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Post by beejmi on Jun 13, 2024 23:47:38 GMT
Passed away today in 1982
I remember him as a bland babyface but a good heel. Highlight of his career was the turn vs Backlund? His challenge for the WWWF belt vs Backlund went to a steel cage finale.
He also was a challenger for Superstar Billy Graham. Enjoyed his tag team w Chief Jay Strongbow.
I believe he spent time in the AWA and Hawaii.
For those that remember 'The High Chief' feel free to chime in
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Post by OneFanGang on Jun 14, 2024 0:06:40 GMT
Maivia was said to have slapped Ivan Putski during an altercation in the locker room, according to an interview Larry Zbyszko gave. I like High Chief even more than before. There's an MSG match between Maivia and Putski where none of Ivan's antics are tolerated, and despite getting a "referee's decision" which had no reason to be rendered, everyone could tell Putski got pwned.
Maivia also looked like the babyface in the Yukon Lumberjacks MSG tag title bout doing the breakup with Strongbow.
Maivia got the lower body tattoos sometime in the early 70s. In an Apter-mag interview they showed Peter against Dory Jr. for the NWA belt where he had yet to have undergone the ceremony.
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Post by Papa on Jun 14, 2024 0:36:51 GMT
Maivia was said to have slapped Ivan Putski during an altercation in the locker room, according to an interview Larry Zbyszko gave. I like High Chief even more than before. There's an MSG match between Maivia and Putski where none of Ivan's antics are tolerated, and despite getting a "referee's decision" which had no reason to be rendered, everyone could tell Putski got pwned. Maivia also looked like the babyface in the Yukon Lumberjacks MSG tag title bout doing the breakup with Strongbow. Maivia got the lower body tattoos sometime in the early 70s. In an Apter-mag interview they showed Peter against Dory Jr. for the NWA belt where he had yet to have undergone the ceremony. is that video around anywhere? I did a quick search and did not see it. |
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Post by OneFanGang on Jun 14, 2024 1:48:09 GMT
There's a much cleaner version albeit shorter in length, from WWE's YT channel. This one has a post-turn promo from Maivia and also a Blassie's Army rally speech.
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Post by khawk on Jun 14, 2024 2:09:10 GMT
There are news clips available from at least one of the Backlund-Maivia matches. Pretty cool that even that exists.
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Post by Papa on Jun 14, 2024 2:22:30 GMT
There's a much cleaner version albeit shorter in length, from WWE's YT channel. This one has a post-turn promo from Maivia and also a Blassie's Army rally speech. I was looking for the Putski match from MSG. |
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Post by OneFanGang on Jun 14, 2024 2:26:11 GMT
It was on the 3-26-79 MSG show and I haven't seen it in maybe 2 years, so it may be taken down.
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Post by Papa on Jun 14, 2024 2:41:36 GMT
It was on the 3-26-79 MSG show and I haven't seen it in maybe 2 years, so it may be taken down. Thanks I will keep an eye open, if I can remember. LOL |
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Post by benlen on Jun 14, 2024 20:03:01 GMT
He was a big timer in San Francisco. He came in with Klondike Bill representing Hawaii and Alaska, wrestling stars from the last 2 states. Klondike Bill fizzled while Maivia rose. He got title shots, single and tag.
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Post by srossi on Jun 14, 2024 20:38:21 GMT
Maivia got the lower body tattoos sometime in the early 70s. In an Apter-mag interview they showed Peter against Dory Jr. for the NWA belt where he had yet to have undergone the ceremony. Maivia might've been the first major star to be heavily tattooed. Tattoos were still pretty rare, guys like Harley Race and Don Fargo had a couple here and there, but then you saw Maivia's legs and torso and it was pretty shocking for the day. The average American wrestling fan in the '70s had no concept of tribal tattoos. |
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larry
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by larry on Jun 14, 2024 23:08:43 GMT
Was Maivia's turn at MSG the biggest that happened at MSG? Was there another one from another time/year that took place?
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Post by srossi on Jun 14, 2024 23:17:06 GMT
Was Maivia's turn at MSG the biggest that happened at MSG? Was there another one from another time/year that took place? There really weren't many big turns. It wasn't the WWWF's booking style. The big 3 IMO are Zbyszko, Arion, and Maivia. The first 2 happened at TV, so I guess the answer is yes. |
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Post by beejmi on Jun 14, 2024 23:47:14 GMT
Maivia turned on Backlund on TV before he went after Strongbow at MSG. The crowd reaction for Maivia is 2/3 boos before the bell rung.
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Post by OneFanGang on Jun 15, 2024 1:22:18 GMT
Maivia turned on Backlund on TV before he went after Strongbow at MSG. The crowd reaction for Maivia is 2/3 boos before the bell rung. The timing of the 10/23 MSG show was great because they taped the Backlund turn on 10/10, and the airing was on 10/21. In the meantime Maivia/Strongbow teamed several times in that 2 week period and likely showed signs of friction, even if they won the bouts. Maivia had the immediate boos from the close proximity of the televised match, but Strongbow doesn't act much like a babyface in MSG, starting the arguments out of nowhere and then wanting to tag out right away. It used to be that you had to make contact with your opponent first before a tag was legal, especially in multiple fall bouts where the participants who finished the last fall were supposed to start. The Yukon Lumberjacks were superior strategists and capitalized on Strongbow's poor choice of tactics, scoring the pinfall after a mere one boot to the chest. True fans appreciated Maivia for cutting his losses with a sub-par teammate! |
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Post by tamalie on Jun 17, 2024 15:52:02 GMT
Peter Maivia becoming the promoter in Hawaii has an interesting backstory. Ed Francis wanted out because the financial model didn’t work by the late 1970s due to the Honolulu Civic Auditorium having closed. It held 5,000, had been run every Wednesday, and was cheap to rent. Once it was gone, running Honolulu meant either using what amounted to a high school gymnasium on a military base or the much more expensive to rent Blaisdell Center which held 12,000, exceeding demand and making selling tickets more difficult.
Steve Rickard bought it, but Maivia essentially muscled him out and took control. After the High Chief died of cancer, Lia took over. For all the hype about her as a woman promoter, this promotion was really bad under her direction. The locals were undertrained and generally terrible in the ring. The booking was very simplistic. Crowds were tiny. If not for the mainland stars passing through on the way to or from Japan and the AJPW and NJPW guys popping in on vacation, the cards were mostly on par with low level outlaw shows of the era.
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