[1980-04-16-CWF] Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - CWF 4/16/80

 

I had high hopes for this one, but I thought this was fairly disappointing. I consider their '78 NJPW match a classic, but it has been a while seen that. Both these guys are acquired tastes and are very unique. No one really wrestles like Inoki or Backlund. In fact, they are probably more similar than any other two wrestlers in history. Both have strong shoot credentials and wrestle really dominant and do not really wrestle the conventional shine-heat-comeback-finish formula. I am a mark for amateur stuff in matches, but I didn't think a lot of this was well-executed. It seemed really loose and far too easy to move in and out of holds. Inoki seemed more uncooperative and was imposing himself more even though there were a plenty of Backlund spots. Inoki gained the first advantage with the headscissors, but Backlund got himself out and then it was to the short arm scissors for the Backlund deadlift spot. I did not feel like we got the classic Backlund shine of showing up his opponent and what replaced was not that interesting. Inoki grabbed a double wristlock after the big deadlift spot. Stuff like that where he did not really sell the moment makes sense in a shoot, but it is no fun in a worked environment. Backlund bodyslam and elbow, but Backlund acts like this is the 30th minute does that cover reversal spot he is so fond of very strange. Then Inoki grabs a sleeper to set up the Backlund monkey flip. They are just throwing shit out there willy-nilly. Another example was Inoki grabbed an ab stretch and Backlund just burst out with a butterfly suplex. There was struggle at times and then there would be none. It was very strange and uneven. There was good stuff like Inoki enziguiri Backlund falls back on his ass and then a nice suplex by Inoki. That was a great exchange by Inoki, which sets up the classic Backlund move of hitting a delayed vertical suplex to show up Inoki. There were great moments they just were not stringing them together. Loved Backlund's piledriver in this! He goes for a second time about 5 minutes later only to get back dropped out. Inoki misses a kneedrop (weak looking) and Backlund goes to town! We needed this like a good ten-fifteen minutes earlier. Backlund was great working the leg, wicked energetic and convincing. Figure-4 is red hot in Florida with Dusty as their top star and being a big spot for NWA Champions of the past. Backlund teases the atomic drop, but falls back with it for two. Backlund comes off the ropes and Inoki throws him over the top rope for the DQ.

 

Very uneven. Lots of really good stuff, but nothing to put it together. It was the best hits of Backlund in a mixed up order with an opponent that was not committed to making him look good. Hell, Inoki really did not do much to make himself look good. Backlund was great working the leg would have liked to seen more of that in this match and in his career. Good match, but nothing great. ***

[SAMS]

1980-04-16
CWF
Bob Backlund (c) vs. Antonio Inoki
WWF Heavyweight Title Match
Card
★★

Backlund vs Inoki…in Florida! Really interesting to see both men in such unusual surroundings. I’ve seen essentially zero Florida so I have no idea of the house style, so I was looking forward to seeing the crowd’s reaction to this.
I actually really liked the opening matwork here. The pace was snappy with both men trying to gain the advantage, but as things went along things got choppier and the pace slowed down. Inoki especially was consistently just going for static holds, and once he locked them on, there wasn’t much intention to make them interesting and the fact he consistently kept going back to these spots didn’t give any sense of escalation. 
One of the best spots of the match was Backlund’s deadlift spot out of an arm scissors. After placing Inoki onto the turnbuckle he gave him a slap and Inoki bumped massive for it in a way I’m sure he wouldn’t have back in Japan and it brought the house down. The biggest however, was Bob’s piledriver. Even just setting it up the crowd murmured with excitement and as we all know, Bob delivers a great piledriver. Considering the reaction it felt like a finisher and in context ended up feeling wasted as there was still roughly 10 minutes of the match remaining.
Backlund ended up winning here, to rapturous applause, after Inoki threw him over the top rope. Out of all DQ finishes, the over-the-top-rope one has to be the stupidest. Both men were bewildered by the call and you could visibly see the referee explaining to them the rule and commentary was doing the same for the viewing audience. I guess it’s an easy way to ensure the finish saves face for the two champions, but honestly it’s just the laziest finish possible when you’re trying to keep two people looking strong. Anyway, the crowd didn’t seem to care.
This often bordered on good, however I think it may have been a case of two men with styles that were too similar. Both work on top and were the aces of their promotions, and that struggle felt disjointed here and they couldn’t get into sync. It was especially prevalent in the middle chunk as it seemed that they just got in each other’s way and they couldn’t find a rhythm that was really working.