Maple Leaf Wrestling presents Wrestling Night in Canada
July 17, 1983 at Convention Center in Hamilton, Ontario
The opening video package of Wrestling Night in Canada opens the show featuring clips of: Greg Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel, Stephen Petipas, Jesse Ventura, Ivan Koloff, Leo Burke, Rocky Johnson and ends with a clip of Rick Martel being awarded the NWA Canadian Title.
Billy Red Lyons, Mike McMann and Jesse Ventura are in the announce booth and welcome us to today's show. They talk about the Ivan Koloff and The Super Russian winning the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles and speculate about who the Super Russian is under the mask. Jack Tunney will address that situation later tonight. They then talk about tonight's Bret Hart vs Jesse Ventura main event. Jesse trash talks Hart and says stay with us, as The Body Shop with Bobby Bass, Cuban Assassasin and Chicky Starr is coming up after this commercial break, then he has to go get ready for tonight's main event.
-COMMERCIAL (1)-
It is now time for "The Body Shop" with Jesse Ventura. His bodyguard The Masked Samurai stands guard.
This week's guests are Bobby Bass, Cuban Assassin and Chicky Starr. They come out to salsa music and look very festive. They start trashing other tag teams stating none stand up to them. Martel is the NWA Canadian Champion and can't focus on tag teams. Burke & Petipas just lost. Nobody knows who the Super Russian is and they destroyed the Marcus brothers. The Cubans are the future of tag team wrestling in Maple Leaf Wrestling and everybody should get used to it.
Jesse says he has a video given to him by an unknown source that says play for The Cubans. In the video is a Puerto Rican man asking why Chicky has been avoding him, since he's been trying to contact him and that he wants Chicky to come home. In a rage Chicky Star storms off as Bass, Assassin and Ventura look confused.
-COMMERCIAL (2)-
1. Nobuhiko Takada vs Bob Marcus
Takada is on tour from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and will be in Oshawa tomorrow night taking on Ben Bassarab. Takada and Marcus have a back and forth contest until Takada hits a submission for the win.
Winner - Nobuhiko Takada @ 5:42
A short video is played showing highlights of the Canada Cup with Valentine vs Wahoo and hyping their match tomorrow night in Oshawa.
-COMMERCIAL (3)-
2. "King Kong" Angelo Mosca vs Joe Marcus
Angelo Mosca dominates as the announcers play up him facing Martel next week for the NWA Canadian Title.
Winner - Angelo Mosca @ 4:21
-COMMERCIAL (4)-
Jack Tunney is concerned about the results of the NWA Canadian Tag Team TItles tournament. Koloff was supposed to team with Smirnoff, but instead teamed with The Super Russian to win the belts. Tunney has learned that Smirnoff is in Japan, so that the masked Russian is not Smirnoff. Also, they cheated their way to the belts with help from their new manager Don Carson. Tunney states that the referee's decision is final, however, The Russians will have to defend the belts against the two other teams in that tournament in the near future (vs Tony Garea & Rick Martel on August 1st in Ottawa and vs Leo Burke & Stephen Petipas on August 2nd in Kingston!).
The announcers talk about these two announced matches for the future and speculate about the identity of The Super Russian!
-COMMERCIAL (5)-
3. "Big" Stephen Petipas vs Rick Patterson
Petipas takes apart Patterson and looks in fine form heading into the US vs Canada Series at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Winner - Stephen Petipas @ 6:01
-COMMERCIAL (6)-
The announcers set up a video that was sent in from Jim Crocket Promotions in North Carolina. The video plays and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair appears. He insults Canada while promoting the States and then brings out his 4 partners for Maple Leaf Gardens on July 26th in Barry Darsow and The Fabulous Freebirds. The Freebirds cut a promo and in addition challenge any three Canadians to face them tomorrow night in Oshawa!
-COMMERCIAL (7)-
Back from the break we learn that Leo Burke, Stephen Petipas & Rocky Johnson have accepted the challenge of The Fabulous Freebirds for tomorrow night in Oshawa. They talk up Rick Martel defending the Canadian Title against former Champion Angelo Mosca next week on Television.
4. Jesse "The Body" Ventura w/ The Masked Samurai vs Bret Hart
Bret Hart has an early shine sequence, but that is cut off by the Samurai tripping up Bret. After a few minutes of posing and powers moves by Jesse, Bret mounts a comeback and has Ventura on the run only for Mr. Saito to appear at ringside and nail Bret with salt. Jesse does the backbreaker for the win!
Winner - Jesse Ventura @ 8:56
After the match Jesse Vetnura, Mr. Saito and The Masked Samurai celebrate together as Bret is helped to the back.
Dark Matches:
Mr. Saito def. Ben Bassarab @ 10:21
Leo Burke & Rocky Johnson def. Bobby Bass & Cuban Assasin @ 11:11
Rick Martel def. Chicky Starr @ 12:14