Dylan Waco

Buddy Match Review Number 5! Buddy Rose/Doug Somers v. The Midnight Rockers - AWA Wrestlerock 86 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnVb5gjg79A There is about to be a "best short lived tag team" of all time tourney at the DVDVR board. Buddy Rose and Doug Somers are one of my own personal "favorites" going in and if I were doing the seeding they would almost assuredly get a number one position. On top of being tag champs for most of their run, they were a tremendous working team that could change speeds and work any type of match they were asked to. The icing on the cake was Sheri Martel who was a great manager for the team and added a lot to the over all dynamic of two slovenly, haggard looking dudes working "blonde and beautiful" gimmicks. If I actually stick to this thing by the time all is said and done there are going to be a lot of Rose/Somers v. Midnight Rockers matches as the Midnight Rockers were the team they were wedded to for most of their run. I am a huge fan of Jannetty and Michaels as a team and with Rose and Somers they had a true match made in heaven. The teams would have fun sprints, great Cage Matches, one of the best and bloodies Southern tag matches I've ever seen, multiple quality six-man tags, et, et, et. This match was on the last "big" AWA show ever (attendance wise anyhow) and falls under the "et." category. The beginning of this is awesome as Buddy challenges Marty to do a pushup so he does. Then he does a kip up and tells Marty to match it and he does. Marty tags in Shawn who does a back flip off the top. Rose goes up to try one and Shawn shakes the ropes and Rose ends up crotching himself on the ropes. This is the sort of "bullshit" that got rave reviews by some in the infamous Rogeau v. Rockers tag from the WWF Set, though it is condensed down here and doesn't come across as an excuse to kill time. In fact the next sequence is a really strong one with Shawn and Somers. This was followed up by a great drop down/rope running arm drag exchange with Buddy Rose who is pretty much the king of that style. Schtick then Shine - a surefire winner every time. Shine continues as Jannetty comes in and does his awesome spinout of the hip toss spot and takes Rose back down. Somers ends up trying for a corner charge and smacks into the steel full blast. Jannetty hits an awesome floatover take down and then he and Shawn hit a nice double team on Somers who tags in Rose. Buddy comes in with a single leg but gets kicked off. Shawn goes for the monkey flip but Rose cartwheels away and then struts around. Jannetty comes in and they do a similar sequence with Jannetty cartwheeling out. As mentioned before, this is a Buddy staple, but it works every fucking time. Marty gets backed into the heel corner but Rose ends up accidentally decking Somers. They go into an armstretcher and do a nice spot with Rose standing up on it only for Jannetty to punch him down. Rose does a nice floatover escape but gets taken back down. I really loved this whole sequence as it was really effective at showing Rose to be a good athlete and competent wrestler who just couldn't match the "flash" of The Rockers (and who was too cocky for his own good which was really the whole point of his gimmick). Shawn does a really sweet head over heels reversal and they do a double team spot which brings Jannetty comes back in. Rockers hit their fist to the gut/knee lift combo for a near fall. There is a really good cut off spot to set up the heat section here as Somers comes in and Shawn ends up getting caught with a sweet catapult into a sick looking forearm which is one of the better uses of that kind of spot I've ever seen. Shawn ends up isolated by the heels who work him over in the corner. It's standard heel stuff but it works well and Michaels is a good face in peril. The big heel spot sees Rose hit his awesome spinning back elbow for a nearfall. Shawn ends up reversing a suplex attempt and hits a leaping hot tag to Marty. Somers takes an awesomely high back body drop (seriously Somers takes the best back body drop bumps of any wrestler I've ever seen) and then Jannetty hits a nice spinning back elbow and powerslam for a pair of nearfalls. Rose ends up bumping wildly to the floor off of a double atomic drop and they work over Somers with some double teams. The refs tries to get Shawn out and Rose pushes Jannetty off the top with Marty taking a wild bump. Shawn vaults onto Rose on the apron as the ref counts down Marty for the finish. This was a great match. Some might bitch about the relative brevity of the heat section, but I thought the whole match clicked and the heels winning makes the babyface focus more sensible to me. This is a legitimately great match - and it's not even a top three match between these two teams. If you count six-men tags it's probably not even top five. By no means would I say their series was better than the Midnight/Fantastics or Midnights/RnR tags - but it is right there with them on the very, very, very short list of all time great tag team series on U.S. soil. Had Rose and Somers stayed around and tagged for a couple of more years they almost assuredly would be regarded as one of the best in ring tag teams of all time, regardless of who their other opponents might have been. More to the point, this was 1986 and Buddy Rose still looked like someone you would rate right there near the top of guys in the U.S.

Is it "good for TNA" or "good?" I ask because I started to watch yesterday's show, got bored with the opening stuff and turned it off but would be willing to watch that match if it is worth my time.

1980 WWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - January 8, 1980 (1,264) Hussein Arab defeated Johnny Rodz Rene Goulet defeated Swede Hanson The Wild Samoans defeated Mike Masters & Larry Zbyzsko Ken Patera defeated Dominic DeNucci Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana Bobby Duncum defeated Ivan Putski via count-out WWF @ Bangor, ME - January 9, 1980 Rene Goulet defeated Johnny Rodz via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Mike Masters Ivan Putski defeated Swede Hanson Hulk Hogan defeated Johnny Rodz Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci The Wild Samoans fought Larry Zbyzsko & Tito Santana to a double disqualification Patera re-debuts in the middle of the pack of a surprisingly strong show for Portland, Maine. Even more surprising is the fact that this was actually a pretty weak figure for Portland which always seemed to pull just a hair under 2k. The next night he's even further down the card, but they are clearly just easing him in on the first couple of dates. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA – Civic Arena – January 11, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny DeFazio Larry Zbyszko defeated the Great Hussein Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Capt. Lou Albano The Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Gorilla Monsoon Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - January 12, 1980 Televised on the PRISM Network: Davey O'Hannon defeated Jose Estrada at 15:10 Bulldog Brower defeated Mike Masters at 14:21 Rene Goulet defeated Johnny Rodz at 14:57 Larry Zbyszko defeated the Great Hossien via referee's decision after the 20-minute time limit expired Gorilla Monsoon defeated Swede Hanson at 4:08 Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana at 6:10 WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Cpt. Lou Albano via count-out at 3:22 Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski at 11:40 Bobby Duncum defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund (w/ Arnold Skaaland) at 16:09 when the match was stopped due to blood The "easing in" is over as Patera works second from the top v. the very over Putski in two of the territories biggest markets. Having been put over strong on tv for a couple months leading into this, this would not have seemed like a stretch to anyone in the buildings. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - January 18, 1980 Portions of the Hulk Hogan vs. Gorilla Monsoon and Wild Samoans vs. Tito Santana & Dominic DeNucci matches aired during a local news segment on pro wrestling and whether or not it was real; Hogan and Monsoon were interviewed backstage for the segment; the news team attempted to interview the Wild Samoans but were told they couldn't speak English Davey O'Hannon defeated Jose Luis Rivera Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Bulldog Brower defeated Joe Mascaro The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Dominic DeNucci Hulk Hogan pinned Gorilla Monsoon with the legdrop Tony Atlas defeated Swede Hanson WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera via count-out And now Backlund gets his first headlining slot of this run opposite Backlund in a title match in one of the biggest buildings the company was running at the time. WWF @ Stamford, CT - High School Gym - January 19, 1980 Bulldog Brower defeated Silvano Sousa Hulk Hogan defeated Dave Darrow Larry Zbyzsko defeated Hussein Arab Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Ken Patera via disqualification Patera gets an I-C title shot on a spot show. The same day Backlund defends the title against Bobby Duncum on a spot show in Lowell, Mass. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - January 21, 1980 (20,000+) Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary Davey O'Hannon defated Angelo Gomez at 10:21 Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna at 4:59 Bobby Duncum defeated Mike Masters at 1:29 Kevin Von Erich pinned Johnny Rodz with a bodypress at 8:28 (Von Erich's MSG debut) Larry Zbyszko defeated Hussein Arab via disqualification at 10:49 when Arab accidentally hit an elbow drop on referee Terry Terranova when Zbyzsko moved out of the way Hulk Hogan pinned Dominic DeNucci at 7:34 with the legdrop after dropping DeNucci throat-first across the top rope The Wild Samoans defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Ivan Putski & Tito Santana via count-out at 12:46 after Samoan #2 crotched Santana on the top rope, with Santana then falling out to the floor; after the bout, Santana was taken backstage on a stretcher (the Samoans' MSG debut) WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Ken Patera to a draw at 25:52 when, after Patera threw Backlund into referee Jack Lotz, referee Terry Terranova called for the bell; after the bout, Lotz was taken backstage on a stretcher WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Capt. Lou Albano via count-out at 6:11 after Patterson hit Albano with his own foreign object, causing Albano to bleed, with Albano then running backstage Tony Atlas defeated Swede Hanson at 2:17 with a headbutt off the top Backlund and Patera do 20k plus a the Garden which would have been at worst a near sellout. Much like with his first run, Patera debuted strong and was immediately main eventing against the champ at MSG. Also notable that this is not a particularly strong show top to bottom. WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - January 22, 1980 Championship Wrestling taping: 1/26/80: Larry Zbyzsko pinned John Beauford with a suplex at 3:09; after the bout, Zbyzsko called for Vince McMahon to interview him at ringside so he could discuss Bruno Sammartino’s recent rejection to face him in the ring; moments later, Zbyzsko said if he couldn’t face Sammartino then he would not wrestle again, adding he couldn’t stand to remain in the shadows any longer; Sammartino appeared moments later and said while he did previously say he wouldn’t wrestle Zbyzsko he also didn’t want to be responsible for ending Zbyzsko’s career; he then said he would face Zbyzsko but his goal was not to beat Zbyzsko because his heart isn’t into it and he loved Zbyzsko as one of his brothers; Zbyzsko then said he couldn’t ask for anything more and the match was announced for the following week 2/2/80: Ken Patera defeated Fred Marzino via submission with the swinging full nelson; after the match, Marzino was taken backstage on a stretcher WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson pinned Jose Estrada with a sunset flip Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification at 9:34 when Zbyzsko threw the referee to the floor and hit Sammartino in the head with a wooden chair three times, busting him open (Best of the WWF Vol. 1) Tony Atlas defeated Johnny Rodz; prior to the bout, two referees wiped Bruno Sammartino’s blood, caused from the previous match, from the mat 2/9/80 WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - January 23, 1980 All Star Wrestling taping: Hussein Arab defeated Steve King Ken Patera defeated Mike Masters Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated Johnny Rodz & Baron Mikel Scicluna Larry Sharpe defeated Angelo Gomez Ken Patera fought Ivan Putski to a double count-out Tony Atlas defeated John Buford The Wild Samoans defeated Angelo Gomez & Joe Mascaro Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Steve King Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Rodz Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada Hulk Hogan defeated Charlie Brown Hulk Hogan defeated Joe Mascaro Tony Atlas defeated Jose Estrada The Wild Samoans defeated Steve King & Dominic DeNucci Bobby Dnucum defeated Charlie Brown 1/26/80: 2/2/80: 2/9/80 Patera still being put over very strong on tv. The Putski match was an awfully big match to be on tv at the time. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - January 26, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Rene Goulet Bulldog Brower defeated Johnny Rodz Hussein Arab defeated Larry Zbyzsko The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Gorilla Monsoon Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski Hulk Hogan defeated Dominic DeNucci WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum Putski v. Patera is going around on some of the house shows, underneath Backlund. WWF @ Scranton, PA - CYC - January 28, 1980 Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Mike Masters WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Capt. Lou Albano via count-out in a non-title match Hussein Arab fought Larry Zbyszko to a draw Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out And now they main event a spot show at one of the smaller venues the WWF ran at the time. WWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - January 29, 1980 (2,178) WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Capt. Lou Albano Larry Zbyszko defeated Johnny Rodz Rene Goulet defeated Hussein Arab The Wild Samoans defeated Johnny Rivera & Dominic DeNucci Tito Santana defeated Ken Patera Ivan Putski defeated Bobby Duncum Interesting to see Tito v. Patera in 1980. I imagine that would have been a very good match. This is also a very strong number for Portland which I have never seen over 2k before. WWF @ South Orange, NJ - Walsh Gym - February 2, 1980 Bulldog Brower defeated Angelo Gomez Davey O'Hannon defeated Mike Masters Larry Sharpe defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via count-out The Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Rene Goulet (sub. for Gorilla Monsoon) via count-out Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Center - February 8, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Jim Grabmire Johnny Valiant fought Johnny DeFazio to a draw Hulk Hogan defeated Dominic DeNucci Cowboy Lang & Lone Eagle defeated Little Tokyo & Buiser Morgan Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via disqualification WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum Patera v. Putski is now headlining a lot of the spot shows...or second from the top in some of the mid-level buildings. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - February 9, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Joe Maskara Bulldog Brower defeated Angelo Gomez Davey O'Hannon defeated Mike Masters Hulk Hogan defeated Dominic DeNucci Cowboy Lang & Lone Eagle defeated Bruiser Morgan & Little Tokyo The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Gorilla Monsoon via count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - February 9, 1980 Jim Duggan defeated Fred Marzino Jose Estrada defeated Joe Crugnale Steve King defeated Pete Doherty via disqualification Rene Goulet defeated Johnny Rodz Ivan Putski defeated Swede Hanson WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Capt. Lou Albano via count-out in a non-title match Larry Zbyszko defeated Hussein Arab via count-out Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera via disqualification This is really insane as they run split crews in two of their four marquee buildings on the same day. Even stranger is that Bruno headlines v. Patera not in PA but in Boston, with Backlund headlining against Duncum in Philly..that seems backwards to me. WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - February 13, 1980 All Star Wrestling: Larry Sharpe defeated Mike Masters Tito Santana defeated Jo Jo Andrews Tony Atlas defeated Jose Estrada Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Angelo Gomez Rene Goulet defeated Jo Jo Andrews WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Zbyzsko defeated Mike Masters Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated Davey O'Hannon & Jo Jo Andrews Hulk Hogan defeated Billy Berger Ken Patera defeated Charlie Brown & Steve King in a handicap match The Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & John Beauford 2/16/80: 2/23/80: 3/1/80: WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Jose Estrada at 6:32 Ivan Putski defeated Ron Lee at 5:22 Larry Sharpe defeated Steve King at 3:04 Rene Goulet defeated Johnny Rodz at 9:46 Tony Atlas defeated BB Coleman at 3:36 Larry Zbyszko defeated Billy Berger at 5:29 3/8/80: The Wild Samoans defeated Mike Masters & Steve King at 5:35 Ken Patera defeated John Beauford at 5:28 Lone Eagle & Cowboy Lang defeated Little Tokyo & Dusty Morgan at 9:52 Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna & Jose Estrada at 7:06 Hulk Hogan defeated Manny Seacca at 3:58 Another tv date. Patera is still beating people with the full nelson, sometimes in handicapped matches. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - February 18, 1980 Austin Idol defeated Jose Estrada at 7:26 Tommy Rich defeated Johnny Rodz at 7:41 Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana via count-out at 10:48 Sika defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 5:28 Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci at 11:21 WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera via count-out at 15:37; Pat Patterson was the special referee for the bout Afa defeated Rene Goulet at 9:18 Cowboy Lang & Lone Eagle defeated Little Tokyo & Dirty Morgan at 6:55 Tony Atlas defeated Hussein Arab at 12:18 Backlund v. Patera headlines the Garden again. Does John or anyone else around here have the attendance figure for this show? Aside from Patera v. Backlund this is really weak on paper. WWF @ Waterville, ME - Armory - February 20, 1980 Little Tokyo & Dirty Morgan defeated Cowboy Lang & the Lone Eagle at 14:10 Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana at 13:20 Ken Patera defeated Johnny Rodz at 11:10 The Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Rene Goulet at 18:10 Ivan Putski defeated Bobby Duncum at 11:20 WWF @ North Bergen - February 21, 1980 Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Bulldog Brower defeated Mike Masters Ivan Putski defeated Ken Patera via disqualification The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Dominic DeNucci Davey O'Hannon defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification WWF @ Glen Falls, NY - February 22, 1980 Jim Duggan defeated Hussein Arab via disqualification Bobby Duncum defeated Rene Goulet Ivan Putski fought Ken Patera to a draw Lone Eagle & Cowboy Lang defeated Little Tokyo & Dirty Morgan Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada Now this is an odd little run. Just a bizarre series of line ups. Putski v. Patera is pretty clearly the main event in North Bergen, but I guess hometown boy Duggan may have main eventing against the Sheik on the Glenn Falls show. And that first show is just a really, really strange line up. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - February 23, 1980 Larry Sharpe defeated Jose Estrada Nikolai Volkoff (sub. for Davey O'Hannon) defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Bulldog Brower defeated Angelo Gomez Rene Goulet defeated Hussein Arab via disqualification Bruno Sammartino fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification The Wild Samoans defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Ivan Putski & Tito Santana via count-out WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - February 23, 1980 Tony Altimore defeated Pete Doherty Larry Zbyszko defeated Mike Masters Hulk Hogan defeated Dominic DeNucci WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum via count-out; Pat Patterson was the guest referee for the bout Johnny Rodz defeated Silvano Sousa Cowboy Lang & Lone Eagle defeated Little Tokyo & Bruiser Morgan This is pretty amazing. Backlund works the largish Springfield venue - while Patera and Bruno headline in Baltimore. I'm guessing it was not common for the champ to get the secondary show on a split date and you could argue that the tag match was really the main event on the Baltimore show I guess (though I think that's a stretch), but this strikes me as a pretty wild result. Not a knock on Backlund, so much as it is a testament to how highly regarded Patera was at the time. WWF @ Parsippany, NJ - February 27, 1980 Larry Sharpe defeated Steve King Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny Rodz Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada The Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Tito Santana Ken Patera defeated Pat Patterson via count-out WWF @ Brooklyn, New York - St. Mary's Auditorium - February 28, 1980 Davey O'Hannon defeated Joe Mascara Jose Estrada defeated Gomez Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Rodz Joyce Grable & Vivian St. John defeated Winona Little Heart & Cindy Majors WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification Couple of spot shows v. Patterson likely in very small venues. WWF @ Albany, NY - February 29, 1980 Mike Masters defeated Frank Williams Jim Duggan defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Ken Patera defeated Dominic DeNucci Winona Little Heart & Cindy Majors defeated Vivian St. John & Joyce Grable Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana Patera has also worked Denucci on the occasional house show here and there. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - March 1, 1980 Johnny Rodz defeated Mike Masters at 6:44 Vivian St. John & Joyce Grable defeated Winnona Little Heart & Cindy Majors at 19:55 Ken Patera defeated Dominic DeNucci at 12:06 Larry Zbyszko defeated Bruno Sammartino via disqualification at 18:32 after Sammartino hit the referee Gorilla Monsoon defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna at 8:31 Sika defeated Tito Santana at 14:05 WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Afa at 19:18 Pat Patterson defeated Bulldog Brower at 4:06 This is the "weakest" Patera match on paper so far. Top to bottom this comes across as a remarkably weak card - with the obvious exception of Larry v. Bruno. One wonders if the show wasn't booked deliberately to keep that match from being upstaged. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Center - March 8, 1980 Larry Zbyszko vs. Mike Masters Davey O'Hannon vs. Gorilla Monsoon Joe Mascara vs. Steve Klein Tony Atlas defeated Bobby Duncum WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson vs. Capt. Lou Albano WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Hulk Hogan Also included a women's tag team match WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - March 8, 1980 Pete Doherty defeated Angelo Gomez Johnny Rodz defeated Fred Marzino Jose Estrada fought Sylvano Sousa to a draw Rene Goulet defeated Joe Crugnale Dominic DeNucci defeated Bulldog Brower The Wild Samoans defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski via count-out Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera in a Texas Death Match Another crazy result as they run split crews in two of their top four buildings again. Again Bruno is not in Philly which is headlined by the (very good) Backlund v. Hogan match. But the Garden return match with Patera is Texas Death and I would venture to guess the first match did really good business. WWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - March 11, 1980 (1,881) Johnny Rodz defeated Steve King Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci Ken Patera defeated Rene Goulet The Wild Samoans defeated Tito Santana & Mike Masters Pat Patterson defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Hulk Hogan defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via count-out It's not terribly relevant, but Patera is buried in the under card, Backlund is working Hogan on top, and Portland is actually down a hair WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - March 14, 1980 Steve King defeated Jim Grabmire Johnny Valiant defeated Johnny DeFazio WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification Larry Zbyszko defeated Bruno Sammartino via disqualification Andrews defeated Jose Estrada The Wild Samoans defeated Rene Goulet & Dominic DeNucci Pat Patterson defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna This is effectively a double main event. In Pittsburgh it's probably more a "Bruno" show than anything else to be honest. WWF @ Randloph - March 15, 1980 Davey O'Hannon defeated Angelo Gomez Johnny Rodz defeated Frank Williams Rene Goulet defeated Bulldog Brower via disqualification Hulk Hogan defeated Tito Santana Ken Patera defeated WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson via count-out Patera worked Patterson around the horn on the spot show circuit during this run. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - March 24, 1980 (26,102 which included 4,000 in Felt Forum) Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary Bulldog Brower pinned Frank Williams at 8:53 with an elbow drop following a running back elbow Kerry Von Erich pinned Jose Estrada at 10:49 with a sunset flip out of the corner (Kerry's MSG debut) Tor Kamata pinned Mike Masters at 5:46 with a jumping kick and a kneedrop Larry Zbyszko defeated Bruno Sammartino (w/ Arnold Skaaland) via disqualification at 15:31 when Sammartino failed to release a choke; Sammartino was eventually pulled away by Skaaland and referee Dick Kroll while Zbyzsko escaped Afa pinned Dominic DeNucci at 9:42 with a jumping headbutt WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Sika at 18:32 after throwing the challenger off the top as Sika attempted a diving headbutt Andre the Giant & WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Bobby Duncum & Ken Patera at 11:04 when Andre pinned Duncum with a splash as Patterson had Duncum in the figure-4 Rene Goulet pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna with a sunset flip at 6:11 Hulk Hogan pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Tito Santana at 8:12 with a suplex and grabbing the tights for leverage; prior to the bout, Hogan was escorted to the ring by Freddie Blassie (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology Wal-Mart exclusive 4th disc) Huge number for a show with a lot of interesting stuff on paper, but let's be honest - this is Bruno v. Larry at the height of their feud drawing a huge number. No one was paying to see Bob v. Sika and while the Andre/Patterson v. Duncum/Patera tag match was star studded for the time that was not even close to top billing. WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - March 29, 1980 Larry Sharpe defeated Mike Masters Tor Kamata defeated Gomez Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund Dominic DeNucci defeated Davey O'Hannon Andre the Giant fought Hulk Hogan to a double disqualification Johnny Rodz defeated Williams WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson defeated Bobby Duncum via disqualification WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - March 29, 1980 Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Tor Kamata defeated Steve King Davey O'Hannon defeated Paul Figueroa Gorilla Monsoon defeated Fred Mascara Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund when the match was stopped due to blood Larry Zbyszko defeated Ivan Putski Andre the Giant fought Hulk Hogan to a double count-out The date on this is probably right which means they ran Patera v. Backlund as a double shot in to fairly large buildings. Andre v. Hogan was the semi-main on both shows. I imagine these would have done very solid business. Would not be surprised if these combined for 12-15k. WWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - April 1, 1980 (2,153) Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Doherty Tor Kamata defeated Tony Altimore Hulk Hogan defeated Rene Goulet via count-out Andre the Giant & Tito Santana defeated the Wild Samoans Ken Patera defeated WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson Portland back over 2k with Patera in the main event. Just saying WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - April 5, 1980 Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Davey O'Hannon defeated Paul Figuero Tor Kamata fought Steve King to a no contest Larry Sharpe defeated Mike Masters Gorilla Monsoon fought Joe Mascaro (sub. for Bulldog Brower) to a no contest Andre the Giant fought Hulk Hogan to a draw Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - April 5, 1980 Mike Duggan defeated Fred Marzino Pete Doherty defeated Joe Crugnale Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci WWF Tag Team Champions Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated the Wild Samoans via disqualification when the challengers attacked guest referee Pat Patterson Larry Zbyszko defeated Bruno Sammartino via disqualification Bruno is still holding it down in Boston on split shows, this time with Baltimore as the "other." IIRC Baltimore would have been there fifth biggest building at the time after Landover, Boston, Philly and MSG. I'm guessing this was a really strong drawing day for the company. St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - April 11, 1980 Pak Song & Ron McFarlane defeated Eddie Gilbert & Tom Andrews Jerry Oates defeated Takachio Rocky Johnson defeated Lord Alfed Hayes Dick the Bruiser, Pat O'Connor, & George Wells defeated Bulldog Brown, Dick Murdoch, & Ed Wiskowski WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Ken Patera to a draw Missouri State Champion Kevin Von Erich defeated Bruiser Brody via disqualification Backlund v. Patera invades it's fourth territory as they work a main/semi-main at the Keil in St. Louis. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - April 12, 1980 (matinee) Rene Goulet vs. Jose Estrada Prof. Toru Tanaka vs. Angelo Gomez Johnny Rodz vs. Steve King WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna Ken Patera vs. Dominic DeNucci Tony Atlas vs. Bobby Duncum (Texas Death Match) WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski vs. the Wild Samoans Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - April 12, 1980 (19,568) Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Dick Graham & Kal Rudman on commentary Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Tony Altimore at 6:42 Larry Sharpe defeated Jose Estrada at 8:37 Tor Kamata defeated Johnny Rodz at 5:01 Ken Patera pinned Rene Gouelt at 9:26 after reversing a cradle Hulk Hogan defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund (w/ Arnold Skaaland) via count-out at 29:00 when Backlund shoved Hogan back inside the ring from the apron after the two fell out to the floor; at the beginning of the bout, Backlund offered his hand to Hogan to shake, which he did (Hulk Hogan: The Unreleased Archives) Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko at 11:09 when referee Dick Woehrle deemed Zbyzsko unable to continue after Sammartino hit his opponent with a chair; after the bout, it was announced the night's curfew had been waived Dominic DeNucci defeated Davey O'Hannon at 8:02 when the referee stopped the bout due to blood after O'Hannon sustained a slingshot into an exposed turnbuckle The Wild Samoans defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski to win the titles at 7:36 when Sika pinned Santana with the Samoan Drop after Santana missed a crossbody off the top (Tag Team Champions) Huge number at the Spectrum with Patera working in an irrelevant mid-card match and a double main of Backlund v. Hogan (return match) and Bruno v. Larry which was really a fucking MASSIVE drawing card at this point. WWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - April 19, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. Mike Masters Johnny Rodz vs. Jim Duggan Larry Sharpe vs. Angelo Gomez Bulldog Brower vs. Dominic DeNucci Hulk Hogan defeated Gorilla Monsoon The Wild Samoans vs. Ivan Putski & Andre the Giant WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera Providence was another large arena headlined by Backlund v. Patera. He had been working Patterson leading up to this. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - April 21, 1980 (20,000+) Televised on the MSG Network - featured vince McMahon on commentary Larry Sharpe defeated Mike Masters at 8:11 Greg Gagne defeated Jose Estrada at 8:53 Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeated Tor Kamata & Bulldog Brower at 15:11 Sika defeated Dominic DeNucci at 9:27 Andre the Giant defeated Bobby Duncum at 13:11 Hulk Hogan defeated Rene Goulet at 3:14 Ken Patera defeated WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson to win the title at 20:48 with a knee drop off the middle turnbuckle to the champion's back; the referee, still groggy from a collision with Patterson moments prior, did not notice that the champion's foot was on the bottom rope during the cover (History of the Intercontinental Title, The Ken Patera Story) Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Afa at 16:34 Another strong number at the Garden, this time with Patera's title win being a huge deal on the show. The show was probably sold on Bruno v. Larry more than anything else, but Patterson v. Patera may have had second billing with Afa as a weak challenger. More to the point the I-C title meant something at the time and this was a big win for Patera. WWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - April 22, 1980 Johnny Rodz vs. Tor Kamata Bobby Duncum vs. Rene Goulet Andre the Giant vs. Afa Pat Patterson vs. WWF IC Champion Ken Patera WWF @ Bangor, ME - Auditorium - April 23, 1980 Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada Larry Shapre defeated Frankie Williams Tor Kamata defeated Sylvano Sousa Dominic DeNucci defeated Frank Savage WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Johnny Rodz Andre the Giant & Pat Patterson defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans His first two defenses. Shame we don't have that Portland number to continue tracking his enormous impact on business there St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - April 25, 1980 Takachio & Pak Song defeated Tommy Sharpe & Kerry Brown Jerry Oates defeated Skandor Akbar Ed Wiskowski fought George Wells to a draw WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bulldog Brown Dick the Bruiser & Pat O'Connor defeated Bruiser Brody & Dick Murdoch Ken Patera defeated Kevin Von Erich to win the Missouri State title NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Ric Flair Less than a week after winning the I-C title at MSG, Patera wins the Missouri Title in the second most famous wrestling venue in the United States. The Missouri Title was a breeding ground belt for future NWA champions and top prospects. Holding it and the I-C title at the same time was a huge deal. WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - April 26, 1980 Pete Doherty defeated Fred Marzino Jim Duggan defeated Frank Savage via disqualification Tor Kamata defeated Sylvano Sousa Bobby Duncum defeated Rene Goulet Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Doherty Andre the Giant & Ivan Putski defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans via count-out WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via count-out They headline Springfield, another largish venue for the territory. WWF @ Altoona, PA - Jaffa Mosque - April 30, 1980 Afa defeated Johnny DeFazio Larry Zbyszko defeated Dominic DeNucci WWF IC Champion Ken Patera fought Ivan Putski to a draw Lots of random title defenses in here for Patera against a variety of people, more often than not headlining. This is one example. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - May 2, 1980 Nick Busick pinned Jim Grabmire Jo Jo Andrews pinned Tony Altimore Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Johnny DeFazio to a draw Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Valiant via disqualification Pat Patterson defeated Ken Patera via disqualification WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Afa Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out Bruno v. Larry is the hottest program in the territory and in Pitt it will always get top billing. Patterson v. Patera is about as strong a "third from the top" billing you will ever see. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - May 3, 1980 Johnny Rodz vs. Paul Figuroa Davey O'Hannon vs. Steve King Larry Sharpe vs. Angelo Gomez Bulldog Brower vs. Mike Masters Bobby Duncum vs. El Olympico Gorilla Monsoon vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna Larry Zbyszko vs. Ivan Putski WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera Another Baltimore main event for these two. WWF @ Allentown, PA – Agricultural Hall - May 6, 1980 Championship Wrestling taping: Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada (McGraw’s TV debut) Tor Kamata defeated Frank Williams Pedro Morales defeated Moose Monroe NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Frank Williams Rick McGraw defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Sharpe defeated Paul Morrett NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Steve King Ken Patera defeated Dominic Denucci WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Rene Goulet & Angelo Gomez El Olympico defeated Mark Pole Larry Sharpe drew Rick McGraw Larry Zbyszko defeated El Olympico NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Angelo Gomez Pedro Morales defeated Frank Savage Tor Kamata defeated Ricky Stallone 5/10/80: 5/17/80: 5/24/80 Presumably this was Patera's first television defense of the I-C title. WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - May 10, 1980 Pete Doherty defeated Fred Marzino Moose Duggan defeated Steve King Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Frankie Williams Tor Kamata defeated Rene Goulet WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Pat Patterson & Gorilla Monsoon Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out when Zbyszko refused to return to the ring WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - May 10, 1980 (8,475) Televised on the PRISM Network: Davey O'Hannon defeated Manuel Soto at 13:22 Dominic DeNucci defeated Jose Estrada at 10:21 Rick McGraw pinned Mark Pole with a side Russian leg sweep at 4:32 (McGraw's Spectrum debut) Bobby Duncum defeated Tony Atlas via count-out at 12:41 El Olympico pinned Joe Mascaro with a small package at 7:18; for whatever reason, Mascaro was introduced as Frank Savage and was referred to as such by the commentary team WWF World Champion Bob Backlund (w/ Arnold Skaaland) defeated Hulk Hogan via count-out at 17:48; after the bout, the champion was interviewed by Dick Graham & Kal Rudman at ringside Larry Sharpe pinned Mike Masters with a piledriver at 8:16 WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 10:51 Split crews again with Bruno/Larry in Boston. No clue why Bruno was constantly working Boston on Philly nights this year, but it was a mistake here. Attendance dropped 11,000 from the last date I have from the Spectrum. That really isn't an abysmal figure for the Spectrum from this period, but it's clear what was the big draw there and it wasn't Hogan v. Backlund. WWF @ Portland, ME – Civic Center - May 13, 1980 (1,786) Rick McGraw defeated Johnny Rodz via disqualification Bobby Duncum defeated Tony Altimore (sub. for Pete Doherty) Larry Zbyszko defeated Rene Goulet Pat Patterson defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification in a lumberjack match WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Jose Estrada Portland below 1800! What an odd title defense for Backlund WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - May 14, 1980 Bruno Sammartino vs. Ken Patera WWF @ Bangor, ME – May 14, 1980 Johnny Rodz bat Sylvano Sousa Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Pat Patterson defeated Bobby Duncum via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Rene Goulet WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Larry Zbyzsko to a double disqualification One of these would have had to be a matinee for this to be right. I imagine that Springfield show would have drawn well on the strength of that match. St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - May 16, 1980 Tom Andrews & Mike Huber defeated Billy Howard & Guy Mitchell Pat O'Connor defeated Bobby Jaggers WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Roger Kirby Dick the Bruiser & Rocky Johnson defeated Lord Alfred Hayes & Takachio Bruiser Brody fought Dick Murdoch to a no contest Missouri State Champion Ken Patera defeated Kevin Von Erich Patera headlines the Kiel defending his Missouri Title against Kerry. Brody v. Murdoch would have been as much of a draw if not more one would guess. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - May 19, 1980 (near capacity crowd) Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada at 10:38 (McGraw's MSG debut) Larry Zbyszko won a 16-man $15,000 battle royal at 11:25 by last eliminating Dominic DeNucci and Bobby Duncum at the same time when, as DeNucci had Duncum in an airplane spin, Zbyzsko dropkicked them both to the floor; order of elimination: Frankie Williams by Baron Mikel Scicluna, Ivan Putski by Peter Maivia, Miavia by Putski via pulling him out from the outside, Scicluna by Tony Atlas, Atlas by the Wild Samoans, Johnny Rodz by DeNucci, Rene Goulet by Duncum, Samoan #2 by Samoan #1 following an accidental headbutt, Samoan #1 by Gorilla Monsoon, Tor Kamata by Pat Patterson, Monsoon by Zbyzsko & Duncum, Patterson by Zbyzsko & Duncum; due to pre-match stipulations, Zbyszko earned a world title shot for the next show at MSG Larry Sharpe defeated Frankie Williams at 8:24 Larry Zbyszko pinned Dominic DeNucci at 7:08 following a kick to the face as DeNucci charged the corner Tor Kamata pinned Johnny Rodz at 7:58 after a double karate chop to the throat WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned WWF IC Champion Ken Patera in a Texas Death Match at 22:56 with a crossbody off the top; prior to the bout, the Grand Wizard escorted Patera to the ring and Arnold Skaaland escorted Backlund; named Wrestling Observer's Match of the Year Gorilla Monsoon pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna at 3:11 with a chop and splash Bobby Duncum defeated Rene Goulet at 5:42 Tony Atlas, Ivan Putski, & Pat Patterson defeated Peter Maivia & WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at 16:25; fall #1: Patterson pinned Miavia with a roll up at 8:26; fall #2: Miavia pinned Patterson after a double team from the Samoans at 4:31; fall #3: Atlas pinned Samoan #1 with a splash after the Samoans accidentally headbutted each other at 3:28; prior to the bout, Capt. Lou Albano escorted the Samoans ringside Arguably Patera's most famous match. I really wish there was a number here, but "near capacity" is still a father in Patera's cap. Hell of a match that won the WON Match of The Year (though at the time that was a Dave fiat pick as I understand it). Would not be my top pick from 1980, but it is a legitimately great match. WWF @ Fall River, MA – May 24, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Doherty Johnny Rodz defeated Sylvano Sousa Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic Denucci Tor Kamata defeated Frank Savage WWF IC Champion Ken Patera fought Ivan Putski to a double disqualification Rick McGraw pinned Jose Estrada Backlund was on a Japanese tour and Paterson wasn't around much so this became a de facto main event on a lot of the smaller shows for a bit. WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - May 28, 1980 All Star Wrestling taping: Dark match after the taping: Tony Atlas vs. WWF IC Champion Ken Patera Atlas v. Patera comes to the WWF! WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Center - May 31, 1980 Rick McGraw defeated Moose Monroe (sub. for Davey O'Hannon) Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny Rodz Jose Estrdada defeated Steve King (sub. for Larry Sharpe) Tor Kamata defeated El Olympico Afa defeated Rene Goulet Dominic DeNucci defeated Bobby Duncum via count-out Sika defeated Ivan Putski via count-out Larry Zbyszko defeated Pat Patterson via count-out Tony Atlas fought WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to a draw This is a match begging for an attendance figure. With Backlund and Hogan in Japan and Bruno out they run one of their biggest venues with a double main event of Larry Z v. Patterson and a just coming in Atlas v. Patera in an I-C title match. This has "potential bomb" written all over it as the under card is weak too. Would be really interested to see what this pulled down. WWF @ Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center - June 3, 1980 Rick McGraw defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification Tor Kamata pinned Tony Altimore at 14:05 Larry Zbyszko pinned Dominic DeNucci at 13:10 WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Rene Goulet & Johnny Rodz at 17:50 WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out when Putski applied a bearhug on Patera while standing on the ring apron Putski v. Patera headlines Portland with Backlund still not back from Japan. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - June 7, 1980 Jose Estrada vs. Paul Figueroa Davey O'Hannon defeated Danny Pattiglio (sub. for Manuel Soto) Larry Sharpe defeated Steve King Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Moose Monroe Ernie Ladd fought El Olympico to a no contest WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Somoans defeated Pat Patterson & Dominic DeNucci Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - June 7, 1980 Tony Altimore defeated Fred Marzino Joe Cragle fought Pete Doherty to a draw Rick McGraw defeated Sylvano Sousa WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera in a steel cage match Ivan Putski defeated Bobby Duncum Frank Williams defeated Pete Doherty via count-out Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Rene Goulet defeated Tor Kamata via disqualification Bruno v. Larry still going strong and headlines Baltimore, the same day Backlund returns from his Japan/LA swing to defend the title in a Cage against Patera in Springfield. This is another situation where you could see the promotion pulling in a shit load of fans over the two shows. WWF @ Hanover, PA - South Western High School - June 10, 1980 Moose Monroe defeated Ricky Stallone at 8:20 Frank Savage defeated Frankie Williams at 15:25 Jose Estrada defeated Paul Figueroa at 13:46 Sika & Capt. Lou Albano (sub. for Afa) defeated Rick McGraw (sub. for Rene Goulet) & El Olympico at 20:08 WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out at 20:40 I love that they went title v. title for this random little spot show. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - June 13, 1980 Davey O'Hannon defeated the Red Demon Mike Mahalko defeated Bill Berger Johnny Valiant defeated Nick Busick Jim Grabmire defeated Tony Altimore Sika defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out Ken Patera pinned Pat Patterson Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko in a steel cage match by escaping out the door St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - June 13, 1980 Tom Andrews & Kerry Brown defeated Skandor Akbar & Tommy Sharpe Bobby Jaggers defeated Billy Howard Takacho defeated George Wells David Von Erich defeated Bulldog Brown WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Lord Alfred Hayes Dick Murdoch & Karl Kox defeated Bruiser Brody & Pat O'Connor NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Rocky Johnson WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - June 14, 1980 Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Johnny Rodz fought Baron Mikel Scicluna to a draw Tor Kamata defeated Manuel Soto Davey O'Hannon defeated Bobby Duncum via disqualification Ivan Putski defeated Larry Sharpe WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Rene Goulet WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Pat Patterson via count-out Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko in a Texas Death Match Backlund has just returned but turns around and wrestles the Kiel missing two big shows in his home territory. Curiously Missouri champion Patera does not make the Kiel date. Instead he works semi-mains underneath Bruno v. Larry which is still hot all over the territory. Boston was Bruno's town all year really. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - June 16, 1980 (20,000+) Johnny Rodz defeated Steve King Bobby Duncum defeated Rick McGraw Hulk Hogan defeated Gorilla Monsoon Larry Zbyszko defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund when the bout was stopped due to blood at 27:39 Ivan Putski (sub. for Dusty Rhodes) defeated Tor Kamata WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Pat Patterson Rene Goulet defeated Larry Sharpe via disqualification WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Dominic DeNucci & Ivan Putski Another strong Garden figure. Larry Z gets his shot against Backlund. Patera v. Patterson continues be slotted as the "number 2" match on a lot of these major shows. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - June 21, 1980 Rick McGraw defeated Frank Savage Larry Sharpe defeated Johnny Rodz Rene Goulet defeated Tor Kamata via disqualification Larry Zbyszko defeated Ivan Putski via count-out WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via disqualification The Wild Samoans & Capt. Lou Albano defeated Gorilla Monsoon, Pat Patterson, & Dominic DeNucci Tony Atlas defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match This is a pretty strong show, as Patera v. Backlund headlines the Spectrum with a Texas Death Match, heel Larry v. Putski and the six-man all as fairly strong support matches. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Center - June 27, 1980 Bulldog Brower defeated Angelo Gomez Johnny Rodz fought Steve King to a draw WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Afa Sika defeated Frankie Williams Rick McGraw defeated Bimbo Larson (sub. for Jose Estrada) Hulk Hogan defeated Dominic DeNucci Pat Patterson defeated Tor Kamata Tony Atlas defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification; Gorilla Monsoon was the special referee for the bout Some of these Landover shows have been whacky on paper. Really wish we had figures for them. I know Backlund is on the show, but if this drew you have to chalk it up to Patera v. Atlas, as Backlund v. Afa doesn't seem like a ticket mover at all. I wonder if they sold the previous Atlas/Patera rivalry on tv at all. WWF @ New Haven, CT – Coliseum – June 29, 1980 Rick McGraw vs. Jose Estrada Tor Kamata defeated Frank Williams El Olympico vs. Sika Andre the Giant defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Afa Random Andre date here and it's working Patera. Patera was working Putski often on some of the smaller spot shows. WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - July 9, 1980 All Star Wrestling taping: Pedro Morales defeated Ron Shaw The Hangman defeated Steve King WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Tor Kamata to a draw Rick Martel defeated Frank Savage WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Frank Williams Pat Patterson defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Zbyzsko defeated Frank Williams Angel Maravilla defeated Marc Pole Tor Kamata fought Rick McGraw to a draw Hulk Hogan defeated Fred Marzino WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Angelo Gomez Pedro Morales defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Rick Martel defeated Ken Sharkey Hulk Hogan defeated Lindsey Lyle & Steve King in a handicap match The Hangman defeated Fred Marzino Pat Patterson defeated Ron Shaw Rick Martel defeated Johnny Rodz Angel Maravilla defeated Ken Sharkey Larry Zbyzsko fought Pedro Morales to a draw 7/12/80: 7/19/80: 7/26/80 Another batch of tv with Patera as I-C champ. WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - July 12, 1980 Larry Sharpe defeated Dave Darrow Michael Maravilla defeated Jose Estrada Bulldog Brower defeated Joe Mascaro Larry Zbyszko defeated Rene Goulet The Wild Samoans defeated Pat Patterson & Ivan Putski Hulk Hogan defeated Gorilla Monsoon WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification Patera and Bob headline the Garden on an interesting looking card. This had been "Bruno's" venue in many respects for most of this year but he was out selling the neck injury here if I'm not mistaken. Would be curious to see how this did relative to the Bruno shows. WWF @ Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center - July 15, 1980 (1,405) Baron Mikel Scicluna pinned Steve King at 11:10 Angel Maravilla pinned Johnny Rodz at 14:55 Rick Martel defeated Jose Estrada via disqualification at 16:30 A Samoan & Tor Kamata (sub. for the other Samoan) defeated Pat Patterson & Rene Goulet at 18:50 when the Samoan pinned Goulet after a headbutt Andre the Giant defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification at 11:45 I joke about Portland, but this is kind of strange as attendance is pretty low by the standards of the town with Andre v. Patera up top. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - July 18, 1980 Tor Kamata pinned Rick McGraw Johnny Valiant pinned Bill Berger Pat Patterson, Gorilla Monsoon, & Andre the Giant defeated the Wild Samoans & Capt. Lou Albano in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-1; fall #1 - Samoans win with a pinfall over Patterson; fall #2 - Monsoon pinned Sika with a backdrop; fall #3 - Andre scored the pin in the final fall Bobby Duncum pinned Johnny DeFazio Hulk Hogan won a 16-man battle royal by last eliminating Bobby Duncum Hulk Hogan pinned Rene Goulet Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via disqualification Another big market main event for Patera and Backlund. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - July 26, 1980 Televised on the PRISM Network: Tor Kamata fought Angel Maravilla to a draw Sika defeated Rene Goulet Larry Zbyszko defeated Ivan Putski via disqualification WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification; Gorilla Monsoon was the guest referee Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan via disqualification at 7:23 Pedro Morales defeated Afa And then the Spectrum. May be worth noting that Patera only had one date with the WWF between these two shows which was an unusually light load for a champion of any kind during that period. WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - July 29, 1980 Championship Wrestling taping: 8/2/80: Pedro Morales defeated BB Coleman Sgt. Slaughter defeated Billy Berger Harley Race defeated Paul Figeroua The Hangman defeated Ron Lee Rick Martel defeated Jose Estrada 8/9/80: Pat Patterson defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Johnny Rodz Harley Race defeated Kid Sharkey Larry Zbyszko defeated Billy Berger; after the bout, Zbyszko attacked Tony Garea WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Rene Goulet & Rick McGraw when Sika pinned Goulet 8/16/80: Sgt. Slaughter defeated Marc Polo Harley Race defeated Rick McGraw The Hangman defeated Rene Goulet Tony Garea defeated Jose Estrada Dark match after the taping: Pedro Morales fought WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to a double count-out Thought this was worth noting both because of the dark match main event and the fact that Harley was brought in for tv here which I didn't know happened. WWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - August 2, 1980 Kandi Malloy & Peggy Lee vs. the Fabulous Moolah & Beverly Slade WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans vs. Pedro Morales & Ivan Putski WWF IC Champion Ken Patera vs. Pat Patterson WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Larry Zbyzsko Top three matches on this show were pretty stacked. Providence is one of those towns we never have any figures from but this seems like a show that would have done good business. WWF @ Asbury Park, NJ - Convention Hall - August 7, 1980 Angel Marvilla vs. Johnny Rodz The Hangman vs. Rick Stallone Larry Sharpe vs. Rene Goulet Tor Kamata vs. Frankie Williams WWF IC Champion Ken Patera vs. Pedro Morales Ivan Putski vs. Larry Zbyzsko Morales is starting to become a bit of a regular opponent on some of the smaller shows. St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - August 8, 1980 Kerry Brown defeated Billy Howard Bulldog Brown defaeted Jesse Barr WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Buzz Tyler Kevin Von Erich, Pat O'Connor, Rufus R. Jones, & Dick the Bruiser defeated Dick Murdoch, Karl Kox, Roger Kirby, & Takachio David Von Erich defeated Baron Von Raschke NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Missouri & WWF IC Champion Ken Patera; Lou Thesz was the special referee for the bout Big date for Patera here as he headlines in Kiel in a huge match. Backlund works a largely irrelevant under card match, while Ken works Harley for the NWA title with Thez as the guest ref. In the NWA at the time getting a title match in the Kiel was a big deal. Thesz as ref would add to it quite a bit. Patera coming in as a double champ probably added a bit of luster to the match. WWF @ Flushing, NY - Shea Stadium - August 9, 1980 (36,295; 35,771 paid) Vince McMahon was the guest ring announcer for the show, subbing for Howard Finkel Angel Marvilla pinned Jose Estrada at 7:26 with a flying headbutt Dominic DeNucci pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna at 5:56 with a roll up MSG Network - 9/22/80: WWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Chavo Guerrero at 10:28 with a reverse roll up into a bridge MSG Network - 9/22/80: WWF Martial Arts Champion Antonio Inoki pinned Larry Sharpe at 8:52 with a kick to the back of the head; Inoki's NWF World Title was at stake in the match WWF World Champion Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0, to win the titles at 13:06; fall #1: Morales pinned Afa at 9:49 with a roll up off the ropes; fall #2: Backlund pinned Afa after Morales dropkicked the opponent, with Backlund then falling on top for the win; Albano was escorted backstage by the NYPD after interfering during the second fall and slamming Morales on the floor; Backlund & Morales were later stripped of the titles as the rules stated a wrestler could not hold two titles at the same time MSG Network - 9/22/80: Pat Patterson defeated Tor Kamata via disqualification at 2:09 when Kamata threw salt into referee Dick Kroll's eyes after Patterson ducked the attempt; after the bout, Patterson fought off Kamata and hit a bodyslam before Kroll made a one count and then gave the match to Patterson on a disqualification (Villains of the Squared Circle) MSG Network - 9/22/80: Women's Champion the Fabulous Moolah & Beverly Slade defeated Kandi Malloy & Peggy Lee at 6:03 when Moolah pinned Lee following a backdrop Greg Gagne defeated Rick McGraw at 14:33 Tony Atlas defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out at 8:13 after Patera knocked the challenger back inside the ring as both men were fighting on the apron (Best of the WWF Vol. 7) Ivan Putski pinned Johnny Rodz at 4:47 with the Polish Hammer The Hangman pinned Rene Goulet at 8:28 after dropping Goulet throat-first across the top rope Andre the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan (w/ Freddie Blassie) at 7:48 with a bodyslam and splash and a fast count from the referee; Hogan visibly kicked out at 2 but the referee didn't notice (Hulk Still Rules) Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko in a steel cage match at 13:59 by escaping the cage through the door after twice throwing his opponent into the cage; prior to the bout, Sammartino was escorted to the ring by Arnold Skaaland; after the bout, Zbyzsko confronted Sammartino outside the ring, where Sammartino twice punched Zbyzsko before Zbyzsko reluctantly raised Bruno's hand in victory; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year (Best of the WWF Vol. 1, The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time) Huge and famous show that did massive business on a pretty stacked card. Even though a lot of this had been rehashed, the Bruno v. Larry Z match was a huge deal, Hogan v. Andre in their first match of note was there, Pedro/Bob as a super team v. The Samoans would have been a big deal and Patera and Atlas was a feud that was proven drawing card in MACW. Add the special Fujinami and Inoki appearances and this still comes across as a "special" show years later. Patera was a contributor (and the match was pretty good) but not the key player obviously - that would be Bruno. Worth noting that Patera's Asbury to Kiel to Shea schedule was nutty and working the Kiel for the NWA title and then this super show the next day must have been a crazy experience. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - August 15, 1980 Dominic DeNucci & David Sammartino defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna & Bill Berger Johnny Valiant fought Johnny DeFazio to a draw The Hangman pinned Rene Goulet Tony Atlas defeated Tor Kamata Pedro Morales pinned Afa Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan via count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - August 16, 1980 Johnny Rodz vs. Angel Maravilla Moose Monroe vs. Frankie Williams Steve King vs. Angelo Gomez Pat Patterson vs. Larry Sharpe The Fabulous Moolah & Beverly Slade vs. Kandi Maloy & Peggy Lee WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans vs. Tony Atlas & Ivan Putski Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko in a lumberjack match when referee Dick Woherle stopped the bout due to excessive bleeding; there were eight lumberjacks for the bout; after the bout, Zbyzsko hit the referee for stopping the match WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - August 16, 1980 Jose Estrada defeated Frank Marzino at 10:04 Dave Darrow defeated Dan Serrano at 14:08 Pedro Morales defeated Tor Kamata at 8:10 Rick McGraw defeated Pete Doherty at 9:10 WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via count-out at 24:40 Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan at 15:30 The Hangman defeated Dominic DeNucci at 6:30 Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna at 9:20 Patera and Backlund are still main eventing in the bigger markets which tells you this was a feud that was making coin. Notable that Bruno v. Larry was in Landover, while Bob and Patera were in the Boston Garden which had really felt like "Bruno's" venue due to all the times he had worked it on split show days that year. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - August 23, 1980 Televised on the PRISM Network - included Dick Graham & Kal Rudman on commentary: Dominic DeNucci vs. the Hangman Hulk Hogan defeated Rene Goulet Andre the Giant & Pedro Morales defeated Capt. Lou Albano (sub. for Sika) & Afa at 9:22 when Morales pinned Afa after a boot to the face from Andre (Amazing Managers) Pat Patterson pinned Tor Kamata in under a minute Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny Rodz WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon at 11:54; stipulations stated Monsoon would have to retire if he lost the match; he did so weeks later Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Larry Zbyszko pinned Ivan Putski in a Texas Death Match by putting his feet on the ropes for leverage Backlund was in Japan for this show. The previous tv had an angle to heat up Hogan v. Andre around the horn (in theory at least) but it may not have aired yet and they kept those guys separate on the show. Really a strange line up as there is nothing on the card that feels like a clear "main event," though I guess the Monsoon retirement stip opposite the hated Patera could have brought people in. WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - August 26, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny Rodz The Hangman defeated Dominic DeNucci Hulk Hogan defeated Ivan Putski Andre the Giant defeated Ken Patera Gorilla Monsoon & Rene Goulet defeated Afa & Capt. Lou Albano (sub. for Sika) Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko in a lumberjack match Rick McGraw defeated Frank Savage Pedro Morales defeated Tor Kamata Bruno/Larry in Ag Hall seems almost insane to me. So does Andre v. Patera really but they headlined a lot of smaller venues opposite each other over the years. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - August 30, 1980 (9,000) Rick McGraw pinned Paul Figueroa Pat Patterson (sub. for El Olympico) pinned Rick Stallone The Hangman pinned Rene Goulet at 13:19 Ernie Ladd pinned Frank Savage (sub. for Ivan Putski) at 3:28 Tony Atlas defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Larry Zbyszko at 19:28; Pat Patterson was advertised as the guest referee for the bout WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - August 30, 1980 Dominic DeNucci defeated Silvano Sousa Afa defeated Gomez Pedro Morales defeated Tor Kamata Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Doherty Johnny Rodz defeated Frankie Williams Dave Darrow defeated Ed Boulder Steve King defeated Fred Marzino Andre the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan at 14:00; Gorilla Monsoon was the guest referee for the bout Andre the Giant won an 18-man $10,000 battle royal; other participants included: Hulk Hogan, Tor Kamata, Johnny Rodz, Moose Monroe, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Silvano Sousa, Ed Boulder (sub. for Fred Marzino), the Wild Samoans, Pedro Morales, Steve King, Angelo Gomez, Pete Doherty, Gorilla Monsoon, Dominic DeNucci, Dave Darrow, Frankie Williams, & Andre the Giant; the final four men in the bout included Andre, DeNucci, Kamata, and Afa Another split crew date, with Andre v. Hogan debuted as a main in one of the bigger buildings. Finally have a Baltimore figure and it is a very good one as 9k would have been good business for that town at the time. Backlund v. Larry headlines with Patera v. Atlas second from the top. WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - September 6, 1980 Angel Marvilla defeated Johnny Rodz Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Jose Estrada Sika defeated Dominic DeNucci Tony Garea defeated Wild Samoan Afa Pedro Morales defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out Hulk Hogan defeated Pat Patterson WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera in a lumberjack match Patera v. Backlund is alive and well in BG where it has headlined several times now. The top three matches all feature star v. star, but only the top match seems like a real draw. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - September 13, 1980 Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. Dominic DeNucci Johnny Rodz vs. Rick McGraw Steve King vs. Angel Maravilla Bulldog Brower vs. Don Serrano Tony Garea, Rick Martel, & Pat Patterson vs. Capt. Lou Albano & the Wild Samoans Andre the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan when Hogan failed a bodyslam attempt and Andre fell on top for the win WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. WWF IC Champion Ken Patera Patera and Backlund is STILL hot in the big buildings. They have been running this feud in big buildings basically all year - no way it wasn't doing going business around the horn. Andre v. Hogan would have been a very strong co-anchor. WWF @ Sayerville, NJ - September 18, 1980 Tony Garea defeated Johnny Rodz Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Don Serrano Rick McGraw defeated Tony Altimore Dominic DeNucci fought the Hangman to a double disqualification Hulk Hogan defeated Pat Patterson via count-out WWF IC Champion Ken Patera fought Pedro Morales to a double disqualification WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - September 20, 1980 Rene Goulet & Rick McGraw fought Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada to a draw Tony Garea defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Pedro Morales defeated Afa WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned the Hangman Hulk Hogan pinned Gorilla Monsoon at 4:22 Andre the Giant defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera Rick Martel defeated Sika Patera v. Morales was headlining a few spot shows in here. Andre v. Patera comes across like the clear main event of the Springfield show. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - September 22, 1980 (20,000+) Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon & Kal Rudman on commentary; included the Fujinami / Guerrero, Patterson / Kamata, Moolah & Shade / Lee & Malloy and Inoki / Sharpe matches from the Aug. 9 Shea Stadium show, with McMahon & Rudman doing live commentary from MSG as there was no original English commentary for the show; the matches were shown in the place of the Harley Race / Bob Backlund match and the introductions and crowd noise could be heard as the Shea bouts were shown: NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion Les Thornton pinned Jose Estrada at 7:02 with a backbreaker (Thornton's MSG debut) Pat Patterson pinned Johnny Rodz at 8:04 with a sunset flip The Hangman pinned Dominic DeNucci at 10:15 when the Hangman fell on top of DeNucci after holding onto the top rope while in the middle of an airplane spin; after the bout, DeNucci hung the Hangman over the top rope with his own noose (Hangman's MSG debut) Larry Zbyszko defeated Tony Garea via disqualification at 12:15 when Garea failed to release an abdominal stretch after Zbyszko reached the ropes (Garea's MSG return after an 18-month absence) Rick Martel pinned Rick McGraw at 6:47 with a backslide (Martel's MSG debut) Pedro Morales pinned Afa at 3:34 by reversing a bodyslam into the ring and falling on top for the win; prior to the bout, Capt. Lou Albano escorted Afa to the ring WWF IC Champion Ken Patera pinned Rene Goulet at 1:04 with a small package; prior to the bout, the Grand Wizard escorted Patera ringside WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated NWA World Champion Harley Race via disqualification at 35:14 when Race pulled the referee into Backlund as the NWA title holder was caught in a sleeper; this bout was not televised with the rest of the show, rather four matches from the Aug. 9 Shea Stadium show aired in its place Tony Atlas pinned Sika at 5:32 with an elbow drop All American Wrestling - 9/11/83: Andre the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan at 12:18 when Hogan failed a slam attempt and guest referee Gorilla Monsoon made a fast count; prior to the match, Hogan was escorted ringside by Freddie Blassie; just before the finish, Hogan successfully slammed Andre; the match was not televised and the MSG broadcast went off the air immediately following the Atlas / Sika bout (Hulk Hogan: The Unreleased Archives) Harley v. Backlund does bit business at the Garden. Patera has a comically short defense v. Goulet underneath. Hogan v. Andre is still alive as a semi-main event. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - September 27, 1980 (10,200) Tony Garea pinned Johnny Rodz at 11:08 Rick Martel pinned Jose Estrada at 1:28 Pedro Morales pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna at 6:04 Larry Zbyszko defeated Pat Patterson via count-out at 13:16 WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Somoans defeated Domenic DeNucci & Rene Goulet at 8:38 Andre the Giant pinned Ernie Ladd at 7:44 WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned the Hangman at 17:28 No Patera on this show and it does very strong business on a card that was actually pretty damn weak on paper. 10/3/80 St Louis NWA champion Harley Race beat David Von Erich Dick Murdoch & Baron Von Raschke & King Kong Brody beat Pat O'Connor & Rufus R Jones & Dick the Bruiser Missouri State champion Ken Patera drew Ted DiBiase Fabulous Moolah and Sandy Partlow beat Kandi Maloy and Betty Torres Kevin Von Erich beat Takachio Bob Sweetan beat Spike Huber Bulldog Bob Brown drew Mike George Patera goes to St. Louis defend against Dibiase who is being groomed to be his replacement with the Missouri Title. WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - October 4, 1980 Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Rene Goulet defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Rodz Pat Patterson defeated Wild Samoan Sika Rick Martel defeated Wild Samoan Afa Pedro Morales defeated Ken Patera via disqualification Larry Zbyszko defeated Tony Garea Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated the Hangman It is starting to feel a bit like the heat is coming off of Patera. Backlund v. Hangman really doesn't seem like a big deal on paper, but it has headlined a few of the big buildings, with Andre/Hogan still hot and the possible "real draw" depending on perspective. Patera v. Morales is hardly a BAD match for Patera, but he appears to be slipping from the top of the heel mountain. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - October 11, 1980 Dominic DeNucci defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Tony Garea defeated Sika via count-out Pedro Morales defeated Afa Andre the Giant defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out Larry Zbyszko defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via count-out Rick McGraw & Rick Martel defeated Jose Estrada & Johnny Rodz Pat Patterson defeated Larry Sharpe This is effectively a double main with Larry v. Bob and Andre v. Patera. WWF @ Rochester, NY - War Memorial - October 18, 1980 (5,000) The first wrestling card in Rochester in five years Angelo Gomez fought Steve King to a 20-minute time-limit draw Angel Maravilla defeated Johnny Rodz via count-out at 11:35 The Hangman pinned Rick McGraw at 12:50 Tony Garea defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification at 18:10 when Zbyszko failed to break a choke Sgt. Slaughter pinned Dominic DeNucci at 10:19 Pedro Morales defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out at 12:10 This is a cool date to have as it is a spot show headlined by Patera v. Morales that does really good business (5k for a spot show would definitely be "very good" for this period) in a town that was obviously not part of the regular loop. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - October 20, 1980 Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary: Terry Taylor pinned Jose Estrada with an abdominal stretch into a roll up at 9:59 Rene Goulet pinned Johnny Rodz after Rodz hit the corner at 8:41 The Hangman defeated Rick McGraw via submission to a backbreaker at 7:19 Pedro Morales fought WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to a double disqualification at 16:19 after both men attacked the referee and used illegal holds; after the bout, the two men had to be held apart by a number of wrestlers including Pat Patterson, Dominic DeNucci, Rick Martel, and several others (History of the Intercontinental Title, History of the Intercontinental Championship) Dominic DeNucci pinned Larry Sharpe with an inside cradle at 8:38 Sgt. Slaughter defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via disqualification at 16:33 when Arnold Skaaland hit Slaughter in the head, following a confrontation on the floor, as Backlund was trapped in the Cobra Clutch Rick Martel pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna with a sunset flip at 3:34 Tony Garea defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification at 4:58 after Zbyszko shoved the referee Dusty Rhodes & Pat Patterson defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match via referee's decision; fall #1: Rhodes pinned Sika with an elbow at 11:47; fall #2: the curfew expired I remember thinking the Morales/Patera match/angle on this show was really well done and put over the feud as a huge deal so even though Patera isn't wrestling Backlund anymore, I think the evidence strongly supports the fact that he was still over as a major heel player. Never new Dusty/Pat v. Wild Samoans match existed. WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - October 22, 1980 All-Star Wrestling: 10/25/80: Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna & the Black demon at 7:56 when Martel pinned Demon with a sunset flip Pedro Morales defeated Frank Savage via submission with the Boston Crab at 5:41 Stan Hansen pinned Ron Shaw with the lariat at 4:27; after the bout, Vince McMahon conducted a ringside interview with Hansen The Moondogs (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Charlie Brown & Steve King at 7:08 when King pinned Brown with a splash Killer Khan (w/ Capt. Lou Albano, sub. for Freddie Blassie) pinned Marc Pole at 2:54 with a kneedrop 11/1/80: 11/8/80: Pedro Morales defeated Jose Estrada at 7:21 Ken Patera defeated Frankie Williams at 5:12 The Moondogs dfeated Ron Shaw & Rick McGraw at 5:13 Larry Sharpe fought Rene Goulet to a 10-minute draw Larry Zbyszko defeated Angelo Gomez at 3:12 Dark match after the taping: WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera (non-title match) First Backlund v. Patera match in a while and it's a non-title match thrown on the end of a tv taping. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - October 25, 1980 (matinee) Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Afa defeated Tony Garea Sgt. Slaughter defeated Pat Patterson via count-out Sika defeated Rene Goulet WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via count-out Rick Martel defeated Frank Savage Tony Garea defeated Larry Sharpe Tony Atlas defeated the Hangman And then Patera gets ANOTHER shot against Backlund in ANOTHER big arena on a card that does not look terribly strong (Sarge v. Paterson is the only other match on paper that seems like it has any real value at all). You get the feeling that Patera - while not part of a real program with Backlund anymore - is seen as a sort of "fallback" plan because he's still really over as a heel and if someone else doesn't work out they can plug him in on a big show and get people to the gate. WWF @ Lewiston, ME - Armory - October 28, 1980 Angel Maravilla vs. Fred Marzino Dave Darrow vs. Jose Estrada Pete Doherty vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna Dominic DeNucci vs. the Hangman Rene Goulet vs. Sgt. Slaughter WWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. WWF IC Champion Ken Patera WWF @ Binghamton, NY - October 31, 1980 Angel Maravilla fought Don Serrano to a draw Jose Estrada fought Angelo Gomez to a draw Johnny Rodz defeated Steve King Rick Martel defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna The Hangman defeated Dominic DeNucci WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera And it looks like they worked this whole loop, even on the smaller shows. WWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - November 1, 1980 (9,000) Pedro Morales fought WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to a draw Larry Zbyszko defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via disqualification Sika defeated Dominic DeNucci Johnny Rodz defeated Jose Estrada Rene Goulet defeated Rick McGraw Sgt. Slaughter defeated Pat Patterson This is the biggest recorded number I've ever seen for Springfield. What do you attribute that to? I don't know. Larry was hot against Bruno, but I don't think he sustained that level of heat v. Backlund. Pedro v. Ken was a hot feud that had been put over in the Garden but I don't know how that would have been presented on tv leading up to this show. Sarge v. Patterson was in the early stages of heating up as well. WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - November 8, 1980 Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Dick Graham & ? on commentary: Rene Goulet fought Larry Sharpe to a draw Rick McGraw defeated Jose Estrada Johnny Rodz defeated Charlie Fulton Sgt. Slaughter defeated Angel Maravilla Pedro Morales defeated the Hangman Bruno Sammartino defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via disqualification at 14:57 when Patera hit Sammartino in the back with a steel chair and then threw it into Sammartino's face; after the contest, Patera locked Sammartino in the full nelson until Tony Garea, Rick Martel, & ? made the save; moments later, the wrestlers and officials tended to Sammartino and helped him out of the ring WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualfiication; Tony Atlas was the guest referee for the contest Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans to win the titles at 14:29 when Martel scored the pin with a sunset flip as the illegal Samoan covered Garea at the same time, moments after Garea and the legal Samoan collided in the ring (Tag Team Champions) WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - November 8, 1980 Angelo Gomez defeated Steve King Ron Duggan defeated Sylvano Sousa Frank Savage defeated Pete Doherty Don Serrano defeated Fred Marzino Rick Martel, Tony Garea, & Tony Atlas defeated Capt. Lou Albano & the Wild Samoans Pedro Morales defeated Ken Patera via disqualification when Patera attacked special referee Pat Patterson Sgt. Slaughter defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via disqualification If the dates on these are right Bob and Patera did double duty against different opponents. This could have been a potentially huge business day for the WWF as both shows had double main events that should have pulled down big attendance. Bruno v. Patera reads like a hot angle and you could easily argue was more of a draw on paper than Larry v. Bob though it's notable that Larry v. Bob has headlined some strong shows. Morales v. Patera with Patterson as ref would have been a big deal, probably right there with Sarge v. Backlund. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - November 14, 1980 David Sammartino defeated Johnny Valiant via referee's decison after the time limit had expired Baron Mikel Scicluna pinned Johnny DeFazio Dominic DeNucci pinned Larry Sharpe Tony Garea defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera via disqualification WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Sgt. Slaughter via count-out WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - November 15, 1980 Rick MGraw fought Johnny Rodz to a draw Larry Sharpe defeated Rene Goulet Jose Estrada defeated Angel Maravilla Tony Atlas pinned the Hangman with a press slam WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeated the Wild Samoans after Garea dropkicked his partner onto Sika for the pin WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Pedro Morales via disqualification WWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Sgt. Slaughter to a double count-out Another back-to-back big market sequence where you wish you had figures because you cold easily see this pulling huge money. Bruno v. Patera in Pittsburgh should have done big business with or without Sarge v. Backlund. Sarge v. Backlund probably would have done well on it's own in Baltimore, but the Morales feud was still hot as a semi-main. St. Louis, MO - Kiel Auditorium - November 21, 1980 Roger Kirby & Mike George defeated Eddie Gilbert & Akio Sato Bulldog Brown defeated Art Crews Takachio & Buzz Tyler defeated Pat O'Connor & Rufus R. Jones Dick Murdoch fought Bruiser Brody to a no contest WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Bob Sweetan Dick the Bruiser defeated Ric Flair in a lumberjack match Ted Dibiase defeated Missouri State & WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to win the Missouri title Patera drops the Missouri title to the emerging star that is Dibiase, but this would hardly be his last main event and/or major match in the Kiel. WWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - November 22, 1980 (matinee) Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Larry Sharpe (sub. for Frankie Williams) to a draw Pedro Morales defeated Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification WWF IC Champion Ken Patera defeated Rick McGraw WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification Rick McGraw defeated Rick Stallone WWF Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Odd show on paper. Is it possible that Frankie Williams no showing, shook up a card this much? WWF @ Springfield, MA - November 29, 1980 Manuel Soto defeated Jose Estrada via disqualification Johnny Rodz defeated Angel Marivella Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out Pedro Morales defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera via TKO The Moondogs defeated Rick Stallone & Rick McGraw Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated the Wild Samoans Sgt. Slaughter defeated Dominic DeNucci Morales v. Patera was one of the main events on the previous show that did a huge number for the town. Backlund isn't on the card, but Bruno v. Larry would have been a big draw as well. 12/5/80 St Louis Ken Patera and Dick the Bruiser beat Harley Race in a handicap match Missouri State champion Ted DiBiase beat Buzz Tyler King Kong Brody & Pat O'Connor & Rufus R Jones beat Dick Murdoch & Bob Sweetan & Mike George David Von Erich beat Takachio Kevin Von Erich beat Kerry Brown Bulldog Bob Brown beat Jesse Barr Akio Sato beat Billy Starr There was also a 16 man battle royal but the record book does not list the winner. Anybody know which wrestler won the battle royal? Patera main events the Kiel again. If I remember correctly handicapped matches in St. Louis had "gauntlet" rules or some similar quirk. Either way this point of this was to set up Patera as a challenger to Race. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - December 8, 1980 (20,011) This card was not televised; John Lennon was shot and killed in NYC this same night Johnny Rodz defeated Sylvano Sousa at 10:49 The Moondogs defeated Rick McGraw & Angel Maravilla at 11:37 Larry Zbyszko defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out at 12:42 WWF Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tony Garea defeated the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at 26:27, 2 falls to 1 Ernie Ladd fought Tony Atlas to a double count-out at 5:24 Pedro Morales defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera to win the title at 18:51; Pat Patterson was the guest referee for the bout Bruno Sammartino defeated Sgt. Slaughter via count-out at 18:38 Backlund misses an MSG show due to a Japanese commitment. There is no WWF champ on an MSG show which I don't recall happening before in any of the results I've skimmed through up to this point. Bruno v. Sarge would have been a nice supplement for Backlund, but given how hot Pedro v. Patera ended on the last show I think they should get credit for a very strong house all things considered. This also marks the end of Patera's I-C title reign. From double champ, to no champ in 3 weeks. WWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - December 12, 1980 Johnny DeFazio defeated the Red Demon Johnny Valiant defeated Nick Busick David Sammartino defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Dominic DeNucci defeated Larry Zbyszko via disqualification Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeated the Wild Samoans Tony Atlas defeated Ernie Ladd Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera when the match was stopped after Patera suffered a leg injury WWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - December 13, 1980 Don Serrano defeated Dave Darrow Sylvano Sousa defeated Joe Crugnale Ron Duggan defeated Pete Doherty Rick Martel defeated Fred Marzino Hulk Hogan defeated Rick McGraw WWF IC Champion Pedro Morales defeated Wild Samoan Afa Tony Atlas defeated Ernie Ladd Ken Patera fought Pat Patterson to a double count-out WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Sgt. Slaughter via count-out WWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - December 13, 1980 Dominic DeNucci vs. Sgt. Slaughter Tony Atlas vs. Larry Zbyszko Tony Garea & Rick Martel vs. the Wild Samoans WWF IC Champion Pedro Morales vs. Ernie Ladd Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera This is a pretty massive run for Patera over a two day period as he headlines two key buildings v. Bruno in PA and works second from the top in Boston v. Patterson. It's not unfathomable that the 13th could have done 30k plus and almost certainly did 25k plus. Throw in Pitt and you have a really huge business weekend. WWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - December 27, 1980 WWF Tag Team Champion Rick Martel pinned Larry Sharpe with a flying crossbody WWF Tag Team Champion Tony Garea pinned Bulldog Brower Killer Khan pinned Rick McGraw with a kneedrop Steve King & Angelo Gomez defeated Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada when King pinned Rodz with a sunset flip Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan via count-out when Hogan left ringside Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera via referee's decision after Patera suffered a leg injury Back in Baltimore with Bruno v. Patera which is working off of their big "angle" with Patera demolishing Bruno with the full nelson. Andre v. Hogan no doubt had heat as well. WWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - December 29, 1980 (19,000) Televised on the MSG and USA networks and in Japan - featured Vince McMahon on commentary: Yoshiaki Yatsu pinned Jose Estrada at 8:47 with a belly to belly suplex Seiji Sakaguchi fought Sika (w/ Afa) to a draw at 5:34 when both Afa, who switched places with Sika during the bout, and Antonio Inoki, who made the save for Sakaguchi, interfered WWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Don Diamond with a back suplex into a bridge at 10:28 Hulk Hogan pinned Dominic DeNucci at 4:38 with a powerslam WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Killer Khan at 12:23 with a back suplex into a bridge WWF Tag Team Champions Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeated the Moondogs via disqualification at 13:16 when, as Garea had King in an abdominal stretch, Rex hit Garea in the back with one of the challengers' bones NWF Champion & World Martial Arts Champion Antonio Inoki pinned Bobby Duncum at 12:47 with an enzuiguri; only the Martial Arts title was at stake but Inoki came to the ring wearing the NWF belt The Fabulous Moolah & Joyce Grable defeated Candy Malloy & Peggy Lee when Moolah pinned Lee following a double clothesline at 5:09 WWF IC Champion Pedro Morales pinned the Hangman at 7:07 with a roll up after the Hangman hit the corner Pat Patterson defeated Ken Patera via disqualification at 8:12 when Patera refused to break on the ropes Backlund is back at MSG and while attendance is slightly down this is still the usual strong number. Patterson v. Patera would have had heat off of Patterson "helping"/"costing" Patera the I-C title in his previous match at the Garden. The NJPW invasion is in full effect on this show and as much as I like Khan (and he was put over strong on tv coming into this) I'm not sure he was the smartest MSG opponent for Backlund. WWF @ White Plains, NY - Westchester County Center - December 30, 1980 Jose Estrada defeated Steve King Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez Tony Garea & SD Jones defeated Jim Duggan & Frank Savage Andre the Giant defeated the Hangman WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan via disqualification Things come full circle as on his last date of the year he works Backlund for the WWF World Title. This would essentially be his last date with the WWF during this run (I have a date for Feb. of 81 on a spot show but it almost seems like an error). Make no mistake - this was the best single year of Patera's career. There are points during previous years where you could argue that he was the top heel in whatever promotion he was in, but this is the first time I think you can argue he was the top heel in the promotion from bell-to-bell. Yes, Larry had a hot run but it was opposite Bruno and the company didn't seem to trust him to carry spot shows or secondary venues the way they did Patera. Even when Backlund was gone from MSG, Patera v. Morales drew a very respectable MSG number. The same feud also was at least partially responsible for the biggest house I'd seen in Springfield up to that point. Morales v. Patera was a box office feud - and that was Patera's SECOND best feud that year by a wide margin. The Backlund feud produced great in ring matches (this was also Patera's best in ring year with the Backlund, Bruno, Pedro and Atlas matches ranging from great to good), spanned roughly eight months (on and off), headlined all the major market towns multiple times, et. Patera also won the Missouri and I-C titles - holding them at the same time - which during that era was a big deal. On top of being farmed out to Toronto, he was farmed out to St. Louis and became a top star their with multiple main events, including an NWA World title shot with Thesz as the guest referee. In the WWF pecking order he was behind Backlund and Bruno, but he was in a promotion that was booked around top babyfaces so that's hardly a knock. This was an HoF level year.

What's wrong with Lucha matwork?

I think the Big Van Walter match is floating around in some circles online. The Togo match existing and likely never emerging is enough to make me want to dissolve into ash as that is an all time dream match if there ever was one. I just finished the Thatcher v. Finlay match and really enjoyed it. No question it would have been better live as any gritty mat work match like that is but one thing I really enjoyed was that it had a real feel of escalation. It started slowly and built and by the end I thought it was a really good match.

Buddy Match Review Number Four! Buddy Rose v. Steve Pardee - Portland TV 6/29/85 The early going of this was Buddy being a cocky asshole, then being overmatched, then going to test of strength/handshake schtick was really great stuff. That sort of thing is classic Buddy as he is a master of all the little things in wrestling like timing, mannerisms, et. Very few guys could make an opening like this work as well as Buddy does. Pardee eventual returns the "disrespectful" slap on a rope break. Then Buddy gets caught going for a cheapshot and takes a wonderfully insane over the top rope bump off of an atomic drop. One of things that made Buddy so great was he was a fat guy, with an oddly shaped body, and goofy look, who was also an athletic freak. This really played into his gimmick as his cockiness was not entirely unwarranted - he really was a hell of a talent and even everyone who loathed him in the crowd knew it. Part of the presentation of this gimmick were a few really great "stock" spots, my favorite of which was his "cartwheel to avoid bayface offense spot." This was usually done on drop down monkey flip attempts and was more often than not followed up by Buddy's marquee street which also happens to be my favorite pro wrestling strut of all time. It's hard to explain but it's more effeminate than the average pro wrestling strut and arguably more cocky than any other taunt I've ever seen. I mention all of this because there is an AWESOME cartwheel spot in this match. The progression is standard and follows what I outlined above, but is followed up by Rose attempting his own drop down monkey flip, only for Pardee to shake his ass at him - a taunt that hints at the stereotypes associated with the "effeminate strutter" and throws the cockiness back in his face all at once. Am I reading too much into this? Yes I am. But I still fucking loved the spot. Buddy ends up taking control out of a wristlock and runs through some nice offense. I really enjoyed Buddy blocking the sunset flip with a straight right, then stomping Pardee's face and going to an ab stretch smack dab in the middle of the ring, turning a routine cut off spot/heat hold into a situation that comes across like a legitimate attempt to win. Pardee finally makes his come back off of a superplex attempt and Buddy ends up taking his crazy corner bump. Rose ends up hung up in the ropes and Pardee throws some shots leading to the awesome Buddy back bump through the ropes. Back in the ring Pardee does an ab stretch cradle for a near fall and then another roll up for a second near fall. Reeling and desperate, Rose locks Pardee's neck in the ropes and won't let go for the DQ. Hate the fact that this ended on a DQ but the action was really good and the DQ looked vicious. It was a dastardly thing for a heel to do and Buddy was a great dastardly heel.

1979 1/2/79 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Blackjack Mulligan via pin NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Ricky Steamboat Ted Oates & Jerry Oates beat Jacques Goulet & Gene Anderson dq Skip Young beat Joe Palardy Abe Jacobs beat Frank Monte 1/5/79 Charleston, SC @ County Hall Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Johnny Weaver NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Ricky Steamboat Ted Oates & Jerry Oates vs Brute Bernard & Swede Hanson Jay Youngblood vs Steve Muslin Steve Regal vs Charlie Fulton At this point they look like they are still trying out new challengers to replace Atlas in a program with Patera. Patera and Atlas seemed to drag on looking back from thirty plus years, but reading summaries of the angles from tv it didn't really drag out - it worked. It was the hottest program of length that Patera would ever have in MACW and the search for a replacement opponent of note would never really pay off. Patera main eventing these secondary shows is something else that would be a fairly dominant theme throughout the year. 1/7/79 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum NWA Tag Team Champions Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff beat Ric Flair & John Studd US Champion Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but Jones kept his TV Title because the match lasted longer than 15 minutes. Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Johnny Weaver Jacques Goulet & Swede Hansen beat Ted Oates & Jerry Oates Mr X I beat Richard Blood Steve Regal beat Steve Muslin 1/13/79 Spartanburg, SC @ Memorial Auditorium Dino Bravo & Tony Atlas beat Paul Jones & Ken Patera Johnny Weaver beat Brute Bernard Mr X I beat Herb Gallant Steve Regal beat Charlie Fulton dq Don Kernodle drew Len Denton 20:00 1/18/79 Anderson, SC @ Recreation Center Paul Orndorff beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Jones retained his TV Title Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dcor Jimmy Snuka Ted Oates & Jerry Oates vs Jacques Goulet & Kim Duk Pedro Morales vs Steve Muslin Len Denton vs Herb Gallant The search continues. MACW was almost totally transitioned away from being the "tag team" territory by this point, but Patera - like many of the major players in the territory - would still get random tag main events on spot shows. 1/28/79 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum (Afternoon Show) US Champion Ricky Steamboat beat Ric Flair dq Tony Atlas beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Paul Orndorff Dino Bravo beat Greg Valentine Gene Anderson & Kim Duk beat Steve Regal & Gary Young Jay Youngblood & Skip Young beat Moose Morowski & Len Denton The Cobra beat David Patterson 1/28/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum NWA Tag Team Champions Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff beat Ric Flair & Greg Valentine US Champion Ricky Steamboat dcor Paul Jones Dino Bravo & Tony Atlas beat Ken Patera & John Studd Terry Sawyer & Don Kernodle beat Joe Palardy & Frank Monte Pedro Morales beat Jacques Goulet Johnny Weaver beat Mr X I Att: 5,186 Double duty for Patera on two A-Shows. In fact you could argue that the Charlotte show was the more stacked of the two shows as even though the under card was weaker, the top of the card was deeper. Steamboat/Flair plus Atlas/Patera might have been the absolute biggest "double main event" from regulars that territory could have run during this general period. The Greensboro show does an okay number, with Patera in a strong men v. strong men tag match. It's likely these two shows together did 10k-plus. 2/2/79 Charleston, SC @ County Hall Mid Atlantic Tag Team Champions Ken Patera & John Studd vs Rufus R Jones & Dino Bravo Brute Bernard & Gene Anderson vs The Cobra & Les Thornton Gary Young vs David Patterson Steve Regal vs Joe Furr 2/4/79 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) NWA Tag Team Champions Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff beat Ken Patera & John Studd NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Jay Youngblood Pedro Morales & Skip Young beat Moose Morowski & Gene Anderson The Cobra drew Brute Bernard Patera/Studd is a bit of a regular tag team at this point and worked several matches v. NWA champs Ordnorff/Snuka during this period. 2/9/79 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum US Champion Ricky Steamboat dcor Paul Jones Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Tony Atlas beat John Studd Johnny Weaver & Pedro Morales & Skip Young beat Kim Duk & Jacques Goulet & Moose Morowski Les Thornton drew Mr X I Terry Sawyer beat Joe Palardy via pin Don Kernodle & Steve Regal beat David Patterson & Steve Muslin Bravo would be a regular opponent for Patera throughout the year. The attempt was to replicate Atlas v. Patera with a strong man v. strong man gimmick. I don't have tv from this period but was told by an MACW fan from the period I work with that Bravo was a poor substitute for Atlas as an opponent because "rednecks like me can't stand French Canadians." 2/15/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall Ric Flair beat US Champion Ricky Steamboat Tony Atlas beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones dq Mid Atlantic Tag Team Champions Ken Patera & John Studd beat Skip Young & Jay Youngblood Pedro Morales beat Swede Hanson Kim Duk beat Don Kernodle Charlie Fulton drew Terry Sawyer Mr X I & Len Denton beat Steve Regal & Abe Jacobs Patera and Studd won the MACW tag belts supposedly in late Jan of 79 though I can find no date for it. They would not defend them regularly and in many ways it seemed to just be a way to get a belt on Studd. 2/19/79 Fayetteville, NC @ Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Dino Bravo NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Paul Orndorff Brute Bernard & Swede Hanson vs Les Thornton & Pedro Morales Don Kernodle vs Steve Regal David Patterson vs The Cobra 2/22/79 Fisherville, VA @ Augusta Expo US Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair Jimmy Snuka vs Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Brute Bernard & Swede Hanson vs Pedro Morales & Nick DeCarlo Gary Young vs Mr X I Don Kernodle vs Frank Monte Couple of spot shows in areas where they didn't run as often or at least we don't have as many dates. 3/4/79 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Wahoo McDaniel Blackjack Mulligan beat John Studd Jay Youngblood & Les Thornton beat Gene Anderson & Swede Hanson Abe Jacobs & Terry Sawyer beat Frank Monte & Joe Palardy Brute Bernard beat Herb Gallant 3/4/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dcor Wahoo McDaniel Blackjack Mulligan beat John Studd Ernie Ladd beat Rufus R Jones Jimmy Snuka beat Baron Von Raschke Pedro Morales & Skip Young & Nick Decarlo beat Gene Anderson & Kim Duk & Moose Morowski Mr X I beat Gary Young Steve Regal drew Dave Patterson att: 7,129 This is impressive stuff for Patera as he did double duty in Asheville which was a very strong/reliable town and Greensboro via Wahoo. Neither show had a particularly strong under card, with Greensboro being unusually weak with no Flair, Steamboat, Valentine (who may have already been in NYC at this point), Dino, Atlas, Paul Jones or Orndorff. They still do a good number for Greensboro (well above the yearly average) anyhow and this was another single day where they probably topped 10k paid. 3/6/79 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium US Champion Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones dq Non Title Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Johnny Weaver via pin Pedro Morales & Skip Young beat Gene Anderson & Jacques Goulet Brute Bernard beat Steve Regal via pin Abe Jacobs beat Joe Palardy via pin 3/9/79 Charleston, SC @ County Hall Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Dino Bravo Jay Youngblood vs Baron Von Raschke Swede Hanson & Brute Bernard vs Skip Young & Johnny Weaver Steve Regal vs Charlie Fulton Nick DeCarlo vs Tony Russo Man these Charleston shows are depressingly weak by the standards of the rest of the territory. Patera is still seen as a reliable figure to hold it down on the non-A shows (County Hall capacity at the time was probably around 3k legally - Township is almost exactly the same). 3/17/79 Winston-Salem, NC @ Memorial Coliseum Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Tony Atlas US Title vs TV Title, TV Title on the line only the first 15 minutes US Champion Ricky Steamboat vs NWA TV Champion Paul Jones Swede Hanson & Brute Bernard vs Skip Young & Pedro Morales Herb Gallant vs Tony Russo Nick DeCarlo vs Len Denton The Cobra vs Charlie Fulton Interesting that months after their feud was effectively blown off these two would still get top billing over a title v. title match with Steamboat and Jones. 79/03/25 US TITLE: Ricky Steamboat WP Ric Flair 18:06 CANADIAN TITLE: Dino Bravo LDQ Greg Valentine 14:18 AWA TITLE/WWWF TITLE: Nick Bockwinkel DCOR Bob Backlund 39:10 NWA TAG TITLE: Jimmy Snuka/Paul Orndorff W Ken Patera/Big John Studd 20:04 Moose Morowski WP Steve Bolus Dewey Robertson WP Al Costello John Yachetti WSub Terry Yorkston Some of these Maple Leaf shows were stacked. Insane to think Steamer v. Flair and Bock v. Backlund was on the same show. 3/26/79 Greenville, SC @ Memorial Auditorium US Champion Ricky Steamboat beat Paul Jones Lumberjack Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Dino Bravo Len Denton & Swede Hanson beat Don Kernodle & Gary Young Terry Sawyer beat Charlie Fulton Abe Jacobs beat Frank Monte 4/3/79 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Dino Bravo COR Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Jones retained his TV Title. Jay Youngblood & Les Thornton beat Brute Bernard & Kim Duk Mr X I beat Terry Sawyer Nick DeCarlo beat Tony Russo They've moved on to some gimmick matches with Patera v. Bravo do to Patera "saving his title" by getting DQ/counted out. Interesting to see the two top matches flip billing here. Tells you they were seen as a package deal main event. 4/8/79 Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Maple Leaf Gardens NWA Champion Harley Race drew Ricky Steamboat when the curfew time limit expired at 26:35 No dq match Greg Valentine beat Dino Bravo in 21:13 to win Canadian Heavyweight Title Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Tony Atlas COR in 22:15 Billy Red Lyons & Johnny Weaver beat Moose Morowski & John Studd dq Al Costello drew Johnny Yachetti Brute Bernard beat Frank Marconi via pin in in 5:39 Patera v. Atlas goes up North. 4/9/79 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada @ Memorial Auditorium Non Title Match Ricky Steamboat vs Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Tony Atlas vs John Studd Johnny Weaver & Tiger Jeet Singh vs Brute Bernard & Moose Morowski Billy Red Lyons vs Al Costello Dewey Robertson vs Chris Tolos As does Patera v. Steamboat on a non-Maple Leaf Gardens show. 4/12/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Jimmy Snuka beat US Champion Ric Flair dq Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Jones retained his TV Title. Johnny Weaver beat John Studd dq Kim Duk & Moose Morowski beat Skip Young & Pedro Morales Jacques Goulet beat Steve Regal Brute Bernard beat Gary Young They are really pushing Patera v. Bravo at this point as not only does it lap it's usual co-main event of Jones/Steamboat, it headlines over Flair v. Snuka. 4/13/79 Charleston, SC @ County Hall Death Match NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Ricky Steamboat Non Title Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Paul Orndorff Gene Anderson vs Jay Youngblood Skip Young vs Kim Duk Len Denton & Swede Hanson vs Gary Young & Nick DeCarlo The best Charleston card in a while and it's still really just a two match show. Still those are two matches I would have wanted to see at the time. 4/15/79 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum Local benefit to raise money for a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr Dino Bravo beat Baron Von Raschke (sub Ric Flair) Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dcor Jimmy Snuka Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones COR in 14:00 Johnny Weaver & Tony Atlas beat Len Denton (sub Baron Von Raschke) & John Studd Moose Morowski & Jacques Goulet beat Les Thornton & Don Kernodle Mr X I beat Herb Gallant via pin Terry Sawyer beat Tony Russo by referee’s decision Note: Flair reportedly was sidelined by a torn shoulder muscle. I love that Flair no shows an MLK Memorial benefit show in his home town. Dino v. Baron technically is at the top of the show as a result, but this is another show where the standard one two punch of Steamer/Jones - Patera title defense is the effective main event. 79/04/21 Toronto TV MAPLE LEAF WRESTLING HANDICAP MATCH: Moorse Morowski W Big Mac/Joe Marcus Ernie Ladd/Baron Von Raschke W Skip Young/Don Kernodle John Studd/Ken Patera W Abe Jacobs/Herb Gallant ARENA TAPE: Ric Flair W Ricky Steamboat for U.S. title Dino Bravo/Johnny Weaver W The Challenger/John Forsythe Patera/Studd work a tag match - for Toronto tv. 4/27/79 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Ricky Steamboat beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Jones retained his title. Jimmy Snuka beat Ernie Ladd Kim Duk & Moose Morowski & Jacques Goulet beat Leo Burke & Pedro Morales & Les Thornton Len Denton beat Abe Jacobs Don Kernodle beat David Patterson Steve Regal beat Mr X I Another strong venue main eventing by Patera v. Bravo - maybe this did work as well as Patera v. Atlas? 4/29/79 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) US Champion Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Gene Anderson & Kim Duk beat Jay Youngblood & Skip Young Nick DeCarlo beat Jacques Goulet Pedro Morales beat Len Denton (sub Brute Bernard) Charlie Fulton & Frank Monte beat Steve Regal & Terry Sawyer It's a shame we don't have attendance figures for more of these shows. 5/10/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall US Champion Ric Flair beat Tony Atlas Ernie Ladd beat Ricky Steamboat Non Title Match Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Kim Duk & Gene Anderson beat Skip Young & Jay Youngblood Leo Burke beat Brute Bernard dq Steve Regal beat David Patterson Mr X I drew Nick DeCarlo 5/20/79 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) US Champion Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Dino Bravo Gene Anderson & Mr X I vs Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood Plus 3 single matches 5/27/79 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) US Champion Ric Flair ddq NWA TV Champion Paul Jones Tony Atlas beat Ernie Ladd dq Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Jimmy Snuka Moose Morowski & John Studd vs Johnny Weaver & Leo Burke Mike Hammer vs Jim Brunzell Len Denton vs Abe Jacobs Ladd and Dusty are in and Patera slips a hair down the card as a result on some shows but is still booked in a strong position and remains MACW champion. 6/3/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke beat Ric Flair & Dusty Rhodes when Jones beat Rhodes in 27:15 Jimmy Snuka beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Rufus R Jones & Jim Brunzell beat Kim Duk & Gene Anderson Leo Burke beat Len Denton Rudy Kay & Jacques Goulet beat Gary Young & Nick DeCarlo Mr X I drew Don Kernodle No figure for this Greensboro show. Dusty is in and you would think that might help. Snuka v. Patera is a solid semi-main. 6/12/79 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena No dq match US Champion Ric Flair vs Paul Jones Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Dino Bravo Jim Brunzell vs Baron Von Raschke Len Denton & Rudy Kay vs Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood Plus other matches Still going with Bravo. Brunzell is in and getting a push to set up for his eventual run v. Patera. 6/17/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum Ricky Steamboat beat NWA Champion Harley Race on a 3rd fall dq Special Referee: Buddy Rogers Dusty Rhodes beat Ric Flair to win US Title but the decision was overturned because referee Rogers was ruled to not be acting impartial Dino Bravo beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Jim Brunzell beat Moose Morowski Lynn Denton & Rudy Kay beat Don Kernodle & Gary Young Les Thornton & Leo Burke beat Kim Duk & Mr X I Coco Samoa beat Tony Russo att: 9,321 They really load this show up on the top end of the card and do a very strong number for the period in Greensboro. 6/24/79 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke beat Tony Atlas & Jimmy Snuka Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Rufus R Jones via pin Johnny Weaver beat Kim Duk Pedro Morales beat Jacques Goulet Coco Somoa & Don Kernodle beat Len Denton & Rudy Kay Pretty random show on paper as none these feel like big feuds or matches that would have drawn on their own and Roanoke was a fairly large arena as I recall. 7/1/79 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke vs Jimmy Snuka & Ricky Steamboat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Andre The Giant Cocoa Samoa & Jay Youngblood vs Gene Anderson & Rudy Kay Plus 2 single matches 7/3/79 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena No dq Match NWA Tag Title Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke vs Ric Flair & Jim Brunzell NWA TV Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ernie Ladd Handicap Match Andre The Giant vs John Studd & Ken Patera Plus 10 more matches featuring Rufus R Jones, Dino Bravo, Jay Youngblood, Jimmy Snuka, Kim Duk, Gene Anderson, & others That Raleigh show is totally stacked. Strange that he worked Andre in a singles one night and then ended up teaming with Studd to work Andre in a handicapped match on the bigger show. 7/8/79 Greensboro, NC Ricky Steamboat beat NWA Champion Harley Race dq when Ernie Ladd interfered Battle of the Nature Boys US Champion Ric Flair beat Buddy Rogers Dusty Rhodes dcor Ernie Ladd Rufus R Jones & Jim Brunzell beat Ken Patera & John Studd Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood beat Gene Anderson & Swede Hanson Tony Garea beat Charlie Fulton Les Thornton drew Mr X I Gary Young beat Tony Russo att: 6,517 Solid number, but Patera is pretty much an afterthought here even though he's more upper mid-card, than mid-card. 79/07/15 CANADIAN TITLE: Dino Bravo DDQ Ken Patera WWWF TITLE: Bob Backlund WCOR Ric Flair 23:29 Ricky Steamboat WP Ernie Ladd :42 Jim Brunzell WP Greg Valentine Paul Orndoff/Jay Youngblood W Gene Anderson/Swede Hansen Tiger Jeet Singh W Brian Mackney Dewey Robertson WSub John Forsythe Patera v. Bravo - for the Canadian title! This one headlines Maple Leaf over Backlund v. Flair and Steamboat v. Ladd. Whether or not it was the top draw is highly debatable of course. 7/19/79 Columbia, SC @ Carolina Coliseum US Champion Ric Flair beat Paul Jones dq Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Dino Bravo via pin Jim Brunzell beat Baron Von Raschke Jimmy Snuka & Tony Atlas beat Len Denton & Rudy Kay Cocoa Samoa & Johnny Weaver beat Charlie Fulton & The Scorpion Dewey Robertson beat Leo Burke Frank Monte drew Les Thornton This is just about the end of the road with Bravo as the top contender to the throne. 8/5/79 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke dq Non Title Match Jim Brunzell beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Johnny Weaver & Pedro Morales beat Rudy Kay & Moose Morowski Tony Garea beat Jacques Goulet Swede Hanson beat Nick DeCarlo Brunzell has been getting a slow push in the mid-card and has supplanted Bravo as the top challenger to Patera. I'm guessing Patera was already on notice with MACW or would be sometimes shortly after this date. 8/12/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum Special Referee: George Scott NWA Tag Team Champions Ric Flair & Blackjack Mulligan beat Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke Non Title Match, $1,000 to the winner Jim Brunzell beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Johnny Weaver beat Ernie Ladd dq John Studd beat Tony Garea Coco Samoa & Don Kernodle beat Gene Anderson & Moose Morowski Dewey Robertson beat Nick DeCarlo Abe Jacobs beat Mr X I Jacques Goulet beat Charlie Fulton They went straight to the gimmicks with Brunzell v. Patera. The feud was in fast forward compared to the other big Patera programs from MACW. Still notable that even at this stage in his run there, he was pulling second from the top billing at Greensboro. 8/19/79 Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Maple Leaf Gardens WWWF Champion Bob Backlund (sub Dino Bravo) beat Ken Patera dq in 24:14 NWA TV Champion Ricky Steamboat beat Paul Jones Andre The Giant beat John Studd via pin Tiger Jeet Singh & Pedro Morales beat Jacques Goulet & Brute Bernard Jay Youngblood beat Joe Marcus Bob Marcus drew Billy Red Lyons Patera and Backlund headline yet another major Arena together, this being there second time on top of Maple Leaf as I recall. This was also a sign of things to come for Ken. 79/08/20 - Oshawa, ON Ricky Steamboat W John Studd ... Andre the Giant Dble CO vs. Ken Patera Jay Youngblood & Pedro Morales W Bob Marcus & Jacques Goulet ... Billy Red Lyons W Brute Bernard ... John Yachetti W Joe Marcus Another Toronto house show with Patera on it, this time v. Andre was often an opponent of his on random house shows over the years. 8/21/79 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Blackjack Mulligan beat Paul Jones Non Title Match Jim Brunzell beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera to win $1,000 Women’s Champion Fabulous Moolah beat Wenona Little Heart Gene Anderson & Dewey Robertson beat Don Kernodle & Coco Samoa Jay Youngblood beat Rudy Kay 8/24/79 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Jim Brunzell beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq when Patera hit the referee NWA TV Champion Ricky Steamboat beat Paul Jones Rufus R Jones beat Jimmy Snuka via pin Tony Garea & Jay Youngblood beat Swede Hansen & Dewey Robertson Bob Marcus vs Rudy Kay Don Kernodle vs Mr X I 8/30/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall Texas Tornado Match Ric Flair & Blackjack Mulligan beat NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke dq Non Title Match Jim Brunzell beat Ken Patera to win $1,000 Dewey Robertson beat Brute Bernard Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Jacques Goulet Tony Garea beat Abe Jacobs Bob Marcus beat Tony Russo Brunzell feud continues to heat up and works around the horn in solid position on the cards even in the big towns. 9/7/79 Forest City, NC @ Cool Springs Gym Mid Atlantic Champion Blackjack Mulligan vs Ken Patera Johnny Weaver vs The Scorpion Gene Anderson & Swede Hanson vs Bob Marcus & Abe Jacobs Judy Martin vs Joyce Grable Leroy Dargon vs Bob Brown I'm guessing Blackjack won this belt one night and lost it back to Patera a couple of nights later OR this is a typo. Either way this is the last non-Brunzell MACW title match I have from Patera. 79/09/09 CANADIAN TITLE TOURNAMENT: FIRST ROUND: Mad Dog Vachon WP Jay Youngblood 11:06 Greg Valentine WP Pedro Morales 13:47 Jimmy Snuka WDQ Angelo Mosca Ricky Steamboat WP Brute Bernard Gene Kiniski WForfeit Lord Alfred Hayes Dewey Robertson WDec Ken Patera 15:00 QUARTER FINALS: Greg Valentine WP Mad Dog Vachon 2:28 Ricky Steamboat WP Jimmy Snuka 15:37 Dewey Robertson WP Gene Kiniski 13:31 SEMI-FINALS: Greg Valentine WForfeit Ricky Steamboat (injured) Dewey Robertson bye FINAL: Dewey Robertson W Greg Valentine 10:32 Robertson gets the huge push here. He won a "decision" in the first round in Patera, which I guess was decided by a ref or judges when they hit time limit? 9/13/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke beat Ric Flair & Blackjack Mulligan Title vs Title Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat NWA TV Champion Ricky Steamboat but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Steamboat retained his TV Title SD Jones & Johnny Weaver beat Brute Bernard & Swede Hanson Bob Marcus beat Tony Garea Coco Samoa beat David Patterson Charlie Fulton drew Abe Jacobs The day after this Brunzell defeated Patera for the Mid-Atlantic title. I don't have a venue listed, but the info comes from Brunzell's Online World of Wrestling profile and matches the timeline so their is no reason to disbelieve it. 79/09/23 CANADIAN TITLE: Dewey Robertson WSub Nick Bockwinkel 25:32 US TITLE: Jimmy Snuka WP Ricky Steamboat Andre the Giant WDQ Ken Patera Pedro Morales/Jay Youngblood W Big John Studd/Swede Hansen Billy Red Lyons WP Frank Marconi Chris Tolos D Johnny Yachetti 15:00 Another Andre v. Patera match this one from Maple Leaf Gardens. 9/26/79 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena US Champion Jimmy Snuka vs Blackjack Mulligan Mid Atlantic Champion Jim Brunzell vs Ken Patera Ric Flair vs John Studd MWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke vs Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood Also: Rufus R Jones, SD Jones, & Dewey Robertson 9/27/79 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall Ric Flair beat US Champion Jimmy Snuka dq Mid Atlantic Champion Jim Brunzell beat Ken Patera Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood beat Buddy Rogers & John Studd SD Jones beat Brute Bernard Tony Garea beat Gene Anderson Abe Jacobs beat Tony Russo Rick McGraw drew David Patterson Don Kernodle & Bob Marcus beat Charlie Fulton & Frank Monte 10/7/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum US Champion Jimmy Snuka beat Ric Flair Mid Atlantic Champion Jim Brunzell beat Ken Patera Blackjack Mulligan beat Paul Jones SD Jones beat Gene Anderson Lone Eagle beat Tom Thumb Don Kernodle & Rick McGraw beat The Scorpion & Mr X I att: 3,358 These are all big market defenses for Brunzell. I'm sure it helped get him over with the locals in those markets. The Greensboro number is pretty darn bad. WWF @ ? - October 1979 Championship Wrestling: Larry Zbyszko defeated Johnny Rodz at 5:36 Bobby Duncum defeated Fred Marzino at 3:45 Swede Hansen defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out at 6:49 Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Jose Estrada at 3:13 Greg Valentine defeated Mike Masters at 2:43 11/3/79: Ted Dibiase fought Jimmy Valiant to a double count-out at 9:51 Bobby Duncum defeated Ron Lee at 1:12 The Wild Samoans defeated Billy Berger & Johnny Rivera at 4:39 Ken Patera defeated Mike Masters at 2:28 WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - October 23, 1979 Championship Wrestling taping: WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Hussein Arab via count-out 10/27/79: Jimmy Valiant fought Ted Dibiase to a double count-out Tony Atlas defeated Billy Coleman Bobby Duncum defeated Ron Lee The Wild Samoans defeated Billy Berger & Johnny Rivera Ken Patera defeated Mike Masters 11/3/79: Swede Hanson defeated Johnny Rivera WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson (w/ the Grand Wizard) defeated Mike Masters via submission with a Boston Crab at 4:36 Tony Atlas pinned Moose Monroe with a splash at the 55-second mark; after the bout, Bruno Sammartino conducted a ringside interview with Atlas Hussein Arab (w/ Freddie Blassie) fought Dominic DeNucci to a double count-out at 9:56 Larry Zbyzsko pinned Billy Coleman with a suplex at 6:11 Bobby Duncum (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) pinned Bill Berger with a bulldog; Arnold Skaaland provided guest commentary for the match, subbing for Bruno Sammartino; after the bout, Skaaland and WWF World Champion Bob Backlund attempted to make the save but were also beaten down 11/10/79: Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated JoJo Andrews & Jose Estrada Ken Patera defeated Johnny Rivera Tony Atlas defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Zbyszko defeated Ron Lee The Wild Samoans defeated Frank Williams & Dominic DeNucci Bobby Duncum defeated Paul Figueroa WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - October 24, 1979 All Star Wrestling taping: Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Johnny & Jimmy Valiant 10/28/79: Ken Patera defeated Ron Lee Larry Zbyszko defeated JoJo Andrews The Wild Samoans defeated Frank Williams & Johnny Rivera Bobby Duncum defeated Fred Marzino 11/4/79: Hussein Arab defeated Moose Monroe Dominic DeNucci fought Jimmy Valiant to a double count-out Swede Hanson defeated Ron Lee Ted Dibiase defeated Billy Coleman Bobby Duncum defeated Billy Berger 11/11/79: Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Billy Coleman & JoJo Andrews Johnny Valiant fought Ted Dibiase to a double count-out Larry Zbyszko defeated Johnny Rivera The Wild Samoans defeated Fred Marzino & Billy Berger Ken Patera defeated Frank Williams Patera's first dates back with the WWWF. They are putting him over as an unstoppable monster right out of the gate on tv, but he's not working house shows at all. 10/26/79 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Lights Out Match Paul Jones vs Blackjack Mulligan Baron Von Raschke vs Ricky Steamboat Jay Youngblood & SD Jones & Rufus R Jones vs John Studd & Ken Patera & Dewey Robertson Leroy Dargon vs The Scorpion David Patterson vs Billy Starr Johnny Weaver & Tony Garea vs Brute Bernard & Mr X I Tony Russo vs Abe Jacobs Really strange match here as Patera seems to be just thrown into a random match. He was on the way out though so it's not like it would have mattered much one way or the other. 10/28/79 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium (Afternoon Card) Ric Flair (sub Ricky Steamboat) & Jay Youngblood beat NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Baron Von Raschke Rufus R Jones beat Ken Patera Tony Garea & Johnny Weaver beat Gene Anderson & Mr X I Leroy Dargon beat David Patterson Luther Dargon beat Doug Somers 10/28/79 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum US Champion Jimmy Snuka beat Ric Flair Mid Atlantic Champion Jim Brunzell (sub Ricky Steamboat) beat Paul Jones Indian Strap match Jay Youngblood beat Dewey Robertson Johnny Weaver & Rufus R Jones & SD Jones beat John Studd & Ken Patera & Buddy Rogers Gene Anderson beat Bob Marcus Don Kernodle beat Frank Monte Coco Samoa drew Doug Somers Patera does double duty in the Carolinas for the last time. Neither match is of much note at all, though teaming with Rogers is a neat way for him to have gone out. 79/11/04 WWWF TITLE: Bob Backlund DCOR Baron Von Raschke 8:31 (originally scheduled to be Backlund vs Pat Patterson) US TITLE: Jimmy Snuka WP Ric Flair 28:16 CANADIAN TITLE: Dewey Robertson WSub Ken Patera 15:18 Johnny Weaver/Rufus R. Jones W Brute Bernard/Destroyer 15:21 Tiger Jeet Singh WP Brian Mackney 6:22 Billy Red Lyons WP Al Costello 13:36 Patera contends for the Canadian title in Toronto against the guy he went to a draw with in the tournament. WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - November 13, 1979 Championship Wrestling taping: Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Johnny & Jerry Valiant 11/17/79: Ken Patera defeated Ben Ortiz The Wild Samoans defeated Steve King & Frank Williams Larry Zbyszko defeated Mike Masters Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic DeNucci Hulk Hogan (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Harry Valdez via submission at 2:51 with an overhead backbreaker; after the bout, Hogan briefly kept the hold applied; moments later, Vince McMahon conducted a ringside interview with Hogan & Blassie regarding how Hogan will do against the other WWF wrestlers (Hogan's WWF debut) (Hulk Hogan: The Unreleased Archives) 11/24/79: Bulldog Brower & Swede Hanson defeated Dominic DeNucci & Johnny Rivera Hulk Hogan defeated Paul Figueroa Tony Atlas pinned Mike Masters at 2:51 with a suplex and splash Hussein Arab (w/ Freddie Blassie) fought Ted Dibiase to a double count-out at 8:58 when both men began brawling on the floor Ken Patera defeated Steve King Larry Zbyszko defeated Pete Doherty 12/1/79: Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Pete Doherty & Moose Monroe Hulk Hogan defeated Ben Ortiz Tony Atlas pinned Jose Estrada at 4:17 following a gorilla press slam The Wild Samoans defeated Steve King & Harry Valdez Bobby Duncum (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) pinned Frank Williams with a bulldog at 3:27; after the bout, Vince McMahon conducted a ringside interview with Albano and the Grand Wizard where they announced Albano purchased the contract of WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson for $100,000; the Wizard said he did it purely for the money due to a cash flow problem and Albano said he didn't care whether Patterson had been consulted about the deal Ken Patera (w/ the Grand Wizard) defeated Johnny Rivera via submission with the swinging full nelson at 3:30 WWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - November 14, 1979 All Star Wrestling taping: Johnny Rodz fought Johnny Rivera to a draw WWF World Champion Bob Backlund, WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Bulldog Brower, Bobby Duncum, & Swede Hanson 11/17/79: Larry Zbyszko defeated Johnny Rodz Bobby Duncum (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Ben Ortiz; after the bout, Vince McMahon interviewed Duncum & Albano at ringside WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Jose Estrada & Pete Doherty at 8:01 when Putski pinned Estrada with the Polish Hammer; after the bout, Bruno Sammartino interviewed the champions at ringside The Wild Samoans (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Dominic DeNucci & Johnny Rivera at 4:03 when Sika pinned Rivera with the Samoan Drop; the Samoans were introduced as the "Lou Albano's Wildmen" for the match Ken Patera (w/ the Grand Wizard) defeated Frank Williams via submission with the swinging full nelson at 3:04 11/24/79: Ted Dibiase vs. Swede Hanson 12/1/79: Ken Patera defeated Ben Ortiz WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana & Ivan Putski defeated Johnny Rodz & Moose Monroe Dominic DeNucci defeated Pete Doherty The Wild Samoans defeated Johnny Rivera & Steve King WWF @ Allentown, PA - Agricultural Hall - December 4, 1979 12/8/79 - included Vince McMahon & Bruno Sammartino interviewing WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson at the show opening, where Patterson objected to working with Capt. Lou Albano and does not want to be associated with him at all, saying he doesn't like him, and that Albano was a slob and a bum: WWF Tag Team Champion Tito Santana defeated Jerry Valiant via count-out at 8:23 Hulk Hogan defeated Charlie Brown at 3:25 WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson & the Wild Samoans (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) fought Larry Zbyszko, Dominic DeNucci, & WWF Tag Team Champion Ivan Putski to a no contest at 8:26 when the Samoans turned on Patterson and attacked him after Patterson had gone to hit Albano for stopping the Samoans from letting Patterson tag out of the match; Albano then hit Patterson in the head with a chair, busting him open as the Samoans held him up; Vince McMahon then attempted to interview Patterson, who screamed that he wanted Albano in the ring Bobby Duncum defeated Manny Saica at 2:21 Ken Patera defeated Frankie Williams at 2:35 12/15/79: The Wild Samoans defeated Fred Marzino & Angelo Gomez Ken Patera defeated Babyface George Dominic DeNucci defeated Mr. X Bobby Duncum defeated Silvano Sousa WWF Tag Team Champions Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated Pete Doherty & Davey O'Hannon Hussein Arab defeated Don Patrick 12/22/79: Ken Patera (w/ the Grand Wizard) defeated an unknown; after the bout, Bruno Sammartino interviewed Patera & Wizard at ringside Hulk Hogan (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated Jose Estrada via submission with the backbreaker at 5:12 Andre the Giant pinned Pete Doherty at 2:31 with a boot to the face and a sit-down splash The Wild Samoans (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Don Patrick & Johnny Rivera at 7:53 when Afa pinned Patrick with the Samoan Drop WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson pinned Johnny Rodz with a kneedrop off the top at 2:57; during the bout, Rodz reopened Patterson's cut on his forehead from two weeks earlier 12/29/79: WWF IC Champion Pat Patterson pinned Jose Estrada with a kneedrop off the top at 3:19 Dark match after the taping: Andre the Giant vs. Jerry Valiant Patera is being built and put over strong on tv but does not work any house shows at all for the McMahons during this period. 12/7/79 Houston Ken Patera beat Mark Lewin 2/3 then Patera beat Lewin's manager Gary Hart Dusty Rhodes beat Karl Von Krupp Tiger Conway Jr & Sugar Bear Harris drew Gino Hernandez & Gran Markus Jose Lothario beat Don Diamond Les Thornton beat Nick Kozak Ken Patera (sub Killer Tim Brooks) beat Steve Pardee 12/14/79 Houston Winner to earn a shot at NWA Champion Harley Race in Houston on 12/28 American Champion Bruiser Brody beat Ken Patera 2/3 Gino Hernandez & Gran Marcus beat Jose Lothario & Tiger Conway Jr to win American Tag Team Title The Spoiler beat Sugar Bear Harris dq Mark Lewin drew Kevin Von Erich Les Thatcher beat Killer Brooks dq Nick Kozak beat Steve Pardee Bull Ramos beat Don Diamond 12/21/79 Houston Dusty Rhodes beat Mark Lewin 2/3 to win the brass knuckles title Gino Hernandez beat Sugar Bear Harris Ken Patera drew Jimmy Snuka Bruiser Brody beat The Challenger Tiger Conway Jr drew Killer Brooks Bull Ramos drew Les Thornton Junkyard Dog beat Don Diamond Patera with a brief, but impressive mini-run in New York holding him over til his tour with the WWF starts. Two immediate main events and a match with Snuka was a very strong three week layover. 79 is a good year for Patera but on initial run down does not come across as strong as 77 or 78. He was a consistent main eventer on the Crockett b-shows and had more main events on the bigger shows than one might initially guess when you consider he was paired off with Dino Bravo for a big chunk of the year who is not a guy you usually think of when you think of MACW. The Wahoo figure in Greensboro was impressive considering how weak the rest of the card was and he remained no worse than a semi-main guy until the last few weeks before his departure to New York. He was the Mid-Atlantic champion for the great majority of the year, had some strong looking dates in Maple Leaf and was clearly one of the top level stars in the territory (albeit not any real competition to Flair at the very top the heap). Still he doesn't have anything as bold as the Bruno matches from 77 or the run of matches v. Dusty and Backlund from 78. The Bravo feud was a replay of the Atlas feud and while it seems to have done close to as well it doesn't come across as "fresh" when reviewing the results from a 30 year distance. Still a strong year from Patera and he was being groomed for a huge run in 1980 in the WWWF on tv at the end of 79.

I can see how someone wouldn't like it, especially someone who primarily watches older footage these days. In the modern WWE context I didn't think it was out of place at all. Whether that is a good or bad thing I don't know. The show was entertaining to me.

I think it's possible the Muppets cancelled themselves out. I know they drew in some non/casual fans - I spoke to several myself and while that is anecdotal I think it would be far less likely that the people I know are an aberration, than to suggest they were reflective of some general trend. On the other hand I think the combination of it being Halloween and the Muppets being there may have hurt with enough regular viewers to equalize things. On a side ratings note that makes me very happy, since Mark Henry won the World Title Smackdown has had a 2.0 rating or higher four of five weeks (the other was a 1.95) and has had three of it's four highest rated shows of the year

Edited a bit more info into 78.

Middle of 82-early 83. I believe Buddy v. Backlund from MSG made the first set. If not it should have. The Spectrum lumberjack match is a match I liked a lot the last time I saw it. Not sure how much else is available.

Loved the show. Thought the whole thing was amusing. I actually know multiple people who NEVER watch wrestling who watched the show for the Muppets. Talking to a dozen people during or after the show the consensus was that the Muppets segments were extremely entertaining.

Was going through the Buddy results from the WWF for shits and giggles tonight and I actually think his run there is a bit underrated. Typically I've seen it referred to as disappointing at the gate. It may have been but on cursory review there aren't a lot of figures I can find and while some are disappointing others are surprisingly strong. He got main events in every major town in the territory, worked programs with Backlund, Morales and Rocky Johnson, and even headlined Maple Leaf twice v. Backlund. I'll do a detailed run down of that run soon enough. There's a lot more to it than I expected to find.

Buddy Match Review Three! Buddy Rose v. Top Gun - Portland TV 4/8/89 This is 1989, Buddy weighs twelve hundred pounds, and he's still incredible. Seriously he is awesome in this. He brings the heel schtick you want fighting with the ref, doing front face rakes, throwing slaps, et. He throws some vicious punches, at one point smashes Top Gun's head into the back of a post several times and then superplexes him. Best of all despite being insanely fat he takes about ten insane bumps in this, over the ropes to the floor, through the ropes, high back body drops, flip bumps in the corner, et. Top Gun is not impressive at all in this and I usually like Sierra. Finish where they brawl on the floor to a countout was not the best, but Rose leaping bump on the concrete makes up for it. Rose was still the man. This match really makes me wish Buddy had popped up in 89 Texas to take lunatic bumps on the floor of the Sportatorium, preferably in a heel stable with Gary Young, Cactus and Billy Joe Travis. At the very least you want him to have an insane Terry Funk competitive squash match from that year. No bullshit I think if he had been given chances he would have been one of the better guys in the States even in that loaded year.

1978 WWWF @ West Orange, NJ - South Mountain Arena - January 5, 1978 Baron Mikel Scicluna pinned Frankie Williams at 14:20 Ken Patera pinned SD Jones at 5:20 Gorilla Monsoon & Peter Maivia defeated Jack Evans & Larry Sharpe at 25:10 Bob Backlund pinned Stan Stasiak at 11:42 WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko at 16:28 when Fuji pinned Garea WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out at 20:45 The first date of the year for Patera so far as I can tell. WWWF @ Albany, NY - January 6, 1978 Mr. Fuji vs. Frankie Williams Peter Maivia & Chief Jay Strongbow vs. WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham & Ken Patera The companies two top heels team up for the first time in Albany of all places against a pair of the WWWF's notorious "ethnic" babyfaces. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - January 7, 1978 (9,600) Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Frankie Williams at 6:22 Butcher Vachon defeated Jose Estrada at 6:09 Larry Sharpe defeated Ted Adams at 5:03 Larry Zbyzsko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna (sub. for Stan Stasiak) at 4:56 Peter Maivia & Chief Jay Strongbow defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka via disqualification; Gorilla Monsoon was special referee for the match Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera at 16:39 WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Tony Garea at 17:42 This is definitely a strong number for Baltimore during the stretch. Backlund v. Patera would have been a big match at this point as Patera was still the number 2 heel to Graham and Backlund was well on his way to becoming Graham's eventual heir. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Arena - January 10, 1978 Championship Wrestling taping: 1/28/78: Ken Patera defeated Mike Madera & Dennis Johnson in a handicap match at 2:44 by pinning both men after slamming Madera onto Johnson Bob Backlund pinned Jose Estrada at 4:36 with an atomic drop Chief Jay Strongbow & Peter Maivia vs. WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka (non-title match); the show went off the air with the match still in progress Still being put over strong on tv. WWWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - January 14, 1978 (matinee) Arnold Skaaland defeated Capt. Lou Albano Mark Tendler defeated Frankie Williams SD Jones defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Ken Patera Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Bob Backlund & SD Jones (sub. for Mil Mascaras) Dusty Rhodes defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham when the match was stopped due to blood Dusty and Graham have been feuding back and fourth in the Garden and in Florida. Here they take that at to another big WWWF town. Top four matches on this card are really loaded. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - January 16, 1978 (10,400) Butcher Vachon defeated Joe Turco at 6:48 Stan Stasiak defeated Frank Williams at 8:33 Tony Garea fought Prof. Toru Tanaka to a draw SD Jones defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna at 14:10 Ken Patera defeated Pete Austin at 4:55 Spiros Arion defeated Larry Zbyszko at 4:18 Bob Backlund defeated Mr. Fuji at 6:35 Chief Jay Strongbow & Peter Maivia defeated Jack Evans & Larry Sharpe in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0 Dusty Rhodes defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham at 14:45 when the match was stopped due to blood Dusty and Graham draw the biggest Boston Garden crowd in some time with Patera buried in the middle of the show. WWWF @ Waterville, ME - January 18, 1978 Dennis Johnson vs. Larry Sharpe Pete Austin vs. Jack Evans Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko vs. Spiros Arion & the Golden Terror Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera Dusty Rhodes vs. Mr. Fuji WWWF @ White Plains, NY - Westchester County Civic Center - January 19, 1978 (2,700) SD Jones fought Baron Mikel Scicluna to a draw Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out Dusty Rhodes defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka via disqualification when Tanaka used the salt Peter Maivia, Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko defeated Mr. Fuji, Sprios Arion, & Stan Stasiak in a Best 3 out of 5 fall match, 3-1 Interesting to see Dusty on the b-show circuit. Patera was still working Backlund on a lot of these shows. He also worked a Maple Leaf date around this point v. Brunzell. WWWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - January 21, 1978 Stan Stasiak vs. Chief Jay Strongbow Spiros Arion vs. Tony Garea Bob Backlund vs. Prof. Toru Tanaka Dusty Rhodes vs. Ken Patera Also included 5 other matches Would really kill for a figure on this as this is the first Dusty v. Patera match and in a building that was one of their better non-A show facilities. Actually top to bottom the card looks pretty strong by the standards of the era. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - January 23, 1978 Dusty Rhodes defeated the Golden Terror Carlos Colon defeated Jack Evans at 1:51 Butcher Vachon fought SD Jones to a 20-minute draw Steve Kiern defeated Larry Sharpe at 4:58 Spiros Arion defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out at 11:06 Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out at 5:26 Bob Backlund, Peter Maivia, Tony Garea, & Larry Zbyszko defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka, Mr. Fuji, Stan Stasiak, & Baron Mikel Scicluna in an elimination match; Backlund defeated Fuji and Tanaka to win the bout Tatsumi Fujinami defeated WWWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Jose Estrada to win the title at 11:31 WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham (w/ the Grand Wizard) defeated Mil Mascaras (w/ Bob Backlund) via disqualification at 13:19 when Backlund and the champion began brawling after Backlund twice prevented Graham from getting the pin with his feet on the ropes Pretty crazy show looking back all these years with Colon, Dusty, Fujinami and Mascaras all on the same card. The SuperBowl of Wrestling - Miami, FL - Orange Bowl - January 25, 1978 Keith Franks (sub. for Black Angus) pinned John Ruffin at 6:23 with a neckbreaker Bobby Duncum pinned Don Serrano at 1:23 with a shoulder breaker Chavo Guerrero pinned Tank Patton with a neckbreaker at 4:10 Joyce Grable won an 8-woman battle royal by last eliminating Leilani Kai, Terri Shane, and Wennona Little Heart with a double dropkick Ivan Putski defeated Ox Baker via KO with a full nelson at 10:13 Rocky Johnson defeated Karl Kox via reverse decision; Kox originally won the bout with a brainbuster after hitting Johnson with a foreign object but Jack & Jerry Brisco came down and told the referee what happened Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Ivan Koloff & Mr. Saito when Jack pinned Koloff with a cradle after leaping over the top into the ring Southern Champion Pedro Morales pinned Lars Anderson with a cradle Steve Keirn & Mike Graham defeated US Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Johnny Valiant to win the titles at 15:37 when Johnny submitted to Keirn's sleeper Dusty Rhodes defeated Ken Patera via count-out after Patera slammed Rhodes back into the ring but failed to meet the referee's 10-count himself WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham fought NWA World Champion Harley Race to a draw in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1: Graham defeated Race via KO with a bearhug at 34:17; fall #2: Race pinned Graham at 15:38 with a suplex into the ring; fall #3: the time limit expired as Race had Graham covered for a 1-count after catching him in a sleeper; Gorilla Monsoon and Don Curtis served as alternating guest referees for the bout This is a really big deal for Patera. Not only does he appear on the Super Bowl of wrestling show, he works second from the top underneath a title v. title match. And it's against Dusty in Florida. Aside from the Garden main events with Bruno this is probably his biggest single match at this point in his career. 78/02/05 Att: 11,000 AWA TITLE: Nick Bockwinkel WSub Chief Jay Strongbow Angelo Mosca WDQ Chief Peter Maivia Ken Patera DCOR Dusty Rhodes The Crusaders W Chris Tolos/Dan Johnston Mil Mascaras WP Terry Yorkston Stan Stasiak D Waldo Von Erich Sweet Daddy Siki D The Wildman Butcher Vachon D Duncan MacTavish (subs for Spiros Arion) Lord Alfred Hayes WP Steve Bolus (Hayes subs for Super Destroyer) I presume this is a strong attendance figure for Maple Leaf. WWWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - February 4, 1978 The Golden Terror vs. Peter Maivia Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Butcher Vachon Tony Garea vs. Spiros Arion Bob Backlund & Mil Mascaras vs. WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji Dusty Rhodes vs. Ken Patera Included 2 other bouts Dusty v. Patera in another largish venue for the territory. Patera was working Backlund on all the spot shows leading up to this. Which means he's now working the 1 or 2 babyface in the territory every night. WWWF @ South Orange, NJ - Seton Hall - February 9, 1978 Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Spiros Arion Bob Backlund vs. Stan Stasiak Peter Maivia vs. Ken Patera Included 3 other bouts This is the first non-Dusty or Backlund match Patera had in several weeks. WWWF @ Harrisburg, PA - Zembo Mosque - February 10, 1978 Spiros Arion (sub. for Pete Reeves) defeated Ted Adams Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Dominic DeNucci to a draw Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Steve King & SD Jones (sub. for Gorilla Monsoon) Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak Ivan Putski defeated Ken Patera via disqualification WWWF @ Altoona, PA - February 11, 1978 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Ted Adams Steve King defeated Pinky Larson via disqualification Stan Stasiak defeated Joe Abbey Johnny DeFazio & Peter Maivia defeated Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans Ivan Putski defeated Ken Patera via count-out Back to Putski for the moment. The second show was the same day as a show in Baltimore headlined by Backlund v. Graham who had just come back from a tour of Japan/LA defending the WWWF world title. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - February 18, 1978 (19,500; sell out) Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Vince McMahon & Dick Graham on commentary: Ted Adams defeated Joe Turco Davey O'Hannon defeated Steve King Wee Willie Wilson & Hillbilly Pete defeated Little John & Billy the Kid SD Jones defeated Nikolai Volkoff Spiros Arion defeated Dominic DeNucci WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Bruno Sammartino (w/ Arnold Skaaland) in a steel cage match at 7:43 after the challenger gave Superstar a running kick, which sent the champion falling between the ropes and out the door Peter Maivia defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna WWWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Gorilla Monsoon & Chief Jay Strongbow in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Toronto, Ontario - Maple Leaf Gardens - February 19, 1978 Billy Red Lyons defeated Chris Tolos Stan Stasiak defeated the Wolfman Dewey Robertson defeated the Wildman via disqualification AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell defeated Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan British Champion Billy Robinson defeated Duncan Mctavish WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Eduard Carpentier Angelo Mosca defeated Peter Maivia via referee's decision Dusty Rhodes pinned Ken Patera with a crossbody WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - February 20, 1978 (22,092; sell out) Televised on the MSG Network - the first MSG show to allow children under 14 to attend; children ages 8 to 14 were admitted with an adult WWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Ted Adams with a German suplex into a bridge (Best of the WWF Vol. 15) Baron Mikel Scicluna fought SD Jones to a 20-minute draw Little John & Lord Littlebrook defeated Wee Willie Wilson & Hillbilly Pete Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko defeated Butcher Vachon & Stan Stasiak Spiros Arion defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out Mil Mascaras pinned Mr. Fuji Dusty Rhodes pinned Prof. Toru Tanaka at 9:06 Ken Patera defeated Peter Maivia via count-out Bob Backlund pinned WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham to win the title at 15:51 with the atomic drop, even though the champion's foot was on the bottom rope during the pinfall; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year (History of the WWF Heavyweight Championship, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship) This is quite the stretch. The WWWF draws over 40k on two shows, over a couple of days. The first night is Graham's last stand with Bruno in a Cage - then two days later the changing of the guard with Backlund. Meanwhile Patera misses the Spectrum show because he's doing back to back shots - one v. Dusty as the last match (but one of many main events on a loaded show) in Toronto and then directly underneath the Backlund title win. WWWF @ Springfield, MA - February 25, 1978 Peter Maivia & Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera This is not listed as a title shot, but presumably would have been one for Backlund against the guy he'd been working regularly in the build to his title win. WWWF @ Portland, ME - Expo Building - February 28, 1978 Butcher Vachon vs. Frank Williams Larry Zbyszko vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna Little John & Lord Littlebrook vs. Wee Willie Wilson & Hillbilly Pete The Golden Terror vs. Tony Garea Spiros Arion vs. Peter Miavia WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera And this is definitely a title defense. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - March 6, 1978 Butcher Vachon defeated Johnny Rodz Hillbilly Pete & Wee Willie Wilson defeated Little John & Billy the Kid Larry Zbyszko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification Spiros Arion defeated Tony Garea via count-out Dusty Rhodes defeated Superstar Billy Graham via disqualification Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Gorilla Monsoon & SD Jones WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera via count-out His first major building title shot v. Backlund. I would like to see a figure here but it is notable how often they are going to Patera as Backlund's opponent on so many of these early shows. Two days before Patera worked Miavia on a Baltimore show where Graham got a rematch and the High Chief was Patera's other primary opponent during the period. WWWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - March 10, 1978 Stan Stasiak fought Dominic DeNucci to a double count-out at 17:32 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out at 15:37 Spiros Arion pinned Tony Garea at 6:22 Hillbilly Pete & Wee Willie Wilson defeated Billy the Kid & Little John Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski at 14:52 when the bout was stopped after Patera repeatedly rammed Putski's head into the corner, opening a gash above Putski's right eye Superstar Billy Graham fought Dusty Rhodes to a no contest at 13:29 when a number of wrestlers interfered after the referee was knocked down Notable mainly because Patera is still being put over strong as a vicious heel. I also think it is interesting that they ran this without Backlund on a show the first time they hit the market after the title switch. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - March 1978 Stan Stasiak fought Tony Garea to a draw Dominic DeNucci pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna at 11:00 Hillbilly Pete & Wee Willie Wilson defeated Billy the Kid & Little John in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Ken Patera pinned Larry Zbyszko at 13:10 Spiros Arion defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 12:00 Patera has dropped down the card some and is occasionally wrestling Larry Z, Garea and even S.D. Jones but still is clearly positioned as a top level heel. WWWF @ Spotswood - March 18, 1978 Johnny Rodz defeated Ted Adams Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Frankie Williams SD Jones defeated Gypsy Rodriguez Wilhelm Ruska fought Seiji Sakaguchi to a draw Spiros Arion fought Peter Maivia to a double disqualification Ken Patera defeated Mil Mascaras via count-out This is a neat result as you have Mascaras coming in for a house show and Patera headlines with him. Sakaguchi and Arion working underneath adds to the novelty of it. WWWF @ New Haven, CT - March 19, 1978 Seiji Sakaguchi fought Wilhelm Ruska to a draw Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Dennis Johnson Johnny Rodz defeated Frankie Williams Gypsy Rodriguez defeated Steve King Spiros Arion defeated Larry Zbyszko SD Jones defeated Mr. Fuji via disqualification Mil Mascaras defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera via count-out Another title shot for Patera. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - March 20, 1978 WWWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Gypsy Rodriguez Seigi Sakaguchi defeated Wilheim Ruska via disqualification in a judo match Dick Slater pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna Steve Keirn & Mike Graham defeated Butcher Vachon & Golden Terror via disqualification Peter Miavia pinned Stan Stasiak Spiros Arion defeated Larry Zbyszko Dusty Rhodes, Mil Mascaras, & Andre the Giant defeated Mr. Fuji, Prof. Toru Tanaka, & Ken Patera in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Superstar Billy Graham defeated WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund at 18:31 when the match was stopped due to cuts over the champion's left eye I'm guessing this was a sellout. The main event probably could have pulled that figure on it's own, but the accompanying six-man is really pretty incredible as you have the hated heel tag team with the most hated heel in the company against an All-Star team of faces. Seriously that babyface team is like an Apter Mag wet dream. WWWF @ Stamford, CT - High School Gym - March 23, 1978 Baron Mikel Scicluna fought SD Jones to a draw Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Zbyszko defeated the Golden Terror Seiji Sakaguchi fought Wilhelm Ruska to a draw Peter Maivia defeated Butcher Vachon Spiros Arion defeated Chief Jay Strongbow Andre the Giant defeated Ken Patera Patera headlines a few spot shows with Andre here. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - March 25, 1978 Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Vince McMahon & Dick Graham on commentary: Joe Turco pinned Pete Reeves at 10:17 with a kick to the chest Gypsy Rodriguez pinned Pete Austin with an elbow drop at 10:57 Dominic DeNucci defeated Davey O'Hannon via count-out WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund fought Spiros Arion to a double disqualification at 17:49 after Arion's leg knocked referee Dick Whorle to the floor as Backlund lifted the challenger up for the atomic drop, with the two men then brawling until other wrestlers - including Chief Jay Strongbow, Peter Maivia, Stan Stasiak among them - came out to break up the fight; moments later, Whorle was taken backstage on a stretcher; Backlund and Arion then continued to fight until it was again broken up by the other wrestlers; prior to the match, Arnold Skaaland escorted Backlund to the ring (Backlund's Spectrum debut) (Legends of Wrestling: Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund) Bruno Sammartino fought Ken Patera to a double count-out at 16:24 Peter Maivia & Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Stan Stasiak & Baron Mikel Scicluna All American Wrestling - 12/18/83: Gorilla Monsoon pinned the Golden Terror with a splash Haystacks Calhoun pinned Nikolai Volkoff at 2:39 with a splash This is the first Bruno appearance in a while and it is not coincidental that they bring him in v. Patera. Backlund works Arion and I imagine the thinking was Bruno in PA v. the hated Patera would help pick up any of the slack of the still relatively new champ v. an opponent who was not as "hot" as Patera at the time. WWWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - April 1, 1978 (matinee) Stan Stasiak vs. Peter Maivia Davey O'Hannon vs. SD Jones Mark Tendler vs. Nikolai Volkoff Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Ken Patera Dusty Rhodes vs. Superstar Billy Graham Also included a tag team match featuring Andre the Giant Strange Capital Centre show with no-Backlund match. 4/2/78 Roanoke, VA 2 Hour Time Limit Wahoo McDaniel & Paul Jones beat NWA Tag Team Champions Ric Flair & Greg Valentine COR NWA TV Champion Johnny Weaver beat Baron Von Raschke via pin Dick Murdoch beat Jerry Blackwell Ken Patera beat Swede Hanson Jim Nelson beat Danny Miller Steve Muslin drew Jim Garvin As far as I can tell this is Patera's first date with MACW during his third stint there. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Arena - April 4, 1978 Championship Wrestling taping: Dusty Rhodes vs. Ken Patera The Yukon Lumberjacks (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Peter Maivia & SD Jones at 5:53 when Pierre pinned Jones following a double backbreaker behind the referee's back 4/8/78: 4/15/78: 4/22/78 Dusty v. Patera on a free tv show. I've never seen this, but would like to. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - April 8, 1978 Nikolai Volkoff defeated Joe Turco Dino Bravo defeated Johnny Rodz Peter Maivia defeated Strong Kobayashi Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon via count-out WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Superstar Billy Graham via disqualification Spiros Arion defeated SD Jones Peter Maivia & Larry Zbyszko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna & Stan Stasiak Hardly a weak match for Patera and it's the de facto semi-main on the show, but it still feels like they are starting to lose a bit of direction with him just skimming the results. 4/9/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Card) Mid Atlantic Champion Wahoo McDaniel vs Greg Valentine Paul Jones vs Ken Patera Texas Death Match Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat, Ciclon Negro & Baron Von Raschke vs Swede Hanson & Danny Miller Asheville was a pretty big venue for them IIRC. That's also a strong card. Also on this date (according to Mid-Atlantic Gateway) Patera won the Mid-Atlantic Title at a night show in Charlotte from Wahoo. Can't find the whole card listing right this second but here is the relevant info From http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/almanac/...ory/1978_04.htm It also only took two days into the month of April to produce a major title change. In the Greensboro Coliseum on April 2, 1978, Chief Wahoo McDaniel finally took the measure of Greg Valentine to again capture the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship. After many months of battling Valentine, Wahoo was unable to savor his title victory very long. After only a week, Wahoo was defeated by his former friend, Ken Patera. On April 9, 1978, Patera subdued McDaniel in the Charlotte Coliseum to win his first title belt while in Jim Crockett Promotions. "During the remainder of the month of April, Patera had several successful Mid-Atlantic Title defenses against Wahoo and Paul Jones. At the end of the month, Patera squared off against the “Eighth Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant, in a battle of two of the strongest men in wrestling. On that April 30, 1978 card at the Charlotte Coliseum, Patera was disqualified for throwing Andre over the top rope…a feat in and of itself! In another title change early in the month, Baron Von Raschke regained his NWA Television Title from his nemesis, Johnny Weaver. On April 3, 1978 in the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, Raschke prevailed after hitting Weaver with a chair, and afterwards finished off Johnny by applying his famous claw hold. The match in Greenville was billed as a No Disqualification, sixty minute title match where Weaver could only win with his sleeper hold, and the Baron could only win via his claw hold. The Baron would successfully defend his NWA TV Title a number of times during the month of April, most frequently against Weaver. On the same blockbuster April 9, 1978 Charlotte card where Ken Patera ended Wahoo McDaniel’s short Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title reign, the biggest title change of 1978 to date also occurred. Mr. Wrestling risked his United States Heavyweight Championship against the hair of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. After a thrilling encounter, Ric pinned Mr. Wrestling to capture the U.S. Tile, and almost as importantly to him, preserved his full head of blond hair! After defeating Mr. Wrestling, Flair had several rugged battles with “Sensational” Dick Murdock in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 11, 1978 and Charlottesville, Virginia on April 15, 1978." 78/04/10 Andre the Giant WCOR Ken Patera Chief Peter Maivia/Billy Robinson WDQ Angelo Mosca/Super Destroyer Verne Gagne WP Zimba Khan The Crusher WP Gary McLaughlin Gorilla Monsoon WP Tarzan Tyler Dewey Robertson W Kim Chang Lord Alfred Hayes W Steve Bolus Dominic Denucci W Terry Yorkston Chris Tolos D The Wildman Fuck why not add another big match from another territory to this crazy run. He wins a major title off Wahoo one day and the next main events in Toronto against Andre. WWWF @ Albany, NY - Armory - April 14, 1978 Gene Crispo fought Mike Moraldo to a draw Steve King defeated Dixie Pinero after 9 minutes Luke Graham defeated Peter Maivia after 13 minutes Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated Johnny Rodz & Jose Estrada in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Ken Patera after 21 minutes WWWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - April 14, 1978 SD Jones fought Johnny DeFazio to a draw at 11:05 when the match was stopped due to an accidental low blow to DeFazio; Jones refused the victory Billy Red Lyons pinned Frank Holtz at 9:25 Dewey Robertson pinned the Red Demon with a suplex at 7:17 WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated Stan Stasiak & Baron Mikel Scicluna in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-1; fall #1 - Stasiak pinned DeNucci with the heart punch at 13:47; fall #2 - DeNucci defeated Stasiak via submission with an abdominal stretch at 4:10; fall #3 - Bravo pinned Scicluna at 7:35 Andre the Giant defeated Ken Patera via count-out at 10:40 when Patera left ringside after sustaining a boot to the face Dusty Rhodes defeated Superstar Billy Graham via disqualification at 16:55 after Graham took guest referee Haystacks Calhoun's horseshoe and chain and used it to bloody Rhodes If the date on this is right this is pretty incredible for Patera as he got a lengthy title match v. Backlund and a big match v. Andre on the same day. I find it strange that Backlund and Pitt don't seem to mix. WWWF @ Johnstown, PA - War Memorial - April 15, 1978 Dino Bravo pinned Billy Red Lyons at 11:33 Dewey Robertson fought SD Jones; Robertson wrestled the match as a heel Dusty Rhodes defeated Ken Patera via disqualification at 14:22 after dropping Rhodes crotch-first across the top rope Superstar Billy Graham defeated Dominic DeNucci via count-out at 14:22 Andre the Giant defeated Stan Stasiak & Baron Mikel Scicluna in a handicap match at 10:06 by pinning Scicluna And then a day later v. Dusty. 4/16/78 Winston-Salem, NC @ Memorial Coliseum Mid Atlantic Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat vs Ken Patera & Greg Valentine Mr Wrestling Tim Woods vs Ciclon Negro Scott Irwin vs Ted Oates Bill White vs Don Kernodle Charlie Fulton vs Jim Garvin Jan Nelson vs Roberto Soto He's just in, he's got a key singles title and he's challenging for the tag belts in main events. His big time heel run continues. 4/21/78 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Blackjack Mulligan beat Masked Superstar dq Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Paul Jones NWA TV Champion Baron Von Raschke beat Johnny Weaver Mr Sato beat Frank Monte Swede Hanson beat Bill Howard Jay Youngblood beat Scott Irwin Richard Blood & Ted Oates beat Mr X I & Mr X II This may have been the first Patera title defense though I"m not positive of it. Is that a different Richard Blood teaming with Oates? Patera's schedule is really insane during this period, but when you're in demand, you're in demand. WWWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - April 22, 1978 Sylvano Sousa vs. John Tzinas Pete Austin vs. Davey O'Hannon SD Jones vs. Mark Tendler Jose Estrada vs. Frankie Williams Peter Maivia vs. Luke Graham Haystacks Calhoun & Larry Zbyszko defeated Stan Stasiak & Johnny Rodz in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-1 Mil Mascaras defeated Ken Patera 4/23/78 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum Tournament for NWA Tag Team Title First Round Wahoo McDaniel & Andre The Giant beat Ric Flair & Greg Valentine forfeit Ken Patera & Masked Superstar beat Tony Atlas & Bobo Brazil Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco Stan Hansen & Blackjack Mulligan beat Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Johnny Weaver Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Ciclon Negro & Baron Von Raschke Second Round Ken Patera & Masked Superstar drew Wahoo McDaniel & Andre The Giant but advanced due to winning a coin flip Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson Stan Hansen & Blackjack Mulligan bye Semi Finals Ken Patera & Masked Superstar beat Blackjack Mulligan & Stan Hansen dq Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat bye Finals Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Ken Patera & Masked Superstar for NWA tag team title att: 9,732 WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - April 24, 1978 Mil Mascaras defeated the Golden Terror Peter Maivia defeated Butcher Vachon WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated Stan Stasiak & Johnny Rodz Spiros Arion fought Dusty Rhodes to a draw Strong Kobayashi defeated Steve King Ken Patera defeated Larry Zbyszko WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Superstar Billy Graham in a steel cage match by escaping the cage after the challenger's foot became entagled in the cage Once again Patera misses a Spectrum show to headline in Springfield this time against Mascaras. The semi-main v. Larry Z probably didn't mean much at the Garden. Really crazy as he is just running through the whole babyface roster in a span of about ten days, rather than working any major or even minor programs. Oh. And in between he's in Crockett working four matches on a single show before losing in the finals of an NWA tag title tournament. Holy shit what a run. WWWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - April 26, 1978 All Star Wrestling taping: 4/29/78: Ken Patera defeated Frankie Williams via submission with the full nelson; Williams was injured as a result of the move George Steele defeated Steve King via submission with the flying hammerlock at 3:35 5/6/78: Mil Mascaras vs. the Golden Terror More mean man Patera. This is effectively Patera's last date on the WWWF circuit during his first stint. 4/30/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat vs Baron Von Raschke & Greg Valentine Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Wahoo McDaniel Mr Wrestling Tim Woods vs Ciclon Negro Gene Anderson vs Jerry Stubbs Mr X II vs Jay Youngblood Double main event on another afternoon show. Makes me wonder if they ran a night show somewhere I'm missing a result for. 5/2/78 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Paul Jones Masked Superstar beat Ricky Steamboat dq Johnny Weaver & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Richard Blood beat Jan Nelson & Scott Irwin & Jerry Blackwell Roberto Soto beat Charlie Fulton Mr Sato beat Steve Muslin Patera v. Jones was now a touring feud always in the A or B slot on the shows. 5/13/78 Winston-Salem, NC @ Memorial Coliseum $10,000 bounty match Greg Valentine vs Blackjack Mulligan Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Paul Jones Jerry Blackwell & Jan Nelson vs Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood Charlie Fulton vs Don Kernodle Steve Muslin vs Mr Sato Joe Furr vs Bryan St John This is a pretty interesting show to me with Blackwell in an interesting tag, Valentine and Blackjack up top (Greg may be someone else I do a results rundown on eventually), Kernodle on the under card and of course Patera v. Jones. 5/14/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair & Greg Valentine Non Title Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Dick Murdoch Mr Wrestling Tim Woods vs Jerry Blackwell Jay Youngblood vs Bill White Don Kernodle vs Frank Monte I imagine that Murdoch v. Patera would have been awesome at that point. 5/16/78 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Ken Patera & Baron Von Raschke Tony Atlas beat Gene Anderson Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Jan Nelson Jacques Goulet beat Jerry Stubbs Mr Saito beat Frank Monte Tag titles were the default headliner on a lot of these shows. Baron and Patera strike me as an odd team. WWWF @ New London - Ocean Beach Auditorium - May 20, 1978 Jose Gonzalez vs. Frank Williams Don Serano vs. Johnny Rivera Baron Mikel Scicluna & Frank Rodriguez vs. Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko Joe Esposito vs. Frank Monroe Ivan Putski vs. Ken Patera WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - May 22, 1978 The Yukon Lumberjacks defeated Larry Zbyszko & Haystacks Calhoun in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match SD Jones pinned Strong Kobayashi Luke Graham pinned Tank Patton WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci defeated Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0 Mil Mascaras pinned Stan Stasiak Spiros Arion pinned Peter Miavia Superstar Billy Graham fought Gorilla Monsoon to a double count-out WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Ken Patera He comes back v. Putski and immediately gets a title shot v. Backlund at MSG for the first time. I've never seen the match and don't know if it exists on tape. Would be interested to track it down and wonder what sort of business it did. This is Patera's fourth MSG title match in a little less than a year and a half. 5/28/78 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Ric Flair & Greg Valentine Dick Murdoch beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Tony Atlas & Rufus R Jones ddq Baron Von Raschke & Ciclon Negro Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Gene Anderson Jacques Goulet beat Roberto Soto Mr X I beat Mr Sato Jerry Stubbs drew Skandor Akbar 15:00 att: 4,000 5/30/78 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Wahoo McDaniel Paul Jones beat NWA TV Champion Baron Von Raschke but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Raschke retained his TV Title. Gene Anderson & Jacques Goulet beat Richard Blood & Jay Youngblood Jerry Stubbs beat Bill White Don Kernodle beat Jerry Blackwell dq Back in Carolina with a vengeance, though that Greensboro figure does not sound good at all. Still would have killed to see either one of those matches. 6/1/78 Anderson, SC @ Recreation Center NWA Tag Team Champions Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat Ciclon Negro & Ken Patera Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Skandor Akbar Ted Oates beat Frank Monte Roberto Soto beat Steve Muslin Danny Miller beat George Two Ton Harris (sub Bill Howard) 6/4/78 Savannah, GA @ Civic Center US Champion Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Paul Jones Jay Youngblood & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods vs Ciclon Negro & Masked Superstar Bill White vs Joe Furr Johnny Weaver vs Gene Anderson This is sort of the staple at this point. Patera is either teaming with a random heel partner for the tag belts on top v. Jones and Steamboat or working second from the top with the MACW title. MACW had a lot of talent at this point (Weaver and Anderson opening the show - even in 78 - sort of attest to this) so it's hard to call him *THE* top guys. But he was A top guy in a pretty stacked territory. 6/10/78 Spartanburg, SC @ Memorial Auditorium Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Wahoo McDaniel Paul Jones beat Ciclon Negro Jerry Blackwell & Skandor Akbar beat Swede Hanson & Roberto Soto Joe Furr beat George Two Ton Harris Bryan St John beat Charlie Fulton 6/18/78 Savannah, GA @ Civic Center Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Ricky Steamboat dq Paul Jones beat Baron Von Raschke Ted Oates & Swede Hanson beat Gene Anderson & Jerry Blackwell Don Kernodle beat Frank Monte Bill Howard drew Mr Sato Wahoo gets a rematch. Steamboat gets a shot against Patera in what was probably a very good match. Toronto, Ontario - Maple Leaf Gardens - June 25, 1978 Jim Brunzell defeated Chris Tolos via count-out Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Kim Chang via submission with the Cobra Clutch Super Destroyer & Lord Alfred Hayes defeated Billy Red Lyons & Dewey Robertson Andre the Giant & Gorilla Monsoon fought Rey Stevens & Pat Patterson to a double disqualification AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel defeated Rufus R. Jones at 21:03 WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Ken Patera at 19:58 Patera imported from MACW to Maple Leaf for a challenge against Backlund. Bock's imported challenger is comical by comparison. This really shows how much stock promoters put in Patera as a heel at this point. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - June 26, 1978 Stan Stasiak defeated SD Jones Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Jack Brisco defeated Butcher Vachon Mil Mascaras defeated Ken Patera George Steele defeated Tony Garea Andre the Giant & Ivan Putski defeated Luke & Superstar Billy Graham The Yukon Lumberjacks defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo & Dominic DeNucci to win the titles when Pierre pinned DeNucci following a double chop behind the referee's back (Tag Team Champions) WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Spiros Arion He's stays up North for a special attraction match v. Mil on the undercard at the Garden. 7/2/78 Savannah, GA @ Civic Center Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Andre The Giant NWA Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Baron Von Raschke vs Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat Gene Anderson vs Roberto Soto Scandor Akbar vs Abe Jacobs Steve Muslin vs Bryan St John 7/4/78 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Andre The Giant beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq NWA Tag Team Champions Baron Von Raschke & Greg Valentine drew Ricky Steamboat & Paul Jones Johnny Weaver dcor Gene Anderson Swede Hanson beat Bill Howard Bryan St John beat Bill White 7/8/78 Hampton, VA @ Hampton Roads Coliseum Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat beat NWA Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Baron Von Raschke dq Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Tony Atlas Richard Blood & Jay Youngblood beat Jerry Blackwell & Jacques Goulet Bryan St John beat George Two Ton Harris Don Kernodle beat Frank Monte Patera's big list of opponents continues and remains a who's who of sorts for 78. I imagine the Andre matches were sellouts - it just defies logic to believe they weren't given how big an impact Andre had on shows at the time. Atlas match was probably another way to get another big babyface in the mix with Patera. 7/9/78 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) Blackjack Mulligan & Tony Atlas beat Ric Flair & Ken Patera NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Baron Von Raschke Ciclon Negro & Jacques Goulet beat Roberto Soto & Jay Youngblood Richard Blood beat Jerry Blackwell dq Frank Monte beat Mr Sato The trainees up against a team on paper that is pretty fucking comical. 7/16/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) $10,000 Bounty Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Blackjack Mulligan Lumberjack Match NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Masked Superstar Greg Valentine vs Dick Murdoch Jay Youngblood & Tony Atlas vs Gene Anderson & Jerry Blackwell Plus two singles matches 7/16/78 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum US Champion Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat Texas Death Match Blackjack Mulligan beat Masked Superstar Ken Patera beat Paul Jones Johnny Weaver & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Jacques Goulet & Ciclon Negro Skandor Akbar beat Klondike Bill Jerry Stubbs beat Mr Sato Richard Blood beat Bill White Swede Hanson beat Charlie Fulton I think this really illustrates Patera's strength in the company. Yes he's third from the top in Greensboro, but it's on a very strong show and still in a featured match. He headlines in Asheville (which again was one of their better towns) on a card that is actually about as stacked as the Greensboro night show was. 7/24/78 Fayetteville, NC @ Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium Texas Death Match Dick Murdoch beat Baron Von Raschke Title vs Title Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones but the win came after the 15 minute mark so Jones retained his TV Title Richard Blood & Johnny Weaver beat Skandor Akbar & Jerry Blackwell Swede Hanson beat Charlie Fulton Joe Furr drew David Patterson Neat title v. title match with Jones with Patera going over albeit with the post-fifteen minute qualifier that is rough equivalent of a screwjob finish. 7/28/78 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Texas Death Match Blackjack Mulligan beat Masked Superstar COR Tony Atlas beat Ken Patera by default NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Baron Von Raschke Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Johnny Weaver beat Jerry Blackwell & Scandor Akbar Women’s Champion Fabulous Moolah beat Kitty Adams Mr X II beat Don Kernodle 7/30/78 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum US Champion Ric Flair ddq Blackjack Mulligan Tony Atlas beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Greg Valentine Gene Anderson & Jacques Goulet beat Ted Oates & Jerry Oates Mr X I beat Jerry Stubbs Skandor Akbar beat Roberto Soto Abe Jacobs beat Steve Muslin Patera v. Atlas has become a go to semi-main on A-shows and main on some of the B-shows. Interesting to me to see how many of the main events in this territory were headlined by some sort of gimmick match. 8/2/78 Rocky Mount, NC @ Municipal Stadium Ricky Steamboat beat US Champion Ric Flair on a reverse decision dq NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Baron Von Raschke Tony Atlas beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera Richard Blood & Roberto Soto beat Jacques Goulet & Mr X II Charlie Fulton drew Bryan St John Att: 3,500 This was probably an excellent paid figure for Rocky Mount which is not a big city even now and is mostly notable as being the last spot on 95 North if you are heading out of NC. 8/12/78 Hampton, VA @ Hampton Roads Coliseum NWA Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Baron Von Raschke beat Paul Jones & Ricky Steamboat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Tony Atlas Johnny Weaver beat Skandor Akbar dq Roberto Soto beat Mr X II Swede Hanson beat Bill White Abe Jacobs beat Joe Turco Arm Wrestling Ken Patera no contest Tony Atlas 8/13/78 Greensboro. NC @ Coliseum US Champion Ric Flair beat Blackjack Mulligan Tony Atlas beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Ciclon Negro Ted Oates & Jerry Oates beat Jacques Goulet & Gene Anderson Skip Young beat Mr. X II Abe Jacobs beat Bill White Doug Gilbert drew Don Kernodle (sub Jerry Stubbs) att: 6,005 They are pushing the shit out of this Atlas feud around the horn. Both of these were two of the larger A-venues in the territory. Would like to see more figures from Hampton Roads. Greensboro figure really isn't anything special, but is signficantly up (1/3) from the last figure I saw. 8/20/78 Wilmington, NC @ Legion Stadium Steel Cage Match Blackjack Mulligan vs Masked Superstar US Champion Ric Flair vs Paul Jones Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Mr Wrestling Tim Woods These were probably just the only three matches advertised if I had to guess. Pretty strong lineup. 8/27/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) $10,000 Bounty Match Blackjack Mulligan vs Baron Von Raschke Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Ricky Steamboat NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Greg Valentine Ciclon Negro & Jerry Blackwell vs Johnny Weaver & Jay Youngblood Mr Wrestling Tim Woods vs Mr X I Jerry Stubbs vs Mr X II 8/29/78 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Paul Jones beat US Champion Ric Flair dq Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Tony Atlas Skip Young & Jay Youngblood beat Gene Anderson & Ciclon Negro Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Mr X II Swede Hanson drew Charlie Fulton Roberto Soto beat David Patterson Still holding down the fort as Mid-Atlantic champ and as an A-level player. 9/4/78 Fayetteville, NC @ Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium Title vs Title NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Tony Atlas beat Masked Superstar Ted Oates & Jerry Oates beat Steve Muslin & Jacques Goulet Charlie Fulton beat Ed Fury Another title v. title match with Jones, this one headlining. 9/17/78 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center Tony Atlas beat Ken Patera to win Mid Atlantic Title Blackjack Mulligan & Paul Jones beat NWA Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Baron Von Raschke dq Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Ciclon Negro Ted Oates & Jerry Oates vs Rudy Kay & Scandor Akbar David Patterson beat Joe Furr After chasing him for the longest time and tv that heavily put over the feud, Atlas finally beats Patera for the MACW title headlining a decent sized venue in the process. The month of October is a total dead end in terms of finding detailed results, but I did find this thanks to the excellent Mid-Atlantic Gateway website: http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/almanac/...ory/1978_10.htm "The Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was contested almost exclusively between bitter rivals Tony Atlas and Ken Patera during the month of October. And the month was cut exactly in half, with Atlas defending the Mid-Atlantic Championship for the first half of the month, and Patera defending the Title during the second half of the month. The Title changed on October 15, 1978 in the Roanoke Civic Center, when Patera used sneaky tactics to take the belt away from Roanoke’s favorite son, Tony Atlas. Tony won the Title exactly four weeks before, in the same Roanoke Civic Center. A gloating Patera would mention on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV more than once that Atlas “was the shortest lived Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion in history!” Prior to losing the Mid-Atlantic Title, Atlas successfully defended his belt against Patera in October five times, including a particularly dominating performance at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina on October 10th. Patera returned the favor, successfully defending his Title five times against Atlas after winning the Title back. The most heated of Patera’s defenses was a rematch against Atlas in Roanoke on October 29th. In that wild bout, a berserk Atlas actually got disqualified, giving Patera a hard-fought win." So the gist of it is that Atlas v. Patera carried on and in a featured program with Patera reclaiming the belt. 10/21/78 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum NWA Champion Harley Race beat Ricky Steamboat Lights Out Match Blackjack Mulligan beat US Champion Ric Flair Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Tony Atlas Jay Youngblood & Skip Young beat Swede Hanson & Chris Tolos Mr. X I beat Bryan St. John Steve Muslin beat Ed Fury Don Kernodle drew Rudy Kay att:7,500 This is a good figure for Greensboro that year. Toronto, Ontario - Maple Leaf Gardens - October 22, 1978 Abe Jacobs fought Jeff Poltz to a 20-minute draw Tony Atlas & Jay Youngblood defeated Gene & Ole Anderson at 22:11 Dino Bravo defeated Ken Patera at 15:50 NWA U.S. Champion Ric Flair defeated Ricky Steamboat via disqualification WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned Ivan Koloff at 15:46 with a bodypress Patera with another shot for Tunney, this time in a strong man showdown with Bravo. 11/4/78 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum Ricky Steamboat beat US Champion Ric Flair COR Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera beat Paul Jones John Studd beat Johnny Weaver Paul Orndorff & Jimmy Snuka beat Gene Anderson & Jacques Goulet Skip Young beat Mr X I Rudy Kay & Swede Hanson beat Gary Young & Herb Gallant Frank Monte beat Bryan St John A rare non-Atlas title defense for Patera. JCP @ Greensboro, NC - Coliseum - November 5, 1978 (3,847) Don Kernodle defeated Charlie Fulton Bryan St. John defeated Joe Furr Abe Jacobs defeated Mr. X #2 Skip Young defeated Chris Tolos Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff defeated Sgt. Jacques Goulet & Rudy Kay WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Ken Patera via disqualification in a non-title match Ricky Steamboat & Paul Jones defeated Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champions - NWA US Champion Ric Flair & Big John Studd to win the titles when Steamboat pinned Flair with a suplex Backlund v. Patera on a JCP - that does a really shit attendance figure in their big building. What the hell happened here?? Toronto, Ontario - Maple Leaf Gardens - November 19, 1978 (9000) Dewey Robertson defeated Kim Chang at 4:16 Steve Bolos pinned Joe Marcus at 10:47 Johnny Weaver defeated Steve Muslim at 10:28 via submission with a sleeper Jay Youngblood defeated Geoff Portz at 10:37 WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund & Dino Bravo defeated Ray Stevens & Pat Patterson via disqualification Tony Atlas defeated Ken Patera at 24:44 NWA U.S. Champion Ric Flair pinned Ricky Steamboat at 37:24 even though Steamboat's foot was on the rope during the cover Another loaded show up top for Maple Leaf. Patera v. Atlas would have meant something during this period. Cool to see Flair v. Steamboat headlining that far back. 11/26/78 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) Lumberjack Match Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Tony Atlas NWA TV Champion Paul Jones vs Greg Valentine Andre The Giant vs John Studd Jay Youngblood & Richard Blood vs Rudy Kay & Jacques Goulet Don Kernodle vs Steve Muslin Joe Furr vs David Patterson They ran Charlotte and Roanoke which was two of their bigger venues that day. Greg, Andre and Studd worked both shows. Patera v. Atlas has been going on forever at this point, but was still evidently hot enough to trust to top the cards. 11/28/78 Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera ddq Andre The Giant Paul Orndorff beat Gene Anderson Johnny Weaver & Skip Young beat Brute Bernard & Rudy Kay Mr X I beat Abe Jacobs Herb Gallant beat Frank Monte Yet another Patera v. Andre match. 12/7/78 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall US Champion Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera ddq Jimmy Snuka John Studd beat Blackjack Mulligan Paul Orndorff beat Brute Bernard Richard Blood & Jay Youngblood & Skip Young beat Rudy Kay & Steve Muslin & Chris Tolos Herb Gallant & Abe Jacobs beat Mr X I & Mr X II Steve Regal beat Frank Monte 12/8/78 Charleston, SC @ County Hall Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Ricky Steamboat Jay Youngblood vs Brute Bernard Richard Blood & Herb Gallant vs Steve Muslin & Jacques Goulet Gary Young vs Charlie Fulton Joe Furr vs Frank Monte Man that Charleston show is insanely weak. Any figure that did would have been entirely on the back of the Patera v. Steamboat match. Patera v. Snuka running second from the top over Studd v. Mulligan on a triple main even show at Roanoke probably drew well. 12/10/78 Roanoke, VA @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) NWA Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Baron Von Raschke beat Blackjack Mulligan & Paul Jones dq 10 Rounds of Boxing Tony Atlas beat Ken Patera Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff beat Brute Bernard & Chris Tolos Don Kernodle beat Frank Monte Gary Young beat David Patterson Note: Jones turned on Mulligan in the main event. They are now working a boxing gimmick off of this feud. Talk about milking things for all they are worth. 12/25/78 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum Cage Match US Champion Ric Flair beat Blackjack Mulligan NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Ricky Steamboat Johnny Weaver beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera dq Jay Youngblood & Skip Young beat Brute Bernard & Jacques Goulet Mr X I beat Gary Young Don Kernodle beat David Patterson Frank Monte beat Joe Furr Klondike Bill beat Charlie Fulton Att: 11,303 Christmas day in Charlotte does really big business off of a stacked show. Interesting to see Weaver get the shot here against Patera. 12/27/78 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena Cage Match US Champion Ric Flair beat Blackjack Mulligan NWA TV Champion Paul Jones beat Ricky Steamboat Jimmy Snuka beat Ken Patera Skip Young & Jay Youngblood beat Jacques Goulet & Gene Anderson Steve Regal beat Mr X I Gary Young beat Joe Palardy Att: 5,500 This is alleged to have been one of the biggest crowds ever in Raleigh up to that point. The Atlas feud looks like it has finally closed out in December and they are running Patera against a variety of guys. 12/31/78 Asheville, NC @ Civic Center (Afternoon Show) US Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair Mid Atlantic Champion Ken Patera vs Paul Orndorff Greg Valentine vs Jay Youngblood Skip Young & Johnny Weaver vs Brute Bernard & Mr X I David Patterson vs Steve Regal Joe Palardy vs Don Kernodle Will Orndorff become the new Atlas going forward? This is another really strong year for Patera. His run in the WWWF was impressive as he was working Dusty, Backlund, Bruno, Andre more often than not. In fact the Dusty match got farmed out to the Super Bowl show in Florida and to a huge show in Toronto. Backlund and Andre matches also made their way to Toronto and MACW as well. He ended up working Backlund almost non-stop leading to Backlund's title win and then got several key early title challenges, including one in the Garden after he had technically already left the circuit. In Mid-Atlantic he almost immediately won the Mid-Atlantic title which he held for almost the entire rest of the year. He had an early feud with Paul Jones who was one of the top faces, before transferring over to a feud with Tony Atlas that seemed to be driven into the ground but was a consistent main event on b-show's and semi-main on a-shows. You could argue that he wasn't the top heel in either the WWWF or MACW, though I think during his stint in the WWWF he has a pretty strong case for being the A-heel and Mid-Atlantic was so loaded they rotated guys in and out up top pretty regularly. Either way he was clearly one of the top tier heels in the business in 78.

The crazy asshole stuff only goes so far. As I said it's part of his appeal but if he was a boring/dogshit fighter I wouldn't give a fuck about it. I've never seen a boring Diaz fight. He's clearly not the best fighter in the World and St. Pierre should be able to handle him (fairly easily I would guess). But he is a guy who can go on the ground or in stand up so he never really has a fight that leaves you thinking "fuck that wasn't entertaining at all."

I don't give a fuck - I love Nick Diaz. He's been my favorite MMA fighter since the first time I saw him fight. He's obviously nutty as shit but I'd be a liar if I didn't say that was part of the appeal

I'm well aware that Apter wasn't the only person taking photos. He's said so himself and credited others with some of the best pics ever in the mags many times.

Glad to see Will joining in on the fun. Buddy Match Review Two! (or Three! if you count Will's) Buddy Rose/Doug Somers v. Leon White/Jesse Hernandez - AWA I don't know the date on this offhand, but it's from the Showboat AWA tapings in 86. The concept of Young Vader teaming with life long jobber v. "past his prime" Buddy Rose ("Rose was past his prime during his AWA run" is a myth that will explode with the AWA Set) and life long jobber is appealing on paper but that doesn't really explain what this match is about. This match is about two wise old vets working a green - but dangerous as fuck - big man and some random guy he got paired with. This match is about how "old age" and treachery always overcome youth and skill. Pre-match Rose taunts White by miming that he is going to bodyslam him. Rose refuses to start v. White so Hernandez comes in and Rose stalks over to him and spits at him drawing him into the ring. The ref chases him back out so Buddy walks over and gives him the "kiss my ass" mime. Seriously Buddy is doing some expert mime work here and follows it up with a sweet standing switch exchange only for Hernandez to reverse it and Rose faces the wrong direction and tries to tag in Vader before almost falling on his ass in fear. Cool spot with Hernandez taking over and walking Buddy to the corner where he tags in White. White comes in and Buddy bails out. He and Somers run half way to the back and consider whether or not that they want to even try and bring down "Baby Bull." Rose finally comes back in and they do a shoulder block spot with Rose getting flattened so he Rose and Somers try and double shoulderblock and they both get flattened and bail again where they jaw with a couple of rednecks that look like they walked off the set of Swamp People. Rose and Somers are just awesome putting over the power of White here and we get a unique camera angle of the textbook Buddy bump (sliding backward through the ropes and onto his head) through the ropes as the shot is right on top of it and you actually see the impact on the floor close up. Rose eventually goes for a body slam but Vader reverses with a sick powerslam for a near fall. White foolishly tags Hernandez in and he almost immediately goes FIP. White/Hernandez is the definition of a one man team, but White is all power and no brains and that is really a big theme of the match (and arguably his entire AWA run). Cool finish as Buddy throws a cheap right to Hernandez who is in their corner. Vader comes in to make the save and Rose jabs at his face. There is an audible gasp throughout the audience that really makes this as a moment and White hits the floor chasing Rose around while Hernandez jobs to a suplex from Somers. Post-match White gets his heat back. I'd be pissed if my partner couldn't kick out from a suplex also. This is a strange match since it is an obvious jobber teaming with a babyface monster who is getting a push v. the soon to be tag champs. As a result the dynamic is interesting but limiting. The appeal of the match is that dynamic which makes it one of the more interesting matches of the Rose/Somers run, even if it is nowhere near their best match.

1977 WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - January 17, 1977 Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary: Jose Gonzalez fought Pete Sanchez to a draw Doug Gilbert defeated Don Serrano Greg Gagne defeated Johnny Rodz Tor Kamata & Nikolai Volkoff defeated Dominic DeNucci & Manuel Soto North American Champion Pat Patterson defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna (Patterson's MSG debut) Bobo Brazil defeated Stan Stasiak via disqualification WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf defeated the Executioners Ivan Putski fought Bruiser Brody to a double disqualification at 6:10 Ken Patera defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino via count-out From what I can tell this is Patera's first match of the year in 77 but that seems strange. You have to assume he had some local promos and maybe a tv squash to set up this match as he comes in and immediately headlines against Bruno at the Garden. Bruno was coming off a feud with Brody - Patera was coming off of being a low mid-carder in Mid-Atlantic. Really crazy to think of, but I'm guessing they were familiar with Patera's heel run against Watts and co. and how well it got over. Still would like to hear what the build to this was. WWWF @ Queens, NY - Sunnyside Garden - January 20, 1977 Ted Adams defeated Frank Monroe via disqualification Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Pete Sanchez Pat Patterson defeated Mark Tendler Executioner #2 defeated Jose Gonzalez Executioner #1 defeated Manuel Soto Ken Patera defeated SD Jones Ivan Putski defeated Stan Stasiak This is the second Patera match I have from the WWWF. I learned doing the Blackwell research that some of these WWWF spot shows were really weak on paper. This illustrates that well. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - January 22, 1977 Nikolai Volkoff won a battle royal when, after the match came down to him and Stan Stasiak, Volkoff won a coin toss to win; other participants included: Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen, Doug Gilbert, Pat Patterson, Tor Kamata, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Ken Patera, Larry Zbyzsko, Jose Gonzalez, Tony Altimore, the Executioners, Pete Sanchez, Johnny Rivera, Billy White Wolf, SD Jones, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Johnny Rodz; order of elimination: ? by Patera; Patera by Zbyzsko via a dropkick; Strongbow, White Wolf, and the Executioners eliminated each other; Scicluna by Sanchez, Gonzalez, & Zbyzsko; Zbyzsko eliminated; Kamata eliminated; Sanchez by Stasiak; Gonzalez by Volkoff & Stasiak; due to pre-match stipulations, Volkoff earned a world title match for later in the evening Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Pete Sanchez Executioner #2 defeated Pete Sanchez Executioner #1 (Kowalski) defeated Manuel Soto Tor Kamata defeated Tony Altimore Stan Stasiak defeated Larry Zbyzsko via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Jose Gonzalez Bruiser Brody fought Billy Whitewolf to a draw Doug Gilbert pinned Johnny Rivera with a neckbreaker Baron Mikel Scicluna fought SD Jones to a draw WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Nikolai Volkoff Patera in the middle of a card on a show where they picked the title contender on the fly. WWWF @ Portland, ME - January 25, 1977 Tor Kamata defeated SD Jones The Executioners defeated Manuel Soto & Pete Sanchez Larry Zbyzsko defeated Doug Gilbert Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon Stan Stasiak defeated Chief Jay Strongbow WWWF @ Bangor, ME - January 26, 1977 SD Jones defeated Johnny Rodz Nikolai Volkoff defeated Sylvano Sousa Tor Kamata defeated Pete Austin Ken Patera defeated Jose Gonzalez Executioner #1 defeated Manuel Soto Stan Stasiak defeated Pete Sanchez Billy Whitewolf defeated Executioner #2 Larry Zbyzsko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Doug Gilbert Ken Patera won a battle royal Stasiak is still being booked above Patera in the heel hierarchy on spot shows, thought the battle royal win may suggest the beginning of a shift. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - January 29, 1977 Ken Patera vs. Jose Gonzalez Stan Stasiak vs. Billy White Wolf WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Bobo Brazil vs. the Executioners I'm assuming this is an incomplete result, but still an interesting one. WWWF @ Worcester, MA - Memorial Auditorium - February 3, 1977 Johnny Rodz defeated Johnny Rivera Tor Kamata won a battle royal John Tzinas defeated Pinky Larson Stan Stasiak defeated Mike Santocapito Executioner #1 defeated Jose Gonzalez Ken Patera defeated Pete Austin Tor Kamata defeated Billy Whitewolf Larry Zbyzsko defeated Sylvano Sousa SD Jones defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Executioner #2 Doug Gilbert defeated Pete Doherty Patera buried in the dead middle of an extremely weak and dense b-show. After working Bruno a few weeks earlier at MSG? WTF? WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - February 5, 1977 (8,200) SD Jones defeated Davey O'Hannon Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Manuel Soto to a draw Larry Zbyzsko defeated Doug Gilbert Tor Kamata defeated Johnny Rodz Ken Patera defeated Mike Santocapito Jose Gonzalez defeated Executioner #2 Stan Stasiak defeated Billy Whitewolf via count-out Executioner #1 defeated Gorilla Monsoon via count-out WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Bruiser Brody at 10:33 Patera still in the middle of the show while Bruno finishes up with Bruiser. I assume they were building Patera around the loop, which means maybe he didn't debut on tv before his shot at the Garden v. Bruno? WWWF @ New York, NY - Madison Square Garden - February 7, 1977 Mil Mascaras defeated Doug Gilbert Larry Zbyzsko defeated Executioner #1 WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Tor Kamata Carlos Rocha defeated Frank Monroe Stan Stasiak defeated Manuel Soto Jose Gonzalez defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification Johnny Rodz fought Pete Sanchez to a draw WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino fought Ken Patera to a draw in a Texas Death Match after the referee was knocked out Patera main eventing the Garden again after working mid-level at best on several house shows leading up to this. Two MSG main events is a big notch in his belt, though I still find the way he was eased in a bit odd. That may have been a previous standard I am unaware of to be fair. Patera's first listed tv dates are the tapings on the 8th and 9th of Feb where I think he was really put over as a fierce heel though he worked only squashes. WWWF @ Portland, ME - February 15, 1977 Pete Austin defeated Sylvano Sousa Doug Gilbert defeated Pete Doherty Tony Garea defeated the Gladiator Larry Zbyzsko defeated Executioner #2 Executioner #1 defeated SD Jones Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out Patera with a first - a smaller show main event, now that he has headlined the Garden twice. WWWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - February 19, 1977 Sylvano Sousa defeated Frankie Williams Pete Austin defeated Tony Altimore Larry Zbyzsko defeated Pete Doherty Tony Garea defeated Doug Gilbert Carlos Rocha defeated Johnny Rodz (sub. for Rocky Tomayo) Ivan Putski defeated Tor Kamata Ken Patera, Stan Stasiak, & Nikolai Volkoff defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino, Chief Jay Strongbow, & Billy Whitewolf That main event seems like it would have been a fairly big deal on paper as those three guys were arguably the top heels in the promotion v. the World and tag champs. WWWF @ Pittsfield, MA - Boys Club Gym - February 25, 1977 (1,200) Pete Sanchez fought Don Serrano to a 20-minute time-limit draw Mike Santocapito defeated Johnny Rodz via disqualification at 12:45 when Rodz threw referee Mario Savoldi out of the ring Tony Garea defeated Frank Monroe via submission at 16:05 with an abdominal stretch WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf defeated Ken Patera & Tor Kamata in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: Strongbow pinned Kamata at 14:15; fall #2: Patera & Kamata were disqualified at the 21-second mark when Patera gave a forearm smash to referee Mario Savoldi This is worth noting even though that is not near a sell out at that building (saw a figure of 2k at the same building on an earlier result) because it shows how strong they were putting over Patera as a vicious heel. Wonder if the White Wolf attack is going to pop up in the results as that was the huge thing that "made" him in the territory. WWWF @ New Haven, CT - February 26, 1977 Tor Kamata defeated Mike Santocapito Carlos Rocha defeated Johnny Rodz Ken Patera defeated SD Jones WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Nikolai Volkoff Larry Zbyzsko defeated Doug Gilbert Tony Garea defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Stan Stasiak defeated Jose Gonzalez WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf defeated the Executioners Did New Haven have a curfew issue to? Trying to figure out why Bruno would be working mid show otherwise. WWWF @ Brownsville - February 28, 1977 Larry Zbyzsko fought Tor Kamata to a draw Vicki Williams & Joyce Grable defeated Toni Rose & Donna Christianello Ken Patera & Stan Stasiak defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf via count-out House show main event. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - March 7, 1977 Don Kent fought Jose Gonzalez to a draw Gino Hernandez defeated Johnny Rodz Larry Zbyzsko defeated Doug Gilbert Bobo Brazil defeated Jan Nelson Carlos Rocha defeated Executioner #2 Ivan Putski defeated Executioner #1 Tony Garea defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Dusty Rhodes defeated Rocky Tomayo WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf defeated Stan Stasiak & Tor Kamata WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera when guest referee Gorilla Monsoon stopped the match due to blood loss Yet another Garden main event v. Bruno. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - St. John Arena - March 13, 1977 Johnny DeFazio fought Johnny Rodz to a draw Dominic DeNucci defeated Joe Andrews Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Tor Kamata in a strap match Ken Patera defeated Billy Whitewolf via disqualification Doug Gilbert & Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Jose Gonzalez & Don Seranno Patera/Whitewolf and the strap match were the real main events here, but this is pretty much the definition of a "spot" show. WWWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - March 18, 1977 Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Billy White Wolf to a 20-minute draw Frank Durso pinned Ron Lee Ken Patera defeated SD Jones with the bearhug Dominic DeNucci pinned JoJo Andrews Stan Stasiak defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino via disqualification Jose Gonzalez pinned Joe Abby Larry Zbyzsko & Ivan Putski defeated the Executioners in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; #1 - Executioners disqualified; #2 - Putski pinned Executioner #1 Bruno has moved on to Stasiak on a lot of these shows. Meanwhile Patera is working the likes of SD Jones. WWWF @ North Attleboro, MA - Witschi's Sports Arena - March 18, 1977 Frank Monroe vs. Pete Austin Johnny Rivera vs. Jan Nelson Doug Gilbert vs. Manuel Soto Carlos Rocha vs. Tor Kamata I just wanted to save this as I can't recall ever seeing less interesting or meaningful card than this. Even the PWF shows that used to run here in the 90's would give you an Italian Stallion v. George South main event. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - March 19, 1977 (10,580) SD Jones defeated Pete Doherty Manuel Soto fought Johnny Rivera to a draw Jose Gonzalez defeated Johnny Rodz Ken Patera defeated Billy White Wolf Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Tor Kamata Carlos Rocha defeated Frankie Williams Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated the Executioners WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Stan Stasiak Make no mistake, the crowd is there to see Bruno I'm sure, but Patera's placement is deceptive. That was probably the "first half" of the show main event before intermission if I had to guess. WWWF @ Hamburg, PA - Fieldhouse - March 23, 1977 All Star Wrestling taping: 3/26/77: Superstar Billy Graham defeated Bill Berger 4/2/77: Superstar Billy Graham defeated Pete Austin 4/9/77: Dark match after the taping: Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera Three years before their more famous run. Note that this is the beginning of the Superstar run too. WWWF @ Garfield - March 25, 1977 Don Serano fought Pete Sanchez to a draw Jose Gonzaelz defeated Ted Adams Manuel Soto fought Johnny Rivera to a draw SD Jones defeated Johnny Rodz Billy Whitewolf defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out WWWF @ Glouchester - March 26, 1977 Don Serano defeated Stan Lavdis Pete Sanchez fought Jan Nelson to a draw Johnny Rodz defeated Ted Adams SD Jones defeated Lee Morgan Ken Patera defeated Billy Whitewolf WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - March 28, 1977 Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary Johnny Rodz fought Jan Nelson to a draw Jose Gonzalez fought SD Jones to a draw Carlos Rocha defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Executioner #2 The Hillbilly Kid & the Haiti Kid defeated Little Johnny & Billy the Kid WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Baron Von Raschke via disqualification at 17:35 when the challenger brought a steel chair into the ring, as Sammartino had his leg tied in the ring ropes, and hit him with the weapon; prior to the bout, the challenger was escorted to the ring by Freddie Blassie while Sammartino was escorted down by Arnold Skaaland; after the match, Von Raschke applied the claw on the champion, as he was tied in the ropes, and threw down the referee until Tony Garea, Larry Zbyzsko, and another wrestler came out to pull Von Raschke from the ring as Skaaland checked on the champion (Bruno Sammartino: Wrestling's Living Legend) Tony Garea defeated Doug Gilbert Billy Whitewolf defeated Executioner #1 via disqualification Championship Wrestling - 9/17/77: Dusty Rhodes pinned Tor Kamata with the Bionic elbow drop Ivan Putski & Larry Zbyzsko fought Ken Patera & Stan Stasiak to a draw Patera gets a couple of spot show main events - including one that almost certainly took place less than 400 yards from my old residence - leading into the Garden show. Patera is on last again, but is obviously not the main event. Though Patera/Stasiak teaming against Putski and Larry Z would have been a suitable semi-main for the era. Was this Dusty's debut in the Garden too? WWWF @ Bangor, ME - March 30, 1977 Pete Sanchez defeated Jan Nelson via disqualification Baron Von Raschke defeated Jose Gonzalez Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via disqualification The Haiti Kid & Hillbilly Kid defeated Little Johnny & Billy the Kid Larry Zbyzsko fought Executioner #2 to a draw Tony Garea defeated Johnny Rodz On paper Patera v. Putski looks like the real main event of this show. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - April 2, 1977 (12,804) SD Jones pinned Johnny Rodz at 10:06 Carlos Rocha defeated Doug Gilbert at 6:14 Jan Nelson defeated Frank Monroe at 6:58 Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Jose Gonzalez to a 20-minute draw The Haiti Kid & Hillbilly Pete defeated Billy the Kid & Little John in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Larry Zbyzsko defeated Executioner #1 via disqualification at 4:09 Tony Garea pinned Executioner #2 at 7:15 Ivan Putski pinned Tor Kamata at the 11-second mark Ken Patera & Baron Von Raschke defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #3: Patera & Von Raschke won via disqualification WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino pinned Stan Stasiak at 14:32 Best figure of the year so far at the Spectrum. I don't doubt that Bruno v. Stan would get them in, but Patera and a new heel ally v. the tag champs who he had been at war with for the better part of the year could easily be pointed to as something that would help the gate. WWWF @ New Haven, CT - April 3, 1977 Jan Nelson defeated Sylvano Sousa Carlos Rocha defeated Doug Gilbert SD Jones defeated Tor Kamata via disqualification Baron Von Raschke defeated Johnny Rivera Billy Whitewolf defeated Johnny Rodz Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzkso defeated the Executioners Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out A lot of these spot shows are like this now with Patera v. Putski as the clear main event. 77/04/03 NWA TITLE: Harley Race D Ken Patera (curfew) 34:19 Stan Stasiak/Chief Jay Strongbow WP The Sheik/Crazy Luke Graham 6:38 The Wildman/Chris Tolos D Sweet Daddy Siki/The Beast 15:00 The Crusaders D The Wolfman/Reginald Love 15:00 Michele Barone W Terry Yorkston 11:18 Steve Bolus WP Brian Macnee 5:57 Tony Parisi DCOR Ivan Koloff 8:26 Did he really work a New haven spot show and Toronto the same day? Either way getting a title shot v. Harley is impressive. He's worked a few other MP matches earlier in the year as well. WWWF @ Queens, NY - Sunnyside Gardens - April 16, 1977 (matinee) Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Ken Patera WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - April 16, 1977 SD Jones fought Rocky Tomayo to a draw Carlos Rocha defeated Executioner #2 Executioner #1 defeated Pete Austin The Haiti Kid & Hillbilly Kid defeated Little Johnny & Billy the Kid WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera via disqualification Stan Stasiak defeated Gorilla Monsoon Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Doug Gilbert & Baron Mikel Scicluna WWWF @ Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum - April 18, 1977 Doug Gilbert defeated Jan Nelson Carlos Rocha defeated Rocky Tomayo Baron Mikel Scicluna fought SD Jones to a draw Baron Von Raschke defeated Tony Garea via count-out WWWF Tag Team Champions Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy Whitewolf defeated Tor Kamata & Stan Stasiak Andre the Giant & Larry Zbyzsko defeated the Executioners WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino fought Ken Patera to a double count-out This is really intriguing to me. They had not run Patera v. Bruno anywhere other than the Garden before this. Patera had been working main events v. Putski on a lot of spot shows as well as several tag main events. They finally decide to take Bruno v. Patera to other big arenas. I really wish I had numbers for all of their run. I can't imagine it was doing anything other than rock solid business for them to go back to it. WWWF @ Bangor, ME - April 20, 1977 Don Serano defeated Sylvano Sousa Doug Gilbert defeated Pete Austin SD Jones fought Rocky Tomayo to a draw Andre the Giant, Tony Garea, & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Ken Patera & the Executioners I imagine the Patera/Andre power spot schtick in this would have been entertaining. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - April 25, 1977 Carlos Rocha defeated Rocky Tomayo Larry Zbyzsko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Billy Whitewolf defeated Doug Gilbert Ivan Putski defeated Tor Kamata Gorilla Monsoon defeated Nikolai Volkoff Chief Jay Strongbow fought Stan Stasiak to a draw Ken Patera defeated Tony Garea via count-out Bob Backlund defeated Executioner #2 WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Baron Von Raschke Patera had been working around the loop with Garea at this point. Follows this up with more dates v. Putski. WWWF @ Portland, ME - Exposition Building - May 10, 1977 Frank Monroe vs. Pete Austin Johnny Rodz vs. Ted Adams Doug Gilbert vs. Don Serrano Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. Billy White Wolf Ivan Putski vs. Ken Patera WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Tony Garea; Tony Altimore was the guest referee for the bout Patera's old rival from the AWA and Texas now has the WWWF title. He is still main or semi-main opposite Putski but by no means can be said to be the top heel now if he ever was. WWWF @ Fort Dix, NJ - Sports Arena - May 12, 1977 Gorilla Monsoon & Tony Garea vs. Ken Patera & Nikolai Volkoff (Best 2 out of 3 falls) Also included Baron Mikel Scicluna, Carlos Rocha, SD Jones, Rocky Tomayo, Pete Sanchez, Johnny Rivera, Ted Adams, and Tony Altimore There's a bizarre match. WWWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - May 14, 1977 Jose Gonzalez vs. Sylvano Sousa Ted Adams vs. Jan Nelson Johnny Rivera & Don Serrano vs. Johnny Rodz & Pete Doherty Joyce Grable vs. Terri Shane Tony Garea vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna SD Jones vs. George Steele Chief Jay Strongbow vs. WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham (Best 2 out of 3 falls) Bruno Sammartino vs. Ken Patera Bruno and Ken finally main event in a non-A venue. The next day he worked deep in the undercard v. Jay Strongbow at the Boston Garden. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - May 16, 1977 Carlos Rocha defeated Jan Nelson Ron Mickolajoka defeated Doug Gilbert Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Ivan Putski to a draw Ken Patera fought Chief Jay Strongbow to a draw Billy Whitewolf defeated Rocky Tamoyo Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Stan Stasiak & Nikolai Volkoff Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele when the match was stopped due to blood WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham (w/ the Grand Wizard) pinned Gorilla Monsoon with a knee drop off the top after repeatedly ramming the challenger into the steel barrier on the floor (History of the WWF Heavyweight Championship) Patera's "worst" match at the Garden so far. Working Strongbow is hardly awful in this era WWWF, but he doesn't feel like a main player on this lineup. WWWF @ New London, CT - Ocean Beach Park Auditorium - May 18, 1977 Don Serrano fought Johnny Rivera to a 20-minute time-limit draw Joe Esposito defeated Jan Nelson via submission with a bearhug at 10:21 Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna & Frank Rodriguez in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-1; fall #1: Scicluna & Rodriguez won at 7:03; fall #2: Garea & Zbyszko won at 3:07; fall #3: Garea & Zbyszko won at 7:15 Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 11:45; stipulations stated the winner would earn a WWWF World Title shot Interesting stipulation and result considering their was a heel champion at the time. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Arena - May 24, 1977 Championship Wrestling taping: 5/28/77: Bob Backlund defeated Rocky Tomayo WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Don Serrano Larry Zbyzsko defeated Sylvano Sousa Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Jose Gonzalez & SD Jones Peter Maivia defeated Doug Gilbert Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via disqualification 6/4/77: Nikolai Volkoff defeated Johnny Rivera Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Rocky Tomayo & Johnny Rodz Jose Gonzalez defeated Frank Rodriguez Bob Backlund defeated Buddy Wolfe Stan Stasiak defeated Frank Williams George Steele defeated SD Jones 6/11/77: Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji fought Larry Zbyzsko & Tony Garea to a draw Ivan Putski defeated Rocky Tomayo Buddy Wolfe defeated Pete Austin Peter Maivia defeated Pete McKay Ken Patera (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) defeated Billy White Wolf via submission with the full nelson at 5:52; after the bout, Patera refused to break the hold until several referees and wrestlers came out to pull him away; moments later, White Wolf was taken backstage on a stretcher Patera is put over huge at these tapings, with the White Wolf angle being one of the more memorable tv angles of the period for the WWWF. This single event probably won him the PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the year "award." WWWF @ North Attleboro, MA - May 27, 1977 Jan Nelson vs. Pete Austin Carlos Rocha vs. Jose Rodriguez Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf vs. Frank Monroe & Ken Patera Included 2 other bouts Post-White Wolf injury angle but I don't think that had hit tv yet. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - May 28, 1977 Johnny Rodz vs. Tony Garea Ken Patera vs. Peter Maivia Nikolai Volkoff vs. Chief Jay Strongbow Billy White Wolf vs. Geroge Steele Bruno Sammartino fought WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham to a double disqualification Included 2 other bouts This is actually a fairly loaded show in some respects. Certainly by the standard of the era at least. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - St. John's Arena - May 29, 1977 (2,500) Frank Durso pinned Bobby Shaffer George Steele defeated SD Jones Dominic DeNucci fought Stan Stasiak to a draw Johnny Rodz defeated Joe Abby Baron Mikel Scicluna & JoJo Andrews defeated Johnny DeFazio & Bill Berger Chief Jay Strongbow fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification in a lumberjack match This was a pretty good number for a spot show. WWWF @ Portland, ME - Exposition Building - May 31, 1977 (1,900) SD Jones defeated Jan Nelson at 10:08 Peter Maivia defeated Johnny Rodz Pete Austin defeated Frank Rodriguez Larry Zbyzsko, Tony Garea, & Haystacks Calhoun defeated Doug Gilbert, Baron Mikel Scicluna, & Pete Doherty in a Best 3 out of 5 falls match, 3-0 WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification after hitting each other over the head with a chair Kind of insane that they ran this heel v. heel match. No clue what capacity was in Portland, but there is noting else of note on this card which makes heel v. heel an even crazier proposition. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - June 4, 1977 (13,797) Carlos Rocha defeated Johnny Rodz SD Jones pinned Jan Nelson Tony Garea defeated Gashouse Gilbert George Steele fought Haystacks Calhoun to a no contest when Steele went bezerk before the match, tearing off the turnbuckle padding and thowing it at his opponent Bruno Sammartino fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification when both men began to box one another WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham pinned Chief Jay Strongbow at 10:07 Even bigger figure than the previous Philly show. I know Billy is perceived as a huge draw and I'm not saying he wasn't. But I don't see Billy v. Strongbow as the big draw here. I just don't buy it. I see this number as being a Patera v. Bruno number. 77/06/05 (Exhibition Stadium) Tiger Jeet Singh WDQ The Sheik 5:42(Singh subs for Dusty Rhodes) The Crusaders W Reginald Love/Bulldog Kent Ken Patera W Gorilla Monsoon (Monsoon subs for Andre the Giant) Chief Jay Strongbow WP Pat Kelly Tony Parisi W Bounty Hunter #1 Carlos Rocha WP Bounty Hunter #2 Al Costello D Chris Tolos Michele Barone W Bill Morgan,The Mongol D The Beast Man the crowd must have been pissed getting Singh instead of Dusty and Monsoon instead of Andre. WWWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - June 10, 1977 Ken Patera defeated Dwayne Graci Frank Holtz defeated George Steele via disqualification Tony Garea defeated Jo Jo Andrews Dominic DeNucci won an 18-man battle royal by last eliminating George Steele to earn a title shot in the main event; other participants included: Gorilla Monsoon and Ken Patera Larry Zbyzsko fought Mr. Fuji to a draw Johnny DeFazio defeated Davey O'Hannon Bill Berger fought Bob Bruggers to a draw Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Joe Abbey WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Dominic DeNucci Really odd result. Patera does triple duty as you know good and fucking well he worked the battle royal too. DeNucci in Pitt would have meant something as a challenger but this is really insane an odd looking show top to bottom. WWWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - June 18, 1977 (7,500) Lenny Hurst fought Rocky Tomayo to a draw Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated SD Jones (sub. for Gorilla Monsoon) Tony Garea fought Mr. Fuji to a draw Larry Zbyzsko defeated George Steele via disqualification Donna Christianello & Judy Mansfield defeated Little Heart & Jan Sheridan in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Carlos Rocha in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at 11:06, 2-1; fall #1: Rocha won via a sleeper; fall #2: Graham won; fall #3: Graham won Bruno Sammartino pinned Ken Patera at 16:38 Patera and Bruno is the definite draw on this show. I don't even think it's arguable frankly. WWWF @ Wildwood, NJ - Convention Hall - June 20, 1977 Jose Gonzalez vs. Jan Nelson Don Serrano vs. Mr. Fuji Johnny Rivera vs. Prof. Toru Tanaka Tony Garea vs. Rock Tomayo Larry Zbyszko vs. George Steele Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Ken Patera This had taken the place of Putski v. Patera as a sort of go to main event on spot shows. WWWF @ Harrisburg, PA - Zembo Mosque - June 24, 1977 Johnny Rodz pinned Tony Altimore at 14:38 Baron Mikel Scicluna pinned Frank Rodriguez at 13:36 Peter Maivia pinned Nikolai Volkoff at 14:25 Stan Stasiak pinned SD Jones at 17:10 with the heart punch Gorilla Monsoon (sub. for Chief Jay Strongbow who couldn't make the show due to a death in the family) defeated Ken Patera via disqualification at 11:47 after Patera hit Monsoon with the timekeeper's bell More vicious Patera at work, this time against Monsoon. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - St. John's Arena - June 26, 1977 (4,000+) SD Jones fought Johnny Rodz to a draw Peter Maivia defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Joyce Grable & Little Heart defeated Jan Sheridan & Judy Mansfield Stan Stasiak defeated Dominic DeNucci Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow in a steel cage match This is a massive number for Steubenville I would imagine for a heel that is hated in a rare spot show gimmick match. This was also a blow off from the previous Lumberjack match that also did solid business at the same venue. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - June 27, 1977 (22,090; 4,000 in Felt Forum) Televised on the MSG Network - included Vince McMahon on commentary: Jose Gonzalez pinned Jan Nelson at 9:46 Larry Zbyszko pinned Rocky Tamayo with a small package at 7:31 Tony Garea defeated George Steele via disqualification at 7:28 after using a foreign object; after the bout, Steele continued to attack Garea with the object until Garea was able to fight, attack Steele with the object, and clear him from the ring Andre the Giant & Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Ken Patera in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match at 16:25, 2-0; fall #1: Volkoff & Patera were disqualified at 13:46; fall #2: Andre pinned Volkoff at 2:39 with a splash after Patera walked out on his partner Stan Stasiak pinned Lenny Hurst at 8:21 with the heart punch WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham fought Bruno Sammartino to a double disqualification at 18:39 Ivan Putski fought Baron Von Raschke to a 30-minute time-limit draw Peter Maivia pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna at 2:09 (Miavia's MSG debut) Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Haystacks Calhoun & Dominic DeNucci in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1: Fuji pinned DeNucci at 3:06; fall #2: the bout was stopped due to the curfew; Calhoun was never tagged into the match Fucking massive show for Bruno v. Billy which is a match everyone obviously wanted to see. Patera/Volkoff v. Andre/Strongbow is pretty clearly the "number 2" match on the show, but no one in their right mind is giving Patea credit for this gate. WWWF @ Pittsfield, MA - Boys Club Gym - July 1, 1977 Ted Adams vs. Pete Doherty Pete Austin vs. Rocky Tomayo Jose Gonzalez vs. Prof. Toru Tanaka Chief Jay Strongbow, Tony Garea, & Larry Zbyszko vs. Ken Patera, George Steele, & Nikolai Volkoff Pretty random main event. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - July 9, 1977 (15,602) Peter Maivia defeated Baron Von Rashke SD Jones pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna Johnny Rivera pinned Rocky Tamayo Larry Zbyszko defeated Stan Stasiak Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Chief Jay Strongbow & Jose Gonzalez in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Lenny Hurst defeated George Steele via disqualification when Steele used the turnbuckle padding to rub into Hurst's eyes and bit his arm Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera when guest referee Gorilla Monsoon stopped the bout at 15:27 due to loss of blood WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham pinned Tony Garea at 18:52 Philly continues trending upward. Again I give Graham credit as a drawing card, but let's be clear - Garea is not a guy who is going to bring 15k plus as a World title challenger. This is Patera and Bruno's gate with the special ref stip perhaps helping some. Toronto, Ontario - Exhibition Stadium - July 10, 1977 Farmer Pete defeated Little Bruiser The Wildman defeated Pat Kelly Tony Parisi defeated the Mongol Haystacks Calhoun defeated Bulldog Kent via disqualification Stan Stasiak defeated Al Costello International Tag Team Champions Billy Red Lyons & Dewey Robertson defeated Reginald Love & Chris Tolos Andre the Giant fought Ken Patera to a double disqualification WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham pinned Chief Jay Strongbow NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated the Sheik via disqualification at 8:56 This is a loaded show, with essentially a triple main event. Andre v. Patera is something I can totally buy as on the level of the two title matches that come after it. Would like to have a figure for this. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - July 11, 1977 (6,205) Tony Altimore defeated Joe Turco via disqualification Johnny Rodz fought Johnny Rivera to a draw Jose Gonzalez defeated Rocky Tomayo Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated SD Jones & Lenny Hurst Chief Jay Strongbow fought Baron Von Raschke to a draw Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Tony Garea Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Larry Zbyzsko This seems like it would be a weak number for the Garden at the time but I'm not positive. There are plenty of stars on the show, but it looks like a lot of guys working the wrong people to me. WWWF @ Portland, ME - Civic Center - July 12, 1977 (1,984) Lenny Hurst defeated Pete Doherty Frank Monroe defeated Pete Austin George Steele defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out Prof. Toru Tanaka fought Larry Zbyzsko to a draw WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Ken Patera via disqualification; Gorilla Monsoon was guest referee for the bout Mr. Fuji defeated SD Jones Jose Gonzalez defeated Johnny Rodz Bizarre that they ran this heel v. heel match as a mini-program in Portland, Maine of all places. This was about what they did for the last show. I have to assume this is at least in the neighborhood of a sell out? WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - July 16, 1977 Johnny Rodz defeated Johnny Rivera SD Jones defeated Frankie Williams Ivan Putski defeated George Steele via count-out WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Bobo Brazil Lenny Hurst defeated Rocky Tomayo Chief Jay Strongbow fought Ken Patera to a no contest Stan Stasiak defeated Joe Turco Baron Von Raschke defeated Jose Gonzalez Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji fought Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko to a draw Bobo popping up for a random spot here. This is a pretty all over the place show. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - August 1, 1977 Carlos Colon defeated Johnny Rodz at 6:50 Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated George Steele & Stan Stasiak via disqualification Ivan Putski defeated Baron Von Raschke Prime Time Wrestling - 4/28/86: Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Jose Gonzalez & Lenny Hurst in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: Fuji pinned Gonzalez with a clothesline; fall #2: Tanaka pinned Hurst after applying a cobra clutch and then shoving Hurst to the mat Peter Maivia defeated Nikolai Volkoff at 16:35 Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out at 7:04 Bruno Sammartino (w/ Arnold Skaaland) fought WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham (w/ the Grand Wizard) to a draw at 13:05 when both men were too bloody to continue; Gorilla Monsoon was the special referee for the bout; after the match, Bruno continued to attack the champion, despite Monsoon trying to hold him back (Grudge Matches) Another Bruno title challenge at the Garden v. Graham. Patera v. Chief has been headlining spot shows leading into this and was probably just heated back up by the announcement of White Wolf/Strongbow being stripped of the tag belts due to the injury Billy sustained at the hands of Ken. WWWF @ Bangor, ME - Bass Park Race Track - August 3, 1977 Held as part of the state fair Frank Williams defeated Joe Turco Lenny Hurst fought Johnny Rodz to a draw Baron Von Raschke defeated Jose Gonzalez Chief Jay Strongbow & Peter Maivia defeated Ken Patera & Lou Albano WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Tony Garea Patera teaming with Lou here makes me wonder if this was a substitution or something thrown together at the last second. WWWF @ Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum - August 8, 1977 Tony Garea defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka via disqualification Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Mr. Fuji via count-out Lenny Hurst defeated Tony Altimore Johnny Rodz fought Johnny Rivera to a draw Stan Stasiak & George Steele fought Peter Maivia & Haystacks Calhoun to a draw SD Jones defeated Joe Turco Ken Patera fought Ivan Putski to a no contest WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Larry Zbyzsko These Putski matches are still pretty common around the horn. Funny to think of Larry as the great babyface hope in hindsight. WWWF @ Pittsburgh, PA - Civic Arena - August 13, 1977 Frank Holtz pinned Tony Altimore Waldo Von Erich fought Johnny DeFazio to a double count-out Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon (sub. for Billy White Wolf) via count-out Peter Maivia pinned Baron Von Raschke Dominic DeNucci (sub. for Jose Gonzalez) defeated George Steele via disqualification Ivan Putski defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via referee's decision when the bout was stopped due to blood Also included a women's match On paper this seems like a really strong show for Pitt. I wonder if White Wolf was announced ahead of time for this purely as a way to get a pop for the Gorilla sub or if he was actually supposed to make the date. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - St. John's Arena - August 14, 1977 Waldo Von Erich (sub. for Nikolai Volkoff) fought Johnny DeFazio to a double count-out Larry Zbyzsko pinned the Red Demon Susan Green defeated Leilani Kai via disqualification Vicki Williams pinned Judy Mansfield Ivan Putski & Peter Maivia defeated Ken Patera & Baron Von Raschke in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: Maivia & Putski won; fall #2: Maivia & Putski won via disqualification Dominic DeNucci (sub. for Billy White Wolf) pinned Frank Holtz Steubenville had done some good business for the Strongbow v. Patera mains that were gimmicked. The 2/3 falls tag might have popped a solid house two. Either way Patera really comes across as the go to guy over the course of the year for the spot show circuit. WWWF @ Wildwood, NJ - Convention Hall - August 15, 1977 Johnny Rodz defeated Tony Altimore (sub. for Billy White Wolf) Haystacks Calhoun & Peter Maivia defeated Rocky Tomayo & Frank Monroe WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out in a non-title match Larry Sharpe defeated Johnny Rivera Bob Backlund defeated Ken Patera via disqualification Possibly the first main event these two would have opposite either other though the "real" main event was the title match with Graham. The Backlund rise is starting. WWWF @ Norwalk, CT - High School Gym - August 18, 1977 (1,200) Johnny Rivera pinned Sylvano Sousa at 12:42 Johnny Rodz pinned Pete Austin at 14:15 SD Jones fought Pete Doherty to a 20-minute time-limit draw Peter Maivia, Tony Garea, & Larry Zbyszko defeated Mr. Fuji, Ken Patera & Jack Evans (sub. for an injured Prof. Toru Tanaka) (w/ Tanaka) in a Best 3 out of 5 falls match, 3-1; fall #4: Maivia pinned Evans at 3:07 Solid spot show figure for what was a weak show other than the main event and honestly look at that heel team other than Ken. WWWF @ Philadelphia, PA - Spectrum - August 20, 1977 (16,600) Mark Tendler pinned Frank Rodriguez Pete Sanchez pinned Frankie Williams SD Jones pinned Joe Turco Tony Garea pinned Nikolai Volkoff Haystacks Calhoun & Peter Miavia defeated Mr. Fuji & Rocky Tamayo (sub. for Prof. Tanaka) in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0 Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon via count-out at 7:20 Bruno Sammartino pinned George Steele at 8:30 WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham pinned Larry Zbyzsko at 11:33 Philly up another thousand. Hell maybe it was Graham, though this show is pretty strong up top in terms of star power. WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - August 22, 1977 Johnny Rodz defeated SD Jones Johnny Rivera fought Joe Turco to a draw Gorilla Monsoon defeated George Steele via count-out Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Ken Patera & Lou Albano Bruno Sammartino defeated Mr. Fuji Chief Jay Strongbow defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham when the bout was stopped due to blood; after the bout, Strongbow continued to attack the champion Ivan Putski & Haystacks Calhoun defeated Stan Stasiak & Frank Monroe Peter Maivia defeated Rocky Tomayo Would llike to have a figure for this to comp with the previous BG show. Patera has had a view matches teaming with Lou now. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - August 27, 1977 Johnny Rivera pinned Joe Turco Stan Stasiak pinned Jack Evans with the heart punch Peter Maivia defeated Rocky Tomayo Ivan Putski defeated George Steele in a steel cage match; Haystacks Calhoun was the guest referee for the bout Ken Patera defeated Haystacks Calhoun via count-out Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Johnny Rodz & Nikolai Volkoff Mr. Fuji & Moose Monroe defeated SD Jones & Lenny Hurtz WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow via count-out at 11:42 Pretty sure this is the first time Patera worked Haystacks in a singles match for whatever that is worth. He's been headlining several spot shows leading up to this. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - August 29, 1977 Televised on the MSG Network and HBO - featured Vince McMahon on commentary: Lenny Hurst defeated Rocky Tomayo Johnny Rivera defeated Joe Turco at 10:51 SD Jones defeated Jack Evans at 8:19 Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak at 7:35 via count-out after Miavia avoided the Heart Punch on the floor and Stasiak accidentally hit the ringpost; prior to the bout, Vince McMahon interviewed Miavia on the ring apron Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated George Steele & Baron Mikel Scicluna in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: Steele & Scicluna were disqualified after Steele shoved the referee; fall #2: Garea pinned Scicluna with a sunset flip off the top WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 18:01 after the challenger was backdropped to the floor; prior to the bout, McMahon interviewed the champion inside the ring; the Grand Wizard escorted the champion to the ring before the match (20 Years Too Soon: The Superstar Billy Graham Story) Bruno Sammartino (w/ Arnold Skaaland) pinned Ken Patera in a Texas Death Match at 12:13 by kicking off the corner, as Patera had a full nelson applied, and falling backwards onto his opponent; prior to the bout, Capt. Lou Albano escorted Patera to the ring (Bruno Sammartino: Wrestling's Living Legend) Verne Gagne pinned Nikolai Volkoff at 7:10 with a roll up as Volkoff attempted an over-the-knee backbreaker Chief Jay Strongbow fought Mr. Fuji to a curfew draw at around the 6-minute mark; prior to the bout, Freddie Blassie & Prof. Toru Tanaka escorted Fuji to the ring, with Tanaka on crutches and announced as being unable to compete Would kill for a figure here as Bruno v. Patera in a Texas Death Match strikes me as every bit the draw that Billy v. Putski would be. Wonder if the crowd even gave a fuck about Verne? WWWF @ Poughkeepsie, NY - September 1, 1977 Jack Evans defeated Ted Adams Pete Doherty defeated Pete Austin Lenny Hurst defeated Rocky Tomayo Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Ken Patera in an Indian Strap Match Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated SD Jones Tony Garea defeated Stan Stasiak via disqualification They add a strap to the Patera v. Strongbow feud that had been one of the anchors of the house show circuit for months. WWWF @ Steubenville, OH - September 11, 1977 Tony Garea defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification Stan Stasiak defeated Larry Zbyzsko Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Johnny DeFazio & Lenny Hurst Dominic DeNucci defeated Rocky Tomayo Peter Maivia defeated Ken Patera via count-out Ken Patera - King of Steubenville? WWWF @ Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum - September 12, 1977 The Haiti Kid & Cowboy Lang defeated Little Tokyo & Little John Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Jack Evans to a double count-out Larry Zbyzsko defeated Rocky Tomayo WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Tony Garea Mr. Fuji defeated Johnny Rivera Larry Sharpe defeated Lenny Hurst Peter Maivia fought Stan Stasiak to a double disqualification Ivan Putski defeated Ken Patera via count-out Would love to see a number here. I know Patera v. Putski is arguably not the main event, but it had been positioned that way on house shows on and off for months and in some respects it comes across as the match that might hold the most intrigue if I was a mark kid in 1977. WWWF @ Albany, NY - Washington Avenue Armory - September 16, 1977 Johnny Rivera vs. Rocky Tomayo Pete Austin vs. Dennis Johnson Sonny Boy Cassidy & Cowboy Bradley vs. the Bruiser & Mighty Adam Peter Maivia defeated Ken Patera after the 31-minute mark WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow after the 23-minute mark Who in the fuck booked those two matches to go a combined 54 minutes back to back on a card?? WWWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - September 17, 1977 Mark Tendler vs. Frankie Williams Pete Austin vs. Frank Monroe Jose Estrada vs. Rocky Tomayo Johnny Rivera vs. Joe Turco The Haiti Kid & Cowboy Lang vs. Little Tokyo & Little John Peter Maivia vs. Stan Stasiak Ivan Putski vs. Ken Patera WWWF @ Phildephia, PA - Spectrum - September 17, 1977 (19,000; sell out) Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Vince McMahon & Dick Graham on commentary: Frank Rodriguez defated Mike Madero Johnny Rodz fought Johnny Rivera to a draw Gorilla Monsoon defeated Nikolai Volkoff Larry Sharpe defeated Ted Adams Chief Jay Strongbow defeated George Steele via count-out Bruno Sammartino defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via referee's decision when the match was stopped due to blood at 13:55 Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Mr. Fuji & Baron Mikel Scicluna This is unusual as they schedule a show in Springfield and the Spectrum on the same day with totally separate crews. Springfield was NOT a tiny spot show town and they essentially run a double main event there. Meanwhile The Spectrum sells out for the first time all year under the strength of Graham v. Bruno for the title. I'm honestly not sure if I can recall a result like this but it was probably good business. They knew the Spectrum was selling out with that on top and I would guess they did well in Springfield also (IIRC that is at minimum a 4k Arena). WWWF @ Boston, MA - Boston Garden - September 19, 1977 Pete Austin defeated Dennis Johnson Lenny Hurst fought Pete Doherty to a draw Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera via referee's decision in a Texas Death Match The Haiti Kid & Cowboy Lang defeated Little Tokyo & Little John Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Mr. Fuji & Larry Sharpe (sub. for Prof. Toru Tanaka) WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow in a steel cage match after Strongbow threw the champion against the fence near the door and turned away just long enough for Graham to slide out the door This is one where I wold really like to have a figure. Two big gimmick matches on the show albeit not much else. Still I imagine this would have done very strong business. WWWF @ Worcester, MA - Memorial Auditorium - September 20, 1977 Pete Austin vs. Johnny Rodz Johnny Rivera vs. Jack Evans Lenny Hurst vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna Ivan Putski vs. Stan Stasiak Peter Maivia vs. Ken Patera Also included a midget tag team match WWWF @ Scranton, PA - September 20, 1977 Cowboy Lang defeated Little John Johnny Rivera defeated Rocky Tomayo Frank Monroe defeated Mark Tendler Jack Evans defeated Lenny Hurst Peter Maivia defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Ivan Putski defeated Ken Patera via disqualification Double duty and double main events for Patera. He's started working Maivia a fair amount on house shows. WWWF @ Providence, RI - Civic Center - September 24, 1977 Little Tokyo & Little John vs. Cowboy Lang & the Haiti Kid Johnny Rodz vs. Ted Adams Jack Evans vs. Lenny Hurst Ken Patera vs. Chief Jay Strongbow (Indian strap match) WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Peter Maivia via count-out Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele Strap match pops up again. This was a pretty strong three match close out and Providence was a fairly large building so I imagine this did good business. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - September 26, 1977 (22,102; 3,000 in Felt Forum) Televised on the MSG Network - included Vince McMahon on commentary: Cowboy Lang & the Haiti Kid defeated Little John & Little Tokyo in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: Lang & Haiti won at 7:31; fall #2: Lang & Haiti won at 9:11 Prof. Toru Tanaka pinned Johnny Rivera at 10:09 with a chop to the neck after Rivera missed a dropkick Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Jack Evans to a double count-out at 7:29 when both men began fighting on the ring apron Mr. Fuji pinned Lenny Hurst at 6:19 with a clothesline Bob Backlund pinned Larry Sharpe at 9:04 with the atomic drop; prior to the bout, Vince McMahon conducted an interview with Backlund on the ring apron about his undefeated streak Dusty Rhodes defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via count-out at 15:55 after Graham was backdropped over the top to the floor; prior to the bout, Graham was escorted to the ring by the Grand Wizard; after the match, Rhodes celebrated with the title belt and put it around his waist until it was taken away by the referee; after the decision was announced, the crowd chanted "Bullshit" until Rhodes grabbed the mic and said "Superstar, I came a long way to whip your ass. Now come out here, baby!" (American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story, WWE's Top 50 Superstars of All Time) Peter Maivia defeated George Steele via count-out at 13:19 when Steele's legs became entangled in the ring ropes; after the bout, Miavia cleared Steele from the ring with Steele's own foreign object Chief Jay Strongbow, Tony Garea, & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Ken Patera, Stan Stasiak, & Capt. Lou Albano via referee's decision in a Best 3 out of 5 falls match; fall #1: Strongbow pinned Stasiak with a double chop to the throat at 10:40; fall #2: Patera pinned Zbyzsko with a double axe handle off the top at 5:21; the match then went to an 11 pm curfew with the referee awarding the contest to Strongbow, Garea, & Zbyzsko Another huge Garden show this time on the strength of Dusty v. Graham. Note the rise of Backlund continues. The six-man to close out the show was probably a good use of all of those guys to fill out the card, but it wasn't anything that was moving tickets. At this point Patera vanishes from the WWWF scene for about six weeks. WWWF @ Long Island, NY - Nassau Coliseum - November 14, 1977 Johnny Rivera defeated Joe Turco Butcher Vachon defeated Dennis Johnson Peter Maivia defeated Mr. Fuji Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Dewey Robertson WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Ivan Putski via count-out Ken Patera defeated Chief Jay Strongbow Comes back in strong as the top support match for Graham v. Putski in one of their key buildings. WWWF @ Portland, ME - November 15, 1977 Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Johnny Rivera & Pete Austin The Golden Terror defeated Johnny Rivera Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak via disqualification Ken Patera defeated Dewey Robertson WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow Pre-Missing LInk, Missking Link v. Patera stacked in between two matches that seem like they would have been bigger deals. Patera is mostly working Strongbow on spot shows. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - November 21, 1977 (17,914) Ken Patera defeated Dewey Robertson at 12:25 Stan Stasiak pinned Dominic DeNucci at 15:16 Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Johnny Rivera at 10:31 Dusty Rhodes defeated Butcher Vachon at 6:39 Mil Mascaras pinned Larry Sharpe at 11:29 Mr. Fuji & Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Peter Maivia via count-out Patera is buried in the opening match for possibly the first time during his WWWF run - and it's in the building where he debuted as a main eventer in Jan. WWWF @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - November 26, 1977 (8,800) Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Johnny Rodz to a draw Nikolai Volkoff defeated Pete Reeves Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Lenny Hurst & Dennis Johnson in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0, at 12:35 Ivan Putski fought Ken Patera to a 20-minute time-limit draw WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Larry Zbyzsko (w/ Tony Garea) via disqualification at 19:10 when Garea interfered Dominic DeNucci defeated Butcher Vachon via disqualification Peter Maivia, Tony Garea, & Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka, Mr. Fuji, & the Golden Terror in a Best 3 out of 5 falls match, 3-0 This seems like a fairly strong number for Baltimore. I have no fucking clue why anyone would book Patera v. Putski to go to a time limit draw but there you have it. WWWF @ Staten Island, NY - November 28, 1977 Dennis Johnson defeated Frank Monroe via disqualification The Golden Terror defeated Pete Austin Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Johnny Rivera & Frankie Williams Tony Garea defeated Mr. Fuji Ken Patera defeated Peter Maivia via count-out Patera v. Maivia has been the headliner on several b-shows. WWWF @ Landover, MD - Capital Centre - December 5, 1977 Chief Jay Strongbow won a $5,000 18-man battle royal; after teaming with Peter Maivia to eliminate Mr. Fuji and Prof. Toru Tanaka, Strongbow and Miavia refused to fight each other and Strongbow was declared the winner via a coin toss; other participants included: Ken Patera, Johnny Rodz, Tony Garea, Dewey Robertson, Gorilla Monsoon, Larry Sharpe, Jack Evans, Butcher Vachon, Stan Stasiak, Ivan Putski, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Larry Zbyzsko, Johnny Rivera, and Dennis Johnson; due to pre-match stipulations, Strongbow won a world title shot in the main event Ivan Putski defeated Larry Sharpe Johnny Rodz defeated Dennis Johnson Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Johnny Rivera Gorilla Monsoon defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna Peter Maivia defeated Jack Evans Ken Patera defeated Larry Zbyzsko Butcher Vachon defeated Tony Garea Dominic DeNucci fought Stan Stasiak to a draw WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow at 13:47 Patera and Larry Z would have been an interesting match up at this point. Patera is milling around with other "names" in the company but isn't really doing much of anything at this point. WWWF @ Portland, ME - Expo Building - December 6, 1977 Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans defeated Johnny Rivera & Frankie Williams in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Butcher Vachon Dominic DeNucci (sub. for Dewey Robertson) fought the Golden Terror to a draw Ken Patera fought Peter Maivia to a draw WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham fought Bob Backlund to a double count-out This MIGHT have been the first Backlund v. Graham singles match. WWWF @ Poughkeepsie, NY - Mid-Hudson Civic Center - December 8, 1977 Mark Tendler vs. Moose Monroe Johnny Rivera vs. Johnny Rodz Baron Mikel Scicluna vs. Frankie Williams Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Mr. Fuji Larry Zbyszko vs. Prof. Toru Tanaka Peter Maivia vs. Ken Patera The same building headlined by Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk - on Oct. 1st of this year! WWWF @ Springfield, MA - Civic Center - December 10, 1977 Johnny Rivera vs. the Golden Terror Pete Austin vs. Johnny Rodz Dewey Robertson vs. Frank Monroe Mark Tendler vs. Tony Altimore Bob Backlund & Peter Maivia vs. Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Ken Patera WWWF @ Phildelphia, PA - Spectrum - December 10, 1977 (19,500; sell out) Televised on the PRISM Network - featured Vince McMahon & Dick Graham on commentary: Davey O'Hannon defeated Steve King Joe Turco defeated Ted Adams Baron Mikel Scicluna pinned Frank Williams Nikolai Volkoff defeated Pete Reeves Gorilla Monsoon defeated Stan Stasiak Ivan Putski defeated Butcher Vachon WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match Bruno Sammartino defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via count-out at 18:31 when Graham left ringside Another day where they doubled up with Spingfield and Philly on the same day - again Bruno v. Graham successfully carries the load at the Spectrum. Strongbow/Patera and the soon to be champ Bob Backlund share the duties in Springfield. Toronto, Ontario - Maple Leaf Gardens - December 11, 1977 Ken Patera defeated Roger Kirby Peter Maivia defeated Chris Tolos via disqualification Angelo Mosca defeated Nick DeCarlo Billy Red Lyons defeated Waldo Von Erich Verne Gagne defeated Bobby Duncum Ken Patera (sub. for Bobby Heenan) & Blackjack Lanza defeated Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel defeated Edouard Carpentier WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow Notable as Patera is brought in as a sub and ends up working against a team that he would later have his last big money feud against. WWWF @ New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden - December 19, 1977 (22,085) Televised on the MSG Network - featured Vince McMahon on commentary; Debra Harry of Blondie and Andy Kauffman were in attendance for the card; the scheduled bout between Peter Maivia and Ken Patera was cancelled Baron Mikel Scicluna fought SD Jones to a 15-minute time-limit draw Dominic DeNucci fought the Golden Terror to a double count-out; this bout was not televised, rather footage of NWA World Champion Harley Race facing Rick Martel in Australia aired in its place Butcher Vachon pinned Johnny Rivera (sub. for Victor Rivera) at 6:04 Arnold Skaaland defeated Lou Albano via count-out at 4:35 when Albano walked out of the match after losing his foreign object and being bloodied by Skaaland (Best of the WWF Vol. 7, The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers) Bob Backlund pinned WWWF Tag Team Champion Mr. Fuji (w/ Freddie Blassie) with the atomic drop at 11:40 Mil Mascaras (w/ Bob Backlund) defeated WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham via referee's decision at 16:24 when referee John Stanley stopped the match due to a cut on the champion's forehead Dusty Rhodes pinned Stan Stasiak with the Bionic elbow at 11:22 (American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story) Prime Time Wrestling - 3/17/86: Chief Jay Strongbow defeated WWWF Tag Team Champion Prof. Toru Tanaka via disqualification at 11:23 after Tanaka threw salt into the referee John Stanley's eyes as Strongbow had the sleeper applied Tony Garea & Larry Zbyzsko defeated Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1: Zbyzsko pinned Evans with a kneedrop at 7:45; fall #2: the curfew ended the match at 12:39 I wonder why Patera v. Miavia was dropped? No show? Patera worked Backlund and Putski mostly before and slightly after this show. WWWF @ Cherry Hill, NJ - December 30, 1977 Nikolai Volkoff defeated Pete Reeves Gorilla Monsoon & SD Jones defeated Larry Sharpe & Jack Evans via disqualification Peter Maivia defeated Stan Stasiak Ken Patera defeated Gorilla Monsoon via count-out Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna This is the last date of the year I have for Patera. A couple of days before he worked Strongbow at the Convention Center in Asbury Park which would later go on to be a primary ECW venue. Over all this is a really strong year for Patera. He debuts in New York at MSG v. Bruno. They work a three match feud in the Garden that they don't run anywhere else. Later in the year they come back to that feud and it plays strong in other key markets. He gets over huge as the guy who almost kills Billy White Wolf and carries that heat over the course of the year as a key figure on spot shows where the few numbers we have seem to suggest that he was a draw on that circuit. He even got a heel v. heel mini-program v. Billy Graham in Portland, Maine for the title, which was not common in the WWWF at the time. Looking around I can't find any quick dates to explain Patera's brief absence from the company from the tail end of Sept. through the middle of Nov. When he returned he was kept reasonably strong and worked with the all the big "ethnic" babyfaces (as he did much of the year frankly), but he was clearly not booked as an absolute upper, upper tier guy even if he was still expected to hold it down on the b-show circuit. He's not the top heel of year because Billy Graham is Billy Graham. But he in my estimation is the clear number 2 heel and this is a strong business year for the WWWF. In the over all depth chart he's below Graham and Bruno for the year in the WWWF - it's hard to make a case for him being below anyone else.

I think what's notable about his early AWA run is that he came right out of camp and pretty quickly got pushed into the upper mid-card tier of talent. Compare that to how Flair or Slaughter or Buddy Rose or any number of Verne trainees got treated out of the gate. His Olympic background no doubt had a lot to do with it, but it's still pretty crazy that he never really "paid his dues" deep in the undercard the way those other guys did.

I don't think Madden at the Torch is analogous to Apter at the PWI for reasons that are pretty obvious. Apter taking the pictures was a pretty big deal since the sales were driven in large part by the pics on the cover. Do I know that Apter was the one with relationship with promoters? Not beyond question I guess. Can I infer it by the fact that he was both the public face of the mags and the guy that was actually on the ground taking pics/covering shows? Yes. The fact that he didn't work first hand with John on a PWI article or whatever the case was really doesn't surprise me. I don't consider Apter's strength as a candidate his editorial skills. I would vote for Apter for much the same reason I voted for Kent Walton - he got tons of talent over on a national level. For the record I think Weston should have been a fiat pick in the first class.

I'll adjust it. If you have the time/are willing would you mind dragging over some of the WWF reviews you've done John? I edited some stuff in from 74 by the way

1976 1/2/76 Richmond, VA @ Arena US Champion Paul Jones beat Spoiler II Non title match Roberto Soto & El Rayo beat NWA Tag Team Champions Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson Ken Patera beat Bill White Larry Sharpe beat Greg Peterson Jack Evans drew Steve Keirn Tiger Conway Jr vs George Two Ton Harris First date from 76. 1/17/76 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum US Champion Paul Jones beat Blackjack Mulligan NWA Tag Team Champions Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson beat Rufus R Jones & Ken Patera Angelo Mosca beat Wahoo McDaniel 17:00 Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Steve Strong Roberto Soto & El Rayo beat Bill White & Jack Evans Steve Keirn beat Michel DuBois Charlie Fulton beat Klondike Bill Ronnie Garvin beat Bill Howard att: 8,229 That's a pretty strong show on paper, with three matches on the show that could be seen as main events in that territory. 1/30/76 Richmond, VA @ Arena Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson beat Paul Jones & Rufus R Jones dq Geto Mongol & Bolo Mongol beat Swede Hanson & Danny Miller Johnny Weaver beat Boris Malenko Ken Patera beat Doug Gilbert Ronnie Garvin beat Charlie Fulton Klondike Bill drew Jack Evans Att: 4,000 This is a rare non-Greensboro show with a figure attached to it, though it's clear Patera is meandering around in meaningless mid-card matches at this point. 2/7/76 Roanoke, VA @ Starland Arena Ken Patera (sub Paul Jones) & Tony Atlas beat Boris Malenko & Angelo Mosca Ken Patera beat Doug Gilbert Tio Tio beat George Two Ton Harris Greg Peterson beat Joe Soto Doug Somers drew Don Kernodle Patera does double duty, but he's becoming increasingly less relevant on the shows and only got spot of note here as a last minute sub. 2/16/76 Charlotte, NC @ Park Center US Champion Paul Jones beat Blackjack Mulligan Geto Mongol & Bolo Mongol beat Ken Patera & Swede Hanson Boris Malenko beat Danny Miller Tony Atlas beat Bill Howard Bill White drew Tio Tio This isn't a bad match for Patera but it's a rare appearance during this stretch. I don't have another appearance of him on an MACW show until... 12/14/76 Raleigh, NC @ Dorton Arena US Champion Paul Jones vs Blackjack Mulligan Mid Atlantic TV Champion Rufus R Jones vs Greg Valentine Mid Atlantic Tag Team Champions Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Dino Bravo vs Masked Superstar & Boris Malenko Also in Action: Ken Patera, Hans Schroeder and others That is followed shortly thereafter by.. 12/25/76 Charlotte, NC @ Coliseum 8:15 PM Starting Time US Champion Blackjack Mulligan beat Paul Jones dq Ole Anderson beat Mid Atlantic Champion Ric Flair dq Wahoo McDaniel beat Greg Valentine Dino Bravo & Ken Patera beat Brute Bernard & Jerry Blackwell Princess Little Dove beat Diamond Lil Tony Russo drew Danny Miller Herb Gallant beat Jack Evans 12/26/76 Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum No dq Match Ric Flair & Greg Valentine beat Gene Anderson & Ole Anderson to win the NWA Tag Team Title Wahoo McDaniel beat US Champion Blackjack Mulligan dq Dusty Rhodes & Mighty Igor beat Brute Bernard & Jacques Goulet Kim Duk beat Ken Patera Joyce Grable beat Vivian St John Blue Scorpion beat Klondike Bill Johnny Eagles beat Randy Poffo Herb Gallant beat Doug Somers Att: 9,387 12/27/76 Richmond, VA @ Coliseum Wahoo McDaniel beat Ric Flair to win Mid Atlantic Title US Champion Blackjack Mulligan beat Paul Jones dq Greg Valentine beat Tiger Conway Jr Dino Bravo & Ken Patera & Frankie Laine beat Brute Bernard & Jerry Blackwell & Jacques Goulet Tony Russo beat Joey Rossi Danny Miller beat Doug Somers 12/30/76 Norfolk, VA @ Scope Exhibition Hall Cage Match Mid Atlantic Champion Wahoo McDaniel vs Ric Flair US Champion Blackjack Mulligan vs Rufus R Jones Mid Atlantic Tag Team Champions Mr Wrestling Tim Woods & Dino Bravo vs Brute Bernard & Jerry Blackwell Kim Duk vs Ken Patera Also in action: Johnny Eagles, Butch Malone, Danny Miller and many others Patera is essentially an irrelevant undercard performer by this point. Meanwhile between Feb and Dec Patera went to Tri-State where he debuted with a big angle destroying Bill Watts with his full nelson on tv. This is of note because I am fairly sure this was Patera's first big heel angle and certainly the first use of him as an unquestioned top tier guy by any territory. http://www.oklafan.com/results/complete/TSW.html Apr 19 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Jay Clayton def. Jerry Brown Ted DiBiase def. Oni Wiki Wiki The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts) def. Jay Clayton & Ted DiBiase Ken Patera def. Dick Murdoch TSW North American Champion Bill Watts def. Waldo Von Erich That's the first date I see from that run. Notable that there is a two month gap. Maybe I will find something to fill in the gaps later. May 31 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Buck Robley def. Ted Heath TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox & Bob Sweetan def. Ted DiBiase & Nelson Royal TSW North American Bill Watts def. Ken Patera May 24 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Ted Heath vs. Gene Lewis went to a draw Nelson Royal def. Buck Robley TSW United States Tag Team Champions Karl Kox & Bob Sweetan def. Jay Clayton & Ted DiBiase Ken Patera def. TSW North American Champion Bill Watts by DQ May 17 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Nelson Royal def. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox Little Dove def. Diamond Lil Ted DiBiase & Jay Clayton def. Rick McGraw & Ted Heath Ken Patera vs. TSW North American Champion Bill Watts was declared a No-Contest May 3 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Rick McGraw vs. Professor Ito went to a draw TSW United States Tag Team Champion Ted DiBiase def. Oliver Humperdink Jay Clayton & Nelson Royal def. The Hollywood Blondes (Buddy Roberts & Jerry Brown) TSW United States Tag Team Champion Dick Murdoch & TSW North American Champion Bill Watts vs. Karl Kox & Ken Patera went to a Double DQ Month long run v. the top draw and icon of the territory. No clue what TSW was drawing at this point. Also worth noting these are all Tulsa shows. No clue what there loop was, but I assume Watts v. Patera headlined around the horn. Jun 7 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Rick McGraw vs. Silento Rodriguez went to a draw Ron Starr def. Bob Griffin Ken Patera def. Ted DiBiase Nelson Royal def. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Bob Sweetan Buck Robley def. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox by DQ TSW North American Champion Bill Watts def. Assassin III I doubt this was a demotion, but rather Patera v. a plucky babyface up and comer. My guess is Patera destroyed him. Jun 18 1976 · Great Plains Collesium · Lawton The Following matches were advertised, but the results are unknown: Ted Heath vs. Ricky Gibson Tom Jones vs. Ron Starr Ted DiBiase vs. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox TSW North American Champion Bill Watts vs. Ken Patera Jul 16 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Pat Barrett def. Igor Putski Pat Kelly & Mike Kelly def. Gene Lewis & Tony Russo Nelson Royal def. Bobby Jaggers Skandar Akbar def. Tom Jones TSW United States Tag Team Champions Karl Kox & Ken Patera def. Dick Murdoch & TSW North American Champion Bill Watts Jun 28 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Ted Heath def. Mike Hendrick Jay Clayton def. Gene Lewis Nelson Royal vs. Pat Barrett went to a draw TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox def. Buck Robley Ken Patera & TSW United States Tag Team Champion Bob Sweetan def. Dick Murdoch & TSW North American Champion Bill Watts by DQ Jun 21 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Oni Wiki Wiki & Rick McGraw def. John Brown & Jerry Green TSW United States Tag Team Champion Bob Sweetan def. Ted Heath Nelson Royal def. Bob Griffin Dick Murdoch def. Ken Patera by DQ Buck Robley def. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Bob Sweetan Still effectively on top as he is the top heel in the promotion and works Watts or Murdoch or both on the key shows. Aug 23 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Silento Rodriguez def. Ted Heath Kitty Adams & Vivian St. John def. Leilani Kai & Toni Rose Nelson Royal def. Pat Barrett Skandar Akbar & TSW United States Tag Team Champions Karl Kox & Bob Sweetan def. Ken Patera, Larry Hennig & TSW North American Champion Bill Watts Aug 9 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa The following matches were advertised, but no results are known: Silento Rodriguez vs. Tony Russo Rick McGraw vs. Ted Heath Pat Barrett vs. Bobby Jaggers Nelson Royal vs. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox TSW North American Champion Bill Watts vs. Ken Patera NWA World Champion Terry Funk vs. Dick Murdoch Aug 2 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Tony Russo def. Rick McGraw Nelson Royal & Pat Barrett def. Randy Tyler & Bobby Jaggers Ken Patera def. TSW North American Champion Bill Watts by DQ Dick Murdoch def. TSW United States Tag Team champion Karl Kox Jul 30 1976 · Great Plains Collesium · Lawton Bob Griffin def. Gene Lewis Farmer Pete def. Little Tokyo Dick Murdoch & Nelson Royal def. Ken Patera & TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox Jul 19 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Silento Rodriguez vs. Ted Heath went to a draw Randy Tyler & Bobby Jaggers def. Bob Griffin & Nelson Royal Ken Patera def. Pat Barrett Dick Murdoch def. Seigfried Stanke Bill Watts def. Karl Kox Oct 24 1976 · Great Plains Collesium · Lawton The following matches were announced, but no results are known: Abe Jacobs vs. Choi Sun Nelson Royal vs. TSW United States Tag Team Champion Karl Kox Dick Murdoch vs. Skandar Akbar TSW North American Champion Bill Watts vs. Ken Patera Sep 20 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Jim Starr def. Bob Griffin Abe Jacobs def. Pat McGinnis Choi Sun def. Rick McGraw The Spoiler def. Grizzly Smith by DQ TSW North American Champion Bill Watts def. Bobby Jaggers Dick Murdoch & Larry Hennig def. Ken Patera & Skandar Akbar by DQ Sep 13 1976 · Expo Square Pavillion · Tulsa Bob Griffin def. Tony Russo Pat McGinnis def. Igor Putski Buck Robely def. Ron Starr Nelson Royal & Larry Hennig def. Skandar Akbar & Pat Barrett Dick Murdoch vs. Ken Patera went to a No-Contest Nov 20 1976 · Great Plains Collesium · Lawton The following matches were announced, although no results are known: Pat McGinnis vs. Rick Oliver Billy Robinson & Jay Clayton vs. Skandar Akbar & Choi Sun NWA World Champion Terry Funk vs. Ken Patera I decided to bunch these all together because I think they illustrate their own point - Patera clearly made a positive impact on business in 76. Despite being a non-regional player he was booked in main events and title matches pretty much across the board. His heel run v. Watts had to have done well given how many times the company went to it and when he went face he was still in main events and finished up his run getting his first NWA title shot (despite being a non-local face for the region and effectively an import himself). 76 is really a tale of two places for Patera. His brief stints in MACW were totally irrelevant and produced nothing of note. Meanwhile his first real heel run appeared to have been very strong. The Watts angle that kick started his run there is still remembered and sort of set a template for future heel runs he would have. For the first time he was a true, unqualified, main eventer. And the evidence would strongly suggest that he drew/did good business in that role as well.

I think in some ways Apter is the best name on the ballot from the perspective that everyone with a vote should be at least aware of his impact on the business. The only possible reason I can see for voting against Apter is if one wanted to argue that Stanley Weston should go in first or Apter should go in in conjunction with him and the PWI family. But given how Dave runs his HoF that seems like a really odd reason not to vote for him.