Best matches of 1980/1981 ?

[mookeighana]

The Bruiser Brody thread reminded me that while it was barely in the top 20 (at number twenty, in fact), the Funks vs Snuka/Brody was the highest ranked AJPW match of 1981. That got me thinking, what was the best 1980/1981 stuff out there?

 

I went back through results of the DVDVR sets and here's a quick synopsis the just shy of a hundred matches that would be eligible material that at least has made the sets:

 

1980

N/A. Lord Alfred Hayes vs. Bobby Heenan = n/a points in AWA on (1/13/80)

96. Tatsumi Fujinami & Kantaro Hoshino vs. Dynamite Kid & Steve Keirn = 3655 points in New Japan on (1/18/80)

102. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Steve Keirn (2/3 Falls) = 3473 points in New Japan on (2/1/80)

23. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Dynamite Kid = 5991 points in New Japan on (2/5/80)

67. Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen = 4238 points in New Japan on (2/8/80)

109. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Murdoch = 2465 points in All Japan on (2/23/80)

55. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Murdoch = 3631 points in All Japan on (3/5/80)

37. Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen = 5151 points in New Japan on (4/3/80)

87. Gran Hamada vs. Babyface = 3849 points in New Japan on (4/3/80)

65. Bob Backlund vs Hulk Hogan = 4907 points in WWF on (4/8/80 Philadelphia PA)

83. Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zbyszko = 3346 points in WWF on (4/8/80 Philadelphia PA)

N/A. Satoru Sayama y Gran Hamada vs. Perro Aguayo y Baby Face = n/a points in Lucha on (4/13/80)

97. Bill Dundee vs. Larry Latham = 2328 points in Memphis on (4/19/80)

56. Ken Patera vs Pat Patterson = 5685 points in WWF on (4/21/80 MSG)

69. Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zbyszko = 4600 points in WWF on (4/21/80 MSG)

98. Ricky Morton vs. Sonny King = 2241 points in Memphis on (4/26/80)

28. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Slater = 4578 points in All Japan on (5/1/80)

N/A. Greg Gagne vs. Super Destroyer Mark II = n/a points in AWA on (5/1/80)

109. Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen = 3311 points in New Japan on (5/9/80)

143. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Chavo Guerrero = 2614 points in New Japan on (5/9/80)

117. Bill Dundee vs. Paul Ellering = 1626 points in Memphis on (5/24/80)

76. Bill Dundee & Tony Boyles vs. Wayne Farris & Larry Latham = 2886 points in Memphis on (6/7/80)

50. Shozo Kobayashi/Haruka Eigen vs Mighty Inoue/Isamu Teranishi = 2085 points in IWE on (6/29/80)

N/A. Verne Gagne vs. Nick Bockwinkel = n/a points in AWA on (7/18/80)

57. Mighty Inoue/Higo Hamaguchi vs Spike Huber/Rocky Brewer = 1692 points in IWE on (7/25/80)

55. Bill Dundee vs. Tommy Rich = 3752 points in Memphis on (8/23/80)

135. Giant Baba vs. Harley Race = 1517 points in All Japan on (9/4/80)

74. Giant Baba vs. Harley Race = 3222 points in All Japan on (9/10/80)

42. Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen = 4940 points in New Japan on (9/11/80)

91. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Tony Rocco = 3742 points in New Japan on (9/11/80)

118. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Johnny Londos = 3144 points in New Japan on (9/19/80)

28. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Kengo Kimura = 5729 points in New Japan on (9/25/80)

62. Bob Backlund vs. Stan Hansen = 4438 points in New Japan on (9/30/80)

161. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ron Starr = 2070 points in New Japan on (9/30/80)

164. Chavo Guerrero vs. Kengo Kimura = 1982 points in New Japan on (9/30/80)

N/A. Greg Gagne & Super Destroyer Mark II vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan = n/a points in AWA on (10/3/80)

64. Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter = 4920 points in WWF on (10/20/80 MSG)

63. Carlos Plata/El Doberman vs Mighty Inoue/Mach Hayato = 1455 points in IWE on (11/1/80)

114. Chavo Guerrero vs. Kengo Kimura = 3189 points in New Japan on (11/3/80)

138. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Steve Keirn = 2712 points in New Japan on (11/6/80)

55. Carlos Plata/El Doberman/Goro Tsurumi vs Higo Hamaguchi/Isamu Teranishi/Mach Hayato = 1846 points in IWE on (11/22/80)

73. Rusher Kimura vs Alexis Smirnoff = 627 points in IWE on (11/22/80)

46. Mighty Inoue/Higo Hamaguchi vs Carlos Plata & El Doberman = 2257 points in IWE on (11/27/80)

142. The Sheik vs. Ricky Steamboat = 1397 points in All Japan on (12/9/80)

15. Billy Robinson vs. Nick Bockwinkel = 5102 points in All Japan on (12/11/80)

105. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk = 2562 points in All Japan on (12/11/80)

88. Ken Patera vs Pat Patterson = 2945 points in WWF on (12/29/80 MSG)

 

1981

33. Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter = 7440 points in WWF on (1/10/81 Philadelphia PA)

N/A. Big John Studd & Jerry Blackwell vs. High Flyers vs. = n/a points in AWA on (2/20/81)

N/A. East-West Connection vs. High Flyers = n/a points in AWA on (3/1/81)

42. Bill Dundee vs. Wayne Farris & Tojo Yamamoto = 4359 points in Memphis on (3/7/81)

64. Bill Dundee & Tommy Rich vs. Dutch Mantell & Austin Idol = 3307 points in Memphis on (3/12/81)

110. Bill Dundee & Dream Machine vs. Dutch Mantell & Wayne Farris = 1878 points in Memphis on (3/14/81)

35. Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter = 7364 points in WWF on (3/21/81 Philadelphia PA)

N/A. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Pat O'Connor = n/a points in AWA on (3/22/81)

3. Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk (No DQ) = 6926 points in Memphis on (3/23/81)

58. Higo Hamaguchi/Isamu Teranishi/Mach Hayato vs El Cobarde/Herodes/Goro Tsurumi = 1686 points in IWE on (3/26/81)

47. Jerry Lawler vs. Dory Funk Jr. = 4190 points in Memphis on (3/30/81)

11. Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk (Empty Arena) = 5918 points in Memphis on (4/6/81)

78. Antonio Inoki vs. Stan Hansen = 3974 points in New Japan on (4/23/81)

171. Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid = 1471 points in New Japan on (4/23/81)

99. Bill Dundee & Dream Machine vs. Kevin Sullivan & Wayne Farris = 2281 points in Memphis on (5/2/81)

26. Pat Patterson vs Sgt Slaughter = 7874 points in WWF on (5/4/81 MSG)

30. Jerry Lawler vs. Crusher Blackwell = 5099 points in Memphis on (5/4/81)

78. Dutch Mantell vs. Kevin Sullivan = 2929 points in Memphis on (5/9/81)

148. Jimmy Snuka vs. Ricky Steamboat = 903 points in All Japan on (6/3/81)

66. Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen = 4829 points in WWF on (6/6/81 MSG)

N/A. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jim Brunzell = n/a points in AWA on (6/11/81)

90. Sgt Slaughter vs Rick McGraw = 2937 points in WWF on (6/20/81 Philadelphia PA)

104. George Takano vs. Stan Lane = 3471 points in New Japan on (7/24/81)

70. Bill Dundee, Steve Keirn, Rick & Robert Gibson vs. Dream Machine, Nightmare #1 & Heartbreakers = 3159 points in Memphis on (7/25/81)

N/A. Adrian Adonis vs. Jim Brunzell = n/a points in AWA on (7/28/81)

51. Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee vs. Masa Fuchi & Atsushi Onita = 4057 points in Memphis on (8/1/81)

136. Mil Mascaras vs. Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls) = 1516 points in All Japan on (August 1981)

25. Ricky Morton & Eddie Gilbert vs. Masa Fuchi & Atsushi Onita (Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl) = 5299 points in Memphis on (9/4/81)

119. Tiger Mask/Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Pete Roberts/El Solitario = 3135 points in New Japan on (9/4/81)

114. Masa Fuchi, Atsushi Onita & Tojo Yamamoto vs. Roy Rogers, Rick & Robert Gibson = 1816 points in Memphis on (9/5/81)

130. Dos Caras & Mil Mascaras vs. Chavo Guerrero & Ricky Steamboat = 1845 points in All Japan on (9/6/81)

2. Andre the Giant vs. Stan Hansen = 7726 points in New Japan on (9/23/81)

61. Stan Lane & Koko Ware vs. Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Morton (No DQ, 2/3 Falls) = 3435 points in Memphis on (10/81)

102. Dory and Terry Funk vs. Umanoseke Ueda & Buck Robley = 2595 points in All Japan on (10/6/81)

55. Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Isamu Teranishi = 4585 points in New Japan on (10/8/81)

44. Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (2/3 falls) = 3943 points in All Japan on (10/9/81)

76. Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr. = 3210 points in All Japan on (10/9/81)

N/A. East-West Connection vs. High Flyers (Cage Match) = n/a points in AWA on (10/25/81)

149. Tiger Mask & Kengo Kimura vs. Negro Navarro & El Signo = 2472 points in New Japan on (10/30/81)

73. Tiger Mask vs. Gran Hamada = 4057 points in New Japan on (11/6/81)

100. Andre Giant vs Killer Khan = 1114 points in WWF on (11/14/81 Philadelphia PA)

93. Don Muraco vs Pedro Morales = 2601 points in WWF on (11/23/81 MSG)

N/A. Crusher Blackwell vs. Billy Robinson = n/a points in AWA on (12/3/81)

162. Tiger Mask vs. El Canek = 2035 points in New Japan on (12/8/81)

77. Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Andre the Giant & Rene Goulet = 3976 points in New Japan on (12/10/81)

20. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Dory and Terry Funk = 4779 points in All Japan on (12/13/81)

105. Bob Roop vs. Mike George = 4482 points in Midsouth on (12/16/81)

N/A. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Billy Robinson = n/a points in AWA on (12/25/81)

N/A. Andre the Giant & Cien Caras vs. Alfonso Dantes, Herodes y Sangre Chicana = n/a points in Lucha on (1981)

 

Obviously, with different levels of participation between the sets direct comparisons via ranking or points aren't really applicable.

I'd be curious for a top 4 from 1980 and top 4 from 1981 from amongst this crew.

 

Andre/Hansen and Funk/Lawler (81) seem like no-brainers. As for 1980, Robinson/Bockwinkel (AJPW) and Fujinami/DK (NJPW) seem like favorites.

[goodhelmet]

I think that those are your answers right there with Andre-Hansen as your runaway winner. I loved the Jumbo-Murdoch matches, all of the Dundee TV matches, the Fujinami junior matches and Fuck... I like so many of those matches.

[Dylan Waco]

The best stuff in 80 was in Portland. Probably my top three matches of that year are from there.

[JerryvonKramer]

We haven't got there yet, but if 1979 is anything to go by, I'm expecting there to be some blow-away great stuff in WWF in 80 and 81. I don't know how thorough the process was for that first WWF DVDR set and if all of those matches were watched.

 

Just from knowing the talent that moved through Mid Atlantic in 80 and 81, there pretty much has to be some amazing stuff in there too. I'd like to think that the actual answer to this thread is still a "watch this space".

[Dylan Waco]

The Patera v. Backlund stuff is great. Not as good as Rose v. Martel, but still great

[ohtani's jacket]

1980 and 1981 were also years where Joint Promotions was still really strong. I expect Saint vs. Grey to be a contender for the top 10.

[goodhelmet]

Shit, I didn't even think about the Patera matches or Portland. Portland is pretty freaking awesome.

[NintendoLogic]

The Lawler/Funk no-DQ match would be my overall #1. The appeal of Hansen/Andre has always been lost on me.

[goodhelmet]

Yeah, it's not for everyone. It's a match made for people who like to see two goliaths beat the shit out of each other.