Patreon Flashback — Ep. #70: Titangate Part 4

Since we want everyone to be able to learn from our Patreon series on the 1992 "Titangate" sex and drug scandals in WWE, want to be able to direct everyone to the shows, and don't want to give anyone the idea that we're trying to make money off of the awful new lawsuit against WWE, we're releasing all four Titangate shows for free. Permanently. We're really proud of the work we did on these, and we hope that everyone can learn from them.

---

Content warning: By necessity of covering this topic, though it is not the sole focus, this episode contains a significant amount of discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse, a non-trivial amount of which is descriptive. If you have any concerns that this content may be triggering or otherwise upsetting to you, then skipping this episode may be advisable.

It's July, and you know what that means: The fourth and final part of our Patreon-exclusive deep dive into what became known as Titangate, the overarching collection of scandals that hit the WWF in 1992. Topics include:

• Alex Marvez breaking the story of the federal grand jury investigation into the ring boy scandal in the Miami Herald...weeks after Dave Meltzer buried the lede while reporting it in the Observer.
• The emergence of "Barney," the teenage boy who came off like a plant when asking an audience question on Donahue and then came forward with a new sexual assault allegation against Mel Phillips.
• Jeff Savage's Penthouse feature that expanded his San Diego Union-Tribune reporting into a larger feature.
• Paul Roma, in John Clark's Wrestling Flyer, accusing Pat Patterson of telling him to sleep with a different Titan Sports executive if he wanted a bigger push.
• Murray Hodgson's confidence eroding after his lawyer quit during his deposition.
• Cheryl Vasquez's protest of a WWF house show in Poughkeepsie, where at least one wrestler allegedly tried to run her over with his car.
• Pat Patterson's return to the WWF in late August.
• Bill Kunkel going scorched earth in his Potshots column in Three Count, criticizing Savage for how he handled errors in the Penthouse story, Marvez for not reporting on his and the New York Times' own back and forth with Jerry McDevitt, and others.
• Our summation of the scandals and how they relate to Vince McMahon's 2022 downfall.

...and much more. When we started this series in April, we had no idea it would become as topical as it has, but here we are.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Weeks of June 15-July 20, 1992

1:05:35 Week of July 27, 1992

2:18:14 Week of August 3, 1992

3:02:27 Weeks of August 17-August 31, 1992

To support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!

If you’re looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you’ve been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you’ll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you’re looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.

For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.

And if you'd like to support us while checking out the various promotions available on FITE TV, including their FITE+ subscription service, like BKFC, GCW, our friends at AIW and Black Label Pro, and more, you can sign up at TinyURL.com/BTSFITE.

To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands