The Toronto Connection
Wrestling Exchange - August 1980
- story by Marty Slobin

June 29 1980

At a major Toronto hotel, the wrestling fans gathered in the lobby to discuss the wrestling card that they would see that night. While they were talking, wrestling stars like Ray Stevens, and The Great Hossein walked among the other hotel guests. Abdullah The Butcher and Dory Funk. Jr. would be making very rare Toronto appearances, and Bruiser Brody would be seen for the first time. Three major title defenses highlighted the card and provided yet another reason for wrestling fans to be excited. The card at Maple Leaf Gardens was even more exciting than expected.

In an important tag-team match, Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta defended their International tag-team title against the tough team of Bruiser Brody and Scott Irwin. The two out of three fall match was covered by Japanese television cameramen and announcers. In the first fall. the brawling style of Brody and Erwin gave the champions plenty of trouble. Baba and Tsuruta retaliated with kicks. chops. and suplexes. Brody was effective with chokes, stomps, and his patented knee drop. The first brawl ended when Erwin and Brody tied up Tsuruta in the ropes and double. teamed him, despite the refs instructions to let him go. Finally, the frustrated referee disqualified the bearded brawlers and awarded the first fall to the Japanese champions.

The second fall was even more exciting, because of the chops of Baba and the dropkicks of Tsuruta. Brody and Erwin tried to beat and batter the Japanese superstars inside and outside the ring. Erwin used backbreakers and headbutts on Tsuruta, and Brody went berserk in an all-out attack on both opponents. However, the champions defeated their opponents when Tsuruta stood on the top turnbuckle and executed a spectacular flying body press on Erwin. The fans applauded the two straight fall victory of the International Tag- Team Champions.

Canadian Heavyweight Champion The Great Hossein received a hostile reception as he put his belt on the line against powerful Angelo Mosca. The able Mosca was effective with bearhugs and body slams. but his efforts were negated by the prowess of Hossein and the interference of Hossein's manager Gene Anderson. Hossein broke Mosca's bearhug with a well executed hiplock. When both men fought outside the ring, Hossein gained the upper hand by battering Mosca's head into the ringpost and smashing his manager's cane over the challenger's back. Although he was covered with blood, Mosca battered both the champion and his manager.

When Hossein and Mosca brawled on the ring apron, Mosca ducked Hossein’s roundhouse punch and applied a sleeper hold on the champion. The wrestlers got back in the ring with Mosca's sleeper still on the beaten Hossein. Because the hold was applied outside the ring, the referee ordered Mosca to release the champion from the sleeper. Mosca refused. When he continued to apply the sleeper. he was disqualified by the referee. Hossein retained his championship although he had been beaten by Mosca. The angered fans booed the referee. Hossein. and Anderson.

Dory Funk Jr. demonstrated great ability in his bout with the hulking Abdullah The Butcher. Eye gouges, head butts, and elbow drops. gave the Butcher an early lead. Funk came back with some of the best forearm uppercuts in wrestling. He drew blood from the Butcher's forehead. Funk actually lifted the 300 pound plus Butcher in a vertical suplex, and slammed him down hard! Then Funk lowered the boom with four flying elbow drops to the Butcher's chest. The Butcher was almost down for the three count, but he came back with chokes, chops, and karate thrusts. When Funk and Abdullah moved their brawl to the ring apron, they were both counted out, thus ending the brief but violent contest.

The new NWA World Tag. Team Champions Jimmy Snuka and Ray Stevens risked their title against the brilliant former champions Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood. Although the challengers started their attack by dropkicking both champions and continued to use a high flying and hard chopping style, they were eventually surprised by the vicious but effective double teaming of the two champions. At one point, Snuka gave Youngblood a flying Fiji body drop off of the top rope, but refused to pin the challenger. This was a mistake, because Steamboat and Youngblood came back with cradle holds, suplexes, and flying chops, and the champions avoided six near pins. As Steamboat & Youngblood swung into high gear, they double-teamed Stevens while the challengers raced the curfew time limit. Stevens was beaten and too far away to tag Snuka, but time expired before the challengers could regain their title. However, despite the aggravation of the curfew, it was an excellent match.

Preliminary action was also exciting. The team of Johnny Weaver and Tony Parisi defeated Dave Patterson and Ben Alexander with a cannonball drop on Alexander. The Intelligent Sensational Destroyer defeated Joe Markus with his figure-four leg lock. In the opener, Bob Markus defeated Silent Mackney with a rolling reverse cradle.

Because of the quality of the four main events, this Toronto wrestling card will be remembered by the fans who were there to witness it.