Buddy v Adonis (we're back to Portland)

Buddy Rose v Adrian Adonis (Portland, 9/1/79)

It feels trite to even say it at this point, as you could say it for almost every single match Rose had in Portland from like 1977-1983, but this was yet another example of maybe the most versatile wrestler ever working a very different match than any he's worked before or after. It's pretty remarkable, and I know it was almost a necessity as he worked the same arena in front of the same crowd every week for nearly six years straight. But still, the creativity is astounding and he was clearly a guy who took immense pride in his craft. This ruled, of course. In a vacuum, taken in context, whatever you like - it was a badass wrestling match. They start real tentatively, or at least Rose does as he really doesn't want to engage in a fight. He backs up, slithers out the ring, slithers in, backs up again, bumps into Sandy Barr who shoves him away, and with every passing second the anticipation builds for him finally being popped in the mouth. Rose takes his first huge bump off a gorilla press slam, which is pretty wild considering the fact he's hardly a cruiserweight, but then Adonis crashes and burns on a missed splash and Buddy goes for the kill. He takes the first fall with a quick string of offence, everything targeted on the midsection, with a big gutbuster, a couple mean double stomps and a roll up. In very Portland fashion that continues into the second fall and I loved Rose staying on the midsection with a fucking stomach claw. That move isn't always the most compelling, but he went after it like he was trying to wring out a dishcloth and Adonis sold it like his spleen was being squished like Plasticine. When Adonis makes his comeback there's a great bit on the floor where Rose tries to run away only to be sunset flipped, and I love Sandy Barr making the count outside the ring just because. He would always do random shit like that and the people always popped huge for it. Adonis taking the return fall with the spinning toe hold bleeds into the third fall and obviously Rose sells the leg like death after hitting the Billy Robinson backbreaker. By the end they both literally try to rip each other's eyeball out and this was some of the nastiest eye-gouging you'll see. Even the DQ finish ruled, with Rose grabbing a pen that someone had chucked at him and stabbing Adonis in the eye with it! I remembered this being awesome and I can happily report I was not wrong.