The Glory Days of Wrestling

Over the Christmas holidays I had the chance to crack open this brand new two disc set featuring matches and segments from the “glory days” of wrestling.

First off, purchasing this DVD set is a really huge memory. My wife and I were on our Southern States road trip two years ago, and we were settled into a long drive from Savannah, GA to Nashville, TN (taking the long scenic route through Alabama). We chose to do a long day of driving so we could see as much of these pretty states as possible, and were cruising right through rural Georgia. It was a beautiful hot and sunny day and we passed through peach and pecan orchards, watermelon patches, and picturesque small towns.

She had got a bad sunburn while on the ferry ride back from Fort Sumter in South Carolina a couple days earlier and her neck was really bothering her. She wanted to stop at a drugstore to get some skin cream, but a store wasn’t so easy to come across in rural GA. Just outside of Warner Robbins, south of Macon, we came across the small town of Fort Valley, Georgia. One of my favorite parts of any great road trip are the random stops. Stopping in an unplanned location often leads to the biggest and best memories. Simple everyday things become unique experiences when you’re someplace new.

So we stopped in at CVS pharmacy and as she went looking for her cream, I browsed through their small electronics area. In a display of bargain priced DVDs, I spotted this gem. In a shiny tin case, with Buddy Rogers on the cover, was a special two DVD set featuring matches from the Glory Days of Wrestling. It seemed like a neat little find, so I purchased it.

Now, on to the actual DVD review! Two years later I had the chance to crack this open and check it out.

Disc One: Legends Of the Mat

I was initially concerned that this disc would be extremely boring and put me to sleep. I haven’t seen a lot of old time 60s wrestling, and was expecting it to be slow paced and all headlocks. I was completely surprised that this wasn’t the case. The three full matches on this set were all action packed and awesome!

Because the wrestlers were still trying to pass it off as real athletic competition, the selling was masterful. Every punch looked like it hurt and the moves were gritty and realistic. There was still a lot of showmanship and some flashy maneuvers, but the opponent would sell it so well and make it all look believable. I was blown away by the style from this time. I now appreciate what the NWA was trying to uphold throughout the 70s and 80s. It really would have been sad for a long time fan to suffer through hillbillies and Uncle Elmer shit in the WWF.

I couldn’t find much in the way of info on these matches, which is too bad, as I’d like to have known where and when they took place. What’s crazy is that all of these matches were transferred from old film reels. The quality is surprisingly spectacular, considering the age and format, and even the original announcing is left intact. Very impressed with the production quality of this set.

1) Gorgeous George defeated Jessie James

I was really excited to see this, as I have never seen a true Gorgeous George match before. Everything I’ve read was exactly right – he was a true pioneer in the sport. George is the perfect heel, that fans love to hate, as he has a butler with him spraying down the ring with perfume and removing George’s costume. This was hilarious, and is obviously the blueprint for countless heels that followed. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing as the butler even brings George a cup of tea part way into the match. But the best part, is that George could actually go in the ring. He was just as much style as he was substance, and was a tremendous wrestler. Very cool to finally see a Gorgeous George match, and again, couldn’t believe how good this match was. George wins in a really interesting way, as James is destroying him with a spinning leg hold, and George pulls him down into a modified cradle, with James’ shoulders just barely on the mat. Because this was a sport back then, a sneaky pin made perfect sense. It wasn’t about kicking out of multiple AA’s and RKO’s, it was wrestling, plain and simple.

2) Killer Kowalski defeated Edouard Carpentier

I was surprised to see that Kowalski was more tall and lanky than destructive. He was a pretty great brawler, but not quite as insane as I was expecting. Carpentier proved to be a great opponent though, as he look like a real tough guy. That’s the thing about these old wrestlers, they all seem like they could legitimately destroy the average citizen. This is a real hard hitting battle that unfortunately ends with a time limit draw. The crazy thing is that the crowd is seated right up against the ring, and the police have to jump in the ring after the match to keep the fans away from the wrestlers!

3) Buddy Rogers defeated Pat O’Connor

Man! This was awesome! Here’s a match of huge historical importance. This was the night that Buddy Rogers won the NWA title from Pat O’Connor in Comiskey Park in Chicago, in front of almost 40,000 fans. Rogers’ title win would set the wheels in motion for the WWWF becoming separate from the NWA and changed the course of wrestling history. Also, this event held a record for attendance that stood until the early 80s. A couple different camera angles were used, one of which was a wider shot showing the scaffolding around the ring that supported a huge amount of ring lights. Weird to think that this match would have been taking place in the dark otherwise! The match has a big time important feel to it, as in between falls, other wrestlers are interviewed on who they think is going to win, and all sorts of big name promoters are in the crowd. The action is top notch and delivers as a main event match. Rogers and O’Connor were both masters of the game. Bad guy Rogers takes the first fall, and of course O’Connor evens things up in the second. The third fall is a great battle, but the finish is a little bit of a letdown. O’Connor tries a dropkick, but Rogers moves and O’Connor crashes stomach first into the ropes. He has trouble standing, tries walking, then collapses, allowing Rogers to pin him and win the title. I suppose it was all about realism. Even the after match belt presentation was kept intact. Can’t believe I finally got to see this amazing and significant piece of wrestling history.

Rounding out the first disc are six matches, each of which are shown in 3 minute newsreel form. These old newsreel clips were likely shown during intermission at movie theatres and such. Some of the matches are presented seriously, while others are full of jokes and goofy sound effects. It’s amazing that these newsreels survived, though some are looking in rough shape. Matches featured include: Antonia Rocca vs. Primo Carnera, Antonia Rocca vs. Don Jonathan, Antonia Rocca vs. Johnny Valentine, Killer Kowalski vs. Verne Gagne, Killer Kowalski vs. Gene Stanley, and a six man tag team match.

Disc 2: Weird, Bizarre & Wild Matches

Disc 1 was gold, while Disc 2 was ultimately a disappointment. I was expecting more historical goodies, but instead we get mostly crap from the late 70s and early 80s.

1) Steel Cage: Jerry “The King” Lawler defeated Randy Savage by DQ

I know Lawler and Savage had an intense rivalry in Memphis in the early 80s, and I imagine this match was from that time. It’s definitely in the Mid-South Coliseum. The cage used looks ridiculous, as it’s made out of wood with metal fencing, and it sits on the floor, kind of pushed up against the ring, though one or two sides weren’t completely against the ring. It’s like if someone built a homemade steel cage in their backyard using scraps from a construction site. The match itself is a pretty insane brawl, though not quite as great as I had hoped. Lots of choking and brawling, and not much in the way of flow. It was hilarious to see Lawler ramming Savage into the cage cause it looked like it was going to fall to pieces! The ending makes zero sense, and goes completely against the logic of a cage match, as Jos LeDuc climbs over the cage and attacks Lawler. Him and Savage brutalize Lawler (like every heel in Memphis history) leaving him a bloody mess. Oh well. Had really hoped for something a little better.

2) Detroit Battle Royal

This was another fuckin mess. It’s from a random show in the Detroit territory, late 70s I’m guessing. The idea was that this was a two ring battle royal, and wrestlers had to be eliminated from ring one into ring two. It didn’t look like anyone gave a shit, and half assed barely describes the effort here. Some goof named The Brute dominates ring two, eliminating every wrestler eliminated from ring one with ease. What’s the fucking point of a second ring if nobody stays in it for two seconds? Ring one boils down to the two top fan favorites – Andre the Giant and Bobo Brazil. Andre and Bobo tease wrestling, but instead shake hands, and Bobo “eliminates” himself into ring two. The Brute after eliminating everyone else in short order, then also eliminates himself and runs away from Brazil. WTF!! That was the lamest ending to a battle royal ever. What a crapload of shit this whole mess was.

3) Princess Little Dove vs. Diamond Lil

Well this was bizarre – a midget women’s match. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Regardless, I fast forwarded this crap cause I don’t give two shits about midget matches, men or women.

4) Killer Brookes defeated Haystacks Calhoun

This match was from Cincinnati according to the commentary. No idea what league or year, but my guess would be early 80s. Haystacks Calhoun is another guy I’ve read a lot about, but never seen in a match. He’s a big huge fat slob, obviously with a country boy gimmick. Brooks was some sort of badguy from Texas, who had that typical early 80s paunchy tough guy look. Haystacks was hugely over with the fans and used his fatness to his advantage. I was surprised that this match wasn’t nearly as slow paced or boring as I expected. Even more surprising is that Killer Brooks actually wins after some bad guy chicanery.

5) The Crusher, Dick the Bruiser, & Little Bruiser defeated the Blackjacks & Bobby Heenan

I’m guess this six man tag was from the late 70s sometime, maybe the AWA? The Crusher and the Bruiser look like they’re 80 years old even back in the 70s. The crowd is insanely hot for Crusher, Bruiser, and the midget, and we get a pretty solid battle, though with a healthy dose of zaniness from Heenan and the midget. Little Bruiser pins a busted open Heenan to win this and the place goes ballistic. After the match Heenan and the Blackjacks get their revenge and beat the shit out of the midget hahaha.

Just like on the first disc, we get to see six newsreel highlights of matches. The first is a short film called Wrestling: Its a Laugh, which is full of wacky moves and sound effects. Pretty stupid. Then we get Tony Galato vs. Natie Brown and the Great Togo vs. Bobby Mannagoff, which were nothing special. From Washington D.C. we get clips of an ancient women’s match, Gloria Baratini vs. Nell Stewart. Stewart is really pretty and can go in the ring. I’ve looked up some more stuff for her on the net. Then we clips of a match that blew my mind – Masked Marvel vs. Gorgeous George. The ring is set up on a platform in the middle of the water in Seattle’s aquatic amphitheater. WTF!!! A lifeguard in a rowboat hovers around the ring. George and Marvel battle into the water, and eventually George jumps into the rowboat and paddles away as Marvel tries to hit him with an oar from ringside. I can honestly say I’ve never seen that in wrestling before! Finally we get clips from a football game pitting wrestlers against some kind of pro team. Man, this stuff is so weird! Would have loved it if this whole second DVD was full of these kinds of outrageously bizarre segments.