Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000171 EndHTML:0000006152 StartFragment:0000002358 EndFragment:0000006116 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/djackson/Documents/portland.doc 12/3/88-1/7/89 Disc 2

 

 

 

Art Barr vs. Matt Borne – The story of the match was that Barr kept surprising Borne with how game he was. Borne flashed the best offense I’ve seen on Portland TV in a long time, including a nasty short clothesline. He threw Barr over the top rope while the ref was momentarily knocked down. Then Barr got DQed for a receipt toss over the top. Good match but too brief to reach nomination territory.

 

 

 

Col. DeBeers vs. Mike Golden - This was a South African boot camp match, the rules of which the awful announcer could not grasp at all. He was so bad that he really took away from the match, which wasn’t that good anyway. Wiskowski had definitely lost a step.

 

 

 

Tatsumi Fujinami vs. The Grappler – This appeared to be headed for a whole other level than your typical 1988 Portland. But of course, the bastards only showed a few minutes before cutting to a pointless interview and ending the episode. Man, fuck this promotion!

 

 

 

The Southern Rockers vs. Abudda Dein & Matt Borne – Really effective dynamic here with the mobile, spunky Rockers against the rugged, methodical heel team. It’s a treat to have Borne back. Everything he did looked so nasty. I loved his basic forearms and little shots to the ribs. After a back-and-forth opening, Doll spent a long stretch in peril, with Dein and Borne trapping him in their corner. Peterson eventually made the hot tag and beat Dein with a clothesline off the top. Match could’ve used a more intricate finishing stretch, but I enjoyed Borne enough to give it a mild nomination.

 

 

 

Al Madril vs. Rex King – Decent little match. Madril did his usual stooging routine at the start before taking over for the body of the match. I like the way he forced the babyface out of the ring and then knocked him off the apron repeatedly. King got in a rally, with Madril taking some nice bumps. But the youngster missed a move, setting Madril up to put him away with a flying back elbow. This needed a little more time or a little more sense that King could win for it to deserve set consideration.

 

 

 

Killer Carl Styles vs. Scott Peterson – This went to a double countout with Styles holding Peterson in a full nelson on the outside. Nothing terrible but nothing special.

 

 

 

Mike Golden vs. Col DeBeers – This was better than their boot camp match, because they mostly stood in the middle of the ring and blasted each other. The match turned when Golden crotched himself. DeBeers rolled him up and pinned him with a hand on the rope. This could’ve become something good but ended too abruptly.

 

 

 

Buddy Rose & The Grappler vs. Top Gun & Art Barr – Nice intensity in the first fall but it ended abruptly when the Grappler attacked Sandy Barr. And then the disc ended.

Top Gun/Fujinami pro. Fujinami just standing around cross armed in the background looked ominous.

 

Hey look, a Superclash III update with Lee Marshall!

 

Art Barr v. Matt Borne

 

Fun little sprint with some good offense. I assume the Barr DQ was to set up a program. I also liked Borne's heeling in this. But this did need at least three or four more minutes to be worth serious consideration.

 

Basically every heel on the roster cuts a promo at this point. The best was Borne's FWIW.

 

Col. Debeers v. Mike Golden - Boot Camp Match

 

It's being called a Boot Camp Match, but it's actually Capture The Flag. I liked this a lot more than Childs, but I'm a Wiskowski mark. This had plenty of good Debeers offense from the more deliberate heel stuff, to the bigger offense. Debeers took a couple of huge bumps in this too, including a face plant off the top and another big one in the ropes. Golden gets to the flag first and gets knocked down off the top to the floor and then the finish is just bizarre and makes no sense. Post-match Barr makes the save as the Col. tries to tear up the American Flag. I can't see nominating this, but I did enjoy it for what it was.

 

Art Barr promo. He was born and raised the American Way!

 

The Grappler v. Tatsumi Fujinami

 

We're going to have to break away from this match because we have a special interview! Ha. What the fuck. If I heard that shit as a viewer in 88 that would be it for me. I'd never watch an episode again.

 

Borne/Dien/Styles promo. Who gives a fuck.

 

Southern Rockers v. Abudda Dien/Matt Borne - No DQ

 

Man Peterson is just awkward as fuck. Everything he does looks a step behind everyone else. Still Borne looked really good here. His offense was really good and he managed to make himself look vulnerable, without losing any of the toughness he was projecting. Dien had a nice looking back suplex and the one he dropped on Doll to start the FIP looked sufficiently brutal and was sold well. Borne following up with the press slam hot shot and taunting was good shit. I also really loved the way he would hit a big spot and then follow it up with some douchebag cover.

 

This felt like a WWE house show No DQ match as the big spots in that regard were a toss over the top rope and a single chairshot, but they were worked to good effect. Loved the double team spot off the top and the big double clothesline that led to the hot tag. Finish felt out of nowhere, but at least it was a clean Peterson spot that did Dien in. Good match. I back the nomination. Aside from maybe the Top Gun v. Buddy Rose match this is the best Portland match I've seen from this era.

 

Al Madril v. Rex King

 

I liked the opening to this a lot with Madril getting dropkicked to the floor after trying to roughhouse King. Madril as a heel here is actually shockingly good. He's not outstanding or anything, but Madril is not someone I have ever given a fuck about and I liked the way he put over King's offense and came across as super annoyed by the crowd. I also liked the deliberate nature of Madril's offense with the big fist to the nose, choking, neck snaps, et. Nothing flashy, but the right stuff for a heel who is working as "veteran overmatched by up and comer." King's comeback was solid and Madril actually brought some pretty big bumps on it. King makes a run, but Madril ducks on a crossbody and hits a huge spinning back elbow for the fall. I liked this enough to nominate it, but if Childs is a no, I can't see Will giving this a Yes.

 

Top Gun/Grappler face off and the Southern Rockers intevene at the Crow's Nest.

 

Carl Styles v. Scott Peterson

 

I assumed this would be a disaster. This was actually not bad. Peterson's stuff looked unusually coordinated and the contrast between him and the strong man act of Styles gave the match a theme to work with. The stuff with the full nelson on the floor was surprisingly effective. The finish was kind of silly, but this was actually decent.

 

Al Madril promo. Grappler/Dien promo.

 

Col. Debeers v. Mike Golden

 

The absolute best thing about Portland during the period besides Don Owen are those weird moments when someone's theme is blaring and someone else is strutting around awkwardly to it. Here it was Debeers goosestepping to "Put Me In Coach" or whatever the fuck the name of that song is. I enjoyed this, but it was awfully back and forth. Both guys did hit some good offense though and Debeers busted out some entertaining bumps. Golden loved to take that crotch bump and I didn't have the problem with this Childs did. Still I don't even think I liked it as much as their other match and I didn't nominate that.

 

Top Gun promo. Southern Rockers promo.

 

Buddy Rose/The Grappler v. Art Barr/Top Gun

 

First fall only which was fun and looked to be building to a pretty good match. Shame.