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

June 30, 1973

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

Commentator: Vince McMahon Jr

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

Match 1

Lee Wong vs Blackjack Lanza

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

Time of match: 5:05

Winner: Blackjack Lanza by submission

Match 2

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

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

Time of match: 9:34

Winner: Professor Toru Tanaka by pinfall

Match 3

Gorilla Monsoon vs Captain Lou Albano

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

Time of match: 2:58

Winner: Gorilla Monsoon by count-out

Match 4

Victor Rivera vs Black Gordman

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

Time of match: 11:44

Winner: Victor Rivera by pinfall

Match 5

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

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

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

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

Time of match: 20:47

Winners: Jan Sheridan and Joyce Grable 2 falls to 1

Match 6

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

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

Time of match: 8:16

Winner: Morales by stoppage

Match 7

Mr. Fuji vs Chief Jay Strongbow

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

Time of match: 13:58

Winner: Jay Strongbow by pinfall

Match 8

Haystacks Calhoun vs Moondog Mayne

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

Time of match: 6:03

Winner: Haystacks Calhoun by pinfall

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

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (3/26/73) Incomplete

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

March 26, 1973

Two days after Andre The Giant made his WWWF debut, he makes his MSG debut on this card. This is actually a damn good card as we got The Vachon Brothers taking on King Curtis Iaukea and Louie Tillet, Gorilla Monsoon vs Moondog Mayne and Freddie Blassie takes on Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. There does exist a clip of Andre's bout against Buddy Wolfe so let's get to it.

Match 1

"Nobleman" Joe Turco vs El Olympico

The masked man takes on the Nobleman, Joe Turco. This might have been fun to watch if any footage of it existed. As it is, Olympico wins it.

Time of match: 8:14

Winner: Joe Turco

Match 2

Frank Valois vs Tony Garea

The Frenchman Valois takes on the New Zealand fan favorite Garea. Don't be surprised, but Garea gets the win.

Time of match: 10:15

Winner: Tony Garea

Match 3

The Vachon Brothers (Mad Dog and Butcher) vs Louie Tillet and King Curtis Iaukea

Now THIS is a match I wish had footage of. You had some of the all time crazies in Iaukea and the Vachon brothers. Now Tillet we already know but what about the other three? Maurice "Mad Dog Vachon" was born Joseph Maurice Vachon and started amateur wrestling as a teenager. He competed in the 1948 Olympics and took seventh place. That's where he met Verne Gagne who had just won the national championship in wrestling at the University of Minnesota. He made his professional debut in 1950 working in Canada but got his name in 1962 working for Don Owen in Portland. From then on he was a big rough heel, eventually beating Gagne for the AWA Championship in 1964. Paul "Butcher" Vachon is the younger brother of Mad Dog and is also a lunatic. They're also the older brothers of the late Vivian Vachon and Butcher is the adopted father of the late Luna Vachon. Curtis Iaukea was born in Hawaii and was the great-grandson of legitimate Hawaii Royal member Curtis Iaukea. He dropped out of UC Berkley to play in the Canadian Football League before becoming a wrestler in Don Owen's promotion in 1960. He was a great heel but had turned face by the 70's. The Vachon Brothers won the match.

Time of match: 12:09

Winners: The Vachon Brothers

Match 4

The Great Goliath vs Victor Rivera

Two latin stars here as Rivera takes on Goliath. Goliath was born Pablo Crispin in Mexico and was a territory star in the 50's and 60's. These two fought to a 20 minute draw.

Time of match: 20:00

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 5

Sonny King vs Mr. Fuji

Battle of the former tag team champion taking on the current tag team champion. King and Chief Jay Strongbow knocked off Baron Scicluna and Curtis Iaukea only to lose the belts to Toru Tanaka and Mr. Fuji. Now King gets Fuji one on one at MSG. Fuji got the win and we'll see his partner later

Time of match: 7:26

Winner: Fuji

Match 6

Gorilla Monsoon vs Professor Toru Tanaka

The other half of the tag team champs, Mr. Tanaka takes on Gorilla Monsoon who wants to knock him off for personal reasons. The bout ended in a draw

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 7

Moondog Mayne vs Chief Jay Strongbow

Mayne had failed to win the WWWF title two days earlier and Strongbow was still irate after losing the tag belts to Tanaka & Fuji. Unfortunately no one got any momentum as this bout also ended in a draw.

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 8

Buddy Wolfe vs Andre The Giant

Andre The Giant made his WWWF debut two days earlier but tonight makes his Madison Square Garden debut. Who is his opponent? "Beautiful" Buddy Wolfe played minor league football before being trained by Verne Gagne in 1968. He was a good territory heel in Atlanta and Dallas before coming to New York. The first highlight we see is Buddy getting a front headlock on Andre and Andre effortlessly standing up and carrying him around the ring before putting him on the top rope. Andre backs down the much smaller Wolfe as Wolfe gets a side headlock in. Once again Andre just stands up and throws him around. Buddy runs right into a scoop slam and a big right hand. Andre decks him with an uppercut then headbutts him down. Andre delivers a backbreaker and a big splash for 1...2.....3 that's it. Andre gets the victory as the fans cheer the big guy. At 26 years old, Andre had a bright future ahead.

Time of match: Unknown

Winner: Andre The Giant by pinfall

Match 9

"Classy" Freddie Blassie vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Interesting that the aging Blassie gets another title shot after he's failed time and time again since 1971. Not surprising but Morales gets the victory. Modern logic would have Andre come after Pedro as a heel but behind the scenes Andre was making bank as a babyface attraction around the world so staying in one territory would have actually cost him money at the time. So Morales doesn't have to worry about him moving forward after defeating Blassie.

Winner: Morales

Sad to say but apart from Andre The Giant's MSG debut the show wouldn't be noteworthy at all 50 years later. Fans in 1973 had a blast but with the way wrestling is structured today, not really much of anything would make sense. Vince Sr was still pushing the territorial house show system where everything happened on live events instead of syndicated television. Still, everyone bought tickets to see Andre so any time he was in town, it was worth seeing. Morales is still the champ and the tag champs have hell to pay moving forward. WWWF now has some TV tapings that have been unfortunately lost to time but the next house show will be Thursday night in Lowell. The tag champs will be in singles action, see you there.

WWWF at Philadelphia Arena (3/24/73)

Philadelphia Arena

Philadelphia, PA

March 24, 1973

Why are we doing a random house show from 1973? A real good one reason actually. This was the first WWWF match of the one....the only....ANDRE THE GIANT! That's right, Andre made his WWWF debut at a house show days before his MSG debut and this was the show in question. Andre would be in a handicap match against the Argentinian Bull Pometti and Frank Valois. Other matches on the card included a women's showdown between Donna Christianello and Toni Rose against Joyce Grable and Susan Green, Mr. Fuji takes on Louis Tillett and the WWWF title is on the line as Pedro Morales takes on Moondog Mayne inside a steel cage! Let's get to it.

Match 1

Tony Garea vs El Olympico

Tony Garea was born Anthony Gareljich in Auckland, New Zealand to Croatian/Yugoslavian parents. He started wrestling in his native New Zealand before coming to New York to work for Vince Sr in 1971. If you ever wanted to know why Garea's been a WWE lifer, he was a "homegrown" talent for WWWF. Who the hell is El Olympico you ask? Joey Corea wrestled as one half of The Spoilers in the Gulas territory in 1970 but left after a year. Under a mask that showed his face, he wrestled as El Olympico which was new in the New York territory at the time. These two fought to a draw.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Joyce Grable and Susan Green vs Toni Rose and Donna Christianello

Oh boy, Moolah's girls....and Sue Green. 20 year old Betty Wade was actually the second woman to use the name Joyce Grable. She was given that name by Moolah because she looked almost like the original Grable. Sue Green was a 19 year old prodigy who grew up a huge wrestling fan in Texas. She actually got permission from Texas governor John B Connally to train at the age of 14 with Joe Blanchard. She had more matches in high school than some of these indy guys have their whole careers. Toni and Donna we all know. They were women's tag champs for years and had a lot of experience tagging together. Donna and Toni won the match.

Winners: Donna and Toni

Match 3

Louie Tillet vs Mr. Fuji

In case you didn't know, Mr. Fuji was born Harry Fujiwara in Hawaii to Hawaiian and Japanese parents. He made his debut as a heel in 1962 and first came to the WWWF in 1972 with his partner Professor Toru Tanaka. He and Tanaka defeated Sonny King and Strongbow for the WWWF tag titles in 1972. His opponent Louie Tillet was a Frenchman that was a star in the 1960's working the territories. Fuji got the win in this one

Winner: Mr. Fuji

Match 4

Professor Toru Tanaka vs Don Curtis

The other half of the tag champs, Tanaka, faces Don Curtis. Don aka The Buffalo Bomber was born Donald Beitelman and made his name at the University of Buffalo in 1949. He was best known for being tag partners with Mark Lewin in the 60's. By now he was 45 years old and on the downside of his career. Tanaka got the duke.

Winner: Tanaka

Match 5

Andre The Giant vs Vincente Pometti and Frank Valois in a handicap match

And now we get to the reason why we're doing a writeup on this show. Its Andre The Giant's first WWWF match. His bio is too long to give it justice but I'll give the cliffnotes. Andre was born Andre Rousimoff in Grenoble, France with acromegaly aka Giantism. He was over 6 feet tall at the age of 12 and he never really stopped growing. He had aspirations as a teen of being a soccer player but when he got too big, after he left school he became a farmer with his father. At 18 he trained to be a wrestler in 1964 and had his first pro bout in 1966. He was known as Geant Ferre aka The French Lumberjack but when he came over to North America for the first time, Vince Sr rechristened him Andre The Giant. We all know "Bull" Pometti and Valois although Frank was 51 years old at this time. No surprise but Andre wins his first match.

Winner: Andre The Giant

Match 6

Moondog Mayne vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

What's this? One of the Moondogs? Not exactly. Moondog Mayne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Kenny Mayne. His story is tragic but I'll get to that in a minute. Mayne wasn't actually apart of the "Moondog" stable that would eventually include Rex, King and Spot....he just was named that by Vince Sr. Unlike the Moondogs of the 80's, Mayne is dressed colorfully although he is a lunatic that twitches like he sees things that aren't there. Apparently he was supposed to be a deranged hippie. Morales is anything but a hippie and he beats Mayne to retain the title. As I mentioned earlier, the career of Mayne was cut short when he was killed in a car accident on August 14, 1978 at the age of 33. His name lived on in the Moondogs tag team that was formed years later.

Winner: Pedro Morales (still WWWF Heavyweight Champion)

Standard card for the time period and normally would be an average house show but its famously Andre's first WWWF match. It would have been fun to see Pedro vs Mayne and the women's tag match since Sue Green was the only non-Moolah girl in the match. Still, there was a lot of money to be made on Andre and both Vince Sr & Vince Jr knew it. This was just the start for the next 18 years of Andre in New York. One of the few times the main event was an afterthought.

WWF at Philadelphia Arena (12/18/71) Incomplete

         

Philadelphia Arena

Philadelphia, PA

December 18, 1971

Once again we got another incomplete writeup with one match that was thought to have been lost to time. It was December of 1971, Karl Gotch and Rene Goulet were the tag champs and Pedro Morales was the World champ. What makes this show tough to think about was this show was held mere hours after another house show in Queens earlier that day. Sad part was all but three guys worked on the matinee card. The match that has been restored is the tag team title match were Goulet and Gotch put the straps on the line against The Rugged Russians managed by Nikita Mulkovitch who was more well know designing championship belts in his later years. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Juan Caruso vs Mike Conrad

Both guys were pretty much jobbers here so something has to give. Not much is known about either of them, probably local Philly guys. Apparently Conrad got the duke here by count-out.

Winner: Conrad by count-out.

Match 2

Vincente "Bull" Pometti vs Mike Monroe

We already know Pometti was a big rough Argentinian while Monroe was a standard jobber at the time. Apparently they fought to a draw, no one wins.

Winner: No one: Draw

Match 3

The Black Demon vs Manuel Soto

Once again both these guys worked the other card with Demon tagging with Monroe from the previous match. Manuel Soto won this encounter.

Winner: Manuel Soto

Match 4

The Rugged Russians (Igor and Ivan) with Nikita Mulkovich vs Karl Gotch and Rene Goulet for the WWWF Tag Team Championship in a 2 out of 3 falls match

And now we get to the match that's been restored. On December 6, Goulet and Gotch knocked off "Crazy" Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler and 12 days later they're pulling double duty. They beat Monroe & Black Demon in Queens earlier that day so they face the fake Russians here. Goulet and Gotch do some sort of battlerope taunt before Goulet bum rushes the "Russians". I don't have a clue which is Igor and which is Ivar so I'm just going to guess. Ivar starts with Goulet and they circle to start before exchanging mat based tactics. Goulet takes Ivar over with an armdrag before Ivan gets back to his feet. Goulet shoulderblocks him down before hitting another arm-drag takeover. Ivan makes it to his feet and he sends Goulet off only for Rene to clock Igor off the apron. Rene takes Ivan down with another arm-drag and Ivar takes nearly a full minute to get to his feet. Ivan pulls the hair but Rene won't let go. Ivan goes down to the mat again for another full minute, holy moly they'd never get away with this now. Igor interferes and eats an armdrag an Gotch tags in to put Igor in a full nelson....even though Igor isn't the legal man. Igor goes behind but Gotch stays with it to keep the full nelson then arm-drags Igor down...here we go again. A minute later Igor gets to his feet only to go down again. Ivan goes to interfere but the ref stops him. Another minute later Igor gets to his feet and looks to have reversed it but Gotch holds on to maintain it. Ivan goes to interfere again but the alert referee chases him off. Igor makes it to the ropes to force a break but Gotch refuses to let go. Finally Gotch tags in Goulet who teases punching Igor in the face only for Gotch to turn around just in time so Ivar clocks Igor instead. Goulet hops up and down but this time Igor gets the full nelson. He brings Goulet to his corner but naturally Rene ducks and Ivan hits Igor again. Rene clocks Ivar who gets in without making a tag. He kicks and scoop slams Goulet but Rene nips up and arm drags again. This time Ivar quickly rakes the eyes and rams Goulet into the buckle. Ivan kicks at Goulet and throws him through the ropes to the outside where Igor beats him up until Gotch chases him away. Goulet is attacked as he tries to get back in the ring so he falls off the apron. Finally the ref tells Ivar to back up so he can count. Goulet actually crawls under the ring and emerges from the other side where he taps Ivan on the shoulder. Ivan turns around into a forearm to the chest much to the crowd's delight.  Goulet hits a snap mare, a scoop slam....and another arm drag. Another scoop slam follows before Gotch tags in. Gotch lands a snap mare and a scoop slam and covers for 1....2...no. Gotch corners Ivan and unloads with forearms before heaving him across the ring. Gotch does it again and Ivan begs off. Gotch kicks at Ivan when Igor interferes and gets dropped. Gotch uses martial arts to drop both men and the camera closes in on Gotch so now I have no clue which "Russian" is which. I assume Ivan tags in Igor since Ivan was the legal man and Gotch goes to town with a wristlock and more foreams in the corner. A charge eats knee and Ivan tags back in, nailing Gotch with a running knee in the midsection. In the center of the ring Ivan hits a knee drop and covers for 1...2....3, that's it. The Russians take the first fall.

Gotch and Ivan start the second fall with Gotch taking control and Ivar complains the tights were pulled, nearly grabbing the ref's ass in the process. Gotch decks Ivan with a right hand and Igor tags in, only for all four men to get in the ring. The ref tells Goulet to beat it as Igor locks in a nerve hold only for Gotch to drop him with forearms. Ivar tags back in and Gotch hits a European uppercut that knocks Ivan over the top rope to the outside. Gotch sends Igor out too and caters to the crowd. Ivan misses a knee drop and Gotch hits a double chop and a karate kick before locking in what AJ Lee would later call the Black Widow. Goulet cuts off Igor and Ivan gives it up, the champs take the second fall.

The final fall starts with Gotch and Ivan again and they stall for time before Goulet tags in. Gotch beats up Ivan from the outside but Goulet gets clocked by Igor who switches with Ivan. Goulet goes for a victory roll for 1...2.., no, Ivan kicks him off. The "Russians" get Goulet in the corner and double team where Gotch is moved back by the ref. The "Russians" repeatedly throw the ref to the ground like idiots and he calls for the bell. The crowd pops as Goulet and Gotch beat up the "Russians" even though the bell already rang. Gotch heaves one of them and they bail. Really stupid move by the heels to throw the ref to the ground and it cost them the match. That was somewhat boring even by 1971 standards, guess you had to be there to appreciate it. Gotch moved pretty damn good for a 47 year old.

Time of match: 24:12

Winners: Gotch and Goulet 2 falls to 1

Match 5

"Handsome" Jimmy Valiant vs Chief Jay Strongbow

The last two matches of this card are just the reverse of the Queens card where Valiant faced Victor Rivera and Strongbow faced Freddie Blassie. Apparently Strongbow got the duke here.

Winner: Chief Jay Strongbow

Match 6

"Classy" Freddie Blassie vs Victor Rivera

By the end of 1971 Blassie was 53 years old with his knees starting to deteriorate. He still had some wars with John Tolos out in California and here he's taking on Rivera. Apparently Freddie won on a count-out.

Winner: Freddie Blassie by count-out.

This sounds like a fun show and imagine if you drove all the way from Queens to catch it? Its only 100 miles from Sunnyside Garden Arena to the Philadelphia Arena. The tag match was a bit of a let down with Goulet not letting up with the armdrags but again, it was standard for its time. Also that's one of the few matches I've seen utterly dominated by the babyfaces, usually its the heels getting the heat. Would have been nice to see Blassie who was nearing the end of the line or a young Handsome Jimmy long before he was the Boogie Woogie Man. Ah well, a small bit of footage is better than none

WWWF at Madison Square Garden (11/15/71) Incomplete

Madison Square Garden

New York City, NY

November 15, 1971

We've finally made it back to Madison Square Garden for the big inter-promotional showdown between WWA Champion Freddie Blassie representing Mike LeBell's territory against WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales representing Vince McMahon Sr's territory. We have a pretty stacked card as Tarzan Tyler and Luke Graham put the tag belts on the line against Victor Rivera and Chief Jay Strongbow. Stan "The Man" Stasiak takes on Gorilla Monsoon and Rene Goulet goes one on one with Manuel Soto. Who's gonna walk out of MSG as the heavyweight champ? Let's find out.

Match 1

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs The Black Demon

Chris Candido's grandfather jerks the curtain at MSG against the human punching bag Black Demon.....and somehow loses. Demon wins it.

Time of match: 8:27

Winner: Black Demon

Match 2

Manuel Soto vs Rene Goulet

Two younger stars going at each other in friendly competition as Soto meets Goulet. Rene Goulet had a rough life before wrestling in Quebec City. Born Robert Bedard, Rene aspired to be a pro hockey defenseman but a skate slashed his throat, and he wanted to be a boxer but a pro-boxer told him he'd be punch drunk. He made his wrestling debut in 1957 and later changed his name to Rene Goulet because of popular Canadian singer Robert Goulet.  It was a hard fought contest but both faces were protected as the match ended in a 20 minute draw. Both men shook hands afterwards.

Time of match: 20:00

Winner: No one (draw)

Match 3

Mike Monroe vs Karl Gotch

Karl Gotch was born Charles Istaz in Belgium and wrestled in the 1948 Olympics at the age of 24. Now he was 47 years old and making a name in the WWWF. His opponent Monroe was a standard jobber of the time period. Gotch may have been 47 but he won the match.


Time of match: 11:05

Winner: Gotch

Match 4

The Rugged Russians (Igor & Ivan) vs Jimmy Valiant and "Beautiful" Bobby Harmon

There's a lot to unpack here. The Russians were actually Spanish and Cuban respectively. Igor was born Juan Onaindia in Bizkaia, Spain. Ivan was Pedro Godoy, a Cuban immigrant. Handsome Jimmy was born Jim Fanning and he started wrestling in 1964 as Jim Vallen. He came to New York as Jimmy Valiant and  eventually would form a team with John L Sullivan, but that's a story for another day. Beautiful Bobby was NOT Bobby Eaton who would have been 13 years old at the time but Bobby Harmon. The Russians got the victory here.

Winners: The Rugged Russians

Match 5

Gorilla Monsoon vs Stan "The Man" Stasiak

Stan "The Man" Stasiak was born George Stipich in Arvida, Quebec and was a lifelong wrestling fan, even getting knocked out trying to take a swing at legendary Canadian wrestler Don Leo Jonathan. Growing up in Quebec, naturally he played hockey and as a sign of things to come, he was a goon in Juniors. His last coach convinced him to give up hockey and take up his real love of wrestling after throwing too many sucker punches. When he first started he wrestled as Emile (his middle name) Koverly as a 21 year old in 1958 and in 1960 wrestled a fellow 23 year old youngster named Gino Marella...yes, the one and only Gorilla Monsoon. Later that year he made his United States debut by taking the name of long dead wrestler Stanley Stasiak who died 30 years before. Imagine someone calling themselves "Eddie Gilbert" now. So 11 years later Stasiak battles Monsoon again. This time Monsoon got the win.

Time of match: 9:51

Winner: Monsoon

Match 6

Chief Jay Strongbow and Victor Rivera vs Tarzan Tyler and "Crazy" Luke Graham for the WWWF Tag Team Championship

Ah the legendary Tarzan Tyler. He was born Camille Tourville in Montreal and was nicknamed "Tarzan" by his friends growing up in Montreal. He started wrestling in the 1950's and had been a top heel in the US and Canada ever since. Three days before this show, Graham and Tyler defeated The Mongols to unify the World and International tag team titles and now they defend against Strongbow and Rivera. Strongbow and Rivera won.....by disqualification. The champs retain.

Time of match: 24:45

Winners: Strongbow and Rivera by disqualification (Tyler & Graham retain)

Match 7

WWA Champion "Classy" Freddie Blassie vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Inter-promotional matches were common back in these days and on this night, Mike LeBell's WWA out in California sent Blassie to take on Vince Sr's champion Pedro Morales. Thankfully a short clip of this match is on Youtube so I'll do the best I can to describe what goes on. Blassie complains to the ref that Morales hit him in the face before locking up. Blassie rakes the eyes and bites him in the corner then brings him to the other corner. Blassie heaves Morales over the top rope to the floor into the timekeeper's table. Blassie sends him into the ring post and Morales sells the left shoulder. Blassie goes onto the apron and puts the boots to Pedro. Blassie bites the head of Morales and sends him into the ring post a second time. The ref backs up Blassie to give Morales some room but Blassie continues to attack. Blassie covers but the ref refuses to the count.....what? I've never seen that before. Apparently Blassie needs to apply a hold according to Captain Lou on the overdub. We cut to Blassie hitting a scoop slam on Pedro before dropping some knees on the throat of Morales. Blassie covers for 1...2....nope, Morales kicks out. Blassie chokes Morales and bites the head but Morales gets a big left hand to the ribs. Morales lands another left to the ribs and rallies with more left hands to drop Blassie. Fred gets up and Morales continues to fire away with Blassie countering with bites. Captain Lou on the overdub calls Blassie "The Vampire" as Morales turns the tables by biting Blassie. The ref then calls for the bell and declares Pedro the winner.....what??? Lou on commentary says Blassie was disqualified but the official reason was the match was stopped due to Blassie's blood loss. Albano missed the fact Blassie was busted open and in those days, apparently matches were stopped because of it. Well that's one way for Blassie to keep his California heat by not actually getting pinned or submitted. Pedro wins the match and keeps his title.

Time of match: 8:24

Winners: Morales by stoppage (still WWWF champion)

Its a shame only a clip from the main event remains because this sounded like a fun show on paper to watch. Jimmy Valiant against the Russians would have been funny to see and anytime Monsoon or Stasiak is in the ring is a jolly good time. Still, Morales kept the belt and a few of the heels were hot on his trail. It'll be interesting to see who steps up to Tyler & Graham next as well. This was definitely the home run show but we pick up the action three days later in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I'll see you then.

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

Sunnyside Garden Arena

Queens, NY

March 25, 1971

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

Match 1

Mike Conrad vs Pete Sanchez

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

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Jack Evans vs Hurricane Rivera

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

Winner: Hurricane Rivera

Match 3

Vincente Pometti vs Chief Jay Strongbow

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

Winner: Strongbow

Match 4

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

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

Winners: Little Brutus and Sky Low Low

Match 5

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

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

Winners: Morales and Soto

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

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

Madison Square Garden

New York City, New York

March 15, 1971

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

Match 1

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

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

Winners: Sky Low Low and Little Brutus

Match 2

Manuel Soto vs "Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz

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

Winner: Manuel Soto

Match 3

Hurricane Rivera vs Jack Evans

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

Winner: Hurricane Rivera

Match 4

Tony Marino vs Mike Conrad

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

Winner: Tony Marino

Match 5

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Bulldog Brower

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

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 6

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

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

Time of match: 14:12

Winner: Pedro by pinfall (Still WWWF Champion)

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