Straight Outta Houston: The Butch Reed Supershow! (NWA Classics 24/7)

The Natural!

The only funny story I have about Butch Reed is that I only recently (within the last 10 years) realized that he was a black man. I was a big DOOM fan in theory back when it was happening, but while I KNEW that Ron Simmons was the star of the tag team, I didn't even make the connection that Butch Reed was the other guy. My knowledge of Butch Reed for years and years was his two appearances at Wrestlemania 3 and 4, and as a twisted little kid of the 80s, someone with blond hair couldn't be black. I didn't think about him much or anything, I just never identified him as such. And I hated him when I watched. I do have a distinct memory of being SO STOKED that he didn't get out of the first round of the title tournament that makes up Wrestlemania IV. Anyway, now I do know - and hell, I kind of like him. He's all over NWA Classics 24/7 - so I might wind up liking him A LOT. Let's see.

But first, Arachniman and Akeem!

8. Brad Armstrong Vs. One Man Gang (3/22/85)
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I know Brad mostly from his work in WCW under various goofy gimmicks and have always thought he was touted as a "good worker" and have had no reason to think otherwise. One Man Gang, though? I've thought about doing a deep dive into his long long career and many gimmicks at some point because I have always been drawn to the big man. I should probably just turn this whole blog into deep investigations into pro wrestling giants.

First things first: One Man Gang without the biker vest and earrings is not a One Man Gang I care about. He is however, a truly huge dude. He DWARFS Armstrong, almost comically. Early on, Armstrong uses his speed and relative strength to try to "confuse" OMG, which Paul Boesch plays up, saying "it's the size of the brain in the behemoth..." or something similar. Being dumb is not a part of OMG that should be emphasized, he should just be a huge, scary dude. His strikes (or clubs, really) rock Armstrong and look pretty menacing. Armstrong eventually gets a standing arm wrench / hammerlock on Gang's left arm for a couple of minutes, which I have mixed feelings about. Armstrong is ripped, looks like a genuinely super strong dude (he's basically the prototype for Brian Pillman 4 years from this match), but Gang is this HUGE dude, so conventional logic says that Gang should be able to power out of standing submissions and rest holds. By the 9-minute mark, this match is still mostly arm holds, now with Gang on Armstrong. It's boring, especially in light of when Gang punches or clubs Armstrong, the selling of Brad and the power Gang registers high excitement. Armstrong gets out eventually, has a really short shine section with some killer punches, wobbly legs, a double axe handle off the top and a sweet dropkick...but then Gang kicks his legs out from under him? Powerslam and match.

Had higher hopes for this one, but it basically dragged. Psychology? I don't know, not really - mostly boring. 1.75 stars

9. Butch Reed Vs. Buddy Landel (Shoeshine Match) (12/27/84)

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Well this makes a little more sense as to why Butch was so angry with Landel during that battle royal; this match must have taken place earlier in the night. Turns out, they used to be tag team partners - so this is probably going to have a lot of punching.

Note about Landell: He died back in June of this year after having a good career, but one that didn't quite live up to the promise it showed. By all accounts, Buddy could have been one of the biggest stars & villains of the 80s and early 90s, but it wasn't to be. He's someone who I knew about a little bit before his

passing and someone I definitely want to delve into in the future.

Also of note: A "Shoeshine" match featuring a black guy from the south against a white guy from the south who has a "nature boy" gimmick and used to be his tag team partner? Yeah, this might get a little racist.

 Match starts with Landel on the offensive, hitting Butch with all kinds of punches, kicks and an actual boot (while the ring announcements are still happening). A "Shoeshine" match, which I've never heard of or seen, apparently has the stipulation where the loser shines the winners shoes in the ring. Self explanatory. Butch Reed gets back on the offensive early, lots of punches, a fist drop, a big flying clothesline. 

Taking a break here: I'm a fan of Butch Reed's getup though; yellow boots aren't seen very often, but they are fantastic visually.

Oh, Butch Reed pins Landel before the 3-minute mark. Wasn't expecting that. Huh, match was getting hot. The match is just a setup for the next 8 minutes of funny business of Landel shining Reed's shoes and Reed slapping him around. Glad they avoided the nearly obvious racist angle and put Reed over. Still weird to watch, but it's pretty funny - they pull it off well. 1.5 stars

10. Butch Reed Vs. Dutch Mantel (7/26/85)

Hell yeah, Dutch Mantel!

I LOVE Dutch Mantel. I love funny looking hairy wrestlers in general, and if they play cowboy-like characters, even better. Dutch is a treasure - always has been, still is (or should be if WWE still used him). Butch is wearing red now!

It's cool to see an actual wrestling match here for a little while. Mantel moves around the ring so well, really one of the more underrated wrestlers of all time. He's quick, powerful and has great psychology for his character. Butch Reed, as I've insinuated is mostly a power guy and he doesn't have a huge moveset, but he's fun to root for - so these two play off of each other pretty well. Mantel begins to reach into his trunks, presumably for a foreign object, but stops as the crowd yells at him and gets the referee's attention. He backs off and jaws with the vocal crowd - pretty great stuff. This match continues on as a pretty basic match with Mantel in control most of the time. He has a typical, yet effective heel set of moves, but he throws in some leg work on the apron, some slams, face stomps, etc. Dutch really sells his character as a good POS-bad guy, who can still kick your ass. Reed plays a decent babyface, selling enough for his character, but there is no time where you think he is actually at risk of losing here. Reed battles back with some punches, and while I think he throws a pretty damn good punch - it's basically the only offensive move I've seen him use through a few matches now. Butch knocks down the ref, Dutch hits him with his whip, Butch kicks out, throws some punches and clotheslines and a gorilla press slam for the win. 

This was one of the better matches overall out of the first 9 I have watched SSNH. Nothing spectacular, but from an entertainment and storytelling standpoint, it does the trick. Hope there is more Dutch Mantel as we move forward. 2.5 stars

11. Butch Reed Vs. Kamala (7/12/85)
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This should be fun. The Ugandan Giant Vs. The Hacksaw. Don't expect much technical prowess in this one.

In a fun move, Butch Reed comes to the ring with Kamala-like face paint. That's about the most psychology I've seen from Reed and something wrestlers should do more often. 

Now, I don't know if this is a No-DQ match or what, but Butch Reed begins biting Kamala in the corner very early on, before being pulled away by the referee. He does this for about 20 seconds though, which can't be legal - but no real consequences come from this. What a savage! Kamala is really one of the strangest/best characters in the history of pro wrestling; from the face and body paint to the bare feet to the managers and especially the belly slapping, he was someone that I was always slightly afraid of as a kid - and I only knew the toned down versions.

Kamala throws a bunch of cool chops and stomps and bizarre holds, including one that essentially looks like a giant titty twister - or an attempt to rip Butch Reed's pectoral muscles from his chest. It's really entertaining to watch someone who essentially wrestles like a character dreamed up by early NES video game creators. Reed begins his hulk up and blocks a couple of big Kamala overhand chops and comes back with, what else? Huge punches. Kamala sells them like crazy, considering they are basically the only offense he's taken, but then Butch starts pounding away. More biting and a dropkick finally takes down Kamala. After Reed knocks down the ref, Hercules comes out and interferes, allowing Kamala to get the BIG UGANDAN SPLASH on Butch for the win. The crowd throws garbage at Kamala and we close.

An entertaining match with a crappy finish, no big time shine spots, nothing too brutal, but not a bad 10-minute match. 2.25 stars,

In summary, I like Butch Reed - he has a great look and a pretty great presence, but he is pretty boring in the ring. He throws a mean punch, but that's about all he does. I think there is a lot more Butch Reed on the service though, so we will re-evaluate when the time comes. For now, the enjoyment of all 3 of these matches primarily came from his heel opponent.

Next time: DiBiase and Dr. Death battle the Guerreros once again, Dick Murdoch beats people up and something really old!