DVDVR Puerto Rico 80s Set: Carlos Colon and The Invaders vs. Abdullah the Butcher, Chicky and Ron Starr (4/26/86)

Disc 2, Match 11: Carlos Colon and The Invaders vs. Abdullah the Butcher, Chicky and Ron Starr (4/26/86)

I liked this a lot. It was very solid for what it was and felt like, maybe, the biggest, most important match on the disc up until now, just a battle of the Titans (if one of the Titans was Chicky Starr somehow) in a big stadium. Colon and the Invaders feels like a natural pairing. Abdullah and Chicky/Ron does not, but that makes it all the better in some ways. One of my favorite things in wrestling is weird tag partners interacting. I love it when Kamala is in Mexico and his own partners have to make sense of him. And I love this too. 

Certainly, they used Abdullah well. He was more or less a non-factor in the shine, a prop at times to hold someone to allow for heel miscommunication or to be a target for a fiery babyface while on the apron. When Chicky and Ron were hugging and consoling each other after the initial exchange didn't go well, he's nowhere to be seen (Invader I charged in from offscreen to break up the hug though, which wa great). It's only after the heels take over with a low headbutt that he came in and asserted himself, suddenly the large wall that Invader III had to climb in order to make it to his corner.

Invader III is a good face in peril, but he's not as interestingly aggressive as Colon, and certainly not as serene as Invader I, so it's a bit of a shame he was tagged with that role here. I don't think he fought back quite enough, to be honest. I didn't mind it all that much because the heels were so entertaining while in control. Ron's offense looked great, specifically here his high knee, bulldog, and butterfly suplex. Invader III's stumble fall into the hot tag was well timed, if not entirely earned, and the crowd went nuts for it. 

I thought the finish was absurdly flat however. We've seen these wars where Abdullah and Colon just can't put each other away. I had a real hard time believing that Colon could down him (when he'd barely been touched all match) with just one move. Past that, and the fact I wanted to see just a little more character interactions between Abdullah and the Starrs, this was a fun one.