Mont, i have a question for you if thats Ok? I was reading on another forum some time back that Larry will most likely be remembered for 2 things: hitting Bruno with a chair and turning on him, and stalling endlessly during his matches. I never saw the territories (too young) so i dont know exactly what his character was all about - can you enlighten me as to his "stalling" tactic and was it a big turn off for fans?
I will forever remember him as the man who managed to save Nitro even though there wasnt actually an "official" end to the match - just him choking out Bischoff whilst Bret had Hall in the SS. Looked like he could have seriously been able to handle himself in his prime however.
Many thanks.
I don’t mind; I could talk about this stuff for hours...in fact, I DO!!
I just can’t guarantee I always have the right answers.
I grew up
very near the history of the two “Living Legends.”
While I’m quite a few decades younger than both, I’ve heard some amusing stories through the grapevine, and Larry’s shoot interview from a few years back was quite insightful.
While a relative “youngster,” Larry hooked up with Bruno, convincing the latter to train him.
They lifted together, and Bruno schooled Larry in grappling pro style.
I believe that Stu Hart & Toots Mondt contributed to Bruno’s training, but Sammartino had also trained & worked out with PITT’s wrestling team, so he also had some amateur knowledge/skills, and I’m sure he passed a bit of that onto Larry as well
(it would probably have damaged Bruno's ego to learn that "his student" got his ass kicked in an altercation).Anyway, Zbyszko’s physique closely resembled Bruno’s, as did his ring-style.
I’m not exactly sure what “stalling” is referring to.
IMO, it could either mean prolonging the start of the action in a match, or the excessive use of rest holds during a match.
Either way, both tactics were commonly used when Larry was coming up.
Ring psychology was very different then, which affected the pace and story of the matches.
Both the matches AND fans then differed greatly compared with what we see today.
Guys could once generate heat simply by pulling their opponent’s hair or trunks during a 30-min match.
Now, they do 10-mins of rehearsed high-spots, many of which barely mean anything.
But, bear-hugs, chin-locks, and the like were commonly used to allow guys to catch their breaths.
I don’t think it was a turn-off for the fans because it was accepted practice then.
As for Larry handling himself, most of those guys back then were legitimately tough.
I’ve never heard of any scraps that Larry was involved in, but he threw up some impressive numbers on the bench, and I suspect he was more than capable of holding his own in a situation.
I also never heard of anyone trying it on with him.
Then again, Jericho was “stretched” in Stu’s Dungeon by the man himself.
I’m not sure who I’d pick to win a fight.
