So in the meantime, Wiskowski's returned, Oliver's crippled Eric Embry and apparently the Army (in the form of the Destroyer) took out Lightfoot. Bonnema mentions how Rose took out Youngblood back in 77-78 again. As best as I can tell, this was set up by Youngblood winning a battle royal as Buddy had been dodging him. Oh man, Buddy prays in the corner before the match. For some reason I find that hilarious. He gets a ton of heat for it. He's blonde again too. Good for him. Buddy pushes him into the corner but Jay flips it around and starts unloading. I really like his standing double axe-handle but the crowd likes the jumping chop more. Buddy sells the migraine and escapes to the apron. Bonnema says he's the strawberry blonde playboy again and that he's basically ruled the roost for five years. When does he leave Portland? 85? That means he has an almost ten year run as a promotional Ace in a promotion with a weekly loop and that gives a lot away on TV.
Buddy's back in and immediately working a standing armbar, putting his whole body into it and wrenching away, hammering to cut off Youngblood's attempt to fight back. Youngblood's selling is strong here, as each attempt to punch back causes him agony and allows Rose to hang on, grab the hair and take back over. Youngblood finally creates some distance and but Buddy eyepokes to take back over. After a few chops, he moves Youngblood into the corner and uses the ropes to grind down on the arm. Jay fights back again, making sure to sell huge when he accidentally punches with the bad hand. The subsequent hesitation allows for Buddy to get a cheapshot kick in and start to dismantle Youngblood again.
The adrenaline finally kicks in and Youngblood starts to comeback, shrugging off the pain from the hand. His selling has been so broad up until now that it's weirdly acceptable because you know it was by design. He's not just randomly forgetting to sell to get his stuff in. It's part of the story. Buddy turns it around midway through the comeback and they start a big rope running sequence that ends with Buddy trying to go for the Robinson backbreaker but Youngblood riding through, rolling him up off the ropes, and bridging back to win the first fall. This wasn't spaced out exactly as I would have wanted but what they actually did do was all well done and the fans loved the finish.
Second fall starts with Youngblood getting revenge on Buddy's left arm. There's only 7 minutes remaining here. Jay steps over and straddles the arm bar and really works it, waving it back and forth and jumping on it. He does two of the nicer looking legdrops onto an arm that you'll see and then starts hammering again. Buddy whiffs and gets wrenched more and pumphandled for his trouble. Jay's showing a fairly huge variety of nice looking armwork here. Buddy tries to fight back again but he gets tomahawk chopped and his arm clotheslined over the top for his trouble. Jay's in complete control here. Jay works a top wristlock and Buddy's facial expressions are great as ever.
Buddy finally knees Youngblood out of the ring but Jay immediately grabs Buddy's arm on the apron and drags him to the pole, wrapping it around it. Buddy still manages to catch Jay coming in and in a beautiful exchange, he tries to replicate the roll up off the ropes that lost him the first fall. Jay rolls through, does a double leg trip from behind and drops an elbow on the arm. Great sequence. Jay starts clubbering the arm. Buddy tosses him off but gets put into a backslide off the ropes and this might be as excited I've heard Bonnema for a two count. Jay goes back to the armbar base, and Buddy is selling all over the ring. He clotheslines the arm over the top rope again, then goes up. Buddy tries to give him the old Flair throw off the top but Jay hangs on and rolls through for a nearfall. They're definitely pulling out some novel stuff here.
Jay hits a doublechop and Buddy sloooooowly falls backwards. He's selling as if he's been through a war. Two-count, followed by another chop off the ropes for another two. The crowd is really hot for this. Buddy catches Jay with his legs as he bends over to pick him up, but can't roll him over and eats another two count. Another chop to the head. Buddy's late match selling here is awesome. He's selling the arm. He's selling the whole body. He finally hits the ground and at the announcement that there's a minute left, he starts to desperately jog around the ring, in and out to break the count, to stall the time limit out. What a dick! This might be the first time in Portland that I'd be worried about a riot. They call Jay the winner since he won the only fall and Buddy thinks he's going to keep the belt, but Barr goes into business for himself (and prevents the riot), by holding the belt up and making it so next Saturday Rose is going to have to win two straight falls as the match will continue. Yeah, I think I would have bought a ticket for that. Great promotional idea and the match itself was really good. I wish that Jay hadn't totally given up on the arm selling after the first fall but the story sort of shifted from arm selling to revenge arm work so I'm not going to complain too much.
Friday, December 13, 2013
5:46 of Buddy Rose/Lord Littlebrook/Tokyo Joe vs Jonathan Boyd/Lone Eagle/Cowboy Lang - 12/6/80
This is some time in and there is only six minutes left minutes and there is no justice in the world. Lone Eagle is in the ring and it starts with him being somehow magically propelled into Buddy's knee (Rose is on the apron). Presumably he was tossed in by Lord Littlebrook but who knows. LLB and Joe do a double kick after the tag and then Joe does a big back body drop to Lone Eagle and goes for the pin. Lang does this awesome spot where he breaks up the pin by just stepping on it and keeps on going to hit Littlebrook on the apron. Joe gets to the corner and Buddy kind of directs traffic so he tags LLB, who runs in and prevents the hot tag. Even Portland midget wrestling had great tag team fundamentals. Littlebrook puts Lone Eagle into the bearhug and slams him into the heel corner. Buddy distracts Barr to allow for despicable heel choking. Boyd gets pissed off and chases Buddy through the ropes and in and out of the ring. They do this great little this way, that way thing. Man Buddy + Midgets vs Face Lawler + midgets would have been the best Survivor Series match ever.
Anyway, Barr tries to get Boyd out of the ring and Buddy does a cheapshot kick, before doing this awesome whooping taunt and dance on the apron. This has only gone on for a minute and I already wrote a paragraph. That's just how great Buddy + midgets is. Joe's in and thanks to Buddy's coaching he does a suplex bodyslam and a nasty knee to the throat. Joe tosses him off the ropes and Buddy's in to do a kneeling back body drop on poor Lone Eagle. then he does the whooping "Woo Hoo!" again. Lone Eagle had been working in hope moments pretty well and finally chops out and rolls to the corner but doesn't QUITE make it. Thankfully, he's just enough time to go the extra distance and make the last second tag to a red hot Cowboy Lang who then whips Joe into Littlebrook (who Bonnema randomly calls "Billy the Kid"). Back body drop and then Lang pulls Joe back away from the tag to Rose and puts him in the world's #1 and best possible atomic drop ever. This thing should be an animated gif. It really should. I feel like Lang did it on the AWA set too. Bonnema really wants a wrestler named Billy the Kid to be in this match.
Anyway this all leads to a horribly demeaning but mindnumbingly awesome fight where Joe is on Buddy's shoulders and Lone Eagle (I think) is on Boyd's and they got at it until Buddy and Joe tumble over. HA! And then Cowboy Lang puts BOYD up on his shoulders. Oh man, then Tokyo Joe tries to get Buddy up on his shoulders and you know how this is going to end. Hilarious. Once they get up Boyd is all over Buddy and the crowd is enjoying this more than you can imagine. Body slams and knee drops Buddy and then tags in Lang to legdrop him for a one count. Boyd puts his head down and gets kicked but makes a tag to Lone Eagle, who starts darting around the ring to avoid Buddy. Buddy keeps kicking Boyd and gets bitten from behind for his trouble. He starts chasing Lone Eagle around the ringside area. Buddy charges after him into the ring, runs right into a fist from Boyd in the corner. Boyd picks up Lone Eagle and uses him as a melee weapon against (let's go with) Tokyo Joe, and that's the three count.
Post match Buddy gets his heat back by giving Lang the Robinson backbreaker after Boyd had left the ring. What a jerk. This was exceptional fun but man do I ever wish there was another 6 minute of it.
Anyway, Barr tries to get Boyd out of the ring and Buddy does a cheapshot kick, before doing this awesome whooping taunt and dance on the apron. This has only gone on for a minute and I already wrote a paragraph. That's just how great Buddy + midgets is. Joe's in and thanks to Buddy's coaching he does a suplex bodyslam and a nasty knee to the throat. Joe tosses him off the ropes and Buddy's in to do a kneeling back body drop on poor Lone Eagle. then he does the whooping "Woo Hoo!" again. Lone Eagle had been working in hope moments pretty well and finally chops out and rolls to the corner but doesn't QUITE make it. Thankfully, he's just enough time to go the extra distance and make the last second tag to a red hot Cowboy Lang who then whips Joe into Littlebrook (who Bonnema randomly calls "Billy the Kid"). Back body drop and then Lang pulls Joe back away from the tag to Rose and puts him in the world's #1 and best possible atomic drop ever. This thing should be an animated gif. It really should. I feel like Lang did it on the AWA set too. Bonnema really wants a wrestler named Billy the Kid to be in this match.
Anyway this all leads to a horribly demeaning but mindnumbingly awesome fight where Joe is on Buddy's shoulders and Lone Eagle (I think) is on Boyd's and they got at it until Buddy and Joe tumble over. HA! And then Cowboy Lang puts BOYD up on his shoulders. Oh man, then Tokyo Joe tries to get Buddy up on his shoulders and you know how this is going to end. Hilarious. Once they get up Boyd is all over Buddy and the crowd is enjoying this more than you can imagine. Body slams and knee drops Buddy and then tags in Lang to legdrop him for a one count. Boyd puts his head down and gets kicked but makes a tag to Lone Eagle, who starts darting around the ring to avoid Buddy. Buddy keeps kicking Boyd and gets bitten from behind for his trouble. He starts chasing Lone Eagle around the ringside area. Buddy charges after him into the ring, runs right into a fist from Boyd in the corner. Boyd picks up Lone Eagle and uses him as a melee weapon against (let's go with) Tokyo Joe, and that's the three count.
Post match Buddy gets his heat back by giving Lang the Robinson backbreaker after Boyd had left the ring. What a jerk. This was exceptional fun but man do I ever wish there was another 6 minute of it.
The Army (Buddy Rose/Rip Oliver/Fidel Cortez/The Destroyer) vs Jay Youngblood/Joe Lightfoot/Buzz Sawyer/Jonathan Boyd - 11/22/80 - Last fall of a 2/3 Falls match
My mysterious source (a really easy to find youtube channel) only seems to have the clipped third fall up which is a bummer as I was really looking forward to this. We work with what we have though. They're using a wide camera angle to get all of the guys so it's a little hard to see what's going on. They start with Buddy working on Lightfoot. Destroyer in and Lightfoot fights back but gets cut off. Rose takes him to the heel corner, goes for a turnbuckle treatment, but he slams Oliver and Cortez' head together and makes a hot tag to Youngblood who starts the war dance on Destroyer. Youngblood misses a dropkick, eats a grounded headbutt by Destroyer(I love how that's his primary offensive move) and the heels tag Oliver in and cut off the ring. Heels are working well here. Lots of double teaming where one guy holds Youngblood and the other one hits him. Which sets up Oliver accidentally hitting Cortez and Youngblood scoring the pin. Oliver slaps Cortez post match and fights back, including doing this hilarious thing where he turns around in a circle to get the fans excited. The army swarm and use the Castro Head on a Pole to just decimate Cortez, with Oliver doing most of the dirty work. The faces finally make the save. Post match Cortez does a pretty impassioned bloody promo.
Yep, the guy who walks around with a Castro head on a stick is turning face. I think after watching two years or so of Portland I'm finally starting to see some angles replay. Buddy being afraid of Youngblood was something we'd seen before with Stasiak and the heart punch. This was reminiscent of the Piper/Brooks turn on Piper, though the execution was different with the faces helping Cortez after the match. It almost felt like the Gagne/Blackwell hug. This sets up Oliver vs Cortez around the circuit. Boyd and Rose is still the main match with Rose/Oliver vs Lightfoot/Youngblood being the other big match. Shame we didn't have this full match here.
Yep, the guy who walks around with a Castro head on a stick is turning face. I think after watching two years or so of Portland I'm finally starting to see some angles replay. Buddy being afraid of Youngblood was something we'd seen before with Stasiak and the heart punch. This was reminiscent of the Piper/Brooks turn on Piper, though the execution was different with the faces helping Cortez after the match. It almost felt like the Gagne/Blackwell hug. This sets up Oliver vs Cortez around the circuit. Boyd and Rose is still the main match with Rose/Oliver vs Lightfoot/Youngblood being the other big match. Shame we didn't have this full match here.
Buddy Rose/Rip Oliver vs Joe Lightfoot/Jay Youngblood© - 11/15/80 - 2/3 Falls - Title Match
Exciting stuff. They played drum music on the "tape recorder" for the champs. First time I've heard music in Portland (past Roddy's bagpipes). Bonnema says the fans are chanting "Indian Power." Bonnema mentions Steamboat again too, talking about Jay's past and I wish we had him here instead of Lightfoot. Ah well. Oliver and Youngblood to begin. Youngblood teases a punch in the ropes, but does a clean break and then they go right into an arm drag and arm work, first an arm bar and then a nice looking hammerlock. Oliver tries to grab hair or choke or clubber or whatever he can do to get out. And this is really the story of the first part of the shine here with Lightfoot coming in and taking over. Eventually, after a brief rope-running segment, Oliver manages to tag Buddy in. Lightfoot screws up the back body drop-land on his feet again. Buddy recovers well again and slaps on a headlock. Lightfoot eventually tosses him off (after he garners a chant) and ducks down so Buddy runs right into a blow from Youngblood just in off the apron. This lets Youngblood finally get in with him and they go into a headlock base. Eventually they go into a really great rope-running bit, some lightning quick dropdowns, ending with a Sunset Flip by Jay and Oliver coming in to break it up and then tag in. He takes over with a headlock of his own. Lightfoot is the world's least interesting Robert Gibson on the outside. They go in and out of the headlock with Oliver cutting off hope spots with power moves. They manage a good sense of struggle here. At one point, Jay almost has it reversed but Buddy turns him over from the outside. Masterful stuff, perfectly timed. Youngblood finally gets out and presses Oliver against the ropes but Buddy blind tags in and hits a huge back body drop followed by an even huger press slam. He celebrates afterwards, deservedly. Buddy misses a seat drop on the ropes, however, and Oliver tags in and cuts off Jay at the last second, before grinding down with a chinlock. Jay gets his arm up at two, but Oliver knees him to the back of the skull and grinds it back in again. Great camera shot of Youngblood reaching for the tag, but they get him back into the corner and Buddy comes back in with another huge lawn dart throw and then the big flying back elbow. Lightfoot breaks up the pin but the heels use the distraction to doubleteam. Jay fights back but Oliver cuts him off with the taped thumb. Great FIP. Buddy hits the Robinson backbreaker out of nowhere, but Youngblood is able to just drape his foot over both the rope and Barr. I've not seen anyone ever get out of that before, which shows how protected it was and how protected they were keeping Youngblood here. Oliver holds his knee out and Buddy walks over to drop him on it with a backbreaker. he hits another one in the center of the ring and that's the three count for the first fall. Long fall but they kept it varied and interesting. Good stuff.
Lightfoot massages Youngblood's back between falls. Awww. Anyway, it's Buddy and Jay to start the second fall. Buddy stalls by complaining that Lightfoot was bouncing up and down on the ropes from the outside instead of how he should be standing. Then he mocks Indians and finally blindsides Youngblood, going for the big slam again. Jay drops down and rolls him up for two, but Buddy gets up and takes over on the back again. Oliver comes in and keeps it up, finally putting on the bear hug as the fans chant for Jay, who sells it all well before headbutting out. Right back to the back with a double axehandle though and a tag in to Buddy. Big double back body drop on Youngblood. He's pretty damn good at this role. Back to the Oliver bearhug. He rears back for the BIIIIIIG chop but Buddy grabs his hand from the apron to cut it off. Nice little touch. Lightfoot is dangling over the top rope to try to get the tag, but Buddy goes for an ambush and Lightfoot leaves his spot to chase him off. Youngblood goes for the tag. Lightfoot isn't there. Buddy taps his head like a genius. Buddy in. Youngblood fighting out of the corner, but Buddy grabs his foot and Oliver runs in to stop it. Lightfoot comes in to complain. Heels do an illegal switch. It's an art form, even when Barr doesn't allow it. They go for the double back body drop again and Youngblood hits a double sunset flip, but gets caught in the corner by Buddy again. He hits an inverted atomic drop out of it and the fans go nuts. He stumbles around, fights off Oliver, until he eats the thumb to the throat again. Man, I thought he was going to tag there. This is really good. Oliver stomps away and then goes for the Argentinian backbreaker over the shoulder. It looks great. Lightfoot had enough and runs in to break it up but Buddy just comes right in. He misses an elbow though, and Youngblood in three or four moves outfinesses and out toughs him and makes the tag as the place comes UNGLUED. After a dropkick Lightfoot tags Jay (not selling) back in. They hit a double chop and Jay hits a flying big splash type chop off the rope for the pin. I'll call that one adrenaline and let it go. Jay's selling post pin, with Lightfoot bracing him as he celebrates around the ring. Hell of a first two falls. That's how you really ramp a crowd up.
Third fall starts with the heels trying to start with Oliver and when that doesn't work, they complain about the double judo chop. Jay sells the back. Buddy is cautious. Lightfoot is bouncing around clapping. Buddy has a "Jack Lemmon in the Great Race" thing going here with the dark hair and the mustache. Lots of feeling out til Buddy does an ambush kick and tosses Youngblood out. Oliver slams his back into the pole and then they drape him over the bottom rope against the apron, leaving him for dead. We're right back to heat on Youngblood. Awesome. Youngblood fights back and they collide together. Heat and hope, but Buddy grabs his leg and drags him out of the ring, doing a bearhug charge into the post again. Youngblood (Still selling huge) fights back finally and makes the dive into the corner. Lightfoot back in, and then right into Buddy's knee in the corner. Oliver in as they keep trying to put Lightfoot away. Apparently there's only two minutes left. Lightfoot rolls up Oliver and Buddy makes the save. It all breaks down after that, with Youngblood dragging Buddy out and draping his arm over and over against the pole. It's the same arm that Buddy injured on Youngblood a few years ago which Bonnema points out. Meanwhile, Oliver and Lightfoot are scrapping in the ring. Oliver finally grinds him down using the thumb to the throat repeatedly, even as Youngblood keeps destroying Buddy's arm on the outside. Faces drape the heels arms over the top rope in unison as the bell rings due to the time.
Yeah, this was great. Tag matches don't HAVE to be structured this way but it sure helps when they are.
Lightfoot massages Youngblood's back between falls. Awww. Anyway, it's Buddy and Jay to start the second fall. Buddy stalls by complaining that Lightfoot was bouncing up and down on the ropes from the outside instead of how he should be standing. Then he mocks Indians and finally blindsides Youngblood, going for the big slam again. Jay drops down and rolls him up for two, but Buddy gets up and takes over on the back again. Oliver comes in and keeps it up, finally putting on the bear hug as the fans chant for Jay, who sells it all well before headbutting out. Right back to the back with a double axehandle though and a tag in to Buddy. Big double back body drop on Youngblood. He's pretty damn good at this role. Back to the Oliver bearhug. He rears back for the BIIIIIIG chop but Buddy grabs his hand from the apron to cut it off. Nice little touch. Lightfoot is dangling over the top rope to try to get the tag, but Buddy goes for an ambush and Lightfoot leaves his spot to chase him off. Youngblood goes for the tag. Lightfoot isn't there. Buddy taps his head like a genius. Buddy in. Youngblood fighting out of the corner, but Buddy grabs his foot and Oliver runs in to stop it. Lightfoot comes in to complain. Heels do an illegal switch. It's an art form, even when Barr doesn't allow it. They go for the double back body drop again and Youngblood hits a double sunset flip, but gets caught in the corner by Buddy again. He hits an inverted atomic drop out of it and the fans go nuts. He stumbles around, fights off Oliver, until he eats the thumb to the throat again. Man, I thought he was going to tag there. This is really good. Oliver stomps away and then goes for the Argentinian backbreaker over the shoulder. It looks great. Lightfoot had enough and runs in to break it up but Buddy just comes right in. He misses an elbow though, and Youngblood in three or four moves outfinesses and out toughs him and makes the tag as the place comes UNGLUED. After a dropkick Lightfoot tags Jay (not selling) back in. They hit a double chop and Jay hits a flying big splash type chop off the rope for the pin. I'll call that one adrenaline and let it go. Jay's selling post pin, with Lightfoot bracing him as he celebrates around the ring. Hell of a first two falls. That's how you really ramp a crowd up.
Third fall starts with the heels trying to start with Oliver and when that doesn't work, they complain about the double judo chop. Jay sells the back. Buddy is cautious. Lightfoot is bouncing around clapping. Buddy has a "Jack Lemmon in the Great Race" thing going here with the dark hair and the mustache. Lots of feeling out til Buddy does an ambush kick and tosses Youngblood out. Oliver slams his back into the pole and then they drape him over the bottom rope against the apron, leaving him for dead. We're right back to heat on Youngblood. Awesome. Youngblood fights back and they collide together. Heat and hope, but Buddy grabs his leg and drags him out of the ring, doing a bearhug charge into the post again. Youngblood (Still selling huge) fights back finally and makes the dive into the corner. Lightfoot back in, and then right into Buddy's knee in the corner. Oliver in as they keep trying to put Lightfoot away. Apparently there's only two minutes left. Lightfoot rolls up Oliver and Buddy makes the save. It all breaks down after that, with Youngblood dragging Buddy out and draping his arm over and over against the pole. It's the same arm that Buddy injured on Youngblood a few years ago which Bonnema points out. Meanwhile, Oliver and Lightfoot are scrapping in the ring. Oliver finally grinds him down using the thumb to the throat repeatedly, even as Youngblood keeps destroying Buddy's arm on the outside. Faces drape the heels arms over the top rope in unison as the bell rings due to the time.
Yeah, this was great. Tag matches don't HAVE to be structured this way but it sure helps when they are.
Buddy Rose/Rip Oliver vs Jay Youngblood/Joe Lightfoot - 11/8/80 - 2/3 Falls
Youngblood is the new (returned) big face in the region. It's basically just him and Boyd right now on top. Youngblood/Lightfoot are the tag champs having beaten Oliver/Cortez. Rose, subsequently dumped Cortez the Cuban so I think that he might be on the way to a face run now which should be surreal. This is non-title on the idea that if the heels win they should get a shot. This makes Bonnema go on about how Jesse Ventura was the first guy to wear his belt into the ring even if it was a non-title match. Anyway, the story of the first fall is that Rose wants nothing to do with Youngblood.
Oliver forces Youngblood into the corner, hits him, pisses him off, does it again, and then Youngblood comes back chopping. Finally Jay tags Lightfoot in and they start the headlock base that will cover most of the fall. Oliver is actually pretty good on the bottom here, reaching for hair or tights and constantly struggling. Oliver pushes him off and goes for a back body drop but Lightfoot cartwheels around it and puts the headlock back on. Buddy runs in but is cut off by Jay, forcing him to dive out of the ring. Pretty good sequence all around. Tag to Youngblood who does few chops to the crowd's delight and slap the headlock on again. Buddy tries an ambush and gets double chopped for his trouble. Lightfoot back in. Oliver is able to press him to his own corner and tag Buddy but Joe immediately fights back, including flipping out of an armdrag to his feet (A for effort) and a big monkey flip in the corner. Youngblood tags in and Rose runs for the hills. Oliver starts on Jay with the taped thumb to the throat and finally Buddy accepts the tag so that he can fight a weakened Jay. He hits huge flying back elbow and then celebrates just as big but Youngblood is right up and Rose runs to Oliver again. Faces tag and do a double chop and two shoulder roll sentons by Lightfoot and that's the first fall. We've seen this stuff before. It sets up Rose vs Youngblood for later and really makes the newcomers look great.
Second fall starts with Bonnema spelling out the story of the first fall, how Oliver basically had to fight two on one since Rose wanted nothing to do with Youngblood. I think the more you listen to him, the better you realize he was as an announcer, honestly. Youngblood and Oliver to start the second fall. Almost immediately back into a headlock again and this time, Oliver does a great job of working it and trying to get the pin reversal, really deep with the tight and hair pulling. I wish we had a better angle of Youngblood fighting out of it. Oliver's up but down again almost immediately. He then goes for an upsidedown cravat reversal attempt but Youngblood rolls right through it. Oliver tosses him off, puts his head down and gets nailed for it. Finally Lightfoot comes in and gets nailed again including the head jammer before Buddy finally comes in again to give us our long-overdue heat segment. Great slam and then a headlock to keep Joe from tagging. He comes close and Oliver runs in to grab the tights distracting the ref while Buddy takes out Jay. He then rolls him back to the middle of the ring for two and takes him into the heel corner. Oliver back in and Lightfoot is doing fine here as FIP. Both faces have been pretty good on the apron in that role. This is the first i've seen Oliver in a match like this, I think and he's pretty good at the fundamentals. He's grinding down on the chinlock. It's not the most exciting stuff, the face headlock base and the heel chinlock base here but it's being well worked at least. They stay in the corner, cheat when they can, do quick switches. Buddy, though, is good enough to know to vary up what he does and turns it into a neck vice. Lightfoot gets a knee up to Buddy's skull but Buddy cuts him off before he can make the tag. Lightfoot tries to do a body press out of the corner by running up the turnbuckles but gets caught in a huge flub which just makes Buddy grin satisfied and clubber him down. Great recovery.
They do a great hope spot that goes like this: Oliver brings Lightfoot back to the corner. Lightfoot fights back and goes for a double noggin knocker. Heels power out of it. Rose holds Lightfoot. Lightfoot ducks so that Oliver hits him. Nice little twist on things. Oliver's able to cut him off though. Lightfoot isn't great but this is still a good FIP section because they're just sticking to what works so well and layering in the hope spots and cut offs liberally. Lightfoot's at least able to present desperation, with my favorite bit of it being a last ditch attempt to trip Oliver that does him no good. He'll punch and chop up but get eye raked, or hit Rose in the corner and crawl towards Youngblood but Rose will just drop down into a seated chinlock. Another great spot follows: Jay's so into trying to get the tag that he lets go of the turnbuckle/tag rope. Barr turns around and admonishes him, and when Jay looks away, Buddy pounces up out of the seated chinlock and blindsides him off the apron. Lightfoot goes for the tag and no one's there. Oliver comes in while Buddy's stomping on Jay KOTM-like and when Barr admonishes him Buddy just chokes Joe in the middle of the ring. Pretty masterful stuff. Buddy finally goes for a back body drop, gets kicked, and Lightfoot does a great leaping-over-Rose tag to bring Jay in finally. Youngblood kills both guys with chops. Fans are going nuts. He does the war dance. Lightfoot really wants back for revenge in so they tag. Youngblood tosses Rose against the ropes but Lightfoot misses a huge dropkick. About a minute later, Buddy hits the Bossman Slam style Billy Robinson backbreaker off the ropes and that's the second fall. Very solid FIP and the story of the match is still about making Jay look great. It's doing what it's supposed to.
Buddy and Lightfoot start the third fall. Buddy starts on the upper back, including this great kick up and around. Lightfoot tries to land on his feet after a back body drop but can't quite do it. You kind of see why he never became more of a star. Buddy recovers. Bonnema covers it up. Oliver comes in and puts on a big carry bearhug. Lightfoot tries to punch out but gets rammed into the heel corner for his trouble. Buddy tries for another bearhug off the ropes but Lightfoot turns it into a Thesz press. Totally logical spot I've never seen before. Buddy trips Joe on the way to the corner and he makes the tag to Oliver before Lightfoot can tag. Oliver puts on another bearhug. Lightfoot out with the clap to the ears for another hope spot and cut off. Jay's finally had enough and comes in to break up a chinlock but that just lets Buddy climb the ropes without a tag and hit a double sledge. Lightfoot hits the world's worst cross body block off the ropes. Another cut off and into a front headlock segment where Lightfoot keeps trying to reverse it but Buddy grinds down and finally forces him into the heel corner. Oliver grinds down more with his knee and the headlock as Buddy taunts from the apron. Hope spots up the wahoo including Lightfoot clotheslining Buddy (on the apron) on the top rope but they just keep churning the heat here as Youngblood works the crowd as cheerleader. I have to admit that Lightfoot's not the best guy in the world here and it oscillates between a real dramatic struggle and a little plodding. They get really close to a tag but Rose comes in to just kick Lightfoot on the ass causing Barr to be distracted and miss it. Barr forces Jay out and the heels get a revenge double clotheslining on the top rope on Oliver.
Final hot tag is a bit weird as Rose is in and Lightfoot just gets close enough in a headlock that Jay can do a blind tag that Rose misses. He unloads on the heels. Youngblood hits a bit suplex on Buddy and starts the war dance again. Rose is selling in this great weeble wobble way for the chops. Buddy at least fights back with eyerakes but Jay's just too much for him. He finally crawls to his corner and Jay starts on Oliver. Buddy keeps breaking up two counts. Great finish here. Lightfoot gets pissed off by the pin breakups and comes in. Barr drags him out while Jay goes for a slam on Oliver. Buddy grabs Jay's hair by behind and Oliver falls on him for the three count. It looked really good.
So this was kind of something we've seen before but in a more extreme way. Very long match, maybe too long. It did what it was supposed in getting Jay over big though. Lightfoot was really rough but Oliver, in my mind, looked pretty good. I wouldn't put it over the great Portland tags but it was competent and functional and I'm glad I saw it.
Oliver forces Youngblood into the corner, hits him, pisses him off, does it again, and then Youngblood comes back chopping. Finally Jay tags Lightfoot in and they start the headlock base that will cover most of the fall. Oliver is actually pretty good on the bottom here, reaching for hair or tights and constantly struggling. Oliver pushes him off and goes for a back body drop but Lightfoot cartwheels around it and puts the headlock back on. Buddy runs in but is cut off by Jay, forcing him to dive out of the ring. Pretty good sequence all around. Tag to Youngblood who does few chops to the crowd's delight and slap the headlock on again. Buddy tries an ambush and gets double chopped for his trouble. Lightfoot back in. Oliver is able to press him to his own corner and tag Buddy but Joe immediately fights back, including flipping out of an armdrag to his feet (A for effort) and a big monkey flip in the corner. Youngblood tags in and Rose runs for the hills. Oliver starts on Jay with the taped thumb to the throat and finally Buddy accepts the tag so that he can fight a weakened Jay. He hits huge flying back elbow and then celebrates just as big but Youngblood is right up and Rose runs to Oliver again. Faces tag and do a double chop and two shoulder roll sentons by Lightfoot and that's the first fall. We've seen this stuff before. It sets up Rose vs Youngblood for later and really makes the newcomers look great.
Second fall starts with Bonnema spelling out the story of the first fall, how Oliver basically had to fight two on one since Rose wanted nothing to do with Youngblood. I think the more you listen to him, the better you realize he was as an announcer, honestly. Youngblood and Oliver to start the second fall. Almost immediately back into a headlock again and this time, Oliver does a great job of working it and trying to get the pin reversal, really deep with the tight and hair pulling. I wish we had a better angle of Youngblood fighting out of it. Oliver's up but down again almost immediately. He then goes for an upsidedown cravat reversal attempt but Youngblood rolls right through it. Oliver tosses him off, puts his head down and gets nailed for it. Finally Lightfoot comes in and gets nailed again including the head jammer before Buddy finally comes in again to give us our long-overdue heat segment. Great slam and then a headlock to keep Joe from tagging. He comes close and Oliver runs in to grab the tights distracting the ref while Buddy takes out Jay. He then rolls him back to the middle of the ring for two and takes him into the heel corner. Oliver back in and Lightfoot is doing fine here as FIP. Both faces have been pretty good on the apron in that role. This is the first i've seen Oliver in a match like this, I think and he's pretty good at the fundamentals. He's grinding down on the chinlock. It's not the most exciting stuff, the face headlock base and the heel chinlock base here but it's being well worked at least. They stay in the corner, cheat when they can, do quick switches. Buddy, though, is good enough to know to vary up what he does and turns it into a neck vice. Lightfoot gets a knee up to Buddy's skull but Buddy cuts him off before he can make the tag. Lightfoot tries to do a body press out of the corner by running up the turnbuckles but gets caught in a huge flub which just makes Buddy grin satisfied and clubber him down. Great recovery.
They do a great hope spot that goes like this: Oliver brings Lightfoot back to the corner. Lightfoot fights back and goes for a double noggin knocker. Heels power out of it. Rose holds Lightfoot. Lightfoot ducks so that Oliver hits him. Nice little twist on things. Oliver's able to cut him off though. Lightfoot isn't great but this is still a good FIP section because they're just sticking to what works so well and layering in the hope spots and cut offs liberally. Lightfoot's at least able to present desperation, with my favorite bit of it being a last ditch attempt to trip Oliver that does him no good. He'll punch and chop up but get eye raked, or hit Rose in the corner and crawl towards Youngblood but Rose will just drop down into a seated chinlock. Another great spot follows: Jay's so into trying to get the tag that he lets go of the turnbuckle/tag rope. Barr turns around and admonishes him, and when Jay looks away, Buddy pounces up out of the seated chinlock and blindsides him off the apron. Lightfoot goes for the tag and no one's there. Oliver comes in while Buddy's stomping on Jay KOTM-like and when Barr admonishes him Buddy just chokes Joe in the middle of the ring. Pretty masterful stuff. Buddy finally goes for a back body drop, gets kicked, and Lightfoot does a great leaping-over-Rose tag to bring Jay in finally. Youngblood kills both guys with chops. Fans are going nuts. He does the war dance. Lightfoot really wants back for revenge in so they tag. Youngblood tosses Rose against the ropes but Lightfoot misses a huge dropkick. About a minute later, Buddy hits the Bossman Slam style Billy Robinson backbreaker off the ropes and that's the second fall. Very solid FIP and the story of the match is still about making Jay look great. It's doing what it's supposed to.
Buddy and Lightfoot start the third fall. Buddy starts on the upper back, including this great kick up and around. Lightfoot tries to land on his feet after a back body drop but can't quite do it. You kind of see why he never became more of a star. Buddy recovers. Bonnema covers it up. Oliver comes in and puts on a big carry bearhug. Lightfoot tries to punch out but gets rammed into the heel corner for his trouble. Buddy tries for another bearhug off the ropes but Lightfoot turns it into a Thesz press. Totally logical spot I've never seen before. Buddy trips Joe on the way to the corner and he makes the tag to Oliver before Lightfoot can tag. Oliver puts on another bearhug. Lightfoot out with the clap to the ears for another hope spot and cut off. Jay's finally had enough and comes in to break up a chinlock but that just lets Buddy climb the ropes without a tag and hit a double sledge. Lightfoot hits the world's worst cross body block off the ropes. Another cut off and into a front headlock segment where Lightfoot keeps trying to reverse it but Buddy grinds down and finally forces him into the heel corner. Oliver grinds down more with his knee and the headlock as Buddy taunts from the apron. Hope spots up the wahoo including Lightfoot clotheslining Buddy (on the apron) on the top rope but they just keep churning the heat here as Youngblood works the crowd as cheerleader. I have to admit that Lightfoot's not the best guy in the world here and it oscillates between a real dramatic struggle and a little plodding. They get really close to a tag but Rose comes in to just kick Lightfoot on the ass causing Barr to be distracted and miss it. Barr forces Jay out and the heels get a revenge double clotheslining on the top rope on Oliver.
Final hot tag is a bit weird as Rose is in and Lightfoot just gets close enough in a headlock that Jay can do a blind tag that Rose misses. He unloads on the heels. Youngblood hits a bit suplex on Buddy and starts the war dance again. Rose is selling in this great weeble wobble way for the chops. Buddy at least fights back with eyerakes but Jay's just too much for him. He finally crawls to his corner and Jay starts on Oliver. Buddy keeps breaking up two counts. Great finish here. Lightfoot gets pissed off by the pin breakups and comes in. Barr drags him out while Jay goes for a slam on Oliver. Buddy grabs Jay's hair by behind and Oliver falls on him for the three count. It looked really good.
So this was kind of something we've seen before but in a more extreme way. Very long match, maybe too long. It did what it was supposed in getting Jay over big though. Lightfoot was really rough but Oliver, in my mind, looked pretty good. I wouldn't put it over the great Portland tags but it was competent and functional and I'm glad I saw it.
Buddy Rose vs Roddy Piper - 9/13/80 - 2/3 Falls - Title match
Buddy's finally done with the wig and has shorter brown hair and a 1980 mustache (Piper had taken the mask off RIGHT after Buddy declared he'd keep it off if someone could take it from him). He cut a great promo this same night going over what he and Piper had done in the last many months to set up their loser leaves town match on Tuesday. I love Don Owen's passive aggressive griping about loser leaves town matches and how they hurt his bottom line. Obviously this match is to set up the next card, so we'll see what they do with it. One of the real stories of 1980 to me is how great a babyface Piper was. Buddy has three shirts on. One is the Superman Logo, one is "Champion" and one is "Truest Champion."
Buddy rolls out and stalls to begin, jawing with the crowd. He does it again, with Barr stopping Roddy from giving chase. Crowd is chanting Bye Bye Rose. They lock up and Buddy cheapshots a turnbuckle treatment instead o a clean break. He manages a few more such assaults before locking on a chinlock in the middle of the ring. They keep working it, with Piper trying for the hair, only to get stopped by Barr. Rose moves right into a neck clench, but Roddy turns it around and punches to the midsection and thumbs to the face before unloading with a flurry finished with a running punch in the corner. He hits a double eyepoke and Buddy's sell is great, and then starts the boxing before finishing it with the sleeper. Again, they work it with Buddy trying two rams in the corner. Roddy hangs on and puts him to sleep for the first fall. This was fine but just a taste of what they've given us before. My guess is that they're giving the fans sort of an elated high since Roddy was going to lose on Tuesday.
Sandy Barr seems to have woken up Rose between falls. This means that Rose is ready for an ambush as Roddy comes back. He slams his head right into the ringpost and Piper bleeds. Buddy gives him the Goodhelmet special and attacks the wound with clubbing blows, jabs and biting. Roddy kicks out of a lazy cover and it looks like he's about to do his trademark punch drunk comeback but Buddy just keeps on him, including this great flurry from behind on the ground. After another cover. Roddy finally snaps and starts to fight back, kicking and punching over and over. He's still bleeding and groggy though, so Buddy catches him with a kick and a slam. After a cover, Buddy goes for another fall but Piper sneaks out the back and rolls him up for the pin, and in two falls, the title. Buddy, pissed off, goes for a chair attack but Piper gets it and fights back. Eventually, the faces come in to try to stop him and he just unloads on all of them too. This is a great last hurrah for Piper and is a good showcase of how over he was here but they've had plenty of better matches.
Buddy rolls out and stalls to begin, jawing with the crowd. He does it again, with Barr stopping Roddy from giving chase. Crowd is chanting Bye Bye Rose. They lock up and Buddy cheapshots a turnbuckle treatment instead o a clean break. He manages a few more such assaults before locking on a chinlock in the middle of the ring. They keep working it, with Piper trying for the hair, only to get stopped by Barr. Rose moves right into a neck clench, but Roddy turns it around and punches to the midsection and thumbs to the face before unloading with a flurry finished with a running punch in the corner. He hits a double eyepoke and Buddy's sell is great, and then starts the boxing before finishing it with the sleeper. Again, they work it with Buddy trying two rams in the corner. Roddy hangs on and puts him to sleep for the first fall. This was fine but just a taste of what they've given us before. My guess is that they're giving the fans sort of an elated high since Roddy was going to lose on Tuesday.
Sandy Barr seems to have woken up Rose between falls. This means that Rose is ready for an ambush as Roddy comes back. He slams his head right into the ringpost and Piper bleeds. Buddy gives him the Goodhelmet special and attacks the wound with clubbing blows, jabs and biting. Roddy kicks out of a lazy cover and it looks like he's about to do his trademark punch drunk comeback but Buddy just keeps on him, including this great flurry from behind on the ground. After another cover. Roddy finally snaps and starts to fight back, kicking and punching over and over. He's still bleeding and groggy though, so Buddy catches him with a kick and a slam. After a cover, Buddy goes for another fall but Piper sneaks out the back and rolls him up for the pin, and in two falls, the title. Buddy, pissed off, goes for a chair attack but Piper gets it and fights back. Eventually, the faces come in to try to stop him and he just unloads on all of them too. This is a great last hurrah for Piper and is a good showcase of how over he was here but they've had plenty of better matches.
Portland Battle Royal - 8/30/1980
I really enjoyed the last one of these I saw. In there we have Stasiak, Popovich (fresh off of a full nelson win vs Wiskowski who lost a loser leaves town match with .. Boyd? Piper? someone, but who is fulfilling his contractual obligations), a twenty-one year old Eric Embry, Wiskowski, Rick "dellasara?" who I don't recognize, Rip Oliver, Boyd, Ricky Hunter, Chris f'n Colt, Joe Lightfoot (who I haven't seen in the territory before), The Cuban (Cortez), and Rose. I'll bullet point this like last time.
- Heels congregate on one side. Faces on the other in the announcements. This is for $20K
-Colt immediately bolts out of the ring and Sandy Barr yells at him. Go Chris Colt. He sneaks his way back in and almost immediately gets tossed. Boo. Barr has to elbow him to get him to leave.
- My gut tells me they brought Stasiak in special for this. He's mainly targeting Rose and Wiskowski. Boyd is paired with the Cuban who he's had a few matches with lately.
-It probably sucked to be Ricky Hunter. It's one thing to be a jobber, but a jobber in Portland?
-Buddy went through the ropes and Boyd chased after and they did some fun brawling in the crowd and around the ring for a few minutes before Boyd tosses him back in. Buddy then almost goes out. He's great in these. Just stooging his ass off with big dramatic flailing. They finally do a thing where Rose and Stasiak get eliminated together by Emery of all people.
-It ends up with Popovich, Boyd, Oliver, and the Cuban, who Stasiak eliminated but Barr didn't see it. I thought for a second they were going to put Popovich over huge but he gets double-teamed by the army and eliminated, leaving a feisty Boyd to fight against the heels alone for about a minute before he gets tossed too. They had Wiskowki hit the Cuban by accident earlier in the match but didn't make much out of it. Now it's down to him and Oliver so this should be sort of interesting.
-Wait, scrap that, for some ungodly reason, they're letting Popovich back in. Anyway, he tries to toss Oliver and Boyd, from the outside helped, and this is a heap of screwed up BS. I've never seen a battle royal where the last two guys had honestly been eliminated earlier in the match but were just allowed back in because, oops, they were supposed to be the last two guys. Ha! The Cuban almost had Popovich eliminated and Boyd casually walked around the ring and pulled him out too.
What a BS Battle Royal. Total Portland booking to put him over strong like this. Good thought. They just really messed up the delivery. The last Battle Royal was way better due to more Colt, more Rose, and more Piper.
- Heels congregate on one side. Faces on the other in the announcements. This is for $20K
-Colt immediately bolts out of the ring and Sandy Barr yells at him. Go Chris Colt. He sneaks his way back in and almost immediately gets tossed. Boo. Barr has to elbow him to get him to leave.
- My gut tells me they brought Stasiak in special for this. He's mainly targeting Rose and Wiskowski. Boyd is paired with the Cuban who he's had a few matches with lately.
-It probably sucked to be Ricky Hunter. It's one thing to be a jobber, but a jobber in Portland?
-Buddy went through the ropes and Boyd chased after and they did some fun brawling in the crowd and around the ring for a few minutes before Boyd tosses him back in. Buddy then almost goes out. He's great in these. Just stooging his ass off with big dramatic flailing. They finally do a thing where Rose and Stasiak get eliminated together by Emery of all people.
-It ends up with Popovich, Boyd, Oliver, and the Cuban, who Stasiak eliminated but Barr didn't see it. I thought for a second they were going to put Popovich over huge but he gets double-teamed by the army and eliminated, leaving a feisty Boyd to fight against the heels alone for about a minute before he gets tossed too. They had Wiskowki hit the Cuban by accident earlier in the match but didn't make much out of it. Now it's down to him and Oliver so this should be sort of interesting.
-Wait, scrap that, for some ungodly reason, they're letting Popovich back in. Anyway, he tries to toss Oliver and Boyd, from the outside helped, and this is a heap of screwed up BS. I've never seen a battle royal where the last two guys had honestly been eliminated earlier in the match but were just allowed back in because, oops, they were supposed to be the last two guys. Ha! The Cuban almost had Popovich eliminated and Boyd casually walked around the ring and pulled him out too.
What a BS Battle Royal. Total Portland booking to put him over strong like this. Good thought. They just really messed up the delivery. The last Battle Royal was way better due to more Colt, more Rose, and more Piper.
Buddy Rose vs Mike Popovich - 8/23/1980 - 1 Fall to a Finish
Popovich was an All-American from University of Oregon who just went through Sandy Barr's school. He'd debuted on an earlier card in a special attraction match but since Martel lost a loser leaves town and someone else was injured Owen puts him into a match with Buddy. They make a big deal about Martel being gone and the fact someone gives Popovich flowers before they match. They even made sure to thank the kids for continuing to come out with Martel gone.
Buddy starts with an arm bar but Popovich eventually reverses it. He's moving a bit gingerly in there and his arm clubbers look stilted with his knees to the elbow and stomps looking worse but it's a good idea. They're taking things nice and slow. He gets Buddy down but Buddy kips up and they reverse the arm bar back and forth a few times til Buddy makes it to the ropes. Buddy clubbers him on the ropes to intimidate the rookie but Popvich pops him right back and Buddy retreats and takes a time out through the ropes, before suckering Popovich in with a kick. Buddy takes over here with pretty simple stuff, including a full nelson which I haven't seen him try to do for a year or so. Popovich straight out powers out of it and puts him in one of his own. They're doing a pretty good job putting over Popovich's strength and basic wrestling skill.
Buddy struggles for a but bit finally drops down with the help of the ropes and turns it into a headscissors, which is a pretty weird way to get out of a full nelson. Popovich does a kip up of his own, but Buddy sneaks around with a beautifully timed sneakshot to the kidneys and starts honing in, culminating in a bear hug. Popovich undermines the arms and puts Buddy into a far bigger bearhug. Buddy cheats to get out but Popovich reverses a shot into the turnbuckle and really takes over. Buddy ends up begging off and getting leveraged out of the corner. He gets a cheap grounded kick in and starts playing king of the mountain with Popovich, kneeling on the apron and punching down. KOTMs get over the face as dangerous to the more desperate heel, generally.
Anyway, the big angle here is that Savage (the ref) grabs for the mask from behind to stop this. and Buddy grabs him through the ropes, getting Dutch's leg tied up there. At that point Buddy goes to town briefly on the stuck leg, landing on it off the top before Popovich can come in for the save. They sell this as a potentially broken leg for Dutch and Popovich wins via DQ and then carries Savage to the back.
So this was a match. Buddy did a pretty good job carrying the green guy and making him look like an up and coming threat with both power and skill, but maybe not as good a job as I've seen him manage in the past or was expecting. I have no idea just how many matches Popovich had under his belt though. Wrestlingdata.com has this as his first match and Bonnema only mentioned one other. If that's the case, I suppose it is pretty impressive after all.
Buddy starts with an arm bar but Popovich eventually reverses it. He's moving a bit gingerly in there and his arm clubbers look stilted with his knees to the elbow and stomps looking worse but it's a good idea. They're taking things nice and slow. He gets Buddy down but Buddy kips up and they reverse the arm bar back and forth a few times til Buddy makes it to the ropes. Buddy clubbers him on the ropes to intimidate the rookie but Popvich pops him right back and Buddy retreats and takes a time out through the ropes, before suckering Popovich in with a kick. Buddy takes over here with pretty simple stuff, including a full nelson which I haven't seen him try to do for a year or so. Popovich straight out powers out of it and puts him in one of his own. They're doing a pretty good job putting over Popovich's strength and basic wrestling skill.
Buddy struggles for a but bit finally drops down with the help of the ropes and turns it into a headscissors, which is a pretty weird way to get out of a full nelson. Popovich does a kip up of his own, but Buddy sneaks around with a beautifully timed sneakshot to the kidneys and starts honing in, culminating in a bear hug. Popovich undermines the arms and puts Buddy into a far bigger bearhug. Buddy cheats to get out but Popovich reverses a shot into the turnbuckle and really takes over. Buddy ends up begging off and getting leveraged out of the corner. He gets a cheap grounded kick in and starts playing king of the mountain with Popovich, kneeling on the apron and punching down. KOTMs get over the face as dangerous to the more desperate heel, generally.
Anyway, the big angle here is that Savage (the ref) grabs for the mask from behind to stop this. and Buddy grabs him through the ropes, getting Dutch's leg tied up there. At that point Buddy goes to town briefly on the stuck leg, landing on it off the top before Popovich can come in for the save. They sell this as a potentially broken leg for Dutch and Popovich wins via DQ and then carries Savage to the back.
So this was a match. Buddy did a pretty good job carrying the green guy and making him look like an up and coming threat with both power and skill, but maybe not as good a job as I've seen him manage in the past or was expecting. I have no idea just how many matches Popovich had under his belt though. Wrestlingdata.com has this as his first match and Bonnema only mentioned one other. If that's the case, I suppose it is pretty impressive after all.
Buddy Rose vs Rick Martel© - 8/9/80 - 2/3 Falls - No DQ (Wiskowski barred from arena) - Northwest Heavyweight Championship
So on Tuesday Martel and Piper won the tag team championship. Don Owen goes on again about how the title match being on TV is due to the sponsors. What a stand up guy. Buddy still has the mask. Martel still has the belt. Dutch Savage is the troubleshooting ref. And Buddy (still wearing the mask+wig) immediately takes a powder. He makes it back in, cheapshots Martel and starts raking the back AND front. He also does one of the best looking whips to the corner I've seen. He's really on top of him here, as aggressive as I've seen him start off a match. Martel usually starts a lot stronger than this. It gets over the importance of the match.
Buddy slaps on a headscissors and the fans chant for Martel, who rolls Buddy over and does a somersault out and right into a toehold which he then locks a facelock on. The mask is pretty ragged by this point but we get a great visual of Buddy biting Martel's finger. That breaks the hold and Buddy runs out (selling all the way). Martel chases him around the ring but Buddy rolls in and catches him as he comes on in. He can't stop Martel, though, and soon Rick's racking Buddy's back to the fans' elation. Bonnema's having a hard time here calling Martel Martino and an elbow drop a knee drop. Martel is keeping on Buddy just like Buddy was keeping on him before. Just attack, attack, attack until he locks on a knee-assisted chinlock and slows things down. It's a bit of a weird base for Martel but he grinds it for a minute before eating a Buddy leg clap. Rose tries to hide behind Savage but Dutch ducks and Martel nails him with a punch before running out of the ring leaving a fired up Martel within. Great visual spot and the fans popped accordingly. What always amazes me about Buddy is how smoothly and effortlessly he pulls this stuff off. Case in point: he hides in the corner trying to get a time out, gets a kick in the rear, and then shot after shot from Martel as he flops around the ring. Finally, he gets a perfectly time knee up as Martel runs into the corner. The smoothness here is just amazing. Everything looks so good and natural and it all makes sense. He works on Martel's throat with a few hidden judo chops and then hits this really good two step dropkick, which I've never seen him do before. Martel kicks out at two. Buddy slaps on a grounded headlock and the fans get behind Martel.
Martel starts to fight up but Buddy drives him into the corner and chops away. He then goes for a hip through out but Martel blocks it, hits one, this really smooth back body drop to follow, and then two dropkicks and the rana/pin for the fall. That was a really great finish for him and he should have kept it into the AWA. This was some of the smoothest wrestling I've seen out of them and for the time but it didn't seem at all choreographed. Totally the opposite.
Second fall starts with positioning in the center of the ring until Buddy grabs the hair and gets Martel into the corner. He goes for a choke but Martel fights back and Buddy goes on the defensive. Martel starts clubbering and stomping the back and Buddy sells it like death. I love Buddy's jump sell when he gets clubbed. Martel hits a nice gutwrench suplex and Buddy sells. Buddy cheapshots Martel but sells on the slam attempt and ends up battered more and more. I love how he tries to press his back against the turnbuckle so Martel can't get it. It's all moot though because he ends up in the abdominal stretch. Buddy grabs Savages arm and drags himself down to the mat, but Martel is just merciless with the driving knees to the spine. I'm almost starting to pity Buddy here, especially once Martel puts the crab on. Buddy is using the no dq to its fullest not in big broad ways (like chairs) but just by going to the trunks desperately and being able to get away with it. That's how he gets out of the crab but he eats a belly to back a moment later. This is just a mauling. Martel is bringing a lot of great offense here. Buddy gets a lucky, desperate, cheap shot by picking Martel up and dropping him crotch first on the turnbuckle for the second fall, though there's a cut so we don't see the pin. This match has had really subtle uses of the no dq.
Third fall starts with Buddy trying to stooge and box but getting outmoved until he lands a kick to block a back body drop. Buddy locks on the double claw to the ribs/side. Martel's selling is pretty amazing. He has the most pained look on his face ever until he goes for the mask and as he's pulling it off it's almost like time freezing completely as the fans go nuts. There's DARK HAIR under the mask but at the last moment, Buddy gets an eyerake in. He's irate now and hits the nastiest double drop and then an elbow to the weakened midsection. Martel kicks out at two and starts to fight up from his knees with punches. Martel lands a revenge double stomp of his own, then another. This might be Martel's best offensive showcase ever. Buddy gets up and goes for a bulldog but Martel pushes him into the corner. Martel tries to do one of his own and ends up in the corner too. Buddy goes for the belly to back into a corner crotch again but Martel flips over backwards and does it to Buddy! He gets the pin as the crowd erupts. Awesome finish. Great match. It's so hard to put these matches against one another This one was smoother, had better offensive, and smarter use of the stip than I can put into words, plus a pretty epic finish but they're all so damn good.
Buddy slaps on a headscissors and the fans chant for Martel, who rolls Buddy over and does a somersault out and right into a toehold which he then locks a facelock on. The mask is pretty ragged by this point but we get a great visual of Buddy biting Martel's finger. That breaks the hold and Buddy runs out (selling all the way). Martel chases him around the ring but Buddy rolls in and catches him as he comes on in. He can't stop Martel, though, and soon Rick's racking Buddy's back to the fans' elation. Bonnema's having a hard time here calling Martel Martino and an elbow drop a knee drop. Martel is keeping on Buddy just like Buddy was keeping on him before. Just attack, attack, attack until he locks on a knee-assisted chinlock and slows things down. It's a bit of a weird base for Martel but he grinds it for a minute before eating a Buddy leg clap. Rose tries to hide behind Savage but Dutch ducks and Martel nails him with a punch before running out of the ring leaving a fired up Martel within. Great visual spot and the fans popped accordingly. What always amazes me about Buddy is how smoothly and effortlessly he pulls this stuff off. Case in point: he hides in the corner trying to get a time out, gets a kick in the rear, and then shot after shot from Martel as he flops around the ring. Finally, he gets a perfectly time knee up as Martel runs into the corner. The smoothness here is just amazing. Everything looks so good and natural and it all makes sense. He works on Martel's throat with a few hidden judo chops and then hits this really good two step dropkick, which I've never seen him do before. Martel kicks out at two. Buddy slaps on a grounded headlock and the fans get behind Martel.
Martel starts to fight up but Buddy drives him into the corner and chops away. He then goes for a hip through out but Martel blocks it, hits one, this really smooth back body drop to follow, and then two dropkicks and the rana/pin for the fall. That was a really great finish for him and he should have kept it into the AWA. This was some of the smoothest wrestling I've seen out of them and for the time but it didn't seem at all choreographed. Totally the opposite.
Second fall starts with positioning in the center of the ring until Buddy grabs the hair and gets Martel into the corner. He goes for a choke but Martel fights back and Buddy goes on the defensive. Martel starts clubbering and stomping the back and Buddy sells it like death. I love Buddy's jump sell when he gets clubbed. Martel hits a nice gutwrench suplex and Buddy sells. Buddy cheapshots Martel but sells on the slam attempt and ends up battered more and more. I love how he tries to press his back against the turnbuckle so Martel can't get it. It's all moot though because he ends up in the abdominal stretch. Buddy grabs Savages arm and drags himself down to the mat, but Martel is just merciless with the driving knees to the spine. I'm almost starting to pity Buddy here, especially once Martel puts the crab on. Buddy is using the no dq to its fullest not in big broad ways (like chairs) but just by going to the trunks desperately and being able to get away with it. That's how he gets out of the crab but he eats a belly to back a moment later. This is just a mauling. Martel is bringing a lot of great offense here. Buddy gets a lucky, desperate, cheap shot by picking Martel up and dropping him crotch first on the turnbuckle for the second fall, though there's a cut so we don't see the pin. This match has had really subtle uses of the no dq.
Third fall starts with Buddy trying to stooge and box but getting outmoved until he lands a kick to block a back body drop. Buddy locks on the double claw to the ribs/side. Martel's selling is pretty amazing. He has the most pained look on his face ever until he goes for the mask and as he's pulling it off it's almost like time freezing completely as the fans go nuts. There's DARK HAIR under the mask but at the last moment, Buddy gets an eyerake in. He's irate now and hits the nastiest double drop and then an elbow to the weakened midsection. Martel kicks out at two and starts to fight up from his knees with punches. Martel lands a revenge double stomp of his own, then another. This might be Martel's best offensive showcase ever. Buddy gets up and goes for a bulldog but Martel pushes him into the corner. Martel tries to do one of his own and ends up in the corner too. Buddy goes for the belly to back into a corner crotch again but Martel flips over backwards and does it to Buddy! He gets the pin as the crowd erupts. Awesome finish. Great match. It's so hard to put these matches against one another This one was smoother, had better offensive, and smarter use of the stip than I can put into words, plus a pretty epic finish but they're all so damn good.
Buddy Rose/Ed Wiskowski vs Roddy Piper/Rick Martel - 8/2/80 - 2/3 Falls - Tag Titles
They'd been playing up how Piper/Martel would get flowers before the matches from fans for months. This match, Rose and Wiskowski get them too. There better damn well be a foreign object in one or something. Anyway, this is because the Sheepherders left the territory after losing that double hair match with the Army. The belts were vacant and Owen put them up between the two logical teams. They're also building to a no DQ title match between Martel and Rose the upcoming Tuesday.
Piper and Rose to start. Stooging right from the get go as Wiskowski holds Piper from the outside but Roddy ducks and Buddy nails his partner. This is followed immediately by a ridiculously awesome Rose somersault bump off of a turnbuckle treatment in the corner and both heels bumping huge for Piper's punches to the fans' delight. Bit of back and forth before Martel tags in to a huge pop and he starts unloading on a begging off Buddy. Martel grinds a headlock to a ten count and tags in Piper who's about to grab Rose when he does a slow fall backwards.The timing on this stuff is great. Piper slaps on the headlock, repeats the ten grinds as the fans count along and then hits a dropkick knocking Rose out of the ring. Buddy's falling all over the place on the outside selling, stumbling, and asking for time out. He rolls in to a flying mare, that cool double stomp face split, and a head drop from Piper but manages to get a knee up in the corner and a quick enough tag to Wiskowski that they stop the tag to Martel and we get the beginnings of a heat segment. Great shine.
Wiskoski is going back to the double stomach claw he used vs Boyd which is a good visual move for him given his size. Ah, Piper's left side of the back was injured in an attack by the Army apparently, so they're honing in on that especially. Piper's great in the hold, struggling and trying to get over to make the tag. Rose runs around to nail Martel with a cheapshot delaying it and allowing Ed to snap on a nice looking bodyscissors roll to get Piper away from the corner. He keeps the hold on, continuing on the ribs/side while Piper tries to work towards the corner again. Great sense of struggle here as the fans go nuts in support and Martel reaches for all he's worth from outside. At one point, Piper gets his foot over and Martel grabs it, trying to drag him over, but Barr breaks it up. Then Piper starts flailing wildly with his arms to make a potential tag (still in the body scissors) until Wiskowski uses his side to scoot back to the center of the ring and it's all top notch stuff. Rose tags in and slaps the hold on again, doing some big leverage moves to sort of atomic drop Piper on the ma and tries to turn it into a pin. Piper scrambles for the corner, but Rose quickly tags Ed and they cut him off. Piper goes through the legs but Wiskowski manages to position himself between Roddy and Rick. Piper fights his way out of the heel corner, DIVES for the tag with a whipped out arm, but Wiskowki grabs his foot at the last second and pulls him back and then quickly grabs the clawhold again, with a added jab, to stop Piper long enough for Rose to come back in, but Piper's just too determined and he manages to roll away at the last second for the hot tag. That was one of the best hot tag sequences I've ever seen and Martel has almost Promethean fire empowering him as he cleans house, with punches, an awesome looking hip through, a few quick, tight dropkicks, and a 'rana into a pin for the fall. This was one of the best single falls I've seen in Portland and that's saying a lot.
Second fall starts with Wiskowski trying to start, but Barr disallows it. Heels conference in the corner and Martel slams their heads together. They do some quick rope running and after a backslide, I thought they were going to keep it up and do Savage/Steamboat near falls for a second. Instead, Rose rolls out and stalls to work the crowd. He walks around the ring, rolls in and tags Wiskowski from a prone position. His mannerisms are really great. Martel and Wiskowski start working a headlock base (Martel in charge). Rose blind tags in after a minute or two but ends up in a headlock too. Martel's very good at working this. His diving reversal of Rose's hairpull is particularly good. Buddy keeps trying to cheat his way out, by grabbing the hair or tights. Piper goads Wiskowski around the apron and then does a blind switch with Martel while Barr is distracted. Barr catches the end of it and looks bemused. It's kind of weird to see Piper do running headlock takeovers off the turnbuckles. Piper positions Buddy into the corner for the tag they do a cute little spot where Piper lets go of the headlock, Buddy rears back, and Martel catches the hand from behind and puts him right back into the headlock. Martel does a great backflip off the turnbuckle and then that corner hiptoss of his I really like. Buddy ducks away from a dropkick though and it's one of the best missed dropkicks I've ever seen. There's this super fast element of flailing feet that's just great.
Rose makes it to the corner and Wiskowski starts on Martel's ribs (where he landed after the dropkick). Martel's selling is so good, as in "one of the best ever" good in this. Wiskowski is both methodological and dogged, keeping his offense varied and giving it time to breath as he stalks the selling Martel around the ring. using the ropes as a prop and switching stomps with a slam with a bearhug. He controls ring positioning with the bear hug, which lets Rose cut off a the beginning of a hope spot and tag in, using an Argentinian backbreaker, which I've not seen him use before. He marches Martel back into the corner and drops his head onto the turnbuckle before just exchanging it with Wiskowski in a cool looking moment. Piper rushes in to break it up but Wiskowski just slaps on the bear hug again. This is a great heat segment and very different than the Piper one from the first fall. Rose, cheerleading on the outside, jumped on the bottom turnbuckle and broke the rope. I assume that was a mistake. Anyway, Piper gets fed up again and comes in. Barr gets distracted. Buddy comes in without a tag. He clotheslines Piper on the top rope with a catapult and lands him on his knees, working int into a backbreaker hold. Martel bridges up to the ropes and drops a knee. Rose cuts him off and tries to slam his head onto the mat, but Martel reverses it, so Rose desperately punches Piper off the apron to prevent a tag. Great moment. Buddy rolls Martel up but Piper rushes in and starts pounding on him. Barr restrains him. Wiskowski runs in and Rose grabs the broken turnbuckle and smashes it across Martel's back. Wiskowski puts the bear hug back on and drives him down to a pinning situation but Martel tries to fight his way on top out of it. I'm amazed that wasn't the end of the fall. They really protect Martel in this. Barr breaks the hold and Wiskowski clubbers and hits an atomic drop but Piper breaks up the pin. Rose comes in. Martel leap frogs him off the ropes but Buddy turns it around catching him in basically a boss man slam Robinson backbreaker variation that looks awesome and I'm not sure anyone had ever seen before. This time Wiskowski comes in to cut off Piper and that's the second fall. Great stuff, with a finish way ahead of its time in both details and complexity.
Third fall has the rope fixed. Martel is still reeling. They start on Martel but he reverses a Wiskowski suplex. Rose gets a phantom tag and tries to cut him off, but Martel reverses a gutwrench suplex and then a headlock into a back suplex. He's not able to follow up at all though due to the hurting back and how he keeps using his back to reverse. Rose tags out to Wiskowski who cuts him off but Martel fights back with punches in the corner, selling huge as he does. He's basically using the ropes to stand up and to even help with a forward kick that knocks Wiskowski down. The heels are so dogged in keeping him from tagging though. Wiskowski uses his superior size to drag him back to his corner and Rose comes in. Martel fights his way out of the corner again and this time finally gets the molten hot tag. I'm not sure I've ever seen a hot tag that was harder to work for. It was almost too hard, but not quite.
Piper wailing away on Rose in the corner is pretty amazing. The crowd has come unglued. Piper hits some big knee lifts on both heels. Wiskowski begs off but gets a double eye poke for his trouble. Roddy tosses him out but Barr stops him from going after. Rose tries a sneak attack to Piper's back but Piper shrugs it off and just nails him off the apron. It's distraction enough (and just really smart, detailed oriented wrestling, of which Portland might have the distinction for having more of than anywhere else ever) for Wiskowski to come back in and get a cheap punch in. They do a cool combo slingshot, back body drop with Rose coming in and chucking Piper over the top. Buddy tries to go after Piper on the outside but Martel chases him around the ring, pummeling him. This lets Wiskowski work on Piper with all four guys outside of the ring. Piper fights back and they slam the heels together.
They're brawling like madmen here with the faces just wailing away and the bell ringing repeatedly and the crowd screaming. Faces finally lock on double sleepers in the center of the ring but they all crash into each other and just end up a mass of humanity. Rose grabs the belts and start using them as weapons. Then Martel grabs one from Barr and uses it a weapon too and it ends up with each team having one belt as the heels take a powder.
It ends as a double countout and obviously sets up a money match to come (they push the singles match between Rose/Martel to Saturday and do a lumberjack match on Tuesday). It breaks down AGAIN after they announce it. Definitely a top 10 Portland match from what I've seen and maybe one of the best tag matches I've seen in the whole decade.
Piper and Rose to start. Stooging right from the get go as Wiskowski holds Piper from the outside but Roddy ducks and Buddy nails his partner. This is followed immediately by a ridiculously awesome Rose somersault bump off of a turnbuckle treatment in the corner and both heels bumping huge for Piper's punches to the fans' delight. Bit of back and forth before Martel tags in to a huge pop and he starts unloading on a begging off Buddy. Martel grinds a headlock to a ten count and tags in Piper who's about to grab Rose when he does a slow fall backwards.The timing on this stuff is great. Piper slaps on the headlock, repeats the ten grinds as the fans count along and then hits a dropkick knocking Rose out of the ring. Buddy's falling all over the place on the outside selling, stumbling, and asking for time out. He rolls in to a flying mare, that cool double stomp face split, and a head drop from Piper but manages to get a knee up in the corner and a quick enough tag to Wiskowski that they stop the tag to Martel and we get the beginnings of a heat segment. Great shine.
Wiskoski is going back to the double stomach claw he used vs Boyd which is a good visual move for him given his size. Ah, Piper's left side of the back was injured in an attack by the Army apparently, so they're honing in on that especially. Piper's great in the hold, struggling and trying to get over to make the tag. Rose runs around to nail Martel with a cheapshot delaying it and allowing Ed to snap on a nice looking bodyscissors roll to get Piper away from the corner. He keeps the hold on, continuing on the ribs/side while Piper tries to work towards the corner again. Great sense of struggle here as the fans go nuts in support and Martel reaches for all he's worth from outside. At one point, Piper gets his foot over and Martel grabs it, trying to drag him over, but Barr breaks it up. Then Piper starts flailing wildly with his arms to make a potential tag (still in the body scissors) until Wiskowski uses his side to scoot back to the center of the ring and it's all top notch stuff. Rose tags in and slaps the hold on again, doing some big leverage moves to sort of atomic drop Piper on the ma and tries to turn it into a pin. Piper scrambles for the corner, but Rose quickly tags Ed and they cut him off. Piper goes through the legs but Wiskowski manages to position himself between Roddy and Rick. Piper fights his way out of the heel corner, DIVES for the tag with a whipped out arm, but Wiskowki grabs his foot at the last second and pulls him back and then quickly grabs the clawhold again, with a added jab, to stop Piper long enough for Rose to come back in, but Piper's just too determined and he manages to roll away at the last second for the hot tag. That was one of the best hot tag sequences I've ever seen and Martel has almost Promethean fire empowering him as he cleans house, with punches, an awesome looking hip through, a few quick, tight dropkicks, and a 'rana into a pin for the fall. This was one of the best single falls I've seen in Portland and that's saying a lot.
Second fall starts with Wiskowski trying to start, but Barr disallows it. Heels conference in the corner and Martel slams their heads together. They do some quick rope running and after a backslide, I thought they were going to keep it up and do Savage/Steamboat near falls for a second. Instead, Rose rolls out and stalls to work the crowd. He walks around the ring, rolls in and tags Wiskowski from a prone position. His mannerisms are really great. Martel and Wiskowski start working a headlock base (Martel in charge). Rose blind tags in after a minute or two but ends up in a headlock too. Martel's very good at working this. His diving reversal of Rose's hairpull is particularly good. Buddy keeps trying to cheat his way out, by grabbing the hair or tights. Piper goads Wiskowski around the apron and then does a blind switch with Martel while Barr is distracted. Barr catches the end of it and looks bemused. It's kind of weird to see Piper do running headlock takeovers off the turnbuckles. Piper positions Buddy into the corner for the tag they do a cute little spot where Piper lets go of the headlock, Buddy rears back, and Martel catches the hand from behind and puts him right back into the headlock. Martel does a great backflip off the turnbuckle and then that corner hiptoss of his I really like. Buddy ducks away from a dropkick though and it's one of the best missed dropkicks I've ever seen. There's this super fast element of flailing feet that's just great.
Rose makes it to the corner and Wiskowski starts on Martel's ribs (where he landed after the dropkick). Martel's selling is so good, as in "one of the best ever" good in this. Wiskowski is both methodological and dogged, keeping his offense varied and giving it time to breath as he stalks the selling Martel around the ring. using the ropes as a prop and switching stomps with a slam with a bearhug. He controls ring positioning with the bear hug, which lets Rose cut off a the beginning of a hope spot and tag in, using an Argentinian backbreaker, which I've not seen him use before. He marches Martel back into the corner and drops his head onto the turnbuckle before just exchanging it with Wiskowski in a cool looking moment. Piper rushes in to break it up but Wiskowski just slaps on the bear hug again. This is a great heat segment and very different than the Piper one from the first fall. Rose, cheerleading on the outside, jumped on the bottom turnbuckle and broke the rope. I assume that was a mistake. Anyway, Piper gets fed up again and comes in. Barr gets distracted. Buddy comes in without a tag. He clotheslines Piper on the top rope with a catapult and lands him on his knees, working int into a backbreaker hold. Martel bridges up to the ropes and drops a knee. Rose cuts him off and tries to slam his head onto the mat, but Martel reverses it, so Rose desperately punches Piper off the apron to prevent a tag. Great moment. Buddy rolls Martel up but Piper rushes in and starts pounding on him. Barr restrains him. Wiskowski runs in and Rose grabs the broken turnbuckle and smashes it across Martel's back. Wiskowski puts the bear hug back on and drives him down to a pinning situation but Martel tries to fight his way on top out of it. I'm amazed that wasn't the end of the fall. They really protect Martel in this. Barr breaks the hold and Wiskowski clubbers and hits an atomic drop but Piper breaks up the pin. Rose comes in. Martel leap frogs him off the ropes but Buddy turns it around catching him in basically a boss man slam Robinson backbreaker variation that looks awesome and I'm not sure anyone had ever seen before. This time Wiskowski comes in to cut off Piper and that's the second fall. Great stuff, with a finish way ahead of its time in both details and complexity.
Third fall has the rope fixed. Martel is still reeling. They start on Martel but he reverses a Wiskowski suplex. Rose gets a phantom tag and tries to cut him off, but Martel reverses a gutwrench suplex and then a headlock into a back suplex. He's not able to follow up at all though due to the hurting back and how he keeps using his back to reverse. Rose tags out to Wiskowski who cuts him off but Martel fights back with punches in the corner, selling huge as he does. He's basically using the ropes to stand up and to even help with a forward kick that knocks Wiskowski down. The heels are so dogged in keeping him from tagging though. Wiskowski uses his superior size to drag him back to his corner and Rose comes in. Martel fights his way out of the corner again and this time finally gets the molten hot tag. I'm not sure I've ever seen a hot tag that was harder to work for. It was almost too hard, but not quite.
Piper wailing away on Rose in the corner is pretty amazing. The crowd has come unglued. Piper hits some big knee lifts on both heels. Wiskowski begs off but gets a double eye poke for his trouble. Roddy tosses him out but Barr stops him from going after. Rose tries a sneak attack to Piper's back but Piper shrugs it off and just nails him off the apron. It's distraction enough (and just really smart, detailed oriented wrestling, of which Portland might have the distinction for having more of than anywhere else ever) for Wiskowski to come back in and get a cheap punch in. They do a cool combo slingshot, back body drop with Rose coming in and chucking Piper over the top. Buddy tries to go after Piper on the outside but Martel chases him around the ring, pummeling him. This lets Wiskowski work on Piper with all four guys outside of the ring. Piper fights back and they slam the heels together.
They're brawling like madmen here with the faces just wailing away and the bell ringing repeatedly and the crowd screaming. Faces finally lock on double sleepers in the center of the ring but they all crash into each other and just end up a mass of humanity. Rose grabs the belts and start using them as weapons. Then Martel grabs one from Barr and uses it a weapon too and it ends up with each team having one belt as the heels take a powder.
It ends as a double countout and obviously sets up a money match to come (they push the singles match between Rose/Martel to Saturday and do a lumberjack match on Tuesday). It breaks down AGAIN after they announce it. Definitely a top 10 Portland match from what I've seen and maybe one of the best tag matches I've seen in the whole decade.
The Army (Buddy Rose/Ed Wiskowski/Fidel Cortez) vs Sheepherders/Jonathan Boyd - 7/19/80 - 2/3 Falls
They're still running Rose/Wiskowski vs Sheepherders at the top of the card and hyping a potential double hair match (Wiskowski AND the Sheepherders want nothing to do with it. Buddy would have to take off the mask). Apparently the 'herders at this point are selling gimmick photos of Rose without hair. Brilliant. How is Don Owen not a great promoter? There's a great promo before this where Rose offers Wiskowski his purse money if he goes along with the match. He finally convinces him.
Anyway, Cortez has your typical Cuban Assassin Castro look down to the hat and cigar. Boyd gets a HUGE reaction. Cortez and Boyd starts and Cortez is not bad at stooging and has pretty good facial expressions here in the early shine armwork, which is pretty good and moves along nicely. Finally, he forces his way to the corner, tags in Buddy and the crowd pops big for Buddy vs Boyd, so, of course, Rose immediately tags out to Wiskowski and the two of them go at it. Boyd gets the better of it and the crowd is hugely into this. They go back to armwork on Wiskowski and it's all very solid. They cut off Ed getting to the corner a few times, but he finally snatches a leg between his own only to get kicked off right into Rose in a fun comedy spot. Poor Ed finally (and dramatically) reaches Cortez. Buddy tries to interfere immediately thereafter but Boyd runs around and stops him to the crowd's delight. Cortez finally gets lucky and puts a chinlock on Luke, but the fans chant him up and he nails a hart attack clothesline off the ropes and goes right back to armwork. Cortez fights back again, this time on Miller, but Butch reverses a corner whip and ambles to his corner letting Boyd come in.
The heels triple team Boyd, with Rose finally getting his chickenshit hands on him, but Boyd comes back huge on Wiskowki, slams him, and hits the big bombs away knee from the top to take the fall. Really entertaining first fall.
I wonder if Barr was the only ref in the territory. Past Dutch Savage, occasionally, I haven't seen anyone else ref. That had to be tiring. Anyway, heels tried to sneak another guy in to start the second fall but it had to be Wiskowki. Boyd does this kind of neat nipple nerve lock thing. Heels menace from the outside but faces counter. Miller tags in. Faces double team and Wiskowski stooges back into his corner. Cortez comes in and hits a butt attack to reverse a shoulder throw. Miller starts to sell the shoulder from this and the ensuing stomp to the outside. Cortez looks pretty good to be honest. I'm not sure why I haven't heard of him before. Heels do a King of the Mountain with Barr continuously distracted before finally letting Miller in. This is a perfectly fine heat segment. I like Cortez' overblown stomps, which send Miller out the ring the other side. Heels get him on the outside again as Cortez faces off against Williams on the apron to distract. Miller's back in the ring and they're keeping him from the corner effectively, cutting off the ring and grinding down with pedestrian holds. Miller gets a hope spot off of an eye gough escape but the heels tag quickly and cut it off. He works from underneath, literally with good looking strikes but Buddy gets the tag and cuts him off. They sort of stumble through a back elbow reversal spot and Boyd gets the hot tag and finally gets in with Rose. He keeps tossing Buddy out and dragging him back in but Buddy makes it to his corner to Cortez who gets a quick clothesline or two on Williams, followed by a nice looking grounded cobra clutch and that's the second fall. It's really amazing how Williams is positioned below Miller. You don't think of the Sheepherders like that.
Third fall starts with Cortez clotheslining Williams (who was still on the apron heading back in) on the top rope). He sells the throat and the heels keep on it cheaply while distracting the ref. Buddy uses a nice cravat. He grinds it and wrenches it well as Williams sells. Then Wiskowski does the same. Most of Luke's hope spots here are eyerakes and bites but the crowd is into them and the cut offs are well timed. Williams' works well from underneath, working towards his corner while in a neck vice. Wiskowski runs around and pulls Miller off the apron to help prevent a hot tag. This is sort of interesting. It's something that I hadn't seen at all in 79-80 and now they've done it two times in a month or so. It was very similar to when they started to implement the ref missing hot tags after never doing that before. You wonder if Wiskowski saw it in another territory and brought it in or what.
Anyway, hot tag to Boyd. Crowd goes nuts. He charges into the corner too quickly though and Rose gets his knees up. Considering how hot he's been for Rose all match this was good. Heel start to dismantle him, with Wiskowski and then Cortez doing a revenge claw hold from how Boyd did it to them earlier. This is instead of targeting the shoulder and it's a mistake as Boyd gets out and to the corner for a sort of heatless tag to Williams as Rose comes in. Williams gets some revenge for the long heat segments, but he jams his arm on a missed knee drop and has to roll over for Miller who gets a big pop and immediately starts to beat on Rose. Cortez comes in to break up a pin and everything breaks down. Boyd chases Cortez back to the dressing room, but in the chaos Wiskowski (who had put on the wig and was NOT the legal man) sneaks into the ring and rolls up Miller, grabbing the tights, for a three. Pretty strong finish with the end result being that the Sheepherders are so pissed off they accept the hair tag match, which is now in a cage.
Really good six man. Boyd brought a lot to the table and I rather liked Cortez actually.
Anyway, Cortez has your typical Cuban Assassin Castro look down to the hat and cigar. Boyd gets a HUGE reaction. Cortez and Boyd starts and Cortez is not bad at stooging and has pretty good facial expressions here in the early shine armwork, which is pretty good and moves along nicely. Finally, he forces his way to the corner, tags in Buddy and the crowd pops big for Buddy vs Boyd, so, of course, Rose immediately tags out to Wiskowski and the two of them go at it. Boyd gets the better of it and the crowd is hugely into this. They go back to armwork on Wiskowski and it's all very solid. They cut off Ed getting to the corner a few times, but he finally snatches a leg between his own only to get kicked off right into Rose in a fun comedy spot. Poor Ed finally (and dramatically) reaches Cortez. Buddy tries to interfere immediately thereafter but Boyd runs around and stops him to the crowd's delight. Cortez finally gets lucky and puts a chinlock on Luke, but the fans chant him up and he nails a hart attack clothesline off the ropes and goes right back to armwork. Cortez fights back again, this time on Miller, but Butch reverses a corner whip and ambles to his corner letting Boyd come in.
The heels triple team Boyd, with Rose finally getting his chickenshit hands on him, but Boyd comes back huge on Wiskowki, slams him, and hits the big bombs away knee from the top to take the fall. Really entertaining first fall.
I wonder if Barr was the only ref in the territory. Past Dutch Savage, occasionally, I haven't seen anyone else ref. That had to be tiring. Anyway, heels tried to sneak another guy in to start the second fall but it had to be Wiskowki. Boyd does this kind of neat nipple nerve lock thing. Heels menace from the outside but faces counter. Miller tags in. Faces double team and Wiskowski stooges back into his corner. Cortez comes in and hits a butt attack to reverse a shoulder throw. Miller starts to sell the shoulder from this and the ensuing stomp to the outside. Cortez looks pretty good to be honest. I'm not sure why I haven't heard of him before. Heels do a King of the Mountain with Barr continuously distracted before finally letting Miller in. This is a perfectly fine heat segment. I like Cortez' overblown stomps, which send Miller out the ring the other side. Heels get him on the outside again as Cortez faces off against Williams on the apron to distract. Miller's back in the ring and they're keeping him from the corner effectively, cutting off the ring and grinding down with pedestrian holds. Miller gets a hope spot off of an eye gough escape but the heels tag quickly and cut it off. He works from underneath, literally with good looking strikes but Buddy gets the tag and cuts him off. They sort of stumble through a back elbow reversal spot and Boyd gets the hot tag and finally gets in with Rose. He keeps tossing Buddy out and dragging him back in but Buddy makes it to his corner to Cortez who gets a quick clothesline or two on Williams, followed by a nice looking grounded cobra clutch and that's the second fall. It's really amazing how Williams is positioned below Miller. You don't think of the Sheepherders like that.
Third fall starts with Cortez clotheslining Williams (who was still on the apron heading back in) on the top rope). He sells the throat and the heels keep on it cheaply while distracting the ref. Buddy uses a nice cravat. He grinds it and wrenches it well as Williams sells. Then Wiskowski does the same. Most of Luke's hope spots here are eyerakes and bites but the crowd is into them and the cut offs are well timed. Williams' works well from underneath, working towards his corner while in a neck vice. Wiskowski runs around and pulls Miller off the apron to help prevent a hot tag. This is sort of interesting. It's something that I hadn't seen at all in 79-80 and now they've done it two times in a month or so. It was very similar to when they started to implement the ref missing hot tags after never doing that before. You wonder if Wiskowski saw it in another territory and brought it in or what.
Anyway, hot tag to Boyd. Crowd goes nuts. He charges into the corner too quickly though and Rose gets his knees up. Considering how hot he's been for Rose all match this was good. Heel start to dismantle him, with Wiskowski and then Cortez doing a revenge claw hold from how Boyd did it to them earlier. This is instead of targeting the shoulder and it's a mistake as Boyd gets out and to the corner for a sort of heatless tag to Williams as Rose comes in. Williams gets some revenge for the long heat segments, but he jams his arm on a missed knee drop and has to roll over for Miller who gets a big pop and immediately starts to beat on Rose. Cortez comes in to break up a pin and everything breaks down. Boyd chases Cortez back to the dressing room, but in the chaos Wiskowski (who had put on the wig and was NOT the legal man) sneaks into the ring and rolls up Miller, grabbing the tights, for a three. Pretty strong finish with the end result being that the Sheepherders are so pissed off they accept the hair tag match, which is now in a cage.
Really good six man. Boyd brought a lot to the table and I rather liked Cortez actually.
Buddy Rose/Ed Wiskowski vs Sheepherders - 7/5/80 - 2/3 Falls - Non-Title
Sound is a little muted which is strange for these, but we'll do our best. Face Sheepherders are fun. Butch is dancing along to the "We Want Butch" chants. He's the only man in the world who can sell punches by moving his jaw like he was chewing. Anyway, Wiskowski tries outpunching Miller only to get beaten and slides through the ropes comedically like they were, well, a slide. They do a cute little spot where Rose gets knocked off the apron before the tag and then after the tag. He still has the mask. He draws Williams into the corner, does a cheapshot kick but gets reversed into the corner and Williams starts to dismantle him with strikes. Finally, Wiskowski draws Butch in and as the ref gets him out, he hits a cheapshot on Williams from the outside and the heels take over.
Long and uninteresting chinlock on Williams from Wiskowski until Luke uses the hair to get out. Quick tag to buddy cuts off the hope though. Heels are cutting off the ring. Wiskowski's headlock punches are great. They do a parallel spot from before where Ed takes out Miller on the apron (With Buddy hitting he exclamation point on the outside) meaning that Luke, twice, can't get the hot tag. Once Wiskowski sets up a nice roll up nearfall out of it. The second time, Buddy leans in heelishly and when Miller recovers to break up a pin, he's stuck with Barr thus missing a third tag attempt by not being in the corner. He gets knocked off again and Rose attacks him on the outside AGAIN and we get a FOURTH missed tag. This is good, focused stuff as they just keep on tagging in and out and dismantling Williams and deceitfully and brutally preventing a tag. Buddy does the body drop to the shoulders, which is something I've seen Ed do, but not Buddy. Eventually Buddy cheatingly attacks Williams from the outside and Butch drives him away from ringside. This means that they can't prevent the hot tag and the crowd comes unglued when they get it. Butch hits his big back elbow and an elbow drop and takes the fall. Really well timed/executed/conceived first fall (And different than anything we've seen over the last year+).
Second fall starts with Miller tagging in Williams, who is rightfully pissed and Buddy begging off. Buddy misses a back elbow. Luke hits a flying back elbow and then a knee drop but just for a two count this time. Miller comes back in and riles the crowd up but Buddy dives under the ropes and tries to tag. Barr prevents it and the Sheepherders each take a leg and pull Buddy back to his corner. Funny stuff. When Barr complains, Buddy almost gets the tag again but is cut off hilariously. The transition is fun. Buddy takes two knee drops to the inside of the thigh by Luke and kicks out of a lateral press. Then he grabs Williams' head and claps his legs around it, stunning him long enough to get the tag to Wiskowski. Clever little ring general move out of Buddy.
Ed batters a bit and slaps on a chinlock. It's a good camera angle and Luke's expressions sort of make it interesting. Buddy draws Butch in from the apron and then blindsides him to the outside when Barr yells at him. Buddy keeps on Miller outside meaning that when Luke goes for the tag, there's no one there. Heels keep on Williams including a beautiful elbow drop by Buddy and the big diving headbutt from Ed. Buddy keeps Miller from entering the ring from the outside and that's the second fall. It's really cool they went back to their original tactic. The diversity in these matches is amazing. I've seen dozens of tag matches put of Portland in 79-80 and this is the first time they've done anything like this and they build the entire match out of it. It's an element of Rose and these matches that you'd never ever know if you didn't see all of them like I'm doing but it's downright amazing. The variation in these matches while keeping everything logical and grounded and reaching such high levels of storytelling on a weekly basis is like nothing I've ever seen or heard of.
Between falls, Buddy keeps going to the top and teases jumping off but doesn't get to because Miller gets up or Barr gets in his way. Third fall starts with Williams still beaten up. Buddy shoulder shrugs him out through the bottom rope and they keep on him on the outside until Miller can come and protect him with a nice brotherly hug. Heels draw Williams back to their corner and doubleteam (one holds, one hits). Williams fights back but loses to the numbers' game. This time though, Buddy goes for a big knee off the ropes and Luke moves, meaning that Buddy hits Wiskowski and we get a hot tag. Everything breaks down. Heels are whipped together and Ed goes flying athletically through the ropes. Sheepherders hit the DOUBLE GUTBUSTER which I think is the first time I see them do that. Williams won't leave the ring though and this gives Buddy time to get a chair and start to clear house. He gets DQed but they open up Miller with it. Buddy throws Barr out of the ring but Piper comes out with a chair to clear the ring. Buddy and Ed keep trying to attack from the outside. The fans are so riled that some get involved. Bonnema: "You wouldn't go to a football game and make a tackle." Etc.
Anyway, my gushing about variation and switching things up aside, this was a lot of fun. The heels had a tactic which worked for them most of the first fall, backfired leading to the fall itself, and worked wonders leading to the second fall before everything broke down at the end. Great stuff as always. The post match sets up a Cole Miner's Death Match with Piper as ref.
Long and uninteresting chinlock on Williams from Wiskowski until Luke uses the hair to get out. Quick tag to buddy cuts off the hope though. Heels are cutting off the ring. Wiskowski's headlock punches are great. They do a parallel spot from before where Ed takes out Miller on the apron (With Buddy hitting he exclamation point on the outside) meaning that Luke, twice, can't get the hot tag. Once Wiskowski sets up a nice roll up nearfall out of it. The second time, Buddy leans in heelishly and when Miller recovers to break up a pin, he's stuck with Barr thus missing a third tag attempt by not being in the corner. He gets knocked off again and Rose attacks him on the outside AGAIN and we get a FOURTH missed tag. This is good, focused stuff as they just keep on tagging in and out and dismantling Williams and deceitfully and brutally preventing a tag. Buddy does the body drop to the shoulders, which is something I've seen Ed do, but not Buddy. Eventually Buddy cheatingly attacks Williams from the outside and Butch drives him away from ringside. This means that they can't prevent the hot tag and the crowd comes unglued when they get it. Butch hits his big back elbow and an elbow drop and takes the fall. Really well timed/executed/conceived first fall (And different than anything we've seen over the last year+).
Second fall starts with Miller tagging in Williams, who is rightfully pissed and Buddy begging off. Buddy misses a back elbow. Luke hits a flying back elbow and then a knee drop but just for a two count this time. Miller comes back in and riles the crowd up but Buddy dives under the ropes and tries to tag. Barr prevents it and the Sheepherders each take a leg and pull Buddy back to his corner. Funny stuff. When Barr complains, Buddy almost gets the tag again but is cut off hilariously. The transition is fun. Buddy takes two knee drops to the inside of the thigh by Luke and kicks out of a lateral press. Then he grabs Williams' head and claps his legs around it, stunning him long enough to get the tag to Wiskowski. Clever little ring general move out of Buddy.
Ed batters a bit and slaps on a chinlock. It's a good camera angle and Luke's expressions sort of make it interesting. Buddy draws Butch in from the apron and then blindsides him to the outside when Barr yells at him. Buddy keeps on Miller outside meaning that when Luke goes for the tag, there's no one there. Heels keep on Williams including a beautiful elbow drop by Buddy and the big diving headbutt from Ed. Buddy keeps Miller from entering the ring from the outside and that's the second fall. It's really cool they went back to their original tactic. The diversity in these matches is amazing. I've seen dozens of tag matches put of Portland in 79-80 and this is the first time they've done anything like this and they build the entire match out of it. It's an element of Rose and these matches that you'd never ever know if you didn't see all of them like I'm doing but it's downright amazing. The variation in these matches while keeping everything logical and grounded and reaching such high levels of storytelling on a weekly basis is like nothing I've ever seen or heard of.
Between falls, Buddy keeps going to the top and teases jumping off but doesn't get to because Miller gets up or Barr gets in his way. Third fall starts with Williams still beaten up. Buddy shoulder shrugs him out through the bottom rope and they keep on him on the outside until Miller can come and protect him with a nice brotherly hug. Heels draw Williams back to their corner and doubleteam (one holds, one hits). Williams fights back but loses to the numbers' game. This time though, Buddy goes for a big knee off the ropes and Luke moves, meaning that Buddy hits Wiskowski and we get a hot tag. Everything breaks down. Heels are whipped together and Ed goes flying athletically through the ropes. Sheepherders hit the DOUBLE GUTBUSTER which I think is the first time I see them do that. Williams won't leave the ring though and this gives Buddy time to get a chair and start to clear house. He gets DQed but they open up Miller with it. Buddy throws Barr out of the ring but Piper comes out with a chair to clear the ring. Buddy and Ed keep trying to attack from the outside. The fans are so riled that some get involved. Bonnema: "You wouldn't go to a football game and make a tackle." Etc.
Anyway, my gushing about variation and switching things up aside, this was a lot of fun. The heels had a tactic which worked for them most of the first fall, backfired leading to the fall itself, and worked wonders leading to the second fall before everything broke down at the end. Great stuff as always. The post match sets up a Cole Miner's Death Match with Piper as ref.
Buddy Rose vs Butch Miller - 6/21/80 - Lumberjack Match
So the new army is Rose, Rogers, and Wiskowski, which is as good as a stable gets. Same crew that was there for the battle royal is there, basically. Buddy still has the hair mask. Miller's early offense is a bunch of shots up and down. The ones to the gut Rose sells huge. I feel like Miller had some of his later mannerisms already a a heel but as a face, they're all there. Buddy can't escape so Butch is all over him with measured blows, stalking around the ring. Rose finally makes it out but he ends up right by Luke and Roddy and gets rolled back in. Miller goes for the mask and Buddy rakes the eyes and takes over.
He's in the corner Flair chopping which I haven't seen him do much before. Fans are chanting for Butch but Buddy sends him out by the heels. The faces come over to stop them but Buddy still is able to kick him right back out. They're using the toss-outs as transitions, as Butch comes back with kicks of his own when he comes back in. Rose rabbits! The faces (And Volkoff, the commie scum!) bring him back. No transition this time as Butch keeps on him. He had a pretty good flying back elbow at this point. He follows up with an elbow drop but misses. Rose rolls him up off the rope wanting to end this but Butch kicks out and drives Buddy's head into the mat for a near-fall (With Roddy knocking his feet off the ropes). Buddy tries to rabbit again but gets dragged back. The crowd is loving this. He comes back in to a Miller slam but reverses a pile driver.
Buddy hits a body slam of his own and hits a top rope splash! I like how active the lumberjacks are here. This time Luke tried to stop him but Buddy was too quick. Big spot but just a two count. Rose complains too much and Miller starts on him again with a double turnbuckle treatment. He goes for the mask again but Rip is up on the apron. He throws in a chain but Roddy sees it and tries to stop. He gets nailed but it gives Butch time to take out Rose from behind. and get the win I THINK what happens is that he slams into him and Buddy goes crashing into the corner, head hitting his outstretched hands, including the chain. It's a pretty cool, quick visual moment.
Everything breaks down post match with Buddy getting the upperhand on the faces with the chain which leads to Roddy finally getting past his differences and teaming with the Sheepherders in a big moment. Very fun for what it was with an extremely clever finish.
EDIT: Context matters. There's a Rip vs Roddy match from earlier that night which is super, just a great under-seven minutes match which has a finish where Buddy threw the chain to rip that made the finish of the later match even better. Piper's promo between the two matches is really good too.
He's in the corner Flair chopping which I haven't seen him do much before. Fans are chanting for Butch but Buddy sends him out by the heels. The faces come over to stop them but Buddy still is able to kick him right back out. They're using the toss-outs as transitions, as Butch comes back with kicks of his own when he comes back in. Rose rabbits! The faces (And Volkoff, the commie scum!) bring him back. No transition this time as Butch keeps on him. He had a pretty good flying back elbow at this point. He follows up with an elbow drop but misses. Rose rolls him up off the rope wanting to end this but Butch kicks out and drives Buddy's head into the mat for a near-fall (With Roddy knocking his feet off the ropes). Buddy tries to rabbit again but gets dragged back. The crowd is loving this. He comes back in to a Miller slam but reverses a pile driver.
Buddy hits a body slam of his own and hits a top rope splash! I like how active the lumberjacks are here. This time Luke tried to stop him but Buddy was too quick. Big spot but just a two count. Rose complains too much and Miller starts on him again with a double turnbuckle treatment. He goes for the mask again but Rip is up on the apron. He throws in a chain but Roddy sees it and tries to stop. He gets nailed but it gives Butch time to take out Rose from behind. and get the win I THINK what happens is that he slams into him and Buddy goes crashing into the corner, head hitting his outstretched hands, including the chain. It's a pretty cool, quick visual moment.
Everything breaks down post match with Buddy getting the upperhand on the faces with the chain which leads to Roddy finally getting past his differences and teaming with the Sheepherders in a big moment. Very fun for what it was with an extremely clever finish.
EDIT: Context matters. There's a Rip vs Roddy match from earlier that night which is super, just a great under-seven minutes match which has a finish where Buddy threw the chain to rip that made the finish of the later match even better. Piper's promo between the two matches is really good too.
Portland BATTLE ROYAL - 6/14/80
They moved the anything goes match with Miller and Rose to the Tuesday after the last match and switched the Battle Royal to Saturday which works for us as we get to see it. I am not going to go through this thing like usual. I'll just point out cool things in bullet point format.
-One interesting thing about the Portland footage I've been watching is that it's really just the top of the card. Sometimes there's the extra match but i rarely have sense of what's going on in the rest of the card. This is 13 men so it's everyone in the area at the time.
-Steve Pardee, Roddy Piper, Mike Hennesey, Martel, Ricky Hunter, Tough Tony Borne, Sal Martino, Luke and Butch, Chris F'n Colt! Igor Volkoff, Rose, Rip Rogers
-Rose is great from the get go, running in and out of the ring to avoid the Sheepherders. Piper is also great just unloading on everyone.
-The crowd is irate for Rose to go in the ring. Battle Royals were huge draws back then and you can feel the excitement here.
-Ha! Sandy Barr is just chasing Buddy around ringside trying to cajole him in. Now one of the Sheepherders is chasing after him.
-Bonnema says it's a minimum $1500 purse "probably more with side bets" which is such a cool idea that it's a shame it gets brushed over so quickly.
-Okay, this is one of the coolest Battle Royal spots of all time. Sal Martino has Rip held and Pardee is about to dropkick him. Buddy comes flying in the ring, disrupts the dropkick out of nowhere allowing Rip to move and Pardee to accidentally dropkick Martino out. Buddy keeps on moving out of the ring. The timing on this is amazing.
-Buddy pulls Piper's tights from the outside. Piper comes out. Colt comes out and holds him. Martel comes out to break it up and Buddy rabbits around the ring again. He heads down the aisle but Martino is leaving ringside and threatens him back. Everyone hates poor Buddy.
-Piper is going at the Sheepherders (And Pardee) but not Martel. He was really made for 1980 Battle Royals
-I get worried that Chris Colt was eliminated, but he's just hiding. Tony Borne goes and it was nice to see him briefly.
-Buddy pulls Butch under the ring rope and out but gets reversed into the pole and they brawl on the outside.
-Piper and Martel just about have Rip out but Buddy grabs all three of them and pulls the mass of humanity out from the outside. The base villain.
-Chris Colt begs off against Hunter(?) for no reason! Go Chris Colt. Oops. He got eliminated.
-Buddy goes for the leg of Miller again meaning to drag him out but gets dragged in instead. We're down to Sheepherders, Hunter, Volkoff and Rose. Rose sends Volkoff after Hunter, but he's a scrappy fighter. Rose comes to help and they toss him.
-Heels and faces pair off as teams, but Buddy takes a powder letting the Sheepherders toss Volkoff. Fans go NUTS.
-A Fan runs in from the crowd with a cane. He starts taking out the security guards, coming REAL close to nailing a female one by accident which is kind of a jarring image. In the melee, one Sheepherder goes out. Buddy sets up the other for a shot and they toss him and that is how Ed Wiskowski returned to Portland.
Very fun battle royal with a great stooging performance by Buddy and a really good one by Piper. Post-match the faces run back in and the heels run, with Wiskowski getting in a shoving match with a fan on the way out.
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