The Wrestler (1974)

1. - All right, there's a lot of electricity in the air,

2. a lot of action coming up, because Roy Shires,

3. the promoter/matchmaker here at the Cow Palace

4. in San Francisco is putting up

5. against the champion, Mike Bullard,

6. a young guy by the name of Larry "Pretty Boy" Hennig.

7. How long you been waiting for this match?

8. - I've waited too long.

9. I waited too long to catch the coward,

10. not the champion, Mike Bullard, but the coward,

11. the man that I've chased from coast to coast,

12. the man that I've chased from continent to continent,

13. and you know who I'm talking about,

14. the pot-bellied, spindly-legged,

15. bald-headed, toothless Mike Bullard.

16. That's the man who I'm talking about.

17. That's the man that's gonna be punished

18. for the years that he's put this match off.

19. - I'm Frank Bass.

20. I've been a wrestling promoter for nearly 20 years

21. and I've known a lot of wrestlers.

22. But whenever I hear anyone say wrestler,

23. I think only of the champion, Mike Bullard.

24. He's unbeatable.

25. Mike has been a top athlete for years:

26. state high school wrestling champion,

27. Big Ten Conference wrestling champion

28. at the University of Minnesota,

29. NCAA champion, Olympic gold medalist,

30. All-American and professional football star.

31. - Pin him up, Mike.

32. - For years, Mike has been

33. the professional wrestling champion of his league.

34. The wins don't come as easy as they used to,

35. but he is still number one.

36. He has to be a winner.

37. We would've had a new champion long ago

38. if Mike Bullard wasn't still beating all contenders

39. with a combination that made him famous:

40. a vicious dropkick followed by his deadly sleeper hold.

41. - 24 minutes and 33 seconds,

42. the winner and still champion, Mike Bullard!

43. - Wrestling Office.

44. Oh, Australia!

45. I'm sorry, operator, but Mr. Bass is on another line.

46. Would you hold on?

47. Thanks.

48. Frank, Jim Barnett on line two, Australia,

49. and the Crusher and the (shrieking) Bruiser

50. are here to see you.

51. Well, either you're not Prince Charming

52. or I'm not the good fairy.

53. - Try me.

54. - Sorry.

55. Did anybody ever tell you that you were very physical?

56. - Is that good?

57. - It's not bad.

58. - See, I told you she liked me the best.

59. - Yeah?

60. Oh, right.

61. Okay, Mr. Barnett, I'll take those dates down now.

62. (sneezing) Yes, and the 21st.

63. Okay, thank you.

64. - To what do we owe this honor?

65. - Look, Crush, he's dead and he's still walking.

66. - Why, this is all I needed this morning.

67. What do these (pausing) gentlemen want, Debbie?

68. - Would you believe tickets,

69. passports, and a visa to Japan?

70. - Possibly.

71. I slightly remember arranging something for them there.

72. You guys leaving today?

73. - Yeah, we're gonna leave in about three hours,

74. but right now we're going down to work out.

75. - Why don't you come with us, Frank?

76. You look like you could use a workout and steam bath.

77. - No, no, no, no, no workout.

78. But a steam bath sounds pretty good.

79. You go on ahead though, I got something else to do first.

80. I'll meet you there.

81. - Okay, here's everything you need but your jockstraps.

82. - We're gonna leave now, Frank,

83. because we can't top that.

84. - I think you better go.

85. - You know, if she was a lady wrestler,

86. we'd all be in trouble.

87. - I know, I know.

88. - See ya, Frank, baby.

89. - Take it easy, Frank.

90. - Their playful pats are like piledrivers.

91. - Aw, you're just outta shape.

92. - I can still handle you with one hand tied behind me.

93. - Really?

94. That wouldn't be any fun.

95. - Wanna bet?

96. - Wrestling Office.

97. Oh hi, Betty.

98. Yes, he's right here, hold on.

99. Betty Bullard.

100. - Thank you.

101. Hi, Betty.

102. You hear from Mike?

103. Oh, I see.

104. Yeah.

105. Well, look, why don't I come out there

106. sometime this afternoon, huh?

107. Look, look, I'll get out there right away.

108. It should take me about a half an hour, okay?

109. Right.

110. Fine, fine.

111. I'll be out there right away, half an hour.

112. Bye-bye.

113. I gotta run out to Bullard's.

114. Lord Blears was supposed to come in at 11:00.

115. Can you call him and change it to 2:00

116. and then get ahold of Kiniski and Cowboy Watts

117. and confirm all those matches for next month?

118. - Right.

119. Wrestling Office.

120. Frank. - Hmm?

121. - Hold it for a minute.

122. Yes, that's right.

123. Wahoo McDaniels and Superstar Billy Graham

124. are in the main event.

125. Right.

126. All right, thank you.

127. - Well?

128. - Take care of your cold, hon.

129. - You better not catch it.

130. - Why?

131. - Who'd run the office?

132. - You're wising up, Frank.

133. - Oh, oh.

134. Hi, Betty.

135. - Thanks for coming out.

136. Come on in.

137. - What's a matter?

138. You sounded pretty upset.

139. - Let me take your coat.

140. - Thanks.

141. - We'll talk downstairs.

142. Something I want you to see.

143. - The place looks neater with Mike in Munich.

144. - I like it better a little messy.

145. - Yeah.

146. - Can I get you a drink or a cup of coffee?

147. - No, no thanks.

148. This cold's got me feeling pretty raunchy.

149. So?

150. - Ever since I heard about Ray Gunkel,

151. I've been scared to death.

152. Mike's the same age.

153. Gunkel wasn't defending any title;

154. he wrestled only when he felt like it.

155. Mike's always wrestling and he's wrestling the very best.

156. - Come on, Betty, come on, stop it.

157. Stop it.

158. Mike works out four and five hours a day.

159. He's a natural athlete.

160. There's nobody around, nobody, who can keep up with him.

161. I mean, you'd have cause to worry if he let himself go,

162. but he doesn't.

163. - Sit down, I want you to see his latest homework.

164. - Morales, Eastern League champion.

165. - And he's young.

166. - He sure is good.

167. - Wait 'til you see the second feature.

168. - Dory Funk, Western regional champion.

169. - I know.

170. Good, isn't he?

171. - A lotta great moves.

172. - And he's young.

173. What does this mean, Frank?

174. Mike's never crossed leagues before.

175. - Well, some of us have been discussing a Super Bowl idea;

176. you know, like pro football,

177. matching the champions from each league?

178. - It gets worse and worse each time he leaves for a match.

179. What am I gonna do, Frank?

180. I don't want anything to happen to him.

181. - I know how you feel, I do.

182. But I know how he thinks.

183. He won't quit,

184. not as long as this Super Bowl thing's going on.

185. You gotta remember,

186. your old man is the best in the business.

187. He's a champion and he loves to prove it.

188. All right, we'll work on him.

189. We'll work on him.

190. Okay?

191. - Okay.

192. - Hey, Frank, how are things going?

193. - I say, Joe, how's the traveling crap game?

194. - Bad, Frank, bad.

195. You know, I haven't seen you for a long time.

196. - Been busy.

197. Oh boy, do I hate calls.

198. - You feel bad, eh?

199. We'll I've got something that'll make you feel better.

200. I've got a little business proposition to offer you.

201. I'm thinking of getting into the wrestling business.

202. - I had a feeling this was gonna be a bad day.

203. - Aw, you're not feeling good, are you?

204. - No, I'm not feeling good,

205. and I don't need you to make me feel better.

206. Everything's going fine just the way it is.

207. - Hey, Frank, you're being selfish.

208. Now, I'm not being selfish, am I?

209. I'm offering to work with you, free.

210. I don't want a cut.

211. This is getting real big.

212. Top champions.

213. There'll be title matches.

214. - No kidding?

215. - Yeah, there'll be odds.

216. And when there's odds, there's betting.

217. Get it, Frank?

218. - Oh yeah, I get it.

219. - I'll give you 10% of the action.

220. What do you say?

221. - Look, I don't feel good.

222. And when I don't feel good, I get paranoid.

223. That means I feel people are out to get me,

224. and I get mad when people are out to get me.

225. - Frank, what's the longest steam bath you've ever had?

226. 20, 25 minutes?

227. You stay in here too long, you get heat prostration.

228. I've got a couple of boys outside

229. that'll take turns keeping you in here a long time,

230. and they're big enough to do it.

231. - Hey, Frank.

232. Me and Bruiser got enough steam, how about you?

233. - Yeah, yeah I sure do.

234. Listen, Joe, I want you to meet the Crusher

235. and I want you to meet the Bruiser.

236. - Hiya, pal.

237. Any friend of Frank's a friend of ours.

238. - Yeah, well...

239. It was just a thought, Frank;

240. you know, something for you to think about

241. when you get over your paranoid.

242. - Tally-ho, Frank.

243. - Lord James Blears.

244. You big blonde beast, how are ya?

245. - Fine, fine.

246. - Oh boy, you look good.

247. Hawaii's really treating you well.

248. - That's the only place to live, Frank,

249. the fresh air, the surfing, the sunshine.

250. That's what you should do.

251. - Aw, go on, sit down.

252. What are you doing in Minneapolis?

253. - Frank, do you still have that compulsion you've always had

254. to try and come up with a top contender for ol' Bullard?

255. - What, are you putting me on?

256. You know I do!

257. My number one project.

258. I've thrown everything at him but the audience.

259. - But you are still looking for a contender

260. with what it takes, right?

261. - If I were an alcoholic

262. with one shot of booze left to my name,

263. I'd give it to the man who could point me in that direction.

264. - Well, uncork the bottle, old chap.

265. Pull down the shades, put this film in the projector.

266. I think I have your man.

267. - Are you serious?

268. - I'm dead serious.

269. Frank, the man you're seeing

270. is completely invested in this sport

271. and he's defeated every top wrestler

272. in Europe and the Orient.

273. He's from my hometown, Manchester, England.

274. - Who is he?

275. - Billy Taylor.

276. - He's fast.

277. - He's the world's fastest human,

278. I'll tell you that.

279. Billy is the most scientific wrestler in the world.

280. He loves those long matches where he can take a man

281. and grind him into the mat.

282. Now, here he is in Japan.

283. Our style of wrestling, it's completely overshadowed

284. anything they have over there.

285. Billy was champion there in 1970 and 1971.

286. - He's great.

287. That guy's a combination of Gotch and Nagurski

288. if I ever saw one.

289. He's the one, Tally.

290. He's the one that's gonna take Bullard in a ring.

291. If only he was in the States!

292. - Well, he is.

293. - Where?

294. - Down at the Athletic Club, working out.

295. That's Billy Taylor.

296. Billy.

297. Hey, Billy!

298. Billy, meet Frank Bass.

299. - Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bass.

300. - Pleased to meet you, Billy.

301. Call me Frank.

302. - Okay.

303. - My god, they make 'em big in Manchester.

304. - (laughing) I eat good.

305. - Yeah.

306. Listen, we gotta work fast.

307. I wanna shoot you in a couple matches here and in Chicago.

308. The Boys Club.

309. We give a Boys Club exhibition every year.

310. Mike Bullard usually meets some other top pro.

311. Except this year, Mike's in Munich.

312. Would you be willing to give a demonstration

313. with Nick Bockwinkel?

314. - Sounds okay.

315. Good, yeah, I'll do it.

316. - All right.

317. Now, let's see.

318. Nick and you.

319. All right, I'll tell the Boys Club

320. and get 'em all ready for it.

321. Are you staying around, Tally?

322. - I'd love to, Frank,

323. but I really have to get back to the island.

324. I did what I came to do.

325. - I'm flying to Chicago tonight.

326. What are you doing?

327. - No plans.

328. - Well, why don't you come with me?

329. We can talk on the plane

330. and you can watch Ray Stevens in the main event.

331. - Sure, okay.

332. I'll continue with my workout now, if that's okay.

333. - Okay, you do that.

334. I really owe you for this one.

335. - Forget it, Frank, just give Billy a chance.

336. That's all I ask.

337. - Don't worry about that, he'll get it.

338. Yes he will, he'll get it.

339. Debbie, get another seat on that flight I'm taking tonight.

340. Put it in the name of Billy Taylor.

341. - Yes, I'd like to make a reservation for one

342. on Flight 701 to Chicago this evening for Mr. Billy Taylor.

343. Thank you.

344. Well?

345. - Well what?

346. - Well, what's this Lord Blears thing all about

347. and who is Billy Taylor?

348. - This contains the greatest wrestler I have ever seen.

349. - Billy Taylor?

350. - Billy Taylor.

351. He's gonna take Mike

352. and he's gonna clean up the Super Bowl when it comes off.

353. - Mm-hmm.

354. Well, he won't beat Mike.

355. - The hell he won't.

356. - No way.

357. - You haven't seen the film, sweetheart.

358. - Oh, I don't have to see any films.

359. Mike's just the best there is, that's all.

360. - Look, I need a new champion.

361. - Need or want?

362. - What difference does it make?

363. - Well, what you want and what you'll get

364. will be two different things.

365. Look, I know Mike

366. and I know what the Super Bowl means to him.

367. He's gonna take anybody you throw at him

368. or die in the attempt.

369. - That's what I'm afraid of.

370. - What?

371. - That he'll die trying.

372. He's getting old.

373. - (laughing) You should be so old.

374. - Look, let's drop it.

375. And don't tell anyone about Taylor.

376. I wanna break it at the right time.

377. - McDaniel, you know what I'm gonna do to you?

378. I'm gonna introduce you to pain!

379. I'm gonna introduce you to agony!

380. Do you know what professional wrestling is,

381. little man with (inaudible)?

382. Professional wrestling is pain and blood

383. and pulled tendons and broken bones

384. and headaches and backaches and pain.

385. McDaniel, you are going to experience pain.

386. I'm gonna send you on a trip!

387. I'm gonna send you on a painful trip, McDaniel.

388. - No, no, oh my god.

389. - Hey ref, ref!

390. - The winner of the Indian strap match,

391. Wahoo McDaniel!

392. After a short intermission,

393. we will have the main event of the evening,

394. a one-fall, no time limit match

395. between Ray Stevens and Jack Cutter.

396. - I can't believe what they did to me.

397. Look at this cut, doctor, look at this cut.

398. I'm gonna need stitches tonight!

399. - You married, Billy?

400. - Nope, how 'bout you?

401. - Not anymore.

402. I flopped at it a couple of times though.

403. Cutter's got a couple of the wildest little kids

404. you ever saw.

405. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of pitting them

406. as a tag team against the Crusher and the Bruiser.

407. - Just how good is he?

408. - Cutter? - Yeah, Cutter.

409. - Jack's always on the verge of being the greatest.

410. - All right, let go.

411. Come on, one, two.

412. You can't do that.

413. I'm warning you, Ray.

414. One.

415. That's a choker, Ray, that's a choker.

416. One, two, three.

417. Ring the bell, that's a disqualification.

418. It's over, Ray.

419. Now, come on, Ray, you're hurt.

420. Come on, Ray.

421. - After five-and-one-half minutes of this one-fall match,

422. Jack Cutter is the winner over Ray Stevens

423. by an automatic disqualification.

424. - Go to your corner.

425. - This man is dead.

426. - He's totally dead.

427. - Really?

428. - The knee drop from the top rope killed him.

429. - Ladies and gentlemen...

430. We have suffered a terrible tragedy here tonight.

431. The attending physician has just informed me

432. that Jack Cutter is dead.

433. - Hi, Frank.

434. - Hi, Clay.

435. - Man, you look beat.

436. Bob, Larry, Frank Bass.

437. - Bob, Larry, thank you for coming.

438. This is it, huh?

439. None of the wire services or networks showed, huh?

440. - I'm afraid not, Frank.

441. - That's really nice, that's really nice.

442. Football superstar gets a blister on his pinkie

443. and it makes the front page.

444. Cutter dies in the ring

445. and then you're lucky to get it in the obituaries.

446. - All right, I'm sorry he died.

447. His family's sorry he died.

448. But outside of them, who really cares?

449. - Who really cares?

450. How 'bout all those fans in this country,

451. Canada, Germany, Japan, and India?

452. How 'bout those fans?

453. They really care.

454. Don't those fans deserve to read

455. as much about their champions

456. as the champions of your other readers?

457. - Pro wrestling belongs on a theater page.

458. It's entertainment, strictly entertainment.

459. That's all it is.

460. - Why?

461. 'Cause these guys are colorful?

462. Show me a professional athlete

463. who doesn't have to be a crowd pleaser to stay in the game.

464. Picture the Green Bay Packers fielding a team

465. dressed in sweatshirts and Levis.

466. - That's not the kind of entertainment I'm talking about.

467. What I'm talking about

468. is where the actor gets up and goes home

469. after he gets killed off in the movie.

470. - Ah.

471. That kinda actor, huh?

472. Mm-hmm.

473. You'd have a hell of a time selling that idea

474. to guys like Gunkel and Garibaldi, Zaharias and Romano,

475. Hady, Lindsay, DiBiase, and a hell of a lot of other guys.

476. - Oh, who are they?

477. - Wrestlers who died in the ring,

478. guys like Cutter who didn't get up and go home.

479. Wrestling's one of the oldest sports in the world

480. and it bugs me that so many of you guys

481. don't realize what exciting copy it is.

482. It's fast and furious.

483. It's as rough as football, takes the stamina of basketball.

484. These guys have to train harder

485. and longer than any other athlete.

486. - Frank, how did Cutter die?

487. - Stevens hit him with a knee drop

488. from the top rope.

489. - On purpose?

490. - On purpose.

491. - You mean, he killed him intentionally?

492. - Nah, he didn't kill him intentionally.

493. But that's one of the risks of violent professional sport

494. when the stakes are high.

495. - Stakes high?

496. What did he get, $75 a night?

497. - Oh boy.

498. You really do your homework, don't you?

499. That's something.

500. It may interest you to know, my friend,

501. that the championship belt alone

502. is worth $250,000 a year to Bullard.

503. That's what Cutter was fighting for.

504. - Well, that'll give Stevens a clear shot at the title.

505. - I don't know.

506. He was disqualified for using the top rope.

507. - Well, who's left to go after Bullard?

508. - I have another contender,

509. but I'm here to talk about Cutter.

510. - Well, I don't know about you, but I've got enough.

511. - You've got enough?

512. You're really something.

513. Because you don't understand a sport,

514. you don't wanna write about it.

515. - Understand?

516. What's there to understand?

517. Has it occurred to you

518. that millions of people may not be interested?

519. - Maybe so.

520. But there are 40 million fans

521. in this country alone who are interested.

522. Those are the people who make this sport.

523. They make it the colorful sport it is

524. to watch and read about.

525. - Yeah, and whether their man wins or loses,

526. he still gets the fringe benefits.

527. - Fringe benefit?

528. This is strictly free enterprise, buddy!

529. These guys are loners.

530. They book their own matches, they don't have owners,

531. they don't have managers, they don't have coaches,

532. just themselves.

533. And when they go to the hospital,

534. they're the ones who pay the bills.

535. The only fringe benefit they got is a crack at the title.

536. And to get that crack, they have to win.

537. Cutter died while trying to win.

538. - Frank, Cutter'll get the coverage in my column.

539. But do us a favor, will you?

540. - What?

541. - What's the name of this mysterious contender

542. you talked about?

543. - Not mysterious.

544. His name's Billy Taylor.

545. - Welcome home, Frank.

546. - Oh my god.

547. - Frank, that's no way to treat a partner.

548. - What does that mean?

549. - Hey, I've been giving a lotta thought to our deal,

550. especially with Taylor coming on the scene.

551. - Taylor?

552. How did you know about Taylor?

553. - Hey, where you been, Frank?

554. It's in all the newspapers.

555. - In Minneapolis?

556. - Right.

557. When Taylor arrived last night,

558. he was met at the plane with TV cameras.

559. I thought you'd be on the plane with him, big shot.

560. - They met him at the plane, huh?

561. I really blew it.

562. - Frank, you and I have got to have a little talk.

563. - So talk, so talk.

564. - Number one: Can Taylor take Bullard?

565. - If that's number one, what's number two?

566. - Wait a minute.

567. Just answer number one.

568. - Well, who knows?

569. Taylor's a great wrestler, so is Mike.

570. - Number two, how do we buy Bullard?

571. - (laughing) Buy Bullard, huh?

572. Bullard can buy and sell you a dozen times

573. without touching the principal.

574. Is that it?

575. - No, that's not it, but this is.

576. You make the Taylor-Bullard match.

577. Taylor wins, get it?

578. Taylor wins.

579. Now, that's it, Frankie.

580. - If you say so, Joe.

581. - Frank?

582. I say so.

583. - Hi.

584. You look totally beat.

585. - I am, totally and absolutely.

586. - Can I get you some coffee?

587. - No.

588. What's happening?

589. - Well, I went to see Mrs. Cutter, as you asked,

590. and, Frank, she's taking it awfully hard.

591. I offered to handle all the arrangements,

592. but Jack's brother's gonna handle everything.

593. - They performed an autopsy on him.

594. - Oh, poor Jack.

595. - Poor Jack?

596. Poor Mrs. Cutter.

597. Anything else?

598. - Oh, the usual.

599. There's about five promoters

600. who want you to return their calls and, let's see,

601. Sam Muchnick called to tell you the promoters' meeting

602. is set for next Wednesday in St. Louis.

603. Wrestling Office.

604. Oh, hi Betty.

605. He's in a meeting right now, let me check.

606. Are you in?

607. - Yeah, I'm in, all in.

608. Thanks.

609. Hi, Betty.

610. Yeah.

611. Yeah, I know.

612. It was pretty bad.

613. No, no they're gonna bury him in Washington.

614. They'd only lived here about a year or so.

615. Right, right.

616. She got your wire.

617. That was very thoughtful of you.

618. What?

619. You heard from Mike this morning, huh?

620. Yeah?

621. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

622. No, Betty, no.

623. That's not gonna make a bit of difference

624. with what I'm gonna do, believe me.

625. I'm still gonna aim for it.

626. Betty, I'm trying.

627. I'm gonna do it and it's not gonna change a thing.

628. Will you listen to me?

629. I gotta do some checking on this.

630. I'll get back to you later this afternoon.

631. I said I'd get back later, I gotta run now.

632. - I forgot to tell you,

633. Mike is coming back from Munich on Saturday

634. and he would like to know

635. whether you could meet him for a game of tennis.

636. Frank, I got into work real early this morning and—

637. - You're a real eager beaver, aren't you?

638. - Yeah.

639. Well, the phone was ringing

640. and it was a call from Munich, Germany.

641. - Boy, that's really long distance.

642. - Well, I felt as long as it was ringing,

643. I should answer it. (laughing)

644. - That's very considerate of you.

645. - And the operator said the call was for anyone.

646. - Hell, you're anyone.

647. - Well, I actually thought I should talk to

648. whoever was on the other end of the line. (laughing)

649. Turned out to be Mike.

650. I told him all about Billy Taylor.

651. - Surprise, surprise.

652. - I know I shouldn't have.

653. He told me not to tell you that he knew,

654. and now I'm telling you.

655. Frank?

656. Frank, I'm really sorry.

657. I mean, I've been feeling miserable

658. ever since I brought up talking to Mike.

659. I realize that I have meddled into something

660. that I absolutely had no business getting involved in.

661. Look, I'll give you my notice if that's what you want.

662. I don't want to.

663. Working here is...

664. - You better answer that.

665. Maybe this time you can talk to someone in China.

666. - Wrestling Office.

667. Yes, operator, put him on.

668. Hi, Dusty, just a minute, he's right here.

669. Dusty Rhodes.

670. - Dusty?

671. You're not with Murdoch are you?

672. - Frank, you know I'm with Murdoch.

673. Hey, we paid for the sign, there was no charges.

674. - I'm sick and tired of you jackasses

675. trying to make all kinds of trouble when you're outta town!

676. - I'll tell you what we're gonna do, baby,

677. we'll just cool it for a while.

678. - You had damn well better cool it!

679. - Right, Frank.

680. - I don't want any more problems

681. than I already have with you!

682. - Yeah, Frank. - I've had too many complaints

683. about you guys lately!

684. Beating up motorcycle gangs and busting up bars

685. is bad publicity! - Right, Frank.

686. - If you don't play it cool,

687. you aren't gonna wrestle for me again!

688. - Is that it, Frank?

689. - Yeah, that's it!

690. - Goodbye, Frank.

691. - Remember—

692. - Well, is he gonna send it?

693. - Send what?

694. - The advance.

695. - I didn't ask.

696. - You didn't ask, why not?

697. - Frank's been getting some complaints about us.

698. We're in trouble.

699. - What in the world for?

700. - What for?

701. For going into bars and riding donkeys

702. and shooting out signs and getting in fights,

703. that's what for.

704. - Gee, brother, that's showbiz.

705. Listen, that bartender bet me

706. I couldn't shoot that sign out.

707. And those old motorcycle boys, they started that fight.

708. - I'll tell you what to do,

709. we're just gonna have to play it cool because if we don't,

710. we'll never wrestle for Frank again, man.

711. - Hey, Murdoch, you're a big phony.

712. Did you hear me, Murdoch?

713. You're a big phony!

714. - Hey, you'd better be careful.

715. They'll chop you up for dinner.

716. - Boy, it's gonna be hard, Dust.

717. - I'll tell you, we're just gonna have to cool it,

718. man, let's go.

719. - Hey, Murdoch, you—

720. - You shut up!

721. One more time, out you go.

722. - Hey, you two boys, I can take you anytime.

723. Did you hear what I said?

724. I can take you anytime.

725. - Give me two beers.

726. - Oh, sorry.

727. - Cowboy fall off his horse.

728. - Oh no.

729. Come on, man, remember what Frank said.

730. - I don't want any trouble now.

731. Hey, you better be careful.

732. Those guys are wrestlers.

733. - Ah so.

734. Karate very strong,

735. wrestlers very weak.

736. - Remember what Frank said.

737. - Karate deadly,

738. wrestlers very soft.

739. - Who's gonna pay for my table there?

740. - Sorry, Frank.

741. - Let me get all the glasses outta here.

742. - What's going on?

743. - Come on and get it, boy!

744. - Hey, Dustin, I found it, baby!

745. Hey, Dust, give me a beer, man!

746. - That's a beer for you and a beer for the house!

747. - I'll drink to that!

748. - Hey, look who's still here.

749. - Well, let's give him a beer.

750. - Let's give him one.

751. - Ha, ha!

752. Game point and the whole ball of wax.

753. I thought you were gonna improve your game while I was gone.

754. - Yeah, but you weren't gone long enough.

755. Besides, I got more important things to do

756. than fool around here.

757. - Yeah, that's what I heard.

758. - What does that mean?

759. - Heard you've been attending

760. a lotta the Super Bowl meetings.

761. - Oh, yeah.

762. - How are they coming?

763. - Great, just great.

764. The other promoters and I have worked out everything

765. except just a few small details.

766. - Small details?

767. I wouldn't happen to be one of those small details,

768. would I, Frank?

769. - What the hell does that mean?

770. - Say, isn't the Boys Club demonstration Monday?

771. - Mm-hmm.

772. - I suppose I better be there.

773. - Oh.

774. No, you got back from Munich sooner than we expected,

775. so we went ahead and filled all the slots.

776. - I can announce.

777. - You're gonna deprive me

778. of the one little pleasure I get out of it?

779. - Who you got wrestling?

780. - Nick Bockwinkel.

781. - Against who?

782. - Some new guy I brought in.

783. - What's his name?

784. - Oh, you wouldn't have heard of him.

785. - Well, try me.

786. - Billy Taylor.

787. - Billy Taylor, seems Debbie mentioned something about him.

788. - Yeah.

789. Yeah, that's the one.

790. He's a good scientific wrestler.

791. - Nick Bockwinkel and a good scientific wrestler

792. in a demonstration?

793. I'm not gonna miss this one.

794. - Good.

795. - You're not gonna get rid of that standing around.

796. Let's go.

797. Ready!

798. Comin' at ya!

799. - Nick, I'm stopping the match!

800. This is supposed to be a basic classical fight.

801. You're giving me that junk.

802. I'm stopping the match, Nick!

803. Let's give him a big hand.

804. I want to you know that you've seen

805. one of the finest examples

806. of proficient classical wrestling.

807. Now, I wanna have you get excited about this sport

808. because of what it can do for you, what it can make you.

809. Clean hard competition can really develop you

810. into a fine physical specimen.

811. - I'm Mike Bullard.

812. - Mike, I'm very pleased to meet you.

813. I've heard a lot about you.

814. - Well, when you've been around as long as I have,

815. you hear a lotta stories.

816. Say, that was an impressive exhibition tonight.

817. - Thank you.

818. - Sure could use your help with my rookies.

819. - Rookies?

820. - Yeah, I take five of the top amateurs

821. who wanna become pros, take 'em out to my farm

822. and put 'em through three of the toughest months

823. of training they'll ever have.

824. Tomorrow's our first day.

825. Got some reporters there, I think you'd enjoy it.

826. - Sounds interesting.

827. Besides, I need somewhere to workout; I'd love to come.

828. - Good, I'll count on you then.

829. Like to have you stay for dinner.

830. My wife fixes great lamb chops.

831. - Lamb chops?

832. How could an Englishman refuse?

833. You're on.

834. - I'll call you.

835. - You buying?

836. - With what? - Guilt.

837. - What was that all about?

838. - He asked me to work out with his rookies at the farm.

839. - You're going to?

840. - I said I would, it sounds like fun.

841. - Sure.

842. - How was the horseplay?

843. - Well, Billy Taylor is all they say he is.

844. - That good?

845. - Yeah, that good.

846. - Is that Billy Taylor?

847. - Yeah.

848. - He looks pretty good.

849. - He wrestled Bockwinkel tonight and was unbelievable.

850. - Will you have to wrestle him?

851. - (laughing) If Frank's got anything to do about it, I will.

852. - Can you beat him?

853. - Can I beat him, are you kidding?

854. - Mike, why don't you retire?

855. - Betty, I've got to have that Super Bowl.

856. You know what this means to me.

857. - I don't think so.

858. Mike, you're already the champion.

859. - There are three leagues and three champions:

860. Funk, Morales, and me.

861. After the Super Bowl, there'll only be one.

862. That's gonna be me.

863. Then I'll retire, not before.

864. - No you won't, you won't retire.

865. You've given your whole life to wrestling.

866. It absorbs you totally, and you know it.

867. Mike, please...

868. Promise me you'll retire after the next match you lose,

869. no matter what happens.

870. - All right.

871. - Thanks, Mike.

872. Goodnight.

873. - Goodnight.

874. - Now, these are the names

875. that you rookies will be meeting in the near future:

876. Fritz Von Erich,

877. Mad Dog Vachon,

878. Jack Brisco,

879. Johnny Weaver,

880. Danny Hodge,

881. the Sheik,

882. the Great One Bruno Sammartino,

883. Victor Rivera,

884. Tough Texas Bob Geigel.

885. Rick, catch the lights.

886. Well, everyone is certainly dedicated to winning,

887. whether you're an amateur or a pro,

888. and with us today is one of America's

889. all-time great winners.

890. I'd like to introduce him right now,

891. our Olympic gold medalist, Dan Gable.

892. Dan, would you demonstrate some holds with us

893. and some various philosophies on amateur wrestling?

894. And I'd like to have you demonstrate with Mike Graham today.

895. Mike's one of our rookies.

896. Mike, come on out here.

897. Mike, meet Dan Gable.

898. - Hi, how are you?

899. - And good luck.

900. Boys, help me take these tables outta here.

901. Good move, Dan, very good.

902. Did you notice that quick move to the ankle,

903. and down on the mat?

904. Good move.

905. Notice Dan's knee was on the mat when he did this.

906. In amateur wrestling, that knee must be down to the mat

907. before you slam your man to the mat.

908. From the underneath position, a Granby roll,

909. a typical collegiate escape.

910. Fellas, you've just seen

911. the world's greatest amateur wrestler in action,

912. and even the Russians agree to that.

913. Thank you very much, Dan, and thank you, Mike,

914. for this very brief demonstration of amateur wrestling.

915. We're now going to graduate to the ring,

916. to a style of wrestling that has evolved here in America

917. over the last 40 years.

918. It's a philosophy of wrestling

919. called professional wrestling.

920. I think reporters and rookies are gonna enjoy this.

921. We're fortunate today, boys,

922. to have an internationally famous wrestler with us.

923. Direct from merry ol' England,

924. Manchester to be exact, Billy Taylor.

925. Come on up here, Billy.

926. Billy will demonstrate, along with Jim Brunzell,

927. some of the techniques of professional wrestling.

928. Boys, take it away.

929. There's a great deal of difference

930. between amateur and professional styles of wrestling.

931. Submission holds are not allowed in the amateur sport,

932. as well as throwing your opponent to the mat.

933. All these things are legal in professional wrestling,

934. and these are a couple of reasons

935. that make this sport so exciting.

936. Beautiful hip lock with height by Billy Taylor.

937. It puts Brunzell high in the air and he falls wrong.

938. You people will learn to fall practically as you progress.

939. An excellent monkey flip by Billy.

940. Now, these throws are all designed to stun your opponent,

941. hopefully to gain a pinfall from that maneuver.

942. A submission hold, very painful and strictly illegal

943. in any kind of amateur wrestling.

944. Careful, Billy, he's only a rookie.

945. All the pressure is applied there to the elbow.

946. Notice how the two men stand straight up,

947. because we have no point system in professional wrestling.

948. There's no point advantage to a takedown.

949. An ankle pickup into a toehold by Billy.

950. That's also a good submission hold.

951. A wristlock by Billy into a leg pickup

952. and into another form of wristlock.

953. The pressure there is on the wrist.

954. Very, very painful hold

955. and a good hold to wear your opponent down.

956. A beautiful body drop by Billy.

957. This'll really shake you up.

958. These holds and throws are strictly professional maneuvers

959. and executed to perfection by Billy Taylor.

960. Beautiful match, boys, beautiful match.

961. Thank you, Billy.

962. Thank you, Jim.

963. And now, we'll have a further demonstration

964. of professional style, as done by Mr. Wilbur Snyder,

965. and from Tampa, Florida, Eddie Graham.

966. Come on up here, fellas, it's all yours.

967. It might surprise you to know

968. that the holds you're seeing are centuries old.

969. Wrestling was big in ancient Egypt with the Pharaohs.

970. In fact, drawings of wrestlers and wrestling holds,

971. like the arm drag, flying mare, headlock,

972. were found in Pharaohs' tombs dating back 6,000 years ago.

973. Wrestling was one of the first formalized sports

974. in the original Greek Olympics.

975. Then, captured Greeks brought wrestling to the Roman Empire.

976. All the Roman Legionnaires were wrestlers

977. and each legion had a champion.

978. It turned into a pretty deadly professional art

979. when the Romans took over.

980. The holds didn't change, just the rules.

981. Kicking, kneeing, strangling; anything went.

982. Deadly but popular.

983. In fact, one professional wrestler wrestled his way

984. into become a Roman emperor, Emperor Commodus.

985. Then there was King Henry VIII of England.

986. He used these same holds on the king of France.

987. George Washington used them, Abraham Lincoln used them,

988. and even the great Paul Caruso used them.

989. Then suddenly, not too long ago either,

990. two things came along to change wrestling altogether:

991. the ropes and catch-as-catch-can rules.

992. And real professional wrestling as we know it today

993. was born right here in America.

994. When we added the ropes and changed the rules, relaxed them,

995. professional wrestling became a real spectator sport,

996. fast and hard.

997. That's the way the public wants it.

998. In fact, you can say that professional wrestling

999. as we know it today is an American sport,

1000. but the style has caught on all over the world.

1001. So, you rookies have a lot of good times to look forward to.

1002. How else can you work when you want to,

1003. make a lot of money, and see the world?

1004. Of course, I forgot to mention

1005. you're going to need to work out

1006. about six hours a day, every day.

1007. Other than that, it's a snap.

1008. - I think you can get psyched out by the other guy

1009. or be psyched out yourself.

1010. I remember, I just turned pro, I was doing good,

1011. winning all my matches and things were going great.

1012. Then there was this old guy in Spain.

1013. We got to the center of the ring

1014. and the referee gave us our instructions

1015. and I put my hand out to shake.

1016. But instead of taking it, he tapped me on the face

1017. and said, "Good luck, son."

1018. - What happened?

1019. - (laughing) He beat me, psyched me out.

1020. He was good, but he wasn't that good.

1021. It was just a gentle tap on the cheek,

1022. but I learnt my lesson well.

1023. - How do you do it?

1024. - (laughing) That'd be telling.

1025. I'll put in my memoir someday.

1026. - I'll tell you how he does it,

1027. just keeps winning every match.

1028. That's enough to psych anybody.

1029. - So do you.

1030. - Yeah, but it's getting rougher all the time.

1031. As a matter of fact,

1032. I was just telling Betty the other day, wasn't I?

1033. - Telling me what?

1034. - That I'm gonna retire.

1035. - You're gonna retire?

1036. - Hi, Billy.

1037. He's leaving for St. Louis in an hour,

1038. he should be right out.

1039. - Thanks.

1040. - I hear you ended up teaching Mr. Bockwinkel

1041. some manners the other night.

1042. - (laughing) I guess so.

1043. - Have you met Mike Bullard yet?

1044. - I was out at his gym yesterday.

1045. He seems like a really nice guy.

1046. It's a shame that a really fine wrestler has to grow old.

1047. - Billy!

1048. - Hi.

1049. - How's it going?

1050. - Good.

1051. - Okay, get ahold of Rhodes and Murdoch.

1052. Tell 'em to keep the 10th of this month open

1053. for a tag team match in Tampa.

1054. - Yeah.

1055. - Then draw up a set of contracts

1056. for Stevens and Bullard for Friday night

1057. and another set of contracts for Stevens and Billy here

1058. for the following Friday night.

1059. You got all that?

1060. - Right, right.

1061. - You've got my ticket?

1062. - Right. - All right, let's have it.

1063. - All right, all right!

1064. - Now, let's have it.

1065. Listen, I'm sorry to rush off like this.

1066. I'm going to St. Louis to set up the Super Bowl,

1067. so stay in shape, pal. (Billy laughing)

1068. Take care of the office, Pepper Pot.

1069. - Frank? - What?

1070. Take care of you, huh?

1071. - Number one, number one.

1072. - You know, I was gonna ask you out to dinner tonight,

1073. but after that look, I guess I better not.

1074. - What look?

1075. - I'll see you, Pepper Pot.

1076. - Pepper Pot. (laughing)

1077. - Now, hold it, McMahon.

1078. If ever there's been a wrestler

1079. who deserves a shot at the national title, it's Mike!

1080. - Frank, that's not the point.

1081. - Then what is the point?

1082. - Well, Mike's been a great wrestler.

1083. - But?

1084. - He's held a belt longer than anybody I can name.

1085. - And there you go.

1086. - Frank, this is our first national contest.

1087. It's gotta be good and it's gotta be fresh.

1088. We need young wrestlers, guys with vitality.

1089. - What the hell are you talking about, Dusek?

1090. Huh?

1091. Mike's got more vitality than any wrestler you can name me.

1092. - Hell, Frank, you're making us the villains!

1093. - That's exactly what you are.

1094. - Mike's our friend too, but you know we're right.

1095. - He doesn't fit the image we need for a national contest.

1096. - Image?

1097. What about your other league champions?

1098. Dory Funk is bald, man.

1099. - Yeah, Frank, but he's only 32 years old.

1100. - Frank, we've been on your back for over a year.

1101. - That I know.

1102. - Now, you either perform

1103. or the association will run the Super Bowl without you.

1104. Now, what the hell are you gonna do about that?

1105. - Billy Taylor's what I'm gonna do about it.

1106. - All right.

1107. - When I get through with Billy Taylor,

1108. Lord Blears will carry him back to England

1109. and put him back in the slums,

1110. where he'll be down on his hands and knees,

1111. begging for pennies.

1112. - Send him back to where he came from.

1113. - Kill him, Billy, come on!

1114. - This oughta be the chance!

1115. - 27 minutes and six seconds,

1116. Billy Taylor!

1117. - Thank you.

1118. Boy, this smells good, good, good, good, good.

1119. Well? - Hmm?

1120. - What'd you think of Billy tonight?

1121. - He's good, very good.

1122. (laughing) Of course, he's not as good as Mike,

1123. but he's good.

1124. - Oh come on, he's fantastic and you know it.

1125. You know it.

1126. - If you say so, Frank.

1127. - I say so.

1128. - You know, this is nice, being out with you.

1129. We should do this more often.

1130. - This tastes great.

1131. - As good as what I make?

1132. - How the hell would I know?

1133. I've never tasted your steak.

1134. - Oh, that's right, must've been somebody else.

1135. You should try mine sometime, it's very good.

1136. - Yeah, I'll do that. - Mm-hmm.

1137. How soon are you gonna match Billy with Mike?

1138. - Two weeks.

1139. - Do you think Mike will buy it?

1140. I've seen him put off a match for two months.

1141. - Let him try.

1142. I can force the match.

1143. I can announce the time and place,

1144. and if Mike doesn't show up, he's disqualified.

1145. - You mean, the other man gets the belt?

1146. - No, no, no, no, no.

1147. No, that isn't the way that it happens.

1148. Mike would just lose the belt

1149. and then we'd have to start qualifications all over again.

1150. It'd be the same as if Mike would retire

1151. and still have the belt.

1152. - You know, it just doesn't seem fair

1153. to treat Mike like that.

1154. I mean, after all, he is the champion

1155. and he's met with every contender on the list.

1156. - I know.

1157. I know.

1158. I'm gonna let you in on something.

1159. I'm under a lotta pressure

1160. to find a contender that can take Mike, and soon.

1161. - Frank, who would put pressure on you?

1162. You're one of the top promoters in the field.

1163. Who could possibly pressure you into doing anything?

1164. - You want 'em in alphabetical order?

1165. - Who?

1166. - Hiya, Frankie baby.

1167. Say, that was a hell of a match tonight.

1168. - Good match.

1169. - I saw Bullard's last match.

1170. He's not half as good as our boy.

1171. He's fading, right?

1172. - Could be.

1173. - Have you made that championship match yet?

1174. - No, I'll do that sometime next week.

1175. - Ah, good.

1176. Good, Frank.

1177. And while you're at it, pick a winner for me.

1178. - One thing you can be sure of, one of 'em's bound to win.

1179. - That's not funny, Frank.

1180. That's funny, Frank.

1181. - I'm getting fed up with you.

1182. - I've got a big bundle bet on Taylor to win,

1183. and you'd better guarantee it.

1184. Don't forget, I play dirty.

1185. See you around, Frankie baby.

1186. - Frank.

1187. Frank, let's get out of here.

1188. Let's go to my place, I'll make some coffee, huh?

1189. Frank, is Joe the guy who is putting the pressure on you

1190. who wants Mike to lose?

1191. - He's only one of them.

1192. There's Betty Bullard, who wants Mike outta the ring

1193. before he dies in it.

1194. Then there are the promoters.

1195. They want a youthful image at the Super Bowl;

1196. Mike's too old for them.

1197. And then, of course, there's Billy Taylor.

1198. - What are you gonna do?

1199. - I'm gonna do exactly what I intended to do

1200. the day Lord Blears brought Billy Taylor into my office.

1201. I'm gonna arrange a match between Billy and Mike Bullard

1202. in Chicago two weeks from tonight.

1203. That's my business.

1204. If I can't take care of that, what else have I got?

1205. - Well, Frank, you'll always have me.

1206. What's the matter, did you forget how to whistle?

1207. I just wanted you to realize

1208. that I'm not always Sally Secretary.

1209. - Yeah.

1210. I see that.

1211. I see that.

1212. This is a cute place.

1213. How long you been here?

1214. - (sighing) Frank...

1215. Sit down.

1216. - You really make me feel good.

1217. Good.

1218. If you weren't in that office, hell, I'd close up shop.

1219. And I'll let you in on a little secret.

1220. I get excited just coming to work in the morning

1221. 'cause you're gonna be there.

1222. Yeah.

1223. I even get mad if somebody's there to see me

1224. so that I can't have a minute alone with you.

1225. - I know.

1226. - You know?

1227. What do you got, ESP?

1228. - No.

1229. But I love you.

1230. And I need you.

1231. I...

1232. I just wish that you felt the same way.

1233. - You think I don't, huh?

1234. Huh?

1235. I need you and you know it.

1236. And you know it.

1237. But every time I've loved before, had love,

1238. I've always ended up more miserable that I was before.

1239. I can't hack that loneliness again.

1240. I'm afraid if I let myself love you all the way,

1241. no holds barred,

1242. that we lose what we have already.

1243. That right?

1244. - Frank, don't be afraid.

1245. I'm not.

1246. - That's a way to live, isn't it?

1247. - I'm willing to take the chance.

1248. - I'm too big a big a bastard kid to be with that much.

1249. I...

1250. I never got my coffee.

1251. - Frank, I'm ready, really up to it.

1252. When can you come up with a match?

1253. - Don't ask me, ask Mike.

1254. If he doesn't want a match,

1255. he can come up with a dozen reasons not to,

1256. from a pulled muscle to a death in the next county.

1257. You got one important question to ask yourself.

1258. - What's that?

1259. - Can you keep Mike away from the ropes?

1260. Because if he gets a dropkick on you, you've had it.

1261. - Bull, nobody's ever hit me with a dropkick, nobody.

1262. - You've never been in the ring with Mike.

1263. Yeah?

1264. - Frank, Mike is here.

1265. - Now's your chance.

1266. Ask him; I'll back you all the way.

1267. - Okay.

1268. - Send him in, honey.

1269. - Right.

1270. - Michael.

1271. - Franco.

1272. Hi, Billy.

1273. - Hi, Michael.

1274. - Well, here I am.

1275. What's up?

1276. - Ask Billy.

1277. - Mike, I want a match with you.

1278. - (laughing) No way.

1279. Frank, we got a long list of top contenders

1280. and Billy's name was not on that list.

1281. - I don't know, what difference does that make?

1282. - A big difference.

1283. Billy, you're a great wrestler, and Frank and I know it,

1284. Bockwinkel and Stevens know it,

1285. but the people don't know it.

1286. And if the people don't know it,

1287. they're not going to buy tickets.

1288. If they don't buy tickets, they don't come to the matches.

1289. And Billy, I make my living

1290. on the number of tickets that are sold.

1291. - Is that it, Frank?

1292. - Yeah, is that it, Frank?

1293. - I don't know.

1294. Wait a minute now, think about it this way.

1295. We'd have a couple of weeks to get Billy before the public.

1296. There's a match in Chicago.

1297. I've already got the Crusher and the Bruiser

1298. set for a tag team match.

1299. Now, they're a good draw.

1300. And we've got you, Mike, that's the greatest draw.

1301. - Mm-hmm.

1302. And you've been thinking about this

1303. for a long time, haven't you, Frank?

1304. - Mike, I'm a promoter.

1305. I've gotta think of all the possibilities.

1306. And this?

1307. That's the greatest possibility, the greatest.

1308. Besides, you got a month-and-a-half

1309. to prepare for the Super Bowl.

1310. That's more than enough time.

1311. - Look, Frank, I'm already in the Super Bowl.

1312. I don't need Billy.

1313. Besides, there's that slight possibility

1314. that Billy may beat me.

1315. - Is that it?

1316. No match?

1317. - I didn't say that, Frank.

1318. - What are you saying?

1319. I'm really not sure.

1320. - Look, I definitely wanna wrestle Billy.

1321. - Yeah, but when?

1322. When?

1323. - As soon as my ankle heals.

1324. - Ankle?

1325. Oh, oh.

1326. What's wrong with your ankle?

1327. - Last Tuesday, playing racquetball with Billy,

1328. I turned it severely.

1329. As a matter of fact,

1330. I have an appointment with the whirlpool right now.

1331. So, if you fellas will excuse me, I'll see you later.

1332. - Yeah, you better go soak your ankle.

1333. - Was he limping when he came in?

1334. - I don't know.

1335. I don't know.

1336. That fink.

1337. - Marty, you know every professional sport

1338. has a final battle at the end of the year,

1339. like in football it's the Super Bowl;

1340. ice hockey, Stanley Cup.

1341. Well, in Chicago at the Amphitheatre,

1342. in professional wrestling, it's gonna be the battle

1343. of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history:

1344. the Bruiser and Crusher

1345. against Dick Murdoch and Dusty Rhodes.

1346. - Me and Murdoch are now.

1347. We're gonna be the champions of the world.

1348. We're gonna beat Crusher and Bruiser so bad

1349. that the whole town's gonna stand up and say,

1350. "We are with you, Rhodes!

1351. "We are with you, Murdoch!"

1352. Woo, go on, brother!

1353. You got it, you got it, you got it!

1354. - Well fans, you've heard Dirty Dusty Rhodes

1355. and Dick Murdoch talking about their match

1356. with the Crusher and the Bruiser.

1357. But don't go away because we have

1358. a very important announcement to make.

1359. Frank Bass, as you know, is recognized

1360. as one of the great promoters in the country today,

1361. and he has as announcement regarding the coming match

1362. I'm sure will have all Chicago on the edge of their seats.

1363. Ladies and gentlemen,

1364. one of the fine promoters in the game, Frank Bass.

1365. Frank, welcome.

1366. - Thank you, Marty.

1367. Fans, I'm not very happy— - I can't believe

1368. I'm sitting here watching wrestling on TV

1369. and you're sitting here with me.

1370. - I'd rather wrestle you in a Davenport anytime.

1371. - Well, I'll bet you wouldn't mind—

1372. - Shh, shh, shh. - Mike Bullard.

1373. Billy Taylor has asked Mike Bullard to meet him

1374. in a one-fall match for the championship.

1375. Mike has refused.

1376. I think Mike is wrong.

1377. Billy Taylor proved himself to be a top contender

1378. when he defeated Ray Stevens last week;

1379. Ray Stevens, one of the best.

1380. Now, Mike has met all the top contenders except Billy.

1381. Billy deserves a chance to prove himself

1382. before the Super Bowl matches begin next month.

1383. Therefore, as the principle promoter,

1384. I'm enforcing my prerogative and setting a title match

1385. between Billy Taylor and Mike Bullard

1386. on the 15th of this month in the Chicago Amphitheatre.

1387. - Is that true, Mike?

1388. - You heard it on television.

1389. - Well, you will have to wrestle Billy Taylor

1390. before the Super Bowl then.

1391. - Sure, I intended to.

1392. - You did?

1393. - Certainly, it had to happen.

1394. But, you see, Billy's not too well known.

1395. That will make him well known.

1396. - You and Frank planned this?

1397. - No, not Frank, me.

1398. Frank just did what I thought he would.

1399. But, you know, I'm beginning to believe

1400. that I'm just about the only one in the whole world

1401. who wants to see me in the Super Bowl.

1402. - Right here in Chicago.

1403. Run, do not walk, to get your ticket.

1404. - Hi, Frank, what's new?

1405. - Oh, I just expected to have heard from you before this.

1406. - I've been pretty busy.

1407. Why, did you call?

1408. - No, I just thought I'd have had

1409. a bodyslam by now, that's all.

1410. - Well, what for?

1411. - I play a dirty trick on you and you ask me what for.

1412. - Frank, you're a promoter and I'm a wrestler.

1413. You promote and I'll wrestle.

1414. - You set me up, didn't you?

1415. - Oh, I don't know.

1416. I would've been too mad

1417. if you'd have let that one pass by though.

1418. - There you go again, there you go again.

1419. You've been hustling Billy Taylor

1420. ever since you heard about him.

1421. - Frank, you got me confused, completely.

1422. - Oh, baloney.

1423. Do the best you can, Fred.

1424. - Thank you, Mr. Bass.

1425. - Hi there, Frankie baby.

1426. I got your message.

1427. I got here as quickly as I could.

1428. - How'd you get back door?

1429. - (laughing) Little Miss Wrestling Office was our ticket,

1430. right past your ushers and guards.

1431. Now, how about that little talk?

1432. - You tell them to keep their stinking hands off her

1433. and let her go, she's got nothing to do with us.

1434. - Frank, it's all right.

1435. - She's our insurance and stays with us.

1436. Now, let's have that talk.

1437. - So, talk!

1438. - In private, Frank.

1439. Now, Frank, I'm giving you one last chance

1440. to make Bullard lose tonight.

1441. - What do I have to do to get it through your thick head

1442. that you can't buy Bullard?

1443. - Now, Frank,

1444. you go to Bullard and tell him that if he wins, you die.

1445. - He won't believe me.

1446. - He won't, eh?

1447. Well, we'll just furnish him with a little proof.

1448. Let's do it again, boys, and this time not so neat.

1449. Hold it.

1450. Touch his face and we'll do it again.

1451. He'll need that blood for proof.

1452. Frank, we're gonna furnish you

1453. with just a little extra motivation.

1454. Sully, see if you can do the same thing to this girl.

1455. - Hey!

1456. - Where were you when I needed you?

1457. - What happened, you all right?

1458. - Yeah, I'm all right.

1459. You think wrestling's rough, you oughta try promoting.

1460. - They wanted you to lose.

1461. - Over half-a-million bucks out that Taylor would win.

1462. - (laughing) Wonder what kinda odds they were giving.

1463. - Get outta here.

1464. - You all right?

1465. - Yeah.

1466. - Take care. - Yeah.

1467. - Come on, Billy!

1468. - Attaboy, Mike!

1469. Come on, Mike!

1470. All right, come on, Mike.

1471. - Now, ladies and gentlemen,

1472. the moment you've all been waiting for,

1473. our main event of the evening:

1474. one fall, one-hour time limit

1475. for the world heavyweight championship.

1476. To my left, at 248 pounds, from Manchester, England,

1477. Japanese heavyweight champion,

1478. logical contender for the crown, Billy Taylor!

1479. To my right, at 232 pounds, the world heavyweight champion,

1480. from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mike Bullard!

1481. The referee, picked from New York especially for this match,

1482. Greg Westman.

1483. - Gentlemen, this is a championship match,

1484. one fall, 60-minute time limit.

1485. We'll abide by championship rules.

1486. We have a 10-count outside the ring,

1487. five-count on the apron or on the ropes.

1488. If I reach five, it's a disqualification.

1489. Over the top rope is automatic disqualification.

1490. If we should be outside the ring,

1491. anyone run into the ring post, automatic disqualification.

1492. Those are the rules we'll abide by

1493. in this championship match.

1494. Let's have a clean match.

1495. Shake hands and take your corner.

1496. - Get your hands off me, Bullard.

1497. - Come on, break.

1498. - Right on, Mike.

1499. - All right, break it.

1500. One, two—

1501. - Nobody's ever hit me with a dropkick.