Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

[3.0] "Well... this was honestly as good as it was ever going to be. That does not mean it was good. More depressingly, I've yet to see a single good Roberts WWE match. The reality has yet to live up to the hype of legacy."

[9.0] "Hilarious and cleverly executed match. Perfect example of pro wrestling as theatre. I havent seen any other blindfold matches so I'm not sure how well this match type is usually pulled off but I thought this was brilliant, of course two legends like Roberts and Martel pulled it off though. I wish a company like aew would do this style of match, maybe another modern company has. Anyways this was great I don't understand the average at all."

[8.0] "A very good classical pro wrestling match, Jake Roberts' consistent pointing and waiting for the crowd response to guide him is a god-like babyface performance paralleled by a perfectly coward-ish performance from Rick Martel that just created a perfect dynamic. There wasn't really a lot of action but the excitement was in the in-between moments. The crowd chanting for the DDT popped me and I thought in general they did a good job of pulling this whole thing off without actually looking silly!"

[7.0] "I underrated this match by seeing everyone talk bad about it, and I didn't realize how good of a psychological match this was. This was funny and Jake looked badass even when blind. Of course, you wanted a single match, but they are such amazing workers that made such a match like this work"

[0.0] "Gotta be the silliest blowoff to a feud ever. Even how the feud started was kinda silly to me with Jake Roberts selling his blindness. For the match, this dragged why too long, more than it needed to be. Also from an entertainment perspective, this was very unfunny, with Martel running into Roberts' finish like a complete idiot."

[1.0] "Blindfold matches are the worst! Such a shame because if this was a normal match these two would have had a decent match. I get the storyline was that jake was blinded but they should have just made it a no DQ match"

[6.0] "A match that wasn't the best, If we talk like in general, but it was kinda entertaining, for an stipulation like this that I'm sure it's not easy to do completely blind, Roberts and Martel did It actually good, and with Storyline also, I think it's getting a 6 for being well done into the storyline and how they did it better than what could've happen in a match where both guys are completely blind, 6/10 [***1/2]"

[1.0] "Just...why? What a stupid gimmick match where they obviously can see each other. Entire match is them pointing at random directions and slowly walking. Wow, truly the most riveting 8 minutes of your life."

[9.0] "This is an overhated gem. A masterpiece in psychology, crowd work, and having fun. Jake Roberts puts in an all timer performance, delayed gratification in its finest form. You know that as soon as he gets his hands on Martel, the match is over, so the moment becomes prolonging the inevitable and keeping the crowd invested throughout which he cleverly does by making them an active part of the match. He points, they either cheer or yell "no" depending on where Martel is, and it looks like the most electric crowd to be a part of. Martel also plays his role perfectly, the comedy goofball heel who can never do anything right. He grabs someone, but it's the ref. He grab a chair, starts swinging it about for more range, and hits the post, ultimately making himself more injured in the process. I completely get why people don't like this, there's not a lot of actual moves here, but if like me you view wrestling as a storytelling medium primarily, give this another look."

[0.0] "That was a very bad, very, very long match. Blindfold match by itself is very bad and only should be used in comedy skit matches. Not between Jake Roberts and Rick Martel, and definitely not on a WrestleMania event. Soooooo boring. They could end this match under a minute, I think. Also very obvious that they were able to see and just needed time to build it up. stupid gimmick. 0/5"

[6.0] "I think this works a little more for me then others because it is really good laugh, It is pretty short, and there is worse things to watch on this show. The build up to the match is pretty great as well"

[6.0] "This is quite funny, stupid enough that it actually works in a way. Main issue with the match is that they did the same thing for a long time, I understand they were limited, but nothing new in 8 minutes? come on. Crowd helps this a ton, without them I'm not sure how this would've played out."

[6.0] "[2.75*] One of the most underrated matches I've ever seen. Yes, this wasn't a real "workrate match", but it was a fucking fantastic angle. I had the time of my life, I laughed a lot with all the spots. It may seem easy but it's a hard job to make this type of thing entertaining and both guys had amazing performances looking like goofs. I'm watching the whole show and for a WM midcard, it was excellent!"

[6.0] "Of course it's tough to rate it in classic terms, however I was entertained, so for me this match fulfilled its role. Despite being rather predictable and exposed at the beginning by Jake's botch, sometimes we should just take some things easy and enjoy."

[6.0] "While not an in ring classic or an excellent display of atheticism, it works in this era & this was an incredibly well crafted execution of this match type, playing into the crowd reaction with every single mannerism & movement of both men, the DDT remained arguably the most over move in wrestling by this point & Jake still feeling around to cover his opponent instead of immediately knowing right where he landed is a nice touch."

[1.0] "Wow, Jake Roberts really had a horrible Wrestlemania career didn't he? Yet another year where his match is one of the low points of the card. This match is the exact same level of absurdity as the Mr. T vs Roddy Piper boxing match, which saves it from being a 0/10. Take the 1/10 rating I guess. Barely redeemable, waste of time. Not sure how the crowd enjoyed this. Not my cup of tea at all."

[4.0] "Is the match stupid, yes. But in terms of blindfold matches this is probably the best wwe did. Crowd involvement was good and Jake had some smart tricks in his book."

[4.0] "This match isn't good, but it's great. It goes on a few bits too long, but it's fun to watch the crowd participate with the guys."

[7.0] "I understand that it was a weak fight if they weren't blindfolded I would also give it 0 max 1 but that's the charm of blindfold fight and I liked it I will join those 5 people who also had a good sense of humor during this fight I really laughed a few times it's a pity that something more wasn't achieved I won't give this fight 8 or higher but 7 seems to be the right rating for me"

[7.0] "This was interesting to watch. Both wrestler's movements, they were able to communicate well what they were doing despite being blindfolded. Also I was impressed with Jake's DDT at the end being done blindfolded. This took a lot of experience for both wrestlers to have enough ring awareness. For example, Rick Martel's chair shot to the ring post and then seamlessly moving to the middle of the ring while on the outside of it. I attribute this to his own experience. A lot of it was mime and audience participation. It was a unique match, I think they pulled this off well considering their restraints."

[1.0] "That was a very bad very very long match. Blindfold match by itself is very bad and only should be use in comedy skit matches. Not between Jake Roberts and Rick Martel and definitely not on a WrestleMania event. Soooooo boring. They could end this match under a minute I think."

[4.0] "A bit if fun but just way to long this match should have been half as long, i think martel was amzing here with us cartonn like reactions, jakr on the other hand just stood there but he and the DDT are more over then half the roster put togther so whatever. The crowd had fun wich is nice"

[0.0] "This is a bottom 3 wrestling match I've ever seen. It's not so bad it's good, it's so bad it's awful. I was genuinely excited to watch this disaster of a concept, but I found myself sinking into despair with every second that went by. Unwatchable garbage."

[6.0] "This walked so that Invisible Man vs Invisible Stan could run. Blindfold matches are some of the most pantomime wrestling can possibly be, so they're good. This was too long though, spots kept repeating over and over in a way that was probably great for the children watching this in the arena, but wasn't that great for the inner child watching this on Netflix on her sofa eating her second bag of Wotsits of the day."

[4.0] "Blindfold matches absolutely suck and this is no exception really. Both guys can obviously see through the blindfold so having to pretend to be blind makes it even worse. However the crowd interaction was surprisingly great and if you view it as a comedy match then it's actually not terrible. Martel did pretty well given the limitation but it was Jake's ringcraft that really saved this one from the bonfire."

[3.0] "This match comes the closest to good that a blindfold match can. It works because it features to masters of crowd interaction in an era before fans would go rogue and try to hijack the show to put themselves over. Unfortunately, it's still painfully boring."

[7.0] "I have a big soft spot for this one. Yeah, obviously I wouldn't want a whole card of blindfold matches with minimal wrestling, but one can certainly be fun when you have two of the best characters of the era involved. Jake's strong ring psychology was on display as he masterfully manipulated Martel with his "sixth sense." The build-up and storytelling for this was one of the more memorable and fun builds of the early 90's to me. The crowd was HOT, and honestly, I love that recognition for Jake whenever he got the chance. It's absurd that someone with Jake's promo skills was never given any gold, but still managed to make lemonade out of lemons with silly stuff like this. Come on guys, Martel even got to meet Damien! It's fun... don't hate fun!"

[3.0] "*1/4 (2.5/10) The blindfold match at Mania 7 was strictly for fans who watch pro-wrestling as entertainment. Although, it was not that entertaining at all. In fact, it was pretty sloppy, and mildly frustrating having to watch a couple of pros stumble around the ring only performing a handful of moves through the whole match before Jake thankfully ended after Jake locked in his lethal DDT."

[2.0] "This may be my least favorite Wrestlemania match. A bunch of creeping around with the crowd trying to help Jake. Martel is pretty funny in parts, but this match as a whole was a big miss."

[7.0] "Obviously not a traditional match, much less a technical masterpiece, but certainly a very entertaining spectacle. Roberts and Martel feed very well off the crowd and it turn make you very excited to see Jake finally hit the DDT and score the victory."

"Much like the full nelson match earlier, this is a lot of meandering to build to one spot. However, I think this match worked a lot better. Jakes call and response with the crowd has the people on their feet as these two essentially play a game of worked hide and seek. Not good in the conventional sense and arguably quite stupid, but I think you have to consider it a success. 3.5/7"

[6.0] "This match was way more entertaining than it had any right to be. Lots of fun psychology and Martel selling for the snake bag. Just a lot of fun. Is it a brilliant technical match? Not at all! But not every match on a card this big needs to be that. This delivered what it promised."

"I cant really rate this, because it isn't really a wrestling match and more an elaborate pantomime taking place in a wrestling ring. I didn't hate it though, although I think they might have potentially gone on for a bit too long. The gag is a decent one, but it's pretty one note and there's only so much you can do with it before you've seen everything the match can offer"

[4.0] "Not that it's an especially high bar to clear, but this would have to be the best blindfold match that I've ever seen. The stipulation makes sense for the feud, and they both put in pretty strong performances to make this as engaging as it possibly could have been. It's impressing that they manage to go for as long as they do while still keeping things fresh. It's not a stipulation I'd be keen to see again anytime soon, but for a unique one-off attraction match I thought this was at least fun."

"Very entertaining match for what it was. I can understand why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea because the lack of actual wrestling in it, but it is unique and entertaining. The camera shot of Jake's hand through the mask sucked, but whatever. As the fans of this match stated, the in ring psychology was great, and the crowd was hot for it. I also loved how all it took was Jake's patented DDT to win it for him. Really wish finishers were still considered that devastating these days."

[8.0] "Jake Roberts and Rick Martel prove that its possible to "wrestle" an entire match relying on nothing but psychology and crowd interaction. And boy is the crowd into it! I would hesitate to even call this a wrestling match, but it's entertaining and completely unique, and absolutely could not work without the crowd being fully invested and participating all the way through. Each move is believable, purposeful, and sold properly. But the nature of the match forces limitations on what both men can do. The build to the finish is perfect, and the pop is nigh unmatched when Jake finally hits the DDT and pins Martel. As a heated feud though, this seems too clean a way to end it. Still, taken on it's own merits, this match is good and deserves more credit for pulling off a difficult match stipulation and making it entertaining."

[2.0] "There is definetly someone who hates Jake Roberts, because every match he has on wrestlemenia is so bad, knowing how much he can do is just wild. The gimmick of the match gets fun, but gets very boring very quickly, it just does not work."

[3.0] "What kills this match for me more than anything that happened after the bell rings is the distinct shot when the refs are putting the masks on of Jake reaching into the mask to scratch his face. You can clearly see his hand through the mask EXACTLY where the eyeholes are when he does, which is absolutely immersion breaking. That's all you have for this match, so to immediately kill that too deflates it before the bell rings. While given the gimmick of the match, it was really impossible for it to be good, I don't hate this match as much as most people seem to. What more could these two have done besides work the crowd? Which they both do magnificently. When I rate matches, I try to think "did this match deliver on what could have been expected going into it? " In this case, I don't think there's much more they could have done to deliver what was advertised. Besides the aforementioned give away of the trick, this match was just too long. Shorten this match 3 minutes or so, and you'd have a solid little gimmick match. I don't think the match deserves the hate it seems to get, but I definitely can't call it good, either. It was as good as it could have been, and I consider that an accomplishment."

[5.0] "This match is the single blossom that has bloomed out of the mountain of cow turd covered in silly string that is the Blindfold Match. It's honestly more of a testament to the unreal in-ring psychology that's needed to pull off something like this and get the crowd involved as much as it did, especially on the part of Jake Roberts who is already pretty much a master when it comes to it. Also any match that could get a crowd involved in the action so much as this one did is something I can hardly ever call a bad match."

[2.0] "I'm genuinely surprised that this is rated as high as it is (not that it's rated high), I thought this match was more hated. Personally, I did not enjoy this match really. This is fun at first but quickly gets lame and this match goes too long. The story going into this were good. Blindfold matches tend to suck. I will say it was impressive how into this the crowd was; Jake was really over to be fair, and people hated Martel."

[6.0] "They actually pulled this off and kept it incredibly entertaining. It must have been the unbelievable experience for the live crowd, but the television viewers had some fun here too as Martel's body language alone was brilliant and I could watch him walk around the ring all day. They came up with some clever and funny spots here and there and I genuinely enjoyed myself watching this."

[4.0] "Could have been much worse. Went a little bit long but otherwise was ok. This was an interesting match to get the crowd involved with which is always nice. Not much wrestling, but from an entertainment standpoint it wasn't so bad. The spots with the snake and the steel chair to the post were funny."

[5.0] "This has always been a divisive match. On one hand, there's almost no wrestling involved and the constant struggles to "see" through the blindfolds can perhaps get infuriating. On the other hand, it's a master of getting the crowd fully involved and invested in every minute, and ends right when the gimmick has run its course. I'm sitting on the fence because any match that gets a crowd consistently engaged to me is unlikely to be a bad match."

[7.0] "I'm going to build off of two reviews: "Der Galische Krieger wrote on 25.01.2023: [7.0] "24/03/91 Wrestlemania VII WWF. Jake cheating using the crowd to his advantage, should of been a blindfold and earplugs match. I don't get all the hate for this match, as the psychology needed to pull this off and keep it entertaining has to be off the charts and no better duo to pull it off than Jake Roberts and Rick Martel. For the haters the pops Jake gets are bigger than any pop in wrestling the last 10 years, not bad for a 3* match. A match that used the gimmick perfectly to give us a comedic and entertaining match. Let down, yes it was a poor finish to a feud with nobody getting the shit kicked out of them, but I'm not rating a feud, but a match. 7*"" Mizzle Assault Ant wrote on 08.08.2020: [8.0] "This is an absolutely excellent match and it relies more heavily on pure psychology than maybe any match I've ever seen. The crowd reaction is UNREAL as they try to direct Jake and confuse Martel, and everyone involved plays it out perfectly." I saw a commenter who gave out a 0 not understanding why this is a blindfold match, which means they were not informed about the backstory. The idea that the heel is getting punished with an uneven playing field because of a disability he caused in the babyface makes lots of sense, and this is one of the best uses of crowd engagement and involvement of any match in history."

[1.0] "To watch how two adult men, whose heads were covered with some kind of bags, in which, in general, visibility is not the worst, and already at the beginning of the match Jake was burned with his confident movements, this is stupid in itself. Of course, there is no question of any wrestling here, since this is pure entertainment. And if you look at it through the eyes of the audience in the arena, then it could well have come in as an interactive one, since they were very desperately trying to help Roberts, and it even looks funny on the screen, but the problem is that only the first 2 minutes are funny, and the match was on almost 9. This is a very strange and specific sight."

[4.0] "Surprisingly watchable for such a silly gimmick, doesn't mean it was good by any means, but I was expecting much worse. Props to Martel and Roberts for trying here"

[1.0] "Holy fuck this was awful. I like Jake cheating by using the crowd, but it doesn't even fucking matter but he does it like seventy times and Rick Martel always just moves out of the way while Jake is pointing. 95% of this match's runtime is just absolute nothing. Like sure, it's unique, but what a terrible idea for a match. So, so boring."

[7.0] "24/03/91 Wrestlemania VII WWF. Jake cheating using the crowd to his advantage, should of been a blindfold and earplugs match. I don't get all the hate for this match, as the psychology needed to pull this off and keep it entertaining has to be off the charts and no better duo to pull it off than Jake Roberts and Rick Martel. For the haters the pops Jake gets are bigger than any pop in wrestling the last 10 years, not bad for a 3* match. A match that used the gimmick perfectly to give us a comedic and entertaining match. Let down, yes it was a poor finish to a feud with nobody getting the shit kicked out of them, but I'm not rating a feud, but a match. 7*"

[5.0] "I understand why somebody would hate this match, but I understand why somebody might love it also. Being there for it live would've been an amazing experience, even if there isn't all that much action."

[6.0] "This is like the worlds biggest game of hotter/colder. I actually enjoyed myself a fair bit and the crowd were wild for it. Both display some pretty great physical comedy and to be honest, it is more entertaining than a normal match going this long with Jake in it would be. Just don't watch Jake putting his hood on yeah?"