Ali's Series of Bouts V.S. Wrestlers ...

Cash

 

I hadn't seen Ali-Buddy Wolfe before. Kenny Jay was a pure jobber, putting Muhammad over, but Wolfe was a headliner at the time, and it's startling to see Ali put him over with a couple of drops over the knee and a hip toss. Also to watch Muhammad actually uncork some body shots. I can understand having a no hoper like Jay in there with Ali, but Wolfe was a much bigger name.

Wolfe wasn't with the WWWF at the time, except for one special match to help push Backlund, and the Apter mags led me to believe Buddy was a heel, which would make Ali, with heel manager Blassie in his corner, peculiarly the face for this exhibition, although the "outsider" to the wrestling fans in attendance. Also strange to see a young Vince McMahon, Jr. holding the mike for the interview with Gagne in the same ring, but without the yellow broadcaster's jacket he wore as the announcer on WWWF television working under his father (aping the look Cosell and the other ABC broadcasters wore at the time). I don't recall this ever airing on WWWF programming.

Ali-Wolfe looked better than Ali-Inoki did, and if Muhammad was willing to mention Sammartino in his post exhibition promo as a prospect for such an event, then Vince, Sr. should have seized the opportunity. Bruno was a fan of boxing (as Ali was of wrestling), understood it, and probably would have worked closely with Ali to make sure they both went over well, with mutual respect. (Of course Sammartino first needed to recover from the broken neck inflicted by that botched bodyslam from Stan Hansen, but a comeback against Ali might have been a safe, high profile way to return to performing for Bruno.) If Inoki hadn't ****ed up Muhammad's legs like he did, there maybe there would have been more entertaining boxer versus wrestler spectacles for fans to enjoy with him. Inoki became a "hero" and a household name, even being voted to elective office, but it was a cheap way to become such an icon. Bruno earned his stature by putting the WWWF on the map.

 

Was it really less dignified than Dempsey's showbiz jaunts in the 1920s?

 

it def is kind of wild to see ali take bumps for the wrestlers...and those matches were def better than the inoki one

 

Inoki was for big bucks. Of course, it was supposed to be a prototype 'MMA' match....but Ali made rule demands that changed that (and understandably so)

 

the fights are fake right?

 

he got more money for Inoki than he did for foreman. Foolhardy yes, but i dont blame him, especially as he thought it was just a ****-around?easy payday until the last minute

 

What was the name of that average joe that Dempsey beat half to death? Cowboy something? :rofl

 

Clarence "Cowboy" Luttrell.

 

i'll say one thing about the buddy wolfe one...looks strange to see ali throwing body shots

 

Unfortunately the Inoki fight was not. It had a terrible rule set, that led to the farce of a contest that it was, as well as the injuries Ali suffered.

 

I thought it had no rules, and that's why it was awful.

It was originally supposed to be a fake fight, but Ali didn't want to cheat the public, so declared he wouldn't go along with the script. That made Inoki adopt a strategy of lying down and kicking at Ali's shins - because he was afraid of standing up and getting KO'd.

Well, that's what I read.

 

These events are no worse than Ali v Coopman, Ali v Evangelista .... and Ali v Young ! yep).

I'd rather see a good fake fight with plenty of shtick, than a pointless snoozefest between under-trained over-paid fighters for the championship.

 

Chuck Wepner v Andre The Giant is worth watching. :deal


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