Mid-South North American Title Match: Dick Murdoch (c) vs. Butch Reed - MSW 22/09/1985
This was great. Perhaps a little long for my personality liking but the grappling was done super well. You could feel the toll it takes on both. Murdoch isn’t spritely on his feet but he knows how to wear down Reed with all of his strength. He had a ton of cool techniques as well like his hammerlock from the front, with the occasional body punch to make it more painful and uncomfortable to be in. Reed’s selling was excellent and his surging comeback was terrific. A great tease for his eventual title win next month. ****1/2
Jim Breaks vs. Adrian Street - Joint Promotions 12/02/1972
Adrian Street is known for having a rather effeminate gimmick designed to get a rise out of his opponent (or sometimes the crowd depending on where he was). And that character was on display for sure. The 1700s dress, the prancing/skipping around and the glamorous way Street let the ref touch him down for weapons, extending his legs in an exaggerated way. Breaks would bite at his antics by screaming at him in his typical cry-baby ways, and it was always great when that happened. Street would get a kick out of the rise himself which would make it better. The match wasn’t just Street getting his gimmick over however. The match was focused around serious grappling that was both rough and snug. There were a lot of violent holds that could’ve easily snapped a hand if they weren’t careful. Breaks is no-nonsense unlike Street so most of that was initiated from him but Street was a match for him technique wise and was able to rough it up just as much. Any time Breaks would look to break Street’s wrist, Street would reverse it and lock on a bone crunching hold in return. Breaks was the de facto face, I think, but he was still a real cunt, snapping at Street’s arm after one of the rounds had ended. Street would get some revenge in the next round by ripping at Breaks’ mouth and nose whilst he had Breaks in a side headlock. The match was full of little things like that. I loved Jim Breaks getting a submission (British rules needs two sub wins to win the match or one pin overall) off a Jim Breaks special (lifts opponent by the wrist) and then says to Street “If you can’t carry on, get out!”. It’s so awesome. The final round was tremendous too. Street needed to win that round to cause a draw, so he increases the intensity and urgency of his wrestling, overwhelms Breaks and stomps on his arm while he’s on the floor. One great final flurry from Street before he got the submission win via the Double-Arm Chicken Wing. The match is declared a draw but what a great match it was. Terrific bout. ****1/2
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