[1986-11-27-JCP-Starrcade '86] Dusty Rhodes vs Tully Blanchard (First Blood)

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA World TV Champion Dusty Rhodes vs Tully Blanchard - NWA Starrcade 1986 First Blood

 

Dusty playing Red Light, Green Light with Tully using bionic elbow will always be one of my favorite spots in wrestling history. To me it epitomizes the fun that pro wrestling can be. I always have the biggest smile on my face watching this match. It is a total master class in psychology, an anti-workrate classic and a testament to the intoxicating, infectious charisma of the American Dream and the brilliant cowardice of Tully Blanchard. The beginning with Dillon trying to put headgear on Tully and the Vaseline is so much fun. Dillon tries to give Dusty a piece of his mind and Dusty gives him the bionic elbow, which busts him open. All these pre-match shenanigans establish Tully as a coward and the Bionic Elbow as a death knell. The way they struggle over punches and sell the tension of being punched just one time is amazing. The Red Light, Green Light is amazing. Tully went for a fist drop and then saw the big hand of Dusty to meet him and his selling was great. The headbutt by Dusty was great because you didn't know who may be busted open. The way they sold the anticipation of the Bionic Elbow was so dramatic. It hit him on the top of the head and just didn't bust him open. The finish is classic Dusty with the ref bump where Dusty is able to bust him open. In a move of ultimate heel chicanery, JJ covers up Tully with Vaseline hands him a roll of coins and busts Dusty open. The referee comes to to see Dusty bleeding calls for the bell.

In entertainment value this is *****. It is fun and dramatic at the same time. You want that little coward Tully to get his face caved in by the Bionic Elbow of the American Dream, but at the same time you are amused by Dusty's cocky swagger and Tully & JJ's shenanigans. Call me crazy, ****1/2

[El-P]

Tully is quite amazing, but the whole stop-start action gets tedious to me after a while. Dusty just ain't that interesting inside the ring, he's decent in small doses but he's also kinda tiring to me. But yeah, Tully & JJ's antics (the pre-match bullshit is classic, and Earl whipping off the vaseline was very funny) are ***** material here.

 

Odd how Tully had this reputation of being a real-life asshole, yet inside the ring he wasn't afraid of coming off like a complete coward, showing tons of ass and getting beat up forever. He was really a "give" pro-wrestler as a worker.