[1996-05-23-PWFG] Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Dick Murdoch

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Probably the last taped match Dick Murdoch ever had. Fun match for comedy, facial expressions and selling. Interesting to see Murdoch in this setting. Because they milk every single sequence for all it's worth, everything gets a big pop. I love the let the other guy back in the ring stuff. The matwork is actually really nice and basic too, the kind of stuff that's very easy to follow and translates well to house shows. Definitely not a classic, but I enjoyed it.

[Phil Schneider]

It seems pretty trite in a Dick Murdoch review to talk about how great his punches are, but goddamn are Dick Murdoch's punches great. Short jabs, big rights, beautiful uppercuts, just mixed it up and they all were gorgeous. Of course Fujiwara has some of the best punches in wrestling history too, and they had lots of really great exchanges, with Fujiwara being sneaker and not wanting to box heads up with Murdoch. Speaking of turning tables, Murdoch is actually the first guy to try a Fujiwara ambar, which Fujiwara counters by making a pyramid with his head and legs to relieve pressure, then spinning out to counter. Murdoch then counters Fujiwara's armbar attempt by twisting at the knee. It was an awesome bit of mat wrestling by both guys, and just a small piece of awesome in this awesome sandwich of a match.

[PeteF3]

Fantastic job by Murdoch to hang in there with Fujiwara for 24 minutes at his age. No pretense of shootstyle here--this is a wrasslin' match all the way with pro-style matwork, big moves, comedy, and pinfalls. Murdoch unleashes just about all of his classic offense and this match has a little bit of everything to it. Really good little footnote to Dick's career.

[soup23]

Not to be morbid but is this the best match of someones last match of a career? Amazing to think Dick was gone a month later as this was smartly worked and an aggressive match but also an insanely smart one mixing in comedy, punches, and limb work. The spot with opening the ropes and Murdoch getting bumped on my head was a personal favorite. I had a blast with this and think it reflects well on Dick overall. ***1/2

[GOTNW]

A lovely match. That they worked something like three minutes of the match around the "wrestler sits on the second rope and offers the other one to go into the ring" is a testament to their greatness. I loved all the comedy and punches, it was almost bizarre to see how seamlessly they transitioned from rocking each other in the jaw to Murdoch working over Fujiwara's trunks. My only gripe is that I wanted something more out of the finish, after a certain number of attempts Fujiwara's Wakigatame just happened to do it, I'd have wanted him to either pull back on it more or to set it up better. Also loved Fujiwara busting out a Monkey Flip. ***3/4

[tim]

Such a cool match. Mostly mat based match with some really cool stuff. I wish they worked those punch exchange more, because they were awesome when they did them. Lots of cool little things in this match. It's such a strange but awesome mash-up of mat work, traditional wrestling and comedy.

[EnviousStupid]

I would have never thought that Dick Murdoch vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara ever took place, let alone in 1996. Just a lovely piece of wrestling that felt more like a throwback to the 70s - they weren't particularly concerned with the match length or having a clear sense of direction, but rather took things at their own pace, maximizing each move and strike thrown. Murdoch especially was intent on making each of Fujiwara's punches leave an impact. Surprisingly, he's also still really good on the mat at his age. One of my favourite moments had Murdoch catching Fujiwara in a headscissors, and keeping it locked in for well over a minute, through all the standard tricks most wrestling fans have likely already seen before. On the other hand, you have some comedy bits sprinkled in, like both holding down the ropes for each other to enter, before acting like it could be a trap. Somehow this mix of styles works out, and under the banner of a shootstyle promotion no less. They also manage to follow-up on minor limbwork done towards the finish, with Murdoch applying his own version of the Fujiwara Armbar, and Fujiwara countering by going back to the leg.

This is full of fun, noteworthy things that should keep anyone watching entertained, but more importantly, it works as a showcase of the breadth of both men's abilities, even when past their physical prime.