Bonus Episode: CM Punk Leaves With the Belt

Bonus Episode: CM Punk Leaves With the Belt

This week on Grapple City Rewind, Bradley and Aaron head back to Money in the Bank 2011 for one of the most electric WWE matches of the modern era: CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship. With Punk’s contract set to expire at midnight, Chicago fully behind him, and Vince McMahon desperate to stop him from leaving with the title, this match becomes more than just Cena vs. Punk — it becomes a full-blown WWE crisis. The guys talk about the legendary crowd, the fallout from the pipe bomb, Cena trying to win “the right way,” Vince and Laurinaitis attempting a screwjob, Alberto Del Rio’s failed cash-in, and Punk’s iconic escape through the crowd with the championship. Was it really a five-star classic? Is this Cena’s best match? And how much did Chicago make this thing feel bigger than wrestling? Bradley and Aaron rewind one of the defining matches of the 2010s.  (626) 657-SLAM [tel:+16266577526] Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com [grapplecitypod@gmail.com] IG: @grapplecitypod [https://www.instagram.com/grapplecitypod/] X:  @grapplecitypod [https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fgrapplecitypod] TikTok: @grapplecitypod [https://www.tiktok.com/@grapplecitypod?_t=ZT-8u3yv3WM5Bz&_r=1] Threads: @grapplecitypod [https://www.threads.net/@grapplecitypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

Bonus Episode: Did Bayley vs. Sasha Change Wrestling Forever?

Bayley finally gets her moment. In this bonus episode of Grapple City Rewind, Bradley and Aaron revisit one of the most important women's matches in wrestling history: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Championship from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (August 22, 2015). The guys break down the story of Bayley, the last of the Four Horsewomen to reach the top of NXT, fighting to prove she belongs alongside Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. They discuss Sasha's star-making heel performance, Bayley's underdog journey, the electric Brooklyn crowd, and the incredible match psychology that helped turn this bout into a defining moment of WWE's Women's Revolution. From Bayley's inflatable tube men to Sasha's bodyguard entrance, from the brutal targeting of Bayley's injured hand to the unforgettable top-rope Poison Rana, this is a match that still holds up more than a decade later. Was this the greatest women's match in WWE history? Did Black & Gold NXT represent the perfect blend of sports-based wrestling and character-driven storytelling? And does Bayley vs. Sasha deserve its legendary reputation? Join us as we revisit an all-time classic and decide whether it's a Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind. (626) 657-SLAM [tel:+16266577526] Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com [grapplecitypod@gmail.com] IG: @grapplecitypod [https://www.instagram.com/grapplecitypod/] X:  @grapplecitypod [https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fgrapplecitypod] TikTok: @grapplecitypod [https://www.tiktok.com/@grapplecitypod?_t=ZT-8u3yv3WM5Bz&_r=1] Threads: @grapplecitypod [https://www.threads.net/@grapplecitypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

Bonus Episode: Big Ass Country Boy

For our first June bonus episode, we're revisiting one of the wildest WWE main events of the modern era: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match from SummerSlam 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. This was billed as the final chapter in the legendary Brock vs Roman rivalry, and WWE pulled out all the stops. Brock arrives in a tractor wearing a cowboy hat, Roman enters with the fully-loaded Bloodline, and what follows is absolute mayhem. Tables break, bodies pile up, Paul Heyman takes an F5, Austin Theory gets flattened, and Brock literally lifts the ring with a tractor. We discuss: *  Prime Bloodline-era Roman Reigns  *  Brock's unforgettable tractor entrance  *  The viral ring-lifting spot  *  Whether the Usos felt too much like Roman's henchmen  *  Paul Heyman and Austin Theory getting wrecked  *  The controversial interference-heavy finish  *  Dave Meltzer's 4.5-star rating  *  Whether this really was the last Brock vs Roman match  Plus our Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind ratings. Listen now and relive one of the most memorable WWE spectacle matches of the 2020s. (626) 657-SLAM [tel:+16266577526] Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com [grapplecitypod@gmail.com] IG: @grapplecitypod [https://www.instagram.com/grapplecitypod/] X:  @grapplecitypod [https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fgrapplecitypod] TikTok: @grapplecitypod [https://www.tiktok.com/@grapplecitypod?_t=ZT-8u3yv3WM5Bz&_r=1] Threads: @grapplecitypod [https://www.threads.net/@grapplecitypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

Nashville vs Japan - WCW Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling

This week on Grapple City Rewind, we head to Nashville for one of the strangest and most ambitious events in wrestling history: Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling. WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling collide in a seven-match international tournament to determine which country reigns supreme. There's just one problem: nobody seems entirely sure how the tournament works. Along the way we get Jushin Thunder Liger making his first appearance on the podcast, Eddie Guerrero before he became Eddie Guerrero, Bobby Heenan openly rooting against America, Lex Luger's torture rack carrying the hopes of an entire nation, and enough mullets to qualify as a strategic reserve. Was this the original Forbidden Door? Was Eric Bischoff years ahead of his time? And can a show packed with great wrestling still feel oddly lifeless? Plus, before the rewind, Brad and Aaron discuss AEW's Double or Nothing 2026, including Okada vs. Takeshita, FTR vs. Cope & Christian, and whether AEW just delivered the best pay-per-view of the year. Grab your tiny Japanese flag, dust off your USA chants, and join us for Starrcade 1995: World Cup of Wrestling. 🇺🇸🏆🇯🇵 📞 Voicemail: 626-657-SLAM  📸 Instagram: @grapplecitypod  ⭐ Leave a review and tell a fellow wrestling fan about the show. 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/ [https://weber4law.com/] (626) 657-SLAM [tel:+16266577526] Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com [grapplecitypod@gmail.com] IG: @grapplecitypod [https://www.instagram.com/grapplecitypod/] X:  @grapplecitypod [https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fgrapplecitypod] TikTok: @grapplecitypod [https://www.tiktok.com/@grapplecitypod?_t=ZT-8u3yv3WM5Bz&_r=1] Threads: @grapplecitypod [https://www.threads.net/@grapplecitypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

This Is How WrestleMania Started?? - WWF Wrestlemania (1985)

Bradley and Aaron rewind to WrestleMania 1 (1985)—the show that launched a billion-dollar empire—and break down all the chaos: nine matches, celebrity overload, bear hugs for days, and barely any actual wrestling. From Liberace and Muhammad Ali to King Kong Bundy’s 9-second squash, this is less a wrestling show and more a bizarre cultural time capsule. Plus, we kick things off with thoughts on the current product, including AEW Dynasty, and run through our WrestleMania predictions before heading back to where it all began. Does it deserve its legendary status… or is it just weird? (626) 657-SLAM [tel:+16266577526] Email: Grapplecitypod@gmail.com [grapplecitypod@gmail.com] IG: @grapplecitypod [https://www.instagram.com/grapplecitypod/] X:  @grapplecitypod [https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fgrapplecitypod] TikTok: @grapplecitypod [https://www.tiktok.com/@grapplecitypod?_t=ZT-8u3yv3WM5Bz&_r=1] Threads: @grapplecitypod [https://www.threads.net/@grapplecitypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens. Created by  Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.