Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat

[5.0] "Wasn't feeling this one too much, be it a case of All Japan not being the best setting for them or still finding their groove with each other. Steamboat is good here but not as great as he'd become, he feels like a guy that's got the motions down but hasn't found his voice and natural flair (no-pun intended) yet. Flair himself is pretty solid too but the 50/50 of this match doesn't do either of them justice to how great Steamboat works from underneath and how great Flair bumps for the babyface comeback."

[7.0] "A bit too many 8's for this match here tbh... for me this is nothing more than just a ***1/2 match. Very good, but not excellent."

[6.0] "Noteworthy for being the first televised Flair vs Steamboat match of the 1980s, this is a solid but forgettable encounter. The Japanese fans are behind Ricky as the underdog challenger, but they don't treat The Nature Boy as a heel which renders his usual shortcut schtick less effective. Even if they are essentially going through the motions for 15 minutes, the action and athleticism are still decent for the era. As was often the way back then, though, the finish is super uninspired ***1/4"

[7.0] "simplicity at its finest. Both men using limited but repeated moves to damage each other with efficiency. Hearing those chops sounded different compared to now. Finish was nice and simple, Ricky dominated the majority of the match so the odds weren't in flair favour so his pinfall victory had to catch ricky off guard and be quickly executed in which it was. 3.75 stars"

[7.0] "The first significant Flair-Steamboat match, it's merely a glimpse into their significant rivalry. There's a lot to like here, with them emphasizing Steamboat's success on the mat ability to outwrestle Flair. There's a great moment as well where Flair tries to transition to lighting Steamboat up with his trademark chops and Steamboat fires back with as good as he's getting and Flair looks back in surprise, stunned that Steamboat can trade as well as grapple. Flair's heat segment isn't much, but there's a strong shine for Ricky towards the end, and they build towards a suitable finish with the people hooked by the end. A fine first chapter with much more to come. ***1/2"

[7.0] "Flair and Steamboat take a condensed cut of their classics to Japan, operating in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Flair's time in control is slashed the most, with Steamboat dominating much of this, including extensive control via headlock. That familiar physicality soon arrives though, with razor sharp chops earning oohs and aahs. It doesn't have the space to fully take flight, but it certainly has enough time to show the magic that'd often get them there. ***1/4"

[7.0] "A very good enjoyable watch as we saw Ric & Ricky working the early going slow, taking their time trying to find a rhythm while keeping the atmosphere alive by doing some running sequences. As it developed, the pace escalated and you could see their chemistry come alive, especially in the last act where they produced some very good work. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Good matwork, good slow start, big moves don't get spammed early, some psychology, great execution, great selling. Really solid camera work as well. It's missing a genuinely great finish to elevate this into a 9 for me. But as a precursor for one of the all-timer rivalries, this is a great watch. Could be a breath of fresh air for viewers who've seen too many 80s matches with poor pacing and overuse of rest holds."

[7.0] "It was good, but I wouldn't call it any better than that, and they certainly get better matches as the time goes on. Both great athletes and a very fun ending, but honestly not much to write home about."

[7.0] "At this point these 2 guys are simply amazing athletes going for the NWA title. They weren't up to what they would eventually get to, but the psychology and ring IQ regarding one another definitely grew with this one. A fine early chapter but it moreover gets me excited for the future than this match in particular."

[6.0] "Honestly, this is fine. It pains me to say that about a match featuring the members of the best in-ring rivalry, maybe ever, and taking place in an All Japan Pro Wrestling ring, but it is the truth. It features very sound technical wrestling as you would expect, but except for a few really strong moments, it is kind of dull."

[8.0] "Not even close to their '89 greatness but still a damn good match from two wrestlers with some of the best chemistry ever. A little bit less on the psychology part unlike their other matches. This focus on more back and forth stuff. It took a while to get into next gear, but the final few minutes were excellent. [***3/4]"

[8.0] "The first match between these two. This level is not yet close to what they showed in 1989, but it's even better. They left room for growth. But already now they have shown a good match and the potential of their rivalry. Flair was even then a cunning son of a bitch, therefore, despite the fact that Steamboat was stronger and confidently dominated, going to a natural victory, Rick had luck on his side, and he was able to turn the game in his direction and steal the victory."

[8.0] "A great first match between some of the most famous opponents. Many times they surprised me with the simplicity of their actions, and at the same time I could see these very actions for the first time, which once again convinces me of how talented wrestlers were in the 80s. Steamboat is not at the peak of his abilities yet, he will improve his skills in a few years, but Flair is great, and the method of victory was chosen appropriately (****)."

[5.0] "Steamboat, also due to his japanese heritage, has become quite the fan favourite in All Japan and he is given an NWA title shot while still not being a huge name but popular nonetheless. Simple and short, but would anticipate what would be in the years to come. **1/4"

[7.0] "First, I must begin by saying that if you want me to compare this to the 1989 Flair-Steamboat series, or even the 1994 trilogy, then I am so not the guy to ask. I actually haven't seen any of their singles matches! (Outside of some Attitude Era stuff I didn't really get into wrestling until diving into 90s All Japan last year, and my interest has continued to be largely Japan-based, so much of the canon of modern American wrestling is actually a great big blind spot for me. ) I am aware, however, that their hallowed 1989 matches were predicated on presenting Steamboat as an equal, worthy of the Man's attention if not his respect. And well, uh, nobody is putting Steamboat in that spot in 1982. The result is that this is really just another NWA title defense for the Nature Boy, a lead-in to his defense against Jumbo in four days. Well, what do I think of this match? It's quite good! This isn't a classic, but there's a lot of action here, and the structure of the match (where it's the babyface who's often in the driver's seat, not the heel) actually works quite well. Steamboat has become a fan favorite in All Japan. Flair retains when he rolls through a Steamboat diving crossbody to get the pinfall. I'm going with a ***1/2 for now."