Grapple City Rewind

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Johnny Largemeat has entered the Firefly Fun House.

For this Halloween bonus episode, Bradley and Aaron revisit John Cena vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt from WrestleMania 36, a bizarre, pandemic-era nightmare that takes Cena through his own wrestling history.

From Ruthless Aggression and the Doctor of Thuganomics to Hulk Hogan, the nWo, and the muscle-bound Johnny Largemeat, the guys explore WWE's strangest attempt at psychological warfare.

But first, they're fresh off a trip to Palm Desert for WWE's Road to Survivor Series, with stories about Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Sami Zayn, and one very upset young wrestling fan.

Is the Firefly Fun House Match brilliant storytelling, self-indulgent nonsense, or something in between? And does it even count as a wrestling match?

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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Fifty wrestlers. Four matches. One pilgrim hat. And a whole lot of sweaty men standing around waiting for their turn.

Brad and Aaron head back to Thanksgiving 1987 for the very first WWF Survivor Series, where Hulk Hogan and André the Giant continue their WrestleMania III rivalry, Randy Savage leads an all-star team against the Honky Tonk Man, and the ring apron gets dangerously overcrowded.

Along the way, we've got Jesse Ventura in head-to-toe snakeskin, Jimmy Hart screaming into a megaphone, the Jumping Bomb Angels stealing the show, Ted DiBiase humiliating children, and Hulk Hogan finding a way to celebrate a match he didn't even win.

Plus, we discuss Vince McMahon's attempt to sabotage Starrcade '87, the questionable wrestling abilities of some of the era's biggest stars, and whether anyone actually needed to see this many elimination matches in one night.

It's a historic pay-per-view, but is it actually any good? We're not so sure.

It's Grapple City Rewind!

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Before Chelsea Green became WWE's Hot Mess, she was Reclusa, a sinister, spider-inspired character in Lucha Underground. And in 2018, she went one-on-one with Pentagon Dark, better known today as Penta.

In this bonus episode of Grapple City Rewind, Brad and Aaron revisit this wild intergender match from Lucha Underground Season 4. We're talking Canadian Destroyers, high-flying offense, brutal kicks, thumbtacks, gasoline, and a version of Chelsea Green that might surprise even her biggest fans.

Does this forgotten gem earn a Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind? Tune in as we head back to the Temple for a little lucha libre chaos!

Grapple City Rewind: Taking you all the way back to the iconic pay-per-views and television specials that shaped professional wrestling history.

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Brad and Aaron head back to October 22, 2006 for their first full TNA show: Bound For Glory 2006.

It’s peak six-sided-ring TNA, with a ridiculously stacked roster featuring Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, LAX, Chris Sabin, Senshi, Rhino, Abyss, Team 3D and more. The show ranges from chaotic X Division action and Monster’s Ball insanity to a title-vs.-career main event between Sting and Jeff Jarrett.

Along the way, Brad and Aaron try to figure out 2006 TNA lore, debate the stiffness of the six-sided ring, watch Samoa Joe throw Spike Dudley into the crowd, get distracted by an LAX promo, and somehow end up researching exactly what a “rusty trombone” is.

Does TNA’s biggest show of 2006 still hold up 20 years later?

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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It’s spooky season at Grapple City Rewind, so we’re heading into the Temple for one of Lucha Underground’s most brutal matches: Mil Muertes vs. Fénix in the first-ever Grave Consequences match.

The Man of a Thousand Deaths meets the Man of a Thousand Lives in a bloody, chaotic fight involving a coffin, concrete stairs, torn masks, busted-open faces, and one of the wildest atmospheres Lucha Underground ever created.

Brad and Aaron break down the match, the bizarre supernatural mythology surrounding Mil Muertes, Fénix’s punishment, the incredible production of the Temple, and why this match still stands out more than a decade later.

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

Mil Muertes vs. Fénix
Lucha Underground – Grave Consequences
Aired March 18, 2015

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It’s 1996, WCW is beating the WWF in the ratings, the NWO is taking over, and somehow there are TWO Stings.

Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink rewind WCW Fall Brawl 1996, featuring WarGames, the real Sting vs. Fake Sting confusion, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Lex Luger, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, plus one of the most ridiculous finishes we’ve seen yet. Luger never even submits, Nick Patrick decides he did anyway, and the NWO keeps rolling.

Elsewhere on the card, a young Chris Jericho makes his first WCW pay-per-view appearance against Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio Jr. defends the Cruiserweight Championship, DDP takes on Chavo Guerrero Jr., Harlem Heat battle the Nasty Boys, and Randy Savage somehow manages to slam The Giant before the usual NWO bullshit takes over.

Plus: early-internet WCW, CompuServe, questionable Meltzer ratings, Brad’s inability to pronounce Juventud Guerrera, Aaron defending full nelsons, and an unexpected Sami Zayn appreciation segment before we even get to 1996.

Thirty years later, does Fall Brawl ’96 still hold up, or should this one stay buried in the Monday Night War?

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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Grapple City Rewind throws out the rulebook for a bonus episode and jumps to October 29, 2020 for one of the most brutal matches of the pandemic era: WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship.

With zero fans in the building, every chop, kick, slap and scream echoes through the room as Dragunov tries to survive a champion already 573 days into his historic reign. Brad and Aaron talk WALTER before he became Gunther, Dragunov’s insane comeback, the match’s five-star reputation, pandemic-era wrestling, and why this might be one of the best examples of pro wrestling ever feeling like a legitimate fight.

No crowd. No weapons. Just two guys beating the absolute shit out of each other.

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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The boys head to Chicago’s Comiskey Park for AWA SuperClash ’85, a massive, chaotic attempt to answer WrestleMania with 25,000 fans, 13 matches, approximately 900 championships and more nationalism than anyone asked for.

Brad and Aaron break down Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A., the Road Warriors vs. the Fabulous Freebirds, Kerry Von Erich at full rock-star status, a completely unrecognizable Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, Sgt. Slaughter, Kamala, Stan Hansen beating the hell out of Rick Martel all over the ballpark, and plenty more.

There are questionable finishes, fake titles, blood on the infield, wrestlers fighting through the dugout, a “Kill Commie” sign, and one perfectly captured fan screaming, “Yeah, fuckface! You lost!”

Was AWA SuperClash actually better than WrestleMania I? Brad and Aaron give their Fast Forward, Play or Rewind verdicts.

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Bradley and Aaron rewind to WWF SummerSlam 1999, a show where Jesse Ventura is governor and special guest referee, Shane McMahon somehow has one of the best matches on the card, and Jerry Lawler spends an alarming amount of time talking about asses.

Chris Jericho makes his first WWF pay-per-view appearance, Al Snow and Big Boss Man brawl out of the arena and into a bar, Test fights Shane McMahon over his relationship with Stephanie, and The Rock faces Billy Gunn in the unforgettable “Kiss My Ass” match that gives this episode its title: Butt Breath.

Plus: AOL signs, Pepper the dog, the Mean Street Posse, Jesse Ventura making up his own rules, and a Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H vs. Mankind main event that raises one big question:

Does SummerSlam 1999 actually hold up, or is this one better left in 1999?

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Brad and Aaron head back to Hamilton, Ontario for WWF Breakdown: In Your House 1998, a show caught right in the middle of the Attitude Era getting completely out of control.

Christian makes his first WWF appearance, Vader heads for the exit, The Rock looks more and more like the next megastar, and Gangrel leaves Brad wondering if he’s a little too chunky for the vampire lifestyle. Plus: Owen Hart vs. Edge, Mankind vs. The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock inside a steel cage, plenty of questionable Vince Russo-era booking, and Stone Cold Steve Austin defending the WWF Championship against Kane and The Undertaker under rules seemingly designed to make absolutely no sense.

Before the rewind, Brad and Aaron also catch up on the latest SummerSlam.

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Follow That, Motherfuckers — WWE SummerSlam 2002

On this episode of Grapple City Rewind, Brad and Aaron head back to WWE SummerSlam 2002, a show many fans call one of the greatest SummerSlams ever. We break down the stacked card from top to bottom, including Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge, The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar, and the night’s true show-stealer: Shawn Michaels’ return against Triple H in an unsanctioned war.

We talk about Brock’s rapid rise, HBK coming back after four years away, whether this was really the start of the Ruthless Aggression Era or just the Attitude Era in different clothes, and all the weird, uncomfortable Vince-era nonsense scattered throughout the show. It’s a loaded card, a wild time capsule, and a PPV that somehow still lives up to the hype.

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Grapple City Rewind returns from bonus season and heads straight into the strange, colorful chaos of WWF SummerSlam 1994. Bradley and Aaron revisit the event from Chicago’s brand-new United Center, where Leslie Nielsen searches for The Undertaker, Lex Luger faces accusations of selling out, and Bret Hart battles Owen Hart inside a classic blue steel cage.

Along the way, they break down the Headshrinkers’ chaotic opener, Alundra Blayze versus Bull Nakano, the Million Dollar Corporation’s growing influence, Diesel versus Razor Ramon, and the unforgettable spectacle of Undertaker versus Undertaker. The entrances deliver supernatural pageantry, but once the bell rings, the illusion begins to fall apart.

Was SummerSlam ’94 a nostalgic New Generation gem, or a card carried almost entirely by Bret and Owen? Bradley and Aaron revisit the matches, the bizarre storytelling, the Meltzer ratings, and all the wonderfully absurd details before giving the show a reluctant Play rating.

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For our final summer bonus episode, Grapple City Rewind heads to NXT TakeOver: Toronto (2016) for one of the most celebrated tag team matches in WWE history: DIY vs. The Revival in a two-out-of-three-falls match for the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Bradley and Aaron break down the chemistry, the heel brilliance of The Revival, the rise of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, and why this match still hits even if DIY’s main roster run never fully clicked. From quick tags and old-school cheating to wild false finishes, dueling submissions, and a red-hot Toronto crowd, this one shows exactly why black-and-gold NXT had such a strong reputation.

Plus, the guys talk FTR before they were FTR, Gargano’s everyman appeal, Ciampa’s future menace, Dave Meltzer’s five-star rating, and why this match is still considered one of the greatest WWE tag matches ever.

It’s the end of bonus season, it’s episode 50, and yes — it’s a Rewind.

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This week on Grapple City Rewind, Bradley and Aaron head back to Money in the Bank 2011 for one of the most electric WWE matches of the modern era: CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship.

With Punk’s contract set to expire at midnight, Chicago fully behind him, and Vince McMahon desperate to stop him from leaving with the title, this match becomes more than just Cena vs. Punk — it becomes a full-blown WWE crisis. The guys talk about the legendary crowd, the fallout from the pipe bomb, Cena trying to win “the right way,” Vince and Laurinaitis attempting a screwjob, Alberto Del Rio’s failed cash-in, and Punk’s iconic escape through the crowd with the championship.

Was it really a five-star classic? Is this Cena’s best match? And how much did Chicago make this thing feel bigger than wrestling?

Bradley and Aaron rewind one of the defining matches of the 2010s.

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Bayley finally gets her moment.

In this bonus episode of Grapple City Rewind, Bradley and Aaron revisit one of the most important women's matches in wrestling history: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Championship from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (August 22, 2015).

The guys break down the story of Bayley, the last of the Four Horsewomen to reach the top of NXT, fighting to prove she belongs alongside Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. They discuss Sasha's star-making heel performance, Bayley's underdog journey, the electric Brooklyn crowd, and the incredible match psychology that helped turn this bout into a defining moment of WWE's Women's Revolution.

From Bayley's inflatable tube men to Sasha's bodyguard entrance, from the brutal targeting of Bayley's injured hand to the unforgettable top-rope Poison Rana, this is a match that still holds up more than a decade later.

Was this the greatest women's match in WWE history? Did Black & Gold NXT represent the perfect blend of sports-based wrestling and character-driven storytelling? And does Bayley vs. Sasha deserve its legendary reputation?

Join us as we revisit an all-time classic and decide whether it's a Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind.

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For our first June bonus episode, we're revisiting one of the wildest WWE main events of the modern era: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match from SummerSlam 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee.

This was billed as the final chapter in the legendary Brock vs Roman rivalry, and WWE pulled out all the stops. Brock arrives in a tractor wearing a cowboy hat, Roman enters with the fully-loaded Bloodline, and what follows is absolute mayhem. Tables break, bodies pile up, Paul Heyman takes an F5, Austin Theory gets flattened, and Brock literally lifts the ring with a tractor.

We discuss:

• Prime Bloodline-era Roman Reigns
• Brock's unforgettable tractor entrance
• The viral ring-lifting spot
• Whether the Usos felt too much like Roman's henchmen
• Paul Heyman and Austin Theory getting wrecked
• The controversial interference-heavy finish
• Dave Meltzer's 4.5-star rating
• Whether this really was the last Brock vs Roman match

Plus our Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind ratings.

Listen now and relive one of the most memorable WWE spectacle matches of the 2020s.

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This week on Grapple City Rewind, we head to Nashville for one of the strangest and most ambitious events in wrestling history: Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling.

WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling collide in a seven-match international tournament to determine which country reigns supreme. There's just one problem: nobody seems entirely sure how the tournament works.

Along the way we get Jushin Thunder Liger making his first appearance on the podcast, Eddie Guerrero before he became Eddie Guerrero, Bobby Heenan openly rooting against America, Lex Luger's torture rack carrying the hopes of an entire nation, and enough mullets to qualify as a strategic reserve.

Was this the original Forbidden Door? Was Eric Bischoff years ahead of his time? And can a show packed with great wrestling still feel oddly lifeless?

Plus, before the rewind, Brad and Aaron discuss AEW's Double or Nothing 2026, including Okada vs. Takeshita, FTR vs. Cope & Christian, and whether AEW just delivered the best pay-per-view of the year.

Grab your tiny Japanese flag, dust off your USA chants, and join us for Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling. 🇺🇸🏆🇯🇵

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On the very first edition of In Your House, the WWF promised fans one thing above all else: somebody was going to WIN A FREE HOUSE IN FLORIDA.

This week on Grapple City Rewind, Bradley and Aaron head back to May 1995 for a bizarre slice of New Generation-era WWF featuring Bret Hart vs. Hakushi, Diesel vs. Psycho Sid, Jerry Lawler’s fake mom, Todd Pettengale’s unholy mullet, screaming fans losing their minds for The Smoking Gunns, and one referee who somehow got trapped in the ropes.

We break down:

• Bret Hart pulling double duty
• Hakushi’s fake tattoos and underrated offense
• Diesel’s weird Beatles promo
• The house giveaway heard around the world
• Why this show somehow feels charming despite the chaos
• And whether the FIRST In Your House PPV is a PLAY, PAUSE, or FAST FORWARD

Plus:

• WWE Backlash 2026 thoughts
• Braun Breakker’s rise
• Danhausen & Minihausen chaos
• Asuka vs. Iyo Sky reactions
• Listener comments from the Grapple Gang

Call the Grapple Gang hotline anytime:
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New episodes every week covering the best, worst, weirdest, and most unforgettable wrestling PPVs of the VHS era.

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We just got back from WrestleMania in Vegas… and now we’re rewinding to one of the strangest, most uneven WrestleManias of all time.

This week on Grapple City Rewind, we dig into WWF WrestleMania X (1994) — a show that somehow opens with an all-time classic… and then spends the rest of the night trying to live up to it.

Two Bret Hart matches in one night because one beating isn’t enough.
Two Yokozuna matches because gravity demands sacrifice.
Two Intercontinental Champions who both think they’re the real one.
One ladder match that has to carry the entire show.

We break down Bret vs. Owen, the chaos of the double main event, the Lex Luger push quietly dying in real time, and the absolute fever dream energy of fake Bill Clinton wandering around like everything’s normal.

Is this actually a great WrestleMania?
Or just a mess held together by one iconic match?

We’ll decide.

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Bradley and Aaron rewind to WrestleMania 1 (1985)—the show that launched a billion-dollar empire—and break down all the chaos: nine matches, celebrity overload, bear hugs for days, and barely any actual wrestling.

From Liberace and Muhammad Ali to King Kong Bundy’s 9-second squash, this is less a wrestling show and more a bizarre cultural time capsule.

Plus, we kick things off with thoughts on the current product, including AEW Dynasty, and run through our WrestleMania predictions before heading back to where it all began.

Does it deserve its legendary status… or is it just weird?

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

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