Dan Severn vs Tarzan Goto

Dan Severn vs Tarzan Goto King of the Deathmatch


This is a match I have wanted to see for years. I remember seeing a picture from the match in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. A FMW garbage wrestler fighting a UFC fighter at a Deathmatch show sounds like the coolest thing ever. Kinda thing you can only get in Pro Wrestling.

Severn really carries himself in such a way that he gives any match a big match feel. even wrestling Freezer Thompson on Shotgun, So against a dude like Goto this feel like a big match. Severn offers a handshake as he is a sporting man. But Goto slaps him as he is most assuredly not a sporting man. Severn gets angry and tries to get to Goto but the ref gets in the way. Goto slaps him again and gets out of the ring.

He goes to grab a chair. Severn tells him to get back in the ring. He holds the ropes open. While Severn is arguing with the referee, Goto takes the chance to slap on a choke hold. Severn flips him over but Goto keeps the hold on, so Severn flips him again and gets out. I really love how this is done in one fluid motion.

Goto goes out and throws a chair at Severn but severn throws it back out. This amuses Goto greatly.

Back in and Severn gets Goto in a leglock which Goto reverses into a half crab then starts kicking Severn in the ribs. Knocking him out of the ring. Severn crawls back in and Goto starts kicking him in the ribs again followed by those headbutts I love.

Goto does this cool looking armbar bulldog. Severn tries to flip out of the hold until Goto puts on a Fujiwara armbar. Severn is great at selling. He does a lot of things well you would not expect.But he really understands how to sell a beating.

Goto can never get the hold fully on and Severn reverses and is knee Goto in the head rapidfire. One of the knees busted Goto open. Looking at his forehead a mean look could make him bleed. I just noticed because I was wondering later on how he bled doing mat wrestling. Severn goes from the knees into a choke.

Goto is pissed off now he breaks a beer bottle and tries to stab Severn in the face who uses a folding chair as a shield. Now that is pro wrestling!!!!

Severn tackles Goto and they end up in the audience. Severn is in Tarzan Goto's world and pays for it getting pummeled with a folding chair. Goto buries him under a pile of chairs. This makes Severn go berserk who is now throwing chairs. He gets back in the ring and its dueling chairs. Severn uses actual strategy and hits Goto in the knee and transitions into a belly to belly suplex.

He lowers his knee pad and attempts a knee drop but misses. Now Goto is back in control. Is working him over with the chair. He gets Severn up and does this pancake piledriver DDP use to do. He does it three times trying to finish him off.

Goto gets frustrated and whips him into the ropes which Severn reverses and hits the "Air Raid Crash"? Goto goes for a clothesline but Severn ducks and hits a german suplex which causes Goto to skid across the weird looking mat. Severn goes in for the kill and the match is over.

Severn helps Goto up but Goto shoves him away. Then Severn gets on the mic and says next time they fight he wants Goto's IWA title.

This is one of my all time favorite matches. Up heir with Raven vs Terry GOrdy and Hogan vs Vader. Tarzan Goto is really awesome in this too.