WWF The Wrestling Classic (11/7/85)

What's that you say, what exactly is Wrestling Classic? Believe it or not this was the first ever pay-per-view released by the World Wrestling Federation. Since Wrestlemania 2 was months away Vince decided to put together a wrestling tournament not unlike the King of The Ring house shows that were taking place in Massachusettes/Rhode Island. The only difference was pay per views had a time window whereas house shows could go all night. This tournament would be the first and last of its kind, although it gave the basic premise for the Wrestlemania 4 title tournament, later on moving King of the Ring to pay per view and of course the Deadly Game tournament in 98. Vince McMahon himself is our host for the evening. Vince shills the action then sends us over to Alfred Hays and some woman named Susan to check out the brackets. Most are face vs heel but the two matches that aren't are a face encounter between Ricky Steamboat and Davey Boy Smith and a heel encounter between Moondog Spot and Terry Funk. The main event would be a one on one encounter between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and WWF Champion Hulk Hogan....the war that didn't settle the score.

NOVEMBER 7, 1985

ROSEMONT HORIZON

CHICAGO, IL

            

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura

 

Apparently we get some highlights before we get started of who faces who and what not. The competitors draw names out of an actual fishbowl....weird. Ricky Steamboat draws Davey Boy Smith of the British Bulldogs and acts surprised even though he clearly knew. Miss Elizabeth draws Ivan Putski as Randy Savage's opponent and Macho Man yells at her. Mr Fuji draws Tito Santana on behalf of Magnificent Muraco and laughs....FINALLY lets go to ringside to get the night started.

First Round Match 1

Corporal Kirchner vs Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart)

 28 year old Corporal Kirchner was brought in the WWF to be the face militant of the company since Sgt Slaughter bolted for the AWA, which was in the middle of their last boom period. This is also Kirchner’s Coliseum Video debut. 31 year old Adrian Adonis had begun to pile on weight even though he still could bump and sell like he did 100 lbs ago, which led to his infamous Adorable gimmick. Kirchner had a reputation of being a very stiff worker inside the ring and Adonis is no slouch either so lets see how this turns out. First round matches have a 10 minute time limit so these 8 matches should breeze by.....hey wait, I just noticed there are no turnbuckle pads on the turnbuckles, what the hell? Anyway, they lock up as Gorilla mentions the tag team title reign of Ventura and Adonis (no love for Dick Murdoch apparently), then Adrian wrestles Kirchner into the corner. Kirchner arm drags Adonis twice before applying a standard headlock, which is countered into a back suplex. Adrian goes on offense with left elbows and a snap mare then drives an elbow into the chest area. Adrian applies a rest hold before Kirchner powers out of it in the corner. Kirchner goes for a suplex but Adonis counters it into a double arm DDT, innovative for the time period. Adrian covers for 1....2....3 and that's it, Adonis advances to the second round. Short and sweet, damn that DDT was ahead of its time.

 

Time of Match: 2:37

Winners: Adrian Adonis by pinfall

 There is no segment, on to the next match.

First Round Match 2

"British Bulldog" Dynamite Kid vs Nikolai Volkoff

  Dynamite looks ready to roll in singles action but before the match starts, Nikolai demands the mic in order to sing the Soviet National anthem. Nikolai belts out the tune as Dynamite Kid has enough by the end and goes upstairs. The bell rings when Volkoff is done and Dynamite comes off the top with a dropkick then covers for 1....2...3 holy crap that was fast. Nikolai still had his shirt on and his hat in his hand while being pinned, guess Dynamite needed to save his strength for the next round. 8 seconds is all it took.....can't really rate a match that short but it was entertaining to see Volkoff get nailed just like that. Remember how the "record" for fastest fall was "nine seconds" earlier that year with King Kong Bundy pinning SD Jones? This was literally 8 seconds and not even mentioned.

Time of match: 8 seconds

Winner: Dynamite Kid by pinfall

First Round Match 3

"Polish Power" Ivan Putski vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth)

Talk about a passing of the torch match. 44 year old Putski's career was winding down while 33 year old Savage had just begun in the WWF. Savage enters to Pomp and Circumstance being the first wrestler to enter to music all night as Jesse makes fun of his former rival Putski. The bell rings and Putski chases Savage out of the ring before he gets back in. Savage goes for a quick full nelson but Putski counters and spits his in his face as Ventura scoffs. Savage bails to the outside and moves Elizabeth around for no reason then climbs back in the ring. Savage locks up with a side headlock but runs into a shoulderblock. Putski poses to the crowd's delight as Savage throws him into the corner...cept Putski counters by ramming Randy headfirst into the turnbuckle tape. Savage rakes the eyes then goes on offense but Putski counters with a headlock/punch combo. Ivan hammers away with big right hands and whips him into the corner where he continues to fire away. All of a sudden Savage scoops the leg and puts his feet on the ropes (the Flair pin) for 1....2....3 and Savage wins it. Putski and Gorilla scoff as Ventura says "He outsmarted em Gorilla!"

Time of match: 2:46

Winner: Randy Savage by pinfall

There is no segment, moving right along to the next match

First Round Match 4

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith

 Now this is a little more like it. The first 3 matches have all been mismatches talent wise so lets see if this can be salvaged. They shake hands to show good sportsmanship before locking up as Ventura says there could be a heel turn in the works. Its funny because Steamboat in his entire 30 plus years in the business NEVER worked heel while Davey Boy wouldn't turn heel for another 10 years. They go through standard go-behinds before Davey hiplocks Steamboat to the ground. Davey Boy back drops Ricky in a pinfall position for 1....2...nope, Dragon bridges out of it and turns it into a backslide for 1...nah. Steamboat runs off the ropes into a overhead press slam. Davey covers for a near fall then applies a front headlock as Ventura says Stemboat's giving up a lot of strength to Bulldog. Davey hits another overhead press slam for another 2 count as Monsoon scoffs at Davey for not hooking the leg. Davey goes for a suplex but Steamboat counters with a delayed suplex of his own.....Davey Boy's trademark. Ricky goes for a splash but Bulldog gets the knees up to counter. Davey Boy executes two standing dropkicks which send Steamboat into the ropes. Bulldog goes for a third dropkick but Ricky moves out of the way and Davey Boy crotches himself on the top rope. The ref runs over, checks on Davey and calls for the bell......what the hell? Steamboat also goes and checks on Davey Boy as the ref awards the match to Dragon.....first and last time I've ever seen a match end this way. Cheap ending but it was a good match for a 3 minute crash style.

Time of match: 2:54

Winner: Ricky Steamboat by stoppage

 There is no segment, on to the next match

First Round Match 5

Junkyard Dog vs The Iron Sheik

 Sheik is wearing his standard wrestling trunks rather than those plaid groin-covers he wore at Wrestlemania....and he immediately attacks JYD with his ring robe while still wearing his turban. Sheik continues to fire away on JYD and eventually strangles him with the turban. Sheik gives the arm and the elbow to the fans, allowing JYD to recover. Dog no-sells a few blows before going to town with right hands and a headbutt. Sheik bows to JYD but he'll have none of that so he headbutts him again. Sheik bails to regroup then gets back in the ring before applying a full nelson. JYD powers out of it and hits a very sloppy looking clothesline then covers for 1...2..nope. JYD snap mares Sheik and goes for the falling headbutt but Sheik rolls out of the way. Sheik calls for the Camel Clutch and applies it, Monsoon says its over but the Dog manages to stay on his knees, where eventually Sheik lets go. Sheik doesn't know what to do next so he fires away in the corner, the ref steps in so Sheik shoves him out of the way. Both Monsoon and Ventura say that's a bad idea to push referees and Sheik does it again, then right on cute JYD hits a big headbutt and covers for 1....2...3 and this turd is finally over. JYD sure is loved by the fans and Sheik has a great amateur background but they don't mesh well at all, maybe it was the time limit but either way it sucked...next.

Time of match: 3:27

Winner: Junkyard Dog by pinfall

There is no segment, on to the next match

First Round Match 6

Terry Funk (with Jimmy Hart) vs Moondog Spot

  Terry Funk in a WWF ring? Talk about a welcome rarity, and he's bringing Moondog Spot with him! The Moondogs were basically American version of the Wild Samoans in terms of crazed lunatics. They had their run in the early 80's but were old news by this point. Funk gets on the mic and says he doesn't want to wrestle Spot while Spot says he doesn't want to wrestle Terry. Funk says they should both leave and have a draw so Spot complies. They make their way to the back when Funk doublecrosses Spot and runs to the ring. Spot catches him in time and pulls Terry off the apron. Spot charges and Funk backdrops him into the ring where the ref completes the count.......oh my god. Terry Funk, the hardcore legend former NWA and eventual ECW Heavyweight champion....jobbed to Moondog Spot. I think I'm gonna hurl, Funk is irate and he beats up Spot after the bell. I wonder what WWF fans in 1985 thought when they saw Spot being put over instead of Terry Funk, because in hindsight, that was stupid. Were they trying to save Funk from losing in the next round?

Time of match: 31 seconds

Winner: Moondog Spot by count out

There is no segment, on to the next match

First Round Match 7

WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana vs The Magnificent Muraco (with Mr Fuji)

  After the last two steaming piles, maybe this one will be good with both workers in their prime. Tito is the current IC champ but his title is not on the line, only a spot in the next round. Muraco pushes the action with his superior muscle strength to start. Muraco beats on Santana as Ventura questions why Santana is even in the tournement because if he gets hurt, he'll have to forfeit the title. Muraco is a former champ himself and he continues to control the match with right hands until Santana executes a flying bodypress out of nowhere for 1...2..nope. Muraco comes back with right hands but Santana applies a sunset flip for another 2 count. Muraco appears to be attempting a Stone Cold Stunner but Tito counters with a backslide for another near fall. Santana whips Muraco in the corner and he Flair Flips back into the ring. Santana works over the arm and applies an armringer for a bit. Muraco counters by bodyslamming Tito throat first on the top rope then working him over with knee drops. Muraco clotheslines Santana, drops an elbow then drops a knee before the cover gets a 2 count. Muraco continues to fire away with forearms then hits a powerslam. Muraco goes to hook the leg but doesn't and instead covers just the shoulders for 1...2...3 and that's it. No wait, apparently Santana got the leg on the ropes and the referee notices thus negating the pinfall, way to give away the finish Muraco! Santana pounces and delivers a small package on Muraco for 1..2.....3 and there's your real winner. Ventura doesn't have a clue to what's going on and Monsoon has to point out that Santana's foot was on the rope. That was a good four minutes although I agree with The Body that it was a cheap ending.

Time of match: 4:19

Winner: Tito Santana by pinfall

We go to Mean Gene who's with Bobby Heenan and the gist of this is that since none of his men such as King Kong Bundy are in the tournement, he's put a 50,000 dollar bounty on the head of Paul Orndorff. He is quite sure someone will collect it, hmmmmm didn't Harley Race do the same bit two years earlier against Ric Flair?

First Round Match 8

"Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff vs "Cowboy" Bob Orton

 The first high profile match of the night as these 2 used to be part of Piper's crew until the Hot Rod and Orton left Orndorff for dead at Wrestlemania. Orndorff and Orton chain wrestle to start as Paul goes for the injured arm of Orton. Paul executes an atomic drop which sends Orton shoulder first into the ringpost. Orndorff continues to attack the injured arm covered by the infamous cast until Orton catches him with a headlock takeover. Orndorff headscissors out of it then arm drags Orton before continuing to work over the left arm with a leglock snapback.....impressive. Orton begs off in the corner but Orndorff has none of it but the charge eats knee. Orton drops a few knees and hot shots Paul off the top rope, then continues to stomp away. Orton resorts to a punch kick offense until Orndorff attempts a sunset flip....which Orton counters with more punches. Orndorff eventually hooks the tights to get the flip for a near fall, then Orton goes to the rest hold. Bob applies a head scissors and after a while Orndorff flips over, but Orton bridges then turns it into a backslide for 1....2...nope. Orton goes for a flying head scissors but Orndorff moves causing Bob to crotch himself on the top rope. Why did Bulldog get the shaft and not Cowboy Bob? Orndorff gets his second wind and takes over with right hands before catching Orton with a back elbow smash. Paul rams Orton's head into the mat then punches Bob over the top rope to the floor. Back inside Orton re-adjusts the cast on his arm and waffles Orndorff with it right in front of referee Dave Hebner. Hebner calls for the bell as Orndorff wins it by DQ and advances to the next round. Guess Heenan's 50 grand will have to go to someone else because Orton has failed.

Time of match: 6:30

Winner: Paul Orndorff by DQ

We go back to Vince and Alfred who go over the second round brackets. Adrian Adonis will take on Dynamite Kid which should be awesome. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat.....no need to tell you that's gonna rule because you already know. Moondog Spot vs Junkyard Dog...ugh. Last is a face vs face encounter between Tito Santana and Paul Orndorff which also should be good....the next round has a 15 minute time limit so the matches should...keyword SHOULD be long and exciting to watch. Lets go back to ringside

Quarterfinal Match 1  (Match 9 overall)

Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart) vs Dynamite Kid

 Now here's a match I'd never thought I'd see, but I won't complain. They lock up and Dynamite runs into a shoulderblock before arm dragging Adrian twice in about three seconds, damn he's quick. Adrian retreats to the outside and regroups with Jimmy before getting back in. Adrian goes to work on offense with shots and an elbow to the dome then slingshots him into the corner. Jesse figures out the next match is Savage and Steamboat so he bails to go talk to Savage....wtf is that about? Monsoon's left all alone meanwhile Adrian covers for only a 1, for a second I thought Ventura was going to interfere on his former partner's behalf but instead he actually does leave the ringside area. Adrian catches Dynamite with a suplex then covers for another 1 count then applies a rest hold as Monsoon says how Ventura was supposed to be a future tag team partner of the Macho Man.....good thing that never happened. Dynamite eventually powers out of it with a back suplex but misses the headbutt attempt. Adonis works over the left leg and applies...the sharpshooter? Wow, the sharpshooter in 1985 no less, Bret was still in Stampede while Sting was a Bladerunner out in Memphis, props to Adonis. Dynamite makes it to the rope so Adonis lets go then throws him into the corner then charges into a beautiful sunset flip by Dynamite for 1....2..nope, Adonis kicks out in time. Adonis goes back to work on the left leg then goes for a bulldog but instead is thrown shoulder first into the ringpost by Kid. Dynamite drops a knee then clotheslines him down, then runs up the ropes (10 years before Rob Van Dam and Sabu) and delivers a flying knee drop. Dynamite covers for 1....2..negative, Adonis gets the shoulder up. Dynamite delivers a snap suplex and another falling headbutt. Jimmy Hart hops on the apron distracting Dynamite long enough for Adrian to deliver a running roll up for 1...2. nope, Dynamite kicks out and Adonis runs right into Hart. Dynamite covers a fallen Adrian for 1....2...3 and Dynamite wins it. After the match Hart protests that his foot was on the rope, which the camera shows Adonis wearing boots with the New York Yankees logo on them. Adonis throws a temper tantrum in the ring as Monsoon goes to the replay, that was fun. That was a good match but it was too short, perfect crash style but this is NOT supposed to be crash style.

Time of match: 5:28

Winner: Dynamite Kid by pinfall

We go to Gene Okerlund who's with Jesse Ventura. Jesse says he's working with Savage and Elizabeth and preparing him for the rest of the tournament. I guess they wanted Ventura to become a future tag partner for Savage but with Jesse unable to work around his career ending Illness and the fact Savage was way too good on his own, it never happened.

Quarterfinal Match 2 (Match 10 overall)

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth)

Now we're really talking, even though they have a 15 minute time limit this should rock the house. Before the match Savage sticks a finger into Ricky's face who slaps it away then Savage runs and hides behind Elizabeth, heh what a heel. Stemboat turns his back so Savage attacks him from behind while still wearing his headband and cape. Steamboat slides under Savage and chops him through the ropes to the outside. Randy pulls Ricky out and brawls with him outside before they roll back in. Savage takes over on offense with right hands in the corner until Steamboat counters with a head scissors over the top rope to the floor.  Steamboat chops Savage on the floor then atomic drops him to the concrete. Ricky throws him inside then hits his karate chop to the chest of a running Macho Man. Savage ducks under a second chop and delivers a back suplex as Ventura makes his way back to the commentating table. Savage goes upstairs but Ricky catches him in the gut with a right hand then delivers a knee lift. Steamboat unloads with a series of fists drops then suplexes Savage halfway across the ring. Steamboat goes upstairs and hits THE FLYING CROSSBODY for 1...2...thre...no wait, Savage kicked out at 2. Ventura is openly cheering for Savage and Steamboat chops and punches Savage to the ring apron. Savage reaches into his tights for a Foreign Object and when Steamboat goes for a back suplex, Savage nails Ricky with whatever he had. Savage covers for 1....2...THREE???? You gotta be kidding, that was WAY too short for 2 guys as talented as they were. It was going good too, damn.....should have been much longer. Monsoon says that Ventura gave Savage brass knuckles in the back as Ventura scoffs. This was pretty much a three minute preview of what was to come at Wrestlemania 3.

Time of match: 3:26

Winner: Randy Savage by pinfall

There is no segment, on to the next match.

Quarterfinal Match 3 (Match 11 overall)

Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot

   The match starts and there's no referee, what the hell? Spot attacks JYD and knocks him down then goes up to the second rope but misses the splash attempt. Dog headbutts Spot a few times from the ground then delivers a real headbutt. Dog covers and looks around for the ref but there isn't one so he counts 1...2....3 himself. Dog angrily walks out of the ring and I guess its official but Monsoon says otherwise until Spot himself leaves so Monsoon says the judge at ringside made it official.....whatever. Ventura says "I've seen it all now Gorilla" yeah no kidding, that's pretty bizarre to not have a referee in a match. The first and last time I've ever seen that happen, I can't even rate the match it was so weird, you be the judge.

Time of match: 31 seconds

Winner: Junkyard Dog by pinfall

 We go to Mean Gene who's with Heenan again, this time Heenan's downtrodden since Orndorff survived the first round. Mean Gene says that since Paul's facing the face Tito Santana that he won't be giving out 50 grand but Heenan says ya never know. Heenan then says that Piper will be the new champ since Hogan is "tired" from basically wrestling non stop as champion for the past 2 years.

Quarterfinal Match 4 (Match 12 overall) "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff vs Tito Santana

 Here we got a face vs face encounter with two great technicians, maybe this match will approach the 15 minute mark. They shake hands to start then tie up as Jesse says Tito may turn on Orndorff....wouldn't it make sense for it to be the other way around? Tito goes for the side headlock as Jesse notices a bandage on Santana's thigh and speculates that Muraco may have done something to him. Santana continues to work on the headlock before Orndorff powers out of it only to be head scissored by the IC champ. Santana holds him there for an unusually long time as Ventura says that the REAL Paul Orndorff may show up, referring to the heel he portrayed for a year and a half. Orndorff flips over and the ref covers 1...2..nope, near fall. Orndorff chain wrestles into a hammerlock then chicken wings it to the ground, looks painful. Santana gets to his feet and reverses the hammerlock until Orndorff makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Ventura says its just a matter of time before Orndorff goes to his cheating ways as they tie up again then Santana clean breaks when they roll into the ropes. Tito applies another headlock but Orndorff delivers an atomic drop that injures Santana's thigh. Santana limps around as Paul looks to be concerned about Tito's health until he applies a drop toe hold to the injured leg. Lot of mat wrestling so far, which is a welcome sight to some of the matches that went far too short, the crowd boos but I don't care. Santana goes for an elbow drop/leg lock combination before Santana gets to his feet. They tie up as Orndorff backs Santana to the ropes and delivers a forearm that knocks Santana out of the ring, guess Ventura's right about Orndorff's heel tactics shining through. They trade blows outside the ring as Santana throws Orndorff into the ringpost, but then the referee counts them both out..you gotta be kidding me! The match was just getting good. Not only are both men out of the tournament, but they ruined the story by having Orndorff turn with 10 seconds remaining in the match. Who booked this damn thing, George Scott?

Time of match: 8:06

Winners: None  (Double countout)

 We go back to Hays and McMahon who go over the rest of the brackets. Savage will face Dynamite in the semi-finals while JYD has a bye all the way to the final match, well that's stupid. Why wouldn't Savage have the bye to set up a face longshot against rested heel finals? Oh well, we get Savage and Dynamite so I'm not complaining. Piper makes his way to the ring with a bagpipe band as we go over to Mean Gene for an interview with Hulk Hogan himself. Total count....Dude: 0, Brother: 3, Jack: 0, Man: 2, if you took the under then you win.

Match 13

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

  The big re-match from the war that didn't settle the score, Hogan and Piper one more time. Finkel says there’s a one hour time limit…..HAHAHAHAHA! None of the matches have reached 10 minutes so this ain't goin anywhere near an hour. Piper throws Hogan outside then Hulk pulls Piper out then throws him into the steel guardrail. Hogan chases Piper inside the ring where they exchange eye rakes, fists and knees....a sheer contrast to what we just saw between Santana/Orndorff. Hogan clothesline Piper in the corner as Roddy does a Valentine Flop, then Hulk continues to fire away with rights and a back suplex. Hogan drops a series of elbows then Hulk returns to the punch kick offense in the corner. Piper answers with punches and kicks then climbs the second rope....then jumps into a bearhug. Piper gets the finger to the eye to get out of the bearhug then continues to punch away before covering for a one count. Piper sends Hogan off the ropes and catches him with his SLEEPER HOLD....champ's in big trouble, Hogan actually grabs the top rope but the ref doesn't make Roddy break the hold meaning either Hogan screwed up or the ref is blind, maybe both. Hogan fades as Ventura says we're gonna have a new champion then the ref lifts the arm..1.....2...noooooo, Hogan revives right on cue. He runs over to the ropes with Piper still on his back and they topple to the floor together. Hogan throws Piper into the ringpost then Hulks Up on the outside of the ring before chasing Roddy back inside. They trade blows in the center of the ring before Hogan delivers a sloppy big boot that doesn't even knock Roddy off his feet. Hogan executes an atomic drop then goes for a clothesline but Piper moves and Hogan crashes into the referee...D'OH! Piper goes outside and grabs a steel chair...10 years ahead of its time, then waffles Hulk with it.  Piper goes to hit him again but Hulk takes it away then nails Roddy with it. Hogan puts Piper in the sleeper until out of nowhere Bob Orton hits the ring and lays waste to Hogan. Orton and Piper double team Hogan until Paul Orndorff of all people runs in with the chair to save Hogan. Hogan and Orndorff celebrate in the ring as the heels make their exit, wow that was tough to sit through but at least it was short. The one match I'm actually glad that it was short, hopefully the next match will be long.

Time of match: 7:07

Winner: Hulk Hogan by DQ (Still world champion)

Semi-Final Match  (Match 14 overall)

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) vs Dynamite Kid

  Maybe now that we're nearing the end of the night the matches will actually go at least 10 minutes, because both these guys rule. Savage enters with a different robe, foreshadowing his Wrestlemania 4 tournament performance. Ventura scoffs at the fact JYD has a bye while Monsoon scoffs at Savage for using Elizabeth as a shield and even Jesse can't back that disgusting display (for 1985) up. Nowadays women get hit with chairs and chainsaws but in 1985 if you so much as poked a female in the stomach it was a big deal. Savage ties up with Dynamite in a nice feeling out sequence where Savage goes behind with a two point take down and Dynamite tries to turn in. Savage rides but eventually Dynamite escapes which causes Savage to go outside and stand on the guardrail....Macho Madness at its finest. They tie up in the ring and roll around the ropes all the way around the ring before Savage gets a sucker punch in.  Savage rams Dynamite head first into the turnbuckle then delivers an elbow to the temple. Dynamite rallies with right hands and a sideheadlock into a shoulderblock sequence. Dynamite hits a back bodydrop and a flying crossbody but they roll into the ropes so there's no count. Dynamite goes for a sunset flip but Savage drops down on him to counter the hold. Gorilla says Dynamite is in better shape than Savage but just by looking at them I have to disagree, Savage was ripped back then and Dynamite was about 20 lbs over what he should have weighed, too much muscle on a small frame. Dynamite goes for another crossbody but missed that one before doing a double clothesline spot. Savage goes upstairs but takes too long and Dynamite dropkicks him down into the turnbuckle. Dynamite climbs up and does a superplex that the crowd pops then they both cradle each other on the ground. The ref counts 1....2.....3....and the match is over, the tape clearly shows Savages right shoulder off the mat so Randy is announced the winner. Ventura creams his pants as once again a potentially awesome match is crammed into 5 minutes, dammit. Savage is literally carried out of the arena by the security staff to show how exhausted he is.

Time of match: 4:52

Winner: Randy Savage by pinfall

We go to Mean Gene in the locker room, literally. He catches up with Orndorff and Hogan who rant and rave about Heenan, Piper and Orton.  Total count  Dude - 0  Brother - 1  Jack - 0  Man - 6  so if you took the under then you win.....barely

Finals (Match 15 overall)

Junkyard Dog vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth)

JYD's wrestled two matches and were both a breeze while Savage had to win 3 matches against awesome workers such as Dynamite and Steamboat, the last one only minutes before. Usually its the face that's exhausted going into the finals but for some reason Savage is the longshot compared to the well rested Dog. Savage uses Elizabeth as a shield and JYD corners the both of them. Jesse Ventura "JYD looks like he's gonna punch Elizabeth *sarcastically* What a man he is!". Savage bails to the outside and grabs a chair as the bell rings to officially start. Savage throws the chair at the Dog who catches it then rams his own head into it...heh. Dog taunts Randy until he gets in the ring verrrrrrrry slowly 90 seconds after the bell. They lock up and JYD heaves Savage across the ring twice. Randy goes for a scoop slam but can't get the JYD up, guess Savage isn't as Macho as we think. JYD delivers a headbutt to the small of the back then a delayed atomic drop. JYD locks in a bearhug as Jesse scoffs at Savage wrestling 4 times before Mean Gene Okerlund joins the commentary team for some reason. Dog delivers a forearm and headbutts to the back as Gene says alls fair in love and war. Savage gets caught in the ring ropes as Dog headbutts him from inside. Dog runs into a left arm clothesline by Savage that he barely sells. Savage covers but Dog powers out of it at 2 then Savage throws him through the ropes to the outside. Randy goes upstairs and delivers the double axehandle to the floor. Savage rams Doggie into the ring post then goes upstairs where he delivers another axehandle to the floor. Savage picks up a chair and whacks Dog with it while referee Dave Hebner stands there and watches. Gene Okerlund asks why Savage isn't disqualified as am I but whatever, the match continues. Savage chokes JYD on the guardrail then drops an elbow as the crowd boo's before sending Doggie back in the ring. Savage climbs upstairs but he's gone to the well too often as JYD catches him with a punch to the midsection. JYD does his doggie headbutts and Savage sells like crazy before Randy begs off. JYD delivers a normal headbutt and Savage gets tied up in the ropes Andre style. Savage is untied then rakes the eyes to stop the momentum, then he charges but JYD backdrops him over the top to the cement floor. The referee counts but Savage can't make it back in....that's it, JYD wins by a count-out as Ventura scoffs. Savage carried that match, plus along with his other matches against the likes of Dynamite Kid was probably the main reason for giving him the Intercontinental Championship a few months after this.

Time of match: 9:33

Winner: Junkyard Dog by count-out

Mean Gene hits the ring to get a word with our first (and last) Wrestling Classic champion Junkyard Dog. Dog goes to answer a question when Jesse "The Body" Ventura gets in the ring and gets bent out of the shape, ranting how the Dog didn't wrestle as much as Savage. Randy gets helped to the back as JYD chases Ventura out of the ring as Monsoon starts laughing at him. We go to McMahon who signs off and that's the end of the show.

 Well that was horribly done. They had AWESOME talent in this tournament and the matches were way too short to be considered "Classic". This actually would have been a great Raw event from the late 90's in terms of crash style (Like the IC title tournament Ken Shamrock won) but as a pay per view this was NOT worth however much it cost back in the day. Eventually Vince would try it out with longer matches such as the Wrestlemania 4 version before settling on the King of the Ring format in 1993. This was the prototype for future tournaments but it was way too rushed, this may be the first and only time I'm complaining the matches were too short rather than too long. I'd give this tape 2 1/2 stars out of 5, make no mistake most of the matches weren't bad and talent wise, this was the best it got for the WWF in 1985 but everything was too short. This was part of Vince's feeling out process to decide what would be or wouldn't be worthy of a pay-per-view event. Wrestlemania 2 would be the next big one. As for this event, crash style in 1985 was interesting so 2 1/2 out of 5 for the interesting concept and historical perspective as the first ever WWF ppv.

WWF All-American Wrestling (9/4/83)

Welcome to the inaugural episode of WWF All-American Wrestling, Vince's foray into cable television. Long before Monday Night Raw, Vince got his start on the USA network with All-American Wrestling. Rather than make it must see TV, Vince came out of the gate with the first episode being a greatest hits montage of WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund. Nothing says make your debut on cable with matches people have already seen before. This would be theme for All-American's entire 11 year run to be honest. Let's get to the show.

Host/Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

We start with Vince's voiceover of Backlund's victory over "Superstar" Billy Graham on February 20, 1978 before going to Vince in the studio welcoming us to the premier of All-American. He comes out and says this entire show is a Bob Backlund tribute. Vince makes long pauses during the intro, maybe he was nervous. We cut to commercials and the first one is an ad for Playboy Magazine....I don't remember THAT being plugged 10 years later. 12 issues for only $18.50, a rare bargain. Let's get to our first clip.

Match 1

Bob Backlund vs "Superstar" Billy Graham for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

We're joined in progress for Backlund's title match with the Superstar on February 20, 1978 at Madison Square Garden. Graham gets a go-behind but Backlund reverses it causing Billy to retreat to the ropes. Backlund pulls Graham to the center of the ring but the ref makes him break the hold. Billy stalls but Bob gets a headlock in. Graham sends Bob off but Backlund counters with a sunset flip for 1...2...nope. Graham locks in a full nelson as Vince says this will be hard for Backlund to break out of it. Backlund almost effortlessly breaks it and Graham complains to the referee. Graham gets in a headlock but Bob sends him off the ropes only to eat a shoulderblock. Graham comes off the ropes again and Backlund hits the rolling prawn hold for 1...2....noooooo. Somehow Graham kicked out of Backlund's finisher and Backlund goes to the side headlock. Graham rakes the eyes and hits a bodyslam but Backlund counters with an inside cradle for 1...2...nooooo. Bob whips Graham into the corner and Billy begs off. Bob sends Billy into the ropes but misses a dropkick. Graham kicks away at Bob then drops a forearm to the neck. Graham sends Bob into the ropes then applies a bearhug. Vince Jr on commentary says its over but Backlund refuses to give it up. Backlund somehow breaks the bearhug and hiptosses Graham in the process. Graham goes back to the bearhug but after a few minutes Bob not only breaks it but applies one of his own. Bob actually gets Graham to the mat and ref counts 1...2....no. Graham rakes the eyes to break the hold but Bob locks in an abdominal stretch. Billy counters with a hiptoss but Backlund catches Graham with an atomic drop. Bob covers and the ref completely misses Graham's foot on the bottom rope for 1..2.....3 that's it. BOB BACKLUND IS THE NEW WWWF CHAMPION! We cut here for this TV show's purpose. This was the changing of the guard as Backlund became Vince McMahon Sr's pet project while the Superstar was never the same again.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by pinfall (new WWWF Champion)

Back in the studio Vince says Bob is still the champ to this day but he'd be tested again and again. Vince says one of Bob's best challengers was Ken Patera who had even more strength than Graham. He says we'll see Patera's match with Backlund after commercial. The commercial is a record for The Great Singalong which is all country music.....yeah. We also get a trailer for the movie Natural Enemies starring Hal Holbrook. USA Hot Spots will be airing on 10 PM on Monday Night's.....gee, wonder what's on Monday nights on USA these days. Let's get to the match.

Match 2

Ken Patera vs Bob Backlund for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

We're joined in progress for the title defense by Backlund against Patera on January 21, 1980 at Madison Square Garden. We're at the point where Patera has a bearhug on the mat and nearly pins Bob with it. Backlund then rallies to get back to his feet but Patera brings him back to the mat for another two count. Backlund battles back to his feet and literally deadlifts Patera with the hug still applies into a reverse atomic drop to break the hold. Backlund rallies with right hands but they both shoulderblock each other only for Patera to fall on Bob. Vince shouts "OH NO!" as the ref counts 1....nope, Backlund didn't even let the drama build. Bob rolls on top for a 1 count of his own then counters a Patera suplex with one of his own. Bob gets a one count then Patera covers for a one count. They keep trading pin attempts then Patera hops up to the second rope. Patera nails an axehandle smash then gives the sign for the full nelson. Bob counters the attempt and Patera swings and misses with a right hand. Bob lands the atomic drop and covers for 1....2....nope, this time the ref sees the foot on the rope. Bob and Ken slug it out until Patera shoves Backlund into the referee. The ref is out as Patera applies another full nelson but there's no ref. Backlund kicks off the ropes to break the hold as another ref gets in to ring the bell. Backlund and Patera slug it out in the center of the ring as the locker room empties. Backlund and Patera throw guys out left and right before order is restored. We cut here with no winner or loser declared on the clip, but the match did end in a draw. Backlund vs Patera kept the feud going throughout most of 1980.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: No one (Draw: Backlund retains)

Back to the studio, Vince gives the folks at home a PO Box to write in to see what they think of All-American. Vince says 1982 was a "rough year" for Backlund and sends us to commercial for Globe Life Insurance. Back to Vince says Freddie Blassie introduced The East/West Connection of Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Adrian Adonis to take down Backlund. For some reason Vince sends us to the Adonis match first despite Ventura getting the first crack. Oh well.

Match 3

Adrian Adonis vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

We go back to March 20, 1982 at the Philadelphia Spectrum to watch the East half of the East/West Connection take on Backlund. We're joined in progress with Adonis cowering in the corner. Backlund whips Adonis into the corner where he flips himself in a tree of woe. Backlund chops him down and delivers a piledriver. Backlund covers but Adonis kicks out. Adonis locks in the Goodnight Irene sleeper as Vince says no one has ever escaped the hold and pretty much gives a eulogy to Backlund's title reign. Backlund then powers up and gets to his feet with the crowd in a frenzy. Adonis goes for the rolling prawn out of the corner but Backlund reverses it for 1.....2....3 and Backlund wins it. Short and sweet compared to the previous matches but since they only had an hour for the show including commercials, they had to keep it short from here on.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by pinfall (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince in the studio who says Backlund had many close calls in 1982. Vince sends us to Jesse Ventura's title shot which was actually six days before Adonis at Madison Square Garden.

Match 4

Jesse "The Body" Ventura vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship (Ivan Putski is the guest referee)

We're joined in progress at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 1982 six days before the Adonis title defense. Ventura locks in a bearhug then lands a reverse atomic drop to put Backlund on the mat. Jesse drops a knee on the throat of Backlund. Putski almost refuses to count Bob's shoulders down so Jesse goes to a piledriver. Jesse covers for a very slow 1 count and even Vince Jr on commentary admonishes Putski for that. Jesse hits an atomic drop and covers for a 2 count then puts Backlund in the Body Breaker. Vince says we have a new champ but Backlund kicks off the ropes into a modified northern lights suplex for 1...2....nooooo. Jesse goes for another Body Breaker but Bob reverses it into the rolling prawn hold for a very fast 1, 2,3 by Putski to end the match. Kind of weird to have Backlund essentially needing Putski to win but a win is a win.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by pinfall (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince who admits Puski gave Jesse a fast count. Vince says 1982 was a very tough year for Bob and next up was a challenge from "Playboy" Buddy Rose.

Match 5

"Playboy" Buddy Rose vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

This match was from the August 30, 1982 show from Madison Square Garden also joined in progress.  Rose hits a scoop slam then goes upstairs and jumps down but notices Bob has moved out of the way. Rose lands a dropkick and covers for 1...2..nope. Rose goes for a suplex but Bob counters with the crossface chicken wing. Rose desperately tries to break it but can't. The ref calls for the bell and Bob is the winner. Guess we're going to run through these opponents due to time constraints.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by submission (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince who puts over the crossface chicken wing, ironic as the hold would be much more deadly a decade later. Vince says when we're back from commercial, we're going to a rematch between Billy Graham and Backlund only this is the karate pants Graham that gets the title shot. We go to a 5 record Mo-Town collection of 50 hits commercial.....long before 2 cds, there were 5 records. If you're into Mo-Town, its actually a damn good collection for only 19.95. Back to Vince who admits that Graham's foot was on the rope when he lost the title. Vince then says he went from a bodybuilder to a karate master to get his belt back. We're actually shown the angle that sets up Billy's rematch with Backlund. Bob was wrestling Swede Hanson when Graham came out to ringside and grabbed Backlund's belt. Hanson repeatedly stops Bob from getting at Graham as Billy cuts a promo saying Bob doesn't deserve it. Bob wins his match with the rolling prawn hold but Hanson continues to keep Backlund occupied long enough for Graham to nail Bob with the belt. Graham then smashes the world title belt and rips it apart. Vince Jr asks what he's doing and Graham just continues to smash the belt. Arnold Skaaland inside the ring revives Bob and we cut here. There was actually more to this but we're under time constraints. Back to Vince who says Graham would face Backlund in a series of matches and enjoy every single moment (Ha!). We now go to a lumberjack match held at Madison Square Garden.

Match 6

"Superstar" Billy Graham vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship in a Lumberjack Match

This was from the December 28, 1982 show at Madison Square Garden. We're joined in progress with Backlund getting Graham in an arm-ringer. For whatever reason Swede Hanson is the guest referee and Backlund goes for a shoulderblock only for Graham to pull Swede in the way. Swede shockingly doesn't attack Backlund but rather yells at Billy for pulling him in the way. Backlund jumps into Graham who pulls him outside into the heel portion of the ring. The faces run over and throw both guys back in the ring. Buddy Rose and Tony Garea yell at each other as Graham gets in a karate chop to the throat. Billy hits another chop to the throat which sends Backlund down in front of Rocky Johnson. Graham lands a third chop before shoulderblocking Bob in the corner. Vince says Graham abandoned his power moves for his karate arsenal. Bob tries to get his foot outside but Rose pushes it off right in front of Hanson who tells Buddy to beat it. Graham sends Bob off and locks in the bearhug but Bob punches him off. Billy goes for another bearhug but Bob counters with the crossface chicken wing. Mr. Fuji looks on concerned as Hanson calls for the bell. Bob refuses to let go and we cut here. I bet the extra curricular activity was fun with Backlund getting revenge for Graham destroying the title belt. Normally lumberjack matches are complete poo but since we only watched a few minutes, its all good.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by submission (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince in the studio who says as the calendar turned to 1983 it only got tougher for Backlund. Vince says when we return we'll go to a match between Backlund and Magnificent Muraco. The commercial is for waterproof gold chains called Marigold for 19.95 with a lifetime guarantee. Also we get a preview for Miami University vs Florida University tonight at 9 PM. Fun fact, Florida led by running back Neal Anderson beat Miami that night. Miami then went undefeated the rest of the season winning the NCAA title in dramatic fashion over Nebraska University on the final play of the national championship game. Last commercial is for Thursday night baseball with the New York Yankees playing the Milwaukee Brewers (back when the Brewers were in the American League) and the Cincinnati Reds face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Back to Vince who says Don Muraco started to rise through the ranks and earned a title shot against Backlund as the current WWF Intercontinental Champion.

Match 7

WWF Intercontinental Champion Don "The Magnificent" Muraco vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship in a Texas Death Match

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon

We go back to March 20, 1983 in Madison Square Garden for Backlund vs Muraco one year to the day after Bob faced Adrian Adonis in Philadelphia. Once again we're joined in progress with Backlund getting Muraco in a side headlock. Monsoon says Monsoon always visits hospitals and schools to see the kids. Muraco sends him off the ropes and Backlund shoulderblocks him down but falls through the ropes. Muraco tries to slam Bob back in but Backlund rolls through and hooks the leg for 1...2...nope. Backlund scoop slams Muraco and we cut here. There was only 10 minutes left in the show and we still had two more matches to cover. For anyone that cares, Backlund won the match by pinfall.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Not shown (Backlund won it)

Back to Vince who says Backlund survived Muraco's challenge and moved on to Philadelphia to meet "Iron" Mike Sharpe. Its easy for us to laugh at the idea of Sharpe being a contender but you have to go back to 1983 long before he became a hall of fame jobber to understand why he got a title shot. Let's get to the match.

Match 8

"Iron" Mike Sharpe vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

Commentator: Gorilla Monsoon

We're joined in progress on April 30, 1983 at the Philadelphia Spectrum for Mike Sharpe getting a title shot at Backlund. Bob covers Mike for a two count and goes for a piledriver but Sharpe backdrops him out of it. Sharpe turns his forearm pad around and goes for a lariat but Bob does his rolling prawn with bridge for 1....2...3..to win the match and we cut here. At this point they're just blowing through highlights due to time constraints.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by pinfall (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince who says Backlund has been enjoying success but now runs into former WWF Champion Ivan Koloff. When Koloff defeated Bruno, he was 289 pounds but was down to 237 when he faced Backlund in the Philadelphia Spectrum. This will be the final match/highlight on the show.

Match 9

"Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff vs Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

Commentators: Dick Graham and Gorilla Monsoon

We're joined in progress on June 4, 1983 in the Philadelphia Spectrum for the soon to be 41 year old Koloff trying once again to regain the heavyweight crown. Koloff does a backbreaker and covers but Backlund kicks out at one. Koloff sends Bob off and gets a boot to the ribs before locking in the bearhug. Monsoon says its like having a python wrapped around you as Graham has no idea how Backlund will get out of it. Bob grabs Ivan's head and slowly pushes him down to get both knees up to break the hold. Backlund is sent into the buckle but Bob ducks under a clothesline and locks in the crossface chicken wing. Ivan gives it up and Backlund is the winner.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Backlund by submission (still WWF Champion)

Back to Vince who says he hopes everyone is enjoying this edition of All-American Wrestling and if they have any suggestions they should send a postcard to WRESTLING, PO Box 1538, Greenwich, CT 06836. Write them today and see what happens! Vince goes to one last commercial before Backlund will join us for an interview. The commercial is for Consumer Reports Buyer's Guide. Basically long before the internet existed, you had to buy books and magazine to see what places had the best deals. All for just $14 dollars, my how times have changed. Back to Vince with Bob Backlund himself holding the green & gold belt. Bob speaks in a low voice and says he's been an underdog his whole life, coming from the wrong side of the river. He started wrestling when he was 10 years old and talks about how he was never expected to be successful yet still won the NCAA Wrestling championship. He thought he had it made when he turned pro and he started at the bottom, sleeping in the trunk of his car because he couldn't afford a hotel. He had to work out with kids at the YMCA to keep in shape then fought and climbed for the WWF title. He appreciates all the friends and fans he's made in the last 5 years and doesn't want to let anyone down. Vince thanks Bob for joining us for this episode and signs off by saying next week's episode will be centered around the Superfly himself, Jimmy Snuka. 

Well that wraps up the first ever episode of WWF All-American Wrestling. It was definitely a choice showing Bob Backlund highlights and next week is going to be nothing but Jimmy Snuka highlights. At least Snuka may be more entertaining depending on which highlights they choose to showcase. There's not much to say on this other than Backlund was champion for five years at this point and Vince was expanding into cable television. Unfortunately Bob's monotone delivery and mat based matches weren't what Vince was thinking when he needed a larger than life star to move the needle. But that's a story for another day. The next Madison Square Garden show wouldn't be until October 17 and it just happened to be one of the most important in wrestling history. Until then, yay for Bob Backlund.

WWF at McKeesport (3/7/80)

McKeesport Vo-Tech Senior High School

McKeesport, PA

March 7, 1980

Believe it or not, the only reason this is worthy of a write-up is 2 minutes of footage found by John Arezzi of one particular match. Apparently someone in the crowd filmed a bit of Hulk Hogan vs Tito Santana so by golly we got us a write up. This is going to be quick, thankfully.

Match 1

Jojo Andrews vs "Killer" Joe Abby

As I've mentioned earlier, Jojo was only 19 when he made his WWWF debut in 1976 so he's still only 23 here. "Killer" Joe Abby was a Pennsylvania local legend who started wrestling in the 1950's and he would have been 49 years old here. He fought in the Korean War shortly after high school so he was definitely a badass in his day. Apparently Jojo Andrews got the duke in this one.

Winner: Jojo Andrews by pinfall

Match 2

Billy Berger vs "Luscious" Johnny Valiant

Jobber to the stars Billy Berger takes on Johnny Valiant in this one. Not surprisingly, Valiant got the victory.

Winner: Johnny Valiant by pinfall

Match 3

Baron Mikel Scicluna vs Gorilla Monsoon

The big rematch from WWWF television where Muhammad Ali infamously hopped in the ring to challenge Monsoon. Monsoon got the victory here.

Winner: Gorilla Monsoon by pinfall

Match 4

"The Incredible" Hulk Hogan vs Tito Santana

And now we get to only match with footage of it. Thank goodness someone brought an 8MM camera to this show and kept the footage alive for 40 years before it was converted to digital. Santana was one half of the WWF Tag Team Champions with Ivan Putski at the time, and Putski will be seen later. Ironically Hogan is in the yellow tights so its definitely weird to see essentially Hulkamania against Tito. The footage starts with Hogan locking in a chinlock on Tito but Tito fighting out of it. Santana rocks Hogan with right hands but misses a dropkick. Hogan whips Tito into the corner and poses for the irate crowd. He whips Santana into the other corner but misses a charge. Tito goes upstairs and hits a crossbody for 1....2..no, Hulk kicks out. Santana sends Hogan into the corner where a charge eats knee. Hogan covers Santana and hooks the trunks for 1...2....3 that's it. Wow, no legdrop? Then again this was still heel Hogan so he didn't need it when he could simply cheat. The footage ends with Hogan leaving and the size of the crowd is pretty small, even for that era's standards. Still, Hogan beats Santana.

Time of match: Joined in progress

Winner: Hulk Hogan by pinfall

Match 5

"Polish Power" Ivan Putski vs Bobby Duncum

The other half of the tag champs is also in singles action against the rough and tough cowboy Duncum. Apparently Duncum got himself disqualified and Putski was announced the winner. Least one of the tag champs got a victory.

Winner: Ivan Putski by disqualification

Not much to say about a long forgotten house show that looked to be in front of 200 people if that. If it wasn't for someone recording a few minutes of Hogan vs Santana, nobody would have been the wiser. If you're wondering why it was only a 5 match card, there was actually a Sam Mushnick super show going on in St. Louis that night where Bob Backlund defended the WWF title against Dick Murdoch. The main event was Ric Flair vs Jack Brisco 2 out of 3 falls.....hell that sounds like the better show. Still, this show is what it is, a house show. Can't judge it too harshly for that.

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 Championship Wrestling (5/14/77)

WWWF Championship Wrestling
May 14, 1977
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Arena

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

When we left off last week, Vince shilled SD Jones vs Ken Patera, Billy Graham vs Bruno Sammartino highlights and a women's match featuring Kitty Adams and Sheila Sheppard. This week Vince in the canary yellow suit tells us what we know but we also got Ivan Putski, Peter Maivia and George Steele on the card as well. Gary Michael Capetta doesn't even bother with the introductions, we go right to the first match. Joe McHugh would be appalled.

Match 1

George "The Animal" Steele (with Captain Lou Albano) vs Frankie Williams

Two weeks in a row we got Steele and he's got Frankie Williams as an opponent. For you youngsters, Frankie was yet another Puerto Rican jobber but was based out of Columbus, Ohio. Steele gets in the ring and just stares at Frankie before circling....and circling....then consultation from Albano. Steele continues to look quizzically as Vince calls him an "ugly individual". I'm sure his wife Pat would take an exception to that and so does George who immediately grabs Frank by the face. He belts him with a left forearm before biting the top of his head. Steele continues to choke and bite Frank before breaking. Vince continues to comment on Steele's appearance as George bodyslams Williams. George pulls at the face and sticks his green tongue out. Vince says someone may bite it off someday. Albano applauds George's tactics as George bites the bicep of Frankie. George takes Williams down with an armbar and uses the ropes to kick at it. George continues to bite the left arm and Frankie sells it hilariously. Apparently Steele is biting him for real because the camera pans on Frankie's arm bleeding and Vince acknowledges it. Finally George gets Frankie in the big hammerlock and Williams gives it up. Steele continues to bite Frankie for more heat with Albano distracting the ref to avoid a decision reversal. Finally George lets him go and Albano laughs at the poor Williams. Capetta announces George the winner who continually bites the arm. Vince "Steele absolutely out to lunch!" The point was to get Steele over as a crazy bastard and it works every time.

Time of match: 4:13

Winner: George Steele by submission

We go right to the next match

Match 2

"Polish Power" Ivan Putski vs Jose Estrada and Sylvano Sousa

The last match was designed to get the heel over while a handicap match is designed to get the face over as Putski takes on two men here. Sousa we all know but this is a "first appearance" on this timeline for Estrada who'd become a jobber mainstay in the early 80's. Funny thing is Estrada doesn't have the jacked up physique in 1977 he'd later have in 1982. Thankfully Capetta gets the hell out of dodge before Putski can shout into the mic. Putski has one of those 6-pack AND beer gut combos going on as he starts with Sousa. He heaves Sousa across the ring and Estrada gets in to be tossed around as well. Estrada and Sousa each grabs an arm and Putski rams them both together effortlessly. Putski gets double teamed but Putski fights them off with right hands and hiptosses. The opponents huddle and try a sideswipe attack but Putski whallops Estrada then scoop slams Sousa. Putski headbutts both men before no-selling Estrada's forearms. Putski throws Estrada over the top rope then continues to hammer away on Sousa. Putski sends him across both corners multiple times before scoop slamming him again. He rams both heads together and tosses Sousa off the ropes before rocking him with THE POLISH HAMMERRRRRR. Putski picks up Estrada and powerslams him on top of Sousa, covering both men for the 1...2...3 and that's it. Short and sweet for Putski who makes quick work of them, possibly a feud with Steele was coming up. Too bad there's not enough footage from this time period to get an idea of consistent feuds apart from Graham vs Bruno.

Time of match: 3:46

Winner: Ivan Putski by pinfall

We go right to the next match.

Match 3

Kitty Adams vs Jan Sheridan

We get an ultra rare women's match this time as Adams takes on Jan Sheridan instead of Sheila Sheppard. Adams was a 36 year old veteran who made her debut in 1958 and is famous for being the wife of Mark Tendler, the man who trained Sonny Blaze and ECW alumnus The Sandman. Sheridan was also a vet that worked with Fabulous Moolah in 1973 in Madison Square Garden. Adams bum rushes Sheridan at the bell and beats her up in the corner. Adams stands on Sheridan's back, chokes and pummels with forearms. Adams does the Moolah snapmare and yells at the referee. Vince calls them both tough athletes as Adams continues to snap mare and hair pull. Vince says wrestling was one of the first sports to let women participate, guess he forgets the All American Girls Baseball League in the mid 1940's. Vince says one of these girls may knock off Moolah herself, yeah no. Adams gets in a front headlock and reaches behind her back to pull the hair. Adams with a big forearm to the chest and Sheridan pounds the mat and says that's it. Sheridan goes apeshit on Adams, heaving her across the ring then monkey flipping her to the other side. Adams gets in a punch to the ribs to quell the momentum. Adams goes for a scoop slam but Sheridan counters with a small package for 1...2....3 and that's it. Adams didn't even try to kick out as Sheridan wins with a flurry. Adams bitches her hair got pulled but the referee is having none of it, Sheridan wins. That was a hell of a story of how for 3 minutes Adams beat Sheridan from pillar to post but Jan pseudo hulked up to win it. That was a fun 3 minutes.

Time of Match: 3:06

Winner: Jan Sheridan by pinfall

Vince says up next is the WWWF Champion himself Superstar Billy Graham in a non-title match, don't go away! 

Match 4

Ted Adams vs WWWF World Heavyweight Champion "Superstar" Billy Graham

Non-title match for the new champ. Ted Adams was a standard jobber at the time and he jobbed to Ken Patera the night Graham won the title. Rather than face equally powerful Patera, naturally Graham faces the 221 pound Adams here. Graham poses before getting in the ring as Wizard is wearing a hilariously bad green suit. Wizard takes the belt off and shows it to the irate crowd before slathering Graham with oil. That's gotta suck for the opponent. Referee Dick Woehrle tells Wiz to hurry up and get to steppin. Wizard then combs Billy's hair as Woehrle gives them a glare. Finally Wiz leaves and Graham circles with Adams. They tie-up and Adams gets thrown across the ring before Graham rams his head in the buckle. Billy tosses Adams through the ropes to the outside. Graham snaps Adams backs in and puts the boots to him. Graham gets in a chin-lock as Vince says Adams hasn't put up a fight at all. Billy rams Adams head into the buckle again before snap maring him into another chinlock. Vince promises more footage of Graham vs Bruno next week as Graham scoop slams Ted. Vince speculates how long Billy will have the belt since traditionally heels had very short reigns. Ivan Koloff ended the 8 year run of Bruno Sammartino in January of 1971 but one month later dropped it to Pedro Morales. In December of 73 Stan Stasiak ended Pedro's nearly 3 year run only to drop the belt 9 days later to Bruno. To give an idea the belt was going nowhere, 2 days after this show Graham was scheduled to face Gorilla Monsoon at the Garden. Graham sends Adams off the ropes and catches him in a bearhug. Adams quickly gives up and Billy wins it. Graham refuses to let him go and Wizard gets in to distract the ref so he doesn't reverse the decision. Finally Graham lets him go and poses for the irate crowd. Like I said a minute ago, Graham's first title defense at MSG would be against Monsoon two days later. The match itself is on Youtube but not the whole show.

Time of match: 6:15

Winner: "Superstar" Billy Graham by submission

Vince promises "High Chief" Peter Maivia when we come back. Oh joy!

Match 5

"High Chief" Peter Maivia vs Baron Mikel Scicluna

Only took 5 matches to get to one that should be competitive after the first four were straight beat-downs (despite Kitty Adams losing, she was in control the whole time). Scicluna looks great for 47 years old while Maivia had just turned 40. Maivia teases throwing his tribal spear at Scicluna, hahahahaha! Vince brings up the tribal tattoos Peter has to showcase what a badass he was. Apparently they were done with just ink, stone and chisels, none of this tattoo gun stuff you see these days. Maivia locks up with Mikel and Scicluna misses a wild right forearm. Peter locks in a top wristlock as Vince calls Scicluna an underrated wrestler. Again, looking great for 47. Vince says Maivia is undefeated since he returned to Championship wrestling as Peter no-sells a forearm to the top of the head, a Samoan tradition. Mikel goes to the "foreign object" to finally get Maivia to sell. More forearms are followed by Peter rallying to get Baron to retreat. Maivia headbutts Scicluna down then chills on the top rope, something Shawn Michaels would do almost 20 years later. Maivia rolls out of an armbar and locks in a headlock before dropping him with shoulderblocks. A headlock takeover has Scicluna bent out of the shape and kicking the ropes. Another "foreign object" thrust to the throat drops Peter and Baron kicks away at him. Peter starts a "Hulk Up" and rallies with right hands followed by a headbutt. Scicluna goes back to the object to drop Maivia but misses a forearm. Maivia then hits what looks to be running headbutts to the mid-section before hitting a flying bodypress for 1...2....3! Scicluna kicks out at 3 1/4 but its too late, Peter has won it. Scicluna can't believe it as Peter girins from ear to ear. Vince calls him a very happy young man (a spry 40 at the time) as we go to the highlights. Finally a good match, what took them so long?

Time of match: 7:21

Winner: Peter Maivia by pinfall

Vince sends us to our main event after commercial break

Match 6

"Special Delivery" Jones vs Ken Patera (with Captain Lou Albano)

Our final match to curfew should be another competitive match with Jones taking on the strongman. Patera removes his bright red warmup gear that looks more like what Honky Tonk Man wears 10 years later while Vince says he's going to be tested by Jones. Albano threatens some fans while Patera is hilariously mismatched with a red singlet and bright neon green boots. Patera begs off in the corner after a tie-up then Jones locks in a side head-lock. Patera sends Jones off and hits a knee to the midsection. Patera heaves Jones outside of the ring and screams "Woooooo!" Patera repeatedly knocks Jones off the apron as Vince says watch for Albano lurking around. Woehrle turns around to see Albano kick Jones in the butt but doesn't throw him out or call for the bell. Instead Jones pulls Patera outside and headbutts him. Patera gets thrown in the ring but he quickly bails to catch his breath. Jones turns the tables on Patera by knocking him off the apron when he tries to get back in. Finally Patera gets in and nails Jones with forearms to the back followed by stomps. Patera goes for a headlock before hitting a punch. SD then hits a sunset flip for 1....2....NOOOO, Patera barely got the shoulder up as Albano was halfway in the ring. Jones sends him off and goes for a scoop slam but loses his balance. Patera ends up on top for 1...2...,nope. Patera hits two running elbow drops then covers for 1...2...3, that's it. Kind of a lousy finish but they were up against the clock. Patera wins it as Vince goes to the highlights only for the credits start rolling causing Vince to talk real fast. Too bad they didn't have more time because that got good at the end.

Time of match: 5:13

Winner: Ken Patera by pinfall

I don't know if it was just the recording I saw but there were absolutely no promos at all, or even hints dropped by Vince that a big house show was coming. Madison Square Garden's big show was 2 days away and it wasn't even mentioned. Again, that could just be because this particular upload was devoid of commercials or interviews. Either way there's only one match available which I'll get to next time. As for this show, finally got to see some competitive matches rather than your standard squashes. Behind the scenes Vince Sr already had his successor to Billy Graham picked out but it would be a long time before he could properly build that guy. On camera, Graham looked unstoppable since his bodybuilder physique was unmatched by anyone at the time. Jesse "The Body" Ventura had come out of the Navy in 1975 but wasn't nationally known yet while Terry Bollea wouldn't make his wrestling debut until August of 77. Still, can't judge a show like this by today's standards but would have been nice to have gotten some info on what was going on at the time besides Graham knocking off Bruno. 5 years later it was impossible to miss what was coming up since every show had promos for upcoming MSG, Spectrum and Boston Garden shows. Just have to trudge our way there slowly but surely. Still fun to see Patera, Maivia, Scicluna, Putski, the managers, George Steele and the ladies do their thing.