[1971-05-19 JWA World League Final] Giant Baba vs Abdullah The Butcher

[Superstar Sleeze]

Giant Baba vs Abdullah The Butcher - JWA 5/19/71 World League Final

Abby looks positively svelte compared to the tub of goo that I saw in 1984. I always expect him to be taller. He is very mobile here too. This the penultimate World League as next year would be the final year of the World League as 1972 is when the split between All Japan and New Japan. 

I am always impressed how they could make Baba who is quite literally a Giant so sympathetic. They do it here with all the dastardly cheating from Abdullah. He starts with a throat thrusts and some headbutts. He forces Baba out of the ring and bounces him off the announce table. I thought it was Baba, who unleashed War Cry on his comeback, but I think it was a well-timed fan. Baba's chops and energy looked awesome here. He really gave Abdullah his receipt including bouncing his head off the table as payback. Abdullah reaches down into the tights; I was thinking it was the fork, but he may have not innovated yet. It looks like a hard piece of cylindrical plastic. He jabs and prods into Baba's head drawing blood. I love that Abby hides it under his armpit at one point. Baba is still about eye level even on one knee. Baba unleashes a FEROCIOUS chop on one knee. Terrific. He rips into Abby and bulldogs his head into the ringpost, which may have drawn blood hard to tell. Baba goes for the finish, big chop and then the big boot but only for two. Whips him in dropkick another two. Is it 1971 or 2021? Lol. Abby mount a comeback with headbutts, but misses a running elbow to eat the fall. The match was sub-ten minutes, but it was energetic. It could have built to more heat. I liked Baba's performance a lot especially when he was fighting off one knee. Abby was more mobile but still reliant on the foreign object. I would liked to seen him get more vicious. It really built to something. This is just plain solid, fundamental babyface vs heel brawling. Can never go wrong with that. ***1/4