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[1985-05-03-Houston Wrestling] Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor


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This match made the Mid-South set. Taylor was one of the few guys like a Steamboat or Windham who could work holds with Flair. WatchingFlair work underneath Taylor working holds is pretty interesting because Flair is one of the best at not sitting in holds. He's looking for outs or counters. Taylor moves from the wristlock to the headlock. Ric looks to go after the leg to counter.In a cool moment, Taylor cranks the headlock and that stops that idea. Taylor goes back to the head lock in a good piece of story telling. Hip toss by Flair looks to give Flair some momentum.Flair does it a couple of times. Taylor blocks a 4th one and gives one to Flair. Flair manipulates Taylor into the corner and it's time to go to school. Taylor tries to fire up, but Flair cuts him off. Taylor finally explodes. It looks like Taylor has the match in hand, but Flair gives him a low blow. We have morphed from a technical battle into a battle of stiff chops. Flair is a nice touch shows Taylor how you work an arm. Flair getting serious heat from the crowd by using the ropes for leverage. Taylor is pretty great in his selling. Taylor makes a comeback Flair feeds him. Screw job finish. 4 1/2*

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  • 8 months later...

Pete, excellent review. Taylor really upped his game against Flair and he never rose to the occasion again. Flair is so great at gradualism within match. I love it

 

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor - Mid-South, Houston 5/3/85

 

Fantastic match! I love how this is the more fleshed out version of the 4/28 match, just with 10 extra minutes & some better Flair spot calling they take a great match and make it a total classic. I really like Flair for his high-energy take on wrestling that is not to say go-go-go or working too fast, but everything is energetic. This may be his best low-energy performance. Now low-energy Flair is pretty much everyone else's normal energy level. This match was a great example of Flair gradualism.

 

The shine was better than the previous match because there was a little more struggle, Flair got in some more control and Flair argued with the ref. All these things made the shine seem more consequential. Again, Flair did not get over as a bumping machine, but rather established himself as good, but then Taylor started to get the better of him. Flair does the handshake and goes for amateur takedowns, but this does not lead to the heat instead they work a great headlock sequence with Flair trying everything he can to get out of it so Taylor has to struggle to keep it on. Flair is getting pissed starts throwing hiptosses, but he gets blocked after a couple. He starts shoving Taylor, but Taylor will NOT be intimidated! Flair crowds in the corner and looks like he is ready to take over. PSYCH! Taylor comes roaring back with punches. However, the ref tries to stop the punching and Flair gets a knee to family jewels of Vero's Hero. Now, finally Flair finally takes over. Flair had to do so much to get to the heat segment and Taylor looked world class by overcoming him at every turn. Really great extended shine even if it was not a typical one.

 

Flair throws Taylor around with a butterfly suplex and blasts him with chops. Taylor was really good at selling. Again, Flair shows how great he is working the arm and Taylor meets him with an inspired selling performance. Even on a shouldertackle with the bad arm, Taylor sells his bad arm. Taylor starts firing away with punches as Flair tries to grab the hair. Again, Flair shows a great sense of gradualism. Taylor has to overcome a Flair sleeper and an attempted Flair piledriver before Taylor finally gets his own sleeper. It is not one move, but a collection of spots that transitions you to full control. I love that! Throughout the finish stretch, you feel like most men are spent. Flair loves the cheapshots low to the abdomen while Taylor is selling his ass off and trying for whatever hope spot he can like all the Flair staples: sunset flip, bridge into backslide, slam him off the top rope. Flair loves the ropes in Houston. Saves him on the sleeper and a suplex. Is there anyone better at selling discombobulated down a finish run than Flair. They knock heads with Flair falling on top. Taylor gets his feet on ropes, but Flair pulls them off to win the match!

 

I feel like this is exemplary in the how they gradually they build throughout the match. Nothing is abrupt. Everything is earned by attrition and effort. To me this match is representative of the greatness of Flair spot calling because of his ability to layer a match with his spots that is meaningful in every way. Also throughout the match (it is documented in the matches with the Von Erichs) he is constantly struggling and making the babyfaces earn their controls. It is not a typical high energy, bump-a-thon by Flair until late in the game so it makes it different enough for diehard Flair fans like myself to see something unique. Love this match! ****3/4

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  • 1 year later...

Every single time they announced the time in this match, it blew my mind. At 10 minutes, I thought I had watched 4 minutes. At 25 minutes, I was thinking around 15 or maybe a little over. I agree with the reviews, excellent match! I was surprised to see that some rank 4/28/1985 match higher than this one, because I think this one far exceeded it. I think it's around the high end of ****1/2 for me.

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  • paul sosnowski changed the title to [1985-05-03-Houston Wrestling] Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor

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