ESPN8/ ESPN Ocho, inspired by the movie Dodgeball (2004) is a compilation of random sports and contests aired on ESPN 2. I had no idea this was happening until I spotted it on my TV and I had to see what it was about. Here are some of my favorites from ESPN8 2025:
Coffin Wars: The goal of coffin wars is for the wrestler starting on the bottom of the coffin to escape, while the other wrestler attempts to keep him put. This was genuinely the dumbest thing I’ve ever watched, but it reaches the point of being so bad it’s actually love it.
Ultimate Tire Wrestling: Two guys, a mat, and two massive tires. The goal is to put your opponent into the tire. This wasn’t fun to watch in the way Coffin Wars was, but the potential is there. I think Laroy Davis is like the LeBron of this sport, but I haven’t done my research into the league history yet.
Pillow Fighting: Just what it sounds like, two guys pillow fighting in a wrestling ring. Sponsored by Dr Pepper. The best thing? It’s presented like a boxing match. Guy in a suit announcing the fighters, referees, water boys in the fighters corners, and even a ring girl. The fighters all have a background in either MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, or boxing, which explains where they found these people. Parker Appel survived and took home the 5000 dollar prize. Probably the most serious of the fighting sports on Ocho, but honestly I enjoyed Coffin Wars more.
Turf Wars Kickball: This is genuinely awesome. Like, I would actually watch it outside of Ocho. It’s literally professional kickball and I love it. If you missed it, let me paint the picture: Bottom of the first, two on, no outs. The batter steps up and crushes the ball to right field for a Kyle Schwarber esque three run homer. Absolutely electric. I’m completely sold on this being a legit professional sport.
The disaster of the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic: The MLB Speedway Classic was MLB’s attempt to start a new series of gimmick games and break the MLB regular season attendance record. They succeeded at the second part, but I wouldn’t be shocked if we never see baseball in Bristol again. Why? The game was an unmitigated disaster. The game’s original start time of 7:15 PM on August 2nd was delayed due to rain. The rain held off enough before the game to begin, with the Reds taking a 1-0 lead over the Braves in the 1st, only for the game to immediately be delayed to the next day after the Tennessee rain returned with a vengeance. But wait, it gets worse! Due to the 3+ hour delay, vendors ran out of food. This led to hot dogs without buns, nachos without cheese, and vendors running out of beer. In Tennessee. At a baseball game. Rumors are beginning to circulate that the NHL is planning to host a game at Bristol Speedway, so we can only hope that they learned from MLB’s mistakes. While we’re on that topic, if the NHL doesn’t send the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators to Bristol for the NAS-CAR game, they shouldn’t even bother.
At the end of the day, ESPN Ocho is pretty stupid. But that’s why it’s so good. And, in a barren summer sports schedule, it helps to have something to look forward to, even if it is Coffin Wars.
