The Public Enemies Podcast is adding a different style in covering professional wrestling than other podcasts. Unlike some of their peers, the podcast brings more awareness to black professional wrestlers that other podcasters may have overlooked.
In 2018, Jorodd “Gram” Philips had an idea to create a wrestling podcast that was different from others. His goal was to cover professional wrestling in a fun way by providing honest critique and casual dialogue. Philips also wanted to bring more awareness to black professional wrestlers. Joined by CJ “Jizzle” Beal, Philips created the Public Enemies Podcast. In an interview with Public Enemies Podcast, Philips discussed how the podcast got started.
“…I wanted to do it in a way where it was just like Barbershop talk. Just a couple of friends talking back and forth just we would do at a SuperBowl party, or forth of July barbeque or whatever the situation may be, said Philips. He continued, “I wanted to be where it’s kind of lax. The kind of situation where we can make it fun again, but also make it fun for us.”
Philips also shared his surprise at how many wrestling podcasts when he started the Public Enemies Podcast. However, he knew that he wanted his podcast to be unique from other content creators.
After three years of finding their voice, the podcast has found its stride. The Public Enemies Podcast added Benjamin Haden to the group in 2020, who helped grow their social media platforms. Today, the podcast is growing its popularity and is gaining success.
What makes Public Enemies Unique
An episode of the Public Enemies Podcast is different from other content creators. One way that makes the group unique is that they give their own honest opinion, especially regarding mistreated black athletes. For example, the podcast commented on the first anniversary of Kenny Omega’s quick win over Sonny Kiss. While Omega went on to find success afterward, the podcast questioned what did it do for Kiss.
Haden spoke about the lack of awareness for how All Elite Wrestling treated Kiss after losing to Omega. He shared that he gets frustrated when fans claim it’s long-term storytelling when a black wrestler or minority takes a loss. While some pro wrestling content creators moved on, the Public Enemies Podcast wants to highlight issues like Kiss’s career in AEW.
“Last year, I was talking on about on my personal page, and everybody was in the replies and tweets like you just have to wait. This is what I hate about wrestling fans. You’re never patient. You’re all so shortsighted. I promise you it’s going to go somewhere, and so I thought about that yesterday. I was like; it’s been a whole year, said Haden. He continued, “And like nothing has happened, and I feel like I don’t like it when we are put on the back burner. And just like told you to have to wait your time, because like, we don’t want to wait anymore.”
While the podcast has fun covering pro wrestling, they are also not afraid to discuss issues that wrestling fans may not like. However, the Public Enemies Podcast strongly believes in spreading awareness of the matters and are not afraid to say what they feel to pro wrestling fans.
Future Plans for the Podcast
The Public Enemies Podcast is not resting on its laurels. The podcast has more followers than ever and is getting more recognition from other media outlets and wrestlers. However, Philips still sees more room for the podcast to grow. He wants to do more than recap wrestling events and has teased that the group will do more interviews soon.
“We are working right now on bringing back our interview series behind enemy lines,” said Philips. He explained further, “We started that earlier this year. We only did like two interviews, but we have like so many things confirmed in the can as far as the list of people we want to talk to.”
Philips also shared that the Public Enemies Podcast is considering doing extra content for Patreon. However, it’s unclear what the additional content will be. Regardless the podcast looks to continue to their success and be different from their peers.
