Carlos Colon vs. Steve Strong (Final Battle) (11/23/89)

[El Boricua]

Carlos Colon vs. Steve Strong (Final Battle) (11/23/89)

[elliott]

Last match on the set gets an over the top silly review.

 

Steve Strong cut his hair but somehow looks as dumb if not dumber than he did before. This is another really big crowd that is really really hot. If people had ever actually watched this shit and seen these crowds, Carlos would have gone in the WON HOF in 1996 like he was supposed to. There’s just no denying how big a star he was when you watch these matches. Carlos goes right after Strong’s leg with kicks, elbow drops and setting it up in the ropes and jumping on it. Oh fuck they have the RINGS style overhead camera they cut to during the leg work meaning Carlos not only should get credit for influencing Onita & FMW he should get credit for RINGS production style J Colon also goes for the back drop suplex (I realize now that’s what he won the last match with, not a German suplex), but Strong fights away going for the ropes. That’s learned psychology baby. Colon invented All Japan main event style wrestling too apparently. You can especially see that in Strong blowing off the early leg work because not every move actually matters…except seemingly in Puerto Rico where every spot anyone did to anyone was later paid back. AWESOME spot where Strong is selling and goes for his diving shoulder tackle but Colon gets out of the way again leading to Strong bailing out of the ring. Back in and Strong hits some really hard forearms to the chest and a jumping knee in the corner. He misses the 2^nd one and Carlos pulls his pants down, because why not, before going back to legwork mixed in with punches and turnbuckle smashes. Steve Strong AGAIN does the Kawada sell of an irish whip just collapsing so Carlos goes back to the leg slamming it into the apron and kicking the crap out of it outside the ring. Great spot with Strong sloooooowly crawling halfway in the ring to break the count and then running as soon as Carlos gets close. I mean he was just inching in there. Colon continues after the knee with strong desperate to get away. HUGE pop as Carlos locks in the figure 4. Strong’s selling of the figure 4 is good. More of the stoic variety. He’s showing pain but not really flopping around like some guys do. Crowd pops huge as Strong attempts to turn it over. This is a really long figure 4 section and both guys leave it selling their legs in a major way. Strong hits some desperation clotheslines but Colon keeps getting up and stalking after Strong. Finally Colon starts getting out of the way of Strong’s big charges and keeps stalking after Strong. They repeat the DDT spot they blew in the last match but this time they nail it giving Strong the advantage. Great overhead camera shot of Strong leg and elbow drops. He blows off the leg selling, but you look at a guy like Steve Strong and don’t really expect him to sell anyway. They brawl outside the ring but that’s Carlos’ territory so he’s able to make his comeback posting Strong several times before we go back in the ring for Carlos’ signature comeback. At one point Carlos headbutts Strong so hard, Strong collapses to his knees and is leaning on the ropes selling as though he were being set up for the 619 which I’m told isn’t a way wrestlers sell so I guess in addition to Triple Crown Main events, RINGS Production, and all of FMW, we can credit this match for setting up the template for the 619. As Strong sets Colon up for a powerbomb or piledriver (it was a piledriver, and a GREAT one), a fan clearly does the “Raise the Roof” hand signal so we can credit this match also for Harlem Heat. This is all nearfalls down the stretch with Strong trying to put away Colon with whatever he can but naturally Colon manages to score the win. The fans immediately surround Carlos hugging him as little kids jump in the ring. Security immeidatley get in to surround Carlos and get him away and this is just a wild fucking scene. This is the perfect way to end this set. It started with Abby bleeding getting stitched up and it ends with Carlos, victorious and celebrating getting mobbed by fans. This wasn’t as good as the barbed wire match, but in many ways was a more impressive match. This was 20+ minutes against Steve Strong in a match with no gimmicks, no Chicky Starr or El Profe at ringside, no blood, no bullshit, and a clean finish and it’s a very good match.

[dawho5]

I'll echo the sentiment about Colon going over clean and being mobbed by fans being a great way to end the set. I will not ever agree that Steve Strong in a 20 minute match was a good idea. Colon got what he could out of it, but it's just...not good. I get that there had to be some time after the leg work and the figure four sequence, but this dragged a lot for me.