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Another year, another thread. Just managing to finish 1980 is a milestone I initially wasn't 100% sure I'd reach but it turned out to be a good starter year to find my footing on a project like this. As I delve further into the decade the task only becomes more daunting as more promotions have more footage exposure, and the sheer quantity of matches is about to explode in a few years. But that's a problem for another day. For 1981 I'm thankful that we seem to be getting more matches from the Mid-South Coliseum, AWA footage takes a big jump, by the end of the year we have both Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South TV, and the Network has finally started uploading Championship Wrestling episodes. On the down side, WCCW footage doesn't seem to take off until 1982, I only have one Puerto Rico match and maybe no Lucha matches at all lined up in my watch list, so will have to wait until future years to begin on those. Just as a recap for anybody who actually cares, I try not to go too deep in the play-by-play of each match, but I'll cover the key moments for context and it helps my memory when I go back and look at my reviews, otherwise I try and focus on the individual wrestlers, their performances, and how that weaves into a general GWE discussion. I know not everybody does star ratings, but for me it helps just demarcate stuff into general tiers. I'm much more picky and granular at the top level, so I do quarter stars for those that I think are 4 stars and above, but otherwise I just pool matches into three tiers for simplicity: 1 star = not good, 2 stars = fine, 3 stars = good. January 1981-01-XX AJW Mimi Hagiwara vs. Lucy Kayama Japan ★★ It’s been a long while since Hagiwara made tape and it felt like she’d put it all together here a bit more than her last time around. There weren’t so many dead spots where she seemed a little lost. I can’t say that she made a strong impression on me though, she still just feels a bit like the pretty girl of the roster that the guys come to see. And there certainly were some leering looks from the front row for this one. Kayama herself appeared decidedly older here despite it only being a few months since her last taped match. She definitely looked more mature. I’m not sure what effect this’ll have on her work as I thought one of the most endearing qualities she had was how her Bambi-ness made her offense feel more earnest and made her eminently more rootable than most of the roster. If she loses that moving forwards then I’m not sure she necessarily has the tools to compensate. She still has a beautiful looking neckbreaker though which she pulled out a couple times here. The match itself was completely forgettable really. Not a good sign when the most notable event was Hagiwara braining Kayama with a giant yellow melon that one of the commentators had inexplicably brought to ringside. It went the full 20 minutes for a time limit draw, but I can’t really remember any point where either girl looked like they were properly in the driver’s seat and pushing for the win. A real placeholder match that didn’t seem to elevate either woman. 1981-01-XX AJW Devil Masami, Mami Kumano, Wendi Richter vs. Yukari Omori, Mimi Hagiwara, Tomoko Kitamura Best Two Out Of Three Falls Six Man Tag Match Japan ★★ As to be expected with these six person matches, it was all a bit chaotic. AJW isn’t noted for its coherent match structures and this was no different. The face team of Omori, Hagiwara and Kitamura were so nondescript as to almost fade away entirely, and perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me that the heels won the thing in two straight falls. All the best parts of the action were driven by the heel team. I much preferred Richter when she showed up in the Guam footage from August ‘80 - here her actions felt much more clumsy, but Masami and Kumano displayed their chops and kept this ticking along just enough to make this somewhat enjoyable. Despite being the smallest of the bunch Kumano certainly felt like the team leader and I wouldn’t be hesitant to say that at this point she’s a little further along than Masami as a worker as well, as she does a few little things each match that it feels nobody in the company is doing, especially in terms of heel psychology and characterisation. That said, I would absolutely be down to watch these two partner as a permanent tag team. I feel that they would have excellent chemistry together and I have a hunch Ikeshita isn’t long for AJW. 1981-01-XX AJW Jackie Sato vs. Mami Kumano Japan ★★ Both women had their entourages at ringside, and we know that means the faces will stand around and do nothing while the heels will interject themselves into the match with impunity. Kumano’s main ally was of course Masami, and she liberally interfered, to the extent that this may as well just have been a handicap match. It feels like a lot of Jackie’s run on top over the past year has been booked similarly, giving her insurmountable odds that she, you know, surmounts. From a match quality perspective I think it definitely hurts her matches, as the push to get her over with the crowd comes from booking rather than through her actual performances, when I feel they could have got the same result by just letting her do her thing. Kumano had several neat little moments, like shadowing the referee and using him as a human obstacle, that added some nice flavour to the match, but the aforementioned interferences broke up the flow of the match. Jackie was forced to work underneath for nearly the whole thing, but wasn’t given the room to sell due to just being swarmed most of the time, so it lacked that narrative hook you’re looking for. That said, the stretches when Jackie was on offense just consolidated my view that nobody had better offense than her in the world at this point in time. Things finished with an awkward pin that the referee seemed to botch for a very anticlimactic Jackie victory. This could, and should, have been so much better than it was. Increasingly I feel like AJW are getting in their own way.

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1980-05-17 PNW Rick Martel (c) vs. Buddy Rose NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA Card ★★★ Martel is the PNW champion and it seems like I didn’t realise that he had already won the belt before their previous match. Seems like he won the belt in late March (not on tape). This may be the loudest that I’ve heard the Sports Arena and they were really behind Martel, unsurprisingly. In the first five minutes Martel was using a side headlock consistently. While in the hold things got a tiny bit dull, but they punctuated that period well with blocks of intense action before settling back down again. The transition from Martel on top to Rose was so-so, with Martel going for what looked like a Spike Dudley style bulldog off the ropes, but Rose managed to convert it into a backdrop suplex. Then he put him away with a Billy Robinson backbreaker. The beginning of the second fall was easily the best portion of the match. Rose immediately started targeting the lower back of Martel with kicks and clubbing blows, even posting him on the outside at one point. The viciousness of his attacks was much needed and it was logical for him to continue targeting the back considering he won the first fall with a backbreaker. Martel’s comeback was nice, his offense always looks good, and of course he’s a top tier fire guy. He nailed Rose with a suplex, then did an amazing bounce off the ropes into a forearm smash that sent Rose for a loop. The finishing touch was using the sleeper to knock Rose out. The third fall was fine but lacked a bit of substance. Martel looked to have the sleeper on Rose for a second time but the Sheepherders came down and laid Martel out for the DQ. The post match action ratcheted up the intensity and easily surpassed the in ring action that preceded it. The Sheepherders had a NZ flag and nailed Martel right in the throat with it a couple times and he sold it like death. Any angle that involves somebody getting their throat attacked always seems to hit for me as it just comes across as super gruesome. Roddy Piper flew down to the ring too and we got chaos as all five guys were whizzing in and out of the ring. If you’re gonna do a fuck finish, then you might as well get your money’s worth of post match quality.

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1980-11-15 PNW Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot (c) vs Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA ★★★ Card Feels like the momentum in Portland is building again for the first time since Piper and Martel’s departures and they’ve really got something going with the Youngblood vs Rose dynamic, Youngblood’s desire for payback following his broken arm a few years earlier and the ability to slot the remaining roster into the feud accordingly. Just like he did the week before, Rose was deliberately ducking Yougblood unless his team had the advantage. Unlike the week before, Lightfoot didn’t have any strong moments here, instead he again botched an attempt to stick the landing on a back body drop (awkwardly landing on his backside and forcing Rose to improvise on the fly) and his apron work left a lot to be desired, tarnishing somewhat a series of excellently built hot tag attempts by the others. Rose was doing his best Ken Patera impression here. Preening about and launching guys across the ring with body slams, but it was Youngblood who was truly excellent here throughout. Coming in for an early tag he was filled with intensity and set the tone for the match, then once Oliver had gained the advantage on him, he was a textbook face in peril for both of the first two falls. Bumping - check. Selling - check. Well timed, meaningful hope spots - check. He didn’t make it to his corner in the first, succumbing to a couple absolutely jaw dropping backbreakers from Rose, but finally, bit by bit over the second, he built to the hot tag in the second and managed to turn the tide of the match. The time limit draw was easy to spot a long way off, and they kind of tried to finish with a wild brawl (Youngblood taking Rose to task, obliterating his arm again and again on the ringpost and Lightfoot going at it with Oliver back in the ring), but it didn’t really sync up properly and came across more like they were vamping for time until the bell rang than delivering something really out of control and wild. After the match Youngblood was interviewed and they set up a 4v4 match for the following Saturday. Rose’s Army against Youngblood, Lightfoot, Boyd and one more. Lightfoot goes to the back to retrieve their fourth member and it’s BUZZ SAWYER! I’ve only seen one match from him so far, a pretty short squash match from a couple weeks earlier, but I’m absolutely ecstatic with this addition to the match. Roll on next week!

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1980-08-09 PNW Rick Martel (c) vs Buddy Rose NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title No Disqualification Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA Card ★★★ Two really good falls bookending a subpar one. Rose’s mask by now was really looking worse for wear, with more than half the original wig gone and it was completely frayed at the edges. Early on Rose did his usual stalling, but added in a few nice touches like turning his back to Martel in the corner and started to pray (at least that’s what it looked like to me). Martel got his own back in the end with a late flurry and his signature Hurricanrana into a pin got him the first fall. The second fall was pretty pedestrian. I liked Martel’s focus on the back but it didn’t really go anywhere and lacked any intensity or grit. Ultimately, after having gotten barely anything in for two falls, Rose dumped Martel balls first onto the turnbuckle for the equaliser. I really loved Rose doing the Ali shuffle to start off the third fall, full of confidence and bravado after winning the previous fall. A few wild punches that missed their mark was enough though for Martel to gain control and in the end he did unto Rose what he himself had delivered earlier, and unceremoniously dumped Rose balls first onto the same turnbuckle for the decider. Rose’s antics are always entertaining, but often his heat sequences can feel a bit sparse. Here, when he did get on top, he didn’t do anything that made me feel like Martel was in any real jeopardy, which was disappointing considering that this was a no DQ match. The callback and mirroring of the two fall enders in the second and third was a nice touch and the highlight for me was the tease of Martel pulling Rose’s mask off. They eked that one out as Rose was applying a claw type hold to Martel’s stomach and they got over halfway, revealing the natural dark brown hair Rose had underneath. However, ultimately that reveal would have to wait for another day.

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1980-07-12 PNW Rick Martel (c) vs. Ed Wiskoski NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA Card ★★★ Ed got to stretch his legs here with a singles title match. They worked this around Wiskoski retaining control around a front facelock hold. Martel repeatedly hit offensive moves but Wiskoski would keep that hold locked on. Eventually Martel managed a second big suplex to dislodge himself from Wiskoski’s grasp. They built to that relatively simple spot so well that it had much more impact than it should have had. Martel took control and started the beatdown on Wiskoski. His selling was still goofy, especially when he was holding his back, but I’m coming around to his bumping style, at least here it felt effective. Martel was going for the kill but got caught in a side headlock which Wiskoski reversed into a backdrop suplex setting up his diving headbutt for the first fall. I’ll repeat that his diving headbutt looks really good and feels like it’s worth being a no doubt fall ender every time. Martel really went after the back in the second fall, which definitely carried an air of desperation as he was in a 1-0 hole. Often it can feel like a given that the face will make that comeback, but Wiskoski did such a good job here that I felt like he came across really strong and as a pretty legitimate challenger. Every time Martel lost some of that control you feared it could be the end for him but after a few near falls he pulled out a beautiful Hurricanrana into a pin to level things up. Conspicuously Rose had been in the dressing room the entire time and hadn’t made an appearance so if we were going to have a screwy finish you would have assumed he’d turn up, but here it was all Ed. Yes, Martel wasn’t able to get the clean pin on him, but I thought as far as cheating goes, this was a really good example of how to try it. Martel was on the offensive with a series of dropkicks and Wiskoski surreptitiously dragged Sandy Barr into the line of fire on one attempt, sending him sprawling to the mat. In the confusion he was able to lay out Martel and it appeared that he would have had him for the pin. Unfortunately Barr was privy to Ed’s tactics and disqualified him for the pull. Wiskoski didn’t get away with it but it conceivably could have worked. Cheaters are gonna cheat, but at least be sneaky with it and I felt that this was justifiable.

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1980-05-24 PNW Buddy Rose & The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) vs. Dutch Savage, Rick Martel & Roddy Piper Best Two Out Of Three Falls Six Man Tag Team Match Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA Card ★★★ There’s a certain slapstick quality to the comedy up in Portland that is wholly unique to the area and often is driven by Rose and his character. This six man tag sowed the seeds of discontent within the Army while sprinkling in some good old fashioned flag humour. Savage was the main FIP and Martel and Piper were merely used as powder kegs that exploded intermittently. They brought the intensity and the fire, but each maybe had only a couple minutes in the ring as the legal man. It was really Rose that was the rug that tied the room together here, wilfully refusing to tag in early on to annoy the Sheepherders, messing around with the NZ flag between falls to piss them off some more whilst also directing the action in the ring. For example, for the first fall, Rose was the one to pull Savage from the ring, post him in the corner and then reminded Williams not to pursue him out on the floor to ensure the count out victory. The second fall ended with both Williams and Rose caught in Sleeper holds, with Williams being left unconscious for the entire break before the beginning of the second. The final had Sandy Barr distracted, allowing the Sheepherders to nail Piper in the head with the NZ flag as it looked like he might take out Rose with another Sleeper. There was a lot of post-match around setting up an upcoming Coal Miner's Glove match etc., but it all tied in and was part of the attraction. Perhaps not the best match bell to bell, but the whole presentation was solidly delivered and the ongoing feud between The Army and Martel and Piper is going along swimmingly.

1980-03-15 PNW Rick Martel & Roddy Piper vs. The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) Best Two Out Of Three Falls Tag Team Match Card ★★★ Since I last checked in on Portland it seems like the Sheepherders have had a run in with Martel because everytime he tagged in they were desperate to avoid him and went hell for leather bailing from the ring. Miller carried over his emotion from the hair match, despite it being his partner Williams who lost his hair, and he had a real nasty streak to his offense and specifically targeted Piper’s hair throughout the first fall. When Martel finally got his hands on Williams he was at his high stepping best and the energy in the building was through the roof and he took the first fall with a flying cross body. Williams was stuck isolated from Miller for almost the entire duration of the second fall. Piper and Martel honed in on his left arm but I felt that this is where the match dragged a bit. Piper’s best attributes aren’t working a hold and he ended up doing a lot of that here. Martel was the same but he’s prone to yanking on a limb a little more often at least. Thankfully the transitioned into a FIP sequence eventually with Martel struggling to get back to Piper on the outside. The sequence where Williams finally got free was great as after tagging Miller he came in and immediately destroyed Martel with a reverse elbow thrust that looked absolutely brutal. They did the usual slow build to the hot tag and this is where Piper really showed his stuff as he was molten hot when he got in and it was easily the most fired up I’ve seen him. Unfortunately for him he bit off more than he could chew as he went for Miller in the corner and got blindsided by Williams from behind and they doubled him, draped him over the ropes and Miller from the top pulverised him into the mat to square things up. Things ended on a DQ as Rose rushed the ring with scissors in an attempt to cut Piper's hair. It’s sad we couldn’t get a clean finish here but they are pivoting towards another hair match between Piper and Miller this time so it makes sense from a booking perspective. Rose and Piper were great on the mic again post-match. Rose constantly reminds me of that child that thinks they’re smart, is happy to pipe up and say things confidently, but really are just so blissfully ignorant of how dumb they actually are. Beautiful stuff.

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