WWWF at Madison Square Garden (10/23/78) INCOMPLETE

Madison Square Garden

New York City, New York

October 23, 1978

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel

After 4 weeks of hype its time for the big monthly show at Madison Square Garden. We have a loaded card and its finally time to settle some issues. We got a big overdue rematch between Bruno Sammartino and "Superstar" Billy Graham. WWWF Champion Bob Backlund defends against the 6'9 Ernie Ladd and the tag team titles are on the line with "High Chief" Peter Maivia and "Chief" Jay Strongbow taking on the champs, The Yukon Lumberjacks. Unfortunately some of the matches are missing. Let's get to the action anyway. Howard Finkel is our ring announcer and he welcomes everyone to the show. He gives the run down of the state athletic commission, the doctor at ringside, the timekeeper, Isaac Padilla the referee and himself.

Match 1

"Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz vs "The New Zealand Flash" Del Adams

Rodz we all know but who the hell is Del Adams? Apparenly he was also known as Jim Ray. Adams is in the beige trunks with Rodz in the blue. Rodz refuses the handshake and aggressively attacks Del. Johnny hiptosses the guy but Adams returns the favor. They lock up and Adams locks in a full nelson before Rodz eventually breaks it. A second attempt is thwarted by Rodz and he locks in an armbar as Vince runs down the card. Rodz continues to work over the left shoulder with forearm smashes and a hammerlock. Eventually Adams backdrops Rodz but Rodz takes Del down and drops a second rope knee on him. A right hand drops his opponent as Padilla admonishes him for the clenched fist. Rodz continues to punch and kick before dropping an overhead forearm. Rodz whips Adams in the corner and continues to punch/kick him. Adams reverses a whip into the corner and punches away at Johnny. A terrible looking right hand to the mid-section drops Johnny and he begs off in the corner. Adams chokes Johnny in the corner with his boot before the ref breaks it up. Adams tells Rodz to get back to the center and they exchange strikes. A headbutt by Adams drops himself harder than Rodz sells it. Another right hand by Rodz drops Adams and he lands a leg drop. Adams recovers and dropkicks Rodz down where he begs off again. Adams drops Rodz with a knee to the midsection and goes for a single leg crap but Rodz makes it to the ropes. Rodz continues to attack with strikes and kicks before completing a second rope stomp. Rodz lands two elbow drops but misses a third. Adams goes on the offense with strikes and a hiptoss but a cheapshot by Rodz gives him the upperhand back. He floors Adams with an elbow but misses another elbow drop. Adams hits a sunset flip and Adams pops up like popeye. Rodz begs off but Adams whips him into the buckle. He whips Johnny into the opposite corner but misses the charge, eating ringpost. Rodz pounces on him and hits a double underarm suplex. Rodz rolls over and covers for 1...2....3? Yes...Johnny Rodz wins! ITS A MIRACLE!


Time of match: 9:39

Winner: Johnny Rodz by pinfall


Vince Jr and Gorilla Monsoon present an award and honors the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. We have kids and board members in the ring. Gorilla presents a check of 17 grand to the chairman. She thanks the crowd and gets a nice ovation from the crowd. Once this is over we go to the next bout.

Match 2

Victor Rivera vs Dominic Denucci

This match wasn't recorded for some reason but Rivera wins it.

Time of match: 4:11

Winner: Rivera by pinfall

On to the next match

Match 3

Baron Mikel Scicluna vs SD Jones

SD is in the white trunks and Scicluna is in standard attire. Vince says Scicluna is known to bend the rules as heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner has a ringside seat for tonight's show. Scicluna was Gorilla Monsoon's opponent when Muhammad Ali hit the ring and Ali fought Chuck Wepner before.....useless information I know. Scicluna stalls to start before they roll around the ropes. Baron gets a right hand to the ribs and an arm ringer to start. Scicluna takes over with a chinlock and milks it for several minutes. Finally SD takes over with his own arm ringer and Vince on commentary gets so bored he starts talking about Bob Backlund against Ernie Ladd coming up. Scicluna reaches for the ropes but he's yanked back down by Jones. Scicluna takes a swing but Jones ducks and continues to wrench the wrist. Scicluna goes for the ropes again only this time he rakes the eyes. Scicluna gets in another punch to the ribs and takes over with another neck twist. Vince is trying to say anything he can to keep from falling asleep as Scicluna's nerve hold has SD flat on the mat. Suddenly Jones springs to life and powers out of it....only for Scicluna once again grabs the neck and drops Jones down. This time Jones attempts and eye rake and the fans love it. Scicluna recovers to stomp on Jones and re-apply the nerve hold. God this is getting ridiculous, at least switch up the holds. The referee catches Scicluna pulling the tights and sticks a finger in his face, but doesn't make him break the hold. Jones gets to his feet and elbows Scicluna off but the Baron recovers to re-apply the hold. Even Vince goes "Ahhh, not again." Jones knocks Scicluna off only for Baron to re-apply the same damn nerve hold. Jones elbows out of it again, kicks Baron in the ribs and hits a headbutt to a HUGE pop. Jones threatens to kicks Baron in the junk but lets him go. Baron takes Baron down and covers for a delayed two count. Baron begs off in the ropes then begs off in the corner. SD grabs Mikel and goes for the arm-bar followed by another headbutt. Jones rams Mikel into the buckle and covers for 1...2...nope. Jones locks in a chin-lock but Baron powers out of it. Scicluna gets a few right hands in and uses the five count to blatantly choke Jones. Scicluna lands forearms to the neck and goes back to the nerve hold from earlier. Scicluna then pounds away with forearms to the neck again but Jones starts to power up with left hands to the ribs. Jones hits an aftershock and covers for 1...2....no. Jones hits Scicluna with a left but Baron mule kicks him. Jones gets a side headlock but Jones lets go with a big left hand. Jones hits a big headbutt that stuns Scicluna so hard that Jones gives him a big hug to keep him from falling. Jones hits another headbutt and hugs him again much to the crowd's delight. A third headbutt has Scicluna falling face first Greg Valentine style and Jones covers for a deuce. Scicluna sends Jones off the ropes and they collide. Jones takes a bump while Scicluna windmills to the ground. Jones rallies with left hands and covers for two with the referee out of position. Jones rallies with left hands and headbutts and covers for another two count. Chuck Wepner looks on as Scicluna misses a knee drop and Jones covers for a deuce. Jones is whipped off and sunset flips for a one count. The bell rings out of nowhere and this one's over. The time limit has expired but they're not done yet. They trade punches and Scicluna raises his hand thinking he's won. Howard Finkel announces a draw and we cut here. Bad, bad match but the crowd loved it, especially when Jones rallied and Scicluna kept dropping like a dead deer.


Time of match: 20:00

Winner: No one (time limit draw)

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow and "High Chief" Peter Maivia vs The Yukon Lumberjacks (Eric and Pierre) for the WWWF Tag Team Championship

Days earlier Maivia turned heel on Arnold Skaaland and Bob Backlund but was still scheduled to team with Strongbow against the Jacks. Vince says before the match starts that Strongbow must have patched things up. Right off the bat Strongbow argues with Peter on who starts the match. Bell's gone and Strongbow still yells at him at the apron. Strongbow and Maivia go nose to nose then Jay says to hell with him and heads to the middle of the ring to face Pierre. Pierre backs him into the corner and backs off. Strongbow goes to meet him but Maivia decks Jay from behind. He leaves to a chorus of boos and apparently we got a handicap match. Pierre stomps away on Strongbow but he rallies in the corner until Eric tags in. Eric punches away on Strongbow and rams his head in the buckle. Eric sends him off and Strongbow runs into a big boot. Eric covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Kind of academic after Maivia left as Vince says it was more or less 3 on 1. Fink announces the Jacks are still the champs as the fans are mad. The match itself was nothing special but it was more or less to show Maivia's heel turn was for real.

Time of match: 3:04

Winner: Yukon Lumberjacks by pinfall (still WWWF Tag Team Champions)

Match 5

Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell vs Tony Russo

Blackwell is billed from Stone Mountain, Georgia the eventual hometown of Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Vince calls Blackwell a rotund individual. Blackwell was the Mike Shaw of his time, a very mobile big man. Bell's gone and Russo eats a shoulderblock. Russo dropkicks him and hits a shouldertackle to move Blackwell into the corner. Blackwell hits a forearm and sends him into the buckle. Jerry whips him into the other corner but misses the avalanche.  Russo tries to whip Jerry but Jerry knocks him down with a right hand. Another right hand drops Russo and a snap mare leads to more boots. Russo tries a headbutt but Blackwell lands two forearms. Blackwell with a snapmare and drops a leg to the back. Blackwell stomps Russo in the ass and applies a bearhug. Russo tries a bell ringer but Blackwell doesn't budge. Blackwell backs Russo in the corner and hits the big avalanche. Back to the bearhug but Russo won't give it up. Russo powers out of it, kicks Blackwell in the gut and sends him into the buckle twice. Russo rallies with forearms and Blackwell teases falling but moves out of the way of Russo's dropkick. Blackwell hits a diving headbutt and a scoop slam. Blackwell hits a first rope big splash and covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. That was a complete squash for no other purpose than to put over Blackwell as a mean looking fella. Vince says our main event is next.

Time of match: 5:01

Winner: Blackwell by pinfall

On to the next match.

Match 6

"The Big Cat" Ernie Ladd (with The Grand Wizard) vs Bob Backlund (with Arnold Skaaland) for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Maivia was going to be the next big challenger for Backlund after turning on him so the writing was on the wall with this one. Ladd was one month away from his 40th birthday as well. Bell rings and they shake hands to start. Ladd gets a go-behind but Backlund counters it, sending Ladd to the ropes. Ladd and Backlund exchange reversals but Ladd makes it to the ropes. Ladd goes for the bearhug and yanks the tights for leverage but Backlund makes it to the ropes. Ladd hammers away with chops and forearms then throws Backlund down. Ladd and Backlund exchange chops and Backlund kicks the left leg to knock the big man down. Backlund slingshots Ladd to the middle of the ring and drops the leg on the left knee. Bob twists the left leg and tries for a leglock but the much taller Ladd snatches him and rolls over out of it. Backlund kicks away at the leg again and Ladd wants another hand shake. Backlund refuses and goes behind Ladd again before grabbing the left leg. He kicks the right leg to drop Ernie and goes back to work with a leg lock. Again Ladd uses his height to yank the tights to get free. Ernie shoulderblocks Backlund in the corner and hammers away. Ladd whips Backlund in the corner but misses the charge. Bob kicks away at the left leg and brings him to the center of the ring. Backlund jumps on the hamstrings of Ladd and applies another leg lock. Backlund then jumps on the leg before once again twisting it. Ladd makes it to the ropes and bails to the apron to get the circulation back. Ladd stalls for more heat and Ernie goes for the waistlock, but Backlund counters out of it and once again controls the left leg. Backlund rows it like an oar and Ladd takes the two count near fall. Backlund keeps pushing Ladd down with his own left leg to get Ernie's shoulders to the mat. Ladd kicks Backlund with his free leg and takes over with forearms and a chop. Ernie scoop slams Backlund and rams Bob's head into the buckle. Ernie does a hiptoss but Bob rallies with right hands and tries a headbutt to the leg that Ernie doesn't sell. Ernie then does the taped thumb routine by repeatedly punching Backlund with it, the second time sends Bob to the apron. The referee goes to check Ladd who makes sure he doesnt check the tights. Ernie sends Bob off the ropes and hits a big boot. Ernie does a double leg drop and covers but Bob powers out of it at 1. Ernie chops Bob in the throat, does a snap mare and a blatant choke. Ernie poses for the irate crowd and goes back to the thumb to the throat. He covers for 1.....2...the referee notices Ernie's feet are on the ropes and makes him break it. Ernie kneels on Backlund's neck and yells at the fans some more. Bob rallies with right hands and wghips him on the corner. He backdrops Ernie and drops a leg before covering for 1...2....nope. Backlund does his in between the legs atomic drop and Ernie falls into the ropes Andre The Giant style. Backlund charges but eats boot. Ladd backdrops Backlund and hits another taped thumb shot to the throat. Backlund bails to the apron but is brought in the hard way. Bob gets his own thumbs to the throat but is sent off the ropes. Backlund shoulderblocks Ladd down and Ernie leapfrogs (!!!) and hits a dropkick (double !!!). Ernie covers for 1....2....nooooo. Ernie whips Bob off the ropes and hits another big boot. Ernie hits a big leg drop but misses the big splash. Bob hits the big atomic drop and covers for 1......2.....3 to win the match. For 1978 standards that was damn good. They tried to be as realistic as possible with wrestling holds and the taped thumb. The crowd goes nuts as Backlund is declared the winner and still champ. This kind of match would be frowned upon today with its slow pace but this was highly regarded in its time.

Time of match: 17:24

Winner: Backlund by pinfall

Moving right along to the next match.

Match 7

Larry Zbyszko vs Spiros Arion (with Freddie Blassie)

This another one of those matches that isn't on Youtube or on the official MSG broadcast. Apparently Larry won after Arion was disqualified.

Time of match: 6:12

Winner: Zbyszko by DQ

Now we move to the other half of our double main event.

Match 8

Bruno Sammartino vs "Superstar" Billy Graham

This was the big rematch from Baltimore when Graham won the heavyweight title a year earlier. Now that Graham is no longer the champion, Graham got his ass kicked by Dusty Rhodes in August, didn't emphatically beat Strongbow in September and he desperately needs this win to get another crack at Backlund. They circle to start and Bruno throws Billy backwards to start. Billy gets a right hand in but Bruno applies a sideheadlock punch to drop the ex-champ. Bruno poses for the crowd and Billy Goes for a neck vice. He tells the ringside photographers here's your next cover and they snap pictures accordingly. Bruno powers out of it and punches Graham down. A big kick to the chest has Billy reeling and Bruno then goes for the waistlock. Bruno turns it into a full nelson but Billy gets his foot on the rope. The ref doesnt make Bruno break it for whatever reason and Billy goes down to the mat. Billy manages to crawl to the ropes and bails to the apron to stretch. Back inside Bruno whips Graham into the corner but the flying knee misses. Billy goes to work on the right knee with stomps and a leg-lock. Vince on commentary says Bruno has been all over the world which is why he hasn't been seen in a while. Bruno reverses the hold and rams Billy's knee into the mat. Billy crawls to the apron and out of the ring to stall for time. Billy crawls back in and they do the test of strength spot. Billy wins it at first then Bruno makes the big comeback. Graham sells his ass off and then hooks the bottom rope with his leg to break it. Bruno backs Billy into the corner but Graham whips Bruno into the other corner. Billy stomps away at Bruno and whips him again in the corner. Billy covers for 1...2..nope. Billy stomps away on him again and locks in a bearhug. Bruno breaks the hold and locks in a bearhug of his own. Billy makes it to the ropes but Bruno rams Graham into the ringpost. Billy blades on camera and Bruno attacks the cut forehead with fists. Bruno scoop slams Bruno and covers him for two but gets up before three. Bruno wants to make an example of him and continues to pound away as Graham is a bloody mess. Bruno stomps away in the corner and the ref checks Billy. Ref says let's go and Billy swings wildly. THIS causes the ref to hold Bruno back and call it off. Bruno wins it by referee stoppage. Typical Bruno match of his era where he beats his opponent to a bloody pulp much to the crowd's delight. Storyline wise, Graham has lost it. He got beaten senseless by Dusty Rhodes and now Bruno in return matches. Usually that's a clue the guy is leaving the territory. If you like bloody fistfights, this match was for you.

Time of match: 12:24

Winner: Bruno Sammartino by stoppage

This was actually NOT the last match on the card. We got two more although they're not on the official broadcast.

Match 9

Tony Garea vs "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff

Speaking of ex champions, here's Ivan Koloff. Bell's gone and Koloff goes to work with forearms but misses a charge in the corner. Garea armdrags Koloff but eats a knee to the back. Koloff works on the back with punches and forearms then rams him into the corner. Koloff continues to pound away on the lower back and covers for just 1. The relentless Koloff continues to work the back and kicks Garea in the head. Garea catches the leg and kicks Koloff in the hamstring. A right hand stuns Koloff and Tony whips him into the corner. Tony hits a running knee then rolls him over for a two count. Garea pounds away in the corner and hiptosses him. Tony hits a dropkick then locks in an abdominal stretch. Vince points out Tony didn't have the toes around the ankle and Koloff hiptosses him. Tony shoulderblocks Koloff down but runs into a scoop slam attempt. Garea rolls out of it and goes for the O'Connor Roll for 1....2..noo, Koloff pulls the tights to reverse it for 1...2...3 to win the match. Short and sweet and Koloff gets the duke while Garea is irate. Koloff points to his head after the match to taunt the crowd as Garea wants more. Koloff leaves as Garea protests. That was a crash style match two decades before that became commonplace.

Time of match: 3:16

Winner: Koloff by pinfall

Let's go to our final match.

Match 10

Dino Bravo vs "Crazy" Luke Graham

Our final match has the demented Graham taking on Italian babyface Bravo. Bell's gone and Bravo pushes Graham against the ropes. Dino gets a side headlock as Graham waves a finger saying "No." Graham switches to a front headlock but Bravo turns it into a hammerlock. Graham drops to one knee and snap mares Dino over. Graham gets a punch to the face and rams his head into the buckle. Graham unloads in the corner and goes back to the front headlock. Graham goes for the foreign object and waffles Bravo in the throat with it. Problem with doing the same gimmick is it loses its luster, especially after Ernie Ladd did it earlier. Graham does a blatant choke and bites the forehead of Dino. Luke scoop slams Dino and covers for 1...2..nope. Luke for some reason thinks he's won and raises his arms in victory. Dino dropkicks him into the corner and rolls him up for 1...2....3 to win the match. What the hell was that? Luke still thinks he's won after Dino leaves as the crowd begins to fill out. Guess they were pressed for time after all the important matches were over and they had to keep this short and sweet. Fink says the match was over 5 minutes which is BS but oh well.

Time of match: 3:24

Winner: Bravo by pinfall

Vince runs down the card we just saw and tells us we'll return to MSG on November 20th. Tomorrow night the New York Knicks will meet the Atlanta Hawks as well. The Knicks ended up winning that game 113-109 with Ray Williams leading the charge with 23 points. Useless information, so what? As for the show, standard MSG card with your ups and downs. Those were big ups though with Backlund/Ladd being great and Bruno beating the hell out of Graham. That time limit draw between Jones/Scicluna was the shits and the final matches were rushed due to the time constraints. Now that Billy Graham has been beaten into oblivion and Ernie Ladd failed to beat Backlund, its on to Peter Maivia. Its all but given that Maivia will get the next crack at Backlund on November 20th. Our next house show is tomorrow night in Spotswood, New Jersey. I'll see you there.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (5/16/77) Incomplete

May 16, 1977

Madison Square Garden

New York City, New York

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

This is going to be an incomplete write-up as nearly the entire show has been lost to time but last two matches including the main event remains. This was "Superstar" Billy Graham's first WWWF title defense after beating Bruno Sammartino for the strap the month before. Traditionally heels were transition champions as Ivan Koloff put over Pedro Morales a month after dethroning Bruno and Stan Stasiak dropped it to Bruno nine days after beating Pedro. Well this theory would be put to the test because Billy's opponent tonight would be none other than Gorilla Monsoon, one month shy of his 40th birthday. Not that Gorilla wasn't popular in New York, he'd be beloved until the day he passed, but Gorilla's time had come and gone. Could this be that Graham would NOT be a transition champion? Let's find out. The only other match that has any footage is the semi-main event as the former champ Bruno takes on old rival George "The Animal" Steele. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Carlos Rocha vs Jan Nelson

As I mentioned in a previous writeup, Jan Nelson was an up and coming wrestler that would tragically pass away a year later. Remember at the 1993 Royal Rumble when legendary Puerto Rican promoter/wrestler Carlos Colon competed in the Rumble for absolutely no reason explained? Well back in 1977 legendary Portuguese wrestler Carlos Rocha joined WWWF in his 50's for a year long run for absolutely no reason. According to the program, Rocha defeated Nelson.

Winner: Carlos Rocha

Match 2

Ron Mikolajczyk vs Doug Gilbert

No, that's not infamous Memphis wrestler Doug Gilbert, he would have been 8 years old at the time. This is Doug Lindsay, a big rough territory heel. Ron is actually THE Ron Mikolajcyzk the former New York Giants offensive lineman. Apparently he became friends with Jerry Lawler when he was playing for Memphis in the ill-fated World Football League (think XFL in 1974) so he wrestled during the off-season. Imagine him vs Ernie Ladd? Anyway Ron got the duke here.

Winner: Ron Mikolajczyk

Match 3

Baron Mikel Scicluna vs "Polish Power" Ivan Putski

Finally people we know as two WWWF mainstays square off in a mid-card showdown. Apparently the bout ended in a draw. Its a shame the match has been lost to time.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Ken Patera

Patera couldn't stand Strongbow or his partner Billy White Wolf so tonight he gets Strongbow one on one. Unfortunately this match has also been lost to time and apparently it also ended in a draw. The feud was just beginning.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 5

Billy White Wolf vs Rocky Tomayo

Speaking of White Wolf, here he is in singles action against Peruvian wrestler Rocky Tomayo. Tomayo was a big rough heel mostly working the territories. Apparently White Wolf got the win in this one.

Winner: Billy White Wolf

Match 6

Larry Zbyszko and Tony Garea vs Nikolai Volkoff and Stan Stasiak

Another match that's unfortunately lost to time is this one. Zbyszko and Garea were the top babyface tag team behind White Wolf and Strongbow and here they take on veteran heels Volkoff and Stasiak. Apparently Garea and Zbyszko won the match

Winners: Garea & Zbyszko

Match 7

Bruno Sammartino vs George "The Animal" Steele

If you thought John Cena wrestled Randy Orton a zillion times between 2001 and 2021 Bruno vs Steele may have that beat. Bruno vs Steele was a WWWF mainstay that lasted for nearly two decades. Thankfully there IS footage of this match so let's get to it. We're joined in progress as Bruno chases Steele around the ring and rakes the eyes. Bruno puts the boots to Steele and whips George into the corner who Flair flips out of the ring. Steele takes a few moments to collect himself as some old lady hits Steele with her pocketbook a whole bunch of times while George just does his thing to shrug it off. Props to George for playing around with it rather than break character and tell a security guard to escort her out like you see today's softies do. The ref leans out of the ring to tell George to get back in and George stalls for more heat. Arnie Skaaland at ringside laughs at the old lady taking swings at George as he gets back in. George does the "foreign object" routine and punches Bruno with it as the crowd jumps up to complain. George clubs away at Bruno then kicks away at him. George gets the object out and nails Bruno in the throat with it. This continues two more times and George stomps away at Bruno in the corner.  The ref tries to pull Steele off Bruno as he continues to kick Sammartino. Bruno gets to his feet and George clubs away with forearms. Bruno then does a pseudo Hulk-Up and the crowd starts to buzz. My grandfather loved this part....Sammartino finally explodes and beats the ever-loving piss out of Steele with forearms, turnbuckle smashes and right hands to the head. Bruno whips Steele into the corner and stomps away at him with the ref trying to get him off. Bruno continues to go apeshit on Steele who blades on camera with the camera focusing directly on him....whoops. Bruno continues to kick away at the bloody Steele until the ref shoves him off.  Bruno stands on Steele and the ref once again pushes him off. The ref checks on Steele and calls for the bell saying George can't continue. It was almost the exact same match Pedro Morales had against Steele in 1973. The crowd roars as Bruno is declared the winner. For those that didn't get to watch a lot of Bruno, he was a lot like Hogan where he'd take a beating the entire match then explode at the end. It doesn't seem like much today but fans in the 60's and 70's loved it.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Bruno Sammartino by stoppage

Match 8

Gorilla Monsoon vs "Superstar" Billy Graham with The Grand Wizard for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

As mentioned earlier, heel champions didn't last very long as both Ivan Koloff and Stan Stasiak had short reigns to transition to babyface champions. Using that logic, smart fans (if there were any) were excited to see if the near 40 year old Gorilla Monsoon would be the man in New York. Meanwhile, casual fans wanted to see Graham get his ass kicked so the Garden is rocking for the main event. Monsoon stalks Graham at the bell and they tie up. Graham tries to throw Monsoon around like he does all the jobbers but Gorilla doesn't budge. Graham tries another throw but Monsoon shrugs it off. Its funny because I can hear the commentator version of Gorilla from 10 years later going "Highly unlikely you're gonna move him like that." Monsoon then heaves Graham down and catches him with a giant swing. Monsoon bounces off the ropes and HITS THE BIG SPLASH FOR 1...2.....the referee's arm goes 2/3's the way down but he correctly sees Graham's whole legs are on the ropes. The crowd thought that was it as Monsoon kicks at the air in frustration. Graham rolls to the outside to get a breather then begs off inside the ring. Monsoon catches him with chops to the head before locking in an arm-bar. Graham sells like his arm is being torn off and Monsoon revs up the crowd. Graham rakes the eyes but his shoulderblock attempt backfires as he hits the deck. Monsoon goes for an elbow drop but misses. Graham kicks away at Monsoon in the corner but Monsoon starts getting up. Monsson starts shaking off Graham's forearms but Billy catches him in the bearhug. The crowd cheers as Monsoon looks to chop his way out but he starts to fade. Finally Monsoon catches Billy with a series of chops to the head to break free. Both men are down but Graham gets up first and clobbers Monsoon. Monsoon takes a big bump off the turnbuckle as Graham stomps away. Graham then locks in another bearhug but Monsoon makes it to the ropes. Graham holds on as they fall out of the ring and he rams Gorilla into the barricade multiple times. The ref looked to have counted to 20 but it doesn't matter as Monsoon is rolled in with Graham going upstairs. Graham hits a knee drop off the top rope, rolls Monsoon over and covers. Monsoon's foot is clearly out of the ring but the ref doesn't see it....1...2....3, that's it. Graham retains in his first title defense at Madison Square Garden. That was an interesting match because Graham was in control almost from start to finish apart from the initial big splash. Guess Graham survives another month as champion for now with a victory over Monsoon.

Time of match: 9:45

Winner: "Superstar" Billy Graham by pinfall

Its a shame the first six matches have been lost to time because it would have been interesting to see the tag champs in singles action along with Volkoff and Stasiask as a team. Hell it would have been funny to see Scicluna and Putski as well. Still the Bruno/Steele match was that generation's Cena vs Orton or Rock vs HHH and it had a hell of an ending. The main event was short and sweet as Gorilla was nearing the end physically and Graham was never the best technician. Still, two matches from the card remain and as long as there's wrestling fans, they'll always remain. 

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (3/17/75) Incomplete

March 17, 1975

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

The beauty of the territory days is you have no earthly idea what you're going to get month to month at Madison Square Garden. This card on Peacock Plus advertised Chief Jay Strongbow against Paul "The Butcher" Vachon, Dean Ho and Tony Garea challenging WWWF Tag Team Champions The Valiant Brothers in 2 out of 3 falls, Victor Rivera taking on Killer Kowalski and the main event, "Golden Greek" Spiros Arion takes on Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. There was a huge storyline with Arion going on where Arion turned on Chief Jay Strongbow in a match against the Valiants in late 1974 and when Bruno came in to ask what's his problem, Arion clocked Bruno too. Tonight Arion faces Bruno in a Texas Death Match for the strap. Unfortunately only five matches remain on this eight match card. Strongbow vs Vachon, Bruno vs Arion, Kowalski vs Rivera, Ho & Garea vs The Valiants and Ivan Putski vs The Wolfman. The tag match is not on Peacock but it is on YouTube.

Match 1

"Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz vs "Wild" Bill White

For those that don't know, Johnny Rodz was the original "jobber". He put over pretty much everyone for damn near 20 years and a lot of people respected him for being able to work with everyone. He paved the way for guys like Barry Horrowitz, George South and Duane Gill to make a living doing jobs. His opponent "Wild" Bill White was an amateur wrestling coach in Florida that caught the eye of Eddie Graham. He worked the territories from the 60's to the 80's. Apparently Johnny Rodz won this match, so much for him always losing.

Time of match: 11:31

Winner: Johnny Rodz

Match 2

Mike Paidousis vs Jack Evans

If you have no idea who Paidousis is, not even your parents would probably know either. "Iron" Mike began his career in 1950, TWENTY FIVE years before this match. He was 51 years old going into this match and most of his career has been lost to time, unfortunately. His biggest success was in the old Central States territory. As mentioned before, Evans was a veteran jobber for Vince Sr and was one of the masked "Mr. X" in the late 70's. According to the report, Paidousis won this match. Not bad for a 51 year old!

Time of match: 5:43

Winner: Mike Paidousis

Match 3

Manuel Soto and Pete Sanchez vs Hans Schroeder and Joe Nova

Talk about what could have been a fun tag match. The faces we already know while Schroeder was a Memphis mainstay who sometimes worked for Vince Sr as a German heel. He's best known for being the original Undertaker, a name he used in Memphis in 1989. Nova was a well traveled territory veteran working as Joe Nova or Butcher Branigan. Here he was Nova. Apparently Sanchez and Soto got the duke.

Time of match: 22:05

Winners: Sanchez and Soto

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Paul "Butcher" Vachon

Our first match we can actually watch might be interesting. We all know Strongbow as the fake Native American but he's got the legendary Butcher Vachon as an opponent. The ref checks each guys and the bell rings. They criss cross and Jay fakes out Butcher. Jay stalks Butcher around the ring and makes fun of him. They stall for a bit before exchanging right hands following a tie-up. Butcher chops Strongbow in the chest but Jay serves it back to knock Vachon down. Strongbow unloads on Butcher in the corner but Butcher counters with a punch to the throat to knock Jay down. Vachon goes for the nervehold but Jay powers out and scoop slams him. Jay hits another scoop slam and Vachon bails to the outside to regroup. Back inside Vachon locks in a sideheadlock and turns it into a blatant choke. Vachon rams Jay in the buckle, bites then rakes his back. Strongbow then goes on the warpath as the crowd gets progressively louder with each kneelift. Jay charges Vachon in the corner but eats boot. Vachon sends him off the ropes and hits a big boot. He covers for 1...2...no, he pulls Jay up and says one more time. Uh oh! Sure enough, Butcher sends Jay off for another big boot but Jay counters with a Thez Press for 1,2,3 to end it with the fast count of the century. Rather than chase the ref for more heat, Butcher just leaves as Strongbow is declared the winner. Not much you can expect from these two. Clearly Strongbow's style bothered Butcher so Vachon had to resort to cheating tactics. Pulling up Jay was the mistake that cost him the match. Vince says our main event is next.

Time of match: 9:10

Winner: Strongbow by pinfall

Match 5

Spiros Arion (with Freddy Blassie) vs Bruno Sammartino (with Arnold Skaaland) in a Texas Death Match for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Like I mentioned in the intro, Arion came to New York a huge fan favorite but made a shocking heel turn by attacking Strongbow and Bruno in a match against The Valiants. Now he's gunning for the strap and he's got a Texas Death Match! What's that you ask? Just a street fight, no rules just pinfall or submission. The announcer says "Texas style match" and calls everyone "great guys" during introductions. Bell rings and Arion does the slow head turn to revel in the boos from the crowd. The ref checks Arion first but when he checks Bruno, Arion jumps Sammartino! Arion kicks at the fallen Bruno who bails. Bruno gets back in the ring and unloads on Arion with punches, kicks and forearms. Bruno scoop slams Arion and covers for 1....2, nope. More forearms to the back of  Arion and football tackles in the corner stuns Spiros then he locks in a bearhug. A bellringer by Arion breaks the hold but Bruno goes back to knees to the head. Arion then gets his own kicks in before he whips Bruno into the corner. Arion punches the back of Bruno with Bruno falling into the ropes. More punches and kicks stun Bruno and he makes a cover...1....2..,no, Bruno kicks out. Bruno then gets in more punches and kicks to back Arion down. They slug it out in the center of the ring but a big right hand knocks Arion through the ropes to the outside. Bruno rams Arion's head into the apron and then to the buckle. Back inside Arion takes him down and kicks him directly in the balls. The crowd did NOT like that one as they boo loudly. Arion continues to kick away at Bruno then scoop slams him. Arion covers for 1...2..no. Arion goes for an atomic drop but Bruno counters with headlocked punches. Bruno attacks the back of Arion with forearms and and a big kick to send Arion through the ropes to the outside.  Some fan reaches over the guardrail and it looks like Arion got a piece of the fan with a right hand. Back inside Bruno uses a side headlock then punches away at Arion who drops to the ground. Bruno revs up the crowd then stomps on Arion. Spiros begs off but Bruno is having none of it, ramming his head into the canvas. Bruno goes for the rear-chinlock then stomps away at the back of Arion. Arion staggers to his feet and Bruno punches away at Arion and Spiros counters with a right hand of his own. A big right hand by Bruno drops Arion who bumps to the other side of the ring. Bruno stalks Arion but Spiros gets in a boot as Vince on commentary says Bruno took too long. Arion takes control with kicks and stomps. Arion sends Bruno off the ropes and punches him in the ribs. Bruno goes down and Arion kicks away at the fallen champion. Arion goes for another atomic drop but Bruno counters with a hiptoss and a bodyslam. Bruno covers for 1..2...nope. Bruno eats a knee to the ribs and Arion continues to stomp away. Arion sends Bruno off the ropes but Sammartino counters with a big kick. He scoop slams Arion and covers with Arion's foot on the rope. The ref doesn't notice it and counts 1...2....3 its over. The crowd cheers as Arion rightfully is pissed that he just got screwed. Even Vince on commentary says Arion got robbed as Spiros bitches to Bruno that his foot was on the rope. The announcer declares Bruno the winner as Vince goes to the replay where clearly Spiros' foot is on the rope. This meant another MSG match was in the works, most likely next month. As for this match, this was a brawl. Two guys beating the daylights out of each other, wrestling holds were mostly out the window. This is what the fans wanted in 1975 and the pops Bruno got for his comebacks were loud. As for now, Bruno is still the champ in a controversial decision.

Time of match: 14:51

Winner: Sammartino by pinfall (still WWWF Champion)

Match 6

Victor Rivera vs Killer Kowalski (with The Grand Wizard)

Talk about a treat. Latin sensation Rivera takes on 48 year old Walter "Killer" Kowalski in MSG. By now Kowalski was at the end of the line but could still sell a house with his presence. Kowalski towers over Rivera, the referee and Wizard as the bell rings with Wiz taking a hike. Kowalski ties up and....breaks clean? What are these shenanigans? Kowalski ties up, breaks clean....and slaps Rivera. Rivera unloads with roundhouse rights as Kowalski leans through the rope to stall. Kowalski gets a go-behind and starts kicking at the left leg. Kowalski applies his claw hold to the left leg and punches away at it. Vince says this is classic Kowalski to torture a body part. Kowalski misses an axehandle smash and Rivera lands an armdrag takeover. Kowalski powers out of it and goes back to work on the left leg. Rivera punches Kowalski but Killer goes back to the claw. Killer sells his arm hurt by Rivera's punch as he continues to claw away at the left leg of Rivera. Rivera punches again but Kowalski headlock punches him. Killer kicks away at Rivera and continues to punch away at the leg. Rivera gets back to his feet and takes him over with a wristlock. Rivera tosses him around the ring with control of the wrist and pounds away at the left shoulder. Rivera continues to punch as the crowd doesn't even pop, they're bored. Kowalski goes back to the claw on the leg and bites it but he misses another axehandle smash. Rivera grabs the ear of Kowalski to make him break the hold, hahahaha. Rivera drops Kowalski with a right hand but Kowalski lands a perfect single leg takedown to once again go back to the claw. Rivera grabs the ears and backs him into the corner where Kowalski rakes the eyes. They forearm each other down and Kowalski goes for the stomach claw. Rivera's shoulders are down and the ref counts 1..2...no. Rivera gets back to his knees but Kowalski kicks him then reapplies the claw to the stomach. Kowalski stomps the ribs then reapplies the stomach claw. Vince says the crowd is trying to encourage Rivera but they're silent. Rivera gets up and whips Killer into the buckle before dropkicking him into the buckle. Kowalski goes for another claw but Rivera is in the ropes to cause a break. Killer favors the left shoulder and kicks away at Rivera. Rivera continues to counter the claw hold with right hands and a big uppercut takes Kowalski nearly out of his boots. Kowalski tries to crawl away but Rivera throws him to the mat and applies a nerve hold in the ropes, utilizing the 5 count. Hey two can play that game! Rivera jumps on Killer's back and applies a sleeperhold. Kowalski gets him off in the corner but Rivera ties up Killer on the top rope Andre style. Rivera forearms Killer and hits a running tackle on him. He stands on the other rope to apply pressure but Killer breaks free. Kowalski makes a mad dash but Rivera drops him with a forearm. Rivera locks in a nervehold but Killer bites out of it. The ref warns him as Rivera swings wildly. Killer misses a right hand and gets mad, slugging it out with Rivera. Killer bites his nose again but Rivera returns the favor. Killer goes back to biting and the ref actually counts to five....that's it. Rivera bites Killer and he bails to the back. The announcer declares Rivera the winner by disqualification. To show how bad that match was, not even 1975 fans got into it. The reason why Killer vs Bruno worked in those days is Bruno would make the big comeback to blown the roof off whereas Rivera wasn't like that. Oh well, Rivera gets the duke

Time of match: 15:58

Winner: Victor Rivera by Disqualification

Match 7

"Polish Power" Ivan Putski vs The Wolfman.

After spending most of his career in the territories, Ivan Putski makes his Madison Square Garden debut according to Vince. Born Jozef Bednarski, he actually made his name in Dallas at the Sportatorium portraying a concentration camp survivor (he would have been 4 years old in 1945). He was basically the big dumb babyface brute that Jim Duggan and Rick Steiner would play in later years. Now he's in WWWF and he's loud, obnoxious and a hit with the fans. Putski grabs the mic away from the announcer while he's trying to make the introductions and screams "POLISH POWAAAA". Vince calls him a "one man gang", ha! Wolfman doesn't wait for the introductions, he just bum rushes Putski to cause the ring announcer to head for the hills. Putski counters with a right hand and the ref manages to get Wolfman in the corner long enough to finish checking them. The bell finally rings as Putski grabs him with a headlock and punches him before catering to the crowd. Putski levels Wolfman with legit elbows to the jaw coming off the ropes and Wolfie bails to regroup. Back inside Wolfman bites and claws at Putski before hitting forearms to the upper chest. Wolfman continues to pound away until Putski powers out of a nervehold attempt and headbutts him down. Putski then hits a right hand and another headbutt to drop Wolfman. Wolfman goes for the bearhug but Putski counters it with a forearm to the back. Wolfman then bites the back of Putski and he yells to the crowd that he bit him. Wolfman goes to do it again but Putski returns the favor to a small pop. The ref warns both guys as Wolfman goes back to the bearhug. Putski powers out of it with forearms to the back. Putski applies a front facelock and then hits the Polish Hammer to the back of Wolfman to break another bearhug. Wolfman rakes the eyes and bites the forehead of Putski before attacking in the corner. Finally Putski has enough and goes wild on Wolfman with 20 forearms on the poor guy. He sends him off the ropes and applies a big bearhug of his own. Wolfman gives it up and this one's over. Putski refuses to let go until the ref threatens to reverse the decision. He lets go and the ref raises his arm in victory. The microphone lowers but Putski grabs it. Wolfman kicks at him and Putski hammers him out of the ring. The announces Putski the winner as some fan hands Ivan a beer. Putski chugs it as the announcer and the ref raise his arm simultaneously. Long before the Austin beer celebrations, we had Ivan Putski haha. Typical 70's WWWF match with the babyface explosion at the end.

Time of match: 6:21

Winner: Putski by submission

Match 8

Dean Ho and Tony Garea vs The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny) in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWWF Tag Team Championship

Ah the legendary Valiant brothers. For those that don't know, just like the Graham family, there were 3 kayfabe brothers in the Valiant family. Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny and Gentleman Jerry. As mentioned before, Jimmy made his WWWF debut in 1971 while Luscious Johnny met Jimmy in Ontario working for Dave McKigney and later became his storyline brother in Dick The Bruiser's WWA in Indianapolis. On May 8, 1974 the Valiants defeated Dean Ho and Tony Garea to become WWWF Tag Team Champions. Because people moved from territory to territory in those days, tag team champions didn't last very long.....but the Valiants are still the champs almost a year later in March of 1975. Who are their opponents? Dean Higuchi was a Hawaiian bodybuilder in the late 50's and opened his own gym in 1958. Some pro wrestlers while they were working in Hawaii for Ed Francis would drop by to work out including Rene Goulet and Karl Gotch. Someone convinced Dean to turn pro himself and he did in 1962. He was given the name Dean Ho because Japanese heels were very common in those days but Dean was a babyface. Francis wanted him to sound Chinese instead of Japanese. Know who else was an American Hawaiian of Chinese descent? Professor Toru Tanaka. We all know who Garea is obviously. The purpose of this match was to settle the year long feud once and for all. Vince says the brothers are wasting time to start the match, haha. Jimmy grabs Dean to start the match and rams him into the buckle. To tell them apart, Jimmy has "sweet heart" on his tights and Johnny has "Super Hero" on his. They double team Dean in their corner but Garea comes in to no avail. Johnny and Jimmy make frequent tags to pound away on Dean. Dean fights out and makes a mad dash to his corner to tag Garea in. Garea beats the crap out of Jimmy and locks in an abdominal stretch but Johnny comes off the top to smash Garea down. Jimmy misses a big right hand and Garea locks in another abdominal stretch. Garea spots Johnny heading upstairs again and this time cuts him off by press slamming him. He covers Johnny despite him not being the legal man with Dean chasing away Jimmy for 1...2...3 and just like that, the first fall goes to the challengers. The announcer declare the challengers the winners of the first fall as Vince says one more to go.

Second fall starts with Johnny still selling getting thrown off the top. Garea starts with Jimmy and Jimmy gets the upperhand. Jommy headlock punches Garea and brings him into their corner where the heels double team. Garea makes a comeback and beats up both of them but a charge in the corner eats boot. Dean grabs Jimmy's hair but Jimmy gets a headlock on Garea. Johnny tags in and picks up where Jimmy left off. Johnny rams Garea into the knee of Jimmy and tags Handome back in. They go for a double clothesline but Garea ducks under and punches both men down. Dean Ho gets the hot tag and cleans out both Valiant brothers before beating the crap out of Jimmy. Johnny tags in and Dean chops him around. Garea tags in and whips Johnny off the ropes but Johnny hits a sunset flip for 1...2...3 and the Valiants even it at one fall apiece. Heels rarely used a sunset flip so that was definitely surprising. The announcer says the Valiants have taken the second fall.

Third and deciding fall begins with all four men in the ring. Garea and Johnny pound each other before Jimmy hits Johnny by accident. Garea locks in an armbar and pounds on it before Dean sneaks in and takes Tony's place without the ref noticing....serving payback to the Valiants. Garea and Dean continue to switch off with Johnny throwing a fit in his corner with Vince hamming it up on commentary. They continue to double team Jimmy using heel tactics and Jimmy almost makes the tag but Garea stops him much to the crowd's delight. Jimmy powers out of it and hiptosses Garea, making the tag to Johnny. Johnny runs into an armdrag by Garea before he tags out to Dean. Dean holds Jimmy and Garea clocks him, causing Jimmy to stagger. Dean holds him again but Tony nails Dean by accident....RUH ROH! 9 times out of 10 this means a heel turn and Garea gets in to check on him. Jimmy grabs Dean and throw him into their corner for a doubleteam. Dean rams both their heads together and locks in another armbar. Dean tags Garea back in....so much for the heel turn. Garea gains control with a wristlock on Jimmy and Tony tags in Dean. Johnny comes in and the faces get double armbars in before ramming the brothers together. Tony leaves and Dean is left with Johnny. They pound each other but Garea tags in. Johnny cuts him off and throws him into Jimmy who tags in. Garea catches Jimmy with a rolling prawn for 1...2...nope, Johnny kicks him off. Dean gets in and stands on Jimmy for good measure before he leaves. Garea sends Jimmy off but their heads collide to knock them both down. Valiant gets to his feet first only to flop down. Garea hits a sunset flip of his own for 1...2, nope, Johhy kicks him on again. Garea hits a crossbody for 1...2., Johnny again breaks it up. Johnny tags in and Garea hits a backslide for 1...2, no. Jimmy saves him this time. Garea makes the tag to Dean Ho but the bell rings.....whoops. The faces forgot about the time limit and this one's over.  The Valiants bail as the announcer declares the bout a draw at one fall apiece due to the curfew. How do ya like that? It wasn't the Valiants or a devious manager that prevented Dean and Tony from winning, it was New York City's curfew. Either way the Valiant's retain. Pretty entertaining match and they kept everyone strong by having it end in a draw. 

Time of match: 12:13

Winners: No one: Time Limit Draw (Valiants retain)

Standard 70's show all things considered and people at the time loved it. Bruno and Arion beat the crap out of each other in an all out brawl while the Strongbow/Kowalski/Wolfman matches were more the babyface overcoming the crazy heel. Its a shame the entire show isn't available because seeing the first three matches would have been interesting. As of now Bruno & The Valiants are still the champs. If you're judging this show by today's standards, you're gonna hate it. The Kowalski match dragged a bit but that was because of mismatched styles. Watch Bruno vs Kowalski, THAT was more like it. I had a good time watching, on to the next show.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (4/29/74) Incomplete

 

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

April 29, 1974

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

Just four weeks after Bruno Sammartino defeated Nikolai Volkoff at Madison Square Garden, Bruno has the 47 year old Killer Kowalski on his trail. Bruno and Kowalski were two of the most important men for Vince Sr in the 1960's and they still drew in the 70's. Could the unorthodox, roughhouse style of the Killer help him win the title or will Bruno retain. Other matches include one half of the tag champs Dean Ho take on Nikolai Volkoff, Pedro Morales wrestles Mr. Fuji, a 24 year old Rob Fuller locks up with Eddie Sullivan and Andre The Giant teams with Chief Jay Strongbow against Don Leo Jonathan and Otto Von Heller. Unfortunately only two matches remain from this card, Ho vs Volkoff and Bruno vs Kowalski. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Larry Zbyzsko vs Jose Gonzalez

The rookie Larry gets a crack at the future Invader in the opening contest. Just like the previous MSG show, the opening match was a draw

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Eddie Sullivan vs Rob Fuller

Talk about a treat. A young Rob Fuller of the Welch/Fuller territory making a rare appearance in Madison Square Garden. Rob got the victory to boot.

Winner: Rob Fuller

Match 3

Mike Conrad vs Tony Garea

One half of the tag champs Garea gets perennial jobber Mike Conrad on this night. Not surprisingly, Garea gets the win.

Winner: Tony Garea

Match 4

Dean Ho vs Nikolai Volkoff (with Freddie Blassie)

Believe it or not, this match is one of just two that has been found. The other half of the tag champs, Dean Ho takes on Volkoff in this one. Blassie shouts at the irate fans at the start before he leaves and you know this match is old because Nikolai has hair. They stall to start before Volkoff gets the upperhand on the lock up. Volkoff sends Ho into the corner but a charge eats boot to the ribs. Ho chops the head of Nikolai and he backs off much to the crowd's delight. They tie up again and Volkoff rams Dean into the buckle before biting the poor guy. Volkoff sends him into the other corner and goes to work on him before trying to stretch his face and hair. Dean goes into a karate stance and the crowd pops as Volkoff slowly stalks him. Dean does a double thumb to the eyes but Nikolai gets in a chop to the throat before biting him again. Volkoff hits a big boot and a headbutt before headlock punching the tag champ. Dean gets up and karate kicks Volkoff to back him up again. Volkoff gets in what looks like a cobra clutch as Vince says that might be a choke-hold. Ho gets up and chops his way out to another pop. Volkoff gets in a kick and a boot to the ribs before Nikolai starts choking Dean on the mat. Volkoff knees Dean in the head and scoop slams him. Volkoff rams him into the buckle and uses the 5 count to pummel him. Ho comes back with eye pokes and chops and sends Volkoff into the corner. Ho misses the big splash attempt and falls down. Nikolai runs off the ropes and hits a big stomp then covers for 1....2....3...that's it. Volkoff beats the tag champ to get some heat back after losing to Bruno four weeks earlier. Vince on commentary says Blassie will be happy.

Time of match: 5:22

Winner: Volkoff

Match 5

Andre The Giant and Chief Jay Strongbow vs Don Leo Jonathan and Otto Von Heller in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match

One year earlier Andre made his MSG debut and tonight he's teaming with Strongbow against the big Mormon and his German partner. This must have been a chore to sit through as Andre and Strongbow win it.

Winners: Strongbow and Andre

Match 6

Killer Kowalski vs Bruno Sammartino (with Arnold Skaaland) for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

The only other match still in existence is the main event that sees the 47 year old Kowalski get another shot at Bruno. We're joined in progress as Kowalski stomps away at Bruno and ties up his left arm in between the bottom and middle rope. Vince says Killer will do anything to win the match. Bruno then gets up and goes apeshit on Kowalski with right hands and ties his left leg up in the rope, turnabout is fair play. Bruno kicks away at the left leg of Kowalski and Killer does a big jumping bump. Bruno attacks the left leg but Kowalski kicks at him with his good leg then goes for the iron claw hold on the abdomen of Bruno. Bruno goes for the left leg with Killer trying to wizzer out of it. Bruno tackles Kowalski but Killer gets him in a crucifix. Bruno powers on top and the ref counts 1...2...nope. Kowalski rolls Bruno over for a one count and they spill into the ropes. Kowalski stomps away at Bruno and goes upstairs. Bruno throws Kowalski off the top rope. Bruno scoop slams him for 1...2..no. Bruno goes for the surfboard but Kowalski makes it to the ropes. Bruno stomps away in the corner and starts pummeling Kowalski. The ref tries to stop him but Bruno is relentless. Kowalski then gets his iron claw on the abs of Sammartino and then bites Bruno's head. Kowalski goes up top and hits a big stomp before going back to the claw. Bruno kicks him off, picks him up and dumps him over the top rope. Kowalski takes a breather on the apron then gets back in. He snatches Bruno in a nerve hold but Bruno punches him. Kowalski hits a dropkick to the back that sends Bruno through the ropes to the outside. Bruno slides inside and Kowalski delivers a scoop slam. Killer covers for 1..2....nope. Kowalski slaps Bruno in the chest that send shim through the ropes to the outside. Mrs. Krieger appears behind Bruno and tells him to go get Kowalski. Bruno gets back in but Kowalski bites him again. Kowalski punches away at Bruno's head and Bruno says something to him. Bruno is busted wide open and Killer punches away at the cut. Vince asks how much can one man take but we all know what's coming. Bruno gets back to his feet and does his version of a hulk up....here it comes. The crowd comes alive and Kowalski looks around confused. Bruno stops selling and finally goes apeshit on Kowalski to a massive pop. Bruno absolutely beats the crap out of Kowalski all around the ring and sends him to the buckle. They trade blows in the center of the ring but the ref calls for the bell. They continue to brawl in the ring as Skaaland tries to help break it up. Jay Strongbow, Dean Ho and Pedro Morales run in to separate everyone. Kowalski bails as the announcer says the bout is a draw, double disqualification. Pedro, Dean and Jay calm Bruno down as Skaaland raises Bruno's arm to a nice pop. Modern fans looking for canadian destroyers, false finishes and armdrags will be very disappointed but fans at the time wanted Bruno to go apeshit on Kowalski, and he did. Mrs. Krieger certainly enjoyed the ass kicking at the end. Good job by both guys.

Time of match: 24:15

Winner: No one (Draw)

Better to have two matches saved than none at all. The other four seemed like they'd be interesting but Andre and Strongbow in 2 out of 3 falls might not have been the best. Who knows, it was 70's Andre so it might have been. Still Nikolai needed a win and the end to the main event was awesome. As the years go by more and more footage will be available so it won't be so many incompletes. 

WWWF at Philadelphia Arena (12/1/73)

Philadelphia Arena

Philadelphia, PA

December 1, 1973

To many this seemed like a prototypical spot show just 9 days before Madison Square Garden but hooooo boy were the fans in attendance in for a surprise. The main event would be Stan "The Man" Stasiak once again challenging WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales for the title. Joe Turco and Pancho Valdez would be going after the tag straps against Dean Ho and Tony Garea and we got a six man tag match 3 out of 5 falls....ugh. Anyway lets get to this history makin.....errr, normal spot show card.

Match 1

Frank Valois vs Jose Gonzalez

Ah, a good ol fashioned curtain jerk match to open the card here in Philadelphia. Neither one of these guys had a chance to go up against Pedro Morales in any capacity so may as well just beat the hell out of each other. Jose got the duke in this one.

Winner: Jose Gonzalez

Match 2

"Nobleman" Joe Turco and Pancho Valdez vs Dean Ho and Tony Garea for the WWWF Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

The Italian teams with Valdez to try to take down the tag champs in a two out of three falls match which was standard for the time. Unfortunately for the challengers, Ho and Garea swept both falls to win the match.

Winners: Ho and Garea (Still Tag Team Champions)

Match 3

El Olympico vs "Iron" Mike McCord

For those that don't know, McCord was actually 24 year old.....AUSTIN IDOL! That's right, the Memphis legend was a mid-card heel managed by Captain Lou Albano at the time. His original gimmick was pretty much the strongman gimmick Ken Patera would use. It wasn't until the late 70's he became the Austin Idol everyone knows today. McCord got the win here.

Winner: Mike McCord

Match 4

Manuel Soto vs Larry "The Axe" Hennig

If you didn't know, Larry The Axe isthe father of Mr. Perfect and grandfather of Curtis Axel. He cut his teeth in his hometown Minnesota before making it big in Texas as a big rough heel. He formed a tag team with "Handsome" Harley Race in the early 60's and Race went on to stardom in the NWA while Larry bounced around the territories. He gets the win over Soto in this one.

Winner: Hennig

Match 5

Blackjack Lanza, Mr. Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka vs Chief Jay Strongbow, Victor Rivera and Andre The Giant in a 3 out of 5 falls match

If it wasn't for the title match, this would normally be the main event. Why Vince Sr didn't put this match on last I don't know but I don't want to give away what happened later. Anyway after four grueling falls.....Andre's team got the victory.

Winners: Rivera, Strongbow and Andre The Giant

Match 6

Stan "The Man" Stasiak vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

These two had been battling all over the territory for months and this was just supposed to be another show....until Vince McMahon Sr made an executive decision hours before the event. According to Stasiak, Vince came to him before the show and told Stasiak he'd be winning the strap that night. Dumbfounded, Stasiak said sure but why? The story goes Vince had enough of all the riots in the arenas when Morales wrestled and fans cutting heels up with knives. Vince decided to take the title off Morales with no warning and no buildup to limit the crowd reaction. After all, if Stasiak pinned Morales in the center of the ring in MSG, he might not have made it out alive. So he decided to have the title change in Philly which was always partial to the heels, even in those days. To confuse the fans, Stasiak was in a German Supex and got his arm up at three with Morales shoulders on the mat. Stasiak sprinted outside, grabbed the belt and took off while referee Barney Solomon delayed giving his decision to give Stasiak time to split. Fans started looking for the belt when the ring announcer said "Let's have a hand for Pedro Morales on his great run as champion!" Stasiak not only didn't get to pose with the belt, he technically wasn't even announced the winner. Why Vince decided to end the show this way and not have Andre on last to send the fans home happy is up to Vince Sr himself. Even if he wasn't exactly world championship material, it'll go down in the record books as Stan Stasiak defeating Pedro Morales to become the new WWWF Heavyweight Champion and fifth in company history.

Winner: Stasiak by pinfall (new WWWF Heavyweight Champion)

What a way to end a spot show. Like mentioned earlier, Vince Sr decided to take the title off Morales in a more neutral city than MSG because the fans might have killed Stasiak in New York. To this day it remains the only title change in WWE history to not have any footage at all. Buddy Rogers vs Bruno Sammartino at least had still images but this one has absolutely nothing. We got a new champion....but for how long? That question would be answered shortly but the Morales era was over. Morales was a damn good champion but was undermined by his own damn fans. That's also the reason Vince never booked a true Morales vs Bruno feud apart from their one match at Shea Stadium. The Italians and the Puerto Ricans would have burned down Madison Square Garden fighting each other. The next set of TV tapings would be in a few days where it would be announced on TV that Stasiak was the new champ. The next house show would be in Worcester on the sixth, I'll see you there.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (6/30/73)

June 30, 1973

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

We're in for a treat today. WWE Old School on Peacock somehow is putting out old Madison Square Garden shows and the MSG show from June 30, 1973 has been uncovered. Pedro Morales was WWWF world champion and he'd be defending against the dangerous half man, half animal George "The Animal" Steele. We also get a 2 out of 3 falls women's tag match with Jan Sheridan and Joyce Grable against Dotti Downs and Peggy Patterson. In a special treat, Gorilla Monsoon gets his hands on Captain Lou Albano. Now normally I would never do Peacock versions of anything because they're horrifically edited but in this case, there was no music or crowd noise to edit so its all good. The ring announcer welcomes us to "All-Star Heavyweight Rassling" and introduces our "judges" Nat Cooper, Dick Woehrle and Joe Ryder.....as in referees. The matches are sanctioned by the New York State Athletic Commission, the doctor at ringside is Dr. Edwin Campbell and his name is......well he never gives it.

Match 1

Lee Wong vs Blackjack Lanza

The ring announcer calls him Blackjack La-Lanza, where's Joe McHugh when we need him? Lanza needs no introduction as he was a big rough heel that was paired with Blackjack Mulligan to form the devastating tag team still talked about today. He had just spent the last six years in Dick The Bruiser's territory where he formed The Blackjacks with Mulligan managed by a 23 year old Bobby Heenan in 1967. Vince on commentary notices the size difference between Lanza with the other two men in the ring. Lanza backs Wong into the corner but Lanza breaks clean causing the crowd to scoff. Some fan shouts "Kill em Lee! Kill em!" Lanza breaks clean two more times then hip tosses Wong out of nowhere. Lanza locks in an armbar but lets it go cleanly. Vince says "we never expected this." Wong backs Lanza against the ropes and also breaks clean. Vince "Wonders never cease." Finally Lanza snaps and rakes the eyes before choking him against the ropes, using the 5 count to his advantage. Lanza rams Wong's head into the buckle then goes back to the blatant choke. Lanza rakes the face across the ropes then unloads with a big right hand. Some old lady throws her shoe at Lanza who picks it up without missing a beat and rakes the face with it. Wong rallies with a series a chops but Lanza rakes the eyes with his hands then his boot. Lanza headlock punches Wong in the throat and continues to choke before sending him into the buckle again. Lanza then grabs the microphone out of Vince's hands and chokes Wong with it, that's one way to shut Vince up. Wong gets thrown out of the ring but is snap mared in the ring the hard way. Lanza drops a knee, sends him off the ropes and applies his famous claw hold. Wong fades and the referee says that's it, Wong can't continue. Lanza refuses to let go for some more heat then let's go to do jumping jacks. He goes back to the claw for more heat then finally leaves. Definitely establishes Lanza as a mean ol bastard.

Time of match: 5:05

Winner: Blackjack Lanza by submission

Match 2

El Olympico vs Professor Toru Tanaka (with The Grand Wizard)

Its that damn Olympico again! His opponent Tanaka was 43 years old now but still drew heat in the Garden, especially with Wizard as the manager. Before the match starts, old Mrs. Krieger takes a swing at Tanaka and gives the kiss my ass sign before shaking hands with Olympico. It would never happen today but Mrs. Krieger was a fiesty elderly wrestling fan that would routinely hop the guardrails and terrorize the heels. Since she was in support of the babyfaces, she got away with it more often than not. I doubt if an old lady jumped the guard rail and started swinging at Pedro Morales she wouldn't last very long. The match starts with Tanaka refusing a handshake and pulls out the ceremonial salt. Mrs. Kreiger makes a mad dash around the ring to wipe all the salt thrown. Finally her husband grabs her and pulls her away as Tanaka ties up with Olympico. Both of them are pudgy guys in their 40's so I doubt this is going to go very long. Tanaka gets the upperhand with cheating tactics as Olympico gets in a side headlock. Tanaka complains that his non-existent hair was pulled. Olympico stops himself coming off the ropes because Tanaka was waiting with a big chop. Tanaka takes Olympico down and works the leg and gets a series of two counts. The ref catches Tanaka using the rope for leverage and makes him break the hold. Olympico locks in a full nelson but Tanaka breaks it and takes Olympico down. He gets in a chokehold and the ref makes him break it. Olympico takes Tanaka down and locks in a spinning toe hold. Tanaka breaks out of it and goes for a titty twister (seriously?) only Olympico stomps on the bare foot of Tanaka much to the crowd's delight. Tanaka wrenches the fingers of Olympico and Olympico counters by giving him a wet willie....yes I'm serious. Mrs. Krieger makes a very blatant racist gesture before Olympico hits a dropkick. Olympico goes for a second one but misses entirely. Tanaka begs off in the corner before locking in an arm bar. He shouts "Sit down you old bag" at Mrs. Krieger and the distraction allows Olympico to reverse the hold. Tanaka turns a bridge into a chokehold and attacks Olympico who had stepped through the ropes. The ref gets more involved to stop Tanaka and Tanaka says "Are you crazy?" Olympico fights back and lands a dropkick. He covers for 1....and that's it. Olympico nails another dropkick and covers for 1...2..nope. Olympico goes for a third dropkick but instead eats a judo chop to the throat. Tanaka covers for 1...2....3. that's it, Tanaka wins it. Vince says all it took was one devastating chop to win the match. Vince goes to the replay of Tanaka getting the chop in at the last second. That was a fun match all things considering.

Time of match: 9:34

Winner: Professor Toru Tanaka by pinfall

Match 3

Gorilla Monsoon vs Captain Lou Albano

If you don't know who either of these guys are, you're an idiot. Two absolute legends in the wrestling business. Monsoon had just turned 36 a few weeks earlier and he takes on the 39 year old Albano in a one off. Unlike Wizard and Fred Blassie, Albano would get back in the ring every now and then. Albano shouts at the crowd as Vince says this came about because Albano sneak attacked Monsoon with a chair. Monsoon gets a huge cheer from the crowd as he bum rushes Lou before the match even starts. The ref has to calm Monsoon down so the ring announcer can give the instructions. The bell rings and Albano immediately runs for cover. Monsoon catches him and forearms him in the corner. Albano goes for the eye gouges and uses a taped thumb to attack Monsoon. Monsoon pulls the ref out of the way and Albano continues to ram the thumb to the throat but Monsoon finally comes back with chops. The crowd goes nuts as Monsoon continues to chop and punch away at Albano and a big right hand sends Albano over the top to the floor. Albano runs away to take the count out and Monsoon is your winner. Short and sweet due to Gorilla's advancing age and Albano was never the best worker. Monsoon acts like Albano is coming back but the ref says its over. That's the kind of matches Albano would have, fans paid to see him get his. Vince goes to the highlights and showing Albano running away.

Time of match: 2:58

Winner: Gorilla Monsoon by count-out

Match 4

Victor Rivera vs Black Gordman

The battle of the latin stars as the Puerto Rican Victor Rivera takes on Black Gordman from Mexico City. Rivera was a predecessor to guys like Carlito in terms of being able to incorporate aerial tactics. Gordman was a big bad "rudo" in Mexico feuding with Mil Mascaras in 1969 and becoming a mainstay of the Los Angeles territory. Remember Mr. Perfect's manager "The Coach"? That was "Golden Greek" John Tolos who also feuded with Gordman. Vince shills bowling tournaments on HBO as Rivera jumps in the ring. Vince actually brings up their feud from WWA out in California so they took this across the coast. The bell rings and they circle to start with Gordman stalling to yell at the crowd. Rivera catches Gordman with a series of arm-drags but Gordman punches him. Rivera punches back and the fans explode when he does. Rivera whips Gordman in the corner who bumps around like a pinball machine. Gordman bails to the apron before getting back in. Gordman locks in a modified chinlock but Rivera counters with an overhead arm-bar. Gordman claims the hair's being pulled (which he lost against Mascaras years earlier) so the ref breaks it up. Gordman locks in a leg lock takedown but Rivera starts to power out of it. Rivera puts Gordman on his back but the ref doesn't count anything. Gordman and Rivera engage in a test of strength which Gordman wins, going into a standing surfboard. Rivera starts to reverse it but Gordman gets the knee in the back. Rivera starts to power out of it again but Gordman gets the knee in the back again. Rivera powers out of it for a third time and locks his own surfboard in as the crowd cheers. Rivera rams his head in the buckle but eats a thumb to the eye. Gordman then gets a facelock in before switching to a sleeperhold. Rivera starts to fade but the arm only drops twice. Rivera then squirms like he's got a spider in his tights but Gordman maintains control. Rivera rocks back and forth trying to break the hold but once again Victor starts to fade. Then he starts squirming and gets to his feet, breaking the hold to a massive pop. Rivera rallies with two dropkicks and two headscissors to stun Gordman who begs off in the corner. Gordman then gets a kick to the mid-section and goes back to the sleeper again. The crowd begins to go quiet but Rivers gets back to his feet, only to get shoulderblocked down. Rivera then hits a scoop slam but Gordman counters with one of his own. Gordman goes for another suplex but Rivera turns it into a small package for 1...2.....3 that's it. The crowd explodes as Rivera is your winner. A match like that would put a crowd to sleep 20 years later but that was pretty good for 1973 standards, telling a nice story.

Time of match: 11:44

Winner: Victor Rivera by pinfall

Match 5

Joyce Grable and Jan Sheridan vs Dotti Downs and Peggy Patterson in 2 out of 3 Falls

All four of them were trained by Fabulous Moolah and all four of them look almost alike. If you thought the Divas era was bad with blonde bombshells galore, go back 30 years and you get this match. Sheridan was 32 and actually was one of Moolah's top opponents. We all remember Grable from back in March, no sense repeating myself. Dotti Downs was a 36 year old veteran who has a big pompadour going on. Peggy Patterson was 21 at the time and would later appear in LPWA. This is going to be a LONG match because its 2 out of 3 falls and more than likely its going the full three. Patterson towers over everyone and the ref gives unusually long instructions before we get started. Patterson goes to town on Sheridan to start but Sheridan fights back with a forearm. Patterson works a top wristlock and takes Jan down with it by pulling the hair. They repeat the exact same spots like six times until Sheridan winds up for a big punch to back her off. Sheridan locks in a leg-lock but Patterson counters it with one of her own, pulling the tights for leverage. Sheridan counters with an STF, unheard of in 1973. Sherdian tags in Grable who goes for a leglock but Patterson grabs the hair. Sheridan gets in to help and Grable once again takes her down. Patterson pulls the hair, punches the stomach and chokes Grable. Patterson tags in Downs who gets in a front headlock. Because all four women look alike, Patterson and Downs pull a switch. The referee notices the switch so Patterson nonchalantly tags out to Dotti who continues to the front headlock. Grable backs her into the corner and hits a forearm but is unable to make a tag. Patterson chokes Grable in the corner and the ref is busy occupied with Sheridan. The ref finally pries Patterson off Grable and Downs unloads with punches and kicks. Grable gets the hot tag to Sheridan and Dotti begs off. Sheridan takes her down and then chokes her on the ropes, but Patterson kicks her off. Grable gets in to clock Downs and Sheridan winds up forearms, then delivers them Sheridan holds Dotti for Grable to punch her but turns around to put Downs in the way of a Patterson forearm. Downs recovers and goes back to the front headlock, tagging Patterson back in. Patterson does the same hair pull headlock she was doing earlier but Sheridan locks in an arm-ringer. Sheridan works over the left arm into a hammerlock. Patterson makes it to Dotti but Grable tags in as well. Downs begs off but catches Grable with a single-leg takedown. Both Patterson and Sheridan help each other get the advantage of the leadlock right out of a midget match. Downs makes it to the ropes and Grable kicks the leg. Once again they do the hair pull until Downs kick Grable in the ribs. Joyce counters with a dropkick and covers for 1...2.....3. 

Patterson was too late to stop the count and the faces take the first fall. The announcer gets in to announce the end of the first fall and Patterson complains. Patterson shouts at the ref, shouts at the crowd and the bell rings to start the second fall. The faces pull both heels in and slingshot them across both sides of the ring. Sheridan and Downs start the second fall with Sheridan getting an armringer in. Patterson takes Sheridan down by the hair and locks in an armringer. The camera zooms in right on Peggy's ass and Vince tries to talk about anything else. Finally Grable gets the tag and does the Moolah hair snapmares. Grable covers for 1...2....nope. Sheridan tags in and Patterson wants a handshake but Jan kicks her in the chest. A forearm to the back chases Patterson into the corner where Dotti tags in.  Dotti pulls Sheridan's hair and locks in another leglock. Grable gets in the ring, throws Dotti down and covers her.....what? The ref tells her to beat it since she never legally tagged in. Sheridan tags in Grable for real this time but she misses a drop kick. Downs dives on top and hooks the tights for 1...2...3 and we're even at one fall apiece, just as I thought.

Patterson gets in a cheapshot as the announcer gets in the ring and says the second fall goes to Downs and Peggy. The bell rings for the third and final fall with Sheridan and Patterson in there. Sherdian sells like her back is broken and the ref teases that he's going to stop the match. The heels doubleteam Sheridan in the corner but she punches Peggy down. Another Moolah hairsnap mare drops Patterson who bails to the apron. Jan brings her in the hard way and slingshots her across the ring before hitting another Moolah snapmare. Jan then gets on Peggy's shoulder and victory rolls her with Grable cutting Dotti off for 1...2...3 and that's it, the faces win the match. The crowd which had been silent for most of the match erupts in cheers, mostly because the match is over. Grable and Sheridan win it as Patterson and Downs shout at the fans as they leave. If you're not a fan of Moolah style wrestling this would be a tough 20 minutes to sit through. It wasn't a BAD match per se but its one of those matches that would have looked the exact same 12 years later with only 2 real women's trainers at the time. Still, the longest match on an MSG card was a women's tag match, that's good for something right?

Time of match: 20:47

Winners: Jan Sheridan and Joyce Grable 2 falls to 1

Match 6

George "The Animal" Steele vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Before the match starts George shouts at a guy in the crowd "Sit down you jerk, what the hell's wrong with you?" in perfect English. Wait, what? Well it turns out the original Animal character was as smart as anyone but just acted like an animal in the ring. It wasn't until the early 80's when promos became important that Steele had enough of Vince Jr one day. He cut an eloquent promo but Vince said he made too much sense. Steele then started spouting gibberish as a rib hoping Vince would say "alright knock it off" but instead Vince lit up and said "Yes! That's what I'm talking about."  We all know Morales already and tonight he defends the title against The Animal. The match starts and Pedro explodes with left hands and whips Steele into the corner who Flair flips out of the ring. The crowd roars as Steele regroups outside. Back inside Morales throws a left hand but Steele pulls out the "foreign object" and clobbers Morales with it. Morales staggers to his feet and Steele nails him with it again. George stands on top of Pedro and chokes him with his boot. Steele scoop slams Pedro and whacks Pedro with the object. The ref checks on Steele who goes to bite the buckle but Pedro rallies with left hands that has the crowd exploding and Steele on the run. Pedro stalks George around the ring and catches him with an armdrag. George tries to hide in the corner but Pedro clocks him with a forearm. Steele stands on the apron and stalls for some heat but back inside George lands a headlocked punch. Vince claims he had the object but it didn't look like it. George rams Pedro into the buckle and yells at the crowd. George rams him again only this time he rams him into the steel part behind it. Pedro then rams Steele into the ring post then sends him into the opposite post. Pedro rams him into the other post then unloads with left hands as the crowd roars. Steele is a bloody mess as Pedro continues to punch away at the cut and actually bites him much to the crowd's delight. Steele goes for the object but Pedro cuts him off with left hands. The ref checks George's head and calls for the bell. Apparently the ref thinks George can't continue and says its over. George gets up like nothing's wrong and attacks Pedro with the foreign object. Pedro them gets the object away and the crowd roars as Steele runs for the hills. The announcer says Morales is winner and still champion. Stoppages were common in those days and having Steele lose but not eat a pinfall was a way to protect him. Pedro holds up the Puerto Rican flag and a sign a fan handed him. Fans had jumped the guardrail and surrounded the ring to sing his praises.....and that's the kind of crap that lost him the title. What started happening when he became champion was the latino fans would hit the ring and cause a riot when Pedro would get color or get his brains beat in by the heel. As for now, the fans are happy and Pedro is still the champ. The thing about this match is it wasn't a technical match, it was a straight brawl. That's what the crowd wanted back then so by crackey enjoy the fight.

Time of match: 8:16

Winner: Morales by stoppage

Match 7

Mr. Fuji vs Chief Jay Strongbow

After dropping the belts to Tony Garea and Haystacks Calhoun the month before, Fuji faces Strongbow one on one. Jay was 45 years old in this match but was still over as a fan favorite in the Garden. The bell rings and Fuji throws the ceremonial salt but old Mrs. Krieger is back to wipe it away, only this time the crowd is tired of it. Strongbow and Fuji crisscross the ropes and Strongbow catches a chop. Fuji bails but Jay catches him with headscissors. Jay catches Fuji with a few armdrags but Fuji does the same "foreign object" trick George Steele did the previous match. Fuji drops Strongbow with chops to the throat and kicks away at him. Fuji goes upstairs but loses his balance, allowing Jay to come up and punch him off. Jay hits a scoop slam and a backdrop. Fuji goes for the foreign object but Jay steals it and rakes Fuji's eyes, causing him to throw flying chops at the referee, missing completely. Fuji bails but Strongbow jumps on the apron and stomps Fuji away. Fuji gets in and begs off as we go to the replay of Fuji flailing around. Back to live action Fuji locks in a double titty twister. Strongbow chops out of it, slides under Fuji but walks into a another double titty twister. This time Fuji takes him down with it and Fuji does the "3 arm drop" routine, chopping Fuji down with overhead chops. Fuji rakes the eyes and once again goes back to the double titty twister. Jay tries everything he can to get Fuji to let go but Fuji maintains the grip. Fuji takes Strongbow down and covers for 1...2...nope. Fuji rams Jay into the buckle then goes to down with chops, including a running one. Fuji covers for 1...2..nope, Strongbow got the foot on the rope. Fuji rams Jay into the buckle, whips him into the other corner, hits a shoulder block, whips him into the corner again and goes for a moonsault....blocked by Jay by throwing him down. Jay goes "on the warpath" which has him dancing around and hitting knee lifts. Jay runs off the rope and hits the big tomahawk chop to drop Fuji. Jay covers for 1...2....3 its over. That would have been boring by todays standards but the crowd came alive for the end. Basically back then the heels would control the match but the babyfaces would make the big comeback. Bruno, Pedro, Strongbow.....they all "Hulked Up" years before Hogan did it and it worked.

Time of match: 13:58

Winner: Jay Strongbow by pinfall

Match 8

Haystacks Calhoun vs Moondog Mayne

The final match of the night features the legitimate 600 pound Haystacks Calhoun. By this point he was almost to his 39th birthday and his mobility was decreasing. We all know Mayne and he shouts into the house mic for Calhoun to get out there. Finally Haystacks lumbers out. Mayne goes to attack him with a rope but Calhoun chases him with his lucky horseshoe. Mayne attacks him at the bell with forearms to drop the big guy down to a knee. Mayne chokes Calhoun in the corner with his boot. Mayne goes to the blatant choke but the ref refuses to disqualify him. Mayne continues to pound away in the corner then tells the ref to get lost. Mayne sends Haystacks off and goes for a backdrop......maybe he really is insane. Haystacks kicks Mayne and he sells like he got shot out of a cannon. Mayne begs off and Calhoun wallops him with a windup punch. Mayne does the Andre spot in the ropes and Calhoun beats on him before sending him off the ropes. Haystacks hits a backdrop and the Arkansas Teabag which is just putting Mayne's head between Calhoun's thighs and swishing it around. Calhoun punches then kicks Mayne in the gut to knock him down. Calhoun does the aftershock...but holds onto the ropes so its not a pinfall. Calhoun continues to sit on Mayne who rakes the eyes and does a headlocked punch to drop the big guy. Mayne goes upstairs but Calhoun slams him off the top rope. Calhoun backs him down but Mayne gets in an eye rake then continually bites the forehead of Calhoun. Mayne goes for a whip but Haystacks counters with a whip into the corner followed by an avalanche. Haystacks whips him into the other corner and avalanches him again. A whip by Haystacks ends with a shoulderblock to drop Mayne followed by the big splash. The cover gets 1...2....3 and that's it, Calhoun wins. The announcer declares Calhoun the winner as he waives to the crowd. We go to the replay of Calhoun squashing Mayne like a grape and that's the end of the show. Vince says the next big MSG show would be Monday night July 30th. Wish that was available too. 

Time of match: 6:03

Winner: Haystacks Calhoun by pinfall

Good show by 1973 standards if you can put aside recency bias. If you expect modern day moves and tactics you'll be disappointed but if you can appreciate it for what it was, you won't be too bored. The formula of the heel in control of the match only for the babyface to make the comeback was the theme at the time long before trading finishers and near-falls. It was standard for the time so just go with it. Pedro is still the champ so fans had to see the July 30th show to see what happens next. The ladies tag match was interesting and it was great to see Mayne who's career was cut too short.