Superstar Sleeze

Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express - WrestleWar 1990 I need to watch this match more frequently than every six years thats for sure! What I think is so amazing about this match is its ability to seamlessly transition from comedy to dramatic wrestling. So many matches would have felt disjointed given this format, but that is why the Midnights and RnRs are the best of the all-time because of their deft execution of this layout. This has to be one of the best face shine segments in the history of wrestling. I have watched a lot of Midnights shining up babyface tag teams so thats really saying something now in 2019. It establishes the RnRs as clearly the best tag team, the Midnights bump & stooge in a way that keeps that million-watt smile on your face and it never feels like heel in peril. As the biggest "Sweet" Stan on the internet, is there a better Stan Lane performance? I dont think so. He is so on his game in this match. He takes the beginning of the match. He just makes Gibson look great. I love that spot where Lane goes for the monkey flip and Gibson fist drops him. It is just perfect fun wrestling. Then of course the Lane/Patrick confrontation that leads to great Cornette/Patrick confrontation that always puts an ear to ear smile on your face when you watch. Another great spot is Lane gets hit with an atomic drop and collides with Eaton. Then Lane shoves Eaton. It is so rare that there is dissension that does not lead to anything so that makes it stand out. Sometimes tempers flare it doesnt mean the team has to dissolve. I liked that touch. It is so good nobody has mentioned that cool spot where Morton climbs up on Eaton and delivers a fist drop onto Lane. That was a holy shit moment for me. They just jammed so many damn good spots in that opening segment. Honestly, it is not worth making an entire list. Really just watch it. It is just comedy gold and the Midnight Express cant buy a break. Morton looks so damn good in there. Next thing, you know Bobby Eaton and Ricky Morton slug it out and end up tumbling outside and Lane delivers a wicked slam and we enter Ricky Morton's bread and butter. The Midnights have so many MOVEZ~! but they never get lost in just tossing them out and everything is filled with great heelish behavior: the tennis racket shots, the eye-rakes and cutoffs. Again, like the the babyface shine, I dont think there is too much of a point of just listing move after move, but I think what makes that's this so good is how urgent the action is. They know that Morton is one of the greatest of all time so they are constantly tagging in and out. How many times did Morton have one member of the Midnight Express down, but the other cut him off. Stuff like ramming Eaton's head off the post, but Lane saves. Or Morton looks for an O'Connor Roll, but Lane had blind tagged Eaton and he hits a devastating neckbreaker. The spots looked great: Eaton's top rope elbow drop and Lane's powerslam, but it was the tension around the hot tag that makes this work. You really felt that agony of it being 2 on 1. Every time Morton would get the upper hand on one the other would save. It was exhilarating. Morton is in his element. The face in peril segment I believe is in excess of 10+ minutes. On second watch, I do think they go a little too long. The arm work at the end is strong but ultimately it is filler. The more Morton I watch the more I believe his penchant for really long face in peril segments is to the detriment of the match. I realized this time the finish is botched, but still the finish stretch was red hot and liked that Midnights had another nearfall with the racket shot before they went home. I am happy the Rock N Rolls go over because in such a feel-good match it was the perfect touch to have the Rock N Rolls pick up the duke. Is this considered the best RnR/Midnights match? I asked this back in 2013. I actually think I have now seen every major one now. I think some of the Condrey matches from 1986 on TBS are little underrated, but I dont think they match this level. Lane/Eaton are the ultimate workrate heel tag team and while I dont think workrate is everything, but when you add how selfless and how character-driven the Midnights are with this workrate you have a recipe for really amazing matches. To me, this match will leave smiling for days on end. ****3/4

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Sting - Clash of the Champions I First 15 minutes: Ric Flair in that bearhug is a great exhibition of why he is one of the greatest of all time. The pain expression, biting his thumb, clenching his fist and the wails of agony. God, he makes even the most boring holds very entertaining. I feel like this is a cross of the "musclehead" Flair match (Nikita/Hawk) and the Butch Reed style match. The first five minutes is tests of strength but also plenty of traditional shoot off into the ropes, criss cross movement Flair style. You feel like they are not telegraphing the draw. However, once they hit the Butch Reed headlock portion is when I felt that the telegraphing became evident. While I didnt care much for the Butch Reed matches, I thought these were better because they worked in and out of the headlocks more frequently and with more interesting, dynamic portions. I really liked the spot where Flair throws Sting out of the ring and he lands on his feet and he immediately leaps back into the ring. Watching a lot of Flair that is a typical Flair spot to buy himself some time and ultimately take over on the outside. This shows that those tricks would not work. He used this spot with Magnum when he was working that series in 1985. I really liked Sting catching Flair in the press slam on two occasions on the criss cross. Flair loves to use motion in a kayfabe sense to create offense and in a non-kayfabe sense to generate excitement, you see the early portion Sting winning all these battles usually with the press slam. You are generating excitement from the motion and the payoff is the babyface press slam is just smart pro wrestling psychology. Then on one drop down, Sting just jumps on him with and clamps down the headlock. This shows Sting is smart (which is a shocker) because he is not just blindly following routine he sees an opportunity goes for it. Flair's majority of offense is coming from non-clean breaks as one would expect. He lands a couple good shots to the ribs, but cant sustain any momentum. Again, this makes Sting look like a viable champion because he is not just ragdolling Flair, but overcoming his shortcuts. There was one awkward sequence when Sting misses a dropkick but Flair takes a Flair Flop. The first third of the match is that great bearhug that I opened with. I really think thats the best bearhug I have ever seen. This is way better than I remember. It is quite engaging and Flair is doing a great job leading in the match. Middle 15 minutes: Tremendous Ric Flair heat segment. I am actually a little disappointed they did so many Sting hope spots because I think they had so much in the tank. This middle section is is defined by the overeager Sting making rookie mistake after rookie mistake. As Ric Flair is hollering out "My back, my back", Sting lets go of the bearhug. I get it. He was frustrated and had grown impatient, but that was the start of the downfall. I love how gradual the transition is. First Sting misses an elbow drop but he can still whip Flair hard into the corner, but he goes charging in and Flair moves and Sting hits hard on the buckles and hurts his ribs. Still Sting perseveres and tries to mount for the ten punch in the corner but Flair comes out and hits the inverted atomic drop. Now it is Rolex Time, brutha. He throws Sting out and whips him hard into the steel railing repeatedly. Flair is targetting the back and great selling from Sting. I really, really liked the backrakes and then fishhook! Flair was getting nasty. Sting did a lot of No Selling to get back into the match. I like No Selling; it definitely beats just going back on offense. At least it signals to the offense something cool is happening. I also like that each time it looked like Sting would gain momentum he would get overeager and fuck up. First it was a flying lariat into the steel post and then a lariat over the top rope onto the floor. The side headlock and bearhug were serving Sting so well as soon as he started leaving his feet he started to dig himself in a hole. I love that these moves were being treated as high risk moves because they are! They are NOT gimmes! What I didnt like is that there were so many of them that they lost their luster. I think they could have built off the flying lariat to the post that they went back to Sting on offense too quickly. I did like the top rope Sting crossbody as a nearfall. Then as the second 15 minutes was ending Flair hits a kneecrusher. We had three different body parts and four major momentum swings to Flair in a 15 minute time period. As much as I enjoy Flairism and its chaotic nature, this was too much and things were not allowed to breathe. It is amazing that you can claim things are being rushed in a 45 minute match, but they were. Flair works the leg very well as expected. Kneecrushers, kicks, knees and chops to the knee. It only dawned on me recently but he really loved the back suplex as his setup move to the Figure-4. It makes sense you need to get your opponent flat on his back and it is cooler than a bodyslam. I thought they established a good foundation in the first 15 minutes. I liked the story of Sting making a ton of rookie mistakes in this 15 minutes but it is tempered by the fact that I thought it was a little rushed and the Flair heat segments did not feel fleshed out. Final 15 minutes: Ok it is official, this match is way, way better than I remember it. I loved this thread they weaved of Sting being able to ever hit a move when he leaves his feet. If Sting just works holds, he can stay in control, but he cant win the match either that way. So needs to take these chances but they never pay off. Until he finally hits the Stinger Splash with 30 seconds left and then applies the Scorpion Deathlock...I mean how fucking great is that! Lets take it from the top, Sting is in the Figure-4 at the start of this third. I really thought there was some exceptional selling from both men. I really thought Flair sold the turnover well. Stinger goes for a splash on the mat, but Flair gets the knees up. See Sting cant buy a big spot. But when it comes time to put on the abdominal stretch he can get that. If Sting can keep it basic, he can use his strength, but he cant put the match away that way. He grabs Flair by the feet and pulls him over into the corner and posts him! I love it! Sting uses the figure-4 see now this is a submission hold. Of course this does not get it done, but now we go into overdrive with Flair doing the Flair Flip right over the celebrity judges and Sting kicking ass on the outside. We get all the great Flair sunset flip spots; I really liked the Flair Flip->Crossbody roll through for nearfall for Sting. In this fracas, Sting absolutely crashes and burns on a Stinger Splash in the corner and ends up on the outside. Nasty bump. Great reinforcement that Sting has controlled the match, but cant hit the home run. Then with time dwindling and all the rapid nearfalls, we finally get that Stinger Splash that finally lands and the Scorpion Deathlock as time expires. It is ruled a draw. I thought I was going to like this match, but I ended up loving it! I had seen twice before, but I think once I picked up on the thread that Sting just couldnt buy a highspot and they really treated high risk moves as just that high risk moves that match was really enhanced. The first 15 minutes is very basic but establishes that Sting can do Pro Wrestling 101, but you cant beat the Nature Boy that way. The middle 15 minutes is Flair gaining his advantages because Sting is impatient and keeps making mistakes going for the home run. Flair is great on offense during this time. The last 15 minutes is just balls to the wall can Sting pull out a major upset. Whats amazing is half of Sting's offense was just fucking No Selling. Flair took a greenhorn and made him look like The Man. Flair was just on fire. I cant say enough about his selling in the holds. Just so damn good. Look how good he was when he going for those backrakes and fishhooks, he looked nasty. In that last 15 minutes when it is all cardio and it is a race against the clock thats Flair in his element. This is A-Grade Flair Spot Calling combined with a very compelling Flair performance and a game opponent, thats all the recipe for one of the best matches of all-time. You know whats crazy, is I think they needed more time! I think some of this match was rushed that they could have spread out some of those Sting mistakes that this match would be even better! Only Ric Flair could ever need more time than 45 minutes to take his match to next level. He rocks! I am saying it here this match has become so overrated that it is now underrated. Clash of Champions I with MX vs Fantastics at ***** for me and Luger/Windham vs AA/Tully at ****3/4 and with this at a whopping ****3/4, it is undeniable to me that Clash I is the greatest US card of all time!

Thanks to you know who for the hookup! Dick Murdoch vs Ted DiBiase - Houston 12/29/85 Thanks to NWA Classics we have the full match. Not to be a downer, this is a classic and should be watched, but I dont think it is that terribly different from the Oklahoma City on New Years Eve and I think both matches are great. Murdoch with his jacket still on tries to jumpstart the match as DiBiase enters the ring. DiBiase roars back and hits a powerslam. Cap'n Redneck retreats. In something I cant believe I missed in the Oklahoma City match, Murdoch starts to work the neck and DiBiase immediately crumples. I thought this was to soften up DiBiase for the Brainbuster, but it is obvious that it is because of the Brainbuster that already happened back in November from the Flair angle. DiBiase's neck is an easy target. Again DiBiase is able to punch his way out of trouble and Murdoch has to retreat. DiBiase's selling is so great in this match that I think he may have been wasted being a heel a majority of his career. He really could have been something special as a lead babyface. The complexion of the match changes when Murdoch rams DiBiase into the turnbuckle (no real pad...more of just plastic tape) and then violently smashes the back of DiBiase's head into the turnbuckle! Amazing selling here from Ted. In a match with Dick Murdoch, it can be hard to stand out for facial expressions just because Dicky is so good, but DiBiase is really selling well. Murdoch busts DiBiase open. Lots of elbows and punches. DiBiase begins throwing bombs of his own. Murdoch is so good at selling. I love Murdoch's purposely whiffed punches to get over that he has taken a lot of damage. DiBiase fist drop busts Murdoch open. DiBiase looks to finish by loading his glove his infamous glove but misses the fist drop. He is in a great deal of pain and this enables Murdoch to kick some serious ass. He drops DiBiase over the railing neck first and then jabs him with a steel chair. One thing that is helpful from NWA Classics is the vastly improved video quality, which I think is enhancing DiBiase's selling. Murdoch rides him down like a surfboard driving his knee into the back of his neck but can only get two. He wants the Brainbuster, but DiBiase floats over and BANG! Nails him with the loaded glove for the win! Great satisfying finish. The Masked Superstar hits the ring and beats down DiBiase and Murdoch hits his brainbuster. My guess is they are continuing the feud in Houston as a tag team feud. Great slugfest, hate-filled grudge match. Definitely the war of attrition type, double juice, big time punches with a great finish stretch. Like I said I think this is just as good as the OKC match. They are so similar that I probably would not include both on a list and reading my review of the OKC match, there a couple transition touches that I think I liked better, BUT what this match has in spade is far superior video quality. I think the better video quality greatly enhances the experience and Ted DiBiase's phenomenal selling so I would recommend this match over the other. I would love to hear others' thoughts because I think both matches are very similar and very great. ****1/2

WWF Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude vs Ultimate Warrior - Summerslam 1989 Every heel in the wrestling business should watch how Rick Rude sells. Heel selling is rapidly becoming a lost art. I should NOT feel sympathy for a heel. I should either be pointing & laughing OR wanting to see the babyface kick more ass. Rick Rude is the master of this. Every cringe and expression of pain, I get a little bit of joy and I want to see the Warrior pour more on. Warrior is pissed because Rude & The Brain stole the Intercontinental Title from him at WrestleMania V and this is his revenge match. He is full controlled anger, stalking King of the Jungle mode. Lots of Warrior no selling to establish he feels NO PAIN! There is a crucial difference from no selling & not selling. "No selling" is a form of selling. It signals to the audience "I am a badass muthafucka and I am here to kick ass" or it is to announce the comeback. Not selling is when some tool takes a shot then just keeps moving to finish out the sequence. "No selling" is a powerful tool in the arsenal of a babyface and should NOT be decried. I LOVE the first highspot of this match. Warrior literally chucks Rude out of the ring. Warrior from a Military Press THREW Rude out to the floor. It was insane! Warrior throws Rude into the apron face-first. This is that heel selling I was talking about earlier. Belt shot by Warrior on the back of Rude again great Rude selling. Warrior is a man possessed. The Irish Whips into the corner, then the reverse atomic drop and then Warrior making Rude do a seat drop, these are all spots that in Rude's wheelhouse for selling. Rude really put on a heel selling clinic. Warrior had scored one move from the top, a double axehandle so he goes back for more, but Rude knocks him off the top. We get the reverse chinlock as is customary in Rude's matches. This is the only low point of the match. One thing, I should note is I liked Warrior's selling. He was just going down to one knee and NEVER bumping. He is looking to fight back. He is down not out. Kudos to Tony Schiavone pointing this out. This is actually a great match to point out the difference between babyface and heel selling. Also, I like the feeling that Rude's control is tenuous. We know that Warrior is an overwhelming force of nature. You know that Rude is just hanging on by a thread. Warrior starts to show life when he pries the hands of Rude open to avoid the Rude Awakening, which would have curtains. But Rude wraps him up in a sleeper. Warrior breaks free, but in the fracas the referee gets run over. Warrior unleashes a badass onslaught of offense: clotheslines, powerslams and even a piledriver! However, the ref being knocked out means he could not get the pinfall. On the piledriver, Rude got his foot on the rope once the ref awoke from his slumber. Running powerslam...WARRIOR SPLASH EATS KNEES! Wow! Rude goes for a piledriver...WAIT...is that a...GANSO BOMB?!?! Rude hits a safer version that but it was really not that safe. Warrior could have easily been spiked on his head! WOW! Now Rude unleashes a badass assault of offense, fist drop and a conventional piledriver. Now Roddy Piper is here. I have seen their steel cage from later in 1989 and I highly recommend it. I dont know what the beef was and Tony was pretty vague. It seems a way to protect Rude who they saw as a top flight heel still and didnt want to lose clean to Warrior, which is surprising as Warrior would be the Man in less a year. I dont think Hogan would have needed help to win his match. Rude hip swivels at Piper. So Piper lifts up his skirt to reveal a pair of his bare ass cheeks! Woah I didnt need to see that! Rude gets up on the turnbuckles in anger and Warrior comes gives him a German suplex! Nice! Warrior Shouldertackle! He really launches himself! PRESS SLAM! WARRIOR SPLASH! 1-2-3! Very fun, popcorn action blockbuster. In a era bereft of great matches, this match stands out as something really great special. Rude looked phenomenal here both on offense and selling. Hell even Warrior looked way better than usual, some great offense and selling when necessary. The bomb throwing at the end was awesome and riveting. It felt like I was watching All Japan at the end. I would still say Rockers vs Rougeaus is my WWF Match of the Year for 1989, but this is a close, close second. Highly recommended. ****1/2

"Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Sherri vs Ultimate Warrior - Wrestlemania VII Career Match Even though, I have seen it a zillion times and I knew it was coming, they still got me. It was right when Liz hopped over the barricade, it was like I was in the dustiest room imaginable. It wasnt the embrace or putting her on the shoulder because I knew all that was coming. I had forgotten about the rope holding spot. I just had a good cry. Greatest moment in pro wrestling history. I am not even sure it is close. For a moment to consistently make me cry just shows the incredible power. I have reviewed over 1800 matches at this point. I breakdown these matches logically really going into the minutia of what works and why it works. To me, the best matches are not for critical thinking. They are not the matches that appease the mind. They are the matches that make you feel. That move you. That hit you in the gut and tug on the heartstrings. Thats why this match is ***** all the way and I honestly think any rating less than that is severely underrating the match. As so many others have pointed out the Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth story arc from Wrestlemania II to Wrestlemania VIII is incredible. What makes it so good you dont even have to see the intervening moments. You can just watch those seven matches and you get the complete story of a man that is loaded with character development, action, twists & turns and ultimately the feel good ending of him winning the WWF Title from Ric Flair. The climax of that story is right here at Wrestlemania VII. After the jealous explosion at Wrestlemania V and Elizabeth getting a modicum of revenge with the help of the American Dream at Wrestlemania VI, this is where it all comes to a head. The Macho Man vs The Ultimate Warrior where one man's career will be over. I think you can assert that this is the most influential match of all time, at the very least the most influential WrestleMania match on other WrestleMania main events. "I'm sorry, I love you" comes right from this playbook. Now, it is not even WrestleMania main events but many WWE matches and indy matches that incorporate this style of cinematic storytelling. This is not an original thought many have picked up on the fact that Shawn Michaels popularized the style, BUT it was the Macho Man Randy Savage who innovated it. This is the pinnacle of Randy Savage's vision as a storytelling. To me this is the biggest reason, Vince McMahon loved Randy Savage so much is that they shared the very same vision of what pro wrestling could be. It could be a entertainment platform that truly captures every aspect of humanity. Vince loves moments. Pro wrestling even though it is a dynamic sport, Vince saw the value in distilling it into static images. I dont think there is a more powerful image than Randy hoisting Elizabeth on his shoulder. To me that is the pinnacle of Vince McMahon's vision of pro wrestling. Love is the most human experience. It is often sorely lacking in pro wrestling and even all these years later there is no greater love story. Am I ever going to talk about this match? The match sees Randy Savage in full Memphis heel mode and Ultimate Warrior is in stalking avenging angel mode. Warrior was very careful not to blow up during this match. His movements were all measured and never wasted. He understood the moment and it could be explained in kayfabe that he was cautious given the stakes of the match. Normally, I dont include the managers in the title of the match, but this was effectively a handicap match and Sherri worked OVERTIME in this match. She was every bit a part of this match as Savage and Warrior. They established pretty early on that Savage was outgunned by the bigger & stronger Warrior so it would take a team effort to take him down. Savage loves the spot where his opponent chokes him and lifts him high up in the air, but this time he is thrown into Sherri. They tried many distraction tactics but they all failed against Warrior who was laser-focused in this match. Warrior was absorbing the punishment and returning it tenfold. Warrior was basically playing King of the Jungle carved out the center of the ring while Savage and Sherri were two hyenas trying to dislodge him. Try as they might, they were always thwarted. Warrior was very static. Savage and Sherri were supplying the energy: bumping 'n' running. One really impressive spot that I had forgotten about was when Warrior caught the Macho Man in his arms on a top rope crossbody. Then set him down and slapped him, the ultimate sign of disrespect. I loved that both transitions to Macho Man offense were because of Warrior leaving his feet. Warrior had the game plan of letting Savage come to him and then counterattacking, but twice Warrior went for big shouldertackles and missed. He deviated from the gameplan and had to pay for it. Sherri was brutal on the outside. You could argue that Sherri actually got more offense on Warrior than Savage did! Neither heat segment lasted all that long as the Warrior was simply too strong. Eventually one Sherri's distraction tactics paid off and Savage dropped Warrior throat first on the ropes. Some really good selling from the Warrior choking. Savage did his famous snap his opponent's head over top rope as he jumps to the floor. Savage was so damn good in this match and so was Sherri. At this point, Savage drops the FIVE Top Rope Elbows and this is when it kicks into cinematic territory. That is such an insane number especially since one usually gets the job done. Then Warrior KICKS OUT! What I love about his match is that it is not just about Savage/Sherri/Elizabeth they give some room for Warrior to have character development. Remember, Warrior defeated Hogan at the previous WrestleMania, yes Savage cost him the WWF title at Royal Rumble, BUT the Warrior had NOT faced real adversity in match before. So when Warrior runs this his usual comeback complete with the Press Slam/Warrior Splash AND The Macho Man kicks out, that became a moment when we could learn a lot about the Warrior. Warrior showed vulnerability unaccustomed to a WWF babyface at the time. He looked up to the Heavens and wondered what he needed to do. He started talking to his hands and he realized that he might not have what it takes to get it done. Warrior was going to walk out on the WWF downtrodden if it was not for Savage's hubris attacking the Warrior. Sherri held Warrior for Savage to come crashing down on Warrior as he was on the railing. Warrior shoved Sherri and Savage took that bump chin-first on the steel railing. That was a nasty, nasty bump. He really threw himself into it. Macho Man had pretty much knocked himself out and was a victim of his own pride & greed. Warrior hits three King-Sized Shouldertackles that Savage sold beautifully. Then in emphatic fashion, Warrior, King of the Jungle, but one foot on the chest of the Macho Man and won the match 1-2-3! I love it all! All the gaga with Macho Man & Sherri trying every nefarious trick in the book to beat the Warrior. I loved Warrior's controlled anger. He was focused and here to win. Then the finish run starting with the FIVE Elbow Drops, Warrior Splash->Kickout->Warrior Self-Doubt, Savage eating the steel, Warrior's one foot cover is one of the most perfect endings to a pro wrestling match. Is it a technical marvel? Of course not! Thats missing the point. The match itself is an amazing roller coaster ride and then add in the greatest post-match in the history of pro wrestling, it is an iconic match that is the pinnacle of Vince McMahon's & Randy Savage's story telling and continues to influence pro wrestling to this day. *****

WWF Women's Tag Team Champions Jumping Bomb Angels vs Glamour Girls - Boston 3/5/88 So I may have gone a tad bit overboard in my praise for this match on Tag Teams Back Again (Whoomp There It Is!), but this match still rocks and I think at the very least it is as good as the famous MSG match. It is a little bit shorter than I remember. I loved the babyface shine of this match. The Angels just overwhelm the Girls attacking from all angles at high-speed. That short arm scissors sent me back into Mark Out City! You gotta see this Short Arm Scissors! The Girls were great stooges and bumpers for the all-out assault of the Jumping Bomb Angels. I liked the double Abdominal Stretch and Gorilla was very impressed by the proficiency of the Angels. I thought where this match really stood out was the heat segment. One Angel missed a senton and immediately tagged out, but this left the other Angel in the danger of a double team. Earl Hebner was BARKING at all the women during this chaotic heat segment but he could not be everywhere at once and he totally lost control. The Girls were awesome with tons of double teaming, choking and hair pulling. The other Angel desperately contested this but Hebner was being a blockhead. I really liked her apron work. We get that classic strong bridge from the Angel in Peril. The best part of the match was that the Glamour Girls used the tag rope liberally to choke out the Bomb Angel. I was marking out. Then there was just great stuff. Like the false hot tag and all that great gaga. Martin misses an elbow drop. HOT TAG! HIGH KNEES GALORE! She just starts throwing her ass at them like Asuka would. Leliani Kai thinks she is really smart for avoiding a crossbody but eats a missile dropkick! Big pop! 1-2-Judy Martin saves. Backslide in the fracas gets three! Move over Rockers vs Demolition, this is the WWF Match of the year for 1988! Great high-energy tag team wrestling with an awesome heat segment. ****1/2

WWF Womens Tag Team Champions Glamour Girls vs Jumping Bomb Angels - WWF Royal Rumble 1988 Two Out of Three Falls First Fall: Workrate galore! Fast & furious! I like that Kai actually started off hot throwing the Angels around only for the Angels to use their speed to overwhelm the Glamour Girls. It really just felt like a hot workrate sprint from the Angels and the Glamour Girls were bumping all around for them. They do the double figure-4 and then work over Kai's legs. I really liked when Judy Martin hit her Kick of Fear on Kai while Kai was in an Octopus Stretch. When Judy Martin tags in the the complexion of the match changes. Kai hits a knee from the apron on a criss cross and then a reverse powerbomb (instead of throwing her down back first she fell back and threw the Angle down face first). Incredible, red-hot workrate fall. Jimmy Hart's Glamour Girls up 1-0! Second Fall: As is customary, the second fall is about two minutes. Really nice sustained bridge by one of the Angels. I am as bad as McMahon though in the second fall he does attempt to give names to the Angels. The Angels start kicking ass. One of them runs into the wall that is Leliani Kai, but a sunset flip on Kai gives the Angels the decision and knot it up at 1 apiece. Third Fall: Begins with a double high knee by the Angels, but Kai uses the Kick of Fear to bully one of the Angels into their corner. Lots of hair pulling, choking and double teaming. Solid heat segment. The hot tag was great, Bombs Away Kneedrop, Bridging Butterfly Suplex, and a missed senton. I liked the missed Senton it put the finish in doubt. The Jumping Bomb Angels hits a Double Missile Dropkick for the win and NEW WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! Huge pop! Definitely a step down from the terrific MSG match. It is a bit sloppier and more rushed than the fleshed out the MSG match, but still this is very fun & breezy. ***3/4

If I only knew in March 2017, what I know now, might have been able to salvage my project. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that jazz. What's truly beautiful is when you look back in time and it still looks as good today as it did then. Thats what Pro Wrestling Love vol. 30 looks at the six best matches from Mid-South Wrestling 1983-1987. Fun fact all six matches come from 1985. Mid-South in 1985 maybe the single best year an American wrestling promotion ever experienced. Jim Duggan, Butch Reed and Terry Taylor leading the babyface side while Ted DiBiase, Dick Murdoch, Dick Slater and Buzz Sawyer opposed them on the villainous side with frequent pop-ins by the World Champion Ric Flair make for one of the most stacked pro wrestling rosters of all time. Update on my previous claim that the recently unearthed NWA Classics footage would invalidate my list, it turns out most of those gems are pre-1983. I watched four additional matches from 1984 that could have affected my list, while they were great, they were not top 12 material. So the list remains intact! Who wins #1? The bloody Loser Leaves Town Cage match pitting DiBiase vs Duggan or the classic championship bout with Ric Flair defending his title in the Superdome against Terry Taylor. It depends if you read this as the best Mid-South Wrestling Match or the Best Match in Mid-South Wrestling. Prepositions make all the difference, folks! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/01/pro-wrestling-vol-30-best-of-mid-south.html

Midnight Express vs Fantastics - Houston 8/31/84 Booty-Shakin Bobby Fulton in all his reigning glory! Tremendous shine here as they do an abridged version from the one against Rock N Rolls at 5/11 but make up for the time with Jim Cornette faking heart attacks and threatening to get in on the action. It is classic Midnight Express tomfoolery with Bobby Fulton instigating and mocking Corny & MX. Yes, there is rump-shaking involved! Hell at one point Houston was chanting "We Want Cornette" to get some action in the ring. I am not holding this against the match but I think they should have paid this off with Cornette taking a bump for Fulton. They get a little heat on Fulton before he punches his way out of trouble and tags in Rogers. Condrey yanks Rogers down by the hair from the apron on a criss cross and it is on! I liked this heat segment a lot. It is much more efficient than those Ricky Morton ones that can drag. Anytime, Rogers shows life it is go for the eyes or out over the top he goes. At one point, Condrey holds Rogers for Eaton who just crushes him with rights. Rogers is great at selling by still showing signs of life. Lots of dump him to the outside and let Corny get his licks in. Fulton is all fired up. Fulton is the best damn cheerleader. I think I have said it in the best past but I really think you can make the argument that the Fantastics were better than the Rock n Rolls. Morton is better than both Rogers and Fulton mostly because he can do everything they can do in one person but Rogers and Fulton really complement each other. Rogers is the technically proficient straight man and Fulton is the wise-crackin' firecracker. HOUSTON ERUPTS FOR THE HOT TAG! Rogers his a beautiful dropkick and Eaton sells this like a million bucks. My God how damn good is Bobby Eaton that sell job with the spit coming out and then the way he grabs his jaw. Fulton is a house on fire baby! He decks everything that moves. Rogers gets thrown into the ref. Condrey sets up Fulton for the double team, Eaton nails Condrey! Fulton covers! 1-2-3! Houston loses its mind like the Oilers won the Super Bowl! The Midnights were the Mid-South Tag Team Champions so I guess this is non-title. I liked this just as much as the match from OKC on 8/9/84. This one is more Cornette-centric, but still a lot of fun. Just the MX and Fans giving you that fun, popcorn match. ****1/4

Pete, I totally echo your comments about Bobby Fulton, he is criminally underrated, this is a great showcase for him. Mid-South Tag Team Champion The Fantastics vs The Sheepherders - Houston 6/27/86 New Zealand Bootcamp Match One of my favorite genres of pro wrestling, pretty boy babyface tag team proving their mettle in a bloody brawl against the bloodthirsty lunatic heels. Bobby Fulton was on fire in this match. Rogers is an offensive dynamo and a great traditional seller, but when you need character call on Bobby Fulton. He was the perfect character to get over his brawl. Whether, it was his right hands to counter the Herders or his great selling (I loved when he slumped himself over the apron upside down while his foot was hooked on the bottom rope). The Herders jumped Fantastics while they were getting smooches from all the girls in the front row. The blood was flowing within a minute when Fulton bit Butch's head right open. The Herders used everything to their advantage: chairs, screwdriver (it looked like some sharp metal object), the flag pole and ropes to kick the Fantastics ass. They hung Fulton over the ropes and he was just drenched in blood. The camera was mostly on Bobby Fulton as this is a Texas Tornado street fight. Rogers was good, but this was Bobby Fulton at his best. When it came time to make that comeback, boy did he comeback. He threw a wicked chairshot especially for 1986. Fulton got control of the metal stake (it kinda looked like a flat head screwdriver to me) and just dug it into Luke's head ala Magnum/Tully. It was brutal. There was one spot near the aprob where you could actually see it cause the blood to pour from Luke's head even more. Rogers atomic drops Butch on the top rope. It is a Fargo Strut! Johnny Ace ends up nailing one of the Herders with the pole. I disliked the finish the Fantastics were just pouring it on when the ref called the match. No white towel from Johnny Ace...no screaming of surrender...just an anti-climatic...welp it is over now. Too bad. I liked Fulton do a blood mist spit at the end of the match as if he was The Great Muta but it was his own blood as the mist. Bobby Fulton rules! I would have loved to see Fulton force a submission with the screwdriver to the head of Luke. Great blood brawl that showed the range of the Fantastics that they can do workrate classics with Midnights or brawl with the Sheepherders. I have always been a big fan of booty-shaking Bobby Fulton but here he is fists-fury, bloodlusting Bobby Fulton and that is just as badass, tons of charisma. ***3/4

Mid-South Tag Team Champions Rock N Roll Express vs Midnight Express - Houston 5/11/84 Rock N Roll is King! Some of the best hair pulling psychology you will ever see. I marked out for Bobby Eaton crossing his heart that he was telling the truth that Gibson had been pulling his hair even though he was obviously lying. The crowd and I were eating this all up with a spoon. This is the Midnight Express at their best doing elaborate comedy routines that no one else could ever pull off nor ever have the thought process to flesh out so well. I liked the two second highspot after all this hair pulling where Morton kept kicking Eaton's hand away from tagging in. So Eaton gets fed up and charges in and Morton does his headscissors/headlock takeover. Eaton says "Fuck you" and nails him with the racquet as he is running the ropes. I really liked the beginning of the heat segment. Lots of work on the back and then they throw Morton over the top rope behind the ref's back. I love all this playing to the crowd saying he they did or did not do it throughout the match. Then they settle into working the hammerlock and the arm. I find that many Ricky Morton heat segments go longer than they need to. Again, I thought this got a little long in the tooth. The MX did a great job with frequent tags and either keeping Morton away or knocking Gibson off the ring. Gibson gets fed up and nails both MX and then hiptoses Morton into their corner. Well thats one way to get the hot tag! The crowd POPS HUGE! Gibson decks everything, Typical to the RNR formula the hot tag is ended abruptly when the MX throws Gibson out. I thought for sure they were going to have Morton tag back in. So many times Morton ends up being his own hot tag. Instead Eaton comes crashing down on Morton as he is checking on Gibson. The MX try to use a chain, but Morton trips them both up and Gibson hits a cross body. 1-2-3! RNRs retain but wait the MX claim that Gibson had used the chain! Wow I love it! Messing with the ref's mind to end. I think it is very important and great that RNRs came back cleared the MX and had their hands raised in victory. It shows without a doubt they won the match. Today, too many times no one holds the heels accountable for their lies so it is good there is no ambiguity that the good guys won and overcame the cheating. I think the highlight of this match that makes it very different from so many other pro wrestling matches is how involved the ref is and how the psychology is really about messing with the ref's mind. I wouldnt want to see it in every match, but it makes this match standout and unique so I dug it. Like I said Morton's heat segment lasted a little too long, but thats my only complaint, this is another great Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express match! ****

Fabulous Ones vs Midnight Express - Memphis 12/21/85 I watched the clipped version from the 12/21/85 TV show, but this was during the Crockett/Memphis show from 11/18/85 which is famous for the Flair title defense against Koko Ware. The Fabs vs the Midnights is of course a DREAM MATCH! It does not live up to the lofty expectations that this match will have. There are two really great comedy spots, but thats pretty much the only things that stand out. I will let those who want to watch the match check out those comedy spots. Then Condrey trips Keirn from the outside. Eaton hits a kneedrop and then it is choke city on Keirn. Lots of choking, jab with the tennis racquet. Eaton misses the top rope elbow drop! Lane is in and he is a house of fire. Cornette hits the ring and Lane puts him in a sleeper. Triggers the DQ and the Fabs send the MX packing. We are missing five minutes of a fifteen match. Two comedy spots early on gold other than that it is just the Fabulous Ones and Midnight Express on cruise control. ***1/4

Mid-South Tag Team Champions Magnum TA & Mr. Wrestling II vs Midnight Express - Houston 1/27/84 I cant remember the last time I smiled this much watching wrestling, oh yeah, it was probably the last time I watched a Midnight Express match. Tremendous shine! Wow! So much fun! TA & II hit the ring and they are all business. The MX take back drops still in their ring robes. They try to retreat. They can run but they can hide. Basically TA will go out chase one of the MX members back into the ring and that will leave them at the booty-shaking mercy of Mr. Wrestling II & his Knee Lift. Eaton does an incredible sell of the knee lift. No one sells overwhelmed and discombobulated as well as the Midnight Express. After about five minutes of insanity, the match finally settles down enough that we can get some one on one action, but still the MX are outmatched. They try to cheat but every effort is overwhelmed by the intensity of the TA & II onslaught. Condrey tries to rake the eyes but TA just punches his way out of it. The MX do their standard punch each other by accident spot. They are totally flummoxed and look completely out of sorts. I love how good Eaton & Condrey are at heel selling. I am not supposed to feel sympathy for them. I should be pointing and laughing and thats whats happening. TA & II are great babyfaces showing amazing fire and some really, really good punches from TA. I just noticed how good Mags is at punching during that match with Ole but it is true here also. For a babyface shine that is pretty much all punches and kneelifts, this is one of the best of all time because of the emotion all four men are conveying. I thought the transition to heat was a little weak. Condrey just kicked II in the gut and then drove his head into Eaton's knee. I love how much choking and cheating there was the MX. Nothing fancy just a ton of urgency on frequent tags and being nasty. II was great at selling notice how he is not bumping all over the place. He is staggering and sometimes he will take a knee. Only towards the end does he end up on his back. He is protecting his character. He is a tough son of a bitch. Heels bump. Babyfaces sell. II is selling his ass off, but he is not dying. He is fighting back and making the MX earn their offense. I noted this before but the frequency of tags by the MX is great stuff and really shows how hard they working to keep II in their corner. They are taking shortcuts going for the throat and eyes and they even use a chair. A lot of headbutts by Condrey to the midsection. The big highspot of the match is Eaton lands a kneedrop from the middle turnbuckle. He takes time to mock the "Two" chants! Condrey in for the pin but only two, wasted too much time. Backbreaker and gets two. Whip and sets too early KNEE LIFT! II on his knees crawling and tag to Magnum! Magnum decks anything in his path! IT IS RED HOT IN HOUSTON! Magnum seems to get distracted by Cornette and the MX double team II when all of sudden Magnum OBLITERATES a wooden board over Bobby Eaton's head! HOLY SHIT! I popped for that. Mags & II start beating the shit out of the Midnight Express with pieces of wood triggering the DQ. I thought this was even better than the rematch which made the Mid-South set. Classic Midnight Express match that is designed for maximum pleasure put a clean finish on this bad boy and you got a MOTYC! Outrageous energy from both teams! ****1/4

AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs Ricky Morton - Houston 7/2/82 Two Out Of Three Falls Dream Match Alert! Only fitting that this is the first of revealed Houston Wrestling matches I see because how much I love both. First Fall: May I just say how much I missed Nick Bockwinkel! I love how he throws himself into everything. Look at that rip of a side headlock takedown that was reminiscent of Lou Thesz against Buddy Rogers. The shouldertackle too. This is a great classic veteran heel champion against young upstart babyface that is full of piss & vinegar. Bock's dander is raised almost immediately as Morton keeps avoiding the lock up. Then Morton climbs up Bock to get a snapmare. Then it is Morton with a sitout on an amateur takedown. Finally it is Bock falling flat on his face. It goes from Bock being nonplussed about the situation to being downright pissed. He traps Morton in the corner and lays in some big blows including a big time kneelift that sends Morton to the floor. Morton gets himself out of the headlock and even manages to hit a bodyslam. What a sell by Bock and then his shameful retreat back to the corner. Again Bock traps Morton in the corner with shoulderblocks. I loved the missed reverse crossbody by Morton and Bock diving out of the way. After all the times, Morton evaded Bock now Bock returns the favor. He pounces with a piledriver. I forgot this was two out of three falls and I was like thats a shame that wont be the finish because it is a great fall. 1-2-3! I popped! I remembered it was 2 out of 3 falls. If I was booking, I was use the miss reverse crossbody then piledriver 8 million times, I love that 1-2 punch. Amazing first fall. Bock up 1-0. Second Fall: If the first fall is where Bock shines, the second fall is where Morton shines doing what Ricky Morton does better than anyone else and that is sell. He is selling the neck. Right hand on the neck as he is using the left jab to keep Bock at bay. He keeps bucking Bock off. Bock does a great move throws his left hand up to distract Morton and tries to hook him with the right but again Morton bucks him off. Bock eventually gets a front facelock and in the standup drops the hammer on the back of the injured neck. Then he starts throwing the back of Morton's neck into the turnbuckles. Morton is doing a great job throwing himself into this and selling. Morton gets a flash sunset flip for three! He celebrates like he has won the World Title and tries to take a shot at The Brain. I thought there was a decent chance Bock would win in two straight so this was a nice wrinkle. Tied 1-1. Third Fall: This is the fall where they really got to sell Morton winning and he comes out hot. Kneedrops galore. Bockwinkel is selling like he is totally overwhelmed. Morton does not apply the Figure-4 properly needed to get that left foot on Bock's left ankle. I like how they do the Flair spot where the ref kicks the hand away but they do it three times and then Bock hugs the ropes. BIG LEG DROP ON THE BAD LEG! That was great! Bock is getting scrappy! He yanks Morton down by the hair. Morton nails a hurricanarana in 1982! Morton goes for a big dive but hotshots himself and Bockwinkel collects him for the pinfall and escapes with the title. A classic Bockwinkel title defense just missing the King of the Mountain, you had him getting flustered early, taking advantage of opponent's mistake and big, meaty heavy blows. Morton was already great in 1982 amazing selling in the second fall. A classic AWA Championship match everyone should see. ****

Goc, said the Mexican Death match is better. Is that the general consensus? I am trying to figure what to watch from Houston for GME?

Happy Epiphany Sunday! Pro Wrestling Love is back looking at Mid-South & Houston Wrestling between 1983-1987. This list is already invalid as I post it thanks to the great work of NWA Classics which revealed to us die-hard pro wrestling fans many great Houston Wrestling matches that I have not yet seen. We can consider this the Best of Mid-South/Houston Wrestling pre-2015. You will find plenty of Ric Flair gems including perhaps the greatest pro wrestling TV angle of all time featuring Flair, Ted DiBiase and Cap'n Redneck Dicky Murdoch along with classics from Butch Reed, Terry Taylor and Chavo Guerrero! All this and much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 29! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/01/pro-wrestling-love-vol-29-best-of-mid.html

The Rockers vs Hart Foundation MSG 11/89 For my money, the most underrated match in WWF history. This is an amazing transformative babyface vs babyface match where you see tempers flare and by the 20 minute time limit blood is boiling over. To me, easily the best Hart Foundation match and the second best Rockers match in the WWF a close second to the Rougeaus match in London. Making this one of the best tag team matches in WWF hitsory. This match is equitable without trading spots back and forth with not rhyme or reason. If there is one thing that is Bret's bread and butter it is the face vs face matches. He is an incredible subtle heel. Most babyface vs babyfaces matches establish a sense of equality between the combatants. Heels are usually inferior in some way to their face counterpart which incites their underhanded tactics. Not to be disappointed, this match at the beginning is very symmetrical. Bret hits a move. Marty hits that move. Bret misses an elbow. Marty misses an elbow. So on and so forth, you can sense that brimming tension from experience you just are waiting for the Hart Foundation to get so frustrated they cheat. It is that tension that keeps you in suspense becuase just dont know when it is going to happen. Anvil actually has a really good sequence with Shawn. Shawn attempts to shoulderblock Anvil, but cant. He smartens up and tries a high cross body and Anvil catches him, but Shawn rolls through into a pinning combination. Once again, there is that sense of frustration. Anvil just needs to get a hold of this quick little bugger and Shawn is frustrated that Anvil is so much stronger that it creating such an obstacle. When Marty comes in, he gets steamrolled and Anvil feels like he finally go it. Then Marty hits a drop toe hold into a front facelock. Marty breathes a sigh of relief and Anvil is like "Fuck, again". Anvil gets frustrated tags out and Bret misses an elbow. Eventually Bret gets an atomic drop and he tags in Anvil. Finally, Bret has enough and he slides and buries the knee in Shawn's back while he is running the ropes, vintage Hart Foundation. It blows off Act One of the Tension. One thing I really like about this is that while it is super segmented like most Bret matches there is more of a sense of struggle. Shawn is not just a rag doll for the Harts he is fighting back and getting pinning combination of the Harts. He just cant get to his corner. Anvil is working the lower back with power holds and Bret is employing his usual crisp offense. Shawn is easily the best FIP they have ever had. This is the best Hart Foundation heat segment I have seen. Anvil misses the slingshot splash and they got me on that one.Instead, it was a missed elbow by Bret that gave Shawn the opportunity for tag to Marty. I didnt think the crowd was in step with Marty, but it was a good hot tag by Marty. He was focused on getting pinfalls as opposed to big spots, which I think fans are used to. Backslides, cross bodies, and sunset flips not vicious holds, but quick barrage to try win the match and again a lot of suspense. When Bret grabs with a double leg takedown and stomps him in the gut. Finally breaking the momentum of Marty. He sells the breather so well. It expresses "I weathered that storm. Damn that little fucker is fast". Bret ducks and Marty high cross bodies nothing but the concrete floor in a nasty bump. Marty tags out quickly. Shawn gets steamrolled by Anvil and bumps out of control for that one. Still only 2. Now standing dropkick by Shawn gets 2. It is just a barrage of nearfalls back and forth between Shawn and Bret. Shawn wrangles Bret into an abdominal stretch. Anvil comes in break this up and Marty is hot comes in shove Anvil. Bell rings signaling a draw. Both teams go at it, but mid card babyfaces come out to break it up. The tension comes to boiling point, but it is not allowed to spill over. This one is a well-structured three Act play. You see the frustration that neither team can get the advantage, which ends with Bret burying the knee in Shawn's back. Act II is FIP, which has the usual tension of when will Shawn get the tag. Act III was a just a barrage of nearfalls where you were wondering who would get the duke and if maybe someone's temper would get the best of them. Instead we were robbed of a finish, but in a good way that made you want to see it climax later. ****1/2

NWA Missouri Champion Kerry Von Erich vs Greg Valentine - St. Louis 2/11/83 Dream Match Alert! Surprisingly enough it lives up to my lofty expectations. This is from the same card as Flair vs Brody 2/3 Falls and both were taped for Japanese TV. Basically Greg Valentine vs. an over babyface is always going to be over in my house, but this match had a lot of great transitions, brutality and some world class selling. Kerry won the opening matwork, trademark NWA Championship style stuff. Kerry nails a picture perfect dropkick right in the mush. I love how Valentine sells this covering his mouth and telling Kerry to back off then going to the apron. It really looks like he is hurt. Kerry slaps on a front facelock. Nice inverted atomic drop! Thats new favorite move. It is so sudden and so impactful. Kerry does a great job selling, trying to create space and get away from the Hammer. The Hammer is in his ZONE! I mean big time forearm shivers. Just tons of brutal elbows. Kerry does his best to fight back. Valentine does not drop him down on the top rope throat first...he whips him down onto the top rope throat first. Long sleeper by Valentine as the ref checks in. Kerry tries to Hulk Up but another wicked Hammer elbow and a piledriver quell the rally. Valentine goes after the leg and then it is a figure-4. What I love about this is how they actually stay in the reverse the pressure for a meaningful amount of time. Both of them are on spaghetti legs. They really do a great job selling and THEN Kerry goes after the leg! I was pumped during this part. He was doing a great job making his dives on the leg extra BIG for the crowd. I really wanted him to slap on the figure-4. Valentine made the ropes on a toehold and then shoved off another attempt. We never got the figure-4, but we did get the CLAW~! Fortunately for Valentine, he collapsed into the ropes. Kerry is kicking ass now. Big time dropkick again caught him flush in the mouth. Second one the Hammer avoids and Kerry is selling his midsection. I like how much Valentine went to the eyes late in the match. After the Claw, he is in full desperation mode and is willing to do anything to win. Valentine throws him out and plays King of the Mountain. Big Hammer blows on the apron, big bodyslam back in the ring only gets two and sends him back out. Hammer blows on the apron and back suplex back in the ring only gets two. He drops the Hammer from the middle rope, but misses! Valentine goes for a suplex, but Kerry floats over and schoolboys him for three. Put a real finish on this bad boy and you got yourself a Match of the Year Contender. As is, it is one of the best grinding heels against one of the best fight from underneath babyfaces in the perfect match for each other. The figure-4 and Claw spots felt huge. The finish was tepid. Two men who knew themselves and played their roles perfectly. ****

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ronnie Garvin - JCP 9/25/87 Steel Cage Match Flair vs Garvin is always a flesh on flesh, man on man firefight. However, unlike most of their other matches together, they go long in this match. It is a steel cage match where the cage plays a factor more in Flair's strategy. Flair loves to powder to both regroup and to break his opponent's rhythm. He also loves to hurl his opponent out the ring where his opponent will take a bad bump and where he can slam his opponent into hard metal objects. David Crockett does a great job pointing this out that Flair is being forced to face Garvin. Flair loses a criss cross eating a hiptoss, but cant powder. He goes for a top wristlock he lets out a couple Woos but ultimately ends up on his back. He makes back on his feet and chops Garvin but Ronnie immediately responds with his own stiff chop. That dominates the next bit where Garvin uses his chop to repel any Flair offense. We see Flair eat hiptoss, back drops or bump off the chops. Flair tries to use the corner to position the ref so that he can sneak in a knee. The only other time to cage comes to play in the first half is Flair wants to use this advantage to slam Garvin's head into the cage, but instead Garvin blocks and chops his way out of problems. That is what would dominate this portion. Garvin would use a hold such as the front facelock to control Flair and whenever Flair looked poised to comeback Garvin would chop his away out of trouble. One good spot was Flair suplexed while in the front facelock and Garvin tenaciously hung on. Flair finally gained an advantage on a criss cross scoring a reverse elbow. This is one of Flair's favorite strategies use the criss cross to create an opportunity to take over. Garvin deviated away from his hold and chop strategy. Flair started working on the left arm. It was chop, chop, chop and work on the left arm. Some really good hammerlocks and wristlocks using the ropes of course. Garvin used his dominant hand to break the wristlock, but it was badly injured. He tried his best to keep his left away from Flair by going to an Unorthodox stance, but Flair was able to regain control with the chop. Flair hit the first kneedrop. Then on the second Garvin caught it and transitioned into a figure-4 and then a single leg crab before Flair made the ropes. At the halfway point, I really liked the match thus far. Garvin did a great job selling the left arm. They established Garvin's chop like it is Misawa's elbow. They also established that Flair cant use the outside anymore to his advantage: both to powder and to throw his opponent into hard, metal objects. I have seen this match before and I have the same complaint that I did before and that it is a bit low energy for me. They are working hard, but the front facelock can only be so interesting. Lets see how the second half shakes out. The last half is pretty much every Ric Flair trick thrown at you in relentless fashion so if you love Flair you will love it. Garvin comes out swinging after the half crab and it looks like Flair is overwhelmed. He grabs a kneecrusher and applies a figure-4. Garvin escapes, but Flair gets another kneecrusher. On the third, Garvin blocks and KOs Flair with the Hands of Stone, but his leg is so messed up he cant capitalize. Flair comes up desperate and goes for the sleeper. When Garvin escapes that, Flair tries to throw Garvin into the cage, but he ends up going into the cage and he is bloodied. Flair tries to escape but Garvin bounces his head off the top of the cage. Garvin gets a top rope crossbody for two. We see the two versions of the backslide by Garvin that Flair loved to use in his matches. What makes Flair so good in my opinion is so he reacts to getting his ass kicked. It is so quick and swift. He is always in fight or flight mode. There is no in between. Yes he will holler, but it always quick. He is going to roar back and run away. You see both sides as I said he tried to escape the cage. The other is he will just start ripping into Garvin with chops only to get his ass kicked. One of my favorite Flair spots that is very underrated is the inverted atomic drop coming out from the turnbuckles spot. When he does right, it happens so sudden that it is electric. On the second time, Garvin blocks and knocks Flair back down with a punch. Garvin Stomp! Great sell by Flair! This is Flairism in excelsis! Even the most ardent Flair fan as myself, can find this hard to process all at once. Flair true to form tries to escape from Garvin desperately. He rakes the eyes, but Garvin recovers quick enough to press slam Flair off the top. Garvin hits a suplex and then an elbow drop. Flair is so good at selling. This is such a Flair performance he throws out a short kick to the midsection and starts laying in the chops. Garvin starts flying back with the chops and Flair wants to escape. He flips so quickly between fight and flight that's an incredible. His mind is always thinking. Garvin bounces his head off the cage and Flair falls on the top rope nuts first. Sunset flip from the top 1-2-3! The Most Unlikely World Champion of All Time! The second half is just so ridiculously over the top Flair that it is beautiful. I feel like this match defies rating. The first half is basic fundamentals executed really well. The second half is Flairism in all its CHAOTIC glory. Flair is such an instinctual wrestler this really benefits his matches feeling organic. The second half is chaos as Flair vacillating between fight and flight in the matter of microseconds. We think of the world in black and white so often. Certain people are brave. Certain people are cowards. That is not true. People struggle everyday between these survival mechanisms. Flair captures the desperation for survival better than anyone else. It is all so human. Ric Flair is the most human human who ever humaned. Lets call it ****1/2 I need to digest all this. I feel like I need to re-watch all Ric Flair over again but using this new "fight or flight" lens.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is looking forward to 2019. I know I am, but there is some bittersweetness to it. This should be the year I have seen it all from America and Japan with the Greatest Match Ever deadline fast approaching I will be watching pro wrestling fast & furious. While I look forward to that, it will be sad because it means that there is an end. Of course, Lucha Libre, Joshi and World of Sport await me. The good news is the WWE seems to be finding new matches from the 80s all the time. They found the Holy Grail of the Last Battle of Atlanta, they found an amazing Piper vs Valentine match from 7/9/83 and they have uncovered many AWA gems! This list could be invalidated as I am publishing it. If there is something better than the top two matches on this list, then we are in for a treat because one of those matches is my pick for the best American tag team match of all time and the other is potentially my selection for the Greatest Match of All Time! So come enjoy the greatness of the AWA, Nick Bockwinkel, the Rockers vs Rose & Somers and of course some Sheik Ayatollah Crusher Blackwell! Have a great 2019 everyone! Best of AWA Pt. 2 https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/01/pro-wrestling-love-vol-28-best-of-awa.html

NWA World Tag Team Champions Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle vs Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood - MACW Final Conflict Steel Cage Match I was underwhelmed when I first watched this five-six years ago. I have an open mind. Babyface shine: A 12 minute heel in peril segment that features Kernodle complete and you know what I loved it. Yeah there were a lot of headlocks, but the spots in and out of the headlocks were great. It really established Steamboat & Youngblood as a great babyface team. I loved Steamboat using his foot to avoid being thrown in the cage and then applying a headlock. Or how Steamboat gets in the way of Youngblood to stop him from going into the cage. Steamboat & Youngblood had good babyface offense plenty of dropkicks and flying chops. Kernodle sold more and more as time went on. The best part for me were all the false tags. Usually see it for the babyfaces, but here Kernodle almost makes the tag, fingertips away and another time Slaughter is out of position when Kernodle finally made it back to the corner. This was really great textbook tag wrestling from the babyfaces and the heels were great stooges for it. The tag to Slaughter was a little anti-climatic as Kernodle just gets his fingers jabbed into Youngblood's side. They faked me out the shine continues. Youngblood throws Slaughter into the cage back first and then head first. He is the first into the cage and typical Sarge fashion he really throws himself into the cage. He tries to throw Youngblood into the cage, but Youngblood uses his foot and it is a battle of wills. Youngblood wins and tags out to Steamboat who is immediately on Slaughter. Big time clothesline gets two for the Steamer. Tag out. Youngblood flying chop and then a great standing dropkick gets two. It has been all Steamboat & Youngblood, Daddy! Criss cross, Youngblood is flying and Sarge uses his own momentum against throwing him hard face-first into the cage, this has got to be the break Sarge & the Pride of the Carolinas has been looking for. Heat/Finish: What the fuck was I smoking way back when? This is a BARNBURNER! Quadruple juice! Slaughter flying off the cage like he is Jimmy Snuka! Steamboat & Youngblood going wild! I thought the heat segment on Youngblood. A couple times I thought he died but he came back to life. Heel offense was perfect, punches working the cut, choking and Sarge looking for the Cobra Clutch. Youngblood sends Slaughter and Sarge does the most blatant bladejob on camera in history. Steamboat was a great hot tag and I LOVE Slaughter pushing Kernodle out of the way as Steamer gets color too. Steamboat is the one who sends the Pride of the Carolinas into the cage to complete the Quadruple Juice! Slaughter coming flying off the cage brings Youngblood into it who is a total house of fire! The ending is absolute mayhem. Double catapult of the heels into the cage! Cobra Clutch and Sleeper simultaneously on the heels! Slaughter bowls over Youngblood into the ref. He loads the Slaughter Canon with a foreign object and takes out Youngblood. Steamboat sends Sarge into the cage and puts Youngblood on top. The footage then cuts to the babyfaces winning, which is a shame. Way, way, way better than I remember. The last half is an action-packed Crockett match where there's just a ton going on. Steamboat/Youngblood were a great high-energy tag team, tons of offense and some great selling. I thought more than the blood and the big Cage spots, that what really held this all together were the commitment to babyface/heel dynamics. ****1/2

Happy New Year! I wake up every morning and I think how can improve this already awesome package. I rattle off the accolades & superlatives. I go to the dictionary and thumb through to find adjectives. I am thirsty for those adjectives and thats when it hit me. Hydrated! Thats the adjective I want for 2019. I want to be well-hydrated. So my resolution to all you my friends is that I am going to drink more water and be well-hydrated. Of course, we keep the resolutions of previous years: walk at least 30 minutes a day, sit up and stand up straight and no more nail biting. Just as conquered these, I will be drinking more fluids and pissing like a prized, stud race horse, BABY! Girls, you can just call me Secretariat. WOOOOOOOOOO! Enough jibber jabber, thought I would have loved to cut that promo in front of "Mean" Gene Okerlund. Have you had time to check out the lateral deltoid? There were many a classic pro wrestling promo cut in AWA in front of Mean Gene with the likes of Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby The Brain and Jesse The Body. Thats the subject of today's Pro Wrestling Love it is my favorite promotion form the 1980s the American Wrestling Association run by famed pro wrestler Verne Gagne out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 1980s AWA is centered around one of the all-time great pro wrestling villains, the erudite & urbane Nick Bockwinkel (those two words were for you, brutha, rest in peace my man). He had classic series with Curt Hennig & Rick Martel. Also inside you will learn about one of the great hidden gems of the 1980s: Sheik Ayatollah Crusher Jerry Blackwell, call him what you will, but you will call him "awesome" when you watch him. Finally, you just get enough of the famous Rockers vs Rose & Somers feud to whet your appetite. It is Mega-Sized Pro Wrestling Love for the New Years! Happy New Year! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2018/12/pro-wrestling-love-vol-27-best-of-awa.html

Pete, you were nicer in your review than I am about to be but we end about the same spot. I'd be closer to **1/2 but not far off. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race vs Ric Flair - MACW 7/9/83 We get Picture in Picture of the 5 year old girl fan! I marked out for that. They lock up, they barely touch Harley hits a kneelift and then calls for a suplex, but Flair floatovers to avoid. Well if thats not the most Harley thing ever! I just came from Beyond Wrestling's New Year Eve show and every single wrestler has better psychology than Harley Race well except Orange Juice fuck that dude. Seriously, a very good show from Beyond Wrestling top to bottom. Great street fight brawl in the main event between Gage & Briggs and a great traditional style match between Thatcher and Simon Gotch (Im sorry I didnt catch his new name). They got some great heat-seeking heels in Stokes and David Starr. I will definitely go again. This is such a weird match. In the first half, it is like Flair did not get give a shit. He is usually a fired up babyface but he just worked holds and then Race butted him in the midsection. Then he just let Race hits headbutts and stuff. Flair did not even fight back. It was so weird. Race misses the headbutt on the cement. Nice spot! Race wants the chair, but Flair steals it and whacks him right in the skull in the plain view of the ref. Jesus! Ref just pull a cameraman and just look at the fans. There were times when Flair tried to get the crowd into it. Like going into the crowd as he had Race mounted to fire off punches and Wooo before he threw a chop but overall he seemed very subdued. Theres a ref bump as Flair comes off the top. This costs two potential falls off the diving elbow and a really nice back suplex (it was very All Japan-esque). They do the Starrcade 83 finish but Race kicks out. Figure-4! Race escapes and back drops Flair over the top rope to trigger the DQ, but, but, but what about the steel chair. Oddly heatless and very much a Harley Race match spot, spot, spot, instead watch Powerbomb.tv's Beyond Wrestling show from this New Year's Eve, great spotfests, heat seeking heels, great pure technical wrestling and a great bloody street fight in the main event. This is on the other hand is totally skippable.

I didnt watch anything besides main roster WWE this year so my opinion is invalid, but I am so happy that Rousey vs Jax is getting some play! That first match was just ferocious. El McKell said she liked the second better I thought that was a level below, but still excellent also. To me at least in terms of Main Roster WWE, Rousey has to be a shoe-in for Wrestler of the Year. Two MOTYCs with Mania & Jax at MITB. Then legitimately great matches (****+) with Jax again, Charlotte, Nattie (check my review on here) and Nikki Bella. She ruled this year!

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Bruiser Brody - St. Louis 2/11/83 Two Out of Three Falls First Fall: I was very curious to see how this was worked. I was wondering if Brody would sandbag Flair. If Flair would wrestle him more like Hawk or Kerry Von Erich. In a way, I am a bit disappointed because this has been a routine very good Flair match. Brody has no problem selling or going down for Flair. He even took a hiptoss from Flair. Really there was not much out of the ordinary for the first fifteen minutes. They worked a really good headscissors. Flair eventually went to the eyes and chucked him outside. Brody started marching around and came back in with purpose and Flair powdered. I thought that was pretty much the most unique thing was how intimidating Brody could be. They worked a bearhug. Flair is great at taking the bearhug because he gets so high up. He gouges the eye. He tries to suplex but Brody suplexes him. He tries to bodyslam but Brody bodyslams him. Larry Matysik is overdubbing the Japanese commentary and says nobody can slam Brody. It is funny he takes a hiptoss later. Also because Matysik is overdubbing we lose the sound effects! Which sucks I love hearing the sound effects of the ring. The crowd is definitely rabid for Brody. Brody works front facelock. Flair just does a snapmare out of the corner and works a front facelock. They work a fast paced sequence eventually and it sees Brody eat the hiptoss, but Flair misses the elbow drop and Brody gets two kicks to the head. It has been fine thus far nothing special. Brody comes off the middle turnbuckle with a chop. Brody is relentless to head. He signals for his big King Kong Kneedrop and it hits! 1-2-3! Crowd goes wild. Brody 1-0. Second Fall: Brody looks to press his advantage but runs into a knee on a corner charge. Flair begins work on the arm. Solie said something I didnt realize but theres no muscle underneath the armpit and Matysik also points out this is a spot all men are vulnerable, which is interesting because I have never thought of that. It makes those Flair punches to the armpit mean so much more. Flair is actually really good at textbook arm work and busts out a couple good double wristlocks. Brody goes to the eyes to escape after five minutes or so of this. He really claws at the eyes so much so he can actually hear Flair howl. Brody misses a kneedrop I thought for sure we were getting the figure-4, but instead Flair goes piledriver but is reversed. Brody hits a dropkick, but Flair is too close to the rope. Brody looks to punch Flair repeatedly but now Flair goes for the eyes. Definitely a tenacious match. Flair hits a suplex! Flair only gets two and then the abdominal stretch. Brody reverses into his own shitty one, which is a cool idea instead of the hiptoss reverse. They end up in the ropes. Flair just loses his mind and starts choking the life out of Brody. The ref breaks it up and Flair goes back to choking. Brody chokes him back and lifts him high up...good visual. Brody is back on top, bodyslam and sets him up for the King Kong Kneedrop, but he misses. Brody actually does a really good selling this. Flair punches the head repeatedly. Brody sells really well outside on the powder. For some reason, Flair does not want to go for the knee instead he wants to trade hands with Brody and he ends up taking a bump over the top rope. They brawl around ringside and Brody back drops into the ring but Brody falls from the apron. So Flair wins a countout talk about a cheap way to win a fall. Well at least that about Brody holds true he refused to look weak. Overall, this has been pretty good, not as good as the Wahoo match, but Flair is still putting on an entertaining performance. Third Fall: Brody is pissed at himself at such a dumb mistake and takes out his anger on Ric Flair. Flair does a great job selling that he knows he is in deep shit. Flair wraps himself around Brody in a sleeper. Flair has a great sleeper. Brody escapes and applies his own sleeper, not as good as Flair's Matysik says Brody aint technical. Brody hits a bodyslam after Flair had gotten to the ropes to break the sleeper. Kneedrop??? Nope he goes for the Atomic Legdrop, but Flair moves. Now we get the Figure-4! Brody turns it over. Now it is the race against the clock. Big boots abound...Flair is press slammed off the top...suplex...bell rings...time expires. I would say we are missing around ten minutes of sixty minutes of action all from the first fall. Second & third falls are complete. I thought this was a very good Flair title defense. I didnt think Brody added too much nor do I think he took anything away except maybe how lame that second fall finish is. ***1/2