WWWF: Championship Wrestling
May 21, 1977
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Arena

Your current WWWF champions are as follows:
WWWF Heavyweight Champion: Superstar Billy Graham (4/30/1977)
WWWF World Tag Team Champions: Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf (12/7/1976)

Pop Culture #1s:
#1 Movie of the Week: The Car starring James Brolin
#1 Song of the Week: Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
#1 TV Show of 76-77 Season: Happy Days starring Ron Howard and Henry Winkler

Your host is Vince McMahon.

More action from Bruno-Graham where the WWWF heavyweight title changed hands. Still no sign of a finish. They just go back and forth during an overhead wristlock. When Graham escapes, he puts the boots to Bruno while he’s down. Vince does mention that Graham was badly cut during this match. That’s another two minutes and some change shown. I wonder if they will even show Bruno getting pinned on TV. It doesn’t seem likely to me.

• Ivan Putski vs. Jan Nelson
  

Nelson sells BIG for Putski. Maybe sometimes a little too much. Putski is all headlocks and chinlocks when he’s not striking poor Jan. He tries for a coconut crusher move where you put a man’s head in between your legs and jump up and down, but Putski overpowers him and unintentionally gives Nelson an Alabama Slam. No Polish Hammer — Putski puts Nelson away with the bearhug in 5:01.

• Ken Patera (w/Captain Lou Albano) vs. Don Serrano
  

Patera has a cherry red tights and green apple boots combination outfit here tonight. Serrano looks so tiny up against Patera. He works the arm and Serrano tries to come back on the guy. Serrano even tries a crossbody out of the corner, but he’s caught in mid-air for the BEARHUG to end things at 4:27. Two matches, two bearhugs.

Afterwards, Ken Patera goes over to Vince McMahon calling out some real competition. Vince tells Patera a challenge has been made by Chief Jay Strongbow for next week. Patera accepts and puts down Strongbow for being an Indian.

• Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko vs. Pete Austin & Frank Rodriguez
  

Garea and Zbyszko take turns twisting and barring Austin’s arm, but it’s Rodriguez who takes the fall as Larry Z holds him in place for a flying sunset flip by Garea for the three-count at 2:48. So Garea and Zbyszko continue their winning ways.

• Professor Toru Tanaka (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Steve King
  

It’s only a matter of time until Mr. Fuji returns to the WWWF. King looks like a low-rent Carlito Colon. Lots of choking from Tanaka to start until he decides to work the arm. King tries to punch back, but his punches have no effect. Tanaka fires back and applies the COBRA CLUTCH before snapping the neck and getting the three-count at 4:08.

• High Chief Peter Maivia vs. Rocky Tomayo
  

Rocky Tomayo makes it look like Maivia is wrestling his grandson from Be Cool. Just so much charisma in Maivia. He has little trouble at all with Tomayo. Maivia delivers a few of those running tackles and applies the STUMP PULLER for the submission at 4:19.

• Chief Jay Strongbow, Billy White Wolf & Bob Backlund vs. Baron Von Raschke, Doug Gilbert & Johnny Rodz
  

Lots of jumping and scaring the heels to start. The Indians and Backlund try to corner Rodz on their side of town, but he starts running the ropes only to run into a kick from Strongbow. They have some fun with wristlocks, but Rodz takes Billy White Wolf over to his corner. Baron Von Raschke and Doug Gilbert hold White Wolf in place as Rodz comes off the top rope to lower the boom on him. At one point, BOTH Gilbert and Rodz come down on White Wolf. Rodz gets a corner whip reversed on him though and White Wolf tags out to Strongbow. Chief Jay is a HOUSE OF FIRE – at least in WWF terms. Backlund coconut crushes Von Raschke and then threatens Rodz who is standing at the top rope. Von Raschke nails Backlund from behind and tags out to Gilbert. Now Gilbert delivers a flying headscissors on Backlund. He tries a second one, but Backlund catches him for a slam. Tag to Strongbow, he scares Gilbert and gives him a catapult into the corner. Strongbow is stuck on the wrong side of town, but he avoids a Bossman straddle from Rodz. Gilbert grabs Strongbow as Von Raschke comes off the ropes, but Strongbow moves and Gilbert gets kicked off the apron. Rodz gets whipped into Von Raschke. Tag to White Wolf, he hits the jumping senton splash on Rodz and misses by a country mile. The Indians get in some trouble again until Backlund comes in and helps. The match completely breaks down as the heels are all run into each other. Backlund hits the ATOMIC DROP on Rodz and gets the pinfall. (7:04) These faux Indians pretty much suck, but Backlund’s excitement and charisma carried this through for me. *½

This is all I have from this part of 1977. I still have one episode in October that includes the American Dream Dusty Rhodes days after his Texas Death Match with Superstar Billy Graham.

Until next time, so long for now.