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Post by Cap on Dec 9, 2017 17:15:01 GMT -5
Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera (Texas Death Match - WWF World Championship - WWF - 5/19/1980)
Pretty classic Backlund match. I have mixed feelings about him on the whole, but I think he is generally pretty great here. This one is pretty brutal and has an element of chaos to it. This holds up pretty well. its a match that dives deeper into the malice violence as it goes. Not sure it makes my list, but it is well worth a nomination.
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Post by elliott on Dec 10, 2017 0:08:11 GMT -5
Second. Backlund is an interesting dude. He's someone I "know" I like, but then I struggle to get excited for his matches, but then when I watch them, I usually really like the matches. It is funny how people talk about Backlund being a system champion as a sort of backhanded compliment towards his success but sort of indicating that he wasn't that special on his own. Then you watch this and you can't help but see the pop for the finish is one of the biggest and longest pops you'll ever see. I've always really liked this match. Great mixture of brawling and some awesome wrestling spots. Backlund hits a piledriver for the ages. This is a great match and one I will strongly consider for my list.
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Post by rickyjackson on Jan 7, 2018 0:23:51 GMT -5
One of the peak moments of Bob's reign, and Patera was at his peak as a performer here. One of the top 5 or so matches from MSG during the televised era (1973-1992). Crowd gives both guys a standing ovation after the match, which they reserved for only the best of the best
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Post by stunninggrover on Jan 11, 2018 19:21:40 GMT -5
This was probably the first great match in WWF history. It was a no holds barred match that was arguably the best match of the careers of both Bob Backlund and Ken Patera. Backlund retained the WWF Heavyweight Title. Patera was the WWF Intercontinental Champion, but his title wasn’t on the line here. The Madison Square Garden crowd gives a standing ovation after the match is over. It’s possible that this match will make it to my top 100.
By the way, the date is 5/19/1980.
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Post by superstarsleeze on Jul 22, 2018 20:07:28 GMT -5
I'm a huge Backlund mark and there's defintely some Backlund that needs to be nominated. Backlund is such a unique cat and almost like no one else in pro wrestling. This is a stone cold lock for me. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera - WWF, MSG 5/19/80 Damn, I forgot how good this match is. I have not watched much from the year 1980, but this feels so ahead of its time at least in America. It is an awesome slugfest/bombfest. Backlund comes from behind in this match and it really feels like a big challenge for to win this match. This actually probably represented the peak of his title reign and the toughest test he would face until dropping the title to the Iron Sheik. True to form, Backlund won this match by out-brawling and out-rule-breaking the biggest brawler, rule-breaker in the WWF at the time, Ken Patera. Patera was extra hot having just won the Intercontinental Title from Pat Patterson the month before in MSG. He came a short, but great promo before the match saying he would kick Backlund's ass just liked he kicked Patterson's and he would own all the title belts. Patera goes so far as to jumpstart the match and throw Backlund outside the ring. Patera showboats a bit too much, but hell it is pretty uncommon for anyone to get one up on Backlund early in match. Backlund drags him out by the boots and beats the shit out of him. Backlund wants him in the center of the ring to a big pop. They slug it out until Backlund rams his shoulder into the post. FULL NELSON! Backlund drives Patera's head into the turnbuckles. Flair Flop! Patera was a perfect blend of stooge and strongman. He toed the line wonderfully. Patera back drops him to outside and quickly follows up with a bodyslam on concrete. He goes back to the bearhug, which worked really well in Janaury. In Texas Death Match, Backlund does not have to scientifically get out of the bearhug, he can just hammer Patera's "facial area" as VinnyMac so awkwardly puts it (you can just call it his face). HUGE ATOMIC DROP! The one thing I definitively remember about this match was that atomic drop and Patera's amazing sell of it. MASSIVE PILEDRIVER! God Bless Bob and his piledriver. Patera quickly scoops up Backlund and puts him in a tree of woe and chokes him. He goes after Backlund's wind with a clothesline that Backlund sells as if he hit the throat and left agsping for breath. then drops him throat first on top rope and choking. Backlund is only getting hope spots this is all Patera. Backlund gets a hope spot of an ab stretch, but Patera hiptosses him out and really gets some heat. He steals the belt from the worst manager ever, Arnold Skaaland and beats Backlund with it. Then rams him headfirst into the railing to bust him open. Patera works the cut expertly. I love him avoiding Backlund's wild swings and then stinging him in the head with fists. Backlund fires up and kicks some major league ass. Backlund throws him over the top and sends him into hard metal objects head first so we get double juice. Backlund working his cut, but gets ballshotted. Backlund press slams Patera off the top. They end up outside where Backlund throws him into some chairs. Patera tries to use the chair, but Backlund evades at every turn and manages to get a hold of the chair. He hits Patera a couple times, but only gets two?!?!?!? What is this ECW?  A crossbody ends the match as win for Bob Backlund for an absolutely fantastic match, easy top 5 WWF 80s match ever. I was not in love with all the transitions, but this was so badass. Patera and Backlund were just both in total asskicking mode. I loved Backlund coming from behind in this one constantly. Patera was fluctuating perfectly from asskicker to stooge. The standing ovation for the match by MSG was ridiculous, It was massive sustained heat. which was incredibly rare was there ever another time in the kayfabe era? They earned that Standing O. ****3/4 |
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Post by KB8 on Aug 26, 2022 13:01:37 GMT -5
This'll always have a special place in my black and decrepit heart. President Bobby Backlund himself will probably always have a special place in my heart for that matter. Backlund was a revelation to me way back in the simple and innocent times of like 2006. The Smarkschoice best WWE match ever poll was the first big message board poll/project I really participated in, and through that process I watched a bunch of peak WWF Champion Bob Backlund. It sort of blew me away and behind Flair, it was probably Backlund who was my biggest gateway to all of the 80s territory wrestling I wound up hunting down, and am still hunting down a decade and a half later. My very first post on this here stupidity of a blog was a Bob Backlund match. A few years later I took part in another greatest WWE match ever poll (this time on another forum, as I am a glutton for punishment) and I had this as the 9th best match in the history of the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment. Many years have passed since then, many matches have been watched, many tastes have changed. Backlund isn't really someone I'd call a favourite anymore and I'm not so sure I'd think this is still a top 10 WWE match ever, but I am happy to report that it held up well and I thought it was great. In 2010 I might've thought Backlund was the driving force, but in 2022, nine hundred and ninety fucking nine blog posts later, I thought Ken Patera was the star of the show. As far as Texas Death Matches go it wasn't much of a wild brawl. It was more of a straight wrestling contest that took some dark turns, and Patera was great at being the one who steered things there, at first because why wouldn't he? but later because his desperation called for it. He was full of confidence in the beginning, one of the only men in New York who could claim to be stronger than Bobby Backlund. Bob would often control large parts of his matches and at times he felt even more indestructible than Hogan, but here he felt very destructible and Patera went about business like he knew it. Structurally it was much more about Patera in control, with Bob's comebacks being built around big paybacks. It worked great because basically every single one of those paybacks ruled. Backlund's piledriver looked like it compressed Patera's spine, his big atomic drop would've sent Patera into the fourth row if he hadn't grabbed the rope as he flew over it, the posting and barricade-ramming on the floor to draw some sweet plasma, every moment like that was awesome. By the end Patera had to resort to a low blow and even in a match where no holds are barred that still feels dirty. When he brought in the chair his head had gone completely, so I suppose it's only fitting that that was his undoing in the end. And say what you like about Bob being a goof with silly facial expressions and ropey selling, but that pop at the end is as loud and sustained as anything you'll hear for Bruno or Hogan or Austin. The guy was over as a bastard for a minute there.
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Post by puropotsy on Mar 28, 2023 14:10:26 GMT -5
Great match in which they come out swinging and spill to the outside. Patera then shows that he is more than willing to bump and fly around the ring for Backlund which is impressive for his size. Patera takes over and gives Backlund a big vertical suplex. Patera takes him outside and hits him with a title belt and Backlund is busted open. A chair gets introduced by Patera but Backlund uses and gets the pinfall. Great stuff.
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Post by elliott on Mar 28, 2023 14:13:08 GMT -5
Did you watch their January 21, 1980 match? Another fantastic one. Patera's 1980 is an incredible year.
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Post by puropotsy on Mar 28, 2023 16:49:18 GMT -5
I did!!! I thought it was really good, with this one being better. Patera as IC Champion is cool as hell and I loved Patterson as such as well.
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