Curt Hennig vs. The Assassin (1/5/84)

Disc 7

This was wrestled like a normal house show midcard match, not a tournament final. That's not to say that the action was subpar, but there were a lot of restholds on both sides that you wouldn't expect to see when a trophy's on the line. I know both guys had wrestled multiple matches that night and were probably out of gas, but that doesn't make a two-minute front facelock any easier to sit through.

 

This program had no idea when to cut their footage. We went from an Assassin bearhug straight to the finish with no preamble whatsoever, then the postmatch beatdown was cut off in the middle too. Look, it's no shame to just show finishes if you're short on time, but if you're going to show the whole match, do it. Don't leave your fans wondering how you got from Point A in a match to Point B. If they had to cut, we didn't need Curt's entire front facelock, since Assassin was never checked for a submission.

 

The mask was used to great advantage again, as Assissin used it to injure Curt's ribs. They're really getting a lot of mileage out of it instead of just using it for one illegal knockout headbutt per match, and I definitely approve. After all, if a guy's going to risk suspension by loading his mask with a foreign object, using it just once a match is kind of a waste of resources.

 

The Cliff guy who calls the Salem matches reminds me a bit of The Spectrum's Dick Graham. It's obvious that broadcasting wrestling's just a sideline for him, but no one can say he doesn't bring enthusiasm to the job. I loved him actually calling Assassin a villain, and after an offensive burst from Curt he actually yelled, "Take that, you villain!" like this was an episode of ​Super Friends​. I couldn't take him in every match for the rest of the set, but I wouldn't mind seeing him another time or two before I'm done. If only he didn't refer to right hand punches as "piledrivers"!

 

I get the impression that this trophy wasn't one that had to be defended, that this was a yearly tournament specifically for the people of Salem, kind of like the old pre-1993 King of the Ring tournaments were exclusive to Boston/Foxborough/Providence. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

 

Camera shot of the match: The blood on Assassin's mask from the McGhee match. It was a grand way to show what could happen to Curt if he wasn't careful (as it eventually did). Plus, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Assassin loaded his mask, just the kind of proof Stasiak talked about during the match.