Talk about it here.

I like watching Eddie heel it up in a different environment, but again, it's hard to really say how good this is in the context of everything else when it's just a one-off match and I'm not versed enough in the style.

I wasn't a big fan of this. Was Gilbert the heel or the babyface? Almost seemed like it was heel vs heel. Not as fun as the Liger match.

Memphis vs. World of Sport! Talk about two different worlds colliding. Gilbert brings his working boots and unleashes some new stuff, like the abdominal stretch roll-up and a dropkick off the top. Still, quite a lot of stalling--and Finlay is as guilty if not moreso than Gilbert. Really fun closing stretch of reversals and counters, before Finlay murders Gilbert with a sick tombstone for the victory. Finlay would have fit in perfectly in Memphis, especially if he still had Princess Paula as part of his act. This was overlong, but I'm still glad I saw it.

Finlay looks straight out of an epic movie. It was weird that in this and the Liger match, the PA announcer seems to be providing play by play at times. Is that common here? Finlay looked great but the match felt long and disjointed.

 

**3/4

I think Eddie was supposed to be the face here, since he shook hands with the referee at the end and waved to the crowd.

 

This was a nice change of pace, but pro wrestling really isn't meant to be in rounds. Every time one of these guys seemed to be in control, the round would end. Finlay hit Eddie after a round was over three or four times, and even though it fit his heel persona perfectly, I can see guys who aren't versed in the style doing the same thing by accident, even if they're supposed to be babyfaces. I guess you get used to it as time goes on both as a worker and a fan, but when this is only one of two matches on a comp to be staged this way, it can be very disconcerting.

 

I actually liked some of the different ways the rules were enforced: no pin counts off of punches or other illegal maneuvers, and a strict (and I do mean strict( ten-count if a wrestler goes down. Most of the time in America, and even in Japan, guys lie down and sell moves for what seems like a day and a half, or even worse, a guy hits a move and knocks his opponent silly, then lays around himself forever, If most American matches were officiated this way, the double countout would be the most common finish by far, at least until guys wised up.

 

Was it my imagination, or did Eddie wear a version of Lawler's crown into the ring? I also recognized Lawler's no-sell a couple of times. All Eddie needed was a strap to pull down and we'd have been all set.

 

I'm guessing Finlay was due for a shot at Otto Wanz or whoever the champion was by now, the way he talked on the mic afterward. I loved his version of the tombstone; I don't think I've ever seen that move executed from a running start before.

Rounds generally are a detriment to US wrestling but World of Sport (England), they bring an extra piece of storytelling that helps elevate good matches to great sometimes