Thoughts on some of the DVDVR matches

[Loss]

Rockers v Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard - 10/31/89

With double the time they got, this probably could have reached top five levels. What's here, when it's not being drowned out by angle, is excellent. Rockers have some great doubleteam moves and all the bumping from Arn and Tully looks so incredibly realistic. I also dig the opening few minutes with the Rockers doing all sorts of fun shock-and-awe stuff. Total burial on the departing Horsemen, but that's wrestling for you I suppose. Fun match. ***1/2

 

Bret Hart v Bad News Brown - 04/25/88

Well, there's a match that won't make it far at all on my list. I expected far more from both guys, but this was Bret going entirely through the motions and Brown doing all stalling and clowning. I can take stalling when it's working, but this was getting only passing heat, so blah. This will end up close to the bottom of the list.

 

Tito Santana v Butch Reed - 05/12/87

This is definitely a more physical, tough match with more false finishes than the WWF typically had at the time. Tito is at his best when he's selling, and he does a terrific job of it here. Both guys are also over like rover in Anaheim, which says a lot, considering the tepid reaction WWE gets every time they go there now. Jesse Ventura is especially obnoxious on commentary. Reed dominates forever, which reminds me of a poor man's Mike Rotunda vs Brad Armstrong from Clash III with each kickout getting a bigger pop. Anyway, this is built around Reed wearing down Tito's neck to build to a piledriver, but Tito comes back strong when Reed finally attempts the move. GREAT PUNCHES! Awesome heat! Check out Tito's bump off of a punch just before the finish. ***, but I dug this way more than the * rating indicates. It was just getting awesome when it ended.

[Loss]

Jack & Jerry Brisco v Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch - 12/28/84

WOW, what an amazing match! This is sitting pretty at #2 right now for me, and I can't see anything topping it. Beautiful stuff -- total NWA-level tag work, only in the WWF. Really awesome opening and some super-dramatic saves and close calls all throughout. Adonis and Murdoch are one of the best tag teams ever. The Briscoes are just fantastic! I don't even really know where to begin honestly, but matches like this make you question everything you think you know about wrestling. The Hulkamaniacs in the crowd chanting "BULLSHIT!" at the finish cracks me up. I don't even know where to start with favorite spots, but Murdoch reaching to tag Adonis and tripping and falling flat on his face is great, great stuff. I need to watch this again just so I can explain it a little more. ****1/4

[Loss]

08/13/88 - Owen Hart v Barry Horowitz

Wow. Depending on what lies ahead, this just might make my top 10 or 15. Really nice match! I didn't know Horowitz was so talented, but he certainly is, bumping well, showing all sorts of chain wrestling moves, playing to the crowd like a pro and getting this masked little guy over huge in LA. Owen is very talented, and this was around the time of his athletic peak, but Horowitz was just awesome here. In some ways, it saddens me that he was a career jobber, but in other ways, he was where he belonged. Underneath guys don't always get the credit they deserve for making the real stars look good, and this is the best example I've ever seen of that. False finishes here will really surprise you, as will the heat by the end of this thing. ***3/4

 

Anxiously awaiting Horowitz/Horner, which is next on my list.

[Loss]

Well, Horner/Horowitz was certainly fun and inoffensive, but it suffered from lack of heat and less time to build. Won't fare quite as well, but I didn't hate it.

[Loss]

No clue why Slaughter/McGraw 06/20/81 was even included when all it was was an angle. There's an easy #100.

[Resident Evil]

08/13/88 - Owen Hart v Barry Horowitz

Wow. Depending on what lies ahead, this just might make my top 10 or 15. Really nice match! I didn't know Horowitz was so talented, but he certainly is, bumping well, showing all sorts of chain wrestling moves, playing to the crowd like a pro and getting this masked little guy over huge in LA. Owen is very talented, and this was around the time of his athletic peak, but Horowitz was just awesome here. In some ways, it saddens me that he was a career jobber, but in other ways, he was where he belonged. Underneath guys don't always get the credit they deserve for making the real stars look good, and this is the best example I've ever seen of that. False finishes here will really surprise you, as will the heat by the end of this thing. ***3/4

 

Anxiously awaiting Horowitz/Horner, which is next on my list.

Horner and Howeritz had a better match against each which indeed did have more time. It was on deathvalley a few months ago. Don't know much besides that though.

[Loss]

I don't feel the need to comment on every match at this point, so I'll say something when I think it's warranted.

 

Santana/Bass really surprised me. I haven't seen much of Ron Bass, and the little I have seen of him was working a really silly feud with Beefcake in '88. I did see him have a great match with Barry Windham in Florida, but it's Barry Windham. I now see that he was quite the capable worker and Tito was a great babyface when he wanted to be. Santana has been a strange beast going through these discs. Sometimes, he's really awesome and fired up and sometimes, he really goes through the motions. He had the ability to be great, but really, he was only good. Anyway, this match is wrestled epic, which rules for a midcard match, and they use every trick in the books to maximize the results while minimizing the physical output. This will probably be top half or so. It's not that it's a great match so much as it was a really surprising one. There is a real shortage in 2005 of random guys you can throw together who know how to work like this.

 

Steamboat/Valentine was also terrific. You had Steamboat going all-out with his martial arts gimmick in this match, and in fact, this match is based around that. There were parts of this I didn't like, but believe it or not, I thought Valentine outworked Steamboat here. Great suplexes from him; he works really snug and methodical, and his style is so believable in this match. He gets a lot of flak, but in this match, none is really deserved. Steamboat has a really strong killer instinct here that's very cool, but my main problem is the way he snapped without anything really warranting it. He just rolled outside the ring, walked around with a crazed Ultimate Warrior look on his face, then rolled back in and went apeshit. Sure, it was fun, but it made little sense. This will also be in the top half of my ballot, but I won't have it ranked as highly as I know many already do.

 

I'm also not liking the Rougeaus as a tag team. They have some really good heat-getting spots and some cool athletic stuff, but they don't really seem to be able to switch gears and show a mean streak when they have to. The Rockers match could have been so much better if Michaels being in peril actually seemed perilous. That wasn't a fault of Michaels, that was more the fault of working comedy spots and showboating in what's supposed to be the build to a hot tag.

 

I'm thinking from here forward, instead of commenting on specific matches, I'm far more likely to wait until I've watched all the matches and then write kind of an overall conclusion on some of the more prominently-featured guys when I'm done. Some have stock that has really risen in my eyes (Bass, Horowitz, Slaughter), some have disappointed me (Dynamite Kid), some have maintained my respect (Adonis, Rude, Sheik) and some have surprised me in how inconsistent they really can be (Savage, Steamboat, Santana).

 

More later.

[goodhelmet]

I don't think I had this listed but this is the matches in chronological order. This might give you perspective if particular matches evolved or digressed in a feud.

 

8.Bob Backlund vs. Hulk Hogan (4/8/80 Philadelphia, PA)

9.Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (4/8/80 Philadelphia, PA)

7.Ken Patera vs Pat Patterson (4/21/80 MSG)

6.Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zbyszko (4/21/80 MSG)

1.Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter (10/20/80 MSG)

2.Ken Patera vs Pat Patterson (12/29/80 MSG)

 

 

8.Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter (1/10/81 Philadelphia, PA)

9.Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter (3/21/81 Philadelphia, PA)

10.Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter (5/4/81 MSG) [includes angle]

12.Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (6/6/81 MSG)

7.Sgt. Slaughter vs Rick McGraw (6/20/81 Philadelphia, PA) [includes angle]

1.Andre the Giant vs Killer Khan (11/14/81 Philadelphia, PA)

8.Don Muraco vs Pedro Morales (11/23/81 MSG)

 

 

3.Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (1/18/82 MSG)

1.Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/20/82 Philadelphia, PA)

4.Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/28/82 Landover, MD)

2.Johnny Rodz/Jose Estrada vs Tony Garea/Steve Travis (9/18/82 Philadelphia, PA)

3.Johnny Rodz vs Kuniaki "Chin" Kobayashi (11/25/82 Philadelphia, PA)

4.Bob Backlund vs Buddy Rose (11/25/82 Philadelphia, PA)

 

 

5.Bob Backlund vs Ivan Koloff (Philadelphia, PA 6/4/83)

6.Don Muraco vs Jimmy Snuka (8/16/83 Philadelphia, PA)

 

 

7.Iron Sheik vs Tito Santana (1/21/84 Philadelphia, PA)

8.Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik (5/5/84 Philadelphia, PA)

11.Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik (5/19/84 Landover, MD)

11.Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik (5/21/84 MSG)

1.Sgt. Slaughter vs Paul Orndorff (6/2/84 Philadelphia, PA)

5.Sgt. Slaughter vs The Iron Sheik (6/16/84 MSG)

2.Hulk Hogan vs David Shultz (6/17/84 Minneapolis, MN)

18.Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs Mil Mascaras/S.D. Jones (Spring '84 St. Louis, MO aired TNT 6/26/84)

9.Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs Bob Backlund/Brian Blair (7/7/84 Philadelphia, PA)

2.Hulk Hogan vs Paul Orndorff (7/7/84 Philadelphia, PA)

5.Jimmy Snuka vs Roddy Piper (7/20/84 St. Louis, MO)

1.Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs Sgt. Slaughter/Terry Daniels (7/23/84 MSG)

13.Tito Santana vs Paul Orndorff (9/1/84 St. Louis, MO)

12.Bob Orton Jr. vs Mike Rotundo (12/1/84 Philadelphia, PA)

13.Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs The Brisco Brothers (12/28/84 MSG)

 

 

10.Roddy Piper/Bob Orton Jr. vs Jimmy Snuka/Tony Atlas (1/12/85 Philadelphia, PA)

1.Barry Windham vs Dick Murdoch (2/16/85 Philadelphia, PA)

13.Les Thornton vs Mr. Wrestling II (3/2/85 Atlanta, GA)

2.Dream Team vs Ricky Steamboat/Tito Santana (4/21/85 Toronto)

3.Hulk Hogan vs. Don Muraco (5/20/85 MSG)

12.Greg Valentine vs Ricky Steamboat (6/21/85 MSG)

3.Hulk Hogan vs Don Muraco (6/21/85 MSG)

14.Ricky Steamboat vs Bob Orton Jr. (7/20/85 Landover, MD)

7.Ricky Steamboat/Junkyard Dog vs Don Muraco/Mr. Fuji (8/17/85 Landover, MD)

11.Dynamite Kid vs Bret Hart (9/14/85 Landover, MD)

4.British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation (9/23/85 MSG)

9.Hulk Hogan vs. Nikolai Volkoff (10/3/85 East Rutherford, NJ aired SNME 10/5/85)

2.Bruno Sammartino/Paul Orndorff vs Roddy Piper/Bob Orton Jr. (10/26/85

Philadelphia, PA)

 

 

3.Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage (1/27/86 MSG)

4.Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage (2/17/86 MSG)

12.Ricky Steamboat vs Bret Hart (3/8/86 Boston, MA)

5.Randy Savage vs Tito Santana (3/16/86 MSG)

8.Dream Team vs British Bulldogs (4/7/86 Wrestlemania 2)

6.Randy Savage vs Tito Santana (4/22/86 MSG)

17.Randy Savage/Adrian Adonis vs Tito Santana/Bruno Sammartino (7/12/86 MSG)

7.Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat (7/27/86 Toronto, Ontario)

8.Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts (8/9/86 Boston, MA)

3.Tito Santana vs Bob Orton Jr. (8/9/86 Boston, MA)

4.Ricky Steamboat vs. Jake Roberts (8/28/86 Toronto Big Event)

14.Rougeau Bros. vs Hart Foundation (9/22/86 MSG)

15.British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation (11/1/86 Boston, MA)

7.Randy Savage vs Jake Roberts (11/15/86 Los Angeles, CA, aired 11/29/86 SNME)

6.Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff (12/14/86 Hartford, CT aired 1/3/87 SNME)

 

 

16.Hart Foundation vs Killer Bees (2/23/87 MSG)

9.Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage (3/29/87 Wrestlemania 3)

9.Tito Santana vs Butch Reed (5/12/87 Anaheim, CA aired PTW 5/12/87)

11.Hulk Hogan vs Bob Orton Jr. (5/12/87 Anaheim, CA Superstars aired 5/23/87)

13.Tito Santana vs Ron Bass (8/22/87 MSG)

1.Honky Tonk Man vs Ricky Steamboat (8/22/87 MSG)

10.Ted DiBiase vs Jacques Rougeau (Rockford, IL 9/16/87, Fall '87)

4.Strike Force vs Islanders (10/3/87 Boston, MA)

2.Bret Hart vs Randy Savage (Seattle, WA 11/11/87 aired SNME 11/28/87)

2.Glamour Girls vs Jumping Bomb Angels (11/24/87 MSG)

6.Strike Force/British Bulldogs/Rougeau Brothers/Young Stallions/Killer Bees vs Hart Foundation/Islanders/Bolsheviks/Demolition/New Dream Team (11/26/87 Richfield, OH Survivor Series)

 

 

 

10.Hulk Hogan vs. Ted DiBiase (3/12/88 Philadelphia, PA)

8.Bret Hart vs Bad News Brown (4/25/88 MSG)

4.Randy Savage vs Ted DiBiase (7/22/88 MSG)

5.Blue Angel vs Barry Horowitz (8/13/88 Los Angeles, CA)

3.Brainbusters vs Young Stallions (11/6/88 Toronto)

7.Powers of Pain/Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs/Young Stallions /Rockers vs Demolition/Conquistadors/Brainbusters/Rougeau Brothers /Bolsheviks (11/24/88 Richfield, OH Survivor Series)

6.Tim Horner vs Barry Horowitz (12/30/88 MSG)

 

 

5.Randy Savage vs Bad News Brown (1/16/89 Hamilton, Ontario)

8.Rick Rude vs. Tito Santana (2/11/89 Boston, MA)

9.Hulk Hogan vs Bad News Brown (2/16/89 Hersey, PA aired 3/11/89 SNME)

6.Bret Hart vs Ted DiBiase (3/8/89 Odessa, TX aired Prime Time 3/20/89)

5.Mr. Perfect vs Ron Garvin (3/18/89 Boston, MA)

11.Hulk Hogan vs Big Bossman (3/18/89 MSG)

10.Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage (4/2/89 Wrestlemania 5)

3.Jake Roberts vs Ted DiBiase (4/24/89 MSG)

9.Hart Foundation vs Twin Towers (5/17/89 Duluth, MN)

14.Brainbusters vs. Hart Foundation (8/28/89 East Rutherford, NJ Summerslam)

15.Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude (8/28/89 East Rutherford, NJ Summerslam)

4.Greg Valentine vs Ron Garvin (9/30/89 MSG)

6.Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect (10/2/89 Wheeling, WV)

5.Fabulous Rougeau Bros. vs Rockers (10/10/89 London, England)

10.Rockers vs Rougeau Bros. (10/13/89 Paris, France)

7.Rockers vs Brainbusters (10/31/89 Hersey, PA aired 11/25/89 SNME)

12.Mr. Perfect vs. Ronnie Garvin (12/12/89 Nashville, TN)

1.Rick Rude vs Roddy Piper (12/28/89 MSG)

[Loss]

You know, as strange as it sounds, I think 1989 was the best year of the 80s for the WWF, at least if these discs are any indication. I would say the '89 matches are all going to do fairly well on my list. That was also the NWA's banner year, and while they definitely had better main events, I do think the WWF may have had a better undercard between Jake, DiBiase, the Brainbusters, Bret, Perfect, Piper, Rude and the Rockers.

 

I have to rethink what I previously said about the Rougeaus, because their 10/10 match from London with the Rockers is one of the best comedy matches I've ever seen, and it will do quite well on the list. If that match happened on RAW or pay-per-view today, people would be raving about it and calling it MOTY. I don't think there are four guys in WWE who have the timing, experience or ability to pull that match off so well.

[goodhelmet]

Well, it's going to take me a few weeks to get to 1989 becuase now that I have all 8 discs and some additional supplement discs, I am going to try and go in chronological order to give me some perspective on matches that have rematches or if particular wrestlers improve or digress.

 

 

Bob Backlund vs. Hulk Hogan (4/8/80 Philadelphia, PA)

---First off, the VQ for this match is really bad. I don't want to reinforce my reputation as a VQ snob because lets face it.. the matches were basically free but the VQ is making it hard for me to concentrate on the match. To be fair, most of the matches I have seen so far on the set have been more than watchable.

 

As for the match, it's wierd seeing someone as small as Backlund taking advantage of the much bigger Hogan. then again, Hogan wasn't "invincible" yet so I can see why the champ would take control. One thing that sticks out early on is that Backlund is masterful at controlling someone in the headlock. Hogan attempts to throw Bob into the ropes but Backlund continues to hold on twice! For the next several minutes, Backlund maintains control working spots in while using the headlock as the controlling factor.

 

The weak point of the match is clearly when Hogan is in control of the match. He gaisn control with a backbreaker. He follows up by working on the back but inexplicably starts working on the arm. Backlund works in some hope spots and the crowd comes alive but the time spent between hope spots is dreadfully slow. Initially, I was questioning Hogan's working over Backlund's arm but it lead to Backlund demonstrating his strength by lifting Hogan with one arm and carrying him to the ropes. However, at this point in the match, Hogan switches to a bearhug which would have worked better earlier in the match.

 

The end engages the crowd but there are some silly moments such as the dueling airplane spins and the fact that everytime Hogan would kick out of a pin, he would immediately cover Backlund for a one count. Of course, we get an inconclusive finish as Backlund is counted out which isn't really a desirable result. In the end, this will probably be somewhere right smack dab in the middle of the ballot. Nothing terribly inoffensive but not enough positives to put it at the top of the list.

 

I think I need to find a better copy of this to see if there are any little things I may have missed.

[Loss]

Hogan/Backlund is fun, but more as a showcase of Backlund's best spots than a good match.

 

One thing you'll notice in other Backlund matches is that the way he works nearfalls here is almost a norm for him. He'll get a two and then his opponent will immediately roll over and get another nearfall. He did it in his match with Hansen on 09/30/80 and I'm sure others (that match is not on the discs since it was in NJPW).

 

As far as Hogan/Backlund, I think the strength spots from Backlund were the best parts, and it is a credit that someone as green as Hogan was at the time (less than a year of actual wrestling when this match took place) can be carried for 27 minutes to something watchable, but I agree that this won't be a high end choice.

 

The VQ was a distraction for me as well. I need to find out where he got those old MSG and Spectrum shows so I know where *not* to track them down.

[goodhelmet]

Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (4/8/80 Philadelphia, PA)

--- most uninspiring. The only thing I remember from this match is that Zbyzsko got kicked in the nuts. Nothing to see here.

 

Ken Patera vs Pat Patterson (4/21/80 MSG)

--- I obtained the full copy version of this match so I decided to watch this one instead of the clipped version featured on the DVDVR set. Simply put... a great match that shows Pat Patterson showing he is the moroe intelligent wrestler and Patera showing he is quite obviously the more powerful one. However, both guys play their role to perfection and the crowd appreicates it by being the loudest I have heard any crowd so far on any disc. They are just going nuts. This is going to land in my Top 20, I just don't know where yet.

[goodhelmet]

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Bob Backlund 1/10/81

--- It amazes me when watching heel Slaughter how easily he manipulates the audience. The same crowd that chants Gomer Pyle at him now will be chanting ?USA! USA!? in a couple of years. Eary on, after Sarge rams his shoulder in the turnbuckle, Backlund does the intelligent thing and attacks the arm and shoulder. It also helps that Sarge sells like a champ. The middle portion sees Sarge take over You gotta love using the headlock as an excuse to sneak in illegal punches as he plays the crowd and the ref. Then when he has Bob pinned, grabbing the tights hoping to score the pin. The home stretch sees both men trying to take advantage as the other one continuously has a counter or does something that you could buy as the end of the match.

 

One thing that bothers me is that Backlund usually kicks out before a two count to eliminate any crowd anxiety. It isn?t just this match either. He did it in the Hogan match and in the pair of Muraco matches I watched. Another problem is when Backlund was shot out of the ring. It didn?t look like Sarge?s kickout had enough force to send Backlund out of the ring. However, Slaughter?s relentless attacks on Backlund, drawing blood no less, as he attempts to get back in the ring were fun to watch. Seeing Bob get in and duel it out and sending Slaughter, the great bumper, out of the ring was also great. Still, another inconclusive finish to a Backlund match has to knock this down a few pegs. Since it leads to the cage match I can forgive it though. With the amount of mediocre matches on this set, I can easily seeing this crack my Top 20.

[goodhelmet]

No clue why Slaughter/McGraw 06/20/81 was even included when all it was was an angle. There's an easy #100.

The match is shown after the angle. I just caught this today. While there is nothing special about the match itself, it is def. not #100. Right now I have that saved for the Andre-Khan match. Something really bad has to pop up for that to get bumped off.

[goodhelmet]

Bob Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter (3/21/81, cage match)

--- This is a wierd match to watch. On one hand, you have Sarge bumping like a champ for Backlund, a nice gusher to increase the violence level, retribution from the previous match, and some great spots. On the other hand, it is basically an extended squash as the much bigger Slaughter gets very little offense in and plays a cowardly heel, constantly trying to escape, and basically admitting he is no match for Backlund. The ending is also pretty anti-climatic for a blow-off match. However, I have been marking out for both of these guys the last few days and I can easily see this finishing in the upper half of my list, probably right below the first Sarge-Backlund match and above stuff like the Slaughter/Daniels tag match.

[Loss]

Only cage match I've liked on the entire set thus far is Rude/Piper from 12/28/89. Generally, escape rules make for pretty shitty cage matches.

[goodhelmet]

Bob Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter (10-20-80)

--- I completely overlooked this match so I had to revisit it. There isn't much difference between this match and the 1/10/81 bout. Still, I think I enjoyed the other one more. This one had an even less satisfying finish, if that was possible, than the other two Slaughter-Backlund matches on this set. However, the fact that outside interference occurred made it logical for this feud to end up in a cage.

 

Ken Patera vs. Pat Patterson (12-29-80)

--- An abbreviated brawl with a bad finish. This doesn't come close to their April match which could be Top Ten. I wouldn't mind the DQ finish so much if they had not spent the ten minutes of the match brawling and punching and fighting.

[goodhelmet]

Only cage match I've liked on the entire set thus far is Rude/Piper from 12/28/89. Generally, escape rules make for pretty shitty cage matches.

I enjoyed the Backlund-Slaughter match but there were too many problems for me to really rate it high. As we have seen in this set, Sarge bumps like a maniac and bleeds for his craft. But why in the hell would he be afraid of Bob Backlund when he manhandled him in the match prior to this?

[goodhelmet]

Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter (5/4/81 MSG)

--- Just a brawl. I have liked both guys on this set but this match was nothing special. It will end up in the lower half somewhere.

 

 

Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (4/6/81 MSG)

--- Just a cage match... I had seen this before on the Bloodbath DVD and my feelings remain unchanged. They didn't do anything actively offensive but there was nothing here that stands out to make it special. This will be somewhere in the lower half.

[goodhelmet]

Don Muraco vs Pedro Morales (11/23/81 MSG)

 

This is JIP and only 7 minutes were shown. I'd put this right around the same ranking as Hogan-Shultz. Not enough was shown to get the proper feel for the match.

 

 

 

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (1/18/82 MSG)

 

The early portion of this match reminds me of a classic All Japan battle. They battle for every lockup, every position, and every advantage until they head toward the impact moves. When watching early on, you can see that Adonis is too eager to get the advantage on Backlund and, each time, Bob makes him pay for his impatience. And boy, does he ever make him pay. Backlund's arm work is just awesome, made even better by the pain and frustration on Adrian's face. When Adrian takes over, he attempts to pin Backlund after every single move but Bob continues to survive until he makes the comeback. The end stretch is also reminiscent of an All Japan match where each guy attempts to put the other away with big moves (at least for 1982 standards) . I don't know if it is mandatory in Backlund matches but he inevitably ends up outside and the heel insists on keeping him out there. It may just be an excuse for him to blade because he comes up a bloodied mess, just as he did in the Slaughter match from 1/81. I have to take off some points because Adonis decides to employ the elbow drop and throw left punches after Backlund had spent 10 minutes working over his left arm. While this is a great match to watch, thanks to both guys, the dreaded Backlund non-finish pops up again while he builds to the rematch.

 

Tim said this was Top 5 and, at this point, I would agree. However, because of the nature of these discs, I can easily see some potential matches bumping it out of the way.

[Loss]

I said it was possible before and I'm starting to mean it now -- Adrian Adonis is becoming my favorite wrestler ever, slowly but surely.

[goodhelmet]

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/20/82 MSG)

--- This one has several things going for it that the first one didn't. First of all, Adonis controls most of the amtch, and after watching a dozen Backlund matches in 3 days, it is a refreshing change. Next, it is one of the few clean endings in the set in matches that feature Backlund. THere are also some nice exchanges and reversals but it lacks the emotion and energy of the 1/18 match. Still, a really good match that will be close to my Top 10.

[sek69]

I was starting to wonder if Backlund ever had a match with a clean finish.

[goodhelmet]

So far, on this set, I have seen two. It was pretty obvious what they were doing actually. Bob has a match against random heel. Random heel beats Bob by countout or DQ and wants to claim the title. Rematch either continues the feud or blows off the feud. Rinse. Repeat. Booking 101.

[goodhelmet]

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (lumberjack match)(3/28/82 Landover, MD)

 

--- I don't really care for lumberjack matches but I can appreciate the way the lumberjacks interacted with each other as well as the wrestlers inside the ring. THe rest of the work was solid but I didn't enjoy this match as much as the other two. I don't know if the match was handicapped by the gimmick but it didn't make it better. The finish was almost the exact same one as the 3/20 match but the win still seemed tainted by the fast count and fluke nature. Tis will probably end up somewhere in the middle.