WWWF: All Star Wrestling
November 4, 1978
Hamburg, PA
Hamburg Fieldhouse

Your current WWWF champions are as follows:
WWWF Heavyweight Champion: Bob Backlund (2/20/1978)
WWWF World Tag Team Champions: The Yukon Lumberjacks (6/26/1978)

Pop Culture #1s of the Time:
#1 Movie of the Week: Comes a Horseman starring James Caan & Jane Fonda
#1 Song of the Week: You Needed Me by Anne Murray
#1 TV Show of the 78-79 Season: Laverne & Shirley starring Penny Marshall & Cindy Williams

Follow along if you have the WWE Network!

The following wrestling exhibition requires discretionary viewer participation.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino – making his debut as a regular commentator for the show. He appears to be only slightly excited. But man, look at that “afro”.

• SD Jones vs. Johnny Rodz

Rodz gets going early controlling Jones with an armbar and later a headlock. SD eventually counters with a headscissors, but Rodz rolls over on top for a two-count. Rodz puts SD back on the mat with a chinlock. When Jones gets up to his feet, Rodz beats him into the corner and puts the boots to him. Rodz misses a fist drop and Jones starts twisting the arm. Bruno thinks we will see a submission here. Rodz misses a falling headbutt as well. SD delivers a HEADBUTT of his own. With Rodz is in the ropes, SD lets Rodz regroup when he needs to be aggressive. Jones continues with offense like a turnbuckle smash or two. Rodz goes to the eyes and hits a backdrop to follow up with elbow and knee drops. That gets two. SD sees another backdrop coming and sunset flips Rodz for 1-2-NO! Now Rodz is pissed. He comes off the middle rope stomping SD on the head. SD wins a slugfest, but needs to capitalize. He lets Rodz punch back here. With SD down against the ropes, Rodz gives him a pair of basement dropkicks. Chris Sabin has nothing to worry about here. SD avoids a third one and the bell rings to signal a time-limit draw. (10:00) Not that SD Jones is Chief Jay Strongbow-level territory as far as his place on the card, but when was the last time Johnny Rodz was allowed this much offense in a match with a mid-carder? Rodz was good as usual and he’s a fun heel, but man SD Jones needs a better comeback. Holy crap he’s boring. *½

• Dominic DeNucci & Dino Bravo vs. Jose Estrada & Davey O’Hannon

We’ve got a Puerto Rican and an Irishman facing a pair of Italians. It’s the WWWF, folks. DeNucci is sporting a black singlet here tonight. I guess his regular tights are still at the cleaners. I swear Jose Estrada looks like Chavo Guerrero Jr. from far away. Dominic doesn’t take any shit from O’Hannon to start. Estrada jumps in and pops DeNucci to break up a hold. DeNucci actually seems motivated to work today. He gets cornered on the wrong side of town and Bravo isn’t helping coming into the ring like that. Nice jumping knee drop from O’Hannon gets two on DeNucci. We get a couple false tag spots and the heels gets more heat on DeNucci. Finally, DeNucci gets away from O’Hannon and HOT TAGS Bravo. BAAAACK BODY DROP. Bravo is a house of fire as Estrada and O’Hannon are whipped into one another. Bravo continues to keep control of the match, but in comes Estrada because he’s a big fat cheater. DeNucci tags in and he’s forced to beat up both heels. He stomps Estrada and then gives him a backdrop. He tags Bravo back in for the Best Dropkick in the Business to Estrada and the AIRPLANE SPIN gets the three-count. (7:38) Fun tag match for the WWWF. Lots of energy here. **

Before the next match, Vince McMahon meets with Freddie Blassie and his boys Spiros Arion and Victor Rivera. Blassie runs through a few jokes on the fans at ringside, which is always fun. Blassie tells Vince that he knows Vince doesn’t like him, but he doesn’t care because he’s managing the next tag team champs. He then reminds us that he’s all about the money. Rivera is cool with winning the tag belts. When Vince brings up Rivera’s past as a tag champ with Dominic DeNucci, he goes into angry Ricky Ricardo mode. As for Spiros Arion, he gloats about being the best tag team in the world right now. Of course, Arion can’t speak English any better than Rivera, but that’s why Blassie is here. Vince turns back over to Blassie and considers maybe since Blassie’s men can’t defeat Bob Backlund for the WWWF title, he’s given up and gone over to tag wrestling. Blassie says Backlund just won’t sign a match with his boys. He’s still pretty mad about Backlund picking Arnold Skaaland as his manager instead of him as we wrap it up.

• Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko vs. Spiros Arion & Victor Rivera (w/Freddie Blassie)

Looks like Larry Z got rid of his ’70s porn mustache. You could see this as a #1 contenders match to the WWWF tag belts if you wish. Zbyszko runs wild on Rivera to start and sends him out to take a powder after a backdrop and a big slam. Back in, Rivera goes to the eyes and brings Zbyszko over to Arion for a tag. They keep him in the heel corner, but then for some reason Arion brings Zbyszko over to Garea. The match breaks down and the heels are whipped into one another. Hey, we’ve already seen that spot tonight. Garea then goes DROPKICK CRAZY on Rivera and Arion to send them out to the floor. Back inside again, the heels start double-teaming Garea. Rivera grabs a chinlock and the crowd starts getting hot. As Rivera works the chinlock into a choke, this brings the other two guys in as the match gets out of hand. The ref DQ’s both teams and we are outta here. (5:09) Both teams had their working boots on tonight. If I’m thinking about it for more than a second, I’d say everybody on this card so far as worked their butts off for once. Kudos. **

• Crusher Blackwell (w/The Grand Wizard) vs. Steve King

Blackwell scoops up the Wizard like a baby and places him on the apron. Probably some sort of kink for Ernie. Blackwell demolishes King with an AVALANCHE. He continues to tear King apart and wins with a half crab for a submission at 1:52. GIVE THIS MAN SOME COMPETITION.

• Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Tony Russo

Strongbow does his criss-cross and slide-under business to start. Of course it all comes to a weak chop that Russo sells pretty well. Russo beats him down and chokes him in the ropes. Strongbow slides out to collect himself. Russo tries to keep Strongbow on the floor. Once he’s back inside, it’s time to go home as Strongbow goes on the WARPATH. The DOUBLE TOMAHAWK CHOP finishes off Russo. (5:25) I’d say Strongbow brought his working boots as well, but he pretty much sucks no matter what.

Great show this week. Hopefully, it won’t be the last one.

That’s all for this week. Until next time, so long for now.