[1979-05-19-Portland-TV] Roddy Piper vs Buddy Rose (Lumberjack)

[Superstar Sleeze]

Roddy Piper vs Buddy Rose - Portland TV 5/19/79 Lumberjack Match

 

I think I confused this with another Piper/Rose brawl I really liked. This match was still very entertaining, but there is another match that's a real humdinger. Piper is shocked at the positive fan response There are six lumberjacks, two heels including Ed Wiskowski and four babyfaces, but no Killer Brooks, who is Piper's best friend in this feud. Pretty straightforward story that Rose needs Wiskowski's help to maintain an advantage. At first, Piper was going aftre the arm, but a timely trip or two was able to allow Rose the advantage. He mainly used the chinlock. There is a good part where Rose keeps laying the books to Piper near apron and he tries to roll out, but Wiskowski pushes him back in. It is legal, but just feels so dickish. You really want them to lay off Piper and give him a chance. Rose clearly learned a thing or two from Nick Bockwinkel as he goes for pin attempts just like Bock. Piper is so great at the staggered selling and wild punch that nails his opponent. He has Rose reeling and at one point there is a HUGE KNEE LIFT, which Rose takes an equally HUGE BUMP off of. Rose trying to escape through the lumberjacks is highly entertaining as he really hams it up a couple times. Piper misses a dropkick as Rose really puts the brakes on and grabs the ropes. I love how Rose really hooked himself in there and Bonnema puts over Rose as a quick learner. We see the Airplane Spin, which I distinctly remember because of the call that this was an OLD TIMEY MOVE IN 1979! Rose ends up on the outside while Wiskowski does a number on Piper inside the ring. Sandy Barr is not supposed to be looking, but Sandy Barr does not give a fuck. Brooks makes his return sends Wiskowski packing and drops the leg on Rose giving Piper the victory as they embrace. Good TV, which sets up the Brooks return angle, but nothing hugely memorable in terms of in ring action or story. ***

[GOTNW]

The opening was pretty ridiculous, Rose taking a huge bump off Piper kicking him in the arm is just too much. The match also had a looong and boring chinlock spot. Rose's bumps would make for cool GIFs but have little lasting effect in his matches. Their stomps can look really good when they're just kicking their downed opponent in the face but when they're hitting to back or making them look more like kicks they look pretty weak. I think they utilized the lumberjacks well enough and the match definitely took a turn for the better once Piper started unloading on Rose with punches, honestly their matches have made me a lot more interested in him than I am in Rose currently. Clusterfuck finish didn't bother me. **3/4

[KB8]

Not as good as the previous week's match but I pretty much loved this as well. If nothing else it highlights how Piper is the absolute king of the punch drunk comeback. He has so much energy no matter what he's doing and any time he starts wildly throwing himself into offensive flurries people are hooked. Everything looks frantic, often reckless, never half-baked. It doesn't hurt that he has absurd amounts of charisma. Just fucking lorry-loads of it, so even the most standard of in-ring actions elicits a response. He's also an awesome bumper and I'm not really sure it's talked about enough. His bumping has the same reckless quality his offence has and he about killed himself here with one of the best back drop bumps I've ever seen. It was like an Eddie Guerrero monkey flip bump where his legs would catch the ropes on landing, but it never had the grace of Eddie with the perfect rotation on the flip and instead looked like he was taking a Jerry Estrada bump all the way over the top rope. I have no idea whether he meant it or not and that's really what makes it so crazy. This was a super fun use of the lumberjack stipulation. Piper starts out by just punching Rose in the wrist off a lock-up and obviously that leads to some arm work, because sometimes the simplest course of action is the most effective. Rose takes a huge flat back bump off a kick to the arm and evidently some will hate that, but I loved it to death. His big bump into the corner later off a kneelift was also majestic and one that even the most miserable of the miserable can appreciate. Rose backing Piper into the corner over by Wiskowski so Ed can trip him is your first big transition and the first great use of the stip. The second is Rose continually booting Piper out the ring so Wiskowski can throw him back in as roughly as possible, clearly taking some cheapshots while he's at it. When it's Rose's turn you know he's going to milk it for all it's worth. He's one of the all-time great stooges and I love how he goes absolutely all in on ALL of it. None of this "I'll roll out and you can shove me back in there nice and easy" carry on, he actively tries to run and then leap away from danger and the lumberjacks must EARN THEIR KEEP by securing this projectile of a body and flinging it back in the ring. After about six attempts at this he sort of deflates in defeat, rolls over and looks up to notice Piper standing over him, at which point he about shits himself and everybody loses it. It's an easy comedy spot to throw out there, but the timing of it was impeccable, he played the goof to perfection and you ten thousand percent buy a pissed off Roddy Piper as the last guy you want standing over you in an inescapable situation. Finish is one of the most satisfying bullshit finishes ever as the pop for Brooks coming in through the crowd is monumental. Portland is the greatest and Brooks' post-match promo ("I haven't worn these boots since I came back from Vietnam, but I'm wearing them now because I'm here to FIGHT!") is also the greatest.