Grapple City Rewind
Step into the time machine and rewind the glory (and the weirdness) of pro wrestling’s VHS era. Hosted by Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink, Grapple City Rewind dives deep into classic pay-per-views from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s—unpacking everything from five-star classics to glitter botches, fake Diesels, and forgotten squash matches.
Each episode blends play-by-play recaps, backstage trivia, and plenty of sarcastic banter. Sometimes it’s reverence, sometimes it’s ridicule, but it’s always passionate. Whether we’re debating star ratings, laughing at signs, or reliving Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind, we’re here to remind you why you fell in love with wrestling in the first place.
We kick off every show with a look at today’s wrestling headlines, then rewind to the pay-per-views that shaped us as fans. Think of it as a tape-trading party with your loudest friends, only with better audio.
Want to cut a promo on us? Call 626-657-SLAM and tell us what you loved, hated, or want us to cover next.
Grapple City Rewind – part history lesson, part comedy roast, all love for the squared circle.
Grapple City Rewind
What a Maneuver - WWF WrestleMania XII (1996)
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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.
This episode brought to you by Weber4Law - your tag team partner when life body-slams you out of nowhere. Call (818) 502-9200 or visit https://weber4law.com/
Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com
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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.
Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.
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