Pro Wrestling Chronicle

The Iron Sheik is used to put Mid South over WWF and America over Communism. That’s before we even see a real finish to the match! Plus, we begin to look at whether Butch Reed was forgotten talent or Internet oldtimer hype.
Match # 11: Butch Reed vs Iron Sheik 4/8/83

Not sure if this was a face turn, face tease, or face for the night deal, but usual heel Butch Reed is your face in this match. We get a nationalistic crap opening wrap around from Watts. He puts over The Irom Sheik as the bodyguard of the Ayatollah of Iran.

Wrestling is run by wealthy White Male Conservative Republicans who love capitalizing on the most basic of hatred. They’ll subtly use race, but often the nationalism is heavy handed. I don’t like it, but in the 80s it was all the rage in Mid South/WWF/NWA, and Bill Watts really loved him some “USA” chants.

This match dips into the great Sam Houston Coliseum footage vault. Maybe this being an arena house show we’ll get a full match. We’ve got a reluctant babyface vs a foreign heel on tap.

The Sheik is not the drunken fool you see today. He’s coming in an in-shape younger man who knew his act well.

Start off with a lock up, which is the first I’ve seen in some time on the Mid South set. Sheik tries to clobber him off a rope break and flies over the top rope. I love the lock up and break spots early in a match. If you have wrestling skill and can play to a crowd, this stuff is great for the first few minutes to build to something bigger. The way it’s done here, isn’t delightfully over the top, no pun intended. I do like Sheik being put over on commentary for his WWF work.

The pace is slower, with Sheik working the crowd, and the work is simple mat and headlock stuff, yet It’s solid.

Reed looks like he’s on the juice. Watts on commentary compares JYD with the younger upstart Reed. It’s supposed to put Reed on JYD’s level, but comes off as “they’re both black”.
Reed is very athletic, as he’s trying to showcase, but his movements don’t flow. It’s good wrestling nuts and bolts work – dropkicks and leapfrogs – but it isn’t natural. Sheik spends a lot of the time working the crowd, even yelling at them on the house mic. How cute. It doesn’t help.

Reed is trying to put something together, but Sheik only seems to know (or rather want) headlocks and pratfalls over the top rope. Simple stalling frustrated heel and babyface with all the wrestling answers. At this point it’s a decent entertainment match.
Next spot: Iron Sheik charges Reed in the corner, but Reed moves. Sheik sells out all the way with a real spear and shoulder blocks the middle turnbuckle. The turnbuckle and middle rope break. GREAT visual.

Match falls apart momentarily. This wasn’t set up, and in fact I was told this hands all the time in the Houston footage with the ropes. Butch Reed smartly grounds the match and gets the crowd involved.

Lots of punch/kick stuff. Reed uses power moves. Then a Mid South staple as we get a pinfall out of nowhere after a sloppy shoulder block. Decent ten minute match I liked a lot more until the last two minutes. Well defined character, though limited in abilities or in Reed’s case, lack of ability to carry an opponent, they kept it simple. 2 ¾ stars and 6/10.

For some diverse opinions on this match and its place on the ballot, click here.