JerryvonKramer Posted January 29, 2016 Report Share Posted January 29, 2016 Bon Orton Jr vs. Adrian Adonis (5/26/83) This is from Southwest and has Lou Thesz on colour, a man with a lot of love for Greco Roman wrestling, but much less love for street fighting. He is in town because this is a tournament for the undisputed world title. This is from The Summit in Houston and was the final. I believe this is JIP and so we don't get a great sense of what this match was like beyond the fact it was worked well between two greats. Adonis wins and Thesz presents him with two belts, a new undisputed title and the 75-year old original NWA title from back in the Ed "Strangler" Lewis days, who Thesz puts over a lot as his mentor on commentary. Interesting historical curiosity. Despite the fact that South West had promoted this card heavily, it drew very poorly, less than 2000 because they were running in opposition to Paul Boesch who ran his own card that night -- and as we all know Boesch was the man in Houston. Adrian would not longer after this go back to New York to tag with Murdoch, while Orton would go to Crockett for his role in the Flair - Race angle. Bob Orton Jr vs Lanny Poffo (2/23/86) From a PrimeTime. Maple Leaf Garden. Monsoon and Ventura on commentary -- surprising! Poffo's poem sucked. The look on Orton's face is hilarious, so non-plussed. Monsoon puts over Orton as a "wrestler's wrestler" which is code for "this guy's a damn good worker". Gorilla: They've used more wrestling holds in the last five minutes than I've seen YOU use in the past five years. Jesse: You know coming into Maple Leaf Garden tonight fans were asking me when you were coming out of retirement. I might just bring you out of retirement. It might end up with me and you in there! Fucking classic! This match goes 15 minutes and Orton puts Poffo away with a float over superplex. It's hardly a masterpiece, but I've talked before about the value of ring generals and super workers. You can see the evidence for that in a match like this. I watched Lanny Poffo, a guy really of limited talent and ability, look absolutely terrible recently in a match with another limited worker, Outlaw Ron Bass. Here, Orton makes Poffo look like a million bucks. He makes him look competent. Every aspect of his performance looks better because Bob Orton Jr was super duper talented. This is why I say sometimes "anti-workrate my arse" because a guy like Bob Orton Jr can take a guy like Lanny Poffo and make him credible, and someone like Ron Bass never can. This isn't directed as a shot to Matt or anyone else, it's just an explanation and a case for the value of the super worker / ring general. They can do things other people can't because ... They are better wrestlers. **1/2 Bob Orton Jr vs. Paul Orndorff (5/25/85) This is from the Spectrum. Dick Graham and Monsoon on commentary. Cappetta gone, of course, replaced by some pencil neck geek. Dick Woerhle still the ref. Is that .... Is that Super 8 I see! Titans fans please check. A lot of shine for Orndorff to start. He was pretty over in 85. Orton is a huge bumper and seller. As Johnny and Kelly both said recently, just the right side of cartoony to look great without being completely OTT. He really reminds me of Terry Funk sometimes. Does the wobbly legs. Arm wringer by Paula. Shades of Backlund here. Fireman carry by Orton into a Samoan drop. Innovative. Unravel a bit of tape from the cast and chokes Orndorff with it. Orndroff back on offense. Orton has been very stoogy here. Johnny needs to see this, Orndroff punches Woerhle clean in the face! I suppose there was a blow off after this? ** Bob Orton Jr vs. Tito Santana (7/23/84) This is from MSG for Tito's IC belt and took place on the card with "the brawl to end it all". The Fink still looks an absolute state and deserved to be bullied. Monsoon and Gene Okerlund on commentary. They both put Orton over huge. Let's see Orton in a long match against a good opponent. Arm drag into an arm bar by Tito to start. Orton bails after a hip toss reversal. Some nice counters over a wrist lock and a hammerlock. Monsoon describes the difference between an inside and an outside wrist lock. Genuinely educational. Gene agrees. Tito bridges back from the wrist lock. Fights his way back up and Orton pulls the hair back. Excellent reactions from Monsoon and Okerlund one of the great underrated commentary teams. Tito continues to work the arm. Some excellent facial selling from Orton. Orton back on top. Some great punches from Orton which Tito sells like crazy. Running powerslam by Orton. Knee into the back. Modified backbreaker from a gorilla press position. Back, back, back. Psychology kids. Cover gets two only, getting frustrated. Shot to the head. Santana comes back. Hope spot. Two more rights. Orton cuts him off with the eyes. Fisherman cradle like move from a strange position. Man Orton is incredible with the moves. Does things you never ever see. I think he made up his own moves. Reverse chinlock results in an arm drag from Tito. This Garden crowd is hot for him. Orton lands on the knees from a splash from the top. Fires up. Punches. Turnbuckle shots. Great comeback out of Tito. Cover barely gets two though. Slams his head into the mat. You can tell how much Gene is into this. Shot to the throat by Orton cuts Tito off. But Tito syncs in the abdominal stretch. Orton reverses! Back suplex by Orton. Cover gets one only! Goes for a vertical suplex. Reversed into a small package by Tito! Two only. Tito misses a flying cross body now. Fist drop by Orton. Two only. Irish whips. Bridge pin gets two for Tito. Slugfest now. Tito reverses a piledriver attempt. Both men down. Elbow drop by Orton. Oh my god. Orton goes for a second and Tito just puts his fist up and Orton's face just drops right on shit! Bell goes for a time limit draw. Slug fest breaks out after the match as Tito unloads about twenty punches on Orton. This is wild. Awesome match. Some really great chain wrestling, some hard work, innovative stuff from Orton, fire from Tito, great selling from both. One of the better matches from the WWF in the 1980s. **** Bob Orton Jr vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (4/19/75) This is the earliest match we have of Orton's on tape, 75 Champion's Carnvial. Let's see how he does against my boy here. Footage courtesy of our friend in Japan. Pretty sure Paul Boesch is sitting in the crowd. Orton's 70s hair is legit 70s. Headlock stuff to start. Beautiful headlock takeover by Orton. Jumbo struggles literally and vocally. Headlock remains applied. This works itself out. Break. Both guys go the the legs and fail with takedowns. Some good amateur credentials type stuff here. Well, you know for all the talk of Jumbo not being good on the mat, he WAS an Olympic-level amateur wrestler. Arm drag exchanges now. Big elbows by Jumbo on the back of Orton's head. Big dropkick. Swinging neckbreaker. Cover gets two. Headlock. Headlock takeover. Some neat punches back and forth. Vertical suplex by Orton. Scoop slam. Jumbo applies abdominal stretch. Back suplex by Orton. Elbow smash. Drop kick. Cover gets two. Shoulder block. High leapfrog by Jumbo. Butterfly suplex gets Jumbo the three count. Excellent example of a 15-minute AJ match in this period. Starts all technical with an amateur base, progresses through holds and counters, up through strikes to the big bombs at the end. Good match. *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2016 Bob Orton Jr. vs. Ricky Steamboat (7/20/85) This is from the Cap Centre. Monsoon and Mean Gene in the booth. Best arm drag in the business from Steamer to start. A million luchadores couldn't do it better. Tremendous chop. Kip up by Orton. Arm wrenches by Steamboat. Great ones. Drops back on the hammerlock. Absolutely phenomenal. One of the best ever. Big chop sends Orton down. Explosive shine for Ricky. Arm bar. Bodyslam. Back on the arm. Steamboat's basic game plan is very often this assault on the arm. Massive hip toss by Orton and a flying head scissors. The elevation from Steamboat on the hip toss was something to behold. Turnbuckle show by Orton. Right hook sends Steamer down. Slams the face onto the mat. Knee lift. Steamboat sells it like he's dead. Neckbreaker, but sort of like a stunner. Knee drop. Orton is so deadly, so many different offensive weapons. Steamer tries a chop and a slam, but Orton pushes his weight over to him. Basically a rock bottom from Orton. Did Bob Orton Jr invent every single 90s finisher there was? Slugfest now, big chops by Steamboat in the corner. Orton goes for a piledriver. Reversed to a back drop. The dragon flies off the top with a cross body and it's two only! Orton dump Steamer but he skins the cat. Inzaguri sends Orton over the top rope. Huge bump to the concrete. Orton goes to the eyes. Goes for a suplex to the outside, almost but revered! Goes for a splash but Orton gets his knees up! Wow. Adjusts the cast. Gene thinks it is loaded. Orton goes to the top. Nails the cast on Steamboat's neck, and it's a DQ. This is my kind of wrestling right here. 15 minutes, hot action, great wrestling moves, great bumping and selling, great execution, strong storytelling, hard work. Brilliant. ***3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khawk20 Posted January 29, 2016 Report Share Posted January 29, 2016 The 7/23 Orton-Santana matches has long been one of my favourite MSG matches of the 80's. Glad it's getting some love. The Adonis-Orton Southwest match is available in full if I remember right. I'm a big Orton fan. Something about the way he delivers his offense always resonated with me. Very crisp. I'd give anything to get my hands on an Orton-Greg Gagne match from the AWA in the mid-70's. Those I have talked to that saw some of those bouts said they were really, really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 I was hugely disappointed by that Adonis/Orton match and trust me there was a period in my life where I really wanted to love Adrian Adonis. I'm kind of surprised that you're so high on Orton after so few matches (relatively speaking.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMick Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 The Adonis-Orton match was on that wrestling gold collection, with Meltzer and Cornette alternate commentary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted January 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 I was hugely disappointed by that Adonis/Orton match and trust me there was a period in my life where I really wanted to love Adrian Adonis. I'm kind of surprised that you're so high on Orton after so few matches (relatively speaking.)I've never seen a good match in Southwest, regardless of who is in it, including Terry Funk, Also, I've seen more matches than just these for Orton. I've loved him for years. We just watched his 82 run on Titans, where we've talked about him as a great worker. From the AWA set, I gave him and Adonis vs Rockers from 88, 4.5 And from Crockett, I gave him and Jimmy Valiant vs. Jack and Jerry Brisco from 83, 4.5. This is fleshing out the case so I can justify ranking him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 I haven't seen a ton of Orton, but I first watched that Steamboat match years ago (pretty sure it was on Will's Steamboat set) and thought it was a total blast. I've watched it once or twice since then and it's always held up. It's one of my favourite *Steamboat* matches, never mind Orton matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Orton vs. Steamboat was alright given the parameters they had to work with, but you're seriously overrating Steamboat's armdrags. I was expecting them to be much deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I won't hear a bad word said against Steamer's armdrags. He's got a better armdrag than anyone who ever wrestled. I consider OJ's post a troll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Steamboat's armdrags are pretty great, but there are about 250 luchadores who did it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I love lucha but if I get to include judo throws Kensuke Sasaki is the armdrag champion: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Steamboat's armdrags are pretty great, but there are about 250 luchadores who did it better. Open trolling. That's enough of this now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El McKell Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Steamboat's armdrags are pretty great, but there are about 250 luchadores who did it better. Open trolling. That's enough of this now. When someone calls a genuine opinion trolling for no reason on basically any message board I'd expect them to be actually trolled. That said Ricky Steamboat's armdrags are at least top 5 all time. Also holy shit that Kensuke gif is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 If Ricky Steamboat's armdrags are top 5 all-time, then it is trolling to say that there are 250 luchadores better than him at it. Seems to me his crime is not being Mexican or Japanese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 He did work ROH, at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Oh settle down, I was only kidding. Steamboat's armdrags are excellent and I doubt there are more than ten wrestlers in history that did them better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.