmore
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
, Luke Gallows, Justin Credible, Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
, Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
, and Austin Aries
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
, among others.
In particular, Hicks' 60-minute sitdown interview with TNA
TNA
TNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
star AJ Styles gained a lot of recognition, given the controversial nature of many of Styles' comments, particularly in regards to his TNA title loss to Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and the manner in which the company had treated him.
The interview would get Styles in hot water with TNA officials.
ITR show hosts.
- Brady Hicks (April 2009-Present) - host
- DJ (April 2009-December 2010; March 2011-Present) - co-host
- Anthony Sarlo (June-September 2011; recurring)
- Kevin McElvaney (August 2009-May 2011; recurring)
- Young John (January-March 2011)
- Frank Krewda (January-April 2009)
ITR recurring characters.
- Andy Bernard - Kevin's former roommate/love interest.
- Tim Graham, Attorney at Law - In the Room legal consultant.
- Mr. Akbaz - former heckler turned correspondent.
- Voice of Choice - VOC Nation member.
- Ratboy - VOC nation member and frequent caller.
- Albert AC Smooth - VOC Nation member.
- Jeff Malinoski - interview correspondent.
Personal life
Brady Hicks is a native of Philadelphia, and an avid fan of the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. This frequently puts him at odds with In The Room cohost DJ, a fan of the Eagles rival New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
team. This has resulted in much banter and a good bit of trash talking.
Brady was once engaged to an unnamed prominent Philadelphia reporter. He dedicates his writing to his younger sister and friend.
His cousin is Peruvian luchadore El Mascara Amarilla ("The Yellow Mask"), who now competes in independents throughout the Northeast portion of the US.
In Wrestling
Wrestlers managed- Rob Bailey
- Breakfast Club Brawler
- El Mascara Amarilla
- TJ Cannon
- Jeff Jett
- Bruce Maxwell
- Matt Riviera
Entrance themes
- "All-Night Man" (with Matt Riviera) - 2010
- "Beneath The Shadows" by Autumn Black (PWI Weekly and IN THE ROOM theme) - April 2009-August 2010; September 2010-present
- "Bonafide Luvin" by Chromeo - 2010-present
- "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins (with Breakfast Club Brawler, Rob Bailey) - 2009-present
- "Gel" by Collective Soul (with Reckage & Romance) - 2010
- "Light's Out" by Kevin McElvaney (used for transition to IN THE ROOM "light's out" segment) - 2011
- "Postponed" by Beat Noir (IN THE ROOM theme) - August-September, 2010
- "You're The Best" by Joe Esposito (with The Best Around) - 2010
- "Viva, Mexico!" (with El Marcara Amarilla) - 2011