All Star Wrestling on the Network

[Sean Liska]

Aw man this TV made me fall in love with Vince and Bruno as the 2nd best announce team ever and now we lost Bruno. What a man and what a life he lived.

[Sean Liska]

Did Vince Sr. book the weekly TV or did he have bookers?

[Ricky Jackson]

As far as I can tell, Vince Sr was very much like his son (or more accurately, Vince Jr is very much like his father): in charge of booking the big picture programs, but also having a crew of people helping in different ways, such as Gorilla Monsoon in Pennsylvania/Deleware for example. None of this has ever really been properly documented though

[TheDuke]

I finally got around to watching those 2 episodes of All Star while listening to Kelly and Landry's podcast commentary. I have to say this show does seem more enjoyable then I would have expected based on the 70's WWF MSG shows or Spectrum or whatever footage I have already seen. It is crazy seeing a young Roddy Piper as a babyface in WWF. I keep thinking that face Piper would do really good against Monster Heels, but I never really see him put in those situations. His fired up babyface routine just seems like it would fit so well against a seemingly invincible opponent, like he could probably do a really good "refusing to quit no matter the odds" kind of story line.

 

I do agree that it seems so strange that 40 year old wrestlers in the 70s look so old and broken down, and today half the top guys in WWE are like close to 40 and still look buff.

[flyonthewall2983]

Have to admit I have not watched much of it, but I love that intro for the show from 79 on. Very retro sports-y type feel to it.

[SpecialK]

Watching some random episodes - amazing that someone heard Antonino Rocca speak and thought "THAT guy should be a colour commentator!"

[clintthecrippler]

Eh, given that a good chunk of the WWWF fan base was still Northeast folks that were first or second generation Americans from immigrant families, having someone like Rocca on commentary makes sense.

 

I personally find his proclamation upon hearing about a match he is excited to see that "I am going to take my shoes off and enjoy this!" very charming and quaint.

[Sean Liska]

Ah we get things really going on the 1/12/80 show with Larry Z doing an interview with Vince, saying he can't continue moving his career forward if he's in Bruno's shadow, saying he respects him but just wants a scientific match on TV with him to prove himself. Fun understated promo, reminds me of Memphis, Vince is great as always.

[Ricky Jackson]

*Turns on 1/17/81 All-Star* Dom DeNucci and a rookie Jim Duggan vs the Moondogs. Time to get comfortable 

[Cornette's racket]

I'm watching the first episode from all star wrestling from 1980 and say what you want about Freddie blasie, it takes a brave man to wear all pink and make it work. 

[Cornette's racket]

Wait since when did the grand wizard talk in the WWF ? I'd never heard him talk before but here he is talking away. 

[Ricky Jackson]

Well, he was a manager, so he kinda needed to talk, and be good at it.

Did you mean to type George Steele? He talked from his debut in the late-60s up to the early-80s. It was only his last run in the WWF where he could only say a few words

[Cornette's racket]

9 minutes ago, Ricky Jackson said:

Well, he was a manager, so he kinda needed to talk, and be good at it.

Did you mean to type George Steele? He talked from his debut in the late-60s up to the early-80s. It was only his last run in the WWF where he could only say a few words

No I'm watching the first all star wrestling episode of 1980 on the network and clearly I've not seen enough grand wizard stuff but I didn't recall him speaking. He's managing ken patera in a match and it's a post match interview and Vince and patera do most of the talking but the grand wizard just starts talking. Ken patera is a good promo. When I say good I mean it makes sense. 

[khawk20]

Wiz was a talker. I'm sure you've just missed his promos until now. 

[BigBadMick]

6 hours ago, Cornette's racket said:

Wait since when did the grand wizard talk in the WWF ? I'd never heard him talk before but here he is talking away. 

'Talking away' is a wonderful local turn of phrase. Fair play. 

[Cornette's racket]

15 minutes ago, khawk20 said:

Wiz was a talker. I'm sure you've just missed his promos until now. 

That's my guess. I mean any other guy I've ever watched him manage they were all able to cut a promo and he never spoke and patera could talk as well so I wasn't expecting the grand wizard to talk. 

[CarpetCrawler]

Wiz managed Don Muraco during his early 1980s heel runs and they would do promos together, it was fantastic stuff.  There's a promo where Vince asks him why the fans like to boo him and Don so much and he says something like "McMahon, the booze in the fans is why you hear those boos".  Wiz was the man.  

[peachchaos]

Picking up at the end of 1981 to coincide with my Mid South on the Network walkthrough. 12/19 has a cool Jesse Ventura squash with a green Curt Hennig selling like he was bloodied by Dick Murdoch. Blassie even gets a shot in. Afterwards Jesse pushes himself as the "bodyguard" of The Rolling Stones and that he's dating Stevie Nicks in an entertaining promo that cuts out as Blassie brags about knowing Mick Jagger on a first name basis. 

[flyonthewall2983]

I stopped watching mid-way through that promo, I ought to catch the rest of it. Hennig flies like a bat out of hell out of the ring at one point.