Tag: Portland wrestling

Portland Wrestlecast: Don Owen and the WON HOF, Carl Styles part two

Posted on by Jim Valley

**Editor’s Note: This is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

On this week’s Portland Wrestlecast, I look at how longtime Portland booker Don Owen came within just two votes from being inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. I’m still shocked, but we have to talk about the 2019 “campaign” that was anything but and what to do next year to get him inducted.

We then transition to part two of my interview with Carl Styles, the centerpiece of some very entertaining booking by Len Denton and Roddy Piper that wasn’t what Portland fans were used to back in 1989.

We talk about Piper, The Grappler, “Beetlegeuse” Art Barr, and Billy Jack Haynes who had returned to Owen and Portland Wrestling after his short-lived Oregon Wrestling Federation went out of business. The booking in Portland had changed and Styles was right in the middle of it. You can also help Styles pay for some medical bills via his GoFundMe page.

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Portland Wrestlecast: The night Art Barr broke John Rambo’s face

Posted on by Jim Valley

Editor’s Note: This is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

On this episode of the Portland WrestleCast, wrestler and trainer John Rambo tells the story of the infamous night in 1994 when Art Barr, who was working in Mexico as American Love Machine at the time, came back to work a match with him. Instead of a worked pro wrestling match, John found himself on the receiving end of an intentional stiff shot that literally broke his face.

Hear why this happened and the history that led to one of the most notorious incidents in Pacific Northwest history.

John worked for Don Owen during the last days of the promotion and the Portland Wrestling TV show. He talks about the talent in the territory at the time like Billy Jack Haynes, “The Equalizer” Dave Sullivan, The Grappler, Buddy Rose, The Bruise Brothers, Scott Norton, Bryan “Crush” Adams, Bart Sawyer, Al Madril, and more.

Check out the archives for more compelling stories on the Portland Wrestlecast. 

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Portland Wrestlecast: The legendary Roddy Piper-Buddy Rose feud

Posted on by Jim Valley

Roddy Piper once told me that his feud with Buddy Rose in Portland made both men. And when Piper turned babyface and went after Rose, it set Portland and the Pacific Northwest on fire.

On this edition of the Portland Wrestlecast, I’ll take you through the botched finished that started it all the way to the loser leaves town match that sent Piper packing and across the country to Jim Crockett Promotions. We’ll detail the passionate promos, the series of hair matches that shaved the heads of most wrestlers in the territory at the time and led to Portland’s biggest blowoff and biggest feud ever when Piper vanquished his foe and, even worse, shaved off the golden locks of the “Playboy”.

Enjoy this look at the Piper-Rose feud on the podcast that takes you inside the history of the Portland, OR, wrestling territory.

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Portland Wrestlecast: Mike Rodgers on 30 years of Pacific Northwest history

Posted on by Jim Valley

Fresh off last week’s Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in Las Vegas, I talk with this year’s recipient of the James Melby Award, Mike Rodgers.

The Melby goes to the pre-eminent journalists in wrestling and our Dave Meltzer won it two years ago. For 30 years, Mike wrote “Ring Around the Northwest”, a wrestling newsletter focused on the Pacific Northwest. 

In this week’s episode of the Wrestlecast, Mike and I talk about his early fandom in the 60s and wrestlers like Lonnie Mayne and “Tough” Tony Borne, including their famous match at the the Portland Memorial Coliseum that drew 8,000 fans. We move onto the 1970s and talk about Beauregard, The Claw, Bull Ramos, Jesse Ventura, Gino Hernandez and the debut of “Playboy” Buddy Rose.

From there, we talk about Portland stars in the 1980s and 90s like Billy Jack, Rip Oliver, The Grappler and much more.

We cover lots of history and great memories in this episode. 

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Portland Wrestlecast: ‘Golden Boy’ Jerry Grey on 1980s wrestling politics

Posted on by Jim Valley

The mid 1980s were a transitional time for Portland Wrestling as established stars like Billy Jack Haynes, Rip Oliver, and Buddy Rose were in and out of the territory.

Former wrestler Jerry Grey was there and seemingly caught in the middle of a political game between Billy, Rip, and Buddy. With Buddy reportedly going into the Legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, Jerry joins this week’s Wrestlecast to tell stories about “Playboy” during this period of Portland wrestling, what the crowds were like, and how fans reacted to wrestlers like Bobby Jaggers, “Mean” Mike Miller, and Ricky Vaughn (better known as Lance Von Erich) on top of the cards.

1985 was also the year of the first WrestleMania, so find out what it was like to be a territory wrestler in this era. 

Please consider helping with Jerry’s medical expenses as he battles stage 4 colon cancer.

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Portland Wrestlecast: Doug Masters on the end of Portland TV

Posted on by Jim Valley

You may not know former pro wrestler Doug Masters, but he worked for Portland Wrestling during the time period you probably know best (1990-91) and was part of the last Portland Wrestling television show in 1991.

In this episode of the Portland Wrestlecast, Masters talks about getting his nickname “Pretty Boy” from Roddy Piper and working with Raven, The Grappler, The Equalizer, Nord the Barbarian, “Crush” Bryan Adams, and more stars from the last days of the territory.

Masters lived at The Bomber, the infamous long-term hotel where many Portland wrestlers stayed. What was the party scene like as the territory was drying up? Masters talks about that too.

He’s a strong personality that can only be found in the world of pro wrestling, and tells some fun stories about what it was like to be a wrestler at the end of the territory era. 

Click below to listen: 

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Portland Wrestlecast: The legend of Tom and Gloria Peterson

Posted on by Jim Valley

Editor’s Note: This is a free edition of the show. No subscription needed!

With catchphrases like “Wake Up!” and his famous flat-top haircut, Tom Peterson as synonymous with Portland Wrestling as Buddy Rose or Don Owen.

Tom and Gloria Peterson sponsored Portland Wrestling for almost 25 years. With the recent passing of Gloria at the age of 89, I look back on the legacy of two Portland legends on the latest Portland Wrestlecast, a weekly show focused on the Portland, OR, territory.

First, we talk with historian and Portland native Rich Patterson about what made Tom and Gloria such local icons. Then, Portland Wrestling announcer Don Coss talks about his personal relationship with the duo.

There were a couple of nights where things got crazy during interviews and Tom’s merchandise was destroyed. One night, Tom turned lemons into lemonade, while on another night, he got legitimately angry and got revenge.

If you grew up in Portland, you will undoubtedly want to listen to this show that honors two icons of the city and Portland Wrestling.

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