Bronko Nagurski vs. Lou Thesz

[7.0] "A short match which is decent enough to watch, but far from a must watch. Not as good as any previous Thesz's matches. The headlock toward the end was quite compelling tho."

[5.0] "Honestly, didn't really feel this one. There's a few good strikes here and there but the holds lack the usual intensity Thesz's matches have. Nagurski looks slow and sloppy at times, probably due to his age. The grappling wasn't as smooth here as it was on Thesz's matches against Rogers or Gunkel, it even looked a bit too cooperative at times, as Thesz was obviously going soft against old man Nagurski, which doesn't make for a good show in my opinion. ***."

[8.0] "Nice match, pretty simple from the in-ring standpoint - no Airplane Spins from Thesz, regular holds and regular deciding moves, I guess that's how you work against late 30s-early 40s World Champion in Nagurski."

[7.0] "Very good championship match from the 50's. This is during Lou thesz's peak and he looked great and very athletic against an aging Bronko who could still go comfortably and still looked just as strong as he was in his heyday. Both men told a great story with Thesz relying on his mat skills and Bronko using his power to unnerve the champion."

[8.0] "A really methodical, subtle championship match. A lot of locking up and jocking for position as many very old matches tend to have, but there's a lot of purpose and method to it, especially in how it helps establish the dynamic of the match. Eventually Thesz starts getting to Bronko and finishes the first fall with a series of stiff forearms into the Thesz Press which further upsets the challenger, who starts getting more physical as the match goes on. Nagurski's big football tackles are sold like death by Thesz, he really gets across their explosive power. Much of the third fall takes place within Bronko's powerful headlock that Thesz very slowly fights his way out of (including some punches to the face that Bronko tries to reciprocate) before there's a very quick sequence that leads to a dropkick/Thesz Press combo for the finish. A bit sudden given the match's pace, resembling an "overcome the odds" miracle finish in its structure, but it works out pretty well since at the end of the match Nagurski looks strong but Thesz is better at escaping predicaments and putting his opponents away. Not bad at all for a 60-year-old match, but not the best Bronko Nagurski match I've seen. ***1/2+"