Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1983)
Fast paced action of professional Jack, McGee, Chief, w An estimated crowd of 600 braved near freezing temperatures Saturday night to make their way to the Portland Sports Arena for a truely “big time” evening of professional wrestling. The main event pitted Rip Oliver and his “Clan” (the Assasin and the Dynamite Kid) versus the darling of the northwest, Billy Jack, and his partners Chief Juls Strongbow and “Irish” Pat McGee. The match was yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of Billy Jack and Rip Oliver, one of the fiercest rivalries in all of professional sports to day. Oliver, the holder of the Pacific Coast championship belt and self proclaimed “Crippier”, had set the stage earlier in the week by cutting up Jack in a “bull rope match.” As the late, great “Moondog” Lonny Mayne would have said, “there was excitement in the air!” The event had all the makings of one of the great matches in Northwest history. It did not disappoint, as all six men were in the ring when the match was decided. The “good guys” opened match sticking to their game plan making a series of quick tags hopin, break the rhythm of The Clan. The i tics were extremely effective in opening minutes. However, o Oliver’s team was able to slow tl counterparts, The Clan gained control and recorded the first fall. It looked bleek for the challenj during the second fall as The Clan c tinued to run rough-shot over their ponents. Some of the partisan cro feared an early exit, as two strai falls looked like reality. Referee Sandy Barr had his hai full trying to maintain or< throughout the match. During the cond fall Barr showed why he is c sidered to be one of the top officials the West Coast. While Barr was b clearing the ring of Strongbow ; McGee, Oliver and the Dynamite 1 took the opportunity to enter the r to triple-team Billy Jack. B< recognizing the foul play, immediat disqualified The Clan and awarded OUCH—Action got a little hairy in the semi-main event. Matt Bourne (bottom) won the match over the veteran Alberto Madril. Referee Sandy Barr looks on. DOUBLE TEAMING—Billy Jack (center) holds the Assasin as “Irish” I defeated the Assassin, Rip Oliver, |and the Dynamite Kid in a six man ta Fans carry on Northwest tr Taking in my first night of live professional wrestling in the Portland Sports Arena after nine years of devoted televi sion viewing was truly a treat. I do not care how many mat ches you have watched on the tube, there is nothing that can match the excitement of live wrestling action. I’ve seen the greats and not so greats come and go, and come again. The likes of Jimmy Snuka, Don Leo John athan, Ripper Collins, Lord Johnathan Boyd, Lonny Mayne, Shag Thomas, Gene Koniski, Jesse Ventura, Bull Ramos, Dutch Savage, and the list goes on. There were the preliminary men, never paid the big bucks, but nonetheless truly devoted to the sport. Hara Sasakki, the Calipso Kid, Matti Suzuki, and Johnnie Eagles, obscure names yes, but Portland Wrestling could not have survived without them. BOTTOMS UP—Alberto Madril sets Milwaukie’s Matt Borne for an atomic drop. Yes, it has been a long time since I watched my first match on “Big Time Wrestling,” a coal miners glove match between Dutch Savage a fan ever since. While at the match tune of meeting two you! lot of myself and my yo Two brothers, Ricky, 10 professional wrestling m Boys will be boys, their skills, pretending to Rose, I’m sure. Ricky si wrestler someday, while] attitude I had, “No, I’m When it comes to fi agree they are partial to 1 ironic that Rich and I li favorite” knew how to u
