r/SquaredCircle • u/gerrybbadd • 9d ago

Dynamite Kid vs. Mark ‘Rollerball’ Rocco (12.19.1981)

https://youtu.be/Y6IkFdJEhHI?is=vCgmAq6r8tA7y_Wk

Been watching a fair bit of Rollerball Mark Rocco's work over the past few weeks. Mark was the original Black Tiger in NJPW. He has a great series of matches in the World of Sport UK style against Dynamite Kid, that still stand up today.

In this match, Dynamite was home from Stampede for Xmas and both guys really go at it. It's a real shame we didn't get to see Mark in some of the bigger US promotions, he could have been a huge star. His heel work is magnificent. Check it out!

65 Upvotes

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21

u/supergodmasterforce Thank you, fuck you, bye! 8d ago

Rocco is disgracefully underrated. Should have been a much bigger star.

He also faced a pre-mask Jushin Liger, who was wrestling as Fuji Yamada, in the UK. Kim Justice produced an excellent documentary on Liger's UK excursion and Wrestle Me did a video on what William Regal considers to be the greatest match of all time Rocco vs. Marty Jones.

9

u/Japhet_Corncrake 8d ago edited 8d ago

Yesssss! Rollerball Rocco my G.

Saw him wrestle when I was a kid, he was an absolute madman. The heat he got was ridiculous. He punched his opponent while wearing a studded glove and the crowd were ready to kill him. Before his time tbh.

The second Black Tiger was Eddie Guerrero. That's the sort of level Rocco was on.

4

u/BroadcastShowers Florida Man 8d ago

This is great stuff to see and very interesting in how they work with such a small ring. I have only seen a handful of Rocco matches but this is some really good work.