[1986-05-04-WWF-Toronto, ONT] Randy Savage vs Tito Santana

[paul sosnowski]

 

[KB8]

I love this feud. It might be my favourite WWF feud of the 80s. This wasn't quite as good as what my memory tells me about the MSG match, but it was another home run. Tito was so good, man. He probably had a heel run somewhere or other but as far as career babyfaces go he got believably fired up like no other. I bought him wanting to kill Savage, take his belt (which Savage had taken from him in the first place under controversial circumstances), then kill him again. Savage was also a whirlwind of crazy. He threw Tito over the ropes, the barricade, almost fell several times climbing after him, jumped off of turnbuckles and the ring apron and the barricade, hit him with a chair, threw the chair away, hopped into the crowd to get it back, hit him again. Security were having to follow him around and keep fans in check, put stuff back in its original place for everyone's safety, really having to earn their keep that night. I've said before that one of my favourite things about Savage is how, despite being a guy who reportedly planned out his matches to the letter, there was always a sense of chaos and unpredictability to what he was doing. And the whole time he was in control here it felt like he was just rushing through the ideas that were coming to mind for ways to inflict misery. "I'll just jump off this shit and club him in the head." "Oh there's a steel chair, might as well hit him with that. Oh look another thing I can jump off of, I'ma climb it." It was never directionless in the way you'd get someone just running through stuff with no rhyme or reason. I mean it was directionless in that he's a nutjob who was acting on his impulses, yet it had plenty direction in the sense it was all ultimately designed to fuck up Tito Santana. The opening was also awesome with Elizabeth getting bumped off her feet as Savage tried to use her as a meat shield, Tito checking on her and Savage blindsiding him, because what's more important to Savage than the Intercontinental title? Not Elizabeth, apparently.
 

[tcg91]

This was very similar to the match they had a couple of weeks earlier in the MSG, but I liked the other one better anyway, as this time Savage's selling wasn't as good in here, despite him bleeding again due to Santana's aggression. Still, these two had nice chemistry and went through the motions quite smoothly once again; the dirty finish was a bit better this time around, as the referee bump wasn't as silly and it fit the match stipulation
***1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Tito Santana - WWF MLG 5/4/86 NO DQ

I haven’t watched the MSG match in over 6 years. So I thought be fun to watch this one because I forgot the finer points of the MSG match and thus if they are the same I wouldn’t notice. 
 

Great use of Elizabeth right at the bell. Dragging her in front. Stymying Tito and popping him. Such a low down reprehensible thing to do. It comes back to bite him immediately as Tito catches him with a right to the breadbasket as he leapt off the top rope. It has been so long since I have since Tito works singles match. Give him Hell, Tito! Tito does just unloading with haymakers. Tito has such a great punch. He wallops Savage to the outside. He kicks his ass over the railing. Good outside the Ring brawling. Back in the Ring, Savage is clinging for dear life to the ropes to stop this onslaught. He digs his fingers into Tito’s eyes. That makes some headway. He throws Tito over the top rope. Again good use of the floor the Bombs Away Double Axehandle. Savage swarms attacking from all angles like usual. He misses a knee drop. Starts selling the leg and nobody sells the leg as good as the Macho Man but that doesn’t last long. I like how the rest of the heat segment. Savage’s control of the match seems tenuous. It feels like Tito is going to break out and open a can of whoop ass But Macho Man keeps cutting him off until the Holy Shit Bump of the Match Tito uses a steel chair to hit the Macho Man as he comes down with a Double Axehandle to the floor. The rout is on. Tito unloads as the Macho Man heads for the hills. He brings him back the hardway. They brawl more on the outside as Savage is busted open on the post. Absolutely amazing punch exchange! I watch so many bad ones in modern wrestling study these two punching the shit out of each other. Savage clocks the ref on the back swing. MEXICAN HAMMER! Love it! No ref! Awesome! Tito tries to wake the ref. Savage high Knee! O’Connor Roll w reverses and has the tights for the win. A very popular Savage finish. 
 

I’ll have to go back and read my MSG review to see how similar matches. I felt like they were similar quality. Really strong 80s brawl but not quite upper echelon. ****1/4