More AJPW! This time it's Mil Mascaras vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, I think from a TV show. Be more informative, YouTube uploaders. It's not enough that you provide me with all this content. Cagematch.net (great resource) has a record of a match between these two in AJPW in '77, so that could be it. Regardless, let's get to the match.
Mil Mascaras vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
The video immediately cuts to Mascaras tying down Jumbo with a leg lock. He rolls it into a pinning cradle but, believe it or not, Jumbo did not get pinned in the first minute. Jumbo and Mascaras work on that mat after that. Jumbo tries multiple times to get a Boston crab. Mascaras twists out of it each time until Jumbo gives up.
Jumbo boots Mascaras then puts on an abdominal stretch. Mascaras slips out of that and gets Jumbo in an abdominal stretch of his own. Mascaras dropkicks Jumbo twice, picking up the pace for the first time, then slows it right back down with another abdominal stretch. Jumbo gets out of another hold by getting to the ropes. Mascaras slaps Jumbo. Jumbo slaps him right back. Let the slap war begin! They start wailing away at each other until Mascaras throws Jumbo outside. They take turns slamming each others' heads against a table. Jumbo smacks Mascaras' head against the ringpost then tries to unmask him. The bell rings and this one is over, I guess. DQ for the attempted demasking?
Jumbo is in the ring again. Mascaras joins him. They slap each other repeatedly. Jumbo is trying to rip Mascaras' mask off until a swarm of young boys keep them away. Jumbo got bloodied somewhere in the fray. Jumbo uses a swim move to part the sea of trainees holding him back. They manage to regroup before he can get to Mascaras. Jumbo stands on middle rope and appeals to the crowd. Mascaras does it too. Order returns and the ref comes in from who knows where to restart the match.
Jumbo and Mascaras immediately start to club each other and try to smash the other's head into the turnbuckle. They spill outside where Mascaras beats on Jumbo with a chair. They scramble back into the ring. Jumbo back drops Mascaras. He tries a powerbomb but Mascaras drops to his knees. Jumbo's blood is pouring over Mascaras' back.
Jumbo holds Mascaras down on the mat with one hand and punches him in the face with the other. Mascaras puts Jumbo in a headlock. Jumbo drives them into the ropes until they spill outside again. That lasts a few seconds. Mascaras steps back through the ropes. Jumbo small packages him for a one count. Jumbo pins Mascaras down again and punches him in the head with thudding rights. Jumbo gets Mascaras in a figure four. Mascaras reverses it and cranks back on Jumbo's leg.
Jumbo irish whips Mascaras. A jumping high knee drops Mascaras, though he doesn't take a big bump on it. Jumbo butterfly suplexes Mascaras. Mascaras lands a flying clothesline a few moments later. Jumbo irish whips Mascaras again, this time to the corner. Cross body. Jumbo kicks out at two. The bell rings. Time limit draw? I don't know what the hell just happened. Jumbo takes his belt and goes home, so I'm guessing a draw.
Match rating: No star rating could quantify this. *** stars? *? I don't know what was going on other than in vague terms thanks to context clues. The first ten minutes of the match (or what is included in the match) are somewhat slow but some good enough matwork. The match devolves into chaotic brawling. Now that I love. They slapped each other silly and added drama to a match without much heat. I guess I'll say *** if I'm going to smash this square peg into a round hole. Worth watching for the brawl.
Match link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3qtijOwaUM
Showing posts with label classic wrestling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classic wrestling. Show all posts
Feb 19, 2014
Match Review: Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - 1985
Time to hit the next Funk/Hansen singles match, this time from 1985 and at Korakuen Hall. No exact date on that, I'm going by the limited information with the video. Let's go.
Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - 1985, AJPW
Funk aged a lot in the year or so between the brutal '84 encounter and this one. He grew out a goatee, his hair is receding, and he's put on a bit of mass. Funk swats at Hansen with a towel before Hansen can even get to the ring. Hansen storms at Funk and chases him out of the ring. He whips Funk across the back with his bullrope and hunts him down around ringside until Funk slips away.
Hansen bodyslams Funk over the top rope within moments of the opening bell. Hansen beats on Funk outside of the ring for a minute before taking it back inside. Funk reverses an irish whip and tries to spear Hansen in the corner, but Hansen gets out of the way, letting Funk ram himself into the ring post.
Hansen piledrives Funk. He gets a two count on the ensuing pin. Hansen continues his beat down with chops, boots, and a body slap. Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop then uses his head like a battering ram as Hansen tries to get up. Funk backs Hansen up with a trio of jabs. He chops Hansen down with kicks to the back of the knee/thigh and starts to work over Hansen's leg.
Hansen pulls Funk down to the mat. He gets up and tries a knee drop, but Funk evades it. Hansen rolls on the mat, clutching his knee. Funk gets the spinning toe hold on Hansen, who tries to grab Funk's hair. He finally gets a hold of that and throws a hard right to Funk's brow. Hansen has to grab the bottom rope to break the hold and decides it's best to roll outside and buy some time.
Funk follows him out and continues the knee work. Another spinning toe hold ends with a massive Hansen boot slamming into Funk. Back in the ring, Hansen tugs on his elbow pad; the crowd immediately knows what to expect. Hansen misses with a big lariat that Funk has to duck all the way under to avoid. Funk jumps on Hansen from behind and slaps on a sleeper. Hansen gets Funk off his back by throwing himself forward at the ropes, dumping Funk outside again.
Hansen goes for another irish whip but Funk reverses and back body drops Hansen. Funk piledrives Hansen then goes for a pin. Two count again. Funk goes for a second piledriver. Hansen counters by lifting Funk up for a back body drop of his own, sending Funk out of the ring yet again. Hansen pursues Funk, cowbell and rope in hand. He wraps it around Funk's throat, choking him like their last match. Funk tries desperately to escape. Hansen yanks Funk across the ring, knocking over the ref. Hansen chokes Funk out with the rope, though this time it's not the brutal display that the '84 choking was.
Hansen notices the ref is down and waives for help. Ted DiBiase answers the call. Hansen yells at DiBiase to go up to the top rope. DiBiase follows orders and frog splashes Funk just as the ref comes to. The ref immediately calls an end to the match. DiBiase and Hansen play tug-of-war with the rope while it's wrapped around Funk's neck. The crowd goes wild. The announcer is screaming. Dory Funk Jr. comes out for the rescue again, still dressed like a damn retail store manager. Dory runs Hansen and DiBiase off with a leather boot as his weapon of choice. The next few minutes are a chaotic scene with Dory trying to get his brother to safety while Hansen and DiBiase whip chairs at them.
Match Rating: **** This third match never gets to the level of their '84 draw, but I don't think any match does, so that's a bit unfair. Funk and Hansen add another strong brawl to their joint CV. This one has a slower feel to it than the wild scrums from the previous few years, but it builds on those. Funk isn't foolishly throwing himself at Hansen and trying to get the spinning toe hold on no matter the cost. Hansen wises up and wouldn't let Funk gets the jump on him. Another match worth watching, though not an all-time great.
Match link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjU78GtAQ60
P.S.: A video package after the match gives us some music almost directly ripped from Star Wars, and it is worth keeping the video on to see.
Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - 1985, AJPW
Funk aged a lot in the year or so between the brutal '84 encounter and this one. He grew out a goatee, his hair is receding, and he's put on a bit of mass. Funk swats at Hansen with a towel before Hansen can even get to the ring. Hansen storms at Funk and chases him out of the ring. He whips Funk across the back with his bullrope and hunts him down around ringside until Funk slips away.
Hansen bodyslams Funk over the top rope within moments of the opening bell. Hansen beats on Funk outside of the ring for a minute before taking it back inside. Funk reverses an irish whip and tries to spear Hansen in the corner, but Hansen gets out of the way, letting Funk ram himself into the ring post.
Hansen piledrives Funk. He gets a two count on the ensuing pin. Hansen continues his beat down with chops, boots, and a body slap. Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop then uses his head like a battering ram as Hansen tries to get up. Funk backs Hansen up with a trio of jabs. He chops Hansen down with kicks to the back of the knee/thigh and starts to work over Hansen's leg.
Hansen pulls Funk down to the mat. He gets up and tries a knee drop, but Funk evades it. Hansen rolls on the mat, clutching his knee. Funk gets the spinning toe hold on Hansen, who tries to grab Funk's hair. He finally gets a hold of that and throws a hard right to Funk's brow. Hansen has to grab the bottom rope to break the hold and decides it's best to roll outside and buy some time.
Funk follows him out and continues the knee work. Another spinning toe hold ends with a massive Hansen boot slamming into Funk. Back in the ring, Hansen tugs on his elbow pad; the crowd immediately knows what to expect. Hansen misses with a big lariat that Funk has to duck all the way under to avoid. Funk jumps on Hansen from behind and slaps on a sleeper. Hansen gets Funk off his back by throwing himself forward at the ropes, dumping Funk outside again.
Hansen goes for another irish whip but Funk reverses and back body drops Hansen. Funk piledrives Hansen then goes for a pin. Two count again. Funk goes for a second piledriver. Hansen counters by lifting Funk up for a back body drop of his own, sending Funk out of the ring yet again. Hansen pursues Funk, cowbell and rope in hand. He wraps it around Funk's throat, choking him like their last match. Funk tries desperately to escape. Hansen yanks Funk across the ring, knocking over the ref. Hansen chokes Funk out with the rope, though this time it's not the brutal display that the '84 choking was.
Hansen notices the ref is down and waives for help. Ted DiBiase answers the call. Hansen yells at DiBiase to go up to the top rope. DiBiase follows orders and frog splashes Funk just as the ref comes to. The ref immediately calls an end to the match. DiBiase and Hansen play tug-of-war with the rope while it's wrapped around Funk's neck. The crowd goes wild. The announcer is screaming. Dory Funk Jr. comes out for the rescue again, still dressed like a damn retail store manager. Dory runs Hansen and DiBiase off with a leather boot as his weapon of choice. The next few minutes are a chaotic scene with Dory trying to get his brother to safety while Hansen and DiBiase whip chairs at them.
Match Rating: **** This third match never gets to the level of their '84 draw, but I don't think any match does, so that's a bit unfair. Funk and Hansen add another strong brawl to their joint CV. This one has a slower feel to it than the wild scrums from the previous few years, but it builds on those. Funk isn't foolishly throwing himself at Hansen and trying to get the spinning toe hold on no matter the cost. Hansen wises up and wouldn't let Funk gets the jump on him. Another match worth watching, though not an all-time great.
Match link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjU78GtAQ60
P.S.: A video package after the match gives us some music almost directly ripped from Star Wars, and it is worth keeping the video on to see.
Feb 17, 2014
Match Review: Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - Sep 11, 1982
A precursor to my favorite match of all time (and the first match I reviewed here). The crowd loves Funk and chants "Terry" during his entire entrance. Hansen gets a different kind of reaction, more excited in fear than delight. The ladies with flowers can't even get out of the ring before Hansen bumrushes Funk. They bowl over one of them in the chase, starting us with prompt chaos.
The ref tries to keep the two apart until the bell rings. Hansen immediately drives Funk into the ropes and starts to lay into him with chops and clubbing blows. Funk's selling really is over the top, but not in a cartoonish way to clown on Hansen. It makes Hansen looks like the biggest monster in the world. Funk isn't afraid of Hansen either, he fires right back at him with stiff jabs and Hansen's first bump gets the crowd to pop.
Hansen actually backs away from the ropes and lets Funk get back in without a cheap shot at one point. Funk exits right back out after one body slam. No courtesy this time around from Hansen who boots Funk's ribs as Funk comes back through the ropes. Hansen drops two knees on Funk's head. Funk's hand shakes but the rest of him is eerily still.
Any offense that Funk lands gets a huge reaction. Funk and Hansen roll on the mat. It's not matwork, it's the two of them trying to roll on top of the other so they can rain down blows. Hansen clubs Funk's chest and Funk boxes Hansen's ears. Even that relative lull doesn't quiet the crowd and a backdrop by Funk makes them roar. Funk later trips Hansen and tries a spinning toe hold to little success. The crowd wanted that one.
Hansen beats the hell out of Funk until he falls through the ropes. Funk grabs a chair from ringside and blindly throws it over his head into the ring. Stan Hansen catches it with one hand then immediately chucks it Funk's back. There's no deep meaning to that spot, but it made me laugh and made Hansen look even more bad ass.
Funk shoves Hansen into the ref, who takes a pretty poor KO bump even by ref standards. A second ref pops in only for Funk to throw him aside too. Hansen has Funk on his back and punches him in the forehead a handful of times until that second ref gets involved again. Bad choice, because Hansen irish whips him and then flattens the poor guy with a lariat.
Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop. The two Texans each have a handful of the other's hair. Their free hands trade punches until another wrestler sneaks in behind Funk. He's facing away so I can't see who it is, nor do I speak Japanese or know enough about early 80's AJPW to tell you who it is from context clues.This interloper takes Funk's arms and pins them back. Next, and this is key, he actually gets down on one knee while holding Funk, in case Funk tries to duck. That's a rare sight. Hansen hits the ropes and lariats the helpless Funk. Funk rolls out of the ring and the original ref begins a count out. Hansen tries to drag Funk back in but the ref finishes his count and calls the match. The ref wants to raise Hansen's arm in victory, but he's not having it. Hansen stomps on Funk again and again then takes his rage out on some poor trainees until Giant Baba comes out for the save.
Match Rating: ***3/4. It's a hell of a match for what it is, but it never becomes the absurdly fun and violent spectacle of their 4/14/83 draw. Funk's selling for Hansen continues to be maybe my favorite thing in all of wrestling. The biggest spots in this are probably a couple of backdrops and bodyslams, yet those few moves get massive reactions.
The ref tries to keep the two apart until the bell rings. Hansen immediately drives Funk into the ropes and starts to lay into him with chops and clubbing blows. Funk's selling really is over the top, but not in a cartoonish way to clown on Hansen. It makes Hansen looks like the biggest monster in the world. Funk isn't afraid of Hansen either, he fires right back at him with stiff jabs and Hansen's first bump gets the crowd to pop.
Hansen actually backs away from the ropes and lets Funk get back in without a cheap shot at one point. Funk exits right back out after one body slam. No courtesy this time around from Hansen who boots Funk's ribs as Funk comes back through the ropes. Hansen drops two knees on Funk's head. Funk's hand shakes but the rest of him is eerily still.
Any offense that Funk lands gets a huge reaction. Funk and Hansen roll on the mat. It's not matwork, it's the two of them trying to roll on top of the other so they can rain down blows. Hansen clubs Funk's chest and Funk boxes Hansen's ears. Even that relative lull doesn't quiet the crowd and a backdrop by Funk makes them roar. Funk later trips Hansen and tries a spinning toe hold to little success. The crowd wanted that one.
Hansen beats the hell out of Funk until he falls through the ropes. Funk grabs a chair from ringside and blindly throws it over his head into the ring. Stan Hansen catches it with one hand then immediately chucks it Funk's back. There's no deep meaning to that spot, but it made me laugh and made Hansen look even more bad ass.
Funk shoves Hansen into the ref, who takes a pretty poor KO bump even by ref standards. A second ref pops in only for Funk to throw him aside too. Hansen has Funk on his back and punches him in the forehead a handful of times until that second ref gets involved again. Bad choice, because Hansen irish whips him and then flattens the poor guy with a lariat.
Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop. The two Texans each have a handful of the other's hair. Their free hands trade punches until another wrestler sneaks in behind Funk. He's facing away so I can't see who it is, nor do I speak Japanese or know enough about early 80's AJPW to tell you who it is from context clues.This interloper takes Funk's arms and pins them back. Next, and this is key, he actually gets down on one knee while holding Funk, in case Funk tries to duck. That's a rare sight. Hansen hits the ropes and lariats the helpless Funk. Funk rolls out of the ring and the original ref begins a count out. Hansen tries to drag Funk back in but the ref finishes his count and calls the match. The ref wants to raise Hansen's arm in victory, but he's not having it. Hansen stomps on Funk again and again then takes his rage out on some poor trainees until Giant Baba comes out for the save.
Match Rating: ***3/4. It's a hell of a match for what it is, but it never becomes the absurdly fun and violent spectacle of their 4/14/83 draw. Funk's selling for Hansen continues to be maybe my favorite thing in all of wrestling. The biggest spots in this are probably a couple of backdrops and bodyslams, yet those few moves get massive reactions.
Feb 4, 2014
Match Review: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Stan Hansen - April 20, 1986
One of my favorite things to search on youtube is "Nick Bockwinkel promo." I can listen to him talk all day and I'll be damned if his delivery (though not his diction) didn't help me give a speech today. So, in honor of Mr. Bockwinkel, I figured it's time to review a match. Unfortunately, not much video of a young Nick exists. Doesn't matter, there's still an okay amount out there from the 80s in AWA. So today, it's Stan Hansen vs. Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA Heavyweight Championship. Let's get to it.
AWA World Heavyweight Title - Stan Hansen (c) vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Hansen stomps someone in the audience a for getting in his way before the match even begins. The announcer informs us it was Larry Nelson, another broadcaster, but for a moment I thought the man just kicked the hell out of some poor guy in the crowd. Stan Hansen is scary.
Hansen lunges for a bullwhip as the bell rings. Bockwinkel jumps on him to stop that nonsense. The two start to brawl inside and outside of the ring. Bockwinkel doesn't get to shine much early. Hansen is in control with a headlock for a minute until Bockwinkel can get out. Bockwinkel tries to rough up Hansen but Hansen puts an end to that with some of his smashing blows.
Bockwinkel's still flashing some speed on the mat. Impressive, given he was in his early fifties. He gets out of a headlock and had Hansen in a double wristlock. Both men rise to their feet with the wristlock still in place. Hansen grabs the rope, forcing a break. Bockwinkel socks Hansen with some shots to the ribs. Hansen's fists hit a lot harder and he send Bockwinkel reeling. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, who hits a sunset flip that's only good for two. Both are up again. Hansen charges; Bockwinkel arm drags him and puts on an armlock.
Bockwinkel wants to keep the big Texan grounded and to slow the pace down. The two have a vicious strike exchange. It's not what you'd see in modern puro. It's something that feels a lot more brutal and intense. More real, to be honest. Hansen slaps the hell out of Bockwinkel's chest to break the arm hold. Bockwinkel throws stiff right fists at Hansen to back him up. Hansen snapmares Bockwinkel, but Bockwinkel drags Hansen down into another wristlock. Hansen gets headscissors on Bockwinkel but has to break that when the ref gives him a five count. No clue why that happened. Hansen sits Bockwinkel up so he can put Bockwinkel in a chinlock. That isn't good enough for Hansen, who clubs away at Bockwinkel's chest.
Bockwinkel gets Hansen in a sleeperhold and the crowd pops big. Hansen's flailing his arms at first but quickly starts to fade. Hansen leans forward enough to get the rope, then keeps leaning until he dumps Bockwinkel outside. Hansen slams Bockwinkel's head against the stairs. He tries to take Bockwinkel to a post but Bockwinkel jabs Hansen until he has to back off. Hansen scoops Bockwinkel up for a body slam but drops him chest-first on the top rope.
The two try to suplex each other. Bockwinkel finally does it. Only a two count on the ensuing pin. BIIIIIIG back body drop by Bockwinkel. A body slam is next. Hansen gets a shoulder up on each pin. Bockwinkel lifts Hansen up for another bodyslam and Hansen's boots clock the ref right in the temple. Bockwinkel covers Hansen but that's not even good enough for a visual pinfall.
Bockwinkel checks on the ref until Hansen ambushes him from behind with a double ax handle. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, Bockwinkel responds with a cross body. Another pin attempt with no ref. A dropkick shoves Hansen into the ropes. Bockwinkel manages to haul Hansen up for a piledriver, spiking him down a second later. Another pin attempt. Hansen kicks out at around two. No count again, though the ref is finally getting up.
Bockwinkel comes at Hansen, who simply dumps him over the top rope with a back body drop of his own. The ref immediately waives it off, calling for a DQ. So that rule was in effect. Hansen retains thanks to the DQ. Bockwinkel tries to get back in the ring and Hansen ambushes him. The two are still going at it, trading rights until Bockwinkel starts putting a combo of them together. He drops Hansen, who has to roll out of the ring and retreat away. Bockwinkel's in the middle of the ring with a chair. Hansen comes back just to grab the championship and hoist it in the air.
Match Rating: **3/4. Could have been a lot better, but for the sudden, unexpected ending. Seeing a match with the over-the-top-rope DQ rule in effect is pretty jarring nowadays, especially when you aren't expecting it. That really lowers the match for me, but Hansen and Bockwinkel did a fine job in there. I actually liked Bockwinkel more as a baby face than I expected to, since all of the stuff I've seen is really heel work. Hansen's selling is a favorite of mine too. He gets hit and walks away with this big grimace on his face. It doesn't look like guys are killing him, nor should he act that way with how he is, but he still needs a minute to get his bearings straight. It's a short match, maybe 12-15 minutes. Give it a watch, even if the non-finish is disappointing.
AWA World Heavyweight Title - Stan Hansen (c) vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Hansen stomps someone in the audience a for getting in his way before the match even begins. The announcer informs us it was Larry Nelson, another broadcaster, but for a moment I thought the man just kicked the hell out of some poor guy in the crowd. Stan Hansen is scary.
Hansen lunges for a bullwhip as the bell rings. Bockwinkel jumps on him to stop that nonsense. The two start to brawl inside and outside of the ring. Bockwinkel doesn't get to shine much early. Hansen is in control with a headlock for a minute until Bockwinkel can get out. Bockwinkel tries to rough up Hansen but Hansen puts an end to that with some of his smashing blows.
Bockwinkel's still flashing some speed on the mat. Impressive, given he was in his early fifties. He gets out of a headlock and had Hansen in a double wristlock. Both men rise to their feet with the wristlock still in place. Hansen grabs the rope, forcing a break. Bockwinkel socks Hansen with some shots to the ribs. Hansen's fists hit a lot harder and he send Bockwinkel reeling. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, who hits a sunset flip that's only good for two. Both are up again. Hansen charges; Bockwinkel arm drags him and puts on an armlock.
Bockwinkel wants to keep the big Texan grounded and to slow the pace down. The two have a vicious strike exchange. It's not what you'd see in modern puro. It's something that feels a lot more brutal and intense. More real, to be honest. Hansen slaps the hell out of Bockwinkel's chest to break the arm hold. Bockwinkel throws stiff right fists at Hansen to back him up. Hansen snapmares Bockwinkel, but Bockwinkel drags Hansen down into another wristlock. Hansen gets headscissors on Bockwinkel but has to break that when the ref gives him a five count. No clue why that happened. Hansen sits Bockwinkel up so he can put Bockwinkel in a chinlock. That isn't good enough for Hansen, who clubs away at Bockwinkel's chest.
Bockwinkel gets Hansen in a sleeperhold and the crowd pops big. Hansen's flailing his arms at first but quickly starts to fade. Hansen leans forward enough to get the rope, then keeps leaning until he dumps Bockwinkel outside. Hansen slams Bockwinkel's head against the stairs. He tries to take Bockwinkel to a post but Bockwinkel jabs Hansen until he has to back off. Hansen scoops Bockwinkel up for a body slam but drops him chest-first on the top rope.
The two try to suplex each other. Bockwinkel finally does it. Only a two count on the ensuing pin. BIIIIIIG back body drop by Bockwinkel. A body slam is next. Hansen gets a shoulder up on each pin. Bockwinkel lifts Hansen up for another bodyslam and Hansen's boots clock the ref right in the temple. Bockwinkel covers Hansen but that's not even good enough for a visual pinfall.
Bockwinkel checks on the ref until Hansen ambushes him from behind with a double ax handle. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, Bockwinkel responds with a cross body. Another pin attempt with no ref. A dropkick shoves Hansen into the ropes. Bockwinkel manages to haul Hansen up for a piledriver, spiking him down a second later. Another pin attempt. Hansen kicks out at around two. No count again, though the ref is finally getting up.
Bockwinkel comes at Hansen, who simply dumps him over the top rope with a back body drop of his own. The ref immediately waives it off, calling for a DQ. So that rule was in effect. Hansen retains thanks to the DQ. Bockwinkel tries to get back in the ring and Hansen ambushes him. The two are still going at it, trading rights until Bockwinkel starts putting a combo of them together. He drops Hansen, who has to roll out of the ring and retreat away. Bockwinkel's in the middle of the ring with a chair. Hansen comes back just to grab the championship and hoist it in the air.
Match Rating: **3/4. Could have been a lot better, but for the sudden, unexpected ending. Seeing a match with the over-the-top-rope DQ rule in effect is pretty jarring nowadays, especially when you aren't expecting it. That really lowers the match for me, but Hansen and Bockwinkel did a fine job in there. I actually liked Bockwinkel more as a baby face than I expected to, since all of the stuff I've seen is really heel work. Hansen's selling is a favorite of mine too. He gets hit and walks away with this big grimace on his face. It doesn't look like guys are killing him, nor should he act that way with how he is, but he still needs a minute to get his bearings straight. It's a short match, maybe 12-15 minutes. Give it a watch, even if the non-finish is disappointing.
Jan 17, 2014
Match review: Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - April 14, 1983
I chose this match as my first review and recap for three reasons. One, I wanted to watch it again. Two, it's a hell of a match. "Match" might not even be the right word because this isn't so much of a wrestling match as it is a fight where one guy tries a submission. And three, it'll help explain how I rate matches. Here's how it goes down:
Funk comes out as the baby face while Hansen follows, swinging his massive arm to cut through the streamers flying at the ring up util the match starts. The match starts with Hansen trying to corner Funk but the much nimbler, smaller man is evading him and jabbing at Hansen to keep his distance. When they do tie up, it's Hansen bullying Funk around and wailing away with those clubbing fists.
Hansen stiffs the hell out of Funk and pummels him around the ring. Funk will occasionally grab the advantage when he can outsmart (or out dirty) Hansen, but the advantage never lasts long. Hansen is just too big, strong, and brutish. Funk's selling is excellent here, not that he has to feign being hurt when Hansen is smacking him around.
Funk manages to backdrop Hansen to get out of a headlock then goes right after Hansen's knee. He puts on the spinning toe hold, only for Hansen to boot him in the face and then grab Funk's hair and punch him until Funk has to let go. Funk trips Hansen and goes for the toe hold again, but Hansen brute forces his way out again. Funk is bleeding bad at this point. His face is covered i red and it's falling all over Hansen's chest. Funk won't stop going for that spinning toe hold and he's taking the worst for it.
The two of them continue that dance until eventually Hansen drops Funk on to the top rope ad the out of the ring. Funk rolls somewhere into the crowd while Hansen takes a turnbuckle off. He hunts Funk down and then starts a viscous beating. Hansen has the turnbuckl and a rope wrapped around Funk's throat and he's dragging him around the ring. He pulls Funk over to the ropes and chokes Funk out, using the top rope like a pulley. It's intense to watch Funk look like he's about to die. Hansen lets go of the rope, only to stomp and knee Funk some more.
The only thing that saves Funk is his brother running in. Dory Funk looks like he's managing a big box store, but he gets in there and immediately goes after Hansen, even trying his own spinning toe hold. He forces Hansen from the ring, security drag that big guy to the back, then checks on his brother. Terry looks like absolute hell and crawls across the ring, unable to stand.
This isn't the best match I've see, but damn it if it isn't awesome. It's about 13 minutes from bell-to-bell, and every second is part of a very obvious and simple story: Hansen is a big bad ass that's going to smash Terry Funk; Terry Funk could beat Hansen by being quick and smart but makes the mistake of going for the same thing just a few too may times. Hansen makes him pay a hefty toll.
Rating: ***** This is a perfect match in my book. I don't have a checklist of thing I look for to make a five-star match, only a handful of heuristics. Story telling and technique cover the aesthetics of it and those make up the bulk of my ratings, but pure entertainment factors in. This match isn't a fine wine that I really sit there and analyze. It's simple, it's fun, and it's something I'm probably going to watch again in a couple of weeks. It's perfect for what it is and giving it less than five stars just feels wrong.
Funk comes out as the baby face while Hansen follows, swinging his massive arm to cut through the streamers flying at the ring up util the match starts. The match starts with Hansen trying to corner Funk but the much nimbler, smaller man is evading him and jabbing at Hansen to keep his distance. When they do tie up, it's Hansen bullying Funk around and wailing away with those clubbing fists.
Hansen stiffs the hell out of Funk and pummels him around the ring. Funk will occasionally grab the advantage when he can outsmart (or out dirty) Hansen, but the advantage never lasts long. Hansen is just too big, strong, and brutish. Funk's selling is excellent here, not that he has to feign being hurt when Hansen is smacking him around.
Funk manages to backdrop Hansen to get out of a headlock then goes right after Hansen's knee. He puts on the spinning toe hold, only for Hansen to boot him in the face and then grab Funk's hair and punch him until Funk has to let go. Funk trips Hansen and goes for the toe hold again, but Hansen brute forces his way out again. Funk is bleeding bad at this point. His face is covered i red and it's falling all over Hansen's chest. Funk won't stop going for that spinning toe hold and he's taking the worst for it.
The two of them continue that dance until eventually Hansen drops Funk on to the top rope ad the out of the ring. Funk rolls somewhere into the crowd while Hansen takes a turnbuckle off. He hunts Funk down and then starts a viscous beating. Hansen has the turnbuckl and a rope wrapped around Funk's throat and he's dragging him around the ring. He pulls Funk over to the ropes and chokes Funk out, using the top rope like a pulley. It's intense to watch Funk look like he's about to die. Hansen lets go of the rope, only to stomp and knee Funk some more.
The only thing that saves Funk is his brother running in. Dory Funk looks like he's managing a big box store, but he gets in there and immediately goes after Hansen, even trying his own spinning toe hold. He forces Hansen from the ring, security drag that big guy to the back, then checks on his brother. Terry looks like absolute hell and crawls across the ring, unable to stand.
This isn't the best match I've see, but damn it if it isn't awesome. It's about 13 minutes from bell-to-bell, and every second is part of a very obvious and simple story: Hansen is a big bad ass that's going to smash Terry Funk; Terry Funk could beat Hansen by being quick and smart but makes the mistake of going for the same thing just a few too may times. Hansen makes him pay a hefty toll.
Rating: ***** This is a perfect match in my book. I don't have a checklist of thing I look for to make a five-star match, only a handful of heuristics. Story telling and technique cover the aesthetics of it and those make up the bulk of my ratings, but pure entertainment factors in. This match isn't a fine wine that I really sit there and analyze. It's simple, it's fun, and it's something I'm probably going to watch again in a couple of weeks. It's perfect for what it is and giving it less than five stars just feels wrong.
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