When It Was Real

While you're waiting for the next episode of When It Was Real, please enjoy this episode from our brother podcast "The Twisted Turnbuckle Podcast." This past Thursday's Episode, "Hollywood Squares Part V!", was easily the best Squares episode ever. Besides the usual hosts of Chris DeCarlo, Mike "The Class" DiGregorio, and Benny "The Playa" Scala, this weeks 'Squares' were: Podcaster, author and tr...

🎉 EPISODE 53 – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 🎉 ONE YEAR. 52 trips on the Wrestling Wayback Machine. Countless memories from the days… WHEN IT WAS REAL. On Wednesday, March 4th at 7:30 PM, the celebration goes LIVE on The Playa Entertainment Network — and you do NOT want to miss this one! (Please like and subscribe!) One year ago, wrestling promoter, author, actor, and manager Nikita Breznikov teamed up wit...

🚨 The Wrestling Wayback Machine is fueled up and ready…Destination: GLORY! 🚨 On Wednesday, February 25th at 7:30 PM on The Playa Entertainment Network, Episode 52 of When It Was Real transports you back to the hallowed battleground of Madison Square Garden on February 16, 1981 — when wrestling wasn’t sports entertainment… it was WAR. Standing tall as the embodiment of integrity, WWF Champion Bob...

🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL – Episode 51 🔥 “The Great Debate – February 20, 1978” The Wrestling Wayback Machine is fired up and headed straight for one of the most controversial nights in professional wrestling history… Was Superstar Billy Graham’s championship reign cut short before its time? Did Vince McMahon Sr. make the right call… or change history forever with one decision? This week, Nikita and Be...

A couple of bonus episodes coming your way for the weekend! I can't imagine anyone would be surprised to learn that our 2 most listened to episodes are the 2 that featured Bruno...Originally aired in early October, here for your listening pleasure one more time!

A couple of bonus episodes coming your way for the weekend! I can't imagine anyone would be surprised to learn that our 2 most listened to episodes are the 2 that featured Bruno...Originally aired in early October, here for your listening pleasure one more time!

NOTE: Please excuse the technical difficulties at the beginning of the show...you may have to fast forward a few minutes! But it's worth the inconvenience, we promise! 🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL – EPISODE 50 🔥 🕰️ Wrestling Wayback Machine engaged… destination: Madison Square Garden, February 17, 1975. The World’s Most Famous Arena is the battleground as reigning WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino collides w...

Here's a pre-Super Bowl Bonus coming your way! Originally aired July 16, 2025, Nikita and Benny take a deep dive into the epic WWWF run of Eldridge Wayne Coleman, known and loved the world over as Superstar Billy Graham. Billy did the unthinkable when he pinned reigning WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino at the Baltimore Civic Center on April 30, 1977. Superstar would be the first WWWF transitional ch...

🔥 EPISODE 49 – WHEN IT WAS REAL 🔥 LIVE this Wednesday, February 4th at 7:30 PM on The Playa Entertainment Network 💥 “The Cobra Clutch Challenge – 45 Years Later!” 💥 Travel back to the moment that changed the World Wrestling Federation forever. The legendary Bob Remus aka Sergeant Slaughter turned pain into patriotism and left an impact that still echoes today. Joining Nikita and Benny is WWF m...

Join Nikita and Benny for another episode of "When It Was Real!" This week's episode is titled "Double Duncum In Philly", as a tribute to the late great Bob Duncum. The guys will be covering the epic Philadelphia Spectrum cards from January 12th and February 9th of 1980, with Duncum vs. Backlund as the centerpiece for both. The weather is cold outside, but what better way to escape than with some...

Here is another bonus episode to help cope with the snow and the cold! This is Episode 40 of our sister show, Classic Pro Wrestling With The WFIA. This is their 4th "Hollywood Squares" show, and the all=star panelists include former Big Time Wrestling announcer Terry Sullivan, wrestling historians George Schire and Wes Maidment, and indy wrestling legends "Boston Bad Girl" Brittany Brown and "Dang...

This episode was originally broadcast on September 17, 2025, but due to the impending inclement weather, here is one of our favorite episodes to distract you from the snow and the ice! Join Nikita and Benny as they welcome "The Three Amigos" - Johnny Rodz, Tony Garea, and Davey O'Hannon! These men graced the squared circle, as well as our TV sets, from the mid-60s well into the 1980's. The Amigos...

🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL – Episode 47 🔥 Step into the Wrestling Wayback Machine as Nikita Breznikov and Benny “The Playa” Scala relive one of the most legendary nights in WWF history! 📍 Madison Square Garden – January 21, 1980 🏆 WWF Champion Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera Two more championship battles, six additional hard-hitting matches, and wall-to-wall old-school action—this card had everything that...

BRUNO vs. SUPERSTAR 🔥 Before History Was Made… The War Began. Step into the Wrestling Wayback Machine as Nikita & Benny rewind to the first run of Superstar Billy Graham—including those legendary MSG clashes with Bruno Sammartino on Jan 12 & Feb 2, 1976. The world title would change hands a year later… but THIS was the preview that shook the Garden. 🎙️ WHEN IT WAS REAL — Live 📅 Wednesday...

🔥 LIVE AT THE GREEK! 🔥 When It Was Real – Episode 45 From riot-level heat on January 7, 1975, at the Hamburg Field House, 🏟️ as Spiros Arion turns heel (with the assistance if “Classy” Freddie Blassie)—and a frustrated Larry Zbyszko in January, 1980, blocked by mentor Bruno Sammartino, until a shocking betrayal that still echoes today… 🎙️ Join Nikita Breznikov & Benny “The Playa” Scala as th...

Ring in the New Year the old-school way! 🎆 Join Nikita & Benny for a special New Year’s Eve LIVE episode of When It Was Real, streaming Wednesday, December 31st at 7:30 PM on The Playa Entertainment Network — and don’t forget to like & subscribe! This week, the guys break down an epic Madison Square Garden card from December 28, 1982 featuring the reigning WWF Champion Bob Backlund vs. ar...

EPISODE 43 — When It Was Real “The Night The Music Died” 🎄 Christmas Eve • December 24th • 7:30 PM 📺 The Playa Entertainment Network One night. One bell. One moment that changed wrestling forever. Nikita and Benny take their customary deep dive into Madison Square Garden, December 26, 1983, when Bob Backlund’s nearly six-year reign as WWF Champion came crashing down at the hands of The Iron Shei...

🔥 LIVE this Wednesday, December 17th at 7:30 PM ET on The Playa Entertainment Network! 🔥 Smash that LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE—you don’t want to miss this one! Step into the Wrestling Wayback Machine as wrestling historian, author, actor, and manager Nikita Breznikov joins forces once again with pro wrestling author, podcaster, and Sunday DJ Benny “The Playa” Scala for a deep dive into one of the...

7 TITLE MATCHES! The Most STACKED MSG Card EVER?! It’s Episode 41 of When It Was Real, and Nikita Breznikov and Benny “The Playa” Scala are taking you all the way back to Madison Square Garden—December 17, 1979. One night. Seven championships on the line. The WWF Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, as well as the. National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and National Wrestling Federation (NWF...

🔥 WHEN IT WAS REAL — EPISODE 39! 🔥 “WWWF – FALL 1973” Join wrestling historian, author, actor and wrestling manager Nikita Breznikov and podcaster/poet laureate Benny “The Playa” Scala as they fire up the Wrestling Wayback Machine and blast you straight into the heart of  the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the Fall of 1973! Drama, legends, and locker-room lore included! This was the year tha...

🔥 THANKSGIVING WRESTLING CHAOS! 🔥 2 EPIC SPECTRUM SHOWS… 1 LEGENDARY NIGHT! Travel back to 1982 & 1983 as Nikita Breznikov & Benny “The Playa” Scala crack open the Turkey Day time capsule and reveal the stories BEHIND the stories from two unforgettable Philadelphia Spectrum Thanksgiving events! 🦃 Old-school intensity. 🎤 Behind-the-curtain secrets. 💥 Wrestling the way YOU remember it....

🎙️ WHEN IT WAS REAL — EPISODE 38 LIVE WED • NOV 19 • 7 PM ET — The Playa Entertainment Network (Please LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!) Step into the wrestling time machine as wrestling historian, author, actor, and wrestling manager Nikita Breznikov, and veteran pro wrestling author (Pro Wrestling Stories) and podcaster Benny “The Playa” Scala crack open one of the most electric nights in Madison Square Ga...

1977 Manager of the Year & Philly Spectrum – November 8, 1980: Two Moments That Defined an Era!” Get ready for another deep dive into wrestling history! 📺💥 Professional wrestling historian, author, actor, and manager Nikita Breznikov teams up once again with long-time wrestling author and podcaster Benny “The Playa” Scala for a powerhouse episode of When It Was Real. This week, the guys rewi...

“Old School Wrestling Lives On!” This week, noted wrestling author, historian, actor, and manager Nikita Breznikov and veteran wrestling writer/podcaster Benny “The Playa” Scala welcome special guest Fred Richards — wrestling historian, promoter, and referee! Get ready for real stories, insider memories, and behind-the-curtain tales from the golden days of professional wrestling. 💥 👉 Grab your f...

This week on When It Was Real, Nikita and Benny welcome movie actor & professional wrestler David Batchelor — a true powerhouse trained by the legendary Dr. Tom Prichard and a proud graduate of the Jacobs-Prichard Wrestling Academy (JPWA)! David has appeared in 23 feature films, including Future World and Going Under, and has lit up screens on America’s Got Talent, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and WWE 2...