Classic St. Louis Wrestling at the Chase Vol. 9
Classic St. Louis Wrestling at the Chase Vol. 9(Run. 2hr 30mn) gets a double-up from me. 15 matches in total(12reg. 3 bonus) plus a King Kong Brody Promo and Dick Murdoch Promo from back in 1983 from the historic Chase Hotel. Filmed at a point in wrestling history that their staple announcer Larry Matisyk describes as a time when "wrestling was slipping into chaos," "the NWA was basically collapsing and McMahon and the WWE had not yet come into power." Tickets to the weekly studio filmings were free, so there was always a good, lively crowd at the events. Nice double-referee stlye for many of the matches that manages not to be too much and adds to a more serious tone than events of today.
Tony Atlas Vs. Ted Allen-
Tony Atlas(Mr. USA) is in peak condition for this match that he probably could have won in his worst condition as Ted Allen put up little offense during the contest. Although its pretty much a smash match on the part of Atlas, Allen does manage to pull of a couple low blows and gouges that stagger Atlas for a brief minute. But Tony's amazing power and great personality grants him the win and puts him over huge with the St. Louis fans.
HIGHLIGHT- Flying headbutt by Atlas MATCH RATING(1-10)- 4
Jesse Ortega Vs. Adrian Adonis-
Adrian Adonis here at a lean 262lbs. touting his Texas Gold Belt and spiked dog collar goes toe to toe with a somewhat underrated Ortega. Adonis shows why he was known as a wrestler's wrestler. Probably one of the best scientific wrestlers ever for that matter. Adonis uses his superior strength and size to his advantage keeping control for most of the match. Ortega shows some sparks and nice athletic ability at some points, but it is mainly due to missed moves by Adonis. Adonis has Ortega pinned at one point, but pulls him up and opts for more punishment before ultimately getting the win.
HIGHLIGHT- Side-Saddle Backbreaker by Adonis MATCH RATING- 5
Jerry Oats Vs. Ken Timbs
An entertaining build-up match where Oates displays some of the sound wrestling abilities that eventually got him a piece of the NWA tag title with Ron Garvin in '84. Oates has some of that "everyday guy" appeal that helped get Bruno Sammartino as far as it did. Timbs begins the match on the run, dodging Oates whenever possible but still taking a good schooling. Timbs realizes he can't win on technical skill so he goes for some cheap shots that have a short term stun, but nothing substantial enough to take Oates off of his game.
HIGHLIGHT-Mid-Match Handshake Attempt MATCH RATING- 3
Randy Savage & Butcher Salviccio Vs. Chavo Guerrero & Tiger Conway Jr.
Previous bad blood between Savage and Conway Jr. sets the undertone for this match. Savage shows in full dragon covered robe sporting his ICW championship belt. This is a good match labeled as an "Australian Tag Team Match" that displays some of Savage's well-known wildness and Guerrero's acrobatic abilities. Match runs back and fourth in a consistent fashion with Conway Jr. and Guerrero working very well as a tag team and Savage and Salviccio operate more as separate units assembled for this match which in turn leads to their downfall.
HIGHLIGHT-Monkey Flip on 330lb Butcher MATCH RATING- 4
Randy Savage Vs. Jason Reeves
Savage adorned in full gold robe garb for this contest. Reeves has a huge height advantage on Savage that plays to his advantage at times. But Savage's pure wrestling ability and brute strength is displayed throughout the match and keeps Reeves in his place. Savage manages to pull off the flying elbow in probably the longest leap ever seen from the 2nd rope. Savage, at one point has the match won, but opts for more punishment instead.
HIGHLIGHT- Bouncing Piledriver by Savage MATCH RATING- 4
Terry Gordy & Eddie Mansfield Vs. Tom Prichard & Spike Huber
Freebird Gordy teams up with local heel in Mansfield(The Continental Lover) against local favorite in Huber and partner Prichard. Gordy pulls off all of the substantial moves(great dropkick) for his team, with Mansfield getting some hit-and-run cheap shots in. Huber and Prichard work well as a team having similar styles working for them. Gordy keeps the match a little wild in true Freebird fashion, taking it to the floor at times. The match descends into chaos with Gordy pulling off a choke right in front of the official.
HIGHLIGHT-Missed Backdrop Cue by Mansfield MATCH RATING-5
2 Ring Battle Royal(Edited)
King Kong Brody, Scott Casey & Spike Huber Vs. Nikolai Volkoff, Victor Rivera, and Bobby Jaeger are the teams that this 2-ring battle royal from the famous Checkerdome seems to have settled into. This is not the full match here, basically the end of the tournament to see who faces Tully Blanchard who awaits in the 2nd ring that he had already conquered. Decent action here, but it does not tell the whole story of the match as is picked up later in the event. It ends up being Blanchard Vs. Huber in a 1-fall to a finish contest that ends up entailing the use of both rings as well as some floorside action. Nice ending on this one which sets up their subsequent rivalry.
HIGHLIGHT- 3 Men Thrown Over Ropes in 1 Shot MATCH RATING-5
Tully Blanchard Vs. Spike Huber
Blanchard is in full "smart ass" mode for this match(just before his 4 Horsemen fame a little later on) starting out trying to taunt Huber. Huber was definitely underrated for his strength and skill sets back then, but was definitely appreciated by the St. Louis fans who saw him as their local hero against the great heels of the wrestling business. This was a pretty even contest displaying both wrestlers strong sets along with a fair amount of old-fashioned grappling. Blanchard displays the characteristic that probably helped the Horsemen the most- which is how to exploit an opportunity at the right time. Good technical skills shown here.
HIGHLIGHT- Super-Atomic Knee-Drop by Huber MATCH RATING-5
Tom Prichard, Dominic Denucci & Spike Huber Vs. Tully Blanchard, Eric Embry, & Killer Karl Kox
This 6-man tag match starts out with Blanchard and Huber continuing where they left off and attacked each other in basic disregard for the match at hand. After some ringside action Blanchard decided he had enough and headed for the dressing room with the fans taunting him and this became a 3 on 2 match to the surprise of his team. Big mix of older and younger talent that adds an entertainment factor to this match.
HIGHLIGHT-Head Kick by Prichard MATCH RATING-4
Bruiser Brody Promos
Bruiser Brody Vs. Nikolai Volkoff
Both wrestlers are in their prime here which should suggest how great of a match this will be. Almost even on strength and size, these men realize that the advantage they usually have has been nullified and must pull out all of the stops they can. You can almost feel the power exerted here as the melee manages to spill on to the floor utilizing whatever they can get their hands on as the match ends in complete chaos.
HIGHLIGHT- Corner Blows Exchange MATCH RATING-6
Dick Murdoch & Luke Williams Vs. Jerry Oates & Marty Oates
The Oates brothers vs. the unlikely combo of Murdoch and Williams(future Sheepherder/Bushwacker).
Murdoch displays his "loudmouth" abilities well here, managing nicely to help get the fans riled up for the contest. This was a solid match with the heels creating some of their own advantages and building from there. The match ends in chaos with Murdoch running for the hills after exploiting the younger Oates.
HIGHLIGHT- Right Cross to Murdoch MATCH RATING-5
Dick Murdoch Promo
This is one of my favorite promos with Murdoch in complete control, but still wildly rampant-he insults people in the crowd nicely-without refrain.
Bruiser Brody Vs. Dick Murdoch in Japan
Brody displays one of the best entrances in the history of wrestling that I had not seen until this match and is one of the gems of this disc. Picture a reaction like Godzilla had entered the building(yes, I would have ran myself had I been there). Nice strength and agility display from Brody who actually leapfrogs Murdoch at one point during the match. Lost of mental strategy in play here as well as the Japanese audience has always shown appreciation for this level of ability. Larry Matisyk gives a recent announce job to this match from Japan, adding nice insights, as much time has passed since then. Blood is spilled as mayhem is created in the arena and furniture finds its way into the ring.
HIGHLIGHT- High Cross Body by Brody MATCH RATING-7
Kerry VonErich Vs. Greg Lake(Bonus Match)
Kerry's in great shape here against the lesser Lake who uses what he has to work with. Basically an abilities show put on by VonErich who holds gold at the time and probably an attempt by the company to gain some younger viewers up in this area to help compete with the then rapidly growing WWF. The St. Louis promotion had ended with Mr. Matisyk creating the GSWE from their remnants which produced these bonus matches.
HIGHLIGHT- Standing Dropkick by VonErich MATCH RATING-3
Greg Valentine & Yasu Fuji Vs. Spike Huber & Bulldog Bob Brown(Bonus Match)
Valentine sporting a very flamboyant "Flair-like" styled robe contrary to his somewhat understated wrestling style. Lots of grappling in this one and fairly even throughout the contest. Lots of "classic" hammer elbows from Valentine on display. Not much chemistry wise between the partners on the two teams but the match entertains for an "extra" match on the DVD.
HIGHLIGHT- Figure 4 Leg Drop by Valentine MATCH RATING-3
Mike Kovac Vs. Jose Elisia
Elisia puts on a nice display of "classic" wrestling moves to maintain control over the newcomer Kovac in this bout. This match kept the crowds attention, but did not produce any real high point aside from the ending.
HIGHLIGHT- Power-Slam Suplex by Elisia MATCH RATING-2
OVERALL REVIEW- This is a solid DVD throughout, with many greats of the game in their absolute prime. I pull this one out frequently as it is a good representation of the sport before it got a little goofy. A great addition to any serious wrestling fan's collection-I would definitely recommend.
Sample of progam stlye is listed below to check out. Click on Link. Thank you for viewing.
Kerry Von Erich -vs- Tim Leonard
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