Matt D

For some reason when you tell people "Watch this match with Dory Funk Jr and Tom Zenk," no one listens.

I half assed Buddy Rose. If you do Bockwinkel, I will probably get fired. I don't have time for that this week. DEAN totally wrote up the Can-Am vs Funks match in the new DVDVR though. People should watch that. Also, one sign that I've seen way too much wrestling is that I can't remember if the twenty minute draw vs Bret is really good or really bad. Someone should remind me.

Vindication. That Funks tag is awesome. And all it cost me was money.

It's actually pretty screwy how much Martel I've seen these last two years between the AWA set, all the Portland I watched, some of the PR I watched when Dylan was really into it, and a bit of the old WWWF due to hearing a Titans of Wrestling or two, with the Demolition stuff before that (there's another pretty good Strike Force vs Demos match I didn't post, at least one, and some good Can-Am vs Islanders matches, I think) and Martel/Piper vs the Sheepherders and more with Bock, just to scratch the surface. Then there are things not available like the Harley match from the AWA set, which I love because Martel REALLY feels like Harley's equal in that match. Usually when I do these guys, I kind of look at youtube and point to random things. Past the WCW matches, I had almost all of these in mind right from the get go. I was talking about this with Mark. Just imagine: Magnum went down late October 1986. Earlier that month, we had the first Can-Am tag match in WWF. If Martel had gone Crockett instead, he would have almost instantly been the #2 or 3 babyface. While he has some good babyface stuff in the WWF, just imagine the matches we would have gotten instead.

I was going to post a bunch of Rick Martel ones, starting with: But then I saw this: And then some guy posted this:

The reaction feels very much like an "Oh, I see what they did."

The ghost of Jake Roberts strikes again.

Ok one more and I'm done: Best babyface tag match ever?

I really love Warrior on the apron in this match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIOg1ZMz4l8 memorable moments and goofy promos: I can't find the bloody post match interview vs the freebirds. Here's a really, really good shoot interview though (one of RF's best, actually, which isn't saying much, but yeah):

One of the best tag matches you will EVER see: And proof of just how much fun Garea/Martel were:

The lost years. He was supposed to come into WWF as a tag team with Jackyl actually.

Amazing example of just how stifled and hamstrung Martel and Hennig were in WWF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qdCziVP8YI Martel's best WWF singles match? http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1p2w_rick-martel-vs-tama-pt-1_sport http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1pot_rick-martel-vs-tama-pt-2_sport The forgotten blindfold match:

Super early stuff from Hawaii: My favorite Martel vs Bock match 9/20/84 isn't online. I LOVE this match though. It's probably one of my favorite tag matches of all time(which doesn't mean it's one of the best): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqnyBjGcLZM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1h90uyBFUo Dory and Terry are such dicks to Zenk and they expect Martel to get it. Three former world champions, part of a brotherhood, and a kid who had to earn his stripes. When Martel does NOT get it and stands up for his partner, they realize that they've got to slit Martel's throat from behind. Awesome match. I love this too: Funk in PR is amazing.

Match #2 Night and day the way the match was structured and worked and the meaning throughout. And hell, I'm not even sure I picked the right Rose vs Martel match but it doesn't matter. They're all great.

Rick Martel is amazing. Buddy Rose is even more amazing. Look at the compare/contrast between these two matches. Match #1 This is a match mainly to get Martel over as a new top babyface in the territory. It's an interesting way to do it, bringing in the NWA champ and using your title defense with him against a brand new guy, but it works and helps to pop the territory. It's all control in the first fall and it's just a terrible structured match.

You finally backed up something you said. Pretty much all anyone ever wants (I mean past the people who just want you to go away).

Can he split in two?

This is the craziest thing I've seen in my lucha watching so far.

"What's the most inflammatory, one-sided thing I can say, while hyping something I like and shitting on everything else?" I will say this: he's better at it than my 12 year old.

If he wins, he should just go up and give the speech again.

I really hate CBS. Sometimes I think that someone actively tries to make a channel of shows that I dislike.

I'm sorry, friend.

I feel like druids would trade in magic and not robots.

He has a hell of an "I hate you all" heel promo in him if he ever DOES come back.

I kind of like fry guy. He's salty.