Billy Graham pinned Gene Anderson after an inside cradle in 0:12:19.
Rating: *** 1/2
"Superstar" Billy Graham continued his hot streak, but also showed he can do more than just overpower people, catching Gene Anderson in a picture perfect inside cradle to surprise the MWC member and pick up a win. As we would find out later though, this would not be the last time we saw the Superstar.
Ernie Ladd defeated Arnold Skaaland when Arnold Skaaland passed out in a bearhug in 0:04:42.
Ernie Ladd suffered a back injury. He will be out for approximately 1 month.
Rating: * 3/4
[The Grand Wizard interfered against Arnold Skaaland.]
Arnold Skaaland keeps trying his hand in the wrestling ring, and tonight he got dominated by Ernie Ladd, due in part to a distraction from fellow manager The Grand Wizard. Word has it that Bruno Sammartino is getting a little frustrated with Skaaland's insistence on wrestling, thinking it's perhaps distracting him from his manager duties. Also to be noted from this match was that "King" Ladd tweaked his back a bit and may miss the year-end show at MSG.
Baron Mikel Scicluna and Baron Von Raschke defeated Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf when Scicluna defeated White Wolf by disqualification in 0:04:53.
Rating: 3/4*
Baron Von Raschke suffered his first defeat in GCW, and we were interested to see how he and his partner Baron Mikel Scicluna would respond against Chief Jay Strongbow & Billy White Wolf. The Barons tried to exert their will against the Indians, but Strongbow & Wolf weren't simply going to lay down. We had a donnybrook on our hands that got a little out of control when Billy White Wolf accidentally caught referee Jack Davis with an elbow. Davis overreacted a bit and disqualified the Indians, but to the dismay of the fans in the Memorial Auditorium. The brawl continued though before officials broke it up. A rematch has been signed for the Garden on December 29.
Stan Stasiak pinned Tony Garea with the Heart Punch in 0:00:34.
Rating: *
Not sure why Stan "The Man" Stasiak was in such a bad mood tonight, but Tony Garea felt the brunt of it. Stasiak jumped Garea before the bell even rang and dropped him with a side suplex before the match even started. Referee Danny Bartfield finally got some order restored and officially started the match, but it wasn't long before Stasiak hit the Heart Punch to get the 1-2-3.
Wahoo McDaniel made Eddie Graham submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:16:16.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Wahoo McDaniel retained the GCW United States Title.)
This was a rematch from last month as Wahoo McDaniel defended the United States Title against Eddie Graham. Last time they wrestled, they fought to a time limit, but we would have a clear winner here. Wahoo has been saying how important it is that his US Title reign get off to a great start, and this match certainly went a long way in doing that as he picks up the win with the Indian Deathlock. He received some bad news after the match though as he found out that at the MSG year-end show, he would be defending the title against the man he took it from, KARL GOTCH!
Dominic DeNucci and Johnny Weaver defeated Bill Watts and Johnny Valentine when DeNucci pinned Watts after a sunset flip in 0:17:02.
Rating: *** 1/4
Dominic DeNucci & Johnny Weaver are a new team, but they just scored a big upset that shows the wrestling world that they are here to stay. They took on the former 3-time World Tag Team champions, Johnny Valentine & Bill Watts, and though many have seen DeNucci & Weaver improve dramatically since they began teaming, not many people really thought they had a chance to win. DeNucci & Weaver seem to strive on being the underdogs though, and a sunset flip from DeNucci completely surprised Watts for the 1-2-3. A huge step up the ladder for DeNucci & Watts.
Bruno Sammartino defeated Ray Stevens when Ray Stevens passed out in the Sammartino Backbreaker in 0:15:21.
Rating: ****
(Bruno Sammartino retained the GCW World Title.)
Bruno Sammartino is defending the World Title at a record-setting pace, not taking off any time as his title reign marches on over a year. Bruno will have perhaps his toughest title defense either way on December 29, but he had to be careful not to look past Ray Stevens here or he might not be defending the title at all. Stevens is a great wrestler and can hurt you if you're not careful, and he took Bruno to the limit. However, Bruno weathered the storm until he could lock on the Sammartino Backbreaker to retain his title in another hard fought match. One has to wonder how long he can keep up this pace.
The Half-Ton Team (Gorilla Monsoon and Haystacks Calhoun) defeated Crusher & Bruiser (The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser) when Calhoun defeated Bruiser by disqualification in 0:16:15.
Rating: * 3/4
(The Half-Ton Team retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)
[Lou Albano interfered against Haystacks Calhoun.]
The Championship Committee ultimately decided to grant Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher a World Tag Team Title shot given their history as 5-time former champions, and the match against the Half-Ton Team was just as violent as their previous encounters have been. If there is one thing you could say is a detriment to the success of the team is that often times in matches they become more intent on fighting than on winning. That happened here as this degenerated into a massive brawl. As he has done many times before, Bruiser grabbed his chain and used it to waffle Calhoun, which officially ended the match in a DQ. Bruiser & Crusher continued the assault, leaving Monsoon & Calhoun a bloody mess thanks to that chain. As a result, The Half-Ton Team have issued a challenge for a Chain Match at MSG with the titles on the line!
Pedro Morales pinned Luke Graham after hitting him with brass knuckles in 0:24:48.
Rating: ** 1/2
[Billy Graham interfered against Luke Graham.]
Pedro Morales wanted Luke Graham in a match, and he got him. Our main event would determine the #1 contender for the World Title and who would face Bruno Sammartino in our biggest show of the year on December 29. Morales is convinced he is ready to take the next step, and after watching him go up against Luke Graham, I'd be inclined to agree. Morales is on top of his game. However, Luke Graham is arguably the best wrestler in the game period, and what we got was a great wrestling match. Near the end of this epic encounter, BILLY GRAHAM came out, but we didn't know why Luke's younger brother was there. We thought it was to help his brother out, but instead Billy slid Morales a pair of brass knuckles! Luke didn't see this and was yelling at Billy to head to the back, allowing Morales to clock him with the knux! Morales made the cover, and is the new #1 contender for the World Title! Billy Graham is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
But what this sets up is the match we have been waiting all year for - Bruno Sammartino vs. Pedro Morales for the GCW World Heavyweight Title!
Card rating: ** 1/2
Match observations:
Like every year, our end-of-the-year spectacular from Madison Square Garden tends to be the biggest show in GCW, and this one will be no exception! So far, four huge matches have been announced, including all three championships being on the line!
WORLD TITLE - Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Pedro Morales
UNITED STATES TITLE - Wahoo McDaniel (c) vs. Karl Gotch
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE CHAIN MATCH - The Half-Ton Team (c) vs. Dick the Bruiser/The Crusher
Chief Jay Strongbow/Billy White Wolf vs. Baron Mikel Scicluna/Baron Von Raschke
