Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 81: The Fantastics vs. Buzz Sawyer & Dick Slater (10/27/85)

We know who the faces are in this (It’s the Fantastics if you don’t follow this blog). The heels I know from the Mid Atlantic territory. I’ve heard Dick Slater is someone to follow through the territories as he doesn’t get the credit. Sawyer is said to be just crazy, and he’s been dead quite a while. Now that I’ve downed this intro, let’s get to the match.

Woman and kids love the Fantastics. I have no idea why, but they push forward almost to the ring to touch them. This is from Oklahoma City and was broadcast on Mid South’s Pro Power Wrestling show. Tommy Rogers and Buzz Sawyer start. Rogers would do well in today’s ROH if he dropped dead weight Bobby Fulton. Fans do the faces don’t tag thing where the heel gets upset and charges the ring , distracting the ref. It’s silly, but it’s cute. The beginning of this match falls in the fun/cute zone, especially when Fulton is in there (not always a compliment).

Mostly arm bars with tags to the other face for some hot move at the time that was flashy then but isn’t much now. They’re athletic, but there’s not much to the Fans at times. Slater is like Tracy Smothers in ECW, which isn’t the worst thing. It is entertainment.

Sawyer in with Rogers is fun because he’s smaller and Sawyer is a goon. Plus Roger’s runs the ropes a lot to create moement, distracting from the fact these two don’t have much to do with one another. Roger wipes out just diving towards Sawyer, and Dick Slater beats up Rogers on the outside. Couldn’t really see it with bad camera angles. Glad they are getting the heat on Rogers, who I think is much better at selling and comebacks. Fulton is better at the hot tag Robert Gibson role.

Roger’s fight for the tag and hope spots are great, and his selling of moves is equally big. He redeems the match for me. Hot tag, cluster with Fulton moving/diving a lot without doing much of anything, and he gets caught by Slater. They finish him quick with a primitive looking “Hart Attack” (the old Hart Foundation finisher), and that’s it. Abrupt ending to a short match for a house show. Perhaps the Fantastics were leaving the territory.

A decent little match that would barely get a nod or tip of the hat if it was on RAW next week oe anytime in the last ten years. Even for its time, just some solid spots and small things, not something put together as a whole. 2 ¼ and 5/10.

Match Discussion Here