DVDVR Puerto Rico 80s Set: Rock n Roll RPM's vs. The Crusher & Eric Embry (3/29/86)

Disc 2, Match 10: Rock n Roll RPM's vs. The Crusher & Eric Embry (3/29/86)

It's almost unfair to all other 1986 wrestling that Puerto Rico had Chicky and Ron Starr in the same tournament that they had Eric Embry. it's a stooging heel paradise here. This was the finals of the tournament. Crusher was Rip Morgan who had been part of the Miguelito Perez establishment feuding. I have no idea what path Crusher and Embry took to get here. The heels have Sasha at ringside. The babyfaces have Wendi Richter of all people with them, and in some ways, Wendi, always more awkward than anyone remembers, is the perfect second for a third-rate RnR team.

This was a very solid tag in front of a crowd that had to be a little tired of seeing very solid tags. Morgan and Embry stooged well in the shine, and the RPMs, in what had to be the biggest match of their careers, were as energetic as humanly possible. Embry came in bandaged and started bleeding early but never ended up gushing. Wendi got involved early to add insult to injury in the shine.

The heels took over with a low blow and that's where the match got really good. Davis was face in peril and while it's a bit of an alien role for him on paper, he did great with it. There was one point where he couldn't capitalize on hope spots because he was taking too long to use the ropes to get back to his feet, just a very solid bit of selling to logically explain the impending cut off. They worked the hope spots well, in and out, and the crowd was very into this by the end, and worked all of the southern tag tricks. My favorite bit was, after they drew Lane in and distracted the ref, a leverage assisted figure four, which I'm not sure I'd ever seen before.

The finish involved a blind switch, an amazing small package, and a completely unbelievable pop for Lane and Davis. The post-match ambush was maybe even better. I think this was a testament, on some level, that if you have competent, committed babyfaces, a heel-driven southern tag style is always going to work. Davis and Lane did what they had to, but it's not about what they did or didn't do. It's about who they are (and more specifically who they're not). And this was worked well enough that who they happened not to be just didn't matter. That's part of why wrestling is so great. The formula works.