-My post office saga continues as I finally broke down and tried the machine in the lobby. It was okay but more difficult than I think it needs to be.
-Today, we start Project 45 by looking at a WWWF Show from the year I was born, 1978.
-WWWF at the Philadelphia Spectrum took place on March 25, 1978.
-WWE Old School Intro.
-Vince McMahon and Dick Graham are the announcers for the evening.
-WWWF Heavyweight Championship Match. Bob Backlund with Arnold Skaaland vs. Spiros Arion: Backlund gets a good ovation as he is announced as champion. Backlund's first defense in Philadelphia. Backlund extends his hand, but Arion won't shake it. They go to their respective corners. They circle each other and finally lock up. They break. Circle each other and lock up again. Backlund pushes Arion off into the ropes. Backlund with a go behind and they mention that Backlund is only 28 here. Arion gets to the ropes and Backlund releases the hold. They lock up again and Arion with a go behind. Backlund trying to break the hold. Backlund reverses the hold. Arion again makes it to the ropes. Another lock up and Backlund goes immediately to the ropes. Arion trying to reach back for a leg to get out of the hold. He tries a sit out, but can't get it. Arion gets to the ropes. Backlund picks him up and brings him back to the center of the ring while never letting go of the go behind. The referee still makes him break the hold. Arion with a side headlock into a go behind which Backlund reverses. Arion reaches for the ropes, but is fading down to the mat. Backlund gets Arion down and his shoulders to the mat for a two count. Arion is still in the hold and Backlund gets him back down for another two count. Arion gets back to his feet and gets a side headlock on Backlund. He punches Backlund, who lifts Arion up. Backlund goes back behind Arion. Arion goes back to the side headlock. Backlund lifts Arion up before slamming him back down to his feet. He does it a second time. Arion with a modified bulldog to run Backlund into the turnbuckle. Arion with a snap mare. Backlund gets a backslide for a two count. Arion complains about the speed of the count. They lock up and Backlund with a modified takedown. Arion gets Backlund down and chokes him a couple of times, but breaks before the count of 5. Arion stomps Backlund down on the ground. Arion with a scoop slam on Backlund. He stomps him again. Backlund gets Arion into a small package for a two count and Arion rolls out to the floor. He finally climbs back in after stalling for a couple of minutes. They start to circle each other again. Test of strength. Backlund goes down to one knee. He then climbs through Arion's legs to break the hold. Backlund wants Arion in the center of the ring. Arion goes for a kick, but Backlund catches his leg. He kicks Arion's thigh. Arion gets in the ropes to try and force Backlund away from him. They circle each other again. Arion goes to kick Backlund again and again, Backlund catches his leg. Arion scratching and clawing at Backlund's face trying to get out of the hold. He finally punches Backlund down. Arion kicks Backlund in the back. Arion with an Irish whip and a kick to the stomach. Arion with a knee to the face. Arion with another Irish whip. Backlund comes back with a sunset flip for a two count. Arion goes to a corner and tries to beg off. They circle each other again. Test of strength in the center of the ring. Arion pulls Backlund towards the corner and tries to kick him and again Backlund catches his leg. Backlund with a leg hook to try to hyperextend the leg. He then drops a leg on Arion's leg. Backlund with a leg hold. Backlund sits down still holding the leg. The referee asks Arion if he wants to quit and Arion says no. Arion falls back to the mat still in the hold and Backlund gets a two count. Another two count. Arion fights through the pain to try to get out of the move. Arion finally reaches the ropes. Backlund kicks Arion and releases the hold. Arion rips the turnbuckle pad off and runs Backlund's head into it. He then runs it into the exposed buckle again. Arion kicks Backlund down in the corner until Backlund is halfway out of the ring. Arnold Skaaland gets up out of his chair to complain to the referee that Arion kicked Backlund in the groin. Backlund slowly comes back around. Arion punches Backlund in the stomach while he is still out. He then kicks Backlund off of the apron. Backlund struggling to get back in. He gets on the ring apron at the count of 8 before being kicked by Arion again. Arion gets Backlund up in almost a gut wrench suplex move, but slams him down on his stomach in an inverted backbreaker like move. Backlund kicks out at two. Arion runs Backlund into the ring post. Arion gets into it with the referee, allowing Backlund to hit him with a mule kick. Arion with a kick to the stomach and he gets Backlund up in a backbreaker. Backlund kicks his leg and reverses it into a backslide, but Arion slides off before the count. Backlund runs Arion into a corner turnbuckle. He then puts Arion's head between his legs and stomps down. Backlund with a piledriver. Backlund with a bulldog to Arion in the corner. Backlund gets an atomic drop on Arion, but as he was going up, Arion's boot hit the referee and knocks him out. Backlund goes to cover, but there is no referee. Backlund gets up looking for the referee, who is out on the floor. Arion nails Backlund from behind. They exchange blows in the center of the ring. Chief Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia both come in to try to separate the two. More wrestlers separate the two and another referee comes in. The bell rings. They take referee Dick Kroll out on a stretcher as Backlund and Arion break loose and start punching each other again. They finally get Arion out of the ring and the crowd boos him. Gary Michael Cappetta announces the match as a double disqualification.
-Vince and Dick take a look at a replay of the atomic drop that took Kroll out.
-Bruno Sammartino with Arnold Skaaland vs. Ken Patera: Sammartino with a great ovation as he comes out. Patera jumps him as soon as he comes through the ropes. He hits an elbow to Sammartino's head. Patera drops an elbow on the prone Sammartino. A series of elbows to Sammartino and then forearms to his chest. Patera with a boot to Sammartino from the second rope. He drops another elbow to the back. He then stomps Sammartino's back. Patera taunts Sammartino briefly before stomping him again. Patera with a scoop slam. Patera picks Sammartino up and hits him with a right hand. He gets Sammartino in the corner and hits him with a right hand. Sammartino comes back with a boot to the midsection and he rams Patera's head into the turnbuckle. Sammartino with another kick and a side headlock. Patera pushes off. Sammartino comes back with a shoulder block. Sammartino comes off the ropes again. Patera leapfrogs him. Sammartino turns around and scoop slams Patera and then hits a couple of arm drags to Patera, who falls out of the ring on the second one. Patera's back is hurting. He walks around the ringside area. The referee starts to count Patera out. Sammartino comes over to taunt Patera and the referee has to get him back as Patera climbs the steps to get back in the ring. Back in, they circle each other again. Sammartino approaches and Patera goes out to the apron. He gets back in on the 7 count and they lock up in the corner. Patera with a couple of kicks to the stomach to knock Sammartino down. Another kick and he drops a knee on Sammartino. He misses a second knee when Sammartino moves out of the way. Sammartino gets up and kicks the leg several times before getting Patera in a single leg crab. Patera is fighting it. Patera flips Sammartino over and starts punching him. He picks Sammartino up and drives him to the corner. Patera with a corner whip. He picks Sammartino up and scoop slams him. Patera goes to drop the elbow, but Sammartino moves. Sammartino with an arm drag. Patera keeps going through the ropes to the outside. Patera walks around the ringside area. He makes the referee keep Sammartino away as he climbs back through the ropes. Back in, They lock up again. Sammartino goes for the side headlock. Patera pushes off. Patera leapfrogs Sammartino as he comes off the ropes. He then hits Sammartino with a high knee as he comes back. Patera drops an elbow on Sammartino. Gets a two count. Patera gets the full nelson on Sammartino, who immediately runs Patera into the corner turnbuckle to break the hold. Sammartino with a knee to Patera's back. More knees and stomps to Patera's back. He then has Patera's head on the bottom rope and steps on it. Sammartino then runs Patera head first into the turnbuckle. Sammartino with an Irish whip and a boot to the stomach of Patera. Sammartino with a rear chin lock and a knee to Patera's back, but Patera won't give up. Patera is in tremendous pain, but still won't give up. Sammartino then picks Patera up and applies a full nelson. Patera gets to the ropes to break the hold. Sammartino hits Patera, who falls on the broadcast table at ringside. Patera walks around the ring before getting in. Back in, they exchange punches. Patera with a wild right that misses and Sammartino hits him with a series of jabs. He then kicks Patera down to the ground. He gets a two count. Sammartino with a front face lock. Patera gets to his feet and carries Sammartino over to the corner and slams him into the turnbuckle to break the hold. Patera hits several rights to the jaw of Sammartino in the corner. Patera with an Irish whip and a bear hug. Sammartino falls to the ground still in the bear hug. Gets a two count. Sammartino won't give up. Gets back to his feet and hits a couple of headbutts to get out of the hold. Sammartino goes back to a corner and kicks Patera when he tries to come in. Sammartino punches and kicks in the center of the ring. More kicks to knock Patera down. He kicks Patera in the head. Patera comes back with kicks of his own to knock Sammartino down. He then kicks Sammartino, dropping down from the top turnbuckle. Sammartino falls halfway out of the ring and Patera choking him and pushing down on his head. He stops at the referee's count and then goes back when the referee stops counting. Sammartino collapses back inside the ring. Patera puts his knee down on Sammartino's throat then breaks on the three count. Patera hits Sammartino with a knee from the second rope as Sammartino is struggling to get to his feet. Patera gets the bear hug on. Sammartino with a hip lock to break the hold. Sammartino stomps Patera's back. Then knees to the back to knock Patera down. Sammartino then gets a bear hug on Patera. Patera rakes the eyes to get out of the hold. Patera rolls to the outside to regroup. Sammartino attacks Patera whenever he tries to get back in the ring. Patera grabs Sammartino's legs and drags him to the outside. Sammartino shoves Patera into the ring post. Sammartino throws Patera back into the ring. They exchange right hands. A knee to the face knocks Patera down-and-out. Sammartino follows him out. Sammartino grabs a chair at ringside and hits Patera with it. The bell rings. Sammartino runs Patera into the ring apron. Patera tries to get back in the ring, but Sammartino hauls him out again. He hits Patera several times before throwing him back in the ring. Sammartino gets into the ring and Patera rolls out again. Patera raises his arms and the crowd boos him. Patera gets in the ring and everyone who was in the ring clears out except the referee. Patera then gets out of the ring to boos again. Patera then walks back to the dressing room. Gary Michael Cappetta announces that both wrestlers were counted out.
-Haystacks Calhoun vs. Nikolai Volkoff: Volkoff announced as being from Mongolia at this point in his career. Volkoff starts to attack Calhoun before the ring announcer gets out the introductions. He does finish them before running out of the ring. They circle each other. Volkoff pushes Calhoun back against the ropes. He rakes the face, headbutts, and hits a forearm to Calhoun. He is stomping Calhoun up against the ropes. Calhoun comes back with forearms to Volkoff. He then runs Volkoff into the corner. Calhoun with an Irish whip and a shoulder block to knock Volkoff back. He drives Volkoff to the ropes. Volkoff trying to avoid Calhoun. Calhoun with a go behind, but Volkoff gets to the ropes. Calhoun with an arm lock. Volkoff with an eye rake to get out of the move. Back and forth up against the ropes. Calhoun gets Volkoff in the corner and squashes him over and over. Volkoff with fingers to the eyes to get out of the hold. He bites and punches Calhoun in the corner. He goes for a high knee in the corner, but Calhoun moves. Volkoff falls down and Calhoun splashes him to get the pin. Volkoff complains to the referee. Volkoff then threatens the referee as Calhoun leaves. They show a replay of the finish before it fades to black.
-Final Thoughts: A fun little show. You can see how different wrestling was then compared to today.