Lou Thesz vs. Cyclone Anaya (Chicago - 3/31/1950)
Mar 15, 2019 17:25:00 GMT -5
Post by fxnj on Mar 15, 2019 17:25:00 GMT -5
Great Thesz gem that basically no one has pimped. Well worth checking out if you do his other matches.
19500331 Thesz vs Anaya
This was one of my favorite 50's matches when I watched it some time ago, and it holds up quite well on rewatch. The story behind it, as explained by the commentator, is that Anaya is some kid from Venezuela who's been waiting a long time to get a shot at the champ, and he's right there with Thesz every step of the way in the match itself. It doesn't have flashy movez or mind blowing psychology, but it easily makes up for that just in sound execution of the basics and great athleticism on display from both guys. Similar to Londos/Nagurski, there's a lot of tension underlying all the standing portions with how explosive they are in their movements and going for holds. It's not often that I wince when I see a headlock takeover, but I did so multiple times here as they were always so violently executed. Each throw was also accompanied by a loud thud from the hard ring, which definitely added to it. The actual groundwork is great as well. Not much in the way of slick counters, but there's constant movement and struggle to appreciate. Towards the end, Thesz counters a cobra twist (abdominal stretch) having them both tumble onto the outside concrete, and it looked brutal. Anaya gets the worst of it and we get a great count-out tease. Anaya gets back in, but Thesz goes after him like a shark who smells blood and it isn't long before the finish. I had a great time watching this and it really flew by for its duration. I like how they kept things clean and just let the technical abilities on display speak for itself to get Anaya over as a worthy contender. ****3/8
Uploaded this for others to watch
rutube.ru/video/5308933a71c845cacfdbcb015290d8e8/
19500331 Thesz vs Anaya
This was one of my favorite 50's matches when I watched it some time ago, and it holds up quite well on rewatch. The story behind it, as explained by the commentator, is that Anaya is some kid from Venezuela who's been waiting a long time to get a shot at the champ, and he's right there with Thesz every step of the way in the match itself. It doesn't have flashy movez or mind blowing psychology, but it easily makes up for that just in sound execution of the basics and great athleticism on display from both guys. Similar to Londos/Nagurski, there's a lot of tension underlying all the standing portions with how explosive they are in their movements and going for holds. It's not often that I wince when I see a headlock takeover, but I did so multiple times here as they were always so violently executed. Each throw was also accompanied by a loud thud from the hard ring, which definitely added to it. The actual groundwork is great as well. Not much in the way of slick counters, but there's constant movement and struggle to appreciate. Towards the end, Thesz counters a cobra twist (abdominal stretch) having them both tumble onto the outside concrete, and it looked brutal. Anaya gets the worst of it and we get a great count-out tease. Anaya gets back in, but Thesz goes after him like a shark who smells blood and it isn't long before the finish. I had a great time watching this and it really flew by for its duration. I like how they kept things clean and just let the technical abilities on display speak for itself to get Anaya over as a worthy contender. ****3/8
Uploaded this for others to watch
rutube.ru/video/5308933a71c845cacfdbcb015290d8e8/
