Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot vs Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver - PNW - 15/11/1980

NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match: Jay Youngblood & Joe Lightfoot (c) vs. Buddy Rose & Rip Oliver - PNW - 15/11/1980

Buddy Rose not having his bleach blonde hair is a shock to my system. But less about that, this is a terrific match. Rip Oliver and Buddy Rose were terrific in the classic heel role with Jay Youngblood, who did most of the heavy lifting, sold for them and created tons of heat from the crowd. And this was done over 3 falls, making that task much harder to complete, so credit to them. Rip Oliver and Jay Youngblood start the first fall with Youngblood taking Rip over with an armdrag and persisting with the hammerlock before Lightwood follows up with arm drags of his own. The champions start strong, embarrassing the challengers, besting them with quick moves that they can’t deal with, forcing them to slow down the match and cut off the momentum. And from there, the fall was theirs. Rose dropped Youngblood with a backdrop and Rip Olivier smothered him with headlocks, working to a tag which never came. Youngblood succumbed to a series of sick backbreakers to lose the first fall. Jay Youngblood returns from the back all gingerly and in agony due to the finish of the previous fall but stays in the match opposite to Rose while the fans get behind him, chanting “Indian Power”. Rose loses a brief exchange but regains the advantage with a pummeling right hand. Rip comes in and goes to the back once more, applying a lengthy bearhug. It was used quite effectively to build more sympathy for Youngblood and build to the tag once more but Rose kept playing tricks to prevent Youngblood escaping Oliver’s grasp, which drew the ire of Lightfoot, who would then come in and that would lead to the obvious. Youngblood keeps on fighting and fighting until he’s finally able to tag Lightfoot in for a while hot tag that is short but effective, as it allows Youngblood to pin Rose with a diving elbow to equalise the match. Lightfoot must not be very good as Youngblood stays in for the start of the third fall, also. But he’s a great cheerleader, at least. Rose, pissed at the last result, throws Youngblood outside where Rip Oliver posts him back first. The same tricks don’t work however and Youngblood is able to get a quick tag to Lightfoot as the 30 minute time limit looms. The match structure is thrown for a loop as both teams are fighting with no regard for the rules. Youngblood beats the heck out of Rose while Rip Oliver beats on Lightfoot before the bell rings. The champions retain but it’s more about getting blood at this point as the champions persist in their assaults before it finally simmers down. ****1/4