"Let's step it up. Let's be the guys that do something for the troops."
— Charlie
Inspired by watching old videos of Hulk Hogan in his WrestleMania days, the guys decide to put on a wrestling show in support of the troops returning from Iraq. Meanwhile Dee meets the soldier she's been chatting with online, but is horrified when he appears to be wheelchair-bound and asks Artemis to take her place.
This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
- Affectionate Parody: Of pro-wrestling, particularly WrestleMania.
- All-American Face: Mac, Dennis and Charlie are supposed to be this as the "Birds of War", but they end up looking more like chickens than eagles.
- All Part of the Show: A very misguided example — when Frank learns wrestling is fake, he seems to believe that everything, including eating garbage and hitting your opponent with an unscripted foreign object, is fine because it falls under Kayfabe. After he grievously injures Cricket and realizes he's the last man standing while everybody else is writhing in pain, he hesitantly pumps his fists and the crowd cheers.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Despite his violent tendencies, instability, and the implication that he may have murdered his children, Da'Maniac is ultimately arrested for unpaid parking tickets.
- Ax-Crazy: Da'Maniac, the pro wrestler who the guys initially hire to participate in the match for them. He loses his temper over fifteen dollars, may or may not have killed his kids, and eventually gets arrested over unpaid parking tickets.
- Bird People: Mac, Dennis and Charlie dress as "birdmen" for their wrestling alter egos. Charlie keeps insisting they play up the birdlike aspects and talk about protecting eggs, while Mac and Dennis try to emphasize that they're not actual birdmen, with the result being that the "patriotic" aspects end up tossed to the wayside.
- Bloody Hilarious: Cricket starts spurting blood from the neck after Frank throws a trashcan at him during the wrestling match.
- Brick Joke: Frank initially believes Pro Wrestling Is Real. After examining the carnage around him in the ring at the end of the episode, he states "I knew this shit wasn't fake."
- Card-Carrying Villain: Cricket fully embraces his "Talibum" persona, proclaiming that "America sucks, terrorists rule!" to rile up the crowd.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Frank appears out of nowhere in his "Trashman" guise at the end of the episode to beat Cricket.
- Cock Fight: Gender-flipped with Dee and Artemis fighting over Ben the soldier.
- Combat Pragmatist: Cricket bests Dennis and Charlie in the ring by throwing sand in their eyes.
- Cringe Comedy:
- The entire "Birds of War" song and dance sequence as performed by the guys.
- Frank thanking Ben for his service by... handing him a pair of jean shorts, playing Seal's "Kiss From a Rose", and awkwardly saluting him for a deeply uncomfortably long time.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Rickety Cricket, the show's resident Chew Toy, trounces the gang with ease during the wrestling match.
- Didn't Think This Through: Frank assumes he can just become a pro wrestler by adopting a Wrestling Doesn't Pay gimmick and simply getting in a ring. Unfortunately for Cricket, it becomes apparent very quickly that there's a reason wrestlers are trained in, among other things, how to safely hit each other with objects.
- Dirty Coward: Mac runs away rather than fight Cricket after he manages defeat both Dennis and Charlie by throwing sand in their eyes.
- Easily-Distracted Referee: Parodied when Mac asks Frank if Cricket's attack is even legal, while Frank simply responds with "I didn't see nothin'."
- Even Evil Has Standards: In the scene of Dee meeting Ben for the first time, Frank is visibly shocked when Dee ditches Ben upon a seeing him sitting in a wheelchair. He also shows surprised concern when he realizes he accidentally injures Cricket after hitting him with a garbage can.
- Every Man Has His Price: Cricket initially refuses to go along with the gang's schemes again, but quickly changes his mind once they offer to pay him.
- Revenge Before Reason: As is shown later, it's implied the real reason he agreed was to get back at the gang for their past abuse.
- Fake Muscles: The "Birds of War" costumes include painted-on abs that look vaguely like erections.
- Foreign Wrestling Heel: Cricket's "Talibum" wrestling persona.
- Garbage Wrestler:
- Frank invokes a literal version of this as the "Trashman", who throws garbage around the ring and then eats it.
- 'Maniac appears to be one, given his opinion that nobody wants old-school wrestling anymore and want blood instead.
- Gilligan Cut:Charlie: We need someone with, like, nothing to lose.
(cut to Cricket standing in line with a group of other homeless people) - Groin Attack: Da'Maniac accidentally hits Charlie in the crotch with a reel of barbed wire.
- Good-Looking Privates: Ben, the handsome soldier returning from overseas. Both Dee and Artemis take turns Eating the Eye Candy.
- A Handful for an Eye: Cricket's fighting technique mainly consists of throwing sand in the eyes of his opponents.
- Heel: Frank insists his character, 'The Trash Man', is to be one.
- Informed Species: The Birds of War are meant to be bald eagles, but since their costumes use nothing but white fluffy feathers all over, they end up looking a lot more like chickens.
- Is This Thing Still On?: Dennis, Charlie, and Mac start blaming each other and complaining about the lack of audience reaction to their "Birds of War" theme before realizing their mics are still on, and everyone can hear them.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Cricket beating the tar out of the gang for their mistreatment of him, breaking Dee's nose and throwing sand in Dennis and Charlie's eyes (in addition to kicking Dennis once he was incapacitated).
- Metaphorgotten: Mac and Charlie's "Bird of War" song quickly derails into just describing facts about eagles. Lampshaded by Dennis:Dennis: What you just described, that seems like we're just singing about the lifestyle of an eagle.
- Noodle Incident: Da'Maniac explains that he once had kids, but "not anymore." He never explains what he meant by this.
- Offing the Offspring: Discussed by Dennis, Mac and Charlie, who suspect that Da'Maniac might have killed his kids after he states that he doesn't have them anymore.
- Oh, Crap!: Dee's reaction when Ben gets off the bus in a wheelchair.
- Gets another one when she discovers that Ben isn't disabled after all.
- Pet the Dog: After Dee ditches the (supposedly) disabled Ben, Frank sticks around to gift him with a pair of jean shorts and thanks him for his military service.
- The gang's primary motivation for putting on a wrestling show is to show their appreciation for the troops and bring back American pride.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Dennis and Charlie claim that Da'Maniac keeps calling Mac the N-word.
- Dee abandons Ben after seeing him in a wheelchair, only to try and win him back after finding out he's not permanently disabled.
- Pro Wrestling Is Real: Frank initially believes this.
- Returning War Vet: Dee's online boyfriend Ben is returning from Iraq. The gang also decide to put on a wrestling show for the rest of the returning troops.
- Shown Their Work: According to wrestling personality Jim Cornette, it is indeed quite possible for a poorly trained wrestler to slice someone open with the edge of garbage can if the edges aren't modified correctly by a wrestler.
- Shout-Out: The black singlet that Frank wears as part of his "Trashman" character is identical to the one worn by André the Giant.
- Slashed Throat: Cricket ends up on the receiving end of this trope courtesy of a trash can delivered by Frank.
- The Dog Bites Back: Cricket's beating of the gang is brutal, but considering their past treatment of him, it's also well deserved.
- Throwing Off the Disability: Ben first shows up in a wheelchair, leading Dee to believe that he suffered some kind of disabling injury in the line of duty, but later stands up in the restaurant to greet Artemis. It turns out he just twisted his knee getting off a plane and was trying to keep the weight off it.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After being reduced to a pathetic street rat by the gang, Cricket gets a chance for revenge by facing them in the ring. Unfortunately, thanks to Frank's interference, it's short lived.
- Took a Level in Badass: Life in the street as evidently taught Cricket how to handle himself in a fight.
- Would Hit a Girl: Cricket hits Dee in the face with a chair at the beginning of the wrestling match.
- You Remind Me of X: Da'Maniac tells Dennis, Mac and Charlie that they remind him of his kids. This disturbs them, as they believe he killed his kids.
