- John Edwards
1979
was truly a great time to be a fan in
St. Louis
. At that time,
St. Louis
was a "Who's Who" of the professional wrestling industry. The
NWA alliance was still strong (maybe at its peak) with member promotions
throughout the
United States
and the world. Active in St. Louis at the time: Harley Race, the NWA
Champion (and part owner of the Central States territory, later part
owner of St. Louis), Dick the Bruiser, Dick Murdoch, Pat
O'Connor, Ric Flair, King Kong Brody, Kevin, Kerry, and David Von Erich,
Dory Funk, Jr, Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, and perennial favorites such as
Bulldog Bob Brown, Roger Kirby and others. In addition to our regularly
appearing favorites, we were also treated to special attractions, such
as Andre the Giant.
During this time, I was an avid 15 year old total and complete
mark, who never missed an episode of WATC "at 11 on 11".
Sometimes I watched both the late Saturday night episode
(followed by the Three Stooges) and the same episode on Sunday morning.
(Come on guys, admit it, you did the same, right?)
So
it is against this backdrop of fond memories that I recently viewed an
episode of "Classic St. Louis Wrestling":
Sunday September 9, 1979
. At this time, Harley Race was your defending NWA World Heavyweight
Champion. Dirty Dick Murdoch was your defending Missouri State
Heavyweight Champion. The local WATC broadcast was hyping the next big
house show at the Kiel Auditorium set for
Friday September 14, 1979
in which King Kong (Bruiser) Brody would square off against Andre the
Giant. Other features included a 16-man Wrestle Royal and Dick Murdoch
defending the Missouri Title against Dory Funk, Jr. Quite the
"off" card, as the NWA Champion was not featured at the event.
Now, off to the matches!
Note:
At the beginning of the broadcast, announcer Larry Matysik announced
that it was the 30th anniversary of the death of former great
Ray Steele in an auto accident in 1949. This is one of the things that
separated Larry and the
St. Louis
scene from so many other territories. Larry (and the St. Louis Wrestling
Club) treated wrestling as a totally legitimate sport, complete with
history and traditions and legendary figures. Along the same lines as
how Larry never failed to compare the new stars such as the Von Erichs
with past greats such as Lou Thesz, Whipper Billy Watson, Ed
"Strangler" Lewis, Buddy Rogers, Johnny Valentine, etc.
Opening
Match: One fall, 10 minute time limit
Chris
Curtis, 239,
Green Bay
,
Wisconsin
vs. Bulldog Bob Brown, 242,
Winnipeg
,
Canada
Referee: Charles Venater
Ah,
for the good old days of TV squashes. You knew even before your ring
announcer Mickey Garigiola announced anything who would get the duke in
this one. Although young Mr. Curtis gave a good account of himself - he
controlled the first two minutes with an armbar. Yes, two minutes of
armbar, and the crowd ate it up. See, the pro that Bob Brown was, he
shrieked in pain and sold it like his arm was being ripped out of the
socket. Plus, Brown kept up a running commentary with the crowd at
ringside. Psychology 101 lesson that all wrestlers today should watch.
It should be mandatory in training schools. Not to be outdone, Curtis
did his own excellent job of selling the chops, slashes, and gouges of
the Bulldog. In the end, Bulldog prevailed with 2 backbreakers and the
dreaded leg drop.
Winner:
Bulldog Bob Brown in
7:29
with
the leg drop
First
Main Event: One fall, 20 minute time limit
Steve
Hall, 235,
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
vs. Ron Starr, 237,
Charlotte
,
North Carolina
Referee: Lee Warren
In
all my
St. Louis
wrestling memories, I don't recall too much of Ron Starr. Apparently at
this time, he was getting (I guess) a push. He was in the TV main on
WATC and even got TV promo time, which was a rarity in
St. Louis
for someone who was not a major star. The match featured mat wrestling
early on, complete with clean breaks and applause from the studio
audience. Larry Matysik put over that Starr had main evented "all
over the west coast" - making sure to mention
San Francisco
,
Portland
, the
Cow
Palace
, etc. In the interests of balance, Larry also totally kayfabed the
audience by claiming that Steve Hall "had wins all over the midwest".
He somehow said that with a straight face. In the end, Ron Starr
prevailed with the "side suplex" - also known as the Russian
Leg Sweep.
Winner:
Ron Starr in
10:32
with the side suplex
Promo:
Ron Starr
- Not a very good promo - somewhat uninspired. Partially driven by the
fact that Ron Starr was not feuding with anyone. No "heat"
involved. Interesting though, because Larry actually asked questions of
Starr, and got answers - unlike so many promos where the wrestler just
screams into the camera. Almost an "interview". Starr gave
nice guy "face-ish" answers while mostly looking at the
ground. Wonder if he was set for a push and maybe it got derailed?
