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Dick Murdoch vs. The Nightmare (Mid-South, 7-14-85) I?ll be honest with you. When I bought the Mid-South/UWF collection, I really didn?t pay attention to this match. I was more concerned with Ted DiBiase, the Fantastics and Midnight Express. However, if there was one hidden gem in the set that completely caught me by surprise, here it is. The Duggan-DiBiase matches were entertaining as hell but I expected something special from Ted DiBiase. I had never heard of The Nightmare and I only have a few, non-descript memories of Dick Murdoch. The match begins with Nightmare establishing his EVIL~! ways. He chokes Dick on the ropes and sneaks in a few hidden punches, out of the referee?s view, to Murdoch?s throat. Whenever he gets Murdoch on the ground, he punches away at Murdoch with the referee seemingly too helpless to stop. On the flipside, every time Dick Murdoch gets Nightmare on the ropes, the referee forces Murdoch to break even though Nightmare is using blatant heel tactics. At this point, Dick Murdoch is clearly frustrated. It must not help that Eddie Gilbert is outside and getting under Dick?s skin. After a rope exchange, Murdoch finally nails Nightmare with his great-looking punch and stuns Nightmare. In the corner, he finally is able to dish out some punishment, with a back elbow) even though the ref had tried to stop him. His dirty tricks don?t stop there as he tries to rip off Nightmare?s mask. Wait a minute. I thought Murdoch was the face? In this match, he is putting it to them the best way he knows how. After Nightmare is back in the ring, Murdoch maintains his command of the match with some decent offense (a dropkick, hiptoss, leg scissor takedown) and continues ripping at the mask. In one of the highlights of the match, Murdoch twists Nightmare?s mask, mocks him and punches him out of the ring. The only real weakness of the match occurs when Nightmare takes over on offense. He gains control by clubbing Dick down and hitting a 2nd rope fist drop. Unfortunately, he kills the momentum the match was building by hitting a chinlock. There is no attempt to work the hold or for Dick to even get out of it. They are simply taking a breather. This is a low-point to what has been a great match so far. To his credit, after the breather, Nightmare picks up the pace with a knee to the gut, a bodyslam and a piledriver attempt. As the pace shifts to the final stretch run, Dick Murdoch gains control in an awesome visual. After the failed Nightmare piledriver attempt, Dick starts unloading with a flurry of left punches. He exaggerates the power of his right by winding up his right arm but before he can deck Nightmare, the referee grabs Murdoch?s arm to prevent him from breaking the rules again. Instead of getting frustrated. Murdoch just levels Nightmare with a hard left, out of view from the referee who is preoccupied with the right arm. An Irish whip reversal reversal (yes, you read that right) sees Dick whip Nightmare into the ref for the prerequisite ref bump. Eddie Gilbert interferes but accidentally hits Nightmare with his cane. Any good face would not have been tempted to use a foreign object to get the win but this is Dick Murdoch we are talking about. Murdoch grabs the cane and levels Gilbert and Nightmare to get the pin. It must be noted that this match isn?t a one-on-one affair. It really plays out like a one-on-three handicap match. Nightmare has Eddie Gilbert, in the corner, getting under the skin of Dirty Dick and he also has the referee. You see, Dick Murdoch doesn?t mind breaking a few rules, and when The Nightmare tries to make this a game of heel shenanigans, Murdoch is all too willing to play along. The only thing standing in his way is a ref who prevents Murdoch from evening the odds and showing them how a real heel operates. In the end, Dick Murdoch beats the heels at their own game and was victorious because he was dirtier and meaner than they were. Great match and great story. I need more Dick Murdoch matches.

Heh, this is why I purchased the Jumbo '76 disc from Ginnetty. My VHS copy was in bad shape and now I have it in near perfect quality. If you need an upgrade, Tim, let me know. I know we call it the greatest match of the 70s but it could probably stand the test against any match from any time period. Just smart, smart work all around. The fact that they teased the rope drop spot in the Jumbo-Tenryu match 13 years later AND still used the fight over the surfboard in the 90s glory matches shows how muc staying power it really has.

Terry Funk v. Jumbo Tsuruta (6-11-76) This match has often been considered the greatest match of the 1970s. For those who don?t know, Jumbo was trained by the Funk Bros. and this is a teacher vs. student matchup. It has received universal praise on the net so I am not trying to make an argument on whether the praise is deserved. Instead, I hope to examine the match closely and understand all of the little things that make it so great. First Fall The first fall is the longest and most interesting fall but not in the way you would expect. The atomic drop is the highest impact move executed, yet these two work together so skillfully you don?t really mind. To start things off, they have one of the most interesting collar-and-elbow tie-ups, I have ever seen. Funk keeps trying to gain the high ground position on Jumbo and failing and a stalemate results. Eventually, Jumbo uses his strength to slide Funk (who is on his knees) across the ring. I?ve seen a few wrestling matches and this was a simple way to keep a simple lock-up interesting. The next segment sees Funk gaining the advantage by working an armbar. Instead of just holding the move in place, Funk always keeps working (pounding on the arm, elbow drop to the shoulder, leg drop while holding the hand, dropping the knee) and keeps the match moving. All too often, in older matches and new, we?ll see wrestlers apply holds while not actually doing anything. This complacency and irreverence for holding the fans attention can mean the difference between a mediocre and great match. Instead, we see the subtlety of a great wrestling match as Funk attacks and Jumbo counters with an awesome escape. While Funk is still applying the armbar, Jumbo positions him in a fireman?s carry point on his shoulders and sits Funk in the corner to get the hold broken. At this point, Funk demonstrates his experience by always going back to the arm even as Jumbo attempt to gain the advantage. After the early portion of the match where Funk controls with the armbar, Jumbo gains an advantage after a struggle for a surfboard. This spot would continue to be utilized well into the 90s where Misawa, Kawada and Kobashi would also use this spot in their matches. Early on, Funk maintains control, working the hold by giving headbutts to Jumbo?s back and keeping him on his knees. This is another situation where Jumbo?s strength comes into play by reversing the hold and putting a knee in Terry?s back to increase the pain. Funk breaks the hold by kicking Jumbo?s forearm but Jumbo maintains control with an armbar of his own. At this pivotal point, Jumbo is now working the armbar. Unlike today?s matches, where punches and kicks are used as transitions, these two mix in a nice array of holds and counter-holds while using the armbar as the focus. Funk escapes the armbar with a hiptoss, they exchange arm wrenches and pinning attempts. Even as the first pinfall has yet to be scored, this match has always kept its focus and never lets the viewer wander since the wrestlers are always operating on each other. Later in the segment, in an absolutely gorgeous sequence, Terry tries to escape the armbar by throwing Jumbo out of the ring. Jumbo gets tossed but yanks Funk out also by never letting go. Jumbo maintains the hold and tosses Funk inside the ring, over-the-top rope, by the arm! If any other two wrestlers were in, the armbar would have been released and the advantage would have switched to the other wrestler. Even when Terry Funk unleashes an atomic drop (the biggest move of the entire first fall), Jumbo still goes back to the arm, At this point, we know that the armbar is the focus, each guy attempting to damage the shoulder and arm, making future pin escapes more difficult. If you turn away, you may miss something that leads the viewer to another place. For example, early on in the match, Jumbo would get to the ropes and Funk would give a clean break. Later, when Jumbo reaches the ropes, he now lets loose with his patented punches but still can?t maintain control against the more powerful Jumbo. Another theme begins to manifest itself beginning with the armbar exchanges. This is also where you can really start to understand the teacher-student dynamic that makes this match so intriguing. Every time one of the wrestlers works a hold or hits a move, eventually the other wrestler will do the same. It becomes a contest of one-upmanship. They exchange shoulder blocks, each man falling to the other?s force. Eventually, Funk hits a double-underhook suplex for a two-count. This is important later on in the match when Jumbo hits Funk with his own move, but at this point in time, the two exchange leap frogs and Jumbo is able to get a roll-up for two and a follow-up Sunset Flip for the three count. Second Fall The beginning of the second fall marks a turning point in the pace of the match. In the first and longest fall, the ?highspots? were kept to a minimum but the transitions and control segments were intriguing enough to keep you glues to the TV set. In this fall, Funk decided he needs to be more forceful in his strategy and take his student to task. After a test of strength appears to end in a stalemate, Funk headbutts Jumbo to set-up a swinging neckbreaker. Jumbo sells the weakened neck and Funk attacks with some great offense (jumping knee to the neck, piledriver). After failing to get a pin, Funk throws Jumbo outside and continues to inflict damage. Even if this fall is abbreviated, it sets the stage for Jumbo?s weak neck that plays such an important role in the third fall. Jumbo tries to fight back with European uppercuts and a suplex but after an Irish whip, the two battle for the abdominal stretch in which Terry segues this into the rolling cradle, picking up the three-count. I love the second fall. Funk plays dirty on the outside (which I love to see him do), he keeps his focus on the neck and head, and it continues the theme of each wrestler exchanging the same move to determine who can inflict more damage. In the end, Terry?s ability to turn the abdominal stretch battle into a rolling cradle effectively exploited Jumbo?s inexperience and helped Funk even up the score. Third Fall In the early part of the third fall, the combatants maintain the pace established in the second fall. Jumbo, shown up at the end of the second fall, eventually locks in an abdominal stretch to show that he will not allow the rolling cradle to happen again but Funk still has a counter. He tosses Jumbo out of the ring in order to recuperate. Jumbo, despite having the strength advantage is having difficulty sustaining any real control since the first fall. It is clear that the faster pace is favoring Funk and that Jumbo, too eager to show-up his trainer, is not capitalizing on the moves like he should. Inside, we see the exchanging moves theme displayed again as they each hit gut wrench suplexes and nearfalls. Jumbo hits a double-underhook as repayment for Funk?s earlier attack. After failing to score the fall, Jumbo attempts to slow the pace down with a headlock but Funk easily counters with a back body drop. With each move, you can see the desperation grow in Jumbo. This is the main theme of the third fall. Jumbo is too eager to put the match away and it ultimately cost him the match. He attempts another double-underhook. He follows with a back breaker and release German suplex. Unable to get the pinfall, he whips Terry and ducks a Terry leapfrog as he is gaining momentum. Jumbo attempts the Thesz press but Terry drops him throat-first on the rope. Jumbo, with injured throat, is easy prey for Terry to pick up the victory.

I think the original plan was supposed to be more of a nostalgia trip where we are time-warped back to 1997. Actually, Meltz mentions the pricy tickets as the main reason it hasn't sold out.

I understand all of this but my point is that Vince sits on both sides of the fence. He gives them guaranteed money but then calls them independent contractors. Which is it?

Meltz Analysis of Backlash buyrate: ---Preliminary indications show it did app. 280,000 buys (0.5 rating) and will end up topping 300,000 which few "B" shows have over the past few years have done, and will end up ahead of last year's successful Backlash show ---However, the money and marketing effort put into this show was more than any show short of Wrestlemania. Because of this, the show will be less profitable than last year's show. ---Meltz figures that at worst, the HHH-batista rematch would have done no worse than 250,000 buys without all the mainstream advertising and Hogan media work. ---Considering Hogan does not work cheap, Meltz feels that his return can in no way be deemed a success. It will probably be the biggest "B" show of 2005 but when you factor in Hogan's guarantee and percentage deal AND the madvertising campaign, Meltz feels it was a letdown.

It didn't say. Ok, I may have misread that. Meltz said exactly... The number of tickets sold early was considered disappointing by WWE, but the belief is the show will end up selling out, since therea re only 2,500 tickets available, once they put more and smarter TV emphasis behind it. I read that to mean 2,500 were STILL available but I think he meant that 2,500 were available from the start. Wrong, Funk is capitalizing on the disdain ECW fans have for Vince and selling the show he is featured on. NOTHING wrong with that. Sure, but Shane Douglas is doing the same and also promising the idea of a "tour" so ideally it would be more profitable to do the Douglas show than just a one-shot for Vonce's show... even though Meltz thinks they will do another show if this one is successful. You could say the same thing about Vince not allowing soem of his guys to appear on the Douglas show. I know they are under contract with Vince but God forbid someone actually get paid.

Judgment Day star ratings: Mercury & Nitro v. Holly & Haas ***1/4 Carlito v. Big Show * Paul London v. Chavo Guerrero **3/4 Booker T v. Kirt Angle ***1/4 Orlando Jordan v. Heidenreich -* Rey Mysterio v. Eddie Guerrero ***3/4 John Cena v. JBL ****1/4 ECW PPV Notes: ---The PPV has turned into a political fight. Kevin Dunn and Vinnie Mac have the same mentality that they had for WCW and ECW during the botched Invasion angle. They feel it is more important that ECW is owned by Vince than as an independent show using WWE talent. ---There are feelings that nearly everoyone involved felt that using weapons matches on RAW and presenting ECW as a trivial group was counter-productive ---Heyman's concept was to do an ECW reunion show instead of Bischoff's RAW group vs. Heyman's ECW army. In the original plans, Bischoff was to appear on the PPV in part of one match which related to an old ECW storyline and well known feud as opposed to being the focal point. ---Meltz does a great job of dispelling the myths surrounding ECW including bringing lucha libre to the U.S. and how Eddie was never used as a main-eventer at ECW shows. ---There are still 2,500 tickets left for the show. ---Terry Funk officially turned down doing the PPV. He felt at his age, he couldn't do the WWE show and the Shane Douglas show. Funk sent a promo to Jeremy Borash (that will be featured on the "Forever Hardcore" DVD) that is supposed to be one of the strongest of his career. In the promo, he held the WWE contract Vince sent him and told them to shove it. He said Vince was the one who killed ECW and was just making money off the name. He thought about the money Vince offered him (reportedly $10,000), which was more thean the Douglas offer, but he made the decision with his heart and not his pocketbook. ---Mick Foley will appear on the WWE PPV but will not be wrestling. ---There are people who claim to be only working the Douglas show but will appear on the WWE show but want it kept quiet so there is no problem in the Douglas show locker room.

Magnum TA vs. Ted DiBiase (No DQ) Once again, we get to witness the genius of Ted DiBiase. Although he isn?t featured as prominently as I would like him to be, Ted DiBiase?s inclusion on the Mid-South compilation improves its worth tenfold. On the other hand, Magnum TA is usually criticized as being a low-average worker but he holds up his end surprisingly well in this series with DiBiase. This match is apparently No DQ. I wouldn?t know that except Jim Ross begins his commentary midway through the match and informs the listeners. Both wrestlers retreat to their corners after the ref gives his instructions, but Ted DiBiase sneaks up on an unsuspecting Magnum. Like the Duggan series (which actually occurred after the Magnum series), DiBiase is always looking for an advantage, looking for the shortcut, playing the perfect heel. To reinforce the No DQ, DiBiase throws Magnum out of the ring. Outside, DiBiase foreshadows a staple of nearly every Stone Cold Steve Austin WWF brawl, throwing Magnum TA into the crowd and brawling in the arena. In the next portion of the match, Magnum eventually gains control with a bodyslam and DiBiase retreats into the ring and begs for forgiveness in the corner. This obvious stooging is part of DiBiase?s repertoire and Magnum TA, the ultimate face, doesn?t buy it and gives DiBiase an Irish whip and a back body drop out of the corner, leading to DiBiase again retreating to the corner. I never knew DiBiase played such an effective cowardly heel prior to my exposure to this Mid-South set. Whether the opponent was Duggan or Magnum, DiBiase?s antics whip the crowd into frenzy. Every DiBiase match I have watched on this set (with Ted as a heel) has insane crowd heat. If there was ever a wrestler who could control his audience, Ted (with a little help from his face opponents) knew exactly how to push the buttons. The next segment witnesses a change in momentum after Magnum misses a charge in the corner. DiBiase takes over with his patented maneuvers (2ndrope elbow smash, fist drops) and heel tactics (blatant choke, using the ropes to choke.) It also leads to DiBiase loading his glove. I always thought the loaded glove was a little hokey, but Ted?s subtle gestures and blatant abuse of the rules makes it work. Magnum was dishing out punches in the corner so the referee breaks it up and admonishes Magnum. Ted chooses this time to load the glove. As we saw in the Duggan series, it doesn?t matter when DiBiase loads his glove, it always seems appropriate. In the Duggan series, he used the loaded glove to win the match. In this match, he uses it to turn the tide. The punch also led to a Magnum blade job. What I don?t understand, however, is why Ted feels the need to hide the loaded glove after using it. If the match is a No DQ match, would he be disqualified for using the foreign object? I wouldn?t think so. After the punch, DiBiase controls the next segment, dishing out some nice offense like a high backdrop and a beautiful powerslam. DiBiase then abruptly changes his offensive focus and hooks in a spinning toe-hold to set up a figure four. Magnum prevents him from locking in the move and you have to ask yourself why he even considered the attempt since Magnum was bleeding and had obvious weaknesses Ted could exploit. As DiBiase and Magnum recover, Dibiase then goes for a top-rope axehandle but Magnum hits him coming down.. Magnum then hits a dropkick, Irish whips Dibiase and ends the match with the belly-to-belly. The ending really came out of nowhere and actually bothered me. The entire match, Magnum did not focus on the back at all. At no point, did Ted actually sell hurting his back or even appear like he was in pain of any sort. I guess the finisher was designed to be hit out of anywhere, not unlike the Stunner or Diamond Cutter, but it really was an unsatisfying finish when looking at the match closely. It would have done wonders if Magnum was the one to hit the high back body drop or powerslam but no such luck. Ted?s figure-four attempt also really bothered me. Maybe if he had injured Magnum?s leg at any point prior to that it would have made sense but it seemed out-of-place. On the other hand Ted?s selling and heelish antics definitely made this an entertaining match but it lacked the cohesiveness to really be enjoyable. While the early portion showed great promise, the match really seemed to fall apart after the Magnum bladejob and loaded glove. Fear not, for they would redeem themselves in a huge way in the rematch.

Even with a decent line up, I am going t owait until the feedback comes through before I watch this one. If the WWE v ECW crap continues, I don't know if I'll bother. If they let the guys just come in and do their matches, it could be good. Comments on lineup so far.... Eddy v. Benoit - This would obviously be the selling point for the smart crowd. Then again, they have had some really good matches and some really dismal ones as well so it is a crap shoot. Rey v. Psichosis - This one is another match that is up in the air. If they channel back to 1994 in Mexico then rock on. If not, it could be real spotty and real ugly. Storm v. Jericho - The Thrillseekers explode. This is completely contingent on what Strom brings to the match. I have never been impressed with Storm and have no fiath in him to roll to anything higher than *** match. Crazy v. Tajiri v. Guido - Eh... if this is done with three-way-dance rules, where two combatants battle it out at athe end, we may see some nice stuff. If it is one pin wins all then it will be a typical spotfest that we have already seen before Sandman & Dramer v. Dudleys - Not exactly the best way for the Dudleys to return to the public eye. I imagine it will have a table lit on fire and be the worst match of the show. People announced who I wouldn't mind seeing in the ring... Rhyno Masato Tanaka Yep, that is about it.

Well, we're waiting.....

THAT is who Jay Bower patterned his writing style after when he became long-winded and wordy... Will F'n Parish. Fucking A.

The biggest argument against using Japanese teams is that most people here have probably never seen the best teams wrestle enough to make an informed opinion. I could easily make the argument that Kawada & Taue are the best tag team ever (certainly in the best two tag matches ever) but if someone has never seen them, I would hate to see that person vote for a team like the Hollywood Bloondes or Legion of Doom over them when those American teams are so far below the totem pole in comparison.