Claim OwnershipWhen It Was Real
Subscribed: 0Played: 0
Subscribe
© Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved
Description
Step into the squared circle of yesteryear with When It Was Real, the ultimate throwback podcast for fans of the golden era of professional wrestling. Each week, this deep-dive audio experience transports listeners to the gritty, unfiltered days of the 1970s World Wide Wrestling Federation, when larger-than-life characters and blood-and-guts rivalries captivated fans and made wrestling feel real.
Hosted by two of wrestling’s most passionate historians, When It Was Real is your ringside seat to the past:
🎙️ Nikita Breznikov – Noted WWWF historian, author, actor, and former wrestling manager whose encyclopedic knowledge and firsthand experience bring authenticity and color to every tale.
🎙️ Benny “The Playa” Scala – Acclaimed pro wrestling author and podcaster, whose wit and warmth shine through as he recalls the matches, promos, and personalities that shaped a generation.
Together, Nikita and Benny guide you through the smoky arenas, unforgettable promos, and dramatic moments that defined the WWWF in the 1970s—when kayfabe was king, the belts were hard-earned, and the crowd reactions were pure electricity.
Whether you remember watching Bruno Sammartino defend his title at the Garden, or you’re just discovering the legends of the past, When It Was Real delivers a heartfelt, intelligent, and often humorous look at the era that made pro wrestling a cultural phenomenon.
📻 Tune in every Wednesday at 7 PM Eastern Time for a nostalgic ride on the Wrestling Wayback Machine—because there was a time when it was real.
Hosted by two of wrestling’s most passionate historians, When It Was Real is your ringside seat to the past:
🎙️ Nikita Breznikov – Noted WWWF historian, author, actor, and former wrestling manager whose encyclopedic knowledge and firsthand experience bring authenticity and color to every tale.
🎙️ Benny “The Playa” Scala – Acclaimed pro wrestling author and podcaster, whose wit and warmth shine through as he recalls the matches, promos, and personalities that shaped a generation.
Together, Nikita and Benny guide you through the smoky arenas, unforgettable promos, and dramatic moments that defined the WWWF in the 1970s—when kayfabe was king, the belts were hard-earned, and the crowd reactions were pure electricity.
Whether you remember watching Bruno Sammartino defend his title at the Garden, or you’re just discovering the legends of the past, When It Was Real delivers a heartfelt, intelligent, and often humorous look at the era that made pro wrestling a cultural phenomenon.
📻 Tune in every Wednesday at 7 PM Eastern Time for a nostalgic ride on the Wrestling Wayback Machine—because there was a time when it was real.
37 Episodes
Reverse
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 with his former ally turned bitter enemy Spiros Arion — now reborn as The Iron Greek. This isn’t just a title match… it’s the first thunderous chapter in a trilogy of brutal, history-making clashes between two titans of the squared circle. 💥
Join Nikita & Benny as they relive this epic main event and break down a stacked Garden card, including a WWWF World Tag Team Title showdown and legendary appearances by Pedro Morales and Victor Rivera. The lights are bright, the crowd is electric, and the action is as real as it gets.
📅 LIVE Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30 PM
📺 The Playa Entertainment Network
💬 Jump into the live chat, sound off with fellow fans, and relive the magic!
👍 Please like & subscribe!
Step back to an era when legends were forged…
🎙️ WHEN IT WAS REAL 🏛️
#WhenItWasReal #Episode50 #WWWF #BrunoSammartino #IronGreek #SpirosArion #MadisonSquareGarden #OldSchoolWrestling #WrestlingHistory #TerritoryDays #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #LikeAndSubscribe #LiveWrestlingTalk
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 champion to hold the belt for any length of time, defending the title for nearly 10 months before dropping it to Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1978.
🔥 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 mainstay and master storyteller John Callahan — a former Killer Kowalski student and one of the very first men to survive the Cobra Clutch Challenge. First-hand stories. Locker-room memories. Old-school wrestling the way it was meant to be remembered.
💬 Jump into the LIVE chat and be part of the action
👍 Please LIKE & SUBSCRIBE
⏳ Every Wednesday, 7:30 PM — hop aboard the Wrestling Wayback Machine
🎯 Destination: WHEN IT WAS REAL
#WhenItWasReal #CobraClutchChallenge #SergeantSlaughter #BobRemus
#OldSchoolWrestling #WWFHistory #ProWrestlingPodcast
#WrestlingWaybackMachine #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork
#LiveWrestlingTalk
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 great hot stove old school wrestling chat! Hop inside the Wrestling Wayback Machine! Destination: When It Was Real...
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 "Dangerous" Dave Star, both former students of the great Killer Kowalski. Why not take a break from the cold and listen to some good old school wrestling chat!
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 will share stories of their times in the ring, behind the curtain, and on the road...Enjoy and stay safe!
🔥 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 made wrestling real.
📺 LIVE Wednesday, January 21st | 7:30 PM
📡 The Playa Entertainment Network
👍 Please Like & Subscribe!
Strap in and travel back to a time when the lights were bright, the stakes were high, and the Garden ruled them all.
🎯 Destination: WHEN IT WAS REAL.
#WhenItWasReal #Episode47 #WWFHistory #MSG #BobBacklund #KenPatera #OldSchoolWrestling #WrestlingPodcast #ProWrestlingHistory #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #WrestlingWaybackMachine
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, January 14
⏰ 7:30 PM
📡 The Playa Entertainment Network
Because there was a time when it wasn’t sports entertainment…
WHEN. IT. WAS. REAL.
#WhenItWasReal #BrunoSammartino #SuperstarBillyGraham
#WrestlingHistory #MSG #OldSchoolWrestling
#TerritoryDays #ProWrestling #WrestlingPodcast
#ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #WrestlingWaybackMachine
🔥 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 they fire up the Wrestling Wayback Machine and take you back to those halcyon days WHEN IT WAS REAL.
📅 LIVE Wednesday, January 7 | 7:30 PM
📡 The Playa Entertainment Network
#WhenItWasReal #ANightAtTheGreek #ClassicWrestling #ProWrestlingHistory #SpirosArion #FreddieBlassie #LarryZbyszko #BrunoSammartino #OldSchoolWrestling #WrestlingPodcast #TerritoryEra #HeelHeat #WrestlingWaybackMachine
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. arch-nemesis Superstar Billy Graham in a heated Lumberjack Match! Plus, both the WWF Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships are on the line, and Jimmy Snuka vs. Ray Stevens collide in a bout worthy of headlining anywhere in the country.
Make it a weekly tradition — every Wednesday at 7:30 PM — as Nikita and Benny relive the halcyon days… WHEN IT WAS REAL.
#WhenItWasReal #NewYearsEve #WWFClassics #MadisonSquareGarden #ProWrestlingHistory #OldSchoolWrestling #LumberjackMatch #TagTeamTitles #IntercontinentalTitle #PlayaEntertainmentNetwork
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 Sheik. What looked like a title change became a turning point in history—the night professional wrestling began its transformation into sports entertainment.
If you ever wondered when it stopped being “real,” this is the night the music died.
👉 Please like and subscribe!
#WhenItWasReal #Episode43 #TheNightTheMusicDIed #WWFHistory #BobBacklund #IronSheik #MSG1983 #WrestlingHistory #SportsEntertainment #ChristmasEvePodcast #PlayaEntertainmentNetwork
🔥 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 most electric nights in WWWF history…
🎟️ MADISON SQUARE GARDEN – December 19, 1977
The Garden was rocking as Superstar Billy Graham, the charismatic and flamboyant reigning WWWF Champion, clashed with the incomparable Mil Mascaras—one of the most iconic and influential luchadores of all time! This epic showdown headlined a card packed with action, drama, and unforgettable moments that sent the MSG faithful home buzzing.
Nikita and Benny will break it all down—match by match, moment by moment—bringing you back to a time…
✨ When. It. Was. REAL. ✨
🕢 Tune in every Wednesday at 7:30 PM Eastern as your guides through wrestling’s golden past take you on another historical ride you won’t forget.
#WhenItWasReal #WrestlingHistory #WWWF #MadisonSquareGarden #SuperstarBillyGraham #MilMascaras #ProWrestlingLegends #WrestlingPodcast #PlayaEntertainmentNetwork #NikitaBreznikov #BennyScala #WrestlingWaybackMachine #OldSchoolWrestling #MSG1977 #ClassicWrestling #WrestlingCommunity #RetroWrestling
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) Championships. Plus more gold than MSG had ever seen in a single event.
This week, your hosts break down every match from a night many consider one of the greatest wrestling cards of all time. Don’t miss this deep dive into pure wrestling history—WHEN IT WAS REAL.
#WhenItWasReal #MSG1979 #ProWrestlingHistory #WWF #NWA #NWF #WrestlingPodcast #NikitaBreznikov #BennyScala #ClassicWrestling #WrestlingLegends #RetroWrestling #WrestlingFans #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #LivePodcast
🔥 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 that shaped an era — long before the bright lights and corporate polish, this is the gritty, golden age…WHEN IT WAS REAL.
🔥 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.
Catch Episode 39 – “Thanksgiving!” LIVE Wednesday, Nov 26th at 7 PM ET only on The Playa Entertainment Network! Hop into the Wrestling Wayback Machine and relive that magical era… When. It. Was. REAL!
👉 Please LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
#WhenItWasReal #ProWrestlingHistory #ThanksgivingWrestling #NikitaBreznikov #BennyScala #PlayaEntertainmentNetwork #OldSchoolWrestling #PhiladelphiaSpectrum #WrestlingPodcast #ClassicWrestling #WrestlingWaybackMachine
🎙️ 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 Garden history—November 23, 1981! The guys will break down the entire card, with special emphasis on two legendary main events that defined an era:
🔥 Pedro Morales vs. Don Muraco — WWF Intercontinental Championship A heated clash for the gold, packed with pride, power, and pure intensity. Morales’ fire vs. Muraco’s swagger—who truly controlled the Garden?
🔥 Bob Backlund vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine — Return Match for the VACANT WWF Heavyweight Championship
A brutal, emotional rematch that had MSG shaking. Backlund’s grit vs. Valentine’s unrelenting precision—this was more than a match… it was a war for a legacy.
You'll get that true old school feel when Nikita and Benny take you back to When. It. Was. REAL.
📅 Every Wednesday • 7 PM ET
📺 LIVE on The Playa Entertainment Network — Don’t forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
#WhenItWasReal #ProWrestlingHistory #PedroMorales #DonMuraco #BobBacklund #GregValentine #WWF1981 #MadisonSquareGarden #WrestlingPodcast #ThePlayaEntertainmentNetwork #NikitaAndBenny #OldSchoolWrestling #WWEHistory #Wrestli
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 rewind to early November classics: 🏆 The 1977 TV taping that crowned the WWWF Manager of the Year — who really deserved the title? 🔥 And the November 8, 1980, Philadelphia Spectrum card, one of the most electric nights in wrestling’s golden era!
It’s nostalgia, knowledge, and no-nonsense discussion — all delivered with that signature “When It Was Real” energy.
📅 Live Wednesday, November 12 at 7 PM Eastern
📺 Only on The Playa Entertainment Network
👍 Like, 💬 Comment, and 🔔 Subscribe to keep wrestling’s golden memories alive!
“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 favorite snack and beverage, settle in, and enjoy this classic roundtable of wrestling wisdom and nostalgia.
🕖 LIVE — Wednesday, November 5th, 7 PM Eastern
📺 Only on The Playa Entertainment Network
👍 Like, Subscribe & Join the Chat!
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States