What is the earliest wrestling match you've seen?

[TGM]

What is chronologically the first wrestling match you've seen?

ie not the first match you saw as a kid or whatever, but since you've been able to access wrestling from the 70s or 80s (or earlier), what is the oldest match you've watched?

I don't watch much wrestling before 1992 and I can't be certain as I must have seen matches here and there but Magnum vs Tully in the cage is the first thing that jumps to my mind as the "earliest" match I've seen.

What about you guys?

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Probably some squash match in 1989 or 1990 WWF or something.

So far as the first major match on the first PPV I ordered though, maybe the opening to Survivor Series 1991 with Bret’s team against Flair’s.

[edgestar]

I remember watching with my brother, when I was younger. I was in the hospital when I was 4, and mom watched Superstars, with me. My brother talked to me on the phone, during the show.

[Deleted]

A handful of Lou Thesz matches from 50's and 60's.

[Guacamole Anderson]

ESPN Classic used to have a show on Saturday mornings that replayed matches from the 50s.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Picked up a DVD with some classic public domain matches, one was with the original Gorgeous Geoege, so maybe that...

Or the match between Lou Thesz and Rikidozan from the "Best NWA Title Matches in Japan" collection.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

A black and white Verne Gagne match from the fifties, it was very boring.

[Venti]

Generally a fan of 90s-current wrestling, but every now and then I'll watch older stuff. The earliest I can remember sitting and watching was Flair vs Race at Starrcade in a cage. I know I've technically seen earlier stuff, but that's one I actually remember watching on the Network. I think it was 1983 if I'm correct.

[Deleted]

Rikidozan vs Kimura, the match where it turned shoot.

[Bad Moon]

There was battle royale from Dallas in the 70s (I think) on the Andre the Giant documentary DVD.

[Ultimo Gallos]

In the mid 80s got a VHS that was 2 hours of older matches. IIRC the oldest match was from 55. Had the Kangaroos vs Lou Albano/??. Lou and his partner were working a mafia gimmick.

[Milkman Norm]

For a complete match it's probably the O'Connor vs Rogers NWA Title match from 1961.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

I wanna say it was something with Antonino Rocca in it, so the absolute latest it could have been was the mid-to-late 70's.

[Toilet Paper Roll]

I have it on a tape and I think it’s on YouTube there’s a Joe Stetcher earl caddock match from 1920

[corndog]

I was watching the Chicago Film Archives wrestling on YouTube and they had a match between Verne Gagne and Lou Thesz from 1950. It was kind of boring and not Thesz's best stuff as he just kept putting Gagne in a side headlock. It seemed like Gagne wanted to do more in the match, but Thesz wouldn't let him. Thesz can be pretty boring by today's standards, but I like his matches with Buddy Rogers and I watched one of his matches where he knocked out an opponent by doing a powerbomb, which was crazy to see in the 1950s, considering the move wasn't really used again(to my knowledge)until the 90s. Other than that, I watched a couple of Gorgeous George matches from the early 50s, maybe even the late 40s.

[Deleted]

Dec 14, 2018 6:25:06 GMT -5 Ultimo Gallos said:

In the mid 80s got a VHS that was 2 hours of older matches. IIRC the oldest match was from 55. Had the Kangaroos vs Lou Albano/??. Lou and his partner were working a mafia gimmick.

Tony Altimore was his partner. You thought Lou was out of place wrestling in 83, Tony kept going into 85-86. (One of the first guys to wrestle wearing a T-shirt.)

I saw a tape like that, Wrestling's Golden Era Vol. 1 was what my dad bought. Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers beating Pat O'Connor for the NWA title, Dick The Bruiser.
And The Sicilians/Lou Albano & Tony Altimore vs. Bobo Brazil & Sailor Art Thomas. Art was a bodybuilder and a lot like JYD: very charismatic & you set things up to build to his strengths. You give him the hot tag so he can throw guys around and lock in that bear hug.

Oldest I saw was from the CFA: Gypsy Joe (Dorsetti) vs. some guy playing a Russian, heel vs. heel. Joe was such a jerk the fans chose to cheer the Russian guy. Wasn't bad.
And a Billy Goelz match afterwards. Billy was good.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

[eDemento2099]

The first wrestling match I saw was ... some match that took place at a WWF house show I attended live. My dad took me to the show, because he was into wrestling. I wasn't. The only match I remember was Damien Demento vs. some jobber.

[thegame415]

I've watched wrestling at 12 AM a few times.

[Deleted]

Bret and Owen vs The Quebecars at Royal Rumble 94.