[1975-07-25-AJPW] The Destroyer vs The Spirit

[Phil Schneider]

End of the road Killer Karl Kox might be one of my favorite wrestlers ever. Just a nasty old bastard who will split your eyebrow with a right hand or knee you in the throat. I also loved the early matwork portion too, nothing fancy, nothing tricky but really impactful. These are a pair of old dudes with crazy tendon strength and it was fun to watch them struggle in tests of strength in weird angles. Wrestling matches are full of traditional knuckle lock tests of strength, these guys were struggling from their back or their knees. Then we get the great mask hiding foreign object section. Destroyer is an old master at that and it is fun to see him have to deal with someone using his own tricks on him. It is like a Lawler match with the heel hiding a chain too. Every one of those foreign object shots were extra violent looking, the headbutts were sold like they should be, and the chain assisted punches really thudded. These no bump Kox matches are the best, I could watch him not bump forever.

[Microstatistics]

Lovely match and a really unique one. Cheating, headbutts, punches, blood and more cheating. Great selling and character work. Possible top 5 match for the 70s. ****1/2

 

[KinchStalker]

This is for the Destroyer's PWF US Heavyweight title. It's fascinating to watch the Destroyer try to reckon with an opponent who performs in the same heel manner as him here. The matwork at the beginning is slow but fun, watching these bodies contort in weird angles while trying to overpower one another and make them bend to their will. Kox wins the first fall at 9:38 with a loaded headbutt, which also busts open the Destroyer. For the second fall, we enter the weapon-hiding section. What a delight this is. Kox's punches are fantastic too. Kox hurts his knee when he tries to hit the Destroyer's face with it, and Beyer dodges to make his unprotected knee hit the mat. Destroyer's got a vulnerable body part to work with, and work with it he does, until he locks in the figure-four to even the score at 12:50. The Destroyer wins, but only with the assistance of Jumbo, who's had enough of this shit and grabs Kox's leg, allowing Beyer to win the match with a cradle. This finish might not be to one's liking, but I was fine with how it somewhat protected Kox, and since I like Jumbo's dynamic with the Destroyer I appreciated that. (Side note: as the first gaijin to ever receive a full-time contract in Japan - parallel to this, he was also performing in a popular Nippon TV television show - Beyer was kind of the devil on Jumbo's shoulder to Baba's angel in this period. ) Upon a rewatch, I think this is yet another 1970s AJPW match that I underrated the first time around, but this is an especially major case. If you want to get to know the Destroyer, this should be one of your first stops, and this is a top contender for the best gaijin vs gaijin singles match that All Japan held in the decade. Very likely the AJPW MOTY as well. ****1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

PWF US Heavyweight Champion The Destroyer vs The Spirit - AJPW 7/25/75

The Spirit is none other than Killer Karl Kox. This is two old, lumpy, stodgy, cheating bastards in a battle of who could be nastier.

First Fall: It looks like Kox spits something out and puts it in his trunks at the bell. Destroyer wastes no time crowding Kox on the ropes and popping him. Kox responds with a shot to the eye that sends Destroyer reeling to the floor. It looked suspect like it could have been a foreign object. Nobody is going to confuse the matwork with Destroyer/Mascaras BUT there’s a lot of struggle to it and it feels like both guys are fighting with everything they got. There’s nasty stuff like Destroyer putting his hand over Kox’s mouth on the mat. Kox starts in control with a hammerlock then Destroyer then they stand up into the ropes, It is back to popping each other with blows. Destroyer rips Kox down with a double wristlock and then puts his shin across his throat. This causes a break and now things really unravel. Kox gets the better of Destroyer with punches and a suspicious headbutt to bust Destroyer open and lead to winning the first fall. Kox of course attacks the wound during the break between falls. Awesome heel vs heel shit. Kox 1-0

Second Fall: Aahhh the old two can play that game fall. Kox starts out with a commanding lead biting the cut, punching it and Destroyer has to powder. Kox rams Destroyer’s head into the steel post, the ref checks Kox‘s mask and body for a foreign object but he has put “it” in his mouth. Destroyer comes back into the ring with a headbutt but not just any Headbutt a LOADED HEADBUTT! Great selling by Kox to put it over. Destroyer punches him with “it”. Back in the mouth as the ref is now suspicious of Destroyer. Loaded Headbutt finishes Kox in a quick but delightful fall. Even Jumbo gets in on the action as he distracts the ref so Destroyer can headbutt Kox in between falls, tied 1-1.

Third Fall: Destroyer looks like he is cruise to retaining his title alternating between loaded headbutts and loaded punches to Kox’s head. However in a tie up Kox is able to blast him with a loaded punch and now Kox takes the lead in the battle of the old cheating bastards. Kox misses a knee drop. Everybody and their mother knows what this means…FIGURE 4~! Kox makes it to the ropes. Ref wants a break but Destroyer says he needs to be disentangled but the ref goes to do it and Destroyer keeps reapplying the hold. Good craic from the cheeky bastard. Destroyer works the knee and the Figure-4 s’more. Kox retaliates with one last Loaded Headbutt. Jumbo takes exception to this. Destroyer rolls up Kox on the distraction and with a handful of tights wins the match. Kox & Jumbo brawl on the outside in a match I’m not sure we get but I want now! 
 

This match is exactly as advertised two surly bastards that are not above cheating trying to figure out who is the King of the Cheating Bastards. Glorious. ****1/2