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
Colder Than a Mother-in-Law’s Kiss - WWF Royal Rumble 1998
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The Attitude Era doesn’t explode overnight — it creaks, leaks, and occasionally catches fire.
Royal Rumble 1998 is the moment where everything finally tilts forward.
Before the Rumble even starts, Terry Funk and Mick Foley try to kill each other with chairs, chainsaws, and zero regard for OSHA. Stone Cold Steve Austin is a marked man, the NWA briefly wanders onto WWF television to tell everyone to stop having fun, and JR delivers some of the most unhinged one-liners of his career.
We break down:
- Foley becoming the only man to enter one Rumble as three different people
- Why this match feels more alive than most modern Rumbles
- The Nation collapsing in real time
- Kane, caskets, gasoline, and the question: how many times can The Undertaker die?
- Shawn Michaels doing extremely heel shit while holding the championship together with tape
- Why this might be the most grounded version of the Attitude Era before everything goes completely off the rails
It’s chaotic, funny, occasionally stupid, and full of stakes that actually matter — the Royal Rumble operating exactly as it should.
Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com
IG: @grapplecitypod
TikTok: @grapplecitypod
Threads: @grapplecitypod
Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.
Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.
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