Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 120: Terry Gordy vs. Terry Taylor (6/13/86)

This match is a shining example of why this debate and list is fun, but by no means true or complete. We’re about to get into some serious Gordy at this level, and Gordy is one of the best big men of all time. He was also booked well in Mid South, booked strong, and had a very over crew. Matches will come up that should be top 20 matches. This match, however, is a case of what would have happened. Not inside the ring, but for the sake of the rankings.

If you follow the time announcements as I do you’ll know we come into this match 15 minutes through the contest. Terry Gordy is the Champion of the UWF, the newly renamed Mid South without NWA attachments, and a dominant champion at that. He goes neckbreaker to pin attempt, then another neck break with another pin attempt. He then wears Taylor down with a sleeper. He gets his hope spots, but Gordy keeps pounding him and trying to wear him down with more sleepers.

Now, what the heck happened during the first 15 minutes of this match?! It ends with Taylor making one last big push through the Gordy offense, before the bumping big man cuts him off with a giant clotheline and clean pin. It’s a straight 3 stars decent to good match on tape, but I missed the first 15 minutes that could have made it a 4 or 4 ½ star match. This has the last ten minutes of a pretty good match, especially with 15 minutes before it, but I can’t judge it like that. So I have to plop it in a sea of 3 star and 6/10 matches and see it fall somewhere out of my top 50, all the while wondering if that first 15 minutes made it a top 20 match. Frustrating.

The match was very good. Slow in short for with the sleepers, but not over the course of the original 25 minutes allotted. Great finish and some strong selling and bumping from both. Alot of throat work done and wear down psychology that gets lost modern day but does resonate here. I also love that Ref Gilbert wouldn’t count the pin at one point because Gordy suplexed Taylor in from the outside. Wish I knew more. 3 stars and 6/10.