[1988-01-23-NWA-World Championship Wrestling] Barry Windham vs Tully Blanchard

[Superstar Sleeze]

Western States Heritage Champion Barry Windham vs Tully Blanchard - NWA World Championship Wrestling 1/23/88

 

Besides the obvious Magnum match, I think this is the best Tully singles match I have ever seen. The complaint oft leveled at Flair of being too weak I think is much more apt for Tully, who is far more reliant on bumping and stooging than Flair ever was. However, on this occasion, Windham forced Tully to work on top through his commitment to great selling. I thought Windham was just incredible in this and the match was really worked through him,

 

True to form, the match starts out with Tully bumping and stooging for Big Barry. I love a hot shine and I thought this was great. Tully could have made Barry earn it a little more, but Barry looked great here especially those punches. I liked Tully and JJ's embrace when Tully was getting his ass kicked. This is what I am talking about Tully getting a short knee in, then a nice concealed closed fist (AWESOME WINDHAM SELL!) and making Barry overcome him in a chinlock with a slam. Now back from a break, the ref gets clipped allowing Tully drag Barry by the leg and wrap it around the post and then slam a chair against the knee. YES! The heat segment is glorious. Windham sells the leg like a million bucks. The way he is dragging it around. The way he tries to protect it by standing UNORTHODOX. Any one who is not a southpaw knows how uncomfortable it is stand unorthodox in combat. Very cool touch! My big complaint towards Tully is not appropriate. He attacked the knee with vim and vigor. Going for takedowns and always looking for cutoffs with shots to the knee. From Windham, we constant struggle and constantly looking to get out of the toeholds and eventually starting to break Tully down with the barrage of punches. I thought the selling from both men was top notch. Tully was gradually running out of steam but always had the out to attack the knee while Windham jus had to keep coming. I loved stuff like Windham not being able to complete a suplex because of bad knee. Or Blanchard's half-piledriver where he collapsed forward from his own weariness. The figure-4 an obvious natural spot was very dramatic. Really like the incorporation of the bridge out of pin but this time into a Windham gutwrench suplex! Just as Windham looked to have it in hand, Tully went back to the knee fiercely. Tully went up top and Windham was trying for superplex, but his knee gave out. However, he was able to hit a wicked running lariat out of the corner! 1-2-BELL RINGS?!?!? DRAW?!?! No wait JoJo Dillon has rang the bell. Here is the Total Package to right this wrong. After eternity to rewatch all this, Tommy Young is ready to restart the match. Tully small package! Luger says not this way. TULLY JUMPS ON LUGER!!! IT IS BREAKING LOOSE IN RICHMOND VA BAYBAY!!! MASSIVE POP!!! Horsemen storm the ring. They give Windham the chance to clock Luger, but he attacked the Horsemen! Sting comes out too. Sting, Luger and Windham stand tall the future looks bright & blond for the NWA!!!!!

 

Loved this match. Built totally around Windham's selling of the knee (what a great way to set that up with the chair), his perseverance gradually breaking Tully down and then Tully going back to the knee. You just get this dramatic finish stretch can Barry hit that one big bomb before his knee gives out completely or does Tully take advantage of his nefarious attack and take the championship. Didn't love the finish, BUT LOVED THE POST-MATCH! Super hot and Lex Luger felt like the biggest star in the world in that moment. Just perfect old school Southern pro wrestling built around selling and face/heel dynamics. ****1.2

[El-P]

Great match followed by a great angle.

 

Windham was one of the best worker in the world at this point. Tully's work is so "realistic", in that it never looks like he's going through a bunch of spots but really is trying to fight with a gameplan, likewise Nick Bockwinkle. I love that kind of work more than anything else, and this is Tully at his best, making this his best single match next to the Magnum classic indeed. Pro-wrestling as its classic best.