Tuesdays with Daddy: Week 3: w/McDonald vs Haystacks/Finlay

Week 3

Big Daddy/Drew McDonald vs Giant Haystacks/Fit Finlay 5/19/84

MD: Decided we needed to move ahead a bit as all 79 matches weren't fair. Here we have Finlay (with Princess Paula) and Haystacks and a fairly big Scot in McDonald. Interesting to note that Daddy was more interested in McDonald than he was Turpin. Paula slaps him before the match and Daddy's quick to comfort and calm him down. Likewise, after getting splashed off the top rope by Finlay and eating a regular big splash from Haystacks to lose the first fall, Daddy was quick to check on him. 

Otherwise, it's a little harder to gauge him here, because the best part of this was Finlay and McDonald. Headbutts from McDonald. Forearms and uppercuts from Finlay. Some great Finlay escapes, a headstand out of a headlock, and moving one leg over the other to escape a different hold. I'd say that Fit made more of the motion for Daddy too, crashing into the corner groin first, and bouncing off and eating back body drops and a toss over the top, which should have been a DQ but the ref just looked past it as not intentional. Fit was great on the apron too, getting up on the bottom rope and peering over, making himself more of a presence in a match with far larger wrestlers.

That said, on the one big Haystacks vs Daddy exchange, Daddy took a whip and really did run the ropes at full speed (surprising speed for him I'd say) only to crash into him. Even though Walton noted that Daddy couldn't do his "big boom stuff" against Haystacks, he still won the exchange as Haystacks was quick to retreat. Finish of the second fall was weird (and noted as "curious and unusual" by Walton) as Daddy came in hot after a tag and crash into Haystacks in the corner, knocking him into Finlay and out of the match. Then he made short work of Finlay too and both were counted out ending the match on a "Knockout," despite it really just evening up the falls. 

He moved a bit more gingerly here than in 79, but when it came time to burst against the ropes, he did. I think maybe there was a little less pomp and circumstances, a little less build to the exchanges here too. I'm not sure if that's because Finlay took up more of the air in the match or not though. Something for us to keep looking at as we continue on. I'm not sure if he was just in there with more larger than life, actualized characters and it was less his show because of that. I'm also not sure if that's not a testament to him that he didn't hog all the spotlight even if he won soundly, if weirdly, in the end.

Read more!