DVDVR Puerto Rico 80s Set: Hercules Ayala vs. Killer Tim Brooks (Taped Fist Cage Match) (October 1985)

Disc 1, Match 12: Hercules Ayala vs. Killer Tim Brooks (Taped Fist Cage Match) (October 1985)

This was more enjoyable minimalist fare, the sort of thing I expected from the set. I've seen a decent amount of Brooks in Houston lately, and he varies with his opponent. Some of it has been in those nigh-impossible to watch two-ring six man tags where you never know where to look and the wrestlers' have a hard time building a narrative. Ayala, after two matches, feels like the definition of a large body that has his opponent orbit around him and create the motion and the action. In that, Brooks did an admirable job here, using the gimmicks to full advantage.

The story of the match was that Ayala would beat Brooks to a pulp with the taped fists and Brooks would stooge and sell and beg off. The few advantages he got were due to low blows or cheapshot kicks. It's one of those matches that could have used a real heat segment but, at the same time, didn't suffer quite as much as it should have because the beating was thorough and consistent enough. The fans paid to see Brooks trapped in a cage with Ayala and for Ayala to punch him a lot, to open him up, to focus on the wound, and then, towards the end of the match to slam him into the cage, hit a few power moves, and win. That's what they got and it's hard to fault the match too much for it.

I liked the double gimmick aspect of the match. It meant that they didn't have to go to the cage early, instead focusing on the punching and the power of the taped fists. They get that over immediately in a very clever way with Brooks missing an early punch, hitting the cage instead, and not selling it at all, a testament to how hard the tape made the fists. He'd indirectly use the cage later on to hit the second and top rope more than he would have otherwise, but it really didn't come into play until the end of the match, when blood had already been introduced.

This is going to be another hard one to rate as it was very one-sided. Still, Ayala played his part well. His 'comeback,' if you want to call it that, after about twenty seconds of actual heat, felt impassioned enough to make up for the short time. That paired with Brooks' reactions was just potent enough to make the match feel like more than it was, which is the magic of pro wrestling. I just don't think it was quite magical enough to rate well on the set as a whole.