wrestling / Video Reviews

WWWF All-Star Wrestling (9.9.1978) Review

April 14, 2021 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
WWWF All-Star Wrestling 9-9-1978 Vince McMahon Dino Bravo Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
5.6
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
WWWF All-Star Wrestling (9.9.1978) Review  

-Originally aired September 9, 1978.

-Your host is Vince McMahon. Andre the Giant is on the show this week!

SPIROS ARION (with Fred Blassie) vs. FRANK WILLIAMS

-I was digging around some old newspaper archives this weekend and actually found a neat in-depth article about ring announcer Jjjjjjjjjjjjjjoe McHugh, who is 74 years old at the time of this episode and per the article, has been ring announcing so long that most venues didn’t have microphones or speakers during his first few years in the business. He was also a stand-up comic during Prohibition and for a time he was a nightclub promoter who paid Red Skelton $35 for one of his first gigs. Also, he ran a roof repair business on the side during his later years. So there you go, everything you never asked about Joe McHugh.

-Front facelock and a side headlock by Arion who can wrestle scientifically or “romp and stomp” when he wants to. He can tie buckets to his feet? Arion goes to a chinlock, and I suppose the romping and stomping will just have to wait a week. Hangman in a kneeling position by Arion, and Williams passes out in the hold, but rather than finish him, Arion just stomps him. His romping remains conspicuous in its absence, however.

-Williams gets fired up and throws a dropkick out of nowhere, but Arion just boots him down and still refuses to pin Williams. Backbreaker finally ends it after 7 1/2 minutes. The hangman was a cool-looking finisher and he should have just ended it there.

DINO BRAVO vs. BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA

-Baron works the arm and throws punches, which concerns Vince because Baron “MUST obey the rules!” We live in a SOCIETY, Baron! Dino fights back with his own punches and goes to a hammerlock. Vince announces that the newest issue of WWWF Wrestling Action Magazine is on sale, and fun fact: I just learned that Les Thatcher edited the magazine as a side gig. And it turns out that by the standards of the time, it was a really attractive magazine, with full-color photos and inserted posters, and painted covers that stood out from the rest of the era’s “three different photos of guys bleeding” wrestling magazine covers.

-Baron hammers away on Dino, but Dino fights back with a pair of dropkicks to finish. I’ve noticed that in the 1970s, ONE dropkick never finishes, but two dropkicks are lethal. This match existed.

-Vince interviews Dino Bravo. He wins because he’s not afraid of pain.

HANDICAP MATCH: ANDRE THE GIANT vs. JOSE ESTRADA & TONY RUSSO
-It’s every crowd-pleaser Andre the Giant handicap match you’ve ever seen.

CRUSHER BLACKWELL (with The Grand Wizard) vs. STEVE KING

-I wonder if Steve King ever worked as a jobber in other territories working exactly the same style of matches but calling himself Richard Bachman.

-Top wristlock by Crusher as he focuses on the arm. Hammerlock slam, one of my favorite moves that I just never see anymore. Vince encourages us to get pencil and paper because he’s going to tell us after this match how to get a subscription to Wrestling Action Magazine. I think it speaks volumes that Vince is consistently bored by the wrestling on this show, but he’s horny as hell when he has merchandising to tell us about.

-King throws a series of dropkicks, but Crusher shakes them off, or jiggles them off more accurately. Running powerslam ends it easily for Crusher.

YUKON LUMBERJACKS (Tag Team Champions, with Captain Lou Albano) vs. JIMMY RAY & LARRY ZBYSZKO
-Larry still has his “37 rounds of bare knuckle boxing to-nite” mustache. He battles with Erik for a top wristlock. Not much happens, as both guys exchange the old stink-eye, and after a lot of nothing, Larry stalls and has an argument with the referee. Yes, he’s the babyface, but Larry Gonna Larry.

-Pierre tags in and applies a hammerlock. Larry punches him away and tags in Jim Ray. Ray throws rapid-fire forearms, but Pierre shakes it off and slams him down. Elbow gets three. Ray was in the ring for about 30 seconds.

5.6
The final score: review Not So Good
The 411
This week was there.
legend