Terry Funk vs Crusher Blackwell - AJPW 9/82

OH HELL FUCKING YEAH! Big ups to Matt D for finding this and Parv for disseminating the info.

 

Awesome match between two of the all-time greats. A perfect exhibition of what makes Blackwell awesome within the first half he shows he has a size advantage, deceptively agile (dropkick, techincally proficient (drop toehold), punches like a champ and is ruthless. With those five tools, he is formidable opponent for anyone, but All Japan's hero, Terry Funk was not backing down. Funk was massively over. When he balled his fists up to get to work, he crowd went wild. The match really kicked when they busted each other open with short nasty headbutts. Funk is fucking crazy and Blackwell took glee in all of it. Absolutely killer boxing match breaks out afterwards. SInce, I don't know how well circulated this match is, I won't spoil the ending. I will leave it like this can Blackwell finish the injured and bloody Funk off or will Funk find a way to take the big man off his feet to apply the Spinning Toe Hold or get the pinning combination? ***1/2

Fellow SC'er MattD came across this youtube page which is uploading a treasure trove of previously unavailable AJPW stuff from the 70's and 80's (Bruno v. Brody, Murdoch v. Race ect.) This is the one that leaped out at me, a dream match you never really dreamed about. Lots of great moments in this with Funk weeble wabble selling from Blackwell's ham hock punches, Terry trying a bunch of headbutts which Blackwell smiles at, and then blasts him with a headbutt of his own (which left a swath of Terry's blood on Blackwell's head, and a rare clean finish. Blackwell is a great guy with a limited amount of footage, and it so fun for a new gem like this to show up.

This is such a cool match. Terry with the text book underdog vs. the monster performance. Loved Blackwell's punches. Blood. Headbutts (!). Logical finish that built off Terry trying to bodyslam him right off the bat. Highly recommended.