Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 68: Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts (7/22/85)

Alright, this is awesome. Did I not just say I wanted to see more of these two? Here I thought I’d have to track down 1989-1991 WWF footage, and yet they give me the continuation of the feud we saw earlier. Williams is seconding the focused Dibiase, while the crazy stomping man, The Barbarian, has Jake the Snake’s back. I guess the heat is on Dibiase because he’s a bigger star then Williams and Jake is a super over babyface.

This is one of those fun little matches made by defined characters and those wrestlers presence, along with their seconds. Real simple stuff, so it’s fun and easy to follow. Jake wants revenge on the heels, he wants the tag belts eventually, and he wants to do it all with the DDT finisher.

As they circle to start Jake points the ref to the black glove and wants the ref to check Dibiase. Ref can’t find anything. Fans are chanting “DDT” early. They do a lot of all inclusive spots early, which I love. It’s not just nonsense offense, it all has a little tit-for-tat story. Dibiase punches and Jake blocks, stare down and Dibiase goes outside to talk to Doc. They engage again, and Dibiase keeps sending Jake down with a hair pull off an arm wringer, but Jake finally does it to him. Dibiase really hams up how upset he is about the turnabout. Somewhere in here Jake gets on the mic and calls Dibiase a “weasel”, which is what the face team is getting the audience to call Ted Dibiase during this feud.

They exchange again back and forth and we get our first DDT tease from Jake. Dibiase bails out to the comfort and advice of Dr. Death. “Weasel” chants. I’m enjoying the basic stuff.

Test of strength leads to kicks to the gut, and on the last one Dibiase slumps forward and Jake grabs him for a DDT. The 2nd tease as Dibiase, frustrated, gets out of the ring and is hesitant to return. People eat this up. As a side note you can hear the Barbarian yelling at his counterpart cornerman, “Stay out, Doctor, stay out!” He sounds like Jesse Ventura.5 minutes gone by.

They let Jake out-clever Dibiase one more time and tease a third DDT before Dibiase turns it around going in and out of the ring and having Jake chase him. Real good elbow drop as catches Jake as he comes back in. Dibiase goes to the face a lot here, but sent to the ropes, Jake pinpoints a knee lift. I was gonna complain this is a big hope spot so quickly, but it’s a bigger piece to the puzzle. Dibiase loads the glove, the fans go crazy yelling to Jake, but Jake eats a fist and drops. Enough distractions around the ring he unloads the glove before being checked.

Ted Dibiase is great with the heat segments as I’ve said over and over, and my enjoyment goes up watching him. He right away tries to cover (well, first thing after a minute), but Jake kicks out. His partner tries to rally him. Everything is centered around the face, and I think Jake is busted open. He is bleeding. A barrage of well placed punches as Jake tries to stand and not get knocked down make him seem like a hero. Dibiase is slightly frustrated, but mad more than anything. He goes up to the second rope with 10 minutes gone by for a big move. A double ax handle quiets the crowd and stops Jake, but he won’t stay down for a pin.

Dibiase puts on the sleeper and Jake’s going out. Fans chant “DDT” at him for encouragement, and he gets out with a chin breaker. Great use of a rest hold to get the crowd going.

Ending is a bit goofy in that Jake fires up and punches, but when he hits the ropes Doc trips him. That part is fine. Barb chases Doc, who runs into the ring and for some reason runs the ropes instead of diving under the other side (he also has to pass Jake). He runs the ropes and gets clobbered by the Barbarian when returning, and Dibiase (who was dropping down to avoid his partner) gets hit as he bounces back. Jake pins Dibiase for the win. The bloody Jake is helped out of the ring by his corner man who celebrates.

Really enjoyable simple stuff here. Nothing mind blowing. Not the match of the set. But very clever in the way the Murdoch-Nightmare match was, and this had two great wrestlers/characters to hold it together. It won’t place top twenty, but I hope it ends up in the top half for how enjoyable it was. 3 ½ and 7.1/10.

Match Discussion Here