WWF: All Star Wrestling
January 19, 1980
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: Kramer vs. Kramer starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep
#1 Song of the Week: Rock With You by Michael Jackson
#1 TV Show of the 79-80 Season: 60 Minutes hosted by Mike Wallace

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino.

• Pat Patterson vs. BB Coleman

Coleman runs into a pair of armdrags to start. He complains that Patterson has a clinched fist, too. Patterson grabs a headlock and when Coleman tries to push him off, Pat holds onto BB’s beard to make the fans giggle. Coleman comes back and chokes Pat in the ropes while Vince and Bruno wonder what Pat thinks of the Grand Wizard these days after being “sold” to Captain Lou Albano. Patterson punches back on Coleman and throws him to the floor for a ride on the timekeeper’s table. Back in, Patterson beats the crap out of him down in the corner. He slams Coleman and delivers the BOMBS AWAY knee drop for the win. (5:34) Bruno Sammartino talks with Patterson after the match. Patterson says he’s loving the support he’s got these days from the crowds. Nobody will push him around anymore now that he’s left Captain Lou Albano behind. Bruno wishes him nothing but the best and the crowd APPLAUDS. Wow, Hamburg is actually reacting to something.

• Rene Goulet vs. Jose Estrada

So I guess Goulet has moved on from Rodz to Estrada now. A flying headscissors from Goulet freaks out Estrada as he heads to the floor. Back in, Estrada gives Goulet a flying headscissors of his own and holds onto him on the mat. Goulet manages an escape and chops Estrada down for an elbow drop. Estrada goes back to putting Goulet on the mat with an armbar. He picks Goulet up and takes him to the corner. Goulet reverses a corner whip and Estrada goes crashing into the buckle. There’s just no excitement around Goulet. Estrada hammerlocks Goulet on the mat and then puts the boots to him. Goulet comes back with a vertical suplex and then grabs a bearhug. Estrada immediately punches out and applies a swinging neckbreaker for two. A slam gets another two-count. Vince gives Estrada crap for not hooking the leg. Goulet trips up an angry Estrada and goes to work on the knee. Estrada kicks his way out, but Goulet delivers a gutwrench suplex out of nowhere for the win. (6:29) Bleh, just a boring dude. ½*

Vince McMahon talks with Freddie Blassie and the Great Hussein. Blassie says he’s the emulated wrestler in the world today because of his great suplexes. Hussein says he doesn’t like to speak English normally because he doesn’t like it, but the reason he’s speaking English tonight is so we all understand. He’s from Tehran, Iran and he respects Freddie Blassie. When Hussein says Iran is the best country in the world, the crowd gets all over him. American kids can’t suplex. In one hand is a hamburger and the other hand is a beer. They are fat and lazy. Hussein tells Vince, Bruno, Backlund, and Putski that they are all gutless because they have never challenged him in a Persian club challenge. Hussein does about 20 reps with the clubs. Blassie says Hussein will do twice as many reps as any pencil neck geeks around here. If Hussein can’t double the reps, Blassie will pay them $5,000.

• Ken Patera (w/the Grand Wizard) vs. Charlie Brown

Vince and Bruno are disturbed by how the Grand Wizard pays such a level of attention to Patera’s needs. Brown grabs a headlock and doesn’t seem to know where to go from there. Patera kicks the crap out of him and sends him to the floor. Back in, Brown shoulder butts Patera into the corner. Patera lowers the boom on Brown to come back. He picks up Brown and throws him halfway across the ring. Big vertical suplex by Patera. Brown gets out of an armbar and takes Patera from corner to corner for turnbuckle smashes. He baits Brown into a corner and kicks him down before applying the SWINGING FULL NELSON for the win. (5:31) Patera is just the king of squash matches. He talks a lot of smack, he baits his opponents into a false sense of security, and most importantly he leaves his opponents thoroughly beaten.

• Dominic DeNucci vs. Johnny Rodz

There has to be a better way to say this, but they ride each other inside and out of the ring. If you are watching along, you’ll know what I mean. Back inside, Rodz corners DeNucci and beats him down. I wonder who has trained the bigger stars. Rodz trained a bunch of ECW guys who went onto WWE: the Dudley Boyz, Taz, and Tommy Dreamer to name a few. DeNucci famously trained Mick Foley and Shane Douglas as well. Dominic gets beaten until he’s MAD and then fires back on Rodz. That’s short lived as Rodz punches back on DeNucci and stomps him from the second rope. Let’s just go ahead and wrap this up. DeNucci comes back and lands a catapult in the corner for the win. (6:14) There’s just a lack of star power on these shows right now. Except for a select few, I think this entire roster could use some freshening up. ½*

Vince asks Bruno again about Larry Zbyszko’s challenge from last week. None of the injuries Bruno has suffered in wrestling has hurt him like Larry Zbyszko feeling the way he does. Bruno says his heart isn’t in it and refuses the challenge. Vince thinks Bruno will have to answer the question from the fans that maybe he’s afraid of Larry Zbyszko. Bruno hopes people don’t feel this way because he won’t wrestle someone he sees as a brother. Since Bruno has shown understanding concerning how Larry feels, he hopes Larry understands how he feels as well.

• Hulk Hogan (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Steve King & Bill Berger

Speaking of fresh, HULK HOGAN. They try to get at Hogan at the same time, but Hogan just shrugs them off. King tries to shoulder tackle Hogan. Vince and Bruno are left scratching their heads over that strategy. Hogan kicks Berger to the floor and lifts up King for the Canadian Backbreaker for the win in 2:47.

That does it for this week. Until next time, so long for now.