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It’s spooky season at Grapple City Rewind, so we’re heading into the Temple for one of Lucha Underground’s most brutal matches: Mil Muertes vs. Fénix in the first-ever Grave Consequences match.

The Man of a Thousand Deaths meets the Man of a Thousand Lives in a bloody, chaotic fight involving a coffin, concrete stairs, torn masks, busted-open faces, and one of the wildest atmospheres Lucha Underground ever created.

Brad and Aaron break down the match, the bizarre supernatural mythology surrounding Mil Muertes, Fénix’s punishment, the incredible production of the Temple, and why this match still stands out more than a decade later.

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

Mil Muertes vs. Fénix
Lucha Underground – Grave Consequences
Aired March 18, 2015

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

Created by Bradley Palermo & Aaron Fink.

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It’s 1996, WCW is beating the WWF in the ratings, the NWO is taking over, and somehow there are TWO Stings.

Bradley Palermo and Aaron Fink rewind WCW Fall Brawl 1996, featuring WarGames, the real Sting vs. Fake Sting confusion, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Lex Luger, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, plus one of the most ridiculous finishes we’ve seen yet. Luger never even submits, Nick Patrick decides he did anyway, and the NWO keeps rolling.

Elsewhere on the card, a young Chris Jericho makes his first WCW pay-per-view appearance against Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio Jr. defends the Cruiserweight Championship, DDP takes on Chavo Guerrero Jr., Harlem Heat battle the Nasty Boys, and Randy Savage somehow manages to slam The Giant before the usual NWO bullshit takes over.

Plus: early-internet WCW, CompuServe, questionable Meltzer ratings, Brad’s inability to pronounce Juventud Guerrera, Aaron defending full nelsons, and an unexpected Sami Zayn appreciation segment before we even get to 1996.

Thirty years later, does Fall Brawl ’96 still hold up, or should this one stay buried in the Monday Night War?

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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Grapple City Rewind throws out the rulebook for a bonus episode and jumps to October 29, 2020 for one of the most brutal matches of the pandemic era: WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship.

With zero fans in the building, every chop, kick, slap and scream echoes through the room as Dragunov tries to survive a champion already 573 days into his historic reign. Brad and Aaron talk WALTER before he became Gunther, Dragunov’s insane comeback, the match’s five-star reputation, pandemic-era wrestling, and why this might be one of the best examples of pro wrestling ever feeling like a legitimate fight.

No crowd. No weapons. Just two guys beating the absolute shit out of each other.

Fast Forward, Play, or Rewind?

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The boys head to Chicago’s Comiskey Park for AWA SuperClash ’85, a massive, chaotic attempt to answer WrestleMania with 25,000 fans, 13 matches, approximately 900 championships and more nationalism than anyone asked for.

Brad and Aaron break down Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A., the Road Warriors vs. the Fabulous Freebirds, Kerry Von Erich at full rock-star status, a completely unrecognizable Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, Sgt. Slaughter, Kamala, Stan Hansen beating the hell out of Rick Martel all over the ballpark, and plenty more.

There are questionable finishes, fake titles, blood on the infield, wrestlers fighting through the dugout, a “Kill Commie” sign, and one perfectly captured fan screaming, “Yeah, fuckface! You lost!”

Was AWA SuperClash actually better than WrestleMania I? Brad and Aaron give their Fast Forward, Play or Rewind verdicts.

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Bradley and Aaron rewind to WWF SummerSlam 1999, a show where Jesse Ventura is governor and special guest referee, Shane McMahon somehow has one of the best matches on the card, and Jerry Lawler spends an alarming amount of time talking about asses.

Chris Jericho makes his first WWF pay-per-view appearance, Al Snow and Big Boss Man brawl out of the arena and into a bar, Test fights Shane McMahon over his relationship with Stephanie, and The Rock faces Billy Gunn in the unforgettable “Kiss My Ass” match that gives this episode its title: Butt Breath.

Plus: AOL signs, Pepper the dog, the Mean Street Posse, Jesse Ventura making up his own rules, and a Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H vs. Mankind main event that raises one big question:

Does SummerSlam 1999 actually hold up, or is this one better left in 1999?

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Brad and Aaron head back to Hamilton, Ontario for WWF Breakdown: In Your House 1998, a show caught right in the middle of the Attitude Era getting completely out of control.

Christian makes his first WWF appearance, Vader heads for the exit, The Rock looks more and more like the next megastar, and Gangrel leaves Brad wondering if he’s a little too chunky for the vampire lifestyle. Plus: Owen Hart vs. Edge, Mankind vs. The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock inside a steel cage, plenty of questionable Vince Russo-era booking, and Stone Cold Steve Austin defending the WWF Championship against Kane and The Undertaker under rules seemingly designed to make absolutely no sense.

Before the rewind, Brad and Aaron also catch up on the latest SummerSlam.

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Follow That, Motherfuckers — WWE SummerSlam 2002

On this episode of Grapple City Rewind, Brad and Aaron head back to WWE SummerSlam 2002, a show many fans call one of the greatest SummerSlams ever. We break down the stacked card from top to bottom, including Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge, The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar, and the night’s true show-stealer: Shawn Michaels’ return against Triple H in an unsanctioned war.

We talk about Brock’s rapid rise, HBK coming back after four years away, whether this was really the start of the Ruthless Aggression Era or just the Attitude Era in different clothes, and all the weird, uncomfortable Vince-era nonsense scattered throughout the show. It’s a loaded card, a wild time capsule, and a PPV that somehow still lives up to the hype.

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Grapple City Rewind returns from bonus season and heads straight into the strange, colorful chaos of WWF SummerSlam 1994. Bradley and Aaron revisit the event from Chicago’s brand-new United Center, where Leslie Nielsen searches for The Undertaker, Lex Luger faces accusations of selling out, and Bret Hart battles Owen Hart inside a classic blue steel cage.

Along the way, they break down the Headshrinkers’ chaotic opener, Alundra Blayze versus Bull Nakano, the Million Dollar Corporation’s growing influence, Diesel versus Razor Ramon, and the unforgettable spectacle of Undertaker versus Undertaker. The entrances deliver supernatural pageantry, but once the bell rings, the illusion begins to fall apart.

Was SummerSlam ’94 a nostalgic New Generation gem, or a card carried almost entirely by Bret and Owen? Bradley and Aaron revisit the matches, the bizarre storytelling, the Meltzer ratings, and all the wonderfully absurd details before giving the show a reluctant Play rating.

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Music by Bradley Palermo & The Shadow Queens.

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