Posted April 30, 201015 yr comment_5450263 Volume 09 April-July 1983 DISC 1 01. Curt Hennig vs. Ali Hassan (Death Match) 1983/04/30 - Weird stipulation here. Each guy has his hands tied to a corner and the first one who escapes can attack their helpless opponent. Looks like Hassan breaks free first but Hennig punches him so they both basically escaped at the same time. Well, that was useless. Hennig is showing some fire here exchanging headlocks with blatant chokes. Well it’s anything goes so that helps. It picks up on the outside with Hassan getting busted open. However, Hennig misses a flying body press, Hassan hits a neckbreaker (looked kinda weird) and picks up the fall. 2nd fall starts and Hassan is in control. He looks fucking sick with the blood pouring down his face. Nice sequence as Hassan hits a couple of blatant low blows and to reinforce the rules, Hennig hits his own low blow and an atomic drop that sends Hassan flying over the top rope. Damn, these two are fucking battling. The best I have seen either guy. Hennig earns bonus points by punching Hassan and attacking the cut. Shit, time limit draw as the show is about to end. Hennig does an interview afterwards. Shit, not happy with the end result but this was too fun not to nominate. 02. Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose - 1983/05/14 - Fuck, I really like this Curt Hennig. He is not afraid to cheat. 1st the Hassan match and now choking Rose with the ring ropes. He tries to work the neck of Rose but Rose takes out the leg and works it over. In fact, right as the match started, Rose tried to attack the leg. Two great ref bumps in this match. First, Buddy kicks out of a pin that throws Hennig on the ref, tries to drop an elbow and knocks the ref instead. Then as Rose is trying to revive the ref, Hennig hits a missile dropkick that takes out the ref. This leads to a cool fucking sequence where Hennig gets busted open, Rose cheats like a motherfucker and Hennig’s head gets stuck in the ropes. This was really fun but not a nomination. Goes on the Rose comp though. Rip Oliver & Assassin Interview when Buddy Rose interrupts. EXTRA 03. Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose - 1983/05/28 Little game of one-upmanship to begin. Oh fuck, Hennig goes for a monkey flip, Rose cartwheels out only to showboat and get caught with Hennig doing a Kobashi roll (don’t know the name) for the 1st fall. 1st fall was short but fun. 2nd fall, they battle over a backslide which Hennig eventually gets for two. Rose is getting frustrated at Hennig outsmarting him. Rose starts stalling and even leaves the ring to jaw with some fans. Hennig works the headlock and gets a couple of 2 counts out of it. Rose is hurting but kills the momentum with a backdrop suplex. However, Hennig regains control and goes back to the headlock. I guess Harley Race is supposed to be the king of working headlocks but Rose has made it work in two matches so far… this one and the Regal match. Rose finally gets control with an atomic drop and brings the punishment. Fuck Bruiser Brody, Rose has some wicked knee drops. Rose puts Hennig on the top rope but Hennig knocks Rose off and connects with the elbow drop. The fall ends ends with a pinning sequence cooler than anything that Dean Malenko has ever put together. Billy Jack Haynes Interview 3rd fall, Rose starts with his back work which I always mark out for… butt drop, body drop, knees to the back, all good, setting up the back breaker but Hennig kicks out. Back and forth down the stretch with Rose getting the pin with a handful of tights. Hennig, the crowd and Billy Jack Haynes all complain about the tights so the ref changes his mind and rips the belt from Rose and gives it back to Hennig. WTF? What is this, Texas? I didn’t know that Hennig was a member of the Von Erichs? Rose with rightful indignation in the Crow's Nest. Well, Rose getting robbed leaves a bad taste in your mouth but the match fucking ruled. Probably the best singles Hennig match I have ever seen. Better than the hour long Bock match. Better than the Bret Hart match. This ruled but the end is annoying. 04. Billy Jack - Rip Oliver Weightlifting Contest - 1983/04/28 - EXTRA Buddy Rose Interview - Rose introduces Dynamite Kid coming to Portland. Rip & Assassin interrupt. Rip is upset that Rose took DK out from under him when Rip was looking for the next member of the Clan. 05. Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Curt Hennig & Billy Jack - 1983/06/04 - Both teams work in and out of hammerlocks and armbars to start off. Billy Jack injures his belly on a phantom punch and the heels take over, pounding the abdomen area. Nice double teams from the heels. After an Ole Anderson knee from Rip onto Billy Jack’s arm, they go to work on the arm and Billy is FIP. Hennig gets the hot tag but it did his team no good because Assassin takes him out with a jumping knee. Good enough for the govt. Buddy Rose Interview / Rip Oliver & Assassin Interview. 2nd fall, the heels attack Hennig’s throat by dropping him on the top rope. Hennig tries to make the hot tag but keeps getting cut off. Eventually Haynes makes the tag and takes control for a short time but then he gets double-teamed. This is a case where the heels clearly look like a well-oiled machine while the faces look like two stars thrown together. Nice spot where Assassin has Haynes in the bearhug while Oliver comes off the rope with a knee in the back. End comes when Assassin has Haynes on his shoulders but Billy Jack escapes and locks in the full-nelson for the submission. 3rd fall, Haynes locks in the headlock but Oliver hits a suplex and both guys tag out to their partners. Hennig takes control and tries to put Assassin away. Hennig goes to the top but is pushed off by Buddy Rose. Assassin tries to go for the pin but the ref saw the push and ends the match. Eh, decent tag but the 3rd fall was nothing and besides the cool double team spot I mentioned, nothing I'll really remember three years down the road when we end up doing this set. Portland Wrestling News Feature - EXTRA Buddy Rose & Dynamite Kid Interview - Lead in to 6/11/83 Match DISC 2 06. Buddy Rose & Dynamite Kid vs. Curt Hennig & Billy Jack Haynes – 6/11/83 - Early on, I thought that DK & Hennig was much more interesting than DK-TM. DK & Rose take turns punishing Hennig throughout the fall. Haynes comes in and looks good against Dynamite. However, DK nails him with a missile dropkick and follows it up with a piledriver to take the 1st fall. 2nd fall and DK puts Haynes in the headlock. A little boring but not a deal breaker. Rose tags in and he continues the headlockery. Things pick up with the heels dishing out more pain on Billy Jack. Haynes plays FIP , and in one hope spot, picks up Rose on his shoulders, carries him to the corner but the ref was distracted and even though he got the pin, the ref doesn’t allow it. Good stuff there. Hennig gets the tag finally, hits a big missile dropkick on Rose and scores the pin for the 2nd fall. Rip Oliver & Assassin interview 3rd fall, Hennig is feeling good and works Rose over with a leg scissors and then a headlock. Rose and Hennig working is much more interesting than the DK-Hennig spots. Oops, spoke too soon, DK tags in and gets the Hennig headlock. Nice ending as Haynes and Rose get tagged in. Haynes does a reverse muscle buster to set up a full nelson. Rose escapes and holds Haynes for a DK missile but Dk hits Rose instead and Haynes gets the pin. I like how all three falls play on the same theme. There were good parts in all 3 falls with some lulls in action as well that bring it down a bit. After the match, DK and Rose fight, Oliver and Assassin come in and Rose thinks they are going to help them. Instead, they all attack Rose and Rose is busted open. I’ll nominate the match but the lead in to the face turn has to be on the set! If not the entire match then as an EXTRA. Billy Jack Haynes Interview Buddy Rose Bloody Interview - EXTRA 07. Rip Oliver & The Assassin vs. Curt Hennig & Billy Jack Haynes 6/18/83 - 1st fall, after awhile, the heels work over the ribs of Haynes. However, he gets the tag and Hennig cleans house. However, he doesn't far much better and gets pinned by a Rip Oliver shoulder breaker. Buddy Rose Interview and he gets attacked by the Clan. EXTRA 2nd fall, the Clan works over Hennig’s arm but Hennig works in some hope spots. I am actually really enjoying this fall. Like I had mentioned previously, the heels are working so well together as a team as opposed to two singles guys teaming up. Both faces get their ass kicked but Assassin comes off the top with a corss body and Hennig rolls through to get the pin. 3rd fall, the Clan go back to working on Hennig’s arm. Oliver keeps him an armbar a little too long to my liking but I can see where they are going. Eventually, Haynes gets the tag, locks in the Full Nelson but DK runs in for the DQ. Rose comes running in and makes the save for the faces and the crowd goes batshit and the face turn is complete. I’ll nominate it to see if it goes on but the last fall can definitely go on as an extra for the Rose face turn if it gets dropped. 08. Rip Oliver & The Assassin & Dynamite Kid vs. Curt Hennig & Billy Jack & Buddy Rose 6/25/83 - Faces get the early shine working on the heels with arm drags and arm bars. Maybe because Buddy Rose is the one of the greatest heels ever, his face act is a little forced but he looks great in the first fall against Assassin and Dynamite. However, because of his expressions, Rose does make a good FIP. Haaynes and Hennig come in and Hennig eventually takes the first fall with little fanfare. 2nd fall, Hennig tries to stay in control but the heels eventually take over, taking turns beating on Hennig. He escapes and then Billy Jack takes some punishment. However, he arm tosses Dynamite in a pretty good feat of strength. He tags out to Rose but the faces make the mistake of tagging Hennig in again. Hennig gets caught in a Dynamite tombstone, and as Rose tries to prevent the move, the ref blocks him and the Clan ehlp DK give a spike Tombstone. Hennig plays up an injury angle and the post-match ending is really cool as well. Nomination. 09. Curt Hennig vs. The Assassin [partial] – 7/2/83 - This was more of an angle setting up the Coal Miner’s Glove Match. 10. Coal Miners Glove Match: Curt Hennig vs. The Assassin – 7/9/83 - Hennig's punches here look pretty good and Assassin is selling well enough. Simple plan of both guys trying to climb the pole for the glove and getting cut off. Curt gets bloodies up on the outside. These guys are really just punching the shit out of each other. No real match besides that except the attempts to grab the glove. Hennig grabs the glove, swings, misses,, gets caught in an atomic drop and does a fruity bump. He eventually knocks Assassin out with the glove. That Hennig bump really kind of bothered me. The rest of the match was fun enough even though there wasn’t much substance. Nomination because I had fun watching it but not because it is a good match. 11. Buddy Rose - Rip Oliver Confrontation – 7/9/83 - Buddy and Rip have a chair swinging festival.
