July 12, 1975 - Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY

Bobby Duncum pinned Mr. Wrestling I with the Full Nelson Slam in 0:02:40.
Rating: ** 1/2

There might not be a wrestler in the world as on fire as Bobby Duncum is. Duncum has taken down opponent after opponent since he parted ways with Bobby Heenan, and looks better each and every time out. Tonight may have been the best he's looked, beating the accomplished Mr. Wrestling I in under 3 minutes. It might be time for the GCW Championship Committee to strongly consider granting Duncum a title shot.

Ernie Ladd defeated Ox Baker by disqualification in 0:06:14.
Rating: 1/2*
[Bobby Heenan interfered against Ernie Ladd.]

Clearly in the world of professional wrestling, you will take a win in any way you can get it. Unfortunately for Ernie Ladd tonight, getting that win involved taking a beating. Ox Baker got himself disqualified when he shoved referee Terry Taranova to the canvas, but the assault didn't stop there as he left Ladd laying after the Heart Punch. Ladd had to be helped to the back after the attack.

Kintaro Ohki pinned Mr. Fuji with the Back Suplex in 0:08:42.
Rating: *** 1/2

Mr. Fuji looked a lot better returning from his injury than he did in the tag match at MSG, but he still had a tough time against Kintaro Ohki, the South Korean legend who has yet to lose a match in the States. Though Fuji had outside help from Professor Toru Tanaka, Ohki fought through it en route to hitting the Back Suplex and taking home the win. After the match though, he was confronted by BOBBY DUNCUM, who said he was tired of people like Ohki coming around and thinking they matter in this country before challenging him to a match at Madison Square Garden on August 3. Ohki accepted the match by slapping Duncum across the face! This is one I am really looking forward to seeing.

Jimmy Snuka and Tony Garea defeated The Blackjacks (Blackjack Lanza and Blackjack Mulligan) when J. Snuka pinned Mulligan with the Superfly Splash in 0:15:47.
Rating: ** 3/4

The Blackjacks suffered their first defeat as a team in GCW, falling to the team of Jimmy Snuka & Tony Garea, who needed a big win. After the Blackjacks won the first encounter between these teams last month, it looked like Lanza & Mulligan took Snuka & Garea too lightly. Big mistake as it cost them in a big way. Garea surprised Lanza by dropkicking him off the apron while Snuka hit the Superfly Splash on Mulligan in the ring to get the 1-2-3.

Interview:
The Blackjacks harass Gorilla Monsoon.

The Blackjacks were livid after losing the previous match, and they took it out on Gorilla Monsoon, who was coming out for the next match against Nikolai Volkoff. The Blackjacks verbally taunted Monsoon, making light of how he was knocked out by Muhammad Ali in the Garden last month and how that was an embarrassment to professional wrestlers everywhere. Monsoon got in the faces of the Blackjacks, but officials got in between them before any blows were thrown.

Gorilla Monsoon defeated Nikolai Volkoff by disqualification in 0:01:58.
Rating: -*
[Lou Albano interfered against Gorilla Monsoon.]

We thought the confrontation was over, but Bobby Heenan showed that it wasn't as not long into this match, he sent the Blackjacks into the ring to pummel Monsoon! To make matters worse, Nikolai Volkoff joined in to make it a 3-on-1 fight. Monsoon was in rough shape after the attack was over, but he managed to walk to the back under his own power.

Dory Funk Jr. made Billy Robinson submit to the Texas Cloverleaf in 0:13:34.
Rating: ***
(Dory Funk Jr. retained the GCW Intercontinental Title.)

It's amazing to see the amount of hatred being directed Dory Funk Jr.'s way, but after the way Funk sold out in order to win the Intercontinental Title, can you blame the fans for not liking him? One man who has made it his mission to right Funk's wrongs in Billy Robinson, the victim of the plot by Funk and Robinson's former protégé', Don Muraco. Muraco was at ringside in the corner of Funk, and despite Robinson's best efforts, it was clearly distracting him. Robinson is known for being under control at all times, so you know he is upset by this when it is throwing him off his game. Robinson looked like he was still going to pull off the victory though when he hit the Double-Arm Suplex, but Muraco jumped up on the apron before Robinson could make the cover. This distraction gave Funk enough time to recover and drop Robinson with a Russian legsweep before putting on the Texas Cloverleaf. Robinson struggled to get to the ropes, but he couldn't get there before he had to tap out. Robinson has been granted one more title shot, but this will be his last as long as Funk is the champion. It will be fought under best two out of three falls rules however, limiting the chance for Muraco's interference to cost him the match.

The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy Valiant and Johnny Valiant) defeated Larry Zbyszko and Dino Bravo when Johnny Valiant made Zbyszko submit to the Sleeperhold in 0:10:20.
Rating: *** 1/2
[Lou Albano interfered against Larry Zbyszko.]

Larry Zbyszko & Dino Bravo showed they have a ton of potential by defeating the former World Tag Team champions, Mr. Fuji & Toru Tanaka, last month. They had another tough test here against the Valiant Brothers, a team that continues to get better and with Lou Albano at the helm, and are looking to get a World Tag Team Title shot in the near future. Though Zbyszko & Bravo have all the tools to be a successful team down the road, possibly future champions, they're still young and still learning on the fly, whereas the Valiants have been together their entire lives. That experience advantage pays huge dividends in tag team wrestling, leading to a Valiants win in a well wrestled contest. After tonight's show it was announced that on August 3, the Valiants will wrestle Jimmy Snuka & Tony Garea with the winning team becoming the #1 contenders to the World Tag Team Titles!

Dick Murdoch and Pedro Morales defeated The Graham Brothers (Billy Graham and Luke Graham) when Morales made L. Graham submit to a figure-four leglock in 0:28:18.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Dick Murdoch and Pedro Morales won the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)

The Texas Outlaws were supposed to get their much anticipated rematch for the World Tag Team Titles against the Grahams tonight, but right before the match it was announced that Dusty Rhodes had been taken to the hospital due to being attacked viciously in the locker room. Nobody saw exactly what happened, but all signs pointed to it being Luke & Billy who carried out the cowardly assault. The Grand Wizard denied any and all responsibility, but no one was believing it. Either way, they looked to benefit from Rhodes being out, but Dick Murdoch was allowed to bring out a replacement, and what a replacement it was as his partner was PEDRO MORALES! The Grahams were livid at this and wanted the match thrown out, but the bell rang and we were under way! The Grahams were in disarray early on as this was not what they prepared for and the makeshift team was taking full advantage. The match settled in though and the tag team experience of the champs took over, letting them dominate the middle portion of the match. The Grahams were probably winning on points, but in professional wrestling, it's the pinfall or submission that ultimately matters. Luke Graham made one huge mistake when he arrogantly went to the top rope and tried to hit a kneedrop on Murdoch, but Dirty Dick rolled out of the way and Luke hit hard. Murdoch tagged in Morales who knocked Billy off the apron before putting the injured Luke in a figure-four leglock. Luke cried out in pain and attempted to hold on, but he had to tap or his leg would have been broken. Unexpectedly, we have brand new World Tag Team champions! Congratulations to Dick Murdoch & Pedro Morales!

Hiro Matsuda pinned Jack Brisco after a power bomb in 0:16:59.
Rating: *** 3/4

The rematch between Jack Brisco & Hiro Matsuda was even more heated than the original contest as that added familiarity with each other from the first match allowed each man to take more risks in the second. Bobby Heenan was sweating bullets throughout this match, showing how important it was to him for Matsuda to take Brisco out. Brisco wouldn't be taken out, per se, but he would suffer a loss, though by nefarious means. Brisco had Matsuda in the corner and was up in a mounted position when Matsuda countered with a power bomb. The air was driven out of Brisco's lungs, and Matsuda putting his feet on the ropes for more leverage did not help his case either. Matsuda & Heenan hightailed it out of there, but there will be no tomfoolery like this on August 3 as the rematch will be fought in a STEEL CAGE!

Harley Race pinned Ivan Koloff with the Piledriver in 0:22:20.
Rating: *** 1/4
(Harley Race retained the GCW World Title.)

If this night didn't have enough already, we still had our main event, a huge return match for the World Title! Harley Race won the last November in Providence, but since then has yet to defend the title against the man he defeated for it. That all changed tonight as "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff finally got the rematch he rightfully deserved. Not only that, but Koloff was riding a wave of momentum having pinned Race in an 8-man tag match last month. We haven't seen it so far in Race's reign, but tonight was the first match that Race seemed to wrestle tentatively. He prides himself on always being a step ahead of his opponent and in complete control, but it looked like he didn't think he could beat Koloff. Afterall, the one time he did beat him, it was thanks to a huge assist from Luke Graham. Race was on his toes the whole match, and that's where Koloff excels - when he can come at you full blast. Race got bounced around like a basketball for most of this match, but to his credit, Koloff couldn't put Race away. Race got desperate late and pulled referee Dick Kroll close to him as a shield, trying to keep Koloff at bay. Koloff came in and Race caught him with a thumb to the eye that Kroll didn't see. Race hit the Piledriver quickly, but only got a two count! Race couldn't believe it, but a second Piledriver was enough to put Koloff down and out. Race literally escapes with a win, but is going to have to contend with Koloff one more time in the Garden!

Card rating: ** 3/4

Match observations:

Back to Madison Square Garden on August 3!

WORLD TITLE - Harley Race (c) vs. Ivan Koloff
INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE 2/3 FALLS - Dory Funk Jr. (c) vs. Billy Robinson
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES - Pedro Morales/Dick Murdoch (c) vs. The Graham Brothers
#1 CONTENDERS - Jimmy Snuka/Tony Garea vs. The Valiant Brothers
STEEL CAGE MATCH - Jack Brisco vs. Hiro Matsuda
Kintaro Ohki vs. Bobby Duncum
Gorilla Monsoon vs. Blackjack Mulligan

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