The one where young Kawada is over-matched and they destroy his knee.

This is from the final day of the ’88 RWTL, a tourney not only held every year but also deciding the Unified World Tag Team Championship. Fans are behind Kawada as he starts the match with the bigger Gordy. Gordy shoulderblocks and suplexes for an early pin attempt. Hansen comes in and narrowly misses as spin kick. Then he falls victim to a sunset flip and gets pissed, Gordy making Kawada pay on the outside. Kawada reverses on a whip and spinkicks Gordy, and Gordy ducks outside once Tenryu is tagged in. Tenryu has success against Gordy until a reversal and dropkick. Hansen tags in and he and Tenryu slap back and forth. Hansen takes it outside, then back in, hammering Tenryu with offense before a chinlock. Gordy and Tenryu chop the crap out of each other before Kawada tags in for some stiff kick revenge. Five minutes gone.

Hansen takes over on Kawada, but Kawada dropkicks him out of the ring and planchas him. This only pisses off Hansen more, and Tenryu kicks him in the head multiple times from the apron. Gordy ends up taking over, hitting a big Samoan drop. Kawada hits a thick lariat on Gordy, then they double team him as Tenryu takes over. He slows it down with a leg vice on Gordy’s neck. Hansen runs in to break that up, and Grody kills Tenryu with a clothesline in the corner. Hansen in, but Tenryu meets him with a clothesline of his own. Tenryu’s chops in this match are sick. Ten minutes gone.

Kawada tags in with high impact, stiff offense that gets the crowd stirring. He’s overzealous, and Gordy gets him from behind after he stomps Hansen. Hansen sells, then tags in Gordy. Kawada hits a shocking German suplex that Hansen has to break up, then he kicks at Kawada’s knee and lariats Tenryu off the apron. Gordy recovers in the ring while Tenryu/Kawada sell outside. Kawada goes after Hansen outside, and Hansen destroys his knee like a badass vet, while Gordy takes apart Tenryu in the ring. Several good nearfalls at this point that you could buy as the finish. Crowd chants for Tenryu as Hansen takes over after a double team shoulderblock. He can’t get the pin. Tenryu has a chopping hope spot, but he’s double-teamed. Gordy beats on Kawada’s leg on the outside. The drama builds. Fifteen minutes gone.

Gordy with a powerbomb on Tenryu and cover, and Kawada somehow gets into the ring and attacks Gordy. Hansen takes him outside and works on the leg, but the crowd is energized, and a flash roll up pin from Tenryu has everyone hoping for a comeback. Hansen comes in and kicks at his head, and Tenryu drops him into a leg submission. Gordy breaks that up after going after Kawada at ringside. He does it again, even more violently, Kawada’s pants now ripped around the knee, as Tenryu mounts a comeback in the ring. Gordy gets in and lariats Tenryu to stop the comeback. Tenryu gets to his feet first and hits two enzuigiris and then his diving elbow for a near fall. Gordy illegally comes in to keep the advantage. Twenty minutes gone.

Gordy misses a lariat in the corner and Tenryu comes out with a kick to Hansen’s face. Enzuigiri and powerbomb by Tenryu on Hansen gets a two count that Gordy breaks up. Stan stand and signals the lariat arm. The crowd is buzzing. He knees Tenryu in the head, chops him, then destroys him with a lariat. Slow pin at 21 minutes as Hansen and Gordy win.

The first ten minutes are so active and well executed. Stiff shots and lots of tags, showdowns, and definitions of who these wrestlers are within the context of the match. We see Kawada as the plucky underling who has irrational confidence in the face of these monsters. Don’t whip him into the ropes or you’re screwed. Tenryu is motivated and won’t back down, ALMOST showing emotion even. He comes across as a ring general and brings the match up and down, like Hansen does offensively for his team. And his chops are SICK. We know what Gordy and Hansen are, and they try to be as powerful, rough, and stiff as you’d expect. The more Kawada surprises them, the more pissed off they get. And Kawada is inspired in this match, so when Hansen or Gordy sell for him, you root for the guy to keep it going, knowing he’s going to get overzealous and get the crap kicked out of him.

This match gets even more intense after the ten minute mark where you’d think there might be a dragging section. Hansen has had enough of Kawada, takes of Tenryu, and leaves Kawada on the floor. Kawada is so crazy he comes after Hansen on his apron, leading to Hansen taking his leg apart while Gordy handles Tenryu perfectly in the ring. Hansen gets in and continues beating Tenryu, and the drama only builds. Every near fall looks like the end. This has drama, an in-match story, and urgency, plus the move execution looks compelling and people actually sell stuff. I loved Kawada saving Gordy from the powerbomb, and all of Tenryu’s hope spots were great.

By twenty minutes I’m amazed they’ve kept the drama going and paced this so well. Gordy/Hansen constantly double team to keep Tenryu down and Kawada hurt at ringside, until Tenryu is taking them both on in the ring. Great final minutes and it ended at the right time, with the match being a perfectly length. Really debating whether this is my new number 1, but it’s definitely in my top 4. The only negative I can argue is the story didn’t allow for much of a comeback, but maybe it didn’t need it. 4 ¾ stars and 9.5/10

Two established top teams here as we get yet another tag team struggle.

Right away you know this won’t be a technical battle, as Gordy and Hara, and then Tenryu and Hansen, come to heavy blows. Tenryu gets worked over by Gordy and tries to strike out of it, Gordy Gordy is just a machine coming forward. Hansen adds to this beating, and they throw in a few double moments whenever they tag. Tenryu tags out out of desperation, and a fresh Hara fares better for a moment. Then Gordy drops him on his head and sends him to ringside for a Hansen beating. Five minutes gone.

Hara shakes off the punishment and takes the advantage, tagging in Tenryu. Tenryu goes for an armbar when Hansen goes after the leg. Gordy/Hansen then take over on Hara, showing some good, stiff offense. Hara looks far tougher fighting back in there for brief moments than Tenryu has so far. They rough Hara up on the outside, then Hansen suplexes him back in from the apron. Gordy gets in and starts some leg work. Ten minutes gone.

The leg work was really total body work, it would seem. Tenryu takes the hot tag, but Hansen/Gordy swarm him and beat him down with punches and clubbing forearms. Gordy teases the powerbomb and gets backbody-dropped, but Hara can’t hold the advantage when he tags in. Hansen is exacting in shutting down one comeback, then wavers when Tenryu/Hara double team him. But they can’t even get a two count with Hansen K.O.’ed from a double enzuigiri. Gordy tosses them both outside and brawls with them while Hansen recovers. Violent as hell. And then Hansen gets up and dives out of the ring, literally, to attack Tenryu. Vicious beating as all four men brawl around ringside, using chairs. Hansen seems to humiliate Tenryu more before the ref calls for the bell at about 15 minutes.

What badasses Gordy and Hansen are! I mean, this is a stiff, rough match here. Not super intense or anything untl the end, but these two give out a beating in those first twelve minutes. Hara actually looks somewhat tough for briefly fighting them off, while Tenryu is made to look weak by comparison. At one moment he breaks up a Hansen pin, and Hansen gets up and bulldozes Tenryu out of the ring. Then he gets back in, and Hansen backs him down while Gordy and he beat on Hara more. The story Hansen/Gordy control a ton of the match and Hara/Tenryu are fighting from underneath, taking massive damage but not giving up, while trying to stand up to these two big men. They can’t even get a two count (thanks to Gordy) after K.O.ing Hansen with a double enzuigiri. We get a crazy Hansen dive and then all four beat the piss out of each other with chairs and fists in the crowd. Hansen really seemed to destroy Tenryu at the end. Totally humbled the guy here. Good for what it was, but this won’t go super high or low for me. 3 ¼ stars and 6.4/10

This is the Final for the 1987 Real World Tag League, pitting natives versus foreigners.

First five minutes is a basic feeling out period. Hansen and Tenryu is the most spirited exchange. There is a point where all four men brawl in the ring, but mostly its guys wading in, testing the waters as to what might work.

Hansen goes to work on Hara’s arm, and then Gordy switches the arm to work on the left one. Hara comes back with a big lariat, and then Tenryu continues with a lariat of his own on Gordy. Slow pace as Tenryu drops Gordy down into his leg scissors resthold. Gordy works out of it and takes control as we hit the ten minute mark.

Hansen works a sleeper on Tenryu, hits a back elbow, and tags Gordy in. Gordy with a great Samoan drop that rouses the crowd, before grabbing an abdominal stretch. Gordy uses his size, and a double team suplex, to keep Tenryu at bay. Hansen then piledrives Tenryu on the outside, and Hara dives on top of Tenryu to save him from more of a beating. It doesn’t help. Gordy holds Tenryu while Hansen kicks him, and then Hansen continues methodically beating Tenryu as we hit 15 minutes gone.

Hansen pulls Tenryu to the outside and smashes his head across the timekeepers table, then rolls him back inside. He’s trying to open a cut on Tenryu’s head. Gordy continues with a heavy backdrop driver. Tenryu hits an enzuigiri on Gordy just as Hansen comes in to knock him down, and the hot tag is a bit of a mess. Hara comes in with a lariat, headbutt, and shoulder blocks on Gordy, and he tags in Hansen. Hansen takes a spill over the top turnbuckle and Tenryu goes after him for revenge on the floor. Hara gets a near fall back in the ring. Hara back drop drivers Hansen for another near fall. Twenty minutes gone.

Hansen appears in trouble, though the tone and pinfall attempts aren’t that harrowing. They work double team moves and pin attempts on him, but can’t keep him down. Tenryu attempts an octopus twice before getting it, and Hara takes out Gordy from saving Hansen three times. Actually sounds like the crowd is chanting for Hansen. Gordy tosses Hansen his cow bell, which he uses to free himself from Tenryu. Gordy the destroys Hara in the corner, taking him out. 25 minutes gone.

Gordy tags in and hits several moves, gaining close near falls and bringing energy to the match. Good lariat for a near fall/kick out moment. Tenryu comes back with an enzuigri, but misses the diving elbow. Gordy teases a powerbomb, and Hara knocks him to the ringside floor. Hara takes out Hansen when he attemots to charge Tenryu, who has an ab stretch on Gordy. Tenryu finishes the job on Hansen, and Gordy tries to suplex him back in. Tenryu changes it to an abdominal stretch, but Hansen lariats him off. They all roll outside and sell, and now the the crowd is really hot. Ref Higuchi calls a countout loss for both men at 29 minutes.

Very little of note happens in the first ten minutes, as they keep the pace relatively slow, with a few flare ups sparked by Hansen, short arm work on Hara, and some great lariats on Gordy. You can tell this one is going long. The methodical pace continues in the next ten minutes, though Gordy has some bright spots using big man moves, and Tenryu takes a double team beating inside and outside of the ring from the Americans. The crowd, and myself, are slowly getting into the story as we hit the fifteen minute mark.

Hansen is being perfectly vicious, trying to open a cut, and Gordy might be as much a bullying force as we’ve seen him on this set, but I guess my malaise has less to do with the pace and more to do with the fact that Tenryu’s facials and selling does not make him very sympathetic to me. Tenryu as FIP is okay, but in a long match there isn’t much drama (or near falls to enhance this) as we reach twenty minutes.

Hot tag just sort of happens, but Hara brings the fire, Gordy bumps well, and then Hansen takes a big bump over the turnbuckle so Tenryu can get appropriate revenge. Hansen gets worked over a bunch, and I’m happy to see Hara/Tenryu continually going for pins, though I don’t sense urgency or danger in much of this. The match settles into strong, but ultimately workmanlike pace more often than not. The cow bell shit was something different, and Gordy brought this to it’s most interesting level and excitement in the last few minutes with his movement and near falls. The last five minutes is really great (I mean really good until the finish), and I wish more of the match would have had this feel and point/counterpoint process. Didn’t like the finish because it felt like it ruined the great momentum they build after waiting 25 minutes to take this to the next level. 3 ¼ stars and 6.6/10

Jumbo forms a team with former rival and Choshu lieutenant, Yatsu, to take on the big man team of Hansen/Gordy.

Hansen/Gordy work Jumbo’s arm early. Good execution, tags, and focused work. Gordy gets caught and Yatsu gets a short run with Gordy, before Hansen tags in and works Yatsu over. Yatsu and Gordy trade backdrops , and Gordy/Hansen remain in control. Five minutes gone.

Jumbo takes over on Hansen, wrenching the lariat arm in several mat holds. Double high knee on Hansen, and Jumbo stomps the arm afterwards. Yatsu continues the damage while Hansen clubs his way out of harm. He tags in Gordy, who holds his own with Yatsu but eats a lariat from Jumbo. He’s up and in control really quick. Jumbo gets roughed on the outside by an illegal Hansen, injuring Jumbo just as we reach the ten minute mark.

When Hansen gets in he continues a focus Gordy started on Jumbo’s back (probably from the damage Hansen did to it outside the ring. Backdrops, Boston crabs, devastating knees, and all that great back breaking stuff. Hansen grabs Jumbo’s knee to keep him from maing the hot tag, and Gordy comes in with a camel clutch. Yatsu interferes so Hansen does too, and soon all four men are out brawling at ringside. Jumbo makes the hot tag once back in and Yatsu has an offensive run on Gordy. Hansen tags in, reverses momentum for a moment, but misses a high knee in the corner. Yatsu goes to work on Hansen’s knee. Fifteen minutes gone.

Yatsu continues on the knee, Gordy interferes, and Jumbo gets in his way. Yatsu puts Hansen in the figure four, and Hansen struggles to block it. Jumbo for some reason tries to pin Gordy. There’s some confusion, and then Hansen hits a big lariat on Yatsu, Yatsu rolls outside, and gets counted out. Gordy/Hansen win in 19 minutes.

Pretty basic, by-the-numbers first ten minutes where no one looks bad, but nothing really engrosses me. There’s some lariat arm work on Hansen, Yatsu/Gordy fun, but nothing much stood out. The match turns on Jumbo’s back being injured on the outside (which we couldn’t see) by Hansen. This stretch when Jumbo sells and Hansen/Jumbo make quick tags is where I felt things were raised a level. Good, focused work and control. Jumbo tags out in semi-undramatic fashion, Yatsu gets a run and works on Hansen’s knee, but things for the most part felt a bit careful. I did like the finish and the story it told in the final moments. Logical, good match, but everything was “contained” in this, probably because it was on a smaller show. This is a solid mid-range pick, but didn’t have a ton of life to it, never gets to that very good to great level, which means it will only drop as times rolls on. I probably expected too much from this match. 3 stars and 6.2/10

Gordy is back with Hansen, and the Brody/Snuka team has reformed. Get ready for an American battle in Japan.

The crowd is deafening, and they want Brody to start with Hansen, so Snuka tags him in. They work a slopp-i-ish, fun out of control style where neither man really gains the advantage, but the sequences are fun as hell. Snuka takes on Gordy. Gordy gets on over on him with a crossbody. Snuka gets a loose sunset flip, and then all four brawl in the ring. Snuka sells for Gordy when order is restored, but then makes him eat a dropkick. Five minutes gone.

Gordy slams Brody, and the for some reason Hansen runs in on Brody while he’s down. He tags in a moment later, and the crowd reacts to a Hansen/Brody showdown. Hansen leads, then Brody, then Hansen. Fun spot where Brody gets whipped to the buckle, gets his boot up, and Gordy puts on the brakes. Then he charges anyway and Brody puts the big boot back up. Brody/Snuka take over on Gordy, and there’s a good tease of a Gordy piledriver that Brody ends with a bog boot. Gordy gets the piledriver a minute later for a pin attempt. Ten minutes gone.

Gordy/Hansen isolate Snuka and work him over with double teams and rough moves. Nothing much of note as far as selling from Snuka, and a few times he could have tagged out and didn’t. Brody tries to fire up the crowd with yells. Snuka makes a minor comeback with leapfrogs and a chop, but he’s cut off again by Gordy. Hansen then signals for the lariat but it turns into an awkward crossbody that Hansen had to run into. Brody gets the hot tag and hits a big boot, but Hansen comes back. All four men brawl on the outside. There’s a tug for Hansen’s body (not sure why) leads to the finish where all men end up on the outside on the apron grabbing each others hair. 17 minute match with no winners.

A battle of the titans where the work was sometimes loose, but everything was fun and got a big reaction from the crowd. Snuka’s offense was the only thing I didn’t really buy in this, as even Brody was fine. I liked the structure of the match. A lot of moves to get the crowd “ohhing” and then stand offs that soak in the atmosphere and allow every performer to look good. I would argue that this felt disjointed much of the time, with nothing really flowing into the next thing. The Hansen/Brody dynamic was there at times, but having Snuka play some sort of face in peril had me bored to tears. Brody had to fired the crowd up a few times during that stretch. I did enjoy Brody getting the hot tag and that offensive stretch with Hansen. The tug of war for Hansen was bizarre, somewhat fun, and interesting, but didn’t go anywhere, which pretty sums up the match with that finish. This one is here for the personalities and auras, and less for the work. 2 ¾ stars and 5.75/10

A young Bam-Bam Gordy takes on the top of the All Japan mountain.

This is for the NWA International Heavyweight title held by Jumbo. This feels like a bizzaro Baba vs Hansen matchup, if both were more patient and had more traditional wrestling abilities. They ease into this one, with Gordy getting a hold of Jumbo’s arm and working it over for a minute, and Gordy just showing some really great agility and speed for his size. Jumbo has a nice crossface chicken wing-like move when he takes over. Five minutes gone.

Gordy goes back to the arm with some punches, but Jumbo backs him off. They lock up again, Jumbo gaining control momentarily until a neckbreaker. Front facelock battle where neither can move the other into a neckbreaker or suplex, and then end up on the ground in a stalemate. There’s a miscue on a move, and Gordy recovers with a back drop driver. Gordy takes moderate control, misses an elbow off the ropes, and holds onto those eropes for dear life as Jumbo tries to back drop driver him on his head. Jumbo teases a butterfly suplex, but he can’t get that either. Ten minutes gone.

Gordy has his hand at control, hitting a standing suplex. It slows down again as he holds onto a front facelock, Jumbo with the running high knee off the break. They go outside, Jumbo smashing Gordy into the ring post. Back inside, Jumbo opens up with chops, and Gordy has to go to the eyes. He sends Jumbo outside and posts him back. Gordy takes his time not allowing Jumbo back in the ring, picking the now bloody Jumbo apart. He kills Jumbo with a piledriver. Near fall, and a shaking Jumbo displays spirit. Lariat from Gordy. He can’t keep Jumbo down. He picks Jumbo up for a crazy powerbomb and still can’t get the pin. 15 minutes gone.

Gordy goes to the top and Jumbo catches him, tossing him off. Jumbo is fired up. Punching battle in the center and bloodied Jumbo headbutts Gordy right out of the ring. Outside, he posts Gordy again, and now Gordy is bleeding. Jumbo fires up the crowd while Gordy sells. Back in the ring, Jumbo finally gets the double armed suplex and the pile driver receipt, both for two counts. Gordy recovers and with stiff shots, and we are into the stretch run. Gordy throws on the figure four and Jumbo sells it and the struggle, until turning it. Twenty minutes gone.

Gordy stays on that leg with an elbow drop and some knees. Then back to the figure four. Jumbo won’t give up. Gordy hits a brainbuster and bodyslam, but misses a huge splash attempt from the top rope. Jumbo gets up for his big comeback, which sadly the audience isn’t on fire for. Thesz press for a Jumbo near fall, followed by a backdrop driver. Gordy gets his foot on the ropes. Jumbo tries his own huge lariat, and then an even bigger one on Gordy. Gordy looks out of it, and into the ring walks fellow Freebird and Gordy best friend, Michael Hayes. Jumbo has him beat but Hayes attacks, leading to a DQ win for Jumbo in 24 minutes.

Up until the turnabout with the ringpost, where Gordy got back at Jumbo and then Jumbo bled, this one was decent, but forgettable. It has its moments in the first ten minutes (Gordy selling, the attempted arm work, some great moments of movement), but it didn’t capture me until Jumbo was in trouble and bleeding—Gordy spiking him with a sick piledriver having kept him out of the ring for over a minute. Here, Jumbo’s selling and facials begin to excel. The near falls and Gordy’s reaction gets better. The crowd, and I, begins to care more. Then Jumbo is all fired up, punch war in the middle, and just headbutts Gordy right out of the ring. Hell yeah! I liked Gordy getting bloody and Jumbo’s control run. Then once there both evened up, it gets even stiffer for the stretch run, and Gordy just dismantles Jumbo’s knee. These two pull out something that should have had a better crowd for that stretch run. I loved the subtle receipts and big move payoffs as this went on, and especially the two big lariats Jumbo pulled off. He had Gordy beat, and then we get a very Americanized DQ finish with Michael Hayes. That sucks. I’d almost rather the typical double countout to this. What a waste of a match that had really stepped into another gear. For as much as the first ten minutes didn’t quite grab me, they were solid, and the next 14 really had me excited. 3 ½ stars and 7.2/10

Gordy makes his Debut on the All Japan Diaries, forming a super badass team with Hansen as they face old foes, the Funks. I’m salivating over Gordy beating on Terry Funk, and those Funk comebacks. Oh yeah, this is also Terry Funk’s first retirement match.

There’s a ceremony beforehand where Terry Funk is given a plaque and is greeted by Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta before the match. Streamers like crazy from the crowd for Funk. Hansen jumps Terry Funk before the bell (perfect heel move), spill to the outside, and Dory is next to worthless at reacting to most of this. They get inside the ring again and the bell rings. Right away Hansen whips Terry to the ropes for the big lariat finisher, but Funk catches the ropes for dear life. Terry is great fighting from underneath.

The crowd is electric. Dory and Gordy tag in, and young Gordy throws an unbelievable dropkick for his size. Gordy and Hansen look like a fluid, brute team, quick tags and nasty work all over Dory’s left arm. I don’t usually enjoy Dory as a face in peril (because he shows no drama and cuts the drama of the hot tag when he does get to Terry usually), but here with the insane atmosphere and great opponents it builds to Terry coming in well. They tease the hot tag once or twice, as well as Terry wanting at Hansen. Terry dives over the ropes to break up a Hansen pin attempt. Dory fires back with European uppercuts on Hansen, and Hansen’s save of the possible hot tag is an awesome rollup maneuver. Gordy loses Dory after a double shoulderblock and Hansen tags in just before Terry gets the hot tag. Now it’s on. Hansen kicks Dory on his way out, which I LOVE, and the two captains start brawling. Funker eats punches, gets bloody, then unloads perfect punches on Hansen. Hansen grabs Terry, and Terry backdrop drivers him. He gets a nearfall a few moments later.

Hansen takes over as the place is going bonkers, going after Terry’s right knee. Gordy helps out on this, as they hang Terry in the ropes. His selling as they desperately swarm on him in the heel corner is greatness. Funker comes back with punches on one knee. Gordy gets to shine, doing Funk’s own spinning toe hold on him. Now Funker is the face in peril, and he hot tags out to Dory, who clears both opponents with dropkicks and shoulderblocks. However, Gordy cuts him off with a powerslam. Bloody Funker dives in to save a pin, and then everyone ends up brawling. Terry is left in the ring with Gordy. Gordy goes to the top, missing a splash. Terry goes to the top, comes off, and sunset flips Gordy for the pinfall. The entire crowd counted the pin and exploded at the end.

Hansen comes back in to beat down the weary Terry Funk, the young guys rush in to protect him, and Hansen gets to kill a few of them before he’s ushered off. Funker sells his leg like a true pro for a while, and ref Higuchi and Dory help him up. Hansen refuses to leave and stampedes through the arena crowd while Terry slowly recovers. Then Funk gives the famous “Forever” speech as they chant him name. A wonderful moment in the ring that carries on has Funk makes his way back to the locker room.

Given that this match was during Gordy’s great Freebird run I just watched in World Class, it was fascinating to see him put in a situation to be a junior member of a team against Texas legends not named Von Erich. He was great, as was Hansen, but they weren’t the story. This was Terry Funks grand moment to shine, and a rare clean finish after a great, emotional match that featured at least two heat segments, great leg and arm work, comebacks, heels cutting faces off, and just plain wrestling. I love this match. 4 ½ stars and 9.3/10

Kamala, who isn’t actually Kamala, takes on a babyface Gordy. This is bad ass big man action.

Percy Pringle, I guess a face now, does ring introductions. Old Bronco Lubich refs this one, and Gordy can’t wait to begin. The announcing is distracting, with some guy named Harvey sitting in with Mark Lawrence. Beast has control of Gordy for the first few minutes, busting Gordy’s head open with bites and chops. Gordy as a face in peril is actually pretty cool, and it’s believable in this situation. Gordy’s selling makes this match, because Beasts offense is simple, but effective, stuff. Gordy’s slow comeback with punches is great, and it leads up to a huge clothesline, which I loved. Gordy bodyslams Beast, and the crowd goes crazy. They brawl on the floor.

Gordy chants as the punch and scrap back inside the ring. Gordy stops a chop and delivers another huge clothesline. Outside Gordy uses a chair several times, but Beast comes back. They end up being counted out in roughly eight minutes. Good post-match scuffle with the fans firmly behind Gordy. Finish was appropriate even if it wasn’t “inspired.” 2 ¾ stars and 5.8/10

This features Simpson bros. and Gordy, but we also got Tatum and Victory. So even with a fake Funk, we got Gordy, Tatum, and Victory? I’m in with these stips.

Tatum’s 80s hair band hair is epic. Funk’s Zorro mask is the opposite of cool. Simpsons remind me of ROH school wrestlers. Gordy is just awesome as always. We join this in progress after a commercial, and everyone brawls. Gordy kills someone with a clothesline. Tatum bumps like a champ over the top rope for Gordy, then around ringside. Everyone else is holding their own in a brawl. Funk appears to be pretty bad, but Victory is adding some flavor, moving well. This one is all over the place with punches and chokes.

The heels end up ruling it, with the team of Tatum and Victory beating a Simpson Brother in the ring. He comes back off the top rope, they bump for him, and then Gordy starts running everyone around. Eye rakes galore in this one. Gordy piledrives Victory and pins him for the win in about eight minutes. That was a very capable brawl, with Gordy and Tatum coming out as my favorites in this one. 3 stars and 6.1/10

Gordy and Simpson charge the ring, and Tatum and Victory flee. Simpson gets to be the little brother/house of fire, as World Class attaches him to Gordy to get him over.

Gordy/Simpson run the early going, and this has great selling, movement, and intensity. In fact the whole first five minutes is Tatum and Victory having short moments of control, then selling like crazy for the babyfaces. They do work over Shaun, then Gordy gets a big hot tag and kills them. Great stuff. Match ends with Tatum back body dropping Gordy over the rope in seven minutes. Lame finish. Angel of Death attacks Gordy afterwards.

Well that was a seven minute sprint without much of an ending. What was there was really intense and fun. I love the Victory/Tatum team as a mid card act. The crowd was so much more into this than the preceding Kerry/Perez match, and I liked this match ten times more. The sprint made everything seem to click. Fun stuff. 2 ½ stars and 5.5/10