Even better than the title win in Texas Stadium. This feels like a real natural next step in their dynamic, and a real great test of Kerry as World Champion early in his (very short) reign. At Parade of Champions, absolutely nothing that Flair attempted against Kerry worked. Flair got absolutely steamrolled by Kerry on that night, but there’s a lingering question that remains. What with the big hometown crowd, the emotion behind it being a tribute to his fallen brother, it’s entirely possible to say that Kerry was floating on air that night, tapping into a special magic that can’t be replicated.
So can he do it again?
It’s clear early on that this won’t be an exact repeat of Parade of Champions. Flair’s much smarter about stifling Kerry’s momentum this time around, going to the striking early (he loves to punch these Von Erich boys in the face) and also tossing Kerry to the floor this time instead of letting him control the ring. When that’s not quite enough, he goes to Kerry’s leg as he did in 82 and wears him down with the figure four. Flair’s even able to escape the backslide that cost him the title, really nailing the point home that this is Flair at full strength against a Kerry left to his own devices, without the adrenaline of a special night to fuel him.
Here too, we get one of Kerry’s more interesting performances against Flair yet. Given the chance to sell the leg, he does it well, but he’s really captivating making those big 80s style comebacks. I can’t help but root for the guy when he gets those big wind ups on those punches, and the Discus Punch itself is a really great finish for him.
It feels good to see Kerry just thrash Flair in the back half. There’s something really vicious about Flair against the Von Erichs down in Texas. He doesn’t play the technical game with them long, he feels really good about really wearing them down, and the shit he eats in retaliation rocks. It’s even sweeter that Kerry catches him with a cradle pinfall here too, once again using finesse to put Flair down, and Flair is just livid at the end. Every time that man thinks he’s taken an L to a Von Erich, he throws a fucking fit and it rocks so much.
Great wrestling TV, feel good, and a nice way for Kerry to make the most of what this reign will be.
Rating: ****
