NWA: Big Time Wrestling
November 1978
Detroit, MI

Your host is Chuck Allen.

• The Fabulous Kangaroos vs. Sam Schell & John Ruffin
  

Schell and Ruffin look like creepy patrons of Paddy’s Pub. The ref is Al Thomas who Allen describes as a school teacher, so you KNOW he’s on the level. This is the Al Costello and Bob Heffernan combination of the Kangaroos. Costello is old as the hills at this point. Heffernan starts us off by working Schell down to the mat with a headlock. They switch out and Costello takes control with wristlocks on Ruffin. Tag to Heffernan, he has some trouble with Ruffin. Costello breaks up an O’Connor roll though. Some back and forth forearms thrown between Ruffin and Heffernan. A slam and an elbow drop on Heffernan gets a one-count. Schell tags back in and he seems to be the real ham and egger here. The Roos control him with wristlocks, but then he flips away from one out of nowhere and dropkicks Heffernan down a few times. Tag to Ruffin, he puts Heffernan in some serious trouble, but he fights back and applies a full nelson. Ruffin gets his face bounced off the turnbuckle while in the hold. He’ll get away from the Roos and tag Schell. A lot of good that does as Schell finds himself taking a few catapults into body blows. THIS MATCH JUST WON’T QUIT. Finally, they give Schell the BOOMERANG (catapult into a backdrop) to secure the win for the Roos. (10:48) Was Schell and Ruffin seriously worth over ten minutes of TV time? Come on.

• Bulldog Don Kent (w/”Pretty Boy” Floyd Creachman) vs. John Irish
  

Pretty Boy Floyd takes his sweet time getting out of the ring to get this match going. They trade lots of punches and smashes to start. Kent applies a chinlock for what feels like forever. Creachman is seemingly allowed to stand on the apron. Kent switches things up with a HEADLOCK~! A handful of body slams and knee drops and stomps occur until finally Kent decides to pin Irish at 7:56.

• Mark Lewin & Nick DeCarlo vs. Garth Vader & Billie Byrd
  

Lewin and DeCarlo take turns working armbars and headlocks on these two. Lewin gives Byrd a big slam and then holds him up for DeCarlo to apply a small package to get the win at 7:34.

It shouldn’t take these guys this long to beat these jobbers. I can even forgive Don Kent because he’s a heel and wants to punish a guy, but Lewin and DeCarlo don’t need over seven minutes to beat jobbers when it was in no way competitive. It just doesn’t make sense. They need to fill out their hour a little bit better with some interviews or discuss an angle that happened at Cobo Hall — do SOMETHING.

• The Sheik vs. El Bracero
  

Not sure where this match is happening, but it is not at the TV studio. Pretty standard Sheik match as he’s biting and clawing his way to the CAMEL CLUTCH for the win at 3:55.

There may not be much variety in what the Sheik does during these jobber matches, but at least he gets in there and dominates and gets out. None of this grabbing a headlock or an armbar for minutes on end just to kill time. He looks like a KILLER and that’s what sell tickets.

• Dory Funk Jr. vs. Dennis Alberts
  

This is the second time we’ve seen this match during the 1970s Detroit footage I’ve been going through. Maybe even a third time. It’s filmed down in Amarillo. Dory wears down Alberts until he delivers the Butterfly Suplex a running elbow drop for the win at 5:02.

• Stan Stasiak vs. Pierre LaFiv
  

I feel like this is going to end with a curfew draw. Maybe not. Stasiak takes LaFiv to the floor and gives him the HEART PUNCH to win via countout in :48. Stasiak keeps on abusing LaFiv after the bell and tells Chuck Allen that he’s here to destroy everybody that comes around. REMEMBER THAT, SHEIK. This was the most interesting match on the show!

Next time, we’ll be heading to Cobo Hall to see a two-ring battle royal, the Sheik, Mark Lewin, and Bobo Brazil!