Portland #12 Rip Oliver’s Army Interview

Brett Sawyer vs. The Assassin - Both Sawyer and Assassin look good early on. Sawyer works the arm and Assassin does some nasty stuff, attacking Brett outside. Assassin in firm control until he misses a drop on his butt. Sort of my turn – your turn until Sawyer gets the fall with a sunset flip form the corner. Sawyer stats off with some cool arm work and like the first fall, bends the arm in directions it should not go. Well shit, we don't get the end of the 2nd fall. We need a complete copy of the match. INCOMPLETE

 

Sawyer is bloodied up in the 3rd fall. Possible extra if we don’t get the full match.

 

Rip Oliver attacks Stan Stasiak.

 

Bloody Sawyer Interview w/ Tom Pritchard.

 

Buddy Rose + Matt Borne Interview - EXTRA . Rose beats up Borne and leaves him bloody. We need a collage of bloody Portland interviews. They are almost always awesome. Add Borne’s response interview and Buddy + Matt in the ring.

 

Matt Borne vs. Ron Pope - Pope still sucks and Borne gets the roll up pin. Borne chases Buddy with a pair of brass knux.

 

Buddy Rose vs. Matt Borne - Oh shit, right away as Buddy is on the turnbuckle, Matt just slams his head in the pole in the corner… twice!!! Then he posts him face first. Shit, Borne is just abusing Buddy here. Borne grabs a chair from ringside and wallops Buddy. Damn, Borne is a man on a mission and Buddy is now busted open. In a cool spot, buddy gets tangled upside down in the ropes and Borne just wails away on the cut. Bonus points for some nasty boot scrapes and a kick to the nuts. A foot drop from the top rope and Borne gets the pin. This was a mauling. - 2nd fall, Borne attacking the cut again. Buddy takes advantage after some stalling and now he gives a receipt to Borne and pounds his head on the turnbuckle pole. It is like Buddy is getting a receipt for every spot from the 1st fall including a chair shot. Rose gets the pin with the driving knee from the corner. Taken with the 1st fall, this was cool as shit. - Buddy mid match interview. - 3rd fall, Buddy stalls and jaws with the fans outside including an old grandma. Borne chases him and he stalls some more. People will not like this in voting but I love it. Only Jerry Lawler does it better. Finally, in the ring, Borne stops Rose form bailing and he gets an atomic drop to the floor for his troubles. Matt Borne holds on to a head vice for a looong time but the payoff, choking Budd with his foot and shoving him out of the ring has to be seen! Borne puts on his head vice again and it looks like Buddy is out but Borne pulls Buddy up and gives him the whoopee cushion. He pulls hi up at two gain and goes outside to get a chair. Too bad Buddy had the brass knux because Borne gets knocked out for the Buddy pin. Man, besides the slow head vice sections, this was AWESOME! NOMINATION. We need to look for a copy in better VQ.

 

Stan Stasiak vs. Rip Oliver

Stan works on Oliver’s arm and does a solid if unspectacular job. Oliver gets a leg vine on Stan and they work some cool spots from the leg including a choke spot, a pin and Oliver going to town on the knee. Ugh, I was digging the leg work but Stan works the nerve hold. Man, this first fall feels like it is lasting forever. It picks up on the outside and both guys end up getting posted and damaging the arms. Stan wins without an out of nowhere backbreaker and I was not feeling this at all. Man, after that 1st fall, I tuned out.

 

Disc 2

Stan Stasiak & Tom Pritchard vs. Rip Oliver & Mike Miller - This is really about matchups. Miller and Stasiak are two of my least favorite guys. Pritchard & Oliver are solid but theyaren't working a singles match. First ten minutes is exchanging arm locks, hammerlocks and wrist locks. There was one point, I thought I had the TV on pause because there was literally no movement. Miller and Pritchard pick it up and Miller is acting like he took come coke while waiting for the tag. Neat spot with Stasiak dropping a falling fist on Miller’s arm. Stasiak should just let Pritchard wor the match and tag in for the falling fist. I am going to say that Oliver-Stasiak had one of the worst sequences I have ever seen. Pritchard finishes the fall with a sunset flip. - 2nd fall, real quick as Pritchard goes back to the arm but Miller lays in some nasty shots and finishes it quick with a Hart Attack lariat. Looked pretty good. - 3rd fall, Oliver attacking Pritchard and no real rhyme or reason to the offense except to punish. Stasiak gets the hot tag and uses his horrible offense to try and put it away but Miller keeps saving. Mr. Ebony runs in for the interference and they bust Stasiak up. Eh nice post-match, actual match itself? Not so much. Bloody Stasiak Promo

 

Rip Oliver’s Family Interview

 

Mike Miller & Mr. Ebony vs. Tom Pritchard & Jerry Grey - Ebony looks like a black TNT. Pritchard and Ebony were solid if unspectacular. Ebony and Miller take turns beating up Grey. Once again, unspectacular. Grey does some decent bumping but this match needs to pick up soon. Pritchard gets the hot tag, cleans house and they do a leapfrog spot where Ebony gets hit by the Thesz Press by Grey. Eh, some ok moments here but nothing special so far. - The faces work the arm bar but Pritchard ends up on the wrong side of Mike Miller. I am warming up to Miller. Not the best heel I have ever seen but he has some nastiness to him. I don’t mind matches that are worked out of a hammerlock or armbar but damn, these guys need to start moving. - 3rd fall, Pritchard gets a roll up to take the fall. Eh, no vote for this long, boring mess.

 

Ric Flair vs. Billy Jack - Billy Jack hooks Flair in a head scissors and Flair knows how to work a hold, constantly struggling to get out. BJ hooks on the headlock and they work out of that for awhile, once again, Flair doing the work, keeping things going. If BJ had a clue, he could do a lot more with the headlock than hold on by dear life. See, watching this match, this is the definition of a Flair match. Big muscle head who needs some guiding so flair guides him through the whole process getting his stuff in along the way. Having said this, once they ran through the headlock segments early on, this was pretty enjoyable. Really nice stretch run with Haynes throwing some nice punches and getting caught in a knee buster helping Flair set up the figure four. Nice setup for the full nelson as Flair goes to the top, gets thrown off and gets hooked. Rip Oliver comes in to ruin the match. I think we owe it to watch all of the Flair matches since they are so popular but I would not fight for this to stay on.

 

Rip Oliver Interview

Billy Jack Interview

 

 

Disc 3

Rip Oliver vs. Billy Jack - Man, Billy Jack must really not like Oliver because he was shaking the shit out of Rip in the headlock. Still, watching 5 minute headlocks are not fun when the victim does nothing to try and escape. He switches from the headlock to the chinlock and that isn’t much more fun. However, once Oliver breaks the headlock for good, they go into a nice sprint where Billy Jack punishes him to get the 1st fall, including a nasty stomach buster setting up the finish. - 2nd fall, Billy hooks Rip in a bearhug but Rip breaks it with a foreign object shot. I had to rewind to make sure it wasn’t just a punch. The next few minutes consist of Oliver just popping Haynes in the eye with his fingers and I enjoyed this more than the first 15 minutes. Once Oliver is in control, he tosses Haynes out and keeps him from getting back in the ring ala Fulton-Street from Mid South. People didn’t dig it there so I don’t see it being a positive here. On the plus side, Haynes is now busted open. After popping Haynes in the eye, Rip gets the pin. - 3rd fall, Rip gets busted open and Haynes is tearing and chewing at that cut. Good stuff. This turns into a slugfest and the match gets thrown out. Man, I really liked this 3rd fall. Overall, I think this would be on the cutting room floor but I think you guys should watch in case you see something I missed. Still, there were a lot of slow points in here. Mildest of nominations.

 

Bloody Billy Jack interview

 

Oliver, Miller & Ebony vs. Billy Jack, Jaggers & Pritchard - Man, Jaggers is bringing the vicious boot scrapes early on Rip. Similar to early six mans, the faces take turns working over the arm of Rip and Ebony and Miller to let them shine. Besides those boot scrapes, nothing real nasty but they keep the match moving which I can appreciate after the last match. An eyepoke to Pritchard makes him FIP. You know, Miller’s entire offensive output should be whipping guys to the ropes and nailing them because he has some nasty strikes. Billy Jack gets the hot tag, cleans house and hits the nasty stomach buster on Ebony. However, when the ref wasn’t looking, Oliver pops him with the hidden object and the heels get the fall. Really fun first fall. - 2nd fall, don’t blink or you’ll miss it. BJ gets a sloppy cross body on ebony to steal back his fall from earlier. Bleh. - 3rd fall, Jaggers ends up as FIP and the heels go to town, busting him up and just taking turns busting up that bloody face. Pritchard makes the hot tag, a brawl breaks out and Miller gets the pin off a roll up reversal. Short but fun. This is another match where you guys should at least consider watching the match. Mild nomination.

 

Billy Jack vs. Rip Oliver - Man, BJH bringing the fire and Oliver brings the bumps and the blood right away. Damn, I hope we have this in better VQ. Even the segments on the outside are more intense with Oliver using the chairs to bash Haynes. In the first match, it seemed like throwing BJ outside was stalling, here it is like Oliver is trying to cripple the man. Nice spot where BJ has Oliver in the full nelson while on the apron but Kendo Nagasaki comes in and ruins what was an awesome match. Possible Extra Matt Borne vs. Ed Wiskowski - Ed relying on the headlock heavily early on. Not BJH boring but not a lot of work in and out except for the headlock takeovers. Borne takes over and works in and out of the hammerlock and arm bars. Again, solid but nothing special. Once Borne gets thrown out, the match gets more interesting getting tied in the ropes, punches in the face, busting Ed on the toe of Matt’s boot. The match end sin a draw and it’s over? Ugh, criminally short.

 

Rip Oliver vs. Bobby Jaggers - Jaggers bringing the hate. Non stop aggression. This almost feels like a squash. Jaggers ends the fall with a nice lariat. - More abuse by Jaggers in the 2nd fall and I am starting to feel sorry for Rip getting his ass kicked so bad. I mean, this is just vicious. Best chinlock ever with Rip on the outside and Bobby on the inside of the ring. If this thing gets bloody by the end, stone cold lock. It is almost like Rip is trying to survive the onslaught in a rope a dope fashion trying to tire the fat man down. When Rip turns it around with the super thumb poke, they start pounding on each other in a slugfest. The booking is weird because you almost feel sympathy for Oliver and all of his near falls and never say die spirit. The ending is weird and I don’t know if the match was thrown out, the time expired or it is incomplete. I need to see if a definitive version is out there.

 

Kendo Nagasaki vs. Mando Guerrero - A chinlock heavy match with Mando getting little offense in before Billy Jack runs in and attacks Kendo. Post match has Oliver getting stretchered out.

 

Billy Jack Interview

Disc 3 Rip Oliver v. Billy Jack Haynes - 2/3 Falls I thought the first fall was fine if uneventful. I didn't dislike the opening stuff s much as Will or Childs, but I didn't like the closing portion as much either. Actually thought the finish didn't even connect on first watch, but I did like the rib breaker that set it up. I could live without ever seeing a bearhug spot again, but the one in the second fall was used as a vehicle for Rip to go to the thumb, bust open Billy and bump him to the floor so I can live with it. I did really like the stuff with Oliver keeping Billy Jack at bay on the floor as they worked it from a variety of different angles. I also really liked the finish with the tease of a Billy Jack comeback getting shot down by Rip's thumb/foreign object. Third fall was just a fight with Oliver getting busted open and Billy Jack going straight to it. Loved the chops to the face and Billy Jack biting the cut while applying the sleeperhold was great. I also thought Oliver took an awesome bump running through Billy's clothesline and the finishing fist fight was really good. Post-match was good stuff too. This match redeemed itself with the third fall. I wouldn't say this HAS to be on the set, but I do think it is good enough to make the set.

 

Billy Jack Interview.

 

Rip Oliver/Mike Miller/Ebony v. Bobby Jaggers/Billy Jack Haynes/Tom Pritchard - 2/3 Falls Don Owen wearing the hat pre-match was outstanding. I may back this making the set entirely based on that. Well that and Owen calling Ebony "The Black Terror." The crowd was really hot for this and I enjoyed the early rope running spot with Billy Jack/Rip, Tom Pritchard's spinkick and Bobby Jaggers really hamming it up. Pritchard was the right guy to go in peril and man does he hit the ropes hard as hell. He takes an assbeating, but what really stands out is that when he gets whipped he is going 100 miles per hour. I thought the finish to the first fall was actually pretty hot, if somewhat predictable. Second fall comes pretty quick and ends quicker off of a cross body from Billy Jack. Third fall sees Jaggers get busted open and an okay but short FIP. Pritchard gets the hot tag and works an 80's version of RVD gimmick based around random kicks of varying quality. Then all hell breaks loose and the heels steal the win. I liked this, but there is nothing about it that makes me feel like it should be on the set.

 

Billy Jack Haynes v. Rip Oliver Man I don't know. I know this gets thrown out and there isn't a finish at all really, but this was excellent up until that point, among the best things I've seen in Portland. Just great fire from the jump with Oliver slapping Billy Jack in the face as he tries to talk on the mic and the intensity never stops. Both guys bleed, the pace is great, there are some stiff lariats, Oliver crushes Billy Jack with a chair, the crowd is hot, the momentum changes are well done, hell Billy Jack even takes a few nice bumps to the floor. I also loved the way Oliver sold the full nelson attempts. Nagasaki run-in sucks because it ended the match, but for run-ins I at least thought it looked pretty violent. This is easily an EXTRA and in my view should be a nomination. I could see using a personal pick on this.

 

Ed Wiskowski v. Matt Borne I love the Polish Prince get up. I am a mark for Wiskowski and the early going had enough Big Ed tricks for me to enjoy it. Love the bumps, the big slam, the eye raking et. Borne took a good bump to the floor off the rib bump. Then he takes another huge splat bump on the floor, before coming back with some really nice punches. Loved the way Big Ed sold the boot shot in the corner too. Big Ed ends up getting some sick looking punches to the face, some more big bumps and a head cracker. Borne's punches are just excellent coming from underneath. I was starting to think "why the fuck did Will not nominate this?" and then the match ends on an uneventful draw with no near falls teases or anything. Well there's why. Shame too, because I really liked it up til that point.

 

Bobby Jaggers v. Rip Oliver - 2/3 Falls Rip ambushing Jaggers before the bell and pulling his jacket over his head to work in quick shots and steal a fall was awesome stuff. Love that kind of shit and his post fall posturing was great too. Second fall is Jaggers revenge and is a complete steamrolling. In principle I have no problem with this, but it went on way too long. Still Oliver sold all the damage well and all of Jagger shit looked good so it wasn't a total waste. Third fall starts off with Rip getting his ass kicked again, but he keeps fighting back with the thumb. All it really does though is buy him time as Jaggers keeps on cutting him down. Oliver's bumping and selling for the Jaggers spots are really great and the chinlock spot bridging to the floor and subsequent punch exchange was really great. This sort of resets and we get some more really good punch exchanges before this goes to a time limit draw. Will should at least watch this again because he missed the first fall, which is an important part of the story. I thought this was needlessly long but the work itself was good.

 

Kendo Nagasaki v. Mando Guerrero Short lived match, Billy Jack runs out and gets crazy with the kendo stick. This is followed up by an attack and a Billy Jack promo.