[1980-04-26-Portland] Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel (2/3 falls)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel - PNW 4/26/80

 

Buddy Rose is debuting his mask & wig gimmick after Piper cut his hair earlier in the week. Buddy Rose has vowed not to let the fans see him with short hair because that is unbecoming for a Playboy like himself. I think this is a great way to continue the heat for the TV crowd and now every match has the hook can the opponent expose Rose's head.

 

Rose jaws with the crowd and will lift up the mask portion, but keeps on the wig portion. Martel shows his quickness early and that genuine energy that is so irresistible. There is a magnificent criss cross sequence that ends in a Rose drop toe hold complete with roll up into a leg scissors. He transitions into a deathlock and the following leg work is amazing and only made that much more perfect by Martel's incredible selling. Martel goes after the mask to force Rose to break the deathlock, Rose kicks Martel's bad leg repeatedly to regain control. Rose applies a standard Indian Deathlock, which they reverse the peressure back and forth in a neat spot. Martel escapes with some heavy blows. Rose is relentless on the leg now going for the spinning toehold, but that ends in a Martel inside cradle for two. Rose now goes for seat drops and on the second seatdrop he misses. Martel wants to keep working over the ass so he goes for an atomic drop, BUT it is on his BAD leg. OH NO! Martel has been selling huge, but he takes it to the next level now. Rose wraps the leg around the post and the single leg crab takes the fall. Rose goes up 1-0.

 

I love the beginning of the second fall with Martel doing everything he can to keep his good leg out in front and circle away from the Playboy. Eventually he is forced into the middle of the ring and Rose is able to use a single leg takedown to take control of the leg. He wraps the leg around the post, but Martel is able to smash Rose's head into the post. Martel does not go for the countout victory instead he rams Rose's back into the post. He makes sure to sell his leg and really let every spot breathe to allow for Rose to sell and for him to recover. It was really well done. Once he gets him in the ring, it is repeated elbows and double axehandles that the crowd counts out. The Boston Crab knots it up. Tied 1-1.

 

Martel goes right back to the back with an Irish Whip and backbreaker. Rose cant bodyslam Martel due to his bad back so Martel bodyslams him. Martel is able to finally reveal Rose's bald head, but the Sheepherders run out and cover him out before shepherding him out of the arena. The camera cut away at the critical moment so the heat is still there for TV while the live audience is rewarded.

Awesome double body part psychology match with great selling and offense by both men. It reminds me of the Bock/Martel 9/20/84 match. I love how in Portland thanks to 2/3 falls format they can do more submission victories without making their wrestlers seem like chumps. The lack of finish is the only thing that hurts this. Best Portland match I have ever seen. ****1/2

[mookeighana]

I received my DVDVR "Best of the 1980s Portland" discs from Will. This is match 2, disc 1.

 

 

[mookeighana]

Martel wants to keep working over the ass so he goes for an atomic drop, BUT it is on his BAD leg. OH NO! Martel has been selling huge, but he takes it to the next level now.

 

https://twitter.com/mookieghana/status/768606982081175552

[mookeighana]

 

 

Martel is able to finally reveal Rose's bald head, but the Sheepherders run out and cover him out before shepherding him out of the arena. The camera cut away at the critical moment so the heat is still there for TV while the live audience is rewarded.

 

I was impressed with this because I rewound it about three times to see if I missed it, but realized later that they didn't show it on TV. Great way to keep the heat high but like you said, reward the live fans.

[JKWebb]

This was fantastic! Rick Martel is probably my favorite in-ring babyface performer ever, and this match is a perfect illustration of why. The selling of the left leg is phenomenal and the fire up double axe handles on the back are beautiful. Not much to add review-wise, but hell this was a blast.

[SAMS]

1980-04-26
PNW
Rick Martel vs. Buddy Rose
Non Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Sports Arena, Portland, Oregon, USA
Card
★★★★

Damn I missed the hair match between Piper and Rose. Here Rose is already wearing that mask with the wig attached to keep the fans from seeing him bald.
This was all about the targeting of body parts. Rose showed off some nifty rope running moves before taking Martel down to the mat and from there it was a clinic in targeting his leg. I loved how intermittently Rose would pull the mask up to show his face and every so often they would tease Martel getting a grip on the mask, but the whole while he was in complete control, just working over that leg. Eventually, after being locked in a leg scissors and getting it rammed against the ringpost several times Martel had to succumb to a Single Leg Boston Crab. When he returned after the break with a massive limp, it made perfect sense.
From here on Martel’s selling of the leg was excellent. At first it looked like he couldn’t even walk on it. He barely made it back into the ring and as the second fall started you knew that Rose was going to target it for all it was worth. After a few close escapes Rose finally managed another take down and all looked lost for Rick, but while getting his leg posted once again he managed to turn the tables and ram Rose’s head into it as well. From here we had a long sequence of Martel repeatedly coming down from the ring, breaking the referee’s count and beating down on Rose on the floor. As time went on he sold the leg less and less and eventually was able to lift Rose enough to ram his lower back into the post as well multiple times. As they transitioned back into the ring things went from Rose targeting Martel’s leg to Martel turning the tables and targeting Rose’s back instead. He nailed a backbreaker a couple times, even switching to using his stronger right leg for the second delivery, and eventually Rose went for a body slam and couldn’t take the weight on his back. Martel then did the same and put Rose away to tie things up.
The third fall was pretty brief but essentially worked entirely around them getting caught up in the ropes and Martel slowly peeling back the mask until eventually he dislodged it. The Sheepherders had made their way down to the ring and they were able to cover his head with a towel before anybody got a good look and he raced to the back, essentially forfeiting the match by countout.
I loved Rose’s offense throughout his heat sequence in the first fall. Playing with the mask, milking that gimmick, and the crispness with which his attacks worked over the leg. Then this was all paid off by Martel selling the hell out of that leg for the entire second fall, but that sequence from the start of the second fall until he was able to post Rose that first time was truly amazing. We didn’t get a clear finish, but obviously they are drawing out this mask/wig angle and we got ¾ of an absolutely killer match regardless. Both guys were on top of their game and I’m incredibly excited for a full scale blowoff.

[tcg91]

This was great and the best thing of 1980 so far. Rose is wearing a ridiculous mask with a wig, as Roddy Piper shaved him bald, and Martel can't wait to expose him. However, this costs Martel some distractions and Rose just rules when working on his opponent's leg. Martel could be the best seller in the USA in 1980, he's so good and the fans are dying to see a comeback. Martel keeps being a talent in the rough, he still makes a few key mistakes that cost him a lot, like refusing a count-out win and hitting an atomic drop on his comeback, ending up hurting his leg again. This way, the experienced Rose still manages to control the match, despite constantly worrying about his mask and fixing it on his face several times. The finish is great too, Martel finally manages to expose Rose's bald head after a long tease, so Rose quickly covers up and run away to lose by count-out. This surely sets up a title match down the road and I'm looking forward to it.
****1/4