The OtherArena

[jdw]

Wanted to drag this over from elsewhere...

07/27/78 - Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - Tokyo (60:00)

A Match of the Year candidate for 1978. A terrific hot opening 10 minutes of holds and matwork that Yohe called the fastest opening he'd seen in a 60 minute draw from that era. They settle down, but pick it up for the work to the finish in each fall. The various falls tie in well together, and combined they bring a boatload of offense for a 70s match *in addition to* working on the mat as good as anybody. This is the Yang to the Ying of the legendary 12/11/75 Inoki vs. Robinson match. Robinson and Inoki aren't totally in sync as Billy would just up and do whatever he wants from time-to-time, especially in cutting off Inoki at times when Inoki wanted to go on runs off offense. Backlund and Inoki are totally on the same page and in sync, to an amazing degree since they'd had just one big match before that and Bob was only a couple of months into his new role as WWWF champ. Robinson vs. Inoki is a great match, and even the out-of-sync stuff adds to it by adding a compelling element to it. But this Backlund vs. Inoki strikes me as every bit as good since it's always a joy to see two wrestlers who are thinking at the same level, right in step with each other, pushing each other, and at the top of the game. Yohe above said "He always had great matches with Antonio Inoki", and this is a great one. I would rate this easily ahead of the 01/29/74 Brisco vs. Funk draw in Osaka.

08/28/78 - Bob Backlund vs Ivan Koloff - MSG (30:29)

I've seen a pair of Backlund vs. Patterson non-cage matches from this era, and the second Backlund vs. Valentine MSG match from 1979, and this match smokes all three. Ivan is a much more active heel than Pat and Valentine were with Bob, _and_ is better for Bob to work holds with, making this match actually have more pysch than those other three matches. As much as those matches were disappointing (not for Bob's performance but for what the two alleged great workers didn't feel like doing), this was a blast. Ivan is a very underrated worker.

02/19/79 - Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine - MSG (60:00)

Finally available after airing on WWE 24/7. Well worth the wait and lives up to the hype. Exceptional draw. The major difference between this and the 30 minute rematch the two had on 03/26/79 is that Greg showed up to work in this match. In the rematch, he really didn't seem to want to do much of anything. The Backlund on display here is one we'd see in plenty of his good matches, be they the two Muraco matches listed above, or the Inoki draw from the year before. For Greg, this is the best I've ever seen him look on tape... to the point that the rest of his career is, as Frank Jewett joked, a disappointment.

Great job by both of filling the time, working various body parts. The teases of the figure four are excellent. The work to the finish where they're throwing bombs, Backlund is bringing the high end offense, and the timing of the final spot... all as good as one could hope for. Strong post match as well to lead to the rematch.

04/12/80 - Bob Backlund vs Hulk Hogan - Philly (29:00)

Hogan bumps more for Bob than Valentine and Patterson. Wait... it's worse than that. Hogan, as green and sloppy at times as he is here, is more willing to work holds with Bob than those two. Yikes! This is a blast.

04/16/80 - Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - Miami Beach, FL (21:24)

Bob and Inoki go out of their respective territories for the "rematch" coming off the title turnaround in Japan the previous November/December. These guys have so much that they can do together than when asked to fill 20 minutes, it's like falling out of bed hitting the ground running. This is largely Backlund's match as he has a better feel for what would work to a US audience, even when it's not on his "safe ground" of WWF fans. This is as good of an example as one will get of showing that in 1980 in the context of a good match infront of some of the better fans in the country, Backlund's goofy spots playing to the crowd could get over and pop them. Could he have sustained it in FLA if working there for six months straight? Who knows. But on this night, against an opponent that the FLA fans had no reason to care for, things clicked. Fun match. Must have for Backlund fans.

05/19/80 - Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera - MSG (21:54)

This took the WON Match of the Year in 1980. It isn't *that* good. But the match is pretty solid, and the pop for Bob winning at the end needs to be seen and heard to be believed. This is Bob two years into his reign, and he's over like snot.

05/27/80 - Bob Backlund vs Dusty Rhodes - Osaka (19:12)

The best Dusty match I've ever seen, and my mind is blank on any Dusty match that's even close to it. When we watched it a month ago, Yohe was of the same belief - this is as good of a Dusty match as he's seen. If they work this same match in MSG, it would have been legendary with the fans going out of their minds. Bob finding ways to work through the Dusty Recliner is a hoot, with the all-time Dusty Match moments being Bob hooking his leg up around Dusty's head and bending his body back in ways that Dusty's big body isn't suppose to bend. :) Fun, fun, fun.

09/30/80 - Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen - Tokyo (16:01)

I'd put this ahead of the Bob vs. Stan matches in MSG. The heat in MSG was better (it was molten in the Garden), but the heat in Tokyo was very good. They also worked more of a match in Tokyo, what I would call a "wrestling brawl". An excellent match. It's fun to see how over Bob was in Japan. You mentioned it above, but I just want to highlight it in here for anyone trying to get a list. :)

02/16/81 - Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen - MSG

Their first MSG match. The cage match is the one in wider circulation among fans, but this is the vastly better match. On par with the match from Japan cited above, but in Bob's "home court" with a rabid crowd and more of a sense of "hate" between the two. Good double juice finish to heat the feud up even more, with Bob going to town on his own forehead. A very different match from the more technical Backlund matches, and three years into the reign, the fans are still eating it up.

03/21/81 - Bob Backlund vs Sgt Slaughter - Philly

This one runs circles around the overhyped Patterson vs. Backlund cage match for the simply reasons that Slaughter is a better worker than Pat, and that Slaughter and Bob seem to put more thought into this match than Pat did in his bump-o-rama. Sarge does one of the best attempts to get out the door that I've ever seen. Good juice. Good sense of violence. Crowd goes nuts when Bob wins.

09/21/81 - Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco - MSG (31:35)

A strong Match of the Year Candidate for 1981. A simple well laid out match built over several very focused movements.

10/17/81 - Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco - Philly (60:00)

They went 60 in MSG leading into the 9/21/81 match, but I've yet to see that. This isn't as good as the 9/21/81 match, but I would rate it "very good" in it's own right. Methodical, but broken down into various segments of working over /wearing down a body part of the other. It's almost like they're working down one another's body - let me start on your head and neck... this time let me work over your stomach... now let me work over you leg, while the other works over the arm then the back. It may sound aimless, but it's not as each one of these segments gets a long stretch of attention before the other comes back, transitions onto offense, and then exerts his "control" to wear down the opponent. It comes across more as "we might be going long here, so let me break down different points of your body so that late you'll be on the ropes feeling all of it". The selling *after* going onto offense is a treat, with things like Backlund continuing to tap his stomach to sell the damage even as he's working over Muraco. Good draw.

01/18/82 - Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis - MSG (30:54)

Another match that people at the time had at Match of the Year Candidate. Less focus than the 9/21/81 Bob vs. Muraco match, but Bob and Adrian make up for it by breaking the spots. Adrian is Adrian - he bumps and moves like no man that size did in that era with amazing grace. It rate this well ahead of the Patera match, but do new agree with my friends who rate it as shade behind the Muraco match.

12/22/88 - Bob Backlund vs. Nobuhiko Takada (UWF)

Loads of fun. :)



I need to look up the dates for a couple of other matches:

* the non-lumberjack match with Buddy Rose
* a MSG match with Patterson that is far better than the ones in Philly that Pat sleeps through

And refresh my memory on:

* the Larry Z match
* the Orton match
* the 06/04/79 match at MSG against Hussein Arab (Iron Sheik)
* the other Adonis vs. Bob matches to see if one stands out in addition to the one above


John

[captain~swing]

07/27/78 - Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - Tokyo (60:00)

Was this part of Frank's 70s collection? I remember
a Backlund/Inoki match on the tapes but it's been
a while since I've watched them.

[jdw]

It was part of his Backlund & More set of tapes. I don't know if it was on his first set of "70s Wrestling". It is on the later versions that he cut together for Barnett.


John

[khawk20]

All I remember about Orton-Backlund I from Philly is that it should have been a lot better than it was. I was expecting a Backlund-Adonis match in terms of my enjoyment of it, but it didn't get there. My fault for expecting better, I suppose.

[Frank_Jewett]

[jdw]

[khawk20]

The Orton=Backlund MSG bout is also one that I have wanted to see for a long while.

Orton-Backlund in Philly was good, don't get me wrong, I just thought it should have been better.

[shoe]

02/19/79 - Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine - MSG (60:00)

Finally available after airing on WWE 24/7. Well worth the wait and lives up to the hype. Exceptional draw. The major difference between this and the 30 minute rematch the two had on 03/26/79 is that Greg showed up to work in this match. In the rematch, he really didn't seem to want to do much of anything. The Backlund on display here is one we'd see in plenty of his good matches, be they the two Muraco matches listed above, or the Inoki draw from the year before. For Greg, this is the best I've ever seen him look on tape... to the point that the rest of his career is, as Frank Jewett joked, a disappointment.

Great job by both of filling the time, working various body parts. The teases of the figure four are excellent. The work to the finish where they're throwing bombs, Backlund is bringing the high end offense, and the timing of the final spot... all as good as one could hope for. Strong post match as well to lead to the rematch


This is an absolutely must see. The time blows by amazingly quickly. The work is very smartly done. I've seen in other places where it isn't praised very much and that makes me scratch my head.Easily Valentine's crown jewel in his catalog of work. Valentine has had a lot of really good stuff with Tito,Flair,Garvin, Bulldogs,Piper, etc but this was his moment. Him and Bob put on a classic.

[jdw]

Folks need to see it in the context of other long matches from the Era. And in contrast to other things like Greg's sleepwalking through the rematch the following month. :)


John

[goodhelmet]

This is a message I sent to jdw. He felt I should post this to get some feedback and generate more discussion...

One of the comps I have been sitting on for awhile is Bob Backlund.

These are the WWF matches I already own. Which ones do you think should be axed?

[Frank_Jewett]

Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera - 1-21-80 (33:44)

I've never seen this match. Looks interesting.

Bob Backlund vs Sika - 3-24-80 (22:29)

I suspect Backlund vs Killer Khan on 12/29/80 (12:23) was better. Khan wasn't known for matwork, so Bob adapted his "looking for a counter, phony escape, still caught in the hold" formula to a nerve pinch. It actually worked pretty well in terms of providing a solid base for the match leading up to Khan's highspots for near falls.

Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera - 5-19-80 (29:30)

Hard to find in great quality. Hasn't aired on WWE 24/7, unfortunately.

Bob Backlund vs Larry Zbyszko - 10/11/1980

This is the better of their two Philly matches. They also met at MSG on 6/16/80 (27:39), but I've never been able to locate a copy of that match.

Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter 10-20-80 (22:15)

The Philly cage match was better, though this match is significant for the screwy finish where Arnold Skaaland waffled Slaughter with a chair while Bob was trapped in the cobra clutch. There's a reason for it other than trying to save Bob's title, but it's still a strange ending considering Bob was a babyface because it made him look weak.

Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen - 4-6-81 (16:11)

9/30/80 from Japan is the best Backlund vs Hansen I've seen.

Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco - 09/21/1981
Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco - 10/17/1981

Keepers for different reasons. The first is one of Bob's best defenses, particularly for the way the match is laid out with really awesome transitions, but also for Muraco showcasing his potential. For all the talk about Backlund being carried by good workers, few of his opponents had better matches with other workers, regardless of their reputations. This really was Muraco at his peak as both a cool character and a good worker.

Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine - 11-23-81 (16:42)

Better than their 10/19 match, though you might want to insert a clip of the 10/19 finish to explain the rivalry at the beginning of this match.

Of course their one hour draw from 1979 blew away all their other matches, not just for the length, but for filling that time with interesting stuff and doing a great build up to the non-finish.

Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis 1-18-82 (38:41)

One of their other matches from the DVDVR set was pretty good as well. Adonis, like Backlund, had a surplus of things he could do in a match, so the other match adds new moves and bumps. The other match may also be more organized as the 1/18/82 match was pretty inconsistent despite being chock full o' good action.

Bob Backlund vs Bob Orton - 05/22/1982

Well worth seeing as it expands the variety of holds and counters used by Backlund. Their MSG match may have been better, but it isn't available.

Bob Backlund vs Jimmy Snuka - 06/28/1982

Skeptics should be forced to watch the entire series, indeed, they should have to watch all of Snuka's work from 1982 to understand how dull he was in a company that was still working longer format matches. One of their earlier matches was built around Jimmy's rear chinlock of doom.

Bob Backlund vs Buddy Rose - 08/30/1982
Bob Backlund vs Buddy Rose - 11-25-82 (30:25)

I don't recall if I've seen the second match. Buddy is another worker who didn't use all his moves, bumps, and schtick in every match, so often it makes sense to include more than one match. I seem to recall them doing a pretty good job with the lumberjack schtick.

Bob Backlund vs Superstar Billy Graham - 12-28-82 (17:14)
Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco - 2-18-83 (26:50)
Bob Backlund vs Don Muraco (Texas Death Match) - 3-20-83 (24:30)
Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter 5-23-83 (19:47)
Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter (Texas Death Match) - 9-24-83 (23:16)

Most of what I've seen from Bob in 1983 was not good. The match with Ivan Koloff from Philly was amazingly sloppy for two workers who had worked well together in the past and who would go on to work well with others many years into the future. They really weren't clicking together.

These are other matches I have from the DVDVR set but want to upgrade VQ. Which of these would you recommend seeking out upgrades?

I'll be happy to send you my best quality versions on DVD. Early eighties WWF has long been difficult to get in great quality. Hopefully the WWE will keep rolling out old shows on 24/7 and MSG.

Bob Backlund vs Sgt. Slaughter (1/10/81 Philadelphia, PA)
Bob Backlund vs. Hulk Hogan (4/8/80 Philadelphia, PA)
Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/28/82 Landover, MD)
Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (6/6/81 MSG)
Bob Backlund vs Adrian Adonis (3/20/82 Philadelphia, PA)
Bob Backlund vs Ivan Koloff (Philadelphia, PA 6/4/83)
Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs Bob Backlund/Brian Blair (7/7/84 Philadelphia, PA)

Most of my copies come from McAdam and are of similar quality to the DVDVR copies. Tabe might have better versions of some of these if you can lure him out of retirement. ;)

These are some other matches you mentioned. I may even have some of these listed above. Are these all worth seeking out?

* the non-lumberjack match with Buddy Rose

Buddy's bump-o-rama is always watchable, even against Pedro Morales.

* a MSG match with Patterson that is far better than the ones in Philly that Pat sleeps through

7/30/79 - I have a great copy from McAdam.

* the 06/04/79 match at MSG against Hussein Arab (Iron Sheik)

I have not been able to find a good copy of this match.

* the other Adonis vs. Bob

I don't recall seeing three "must have" matches between these two. One of my favorite Adrian spots was going back to the bulldog and ending up straddling the turnbuckle in the corner. That spot probably justified including a second match for me. Beyond that, Adrian was always pretty good but somehow never spectacular. Again Backlund seems to have had better matches with Adrian than anyone else had with Adrian, though as champ he got plenty of time and had the cachet of the title, too.


These are the Japanese matches you listed. I think i have some but I am sure I can get the others from either Dan or Lynch. Are there any other Japanese Backlund matches I am missing from early NJ?

Bob Backlund vs. Antonio Inoki 7/27/78
Bob Backlund vs. Antonio Inoki (NJPW 11/30/79)
Bob Backlund vs. Dusty Rhodes (NJPW 05/27/80)
Bob Backlund vs. Stan Hansen (NJPW 09/30/80)

I got these from Alfredo direct from re-airings in Japan. There was also a Backlund vs Hogan from Japan, but it wasn't nearly as good as their first match in Philly. Bad coaching from Blassie might have been the problem. Backlund also had matches with Fujinami and Choshu that deserve consideration, though they weren't classics. I personally prefer the rematch with Inoku on 12/6/79, though I would include at least the finish of their 11/30/79 match because of the parallels with the 12/6/79 finish.


I know he had some time in the AWA (I'll ask Khawk about that footage) but is there anything else you can recommend?

From the seventies you are missing Backlund vs Koloff (~30:00) from 8/28/78 and the one hour draw with Valentine from 2/19/79. The Ernie Ladd match isn't a must see, though it is available in great VQ.

From the eighties, Backlund had a really crisp, smart match with Valentine in 1984. Perhaps Tabe can provide a date as I know he was fond of one of their 1984 matches.

From the nineties, Backlund challenged Shawn for the IC title in a decent television match in 1992. Despite Shawn being "WON of the greatest workers of all time", Backlund clearly called the structure of the match which is why it stands out as one of the better matches from Shawn's "lost" period between the Rockers and becoming the son of Flair.

Seriously, it shows Backlund being able to use his style effectively in front of an audience with almost no connection to his prime. It also shows up how much better Bob was at filling up the body of a match as he's literally walking a typically clueless Shawn through his paces.

For all the crap about Backlund sitting around in holds, you'll never find a deader audience than the crowd during Shawn's match with Undertaker at the Royal Rumble in San Jose because between the big bumps, Shawn never had a clue how to work a hold, build a match, or tell a story...

But I digress. ;)

"This match is going right over their heads."
- fanboy cam during Shawn vs Flair snoozefest at MSG

I think this will be a worthwhile project sine I really enjoy Bob's work.

Sounds good. You've got some matches even I haven't seen.

One more possible is Bob vs Patera from Philly. Kinda nutty with special referee Gorilla Monsoon predictably getting into it with Patera to set up their sidedrain program together, but pretty good action throughout, as I recall. 1980 was Patera's year. I don't think the entire rest of his career yields more quality than that one glorious year. I'm looking forward to watching the 1/21/80 match and seeing how it leads into the death match.

Frank

[jdw]

[jdw]

Other possibilities from Japan from Battlearts:

10/5/98 Tokyo
B-Cup QF: Bob Backlund beat Daisuke Ikeda (16:23)

10/23/98 Osaka
Yuki Ishikawa & Bob Backlund vs Alexander Otsuka & Hisakatsu Oya

11/23/98 Tokyo
B-Cup SF: Bob Backlund beat The Great Sasuke (16:20)
B-Cup Final: Yuki Ishikawa beat Bob Backlund (22:08)

5/14/99 Sapporo
Daisuke Ikeda vs Bob Backlund

Battlarts Samurai TV (6/13/99)
Bob Backlund & Mohammed Yone vs. Yuki Ishikawa & Carl Malenko

Don't know the quality of any of this stuff. I never checked out BattleArts back when it was the next-big-thing amoung puroresu fans.


John

[khawk20]

The inside Wrestling cover of Skaaland cracking Slaughter over the head with the chair always sticks in my mind when I've watched the 10/80 bout from MSG. That memory made watching the actual match intriguing.

Backlund-Koloff from 1978 is very good IMO. I wish the rematch was available. Ditto the Patera-Backlund match from 1/80 being a lot of fun to watch.

Patera really was something in 80-81, wasn't he?

Interesting to note that when Patera won the Missouri title from Kevin Von Erich, he did so via his Full Nelson submission, effectively knocking Kevin out. Strange to see him win the title that straight up over a Von Erich like that. (that bout is available on silent 8mm film, FWIW).

[Tim Livingston]