Post by tetsujin on Feb 13, 2024 16:28:15 GMT -5
For the Intercontinental Championship at the Madison Square Garden.
Man, watching an 80s match right after a 70s match is such an experience. I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes my brain subconsciously divides wrestling between "old" and "new", with 1990 as the split reference. But, obviously, as much as you can see the difference between 90s and 00s wrestling, you see it as well between 70s and 80s wrestling. Generally, because obviously the style worked and the wrestlers involved matter, it's much more fast paced, with harder strikes and a clearer face-heel dynamic.
Anyway, the match. It's super fun. Steamboat is fucking JACKED here, man. His "karate guy" offense is a delight to see, and Valentine sells him as a big threat by being ultra cautious yet still getting easily trapped in his stuff. They hit each other hard and try to keep the match on their respective terms, with Jimmy Hart being annoying as fuck (as he should be) to add more heat. There's a moment where Steamboat is out of the ring and just by looking at the crowd searching for support, he receives such an ovation that it powers him up to come back into the ring and beat the shit out of Valentine. Great sequence there, yes sir.
The match weirdly ends in a count out soon after allowing the Hammer to retain the title, but other than that this is a very good match, one of the best I've seen in 80s WWE (the bar isn't too high but hey, this is still a better match that what I usually see from current WWE anyway).
***1/2, not something I would vote for, but I'm sure more 80s enthusiasts here may consider it. I need to watch more Valentine.
Man, watching an 80s match right after a 70s match is such an experience. I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes my brain subconsciously divides wrestling between "old" and "new", with 1990 as the split reference. But, obviously, as much as you can see the difference between 90s and 00s wrestling, you see it as well between 70s and 80s wrestling. Generally, because obviously the style worked and the wrestlers involved matter, it's much more fast paced, with harder strikes and a clearer face-heel dynamic.
Anyway, the match. It's super fun. Steamboat is fucking JACKED here, man. His "karate guy" offense is a delight to see, and Valentine sells him as a big threat by being ultra cautious yet still getting easily trapped in his stuff. They hit each other hard and try to keep the match on their respective terms, with Jimmy Hart being annoying as fuck (as he should be) to add more heat. There's a moment where Steamboat is out of the ring and just by looking at the crowd searching for support, he receives such an ovation that it powers him up to come back into the ring and beat the shit out of Valentine. Great sequence there, yes sir.
The match weirdly ends in a count out soon after allowing the Hammer to retain the title, but other than that this is a very good match, one of the best I've seen in 80s WWE (the bar isn't too high but hey, this is still a better match that what I usually see from current WWE anyway).
***1/2, not something I would vote for, but I'm sure more 80s enthusiasts here may consider it. I need to watch more Valentine.
