WWWF at Sunnyside Garden Arena (3/25/71)

Sunnyside Garden Arena

Queens, NY

March 25, 1971

This is going to be a straight write up since no matches from this house show have ever been recorded. Ten days after Pedro Morales had his first WWWF title defense at Madison Square Garden, almost the same crew came to Queens for a house show. The main event was Pedro and Manuel Soto taking on Bulldog Brower and The Wolfman in a 2 out of 3 falls tag match. Other matches included Little Brutus and Sky Low Low taking on Little Joey and Frenchy Lamont who were subbing for Sonny Boy Hayes and Haiti Kid. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Mike Conrad vs Pete Sanchez

Sanchez was another New York latino veteran that was a fan favorite in the Garden. Here he takes on jobber Mike in the opening contest. The bout ended in a 20 minute draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Jack Evans vs Hurricane Rivera

The big rematch from Madison Square Garden from 10 days earlier. Just like at MSG, Rivera got the victory

Winner: Hurricane Rivera

Match 3

Vincente Pometti vs Chief Jay Strongbow

The Argentinian takes on the fake Native American in the middle of the card. Strongbow got the victory.

Winner: Strongbow

Match 4

Little Joey and Frenchy Lamont vs Little Brutus and Sky Low Low in a 2 out of 3 falls match

This was advertised as Sonny Boy Hayes and Haiti Kid but apparently Joey and Lamont subbed for them against Brutus and Low Low. As usual Brutus and Low Low win.

Winners: Little Brutus and Sky Low Low

Match 5

Bulldog Brower and The Wolfman vs WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales and Manuel Soto in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

Who thought back to back 2 out of 3 falls tag matches was a good idea needs their heads examined. Thankfully this was the main event and it had Pedro teaming with Manuel Soto to take on two top heels in Brower and Wolfman. After Pedro dispatched Blackjack Mulligan, he was going to need a new opponent and showcasing Wolf and Bulldog made sense. Pedro and Soto got the win

Winners: Morales and Soto

Not much to say about this show as it was a house show in Queens that's been lost to time. The good thing is it essentially had possible Pedro opponents in Bulldog and Wolfman. Really would have liked to have seen Strongbow and Pometti because Pometti in his younger days could go. Still, if you caught this show I doubt you left dissappointed.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (3/15/71) Incomplete

Madison Square Garden

New York City, New York

March 15, 1971

Yes this is an incomplete writeup as this show has been lost to time except for the main event, which is a real treat. On January 18, 1971 Ivan Koloff defeated Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship after Bruno had been on top for eight years. Four weeks later on February 8, Koloff dropped the belt to Pedro Morales in Madison Square Garden. Morales' first MSG title defense would come against Blackjack Mulligan on this card. Its a shame the rest of the card has been lost to time because a lot of pre 70's wrestlers are on it.

Match 1

Little Joey and Sonny Boy Hayes vs Little Brutus and Sky Low Low in a 2 out of 3 falls match

Vince Sr must have lost his mind when he thought opening an MSG show with a 2 out of 3 falls midget tag team match was a good idea. Sonny Boy was a legendary midget wrestler that wrestled well into the 80's. Brutus and Low Low were in that tag team match the previous month against Little Joey and here they are again facing Joey only with Sonny Boy Hayes as a partner. Apparently Low Low and Brutus got the duke in this match.

Winners: Sky Low Low and Little Brutus

Match 2

Manuel Soto vs "Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz

One of the greatest jobbers of all time takes on the rising star in Soto. As per custom, Rodz lost to Soto in this one.

Winner: Manuel Soto

Match 3

Hurricane Rivera vs Jack Evans

Puerto Rican legend Hurricane takes on the jobber Jack in this one. Not surprisingly, Rivera got the victory here.

Winner: Hurricane Rivera

Match 4

Tony Marino vs Mike Conrad

Marino we all know as the Batman cosplayer. His opponent Mike Conrad was a jobber in the early 70's and sure enough....Marino beats the jobber.

Winner: Tony Marino

Match 5

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Bulldog Brower

Two legends of the 60's and 70's right here. By this point Strongbow was 42 years old but still had a lot of years left. Bulldog was 37 but he too had a lot of years left. Apparently Jay and Bulldog fought to a 20 minute time limit draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 6

Blackjack Mulligan (with The Grand Wizard) vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Finally we get to our main event which has been restored. Blackjack Mulligan was 28 years old and had Wizard as his manager  On January 6, 1971 Pedro won the United States title to become the number two babyface behind Bruno. Vince Sr decided that Bruno had enough on top and felt that Pedro could connect with the latin audiences of New York. Vince named Pedro the successor. On February 8, 1971 Pedro defeated Ivan Koloff to become the new WWWF champion and this was his first title defense in Madison Square Garden. The ref gives instructions and the bell rings with Blackjack mad at the crowd already. The legit 6'9 Mulligan towers over Pedro and Morales slaps his arm away. They tie up and Pedro takes him down with an armdrag which causes Mulligan to beg off. Mulligan stalls and looks around at the crowd before they tie up again. Pedro arm drags him a second time and Blackjack claims the tights were pulled. I always thought it was funny when heels complained in title matches because if the ref did lose his mind and disqualify the champ, the title doesn't change hands and the heel just cost themselves a lot of money. Mulligan collects himself in the corner and does the "object behind his back routine" where punches Pedro a few times but the ref never sees it. Mulligan locks in a nervehold but Pedro powers out of it and unloads with clubbing left forearms followed by a scoop slam. Mulligan begs off and calls for a test of strength. Mulligan gets the upperhand and kicks Pedro when Morales tries to come back. Mulligan bails to the outside to threaten the fans before getting back in. Pedro gets in a side headlock before getting whipped off the ropes. Pedro drops Mulligan with a shoulderblock but gets scoop slammed. Pedro nips up and catches Mulligan with a scoop slam of his own. Morales botches a bulldog attempt and Mulligan drops him with the object again. Mulligan punches away at Pedro but the ref finally catches on that Blackjack is cheating. Mulligan locks in a wristlock, backs him into the corner and lands a right hand. Mulligan backdrops Pedro and covers for 1...2..and Pedro taps Mulligan on the side so he stands up thinking he's won. You can look at it as Pedro telegraphed the spot or he kayfabed fooled him. Either way the ref says the match is NOT over and Pedro dropkicks Mulligan into the corner. Pedro goes upstairs and hits a whoopie cushion on the back of Mulligan. He covers for 1....2...3 and that's it. Mulligan looked to have gotten his shoulder up but to no avail, Pedro retains. Mulligan gets mad in the corner but he only has himself to blame for getting up too early on his pinfall attempt. It was 1971 so if you want to judge it by today's standards, your funeral. Back then that would have been a decent main event, especially for Pedro's first Garden defense.

Time of match: 14:12

Winner: Pedro by pinfall (Still WWWF Champion)

All in all that could have been a fun card if it was shown in its entirety. The main event was pretty good for what it was and it would have been funny to see midget action in the opening bout. The one I REALLY want to see was Brower vs Strongbow, that must have been a war. Still, this show establishes Pedro as the new king in town with Bruno working a much lighter schedule after carrying the company for eight years. Let's see how far Pedro can take his title reign.

WWWF at Zembo Shrine Center (1/29/71)

Zembo Shrine Center

Harrisburg, PA

January 29, 1971

Its Friday night and Vince Mcmahon Sr has booked a double shot. While half the crew is in North Attleboro the other half are here at the Zembo Mosque for WWWF action. This card was actually the big draw as the main event features a sneak preview of Madison Square Garden in 10 days. WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff teams with the International Tag Team Champions The Mongols to take on number 1 contender Pedro Morales, Gorilla Monsoon and Chief Jay Strongbow in a special six man tag  3 out of 5 falls match. Other matches include "Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland taking on Blackjack Mulligan, "Popeye" Chuck Richards taking on Gene Dubois and The Black Demon taking on Hurricane Rivera. Let's get to the matches

Match 1

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs Gene Dubois

Interesting opening match as Chris Candido's grandfather takes on Ontario promoter Dave McKigney.  Dubois got the win....wow, no opening match draw?

Winner: Dubois

Match 2

Hurricane Rivera vs The Black Demon

Demon had been a punching bag all month but in essence so has Rivera. Something has to give, right? Wrong! They fought to a 20 minute draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 3

"Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland vs Blackjack Mulligan

Mulligan was quickly gaining steam with big victories to set himself up for future matches so it made sense to put him with the crafty veteran Skaaland. Mulligan got the win to further move up the ladder.

Winner: Mulligan

Match 4

WWWF United States Champion Pedro Morales, Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon vs WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff and WWWF International Tag Team Champions The Mongols (Geeto & Beppo) in a 3 out of 5 falls match

Talk about a tag match that would be a PLE main event today. You got the world champ and the tag champs against the number one contenders for both titles. Koloff and Morales had a date with destiny ten days later while Monsoon would be facing Geeto. Not much is known about the match apart from it ended in a no-contest. Probably were tied two falls apiece before a pier six brawl erupted with both teams being counted out or disqualified. Good way to keep everyone's heat intact. Still, having Koloff and Morales face each other before the big Garden show should have done a lot of business.

Winners: No one (Draw)

The show has been lost to time at it was a spot show long before the era of recorded television, house shows, ppvs, etc....but that main event with all the talent and the stories going in would have been a MSG main event any time. The Mongols wouldn't be defending the straps at MSG but Koloff and Morales would be going mano e mano. The ramifications were huge as Koloff really didn't have many credible contenders apart from maybe Gorilla Monsoon while if Morales won, he had plenty of heels to chose from as opponents. As for this show, if only it was recorded. Now the next show was taking place the exact same day in North Attleboro, I'll see you there.

WWWF at Augusta State Armory (1/26/71)

Augusta State Armory

Augusta, ME

January 26, 1971

One day after a small crew worked the Waterville State Armory, 3 of them joined the rest a few miles south for a spot show at the Augusta State Armory. This was a pretty stacked card as we are just 13 days away from the big title vs title showdown with US Champion Pedro Morales and Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff. Unfortunately for Morales, Bulldog Brower had beaten Chief Jay Strongbow the night before and would get a US title shot. Blackjack Mulligan was in town and he'd be taking on Hurricane Rivera. We had a double main event as The Mongols were scheduled to put the Tag Team belts on the line against Tony Marino and Chief Jay Strongbow but Geeto had gotten hurt the day before in Waterville. "Nobleman" Joe Turco would take Geeto's place with the belts no longer on the line. The champ himself Ivan Koloff would be teaming with punching back The Black Demon to face Gorilla Monsoon and Manuel Soto. Let's get to the action.

Match 1

Gene DuBois vs The Wolfman

Battle of the Canadians (sort of) to start the show as Dave McKigney (DuBois) taking on the Wolfman. As per norm, they fought to a 20 minute draw. Again, doesn't this get old after a while?

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Bulldog Brower vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Bulldog had earned his title shot due to a hot streak in the month of January. Beating Strongbow the night before cemented his status as number one contender. "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff gave Bulldog strict orders to take Morales out so he never made it to MSG. Bulldog did his best to beat up Morales and sure enough, Bulldog got himself disqualified for excessive violence. The crowd was not happy as now the question was would Morales make it to the Garden?

Winner: Morales by DQ (still US Champion)

Match 3

Hurricane Rivera vs Blackjack Mulligan

The big rematch from Madison Square Garden from eight days earlier has Rivera angry and wanting revenge for the humiliating defeat. Unfortunately for him, Mulligan got the win again.

Winner: Mulligan

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow and Tony Marino vs Beppo Mongol and "Nobleman" Joe Turco

This was supposed to be a tag title match but Geeto was injured doing double duty the night before so Turco takes his place. With the straps not on the line, Marino and Strongbow got the win.

Winners: Strongbow and Marino

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon and Manuel Soto vs WWWF Heavyweight Champion "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff and The Black Demon

The main event features the champ teaming with the human punching bag against Soto and Monsoon. Koloff was enough to off-set Demon because they won when Soto was counted out.

Winners: Koloff and Demon by count-out

A rare W for The Black Demon although the card was kind of pointless apart from Brower beating up Morales. Geeto Mongol getting hurt telegraphed the makeshift team of Turco & Beppo were gonna lose and the other matches were just kind of there, especially the main event. Still, thirteen days out from Madison Square Garden meant Morales and Koloff are going to face all-comers to keep their belts for their showdown. The next big card would be Thursday night in Washington, DC with an EIGHT match card. Vince Sr was throwing out the home run show at National Arena. See you then

WWWF at Waterville State Armory (1/25/71)

Waterville State Armory

Waterville, ME

January 25, 1971

We are 16 days away from Madison Square Garden where WWWF US Champ Pedro Morales takes on WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff in a winner take all match. Until then we still have business to take care of and a small crew headed to Waterville, ME for a four match card. Ironically three of the matches featured the exact same people. Morales would be defending the US title against Geeto Mongol while Hurricane Rivera took on Beppo Mongol. The main event would be The Mongols putting up the International Tag Titles against Rivera and Morales. The fourth match would be Chief Jay Strongbow taking on Bulldog Brower. Let's get to the action.

Match 1

Beppo Mongol vs Hurricane Rivera

The opening match would also be a preview of the main event as Mongol and Rivera get it on in a singles match. Thanks to drastic cheating, Beppo Mongol got the win.

Winner: Beppo Mongol

Match 2

Geeto Mongol vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

The other half of the Mongols takes on the other half of the main event as Morales puts the US strap on the line against Geeto. The fans were happy as Pedro prevailed and kept his date with Ivan Koloff in 16 days.

Winner: Morales (still US Champion)

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Bulldog Brower

Brower scored a huge victory on Saturday to put himself as a top contender in case Morales won the title in MSG. Strongbow needed a win to get another title shot if Morales were to fail. Bulldog kept his hot streak going with a big win over Strongbow.

Winner: Bulldog Brower

Match 5

Hurricane Rivera and Pedro Morales vs The Mongols (Geeto & Beppo) for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match

Usually cards like this were done in the territories when there were double shots or spot shows. Only six guys were used on this show and four of them meet again. The faces took the first fall when Morales pinned Geeto but the heels took the second fall when Morales was counted out following a sneak attack on the outside by both Mongols. Geeto then pinned Rivera to win the match. After the match, Morales and Rivera cleaned house and chased the Mongols away to send the fans home happy.

Winners: The Mongols (still International Tag Team Champions)

As I mentioned earlier, cards like this were pretty common in those days when people would pull double duty on spot shows or double shots. This was the definition of a spot show but the fans probably didn't mind just outside of Augusta. The road schedule wasn't as intense as it would be under Vince Jr but back then guys would work at least half the month if not more. The Mongols were finding every which way to keep their titles but luck won't last forever. Morales was definitely in the middle of a big time push so Koloff is in big trouble come February 8th. Ironically half of the card that worked this show would be working Augusta the next day, see you then.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (1/18/71) Incomplete

Madison Square Garden

New York City, New York

January 18, 1971

We finally made it to MSG after a month of hype. Unfortunately only one match on this card remains but its the most important one, perhaps one of the most important in wrestling history. On May 17, 1963 Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF Heavyweight Champion and hadn't lost since. Tonight, Bruno put the title on the line against "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff who had been on a hot streak since the year began. Other matches include Pedro Morales putting the US title on the line against The Wolfman, The Mongols put the WWWF International Tag Team titles on the line against Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon after Chief chased them all month, and Toronto's own Gene Dubois goes at it with "Nobleman" Joe Turco. After a whole month of hype, let's get to the card.

Match 1

Gene Dubois vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

Good to see ol Dave McKigney again as Gene Dubois and on this night he takes on the Italian wildman Joe Turco. Gene Dubois got the victory.

Winner: Gene Dubois

Match 2

Vincente "Bull" Pometti vs The Black Demon

We all know both these guys so no sense going over that again. Pometti won this match.

Winner: Vincente Pometti

Match 3

Mike Conrad vs Manuel Soto

Conrad was a standard jobber at the time while Soto was a rising star in New York. Soto won this match.

Winner: Manuel Soto

Match 4

Blackjack Mulligan vs Hurricane Rivera

For those that don't know, Blackjack was born Robert Windham and played college football for Texas Western, now known as UTEP. He actually went to training camp with the New York Jets in the fall of 1966 but washed out. Wahoo McDaniel, who was on the Miami Dolphins in 66, convinced Mulligan to become a wrestler. He was trained by Joe Blanchard (Tully's father, Tessa's grandfather) and worked for Verne Gagne in Minnesota as a big rough cowboy. Ironically he was inspired by Bobby Duncum who was two years younger than Blackjack. We all know who Rivera is so no sense introducing him. Blackjack got the win here.

Winner: Blackjack Mulligan

Match 5 

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

We all know the legendary heel Brower is and how Marino was The Battman. Brower got the win here.

Winner: Bulldog Brower

Match 6

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Pedro defends the strap against the lunatic Wolfman. Pedro had won the US strap 12 days before this night. Apparently Pedro won this match and kept the title.

Winner: Pedro Morales (still US Champion)

Match 7

Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship

The Mongols and Monsoon we know but Chief Jay Strongbow was actually an Italian man named Joe Scarpa who began his career in 1947 after being trained by Chief Don Eagle. He came to New York in 1970 under the Strongbow name and became a fan favorite. In this match we had a fake Native American team with a fake Chinaman facing two fake Mongolians. Apparently the bout ended in a draw. 

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

Match 8

"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff vs Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Finally we get to the main event. We all know their backstories but storyline wise, Koloff had been beating everyone in sight so Ivan gets a crack at the title. The bell rings and they circle before a tieup goes nowhere. Koloff drops Bruno with a shoulderblock but Koloff eats a back body drop. Bruno covers for just a 1 count. Sammartino armdrags Ivan then executes a single leg takedown. Koloff flips Bruno but Bruno takes him down by the leg again. Ivan gets to his feet but eats another arm-drag. Ivan gets to his feet for a test of strength and Koloff wins it. Koloff goes to the standing surfboard and Bruno counters into one of his own. Ivan breaks free and Bruno gets in a side headlock. Bruno is whipped off into a hiptoss by Koloff but the count only gets 1. Shoulderblock by Koloff drops Bruno but Sammartino counters with a drop toe-hold. He rams Ivan's knee into the mat but Koloff gets up and takes control with forearms and kicks. Ivan rams Bruno into the buckle and delivers a series of forearms in the corner. Ivan kicks away at Bruno and Bruno finally makes his comeback. He punches and kicks at Ivan before sending him into the ropes for a big powerslam. Bruno covers for 1...2...no. Bruno gets in a chinlock but Ivan makes it to the ropes. Bruno rocks Ivan with right hands and another cover gets 1. Another chinlock has Ivan down and he covers for 1.....2..nope. Ivan then rallies with right hands and accidentally clocks the ref. Bruno sends Ivan into the corner but a charge eats knee.  Ivan scoop slams Bruno and goes upstairs. He drops a knee from off the top and covers for 1....2....3! That's it! The 8 year reign of Bruno is over! Anyone who was at the Garden that night said the building went completely silent when the bell ring and Koloff was announced the winner. This was the 1971 version of Undertaker's streak ending as the unstoppable champion had finally been stopped. Koloff becomes just the third WWWF champion since 1962

Time of match: 14:55

Winner: Ivan Koloff

The rest of the card pales in comparison to the monumental defeat of Bruno. Ivan Koloff was the new WWWF Champion and fans wondered who was going to beat Koloff. It would have been fun to have seen the Mongols face Monsoon and Strongbow and a younger Dave McKigney away from Toronto. For the first time since 1963, Bruno was NOT the champion. The 8 year reign is a record that will probably never be broken. Here's to a new era in New York.

WWWF at the Boston Garden (1/9/71)

Boston Garden

Boston, MA

January 9, 1971

One day after the Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns in the Boston Garden, the WWWF came to town. We got a stacked card on this one compared to the house shows in Buffalo and North Attleboro recently. Ivan Koloff is on a collision course with Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden but he's got Chief Jay Strongbow here. Bruno himself has a tune up against Beppo Mongol while Pedro Morales defends the US title against The Black Demon. Its a 9 match card so fans were going to get their money's worth.

Match 1

"Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz vs "Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland

Skaaland gets the unpredictable one in the match top open the show. As per norm, Skaaland got the victory.

Winner: Skaaland

Match 2

Mike Conrad vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

Speaking of jobbers, here's Conrad going up against everyone's most hated Italian. Apparently Conrad got himself disqualified so Turco gets the duke.

Winner: Turco by disqualification

Match 3

Vincente Pometti vs Tony Marino

The Argentinian is no fan of Battman so he wants to take his frustrations out on Tony Marino. Unfortunately for the Bull, Marino got the pinfall victory.

Winner: Marino by pinfall

Match 4

Manuel Soto vs The Wolfman

The rising star faces the Canadian wildman. Wolfman gets a BIG victory to launch himself up there with Ivan Koloff as opponents for Bruno Sammartino.

Winner: The Wolfman

Match 5

Hurricane Rivera vs Geeto Mongol

The Hurricane (no, not THAT one) takes on one half of the tag team champions in Geeto Mongol. Geeto got the win.

Winner: Geeto Mongol

Match 6

Gorilla Monsoon vs Bulldog Brower

Monsoon has had it up to HERE with the likes of Brower so he gets him in the ring one on one. The bout ended in a draw

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 7

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Ivan Koloff

Koloff has a date with Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title but first he's got to deal with Chief Jay Strongbow. Koloff maintained his hot streak with a big victory.

Winner: Koloff

Match 8

The Black Demon vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

This was originally scheduled to be Morales against Crusher Verdu but Crusher couldn't make it so Demon took his place. Pedro gets the win to keep his title.

Winner: Morales (still US Champion)

Match 9

Beppo Mongol vs Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

The other half of the tag team champions, Beppo Mongol gets a shot at Bruno in the main event of the evening. Bruno gets the win over the future Nikolai.

Winner: Bruno (still WWWF Heavyweight Champion)

A nine match card with a lot of action, too bad its been lost to time. You still had the main players in the right spots. Wolfman needed to be a strong number 2 heel so beating Soto made sense. Needed to keep Koloff strong and beating Strongbow accomplishes that. Morales and Bruno kept their belts for now and it was all heading to MSG. Would have been nice to see something from this show but oh well.

WWWF at Witchi's Sports Arena (1/8/71)

Witchi's Sports Arena

North Attleboro, MA

January 8, 1971

One week after the WWWF came to North Attleboro, they came right back. Vince Sr was gearing up toward Madison Square Garden on January 18th but the Boston Garden show was the very next night.  We got Bulldog Brower against Tony Marino, Hurricane Rivera against "Nobleman" Joe Turco and Gorilla Monsoon finally gets his hands on The Black Demon. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Hurricane Rivera vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

The show opened with a bout between Rivera and Turco. If you're wondering why this was the opening contest, it was very early 1971....were you expecting Dory Funk Jr vs Gene Kininski? Turco got the win in this one.

Winner: Turco

Match 2

Mike Conrad vs "The Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland

The perennial punching bag Conrad took on the legendary Golden Boy. Naturally Skaaland got the duke.

Winner: Skaaland

Match 3

Manuel Soto vs Pete Sanchez

Perennial latino fan favorites Soto and Sanchez go one on one in a rare babyface vs babyface encounter. You won't be surprised but it ended in a time limit draw most likely with both guy shaking hands after the match.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 4

Tomas Marin vs The Wolfman

Wolfman was being built as a future opponent for Bruno while Marin was a mid-carder at best at the time. Who the hell did you think was gonna win? Wolfman of course.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon vs The Black Demon

The week earlier it was supposed to be Monsoon vs Demon but Monsoon couldn't make it, so Ivan Koloff was subbed in. Finally Monsoon gets his hands on Demon and wins.

Winner: Gorilla Monsoon

Match 6

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

The final match of the card featured the former Battman against the legendary Bulldog. Brower got the win to set himself up for a future title shot.

Winner: Brower

Not a whole lot happening here since the Boston Garden show was the very next night with Madison Square Garden just ten days away. The heavy hitters like The Mongols, Koloff, Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales weren't on the card. Still, it was 1971 so not many people were going to complain, especially in the territory era where guys came and went all the time. The buzz surrounding Koloff vs Sammartino was reaching its apex.

WWWF at Witchi's Sports Arena (1/1/71)

Witchi's Sports Arena

North Attleboro, MA

January 1, 1971

Happy New Year everyone! Its a new year for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and to kick the year off, we have a special show at the Witchi's Sports Arena in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. We got Arnold Skaaland, The Mongols and Joe Turco on the card. Let's kick the year off in style.....and 5 to 1 odds that half the card is hung over.

Match 1

Sandokan vs "Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland

We kick the year off with the pride of Peru, Sandokan against the Golden Boy. Skaaland we all know but who was his opponent? Sandokan was born Luis Salazar Arenas and was the future promoter of GXLL in Mexico. Skaaland got the win.

Winner: Skaaland

Match 2

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs Hurricane Rivera

Now this would have been a treat. Popeye Chuck was a badass wrestler in the 50's and 60's and is best known for being the grandfather of Chris "Skip" Candido. Hurricane Rivera was a veteran in Puerto Rico and Mexico. His real name is Jose Rivera which is why years later Jose Luis Rivera worked as Jose Luis or Mac so fans wouldn't get confused. It didn't work because when Hurricane died in October 2022, people thought it was Jose Luis. Richards got the win.

Winner: Richards

Match 3

The Black Demon vs "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff

Demon is actually Tony Nero. He wrestled mostly under this real name Anthony Aurelio but by now he was 47 years old and working as The Black Demon. The beauty of working in the days before cable and internet is you could go from territory to territory under different names and no one knew the wiser.  Koloff was due to face Bruno in a few weeks and he got the win here.

Winner: Ivan Koloff

Match 4

Tomas Marin vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

Who is Tomas Marin? Tomas was a star in Puerto Rico who could have passed for a Wild Samoan with a big afro and bushy mustache.  Turco got the win here

Winner: Joe Turco

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon and Manuel Soto vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship

Lot of legends in this main event match. The WWE Tag Team titles as we know it hadn't been invented yet, The Mongols were the International Tag Team Champions at the time. Soto was a Puerto Rican star who was a fan favorite in New York since the late 60's. The Mongols were supposedly Mongolian when clearly neither of them were. Geeto Mongol was born Newton Tattrie in Nova Scotia and became a mainstay of Stampede Wrestling. That's where he met a young 20 year old Yugoslavian/Croatian named Josip Peruzovic in 1967. After training Josip, he was renamed Beppo Mongol and formed a tag team with Geeto. On June 15, 1970 the Mongols defeated Tony Marino and Victor Rivera to win the tag straps. So we got a fake Chinaman and two fake Mongolians.....wrestling everyone. Apparently the bout ended in a draw. By the way, if you ever see Beppo Mongol and thinks he looks familiar, its because he eventually became Nikolai Volkoff.

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

Sounds like an interesting card for a local house show. North Attleboro is nowhere near the Boston Garden so a five match card seems pretty standard. The show did have a purpose with the tag belts on the line and building Ivan Koloff as Bruno Sammartino's next opponent at Madison Square Garden. Wrestling in those days was more "you gotta be there" than it is today and its unfortunate that so many matches and shows from the 70's have been lost to time. Still, we got MSG coming up so we got something to look forward to.