Dynamite Kid, Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Curt Hennig, Billy Jack & Buddy Rose (2/3 Falls) (12/17/83)

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Dynamite Kid, Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Curt Hennig, Billy Jack & Buddy Rose (2/3 Falls) (12/17/83)

Disc 7

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​First fall: ​This is the brawl that those beautifully worked tag matches have been leading up to. Everyone on both sides takes a brutal beating at some point, and it's chaos from start to finish. Speaking of the finish, Billy Jack has Dynamite just about put away when he goes up to the top, but he forgets that he doesn't fly, and by the time he comes down Dynamite's long gone. Billy Jack is then dragged to the Clan corner, where Oliver uses his taped thumb on Billy Jack's forehead. Dynamite covers, and Buddy and Curt make the save too late. The Clan leads one fall to none with about nineteen minutes of disc time remaining.

 

As I said earlier, I knew there was a brawl coming up somewhere in this feud, and this one doesn't disappoint. Curt's apparently coming back from some kind of injury; either it happened in the 11/12 tag match I have yet to watch on this disc or we never saw it. At any rate, we see his revenge, as he takes on all three Clan members by himself at the start. The whole Clan gets the triple-ream treatment in the first few minutes, in fact, which is what they've needed for weeks if nit months.

 

The hair match that Dynamite lost to Buddy is about two months old at this point, so I'm wondering if Tommy didn't like the clean-headed look and decide to stay with it for a while. Now that I'm used to it, it does make him look like a tough guy.

 

What is it with guys supposedly bleeding and the cameras not being able to pick it up? As the second fall starts, Stan and Coss mention that Oliver's thumb busted Billy Jack's forehead open, but I can't see blood on him anywhere. Either the boys need to blade more visibly (which isn't exactly safe) or the production crew needs to make sure that we see the blood when they do.

 

Sounds like a hell of a Christmas lineup, with Billy Jack and Oliver main-eventing in a street fight. But, as usual, Buddy steals the show whether he means to or not. He's pulled off a lot of stunts in his day, but I'd pay serious, serious money to see him as the Baby New Year, diaper and all.

 

Second fall: ​This one is all Clan, as they lay tremendous beatings on both Billy Jack and Curt, working on the cut on Billy Jack's head and Curt's previously injured shoulder. Finally, Curt gets the hot tag to Buddy, but the Playboy gets cut off before he can do much. Just when it looks bleakest for Rose's Babyface Army, Rip shoots Buddy into the ropes and catches him coming off with his taped thumb right in the throat. That's too much for Sandy, and he disqualifies The Clan to even the bout at a fall apiece with about four minutes remaining.

 

Billy Jack's a bit of an odd choice for face-in-peril considering that Curt's the one coming back from an injury, but he sure makes it work, kicking out of pin attempts that most normal wrestlers would be unconscious during.

 

The more I see of Dynamite's ringwork as a heel, the more I realize that Vince miscast him and Davey Boy as faces. He looks sharper than I've ever seen him; each move looks crisp and designed to do damage. As a face, especially part of the Bulldogs, his moves looked visually impressive but not especially devastating. When there was a beating to be given, Davey (who fit Vince's idea of a wrestler much better) took care of it.

 

The camera missed Curt being thrown over the top rope by Assassin and Billy Jack somehow ending up on the outside as well. Missed shots are becoming epidemic with this crew. I realize that they only have two cameras and won't necessarily catch everything, but too many times we've seen random crowd shots or corner shots while important things are going on in the ring or out on the floor. Watching footage like this makes me appreciate Vince's first-class production; the product may have been lacking, but at least it looked ​like a million bucks.

 

I'm glad we heard about the Bonnema Trophies; it's nice that Frank's being remembered by the Portland wrestling community. He's a bit more low-key than most wrestling announcers, but he calls matches well, and when he gets excited you know something major's going down. I can't wait to hear more of him on the set.

 

Curt sounded like a real killer in the between falls promo; he's come a long way from the white meat babyface he once was thanks to his feuds with Buddy and The Clan. I loved Buddy, especially "Revenge should be on the marquee along with wrestling!" which was both original and brilliant. Billy Jack didn't have a lot to say, and I'm wondering if he wasn't legitimately shaken up from some of the stiff head shots he's taken throughout the match.

 

​Third fall: ​Buddy plays FIP briefly, then gets the hot tag to Curt. Eventually it all breaks down, and we have bonzo gonzo triangle style. Rip bails on the proceedings, but Billy Jack's right behind him, and they go up the aisle. Buddy and Assassin take their issue outside as well, leaving Curt and Dynamite. Dynamite misses a corner charge and hits the post headfirst, which opens him up, then gets a brief advantage and heads up top to finish Curt off. But Curt catches him and delivers a thunderous back superplex. The issue's academic after that, and a three count later the RBA emerges victorious.

 

Now I know where Buddy got the outfit he wore at Mania I. Seriously, if it's not one of Assassin's spares I completely miss my guess.

 

Nice job leaving the spotlight to Curt in his return match, allowing him to score the winning fall. I might have had him beat Oliver instead of Dynamite, but since his issue's with the entire Clan I don't suppose it matters much.

 

I loved how Buddy used the taped thumb on Oliver......once. He's still not above such things (and would we ever want him to be?) but he knows to use such tricks just often enough that they're payback, not his own attempt to maim someone.

 

We didn't get a whole lot of Billy Jack-Oliver, but that's understandable with the Christmas show just nine days away. I'd have liked to see a bit more of Buddy-Oliver, though. since that was the issue that precipitated Buddy's turn in the first place.

 

I'm glad we got a definitive winner instead of just a wild brawl that ended inconclusively. Everyone knows that there are more battles to come in this war, but for this night good has prevailed.