This is probably the oldest footage available of Bruno in action. This is from either 1960 or 1961, because Vince McMahon Sr. blackballed Bruno for a good chunk of 1962. His opponent here is Magnificent Maurice (real name: Gene Dubuque). Maurice had a tag team with Handsome Johnny Barend at this time, and their manager was J. Wellington Radcliffe, whose real name was Ernie Roth and who would later be known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, and as Abdullah Farouk when he managed The Sheik.
These were POOR dropkicks. There is, however a GREAT Bruno dropkick on tape (I'll try and find it). It's against Ken Patera at the Spectrum. Bruno hits a shoulder block, tries another and Patera LEAPFROGS overtop. The Bruno comes off the ropes and hits Patera in the face with both feet. This was AFTER he came back from his broken neck. Awesome.
I never saw Bruno drop kick anyone until this, even though I read where he was supposed to have drop kicked Buddy Rogers for the title in 1964(?)-during the match that is. After all-photoes show Rogers in the "back breaker".
It was May of 1963. Rogers DID NOT want to wrestle Bruno (they hated each other, legit) and the only way to get Rogers in the ring was to lie about the finish. Supposedly, Bruno told Rogers IN THE RING: "This is it. We can do this the easy way - or the hard way." 2 dropkicks, 2 bodyslams, a bearhug and a reverse backbreaker later...and Bruno was the winner in 48 seconds.
Bruno is on record as respecting Rogers talent (and he was great), but he was a jerk. He played sick if the house wasn't packed, hurt jobbers and stiffed guys. Rogers also always claimed he had a heart attack a week before & dragged from the hospital. Bruno says, and was backed up by Tim Woods, that ALL wrestlers were thoroughly checked out by the Commission doctor before the show. And back then, they DID stop wrestlers from working. Bruno resented Rogers claim. They reconciled years later.
Wrestlers have got to work for the sport, as it were, and if that means traveling to some school in some very small town of only 200 fans then that is it. The next night might be Madison Square garden to a sell out crowd of thousands, that is how wrestling works. killer kowalski understood it like most did. Waldo Von Eric did NOT I am sorry to say. I was there to see it.
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sampson1959 5 months ago
This is probably the oldest footage available of Bruno in action. This is from either 1960 or 1961, because Vince McMahon Sr. blackballed Bruno for a good chunk of 1962. His opponent here is Magnificent Maurice (real name: Gene Dubuque). Maurice had a tag team with Handsome Johnny Barend at this time, and their manager was J. Wellington Radcliffe, whose real name was Ernie Roth and who would later be known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, and as Abdullah Farouk when he managed The Sheik.
elc1960 9 months ago
bruno was a bad wrestler
sokomokomo 1 year ago
Nice bearhug 2:31
bhug3996 1 year ago
These were POOR dropkicks. There is, however a GREAT Bruno dropkick on tape (I'll try and find it). It's against Ken Patera at the Spectrum. Bruno hits a shoulder block, tries another and Patera LEAPFROGS overtop. The Bruno comes off the ropes and hits Patera in the face with both feet. This was AFTER he came back from his broken neck. Awesome.
SimonMinisterofChaos 2 years ago
The 3 WORST DROPKICKS n pro wrestling history! Bruno was a brute, looked a lot like Ivan Putski used 2 look back n the 70's.
alcorderyjr 2 years ago
i think this is probably from the late 1950's.
CharlieMagnante 3 years ago
What year was this?
guglielmo64 3 years ago
Early 1960s
BaronTurco 2 years ago
Bruno's bearhugs & backbreakers were often
submission moves. his power was devastating.
he had been a powerlifter as a younger man as
his massive chest & arms show.
thankyouagain 3 years ago
i would love to go back in time and wrestle the old school stars like bruno and mark lewin
youdude1121 2 years ago
imagine getting kicked by legs that squat 700+pounds!
foreverhulkamania 3 years ago
I never saw Bruno drop kick anyone until this, even though I read where he was supposed to have drop kicked Buddy Rogers for the title in 1964(?)-during the match that is. After all-photoes show Rogers in the "back breaker".
erwintommy 3 years ago
It was May of 1963. Rogers DID NOT want to wrestle Bruno (they hated each other, legit) and the only way to get Rogers in the ring was to lie about the finish. Supposedly, Bruno told Rogers IN THE RING: "This is it. We can do this the easy way - or the hard way." 2 dropkicks, 2 bodyslams, a bearhug and a reverse backbreaker later...and Bruno was the winner in 48 seconds.
SimonMinisterofChaos 2 years ago
This is facinating-no idea of any animosity between the two.
erwintommy 2 years ago
Bruno is on record as respecting Rogers talent (and he was great), but he was a jerk. He played sick if the house wasn't packed, hurt jobbers and stiffed guys. Rogers also always claimed he had a heart attack a week before & dragged from the hospital. Bruno says, and was backed up by Tim Woods, that ALL wrestlers were thoroughly checked out by the Commission doctor before the show. And back then, they DID stop wrestlers from working. Bruno resented Rogers claim. They reconciled years later.
SimonMinisterofChaos 2 years ago 2
Wrestlers have got to work for the sport, as it were, and if that means traveling to some school in some very small town of only 200 fans then that is it. The next night might be Madison Square garden to a sell out crowd of thousands, that is how wrestling works. killer kowalski understood it like most did. Waldo Von Eric did NOT I am sorry to say. I was there to see it.
erwintommy 2 years ago
GoldenAge: Thanks for posting. Very odd to see the large amount of ring apron space outside of the ropes.
ddenuci 3 years ago
Rarely saw Bruno with the drop kick, as he does at 0:34 and the one-legged version he displays at 0:37.
ddenuci 3 years ago