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WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 04-15-78

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

Patera’s gear rules!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 04-15-78

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is April 5, 1978.  Your announcer is Vince McMahon.

Joe McHugh does the introductions.

MATCH #1: WWWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS DINO BRAVO & DOMINIC DENUCCI VS. JOSE ESTRADA & JOHNNY RODZ

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Our referee for the opener is Dusty Feldbaumer who looks 80 but is actually only in his late 50’s. Bravo & DeNucci have recently dethroned Fuji & Tanaka for the belts on Championship Wrestling. This is non-title, but I always enjoyed the team of Rodz and Estrada as they were both very competent workers and solid heels. That said, this is still non-title. The heels quickly maange to get Bravo into their corner where they work him over with a lot of double teaming and quick tags. Rodz hits a terrible legdrop as he bumps on his back to deliver the move. Bravo finally has enough and delivers a kneelift to Estada before tagging in DeNucci. Dominic comes in with a backdrop on Jose and takes control. Estrada tags in Rodz, who climbs to the top rope but opts not to jump off when he sees Dominic is ready. DeNucci maintains control and tags back to Bravo. Dino nails Rodz with his patented dropkick… Wow, it’s crazy typing the words “Dino Bravo” and “patented dropkick” in the same sentence. The champs continue to dominate Rodz, Estrada comes in to prevent a pinfall on his partner the Unpredictable one. Estrada accidentally nails his own partner and Rodz becomes loopy. Now Rodz argues with Estrada, but the heels take over on DeNucci in their corner. Rodz slams DeNucci and Estrada comes off the top with something… LMAO Estrada misses whatever he was going for, Dominic doesn’t move, Estrada just misses. So Rodz goes up instead and comes off the top onto Dominic. It doesn’t matter however as DeNucci soon hot tags to Bravo who whips Estrada and Rodz all around the ring. Another dropkick by Bravo and DeNucci comes in for an airplane spin on Estrada to finish this in 6:26.

Winners are Bravo & DeNucci

Notes: It was a match. Bravo and DeNucci were both using the airplane spin at this point so it was basically “Who’s going to hit that move to win the match?”. Other than Estrada coming off the top to miss a phantom move there’s nothing to really talk about here. Like I said, it was a match.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: “IRON GREEK” SPIROS ARION (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. DENNIS JOHNSON

Arion shows a little aggression this week as he pounds on Johnson. Spiros sends Johnson out of the ring and has fun knocking him off the apron repeatedly. While the referee is busy checking on Johnson, Arion removes the turnbuckle pad off the top rope and rams Dennis head first into the exposed steel. Arion follows up with the over the shoulder backbreaker and gets the submission win with ease after 4:20.

Winner is Spiros Arion

 

 

 

 

 

Notes: Short and to the point. Good aggression by Spiros. I liked the unnecessary use of the exposed buckle. Extra heely. Arion continues to remain relevant here as he continues on his final run in the big leagues.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH SPIROS ARION & FRED BLASSIE

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Vince McMahon makes mention of Arion SQUASHING opponents. Blassie starts making fun of several of the babyface wrestlers from DeNucci to Haystacks Calhoun. Blassie spends some time ripping on Calhoun being fat before his attention is once again turned to the obese fan in the front row. Apparently the only different between Haystacks and the fat fan is that the fan is dirty. Blassie spends more time making fun of Calhoun. “When he pulled his fat up, 8 chickens ran out”. LOL. Vince can’t help but smile through a lot of this. Arion gets in a few words, challenging Bruno, Haystacks, and Strongbow. We run out of time.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: “HIGH CHIEF” PETER MAIVIA & SPECIAL DELIVERY JONES VS. BUTCHER VACHON & STAN STASIAK (w/THE GRAND WIZARD)

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Stasiak is rocking a mustache now. Butcher starts with Maivia and uses all the dirty tricks early on the High Chief from eye gouges to back rakes. Vachon distracts referee Feldbaumer while Stasiak beats on Maivia on the floor. SD Jones stands on the apron worthless in all of this.

Maivia finally manages to tag in Jones. SD comes in and blocks a Heart Punch right away. Dear God, when SD Jones starts blocking your finisher I think you’re done in the territory. Jones responds by giving Stasiak TWO Heart Punches of his own….. to the wrong side of the chest… Ohhhh SD. Stasiak sells it and bumps to the mat. Vachon tags in but takes a big slam for a 2 count. A second big slam by Jones gets another 2 count on Vachon. Butcher fights his way back with a choke.

Maivia and Stasiak join the match and we’ve got all four men in the ring. The faces ram the heels heads together using battering rams, Bushwhackers style. Then we get the old row boat spot. Things slow back down with Jones and Vachon doing a test of strength. That’s an odd place to put that spot. WTF? The heels do take back over. Stasiak rams SD head first into the buckle but Jones no sells, because he’s black or something like that. Jones dances around after no selling and Stan wants no part of it tagging Vachon in. Maivia also FINALLY tags back in as well. Maivia plants Vachon with his patented gutbuster but Vachon gets his foot on the ropes to stop the pin.

Now Stasiak tags back in and he and Maivia do a crisscross spot that just eventually stops. Seriously. Nothing happens. Even Vince is confused. SD Jones is back inm and he rocks Stasiak with a trio of heabutts, and then the bell sounds. THANK GOD

Result is a 10:00 time limit draw, but we were forced to watch 11:10.

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes:Rather than shave time, they gave these guys an additional minute or so. WHY??? Other than Jones initial hot tag where he showed a little fire this entire match was a stinker. SKIP THIS. You’ll thank me later.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: KEN PATERA (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. TED ADAMS & MIKE MADERO

Handicap match time. Madero has self esteem problems, he’s always looking down at the mat during his introduction. Patera spends the first whole minute removing his jump suit. Madero & Adams get smart and both attack Patera, and it works briefly. I said briefly. Ken quickly rams them together where Vince uses the term “noggin knocker”. Adams & Madero again double whip Patera into the corner and double team him until they boot Patera to the floor. Albano jumps up on the apron in protest, but he too takes a few shots.

Patera slowly gets back in the ring, and now he takes over. No more playing around by the world’s strongest man. BUT AGAIN it’s Adams and Madero who do a good job showing fire and coming at Patera full force pummeling Ken with punches until he falls out of the ring a second time.

Okay, NOW Kenny is PISSED. Ken grabs both men in front facelocks from the apron and drops their throats across the top rope. Ken stomps and knees both men before tossing Adams to the floor. Madero gets slapped into the FULL NELSON and Madero submits immediately after 5:54.

Winner is Ken Patera

The show is running long so we cut to commercial before the winner is announced.

Notes:  A fun Patera squash. Rather than just murdering his opponents, Ken decided to sell the 2 on 1 beatdown a little more realistically and it gave his opponents some fan reaction. Pretty smart move by Patera as it resulted in him getting more heat when he disposed of his foes.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: STRONG KOBAYASHI (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. FRANK “GYPSY” RODRIGUEZ

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]I like the Rodriguez when he’s rocking his Gypsy gimmick gear, here he’s just in jobber gear. Kobayashi whips the Gypsy off for a pair of big chops. A delayed suplex ends it in 53 seconds. Who does he think he is, Bobby Lashley?

Winner is Kobayashi

Notes: Kobayashi got off of his opponent at the two count after the suplex and continues to beat on Frank as if the match was going to continue, but the referee calls for the bell and announces it as a 3 count even though it clearly wasn’t. I don’t know if this was a mistake by Koabyashi, the referee, or if the referee called the match because All-Star was ready to go off the air. This match was rushed as there was no time left for it.

All-Star goes off the air immediately following the post match announcement.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: The last couple of segments were getting rushed, especially Koabyashi. MAYBE DON’T HAVE MAIVIA/JONES VS. STASIAK/VACHON GO FRIGGIN’ 11 MINUTES THEN. It was funny to see Blassie go after the large ringside fan again but he didn’t spend nearly as much time on him this episode as the last time. The managers continue to be the best thing on most of these shows, they may have been props in the 80’s but they were the center of the shows in the 70’s, and for good reason.

That wraps it up for this issue of the Retro Rasslin’ Review…

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 03-25-78

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

Time to chop some wood!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 03-25-78

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is March 15, 1978.

Your announcer is Vince McMahon.

This is the first of a couple of episodes that are missing a segment or two. This episode only has a run time of 30 minutes while most episodes have a run time of approximately 46 minutes, which means 2 segments are missing. With only 3 matches and a promo this show should go by fast… hopefully.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #1: LARRY ZBYSZKO VS. THE GOLDEN TERROR

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]If you’ve never seen the Golden Terror character, picture a Conquistador with a cheaper costume. Speaking of characters, the Golden Terror was played by a character in himself, “The Duke of Dorchester” Pete Doherty. Doherty was no stranger to WWF rings as himself, often doing jobs in his native city at the Boston Garden. Doherty became somewhat of a local heel comedy act for the Boston fans, with his crazy look, unmistakable voice, and sometimes goofy antics and sell jobs during his matches. Doherty would even go on to do some commentary for the WWF in the mid 80’s, and I don’t mind telling you that shit is hard to sit through.

This is a competitive match for TV. At one point the Terror was managed by Lou Albano, but he’s worked his way down the card since then, mainly doing jobs for all of the baby faces and doing the odd time limit draw with the underneath guys like SD Jones on the house shows.  This match goes back and forth with holds being applied, counters, hip tosses. It’s a lot of the basics but it remains competitive with both men trading control while trying to get their opponent down on the mat. As the match goes on I notice how filthy the Terror’s gear is. Literally every part of the body that touches the mad has a dirty black tint to it. His kneepads, butt, back and the back of his arms are just filthy. Buy new gear or use a better detergent, fella.

Finally, the Terror gets the upper hand and climbs to the middle rope. Terror leaps off onto a prone Zbyszko and hits a……..STOMACH CLAW????? He jumped off the middle rope to apply a CLAW??? How the hell does that work? Larry sells the claw but eventually gets to his feet in the hold. Terror would jerk Zbyszko back to the mat and leave the Claw hold applied, Larry gets his feet in the ropes but the Terror refuses to break the hold. Referee Willie Webber calls for the bell, disqualifying the Terror in the process after 8:03.

Winner is Larry Zbyszko by DQ

Following the match the Terror tries to get in some extra licks, but Zbyszko fires up and starts firing back as we head into a commercial break.

Notes: Zbyszko was well above the status of the Terror here, but I get the point of not jobbing the Terror out on TV so much. This keeps the masked man more meaningful for when he does jobs on the house shows. This was your basic match but I enjoyed most of it. The constant back and forth and action from the two kept the match flowing and it made for a fine TV match.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. FRANKIE WILLIAMS & PAUL FREIDMAN

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]This is the Lumberjacks first set of All Star tapings. The Lumberjacks are Pierre and Eric. Pierre also previously worked as Private LeBeouf in Bruiser’s WWA, as well as Igor Volkoff and a handful of other mildly successful gimmicks throughout the territories. You may know Eric as Scott “hog” Irwin, brother of Wild Bill Irwin. Eric also worked famously under the mask as the Super Destroyer and one of the originators of the superplex. Here the duo take a moment to pull their jeans off over their wrestling boots. On the opposing team Freidman is oddly built. He’s well put together but his head is really small for his body.

Referee here is Dick Woehrle. The Lumberjacks maul over Freidman to begin things, just punching and stomping him into the mat. Williams tags in and actually trades some blows with Pierre before the heels take over once more. The Lumberjacks cycle through beating the piss out of Freidman again. Pierre throws Freidman’s face so hard into the corner that his face actually slide across the turnbuckle and almost into the ring post. LOL. Irwin impresses during the match by throwing a dropkick, it didn’t get up too high but it was impressive for a guy pushing 300 pounds. Scott “Eric” Irwin is what Jim Ross would refer to as a HOSS, by gawd. Williams tags back in and the match is soon over as the Jacks land a pair of DOUBLE AXE CHOPS, which would make it QUADRUPLE AXE CHOPS to the chest of Frankie. Well, they are LUMBERJACKS, what were you expecting? And this match is over after 7:39.

Winners are the Lumberjacks

Notes: Having not seen the WWWF at the time, I had never gotten to see much of the Lumberjacks outside of the WWF Tag Team Champions Coliseum Video, so they were always a mysterious team to me. I’m happy that we’ve been given these episodes of All-Star to dissect some of the stars from the pre-80’s WWWF timeline. This was the Yukons first set of taping and they did what they needed to do here and got themselves over by just mauling the hell out of their opponents. Scott Irwin looked especially stiff and impressive with a high knee and a dropkick during the match.  Sadly, Scott will pass away in 1987 to a brain tumor at the young age of 35. Their finish here was chops meant to look like axes chopping down a tree. At least they were staying true to the characters. A good old fashioned Demolition style beatdown.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH BUTCHER VACHON & BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Vince McMahon stands by with two of the lesser pushed talents in the WWWF. Butcher calls out Vince for never interviewing he and Scicluna. The two men talk about their abilities. Vince questions their ability as a team. Butcher says Vince doesn’t study up because he’d know that Butcher is a former long time team and World Champion with his brother Mad Dog Vachon. Butcher also discusses his family training and a daughter that would soon become a wrestler. You may know her by the name LUNA.

Given the guys involved I was groaning before anyone even spoke a word, but to be honest this was quite the fun little promo. Scicluna really added nothing, but Butcher was entertaining from calling out Vince for thinking they were jobbers, to mentioning his family and foreshadowing the eventual debut of Luna. I liked Butcher here.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: LUKE GRAHAM (w/THE GRAND WIZARD) VS. STEVE KING & JOSE (MIKE) MADERO

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Luke “Don’t Call Me Crazy” Graham is here in a handicap match this week. Madero is introduced as “Jose Madera” but would wrestle as Mike Madero going forward. He also even seems a little confused that he was called Jose here. Racist Joe McHugh must think all Puerto Ricans are called Jose. Speaking of McHugh, he refers to Puerto Rico as Porta Rica. Going back to Madero for a minute, I found results of him going back into 1977 as Mike Madero, which makes his name here all the more odd.

Graham quickly takes control sending Madero to the floor. Graham proceeds to kick and choke King with the shittiest kicks I’ve ever seen and the loosest choke I’ve ever seen. Madero returns to the match to grab a headlock on Luke while Graham continues to choke King. Luke no sells it, bodyslams King, then snapmares Jose on top of him and just covers them for a very unconvincing finish in only 2:17.

Winner is Crazy Luke

Notes: This match doesn’t seem to appear on the results floating around on the internet for this TV taping, which could make sense because the lighting of this footage seems different from the rest of the show.

There were a small handful of wrestlers during the 1970’s that when you watched them they basically exposed the business because their work looked so fake Luke Graham was one of those guys. I suppose working against him was a night off since the guy barely touched you, but at the same time everything he did was so light and so fake that it was cringe worthy when trying to review this match. And then he beats a guy by snapmaring him over. The only good thing I can say about this match was that it was short.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: I went ahead and did some quick research. It looks like we’re missing 2 matches from the show, Butcher Vachon over Frank Marconi, and the team of DeNucci & Dino Bravo over the awesome team of Johnny Rodz & Joe Turco. While I must admit, I would have loved to seen Rodz & Turco team up, it’s safe to say we’re not missing much by having these matches omitted. I am a completionist, so I’m always unhappy when something is edited out or missing, but I’m still happy we got the majority of the show. We should probably be so lucky to have missed out on a Paul Vachon squash, but his promo was actually kind of fun.

I thought Zbyszko vs. Terror was perfectly fine for TV and the Lumberjacks were very convincing in their snug beatdown. And for every bit of snug the Lumberjacks were, Luke Graham was too light. He was a PHONY, a big fat PHONY!

Seriously, getting through that short Graham match was a chore. I even found mention of one of his TV matches from this time period being so awful that he had to go back out and tape it again.

It’s hard to sell you on this episode with a third of the show missing and Graham stinking up the joint, but I didn’t mind everything on the show up until we got to Crazy Luke. If you’re into this old stuff maybe watch the show until you get to Graham, and then skip ahead to the next show.

That’s all I got for this installment of the Retro Rasslin’ Review!

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 02-18-78

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

The era of Backlund is upon us!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 02-18-78

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is February 1, 1978.  Your announcer is Vince McMahon.

 

 

 

 

 

Ring announcer is Joeeeeee McHugh!

 

MATCH #1: BOB BACKLUND VS. “DYNAMITE” JACK EVANS

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Bob has been getting a lot of play on TV as of late to groom him for his upcoming run as “THE MAN” of the WWWF.  This match is a basic showcase of Bob’s grappling ability, with Evans getting in even less offense than usual. Backlund puts Dynamite Jack away with a nice double underhook suplex in 5:59.

Winner is Bob Backlund

Following the match Lou Albano comes out to ringside to have some words for Bob. Backlund invites Albano into the ring. The Captain teases getting in the ring by removing his shirt, but Lou escapes before any harm can happen to him. I’m not particularly sure what this was all about, or if Lou just randomly liked to show up in segments he wasn’t booked.

Notes: When this aired, Bob was a mere TWO DAYS AWAY from capturing the WWWF Championship from Superstar Graham at MSG. I know the story goes that Vincent the elder wanted an Irish champion on this go around, and Backlund was a favorite of his. Bob certainly had the fundamentals, the raw strength and athleticism, and the ability to hold his own against anyone should someone try to get cute. Obviously, where Bob lacked was his promos and personality but that didn’t prevent his near 6 year run with the Championship. Many would argue that Bob should have lost the title long before the end of 1983, and I’d be hard pressed to argue that myself. However, Backlund spent those next six years holding pride in being the Champion and presented himself as being both professional and a role model to children and adults alike.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: DINO BRAVO VS. SYLVANO SOUSA

Sousa is a big boy. Bravo was jacked, even in the mid 70’s, though he was a lot more trim and could really move. People forget, some may not even know how good Dino was before he became as wide as he was tall. It’s night and day from Bravo’s late 80’s WWF run. Aside from a little hair pulling from Sousa, this match is Dino dominating with an armbar. An airplane spin finishes things off in short fashion after 4:02.

Winner is Dino Bravo

Notes: Dino is a month out from capturing the Tag Team Titles with Dominic DeNucci. Bravo would have made a fine Intercontinental Champion around the turn of the decade. If you’ve never seen Dino’s work from the late 70’s or early 80’s go ahead and find some of his work, but not this match. This match was poop.

Image result for poop avatar[spacer height=”20px”]

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH STAN STASIAK & THE GRAND WIZARD

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Vince McMahon stands by with the former World Champion Stasiak as Stan plays with the tape wrapped around his fist. McMahon questions if the fist is loaded. Stasiak is angered by such a suggestion. Stan offers Vince to feel his fist, that it’s not loaded and the only thing under the tape is his fist. The Grand Wizard claims there is no counter for the Heart Punch. That’s hard to sell when Stasiak has been countered on TV repeatedly. Stasiak says he is versatile, he doesn’t HAVE to use the Heart Punch. Stan is a complete wrestler. Stasiak says he doesn’t need the Heart Punch to win a match.

Vince mocks Stasiak, points out the Heart Punch has been blocked repeatedly lately, and says it’s been ineffective, essentially burying the hold. lol.

Vince adds more dissension by claiming the Wizard pays more attention to Superstar Graham than Stasiak. Stan doesn’t fall for McMahon’s evil tricks. Vince starts cracking up near the end of the promo, I’m not sure why but he’s trying not to laugh. Vince refers to Wizard and his stable as the Three Stooges, and we’re out of time.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: STAN “THE MAN” STASIAK (w/THE GRAND WIZARD) VS. PETE AUSTIN

Austin is a big boy, but Stasiak is bigger. Stan blasts Austin in the face with his taped fist repeatedly, but apparently his fist only incapacitates the heart. Austin finally amount a comeback as he hammers away on Stasiak in the corner. Stan does a good job of blocking some of the blows before he takes right back over tosses Austin out of the ring. Pete returns for more punishment before Stasiak floors him with the HEART PUNCH in 3:52.

Winner is Stan Stasiak

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: Stasiak’s physique looked like chewed up bubblegum by this stage in his career, but he was a name and being a former World Champ gave him bragging rights. Nothing about this match was good, unless you’re a glutton for the Heart Punch.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: DOMINIC DENUCCI VS. “PRETTY BOY” LARRY SHARPE

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Referee is Wee Willie Webber. I like how Joe McHugh would always try to break into an Italian accent to introduce DeNucci. He always had to add an extra “a” to the end of his first name… DOMINIC-A DENUCCI. That’s a’nice. As Sharpe gains control, DeNucci does the old Three Stooges spot, grabbing Sharpe’s nose and hitting his hand with the free hand. Ugh. Outside of a Sharpe backdrop, much of the never several minutes is back and forth mat wrestling holds and pinfall attempts. The Pretty Boy finally goes to the eyes of DeNucci to take over and Dominic falls to the floor to regroup. Once back inside DeNucci looks fired up. Dominic unloads with some jabs before Sharpe comes back with his own series of punches and a choke across the ropes. Sharpe nails a bodyslam, but when he tries it a second time DeNucci counters into an inside cradle to get the win after 8:01.

I don’t know if Matt Mittman was really keeping time, or if Joe McHugh had a hand in it, but they were generally spot on or off by a second by my count. Kudos to their ability to keep actual time of the matches.

Winner is Dominic DeNucci

Notes: This was the best of the DeNucci matches I’ve seen so far, he actually attempts to wrestle on his feet rather than just grabbing a hold and laying on the mat. Even though it was Dominic’s best match thus far, it was still a whole lot of nothing. I’ve seen worse on these shows, but this isn’t anything to write home about.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: WWWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS MR. FUJI & TORU TANAKA (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. SPECIAL DELIVERY JONES & DENNIS JOHNSON

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Referee is Dick Woehrle. Vince points out how much Jones has bulked up lately. No doubt SD had a solid physique by this point in his career. Tanaka has his troubles with SD to begin things, but a tag to Dennis Johnson changes all of that. Tanaka immediately gains control of Johnson and tags to Fuji. The champions take over and don’t look back. In reality we’re treated to mostly generic “judo chops” from both before Tanaka puts Johnson away with a forearm across the throat after 4:21.

Winners are Fuji & Tanaka

Notes: The closer Fuji & Tanaka get to losing the straps, the shittier their matches seem to get. I don’t know if that’s just a coincidence or what the story is, but they seemed to have stopped caring in their TV squashes. Fuji went from being really impressive to throwing a few chops and letting Tanaka do most of the work, which subsequently was also throwing more chops. DeNucci & Bravo would soon be champions and Tanaka would be on his way out of the territory for good. Fuji would also take a lengthy hiatus and not return until the summer of 1981 with his new partner, Mr. Saito.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: Wrestling wise, this was another flat show. Backlund, DeNucci, and Bravo all get groomed for their upcoming championship runs. Fuji & Tanaka are showcased as the team to beat at the moment. Stasiak continues to get play on TV, but in reality he was nothing more than a mid-card heel who more often than not jobbed to the higher up babyfaces on the house shows. If you want to take a look at Backlund just a couple of days before his World Title win, then you can check him out here. If you opt not to watch this episode you’re not really missing much.

And that’ll do it for this installment of the Retro Rasslin’ Review…

The Event Center: WWF SummerSlam 1988 Review

By
xstat32x
-
0

The Event Center: WWF SummerSlam 1988

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. For this episode of the Event Center we are going back to the summer of 1988 and to the World Wrestling Federation. We are going to check out the inaugural WWF SummerSlam. The card looks a little rough but there are some big time moments that are still talked about today. It’s the battle of the Mega Powers vs. the Mega Bucks and I can’t wait to get this thing started so lets get to it.

Show Opening:

The show opens up with some cheap ass 1980’s graphics where they highlight the main event between the Mega Powers and the Mega Bucks. They also feature Elizabeth as well as Jesse the Body Ventura. All in all not a terrible opening and the music is pretty awesome. After the graphics we head up to the top of MSG where Gorilla Monsoon and Superstar Billy Graham are waiting. Gorilla says this is a happening. Graham says the one thing that over shadows Jesse as the ref is the returning Hulk Hogan. Graham says that Hogan is his hero and the man with the bionic biceps. Gorilla says the Mega Powers vs. the Mega Bucks is the one everyone is waiting.

Gorilla says this could be the end of the vendetta and that somebody could be put out of commission here. Graham says someone can go down hard and somebody could go down permanently and that he hopes its DiBiase and Andre. Gorilla then gets interrupted by the incoming Rougeau Brothers so he sends it down to the Fink.

Match 1: The British Bulldogs vs. Fabulous Rougeau Brothers

Before we get to the match it would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the incident involving Jacques and Dynamite during this time period. The story goes that Dynamite was constantly ribbing on Jacques and eventually Jacques got tired of it and handle it himself. He got a roll of quarters and caught Dynamite off guard one day and nailed him with it. I guess it knocked out a few teeth and caused some other issues for Dynamite. The fact that this match was even booked after something like that happened is crazy but we got it anyways. So lets get to it.

The Bulldogs come down to the ring and put Matilda in the ring and it clears everyone out. The match starts out with the Rougeau’s trying to shake the hands of the Bulldogs. My goodness these Bulldogs were jacked. The match starts out with Davey Boy attacking Jacques. He lays in some right hands, head butts, and rams his head into the turnbuckle 5-6 times. Jacques crawls over to the other turnbuckle and tries to hold off Davey but Davey rams him 10 times into the turnbuckle again. Davey then hits Jacques with a European upper cut. Davey gets bored with Jacques and he throws him in his corner and Jacques tags in Raymond.

Raymond gets in the ring and hugs his brother to get some of that heel heat. I always loved that spot and thought it was hilarious. Raymond gets in the ring as he and Davey tie up and they just push each other of. They tie up again and Raymond drives Davey into the corner but Davey quickly turns it around. The ref gets in between them and Raymond ends up nailing Davey with a big right hand. Raymond gets the upper hand and lays in some more rights in the corner. Raymond then whips Davey into the opposite corner and goes in for a monkey flip but Davey cartwheels out of it and ends up hitting Raymond with a arm drag. Davey quickly tags in Dynamite and they hit Raymond with a double head butt.

Dynamite gets Raymond in a head lock but Raymond pushes him off into the ropes but Dynamite ends up nailing Raymond with a big time shoulder block that sounded stiff as hell. Raymond gets up and Dynamite arm drags him over and gets him in an arm bar. Jacques on the apron is trying to get the crowd to chant for them. Raymond gets out of the hold and gets whipped into the ropes. Raymond does a leap frog then falls down to go for a monkey flip but Dynamite drops down and ends up head butting Raymond. He then hip tosses him over and works the arm until he tags in Davey Boy. Davey comes off the top rope and drives an elbow into the arm.

Davey ends up hitting Raymond with a sunset flip and gets a 1 count. Davey then drags Raymond over and gets him in another arm bar. Dynamite makes the switch without making the tag while the ref was distracted by Jacques on the other side of the ring. Dynamite whips Raymond into the ropes and nails him with a big time clotheslines. Dynamite then rams the head of Raymond into the boot of Davey Boy as he makes the tag. Davey gets in and whips Raymond into the ropes but Raymond flips over and goes for a sunset flip and he gets him down and gets a 2 count. Davey gets out of it and flips back over and gets Raymond in a pin of his own but it didn’t stick so he only got a one count. Davey quickly gets up and tags Dynamite back into the ring and he gets Raymond in an arm bar.

Dynamite pulls on the arm of Raymond as he reaches out with his other arm to try and get the tag in to Jacques. Dynamite lays in a kick to the midsection and he quickly tags in Davey Boy. The whip Raymond into the ropes and they hit him with a double shoulder block. Davey Boy then gets Raymond in a head lock. Raymond gets up to his feet and and ends up pushing Davey into the ropes, Raymond drops down, and when Davey Boy hits the ropes Jacques trips him from the outside. The Rougeau’s finally get control of the match. Raymond tags in Jacques and he comes in and lays in the boots to the hamstring of Davey Boy.

Jacques then gets Davey Boy in an Indian death lock and works over the ankle of Davey Boy. Jacques then drives the knee of Davey into the mat. Davey pushes Jacques off of him and attempts a monkey flip but Jacques ends up kicking Davey in the ham string again to slow him down. Jacques then makes the tag to Raymond and they do a wish bone move on Davey. Raymond comes in and drops some knees to the knee of Davey Boy. We get another quick tag and Jacques comes in and goes off the rope and hits Davey with a butt drop to the knee. Jacques works the ankle again while he gets a little extra leverage from Raymond. Jacques goes over and levels Dynamite to get the ref distracted as they do a wish bone move again.

Raymond comes in and applies the ankle move again. A lot of resting and crap going on here. Davey finally kicks out of the move but ends up getting back dropped out of an irish whip. Raymond tags in Jacques and gets Davey in a toe hold type move. Davey ends up getting Jacques in a small package but only gets a 2 count. Jacques gets up and tags in Raymond again and he again comes in and works the ankle. This is getting old already. Both guys get up to their feet and Davey hits Raymond with a monkey flip. Davey quickly tags in Dynamite and he comes in a house of fire.

Dynamite comes in and nails Raymond with a head butt then an irish whip into the corner. Dynamite follows him and hits Raymond with a snap suplex. Dynamite then drops the head butt on a laid out Raymond. Dynamite goes for the pin and gets a 2 count. Dynamite picks up Raymond and hits him with a belly to back suplex. Dynamite picks up Raymond and throws him out to the floor through the middle rope. Davey Boy goes out after him and rams him into the steel barricade. Jacques comes over and checks on his brother and ends up throwing him back into the ring near his own corner.

Dynamite lays in a right hand to Jacques while Raymond rolls in under the bottom rope. Dynamite rams the head of Raymond into the boot of Davey and makes the tag. Davey then head butts Raymond and chops him in the chest. Davey then picks up Raymond and gets him in a running power slam. He goes for the cover but Jacques broke up the pin. Dynamite gets tagged in and he goes up to the middle rope and goes for the 10 punches but Jacques comes in and drops Dynamite with a suplex off the middle rope. Both guys are laid out but Raymond ends up tagging in Jacques.

Jacques comes in and body slams Dynamite and then he drops a big knee. Raymond has Dynamite choked in the corner while Jacques lays in a boot. He tags in Raymond and Raymond picks up Dynamite and drops him across the knee of Jacques. Raymond then lays in some boots. He picks up Dynamite and whips him into the ropes as he tags in Jacques. Jacques ends up getting Dynamite in a abdominal stretch. Davey Boy gets tired of it and comes in and breaks up the hold. Raymond quickly comes in and gets Dynamite back in the abdominal stretch as the ref gets Davey out of the ring.

Dynamite gets the leverage and hip tosses Raymond over. Both guys get back up to his feet and they exchange right hands. Raymond tags in Jacques and Raymond hits Dynamite with an atomic drop then Jacques follows it up with a big time splash for a 2 count. Jacques then gets Dynamite in a chin lock while sitting on the back of Dynamite. Dynamite gets up to his feet and has Jacques on his back. Raymond confronts Davey Boy, which distracts the refs, and Raymond comes in and punches Dynamite in the face so he fell back down to the mat. Jacques then hits Dynamite with a forearm to the face then tags in Raymond as they throw Dynamite into the corner and lay in the boots. Raymond goes for the same chin lock that Jacques had. More of the same again and again here.

Dynamite gets up to his feet with Raymond on his back and he drives Raymond into the corner and breaks up the hold. Raymond rolls over and tags in Jacques as Dynamite is to slow to get to Davey Boy. Jacques decks Davey Boy and it distracts the ref as Dynamite gets Jacques in a small package in the middle of the ring but the ref was out of position. Jacques goes for the abdominal stretch….again as he gets a little help from Raymond. Jacques tags in Raymond and he comes in with a little strut then a kick to the midsection of Dynamite. Raymond gets Dynamite in a head lock as Dynamite drives him to the corner so he can make the tag, and does, but the ref didn’t see it so it didn’t count.

Jacques goes for some lazy ass pin and only gets a 2 count. Dynamite gets up and drives a head butt into Jacques and then a chop. Dynamite finally tags in Davey Boy and whips Jacques into the ropes and goes for a drop kick but Jacques holds on to the ropes and Davey Boy goes crashing to the mat. Jacques ends up whipping Davey Boy into the ropes but Davey Boy reverses it and gets Jacques up with a gorilla press and he drops him across the top rope and racks him. That looked brutal.

Davey Boy goes for the pin but moves out of the way as Raymond comes in and drops and elbow on his brother. All four guys get in the ring and ram the Rougeau’s together with a double noggin knocker. Davey Boy ends up picking up Dynamite and throwing him on top of Jacques with the head butt. Dynamite goes for the cover as the bell suddenly rings. This is a time limit draw.

After the match they act like they are going to go for 5 more minutes but the Rougeau’s end up punching both Bulldogs in the chest. The Bulldogs then chase after the Rougeau’s as all 4 guys head to the back and Billy Graham on commentary says “finish it in the showers if you have to, brotha.”


Recap:
This was a decent match but there was a shit ton of rest holds and it got old real quick. I understand they were going for the time limit draw but still make it a little more action packed than what this was. The Rougeau’s kept doing the same rest hold after rest hold and it really made the middle portion of the match drag on. The Bulldogs did some rest holds as well and didn’t really get any good offense going throughout the match. This match could have been a lot better than it was but it wasn’t terrible either. The time limit draw finish was weird for the WWF so I was kind of surprised to see it here on a PPV. The match can drag at some points so if you want to skip it, I wouldn’t be mad at ya.


They show highlights of Ron Bass attacking Brutus Beefcake and cutting him open with the spurs. This is what led to Brutus Beefcake not being able to compete for the Intercontinental title on the show.

Match 2: Bad News Brown vs. Ken Patera

Patera rolls into the ring and Bad News attacks him with some big right hands before the guy can even get his jacket off. Bad News keeps laying in the rights and the hits Patera with a body slam. Bad News then drops an elbow to the face of Patera as he is laying on the ground. Bad News gets Patera up to his feet and has him in the corner and he hits him with a right hand. Bad News whips Patera into the corner and follows him in but Patera ends up hitting him with a clothesline. Patera finally gets his jacket off and throws it into the air as he goes over and starts laying in the boots to Bad News.

Patera gets Bad News to his feet and lays in some right hands before whipping him into the ropes and hitting him with a back elbow. Patera lays in the boots again and picks up Bad News. Patera slams Bad News and goes for an elbow off the rope but Bad News rolls out of the way. Bad News starts laying in the right hands to Patera as he is laid out on the mat. Patera gets up to his feet and Bad News nails him with a head butt. Patera stumbles back into the ropes and Bad News decks him with another right hand. Patera falls out to the apron and Bad News chokes him out until the 4 count.

Bad News drapes the throat of Patera over the top rope and drops the point of his elbow into the throat of Patera. Bad News then rams the head of Patera into the top turnbuckle. Bad News whips Patera into the ropes and nails him with a big time knife edge chop. Bad News then drops a right hand and starts choking Patera again. Bad News picks up Patera and whips him into the ropes and dunks down early so Patera kicks him in the face. Patera then lays in some elbows to the head of Bad News. Patera then goes for a shitty looking inside cradle that was in slow motion and doesn’t get a one count.

Patera throws Bad News into the ropes and hits him with a clothesline and follows it up with an elbow and gets a 2 count. Patera picks up Bad News and hits him with a back breaker and tries another pin and gets a 2. Patera gets Bad News up again and tries the small package again and again it looks like total shit. Patera then gets Bad News in a bear hug in the middle of the ring. I guess doing those shitty small packages got Patera blown up so we gotta get the rest hold going.

Bad News rakes the eyes of Patera and breaks free from the hold. Bad News gets up to his feet and Patera goes for the full nelson but doesn’t get it locked in. They struggle a little bit before Patera gets the full nelson in but Bad News is in the ropes. Patera goes up to the middle rope and drops an elbow to the back of Bad News. Patera goes for the full nelson again and gets it but Bad News gets right over to the ropes. Patera lays in some right hands of Bad News in the corner.

Patera ends up whipping Bad News into the ropes and dunks down early and Bad News nails him with a right hand to the back. Patera gets up first and lays in some kicks and punches to Bad News in the corner. Patera whips Bad News into the corner and when he gets to the corner he starts going around the ropes and spinning around for no reason. Patera charges in and just runs into him and does nothing. I have no idea what the hell is going on but this shit is brutal right now. Patera tries to clean it up by laying in some shoulder blocks to Bad News in the corner but that doesn’t really help. The crowd is fed up with this crap and they start to boo as they are just getting sloppier and sloppier.

Patera whips Bad News into the opposite corner again and this time Bad News gets out of the way and Patera goes flying into the steel post shoulder first. Patera stumbles out to the middle of the ring and Bad News nails him with the Ghetto Blaster right in the back of the head. Bad News goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall…..Bad News Brown!


Recap:
Thank goodness that crap fest is over. It was nothing but kicks and punches and both guys were gassed 3-4 minutes in. I still have no idea what the hell was supposed to happen in that turnbuckle spot where Bad News just spins around the ropes and Patera runs into him. The whole match was boring and sloppy and after about 2-3 minutes the crowd was bored and stared booing what little action they were seeing. The Ghetto Blaster was always a sweet finisher to me so it was nice to see that here and get the clean win over Patera but everything else is trash and not worth watching.

Backstage Interview: The Mega Powers

They have some shitty green screen affects here. This looks like some terribly bad production value here. You can see the blue outline around the bodies of Savage, Hogan, and Liz here. Just bad bad bad. Anyways to the interview we go. Gene tells Hogan that he knows he is ready. Hogan says that they have already made a believer out of him. A couple hours before the match he can already feel Madison Square Garden rumbling brother. Hogan says he knows what Hulkamania and the Macho Madness feel like but both of them as one is the strongest force in the universe. Hogan says that the dude here is going in with a clear conscience. What the hell does that even mean?

Anyways, Savage says that he has never felt so much electricity. He said the Mania and the Madness together as the Mega Powers. Savage also says that he has the secret weapon and he puts Liz in the front here. Gene says wait a minute…Elizabeth is the secret weapon of the Mega Powers. Hogan says Gene better believe it. Hogan says you don’t think we will go into this thing without the 24 inch pythons loaded, do you brother? Hogan says that we have Elizabeth and the secret weapon. Hogan says the last thing the Mega Bucks are going to see is the Kiss of Death. Hogan then finishes up the promo with Whatcha gonna do when the Mega Powers come running through! Savage says there no way to stop them…..OH YEAH!!!

One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb here is how many times Hogan over talks Savage. Gene was asking Savage if he Elizabeth was the secret weapon and Hogan steps in and answers for him. Hogan dominated the promo and got all his shit in while the champ stands there and says 10 words. What a douche bag Hogan is for this one.

Match 3: Rick Rude vs. Junkyard Dog

JYD is in the corner putting his chain up when Rude attacks him from behind before the bell rings. Hey lays in some forearms then whips him into the ropes but JY reverses it and ends up nailing Rude with a back body drop. Rude over rotates and lands right on his ass. That was a great backdrop. JYD follows that up by getting on all fours and nailing rude with 3-4 head butts that sends Rude to the outside to regroup with Heenan.

Rude gets to close to the apron and JYD grabs him by the hair and drags him back into the ring. JYD whips Rude into the ropes and he hits him with a right hand to the mid section. JYD then winds up and decks Rude with a haymaker that sends Rude down. JYD goes for a falling head butt but Rude moves out of the way. Rude then nails JYD with a clothesline. Rude goes up to the top rope and hits him with a double ax handle off the top. Rude then drops some elbows to the back of the head of JYD.

JYD gets up to his feet and Rude hits him with a forearm then a back forearm. Rude then rakes the eyes of JYD and snap mares him over. Rude gets JYD in a reverse chin lock. They stay in this hold for what seems like forever but its only a minute or so. JYD gets up to his feet and breaks free with some elbows to the midsection. JYD then whips Rude into the corner and charges in but Rude gets the boot up and sends JYD back down to the mat. Rude drops and elbow and goes for the pin and gets a 2 count. Back to the chin lock we go.

Rude lets go of the chin lock and drops an elbow on the top of the head to JYD. Rude then starts to work the arm with an arm bar. Rude drapes himself over the arm of JYD and he jumps up to work the arm some more but he ends up hitting himself with a low blow. What a hilarious spot and great sell job by Rude here. Rude backs into the corner and JYD comes in and lays in some right hands.

JYD drags Rude to the middle of the ring and nails him with a big time head butt. JYD holds him up and attempts to do another one but he goes after Heenan, who hopped on to the apron. Rude ends up hitting a knee to the back of JYD and he follows that up with a side Russian leg sweep. Rude then goes up to the top rope and drops his pants to reveal some times with Cheryl Roberts on them. He jumps up with the fist drop. Rude starts moving the hips and showing off his tights until Jake comes out of no where and starts laying in the right hands to Rude. Your winner by way of disqualification…..Rick Rude.

Jake then nails Rude with a big time clotheslines that sends Rude flying over the top rope. They announce the winner of the match and Jake starts apologizing to the JYD. JYD is frustrated that he lost but I think he understands.


Recap:
There wasn’t much to this match but it didn’t go long enough to get bad. JYD did his spots and the crowd ate them up. The guy was still over for the most part. Rude’s selling was great, as always. The back drop was awesome and really stood out during the match. The ending with Jake made sense because of the tights Rude showed off. All in all not a terrible match here and it’s worth checking out.

Backstage Interview: Honky Tonk Man & Jimmy Hart

Gene says that Brutus, because of injury, won’t be able to go for the IC title tonight against Honky Tonk Man. Gene say he isn’t sure if that makes Jimmy Hart happy or not. Jimmy says that they are always happy. He also states that Brutus is smart because he didn’t want to challenge the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. Honky says he knew something like this was going to happen and that Brutus wasn’t going to face the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time. Honky says for being the humanitarian that he is that he will face anybody tonight for the title.

Gene says that Honky will be defending the belt tonight at SummerSlam and the rumor is that the opponent is going to be formidable. Before he can announce the opponent Honky cuts him off and says don’t announce the opponent. Honky says he doesn’t want anybody to know because he wants it to be a surprise. Gene says his opponent has extraordinary talents. Gene tries to spoil it again but Honky cuts him off again and says he doesn’t care who it is because he is the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time and that he can Shake, Rattle, and Roll anybody that the WWF throws at him. Honky says he loves surprises.

Match 4: Powers of Pain vs. Bolsheviks

Before the Powers of Pains get announced, Volkoff sings us the Russian national anthem. Volkoff gets to the middle of the song when the Powers of Pain’s music hits and they interrupt them. They show the awesome shot of the guys coming out from the locker room. I always enjoyed that shot. They charge into the ring and all four guys go at it.

The Bolsheviks try to whip the Powers of Pain into each other but Warlord reverses Boris Zhukoff and he eats an elbow from the Barbarian for his troubles. Warlord decks Nikolai with a right hand and the Bolsheviks head to the outside to regroup. Boris gets in the ring with Barbarian. Barbarian tries to go off the rope but Nikolai trips him up and Boris goes for an elbow but the Barbarian moves out of the way. It’s looking pretty sloppy here from the get go. It looks like neither team really knows where to be or what they are doing.

Warlord gets in the ring for some reason and they whip Boris into the ropes and hit him with a double clothesline. Boris rolls to the outside of the ring again as Volkoff comes and checks on him. Volkoff gets in the ring and hits the Warlord from behind but it does nothing to the Warlord. Volkoff goes for a right hand but Warlord dunks and gets Volkoff in a full nelson while Barbarian nails him with a karate thrust to the throat. Boris gets back in the ring with the Barbarian. Boris gets a head lock on Barbarian and he ends up pushing him into the ropes. Boris runs into Barbarian and he doesn’t move.

Boris hits the ropes again and Barbarian dunks down and ends up hitting Boris with a clothesline. Boris hits Barbarian in the gut and drives him into the corner. Barbarian whips Boris into the other corner and comes in with a boot to the gut. Boris ends up getting the control and whips Barbarian into the other rope but the camera crew is out of position and you can’t even see the action happening.

Boris dunks down as the Barbarian comes back out of the corner and grabs him by the head then Boris just falls to his feet. What the hell is going on here. Boris is horrible and this match is a botch fest from the opening bell. Even the camera crew has no idea what the hell is going on. Barbarian drags Boris over to the corner and tags in the Warlord. Warlord hits Boris with a kick and then drives him head first into the two turn buckles. Warlord hits the ropes and drops an elbow to Boris and he goes for the pin but Volkoff breaks it up.

Warlord gets to his feet and Boris ends up hitting him in the gut and a punch to the face. However, it does nothing to the Warlord who ends up whipping Boris into the ropes and nails him with a big time power slam. He goes for the cover but the ref is out of position dealing with Nikolai. And of course the ref jacks up this spot and doesn’t get out of the way so Volkoff is real ‘timid’ when going for breaking up the pin. Boris just rolls to the apron and Volkoff comes in while the Slick is distracting the Warlord. Volkoff ends up clubbing the Warlord in the back to get control of the match.

Volkoff lays in some right hands and drives the head into the top turnbuckle. Volkoff distracts the ref and Boris chokes out the Warlord while Volkoff lays in some lefts and rights to the midsection. Volkoff goes in for a double ax handle but Warlord kicks him off him and tries to break free but Boris nails with a club to the back. Boris tags in and kicks Warlord in the gut and chokes him over the top rope. Volkoff grabs Warlord by the head while Boris kicks him. Warlord breaks free again but Boris gets the quick tag and Nikolai comes back in. Volkoff starts to choke out the Warlord.

Volkoff distracts the ref again and Boris drapes his throat on the top rope as he falls down to the ground. Boris and Volkoff throw the Warlord into the turnbuckle. Boris then snap mares the Warlord over and gets him in a chin lock. Warlord gets back to his feet and tries to break free but Nikolai tags in and he gets some right hands in on the Warlord. Warlord hits a couple of rights but Volkoff ends up hitting him with a spinning leg kick. Boris and Nikolai go for a double back drop but Warlord clubs both guys in the back. Warlord finally gets the tag to the Barbarian.

He comes in a house of fire and whips Boris into the ropes and hits him with a karate thrust to the throat. He then body slams Nikolai and ends up hitting Boris with a back kick. Barbarian whips Boris into the ropes and nails him with a big ass boot to the face. He ends up dumping Volkoff to the outside. He tags in the Warlord and they nail Boris with a double flying tackle. Warlord then picks up Boris and drops him with a power slam as he tags in the Barbarian and he hits Boris with a head butt off the top rope. Barbarian goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….The Powers of Pain!


Recap:
This was a total shit fest from the opening bell to the final bell. The Bolsheviks were terrible and they missed a ton of spots. The ref was out of place and the camera crew kind of missed some action as well. Barbarian looked the best because of his agility and his kicks but other than that there is absolutely nothing worth watching with this match.


We get a promo for the Survivor Series: “Thanksgiving Night….witness the Survivor Series”

Brother Love Show: Jim Duggan as the guest

Brother Love gets on the mic and lets us know that he loves us all. He tells us that tonight is a very special night. He says its not only because Brother Love is here but because the World Wrestling Federation promised Brother Love a very special guest. He tells us that the only thing that makes this guest special is the fact that he is Brother Loves guest. He also says that the WWF promised him that it is somebody who needs to learn a lesson of love. Brother Love then introduces his guest as Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Duggan comes to the ring rocking his 2×4 and his Duggan shirt. This should go well for Brother Love. Duggan says that he came out here for 2 reasons. He wants to share this with everybody and he starts a hoooo chant. Duggan said the second thing he wanted to do was tell Brother Love how big of a phony he was straight to his face. Brother Love says he looks at Duggan and sees a man with no love in his heart. Brother Love says he should learn about love by looking around the World Wrestling Federation. Duggan has his 2×4 on his shoulder and he swings it around and nearly hits Brother Love in the face.

Brother Love tells Duggan he should take Dino Bravo as an example because he loves his country. Brother Love says he doesn’t see any love in Duggan’s heart for his country. Duggan says that the people of Canada are not proud of Dino Bravo. He also tells Brother Love that he better never question the patriotism of Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He also says don’t question him when Duggan blood has fought to keep this country free. Brother Love says he looks at him and sees a man with a weapon. He says he sees a man carrying a 2×4. Duggan has his 2×4 on his shoulder and he swings it around and nearly hits Brother Love in the face. Brother Love says that doesn’t show any love.

Brother Love says that he has no love in his heart and he gets to close to Duggan and he yells at him to get out of his face. Duggan says this is the WWF not Sunday school. He says if the WWF needs policing then he is the guy to do it. Brother Love starts to jam his finger into the chest of Duggan and says that he doesn’t see a badge on Duggan so how can he police it. Duggan yells at him to get his hand off of him. Duggan says the 2×4 is all the badge he needs. Duggan tells Brother Love says if he keeps talking the way he is that he won’t dirty his grade a hands but he will stick his 2×4 where sun doesn’t shine.

Duggan says he is going to give Brother Love a count of 5 to get out of here or all of these people will get a treat they have been waiting for. Brother Love says Duggan won’t touch him with the 2×4 because he is a man of love. Duggan counts 1. Brother Love says he is wearing glasses and Duggan counts to 2. Brother Love says he’s a man of love and we get the 3 count. Brother Love tells Duggan that he loves him and Duggan counts to 4. Duggan then takes his 2×4 and swings it at Brother Love and Brother Love takes off out of here. Thank God this segment is over. On to the next one.

Match 5: Intercontinental Title Match: Honky Tonk Man (c) vs. Ultimate Warrior

Honky is in the ring awaiting his opponent. Howard says and his opponent then we get a pause. Honky hops on to the mic and says he doesn’t care who it is and to get somebody out here for him to fight. Then the Warrior’s music hits and the crowd goes insane. The Ultimate Warrior’s music ends up going off and he comes charging to the ring. Warrior nails Honky with a right hand. When Warrior goes charging into the ropes he sends Howard packing to the floor.

Warrior lays in another right hand and starts posing for the crowd. Honky gets up to his feet and Warrior ends up nailing him with a body slam. Warrior hits the ropes and hits the flying shoulder block on Honky. Warrior just going crazy and has no idea what to do. Warrior hits a clothesline then hits the big splash on the Honky Tonk Man. Warrior goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION….THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR!!!


Recap:
This match is short, sweet, and accomplished so much. This match is still talked about today and is still awesome. Warrior went insane and this really solidified him as a upper echelon type of player. I’m thankful they didn’t let this go long because it could have gotten bad pretty quickly. This was the perfect way to end the Honky Tonk’s run and to get another guy over. Job well done all around here.


They come back from intermission and Heenan joins Gorilla and Billy Graham in the broadcasting booth. He is giving us an update on what the Mega Bucks and the Mega Powers are doing. Heenan says Andre is reading the Wall Street Journal. He also tells us that DiBIase has 4 briefcases open and he is counting all of the money while Virgil is standing in the corner enjoying it all. Heenan says the Mega Powers put their dresser in front of the door and they don’t want anyone in and they are scared. Gorilla and Graham cut him off as we head to the next match.

Match 6: Dino Bravo vs. Don Muraco

The match starts with both guys tying up in the middle of the ring. They struggle for a moment then break free. They circle and tie up again. This time Bravo drives Muraco into the ropes and then they circle around on the rope until they break in the corner. They tie up for a 3rd time and this time Muraco gets Bravo in a head lock. Bravo pushes Muraco off into the ropes and Muraco hits him with a big shoulder blocker. Muraco hits the ropes again and ends up stomping on the head of Bravo as he goes for a monkey flip.

Bravo gets back up to his feet and gets arm dragged then body slammed by Muraco. Bravo gets up again and Muraco hits him with an arm drag again. Bravo gets frustrated and heads out to the floor to regroup with Frenchie Martin. Bravo gets back in the ring and they tie up for a 4th time. Muraco breaks free and gets Bravo in an arm bar. He then lays in some elbows to the shoulder of Bravo. Bravo gets to his feet and drives Muraco into the corner and hits him with a chop. Bravo then lays in some shoulder blocks to Muraco.

Bravo goes to whip Muraco into the corner but Muraco reverses it and hits Bravo with a hip toss. Muraco follows that up with a monkey flip and then another arm drag into an arm bar. Bravo gets up to his feet and Muraco drives him into the corner again. Muraco then lays in some knees to the gut of Bravo. Muraco whips Bravo into the ropes and hits him with a shoulder thrust in the corner. Muraco goes to whip Bravo into the corner but Bravo reverses it and Muraco goes face first into the corner. Bravo lays in some boots and shoulder blocks to Muraco and he follows that up with an inverted atomic drop. Bravo lays in some boots then a big elbow. Bravo gets up and whips Muraco into the ropes and Bravo dunks early and Muraco ends up hitting him with a Russian leg sweep.

Bravo goes for a big elbow and Muraco moves out of the way. They exchange lefts and rights until Muraco gets the advantage and he drives Bravo into the ropes. Muraco whips Bravo into the ropes and hits him with a back drop. Muraco then decks Martin, who gets on the apron. Muraco lays in some right hands and goes for a body slam but the ref was in the way and Bravo ends up kicking the ref in the head so Muraco puts him down. Bravo takes advantage of the situation and ends up hitting Muraco with his side suplex. Bravo goes for the pin and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Dino Bravo!


Recap:
This was to jacked up stiffs who got blown up about 2 minutes into the match. Towards the end Muraco was on fumes and could barely move around the ring. Bravo looked decent but this was your typical Bravo match. Looking back on this shit now makes me wonder what the hell did Bravo have on Vince because the guy always looked good, as far as outcomes are concerned. I don’t think I ever seen him job out unless it was to somebody like Hogan or the Warrior. He always looked strong in his matches and it made zero sense because he was brutal. This was another match you can just toss in the trash and skip if you ask me. The wrestlers on the card, up to this point, are just not on their A game for a pay per view.

Backstage Interview: Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura

They head to the back where Sean Mooney is standing by with Jesse the Body. He is here to talk about his job as a referee between the Mega Powers vs. the Mega Bucks. Mooney says there is a lot of controversy surrounding the picking of Jesse as the ref and that Jesse has added to that controversy by taking money from Ted DiBiase. Jesse says the first thing he wants everyone to know is that this is one of the best decisions Tunney has made. Jesse says he is the only guy in the world who can get in the ring and control this match.

Jesse asks Mooney if he is accusing him of taking money from the Million Dollar Man. Jesse tells us that DiBiase walks up and starts stuffing $100 bills into his jacket. Jesse says he is no fool and if somebody wants to give him money then he is going to take it. Mooney says we are all awaiting the actions of Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura.

Match 7: WWF Tag Team Title Match: Demolition (c) vs. The Hart Foundation

They come back from the Jesse interview with the Hart Foundation waiting in the ring for Demolition to come out. Demolition’s awesome theme music hits and here they come with Fuji and Jimmy Hart on this night. The match starts with Bret and Ax in the ring. Man Demolition is awesome. They get in a tie up and Ax quickly hits Bret with a knee to the midsection and clubbing blows to the back. Ax picks up Bret and body slams. He goes for an elbow drop but Bret rolls out of the way and starts laying in the rights to Ax. Bret then nails Smash with a right hand that knocks him off the apron.

Bret ends up whipping Ax into the ropes and he hits him with a punch to the gut. Bret follows that up with a roll up and gets a 2 count on Ax. Smash gets the tag and he gets arm dragged twice and into an arm bar. Bret drags Smash into the corner and tags in Neidhart, who comes off the middle rope with an ax handle. Neidhart dunks under a clothesline attempt and levels Smash with a ax handle to the chest. Neidhart whips Smash into the ropes but Smash reverses it and hits Smash with a shoulder block. Neidhart goes off the ropes and Ax ends up kicking him in the back. Smash tags in Ax and he comes and just lays in the punches to the back of Neidhart.

Ax tags in Smash and he does the same. Just clubs the back of Neidhart. Ax gets tagged in again and Ax whips Neidhart into the ropes. Ax dunks down early and Neidhart nails him with a right hand to the face. Neidhart tags in Bret and he comes in and nails Ax with a right hand that sends him out of the ring. Smash comes in and Bret ends up nailing him with a drop kick. Bret goes to whip Smash into the corner but Smash reverses it and Bret goes crashing into the steel post where Fuji put his cane in the corner. Smash lays in the rights and ends up tagging in Ax.

Ax comes in and clubs Bret some more and then he gets his arm tied up in the rope while Smash lays in the right hands. Ax lays in some right hands as well. They let Bret free and Ax takes him and rams him shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Ax lays in some boots to Bret who is laid out on the mat. Ax then rams the shoulder into the boot of Smash and he makes the tag. Smash comes in and hits Bret with a shoulder breaker. Smash then works the arm with an odd looking arm bar type move. Smash tags in Ax and he comes in and picks up on the same arm move that Smash had.

Ax picks up Bret and puts him on the ropes as Smash tags his bad arm and drapes it across the top rope as he falls down. Smash then takes Bret and throws him shoulder first into the steel post. Bret gets up to his feet and tries to get into the ring but Ax kicks him in the shoulder as well. Bret gets back in the ring and Smash nails him with a right hand and tags in Ax. Ax comes in and whips Bret into the ropes and he goes for a clothesline but Bret goes under and ends up hitting Ax with his own clothesline. Bret crawls for the tag but Smash gets in the ring to distract the ref and he didn’t see the tag so he didn’t allow it. Meanwhile, Smash comes in and rams Bret into turnbuckle after turnbuckle. Smash whips Bret into the corner and comes charging in but Bret gets the boot up and sends Smash crashing to the mat. Bret finally makes the tag to Neidhart.

Neidhart comes in and clubs Smash and then hits Ax with a drop kick. He picks up Smash and body slams him and he ends up doing the same thing to Ax. Neidhart then whips Smash into Ax, who goes rolling out of the ring. Neidhart then clubs Smash, who goes flying out of the ring. Neidhart then grabs the top rope and Bret sling shots him over the top to the outside where he comes crashing down on Smash. That was a pretty awesome move and it’s pretty crazy the agility Neidhart had.

Neidhart starts to lay in the right hands to Smash while Bret decks Ax on the apron on the other side of the ring. Neidhart throws Smash into the ring and he hits him with a power slam in the middle of the ring. He goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2 count. That was close. Neidhart gets Smash up and drives him into the corner. Neidhart tags in Bret who ends up irish whipping Neidhart into Smash and he nails him with a big time shoulder block. Bret hits Smash with a back breaker and goes for the cover but Ax comes in and breaks it up. All four men are now in the ring as Neidhart comes in and nails Ax with some clubs.

Fuji ends up on the apron and Neidhart nails him 2-3 times. Meanwhile, Jimmy Hart throws the mega phone into Ax who nails Bret in the back with it. Smash falls down on top of Bret and he goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Fuji and Jimmy run off with the mega phone as Neidhart checks on Bret in the ring. Your winners by pinfall and still WWF Tag Team Champions…..Demolition!!!


Recap:
This was a really fun match. The action never really stopped and the crowd was hot for it. These guys worked well together and it really showed. Bret’s come back was awesome and you really felt like they were going to pull out the win. It was a lot of clubbing and punching but it wasn’t over done and a lot of stuff was mixed in between all of that. Just a solid match thats probably one of the better ones on the card. I like this one better than the Bulldogs and the Rougeau’s. I’d recommend checking this one out.

Backstage Interview: The Honky Tonk Man

They go to the back locker room where the Honky Tonk Man is upset. In the locker room with him is Dino Bravo, the Rougeau’s, Nikolai Volkoff, and Hercules. Honky tells everybody to leave him alone. Honky says he has been ripped off and robbed in the WWF and that they have been doing this to him since he’s been there. He said they jumped him from behind and beat him up out there with some Warrior. He said he would wrestle anybody but not some Warrior. Honky says the belt belongs to him and he is the greatest of all time. Honky says no matter what the Warrior does it will always be Honky’s belt. Honky says he is going to get his belt back on matter what it takes. Honky then storms out of there because he is pissed that he lost his title.

Match 8: Big Boss Man vs. Koko B. Ware

The match starts with Slick taunting Koko and Koko takes a swing at Slick but Boss Man attacks him from behind. He lays in some clubs to the back then throws Koko outside of the ring. Koko gets back in the ring and lays in some right hands. Koko backs Boss Man into the rope and ends up whipping Boss Man into the ropes but Bossman reverses it and goes for a clothesline but Koko dunks under and ends up hitting Boss Man with a drop kick. Boss Man falls into the ropes and get locked into the top rope.

Koko runs off the ropes and hits Boss Man with a big splash. Koko lays in some right hands some more. Boss Man finally gets free and they stare each other down. Koko gets into a corner and Boss Man comes in but Koko quickly moves out of the way and hits Boss Man with a right hand. Koko goes into another corner and he tries to get out but Boss Man grabs him in a head lock and smashes him in the back of Koko. Boss Man then picks up Koko and hits him with a jumping head butt.

Boss Man puts Koko into the corner and whips him into the ropes. Boss Man follows it up with a big time splash in the corner. Boss Man drops some knees to the lower back of Koko. Boss Man whips Koko into the ropes and nails him with a clothesline right on the top of the head. Boss Man goes for the pin and ends up picking him up to break the pin. Boss Man then gets Koko on his knees and stretches the arms back and works over the back. Koko flips out of it and kicks Boss Man right in the face to break free. Boss Man drapes Koko on the middle rope and he runs and drops the leg across the back and chokes Koko over the middle rope. Boss Man picks up Koko and decks him with a big right hand. Boss Man picks up Koko and body slams him on the mat.

Boss Man climbs up to the top rope and goes for a big time splash but Koko gets out of the way. Boss Man gets right back to his feet and he picks up Koko and puts him in the corner. Boss Man whips Koko into the ropes and comes charging in and goes for a splash but he ends up racking himself on the top rope. Koko starts to lay in the right hands and has all the momentum. Koko climbs up to the top rope on the inside and nails Boss Man with a beautiful drop kick.

Koko gets up and goes for a big splash on Boss Man. He goes for the cover and gets a 2 count before Boss Man throws him in the air and throws him over the referee. Koko gets up and lays in a right hand. Koko then hits the ropes and tries to jump on Boss Man and Boss Man ends up catching him and dumps him over the top rope. Boss Man then whips Koko into the ropes and nails him with the Boss Man Slam. Boss Man goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall…..Big Boss Man!

After the match, Slick distracts the referee while the Big Boss Man nails him with the night stick to the back of Koko. Koko falls to the outside as Boss Man and Slick celebrate in the ring.


Recap:
This was a decent match but nothing special. Koko did enough to make the match entertaining. Boss Man was a little sloppy at some spots and you can tell he was still learning. The drop kick by Koko was awesome and made the match. Not a bad match by any means and I’ve always enjoyed it even after all these years.

Backstage Interview: The Ultimate Warrior

Warrior is in the locker room and with him are the British Bulldogs, Jim Duggan, Ken Patera, JYD, and Don Muraco. Mooney tells Warrior that he is the new Intercontinental Champion. Warrior says that the Honky Tonk Man thought it was something right out of a comic book brother. Warrior says we are talking about real life. Warrior says he was sitting in parts unknown waiting for the next space ship to higher plains. What the hell is he talking about? Only he knows I’m sure. The lightning bolts then came down from the sky and the Warriors spoke and told him to make it to the Garden.

Warrior says that he made it to the Garden and Honky Tonk Man made the challenge and he and all of the little Warriors with their painted faces, rose to the challenge and conquered. Warrior says he has taken all of the little Warriors through the darkness and all of the pain. Warrior says that if the Honky Tonk Man or anyone else wants to take on the Warrior and all of the Warriors then he’s not hard to find. He says he will be on the next space ship to Parts Unknoooooooown!

Match 9: Jake Roberts vs. Hercules

Hercules looks awesome here for some reason. He looked jacked but trim at the same time. The match starts off with Hercules posing in front of Jake and taunting him. One thing about this match is that Heenan is not at ring side for Hercules. He is getting prepped for the tag match thats up next. This is pretty sweet booking here because it raises the magnitude of the main event. Well done WWF. Anyways, Jake goes to check on Damien and Hercules tries to attack him from behind but Jake slips out of the way and lays in some right hands to Hercules.

Jake ends up whipping Hercules into the opposite corner and he follows Hercules in but Hercules gets the knees up and Jake goes crashing into him. Jake gets up to his knees and Hercules decks him with a couple of right hands. Jake gets up to his feet and Hercules whips him into the ropes but he dunks down early and Jake nails him with a nice high knee. Jake calls for the DDT right away and he goes for it but Hercules slips out of the head lock and goes to the outside to regroup.

Hercules gets back in the ring and Hercules tries to hit him with a few lefts and rights but Jake blocks all of them. Hercules then hits the ropes and tries a clothesline but Jake dunks and ends up body slamming Hercules. Jake gets Hercules in a head lock and he wrenches it in. Hercules tries to push Jake off but Jake holds on and keeps him in the head lock. Hercules ends up picking up Jake and hits him with a belly to back suplex but Jake holds on to the head lock and keeps Hercules in the hold. Jake keeps this head lock on for a while until Hercules finally gets in the ropes and forces the break.

Hercules is on his knees and Jake goes in but Hercules head butts him in the mid-section. This is a very slow and plodding pace. Can we pick it up a little guys? Hercules picks up Jake and hits him with big right Hand. Hercules then hits Jake with a few elbow drops. Hercules then picks Jake up by the hair and snap mares him over. Hercules then goes for a reverse chin lock of his own. Jake gets up to his feet rather quickly but Hercules drops him with a short clothesline. Hercules then bounces off the ropes and levels Jake with a nasty sounding clothesline. Hercules takes his time and gets a 2 count on a sloppy pin.

Hercules gets Jake to his butt and he ends up getting him in a reverse chin lock again. He keeps this hold on for over a minute and a half. He’s done basically nothing and has to rest that long. Jake gets to his feet and lays in some elbows to the gut and then he gets him in a reverse arm bar. Hercules ends up elbowing Jake in the face as Jake falls to the outside. Jake gets back up to the apron and Hercules nails him with a right hand. Hercules then drapes Jake over the top rope and nails him with a right hand to the sternum.

Hercules goes for the move again and this time Jake grabs Hercules and he dumps him over the top rope to the outside. Hercules gets back on the apron and he ends up grabbing Jake and clothesline him across the top rope. Hercules comes in and nails some forearms to the chest and he goes back to the chin lock. Jake ends up getting up to his feet and he drops down and rocked Hercules in the jaw. Jake then lays in some left hands and some rights. Jake bounces off the rope and nails Hercules with a right hand. Jake picks up Hercules and drops him with the short arm clothesline.

Jake calls for the DDT again and the crowd goes crazy. Jake goes for the DDT but Hercules back drops him out of the hold. Hercules is in the corner and Jake comes charging in with a high knee and Hercules moves out of the way and Jake lands right on the back of his head. Hercules picks up Jake and hits him with a body slam and then a big elbow. Jake gets back to his feet but Hercules goes low and hits him in the midsection. Hercules goes for a body slam but Jake slips to the back and ends up nailing Hercules with an awesome DDT. Jake rolls over and goes for the pin and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts!

After the match Jake lets Damien out of the bag and drapes it over Hercules. He sticks the face of Damien right in the face of Hercules. Hercules is knocked while Damien crawls all over him.


Recap:
This match was really slow and plodding. There were a lot of rest holds and it really killed the match. Its crazy to me that the match can seem flat and dead and then Jake calls for the DDT and the crowd goes insane. Makes Jakes life easier if you ask me when thats all it takes. The ending was pretty sweet and it really made the DDT look like it can be applied at anytime. The ending was good but everything else kind of sucked. You can watch if you want but you aren’t missing anything if you don’t.

They show the highlights of the feud between the Mega Powers and the Mega Bucks that led to the main event of SummerSlam.

Match 10: Mega Powers vs. Mega Bucks

Jesse gets introduced first. They follow that up with the Mega Bucks who come down with Virgil and Bobby Heenan. Next up we have the Mega Powers making their way ringside. I love the shots from MSG where they show them coming out from the locker room. Savage looks awesome in his robe as well as Hogan with Mega Powers on the back of the trunks. Just a really sweet shot and it makes it feel like a big time boxing match. Great production value here.

Jesse tries to get both teams to shake hands. Jesse takes control of the match and gets all of the managers out of the ring. Jesse ends up moving the tag ropes here and finally the match starts. We got Savage vs. Andre in the ring. Andre lays in some right hands and he drives Savage to the corner. Andre lays in a right hand and a chop before Andre tags in DiBiase. Savage is getting ready to tie up before DiBiase says he wants to face Hogan. Savage goes over and tags in the Hulk. Hogan gets in the ring and both guys tie up. DiBiase quickly rakes the eyes of Hogan. DiBiase goes for a right and a left and both get blocked. He also goes for a kick but Hogan catches him and ends up hitting DiBiase with an atomic drop to the corner.

Savage lays in a right hand to DiBiase and Hogan hits him with one. Savage pushes Jesse out of the way and nails DiBiase again as he falls to the mat. Hogan then whips DiBiase into the ropes and Hogan nails him with a big clothesline. Hogan then tags in Savage and whips DiBiase into the ropes and both guys hit DiBiase with a back elbow then a double elbow drop. Jesse tells Hogan to get out of the ring as Savage rams the head of DiBiase into the top turnbuckle 2-3 times. Hogan gets the tag again and Hogan comes in and kicks DiBiase in the gut. Hogan then rams the head of DiBiase into one corner and then into the other.

Hogan tags in Savage again and this time Savage goes off the top rope and hits DiBiase with a double ax handle as Hogan holds DiBiase. Savage then drops a big time knee to the face of DiBiase. Savage tags in Hogan again and this time they both whip DiBiase into the ropes and they hit him with a double big boot. Hogan picks up DiBiase and hits him with a body slam. Hogan then hits repeated elbows on DiBiase. Hogan gets up and tries to attack Andre but Andre catches Hogan and ends up decking him with a head butt to gain control of the match. Savage comes in for some reason and Andre ends up nailing him with a head butt.

DiBiase drops an elbow on Hogan and then tags in Andre. DiBiase lays in some boots before Jesse tells him to get out of the ring. Andre comes in and drops his body weight on Hogan 3-4 times. Andre then stands on the bottom rope and chokes Hogan out with it. Andre picks up Hogan and rams him into his boot. Andre lays in a nerve hold to Hogan. Andre then tags his singlet and wraps it around the throat of Hogan and starts to choke him. Andre tags in DiBiase and he comes in and kicks Hogan in the gut. DiBiase lays in some beautiful right hands as Hogan tries to get over to his corner. DiBiase whips Hogan into the ropes and hits him with a clothesline.

DiBiase drops his patented falling right hands to the face of Hogan. DiBiase gets Hogan in a reverse chin lock while Gorilla and Superstar say it’s a choke. Hogan finally gets up to his feet and but DiBiase tightens his grip on the hold and Hogan falls back down to the mat. Jesse raises the hands but Hogan holds it up before the third one. Hogan then hits some elbows to the gut of DiBiase and he breaks free. Hogan then hits the ropes and DiBiase goes for a clothesline but Hogan goes under and they end up hitting each other with a double clothesline. Hogan finally crawls over and makes the tag to Savage.

Savage comes in and lays in the right hands. Savage whips DiBiase into the corner and follows him with a back elbow. Savage whips DiBiase into the ropes and hits him with a back drop. Savage picks up DiBiase and he clotheslines him over the top rope as Savage jumps to the outside. DiBiase does a handstand to sell the move and it looked freaking awesome. What a great sequence of action. Savage ends up climbing to the top rope and this DiBiase with a double ax handle.

Savage picks up DiBiase and hits him with an elbow to the head. DiBiase falls back to the corner and Savage comes charging in but DiBiase moves out of the way and Savage crashes shoulder first into the corner. DiBiase lays in a right hand and tries to ram Savages head into the corner but Savage blocks it and rams DiBiase into the corner himself. Savage goes for a whip on DiBiase but DiBiase reverses it and he goes for a clothesline but Savage dunks under and ends up hitting DiBiase with a cross body.

Both guys get to their feet and Savage comes charging at DiBiase but DiBiase levels him with a clothesline. DiBiase tags in Andre and he decks Savage with a right hand that sends Savage into the corner. Andre hits a few shoulder blocks then puts his entire body weight into Savage a couple of times. Andre picks up Savage by the trunks and decks him with a right hand again. This time Andre just sits down on Savage in the corner. Andre hits Savage with a head butt as he tags in DiBiase. DiBIase comes in and picks up Savage and decks him with a right hand and follows that up with a nice looking suplex. DiBiase goes for the cover and gets a 2 count.

DiBiase picks up Savage and he hits Savage with a back breaker. DiBiase goes to the second rope on the inside and he goes for a falling elbow but Savage rolls out of the way and DiBiase comes crashing to the mat. DiBiase gets up to his feet first and tries to stop Savage from the tag but Savage kicks DiBiase off of him as Savage gets the tag to Hogan. Hogan comes in and lays in 10 right hands. He whips DiBiase into the corner and he follows it in with a clothesline. Hogan then picks up DiBiase and hits him with a suplex.

Andre comes in the ring and Hogan decks him with a clothesline and it sends Andre down to the mat. Savage goes to the top rope but Hogan tells him to go to the other one. Hogan has DiBiase in a sleeper while Savage comes off the rope on Andre but Andre gets the boot up. Andre gets up to his feet and grabs Hogan by the hair and head butts him twice in the back of the head. The Mega Powers are on the floor getting counted out as Jesse starts the count. Elizabeth climbs up on to the apron as Jesse tells her to get off the apron. Elizabeth gets in position with the hard camera and ends up taking her skirt off that shocks all 5 of the guys on or in the ring. On the outside the Mega Powers look up and they do their classic hand shake. What an awesome looking shot.

While the Mega Bucks, Jesse, Bobby, and Virgil are all distracted by Elizabeth. Savage and Hogan get back in the ring and go after DiBiase and Andre. Savage comes off the top with a ax handle to the back and Andre goes flying over the top rope. Savage decks Heenan. Hogan then slams DiBiase and Savage comes off the top rope with his flying elbow drop. Hogan then drops the big leg and Jesse gets down to the count the 1-2-3 but he stalls at 3 and Savage slams the hand down to the mat anyways. Your winners by pinfall…..The Mega Powers!!!

After the match Hogan, Savage, and Elizabeth celebrate in the ring. Hogan picks up Elizabeth and carries her around the ring until Savage turns around and sees Hogan holding her. Savage sticks his arms out and he has a befuddled look on his face like what the hell is this dude doing with my wife. Seeds being planted for something? Hmm I wonder. That quickly goes away as Hogan and Savage pose for the fans send them home happy. We got the awesome look of Elizabeth on the shoulder of Macho while holding the WWF Title. They exit the ring as the show goes to a close.


Recap:
This was your typical WWF main event with Hogan. Bad guys did most of the damage and we got the hot come back from Savage and Hogan to finish it off. Elizabeth taking off the skirt is one of the more memorable moments in wrestling history that almost everyone has seen but it never gets old. That was provocative for it’s time and thats what makes it stand out. Thats the best part about old school wrestling. When it is done for the first time it always sticks out. Nowadays a table spot means nothing because it has been done to death. Anyways, the match is solid and a nice way to end the show. The seeds are already being planted for Wrestlemania 5, which is pretty damn awesome to see.

Show Recap:
That about does it for SummerSlam 88. The card was a mixed bag. There was some good, there was some bad, and then there were some moments that are still mentioned when SummerSlam is brought up. I didn’t expect much else from the first ever SummerSlam. Now that I have reviewed the show it felt like more of a MSG house show with a big time main event. The lights being on inside of MSG was pretty awesome as well. Something you didn’t really see during the house show days so it really made the show pop a little bit.

The first match was a little slow and a lot of the same stuff but it served the purpose of getting the crowd going. I didn’t like the non-finish and it takes away from the match some but not to bad. The fact they were even in the ring together after what Jacques did to Dynamite in the first place is a shocker. All in all not a bad opener.

The Patera/Bad News and JYD/Rude matches were pretty bad. Patera and Bad News was a botch fest and went just a little to long for my taste. Rude and JYD kind of sucked as well because of the DQ finish but it made sense because of what Jake promised Rude about wearing those tights again. Theres very little positive in either match therefore I would just go ahead and skip this 10-15 minute portion of the show.

The Powers of Pain and Bolsheviks was the shits as well. Boris was horrendous and missed quite a few spots. Powers of Pain didn’t really work as baby faces and it showed during this match. I’m surprised it took them to Survivor Series to turn them. The Brother Love segment did it’s job to get Brother Love’s gimmick over. It also showed us how he would handle the good guys going forward.

After that we got the IC title match between Warrior and Honky Tonk Man. This was the perfect way to get the title off of Honky Tonk Man and establish the Ultimate Warrior. The amazing part about is the fact that it only took 31 seconds for all of this to happen. What a memorable moment and a great segment here. One of the few bright spots on the card.

After that match we got the snooze fest of Dino Bravo vs. Don Muraco. These guys were both gassed after 2-3 minutes and the end of the match really dragged. Not much else to say about this one than to skip it. After this match we had the tag team title match and to me this was the best match on the card. The action was solid and the Harts come back was great as well. We had some cool spots and the fact that Jimmy Hart cost his old team the titles really worked out here. Just a pretty good match that is worth checking out at least once.

We head into the last few matches with Boss Man vs. Koko in that PPV jobber match. Koko did his job and made the Boss Man look good. Jake vs. Hercules was boring and had a ton of chin locks and wasted time. The clean finish of the DDT and Damien getting out and put on Hercules was a surprise but was a pleasant one.

The main event was your typical WWF PPV main event and it delivered on all fronts. We had star power and a pretty good match to boot. Jesse was a nice added element as a wild card. You wasn’t sure what he was going to do but they played it up that he got paid off. Elizabeth removing her skirt was pretty damn crazy for the times and is a memorable moment that is still talked about. All in all a good way to end the show and send the fans home happy.

This match gets crapped on but the action is pretty much non stop and the star power involved was off the charts. Not sure why it gets trashed but it is what it is. Thats your typical one opinion shows up online and everybody follows suit. However, that isn’t the case here and we because we tell it like it is as Jesse the Body would say.

Anyways, thats SummerSlam 88 for you. I hope you have enjoyed this review of the first ever SummerSlam. It was a little bit of a chore to get through but I’m glad I took the time to watch this from a different perspective. Theres some things you can enjoy here and some things you’d rather not see. Coming up next time on the Event Center will be another PPV from the early 90s and we are going back to World Championship Wrestling. We going back to February 1990 and we are going to go to war with WrestleWar 1990: Wild Thing. Look out for that in the coming days right here on CrazyMax.

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 02-11-78

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

Freddie Blassie OWNS a fan, ya pencil neck geek…

That said, it’s the Retro Rasslin Review!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 02-11-78

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is February 1, 1978.

Vince McMahon looks as high as a kite.

[spacer height=”20px”]Larry Zbyszko is still fighting Juvenile Diabetes. Good man.

[spacer height=”20px”]To the ring with Joe McHugh and tag team action.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #1: PAUL “BUTCHER” VACHON & BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. SPECIAL DELIVERY JONES & PETE AUSTIN

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]While Lou managed Scicluna to a tag team title run with King Curtis Iaukea years earlier, I doubt the Captain is with him here. Rather, Lou is managing the Butcher. Albano is in an extra energetic mood today and he pretends to jump rope with an imaginary rope throughout the introductions. SD Jones finally nails Albano to send him out of the ring and to the locker room and we start the match.

Jones causes the Butcher trouble early and Paul tags in the Baron. Pete Austin also tags in and the heels immediately gain control of Austin. SD Jones eventually manages to get back in the ring but he suffers more of the same. Jones randomly hits Butcher with a single headbutt and Vachon lays out flat like he died. Even SD looks puzzled. Vachon sold that like Bobo Brazil just COCO BUTTED him with a titanium steel plate. Austin tags back in and looks LOST, Pete finally covers Butcher, but Vachon kicks out. The heels are back on top of the green Austin. Vachon with a double stomp on Pete, and Baron tags in to drop a REALLY SHITTY KNEE to get the win. Match was 5:34. God the Baron was AWFUL.

The heels do this weird hand swaying thing after the match. Synchronized dancing?

Winners are Vachon & the Baron

Notes: SD Jones was the best wrestler in the match and he didn’t do a damn thing. Not trying to take anything away from Paul Vachon who had big runs with his brother Mad Dog, but nobody in this match was lighting the world on fire. Albano was the most entertaining thing in this match, and he was ran from ringside before the match even started.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: “HIGH CHIEF” PETER MAIVIA VS. STAN “THE MAN” STASIAK (w/THE GRAND WIZARD)

[spacer height=”20px”]Maivia tries to get the upper hand early and often, but Stasiak keeps finding his way to the ropes for a break. At one point the High Chief even drops Stasiak crotch first over the top rope, but somehow that wasn’t a DQ. Finally, Stasiak plants a cheap shot on Maivia to take control. Stasiak pounds down the High Chief and sets Maivia up for his dreaded HEART PUNCH finisher. As Stan cocked back and began to throw the punch, Maivia breaks free and blocks the punch with some kung fu style shit and starts to retaliate with strikes of his own.

Now it’s the High Chief who stomps Stasiak into the mat and out of the ring. Stan has a word with the Wiz and returns to the ring where Maivia locks him in a Full Nelson. Stasiak escapes and sets Maivia up for another Heart Punch, but AGAIN Maivia blocks it and goes to town on Stan, sending Stasiak to the floor once more after a big wind up punch.

Stasiak returns to the ring this time incensed, the Wizard distracts Maivia as Stasiak pounds down the High Chief, chokes him down on the ropes and sends Maivia out to the floor. Peter pulls Stasiak outside to continue their fight. The two men brawl at ringside and with the ring steps until they’re both counted out after 7:00.

The result of this match is a double count out.

Notes: I enjoyed the Stasiak/Zbyszko match much better from an earlier review. The brief fight at the end was fine but it didn’t make up for a lackluster match. I did enjoy Maivia’s martial arts style block and counter strike to the Heart Punch. That was pretty cool.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH SPIROS ARION & FREDDIE BLASSIE

Vince McMahon is with Arion and Blassie. We start the interview off with Blassie arguing with a morbidly obese ringside fan who appears to be one of the regulars. Blassie unleashes a hilarious diatribe on the fan, making fun of how large he is. Blassie is ripping the fan so bad Vince McMahon is just dying laughing. Vince puts his face down but he is clearly laughing his ass off. I’ve never seen a wrestler/manager spend so much time ripping a fan. It was AWESOME. Vince can’t stop laughing and smiling but he calls it absurd. I should note this fan is appears to be a weekly spectator as he can be seen center of the front row for a large number of episodes.

Arion tries to play off the fat guy interview by name dropping large wrestlers. “Gorilla Monsoon, Haystacks Calhoun…. JOE MULDOON…” WTF??? Does he mean Haystacks (William) Muldoon, the shitty ripoff of Calhoun who hasn’t wrestled IN TEN YEARS??? WTF. Arion is in his own little world. Arion enjoys wrestling “fatman”. He enjoys “busting them in the face and making them bleed”. LOL, WTF.

Vince tries to turn Arion against Blassie by asking him if he enjoys taking bruises and beatings so Blassie can get paid. Arion corrects him with a great line “I take no bruises, I take no beatings”. That’s some good heel shit, denying you ever get hurt.  Blassie is the man who made him “see the lights” (plural). The promo abruptly ends as time runs out.

I’m all for comedy so I applaud this segment, but nowadays I think Blassie would have been charged with something, or at least been fired after Snickers and whiny people on Twitter complained. This country has gotten far too PC. Grow a sense of humor and move on. [spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: SPIROS ARION (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. PETE REEVES & DENNIS JOHNSON

Another handicap match for the Golden Greek. Arion jumps both men at the same time and drops them to the mat.  The jobbers never really have a chance. Reeves is tossed outside while Spiros beats down on Johnson. Arion stiffs them both with some European forearms. He simultaneously chokes both men over the top rope. Blassie briefly joins commentary to state that Reeves is the champion of Lodi, New Jersey, and that Dennis Johnson is a pro baseballer. LOL. Arion tries to sell a double team but he just SUCKS at selling. It’s not long before Spiros is back in control. He goes for covers but pulls the men up at 2. Reeves is thrown outside a second time where Blassie sticks his cane in the throat of Pete. Arion picks Johnson up in the over shoulder backbreaker for the win as referee Wee Willie Webber calls for the bell in 4:46.

Winner is Spiros Arion

Notes:  That was probably one of the better matches I’ve seen with Arion. It still wasn’t good, but it was better than most. He took control of these guys and maintained control. The problem I have here is that Arion is an average sized wrestler. He’s not super muscular like Superstar Graham, he’s not a giant like Ernie Ladd, he’s not large like Crusher Blackwell. He’s a good sized man, but nothing special as a wrestler. It’s just odd they kept feeding him handicap matches.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: DOMINIC DENUCCI VS. “CONTINENTAL NOBLEMAN” JOE TURCO

The Continental Nobleman!

Referee is Dick Woehrle. Turco is a guilty pleasure. He sucked, but he looked hilarious and could oversell his bumps at times. DeNucci wrestles Turco down and schools him for much of the match. The Nobleman does manage to take over on offense and work Dominic’s arm for a short bit, but he makes the mistake of ducking his head for a backdrop and Dominic counters with a sunset flip for the win after 5:48.

Winner is Dominic DeNucci

Notes: While once a great hand in the ring, Dominic is already in his mid 40’s here and while he’s in good shape for that age in this time period, he’s slowed down quite a bit. This wasn’t one of Turco’s more entertaining matches either. Like most of Dominic’s singles matches by this point it was Boring, Bland, and can be skipped.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

– A quick promotion job for the Second Edition of the “Wrestling Action” Magazine, featuring Bruno Sammartino on the cover. It’s the magazine of the WWWF, purchase yours today!

 

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]

MATCH #5: WWWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS MR. FUJI & TORU TANAKA VS. FRANKIE WILLIAMS & JOE MARCUS

Wee Willie Webber is the referee. It goes without saying, this is non-title. For some reason Blassie is not at ringside with his champions. Maybe Blassie is taking some of those mysterious “Oriental” vitamins he talked about on an earlier episode. Tanaka tosses the ceremonial salt to begin things. The champs beat down Williams to begin things. Marcus tags in and eats a nasty ass chop from Fuji that may have dropped him for real. Vince calls Tanaka the “Hiroshima Bull”. Frankie Williams tries to reach in to grab Fuji but can’t reach him from the apron. Tanaka is back in with a JUDO…. CHOP and this thing is OVER in 4:48.

Winners are Fuji & Tanaka

Notes: Not as good as some of their other squash matches. Fuji & Tanaka will be losing the titles to Bravo & DeNucci in the next month so their time as a team is winding down. It was fun while it lasted. [spacer height=”20px”]

After the match Vince wraps up the show and talks about what’s to come. Vince said he would have liked to have seen Maivia vs. Stasiak go 30 minutes to an hour… NOOOOO THANKS.

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: Another uneventful episode. I can’t think of a single thing on this show worth seeing besides Blassie verbally lambasting the large fan in the front row. NEXT!

Retro Rasslin’ Review, baby!

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 01-28-78

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

Now we’re cookin! 1978 brings us two dozen episodes! That’s TWENTY-FOUR episodes, nearly half a years worth of WWWF action. We’ll cover all 24 here on the Retro Rasslin’ Review! Let’s get to it, shall we?

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 01-28-78

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is January 11, 1978.  Vince McMahon is your announcer.

Before we get to action this week we see Tony Garea and a young girl promoting the fight against Juvenile Diabetes, the #3 killer in the U.S. I hope this young lady found someone better than Garea to help fight the disease. OMG that hair. If I were booking this era, the first thing I’d do is book Garea to lose a hair vs. hair match. Cut that filthy rat’s nest off his skull. #RIPWesleyWillis

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]

[spacer height=”20px”]MATCH #1: KEN PATERA (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. SPECIAL DELIVERY JONES

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]SD works a side headlock as things get going. Patera lands a high knee at one point but we wind up back in the headlock. Kenny comes back with his own headlock, which given his Strongest Man reputation he could have legitimately used as a finisher. Imagine that, submission by a headlock. And the scary part is, he could have done it. I don’t think people comprehend how insanely strong Patera was in his prime. SCARY strong. Anyway, back to reality, well fictional reality. Is that a thing? Anywho, Jones breaks free and hits a pair of tackles that Patera takes super shitty, not even bumping but sort of slowly turning to his side and falling to his knee. LAZY. SD charges for a third tackle, but Kenny uses the momentum to step aside and fling Jones over the top rope to the floor. As SD lands on the floor he slips on the ringside “padding” and falls on his ass (LOL) and is counted out after 5:46.

Following the match, the fans chant “We Want Backlund”. You don’t hear that chant often. SD has enough of Patera & Albano and goes after the two men. With Jones going after the Captain, Patera attacks from behind and leaves poor Jones laying.

Winner is Ken Patera

Notes: Patera didn’t like to do much for squash matches. He succeeded with that here. Even his bumps were lazy. SD takes a funny bump for the finish. Other than that I’ve got nothing.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: BOB BACKLUND VS. BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Ahh yes the Baron, the only Maltese wrestling character I can recollect. A typical Backlund squash match. Lots of grabbing holds and holding on to them. Bob goes into a few moves pretty slick like. He was definitely a dangerous mat wrestler no doubt. Scientific Backlund meets his match against a Baron thumb to the eye. Scicluna thinks he finally has control as he stomps Backlund down,  and slams him for good measure. But as Baron picks Bob up for a second slam, Backlund counters into a small package for the easy win after 5:03.

Winner is Bob Backlund

Notes: Baron had less offense than usual here, but that was probably for the better. Backlund was being groomed for his World Title run which would begin just a little over three weeks from this airing.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH LARRY ZBYSZKO & TONY GAREA

Vince McMahon  is with Larry and Tony who discuss their aspirations of becoming the Tag Team Champions. Tonight they have their work cut out for them as they meet the duo of Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans who I felt were an underrated mid-card heel team. Garea talks like William Shatner, not because he’s cool but because he’s searching for words mid-sentence.

Larry says their styles compliment each other well. I guess that means Larry is the talker, and Larry is the worker, and Larry has the personality, and Larry shows the fire, and Tony is the…. WTF is Tony????

It seemed like Zbyszko & Garea were getting somewhat primed for a potential title run over Fuji & Tanaka as the duo teamed up quite a bit for the first couple of months here in 1978, but by March the decision was made to slap together Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci for a title run instead. Tony Garea would leave for a couple of months right around that same time making me wonder if Garea & Zbyszko were in fact the first in line for a run at this time and something caused the decision to be changed.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: MIL MASCARAS VS. JOSE ESTRADA

Mascaras has a little more trouble than usual locking on some of his Lucha style holds, as Estrada fights his way to the ropes and powders out of the ring to escape harm in the early going. Jose takes over in the corner until Mil reverses an Irish whip and regains control with a backdrop. Mil moves away from his usual scientific style and goes straight for the kill, nailing Jose with three consecutive dropkicks followed by a weird looking inverted half nelson type thing to get the abrupt submission win after 4:44.

Winner is Mil Mascaras

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: I can’t say that Estrada got in much offense, but he seemed to block or escape most of Mil’s early offense and then they went right into a finish that I’m not accustomed to seeing Mil use.. I’m not saying this didn’t go as planned, but it seemed to go a lot different than your typical showcase Mascaras match.

 

MATCH #4: SPIROS ARION (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. TED ADAMS & FRANKIE WILLIAMS

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]A handicap match for the Golden Greek. After a successful run in Jim Barnett’s Australia based World Championship Wrestling, Arion made his WWWF debut in 1974 as a babyface but would soon turn heel in 1975 to feud with the top faces in the promotion, Chief Jay Strongbow and WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino. To say Arion had HEEL HEAT when feuding with Bruno would be an understatement. At times Arion required a half dozen or more police officers to escort and surround him for simple ringside interviews. If you get a chance to ever watch the Bruno/Arion matches from the Garden DO SO. The actual wrestling wasn’t anywhere near classic, but the tremendous crowd noise and pure hatred filled heat that the audience shouted for the entire duration of the matches is truly insane. Anyway, Arion would leave the WWWF in early 76 and not return until the tail end of 1977, which brings us to here.

Both jobbers go right after Arion, double teaming all the way. They manage to work Spiros over in the corner before Arion finally tosses Adams to the floor so he can work over Williams. Adams returns shortly thereafter and once again the job squad double team the Greek. Now it’s Arion who leaves the ring to talk things over with Blassie.

Once back in the ring Arion goes to the eyes of both of his opponents and takes over. Adams is soon flung to the floor once more. Williams is tied in the tree of woe. Adams gets his arms tied up in the ropes. Spiros removes the turnbuckle pad and drives both men’s head into the exposed buckle two times each. Arion slams Williams on top of Adams and covers them both for the win in 3:46.

Winner is Spiros Arion

Notes: Trying to live off of his heat from his initial run, Arion returns more bloated and less interested in this run. Other than a very short run in Montreal prior to his return, I’m not even sure if Arion was working during his time away in between his WWWF runs. There’s no records supporting Arion wrestling beyond 1979, so he’s on his last real run here in the world of wrestling. This wasn’t worth watching but it wasn’t offensive either. It could have been a lot worse, and I suspect as this run goes on it may get a lot worse.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: LARRY ZBYSZKO & TONY GAREA VS. “PRETTY BOY” LARRY SHARPE & “DYNAMITE” JACK EVANS

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Evans and Garea will start this. As you might suspect, this is NOT the Jack Evans indy darling of modern day fame. Evans and Sharpe rock out matching singlets, warm up body suits, and bleach blond hair. At least they look like a team. After Tony has some initial offense, the heels go to work on his arm. Garea is prevented from making the tag several times. Good job of cutting the ring in half and preventing several near tags, but the bad part is we’re stuck watching Tony Garea, the man with one facial expression, sell the beat down. This goes on for SEVEN MINUTES before Garea simply falls back and tags to Larry Z. But the Blondes pick up on Larry where they left off on Garea. So much for a hot tag. Zbyszko gets hammered on in the corner. Larry finally reverses an Irish whip and lands a backdrop then tags back to Garea….. And Tony comes in and tries to act fired up. Garea nails Evans with a dropkick and Larry comes back in with another backdrop and executes his rolling crucifix pin for the win as referee Dick Woehrle counts the three after 8:25.

Winners are Garea & Zbyszko

Notes: Holy balls. That was a little weird. Garea starts off the match and takes the heat for a better part of 7 minutes. The hot tag to Zbyszko winds up being nothing, but leads to a quick finish. The heels got in 99% of the offense here. I did like all of the false tag spots as the heels dominated Garea and kept stopping him from tagging in Larry repeatedly, but the finish felt flat and the faces never really got to shine. It was a match.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: Just like the business itself, booking and TV goes up and down. You get things really hot, and then you’ve got to cool it off a little to build it back up. This episode felt like a cooling period as nothing of much relevance was put into this show. It felt like a grooming episode for most of the talent used. You have Backlund who will become the WWWF Champion in a few short weeks, you have Patera and Arion both continuing to be built as top heels, it felt like Zbyszko and Garea were being showcased for a tag team run, and we get another look at the Mil Mascaras act. I can’t really recommend anything on this show, though I did enjoy watching Evans and Sharpe work as a heel team.

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 12-31-77

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

[spacer height=”20px”]Finishing up the short years….

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 12-31-77

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is December 21, 1977.  Your host is Vince McMahon.

We’re still about a year off before Vinnie Junior would find his new color commentary partner.

The following wrestling exhibition requires discretionary viewer participation!

We kick off the show with a video of Larry Zbyszko and a young child who promote the awareness of Juvenile Diabetes “USA’s #3 killer”.

[spacer height=”20px”]

MATCH #1: TONY GAREA VS. “PRETTY BOY” LARRY SHARPE

This match is all mat wrestling. Headlocks, armlocks, you name it. Back and forth with both men countering holds and trading holds. Things appear like they’re finally going to pick up when Garea lands a leapfrog, but he caches Sharpe right back into a side headlock. Sharpe finally escapes and hits a nice looking hiptoss but misses an elbow drop. Garea fires back with a sunset flip for a 2 count. Tony shows off his technical prowess by using a series of short punches. Sharpe catches Garea in a scoop slam as the bell sounds. THANK GOD.

This match actually goes well past the 10 minute curfew, going 10:35.

While this match is a time limit draw, somehow referee Dick Woehrle has decided that TONY GAREA IS THE WINNER???? WTF??? Sharpe clearly outshined Garea and was in control as the match ended.

Winner is Tony Garea by referee’s decision

Following the announcement SHARPE IS PISSED. And I don’t blame him… Larry attacks Garea, and Tony shows more fire and moves over the next 15 seconds than he did in the entire f’n match. Garea disposes of Sharpe from the ring and gets the bullshit win. Pretty Boy was robbed!

Notes: I’m not a big Tony Garea fan by any means. Shout out to Tom Robinson by the way, who shares in my dislike of the poofy haired Garea. You can check Tom Robinson out on Twitter at @TRSHOCK and his podcast “Wide Men Can’t Jump” over at http://allpronation.podbean.com . He’s a hell of a funny guy and knows his rasslin’ history as well as basketball. All of that said, Garea hadn’t become completely useless yet but he was well on his way. Save for a few nice counters from Sharpe, I want the last 11 minutes of my life back.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: BOB BACKLUND VS. TERRY YORK

York also worked as Terry Yorkston, and would eventually become a referee in the Toronto area for the Tunney’s and the WWF. As you might expect, the future WWWF champion Bob Backlund with a very traditional wrestling match. York tries to get salty with an eye rake, but Bob is ready to duke it out if he needs to. York finally manages to get in some offense with a series of short knee strikes. But it’s Bob Backlund right back on top with his knowledgeable wrestling takedowns.

Bob has enough and lands a backdrop and DEAD LIFTS YORK by his crotch right into the air for the ATOMIC DROP. He didn’t even give York time to get up off the mat, Backlund literally grabbed York’s entire body off the mat and jerked it up into an atomic drop in one swift move. If you’ve heard of Backlund’s insane strength, there’s a glimpse of it right there. Bob gets the win after 4:59.

Winner is Bob Backlund

Notes: Amazing strength by Bob to finish the match. If you’ve seen a Backlund squash before then you know what you’re getting here. Your typical squash full of takedowns and holds. Nothing offensive.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH FRED BLASSIE, FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Hilarious interview here as Blassie and Fuji proclaim they have discovered a secret “Oriental” herb or vitamin to make the champions even better in the ring. Tanaka randomly shouts the word GINSENG, which isn’t a very secret substance, so Blassie plays it off. Blassie says Tanaka THINKS it’s Ginseng because that’s what he and Fuji told Tanaka. BUT IT’S NOT GINSENG!

Vince wants to know why Fuji and Blassie are LYING to Tanaka. LMAO. Blassie says they’re not lying because they give Tanaka Ginseng mixed with this secret vitamin. I don’t know about you but it sounds like they’re drugging the Professor. This is hilarious, and Blassie is saying all of this right in front of Tanaka. LOL. You’d never get ad libbing like this now.

Blassie goes on to talk about the ancestry of Tanaka and Fuji, and even King Curtis Iaukea who has been gone for years. The comedy ensues. FUJI BANK! This was a fun segment.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: MIL MASCARAS VS. FRANKIE WILLIAMS

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Prior to the match, both Blassie and Albano are seen at ringside checking out Mascaras. Mil uses his unique takedowns and holds. Mascaras applies a lengthy body scissors which he rolls into a pinfall attempt several times. Mil has enough of the toying with Williams and finishes things off with a top rope reverse body press for the pin after 5:24.

Winner is Mil Mascaras

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: Even though Mil has inherited negative publicity due to his ego thanks in part to people like Mick Foley and Bruce Prichard, it was always fun to see him in the ring. If the stories of his monster sized head are true, and I have no doubt that they are, then Mil Mascaras the human being is a giant doucher. But let’s talk about Mil the wrestler for a moment. Mascaras used a lot of Lucha Libre style takedowns and moves that weren’t commonplace in the States. Add to that a mix of flashy outfits and masks and the occasional top rope move and he made for a good novelty act when he would grace the TV. This was nothing special by today’s standards but being able to see it for what it was back then there wasn’t anything wrong with the match here. It was fine for a squash. But that’s all it was, a squash.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: KEN PATERA (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. PETE AUSTIN

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Willie Webber the referee. Pete Austin would also work places like Memphis under the “Wildman” moniker. Patera takes his time undressing for the match. The two men finally lock up and Patera forces Austin against the rope and Pete actually steps so far back his foot falls out of the ring. LOL. Austin is a pretty large guy but Patera just hoists him up in one motion for a big slam. A whole lot of nothing leads to a bearhug and this one is over quickly after only 2:29.

Winner is Ken Patera

Notes: Not much to this. Patera has just returned after a suspension early in the fall where he refused to release his swinging full nelson and “broke the neck” of jobber Juan Lopez. Patera returns in smug fashion with an easy win. For people who only saw Ken in his late 80’s WWF run, they have no idea how great of a heel Patera was throughout the 70’s and early 80’s. Like his real life persona, Ken was the ultimate heel.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: DOMINIC DENUCCI VS. “DYNAMITE” JACK EVANS

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Evans has his hair dyed blonde as he and Larry Sharpe were working as a team with matching ring gear at the time. Evans jumps Dominic from behind to get things going. Dynamite stomps DeNucci into the mat until it’s time for DeNucci to make the comeback. Dominic fights his way out of the corner and sends Evans flying out of the ring. Dominic with a standing side headlock that seems to go on forever. Evans finally escapes and hits a backdrop, but misses a legdrop and both men are down.

Evans with the dreaded trapezius nerve hold, but Dominic manages to break free and plant a kneelift on Evans. Then Evans BLATANTLY grabs Dick Woehrle and whips him right into DeNucci. Dominic helps Woehrle up, and after the ref scolds DeNucci for a moment he calls for the bell. We’re led to think that the referee has disqualified DeNucci, but we learn from the announcements that Evans is the one who is DQ’d after 5:44

Evans gets hot and goes after DeNucci, but Dominic sends Evans out of the ring. Dick Woehrle then jumps up into the arms of DeNucci for a comedy spot as the credits begin to roll.

Winner is Dominic DeNucci by DQ

Notes: This was one of those pick a hold and keep it on TV matches. A side headlock with a couple of spots mixed in. Evans Irish whips Woehrle into Dominic out of nowhere for the finish. I don’t know why we were supposed to believe DeNucci might be disqualified when Evans actions were so blatant, but I admire that they tried to keep the fans guessing. Nothing to see here.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: The Blassie promo was great and if you like campy things it’s worth a listen. The rest of the show was blah. If you’re into a different style you might want to check out Mil Mascaras, but honestly I could do without this show other than the funniness of Blassie.

Well this was it for 1977. Sadly only these two episodes seem to exist. And really this episode is one day removed from being aired in the following year. It’s odd there were more shows from 1976 than 77 that survived. What can you do? As we move into 1978 you’ll be pleasantly surprised that nearly half or more than half of the next three individual years exist on video. As a historian of the business I’m grateful that even the smallest amount of this footage has survived time.

Thanks for reading this edition of the Retro Rasslin’ Review! 1978, here we come…

WWWF All-Star Wrestling Review 11-19-77

By
Crazymax Jack
-
0

1977 – Part 1 of 2. Retro Rasslin’ Review!

WWWF ALL-STAR WRESTLING 11-19-77 (11-12-77???)

All-Star Wrestling is taped from the Fieldhouse in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Taping date is November 9, 1977.

We’re treated to a new opening video. Get used to it, it’s gonna be around for a while…

Your hosts is Vince McMahon. Sadly, the legendary Antonino Rocca would pass away in March of 1977.

The Network dates this episode as November 12th, however I’ve also seen November 19th on the net. Since both the Network and the net have been known to be wrong when it comes to show dates I’ll leave them both up here. You can make your own judgment but the 19th seems more likely to me.

Joe McHugh is really starting to stress every syllable here. The opening intros to this show seemingly take forever.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]

MATCH #1: CHIEF JAY STRONGBOW & “HIGH CHIEF” PETER MAIVIA VS. JOHNNY RODZ & JOSE ESTRADA

Maivia has some fun with Rodz as we get going, running the ropes right alongside Johnny. The heels do manage to double team Peter for a moment before Strongbow tags in and goes on the warpath against both men. Rodz accidentally boots his own partner to save himself. LOL. Rodz distracts Strongbow to try and allow Estrada to land some cheap shots, but Chief Jay is too smart for them and remains in control. The heels finally work Strongbow into their corner, but the Chief is doing a lousy job of selling the double team. Jay finally stumbles to his corner to tag in Maivia. The High Chief comes in and drops Rodz, then does a forward roll and ends up in the heel corner where he sends Estrada off the apron. Nice. Jose tags in but winds up being put to sleep quickly by Strongbow after 6:23.

Following the match, Maivia also locks an interfering Johnny Rodz to sleep before Johnny ultimately escapes. Referee Willie Webber makes Maivia wake Estrada back up in comedic fashion.

Winners are Strongbow & Maivia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: Maivia and Strongbow made for an interesting team to look at, but outside of Chief Jay being over as hell he added nothing as a WRESTLER in 1977. It’s always cool to have another Peter Maivia match made available and there were a couple of fun spots, but overall this match was a miss. I expected more from Rodz and Estrada as a team, but they can only do so much when their opponents aren’t selling.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #2: “POLISH POWER” IVAN PUTSKI VS. “CONTINENTAL NOBLEMAN” JOE TURCO

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Hah, YES, I got me some Joe Turco on my screen! Putski screams POLISH POWER on the mike before this match gets going. Some shenanigans early on sees a frustrated Turco arguing with referee Dick Woehrle more than wrestling. Putski works a Superstar Graham style chinlock to show off his biceps. Ivan sells nothing, then scoops Turco upo out of nowhere into a bearhug for the win in 4:51.

Winner is Ivan Putski

Notes: This match was 99% stalling by Turco and then a bearhug. NOTHING of a match.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

RINGSIDE INTERVIEW WITH JAY STRONGBOW & PETER MAIVIA

Vince McMahon feels this duo will have long tenured success. Strongbow admits they’d like to win the Tag Titles from Fuji & Tanaka. Maivia shares similar thoughts. Strongbow thinks that they are the better team because they care about each other. On the other end, Blassie is only worried about his money and sometimes the Japanese team doesn’t get along with Freddie. Maivia goes out on a limb and refers to themselves as “scientific wrestlers”. There is NOTHING scientific about Jay Strongbow’s arsenal. While it seems like this team was a sure bet to become the tag team champions it wasn’t meant to be. Strongbow would eventually go on to win the titles with Billy White Wolf as his partner by the end of the year and Maivia would eventually turn heel the following year.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #3: “BUTCHER” PAUL VACHON (w/LOU ALBANO) VS. STEVE KING

The Butcher gets a manager here. I never hear the bell but the action does begin. Vince mentions Albano’s current stable, which includes Vachon, as well as the Golden Terror, and Ken Patera. EGADS, except for Patera this may be the weakest group Albano ever managed. Vachon is the innovator of choking here, finding various ways to wrap his hands around King’s throat. King actually fights his way back resulting in the Butcher discussing plans with his manager. The time out works as Vachon gets back on top. King grabs Butcher by the beard, but it’s an ill fated attempt to gain control. Vachon lands a big boot to the chest and a SPLASH ends the match after 4:06 (according to McHugh), it was more like 3:45.

Winner is Butcher Vachon

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: Eventually, the Butcher would become a lower level TV competitor while his brother, the Mad Dog, continued to flourish in the AWA. This was TV fodder if there ever was any.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #4: LARRY ZBYSZKO VS. STAN “THE MAN” STASIAK (w/THE GRAND WIZARD)

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Stasiak is the former transitional WWWF Champion, having beaten Pedro Morales for the title, only to lose it to Bruno Sammartino several days later. This is our first look at Zbyszko on this group of All-Star episodes. Stasiak starts off in control, but Zbyszko doesn’t take long to take over and go to work on the left arm of Stasiak. Unfortunately, Stan uses the RIGHT HAND for the Heart Punch finisher. Stasiak briefly escapes the hammerlock but Larry manages to land a monkey flip and hook the hold back on. Stasiak again escapes, but a really nice scoop slam by Larry a moment later and it’s right back into the hammer lock. Stasiak finally reaches the ropes for a break. Vince puts Zbyszko over as the only wrestler trained by Bruno Sammartino.

Stasiak finally takes control and tries to keep Zbyszko on the floor for a count out. Larry finally has enough and pulls Stasiak to the floor for a wild battle. Larry rams Stan into the ringside table and beat the crap out of Stasiak who lays across the table. The bell sounds as both men are counted out, but the fight isn’t over.

The two men take the action back to the ring where Larry throws a flurry of punches before Stasiak finally retreats. Match went 6:40.

This match ends in a double count out

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: This was good story telling, with Zbyszko going back to the arm repeatedly AND it was done in a way that didn’t make the match boring. They abruptly took the match home but Zbyszko showed quite a bit of fire during the brawl on the floor and post match. This was enjoyable for the time period. One of the better Stasiak matches I’ve seen, probably because Zbyszko had all the offense.[spacer height=”20px”]

 

MATCH #5: WWWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS MR. FUJI & TORU TANAKA (w/FRED BLASSIE) VS. DEWEY ROBERTSON & JOHNNY RIVERA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]And we get the full trifecta as all three “wise men” managers appear on the same program this week.

Some of you may know Dewey Robertson better as the 1980’s wrestling gimmick “The Missing Link”.

Tanaka stalls with Robertson early as he goes corner to corner to throw the ceremonial salt. Dewey locks in a full nelson in the early going. Tanaka escapes with a nice judo throw but Dewey holds on with a head scissors. Robertson tries for another take down, but Tanaka decides not to sell for Robertson and doesn’t go along with the move. Dewey soon tags out to Rivera, and Johnny comes in with a somersault senton on Tanaka for a COUNT OF ONE. Tanaka takes over with his deadly chops and Fuji tags in with more of the same. And it wouldn’t be an Americanized Japanese match without the dreaded trapezius nerve hold applied by Tanaka. Rivera finally manages a tag to Robertson who is a house of fire on both of the champions. Robertson locks Fuji into an abdominal stretch, but Tanaka breaks the hold with a chop to Dewey’s head. Rivera tags back in but quickly eats Fuji’s KAMIKAZE CLOTHESLINE OF AWESOMENESS and this match is over after 5:34.

Winners are Fuji & Tanaka

 

 

 

 

[spacer height=”20px”]Notes: A by the numbers tag team squash. Nothing wrong with it. I expected more from Robertson but his run here wasn’t much to speak of. I love Fuji’s bumps. His clothesline finisher was a thing of beauty.[spacer height=”20px”]

Closing Thoughts: This was one of the more lackluster shows overall. I do recommend the Zbyszko vs. Stasiak match if you’re into pre-80’s style New York action. The brawl on the floor was pretty cool. Nothing wrong with the Fuji and Tanaka match, though it was basically a squash. The rest of the show I could have easily done without.

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