Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling- August 20, 1985

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling: August 20, 1985

1) Big Stephen Pettipas and The Great Malumba vs. Rocky Delasaras and Tiger Williams
Holy Crap, Pettipas is great. He’s a really big guy with a solid build and presence and he moves well. He throws good elbows, has good armdrags and does some good bumping and selling too. Wiliams was nothing too special, although the Newfoundland heel is a cool idea. But his work wasn’t that great. And at least at this point, Malumba was almost all gimmick but hey, it was an iconic gimmick for the Maritimes. The heels worked over Pettitpas for most of the match, with Malumba doing a couple stretches plus the hot tag. Pettitpas and Malumba Irish whipped the heels into each other with Pettipas catching Williams off the rebound into a small package. A little long but it was great to watch Pettipas, shortly after he won the International title from Super Destroyer.

2) Super Destroyer with Bobby Bass vs. Willy Tremblay
I’m quite sure this is Karl Moffatt and not Don Jardine. He’s bigger than Bobby Bass but not monstrous and seems built differently. Plus he works a little bit more of a dirty and chickenshit style rather than monster heel. This was a fun little match with Bobby Bass having great presence on the outside, taunting the crowd and poking Tremblay with a kendo stick. Destroyer won with his feet on the ropes.

3) Ron Starr and Bobby Bass vs. Buddy Lane and Rick Patterson
Ron Starr is fantastic here, doing some great mat wrestling and counter wrestling with Buddy Lane that is not dated at all. In fact, Starr and Lane would not look out of place on any show today and Patterson seems like a good young talent. Starr works most of the match, with Bass doing some work and showing some fun stuff such as a splash of the top rope onto his Patterson’s arm and a missed fist-drop in which he sells his fist afterward. Bass and Starr won over the young guys in a good ol’ time of a match.

4) Sweet Daddy Siki with Lenny Montana (Ed Morretti) vs. Ronnie Rich
Rich is in amazing condition. Siki plays up the “Black Gorgeous George” gimmick in taking a while to take his gloves off before the match and having Montana hold a mirror up for him. Siki also holds out his fist in front of the camera with brass knucks on and has Montana take them. Strangely, the knucks don’t get used again. Montana taunts the crowd through the match. Siki is older and slow but fun and Rich seems like he should have been a star, firing up and playing a fantastic babyface. Anyway, Montana interferes and gets Siki disqualified. They double-team Rich. In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In come Williams and Delasara to help the heels! In come ultra-babyfaces The Cuban Freakin’ Assassin and Man Mountan Mike aka Mike Shaw in shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops!!!

The babyfaces clear house. Mike cuts a promo talking about the Cuban being one of the toughest wrestlers in the world and suggesting that he ally himself with Mike, Pettipas and Rich. Apparently The Cuban had been playing Switzerland for a while. The Cuban shakes hands with everyone and leaves with Mike. Pettipas cuts a promo saying that he’s been in “battles and battles” with the Cuban Assassin and that Bobby Bass owes him a lot of money. Pettipas steadfastly encourages Bobby Bass to start trainin’. Rich cuts a promo then the Cuban cuts a promo “People say Bobby Bass got no class...last time I and Bobby Bass fly to Cuba by airline...next time I fly Bobby Bass way up in the air with right hand...you never gonna forgot, you know, the power that Cuban Assassin got in his right hand” (shakes his fist in the air). The Cuban suggests that they can fight in a street-fight in the middle of the ring, in the street, in the parking lot or in downtown in any town here in the Maritimes. Bobby Bass and the Cuban Assassin duking it out in downtown North Sydney, Nova Scotia would be great. And man, the Cuban had the greatest hair and beard in history.

So wow, a show with matches all leading up to a climax and interconnected storylines. Good times and I can’t wait to watch more.