Microstatistics Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Great match: hard-hitting, intense with great heat. Smart finish that indicates the cumulative effect of damage sustained across the match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Been meaning to do a proper review on this in forever. After initial viewing, I thought it was a legitimate five star classic. I wanted to rewatch again to make sure I wasn't crazy and have not found the time. Glad you liked it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted October 9, 2017 Report Share Posted October 9, 2017 I legitimately did think this was a five star classic when I watched it a couple years ago. I think it is still the best match of the series but not that high. WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana vs Greg Valentine - MSG 6/16/84 They had two matches in Philly that preceded this bout, but this is the first match in MSG so this should be treated as a first match in a series that would culminate in a six match series at the Garden finishing in a lumberjack match in March of 1985, which I think is unheard of in length. This match and these two wrestlers epitomize struggle. Not just in their manly, hard-hitting slugfests, but in the way they tussle in gritty holds. Santana is relentless on the arms and the crowd is going wild as he is wringing it out. Valentine misses a knee into corner and two armdrags into an armbar. That's a great way to create movement by Valentine. He is stodgy on offense, but he knows how to create excitement. Santana has that fire. Valentine bullies him out through the middle rope to the floor. Tempers flare! The fists fly! THE GARDEN IS ROCKING! They should have kept it up, but both go back into the ring. Tito says don't sing it, just bring it. The Hammer misses the elbow and Tito wrings out the arm and DRAGS him to the ground and does it again. That's what I am saying. The struggle is real. Valentine forces you to earn everything. Valentine shoots him off and Santana bulldozes him over. Tito goes for another, but The Hammer picks him up and ATOMIC DROP! Great selling by Tito and as Valentine hits him with those hammer shots. The verbal selling from Tito is incredible. Hammer really connecting with those blows. Knee to the hamstring we all know what that is for. Love Tito's selling! Tito throwing a right so Hammer with those piston shots. Love that reaction by Valentine and he is working the hamstrings. Valentine wants to slam him in the turnbuckle and Santana sends him into the buckle. TITO IS ALIVE! Big shots and TIMMMMMBBBBAAAHHHHHH! Tito sees red, bullies him through the ropes and punching him ferociously. Valentine has no recourse but to poke him in the eye. LOVED THAT SEQUENCE! Tito is the best at those fiery comebacks. Tito into buckles because Hammer ducks, but on the figure-4 attempt he is sent into the buckles. Love how Valentine will throw this nasty forearms to set up move. Tito backdrops Valentine out of the piledriver and a big elbow. I love how Santana has had to earn this comeback and his fire. Crossbody gets two and MSG is roaring. Santana back into an armbar which is an odd choice as the energy was at a fever pitch, but it leads to Hammer picking him up and dropping him throat first on the top rope. Brutal spot! LOVED IT! Made Valentine look amazing. Hammer tortures the arm and Garden is chanting TITO LOUDLY! Hammer working over the arm. I feel like they put this first and the Tito comebacks after that this would be a five star match, but still this is great Valentine arm work. Valentine is just suffocating him. Valentine comes crashing down on his nuts on Tito's knees. Crowd loves it. So do I! SLUGFEST! HERE WE GO! TITO IS ROCKING! THIS IS AMAZING! Tito is pouring it on. The ref is breaking it up because Valentine is on ropes. Hammer gets a hard shot and backdrops him to the floor. Atomic drop and Santana cant respond to the count! Amazing first match! The struggle. The fire. The selling. Brutal shots (reverse atomic drop and drop across top rope were great). Amazing slugfest at the end and red hot finish. Best match of their insanely great series. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makai Club #1 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 This got incredible heat. And the action lived upto that as well. Valentine is an outright bully in this with his violent assaults on the arm and the body. Tito’s selling was amazing and put Valentine's offence over as very dangerous. The count out victory was only a good outcome for Tito Santana in theory but he was hurting badly. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilTLL Posted August 4, 2023 Report Share Posted August 4, 2023 This is definitely the best of a great series and an easy 4.5 for me. Serious question: is 6/16/84 an unlikely candidate for best shows of the 80s? Certainly any show that has an all-time classic in the boot camp match and a semi main this good this should be up there. Even the #3 is pretty good, Adonis/Murdoch vs Samoans. Yes, the rest of it is random house show shit, but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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