In this WWF Championship Wrestling 1/1/83 review, Curt Hennig goes one-on-one with Ray Stevens, Mr. Saito and Tiger Mask steal the show, and more.
Let’s jump in!
- SHOW: WWF Championship Wrestling
- DATE: January 1, 1983
RINGSIDE: Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson are your hosts. Patterson is excited about Curt Hennig going one-on-one with Ray Stevens. Patterson also sees the aggression with The Wild Samoans, who are coming after the tag titles.
Curt Hennig vs. Ray Stevens (w/Freddie Blassie)
The crowd reaction is everything here. Hennig hits a basic dropkick, and Stevens sells it like an absolute pro, flying to the outside to the concrete floor. They even show a replay to magnify the effect of such a vicious move. It’s the little things!
Hennig gets a near fall after a bodyslam, and the fans can’t believe that Stevens kicked out. Anyone wanting to learn the psychology of professional wrestling should watch these two go at it. Stevens’ selling is incredible, and Hennig is full of babyface energy.
Stevens rakes the eyes during a pinfall attempt in a creative move, and then Hennig’s neck gets caught in the ropes. That allows the dastardly Stevens to pin Hennig for the win. A sub-five-minute match that was a joy to watch.
- Match Rating: **1/2
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka (w/Buddy Rogers) vs. Tito Senza
Rogers being in Snuka’s corner is quite a development. Again, I’m watching these for the first time, and it’s an interesting pairing. Senza starts off with some hard-hitting offense, but Snuka turns the tide with a bodyslam and knee to the chest.
The crowd roars as Snuka goes up top and hits the splash for the victory. This move garnered such a tremendous reaction, and it was certainly unique for this time period. It was so impactful that Senza gets stretchered out of the ring! You’ve gotta love 80s wrestling.
- Match Rating: SQUASH
RINGSIDE: They’re pushing Senza out of there as Vince and Snuka stand there watching the replay. An inadvertently hilarious camera shot. Snuka says his hand signal means that he loves the people.
Barry Hart vs. “Playboy” Buddy Rose (w/The Grand Wizard)
For those keeping score, Hart is not Bret Hart’s brother, but instead, the future Barry Horowitz. Meanwhile, Rose has a few females with him, and they disrobe him before the match. There are more difficult assignments in pro wrestling than that. I also like that they run the replay again of Snuka destroying Senza to push the importance of it.
The fans are chanting “fat boy” at Rose, and once again, this was the 80s. Even Vince calls him fat. Patterson disagrees and refers to him as “pleasantly plump.” Give Rose credit, he is excellent at playing into the heat from the crowd. And they chant it pretty much the entire match.
Rose dominates the actual action, and he hits a backbreaker for the easy win. He gets on the mic after the match and says he’s not fat. Then he grabs a few smooches from his ladies. What a playboy.
- Match Rating: SQUASH
Mr. Saito vs. Tiger Mask
Tiger is the WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion, and what a fascinating match this is. I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the WWF prior to 1984, which is why rewatching these shows is a fun experience. But even with that knowledge gap, I’ve seen plenty of good stuff on both Tiger and Saito.
There is a definite contrast between this and the other matches on the card thus far. That’s apparent when Tiger soars over the top onto Saito on the outside. It gets a huge standing ovation from the crowd to the point that you would have thought Hulk Hogan just made his entrance. It was that impressive.
Saito regains the advantage with a few power moves and near falls, and Patterson thinks this thing is over. However, Tiger flies off the top and does a sunset flip onto Saito, and he rolls him up for the win. This was so different that it is worth the watch.
- Match Rating: *** (Recommended)
Israel Matia vs. Superstar Billy Graham (w/The Grand Wizard)
I know this is later in Superstar’s career, but the dude still looks like an absolute beast. Of course, it’s not the Superstar that fans had been use to during his initial venture in the WWF. He changed his presentation upon returning to the company for his second run, sporting a bald head and karate pants.
Superstar obliterates poor Matia in about a minute.
- Match Rating: SQUASH
VIDEO: Rogers welcomes Rocky Johnson as his guest. Rogers credits Johnson with connecting him with Snuka. Johnson just wants to learn and team with Snuka. Rogers gives him a standing offer to join them.
Tony Colon vs. Salvatore Bellomo
Patterson highlights Bellomo’s ability to speak multiple languages. That allows Vince to get a shot in on Pattersons’ grasp of the English language. These two go back and forth in the early going, and the crowd isn’t as engaged as they were for the opening few matches.
Colon drops an elbow and goes for another, but Bellomo hops up and hits a splash for the victory. There wasn’t much to this one in terms of crowd reaction.
- Match Rating: *1/2
The Wild Samoans (w/Captain Lou Albano) vs. Tony Rico and Eddie Carson
Rico and Carson already appear to be the most magnificent jobber tag team ever. My guess is they are going to get beat unmercifully by Afa and Sika, but let’s see how it plays out. Carson takes the fight to Afa right from the bell, and that’s a bit surprising to Afa.
What does he do? He starts kicking ass. Sika does the same. Carson has great hair, but he’s not great at slowing down a couple of wild Samoans. Rico wants in the match, and I’m not sure why. Collect your paycheck and get the hell out of there.
Carson finally makes the tag to Rico, and he proceeds to take a headbutt from Afa. Sika then kicks him right in the nuts. I told you Rico was a buffoon for wanting in this match! Sika catapults Rico into the ropes, and then he hits the Samoan Drop for the victory. Pure domination.
- Match Rating: **
Bob Bradley vs. Mr. Fuji
I have seen Bradley before in a star jobber role on WWF television, which I assume came during the mid-80s on various shows. Something tells me he’s going to do another job. Fuji is looking lean and mean at this point in 1983. He works on the “trapezius area,” which is a Vince favorite.
Vince basically calls Fuji ugly, which prompts Fuji to hit a back body drop on Bradley. Fuji goes up to the second rope and splashes Bradley for the win.
- Match Rating: SQUASH
Blake’s WWF Championship Wrestling 1/1/83 Awards
- Best Match: Mr. Saito vs. Tiger Mask
- Show MVP: Tiger Mask
- Show Rating: 6.5/10
- Thoughts: This seemed like an above-average episode, but since this is the first in the 1983 WWF rewatch series, I can’t say that with full confidence. Go out of your way to watch the Saito/Tiger match.
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