Posted January 17, 200817 yr comment_5427220 Larry & Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver (2/3 falls) (26:37) - I had reservations about this match because Larry is old as hell and Curt is green. However, when you look at the Axe, he looks like the strongest guy in there despite his age. He quickly disposes of Oliver after an Axe Bomber and elbow drop in the first fall. Second fall starts off with Larry abusing Buddy's hand and Rose's selling and facial expressions are great. Curt's ribs are taped and he looks really skinny. Curt stays in control until Oliver catches him off the ropes with a knee to the ribs which makes Curt your FIP. The heels wortk over Curt's ribs which is the obvious thing to do and use some nice offense to make him cry out in pain. One spot has Oliver slingshot Curt to the ropes, whip back and the ribs land on Oliver's knees in a spot I think I have seen Goldust use. Larry tries to save his kid but he is eventually pinned after Oliver rammed Curt's ribs into the ringpost and dumps him back inside. Third fall continues where it lef toff in the 2nd. This is the thing I love about these POrtland matches. If a story from an earlier fall can carry on effectively, they run with it instead of doing illogical things. Larry eventually comes in and cleans house, dishing out punishment and laying in the strikes. THere weren't too many pulled punches in this round. I guess to put over the devastating effect of the Axe Bomber, Rose blades after a Bomber sends him flying out of the ring. I guess the Axe was blowing up because he tags Curt back in sooner than he should have been. Curt takes control, and is also still selling the ribs which is a nice touch. OLiver ends up bringing in a chair, using it on Curt's ribs and getting the DQ. Man, it is difficult to omit almost any Buddy Rose match becasue the guy is that good. He made green Curt and over-the-hill LArry look like a million bucks. Another nomination. (Lynch Portland 7.1)
April 20, 201114 yr comment_5470176 More simple but effective wrestling storytelling here. They did a great job of establishing Papa Henning as a powerhouse by having him go over Oliver almost casually. But eventually, he had to turn things over to his scrawny kid with the taped ribs. And bang, the heels had their opening. Buddy and Rip did some nasty shit to Curt's midsection to set up the second fall and, as was the Portland way, carried their attack into the third. The crowd got its release when Larry finally tagged back in and cleaned house. Buddy did a great job putting over his offense. Props to Curt for continuing to sell the ribs when he re-entered. I didn't mind the DQ ending because I see they had another match the following week. Solid, smart stuff overall and another yes from me.
January 6, 201213 yr comment_5491820 Man Rose and Oliver were on fire here. They bumped huuuuuuge for the AXE. If I was Hennig I would have begged Verne to bring these guys in. Pretty much the heels work their asses off. Curt was good as FIP and the work on his ribs were choice. Overall some really strong work here.
July 13, 201213 yr comment_5510038 First fall was a total asskicking, steamrolling display from the Hennig's with both guys throwing a variety of stiff strikes that Buddy and Rip lept into and tumbled around for. I really liked the way the Axe turned up his elbow and hesitated just a second before dropping it to pick up the fall. Short, but explosive and fun. Second fall starts out really cool as you get a nice mix of crazed rope running spots where Hennig can show his speed and prowess, big shots from the Axe and a couple of huge Buddy bumps all while they work the arm. I really love the way they work limbs in Portland as it is usually fairly simple but also showcases a wide degree of variety. Hennig gets cut off with a knee to the taped gut and Rose follows up with a sweet slingshot/backbreaker combo. Heels offense is really quality as they target Hennig's injury with big impact spots and standard clubbering type stuff. Finish off the post shot was good stuff. Third fall didn't grab me quite as much out of the gate, but Larry's shots did look big and Buddy took another crazed bump on the apron and bled. Curt is fiery and fun on offense and Rip was good during this period and deserves credit as well. Loved Buddy getting bumped over and over keeping him off the apron. Match gets tossed when Oliver saves Buddy from a Curt beating via chairshot. Shame so many of these Portland matches have finishes of this sort because I think that is going to hurt a ton of them in the eyes of voters when we get to balloting. Still this was a really good match
