Donnie watches WWF 1980

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Ken Patera- Since 21/4/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; The Wild Samoans-Since 20/9/80

WWF All-Star Wrestling
November 15th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 The Wild Samoans (c) w/Lou Albano vs Rick Martel & Tony Garea (WWF Tag Team Championship)
This is from Philly last week, also JIP. The Samoans have isolated Garea and are delivering another killer beating for daring to fuck with them. Tony is a great seller and bumper, and even with a short version you can tell how awesome it was. Really frustrating that WWE has the biggest fucking library in the world and they don't just upload all the live events. Vince sucks, man. Martel's hot tag rocks a fucking ton and the monsters take bumps that should be impossible for dudes that big. It all breaks down and one of them coldies heads with Garea and Martel sunset flips the other, and the ref counts the 3 for Rick and we've got new champs.
**3/4

Match#2 Killer Khan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Angel Maravilla
Best card placement this week as Stan and the Dogs are on later, so Khan doesn't look like shit. Decent little squash but missing a spark one needs for these type of deal. Splash does it
*

Match#3 Johnny Rodz vs Rick McGraw
Hell yeah. They have a great fight on the mat for control and Rodz guides the kid through some holds and it's the best he's looked. Rodz drags him back up and beats his ass for a while and it's a blast. McGraw fights back and Rodz mounts the ref and won't let him up and McGraw won't attack out of fear of hitting the ref. AMAZING. Rodz takes back over and whips his ass some more until the time limit expires.
**3/4

Post match, Rodz beats the fuck out of him and the ref reverses the decision and DQ's Rodz.

Match#4 The Moondogs w/Lou Albano & Jim Duggan & Angelo Gomez
The Moondogs bring the bones for the first time to complete the act, and it's such a perfect little thing. This is another killer squash from the boys, and it's wild to see Duggan on the other side of this. He takes a really good beating and Patterson puts him over hard, so it's clear someone likes him. Bodyslam/Splash combo does it
**

Match#5 Stan Hansen w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve King
Another A grade murder Stan. If Jobbers were piss scared of Vader, i can only imagine how they felt about Stan. Lariat does it
**

Post match, Stan grabs the mic and screams for Bruno, but he never shows up.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Bob Backlund (c) vs Larry Zbyszko (WWF World Championship. 10/11/80)
Larry does some classic stooging to start and Backlund lets him go because he's not fazed by him being a dick, which is a cool character thing. Larry has his knee taped up and Bob has a target, so Larry does everything he can to keep him off it. He goes after the head and neck and gets far with it for a while and locks in a headlock where he tries suffocate Backlund!!! Bob's selling rules as he's woozy and dazed, and a little pissed off on top of it. He makes a great comeback and Larry eats ALL the shit for his sins. He gleefully attacks the bad knee and Larry's selling rocks. Bob controls for a while with a leglock and when he tries to step over, Larry boots him in the stomach and Backlund CRUMPLES to the ground in an incredible sell. Both dudes are fucked and try to end it as quick as they can. Bob steals the vertical suplex and it's brutal as hell, and he could have used it a finish, BUT FUCK THAT AS HE HITS A GROSS SPIKE PILEDRIVER WHERE HE JUMPS A FOOT IN THE AIR AND JUST KILLS LARRY. Larry gets his foot on the ropes and Bob stick him in the Airplane spin and the ref gets knocked down. Larry punches him in the back of the skull when he checks on the ref and Bob falls out of the ring and gets counted out.
***1/4

I can't find any rematches under the WWF banner, sadly, so take this as a one off incredible match.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Ken Patera- Since 21/4/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

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

Match#1 Sgt. Slaughter w/Grand Wizard vs Angelo Gomez
Sarge kills another Maggot who dared to say he never served. Cobra Clutch ends it
**

Post match, Sarge keeps beating the fuck out of the kid and Patterson is PISSED. Yes fucking please.

At ringside, Patterson interviews them and demands to know what his problem is. Sarge says he DEMANDS respect and he wants to be a champion, and he'll make all these maggots stand to attention. Patterson walks off disgusted.

Match#2 Rick McGraw vs Black Demon
Fine enough showcase for the kid, but i feel like we need to talk about how he's maybe 5ft6 and JAKKED to the fucking gills

I'm not someone who says "don't do drugs" especially not in the fucking wrestling world, but given this dude's heart is going to explode in less than 5 years, it's hard not to. He's a cautionary tale, and it fucking sucks i'll need to keep writing "X died young" He wins with a crossbody.
*1/2

At ringside, Patterson interviews Hansen and Blassie. Stan says there has been an unwritten law to keep him out of the northeast area ever since he broke Bruno neck. He knows Backlund is afraid of the same fate and he should be. Patterson asks him about calling himself the #1 Redneck in the world, and Stan goes off about the people he doesn't like "Black people" etc, and he says he hates everyone. He promises to nail the coffin shut on Bruno and Backlund.

Match#3 Jose Estrada & Johnny Rodz vs Angel Maravilla & Steve King
Holy shit, our guys get a showcase match. WWF is ok by me. The jobbers (the bad ones) suck a ton, but the good ones get them through it through skill and being good at their jobs. Rodz hits one of them with a couple of awesome elbows to win
**

Match#4 Syvano Sousa vs DeNucci
Ewwwww. Sousa looks like a long lost Koloff brother, and i wouldn't shocked if he did that gimmick once in his life. This a horrible squash for the old man, and i hate everything. DeNucci snaps after Sousa throws him on the floor, so he gets a chair and beats him over the head like a real asshole. The ref doesn't DQ him because WWF is a heel territory, and Dom wins with a bad armbar.
1/2*

Match#5 Stan Hansen w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Marc Pole
Hansen fucks up a pole and it's a blast. Gross strikes without a single care for the jobber's shitty life, and it's the best possible squash. He even beats the kid up on the outside just for the hell of it, and Blassie gets in a shot with his cane. Lariat does it
**1/2

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Ken Patera- Since 21/4/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

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

To open the show, they show Backlund/Spiros from MSG last year. Not sure why when Spiros is retired, but i'm all for more house show footage showing up.

Match#1 The Moondogs w/Lou Albano vs Angel Maravilla & Ron Shaw
Moondogs do it again with another fun smashing of some loser. Warms my heart to see Angel right where he belongs. Powerslam/Splash combo does it. Give it a name, please.
**

At ringside, Patterson interviews them, but he demands they don't touch him, or else he'll do something. Albano refuses to say where he found them, but he says they're here and are going to win the titles. Albano has a wonderful rant about how good they are, and he speaks so quick it's hard to get it all in. Albano chases after some kids and is very mad at Patterson bringing up the new champs. He says he was tricked into the title match and that will never happen again. YEAH I FEED THEM DOG FOOD. THEY ARE UNDER PSYCHIATRIC CARE.THEY ARE HOMICIDAL, SUICIDAL AND SCHIZOPHRENIC. They punch each other, and Patterson bails. Amazing segment.

Match#2 Tony Garea vs Jose Estrada .
Good showcase for Tony. He's nowhere near as flashy or good as Martel, but he's solid as hell and can more than hold his own, so it's a cool thing. Jose gets some offence in and he's a mean prick and really lays it all in, an Tony looks tough as hell for fighting through it. He wins with a cradle after he drives Jose's head into the mat.
**

At ringside, Patterson interviews him. He puts Martel over as the future and promises they'll be fighting champs.

Match#3 Killer Khan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Marc Pole
Bad squash for KK as the shine is wearing off now there are WAY better monsters in the territory. Knee drop ends it
1/2*

Match#4 Tony Atlas vs Billy Coleman
Atlas looks really lost when he's wrestling, almost like he's going through the next spot in his stupid skull. God, i hate him.
1/2*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Ken Patera- Since 21/4/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

WWF All-Star Wrestling
December 6th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 Rick Martel & Tony Garea vs Sousa & Scicluna
This is nearly 12 minutes fucking long. STOP IT. The champs are great and I'm all for longer matches, but against these boring assholes, it's a bad joke. At least run a rematch with the Samoans, that shit would rule. Martel wins with a top rope dropkick that blows everyone's minds
1/2*

At ringside, Patterson talks to them. Standard babyface shit. Garea gives Martel a trophy for the WWF wrestler of the year. He's not at all, but at least it feels sort of realistic.

Match#2 Sgt. Slaughter w/Grand Wizard vs Steve King
Sarge kills another maggot to brighten our days. Cobra Clutch does the job
**

Post match, Sarge drags the jobber out and kills him with the Clutch some more.

Coming from that, Patterson interviews them. Sarge announces the COBRA CLUTCH CHALLENGE. 5 grand for anyone who can break it, and he means ANYONE. He says that includes Patterson!! Pat says he only puts it on when a guy is dead, and a fresh wrestler might have a better chance of breaking it. Sarge says it makes no difference because no one is breaking it. Patterson brings up the medals being bullshit, and GW shuts that down quick. He moves on and says he'll chuck in 5 grand of his own if Patterson take the challenge, and he wants to see his neck get rung like a chicken. Patterson says Sarge should hurry up and challenge for the title before the line get too long (love that they're making sure we remember there's an entire lockroom of dudes who want the belt. Makes it feel like THE most important thing in the world) Sarge says he'll do it on his time, and then he moves on to Reagan bringing back a draft and how he might rejoin, and the tape cuts away as one would assume it got REAL fucking dirty given the time period.

Match#3 Pedro Morales vs Jose Estrada
Fuck off. Poor Jose gets squashed again by this bastard, and i hate everything. Also, Pedro wins the IC title on the 8th, but Lennon was shot on that day and there's only 90 seconds of footage out there, so whatever. Pedro wins as this horrible push continues.
1/2*

Match#4 The Moondogs w/Lou Albano vs Rick McGraw & Charlie Brown
DOGS VS CHARLIE BROWN. GOOD GRIEF. The dogs keep on keeping on with another super fun squash, and it leaves me to wonder how the new version will compare because this one rules. Combo without a name does it
**

Post match, Albano whips them with a belt and they bark. PRO WRESTLING

Match#5 Killer Khan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs John Callihan
Khan a little more active this week as he beats the kid up on the outside and looks a little more insane. Still feels less real than the Moondogs, but least he's trying. Knee Drop for the win
*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pedro Morales-Since 8/12/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

WWF All-Star Wrestling
December 13th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 DeNucci & Rick McGraw vs Jose Estrada & Ron Shaw
Bad showcase for this ragtag group of losers. McGraw deserves a little better than this old fucker, but his career is dead at this point, so no great loss. Faces win via a move
1/2*

Match#2 Mikel Scicluna vs Steve King
Oh, fuck you, DC.

At ringside, Patterson interviews the tag champs. Nothing new to add.

Match#3 Tony Garea vs Ken Patera w/Grand Wizard
Whoah, a real match. It goes to an 8 minute time limit draw for reasons, but it's nice to see.Patrea actually steps it up and throws some good shots that almost make up for his horrible selling and bumping. His control also leaves a lot to be desired as he puts on a bearhug and closes his eyes and moves his head like he's asleep. Super fucking weird thing to do, but he's a weird guy. Garea makes a fun comeback but the time limit expires before it go any further.
*1/2

Match#4 Sgt. Slaughter w/Grand Wizard vs Manny Siaca & Paul Mauret.
Sarge gets the handicap squash to show how awesome he is. Fuck yeah, kill two maggots for the price of one. Sarge kicks the shit out of them in amazing fashion, and he's easily the second best squasher behind Stan. He kills them both with Cobra Clutches to win
**

Match#5 Killer Khan w/Lou Albano vs George Rosello
Bad one for Khan. Lots of bad arm work and clubbering, and i don't know why i liked him at all. Bad knee drop ends it
3/4*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pedro Morales-Since 8/12/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

WWF All-Star Wrestling
December 20th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 The Moondogs w/Lou Albano vs Steve King & Rick McGraw
WWF puts Rick back to fodder. Just pick a lane for him.. Dogs beat the crap out of them and i can't wait for them to win the titles, and get something cooking. McGraw has a hot tag and he looks solid as hell again before the boys murder him. Combo ends it
**

Match#2 Killer Khan vs Mike Schmidt
Bad stuff from this goon. Knee drop ends our pain
1/2*

At ringside, Patterson talks to Morales about winning the IC title. Standard shit.

Match#3 Pedro Morales vs Sylvano Sousa
Another bad one for the old man. Boston Crab does it
1/2*

Match#4 Rick Martel & Tony Garea vs Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada
FINALLY. Awesome stooging from the heels to start and it's the best the champs have looked since they won the belts. Jose gets dragged down to the mat and dominated and it's good fun. Rodz hits Garea from behind to take over and they beat crap out of him for a while before Martel gets the hot tag. He kills it as always, but they cut him off and he gets isolated as well, and he's a way better FIP than Tony. Garea gets the tag and beats Rodz with a Backslide.
**

Match#5 Hulk Hogan vs w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Charlie Brown
Brother Jack Dude is back. Decent little Hulk squash in the final months of his first run. Musclehead stuff as always, but the biggest thing is he's wearing a Kurt Angle style singlet in a real jarring thing. He needs to go to the AWA so Greg can teach him how to tear a shirt. Backbreaker does it
*

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pedro Morales-Since 8/12/80
WWF Tag Team Champions; Rick Martel & Tony Garea-Since 15/11/80

WWF All-Star Wrestling
December 27th, 1980
Hamburg, PA

Match#1 SD Jones vs Black Demon
An SD showcase out in the wild, holy shit. He's pretty good on the mat and moves from hold to hold pretty well, but he's missing a spark so it's easy to see how he ended up as a jobber. Also, this goes too long for a squash with a dude who isn't going to ever be a thing, so it' hurts it a little. Swinging Neckbreaker ends it
*

Before the next match, Backlund comes into the ring and shakes Duggan's hand and stares Hogan down. He leaves and talks to Patterson about defending the title against Hogan this year and all the traveling he's been doing. He says he never gets tired etc, but Hogan walks over and calls him a clown and dares him to get in the ring or stop stealing his time!! Backlund leaves him to his match.

Match#2 Hulk Hogan w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Jim Duggan
HOLY SHIT. Hogan working Hacksaw's arm in front of maybe 200 people in a fieldhouse is one of the most insane "that actually happened" moments. Good work from Hogan as always, and Hacksaw is a good body to work on. It also shows how fucking strong pre-peak Hogan is as he lifts him with ease a few times, and Hacksaw is not a small man. Hogan wins with the HOGAN HAMMER. Horrible name, but a nice little Lariat.
**

At ringside, Patterson interviews them. Blassie says Hogan is in the best shape of his life and gushes over his body. Blassie says Hogan has beaten Andre, Pedro and Backlund and he's never lost. Patterson asks where his titles are, and Blassie says Backlund has family who helped to keep the title off Hulk. Hogan says once Backlund stops being a coward, they'll see who is the true world champion. He calls Patterson a former wrestler and Pat says that's bunk and he can get back in whenever he wants. Patterson says he's got a big mouth, and Blassie flips his shit and says they were paying him a compliment and he needs to stop looking at things wrong. Blassie is a peak gaslighter and it's incredible. Hogan dares Patterson to get in the ring if he wants, and Pat says he's not at the top yet, before he ends the interview.

Match#3 Sgt. Slaughter w/Grand Wizard vs Rick McGraw
The kid jumps him and beats him down on the outside! OH FUCK. Sarge kicks the piss out of him for daring to have a set of balls, and it's the meanest beating yet. GROSS punches to his shitty head and neck before he hits a second rope elbow drop to win.
**

Post match, Sarge kills him some more.

Match#4 The Moondogs w/Lou Albano vs Steve King and & Angelo Gomez
Another great one for the Dogs. Nothing new to their squashes, but fun as hell for a few minutes. Combo does the deed
**

Match#5 Stan Hansen w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Manny Siaca
FUCK YEAH. Stan beats the complete and utter shit out of the kid and it's again, a perfect squash. He even breaks out a piledriver this week and the kid's neck jams against the mat. Lariat ends the fun.
**1/2

 

[BigVanDonnie]

Top matches of the year.

Bruno Samartino vs Larry Zbyszko *** (2/2/80)
Pat Patterson vs Johnny Rodz *** (5/4/80)
Tatsumi Fujinami (c) vs Chavo Guerrero *** (9/8/80. WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship)
Bob Backlund (c) vs Sika ***1/4 (24/3/80. WWF World Championship)
Bob Backlund (c) vs Larry Zbyszko ***1/2 (WWF World Championship. 10/11/80)
Bob Backlund (c) vs Ken Patera ***1/2 (WWF World Championship-13/5/80. Texas Death Match

Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zbyszko ***1/2 (9/8/80 Steel Cage Match)

 

[BigVanDonnie]

1978-The Yukon Lumberjacks
1979-The Wild Samoans

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

Not the best year for tag wrestling as we're limited with house shows and TV matches, but it is what it is. These monsters started the year wreaking shit, and even after getting stuck with old men who were way passed it, they still killed it. God Bless Samoa.

THE WILD SAMOANS-15

 

[BigVanDonnie]

1978-Bob Backlund
1979-Ted DiBiase/Greg Valentine

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

Incredibly tight race for the entire year with dudes like Hogan and Patterson having the lead for long periods of times, and our hero Rodz got SUPER close to the feelgood win of the year, but it wasn't meant to be. In the year where he stepped out of the shadow of his old man, the son takes his place. Sadly, he's gone from WWF in a couple of months and will never return to our lives in these reviews, but he wasn't meant to play the son.

LARRY ZBYSZKO-30

Pat Patterson-28
Johnny Rodz-26
Hulk Hogan-26
Sika-25
Afa-24
Rick Martel-17
Tito Santana-17
Tony Garea-16
Jose Estrada-16
Bob Backlund-15
Tor Kamata-14
Ken Patera-14
Rene Goulet-13
Larry Sharpe-13
Rick McGraw-12
Sgt. Slaughter-12
Rex-10
King-10
Bobby Duncum-9
Bruno Samartino-8
Andre the Giant-8
Ivan Putski-6
The Hangman-6
Stan Hansen-6
Pedro Morales-4
Great Hussein Arab-3
Tatsumi Fujinami-3
Chavo Guerrero-3
Tony Atlas-3
DeNucci-3
Killer Khan-3
Curt Hennig-2
Bulldog Brower-2
Frankie Williams-2
Antonio Inoki-2
Don Muraco-2
SD Jones-2
King Kong Mosca-1
Kerry Von Eirch-1
El Olympico-1
Sciculna-1
SD Jones-1