Larry & Curt Hennig vs. Rose & Oliver (2/3 falls) (4/3/82)

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Larry & Curt Hennig vs. Rose & Oliver (2/3 falls) (4/3/82)

Disc 4

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First fall: ​We never got a tag team blowoff to the summer portion of the Hennig-Rose feud, so this match from April will have to do. Daddy Ax is in Curt's corner, and instead of Curt's knee being the issue as it will be in the summer, it's his ribs. Neither Buddy nor Oliver want any part of the Ax, and who can blame them? Sandy finally chooses Oliver to start and flips him into the ring by the hair, and away we go. It's all Hennigs in the first fall, as Curt dazzles them with speed and Larry chops them down with the Ax, literally in Oliver's case. The three count is made, and the Hennigs lead one fall to none just seven minutes into the disc time.

 

The stalling here by the Army was comical, but understandable; they knew perfectly well the hornet's nest they'd stirred up, and they wanted to get as far away from it as they possibly could. I don't even think Andre would have inspired the fear from them that Larry does here, and that's no knock at all against the Giant. Even Frank popped for Larry finally getting his hands on both Buddy and Rip.

 

I liked how Frank made sure to point out that Curt never asked for help from his dad; Larry came in on his own to support his son. That's an important distinction, as Curt is still his own man and not the immature little kid he would have seemed like had he begged for Larry's help. Of course, I'm sure that Curt was happy to take it regardless!

 

Nice subtle way for Frank to show pride in Portland Wrestling's ratings without being too obnoxious about it. "So the people who read ratings books tell me". Vince and Bischoff could have used that approach to their advantages when their respective promotions had the lead during the Monday Night Wars.

 

I really wasn't a fan of Sandy dragging Oliver in by the hair, but I'm sure that he'd just plain had enough of the Army and all connected with it by now, period. So had Don, for that matter. It's not exactly good refereeing when guys go off the reservation so blatantly, but it's good storytelling; it lets the fans know that they're not the only ones frustrated with constant rulebreaking and cheating, and that the refs aren't condoning it or standing stupidly by with their thumbs jammed up the nearest dark crevice.

 

Second fall:​ The Hennigs continue in control for the first part of the fall, working mostly on the arms of both Army members. But Buddy catches Curt with a knee to the midsection off the ropes, and the tide is turned from there. Larry makes the save for his son several times, but eventually Buddy takes him outside the ring and rams his back into the post twice. That's too much for the younger Hennig, and Buddy scores the pin to even the match at a fall apiece with about ten minutes of disc time remaining.

 

The Army's work on Curt's ribs and back in this fall can't compare to Buddy and Curt's work on each other's knees during their singles bouts, but it was plenty vicious in its own right. I loved Buddy using the ropes as weapons to injure the ribs further, and the backbreaker version which almost made Curt submit is one I don't recall seeing before, at least not in North America.

 

Nice move not making Larry so distraught that he constantly interferes, which would make it possible for the Army to constantly doubleteam Curt. That spot's probably coming during the third fall at some point, but Curt's been hurt badly enough by now that it will be somewhat understandable, especially since we're dealing with a father/son relationship.

 

I've never seen wrestlers work on their opponents' fingers to the extent that Larry and Curt do here against Buddy. It seemed extremely effective, and I'll bet Buddy will think twice before throwing punches for the rest of the evening. The only other time I've seen work on a wrestler's fingers is when Andre used to squash guys' hands with his boots as a show of might.

 

It must be a big card coming to the House of Action if people can't get tickets to it during the week. I wonder who Flair was defending against; could this have been the Buddy match where Curt supposedly cost him the title and forced him into a self-imposed exile from the Northwest?

 

Third fall: ​The Army starts the fall in control, but Curt eventually makes the hot tag to Dad, and from then on they've had it. Before it's all over, Oliver's legs are injured and Buddy's a bloody mess who can't even stand up on the apron and wait for a tag. Eventually, Oliver storms the ring with a chair just to save himself and Buddy from permanent injury at the Hennigs' hands. The Army's disqualified, but at least they escape with their lives and most of their hide.

 

Even though it didn't end up meaning much, I liked that Frank brought up Curt's pride and how it could have cost them the match if his ribs had given out before he could tag his father. Most face-leaning announcers won't say things like that because it sounds too negative when the poor slob's getting his brains kicked in.

 

Frank really emphasized the spelling and pronunciation of H-E-N-N-I-G during this match. I'm not sure if it was because he himself was making the "Henning" mistake or because viewers were writing letters addressed to Curt "Henning". Since it was (and is) such a natural mistake to make, I'm guessing it was a bit of both.

 

Buddy's done some great sell jobs on this set, and the one in this fall ranks right up there. He didn't bleed much in volume, but he sure made up for it in dizziness, including a backwards fall through the ropes that we unfortunately never got to see. You can almost understand why Rip, whose own legs were being worked on pretty viciously by the Hennigs, decided that he needed to get a chair and attempt to fight his and Buddy's way out of this mess before they got killed.

 

From what I've seen so far (I know we have at least one match left on another disc), this has to be one of the most criminally underrated feuds of both Curt's and Buddy's careers. I never expected the viciousness that we've gotten from both sides, and as great as almost all of Buddy's feuds on this set have been, this has to top even the Piper feud. Rod and Buddy may have tried their damndest to cripple each other, but Curt and Buddy have each succeeded​, at least temporarily. After watching these matches, it's hard to imagine that they'd be such a good team in a little over a year's time.