[8.0] "A great match, Bob performs a miracle by getting a coherent 30 minutes out of a very green Hulk Hogan. What makes this so interesting though is that it runs so counter to how you would expect a match between these two to work. Bob goes power for power with Hogan, matching Hogan's moves, no selling some stuff and even deadlifts Hulk with one arm in one of the god damndest spots I've ever seen in my life. You just see these two on paper and assume 'okay Hogan bullies Backlund and Backlund sells' but this is all coming at it with a 2023 mindset. WWF at the time was a territory where it was the job of the challenger to make the champion look good. As opposed to other way around which is what we're used to today. A match that's well worth watching and a fascinating look at how much wrestling psychology has changed."
[8.0] "I had high expectations for this one, but it ended up being a tad disappointing for me. Not that the match was poor in any way, it's just the middle portion felt a little lackluster to me. The first 10 mins were very dynamic, with Hogan overpowering Backlund at first and the latter having to change course and adapt to get the better of him. Backlund's headlock control was super engaging, as he tried cranking on extra pressure to make sure it's not just a rest hold. Unlike Hogan's work on top, which came across as bland. Heel Hogan is great when he uses his size to establish dominance, and him working on Bob's arm wasn't exactly the way to do that. I thought they did an excellent job building up the big spots, and the closing end with the double airplane spin leading to a count-out was well done. But I feel Hogan's control segment hurt this one a bit. Still, some good stuff to enjoy here, such as Backlund reversing a Hogan bearhug into a piledriver and Backlund doing a one-arm deadlift on Hogan (I repeat, ONE ARM! ). [****] EDIT: I liked it slightly better on a rewatch. Personally find the finish exceptionally appealing, as Backlund's eagerness to outdo Hogan eventually led to his own demise. Some top storytelling here."
[8.0] "This is probably my second favourite Hogan match, after the Inoki match. The work at the beginning sold his strength well, which came back later when he had the bearhug locked in, and Bob's innovative and near constant reversal attempts made it all very engaging. I thought Bob's work was hampered by Hogan's lack lustre selling, but on the offensive side he was great as per."
[6.0] "I'm not going to pretend I am or ever have been a Hulk Hogan fan, so, grain of salt. That being said, this match was just kind of dull. I've seen some of Hogan's Japan stuff so I can know he can work better and harder than this, or at least, develops the skill to work better and harder than this. It was all just kind of there. Don't get me wrong, the crowd liked it a lot, so it was successful, but a long mundane grapple-fest with no real exciting moments to speak of beyond an airplane spin leading to a countout finish? Definitely nothing to write home about. Worth watching as an interesting relic of Backlund and Hogan passing in the night, but not much more than that."
[6.0] "Surely exceeds expectations, but this still isn't great. Very low workrate (even for the period), and everything is very obviously worked. Would not recommend, passable regardless. ***"
[6.0] "Some good work by Hogan that I definitely wasn't expecting. Still, tha match is far from a classic, surely 5-10 minutes longer that needed and with a poorly booked finish. Good to see though how over with the fans Backlund was at his prime."
[9.0] "Das ist für mich eins von Hulks besten Matches. Gerade auch solche Matches machen den Reiz aus Wrestling-Fan zu sehen. Es ist eine so seltene Perle das man sie von der WWE nicht beachtet. Es ist eins der wenigen Matches zwischen den WWE Hall of Famer bei der WWF. Hier zeigte der Hulkster was er drauf hatte, der damalige Face Lieblings Bob Backlund gewohnt sehr gut (****)."
[9.0] "This was tremendous wrestling. At first, I wasn't fully engaged in what they were doing. Not that I thought this was bad at the start, just lacking but the work was perfectly good in its own way. The match got interesting pretty quickly after a short while. They built to the big tremendously well such as Backlund suplexes Hogan. The crowd was great too. The audio quality wasn't the best so it's quite a feat that they came through as well as they did. Another highlight of the match has to be Backlund doing his signature stretch spot that always gets me to pop huge and Backlund changing course after failing to knock down Hogan with a shoulder block which puts over Hogan's size and stretch as well as his adaptability and wrestling smarts. Great match. Big contender for Hogan? s best match, in my opinion. ****1/4"
