Sorry, one more wrestling-related thought, and then I'll move on.
I have a horrible, horrible feeling that although it's all different, it's EXACTLY the same as when I watched it as a kid. But I was too young/dumb to notice back then. And Donnie aka Tartan is clearly too young to know, and I don't think any of you who are closer to my age were watching.
So, some examples I remember from the 70s of things that happened OFTEN:
A legal move is to hit your opponent with your forearm (holding your arm up and bent at the elbow)
But often the "baddies" (if they had their backs to the referee, but usually if they were FACING the camera) would sneak in an occasional punch (with their fist), which was an illegal move. But they would get away with it if the ref didn't see it.
During a tag-team game, only two people would be allowed in the ring at any one point. But sometimes, the outside the ring person would sneak in and it would be 2 vs 1. Or the referee would be talking to someone outside the ring and then someone else would get in. Again, all illegal moves, but would get away with it if the ref didn't clock it.
Both those things I did witness yesterday. And what I saw yesterday was CLEARLY hokum. It was obviously staged and choreographed.
So then, my question is. Did my DAD realize this at the time? Because he was already a regular wrestler-watcher when I started. It was just I liked it so it became something we did together. Did he know? Or was TV just that bad back then that he didn't?