If not Backlund who?

[Dylan Waco]

This sort of "if not X who?" thing is not always my cup of tea, but this came up at Classics sometime back and I do think it's an interesting question. I think in general most people here accept the fact that Hogan was the guy who was going to drive national expansion. There was no one else at the time who could have done it, at least not to the degree he did.

 

But Backlund is a different story.

 

The purpose of this thread is not to shit on Backlund. I have really grown to appreciate Backlund more over the years and it annoys me that so many people still seem to cringe at the thought of giving him any credit as a worker, draw or star. Still Backlund is a guy who was a seemingly odd pick for the slot he was thrown into. No question he was successful at it and I think it's a waste of time to speculate heavily about whether anyone could have done better, because in truth he did pretty damn good. Having said that he does not strike me as a guy like Hogan, who could not have been reasonably replaced by anyone.

 

So the question is what happens if Backlund isn't in the picture? The story that has been told is that Backlund was mentioned as a possibility for the role by other promoters (I may be remembering this wrong but don't think I am) and of course Billy Graham himself has said many times that he was told by Vince Sr. the day he would win the belt and the day he would drop it and that is exactly what happened. The point here is that this was planned out well in advance, which means some hot up and comer, or a pick who was completely off the map/i.e. hadn't broken in before Graham won the belt really isn't an option.

 

Of course one argument is that the belt would have been kept on Graham, but I think that's very unlikely because the WWWF was not a heels territory and while we often hear about how Graham was over and getting face reactions in places A. I'm not sure how true that is and B. It is even less likely that he would have been allowed to turn face as a champ, then it is that they would have kept the title on him as a heel. Another argument is that they would have gone back to Bruno yet again, but one assumes if that was going to happen Graham would have never gotten his reign (more likely a Stasiak length transition reign at best) in the first place which screws up the whole thought experiment and more importantly I think you can make a strong case that the whole purpose of the Backlund reign was to get a new, young, fresh star in which Bruno obviously wasn't.

 

After that the list of guys who theoretically could have been chosen is long, but I'm not sure how many are really reasonable when you think about it for more than a few seconds. Some at Classics said Andre, but that was never going to happen - he was a special attraction and there was more money in him being farmed out without the title, to say nothing of the fact that Andre as champ would have gone against the general logic of how freakshows were booked back then. Terry Funk was mentioned, but I just can't see it. He wasn't really a "young gun" anymore, and while he would have been fresh in those markets, he doesn't seem like the sort of blank slate fit that they Vince Sr. may have been looking for. Patera was a name mentioned and I don't think he's an outlandish pick because he was a good worker, who could work the schedule and had value. The problem is he would have had to have been brought in as a face and the generally consensus is that he was a vastly better heel.

 

Other picks who I think would have been stronger/fit the mold better than the above:

 

Rick Martel - The French Canadian thing would have probably hurt him, but he had the right look, could work, was young and already had several years of experience at this point. He was pretty much the quintessential babyface and probably could have done well in the role. I think he had already established himself well with some power brokers at this point, but I'm not sure if anyone would have gone to bat for him and that's one of the things that helped Backlund.

 

Ted Dibiase - He's a little bit off timeline here. He was working in 77 when Graham took the title, but was really green. While he was part of the West Texas State group, connected to the Funks and in with Watts, I'm not sure Muchnick or any other guys who really had Vince's ear would have been pimping him as early as 77. On the other hand he had the right look and was seen by many as a really talented babyface worker with a bright future straight out of the gates. Honestly I struggle to see him as a real option at that point in his career, but I suspect he would be a popular pick with some.

 

Steve Keirn - I am pretty iffy on Florida history, but Keirn broke in there in the early 70's IIRC, and was well connected to Eddie through Mike which would have helped a good bit at the time. It's possible he was even mentioned by Eddie to Vince when he was surfing around looking for a possible "new face." Good worker, was supposedly a pretty tough guy which may have won him extra points, was definitely seen by some as an up-and-comer and prospect during the rough time frame in question. It's kind of hard to conceptualize a Fab, let alone Skinner, in Backlund's spot but he actually seems like someone who would have been a pretty reasonable alternative in some ways.

 

Tony Atlas - In many ways he doesn't work on the surface and may belong more in the "less likely" group. BUT, he did have a great look, he was a guy had some big supporters of note over the years, he was a guy who could have worked excellent power spots which was a NY staple, he was young, he was fresh, and as un-PC as it is he was "ethnic" in a territory known for it's "ethnic" stars. I have no clue how tenable the idea of a black champion was up there at that point, but the place that made Pedro the ace leads me to believe it wouldn't have been off the table.

 

Jim Brunzell - As with Keirn it's kind of funny to think of a Killer Bee in this role, but I actually think Brunzell is the absolute best pick if we assume Senior was looking for a young, up and comer, with a clean cut All-American look. I think Brunzell more closely fits the look and general disposition associated with Backlund then any others, but they weren't all that similar otherwise. Brunzell was a very solid hand, who could mix it up and work stiff, had a nice collection of highspots, was very good working fiery comebacks and was a solid mat worker for the era. He was probably not as well connected as some, but by all accounts had a good reputation in the business and by 77 he already had experience pushed in a large territory, near the top of the cards albeit in a tag team setting more often than not. If I were booking New York and operating under the assumed McMahon framework Brunzell would have probably been my pick, but I'm not sure he is even someone who would have come up in discussions at the time.

 

I'm sure I'm forgetting other people and it's entirely possible some of them are obvious picks. Of course one can always trot out the "we have no way of knowing" or "someone not on the radar" comments, but I'd prefer people in the thread at least entertain the possibilities that existed out there at the time when contributing in this thread.

[JerryvonKramer]

I think Jack Brisco could have feasibly been brought in 77 as a guy with massive rep, amateur cred and ability to go in the ring.

 

Whether Vince Sr would have wanted to associate his title with a former NWA champ or not is another question, but in 77 Brisco would have been a top 5 star in the world no doubt about it.

 

I think a lot of the people you've outlined there Dylan were just too young at that point to be given that role. I can see DiBiase in a Backlund role in 1980, for example, but 77?

 

Backlund was 28 in 1977, of those you've mentioned the closest fit is: Jim Brunzell. He was 28 in 77 too. The others are younger by at least 2-3 years. Apart from Atlas who was 33.

 

I'm going to throw out some other possible realistic candidates:

 

Dick Slater - forget him as Terry Funk clone a second, he was a good hand. Would have been about 29-30 in 1977. And was talked about for the NWA title. I think he could have worked the Backlund role.

 

Chavo Guerrero - again, he's about the right age. Obviously, he would have been an "ethnic hero" type champ. He could certainly play a good babyface. I don't know if he was ever considered reliable enough by any promoter to be a realistic pick, but if a 23-year old DiBiase is on the table then we shouldn't be too picky.

 

Jerry Brisco - if there were good reasons not to use Jack, perhaps his brother would have brought less of an NWA association. From what I've seen, he was certainly good enough in the ring to carry the sort of matches that were asked of Backlund. Right age too.

 

Raymond Rougeau - Rick Martel would have been 20 in 1977, Rougeau would have been 21. I can't see it at all, but this is true alternative universe stuff we're talking here. I think Rougeau is an under-appreciated worker. It may be pushing it a bit too far to make him WWWF champ at 21.

 

Billy Robinson - He had cred. He worked a technical style. He was brought in to work Backlund on occasion. He would be on the long list in 1977.

 

Blackjack Mulligan - would have been 34 and a 9-year pro in 1977. Would be a different style of champ and a different direction for Vince Sr., but surely he would have been in the frame as a guy who made his name in that territory?

 

Bob Armstrong - a southern guy, sure, and at 36 not someone who'd step into the Backlund role. But he had legit cred. Surely on the long list.

 

Bob Roop - a former Olympian. 33 in 1977 with 7 years as a pro. I'm not sure if he had the ability of Backlund and in my mind he was always best suited to a "gatekeeper" sort of role, but you've got to admit if you're looking for Backlund replacements he's not a million miles away.

 

Buddy Roberts - here's an "outside of the box" suggestion. He would have been 31 in 1977 with 11 years of experience behind him. He surely had the ability and since charisma is not a key requirement, you could say he's the "blank slate" we're looking for. More I think about it, the more he's a strong candidate.

 

Dory Funk Jr. - many of the same comments I made about Brisco would apply here, but at least superficially speaking, he has a lot in common with Backlund. Would have been 35 in 1977.

 

Jerry Stubbs - 32 in 77. Good ring-technician with sound psychology. Why not?

[KrisZ]

Backlund would work all the TV tapings in 1977 and a MSG here and there but he didn't become full-time until December 1st where he beat Toru Tanaka in Asbury Park. You look at Backlund's year and you see him get wins on every WWWF taping but the rest of the year was spent basically split between GCW & AWA where he was working mainly 2nd & 3rd matches. Now you look at him before he started working WWWF TV in February 1977 he worked in Florida where he was placed a little better but his main playground was working for St. Louis where he was the Missouri champion for a while. So basically his most successful runs were St. Louis & WWWF with AWA to an extent which were for big towns not the whole of the territory like CWF & GCW.

 

Regarding who it could've been....they liked to bring in guys for MSG shows to spotlight so here are the guys that worked there in that role during that year.

 

Greg Gagne

Gino Hernandez

Dusty Rhodes

Bob Backlund

Mil Mascaras

 

Now let's look at 1976 just for shits and giggles

 

Chavo Guerrero

Ric Flair

 

Dusty & Mil got their runs at Graham in 1977 which drew very well so they had experience in that title scene.

 

That leaves Gagne, Gino, Chavo, & Flair.

 

Flair was pretty much the lead heel for Crockett in 1977 and had no real babyface experience yet so he's out.

 

Gino & Chavo were Apter mag darlings by this point getting huge pushes from them and they were Mexican which was a difference from Pedro Morales who was Puerto Rican. Chavo was easily the most polished by that point but Gino was extremely young and had matinee idol looks that could've been very interesting as the champ.

 

That leaves Gagne as the white bread candidate and there was a solid relationship between VJM & Verne and by the time for the change, Greg had been very successful in the AWA as 1/2 of the Hi-Flyers with Brunzell and was a good worker. He had the pedigree and it would've been interesting to see him work outside of his homeland for an extended period of time.

 

Now regarding the guys Dylan mentioned, I do know they wanted Keirn to come in for a regular run in 1980 so he was on their radar but I want to look at their placement at the time of the SBG title win.

 

Tony Atlas = Tony was still wearing the mask as the Black Atlas in GCW and was Georgia TV champion and was making his way up the cards.

 

Jim Brunzell = See Greg Gagne.

 

Ted DiBiase = Spending time in Amarillo and Central States and was basically a high midcard guy at that point.

 

Steve Keirn = Probably the most successful of all these guys as he was the Southern champ in Florida and was working against all the main players in the area by that point.

 

Rick Martel = Rick was in Australia for all of 76-77 having success there but at that time the territory wasn't what it was.

 

Now there were two guys who had been around working the area that could've been picked as well.

 

Kevin Sullivan = Kevin was back in Florida working as a midcard guy mainly but had some success a year earlier for WWWF and was very popular in the area.

 

Larry Zbyszko = Larry had the pedigree of being Bruno's guy and had worked around the south by this point plus at the time of the title change he was back in the territory setting up his run as 1/2 of the tag champs with Tony Garea.

[Dylan Waco]

One thing I am absolutely sure of - no Southerners would have been on the table, especially not someone like The Bullet who was REALLY Southern. I just can't envision any scenario in which Senior goes that route.

 

I actually considered putting Slater on the list, but the problem is by that point in time I think he was already starting to get a rep as something of a headcase. The positives for him would be political (connected closely with the Grahams) and the fact that he had some record as a drawing card already.

 

Robinson I think had no chance and while I like Ray Rougeau, I don't think he was where Martel was in terms of the broader business - people forget Martel had points in some offices/booking responsibilities no later than 78. He was young but had been in the business, had a well respected brother and had at least some key connections. I don't think he's a likely pick and I think you are right to point to his age as a negative, but he was an "old" 20 by wrestling standards.

 

Dory I can't see at all. He lacked the charisma you needed in New York. People criticize Bob in this regard, but he was fiery and could heat up well. Part of that was his youth and power, things Dory never looked like he had.

 

If Senior were looking for an established guy, I think Brisco would have been as good a pick as was available. I am a Funk mark, but no question I would have taken him over Terry for that slot. But I'm not sure Vince was looking for something like that at that point.

[Dylan Waco]

Kris brings up Greg who I considered mentioning, but I think Greg suffers in one key area where Brunzell doesn't - look. To this day I think a lot of the reason Greg gets more shit than he deserves is that he simply doesn't look tough or imposing. Frankly he doesn't look like a wrestler at all and this is coming from someone who enjoys a lot of his work. There are places where I think that could have been worked around. New York? Well it wasn't as bad as Junior's era, but I still think it would have been a major roadblock for Greg. Of course the other thing with Greg is that he was his father's son. Politically that would have hurt as much as it helped at minimum. At the same time Greg was intensely loyal to his dad and I'm pretty positive Verne wouldn't have wanted him to go for an extended run. So while Greg has some of the positives of Brunzell I think he also has some major negatives/hurdles that Jim wouldn't have had.

 

Gino is an interesting one. I admit I can't really picture it but the guy was super charismatic and that look was really unique and dynamic. In some ways it was a "New York" look in fact. Having seen no Gino from that period I would want to know more about how many pieces he had put together at that point and what his rep was at the time. Being brought up to NYC was usually a good sign but I don't think of Gino as a red hot guy during that era.

 

I LOVE the idea of Chavo Classic as WWWF champion, but Kris is right - there is a big difference between Puerto Ricans and Mexicans and in trying to work the "ethnic" angle I'm not sure Mexican would have been the way to go at that point. Sounds like a shit thing to say, but that's my perception without looking at census data. Also hard to see how Chavo works stylistically against the heels they liked to bring in.

 

Should have mentioned Larry in the first post. He seems like he would have been on the radar. Perhaps Sullivan too. I don't think the degree to which Sullivan was a player has been explored or discussed a ton and I'm not really the guy to do it.

 

I wonder if Steamboat would have been on the radar in 77?

[KrisZ]

Steamer was just starting to come into his own for JCP in 1977. I think if they waited a year then he would've been someone to think about but he didn't make his first MSG appearance until 1980.

 

Gino was pushed huge by the NYC centric Apter mags and he was a major player in the dying days of Detroit even winning their US title at 19 years old which at that time was insane.

 

Also Dylan mentioned Terry Funk earlier....there were a lot of talks of Terry coming into WWF for a run with Backlund in the fall of 1980 but they fell apart.

[JerryvonKramer]

This is actually quite a difficult one. If you say that A. Vince Sr. definitely wanted a younger guy and B. that he definitely wouldn't have taken a southern guy, you're not actually left with a huge amount to choose from.

 

There are two other slightly older people who would have been around who don't really fit the Backlund bill but would have been people Vince Sr could have turned to:

 

Angelo Mosca - another Canadian but a reasonably big star in 77 at the age of 38. Would have been a very different style of champ from Backlund.

 

Spiros Arion - again, probably not the route Vince Sr was going, but he was an established star in that region and at 40 still a spring chicken in wrestling terms.

 

What about southern guys Vince Sr had a record of using?

 

Dick Murdoch? Stan Hansen?

 

Beyond that the pickings are starting to look decidedly slim. Bobby Duncum?

[Johnny Guitar]

Kris brings up Greg who I considered mentioning, but I think Greg suffers in one key area where Brunzell doesn't - look. To this day I think a lot of the reason Greg gets more shit than he deserves is that he simply doesn't look tough or imposing. Frankly he doesn't look like a wrestler at all and this is coming from someone who enjoys a lot of his work. There are places where I think that could have been worked around. New York? Well it wasn't as bad as Junior's era, but I still think it would have been a major roadblock for Greg. Of course the other thing with Greg is that he was his father's son. Politically that would have hurt as much as it helped at minimum. At the same time Greg was intensely loyal to his dad and I'm pretty positive Verne wouldn't have wanted him to go for an extended run. So while Greg has some of the positives of Brunzell I think he also has some major negatives/hurdles that Jim wouldn't have had.

 

Gino is an interesting one. I admit I can't really picture it but the guy was super charismatic and that look was really unique and dynamic. In some ways it was a "New York" look in fact. Having seen no Gino from that period I would want to know more about how many pieces he had put together at that point and what his rep was at the time. Being brought up to NYC was usually a good sign but I don't think of Gino as a red hot guy during that era.

 

I LOVE the idea of Chavo Classic as WWWF champion, but Kris is right - there is a big difference between Puerto Ricans and Mexicans and in trying to work the "ethnic" angle I'm not sure Mexican would have been the way to go at that point. Sounds like a shit thing to say, but that's my perception without looking at census data. Also hard to see how Chavo works stylistically against the heels they liked to bring in.

 

Should have mentioned Larry in the first post. He seems like he would have been on the radar. Perhaps Sullivan too. I don't think the degree to which Sullivan was a player has been explored or discussed a ton and I'm not really the guy to do it.

 

I wonder if Steamboat would have been on the radar in 77?

 

Steamboat's not a bad choice in hindsight, but probably not for that era at the time.

 

Purely because Vince Sr knew what he was doing.

 

The man knew what he was doing. Along with Sam and Eddie and a few others.

[Dylan Waco]

Steamer was just starting to come into his own for JCP in 1977. I think if they waited a year then he would've been someone to think about but he didn't make his first MSG appearance until 1980.

 

Gino was pushed huge by the NYC centric Apter mags and he was a major player in the dying days of Detroit even winning their US title at 19 years old which at that time was insane.

 

Also Dylan mentioned Terry Funk earlier....there were a lot of talks of Terry coming into WWF for a run with Backlund in the fall of 1980 but they fell apart.

I don't think Terry ever really liked working for New York. I don't know that he's ever outright said this, but the way he left and backed out of various deals with them over the years gives me that impression. That's another reason I think Jack Brisco would have been a better option than Terry in 77 if they went the established route - Terry was always a bit of a ramblin man (I am going to be pissed if Johnny Sorrow doesn't respond to that line with an emoticon of some sort) and if I was Senior - who was close with Muchnick - I'm not sure I would want to deal with him at that level.

 

I had no clue Gino was that hot/relevant so early. You learn something new every day.

[Dylan Waco]

This is actually quite a difficult one. If you say that A. Vince Sr. definitely wanted a younger guy and B. that he definitely wouldn't have taken a southern guy, you're not actually left with a huge amount to choose from.

 

I should be clear that people are free to explore the possibility that Vince would not have given a fuck about either thing. I think it's possible if the right established name was doable he would have gone that route. Possible he would have turned to Bruno (though I think it unlikely and if that happens no way Graham gets a long title run). Southerner? MAYBE Dusty, who obviously had the political allies and was a huge star, but beyond Dusty someone would have to make a really compelling argument for me to buy it

[cm funk]

This is just me, but if Vince couldn't get Hogan, I think he should have put the belt on Andre. Sheik transitioning the belt still works, and it buys time to build up a superhero who can actually beat Andre The Giant.

 

Could be anyone at that point. The first guy who actually beats Andre is a made man for life.

[Dylan Waco]

The Hogan question has been explored elsewhere in great detail. Short of his death I think Hogan was always going to end up with Vince it was just a matter of when.

[JerryvonKramer]

On Kevin Sullivan - I considered listing him but as with Greg Gagne just can't SEE it. Sullivan surely didn't have the look to be a world champ. He was short and stocky.

 

I'm pretty much spent on guys from the top of my head. If I get some time tomorrow I may bust out the various Wrestling encyclopedias / Who's Who guides I bought a few months ago. Not including Greg Oliver's books, I have about 4 or 5 of them now.

 

One thing this thread has highlighted to me is that I have ZERO conception of what Backlund's standing was prior to getting the world title. I mean was he relatively unknown? Can someone make an analogy that would put it into context.

 

EDIT: I say that and I even spent hours listening to a Backlund shoot once -- I think Terry Funk was interviewing him.

[evilclown]

On Kevin Sullivan - I considered listing him but as with Greg Gagne just can't SEE it. Sullivan surely didn't have the look to be a world champ. He was short and stocky.

 

I'm pretty much spent on guys from the top of my head. If I get some time tomorrow I may bust out the various Wrestling encyclopedias / Who's Who guides I bought a few months ago. Not including Greg Oliver's books, I have about 4 or 5 of them now.

 

One thing this thread has highlighted to me is that I have ZERO conception of what Backlund's standing was prior to getting the world title. I mean was he relatively unknown? Can someone make an analogy that would put it into context.

 

EDIT: I say that and I even spent hours listening to a Backlund shoot once -- I think Terry Funk was interviewing him.

Backlund was a non entity before and after getting the belt. It almost seems like Senior wanted to prove a point—that he could work with anyone on top. It had to have been a powerful lesson for the boys.

[KrisZ]

Backlund was Missouri heavyweight champ for like 8 months getting multiple wins over Race but the one thing he had against him in that run was his other opponents were Lord Alfred Hayes, Roger Kirby, Killer Karl Krupp which at the time those guys were midcard guys. Still though the Missouri title was a big deal even in 1976.

[Bix]

Plus, remember: Vince Sr. wanted a "Jack Brisco type," a handsome clean cut guy with an amateur wrestling background. That's how he got Backlund, he was someone who fit the mold plus he wasn't in demand. Of those listed so far, I'm not sure anyone fits other than maybe Keirn, and I can't remember if he actually did amateur wrestling. Roop didn't have the look they wanted, not then and not even when he was younger.

 

If we're disregarding amateur backgrounds I think Keirn, Brunzell, Gino, and maybe DiBiase (since he was still sort of a blank slate, especially where nobody knew of his dad), are the clear best picks of who's listed above. You don't even need to market Gino as an ethnic hero, and he was a really handsome and charismatic guy.

 

I feel like there have to be some obscure also-ran former amateurs we are forgetting, though.

[jdw]

If you're asking whether someone else could have been a 5 year anchor at that time, other than Bruno... no one could have.

 

If you're asking whether someone could have pulled off a year or so as a Face Champ until they found someone, then Dusty could have. I don't see Dusty holding things together for 5 years... he just didn't have the feel of an NY Champ (Bruno to Pedro to Bruno to Bob to Hogan). But he certainly could have popped for a while.

 

The reason I don't see Dusty sustaining it for five years on top is that part of what made him work was often chasing rather than anchoring. Put the belt on him for 5 years (or even 1+1+1+1 with some breaks of 3 months in there) would take away from what he tended to play best.

 

John

[evilclown]

Backlund was Missouri heavyweight champ for like 8 months getting multiple wins over Race but the one thing he had against him in that run was his other opponents were Lord Alfred Hayes, Roger Kirby, Killer Karl Krupp which at the time those guys were midcard guys. Still though the Missouri title was a big deal even in 1976.

I think in wrestling lore more than anything else. Was it a big deal the next year when Dick the Bruiser and Dick Murdoch traded it back and forth? Or the main belt for a small territory that happened to be run by the President of the NWA?

[Dylan Waco]

A little birdie messaged me about this

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20000303124813/....com/tape70.htm

 

At the bottom John McAdam had this to say in reference to Dibiase.

 

I assure you, Dibiase would have been a hell of a lot more effective as the "non-ethnic whitey" champ the WWF wanted than Bob Backlund. The WWF babyface corps was driven by ethnicism / racism in the 70's, so if you're going to pick a guy based around those parameters, be smart and make Dibiase, who's interviews, ringwork, and charisma blew Backlund's away, your titleholder.

 

So yeah...Just felt like tossing this into the mix.

[KrisZ]

Keirn definitely had amateur success...Coach John Heath would spew all the awards he won on commentary.

 

How bout an unmasked Bill Eadie

[KrisZ]

Backlund was Missouri heavyweight champ for like 8 months getting multiple wins over Race but the one thing he had against him in that run was his other opponents were Lord Alfred Hayes, Roger Kirby, Killer Karl Krupp which at the time those guys were midcard guys. Still though the Missouri title was a big deal even in 1976.

I think in wrestling lore more than anything else. Was it a big deal the next year when Dick the Bruiser and Dick Murdoch traded it back and forth? Or the main belt for a small territory that happened to be run by the President of the NWA?

 

It was a big deal because it was Sam's title and he pushed it as the #2 title in the world. Now was it a big deal everywhere else in the public's eyes absolutely not but with the power of St. Louis it was a big deal with the promoters because if Sam was high on you then you were just about a made man in most places.

[KrisZ]

If you're asking whether someone else could have been a 5 year anchor at that time, other than Bruno... no one could have.

 

If you're asking whether someone could have pulled off a year or so as a Face Champ until they found someone, then Dusty could have. I don't see Dusty holding things together for 5 years... he just didn't have the feel of an NY Champ (Bruno to Pedro to Bruno to Bob to Hogan). But he certainly could have popped for a while.

 

The reason I don't see Dusty sustaining it for five years on top is that part of what made him work was often chasing rather than anchoring. Put the belt on him for 5 years (or even 1+1+1+1 with some breaks of 3 months in there) would take away from what he tended to play best.

 

John

Dusty couldn't work in one place consistently for a long period of time. Sure he dominated Florida for 10 years but he spent a lot of time spread around JCP, GCW, & Watts not to mention working WWF tours.

[KrisZ]

A little birdie messaged me about this

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20000303124813/....com/tape70.htm

 

At the bottom John McAdam had this to say in reference to Dibiase.

 

I assure you, Dibiase would have been a hell of a lot more effective as the "non-ethnic whitey" champ the WWF wanted than Bob Backlund. The WWF babyface corps was driven by ethnicism / racism in the 70's, so if you're going to pick a guy based around those parameters, be smart and make Dibiase, who's interviews, ringwork, and charisma blew Backlund's away, your titleholder.

 

So yeah...Just felt like tossing this into the mix.

DiBiase got over fairly well in 1979 when he had the WWF North American title feuding with Patterson. If they had held Graham's reign another year going into 79, DiBiase could've worked for sure.

[Dylan Waco]

If you're asking whether someone else could have been a 5 year anchor at that time, other than Bruno... no one could have.

 

If you're asking whether someone could have pulled off a year or so as a Face Champ until they found someone, then Dusty could have. I don't see Dusty holding things together for 5 years... he just didn't have the feel of an NY Champ (Bruno to Pedro to Bruno to Bob to Hogan). But he certainly could have popped for a while.

 

The reason I don't see Dusty sustaining it for five years on top is that part of what made him work was often chasing rather than anchoring. Put the belt on him for 5 years (or even 1+1+1+1 with some breaks of 3 months in there) would take away from what he tended to play best.

 

John

I don't disagree with what you have to say about Dusty, but I'm not sure I see how Bob fits in with the either three NY champs better than Dusty would in paper or in practice. You've watched a lot more Backlund than I have, or at least you've watched it a lot more closely than I have, but I don't see the obvious connection.

 

I also see absolutely zero reason to believe Backlund was a unique enough figure to the degree where "no one could have" other than Bruno is the answer here. That's not a knock on Bob at all - he was given the ball, ran with it and had great success. Far more than he is often given credit for. But in no way do I see him as a transcendent figure like Bruno or Hogan, nor do I see him as a guy so clearly ahead of everyone else as a candidate in 77 with potential, that no one else is even feasible.

[evilclown]

It was a big deal because it was Sam's title and he pushed it as the #2 title in the world. Now was it a big deal everywhere else in the public's eyes absolutely not but with the power of St. Louis it was a big deal with the promoters because if Sam was high on you then you were just about a made man in most places.

I understand that is the perception. And maybe it is true. But does that stand under scrutiny? Was Dick Slater a made man anywhere he went? Murdoch? DiBiase? They seemed to fluctuate up and down the card depending on how they got over in any given place. The only guy he really seemed to "make" with the belt was Race, who was the local star.

 

(Please keep in mind that these are real questions and not snarky questions. The internet isn't always good about making that clear.)