The SmarK Rant for WWF in MSG – 04.29.74

The SmarK Rant for WWF in MSG – 04.29.74

Originally written 10.24.25

I just want to point out that I’m home sick from work this morning and I decided to use the time to finally review WrestleDream after buying the PPV on Prime Video, but now there’s no replay available because they pulled it down. SO IT’S NOT MY FAULT. Thankfully they immediately refunded me and left me to my own devices to find another source. So instead you get this today, because this is the closest thing I could think of as a substitute. No idea what’s even on the card, I just review what Richard Land sends me and don’t ask questions. We’re all happier that way.

Taped from Madison Square Garden. Much like myself, this looks pristine for 51 years old. Unfortunately it’s not the full show, running only 90 minutes. It looks to be assembled from individual matches featured on WWE 24/7 at various times.

Your host is Vincent Kennedy McMahon

Bob Fuller v. “Rough and Tough” Ed Sullivan

Vince makes sure to note that Sullivan is no relation to the more famous one. Bob is of course better known as Robert Fuller and Colonel Robert Parker in later years, making his MSG debut here. Fuller takes him down with a headlock as Vince notes that Fuller is “rather long and lanky to be a pro wrestler”. Well there’s one thing long and lanky on him, that’s for sure. Sullivan reverses to a headscissors to escape the headlock, so Fuller threatens fisticuffs in the corner. Sullivan takes him down with a wristlock and apparently threatens to eat Bob’s fingers. What’s next, “got your nose”? Peek-a-boo? This match is vicious. Sullivan works the arm and rakes the face in various ways to retain control. Sullivan with the dreaded neck massage, but Fuller makes the comeback with a backdrop and slugs away on the ropes before putting him down with a dropkick and double underhook suplex to finish at 9:45, drawing a big pop from the crowd. Fuller as the plucky babyface worked well. **1/2

Dean Ho v. Nikolai Volkoff

Check out the head of hair on Volkoff back in the day! Dean Ho was half of the tag team champions at this point, with Tony Garea, although they’d drop the titles to the Valiants a week after this. Dean is from Hawaii, so naturally Vince promotes him as a master of the martial arts, both kung fu AND karate. Ho was a big star at the time but he’s always been a blind spot for me. Volkoff puts the boots to him in the corner, but Ho fires back with a Mongolian chop to chase him off. Volkoff chokes him out on the ropes and beats on him in the corner again, this time with headbutts. Ho fights back with more chops, waving his arms around like Bruce Lee so you know he’s authentic. Volkoff takes him down with a stranglehold, but Ho fights out of it with chops and Volkoff protests to the ref and then boots Ho down anyway before going back to the choke. Only he is allowed to cheat, you see. Volkoff works him over in the corner again, but Ho throws more chops before missing a blind charge. And Volkoff puts one more boot to his head before pinning him at 5:45. This was fine and obviously Volkoff was on the way up to a title shot. **

WWF World title: Bruno Sammartino v. Killer Kowalski

Kowalski immediately attacks the leg and goes to work on it, but Bruno quickly fires up and tosses Killer down before putting the boots to him. Kowalski makes the ropes and then takes out the leg again, but Bruno hammerlocks him and drops knees on the arm until Kowalski takes out the knee again to escape. Kowalski chokes him out in the ropes, but Bruno makes another comeback and sends Killer flying with punches before pounding him with forearms. Kowalski hides in the ropes, so Bruno just beats the hell out of him as the crowd goes crazy, and then tries the bearhug. Kowalski quickly rakes the eyes to escape, so Bruno beats on his midsection with body shots and Kowalski hides in the corner to escape. Kowalski is basically out on his feet, but he’s ACTING, and hits a stunned Bruno with a dropkick out of nowhere to take over again. Powerslam out of the corner and he drops a knee for two. Double stomp gets two.

Kowalski with the stomach claw and he goes up, but Bruno slams him off the top for another comeback. Kowalski goes after the arm to cut that off, but Bruno takes out the leg now and twists him up on the mat. Kowalski puts the boots to him again and ties up the arm in the ropes this time, but Bruno fires up and takes out the leg again. They trade holds on the mat and Kowalski chokes him out on the ropes as this slows down a lot. Killer goes to the top, but Bruno slams him off for two. Bruno beats him down in the corner, but Kowalski goes back to the stomach claw to put Bruno down again before going to the middle rope for a flying stomp for two. So Bruno picks him up like a sack of potatoes and dumps him to the apron before running him into the post. So Kowalski also dumps Bruno to the floor, and then bites him in the corner before beating him down and busting him open. But Bruno will not go down and he fights back, blowing the roof off the Garden. Killer keeps biting the cut, and they slug it out until the ref stops the match at 24:28 because it’s out of hand. And the dressing room clears out with everyone trying to pull them apart while they fight. No real finish to the match but it was great stuff from two guys who knew how to work this kind of match. ***3/4

Mr. Fuji v. Pedro Morales

Fuji blatantly tucks the racist salt into his tights while Vince notes that the only way to ensure a fair fight is to have him “strip naked and streak across the ring” and I’m just gonna say no thanks to that. Fuji gives Pedro a clean break on the ropes but then tries a cheap shot, so Pedro gives him a few punches and Fuji uses a foreign object on him. And there’s this granny at ringside who is LOSING HER MIND and yelling at the ref, so angry that she can barely stay in her seat, so you know Fuji is gonna egg her on. Fuji goes to an armbar and gets some shots with the object, but Pedro leaps over him and takes him down, before Fuji gives him a pinch of salt to the eyes to put him down again. Pedro retreats to the apron and Fuj sneaks around the ring like a cartoon character. But then Pedro catches the salt and gives it right back to Fuji, and sends him to the floor. Back in, Fuji pleads innocence and claims not to even know who brought the salt into the match or what salt is for that matter, but Pedro gives him the big Popeye punch. Fuji with a slam and he goes up, but misses the flying splash and flops around the ring in pain as they’re playing to the cheap seats. Pedro comes back with slams and finishes him off at 9:55. Just a fun and goofy match. **

Andre the Giant & Chief Jay Strongbow v. Otto Von Heller & Don Leo Jonathan

Von Heller appears to be your standard Nazi bad guy of the time, although I guess something happened a couple of years later and he got kind of blackballed and turned into TV jobber Mike Hall before leaving the business in 81. Not much info out there. Don Leo Jonathan is another famous guy from the pre-national era that I never really had any experience with, although my dad always talked highly of him and Whipper Billy Watson. The babyfaces quickly double-team Otto in the corner, so Jonathan comes in and wants to punch Andre in the nose. Good luck there. So they exchange headlock attempts and Strongbow comes in for the double-team to frustrate Don. Andre surfboards Jonathan and Strongbow comes in to help, but walks into a bearhug. Jonathan gives him the squeezin’ of a lifetime, so Strongbow slides out and tags in Andre. And he puts Jonathan in a bearhug of his own before Strongbow adds a sleeper. Otto breaks that up and the ref calls for the DQ at 6:40 to end the first fall.

Second fall and Strongbow throws chops on Don, taking him to the corner for a double team with Andre, but Heller uses the tag rope and they beat on Jay in the heel corner. Von Heller doesn’t seem like a super effective heel. Andre comes in and bearhugs him, but Jonathan breaks that up, so Andre goes right back to it, tosses Jonathan out of the ring, and then splashes Von Heller and pins him at 11:46. Man, Von Heller was completely useless out there. *1/2

Hey, I got Andre and Bruno and a young Robert Fuller, what’s not to like? A fun MSG outing.