Donnie watches WWWWF 1979

[BigVanDonnie]

Once again this will be done off the Network and XWT. All-Star is missing a ton of episodes, but we've got enough of that and everything to have the most complete year yet. Also, I'm making sure i don't fuck up any dates this time, which will help when we get to the famed Intercontinental Championship orgy tournament later in the year.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea-Since 21/11/78

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
January 20th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

Match#1 Steve Travis vs Baron Mikel Scicluna
Vince and Bruno treat Travis like a big deal, but I've never heard of the dude so press X for doubt. He looks like he walked off a porn set, or the like. Either way, he's not too shabby. Moves pretty well and looks like he could have some bangers if needed. They have a pretty fun fight with lots of control shifts and the like. Travis get a backslide to win
**1/4

Match#2 The Valiant Brothers (Jim & John) w/Capt Lou Albano vs Victor & Mascara
BOOGIE WOOGIE MAN IS HERE. Not a good wrestler at all, but a massive ball of good vibes you must love. Johnny is fat and old and is the worst member, which is a damning statement. This isn't good at all. Lots of bad strikes and shitty clubbing. Johnny hits an elbow off the top to the back of the head and then one to the chest to win
1/2*

They beat up the jobbers after the match.

Match#3 Ivan Putski vs Tony Russo
Goddamnit, this is not the way we should be starting a new year. Ivan still sucks a ton, and Russo isn't a good jobber, so fuck this.
1/2*

At ringside, Vince is with the Valiant clan. Insane Jimmy promo that i can't make sense of happens, and everyone should watch his promos and do lots of pills. LARRY ZYBSZKO IS SHORT AND JIMMY HATES SHORT PEOPLE. I love him so much. Also, they want the titles or something, but all that matters is Jimmy is our hero.

Match#4 Dick "Bulldog" Brower w/Capt Lou Albano vs Charlie Brown
Bulldog is the vet that Jericho cut a promo on for his first match and called him old, so Bulldog reminded him that he was getting his ass kicked tonight and he should never bury another wrestler. Jericho has always been a dick is what I'm saying. Bulldog is a fat old dude that beats the shit out of the jobber for a few minutes and it's awesome. HE PICKS UP THE WOODEN STEPS AND SMACKS THEM OFF THE JOBBERS HEAD. HOLY SHIT. Big knee drop does it
**1/4

Match#5 Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Luis Tolinichi
HAMMER THEM DEAD! Love this man so, so so much. He has a rep of being boring for a lot of his career, and that's true post 88, but sure as hell not before. He batters the shit out of the jobber with the gross elbows and big knees to the body. Just a prick of a wrestler beating a poor kid up, and we love it. Two gross elbows to the chest ends it
**1/4

Match#6 Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea vs Paul Molino & Johnny Rodz
The champs have matching robes and they look sweet. This fucking rules . Rodz is awesome so he adds a lot to it, and forces the champs to fight harder to shut him down. Larry/Rodz is wonderful, and i need a longer match this year. Same for him vs Tony, which also rules. Rodz gets to isolate Tony and beat him up for a while, and it's so much fun. Rodz takes a HUGE bump over the top rope and eats shit on the floor! Larry's hot tag is awesome as always, and Rodz dies for him. THE CHAMPS USE THE WGTT FINISH ON RODZ, AND IT'S AWESOME AS SHIT. They keep fighting him and he survives it, but his shitty partner can't do the same. They get him alone and Tony beats him with the Abdominal Stretch.
***

That was out of nowhere fantastic, and i love the fact they made it look like it was going to be a standard showcase only to shock us all by giving Rodz the world. That's the pro wrestling i fucking love. 79 might be the best year yet.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Larry Zybszko w/Tony Garea vs Ivan Koloff w/Capt Lou Albano (27/1/79-Championship Wrestling)
Larry fights for his dad's honor! Truly the best wrestling son this side of Eddie Gilbert, or Terry Funk. Like his partner did a few weeks ago, Larry carries him to a good match, but nothing beyond that. All good solid basics from Larry, and Ivan is a fine passenger to all of this and doesn't touch the radio. Larry hurls himself around for the control seg and it's great stuff from him, and Ivan does throw a some really nasty shots on top of it. Larry's comeback is short but fun, before Lou attacks him for the DQ
**

They keep fighting in the ring, so Gorilla runs down and forces the heels to leave.

Vince interviews the faces after it all settles down. Larry says he's thankful for Tony watching his back, and they'll get revenge.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea-Since 21/11/78

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
January 27th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania.


TONIGHT: LARRY VS JOHN VALIANT

Match#1 Steve Travis vs Victor Rivera
Victor is no longer with Blassie, so i guess Vince was right. This is very fun though, as both dudes are solid and have a pretty fun match as a result. Victor's control is good times again, and Steve is a good FIP, so no complaints there. They move into back and forth and that's fine as well, This a fine pro wrestling match. ST takes a gross header to the concrete, and it's one of THOSE moment that's makes you step back and realise the dangers of this. Victor is a prick and goes for the face with awesome punches and stomps, until ST makes a cool comeback. Loads of fire from the big man. They keep fighting until the time limit expires
**3/4

Victor taunts him like an asshole, so ST shakes the shit out of him until he runs off.

Match#2 Ivan Koloff w/Capt Lou Albano vs Steve King
Decent enough squash this week from Ivan, which is a nice change of pace. Knee-Drop does it
*1/4

At ringside, Ivan talks about how he's back to his very best and he wants Bruno in rematch, and then the title. That's me summing up a near 6 minute promo. JESUS

Match#3 Johnny Rodz vs Flying Fred Curry
FFC is a big tall grappler dude, that kind of looks like a smaller Bruno. Rodz is the man again, and does everything in his power to put on a banger. Bumping, selling offence, all of it rules. Flying dude wins with a Dropkick, sadly
**

Match#4 Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Frank Williams
Another awesome squash for Hammer. Can't wait for the Backlund and Tito feuds, that shit is going to rule so much. Elbow to the chest ends it
**

Match#5 Larry Zybszko vs John Valiant w/Capt Lou Albano
Larry's second match of the day, and another very fun carry job of a fat old guy who's prime was 10 years before. It's all in the bumping, selling and offence of a great pro wrestler doing his thing. John jumps him from behind and Larry again hurls himself all over to make it work, only thing he can't save is a fucking nerve hold. You aren't Japanese, so fuck off. Larry's comeback again rules, and i just wish he had better heels to work with. *cough, Rodz, cough* They fight to the outside and Lou attacks for the DQ
**1/4

BRUNO JUMPS OFF COMMENTARY AND MAKES ALBANO SHIT HIS PANTS AND RUN OFF. DON'T MESS WITH BRUNO'S REAL SON.

Vince interviews the faces at ringside, and Larry sells his shoulder because he's the best. He says we must stop Albano from messing with them, and he'll finish all their careers. Tony rubs his partners shoulders because he's the best friend. The show closes out from there

1979 rules thus far. Let's hope it stays this way

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea-Since 21/11/78

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
February 10th, 1978
Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Match#1 Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Joe Mascara
Another super fun one for Hammer. Bruno again adds a little something these when he speaks of how tough the jobber is, and how it won't be easy. Really helps it matter a little more. Elbows to the chest does it
**

Match#2 Flying Fred Curry vs Baron Mikel Scicluna
Battle of the names! Bruno again adds to this when talking about how tough each man is, and how it could turn into a test of wills. Commentator Bruno is ok. This is a good fight with some fun struggles and hard shots. Baron makes the kid work for everything and doesn't take it easy, and FFC gives as good as he gets. FFC flips over Baron and grabs a tight pin to win
**1/4

At ringside, Vince is with Bulldog Brower and Albano. BROWER POWER IS BACK AND HERE TO STAY. ALL THESE FAT IDIOTS ARE FAKE TOUGH GUYS, AND HE IS HERE TO FIGHT BOB BACKLUND AND WIN THE WWWF TITLE BECAUSE HIS CAPT DEMANDED IT. Complete fucking crazy man. Love him. Albano says Bulldog is a schizophrenic suicidal, homicidal human that will snap at any moment. Bulldog starts twitching and screaming as Lou says he's all better now and need some sympathy from the fans. The fans get more and more riled up and Bulldog gets more and more insane and screams no one will stop him. This fucking rules.

Match#3 Bulldog Brower w/Capt Lou Albano vs Mark Cole
Cole looks like Gertner, which is amazing. This is another amazing mean squash from the Bulldog. He just batters the kid with everything he's got, and it helps the gimmick so much. Unlike a fraud like the Bezerker, Bulldog never fails to feel legit. He hits a big elbow to the skull to win
**

Match#4 Steve Travis vs John Schmidt
ST has another fun squash. Like FFC, he moves well and is always doing something, so these are pretty fun to watch. He hits a big lifting knee and a splash to take it
**

Match#5 Larry Zybszko, Tony Garea & Ivan Putski vs Stan Stasiak, Johnny Rodz & Mike Hall
Nice of WWWWF to fuck me out of my dream tag match by adding slop to it. Like, imagine these 4 for 20 minutes! Still, this is a lot of fun and the dead weight doesn't really hinder it. Everything we get between the main 4 is fantastic, and i can't speak highly enough of all of them. Putski is again a fake meathead, and i hate him so much. Needed to say that. Garea beats hall with a sunset flip
**1/4

Vince interviews the winners at ringside. Goes the way you expect.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea-Since 21/11/78

LIVE EVENT-FEBRUARY 19TH, 1979-MSG

Vince announces that Greg Valentine is the #1 contender and will be facing Mr Backlund.

Bob walks on as Vince says he's beaten Maivia in a cage (damn it) and he's taking them one at a time. Well, Greg is breaking legs every week with that devastating Figure-Four Leg-hold. Bob says he's been watching him hurt people and he knows he'll have his hands full, and he can only hope his leg doesn't get broken. He admits he could submit if Greg gets it on, but he believes he can counter it.

Greg and The Wizard make their way on. Valentine says Bob doesn't speak like a man and he's got him beat already. He says if he puts the Leg-Lock on after he knocks him out, there will be no way he's getting out and he'll be the next world champion.

I've never seen this, but I've heard great things about it being amazing. So, let's find out.

Bob Backlund (C) w/Arnold Skaaland vs Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard (WWWWF World Championship)
Greg tres to go for the leg, so Bob fights out and lets out a big cheer and the Garden loses it. He grabs a super tight headlock and holds on for dear life. Greg tries to fight out of it with all he can, but Backlund is not having it. Greg tries to Monkey-flip out of it, AND BOB LETS GO AND GRABS IT BACK ON AS SOON AS GREG ROLLS HIM BACK OVER! I love Bob. He keeps it locked in and keeps countering everything, until Hammer hits a nasty knee to the stomach to take the wind out of him!. Hammer unleashes on the ribs in brutal fashion with the knees, punches and the fucking Hammer Elbows. Bob's selling is amazing as he's holding it after every shot he takes and throws. He manages to grab the headlock again, and this time it feels like he's trying to catch his breath and figure out a new plan. It doesn't work as Greg gets out again and knocks him down, and he finally gets the legs. He twists and turns them in gross angles, and you can feel the Garden getting more and more worried as it goes on. Bob tries to fight back by grabbing the headlock, but he's too hurt to really get it back, so even when he get on top for a minute, Hammer gets back in control. They have an awesome fight over a Full-Nelson and Bob keeps countering it, so Hammer throws an elbow to the temple! Bob again fights through and gets on a head-scissors and another wonderful struggle happens. Really feels like two evenly matched grapplers trying to get their gameplan to work before the other can stop them.

Bob changes up his wrenching the legs spot with using the arm, and that's awesome as hell watching this killer goes nuts on it with that smile. Hammer takes the selling to the next level as he starts shaking and punching his bad arm to get the feeling back into it, ALL while Bob is attacking the shoulder instead of the forearm for a brief moment. Just next level mastery and everything that is good about this stupid fucking thing we love. Bob lets go and tries a shoulder block, but Hammer is able to knock hm back and send him to the floor! Now Hammer goes to school He slams him back in the ring and starts beating the hell out of him. He goes for the arm first in revenge and that's killer. Hammer works it for a few minutes and that all rules, BUT THEN BOB DOES A FUCKING DEADLIFT AND CARRIES AN UPSIDE DOWN HAMMER ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE RING AND DROPS HIM ON THE TOP ROPE TO GET HIM TO LET GO!. He's still too hurt to really follow up, and it lets Hammer hurl him out of the ring again to the wooden floor and now he's even more hurt. Hammer finally unloads a barrage of hell, and it might be the meanest thing I've seen him do outside of the Piper match. He boots him, rubs his face in the mat and then finally gets his hands on the legs to hurt them as well.

Hammer is a grumpy fuck 24/7, but now's angrier than ever before AND he's got a world title to win, so it's a horrific beating. He throws these Ungodly elbows to the face, and it feels like he's going to KO him and then put on the Figure-Four on his lifeless body as he promised. He keeps throwing bombs and working the leg for a while, and Bob looks near death as he tries to survive and fight back. He has these amazing short bursts of offence, but it takes a while before he can really muster anything big enough to have a shot without Hammer shutting it down. He finally manages to hit the Atomic Drop to send Hammer to the outside, and now it turns into a battle of wills. Both men are dead tired and hurt, so everything come off as even more desperate. Bob jumps on the knee when it gets tied in the ropes and fucks Hammer's knee up! Hammer is now limping off it. Bob hits a disgusting Butterfly suplex to finally collapse Hammer for a moment. It gets even more gritty from there as they look to end it anyway they can so this finally ends. The momentum shift are killer as they go for limbs before throwing bombs again when that doesn't work. This is a goddamn war of attrition. They get into another strike fest and Backlund gets the best of it with a wicked punch to the face, Hammer collapses and Bob picks him up and hits the Piledriver, but the time limit expires before he can make the pin
****1/2

Bob is dead from all of this, so Hammer pops up and grabs the Figure-Four and Backlund screams and screams before the ref drags Hammer off. They take a couple of swings at each other, but neither connect and they finally back off. Fink announces it as a draw as both men keep looking at each other to close the tape.

Holy shit, what a fucking match. I knew it was an hour going in to this and i was worried it might have some dead space as most of these do, but this was 60 minutes of constant movement and storytelling. An absolute classic that everyone should seek out. I fucking love 1979. I fucking love Bob and Hammer. I fucking love wrestling. I fucking love you

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: LARRY ZYBSZKO & TONY GAREA-Since 21/11/78
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWWF All=Star Wrestling
March 10th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

Match#1 Ted DiBiase vs John Schmidt
Baby Ted makes his debut, and he looks like a tiny fat baby in his power-blue attire and without the beard. He is the the NA champion after WWWWF awarded him the title when he signed, so we have a new title for the list. He all fired up and wins with a powerslam in 30 seconds.
1/2*

Match#2 Flying Fred Curry vs Gypsy Rodriguez
It's the 70's, don't yell at me for this. FFC has another fun squash with all the super great basics, and a jobber who can take a good beating. Flying Bodypress does the job
**

At ringside, Vince talks to Ted. He goes over his family history with his dad and mum both being wrestlers. He talks about his dad dying in the ring, which is a heartbreaking story. His goal is become the world champion, and the NA title is the first step to proving he's good enough. He lists off all the top heels in the company and says he welcomes the challenge.

Match#3 Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Jay Strongbow (3/3/79)
Hammer is tasked with getting something out of the worst wrestler in the fed (Both Ivan's suck, but Jay is the worst). He bumps all over for him to make him good, and throws his awesome shots when he gets the chance. So, not a bad effort at all. Jay contributes nothing at all, which is his best work possible, aside from just going away. Hammer gets choked out in the sleeper but he hits the ref when he falls, and he's dead as well. Wizard runs in and clobbers Strongbow with a loaded boot and wakes Hammer with water, and Hammer quickly locks in the Figure Four to win
**
Hammer refuses to let it go, so Gino, Tony and Larry all have to drag him off. Doctors check on him and they act like his leg is broken, and i can only hope that's the case. They bring out the gurney and docs to take his worthless ass away.

Match#4 The Great Hussein Arab w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Tony Russo
SHEIKY BABY MAKES HIS DEBUT. BREAK THEIR FUCKING BACKS AND FUCK THEM IN THE ASS TO MAKE THEM HUMBLE. IRAN #1. He's baby Sheiky and not the nutcase we all love, but this is still a really fun murder. We keep cutting away to a dead Strongbow on the outside having his leg checked on. Lol. Big running elbow to the chest does it
*3/4

Match#5 Larry Zybszko, Tony Garea & Ivan Putski vs Bulldog Brower & The Valiants w/Capt Lou Albano
Strongbow is still dead at ringside. Bless the Hammer. Poor Bulldog is tasked with some horrible, horrible fucking partners, the poor bastard. The good wrestlers carry it as best they can, but it doesn't work, sadly. Lots of incredibly dull work from the brothers and Dom, and i hate that the guys i love are stuck with this. Also, we keep cutting away to Strongbow crying as he waits for the ambulance, and that hurts the match as well. The ambulance finally arrives and we spend another few minutes watching him be loaded into it. Like, this gets Hammer over HUGE and that's the best, but from a viewing standpoint it's horrible. Thankfully, by 96 this will be perfected, but we got suffer right now. After a good 4 minutes, they finally cart him off and we get back to the action. Action that is still very bad, btw. It goes to the time limit just to make it a little worse
Calling Shit "Poop"

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: LARRY ZYBSZKO & TONY GAREA-Since 21/11/78
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
March 17th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

I should note that baby GMC is the ring announcer. Love that creepy little fucker.

Match#1 Larry Zybszko vs Mr X
Awesome squash from Larry. Bruno gushes over his kid being the best in the world, and it's very sweet. Backslide does it after a super fun ass kicking.
**

We get an update on Strongbow. They show photos of him after surgery as Bruno talks about how he wants revenge on Valentine, who has been telling everyone that he retired him.

Match#2 Ivan Putski vs John Schmidt
Horrible squash from this douchebag.
1/2*

At ringside, Vince interviews him. Nope.

Match#3 Bulldog Brower w/Capt Lou Albano vs Dave Darrow
Yes! Another super wonderful Bulldog squash. just beats the holy fuck out of some poor kid for his sick enjoyment. He hits a series of gross knee-drops to win
**1/2

They bring out a gurney for the dead jobber, BUT BULLDOG GRABS IT AND STARTS SHOVING IT INTO HIS THROAT AND LAUGHING AS HE DOES IT. Lou drags him off and they leave. Amazing stuff.

Match#4 Tony Garea vs "Bad News" Allen Coage w/Classy Freddie Blassie
BABY BAD NEWS BROWN IS HERE. He makes GMC announce him as from Tokyo to keep in line with Classy only managing foreigners. AMAZING. They have a really fun struggle to begin and both men hurl the other around the place. They clobber each other very hard and it's a lot of fun to watch. News has some awesome body shots and they'll get even better when he comes back in the 80's. Tony fight his way back into it and we get another cool slugfest for a while before the time expires
**34

Match#5 Steve Travis & Flying Fred Curry vs Baron Scicluna & Victor Rivera
Awesome sprint! happens. Baron is the only one who can't really go at that pace, but Victor more than makes up for it and carries the load. The faces mesh really well for the first time, and i hope we get more matches from them. ST gets briefly isolated for a fun control seg. He manages to grab a quick rollup to steal it
**3/4

 

[Makai Club]

I've never seen this, but I've heard great things about it being amazing. So, let's find out.

Bob Backlund (C) w/Arnold Skaaland vs Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard (WWWWF World Championship)
Greg tres to go for the leg, so Bob fights out and lets out a big cheer and the Garden loses it. He grabs a super tight headlock and holds on for dear life. Greg tries to fight out of it with all he can, but Backlund is not having it. Greg tries to Monkey-flip out of it, AND BOB LETS GO AND GRABS IT BACK ON AS SOON AS GREG ROLLS HIM BACK OVER! I love Bob. He keeps it locked in and keeps countering everything, until Hammer hits a nasty knee to the stomach to take the wind out of him!. Hammer unleashes on the ribs in brutal fashion with the knees, punches and the fucking Hammer Elbows. Bob's selling is amazing as he's holding it after every shot he takes and throws. He manages to grab the headlock again, and this time it feels like he's trying to catch his breath and figure out a new plan. It doesn't work as Greg gets out again and knocks him down, and he finally gets the legs. He twists and turns them in gross angles, and you can feel the Garden getting more and more worried as it goes on. Bob tries to fight back by grabbing the headlock, but he's too hurt to really get it back, so even when he get on top for a minute, Hammer gets back in control. They have an awesome fight over a Full-Nelson and Bob keeps countering it, so Hammer throws an elbow to the temple! Bob again fights through and gets on a head-scissors and another wonderful struggle happens. Really feels like two evenly matched grapplers trying to get their gameplan to work before the other can stop them.

Bob changes up his wrenching the legs spot with using the arm, and that's awesome as hell watching this killer goes nuts on it with that smile. Hammer takes the selling to the next level as he starts shaking and punching his bad arm to get the feeling back into it, ALL while Bob is attacking the shoulder instead of the forearm for a brief moment. Just next level mastery and everything that is good about this stupid fucking thing we love. Bob lets go and tries a shoulder block, but Hammer is able to knock hm back and send him to the floor! Now Hammer goes to school He slams him back in the ring and starts beating the hell out of him. He goes for the arm first in revenge and that's killer. Hammer works it for a few minutes and that all rules, BUT THEN BOB DOES A FUCKING DEADLIFT AND CARRIES AN UPSIDE DOWN HAMMER ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE RING AND DROPS HIM ON THE TOP ROPE TO GET HIM TO LET GO!. He's still too hurt to really follow up, and it lets Hammer hurl him out of the ring again to the wooden floor and now he's even more hurt. Hammer finally unloads a barrage of hell, and it might be the meanest thing I've seen him do outside of the Piper match. He boots him, rubs his face in the mat and then finally gets his hands on the legs to hurt them as well.

Hammer is a grumpy fuck 24/7, but now's angrier than ever before AND he's got a world title to win, so it's a horrific beating. He throws these Ungodly elbows to the face, and it feels like he's going to KO him and then put on the Figure-Four on his lifeless body as he promised. He keeps throwing bombs and working the leg for a while, and Bob looks near death as he tries to survive and fight back. He has these amazing short bursts of offence, but it takes a while before he can really muster anything big enough to have a shot without Hammer shutting it down. He finally manages to hit the Atomic Drop to send Hammer to the outside, and now it turns into a battle of wills. Both men are dead tired and hurt, so everything come off as even more desperate. Bob jumps on the knee when it gets tied in the ropes and fucks Hammer's knee up! Hammer is now limping off it. Bob hits a disgusting Butterfly suplex to finally collapse Hammer for a moment. It gets even more gritty from there as they look to end it anyway they can so this finally ends. The momentum shift are killer as they go for limbs before throwing bombs again when that doesn't work. This is a goddamn war of attrition. They get into another strike fest and Backlund gets the best of it with a wicked punch to the face, Hammer collapses and Bob picks him up and hits the Piledriver, but the time limit expires before he can make the pin
****1/2

Bob is dead from all of this, so Hammer pops up and grabs the Figure-Four and Backlund screams and screams before the ref drags Hammer off. They take a couple of swings at each other, but neither connect and they finally back off. Fink announces it as a draw as both men keep looking at each other to close the tape.

Holy shit, what a fucking match. I knew it was an hour going in to this and i was worried it might have some dead space as most of these do, but this was 60 minutes of constant movement and storytelling. An absolute classic that everyone should seek out. I fucking love 1979. I fucking love Bob and Hammer. I fucking love wrestling. I fucking love you

My rating would be similar to yours. You've pretty much covered everything great the match had to offer - the snugness in the grappling and strikes, the great selling and fire from Backlund. What I would say is that the pacing somewhat suffers around the 25-35 minute mark where things get a little repetitve as does a lot of 70s style matches do.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWF LIVE EVENT-MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. MARCH 23RD, 1979

Match#1 Bob Backlund (C) vs Greg Valentine (WWWF World Championship)
Glad to see they didn't waste any time to book a rematch of our MOTY. Vince explains that MSG has waived the curfew for the show and this can go all night if need be. Awesome littler touch to really sell it all. Bob is pissed after last time so he takes it right to Greg, so Valentine decides to stall and fuck with him in order to make him lose his cool. In a really cool thing, Greg keeps lazily waving his hand when Bob tries for a test of strength and it leads to Bob finally snapping on him.They trade awesome shots like last time and Greg takes over with a nasty elbow and really belts the piss out of him. Long period of the work on the neck in classic Hammer fashion, and Bob's selling is great as always. In a funny moment a fan yells out "Bob do something" Not sure if he's talking shit or if he's a fan, but it's great. Backlund throws gross knees and headbutts at the knee to try and fight back, and it's amazing to watch him do it. Greg starts to mess around and not go for the kill and Bob is able to finally fight back and kicks his head in. It turns into another dirty grimey fight for control. Hard shots, stretching on the mat and a white hot MSG crowd, just the best stuff. Backlund finally takes over on the mat and goes berserk(er) on the legs and snaps on the Figure Four and Greg screams blue murder due to the pain. Greg gets to the ropes but Bob fucking snaps and refuses to let it go, and the ref has to pry him loose. He doesn't DQ him, which is bullshit tbh. Greg is able to flip reverse it and put on a Sharpshooter to wreak his knee and now both of them are crippled. They trade shots and Bob hits the Atomic Drop out of nowhere to win!
***1/4

That was 30 minutes that felt like 20. Really great use of time, and a lesson for all the kids these days that think "longer is better"

Before the next match, DiBiase is introduced to MSG and shakes Bruno's hand. Still can't get over how much of a baby he is.

Match#2 Bruno Sammartino vs Ivan Koloff
Horrible, horrible stuff. Nearly 20 minutes of two old dudes having a boring old fight, and hogging the spotlight from the kids. Zero reason not to give this time to Ted and Johnny Rodz. Bruno wins via countout
1/2*

Match#3 Dusty Rhodes, Larry Zybsko & Tony Garea vs Capt Lou Albano & The Valiants (John & Jerry) (2/3 Falls Match)
Vince makes fun of Lou being fat and drunk, which is very mean. Also, body shaming when Dusty fucking Rhodes is in this match is even worse. Also, turns out that Jimmy has hepatitis and that's why he's not working, so we're stuck with this group. Opening few minutes goes the way it always go: Heels stooge and cheat and the faces do face things. Tried and true formula, even if it's beyond tired. Lou is the best part when he throws shots and struts away like the cock of the walk before anyone can get to him. Wish we had footage of him as a wrestler, because he'd be someone we'd all love. Because it's the 70's, Tony is beaten by a lariat to the back of the head that looks like it wouldn't knock over a leaf. Zero reason as to why they couldn't have hit him with a chair or a bat. This just makes him look like a bitch. Heels keep beating on him and it's decent enough for 3 people that aren't good. Dusty and Larry thankfully pick things up with tons of fire when they get in. Larry makes one of them submit to Abdominal stretch. 3rd fall is more of the same and it's not very fun at all. Tony is beaten by a Piledriver. Yuck
*3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: LARRY ZYBSZKO & TONY GAREA-Since 21/11/78
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
March 24th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

At ringside, Vince announces that Steve Travis has been named the Rookie of the Year! Well deserved for the young fella. He comes out and talks to Vince about how proud he is of this, and how he's going to try and get better.

Match#1 Ted DiBiase vs Jose Estrada
Again, this is nothing like the Ted we get when he puts on the black glove or makes $ in the late 80's. He's just a kid with some raw talent but not really close to figuring it all out. Jose guides him through some matwork before they pick up the pace and have a fun little back and forth. Ted hits a back elbow and another to the heart to win
**

Great Hossein Arab (Sheiky Baby) and Blassie talk to Vince at ringside. They bring out the infamous Persian Clubs that Sheiky will throw around his body to show how he's the fucking man. He does it as Freddie puts him over the next big threat, Wish they'd just given him the title now and held it for 4 years, but life isn't fair. Freddie offers a grand to ANY wrestler to try their hand at this.

Match#2 Great Hossein Arab w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve King
Another awesome squash for Sheiky. Backs and asses are humbled as only he can. He kicks the kid in the head with the loaded boot and drops a punch to the throat to win
**

At ringside, Hammer and The Wizard brag about breaking Strongbow's shitty leg.

Match#3 Nikolai Volkoff w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Marc Pole
MARCOPOLO. Horrible squash from the big fella, but that's nothing new to anyone who's ever seen him work. Backbreaker does it
1/2*

Match#4 Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Frank Williams
Greg picks the show back with another super violent ass kicking. Figure does the deed after some nasty work. Love the Hammer
**

Match#5 The Valiant Brothers w/Capt Lou Albano & Jimmy vs Fred Curry and Ivan Putski
Maybe this was the reason i took nearly two months off from this. Flying Fred tries his heart out, but you can't save everything when you're up against it like this. It eventually goes to a double DQ when they all fight in the ring
WWF GANG WARZ

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: LARRY ZYBSZKO & TONY GAREA-Since 21/11/78
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
April 14th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Again, we're missing a few weeks of TV, and that won't change until 1980, sadly.

Match#1 Mike Hall vs Dominic DeNucci
Incredibly boring shit from these two. Slow, boring and all round aimless. Really need Dom to go away and train Mick already, so we don't have to suffer. Fuck this
1/2*

Before the next match, a jobber named Steve King tries his hand at Sheiky's clubs. He can't do it because he sucks.

Match#2 The Great Hossein Arab w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve King
Rematch from the last show for some reason. Awesome stuff from our God of wrestling. He uses the same finish as last time
*3/4

At rinside, Sheiky promises to fuck the asses of Backlund and Sammartino and take it all. Love him the most. Freddie talks about having a hookup to Oil in Iran, and that feels like he should keep on the QT.

Match#3 Ted DiBiase vs Mr X
Another solid but not very exciting squash from Ted. It all fine with the basics and everything, but Jesus there is no fire to it. Elbow to the chest does it again
*1/2

Match#4 Bulldog Dick Brower w/Capt Lou Albano vs John Schmidt
Hell yeah. Incredible psycho squash from this loveable nutbag. He throws the jobber around and makes sure he dies off everything. Kneedrop to the throat does it
**

Match#5 Bad News Allen Coage & Baron Scicluna vs Steve Travis & Ivan Putski
Again, that's the future Bad News Brown aka the only man that Andre ever backed down from. Ivan is the shits and Baron is bad, but the other two are awesome and everything we get is very fun. BNB throws mean fucking shots and Travis take a great beating and has some awesome fire for the control seg. Ivan's hot tag is a dumpster-fire, but it's thankfully short and Travis makes up for it when he gets back in. The heels beat the fuck out of him for a few minutes and it's great times, and i only wish he had a better partner. Travis gets a flash Sunset flip on Baron to steal it
**3/4

The heels try to attack but the faces run them off

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Antonio Inoki vs Nikolai Volkoff (17/4/79)
I can't possibly skip something THIS insane. The Jaw vs a Commie is true pro wrestling. Not bad at all, shockingly. They fight on the mat and the big Russian holds his own and throws some great shots to stumble Inoki and really give him a fight. He beats the hell out of him for a long while and it's fun, but you can feel that he doesn't have the bullet to end and it's only a matter of time, Inoki proves me right when he throws some hands and gets on the Bow and Arrow to win. Best match of Volkoff's life, probably
**3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: LARRY ZYBSZKO & TONY GAREA-Since 21/11/78
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
April 21st, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Match#1 Nikolai Volkoff vs Nick Busik
Biff's dad is fighting a Commie, hell yes. Horrible match of course, but still cool i got to make a joke.
THROW EM UP

Match#2 Steve Travis & Ted DiBiase vs Marc Pole & Johnny Rodz
Super rookies battle our favourite JTS guy is awesome as hell. This goes nearly 12 minutes so it's another real match and i love it so much. 1979 fucking rules for the most part, and i hope it continues all the way to the end. Ted looks the best yet as he has Rodz to guide him through it and gets him to throw some awesome shots, instead of just being a decent little babyface. Travis rules as well, and Marc if fine enough as the fall guy. Both faces are isolated for a bit and that's fun thanks to Rodz being amazing. Ted gets the hot tag and beats the fuck out of Pole before beating him with the Elbow. Awesome shit
***

Rodz squares up to fight them, BUT THEN HE LEAPS OVER THE ROPES AND RUNS FOR THE HILLS. Love him to death.

Bruno interviews the faces post match. Lots of classic 1970's good guy stuff. Same old notes and nothing new.

At ringside, Vince interviews Hammer and Wizard. Pretty much the same promo about laughing at Strongbow being crippled and wanting the WWWF title. Vince wonders if Greg is too reliant on the Figure Four and maybe he's leaving himself open to losing from something he's not focused on, Greg says that's not a problem because he wins with his elbow every other week and he can't lose. Love that so much. Wish that Vince was still with us.

Match#3 Bulldog Dick Brower w/Capt Lou Albano vs SD Jones
Bulldog gets to murder one of the best jobbers they have and it's killer. SD doesn't back down and gives Bulldog some trouble before out crazed hero murders him. Elbow drop does it
**

Match#4 Tito Santana vs Jose Estrada
Yesssssssssssssssssssssss, Tito is the best babyface ever as all know, so I'm stoked to have him here. He moves so well and has all the fire in the world, so this is the best way to debut him. Albano comes to the ring to distract Tito and it lets Jose take over. Hmmmmm, i wonder. Jose's control is fine enough thanks to Tito dying on everything and being the best face ever. Santana fights back and it's awesome. He does a spinning toe hold and then bridges over while holding the leg to pin Jose. Fucking hell, that's awesome.
**3/4

Match#5 The Valliant Brothers w/Capt Lou vs Williams, King and DeNucci
BOOOOOOOOOOOOGIES WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGIE MAN IS BACK. Horrible, horrible squash of course, but at least he's in the ring.
Not getting to kiss Tony every morning and every night.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Bob Backlund (C) w/Skaandland vs Johnny Rodz w/Capt Lou Albano (WWWF Championship. 28/4/79-Japan)
Dream match comes to life! Sadly, only 5 minutes and i don't think they ever get a longer match, but i hold out hope. Still, really, really fun fight as they throw awesome punches and forearms and fight over control, which neither can get. Lou gets involved and hits Bob in the stomach to brfiley turn the tide, and Rodz throws some awesome knees before Bob gets a snap German to steal the win.
**12

Post match, Bob beats the shit the out of Lou and runs them off before celebrating with the title.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

We're missing almost a month of TV and househows because life sucks, but once the 80's hit, it won't be a problem ever again. Also, turns out the Valiant's won the title a few weeks ago and i didn't realise it. My bad.

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE VALIANT BROTHERS-Since 6/3/79
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
May 19th, 1979 (IT'S HAPPENING)
Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Before the opening match happens, we see Strongbow sitting in the crowd looking very upset. Hammer spots him and grabs a poster of Strongbow and tears the part showing his legs and laughs like a supervillain. DEAD.

Match#1 Greg Valentine w/The Grand Wizard vs Steve King
Another wonderful Hammer squash. All the gross shots and knee work before the FF ends it
**
Post match, Hammer refuses to let it go, so Strongbow swings his crutch at him and Hammer bails.

Match#2 Valiant Brothers w/Capt Lou vs SD Jones & Jose Estrada
Jimmy is still out of the ring due to injury, so we're stuck with these goons. Very bad match as you'd expect it to be, and it goes nearly 10 minutes just to further fuck with me. One of the brothers hits a shitty neckbreaker to win. God, i miss the Lumberjacks
1/2*

Post match, Vince interviews them and it sucks a bag of shit.

Match#3 Nikolai Volkoff w/The Grand Wizard vs Rivera & Williams
Gross. Nearly 8 minutes of slow lumbering shit from this oaf, and i hate everything. His shitty Backbreaker mercifully ends it
Being a moron who think he can review 20+ years of wrestling

Match#4 Ted DiBiase vs Mr X
Way too long at nearly 6 minutes, but Ted rules and it's a welcome sight after the shit we've seen tonight. X take a good beating and dishes out some token offence, before Ted shuts it down and wins with a nice Powerslam
**

At ringside, Bruno interviews the kid about his first few months in the Fed. Ted says it was a big challenge to come here after years of working as hard he could, and he's very thankful to have the chance to get better every time he gets in the ring.

Match#5 Ivan Putski vs Pole & Cage
Oh, fuck off.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND- Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE VALIANT BROTHERS-Since 6/3/79
WWWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: TED DIBIASE-Since-13/2/79

WWWF All-Star wrestling
May 26th, 1979
Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Match#1 Pat Patterson w/The Grand Wizard vs Bob Fulton
The man who's going to help send WWF into the next 20 years of greatness is finally here. Also, one half of the most underrated team in wrestling history is here, and that fucking rules as well. Pat throws amazing punches and kicks and beats the snot out of Fulton, and it's a blast to watch. The kid takes gross bumps on the exposed wood floor and really give us a taste of the lunatic he'll become. Pat keeps killing him, and this might be the best squash this side of Bulldog Brower and Hammer. Flying knee-drop does the deal
**1/2

At ringside, Bruno talks the fellas about their international success. (RIO) Pat lists off all his title runs and clowns on Bruno being ugly and not as good as Pat, which all very true. Pat says he didn't come here because they didn't give him enough money but now they'll see he's worth every cent and what a real wrestler looks like. Pat says he's going back to Frisco and away from these losers.

Match#2 Tito Santana vs Moose Monroe
Another super fun squash from Tito. Moose is pretty bad at this, but he's big enough to where it makes Tito look more awesome by kicking his ass. Tito has all that fire and everything he does looks SO good. Just the best face we could possibly have this side of Ricky. Dropkick to the face ends it
**

Post match, Vince interviews Tito and we get a standard "I'll work as hard as possible to make to the very top of the WWWF" promo.

Match#3 Bulldog Brower vs Steve King
Fuck yeah! Another amazing squash from the guy who taught Jericho to never bury someone who was beating you. Lesson didn't take because Jericho is an asshole, but Brower fucking rules for trying. He uses a wooden chair to beat him up, and Vince wonders aloud if he beat up a fan for it!!! He beats the shit out of the kids head with headbutts and punches and i love it so much. He hits a gross scoopslam where he drives the jobber's head into the mat and that does it
**

Match#4 The Great Hussein Arab w/The Grand Wizard vs Jose Estrada
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. What an episode, folks. Backs are broken a man is humbled by the fucking king. Camel Clutch does it
**

POST MATCH, SHEIKY GRABS THE MIC AND SCREAMS A LOT AND IT'S THE BEST. IRAN #1

Match#5 Ted DiBiase & Steve Travis vs Johnny Rodz & Baron Scicluna
Should have given my man Rodz the NA title shot, Vince. Some bullshit going on here if you ask me. This is a lot of fun though, even with a big lug like Baron in here. Rodz and Travis fight for a while and it rules again, and i hope we get more matches from them. DiBiase/Rodz also rules and Johnny again is great as this big bumping shithead that can kick ass when he needs to. Things break down and it's good fun for the 60 seconds we get. DiBiase hits an elbow to Rodz's chest to steal it
**1/2