JHawk
Welcome to week 3 of Through the Booking Glass, where we won’t follow the buzzards (at least not right away), and we don’t care if #AskDixie trends or not, but we do care about trying to put out a quality version of the WWF circa January 1983. Everything we’ve done so far has built to this edition right here. Make sure you read Week 1 and Week 2 so you have an idea what has happened so far.
The last two weeks have built to our main event tonight, the first MSG show of the new year, so join us on this continued journey.
January 1983, Monday, Week 3
The ratings for Championship Wrestling also dropped this weekend, and again, they have had two fantastic shows since Jared Hawkins took over as booker so I have no idea how that is the case.
All Japan Pro Wrestling is offering Mil Mascaras what is said to be a big money short term deal. It shouldn’t affect his status with the WWF as they use him sporadically anyway, but it could potentially make him unavailable for bigger shows.
January 1983, Tuesday, Week 3
This will be an interesting week for the WWF, as both shows will be leading to Saturday’s show at Madison Square Garden. Most markets will get the two shows mere hours before the MSG show takes place, and it will be interesting to see if they can draw a good crowd. My take? So far they’ve done a good job of building up the IC Title Match and there’s some buzz for the Heavyweight Title match, but not sure if those two matches by themselves are going to sell the place out.
Championship Wrestling taping (January 1983, Tuesday, Week 3)
I just got back home form another night of WWF action in Allentown, PA at the Agriculutal Hall. Certainly some interesting matches leading up the MSG show on Saturday night.
The Polish Prince defeated David Sammartino in 0:48 by submission. This did not click at all and it’s probably a good thing it was so short.
In an extremely short match, The Strongbows defeated Tiger Conway Jr. and Johnny Rodz in 4:48 when Jules Strongbow defeated Tiger Conway Jr. by pinfall with a Powerbomb to retain the WWF Tag Team Title. After the match, the Strongbows were attacked by the Wild Samoans and left laying.
Big John Studd announced that the bodyslam challenge has been increased to $3,500. Bob Bradley attempted it but was unsuccessful. This led immediately to Studd’s match with Barry Hart, which Studd won by submission with a reverse bearhug in 2:18. After the match, Studd was interviewed by Pat Patterson at ringside. Studd vowed he was just hours away from winning the WWF Heavyweight Championship.
Buddy Rogers hosts his talk show, asking Mr. Fuji about the rumors that Fuji is getting ready to become a manager. Fuji denies the claim and instead hypes his upcoming match at MSG with Rocky Johnson.
After this, Fuji immediately went to the ring. Mr. Fuji pinned Curt Hennig with what would technically be deemed a twisting senton headbutt in 3:10.
Don Muraco defeated Tony Garea in 2:41 by pinfall with a Tombstone Piledriver. After the match, Pat Patterson interviewed Muraco at ringside about his shot at the Intercontinental Title this weekend.
Jimmy Snuka defeated Tiger Chung Lee in 1:41 by pinfall with a Superfly Splash.
Rocky Johnson defeated Frankie Williams in 4:22 by pinfall with a Johnson Shuffle.
Superstar Billy Graham defeated Mil Mascaras in 2:36 by pinfall.
Pat Patterson interviewed George Steele and Freddie Blassie at ringside. Steele has a shot at Morales in the main event, and Blassie said by the end of the week, he would be managing both the Intercontinental and World Champions.
In a match that had some good action and average heat, Pedro Morales defeated George Steele in 7:41 when George Steele was disqualified when Don Muraco ran in and attacked Pedro Morales. After the match, Muraco continued to attack Morales until road agents made the save.
I know some will disagree, but I thought this was another fantastic show.
January 1983, Wednesday, Week 3
Eddie Gilbert and The Polish Prince got into a huge argument backstage at last night’s tapings. No idea what the argument was about but I was told Gilbert was clearly the instigator. Supposedly booker Jared Hawkins warned Gilbert not to let things get physical and Gilbert said “Whatever” and stormed off.
The taping drew another sellout of 1,300. I know they’d like to work bigger buildings, but there’s such a huge tradition for the Allentown tapings and they don’t want to alienate that fanbase.
The Grand Wizard will, in fact, be managing in WWC in Puerto Rico and will be paired with whatever heel is wrestling Carlos Colon that week.
All-Star Wrestling taping (January 1983, Wednesday, Week 3)
After another TV taping, I have to say they are doing everything possible to build to this weekend’s MSG show. Although since this airs Sunday in some markets I’m not sure how they’re handling that one.
In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, The Strongbows defeated Charlie Fulton and Tiger Conway Jr. in 6:12 to retain the WWF Tag Team Titles. Jules pinned Conway Jr. with a Powerbomb.
In an awful match that was completely devoid of heat, The Polish Prince defeated Frankie Williams in 3:30 by submission with a Texas Cloverleaf.
As they made their way to the ring, Your New Heroes were interviewed by Pat Patterson. Ray Stevens talked about his match as MSG with Jules Strongbow, while Rose brought up his bout with Jimmy Snuka. Rose was amazing here but Stevens struggled a bit, almost as if he was looking for a script. The team then made their way to the ring for their match with S.D. Jones and Tony Atlas. Rose pinned Atlas in 8:31 with the Las Vegas Jackpot. All the hype for the Rose/Stevens team and they worked horribly together. On top of that, the only one who didn’t seem a step off with Jones, and you’re just asking for trouble when that’s the case.
The Wild Samoans and Lou Albano were the guests on Buddy Rogers’ Corner.
Mr. Fuji defeated Salvatore Bellomo in 4:30 by pinfall with a Kamikaze Clothesline. As Fuji left the ring, Rocky Johnson made his way to the ring. They got nose to nose until about six guys came in between them to keep them from coming to blows.
Rocky Johnson defeated Bob Bradley in 3:29 by pinfall with a fast roll up. After the match, Johnson was interviewed by Pat Patterson, and Johnson said that this weekend there will be nobody getting in between them and he will take Fuji out.
Andre The Giant defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna in 3:30 by pinfall with The Bodyslam. Andre looked incredible here.
Barry Hart attempted Big John Studd’s bodyslam challenge, still at $3,500, but failed. This led to Studd’s match with David Sammartino, which Studd won in 34 seconds with his reverse bearhug. After the match, Studd did an interview with Patterson saying the next time he appeared on this show, he will be the WWF World Champion.
Tony Garea & Eddie Gilbert defeated Mac Rivera and Tiger Chung Lee in 4:10 when Gilbert pinned Mac Rivera with a kneelift.
This was a pretty average show, I have to assume because they didn’t want to give too much away before the Garden.
January 1983, Thursday, Week 3
Attendance at Hamburg Fieldhouse dropped to 1,390 for the taping last night.
There were some interviews taped at ringside prior to the doors opening last night, and in the markets where All-Star Wrestling airs on Sunday, they will be inserted in place of the other angles and interviews that were pushing the Garden show.
This is not necessarily an indication of the result on Saturday, but I know there is a Backlund-Studd rematch planned for Philadelphia in February. Philly often gets the big title match after the feud has already lost steam (they didn’t get Backlund-Snuka last year until September, nearly three months after Snuka missed the dive off the top of the cage), so Backlund could win by submission in under a minute and I doubt that plan’s going to change.
Despite the report we got that the show was run of the mill, most people thought last night’s taping were very good.
January 1983, Friday, Week 3
Ed Wiskowski defeated Jules Strongbow in the main event of a Pacific Northwest show in Alaska last night, but it was Buddy Rose in a tag match on that show that came off as the star. It shows where the talent difference is between the WWF and other promotions, and Wiskowski vs. Strongbow wouldn’t get past midcard in the WWF with the talent depth they have right now.
Some insiders have become worried about Mil Mascaras, who they believe is pushing himself too much. In addition to his limited WWF dates, he also works regularly for All Japan and CMLL, so the constant traveling combined with wrestling 3-4 nights a week is beginning to take its toll.
January 1983, Saturday, Week 3
Tonight is a big night for the WWF, as they have an 11-match card scheduled for Madison Square Garden for Jared Hawkins’ first show as booker here. Nine of these matches are official:
Big John Studd vs. Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Title: I’d expect a Backlund win here, but some sort of DQ to set up their Philly match isn’t out of the question.
Don Muraco vs. Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Title: Muraco was scheduled to win the title originally, and I doubt that changes. Muraco has looked better and despite being an ethnic draw, Morales can’t cut a promo to save his life.
Mr. Fuji vs. Rocky Johnson: Johnson’s in line for a huge push so he should take it.
Superstar Billy Graham vs. Swede Hanson: Should be Graham based on reputation alone, but if Hanson were younger it might be a different story.
Buddy Rose vs. Jimmy Snuka: This could go either way. Snuka’s insanely over and you’d think he’s still in for a push, but with Rose having signed a three year deal he may get the win as a thank you for coming back.
Ray Stevens vs. Jules Strongbow: I would think they’d put the tag team champion over here, but Stevens is a far superior worker and will have to carry the match.
The Wild Samoans vs. Tony Garea/Eddie Gilbert: The Samoans are expected to have a match with the Strongbows in either Philly or New York next month, possibly both, so they should win big here.
Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. S.D. Jones: They’ve traded wins since what seems like 1943 so either result is fine here.
Curt Hennig vs. Mac Rivera: Hennig has a terrific upside and should go over here.
At least two other matches will be on the card, one involving Johnny Rodz. We’ll have live coverage on the site beginning at 8:15pm (belltime is 8:30pm).
I’d expect if Morales loses tonight that you’ll see him lowered down the card. He is in the middle of a feud with Abdullah the Butcher in Puerto Rico which is said to be on fire.
Some industry veterans are very high on Bob Bradley. Some of the most respected men in the industry have him pegged for greatness in a few years. I can personally see him headlining in a smaller territory but don’t think he’ll achieve much in the WWF or for Jim Crockett.
WWF at Madison Square Garden live coverage (January 1983, Saturday, Week 3)
Welcome to our live coverage of the WWF’s first appearance in Madison Square Garden for the year.
Vince McMahon interviews Don Muraco and Lou Albano backstage. Muraco claims that everybody is against him: Pedro Morales, the fans, the New York State Athletic Commission, and McMahon himself, but he will overcome all the odds and take the gold from Morales tonight.
A video then played to hype the match, showing highlights from their match in December and the attack that aired in most markets from All-Star Wrestling.
Vince McMahon then interviews Morales about the match. This was actually a good promo, which leads me to believe Morales learned English in the last week.
McMahon conducts another interview, this time with Superstar Billy Graham about his match with Swede Hanson. Graham claims Hanson cost him his match with Bob Backlund last month, saying it was impossible to give up because Backlund’s crossface chickenwing was actually a chokehold so Graham couldn’t speak. Why didn’t this air on TV leading up to this instead of taking place five minutes before belltime?
Curt Hennig has apparently not arrived in the building, so Mac Rivera will be taking on Johnny Rodz in the opener.
In an awful match that was completely devoid of heat, Johnny Rodz defeated Mac Rivera in 8:43 by pinfall with a Piledriver. No word as to where Hennig is. Rodz was way off his game here.
In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, S.D. Jones defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna in 6:41 by pinfall. Scicluna just can’t work anything more than 4 minutes or so anymore, as he was completely exhausted by the end of this one.
Superstar Billy Graham defeated Swede Hanson in 2:56 by pinfall after The Grand Wizard of Wrestling interfered. Graham looked to me to be a step off but the fans said this was the best Graham has looked since his return.
Don Muraco pinned Pedro Morales in 8:35 to win the Intercontinental Title. Morales injured his knee against the turnbuckle about halfway into the match, and the finish came when he tried to slam Muraco but couldn’t hold his weight and fell backwards, with Muraco landing on top for the pin. Good match with a creative finish.
In a match that had some good action and average heat, The Wild Samoans defeated Tony Garea & Eddie Gilbert in 8:48 when Sika pinned Garea with a Samoan Drop after Lou Albano interfered.
In a match that had some good action and average heat, Ray Stevens defeated Jules Strongbow in 8:14 by pinfall with a Bombs Away. Strongbow was really off his game tonight.
It’s intermission time in the arena, which gives Vince McMahon a chance to interview Bob Backlund backstage about his match with Studd. His typical interview but a bit longer to allow for the intermission.
WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated Big John Studd in 6:36 by pinfall with a fast roll up. Studd’s shoulder appeared to get up before the three count here, and Studd immediately locked Backlund in the reverse bearhug just before the bell rang. Most thought the title changed based on the timing of the bell here. After the match, Studd grabbed the title belt before referee Dick Kroll could hand it to Backlund and hit Backlund in the head with it. Best match of the night so far even with the weird finish.
Jimmy Snuka defeated Buddy Rose in 14:53 by pinfall with a Superfly Splash. Another very good match.
Salvatore Bellomo defeated Charlie Fulton in 3:57 by pinfall with a Pizza Splash. This was a horrendously bad match that brought the entire show way down.
Rocky Johnson defeated Mr. Fuji in 6:10 by pinfall with a quick cradle.
If the show ends with Backlund-Studd, or even Rose-Snuka, it’s a thumbs up, but the last two matches bring this to a thumbs in the middle effort.
January 1983, Sunday, Week 4
Curt Hennig shocked the entire locker room by no-showing the MSG card last night. He was originally scheduled to win his match with Mac Rivera, and up until show time was expected to arrive. He decided to take another booking with the AWA in Denver instead. The WWF made the right call by simply placing Rivera in against Johnny Rodz and cutting the show down to 10 matches, but a number of fans were upset about Hennig not appearing. Hennig retained his AWA Television Title against Paul Orndorff at the AWA show.
Attendance last night was 8,189, so nowhere close to a sell out.
After the show last night, Jared Hawkins gave a speech to the entire locker room, praising Big John Studd and Bob Backlund on their match. He also took a minute to talk to Salvatore Bellomo and talk about how he needs to perform better, especially on big shows. Publicly Bellomo said the speech was no big deal and he’d accept the constructive criticism, but he has looked very bad since his return and he knows it.
Studd and Backlund were each given a $1,000 bonus for having the best match of the big show. No truth to the rumor that Bellomo and Charlie Fulton were fined the same amount for their atrocity. Personally I feel I should get a $1,000 bonus for sitting through it.
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Next up: What is the fallout to the MSG show? Does Studd get a rematch following his controversial loss to Backlund? Is Don Muraco going to have to face Pedro Morales in yet another rematch, or will a new challenger be waiting in the wings?
