Dynamite Kid vs. Mark ‘Rollerball’ Rocco (01.16.1982)

[@misterslats]

I've lived in Calgary most of my life. I'm in my 50's. I went to the matches every Friday since I was a kid. There was a 12 month period in 82/83 where I contend the best wrestling in the World was happening here. It was Dynamite Kid at the absolute apex of his daredevil abilities, Bret Hart coming fast behind him, a young lean Davey Boy Smith who was a tremendous bumper and flyer, Dr. D, Honky, and Foley on the mic bringing the crowd to a boiling heat and Bad News making his name a household entity. With a great stable of regulars: Hito, Ayala, Cuban, Niedhart, Burke - some of the greatest journeymen wrestlers who ever lived. But back to Dynamite - he was the first wrestler I ever saw fly from post to post on a dive in a cage. He was also the first I ever saw launch himself to the outside NOT from the top rope but from the top of the ring post. Fifteen feet distance to the concrete. Usually on to Keith or Bruce. He'd drop a knee from that high and that far onto bloody concrete! I remember around 88 or 89 when Ed Whalen literally said on TV that after watching Dyno for 13 years that "there was I time I was genuinely afraid he was gonna end up crippled in a wheelchair". It's so spooky to think about today. And PS: Dyno came in to Calgary a babyface and in a matter of a few months he was as over as you could get. When he turned heel? Oh my god!!! 3000 people became positively UNGLUED. It was the first time I experienced nuclear heat in a crowd and there was nothing like it. The Victoria Pavilion held 2000 people in the stands. With floor seating and SRO tickets (standing room only) Stu could get about 1000 more in the building - it was like being in the stands for gladiator battles when it was at capacity and there was NOTHING like it when that arena would go off! One thing that rarely gets talked about is Dynamite being Stone Cold before Steve Austin. When Dyno turned heel half the crowd turned against him but he instantly became THE MAN to all the bikers, rig workers, hessians and dirt bags in the crowd. He became a total anti hero with all the undesirables in the crowd totally embracing him. Oh my gosh it was the best! I miss it soooo much. In the early 80's I was firmly entrenched in the local punk rock scene in Calgary - me and my friends had our own hair clippers so we could shave our heads and when Dyno turned up with his head shaved it just turned our fandom into overdrive. We didn't know it at the time that we were looking at a once-a-lifetime talent. There wasn't any other wrestler with Dyno's realism and explosiveness in the first half of my life and I highly doubt there will be one in the last half of my life. Dynamite Kid had more in common with Evel Knievel than Lou Thesz and NO ONE sold their soul for the sake of wrestling greatness the way Dynamite Kid did. You had to be there and see it in person to fully comprehend his devotion to his craft. You need to hear the sound his knees would make on concrete when he boost-launched himself off the top of the ring post and flew halfway through the floor seats to take down a Hart brother. It was lunacy. It was as good as watching Evel Knievel eat shit trying to jump a dozen busses and missing. Except Dyno NEVER missed. Like his most elegant snap suplexes his knee drops were an absolute thing of beauty. God I wish I had a time machine cuz I miss it so much. I miss the way my jacket would reek of cigarette smoke for 3 or 4 days from all the smoke trapped in the Pavilion. I miss goofing around with my best friend in the stands pissing off all the fat ugly headbanger chicks. But they loved the Dynamite Kid too.

[@antrodgers2493]

This should've had a lot more views

[@Biker.Adam22]

Crazy how good a match ending in a no contest that was. The realism was fantastic with the ref, crowd, and rounds. I don't think that could be replicated today.

[@jimmyjarrett-ws2iz]

They took it seriously, treated it like a real sport. Unfortunately the British promotions focused on silly gimmick wrestlers. Imagine being in the crowd, watching this, then next match is Big Daddy giving out belly bumps. they might as well come out and tell the crowd on the mic "this is fake". Rocco and Dynamite were both great in Japan, Rocco as the original 'Black Tiger' and Dynamite had some of the greatest matches ever against Tiger Mask in the early to mid 80s

[@Messiah1972]

Great memories of two of the best !

[@synthonaplinth5980]

LOL, Rocco constantly straightening his trunks while wearing a singlet. That throw into the corner was VICIOUS, though.

[@flavioalmeida3443]

These two were the inovators of modern pro wrestling.

[@johnmclaren1756]

Doesn't get any better than these two.

[@davidmaerz2756]

Dynamite and Rocco would have made a great tag team back then for sure, I would have loved to see them tag in Stampede Wrestling when I was a kid, maybe even live here in Regina!

[@xthe_nojx5820]

I wish we were in the timeline where this caught on instead of the WWF Rock and Wrestling shite. The lockups, the transitions; everything is so tight and crisp. Pro Wrestling comes off as a legitimate martial art and not an awkward interpretive dance spot fest. I'm not crazy about the round system but these two understand how to work it. It's Good Shit, pal.

[@flashfunk0373]

The Rock and Wrestling stuff actually drew and brought more people in. This is what we have now in pro wrestling these days and less people care💀

[@nichhodge8503]

Knowing that Rocco would retain since Dynamite Kid was going home in a few days (commentator said he was flying out in a few days) that was a great bump to end the match making both men look strong and you didn’t see bumps like that in England in 82. God knows why Big Daddy was so popular when you had great workers like Rocco, Dynamite Kid and Marty Jones on the undercard

[@krenwregget7667]

that suplex to the outside is INSANE, especially for the time. DAMN.

[@jed4614]

Thank you Nik!

[@rossgardner9412]

What a treat this is.

[@asclosetotedturnerasilleverbe]

this is one of the greatest matches.

[@christinemerlino5080]

The Dynamite Kid is the Best of his Class and Era in Wrestling!!!!

[@matthewsmith6051]

Two tough men who grew up within ten miles of each other and became legends.

[@Doc_58]

Yes and unfortunately now longer with us,both gone much to soon probably not helped by the toughness of their sport

[@luvmatic]

If you put John Cena in the Rocco role, and Daniel Bryan on the Dynamite role, and let them repeat this match move for move, it would be hailed as a modern masterpiece. I love seeing a match like this get some love, because, 40 years on from this match, and it still feels fresh and innovative.

[@teenoso4069]

I remember this and the previous match they had in 1981. To think they were wrestling without any medical attendants seems insane today

[@MxMoondoggie]

Dynamite learned a lot from Mark Rocco in his younger days coming up in England, great to see them have a match with Dynamite hitting his prime. You can see in how Dynamite worked that same intensity that Rocco had, how he grabs a hold, how he takes a bump it always looked hard and realistic. That suplex over the top rope was Dynamite's specialty at the time and was the cause of his first big back injury performing the move on Davey in Japan. He finished the other matches in the tournament carrying the back injury that never healed properly and led to problems down the road. Years of performing at this level while injured and plying himself with drink and painkillers led to his eventual downfall, it's such a shame that he never got to reach the heights he should have and how downhill his life went because of injuries and drugs.

[@Mike-m4c]

Yes it waw a tragedy but this bout was fixed so that Rocco did not lose I think?

[@hectorlopez1069]

The man did some great wrestling styles in his career. Dynamite was the greatest to come out of England.

[@gilliantregear1268]

Are you shaw? , their's so many good wrestlers at the time

[@markkeegan7535]

Watch Billy Robinson.

[@trapjaw7253]

What about young David

[@JamieBlackthorne]

The greatest in-ring talent, ever. The only person who was on his level was The Great Muta.

[@jimmyjarrett-ws2iz]

In my opinion he's not just the best English wrestler, he's in the conversation for best wrestler full stop. I'd have him in my top five-- Hansen (full AJPW run) Bobby Eaton ( Midnight 80s) Dynamite Misawa (AJPW 90s) Flair (late 70s & 80s) (In no particular order) His Japanese matches against Tiger-Mask were the perfect balance of athleticism, violence and believability. Even though he didn't have the best promo, he was real, he made it so easy to suspend disbelief. It's a shame that most people only know his WWF run, he still had decent matches but he was broken down. Calgary and Japan had the best of him, he gave the fans their monies worth but unfortunately it cost him his health.

[@jameshill186]

these two were magic when they wrestled eachover

[@さんステイ]

ブラックタイガー、ダイナマイトキッド。共にタイガーマスクの永遠の好敵手だった。

[@zakjaggs9761]

two of the best ever. Kid is perfect and Rocco has the intensity of a madman.

[@geoffreystout5814]

These two took some bumps in this bout! No wonder the Kid ended up on pain killers in a wheelchair and died at the age of 60. Rocco lived a bit longer but his body was a wreck when he died aged 69. Both gave it all in matches like this but the toll on their bodies was overwhelming.

[@DonnyLocomotives]

What happened to British wrestling, how did we lose this?

[@davidmaerz2756]

That ring was concrete, did you see them bounce off of it when they got slammed?

[@tamachanman48]

おお！やべ！　キッド対ブラックタイガー🥹 マジ泣きそう… ！

[@stevebrazilio]

I know Rollerball was unpopular with the UK WOS viewers but I think it was a bit of play acting... an absolute fantastic bloody strong wrester and I understand he was a nice guy. However, in my opinion, the two best wrestlers ever... Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid.

[@debraco7748]

few people could keep up with dynamite, much less push him. Rocco was one of those happy few

[@gnrvintagediecastracing7978]

this is an excellent match.

[@義人鈴木-u4l]

Dynamite Kid VS Black Tiger 😊

[@willnicklen4196]

A classic

[@countiblis1246]

4:38 Anyone know who Colin is?

[@marciadesouza3314]

Good one! Dymite God watches who does what and their actions.

[@fmruksf6614]

WOS everyone hated Rocco 70s...😂 Brilliant 👍💕🇬🇧

[@greglemieux9809]

It's like the difference between pool and billiards. Definitely a great show though. 👏

[@mvjr7758]

Dynamite Kid, tremendous talent. Who knows how far, he could've gone had he been drug free.

[@rickyhurtt5568]

Now I understand why they always said kid wrestled so stiff in the US

[@TheGilgameshepic]

Watching this stuff as a kid I never noticed how little give the British rings had...ouch! I suppose the "rounds" gave a bit more of an illusion of legitimacy, it looked more like boxing. Also it did cut down on sitting in a rest hold for minutes, there was a lot of holds and locks, but they seemed a lot more "part of the match"

[@Kwisatz-Chaderach]

Rocco invented modern wrestling

[@asbonescemetery]

the entrance into the ring by the KID love it

[@ernestospironellijunior4803]

Dynamite Kid e meu Super Herói ❤️

[@markkeegan7535]

Ring is so small it looks like a childs playpen.

[@ossahmma]

マークロコ。ブラックタイガーに選んだのは最高の人選だったよなぁ。

[@danielitshit1307]

eddie guerrero was good as black tiger along with pegasus kid / Wild Pegasus

[@塩田忠尚]

時期的に、キッドは新日本の新春黄金期シリーズ後半戦特別参加だったのかな？ 元旦に初代タイガーとやり、28日東京体育館大会で再度ぶつかりますね ロコはブラックタイガーになる3ヶ月前ですね

[@Mike-m4c]

This is when Dynamite had started on the steroids ?

[@gotobed7441]

Would like to have Regal Commentating over or speaking on this extensively

[@ry4n1234]

Probably earned about £100 each for that televised match.

[@金木-k5y]

1982年1月16日はキッドは新日へ来日中だったのでは？

[@aidy6000]

Possibly the broadcast date of this match. Often matches were recorded months before during this time.

[@Kshep84]

I don't like the round system... but Rocco and dynamite are top notch

[@marciadesouza3314]

Did everyone, see Roccoballs tricked, Dymite kid, Roccoballs gave hand to Dymite and he gave hand Dymite, frustrated Roccoballs kicked Dymite. I call it DIRTY WRESTLING

[@ハリーステイサム]

ブラックタイガー対キッド

[@marciadesouza3314]

Roccoballs, his LEGS are big as he MOUTH.

[@craigchampagne7797]

Proper wrestling match. Two hard cases having a fall our

[@oldgold5848]

Great stuff. Everyone lover to hate Rocco. A real spiteful looking wrestler like fit finlay.

[@塩田忠尚]

髪型、髪の長さからいって日付翌年の1983年ではないのかな

[@PFCtjwetzel]

This Jobber has Gorgeous hair, Pull his dreamy hair and Own him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@塩田忠尚]

いや、違いますね 82年年頭のキッドは坊主頭でしたから。 となると。。。。 翌年かな

[@niazpetkar53]

"The English 🇬🇧 Excellence Of Execution "

[@塩田忠尚]

この時って新日本プロレスの新春黄金シリーズの最中で、 キッドはシリーズ参戦していたような。 中抜けしてこの試合していたのかな 分かる方、よろしくお願いいたします

[@metheult]

With everything that is going on in the boxing world Eubank and Benn......This shows it was going on before!!! Shame on Dynamite being clearly on the juice.

[@qpacle]

That’s what happened when he didn’t shake his hand

[@greglemieux9809]

Sshhhhhh. These two are playing chess in the library. I would expect more from the ladies.🤣🤣🔥

[@Morra5472]

Imagine having all this talent but squander it away by doing childish pranks backstage until to the point that nobody gave a flying F about you anymore no matter how "good a worker" you were, and you end up in a wheelchair in a rundown apartment in England again until the remainder of your days. 10 million dollar talent with a 10 cent brain.

[@nichhodge8503]

Can tell whoever runs this channel isn’t English as the date should be 16/1/82 not 1/16/82 as there’s only 12 months not 16

[@marciadesouza3314]

Roccoballs, went he is weak in wrestling, he kick his opponent on the mouth, legs etc, etc. I can't STAND HIM.