Grapple City 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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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Before Chelsea Green became WWE's Hot Mess, she was Reklusa, 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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

Send us a text or voicemail

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.

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.