Buddy Rose !

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Match Review Number Seven!

 

Buddy Rose v. Chris Adams - Portland TV 2/26/83

 

More Buddy in 83, which means more "arguable best in the World" era Buddy.

 

Rose is at his douchey best early on, doing push ups, cartwheeling away from a monkey flip and celebrating, slapping Adams, jawing with fans, just all the staples of his greatness. Rose does the cartwheel bit again and takes a slap of his own for a great revenge spot and Adams takes over on the arm. Rose backs into a corner and takes back over and it is done so organically it is really impressive. Nice reversal and a super kick! Tombstone on Rose! Awesome ending to the first fall.

 

Second fall sees Adams start with a headlock base. Rose eventually back suplexes out and takes over. Really nice near fall off of a delayed vertical suplex from Buddy. Adams goes for a a reverse crossbody but Rose rolls through a gets a quick equalizing fall.

 

Third fall starts with Buddy being methodical including one of the most deliberate and prickish looking backslides I've ever seen. Seriously he made a backslide look like an expression of egotistical excess. Adams gets a good near fall on a sunset flip and Adams is back up and taking over. Buddy sits up and sits right into a superkick and then takes an awesome delayed flip bump into the rope.

 

Adams went for another superkick but Rose held the ropes and avoided it. They battle for a suplex and Adams wins but only gets a near fall. Double knockdown spot with Buddy falling on top of Adams for a near fall. They are really staring to kick this thing into overdrive here.

 

Adams blocks an atomic drop attempt and hits one of his own and then a really great looking backward roll for an incredible near fall. Adams follows up with a backslide and small package for two more awesome near falls. I'm not a fan of 2.9 stuff at all but this was so well built to and executed it works really fucking well.

 

Adams goes for a running kick into the corner but Buddy moves and Adams takes a big time bump that the announcers sell as death. Buddy grabs his "injured" leg but ends up taking an enziguri and gets knocked to the floor. Adams ends up following up with a sweet tope which was a real "holy shit" spot in 1983. It also was his demise in the match as Rose struggles back up first - and with a fans sign stuck to his sweaty back - rolls back in the ring to beat the countout and win the fall/match.

 

This was a match that started good and slowly morphed into great. By the end I thought it was pretty much an excellent match. One of the better Adams matches I've seen and another one of my favorite matches from 1983.

[Victator]

Buddy Match Review Number 6!

 

Buddy Rose/Mr. Fuji/Billy Graham/Ray Stevens/Don Muraco v. Andre The Giant/Rocky Johnson/Jimmy Snuka/Sal Bellemo/Pedro Morales 3/5 Falls - WWF 2/19/83

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBmMBYEfCcM

 

This is pretty heavily edited but it's something I hadn't seen before and is a unique setting so I wanted to give it a look.

 

This is almost entirely heel in peril stuff and while I am not typically a fan of that I have no problem calling this a very "fun" match. Billy Graham is in karate mode, stays on the apron and doesn't get involved. Rocky's only in long enough to get a few razzle dazzle spots in. Bellemo is a pretty good weak link for his team. We are spared from Pedro for the most part. Stevens looks good. Fuji is Fuji, but hits a nice belly to belly for a fall on Bellemo and doesn't suck. Snuka hits his big spots cleanly.

 

The stars of this are Muraco, Rose and Andre. It's just always to watch Andre work his drop down spot and here Muraco takes it well. Andre also does a good job selling when called upon to do so briefly toward the back end of the match. Muraco was a really fun taking over the top bumps here. The hangman was a little slow moving in execution but still looked good. The over the ropes delayed bump into the steel looked sick. The airplane spin spot with Bellemo was amusing.

 

Buddy was the best of the bunch. His opening exchange with Rocky was fast as fuck and really show cased his athleticism. He had another equally impressive exchange with Snuka later in the match that resulted in a cool fall off of a sunset flip variation. He took his big chop bump off the ropes for Andre. Most importantly I thought he was the best guy at working the crowd. He was constantly egging them on with his mannerisms and gestures. He really exudes "cocky douchebag" after they win the first fall, but transitions nicely to "crybaby jackass" once they start dropping falls.

 

It's hardly a great match, but it's different than the norm and a cool setting to watch him work in.

Oh man I loved this match. I think I saw the full version once. Bellemo was surprisingly good, and Andre rules in tag bouts. I remember Buddy being the standout in the match.

[rainmakerrtv]

Buddy Match Review Number 6!

 

Buddy Rose/Mr. Fuji/Billy Graham/Ray Stevens/Don Muraco v. Andre The Giant/Rocky Johnson/Jimmy Snuka/Sal Bellemo/Pedro Morales 3/5 Falls - WWF 2/19/83

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBmMBYEfCcM

 

This is pretty heavily edited but it's something I hadn't seen before and is a unique setting so I wanted to give it a look.

 

This is almost entirely heel in peril stuff and while I am not typically a fan of that I have no problem calling this a very "fun" match. Billy Graham is in karate mode, stays on the apron and doesn't get involved. Rocky's only in long enough to get a few razzle dazzle spots in. Bellemo is a pretty good weak link for his team. We are spared from Pedro for the most part. Stevens looks good. Fuji is Fuji, but hits a nice belly to belly for a fall on Bellemo and doesn't suck. Snuka hits his big spots cleanly.

 

The stars of this are Muraco, Rose and Andre. It's just always to watch Andre work his drop down spot and here Muraco takes it well. Andre also does a good job selling when called upon to do so briefly toward the back end of the match. Muraco was a really fun taking over the top bumps here. The hangman was a little slow moving in execution but still looked good. The over the ropes delayed bump into the steel looked sick. The airplane spin spot with Bellemo was amusing.

 

Buddy was the best of the bunch. His opening exchange with Rocky was fast as fuck and really show cased his athleticism. He had another equally impressive exchange with Snuka later in the match that resulted in a cool fall off of a sunset flip variation. He took his big chop bump off the ropes for Andre. Most importantly I thought he was the best guy at working the crowd. He was constantly egging them on with his mannerisms and gestures. He really exudes "cocky douchebag" after they win the first fall, but transitions nicely to "crybaby jackass" once they start dropping falls.

 

It's hardly a great match, but it's different than the norm and a cool setting to watch him work in.

Oh man I loved this match. I think I saw the full version once. Bellemo was surprisingly good, and Andre rules in tag bouts. I remember Buddy being the standout in the match.

 

I saw this one ages ago on a CHV WWF Most Unusual Matches comp and since then have been trying to remember who all was in it.

[Dylan Waco]

Missed a day so I'll do one tomorrow also.

 

Buddy Match Review Number Eight!

 

Buddy Rose/Art Crews v. Scott Peterson/Steve Doll - Portland TV 12/3/88

 

This is fat, "old" (he was in his 30's) Buddy again, in their with some of the stars of a depleted Portland universe. Buddy was in the middle of a feud with Top Gun and this was sort of a side show in that saga.

 

The announcer suggesting that Buddy Rose killing himself wouldn't be as bad as Top Gun retiring was nice. Art Crews flies around some early and complains to the ref. Buddy ends up coming in and jumps up and down which causes Buddy's fat to jiggle and gets a great look from Buddy. This is one of the things I really love about Buddy as the fatter he got, the more creative he got in working obesity based spots. He wasn't a fat guy doing avalanches (not that there is a problem with that), but a sloppy fat guy that had let himself go and that became part of his character.

 

Buddy is awesome cowering in the corner from every Doll offensive attempt and bitching at the crowd. Peterson gets caught in the heel corner and worked over. Crews ends up accidentally decking Rose and knocking him into the first row. Rose gets double dropkicked to the floor and Doll/Peterson take the first fall with some double team offense.

 

Second fall is really short with Rose taking some nice bumps and winning on a roll through off of a Peterson crossbody.

 

Third fall is Peterson in peril. Peterson makes a comeback and there is a double dropkick near fall on Rose as time runs out.

 

Not a great match, but the first fall was pretty entertaining and it is another good example of post-prime Buddy stealing the show and being the anchor of a match with guys that were physically his superior.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Match Review Number Nine!

 

Buddy Rose/Doug Somers/Sheri Martel v. Midnight Rockers/Despina Montegues - AWA

 

I'm too lazy to look up a date on this, but it is available from Khawk on his Supermix 38. This is one of many matches between Rockers and Rose/Somers, but this has the added dynamic of the women. On paper and in theory you might think that would be distracting and bad thing. You would be wrong.

 

Opening Buddy/Shawn rope running was the stuff of the God's. My brother Devon calls these sort of exchanges "armdrag wrestling" and thinks Buddy is the best ever at them and I find it very hard to disagree with him. Seriously I love Buddy Rose rope running spots, especially when he's up against a plucky young babyface as he almost seems to be challenging them to see who can move faster and smoother. It reminds me of the time when I was in 7th grade and my friend Jono's got tired of me talking about how I was the fastest kid in school and challenged me to a forty yard dash. He was 5'10, 280, and had a notoriously bad back. He beat me by a good five yards. Buddy had to make Shawn look good so he wasn't going to be "beating" anyone in an athletic exchange, but I'll be damned if he wasn't right there with him.

 

This feeds into another Buddy staple - get distracted shit talking fans and take a massive bump. On this occasion he gets the ropes shaken on him while he is standing on them jawing and takes a huge crotch bump to the floor. This is followed up by Doug pinballing around himself including getting work over by the Rockers lady friend.

 

The heels isolate Shawn in the corner and we get a great bloody face in peril segment that included Shawn trying to pick up Sherri and carry her away AND Sherri BITING the cut! It is really insane how good Shawn was as an FIP back then and watching Sheri go fucking insane on him was really awesome given the history they would make later. Somers and Rose also bring some really sick, targeted punches during the initial heat segment.

 

I say initial because this is the AWA, home of two heat segment wrestling. So after Doug and Buddy take some huge bumps for Marty off a hot tag, Marty takes a lunatic bump for them off of a wild back body drop to the floor. Buddy follows this up by running in and decking Shawn knocking him off the apron.

 

Marty's FIP is a lot of fun too as they do a fun bit with him and Sheri, a sweet suplex and slingshot/forearm combo from Rose and Somers and then Sherri misses a splash and Marty makes the hot tag to Despina. This leads to a real "holy shit" heat spot as Buddy actually breaks up a pinfall attempt by kicking her in the head.

 

All hell breaks loose with the Rose/Somers eventually bumping to the floor and The Rockers pressing Despina onto Martel for the finish. Extremely entertaining match. Sort of comparable to one of the great Heenan six-man tags that will also make the AWA Set. And yet another really sweet match from the Rose/Somers v. Midnights feud.

[Dylan Waco]

Two today because I've been slacking.

 

Buddy Match Review Number Ten!

 

Buddy Rose v. Billy Anderson - AWA 3/86

 

Billy Andererson is a regular AWA jobber from the period in case you are wondering. Yes I'm reviewing a squash match.

 

Rose's offense was fun here. His stomps always look great, but I liked his elbow drop sequence, his ab stretch looked cool, his knee, his suplex, fucking everything just looked really good.

 

Anderson's comeback is really great because of Buddy's reaction to everything. Seriously his facial expression after the first hip toss is awesome and I love that he took his nutty backwards bump in a match against a jobber. Rose's DDT finish was cool too. Consensus seems to be that this is fun, but not good enough for the set. That's probably true, but I thought this was really entertaining for a squash match.

 

I talked myself into nominating this for the AWA Set after talking this match up multiple times. It's a great showcase for Buddy Rose, sort of proving he was still a prime wrestler in 86. Depending on how the set shakes down I could actually see this as a personal pick given how much the match stands out in my mind for a competitive squash.

 

 

Buddy Match Review Number Eleven!

 

Buddy Rose & Curt Hennig vs. Assassin & Dynamite Kid - Portland TV 9/3/83

 

This is shortly after Buddy's face turn if I'm not mistaken. Pre-match is great with Hennig/Rose in their matching tracksuits and Rose disrobing slowly to a massive pop.

 

First fall of this is really great as Hennig was a just a tremendous underdog babyface at this point. He bumps huge for shoulder tackles, is the perfect guy to take DK's stuff, throws a mean haymaker and had some really awesome hope spots. Really loved the fireman's carry hope spot especially and the sunset flip he and DK worked looked something epic and was a true "near fall" in the non-U.S. indy sense of the term.

 

The spot with the tag behind the refs back was really well done, with referee Sandy Barr literally tackling Buddy to get him to the corner and Dynamite hitting a nasty diving fistdrop that Hennig sold like a gunshot. Crowd was just bananas for this and when Buddy tagged in they really lost it. Buddy goes for the hood of the Assassin and then they go into an awesome workrate/parity exchange that was totally fresh for the time and ended with a really nice Buddy roll up for the pin. Great stuff all the way around.

 

Camera man sort of misses the beginning of the second fall with Rose dropkicking Assassin into Rose for a big double bump. Buddy gets caught after a roll up attempt and isolated by the heels. Cool variation of the typical Buddy bottom rope bump as he hooks it and saves himself at the last second by clutching to the apron only to take a couple of concrete bumps off of cheap heel shots afterward. Rose gets in some defensive hope spots that worked really well but eventually got caught with the Assassin's diving headbutt with the loaded mask to drop the second fall.

 

Third fall opens up with Rose getting his arm worked over by the heels. Buddy sells it well but tags out pretty quick and all hell breaks lose. The Dosey-do into ab strech spot was a really great and unexpected moment. Rip Oliver ends up running in with a bullrope and they beat on the faces. Would have been nice to have a real finish, but this was still a great match.

 

Really this is a good showcase for everyone, but Rose and Hennig were just off the charts at this point.

[khawk20]

Buddy Match Review Number Nine!

 

Buddy Rose/Doug Somers/Sheri Martel v. Midnight Rockers/Despina Montegues - AWA

 

I'm too lazy to look up a date on this, but it is available from Khawk on his Supermix 38.

11/27/86, the AWA's Thanksgiving show that year in St. Paul.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Rose Match Review Number Twelve!

 

Buddy Rose v. Hector Guerrero - Portland TV 4/14/79

 

Typically awesome Rose rope running spot opens this. Buddy had worked Mando a bunch in San Francisco just a few months prior to this so he knows the Guerrero's well and knows they can hang with his pace.

 

Hector ends up going to work on Rose arm, including a nice looking arm scissors. They even did a really dope looking monkey flip out of it and then another one off of another good rope running spot.

 

Buddy bails to the floor to cut the flow and comes back into the ring with an extended hand but Hector doesn't bite and takes Buddy right back down by the arm. Hector hits his awesome front flip counter off the back body drop attempt into another arm bar. The consistency of limb work, even across falls is a major facet of Portland wrestling, and while the multiple falls issue isn't at play in this match it is something everyone should look out for when the Portland Set hits.

 

Hector gets cut off offensively and takes a couple of big face plant bumps. Hector comes back and they are chasing the clock at this point with Hector running through high spots to try and take a fall. He goes for a splash but Buddy catches him and hits a back breaker and then a Billy Robinson style backbreaker for the fall.

 

This was not blowaway great, but it was a lot of fun, and the big spots were really awesome. In some ways this is more of a Hector showcase, but Buddy is right there with him.

[EricR]

This was not blowaway great

Awesome.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Rose Match Review Number Thirteen!

 

Rip Oliver, The Assassin & Dynamite Kid vs. Curt Hennig, Billy Jack Haynes & Buddy Rose - Portland TV 6/25/83

 

Really loved the crazy bumping and stooging from the heels early on. Rose was a lot of fun as a face here and you could tell he was really enjoying the reactions he was getting from the crowd. I also get the feeling he was kind of marking out for watching the heels try and out-Buddy Buddy.

 

You can say what you want about DK, but his bump off of the Rose dropkick off their initial exchange was really great. Oliver wants nothing to do with Rose, who tries to goad him with a nip up of all things which was just hysterical. Pretty fun to watch Buddy work his standard heel schtick spots to positive reactions, effectively flipping shit in the process, as now he is working as the athletic superior of cocky heel opposition.

 

Cool momentum swing as Rose over pursued seeking out Oliver and got trapped in the heel corner to go FIP. Oliver ends up accidentally getting a knee in the face from the Assassin, but Buddy stays on the defensive. Oliver standing on Rose's neck and pulling his hair up was an awesome heel move. Rose stumbles into a hot tag but Billy Jack gets caught pretty quickly. Billy Jack is surprisingly fun in peril himself and takes a decent beating. Cool spot with Dynamite trying for a slam but being unable to get him up and eating a press slam for his trouble. Jack tags in Hennig and DK eats a monkey flip and a crossbody for a hot opening fall.

 

The second fall opens with Rose using heel tactics to take over on Dynamite. He's a changed man, but he still knows the tricks (if he anyone has ever seen his face turn promo, he says as much). Hennig/DK end up doing one of the best looking sunset flip spots I've ever seen which leads to Hennig going taking his turn as the face in peril and man alive is he the World's best Ragitty Andy flopping all over the place for the heels. Really loved the way he took Assassins dropkick.

 

Hot tag to Billy seemed really quick and of course he immediately gets jumped by the heels. DK looked like he was killing Billy with strikes, which given what we know about Dynamites attitude and Billy Jack's brain damage, may have been the case. DK ends up taking a huge bump to set up the Rose hot tag.

 

Rose cleans house and tags in Hennig who gets a near fall off a dropkick. Curt comes off the ropes but gets caught with a tombstone with the other two heels assisting on it for a really definitive fall. Rose grabs the mic and announces that Hennig is injured and they bring out a stretcher. DK ends up hitting a huge knee drop onto Hennig while he's on the stretcher as Rose and Billy Jack go after the other heels.

 

Really good match, albeit a "go, go, go" one that could have used a more defined heat segment. Post-match stuff puts this pretty high up there as an overall segment, but it was pretty damned awesome even absent that.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Rose Match Review Number Fourteen!

 

 

Buddy Rose v. Mando Guerrero - San Francisco TV 8/12/78

 

Buddy is showing off his robe early and Mando is the total aggressor early going straight at Buddy, decking him with some big time strikes and going to work on his neck. Mando busts out a cool headscissors where he uses Buddy's counter attempt against him and smashes his faces to the mat multiple times. Follow up arm stretcher spot was really cool and featured a really nifty backward roll escape from Buddy.

 

Buddy takes over and immediately goes to work using every part of the ring as a weapon. One of my favorite things about Buddy is that he's one of the better wrestlers I've ever seen at making use of the ring in a match. He's great with rope running spots, taking bumps using the ring in extravagant ways, et. Here he flattens Mando with a running turnbuckle smash which is a move that rarely means anything, but looked pretty vicious here. Then he lays him on the top rope a just collapse all of his weight onto him with a knee in his back, following it up by wrapping the ring ropes around Mando's neck for a teased DQ. Buddy does not have a ton of offense, but his shit always looks good and using the ring as a weapon of mass destruction is something that more heels should do and do this well.

 

Buddy ends up hitting his awesome back elbow for a near fall. They go to a really cool sequence with Buddy taking a chest first bump into the turnbuckle and Mando using the rings himself to set up a backward roll for a really good near fall. They fall to the mat and go into a really cool strike exchange that ends with Buddy taking an awesome, float over bump off of a face smash to the canvass. Theatrical as hell but really awesome looking.

 

Buddy keeps cutting off momentum, but Mando comes back with another nice near fall. They are working this as a real "parity" match at this point, but not in a 2.9 way at all.

 

Mando keeps fighting through Buddy's cut offs and hits some really stiff shots. He fucking busts out a falling powerbomb for a near fall and then boots Rose in the head, but Buddy has enough and goes to a variation of chokeholds to cut him off. Seirously "variation of chokeholds" doesn't sound compelling at all, but it really was and the crowd was loving it.

 

They tease a big splat bump from Mando, but he pops up off the floor and hits a sunset flip for a great near fall.

 

Awesome, awesome sequence as Mando hits his back flip escape of a back body drop attempt and tries to do it a second time only for Buddy to move and Mando to go splat. This allows Buddy to go straight to the back. He drops a knee to Mando's spine and then hits him with three Billy Robinson backbreakers before finally agreeing to pin him. Post-match Mando gets destroyed by Buddy until Dean Ho makes the save.

 

This was a really great studio match as you get cool highspots, good action, really stiff shots from both guys, quality heeling and a definitive finish.

[Matt D]

I don't think we talk about Buddy's booking enough.

[Dylan Waco]

I don't think we talk about Buddy's booking enough.

I can't tell if this is a subtle troll, or a serious issue you want to delve into.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Match Review Number Fifteen!

 

Buddy Rose v. Pepper Gomez - San Francisco TV 7-15-78

 

Sticking with San Fran today.

 

Though it would be fun to look at Buddy in a totally different light here. This is an older Pepper Gomez though I don't think he is super old here. Buddy is a guy usually identified as fat, cocky, super athletic, douche. He opens this as vicious, dangerous, violent asshole.

 

Seriously he ambushes Pepper before the bell, smashes his back to bits, keeps coming forward and pins him with the Billy Robinson backbreaker in a little over a minute. He then runs over and shouts at the announcer to ring the bell for the second fall to start right away.

 

Buddy immediately turns around and locks on a bearhug. The studio crowd is really fucking hot for this which makes it really work. When Pepper fights out of it, Buddy finally goes into his first "begging" off bit and end sup taking a huge flip bump into the turnbuckle for a big pop.

 

Pepper takes over on Buddy's arm with some simple work. I liked the camera angle on the early attack as it showed Buddy's hand contorted. In general Buddy sold his ass off for this work and Pepper was actually pretty good wrenching in with the holds, throwing a foot rake or an elbow in here or there, et. They do the work the way it's supposed to be done, coming up for a highspot here or there with Buddy taking some quick bumps and Pepper going back to the base of the armbar. You would like Pepper to sell the back Buddy demolished in the first fall through some of this, but at least it is smart and fun work on it's own.

 

They end up going to a criss cross spot and double collision with Buddy going for a slam and Gomez falling on top for what I thought for sure would be the second fall but wasn't.

 

They pretty well established that Pepper was the "better wrestler" so Buddy goes to the standard heel cheap shots and choking to take control. Buddy is really super aggressive in this and it doesn't hurt that the ring looks like it could fall apart every time they hit the ropes.

 

Pepper's fired up comeback seemed pretty quick here, but I do dig the Mexican Drop/rollup pinning combination he pulled for the second fall.

 

Third fall starts with Buddy begging off and Pepper quickly takes over. He has now abandoned the arm which kind of ticks me off, but it did give us an amusing spot with Rose throwing a blindside punch to Pepper's ear to break up a chinlock.

 

Rose eventually backs Pepper into the corner and they do the bit with Pepper absorbing shots to his stomach which was of course strong enough to sustain full impact from a shotgun or whatever the hell the gimmick was. Cool finish as Rose gets a near fall off of a desperation backslide and then ends up hitting another backslide wit his foot on the ropes on a few seconds later to steal the fall.

 

Post-match the crowd is livid and screaming that Rose cheated, so Buddy ambushes Pepper with another Billy Robinson backbreaker and a jumping stomp onto his lower back while he was laid out on the floor. They stretcher out Pepper as Buddy shit talks on the house mic.

 

This was a super fun studio match against a very flawed opponent. Buddy deserves a lot of credit for this one.

[Matt D]

I don't think we talk about Buddy's booking enough.

I can't tell if this is a subtle troll, or a serious issue you want to delve into.

 

Then obviously I'm doing something right.

 

No, I'm serious. He had the book when Portland was really hot in the early 80s right? And one aspect of Portland (much like Memphis) was a weekly show in the same place every Saturday night, which seems like one of the hardest things in the world to pull off successfully. One of the reasons guys liked the territory was that less travel was necessary than in other places, so they had a smaller loop but still drew money. He did this with what I sort of feel is a weaker talent pool, top to bottom than Memphis, with less turnover of talent to keep things fresh. He's also booking HIMSELF at this time, so he has to be relatively selfless about that. And when he left Rip Oliver took over and things sort of fizzled out?

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Match Review Number Sixteen!

 

Buddy Rose v. King Parsons - Portland TV 11-7-81

 

1981 Portland is a really interesting year for me, because it is sort of a rebuilding year. Buddy is still there but almost all the other big names and babyface opponents have dried up or left town. So Buddy spends much of 81 working really green guys that have varying degrees of talent and almost no ability to control a match on their own. Despite questionable opposition, I've never seen a bad match from 81, the bulk of them are safely good and several are great. This is not a great match, but it is a good one and a good example of Buddy working a match around the flaws of his opponent.

 

Lots of Buddy stalling early which won't appeal to some, but it does to me. When you are working a virtual rookie and have to go more than a few minutes it makes sense and works. They end up going to a full nelson spot with Iceman butt bumping out. Parsons locks on one of his own and they do some fun comedy spots around Buddy trying to get out using a similar tactic and just getting rag dolled. I am not sure "black people have dangerous and much stronger asses' then white people" is an ethnic stereotype that has been explored or used much in wrestling, but given the overt white nationalist splinter groups prevalent in the Pacific Northwest this may have played into deep seated fears effectively. Either way it comes across as a good spot to pop the crowd even thirty years later.

 

They break the mold and Rose does his cartwheel escape from the monkey flip attempt, but gets bumped to the floor shortly after. Really amusing moment as Buddy claims that Parsons cheated on a test of strength by applying some sort of illegal pressure with his fingers. This match is built around simple spots but Buddy is so great at milking everything for what it's worth and is so loathed in the Portland Sports Arena that the the crowd is just waiting for his bullshit excuses to explain away every personal failing that befalls him. He is the master.

 

Buddy takes over briefly and throws Parsons to the floor, but Parsons comes back with some headbutts and a pair of dropkicks with Buddy bumping like a beast for everything. Butt bump gets a near fall, but then Parsons ends up leapfrogging into Sandy Barr knocking him out. Rocky Johnson ends up running in and working over Rose which causes him to get counted out when Barr is revived.

 

Not a home run, but this is Rose working schtick and getting everything he can out of the little things.

[Dylan Waco]

I don't think we talk about Buddy's booking enough.

I can't tell if this is a subtle troll, or a serious issue you want to delve into.

 

Then obviously I'm doing something right.

 

No, I'm serious. He had the book when Portland was really hot in the early 80s right? And one aspect of Portland (much like Memphis) was a weekly show in the same place every Saturday night, which seems like one of the hardest things in the world to pull off successfully. One of the reasons guys liked the territory was that less travel was necessary than in other places, so they had a smaller loop but still drew money. He did this with what I sort of feel is a weaker talent pool, top to bottom than Memphis, with less turnover of talent to keep things fresh. He's also booking HIMSELF at this time, so he has to be relatively selfless about that. And when he left Rip Oliver took over and things sort of fizzled out?

 

 

I actually have no clue how much Buddy booked. I know he did some, but don't know when and where he picked up and left off.

 

I do think that Portland had a substantially weaker talent pool than Memphis. That's not a knock on Portland either. I really like Rip Oliver. Wiskowski was an awesome wrestler. They had Martel and Piper and Hennig and Dynamite and Adonis all near their physical peaks. The Assassin was a MUCH better talent than most people would assume.

 

Having said that there was no Dundee. There were no Fabs. There was no Dutch. There was no Idol or Eaton or Koko or Tommy Rich or Buddy or Gilbert. There damn sure was no Jimmy Hart or Lance Russell (though I LOVE Don Owen and think he had great charm as a personality). When they did bring in someone for a run it wasn't likely to be a Terry Funk or a Ken Patera. It was likely to be a young Iceman Parsons or Tommy Rogers.

 

The fact that Portland was a money making territory with the talent (and location) they had is a strong testament to Owen and Buddy.

[Dylan Waco]

I'm doing one today and tomorrow, since I missed yesterday.

 

Buddy Match Review Number Seventeen!

 

Buddy Rose v. Roddy Piper - Portland 5-21-85

 

This is actually off of one of the "super shows" that Don Owen promoted on extremely rare occasions. If I'm not mistaken this was the famous show where Piper worked for Owen over Vince's objection purely out of loyalty to Don. Flair v. Billy Jack was the other major match on the show and was decent, but this match was built up over the course of several weeks, including on the set of a Portland talk show. Not sure which went on last, but this felt like the real main event when I watched them back to back.

 

This was basically a balls to the wall sprint and could have been a truly great match if it was five minutes longer.

 

Buddy blades seconds into this and takes some fun bumps. Piper throws hands like you want Piper to throw hands and takes a sick bump of his own over the top. Rose beats the shit out of Piper with a water pitcher on the floor. Piper is pretty good working underneath, but Rose is great kicking Piper in the nuts and just generally being an asshole.

 

Finish with the superplex attempt leading to a Piper press was one of the better executed versions of that Ive seen even if it was sort of unsatisfying. Good match, notable not just because Piper worked it on "loan" from Vince (on the same show with an NWA title defense), but also because it was a real quality affair considering how much they had to cram into such a small amount of time.

[Matt D]

I actually have no clue how much Buddy booked. I know he did some, but don't know when and where he picked up and left off.

My wildly unreliable source is the Matt Borne shoot but he basically blames the downfall of Portland on Buddy leaving and giving Rip Oliver the book. Is there anyone who would know more concrete dates? Does Dutch Savage answer questions still?

[Dylan Waco]

Well I agree that Buddy leaving Portland was it's downfall, but not necessarily because of booking.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Rose Match Review Number Eighteen!

 

Midnight Rockers v. Buddy Rose/Doug Somers - AWA

 

I think this match may be from early 87. It is available from Khawk on his Super Mix #37 and as far as I know is the rarest of the matches from this feud. The VQ is spotty and for a moment here or there bad, but it is another awesome match from the series and is unique from a lot of the other matches in how it is structured.

 

Interestingly they jumped right in with a Rockers double team on Buddy rather than working schtick/rope running spots/et. early which was the norm in this feud. It's still a shine segment but it's a bit less of Buddy/Doug playing the fool early on than what you get out of say the Wrestlerock match.

 

That ends up coming in the second portion with Somers and Jannetty and ends with Jannetty hitting an awkward looking Thesz Press. Shawn trying to get in a cheap shot and having to tip toe out when the ref spotted him was pretty funny. Rockers really focus on the arm of both Doug and Buddy early and both of the heels take offense well.

 

Somers ends up decking Shawn with a forearm off the ropes and tags out to Buddy who comes in, hits his back elbow on Shawn, spits on Marty and slingshots Shawn into the corner. Just masterful douchebaggery from Buddy here. I enjoyed the Buddy control segment as he worked in a variety of offense, but the VQ i parts of this is pretty shitty.

 

Cool spot with Shawn powering out of a camel clutch, but Buddy underhooking Shawn with his legs and tagging in Somers just before Buddy takes the corner bump. That's honestly one of the better looking cut off spots I've seen and is completely original so far as I know.

 

Nice leaping hot tag to Jannetty off of a suplex reversal. Buddy is a bumping motherfucker here and Somers ends up breaking up a pinfall attempt. Cool spot with a double knock down between Rose and Marty off a whip out of the corner spot when all four guys were in. They tease a hot tag but while Shawn is tied up with the ref Somers slips in and rolls Buddy to the floor. Jannetty stands up dazed and goes to slam Doug, who hits a small package for the pin.

 

This started slow and does have he rough VQ, but I loved everything from the Michaels heat segment forward, including a really great finishing run. It's not anywhere near the best match of the feud, but is's a cool find and a very good match on it's own right.

[khawk20]

I think that's the version from Denver on the World Pro set. If it is, it may be available in better VQ now, although I think I pulled that version from Ginnetty's World Pro set #2 so the VQ might be as good as it gets.

[Dylan Waco]

Buddy Match Review Number Nineteen!

 

Ed Wiskowski/Killer Brooks/Buddy Rose/Roddy Piper v. Ron Starr/George Wells/Hector Guerrero/Adrian Adonis (Elimination Match) - Portland TV 4/7/79

 

Love the opening of this with Piper being theatrical as fuck in every motion, Hector running off some nice spots, all the faces getting some early action, and Adonis hitting an epic looking diving elbow off the top to Piper's arm. Holy shit Ron Starr's exchanges with Rose and Wiskowski were really great with both guys taking huge theatrical bumps and flying around the ring wildly for everything. Disturbing moment as George Wells appears to fuck Wiskoski's face, which I suppose may shed some light on the fears that were represented later in the Col. Debeers gimmick.

 

Piper gets crotch posted, but eventually fights his way back to the heel corner tagging in Brooks while clutching his balls. Seriously Piper sells the fuck out of this ball shot and there is a great camera shot of him hunched over clutching his junk while Rose kneels down to console him.

 

Heels end up taking turns in rapid succession working over Ron Starr. They do a great job isolating him in the corner and when he finally does his scramble bit for the hot tag it is opposite Buddy and comes off really well. Wells comes in and makes a run with the heels bumping huge for it but Wiskowski hits a diving headbutt to Wells as he tries to cover Rose and the heels take the first fall.

 

Second fall starts off with Adonis in peril but Hector comes in and lights up Piper who again is at his theatrical best. Hector ends up in the ropes with the heels beating the piss out of him, kneeing him in the head and crotching him behind the refs back. Hector also takes one of the more thuddish face plant bumps I can remember. They end up working over Hector's ribs violently and Hector takes the fall and gets eliminated.

 

Next stanza starts off with a really great nearfall off of a sunset flip from Starr and then a great sequence of wild bumps off the apron from dropkicks. The babyfaces actually isolate Brooks, including a cool desperation double team off of a semi-flubbed spot. Brooks gets counted out after an accidental headbutt from Wiskowski and the heels tease dissension. Brooks ends up attacking Wiskowski and Rose attacks Brooks from behind with Piper siding with Brooks.

 

The action was really great in this and I liked the angle with the heels splitting at the end, though the failure to pay off on the totality of the gimmick was a bit annoying. Still this was awesome.

 

Buddy Rose/Wiskowski post-match interview as Brooks gets stretchered out. VQ here is really shitty. Technically Adonis and Starr win the match at this point as Rose and Wiskowski get counted out mid-promo.

 

The whole thing rules pretty hard.

[Chess Knight]

Liking this thread a lot.

 

Started watching the comp of Rose last week that Goodhelmet put together, and him throwing up in the middle of the bloody ring after Lonnie Mayne dropped on him was surreal.

 

Buddy was a better promo than I thought, the one with him having a bloody head and him talking about watching his own blood drip into his hands was terrific. I'm also kind of surprised how much I like Ed Wiskowski. Always gotten the impression he was just "there" from others before this stuff.

[rainmakerrtv]

Liking this thread a lot.

 

Started watching the comp of Rose last week that Goodhelmet put together, and him throwing up in the middle of the bloody ring after Lonnie Mayne dropped on him was surreal.

 

Buddy was a better promo than I thought, the one with him having a bloody head and him talking about watching his own blood drip into his hands was terrific. I'm also kind of surprised how much I like Ed Wiskowski. Always gotten the impression he was just "there" from others before this stuff.

I love the Polish Prince! His "Working Man's Robin Hood" promo from the middle of the Lonnie Mayne match is officially one of my all time favorites.