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Post by endo on Dec 2, 2012 20:29:34 GMT -5
These were posted by Dr. Delaware on the Kayfabe Memories site, and I just thought they were great. Jimmy Snuka and Capt. Lou Albano waiting to record the infamous Rogers Corner where Snuka finds out Albano has been ripping him off the whole time he's been managing him. The "Three Wise Men"....The Grand Wizard, Freddie Blassie and Lou Albano with the Samoans and relatives. I recognize Afa and Sika and Tonga Kid. Samu too, I think. Don't know the other one. Capt. Lou at a cookout I guess. The Capt. and members of two different championship tag teams. Moondog Spot on his way out and Sika of the Samoans getting ready for his team's run. Moondog Rex (Randy Colley), The Magnificent Don Muraco, Capt. Lou Albano and Angelo Mosca peruse the latest issue of The Wrestler. Muraco and Pedro Morales seriously breaking Kayfabe having a picture taken together during the height of their feud over the IC title. Probably my favorite picture. The final picture of the title belt made by Nikita Mulkavitch and held by Bob Backlund. Superstar Graham had just returned to the WWF and was in the process of telling Vince that if he couldn't have the belt no one could. Moments later he would smash the belt to pieces during the TV taping.
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Post by NDX on Dec 2, 2012 22:08:29 GMT -5
Graham looks odd without the blond locks back then.
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Post by endo on Dec 2, 2012 22:21:59 GMT -5
Yeah, he did. Funny story, Vince agreed to bring him back, sight unseen. I guess Vince wasn't up on the Apter mags and wasn't aware of Graham's new look. No one mentioned it to Vince, as they all just assumed he knew. Vince was expecting the Superstar Graham that left the WWWF after losing to Backlund, and rumor has it, had another run with the title planned for him. When he saw what he was getting, Vince decided to keep the belt on Backlund a while longer.
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Post by NDX on Dec 2, 2012 22:33:14 GMT -5
I don't blame him. Rather have a goodball for a champ than a vanilla bald ninja.
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Post by endo on Dec 2, 2012 22:46:29 GMT -5
From what I've read, Superstar was devastated when they took the belt off of him and started with the boozing and drugs for a few years leading to him losing a lot of the size he had. He knew Vince Sr.'s plan to put the belt on Backlund, but I guess after Graham got so popular, as a heel no less, he figured they'd either let him keep the belt longer or turn him face and let him keep it. It would have been easy to turn him, as he and Ivan Koloff teamed a lot. A missed tag and they lose and it was set. But, Sr. shook Backlund's hand on the deal, and that was his word. Graham truly was ahead of his time in his prime.
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Post by NDX on Dec 2, 2012 22:59:48 GMT -5
Personified what a WWE Superstar should be long before the term was ever associated to the wrestlers.
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Post by gorepolice on Dec 4, 2012 1:55:21 GMT -5
Superstar is scary in that pic.
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Post by endo on Dec 4, 2012 10:42:42 GMT -5
Yeah, I much preferred him like this...
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Post by NDX on Dec 4, 2012 20:50:35 GMT -5
He was the prototype of how characters should be. Over the top, flamboyant, unrealistic, larger-than-life.
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Post by endo on Dec 5, 2012 20:54:10 GMT -5
He definitely was the blueprint of guys to come. Ventura, Hogan, Austin Idol... they all took some of what he had with them. While I'm here, here's a rare pic of Ox Baker in the WWWF. If you blinked, you missed him.
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Post by NDX on Dec 5, 2012 22:00:10 GMT -5
Saw Ox Baker not too long ago. Even at his current age, he was rather scary looking. He was managing a very happy, very obese, very short Samoan.
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Post by endo on Dec 6, 2012 17:39:05 GMT -5
I Googled trying to find this Samoan, no luck. Probably and interesting contrast given Ox is so tall.
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Post by NDX on Dec 6, 2012 21:45:19 GMT -5
Not the match I saw, but it speaks for itself.
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Post by endo on Dec 6, 2012 22:19:43 GMT -5
Ha, that was actually pretty awesome. He is a happy Samoan, lol. Ox doesn't look bad at all for 78 either.
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Post by NDX on Dec 6, 2012 22:38:42 GMT -5
Holy crap, I had no idea he was 78!
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