[1963-04-24-JWA] Rikidozan vs Pat O'Connor

[paul sosnowski]

Rikidozan defends the NWA International Heavyweight Title

 

[Superstar Sleeze]

Rikidozan successfully defends his NWA International Championship against Pat O'Connor who has Killer Kowalski with him. There is more grappling in this. The ref is white but this takes place in Japan and O'Connor cheats early with some closed fists and Rikidozan complains to an unsympathetic ref. The falls were not that interesting. Rikidozan loves his slashing chop. The spot that stands out is that O'Connor got his head caught in the ropes in 1963! I am watching these clips to build up to watching full Rikidozan matches. So far they have been more of a historical curiosity, I dont find his working style or personality that compelling honestly.