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

Oct 22 1978

Toronto promoter Frank Tunney has been responsible for bringing some of the world's finest wrestlers to his shows at Maple Leaf Gardens. Champions and contenders from the NWA, the WWF, and the AWA have fought each other in exciting Toronto bouts. However, Toronto wrestling reached new heights when Tunney brought in stars of the NWA Mid-Atlantic wrestling promotion to appear on one of his Sunday night spectaculars. Excited fans filled Maple leaf Gardens and witnessed one of the most impressive cards in the history of wrestling, on the first card that used the Mid-Atlantic wrestlers.

In the opener, Geoff Portz of England went up against Abe Jacobs of New Zealand. Both wrestlers combined elaborate scientific moves with generous doses of the rough stuff. Portz was effective with armlocks, judo chops to the chin and chest of Jacobs, and a devastating forearm uppercut. Jacobs used spectacular combinations of toeholds, leglocks, flying mares, dropkicks. abdominal stretches, and his patented kiwi rolling leglock. Portz repeatedly dived for the safely of the ropes. As the match neared the 15 minute mark. both wrestlers employed punches. slams. chops. and cradle holds to try for a pin. Neither wrestler was successful. When time ran out, the wrestlers were engaged in a slug-fest.

The second bout was a tag-team affair in which Dewey Robertson & Steve Bolus took on Nick DeCarlo and Sweet Daddy Siki. Although the match was primarily a contest of hammerlocks, flying mares. stepover toeholds, and flying tackles, the tempers of all four wrestlers eventually became short. The frustrations of the match were reflected in kneelifts, dropkicks, and forearm smashes. Moreover. Robertson and Bolus began to demonstrate more effective teamwork which further angered their opponents. Finally, Nick DeCarlo whipped Robertson into the turnbuckle. When DeCarlo attempted a second whip, Robertson leaped to the top of the turnbuckle, and gave DeCarlo a spectacular flying body, press off the ropes. DeCarlo was the easy victim of a press and three count.

Bob Backlund, the WWF Heavyweight Champion, defended his title against tough Ivan Koloff in a bout marked by non-stop action. Koloff demonstrated strength, brutality, and a good knowledge of wrestling fundamentals. He easily shifted from eye gouges and punches to bearhugs and armlocks. Backlund used brilliant counter holds to escape from several Koloff bearhugs. Then he mounted his own offensive using flying mares, dropkicks, body slams, body drops to the legs. a punishing leg stretch, and a dynamic double armed suplex. Despite a few close calls, neither wrestler would submit or allow himself to be pinned. When Koloff attempted a piledriver, Backlund flipped the tough Russian with a shift in weight and a back body drop- Even though Backlund immediately followed up with a piledriver of his own, Koloff nipped out of a body press after the referee had counted "two". Finally. Backlund slipped behind Koloff. and gave him an effective atomic spinebreaker and press. Both Backlund and Koloff gave the audience a match that will be remembered.

In the fourth match of the evening, the legendary Minnesota Wrecking Crew of Ole & Gene Anderson took on the young team of Tony Atlas & Jay Youngblood. The tag-team match was exciting because of the complex tactics and brilliant teamwork used by both sides. Early in the bout, the young Indian sensation Jay Youngblood used spectacular flying moves, combined with hard chops to rescue the powerful Tony Atlas from a series of Anderson choke holds. Youngblood absorbed nearly ten minutes of backbreakers, kidney punches, eye gouges, and hammerlock and body slam combinations. Finally, Youngblood came back with chops, dropkicks and flips, and almost pinned Gene Anderson. A quick save by Ole Anderson was followed by further double-teaming. As Youngblood crawled across the ring to tag Atlas, he was treated to stomps and kidney punches by the quick- tagging Anderson Brothers. Finally, he slipped under Ole's legs, and did a body roll into his own corner. Atlas entered, and gave a series of devastating body slams to both brothers. After all four wrestlers engaged in brawling coupled with quick tags, Atlas grabbed the advantage and pinned Ole with a series of headbutts and a press. The match was an excellent introduction to the excitement of Mid-Atlantic wrestling.

The next event was a struggle between strongman Ken Patera and acrobatic Dino Bravo. Patera used wrist locks and arm locks which were countered by Bravo's flips, trips, and escapes. Patera was the victim of Bravo tackles, dropkicks, and flying head scissors. Finally, Patera seized the upper hand with elbow smashes and elbow drops, and used the ropes to achieve a quick victory. Tony Atlas entered the ring and explained to the referee that Bravo had not been pinned legally. The enraged Patera offered to square off with Atlas immediately. The referee reversed his decision. and ordered that the match be continued. Bravo quickly threw two cannon-powered dropkicks. and Patera was down for a quick press and three count. Patera got to his feet and claimed that he received an overly fast count, but was ignored by the referee and the overjoyed fans.

The final match of the evening was a confrontation between Ric Flair and the sensational Ricky Steamboat. Both young wrestlers combined showmanship, brawling and scientific wrestling. In matches before capacity crowds in North Carolina and Virginia. the pair had aroused the passions of the fans with ultra-violence and intricate wrestling holds. Every battle in their war had been a classic, and this Toronto main event was to be no exception. Flair entered the ring wearing a sequined turquoise robe that was accentuated by his strutting across the runway antagonizing every fan as he completed his triumphant march to the ring. As Steamboat entered the ring, be was attacked by Flair. A few deadly chops to the forehead from Steamboat caused Flair to retreat to his comer. As the bell rang, both men jumped into mid-ring to begin the match. A series of Steamboat arm drags caused Flair to fall all over the ring. Flair countered with punches and eye gouges. Frustrated by his attempts to end the match early. Flair launched a new attack based on punches, elbow drops, and kneelifts to the stomach. Flair seized the temporarily weakened Steamboat in a vertical suplex, and tried for a pin. Steamboat threw him off, and began a counter-attack based on dropkicks, body slams, martial arts hand thrusts and chops to the throat.

After several two count pins by both men, the tide began to turn. Ric Flair could not break Steamboat's version of the figure-four leglock but he refused to submit to the hold. Slowly and painfully, he crawled into the ropes. Upon breaking the hold, Steamboat stepped back, then launched a series of body slams, suplexes, flying mares, and punches. Steamboat satisfied his cheering, stomping, whistling fans by beating Flair from one end of the ring to the other. In the midst of a series of body slams, Flair grabbed Steamboat in a cradle for the count of two. Steamboat reversed the cradle, applying an inside cradle that Flair broke by pulling hair.

Flair then threw Steamboat into the ropes and caught him in a high back body drop. When Flair tried the moved a second time, Steamboat caught him with a sunset flip cradle. When Flair broke the hold, each wrestler began to use kicks, elbow drops, chops, and punches, in a last ditch effort to destroy the other. Finally, Steamboat grabbed Flair in a sleeper hold which Flair broke by eye gouging. Steamboat went wild, using chops, kicks, and another flying sleeper hold to subdue Flair. The nearly unconscious Flair went for the ropes again. Steamboat responded by turning the sleeper into a stranglehold. When referee Tommy Young tried to break up the hold, he was thrown to the mat. The referee thus disqualified the enraged Steamboat. Bloody and nearly unconscious, Flair had won. The fans had witnessed a match that would never be forgotten.

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