December 1982

This match had a beautiful progression to it. Thesz is the referee and does a good job of being interactive without in the way. Match starts with some good grappling and Dory/Ricky and Jay/Terry are paired off. A standout is Jay hooking the arm of Terry, them spilling to the outside, Terry does an airplane spin on the outside, they roll back in.... and Jay still has the arm hooked. Jay continues to be the guy along with Gino that I miss the most from their young death when I watch 80s wrestling. The match continues to heat up and the final 3-4 minutes are outstanding. You can sense the Steamboat/Jay team gaining momentum and close to pulling off the upset. They work …

This only went about 5 minutes and felt more like the first few minutes of a match than a full match. It was a cheap finish. I did like Spoiler working the hammerlock which is smart to try to take out Lothario's big left. Spoiler working the rib cage I liked also. Still what they did I liked, just not enough time to get the whole picture of what a 15 minute match would have been like.

NWA International Champion Brusier Brody vs Terry Funk -AJPW 12/7/82 Can I change my Harley vote to Brusier Brody? I kid, I kid. Don't be afraid of this match, Embrace The Brody! I think if people stop thinking of him as a Wildman, but rather as Frankenstein then he would be more appreciated. He has just been misunderstood. On serious note, his point blank refusal to bump for Terry at the end of the match really hurt this match. I get being stingy with your bumps, but you need to bump at some point! Terry sold his fucking ass off in this match. No one sells the trepidation of having to fight a monster better than Terry Funk. He went in trying to land blows and Brusier…

Thhe final of the 'New Year's Day Knockout Tournament' (Turpin had defeated Tally Ho Kaye) and in a change to the semi-finals this is fought over ten minutes duration, with no pinfalls, no submissions and the winner will be determined on a points system, where if any part of the body bar the soles of the feet touch the canvas then your opponent scores a point, and the person with the most points at the end of the ten minutes is declared the winner. I'm pretty sure that this wasn't the first (or last) time that they did this 'points match'. This was something different, if nothing else. Both legitimately appeared to forget what was going on at times, with Grey putting h…

This was fought over six three minute rounds and was the semi-finals of the 'New Year's Day Knockout Tournament'. Cooper starts out on top with some headmare attempts that Grey rolls through on, he tries to throw him off the ropes but again he just rolls through. When he tries that a second time Grey reverses and throws Cooper across the ring, he then tosses him out of the ring much to the amusement of the crowd. Cooper with a side headlock that Grey handstands out of and follows up with a finger interlock. He whips Grey into the ropes then crouches down attempting to trip him as he comes back, but Grey skips over him and gives him a kick in the backside which again b…

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This is JIP. Goulet is in control using rough house tactics. This is a very boring heat segment. The crowd is solid even with the pedestrian work. We finally get a Baron comeback, but gets cut off only for the Baron to catch him with a small package. We get about 12 minutes of a 13 minute match.

This is JIP and we see Martel working Heenan's leg. Heenan got something in Maetel's eyes. Both guys selling. Heenan the leg, Martel as if he's blind. Judo throw by Martel, and his vision is still shaky, but he can still work Heenan's leg. Again Heenan blinds Martel.A great near fall on a cross body by Martel. Great timing on a missed spear spot to the floor. Martel wins. We get about 8 minutes of a 14 minute match.

This is JIP at the 5 minute mark. Steve O is on the arm. Eye rake by Patera sets up the heat. Patera just beating down Steve O until he reverses an Irish whip. On the outside he uses the ring post on Patera's arm. Patera is selling the arm. Patera suckers him in. Bear hug by Patera. Steve O showing fire. Steve O with a back breaker, neck breaker, big elbow. Patera counters a neck breaker for the 3 count. We get about 11 minutes of a 16 minute bout.

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NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich - Christmas Star Wars 12/25/82 Steel Cage match, Michael Hayes Special Guest Referee They had two different gimmicks to establish in this match plus they needed to get Kerry's revenge in, needed to have a championship style match and run the one of the biggest angles in the history of pro wrestling. I think that was the biggest hindrance to this match was they were trying to accomplish so much in one match. With three lesser men, this would have been a clusterfuck. In the hands of Flair, Kerry and Hayes, they still manage to present an excellent match even if it is at the level of the first Kerry vs Flair bo…