Luger/Windham vs. Arn/Tully (NWA - 3/27/1988)

This is on the short list of greatest sub-10-minute matches in history, a tag match stripped down to its essential elements. No initial feeling out or stalling, just two teams going at it with all guns blazing. What made Arn and Tully such a great tag team is that they realized that true suspense comes not from the damage inflicted on the FIP but from his struggle to make the tag. In most classic Japanese tags, the guy getting worked over is usually successful on his first attempt to tag out, but he at least quickly bursts over to his corner to minimize the suspension of disbelief necessary. The tendency in most modern matches for the FIP to hit one big move or counter and then slowly crawl to his corner just feels blatantly phony and scripted. And don’t even get me started on simultaneous tags. By contrast, when Arn and Tully work someone over, the FIP (Windham in this case) constantly fends them off and tries to make it to his corner, but they always cut him off at the last moment-that is, until they don’t. Speaking of Windham, it should be clear by now that I mark out for spots with a real sports feel, and Windham taking advantage of his height to fall toward his corner for the hot tag is a prime example. With all that said, this match wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable without the incredible sustained crowd heat. I usually have enough tunnel vision to be able to focus on the action in the ring without the audience affecting me one way or another, but when the crowd is this hot for this long, it can’t help but have an impact on the viewer.