Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson Don't Need a Referee
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson Don't Need a Referee
Without the pretense of competition, Slaughter and Patterson deliver on a goddamn fight.
One of the pro wrestler’s greatest tools is the nearfall. A well-executed two-count can resound in the memory for years. String a series of strong nearfalls in the right combo too, and you have a breathtaking match finish sure to be showered with accolades from many sectors in the wrestling business. So powerful is the perfect two-count that it’s entered into the realm of cliche. There’s backlash already to its use in matches as lesser workers rely on its shallow charms instead of using it as a natural progression of their work.
In their famed 1981 Alley Fight, Sgt. Slaughter and Pat Patterson can’t rely on the nearfall. They can’t even use it at all—there’s no referee assigned to the match.
It’s a neat little booking progression as the first two meetings between these two have not ended well for the referees. In their first MSG match, Patterson and Slaughter both get heated enough to manhandle the referee which ends in a double disqualification. A couple of weeks later, at the Philly Spectrum, Slaughter would punch a referee while locked in a Figure Four by Patterson. As a natural consequence, the Alley Fight will have no officials and will instead be fought to a decisive finish (presumably surrender or knockout).
This has a fascinating effect on how the match gets worked. It eliminates simple tricks like nearfalls or even extended submission teases (think the hand going up and down three times) from the toolbox these two are working with. Instead, they need to rely on the action of the fight itself to manipulate the rise and fall of emotion int he crowd.
That sounds like an obvious thing that all wrestling should do, but it’s easy to forget just how much structure a referee brings to a thing via their presence alone. With that stripped away, everything feels much rawer, which does this match great favors.
Everything here works toward that more intense atmosphere, even down to the wrestlers’ attire. Patterson’s “I <3 NY” short is a bit hokey and pandering, sure, but it’s the cowboy boots that catch my eye. They feel like a response to the threat Slaughter made on TV to come to the match with combat boots on. Those same combat boots make one of Slaughter’s late control segments built around simple stomps far more impactful.
Structurally, we also have Patterson being far more aggressive than any of the previous matches. In their previous bouts, he’s been a very angry if straight-laced wrestler. In the feud starting angle, Patterson has to be repeatedly egged on to accept Slaughter’s $10,000 cobra clutch challenge, and Patterson gets closer than anyone previously to winning it simply by being a talented and clever in-ring wrestler. When they finally square off in singles competition, Patterson’s more reserved approach allows Slaughter to spend the opening moments of the match stalling for time.
With the pretense of competition stripped away here though, Patterson goes right for the kill here, brawling and punching with all the fire one would want. What I love though is that his work is still tempered with the kind of awareness that nearly won him the cobra clutch challenge. One great example is when Slaughter tries to seize control in the corner, Patterson ducks a wild punch to send Slaughter into the turnbuckle.
Patterson’s great at using the available props on hand to progress the fight. First there’s the belt on his pants which he uses to whip Slaughter, then later the ring itself by consistently smashing Slaughters head into the ringposts, then finally one of his cowboy boots which he uses to beat Slaughter so badly that The Wizard at ringside has to thrown in the towel for his client.
As good as Patterson is though, it’s Slaughter’s performance here that’s the real powerhouse. Peak Slaughter is often associated with crazy athletic bumps that are especially impressive from a man his size. We do get those here, but they’re far more tempered than the kind of stooge heel bumps Slaughter would have used in something like the first MSG bout against Patterson. It’s all just a little less cartoony and a little more grounded to add to the atmosphere of the thing.
Even with that restraint, there’s some wild Slaughter bumps in this. There’s his signature sell of being so tall that he gets rammed straight into the ringpost instead of the turnbuckle pad that beautifully sets up the finish. But there’s also big moments like Patterson escaping a stranglehold by sending Slaughter flying over the top rope.
It’s the catapult bump that really stands out from Slaughter though. It’s the biggest moment in the match with Patterson sending Slaughter face first into the ring post and busting him up so bad that it puts him solidly in control for the rest of the match. Outside of just how cool Slaughter looks soaring into the ringpost, there’s the bladejob too. On first glance, Slaughter starts bleeding so quickly after hitting the mat that I was convinced the wound must have been legitimate.
It’s only after rewinding that I noticed him selling the impact by grabbing his face was all the time he needed to get an absolute gusher flowing from his forehead. It’s such a far cry from someone laying on the mat for a minute on end, hands cup around their face, the kind of thing one can’t really appreciate until they’ve seen it done this perfectly.
Beyond just that, it’s Slaughter’s selling of the wound. He’s on shaky ground for the rest of the match, barely able to stand as Patterson continues to cave in his skull with punches and a cowboy boot. He’s busted up so bad that he can’t even cheat properly anymore. When Slaughter goes to use brass knucks, he can’t get a good shot in and Patterson makes quick work of him before The Wizard ends the bout.
This is a classic that more than earns its reputation, especially in contrast to what constitutes as violent on WWE TV these days. Keep your overwrought WarGames matches, I’ll be out in the alleys watching Slaughter and Patterson try to kill each other.
IS IT BETTER THAN 6/3/94? Honestly, this one’s a little closer than I thought it might be. The grand scope and flair of something like 6/3/94 calls attention to itself, and for the most part earns that acclaim. It’s hard to deny just how impactful that match is as an epic. But in the end, there’s a grittier intimacy to the violence in the Alley Fight that appeals to me much more. Slaughter’s spaghetti-legged selling rivals Kawada’s limb selling, and Patterson actually cares to display some emotion unlike the intentionally stoic Misawa. Point for the WWF here.
Rating: ****1/2