Butch Reed

[JerryvonKramer]

I was sure there was a Butch Reed thread, but I can't find it. If there is one, apologies.

 

Anyway, you can discuss Reed generally here.

 

But it only just occurred to me: whatever happened to him after WCW? How come Reed never got another big run anywhere? USWA in 92. Then ... nothing in 93? Then ... Global in 94? Then, that's it? Really? What happened to him?

[Loss]

Reed I believe had drug issues. Watts brought him back in 1992 and fired him shortly afterwards for missing shows.

[KrisZ]

I always thought Butch was NWA champ material from 1984-85. He was that damn good

[goc]

I have a Butch Reed compilation that is probably my favorite single wrestler comp. I honestly feel like he is one of the most under-rated guys ever. He wasn't a great talker but was a good heel promo and he was very good in the ring. I think he's a guy from that time period that would be far more successful today than he was back then.

[Loss]

Every time Kobashi did the top rope shoulderblock, I always thought of Butch Reed. Is Reed the first guy to do that move?

[(BP)]

I remember hearing he'd lost interest in wrestling, and became involved with the rodeo, with indy shows supplementing his income.

[shoe]

Plus his wife wanted him close to home.

[Mr. B.B. Rogers]

When I asked goodhelmet for a Butch Reed comp recently, his response essentially was: "Damn, I haven't made one of those in so long, I'm not sure the burner will cut through all the dust!"

 

I admit, I laughed at it! That being said, I ordered it because I've read a lot about how good he was in the mid-80s and I want to see more. Haven't quite gotten around to it yet (work, work, work!), but it's at the top of my list.

 

I wanted to see if there's more to him than I know as "the guy in DOOM that wasn't Simmons".

[goc]

That's a fantastic set and you should enjoy it.

[BruiserBrody]

His match with Sting at Chi-Town Rumble and Ranger Ross at Wrestle War were both dreadfully dull. Later in the year, Masked Doom wasn't good either - I sure hope when I rewatch the 1990 stuff he starts getting better because I remember DOOM being a bad ass scary team when I was 8.

[khawk20]

I was really hoping for a Butch Reed - Rick Martel series for the AWA title in 1985, but Butch bolted before they could get it off the ground.

 

Was he really set to get the IC title from Steamboat or is that an Urban Legend?

[goc]

Urban legend. He is asked about it in his shoot interview and is completely clueless. Reed/Martel could have been great, and I could see that match easily ending up in my top 10 for the AWA set.

[claw64]

I was really hoping for a Butch Reed - Rick Martel series for the AWA title in 1985, but Butch bolted before they could get it off the ground.

 

Verne was cluesless as far as knowing how to use Reed. Jimmy Garvin's bodyguard. Please. Watts used Reed the best. Florida and Georgia used him good. So did St. Louis. His WWF stint was a joke. I liked Doom in Turner.

[CM Bosco]

Urban legend. He is asked about it in his shoot interview and is completely clueless. Reed/Martel could have been great, and I could see that match easily ending up in my top 10 for the AWA set.

Weird. He confirmed it on Dave Meltzer's old Eeyada (sic?) show.

[flyonthewall2983]

Eyada.

[thebrainfollower]

What are people's thoughts on the 25 minute Flair-Reed match from 84 in Houston? I saw it yesterday and to be honest, found it boring as heck if logical in its storytelling. Seemed like a total paint by numbers Flair. What's the Flair-Reed match I need to see?

[goc]

None of the Reed/Flair matches on the Mid-South set really did that much for me. I'd recommend the Murdoch/Reed matches (9/22/1985, 10/14/1985) WAY more than any of the Flair/Reed stuff. I guess the best one was the 1 hour draw (I think that's 8/10/85) but for myself I couldn't imagine ever wanting to watch another Flair broadway.

[JerryvonKramer]

I recall the Horsemen vs. Doom stuff from 1990 being a lot of fun, but can't actually recall if Flair got himself involved in an actual match. It might have been Arn and Windham only.

 

I like the Butch Reed stuff that made the Mid-South set, and coming up to His matches vs. Flair, Ted and Murdoch soonish. Before that in 84 sort of time he's mostly against guys like Skip Young of Master G or guys like that. Has a great performance vs. Rock n Rolls.

 

He has an interesting match with Dory Funk, I think it's from Florida, 2/3/82 (about 3.5 stars imo).

 

Generally I think Reed is better positioned as a heel than a babyface.

[Wade Garrett]

Butch Reed is a better heel then face. I like him regardless. But a better heel. Woulda loved to have seen Reed sign with JCP (at any stage) instead of Titan and become a Horsemen instead of Luger. Hopefully getting his career back on track.

 

I'm a big Reed fan.

[The Russian Daydream]

I recall the Horsemen vs. Doom stuff from 1990 being a lot of fun, but can't actually recall if Flair got himself involved in an actual match. It might have been Arn and Windham only.

Flair and Reed had a singles on one of the Clashes in late 1990. I think it might have been the one with the totally mental Black Scorpian / Tiger magic trick? The match was really just ok though I thought.

 

Also, I seem to recall a rumour around mid-late 95 that Eric Bischoff were going to bring Simmons and Reed back as Doom, but nothing came of it in the end either. Does anyone else remember this?

[Wade Garrett]

Flair and Anderson wrestled Reed and Simmons at Havoc 90 I believe. The Russian Daydream is right about the November Clash in 90 about the singles match with Flair.