Butch Reed Thread

[$heriff Tom]

Butch Reed has always been one of my favorite wrestlers. I am talking top 5 of all time favorite wrestlers. I first saw him as good-guy "Bruce Reed" in Georgia, where he was one of the jobbers who always came out shining while his tag team partner would take the fall.

Reed could talk the talk. I followed him avidly for a time just in the Apter mags, and read about his transformation to heel, attacking longtime friend Junkyard Dog. I read about his title tilts with Ric Flair in Mid-South and Florida, one of which was alluded to by Captain today. And I got to see his work here and there, before his trip to WWF as "The Natural" on UHF television.

I will share some more Reed memories in time. Feel free to join me in discussing this powerhouse. I have his shoot interview DVD, and look forward to watching it soon. I put it on one night, but he speaks so softly and with a drawl, so it was hard to understand. Quite a contrast to his booming yelling voice he put on for interviews.

Fun fact - Reed dabbled in rodeo, and after he retired was well-known on the rodeo circuit.

Check out the 6 discs I got, that make up a Best of Butch Reed package.

Butch Reed (6 volumes)

Disc 1
Bruce Reed & Rufus R. Jones vs. Mike & Pat Kelly (St. Louis 4/12/81)
Bruce Reed vs. Bobby Jaggers (St. Louis 5/10/81)
Bruce Reed & Garrett vs. Freebirds (Georgia 5/81)
Bruce Reed Interview w/ Bruiser Brody Confrontation (Georgia 1981)
Butch Reed vs. Dory Funk Jr. (Florida 2/3/82)
Butch Reed vs. David Von Erich (Florida 1982)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (clip) (Florida 3/82)
Butch Reed & Sweet Brown Sugar vs. Dory Funk Jr & Kendo Nagasaki (Florida 1982)
Butch Reed & Dusty Rhodes vs. Bruiser Brody & John Studd (clip) (Florida 1982)
Butch Reed vs. Crusher Blackwell (2/3 falls) (St. Louis 11/82)
Butch Reed vs. Ivan Koloff (Georgia 2/5/83)
Butch Reed vs. Iron Sheik (Houston 4/8/83)
Butch Reed Interview (TV 6/9/83)

Disc 2
Butch Reed vs. Magnum TA (TV 7/25/83)
Butch Reed Interview (w/ Duggan & JYD match clips) (TV 8/11/83)
Butch Reed vs. Hacksaw Duggan (TV 9/22/83)
Butch Reed Interview (TV 10/13/83)
Butch Reed vs. Magnum TA (JYD referee) (TV 10/13/83)
Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart vs. Hacksaw Duggan & Magnum TA (10/13/83)
Butch Reed vs. JYD (Dusty Rhodes referee) (10/27/83)
Butch Reed & Shiek Hernandez vs. Dusty Rhodes & Hacksaw Duggan (Bunkhouse Match)
Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart vs. Mr. Wrestling II & Magnum TA (JIP) (New Orleans 12/25/83)
Butch Reed Interview (“Rapper’s Delight”) (3/23/84)
Butch Reed vs. Terry Taylor (3/23/84)
Butch Reed vs. Terry Taylor (3/30/84)
Butch Reed vs. JYD Feud Recap (Power Pro 1984)

Disc 3
Butch Reed & JYD Promos
Butch Reed vs. JYD (Ghetto Street Fight) (JIP) (New Orleans 6/16/84)
Workout with Buddy Landell & Butch Reed (TV 9/6/84)
Butch Reed vs. Terry Taylor (10/1/84)
Butch Reed vs. Iceman King Parsons (WCCW 10/27/84) (Fair VQ)
Butch Reed/Buddy Landel/Devastation Inc. Confrontation (TV 11/84) (Fair VQ)
Terry Taylor & “Hacksaw” Butch Reed vs. Ted Dibiase & Kamala (3/10/85)
Butch Reed vs. Kamala (lumberjack match) (Houston 3/22/85)
Butch Reed vs. The Barbarian (Street Fight) (New Orleans 3/30/85)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (New Orleans 6/24/85)
Butch Reed vs. Ted Dibiase (7/25/85)

Disc 4
Butch Reed vs. Dutch Mantell (Wrestlefest 7/28/85)
Butch Reed vs. Dutch Mantell (TV 8/1/85)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (New Orleans 8/9/85)
Butch Reed vs. Jake The Snake (OKC 9/8/85)
Butch Reed vs. The Barbarian (Tulsa 9/8/85)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (Houston 10/11/85) (Shaky)

Disc 5
Butch Reed vs. Dick Murdoch (10/14/85)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (TV 11/8/85)
Butch Reed & Jake The Snake vs. Ric Flair & Dick Slater (1985)
Butch Reed vs. Buzz Sawyer (Dog Collar Match) (12/31/85)
Butch Reed vs. Dick Slater (Dark Journey vs. NA Title) (Tulsa 1/1/86)
Butch Reed vs. Tito Santana (MSG 2/23/87)
Doom vs. Eddie Gilbert & Tommy Rich (Clash 9; 11/15/89)
Doom vs. Steiner Bros (2/6/90 Clash 10)

Disc 6
Doom vs. Steiner Bros (Clash 11; 6/13/90)
Doom vs. Rock N Roll Express (GAB 90)
Doom vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (Havoc 90)
Butch Reed vs. Ric Flair (Clash 13; 11/20/90)
Doom vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (Starrcade 90)
Doom vs. Sting & Lex Luger (Clash 14; 1/30/91)
Doom vs. Freebirds (Wrestlewar 1991)
Butch Reed vs. Ron Simmons (Superbrawl 1991)

[grover]

Butch Reed was awesome on the mic. He was really country black, and I suppose that's why he never really got a shot in the WWF. I tell you, if he didn't gain weight, and if Vince wasn't racist, he would have been a fantastic heel champion. Him and Hogan could have had a legendary feud.

[4dogg]

...it would be cool if butch were given some kind of role on smackdown....the WWE and the CW network seem to give the colored guys a bigger role on this show

[$heriff Tom]

So I'm reading Cowboy Bill Watts' book, which is ok, although as a born-again he gets preachy sometimes. But to his credit he dishes the dirt, and throws in some colorful language to boot.

One funny tale regarded a dressing room brawl from old Butch and John "The Barbarian/Bezerker" Nord. As Watts and Dr Death sat one one end of the room chatting about this and that, Reed and Nord argued about a disaster of a match they had just had, and ended up trading blows. Reed was getting the better of it after a time, as Watts and Williams just watched and pretty much laughed with joy.

Reed then backed off and picked up a "16 foot piece of plastic tubing." At that point Watts stepped in, and grabbed it from him, rightfully telling Butch "this wont hurt a guy, and you cant swing it anyway!" So Reed put it down and went back to beating the Hell out of Nord.

Finally Nord said he had enough, and the fight ended. Funny thing is the two had a scheduled match again that night (those days double-shots during the afternoon and evening were commonplace on weekends) and they put on a match 100 times better that night than they did that afternoon.