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 the Boston Garden (2/6/71)

Boston Garden

Boston, Massachusetts

February 6, 1971

We are two days away from Madison Square Garden and the showdown between WWWF US Champion Pedro Morales and the WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff. Until then, we have a big match card for the Boston Garden. We got a midget tag team match, Chief Jay Strongbow takes on one half of the International tag team champions Geeto Mongol in singles action with the other half, Beppo, taking on Bruno Sammartino. Ivan Koloff will be defending the title against Jean Dubois and Blackjack Mulligan puts his hot streak on the line against Manuel Soto. Let's get to the action.

Match 1

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

Good lord, they're starting the show with a midget tag team match. Who are Joey and Frenchy? Joey Russell was a midget wrestler in the late 60's and early 70's and Frenchy Lamont was probably the strongest midget of all time. He legit picked up the near 400 pound Gorilla Monsoon and carried him around on his shoulders according to Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Low Low pinned Joey to win the first fall, Lamont pinned Low Low to tie the match up. Joey pinned Brutus to win the match.

Winners: Joey and Lamont by pinfall

Match 2

Geeto Mongol vs Chief Jay Strongbow

For months now, Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon had been chasing the Tag Champs the Mongols so today in Boston, Chief takes on Geeto one on one. Apparently these two did a 20 minute broadway draw.

Time of match: 20:00

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 3

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

A rematch from the last Madison Square Garden show as Wolfman once again challenges Morales for the title. Morales finished him off rather quickly.

Time of match: 4:08

Winner: Morales by pinfall (Still US Champion)

Match 4

Jean Dubois vs Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Just two days away from Madison Square Garden, Koloff defends the strap against Dubois in the Boston Garden. Koloff made short work of Dubois and finished him with the backbreaker.

Time of match: 3:40

Winner: Koloff by submission (still WWWF Champion)

Match 5

Beppo Mongol vs Bruno Sammartino in a Texas Death Match

Bruno makes his return to the Boston Garden taking on half of the tag champs in Beppo Mongol in a special Texas Death Match. Bruno took a chair and whacked Beppo in the head with it then covered for the three count to win the match.

Time of match: 5:20

Winner: Sammartino by pinfall

Match 6

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

If you're wondering why the main event matches were put on first, The Mongols, Bruno, Koloff and Strongbow were performing in Springfield, Massachusetts for the second half of the double shot later that night. As for this match, Brower got the victory when he put his feet on the ropes.

Time of match: 8:40

Winner: Brower by pinfall

Match 7

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs The Black Demon

Shockingly Demon defeated the Nobleman. I have no idea why or how.

Time of match: 6:10

Winner: Demon by pinfall

Match 8

Blackjack Mulligan vs Manuel Soto

Mulligan had been on a hot streak since coming into the territory and was pretty much situating himself as the number one contender to Pedro Morales regardless if he was successful in MSG or not. Mulligan needed just 5 minutes to slap the iron claw on Soto and make him give up to end the day.

Time of match: 5:10

Winner: Mulligan by submission

Booking this show not only just two days away from the Madison Square Garden showdown but as the first half of a double shot is peculiar. If that wasn't bad enough, there was a house show booked in Lewiston, Maine the day of the MSG show as well. This show definitely would have been fun to see but they were too close to MSG to have anything truly drastic happen. It did put over Mulligan as a future contender and Bruno wasn't taking kindly to the Mongols. Later that night the crew made it to Springfield for the second half of the double shot. I'll see you there.

WWWF at Philadelphia Arena (2/4/71)

Philadelphia Arena

Philadelphia, PA

February 4, 1971

We are just 4 days away from Madison Square Garden with the big showdown between US Champion Pedro Morales and the Heavyweight champion Ivan Koloff. Tonight in Philly, the hot newcomer Blackjack Mulligan looks to continue his winning ways against Chuck Richards while Bulldog Brower wants another title shot, having to go through Jimmy Jones first. In the main event, Koloff defends the title against Lee Wong. Let's get to the show.

Match 1

Miguel Feliciano vs The Wolfman

Wolfman defeated Feliciano back on the 28th in Washington so Miguel wanted another crack at him. Unfortunately for Miguel, The Wolfman won.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 2

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs Blackjack Mulligan

Mulligan had been on a hot streak since showing up in the territory on the 18th. "Popeye" Chuck Richards was his next test on his way to a future title shot against either Koloff or Morales, whoever won in MSG. Mulligan beat Richards to continue his streak.

Winner: Mulligan

Match 3

Jimmy Jones vs Bulldog Brower

For those that don't know, Jones was actually the legendary Burrhead Jones who damn near got the Fuller territory disbanded a few years after his WWWF stint. He was working as an elevator operator when he got trained. Vince Sr named him Jimmy Jones and he was in the Alabama territory as a heel until he was turned face by Jimmy Golden aka Bunkhouse Buck in WCW. Golden and Jones lost a "tar and feather" tag team match in which Jones was tarred and feathered, much to the chagrin of the NAACP who filed a formal complaint against Tri-States Wrestling. Back on this night, Bulldog got the duke.

Winner: Brower

Match 4

Mike Conrad vs Gorilla Monsoon

The perennial punching bag Conrad takes on the fan favorite Monsoon in this one. Monsoon wins it....as if you couldn't guess that would happen.

Winner: Monsoon

Match 5

Lee Wong vs "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Its the main event of the evening. With Koloff locked in to face Pedro Morales in four days, it made sense to have someone like Wong main event the Philly show against Koloff. Not to anyone's surprise, Koloff won to retain the title.

Winner: Koloff (still WWWF Champion)

Philadelphia can't be happy that Wong lost to Koloff but they did get to see Monsoon win a match. Monsoon had a date with Beppo Mongol in four days at Madison Square Garden so he needed a big win to gain some steam. Mulligan was the one to watch, he was on a hot streak and was definitely being pushed to be a future opponent for Pedro Morales one way or another. In the event Pedro lost to Ivan, he'd still be the US champion. Bulldog Brower was still lurking around as well so there was much to do around the territory. It was all coming to ahead at MSG but we still have some cards to go to get there. The following day WWWF was coming back to North Attleboro, see you there.

WWWF at National Arena (2/3/71)

National Arena

Washington, DC

February 3, 1971

We are just five days away from Madison Square Garden and the big showdowns between Gorilla Monsoon & Beppo Mongol along with Ivan Koloff vs Pedro Morales. Tonight Pedro will be defending the United States championship against Joe Turco while The Mongols put the tag titles on the lines against Tomas Marin and Miguel Feliciano. Bulldog Brower also faces Vincente Pometti and its almost the exact same card a a month earlier just missing a few matches.

Match 1

Lee Wong vs The Wolfman

After losing to Pedro Morales on the house show circuit, Wolfman now has to face Lee Wong in the opening match at the National Arena. Wolfman did get the win

Winner: Wolfman

Match 2

Vincente Pometti vs Ernie Lassiter

The big rematch from a month earlier saw Lassiter and Pometti tangle again. Lassiter got the win.

Winner: Lassiter

Match 3

Bull Molina vs Bulldog Brower

Another rematch from a month earlier with the same result, Brower wins

Winner: Brower

Match 4

Mike Conrad vs Jack Evans

Its the exact same card as January 7th with the exact same result. Evans wins

Winner: Evans

Match 5

Miguel Feliciano and Tomas Marin vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match

Same thing as January 7th, The Mongols win.

Winners: The Mongols (still Tag Team Champions)

Match 6

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Same as January 7th with Morales getting the win

Winner: Morales (still WWWF Champion)

That was weird to have the exact same card a month after their January 7th show in the exact same arena. You would think the results would have changed even slightly....but nope. Still, there was no internet in those days so unless you were there in January, you wouldn't have known it was the same card with the same results. Either way the crew heads to Philadelphia so I'll see you there.

WWWF at Scranton Catholic Youth Center (2/2/71)

Catholic Youth Center

Scranton, PA

February 2, 1971

Six days away from Madison Square Garden and the crew heads to Scranton for another card of WWWF wrestling. Once again both contestants in the main event of MSG will be defending their titles as Pedro Morales once again faces The Wolfman while Ivan Koloff puts the WWWF Heavyweight title on the line against Chief Jay Strongbow. Basically its the same card as the day before with almost the same results, which was common back then. Let's get to the matches.

Match 1

Lee Wong vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

An irate Turco has to face Wong in the opening match and he gets on the microphone to DEMAND a match with Pedro Morales instead. Pedro comes out and says tomorrow in Washington, he's on. Turco celebrates and taunts the irate crowd but Wong rolls him up and gets the pin. Whoops!

Winner: Wong by pinfall

Match 2

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

Brower comes to the ring threatening to attack the fans sitting ring side and Marino will have none of it so they brawl on the floor to start. Back inside they hold a match but Marino continues to frustrate Brower with various holds. Finally Brower can't take it anymore and grabs the ring bell. The ref warns Brower not to use it and Brower nails the ref with it. Marino knocks Brower around and chases him away as the official word is Brower has been disqualified. The ref is carried out on a stretcher, poor guy.

Winner: Marino by DQ

Match 3

Vincente Pometti vs Manuel Soto

The Argentinian takes on Soto and.....wins? Wow, big win for the Bull

Winner: Pometti

Match 4

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Once again Wolfman gets a US title shot under orders from Ivan Koloff to take out Morales before he even gets to MSG. Wolfman doesn't waste any time attacking Morales and eventually gets himself disqualified for excessive violence. Bad news for Pedro but he keeps the title.

Winner: Morales by DQ

Match 5

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Six days before MSG Strongbow gets a title shot against Koloff but unlike Wolfman, he's out to win the title. After a fierce battle Strongbow was counted out of the ring giving Koloff the victory.

Winner: Koloff by count-out (still WWWF Champion)

Pretty standard card although it was almost the exact same as the day before, which was common. The mind-set was every town got its turn and this practice would go well into the 2000's. Friday night in Maine Koloff hits Strongbow with a chair outside and then does the same finish Saturday night in Pennsylvania. Still, the fans in Scranton probably had a good time and that's all that matters. The crew now goes to Washington DC for the next show, I'll see you there.

WWWF at Little Palestra Gymnasium (2/1/71)

Little Palestra Gymnasium

Allentown, PA

February 1, 1971

Its a new month and we are one week away from Madison Square Garden's big showdown between WWWF United States Champion Pedro Morales taking on WWWF Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff. Both of them will be defending their belts tonight as Morales once again faces The Wolfman while Koloff takes on Chief Jay Strongbow. The WWWF International Tag Team Champions The Mongols also take on Gorilla Monsoon and Manuel Soto. Without further adieu, let's get to the action.

Match 1

Jean Dubois vs Blackjack Mulligan

This match stems from the six man tag the previous day where these two were on opposite teams. Now they face each other one on one. Mulligan continues his hot streak by getting the victory

Winner: Mulligan

Match 2

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

Marino needed a win to stay in contention as a future opponent for Ivan Koloff while Brower needed a win to get back in contention just in case Morales won the world title. Brower got the win.

Winner: Brower

Match 3

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Wolfman has been chasing Morales for a solid month to try to get the US title away from him and also keep him from facing Koloff at MSG. Well he fails again as Morales wins.

Winner: Morales (Still US Champion)

Match 4

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

Monsoon had a one on one contest with Beppo Mongol coming up at MSG but here he tries to win the tag titles with Soto. The Mongols won the contest 2 falls to 1

Winners: The Mongols (still Tag Team Champions)

Match 5

Chief Jay Strongbow vs "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Koloff had pretty much dispatched every babyface on the roster with the exception of Morales since he took the belt from Bruno Sammartino. Bruno didn't get a rematch so Koloff has been defending against everyone else. Strongbow was game but Koloff won by a count-out to retain the title.

Winner: Koloff by count-out (still WWWF Champion)

With MSG a week away Vince Sr had to put on good cards without spoiling the main event for MSG. Having everyone wrestle each other in house shows leading up to MSG was fine since before cable and the internet, not very many people knew what happened in Allentown, PA if they were living in Boston or NYC. Giving MSG quality cards in the territory was common at the time and this felt like a big show with all the titles on the line. Obviously none of those titles were going to change this close to the big show but at least they were defended. Tomorrow the WWWF comes to Scranton, PA so I'll see everyone there.

WWWF at Sunnyside Garden Arena (1/30/71)

Sunnyside Garden Arena

Queens, NY

January 30, 1971

We're back in Queens for a special house show nine days before Madison Square Garden. In a match that had been going around the circuit, the main event would be WWWF US Champion Pedro Morales and Gorilla Monsoon taking on the WWWF International Tag Team Champions The Mongols. Bulldog Brower takes on Chief Jay Strongbow and Blackjack Mulligan faces Tony Marino. Nine days out from Madison Square Garden, let's get to the action.

Match 1

The Black Demon vs Manuel Soto

Demon and Soto have had a tough time getting victories lately so putting them together makes sense that something has to give. Soto gets the win by DQ

Winner: Soto by DQ

Match 2

Jean Dubois vs The Wolfman

These two match up again and they are no stranger to each other. The bout ended in a 20 minute draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 3

Blackjack Mulligan vs Tony Marino

Big match for Mulligan here as he was gaining steam with a string of victories setting himself up for a future title shot if Pedro Morales were to knock off Ivan Koloff. Marino fought hard but Mulligan got the victory.

Winner: Mulligan

Match 4

Bulldog Brower vs Chief Jay Strongbow

Just like Mulligan, Brower needed a big win to put himself in a position for a future title shot if Morales were to win the title. Unfortunately for Brower, Strongbow got the duke.

Winner: Strongbow

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon and WWWF United States Champion Pedro Morales vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match

This was going around the circuit but even smart fans at the time knew what was going to happen since Morales didn't need two belts with a potential third coming up. Monsoon made Beppo submit to win the first fall but Beppo pinned Monsoon to even it up. Finally the Mongols were disqualified to give the victory to the faces, but the champs retain. Morales said after the match in Spanish the equivalent to "we'll get em next time."

Winners: Morales and Monsoon by DQ (Mongols retain)

Things were shaping up for Madison Square Garden with Monsoon getting his hands on the Mongols and Morales having a date with Koloff. The pecking order in the WWWF was being established even though guys came and went because that was the nature of the business back then. Strongbow knocking off Brower elevated Mulligan up the ladder so that might have been an important victory by the Chief. All in all it was a standard show and not the worst thing to happen. The WWWF ends the month in Philadelphia so I'll see you there.

WWWF at Witchi's Sports Arena (1/29/71)

Witchi's Sports Arena

North Attleboro, MA

January 29, 1971

While half the crew was in Harrisburg, PA tonight, the other half made their way to North Attleboro for tonight's show. Unfortunately the card is pretty lackluster with the main event being Bulldog Brower vs Tony Marino. The Wolfman takes on Manuel Soto and Pete Sanchez goes up against Joe Turco. Its definitely a small spot show but its still something, let's get to the action.

Match 1

Carlos Parades vs Vincente Pometti

We open the show with a battle of the latinos as Argentina's Pometti takes on Parades. Pometti got the win, no 20 minute draw this time.

Winner: Pometti

Match 2

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs Pete Sanchez

Another mid-card showdown between Turco and Sanchez. Turco got the win, no idea how.

Winner: Turco

Match 3

Tomas Marin vs "Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz

Another mid-card showdown with Rodz taking on Marin. Rodz somehow got the win.

Winner: Rodz

Match 4

Manuel Soto vs The Wolfman

Wolfman needed a big win to get back in title contention after losing to Pedro Morales earlier in the month and Soto wants to win to get back into title contention after losing to Ivan Koloff. Unfortunately for Soto, the Wolfman got the win.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 5

Tony Marino vs Bulldog Brower

Not much of a main event with the crazy Bulldog taking on the former Battman. Marino won by DQ and chased Bulldog away to send the fans home happy.

Winner: Marino by DQ

Not much of a show with a bunch of mid-carders and curtain jerkers. 30 years later this type of card would be perfect for an episode of WWF Metal. This was like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. None of these guys with the exception of maybe Brower would be in title contention in the future. Still, Vince Sr had a deal with North Attleboro so every week they'd send guys there no matter where they were in the pecking order. The main crew would make their way to Queens tomorrow night so we'll pick up there.

WWWF at National Arena (1/28/71)

National Arena

Washington, DC

January 28, 1971

We're eleven days away from Madison Square Garden but in the old days long before PPV and Cable TV, some house shows were more important than others. Vince McMahon Sr always had an affinity for Washington, DC hence the name Capitol Wrestling. We got a huge eight match card featuring Pedro Morales and Gorilla Monsoon going after the tag belts from The Mongols. Jean DuBois gets a shot at the Heavyweight crown when he faces Ivan Koloff and Blackjack Mulligan is back facing Lee Wong. Vince wanted the home run show in the nation's capital so let's get to it.

Match 1

Miguel Feliciano vs The Wolfman

Wolfman needed a big win to get his heat back after losing to Pedro in the Garden so he has to start at the bottom. Taking on local Baltimore jobber Feliciano was step one in getting back on track. Wolfman did win the match.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 2

Lee Wong vs Blackjack Mulligan

Needing a fresh heel, Vince Sr brought in Blackjack Mulligan to do some damage in the territory. He faces Lee Wong in the second match of the night and wins it. He's starting to gain steam for sure.

Winner: Mulligan

Match 3

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs Manuel Soto

Interesting battle here as both of them have taken some losses lately so one of them has to win, right? Well it turns out Soto won this one.

Winner: Soto

Match 4

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs Chief Jay Strongbow

Another big battle as both of them have lost some high profile matches. Strongbow needed a win to get back in the hunt for Koloff and Turco just had to establish himself again. Unfortunately for Joe, Strongbow got the duke.

Winner: Strongbow

Match 5

Jean Dubois vs "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Somehow, someway Dave McKigney got himself a WWWF Heavyweight title shot against Koloff. As I mentioned before, the big showdown with Pedro was less than two weeks away so it made sense for Koloff to beat up on the curtain jerkers on the spot show circuit to save the heavy hitters for future MSG shows. As expected, Koloff beats McKigney.

Winner: Koloff (Still WWWF Champion)

Match 6

Bulldog Brower vs Tomas Marin

Bulldog was very irate after failing to win the US title from Pedro Morales so he asked for an open challenge, anyone will do. Tomas Marin stepped up to the plate only to be dispatched by the angry Bulldog.

Winner: Bulldog

Match 7

Vincente Pometti vs Ernie Lassiter

The big rematch from three weeks earlier in the same arena as Pometti looks to avenge his loss to Ernie. Unfortunately for him, Ernie won again.

Winner: Lassiter

Match 8

WWWF US Champion Pedro Morales & Gorilla Monsoon vs The Mongols (Geeto & Beppo) for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

Kind of telegraphing who wins this match because Pedro didn't need two belts. Ironically The Mongols would be split up for singles competition at MSG. The actual details of this match has been lost to time but as per norm, the bout ended in a draw. Don't know how the fans were sent home happy, maybe the faces cleaned house of the heels at the end.

Winners: No one (Draw)

Eight match cards are usually reserved for the big shows but remember this was 1971 and the "big" shows were still house shows. Basically Boston, Philadelphia, DC and New York were the core areas so Vince Sr usually had the home run shows booked for there. Koloff continues his run with the world title but Morales his hot on his trail. Blackjack Mulligan looked to put himself in a good position with Bulldog and Wolfman lurking around. The Mongols still had a stranglehold on the tag belts so things were done with purpose on this night. Well the crew was about to get busy because Vince Sr booked a double shot for the next day. Half the crew would go to North Attleboro while the other half went to Harrisburg, PA. That's where we'll pick up next time.

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 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 Philadelphia Arena (1/16/71)

Philadelphia Arena

Philadelphia, PA

January 16, 1971

We are two days away from the Madison Square Garden showdown between Ivan Koloff and Bruno Sammartino but there's still business left to do in Pennsylvania. The day before Vince Sr pulled a double shot with half of the roster in North Attleboro and the other half in Pittsburgh. Today Philadelphia gets their turn to showcase the WWWF. We got the main roster on this one as Bruno defends the title against the red hot Bulldog Brower, The Mongols put the tag straps on the line against Chief Jay Strongbow and Tony Marino and Pedro Morales defends the US belt against The Black Demon. Morales and Sammartino took a beating yesterday so let's see if it affects them moving forward.

Match 1

Victor Rivera vs Jim Grabmire

We open the show with the rising star Rivera against the grizzled veteran Grabmire. For once the opening match wasn't a draw as Rivera got the victory

Winner: Rivera

Match 2

Baron Mikel Scicluna and George "The Animal" Steele vs Dominic DeNucci and WWWF Junior Heavyweight Champion "Jumpin" Johnny DeFazio

The duo that beat up Bruno yesterday take on the local Pennsylvania boys DeNucci and DeFazio. Unfortunately for the good guys, Steele and Scicluna got the victory.

Winners: Scicluna and Steele

Match 3

Vincente Pometti vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

Gotta love when two curtain jerkers face each other for bragging rights. The Argentinian and the Italian face off and surprise, surprise....it ends in a draw.

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 4

Manuel Soto vs The Wolfman

Big match here as Soto wants to be a successor to Pedro Morales as US Champion while Wolfman is locked in to a US title shot against Morales in two days. Wolfman keeps his heat by getting the win, Morales awaits.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon vs "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff

Talk about a monster match before the big show at MSG. If Koloff wants to beat Bruno, he has to get by the big Monsoon first. Ivan gets the duke to have all the momentum going into MSG.

Winner: Koloff

Match 6

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

The human punching bag Demon somehow gets a crack at the US title two days before Madison Square Garden. Bruno has to face Bulldog Brower on a hot streak while Morales faces the winless all month Demon. No surprise but Morales gets the win.

Winner: Morales

Match 7

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

Strongbow has been chasing the Mongols all month with various tag team partners ranging from Gorilla Monsoon to the local peanut vendor in the arena so this time he chooses Tony Marino. As per norm, Strongbow gets the first fall, the Mongols got the second fall and Marino got counted out to end it. The Mongols retain the titles.

Winners: The Mongols (still Tag Team Champions)

Match 8

Bulldog Brower vs Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Brower has been on a hot streak since the month began and he gets Bruno two days before the big MSG show. Bruno got the crap kicked out of him by George Steele and Baron Scicluna the previous day and now he's got the vicious Bulldog on his tail. The match ended in a double disqualification when everyone in the back interfered and had a big brawl. That must have been fun to watch.

Winner: No one (Bruno retains)

That was a stacked card and it definitely served its purpose as a preview for Madison Square Garden coming up. Bruno & The Mongols have their work cut out for them moving forward while Pedro goes into the US title match with momentum. They kept Bulldog strong for a future match with Bruno so he was definitely getting another title shot down the road. All in all it was a good card that unfortunately has been lost to time. Next up is MSG, you don't want to miss it.

WWWF at Witchi's Sports Arena (1/15/71)

Witchi's Sports Arena

North Attleboro, MA

January 15, 1971

The WWWF roster was split into two on January 15th as they had this show in North Attleboro and another show with the other half in Pittsburgh. Maybe there was a show scheduled for the night before but it got postponed due to snow or whatever. Either way we're back in North Attleboro just three days before the Monday night show at Madison Square Garden. Pedro Morales has a date with The Wolfman at MSG but he's facing him tonight as a preview. The Mongols also have a date with Gorilla Monsoon and Chief Jay Strongbow at the Garden but here they take on Strongbow and Manuel Soto. Let's get to the card.

Match 1

Tony Marino vs Vincente Pometti

As per norm the Argentinian opens the show against the former Battman. Also as per norm they battled to a 20 minute time limit draw. Wouldn't that be boring for the first match to go the distance every single card?

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

The Black Demon vs "Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland

The human punching bag Demon gets fed to Arnold Skaaland three days before MSG. Skaaland gets the victory,  big surprise.

Winner: Skaaland

Match 3

Pete Sanchez vs Bulldog Brower

Brower was currently the number three heel behind The Wolfman and Ivan Koloff so he needed a big win against Sanchez if he wanted to keep pace with the others. Sanchez needed a win to put himself on the same level as Pedro Morales. Unfortunately for Sanchez, Brower got the win.

Winner: Brower

Match 4

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Three days before MSG, Morales defends against the same man he'll be facing in the Garden. Wolfman got himself disqualified by beating the daylights out of Pedro outside the ring. For a wild man, that was a brilliant move by Wolfman to soften Pedro up for the Garden by sacrificing this match.

Winner: Morales by DQ (still US Champion)

Match 5

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

The main event of the card saw Strongbow bringing Manuel Soto to help him take the titles from the evil Mongols. As per norm, the first fall went to the faces, the second fall went to the heels and all four men brawled to earn the double-disqualification to end the match. The Mongols retain the titles.

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

North Attleboro had some rudimentary cards every week it seemed but fans didn't seem to mind. They were clearly building toward MSG but Vince Sr had all these house shows to drum up interest. Having Pedro & Wolfman and Strongbow vs The Mongols bring their matches around the territory but settling it at MSG was pretty standard. Up next is the other card that happened on this day.

WWWF at Hammonton Elementary School (1/13/71)

Hammonton Elementary School

Hammonton, New Jersey

January 13, 1971

We are just five days away from the big showdown at Madison Square Garden between Bruno Sammartino and Ivan Koloff. The International tag team champions The Mongols will be defending the straps at the Garden and Pedro Morales faces The Wolfman. Meanwhile Gorilla Monsoon was a busy man as he himself promoted this show 35 minutes from his hometown. Monsoon not only was the promoter but he'd be facing The Black Demon on the card. The Mongols would be defending the titles against Chief Jay Strongbow and Arnold Skaaland and in a sneak preview of MSG, Pedro Morales would be defending the US title against The Wolfman. Let's get to the matches.

Match 1

Tomas Marin vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

These two had been going around the territory opening each show with a 20 minute draw so Monsoon figured to have them knock each other around for another 20 minutes in an elementary school. Well that's exactly what happened as the match ended in a 20 minute draw.

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 2

"Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland and Chief Jay Strongbow vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship

Five days before Monsoon and Strongbow get their shot at the Mongols, Strongbow teams with Skaaland to try to take the titles, logically that would be very awkward if the faces were to win. Well, as usual the bout ended in a draw at 1 fall apiece.

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

Match 3

Gorilla Monsoon vs The Black Demon

The hometown hero Monsoon takes on the human punching bag Black Demon. Not surprisingly, Monsoon got the duke much to the fans delight.

Winner: Gorilla Monsoon

Match 4

The Wolfman vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

The final match on the card showcased Pedro defending the strap against his opponent in five days. The fans went home happy as Morales got the duke to keep the title.

Winner: Morales (still WWWF US Champion)

Short but sweet as it was just a four match card. Still, Monsoon was able to book a WWWF show five days away from a possible sellout at Madison Square Garden in a little town in New Jersey close to where he lived. It served its purpose as in those days without cable, internet and streaming the citizens of Hammonton weren't likely to make the trek to MSG so to have Pedro beat Wolfman there was good enough for them. The WWWF roster was going to be very busy Friday as they got TWO shows booked on the 15th, god help us.

WWWF at Scranton Catholic Youth Center (1/12/71)

Catholic Youth Center

Scranton, PA

January 12, 1971

We are six days out from the big showdown at Madison Square Garden between Bruno Sammartino and Ivan Koloff. Also on that card, The Wolfman takes on Pedro Morales for the US title and the tag champs The Mongols defend against Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon. Tonight The Wolfman takes on Arnold Skaaland, Pedro defends against The Black Demon and The Mongols take on Monsoon & Strongbow a week early. Let's get to the matches.

Match 1

Tomas Marin vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

Turco needed a big win to keep his heat while The Wolfman and Ivan Koloff were rising to the top of the card. In his way is Tomas Marin. Well, they fought to a 20 minute time limit draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

"Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland vs The Wolfman

Wolfman had a date with Pedro Morales locked in but Arnold Skaaland was a big test for the wild man six days out. Wolfman ended up getting the duke over the Golden Boy.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 3

Pete Sanchez vs "Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz

A battle of the jobbers so something has to give. Fortunately for Sanchez, Rodz got himself disqualified.

Winner: Sanchez by disqualification

Match 4

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

Morales was the new US champion and one of his first title defenses was going to be against Demon just six days before MSG. Naturally, Morales won it.

Winner: Morales

Match 5

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

The main event for the evening is a preview of the tag team title match coming up at MSG. The Mongols defend against Monsoon and Strongbow in Scranton. The first fall went to the challengers and the second fall went to the Mongols. Then one minute into the third fall Monsoon and Beppo knocked each other out to render the match a draw. The Mongols were still the champs.

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

Another standard house show but it served its purpose. The Mongols against Strongbow & Monsoon was a good main event and they'd lock up again in just six days. The Wolfman and Pedro Morales were due to go one on one and they both won their matches tonight. Joe Turco got a big win as well, he might be a future opponent for a top face as well. All in all at least it didn't look like a bad show.

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 National Arena (1/7/71)

National Arena

Washington, DC

January 7, 1971

Pretty stacked card for this house show in the heart of Washington DC, the original McMahon territory. The Black Demon was scheduled to face Gorilla Monsoon but instead faces Ivan Koloff. Bulldog Brower takes on Bull Molina and The Wolfman locks up with Lee Wong. Also in the main event, Pedro Morales faces "Classy" Freddie Blassie in the finals to crown a new WWWF United States Champion. Lots going on so let's get to it.

Match 1

Miguel Feliciano and Tomas Marin vs The Mongols (Geeto and Beppo) in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship

We start the show with a tag title match. Marin and Feliciano were real Latin stars while the other two were about as Mongolian as John Cena. The Mongols won both falls to win the match.

Winners: The Mongols

Match 2

Mike Conrad vs Jack Evans

Now this is a battle of futility, two jobbers facing each other. Imagine Barry Horrowitz vs Duane Gill in 1991. Jack Evans won the match.

Winner: Evans

Match 3

Carlos Peredes vs Manuel Soto

A battle of the latin stars but who is Carlos? Another enhancement talent that's been lost to time. Soto beats Peredes in this one.

Winner: Soto

Match 4

Bull Molina vs Bulldog Brower

Its the legendary Bulldog Brower! Bulldog was born Richard T Gland who served in the US Marines and became a powerlifter. Bulldog Brower was a big rough heel who frequently challenged Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title in the 60's. He could always draw so he's here in WWWF. Molina was....you guessed it, an enhancement talent. Bulldog got the duke.

Winner: Brower

Match 5

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

Literally the day before Morales had defeated "Classy" Freddie Blassie to win the vacant US Championship in Buffalo. This was Pedro's first title defense against the insane Nobleman. Pedro got the victory.

Winner: Pedro

Match 6

The Wolfman vs Lee Wong

The Wolfman was born Vilmos Farkas in Hungary before fleeing to Canada in 1958. There he met Stu Hart and became a mainstay for Stampede Wrestling and Frank (Jack's brother) Tunney's Maple Leaf Wrestling. He came up with The Wolfman gimmick in Hawaii under Ed Francis and brought it to New York in 1970. He's been "The Wolfman" in WWWF ever since. Who was Lee Wong? Lee Wong was a territorial heel in the 1960's and the legendary Stu Saks of Pro Wrestling Illustrated said he was the worst wrestler he'd ever seen. Well Stu might be on to something because The Wolfman won the match.

Winner: Wolfman

Match 7

Vincente Pometti vs Ernie Lassiter

Lassiter was a mid-carder working for Vince Sr in 1966 and Pometti was a big Argentinian that was nicknamed "bull" for rough-house tactics. Lassiter won this match by pinning Pometti

Winner: Lassiter by pinfall

Match 8

"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff vs The Black Demon

The final match was supposed to be Gorilla Monsoon against Demon but he couldn't make it so they subbed Koloff in. So now it's the rematch from North Attleboro the week before. Just like the week before, Koloff wins.

Winner: Koloff

Kind of a nothing happening card except for two key matches. Morales keeping up his hot streak as the new US Champion and Koloff keeping his win streak going heading into Madison Square Garden in 11 days for a shot at Bruno Sammartino. I bet that fans in the National Arena were entertained, its too bad this show and many others have been lost to time.

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (1/19/70)

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

January 19, 1970

Here we go, its the showdown people wanted. "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff takes on Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. Tony Marino and Victor Rivera put the WWWF International Tag Team titles on the line against Waldo Von Erich and Killer Kowalski. The rising star Mario Milano goes after the mad Hungarian Willie Farkas. "Krippler" Karl Kovacs puts his hot streak on the line against Jean Dubois and we got some midgets too! Let's get right to the action.

Match 1

Cowboy Bradley and Little Beaver vs Little Brutus and Sky Low Low in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

Oh great, midgets! Who are they? Cowboy Bradley was a Texas midget who began wrestling in 1954 at the age of 19. Little Beaver was Canadian Lionel Giroux who started wrestling in 1949 at the age of 15. He and Sky Low Low are often considered on the Mount Rushmore for midget wrestlers. Speaking of Low Low, he was a legit badass. Marcel Gauthier was working as a mechanic for the Canadian Royal Airforce during World War 2 and started wrestling as an attraction after the war. He was 41 years old at the time of this match and he'd be around well into the 80's including being one of the standouts on the Tuesday Night Titans broadcast of Butcher Vachon's wedding.  Little Brutus aka Jean Jacques Girard not only was a successful wrestler but he became a trainer as well. He trained Little Beaver's brother Claude aka Tiger Jackson and Dink The Clown. Bradley and Beaver won the match.

Winners: Bradley and Beaver

Match 2

Jack Vansky vs Eric The Red

Jack Vansky was a long time ring veteran who worked for the NWA in the 1940's and 50's before becoming a mainstay of WWWF in the 1960's. By now he was 41 years old and had to go up against Eric The Red. Red won the match.

Time of match: 9:25

Winner: Eric The Red

Match 3

Willie Farkas vs Mario Milano

The mad Hungarian goes one on one with rising star Mario Milano. Mikano pinned Farkas to win the match.

Time of match: 10:20

Winner: Milano by pinfall

Match 4

Professor Toru Tanaka vs "Cowboy" Bob Ellis

"Cowboy" Bob Ellis was a 40 year old veteran of the ring who was known for inventing the bulldog. He was also former NWA tag champs with Johnny Valentine and frequent opponent of "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in his heyday. Now he's on the downside of his career but he still beats Tanaka in this one.

Time of match: 3:00

Winner: Ellis by pinfall

Match 5

Jean Dubois vs "Krippler" Karl Kovacs

Kovacs wanted Bruno badly but it would be Ivan Koloff's turn on this night. Kovacs had to settle on beating Dubois here.

Time of match: 4:25

Winner: Kovacs by pinfall

Match 6

"Big Cat" Ernie Ladd vs Gorilla Monsoon

Two big men going at it with the 6 foot 9 Ladd taking on the 400 pound Monsoon. This went the time limit draw.

Time of match: 20:00

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 7

Waldo Von Erich and Killer Kowalski vs Tony Marino and Victor Rivera for the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

The heels have been on a roll lately but Marino and Rivera retain.

Winners: Marino and Rivera (still Tag Team Champions)

Match 8

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

The one we've been waiting for. Koloff got the title shot over Karl Kovacs against Bruno at the Garden. Bruno wins it with a german suplex.

Time of match: 18:37

Winner: Sammartino by pinfall (still Heavyweight Champion)

Bruno is still the champ after all of that. Now with Ivan Koloff dispatched, the clear number one contender is "Krippler" Karl Kovacs. Karl should be making his presence felt very shortly. Tony Marino and Victor Rivera are still the tag team champions as well so they may have new contenders soon. Tomorrow night we head to Portland, Maine at the Expo Building. I'll see you there.