January 1982

From Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. This match is for the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight title. Talk about it here.

Really neat find on World, lasts only a couple minutes but it's still completely badass, it's catch-based as you'd expect and features lots of throws and escapes that I haven't seen before that were probably "lost", a great clean finish which isn't what I was expecting either, really wish we had more of Gotch on tape, watching these two go at it was a privilege. Great post-match selling from Fujiwara too.

This isn’t complete, but we still get 22 minutes of footage with a healthy amount of action from each fall. I don’t think it’s clipped much. Fun seeing Dusty work the mat! The early part of this is Dusty working over Ric’s arm and going for quick pins while Flair tries to bridge out. Dusty is a competent mat wrestler. It’s wild seeing this because I’m used to the more character-driven flip-flop-fly-type action from these two where they stay vertical and Flair plays pinball for Dusty’s elbows. So seeing them do a chess match where they fight over a gutwrench suplex is something else. The crowd stays with them for this though, probably because they are in St. Louis and both…

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Hansen's first match since jumping to All Japan from New Japan at the end of 1981 has a real buzz around it. The crowd is eager to see Hansen and to see the lariat, simmering in anticipation on every whip into the ropes. Hansen wins a match with a 45-minute time limit in less than three, sending an immediate statement to everyone in his new home promotion. Hara does his part, treating Hansen’s lariat like death itself to make this debut as noteworthy as possible. The goal here is to establish Hansen immediately as a force to be reckoned with in All Japan, and they overachieve in meeting that objective. It’s a historic match for both Hansen and the history of wrestli…

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WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis - MSG 1/18/82 In the stodgy, lumbering early 80s World Wreslting Federation, Bob Backlund brings a dynamism more akin to Mid-Atlantic. I don't want to say that is overlooked by his proponents, but I don't think his critics give him enough credit for working the cutting edge style of movement in an area where everyone was accustomed to a slower pace. Yes, Backlund works holds, but he is always working the headlock or arm and peppering in spots in between. Adonis is a perfect opponent for Backlund in this regard because he excels at bumping and moving. Even though the majority of the match revolves around a long he…

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This is an undercard match. It's purpose is to be a match that holds water, but not to upstage the main events. Here they pretty much exchange holds. They keep it some what entertaining. Both guys at times showed flashes of charisma. I enjoyed Serrano's sell of Cyclone's punch. Solid stuff.

We get a Manny promo to start. Gordman's sell job of the Atomic drop is tremendous. Gordman with a ankle pick and starts working the ankle. Gordman's arm work albeit short looked crisp. He does a nice abdominal stretch. In a fun spot Manny does a rolling body scissors.Gordman working the ankle. Manny's powerslam finishes it.