Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 85: Butch Reed vs. Dick Slater (11/22/85)

Remember how Flair wanted to pay Dick Slater to take out Butch Reed? Well Reed wasn’t completely taken out, and this babyface wants some revenge. There’s a lot of heat behind this angle and the players here, so there’s no better place to have the match than in Houston at a Paul Boesch show. In fact, Boesch will commentate. Excellent.

We start with Paul Boesch setting the stage Slater is on the outside looking in and glaring. He’s with Dark Journey (not a very sexy dresser, but a pretty girl). The crowd is giving it to Slater, but perhaps not as bad a Reed in the ring. He’s got a neck brace on, but that doesn’t stop him from yapping. He’s pumped. Slater hesitantly gets in the ring. The atmosphere for this is great.

Stare down here with the ref in the middle. Very intense. Reed gets him in the corner and Slater has a fun spot where he bounces legs on the rope and then on the floor and back. Reed’s neck not playing a part. Bummer. Slater bails out and throws a chair. Back in, they pause before locking up. Very veteran move. Reed works on Slater’s left arm. Slater really is an entertaining heel here, especially when he sells.

Slater gains control and goes right for that neck. All moves focused on the neck, including a neck breaker, and he pulls the brace off. That’s good since Reed was moving the neck far to much anyway and not grasping at it in pain.

Clipping!! I thought it started with a bit of clipping, but this was a jump cut to Slater on the ground with blood. Missed some stuff. Slater has a crazy act at times, which I like. He moves well and acts at times like he’s out of it trying offense. Reed is methodical taking it to him, milking it for the crowd. It’s definitely a less is more style, but it’s not quite the grudge match it should be. Where is Reed’s passion? This man went after your neck. As I say that he hammers Slater in the corner. He sends Slater off the ropes and Slater desperately sends Reed into Karl Fergie for a decent ref bump. It’s middle of the road only because Fergie was too concerned about bracing for it and didn’t bump out of the ring very convincingly, but the fans of the day probably didn’t notice.

Slater goes for a pile driver on the outside, and instead of the back body drop, Reed just stays with punches. He throws Slater back in the ring. This is my problem with Reed. He’s so hit and mss to me with passion, desire, knowing what to do next (instincts), and believability - his own buy in factor to increase mine towards him as a characters. If he believes it and feels it, then I will be more likely to do so in the TV context. That’s the intangible most people don’t mention in the argument as to why Ric Flair was so great.

Slater gets moving to bump Reed coming after him, but Reed hits that big shoulder block. Dark Journey in to stop the Reed momentum, and now Reed is gonna get him some Dark Journey. Slater crawls to
Reed and hits him with a sweet low blow. Slater is making this match work even with clipping and Reed being odd to me. Pin attempt and Tommy Gilbert is in to make the count for injured Tommy Gilbert. 1…2..no. Crowd pops. This has a WWE PPV pay-off feel. Dick Slater tullys Reed into Tommy Gilbert (thank you), but when he tries again to pile drive Reed he gets punched with a great KO blow. Ref Karl Fergie back in for the pin count. Reed wins, though Slater does the lame thing some old territory guys do where they kick out of the last second and then pop up. Seems to be some heat under the match, though I’m not sure if it’s legit. It gets played as storyline since Slater gets a chair and Reed ends up trying to hit him with it. Some African-American gentlemen in the front row seem like they’d like a piece Mr. Slater, who looks as racially sensitive as every redneck heel was in those days. 3 and 6/10.

Match Discussion Here