05/19/1980 WEF: WWF Title/Texas Death Match: Bob Backlund (C) def. Ken Patera in 21:58. 

This was the first Wrestling Observer Newsletter Match of the Year, when it was more of a Fanzine than a newsletter. I know several of you laughed your collective asses off at that statement still being true, but I’m less cynical than you. The rules of this “Texas Death Match” were basically no DQ, no ten-counts after the fall, or anything like that. There was some early brawling on the floor, and Backlund was using more brawling and far less wrestling than usual to sell the stips and hatred between both men. Not that it stopped either from trying to steal a cheapie win with a small package multiple times in this super grudge match. Both men did a great job of selling, golden boy Bob even selling the throat passionately at one point by coughing loudly when Patera was trying to choke him like a fucking madman, and kept attacking that area repeatedly. Patera was great at occasionally striking a pose to get some heat and started loudly putting the badmouth on Bob as he pummeled him. If I had one slight issue, Patera was still getting some one-counts on Super Bob while Backlund was selling like he was in serious trouble. I don’t always enjoy the million nearfalls of today’s wrestling, but they defintely could have gotten more out of some of the heat. Backlund gave a piledriver slightly off kilter, making it look deadly as all hell, but Patera also helped tremendously by playing to the crowd with a dramatic sell. Kenny defintely wasn’t afraid to bump and sell for a guy who played a strong, tough guy. Patera opened Backlund up on the floor with the title belt, and young Vince McMahon could have done better about emphasizing the lack of rules. He was solid, calling moves more like a sports PBP man, but surprisingly, he was missing the narrative. It’s like a textbook definition of irony. A bloody Bob continued battling, throwing some haphazard jabs out of exhaustion and self-protection, and eventually came back by ramming Patera into the guardrail and posting him. The savage MSG crowd was going wild as Patera did the crimson mask. Eventually, a chair came into play, and Backlund used some safe chairshots that the crowd absolutely loved. That wasn’t enough to win, so Bob climbed to the top and won with a high cross off the top at 21:58. Both men were excellent here, and Patera spiked the ball by taking the mic and calling Backlund a cheater after the match. It is one of the better Backlund title defenses I remember for sure. ****1/2