The Portland area produced some fantastic pro wrestling in the 1980’s. I never had access to this action when it was first aired, but I get to enjoy it now through the magic of technology — and thanks to the fellas who taped these great matches, held onto them for several decades, and now share them with the rest of us online. THANKS to whoever preserved these old masterpieces!
What I enjoy about these old Portland wrestling videos — even though the image is understandably grainy and blurry after all these years — is the excellent ring psychology. In this classic Face-in-Peril Tag Team match (available on YouTube), Steve Regal in his sunny yellow gear is presented as the Over-Whelmed Hero — utterly rough-necked by a pair of big freakish brutes: Rip Oliver and the masked Destroyer. Regal’s partner Matt Borne watches angrily as his partner suffers.
Every move is choreographed to send the message that the villains are bigger than Regal, more aggressive than Regal, and far more eager to lie, cheat, and steal to gain the advantage. Even his yellow gear makes him seem weaker and softer. Check out Regal in the above photos, his arms stretched back like he’s hanging on the cross, leaving his vulnerable mid-section wide open for abuse. YES — THAT is how to be a jobber!
And the bad guys definitely target Regal’s belly — dropping his gut across their bent knees, kicking and punching his stomach as the other villain restrains his arms. I don’t usually get off on gut punching (which I realize many dudes do) but damn, when skinny-boy Regal is the punchee, doubled over puffing out his cheeks after yet another blow to the breadbasket by the big ugly Trolls, it makes me very nostalgic for much more classic style abuse and torture. These vicious Heels don’t skimp on the Double-Team maneuvers either, I love that shit! I believe that the best ref is a clueless ref, and the official in this match might as well be wearing a blindfold.
Somebody must’ve told Regal: “When those big ogres start really punishing you, don’t fight back at all. Just act like a Raggedy Ann doll and let your body go limp and motionless.” Thanks, by the way, to whoever taught Regal to act submissive and helpless like that. He gives us a Master Class in selling.
Nowadays, it seems the Baby-Face wrestlers are unwilling to look foolish, to fall for a trick, to play the clown. The modern Hero never risks losing fan support by appearing gullible or out-smarted. But in the 80’s, heroes like Regal were a bit stupid — susceptible to every trick in the book. When Destroyer grabs Regal’s hair to slam his face into the corner turnbuckle, Regal obediently follows along, allowing himself to be knocked silly by the Face Spiking. A modern Baby-Face would’ve blocked it and reversed it to show us how clever he is.
What Regal understood (and what many modern Baby-Faces don’t grasp) is that we prefer our Heroes to be vulnerable and gullible, we like them to be physically and mentally out-matched. To see the Good Guy out-smarted and made to suffer for his foolish errors made us love him and cheer for him all the more, because we’ve all made mistakes and were humiliated as a result. Today, the Hero always figures out the trick and wisely avoids it — which is admirable, but not relateable for the viewers — and being relatable to the fans is the key to being a superb Baby-Face.
Regal was ahead of his time by the way he worked with the camera-man to put his body on display, to sprawl out and show himself for our viewing pleasure. This savvy partnership with the camera that Regal and others innovated in the 1980s is still used today by the top Faces in wrestling.
All good things must come to an end, and Regal eventually tags in Matt Borne — who is presented as the dominant ass-kicking partner. He goes toe-to-toe with both Heels (making Regal seem like an even bigger pussy by comparison.)
Buddy Rose, the biggest bastard in Portland, jumps up on the ring apron to interfere. Borne catapults the Grappler into Rose, and the Heels all fall down. The Baby-Faces win the match!
My interest in the match ended at the point the Face-in-Peril made the tag and was rescued. But if you want to watch this action and see the foolish Heels screw themselves out of a victory, check it out on YouTube.