I've really liked their last two matches so I've high hopes for this. Buddy comes out (after a brief prayer) swinging, including a few fun jabs at Barr. He takes a powder and the mind games are on. Opening segment is based around a full nelson with Buddy doing some of his trademark shtick but also getting some more marks than usual for successful wrestling. Buddy does well for a bit through hook or crook but gets shown up. There's a great little hip top point-counterpoint (with a block) spot where Stan just blasts him in the ribs before Buddy hits the outside again. Buddy goes for an arm but Stasiak does a goofy little kip up followed by a B+ for Effort dropkick. Buddy finally drags him below the bottom rope and starts to punch, maul, and bite. Buddy's targeting a gash here, just choking and biting. Stasiak gets some punches back though and Buddy sells it like a Punch Out Character before getting tossed over. Part of why I love Buddy vs Stan so much is how great Buddy makes Stasiak's punches look. This is for the belt so there's a real sense of desperation out of Buddy that's appreciated, and that's even before Stan goes for the heart punch which Buddy scrambles out of. Stan is all over Buddy with huge punches including a haymaker out of the corner to the chest. He lifts him up, heart punch, first fall. Good stuff with Buddy really being logical, vicious, and desperate in his tactics only to get totally overwhelmed by Stan but in a believable way that only helps describe why he was going to such lengths in the first place.
Buddy sells the heart punch between falls and tapes up his left fist as well. They have the taped fist match ahead of them still but when sandy goes to take it off (as it's illegal in a title match) Buddy feigns an injury. Buddy stalls big until Sandy just lets him go with it. This goes on and on but Buddy is pretty damn funny in it, pissing off both Stasiak and the crowd plenty until he finally draws Stan in for a cheap shot to the stomach that keels him right over. Buddy tries to convince Barr that he kicked him and the question of whether the hand is loaded enters into things. Stan comes back in and starts working over the hand. Buddy keeps trying to convince the crowd that he's not hurt when he spent so long convincing everyone he was. Great stuff. Stasiak nails Buddy with some more great punches before Buddy gets him in the midsection again. Stasiak gets up a keeps using the side-headlock/punch combo while doing all he can not to let Buddy get that punch in. Every time they get some distance Buddy nails him in the midsection though. This is simple stuff but very well executed. They go so far as to have Barr keep trying to block Buddy's punch during a King of the Mountain. The gimmicked hand is really over as a threat at this point. It pays off perfectly as Stan comes back in and blocks the KO punch, hammering back a few times til Buddy nails a left out of nowhere for the second fall.
Third fall starts with Stasiak's right hand taped. They start out boxing on the idea that both guys' have one hand that'll be instant death and whoever gets the first punch in will be golden. Buddy gets Stan in the ribs first with some cheapshots and we get a rare Portland chinlock with the idea that Buddy is just containing this deadly weapon here. Stan works the position though until he can get one taped fist punch to the leg to get out. Buddy sells it like death. Rose comes back in they tease a Stasiak punch but Buddy runs for it. This time Stan follows him out and nails him on the ring post though. Buddy comes back in with color and we get a KOTM segment where Stasiak keeps nailing Buddy with his taped fisted when he tries to come in. The crowd is loving this especially after he chases him out and pummels. They both end up on the apron with Stan just destroying Buddy as the ref counts. Finally, he gets the heart punch on the apron but Buddy falls through the ropes into the ring and beats the count. It's the most awesome bullshit title change ever. The sheepherders come out an drape the belt over reeling Buddy.
This was great both as a match on its own and like almost every single match we've seen in 79 as a match to build smartly to the live show on Tuesday. I don't know if there's ever been a wrestler at building to a live card than Buddy. Even Lawler sort of pales in comparison to this stuff.
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