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[1985-11-09-Mid South-TV] Ric Flair vs Butch Reed


Superstar Sleeze

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Non Title Match --- Ric Flair (c) vs Butch Reed - MId-South 11/8/85

Ric Flair is slated to face Al Perez on TV. But Butch Reed is pissed because Flair has put a bounty on his head using DIcky Slater as his hitman. Reed gives Flair his back and Flair charges. Reed punches him in the head. Great TV sprint ensues. Impromptu match means non-title. Flair seems way more energized in this. It feels like a real fight. Flair traps him in a test of strength where he kick in the midsection and then double stomp. Flair throws him to the outside and Reed comes back with O'Connor Roll and then the sleeper. Watts is great on commentary and makes the match feel more urgent. Flair suplexes out of the sleeper. Suplex struggle and Reed hits the suplex! I love a good contested suplex. Nice mini-battle. BIG SHOULDERTACKLE! 1-2-3! Huge Pop! Reed wins!

Slater comes out and they do a number on Reed. Spike piledriver! Flair stands tall. Great TV Angle. Very fun match. Was there a rematch? ***1/2

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  • GSR changed the title to [1985-11-08-Mid South-TV] Ric Flair vs Butch Reed
  • 2 weeks later...

The prematch promos are something else. I love how effortlessly Flair switches from going to a cocky yet calm promo to an absolute enraged man in a matter of seconds. I was less thrilled at him calling Reed a monkey. Reed looked like a million dollars here and he's a thousand miles away from the unmotivated Butch Reed I would watch in the WWF a few years later. 

This was a fairly solid TV match for the time. This is all impromptu, so Flair is trying to get out of here as quick as possible. The action is quick and could go either way when Reed lands a flying shoulder tackle and gets the win. This was a huge upset as Flair was the champion and I did not see this coming. 

★★¾

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  • GSR changed the title to [1985-11-09-Mid South-TV] Ric Flair vs Butch Reed
  • 1 year later...

Hhahaha I have seen this match before, but you get a whole new appreciation watching the TV surrounding it. I kinda felt like I had seen the Spike Piledriver like I was getting some Deja Vu, and it turns out I was justified. 

NWA World Champion Ric Flair vs Mid-South North American Champion Butch Reed - Mid-South 11/9/85 Non-Title

They recreate the 1983 Crockett Bounty Angle with Ric Flair playing the role of Harley Race, Butch Reed playing the role of Ric Flair and Dick Slater playing well the role of Dick Slater! More things change the more they stay the same. Flair is hot at the beginning of the show because ol Tricky Dicky Slater has his $50k, but has not delivered on his promise of injuring Butchie. Slater said earlier in the night he was leaving Mid-South and gave the money back. It is too much trouble. This led to speculation that he did have the money but was afraid of both Flair and Reed. Later in the night, North American Champion Butch Reed won his Squash with a flying shouldertackle. Flair was scheduled to wrestle Al Perez, but Butch Reed comes out. Flair calls Reed, "a monkey", heavy sigh and they jaw. Eventually, they come to blows and we have an impromptu match! Very fun TV match. Reed overwhelms Flair early with heavy rights. Reed is one of my least favorite Flair opponents, I find their matches drag and Reed doesnt add much, but this was a sprint so more fun. Flair makes Reed earn his offense as Reed has to fight through a barrage of chops and Short Knees. An underrated element of Flair's game was the short knee and how he would throw to turn the tide of battle or as a heel hope spot the babyface would have to fight through. Once he stopped using it, it was to the detriment of his matches. Reed gets a backslide and Flair gets his toe on the rope, nice climax to the shine. Flair takes over using the Short Knee and Kneelift. Flair uses the double stomp! Always a mark for that. He throws Reed to the floor and plays King of the Mountain. Reed grabs a sleeper but Flair hits the Back Suplex which is usually the prelude to the Figure-4. Flair hollers "Now we go to school" as he hooks him up for the Suplex, but Butch wins the suplex struggle! Reed starts throwing those heavy hands. Reed has great, heavy punches! Flair Inverted Atomic Drop! Thats another move like the Short Knee is such an effective heel transition that makes 80s Flair so versatile that once he stopped using it, it really hurt his matches. Reed fights through that and Flair misses a chop, FLYING SHOULDERTACKLE! 1-2-3! Reed has pinned the  World Champion! Dicky Slater hits the ring and beats him up as Watts is shocked & appalled. Flair & Slater Spike Piledrive Butch Reed! It was all a set up to injured Reed! Not as great of a match as the Harley vs Flair match that set up the similar bounty angle, but still really good. I liked the wrinkle of Reed winning so that you really feel robbed when Reed gets injured. You really feel that Butch is putting everything together and now Slater/Flair has really screwed him. All night they were saying Flair is wrestling tonight, but next week is when he defends the title. You know Reed would've gotten the shot but he has been screwed. So who will step up? Who? Who? Who? Terrific 80s stuff! ***1/2 match, *****angle.  

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