Buddy Rose vs. Steve Pardee (6/29/85)

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Buddy Rose vs. Steve Pardee (6/29/85)

Disc 9

[garretta]

This was a head-scratcher. If they were trying to set Buddy up for anther big run, this was the wrong way to do it. Not only did Pardee get far too much offense, but the DQ wasn't treated as all that big a deal. If tying his opponent's neck in the ropes was Buddy's big new move, why didn't Coss sell the hell out of it? Why didn't we get guys coming in to break it up? And if it wasn't, if it was just some random, vaguely heelish way to end the match, why? Why not just kick Pardee low or throw him over the top rope? Why resort to that piece of business only for everyone involved to shrug it off after a few seconds and move on?

 

Pardee looked very good here, if a bit basic. He matched Buddy move for move, which is no small feat, and his execution was fine. He also matched Buddy in the bullshit department throughout the match, showboating after several moves to the crowd's delight. It's tough to say if a guy could have gone farther or not based on a couple of matches (I also saw Pardee on the AWA set, and he didn't stand out there), but he looked like he had the tools for a solid career. Coss made it sound like he'd worked with Buddy quite a few times over the years, so maybe that was part of it.

 

As I said above, Buddy gave Pardee too much offense. Enough to make the match competitive and show off his bumps and stalls for a few minutes is one thing, but it was like they were trying to present these two as equals going forward, which if true would be a hell of a comedown for Buddy. I never got the feeling that Buddy was supposed to be anything major, at least not like he used to be, and that's a crying shame.

 

I noticed that Buddy did the "correct the ring announcer about his weight" bit here. Don didn't sell it very well; I prefer Larry Nelson, who after a while looked like he was going to have a breakdown every time Buddy came within ten feet of him.

 

My favorite Buddy spot was the abdominal stretch, or rather, how he would pull Pardee's trunks when Sandy wasn't looking, then literally paddle Pardee's bottom when he was ​looking. I've never seen it before in my life, but it sounds like a spot that only Buddy could get away with.

 

Coss did his usual workmanlike job, but I didn't like the way he sloughed over the address of the Sports Arena, especially, since he had to have "Chautaqua" on a card somewhere so he could ​spell it for the fans if they needed it. The joke about "It's an Indian name, so follow the arrows" wasn't very funny, either. I don't think I'm looking forward to him calling the bigger matches on the set, to be quite honest. He isn't bad, but he doesn't have the gravitas of Marc Lowrance or Dave Brown, let alone Lance Russell or Gordon Solie.