Buddy Rogers vs. Pat O’Conner
Cominsky Park
1961
If there was ever a Classic match-up to write about, this is the one! This match was held at Cominsky Park and was hailed as the wrestling match of the century. It was hosted by the NWA and saw Buddy Rogers take on Pat O’Conner in a best 2 out of 3 falls match with a sixty minute time limit in front of 38,622 wrestling fans. Buddy Rogers was the current NWA U.S. Champion, while his advisary was the World Heavyweight Champion.
The match began with instructions in the middle of the ring. After the instructions, the men had a feeler period which ended when Rogers gave O’Conner a shot to the stomach. The men then returned to the collar and elbow tie until O’Conner gave Rogers a forearm shot. The two began a wristlock which Rogers won. O’Conner kicked up off the mat, but Rogers but him back down. They separated and thn re-engulfed the wristlock until Rogers hit the mat. Next, O’Conner sent Rogers into the ropes and followed it up with a shoulder shot that sent Rogers down. Rogers then charged at O’Conner, but received an arm-drag takedown to the mat. O’Conner used the spinning arm bar and really twisted Rogers’ arm! However, Rogers would not give up. O’Conner continued to tear at Rogers’ arm as rogers screamed out loud. Rogers powered his way free and the two exchanged bodyslams which resulted in O’Conner arm-dragging Rogers to the mat again. The crowd really gets behind O’Conner! The referee continued to check to see if Rogers’ shoulder was on the mat. Rogers broke free and eventually gave O’Conner a forearm shot to the head that knocked him down. Rogers went for a leg-hold, but was stopped when O’Conner punched him in the head. O’Conner tries to deliver a piledriver, but is pushed into the ropes. Rogers sneaked in a knee to the stomach when the two were getting up. Rogers went into a takedown by pulling O’Conner’s trunks. O’Conner was stuck inn a headlock, but worked his way into a corner a delivered a bunch of vicious blows to Rogers before sending him into the ropes and giving him a shoulder-block. Again, O’Conner went into the ropes, but got caught by a Rogers boot to the mouth which gave Rogers the first fall.
There is an intermission during the match where an interview is given with the Fabulous Kangaroos and their manager. They talk about the atmosphere of the event and who will win the championship match.
The match restarts with a collar and elbow tie that sees Rogers deliver a blow to O’Conner’s back. O’Conner cornered Rogers, but let him go. Rogers got O’Conner down on the mat with an arm bar and continued to bodyslam him to the mat. O’Conner fought to his feet, but was still driven to the mat. O’Conner fought up again and threw Rogers to the mat. He put on a leg stretch that had Rogers screaming on the mat. Rogers kicked his way out from the leg hold, but got put right back into it. The two men broke apart and Rogers delivered a dropkick to O’Conner. From this O’Conner grabbed the leg and reapplied the leg- stretch. Rogers retaliated by grabbing O’Conner’s face, but still wound up cowering in the corner. O’Conner grabbed a headlock and threw a puch into the face of Rogers; twice. He then threw Rogers across the ring, but Rogers sprang to his feet and hurled his shoulder into O’Conner before hitting the ropes and being rolled up by O’Conner for the 1-2-3 top end the second fall.
The match restarts with Rogers strutting around the ring. O’Conner grabbed a headlock and the two were bouncing off the ropes until O’Conner picked up his fist to punch Rogers. Rogers strutted around the ring after avoiding the punch. The two lock-up again and Rogers delivers a shot to O’Conner’s throat. The two go into a punching match and wind up colliding in the center of the ring. They get up and fall into the ropes. O’Conner gets shoulder-blocked, but recovers with a HUGE bodyslam. To follow this up, O’Conner executed another massive bodyslam and went for the cover, but Rogers managed to get one leg up onto the ropes. O’Conner beats Rogers in the corner and throws him across the ring. Still, Rogers puts his foot up on the ropes when a pin is attempted. O’Conner begins to just beat the hell out of Rogers in the corner. He smacks Rogers’ head into the turnbuckle twice and then sends him across the ring just to pick him up and throw his head into the turnbuckle again. Rogers takes a beating and tries to comeback. O’Conner knocks him down and goes for the pin, Rogers put his foot on the rope. O’Conner attempts a dropkick, but misses and lays helpless inthe ring. Rogers crawls over and gets the three count. The new champion: “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers!
What a great match this was. Sure, there was no big storyline to fill or any death-defying manuevers, but the atmosphere of the event made up for that. Rogers and O’Conner are both great athletes and terrific showmen. The crowd was behind them all the way! If you has this match on tape, I suggest watching it and comparing it to the last heavyweight title defense that you have seen.