WWF: All Star Wrestling
November 10, 1979
Hamburg, PA
Hamburg Fieldhouse

Your current WWF champions are as follows:
WWF Heavyweight Champion: Bob Backlund (2/20/1978)
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Pat Patterson (9/1/1979)
WWF World Tag Team Champions: Ivan Putski & Tito Santana (10/22/1979)

Pop Culture #1s of the Time:
#1 Movie of the Week: “10” starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, and Bo Derek
#1 Song of the Week: Heartache Tonight by Eagles
#1 TV Show of the 79-80 Season: 60 Minutes hosted by Mike Wallace

Follow along if you have the WWE Network!

The following wrestling exhibition requires discretionary viewer participation.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino.

• Ivan Putski & Tito Santana vs. B.B. Coleman & JoJo Andrews

Feels like it’s been a minute since we’ve seen JoJo. He’s got some dope furry boots going on here. He pulls some hair on Tito and that ain’t cool. Santana gets pissed off and throws JoJo into Putski. Coleman tags in and Putski grinds on a headlock while Vince swoons over Ivan and his muscles. The headlocks continue while Vince and Bruno try to convince us the champs aren’t lazy, but just trying out some new routines. Oh boy. Coleman and Andrews cut the ring in half on Tito for a few moments. Santana whips Coleman into Putski to turn the tide. Putski slams Coleman and then runs him into the corner. JoJo tries to get fresh, but Putski wallops him. Back over to Tito, he lands a nice dropkick on Coleman and hits JoJo with one as well. Santana then whips Coleman into a POLISH HAMMER (which only staggers Coleman) as Tito comes off the ropes for a CROSSBODY BLOCK to get the win. (8:09) Not sure about that tag team finisher since it makes the Polish Hammer look weaker than a crossbody block, but at least they are trying something new and it’s not like there’s decades of double-team finishing moves like today. ¾*

• Ted DiBiase vs. Johnny Valiant

Luscious Johnny here is all by himself. No Jimmy or Jerry to help him out. Valiant tests DiBiase to start, but DiBiase gets a slam to let him know he’s not a punk. Waistlock and headscissors routine leads to a stalemate. Full nelsons are traded while Vince and Bruno discuss the problems the Valiants have been having lately. Valiant goes to the ropes to break the full nelson and starts pounding on DiBiase. He puts DiBiase down on the mat and GRABS THE TRAPS. The crowd is all “GO TED GO” while Valiant grabs the tights to keep him down in the hold. DiBiase comes back with his series of jabs and tries the turnbuckle smash, but Valiant puts on the brakes and rakes the face. Valiant knocks DiBiase through the ropes and runs him into the buckle to send him back to the gym floor. Once DiBiase gets to his feet, he pulls Valiant out to the floor with him to brawl until there’s a double-countout. (7:32) DiBiase gets the better of the exchange with a slam to the floor. He sends Valiant back into the ring to continue the fight. DiBiase dropkicks Valiant away, but then Valiant dumps DiBiase out and slams him on the floor. Basically, DiBiase NO-SELLS and stalks Valiant back to the dressing room to keep this thing totally 50/50. *½

After the break, Bruno talks with Ted DiBiase at ringside. Sounds like Johnny Valiant comes back out for a moment to get DiBiase riled up some more. Back to the interview, DiBiase says he will keep trying to get to the top. Since he lost the NA title, DiBiase knows he will prove that he can beat the IC champ Pat Patterson if Patterson will just sign a contract to face him. Bruno mentions Ken Patera and he wants to know DiBiase’s game plan against a guy like him. DiBiase feels he has the advantage in the “flexibility” department and can beat him.

• Larry Zbyszko vs. Johnny Rivera

After they feel each other out, Rivera holds TIGHT on a headlock and Zbyszko can’t roll him over for a pin even though he’s trying and trying. Rivera switches over to an armbar, but Zbyszko escapes and headscissors Rivera over to a stalemate. They trade leg holds as the promotion continues to put Zbyszko over as a technical wizard. He is GOOD. I do agree. However, this was way too even of a match considering Rivera is a JTTS. Anyways, the action is good and Zbyszko slips out of a backslide and small packages Rivera for the win. (7:02) Zbyszko is SUPERIOR. Enjoyable, tight little contest here. **½

• The Wild Samoans (w/Captain Lou Albano) vs. Fred Marzino & Billy Berger

I love how the jabronis are giving out autographs to the kids before they get murdered – as if they were signing on some sort of waiver so they won’t sue for assault. I’ve been waiting for the Wild Samoans Afa and Sika to finally appear on WWF TV and here they are. After the Valiants and all their drama, Albano just needed two monsters that he could control and who could get it done. Afa gives Marzino the SAMOAN DROP for the win in 3:58.

• Ken Patera (w/The Grand Wizard) vs. Frank Williams

Holy crap Ken Patera is back. It’s been like eighteen months since we last saw this man. His hair has now gone from blond to his natural brown color. He still looks amazing. Where’s he been all this time? He’s been tearing it up in MID-ATLANTIC. That’s right. He held the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight title for most of the time there when it was still a coveted championship (although marginalized by the NWA U.S. heavyweight title traded back and forth at the time between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat). Since Frank Williams had his neck injured recently by Swede Hanson, I’m sure Patera did his neck zero favors by swinging him around in a FULL NELSON for the submission in 3:47.

We saw a good Zbyszko-Rivera match, our first look at the Wild Samoans in the WWF, and the return of KEN FREAKING PATERA. Bob Backlund better look out in 1980. That’s all I’m saying about that for this week. Until next time, so long for now.