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Promotional art for The Champ
Cover image credit: via TMDB

The Champ

Greg Warren

YouTube · 2026 · 47 min

Methodical, clean stand-up about coaches and poison ivy.

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Greg Warren's first special since Fish Sandwich (2018). Released , on YouTube.

Greg Warren has a knack for treating low-stakes annoyances as matters of vital tactical importance. With The Champ, he applies the discipline of a former collegiate wrestler to the absurdity of late-night pharmacy runs and the physical threat of poison ivy. His performance relies on a highly focused, deliberate delivery, building complex arguments out of things that most people barely think about.

Filmed at the Funny Bone in Columbus, Ohio, and released via Nate Bargatze’s Nateland channel on YouTube, the 47-minute set highlights Warren’s specialty of clean, highly specific storytelling. Notable routines include an extended look at the existence of high school fishing teams, and a retrospective on his old wrestling coach who has lived rent-free in his head for three decades. The set received praise from The New York Times, which highlighted Warren’s commitment to finding a dizzying number of angles on seemingly bland subjects.

Notable bits & set list

5 bits

  1. Perils of poison ivy and useless botanical rhymes

    Argues that rhyming advice like 'leaves of three, let it be' is ineffective for identifying poisonous plants, leading him to swear off nature completely and stay on cement.

  2. Rhymes used to identify venomous snakes

    Critiques reciting nursery rhymes in the wild when confronting snakes, suggesting the only practical rule is avoiding snakes entirely.

  3. Visiting Walgreens late at night

    Examines the eerie emptiness of entering a store at 11:30 PM with only one hidden employee, humorously urging shoplifters to steal late at night so corporate will be forced to hire an 'up front' worker.

  4. The existence of high school fishing teams

    Explores the unexpected reality of competitive high school fishing teams and their cheerleaders.

  5. A humiliating wrestling defeat at Northern Iowa

    Recounts getting badly beaten in front of a sold-out crowd and the collegiate coach who has lived rent-free in his head for over 30 years.

How it plays

Tone
Clean, dry, observational, and relatable.
On stage
All-American, clean, observational comic who treats low-stakes everyday annoyances with the serious discipline and tactics of a former wrestler.
Pace
Methodical, deliberate, highly focused delivery building complex arguments out of mundane topics.
About
Poison ivy and the outdoors, Snakes and nature rhymes, High school fishing teams, Late-night pharmacy customer service at Walgreens, College wrestling memories and his former coach, Questionable claims to champion status

What the critics said

Praised by The New York Times for appealing, all-American observational humor that attacks big, bland subjects from a dizzying number of angles with disciplined commitment.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: nateland.com, deadline.com, en.wikipedia.org, 800poundgorillamedia.com, gregwarrencomedy.com, digitaljournal.com.

Backstory

Follow-up project with Nate Bargatze and Nateland Entertainment after the success of Warren's 2023 special 'The Salesman', drawing heavily from his background as a former college wrestler at the University of Missouri.

Details

Released
Taped
The Funny Bone, Columbus
Runtime
47 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Mike Lavin
Topics
Before
Fish Sandwich (2018)
Featured in
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