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Grapple City Rewind

Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink

We revisit the pay-per-views, TV specials, and beautifully bizarre moments that shaped wrestling history, then decide if they deserve a Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind

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  • 27 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 54 min
  • English

Episodes 27

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  • S2 · E10
    April 6 · 1 hr 12 min

    What a Maneuver - WWF WrestleMania XII (1996)

    Send us a text or voicemail 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 Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E9
    March 22 · 36 min

    Wrestling Under Watchful Eyes - NJPW / WCW Collision in Korea (1995)

    Send us a text or voicemail Collision in Korea 1995 is one of the strangest events in wrestling history. WCW and New Japan brought a massive show to North Korea, drawing over 300,000 people… but something felt completely off. The crowd barely reacted, the atmosphere was eerie, and even solid matches felt lifeless. We break down the weird vibe, standout moments like Flair vs Inoki, and why this is a “watch it so you don’t have to” show. (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E8
    March 5 · 1 hr 14 min

    Icon vs Icon and a Broomstick - WWF WrestleMania X8 (2002)

    Send us a text or voicemail Hulk Hogan. The Rock. Sixty-eight thousand screaming fans in Toronto. And somehow… a broomstick gets involved. This week on Grapple City Rewind, Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink head back to WWF WrestleMania X8 (2002) — the strange transitional moment where the Attitude Era crashes head-first into nostalgia. The nWo has arrived, Limp Bizkit is blasting through the arena, and the WWF is suddenly leaning hard on legends again. But nothing on this show matters more than Icon vs Icon: Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs The Rock. What starts as a simple dream match quickly turns into one of the loudest crowd reactions in wrestling history, with Toronto hijacking the entire narrative and accidentally resurrecting Hulkamania in real time. Along the way we also get: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Scott Hall in a beer-soaked brawl with the nWo lurking Ric Flair bleeding buckets against The Undertaker in a brutal fight for the Streak Kurt Angle and Kane throwing each other around like refrigerators The chaotic Hardcore Championship insanity Nu-metal everywhere you look And one of the weirdest tonal WrestleManias WWE ever produced It’s legends, blood, nostalgia, and a crowd that refuses to follow the script. Because sometimes WrestleMania history isn’t written by the booking. Sometimes the crowd decides. 🎙️ Grapple City Rewind — where we revisit the wildest, weirdest, and most unforgettable wrestling pay-per-views of the VHS era. (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E7
    February 26 · 1 hr 15 min

    Let Him Piss - ECW CyberSlam 1996

    Send us a text or voicemail Grapple City Rewind heads back to the gritty ECW Arena in February 1996 for CyberSlam 96, Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink break down the chaotic compilation-style event featuring Taz squashes, a completely unhinged Brian Pillman segment, dancing babyface Bubba Ray Dudley, triple dog collar madness, and the only true wrestling clinic of the night Too Cold Scorpio vs Sabu, we debate whether ECW’s wild run-in heavy style still holds up, question Meltzer’s dud-heavy ratings, revisit Cactus Jack vs Shane Douglas in a brutal chair shot spectacle, compare modern crowd energy after attending AEW Dynamite live, and discuss The Smashing Machine and how MMA crossover stories shaped the aura of workers like Taz during the 90s (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E6
    February 14 · 57 min

    Penis Jewelry - WWF No Way Out 2000

    Send us a text or voicemail Grapple City Rewind heads to No Way Out 2000 as Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink break down Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho, Dudleys vs New Age Outlaws, the infamous Mae Young pregnancy storyline with Mark Henry, Kane vs X-Pac chaos, Too Cool vs The Radicalz, Big Show vs The Rock controversy, and the brutal Hell in a Cell main event between Triple H and Cactus Jack. Was this Attitude Era PPV a hidden gem or just main-event dependent? We give it our Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind rating and debate whether the Foley vs Triple H war saves the show. (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E5
    February 5 · 1 hr 8 min

    Wrestling, on Meth - WWF No Way Out 2001

    Send us a text or voicemail WWF No Way Out 2001 is where the Attitude Era officially flies off the rails. We’re talking shopping carts, stop signs, barbed wire, blood everywhere, and a level of sleaze and chaos that feels less like wrestling and more like a bad decision made at 3 a.m. This show exists in that weird space between WrestleMania hype and total creative insanity—and somehow manages to be both fascinating and exhausting. Brad and Aaron break down a night that includes: A hardcore match that immediately asks “what am I signing up for?” Vince McMahon being aggressively gross Jerry Springer–level storytelling disguised as wrestling A brutally violent Three Stages of Hell match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H that absolutely did not need anything to follow it One of the most unhinged vibes we’ve covered on the show so far Is this peak Attitude Era madness? A cautionary tale? Or just wrestling on meth? We sort it out so you don’t have to. (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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  • S2 · E4
    January 29 · 1 hr 4 min

    All Curves, No Breaks – WWF Royal Rumble 2002

    Send us a text or voicemail We rewind to January 20, 2002 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta for Royal Rumble 2002, a stacked card sitting right on the edge of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression. From WWF New York time-capsule chaos to Vince McMahon absolutely loving being evil, we break down every match, every Lawler quip that aged like milk, and every massive star moment. The Rumble itself is loaded with returns, all-time pops, and one Tough Enough contestant who chose death. Plus, we kick things off with predictions for Royal Rumble 2026 in Riyadh, argue about AJ Styles’ retirement rumors, and debate whether Dasani water can ever be intimidating. All killer, very little filler — it’s a full rewind. (626) 657-SLAM Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com IG: @grapplecitypod X: @grapplecitypod TikTok: @grapplecitypod Threads: @grapplecitypod Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

    • Transcript
Showing 21–27 of 27 episodes