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Post by stunninggrover on Jan 7, 2018 20:35:00 GMT -5
American pro wrestler “The Destroyer” Dick Beyer and Mexican luchador Mil Mascaras were two of the most popular foreigners in Japan in the 1970s. I believe this was the first time they wrestled each other. It really looked like a struggle. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Mascaras is known for not wanting to lose and not wanting to sell too much. Beyer once explained in an interview that wrestling Mascaras was like a half-shoot. It appears that Beyer won Mascaras’ respect though, because these two had a great series of matches in All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1970s.
For those of you who are not familiar with Mil Mascaras’ work from the 1970s, he was a different worker in the 1970s than he would become after 1980 or so. He was great on the mat and he showed a lot of fire and energy. Mascaras won the first fall of this match after 12 minutes of both men showing a great display of technical wrestling.
In the second fall, The Destroyer executed the figure-4 leglock, which Mascaras sold tremendously. Mascaras tried to escape the hold and he tried to fight the pain. However, in a shocking turn of events, Mascaras lost the second fall by submission.
In the beginning of the third fall, Mascaras was still selling his leg and knee very well. Both workers continued to execute moves and holds very well. After losing the previous fall, Mascaras showed urgency in his quest to beat The Destroyer. However, the Destroyer turned out to be the winner when he won the third fall by count-out. The Destroyer retained the PWF United States Heavyweight Title. This match is currently my pick for 1973 Match of the Year. ****½
By the way, this match took place on the same show that featured Jumbo Tsuruta having his Japanese television debut match, teaming with Giant Baba against the Funks.
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Post by fxnj on Jan 10, 2018 3:42:51 GMT -5
Seconded. Watched this for the first time in a while and this blew me away.
It's hardly some hidden gem as it's been a favorite among tape traders since forever ago, but I guess some combination of me forgetting just how good this match is and me not being attentive enough in my viewing when I first saw it led to this really surprising me. I love it from the opening bell with the amateur style positioning work they did. They did a really good job working at a stalemate with lots of great struggle like you'd see in Golden Age matches. The boston crab spot was so good. I got a kick out of it being a tight headlock that leads to Destroyer pulling out the strikes and ultimately losing the first fall. The beginning of another one of my favorites in Kawada/Kobashi 6/12/98 follows as a similar structure as the first fall of this.
By the second fall it looks like Mascaras starts to have Destroyer figured out. Destroyer starts looking like the clear underdog in the match, but it's hard to count him out as he's known to be crafty and the commentators even bring up his stuff with Rikidozan at one point I assume to put that over. I love the detail work in how Mascaras moving really quickly out of the way in a rope break because he knows how sneaky Destroyer can be. Soon, though, Destroyer manages to surprise him with a figure four and Mascaras's selling is fucking great as mentioned. Love the ring attendants coming in at the end of the fall to break up the hold to get over just how deep Destroyer had it locked in.
Third fall is what really puts it over the top as a classic. It's ironic Mascaras has a rep for not selling considering how great he is in selling the leg in the fall. Just so much great drama as he tries to come back with the tables suddenly turned on him. Awesome watching him even resorting to cheap shotting Destroyer. Great nearfall as well with him hitting the cross body on Destroyer. The actual finish with him taking a hard bump to the outside and just barely being too late in beating the count is tremendous. Great show of respect after the match too. Agreed on this as the 1973 MOTY and a strong candidate for 70's MOTD. ****3/4
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Post by joeg on Feb 7, 2018 19:36:10 GMT -5
Third.
I had this match as my #4 on the Best of Before the 80s over at puroresu.tv back in the day. So this is going to make my list. Its probably one of the two best count out finishes I can think of and one of the best selling of a knee performances I can think of.
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Post by jetlag on May 3, 2019 2:50:47 GMT -5
This was one of the first puro matches I've ever seen at it really got me into the whole old school wrestling. I soon had to watch every Destroyer match I could find. And well this holds up extremely well. It is considered the „precursor to the classic“ in regards to their 1974 match, but this match by itself is better than a lot of „classics“ in other match series. The grappling rules as it's almost 70s shootstyle. I'm guessing Mascaras was so uncooperative Destroyer basically just stuck to shoot throws and holds he had no way of preventing. Just really stiff (as in high resistance, no obvious going along), tight hold for hold work. After some trading of semi-carny holds Destroyer is able to sneak in a blow to Mils mid section, which feels like Volk Han getting punched in the liver, and he immediately follows up with shoulder blocks to the mid section holding Mascaras tights, with Mil looking like he really wanted to avoid those shoulder blocks. The finish to the 1st fall is really good with moves being teased and missing before a combination decides it. The 2nd fall immediately grabs the crowds attention by continueing from the finish of the previous fall. Mil Mascaras has his critics, probably rightfully so, but his uncooperative nature and tendency to eat a match up made for compelling pro wrestling here as the Destroyer really had to work hard to get a fall on him and try all kinds of different things. There are several Figure 4 teases, things get chippy, an had when Destroyer finally gets the hold Mil is awesome trying to get out of the move like a shootstylist by contorting his body. In the 3rd fall Mils selling was money, no questions about it, as he was hobbling around, trying to create space, stretching his leg as if to fix it, and desperately trying to fend off the Destroyer, who was just as desperate to pounce on the legs and get that darn Figure 4 again. Actually great finish which again plays of the 1st fall. So here you had an extremely psychologically sound, smart match that draws you in while delivering plenty of really good grappling. The 2nd fall doesn't quite hold up the intensity, but no qualms about it. This is the best match outside England that year in a cakewalk.
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Post by Cap on Dec 9, 2019 15:29:45 GMT -5
I went back and watched this and the 74 match recently and think I prefer this one by a hair. Both are absolutely top tier matches and deserve consideration. I think this one feels just a touch grittier and more urgent for whatever reason. I also bumped this to my MOTY over Breaks v Saint.
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Post by microstatistics on Dec 9, 2019 19:54:15 GMT -5
Yeah this is 1973 MOTY, though I think it smokes their 74 match. A minimalist mat clinic with a lot of attention to detail.
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Post by mvz on Apr 17, 2021 5:54:26 GMT -5
This is really outstanding. Lots of thoughtful touches like the Boston crab spot , the figure 4 teases, that are both entertains and effective in building to that urgent third fall. I can see it on my list and I believe the hype on the Destroyer.
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Post by elliott on Aug 28, 2023 23:19:00 GMT -5
Stone cold classic. Destroyer is the best. Mil is on the list of "guy who were supposed to suck but are actually awesome."
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Post by KB8 on Oct 27, 2023 14:16:11 GMT -5
You knew this would rule just from the THREADS both were wearing. Destroyer's crisp white mask with the green trim and Mascaras with the black and white Punisher mask; the latter possibly the coolest fucking mask in the history of wrestling. Mascaras gets a lot of shit for being a sandbagging lout and maybe there's truth to that. I honestly haven't watched more than three Mil Mascaras matches in the last 10 years. But physical peak Mascaras looked the part in a way 95% of wrestlers in history never could so I can't blame him for buying into his own bullshit. The minimalism point gets brought up about this a lot and I don't even disagree with that, but I guess when I hear minimalism my head goes to something like a lengthy armbar segment or two folk working in and out of a headlock or whatever. This didn't have either of those things, though the attention to detail on every hold they did work - or just on everything, really - was kind of mesmerising. Just the way the fought over a top wristlock, using leverage and stance and visibly straining for every inch of it. Mil tried to step over into a half crab at one point and Destroyer yanked away his leg, and the way Mil almost fell before recalibrating suggested he was not expecting to be met with such vehement resistance. It's the Little Things, and I don't say this next part to take a jab at Bryan Danielson, but I bet if he was to do some of this stuff on Dynamite we'd be hearing about his genius right away. These guys just had those moments down to perfection. I also loved how they built tension through those little rope breaks, where initially they'd be clean and then over time Mascaras would give Destroyer a condescending little pat on the cheek before stepping back. When it spilled over they started with the forearm shivers, and it wasn't an exchange that lasted long but it did signify that a shackle had come off. The figure-four at the end of the second fall might be the best ever just for the way Mascaras tried to escape it, then the subsequent sell job was basically immaculate. And for a count-out finish you better believe Mil was going to make it look legit. He got absolutely yeeted to the floor. You don't come at Destroyer with the same trick as often as Mil did with that flying headbutt.
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