4. Title Matches Are A Mixed Bag
After a painfully slow start even by the standards of the day, it was time for the only two male titles defended on the show. We had an Intercontinental Title Match and the Tag Team Title match. I learned very quickly that the wrestlers involved could make a world of difference in these matches.
The Intercontinental Title match was on the very negative side. If you watch the match know that Junkyard Dog is a very charismatic guy and the fans love him. However, he couldn’t wrestle well if his life depended on it. His offence seemed to consist of biting at his opponent. Thankfully he was fighting a good wrestler in Greg “The Hammer” Valentine which helped save it from a total disaster. A count out finish at a big show? Ugh.
The other title match helped me learn what 1980’s wrestling did best. It was the top heels cheating a lot. Man, it is quite clear Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff were quite hated. I guess singing the Soviet National Anthem was a good way to be hated in 1980’s America. You rarely see that much trash thrown in the ring.
The match is as fun as any good tag match. One of the good guys (Mike Rotundo) is dominated by the heels until he can find his partner (Barry Windham) for the hot tag. This works until the heel manager, Freddie Blassie can throw in his cane for some good old fashioned heel cheating. A guy from Iran and another from the Soviet Union winning the tag titles by cheating? That is instant heel heat and one of the most fun moments from the show.
