Current All Japan Nominations

[goodhelmet]

I am currently working on All Japan nominations. Some of my thoughts are just short lines and others are tedious recaps that help me keep the matches in line. I thought you guys might be interested in some of the stuff we have been watching for the 80s project.

 

1980

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Slater (Champion Carnival Final, 5/1/80)

- Really strong match here. I love how these guys battle over the smallest move. Jumbo tries a double underhook suplex but Slater blocks it by hooking his foot around Jumbo’s leg. He fights and twists to keep Jumbo from getting a Boston Crab. I mark out huge for that shit. Early on, Slater’s main focus was on Jumbo’s leg and he does enough filler to keep it interesting. Slater’s bump to the outside was huge. Loss recently criticized Slater on the Mid South set and that’s cool. However, I don’t think you can criticize him here as it is Slater who makes this match a slam dunk nomination.

 

 

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Terry Funk & Dick Slater (5/2/80)

Early on, Slater and Funk work on Jumbo, preventing him from tagging into Baba. Once Baba is in, the momentum shifts to the natives. However, Terry and Slater are such a great tag team. They do a little comedy, a little heel work, some big tag team moves. Fun spot as Terry gets tangled in the ropes so Baba gives him the big boot. This knocks Terry back but he springs back into the same spot so Baba does it again and he goes flying to the floor. The natives win after Jumbo and Baba give Slater a double atomic drop. I don't think I would give this a strong nomination. I'll call it a middle of the road nomination where the tag work was good and the gaigin were fun as hell but that there wasn't any real drama or any doubt on who would win in the end.

 

 

Harley Race vs. Giant Baba (NWA Title, 9/4/80)

- You can tell Baba is excited in this one because he is bringing it. It really helps that Race sells and bumps like a madman. What makes this stand out is Race's inability to hit any of his big moves. Instead, it is Baba firing on all cylinders. Race tries to suplex Baba in the ring, Baba falls on top for a pin. In a strike battle, it is Race who goes tumbling out of the ring. Race's piledriver is blocked. Baba's piledriver hits the mark. This battle continues where you could feel Race getting frustrated up until Baba hits his sweet Hart Attack clothesline for the win and a HUGE pop from the crowd. This will be one of the higher ranking Race matches on the set along with the Flair match and deservedly so.

 

 

Giant Baba vs. Harley Race (NWA Title 9/10/80)

- Early on, you can tell Race is pissed, because he hits Baba with the piledriver right off the bat and maintains control. This doesn't last long as Baba snaps out of it and realizes he wants to hold on to the belt a little longer. When Baba is on offense, the match is almost identical to the Baba win but Race ends up hitting more of his high-end offense in this match and that made the difference. The end of this match was much more interesting with Baba busting Race open on the ringpost. When Race gets in, he is a bloody mess and Baba tries to put it away. First he drops the BIG Boot and Race gets a leg on the ropes. He executes the Hart Attack clothesline and a piledriverbut Race escapes. I don't know what he was thinking but Baba tries to go to the top rope, is knocked down and pinned by Race. THis match was nearly just as awesome as the Baba win and is a definite nomination as well.

 

 

Harley Race vs. Mil Mascaras (NWA Title, 09/12/80)

- Early on, Mascaras catches Race off-guard with a flying cross chop and after he kicks out, Race slides all the way back to the other side of the ring while shaking it off. Great visual to start it off. The match kicked off with Mascaras doing his ground game that I love so much and Race bumping big for him. No bump was bigger than Race taking a flying body press while outside the ring. Tired of being shown up in all phases of the game, (holds, brawling, flying), the only way Race can gain control is by throwing a low blow. Mil gets advantage again outside so Race throws a table inside the ring and uses it to regain control. I really enjoyed this all the way through. It seemed like Race was playing Ric Flair and letting Mascaras shine most of the match. I’ll give it a nomination and see where it goes.

 

 

Dick Slater & Ricky Steamboat vs. Abdullah The Butcher & Tor Kamata (11/28/80)

- I'll give this a mild nomination for the Steamboat blood, the wild brawling and Kamata's kicks to Steamboat's face. it doesn't last long before it spills into the crowd but Steamboat swinging a chair for survival and Slater taking Abbys's spike makes for great fun.

 

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Ricky Steamboat (12/01/80)

- This match was so long. There wasn’t anything technically wrong with it but it would have been so much better if they trimmed ten minutes off of it. At this point, I think I would rank the Steamboat-Sheik match higher than this one even though this may be technically better. I think the biggest problem is that this was building to a time limit draw, not to an actual climax to the match. Not one of my favorite matches but this has to be on the set.

 

 

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Ricky Steamboat & Dick Slater (12/5/80)

- Early on, Jumbo is working against both guys and I am loving it. Slater and Jumbo roll around and try a mat game. Steamboat and Jumbo carry over some of the “technical” pieces from their singles match but it doesn’t feel half-speed because they know they can keep the match moving. When Baba comes in, Steamboat kills my vibe by over-selling the Big Boot to death. This is bad over-selling Ricky. Still, there is too much good stuff not to nominate this one. Steamboat and Slater work really well as a team, always making sure to save the partner when they are in trouble but the natives win by countout. But damn, Steamboat’s goofy-ass selling was annoying. Low level nomination.

 

 

The Sheik vs. Ricky Steamboat (12/9/80)

- At first, this looks like a styles clash but it forces Steamboat to find his inner-Abdullah and both guys are a bloody mess three minutes in. Seriously, you wish Steamboat would cut loose like this more often but when he does, it stands out more. The entire match and post-match lasts about ten minutes but it was a blast seeing Sheik running away from Steamboat who looked like he was possessed. I am probably crazy for nominating this but I can't see leaving it off.

 

 

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Nick Bockwinkle & Jim Brunzell (12/9/80)

- Early on, the Awa guys control the match, preventing Terry Funk from making the tag and cutting off the ring. When Terry finally makes the tag, Dory takes control but makes the mistake of tagging Terry in too soon to do a double suplex but Terry is soon on the losing end. This series has some cool spots such as Bock unloading forearms on Terry in the corner and Terry’s selling after Brunzell and Bock decide to work on the leg to prevent Terry from making his way to Dory by taking turns applying the Figure 4. Eventually, Terry makes the hot tag to Dory who applies a Boston Crab to Brunzell who reverses that, only to have Dory reverse into a three count. This started off a little slow but once the AWA team started working Terry over, my interest level picked up. Nomination.

 

 

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (Tag Final, 12/11/80)

- This is going to be rough as I go from a 6 minute match to a 45 minute match. However, I always like watching Jumbo vs. the Funks since you automatically have the student vs. teacher potential automatically built into the match. After a long feeling out process between both teams, the match gains some focus as the Funks start working over Jumbo’s leg after he got caught in a Dory Spinning Toe Hold. I think the AWA team work on the leg was more fun but it is kind of cool to see the Funks use the same tactic to keep advantage of the match that was used on them just two days prior. Jumbo escapes after back dropping Terry out of the ring and now Funk’s injured back becomes the focus of the match. Some of Funk’s selling in the match is too comical (back flip over the top rope after a Baba chop) but he sells the hell out of the back injury. Keep an eye out for him piggy-backing Terry in order to get the tag to Dory. The 2nd half of the match is a little less focused as both teams try to put away each other with big moves with the occasional nod to the earlier work. The 2nd half also has some pretty cool strike battles… Terry’s punches vs. Baba’s jumping chops and the Jumbo-Dory dueling European uppercut battle. Great finishing run as Terry covers Dory to protect him from a top-rope knee drop and gets put out of commission. This leaves Dory in a handicap match for a duration until Terry gets back to his corner after Dory has absorbed a ton of punishment. When Terry makes the tag, the crowd goes nuts for Terry. He ends up brawling with Jumbo out of the ring but as they make their way back, Baba runs into Terry, knocking him off the apron, giving the natives the win. Sorry for the half-ass play-by-play but it really is the only way I can keep matches separated in my mind. This match is strong enough to easily move forward but there were some parts that bothered me. The crowd’s reaction and the failure of the wrestlers to keep it building is a problem. There were also a couple of points where the wrestlers decided to re-start the match and go a different path in the middle of the match. Still, this one moves forward.

[Death From Above]

I like the '80 tag league final much better than the 1978 incarnation between the same two teams which obviously isn't part of the 80's project. The '78 one really plods by comparison, there's really no sense that it will be anything but a 45 minute draw in 78 where as in 80 they work in lots of doubt. My only big problem with the 1980 version is that the kneedrop off the top should have led directly to the finish. Terry down on the floor, Baba/Jumbo double team Dory, win. But instead we get a red herring and then one of the seven billion countout finishes that you see in All Japan in that era. Pinning Dory clean in the context of Terry having one of his seizures on the floor wouldn't have hurt anybody.

[goodhelmet]

I don't remember watching the 1978 match.

 

Here ae the 1981 nominations so far...

 

Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher (4/10/81)

- THis is almost an exact duplicate of the last match with very little wrestling and mostly arena brawling. However, where the last match had Steamboat chasing Sheik around the arena, this match has Abdullah and Brody with eaach other's hands around their throats the entire time they brawl. I am going to nominate this one with reservations. I want to see if there are any other Brody-Abby matches that are representative if what these two were doing and why they got their reputations. However, if a better one comes along, we can drop this one.

 

 

Jimmy Snuka vs. Ricky Steamboat (6/3/81)

- This one starts off with Snuka abusing Ricky until Steamer can get under control with a headlock. Great sequence as they do their running the ropes criss cross, Steamer rdops as SNuka goes flying out of the ring. Steamboat tries to fling Snuka into the ring using the top rope but Snuka reverses it, Steamboat goes outside but skins the cat and then ends up getting Snuka into the ring. It looked pretty sweet. Later in the match, Snuka would turn it around as Steamboat goes flying out off the ring on a missed attack. I have to deduct some points later on when Snuka and Steamboat collide and do the most melodramatic tumble out of the ring I have ever seen. This match is also notable for Steamboat bleeding and getting himself DQed for viciously attacking Snuka in the corner. I think this is the Steamboat people wanted to see when he got his revenge against Randy Savage. this is also the match I remember liking from this duo. Nomination.

 

 

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Umanoseke Ueda & Buck Robley (10/6/81)

- Whenever Ueda whips Terry, he flies out of the ring instead of running the ropes. Weird. Later on, Ueda actually throws Dory out of the ring so when Dory has the chance, he throws Robley out in retaliation. When the action spills out of the ring, Ueda attacks Terry with a chair and he has a bloody ear so of course Buck goes to the town on the ear, biting, punching and kicking Terry straight to the head. He even throws Terry out of the ring so Ueda can attack him again with the chair. Now it becomes a fight for Terry to make the tag. Of course, Robley gets put in the spinning toe hold and gets rolled up for the pin. I don’t know how good this is but it was fun as hell and worth a nomination.

 

 

Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr. (Int. Title, 10/9/81)

- This is the type of brawl that people should point to when they stick up for Brody. The only problem is that this was fun almost entirely due to dory Funk's willingness to play human punching bag. He bleeds, bumps and shows as much emotion as Dory Funk is capable of. Brody sells a little when Dory is ramming him into the ringposts but that is mainly an excuse to let him bleed. Pretty sweet post-match brawl as well with Brody and Dory taking out all of the natives who try to break up the fight. Buck Robley even joins in the fray. I'll throw this one in the discussion pile although I haven't seen a Brody singles match yet that would be considered a strong nomination.

 

 

Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (2/3 falls) (NWA Title, 10/9/81)

- Jumbo-Flair is one of my favorite matchups. I dig this much more than Flair-Taylor or Flair-Kerry yet I can’t see leaving those matches off their respective sets so I don’t see how we can leave any of the great Flair-Jumbo matches off. Hell, the first fall alone in this match was pretty damn great to be a nomination in its own right. Jumbo eventually nails a missile dropkick from the top rope to get the clean pin. However, Flair had been working over the leg which sets up the 2nd fall. In the 2nd fall, Jumbo tries to get the 2nd pin when Flair nails the leg breaker which sets up the Figure 4 in a short fall. Jumbo is still selling the leg in the 3rd fall even though his corner was massaging it, attempting to revive it for the final fall. I love little shit like that thrown in a match, especially in a 2/3 falls match where each fall is like a round in boxing that requires a different strategy after each round. This is probably why I so enthusiastic about the Portland category. The third fall has a little bit of everything. It has some brawling outside that results in Jumbo busted open. It ahs Flair trapped in a tree of woe and Jumbo attacking him while the referee tries to free him. It has Flair working on Jumbo’s cut. It has the hot finish with Jumbo trying desperately to put Flair away but as he goes for the big knee, Flair moves and Jumbo racks himself on the top turnbuckle. Flair gets the clean pin which is so rare for an All Japan match. This is easily my favorite Flair-Jumbo match. I could see this in my Top 5 and most definitely Top 10. Slam dunk nomination.

 

 

Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Dory and Terry Funk (12/13/81)

- This is famous for the introduction of Stan Hansen to All Japan. Snuka’s over-sell on a mediocre double forearm shot was embarrassing. The match is built around Dory being punished and the heels cutting off the ring with headlocks but Terry distracts Brody so Dory can recover and make the tag. When Terry gets in, he is also getting controlled by Brody and Snuka but his selling is so much better than anyone else in the match. Man, Terry is making this match. If anyone else is in the ring, I would have already rejected this tag match. His selling, the punching contest with Brody, the dive from the top rope all brought elements to the match that would have been lacking without him. Then, of course there is the lariat that puts him out of commission and allows Snuka and Brody to double team Dory into oblivion. This gets a nomination in part because of its historical significance but also because of Terry’s great performance.

[jdw]

Let's hope All Japan is several years off so that Dan can roll out more of the TV rather than just what made Classics.

 

 

John

[jdw]

Both the 1977 and 1978 Baba & Jumbo vs. Funks matches are fantastic. I don't recall being blow away by the 1980 version.

 

John

[goodhelmet]

Let's hope All Japan is several years off so that Dan can roll out more of the TV rather than just what made Classics.

 

 

John

 

I have talked to Dan and we already have a strategy. All Japan won't be several years away but we are getting a head start on other categories to shorten time between sets. I have all of the classics and all of Dan's current TV. I took the classics and have run through a majority of them. Dan is close to gathering all of the TV from the time. New Japan will actually be completed before All Japan but neither one will be light years away.

[S.L.L.]

Jimmy Snuka vs. Ricky Steamboat (6/3/81)

- This one starts off with Snuka abusing Ricky until Steamer can get under control with a headlock. Great sequence as they do their running the ropes criss cross, Steamer rdops as SNuka goes flying out of the ring. Steamboat tries to fling Snuka into the ring using the top rope but Snuka reverses it, Steamboat goes outside but skins the cat and then ends up getting Snuka into the ring. It looked pretty sweet. Later in the match, Snuka would turn it around as Steamboat goes flying out off the ring on a missed attack. I have to deduct some points later on when Snuka and Steamboat collide and do the most melodramatic tumble out of the ring I have ever seen. This match is also notable for Steamboat bleeding and getting himself DQed for viciously attacking Snuka in the corner. I think this is the Steamboat people wanted to see when he got his revenge against Randy Savage. this is also the match I remember liking from this duo. Nomination.

I've been watching your awesome Ricky Steamboat set, and I really dug this match as well.

 

I've written elsewhere about how some wrestlers have all the skills they need to be good/great, but don't know how to put them together until they find the right foil. Watching the early parts of the set, Ricky struck me as somewhat carryable at best, and downright silly at worst. I don't know if he was doing kung-foolery that ridiculous in his WWF run when it was the major selling point of his gimmick. And he kinda stays that way until '81, when he has the tag with Youngblood against Snuka and Ray Stevens, and then the singles matches with Snuka, and after that, he's aces. So I really came away with the sense that it was Snuka who was the foil Steamboat needed to become the superworker he became. That itself was kinda interesting to me, since I had never thought much of Snuka, but then, my main exposure to him was his post-face turn WWF work, where he was legitimately pretty terrible. But heel Snuka rocked, apparently. Go figure.

 

So, yeah, this match was pretty boss. Hope it makes the set.

[goodhelmet]

I thought 70s Steamboat was pretty damn good. Maybe I am not reading what you are saying properly.

[S.L.L.]

I thought 70s Steamboat was pretty damn good. Maybe I am not reading what you are saying properly.

You probably are. 70's Steamboat underwhelmed me, and sometimes struck me as actively bad. I'd need to go back and rewatch the first disc of the set to remember which ones really stood out to me as bad, but I generally remember a lot more comically exaggerated martial arts moves that didn't look like they were actually doing anything than he would use throughout the rest of his career. By the end of the decade, he's dialing that back, and the ones he keeps start to look more effective, but his 70's offense felt very gimmicky in a way that didn't translate to quality wrestling.

[floyd]

That's pretty cool the The Sheik vs. Ricky Steamboat (12/9/80) match was nominated, I always thought it was a fun and (especially for the aging Shiek) an enthusiastic brawl.

 

I know your not looking for more nomination in this thread, but what does everyone think about the Dory Funk Jr. Vs. Terry Funk on 4/30/81? Slow 70's-like scientific match but I always really liked it.

 

ADDED:

 

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (Tag Final, 12/11/80)

I couldv'e sworn I had seen this but apparently not, just watched it. I thought it was tremendous. I thought it would be a slow wear-down-your-opponent type match, but for a 45 minute match it's pretty much all action with very little pauses. In fact I was amazed it was 45 min. cause they just flew by and you don't notice it. All 4 guys were great especially Terry Funk. Aside from Backlund/Patera this is easily my 2nd fav match of 1980, really great match!

[goodhelmet]

Terry Funk vs. Dory Funk Jr. (4/30/81)

- I guess when I do the Terry Funk comp, I'll have to include this match as a mattter of historical significance. However, damn is this boring to start off. You know they are going long but mix in a highspot here or there. There were some decent sequences and both guys were good on the mat but sequences that would have taken 5 minutes in a regular match were stretched to ten and fifteen minutes here. The first big move happens about 25 minutes in as Terry gets backdropped out of the ring. He injures his leg on the way out so Dory tries to put the spinning toe hold on and Terry has to find ways to block it. I have to compare this to the Jumbo-Kerry match where those guys went 35 minutes and it felt like ten minutes. This went almost an hour and felt like three. I can see someone nominating it but it won't be me.

[goodhelmet]

1982...

 

Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (PWF Title, 2/4/82)

- The crowd is HOT for this one. I am guessing this is the first match for Hansen after his debut. Hansen is great selling for Baba in this and the crowd responds to every strike and every move. Bab did his homework though and works over Hansen’s arm. Hansen counters by keeping Baba grounded. The end was pretty great as Baba takes a Hansen lariat and plops to the outside. They brawl for a few minutes but Hansen worked the crowd into a frenzy. I am nominating this one more for the environment than anything although there were some nice sequences.

 

Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr. (Int'l Title, 04/21/82)

- After about ten minutes of ok work, this really picks up when they brawl out in the crowd and Dory gets busted open. The crowd was really hot and Brody gave more to Dory than I have seen him give to anyone not named Baba. Both guys end up covered in blood and it even had a clean ending as Dory goes for a backdrop suplex but Brody pushes off the top rope and rolls through and pins Dory. This might be my favorite singles Brody match so far.

 

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka (4/22/82)

- I really love heel Jimmy Snuka. I just think he seemed so much more comfortable being an asshole than lovable savage. In the ring, there was some give and take with neither team really able to capitalize on double teams and advantages. Every once in awhile, the match would spill outside and you get some wild brawling action including a dueling chair fight between Terry and Brody. The most memorable thing about this match was the end where Snuka accidentally splashed Brody instead of Dory. The two of them go at it and Snuka is left a bloody mess thanks to Brody and Robley. I’ll give this a low-level nomination for discussion but I think the post-match is better than the match itself.

 

Giant Baba vs. Stan Hansen (PWF Title, 04/22/82)

- This one starts out fast as they don’t even wait for the flyers to clear out before going at each other. Hansen hits a big jumping knee but Baba gives a great Big Boot. With the exception of a quick Hansen chinlock, there were not any real wrestling moves or holds. It was just these guys hitting each other with punches, strikes, and kicks. It also helps that Hansen sells for Baba better than anyone. This ended in a DQ but it was a blast to watch. I think I may like it better than the 2/4 match which I already nominated.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Harley Race (UN title, 4/22/82)

- Nothing really special early on. It reminded me of a Jumbo-Bock match which is disappointing considering Harley Race is in the ring. The match picks up as Race gives Jumbo a few headbutts, making him bleed in the process. At this point, the match picks up as both guys brawl, Race attacks Jumbo’s cut and Jumbo makes the fiery comeback. In the end, Jumbo and Race keep blasting each other with stiff shots, both ending up in a bloody mess. Race ends up getting DQed for shoving the ref (is that Lou Thesz?) but that doesn’t stop these two from going at each other. I’ll consider this a low-level nomination thanks to the exciting 2nd half of the match.

 

Ric Flair vs. Ric Steamboat (NWA Title, 6/4/82)

- This is really the prototype Flair-Steamboat match. Lots of Flair stooging and bumping. Lots of Steamboat arm drags and headlocks. Lots of quick pinfalls. When Flair takes control, you get the great Steamboat selling and the Flair legwork. In the end, Flair reverses a Steamboat body press into a pin. Really, there is no way you don’t include this match. I don’t know where it would rank on a final ballot but Flair-Steamboat by the numbers is better than most wrestling from any promotion.

 

Ric Flair vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA Title, 6/8/82)

- I love Flair on the Mid Atlantic/NWA set. I love him more in Japan. Two back-to-back kickass Flair matches on one show. Once again, this is all about Jumbo and Flair fighting for every move. There isn’t any real body work (which I love) but these types of matches stand up as a war of attrition where you see each guy throw out his arsenal and seeing if the other guy can withstand it. Some notable spots include Jumbo’s body press) where he gets enough air to hit Flair in the head) and Jumbo’s missile dropkick which isn’t spectacular by itself. It is just something you don’t expect from Jumbo. The match ends with an awkward German suplex where both guys get pinned. So-so ending to a great match and an easy nomination.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mil Mascaras (UN Title, 7/30/82)

- Shit, I may be losing my mind but I really enjoyed this. Mascaras has a rep for being an uncooperative POS but that might be why this was so fun. Instead of Jumbo hitting his moves, you get a bunch of matwork and twisty submissions and pins that I mark out for. This might be a common spot in a Mil match, but I loved his escapes from the Boston Crab that frustrated Jumbo enough to give up on the move. In the end, both guys get counted out but this was still worth watching. After the bell was great too as Jumbo gets obsessed with tearing off the mask and even gets busted open from the ringpost. Shit, I thought the match was over but it is continuing. I guess it is 2/3 falls. Shit, this is a fucking brawl. I don’t like that after both guys get trapped in a figure-4 and reversal that they jump up and go at each other without selling the legs. The match ends out of nowhere so maybe someone can explain what happened. Still, this was too fun and different not to nominate.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Harley Race (UN Title, 8/1/82)

- I do understand where Phil is coming from since Race does throw out a lot of moves that other people were using as finishers. This doesn’t bother me though because I love his selling and Race doesn’t treat them as finishers. I have seen Terry Funk, Jerry Lawler, and a ton of other guys use the piledriver, only to see people pop up so I won’t hold it against Race. Harley busts Jumbo open again in this match as well and goes to work on the cut…. Headbutts, punches, knee drops. I love how Jumbo’s blood smears over Harley’s head with each headbutt. Jumbo shows his fighting spirit and fights back but that blood is flowing! One spot you have to watch out for is Jumbo’s SICK running clothesline… he just decapitates Race. I think Race is bleeding but there is so much blood I can’t tell. Race ends up winning cleanly and I like this match much more than the April match. Solid nomination.

 

Giant Baba vs. Harley Race (PWF Title, 10/26/82)

- Another good match between these two. The crowd isn’t as fired up as they were during the NWA title changes but this had some good moments worth mentioning. Halfway through, Race goes for a headbutt from the apron to the floor and misses giving Baba control. Later on, both guys end up bloody after ramming each other into the ringposts. The end run washot. Baba hits his Hart Attack clothesline that he won the NWA title with but Race kicks out. He attempts a dropkick but Race moves and hits a SWEET diving headbutt to win the match. Another nomination for these two guys. I have watched a shitload of Race the last few days and I don’t know where Phil is coming from at all. Yes, he has had bad matches but so has nearly every other wrestler I have seen. Yes, he hits a ton of big moves but usually in the context of trying to put the match away at the end. I still need to find the piledriver match Tom mentioned but so far I give Harley a nice big fat thumbs up.

 

Dory and Terry Funk v. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (12/2/82)

- This one starts out JIP early on but it doesn’t look like much was missing. Really nice sequence early on as Rick and Jay control working on Terry’s arm. Well, Jay won’t let go as him and Terry tumble outside. Terry gives him an airplane spin, dumps Jay on the canvas and Jay still has a hold of the arm. Most of the match has the teams working evenly with Jay pairing off with Terry and Rick pairing with Dory. The last 5 minutes of action really picked up with Ricky and Jay desperately trying to put away the Funks but Terry reverses a Jay flying body press for the pin. This was just one solid tag match and stands in strong contrast to the shitty Brody/Hansen tag. The biggest thing that hurt the match was a lack of heat. You get the feeling if it happened in Florida or North Carolina, the heat would have been off the charts. Still, this is a nomination.

 

Harley Race v. Ricky Steamboat (12/7/82)

- The early stage of the match is worked in and out of a Ricky Steamboat headlock, with Harley supplying most of the big offense in between. Harley gains control after a big knee and takes over with his big bag of offense. As much as I love Steamboat, most of the positive things that can be said about this match are due almost entirely because of Race. When Ricky seemed content just to grab the headlock, Harley kept things interesting by moving and working the hold. It was Harley who busted out the moves and Harley who seemed more interested in being there. It also doesn't hurt that the match had a clean finish as Steamboat seems content being a jobber to the stars in Japan. I am nominating this match as a low-level nomination almost entirely due to Harley and it hurts me to say that.

 

Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody (12/7/82)

- The story here has Funk nursing his ear that Brody kicked early in the match so Brody keeps attacking the ear, enough to make it bleed. He rams Terry’s head into the ringpost. When Terry tries to get in the ring, he kicks the ear. He drops knee drops on the head. This is actually a pretty smart match. Even though this is a Brody match, Terry’s selling is great. There is also an awesome Brody piledriver that looked brutal, especially after Terry had tried so hard to prevent it. Eventually, Terry gets a break after a low-blow sends Brody outside. On the outside, Funk busts Brody open after ramming him in the ringpost and slamming a table on him. Now, both guys are flowing and I mark out for the visual. This was pretty damn fun until Hansen interfered, which also brought out Dory for a post-match brawl. I have no problem nominating this match. It had blood, great brawling, focus on a body part and Brody even sold a little.

 

Dory and Terry Funk v. Harley Race & Dick Slater (12/9/82)

- Both teams are playing up the mutual respect thing, breaking when they get to the ropes, no cheap shots early on. Terry and Slater work early on and both guys were fun to watch. There were som fun spots including the dueling Terry-Slater headbutt battle. Still, Dory Funk is so, so boring. Seriously, whether it is Race-Terry or Slater-Terry, I was interested in the match but when Dory would come in, I would lose interest. This thing goes 40 minutes and there is plenty of good stuff to nominate it but I don’t know how it would fare in voting. Another subdued crowd hurts the match.

 

Harley Race & Dick Slater vs. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta (12/13/82)

- I really enjoyed Slater in this one. Look at how he bumps for Baba’s big boot. Awesome. For a short while, Baba was actually playing FIP. Race and Slater also are trying hard to be a cohesive tag team. Two standout spots include Slater holding Baba while Race gives him a headbutt to the stomach and a double kneedrop on Baba early on. The crowd is getting louder later on but Baba no-selling a concrete piledriver leaves a bad taste in the mouth. However, all the headbutts and work on the head and Baba is bleeding!!! In the end, Baba gets the pin as he rams Slater into Race’s head and hits the Russian leg sweep for a clean pin. I don’t know how far this match will go but I am nominating it for discussion.

 

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen (Tag Final, 12/13/82)

- This was pretty damn fun with Terry and Hansen bringing a lot to the table. This actually makes me want to seek out those Terry-Stan singles matches and check those out ASAP. The one good thing about the Brody-Dory matchup is that it makes sense for Brody to manhandle Dory since he was so damn old at this point. For good measure, both Funks end up bleeding, seemingly for the hell of it. But fuck, every time Terry and Stan were in the ring together, they went at it like dogs. I am nominating this match on that fact alone. The post-match beatdown on Dory, while Terry was down and out in a pile of streamers, was also great.

[smkelly]

Great read up on some of the matches. Have you written down your nominations from 83 to 89?

[Kronos]

I love Flair on the Mid Atlantic/NWA set.

Hey, Will, is this a DVDVR 80's set? I have never seen mention of it, so maybe it doesn't exist. If it does, who has it? Bix?

[Loss]

He's referring to it being in progress. He was at one point going through matches to be included on that set when it's released as well.