Mean Gene Okerlund hosts this Coliseum Home Video from the WWF Control Center alongside The Living Legend Himself Bruno Sammartino, who offers sweet wonderful kayfabe comments prior to each match.
1. WWWF World Heavyweight Title: Bruno Sammartino [c] vs. Nikolai Volkoff (10/25/76)
Mean Gene says this took place on 10/25/75, but it is 1976. It’s very, very, very Basic Bruno – and basic Nikolai, for that matter. Lots of stomps. I mean a lot of em. After a lot more, the footage clips to Bruno reversing an Irish whip in the corner and rolling Nikolai up for 3. There’s charm to these two but it’s neither’s finest outing. **
2. WWWF World Heavyweight Title: Bruno Sammartino [c] vs. Baron Von Raschke (MSG 3/28/77)
One of the unintended discoveries of WWE Network’s Hidden Gems for me has been seeing all the different shades of Von Raschke, spanning charming old man to the violent heel in play here. This version is very much my favorite.. he’s just so BROODING. Bruno is no slouch either, and he throws a running kick here that is just phenomenal. There’s some dead space here, but there are also stretches where Bruno is selling his shoulder, getting shots in, then ducking away, and those stretches are very nice. Raschke chokes Bruno until the DQ is called and some babyfaces make the save. ***
3. Texas Death Match: Bruno Sammartino vs. Ken Patera (MSG 8/29/77)
These are two main event talents who are selling their asses off but it’s a match that doesn’t really have a peak. They’re just wailing on each other. A lot. And sometimes the crowd pops, but sometimes the crowd is quiet, and if you’re wrestling Bruno Sammartino in front of a 70s crowd that isn’t going apeshit you might have an issue. Patera shouts “GET UP, BOY!” a bunch and Bruno has a spectacular collision with a loose turnbuckle. A Patera German suplex appears to get the 3-count, but Patera had his shoulders down so Bruno gets the win. If you’re into old school wrestling this is good stuff, if you’re not run far away and never speak of it again. **3/4
4. WWWF World Heavyweight Title: Bruno Sammartino [c] vs. Killer Kowalski (MSG 4/29/74)
Mean Gene explains that Kowalski is a man who ripped off an opponent’s ear one time with a vicious kneedrop, while Bruno calls him the toughest man he has ever faced. This is not a great match but it has some WILD heat, just insane. Kowalski, who bites at Bruno’s ear a whole bunch, was an absolute heat magnet. Bruno’s eventual rally gets a ridiculous reaction, just complete anarchy in MSG. They have a pull-apart brawl in front of a raucous crowd and the match is called a draw. Crazy heat. ***1/4
Mean Gene Okerlund Interviews Bruno Sammartino
For about 5 minutes Bruno answers questions from Mean Gene in the TV studio and with anybody else it’d probably be standard gimmicky stuff, but Bruno treats this seriously and sweats profusely as he gives thoughtful answers on his longevity in wrestling, his match with Pedro Morales at Shea Stadium, his philosophies on wrestling and life, a comparison of wrestlers from the past vs. the present, his new role as an announcer, and coming out of retirement. His speech at around 46 minutes in on life is incredible:
“It’s simple. It’s really simple. My philosophy on life is that I’ve tried … I’ve had a good family, good parents. My philosophy is that, don’t go out there, as far as your general life, to hurt anybody. Help whoever you can, be as decent a human being as you can. Don’t let success spoil you, because that’s the one tragedy of life. Some people do get success and this success changes them, which to me, is a tragedy.”
Live Piper’s Pit w/ Bruno Sammartino (MSG 10/21/85)
I have never seen this before – it’s a live Piper’s Pit at MSG with Piper and Bruno trading barbs like they’re opening up a Monday Night RAW. It’s kind of amazing. Bruno demands Piper get rid of “that garbage” (Cowboy Bob) and do the interview one-on-one. When he reminds Piper that in Italy they don’t wear skirts, Piper is INCENSED. When Piper calls Bruno a stupid wop, Bruno pushes him over a chair and they go at it. Piper beats him with a chair and tears his shirt, but Bruno fights back and runs him off. Awesome.
5. Bruno Sammartino vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper (Boston Garden 12/7/85)
Happy Thoughts – WWF Old School (Boston Garden 12/7/85) and is a hot wrestling match.
This match would’ve gotten over like bonkers in the 70s as the main event – here it completely works too, nothing fancy but this is one of the top pure white meat babyface guys ever taking on one of the most vile piece of shit scrawny heels ever. They go right at it as the crowd goes wild, and Piper immediately bumbles to the outside and under the apron where he BLADES. Then he sells his ass off. Bruno is all fired up and shoves the ref away, and the distraction leads to a low blow that the ref blatantly sees. Roddy goes to work as the crowd BOOOOO’s. Roddy tries to go to the locker room a couple times but Bruno drags him back in, then Roddy starts begging off. Bruno looks to the crowd and they ROOOOOOAR. Then Cowboy runs in and they beat up Bruno to thunderous boos. The fuck else do you want from your wrestling ***3/4
6. Bruno Sammartino & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & Cowboy Bob Orton (Philadelphia Spectrum 9/28/85)
I swear this arena looks just like Boston Garden but TheHistoryOfWWE.com says it’s the Philly Spectrum. This is another fun match from late-period Bruno. Orton has a cast, Orndorff has a cast. Bruno is getting hit with a chair and thrown into wooden steps. Piper is being Piper. The crowd is going wild. Orndorff takes heat, Piper shows his ass on a sunset flip. Orndorff’s timing of the hot tag to Bruno after a double-down is brilliant. Everybody is eventually counted out for brawling on the floor, though Piper gets in one more stomp on Orndorff before he bails. 80s WWF has a million hot matches like this but that doesn’t make it not good. ***1/4
7. Steel Cage Match – WWWF World Heavyweight Title: Bruno Sammartino [c] vs. George “The Animal” Steele (last 5 minutes; Philadelphia 7/25/70)
This match was originally put up when the Hidden Gems series were a part of a Collection on the WWE Network, though the Network description listed MSG. All the results I see say Philadelphia though, so I am going with that. What I am trying to say is I talked about this already, though this is only the last 5-minutes of what is a very good 20-minute match.
This is nothing fancy as per your usual Bruno match but it’s really awesome with both guys just perfectly accessible characters, Steele as the mean cowardly oaf and Bruno as the guy your grandpa would respect. Steele is just an all-time great character – his entrance here is great, with his hairy body and mouth agape, just bewildered by this cage setup. Bruno is all fired up – stomping, kicking, clobbering. Steele meanwhile is tremendous, looking so desperate to get out of this weird setup, and pulling out all the tricks – chokes, low blows, eye gouges, looking at the crowd any time he gets extended offense. There’s a really well-timed spot by Steele early when Bruno tries to leave and Steele hammers him from behind, raising his arms just long enough before bringing them down to get the crowd buzzing. After an eye poke Bruno wildly swings away at Steele and Steele’s avoidance and reaction to it is tremendous. Any time Bruno gets in a shot the crowd loves it, and he eventually throws Steele into the cage a couple times and escapes. So simple, so good. ***3/4
Happy Thoughts: Bruno is awesome, though he is also the prototypical WWE main event guy. There is a formula to it, and while it usually works it can also get repetitive and sometimes boring. This tape didn’t exactly feature his greatest hits, as the best picks were from his late-career 80s work than anything done prior. That Kowalski match is wild but in a “wow wrestling used to be like this” kind of way. There’s fun stuff here, but it’s nothing must-watch. 5/10
