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CruBizVideoReview#3 Maeda/Fujinami…Battle of the Belts II… forgettable CWF TV from 1972 I’d like to make the introduction to this pretty short, but would be remiss if we didn’t thank everyone for the kind emails in support of CBVRs and the Workrate Cru in general. It’s nice to know that we merit comparisons to our predecessors like the DVDVR in eyes other than our own. The latest CBVR includes Pelan’s take on the second Battle of the Belts as well as my cursory look at some 1972 Championship Wrestling from Florida. Both of these are fine things indeed. But the clear crown jewel of CBVR#3 is a debut review from Cru Associate Gabriel Sanchez. His take on a Maeda/Fujinami encounter from 1986 raises invaluable questions about the way we watch wrestling, perhaps even hinting that there might be life in the eighties beyond Flair/Steamboat. Anyway, it’s all here, it’s all good, and it’s all you; grab a beverage and enjoy the latest CBVR, as you recognize once more that Nobody Beats The Biz. Anthony Gancarski Workrate Cru Minister of Information AKIRA MAEDA v. TATSUMI FUJINAMI IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match - 6/12/86 by Gabriel Sanchez Perhaps the most unrecognized great match of the 1980's by today's modern wrestling audience, Akira Maeda's classic bid for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tatsumi Fujinami stands tall even today as a paragon for the application of the shoot-style in pro-wrestling and the importance of stiff working in order to get over the legitimacy of a pro-graps bout. By time 6/12/86 rolled around, New Japan had already come to feel the effects of the emerging influence of the shoot-style with it's invasion angle of former UWF superstars. The UWF had embraced a new shoot-style which put a larger emphasis on striking, mat work, and submissions and scoffed the pro-style of the times as being too flashy or outright phony. Akira Maeda had become somewhat of a spokesperson for the group in and outside of the ring, and along with his fellow former UWF workers (including the likes of Nobuhiko Takada and Yoshiaki Fujiwara) quickly began to take New Japan by storm with their new style. Many within the New Japan fan base began to support this new style and sided heavily with the UWF workers. This quickly prompted New Japan to rearrange their native style in order to appease their fan base who had started to be educated and came to appreciate the new UWF style. After literally mowing down the competition in New Japan, including Tatsumi Fujinami himself, giving Maeda a serious bid for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was inevitable. However, the situation would be sticky as neither the UWF nor New Japan wished to lose face in the outcome of such a matchup. Not to mention there was a serious question of style differentials which could come into play in hurting the legitimacy of the matchup. On one hand you have Akira Maeda, a former pro-style worker turned shoot-style icon who had no intentions of making himself nor the style he represented look foolish in the face of a style he himself deemed as fake. On the other you have Tatsumi Fujinami, a former Jr. Heavyweight who had come to be one of New Japan's most accomplished ring workers in the 1980's. While Fujinami had nowhere near the formal training in the shoot-style that Maeda had, he had learned to adapt and would now be forced to adopt the style if he wished to work well with Maeda. Fujinami also carried the weight of the company on his waist so to speak and to have him lose their crown jewel would be a serious blow to the integrity of New Japan as not only a bench mark for excellence in Puroresu, but a drawing power as well. With all of these heavy factors along with a plethora of other variables, New Japan promoted the match anyways with the knowledge that the money would be big, the crowd would be red hot, and things would and could never be the same again. Even as both men are being introduced, the crowd is already fired up as they are solidly behind both competitors in this contest for the richest prize in Japanese wrestling, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The crowd was well aware of Fujinami's reputation as a champion and a competitor. They had little doubt in Fujinami's integrity not so much as a performer, but more so as a fighter and representation of excellence in athletics. Just the same, the crowd's awareness of Maeda's reputation gave them little doubt when it came to his ability to walk out that night with the belt around his waist and New Japan under his heel. Maeda's arsenal is anything but pretty and his approach will not be flashy, but it's effectiveness is never in question. Fujinami's on the other hand will be more elaborate if he is given the chance to work it in, but when dealing with Maeda, the "if" proves to be the operative word. Both men shake hands to start and they're ready to go. It should be noted that Maeda has a few inches of height and strength on the former Jr. Heavyweight which is crucial when one considers this match can just as easily be fought from a striking position as it could be on the mat. Maeda wastes no time in establishing the fact he is here to take the strap, and take it with vigor as he throws a powerful kick in the direction of Fujinami, only to find it dodged by the quicker champion. Maeda does not brood long on the miss and immediately takes the match down to the mat with a hammerlock. Fujiwara again displays his quickness and a bit of maneuvering from his Jr. Heavyweight days as he flips forward out of Maeda's lock and slams the challenger down to the mat before taking a page out of the shooters book and locking in a juji-gatame. Even in the early stages of the contest, Fujinami is sending the message loud and clear to Maeda that he will not be intimidated by his style and will very well adopt it if it means throwing Maeda's game through the ringer and delivering a psychological blow at the same time. Despite this, Maeda is quick to power himself up to a vertical base and slips out of the arm lock and drops Fujinami's leg down into a grapevine. Fujinami is more than well aware of Maeda's penchant for submissions and quickly grabs the ropes in order to avoid any possible damage to his leg in the early goings of the match. The referee calls for the break and both men are back up on their feet and more than ready to go at it again. Fujinami again attempts to play mind games by using Maeda's style against him and tries for a martial arts kick of his own but is quickly schooled by the master who lands a solid one into Fujinami's left leg. A small grappling session ensues as Maeda decides to go for the hammerlock again but finds it quickly reversed into an armbar by Fujinami. Maeda decides to show off his power advantage again and flips Fujinami down in the middle of the ring before securing a juji-gatame of his own. The crowd quickly rumbles as they know Maeda is more than capable of pulling an upset early on with the arm breaker. However, the match is still young and Fujinami still has the stamina to wedge his way out of such precarious positions and latches on Maeda's leg in the hopes of flipping him over into a Single Leg Boston Crab. Maeda shows that he is well versed in the ways of flashy pro-style submissions and grips Fujinami's ankle in order to trip him into another leg grapevine before he can secure the crab. Aware of the danger once again, Fujinami grabs the ropes quickly and the hold is broken. As both men rise to their feet, it is interesting to point out that Fujinami is covered in perspiration while Maeda still looks relatively cool as a cucumber. This stands as the first indication that despite the back and forth offense from both wrestlers, Maeda may very well have control of this matchup while Fujinami may indeed not be fighting for victory but instead combating Maeda as to not be defeated. Even so, the match quickly takes a turn to the pro-style as both men since in a knuckle lock on the other before having it broken by Maeda who executes a standing drop-kick from the lockup position. The blow only glances Fujinami however, and quickly both men scramble to lock up. Fujinami gets the better of Maeda has he secures a headlock and whips him off the ropes strait into a shoulder block. Maeda leaps back up and misses with a flying leg lariat and is given a hearty dose of return fire in the form of a stiff lariat from Fujinami before being flipped over into the Single Leg Boston Crab. Fujinami chooses to drop the Crab into an ankle lock but is overpowered once again by Maeda who latches on with his own leg lock. Fujinami desperately makes it to the ropes but in a sign of true dickishness, Maeda yanks Fujinami off of the ropes and drags him back into the middle of the ring before reapplying the leg lock. The referee quickly calls for the break, but Maeda makes sure to wait until the 5 count before releasing the hold. By this juncture in the match, it is more than apparent that Maeda is focusing on the left leg of Fujinami. This works to not only setup for Maeda to take a submission victory but also as a preventative to Fujinami using too much of his quickness and agility to his advantage. Even after being separated by the referee, Maeda makes haste in targeting the leg again and delivers four bone shattering kicks into Fujinami’s leg before the pain drops Fujinami to the mat. Maeda is sensing that the end may be near and quickly drops back down with the grapevine while Fujinami hollers out in pain. The crowd is rambunctious to say the least as Maeda is able to hold Fujinami in the ring and prevent a rope break. Though they say discretion is the better part of valor, Fujinami displays a willingness to risk personal (even career threatening) injury in this contest by fighting through the pain and making a rope break at a point where most would have tapped out. Unfortunately, this offers Fujinami very little rest time as Maeda struts right up to him and attempts to cave Fujinami’s face in with two dead on kicks which drop Fujinami near the corner turnbuckle. In another show of dickness and arrogance, Maeda walks away from his fallen prey as the referee moves in to ask Fujinami if he wants to throw in the towel. Fujinami, who looks in no condition to continue, moves past the referee and strait into more kicks from Maeda. Both men quickly latch on to one another and jockey for a leg lock before both roll out to the arena floor. Maeda rolls back into the ring quickly and is met with a resounding round of cheers from the audience who have come to respect the shooter despite his borderline ways. Fujinami on the other hand is hurt and hurt badly as he limps around the ring and shows hesitation to get back in and endure more of Maeda’s offense. Fujinami’s only chance at this point is to take as much as Maeda can give him, look for Maeda to give him an inch, and take a mile from it. While a more grand strategy might prevent the Maeda juggernaut from decimating him, Fujinami has very little time to think it through as his reemergence into the ring is met with some of the stiffest blows in the match strait to his head. Fujinami is quickly dropped and Maeda sinches in a chinlock/armbar style submission in the hopes that Fujinami’s fighting spirit has been exorcised completely. After a minute with the hold secured, Maeda switches around into a head scissors/arm breaker. Though Fujinami’s spirit has been damaged in this contest, it certainly hasn’t left him as he fights up through the hold and slaps on a Bow & Arrow on Maeda. After throwing him off, both men return to a vertical base quickly but this time it is Fujinami delivering the bruising blows to Maeda. For the first time in the match, Maeda has been put into a vulnerable position through a streak of Fujinami’s offense. Fujinami is more than well aware of the opportunity that has been presented and spikes Maeda on his head with a pile driver. Both men are exhausted from the exchange and slowly make their way back up and attempt once again to jockey for position on the other. Maeda’s power still proves to be a factor in this affair despite Fujinami’s offense as he places Fujinami into a Full Nelson. The crowd’s excitement reaches a fevered pitch as Maeda attempts to turn his lock into a Dragon Suplex. Fujinami desperately wails around to prevent the finishing blow from being struck and manages to drop down to the mat. Maeda rides him into the corner and again displays his arrogant dickness by backing off of Fujinami and tapping him on the head as if to hammer home the point that resistance is futile and that Akira Maeda is in 100% control. Fujinami returns to his feet but is knocked around the ring by a series of kicks from Maeda to his legs and a final devastating shot directly placed into his face. Maeda sinches in a sleeper hold but Fujinami decides he isn’t going out like that and quickly fights his way back up to his feet. Maeda pushes Fujinami up against the ropes and once again chooses to toy with Fujinami’s mind as he pushes off and backs away; never once attempting to follow through like he had at previous points in the match. While Fujinami may very well be waiting for such openings in the hopes he can capitalize and take an advantage from it, he is clearly in no shape to do so and must use the precious few moments he has to rest. Maeda moves in once again by crashing his leg strait in Fujinami before both take it to the mat and reverse juji-gatames. Both men quickly return to their feet however as Maeda again approaches Fujinami with a series of kicks. Fujinami displays a keen sense of ring intellect and manages to use Maeda’s own ring pattern against him as he dodges and blocks Maeda’s assault before landing a quick kick of his own square into Maeda’s leg which knocks him to the mat immediately. Fujinami’s rally is short lived however as he sends himself flying off the ropes head on into a side kick from Maeda. Both men return to jockeying for position as it looks like Fujinami is hopeful to score a German Suplex off of Maeda. Maeda isn’t going for it however and reverses the attempt by dropping down with the Fujiwara Armbar and the crowd goes wild. All hope appears to be lost for Fujinami as he is at risk of having his arm broken but still he fights on. Miraculously Fujinami is able to escape and in one of the match’s most surprising moments, he opts not to rest his battle worn body, but instead flings Maeda up and over into the German Suplex for the match’s first pinfall attempt. The referee’s hand strikes the mat twice before Maeda makes his escape. Fujinami is a house of fire at this point and ruthlessly kicks away at Maeda as pay back, but Maeda takes the shots like a man and uses Fujinami’s own strategy against him as he waits for the opening. Fujinami delivers a weak kick to Maeda which is caught and turned into an overhead suplex and pinning combo which garners a two. Maeda, now steamed from having almost lost the engagement via Fujinami’s brief rally, kicks away at the legs again before dropping back down into a grapevine. Fujinami makes it to the ropes in no time which further infuriates Maeda who yanks him off of the ropes once again and laces the leg in hopes of finally breaking it once and for all. The referee intervenes quickly and at the 5, Maeda is forced to relinquish the hold. Maeda rises up quickly and executes a misguided hip toss on Fujinami which sends both men over the top rope and onto the floor below. Though winded and battered, both men roll into the ring simultaneously and for the first time since the opening bell, both men appear to be on even ground. Maeda returns back to his strategy of kicking Fujinami down before applying a hold, but Fujinami again proves to be one step ahead and sweeps Maeda’s legs out from under him and flips Maeda over into a Sharpshooter. The crowd pop almost blows the roof off of the arena as they know this move could easily put an end to Maeda’s run for the gold. For the first time in the matchup, Maeda must fight his way to the ropes or succumb to a pro-style submission hold. As the referee moves to separate both men, Maeda rises to his feet and nails Fujinami in the leg again which sends him back into the turnbuckles. Prone to attack against the ropes, Fujinami is the recipient of a forward roll kick from Maeda which catches him just above his right eye and splits him wide open. Fujinami collapses in a heap to the mat as the crowd is stunned by the savagery they have just witnessed. Maeda backs off of his fallen opponent and once again assumes the role of dictator in this match as one of the ring attendants looks to Fujinami in order to check the heavy bleeding. The referee begins to lay a 10 count on Fujinami but it is broken at the 8 by Maeda who wants to make his defeat of Fujinami total. Maeda locks on another Full Nelson and flips Fujinami over into the Dragon Suplex. In turn, Fujinami shows the world he has testicles the size of grapefruits and kicks out of the devastating finisher in perhaps the biggest, "Fuck you!" of the match. Maeda’s disbelief is short lived as he angrily snaps Fujinami over with a Vertical Suplex but again only manages to score a two count. Maeda rises to his feet stunned over this new turn of events as any conventional opponent would have fallen long ago to his assault. Fujinami rises to his feet slowly as more blood pumps out of his head, down his torso and splattering on the ring mat. Both men exchange brief glances before charging off opposite ring ropes and executing duel leaping side kicks. The mid-air collision sends both men to the mat in a heap as the crowd is in a frenzy cheering for both combatants to return to their feet and fight on. The referee exercises a 10 count on both men and calls for the bell as Maeda begins to rise to his feet. Despite the heart shown by both men and a fighting spirit few can match, this all important bout between not only two great competitors but also two different ring philosophies ends in a draw. Many will probably say that the ending of this match is cheap and in some regards, a bit obvious considering all that was at stake for both men’s careers and the styles they endorsed. Even so, the buildup to this "cheap ending" is one of the best displays of ring psychology, stiff working, and the application of the shoot-style in a professional wrestling contest. While Shooter v. Worker matches have become more prevalent in Japan and even now in the United States, none have ever quite bellied up to Maeda and Fujinami’s classic meeting and perhaps none ever will. This contest is easily one of the best matches of the 1980’s and representative of the changing times in New Japan and the bold march forward into a new era of Puroresu. RATING: *****+ Workrate Report - Battle of the Belts II (1986) by John Pelan For those of you that wondered how the Flair/McDaniel match ended BotB I; true to form Wahoo does something stupid to give Flair a tainted victory. But really, lying on your back to apply a sleeper hold is stupid even by McDaniel standards... The match was a good **** up until the preposterous finish... This brings us up to the next multi-fed extravaganza and without further ado... It's Battle of the Belts II! 1. Tyree Pride vs. Ron Slinker. This is for the prestigious Bahamas Championship. Both men leap to apply devastating rest holds. Pride throws a drop kick that misses by a good six inches, but Slinker's a good sport, he sells it anyway. This is pretty much of a nothing match with Tyree getting the pinfall after a crossbody block. ** for being mercifully brief. 2. Post-match interview with Tyree Pride, the less said about this the better... 3. Rocky Iaukea vs. Kendall Windham. For the Florida title. Iaukea went on to achieve a certain amount of notoriety as Abudha Dein in the PNW. Iaukea quickly establishes himself as the heel slamming Windham into the turnbuckle and using such heelish tactics as the face-rake of minor irritation. What's this? Some legit mat wrestling from Iaukea! Back on their feet Windham nails Rocky with a particularly sloppy lariat which Iaukea sells as though he's been shot. Back to the mat for a brief rest, then a bit of wandering around the ring as Iaukea complains about Windham pulling on his singlet. Gordon Solie heroically tries to sell the idea of Iaukea working on Windham's arm, so of course Windham immediately forgets to sell the injury. A bit more back and forth action including another horrendously bad drop-kick and Windham nails the bulldog for the finish. Our rookie of the year retains the title! 4. Denny Brown vs. the White Ninja (Keiji Mutoh). This for the NWA Junior Heavyweight title. Denny Brown is the reigning champ, the White Ninja (curiously enough in black trunks), the challenger. First bit of real offense is a kick from Mutoh that's as fast as anything I've seen in a martial arts tournament. Brown has an annoying tendency to break the flow of the match by executing a good offensive move and then wandering around as though he's not sure what to do next. Back to the mat for an exchange of some legit holds. Denny attempts to cauliflower Mutoh's ears with the interminable side-headlock of discomfort... Mutoh gets loose and applies a head scissors, which Brown manages to bridge out of. Brown uses a couple of snap-mares to set up a rest period for both men. Solie and Mike Graham do a great job of conveying the idea that Mutoh must beat Brown, whereas all Brown need do is outlast his opponent. (The more I listen to Solie, the more irritated I become with WCW 's current broadcasting style.) Mutoh demonstrates an early heelish bent by choking his opponent on the ropes. Mutoh gets Brown in a nasty-looking single-leg Boston-crab and Denny sells it like he'll never walk again. Camel-clutch from Mutoh, followed by the handspring elbow and a spinebuster. Gordon says this Ninja is one hell of a competitor, (ya think?). Mutoh. Mutoh executes what we call the moonsault, Gordon calls it "wow". Mike Graham doesn't know what to call it. Brown tries the cross-body block of desperation and Mutoh wisely ducks... Oh no! Brown's over the top rope and Mutoh is disqualified!!! Anyone else remember this stupid rule? It was the built-in screwjob ending. ***1/2. Iit's 1985 and they say that Clemens kid has a good fastball and this Japanese kid might have a future in the squared circle... Ya think? I might be wrong, but this may be the first time that the moonsault was performed in the US, pity that it was only good for a two-count. 5. Jesse Barr vs. Lex Luger. Southern Heavyweight title on the line. Barr takes advantage by using actual wrestling moves which seems to baffle Luger. Luger scrambles to the ropes and applies a rather unconvincing headlock. During this time period the Apter mags were touting Luger as the new messiah, he was better than he is now, but not much... Barr and Luger actually spend a good bit of time exchanging holds on the mat, I'm impressed, (when was the last time you saw Lex go to the mat?) The tide of battle turns with Luger overpowering Barr and just pounding on him...Luger is getting tremendous pops from the crowd and obligingly flexes while Barr wanders around outside the ring. Back in, Luger just takes it to Barr using his three-move repertoire. Barr reverses a pile-driver, HE'S A HOUSE AFIRE!!! We get more wrestling moves from Barr in two minutes than we've seen from Luger in his whole career... It's to no avail as Luger manages to get the pinfall, going on to a successful stint as the Southern Heavyweight Champion while Barr goes on to forge a forgettable career as Jimmy Jack Funk... *** 6. Interview with Luger and Hiro Matsuda, I'd have enjoyed this more if Matsuda did more talking, (and yes, I know he doesn't speak English very well)... 7. Bruiser Brody vs. Wahoo McDaniel. Look kids, it's a hardcore match! Actually, this isn't much of a match at all as the two behemoths beat on each other relentlessly and fight back to the dressing room. No real wrestling, although a drop-kick from Brody is always an interesting sight to see. I was a bit disappointed that this didn't turn into the standard juice-fest, but it was pretty entertaining for what it was. However, no one sold much of anything and there really wasn't much of a story told. Brody and McDaniel must've been in a hurry to get to the bar as neither man really showed much here. ** 8. Road Warriors & Blackjack Mulligan vs. Kevin Sullivan, Mahai Singh (Bob Roop), and The Purple Haze (Mark Lewin). Not a match, just a ten-minute brawl. What the Roadies did, they did better than anyone else before or since. The pop they get is tremendous, was there anyone in 1985 that didn't believe they were the best tag-team in the world? Workrate here is appalling as no one sells anything. I wonder what Lewin was like in his prime, (friends from Australia have said he was something to see,) here he doesn't show much and neither do Mulligan or Roop. It's all Road Warriors kicking ass and taking names, and that's what the crowd came to see. I must point out the remarkably good job of booking the two brawls before the main event to follow. I can't give this any stars as it's not really a match, but it's far more entertaining than much of what ECW gives today as "hardcore". Watching the stiff work of Roop and Sullivan is a true joy. Absolute brutality... 9. Interview with Superstar Billy Graham. Excellent if only to reinforce the notion that everything entertaining that Jesse Ventura, Dusty Rhodes, and Hulk Hogan do on the mic, they ripped off from the Superstar.... 10. Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair. This is the acme of NWA wrestling, the two very best in the US at the time going for the gold. To see the sluggish and disinterested Windham sleepwalk through matches today is enough to bring tears to your eyes when you watch him in this match. There was a time when Barry Windham was heir apparent to Ric Flair and a Windham win over Flair would not necessarily be considered an upset. This match is the textbook on what a main event should be. One fall, one-hour time limit, the way it ought to be! Starts with a handshake and no funny business from Flair, a clean match? Not for long, Flair quickly asserts himself as heel by pearl-harboring Windham on his way back into the ring. The match builds slowly with an exchange of mat work and Flair getting a scissors hold on Windham's neck. Windham does a spectacular job of selling the move as a legit submission hold by ever so slowly struggling to reach the ropes. He does, and referee Bill Alfonso (yes, THAT Bill Alfonso) orders the hold broken. Flair demonstrates how to sell the abdominal stretch as a submission hold as Windham tries to add several inches to Flair's height... The hold's broken and the two grapplers exchange some stiff-looking punches allowing both men to blade. Flairs (as always) cuts himself just above the hairline for best results. The match is a masterpiece of near falls with Flair playing a subtler heel than usual and Windham making a few "rookie" mistakes allowing Flair to avoid the pinfall. The match seesaws back and forth with Gordon Solie and Mike Graham reminding us that Flair doesn't have to beat Windham, he merely has to outlast him. Watching this match one can't help be reminded of a match some years later where Ric Flair helped establish Steve Borden as a major star at Clash of the Champions. In this match Flair pushes Windham to heights that he would only on rare occasion reach again. For over twenty minutes the two put on a give and take that rivals the Flair/Steamboat wars of five years later. The announcing team keeps reminding us of the sands of time running out for a title change. Suddenly at the thirty-two minute mark both men are outside trading punches. Alfonso frantically tries to get both men back in the ring, but it's to no avail Windham is pounding on Flair and won't be distracted. A ten-count and the bell; a moral victory for Windham, a title-retention for Flair. **** And the start of a feud that would have more twists and turns than a hidden stairway in a gothic novel. Windham's credibility as a major star is established and Flair keeps the gold. Despite the horrendously bad opening matches the brawls and this championship bout make this a card well-worth having... Highly recommended. Championship Wrestling from Florida, 1972 (an episode that Solie bills as a "tour of the southeast") by Anthony Gancarski EDDIE & MIKE GRAHAM v THE MASKED MEDICS jip from Atlanta. This match exists to proves several things. One, that even Gordon Solie can’t make this pedestrian affair – the moveset of which was composed entirely of standing side headlocks and arm twists – seem like anything other than a poorly-rendered showcase for Florida’s first family of pro-wrestling. A young Mike Graham got most of the offense in here; I guess it helps to be teaming with your dad for that kind of thing. I remember seeing that the Medics were in fact pushed at one point in time, somewhere; however, upon watching these doughy men in white masks and white bodysuits (think Thunderfoot 1 and 2, without muscle tone, as epitomized when a Medic got arm dragged and was selling the move, yet bothered to hitch up his tights) it’s hard to imagine any promotion making use of these workers. NO DQ Lights Out Match: DICK MURDOCH v PAUL JONES Lights Out matches take place outside of the sanction of the NWA, and with prototypical Texas asskicker Murdoch involved the setup is promising. And for what it’s worth, Murdoch’s offensive sequences come off as very realistic. His punches look crisp and he gives off the vibe of someone legitimately doling out abuse when pounding Jones. But Paul Jones was not up to this task. His vanilla style wasn’t suited to the type of brawl this had to be, and the match lost points for that. Nonetheless, Gordon’s calling the match, so you know someone dons the crimson mask (Jones) and someone else is lacerated (Murdoch). Runin at the end as the match allegedly got too out of control. Bah. A BATTLE ROYAL, jip featuring Tim Woods, Hiro Matsuda, The Samoans (not the Afa / Sika Samoans), Ron Fuller, Tosh Togo, Gorgeous George Jr, Dale Lewis, and more. Not being twelve years old anymore, I’m not too into battle royals. 19 folks in this one, and $6012 is at stake. Huzzah. The Samoans in this are set up as monster heel badasses, and when the field’s down to 7 Ron Fuller comes out and starts giving Stone Cold Stunners. Er, sorry. I guess we’re to buy him as a monster face here, as he eliminates folks singlehandedly. Apparently he had won a previous battle royal but the Samoans had worked an injury angle with him, so he comes out with a bandaged head as he clears the ring. But he doesn’t go over, as George cheats to win. Nothing remarkable here. TONY CHARLES v "BIG" JIM BROOKS from Florida, 1972. Solie bills Charles as a fast wrestler with a sound technical knowledge. Charles is the British Isles Champion, which means little to me, but might to some UK old-schoolers out there. Jim Brooks is actually Tim "Killer" Brooks; I have no idea why he’s being billed as Jim here, but he still isn’t very good. Charles with the world’s longest standing top wristlock early on. Brooks is a cousin of Dick Murdoch. Charles with a fair cross armbreaker, and we spend some time watching Brooks power out. Then we see Charles hit some leg dives until Brooks kicks him into the ropes, and Charles pins Brooks on an attempted monkey flip. Nothing special here, I’m afraid. JACK BRISCO v BOBBY SHANE jip from St. Petersburg, FL, 1972. "Shane was one of the biggest stars in wrestling at this point, but was tragically killed in a plane crash," or so John McAdam says. Bobby Shane is the "King of Wrestling" according to Solie. This is for the Florida TV title. We join the match during the finish, and see Brisco working total US style; dropkicks, atomic drops, etc., in variance to his match in CBVR#1. Shane blocks a couple of figure four attempts and then clobbers Brisco with his knee brace. Shane with a legdrop and an attempted bodyslam, but Brisco slips out and rolls him up for the pin. This was nothing as well. Tony Gancarski Gabriel Sanchez John Pelan Workrate Cru Like what you've read? Visit the Cru's site at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/1219/CruBiz.htm Mail Anthony Gancarski Mail John Pelan Mail Gabriel Sanchez |
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