Larry Zbyszko - Making Bob Backlund WWWF Champion Was a MISTAKE
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Larry Zbyszko - Why Making Bob Backlund WWWF Champion Was a MISTAKE
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I grew up in WW(W)F territory and became a fan as a little kid in the last days of Bruno’s second reign . When Bob Backlund first won the title from Graham, no one but no one could believe it . By 1981 or so , he had gained a great deal of respect from the fans . Videos showing his fitness tests and great conditioning really helped to get him recognized as a worthy champion . Maybe not beloved the way Bruno had been , but respected.
I grew up in the Toronto territory, which was part of the NWA, but I always wanted to see the WWWF stars (including Backlund) for something new. Whenever Vince Sr. would loan WWWF stars to the NWA, we'd get to see a few WWWF matches on TV. When Vince Jr. took over WWWF, Toronto was one of the first territories to switch from NWA to WWF, so one of the first things we saw on TV was the throw in the towel match Backlund "lost" to Sheik and Hulk's victory over the Sheik to win the title.
How did you and others at the time feel when Backllund cried on live TV bc Graham ripped the belt in two? This was before my time as a fan so I'm curious
But did he draw as champ though?
@@Idiedin1980 Did they copy that angle with Perfect and Hogan after the genius beat Hogan by count out after Perfect knocked Hogan out while they were outside the ring with the belt in 89? Mr Perfect ran off with the WWF title belt after that match along with his manager the Genius and proceeded to smash the WWF belt apart on camera, someone said Hogan cried about it in a promo afterwards.
In spite of whether or not he's beloved. Backlund was a damn good wrestler and super athlete. If I were a wrestler he's one of those I would pattern my career after.
In retrospect Bob Backlund was more suited to be the AWA World Heavyweight Champion than the WWWF's, he was an accomplished amateur wrestler, was from and had the Mid-Western All American appeal and was exactly the type of wrestler Verne Gagne would want to represent his promotion.
I strongly agree with your opinion. I just wished that in 84 when he left WWF that he went to them. He would have been what the AWA would have been and should have. Probably wouldn't sell the buildings out but would have been a good draw
It seems like Verne would have loved Backlund. Of course, after Hogan leaving, the expectations of the fans in the AWA had changed also. Several years earlier, I think Backlund would have been a great AWA champ.
Yes Bob SHOULD have went to the AWA !
@@wrestling782 Backlund was in the AWA after he left WWF
@@aliensyndrome4280 Bob Backlund made his wresting debut in the AWA in 1973
Backland got a huge ovation when I saw him defend the belt in 82
Way back when ('87...88?) the awa ran a show at our local county fair. I remember my grandma telling me and my younger brother (we were both pre teens at the time) to wait by the locker room and get autographs. Almost everyone except Larry was happy to sign. He went into full heel mode on his way into the shower, yelling cursing, made my little brother cry.
I waited for him to get done. Asked him again and....... He was the nicest person you ever could imagine. Went out of his way to apologize to my brother also.
I'm sure he doesn't remember that July night in Columbus Nebraska but I do.
At the time I was a pissed off 12(?) year old but now I realize he was just protecting the business. And after everyone else left he was himself.
I'm sure he won't read this but tell him thanks. I still have that autograph in my collection 😊
I had a similar experience when he was on the independent circuit. He wrestled at a show at my local health club. He went up against David Sammartino and lost via DQ(he gave Sammartino a low blow). At the event he was selling a record he had recorded of him singing I guess and he left while the show was still going on and he pushed his way through the crowd, including me and my buddy, grabbed hiss tuff and walked out. My buddy and I followed him out and my friend was talking trash wanting to get Larry in the ring. Larry turned around and said, in full heel mode, "Put up the money" and left. It was hilarious and something I'll never forget.
I wasn’t a Backlund fan but he would not have been champ for over 5 years if he didn’t draw money
I guess the theory is that Vince Sr. was told Backlund wouldn't draw money so he kept the title on him for so long to try and prove them wrong.
I think Backlund was hot at first when he was a pretty built ripped young athlete but it was pretty obvious he wasn't getting over as well by the early 80s.
@@DaveLikesWrestling yeah he was very boring. A lot of headlocks. Very frustrating seeing him beat big guys like John Studd
@@jimdebow2552 or beating Ernie Ladd and Stan Hansen
Backlund was selling out arenas. I don't know what Larry is talking about. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have become or stayed champion as long as he did.
Snuka was a bigger star than Backlund in the early 80`s, Buckland had boring mic skills and a generic look compared to Snuka.
@@markant9534 Mic skills and look weren't nearly as important to wrestling back then than they are now. You're looking at old wrestling through modern eyes.
Abuja was drawing without a belt, would Backland draw without a belt? 2 reasons why Bob being Champion makes since. 1 he could be controlled by the promotion while maintaining a child friendly image and 2 it elevated Bob to superstar status while others were superstars without the belt. Eventually when the territories started to compete for markets Bob was gone and in came Hulk at the perfect time when they needed a superstar champion.
@@johnliberty3647 You mean when Vince Jr came in and started his national expansion.
@@kwmusic4560it was always look, gimmick, personality that sold.
Bob was a flop.
Backlund was VERY popular in 1978-79 when I saw him at the Spectrum defending his title. He wasn't as popular as Bruno, but close.
Larry has a very revisionist look on the history. He was out of there in 1980. Bob followed Bruno just fine, and a lot of people made a lot of money throughout the early 1980’s. Facts
This is bs. I went to MSG and saw Backlund wrestle a lot. No one chanted bullshit when he won matches. Bob was over and drew. Bob was a great worker and everyone could see how good he was in the ring. By 83 he was losing his luster. But Bob was a great champ. McMahon Sr wouldn’t let him go so long if he wasn’t.
i was there too and i agree with you. i don't remember anything that supports this backlund bashing
Larry may have CTE or is simply a liar.
@@rodneylane1968 this is not just larry. if anything, this has become the common wisdom of wrestlers today about backlund
The place would literally pop like crazy every time Backlund was victorious and it was sold out and loud. I’m sorry but Larry has not been accurate in regards to this subject, at all.
They were grooming Hogan to be the champion since 1980.
We need to cherish Larry while we still can. Great guy and great mind for the business. A tremendous heel.
I grew up in the middle of the WWWF getting to see over 100 live shows. I remember Backlund always being over and exciting the crowd everytime he wrestled. Insane great matches with him against Shiek, Muracco, Valentine, Hogan, Patera. The crowds were always loud and cheering for him.
The Living Legend Larry Zbyszko
I'm Larry Zbyszko, I won't be through, till I get done slappin' around Scott LaDoux
Gonna beat the ugly bartender into a bundle and laugh all the way doing WrestleRock Rumble, OWWWwwww! MMm!
😂
Backlund built the foundation for what would become WWE. Saw all his matches in 1979-80 at MSG. Great shows! He walked 100 feet from a taxi to shake my hand which impressed me.
Backlund was much better as a crazy heel. Glad Larry is still around, I have fond memories of listening to him on WCW commentary
I have a different memory about this because I went to a couple of shows in Philly when Backlund was champion and there was not an empty seat in the house, and when he came out and wrestled He had the loudest pop of the night. I wasn’t a big fan of his but the fans loved him. And if he was such a bad choice for champion, then why did they keep him as a champ? We all know that it’s a business and if they weren’t selling out. They would’ve taken the belt off of him. I mean let’s face it the champ is the draw, so you’re going to tell me that the McMahon family was content on losing money just to keep him champion? I find that almost impossible to believe.
My first memories of Bob Backlund was his heel run in the 90s. I thought it was cool.
He was pretty entertaining then. I remember thinking he may be genuinely insane
Any update on Bob Backlund in 2024? How's his health? Any chance of appearing for fans to meet him?
Not sure about this. I attended MSG for several of Backlund's defenses and never heard the "bullshit" chants. Also, don't remember empty seats and lots of times the Felt Forum would show the night's matches on closed circuit TV because the arena was sold out.
You are right. Both Bruno and Billy Graham did shoot interviews misleading people about how supposedly bad the attendance was when Backlund was champion and unfortunately people have believed it. I guess they figured it made their title reigns seem better by comparison. But the truth is that they drew quite well with Backlund and they were running bigger arenas than they were when Bruno was champion
Me ether fans would cheer like crazy Larry jealous Backlund
@@Jasonbfv There's no way they would've kept the belt on Backlund for almost six years if he was losing money. Vince Sr. promised Backlund that he'd win it, but didn't promise him any length of reign. They like to say that the undercards were stacked when Backlund was champ, which is true but those supercards weren't any more or less frequent when Backlund was champ.
Larry's promos on Backland were hysterical! He gave Backland advice in each them. "Lesson one, Bob, get plenty of rest ". Lol
I know that Superstar confirmed this story. Did Bruno ever confirm it? Bruno's relationship with Vince was always tempestuous.
Superstar Graham may have confirmed it but he was a pathological liar so it doesn't count. James isn't smart enough to realize that. Bruno never tried to sabotage the plans to give Bobby Backlund the title.
@@paulrodney951 Exactly, Bruno and Graham were in a steel cage match two days before Backlund won the title and Billy said he thought about sabotaging the plan by faking an injury inside the cage and forcing Bruno to leave the cage first. But it was all talk, he never considered doing it and Bruno never would have gone along with it.
@@paulrodney951 Superstar was better on the mic than Backlund and had a better look but wasn`t as skilled in the ring.
I've watched so many Backlund matches and never heard him get boo'ed as a babyface until he came back on raw in the early 90's. That crowd would boo Mr Rodgers.....
I was a kid then but with the advent of cable I used to watch the monthly cards from MSG. Backlund was the champ then. Yeah he didn't have the charisma that Bruno or Graham had but he was technically sound. Backlund beat everybody back then a virtual who's who. Yes the Garden had loaded cards but Backlund had his share of fans...but I never once heard any bullshit chants from the fans.
I was a kid back then and a total mark for Backlund. I was genuinely afraid for him when he would go against big guys like Killer Khan, John Studd, George Steele, and even Greg Valentine. I loved it when Backlund had the exhibition with Tony Garea to demonstrate the crossface chickenwing. Too bad Backlund didn't want to go through with the teased heal turn at the time.
This is true. It was a different character than Bruno, the strongman who could face any challenge. As a kid, I also thought Bob Backlund might die in the ring, and yet he found a way to win the matches against these monsters, largely using his "scientific" wrestling skills and working within the rules. Of course, he'd lose his cool every now and then and hit a referee, but who can blame him? The big dramatic question every month in MSG was "How can Bob survive this one?" And it kept drawing for years, not as much as Bruno, but Larry is not being accurate in pounding this drum continuously that Backlund didn't draw. No one drew like Bruno.
@@TerryKeefeMedia Yes, every not and then Backlund would break the rules, and that usually backfired - no doubt by design in the morality plays that his matches were.
I have no issue with Larry’s critique of Bob. Larry was there at the time. The issue I take is when people state emphatically that Backlund was a failure as a champion and then subsequent to that I find out they were born in 1989 and their earliest first hand memories of wrestling is “The Monday Night Wars”. Get out of town with that nonsense. As someone who grew up in the transitional years between Superstar Graham and Bob Backlund, while I believe in retrospect it would’ve been better to have turned Graham babyface and kept the belt on him, Backlund did not to disgrace the belt. He was a legitimate white meat babyface champion who had significant support from wrestling fans of that era. He wasn’t Bruno or Hogan, he was Bob Backlund and he did well for himself.
Any negative comments about Larry Z can take a hike. He's a legend of the business for a reason!!! Excellent job and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of his comments and answers from a generation of wrestlers only hardcore fans or historians of the industry would know!!
You can’t even spell his last name fully tryna defend man’s you lazy American 😭😂
Who made negative comments about Zbysko?
Larry can still talk and give good shoot interviews.
This very clip is Larry talking negative about Bob Backlund, but we're not supposed to disagree? Good luck with that.
There were all kinds of gimmicks, but the champion has to be a simple, wholesome guy with plain shorts and ring shoes on. That was the formula of wrestling back then and Bob Backlund was a perfect champion material.
Larry Legend!!
The reason Larry kept coming back to the AWA to wrestle because Vern Gagne was his father-in-law.
Yup. You hit the nail on the head. Larry was the last AWA champion
why ?...why ? ...why ? ...make bob champ ....he was tech sound but nothing else ...it,s like making HHH champ after rock / steve austin was champ ...YEAHHHH i said it HHH fans , HHH was a step down after these main event players ....it,s truth , live with it
Ive been thinking the same thing since I was a kid in 1993-94, while my uncle told me about how "the old guy wrestling right now on RAW used to be the champ." Lol
No disagreement here. HHH felt like a stepdown.
Smart of Larry to see the opportunity with AWA, NWA and WCW after their top stars left for WWF as I'm sure he received much better pay and a higher spot in the pecking order than he would've in the crowded WWF with Vince Jr. in charge.
Larry was the last AWA champion and son-in-law of Verne Gagne
I love me some living legend, looking forward to more of this!
Larry must have CTE
I lived this era and Backlund was OVER big time. Sold out areas everywhere.
I have a hard time thinking that making Bob Backlund the WWWF in 1978 was a mistake. Who was available to be the WWWF champion in 1978 that could have followed in the footsteps of Bruno and had a comperable popular title run? The answer is nobody!!!!! The only name I could think of that could have had a comperable popular run as Bruno had in 1978 as the WWWF champion was Dusty Rhodes. If the WWWF had decided to put the belt on Dusty in 1978 instead of Backlund, and given him the five year run that Backlund had, Dusty would have been a much bigger draw than Backlund was. Outside of Dusty, I have a hard time thinking about anybody else who would have been more successful for the WWWF than Backlund was. The biggest mistake the WWWF made was giving Backlund the five year run. I would have had him drop the belt to Snuka around 1982 and had him be the champion until Hogan was ready.
This explains so much about old school wrestling and the psychology of the McMahon family. Few people have explained this as well as Larry here.
Superstar Graham should've continued as Champion. He brought more excitement and flair to sold out arenas. His charisma was definitely greater and more popular.
Guy had the look, but as a preformer, Graham was limited.
Backlund was way over.
Should have left it on Superstar Billy Graham 💪
Yes. Should've turned him face as he was apparently being cheered as a heel by WWWF audiences because of his look and mic skills. He could've had Bob's run and dropped the belt to the Sheik when Hogan came in.
Yes. Superstar Billy Graham was the first heel I ever loved. They should’ve kept the belt on him as he was selling out everywhere he appeared. He would’ve become a babyface as he was so bad that he was good and being cheered by the fans
I'm glad he went to NWA/WCW near the end of his career, and not made into a gimmick in the WWF. He had a good transition to the mic.
Agree with the narrative,But,Backlund would and could whip any and All.The greatest angle would've been heel vs baby Bruno vs. Backlund.Wouldnt matter who was the baby or heel.
Hope you were able to cover those last days of AWA, weird times with so few people left.
That chicken wing is stuff of nightmares
Only during the 90`s, Mr Backland was a bigger star than plain, old, generic Bob Backlund.
That's a great hold.
Larry is a smart legend, but gagne should have backlund as the awa champ too save the promotion, backlund is and was of one the greatest champs of all time!!
Had Vince Sr left the belt on Superstar Graham and turned him babyface, the Hulk Hogan era never would have existed !!
I think Vince Sr. wanted Keirn, due to Keirn's father being a war hero, but Eddie Graham suggested Backlund.
At the time Steve Keirn was tagging with Mike Graham, Eddie’s son, in the Florida territory
Larry is a great story teller
Thank you someone nail it ,Superstar Billy Graham had charisma, character, and great on his promo. Bob Backlund wrong time, but Vince Sr,saw it other way ?
Backlund did draw with Pat Patterson.Watch any bout you on here ...A must see!
Bruno was a legend ,Superstar Billy Graham..made way for future wrestler (R.l.P).
That's not true fans at MSG
chanting bullshit at Bob Backlund. I remember fans cheering on Bob Backlund. He was a great scientific wrestler. Speaking for myself I'd prefer to see an interview with Bob Backlund rather than Larry Zybszko. Get that interview with Howdy Doody?
Bob Backlund was over
No he wasn't
Yes he was.
We were force fed Backlund for Year's! Superstar wanted to call the shots and they should have let him. Jr did years later with Hogan doing Superstar.
I love all things Billy Graham my all time favorite wrestler.
If I would've picked a champ for Graham to drop the belt to, I would've picked Chief Peter Maivia.
The Living Legend has Spoken
I agree
Bob was the best.
Someone finally said it after all these years. I remember watching Backlund and was shaking my head. He didn't have the personality. Fine wrestler, but he needed the It factor to get over.
To get over? He was over.
I would have put it on Snuka or Muraco.
Vince Sr wanted someone he could control and not hold him up about payoffs. His interviews were so boring but he wasn’t as bad as people made him out to be
Did he also get a bowl of soup with THAT shirt?
LarryLand!!
Bob Backlund was extremely impressive for his size and endurance.
I have no idea why Vince Sr. loved Backlund so much. When Bob came back in the 90s I instantly changed the channel.
It has been claimed that McMahon had a gentleman’s bet with Eddie Graham that he could make Backlund. Unfortunately, Bob was not amenable to showing more personality.
@@ithinkaboutthings9052Graham had warned McMahon that Superstar was untrustworthy.
This is what was told to me by someone who is close to Backlund though. So who knows?
@@brianhanssens7996 Superstar was my favorite. But he did come off as bitter about the business, promoters, his choices, life, etc.
Vince Sr stacked the cards. Backland's opponents drew the houses, not Bob
That's not true. He was way over, and his immense talent drew people.
I like Larry, but he's completely wrong here. A number of longtime WWWF babyfaces like him were jealous when Backlund came up from Florida and was immediately pushed to the title, But the fact remains is that Backlund was OVER as champ, Listen to the crowds during his matches now on RUclips against Graham, Ladd, Hansen, and others. Backlund was believable as champ. He was a legit athlete who knew how to work and was strong and tough for his size. He was not a great talker, but it did not matter as much and if anything added to his legitimacy. Larry was a good talent, but he didn't have what it took to be the champ. If he had had, he would have been given the belt.
In those days the baby face didn't have to be a good talker, the heels and the managers drew all the heat.
Well said.
Zbyszko has taken a few too many chair shots to the head or something. Backlund was so over as champ. No one shouted BS...BS like he claims.
I hated Backlund but he was definitely over up until about82 when Snuka was becoming the top baby face.
Correct. Near the end of his reign there were certainly more boos and the like but that was too be expected after five plus years as champ. Those early years at MSG he was over like hell. There were no B.S chants like Larry claims - its total fiction.
Backlund was Vince Sr.'s boy, end of story.
It was odd. You’d think Superstar would have held it until hogan
The Miz looks kind of like Bob Backlund...
I love all the marks in the comments disagreeing with a guy who was actually there.
He's putting himself over .
He would've still went over big in WWF in the 80's. Idk what happened McMahon didn't make that happen.
Jimmy Snuka was the biggest star in the early 80`s and would have drawn as champ, he should have transitioned to the Sheik instead of Buckland.
I’m still bummed that Backlund couldn’t/wouldn’t allow some of his personalities to be shown on rasslin’. But he and Bruno are great examples that the personality is more important than technical proficiency. Bob could work like few others. Bruno was rather limited in the ring by comparison. Bruno could draw a much larger audience.
In the 70s it was about babyface vs heel and the heel was responsible for bringing the wild personality and the heat. The babyface usually gave a standard good guy interview. The psychology was entirely different from how wrestling evolved during the Wrestlemania era where giants and exaggerated characters became the norm. Then in the 90s fans began to cheer heel personalities, so wrestling reflects what is happening in society and always morphs along the way. Today, in my opinion it doesn’t come close to the days of all the exciting territories.
@@tubewrestler59 I’ve only been watching since the 60’s. But I have seen numerous good guys who could lay out an exciting interview.
@@ithinkaboutthings9052
Yes I agree, there were a number of great baby faces providing exciting promos but generally if there was an outrageous heel with a distinct personality that was hated, the good guy approach was much more laid back showing that he would “do his best, remain sportsman like” and hopefully he would have the support of the fans etc.. it was this psychology that was pushed in order to maintain its presence as a legitimate sport and contest. There were also different demographics in those days and sometimes if the crowd favorite was based heavily on ethnicity, with greats like Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino who used their foreign language to draw in their local supporters, it was to their advantage.
So they didn’t necessarily have to be the most articulate talkers but certain wrestlers just had more charisma than others and played up those strengths to sell tickets.
James, Steve Kerin? WTH?
It was considered for sure - Sam Mucknick told Vince Sr he'd be a better version of Backlund
Keirn had the father who was a POW and was a great ametuer wrestler and he was in great shape then
Larry hated Backlund.
Backlund sold out MSG for almost 6 years. Smh
I came for the “Howdy Doddy”
I got the “Howdy Doddy”
I’m happy
btw , Ken Patera was NOT an Olympic Gold medalist. he didn't even medal. just an FYI
To clarify, Ken Patera did win a gold medal at the Pan American games in 1971 and a silver medal at the 1971 World championships.
He also won a Pan American gold medal in 1967 in the shot put and is credited as the first American to press 500 lbs over his head.
@@tubewrestler59 correct.
If not backlund then who? Keep it on graham? Entice dusty rhodes to leave the NWA? Who was there to consistently draw money?
Larry seem Jealous Backlund Larry wasn't league of Backlund ... Vince Father all made determined who was gonna be champion person able fill Bruno shoes was Pedro Morales was very famous Latino Spanish people
Backlund was great. Maybe if he sang and dance you would like him more?
I’ll never forget The Living Legend as his gimmick table. (He didn’t wrestle for a few more matches) He said, while stretching, “feel good.” I said,” looking good Legend.” He even told me about how his 30 year old girlfriend was wearing him out. This was in 05ish.
Larry was good. Bob was great.
I always thought Bob Backlund was really boring and he looked and acted like something out of the show "Leave it to Beaver." I just couldn't get why they made him champion other than the fact that he was a good athlete but damn he was boring. He was a much better heel than a babyface imo.
I have mixed feelings about Bob Backlund as world champ. I think his original late 70's / early 80's title run should have been shorter, but I always thought his 1994 world title tun should have been a lot longer. To explain For the late 70's / early 80's, I would say for the late 70's have Superstar Billy Graham hold the world title for the rest of the decade. Do NOT have him lose the title during February 1978, have Superstar Billy Graham keep the title till 1980. Then during 1980, THEN have Larry Zbyszko beat Superstar Billy Graham for the world title (this should happen AFTER Zbyszko has attacked Bruno with the chair during the 1980 chair incident).. This adds fire to the Zbyszko vs Bruno feud of 1980 since now there is a world title to fight over.
Then...
Have Bruno eventually win the world title from Zbyszko, but then have Zbyszko win the war by taking the world title back from Bruno and putting Bruno in the hospital due to several chair shots that the ref didn't see. Now with Zbyszko as the ultimate heel world champ, THEN have Backlund (the clean babyface) beat Zbyszko and win the world title , sometime around late 1982 (that world title win means much more now since he beat Zbyszko, the living legend that took the world title from Bruno. Now from late 1982 till late 1983, you have a Backlund world title run for one year and then proceed as normal with Iron Shiek winning the world title at the end of 1983 in a controversial way and Hulk Hogan winning at the beginning of 1984.
HOWEVER...
Backlund during 1994 should have held on to that world title till mid 1995. His crazy gimmick was awesome (he was crazy, but felt credible since he wasn't in some weird gimmick like a Garbage Man or whatever other weird gimmick, he was just a veteran wrestler who got severely angry at the new generation of wrestlers and very angry at the new generation of fans and he went insane because of it) and his """I never lost the title during 1983, I've been the world champion for over a decade!""" gimmick was perfect as the villain for the "New Generation" that WWF was pushing at the time. I would have had Backlund (as world champ during the end of 1994 to mid 1995) with Owen Hart as Backlund's lackey (which was already established at Survivor Series 1994 and a bit before that). Have Backlund beat tons of other wrestlers silly, but towards Summerslam 1995 have Backlund turn on Owen Hart, have Owen Hart swear revenge, and have Owen Hart beat Backlund for the world title at Summerslam 1995. Have Owen Hart as world champ for some months, then have Kevin Nash win it for a few short months, and then give it to Bret Hart and proceed as normal. That's my revisionist booking of the mid 90's. LOL.
What did Graham ever do in his career after losing to Backlund that makes you think he would have been able to carry the company? The entirety of his post Championship career consists of another program with Backlund where he looked pathetic. A very quick run in Florida with Kevin Sullivan, and years spent as Jimmy Valiant's personal job boy in Crockett. If he were even close to being as over as people think he was, he would have done far more than that with his career. But Graham went as far as his limited abilities could take him.
Graham had appeal in the mid 70's because he was one of if not the first roided out body guy who cut Ali-esque promos, so he stood out, but he couldn't work worth a lick and couldn't be depended on. A few years later when roided out body guys were everywhere, Graham faded into the background.
Backlund was champion long enoung during 94 run.
I loved Bob but he had the belt for way too many years
I think its just bitterness as usual with these old legends Bob backlund was a legit wrestler .his matches are still memorable . i see nothing wrong with him being champion .back in the days who ever won the belt you had to of have a legit grappling background. Bob had that Today its any body can win. As long as you have a body with no grappling training and just looking good. Thats just Larry zabyzsco .opinion due to bitterness he didn't get Bruno sammartinos place. But By him being a villain made up what he couldn't get what he wished for. But still a legend like Bob backlund . In my opinion. Now you starting to see old legends true color's after all these years . that in pro wrestling you have coworkers not friends but i like Larry zabizsco ..
Nationalized tv show is good points, but they jumped on ppv, wrestlemania pretty early and big, for what is fraud in that period. Boxing was the model, but boxing is actual competition. That we know.
Larry contradicted exactly what he said by saying there was nobody else.
The funny thing is, that if it were real then Bob would beat Bruno because he is younger and one hell of a technical wrestler. But it's all commercial so he didn't look the part and that took away from his run.
Superstar Billy Graham clearly should've stayed WWWF Champ until at least 1980.
What did Graham do between the time he lost the belt and 1980 that makes you think that?
Steve Keirn was def considered to follow SSBG as the champion. Vince Sr asked Eddie Graham for suggestions when they were putting the belt on Billy and Eddie said Keirn or Backlund. Someone else that Sr trusted also said Backlund and that was it
I've heard that story but doubt there is any truth to it. Backlund was picked to be champion while Bruno still held the belt.
Agreed. Graham was a draw and even got cheered being the heel. If McMahon Sr. Would've turned Graham face and marketed him, that Would've been your first real "Hulkamania". But for some reason Sr was just too fixated on the bland Backlund.
Hmmmmm. Wherever Larry went they went out of business
Tully Blanchard and Larry land ...my two favorite heels😂
Larry does great interviews
As good as Bob was as a wrestler, he was not the captivating personality that Bruno, Pedro, Superstar, Snuka and Hogan were.
He sure was over and he sure drew.
They should have put the title on Larry after the Bruno programme and then have Bruno take Larry on for the title
Boring bob as champ compared to Billy Graham who was sooo over 🙄 what a dumb mistake
Bob Backlund was soooo over.
Where did this guy get this BS? Bruno didn't want the title anymore.
I wouldn't say that those territories 'needed' Larry. Tell the truth, you married Verne's daughter as job security.
Or Vince's daughter (see HHH).
@@michaelmarkowski204 no. Stephanie is actually an attractive woman. Attraction plus on-screen chemistry, he couldn't help but fall in love. You never heard of any stories of Triple H cheating on her or anything.
@@NateNizzle There have been shoot interviews with a number of wrestlers who said the majority of them (both men and women) used to cheat on their spouses on a regular basis. Fidelity was the exception, not the rule, and nobody said anything, so most of them got away with it without at least the public being aware of it. Not saying HHH was one of them, but just because you didn't hear anything doesn't mean he's never cheated on her. Also, it's very tempting when you're apart and you have a number of girls hanging out in the lobby willing to go to bed with you for a one-night stand (or whenever you're in town), no strings attached.
@@michaelmarkowski204 look at the last sentence that I wrote. "You never heard any stories of Triple H cheating.." In the wrestling business if something that scandalous would have happened we would have heard about it. Shoot, Vince McMahon was paying women millions of dollars not to talk and they STILL talked. Lol. From all accounts, Triple H didn't do recreational drugs or even drink. Went to church every Sunday growing up. Straight laced guy. One of the few.
Larry Z. Was great and could cut a great promo.
Larry was good mat wrestler to. He was like ideal wrestler back then, wasn't huge but good locks / submission and could deliver