This was the stuff right here. Both guys carve each other up with the cowbell, and go nuts and beat the shit out of each other. There was alot of very cool tug of war spots with each guy trying to get the other from tagging the corner. Manaical crowd, and this felt like a big match, with both guys wrestling like a big match. DVD pick for sure.

Texas Bullrope Match for the Universal Heavyweight Title: Carlos Colon © vs. Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (1/6/87)

 

The crowd is hot for this as this has been built up well over the recent months. Hansen juices very quickly as Colon chokes him with the rope and the fans are going nuts for this. Colon pounds him with the cowbell and Hansen is in big trouble but a rake in the eyes gives him the chance he needed and he took advantage of it. Hansen goes to town on Colon's head with the cowbell which brings out the juice from Colon. The action would go back and forth with both men trading offense and Hansen being the only one to try to touch the corners but we have the spot where Colon touches the corners with Hansen leading to a great tug of war between them with the fans going insane after Colon backdrops Hansen then jumping to touch the turnbuckle. This was great stuff as the crowd gave this a great backdrop for both men to beat each other bloody before the nice finish. Easy nomination.

This is pretty great stuff. Hansen was just made for the Puerto Rico scene. I guess this is what Hansen did when he went to different territories between Japan tours. We saw the same stuff in Memphis, and WCW with Luger.

Stan Hansen v. Carlos Colon - Bullrope Match 2/87

 

 

I thought the Cage Match was really great and the Bullrope/Chain/Strap gimmick is not something I am a huge fan of. Having said that on first watch this felt like one of the best matches of the 80's. Not one of the best as in "good enough to make an 80's Set." I mean one of the best as in "if someone had this in there top twenty for the decade I would be hard pressed to disagree with that."

 

WWC matches always benefit some from the atmosphere, but the atmosphere here is really incredible as it has a sort of Wrestlemania feel in this big outdoor arena (Roberto Clemente Stadium?) but with full seating coming up alongside the ring unlike a lot of their shows. Hansen shows up and just whips the Bullrope at Colon almost as a challenge and the match is just a complete war from the start. Hansen charges forward with a boot, but Colon catches him and just goes straight to town. Hansen gets busted open almost immediately and is really great bumping round like a lunatic for the boss. The face shine is really strong and gets the crowd primed for this one big time.

 

One of the things I really like about this is that both guys take advantage of the bell at key moments to deliver huge shots. I also like how every time Colon got into a disadvantaged position he would do something to out think Hansen, whether it be an early eyepoke from over his shoulder, a great spot where he cut off the momentum of Hansen when he was going to touch the corners by sliding out to the floor, or just evading a big corner charge for a huge bump.

 

They really make the most out of this gimmick as there are several great struggle spots where Hansen in particular looks like he has is gonna make it to the fourth corner to win the match and Carlos is just able to pull him away. I give Hansen tons of credit for milking this moments in really effective ways and making the whole thing seem like a constant struggle. No inches were given in this match.

 

The big pay off here is the finish as Hansen looks to be almost there after cutting down Colon's hulk up spot with a sick bell shot. He realizes he can't quite make it, turns around for the death shot, but Colon back body drops and then stumbles through to touch the fourth corner and win the match. Just excellent stuff. The best match of it's kind I've ever seen including Piper/Valentine and Vader/Sting.

Stan Hansen v. Carlos Colon - Bullrope Match 2/87

Wow. Just wow. What an unbelievable match. That's one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. It's very important to watch these matches in order. It makes this one that much better. These two make it essential that they destroy one another before even trying to go for the corners. It makes sense two ways but with the second being more important. The first reason is that the objective of the match is to of course incapacitate one's opponent so that they may touch all four corners. The second and most crucial reason is that these two have been beating the living shit out of each other for the past few months and hate each others guts so they won't miss out on the opportunity of once again violently mauling one another. So, in the beginning fuck winning the match right now. This is a chance to totally end someone I hate with an undying passion. Therefore, Hansen and Colon bloody one another with the cowbell on the rope and have this really great opening moments of just trying to almost kill one another. There is this great spot when Hansen's in control as he's trying to nail Colon in the head with the cowbell but Colon just Hulk's up and uses all of his might to counter. It's a really tremendous spot. Colon soon gets a good hold on things and starts wailing away some more on a bloodied Hansen. In another out of this world spot, he lassos Hansen's neck and chokes him ruthlessly. Hansen's selling is so realistic that it looks eerily similar to a graphic crime scene. Colon then starts the journey for reaching each corner. He gets the first few but doesn't have the strength to pull a larger man like Hansen. Hansen's desperate struggles as he uses all of his weight to prevent Colon from reaching each corner is phenomenal attention to detail. Hansen is able to stop Colon and beats him senselessly so that he can try to win. This part is important as Hansen is able to pull Colon whereas Colon wasn't able to pull him. Again, fantastic specifics that matter in these sorts of settings. Hansen is unable to succeed and at some point in the match there is this really great sequence on the floor where Colon whips Hansen around with all of his force and strength into the ring post and elsewhere at ringside. Specifically, there is a really awesome spot where Hansen hangs onto the refs leg and Colon just grabs Hansen by the hair and smashes him head first into the refs foot. I've never seen anything like that before. Back in the ring, both continue to gain the upper hand and yet can't seem to muster up all the strength to get to the final corner. Then, in one of the greatest spots I've ever seen Hansen easily gets the first three corners and is getting right up to the last one. Then Colon finds himself at the corner across the ring, wraps his legs around the ring post and pulls with everything he's got. Hansen fights for his life and reaches with one last heave but gets pulled back on his ass. Finally, the camera pans to Hansen's bloody face and I swear to God it's one of the greatest reactions to failure I've ever seen in a wrestling match. Hansen just sits there with his face covered in blood and screams out loud in angst, swearing like no other. It's almost like he's in tears. What does he have to do to beat this motherfucker? What a moment. Colon gets in a few really great close calls and Hansen ends up back on the offensive. Hansen gets down Colon for what it seems to be the end but Colon gets back in it only to get viciously clocked with the cowbell in a great spot. Hansen is doing everything he can to reach that final corner after knocking down Colon but still can't get it. He realizes he's going to have to brutalize him more and takes a fatal charge that sends him flying over Colon in a back body drop leaving the final corner wide open for a tremendous swan dive to end it all. Colon hits the corner and the match ends. The post-match brawl was a blast too but I can't stress how great of a match this is. Everyone needs to watch this. Do your best to watch these matches in a row because everything fits perfectly in the story being told. It's an absolute classic and one of the greatest matches ever. Watch it.

1/6/87 is the correct date.