New Footage Friday: Kerry, Race, Murdoch, Gino

Harley Race vs. Dick Murdoch Tri-State 4/2/77

MD: I'm glad we got this, especially for the post-match turn and the start of the years' long Akbar vs Murdoch feud, as well as for Murdoch's awesome leg selling and the Harley headbutts and what have you, but it's a shame we didn't get a whole match here. Murdoch was so present, just completely in the moment at all times, making everything he did seem so believable despite being heightened and unreal in a way other wrestlers of the era may have avoided in an NWA title match. I have to admit I was a little confused by things, because Murdoch was working like a local hero against the visiting champ despite Akbar being out there for him. It all made sense in retrospect with the turn. Anytime we pick up a classic territory angle like this (especially one I barely knew existed), it's a gem. Here at SC, we're always hoping for the full match though.

PAS: This was more of an angle then a match (at least what we got), but the last couple of minutes of the match were great stuff with Race and Murdoch really teeing off on each other with some especially nasty stomps by Murdoch, and great Harley headbutts. Akbar and Dr. X beating down Murdoch post match was pretty great, I especially loved the carniness of them cutting away to basically a green screen while the action got described because of the brutality (and Murdoch did seemed to have opened one up)

Kerry Von Erich vs. Gino Hernandez Houston Wrestling 2/22/85

Previously we just had the last few minutes. All the cool stuff is at the beginning so I'm glad we got this. It's pure Houston, just six or seven years later, with Gino returning and Kerry challenging. Gino as the reviled hometown villain was great. Dibiase as his inexplicable second was great. Gino's the greatest rat pack member that never was. Taylor was just sort of there seconding Kerry. This ended up as a good TV title match where everyone knew the BS was coming. I don't think this set up a Dibiase/Gino vs Kerry/Taylor match but if it did, I would have wanted to watch it.


Mid-South 11/11/85

Bruise Brothers vs. Steve Williams/El Corsario

MD: Not every upload is a winner. This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to. Williams was young and game and eager to bump. Who doesn't like seeing the Bruise Brothers? Especially over babyface Bruise Brothers? This lasted seconds though, and a match can be fun when it lasts seconds but there's not much to write about it.

Jake the Snake Roberts vs. Humongous

MD: In a way, Jake did it to himself. He's so outspoken about his method that you examine him more harshly than you would other people. Sometimes he lives up to the (his own) hype, sometimes he doesn't. I think he's done pretty well with the new footage we've gotten though. Here, he's just tremendous in the opening minutes. I love thought experiment wrestling, namely "how will wrestling X deal with situation Y" and here Situation Y is Humongous being a monster who will clubber Jake whenever he gets a hold on. Him trying to chop the tree down from the top down and facing that struggle is really good wrestling. Likewise, the transition (namely Humongous hitting one big legdrop after setting it up by missing earlier on) worked for me, as did the start of the head (those falling headbutts with the hockey mask are really good). It all ended up being too long with the bearhugs and what not, and then had the most late 80s WWF style finish ever with Jake leaving the pin for absolutely no reason. They went pretty heavy on the heel dominance between this and the tag match that followed (which we already had).

Dick Slater vs. Butch Reed

MD: This felt like a trial balloon for the eventual Slater title win that would come a month or two later. It was a bounty match but also a title match and while the post-match was wild and fun, the match itself was worked far more towards that title end than the bounty end. That made sense given the main event, just like the first tag made sense being so short given the long tag title match later in the show, but it wasn't really what I wanted from this. We also lost the first many minutes, which is not something you want to lose in any title match really.

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Jose Lothario Fades Like Vapors You Actual Traitors

Jose Lothario vs. Gino Hernandez Houston Wrestling 1/9/79 - EPIC

PAS: Lothario who passed away earlier today was probably best known as the trainer of Shawn Michaels, but he was an absolutely tremendous professional wrestler, one of the great 80s babyface brawlers we have footage of. This match was one of his masterpieces, a gritty bloody brawl with both guy bumping huge, spraying blood, flying into the cage and throwing big hard powerful blows. Lothario was a great puncher, with each shot being dramatic and landing with a thud, he also threw a bunch of different versions, jabs, over hand rights and lefts, and nice side hooks. Every fall ending was violent, including Lothario nearly ripping Hernandez's arm off. I loved the final fall, with Gino hurling Lothario tailbone first into the turbuckle post violently, and coming off like such a badass surviving this kind of war. Great stuff and it is a minor tragedy that so much of this stuff is being held hostage by dollar store Layne Staley.


COMPLETE AND ACCURATE JOSE LOTHARIO

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You Let Me Down, But Chavo Never Once Did

Chavo Guerrero v. Gino Hernandez NWA Houston 5/22/81

We don't typically do obituary posts, but Chavo Guerrero is a Segunda Caida favorite and a guy with a bunch of under the radar classics. This is a 2/3 falls Jr. title match courtesy of the invaluable NWA Classics service. The match is reffed by Lou Thez, but is worked differently then most Thez reffed matches. Match starts with Gino beating the everloving shit out of a fan, it was hard for any match to live up to the violence of that fan beatdown. We get some Thez approved mat work in the first fall including some very cool stretching by Chavo, he wasn't fancy like a Negro Navarro or Johnny Saint, but his maestro chops were more about making simpler things look really painful. Match breaks down into a hell of a back and forth fight in the third fall with both guys exchanging big shots. Chavo has really great looking punches as does Gino, and both guys are amazing at selling punches, both guys would make weak shots look strong, and they make the strong shots look devastating. Chavo gets the belt with an OG Guerrero cheat to win tight pull, only to have Gino smash him with a belt leading to the crowd going apeshit as Thez clears the ring. Great match, and an awesome example of what Chavo could do as a triumphant babyface, this is how I imagine his Olympic wars with Roddy Piper must have looked like.

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NWA Classics On Demand -Price Tag Reviews #7

Dusty Rhodes/Junkyard Dog v. Ted DiBiase/Kamala 4/12/83 -$1.00

This was a bullrope and dog collar tag match. Dusty and DiBiase were tied together with the bullrope while JYD and Kamala had a dog collar on. Pretty much a classic example of a babyface walking tall blowoff match. This is your pair of super charismatic super heroes getting their hands on the dastardly villains and making them pay. DiBiase flies around for both guys and bleeds a ton, Kamala does some great weeble wabble selling of big shots. There is a little glory for the heels, and Dusty bleeds because of course he does, but this is mostly just comeuppance.

Harley Race v. Gino Hernandez 12/12/80 - $3.00

Another true hidden gem. 2/3 Falls NWA title match, with Gino as the local heel challenging a heel champion. It was a pretty great performance by Gino as he turns the crowd over to his side by the end, kind of a devil we know better then a devil we don't situation. I am not the world's biggest Harley fan, but he looked pretty boss here, all of his offense was super nasty looking, his big headbutts looked like they smooshed skulls and he had this awesome looking big right hand in the corner. Gino was a total boss, jumping Harley at the bell, piledriving him on the floor, spraying blood as he goes for his giant back elbow. He was so good as the local heel, it really makes me want to see more Southwest Tully to compare them in those rolls. More Gino please!!

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All Japan Motherload - Gino Hernandez vs. Mil Mascaras - AJPW 8/20/81

ER: Well this rules. Mil Mascaras gets mobbed like nobody I've seen mobbed in pro wrestling. He's barely even able to walk to the ring, instead getting forced around by momentum of the throng of potential lovers who swarm him. Fans always try and sneak touches of Hansen or the Funks, but here they just charge Mascaras like they want his clothing/seed. Meanwhile Gino waits in the ring in snug red bathrobe and giant sunglasses, looking like a guy on Miami Vice who dies in a boat explosion. And the match itself is awesome. Gino hits a weird hardway gutbuster, they do some pretty armdrags and floating headlock takedowns, all of Mil's surfboards look really nasty, Gino takes some big bumps on a mat that doesn't give in the least, and then misses a gigantic top rope elbow over halfway across the ring. Everybody knew Mil was winning but Mil was oddly aggressive during this, and at one point as the fans start screaming for Mil, Gino flashes all sorts of early charisma and starpower by shouting them all down. Loved this.

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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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NWA Classics On Demand - Price Tag Reviews

Pretty cool idea as the NWA has gotten a hold of Paul Bosch's Houston wrestling archive and is putting it up on demand. Lots of previously unavailable stuff here, and some very cool on paper matches. I figured I would get the first month for $9.77 and see if it is worth it. So I am going to rate each match by how much it is worth to me, and see if gets to $9.77, if it does, I'll kick in for another month


Chris Adams v. Kevin Von Erich 1/18/85 $0.10

Really fun six minute sprint, both guys really went after each other. Adams looked awesome, as he is very good at timing some super violent looking superkicks, including catching Kevin with one as he was coming into the ring, and blasting him with one to the back of the head for the pin. Looks like the folks running this put in new commentary, and while it isn't awful, it is pretty generic, full of cliche and amateur sounding. I liked this match a bunch, but it was on the DVDVR 80's set, I am mostly interested in seeing new stuff so I am only going to give this match a dime

Nick Kozak v. Apache Bull Ramos 1/7/79 $0.05

My all time favorite band The Mountain Goats put out an amazing all wrestling themed album Beat the Champ earlier this year. One of the songs "The Ballad of Bull Ramos" is about the ending days of Bull Ramos's life, and the joy one can find in your memories, and how even death isn't sad when you've lived a great life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRZHsqvoJMM

This match wasn't much, the kind of match people who say they hate 70's wrestling are talking about, lots of nerve holds and criss crossing, Ramos wins with a terrible elbow drop. Still giving this a nickel for giving me an excuse to post this song, and listen to it a couple of times.

Wahoo McDaniel v. Terry Funk
Wahoo McDaniel v. Gino Hernandez 2/6/81 $2.50

A bit of a bait and switch as this is listed as a Terry Funk v. Wahoo McDaniel and that match is the semi-finals of an elimination tourney to wrestle Harley Race for the title. The Funk v. McDaniel section is only about three minutes as Funk jumps Wahoo at the bell, smashed his headdress (Wahoo must have bought the headdress's in bulk, for all the times they got ripped up) and threw him around the ring, before Terry got quickly rolled up. Gino runs in and they both beat on Wahoo a bit before the start of the final match. Wahoo v. Gino was a pretty great double juice brawl, with Gino really doing a grizzly blade job. Wahoo is so great a just leveling people with chops, and Gino is awesome as a pinball heel. he flies over the top rope a couple of times with true abandon. A little bummed I didn't get to see more of a Funk v. Wahoo dream match, but Wahoo v. Gino was really good and the kind of hidden gem I want this project to unearth. Easily worth $2.50 or so

After the first three matches of the month we are at $2.65, pretty good start as I have waited on watching some truly juicy looking stuff

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