Ernie Ladd

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Graham Crackers]

He looked good in those Rock n Roll/Hacksaw vs Midnight Express 6 man tags but is there really enough good stuff out there to justify him being discussed here?

[ohtani's jacket]

All I know is I could spend all day watching Ernie Ladd promos.

[Graham Crackers]

All I know is I could spend all day watching Ernie Ladd promos.

No doubt. The man is an all time great speaker.

[goc]

It's unfortunate that most of the footage we have of him is after his prime. I'd really like to see 2 or 3 matches of him in the early-mid 70s to get a feel for just how good he was. He's definitely one of the best promos I've ever seen.

[JerryvonKramer]

I nominated him originally and 90% of it is for his bullying of Chiefjay Strongbow in that Georgia footage. The other 10% is for his double legdrop.

 

In terms of character work, Ladd was ahead of his time, no doubt. He's an 80s or even 90s heel in a 70s environment, and you'd have to say he was a trailblazer because of it.

 

There are 70s Ladd matches from WWF on tape, we might have even looked at one or two of them for Titans, but that'd be the place to look for longer main event matches. He faces Bruno numerous times and Backlund in 78. As far as I know, those are on tape.

 

He went on a few Japan tours, but it would take an expert to tell you what is out there from those runs. I haven't seen him crop up when I've been looking for Dory stuff.

 

The trouble we have is that when Ladd wasn't in New York or Japan, he tended to work Georgie or the old Leroy McGuirk territory. Obviously from GCW, we have none of the Omni shows, and I don't know of any pre-Watts MidSouth footage (is there any AT ALL?)

[khawk20]

Here's what I found on an older version of my list. There is probably more:

 

WF @ MSG New York March 1, 1976
Bruno Sammartino vs. Ernie Ladd (WWWF title)

 

MSG New York October 1978
Backlund vs. Ladd (WWF title)

 

MSG New York 2/2/76
Ladd vs. DeNucci

 

Andre the Giant HOF
Andre vs. Ernie Ladd (MSG, circa 1976)

 

MSG New York 11/17/75
Ladd vs. Calhoun

 

MSG New York 1/12/76
Ladd vs. Monsoon

 

24/7 "Black History Month"
Ladd vs. Dusty Rhodes (Florida film)

 

WWWF TV
Ernie Ladd vs. SD Jones (1978)

 

24/7 "Large and In Charge"
Kamala vs. Ladd (11/7/83)

 

WWWF TV 11/12/78
Ladd vs. Brown

 

70’s Wrestling vol.1
Ladd/Rhodes vs. Koloff/Wolff (Florida, Ladd turns on Dusty)

Chicago Film
Rhodes/Murdoch vs. Ladd/Thomas (Luce Film, 12/16/72)
Ladd/Graham vs. Wahoo/Bruiser (Luce Film, 5/25/73)
Ladd vs. Wahoo (Luce Film, 6/30/73)
McDaniel/Watts vs. Ladd/Graham (Luce Film)
Bruiser vs. Ladd (Luce Film, 1973--I think there are two separate
matches available)

Dick The Bruiser & Wahoo McDaniel vs. Ernie Ladd & Superstar Graham 2/3 falls

 

WWA Indy
"Cowboy" Bob Ellis vs "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd (WWA 1970's)
Dick The Bruiser & Bruno Sammartino vs Ernie Ladd & Baron Von Raschke
with Sam Menacker as the Ref (WWA 1970's)
Dick The Bruiser & Ernie Ladd vs The Valiants (Might be Film)
Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd vs Rodeo Jones (WWA 70's TV)
Nick Bockwinkel (AWA Champ) vs. Ernie Ladd (Chicago film)
Ox Baker vs Ernie Ladd--film of “The Famous Cleveland Riot” FILM
Ernie Ladd vs. Ox Baker--the rematch

Watts 1980 film
Leroy Brown/Ernie Ladd vs.Rhodes/Murdoch
JYD/Karl Kox vs. Ladd/Brown
Crusher Verdu vs.Ernie Ladd

 

Mid Atlantic Film #17
Ladd/Studd vs Weaver/Gallant

 

70’s film Classics
Ric Flair/Ernie Ladd vs. Dino Bravo/Rick Steamboat (silent film)

 

Watts Quadraplex Reels
Ladd/Bass vs. George/Tyler
Ladd vs. “Mr. Wrestling II”

 

Japan
Baba vs. Ernie Ladd

 

IWA TV (Einhorn I think)
Ernie Ladd vs. Dick Sharotte
Jim Wilson vs "King of Professional Wrestling" Ernie Ladd
Ladd vs. Terry Meeka
Ladd vs. Phil Loyal
Cowboy" Bob Ellis & "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd vs
IWA Tag Team Champions Mongols (Bolo & Geeto)
Dick Sherlock vs "Big" Ernie Ladd
Bull Zomar vs "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd

Florida TV
ERNIE LADD VS. TED MARSHALL
STRONGBOW VS. LADD (BATTLE)
LADD VS. MIKE MILLER
ERNIE LADD VS. CHICK DONOVAN
LADD VS. MERCADO

 

Mid South House show #14
Kerry Von Erich vs. Ernie Ladd

 

Mid South House Shows #12
R and R’s/Duggan vs. Midnight Express/Ladd
Brickhouse Brown/Wells vs.Ladd/Reed

 

Mid-South Giants, Heroes, Midgets and Villains vol. 2
Assassin/One Man Gang vs. Sharpe/Ladd

[conker8]

WWE released a Ladd vs Dusty (07/25/1977) in good video quality. It was clipped unfortunately.

[PeteF3]

There's a Ladd vs. Inoki match that was taped in Cleveland but aired in Japan from '74 (I think).

[khawk20]

WWE released a Ladd vs Dusty (07/25/1977) in good video quality. It was clipped unfortunately.

 

I'm guessing it's the one I noted that played during Black History Month.

[Ricky Jackson]

Here it is

 

 

Also Ladd vs Bruno

 

 

and Ladd vs Backlund

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yyL7BWQCFpM#t=822

[goc]

This is probably the best look at prime Ernie Ladd as we are going to get. I just put this on youtube, this is from some 16mm reels that if I remember correctly Bix bought from the Watts family and had converted.

 

[Dylan Waco]

What Ladd matches should I go out of my way to watch? I'd there any reason to believe he was even one of the best 50 in ring guys in the us/canada during his era?

[goc]

I don't have the footage to make an argument for him, and really wasn't going to try. I thought it would be of interest to see him in his prime though. If you really want to go out of your way to see an Ernie Ladd match there are 2 good 6 man tag matches with The Midnight Express vs. RNR Express & Jim Duggan from the Mid-South set. Then there is Ladd & Butch Reed vs. Brickhouse Brown & Master Gee which isn't as good but still worth watching, from the same set. He's obviously past his prime, but you have to keep in mind those matches took place in 1984 when he's 46 but he could still pull off a few athletic spots. This is a guy who played pro football from 1961-1968 while wrestling part time. He quit football due to knee problems but continued to wrestle until 1986.

 

I realize that it's almost impossible to make a case for Ernie Ladd due to a lack of footage. But I also know that he was huge star in the business, one of the best promos I've ever seen and judging by his prime there, and even his post prime, was an incredibly athletic guy for 6'9, 300+ pounds. If I can't put a guy like Ernie Ladd on my list when his only real negative is lack of footage, I have a very tough time putting someone on my list who can only beat Ladd in the footage department. Using Sheamus for an example, Ernie Ladd blows him out of the water as a promo and a top star.

 

I'll do some more legwork on this though to see if there really IS a case to be made. I have those WWA discs and I'll have some of those matches up on youtube by tomorrow. I've never even looked at them before.

[Matt D]

Ladd is a guy that I know I like a lot, but I couldn't entirely point to matches to show you why.

[JerryvonKramer]

What Ladd matches should I go out of my way to watch? I'd there any reason to believe he was even one of the best 50 in ring guys in the us/canada during his era?

It's probably easier to make the case for him being the top heel of his era, but then 50 is quite a big number too.

 

Of the 70s guys who is definitely above him? Let be as generous as possible to others over Ladd:

 

Dory, Terry, Jack, Jerry, Wahoo, Bock, Stevens, Johnny Valentine, Paul Jones, Bruno, Buddy Rose, Lawler, Flair, Race, Hans Schmidt, Ivan Koloff, Thesz, Dusty, Murdoch, Heenan, Mr Wrestling, Mr Wrestling II, Andre, Arion, Verne, Danny Hodge ...

 

Now we're starting to reach

 

Denucci?

Scicluna?

Buddy Wolf?

Pak Song?

Haystacks Calhoun?

Gorilla Monsoon?

Strongbow?

Mulligan or Lanza?

Brusier?

Crusher?

Baron von Raschke?

Moose Cholack?

Bearcat Wright?

 

Guess my point is that Ladd is SAFELY top 50 "in ring guys in the us/canada during his era", unless there's a whole bunch of guys I'm forgetting about.

[Dylan Waco]

What evidence is there to support the claim that Ladd is "only lacking footage?" Did he have a rep as a great worker I'm unaware of? Are the glimmers we have indicative of someone who was an all time great in the ring? Maurice Tillet is lacking footage too and was a huge star, but so what? I'm not saying Ladds at that level, but i am wary of the "assume the best!" approach with these older names.

[JerryvonKramer]

I don't know if Ladd was an all-time in-ring great, but I think the point I was making is that even from what we have on tape, he was obviously better than the 14 or so workers I have listed there from the era. And is definitely in the top 50 workers from that period.

 

From what I've seen I'd have him above Wrestling II as well, but I can see others disagreeing with that.

 

But Ladd is one of those workers who is mainly going to be all about character work, crowd control, and "working smart". If you are the sort of person who isn't putting Hogan on your list, I don't see a hope in hell for Ladd.

 

As it is, I don't see him making it for anyone, but he's an interesting guy to consider.

[JerryvonKramer]

So I started watching Wahoo stuff today and Ladd's amazing performances from 1973 in Chicago came totally out of left field for me. See here:

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/30645-wahoo-mcdaniel/

 

The key thing that stood out was the level of his bumping and his speed and agility, which for a man his size is really quite outstanding. Reminded me a bit of Curt Hennig. He seems to have slowed down A LOT by the time we see him against Bruno and others in 1977. This is one of those things I wasn't especially looking for, I'm looking at Wahoo, but it leapt out at me.

 

Ladd in the early 70s seems to be a totally different proposition from Ladd in the late 70s and beyond. "Promises Promises".

[shoe]

The Houston footage on nwaclassics.com has shown Ladd as a really smart worker. We have the 6 man tag that was available before. Though 3 singles matches with Ladd has shown up so far. Two of them are against Magnum TA and were really good. He also has one versus Brad Armstrong was a little short, but shows what type of worker Ladd is, but it's still past his prime. He's gaining momentum with me.

[NotJayTabb]

I was the Ernie Ladd high vote in 2016, I had him somewhere in my top 50, which is way high in hindsight. He'll probably still make my 100 though, he's someone I always like when he turns up, and he's someone who was very clever at working to his strengths, using his large frame to ensure he's always near the ropes of he needs it to escape or to cheat. Maybe the best legdrop in wrestling. Great in ring charisma too, he'd absolutely draw you in just through his mannerisms 

[MichaelZ]

I get a huge kick out of Ladd being such a sneak even thought he is physically imposing and had a rep as an athlete. I don't know if he ends up in the top 100, but he feels special when you watch him and gives you something to remember him by. I especially like his match against Backlund.