Billy Robinson

[JerryvonKramer]

Billy Robinson vs. Giant Baba (7/24/76)

I went in expecting this to be a chess match on the mat, but this was a fucking fight, full of stiff slug fests and big throws. Robinson even does a plancha at one point. And Baba does a suplex bounced off the ropes for leverage. Kind of a 70s equivalent of a spot fest in a way, but super heated, with intense work by both guys and good psychology as you'd expect. Robinson is just phenomenal in this match. Everything he does from the stiff forearm smashes and uppercuts to his swank backbreakers is great. Great example of Baba as a top worker too, but this is mostly the Robinson show.

This is like a 25 minute sprint over 2/3 falls. Terrific match and contender for match of the decade.

*****

Billy Robinson vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (3/5/77)

Another phenomenal match and A+ Robinson performance. He was a real bomb master and I have a hankering to see him in action against Harley Race just to watch the suplexes fly. But this is super intense and heated too. Robinson brings a sort of pressure cooker atmosphere to his matches, everything has great intensity. He brings so many different big moves here, tiger suplex, butterfly suplex, several backbreaker variations, belly to back suplex. For his part, the young Jumbo more than holds his own and shows he can work a big match as he does practically any time he's in there with a big name, be it Robinson, either of the Funks, Race, Brisco or whoever. Jumbo has a GWE case from 70s work alone. He shows a lot of determination and fire here and brings his own big bombs to bear, throwing Germans and gut wrenches. Absolutely everything means something here, but like the Baba match this is more like a sprint / spot fest worked over 25 minutes. Robinson must have been like the most exciting guy ever in the mid-70s. One of the most remarkable thing about these Robinson matches is the sheer pace they cut. Robinson honestly looks like one of the best wrestlers ever ever here.

Post-match we get a bit of afters before the trophy ceremony. Just awesome stuff. I think I liked this as much as the Baba match.

*****

Billy Robinson vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (3/23/77)

This is in CWF for some reason but with Japanese commentary and is the return bout. You can see Eddie Graham's Marlon Brando face in the front row. Dory Funk Jr is also at ringside, presumably to face the winner. Same ferocious pace as the other matches and same level of intensity. I feel like I'm watching the Flair / Steamboat trilogy for the first time here, this stuff is off the charts. Here Robinson destroys Jumbo in the first fall with multiple neck breaker variations before Jumbo makes a big comeback with a huge belly to back suplex. The submission holds from both guys are real snug here, but they keep things moving generally. Some of the best headlock take overs you'll ever see in this match. The loud bangs and crashes on the mat are really satisfying too. Awesome finish to second fall when Robinson answers a piledriver with a massive backbreaker. Then another and into a Boston crab. World class wrestling in any era!

Abdullah the Butcher runs in and gets himself involved during the third fall, while the ref is out, but it does nothing to detract from the third straight up fucking classic I've watched tonight.

Could I possibly give three matches I a row the full five?

Fuck it, I can and I will. This is some of the best wrestling you'll ever see.

*****

Billy Robinson vs. Antonio Inoki (11/12/75)

Okay, let's see what Robinson can drag out of that boring bastard Inoki. This goes over an hour and, unsurprisingly given that big chin is involved, it's a much more mat-based affair than the Baba or Jumbo matches. But that same pressure cooker atmosphere that Robinson seems to bring about in all his matches. Tons of struggle in this one and some really vicious submission stuff by Inoki, including some sick Indian death locks. There are also some really cool counters and things like that. If a guy is in a headlock, he'll usually have his fist right in the other guy's face struggling. Just as with the Brisco vs. Inoki match I can see fans of matwork really loving this. But they do build to bigger bombs later on in the match, especially in the third fall. Both guys really get to show off their knowlege of holds, counter holds and throws here, everything from head scissors to surf boards to abdominal stretches to Boston crabs and head locks, it really is a wrestling clinic and maybe the best I've ever seen Inoki. So awesome when Robinson busts out two uppercuts and a butterfly suplex. Moments of explosion, that's how I'd describe a lot of this match. Robinson really seems to rile Inoki up and brings out the best in him. Robinson has a certain cockiness about him, it's a recognisably British character to me. This is an epic match that tells a superb story with world class technical wrestling that builds and builds to a really exciting finish. It's surely in the pantheon of stone cold classic hour long matches.

Is it possible, a fourth match in a row? Surely not? Could it be possible? With Inoki in the match and everything? You better believe it.

*****

Well wow.

[peachchaos]

Well, damn.

 

All I know of Robinson is his appearance in The Wrestler (1974), where he is billed as the best wrestler in the world and pitted against struggling promoter Verne Gagne.

 

I dig my fair share of 70's technical wrestling (Terry/Jumbo, Lawler/Race) so this stuff is right up my alley.

[Tim Cooke]

For the Baba/Robinson, here are Frank Jewett's thoughts from Dec 2001: (formatting his, not mine)

 

This review isn't about the WON Awards or a

candidate for the WON HOF, but since the match

involves two WON HOF members I thought it

might find a good home in this forum.

 

Tying back to Steve Yohe's excellent "Wrestler

of the Year 1900-1979" work, I'd have to say

that the case for Billy Robinson winning WON

Wrestler of the Year award in 1976 is strong.

 

Robinson's famous draw with Inoki in 12/75

would fall within the 1976 voting period,

as would this match and Robinson's 65-minute

draw with Jumbo.

 

It's one hell of a trifecta from a workrate

standpoint, though this match, Billy vs Baba

is probably my favorite of the three.

 

Frank

 

(Review follows below)

 

==========

 

If Billy Robinson was wrestling today,

one might describe his style as "fusion"

since it incorporated tumbling elements

now associated with juniors along with

matwork now associated with UWFi

and selling associated with All Japan.

 

The problem with the fusion classification

is that Billy Robinson's prime occurred

more than twenty-five years ago, so he

isn't a fusion of these disparate styles but

rather a wellspring of new ideas or a

missing link to the workers before him.

 

Robinson may not have invented these

moves, holds, and techniques, but in

numerous cases his matches provide

the oldest example of their application.

 

Watching Robinson's match with Shohei

Baba from 7/24/76 I was reminded of

many of the now disparate elements

which were fused in Robinson's work,

but more than that I got the feeling

that I was seeing a historic first.

 

Billy Robinson vs Giant Baba may be

the "first" Triple Crown match, not

in the sense of fighting for the PWF,

International, and UN titles, but in

the sense of providing much of the

blueprint that was used by Misawa

and Kawada in the nineties to make

"Triple Crown" synonymous with the

ultimate in professional wrestling.

 

One of the hallmarks of Triple Crown

matches was the evolution of sequences

from match to match as new counters

were added to surprise the audience

and take the rivalry to new levels.

 

Robinson and Baba didn't have the

luxury of playing off their previous

encounters, but they had three falls

to work with and they used sequences

and spots in the early falls to set

up surprise counters in later falls.

 

Baba dominated the end of the first

fall. Baba whipped Robinson into the

corner, then whipped him into the ropes

and caught him with a trademark high

kick for a hot near fall. Robinson

grabbed a headlock, literally trying

to "hang on", but Baba back suplexed

him to take the first fall.

 

These moves would be replayed later

in the match.

 

In the second fall, Baba again tried

to whip Robinson into the corner, but

Robinson responded with a running

elbow to begin to take control for the

first time in that fall.

 

Then in the third fall Baba tried for

the high kick, but Robinson caught

Baba's foot, slammed it down, and

dropkicked Baba in the chest.

 

Later, Baba tried another back suplex,

but Robinson kicked off the top rope

causing Baba to fall awkwardly and hit

the back of his head, stunning himself.

 

Counters like these became staples in

Triple Crown matches in general and in

Misawa vs Kawada matches in particular.

 

Another hallmark of the Triple Crown

style was organizing the match into

sustained series of offense by each

wrestler separated by transitions.

 

The genesis of the transitions was

often a single quick counter move,

but momentum usually reversed slowly

over several moves as it took the

former victim time to clear his head

after the previous prolonged assault.

 

Robinson and Baba worked several of

these deliberate, well planned shifts

of momentum into their storyline.

 

Perhaps the best of these transitions,

and one of the best transitions I've

ever seen, took place in the middle

of the second fall.

 

Baba came out strong, controlling the

first three minutes of the fall while

working on Robinson's sore neck with a

series of chops to set up a leg sweep

and a swinging neckbreaker for a pair

of hot near falls.

 

Baba whipped Robinson toward the corner,

but Robinson sprang up onto the second

rope, leapt off, and decked Baba with a

running forearm to the side of the jaw.

 

Robinson then collapsed himself, still

hurting from the earlier beating, but

made it to his feet first, steadied

himself, and launched a dropkick that

took Baba down again.

 

Robinson stayed on his hands and knees

following the dropkick, still trying

to gather himself. Again he made it

to his feet first and again he decked

Baba with a running forearm, but this

time he stayed on his feet and seeing

Baba down he went for a quick cover

but Baba, now thoroughly stunned, was

able to get his foot over the ropes.

 

Robinson, now fully in control of the

action, then hit one of his signature

spots, a hangman neckbreaker. Baba

shifted slightly, perhaps looking for

the ropes again, but had to kick out

to avoid being pinned.

 

The entire transition, from Robinson

being in peril to Robinson being in

complete control took a little over

a minute with several "rounds" of

combat featuring wonderful selling

and decisions that made perfect sense.

 

Slow, well executed transitions like

this were one of the elements that

separated All Japan's top singles

matches from the rest of the world

and separated the Misawa vs Kawada

rivalry from the rest of All Japan.

 

Another hallmark of the Triple Crown

style was teasing and building the

importance of key moves by using a

sustained series of desperate blocks.

 

In the first fall, Robinson attempted

to lift Baba several times for a gut

wrench suplex, but Baba hung on to

Robinson's leg to block the move.

 

In the second fall, Robinson attempted

to lift Baba several times for a double

arm suplex, but Baba blocked it in a

number of ways, grapevining the leg,

dropping to a knee, and hooking the ropes.

 

The implication was that these moves

posed a real threat to Baba which is

why he was so desperate to block them.

 

Misawa and Kawada often used the same

psychology in their matches with Misawa

desperately blocking Kawada's powerbomb.

 

When Baba blocked the gut wrench suplex,

Robinson shifted to attacking Baba's leg.

When Baba blocked the double arm suplex,

Robinson went back to the leg and applied

a single leg crab, forcing Baba to submit

and evening the match at one fall apiece.

 

Robinson opened the third fall by going

after Baba's injured leg. He tried to

apply the boston crab several times, but

Baba made it to the ropes or kicked him

off. On one of the kicks, Robinson fell

backward and hit the back of his head.

 

Another hallmark of the Triple Crown

style was great selling, understated

and realistic in some moments while

over-the-top theatrical in others.

 

In the second fall Robinson had shown

that he could stagger around in peril

like Shawn Michaels in one moment,

then wilt following a heavy blow like

Toshiaki Kawada in the next moment.

 

In the third fall, after bumping his head,

Robinson avoided a stomp, made it to his

feet, then collapsed and rolled all the

way out to the floor.

 

Not to be outdone, after bumping his

head when Robinson kicked off the top

rope to upset a back suplex attempt,

Baba rolled three quarters of the way

across the ring, then rolled under the

ropes and off the apron to the floor.

 

Robinson and Baba varied their selling,

but they were not inconsistent. Their

selling reflected the overall flow of

the match and the most recent attacks

so they were able to mix theatricality

and realism like a Triple Crown match.

 

There are plenty of other elements that

can be analyzed in this match, from the

incredible build to the finish to all

the quirky moments Robinson brings to

the match, but I'm going to break with

tradition by avoiding a blow by blow

retelling of the stretch run here so

that readers can see it for themselves.

 

Robinson's bumping is great and Baba's

signature moves never looked better.

 

At one point Robinson staggers into

the ropes, then in response to Baba's

chop he falls out between the top and

second rope to end up on the apron.

 

Baba's back suplex is majestic with

Baba letting gravity do all the work.

Baba's finisher, the neckbreaker drop,

has all the ferocity of a car wreck

with Robinson flinging his legs into

the air as his shoulders are driven

into the canvas.

 

All that said, I'd rate this match at

****1/2. There were a couple of minor

slips early and while their matwork

seemed both organic and original it

ended a bit abruptly as if they had

merely wanted to get it out of the

way before moving on to other things.

 

The teasing and failure to deliver

later on the gut wrench suplex and

the double arm suplex was a negative,

but the teasing of a double countout

while actually delivering a clean,

satisfying finish balances that out.

 

I've seen Robinson vs Baba from 7/24/76

nine times now and I haven't tired of

it at all. There are literally dozens

of small touches to enjoy around the

strong central storyline.

 

It's the quintessential Billy Robinson

match, showing his strengths and the

diversity (to our modern eyes) of his

work while also showing a few moments

of Robinson marching to his own drummer.

 

If you were a fan of All Japan Triple

Crown matches in the nineties and the

great rivalry between Misawa and Kawada

then you definitely need to watch this

match to see where that style came from.

 

Frank

[LowBlowPodcast]

Fun fact - my grandma dated Billy Robinson back when he toured for the AWA in the 70s. I am thinking of recording her stories for the Low Blow Podcast at some point... she has some doozies.

[soup23]

Billy Robinson vs. Giant Baba (7/24/76)

 

Some basic work to start with Baba gaining the advantage. The Torque and intensity Robinson conveys trying to throw Baba to the mat is great and Baba is good on defense standing his ground by locking Robinson's leg. Robinson does at least use this position to get a clean break and gives Baba a look that conveys "you are a big fucker." He then starts going after the leg like he is a lumberjack chopping down a tree. Baba for his part mainly shrugs this first strikes like he was swatting a fly. Both guys are really playing to their strengths and the match has a great back and forth feel with sound strategy abound. Quck wrestling by Robinson and he works over the leg some more. Robinson is the aggressor here but is unable to perform any substantial damage on Baba. He gets too close at one point and unlike some of the flashy wrestling sequences that Billy just displayed, Baba is content using a more basic approach and using his big frame to wear Billy down. Enter a bodyscissors. Robinson's escape is amazing as he takes a compromising position and makes the best of it while putting Baba in a leg submission I've never seen executed quite that way before with Baba's leg directly being cranked over the top of Billy's head. This results in another restart but Billy sees that his systematic approach isn't gaining much ground so he tries to amp up the strikes and they have an awesome 1 minute heated exchange with stiff strikes culminating in Baba hitting a hellacious looking boot for a nearfall and catching Billy with a back suplex to take the first fall. Again, Billy was the more aggressive worker but was unable to gain an advantage on Baba. 9 minutes of brilliant brick laying for a story there.

 

Second fall starts with Baba smelling blood and clonking Billy and getting a side Russian leg sweep for a quick near fall. Billy looks really overwhelmed on his facials. Baba continues to chop away as Billy clings to the ropes and blocks the strikes as best he could. This is one of the better examples of ring positioning being utilized that I have seen. Billy has nothing right now except some semblance to not get caught in the middle of the ring. Baba goes for a pin at one point and Robinson immediately pays off this strategy by doing a foot break. Swinging neckbreaker and Billy can muster a kick out. Baba sends him in but Billy uses a bit of flash to put his foot on the middle rope and then he hits Baba with a hail mary forearm. Billy sees his opening and hits a dropkick. Another forearm and a particularly brutal neckbreaker that Baba is able to kick out of. With Baba in more pain now, Billy goes back to the leg. This is treated with more success than in the early going. Billy tries a butterfly suplex and isn't able to get it but he is able to lock in a nasty half crab and the second fall is over in favor of Billy. Shockingly the Giant looks in bad shape as he withers in pain as Billy collects himself between falls.

 

Third fall starts with Robinson stalking. He fakes a lock up and then hits a beautiful short kick to Baba's leg that scores some damage. We get an amazing sly smile from Billy on his wittiness. Test of Strength? Nope, another short kick. Baba starts losing his temper and chokes Billy and tries for the chops but Billy is able to almost fully block the attack this time. Boston Crab fails and Billy doesn't want to forego all the ground hes made so he retreats to the outside. Back inside we get another neat spot where Billy tackles Baba's leg and both go tumbling to the outside. Atomic drop by Baba on good leg gets a nearfall but Billy does a callback and breaks that up with a foot on the rope. The match opens up now as Billy hits a flying forearm from the apron to Baba on the outside. After a little exchange outside, they both pile back in. Backbreaker by Billy and a rope break by Baba. Now maybe this is me looking into things but this was awesome as it 1. shows Baba's size and 2. gives Billy a taste of his own medicine by using the ropes to break pins throughout the match. Baba gets that irish whip he was looking for before but Billy catches the big boot this time. This match is full of paybacks and callbacks. Nice standing dropkick and running splash earn nearfalls for Billy. Billy runs the ropes again and runs right into a big time lariat from Baba and that is it.

 

What a beautifully crafted match with a clear story that was easy to convey with the audience, but a ton of depth mixed in. Every moment of this match felt carefully placed but also organic. The selling, payoffs, and work was beautiful. For my money, the best 1970's match I have seen up to this point. *****

[jdw]

Yeah... that Billy vs Baba match is probably the best thing to throw at people when they start saying stupid things about how Billy was as a worker (such as boring or colorless) or how Baba was as a worker (limited stiff who just got over on his size or some such nonsense). It's just an exceptional match, really well laid out.

[Matt D]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRHJt6GAI5M