Any hidden gem is good to see but I personally believe that this relatively new weekly initiative is at its best when multiple uploads are tied to a theme. This brings us to week 10, where 3 rare matches serve to pay homage to the legendary Poffo family. First came the patriarch, Angelo. He was followed into the business by his sons Lanny and of course Randy. To date, the 1977 contest that I’m set to review today is the only Angelo Poffo contest on the Network. While Lanny and Randy are well represented by their famous runs in the WWF on the service, the other two-thirds of this footage trio offer glimpses into the earlier careers. And so, let’s take a look, shall we?
Patterson Battles A Patriarch
Pat Paterson vs Angelo Poffo from a CWF house show
Date: 01/11/1977
Location: Fort Homer Hesterly Armoury, Tampa, Florida
Context: Angelo was a nearly 30-year veteran in professional wrestling when this match took place and was 50 years of age. While you’d think that his career was winding down, but Poffo would actually go on to found the “outlaw “International Championship Wrestling territory one year later, competing both there and in the CWA into at least the mid-1980’s. By contrast, Patterson was arguably in his prime, about to hit 36 years of age. At this time, he was still a couple of years away from the WWWF run that would crown him as the first-ever Intercontinental Champion. At this time, CWF was effectively his home base.
Review: This “match” is actually highlights clipped together in a film reel style. As a result, I can’t really review it as a coherent story, at least not beat-for-beat. Angelo is the obvious heel while Patterson is the babyface. The first few minutes involve a fast-paced exchange of armdrags while also locking in some armbar variations. I enjoyed this opening stretch despite its repetition as it broke the mold of a slow, plodding match from the 1970’s. Poffo finally gets the upper hand with a few closed fist punches and proceeds to send Patterson to the outside. From here, Pat either gets worn down in the corner or struggles to make it inside at all. This is the portion I didn’t like so much. Thanks to the editing, a lot of this is Patterson either failing to stay in the ring or wandering around outside it. I’m sure it worked live but this condensed version doesn’t entirely work as a viewing experience. Pat finally makes it back inside for a prolonged period and rallies back with some punches of his own. With Angelo flailing, Patterson uses the momentum from the ropes to get a reverse victory roll for the 3 count.
Result: Pat Paterson def. Angelo Poffo via pinfall
Final Thoughts: While this was fun and went by quickly, I stand by the idea that the editing didn’t exactly help. Give it a chance if you love to watch the earliest footage that you possibly can.
Recommendation: Give it a chance
A Savage Alliance
A tag team tournament match Randy Savage and Magnum TA vs The Mongolians
Date: 11/24/1983 (Thanksgiving)
Location: The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Context: Randy Savage was an 8-year veteran by November 1983, though he wasn’t quite the polished megastar of lore just yet. As hinted at above, Randy was the crown jewel of his father’s ICW territory, though its “outlaw” reputation had stopped him ever truly breaking out. By this time though, ICW was on its last legs and Randy was starting to branch out more. After a strong run in Memphis, Savage would be WWF-bound by 1985. Magnum T.A. was on the cusp of starting his huge run with Jim Crockett Promotions by late 1983 that would hand him multiple United States Championship victories and a hard push towards the main event. Of course, all of that potential came to a tragic end thanks to a horrific car crash on October 14yh, 1986. Magnum would never wrestle again and still suffers from severe disabilities as a result to this day.
The card that this match comes from was actually a fairly big deal at the time (as most Thanksgiving shows were) and the results were pretty much only known on paper until this was released. This was not a televised event. It was the kind of event that TV promoted. For those wondering, this match was the opener of a 13-match card. And we say modern WWE shows are over-stuffed!
Review: While the video as a whole is around 11 minutes in length, the first several minutes are taken up by the reveal of the trophy (and $15,000 carried by Ole Anderson in a very plain looking briefcase) that the all of the teams are fighting for along with introductions for all 4 men. As far as the match goes, it’s a little odd. Randy and Magnum spend pretty much the entire time synching in headlocks or wrestling an amateur style. While Randy was always renowned for his technical prowess, there’s a lot less flamboyancy to his style here, even if he’s already wearing the classic entrance attire. For their part, The Mongolians just do a lot of clubbing and basic wearing down of Savage and T.A. The basic psychology of all tag team matches is intact here, although there is the added wrinkle of both babyfaces playing both the face in peril and getting a hot tag at different times. As you may have noticed by now, I’m a sucker for tweaking a formula. Things wrap up when T.A. crawls through the legs of a Mongolian to tag in Savage. Randy cleans house and one Mongolian desperately tags in the other but gets a back elbow for his efforts. His opponent on the mat, Randy hits the elbow drop that would make him a legend, getting the pinfall victory to advance his team into the next round of the tournament.
Result: Randy Savage and Magnum T.A def. The Mongolians via pinfall to advance in the tournament.
Final Thoughts: Let’s be realistic here. This is an early match on the card of a house show tournament. With more matches to wrestle, Randy and Magnum weren’t about to deliver a classic here. The Mongolians served their purpose as relatively easy cannon fodder, With that said, it’s great to see Randy before he entered the WWF less than two years later, while any extra footage of a great like Magnum who had his career cut so tragically short is a net positive. Watch this for the historical significance, not with the expectation of a mat classic.
Recommendation: Give it a chance
Leaping Into Action
Nick Bockwinkel vs Lanny Poffo from the ill-fated Pro Wrestling USA amalgamation
Date: 09/21/1984
Location: Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN (according to WWE)
Context: Lanny’s career never really took off as a professional wrestler. His early career saw moderate success in regional territories, while his father once again pushed him as a star in the family-run ICW. By 1984, he was an exciting undercard talent with a somewhat revolutionary style. This would initially translate to the WWF with his “Leaping” Lanny Poffo gimmick in 1985. While he was popular on house shows, TV saw him work as a slightly higher tier enhancement talent. Of course, it was the heel “Genius” persona that would give Lanny his big break as a manager during the height of Hulkamania. By contrast, Bockwinkel was entering the twilight of his career by late September 1984, still toiling away in the AWA (even managing one more World Championship reign in 1986) before finally retiring for good in 1987 at the age of 52.
Now we come to the bizarre story of Pro Wrestling USA. This promotion was a direct response to Vince McMahan’s national expansion plans for the WWF in 1984. Multiple territories (including the AWA, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions and the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association among others) joined forces to create an entity capable of presenting huge super cards across the country. The concept initially worked well, culminating in SuperClash in September of 1985. Unfortunately, constant arguments between various (often cited specifically as Jim Crockett and Verne Gagne) owners led to the alliance dissolving by the end of that same year.
Review: Well, this was a lot more fun than I expected. On paper, you wouldn’t expect these two styles to mesh well. Bockwinkel was the technical wrestler’s wrestler. Meanwhile, Lanny was a highflying cruiserweight before the United States had truly embraced such a thing. You’d think a match between these two would struggle. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Even at the age of 49, Nick is incredibly mobile here. While there’s no doubt that Lanny is lightning quick, Bockwinkel still has enough bursts in him to keep up. So what we get is some solid chain wrestling with some unique escapes from Lanny mixed in. Whenever the pace picks up, Lanny gets to show off. Nick grounds him eventually with some illegally closed fists. One, in particular, sends the younger Poffo crashing to the concrete at ringside. Speaking of ringside, I just want to mention a brief brawl that takes place there. Namely, Lanny takes a huge hiptoss bump and practically bounces like a rubber ball. Today, that would undoubtedly get a “holy sh*t” chant from the crowd. Now, remember that this match took place in 1984! Ever the resilient babyface “Leaping” Lanny still beats the count and actually mounts one more comeback. A comeback that leads to a top rope moonsault! Unfortunately, Bockwinkel gets his knees up. With the highflyer winded, Nick finishes the job with a piledriver and gets the pin.
Result: Nick Bockwinkel defeats Lanny Poffo via pinfall
Final Thoughts: I went into this match expecting an extended, uneventful squash. What I got was a surprisingly high-octane, gripping affair that would hold up to many TV matches today. While the previous two matches were solid snapshots of history, this match truly deserves the label of “hidden gem”.
Recommendation: Watch it
And there we have it, three members of the legendary Poffo family highlighted by 3 matches either thought lost or forgotten. What did you think of these rarities? Let me know in the comment section below. See you next week!