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Post by puroraisedme on Sept 3, 2023 2:57:18 GMT -5
What a spectacle of a match. My #50
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Post by fxnj on Sept 9, 2023 5:28:32 GMT -5
This is such an awesome match that only gets better with time. The "1/50/100 or not at all" discussion is really silly to me because this holds up great as one of the best matches of US 80's and one I prefer over most of the more highly regarded matches from this period, like Savage/Steamboat from this show or Flair/Steamboat Clash 6 for example. Super smart layout and flow with it going from botched Hogan slam attempt -> Andre back work and hope spots -> successful slam attempt with one of the best fighting spirit/hulk up finish transitions I've seen. Even looking at this match athletically, Andre's performance is really impressive when you realize he somehow managed to flawlessly portray an unbeatable monster while dealing with severe back issues that stopped him working more than a couple matches in the months leading up to this. The chops he throws to cutoff Hogan look great and his character work is awesome with how it builds off his face schtick. As great as the story of Andre betraying Hogan was, I'm even more fascinated by the secondary story of Andre as the face monster of the territory for the past 15 years. How he manages to act heelishly in this while still being distinctly that same character and without just copying things from his Japan playbook, like telling the fans to shut up. Masterful dazed selling as well.
Hulk Hogan's melodramatic selling feels absolutely perfect for this setting and I love how brutal his bumps on simple irish whips into the turnbuckles and Andre's bodyslam look. Hogan's own bodyslam never stops looking amazing, ditto the follow-up leg drop and way he sells the win. Hogan as the devil to Ric Flair as the messiah of great wrestling has to be the dumbest bit of smark wisdom to ever be widely accepted. This match also makes me think 80's WWF might have had the best cinematography of any wrestling ever for all the iconic shots here that flawlessly capture what the wrestlers were going for. My favorite example is the shot of Andre slamming Hogan that begins with Andre holding Hogan in the center of the frame to build anticipation, then the impact, then it backs up to catch Hogan's incredible reaction right in front of the camera, and it finishes with a slow zoom on Andre looming imposingly over Hogan's body as a chef's kiss moment. Kind of goes without saying, but the Gorilla/Jesse commentary is also nothing short of iconic. Even the referee gets a chance to look badass. Watch for a moment where Joey perfectly catches a piece of trash as it gets thrown into the ring and disposes of it without missing a beat. I don't often go for 80's cartoon wrestling, but when I do I prefer it larger than life and this match overall is as large as it gets.
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