Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Billy Jack & Buddy Rose (8/13/83)

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Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Billy Jack & Buddy Rose (8/13/83)

Disc 6

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I wiped out the first two falls of my writeup, so I'll just summarize what happened, then move on to fall three.

 

​First fall: ​Assassin pins Buddy after a loaded headbutt.

 

​Second fall: ​Buddy pins Assassin with a backslide.

 

Third fall: ​Buddy plays FIP at the beginning, much like he has since being pinned to end the first fall. He eventually gets to Billy Jack, who cleans house, then puts the full nelson on Oliver while Rip's on the apron. That doesn't get it done, of course, so Billy Jack drags Oliver over the top rope and into the ring, then bears down on the hold until Oliver quits. The belts don't change hands, because the match is non-title; however, Buddy and Billy Jack get a title match the following week. Assassin attacks both Biily Jack and Buddy after the match with his loaded mask, laying them both out with headbutts.

 

This is another of the great tag matches between the RBA and The Clan, and they're great because aside from Assassin's loaded hood, these guys wrestle ​first and foremost, even though the hatred between them is so thick you can spread it on bread. The only other teams that have this level of both skill and animosity were the Rock 'n' Roll Express and the Midnight Express, although the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation came close.

 

Buddy and Billy Jack are a bit rough as a team here; overall I think Buddy and Curt mesh much better, mostly because Billy Jack's so green. Oliver and Assassin have the experience advantage, and their teamwork is excellent.

 

The eternal debate continues: What's in Assassin's hood, and how does he load it? Dutch seems to believe that Assassin's old partner The Sheik may have taught him a thing or two, but that's impossible to say for sure since Sheik never wore a mask. At any rate, it's still a mystery, as it will remain through early 1984.

 

Dutch and Coss are really going with all guns blazing; their interplay's a lot like that of Gino and Heenan, only these two are on the same side of the fence. When you watch this match, listen for several classic Dutch bits, including his answers to certain fans' questions, especially this one by the show's director: "What do wrestlers take for headache, neuritis, and neuralgia?" That query, which I'm guessing was supposed to be a wisecrack, leads to one of the most passionate defenses of the toughness of wrestlers you'll ever hear.

 

The postmatch interview promises several falls count anywhere matches, most notably between Buddy and Oliver. I had no idea these matches were booked regularly as early as this; the first one I remember clearly was Kevin Sullivan vs. Norman the Lunatic at Clash of the Champions X.

 

Sorry for the lack of depth here; these posts impossible to recreate once they've been lost. I'll be back to normal next time!