[1978-11-25-Roland Bock's Catch Europa Tournee] Antonio Inoki vs Roland Bock

[Control21]

This match is a masterclass. Not only in pure technique but how to make someone look dominant while keeping the loser relatively strong. Inoki had no answer for Roland Bock, and as the rounds progressed (10 European rounds), this became more clear. Bock dwarfs Inoki in size and sets the tone early on by suplexing Inoki and dominating him on the mat. This rarely happened at the time, although it probably didn't surprise the German crowd too much considering Bock's status in Europe. Inoki has his moments, and this isn't a total squash, but Bock just keeps pressing him and Inoki's exhaustion sets in pretty quickly. Towards the end, they both get pretty feisty and Roland gets rough with Inoki by delivering several headbutts, choking him with the ropes, and suplexing him at will in the 9th and 10th rounds. Inoki survives and goes the distance, but he does not look like the demi-god he was going into this match. On the other hand, Roland looks like a true monster and a force of nature. There's no running of the ropes in this match. It's just a pure fight between two superb wrestlers who begin to hate each other as the match progresses. It's a shame we didn't get more prime Roland footage because he looks tremendous here. A true classic for the books. *****