Posted June 11, 200817 yr comment_5432151 Bob Backlund vs. Antonio Inoki (WWWF Title) (8/22/80) - Alot of feeling out to begin with but it didn't really flow. You thought Inoki was working the leg but then goes to the back. Early on, Bob was trying to set Inoki up for the butterfly suplex but it kept getting blocked. He eventually hits it after escaping an abdominal stretch. After Inoki rolls out of the ring, they go through a really nice stretch where neither guy can hit a move because it keeps getting blocked. Inoki eventually pounds Bob with a headbutt that sends him to the outside. The counters continue as Bob almost suplexes Inoki outside but he reverses it to bring Bob back inside. Finally, each guy starts popping off big moves but you have to deduct points for an enziguiri barely grazing Bob's shoulder and he ends up over-selling it anyway. The last 10 minutes were frigging great but Stan Hansen comes in for the DQ to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. This is still a nomination but that ending leaves a bad taste in your mouth. (NJC 91)
May 22, 200916 yr comment_5439821 Man I don't know, I know this is a match people are going to want on the set because it is Backlund v. Inoki, but I am torn. There was some good stuff, I really liked all of the abdominal stretch counters, and there were some hot moments, but parts of this really sucked, Backlund looked like such a goon with his selling, that enzigiri sell was fucking embarrassing. Shitty ending too, with so much good stuff on nominated I don't think we need to put this on just to suck up to John D. Williams
May 24, 200916 yr Author comment_5439888 Liking Bob Backlund does not automatically equate sucking up to jdw.
August 23, 200916 yr comment_5443216 I wasn't feeling this at all. They were all over the place. The wrestling was good in spots, but they totally failed to build to memorable moments. The crowd's indifference spoke to that. I couldn't tell you what they were going for, and on top of that, you had the shitty Backlund sell of the missed enzuigiri and the shitty ending. No vote for me.
