Very cool footage. I love seeing early WWE WWWF stuff like this! Pretty sure this is 1963, and that’s when Maurice is noted for having feuded with Bruno over the title.
This is probably the oldest footage available of Bruno in action. This is from either 1960 or 1961, because Vince McMahon Sr. blackballed Bruno for a good chunk of 1962. His opponent here is Magnificent Maurice (real name: Gene Dubuque). Maurice had a tag team with Handsome Johnny Barend at this time, and their manager was J. Wellington Radcliffe, whose real name was Ernie Roth and who would later be known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, and as Abdullah Farouk when he managed The Sheik.
Bruno's blacklisting was actually '61, '62 is after he returned but was being starved out and not given dates. If he was blacklisted in '62 then there would be a month where he doesn't work the U.S. but there isn't. This is from 1962 and from Buffalo's Pedro Martinez promotion, and wasn't for McMahon or Capitol Wrestling.
@@wednesdayoverall9021 This looks like Capital Wrestling’s ring posts. Same ones they used in Heavyweight Wrestling from Washington. They had that specific design. The stuff I’ve seen from Buffalo around that time had different posts.
@@mr.mirchenstein6549 This cannot be from '60 or '61 or '62. Bruno didn't face Maurice in Capitol until '63 after Bruno won the title. This isn't tv, it's newsreel film. That's not the D.C. ref, they never faced 1-on-1 in DC... Baltimore is possible, or Sunnyside Gardens for Kola Kwariani..
Very cool footage. I love seeing early WWE WWWF stuff like this! Pretty sure this is 1963, and that’s when Maurice is noted for having feuded with Bruno over the title.
I don’t believe this is WWF footage, looks like Buffalo, owned by Pedro Martinez.
Bruno was wise to ditch the dropkick. His very real strength was much easier to sell.
This is probably the oldest footage available of Bruno in action. This is from either 1960 or 1961, because Vince McMahon Sr. blackballed Bruno for a good chunk of 1962. His opponent here is Magnificent Maurice (real name: Gene Dubuque). Maurice had a tag team with Handsome Johnny Barend at this time, and their manager was J. Wellington Radcliffe, whose real name was Ernie Roth and who would later be known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, and as Abdullah Farouk when he managed The Sheik.
Bruno's blacklisting was actually '61, '62 is after he returned but was being starved out and not given dates. If he was blacklisted in '62 then there would be a month where he doesn't work the U.S. but there isn't. This is from 1962 and from Buffalo's Pedro Martinez promotion, and wasn't for McMahon or Capitol Wrestling.
@mark d Never heard that. I call internet bullshit unless you can direct the readers to an official source for your claim
@@wednesdayoverall9021 This looks like Capital Wrestling’s ring posts. Same ones they used in Heavyweight Wrestling from Washington. They had that specific design. The stuff I’ve seen from Buffalo around that time had different posts.
@@mr.mirchenstein6549 This cannot be from '60 or '61 or '62. Bruno didn't face Maurice in Capitol until '63 after Bruno won the title. This isn't tv, it's newsreel film. That's not the D.C. ref, they never faced 1-on-1 in DC... Baltimore is possible, or Sunnyside Gardens for Kola Kwariani..
Except Bruno never faced Maurice until after he won the title in 1963...
The power of muscle hunk Bruno showed in defeating Maurice in a very quick but effective hug!
60s wrestling could go hard
scary how all those people are probably dead or very old 😳
Philly…June 8, 1963
Crazy to see him drop kick
This match might be from 1963, and according to history of WWF Maurice got a title shot in 64 but Bruno won it in about 16 minutes.
Does anyone know the date of this match or when it was televised?
RIP BRUNO
Yeah dude 😎 good match 👍. What is up? Man on man action 🔥 R U man enough?
Bruno Samartino is still my favorite wrestler
GoldenAge: Thanks for posting. Very odd to see the large amount of ring apron space outside of the ropes.
Awesome bearhug by Bruno.
Looked like two legit one footed kicks to Maurice...look at how in shape and heavy Bruno was then!
Bruno was a tank.
Rarely saw Bruno with the drop kick, as he does at 0:34 and the one-legged version he displays at 0:37.
Bruno had been working with, and against, Antonino Rocca for most the previous year
Early 1960s
What a match!
Nice bearhug 2:31
What year was this?
Hot Bearhug 2:29
Anyone remember John R. John?
Those dropkicks of bruno,s never even connected with maurice.
Most of his "punches" didn't either.Maurice's missed too.
1963?
ha ha