[10.0] "Ah man this kicked ass... Graham was definitely at his best in this era, helps to feud with some of the best but still he looks like a colossus of power in there, but still knows just when to sell and show weakness. Backlund was in great form as well, his holds looked like iron and when he smashed Graham's face in with the stretcher, damn that ruled. Awesome stuff."
[7.0] "Most wrestling fans know of the Patterson/Slaughter bloodbath but this one here definitely is on the higher end of early WWE violence. Backlund's blade job is a bit clunky and the ending of a match advertised as only ending when a competitor can't function anymore and needs to be carried out on a stretcher is a bit rough when the loser of the match immediately gets up and complains of losing the second they're carried out of the ring is not great. That said, this was a really fun story being told here and the Philadelphia crowd was going ballistic. Fun time."
[8.0] "I feel like this match is a forgotten classic! This is as perfect as a heel vs babyface story as it gets. You have the muscular, boisterous, blonde Graham taking on the humble, ginger, amateur stand out in Backlund. While this match starts slow it builds into a bloody war with both men refusing to be carried out. There are a couple of times you could believe the match was all over for either man. The electric crowd that only Philadelphia brings only adds to the ambiance to the fight between champion and challenger."
[9.0] "Heated match. The crowd was wild for this. No countout, they can brawl outside. Graham work the back of Backlund with the apron. Great false finishes with the stretcher. Both guys bled a gusher. Bob Backlund threw great punches at the end. Great finish."
[8.0] "Selten und interessant weil es eine andere Art von Stretcher war. Mit aber echt einem miesen Material so ist Bob auch von der Trage gefallen. Was mich überrascht hat wie blutig das wurde. Mein Match Rating ist (***1/2)."
[8.0] "If you look at this match with a modern-day eye, you're not going to find anything special. However, from an objective view, this was a very good match. The crowd was incredibly hot here, and both wrestlers played to it. Although the stipulation is kind of silly for any era, it somehow worked here too. Backlund getting color only added to the whole spectacle."
[9.0] "This is a Sicilian Stretcher match for Backlund's WWWF Heavyweight Title, and it's not the stretcher match you'd normally expect to see. Basically, you have to beat your opponent down to the point where he's vulnerable enough to be stretchered out of the ring by the refs. The slow beginning isn't for everyone, but it makes sense judging on the stip. I thought they did a great job of extending each stretcher's attempt - most of them, especially the late ones, genuinely came off like an actual false finish, which is no easy feat to do. This one reached new heights for me when they started going to the floor and getting colors, it all perfectly built up to the climax. Backlund smashing Graham with a chair and stretcher till he's down was a truly badass finish, worthy of concluding the fight. Overall, a tremendous, hard-fought contest that turned into a classic once the violence and drama got tuned up to a ten. [****1/2]"
