Posted June 18Jun 18 comment_6031453 TIGER MASK vs EDDIE GILBERT (11/25/1982; WWF Philadelphia Spectrum; 00:15:25) - Gilbert and Tiger Mask do some quick exchanges with Tiger flipping out of an arm bar and Gilbert kicking TM who does a kip up and the crowd reacts!!! Sayama hooks an Indian leg lock. Him and Gilbert battle on the ground as Gilbert trries to hook the arm and then flips around and controls Tiger Mask’s leg. Nice! TM does his spinning leg breaker Great crisscross with Tiger Mask ending up with a dropkick out of the ring on Eddie. Back in, a test of strength and Sayama spins and hooks a wrist lock. Eddie is doing great at finding ways to escape TM’s holds. Gilbert so far has been the best at working with Sayama in and out of holds. Dynamite is faster and more “exciting” but Eddie is a better wrestler. If this took place in Japan, Eddie would be so over as an opponent. It gets a little heated when Tiger hits a spinning kick and Gilbert clenches his fist in response but cools down. Eddie gets a nice back suplex and a near fall. Tiger Mask hits a tombstone piledriver but misses the big flying headbutt and the crowd is responding. Gilbert gets flying cross bod which is reversed by Sayama for two. Great stretch run. Eddie hits a SLING BLADE on TM. Eddie tries to suplex Tiger Mask back in but Tiger Mask hooks the leg and gets the pin. Damn! This was by far my favorite Tiger Mask match in the US. I think it should be a SOLID-STRONG Nomination. The main thing hurting it is the crowd but Gilbert did his best to make the crowd care when TM’s previous opponents couldn’t.
