Canadian Big Time Wrestling
Date: 1975
Location: London Arena, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentator: Lord Layton

This is something that was released on the Maple Leaf Wrestling Youtube channel and is called Dave McKigney’s unaired pilot for the show. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this and it could go absolutely anywhere. If nothing else, it’s interesting that the show was not picked up, as it might not bode well for what we’re seeing. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring a montage of people throwing fireballs for some reason.

Layton runs down the card, which seems to feature a lot of midwestern American talent.

We get O Canada.

Gene Dubois vs. Waldo Von Erich

According to the description on Youtube, Dubois is the McKigney who produced the show. Von Erich jumps him to start and fires off some knees in the corner, with Dubois not even getting his jacket off. A backdrop doesn’t work for Von Erich as Dubois lands on his feet and gets the jacket off to start the comeback (apparently it’s his Kryptonite). Von Erich gets knocked to the floor but the chase lets him hammer Dubois down and choke away.

Dubois fights up and hits him in the “midriff” before stomping Von Erich in the “knee”. The referee holds him back for a bit, with the distraction letting Von Erich fight back. A thumb to the throat has Dubois down but he slugs away and hits a running boot in the corner. The beating goes outside and they both have to beat the count. Von Erich kicks him back out to the floor and then kicks him again, which is enough for a DQ at 6:33. Well that’s enforcing the rules.

Rating: C. The ending left a bit to be desired but then again it’s 1975 so things were more than a bit different. Von Erich is one of the lesser known members of the family but he was good enough for a spot like this. Dubois being the one putting the show together and getting a spot makes sense, though he was nothing special in the ring.

The Patriot vs. Jay York

The Patriot is a masked man (not Del Wilkes of course) and York is an Alaskan. York takes him down by the arm to start and pulls from the mat with Patriot not being able to get out. Patriot finally reverses into the same pulling, setting off a string of counters on the mat. Patriot’s headscissors slows things down but gets reversed into a leg crank as this is more technical than I was expecting.

A hammerlock has Patriot in more trouble and they take turns exchanging leglocks. Patriot pulls away again as Layton explains that any titles are sanctioned by the NWA, including President Sam Muchnick. Back up and…well never mind as York pulls him back down into a chinlock which is described as “unusual”. York is back up with a clothesline for the win at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Very technical match here and it was fairly entertaining, with York being someone who has impressed me enough over the years. It was a good display of talented people getting on the mat and working out there, which is something you can always use on a show. Patriot could have been just about anyone but he was fine enough in the ring.

United States Title: Tiger Jeet Singh vs. The Sheik

The Sheik is defending in a cage and you have to escape through the door, with over the top not counting for some reason. They go right at it to start with Sheik being sent into the cage over and over. Singh goes for the door so Sheik chokes away to cut him off. Sheik isn’t getting out either though and it’s time to stab Singh in the head with something.

Singh fights back up so Sheik goes over the top, which is cut off almost immediately. The now bleeding Sheik can’t get out of the door in a few attempts so Singh pulls him back in. The beating is on but Sheik grabs the foot before he can escape. Singh chokes a lot and throws him down but it’s still not enough to escape. Some right hands rock Sheik…who falls out of the door to retain at 7:47.

Rating: C. Gah I can’t stand that finish but you know the Sheik isn’t going to lose almost any time. The Sheik had a near strangle hold on that title and he wasn’t about to lose it on something like this. Singh was a star in his day so this was a big time match, but it was only going to get so far with the kind of strange rules and the lame ending.

North American Title: Stan Stasiak vs. Ron Doner

Stasiak is defending (apparently the NWF version of the title) and Doner strikes away a few times to start, much to Stasiak’s annoyance. Doner pulls him down with an armdrag into an armbar but Stasiak fights up. A big shot in the corner misses though and Stasiak bangs up his hand, meaning it’s time for a trip to the floor. Back in and Stasiak works on the arm but gets reversed into a top wristlock. That’s broken up so Doner ties him up in the ropes and hammers away again. Stasiak gets out and hits a quick Heart Punch to retain at 4:19.

Rating: C+. Stasiak has never done much for me but he felt like a big deal here. He felt like a monster that Doner was trying to slay but couldn’t get very far. Granted they only had so much time so there was only so much you could get out of the thing. It’s probably the best I’ve seen from Stasiak though and he did well enough as the evil champion.

Tag Team Titles: Mickey Doyle/Billy Red Lyons vs. Lanny Poffo/Angelo Poffo

The Poffos, with Saul Weingroff, are defending the Detroit versions of the titles. Doyle and Angelo start things off with Doyle armdragging him out to the apron. Back in and Angelo works on the arm before hitting him in the face a few times. With Doyle on the floor, Lanny comes in for some flips, followed by a dropkick to put Doyle outside again. Doyle gets back in and knocks Lanny into the ropes, allowing the diving tag off to Lyons.

House is quickly cleaned so Lanny quickly dives (they like doing that in this match) over to Angelo, who begs off rather quickly. Lyons takes over without much trouble and it’s back to Lanny as we take a break. Back with Lyons holding Lanny so Doyle can forearm him in the chest. Doyle dropkicks him down and it’s back to Angelo, who begs off again. Some slams get two on Angelo and Lyons adds some more before getting taken into the wrong corner.

A jumping forearm to the back of the head gives Lanny two but Lyons backdrops him to the floor. The Poffos have a breather on the floor and Lanny is back in with a missile dropkick (that’s a BIG spot for 1975). Doyle’s comeback is quickly cut off but he slams Angelo a few more times.

Everything breaks down and the Poffos are knocked outside again for a meeting with Weingroff. Angelo comes back in and punches Lyons into the corner but Lyons suplexes his way to freedom. Doyle and Lanny come in for a crisscross until they ram heads and Lanny falls on top (with a push from Angelo) for the pin to retain at 15:35 (announced at 8:15, which is nuts even by wrestling timing).

Rating: C+. Well, the Midnights and the Rock N Roll can’t get here soon enough as it’s so bizarre to see tag matches just kind of coming and going without much structure. They were doing a bunch of stuff over and over until a kind of screwy finish. Lanny’s flips felt way ahead of their time and he stood out, while the fans were behind the challengers. Not a particularly great match, but it was nice to see something get that much time.

Post match, Layton says he doesn’t accept that and says Angelo shoved Lanny onto the cover. That’s actually enough for a DQ, with Layton and Weingroff arguing. The Poffos yells at Layton as the show goes off the air.

Overall Rating: C+. This is the definition of something that is of its time. The action was certainly fine enough and you could see some talent involved. At the same time, this really didn’t feel like a pilot, as much as “here’s a bunch of people, they’re having matches, you might like it”. I’ve seen far worse, but I’m not sure if I’d want to watch this on a regular basis. It’s VERY Detroit based (also known as Big Time Wrestling and only about two hours from London, Ontario) so there’s a good chance it was an offshoot or at least connected to the other promotion. This wasn’t bad, but it needed some adjustments to make it better.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Today we’re looking at a few things that I’d like to see tweaked that could make things better.  These aren’t the major ideas like turn so and so heel or make this guy champion.

 

http://www.wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-wish-list/44582/

Big Time Wrestling
Date: 1978
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Chuck Allen, Mark Lewin

This is a rare occasion where I’m totally lost. Big Time Wrestling was a territory that ran for decades in Detroit and was the home promotion of The Sheik (Original, not Iron) and Bobo Brazil. The video I found of this lists it as being from the 60s but it looks a lot newer than that, perhaps into the mid to late 1970s. I honestly have no idea what to expect here which could mean anything. Let’s get to it.

Austin Idol is listed as being on the show and the latest debut date I can find for him is 1972.

Big Red/Jim Widell vs. Fabulous Kangaroos

Oh now this is really interesting. The Fabulous Kangaroos are the most famous tag team that you’ve probably never heard of. They’re a team which over time has consisted of about five guys who teamed on and off with the gimmick for about twenty five years. The most famous pairing is Al Costello and Roy Heffernan but today we’ve got Costello and Bobby (also called Johnny in other promotions) who was billed as Roy’s cousin.

Their gimmick is that they’re VERY Australian with boomerangs and bush hats and any other stereotype you can think of. They held so many titles that I can’t list them all and were often billed as champions on arrival, which became almost a running bit with them. The originals were pioneers of tag team wrestling but by this point they’re a fairly established name. Did I mention I’ve wanted to cover these guys for awhile? I have no idea who their opponents are but Red is a fat guy with an afro and a big beard.

The Kangaroos have a midair arm wrestling match to determine who gets things going with Heffernan starting against Widell. They head to the mat with some nice technical stuff including Heffernan spinning out of a headscissors. Off to Costello for some right hands before Heffernan comes in again for some stomps. The Kangaroos appear to be heels here which doesn’t feel right for some reason. We get a phone number to call to bring Big Time Wrestling to our town with the contact being listed as Pat O’Connor. I’d be surprised if it was the famous O’Connor but it’s hard to tell with stuff like this.

Heffernan cranks on the arms before hooking a hammerlock. Back to Costello for an ax handle to the face and some right hands. Big Red tries to come in off a blind tag but the actual tag is a few seconds later. How could I have thought Red and Widell were heels? Red is a big fat jolly dancing man. How could that not be a good guy?

Heffernan tries a slam on the 350lb Red which works as well as you would expect. Red goes after the arm and hooks a hammerlock before asking Costello to come in. The big man gets double teamed in the corner but he waddles over to Widell for a tag but the Kangaroos hit the Boomerang (catapult into a backdrop followed by an elbow) for the pin.

Rating: D+. Other than the dancing fat guy, there wasn’t much to this. The Kangaroos didn’t do much for me, though to be fair they were past their primes at this point. This was really just a basic tag match and the finisher came out of nowhere while not looking very good either. Not a terrible match but nothing memorable at all.

Red cleans house post match because he’s a sore loser.

Abdullah the Butcher vs. John Irish

This is joined in progress and the jobber isn’t even given a name until after the match. Not that it matters as Butcher runs him over and drops an elbow for the pin in maybe 30 seconds shown.

Post match Abdullah chokes away until the referee tries to break it up. That goes nowhere so commentator and wrestler Mark Lewin gets up from commentary and makes the real save with no violence.

Billy Bird vs. The Sheik

Sheik has apparently turned face after being a legendary heel in this territory. For those of you unfamiliar, Sheik is basically the father of hardcore wrestling in America and is the real life uncle of Sabu. Sheik bites away on the ropes to start but is cheered anyway. Bird is thrown to the floor and rammed face first into the buckle a few times before the camel clutch gives Sheik a very fast win.

Austin Idol vs. Steve Cooper

Idol is a newcomer and your usual self-obsessed heel. He would feud with Lawler in Memphis for the better part of ever. A slam gets two on Cooper and Idol shouts down that he could do this to Lewin as well. Cooper is thrown down onto the announcers’ table before coming back in for the Rack (not the Torture variety but rather Idol driving his knuckle into Cooper’s temple) and the submission.

Dory Funk Jr./Pierre LaFiv vs. Kurt Von Hess/Bulldog Don Kent

I’m sure you know of Funk. Kent was another of the Fabulous Kangaroos at times but here’s he’s just a heel. We do however get a clue as to the date here as Lewin says Dory Funk Sr. has two sons who won the NWA World Title, meaning this is sometime after December 10, 1975. Dory throws the plump Kent down before countering a clothesline into an armbar in a cool looking move. Off to LaFiv for an armbar before the German Von Hess comes in and is easily armdragged down.

Back to Dory for a headlock of his own before getting caught in a top wristlock. Hess gets forearmed into the corner and it’s off to Bulldog for more armbars. The good guys user both use headlocks on Kent with LaFiv taking him to the mat for a bit. Off to Von Hess for some arm work on Pierre as we get into what would be called the heat segment today. Dory is drawn into the ring, allowing for some heel double teaming and a chinlock from Kent.

We get the same sequence of the heels drawing Dory in so Pierre can be sent to the floor. The heels stay on LaFiv but he finally rolls away and makes the hot tag off to Funk who cleans house. A butterfly suplex puts Von Hess down and there are some forearms for the Bulldog. Dory misses an elbow and gets punched down, only to grab a small package on Kurt for the pin out of nowhere.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Dory being the most interesting thing out there. I know it’s a cliché, but guys like him could just go back in the day. LaFiv was nothing special and Kent was overweight, but Von Hess looked good and was a strong foreign heel character. Good little match here.

Post match Funk gets beaten down and busted open until Terry Funk makes the save. A fan has to give up his t-shirt to wrap around Dory’s head. Some first aid. Kent and Austin Idol come back out to try another fight but the Funks stare them down.

Garth Vader vs. Stan Stasiak

Yes serious, Garth Vader and he wears a mask with stars on it. Stasiak is a former WWF Champion. He pounds away on Vader with his taped up hand (for his Heart Punch) before putting on a nerve hold. One good thing here: Terry Funk is called a former NWA World Champion so this is sometime after February 6, 1977.

Stasiak pounds away on the chest before throwing him out to the floor. Back in and Stasiak fires off more right hands before letting Vader get back up. They box for a bit before Stasiak takes it to the floor and throws Vader at the announce table. Cue Sheik to throw a garbage can at Stasiak, only to have Stan hit a quick Heart Punch for the pin on Garth.

Rating: D. This was rather dull but seriously….HIS NAME WAS GARTH VADER??? I haven’t seen much of Stasiak but given that his biggest claim to fame is a nine day world title reign, there isn’t much to see of him on top of the world. Still though, I can’t get over the name Garth Vader. I think it’s safe to say this is after Star Wars came out.

Sheik chases off Stasiak post match. Stasiak says after he gets done with Sheik, he’s coming for Lewin. Why isn’t Lewin the top guy in the company as apparently everyone wants to kill him. Sheik pounds on him with a card table but Stasiak won’t get in the ring with him. They’re still chasing each other as the fans want Sheik to take Stasiak apart. Sheik finally gets in a table shot and pounds away on Stasiak, even hitting him with his own Heart Punch. Sheik leaves and Stasiak goes over to the announce table saying he was still up but everyone else goes down when Stasiak hits him. Stasiak talks trash to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As much trouble as I had figuring out where this was, there wasn’t a lot of bad stuff on here. This is actually a stacked show with a ton of big names and a (for the time) insane three former world champions on the same card. It’s not something I’d watch week to week but still this worked out well enough. Good show here.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume I at Amazon for just $4 at:

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books for just $4 at: