Superstar Sleeze

Not to make anyone feel old, but I was 8 years old in 1997 when I started watching wrestling. I was a much bigger fan of WCW than the WWF due to the nWo and the luchadores. My parents still watch wrestling with me from time to time, but the height of their watching was in the late 90s when I was a child. Besides "Conspiracy Victim" Chris Jericho, there was no character my parents thought was more hilarious than Raven's Flock character. To this day, if one of us children starts to ask for something trivial. they will hit us with a "What about me? What about Raven?" as to mock our "whining" (Godamnit, $25 for the Steel Panther concert isnt that much! ). My mom especially was a huge Flock fan and became oddly attached to Lodi and his signs. My mom was also a big Glacier fan. I don't get it. So last year when I got Lodi to wish her Happy Birthday via Twitter, it ranked up there as one of her favorite present. So I thought this year I would get Raven to do it. Of course, Raven has to tweet how he gangbanged my mom with the Flock. All I wanted was a "Happy Birthday" from the shithead. I am a sucker for Raven's promos and angles in ECW and WCW. I always thought they were interesting. His stuff with Cactus when Cactus turned is probably the most well-done cebereal wrestling angle I have ever seen. The Pitbulls Dog Collar is a fun clusterfuck. He seems like a funny prick, but just don't ask him to wish your mom a Happy Birthday. I guess I was asking for it.

Holy shit, what an incredible match from Cena/Punk. I agree with Dylan this totally should have been the Wrestlemania. In a lot of ways, I feel this was the best 80s WWF match, only it happened in 2013. Punk did not really work a focused heat segment instead he was working on containing the awesome might of Cena. I dont know how many of you watched via Youtube, but you get what happened during the commercial breaks that way and the transition to Punk's dominance was an overhand right, which is such an 80s transition that Cena sold really well as a cheapshot. What I liked from Cena was every time he did break free from Punk, he would collect himself and pounce thus affirming Punk's fears of Cena's power. Punk was really good at capitalizing on his "big" little moves like a heel kick by immediately pinning Cena and then gaining head control. It displayed how much Punk wanted it. What I loved the most about this match was it the story of Cena earning every single thing. My the biggest complaints of Cena that I know is how he just goes through the motions of his comeback and it is academic. This match was all about him overcoming that Punk knew it was coming. He missed the first flying tackle to the outside, which led to a Punk dive. Then he did the flying tackle. Milestone unlocked. Then he tried the Proto-Bomb, but countered into the Anaconda Vice. Finally wrangles it. Milestone unlocked. But Punk kicks him in the face on the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Eventually, he overcomes more Punk offense to hit it, but Punk counters the FU. So he busts a powerbomb. He has to work heard to get the top rope rocker dropper by doing a test of strength on the the top rope. Then he hits the FU, but still not enough. I have to say along the way Cena's facial expression had been great conveying worry, exhaustion and stupor (especially after one of Punk's high-knees in the corner). I liked the use of the teased countout finish, G2S and then Punk busting out the piledriver after Cena's comeback because of how it made seemed like Cena's arsenal was tapped and now Punk was peaking at the right time. Before Cena pulls the out the mother of unforeseen moves: the Frankensteiner to setup the FU. The Frankensteiner was necessary to catch Punk unawares because Punk had been countering all his moves up to that point. In a non-kayfabe sense, they had built the match to such a fever pitch there was no way just a series of FU would feel satisfying. Cena's extended comeback was one of the best in WWE history. Punk following each of his offensive moves/strikes gave that match its urgent feel. Most importantly, this match was the story of Cena earning every inch of this match to go to Wrestlemania. The Royal Rumble just felt ho-hum like "O Cena Won." This match Cena had to claw for everything and win this match. If his opponent was anyone but a gassed Rock, I would say I am amped for Wrestlemania, but now it will feel like a letdown knowing it will damn near impossible to top this spectacle. I am going to say and will argue for it, Match of the Year Candidate.

We have a match that will give Tito/Muraco 1/84 a run for its money in suckitude in the form of Tito/Adonis 6/86. Adonis could clearly still work when wanted to see the killer steel cage match at MSG in July of 86 against Tito/Bruno with Savage. Holy shit was this dreadful. Incredibly boring for the first 10 minutes and then an absolute clusterfuck finish, which they actually have to redo the finish because they fucked it up the first time. Embarrassing match for two great workers.

jdw, I agree with all your points as you can see, I argued the beginning was pretty boring, but "hate" seems like a strong word for such a lame beginning. I did like the finish run a bit more than you it seemed as there were two really well-done comedy spots and the cool move was pretty nifty. A great five minutes doesn't make for a great match, but it salvaged that match to a degree. It does seem like Adonis & Murdoch were cashing in paychecks. I know the WWF set is being redone, but that doesn't stop the fact that the North-South vs Briscos was considered a Top 5 match in the original set. I have been watching Tito and Hogan matches, but I will get to it eventually. Man, I was heavy on hyperbole in my original review. Downgrade "wildly entertaining" to "entertaining" and the hypothetical North-South vs Slaughter/Backlund match to a hypothetically excellent WWF tag match.

Terry Funk vs Mr. Wrestling II - 11/25/85 MSG I have heard Dylan speak of this match; I know he likes the Poffo match (I liked it a good deal) more. I have never seen Mr. Wrestling II, but from my understanding he was as old as dirt in this match. So sorry, Mr. Wrestling II fans, this was The Funker show. Wrestling II was just there to supply some Dusty gyrations and knee lifts. So my question is how was doing the gyrations first: The American Dream or Mr. Wrestling II? Funk is on top of his game in this long match by WWF standards. He chases Mel Phillips around the ring in attempt to brand him. Wrestling II wrangles him. They dod a criss-cross sequence, but Funk continues after Wrestling II stops. I know I have seen that spot before, but it never gets old. Funk gets even more flustered and goes to kick to the turnbuckle, but hits the metal. OW! I have never seen that before. Funk seems to know how to work comedy better into his matches than Murdoch, who sometimes gets a little too Three Stooges. The Body seems a bit under the weather as he is not that energetic, maybe hung over? Jimmy Hart is at his most effective in terms of his WWF run here with the mega-phone. He is consulting and being an active participant. In the WWF, always felt he didnt do much with the Hart Foundation. I have not watched much Honky Tonk, though. Funk bodyslams and goes for an elbow misses. Misses another elbow. And another. Wrestling II up with a knee-lift and another great sequence and he shakes what his momma gave him to punctuate it. Funk hops over the guardrail and plans to leave through the fans and the police escort him back. Nuthin doin', Funker. Wrestling II backdrops Funk out of the ring and Hart and Funk struggle to get Funk back up. They do an excellent apron spot with Funk on the outside. Funk takes over on the outside. BIG chop by Funk! During a sleeper, Funk takes his elbow pad off and chokes Wrestling II. Never seen that either, great spot! Wrestling II chases the Mouth of South him under the ring and Funk is able to take over. Funk catches him with an knee as he bullrushes him in the corner and that's the finish. There were some dull stretches in there, but I chock that up to Wrestling II being old. He was moving in slow-motion on some of those sequences. I remember liking the Poffo match better, but this match maybe a better testament to Funk's ability.

Ok, that makes more sense in a context of mass appeal, but I know prefer elongated comeback. My all-time least favorite Hulk-Up is the one at Wrestlemania V because it is just so short and doesnt really do that angle justice. Then again I am still so terribly disappointed by that match given that the Mega Powers Explosion angle is my favorite WWF angle from any era. I watched Hogan's first two SNME matches against Orton (5/85) and Volkoff (10/85) neither one was worth writing home about so I am not going to dwell on either one, but will point that in both matches he does a faux-Hulk Up before the finish. Could his switch to one final Hulk-Up also be due to laziness? The Volkoff match was lame, but short. Volkoff has some really boring offense save for one really nice backbreaker. Hogan did his best to impart his energy to the match, but Volkoff was a blackhole. The Orton was more fun, but still nothing terribly exciting until the superplex tease, which got the fans on their feet. Hogan's arm work was decent before Orton took over with a dropkick/flying knees (didnt get full extension). This match didn't have the zaniness of the Funk match or Race's bump-o-rama. Hogan seems to always hold up his share, but it takes two tango. This match is a great example why people like Terry Funk and Harley Race are all-timers and Orton is a nice mid-card act.

Lets see how Bob does in a tag context... WWF World Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs Bob Backlund & B. Brian Blair - Philly 7/7/84 If you take the beginning of the Slaughter/Daniels and add to the last 5 minutes of this match, you have a classic tag match. The Terry Daniels babyface shine seemed much more effective because of how small Daniels was and how much effort Murdoch/Adonis put into putting him over. Adonis does the try for a tag but falls over the top rope spot again, which cracks me up again. Blair doesn't bring the spunk of Daniels and everything seems ho-hum. I remember the heat segment on Daniels not setting my world afire, but this was even more boring as Murdoch/Adonis seem content to working the arm in the most pedestrian fashion. Once Bob gets in, well business picks up for a lack of a better phrase. Backlund gets Adonis in the Crossface Chickenwing (Bret always said that legitmately hurt and I still figured that he was working us, but the way Bobby has it on Adrian seems like it is an uncomfortable move to take), but Tricky Dicky hits with an elbow smash from the top. We get a great Backlund heat segment where Murdoch/Adonis blatantly don't tag in and out something about the nonchalance of those two made me laugh. This climaxes with Bob going into amateur escape mode as he crawls in circles around the two before he wrangles Murdoch into an atomic drop. Hot tag to Blair! Well the hottest tag that Blair would ever experience. He sends Murdoch's head into Adonis's groin (Adonis was on the top turnbuckle). Adonis gets tangled into the ropes and Murdoch gets launched into him again. However, all this fun comes to an end when Murdoch is able to hoist Blair up while the ref detained Backlund and Adonis came off the top with a clothesline to pick up the pin. That is the second cool finish from North-South as they did Demolition Decapitation on Daniels in the Daniels/Slaughter defense. This is a wildly entertaining match once Backlund gets in there, but before that it is not much to write home about. Like I said North-South could have had a classic if you stick the first half of Daniels/Slaugher with the last half of Blair/Backlund. Of course, if they wrestled a Slaughter/Backlund super team with Backlund taking heat and Slaughter the hot tag then that could have been the greatest tag of all-time. I got to get around to watching the much vaunted North-South vs Briscos match.

Yeah bumping and selling are two horses of different colors. It is mutually inclusive proposition to be good at both. Hogan is a far better seller than he is a bumper, but his bumping is the drizzling shits. I have watched a lot of Hogan, but not a lot of recently, but when I was watching Harley it seemed to trigger memories of Hogan's very discrete selling. I prefer people that have a continuum of selling levels and modulate it for the point of the match or story. Hogan is either at 100% ready to kick ass or as soon as he gets punched to setup control, he is gasping for air whether it is a minute into the match or 10 minutes (well it is not like he was going 30 so on the relative scale that was his 20 minute mark). You would think almost by default then I would prefer Hogan's offense, but I think the fucker actually has a pretty good right hand and seeing the big lug get all worked up is still wicked fun. He busted the out the atomic drop, vertical suplex and his follow-up clothesline and they all look pretty good. He sometimes overdoes the babyface cheating to point where your scratching your head, but it was the 80s, baby! These are only recent conclusions and I dont find myself particularly tethered to them mostly because it is Hulk Hogan and I don't give too many fucks about him. I will re-evaluate as I watch more, but I standby that his offense looks good and I like long babyface shines so the fact he wrestles on top for a long time doesn't bother me especially since most of the heels he wrestled sucked. jdw, what do you mean that he had not perfected the Hulk-Up? I much prefer when the Hulk-Up leads to a cut-off before he ultimately polishes off his challenger. It adds dynamics and wrinkles to his matches. Were you being facetious? That is Misawa-level shit, baby! WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Dr. D - Massacre in Minneapolis 6/17/84 Hulk Hogan is returning to the Twin Cities with the REAL belt, brutha! I have not seen Dr. D before and I thought he was pretty mediocre. Dr. D takes over right away and there is Hogan's death selling right away. Schultz pulverizes Hogan with a chair and the blood flows. See Hogan could have made this selling look better by gradually building to the climax of bleeding. I will say once he is hit with the chair his selling looks as it should and is very well-done. Schultz hits his big move: second-rope elbow. HULK-UP~! Hogan hits him with a standing elbow and leg drop, but picks him up on each fall. I don't think I have ever seen a wrestler win after doing that. Hulk Hogan is above Wrestling Laws. The selling has been completely turned off as he begs for Schultz to get up after he rammed into the post. Schultz is able to clothesline him coming out of the corner and oversell is kicked back on. Schultz misses the big elbow and Hogan with a clothesline to win. Dr. D was pretty underwhelming. This was a pretty passe Hogan match, but illustrates Hogan's two levels of selling: off/on, when most wrestlers have many more.

Sticking with Bob in Philly... WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter Steel Cage 3/21/81 Philly I remember thinking this match was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Since jdw seem to feel pretty strongly towards I thought I'd give it another shot. had just watched the Bruno/Zbyszko Shea Stadium steel cage match, which I had think had good heat, but seemed kind of plodding. I liked everything after Larry Z busted open Bruno's arm and he made his great one-armed comeback. Well then watching this match, made this seem like a downright sprint. The action was energetic. It had the nice juxtaposition of Backlund looking to deliver some pain and Slaughter doing everything at all costs to escape Backlund. Backlund's groin sure took a lot of punishment in this match. This match also illustrates how Backlund can deliver an interesting match without using one single hold. When you hold this up against Backlund/Inoki '78 one hour draw, I think you see how amazing Backlund is as a worker. Very few workers could have worked both of these matches as well Bob did. Backlund had all of the fiery, violent spirit that you expect out of the wronged, WWF hero archetype. Slaughter, for his part, works on two levels in this match on one level he bumps like a madman for the Ragin' Backlund, but at the same time he brings a physical presence that lends him credibility as a huge threat and makes Bob look that much more impressive. This maybe my favorite 80s WWF cage match, but the style is inherently limited because the wrestlers are confined to the ring and the escape rules. Logically, the constant Slaughter escapes make sense, but that doesn't make them any less tedious. The best escape is at the end after Bob has already bloodied and battered the challenger because how hard Backlund works to get Slaughter back in the ring as he even takes the time to kick Slaughter in the hand holding the cage. I did greatly enjoy the amount of time Backlund committed to bloodying Slaughter. It is almost as if Backlund was deadset on not leaving the cage until he accomplished that feat. That was a very nice touch. The finish was well-executed with both men jockeying for position on the top turnbuckle before Bob is able to ram Slaughter's face into the cage, which sends him tumbling into the ropes. The two girls screaming for the Backlund at the finish totally makes this. The WWF was really into making sure that the fans knew the babyface was the better man in the cage matches as the babyface would often celebrate in the ring and saunter out as opposed to a much more dramatic finish. I wouldnt put this in my Top 5 Backlund matches, but that isn't a slight against this match, but really a testament to how much good Backlund is available.

This is why I love this forum, I would have never thought to check out Hogan/Kamala and now I just got to see it. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk 1/4/86 SNME I think it is pretty safe to assume that the house show matches are better. That being said this is a fun 8 minute TV match where Funk sells for Hogan in his unique dazed way much better than Harley did in his national broadcast. Early on, a lot of Hogan offense sends Funk sprawling over the ropes and Funk does a great job getting over the middle aged and crazy. Hogan is ON tonight with just a lot of energy. Owing to Dylan's point that Funk matches usually includes a spot you have never seen point, on the drop down-criss cross, Hogan steps on Funk on each pass in a really neat pass. Funk does the furniture toss gimmick, which I love. In a nice sequence, Funk low blows Hogan and goes to the top to capitalize and Hogan shakes the top rope crotching Funk on the ropes. Some timely distraction from the Mouth of the South, leads to Funk choking Hogan with his tape. Piledriver by Funk (they need to bring the piledriver back) gets only 2. Hulk-up ->Branding Iron cutoff ->Clothesline finishes. In the Race match you get the wicked table bump and a little bit more heel offense. In this match, you get Terry Funk making Hulk Hogan look like a million bucks with smaller, more plentiful bumps and some fun no good cheating. I like Hogan's punches and think they rate in the upper tier of good worked punches. I think this match is a better representation by Hogan was such a phenomenon.

I needed something to break the pace of non-stop Backlund and Hogan before I went to bed, but also was short. I settled on Windham/Murdoch (Philly 2/85), which seemed to do well in the DVDVR circles. I had seen the match before, but wasn't blown away by it. Barry Windham vs Dick Murdoch Philly 2/85 Windham is one-half of the tag champs with Rotundo. The US Express beat North-South to win the titles and this is a singles grudge match that stems from that. Rotundo/Adonis would interest me. The storyline seems to be gritty veteran guile vs youthful athletic prowress, with a side of Southwestern Saucy Sass. I love the build up to the first punch, which Murdoch sells marvelously. Murdoch has to work a bit more, but he gets his first punch in. The difference is Murdoch follows his right up with nasty elbow and claws Windham's face, which establishes the theme of the match. Windham with a high sunset flip, but nothing doing. Windham punches out of a armbar and grabs his own. Murdoch with some forearms and displays how pleased he is with himself by readjusting his trunks. Windham grabs an abdominal stretch, but gets tossed over the ring. Murdoch won't let him re-enter as he is just pounding him with rights and Windham is selling like a champ by hanging like deadweight on the top rope. Windham makes his rousing comeback on the outside and Murdoch goes full-on Three Stooges with the facial contortions and the weak windmill punches in the ring while Barry slugs away. Windham crashes and burns on a flying splash attempt. Murdoch mounts a counterattack with some pretty lefts and rights, which leads to Windham doing a nice bump to the outside and into the railing. Murdoch attacks with a crutch, but when he tries to bring Windham in with a powerslam; Windham rolls through it and picks up the pin. Murdoch, infuriated, attacks Windham with a mic. I think this is a good match, but is lacking a certain je ne sais quoi to really put it over the top. The middle is just kind of there. Windham's selling is superb and Murdoch's is awesome in his own way, but maybe it is due to time compression this doesn't come off as special to me. It is a fun popcorn match, but I wouldn't say it is one of the all-time classics. Their '87 UWF is a much better outing in my opinion.

I have seen Hogan work a decent double wristlock in a different match and I think he was always a decent wrestler. He seemed like he knew his holds better than Piper or Sting. On 3/83, Backlund/Muraco what pissed me off was the lack of heat, hatred or violence in a Texas DEATH Match. There was no excuse to wrestle that kind of match under Texas Death rules. I have watched a ton of Bob in Japan and have been impressed, but will talk about more in depth when I am more awake.

I actually think Hogan is way better at offense than he is at selling. I think we can all agree that Hogan couldnt bump worth a shit. It seems like he was physically incapable. This stands out as the number one reason why his matches are not held to the same standard. So I watched Backlund vs Hogan the other day (you can find my thoughts on the match in the Bob Backlund thread) and got me thinking if there was ever a better Hogan match. The only two matches that came to mind were both from WCW (Flair BATB '94 and Vader SB V). I thought that was downright weird. I really started racking my brain about his WWF run. There is the Desert Storm match with Slaughter that I think could be his best, but I have not seen the full thing. Hogan/Savage always feels like a good pairing that could never break out have a transcendent classic match, but there have been a couple matches in Boston ('86 & '89) that get pimped that I have not seen. As is, I would say their January '85 MSG match is my favorite of their series. Wrestlemania V has such an incredible angle, but I don't feel like the hate is at the fever pitch that it should have been at (especially since I know Savage can get to that level). I like Hogan/Warrior quite a bit, but I would have to watch it again. I need to watch the Orndorff and Bockwinkel matches again, but as is I would say the Backlund match from 1980 is his best match. I want to focus on his first reign because it is so long and seemed to be provide with such slim pickings of classics. That being said, I do want to get back to Backlund, Crockett and All Japan so I don't know how long this little survey of Hogan matches will go. My first opponent choice will Harley Race. The way I see Race is like a supped up Mr. Perfect, bumps just as well, but with wicked offense. Hulk Hogan/Roddy Piper vs Heenan Family (Mr. Wonderful/Harley Race) Let me get this out of the way early, Harley Race looks foolish in his "King" regalia, but everyone needs a gimmick. The face target Harley's arm with quick tags. The quick tags work on two levels by isolating Race and building trust between two former bitter rivals (Piper and Hogan play up each tag with a staredown). Race sends Piper into Wonderful's knee and hits the first big move of the match, a belly-to-belly. Orndorff looks content to garner heat and grind it out. Harley aims to impress with his powerslam and kneedrop. I like Piper as a face in peril because he is so scrappy and dogged. It is a fun take on the babyface in peril. Hogan is annoying on the apron. Hogan cleans house and eventually a heel miscommunication leads to Piper picking up the win. It was a fun little inoffensive match where Race and Piper looked like the best workers. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race MSG 5/87 This match was a total clusterfuck, but it was still entertaining. Hogan and Race seemed to have a hard time figuring out how they wanted to structure the match. Hogan was at his worst about turning his selling on/off. This match exposed Hogan as only having two discrete conditions: offensive superman and nearly dead mortal. He was overselling right off the bat and would quickly turn it off. Race, for his part, was no better as he was flip-flopping between ridiculous bumps and weak offense (punches, stomps and chinlock). The bumps were pretty spectacular and definitely the best part of the match. The first bump where he had landed belly first on the apron and sprung backward into chairs and the guardrail was quite good. The match finally got going when Race cut off the Hulk Up with a nasty headbutt, which Hogan bladed off of (maybe the hardway?). Race missed a diving headbutt and Hogan rolls him up for 3. Race attacks him post-match to set up the return bout. I know it sounds like I was being harsh about the match, but there really was not anything interesting besides the Race bumps. It was Hogan by the numbers, but with Race bumping better than most. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race MSG 6/87 Texas Death Match Great match! Hogan/Race is never going to be a masterpiece, but this is a huge improvement. Hogan is all dressed up and raring to go. He throws Race all around the ringside area and chokes him with his tape, which is punctuated by popping Race in the head with a chair and the cushion pops out. So Race is left wearing the chair around his neck in a cool visual. Already, this is way better than the Backlund/Muraco '83 Texas Death Match snorefest. Race takes over with a well-placed low blow. Race is out to throw out all his offense: headbutts, a piledriver and a gutwrench suplex. Hogan irish whips Race to the outside, who flies outta the ring. I am still amazed a 44 year old could take these bumps. Hogan gets distracted by the Brain and Race sends him into the post. Of course, with Hogan prone lying on that cold concrete, I mean how could Harely resist. Yep, you guessed it Harley eats concrete. Harley when will you learn. Here comes Hogan with chairshots, ring post and piston punches. The biggest flaw of the match is that Race just decides that Hogan needs to eat a piledriver on the floor. Another low blow is all I am asking to set up that spot. Race brings him back in and hits him with the belt. Once again, Hogan is just lying their prone on that mat, I mean how could Harley resist. Oh, Harley! He eats title belt for his troubles and Hogan doesn't even drop a leg, but collects his victory. This was bell-to-bell action with Harley and Hogan, I ain't gonna complain, but to quote Joe Walsh, sometimes I still do. Hogan hit overdrive on his selling kind of early and Harley did have one rushed transition in order to get to the finish. In terms of a heated Hogan sprint, besides the early Savage matches, I don't think you will find a better. This is easily one of my new favorite Hogan matches and one of the best matches from the height of Hulkamania. Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race 3/88 SNME This is right after the infamous twin Hebner-Andre-DiBiase screwjob, but before Wrestlemania IV. Since Race was already used around the horn might as well squeeze every bit out of him and have him job on national TV. That is really smart booking if you ask me. This match suffers from compression issues and trying to get over a storyline that doesnt concern Harley Race. Hogan comes out hot, but it doesnt feel the same. In the first match, it felt like he was vengeful against Harley Race. In this match, it feels like Race is not at his level and Hogan is just venting his frustration. Hogan no-sells a bunch of headbutts (I am debating whether that is worse than his overselling of them). Race's bumping and selling is even too cartoonish for me as he looks like a Popeye opponent selling an uppercut (even though he is being hit by overhand rights). Hogan's rulebreaking is way too much and The Body doesn't miss a beat to point it out. Everything is really heated, but it just isnt as fun as the last match. Race takes over after Hogan is distracted by the Brain. Race is wicked excited to get his stuff in now as he hits a falling headbutt, belly-to-belly, kneedrop and a piledriver. Finally Race feels like he has him and he sets him up on a table to the outside. Hogan is laying prone on that sweet wood and Race was going to drive him through it. I mean after all, third time is the charm. Alas, we all know how this story ends. In fact, that is the bump that apparently fucked up Harley pretty badly as he went abdomen first into the table. He left a pretty good impression into it and it was a total holy shit bump, but Harley if only you could have left well enough alone. What the fuck? So Harley no-sells what I believe is a legit injury because he is all-man and hits a diving headbutt on Hogan in the ring. What? Call me crazy, but that seems like a waste of a really good bump. Kick out -> Hulk Up. Besides the ridiculous brainfart not to have the table bump be the momentum swing spot this was a perfectly fun little match, but nothing on the level of the previous match. So far, Backlund/Hogan remains in my No. 1 spot, but I will say Hogan's selling in these 4 matches was very discrete. Either he was feeling superhuman or he was on his death bed. I know there are matches where he does a better job, but that is definitely a weakness that he didnt modulate his selling better. He still couldnt bump worth a shit. I actually like Hogan's offense. The best part of Hogan matches is they dont overstay their welcome. His matches are like the punk rock songs of wrestling. Too bad, I happen to be a guy who likes guitar solos.

WWE.com had the entirety of Hogan vs Backlund up from 4/12/80 Philly and I just had to watch. JR and Lawler are on commentary. Was there originally no commentary? Lawler lets us know that Hogan had some pretty gnarly back hair back in his day and because he thought it was unsightly would shave it. Lawler credits Hogan with starting this trend in wrestling. WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Hulk Hogan - 4/12/80 Philly One of the best tit for tat matches, I have ever seen. Backlund seemingly has a chip on his shoulder just as much as the challenger because wants to prove that even though Hogan is bigger anything that Hogan can do Backlund can do better. Hogan does a bodyslam/elbow drop combination then not to be outdone Backlund does one. Hogan picks up Backlund out of a headlock onto the top turnbuckle and almost slaps him, well Backlund doesnt forget and 10 minutes later in the match Backlund picks Hogan up out of a short arm scissors and places him on the top and slaps him. They trade vertical suplexes late and finally they trade airplane spins late, but Bob's ego is his demise. As he is trying to prove himself, Backlund loses sight of where he is and does an airplane spin on the floor, which leads to him getting counted out. Couple this with incredible opening 10 minute stretch of Backlund out-wrestling and using his quickness to stymie and frustrate Hogan and you have me asking: Best Hogan Match Ever? I think Flair BatB '94 and Vader SB V are the only ones that can compete, but I haven't watched the Bockwinkel matches in forever. I expected the out-wrestling and the utilization of Backlund's quickness in a battle of Hogan's might. However, what really put this match over the top for me was the wrinkle of Bob trying to replicate everything Hogan could do. In the end, this showing of pride robbed him of winning the match. I think the action was better in the '84 Valentine match, but this was the best story I have seen so far out of Bob.

Don't know where I am going to put all the North-South matches, I will be watching, but Cap'n Redneck seems to get plenty of love from the people, here. So might as well show the Adorable One a little love. Is it the North-South Connection or North-South? WWF World Tag Team Champions North-South Connection vs Sgt Slaughter & Terry Daniels 7/23/84 MSG http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xte2fc_ad...rt#.URz2ox19KSo I know I bitched about the Final Conflict and I am going to back and watch it. But, I couldnt help but think the babyface shine segment with Terry "Half-Squat" Daniels was done 1000x better than the Final Conflict one. You think Daniels would be the one over his head, but he uses his quickness and fundamentals (read: armdrags and dropkicks) to really throw Murdoch and Adonis off. Murdoch and Adonis do a really good job keeping something so basic so entertaining by bumping and stooging huge for this guy. This is the department where I think Adonis actually out-worked Murdoch for this one match. Adonis was just on fire with his movement and his bumping. Honestly, I felt that Daniels ended up with too much time on offense, but that might be the Crockett fan in me. I know the 80s WWF was babyfaces run show. The heat segment on Daniels was brief, but did include a sweet running Oklahoma slam by Adonis. Hot tag to Slaughter and he cleaned house that had the Garden rocking. The finish was excellent as Adonis knees Slaughter in the back during his cobra clutch. Daniels in with three dropkicks and then a cross-body block on Adonis, which people actually bought as a false finish. That is a testament to Slaughter's rub and Adonis/Murdoch bumping all over the place for "Half-pint". After some timely ref distraction. North-South hit Demolition Decapitation on Daniels to end a really fun match. This was really well executed popcorn match that made "Little" Terry Daniels seem like one of the giants of the industry. Sarge was an effective senior member of the tag team. Adonis and Murdoch were flying all around in this match. I really enjoyed this one.

Don Muraco sucks. Want proof? Muraco vs Santana 1/84 MSG I-C Title. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaapzd_ti...-ic-title_sport http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaaros_ti...raco-pt-2_sport My comments from the Muraco thread: Well now, I understand all the Muraco is lazy talk. I mulled this over the interminable Tito headlock and I dont think a more boring match has ever happened in wrestling history. At one point Gorilla asks, "Why should he change focus away from the head?" almost as a direct Fuck You to every fan thinking that this was a total, utter snoozefest. At least Tito showed some good fire during the finish run to the lamest Double DQ in history when both men were fighting in the ropes.

01/23/84 Don Muraco vs. Tito Santana (16:01) http://www.otherarena.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=10851#10851 "Horrible match. Staggering how bad it is, and it probably is the worst performance from Don that I've seen." This a million times! If only you warned me... Don Muraco vs Ricky Steamboat 11/9/85 On the Don Muraco sliding scale, this is a very good match, but I would say it is just average. Even at the beginning, which is supposed to be a hot start, Muraco just isnt throwing himself into the match in a way that feels violent. Coming off watching Valentine/Tito, Muraco barley seems to be grazing Steamboat, but that doesn't stop Steamboat from selling like a pro. I liked the work with the sash (for lack of a better term) it was a good way to incorporate the earlier angle. I dont why Steamboat decided (not his decision perhaps) to ground the match with a chinlock when he should be out for blood. In his defense, he did show some serious fire, which is a usual criticism of his. His chops looked very much on point. The transition to the heat segment with a Fuji cane shot was good. Muraco's heat segment, save for the shoulderbreaker (that moves needs to make a comeback) was a bore. The comeback matched the beginning in terms of energy and brought the match back to life. I feel that Muraco could have probably waited until Steamboat got the cane to blade to really sell the fury, but hey he was trying to add drama, I guess can't fault him. As John said, you definitely get the feeling of hate and heat in this match, but Muraco is still working at half-speed, but still the best Muraco match I have ever seen. Don Muraco vs Ricky Steamboat 2/6/86 - Martial Arts There is no sliding scale needed for this match. This is a very good match built around Steamboat's acumen in the ring and Muraco's charisma. Muraco undoubtedly possesses a lot of charisma, it is just we dont get to see when he is laying on the mat in a headlock. The beginning of the match establishes that this Ricky's domain and Muraco can mock it all he wants, but at the end of the say Steamboat is going to kick his ass. I dont understand why Muraco didnt rely more on gimmicks, schtick and general tomfoolery if he didnt feel like working. It would have been way more entertaining and just as untaxing as lying in a headlock. Eventually we do get a Steamboat headlock/facelock, but it doesnt last that long until Muraco takes over with a Samona drop and out on the floor he catapults Steamboat into a chair in a great spot. He then busts Steamboat wide open off a ring post shot. Muraco's heat segment is totally centered around him choking out Steamboat with his own sash and this builds to the piledriver, which he dedicated to The Body. He plays a bit too much with his food before Steamboat is able to break out of the piledriver. The Steamer is cookin and now seems way more comfortable in the martial arts gimmick as a series of chops punctuated by one of the top rope send Muraco to the mat. Muraco dumps him over, but Steamboat hangs on and kicks Fuji before coming back in reversing a suplex into a roll-up for the win. This is the best I have seen Steamboat look in the WWF since I have been rewatching his stuff (I presume the Savage stuff, which I love will soon top this). I liked the Bob Orton match, but it didnt really seem to go anywhere. This match is the type of match the WWF excels in. It is built around a handful of big spots and relies on the wrestler's ability to connect with the crowd to get the match over. Steamboat is one of the best babyfaces of all-time and Muraco seemed more game than ever to stooge to get the gimmick over. Steamboat seemed more comfortable on offense than previously in the WWF. All in all, this made for a very good match. My major quibble is the post-match beatdown by Muraco on Steamboat. What the hell was the point of Muraco getting his heat back. He had already had his series with Hogan. So he was on his way down, while ostensibly Steamboat was on his way up ready to feud with Jake The Snake and Macho Man. Don Muraco vs Ricky Steamboat 9/22/85 - Lumberjack Match Another good contest and I believe even better than the Martial Arts match because there was even less downtime, which is a feat for a Muraco match. Steamboat came out with guns blazing and Muraco did a pretty good job bumping around for him. They do the usual stuff to establish the nature of lumberjack match. Muraco is surprisingly game for doing some offense. He does the Mr. Perfect necksnap, atomic drop and a shoulderbreaker, which sets up his nerve hold on the shoulder. I am not a big fan of the nerve hold, but up until that point he was actually moving around and actually hitting stuff with a bit of panache. Steamboat is really working hard on the defensive to put over Muraco's offense. Even Muraco's Irish Whip at the end of the match looked vicious. Vicious is not a word I would use to describe pretty much anything Muraco has done. I would be remiss not to mention that ref is counting noticeably slow for Muraco's covers. Gorilla and Jess are besides themselves. Bob Orton is on the outside and plays the role of heel running buddy. Fuji runs distraction and Muraco is going to Irish whip Steamboat into Orton's cast, but nothing doing. Steamboat drives Muraco into Orton and rolls him up. Muraco tries to get his heat back, but the babyfaces run him off. It was an action-packed match where Muraco actually looked good on offense. Steamboat has been looking good in this feud. There is just something about him besides the fact that he missed huge chunks of time that has me ruling him out as GOATC. He lacks a big bomb. He relies too much on quick roll-ups and flash pins. There is nothing he has in his arsenal that screams put away. I actually he is plenty good at showing fire, but really his big weapon is just the chop. I like people to have a little bit more variety in their attack and outside of his chop to the chest, he works really light.

HAWAII EXPLODES~! A good angle involving Muraco! Muraco looked great in his 3 minute sprint with Steamboat before they did the hanging angle. The martial arts gimmick fucked Steamboat all up you can tell.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine vs Tito Santana 3/17/85 MSG Lumberjack Match This is definitely my favorite match of series so far as it fleshes the hard-hitting action of the earlier matches with some more time to build to a great climax. They do a great job to get over the lumberjack stip by having Tito have his most impressive babyface shine and Valentine constantly powdering. Valentine takes over after Tito is a bit overzealous charging into the corner. Valentine, aimless at first, settles into his bread and butter working over the leg. Most of Tito's hope spots induce great hard-hitting slugfests. Valentine's forearms are just gnarly and Tito's left jab is a thing of beauty. During Tito's comeback, all the drama is whether Tito can apply the figure-4 and gain a measure of revenge. When Santana applies the hold, the Garden erupts and even I am feeling it. However, it is all for naught because the dastardly Big John Studd pulls Valentine to the safety of the ropes. Santana gives him the business; Valentine recovers; they end up doing the double noggin-knocker and Valentine falls on top for the finish. I really liked this match and it was a ton of fun. However, I would not put it over Backlund/Valentine '84 or Backlund/Patera '80. I need to find the blowoff cage match, before I can call it quits on this feud.

Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine MSG 1984 I thought the '84 match was incredibly intelligent. I didnt think it started out that slow. There was the Albano stalling, but almost immediately you have Valentine doing meaningful arm work. Valentine works over the infamous '83-'84 Backlund shoulder injury in a way that really builds drama and Backlund for his part keeps it entertaining by doing awesome spots like bridging out of a top wristlock. When Valentine goes for a big bomb in the form of a second rope leg drop only to crash and burn causing Backlund to work over the leg in a refreshing change of pace. He was quite good at it and getting me involved in his own goofy Bob way especially when he just picks him up by the legs & tights and drops him. It just seems like such a Backlund move. He still wrings out his arm from time to time and it does prevent him doing a crossface. I like how the next transition has Valentine tripping Backlund up and slamming his knee against the apron. It gets them where they want to go Valentine working over Backlund's knee in a smart, organic way. I always enjoy Valentine's leg work. Valentine busts out a Boston Crab and they do all the usual Figure-4 preventive escapes. Valentine even rips Backlund's pick him up by the leg and tights and drop him. I love symmetry in wrestling. My favorite spot besides the setup for Valentine's leg work was when Backlund was so worn out that instead of hitting his patented atomic drop; he had to just drop back and deliver a back suplex. It takes so much out of Backlund that Valentine actually is able to lock in the figure-4, but gets greedy and uses the ropes in full view of the ref. Valentine thinks he wins (he likes these angles), but Backlund surprises him with a roll-up. Love, love everything about this match. It has Valentine and Backlund so everything is tough and gritty on the mat. The match is wicked smart with Valentine beginning with what he knows is hurt. He tries to put Backlund away early, but crashes so Backlund takes advantage of an opening. Valentine, in heel fashion, powders and suckers Bob in and is able to wrap the knee around the apron to set up his bread and butter. From there, it is just two of the best working a great heat segment with well-timed hope spots and a finish that makes everyone look good (Valentine was to be a Hogan challenge). Call me crazy, but I would put this up there with anything from the WWF in the 1980s.

Thanks for setting this up as Steamboat has been one of the guys I have been exploring in depth until he got tabled in favor of Valentine and Backlund. It all got kicked off by how utterly underwhelmed I was by the Final Conflict. I thought that was one of the most boring babyface shine segments I had ever seen. I am totally fine with going back to the headlock everytime, but Flair/Reed this was not. Once we got past that, I thought we were going to get all these bitchin Sgt Slaughter bumps, but alas it did not seem to come to fruition. I watched this previous Friday and have already managed to forget most of it. It was not a bad match by any stretch, but given that it was Steamboat & Slaughter; I came in with great expectations. That may have been unfair. I have watched the Steamboat & Youngblood vs Briscos match on numerous occasions and I finally figured out I feel is off about it. The heat segments are way too short and thus the hot tags aren't built to a fever pitch. It is a match that seems to purposefully restrain itself due to the hype around Flair/Race. It seems like they were just going for a feel-good match rather than all-time classic. Unlike Valentine/Piper, which was a totally unrestrained effort by two men and they stole the show in my estimation. So I am pretty sour on the Steamboat & Youngblood pairing, but a Funks match in All Japan. may just be the remedy I need to turn myself around on them.

John, I believe there was a Backlund title defense at MSG against Ivan Koloff from April 1983, did you see that? I saw there was a Koloff/Backlund match up on youtube, but it can't be from 1983 given Bob's hair length. I watched the '84 Backlund/Valentine match that went to a finish for the second time and holy shit it is good. I will do a better write up later, but I loved it. I watched Backlund/Patera Texas Death Match for probably 3rd or 4th time and I liked a lot, but not as much as usual, but it blows the '83 Texas Death Match w/Muraco out of the water. Backlund hits one of the prettiest lookin' piledrivers I have ever seen. He spiked him real good and it was none of this weak-ass sit down gently shit. I can't find any of the high-end Backlund stuff up in full with Valentine '79, Muraco '81, Adonis '82, or Rose '82 (will have to wait for the WWF set ). Plus I still have to watch Backlund/Harley from '80, but so far I have to say I enjoyed the '84 Valentine just a hair more than '80 Patera TDM, but it is essentially first among equals.

What year is that from? I like the weirdness of those teams. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter 5/23/1983 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmj2w_bob...rt#.URhP3x19KSp This is easily the best match of Backlund's 1983 campaign. It is not "drop everything you are doing and watch this" good, but if you got some time on your hands and you want to watch 80s WWF then this is a good match to watch. Amazingly, this is a very good match even though Backlund is on defense, which is not something I consider his strength so this match maybe more of a testament to Slaughter's ability. Apparently, Slaughter beat Backlund with his Swagger Stick according to Gorilla Monsoon prior to this match. There aint nothing wrong with that in my book, but apparently Backlund took exception to that. I guess Slaughter didn't say surprise first. So Backlund is all hot and bothered to start, which means we get what I love about Slaughter: bumping like a maniac for Bob. Slaughter's over the top turnbuckle bump is one of my favorites. Slaughter takes over off a clothesline. This was Backlund's best shine section yet. Transitions are very important to me and that one was kind of weak. Slaughter's control segment was way better than Superstar's or Muraco's. He had a good variety of moves and general roughhousing. I dont always need body part psychology, sometimes just a mean heel is good enough. I have always the double stomp to the gut, just a plain good heel move. Backlund timed his hope spots well. It really felt like a struggle rather than exhibition of moves. There was a swinging neckbreaker and it wasn't sold like death, though this pre-dated the Masked Superstar angle. I was a bit bummed. Is it just me or at 14:35 does someone scream "Howdy Doody, lets go!" ? Slaughter busts out a dropkick, which surprises me and Gorilla. My favorite spot of this match is when Backlund deadweights Slaughter on a suplex attempt and Slaughter still is able to pick him up and hang him to dry on the top rope. It was an excellent struggle spot. Having softened the mid-section, Sarge goes for the kill with a shoulder tackle into the corner only to eat the ringpost (excellent transition). Backlund zeroes in on the hurt shoulder with a Chickenwing Crossface, but as Slaughter makes it to the ropes, the dastardly Grand Wizard hands the Swagger Stick to Slaugher who hits in the head with it. The Swagger Stick turns out to be a riding crop, which makes way more sense, but I totally cribbing that as a new term in my friend circle. Backlund gets a hold of the Swagger Stick and the crowd is whipped into a frenzy and he chases Slaughter out of the ring. I remember not liking their 1981 cage match all that much, but this was pretty damn fun. I will definitely be looking up more Backlund/Slaughter confrontations.

Bob Backlund vs The Masked Superstar 1/21/83 Philadelphia So the MSG rematch is not up, unfortunately, but I figured I would watch this one. I like this match as the better of the two because of the dueling stories. They played up Backlund's injured shoulder (what caused his demise in the Sheik title defense) and Backlund's obsession with unmasking the Masked Superstar. Superstar did some good work, but a bit methodical. He did use the outside effectively. Backlund sure likes the headbutt to the gut as a transition move in his matches and it is as good as any. Superstar's flying headbutt (it is like a flying forearm) is something that should be ripped off. Backlund's obsession with unmasking the Masked Superstar played well into the finish of him getting carried away and losing by countout. Overall, this series was decent, but there is definitely better Backlund work out there. As I understand Backlund better, I bet that this is something I would consider Backlund by the numbers.

Besides Savage, Backlund is my favorite 80s WWF performer and it seems that jdw has already done a pretty good exploring him, which only makes my exploration of him that much more enjoyable. Even in my formative years as a fan, reading about the '94 Backlund angle intrigued me as it was the story of a man who snapped because he had hit rock bottom and there is nothing more dangerous than a man who just doesn't give a fuck anymore. However, it has only been recently that I have actually watched Backlund's work from his prime. I like grappling and chain wrestling a lot and that is what I figured I would get with Mr. Backlund, but I have found him to be pretty much in the mold of most territorial stars of the 80s. Yes, he works holds more than most, I would say, but he had just as many blood feuds and was really able to get violent when called upon. I like that too and have enjoyed many a Backlund match. Personally, my favorite aspect of Backlund's work is definitely his offense. In the beginning of the match, I dig his goofy headlock and think his arm work is usually well done. Then during his comeback, he brings the fire in a way that most WWF babyfaces lack. It felt like he was fighting through something rather than turning something off. I don't think I have all of Backlund mannerisms and tendencies down yet so that I can create a narrative for him, but I will say that I definitely think he is an very good pro wrestler. One last thing does anyone else think that Backlund's posture is wicked awkward. He leans way too far forward and sticks his ass way out as if he was doing a permanent Jeff Bagwell imitation. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs The Masked Superstar 10/1983 MSG So Eadie crippled poor Eddie Gilbert with a swinging neckbreaker on the floor and Bob is out for revenge! Superstar claims towards the beginning that Backlund pulled his mask on a head scissors, which makes me laugh. Backlund works the opening holds really well targeting the arm to setup for the crossface chickenwing. What I love about 80s wrestling is how much a punch to the head meant. One cheapshot from Superstar sends Backlund careening to the outside and is a real momentum changer. It is a perfect way for a heel to get heat because he couldnt compete fairly all he does ball up his fist and crack the guy. Backlund's selling is his weak point for me. It is decent and all. It is just not evocative. Superstar's torpedo, flying headbutt is a really nifty move. He misses it a second time due to fundamental laws of wrestling. Big roar from MSG for the crossface chickenwing attempt, but Superstar is too big. Superstar sneaks in a clothesline while the ref distracts Bob. Then he hits the dreaded swinging neckbreaker. He doesnt cover no, he wants to maim Backlund and delivers another one outside. Backlund messes up the angle by getting back up and chasing him off. That is a booking decision not a wrestler's I would guess so I dont hold it against him, but it dissipates a lot of the heat of the angle. This was the last major angle of Backlund era before the loss to Sheiky Baby. I have to say it felt pretty flat to me. It was pedestrian work, which there is nothing wrong about that, but it wasn't anything excellent. I would at least be more excited about the rematch if Backlund really sold the neck angle.