DVDVR Memphis Set, Top 60: #53

Tommy Rich v Moondog Rex (4/22/85)

I'm not entirely sure why I put this so high at the time. It's a good match, but #53 seems a bit too high, especially considering I had it above the AWESOME Savage/Rude match I talked about yesterday.

Match goes about 11 minutes, the first half with Tommy in control working the arm. Moondog Rex working this kind of standard match instead of beating the shit out of Stan Lane and Steve Keirn and bleeding all over the place and shit isn't really the Moondog Rex I got the most enjoyment out of on this set, but he's good at getting frustrated and working in and around Tommy's armbar. I've been watching Goodhelmet's Buddy Rose set recently and Rose is a guy that is really good at working an arm and making it look really rough and painful. Tommy isn't the ideal Buddy Rose here, but he's perfectly solid and keeps things interesting enough.

Rex eventually takes over with a really cool transition spot. He points to Tommy's elbow pad and tells the ref' he's hiding something up there, so when the ref' goes to check on him Rex just plasters him with an elbow to the face. I like a good transition spot. I like a good cheapshot. This was both.

Rex is fine in control, but he's still a Moondog and there isn't really the kind of out of control brawling you want from a Moondog. It's not fair to criticise him for that since the situation doesn't exactly call for it, but Moondog headlock spots are never as satisfying as Moondog face biting or dinosaur bone hurling spots. Still, he punches Tommy in the head a bunch and shakes his hand out after it and I get a huge kick out of guys going that.

Lou Thesz is out doing commentary with Lance here so I dug the finish as a nice little nod. Whole match was fun, really. Good, solid stuff. I don't know what it was that made me think so highly of it the first time, but it's still the kind of simple match I can sit through no problem.