Today we’re going to be headed back to 1986 to discuss a rather famous SQUASH match…this one featuring two worldwide stars against a guy, who at the time, no one had ever even heard of before. A decade or so later? That jobber would be one of the most popular wrestlers in the world.
Of course I am referring to one Mick Foley (or Jack as he was known at the time). He was about to get his first time to shine in a WWF ring, tagging up with English star and “Man of 1,000 Moves” Les Thornton. Their opponents would be arguably my favorite tag team of all time…
…Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid, The British Bulldogs. I am not sure words can express the utter joy I had in watching this team in their prime. I know I’ve said it many times before, but it was a British Bulldogs match that set the hook so to speak on being a wrestling fan (with Bobby Heenan reeling me all the way in). They were just so far ahead of their time in the US that it was kinda unreal to see.
The match doesn’t start with Foley, however, as instead Davey and Les get in and exchange holds and a bit of acrobatics as Captain Lou waddles around ringside. Those two elements never, ever fit to me – Lou and the Bulldogs. I know he was the ‘manager of champions’, but this just seemed like oil and water. Thankfully they weren’t together long. Regardless, being fellow Englishmen, Les and Davey work great together.
Soon enough, both men tag out and we get the epic Mick Foley vs. Dynamite Kid battle of legend. You can kinda tell that Kid doesn’t want to mess around with this kinda flabby jobber, so he starts suplexing him all over the place. His snap suplex is, to this day, something of an inspiration for workers -watch a Kenny Omega match and you’ll see shades of it with his dragonfly suplex.
In comes Davey, who hoists him up for a powerslam. In the years to come that would be his finisher as a solo act, which I always thought was lame. I mean, he and Dynamite would do these spectacular double teams and then he just puts a guy over his shoulder and falls down? Bah.
Soon enough, it’s time for Mick to make his big comeback. So he starts throwing punches (which, per Mick himself, were horrible) which he follows up with a his coup de grace – a giant spinning flying elbow. Which Davey Boy doesn’t even sell! No no, instead he shrugs it off and continues beating Mick to a pulp.
And then comes the most famous moment of the match, one of the most famous of Mick’s career…Dynamite Kid dislocating his jaw with a BRUTAL clothesline. For three weeks, Foley could not eat anything due to the injury. Yep, that’s brutal kids.
At this point, Foley tries one more big swinging punch…which naturally fails. A second rope back suplex and Mick’s night comes to a merciful end. As noted, Foley would go on to far bigger things in this world, so his perseverance should be commended I suppose.
Plus it led to this incredible shoot interview with Steve Austin. Check it out, you won’t regret it!