NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair © vs. Terry Taylor (5/3/85)

 

I’ve watched two of these matches so far so let’s see how this one stacks up against them. This match starts out like the Oklahoma City match 5 days earlier with some really solid matwork but not as extensive as that one though. As the match goes on it really resembles the OKC match with Flair giving Taylor a handshake every now and then but then eventually they start pushing each other and the pace picks up with Flair becoming more aggressive although not heeling it up like the OKC match. Flair & Taylor start trading shots in the corners with the crowd starting to get into it and Taylor’s punches once again look great. Flair starts heeling it up a little here shoving the referee around but still not as much as the OKC match and as soon as I say that Flair throws Taylor to the floor and throws him into the ringpost. Flair then takes a page out of the Andersons playbook and starts working on the arm which is totally different from the OKC match and I am digging this because it isn’t the same formula. Flair works on the with an armbar and everytime Taylor tries to get up Flair takes him down by the hair. Flair continues with the armwork for a few minutes but Taylor breaks free where he starts his comeback. Taylor throws Flair arm first into the corner and then he starts working on Flair’s arm but Flair catches Taylor in a sleeper hold that Taylor gets out of not long after. Taylor then locks in his own sleeper hold, which Flair gets out of. After a suplex by Taylor that hurts both men, Flair throws Taylor back to the floor but Taylor gets on the apron and uses a great looking sunset flip to get a nearfall. Taylor then hits the backslide for another nearfall but Flair chops him back down to the mat. Taylor then press slams Flair off the top rope and now we are in the Flair formula part of the match. Taylor gets another nearfall with a cross body block after a missed chop by Flair. They trade chops and Taylor throws Flair into the corner where he does his Flair bump to the floor and Taylor brings back into the ring with a suplex for another nearfall. Taylor still with the advantage on Flair throws him into the ropes and Flair hits him with a shoulderblock and falls on top of him for a 3 count where the object was that Taylor was supposed to get his foot on the rope but wasn’t seen by the referee. Taylor put his foot on the rope barely as Flair took it off the rope and the fans on the front row got up and immediately started crying to the referee that Taylor had it on there. This was another different Flair/Taylor match from the previous two and I liked this one just as much as the Superdome match and almost as much as the OKC match. A definite DVD pick.

I think this match should defenitely be on it. The subtle heeling by Flair was really good. By the 15 minute mark Flair wasn't going to be a nice guy anymore. Flair's arm work on Taylor was great and the crowd was eating it up. I loved how the crowd reactions built throughout the match. Taylor's revenge spots on Flair's arm were good but brief. I loved the sleeper spot they worked with Flair just getting his foot on the rope at the count of 3. Taylor's selling of the damage to his arm was consistant. Their was some great nearfalls for Taylor. The crowd alsmost turned into a lynch mob at the finish. Just some really good stuff.

This is the first of the three I have seen, and I really dug it, it is cool to see a Flair match where he doesn't work the leg at all. The punches to the underarm were great, and you get the sense if Flair had a Kimura he could do an entire formula match around the arm. I liked all of the mirror stuff too, this was great, although I don't know about three Flair v. Taylor matches on a set, I will have to see how the other two are.

This isn't my favorite feud but I think if all three are different enough from each other to warrant inclusion then three Taylor-Flair matches deserve to go on. I have seen all three but don't remember which one is which in terms of the dates. I'll have to do what I did with Slater-Jake and watch them in succession.

This is a yes.

 

Was odd watching this as I go "Hey was Flair face at this point?" This is one of the subtlest Flair working subtle heel that I've ever seen.