Posted March 28, 200817 yr comment_5430108 Jimmy Snuka & Ray Stevens v. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (Toronto, NWA Tag, 6/29/80) - This is a Maple Leaf match. Man, I love the Stevens/Snuka tag team. I love the Steamboat-Snuka rivalry as well so this is manna from Heaven for me. Early on, the faces do their trademark arm work but the crowd is going insane for these guys. It also helps that Stevens bumps and stooges like a pro. When Youngblood is in the ring, he is getting beat on but Steamboat is bringing little things to the table like attacking the partner on the apron every chance he gets or working out of Snuka’s nerve hold. Late in the match, it looks like Snuka screws up but I can forgive it because Stevens comes in and is greeted with a dropkick. They covered that up well. Man, the ending was a bummer as the faces do a double team move but the house lights go on and we have a curfew draw. I enjoyed the hell out of this and it is a definite nomination on the early NWA set. (AJC 62) (G+ Classics 26)
July 17, 200916 yr comment_5442051 What a weird match. It's one that I really wanted to like, and I've heard mixed things about it. I guess there are flashes of good stuff. Maybe? But it's like someone put ants down everyone's pants and then told them to go out and work a match, because you have all this unnecessary hyperactivity and weird physical awkwardness from guys that aren't really known for that. I did like in the early stages Stevens always trying to come in and save Snuka only for Youngblood or Steamboat to stop him from doing so. But for any good tag team staple like that, you get something silly like Stevens using a choke behind the referee's back for over 30 seconds, or hot tags that didn't even involve the babyface being in trouble, or an opening standoff that seems like it's never going to end. I also liked Snuka's outside in splash. But this match is really bizarre. It's not even really a spotfest, I'm not sure how to refer to it. it's just a mish-mash collection of wrestling -- good, bad, and in between, with no rhyme or reason behind it -- with Steamboat specifically wrestling like he's someone else. Maybe it's the moustache. I'd go yes on this one only based on rep, but I don't think it's all that good a match.
June 24, 201312 yr comment_5548776 I thought this was a solid tag, and a low- end nomination. Overall I thought this was good, but had some hiccups along the way.
December 3, 20159 yr Author comment_5713217 Do you guys think this is more of a Canada or Mid Atlantic tag?
