I thought this bout was a lot of fun and feels like a mid level nomination. Rose and Youngblood seemed like they had solid chemistry. Rose was so great at telling a story in the ring and this is no exception. Rose was great at getting a young guy who had energy and could sell and had really good bouts. Youngblood meets that criteria, just like Hennig, Michaels,Jannetty, and the like. I thought the arm work was great here with Rose just selling his ass and really making Youngblood here as a contender in Portland. We end up with a Rose countout in the 2nd fall. So Youngblood wins in 2 falls. Nomination

This match didn't really get kicking until Youngblood went after Buddy's arm, and they developed that idea a lot more in their rematch the following week. Also, I'm rarely a fan of the heel just walking away at the finish. The match certainly featured some good work, but given the superiority of the January match, this is a no for me.

I really liked the first fall as it was basic control work from Buddy but he was really at his cocky douchebag best throughout. This led to the great payoff at the end of the awesome rope running spot with Youngblood stealing the fall and the Playboy immediately dropping into the body language of an annoyed child.

 

Second fall starts out really hot with Youngblood really going to work on the arm of Rose who as usual is great selling every little thing. I seriously think in terms of expressive selling, particularly of basic stuff, Buddy may be the best wrestler I've ever seen. Loved the spot with Rose tossing Youngblood to the floor only to get his shoulder posted and the roll through counter by Youngblood may have been ever better. The pinning combination near falls from Youngblood and Buddy's reactions to them are really excellent. Buddy is trying to ride the clock to a draw, but ends up taking the countout instead. Uneventful finish to a match I thought was otherwise really good. I would rate this as a solid nomination and think it deserves to make the set.