Kerry Von Erich vs Ric Flair (WCCW) 12/25/1982
This was a very good match bordering on great that was kind of ruined by the predictable nonsense that ensued during it. From the start I knew that Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy were going to get involved in the match. It was very distracting and at times counterproductive to what they were trying to accomplish. The part where Kerry would not break the claw even though Flair had his foot on the ropes was bad because Kerry started arguing with Hayes even though Hayes was in the right. That is where Hayes' influence fails. He’s supposed to be the bad guy because of his interference in the match but he is as close as unbiased as any special referee could be in this type of match. At worst he is a bit aggressive in his officiating.
The main part of the match was actually great. The structure of the match was very good. The early back and forth struggles where Kerry would seem to have the upper hand but Flair would counter or reverse were great. They effectively built up to the next phase of the match. Kerry finally gets control of Flair and proceeds to beat him from pillar to post. This is where Ric Flair shined. His selling in this portion of the match was incredible. Kerry’s offense is very weak-looking. Aside from a decent looking punch none of it looks that impressive. But Ric Flair sells his ass off for Kerry. The blood, the bumps, the glassy-eyed look all create the illusion that Kerry was about to kill this man.
After this we got the Hayes interference that I mentioned earlier and that led to the finish. It was dumb. Thanks to Terry Gordy Flair was able to get some nasty offense in. Kerry was beginning to look like Flair. While Flair laid on the mat looking like he just got mauled by a bear, the official checks on Kerry and decides he can no longer go. Usually I enjoy matches that end by ref stoppage but this was ridiculous. Flair was far more beaten up than Kerry was. The referee should have called it way before if he was that concerned about the safety of the wrestlers.
Despite the annoying interference and the stupid finish I still would say this is a good match considering that the majority of it was great.
Final Rating - ***½
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