Grapple City Rewind

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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. 

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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.

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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.

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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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.

(626) 657-SLAM

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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 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?

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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WrestleMania season rolls on in Grapple City Rewind, and this week Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink dive headfirst into WrestleMania XII—a show defined by contrasts, chaos, and one of the most famous main events in wrestling history. From the jump, it’s clear this isn’t your typical Mania: we’ve got a bizarre mix of New Generation weirdness, Attitude Era seeds being planted, and a main event that dares to go a full 60 minutes.

Before getting there, the guys break down the current product during WrestleMania season—questioning crowd reactions, the blurred lines between heel and babyface, and whether WWE even cares anymore if fans follow the script. Then it’s back to 1996, where a stacked six-man tag kicks things off with nearly a literal ton of humanity in the ring, and somehow still manages to swerve expectations.

From there, things get strange. Very strange.

Roddy Piper vs. Goldust spirals into a cinematic backlot brawl complete with OJ-style freeway footage, sound effects that feel dubbed in from another dimension, and one of the weirdest endings ever aired on a WrestleMania broadcast. Meanwhile, a “throwaway” match features a not-quite-yet Stone Cold Steve Austin quietly inching toward superstardom, reminding everyone how quickly things were about to change.

The show continues with an absurd clash of eras as Ultimate Warrior steamrolls Hunter Hearst Helmsley in under two minutes, followed by a surprisingly divisive big-man battle between The Undertaker and Diesel that splits Bradley and Aaron right down the middle.

And then… the main event.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels in a 60-minute Iron Man Match. No falls. No shortcuts. Just endurance, psychology, and two of the best to ever do it pushing each other to the limit. The guys unpack the pacing, the crowd dynamics, the subtle storytelling, and how this match both holds up and feels like a blueprint for everything that came after.

It’s WrestleMania XII—equal parts awkward, iconic, experimental, and essential. And Grapple City Rewind is here to break it all down.

(626) 657-SLAM

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.