Our Story: Dr. Hugenstein
The doctor brings a healthy dose of wit, satire and sarcasm to pro wrestling media.
In an increasingly P.C. world, only one voice breaks through the safe space to say what’s on everybody’s mind.
Seth Rollins has too many weird nicknames.
Becky Lynch’s new gear is sexy as hell.
Why doesn’t AJ Styles wear a cup?
With his Northeast accent and backwards baseball cap, this man brings entertainment each and every week to thousands of subscribers.
I’m not talking about Vince Russo…I’m talkin’ Dr. Hugenstein.
Since 2016, the good doctor has been commenting on the absurdities of WWE via podcast, Persicope and most recently, Twitch. “I was looking for some kind of talk show that had to do with wrestling and would pique my interest,” says Dr. Hugenstein. “Even though there a ton of podcasts and shows, there weren’t any that made me want to listen religiously. So I did a show myself that my friends and I would like.”
His friends include The Sleeze, a former car salesman, and Y2Justincredibl, an avid Comic-Con fan. “He is one of those guys who will take their shirt off at the football game,” Hugenstein says. “He’s the wackier character on the show.”
It was a whacky relative that Dr. Huge shared his love of wrestling with as a kid: Uncle Old School, a Boston native who would attend matches at the Garden and order the pay-per-views. Growing up in the 1980s, Huge was a child of the Rock N Wrestling Era, and his first PPV was No Holds Barred. “My uncle is the biggest mark in the universe,” he says. “He still watches. He’ll come up to me and ask ‘Is Seth Rollins really hurt?’”
Broadcasting was never a dream of the doc – he didn’t listen to talk radio until his early 20s. While working as a hospital courier, transporting blood, guts and urine around town, he would play sports talk and Howard Stern as background noise. “Work became more about me going to listen to a show rather than doing manual labor,” Hugenstein says. “It is theater for the mind because I have very vivid thoughts and ideas. I can picture it no problem.”
#DrHUGEshow🌭🚨LIVE @TheSleaze52 @Y2JustincrediblWWE Wrestling News & More https://t.co/Bv9WOFVDQn
— Dr HUGENSTEIN🌭 (@DrHugeShow) May 2, 2018
Already living the gimmick (lab coat and all), Dr. Hugenstein wanted to bring that goofy, raunchy, fun style of radio to pro wrestling. Instead of debating star ratings and Mount Rushmores, the doctor and his team would juice up the traditionally dry medium. Plus, with the perpetual cycle of rumors and innuendo, they’d never run out of topics to chat about.
“Most of the show is what we would do when we’d see each other, just water cooler talk about wrestling,” Hugenstein says. “Even though all of us generally feel wrestling definitely isn’t what it used to be, we try to make the most of it.”
They’ve had plenty of guests ranging from WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page to Carmella’s cuck James Ellsworth. Talent from Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground have also stopped by, expanding the show’s reach from mainstream to the indie scene. Social media has also played a significant role in bringing more ears and eyeballs as Dr. Huge live tweets Raw, Smackdown and most recently, Impact.
“When I first started, I didn’t understand how any of this works,” Hugenstein says. “If you just write things that are quality tweets, it will slowly build. One time I texted The Sleeze that I got 10 likes. It was like, holy shit, this is working.”
As with any project, it takes a lot of elbow grease and dedication. The doctor is always on call, conceiving new bits and brainstorming ways to attract publicity. But he has also surrounded himself with talented people he can trust. “We’re all just regular Joes, blue-collar guys,” Hugenstein says. “Sleeze is good with video editing and I’m good with audio editing. This type of business model is we’re pushing the snowball up hill. We’re trying our best to emulate what Barstool Sports and WhatCulture have done.”
Despite the rapid success, Hugenstein isn’t content. He wants quicker growth, more subscribers, more listeners, more fan interaction. Not necessarily more money, just yet.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re making a couple hundred bucks if you suck,” he says. “When you get to the point that you’re undeniable, now you’re getting tons of subscribers because you’re just good. I love hearing that people love the show, but I don’t think I’ll ever be really happy, and that’s why this is going to work long term. I told Sleeze before starting that when we start doing this, it’s a long term thing. If something doesn’t happen five years down the road, we’re still going with this.”
You can watch Dr. Hugenstein at drhugeshow.com or Periscope or Twitch.
You can also support Dr. Hugenstein via Patreon.
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