goodhelmet

I think it was here where they said the new name for the F5 is "The Verdict".

How is the rest of the match? I didn't really get a feel from your write-up. Also, did you ever go back and watch Slaughter-McGraw?

Sport Strategy Win

We'll have to disagree on Backlund. Even though I don't think highly of all the matches, I do think he has brought his working boots in all of them. Also, the Adonis series is better than the Slaughter series by far. Also, I want to know why you have that cage match so high.

Johnny Rodz/Jose Estrada vs Tony Garea/Steve Travis (9/18/82 Philadelphia, PA) --- I did not like this match at all, and like several other matches, I am left wondering why it was included. Poorly executed and sloppy as hell. It lasted a long time so I guess that was one of the reasons it was selected. Johnny Rodz vs Kuniaki "Chin" Kobayashi (11/25/82 Philadelphia, PA) --- If this match woudl have been a New Japan match, it wouldn't even crack the Top 200. Sloppy, blown spots and a hostile crowd. The finish was wierd as I could see the enziguri ending the match but not the sloppy cross-body. Then again, the 3 count was insanely fast so I guess Rodz could keep his heat. Whatever.

MisawaGQ, have you watched the earlier Backlund-Slaughter-Adonis stuff? If so, what did you think?

It may take half an hour or so but you can always put them in chronological order and match it up against the list I posted in this thread. At first, I automatically assumed it was Andre-Khan since it wasn't in the last 10 slots. Then I saw it at 69.

I have two Johnny Rodz matches to go before the Backlund-Rose match but thanks for the heads up.

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (lumberjack match)(3/28/82 Landover, MD) --- I don't really care for lumberjack matches but I can appreciate the way the lumberjacks interacted with each other as well as the wrestlers inside the ring. THe rest of the work was solid but I didn't enjoy this match as much as the other two. I don't know if the match was handicapped by the gimmick but it didn't make it better. The finish was almost the exact same one as the 3/20 match but the win still seemed tainted by the fast count and fluke nature. Tis will probably end up somewhere in the middle.

Shawn is NOT in the ten man tag.

Notes from this week's Observer on Ross and Goldberg: --- McMahon was in secret negotiations with Mike Goldberg and the plan was for him to start on the 10/3 RAW. The plan was for him to no-show the live UFC show and then scramble for a replacement. If Goldberg would have accepted, Ross would have been taken off immediately and Goldberg would have hosted the first USA show. --- Meltz points out that the company is more interested in sending a message to its competitors than respecting the job of the lead announcer. ---there has been a movement for years, dating back to Russo, to get Ross removed from TV. Even in WCW, Ross's accent and look were questioned. When Michael Cole was handed the job, the fans hated Cole and the experiment was deemed a failure. Still, no one does not turn into RAW because of Ross's look or voice because he announced for the company during the most successful and popular period in business history. --- Coachman has been groomed for the position even though he has shown no aptitude for it, and every short-term Coach experiment has been a failure. Goldberg is far more porfessional behind the mic than Coach or Grisham but has no product knowledge or exerience in wrestling or is even a fan. --- Meltz indicates that a lack of product knowledge is not a drawback when the company mindset is they only want good looking young people on the screen. ---Before he turned the job down, the reason Goldberg wasn't at the 10/3 show is because Goldberg refused to no-show the UFC live show and had already committed to the PPV.

So far, on this set, I have seen two. It was pretty obvious what they were doing actually. Bob has a match against random heel. Random heel beats Bob by countout or DQ and wants to claim the title. Rematch either continues the feud or blows off the feud. Rinse. Repeat. Booking 101.

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/20/82 MSG) --- This one has several things going for it that the first one didn't. First of all, Adonis controls most of the amtch, and after watching a dozen Backlund matches in 3 days, it is a refreshing change. Next, it is one of the few clean endings in the set in matches that feature Backlund. THere are also some nice exchanges and reversals but it lacks the emotion and energy of the 1/18 match. Still, a really good match that will be close to my Top 10.

Don Muraco vs Pedro Morales (11/23/81 MSG) This is JIP and only 7 minutes were shown. I'd put this right around the same ranking as Hogan-Shultz. Not enough was shown to get the proper feel for the match. Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (1/18/82 MSG) The early portion of this match reminds me of a classic All Japan battle. They battle for every lockup, every position, and every advantage until they head toward the impact moves. When watching early on, you can see that Adonis is too eager to get the advantage on Backlund and, each time, Bob makes him pay for his impatience. And boy, does he ever make him pay. Backlund's arm work is just awesome, made even better by the pain and frustration on Adrian's face. When Adrian takes over, he attempts to pin Backlund after every single move but Bob continues to survive until he makes the comeback. The end stretch is also reminiscent of an All Japan match where each guy attempts to put the other away with big moves (at least for 1982 standards) . I don't know if it is mandatory in Backlund matches but he inevitably ends up outside and the heel insists on keeping him out there. It may just be an excuse for him to blade because he comes up a bloodied mess, just as he did in the Slaughter match from 1/81. I have to take off some points because Adonis decides to employ the elbow drop and throw left punches after Backlund had spent 10 minutes working over his left arm. While this is a great match to watch, thanks to both guys, the dreaded Backlund non-finish pops up again while he builds to the rematch. Tim said this was Top 5 and, at this point, I would agree. However, because of the nature of these discs, I can easily see some potential matches bumping it out of the way.

Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter (5/4/81 MSG) --- Just a brawl. I have liked both guys on this set but this match was nothing special. It will end up in the lower half somewhere. Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (4/6/81 MSG) --- Just a cage match... I had seen this before on the Bloodbath DVD and my feelings remain unchanged. They didn't do anything actively offensive but there was nothing here that stands out to make it special. This will be somewhere in the lower half.

I enjoyed the Backlund-Slaughter match but there were too many problems for me to really rate it high. As we have seen in this set, Sarge bumps like a maniac and bleeds for his craft. But why in the hell would he be afraid of Bob Backlund when he manhandled him in the match prior to this?

Bob Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter (10-20-80) --- I completely overlooked this match so I had to revisit it. There isn't much difference between this match and the 1/10/81 bout. Still, I think I enjoyed the other one more. This one had an even less satisfying finish, if that was possible, than the other two Slaughter-Backlund matches on this set. However, the fact that outside interference occurred made it logical for this feud to end up in a cage. Ken Patera vs. Pat Patterson (12-29-80) --- An abbreviated brawl with a bad finish. This doesn't come close to their April match which could be Top Ten. I wouldn't mind the DQ finish so much if they had not spent the ten minutes of the match brawling and punching and fighting.

Hmmm... I thought they were going to include an Andre the Giant match because Bret thought so highly of him. Guess not.