Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 71: Ric Flair vs. Butch Reed (8/10/85)

Flair is the heel touring NWA champion, who has been a great guest star throughout this compilation. Butch Reed was a resident heel in Mid South before turning in a great angle detailed earlier in the set (it involves Buddy Landell, Skandor Akbar, and some detail work involving a watch. Classic!) This is one of those big time Super dome matches for the NWA World Title, so I assume Butch Reed is holding the North American Title here, but that’s not a definite. Also, this match is announced as NO DQ. Reed seems happy about that.

I’m looking to see if Reed can really hang here. He’s shown me flashes of brilliance, and it’ said if you see the weekly TV he’d be majorly over with me, but I’m not as hot on him as many others. Dick Murdoch and the Guerrerros were revelations, and so far Reed has been a tentative thumbs up. This will probably be the deciding factor.

First ten minutes is grab a hold, kid. That’s good. It’s what they tell you to do if you lose your place in a match. These two didn’t lose there place so much as they’re going long, and this is wrestling workers equivalent of building from the ground up. Hammerlocks, wrist locks, and most prominent – headlocks.

Flair tries for a pins with roll ups, but he’s stuck in a side headlock much of the time. It’s a formula that is familiar, though this is way more dominated by Reed and the laying headlock. He doesn’t do much with it until after the ten minute mark. I’d have thought him a power man in this match, but the only “big move” so far has been a suplex by Reed. Also, great drop down and leapfrog spot. Reed can be very athletic, and I think 1985 Flair might have been his vintage wine year.

Flair finally gets out of the headlocks 12 minutes in, and though he’s mildly successful with chops, he remains dominated more than usual in this one. Reed just punches the crap out of him, and in one case it’s in the mount. Flair hasn’t shown much but begging off and selling here. It’s worked at Reed’s pace for the first twenty, which is giving of Flair considering the situation.

Flair starts making Reed chase him, and is successful the first time, but just gets a count from the ref the second time. Reed is being smart an generally making Flair come to him. It’s almost twenty minutes in that we get a test of strength, and I’m left wondering why Flair would playing into that (storyline wise), especially so late. Side headlocks and front facelocks where on Flair as we approach the 20 minute mark.

Too slow with much story in the first twenty, though the wrestling itself has been good. They’ve shown brief sparks but Reed has really stalled this out with rest holds, and I’m just hoping all these front face locks and headlocks will mean anything because they aren’t a proper display of Reed’s power advantage or size. Flair is creative in trying to get out, but it’s not much.

This is getting ridiculous! I respect working your way out of a hold, but you gotta work it (Low Ki vs American Dragon matches in 2001-02 come to mind). If you have the hold, grind it out, wear him down, and show the audience you’re doing it. I’m just not seeing that here, with the exception of Flair forcing Reed into the buckle at rare moments.

25 minutes in Flair chops his way out, but Reed throws him in Flair’s very own figure four. They struggle, but he makes the ropes. Then he’s forced to again. I guess this is the Flair gets dominated match, but it’s 25 minutes and they’ve barely been out of first gear.

Crowd is still with them, came alive for the fig four, and really cheer as Reed pulls Flair to the post and (maybe) slams the knee on the steel post. Reed works over the knee and Nature boy is in trouble. Eye gouge clears that up, and Reed goes over the top rope a minute later.

30 minutes into the match. Great Reed roll up and press slam. Crowd not totally into a Reed pin/near fall. They get very loud when Flair tries a flash pin on Reed using the ropes. Now it’s coming together (a little late I’d say) with Reed winning a punch battle, and Flair flailing before finally dropping. The title looks to be slipping away, but Flair is fighting the beating he’s taken.

Crowd actually counts along with a near fall on Flair in the middle, so Flair’s total beating is paying off. Reed can’t keep the shoulders down. Flair rolls to the ropes and the place is buzzing. I don’t quite get it, but it’s not like the match has been bad. A frustrated Reed threatens the ref because he can’t get the pin on Flair. He hit him a minute back with a killer piledriver that I’m surprised wasn’t a finish, and now he sends him hard over the top rope. Reed out to stalk Flair. Beating continues, and back in the ring he throws him.

Reed continues through the 35th minute with punches, a suplex, but fails to pin Fair for the 3 count. Flair comeback by straddling Reed on the top rope. He finally has the advantage for more than a moment.

Suplexes, pin attempts, and kicks to the knee highlight Flair’s offense. Both men look spent. They announce “50 minutes gone by” as Flair works on the knee some more. It’s actually 40, but I guess they are hoping no one is counting. Flair throws on the Figure Four a minute later. He tries it again, but Reed rolls him up. Reed seems like he’s got nothing left. Outside, Flair takes a post shot, then another.

We’re at 45 minutes and Reed is beating the crap out of Flair. The crowd seems content to just watch, though it might be a crowd lost in the dome sound wise. I just don’t feel inspired by a lumbering Reed and a decent selling Flair.

Picks up again as they start announcing 5 minutes left, then 4, then 3. They’re still pretending the match is ten minutes ahead. Reed grabs a sleeper at the 3 minutes left mark. I just don’t see the value, and it kills the crowd here. Then we get a horribly contrived ref bump. Flair tosses Reed over the top rope with two minutes left. He’s bleeding pretty good. Crowd back for a false finish on Flair. Then another. Sloppy and uninspired. What are people talking about with Reed. Kerry Von Erich manages to understand the idea of urgency more clearly.

10 seconds to go this dipshit Butch Reed presses Flair above his head and holds him up, throws him down as the bell rings and doesn’t even get a visual fall with the time running out. Flair does try to play dead, but he should slap Reed for wasting his time. Yuck to this time limit draw.

This is the longest match on the set at 50 minutes. I have no idea why they pretend it’s an hour, but that’s one of many problems I found. I tend to like the epic format, especially with Flair. This, however, was Flair trying in vain to carry this ass after he wasted the first 40 minutes being in control and yet not allowing Flair to work his match. I of all people am for the art form, and Flair switching up his game, but even with a million rest hold submissions that DID NOT play into any part of the match at ANY TIME, Butch Reed was blown up and doing illogical spots at different times in the last 15, 10, and five minutes. Not only that, he managed to make those look bad. Flair was not perfection here, but he was completely on from 20 minutes out of the finish. Even with a blade job and great selling down the stretch he never looked in solid peril. Was Reed trying to wear him down? Why was Reed the one exhausted then? I can come up with good worked reasons, but it’s stretching to say this was somehow great just because it went 50 minutes. The weakest broadway I’ve ever seen, and I wanted to look through rose colored glasses as Flair retired Sunday night (it’s 4.3.08 as I write this). 2 ¾ stars and 5/10.

(Note: It’s come to my attention post-review that this match WAS a 60 minute draw. About 10-12 minutes was clipped out at about the 35 minute mark, or about where Flair takes charge. I believe it’s pre-Flair on offense. No matter, my rating sticks. The clipping only serves to hurt it, and frankly, I was not alone in not noticing the cut. Amazingly, this is tracking well with a lot of other voters.)

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