El Boricua Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 Invader I vs. Al Perez (Street Fight) (10/26/86) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted September 25, 2016 Report Share Posted September 25, 2016 Al Perez is one of those guys I’ve seen wrestle probably dozens of times but can’t remember any of his matches and have no opinion of him whatsoever. Invader I has been the overall star of the set so far. So maybe some magic will happen as the impossible to remember squares off with the utterly unforgettable. We are joined in progress with Invader in command. This is one of the coolest arenas ever. I love the no floor seating but the floor itself has the absolutely delightful multi-colored square pattern. It’s how I imagine old ABA basketball courts. I absolutely believe there was a Virginia Squires vs Pittsburgh Condors game from 1972 played on a floor exactly like this. Invader is just killing Perez at the start of this with Perez busted open already and the crowd going crazy. I love when Perez gets a big punch in and Invader shakes his head really fast to get out the cobwebs. Invader’s charging punch is one of my new favorite spots in wrestling. It is such an awesome babyface comeback spot. Perez takes over by posting Invader and just blasting him with punches. This leads to more of Invader’s awesome stumbling around selling which at this point is probably one of the 5 greatest thing in wrestling as far as I’m concerned. Perez keeps up the attack slamming Invader into purple and teal sections of the marvelous floor and Invader is busted open only further ensuring that this is going to be great. The crowd pop when Invader kicks Perez in the balls. Holy shit. The devastation when Perez kicks him back in the balls is glorious. SERIOUSLY INVADER SELLING AND THEN CHARGING AT DUDES IS THE BEST THING EVER! HOLY FUCK! Both guys on their knees on the floor blasting each other in the face and Invader hits the worlds biggest headbutt. The fight continues on the floor and this is another completely out of nowhere holy shit level match. The sound cuts out for a little bit but comes back on just in time for a great Invader hope spot. This arena is really unique because the wrestlers walk up a little stairway from underneath the floor to get out to the ring. Well the crowd is absolutely mortified when Perez attempts to throw Invader down the stairs and in an amazing spot Invader is hanging upside down above what looks to be a 6 or 7 foot drop as Perez continues to wail on him. Invader manages to get his hands on a chair and just bashes the shit out of Perez as the crowd goes insane. Perez crossed a line with the stairs so Invader’s like “You wanna throw me down some stairs, I’ll throw YOU down some stairs motherfucker!” But Perez manages to get away. The heat for Invader’s comeback is totally bonkers. And THEN INVADER THROWS HIM DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS! YES! FUCK THIS IS SO GREAT! EVERYTHING gets paid off in Puerto Rico. EVERYTHING. Perez eventually just runs away from Invader to end the match. What a match. Perez didn’t even get fucking nominated for GWE and Invader had a match like this with him??? Invader has got to be a strong candidate for the best wrestler on the planet in 1986. This was an incredible match. I mean, the Ron Starr match came out of nowhere and I think was better than this. BUT MAN. This match REALLY Came out of nowhere. I mean its fucking Al Perez? This was easily better than the first Hansen vs Colon match. Better than the Martel vs Funk match. You’re not going to believe how good this is until you watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 I really don't know what to say about this one. Just another slice of PR insanity featuring two guys who look like they're actually trying to murder one another another! This is an amazing fight! Referring to the first Hansen vs Colon match I said I could feel the hatred. Well what's worse than hatred because this match had it whatever it is. Man i've never been much a fan of straight up brawls but the guys in Puerto Rico really knew how to do em. Incredible stuff. I thought the lack of commentary added to the atmosphere too. Really made me feel close to the action. And what action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted October 27, 2016 Report Share Posted October 27, 2016 This was easily better than the first Hansen vs Colon match. Better than the Martel vs Funk match. You’re not going to believe how good this is until you watch it. Yeah. He's not exaggerating. This match was crazy, especially because you had no idea it was coming. Puerto Rico easily takes the prize for coolest and most diverse buildings. We join this one in progress with Invader & Perez brawling all over the place on multi-colored & paneled floor that screams 1980s. Punching and smashing each other into the paneling and all over the building. You really can't do a match like this justice with a description, but its wild, bloody and the crowd is eating up every single thing they do from the moment we pick it up. All of this punching is so gritty, violent and incredibly well paced. Nothing is rushed and between the blood and timing its all terrific. Perez controls the early portions to set up Invader punching his way back into things. Perez back on top after a table shot and they tease a sick bump over a railing and down stairs. Invader somehow safely hooks his legs and eats punches before pulling himself back to the floor. Chair shot to Perez, then punching and biting and teasing tossing Perez down the stairs. He eventually does so, but in such a fashion that Perez can pretty much safely run down the steps to avoid anything too risky, but it still makes for a great visual and moment that the crowd loves. Only real knock here is the relative absence of a finish, or at the very least a clear one as Perez seems to bail and Invader is declared the winner by the ref. Just a fantastic brawl with a number of unique wrinkles. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 This was easily better than the first Hansen vs Colon match. Better than the Martel vs Funk match. You’re not going to believe how good this is until you watch it. Yeah. He's not exaggerating. This match was crazy, especially because you had no idea it was coming. 5 star match #2 I was stunned by how good this was. This set has a bunch of stuff like that. There are a few matches that just left me laughing hysterically at how shockingly good they were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 This was easily better than the first Hansen vs Colon match. Better than the Martel vs Funk match. You’re not going to believe how good this is until you watch it. Yeah. He's not exaggerating. This match was crazy, especially because you had no idea it was coming. 5 star match #2 I was stunned by how good this was. This set has a bunch of stuff like that. There are a few matches that just left me laughing hysterically at how shockingly good they were. Stunned. Not something I can go 5 on, but for shock value its definitely there. Fantastic, different brawl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microstatistics Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Really good brawling with good selling. Not much else to say. The stair teases were great. *** 1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 This is the best thing Al Perez ever did in his career, right? This was another awesome wild brawl, right on the level of your crazy Jim Duggan Mid-South alley fights (in a lot of ways this is probably the Puerto Rico equivalent of Duggan/Sawyer). It's becoming trite to say it at this point, but holy fuck was Invader great. This had all the blood and face-punching and nut-punting you'd expect, but Invader's selling holds it all together. Maybe that's doing a bit of a disservice to Perez, because he was really good in this and I'd be shocked if he was ever better, but Invader in this kind of match is one of the surest things of the 80s. The progressive toll of Perez's shots, the blood loss, the desperation he puts into his comebacks, with his running punch and double thrust to the throat -- it was all awesome. He has the crowd eating out the palm of his hand as well, the way he beats on his chest when it's time to REALLY kick somebody's butt and the crowd responds by going mental. Perez tried to throw him over the side of a stairwell and he was literally hanging over the edge of this drop by his legs while the crowd were screaming and losing their minds, and this is Puerto Rico so you know it's plausible that he might actually fall. Then he came back with a chair and the people were right there with him for every shot, and of course he threw Perez down the fucking stairwell because every single fan in that building would've done the same. And what is Invader I, if not a man of the people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted November 9, 2017 Report Share Posted November 9, 2017 I can't say a whole lot about this match that hasn't been said. I'll just agree that this comes completely out of nowhere and HOLY SHIT those stairwell spots were amazing. And Invader 1's selling and comebacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cactus Posted September 3, 2021 Report Share Posted September 3, 2021 Finally, a street fight that actually lives up to its name! The visual of both guys going at it in jeans adds a lot to the overall presentation, as does the grotty-looking Puerto Rican arena. These guys didn't even enter the ring and the ring posts were only used to smash each other's skulls into. The brawling here was fantastic, with every punch having urgency and they even threw in some ball shots when they needed to. Perez tries to straight-up murder Invader by throwing him down a stairwell. Invader hangs on to the railing for his life as the crowd shriek in pure horror. The atmosphere was chaotic and you got the feeling that someone might legitimately die. This was a great showcase of what the Puerto Rican wrestling scene was up to in the 80s. ★★★★¾ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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