We’re waist deep into 1979 in our journey through the footage of Portland Wrestling, and the feud between Roddy Piper and Buddy Rose has been simmering quite nicely, a delight for the senses. We’ve got a stew goin’ baby!

We’ve seen interviews, both compelling and unhinged. Blood has been shed, via one wrestler squeezing the other’s head like a piece of fruit. And the Portland Sports Arena regulars have welcomed the Hot Rod into their hearts and minds less than a month after he got rough with a woman in the Crow’s Nest.

Welcome to the sublime chaos of Portland.

This week, we look at footage from the May 19, 1979, episode of Portland TV. The star attraction? Piper defending the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title against Rose in a Lumberjack Match.

Here’s the video:

We open with Rose and his partner in malfeasance, Ed Wiskowski, speaking to resident commentator Frank Bonnema in the Crow’s Nest. There’s the usual array of boasts and taunting, with Wiskowski weaving a metaphor around Piper being separated from his “mother”, Killer Tim Brooks, for more than a month thanks to this dirty deed by Wiskowski and Rose back in April:

That is what sparked the entire feud between Rose and Piper, and has brought us to this match. Wiskowski refers to Brooks as “mother” and “her”, which, in the context of 2026, certainly is a choice. One can only imagine the havoc that Wiskowski would have wreaked in this era of social media if he maintained just the slighest amount of kayfabe in those mediums.

With that, it’s time for the match itself and Dutch Savage is the ring announcer for some reason. “Guards” surround the ring and stand ready if one of the combatants tries to leave the ring, to throw them back into the squared circle. Bonnema correctly calls this a Lumberjack Match, which seems appropriate thematically for a promotion in the Pacific Northwest. It’s also worth nothing, Portland has now produced a four on four elimination tag in a harbinger to the Survivor Series gimmick that arrives eight years later, and a lumberjack match, all in a span of about six weeks. This is trend setting stuff.

The match itself is… pretty good? It’s definitely not bad, or skippable. It just doesn’t match the quality and intensity of the battle between these same two on the previous episode. Wild cheers for Piper during the intros, and after being taken aback by the crowd response last week, he just seems abundantly pleased this time. Worth noting that, unlike the typical Portland TV main event, this is one fall to a finish and not best two out of three. Piper zeroes in upon the left arm of Rose, which is a common theme in many of Rose’s singles matches, whether he has the upper hand or not. A trip from the outside by Wiskowski allows Rose to take control, during which he fires Piper into the corner on an Irish whip that Roddy takes with full commitment. Frank Bonnema calls this with the appropriate amount of sizzle.

The action here doesn’t hold up to last week but the crowd energy does. Rose maintains control, through an attempted sleeper hold on Piper, and the ensuing rally and reversal into a top wristlock. Finally Piper fights his way back, by, well, fighting. A wild roundhouse and what looks like a running forearm off the ropes evens the scales, if only briefly. Momentum starts to turn and Rose attempts to flee the ring multiple times, getting tossed back in on each occasion. Piper fights back with a flurry capped by a knee lift, which evokes one of those spectacular heedless banana-peel bumps from Rose that are just so enjoyable to watch. Piper later busts out an airplane spin, which Bonnema refers to as somewhat of a retro tactic, even though this match is happening in 1979!

Ultimately, this is Portland, and in Portland we have shenanigans, and so shenanigans eventually ensue. After both wrestlers go to the floor and Piper gets rolled in first, Wiskowski is in and jumps Piper. Bonnema screams about how the referee’s back is turned even though, at one point, referee Sandy Barr turns and clearly sees the assault only to turn back because we’re live, pal, and mistakes happen. The equation changes when Brooks comes storming into the ring from the crowd wielding the chain off a dog collar. Wiskowski gets flattened, and I’m shocked he doesn’t bleed. Brooks hits a jumping legdrop in full view of the official, drags Piper on top, and a quick three count follows to end the match. Brooks continues to clean house, chucking Wiskowski and Rose out of the ring, then kneels and hugs Piper to the unabashed delight of the Portland crowd.

Piper and Brooks head to the crow’s nest, and Piper’s joy at having his “Brooksie” back in the territory is infectious. Brooks takes a turn to talk, and he’s out for revenge. He notes he showed up in jeans and boots: “I haven’t been in these boots since I got home from Vietnam.” If you’re looking for immersion, if you’re wanting to believe, I don’t think there’s a better bar to clear than “I’m coming to fight you in the boots I wore to war.” I always found Brooks’ work in World Class about as compelling as watching as paint dry, but he’s pretty compelling here.

You know, if you’ll indulge me for a second, I leave you this week with the following.

We all try to carve out some slice of happiness in this wild and crazy world. My esteemed readers, I come to you today with the hope that you find the love that exists between Roddy Piper and Killer Tim Brooks in Portland Wrestling in 1979. The type of person that will show up in his boots from war, hug you in front of a capacity crowd, and make an entire wrestling production feel like, if only for a moment, it’s found its soul.

After all, don’t we all need a “Brooksie” in our lives when the going gets tough?

Check out all our content pertaining to the old Portland territory.