Donnie watches WWF 1980

[BigVanDonnie]

We FINALLY have a full year of TV and a couple of house shows, so this will be good one. Also, if anyone has any matches out there please throw them in as i want this to be the most complete set of reviews possible. Love you all. Also, WWF is now alive and well, so let's get to it

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF. All-Star Wrestling
January 5th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Tito Santana vs Great Hussein Arab w/Classy Freddie Blassie
Damn it, i was hoping after they bombed on MSG, it would be over. Sheiky attacks from behind and beats the piss out of our hero in awesome fashion. Tito takes a wonderful beating before mounting a comeback with a ton of fire behind it. Sheik looks bad taking some bumps as he's too slow and fat, so Tito has to slow everything down to not blow this old man up. Sheik throws him to the floor and smacks his head off the wooden steps! It backfires as he comes back to life and go nuts on Sheik and dropkicks him out of the ring and he wins via countout
**1/2

Match#2 Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard vs Bill Berger
Another whatever muscle head squash from this spaz. Full Nelson does it
*

At ringside, Vince interviews them. GW says Ken is the greatest athlete in history and he will be champion by years end. Ken then speaks and kills the entire deal as soon as he opens his terrible mouth.

Match#3 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Ortiz & Gomez
Hell yeah. Hogan throws them both around and whips ass and he's slowly getting better at this. Backbreaker ends it
**

At ringside, Bruno interviews them which is incredible contrast between the new and old. Bruno says Hogan doesn't have any wrestling skill and it's all strength, and Blassie rightly points out they've been facing pencil neck geeks and the time will come. Hogan cuts a bad promo about being the new king of wrestling, and our dude needs a TON of coke and steroids or this won't work.

Match#4 Johnny Rodz vs Larry Zbyszko
The series continues!!! Awesome back and forth as always as both dudes look great and it's again, the best Larry has looked in months. Neither man can really gain control and it's just a fun battle to end it first, and i wish these two had more matches out there. Rodz gets a brief moment of control with some wonderful knees to the head and Larry sells really fucking well. AWESOME finish as Larry keeps getting his ass kicked but when he gets thrown off the ropes, he smashes his head into Rodz' jaw when he hits a Thesz Press and lands on top and gets the 3.
**3/4

Match#5 Bobby Duncum w/Lou Albano vs Ron Lee
Another super fun one of the big fella. Bulldog ends it
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF. All-Star Wrestling
January 12th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Larry Zbyszko vs Jojo Andrews
Larry moves better in a squash than he has in months and months, and it's so fucking nice to see. He's a touch meaner and really beats Jojo's ass all over the place. He wins with a Boston Crab
**

At ringside, Vince interviews Larry about the happenings. Vince says a couple of weeks ago Larry refused to be interviewed by Bruno after a match, and he wants to know why. Zbyszko says wrestling is his life and it's all he cares about, and he's felt stifled over the last couple of years and he wants to get ahead. He doesn't hate Bruno at all, but he has to become Larry Zbyszko to be the best in the world and he doesn't want to be seen at Bruno's protege any more and he's very depressed. He says Bruno is standing in his way right now with his shadow looming over him, and he wants to prove this by challenging him to a match. He is DEMANDING a scientific match against Bruno, and he needs his respect and his chance. He doesn't care about money or the like, he needs to do this to get himself out of this rut. Awesome angle.

Match#2 The Wild Samoans w/Lou Albano vs King & DeNucci
Fuck yeah, another wonderful murder of this old bastard. Samoan Drop for the win
**

At ringside, Vince interviews the returning Rene Goulet. He's very happy to be back and to show everyone how he's one of the most skillful wrestlers in the world.

Match#3 Rene Goulet vs Johnny Rodz
Rodz doesn't give a shit and just rushes him right from the start and beats his ass as only he can. Lots of awesome knees to the head again and just wreaks him for a while. Rene gets a flash gutwrench suplex to win.
**

Match#4 Tito Santana vs Estrada
Tito finally gets away from the Putz and has a super fun showcase. Lots of cool work on the legs with gross twists and throwing it around etc. Crossbody ends it
**

Match#5 Bobby Duncum w/Lou Albano vs Gomez
Standard fun Duncum squash. Bulldog ends it
*3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
January 19th, 1979
Hamburg, PA

So, we've got to cover an angle.



Grand Wizard sold Pat's contract to Albano at the end of 79 without asking Patterson about it, and he's pissed and has told them both to go to hell. So, now Pat is a babyface and is feuding with Albano and his crew.

Match#1 Pat Patterson vs BB Coleman
Awesome squash as Pat fits right into being a babyface with his awesome offence and funny stooging when it's needed. Kneedrop does the deal
**

At ringside, Bruno interviews our new friend.Patterson says he's never had many friends in his life, but he feels like he's starting over because everyone is shaking his hands and telling him to get Albano and his crew. Hell Yeah, acceptance.

Match#2 Rene Goulet vs Estrada
Another match where Goulet is beaten for a while and then he makes a comeback to show he's smart and tough, but it doesn't make for a great match that's meant to showcase a dude. Gutwrench ends another one.
*

At ringside, Vince is with Sheik and Classy. Blassie talks about Sheik inventing the suplex and all the dirty American's stealing it from him. Sheik says he doesn't like to speak English, but tonight he'll do it for the love he has for Blassie, the greatest manager of all times, bubba. He calls the fans a bunch of big belly losers, and he has a beautiful body and no one has the guts to face him. He breaks out the Persian clubs and says Bruno and Putski couldn't do it, and he picks them up and does it with ease. He offers a grand to anyone who can beat him at this.

Match#3 Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard vs Charlie Brown
Standard Ken squash. Full-Nelson does it
3/4*

Match#4 Johnny Rodz vs DeNucci
Goddamn it, stop putting this old asshole on TV. Rod does his best to get anything out of him and it doesn't work because DeNucci refuses to sell or bump, or just be a good wrestler. Bless Rodz for trying his best though, a true man of the people. DeNucci wins via a move
1/2*

At ringside, Bruno cuts an awesome promo about being heartbroken at Larry challenging him, and how it's like fighting your younger brother, and he can't do it. Vince starts asking if he's afraid and if the fans will think the same thing, and Bruno says there is no way he can do this and he's hurt.

Match#5 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Berger & King
Another fun one for the Hulkster, brother jack dude. Backbreaker ends it
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
January 26th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Vince introduces the show by himself and says tonight we will get a special interview with Bruno and Larry. THANK GOD WE'RE GETTING SOME ANGLES, BOYS AND GIRLS.

Match#1 The Great Hussein Arab w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve King
FUCKING ASSES, BUBBA
*

Match#2 Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard vs Mike Masters
Patera is one of those dudes who never changes his squashes and i hate them. Like, it's not entirely his fault because he only has a couple of minutes, but fuck do something cool at least. Full-Nelson ends our pain
*

At ringside, the tag champs say they will face ALL challengers, and i got seek out some live events and see if i can find some matches.

Larry Zbyszko vs John Buford
Another awesome Larry showing as he's clearly hyped as hell at what comes next, and we're all better off for it. Suplex ends it
**



IT'S ON.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (2/2/80. TEACHER VS STUDENT)
As promised, they go hold for hold to start and Bruno has the strength and Larry has the speed. Bruno gets him down a couple of times but lets him up and kind of treats Larry like shit, and you can the wheels turning as Larry slowly starts to get pissy at being disrespected by a man he loves. Vince acts like a dick on commentary and sells it as Larry not having a real shot at beating him, which is fuckng awesome to further sell what's coming. Larry goes after the leg and really sinks it in and Bruno kicks him really hard to get him off of him, and then Bruno backs out of a test of strength and looks a little shook. They do a series of criss-crosses and Bruno grabs a bearhug but IMMEDIATELY lets it go and Larry is PISSED AND SCREAMS AT HIM TO KNOCK IT OFF. Larry gets thrown to the floor and Bruno holds open the ropes, AND LARRY FINALLY SNAPS ON THIS FUCKING ASSHOLE AND KICKS HIS LEG OUT FROM UNDER HIM AND BEATS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. HE GRABS A WOODEN CHAIR AND THROWS THE REF DOWN FOR THE DQ, AND HE BREAKS IT OVER BRUNO'S HEAD. AND HE DOES IT TWO MORE TIMES AND BRUNO IS A BLOODY DEAD MESS AND LARRY STORMS OFF TO THE LOUDEST BOOS ON TV YET.
***

INCREDIBLE swerve to do this on TV so no one sees it coming. An all time angle, and one everyone needs to see.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
February 9th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Joe Mascarra
Hogan is tasked with nearly 6 minutes in an insane choice, but he mostly makes it work with some cool throws and a little bit of arm work. He's wearing yellow tights in a jarring moment, but a cool one nonetheless. Bearhug does the deed
*3/4

Match#2 Tony Atlas vs Jose Estrada
Bad shit from foot god. He's just not a good wrestler at all, and it sucks to know I'm stuck with him for another 6+ years.
1/2*

At ringside, he says he's happy to be able to suck feet.

They repeat the Samoans squash from last week. Ok, then.

Match#3 Bobby Duncum w/Lou Albano vs Charlie Brown
Good cowboy shit from Bob. Bulldog ends the fun
*3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
February 18th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Pat Patterson vs Jojo Andrews
Ahhh, nearly 7 minutes because the 80's are fucking weird. Pat rules though, so not a complete waste or anything, but Jesus man. Kneedrop ends it
*
Before his match, Larry is introduced as "THE NEW LIVING LEGEND"

Match#2 Larry Zbyszko vs Steve King
Larry is tasked with 5 minutes as well. Goddamn it. He's a trillion times better as a heel as we know, so he makes the best of it and beats the jobbers ass, but man 90 seconds would have been perfect. Bruno refuses to talk and fucks off to the back like a real coward. Larry wins with the suplex
*3/4

At ringside, Vince interviews him, and the crowd wants him dead. Larry says Bruno isn't coming out and he found he couldn't use him to keep his name alive. He could NEVER beat him when they trained together and the match was an excuse to finally try and beat him. He says he has a name he can carry on his damn self unlike Bruno. He says Bruno knows he can never keep him in a hold, and he tried to embarrass him in front of TV LAND. He says the chair shot happened after everything Bruno did to him, and that was the happiest day of his life. The people don't know what the hell is going on and they need to shut up and listen. Bruno couldn't stop him and his future is made. Incredible stuff.

Match#3 Tito Santana & Rene Goulet vs Wild Samoans w/Lou Albano
Hell yeah. Not sure where the Putz is, but fuck him. BABYFACE DROPKICKS TO START AND THE BOYS HAVE A TON OF FIRE AND THE SAMOANS TAKE HUGE BUMPS. They keep on the attack and isolate Afa and it's good times as they wreak his arm with some cool holds. They do the same to Sika and he sells it really well as does Afa. Goulet is kicked into the corner and the monsters take over and beat the piss out of him. Tito has a brief hot tag and has an awesome fight with Afa and he hits a gross dropkick AND AFA TAKES A FLAT BACK TO THE FLOOR. JESUS CHRIST, DUDE. Goulet gets in and is promptly killed with a million headbutts in the corner, and they try to do the same to Tito but the Putz makes the save fort the DQ
**3/4

Post match, the Putz gets on the mic and challenges them to fight them anytime!

Match#4 Mikel Sciculana vs Mike Masters
ewwwww. No thanks

Vince and Bruno talk about Hogan being a monster and whatnot, and Vince asks if he can beat Andre, and Bruno says he'd like to see it. OH SHIT.

Match#5 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Maureut & Figueroa
Much better this week as it's not 6 minutes, and he has two dudes to kill. He murders them for a while and slams one on top of the other and sits on them to win. HELL YEAH, BROTHER.
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
February 23rd, 1980
Hamburg, PA

At the start of the show, Bruno says he's going to do something now that he knows who Larry really is. Had your chance last week, you bitch.

Match#1 Rene Goulet vs Manny Sicla
Rene gets nearly 6 minutes for some insane reason. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck, the 80's boom with quick squashes can't come quick enough. Gutwrench does it
3/4*

Match#2 Larry Sharpe vs Bill Berger
Famed trainer, Larry Sharpe makes his debut, and this is first time I've ever really seen him. He's a big blonde dude and moves very well and hits hard, and i like him. He spends a lot of time on the mat and he's a mean dude and breaks out a proto Bow and Arrow, which is very cool to see. He keeps on the neck and the Jobber sells really well for it all. He wins with a great looking Piledriver.
**

At ringside, the Tag Champs cut another horrible bland promo. Get Tito away from this, please.

Before his match, Larry says he's no longer from the same boring place as Bruno, and where he lives is no ones business. AMAZING.

Match#3 Larry Zbyszko vs John Bulford
Awesome shit from Larry. He's perfect a cocky little shithead, and even more so dunking on a toolbox like Bruno. He beats the shite out of the kid and keeps talking shit the entire way through. Suplex ends it
**

Match#4 Tito Santana & Ivan Putski vs Savage & Coleman
Another fine Tito carry job for a few minutes. The Putz contributed NOTHING, and i hate him and his dipshit son. Tito wins with a Sunset Flip
*1/2

Match#5 Tony Atlas vs Ron Lee
Terrible as hell.
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Missed these ones on my travels. My Bad,

LIVE EVENT-JANUARY 21ST, 1980. MSG.

Match#1 Tito Santana & Ivan Putski (c) vs. The Wild Samoans (WWF World Tag Team Championships)
As with the TV match, Tito/Samoans is an awesome match up with his fire and their awesomeness. Putz sucks shit, but Tito does most of the work so it's fine. He goes after the legs this time, and he's mean as hell as he wretches it back and forth and doesn't let up. Putz work on the legs is whatever. The Putz gets isolated and it's a ton of fun watching the monsters kill him, even if Putski's selling sucks. Tito has an awesome hot tag for 30 seconds before Afa drops him on the ropes and falls to the floor and hits his knee on the dirty floor and gets counted out.
**1/4

Match#2 Bob Backlund (c) vs. Ken Patera (WWF Championship. 21/1/80)
Missed our hero so much. He pinballs the goof around the place and keeps making him look silly by easily fighting out of stuff and keeping him on the backfoot. Patera goes to arm to cut him off and it's standard work on it, but it smokes anything he's done thus far, and Backlund sells it well enough. Bob fights out of it by slowly standing up and kicking Patera in the face and grabbing hold of his arm, and he wreaks it in revenge. It's decent stuff but it comes across as dry compared to what he was doing to Hammer a few months ago. The best way to describe this match is dry, actually. Like, it's fine enough wrestling for a while, but there's a spark missing. It keeps going and going and it loses me, sadly. The ref gets bumped and he's died, and a bunch of people come out to check on him. Backlund and Patera keep fighting until a bunch of wrestlers run to break it up.
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
March 1st, 1989
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 The Wild Samoans w/Lou Albano vs King, Berger & Bulford
This is nearly 10 minutes in another "WHAT THE FUCK, VINCE" moment. It has some cool kills and whatnot, but way too long. Diving Headbutt ends it, and I'm sure Harley Race just declared war on Samoa.
*

Match#2 Rene Goulet vs Mikel Sciculna
They go at it on the mat and it's dry as hell because these two couldn't display fire if was needed to save their lives.They trade holds and whatnot, and there's nothing really exciting or even a tad interesting happens. Mikel has a loaded fist and he keeps punching Rene with it, but he doesn't knock him out in a weird thing, so it's pointless. The ref finds it and DQ's him.
3/4*

Goulet gets the weapon and beats Mikel up. Fuck this

Match#3 Larry Sharpe vs Charlie Brown
Larry gets 7 minutes to play with it, and he does better than most. Lots of cool work on the arms and back with elbows and holds. He strikes me as someone who came too soon, and had he shown up in a decade he'd better remembered. He gives the kid some offence and sells it all to make it seem like he maybe has a chance before he shuts it all down with ease. He whips his ass some more and wins with the Piledriver.
**

Match#4 Tony Atlas vs Jojo Andrews
WWF isn't insane enough to give Atlas 10, but they do give him 5 and he sucks shit under 30 seconds. Vince LOVES him and talks about how "Tall and Lean" he is in a really creepy voice. Can't understand why anyone would think he's a creepy fucking asshole. Atlas wins with a sunset flip
1/2*

At ringside, Vince gushes over him for a while.

Match#5 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Merzino
Hell yeah, brother jack dude. Hogan beats the kid ass for a while, and the progress continues. Hogan hits THREE Legdrops to win
**

Post match, he nails another couple of them just to do it. BROTHER.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
March 22nd, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Pat Patterson vs Johnny Rodz
Hell yes. Rodz rushes him to start and piles on offence and it's a lot of fun watching him get a chance to beat the IC champs ass for a while. He throws some wonderful boots in the corner and catches him a few times, and it pisses Pat off as he fires back and kicks the shit out of him in revenge. Pat catches him coming off the ropes with a sunset flip and he gets the win
**1/2

Post match, Rodz tries to attack, but Pat fights him off and holds the ring.

Match#2 Tony Atlas vs Estrada
Gross.
1/2*

At ringside, Atlas talks to Bruno, and i want to die.

Match#3 Tito Santana vs Jojo Andrew
Ariba! Awesome shit from another one or heroes. Crossbody ends it
**

At ringside, Tito talks about how he watches all the wrestlers he can so he knows how to beat them when the time comes.

Match#4 Larry Sharpe vs Mike Masters
Another super fun one for Larry. Lots of arm work and beating the jobbers ass for a while. The jobber is a big dude this week, so it's pretty impressive watching him get his ass kicked. Piledriver ends it
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF LIVE EVENT-MARCH 24TH, 1980. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Match#1 Bulldog Brower vs Frankie WIlliams
Fuck yes, the mad man is finally back in my life. Bulldog beats the piss out of him for a few minutes and it's lot of fun to have him back murdering poor kids. The kid has some token offence and does ok for himself before Brower shuts him down. Bulldog wins with an Elbowdrop
**

Match#2 Kerry Von Erich vs Jose Estrada
Hey, Tornado is here. Haven't seen much of him outside of his WWF run and the Flair match, so it's cool to see him here. Although, iirc he gets really bad and I'll hate him, but that's wrestling. He does some lazy arm work and has some bad strikes, so i hate him already. Jose rules a ton though, and i wish he had been pushed. Kerry catches him running into the corner and flips over into a jackknife to win
*

Match#3 Tor Kamata vs Mike Masters
WHAT A NAME. He's a sumo dude and mauls the kid in amazing fashion. Loads of gross strikes and biting, and just being a prick. He kicks the kid in the face and hits a nasty knee to the skull to win
**

Match#4 Larry Zbyszko vs Bruno Sammartino
Bruno shows how mad he is by....doing arm drags. Fuck you, dude. He owns him on the mat to prove something and it's good, but he should bashing the cunt out of Larry for what he did. Larry hits a flash knee to take over and he beats the hell out of him for all his sins. Bruno's selling looks like shit as he's old as fuck and doesn't do much, but Larry looks awesome and that's what matters. He really beats the crap out of him on the outside and Bruno sells a little better to his credit. Helps that Larry knees him in the head a few times and forces him, but at least he sold it. Bruno never makes a comeback, instead he catches Larry coming through the ropes and starts choking him and won't let go, so the ref DQ's him
**

Bruno has to be held back and the crowd wants Larry dead. In ring, this isn't much, but man the heat shows that doesn't mean dick.

Match#5 Afa vs DeNucci
I get that NY is an Italian market and they ADORE Bruno, but this old fuck is just terrible and needs to go and train the GOAT and leave my reviews the fuck alone. Afa doesn't really bother to help matters as he does some NERVE HOLDS for a while and seems to not give a fuck. Hard to blame him, tbh. DeNucci is horrible and his "comeback" is one of the worst things possible. Afa kills him with a headbutt to win
Catching Covid

Match#6 Bob Backlund (c) vs Sika w/Lou Albano (WWF World Championship)
Sika keeps rushing him because he's an animal and Bob is forced to throw out some amazing arm drags to throw him off and stop from getting killed.He works the arm for a while and does everything to keep him on the backfoot .Sika sells it in a cool way as he seems scared he can't just outmuscle Backlund as he does to everyone, so he has to really fight for it. He flips Backlund over AND HE GRABS A NERVE HOLD ON THE STOMACH. AMAZING. He keeps yanking at it and we get a cool shot of him holding a gutful of Bob. He keeps it on for a while and Backlund sells it really well as he screams in pain and is forced to stand up and try to pry himself loose, and it fucks him up more. BOB HEADBUTTS A FUCKING SAMOAN AND HE GETS FREE FOR A SECOND, BUT YOU CAN'T HEADBUTT A SAMOAN AND SIKA GETS IT BACK ON. Bob finally piledriver the fucker and gets free! He makes a wonderful comeback and beats the piss out of him, but Sika catches him with the Samoan Drop and the flying Headbutt...AND BOB KICKS OUT. Sika goes back up but Bob runs at him and throws him to the mat and jumps on him and gets the 3.
***1/4

Match#7 Andre the Giant & Pat Patterson vs Bobby Duncum & Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard
I LOVE that Andre is the trump card of all the babyfaces in tag matches. Like, no matter how big and ugly the heels are, no one is fucking with Andre. They try to rush him but LOLANDRE. He beats the shit out of them and it's such a blast. Duncum catches him in the face with a kick to send him to the floor to take over, and they have a fun control seg on him for a couple of minutes before he comes back to life and tags in Patterson. ANDRE SITS ON DUNCUM AND PAT JUMPS ON ANDRE'S SHOULDERS AND THE POOR DUDE IS SQUASHED. Pat gets isolated and it's pretty fun for a while. Andre gets back in and murders them, and i mean murders them. At one points he knees poor Bobby in the temple and he just DROPS. Pat gets him in the Figure Four and Andre splashes him to get the 3.
**3/4

Match#8 Hulk Hogan vs Tito Santana
Insane to see this actually happen, but hell yeah. Hogan attacks from behind like a big bully and Tito takes some huge bumps for him, and it's the best Hogan as looked yet. Lots of slams and big boots and it's all coming together. Tito unloads a series of awesome punches and Hogan ducks and weaves and it's fucking surreal. Tito goes for the arm and throws some knees to the ribs on top if it, and Hogan does a good job of briefly selling it. Hogan throws him to the floor and Tito is fucked up and hurt. Hogan locks in a sleeper as he's still growing, but it looks good at least. Hogan hits a Suplex and grabs the tights to win
**3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
March 29th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Rene Goulet & DeNucci vs. O'Hannon & Estrada
Fuuuuuuuuuck. This is nearly 10 minutes and it's the very definition of "DRY" Faces win via a move
1/2*

Match#2 Tor Kamata w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Bimbo Larson
Awesome murder from our new monster. He beats the crap out of him and wins with an awesome Big Splash
**

Post match, they try to load Bimbo on a gurney, but Tor runs back in and kills him with another amazing splash. Blassie gets him out of there and the kid is taken away. Wonderful stuff.

At ringside, Bruno is with Patera and Grand Wizard. GW says the WWF title is going to be theirs and it's only a matter of time. Bruno points out that Patera would need to beat Patterson to get another shot, and Wizard loses it and says he taught that punk everything he knows and Patera will beat him soon enough. Wizard says the only time Putski is strong is when he doesn't bath. DEAD.

Match#3 Andre the Giant vs Rodz & Sciculana
Andre kills our hero and a real sack of shit. They try to double him but LOLANDRE. He murders them for a while and Vince can't stop laughing at it, and it's very cool to listen to him have the time of his life. He beats Rodz with a big boot
**

Match#4 Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard vs. Gomez
Another dull musclehead squash from Patera. Full-Nelson ends it
3/4*

Match#5 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve King
Hell yeah, brother jack dude. Another fun one for Hogan for a few minutes. Really don't want to lose him until 83. but this is the way. Bearhug does the deal
*3/4

 

[Chris]

Pulitzer worthy stuff tbh

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pat Patterson -Since 1/9/79
WWF Tag Team Champions; Tito Santana & Ivan Putski-22/10/79

WWF All-Star Wrestling
April 5th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 The Wild Samoans w/Lou Albano vs Williams & Goulet
The monsters murder a real boring prick and some poor kid, and we're better off for it. Samoan Drops does the deed
**

Match#2 Pat Patterson vs Johnny Rodz
RODZ ATTACKS FROM BEHIND AND RAMS HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLE AND BEATS HIS HEAD IN. Pat is all kinds of hurt, and the commentators are horrified at these actions. Pat slowly crawls back in and unloads a beating in revenge and it's a wonderful thing. Rodz takes a million gross shots and bumps, and he furthers himself as the best jobber in the world. At one point, Rodz grabs the gurney under the ring and throws it at Pat's head and he JUST moves out of the way in time. Rodz rips the turnbuckle pad off and tries to throw Pat into it, but he reverses and kills him and wins with a sunset flip. Fuck yeah.
***

At ringside, Patterson puts Rodz over as a heck of a competitor and he's a tough cookie, but he fought fire with fire and came out on top.

Match#3 Tito Santana vs Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard
Oh shit, two real matches in a row!!! Classic case of power vs speed, and it shows itself as Tito is able to overwhelm him with takedowns and dropkicks, and goes after the arm. Patera uses the strength to take over, and sells his arm whilst doing it! Woah. He sinks in a bearhug for a while and it's pretty tight and whatnot, but he doesn't do much to make it interesting as it's more on Tito for selling it. Tito fights out and has an cool comeback with a ton of fire behind it. Tito gets him in an abdominal stretch for a while, but he's too close to the ropes and Patera throws him over the top, and he runs out and rams his head into the post and wins by countout
**3/4

Match#4 Larry Sharpe vs Figueroa
Larry only get a minute this time after all these real matches, so he quickly beats the crap out of the kid and wins with the Piledriver.
*

At ringside, Vince interviews the WWF doctor about the jobber that Tor killed last week. He says he has broken ribs spent the night in hospital. Bruno demands that Tor be suspended for his actions and he needs to pay a price. LOVE this shit.

Match#5 Larry Zbyszko vs Marc Pole
Larry stalls for a while and lazily puts on holds and treats Pole like a piece of shit. He keeps fucking with him and not really following up on things for a while, and it's a perfect shithead heel work. He wins with a suplex
*3/4

Best episode of WWF tv yet.