Andre The Giant and Pat Patterson vs. Johnny Rodz and Jose Estrada – All Star Wrestling – April 19th, 1980

Since All Star Wrestling was uploaded to the WWE Network, I’ve wanted to write about it here. Some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling appear on these shows, and it is where the foundations of the Wrestlemania era begin to form. The problem is, it’s a little more difficult to choose a match to discuss than I had hoped. For those who don’t know, 1980 is still sort of on the bubble when it comes to in-ring action. Sure, there were guys having some exciting contests, but it would take a few more years before the pace picked up and professional wrestling’s feel would change forever. What you can look for is psychology and storytelling. Here we have four well known names, one of whom would become a legend of the business and another whose influence goes far beyond his in-ring career.

Here we see Andre The Giant in the good guy role that, well, isn’t how many remember him these days. Andre’s heel turn has become a thing of legend, and the following clash with Hogan at Wrestlemania III, the defining moment of his career. Here, Andre is booked as an attraction. Probably the coolest part of this is that it’s what Andre was supposed to be breaking away from when he turned. Andre no longer wanted to be the guy that everyone came to see, but never got a shot at the champ. Andre is also fairly spry in this match, which is refreshing to see since the WWE often highlights the later days of his career. He plays the role of the unstoppable hero to perfection, and while Rodz and Estrada aren’t quite as sinister as the modern heel, they do receive their just desserts. Did you really think Andre would lose? His partner is Pat Patterson, exalted as the first Intercontinental Champion and a Hall of Fame performer, but it is no secret that his greatest contributions really came as a member of the WWF creative team, a role he holds in a lesser capacity to this day. The inventor of the Royal Rumble, and the creative force behind is for many years, even here you can see how in touch with the crowd Patterson is and was. Its not a long match, or a very complicated one, but it does show the base of the art that has grown so titanic in near four decades since this contest took place.

As mentioned, this match is exclusively available on the WWE Network, and I would recommend checking out a few of these episodes when you have some time.