Nobuhiko Takada vs Bob Backlund, (12/22/88 UWF) Options

[Phil Schneider]

Nobuhiko Takada vs Bob Backlund (12/22/88 UWF)

[babylonianfrost]

Random thoughts.

I love it when Backlund dances :) That little whatever-the-hell-it-was step after he topples Takada cracked me up this morning. The rest of it...for a while it felt like an exhibition, not a match. No one seemed to put any real emotion into it until Backlund brought Takada and started working the leg. Just move exchange followed by polite applause. It's not really what I look for in my wrestling; nothing bad, just not for me. And it's hard to watch Backlund in an environment like this when I filter every match and move that he's in through my "Crazy Mr. Backlund" memories that I do so cherish :)

The match does get a bit more heated from there (though I wasn't particularly impressed with Backlund's camel clutch). Takada's kneestrike series followed by Backlund getting fired up and hitting the back suplex - that I legitmately thought (and hoped :) ) would be an atomic drop - was a nice sequence. Then Takada gets fired up as well and the match is more what I'd hoped for. It does slow down again but picks up toward the finish and I always mark for that butterfly suplex.

Again, I'm not sure how to rate these things because it's not my cup of tea. I was never that into Maeda's UWF so I don't have a real comparison point. Compared to what I've seen so far, it's down the list a bit. But I couldn't argue it to be a bad match or anything; just not my thing.

[Rob Naylor]

I understand where the above poster is going....as alot of this stuff thus far I really don't dig.

Oddly enough, I think that most of the higher pimped Takada stuff on here vs. his rivals comes off more "exhibitiony and emotionless" than this match.

If ANYTHING, I think this was one of the more emotionally charged matches of this style I've ever seen and the crowd went nuts because of that.

You had Backlund... highly respected amateur wrestler...coming off of a bit of a blackballing in the US after long being out of the picture in WWWF, WWF or Pro Wrestling USA.... and he shows up here with his past and credentials... and just steps into the den with the dangerous Takada.

I LOVED the opening stuff to set the tone.

Backlund rolling out like a real wrestler would in trying to get an ankle pick and Takada having speed and awareness early on to avoid was cool.

Backlund being tentative early in locking up and succumbing to two kicks and selling them in that great pissed off Backlund way and then finally timing it so he catches leg and gets a takedown to a huuuuge pop was good stuff.

The fire and "dance" after his takedown with Bob jumping back up and being like "Come on you fucker" was really great, imo.

I enjoyed the early wrestling and counterwrestling and Backlund busting out a rolling abdominal stretch takedown got quite the big pop and confused the striker.

I enjoyed the way both got the absolute most out of every movement...see Backlund going for judo type throws on Takada and Takada blocking...it almost looked like SUMO at one point.

The people were so into everything, which shows that it was a combo of being so conditioned to this style and Backlund's great adaptiveness to it and also, generally knew of Bob's reputation and respected it.

This is seen when Bob countered a series of tough looking knee strikes and picked up Takada...and the fans went nuts...as he had him up in the old finisher "Atomic Spinecrusher" position..but went for a backdrop instead here. Backlund immediately going for a fujiwara armbar variant following that backdrop suplex and the nuclear heat it got was something else. One hell of a near submission. Takada getting a ropebreak was huge.

There is sooo much to love in this match...

1) Takada going back to the kicks and staying away from Bob in order to keep with his strategy to strike the wrestler...

2) Backlund doing one of the SWEETEST looking side headlock takeover's in trying to transition into a submission toward the end...

3) Takada's deep and beautifully applied Fujiwara armbar...how he gets positioning to get the hold and how he shoots in for it was as good as it gets...

4) Takada AX KICKING his way brutally out of a Backlund Leglace was such a heated and great moment...

5) Backlund putting his hands up and grunting and trying valiantly to swat away the pesky ax kicks

The finish was also cool, which I won't spoil...

I thought this was the best Backlund match I've ever seen, even better than the Rose and Adonis WWF belt defenses, and he was awesome in this setting I thought.

I might be losing my mind, but I also enjoyed this Takada match vs. Backlund more than nearly any match on the awesome Best of Takada sets I got from Tabe. It was an incredible performance from Takada.

Definately going to be in my top 5, I imagine. I don't even dig alot of this stuff so far....but seeing guys like Bob Backlund, Scott McGhee or Marty Jones adapt to the style is very fun for me to watch.

[WOODOO]

Watching Bob Backlund wrestle is what I imagine watching Ronald Reagan fuck must look like. All of his contortions and whatnot don't come across as serious to me. So pretty much when I'm watching Backlund, I'm more likely to start laughing. I was doing plenty of that in this match, but for some reason, the match is still somehow hella decent. But it's weird. The style is right up Backlund's alley and yet he seems to be taking away from the match because when he wants you to sense danger, I start laughing. When he's pressing the attack on Takada, I start laughing. When Takada is beating his ass, I came close to laughing.

This match is bizzare. It is obviously good and yet it doesn't work for me. ME CONNECT...WORSE?

[Tabe]

No mention of Backlund getting legit pissed off and giving Takada a raspberry on his eye?

This is a great match, easily the best of the post-1984 Backlund stuff.

Tabe

[Young Mr. Grace]

I loved this match, I thought it was alot of fun, compared to some UWF matches, which are a bit of a chore at times.

It was really neat to see Backlund in this as the only Backlund I've ever seen was his 1993 and on stuff, so while I had some pretty good matches to go on (in particular I Quit at Survivor Series 1994) I never really saw him in his prime.

But I really dug his work here, it was alot of fun to see him enter a world like this and try to play Takada's game. Alot of nice back and forth exchanges, with some good wrestling takedowns by Backlund.

I love shoot style, and while some of it is hit and miss, even a little boring at times, it's matches like this, with two guys wrestling and willing to give enough of themselves to get as close to fighting as you actually can without crossing the line, and to be willing to adapt to a style and environment like this, that make me love the style even more.

It seemed like Backlund was getting pretty pissed off and tired of this kind of thing by the end of the match, but I could be wrong.

Great match, I don't see it not making my top 5.

[Kyle Casey]

Did anybody else have trouble with their copy of this match? What I mean is, my copy of this DVD was fine up until this match, where the DVD would skip in places. It made it difficult, but not impossible to watch.

I really dug what I saw. Lots of neat reversals and counter-reversals, which I've found is pretty much the norm in UWF. The one real complaint in the match was all of Backlund's "whoa"s. That got annoying pretty quick. Other than that, this match was aces with me.

[MisawaGQ]

No mention of Backlund getting legit pissed off and giving Takada a raspberry on his eye?

This is a great match, easily the best of the post-1984 Backlund stuff.

Tabe

I noticed Takada's eye was messed up but I didn't see where Backlund did it to him. I did notice a couple of vicious kicks that the pissed-off Takada layed in, as they looked almost completely legit. Maybe they were in response to Backlund messing up Takada's eye. In any case, this match rocked. I didn't like how they completely killed the match after the first really heated segment, and then started getting a bit repetitive, but it picked up again after that. This match will probably end up in my top 15, possibly top 10.

[Tabe]

I noticed Takada's eye was messed up but I didn't see where Backlund did it to him. I did notice a couple of vicious kicks that the pissed-off Takada layed in, as they looked almost completely legit. Maybe they were in response to Backlund messing up Takada's eye. In any case, this match rocked. I didn't like how they completely killed the match after the first really heated segment, and then started getting a bit repetitive, but it picked up again after that. This match will probably end up in my top 15, possibly top 10.

Other way around - Backlund messed up Takada's eye in response to the kicks.

Tabe

[djhaigh]

I agree with Naylor that the early matwork had a bit more emotion than the generic UWF opening segment because of the invading ex-champion atmosphere that the crowd was buying hard. And when they stepped up the pace it was pretty much all great.

The question for rating this is balancing the damage from the 10-minute slow stretch in the middle with the boost from Takada breaking Backlund's nose with a pair of kicks. I can't see putting this top 5.

[lovchunky]

This match was so strange at times, it was great. The fiery exchanges are the highlight of the match. I don't think Backlund was expecting to get kicked so hard, and his reaction was to forearm Takada in the face. Some of the submission exchanges are great. The Backlund chickenwing is always great. I was a little dissappointed that the finish came with the UWF1 styled armbar. My only complaint with this match is the lull in the middle, but it's more than made up for by the hot as hell crowd and the stiff portions of the match.

[martysugar]

I really enjoyed this match: it got really intense, as Takada left with a shiner and Backlund the bloody nose. Backlund's facials were great, plus his hollering "whoa" and the "No-o-oh!" when being asked if he wants to tap. And the irony of Backlund trying to win the match with a Camel Clutch was definitely "top drawer," IMHO.

The ending was a little odd, as it looks like Backlund was trying to deny he tapped. I thought he might've been cheated by the evil Japanase Wrestling Empire, or something. :P

But seriously, this was good times.

[Horatio Hammerlo...]

Man, I loved this match! Bob Backlund the American pro wrestling style theatrics to UWF and I loved it!

His reaction to the stiff kicks were classic and his Backlund jig when he dumped Takada after catching another kick was hilarious. Takada humored Backlund and tried to mat wrestle him but when Backlund came out on top all bets were off. Backlund is a pretty one-dimensional mat / submission wrestler when it comes to UWF style but his stiff forearm smash does the job. The big atomic drop feign into the back suplex was a nice touch.

I have no problem with the ending because Takada won while Backlund has the excuse that he didn't understand the rules and didn't really lose. An excellent match and definitely in my Top 5 so far!

[Robert S]

The ending was a little odd, as it looks like Backlund was trying to deny he tapped. I thought he might've been cheated by the evil Japanase Wrestling Empire, or something. :P

The ending was really strange, it looked like a complete double-cross. But then Backlund came back to work for UWF2, so maybe he was just trying to play a character or so.

[Marcos]

This is top 5 for me, maybe top 3.

The thing about it is, I've always loved this style, that being shootstyle. But when you've watched soooo many matches of the basic style in a row it takes something a little different to stick out to me. That was also why Maeda vs. Gordeau was so fun on this set. Maeda vs. Takada while awesome the first time I saw it, just seems like by the book stuff in the midst of all the other good shoot stuff.

But here, you had the meshing of the American style, so commonly seen in the last DVD set we had, vs. the weird Shoot stuff and to me, as a fan of old school pro wrestling and UFC it's just great to watch.

Backlund is such a weird guy. So bizzarre looking in his movements, almost like John Cena in that you don't think he's a good worker, but than, unlike Cena he puts stuff together really well and does some things to where he all of a sudden seems good. I remember feeling that a lot on the first set. Of course working the Adonises, Slaughters, and now Takada and Funaki's will help you look like a good worker.

[KrisZ]

The crowd reaction to Backlund during the intros before the show was awesome as fans were hugging him treating him like he was a legend. Crowd heat was molten for this and even though it looked uncooperative, it made the match even better to me as it became a sort of one upmanship.