ESPN Does An In-Depth Write-Up On Conrad Thompson & Starrcast

ESPN Does A In-Depth Write-Up On Conrad Thompson & Starrcast — Photo Credit: Starrcast

In light of All In weekend, ESPN has released an article talking about entrepreneur, wrestling podcaster and mortgage broker Conrad Thompson. The piece delves into the details of how Starrcast came to fruition, Conrad’s wrestling fandom and how he became the podcaster to the wrestling world. You can read the full article by going here, but a few snippets are below, including Cody Rhodes‘ commentary on Conrad’s ambition for Starrcast:

Conrad on Starrcast & his “on-and-off” again wrestling fandom:

How Thompson came to be the godfather of Starrcast requires a fair bit of exposition. He was never really all in on professional wrestling, admitting it has drifted in and out of his life. WrestleMania 4 was his first real foray into it, but he was just a boy. Later, Hulk Hogan‘s WCW heel turn drew him back in 1996, and ECW in its heyday proved to be a real hook for Thompson.

He says he put it away again in 2006, but CM Punk’s “pipe bomb” promo and the buzz surrounding it pulled Thompson back in once more in June 2011.

Cody Rhodes on Conrad reaching out to him about Starrcast:

According to Thompson, Rhodes direct-messaged him on Twitter a few weeks later. That’s when Thompson went ahead and said he had an idea to build a showcase for podcasts around All In.

“He told me he knew people would be piggybacking off the event — mind you, this is before the sellout — and he wanted our blessing,” Rhodes said via text message. “That he wanted to name it Starrcast after Starrcade, an event created by my father in 1983 … I told him we’d give him more than our blessing. We’d partner with him and work as a team.”

They did partner together, but Rhodes and the Young Bucks actually have no financial stake in Starrcast.

“This is the biggest indie event ever attempted,” Rhodes said. “If we started playing overlord and charging folks, we’d lose the spirit of ‘independent.’ And we pooled our resources. Conrad is kind of the spiritual talent relations representative of the event.”

Thompson said he and Rhodes chatted about 10 times a day every day in the lead-up to Starrcast and All In.

One big question remains: How has Thompson ingratiated himself with so many of the movers and shakers in professional wrestling?

“That’s a great question,” Rhodes said. “I don’t know the answer. I instantly liked him because he approached me as a business person. He didn’t say, ‘I worked with your dad or your brother.’ Which instantly means my grumpy self will not be calling you back.

“He approached me as an adult, and he seemed to understand how significant this could be if we execute it correctly.”

Conrad on mortgage guy life & podcasting full time:

“I’m a mortgage guy. I’m here five days a week,” Thompson said. “This has always been my passion. I’ve been doing it for 17 years. I can’t imagine a scenario where I’m not doing it. It has suited me well.

“Podcasting was not a big deal 10 years ago and who knows about 10 years from now? It’s a little more fluid than the mortgage business. I don’t want to roll the dice [on doing podcasts full time]. Podcasting will be the side gig and part-time hustle.”