Tag: rip oliver

Rip Oliver passes away at 67 years old

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Rip Oliver, a Pacific Northwest wrestling legend who held that area’s Heavyweight title more times than anyone in history, passed away today at the age of 67.

Born Lawrence Richard Oliver on October 6, 1952, he had entered hospice care due to heart failure more than a week ago and had been in weakened health for some time after multiple heart attacks.

Oliver came from Florida, and worked as a prelim wrestler before arriving in Oregon in August 1980 as Rip “The Crippler” Oliver. He and Buddy Rose were the area’s top heels until Rose turned babyface after being turned on by The Clan, which at the time was Oliver, Dynamite Kid, and The Assassin (Dave Sierra).

As the head of the heel clan, Oliver carried the territory as its top star through 1987, although he did work in Texas for a period in 1984-85, as well as doing tours of Japan under a mask as The Gestapo.

He held the Pacific Northwest singles title a record 12 times, along with 18 reigns as tag team champion during his heyday, which ended when going to the WWF in 1987. He was not pushed and quit the promotion after only a few months, but in being portrayed as a jobber on WWF television, which aired in Oregon and Washington, it made it impossible for him to be pushed as a top guy in the Northwest, with Lynn “The Grappler” Denton taking over as booker and top heel.

During his short WWF run, Oliver, under a mask as Super Ninja, lost a quick squash to The Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental title on a Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Oliver worked in the logging industry in the Northwest after his career ended in 1991 when Don Owen closed the promotion. His son, Larry Oliver Jr. started wrestling in the Northwest in 1990.

Portland Wrestlecast free show: Rip Oliver’s big 1980s run

Posted on by Jim Valley

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

When fans talk about Portland Wrestling in the 1980s, Rip Oliver is one of the first names that come to mind.

In a podcast scheduled before this week’s announcement of Oliver going into hospice care, myself and historian Rich Patterson talk about Oliver’s mid-1980s run in the Pacific Northwest as the territory’s top heel.

From his debut in 1980 as the right hand man in Buddy Rose’s Army to establishing his own heel group “The Clan,” Rich and I discuss his legendary feud with Billy Jack Haynes, his infamous “Carry Out Service” stretcher, his taped thumb, how he fit so well in the territory, and why fans in the Northwest loved to hate him.

If you want to learn more about Rip and his Pacific Northwest career, this conversation will help you understand why he is so special to the region and its history.

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Pacific Northwest star Rip Oliver enters hospice care

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Larry Richard “Rip” Oliver, 67, who was the top star in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 1980s, has entered hospice care due to end-stage heart failure.

Oliver has suffered several heart attacks in recent years and his condition worsened in recent months. Oliver holds the record with 12 reigns as Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion, one more than Buddy Rose, between 1982 and 1991.

Oliver started his career in 1976, as a prelim wrestler Rick Oliver, working around the Southeast. Originally from Florida, although most associate him with Oregon. He arrived in the Pacific Northwest in August 1980 for the first real push of his career. He was linked up with Rose, who had been the area’s top star for several years. He formed a heel group called The Clan, and ended up turning on Rose in 1982, making Rose a babyface. He was the top star in the territory for the next three years, until leaving for Texas.

He returned to Oregon as the top star until signing with WWF in August 1987.

He only had a short run there and returned to Oregon and wrestled for Don Owen until he closed the promotion at the end of 1991

At the end he worked as a babyface when his son, Larry Oliver, got started.