Matt D Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 I don't think it's unusual for a heel to call the match, but the difference between the Race match and the Rose matches are so extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (PNW 05/17/80) This was superb. My inclination at first was to call this Portland's version of Flair vs Steamboat in terms of how it's worked, but that's not what this is. It's really good, and Rose does resemble Flair in some ways while Martel resembles Steamboat. But it's a different type of match. Rose is mean and crafty in a way that's all his own. I love how credibly he presents himself in this match, which seems like it might be a slightly uphill battle with the mask and wig. Martel also looks much better than he did in their previous match -- keeping the same fire, but looking much more seasoned. The rana was a big highspot by 1980 standards and got a nice pop. I also thought the fall finishes were well done here because they were so decisive. Now that I understand the norms of the time period, I even like the sleeper revival crap. Buddy also has at least a half dozen ways to sell a punch. I counted 7 different ways he took strikes in this match and probably missed some. The DQ finish got great heat and didn't bother me too much because we got over 20 minutes of great wrestling before that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 This All Star/Joint Promotions stuff is sounding fantastic. Now that I have my toe dipped in 1980's lucha, that is probably the biggest gaping hole I am missing from stuff watched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Buddy Rose vs Butch Miller (PNW 06/07/80) Miller is very very average, but Buddy Rose is tremendous in this match. He takes great exaggerated bumps off of such lame offense. There is still a lot of drama surrounding the mask. Rose has some terrific offense including a really nice jumping spin elbow off the ropes. He also shows a real mean streak here. The Martel matches had better wrestling but this was a grittier match. Rose eating a clean pinfall then getting the win with his feet on the ropes in the second fall nicely demonstrates that heel credibility isn't just attained through good booking. The people get to see him take his licks for sure, but he also looks like a real threat, both because of his attitude and skill. Good match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Charly Verhulst vs Mile Zrno (CWA 07/12/80) This didn't quite come together for me as a match (I think because it felt incomplete even though it wasn't) but it was cool to see these two rip up the mat for 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Roddy Piper & Rick Martel vs Buddy Rose & Ed Wiskowski (PNW 08/02/80) Outstanding match. I like Piper and Martel as the Northwest version of Steamboat and Youngblood. The Rick & Rod Express? I tend to think best of three falls matches are incompatible with the tag formula for a variety of reasons, some of which we see here. Too much Heel in Peril, too many times the babyface has to fight back from underneath and succumb again, etc. So there are structural problems I have with this. But I'd still call this pretty damned great in spite of that. This is about 30 minutes of action with the first 15+ minutes as mostly Heel in Peril, and I think because of all the ways they have to find to fill time, this went far too long. But what you're seeing is four guys overcoming a match structure that just doesn't lend itself to something good and producing something great in spite of it. The heel aggression is off the charts and Piper and Martel are such a fun and charismatic babyface team that it's almost enough to overlook all of that. Buddy is as good as anyone with the last name Anderson at cutting off the ring and putting the hurt on a sympathetic babyface. And if they are in a match where filling time is important, they might as well have plenty of things at their disposal to keep things interesting, which the heel team certainly does. I mean, that is some awesome and in some ways inventive back work, and Buddy's bumping really is a sight to behold. There's a moment in the third fall when the perilous Roddy Piper knocks him off the apron and it's almost like he falls into the abyss because he just drops completely out of sight, and him getting a receipt a few minutes later on Piper by throwing him out of the ring is even better. My only real problem with this is that it's too much of a good thing. Beyond that, it has me really excited for the next Rose vs Martel match, just because by this point, Martel is very good in the ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Ringo Rigby vs Johnny South (Joint Promotions 08/05/80) Elbows and knees and shins, oh my! This had some awesome detail work and subtle twists on basic moves. Johnny South looks like Regal's spiritual predecessor as a result. This starts as a gentleman's match and then really gets interesting when tempers flare to close out Round 3. By Round 4, they are trading some wild forearms and assorted strikes. Because the action is a little bit slower than that of their peers at times, this match required a little more patience from me than some of the other British stuff. But when I realized what they were going for in the big picture and how they achieved it, that patience was paid off in spades. I also liked how they played off the rounds here, as Rigby carried the lead for most of this match, which was a partial source of South's frustration but also gave them an overarching theme in which they could sink their teeth. The final fall is anyone's to win and Rigby tries a desperate comeback but keeps falling prey to South's big strikes before just barely sneaking out a win. Most of the wrestling in this is pretty basic (with a few notable exceptions in the early stages), but the fire and attitude of the closing stretch takes it to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Buddy Rose vs Roddy Piper (PNW 09/13/80) Loser Leaves Town! This is a sprint by Portland standards. Rose's Piper mocking before the match starts is priceless. Rose would love to get down to business and wrestle the match like the sportsman he is, but the crowd won't leave him alone. How rude of them! Bloody brawl with Rose beating the hell out of poor Roddy in the second fall, which is when this match really gets cooking. This is the rare case of a Portland match that didn't get enough time. I think the skeleton of something really good was here, but it needed a little more time to play out. I liked it, but it could have been so much more. Buddy with another awesome heel performance though, and check out the wild post-match brawl. Bye Bye Buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Sammy Lee vs Sid Cooper (Joint Promotions 10/08/80) For whatever we want to say about Sayama, his charisma and aura is undeniable. This is not really a good match, but it reminds me of the New Japan Tiger Mask matches as presented by Joint Promotions. It's quick with a guy doing a superman gimmick wowing the crowd and a game opponent who knows how to make him look good. But Sayama would have been completely outclassed going 30+ minutes against a Johnny Saint or Steve Grey type, which is probably why he didn't. He strikes me as selfish and one dimensional in this - the only thing he's good at is making himself look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2014 Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (PNW 08/09/80) I watch how Rose's wig has taken a beating at this point and there's no way Matt Borne didn't draw some Doink influence from Buddy Rose during this time period. He really does have the face of a tragic and demented clown. Now, to the match. I think this was the best of the series. Martel's improvement from April is palpable, and where that match was Rose taking on an eager challenger, this was Rose facing a true peer. This really works as a series because of Martel's increased maturity from match to match. That's not really something the announcer states overtly, although I wish he did because I suspect that it's at least part of what they were going for. The third fall is when this goes from great to epic, with Buddy breaking out the boxing standoff to give both this a true title fight feel and rope Martel into distracting nonsense so he can reclaim the match. Martel's selling of Buddy's rib attack is off the charts and his majorly fired up comeback is one of the highlights of wrestling in 1980, much less the match. The back and forth of the final few minutes has the drama at a fever pitch, and Martel finishes the job with same atomic drop Buddy previously used to put him away. Fabulous match. This had to be the best in-ring feud going in the U.S. in 1980. I would be shocked if it wasn't. This is hurt a little because of the small clip in the middle where I suspect Buddy took the second fall. But that's miniscule. This match is a classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver vs Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot (PNW 11/08/80) Portland goes Mid Atlantic in this awesome tag. That flying elbow from Buddy in the first fall was a thing of beauty. I think I'm letting go of the idea that best of three falls and FIP tag matches are incompatible, because this match proved that to be untrue. In fact, they created a blueprint for how to make it work, because this built the same way any Southern tag typically does (shine -> heat -> comeback), but they just added a fall at the end of each part of the match. So simple and it works. The heat on Lightfoot was awesome. Youngblood is the superior worker on the babyface team, but Lightfoot is excellent at timing his hope spots. Of course, the best ones all happen when Rose is in the ring, so I suspect those are being called for him. Buddy covers really well for a couple of blown spots from him too. And of course, Buddy is also an awesome troll. Instead of just cutting the ring in half like a typical heel team would do, he works just out of reach of a hot tag to Youngblood for most of this to taunt him. In fact, with all the spots with guys being knocked off the apron and build to paybacks, this even feels like epic All Japan in moments. This is quite possibly the best tag match in the United States that I have ever seen, and it's made even better by the fact that Youngblood and Lightfoot, while not a bad team, aren't nearly as good as this match would suggest. I kept thinking this match couldn't get any better and yet it kept getting better. This is a credit to Buddy Rose and Rip Oliver's heel work, but especially to Buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I am glad that you're letting go of that idea, because now I don't have to write a few thousand words about it, which I was really getting primed to do. Looking at my notes, I thought the match the next week was even better too. It's not a huge surprise by any means, but It's great that you're enjoying this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Interesting. That match only received a middling nomination in the Portland reviewing process. Dylan and I both found the third fall a bit tedious in the way it repeated the dynamic of the second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hmm, I felt like it was more of a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 To be fair, even I said that it went "Maybe a little long." Watch the second match before revisiting the first though. Also, as always, this stuff is even better with the promos and what have you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I will also add that I thought it was better than the first Martel vs Rose match, which I rewatched and liked far more the second time around, but which was still a little on the slow and bland side. It's still a great match, but yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachchaos Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Great thread. I don't have much to comment other than I appreciate all the reviews and since I'm always looking for seminal shit, I'm checking out that tag match atm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I'm pretty sure the dates are reversed and incorrect for the two tags on YouTube based on the response from you guys, but also because in the match dated 11/8 on YouTube, Rose and Oliver win, but on 11/15, Youngblood and Lightfoot are the defending champions. In addition, the 11/8 match goes around 33 minutes total while the 11/15 match goes nearly 40 total. Also, 11/8 is announced as non-title because Youngblood and Lightfoot just defended the belts the week before, while 11/15 is announced as a title match. Can anyone confirm that this is the case? 11/8 match on YouTube: 11/15 match on YouTube: That would explain a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Usually you can figure this stuff out from Bonnema's announcing. I know in watching them, I did feel a sense of progression from Match 1 to Match 2, but maybe that was just a construct in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I do wish the Portland announcing was more descriptive. As much as we bitch about WWE and their storytellers these days, at least they provide some sense of historical context about what's happened before and any angles that led to the match. Bonnema just calls out moves but doesn't really provide much context for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 The flip side is that we have so many promos and angles and most of them are really enjoyable. Portland was such a community territory that it really wasn't necessary on a week to week basis. When he does do it, it's about something that happened years ago usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 1980 #1 - Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson (AJPW 12/11/80) ****1/2 #2 - Mighty Inoue & Higo Hamaguchi vs Spike Huber & Rocky Brewer (IWE 07/25/80) ****1/2 #3 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 09/25/80) ****1/2 #4 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Tony Rocco (NJPW 09/11/80) ****1/4 #5 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Slater (AJPW 05/01/80) ****1/4 #6 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Steve Keirn (NJPW 02/01/80) **** #7 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Dynamite Kid (NJPW 02/05/80) **** #8 - Strong Kobayashi & Haruka Eigen vs Mighty Inoue & Isamu Teranishi (IWE 06/29/80) **** #9 - Tatsumi Fujinami & Kantaro Hoshino vs Dynamite Kid & Steve Keirn (NJPW 01/18/80) **** #10 - Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 09/30/80) ***3/4 #11 - Ricky Morton vs Sonny King (Memphis 04/26/80) ***3/4 #12 - Satoru Sayama & Gran Hamada vs Perro Aguayo & Babyface (UWA 04/13/80) ***3/4 #13 - Mighty Inoue & Animal Hamaguchi vs Carlos Plata & El Doberman (IWE 11/27/80) ***3/4 #14 - Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba vs Dory & Terry Funk (AJPW 12/11/80) ***1/2 #15 - The Sheik vs Ricky Steamboat (AJPW 12/09/80) ***1/2 #16 - Bill Dundee & Tony Boyles vs Wayne Farris & Larry Latham (Memphis 06/07/80) ***1/2 #17 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Murdoch (AJPW 03/05/80) ***1/2 #18 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 05/09/80) ***1/2 #19 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Steve Keirn (NJPW 11/06/80) ***1/2 #20 - Harley Race vs Giant Baba (AJPW 09/09/80) ***1/4 #21 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Tony Londos (NJPW 09/19/80) ***1/4 #22 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 04/03/80) ***1/4 #23 - Chavo Guerrero vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 11/03/80) ***1/4 #24 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 09/11/80) *** #25 - Bill Dundee vs Tommy Rich (Memphis 08/23/80) *** #26 - Bill Dundee vs Paul Ellering (Memphis 05/24/80) *** #27 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Chavo Guerrero (NJPW 05/09/80) *** #28 - Gran Hamada vs Babyface (NJPW 04/03/80) *** #29 - Carlos Plata, El Doberman & Goro Tsurumi vs Animal Hamaguchi, Isamu Teranishi & Mach Hayato (IWE 11/12/80) #30 - Bobby Heenan & Nick Bockwinkel vs Greg Gagne & Super Destroyer Mark II (AWA 10/03/80) #31 - Carlos Plata & El Doberman vs Mighty Inoue & Mach Hayato (IWE 11/01/80) #32 - Harley Race vs Giant Baba (AJPW 09/04/80) #33 - Verne Gagne vs Nick Bockwinkel (AWA 07/18/80) #34 - Bill Dundee vs Larry Latham (Memphis 04/19/80) #35 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Murdoch (AJPW 02/23/80) #36 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 02/08/80) #37 - Chavo Guerrero vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 09/30/80) #38 - Lord Alfred Hays vs Bobby Heenan (AWA 01/13/80) #39 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Ron Starr (NJPW 09/30/80) #40 - Greg Gagne vs Super Destroyer Mark (AWA 05/01/80) #41 - Rusher Kimura vs Alexis Smirnoff (IWE 11/22/80) Here's a revised list. This will get revised again when I check out the other promotions, but this is everything I could get my hands on for now. #1 - Johnny Saint vs Steve Grey (Joint Promotions 01/28/80) ***** #2 - Jim Breaks vs Young David (Joint Promotions 02/13/80) ****3/4 #3 - Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver vs Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot (PNW 11/15/80) ****3/4 #4 - Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson (AJPW 12/11/80) ****1/2 #5 - Mighty Inoue & Higo Hamaguchi vs Spike Huber & Rocky Brewer (IWE 07/25/80) ****1/2 #6 - Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (PNW 08/09/80) ****1/2 #7 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 09/25/80) ****1/2 #8 - Buddy Rose & Ed Wiskowski vs Roddy Piper & Rick Martel (PNW 08/02/80) ****1/4 #9 - Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (PNW 05/17/80) ****1/4 #10 - Jon Cortez vs Peter Lapaque (Joint Promotions 01/28/80) ****1/4 #11 - Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver vs Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot (PNW 11/08/80) ****1/4 #12 - Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (PNW 04/26/80) ****1/4 #13 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Tony Rocco (NJPW 09/11/80) ****1/4 #14 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Slater (AJPW 05/01/80) ****1/4 #15 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Steve Keirn (NJPW 02/01/80) **** #16 - Jon Cortez vs Jeff Kaye (Joint Promotions 02/05/80) **** #17 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Dynamite Kid (NJPW 02/05/80) **** #18 - Strong Kobayashi & Haruka Eigen vs Mighty Inoue & Isamu Teranishi (IWE 06/29/80) **** #19 - Tatsumi Fujinami & Kantaro Hoshino vs Dynamite Kid & Steve Keirn (NJPW 01/18/80) **** #20 - Ringo Rigby vs Johnny South (Joint Promotions 08/05/80) **** #21 - Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 09/30/80) ***3/4 #22 - Ricky Morton vs Sonny King (Memphis 04/26/80) ***3/4 #23 - Satoru Sayama & Gran Hamada vs Perro Aguayo & Babyface (UWA 04/13/80) ***3/4 #24 - Mighty Inoue & Animal Hamaguchi vs Carlos Plata & El Doberman (IWE 11/27/80) ***3/4 #25 - Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba vs Dory & Terry Funk (AJPW 12/11/80) ***1/2 #26 - Jeff Kaye vs Tony Walsh (Joint Promotions 01/28/80) ***1/2 #27 - The Sheik vs Ricky Steamboat (AJPW 12/09/80) ***1/2 #28 - Bill Dundee & Tony Boyles vs Wayne Farris & Larry Latham (Memphis 06/07/80) ***1/2 #29 - Buddy Rose vs Butch Miller (PNW 06/07/80) ***1/2 #30 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Murdoch (AJPW 03/05/80) ***1/2 #31 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 05/09/80) ***1/2 #32 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Steve Keirn (NJPW 11/06/80) ***1/2 #33 - Roddy Piper vs Buddy Rose (PNW 09/13/80) ***1/4 #34 - Harley Race vs Giant Baba (AJPW 09/09/80) ***1/4 #35 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Tony Londos (NJPW 09/19/80) ***1/4 #36 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 04/03/80) ***1/4 #37 - Chavo Guerrero vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 11/03/80) ***1/4 #38 - Pat Roach vs Dalibar Singh (Joint Promotions 04/21/80) *** #39 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 09/11/80) *** #40 - Bill Dundee vs Tommy Rich (Memphis 08/23/80) *** #41 - Bill Dundee vs Paul Ellering (Memphis 05/24/80) *** #42 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Chavo Guerrero (NJPW 05/09/80) *** #43 - Gran Hamada vs Babyface (NJPW 04/03/80) *** #44 - Harley Race vs Rick Martel (PNW 01/12/80) #45 - Carlos Plata, El Doberman & Goro Tsurumi vs Animal Hamaguchi, Isamu Teranishi & Mach Hayato (IWE 11/12/80) #46 - Bobby Heenan & Nick Bockwinkel vs Greg Gagne & Super Destroyer Mark II (AWA 10/03/80) #47 - Carlos Plata & El Doberman vs Mighty Inoue & Mach Hayato (IWE 11/01/80) #48 - Harley Race vs Giant Baba (AJPW 09/04/80) #49 - Verne Gagne vs Nick Bockwinkel (AWA 07/18/80) #50 - Charly Verhulst vs Mile Zrno (CWA 07/12/80) #51 - Bill Dundee vs Larry Latham (Memphis 04/19/80) #52 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs Dick Murdoch (AJPW 02/23/80) #53 - Antonio Inoki vs Stan Hansen (NJPW 02/08/80) #54 - Sammy Lee vs Sid Cooper (Joint Promotions 10/08/80) #55 - Chavo Guerrero vs Kengo Kimura (NJPW 09/30/80) #56 - Lord Alfred Hays vs Bobby Heenan (AWA 01/13/80) #57 - Tatsumi Fujinami vs Ron Starr (NJPW 09/30/80) #58 - Greg Gagne vs Super Destroyer Mark (AWA 05/01/80) #59 - Rusher Kimura vs Alexis Smirnoff (IWE 11/22/80) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Is it fair to say you see Buddy as the best worker of 80? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Pretty easily, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Only Fujinami and Dundee are also in the discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.