The Champ

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.