The Ariel Helwani Show

On today's episode, the famous actor and pro wrestling superfan joins Ariel to talk about his time working for WWE over a decade ago. Then, the guys discuss differences between WWE and AEW, his time training in Albuquerque, NM, his movie plans for 2022 (47:30) and his 20-year marriage to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (57:05). Also, Prinze Jr. reveals his plans to get back into the wrestling business in a big way next year. Make sure to listen to the very end to witness a special bonding moment between the guys! Freddie Prinze Jr. is an American film and TV actor, writer and producer. He is also the host of WWFreddie - Wrestling with Freddie, a pro wrestling podcast. He has starred in “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “She’s All That,” “Scooby-Doo,” and much more.You can follow Freddie on Twitter @RealFJR and on Instagram @realfreddieprinze.Today's episode is brought to you by Manscaped! Get 20% off plus FREE shipping today by using the code "HELWANI" when you visit this link: manscaped.com/helwani.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

In this special Wednesday edition of the show, Ariel talks to former NFL linebacker AJ Hawk about his post-football career as a broadcaster and as co-host of The Pat McAfee Show. In this wide-ranging conversation, Hawk discusses his relationship with former teammate Aaron Rodgers (18:57), how the NFL treats its players upon retirement (53:30), his love of MMA and his own fighting experiences, why he says yes to everything and why he and his wife got engaged after only four months of dating. Plus, Hawk gives Ariel some workout advice!AJ Hawk played 11 seasons in the NFL, spending nine of them with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers selected Hawk No. 5 overall out of Ohio State in the 2006 NFL Draft, eventually winning the Super Bowl with Green Bay in 2011. After walking away from football in 2016, Hawk has been an analyst for Fox Sports, hosted The HawkCast and has become a regular fixture on The Pat McAfee Show.You can follow AJ on Twitter and Instagram @OfficialAJHawk. Today's episode is brought to you by Manscaped! Get 20% off plus FREE shipping today by using the code "HELWANI" when you visit this link: manscaped.com/helwani.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

The world-renowned adult entertainer joins Ariel for an honest and open conversation about her career. She tells Ariel why left nursing to pursue performing, how her family and friends feel about her field of work, and how she separates her work from her personal life. Plus, she discusses the biggest misconceptions about her industry and why she loves MMA so much.Kendra Lust is widely considered to be one of the top performers in adult entertainment. A huge MMA fan, she also co-hosts the Beauty & The Beast podcast alongside UFC fighter Julian Marquez.You can follow Kendra on Twitter and Instagram @kendralust, as well as her podcast's YouTube channel.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

The Formula 1 superstar joins Ariel to talk about Ricciardo's Bills fandom and obsession with watching the UFC, among many other things. Then, the guys discuss Ricciardo's illustrious motor racing career, where Ricciardo opens up about his rise in popularity, if he has any regrets, his decision to change teams again in 2020, the importance of putting yourself first, dealing with critics and much, much more.Daniel Ricciardo is one of the top Formula 1 drivers in the world. The 32-year-old Australian-born racer has won eight Grand Prix in his career, the most recent one coming in Italy this past September. Ricciardo gained even more fame in 2019 with the release of the popular Netflix series, Drive to Survive, a docuseries that took viewers behind the scenes of life as a Formula 1 driver.You can follow Daniel on Twitter and Instagram @danielricciardo, where he has a combined 8.2M followers. For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

One of Ariel's favorite sportswriters joins the show to tell the story of his media journey, which began when he covered the elite New York City high school basketball scene. Then, Isola discusses landing a gig with The New York Daily News and the magic of covering those '90s Knicks teams. Plus, he tells Ariel how his relationship with the Knicks eventually soured (39:17), why it's harder for reporters to fairly cover the NBA today (55:32), and much more.Frank Isola is an American sportswriter who covered the New York Knicks for The New York Daily News from 1995-2017. He then wrote about the Knicks for The Athletic. Today, he co-hosts a SiriusXM radio show, serves as a Nets studio analyst for YES Network, and is also a regular contributor to ESPN's "Around the Horn" and "Pardon the Interruption." He is also the author of the 1999 book, "Just Ballin': The Chaotic Rise of the New York Knicks."You can follow Frank on Twitter and Instagram @TheFrankIsola.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

The New York-born actor joins Ariel for a wide-ranging conversation, beginning with a discussion about Rapaport's role in the 1995 film Higher Learning, where he portrayed a Neo-Nazi. The guys also discuss Rapaport's Knicks fandom and why he's decided to publicly criticize the team he loves so much. Plus, Rapaport opens up about his beef with Kevin Durant (31:42), why he started speaking out about politics on social media, what he still hopes to accomplish in his career (49:46), and the tragedy that rocked the movie industry last week.Michael Rapaport is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and fantasy football guru. He has appeared in more than 60 films (Deep Blue Sea, Dr. Doolittle 2, etc.), several TV shows (Friends, Atypical, etc.) and has also directed an award-winning documentary.You can follow Michael on Instagram @michaelrapaport. He also hosts the I Am Rapaport: Stereo Podcast and will continue a comedy tour next month. For more details, please visit michaelrapaportcomedy.com.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

The world-renowned Canadian-born broadcaster joins Ariel to discuss why, after eight years, she decided to leave WWE in 2020 (5:41). Plus, she talks about her short-lived acting career (26:42), how she met her husband (current AEW star Jon Moxley), if she plans on joining AEW (57:52) and how difficult it was to work for WWE at times.Renee Paquette (formerly known as Renee Young) is a Canadian-American broadcaster. Before spending eight years with WWE, she worked for The Score and BiteTV in Canada. She left WWE last summer and now focuses on her podcast, weekly radio show with Miesha Tate, and her four-month-old baby.You can follow Renee on Instagram @reneepaquette, check out her new book Messy in the Kitchen and listen to her podcast Oral Sessions wherever you get your shows.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

One of the best American tennis players of the last 20 years joins Ariel for a candid conversation about the Netflix documentary, "Untold: Breaking Point," which chronicles Fish's battles with mental health, which unexpectedly led Fish to pull out of an important 2012 U.S. Open match against Roger Federer. Fish tells Ariel about his toughest days, how he pulled himself out of the darkness, the importance of family and friends during tough times, why he doesn't judge anybody anymore, why more male athletes need to speak out on mental health issues, and so much more.Once ranking in the top 10 worldwide, Fish's career highlights include quarter finals appearances in the 2007 Australian Open, 2008 U.S. Open, and 2011 Wimbledon Championships, as well as a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Fish now serves as the captain of America's Davis Cup team, appears in celebrity golf tournaments and even practices mixed martial arts.You can follow Mardy on Twitter @mardyfish, visit his web site mardytennis.com, and check out "Untold: Breaking Point" on Netflix to learn more about him.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

Ariel's favorite sports journalist joins the show to talk about his untraditional path into the business and how that path eventually took him to Muhammad Ali's house, telling Ariel a bone-chilling story you have to hear (32:43). Plus, Brunt discusses the state of the newspaper business (19:51), why he's never had a social media account (26:56), the biggest regrets from his legendary career and if he thinks baseball will ever return to Montreal (hint: his answer gets Ariel very excited.)Currently a drive-time radio host and commentator for Rogers Sportsnet, Stephen Brunt is a staple of Canadian sports journalism. He spent nearly 30 years at The Globe and Mail, one of the most reputable papers in all of Canada. He is the author of over 13 books and is widely considered to be the voice of Canadian sports.You can follow Brunt...nowhere. He doesn't believe he needs social media to do his job.For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

Heelwani's biggest enemy joins Ariel to put their feud aside to discuss real life matters, such as McAfee's childhood dreams of getting rich (10:18), how he created the "dumbest life of all-time" and what it was like playing alongside Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts (22:25). Later on, the guys also talk about the 2010 arrest that turned McAfee's life around (28:10), his time with Barstool Sports, his rocky relationship with ESPN, Aaron Rodgers' regular appearances on his show and SO much more.Pat McAfee is the host of "The Pat McAfee Show," a popular daily sports YouTube show that also airs on SiriusXM. He spent eight seasons as a punter for the Indianapolis Colts, retiring in 2017 to pursue a media career that's taken him to Barstool Sports, ESPN and the world of professional wrestling.You can follow Pat on Twitter and Instagram @PatMcAfeeShow. For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers