May 1982

Man, this was great! Wahoo beat the shit out of Sarge! When he wasn't tying Slaughter's legs in knots, he was chopping and slapping Sarge all over the ring. Of course, Slaughter being the great seller and bumper that he is, really makes Wahoo's offense look even more effective. The ending sequence was well-done with Slaughter desperately trying to put the Cobra Clutch on Wahoo and Wahoo fighting out of it while at the same trying to fend off Slaughter's Privates (ahem). ***½

First off Mil looks like a million bucks with his outfit. He has the luv ya blue colors and it really suits him. I really enjoyed this a lot. Mil starts in control working the mat with some really neat and flashy mat work. One of Mil's . spots was this sit down rana. Eventually Manny turns the tide and does some really fun arm work. Mil was great with the carny escape which just flips a switch in Manny and he just goes and beats on him. Mil takes his beating , and tries to go tit for tat with Manny but fails. This leads to a double DQ. This match was a lot of fun. Both guys were a great counter point to each other. On top of that they really meshed their styles together. …

The crowd is hot for JYD. I love Heenan diving over the top rope to get away from the dog. Love Bock stalling early. Bock roughing him up early. I like Bock cheating while blocking the ref. JYD teases his strength. JYD taking it to Bock, and a giant thump later and the dog gets the 1st fall. The 2nd fall JYD focusing on the back and Boesch is getting the story over. I'm loving the Kozac/Heenan interaction. Bock evens it up with the piledriver. The 3rd fall and it's for all the marbles. Bock is all over JYD. JYD reverses the piledriver. JYD back to the back with a Russian Leg Sweep. A double head knocker. JYD with a running punch that looked really nasty. Abdominal…

This had some weird rules like 4 guys in the ring at once. The match seemed pretty cluttered. It was hard to follow.

This is an Indian Strap match. We haven't had an upload n a bit, and then bam!!!! This was great. They're strapped up and it's on. At one point they're on the floor. Tully tugs on the strap and Wahoo goes right into the corner. This shakes the whole ring. Tully does it again, and again the ring shakes. At this point Wahoo is busted open. Tully is all over the cut just destroying Wahoo. Another nasty spot was Tully giving the knee to Wahoo's back and takes a huge bump to the floor. Wahoo sells great here. When he makes his comeback it's huge. Tully is busted open and Wahoo makes him pay. Man this match was violent and stiff. 3 1/2*

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Bob Orton – Philly 5/22/82 Tremendous Backlund shine! Seriously, one of my all-time favorite Backlund offensive sequences and just shows how crazy athletic Backlund was. I believe the feud is predicated on Backlund ducking Orton in amateur matches so early on we get some great amateur sequences, which I was always lap up. From there, Backlund just goes into one awesome highspot after another first a great monkey flip/bodyscissors sequence out of a test of strength. In a different body scissors, there is just a crazy series of bridges. These are the more nuanced strength/athletic spots that I mark out for more than a modified …

It's really cool to see how over Hogan is in Japan at this point, with the fans chanting his name after the bell and popping huge for his posing during ring introductions. Right away, they establish that this is going to be worked Clash of the Titans-style with all the stalemates off of lock-ups and shoulderblocks. Then Abby rolls outside after Hulk hits a high jumping knee (!!) and we've got ourselves a cool layout. They work up to Hogan not just applying the bearhug on Abby, but doing it where Abby is off of his feet elevated. Then Abby puts his knees up on a splash coming off the ropes and the blood begins to flow, with Abby using his trademark pencil to inflict more d…

Before this match, Tiger Mask's matches suggest a guy who was doing some fresh stuff and was pretty good, but who was not really the transformative worker his reputation suggests. Still, he was pretty good and I would consider strong criticism to be hyperbolic. This is the worst performance he has had so far, slipping on the ropes quite a few times and looking very lost at other times. I also have never really liked the Black Tiger gimmick at all, probably because New Japan has taken two guys with great facial expressions and sleazeball charisma -- Mark Rocco and later Eddy Guerrero -- and pulled that personality into a vortex. It's the opposite of the Midas touch. Wa…

Chavo working the arm early. Brooks uses some rough house tatics and works Chavo's arm. Reversal, Chavo in control .Back to the arm. Some back and forth action. Kinda just there.

Monte with a shine early working the arm. Duggan wants to be vertical, but Monte uses the arm drag as a weapon. Duggan's strength is too much and is a clubberin. Monte working underneath, but is cut off. Duggan using his weight. Again Monte keeps him off balance with a arm drag. Monte taking it to Duggan. Hammerlock takes Jim to the mat. Duggan and Monte go back and forth. Duggan takes him to the floor. Awesome finish. A real nice back and forth match.

Stomper all over Jones early. I've liked what Stomper I've seen. Brawling on the floor now. Jones taking a beating. Jones had the crowd with him on his comeback. Stomper cuts him off , and hooks on the stomach claw. Jones is selling this pretty damn good. Again Jones has the crowd on his comeback. A misstep and Stomper is working the midsection. Jones is a big boy so you believe in him going toe to toe. Still this is a little plodding, and lacks a spark. I loved Jones dropping head butts on Stomper's leg. I liked aspects of the match. 2 1/4* Buck Robley promo building to a Stomper/Brody match.

We get a killer Gino promo to start. He really is the total package. Gino's antics on the outside are really interesting. The match is more about Gino on the outside. Tully and Gino are heat magnets. Match though was more of a backdrop.