Philadelphia Arena
Philadelphia, PA
January 31, 1971
We're just eight days away from the showdown at Madison Square Garden between WWWF US Champion Pedro Morales and WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff. Both of them will be putting their belts on the line tonight in a special house show for the Philadelphia faithful. Morales faces his nemesis The Wolfman who is under strict orders from Ivan Koloff not to let Morales make it to New York. Meanwhile Morales countered by sending Gorilla Monsoon after Koloff in the main event tonight. With these ramifications that could potentially change history, let's get to the action.
Match 1
"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs Angelo Savoldi
These two met a year ago in North Attleboro so tonight was the big re-match. Turco got the victory.
Winner: Turco
Match 2
Vincente Pometti vs Chief Jay Strongbow
Strongbow scored a big win the day before against Bulldog Brower and needed another one if he wanted another shot at Ivan Koloff if Koloff were to get by Monsoon tonight and Morales on the 8th. Pometti was looking just to play spoiler but it didn't work, Strongbow won.
Winner: Strongbow
Match 3
Tony Marino vs Manuel Soto
Two popular babyfaces going one on one just to fill out the card was a rarity. To keep them both in their spots, the bout ended in a 20 minute draw.
Winner: No one (Draw)
Match 4
Gene Dubois, Geeto Mongol & Beppo Mongol vs Blackjack Mulligan, Bulldog Brower and The Black Demon
What the hell is THIS? An all-heel six man tag match was even rarer than the babyface match the previous bout. No idea why Vince Sr booked this match but its definitely interesting. To keep everyone's heat, the bout ended in a draw.
Winners: No one (Draw)
Match 5
The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship
The rematch from Madison Square Garden last month had a special kick to it as Koloff sent Wolfman to specifically stop Morales from getting to MSG. Unfortunately for Koloff, Wolfman failed and Morales got the duke
Th
Winner: Morales (still US Champion)
Match 6
Gorilla Monsoon vs "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship
Koloff looked nervous as he got in the ring as his henchman Wolfman failed to knock off Morales. Pedro in retaliation sent Gorilla Monsoon after Koloff just eight days before their showdown in MSG. Koloff barely escaped with the win when Monsoon was counted out. Morales came to the ring and chased away Koloff to end the show.
Winner: Koloff by count-out (still WWWF Champion)
Very interesting card with an all-heel 6 man tag, a babyface showdown and both main titles on the line. Vince Sr was saving the home run show for the Garden but this would have been a fun card to see if video footage of it existed. Koloff and Morales were on a collision course and Monsoon had a date with the Mongols. It was also nice to see Savoldi again nearing the end of his career. The crew travels to Allentown, PA for their next show. I'll see you there.
No comments:
Post a Comment