Flair/Funk I quit

[Guest ManKinnd]

It seems most people regard this as a ***** classic, but I can't agree, given these few problems I have:

Funk's two piledrivers are AWFUL. They are terribly weak looking both times, this can't be argued.

The legwork starts late in the match, and there isn't much of it at all. This is the same way Flair beat everyone, and for something as big as an "I quit retirement match," shouldn't the ending be at least a little different then just the usual for Flair?

Finally, the match seems to end just as it's getting really good. Both men really start going at it all out and all of a sudden it's over. It leaves an unsatisfied feeling.

[Guest Goodear]

Agreed, look at Great American Bash '89 for a superior Funk-Flair match that played up the piledriver and neck work a bit more effectively and really helped set up the reasoning for the I Quit match rather effectively.

 

But when you get to the blow off, you never get the same feeling that Flair's head is attached by a twine. They instead book it like Flair is like Sting or something and he just keeps coming back with less selling than normal for Flair. They did the same thing with Flair-Vader and it brought out a similar dissapointing product in my view.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

It seems most people regard this as a ***** classic, but I can't agree, given these few problems I have:

Funk's two piledrivers are AWFUL. They are terribly weak looking both times, this can't be argued.

The legwork starts late in the match, and there isn't much of it at all. This is the same way Flair beat everyone, and for something as big as an "I quit retirement match," shouldn't the ending be at least a little different then just the usual for Flair?

Finally, the match seems to end just as it's getting really good. Both men really start going at it all out and all of a sudden it's over. It leaves an unsatisfied feeling.

One move doesn't make a match. If it did, then UT/Mankind hell in a cell is ************** stars.

 

And the match was suppose to be an intense brawl given the hatred each man had for each other.

[Guest wayzing]

I only saw the match for the first time a couple of years ago and it was an anticlimatic experience for me too.

 

It's probably a good way to get some serious -ing around here but when it comes to career ending matches I want epic dramas like Savage's swan song at WrestleMania VII. The pacing of this match is awkward and I miss a natural flow. It's just a start and a finish. As a whole the feud was awesome but I don't really care for this match. It is one of those overrated *****by default matches and I prefer the Bash match.

 

Btw, Funk's piledrivers always look pretty weak but he "broke" Flair's neck with it so that didn't affect my viewing pleasure.

 

It's funny with that piledriver. It's like Bret Hart's dropkick. You'd think guys like Hart and Funk would come up with something better than the worst looking version of a move or just use something else if it doesn't work.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I let Flair's comebacks in the Flair/Vader match go since it was for his career...and everything he tried didn't work until he used a simple roll-up.

[Guest Goodear]

The problem I had with the Ric/Vader thing was that I watched Vader no sell stuff for like Sting. But then Ric (who couldn't make Sting flinch a lot of the times) has Vader selling for the chops. I just thought it was too much of a 'Flair match' when it could have been a lot more effective. Plus, I hate the finish as Flair's roll up was pretty sad.

[geniusMoment 0]

Funk's piledriver is supposed to look that way. Instead of doing the jumping piledriver, that Paul Orndorff used, Funk does the sit down piledriver.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Plus, I hate the finish as Flair's roll up was pretty sad.

There was no need for the roll up finish. I could understand it if they were trying to protect Vader... but, at the next PPV, Vader submitted to the figure four. I think it would have been better for that submission to happen here.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

I think the match gets five stars based on the heat and storyline leading up to it. People get all hyped for the payoff and just slap five stars on it at the time and that's the label it gets. You look at a lot of matches that have earned the five star label five or ten years after the fact and you wind up being very dissappointed. It's like how Flair/Steamboat at Wrestlewar was the greatest match of all time, but now most will say that their two televised matches were better and that the 2/3 falls from the Class is the best of the trio.

 

As for the I Quit match overall, I agree with what people have said and probably would not put it at any more than ****1/2 and most of that is for the buildup and overall feud.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

The I Quit match isn't a ***** match by any stretch of the imagination, since there so many better NWA Flair matches. Flair/Windham 86 and 87, all three Flair/Steamboat matches, and even Flair/Funk Bash 89. I've argued this forever, and it's nice to see more and more people look at the match in a more realistic light(except for the guy who's taking off stars because of "weak" moves and leg work).

 

Funk's also been in a shit load of better matches, including Funk/Jumbo from 76 which is a real all time classic that stands the test of time.

 

As far the moves looking weak, fuck that! That's the same as those dumbasses that mark off Taue matches, because they don't think a Chokeslam is a credible finisher in the All Japan enviroment. I'm not even gonna bother with bullshit arguments like that.

 

The I Quit match for the most part is a glorified squash, with Flair doing alot less selling than usual. Sure his selling is solid, but it's below standard for Flair, and the Piledriver should have been put over more effectively. Compare it to the Bash 89 match, where they treated the Piledriver so much better.

 

Sure the I Quit match is an out of control brawl, but you can still sell, and build a match in that setting(see Hansen vs. Kawada 2/93). Besides, the Bash match is just as intense with the mean spirited revenge spots, and whatnot.

 

I will give I Quit match credit where it's deserved. Funk was very good in the match, way better than he was at Bash where he was all goofy and everything.

 

 

And Flair/Vader is shit on a stick anyway you cut it. Compare it to the super smart Vader/Sting matches which could hold it's own with almost any singles heavyweight match world wide in their respective years of 92 and 93.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I would have to agree and say that the Flair/Funk match does have it's problems. But I think the problems mention above about the selling are true, but I think the emotion in the match makes up for that. But I would give the match about ****1/2 and nothing higher.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

I cannto it good faith rate Flair/Funk over ****. It just didn't have the emotion to it that Flair/Vader had(same example someone else used) and neither guy seemed to have brought their A game.

 

GAB89 was much better IMO.

[Guest ManKinnd]

As far the moves looking weak, fuck that! That's the same as those dumbasses that mark off Taue matches, because they don't think a Chokeslam is a credible finisher in the All Japan enviroment. I'm not even gonna bother with bullshit arguments like that.

I didn't say it was a bad move to use, storyline-wise it worked, but the way it was executed was awful. I've given better piledrivers than that for God's sake. I'm not knocking the use of the move, it's the execution.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Funk's also been in a shit load of better matches, including Funk/Jumbo from 76 which is a real all time classic that stands the test of time.

Good call CS, Funk/Jumbo is truly one of the greatest matches I have ever seen.

[Guest ManKinnd]

It seems most people regard this as a ***** classic, but I can't agree, given these few problems I have:

Funk's two piledrivers are AWFUL. They are terribly weak looking both times, this can't be argued.

The legwork starts late in the match, and there isn't much of it at all. This is the same way Flair beat everyone, and for something as big as an "I quit retirement match," shouldn't the ending be at least a little different then just the usual for Flair?

Finally, the match seems to end just as it's getting really good. Both men really start going at it all out and all of a sudden it's over. It leaves an unsatisfied feeling.

One move doesn't make a match. If it did, then UT/Mankind hell in a cell is ************** stars.

 

And the match was suppose to be an intense brawl given the hatred each man had for each other.

I didn't say that one move made or broke the match. A poorly executed move is like a botched spot. It detracts from it.