Where Wrestling's Regional History Lives!
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Where Wrestling's Regional History Lives! |
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- Scott Keith - Live from Daytona Beach, Florida, and broadcast on some Florida TV station way back when. - Your hosts are Gordon Solie and someone I don't recognize. - I got this a while back from someone in Florida but I haven't watched it yet. This is a supercard in every sense of the word, as EVERYTHING is a title match, with even the AWA title being defended! What a glorious time for wrestling 1986 was. - Opening match: The Cuban Assassin v. Tyree Pride. We join this near the end as Pride rolls up the Cuban for the pin. No rating, for obvious reasons. - US Tag Title match: The Fabulous Ones v. The Sheepherders. Remember when the Bushwhackers were hardcore? Don't even ask me which version of the US tag titles this was. Lane and Keirn are just crazy over. Jim Cornette was a genius to steal Stan Lane for the Midnight Express. The Fabs actually cheat freely, much to the delight of the fans. They control with legholds on Luke Williams, reversing the usual tag formula as they keep Luke in their corner. It's a damn shame we never got the Fabs v. The Midnights or the Rock n Roll Express, say I. The Sheepherders revert to their lazy offense, punching and kicking. They weren't really at their best unless it was a crazy brawl, something they never got to show in the WWF. The match reverts to the usual formula, with Stan Lane playing Ricky Morton, and Luke distracts the ref enough for Butch to nail Lane with the flag. However, while Butch is being escorted out of the ring, the Fabs do the old switcheroo and Keirn small-packages Luke at 7:45 for the pin to retain the titles. Terrific little match, carried by the Fabs. *** - US Junior title match: Tim Horner v. The Ninja. The Ninja is THE GREAT MUTA! No makeup, so I guess I should call him KEIJI MUTOH! Either way, this is years before he became lazy so he kicks 18 different kinds of ass. The two men exchange backflips and hipblocks to start. Muta has Kendo Nagasaki in his corner. I can just see Jim Crockett in the back room drooling over Muta. Muta's stuff is impossibly crisp and smooth, but he seems to have some trouble establishing ring presence. By 1989, he'd have that one solved, however, with the help of makeup and green spew. Tony Schiavone must have gotten "full arm drag and twist" from Gordon Solie, because it gets used here. Muta uses an Evil Japanese Foreign Object to increase the pressure from a sleeper. This man is truly a wonder to behold at this point, and I wish he didn't suck so badly today. Unfortunately much of this match is spent in a chinlock, but the stuff in between the restholds is magnificent. Why can't everyone wrestle like Muta used to? Why can't Muta? Horner comes back with a dropkick and suplex for a couple of two counts, but Nagasaki nails him coming off the ropes and Muta nails the backbreaker and a MOONSAULT (in 1986!) to capture the title in 10:26. God, I used to love watching him. ***1/2 The match was spectacular by today's standards, but it was amazing for the time period. More... |
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