[1976-03-01-WWWF-MSG, NY] Bruno Sammartino vs Ernie Ladd

[paul sosnowski]

Bruno defends the WWWF World Heavyweight Title at MSG.   WWE has the date wrong.   3/1/76 is correct

 

[Wahoos Leg]

Ladd's schtick is pretty fun here, from his sleight of hand with the gimmick for his thumb, to his facial expressions, to his continued cheating but usually doing so out of the ref's point of view so as to not bury the referee. A lot of punchy-kicky-stompy from Bruno, but his punches looked good.  This seems worth watching to me for historical value and I think young wrestlers could learn something from studying Ladd's performance in particular.

Here's my link to the full review and write-up, as part of my 365 Wrestling project.

 

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino vs Ernie Ladd -  WWF MSG 3/1/76

I don’t know if I have seen an Ernie Ladd match before actually I think saw one on the Mid-South Set. I am sure playing pro football took its toll on him but he is not the most spry man. He relies more on cheating and his gimmicked thumb.

Bruno starts off surprisingly with arm drags seems weird for someone as big as Ladd to go over so easily but his legs are so long it necessitates rope breaks. Ladd closes the gap with a Bearhug and a choke. A pretty languid beginning. Bruno starts to fire up with great strikes and a back body drop. Ladd uses the gimmicked thumb to turn the tables. Bruno comes back but eats the buckles on a charge. Ladd does a couple three point stance shoulder tables not as good as Duggan. Ladd does a couple leg drops not as good as Hogan. Ladd misses the big splash and Bruno pins him but lets up a little early to protect Ladd.

One of the worst Bruno matches I think that was even worse than Arion matches. No heat, no energy, no urgency. What makes Bruno matches great are fists of fury and a high energy heel. Ladd has a languid cool factor but doesn’t translate well into this type of pro wrestling. Avoid.