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.
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