Donnie watches WWWWF 1978

[BigVanDonnie]

MISSING TV-OCTOBER

Sooooooooooooooo, i fucked up as this was taped before Peter's heel turn at MSG, and i accidently missed it. That will be the last time i ever say sorry to Vince.

Bob Backlund & Peter Maivia w/Arnold Skaaland vs Spiros Arion & Victor Rivera w/Classy Freddie Blassie (21/10/78)
Peter acts like a dickhead right as way he starts the match and is all cocky and shit. He handles it and then tags in Bob, but he a real fuckface smile as he does it. Bob does his thing and it's very good, especially the fight with Rivera. Lots of cool counters and hard shots, and a white hot crowd on top of it. Backlund gets thrown into the post and is fucked up, he tags out for maybe 10 seconds before Peter tags him back in. The heels beat the piss out of him and it's the best. PETER GETS THE TAG AND NOT 5 SECONDS LATER TAGS BACK OUT, AND SKAALAND STANDS UP AND YELLS AT HIM. They keep arguing as Bob is beaten to a pulp. They toss Bob to the concrete and he's dead. Skaaland demands Peter help him, SO PETER DRAGS HIM BACK IN THE RING AND BEATS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM, The ref calls the match
**

The heels all team up and beat the shit out of Backlund until the faces storm the ring and run them off. Skaaland holds his jaw and he's all fucked up. Bob finally wakes up AND HE'S PISSED. WHY DID THAT HAPPEN. IS THE WHOLE WORLD AGAINST HIM. WHY DID THIS HAPPEN. "I KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH" He runs off and Vince does another incredible job of putting all of this over.

Coming from that, Vince is with Peter. Vince says he betrayed the wrestling world by turning on Backlund, and now he has a shot against Backlund on the 20th in MSG (No footage, sorry amigos) He promises to teach Backlund a lesson for what he did.

We go to the next TV, where Freddie Blassie takes credit for all of this. He says he told Maivia the truth about being used by Backlund as a tag partner as a way to keep him away from the title, and now he knows the truth. Peter is a gentle soul, but he will make Backlund and Strongbow pay for what they did.

Ok, that was awesome, but there's a problem. This happened two days before the MSG turn happened, and Vince NEVER said anything on commentary, so someone fucked up somewhere. So, in saying that, i take back my apology. Still, amazing, amazing shit.

MISSING TV-28TH
Larry Zybszko, Tony Garea & Dominic DeNucci vs Stan Stasiak, Mikel Scicluna & Spiros Arion
Worst 6 man of all of them. FUCK. Dom gets isolated and beaten for a while, and it's fine enough, but it's a tired act at this point. Larry get the tag and shit breaks down, so the ref DQ's them
3/4*

Tony Garea vs Luke Graham w/The Grand Wizard
This is on the tape, so i assume it's for the next week, but I'll do it now. Tony gets the most out this guy than anyone else, and he does simply by being good at this wrestling thing. Lots of fire in offence and selling, and he makes sure the Luke's shit looks good. It goes to the time limit because no one loses everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
October 28th, 1978

Match#1 Dino Bravo vs Jose Estrada
NO

Match#2 Crusher Jerry Blackwell w/The Grand Wizard vs Frankie Williams
Fantastic stuff from Jerry as always. Big Splash does the deed
**

At ringside, Vince talks to them. WHERE IS BRUNO, OR BRAVO OR GAREA? HE WANTS THEM ALL, BUT NONE MORE THAN BACKLUND. He keeps calling out all the big names because he's not a coward. He'll fight Andre if it comes to it, he doesn't fear anyone.

Match#3 Luke Graham w/The Grand Wizard vs Johnny Ringo
Same bad squash for Luke. Dude started off ok, then turned into a boring lazy lug. Punch does it
3/4*

Match#4 Johnny Rodz & Tony Russo vs Kang & King
I guess Rodz and Russo are no longer jobbers and are now big boys. Good for them. Well, good for Rodz who is actually good and deserves this, unlike the others who suck. Double Underhook does it
*1/2

The main event is the same 6 man i just reviewed.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
November 4th, 1978

Another piece of the puzzle is put in. Despite not liking Bruno at all when he speaks, it's always better to have two commentators than one.

Match#1 Johnny Rodz vs SD Jones
Poor Rodz gets stuck with SD. Couldn't give him Garea or Larry, got to give him this bumblefuck. Bruno actually adds to things when he talks about how tough each man is, and how you can never underestimate anyone. This another 10 minute draw that is mostly a back and forth. Getting real sick of it, but it's nice to see Rodz get more chances. He decides to pay them by back by doing this

Love it. Things get faster and faster and this is a prototype for how a TV match should go in terms of actually doing things and not being a lazy asshole. The time limit expires after the above gif, and we now need a rematch.
**3/4

Match#2 Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci vs Estrada & O'Hannon
Damn it, i thought i was done with these two. This is very bad, and I'll leave it at that. Airplane spin does it
1/2*

At ringside, Blassie and his army cut the same promo as a couple of weeks ago. They want the titles etc.

Match#3 Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea vs Spiros Arion & Victor Rivera w/Classy Freddie Blassie
Fucking finally! Everyone is SUPER fired and goes nuts right off the bat as they batter each other. Tony is particula is ALL fired up and has another wonderful showing. He gets too fired up and ends up isolated briefly. ANOTHER FUCKING BRAWL BREAKS OUT AND THE REF CALLS FOR A DQ, WHICH IS AT LEAST THE 6TH TIME THEY'VE DONE THAT FINISH. FUCK ME
**

Match#4 Crusher Jerry Blackwell vs Steve King
Crusher saves my mood by being his awesome self. Lots of mean shit from the big fell, before the splash does it
**

Match#5 Jay Strongbow vs Tony Russo
Not the ideal way to close a show at all. He's so fat and old, and clearly doesn't give a shit about anything other than getting paid. I'd respect it if ever tried, but he sucks so fuck him. This is also reminds I'll have to deal with that shitstain Tatanka once we hit 92, and that'll suck so much. Strongbow wins with a shitty headbutt
Not paying taxes to the IRS

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
November 11th, 1978

Opening match is the Tony/Graham match from a couple of weeks ago.

Match#1 Peter Maivia w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Steve Cooper
Peter is much better as a heel as he seems to give a shit, which makes sense with the Backlund feud starting. Lots of hard strikes and mugging the crowd, simple and effective. He throws the jobber throat first on the ropes to win
*3/4

At ringside, Vince is with them. Freddie says he is the NEW SAVAGE, and he was being taken advantage of by Skaaland and Backlund because he's a little stupid. He rants about them being dirty cheats and promises to get revenge. He says he heard for weeks that Backlund was using him and he simply told Peter the truth, and he did the smart thing. Peter says he doesn't owe anyone anything and he'll show Backlund when they meet. Freddie keeps ranting, so Vince cuts the interview off.

Match#2 Ivan Koloff w/Capt Lou Albano vs FIREBALL Robinson
Best jobber name ever. Bad squash though, which isn't shocking at all. Knee-Drop does it. The highlight was Bruno putting Ivan over as a scary tough man that gave him the fight of his life.
1/2*

Match#3 Dino Bravo...
Fuck you

Match#4 The Yukon Lumberjacks w/Capt Lou Albano vs Larry Zybszko & SD Jones
Rematch time. Same as the last one with Larry/Jacks being awesome, and SD not being very good. Bruno puts over his kid as being smart in the ring, and someone we shouldn't underestimate. Oh, if only you knew. Larry has a great sell of his hamstring after it gets blasted, and it's one of those little moments that reminds me of how fucking GREAT Larry is. Jacks bump huge for SD's hot tag before they murder him with a Lariat to win
**1/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
November 18th, 1978

Really appreciate the Network (HIGH SPOT) finally putting a full month on here, only took them 11 months to do it.

Match#1 Larry Zybszko vs Bob Colter
Hell yeah. Awesome, awesome stuff from the master of human chess. Beats the crap out of him all over, and ends his night with a super tight Crucifix
**

Match#2 Crusher Jerry Blackwell w/The Grand Wizard vs Cooper & Robinson
Wonderful murder from the big man. He throws EVERYTHING into them and beats the holy shit out of them. Double stack splash does it
**

Vince interviews them at ringside. JERRY HAS FINALLY HAD ENOUGH AND WANTS TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM RIGHT NOW. HE'S SICK OF THESE COWARDS TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT HIM, SO HE'S ISSUING AN OPEN CHALLENGE. HE DEMANDS VINCE GET IN THE RING AND FIGHT HIM, OR GET HIM SOME REAL DAMN COMPETITION. He offers 5 grand to anyone who can slam him and that includes Bruno. YEAH, KILL HIM.

Match#3 "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd w/The Grand Wizard vs Fred Marzino
Great shit from the Big Cat. He beats snot of this poor little dude in really mean fashion. I want more Ladd in my life, damn it. Big Boot and even bigger leg-drop do it
**1/4

At ringside, Vince interviews them. Ladd says he wants to beat Bruno in MSG, and then beat that soft champion Backlund. Sadly, the tape cuts out.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWWF All-Star Wrestling
November 25th, 1978

Match#1 SD Jones vs Tony Russo
This is a real match, which is a wild thing to type. Russo goes for SD's leg and does a fine job of it, while SD sells it really well. This is like the WCW thing where they give jobbers real matches so they look more legit when they get squashed by real stars. SD shows heart and fights through it and hits a big headbutt to win
**

Match#2 Mike Masters vs Mike Paidousis
Masters looks like a skinner Brody with the long hair and beard. He does lots of choking and chinlocks, and he doesn't look very good tbqh. So, a lot like Brody if we're being honest. The jobber shockingly backdrops him and leans down all his weight to pin him
3/4*

This is episode is goofy af.

At ringside, Vince is with Blassie and Peter. Same promo as last week, so whatever.

They show a match between Bruno and Waldo Von-Erich from a few years before. Cool stuff for anyone who wants to see more of Bruno, but I'm not covering it.

Match#3 "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd w/The Grand Wizard vs Stan Ladbas
Another great one for Big Ernie. Boot and Leg-drop the deal
**

Match#4 Luke Graham w/The Grand Wizard vs Dino Bravo
FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKK. This is terrible and not something you should ever watch. Hell, i shouldn't be watching, tbh. They trade terrible offence for a few minutes, and it goes to our favourite finish of the double DQ
Giving Dino Bravo money to wrestle

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

WWWF All-Star Wrestling
December 2nd, 1978

This is the last TV show up on the Network, so we're going to work off the last few matches on XWT and then this done. Quickest I've ever finished a year.

TONIGHT. BACKLUND VS GRAHAM

Match#1 MOOSE Monroe & Baron Scicluna vs SD Jones & Dave Darrow
What a fucking hodgepodge of wrestlers we've got here. SD gets isolated like always and that's decent enough, as is the beating on Darrow when his hot tag gets cut off. The heels keep beating on him and Baron beats him with a headbutt
*

Match#2 Ivan Koloff w/Capt Lou Albano vs Kang
No thanks

Vince has a long interview with Bravo about smuggling smokes for the mob and eating 23 bullets. Sorry, not sorry.

Match#3 "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd w/The Grand Wizard vs Francisco Flores
Another super fun squash for the big man. He shows off his strength by lifting the jobber all the way up above his head on a Hammerlock. Ernie fucking rules. The Big Boot and Leg-Drop does it
**

Match#4 Peter Maivia w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Paidousis
Another little fun squash for the big fella. Headbutt does it
*1/2

Match#5 Bob Backlund vs Luke Graham w/The Grand Wizard
Very happy i can finally see a feud end on TV, instead of a LIVE event. Bob carries Luke to a fun match simply by being nice enough to bump for him, and hit him hard when he gets a chance. Bob takes a beating for a while and that's fun, as is his comebacks with that smile of glee as he gets to hurt someone. Bob again catches a kick to nail the Atomic Drop to win
**1/4

Vince walks over to interview him. Bob says Luke had a great showing, but it wasn't meant to be. He says he is being careful every time he wrestlers because he holds this belt for the people. Vince says Bob REALLY TURNS THE FANS ON with with his wrestling!!!!!!!!!!! They keep talking as the show ends.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWWWF WORLD CHAMPION: BOB BACKLUND Since 20/2/78
WWWWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE YUKON LUMBERJACKS. Since-26/6/78

MISSING TV- NOVEMBER- DECEMBER
This is listed as December in the pack, but it's actually November. Shows that i need to check all of this before i get to it.

We find Vince standing by with Louis Albano. The Jack are FINALLY defending the title against Larry and Tony. Lou takes offence to Vince saying "If" the Jacks win, he says they've got watermelon heads and are punks. They don't have ANYTHING to beat the Jacks, AND VINCE IS A LIAR FOR SAYING THEY HAVE A CHANCE

The Yukon Lumberjacks (C) w/Capt Lou Albano vs Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea (WWWWF World Tag Team Championships 21/11/78)
Everyone reading this knows I've been hanging out for this match, and it's well worth it. As we've seen in the 6 mans and the random tags, the chemistry is here between all of them, so this rocks. The Jacks try to bull them because they're bigger and are shitheads, so our beloved faces make them pay by rubbing their faces in the dirt and not taking any shit. Larry gets isolated after Lou causes a distraction and that's great times. The Jacks are just so much fun to watch as they kill people, and it's a damn shame this is their last match. Tony keeps getting cut off and the crowd gets hotter and hotter for it. Larry finally gets to him and MY GOD, they fucking lose it as Tony beats the piss out of them. HUGE bumps from the Jacks, and Tony has the most fire of anyone all year. It breaks down the faces start to overwhelm then. THEY DO THE CRISSCROSS AND THROW THE JACKS INTO EACH OTHER AND THAT GETS THE 3. SHIT YES
***1/4

Lou flips out the Jacks, AND HE THROWS HIS JACKET AT PIERRE AND WALKS OUT ON THEM. ERIC SPITS ON THE FACES BEFORE THEY STORM OFF, AND THE FACES CELEBRATE IN THE RING. That was wonderful

Tony interviews the new champs at ringside. Tony says he kept his eyes on Lou and was able to stop him when it counted! Larry says they got a contract that stipulates it needed to be one fall and not 2/3, so the Jacks couldn't get DQ on the first fall and then steal it on the second. Larry says he's the happiest man in the world. This is the best thing WWWWF has done.

Spiros Arion w/Classy Freddie Blassie vs Jay Strongbow (2/12/78)
Spiros had a real chance to be WOTY, but this son of a bitch ruins it. Like, how dare they stick him with this fat lazy douchebag. Ugh. Strongbow no sells everything and eats poor Spiros alive and its the worst. They do the double DQ
Ox Baker should have started a riot in AWA and then laughed once he realised there were 6 people there

Andre The Giant vs Johnny Rodz & Rodriguez
Andre murders Johnny Rodz dead, and i'm a little sad because he won my heart. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut ANDRE. Double squash does it
**

78 is done. Long live, 1978

 

[BigVanDonnie]

TOP MATCHES OF THE YEAR

Larry Zybszko vs Stan Stasiak *** (23/9/78)
Superstar Billy Graham vs Bruno Sammartino *** (18/2/78)
Tony Garea vs Stan Stasiak *** (19/8/78)
Bob Backlund vs Strong Kobyashi *** (3/6/78)
Superstar Billy Graham vs Bruno Sammartino ***1/4 (14/1/78)
Bob Backlund vs Spiros Arion ***1/4 (25/3/78)
Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki ***1/4 (1/6/78)
The Yukon Lumberjacks Lou Albano vs Larry Zybszko & Tony Garea ***1/4 (21/11/78)



Bob Backlund vs Ernie Ladd ***1/2 (23/10/78)

 

[BigVanDonnie]

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

This is like AMW in TNA, or Dem Boys in ROH, where there's no other way this can go, because they are the way.

THE YUKON LUMBERJACK-19 POINTS.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

This was a much tighter contest than WOTY, because of awesome dudes like Spiros, Stan, Tony, Larry, Crusher and the Jacks all making a serious case for the title. But in the end, one man stood above them all, a man who smiled his way into our hearts and will probably kill an entire family out of happiness when he finds out he won.

MR BOB BACKLUND-32 POINTS

Spiros Arion-29
Eric Yukon-23
Pierre Yukon-23
Tony Garea-23
Larry Zybszko-18
Stan Stasiak-16
Crusher Jerry Backwell -16
Superstar Billy Graham-12
Peter Maivia-10
Baron Mikel Scicluna-9
SD Jones-8
Luke Graham-8
Victor Rivera-7
Bruno Sammartino-7
Dominic DeNucci-7
Andre The Giant-6
Dusty Rhodes-6
Dino Bravo-6
Jay Strongbow-6
Ernie Ladd-5
Johnny Rodz-5
Butcher Paul Vachon-5
Haystacks Calhoun-4
MOOSE-3
Ivan Koloff-3
Tony Russo-3
Strong Kobayashi-3
Inoki-3
George "The Animal" Steele-3
Del Adams-2
Mr Fuji-2
Professor Tanaka-2
Ken Patera-1
TANK PATTON-1
Little Tokyo -1
Coconut Willie-1