July 1978

NWA World Heavyweight Title defense

This was more angle than match to set up a tag match. Dusty was incredible with his dancing. Leroy was great in his role. The kids dancing, the crowd going nuts. Gary Hart was the perfect foil. A super entertaining angle.

Man alive I had a smile on my face the whole time this was going on. Gino was in full on stooge mode. Rocky was a total sports entertainer. This also reminded me of Memphis too. Gino was great escaping the punch. We see Gino just generating heat with looks and body language. Gino's stooge bump when Rocky missed him with the punch only to eat a dropkick is easily one of my favorites of all time. The biggest pops were when Rocky spanked Gino. This isn't a good match in the classic sense. For what they were going for it was. 3 1/4*

Terry Funk vs Mark Lewin - Big Time Wrestling Detroit TV 1978 It is mayhem on Professional Big Time Wrestling out of Detroit. Terry Funk has a bone to pick with Mark Lewin and some incendiary remarks about Detroit Rock City. I love the big time wrestler interrupting a squash match to have an impromptu match. Funk is really good in this. Lewin is fine throws some nice punches and seems legitimately pissed. Lewin is working the arm. Funk's selling is great and Funk is the one providing the energy. Funk trying the headbutt to get out only to sell the headbutt was great. The finish was great with Funk and Lewin brawling in the crowd and Lewin jabs a wooden stake into Funk…

If anyone has a better copy of this footage, please let me know!!!

This is a match I first saw quite a few months ago and since then, parts of it have never fully escaped my mind. It shares the same kind of dynamic that Terry and Dory Jr. had between Baba & Jumbo - face/face where the gaijins have to figure out a strategy against All Japan's superteam. However the appeal to me is how it stands as one of the oldest examples we have in full of learned psychology across a single match. Plenty of instances throughout of moves being repeated any being countered, either returning the action to a standstill early on, or shifting momentum to the other team. This is all on top of the generally impressive strikes, grappling and pace from all m…

Beautiful wrestling with excellent exchanges and a real mean streak.

This was quite the match, with solid limbwork and selling throughout, and a ton of offense in the back half. Terrific submission finish to the first fall with Inoki’s manjigatame, Backlund teasing the rope break and the crowd brewing in anticipation. For the second fall, Backlund initially focuses on the left leg, building up to a great bow-and-arrow hold, and then switching the focus to the back. Love his big releases on those back-to-back double arm suplexes. Backlund gets a few more two counts and out of frustration, scoop slams Inoki on the floor before picking up the fall after a running atomic drop. They fire up the offensive engines for the third fall, as Backlund …

A slick hold-for-hold junior heavyweight exhibition, with Fujinami showboating on the mat and Go more or less keeping pace. This never really moved past the exposition but it had some cool moments. When Go tries to get out of a toehold via slapping, Fujinami responds by smacking the taste out of his mouth and wrenching the hold even harder. Fujinami continues working over the leg for a bit while Go tries to avoid getting trapped but it doesn’t go anywhere as they shift offensive gears. Fujinami’s offense is swanky, with his double wristlock suplex into the armbar, his sick piledriver, and the German suplex hold to finish off Go. An easy watch and something that wouldn’t l…

Rematch thirteen days later!!!!! This is supposedly a "NO DQ Lumberjack Death Match"