No DQ match, VQ is a little shaky, but this is way too good to leave out. Reed is such a beast, maybe had the best looking offense of any of the Watts power guys. Slater is great at bumping around too, and they have a spectacular double ref finish, although a DQ in a no-DQ match is some bullshit, still Tommy Gilbert does the Onryo ref spot which you have to love.

There is a much better VQ version of this on Brandon Bollom DVD #5 which is also complete

Butch Reed vs. Dick Slater (No DQ) (12/13/85) (Bollom 4)

- I’ll come back to this one as I couldn’t get into it for some reason.

No DQ for the North American Heavyweight Title: “Hacksaw” Butch Reed © vs. “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater (12/13/85)

 

Slater sends Dark Journey to the back before the match because he doesn’t want Reed to use any excuses if he loses. Reed would pound Slater with loads of soupbones early in the match with Slater selling like he was dying. Reed would chunk Slater over the top rope to the floor where he would pepper him with more soupbones then dropped him neckfirst on the railing. Reed would continue to work on Slater’s neck when he got back in the ring as he used a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Slater would turn the tide though using some nice boot scrapes before going to work on Reed’s left arm with an armbar then wrapping it around the ringpost. Slater was relentless working on the arm even using a steel chair in offense that Gene & Ole Anderson would be proud of. Slater would start firing punches and Reed tried to come back by using his right arm but Slater would take him back down trying to post his arm again but Reed would counter by posting Slater. Reed would slam Slater on the railing then started firing right hands before taking Slater down and wrapping his left arm around the ringpost. Reed would keep the pressure on Slater but met a knee when running into the corner. Slater climbs up top and gets caught in the running lights on the way down. Reed would hit a piledriver on Slater who would roll the apron to avoid getting pinned but Reed would bring him back in the ring and tried to piledrive him again but Slater would counter with a figure-four that Reed would counter out of with a right hand. Both men would collide heads with Slater falling to the floor and Dark Journey shows back up giving Slater some knux to use but when Slater rolls back in the ring Reed catches him and delivers a press slam. Reed would hit the diving shoulderblock for a nearfall with Slater getting his foot on the rope. Reed would throw another right hand that he hit so hard that he fell backwards and Slater would roll on him for a nearfall. Slater gets mad and then drops an elbow on Tommy Gilbert before using the knux on Reed a few times even off the top rope. Slater would roll on the bloody Reed and Carl Fergie comes out counting the fall but Gilbert tells Fergie not to count and they award the match to Reed because of the elbow drop on Gilbert in a bullshit finish considering this was no DQ. This was a fantastic match that the finish hurts a little bit but this should definitely move forward