Posted October 7, 200915 yr comment_5444896 This is best Johnny Saint/Steve Grey match that exists in full and pretty much a showcase for this style of wrestling. I haven't seen it in a while, so I can't go into any great detail at this stage, but Tim Cooke wrote: "I don't think there is a better match on tape from 1980. Amazing wrestling but maybe more importantly, amazing athleticism." Match also has the Kent Walton rant against the expose a British tabloid ran about WoS, though no-one seems to appreciate it as much as Real Man's Man and me. I think if you listen to Walton call a 100+ matches, you can tell he was fired up here.
October 12, 200915 yr Author comment_5445024 Gave this a rewatch and was surprised by what a phenomenal match it was. What impressed me most was that even though it wasn't a world title bout, it was worked like one. There was none of the usual schtick from Saint or Grey. Saint was out to prove that Grey's win over him in December was a one time fluke, while Grey was pushing for a title shot. Just seven rounds of amazing speed, skill and athleticism with a seemingly endless array of spots, all of them strung together to form a cohesive narrative. Easily the match of the year and quite possibly the best of all the WoS bouts.
March 7, 201114 yr comment_5466704 This was just sick. They worked at an amazing pace. Saint reminds of a magician where he can escape any type of hold. That 1st round with Saint controlling Grey's arm was so amazing. The counters that Grey tried to escape with were mind blowing, and Saint's counters to those breath taking. Just an amazing match that just had a lot of wow moments.
May 22, 20205 yr comment_5918104 Johnny Saint is the World Champion here. Steve Grey has beaten him the year before, can he do it again? Something I love about old european wrestling: the weight classes that protected these lighter guys. This is an utterly incredible match. Easily the best Johnny Saint match ever. Part of why the match is great is the high speed, super athletic, tricked out technical stuff they do, but how they build it into an intense contest is magnificient. This is not the smiling, funny Johnny Saint who does jokes and tricks, it's Johnny Saint as the focussed, skillful champ against the most determined guy in the world. Walton puts over how impressive it is that Grey can even throw Johnny. They also map out the action beautifully, with some spots teased early on that get played off later, repeated sequences leading into transitions etc. Always with the focus on the challenger trying to topple the champ. Then you also have all these insane fast and intricate rope running exchanges. Another thing I like about this bout is that it's not nice. It's an all technical match with no strikes, but they were punishing eachother here. Each hold or takedown would be really wrenched in, Grey was constantly trying to snap Johnny's wrist. Grey would also claw his hand in Saint's face, Saint would smash his shoulder into the mat, elbow on the face when trying a pin, etc. I also really liked the use of the arm wringer bump or missed dropkick, these simple bumps look great in World of Sport and were timed perfectly. Grey is a crazy good babyface. He is great at putting over how fierce the bout is and how he was pushing himself to the limit to beat Saint. His selling was fantastic: He would slump over exhausted but then get up, or get Saint in a basic hold so he could regenerate his injured leg. Saint was less expressive but perfect for his role. All time great match. May be a serious GOAT contender even. But that's up to how much one can enjoy this kind of face vs. face technical match. For what it is I can't recall many instances where it's been done better.
