RIPPA Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I have been out all day trying to find a new place to live so I put no thought into this. So yeah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Rather than post flair v martel from japan, here's flair and martel vs jumbo and tenryu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 The lost years. He was supposed to come into WWF as a tag team with Jackyl actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 One of the best tag matches you will EVER see: And proof of just how much fun Garea/Martel were: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Ok one more and I'm done: Best babyface tag match ever? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Aww.... I should try to do a whole week of "Guys Matt's brain will break over" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Anyone who worked Portland in the early 80s. I suggest the Colonel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 DEAN totally wrote up the Can-Am vs Funks match in the new DVDVR though. People should watch that. Yeah - you were on the roll when I was putting the finishing touches on the issues and I almost posted to say you were going to be happy but I just wanted to get the damn thing done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 For some reason when you tell people "Watch this match with Dory Funk Jr and Tom Zenk," no one listens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucky Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Wait, there's new DVDVRs coming? EDIT: Excuse me, I'm blind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningBeard Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Awesome, awesome stuff. I still maintain his entrance at Wrestlemania VIII is one of the best - he literally shows/tell you everything you need to know about the character of The Model in one ring-walk. Plus his music was amazing. Fuck your pyrotechnics, all I need is a spray of arrogance and for a guy to show me the lining of his jacket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollywood Cibernetico Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 The Arrogance promos commercials are awesome and definitely worth looking up. Rick Martel is one of the guys I just recently re-discovered based off the silliness of those commercials and that sweet ass theme music (which is the cool uncle of Val Venis' theme music). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I think that Matt posted every Rick Martel match ever done. I love Martel. The man is athletic and knows how to put a match together. He knows how to be a complete dick as well as a fiery babyface. That's all you can really ask of a good worker. The one thing I hate about gimmick riddled WWE was that The Model schtick wasn't really something that Martel could ride to the Heavyweight title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 30 years ago today (May 13, 2014), Rick Martel defeated the late "Jumbo" Tsuruta to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in St. Paul, Minnesota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 We are all fucking old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsey Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I seem to remember Flair complimenting Martel in his book. He said that Martel could be just as smooth as Steamboat on a good night. I don't have much to add other than I've always liked Rick's work. He was extremely athletic and could seemingly work with anyone. However, when he was faced with a guy that could really go, Rick was able to kick it up to another level. Great, great professional wrestler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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