🚨 WHEN IT WAS REAL – EPISODE 61 🚨

The Wrestling Wayback Machine stops at the legendary Madison Square Garden… April 26, 1976… and what should have been another triumphant night for the champion turned into one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.

A sellout crowd came to see the unstoppable Bruno… but left in stunned silence. A new, dangerous force had arrived — Stan “The Lariat” Hansen — and in one devastating moment, everything changed. A broken neck. A fallen legend. And a city in disbelief.

What REALLY happened that night?

Nikita Breznikov and Benny “The Playa” Scala take you deeper than ever — uncovering the story BEHIND the story, only on When It Was Real.

📅 LIVE Wednesday, April 29

Strap in… history isn’t just remembered — it’s relived.

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWaybackMachine #MSG1976 #Bruno #StanHansen #ProWrestlingHistory #TerritoryDays #OldSchoolWrestling #WrestlingPodcast #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #LivePodcast #WrestlingLegends #BehindTheStory

🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL – EPISODE 60 🔥

The Wrestling Wayback Machine is fired up once again as Nikita and Benny take you back to April 23, 1983, in Landover, Maryland—where the giants walked tall and the action hit HARD!

Step into a night where legends collided and the stakes were sky-high…

💥 André the Giant vs. John Studd – a true battle of behemoths that shook the ring to its core!

From the electric crowd to the unforgettable showdowns, this episode dives deep into one of the most hard-hitting cards of the era. Relive the drama, the larger-than-life personalities, and the moments that made wrestling feel… REAL.

📺 Catch it LIVE Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30 PM on The Playa Entertainment Network

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWaybackMachine #WWF1983 #AndreTheGiant #JohnStudd #DonMuraco #RockyJohnson #IntercontinentalChampionship #ProWrestlingHistory #OldSchoolWrestling #TerritorialDays #WrestlingLegends #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork

 The Wrestling Wayback Machine is rolling ALL THE WAY BACK to April 14, 1975…

This week, Nikita and Benny take a deep dive into one of the most intense nights in WWWF history…

💥 HEADLINER:

Once allies… now fueled by betrayal, pride, and pure hatred—this wasn’t just a match… it was WAR.

But that’s not all…

🎙️ Join Nikita and Benny as they break it all down, relive the drama, and take you back to a time when the punches felt real… and the stakes were even higher.

⏳ Step inside the time machine…

👉 WHEN IT WAS REAL 👈

📅 LIVE: Wednesday, April 15

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWaybackMachine #BrunoSammartino #SpirosArion #MadisonSquareGarden #WWWF #OldSchoolWrestling #ProWrestlingHistory #TerritoryDays #WrestlingLegends #GreekDeathMatch #ClassicWrestling #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #LivePodcast #WrestlingFans #BackInTheDay #VintageWrestling

🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL – EPISODE 58 🔥

Step inside the most legendary arena in wrestling history—Madison Square Garden—and rewind the clock to April 6, 1981… when the lights were brighter, the stakes were higher, and wrestling felt REAL.

This week, Nikita and Benny fire up the Wrestling Wayback Machine and drop you right into a night packed with pure, hard-hitting history:

👑 The WWF Championship hangs in the balance as Bob Backlund, the reigning king of the World Wrestling Federation steps into a brutal Steel Cage Match against the unstoppable Stan Hansen. No escape. No mercy. Just carnage.

🏆 The legendary Pedro Morales defends his Intercontinental Championship—proving why he was one of the most respected champions of his era.

💥 And in a clash that would ignite one of the fiercest rivalries of the early ‘80s…

🎙️ From the roar of the Garden crowd to the bone-crushing action in the ring, this is more than nostalgia… it’s a deep dive into a time when every punch mattered, every rivalry burned hotter, and every moment felt unforgettable.

📺 Join Nikita & Benny as they break it all down, relive every moment, and take you back…

👉 WHEN IT WAS REAL

#WhenItWasReal #WWF #MadisonSquareGarden #StanHansen #PedroMorales #PatPatterson #SergeantSlaughter #WrestlingHistory #OldSchoolWrestling #SteelCageMatch #PlayaEntertainment #WrestlingWaybackMachine

Nikita and Benny wish everyone a Happy Easter! This is actually an interview from our former sister podcast (Classic Pro Wrestling With The WFIA) from the Fall of 2025. Our guest is the lovely Desiree Petersen, former WWF Women's Tag Team Champion. Although she wasn't in the business very long, Desiree most definitely made her mark in the world of professional wrestling!

🔥 MSG. 1979. PURE WRESTLING MAGIC. 🔥

🏆 WWWF Champion Bob Backlund vs. Greg Valentine

💥 But that’s just the beginning…

🎙️ Join Nikita & Benny as they break down all 9 action-packed bouts, the rivalries, the crowd energy, and the magic that made this era unforgettable!

🕰️ Step inside the ring…

📺 LIVE Wednesday, March 25th at 7:30 PM

⚡ The Wrestling Wayback Machine rolls on… and YOU’RE invited!

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWayback #MSG1979 #BobBacklund #GregValentine #BrunoSammartino #DustyRhodes #IvanKoloff #OldSchoolWrestling #TerritoryDays #ProWrestlingHistory #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #ClassicWrestling #WWWF #WrestlingLegends

🚨 THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT 🚨

Step inside the legendary Philadelphia Spectrum and witness one of the most STACKED cards of the late ‘70s!

On Episode 56 of When It Was Real, Nikita and Benny fire up the Wrestling Wayback Machine and take you back to March 25, 1978 — a night where legends collided and history was made.

🔥 DOUBLE MAIN EVENT 🔥

💥 BONUS MATCH 💥

From sold-out crowds to hard-hitting action, this is professional wrestling the way it was meant to be…

🎙️ Join Nikita and Benny as they break it ALL down — the matches, the moments, and the magic of a bygone era.

🕰️ Take the ride… back to when it was REAL.

📅 Wednesday, March 24th

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWaybackMachine #BobBacklund #BrunoSammartino #KenPatera #SpirosArion #SgtSlaughter #PhiladelphiaSpectrum #OldSchoolWrestling #ProWrestlingHistory #TerritoryDays #ClassicWrestling #WrestlingPodcast #PlayaEntertainment

Here is one of our favorite episodes for your listening pleasure! The 1999 Heroes of Wrestling event still evokes controversy, over a quarter century later! Get the straight scoop from Nikita, who was there!

The Wrestling Wayback Machine fires up once again on Episode 55 of the When It Was Real Podcast!* This week, Nikita and Benny land in the mecca of professional wrestling — Madison Square Garden — on March 24, 1980, for one of the most electric nights in wrestling history.

The spotlight shines on the first Madison Square Garden showdown between teacher and student as the Living Legend Bruno Sammartino faces his former protégé Larry Zbyszko in a bitter and deeply personal battle that would ignite one of wrestling’s most unforgettable rivalries.

But the action doesn’t stop there! This legendary card is stacked with some of the biggest names of the era, including the unstoppable Andre the Giant, the powerful Ken Patera, Texas sensation Kerry Von Erich, and a young rising star named Hulk Hogan. And of course, the reigning WWF Champion Bob Backlund is on hand as the Garden crowd witnesses a night packed with larger-than-life personalities and unforgettable moments.

Long before the spectacle of WrestleMania, nights like this were the true supercards of professional wrestling. In many ways, this legendary MSG event was WrestleMania… five years before the first one ever happened!

Join Nikita and Benny as they break down the matches, the rivalries, the atmosphere, and the unforgettable magic of a time when it was real.

📺 LIVE Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30 PM only on the Playa Entertainment Network!

#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingWaybackMachine #MadisonSquareGarden #BrunoSammartino #LarryZbyszko #AndreTheGiant #HulkHogan #BobBacklund #KenPatera #KerryVonErich #ClassicWrestling #TerritoryEra #ProWrestlingHistory #PlayaEntertainmentNetwork #OldSchoolWrestling

Here's a special bonus episode to get you through the weekend! In this episode, Nikita and Benny talk about those guys we watched on the losing end every Saturday morning! They'd get that one flurry of offense in, only to be put to the mat for the 3 count in short order. But even though they lost, we loved them anyway!