[1992-05-08-UWFi-Combat Sports] Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Lou Thesz would like to offer YOU a true exhibition of international wrestling. He SHOOTS, calling the WWF and WCW a circus and a joke, saying the majority of U.S. citizens feel that way and that it's just show business. Before the match, they each are presented with what looks like a grocery store birthday cake but I would imagine is not.

 

For an "exhibition", this is a hell of a match and I really enjoyed this. One of the coolest things on the yearbook. I won't rank it because it's not really a match, but it's great fun.

[Ditch]

This is decent. Their match on the AJ '80s set is INCREDIBLE.

[Tim Evans]

It's kinda eerie how much Robinson looks like Bob Orton Jr. Good exhibition.

[shoe]

Bock looks no different from when he retired. This is neat.

[Kevin Ridge]

Interesting to go back and watch this after the AWA set. Bock looks in pretty great shape for his age and barely has changed since 80's. Fun match. Read on Wikipedia about how Billy got upset at Bock in this match. You see when Bock hits a knee and Billy gets really pissed and balls up his fist like he is going to punch him. Bock points his finger in Billy's face as to chill out.

[Mad Dog]

I really dug this match the first time I saw it. It kind of ran out of steam towards the end. Fun note. Bock was 58 and Billy was 53.

[Zero]

Seriously, what the hell did Bock even do to stay in such great shape?

[WingedEagle]

I *loved* their match on the 80s All Japan set. One of my favorites there. This was not that match. Thesz's intros were biting and fun, and it was cool to see them go at it in 1992, but this is pure nostalgia.

 

**1/4

[BruiserBrody]

Sort of surreal watching this as the commentary team talked up the fakeness of the moves and selling.

[PeteF3]

This is actually crazy good considering these guys' ages and inactivity. Not nearly as good as their match 12 years earlier, but that was a Best of the Decade candidate.

[MikeCampbell]

There's not much to say about this, it's a couple of all time greats, having a 1970's style exhibition in a shootstyle promotion. It looked like things would get serious after Nick's knee strike. They were both still in great shape, and could still go.

[garretta]

Let me be the rain on the parade, so to speak.

 

I understand what the intent here was: two old guys showing the masses how pro wrestling should be done. And that's fine; New Japan booked a pair of similar matches toward the end of 1990, one of which featured Thesz and the other Bock. No one expected either match to be a titanic struggle, and neither were. But they were actual matches, with Bock doing a job for his former partner Saito and looking just as good there as he did here. My point is, no one would have minded seeing these guys go at it for ten minutes if there had been even the illusion of each guy actually trying to win.

 

A couple of old farts introduced by a third old fart with an ax to grind against American professional wrestling who go out and lay around for ten minutes and then laugh themselves giddy with the thought of getting one over on Vince McMahon and Ted Turner in front of a Japanese audience isn't going to do much to convince me that Randy Savage and Sting are noithing but mediocre actors rolling around in tights. In fact, it's going to make me want to go out and buy tickets to see them; they may not be actual pro wrestlers as Lou Thesz defines the term, but at least they can make me care about them through the showmanship he despises so much.

 

Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see that Bock and Billy could still go. But a few pinfall attempts or a little bit of body part work would have gone a long way in proving the point that Thesz was trying to make more than just a holds exhibition. If you want to throw a nod to UWF style, have each takedown be worth three points, but don't count them as you would knockdowns in a regular shoot fight. A draw was the desirable outcome, but there had to be a more exciting and competitive way of getting there. For those of you who might say that competition wasn't the point, that's exactly what I'm saying; it should have been. It should always be in whatever form pro wrestling takes.

 

I liked the English promos by both guys, and even the English intro by Thesz, although it might have been just as effective for him to simply stand there and smile while the native ring announcer read his statement in Japanese.

[superkix]

Not a whole lot to add. It's neat. I like Bockwinkel's pre-match hype. He can still go -- good arm control off the ropes, good takedowns and counters. Robinson's obviously slowed down quite a bit at this point but he manages to get in few good shots on Nick and vice versa. He really works the headscissors. A total dad's match. 

[dawho5]

I enjoyed this, even if it looked like Robinson wasn't taking any bumps.  For as old as they were it was a really good match.  Then again, watching Tenryu do what he did at 53 maybe puts this in perspective a little.