NWA Price Tag Reviews #6

Still totally in love with this service, my favorite thing in wrestling right now, by far. One of the cool things about being a wrestling fan is that you can still discover hidden classics 30 years later. There is no hidden 70s Scorcese movie or unreleased classic Joy Division Album, but here is The Spoiler v. Wahoo McDaniel from 1979 and it is unbelievable.

Spoiler v. Wahoo McDaniel 4/21/79 $4.00

Awesome 2 out 3 falls war. Very cool match structure which actually reminded me of MS1 v. Sangre Chicana (aka the greatest wrestling match ever). Spoiler blitzes Wahoo from the start, just beating on him from pillar to post, with nasty elbows to the head and neck and a big headbutt which splits Wahoo open. Nothing fancy here, but every stomp,elbow and slam was just brutal. Spoiler isn't a fancy highflyer, but he is really agile, and gets to the top with tremendous ease, really the first time I have seen the Spoiler and gotten the hype, he was so good here. Wahoo doesn't hit an offensive move for the first five minutes or so, but turns the tide with a huge chop to the head, you totally buy Wahoo as a guy who has one shot power like that.. After Wahoo gets on track it is back and forth brutality for 3 falls. We get a great BS finish with Wahoo countering the claw hold by turning around the Spoiler's mask, and the blind Spoiler claws Gary Hart and then the ref before getting DQed. Loved the idea of the blind bear just mauling everyone. Such a great match, and a hell of a discovery.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan/Butch Reed v. Ted DiBiase/Steve Williams 11/23/84 $1.00

Really fun big hoss brawl. Crowd is going nuts and the announcer needs to ask the crowd to move back. Pretty much punches and football tackles but these are great guys to watch throw punches and football tackles. Duggan has such great energy in these kind of matches, and DiBiase does a good job flopping around. Finish has everyone in football helmets smashing into each other. 

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NWA Classics on Demand - Price Tag Reviews #3

Yesterday was $6.65 so far I am all in for 24/7

Jose Lothario v. Gino Hernandez 1979 - $2.00

This was a steel cage (called a fence match by Boesch) Texas death match. Bix mentioned this was available before, but I had never heard about it or seen it, so it was new to me. JIP after the first fall, but we get almost 20 minutes. Classic bloody 70s/80s cage match. Hernandez was a revelation, bumping, selling, bleeding and landing some big shots. Both guys were really good at milking drama out of 10 counts, Lothario is a simple wrestler but he has great expressiveness, awesome punches and pretty good old man bumping. I liked the finish a lot with Lothario going tailbone and spine first into the post, as a counter to a nasty neck crank. Felt like something which might paralyze someone, and definitely should have kept him down for 10. Great, great cage match, Gino is the guy who is going to get the biggest reputation boost from this footage.

Kerry Von Erich/Kevin Von Erich/Fritz Von Erich v. White Knight/Gary Hart/Dick Murdoch 1979 - $.50

Really fun match, 2/3 falls six man tag in two rings with one set of guy paired off in one ring, another in the second ring and one guy in the middle tagging out to either ring. Crazy match set up which I have never seen before. Really early Von Erich brothers, Kevin is wearing boots, and Kerry has shortish hair, this kind of chaotic match works really well to their style, they were always at their best at crazy sprints, and this match has lots going on. Murdoch is also really great at filling a match with cool little pieces of action. I absolutely loved all of the Murdoch and Fritz brawling, just two old badasses beating on each other, I imagine there was a classic singles match at some point. Unfortunately the match just cuts out without a finish, which is a total bummer, otherwise this was aces, but no finish is only worth a couple of quarters to me.

Dusty Rhodes v. Maniac Mark Lewin 1/7/79 $.75

Short bloody nasty little affair. It almost feels like a match made so Dusty would make the cover of seedy wrestling magazines, as two minutes in Dusty has a spiderweb of blood on his face and in his blond afro. Lewin does his best to win a bleeding contest too, as he is covered very quickly. They smash each other into posts and tables, and Lewin brings in a 2x4. Finish is great with Dusty bionic elbowing Lewin right in the brain stem, knocking him down for one more elbow and the pin. Could have used a couple of more minutes, but a treat to see an old fashioned clubberin from the American Dream

$9.90 so we are already over the pay wall, and I haven't watched either Flair v. Wahoo match yet.

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