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 Zembo Shrine Center (1/29/71)

Zembo Shrine Center

Harrisburg, PA

January 29, 1971

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

Match 1

"Popeye" Chuck Richards vs Gene Dubois

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

Winner: Dubois

Match 2

Hurricane Rivera vs The Black Demon

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

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 3

"Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland vs Blackjack Mulligan

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

Winner: Mulligan

Match 4

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

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

Winners: No one (Draw)

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

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

Waterville State Armory

Waterville, ME

January 25, 1971

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

Match 1

Beppo Mongol vs Hurricane Rivera

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

Winner: Beppo Mongol

Match 2

Geeto Mongol vs Pedro Morales for the WWWF United States Championship

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

Winner: Morales (still US Champion)

Match 4

Chief Jay Strongbow vs Bulldog Brower

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

Winner: Bulldog Brower

Match 5

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

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

Winners: The Mongols (still International Tag Team Champions)

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

WWWF at Jaffa Shrine Center (1/23/71)

Jaffa Shrine Center

Altoona, PA

January 23, 1971

The big news around the country was who was tapped to face Ivan Koloff at Madison Square Garden on February 8th. None other than the US Champion Pedro Morales would be facing Koloff in a champion vs champion, title vs title showdown. Talk about a monster match, but until then we still have business in Altoona PA. We got a pretty stacked card with former champion Bruno Sammartino taking on George "The Animal Steele", The tag champs The Mongols defend against US Champ Pedro Morales and Gorilla Monsoon, Ivan Koloff defends the Heavyweight crown against Chief Jay Strongbow and Bulldog Brower takes on Manuel Soto in a big contenders match. This is the opposite of North Attleboro so let's get to the action.

Match 1

"Jumpin" Johnny DeFazio vs Baron Mikel Scicluna

The Junior Heavyweight champion takes on the evil Baron from the Isle of Malta to open the show. DeFazio's title is not on the line as Baron is 6'3 and 250 pounds. The difference might have been the difference in the match as Baron CHEATS to pull out a victory! What a heel.

Winner: Scicluna by pinfall

Match 2

Dominic DeNucci vs Jos LeDuc

The insane LeDuc takes on DeNucci in a big grudge match for no apparent reason. DeNucci's tactics seemed to have angered LeDuc more than usual because LeDuc got himself disqualified for excessive violence. 

Winner: DeNucci by disqualification

Match 3

Manuel Soto vs Bulldog Brower

This match has big implications depending on who walks out of Madison Square Garden the Heavyweight Champion. If Morales pulls it off, Brower needs a win to get a title shot. If Koloff wins, Soto would move closer to another shot. Well Bulldog may be cheering for Pedro on the 8th because he won this match.

Winner: Brower by pinfall

Match 4

Bruno Sammartino vs George "The Animal" Steele

In match number 700 of 7,000 between the two of them, once again this has big implications depending on who walks out of MSG the champion. Bruno somehow didn't get a rematch and Pedro Morales was tabbed as the next one in line so he needs a big win. If Morales were to win, Steele would want a crack at him like he had chances against Bruno. Well the bad news was both men beat each other to a pulp and the ref threw the match out.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 5

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

Now this was a monster match. Monsoon and Chief Jay Strongbow had been chasing The Mongols the whole month of January and now Monsoon is with the US Champ and number 1 contender. The Mongols struck first when Geeto clobbered Monsoon from behind allowing Beppo to the get the pin. The faces rallied when Pedro Morales beat Beppo almost unconscious and pinned him to even the fall. Then it was a pier six brawl and the ref threw the match out, ending it in a draw. Usually that was pretty normal but it was telegraphed as Morales would have two titles with a potential third had he won. That was uncommon at the time.

Winners: No one (Mongols retain)

Match 6

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

Finally some real competition for Koloff who had been facing the lower card faces in the days following his win over Bruno. Strongbow had momentum on his side but Koloff had a date with Morales in 16 days. Fans went home happy as even though Koloff won the match, Strongbow chased him out of the arena with the champ running for his life.

Winner: Koloff by pinfall (still WWWF Champion)

That was a MSG worthy card and it was held in Altoona, PA. The news of Morales being tapped to face Koloff rather than a rematch with Bruno was shocking since Pedro was US Champion at the time. Still, Pedro was more than worthy of a title shot and we got 16 days to hype up the showdown. The Mongols got lucky against Pedro and Monsoon but luck doesn't last forever. The win by Brower over Soto meant Morales had to keep his eye on him if he walked out the champ and Koloff has to worry about Bruno if Morales fails. Things were heating up around here and the group would now travel to Maine for the next show, see you there.

WWWF at Witchi's Sports Arena (1/22/71)

 

Witchi's Sports Arena

North Attleboro, MA

January 22, 1971

The new era continues with Ivan Koloff was your new WWWF Heavyweight champion. The next Madison Square Garden show was just 17 days away and on Saturday it would be announced who Koloff's opponent would be. Until then, Manuel Soto gets the title shot tonight against the champ. Other matches include Pedro Morales once again defending the United States title against The Black Demon, Bulldog Brower takes on Jean Dubois and Bull Pometti takes on Tomas Morin. Let's get to the action.

Match 1

Carlos Parades vs "Nobleman" Joe Turco

The king of the curtain jerkers Joe Turco gets Parades in this one. As per norm, the match is a 20 minute draw.....how unusual.

Winner: No one (Draw)

Match 2

Jean DuBois vs Bulldog Brower

With Koloff as champion, Bulldog pretty much loses a future WWWF title shot by default since heels didn't face each other. But Pedro Morales as the US champion so Bulldog set his sights on him instead. He needed a win against DuBois to move up the ladder.....and he got it. Bulldog won the match.

Winner: Brower

Match 3

Mike Conrad vs Tony Marino

The punching bag Conrad takes on Battman in this one. Marino had lost his WWWF title match with Ivan Koloff and needed a win to get back in contention. Naturally he defeated Conrad in this one.

Winner: Marino

Match 4

Tomas Marin vs Vincente Pometti

Kind of a lackluster matchup consider neither of these guys have a big grudge or anything but the whole show is pretty much a hodge podge as it is. Pometti gets the win.

Winner: Pometti

Match 5

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

Don't know why they continue to run Demon vs Morales when Morales has won every time, especially with Bulldog Brower and Nobleman Joe Turco around. Morales beat Demon again to retain the title.

Winner: Morales (Still US Champion)

Match 6

Manuel Soto vs Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship

Last night Koloff defended against Tony Marino and now he gets Manuel Soto. Vince Sr was saving his big opponent for Madison Square Garden which would be announced the following day. Until then the rising star Soto gets his shot. Unfortunately for Soto, Koloff got the win.

Winner: Koloff (still WWWF Champion)

Apart from the final two matches (and the US title match was done to death anyway) the card was totally lackluster. Running the same venue every week eventually gets old and it looked like Vince Sr didn't even try. With Koloff as the champion, that meant the babyfaces were becoming the contenders now and having Soto and Marino as stop gaps before the big opponent is announced makes sense. We'll just have to find out tomorrow who Koloff will be facing on February 8th. As for this card, meh....they had to give North Attleboro something. See you tomorrow.