Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Tiger Mask vs. Eddie Gilbert (Philly 11/25/82)

I know there’s a talking point/school of thought emerging out there (of course this is all random opinion and not a completely unified thought)that the Tiger Mask/Dynamite Kid matches don’t hold up, or never were that great, and that Tiger Mask was a bit of a spot monkey without logic at times (I welcome any clarifications on these generalizations). I have to say that I was excited to see this match, and it wasn’t my first viewing, because I’ve always loved Tiger Mask and the underdog role he played. The moves are unique for the times, the excitement is there, and the matches are usually fun. That’s the big thing. I have fun watching Tiger Mask.

Early stuff is typical Tiger Mask, and Eddie Gilbert is agreeable. Odd seeing the young Gilbert here, as he reminds me of late 70s Ted Dibiase visually. Bizarre moment early when Tiger Mask got a leg lock and just stood there for a while. Even Gilbert was relaxed, looking back in the hold like, “are we going or what?”

Crowd is tentative at first, but they get won over, which is nice to see given that Philly would later bore ECW. Dick what’s-his-name is a great local bumpkin announcer, and Gorilla is typically middle of the road for my tastes. They blend fine together. The casual talk of the $200 masks from Mexico was gold. The running ropes portions with these two wrestlers are really great, and I definitely feel like Gilbert gave a lot to this match. Mask was so damn quick – I love it. Gilbert’s head scissors and the way he achieves a hold is nearly as impressive as Mask’s. I loved when Mask did a spin kick that didn’t fully land, Gilbert sold for a second, then got right up and stalked him with a clenched fist. There’s a lot of little things in this match I’m loving.

There are times when it feels a little empty (not quite slow, but there gaps where there seems to be miscommunication or a question as to where they are going), but it’s slight. The finish was so quick that it didn’t seem like the announcers were sure who won (Tiger Mask). Overall great stuff, and more importantly, a fun match.