WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 02-28-76

The Retro Rasslin’ Reviews rolls on with more WWWF All-Star Wrestling. Sit back and enjoy!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 02-28-76

Taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Taping date is February 18, 1976.  Your hosts once again are Vince McMahon and Antonino Rocca.

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Joe McHugh does the intros and away we go!

 

MATCH #1: WWWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS TONY PARISI & LOUIS CERDAN VS. COWBOY BOB & BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]If you’re wondering who Cowboy Bob is, I’ll tell you who it’s not… It’s definitely not Bob Orton like the WWE Network write-up claims, that’s for sure. This particular Cowboy Bob is Bob Brothers who worked the surrounding areas. This is non-title with Willie Webber as the referee. The champs spend much of the match working over old Cowboy Bob, and the referee even misses a tag to Scicluna to the fans delight. The Baron constantly tries to run interference but doesn’t succeed. The champs just have their way with the Cowboy. Scicluna FINALLY tags back in, or maybe he doesn’t. Even the referee is confused. The Baron takes a silly bump off a punch from Cerdan. Parisi finishes Cowboy Bob off with the top rope butt drop after 7:58. BOMBS AWAY!

Winners are Parisi & Cerdan

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: This felt like a handicap match with the champions basically dominating Cowboy Bob for almost the entire match while the Baron just did his own thing on the side. Scicluna took a bump that looked so ridiculous at the end of the match that it was actually funny. This match went 8:00, and it felt like every bit of 8:00. Squashes don’t need to go this long, though it wasn’t bad, just long.

 

MATCH #2: BOBO BRAZIL VS. HANS SCHROEDER

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Lou Albano shows up at ringside only moments into the match to distract Bobo for one reason or another. It doesn’t work as Brazil dominates most of the match. Hans tries to amount a comeback, but it leads to Bobo with a pair of dropdowns, a hiptoss, and the COCO BUTT ends it after 4:15!

Immediately following the match Albano jumps into the ring and aids Hand Schroeder in jumping Brazil after the bout has ended. Bobo clears Hans from the ring and Albano runs in circles before Johnny Rodz, Billy Coleman, and Frank Monte all attack Bobo. None of this works as Bobo fights everyone off with COCO BUTTS GALORE!

Winner is BOBO!

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: There was nothing to this match, though I was surprised to see Bobo bust out a pair of dropdowns. It was never really explained why Albano was out there other than just to be Lou. It was fun watching Brazil lay out the Jobber Express as they came at him one after another.

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH BUGSY MCGRAW & THE GRAND WIZARD

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Vince McMahon stands with the Wiz and the wacky McGraw. Wizard claims he’s been holding McGraw back, he hasn’t unleashed his full power, but soon Wizard is going to “press the button” and let McGraw explode.

WAIT A MINUTE…. Isn’t the entire point of wrestling to give it everything you have, to be the best of the best, the top of the heap, the champion? And Wizard states he hasn’t allowed Bugsy to do everything he is capable of? WHY THE FUCK would you do that?

Anyway… Wizard refers to Bugsy as his Nuclear WARHEAD, and says he has his hand on Bugsy’s “button” and all he has to do is push it to make is EXPLODE. Jeeeeeze, I won’t even touch those comments.

Vince asks the Wiz what “Sick Power” is… Apparently SICK POWER is what Bugsy McGraw has. McGraw takes over on the mike and lets out a semi-racist promo against Bobo Brazil before he also challenges Bruno, Cerdan & Parisi. Bugsy gets pleasure by giving out pain. He does a lot of “crazy” laughing throughout the promo. Lots of great facials. He had to search for words at times in this promo, but I still found it fun.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: STAN HANSEN (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. JOHNNY RIVERA

Hansen makes his WWWF debut!!! Always funny to see Stan wearing cow fur and with long blond hair. It’s nice to see Louis Cyr didn’t break Rivera’s neck from the prior episode we reviewed. But Hansen has been known to break a neck or two, so the day is still young. Big Stan goes right to work on Rivera. Hansen just mauls Rivera before landing a running LARIAT and this thing is over as quick as it started. Only 1:47 to get the win.

Winner is Stan Hansen

Notes: .Stan doesn’t do much, but this is his WWWF debut which is historical in it’s own right. And we get an early look at the lariat. Poor Johnny Rivera. See what happens when you’re good at bumping?[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: “IRISH” PAT BARRETT & KEVIN SULLIVAN VS. BILLY COLEMAN & FRANK MONTE

Joe McHugh ad-libs and calls the Sullivan/Barrett team the “Irish Cannonballs”. It kind of caught me off guard because while Sullivan is clearly an Irish name, Sullivan never sold his heritage. We get another look at “Fabulous” Frank Monte and a Great Lakes area mainstay in Billy Coleman. You all know who Kevin Sullivan is, and Pat Barrett’s claim to fame was replacing Victor Rivera as Tag Team Champions with Dominic DeNucci to lose the titles to the Blackjacks. The faces spend most of the match working over the arm of Coleman. Monte has little success as well in his short time in the ring. Barrett lands a pair of “Irish Cannonballs” which are just jawbreakers. Sullivan finishes Coleman off with a surprise sunset flip off the top rope in 5:08.

Winners are Sullivan and Barrett

Notes: Two mid carders pick up a win over a couple of lower card/enhancement heels. Barrett and Sullivan wouldn’t go on to work as a team much but this was fine for TV.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: DOMINIC DENUCCI VS. LOUIS CYR

Our third look at Cyr in as many weeks, but I don’t think old Louie will be throwing DeNucci around like the jobbers before him. Cyr is without his manager here. Early on Cyr locks DeNucci into a headscissors and sits in the hold….. and sits in the hold….. and sits in the hold….. and sits…… in the hold…

This goes on for some time before Dominic finally escapes. Cyr goes right for a choke after. Finally, Dominic tries the big comeback after almost falling asleep in the head scissors. Louis is quick to take back over with a torpedo headbutt to the gut. Cyr tries a pinfall but uses the ropes for leverage and gets caught by referee Wee Willie. The bell sounds right after this spot leading Vince McMahon to question if a pinfall had indeed taken place. Instead we find out the TV curfew has expired in 6:09.

This match resulted in a TV Time Limit Draw

Notes: There was NOTHING to this match. One long head scissor hold and almost nothing else. I figured Cyr wouldn’t be throwing DeNucci around, but this was ridiculous.

 

Closing Thoughts: This show was all over the place with nothing being a necessary “must see” segment. The Pairisi/Cerdan match was fine but went on entirely too long for a squash. It was cool to see Hansen’s WWWF debut but it was over in less than 2 minutes. I’m still pondering why Albano and a host of jobbers attacked Bobo Brazil. The Sullivan and Barrett match was just “there”, and the main event with DeNucci and Cyr should never be seen again. I did enjoy the oddball Wizard and Bugsy promo, however.