EFREN!!!

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Many readers of this newsletter may not know who EFREN!!! is, and you can’t just do a Google search for EFREN!!! to get easy answers. The listeners of my podcast know that I tend to do a lot of research, and if I can’t find your story, I’m not sure anyone can. This is made more difficult when the subject of your research also happens to be one of the most interesting people you have ever met.

I first met EFREN!!! when he was doing a show called The Game Event, on the popular wrestling podcast platform Ad Free Shows. Now, I’m not sure if you have ever tried to host and manage a game show, with graphics, in what is basically a chat room, but it is NOT easy. EFREN!!! was always the consummate professional.

He was full of energy and excitement, which would then fade to frustration, from which he would rebound back to energy and excitement. It truly was a master class, and through all of it, he dealt with it honestly and openly. Heart on his sleeve. EFREN!!! was genuine in a world filled with bullshit.

Ego is fine. Self-promotion is fine. And EFREN!!! has that in spades. But he is not made up of bullshit. EFREN!!! is a true, genuine article.

The Game Event, which is now hosted on Premier Streaming Network, is a fresh spin on classic games shows, with a focus on professional wrestling. I have been selected to play on the show a couple of times but I tend to fare poorly, as my wrestling knowledge is limited to very specific eras. But EFREN!!! makes it so much fun!

As we discuss in this episode, game shows are very much like comfort food for me, and have been since my childhood. EFREN!!! and I unpack a lot of childhood stuff on the podcast, but you’ll have to listen for that. My go to show was always The Price is Right.

EFREN!!!’s favorite show was $25,000 Pyramid.

Back in the day, EFREN!!! even appeared on a couple of game shows and was in the contestant pool for others. Which, again, you can hear about on the podcast.

EFREN!!! also co-hosted a podcast for several years called Saved By The Pod. The show was a blend of wrestling events and the pop culture at the time that the events occurred. So if a match happened on May 25, 1999, the crew would talk about the top songs at the time, tv shows, movies.

But EFREN!!! added a flair to the show that was just him being him, but also included a lot of double entendre and innuendo from a gay perspective. This was a huge breakthrough, as you typical professional wrestling fan, especially in that day, may not have been receptive to…well..

Or….

Also, in the latter clip, co-host Paul Bromwell is played by Hank Azaria.

On this episode of the podcast we talk about the barriers that were broken down by SBTP through comedy. Something I referenced in a previous post.

Another common thread I have with EFREN!!! is our mutual love for actor Joshua Malina. You will hear that story on the podcast as well, and here is a clip for reference points.

The last time I met EFREN!!! in person was under not so great circumstances. His best friend and member of the aforementioned Ad Free Shows family, died suddenly at a young age, leaving a wife and two kids.

With EFREN!!!’s help and with the backing of the crew at Filter Free Popcast, they raised over $20,000 to support the family of Josh Odom. EFREN!!! also committed to playing a big role in the life of Josh’s son.

EFREN!!! is a wonderful human being and I hope you give the podcast a listen so that you can get to know EFREN!!! a little better. The Game Event, as I mention earlier, can be found on Premier Streaming Network.

As can his new show, IREFB.

The podcast episode is up on all platforms, CrobamaNation. This is the Spotify link:

As regular readers know, I always post a song at the end of each post that I either listen to as I do my notes, or that reminds me of the guest, or has some hidden meaning. So, here ya go.