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Ok, so this year is going to be missing the first few months of TV (until May) due to lack of footage and the Network dying in Australia, so sorry for that. But in better news, we have a ton of house show footage and this is the year where Vince buys the company from his old man and helps kick off the 80's boom period, so it's going to be a wild year on top of being incredibly important. Massive thanks to anyone nice enough to read these. Love you all.
WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pedro Morales -Since 23/11/81
WWF Tag Team Champions; Mr Fuji & Mr Saito- Since 13/10/81
WWF MADISON SQAURE GARDEN
JANUARY 18TH, 1982
THE FINK IS THE RING ANNOUNCER. GOD YES
In a weird call, Vince is solo on commentary for the night. REALLY needs someone with him as he's not great at this in general, but being by himself just further exposes that.
Match#1 Manuel Soto vs Davey O'Hannon
Nice to see this awful push is still going and they stuck it on MSG in their biggest market in an attempt to get anyone to care about him. O'Hannon talks a lot of shit and looks like a failed 80's comedian who died of a coke overdose. This isn't actually all that bad as they have a fun little back and forth with both guys looking way better than ever before. O'Hannon's control is really fun as he does a lot work on the neck including a sick piledriver, and his shit talking ramps up to that great point where he's screaming at anyone who will listen. "I'M GOING TO PUT HIS ASS TO SLEEP" He beats him down for a good while, and Soto's attempted comebacks are good as he gets closer and closer, but he never makes a full one and in a true shocker O'Hannon hits a Swinging Neckbreaker to win.
**3/4
Match#2 Larry Sharpe vs Jose Estrada
Estrada is the hometown boy and MSG loves him to death, so he gets to play babyface for the night. Smart choice as not only does it make it sense, but Sharpe is a great heel and the best possible guy for this type of match. Jose dominates to start and it's all very basic stuff, but the crowd hanging on everything helps with put it over the top. Sharpe takes over with a gross knee to the gut and beats the crap out of him in a cool control seg. Nothing insane of anything, just all the basics done perfectly on top of him being a scumbag and doing stuff like covering his entire face and trying to bite him. Proper piece of shit, and the crowd wants him dead for it. Jose tries a dropkick but Larry holds onto the ropes and Estrada hits the mat and takes the wind out of himself and Larry jumps on top of him and pins him to win. WOAH.
**1/4
Before the next match, Vince says Morales was sent to the hospital earlier in the week thanks to an attack by Valentine on TV, but he's going against doctors orders and wrestling tonight. LOVE THAT SHIT.
Match#3 Charlie Fulton vs Johnny Rodz
Vince knows nothing about Fulton other than that he's a veteran of wrestling. Amazing job, Vince. Fulton isn't very good and there's a reason he's a jobber for the rest of his stay as he's only doing some bad stomps and chokes, and Rodz can only do so much with nothing to work with. Rodz takes over and the crowd is 100% on his side and he goes on a great run of offence, and it's another moment of being like "hey, just push him". Sadly, it's not meant to be. It turns into a back and forth and Fulton is better off here as he can just pepper in stuff and let Rodz take care of the rest. Rodz misses a flying headbutt and Fulton pins him to win.
*3/4
Match#4 Pedro Morales (c) vs Greg Valentine w/Grand Wizard (WWF Intercontinental Title)
Vince explains that Hammer suplexed Pedro on the concrete floor and sent him to hospital, and i wish i had the footage because it sounds awesome. Pedro is mad and goes right after him and batters him with a series of punches, and it's the best he's looked since the title switch. He gets too angry though and Hammer slips in a punch to take over, and beats the shit out of him, and Pedro takes some awesome bumps for him. Greg throws these LOUD punches and forearms and you can hear the sound of flesh getting smashed with every shot. Pedro takes a gross bump to the concrete floor to further fuck him up, and Greg gets even more violent with him. He goes for legs and the struggle over everything is awesome as hell as Pedro fights like crazy to get him off, and he finally does and mounts a killer comeback. He beats the shit out of him and they spill to the outside where he throws him into the rails and the post and Greg is all fucked up as a result. Pedro drags him back in and hits that amazing headbutt to the stomach that he did to Muarco. He tries for another but Valentine moves and shoves him into the ref. Hammer gets some knucks and tries to KO him, but Pedro gets them and punches the shit out of him just as the ref wakes up and he DQ's Morales. Wonderful bullshit finish.
***
Match#5 Jesse Ventura w/Freddie Blassie vs Domenic Denucci
Brutal stuff to give Jesse this old fuck as his opponent in his MSG debut. Like, this is what you have Hennig for, not this washed idiot whose not going to help him look good. Jesse at least does his awesome posing and stooging, which is way more fun than actually having these two have a straight match. Jesse's shit talking is the highlight as he keeps calling him a "bum" and sitting in a chinlock or armbar for minutes at a time. Dom's comeback is horrible, and you can tell how much the game as passed him by as it's all bad strikes and arm work as he never moved past 1975. Jesse at least takes some bumps for him and has good woozy selling for the bullshit. Jesse hits a spinning elbow to the chest and then a big running one to win.
*
Match#6 Bob Backlund (c) w/Arnold Skaaland vs Adrian Adonis w/Freddie Blassie (WWF World Championship)
Cool fight for control right away and we establish that Backlund is the faster of the two as he out quicks him and goes right after the arm, and Adonis looks pissed that he wasn't able to stop him. Great control work from Bob as always as he always doing something cool and new, like when Adonis tries to throw him into the corner to get him to let go, but Bob holds on and still has it when he bounces back out of the corner and drags Adonis back to the mat. Insane thing to actually do and pull it off, but Backlund is just the right man for the job. He keeps on it and makes Adonis look like a fool, while also being mean as hell on the arm so it's just not for nothing. They end up on the mat and Adonis rolls over the top of him and punches him in the nose to get him to finally let go and it's a bloody mess! BOB LOSES HIS SHIT AND GOES INSANE ON THE ARM AND SNAPS IT OFF THE ROPES AND NOW TRIES TO BREAK IT, AND HE DEADLIFTS HIM BY IT AND SLAMS HIM TO THE MAT, AND HE DOES IT AGAIN. Bob's eyes are watering and he's sucking back wind in an amazing visual. Adonis clocks him with lariat in the face and finally drops him and gains control. AND HE FUCKING DROPS HIM WITH A GROSS RIGHT HAND TO THE FUCKING NOSE. It turns into a nasty fight after as it only can at this point, and it's tremendous watching them tiredly fight it out and give it everything they've got. Adonis tries to come off the top, but Bob stops him and sends him dick first into the ropes and then kicks him in the dick again just to do it, and then he hits a fucking spike piledriver. He keeps at it, but Adonis manages to get him into Irene and Backlund fights like hell as he slowly drops to to one knee, and he runs at the ropes and rams Adonis' face into them to get him to let go! Adrian still holds on though and he smacks Bob's head into the post twice and punches him in the face again. and Backlund's entire head is busted open and he's fucking dead. AMAZING concussion selling as he's woozy and spiting out blood and it looks like a horror movie. Adonis punches the piss out of him over and over and Bob takes one of the damndest beatings he's gotten in years. He still fights at every turn and throws his own back AND HE GOES ON A MAD FLURRY AND PUNCHES HIM INTO THE MAT AND THROWS SHOT AFTER SHOT AND STARTS STRANGLING HIM. HE SHOVES THE REF AWAY AND CONTINUES TO PUNCH THE FUCK OUT OF HIM UNTIL HE FINALLY KNOCKS HIM OUT OF THE RING AND THE MATCH ENDS. Another goddamn war from Backlund, and probably our MOTY.
****
Post match, a mountain of refs get him away and try to calm him down. Vince waits for the announcement and assumes it ended via DQ, but Fink announces the ref actually stoped it because of excessive bleeding and the win is awarded to Adonis, but he can't win the title this way which seems like complete bullshit. Adonis is rightly pissed off and spits on Backlund and screams he won the title, and i can't see how anyone could say he didn't. Fuck it, can't wait for a rematch.
Match#7 Mr Fuji & Mr Saito (c) w/Lou Albano vs Rick Martel & Tony Garea (WWF World Tag Team Championships-Pat Patterson is the guest referee)
Perfect piss break match after that incredible match. Everyone is trying a bit harder because it's MSG and all of that, but the work is still crumby dogshit and no amount of effort can change that when 3 of the 4 are terrible wrestlers. Control on Garea is the worst as we all know, because the offence is bad and he's an asshole who can't and won't sell or make anyone look good. Martel gets the hot tag and locks in a sleeper on Saito, and right away Fuji attacks Patterson and sprays mist in his face and the match ends it, and hopefully this godforsaken feud along with it.
1/2*
Post match, the faces run them off and check on Pat.
Match#8 Tony Atlas vs The Executioner
Thankfully only 2 minutes. Still not at all good or worth being a nutcase and watching it, but at least it's quick and painless. Atlas hits two of the worst heabutts i've ever seen, the second of which didn't even connect. He then hits the bad splash to win
1/2*
Match#9 Ivan Putski vs Killer Khan
Andre killed this idiots push but not his career sadly, so we're stuck for a little while yet. Putski being back is also very upsetting as it means Bruno is for sure on his way back as well. Just bad stuff all round. This is a bad fight as both men's strikes are pathetic looking, and then the bell rings after maybe 2 minutes and Vince says the curfew has started and the show has to stop. the ref then awards the match to Ivan.
LMAO
Post match, Ivan shouts "POLISH POWER" to close the show.
WWF World Champion; Bob Backlund- Since 20/2/78
WWF Intercontinental Champion; Pedro Morales -Since 23/11/81
WWF Tag Team Champions; Mr Fuji & Mr Saito- Since 13/10/81
WWF MADISON SQAURE GARDEN
JANUARY 18TH, 1982
THE FINK IS THE RING ANNOUNCER. GOD YES
In a weird call, Vince is solo on commentary for the night. REALLY needs someone with him as he's not great at this in general, but being by himself just further exposes that.
Match#1 Manuel Soto vs Davey O'Hannon
Nice to see this awful push is still going and they stuck it on MSG in their biggest market in an attempt to get anyone to care about him. O'Hannon talks a lot of shit and looks like a failed 80's comedian who died of a coke overdose. This isn't actually all that bad as they have a fun little back and forth with both guys looking way better than ever before. O'Hannon's control is really fun as he does a lot work on the neck including a sick piledriver, and his shit talking ramps up to that great point where he's screaming at anyone who will listen. "I'M GOING TO PUT HIS ASS TO SLEEP" He beats him down for a good while, and Soto's attempted comebacks are good as he gets closer and closer, but he never makes a full one and in a true shocker O'Hannon hits a Swinging Neckbreaker to win.
**3/4
Match#2 Larry Sharpe vs Jose Estrada
Estrada is the hometown boy and MSG loves him to death, so he gets to play babyface for the night. Smart choice as not only does it make it sense, but Sharpe is a great heel and the best possible guy for this type of match. Jose dominates to start and it's all very basic stuff, but the crowd hanging on everything helps with put it over the top. Sharpe takes over with a gross knee to the gut and beats the crap out of him in a cool control seg. Nothing insane of anything, just all the basics done perfectly on top of him being a scumbag and doing stuff like covering his entire face and trying to bite him. Proper piece of shit, and the crowd wants him dead for it. Jose tries a dropkick but Larry holds onto the ropes and Estrada hits the mat and takes the wind out of himself and Larry jumps on top of him and pins him to win. WOAH.
**1/4
Before the next match, Vince says Morales was sent to the hospital earlier in the week thanks to an attack by Valentine on TV, but he's going against doctors orders and wrestling tonight. LOVE THAT SHIT.
Match#3 Charlie Fulton vs Johnny Rodz
Vince knows nothing about Fulton other than that he's a veteran of wrestling. Amazing job, Vince. Fulton isn't very good and there's a reason he's a jobber for the rest of his stay as he's only doing some bad stomps and chokes, and Rodz can only do so much with nothing to work with. Rodz takes over and the crowd is 100% on his side and he goes on a great run of offence, and it's another moment of being like "hey, just push him". Sadly, it's not meant to be. It turns into a back and forth and Fulton is better off here as he can just pepper in stuff and let Rodz take care of the rest. Rodz misses a flying headbutt and Fulton pins him to win.
*3/4
Match#4 Pedro Morales (c) vs Greg Valentine w/Grand Wizard (WWF Intercontinental Title)
Vince explains that Hammer suplexed Pedro on the concrete floor and sent him to hospital, and i wish i had the footage because it sounds awesome. Pedro is mad and goes right after him and batters him with a series of punches, and it's the best he's looked since the title switch. He gets too angry though and Hammer slips in a punch to take over, and beats the shit out of him, and Pedro takes some awesome bumps for him. Greg throws these LOUD punches and forearms and you can hear the sound of flesh getting smashed with every shot. Pedro takes a gross bump to the concrete floor to further fuck him up, and Greg gets even more violent with him. He goes for legs and the struggle over everything is awesome as hell as Pedro fights like crazy to get him off, and he finally does and mounts a killer comeback. He beats the shit out of him and they spill to the outside where he throws him into the rails and the post and Greg is all fucked up as a result. Pedro drags him back in and hits that amazing headbutt to the stomach that he did to Muarco. He tries for another but Valentine moves and shoves him into the ref. Hammer gets some knucks and tries to KO him, but Pedro gets them and punches the shit out of him just as the ref wakes up and he DQ's Morales. Wonderful bullshit finish.
***
Match#5 Jesse Ventura w/Freddie Blassie vs Domenic Denucci
Brutal stuff to give Jesse this old fuck as his opponent in his MSG debut. Like, this is what you have Hennig for, not this washed idiot whose not going to help him look good. Jesse at least does his awesome posing and stooging, which is way more fun than actually having these two have a straight match. Jesse's shit talking is the highlight as he keeps calling him a "bum" and sitting in a chinlock or armbar for minutes at a time. Dom's comeback is horrible, and you can tell how much the game as passed him by as it's all bad strikes and arm work as he never moved past 1975. Jesse at least takes some bumps for him and has good woozy selling for the bullshit. Jesse hits a spinning elbow to the chest and then a big running one to win.
*
Match#6 Bob Backlund (c) w/Arnold Skaaland vs Adrian Adonis w/Freddie Blassie (WWF World Championship)
Cool fight for control right away and we establish that Backlund is the faster of the two as he out quicks him and goes right after the arm, and Adonis looks pissed that he wasn't able to stop him. Great control work from Bob as always as he always doing something cool and new, like when Adonis tries to throw him into the corner to get him to let go, but Bob holds on and still has it when he bounces back out of the corner and drags Adonis back to the mat. Insane thing to actually do and pull it off, but Backlund is just the right man for the job. He keeps on it and makes Adonis look like a fool, while also being mean as hell on the arm so it's just not for nothing. They end up on the mat and Adonis rolls over the top of him and punches him in the nose to get him to finally let go and it's a bloody mess! BOB LOSES HIS SHIT AND GOES INSANE ON THE ARM AND SNAPS IT OFF THE ROPES AND NOW TRIES TO BREAK IT, AND HE DEADLIFTS HIM BY IT AND SLAMS HIM TO THE MAT, AND HE DOES IT AGAIN. Bob's eyes are watering and he's sucking back wind in an amazing visual. Adonis clocks him with lariat in the face and finally drops him and gains control. AND HE FUCKING DROPS HIM WITH A GROSS RIGHT HAND TO THE FUCKING NOSE. It turns into a nasty fight after as it only can at this point, and it's tremendous watching them tiredly fight it out and give it everything they've got. Adonis tries to come off the top, but Bob stops him and sends him dick first into the ropes and then kicks him in the dick again just to do it, and then he hits a fucking spike piledriver. He keeps at it, but Adonis manages to get him into Irene and Backlund fights like hell as he slowly drops to to one knee, and he runs at the ropes and rams Adonis' face into them to get him to let go! Adrian still holds on though and he smacks Bob's head into the post twice and punches him in the face again. and Backlund's entire head is busted open and he's fucking dead. AMAZING concussion selling as he's woozy and spiting out blood and it looks like a horror movie. Adonis punches the piss out of him over and over and Bob takes one of the damndest beatings he's gotten in years. He still fights at every turn and throws his own back AND HE GOES ON A MAD FLURRY AND PUNCHES HIM INTO THE MAT AND THROWS SHOT AFTER SHOT AND STARTS STRANGLING HIM. HE SHOVES THE REF AWAY AND CONTINUES TO PUNCH THE FUCK OUT OF HIM UNTIL HE FINALLY KNOCKS HIM OUT OF THE RING AND THE MATCH ENDS. Another goddamn war from Backlund, and probably our MOTY.
****
Post match, a mountain of refs get him away and try to calm him down. Vince waits for the announcement and assumes it ended via DQ, but Fink announces the ref actually stoped it because of excessive bleeding and the win is awarded to Adonis, but he can't win the title this way which seems like complete bullshit. Adonis is rightly pissed off and spits on Backlund and screams he won the title, and i can't see how anyone could say he didn't. Fuck it, can't wait for a rematch.
Match#7 Mr Fuji & Mr Saito (c) w/Lou Albano vs Rick Martel & Tony Garea (WWF World Tag Team Championships-Pat Patterson is the guest referee)
Perfect piss break match after that incredible match. Everyone is trying a bit harder because it's MSG and all of that, but the work is still crumby dogshit and no amount of effort can change that when 3 of the 4 are terrible wrestlers. Control on Garea is the worst as we all know, because the offence is bad and he's an asshole who can't and won't sell or make anyone look good. Martel gets the hot tag and locks in a sleeper on Saito, and right away Fuji attacks Patterson and sprays mist in his face and the match ends it, and hopefully this godforsaken feud along with it.
1/2*
Post match, the faces run them off and check on Pat.
Match#8 Tony Atlas vs The Executioner
Thankfully only 2 minutes. Still not at all good or worth being a nutcase and watching it, but at least it's quick and painless. Atlas hits two of the worst heabutts i've ever seen, the second of which didn't even connect. He then hits the bad splash to win
1/2*
Match#9 Ivan Putski vs Killer Khan
Andre killed this idiots push but not his career sadly, so we're stuck for a little while yet. Putski being back is also very upsetting as it means Bruno is for sure on his way back as well. Just bad stuff all round. This is a bad fight as both men's strikes are pathetic looking, and then the bell rings after maybe 2 minutes and Vince says the curfew has started and the show has to stop. the ref then awards the match to Ivan.
LMAO
Post match, Ivan shouts "POLISH POWER" to close the show.