1001 MATCHES: Big One (80s and Before)

Posted on December 5, 2016 11:59 AM by Phil

(by PHIL RIPPA)

First part of THE BIG ONE~! All matches took place before 1990

401) GILBERT CESCA/BEN CHEMOIL vs. ANTON TEJERO/INCA PERUANO – FRENCH CATCH (03/12/65)

French Catch wrestling is probably the newest sensation in wrestling footage becoming available. Which is ironic since it some of the earliest wrestling available to watch.

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402) GIANT BABA vs. FRITZ VON ERICH – JAPANESE PRO WRESTLING ALLIANCE (12/16/69 – 2 out of 3 Falls, International Heavyweight Title)

https://youtu.be/yq-sTDhKhz0

Many are familiar with the fairly great match from 1966 between these two. I prefer this one as it is less focused on Fritz having the claw on for the whole time. It still has Fritz being a massive dick, them beating the hell out of each other AND Baba blading from the iron claw. If you have watched the 66 match, there will be familiar beats including Fritz getting DQed for refusing to release the claw. But if you have been watching wrestling since before like 1993 – you should be used to screwy finishes.

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403) JIM BREAKS vs. ADRIAN STREET – WORLD OF SPORT (02/12/72)

For many – this might be the first time you are seeing Breaks or Street. So freakin’ good. If you don’t enjoy this than you probably won’t enjoy World of Sport or Regal or lucha or wrestling.

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404) ANIMAL HAMAGUCHI vs. MIGHTY INOUE – INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING ENTERPRISE (09/26/73)

http://dai.ly/x13867p

The first time I watched this, I was shocked – SHOCKED – by the workrate. Mighty Inoue and Animal Hamaguchi were both young once.

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405) MIL MASCARAS VS THE DESTROYER – ALL JAPAN (10/09/73 – 2 out of 3 Falls, United States Heavyweight Title)

Mil and Destroyer had four or five matches over the course of the 70s. This was the first of them. Destroyer might be Mil’s best opponent as he is one of the like three people he would actually sell for. Each match still had the “How will Mil infuriate me this time?” moment but it is what it is. Still good – which says a lot when I say that about a Mascaras match.

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406) CLIVE MYERS vs. STEVE GREY – WORLD OF SPORT (11/22/75)

PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE

All that stuff I said about Breaks and Street REALLY applies here. And before anyone complains – yes, I know that “World of Sport” technically isn’t the promotion name but WoS is a much easier shorthand and more people know what you are talking about when you say it.

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407) JUMBO TSURUTA vs. RUSHER KIMURA – ALL JAPAN (03/28/76 – 2 out of 3 Falls, NWA United National Championship Match)

Baby Jumbo and amazing hair and mutton chops Rusher hook it up for the vacant NWA United National Title. Just two guys trying to prove who was the better wrestler… except when it turned into two guys trying to beat the shit out of each other. Added bonus of being an inter-promotional match (with Kimura representing IWE) so wrestlers from both sides where at ring side and Don Beyer was wearing an amazing suit. I should note that since I said it was inter-promotional that should give you a hint at the match finish but you watch it and see.

Reviewed by DEAN in DVDVR #122

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408) GIANT BABA vs. BILLY ROBINSON – ALL JAPAN (07/24/76)

http://dai.ly/x475z5h

I know I say this a lot but to the people who says Baba sucks. A) Fuck you. B) Watch this match. (If I ever do a 2nd Loved You Late piece – Billy Robinson will be on it)

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409) EL CANEK vs. TATSUMI FUJINAMI – 1978

I reviewed this in DVDVR #172. I will find the match on the internet again, oh yes I will. Meantime – you can safely watch any of their matches from the 70s. The 80s? Not so much.

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410) TERRY & DORY FUNK vs. ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER/THE SHEIK – ALL JAPAN (07/15/79 – 2 out of 3 Falls)

When the Funks met Abby and the Shiek it was usually wild and crazy – the screen cap should prove that. While their Tag League matches might be more famous – I really love this one for the pure chaos, three quarters dead Terry Funk and the blood. Okay… that sounds like I described all of their matches.

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411) JERRY LAWLER vs. TERRY FUNK – CWA (04/25/81 – Empty Arena Match)

Reviewed by Raven Mack in DVDVR #145

This really is the Lance Russell and Terry Funk show. You can find better quality videos but you need all the Russell stuff.

Added Bonus: the crazed Funk follow up promo where he interrupts the broadcast, beats up on jobbers and squeals like a pig.

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412) ANDRE THE GIANT vs. KILLER KHAN – NEW JAPAN (04/01/82)

http://dai.ly/x1478zx

The amount I love Andre is probably comparable to the amount that Dean loves Killer Khan. So their feud is a perfect DVDVR marriage. This finished in the Top 10 on the 80s New Japan set voting. For those who need a little context – this is post “Khan broke Andre’s ankle” by about a year.

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413) MR. OLYMPIA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO – MID SOUTH (06/24/1983)

A Top 5 Mid South match of the 80s. Jerry Stubbs and Chavo Classic tear it up for 15 minutes and then all the angle stuff has the good stuff to happen AFTER the match complete with skinny fat Ted DiBiase showing up.

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414) MOCHO COTA vs. AMERICAN ROCCA – (01/27/84 – NWA World Welterweight Championship)

Hey! One of the 80s threads that survived the crash! Lots of glowing praise for this match HERE

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415) YOSHIAKI FUJIWARA vs. SUPER TIGER – UWF (12/05/84)

https://youtu.be/bok_Feoz2Ls

This is the first of the Fujiwara/Sayama matches. Top 10 80s Other Japan match.

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416) DICK MURDOCH vs. BUTCH REED – MID-SOUTH (09/22/85 – Mid-South North American Championship)

For those who don’t realize how good Butch Reed could be (or Dick Murdoch for that matter). Top 10 80s Mid-South Match.

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417) MAGNUM TA vs. TULLY BLANCHARD – NWA STARRCADE (11/28/85 – Steel Cage, I Quit Match, United States Heavyweight Championship)

http://dai.ly/x32jse

Okay – I really do need to do a section on “Obvious Matches That I Thought Was Picked in DVDVR 100“. Funnily – the only reason I checked to make sure the match was picked was because it was the 31st anniversary. I could have sworn Dean recently reviewed this match but I can’t find it for the life of me.

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418) CHICKY STARR vs. INVADER #3 – WWC 15th ANNIVERSARY SHOW (09/10/88 – Scaffold Match)

First off – there is much debate over the actual date of this match. Many believed this to be at the 15th Anniversary show in Sept of 1988. While Star and Invader I did have a match then – it wasn’t a scaffold match (just another bloody chapter in their feud.)

Anyway, the best scaffold match ever (Yes – I aware that is very low hurdle to clear). Ironically – Matt just posted a review of this match on SEGUNDA CAIDA as I was working on this today.

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419) CARLOS COLON’S ARMY vs. ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER’S ARMY – WWC (12/12/87, LA GRAN GUERRA (The Great War) I)

Colon’s Team: Carlos Colon, Bruiser Brody, Invader #1, Dutch Mantel, TNT
Abby’s Team: Abdullah the Butcher, Chicky Starr, Hércules Ayala, Iron Sheik, Grizzly Boone

WWC’s version of Wargames. Big difference is all the teams start in the ring at once and object to handcuff your opponents to the cage. Winning team gets to beat on the losing team for 5 minutes. It is Puerto Rico so there is blood and it is intense and wild. The post match might be just as crazy as the actual match. They ran another one the next night – this time with Paul Jones’ Army. It wasn’t as good.

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420) TATSUMI FUJINAMI vs. ANTONIO INOKI – NEW JAPAN (08/08/88)

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v446390T64dGXh7

While some of you might have been trying to watch the first ever night game at Wrigley Field (or I should say attempt at first ever night game) – Fujinami and Inoki were having an oh so polarizing match. (Basically it didn’t end up a nominated match for the 80s New Japan set which surprised a lot of people). You decide. (Psst… and love Fujinami and hate Inoki as much as I do)

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421) TERRY TAYLOR/CHRIS ADAMS vs. TED DIBIASE/SAM HOUSTON – UWF (03/21/87)

Naylor really loves this match in DVDVR #163

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422) BARRY WINDHAM vs. EDDIE GILBERT – NWA SATURDAY NIGHT (01/14/89)

http://dai.ly/xbtej2

A hidden gem of a Sat Night match. Gilbert vs. the 4 Horsemen is always a feud that I forget about, then watch something from it and remember how much I liked it.

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423) THE BRAINBUSTERS (ARN ANDERSON/TULLY BLANCHARD) vs. THE ROCKERS (SHAWN MICHAELS/MARTY JANNETTY) – WWF (01/23/89)

I didn’t grow up in the South so I didn’t get all the Memphis and Mid-South TV. I didn’t live in an area that got random Japanese wrestling. All I had that others didn’t was the WWF MSG shows. It is the one tiny thing I can hold onto. (And I am 6’6″ and proportional, fucker, before you make your tiny cock joke.)

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424) HULK HOGAN vs. BIG BOSSMAN – WWF (03/18/89 – Cage Match)

http://dai.ly/x89sd2

Speaking of MSG shows. I was floored when I watched this on MSG the first time in 1989 and I am still floored that this happened in a WWF ring in the late 80s, especially with Hulk Hogan.

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425) ATSUSHI ONITA vs. MASASHI AOYAGI – FMW (10/6/1989)

http://dai.ly/xuxg1p

Historical significance alert – this is main event of the first ever FMW show. Tom wrote an amazing review of the match for SEGUNDA CAIDA. This is not the last you have seen of Onita.

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