This will be a collection of reviews of non-Bob Backlund matches from 1981. The major babyfaces of 1981 in WWF were Pedro Morales (I-C Champion), Andre The Giant, Pat Patterson & the tag team combination of Rick Martel & Tony Garea. The major heels of 1981 were Sgt. Slaughter, Don Muraco, Stan Hansen, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, King Kong Mosca, Killer Khan, the Moondogs.
Andre The Giant vs Sgt. Slaughter - WWF MSG 3/16/81
Wildly entertaining. Slaughter was so over. I liked the Hall of Montezuma bit Sarge did at the beginning. With Backlund working Hansen (Blassie), the Grand Wizard's charge was facing the other babyfaces such as Pedro, Andre and Patterson. I loved how much fun this was. Sarge bumping for Andre was awesome! So good. I love that ass spot Andre always does as a babyface. I was impressed with how Sarge was creating offense for himself. It was all about getting that Cobra Clutch. I liked how he tried for it while Andre had him in the leglock. Andre's selling after his own suplex was great. Like he is so strong he knocked himself loopy. Sarge rakes the eyes and tries to go up top and PRESS SLAM! Huge pop! Andre is on a roll. Sarge pulls the ref in front of him to draw the DQ. Andre looked great here and is so much fun. Sgt. Slaughter is the perfect heel foil for Andre because he bumps big, but the threat of the Cobra Clutch keeps it competitive. ***1/2
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WWF World Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tony Garea vs The Moondogs
WWF Championship Wrestling 4/4/81
I forget the ring announcer's name, but this is the one that the Titans love to impersonate and he is a lot of fun. I preferred the MSG match to this one even though the MSG match had the non-finish. This one just did not have the same zip. The babyface shine felt like more heel in peril as Martel/Garea worked over the arm and the Moondogs kept missing elbow drops. There were no big bumps and like I had Martel & Garea put in effort, but it was not that same level of fun. The heat segment was definitely solid. Martel sold like a million bucks and the Moondogs were good on top: eye rakes, choking, fishhooks, backbreakers. Great hope spots. I thought the finish was the best part. Garea puts on the ab stretch, but Albano has coached up his Moondogs don't hit him with bone yet just break up the hold. Garea strikes the ref on his backswing of his punch. Now the Moondogs hit him with his big bone. Ref is up 1-2-3! Great old school heel finish to put some heat on the feud as you cant have Martel & Garea beat the Moondogs like a drum each time. Good stuff. ***1/4
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Sgt. Slaughter vs Pat Patterson - WWF 4/6/81
My review of the alley fight has the background to this match.
WOW! Loved this pure babyface vs heel match. Patterson was keyed up and ready to roll. Sarge was feeling it. Sarge is running away from Patterson at every turn as Patterson is revved up. Sarge tries to catch him from behind, but Pat turns around and wallops him! This is pure WWF/AWA style babyface throwing all that heel shit right back at the heel. Sarge takes his classic nutty bump over the top turnbuckle into the post not once, not twice, but three times! Patterson chokes him, rakes the eyes and bites the hand. Boston Crab for Patterson gets a pop! MSG is rockin! Sarge throws Patterson to the outside, who takes a nasty tumble. Slaughter thinks about coming off the top rope, but thinks the wiser it. He bites Patterson's forehead. Working a decent King of the Mountain. Slaughter misses the Bombs Away Kneedrop, Patterson's own move! Figure-4 by Patterson on the bad knee! Genius! Slaughter uses the ropes again. Patterson kicking at the knee and hits it with a chair. I love it! The ref wants Patterson to break and he shoves him. Slaughter eye rakes Patterson to avoid the figure-4. Slaughter and Patterson go at it and they throw the ref out. Slaughter low blows Patterson and applies the Cobra Clutch. The ref back in and Slaughter kicks him in the gut. The whole thing gets called a Double Disqualification. Patterson is livid and almost comes to blows with Dick Whirly. Calls bullshit on it. I love how into it he is. Awesome, awesome placesetter for the big Alley Fight, just enough energy to get hyped, but not too much that they cant top it the next month. ****
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Sgt. Slaughter vs Pat Patterson - WWF, MSG 5/4/81, Alley Fight
The World Wrestling Federation in 1980-81 was a damn solid promotion. I feel like Bruno would have been in this role if he was still around, but instead we get Pat, which aint a bad thing at all. Slaughter had been tormenting jobbers on TV as part of his Cobra Clutch. Well Black Demon wasnt having any of it so he bailed on the whole thing. Patterson conducted the interview with Sarge, who called him yellow so it was on. Slaughter and Patterson have a great little mini match with Patterson trying to escape the Cobra Clutch and just as he is about to, Slaughter knees in the gut and then brutally attacks him with a chair and puts the Clutch back on. Titans favorites Middle Aged & Crazy Dom Denucci (Kelly), Tony Garea (Johnny) and Ricky Martel (Parv's) save the day as Denucci lives up to his name and goes crazy with the chair on Slaughter. It was a damn good brawl. I know I have seen the April MSG match that set up this match before. but I couldnt find it so I went straight to the Alley Fight.
Hot damn! They just dont make bloody violent brawls like they used to. Patterson comes out in the famous I <3 NY shirt that is usually how I picture him in my head. He wastes no time bringing the fight to Gomer excuse me I mean Sgt. Slaughter. Patterson takes off his belt and whips Slaughter like the dog he is and then he chokes him out. Slaughter is getting his ass handed to him. He rakes the eyes and get gets a hold of the belt. He whips Patterson and then wraps the belt around his mouth, which is another famous visual from this match. Sarge rips off the I <3 NY shirt only to choke him with it. BOOOOOOOOOOOO! Patterson sends him flying over the top rope to the floor. Patterson drops his famous and dangerous Bombs Away Kneedrop on Slaughter. Slaughter is able to resume control by chucking Patterson over the top rope. But not for long as Patterson catapults him over the turnbuckles into the steel and Sarge does a 5-alarm baldejob. Holy shit! He was gushing blood profusely. His selling of being knocked loopy was awesome. Patterson starts to tee off on him to a raucous crowd so Sarge goes back to his favorite cut off punching some where he lives and where he loves, his balls. He puts on some brass knux, but he is so fucked up he cant capitalize. Patterson blocks at every turn and takes off his Cowboy Boot and smokes him. Then he starts ramming his head into hard metal objects then back to cowboy boot. We need a mercy killing because Patterson is destroying Slaughter and Wizard finally throws in the towel. Slaughter kinda intimates he wants to keep fighting, but he is so fucked up on weird street I don't think he knew where he was! Wizard takes him to the back.
As a street fight this was badass, but I think the rules or lack of rules hurt the finish. I get what they were going for with no referee that was an unsanctioned, real deal street fight like you would see at a bar. It accomplished that all the way up until they needed a finish and it just lacked that climax that is the 1-2-3. I think "I Quit" rules would have also been perfect for this if someone had thought of that. Still one of the all-time classics and a top 5 WWF 80s match. ****3/4
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WWF Tag Team Champion Rick Martel & Tony Garea vs Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito
WWF Championship Wrestling 10/17/81
"RIGHT IN THE FACE WITH NOTHING BUT PURE SALT" - Vince McMahon with a ***** call
After Moondogs lose the tag belt back to Martel & Garea (couldn't find the title switch back), Albano returns with a new team this one from Land of the Rising Sun, WWF stalwart, Mr. Fuji teaming with one of the all-time greats, Mr. Saito. Martel & Saito would go onto have a classic match for the AWA World Championship in the mid-80s but here they have a fun tag team match. Martel is such a joy to watch. I really have not watch much Garea but he reminds me of an older Martel just as fired up and excited to wrestle. I loved the babyface shine. Lots of energy and excitement. Martel's crossbody was great. I thought the transition to heat was a little weak they just sort of all sudden beat up on Garea. It is a solid heat segment. I guess I was expecting more Saito like I saw in the AWA here he is much more toned down version. Wrestling more like Fuji meaning a lot more cheating. I liked Garea whiffing hard on that dropkick. Garea breaks free and tags in Martel and it is pure OUI OUI RICKY MARTEL! As much as I love FIP Martel, HOT TAG RICKY MARTEL is hard to beat. It was short but sweet. He goes up for the crossbody when Mr. Fuji hits him RIGHT IN THE FACE WITH NOTHING BUT PURE SALT! The ref, Dicky Whirly, does not see it. 1-2-3! New World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions. Rick Martel gives the absolute best sell job of salt I have ever seen as he is just writhing in agony. ***1/2
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Andre The Giant vs Killer Khan - WWF Philadelphia 11/14/81 Stretcher Match
One of the most famous matches of this era, Andre is looking to exact revenge for Khan breaking his ankle. I guess Andre broke his ankle getting out of bed so they shot an angle where Khan injured him or did they just say on TV that he did. Then on TV when Andre was giving an interview as an update on his recuperation, Khan attacked Andre with his crutch reinjuring the ankle. Here comes Andre now ready to kick some ass. No fun comedy spots. Andre here was ready to rock. Headbutts, punches, slaps and Khan could run but he could not hide. Andre just sits on him with all his own weight. Andre misses a headbutt. This is Khan's only chance. He ties up the ankle in the ropes. Khan attacks the ankle. Khan tries to have Andre put on the stretcher. Oh yeah, so they bring in a stretcher and the ref & trainer try to put the man on the stretcher. Andre ROARS back whacking Khan with the stretcher! I thought the match kinda petered out after that. Andre just sits on Khan a lot. Khan would resist getting on the stretcher. Andre would sit back on him. Andre splashes him to win. Andre definitely kicked ass. It just did not feel like that fist pumping moment. Definitely a good match, but pales in comparison of their New Japan classic. ***1/2
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