Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 51: Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor 4/28/85

The champ is in town tonight! Slick Ric makes his way to the Mid South Territory as the traveling NWA Champion. During the 80s Flair’s defenses in the territories produced perhaps more great matches and fondly remembered moments than his work in Crockett Promotions at the time. Well, maybe not. He is the greatest of all time.

Terry Taylor was supposed to be great. He was groomed to be great, and in the end, his mind might be remembered for being great. But for my age group, he’s remembered more as the Red Rooster than as a possible NWA Heavyweight champion. This match, possibly at the SuperDome (I’ll have to find out and try to make a note). It’s a title match main event, so I’ll be laying the match out in this review in broader form. Those who hate closer move analysis can rejoice. This is all about trends.

Taylor and Flair face off in the middle of the ring. Taylor looks like he belongs, but Flair’s presence just dwarfs the younger Taylor. It’s not that Flair does a lot when they show each competitor the belt, show the fans, and then they back up as the bell rings. There is something about the confidence in the man, and the storyline and real life test the local opponent is about to face that comes across on TV. The fans are not boisterous for the match, but they’re engrossed in it.

First ten minutes separates certain fans from others in terms of taste. I thought it was very interesting, if not slow building. It told a story step by step. At the same time, by the ten minute mark you might be off and day dreaming.

The early story is them trading holds. Lots of Greco-Roman hand lockups or collar and elbow tie ups. I like matches with a beautiful simplicity woven in. No matter where they go, or how elaborate, it comes back to something. With Flair-Steamboat, it was the headlock. Other times I’ve seen it as the armdrag into arm bar. Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli has an infamous polarizing match a year or so back based around a headlock. The fifteen minute match was Claudio trying to work his way out of a headlock, and once he finally was free and clear, he pinned Danielson. A lot of people didn’t like it or didn’t react. I don’t think fan cheers always equal success. I found the match engrossing. Sometimes risks aren’t always chairshots and big dives. Going outside of the normal template to portray your art.

Flair does this often, and in this match it was Taylor constantly getting him in an arm wringer and hammerlock. Only a few times does he strike the left arm (knees to the arm on the ground), so the damage early is portrayed more as a mental advantage and some pain. Flair has a timeless style using this stuff as a base, because it doesn’t look out of place with today OR 1955. That’s one of the reason’s Flair is often mentioned in my posts. He as a worker was an inspiration for much of the 80s and 90s, and he is the bridge linking today with the Lou Thesz era, just as Thesz linked the 1940s and Ed Lewis with the 1970s and Flair.

Flair shows several emotions. He gets frustrated and outwrestled, but has the presence to scramble away and regroup. He also jaws with the fans. He shows respect for Taylor at first, seeing that he can’t intimidate him so easily, and shakes his hand on a few exchanges he loses. Each time he changes up how he attacks Taylor, only to get caught in a left arm hold. There’s even a pin attempt within the first four minutes. It builds to Flair losing his patience and cheating a bit.

In the twelfth minute, with Terry Taylor running the ropes, Ric Flair grabs him and sends him flying through the middle rope. Taylor slowly gets up, and Flair actually extends his hand to pull Taylor in. Your expecting him to crotch Taylor as he steps through the ropes, but Flair waits until Taylor’s feet are both planted in the ring, then levels him with a chop.

Fliar gets incredibly aggressive with all his offense from here forward. All striking and choking. He pokes at Taylor’s eyes and runs them on the ropes. Taylor is thrown to the outside more than once. Flair starts getting difficult with the ref. Flair employs a classic cheat move: He grabs a wrist lock, turns into a variation of an arm bar, and pulls on the ropes as the ref checks on Taylor. He pulls him all around the ring to different spots, inciting the crowd and yelling back at them. Crowd chants for Terry Taylor.

When Taylor has had enough he uses several illegal fists. Problem is the ref is sticking to the rules, so as he’s knocking Flair silly the ref grabs his hand. Flair, moments after pulling the hair, immediately goes to the groin. That served as a Taylor hope spot.

Here’s a problem for me. A spot we see in Modern times by HHH, the shoving match with the ref, is played with the ref knocking Flair around a bit. I never liked that. I don’t mind (I encourage in fact) a strong ref as an authority figure. But I don’t think that man should be super human in a small body. Counter-productive spot that gets some heat, but doesn’t serve as a true DQ tease.

Taylor comes back with a desperation sleeper. Flair sells to the point of pinfall attempt, and it serves as a great false finish (now used very well by Brian Danielson) when he barely moves and puts his foot up on the rope.

Taylor starts working on Flair’s leg, and Flair begs off while selling. He really could get a crowd crazy with how he’d be smug and cheat, then manic and fearful as a guilty victim. Always too, it was Flair buying time to think of his next plan, often sucker a dopey babyface in. Here we see a few well timed Flair reversals and chops that only lead to “superman” babyface answers.

For the record: Flair takes an awesome Back Body Drop. Taylor works Flair’s legs more, which is interesting because a lot of times that’s Flair’s game. Some submissions, including a Boston Crab. We’re 20 minutes in, and now the match is really moving. Nothing is burned out, but all the pawn pieces are off the table. Wide open spaces in front.

Flair tries a desperation sleeper. That doesn’t hold, and his leg is weak, but he finds enough to again send Taylor for a bump through the middle rope. One of the best sunset flip spot and battle I’ve seen in all my years when Taylor gets back in. Flair fights out. Backslide attempt from Taylor. The fans count a great pin attempt. Flair is really intense here, and the sense of purpose is making me buy in. This was a 3 ¼ to 3 ½ before the last 3 minutes. It’s at 3 ½ and rising now.

Flair loses a punching battle and flips over the top rope for a huge bump. He’s suplexed back in. Cover. 1-2-NO! I have the say Taylor really held up his end in this one. What Dibiase and Taylor could have been in the early 90s with another booker and structure. Flair with a think comeback and strike of Taylor’s knee. He’s in control again. Flair targets the knee with good deliberate timing.

Flair tries like hell for the figure four twice, but gets kicked off. He posts Taylor’s knee as punishment. He tries again, and gets kicked out of the ring. Now Taylor chases Flair. Crowd loves this. Holy Shit! The most brilliantly executed spot that no one uses. Taylor is slow to climb back in the ring as he gives chase. He steps in and quickly steps back over the bottom rope as Flair knees him. So Taylor falls back, but his foot is caught in the ropes. So now Flair can destroy the knee and leg further. 28 minutes in.

A minute later Terry gets a hope spot, choosing to sacrifice the knee by atomic dropping Flair on it. Why he couldn’t suplex him is beyond me. Taylor sells the damage though. EDITING CRAP! Or trick, or tape mess up. Whatever it was they cut to an older clip of people chanting for Terry Taylor from earlier in the match, then right to Flair getting the Fig Four on. HORRIBLE time to edit in such an important part. What did they cut out?! Taylor really sells the knee and it looks like he never gives up. The ref calls for the bell and Flair is the winner. That, and it’s in Oklahoma City, not the Super Dome. Silly me. 3 ¾ stars and 8/10.

More Match Discussion Here

Edit: Since viewing and typing up my review, I’ve gone on the DVDVR Mess. Board and heard some broad criticism (broad in terms of Taylor and Flair on the set, not the match itself) of Flair in Mid South, or Taylor as a bland babyface. Thought it would be important to address the site.

Once again, Taylor is handicapped for his overall week-to-week feel than the match itself. Same thing happened with Brad Armstrong. I’m watching the matches in a vacuum, and for this set, that is not only fine, but I’d say encouraged (at least before ranking as a group). Also, Flair has a style that I love, and a lot of people reviewing seem to like Duggan, who‘s style is something I’ve gotta have an open mind about. Goes to show the vast views of wrestling, and how a gassed up guy screaming in a silly costume as the mainstream template really shows Vince Mc. really did get his way in the end.