Ivan Koloff v. Bruno Sammartino in 1971

For the first time in eight years, Bruno meets his match as Ivan Koloff defeats the WWWF champ. All credit in the making of this video belongs to someone else.

[@donaldmcclay2044]

This is truly a rare classic. 👍🏻

[@nickyousoufian3855]

JBL said this was the closest reaction to Brock Lesnar ending Undertaker's Streak at Mania 30. I understand the significance.

[@jedimasterjoe5386]

Heyman said that too

[@fjccommish]

Nope. Brock ending the forced streak was nothing compared to this.

[@brianconnelly1238]

I actually agree with JBL with that comment, totally agree

[@godzillawarz]

@@fjccommish yikes

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

Fair comparison, but Koloff wasn't that big of a heel. Lesnar made far more sense.

[@tangotogo1]

Since I was there that night, this is Not the original audio. The crowd sounds flat throughout; no peaks of cheers when Bruno is on top. This is home movie footage with the sound dubbed in later. Note: When Koloff won they didn't hand him the Belt, and no victory lap. The announcer just said he was 'the winner of the match' but never said 'the new world's champion'! He got out of the ring quickly while the crowd was still in shock!

[@ZestyViperz]

“Since I was there that night” don’t lie 😂

[@raceblakhart4941]

Of course it's not original audio. The commentator mentions WrestleMania multiple times. Wrestlemania didn't happen for another 12 years.

[@raceblakhart4941]

​@@ZestyViperzI don't know if they really were there, but neither do you. There were thousands of people there that night, and it's not impossible by any means. Stop being a loser.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

agree. this sounds staged

[@Ori0n1975]

@raceblakhart4941 14 years.

[@Moviereviewer89]

During black and white era my favorite was Lou Thesz, the guy held NWA title 8 years

[@jameslookstwice]

Yes

[@bumblebeemoi]

Ivan showed great agility getting up there so fast.

[@joshboutwell5805]

It's insane that after such a long title reign the only video footage that exists of this match is a grainy "fan cam." I understand TV wasn't as big for the business in 1971 was it was just a few years later, but WWWF did have TV back then so why not film to at least show clips of the ending on TV?

[@TAFKASYFY]

I honestly think that back then they just didn't really care to record and "preserve" this stuff too much, maybe because of the fear that if footage of these bouts was so readily available it would be easy for people to quickly over analyze certain things and really break the kayfabe apart even more, maybe part of it was they didn't think there would be fans in the future that would care to want to watch this old stuff... I think it's a little bit of both

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

Pinned clean by a heel. Russian at that. Maybe a top rope move by such a big man like Koloff was rare for that time.

[@josemontano7767]

Wow look at the size of Koloff! Awesome battle

[@knowhowmedia5889]

This isn't the original announcers. Quite obvious with the reference to Wrestlemania and the famous statement that you could hear a pin drop after the win, was said by this commentator before the bell was even rung.

[@MBM1117727]

There wasn't commentary for the original match because it wasn't televised, back then major cards were never usually televised, so that you had to buy a ticket to see them.

[@ernestcruz6316]

The commentary is by Boston area wrestling personality Rocky Raymond. Rocky is involved with independent wrestling in New England. He has a KZbin channel full of rare Super 8 wrestling footage from Boston Garden and elsewhere.

[@jpwjr1199]

​@@MBM1117727 Actually from 1967 until 1971, WWWF didn't have ANY TV broadcasts outside of the UHF stations, so the fact that they were even able to rebound in NYC before this match (a couple of record gates in 1970) is amazing and a testament to not only Sammartino (who for swaths of the 60's actually didn't draw in NY for the reason I just stated), but also guys like Crusher Verdu and Nikolai Volkoff (Bepo Mongol).

[@MBM1117727]

@@jpwjr1199 interesting insight, thanks

[@roberttaney9795]

When did they start on the 70s early HBO and MSG network? That wss the 70s but not sure when

[@Michael1966W]

I’m surprised there weren’t riots over this

[@michaelmadden8269]

Probably why Sammartino took the clean pin.

[@joeblow7407]

Note the ref didn't give Koloff the belt in the ring. That may have triggered a bit of a riot.....Bruno and Ivan did a solid job. Bruno was tired after 8 years......And Pedro did well!......And then Bruno came back....1973-77. The great old dayz!

[@nisargkasturiwale3877]

Riot took place..There was a bar alongside to the garden..They just destroyed the bar and then the manager sent a bill to Vince Sr...

[@tobiaswilliamson00]

Not only did they not announce that Koloff won nor did they present him with the belt, he just left after the bell rang because back in the territory days, if fans threatened to riot then they made good on that promise. The closest comparison in modern times to Bruno losing the belt after 7 years was the streak ending at WMXXX.

[@TRD315]

Damn

[@blaskovitch191]

i was there in the public, im still hangry about that

[@musc1esman]

That had to be insane when Bruno was immortal. I just hate the finish. It didnt look convincing enough for Bruno to lose that way. Im sure the crowd agreed.

[@jpwjr1199]

@@musc1esman The fact that they already had a rivalry that lasted over a year and that the fall was basically clean added to the shock.

[@szczesciejestkoloruczarneg749]

hmm _hungry?_

[@thomaspatterson5930]

Pin drops are loud apparently and the mention "Wrestlemania" several times almost 25 yrs before the first one

[@clev1729]

Classic…THE Rivalry of professional wrestling…Perfect Rivalry…Good bs Bad..The Mecca of Professional Wrestling…MSG

[@moboutmen]

The fix was in, of course, but Bruno didn't land feet first from that bodyslam. He literally bounces 4 inches after landing square on his back. And he was hurt.

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

He was pinned clean, what coping.

[@kenhill3230]

I remember the first time I saw WWF in the early 80's I was like wtf is this? They were basically selling a bs comic book product. When you look back at these matches from Vince Sr though it looks like NWA type wrestling. The great stuff.

[@user-gb5uw5ef4k]

why the announcer keep saying wrestlemania?

[@capnstorm8287]

Holy shit the deafness I the crowd said it all

[@fjccommish]

What are you talking about? The crowd wasn't silent. There is crowd noise.

[@capnstorm8287]

@@fjccommish rlly dude this was a year ago leave it

[@fjccommish]

@@capnstorm8287 However, the crowd was not silent.

[@mthokozisindlovu3358]

​@@capnstorm8287😂😂

[@anthonyfesta7010]

B.S. Greatest wrestler of All Time!!!

[@dgrblue4162]

They were afraid of a riot, so no announcement of a title change was mentioned to the crowd.

[@gardnersusedbooks2560]

It looks like 1921.

[@fjccommish]

The BS story "you can hear a pin drop". Bruno told the story - claimed he thought he had gone deaf. Yet the crowd is heard here - loud.

[@larryandheather]

I'm guessing the crowd noise here is overdubbed... the ring bell certainly is, as that is not how the ring bell at MSG sounded at the time. I'm guessing any "fan cam" footage from that era would be silent and not have audio.

[@taekwon3000]

This is dubbed you idiot

[@stewie3094]

Wtf kind of leg drop was that

[@masontorres1852]

It was a knee drop and the sound was dubbed in later tbh if it was real I don't know what would've been more effective a knee drop or leg drop but according to Wikipedia Ivan was about 310lbs in his time in the WWWF so he got that

[@paulmimms9400]

I was at that match koloff was lucky .he got out of there with his life 😮

[@VicMartino]

Bruno lost so that Pedro Morales would win to draw in the Puerto Ricans in New York to wrestling.

[@ShootingUpNorth]

That’s not the reason why Bruno dropped the belt.

[@VicMartino]

@@ShootingUpNorth What was the reason Bruno dropped the belt? In your opinion.

[@ShootingUpNorth]

@@VicMartino Well, it’s fact as per his Autobiography he dropped the title because he needed a break after 8 years as champion.

[@VicMartino]

@@ShootingUpNorth Then why was he still wrestling? Plus he would not state the real reason in his autobiography because that would be admitting wrestling is "predetermined" I gave the real reason as I know someone inside the wrestling world!

[@ShootingUpNorth]

@@VicMartino whatever.

[@glenngarofano4793]

I not sure why people think this was the M.S.G. where Ivan pinned Bruno? Search the history, The time was 14:55 Not 8:14 Also I not see myself from the first row grab Ivans foot from the top rope, I was only a teen.

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

Clearly edited. Same finish.

[@MrFriesz]

Who were the announcers?

[@jedimasterjoe5386]

Lou albino

[@MrFriesz]

@@jedimasterjoe5386 Thank you, i can hear him now. I started watching wrestling around when this match was made. I can't remember who were the announcers before VM jr

[@MrFriesz]

@@jedimasterjoe5386 Albano

[@DadTalksLive]

Lou *Albany, NY

[@MrFriesz]

i'm pretty sure Albano voiced this over in the 80s, he wasn't the original announcer from 1971 because he made a reference to Wrestlemania at a point.

[@funkydudes1554]

Anuone in 2020

[@sangeethamuralibabu808]

THERE WAS NO REACTION

[@harinderrana9735]

I wonder what the reaction will be when Roman Reigns gets beat for his titles.

[@bbc1625]

It will sound like 65,000 singing “down since day one ish!!!”

[@claudiadejesus4734]

Yo kol0

[@steve3602]

I don't know who this so called announcer is but he is far from a professional. Additionally this doesn't sound like the original crowd reaction at Madison Square Garden. Sounds like someone took a home film camera, filmed the event without focusing the camera and put in background crowd noise and posted this so he could get his 15 minutes of fame. It's a shame that this is the only recording that exists of this historic event.

[@taekwon3000]

That's Captain Lou Albino. He did the voice over for this match later on.

[@rakshitshah911]

Will the TRIBAL CHIEF break Bruno’s record ☝🏻? this is unbeatable record 2803 days as wwe champion. Reigns is 3 weeks away to dethrone Pedro Morales record of (1027) & become the 4th longest reigning champion. Hogan on 3rd (1471) Bob Backland (2135) Bruno (2803 😮)

[@velora_17]

Yeah I think The Tribal Chief can do it definitely. He is in God mode!

[@clayebersole8544]

That was so fake

[@eltmg7135]

Imagine the reaction if someone else hold the WWEWHC title for 8 years and lose ist in 2014. Even in Attitude Ära teh reaction would be 99999944756483926547839165431650 times louder and better then now. The reaction of this in 1971 is like Jerry Lawler stands up and sit down. I mean even for 1971 this is just bad. 8 years and no one cares.

[@mysteriouswufang]

People were crying. They were in such a state of shock that a pall of silence fell on the arena. They didn’t even announce the winner because they were afraid of a riot.

[@joeciorciari1114]

Since you brought up 2014, I'll reference something from that year. Imagine the stunned initial reaction to Brock breaking the streak times 1000. 1971 was heavy kayfabe era. People couldn't believe that the absolute unthinkable was happening, hence the silence. People were stunned in disbelief. The silence, in this case as in the case of Brock v Undertaker, was part of the magic...except that it extended for a longer period of time because, unlike 2014, people didn't know it was a work.

[@MrFriesz]

@@joeciorciari1114 I wish it could go back to kayfabe, it was a lot better.

[@mthokozisindlovu3358]

​@joeciorciari1114 but if people didn't know it'd a work, then why he hell would they believe bruno got beaten by a move that didn't even touch him (that Russian leg drop was pathetic) Also, the commentator said you could hear a pin drop when the ref only got to 2?! Wtf

[@mikefreeman3975]

Notice that Lou Albano, Koloffs manager, is not at rimgside.