Loss Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
...TG Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 We have a nice little face vs. face match going here until Tommy "accidentally" headbutts Dundee in the groin on a leapfrog attempt, acts sorry about it for a bit, and then small packages him for the pin. Then Tommy cuts an amazing promo on everyone in the territory, finishing up with Lawler (doing color with his leg broken). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Bill Dundee vs Tommy Rich - Memphis 8/23/80 This is a match of perpetual motion. Just absolutely tremendous. A textbook example of how to wrestle a compelling and intense babyface vs babyface technical match. Every single movement has a sense of urgency. Rich, who is the bigger and stronger of the two seems to have the advantage, but this is nip and tuck. They set the tone early with how they are tussling on the mat. Rich hiptosses Dundee and scrambles to get the pin before Dundee rolls to apron. It is just that level of commitment that makes this match special. I love all the drop toeholds and all the struggle in and out of all these holds. Dundee hiptoss quickly into a cover and that launches a great tussle on the mat. Rich is winning these exchanges and Dundee seems to be annoyed. There is a great sequence where Rich gets a single leg and then Dundee kicks him off and Rich back rolls and bulldozes Dundee with another single leg. What a full court press! They knock heads and now there are some simple highspots like a Rich suplex and a Dundee bodyslam that are worked with struggle and urgency. Dundee gets a sleeper and yanks him down to neutralize the height advantage. Rich goes for a backdrop, but Dundee leapfrogs and Rich headbutts him in the balls. Fantastic face vs face TV match that ends in controversy and that fuels an epic Tommy Rich heel turn rant where he shoves down the injured Lawler (broken leg). The match and the angle makes this a classic. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAMS Posted July 18, 2023 Report Share Posted July 18, 2023 1980-08-23 CWA Bill Dundee vs Tommy Rich WMC Studios, Memphis, Tennessee, USA ★★★ This is a prime example of how you can overcome a lack of narrative through sheer effort and determination. Dundee and Rich were both really good workers at this point, so they obviously knew what they were doing in the ring, but this didn’t have a strong narrative thread running through it that I could discern. This was part of some tournament to determine the Number 1 contender for the Southern Heavyweight Title. Rich and Dundee were both faces and recently had been partners of sorts, but my context is pretty hazy here. Face vs face matches are hard to pull off at the best of times, and usually the best ones lean heavily into workrate, which is exactly what they did here. I don’t want it to seem that workrate is a dirty term here, but they really conveyed the effort each guy was putting in to win. This match lasted just over 10 minutes but felt like 20, in a good way. I was pretty exhausted just watching it due to the frenetic action. A wayward knee or shoulder caught Dundee in the groin and Tommy capitalised on the situation with a sneaky cradle for the win. Russell was appalled and Tommy Rich let him have it. In Georgia Rich had proven that he was not only wildfire in the ring, but also on the mic, but just as a babyface. Here he proved he could deliver as a heel as well. Some guys can deliver a quick cutting promo in 30 seconds or a minute. Not many guys can go on for 4-5 minutes without it feeling like they’re filibustering. Here Rich was pure fire, laying into everyone including a still injured Lawler on commentary and got some genuine heat when he pushed Lawler to the floor. Amazing post match sequence that just added to a pretty great TV match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcg91 Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 This was a 12/13 minutes TV match and they never skipped a beat. By 1980 standards (and Memphis), it's impressive how crisp and fluent this was. For somebody who watched lots of 45 minutes Impact episodes, this is how X-Division matches were supposed to go when they only had 5 minutes: creating a good pace and a solid story, without doing as many moves as they could in that little time. It was a babyface match and so there were no shortcuts, apart from Rich "casually" hitting Dundee low to get the victory. Apart from advancing the angle quite well, I can't remember a single mistake, if not for Rich not jumping enough on a monkey flip. This didn't set the world on fire, but I am happy I watched it ***1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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