Donnie watches WWWWF 1978

[BigVanDonnie]

So, I've been posting these on another forum on the interweb (FEAR THE NET), but Vsky told me to give it a shot posting them here. So, let's see how this goes.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM-Since 30/4/77
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

(There's a women's championship as well, but it's the 70's and means next to nothing. Plus, it's held by one of the shittest people in wrestling in Moolah, and i don't want to write her name if i can help it. So, I'll list it once i hit 84 and THAT feud kicks off)

This 1st post will be matches from TV and a live event from the 14th of January.

Before the 1st match (of this entire series!!!) Superstar makes his way out to a HUGE mass of boos. He shakes Golden Terror's, the ref and the doctor's hands, but he gives Backlund a thumbs down like a real jerk-off.

Bob Backlund vs The Golden Terror (14/1/78 Championship Wrestling)
Awesome showcase for Backlund. He wreaks the jobber on the mat and shows off his strength with bridges and throws. Just a great display of everything he can do, and a sign of what we can expect for the next few years. GT gets a little bit of offence in, but he's a goof and this is only going one way, Bob hits a HUGE Atomic-Drop and GT falls to the floor and gets counted out
**

Dusty Rhodes vs Sylvano Sousa & John Anthony (14/1/78 Championship Wrestling)
Never thought I'd see Dusty in a handicap match, but this is a wonderful time capsule that will bring new things to our eyes. Vince's voice comes over the screen and he plugs the upcoming live events. Wild! Dusty's magnetic personality makes this a ton of fun as he beats the piss out of both of them in awesome fashion. He throws a million elbows and kills them dead. He slams one on the other and sits on top to win
**

Superstar Billy Graham vs Bruno Sammartino (14/1/78- Philadelphia)
JIP. We come in to find Bruno beating the piss out of Superstar. He's more fired up than normal and i can only assume this has been a blood feud after Billy won the title. Bruno's offence is basic as hell, but between the fire and Billy bumping huge, it's a ton of fun. Billy finally cuts him off with a Full-Nelson. He wrenches the hell out of it for a while, and you can hear the crowd live and die with every moment. Bruno fights out and gets one of his own in revenge and it's not as good as Billy's was, which is kind of funny given his reputation. It turns into a dog-fight from there with both men throwing some nasty shots. It comes off as SUPER gritty and dramatic in the best way as they trade control. BILLY GETS HIS HEAD SMASHED OFF THE POST AND HE'S BUSTED WIDE OPEN. BRUNO GOES INSANE ON THE CUT AND KICKS AND PUNCHES THE HELL OUT OF HIM. THE REF REALISES BRUNO MIGHT KILL HIM, SO HE STOPS THE MATCH AND AWARDS IT TO BRUNO. Holy shit, what a fight. Love that they set up a rematch with a unique finish that furthers the feud AND protects both of them.
***1/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

All-Star is on the network from 78-early 82, so we've got a main show to work off of.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM-Since 30/4/77
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

WWWF All Star Wrestling
January 28th, 1978

Tony Garea tells us to fight childhood diabetes.

Match#1 Ken Patera w/Capt Lou Albano vs SD Jones
Sadly this isn't very good. Not all on Ken this time, as SD works a headlock for half of it and it's not much. Ken also works a headlock. FUCK YOU BOTH. The highlight is Vince saying "Ken with whatever hold that is" as he does a chinlock. Ken finally throws him over the top and wins via countout
1/2*

SD is mad after and tries to attack, but the heels leave him laying.

Before his match, man of the people Mr Backlund signs autographs for the kids at ringside.

Match#2 Bob Backlund vs Baron Mikel Scicluna
Bob saves the day with yet another great squash. Between his awesome offence, little bit of bumping and his childlike glee at everything, it's just a ton of fun. He wins with a great small-package to cut off a tiny flury. The best.
**1/4

At ringside, Vince is with Larry Zybszko and Tony Garea. They deliver one of the driest promos I've ever heard. Like, seeing Larry without charisma doesn't feel real, but this is proof that it was a thing for a time. They want the titles.

Match#3 Mil Mascaras vs Jose Estrada
OH NO. Mil is here to make my life a little worse. Big selfish asshole that gets praise for showing up to work. He has a long standing rep as a complete cunt that refuses to sell or put anyone over. In his own words "One problem is that in the U.S. some wrestlers focus more on their image than their skills. I understand because I understand the business. I don't criticize them for that, but they should understand that for me wrestling means something more. If a guy doesn't execute a move, I don't pretend that he did. If I miss a move, then I don't ask anyone to make me look good". Just a fucking prick. Jose doesn't get to do much and mostly is eaten alive. Just to further prove he's a prick, he wins with a terrible looking hammerlock.
FUCK OFF

Match#4 Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Frankie Williams & Ted Adams
Spiros is big brute that blasts the hell out of people, so i like him a lot. He handles them both with ease like a bully beating up two little shits. He does the same slam one on the other to win move.
**

Match#5 Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea vs Jack Evans & Larry Sharpe
Not that Jack Evans. sadly. Let's hope AEW books it one day. Like the promo, this is a pretty dry match. Just no fire or kick to anything the faces do, and it suffers as a result. Larry's heel turn can't come soon enough. Dude is dying as face in this role. Jobbers aren't much either, so no help on that end. It's all SO dry and has nothing you can sink your teeth into. Larry's hot tag is fun, and I'm happy he's the glimmer of hope. He wins with a Crucifix
*1/2

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Bob Backlund vs Frank Marconi (11/2/78-Championship Wrestling)
Going to include this in the review for ASW, because it's the only match from the show, so it's silly to make a single post for it. Plus, i can't skip anything Bob does. As always, this is a great squash for him. Just never fails to be fun and worth your time. The jobber gets some token offence and it's not bad at all, he's just got no chance of beating Bob. Levels to this shit. Atomic-Drop does the deal
**

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM-Since 30/4/77
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
February 11th, 1978

Larry Z says we should fight childhood diabetes

Match#1 Baron Mikel Scicluna & Butcher Paul Vachon w/Capt Lou Albano vs SD Jones & Pete Austin
Awesome roughhouse squash from two ugly bastards. It's all punches and stomps, but they're thrown with anger and that's what we need. It's also great to see SD gets his ass beat after his last match. Butcher hits a double stomp and Baron follows with a knee drop to win
**

Match#2 Stan "The Man" Stasiak w/The Grand Wizard vs Peter Maivia
The father of Planet Stasiak is here to beat people up. He's famous for his heart punch and his 9 day WWWWF title run. Just a big burly dude that hits like a truck, and looks a little demented. Maivia is fun again, and shows off his strength by throwing him around a little. They trade stiff strikes and it comes across as a real fight, which is always the best thing. Stan takes some HUGE bumps for his size, and Peter returns the favour. They fight on the outside and batter each other with the wooden steps, before the ref counts them out
**1/4

At ringside, Vince is with Blassie and Spiros! Freddie rips a fat fan in the front row and says Spiros would headbutt him to death. PENCIL NECK GEEK HAS BEEN OUT OF SHAPE SINCE HE WAS BORN. THE SANITATION DEPARTMENT FORGOT TO TAKE HIM AWAY WHEN THEY LAST CLEANED THE ARENA. DEAD. Vince is trying not to laugh at all of this! Spiros says he loves hearing the crack of faces when he punches people and like seeing blood on top of that. Freddie says Haystacks Calhoun is a coward and will never fight Spiros. Spiros says he and Freddie are class and he does everything with class. Freddie shows off his new cane and diamond suit and says he is class. Vince asks Spiros if it bothers him that Freddie takes 20% off the top and makes him fight. Spiros says he doesn't care because he knows the world title is coming to him.

Match#3 Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Reeves & Johnson
Awesome squash from Spiros. Beats the snot out of them for a while in great fashion. One of the jobbers gets fucked up when his head his the steps, so the other eats a backbreaker for the loss
**

Match#4 Dominic DeNucci vs Joe Turco
Dom is famous for training Mick Foley and Shane Douglas. He's your classic old-school grapper type that moves slow, but can and will fuck a man's day up. He dominates for a while and wins with a rollup.
**

Match#5 Mr Fuji & Professor Tanaka vs Marcus and Williams
The champs aren't very good in squashes as the nerve holds come across as dull and lazy, and not scary and dangerous. Shitty elbow to the throat by Tanaka does it
1/2*

 

[Chris]

Ayy yo good shit. I haven't seen a ton of pre-WrestleMania stuff but I'm gonna love reading through these

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM-Since 30/4/77
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
February 18th, 1978

Match#1 Bob Backlund vs Jack Evans
Mr Backlund gets 6 minutes to cook, and wouldn't you know its awesome as hell. Jack is another solid jobber, so he makes this fun from his end, and Bob's stuff is the best. He attacks the leg and has some violent stuff to it for a few minutes. The jobber sells it, which makes it even cooler. Bob hits his disgusting double underhook suplex to win
**1/4

Capt Lou runs down to the ring and stares at Backlund. Bob dares him to get in, but he bails and Bob is left alone. That was very weird

Match#2 Dino Bravo vs Slyvano Sousa
FUCK NO. I hate Dino so, so soooooooooooooooooooo much. He's really shit and i don't think I've ever seen a good match from him during the 80's, so i don't hold out hope. Might have to add him to the list of wrestlers i skip. He works the arm and its all dull and dry and leads nowhere. He wins with an Airplane spin
1/2*

At ringside, Vince is with Stan and the Wizard. Vince wonders if the Heart Punch has been figured out after all these years. Stan wraps his hand and says its nothing but his fist, and he's sick of being doubted. Wizard says go and find the people Stan has put in the hospital with the Heart Punch. Stan says he likes to win via other means and it means nothing. Vince again asks if it because it's been figured out. Wizard blows it off and says Vince is stirring trouble. Speaking of, Vince says Wizard spends more time with SBG instead of him, and wonders if he's jealous. Stan says there is none there and it's all about respect.

Match#3 Stan "The Man" Stasiak w/The Grand Wizard vs Paul Austin
Killer squash from the big man. Just batters the piss out of the jobber and ends his life with the Heart Punch
**

Stan shouts to Vince 'DOES THAT PUNCH WORK" Fuck yeah, Stan.

Match#4 Dominic DeNucci vs Larry Sharpe
Dom strangely works a long back and forth with a jobber, and its not good. Ofc its not good, dude is a nothing jobber getting offence. Rollup ends it after 8 fucking minutes
1/2*

Match#5 Mr Fuji & Professor Tanaka w/Freddie Blassie vs SD Jones & Danny Johnson
Another really bad squash for the champs. Just going to assume the first match was out of the ordinary and i should expect crap. Bad elbow ends it
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Ayy yo good shit. I haven't seen a ton of pre-WrestleMania stuff but I'm gonna love reading through these

Thank you so much. Hope you can find some gems out of it.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM-Since 30/4/77
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

LIVE EVENTS: 18-20 OF FEBRUARY

Superstar Billy Graham (C) vs Bruno Sammartino (WWWWF World Championship-Steel Cage-Philadelphia 18/2/78)
REMATCH TIME. TV was doing my head in, so it's a welcome sight to see two humans murder each other. Gorilla makes his debut (for me) on commentary, so all the pieces are slowly coming together. Billy keeps trying to escape as soon as the bell rings, so Bruno makes him eat shit in amazing ways. Just blasts the fuck out of him, and SBG takes some LUDICROUS bumps for a dude his size. Zero fear on killing himself for the fans. He bleeds buckets again and Bruno isn't as mean as he was before, he still beats the hell out of him. Billy finally cuts him off with a low-blow, but Bruno has balls of steel as it doesn't stop him at all. SBG keeps trying to stop him, but Bruno is a FORCE and can't be stopped for long. It's cool that he's making him shit, but he's also old as fuck and shouldn't be able to dominate this easily. He pays for it when he kicks him too hard against the door and Billy falls through and wins. hahahahahahahahah
***

We go to ringside to find SBG and Wizard with Vince. They confirm that Backlund is the next challenger! Billy cuts his standard promo that Hogan and Dusty will do better in years to come. Wizard says there is no way Backlund can overcome this force and it's all over.

Bob walks over to talk to Vince. He says he can't say anymore about his and SBG's backgrounds, and its time to fight.

We get one more interview with Wizard. He admits there is a little bit of reluctance to fight Bob because he's an All American, but SBG will get it done. LOVE that so much. Wizard is the best of the Wiseman.

Superstar Billy Graham (C) w/Grand Wizard vs Bob Backlund (WWWWF World Championship 20/2/78-MSG)
JIP. AFAIK no full footage is out there, so this is the best we can do. Bob is seemingly countering everything SBG has thrown at him, and it looks like Billy is slowly realising his time is over. I wish we could see it all, because i bet i would love this. BOB COUNTERS THE FULL NELSON BY SLIPPING HIS FOOT OUT AND SBG IS REALLY FUCKING SHOOK. Bob doesn't lose his head and stays on him every chance he gets. He survives some power stuff and slowly starts to overwhelm him. SBG locks him in the Bearhug and Bob slowly breaks it and hiptosses him AND MSG LOSES IT. He fights out of another and locks on of his own, and it's amazing. Bob is the best. BOB HITS A HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE RUNNING ATOMIC DROP AND HE WINS THE TITLE (despite SBG's foot being on the ropes, but fuck hm) HELL YES.
**3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: MR FUJI & PROFESSOR TANAKA-Since 27/9/77

TV MATCHES NOT ON THE NETWORK

For all the good about the Network (HIGH SPOT) having missing shows is the worst. Thankfully, the other means has some from March.

Dusty Rhodes vs Baron Mikel Sciculana (18/3/78)
Dusty is wearing a singlet with stars on it, and it's a baaaaaaaaad look. This is good fun though, as both men are fired up and hit each other very hard. Vince announces Backlund as picked a manager for himself. OH NO. Baron works the arm for a bit to get rid of the elbow that will kill him. Pretty basic good work, and decent selling from Dusty. He quickly cuts him off with a punt to the face and hits an elbow to win
**1/4

Superstar Billy Graham w/The Grand Wizard vs Tony Garea (18/3/78)
Tony catches SBG off guard and gets a lot of offence in. Really cool story of the title lost messing with his head and not handing shit as easy as he should. SBG hits a gross elbow to stun him, but he can't handle him for long. Tony looks the best I've seen him, and had he won a singles title, you could call this his breakout. He keeps dominating for a while, and it's great. THEY FIGHT ON THE OUTSIDE AND BILLY KICKS HIM AWAY AND QUICKLY SLIDES IN TO STEAL IT VIA COUNTOUT
**3/4

Larry Zybszko vs Mr Fuji (25/3/78)
Oh, joy. Larry is again not a very good face, and Fuji is fat and old and doesn't give a shit. Just a terrible matchup. Fuji kinda works the arm, and Larry at least sells it, so kudos. Other than that, they trade headlocks for a while and not much else. Larry gets a rollup but the time expires after 5 minutes. WHAT
3/4*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

The tag titles switched hands on a show i don't have, but one I'm glad to not have. Like, just imagine how horrible Bravo/Fuji would be.

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
March 25th, 1978

Thankfully, only a 30 minute episode.

Match#1 Larry Zybszko vs The Golden Terror
MUCH better way to showcase Larry than what they've given him so far. He gets to display how great he is on the mat, and how mean he can get when he needs to if someone fucks with him. The one problem is this is nearly 10 minutes long, which is insane but everything pre boom is is a time capsule, so kind of cool as well. GT takes over for a bit and it's fine enough for a goober in a bodysuit. He tackles Larry into the ropes and grabs a claw on the stomach and refuses to let go, so the ref DQ's him. YUCK
*3/4

Match#2 The Yukon Lumberjacks (Eric & Pierre) w/Capt Lou Albano vs Williams and Freeman
HELL YES. Lumberjacks are exactly what you expect. Two big burly bearded monsters that beat the hell out of people, and win our hearts. They clobber the heck out of them, and it's SO much better than the horrible tag matches I've seen thus far. The Jacks do that thing where they throw the jobber back into his corner and make him tag out, so they can kill the other one. Love it. Eric really stands at a wild man when he laughs and dares the jobbers to hit him harder. They hit a double Lariat to win
**

At ringside, Vince is with Butcher and Mikel. They give a really long promo covering their history and how they feel insulted by Vince never interviewing them, or giving them any props. Butcher goes into the history of his family and name drops them all, including his daughter! (I really suggest learning about the family and the heights and heartbreaking lows they went though. One of the tragic tales in wrestling) They challenge all the teams in the world, and Vince sadly brings up Strongbow/Maivia, so you know what's next.

Match#3 Luke Graham w/The Grand Wizard vs King & Madera
Luke is the kayfabe brother of Billy. Not a bad likeness, actually.

He's a big dude that does your run of mill 70's power stuff. Nothing remarkable, but decent nonetheless. HE DOES THE SLAM SPOT TO WIN. STOP IT
3/4*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

LIVE EVENT MARCH 25TH, 1978
THE SPECTRUM

Before his title defence, we see Bob has hired Arnold Skaaland as his new manager. He's going to regret that by 1983.

Match#1 Bob Backlund (C) w/Arnold Skaaland vs Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie (WWWWF World Championship)
Spiros is my new favourite dude, so this makes me very happy to see him on this stage. Bob grinds him down right away by grabbing the waist and making Arion carry his weight, or kick out. Really smart gameplan from him to make Spiros use his energy. Arion finally gets fed up and goes for Bob's throat with a choke to take over. He boots him in the skull and starts beating the hell out of him. LOVE that Bob tried to keep it clean, so Spiros went right for the throat like a dirty bastard. Spiros keeps trying to go to the face whenever he gets a chance, but Bob continually manages to fight him off in more desperate ways. At one point he headbutts Spiros just to get some space, which really shows the effect its having on him. He finally snatches the leg off an attempted kick, and he goes to town on it. Awesome stuff from the childlike madman as he gleefully rips it to pieces, and once again the crowd LOVES him. Spiros gets up when he reaches the ropes and he rips the turnbuckle pad off, AND THEN HE KICKS BOB IN THE DICK WHEN THE REF HAS HIS BACK TURNED. He keeps beating the hell out him and it looks like he might be able to do it. He locks in the Backbreaker, BUT BOB FIGHTS OUT AND THROWS SPIROS INTO THE EXPOSED BUCKLE FOR REVENGE! HE HITS HIM WITH A PILEDRIVER, BUT ARION KICKS OUT. SO, BOB DRIVES HIS HEAD INTO THE BUCKLE AND HITS THE ATOMIC DROP, BUT THE REF GETS BUMPED. They trade shots until Strongbow and some faces run out to stop it, and i guess the match is over
***1/4

BOB'S NOT DONE AS HE TACKLES SPIROS AND THEY HAVE TO GET PULLED APART BY STRONGBOW AND STASIAK. What a thing.

Match#2 Ken Patera vs Bruno Sammartino
I wanted to skip the rest of the show, but i will watch EVERY match possible, so even this hell gets watched. This isn't anywhere as good as Bruno/SBG as far as musclehead fights go, buuuuuuuuuut it's not the worst thing. Bruno is still fired up and beats the crap out of this doofus, and Ken does have some fun bumps. They keep going back and forth and it's pretty decent. Bruno gets the best of it, because fuck putting a kid over that's actually going to be here for a while. Not that i want Ken here, but you get my point. Ken finally gets to take over and it's good enough. Bruno sells at least, but you can tell he's not pleased. He quickly cuts it off and we go back to the back and forth, in-between Bruno mostly controlling everything else. I HATE YOU, BRUNO, YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL BAD FOR KEN PATERA. They fight on the outside and get counted out
*3/4

Bruno keeps beating him up so we know who the real winner was. The falling out with Vince can't come quick enough.

Match#3 Haystacks Calhoun vs Nikolai Volkoff
The evil Commie vs a giant country boy = PRO WRESTLING. Haystacks squashes the hell out of him, and Vince says he heard Volkoff is leaving to become a boxer. Not sure what that shot was for, but he said it and right after Haystacks splashed him and won
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

A month of TV is missing, so we skip straight to April. On one hand its frustrating to have so many gaps, on the other it means I'll be out of the 70's in a week. So, not all bad.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
April 15th, 1978

Match#1 Dominic DeNucci & Dino Bravo vs Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada
Not good at all. Really dull, dry and lacking any semblance of fire. Really shows had bad the tag division is, and how it's probably not getting better until 86/87. Dino is the pits, but DeNucci doesn't look much better on this night. Can't wait for the Lumberjacks to end these fucks. Airplane spin ends it
Look, i promised myself i wouldn't make jokes about murder, but Dino was clearly a fucking moron for messing with the Mob.

Match#2 Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Dennis Johnson
FUCK YEAH, SPIROS. Another super fun murder from our Greek hero. Backbreaker does the deal
**

At ringside, Vince interviews them. Freddie says they have an open contract for title match with Backlund, and he will have before he goes 6ft underground. Blassie says the people Spiros have been beating all fantastic athletes, and he's more than ready for Backlund. Freddie starts ripping on the fat fans again and says they all smell. REKT.

Match#3 Butcher Paul Vachon & Stan Stasiak w/The Grand Wizard vs SD Jones & Peter Maivia
No clue what happened to the Baron, but this is a better upgrade. The heels jump Peter right away and clobber him for a good while. Mean basic clubbing from some ugly humans. SD's hot tag is pretty fun as he goes wild with slams and headbutts. Best he's looked thus far. They cut him off though, and the control work is pretty fun. NERVE HOLD FROM STAN. The best. Peter's hot tag isn't much, and i have to say he's really not very good. SD gets back in and about 30 seconds later the time expires.
*3/4

Match structure in the 70's for TV is really fucked up. Like, i get it was nothing like it is now, but you'd think they'd have a better handle on putting together more coherent matches, so they could end with some tension and drama

Match#4 Ken Patera w/Capt Lou Albano vs Adams and Madera
Same squash as always from the Big Mac hater.
1/2*

Match#5 Strong Kobayashi w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Rodriguez
I haven't seen Strong before, but he looks good. He wins in 30 seconds with a Suplex
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

LIVE EVENT-MSG

Vince is standing by. He goes over the rules of the cage, and then brings out Bob. He says he's excited because Billy will have to face him like a man, and this is the only way he wants it. The best man will win, and he hopes its him.

SBG walks on and says he has filed a petition to have a roof put on the top so Bob can't run away and escape. He wants NO WAY OUT, and he wants his title back.

We cut to another promo where SBG is throwing a chair screaming that he'll kill Bob and take it all back. Wizard says SBG has had 117 cage matches and Bob has had none. This is made for them and he wants the title back polished with ALL diamonds intact.

Bob cuts another promo where he says the same things again.

Bob Backlund (C) vs Superstar Billy Graham (WWWWF World Championship-April 25th)
Japanese commentary for REASONS. Very strange, but I'm here for the strangeness of it all. It gets CLIPPED as hell, sadly. We do get some great moments of Bob being an insane bumper and beating the shit out of SBG whenever he can. Both men bleed and i wish we had a complete match. Bob escapes the door to win

MISSING TV

Haystacks Calhoun, Larry Zybszko & Mil Mascaras vs Golden Terror, TANK PATTON & Strong Kobayashi (May 6th)
What a cast of insane wrestlers we have here. TANK is a big dude who wears a tank helmet and looks like he'd be a cool dude to drink with. The faces dominate for a while, and it's a lot of fun watching them make the heels eat shit. Larry gets briefly isolated and that's fun, but it doesn't last long as that pesky shithead Mil needs time in the ring to be the worst. Just drags it all down with his bullshit. He never tags back out and handles them all with ease. He wins with his shitty crossbody
3/4*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
May 6th, 1978

Very good Dusty promo to kick us off



Match#1 Larry Zybszko & Haystacks Calhoun vs MOOSE & Bill Dixon
The weird AF WWWF tag division continues with this duo. Just very weird and odd, and doesn't fit at all. This is good though, as they get lots of time to show off and nuke the jobbers. Weird finish as Larry throws a jobber into Haystacks and he bounces off and that's enough for 3
*1/2

At ringside, Vince is with Freddie and Spiros. THAT FAT FAN IS GOING TO A FAT FARM SO HE CAN FATTEN UP THE PIGS. He is a Classy man that trades in cars when the ashtrays get dirty, and he spends more than he makes. He kicks girls out when he gets tired of them. He LOVES the best, and he only has the best around him in who he manages and who his friends are. Vince again asks how this partnership works, and both men swear loyalty to each other. It cuts off as Spiros talks about crippling bodies.

Match#2 Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Gene Crespo
Awesome squash from Spiros as always. Backbreaker does the job after a few fun minutes.
**

Match#3 TANK PATTON vs SD Jones
This goes nearly 8 minutes in another 1970's fucking choice. It's fine enough, but neither man has enough offence to go this long. They fight on the outside and punch the hell out of each other and the ref counts them out
*

Match#4 Peter Maivia vs Turco
This get nearly 10 as well. HOLY SHIT, THIS IS A TEST. The boom can't come quick enough. Or, at least 81/82 can't come quick enough so we can get some TV that's a million times better than this. Peter wins
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
May 13th, 1978

Match#1 Dominic DeNucci & Dino Bravo vs TANK PATTON & The Golden Terror
Another nearly 10 minute match. Just fucking kill me. Airplane ends it
Frtiz Von-Erich as a Dad.

Match#2 George "The Animal" Steele w/Capt Lou Albano vs Gene Crespo
THANK YOU, GOD. Animal beats the holy hell out of this idiot and looks amazing while doing it. Just a wonderful wildman performance. Vince is the best as he wants to find out why his tongue is green, and he will demand answers from Albano. Animal wins with his awesome Hammerlock. Eat shit, Mil
**
George eats a buckle to celebrate.

At ringside, Vince is with Lou. The Captain says that was beautiful and exciting and his freak of nature is a true throwback. He leaves the scene to check on the Animal who is lying on the apron eating the mat. He comes back and says the fans say horrible things that are in fact true. LOU SAYS WHEN A PERSON IS AROUSED THEY MIGHT HAVE SECRETION COMING FROM THE STOMACH, HE THEN STOPS HIMSELF SO HE CAN INSULT A 4 EYED WOMAN WITH A FAT LITTLE HUSBAND. HE EXPLAINS HOW SECRETION WORKS AND SAYS GEORGE'S TONGUE IS GREEN BECAUSE HE'S AROUSED. AMAZING. Lou goes back to ripping the fans and then says George is officially challenging the likes of Monsoon, Bravo, Putski and Dusty, and they'll eventually fight Bob Backlund. YES.

That was perfect. Of course Lou made me eat shit.

Match#3 The Yukon Lumberjacks w/Capt Lou Albano vs Charlie Brown & SD Jones
Lou further fixes things by having his men murder some losers. Bless his heart. Awesome beating from the big fellas. Just everything you could want from two real hosses, and not fake losers like Brian Cage. Double Lariat ends it
**

Match#4 Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Pete Austin
Same great squash as always. This episode is the best thing they've done thus far in terms of TV. I hold out hope, like a fool. Backbreaker does it.
**

Match#5 Larry Zbyszko, Haystacks Calhoun & Peter Maivia vs Paul Vachon, Strong Kobayashi & MOOSE
Butcher is losing partners faster than Spinal Tap lost drummers. Peter is at least an upgrade of Mill, but that's not saying much. This is basically a squash for the faces, which really sucks. MOOSE gets splashed for the loss
1/2*

The faces say some face things to close the show

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: DOMINIC DENUCCI & DINO BRAVO. Since 14/3/77

LIVE EVENTS FROM JAPAN JUNE

So, Technically this is a NJPW match but it was included in the pack, and it has our champion facing off with Inoki. So, fuck it, they count for this review. Plus, this bleeds in 79 when the phantom title change happens, so it REALLY matters that we cover it.

Bob Backlund w/Arnold Skaaland vs Antonio Inoki (2/3 Falls-June 1st)
As always, Inoki's jaw is a MARVEL of human wonder and i want to touch it. Really fantastic struggle to gain the advantage to start. Inoki has the size, but Backlund has heart (and might be a serial killer) so he goes hold for hold with him. Inoki goes for the head and shoulders, AND HE HITS A GROSS SHOOT HEADBUTT, AND BOB SHAKES IT OFF AND DOESN'T BACK DOWN. FUCK YES, BOB. He goes right back to trying to wear down Inoki, and it's great stuff. He again uses the waist to hold the other man down and make them zap energy trying to fight out of it as he holds on like a pitbull. He holds on so tight they stumble out of the ring and slowly stare each other down as they get back in. They keep struggling for everything and it's a ton of fun to watch, but hard to review because i would need to cover everything like our uncle Biggie, and that's not me. Just know that it rules, and you should watch it. Bob pulls ahead and works the leg as he has done for the last 6 months. Again, he smile like a nutcase as he rips it up, and i can't wait for his 94 run. He keeps at for a few minutes and Inoki sells it really well in transition. Inoki fights out and grabs a full-nelson and works the neck and hits another horrific headbutt, AND BOB'S NOSE IS BROKEN. OH FUCK. It gets all dramatic as Bob desperately tries to fight back into it. They fight on the outside and INOKI SLAMS BOB ON THE FLOOR AND RUNS BACK IN TO WIN THE IST FALL BY COUNTOUT. Really cool moment as Skaaland tries to argue you can't call a countout on something this big, but the ref blows him off. They get back into it and it gets all dramatic as Inoki keeps trying to end it, but Bob has heart and won't be put down. They fight until the time expires
***1/4

There's another match on the pack, but the quality is shithouse, so no good. See you in 79, Inoki