NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair(c) vs. Bruiser Brody
NWA November 16, 1984 Memorial Hall Kansas City, MO
Two months removed from the Tenryu battle, this match is also for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. I don't even know where to begin with Bruiser Brody. When it came to most of the wildmen of the era, you kind of knew they were laying it on thick. Brody, however, was generally thought to be bugfuck batshit nuts and he loved it that way. A truly unique brawler whose style was the template for many to this day. Bruiser Brody was an American original and from most accounts, a hell of a guy. This particular match takes place in a weird period for Brody as he is secretly negotiating between the two major Japanese wrestling companies. As for The Nature Boy, he is set to defend his belt in six days in a Million Dollar Challenge Match with Dusty Rhodes at Starrcade '84. Meanwhile, Vince McMahon thinks that million dollar gimmick may have some legs...
Why have a Million Dollar Match when you can have a...
Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this one fall contest and this is an extra rowdy and drunk looking crowd to boot. Flair instantly goes headlocking until Brody scoops him up and walks him around the ring before one of his trademark high angle body slams. Perhaps knowing Flair is on a major card in a week, Bruiser didn't drill him, as I've seen him damned near break ring boards with that slam. An impressive leap frog by Flair over the tree called Brody is rewarded with a shoulder tackle that has zero of the care shown with the body slam. This is followed by another Brody slam, which he delayed for a few seconds to allow Flair time to think hard about life and the hereafter. In between headlocks, Brody drops off a few of his signature King Kong knee drops. Let me tell you, if you thought Flair could deliver a wicked knee, he didn't have shit on Brody. A brief Flair comeback is ended before it's begun with a big furry boot right to the jaw. Now, the champ is good and pissed and gets the dumbass idea to brawl. Sometimes, it is better to think shit through, Ric. A chop and some hammers to the chest and Brody casually hiptosses him and dropkicks him halfway across the ring. Flair's selling of the dropkick like he was hit by a car was awe inspiring. Ric has had enough of playing by the rules and rakes the eyes, leading Brody to bail for a moment. Back in and now Flair wants to brawl again, which still goes as one would expect and before anyone knows it, Flair is dumped outside of the ring, otherwise known as Bruiser's House. The early reservations have all said goodbye and left the building as they are both laying some stiff shots in. Brody hits his signature slam on the concrete and the fat lady begins to plug in her microphone. Flair keeps trying to make a comeback, but the onslaught of furry kicks, slams, and overhand chops to the head are too much and a legdrop gets a close two count. Funny bit as Flair starts selling another slam by flopping around the ring and Brody kills that shit dead with a hard boot to the face. Flair Fly to the outside, but he catches Brody coming back in and, finally, Flair goes on offense. Three chops and a sleeper turn the tide for a bit until Bruiser escapes, hits a back body drop, and collects more of Flair's face at the bottom of his boot. That kick looked 31 flavors of sick.
FURRY BOOT SAMMICH!
Brody starts to the top rope for the Super King Kong knee, but Flair is out of position, so he simply comes down with a gut kick. The champion seems to suffer from short term memory loss and starts brawling again, which gets his ass handed to him along with another high slam for even trying. Brody is just killing him tonight. Now, Ric has went and gone completely stupid and brawls with Brody at ringside. Hello, ringpost. Hello, blood. The shit kicking continues as it is just kick, chop, punch, kick, chop, punch and Flair's comebacks are getting pretty meek at this point. Into the ropes and as Brody leapfrogs Flair, the ref is bowled over and taken out. Well, I knew this wouldn't be a clean ending, so no huge shockeroo there. Suddenly, a jog in by Jerry Blackwell occurs, but Brody heads it off and hits a crossbody on Flair, but the ref is still dead. Blackwell winds up rolling his way inside the ring and pummels Brody, ending this one in a DQ at 18:00
The exact moment in time that Ric realized that he fucked up.
Bruiser Brody d. NWA Champion Ric Flair by DQ (18:00)
VERDICT:
I was nervous about this match not living up to expectations due to Flair having a Starrcade match in a week and Brody flying off to compete in the AJPW Tag League, but this slow burned into a really decent match. Flair took a beating like a champ and even though Brody was never a rolodex of moves, he knew how to work his hard hitting style very, very well. Flair played his God given role of dirty veteran and Brody was the monster and it clicked like eggs and bacon. The only negatives would be the finish, the early goings where they were working noticeably light, and Flair not deciding whether to pop up from the body slams or sell them like death. Still totally worth checking out if you've never seen Brody.
HUSS HUSS HUSS HUSS HUSS
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