Titans of Wrestling #9

[JerryvonKramer]

http://placetobenation.com/titans-of-wrest...-february-1980/

 

 

Parv, James “the Super 8 stalkerâ€, “Weeping†Kelly, “Lead Analyst†Pete and “the legend of podcasting†Johnny Sorrow take their first step into WWF 1980.

 

On the docket tonight:

 

01-12-80 Larry Zbyszko challenges Bruno Sammartino to a scientific match (Championship Wrestling)

 

01-12-80 HULK HOGAN vs ANGELO GOMEZ & JOHNNY RIVERA (Championship Wrestling)

 

01-12-80 Bruno Sammartino responds to Larry Zbyszko’s challenge (Championship Wrestling)

 

01-12-80 BOB BACKLUND vs BOBBY DUNCUM (WWF Title Match – Philadelphia Spectrum)

 

01-12-80 PAT PATTERSON vs LOU ALBANO (Philadelphia Spectrum)

 

01-80 PROMOS: Pat Patterson, Ken Patera & The Grand Wizard, Bob Backlund, Lou Albano (w/Wild Samoans) (WWF TV)

 

01-21-80 TITO SANTANA/IVAN PUTSKI vs WILD SAMOANS (Tag Team Title Match – MSG)

 

01-21-80 BOB BACKLUND vs KEN PATERA (WWF Title Match – MSG)

 

01-26-80 Bruno Sammartino promo (Championship Wrestling)

 

01-26-80 LARRY ZBYSZKO vs JOHN BUFORD; Larry Zbyszko says if he can’t get a match with Bruno, he’ll retire. Bruno comes out and accepts the challenge. (Championship Wrestling)

 

02-02-80 BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs LARRY ZBYSZKO (Championship Wrestling)

 

Some highlights include:

 

- Spotlight on Bruno Sammartino

 

- Kelly gives us bios for Angelo Gomez and John Buford (WHO??!)

 

- Johnny does an impression of drunk Adam West as Batman meeting Lawler in Memphis

 

- Appreciation of and emotional responses to one of the all-time great, subtle and nuanced angles, Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zybysko

 

- Insights into the character of the Grand Wizard

 

The PWO-PTBN Podcast Network features great shows you can find right here at Place to Be Nation. By subscribing on iTunes or SoundCloud, you’ll have access to new episodes, bonus content, as well as a complete archive of: Where the Big Boys Play, Titans of Wrestling, Pro-Wrestling Super-Show, Good Will Wrestling, and Wrestling With the Past.

[shoe]

I mentioned Patera and Slaughter as Bob's best opponents. I totally dropped the ball on Adrian Adonis.

[Johnny Sorrow]

This was so much fucking fun to do and to listen to . Podcast perfection.

[robertsilva]

This was so much fucking fun to do and to listen to . Podcast perfection.

Rob Naylor used to be my hero. You are my new hero of wrestling podcasts. Hope one day you and Naylor will do a show together, with Will as the straight man.

[SteveJRogers]

Adam West in Memphis:

 

[shoe]

This was so much fucking fun to do and to listen to . Podcast perfection.

Rob Naylor used to be my hero. You are my new hero of wrestling podcasts. Hope one day you and Naylor will do a show together, with Will as the straight man.

 

 

Poor Rob 1st he loses his job and is replaced by Johnny as your new hero.

 

Just kidding, glad you're listening to the show .

[soup23]

Another great show boys.

 

Kelly thinking about Denucci in the shower is something else. I'm picturing Parv doing the same thing to Dibiase, Sorrow to Albano, and James to Bulldog Bob. Pete is able to restrain his adulation for people but perhaps Steamboat?

 

The Larry vs. Bruno feud seems fascinating. I was wondering if there were any comparisons to it that seem to correlate? I was thinking it mainly sounded like a Japanese or lucha feud in that the angle transfixed the company but was really contained between a personal vendetta between two individuals. No outside personal stuff seemed to be brought in and it didn't seem to make an overarching social commentary like the boss/worker context of Austin vs. Vince or USA vs. Canada from 1997. Cant wait to dig into this youtube footage.

[shoe]

Chad we couldn't even put into words on how well executed and shockingly amazing this angle was. If someone wanted to call it the greatest angle of all time I wouldn't argue it. Glad you liked the show.

[jpchicago23]

I'm really enjoying this podcast and the cast is pure gold. I love Petes slant on watching wrestling to enjoy it and not try to pick it apart. I'm pretty sure of was Pete who said something to that affect. I also like that a guy like Johnny with so much old school knowledge doesn't try to one up everyone and make himself superior. Instead he's just like look here boys let's sit under the learning tree and zone the fuck out. Some of the other podcasts are way too my way is gospel and that just isn't the case with you guys. Parv has been a great host and definitely deserves a lot of credit along with Brickhithouse on fathering this whole thing.

[shoe]

Glad you're liking the show. Personally I barely knew any of these guys before we did the show. I credit Parv and James for playing to our strengths. I'm Pete by the way .I 'm all for analyzing matches , but don't feel the need to spend a ton of time disecting a match that we all liked. The arm selling bothered Parv more than the rest of us. I felt he had a valid criticism . Yet I ranked the match at 4 stars and Parv had it at 3 and 3/4 stars . To me we both liked it. I think that sometimes people forget that. Now if we are far apart on a match it's worth looking closer .

[BrickHithouse]

I find that shoe is always incorrect with his analysis.

[Ricky Jackson]

 

What?

 

I'm a big fan of DeNucci and I think this is a great action shot.

[shoe]

Brick at least my analysis has more depth than I saw Super 8 in the crowd. Lmao

[BrickHithouse]

We each play to our strengths

[JerryvonKramer]

What is your strength James? Mine is ability to eat Ben and Jerry's without being sick or finishing Inoki matches.

[BrickHithouse]

I'd say my strength is scouring the internet for all this youtube footage.

 

That, and smartass comments

[JerryvonKramer]

What about weaknesses? My weakness is Ted.

[BrickHithouse]

My weakness is "everything not mentioned in my last post"

[fishbaugh]

Pretty good week for podcasts -- got a new Hardcore History and a new Titans! This was the best episode yet -- the whole crew really gels and Parv does a great job of keeping things moving along as a host. A couple of weeks back I was doing some traveling and was listening to you guys on the plane and the Super 8 and Denucci stuff had me rolling and probably annoying everyone around me!

 

Kind of missed the mailbag this time around tbh

[Kevin Ridge]

Shoe's racism is charming. Just kidding. Hogan looked so huge compared to those jobbers. Two against one and they got nothing against him. So was Parv's example of starting your podcast and not being under the shadow a lesson towards Kelly?! I was hoping for a tearful promo by Kelly wanting to prove himself as podcast lead host. Pete, I have your back!!! I don't get why people disliked the last Backlund/Duncum match so much. Super (8) heated start in this one. Loved Bob taking it to Duncum at the beginning. This finish hurt it for me with the blood stoppage and Duncum not winning the title. More I think about this one it is strange to see Duncum walk out with the win but Backlund seems to be moving on to Patera. I don't like to look ahead at match listings so maybe there is more to Bob/Duncum but doesn't feel the case.

 

Patterson/Albano was too short for me. Patterson needed to get more in though I did get a kick out of Albano doing the whole Memphis hiding the object. Albano needed to do some jobs with him being just a manager. Haha! I've totally noticed during these segments that Vince would blink a ton! The crotch over the ropes is the big move to a stretcher job. Inoki got beat up with that move against Backlund. Loved James Bruno's hair piece comment as was totally noticing that during promo. John Buford! Played a huge role in Gettysburg battle by selecting the high ground in the field of battle for the Union's benefit. I love the Dominic Dennuci middle aged and crazy angle. Really liked Backlund versus Patera. I love the idea of legitimate record setting weight lifter Patera versus underrated strength guy in the ring Backlund. I'm sort of in Parv's corner about Backlund completely recking Patera's arm in this match and not going anywhere. But there did enough rest of the way for me to still really enjoy it.

 

Great that everyone loved the Larry/Bruno segments/match. This was some fantastic TV. My initial thought was damn I wish they stretched this out a few more weeks before the turn. But more I thought about it they probably would have done some tag matches with miscommunication and stuff that made things too obvious. Larry makes such a convincing case as to why he wants to face Bruno in a match. Why wouldn't any athlete want to prove themselves to be the best? I really liked the match and though it was a perfect example of how Bruno probably could have worked a different style than his heavy punch/kick combination. The turn was executed so awesomely with Larry finally have enough of things and attacking Bruno with the chair. Bruno lying down face first in his own blood was an amazing visual. And he gets stretchered out lying on his stomach! Looking forward big time to this angle playing out the rest of 80.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I said this as a person who has not watched the Bruno/Larry footage and I don't doubt for one bit that it is as bitchin' as you all say it is. I will say that you don't give WWE enough credit for slow-burn feuds especially given brother vs. brother. Bret vs Owen and Taker vs Kane both had reluctant brothers unwilling to fight their brothers not because they knew they would beat them because they did not want to inflict physical and emotional damage to them. It is why the klitschko brothers have not and will never fight. It is why the Williams Sisters tennis matches are some of the greatest psychological moments in sports. You have to look across the net to see the person you grew up with that you love as much or more than any other and know that you have to rob them on happiness. In none of the four major sports, will you see this is kind of tense individual interaction. The Mannings never take the field at the same time. So when you add the physical element of wrestling, not only do you have to beat your brother, but you have to beat either into submission or negotiate a pinfall for three seconds on a National stage. Have I fought my brother? Fuck yeah, I have. Could I actually FIGHT my brother? Hell no. I know the intention of wrestling is not to maim to your opponent, but to win a fall. However, in the process, you still have to deny your brother. In that ring, he is just another victim. I could never do that. That's what makes these angles so riveting and some of the best of all-time. So I see why Larry Z felt the need to declare himself his own man by challenging Bruno, but I agree with Bruno. Individual competition against someone you love especially in a combat sport sounds cruel, but it sure is fucking great TV.

 

Other slow-burn feuds off the top of my head where you could see the heel side of things: Hogan/Orndorff and Hogan/Savage. I am really having trouble coming up with some NWA/WCW counterparts, which is weird because I prefer their angles.

[King Solomon]

Just listened to this pod cast.

 

There is where I come out on the Bruno-Zybsko angle and who I looked on as the sympatehtic figure in this scenario. I know some of you sympathized with Larry. I go with Bruno for sure on this one. Larry seems to me in this angle like the typical person that has a "Victim Mentality" and blames other people for his lot in life. His first challenge to Bruno was cool but then he started getting whiny about why he is looked at as Bruno's protege. It comes across as kind of him being a "bitc$!". I see this type all too often in the Working world as I am in Management. They don't want to take responsibility for their situation in life or be accountable for their mistakes. Always want something given to them instead of earning it. I could easily see why a 1980 crowd would see Larry this way. These days he might be the face in the situation due to a change in morals as people today in general aren't as mentally tough and they would tend to side with a complaining malcontent rahter than a man like "Bruno" who works hard for everything he's got.. Larry was where Larry was because of him not Bruno (speaking in a Kayfabe sense). So like a little bitc$! he had to betray Bruno like a slimeball instead of be a "Man" about it. Great angle and both guys did a Knock out job playing thier roles. Regarding if Hogan was at fault for the issues he had Orndorff, Andre and Savage I only lay the blame for on the Savage deal. Never get in the way between a guy and his girl. Paul Orndorff was just jealous and insecure, I mean come on so Hogan wouldn't take your calls, what are you his girlfriend? I would laugh at a buddy if he started whining about me not taking his calls.