Carlos Colon Vs TNT (11/27/86)

[El Boricua]

Carlos Colon Vs TNT (11/27/86)

[elliott]

El Profe (I think? And will find out later) in a cage being hung above the ring. This is one of my favorite gimmicks ever; manager in the cage so he can’t interfere. This starts fast like their last match with both guys going right after each other in a slugfest. TNT has the early advantage and its pretty ok. I like him bumping around more and right as I say that they work into a hope spot and TNT just kills Colon with a sidekick. They’re working from an armbar base and TNT isn’t real great at it but Carlos keeps things interesting and moving along from a defensive position. TNT has a great look but I’ve always been a mark for face paint. Crowd is super hot for Colon’s comeback. Usual awesome punches and TNT some enormous bumps off of back body drops. This turns back into a back and forth slugfest and really picks up. Colon gets busted open and TNT just starts killing Colon with headbutts. I gotta say, as samey as Colon’s comeback routine is, the crowd is so into it and there is so much energy that I always get into it. Colon does more of his totally wild cobra clutch reversal attempts as the crowd goes totally fucking nuts cheering him on to get out of it. Fortunately for Colon, one of his trademark spots is the reverse mule kick to the nuts. He’s perfected it over the years so he fucking blasts TNT and the crowd explodes as he gets out of it to build a comeback. This spills to the outside with TNT blading these two slugging it out to the tune of a double countout. Really fun match that I’d like to rewatch in a vacuum because this Disc has been so loaded with Top 5 on the Set contenders/locks that this is hard to fairly rate. At times I thought it was a little flat but it really built to a wild and chaotic end to the point where I’m thinking “OH fuck this rocks too!” The video ends with El Profe forgotten and left alone in his cage shaking his masked head with his hands on his hips thus cementing that it was indeed a great match J

[AJS]

These guys match up really well together and this was a very enjoyable match. I liked how it began as a kind of straight up wrestling match before turning into another insane brawl with a crazy finish. Good stuff

[WingedEagle]

El Profe is suspended in a cage this time following his interference in the first match. We get a long TNT nerve hold. Really long. Perhaps the kind that even makes one switch the disc to 1.5x speed. That part was terrible. Colon eventually punches out but eats a superkick and now finds himself locked in the Cobra Clutch, where like the first match he's struggling but unable to break it until throwing a back kick low. TNT bleeds and we get a double countout. Nothing special until the end and post-match.

 

**

[KB8]

One thing about Colon that I haven't really seen brought up yet is his unselfishness as top dog/ace. You watch that Abby match where Colon slaughters him for twenty minutes in isolation and you might get the impression he would just guzzle guys, especially when you consider Abby's status, but that's very much an outlier. He could've easily taken more of this match given the fact Rivera is in his first year as a pro, but he was on a mission to make TNT look legit. This was one of those matches that started out okay and built and built and before you knew it you were watching something really damn good. TNT is still pretty raw around the edges, but for a guy who hasn't even had a full year of working under his belt he handled himself well. He has lots of energy and bumps big, especially off of backdrops, and he will absolutely take your head off with a superkick (he hit two in this as Colon was running off the ropes, and they both looked brutal). He also hits a lot of chops and uppercuts to the throat and he isn't above flat out choking a guy. Structurally he was in control for most of this, working the arm for a bit early on, then Colon would make sort of mini comebacks. But TNT would always find an answer, whether it was through shutting Colon down with a superkick or eventually going to the cobra clutch. When Colon hooked in the sleeper hold around midway through it looked like it was only a matter of time before he'd win, but TNT found an answer to it and worked his way back on top. When Colon cartwheeled and got the crowd going (and boy did they go) it looked like he'd finally go on that big run and put the match to bed, but again TNT managed to regain control. By the time it spills to the floor and they brawl to a no contest it feels like TNT has solidified himself as a genuine threat. He had plenty to do with that himself, but Colon really gave him a ton and went the extra mile to push him over the line.

[dawho5]

I'd agree that the combination of the last TV match and this one really make TNT look like a major threat to anyone in the WWC. He has a deadly finisher and it looks like he can hang with Colon, no small feat in Puerto Rico.