They started methodically with a lot of back-and-forth armwork. Some will find it slow, but they kept it active enough for me. Murdoch eventually moved to working over Jumbo's back and that led to him taking the first fall with a brainbuster. I liked how aggressive he was in pressing his advantage to start the second fall. The whole fall was a quick burst of action compared to the first with Jumbo eventually overpowering Murdoch and trying it with a suplex. Jumbo had it all going his way in the third until he sold a tweaked knee after hitting his driving knee from the top. In a very cool finish, Murdoch pounced on the knee and used a spinning toe-hold as a pinning maneuver (don't know if I've ever seen that before.) They did a good job of building the match over three falls. The slower opening might keep it down on a lot of ballots, but if I was ordering a set, this is a match I'd want to see.

 

Ginnetty Assorted 1980

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Murdoch, 2/23/80

- JIP with both guys fighting over who can control the armbar. In 90 seconds, they demonstrate how you can lock in a hold and continuously work it where it doesn’t become boring. In one impressive display of strength, Jumbo yanks Murdoch off the ground while still attached to his arm. After Murdoch hooks a head scissors, he slaps his forearm to regain feeling in his arm. Badass. Once in the head scissors, they continue to do some more cool work with Jumbo either trying to escape or pin Murdoch. Once he does escape, he goes back to the arm. Murdoch breaks and goes to a headlock still working on the head. After some rope exchanges, they battle over the abdominal stretch which really didn’t make sense in the story so far. With Jumbo on his back, Murdoch begins work on the back with a Boston Crab and then more high impact moves. This all sets up Jumbo for a brainbuster and the 1st fall goes to Dick.

- 2nd fall, Murdoch smells blood and is KILLING the neck of Jumbo .Seriously, Dick is going Harley Race levels in breaking out the offense. HE goes for the brainbuster again but Jumbo escapes, hits a German suplex which looked like it hurt because Dick was dead weight for the lift and then Jumbo scores the pin with a neckbreaker.

- 3rd fall, now Jumbo smells blood and works Dick’s neck. He goes big and does a big knee off the top. However, he hurts his leg in the process so Dick attacks the opportunity to attack Jumbo’s leg and tie Jumbo up for the pin and the title. The clipping will hurt and there were a couple of slow points in the 1st fall but this is the type of match I love. 2/3 falls where they work body parts and one fall builds to the next. Strong Nomination.

2 out of 3 falls for the NWA United National Heavyweight Title: Jumbo Tsuruta © vs. "Capt. Redneck" Dick Murdoch (2/23/80)

 

This starts out with some good back and forth matwork but it would pick up with Murdoch working over Jumbo's back before Murdoch takes the first fall with a brainbuster. Murdoch started the next fall being way more aggressive than the last fall as he was going for the kill as he used a piledriver for a nearfall and kept working over the neck. Jumbo would get out of a brainbuster attempt and tried for a German Suplex but couldn't get him up due to his back so he hit a swinging neckbreaker to even the falls up. Jumbo starts the third fall like Murdoch did the last trying to put Murdoch away even using a piledriver himself for a nearfall. Jumbo started feeling better and got a backdrop suplex for a nearfall before a high knee off the top rope but that would hurt Jumbo as much as Murdoch. Murdoch then went to work on the knee and got a spinning toehold which he turned into a pinfall to win the title. There was zero crowd heat here but this was a really good match and it says something for Murdoch that he won the title from Jumbo who had held it for almost 3 years at this point. This moves forward.