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