Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine 11/24/83

Where: Greensboro, NC
Back Story:

This is the first match I have done that took place a little more before my time as a fan, and definitely before I had any opportunity to spend my money on wrestling. Here's what I've learned:

This took place at the first Starrcade on Thanksgiving Night in 1983. Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine engaged in a brutal dog collar match. Valentine injured Piper's ear in a previous encounter, and this is Piper's revenge match. The two competitors both have dog collars around their necks and those collars are connected by a steel chain
In Ring Analysis:

Piper is the face, and Valentine is the heel here. Gordon Solie is on commentary for this match, and you can really see why Jim Ross respects him so much. He gets across his point without having to go into hysterics. It actually feels like you have a respected sportscaster out there, and his words feel honest, rather than premeditated. He just does such a great job of explaining Piper's plight, and also gets across that Piper is the babyface, and that Greg Valentine is evil.

The bell rings and rather than go straight at each other, they both pull at each other by the necks as a show of will and strength. This is wrestling booking 101. Everyone knows the chain will get involved, and everyone knows it will be a brawl, but they are building it first with the tug of war.

Piper then slowly and methodically grabs the chain with his hands and starts to pull Valentine with him. Valentine grabs the chain to slow him down. You can see both men hold the chain with one hand while getting a nice grip on another part of the chain to whip his opponent. Piper scores with the first hit, and Valentine sells it with a great mixture of not just pain, but shock.

A man in Valentine's shoes knows the chain will come into play, but it's like the first dip in a freezing pool. It shakes you up just as much as it hurts. Back to the tug of war and both men are figuring out their strategy for their next attack. Back to pulling with the arms, and grabbing piece of chain for whipping. Valentine attacks first, and misses a haymaker to the head three times. Piper recovers and it's back to the tug of war.

Valentine jerks his neck back to throw Piper off balance. Both men voluntary come to the center of the ring and they start throwing punches at each other. After some good strikes by both men, they resort to the tug of war. As they pull the chain towards each other, Piper maneuvers and whips Valentine in the hamstring with the chain, and then punches him in the head with a chain wrapped fist. Piper punches Valentine in the corner, then pulls him towards him with the chain and hits him with a big right.

Valentine comes back and gets Piper in the corner. He then hits some punches with the chain as well. Valentine start hitting Piper in the ear with the chain and takes him down. He only holds the advantage for a minute as Piper comes back and wraps the chain around Valentine's mouth from behind which gets a good crowd response.

Piper hits some more punches with the chain, then wraps the chain around the ringpost to trap Valentine. There are some really innovative spots for this time period. Valentine comes up bleeding, and the both go down with Valentine choking Piper with his hands.

They battle outside, and you can see fro me the poor lighting that this isn't the WWE. Great match, great atmosphere, crappy production. Valentine comes back and take Piper down with a chain whip to Piper's bad ear. Valentine then starts pummeling the ear with a series of punches. He rams his ear into the ringpost outside, and the tide of the match has turned severely in Valentine's favor.

Piper uses good selling, but the scene is really sold well by Solie who asks, not as an announcer, but as a concerned parent, " I wonder now if he's able to hear out of that side (ear) at all...if he's able to hear anything? His balance is gone." Just great stuff that helps set the consequences for what's happening to Piper. Piper keeps trying to fight up but since his equilibrium is off, he keeps staggering and falling. The announcers suggest ending the match as Piper is pounded on.

Piper tries to come back, but Valentine holds the edge. Valentine builds up for Piper's big comeback by using very methodical and basic offense, which is the backbone for a proper heel. Valentine motions that he's going to hit a running elbow drop while Piper is down, but Piper grabs the chain as Valentine runs to the ropes and yanks him down by the neck.

That was Piper's big comeback transition as Piper gets his strength back and tackles Valentine with a barrage of brawling offense that was 15 years before Stone Cold Steve Austin. While Piper is getting fired up he feels his ear and sees all the blood that Valentine's caused. He then hits a series of shots to the head and body with the chain that floors Valentine. Piper continues to hit him while he's down. Piper keeps grabbing his ear which only makes the crowd more bloodthirsty for Piper to get his revenge. Valentine tries to fight back and puts all of his focus on that ear, but Piper no sells it as he has too much adrenaline and punches him back.

Valentine later gets a sleeper on Piper, but he reverses by using another punch with the chain. Valentine recovers first and goes to the second rope, and hits an elbow to Piper's head. He goes up again, but is yanked off by Piper. He really pours it on as he hits him repeatedly with the chain and pins him in an anticlimactic finish

Winner by Pinfall: Rodd Piper in 16:11 ****1/4

After the match Valentine gets his heat back by beating on Piper and hanging him over the top rope with the chain.

Great match by both men. They really let it all hang out. The Mid-Atlantic territory was a great place to see good action, and this match proves it. It's too bad Vince McMahon wasn't Jim Crockett's son because I would have loved to have seen him promote this instead of his cartoonish wrestling up north. Great bloody brawl overall.

Did you know my mother always hated Ron Harper when he was on the Bulls in the 90's? You know why? He looked too much like Michael Jordan and it was hard to tell them apart. Vince McMahon would never have never let these two wear the same color tights for a match like this as a less educated fan may get them mixed up. All pettiness aside, this was a war. It was a true grudge match as there was no complex wrestling involved, but there were two men that hated each other, and wanted to cause severe pain to one another.

Piper was a great worker, and I think I would respect him more if he didn't brag about it every chance he got. Nevertheless, he never got the credit he deserved as a great worker and draw of his era, but then again, besides Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and Vince McMahon, I think you can say that about half the top guys of any era.