December 1984

This is up on the network. I've never seen the match, but it looks like they get 20 minutes so it could be interesting. Steamer and Slater have an interview earlier in the show. The Long Riders are Ron Bass and Black Bart with JJ Dillon is their manager. Steamboat and Slater have a history. Both guys also have a history with the Long Riders. Long bRiders beat up Steamers brother, and made a mess of his gym. JJ cost Slater the MA Title, and Bart also try to collect a bounty on Slater. Big fight to start. Long Riders take a powder. Faces standing tall. Some nice double team moves by the faces. Heels bumping for Steamboat. Faces controling early.The Long Riders…

This is a non title match. It goes maybe 5 minutes and is a total blast. It consists of a few great chop exchange/punch exchanges. Their's blood, and working of the cut. Fun match.

Ernie Ladd defends the North American Title. Mid-South was the place where TA really learned. They paired him with Wrestling 2. He wrestled Ladd,Reed, Dibiase, Eaton, Condrey, Wrestling 2 and others. When Dusty brought him to Crockett he was ready to be the guy. His feud with Ladd has been a really solid one, and one that doesn't get mentioned enough in the history of wrestling. I believe we have around 6 of their matches on tape. I was lucky to see one live in Htown. This was TA's feud that cemented him as being ready. This is a cage match and it really wasn't great, but it told a story. TA gets an early shine by working the arm. Ladd uses his size to take control. …

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WWF Tag Champs Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami - NJPW 12/5/84 Finals of MSG Tag League Quite the month for Murdoch & Adonis as they also have that great match with the Briscos at MSG later. The winner of this wins the MSG Tag League for 1984, the precursor to the current G-1 Tag League. The match goes right into heat on Fujinami's arm. Just perfect for two pros like Murdoch & Adonis. Very Southern style with lots of hope spots for Fujinami but cutoffs by the heels right to the arm. Lots of playing keep away from Inoki. Really liked Adonis tackling Fujinami right before he got to Inoki. Dropkick creat…

I think Meltzer giving this a pretty high rating for the time (****, for reference) is telling of what interested him more back then compared to now. And oh boy, is it rough to get into. This match doesn't try to make itself any less hard to swallow, it's just right into slow grindy Catch work and British-style lads stretching each other at a pace many would consider as glacial. Let's be honest though; this match is pretty awesome. There's a real feeling of struggle to every sequence, every counter feeling earned and strained out as everyone here is pretty comfortable on the mat and can more than handle themselves. Pete Roberts was great when I was watching him vs Tiger M…

The first five minutes or so is a feel out process between Takada and Yamazaki as they bite with strikes and try to maintain arm control on the mat. But when Takada bridges out of a hold, Yamazaki kicks him in the ribs and the match finds its sweet spot as Yamazaki starts unloading on Takada with kicks and knee drops. He works his way back to the arm but Takada is able to fight out, landing a short spurt of kicks and planting Yamazaki with a tombstone piledriver. When that doesn’t work, he pelts him with stiff strikes and pulls out the running jumping tombstone! Yamazaki rules in this match, really kicking it up a notch (literally) heading into the final stretch as he fir…

This is my favourite Fujiwara/Super Tiger match. They work it with Fujiwara having the upper hand on the mat and Tiger being the dominant striker but the gaps aren't huge and both can hang and fire back in both departments. Fujiwara is awesome here, busting out awesome takedowns, countering Tiger's strikes, reversing his holds on the mat etc. but he also has all time great punches and just rocks Tiger with them when they're standing. There's a really great moment when Fujiwara starts choking Super Tiger with a Sleeper and Sayama sells it with this disgusting cough. Finishing stretch is just unreal with Sayama killing Fujiwara with brutal kicks seemingly forever and his kn…

Adrian Adonis, Dick Murdoch, Andre the Giant, Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Jerry Morrow, Kengo Kimura, Seiji Sakaguchi, Samoan Samu, Kerry Brown, & Tiger Toguchi. Talk about it here

This is not the Real World finals or anything, just an ordinary match from Night 15. Race and Bockwinkel both come out in matching white jackets. Harley's says "USA" on the back and Nick's just says "Bockwinkel" Nick looks so happy coming down the aisle. Neither man was a World Champion at this point, but the fans love this team. All four men shake hands before the bell. Race and Ishikawa start the match, they lockup and Ishikawa immediately bodyslams Race. Race grabs a side headlock, shoulderblock and then returns the slam. He hits a nice looking side suplex and makes the tag to Bockwinkel. Bock slams Ishikawa and gets a one count. Bockwinkel …

This didn't feel like a 5 star match, or even remotely close to it, but it was still a very good bout, despite the crap finish. The Terry/Hansen exchanges were tons of fun as usual, while Brody and Dory were fine while supporting their respective partners, enhancing the chaotic nature of the match. Dory took most of the beating, especially when he was stuck at ringside. It felt like a nostalgia act of their previous contests, rather than a new chapter, as it didn't add much to the story. A good nostalgia act, nonetheless ***1/2

I wrote this for my blog in my review of the Hulkamania CHV tape and I want to know if I am crazy or if this match is just really great. Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon & Howard Finkel What a truely bizarre team in the booth. The first thing they do is make sure that the $15,000 is on the line. At this time Bobby Heenan said he would pay out that money if anybody could bodyslam Studd, the true giant of wrestling. Bobby Heenan confirms that it is always on the line. What follows is a surprisingly great match. It’s built around Hogan gaining control, then going for the bodyslam only for Studd to block it and then take control. The big moment occurs when Hogan goes …

This was a good rematch from the RWTL final of the previous year, once again heavily focused on the growth of Tenryu and the support he could finally give Jumbo against the bad gaijins. Good match, with enough heat and a smart pacing to hide all of Brody's limits, as Jumbo/Hansen was again the best pairing. Tenryu bled a lot and was great at times, like when he took the lariat to save Jumbo who was the legal man. However, the DQ finish was a huge disappointment and tainted the celebration of the native guys, who finally conquered the monsters duo ***1/2

AWA TV taping in Las Vegas, Road Warriors defend the AWA World Tag Team Titles

This is for the Mid-Atlantic title. Steamboat keeping Bass off with arm drags . Bass bumps his shoulder into the corner and Steamboat is on the arm. Steamer dropping a knee to the shoulder. Shoulder block to the arm. Arm drags and a head scissor. Steamer has great baby face psychology. Great cross body gets 2 and then snaps off another arm drag. Thet tease the heat, but Steamer remains in control and keeps on the arm and shoulder. We cut to some interviews with Buzz Tyler and Manny Fernandez. We're back and Bass is getting the heat. Steamboat makes a comeback . Black Bart and JJ come out to interfere. Dusty and Slater come out to save. In the skirmish JJ is pantsed and …

Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here

Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here

Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here

Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here

Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here

Rick Martel defends the AWA World Title. Available on the Network, Vault, Hidden Gems, 1984. "AWA Christmas Night 1984". Talk about it here