Loss Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I thought this was a solid match. Bockwinkel looked really good, and Saito continues to impress. They worked awfully snug and made all the exchanges look like a struggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Another testament to the greatness of Bockwinkel. Not a MOTYC-type match at all but quite good, and Bock was 56 and had been inactive for 3+ years. He takes a pretty scary Saito Suplex for the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Ridge Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Bock is cranking in that side headlock. Not great match but Bock could still go for his age. He takes a big suplex at the end too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 I guess this is Bocks last good match. Everything done here was basic but done well. Really weird card to close out new Japan for the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garretta Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 I took a side trip into December because I had to see this match and the one with Lou Thesz. I'll get to Lou later, but Bock really impressed me here. I thought that this was one of the shorter two matches from this card at first, but Bock and Saito go close to fifteen minutes and probably could have gone at least five more with no problem. Whether part of the reason this was good is because these guys knew each other from the AWA is something I can't say for sure, but it seemed like Bock had only been gone for a few months instead of over three years. Interesting that Saito used the sleeper before Bock could, so instead of getting bogged down in a sleeper battle, Bock turned to the figure four and had Saito going with it. The finishing sequence was a little abrupt, but better to finish too soon with a guy like Bock and leave fans wanting more than to go too long and have him run out of gas. Was the neck injury that put Bock out of wrestling completely kayfabed, or did he hurt it legit and use Zbyszko's attack on him as an excuse to bring it into his retirement storyline? The reason I ask is because the suplex that Saito used to get the win looked stiff under normal circumstances, but had to have been brutal to take if Bock really had an old neck injury, even one that was either healed or under control. What a fitting swan song for a true legend, even if he lost. Here's to you, Bock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted August 21, 2017 Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 For a guy who was 56 and 3 years out of wrestling, Bock looked really impressive. I like that they kept it basic and worked everything in a really gritty fashion. Definitely my kind of match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suplex-12 Posted July 7, 2022 Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 This match is much quicker than it should be given Bock was out of the ring for 3 years. Bock and Saito include some little details within the match when it came to the holds as mentioned above, another detail that caught my eye was Bockwinkel using headlocks in the early stages of the match to slow and wear Saito down and that reliance on the headlock is what gets him caught right in the end with that massive Saito Suplex to finish the match. Bock is in my top 3 for GWE and his consistency is a big part of why along with him being one of the best older wrestlers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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