Big

jimlucas
Bronze Member
CA, USA
Total Posts: 272

Posted: 08/15/2008 at 5:15:39 pm

You're entitled to your opinion and I honor your opinion.

But back in the day, a Soviet block country would break your arm to take you out if the powers to be in the USSR thought the USA wrestler had a chance to beat the USSR wrestler (USSR head man tells Bulgarian head man "Take him out. I don't care if you get disqualified. Here's your money." The other side of the coin was the bad mark system (one of the draw backs to the bad mark system, because I personally happen to like the bad mark system) the USSR head guy tells the Romanian head guy "Let me pin you so I get zero bad marks because the USA guy won by decision".

So with all the politics that went on back in the day, it made it VERY difficult for USA wrestlers. Considerably more so than today. My opinion, of course. And that's an opinion of one who has been intimately familiar with the degrees of competition over the decades

Hubbard

Jim was banging heads before you and I were born, Big. He's seen a lot.

Big

How come no Romanian or Bulgarian ever "took out" Smith or Monday?

Jim is a nice guy when he doesn't talk about Soviet Union and Russia. His thinking with regard to Eastern Europe is twisted.

Look, who is using back door mentality now to get Zadick in?

Big

Without a doubt competition now is by far the most difficult with the break up of Soviet Union. Russians compete among themselves and then a few that don't make the Russian team compete for other countries. The majority of medals go to them.

Gable's time was a joke compared to now.

TLV

Gable wrestled an assortment of Ruskies............in '71 and '72 he beat them all.
I am not saying that now is not tougher with more former Soviet wrestlers representing former block countries, but Gable's performances are no weaked than Mark Spitz's performances. He was the absolute best of his era, Big...............I had the pleasure of seeing him live(so yes, I'm one of the old guys here), and he brutalized whomever was in front of him...........

And I still think that he's a match for Satiev although I know you and QS disagree.

I also saw Jim Ryun run many times.....I was at KU when he was there and we'd go to the track just to watch him train. Put him and a modern track and he'd be as fast as anyone now...
JMO

__________________
The Art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.

Big

TLV. Its just so happened that Russians didn't have anyone really good in his weight in 71,72. The whole World was weak at that weight in those two years. It happens.

Name one world champion Gable beat from Russia after that Russian won Worlds or Olympics.

The "going door to door" comment was actually meant to point out to Russia's weakness rather than to Gable's strength.

TLV

Ok, then maybe we can agree to this: Gable was by far the best 149.5 freestyle wrestler in the world in '71 and '72, and he had no points scored upon him in 6 matches with the next best wrestler in the world(Wada by the way was not chopped liver)

__________________
The Art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.

Big

Kasakov, Vassili (URS)
1971-08-27 World Championship Freestyle Seniors 68.0 URS 2.
1967-07-07 European Championship Freestyle Seniors 63.0 URS 5.

Ashuraliev, Rouslan (URS) URS
Date of birth: 1950-02-20
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Club: Uroshai Machatschkala
Coach: Ali Aliew; S. Musajew
FILA-ID: 4323

Date Competition Style Age Group Weight Class Country Rank
1977-03-26 World Cup Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 4.
1976-07-27 Olympic Games Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 4.
1976-02-29 World Cup Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 1.
1975-09-15 World Championship Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 1.
1975-03-29 World Cup Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 2.
1974-08-29 World Championship Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 1.
1974-06-24 European Championship Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 1.
1973-09-06 World Championship Freestyle Seniors 74.0 URS 2.
1972-08-27 Olympic Games Freestyle Seniors 68.0 URS 3.

Big

Notice both guys had no successful experience competing for USSR prior to 1971.

Big

Wada's records:


Wada, Kikuo (JPN) JPN
Date of birth: 1951-03-01
FILA-ID: 19185


Date Competition Style Age Group Weight Class Country Rank
1972-08-27 Olympic Games Freestyle Seniors 68.0 JPN 2.
1971-08-27 World Championship Freestyle Seniors 68.0 JPN 5.
1970-12-10 Asian Games Freestyle Seniors 68.0 JPN 1.
1969-01-01 World Championship Freestyle Espoir 68.0 JPN 1.