Bruisers
Jack Brisco was the first wrestler to make an imprint on my fantasy life, and I can see traces of Brisco in most of my opinions about pro wrestling and wrestlers today. From him I got my ideal of a perfect fight scenario--the straight-up scientific wrestler beaten down by the hair-pulling, dirty-fighting heel only to rise up, when the situation looks darkest, and defeat the bad guy with a sudden, honest pinfall. After decades, this is still my favorite angle. From Brisco, too, I got my appreciation for sweat and that bit of loose flesh over muscle that makes a man look vulnerable, that provides a handle for managing him, and that splats rather nicely against other loose flesh and muscle.
Brisco's best battles were against the Funk brothers. Here we see Jack up against Terry Funk in a NWA match in Fort Lauderdale in 1973. The commentator Gordon Solie is another reason I love pro wrestling today. Probably without meaning to, Solie introduced me to the power of words to make a fight seem sexy. The YouTube video is courtesy of t72fins's channel.
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