Whats going on wrestling fans!
If your reading this, then it means I'm dea- nope, wrong draft. Sorry. If you're reading this, then I'm just coming back from vacation. Making the bold prediction a week in advance that I had a wonderful time away with my beautiful fiance celebrating 6 whole years together. Where does the time go?
As a result of me being away for a week, there's no update for what I watched this week. I did, however, prepare a short review for this week to keep my ravenous readers satiated while I'm away. So, lets skip all the small talk and get right to business, shall we?
Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA - Steel Cage I Quit - NWA Starrcade 1985 - 11/28/1985
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| Stalking Tully like a hungry wolf. WWE |
While I was preparing to watch Hangman vs. Swerve in their Lights Out Steel Cage match at All Out, I went back and not only watched their previous series of matches, but also went back and watched one of my all time favourite steel cage matches to get a real good feel for what I might be in store for. Couple that with the fact that current-run Hangman looks like prime Magnum TA and this was a perfect match to watch this week.
The match starts out with Magnum already in the ring and Tully coming down to the ring to some WWE Network dubbed theme, Baby Doll on his arm in a Flair-esque robe. Should be noted this match is for the United States Heavyweight championship and Tully is in defence of the strap tonight. Also, if we believe what commentary tells us (and my five minutes of research), this is the very first "I Quit" match. Kinda cool that the first match like this is remembered so fondly.
Tully is cool, but focused, putting on a face of confidence even after stepping into a cage with Magnum, who hasn't taken his eyes off Tully since he made his way through the tunnel. He's waiting for the chance to get his hands on Tully here, ready to tear him limb from limb and reclaim the gold that Tully stole from him earlier that year, thanks to Baby Doll and a roll of quarters.
The pair lock up after Magnum stalks Tully around the ring, trying to find an opening or advantage early on. Tully is able to back Magnum into the corner but quickly gets rocked with a forearm and sent stumbling back, either unprepared to start trading blows this early or hit harder than he was expecting. Either way, the crowd comes alive and Magnum continues to stalk the champion, fist cocked and loaded.
With Tully stuck between the ropes and the cage wall and Magnum on one knee, Tully uses the cage to help him climb up and over, dropping an elbow on the head of the challenger. Picking Magnum up off the canvas now, he whips him from one side of the ring to the other and drives him head first into the steel cage. Magnum hits hard and rolls around on the canvas, with Tully following up with a camel clutch that shows Magnum's head already starting to bleed.
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| Can't imagine this is going to feel good at all. WWE |
With Magnum starting to gain the advantage again, Tully desperately reaches out and pulls Magnum in by his trunks and sends him head first into the cage wall again. Magnum hits the canvas hard and tries to crawl away for some reprieve, but Tully is on top of him with the mic, a corded one that referee Earl Hebner is keeping with him so one of these two guys can say the words that end it all. Magnum is quick to fight out of the situation, grabbing Tully in a tight hammerlock and driving him arm first into the cage wall, the champion finally tasting steel.
Magnum grabs the mic and pulls Tully up by his hair, shoving the mic in his face and screaming at him to give up, his left bicep bleeding buckets seconds after the impact. He drives his head into Magnum's torso and both men are on their knees now, trading punches back and forth with Tully's having far less impact. Seeing an obvious weakness, Magnum latches onto Tully's bloody arm and bites into it (at least that's what I can assume from the one angle they show it from), holding on like a furious pitbull. Tully fights out and thumbs Magnum in the eye, letting out a bleeped "oh shit!" as he realizes just how messed up his arm is this early in the match.
The strikes are laboured and the punches come in wide, both men losing a lot of blood already and suffering because of it. With Magnum down, Tully crawls over and sticks the microphone in his mouth, barking at him to say it. Magnum is defiant, screaming "hell no!" back at the champion, who starts pinging Magnum's head with the microphone, a dull thud ringing out with each sickening impact.
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| The sound guy has gotta be pissed seeing this happening right in front of him. WWE |
Tully once again tells Magnum to say it, but he refuses, so he trades the microphone for heavy fists this time, drilling the challenger with right hand after right hand until he seems all but beaten in the middle of the ring. While some may call this a both, I don't see it that way, I have more that enough faith that Tully and Magnum knew what they were doing here. With Magnum out flat, Tully instinctively goes for a pin but Hebner doesn't move. I can't help but see this as desperation and instinct to try and beat Magnum while he's all but beaten, the concept of an "I Quit" match was brand new here, so its only logical that Tully would see Magnum out cold and think "yes! He's beaten! Lets finish this!" I honestly think that moment added to this match.
Tully keeps laying into Magnum relentlessly, or as much as he can in the condition he's in. He belly to belly's him face first into the cage, drops an elbow off the top to a barely standing Magnum and, once again, sticks the mic in his face and ordering him to give in, cracking him with the mic when he refuses. Pushing up off the chest of Magnum, Tully drops the elbow and slowly, with all the energy he has left, stumbles to his feet for another elbow drop but Magnum gets out of the way and the crowd fucking explodes!
He starts laying into the champion with punch after punch, Tully stumbling around punch drunk and exhausted, until he finds himself laid out on the canvas with the mic shoved in his face. Magnum sits on the chest of Tully and grabs him by the hair and, I swear to god, Tully lets out the loudest and longest "NOOO!" you've ever heard. He's screaming in pain into the mic, kicking his feet and trying to shove Magnum off his chest. He's more desperate than he's ever been.
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| It may be dirty, but sometimes you need to get a bit dirty if you want to survive. WWE |
I should mention here, Baby Doll adds so much to this match. I may not have mentioned her until right now, but her change from "yeah! Get him Tully!" at the start to "Tully! Tully get up! AHHH!" as Magnum starts to wear him down is so good man. The camera makes an effort to show how horrified she is mere inches away from the carnage in the ring, unable to do anything but scream and pray.
After some time, both men are back on their feet and they start fighting their way to the corner, with Tully backed in and Magnum climbing to the second rope, raining down mounted punch after punch. Tully is quick to fight out however, grabbing the legs of Magnum and dropping him with a huge atomic drop that rattles the spine of the challenger. Tully goes back to his playbook for this match, cracking Magnum with the mic when he refuses to give in, dropping elbow after elbow until he's simply had enough.
Without any warning, Tully grabs Hebner and hurls him across the ring which allows Baby Doll to grab a chair from ringside and toss it over the cage wall. Horrified screams can be heard as Tully cracks it against the canvas, breaking off a piece of the wooden chair (not the steel ones you;re probably picturing in your head) and dropping down onto Magnum with it, trying to stab him in the face with the broken, sharp point of the chair. Magnum comes alive at the last second, holding off Tully as he bears his entire weight down on the makeshift dagger, getting closer and closer to Magnum's face as the audience screams in fear.
He's inches away from spiking Magnum but slowly, he's able to shove Tully up and off him, granting him enough room to start driving his knee up and into Tully's chest to break the hold. Wasting no time, Magnum dives for the piece of the chair after Tully tossed it to the side of the cage, more than likely so Baby Doll could keep it hidden but it's no use. Magnum drives the stake into the forehead of a kneeling Tully, his screams of agony can be heard over the deafening crowd as blood starts to trickle down his face. His screaming turns into an answer, as Magnum keeps telling him to give in and Hebner gets down close enough to hear Tully begging for death.
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| Willing to do whatever it takes. WWE |
"YES! YES! YES!" is all he can get out, and the match is over.
I sometimes forget just how violent and bloody this match is when I don't watch it for a long time, but man oh man, this is so good. The moves aren't anything crazy, they barely leave their feet for a suplex the entire time, and its a really short bout too, barely hitting 15 minutes! But there's so much emotion, so much hatred, such purpose behind everything they do here, it's really great. Each punch is thrown with malice, each kick is meant to break a rib, and the cage feels like a legitimate weapon at times.
I do like the subtle moment at the end of the match where Magnum finally wind and has Tully down and beaten. He's on his feet and grabs the former champion by the hair and holds the spike in his hand, ready to deliver the killing blow, but hesitates. He looks at Tully, whimpering at his feet, begging for mercy, and then he looks at the spike, the gears starting to turn about what he's trying to do. He comes to his senses and chucks the piece of the chair away, dropping Tully as he has his hand raised by Hebner, still keeping an eye on his rival. He takes his newly won title, tosses it over his shoulder, and climbs out. No celebration, no jubilation. There's every chance he's starting to wrap his head around what he had to do to win the match and maybe isn't too proud of himself as a result.
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| Thinking twice about what an act like that would mean. WWE |
Well, that does it for this week folks! I'll be back to my usual reviewing ways next week so expect a full card of matches from my week of watching and 2 brand new reviews!
Until next time friends, stay safe.
Cliff Morgan
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