NWA Classics 24/7 #5

Hector Guerrero v Jose Lothario (Texas Death Match) (Houston Wrestling, 6/8/84)

This is your 7 quid a month right here. Phenomenally great match. I was pretty much in shock watching it, partly because I never expected it to be THIS good; partly because Hector Guerrero is basically Eddie Guerrero. Seriously, Hector is sooooo like Eddie. It's almost surreal. Early parts of this are a bit like a lucha maestros match with the nifty give-and-take matwork. Hector is playing by the rules, extending his hand in acknowledgement of Lothario's skills, but he has this little grin that tells you he's being disingenuous. Jose has done this dance often enough and knows as much himself. Eventually Hector loses one too many exchanges and turns it into a fight, headbutting his way out of a standing bow and arrow and ramming Jose into the post. Even Hector getting pissed and snapping is reminiscent of Eddie, like in the Smackdown! match against Rey where Eddie finally drops the charade like you knew he would and just brutalizes Rey instead. This service has done wonders for Jose Lothario's rep as a worker (you know, among internet wrestling fans that go crazy for newly discovered 80s footage, which I'm sure means a lot to him). It's pretty clear the guy is one of the best punchers of all time and he throws some absolute CORKERS in this. There's one you can actually hear above the crowd heat and even Boesch on commentary pops for it. Guess who Hector sells the punches like? Fuck, he even hits a gusher like Eddie, bleeding all down his chest after a few seconds like Eddie at Judgment Day (though not as horrifically). Finish and aftermath is so awesome. Hector and Jose have been feuding together up until this point, but Chavo has been off in Japan and came back only to get caught in the middle. Earlier in the show he does an interview with Boesch where he says it's not his fight, but Hector is still his brother and he'll be in his corner. Then he gifts Boesch with a jar of hot sauce, straight out of the Guerrero family kitchen. At the end they do the double KO/"first man back to to his feet wins" bit (seems like a staple in Houston, because that's a few times I've seen it now), but the ref' gets bumped and doesn't see Chavo fire the whole jar of hot sauce right in Lothario's eyes. Boesch is disgusted post-match when Chavo calls Lothario a half-breed and not a true Mexican, then suspends both him and Hector. I imagine this would've made the Mid-South set if it had been available in full. If it had I'd have had it top 10.


The Guerreros v Jose Lothario & Al Madril (Houston Wrestling, 7/20/84)

Nah, fuck it, they're the same person. Somehow they are. It's not just that they look identical - the way they MOVE is identical. This was 1997 chickenshit Eddie Guerrero in 1984, basically. And of all the matches I've watched so far I'd say this is probably the most straight up fun. So, so fun. Edd-- I mean Hector and Chavo are outstanding here; unreal shticking and stooging and it's all done at a rapid pace. Lothario is more or less all punches and old man sympathy selling but my god is he great at both. There's one bit where he takes on both Guerreros with rights and lefts while Hector and Chavo fly around and the crowd are going ballistic. It was amazing. He also hits one uppercut on Hector that is honest to god maybe the best punch I've ever seen thrown in a wrestling match. Finish was executed kind of poorly, but the idea was good and that's usually good enough for me. Absolutely loved this. And will someone give Hector Guerrero the career comp treatment?