📅 **Air Date:** 16-05-26
📻 **Broadcast on Phoenix 92.5 FM**
This week on The Wrestling Rewind, Darragh and Christopher react to one of the most surprising WWE stories of the year as **The New Day's WWE run appears to come to an abrupt end**. The pair discuss the controversial handling of veteran talent, WWE's ongoing cost-cutting measures under TKO, and whether some of the company's biggest stars are now being treated as disposable assets rather than long-term investments.
We also examine the wider fallout from recent WWE releases, debate whether AEW should sign every available free agent, and discuss how modern wrestling companies balance talent, contracts, and storytelling.
The show then shifts to a tribute to **Ted Turner**, reflecting on the enormous impact he had on professional wrestling through WCW, Monday Nitro, and the Monday Night Wars. We discuss how wrestling today would look very different without Turner’s willingness to challenge WWE and invest in the industry.
Next up is the announcement of the **John Cena Classic**, a new fan-interactive WWE tournament that could feature talent from both WWE and NXT. We debate whether fan voting can still work in modern wrestling and whether WWE can avoid overcomplicating the concept.
We also review **Backlash 2026**, discussing the major matches, surprises, Danhausen’s involvement, and why Christopher gave the event one of the highest ratings he's awarded this year.
Finally, we fire up the Time Machine and head back to **Backlash 1999**, the very first Backlash event. Featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, Triple H vs X-Pac, The Undertaker vs Ken Shamrock, and Mick Foley’s brutal Boiler Room Brawl, we revisit one of the most entertaining WWF shows of the Attitude Era and compare its storytelling to modern wrestling.
🎧 Honest opinions, wrestling history, industry discussion, and plenty of debate from two fans who still love wrestling.
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▶️ **YouTube Chapters (Short & Punchy)**
00:00 The Wrestling Rewind Intro
01:15 The New Day Leave WWE
05:00 Why The Departure Feels Different
09:00 TKO, Pay Cuts & WWE Releases
13:00 Are Wrestlers Just Corporate Assets Now?
16:00 WWE Ticket Prices & Fan Interest
19:30 Two-Night PLEs Under Fire
23:30 WWE Creative Problems
27:00 AEW Signing Released Talent Debate
31:00 Remembering Ted Turner
37:00 John Cena Classic Announced
40:00 Can Fan Voting Work Again?
43:30 Backlash 2026 Review
47:00 Danhausen & Surprise Moments
48:30 Time Machine – Backlash 1999
50:00 Boiler Room Brawl
51:30 Undertaker vs Ken Shamrock
53:00 Austin vs The Rock
55:00 YouTube Comments & Mailbag
57:30 Final Thoughts
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🎧 **Spotify Timestamps**
00:00 Show intro and Phoenix FM opening
01:15 The New Day's surprising WWE exit
05:00 Why the departure shocked fans
09:00 TKO, pay cuts and roster management
13:00 WWE treating talent as assets discussion
16:00 WWE ticket sales and fan attendance concerns
19:30 The problem with two-night premium live events
23:30 WWE creative direction criticism
27:00 Should AEW sign every released wrestler?
31:00 Ted Turner’s impact on wrestling history
37:00 John Cena announces the Cena Classic
40:00 Fan voting and Cyber Sunday comparisons
43:30 Full Backlash 2026 review
47:00 Danhausen and the mystery partner discussion
48:30 Time Machine: Backlash 1999
50:00 Boiler Room Brawl revisited
51:30 Undertaker vs Ken Shamrock
53:00 Steve Austin vs The Rock
55:00 Listener comments and community discussion
57:30 Closing thoughts and plugs
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🔗 **Follow & Support**
🎙 **Christopher's Podcast: The Josh Zodiac Podcast**
YouTube: youtube.com/@THEJoshZodiacPodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thejoshzodiacpodcast
X: x.com/joshzodiacpod
🐦 **Darragh on X:** @darraghwv
🌐 **Website:** nerdtoknowmedia.com
#TheWrestlingRewind #WWE #AEW #TheNewDay #JohnCena #Backlash #TedTurner #WCW #WrestlingPodcast #ProWrestling #WrestlingHistory #Backlash1999 #WWEReleases #TKO #Danhausen
