Posted March 14, 201114 yr comment_5467331 Steve Grey vs. Richie Brooks 5/14/86 - Grey was great at these matches where the primary objective was to make a younger guy look good. This one had a lot of neat fights over Grey's surfboard, which he managed to apply cleanly only once, for his one fall of the bout. Brooks did a nice job of selling his effort whenever he had to escape one of Grey's holds. He also took the first fall using a headstand pinning combo, which I'm not sure I've seen before. This ended in a draw and both guys came out looking strong. Nomination. John Naylor vs. Steve Grey 4/19/75 Big Daddy & Kwick Kick Lee vs. Crusher Brannigan & Tony Walsh 5/22/82 - This didn't leave much of an impression. Steve Grey vs. Jon Cortez 7/27/81 - This was my first look at Cortez and he was right on Grey's level. Their early grappling sequences felt really hardfought instead of smooth, and I liked the way they kept teasing that a brawl might break out. Walton seemed positively shocked when Grey fired a forearm to break one of Cortez's holds. This was well on the way to a strong nomination. But instead of trading falls, they went right to the end and closed it with Cortez injuring his leg after he got it caught in the ropes. I hate these copout finishes. What a disservice to the effort these guys put in. I guess I'll still nominate it so others take a look, but it's not one I'll fight for.
