RIP Hacksaw Butch Reed

 

Butch Reed vs. Junkyard Dog (Mid-South 7/29/1983)

Really epic, insanely heated match and a total battle of superstars, like a blue collar working mans version of Rock/Hogan if that was an actually great match. If you ask me, US wrestling never got better than two guys just trading great punch combos with the heel bumping all over the place. Junkyard Dog opens this match coming forward like an offensive truck, hitting a bunch of great punches (yup). Loved how he made a basic hip toss exciting by immediattely following up with a punch in the face. Butch Reed is just perfect in that section, trying to fire back but being overwhelmed, really great escalating bumping from him. Reeds comeback looks really violent as he basically just punches JYD in the throat and then follows up with knees and boots to the throat. Instead of a standard heat segment/comeback they do this great battle of attrition segment with Reed going for a choke and JYD coming back punching him in the face from mount and gouging his eye. Normally chokes are pretty trite in wrestling matches but these two make it look like two men really trying to strangle each other to death. 5 minutes in and this feels like an epic battle. I didn’t even have a problem with the chinlock, as it didn’t go long, and JYD had seemingly punched himself out setting up another Butch Reed comeback. Down the stretch we get JYD headbutting Reeds bandage off, bloodying him, more great punch exchanges including a really great Lawler/Dundee one on their knees and another great barfight attempted strangulation. The finish was great as the referee gets bumped, initially it didn’t seem to affect thee match as they just continue beating on each other, but then another ref bump happens. King Kong Bundy comes in but JYD takes him out (because JYD was god that night), only to get caught with a beautiful Reed dropkick to the back of the head. Reed then lands a clothesline off the tope (were top rope moves illegal at this time?) for the 3 count. Really a way cooler finish than some serious of crazy death moves and a great way to cap off a great great match.

Butch Reed vs. Junkyard Dog (Mid-South 11/4/1983)

I love me a seedy dog collar match. Reed is great here putting over how he really doesn’t like the gimmick before the bell. This was short but good. Dog opens by catching Reed in the kidney with punches, but when he goes for a headbutt Reed catches him flush with a punch in the face. Really nice Reed control segment where he goes to town whipping the hell out of JYD and looking really smug and self satisfied when he was dropping chain wrapped elbows. JYD hits some great punches to come back before a bunch of run ins happen. Steve Williams comes in to hit a 3 Point Stance charge against the intruder just as Reed misses his flying clothesline in another cool moment.

Butch Reed vs. Master G (Mid-South 11/9/1984)

This was JIP, which I’m salty about because this looked like another great match. This is a “Ghetto Street Fight” which means both guys are in their street clothes and you get the cool visual of a bleeding Butch Reed limping around the ring with torn clothes like he had been through a war, really cool violent blaxploitation vibe. Master G is all kinds of fired up here and beats the shit out of Reed with chairs and a belt. Reed is able to dump G over the top rope (a dangerous move in Watts UWF) and tries to hit G with some powder, but G is able to kick the powder out of his hand in a cool spot. Reed has some powder left though and is able to stun G before absolutely nailing him with a massive piledriver.

Butch Reed & Ernie Ladd vs. Brickhouse Brown & Master G (Mid-South 10/21/1984)

Really, really fun houseshow tag. God, promotions today would kill to have this kind of heat on their biggest shows (pandemy or not). We start with Brown & G hitting really slick armdrags and dropkicks for a shine segment before Ladd & Reed take over to kick some ass. Ladd is so great here, he is pretty over the hill but still really fun as an old guy throwing punches and dropping legs across guys backs. Reed was in kind of a supporting role to the amazing charisma of The Big Cat, but he does hit some big offense including an absolute beauty of a back suplex to Brickhouse. I am not sure why I’ve never heard of Master G, because he looks damn good in these matches. The finish is really fun with G putting this funky RINGS style sambo leglock on Ladd and Reed just hitting a fistdrop for Ladd to get the pin. Super basic but such a cool match, old school is the best.

Butch Reed vs. Magnum TA (Mid-South 8/31/1984)

Really good US style title match. This was worked like how these matches should be worked. The stakes are high, so however gets an armlock or a shoulderblock is important, and they really work it that way. Really good hold for hold wrestling to start, executed with a sense of attrition. I love watching these guys running the ropes and doing leapfrogs. Reed takes over when he is able to catch Magnum with a really great jumping knee out of nowhere. Magnum is loopy after that and Reed follows up with further head/neck trauma moves like a hotshot, neckbreaker etc. TA comes back through a standard chinlock segment and starts pinballing Reed all over the ring to the crowds delight before Reed is able to clock him with a foreign object given from Ernie Ladd and score the upset win. Really good postmatch here with Jose Lothario throwing punches and a bunch of policemen having to be at ringside cause the crowd was getting quite unruly, really shows how ballsy you had to be to be a heel in that era.