This video brings me goose bumps. I was 11 and remember watching this Saturday morning with my older brother and dad. We were shocked! This was when people all loved to believe or actually believed Pro Wrestling was real. This was truly the golden age of wrestling. Gotta love the large sodas flying! Now i'm going to see if they have the clip of Rudy Diamond wearing a Paula shirt and getting piled drived several times by Mr. Wonderful!!
Watch as the puka shells come off Jimmy's head at 3:33 by accident during Lou's first punch, then the ref jumps out of the ring to get them back for Albano. He hands them back to Capt. Lou at 3:44 to set up the blading/beatdown. Amazing how integral the refs are to the action.
I remember watching this on TV when it first aired. Like the poster above me, I was a young man and I freaked. I thought it was real. They NEW.....how to get the fans riled back then.
I was 12 years old when this happened. I too thought Snuka was going to be brain damaged or something. But when you look at the pile drivers on the film, you can see Snuka's head never hits the cement ground. But its still dangerous, you see all these wrestling moves that go wrong. Remember Darren Drozdov was paralyzed by D Lo Brown in a power bomb gone wrong. Vince Mcmahon has these wrestlers do crazy dangerous moves on other wrestlers.
some older comments say someone dumped something from above to make the floor look bloodier. i disagree. to me it looks like someone threw the drink from the other side of the ring @ 4:48. this was not a studio like TBS wrestling, and there was a lot of stuff being thrown. before Jr. took over they did not need to have plants throw things from above, etc...
I remember that fight n the one were he got his head cracked open by a coconut. I was 11yrs old when I saw this match n I was devastated. thought he was gonna die! we even prayed for him....makes me laugh thinking bout today, but the superfly was everyones #1 wrestler back in them times. wrestling used to come on, on saturdays just like cartoons n kung fu movies. still have scars from imitating wrestlers n kung fu stars back then. those were the days.
a lot of these comments are right on the money. Look at how fans could walk tight up to the ringside and shake a wrestlers hand. I took my little from big brothers to a match and you couldnt so much as get close enough to ask for an autograph... ridiculous... these were the days when wrestling was more entertaining than ever
Thank You for who ever posted this !!!! This brings back great memories !!! It also reminds me HOW Queer The WWE is today !!!!! The A- Hole 's at WWE wont even take idea request from fans like us who remember when a match could make you CHEER, ANGRY, LAUGH, CRY all the in the spand of 10 minutes ......
How did you ever get this footage? I remember sitting in my parents bedroom watching this on a black and white tv, and I think it traumatized me for life. Its truly one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history, for me anyways. Just saw a recent match with him and his son deuce. Jimmy is a mess, the past has caught up with him.
This is one of the most memorable angles in WWE history. Jimmy gets his freedom from the Captain, but paid a terrible price for it, curteousy of Albano, Ray Stevens, and Fred Blassie.
Now kiddies, THIS is how you set up a wrestling feud! Today's WWE and TNA have to get back to this style of promotion somehow. Nowadays, it's all about endless, longwinded promos and silly catchphrases. We want more ACTION, not five 5 minute long matches with 90 minutes of promos and backstage skits. Whatever happened to character development? Sorry, I'll shut up now. Please don't trip over my soapbox on your way out (LOL).
@dariusdynamite Thanks, Darius! But I think the real reason for the lack of character development may have something to do with the 12 PPVs per year and the need to change things up rather quickly. At the time of this clip, there was no such thing as pay-per-view. The first two Wrestlemanias were on closed circuit and could be seen only in theaters and arenas with giant screens. I know, I answered my own question, but maybe they need to go back to the old way of doing things.
Joe McHugh is a name I haven't heard in years. I remember seeing this when it happed on tv, all those many years ago. Wrestling was a lot bloodier back then, wrestlers hardly ever bleed much anymore.
@HemmHon Gotta love Joe! " . . . And my name is JOOOOOOEEEE McHugh!" (Yes, that's how he spelled his last name.) He started out in WWWF in '72 as ring announcer on "All Star Wrestling", and at this time was alternating with Gary Michael Cappetta on "Championship Wrestling" (Joe did one week, Gary did the next). The doctor at the end, by the way, is Dr. George Zahorian, the infamous "steroid doc" whose drug peddling trial nearly brought WWF down in the early '90s.
@elc1960 the time keeper at the bell mike mitman and your referee's for this hr of wrestling dick worley, wee willy weber and my name is jooooee mchugh. ding ding ding
@1981CrueHead Apparently he did. Changed his alibi several times during the investigation, from what I understand. One of his stories was that she was driving down the highway on the way to the hotel and pulled the car over so she could pee by the roadside, fell and hit her head on the guardrail, which caused the head trauma which led to her death. Vince McMahon's lawyers got him off scott free.
Gene Anderson said this didn't shock him one bit. He claimed that he was always afraid that Ray would turn on him and Jimmy when they were in the NWA. He said that all it would take was someone with a lot of money. Gene said that Ray told him that himself.
You are so right, jfizzay....this was indeed scary when I first saw it also, and this type of wrestling looks like itmight be gone forever. Its really a shame.
Great storyline, but at 3:55, was that the worst disguised blade job or what? They didnt give him time to drop and slice so he had to fit in a quick blading while being stood up by Stevens. Practice practice practice.
Snuka's weakness was his promos sucked, but so did Backlund and they made him champion for almost 6 years. Anyone know who the booker was back them, was Vince Sr writing all this shit
I remember missing this because of a Saturday football game, but had my sister watch it and tell me what happened. They have been working on the Snuka turn for a few months. They just couldn't get the crowd to hate him, Anyone remember the week before, when they announced this match? Why were two "heels" in a match? Capt Lou guy against a Blassie guy? WTF? I think they gave away the face turn.
Snuka had the same problem as the Road Warriors, even as heels people loved them
@jtc1148 As soon as Stevens came into the WWF he went straight into this feud. The week before Stevens said "I want a match with this Jimmy Superfly Snuka!" Snuka was pretty much a face before this. It was several months of him being in Albanos group being cheered before Vinny probably said they had to have him dump Albano.
Yes wrestlers do get injured/hurt every day, but not from the actual moves/holds/matches. The injuries result mostly from miscues/miscommunication, botched moves, & just day-after-day wear-and-tear of sports entertainment.
The best sellers in WWE history R Snuka, Brett Hart, Randy Savage, & Dynamite Kid....These were the guys who made everything look so real!!! They made every move/punch realistic, never undersold/fake or overdone/cartoonish reactions.
Awesome!!! This was most def 1 of THE BEST angles EVER...Listen & look at the crowd reaction--It's a near riot!!! The blood on the floor is from Snuka's hair touching the floor, not the impact of a piledriver..Snuka really bladed himself badly/deeply at 3:56 & the blood was all thru his hair from Stevens & Albano grabbing his hair. There is also beer/soda all over the floor under Snuka from fans throwing stuff. Snuka was/is 1 of the best sellers in WWE history, that's Y it's so real/scary.
@Tarantulisimo There is NO doubt about it! Look at the psychology...how this was played out, the emotion, the crowd reaction...they could not DREAM of having an angle this great now.
I remember taking this seriously and taking it to heart and HATING Stevens for this.Snuka became my hero around this time.now like many have said here, wrestling is a joke. but back when this happened, I was near tears.
I remember watching this as a 10 year old kid on WTVF Channel 29 Philadelphia on 'Championship Wrestling'. When they replayed it on All-Star Wrestling and the following week's CW show, they put the legendary big red "X" across the screen. In subsequent weeks, Snuka was shown wearing a neck brace on Roger's Corner stating he'll be back on "TV Land" soon. In 1982, VCRs/BetaMax machines were a) expensive; b) these huge 50lb top loading machines with rotary dials for UHF and VHF. Great stuff.
@ 5:17 Soda on Ray @5:22 Sounds like someone tried to grab live mic it sounded like. ALmost a real near riot at ringside, looked real enough, but Super Fly's head never hit the floor. Today we know it's all staged. I guess back when they had no clue. This is a great peice of theatre here! Very dramatic, brutal, and yet it's still very cool!!
What a angle !! I remember watching this at my buddy's house, and my buddy's dad said, "that guy(Stevens) should be locked up for 10 dozen years " This was when it was actually believable, and we waited intensely for next weeks show to see how the Superfly was !! Todays WWE is garbage-I dont even watch wrestling at all anymore-I'd rather watch RFD-TV !!
I love how he's got a "serious neck injury" from 2 piledrivers, and they just roll him on to the stretcher...but I was young back then, and I believed it all...and that was a pretty blatant blade job by Snuka (ah, if I only knew then what I know now). Man, I miss those Saturday morning rasslin' shows. Even though it's cheesy, it's better than the garbage that McMahon tries to pass of today as wrestling.
This was one of the first angles after the Sammartino/Zbyszko that really got me into wrestling. I mean I loved Snuka so when this happened I was into really seeing Albano and Stevens get theirs. One of the best angles in WWF history in my opinion, although short lived as Stevens left the WWF shortly thereafter and Snuka started his famous fued with DOn Muraco.
@frelvis77 Yep 3:54 he is stabbing himself a few times... a few seconds before that you can see Lou get the blade from someone outside the ring... and during the mock melee hand it to Snuka.
I grew up in NJ and used to disobey my folks, stay up late and watch the WWF on WWOR TV in New York (ch 9) at midnight on Saturdays. I still watch WWE on occasion, but for me, it will never match up with the "good old days" like this.
I grew up in NJ and used to disobey my folks, stay up late and watch the WWF on WWOR TV in New York (ch 9) at midnight on Saturdays. I still watch WWE on occasion, but for me, it will never match up with the "good old days" like this.
Great old school wrestling entertainment that focused on the wrestlers charachters and storylines. No Laser Light Show, Pyro, Titantron, no FX, nothing, just wrestling. Classic stuff with Superfly, Captain Lou, and Classy Freddy.
I remember when the "Pile Driver on the concrete floor" was the most devastating move in Pro Wrestling. Lots of kids cracked their skulls trying it at home, too. Those were the good ol days.
I watched this on TV back in the days when the WWF matches used to come on at 12 midnight on ch 9 in New York. I was so hyped up watching this as a kid. Great classic Wrestling...when the fake wasn't so fake!
@oldschool6804 First of all, if you were born after 1973 i shouldn't be having this conversation with you,but i will give you the benefit of the doubt. I never said that the injuries were fake i'm sure the wrestlers back in the day did all they could to create that visual image of realism and that was good for me. Im from New York and i went to Madison Square Garden and saw those great matches when i was kid.
@oldschool6804 Okay okay, if you think Professional Wrestling is real, fine i refuse to continue on debating with you whether or not wrestling is real or fake. I suggest that you e-mail WWE in Connecticut and ask Vince McMahon to give you an honest answer to whether wrestling is real or fake. Then maybe you will snap out of it and grow up.
@oldschool6804 I read your other comments, Vince McMahon isn't paying you to act as an advocate for unrealistic entertainment. Get a life man... Vince Mcmahon has made it clear that he promotes entertainment. Unfortunately that concept resulted in the demise of Mid-South wrestling, WCCW, Florida Wrestling(NWA) Minnesota Wrestling (AWA) and WCW. It is what it is
@mustbenice96 Yeah it used to come on @ 5 when they had a telethon on or some other event. Those were the days indeed. I couldn't wait to 12 midnight on Saturday. Are you from NY...
@kdemonde Born, raised and still hanging on in NYC. I used to go to the matches @ MSG, saw The Wrestler and got nostalgic and then found all these great clips here. I followed from about '82-'86, I'll check out WWE for a few minutes these days but it's not the same...
@mustbenice96 Nice to meet you homie, The Wrestler was a good movie except for the ending. I went farther than you did watching WWF(E). I stopped watching it a little after The Rock left to do crappy Disney movies. It just got to be too much for me especially with the size of some of these wrestlers. Sincxe the steriod thing came about alot of those wrestlers stopped using and now they're 189lbs and it's just too unrealistic seeing those little guys beating up on Triple H and The Big Show.
@kdemonde Same here, I hear ya about the size of the wrestlers. When I'd check in from time to time these guys were looking like cartoons. I was partial to the wrestlers from the early to mid-80's, so when the cast started changing I didn't stick around. I know some people didn't like the ending of The Wrestler but it's great there's a movie that pays tribute, and well, to the 'sport'.
@mustbenice96 The best example of drastic weight change was Shaun Micheals when he was in the AWA as well as his early days in the WWF Shaun was about 220lbs-230lbs after all the steroid mess Shaun looked like a cruiserweight who should've been wrestling for a cruiserweight title.I hear ya gone are the days of Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, Magnificent Muraco and of course Bob Backlund.
How about the guy who pours his beer on Ray Stevens after the second pile driver and then gets the boot from security? All the while Snuka flops around in his own blood. Either way, another classic WWF TV moment...
I had the honor of talking to Snuka at length at a California Card Show (Fremont I think-10 years ago) about this match with Ray Stevens (I knew Ray and was a big fan of his)
Jimmy said the first pile driver was a misfire (meaning his head on concrete) and that he was definitely hurt by it.
@oldschool6804 There were matches that were "Shoots" from time to time even up to the early 90's I think there were some shoot matches. Now one very rarely if ever happens. In small independent promotions there may still be some old time shoot matches here and there. But in WWE or Even TNA it's doubtful they still or ever will do many shoot matches.
Why would he convulse on a head/neck injury that a piledriver would create? From what I know, people tend to do lose feeling in their body (i.e. go lifeless).
I've never seen an NFL playet take a hard hit, and start twitching like an idiot.
I was about 9 years old when I saw it here in San Diego´s channel 6, in fact, I thought the liquid where Snuka was kicking and screamming on after the second pile driver, was BLOOD; since I could not see the whole scene because of the censured "X" and I had a B&W TV; and I just found out here on you tube it was actually Soda Pop,,,, believe me I was very freaked out. wrestling was 1000 times better back then.. more action, less soap opera.
@oldschool6804 I thought the same thing, however if you look close, you'll see that someone threw a drink before the first piledriver. So it appears he was bleeding.
@ELGRANKO I think that's what made it so incredible for us. As kids, you are believing all of it. Even with the silly doctor coming out. What did I know? All I saw was what looked like blood and Snuka convulsing on the floor. You add in the crowd screaming and Vince McMahaon calling the match and it's all very believable.
I watched this actual broadcast when it happened. The TV card said WPTT Pittsburgh 22. I remember seeing both versions, the one on this video and the one with the BIG black X over the screen. Very Cool. Thanks for posting this!!
RIP Mr. Acavano!!! Thanks for posting this clip ... one of my earliest memories of WWF / wrestling. I remember seeing it live on a Saturday morning when I was about 12, but the local station would put a black bar "censored" over the blood. Brutal. Saw the follow up match live in Providence at the Civic Center about 3 weeks later.
i remember watching this fight as a youngster. and still till this day, i'll never forget this particular match and the amount of blood that came out of snuka.
Pat Patterson and Ray Steven are one of the greatest tag trams of all time. Stevens and Snuka were the NWA tag team cahmpions as well. This is after Snuka lost the U.S. title to Ric Flair and after he left Georgia, where he was National tag team champions with Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy. God damn I miss wrestling like this.
I saw this when it originally aired...at the time I thought this was one of the most disturbing events I had ever see in pro wrestling. You can't sell this stuff anymore. Thanks, Vinnie...
Pulleeeeeze! Sky Low Low could put those fat stupid steaming piles of horse manure back to the English garden where they belong. Those two clowns killed British pro wrestling.
He teamed with Snuka in the NWA and they were NWA World Tag Team Champions under Gene Anderson. Ironic is that Buddy Rogers was a heel manager in the Mid-Atlantic in the late 70's and managed Snuka for a while.
i remember being a kid and watching this and getting so upset that this happened to him. it ruined my whole day. then i seen snuke against albano and the blood was all over the caps face
I saw this the day it was aired on WPTT channel 22 out of Pittsburgh on a Saturday when it came on at 5 pm. Snuka was my favorite back then. I miss those old days of pro wrestling. I hate the pro wrestling of today.
I am from Pittsburgh also, but saw it on WOR out of NY around 11 pm. I hadn't watched wrestling for a couple of years and turned this on right when it was happening. It got me hooked big time. I must have been about 11 or 12. Great clip.
I remember watching this and being outraged.
soxfan801 1 month ago
That was my first time I ever watched wrestling and I was shocked and saddened by this, but I became a fan for life!!!
dkjdkj74 1 month ago
4:56 and 5:11 for the piledrivers
saiguy1986 1 month ago
This video brings me goose bumps. I was 11 and remember watching this Saturday morning with my older brother and dad. We were shocked! This was when people all loved to believe or actually believed Pro Wrestling was real. This was truly the golden age of wrestling. Gotta love the large sodas flying! Now i'm going to see if they have the clip of Rudy Diamond wearing a Paula shirt and getting piled drived several times by Mr. Wonderful!!
amishninja406 1 month ago
I remember watching this! Wow look how small the crowd was haha
itchyroid 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Watch as the puka shells come off Jimmy's head at 3:33 by accident during Lou's first punch, then the ref jumps out of the ring to get them back for Albano. He hands them back to Capt. Lou at 3:44 to set up the blading/beatdown. Amazing how integral the refs are to the action.
hibob418 3 months ago
I'm pretty sure capt Lou actually slipped jimmy the blade
Bravesrtops 4 months ago
I remember watching this on TV when it first aired. Like the poster above me, I was a young man and I freaked. I thought it was real. They NEW.....how to get the fans riled back then.
hotforxx 6 months ago 5
@hotforxx Me, too. This was a great, how this feud was set up.
popcur 1 month ago
Never understood why Ray didn't stay to have a longer fued with Snuka.
wwwfmark 6 months ago
10 people dislike? this is a classic.
melbz1266 6 months ago
lot of memories here. brings tears to my eyes. 14yrs old. parents were alive. and sat morning or night wrestling.wish those days can come back.
melbz1266 6 months ago
WOW from 1981 a classic have not seen this in 30 years
dontabaltimore1974 6 months ago
Old School! I remember watchin' this with my brother then givin' him a piledriver on the livin'room floor! LOL!!
FTWDTA 7 months ago 3
I was a little boy when this happened and it was scary, good acting, good show, good performance. Wrestling was great back then.
kpagan1970 7 months ago 3
Wrestling is fake but this time it was for real.
seka1986 7 months ago
I was 12 years old when this happened. I too thought Snuka was going to be brain damaged or something. But when you look at the pile drivers on the film, you can see Snuka's head never hits the cement ground. But its still dangerous, you see all these wrestling moves that go wrong. Remember Darren Drozdov was paralyzed by D Lo Brown in a power bomb gone wrong. Vince Mcmahon has these wrestlers do crazy dangerous moves on other wrestlers.
DanKelso 7 months ago
some older comments say someone dumped something from above to make the floor look bloodier. i disagree. to me it looks like someone threw the drink from the other side of the ring @ 4:48. this was not a studio like TBS wrestling, and there was a lot of stuff being thrown. before Jr. took over they did not need to have plants throw things from above, etc...
eatpigsnot 8 months ago
10 people were given 2 piledrivers on concrete floor
eatpigsnot 8 months ago 2
3:53 Snuka blading like a lunatic.
Ignitionnet 8 months ago
I remember that fight n the one were he got his head cracked open by a coconut. I was 11yrs old when I saw this match n I was devastated. thought he was gonna die! we even prayed for him....makes me laugh thinking bout today, but the superfly was everyones #1 wrestler back in them times. wrestling used to come on, on saturdays just like cartoons n kung fu movies. still have scars from imitating wrestlers n kung fu stars back then. those were the days.
tainopasiempre 8 months ago
well said etc. wrestling is fixed horse shit with well timed planned moves. no one really gets hurt. thats what juicing is for :-)
jesusfreak1975 9 months ago
a lot of these comments are right on the money. Look at how fans could walk tight up to the ringside and shake a wrestlers hand. I took my little from big brothers to a match and you couldnt so much as get close enough to ask for an autograph... ridiculous... these were the days when wrestling was more entertaining than ever
steelcitychampion14 9 months ago
Yeh I saw this on tv too. Thanks for uploading!
disgruntledgoatiam 9 months ago
this is how you turn a heel into a beloved babyface!
t01880 9 months ago
albano with the cheap shots.
frank787922 9 months ago
This is the day that changed Snuka forever. My all time Favorite wrestler.
jb68025 10 months ago
Thank You for who ever posted this !!!! This brings back great memories !!! It also reminds me HOW Queer The WWE is today !!!!! The A- Hole 's at WWE wont even take idea request from fans like us who remember when a match could make you CHEER, ANGRY, LAUGH, CRY all the in the spand of 10 minutes ......
bkizzy055 10 months ago
How did you ever get this footage? I remember sitting in my parents bedroom watching this on a black and white tv, and I think it traumatized me for life. Its truly one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history, for me anyways. Just saw a recent match with him and his son deuce. Jimmy is a mess, the past has caught up with him.
Russ15076 10 months ago
I was in the 6th grade when this shit happened.
oldschoolbx1970 10 months ago
This is one of the most memorable angles in WWE history. Jimmy gets his freedom from the Captain, but paid a terrible price for it, curteousy of Albano, Ray Stevens, and Fred Blassie.
BlackPanther330 10 months ago
Buddy Rogers is the absolute shits in these skits.
weaselsuit 10 months ago
Now kiddies, THIS is how you set up a wrestling feud! Today's WWE and TNA have to get back to this style of promotion somehow. Nowadays, it's all about endless, longwinded promos and silly catchphrases. We want more ACTION, not five 5 minute long matches with 90 minutes of promos and backstage skits. Whatever happened to character development? Sorry, I'll shut up now. Please don't trip over my soapbox on your way out (LOL).
elc1960 11 months ago 14
@elc1960 nothing wrong with being on your soap box, ESPECIALLY when you're telling the truth! W.W.E. and T.N.A. have become a bunch of C.R.A.P.
dariusdynamite 2 months ago
@dariusdynamite Thanks, Darius! But I think the real reason for the lack of character development may have something to do with the 12 PPVs per year and the need to change things up rather quickly. At the time of this clip, there was no such thing as pay-per-view. The first two Wrestlemanias were on closed circuit and could be seen only in theaters and arenas with giant screens. I know, I answered my own question, but maybe they need to go back to the old way of doing things.
elc1960 2 months ago
@elc1960 the 1st 2 Wrestlemanias were on PPV also. I know because I watched them.
icebergfrostbidden 1 month ago
@elc1960 I think you mean Rock Johnsons's shine box
Fade2Orion 2 weeks ago
Important moment in 80's wrestling.
djrand90 11 months ago
Joe McHugh is a name I haven't heard in years. I remember seeing this when it happed on tv, all those many years ago. Wrestling was a lot bloodier back then, wrestlers hardly ever bleed much anymore.
HemmHon 11 months ago
@HemmHon Gotta love Joe! " . . . And my name is JOOOOOOEEEE McHugh!" (Yes, that's how he spelled his last name.) He started out in WWWF in '72 as ring announcer on "All Star Wrestling", and at this time was alternating with Gary Michael Cappetta on "Championship Wrestling" (Joe did one week, Gary did the next). The doctor at the end, by the way, is Dr. George Zahorian, the infamous "steroid doc" whose drug peddling trial nearly brought WWF down in the early '90s.
elc1960 11 months ago
@elc1960 the time keeper at the bell mike mitman and your referee's for this hr of wrestling dick worley, wee willy weber and my name is jooooee mchugh. ding ding ding
natureboy1313 9 months ago
Awesome post!
billycmo 1 year ago
Patterson commentating! Rare.
FartScrap 1 year ago
was this WWWF? BTW Jimmys spasms were great !
dero1975 1 year ago
Didn't Jimmy Snuka kill his girlfriend in Allentown Pa in 1983?
1981CrueHead 1 year ago
@1981CrueHead Apparently he did. Changed his alibi several times during the investigation, from what I understand. One of his stories was that she was driving down the highway on the way to the hotel and pulled the car over so she could pee by the roadside, fell and hit her head on the guardrail, which caused the head trauma which led to her death. Vince McMahon's lawyers got him off scott free.
elc1960 11 months ago
Wrestling at it's BEST!
BrickhouseB2 1 year ago
This is one of the greatest angles of all time, largely thanks to Albano.
philaman1972 1 year ago
This was like the beginning of ecw hardcore wrestling.. Stuff like this, snuka jumping off cages
kcozgrove 1 year ago
talk about a beat down!!
WM31987 1 year ago
Does anyone know the date of this?
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
@ExtremeBogom I think it happened in 82 I am not sure what month.
jshkendra 1 year ago
@ExtremeBogom This took place during the summer of 1982. I am not sure when, but I remember it was warm out.
philaman1972 1 year ago
Vince McMahon commentating?
ExtremeBogom 1 year ago
@ExtremeBogom That's Vince alright, a much younger Vince, but the voice is unmistakable.
apodino 4 months ago
I like this old wrestling, REAL Wrestling..!
RKOUploaderV2 1 year ago
nice stock doctor....
minigini613 1 year ago
Well at least he's getting top notch medical care
JoeyPencils 1 year ago
Was Buddy Rogers taking a dump during this whole time?
tudzman 1 year ago
this is one of my earliest pro wrestling memories. funny, stevens & snuka were nwa tag team champs just 16 months before this. great stuff, thnx.
jdbankshot 1 year ago
Beautiful, Rogers is so piss tanked, he can barely stand up.
neoprofit 1 year ago
Gene Anderson said this didn't shock him one bit. He claimed that he was always afraid that Ray would turn on him and Jimmy when they were in the NWA. He said that all it would take was someone with a lot of money. Gene said that Ray told him that himself.
mkl62 1 year ago
They were tag team partners at one time .
jshkendra 1 year ago
snuka twitching on the mat LOL and then albano getting one last kick in..A CLASSIC in the history of pro wrestling
20cardmg 1 year ago
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20cardmg 1 year ago
I remembered THIS MATCH like it was yesterday. ANYBODY that saw Stevens cut Snuka NEVER FORGOT IT.
depper 1 year ago
this was one of the best matches memorizes of the 80s i remember this well 5 stars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PACTOFSTEEL666 1 year ago
You are so right, jfizzay....this was indeed scary when I first saw it also, and this type of wrestling looks like itmight be gone forever. Its really a shame.
FREDPATRICK100 1 year ago
snuka's heel manager was stealing money from him. a realistic storyline and angle. what a novel idea, lol.
tonycopies 1 year ago
Damn those piledrivers looked so real. Much better than anything today.
Polishjazzman 1 year ago
Stevens & snuka were nwa tag champs hold the title 6-22-80 to 11-26-80 in mid atlantic wrestling
JessiHeflin 1 year ago
you think it's real?
no way!!
watch it carefully!!
it's a kind of game, or you can say: it looks like a movie!! the loser gets more money!!
BeOrNotToBe1 1 year ago
1 of the best angles vere !!!!
people were pissed that Snuka got beat down by Stevens.
battlestarmarc 1 year ago
Great storyline, but at 3:55, was that the worst disguised blade job or what? They didnt give him time to drop and slice so he had to fit in a quick blading while being stood up by Stevens. Practice practice practice.
Steveru2010 1 year ago
Snuka's weakness was his promos sucked, but so did Backlund and they made him champion for almost 6 years. Anyone know who the booker was back them, was Vince Sr writing all this shit
jtc1148 1 year ago
Comment removed
jtc1148 1 year ago
I remember missing this because of a Saturday football game, but had my sister watch it and tell me what happened. They have been working on the Snuka turn for a few months. They just couldn't get the crowd to hate him, Anyone remember the week before, when they announced this match? Why were two "heels" in a match? Capt Lou guy against a Blassie guy? WTF? I think they gave away the face turn.
Snuka had the same problem as the Road Warriors, even as heels people loved them
jtc1148 1 year ago
@jtc1148 As soon as Stevens came into the WWF he went straight into this feud. The week before Stevens said "I want a match with this Jimmy Superfly Snuka!" Snuka was pretty much a face before this. It was several months of him being in Albanos group being cheered before Vinny probably said they had to have him dump Albano.
Chrisdrumz 1 year ago
i remember watching this n absolute horror ... !!!! i thought jimmy was going 2 die ... !!!!, i was only 11 years old, LOL ...
3000BCto1985 1 year ago
Yes wrestlers do get injured/hurt every day, but not from the actual moves/holds/matches. The injuries result mostly from miscues/miscommunication, botched moves, & just day-after-day wear-and-tear of sports entertainment.
The best sellers in WWE history R Snuka, Brett Hart, Randy Savage, & Dynamite Kid....These were the guys who made everything look so real!!! They made every move/punch realistic, never undersold/fake or overdone/cartoonish reactions.
Tarantulisimo 1 year ago
Awesome!!! This was most def 1 of THE BEST angles EVER...Listen & look at the crowd reaction--It's a near riot!!! The blood on the floor is from Snuka's hair touching the floor, not the impact of a piledriver..Snuka really bladed himself badly/deeply at 3:56 & the blood was all thru his hair from Stevens & Albano grabbing his hair. There is also beer/soda all over the floor under Snuka from fans throwing stuff. Snuka was/is 1 of the best sellers in WWE history, that's Y it's so real/scary.
Tarantulisimo 1 year ago
@Tarantulisimo There is NO doubt about it! Look at the psychology...how this was played out, the emotion, the crowd reaction...they could not DREAM of having an angle this great now.
jswags 1 year ago
LOL @ 3:55 Snuka blades himself...LOL.
DrFubarProzak 1 year ago
I remember taking this seriously and taking it to heart and HATING Stevens for this.Snuka became my hero around this time.now like many have said here, wrestling is a joke. but back when this happened, I was near tears.
seany722 1 year ago 6
I remember watching this as a 10 year old kid on WTVF Channel 29 Philadelphia on 'Championship Wrestling'. When they replayed it on All-Star Wrestling and the following week's CW show, they put the legendary big red "X" across the screen. In subsequent weeks, Snuka was shown wearing a neck brace on Roger's Corner stating he'll be back on "TV Land" soon. In 1982, VCRs/BetaMax machines were a) expensive; b) these huge 50lb top loading machines with rotary dials for UHF and VHF. Great stuff.
philaman1972 1 year ago
Was this the moment when Snuka turned face?
dfc278 1 year ago
@ 5:17 Soda on Ray @5:22 Sounds like someone tried to grab live mic it sounded like. ALmost a real near riot at ringside, looked real enough, but Super Fly's head never hit the floor. Today we know it's all staged. I guess back when they had no clue. This is a great peice of theatre here! Very dramatic, brutal, and yet it's still very cool!!
qqqTOXICqqq 1 year ago
What a angle !! I remember watching this at my buddy's house, and my buddy's dad said, "that guy(Stevens) should be locked up for 10 dozen years " This was when it was actually believable, and we waited intensely for next weeks show to see how the Superfly was !! Todays WWE is garbage-I dont even watch wrestling at all anymore-I'd rather watch RFD-TV !!
guitarsrmine 1 year ago
I love how he's got a "serious neck injury" from 2 piledrivers, and they just roll him on to the stretcher...but I was young back then, and I believed it all...and that was a pretty blatant blade job by Snuka (ah, if I only knew then what I know now). Man, I miss those Saturday morning rasslin' shows. Even though it's cheesy, it's better than the garbage that McMahon tries to pass of today as wrestling.
phillydave14 1 year ago 2
This was one of the first angles after the Sammartino/Zbyszko that really got me into wrestling. I mean I loved Snuka so when this happened I was into really seeing Albano and Stevens get theirs. One of the best angles in WWF history in my opinion, although short lived as Stevens left the WWF shortly thereafter and Snuka started his famous fued with DOn Muraco.
Augustus212 1 year ago
I was 8 when I saw this live
I thought he was going to die!
He was my favorite wrestler, and I was crushed
Didn't see him on TV for months afterwards, as they sold the injury to the hilt!
People remember this, and the infamous Piper's Pit, because he was BY FAR the most popular wrestler in the business
RustyShunt 1 year ago
Looks like a classic tv wrestling.I am not that much familiar in fighting scene but Jimmy looks like a good wrestler.
rtfiya1 1 year ago
i saw snuka blading himself as we was being dragged to da corner
tonybob47 1 year ago
I remember seeing this on TV in PA when I was a kid..
WWWF was still A NWA territory in The North East...
joeynuggs 1 year ago
gotta love the doctor with his white coat and black bag looking after Snuka.
caldwell1966 1 year ago
Wath Snuka blade himself at 3:52
frelvis77 1 year ago
@frelvis77 Yep 3:54 he is stabbing himself a few times... a few seconds before that you can see Lou get the blade from someone outside the ring... and during the mock melee hand it to Snuka.
bluemonk611 1 year ago
I love it ...this was wrestling at its best.I love Lou Albano
frank787922 1 year ago
I grew up in NJ and used to disobey my folks, stay up late and watch the WWF on WWOR TV in New York (ch 9) at midnight on Saturdays. I still watch WWE on occasion, but for me, it will never match up with the "good old days" like this.
Getting old is a bitch. :-)
tapoutnow 1 year ago
I grew up in NJ and used to disobey my folks, stay up late and watch the WWF on WWOR TV in New York (ch 9) at midnight on Saturdays. I still watch WWE on occasion, but for me, it will never match up with the "good old days" like this.
Getting old is a bitch. :-)
tapoutnow 1 year ago
They should of made Snuka WWF Champ but he was such a big drug addict Vince didn't want to take the chance!!!!!
jshkendra 1 year ago
I was 7 and saw this on channel 29 in Philadelphia. Man i miss the WWF from back then
troydawg47 1 year ago
Classic TV Wrestling
Shiftyeyes516 1 year ago 9
Great old school wrestling entertainment that focused on the wrestlers charachters and storylines. No Laser Light Show, Pyro, Titantron, no FX, nothing, just wrestling. Classic stuff with Superfly, Captain Lou, and Classy Freddy.
I remember when the "Pile Driver on the concrete floor" was the most devastating move in Pro Wrestling. Lots of kids cracked their skulls trying it at home, too. Those were the good ol days.
TVfanfanatic 1 year ago
I watched this on TV back in the days when the WWF matches used to come on at 12 midnight on ch 9 in New York. I was so hyped up watching this as a kid. Great classic Wrestling...when the fake wasn't so fake!
kdemonde 1 year ago 2
the injuries aren't fake people suffer greatly you're an idiot if you think otherwise!
oldschool6804 1 year ago
@oldschool6804 First of all, if you were born after 1973 i shouldn't be having this conversation with you,but i will give you the benefit of the doubt. I never said that the injuries were fake i'm sure the wrestlers back in the day did all they could to create that visual image of realism and that was good for me. Im from New York and i went to Madison Square Garden and saw those great matches when i was kid.
kdemonde 1 year ago
you are wrong wrestling is very real the contact is real some of the feuds are real if oyu don't think so you're a moron!
oldschool6804 1 year ago
@oldschool6804 Okay okay, if you think Professional Wrestling is real, fine i refuse to continue on debating with you whether or not wrestling is real or fake. I suggest that you e-mail WWE in Connecticut and ask Vince McMahon to give you an honest answer to whether wrestling is real or fake. Then maybe you will snap out of it and grow up.
kdemonde 1 year ago
@oldschool6804 I read your other comments, Vince McMahon isn't paying you to act as an advocate for unrealistic entertainment. Get a life man... Vince Mcmahon has made it clear that he promotes entertainment. Unfortunately that concept resulted in the demise of Mid-South wrestling, WCCW, Florida Wrestling(NWA) Minnesota Wrestling (AWA) and WCW. It is what it is
kdemonde 1 year ago
@kdemonde Me too, sometimes they would have a show @ 5 instead of 12, those were the days, not a care in the world except catching WWF!!!
mustbenice96 1 year ago
@mustbenice96 Yeah it used to come on @ 5 when they had a telethon on or some other event. Those were the days indeed. I couldn't wait to 12 midnight on Saturday. Are you from NY...
kdemonde 1 year ago
@kdemonde Born, raised and still hanging on in NYC. I used to go to the matches @ MSG, saw The Wrestler and got nostalgic and then found all these great clips here. I followed from about '82-'86, I'll check out WWE for a few minutes these days but it's not the same...
mustbenice96 1 year ago
@mustbenice96 Nice to meet you homie, The Wrestler was a good movie except for the ending. I went farther than you did watching WWF(E). I stopped watching it a little after The Rock left to do crappy Disney movies. It just got to be too much for me especially with the size of some of these wrestlers. Sincxe the steriod thing came about alot of those wrestlers stopped using and now they're 189lbs and it's just too unrealistic seeing those little guys beating up on Triple H and The Big Show.
kdemonde 1 year ago
@kdemonde Same here, I hear ya about the size of the wrestlers. When I'd check in from time to time these guys were looking like cartoons. I was partial to the wrestlers from the early to mid-80's, so when the cast started changing I didn't stick around. I know some people didn't like the ending of The Wrestler but it's great there's a movie that pays tribute, and well, to the 'sport'.
mustbenice96 1 year ago
@mustbenice96 The best example of drastic weight change was Shaun Micheals when he was in the AWA as well as his early days in the WWF Shaun was about 220lbs-230lbs after all the steroid mess Shaun looked like a cruiserweight who should've been wrestling for a cruiserweight title.I hear ya gone are the days of Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, Magnificent Muraco and of course Bob Backlund.
kdemonde 1 year ago
How about the guy who pours his beer on Ray Stevens after the second pile driver and then gets the boot from security? All the while Snuka flops around in his own blood. Either way, another classic WWF TV moment...
jolare 1 year ago
I had the honor of talking to Snuka at length at a California Card Show (Fremont I think-10 years ago) about this match with Ray Stevens (I knew Ray and was a big fan of his)
Jimmy said the first pile driver was a misfire (meaning his head on concrete) and that he was definitely hurt by it.
He was not a Ray Stevens fan.
To me they were both super wrestlers
and nice guys.
This is way ahead of what they are doing
today.
pornguy2 1 year ago
jimmy didn't get along with ray backstage?
oldschool6804 1 year ago
Well, that wasn't very sportsmanlike.
stargate121 2 years ago
albano never missed a meal
tico8007 2 years ago
man, those fans were sooo close to the ring. I can NEVER imagine that happening again in today's time. Homeland security has seen to that lol
mrhollister09 2 years ago
dude,,, this was when wrestling was scary and watching it now its hard to believe its fake. dude wrestling today is fucking cartoony.
jfizzay 2 years ago 18
it isn't fak asswipe there were many matchs that wer real years ago and there still ar somtetimes!
oldschool6804 2 years ago
@oldschool6804 There were matches that were "Shoots" from time to time even up to the early 90's I think there were some shoot matches. Now one very rarely if ever happens. In small independent promotions there may still be some old time shoot matches here and there. But in WWE or Even TNA it's doubtful they still or ever will do many shoot matches.
RS1963 1 year ago
@jfizzay yes indeed, this scared the hell out of me when i was a kid.
kar5431 1 year ago
@jfizzay At least it's not boring and awfull quality.Todays wretling is better
MEareCAT 1 year ago
@jfizzay
tonybob47 1 year ago
@jfizzay Yeah, this is not fake...
Why would he convulse on a head/neck injury that a piledriver would create? From what I know, people tend to do lose feeling in their body (i.e. go lifeless).
I've never seen an NFL playet take a hard hit, and start twitching like an idiot.
JohnLeeMD 1 year ago
Great stuff; I was legit afraid of ray stevens after this, one of my earliest wwf memories as well.
altoon89 2 years ago 2
RIP Capt. Lou...
GunFactor007 2 years ago
@GunFactor007 and rogers and stevens
LOKITUPISBACK 1 year ago
this is the real crippler
j3f2c1 2 years ago
this was the very first time I watched the WWF,
I was about 9 years old when I saw it here in San Diego´s channel 6, in fact, I thought the liquid where Snuka was kicking and screamming on after the second pile driver, was BLOOD; since I could not see the whole scene because of the censured "X" and I had a B&W TV; and I just found out here on you tube it was actually Soda Pop,,,, believe me I was very freaked out. wrestling was 1000 times better back then.. more action, less soap opera.
ELGRANKO 2 years ago 2
the liquid on th floor was bllood he bladed you fool!
oldschool6804 2 years ago
No someone threw soda YOU FOOL check yor wrestling history before u talk shit!
rich1223 2 years ago
@oldschool6804 I thought the same thing, however if you look close, you'll see that someone threw a drink before the first piledriver. So it appears he was bleeding.
praises9700 1 year ago
@ELGRANKO I think that's what made it so incredible for us. As kids, you are believing all of it. Even with the silly doctor coming out. What did I know? All I saw was what looked like blood and Snuka convulsing on the floor. You add in the crowd screaming and Vince McMahaon calling the match and it's all very believable.
dQbell 1 year ago
God, what in the hell do we have to do to get these pops again. Listen to that crowd! Listen!
Pro wrestling will be like this again, it will be! I just know it.
Notbadphonedaddy 2 years ago 2
there will never be another one like Captain Lou!
mikeiannuzzi 2 years ago
I watched this actual broadcast when it happened. The TV card said WPTT Pittsburgh 22. I remember seeing both versions, the one on this video and the one with the BIG black X over the screen. Very Cool. Thanks for posting this!!
rich441b 2 years ago
RIP Mr. Acavano!!! Thanks for posting this clip ... one of my earliest memories of WWF / wrestling. I remember seeing it live on a Saturday morning when I was about 12, but the local station would put a black bar "censored" over the blood. Brutal. Saw the follow up match live in Providence at the Civic Center about 3 weeks later.
frankbagofdonuts 2 years ago
R.I.P Lou Albano. I hope Vince McMahon pays you a tribute.
richiebear1969 2 years ago
He will, and I wouldn't be surprised if TNA does so as well..
HardrockGX 2 years ago
i remember watching this fight as a youngster. and still till this day, i'll never forget this particular match and the amount of blood that came out of snuka.
lmuchnick 2 years ago
Truth
cantfademel 2 years ago
Pat Patterson and Ray Steven are one of the greatest tag trams of all time. Stevens and Snuka were the NWA tag team cahmpions as well. This is after Snuka lost the U.S. title to Ric Flair and after he left Georgia, where he was National tag team champions with Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy. God damn I miss wrestling like this.
Darkchyld702 2 years ago
"... as far as I'm concerned, I'm telling you people the truth..." ...love it!
ralvis5 2 years ago
did snuka piss himself on the floor?
rockabillysilly 2 years ago
I remember watching this on air when I was 8 years old... very disturbing
nyjetsfan81 2 years ago
I saw this when it originally aired...at the time I thought this was one of the most disturbing events I had ever see in pro wrestling. You can't sell this stuff anymore. Thanks, Vinnie...
MrDeray5 2 years ago
Yeah me too. It was pretty extreme.
For something fake, it sure was well staged, and it can affect a kids ideas about what is tolerable levels of violence.
nightowl8936 2 years ago
fake ass yank bullshit, big daddy or giant haystacks would steam in there and super smackdown them all.
cdwordsworth26 2 years ago
Pulleeeeeze! Sky Low Low could put those fat stupid steaming piles of horse manure back to the English garden where they belong. Those two clowns killed British pro wrestling.
yardlet6 2 years ago
I remember this live and cried I felt so bad for Snuka. I thought it was all real.
TEOEMELIO 2 years ago
the best part is way Stevens dragged Snuka back over to the puddle of beer before he gave him the 2nd one.
spinichchin 2 years ago
and this is where i spent many saturday mornings
curlballn 2 years ago
Yeah, I remember these days. I wish they would put wrestling back on saturday mornings.
buffalosbm 2 years ago
I think Buddy was hitting the sauce.
rosario508 2 years ago
What a great "HEEL" "Crippler" Ray Stevens!!!!.....Ironic he used to tag team with that faggot Patterson!
BIGCHILL3993 2 years ago
More ironic he teamed with Snuka in the AWA prior to this!
Chrisdrumz 2 years ago
He teamed with Snuka in the NWA and they were NWA World Tag Team Champions under Gene Anderson. Ironic is that Buddy Rogers was a heel manager in the Mid-Atlantic in the late 70's and managed Snuka for a while.
samsdaddy0525 2 years ago
They were a great tag-team in the AWA. They were absolutely ferocious.
Dietpepsivanilla 2 years ago
Can anybody post a video of the match in which Snuka returned from this injury (against a jobber).
DynastyPoker 2 years ago
I enjoyed the first pile driver and was elated with the 2nd one. Snuka should have kept is nose out of Albano's business
spinichchin 2 years ago
possibly the best summary of this match, written here. LOL I couldnt agree more.
magnetic77 2 years ago
i remember being a kid and watching this and getting so upset that this happened to him. it ruined my whole day. then i seen snuke against albano and the blood was all over the caps face
plansheiky 2 years ago
glad to see capt lou like this not that clown from wwf (vince)
bigdonniekool1 2 years ago
when the pile drivers were hit his head didn't even touch the ground
lukiebear1234 2 years ago 2
Don't worry,Snuka.Dr.George Zohorian will give you some roid juice.
geep20 2 years ago
I remember when I fist saw this. I was watching with my sister. I was 9 years old.
This totally freaked me out! I had never seen anything like that before.
From that point forward I was hooked. :)
UglyGauntCow 2 years ago
At :49 someone thows a drink on the floor, so it's not a pool of blood like everyone thinks
praises9700 2 years ago
Buddy Rogers. The original Nature Boy. WOOOO!
WordUp4Life 2 years ago
Don't you mean 12 midnight? Championship Wrestling came on Saturdays at midnight right after horse racing.
chipsc7 2 years ago 2
I saw this the day it was aired on WPTT channel 22 out of Pittsburgh on a Saturday when it came on at 5 pm. Snuka was my favorite back then. I miss those old days of pro wrestling. I hate the pro wrestling of today.
chipsc7 2 years ago
I am from Pittsburgh also, but saw it on WOR out of NY around 11 pm. I hadn't watched wrestling for a couple of years and turned this on right when it was happening. It got me hooked big time. I must have been about 11 or 12. Great clip.
baskerville19 2 years ago
I remember seeing this on saturday wrestling. I also remember the wwf putting a big X on the screen to scensor the blood.
kar5431 2 years ago
man this footage is b.c??? xD anyway very good vid man
John7Uzumaki 2 years ago