DVDVR Puerto Rico 80s Set: Rock n Roll RPM's vs. Dan Greer & Don Kent (3/29/86)

Disc 2, Match 7: Rock n Roll RPM's vs. Dan Greer & Don Kent (3/29/86)

I'm just slightly behind the wave of people watching the set, I think, and I've seen a couple of reviews of the matches with the RPM's. People are hugely underselling how weird and surreal it is that Lane and Davis are earnest, honest, pretty boy babyfaces in Puerto Rico. We've seen it a dozen times in WWE over the last twenty years, that moment where a parody gimmick forgets that it's a parody gimmick and starts to play straight, usually going from heel to babyface (examples could be Hardcore Holly, Hurricane Helms, even New Day to some extent). It's just nutty to see it with these guys, who were so clearly meant to goof on the Rock'n'Roll Express and the Fantastics and the Fabs and the Rockers. Not only are they playing it straight, despite the fact they look far more like roadies than rockers, but the fans are completely into it.

There's not a ton to this but it's inherently obvious the RPMs have worked enough against babyface opponents to know how to play their roles. All of the posturing and posing and strutting and bouncing is completely ridiculous but it's also broad and works to the back row. I can't take them seriously, but the crowd had no problem doing so. It's always been said that the first team who tries this act regularly in a territory is generally successful with it, so maybe that's just it? If Ricky Rice and Jon Paul showed up as the Top Guns first, who knows? Maybe they would have been super over. Though, I think the Fabs WERE in first, so who knows.

I wish I had more to say about Kent. I haven't seen much Fabulous Kangaroos. He was right around 50 at this point and it showed. He had some good, well-timed and placed shots on offense and obviously knew well enough to let Greer take the bumps but there wasn't a lot to see. Greer, on the other hand, was unexpectedly dynamic. The mummy thing was funny, because obviously after losing the mask match, he wasn't in that gimmick anymore, but he was still called that left and right. He bumped around the ring and stooged up and down for the RPM's. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him.

This was a solid, traditional tag match that was just a little on the slight side and more than a little surreal.