Buddy Rose

Paul E. Perschmann (November 27, 1952 – April 28, 2009) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Playboy Buddy Rose.

He wrestled primarily for the AWA, WWF, and for promoter Don Owen in Pacific Northwest Wrestling.

Paul E. Perschmann was born on November 27, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska.

In his youth, he participated in baseball, softball, and hockey.

Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s.

Under his own name, he made his debut as a babyface on December 3, 1973, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, in a 15-minute draw with fellow campmate Bob Remus (better known as Sgt. Slaughter).

He continued to wrestle under his own name for the duration of his initial tenure, facing such opponents as Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Billy Robinson, and Jos LeDuc.

After being defeated by Khosrow Vaziri (The Iron Sheik) at a house show in Milwaukee, WI on January 3, 1976, Perschmann departed from the promotion.

Perschmann joined NWA Western States and made his debut twelve days later, losing to Red Bastien at a house show in Amarillo, Texas, on January 15, 1976.

He wrestled in several National Wrestling Alliance territories that year before settling in the collective's Pacific Northwest Wrestling promotion.

He made his debut on October 15, 1976, and wrestled Rick Hunter to a draw.

This was also the first time that he did not wrestle under his name, instead having been redubbed "Buddy Rose".

Now wrestling as Buddy Rose both in the PNW and other NWA outfits, on May 24, 1977, he received his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship title opportunity when he faced Harley Race in an unsuccessful effort in Portland, Oregon.

However, later that year he would capture his first championship, teaming with Jesse Ventura to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

After losing the titles that June, he would team with Ed Wiskoski (Colonel DeBeers) to regain them from Lonnie Mayne and Sam Oliver in a "loser leaves town" match on December 6, 1977.

Rose would team on and off with Wiskoski for several decades afterwards, no matter whether the latter was using his "Polish Prince", "Mega Maharishi Imed", or "Colonel De Beers" gimmicks.

On May 17, 1978, Rose partnered with John Studd to win 50th State Big Time Wrestling's NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship.

They would lose them on June 14, 1978, in Honolulu to John Tolos and Steve Strong.

Later that Summer Rose entered a tournament to crown the vacant NWA San Francisco United States Heavyweight Title.

He won it on September 16, 1978, when he defeated Dean Ho, securing his first singles championship.

Meanwhile, in the PNW, Rose and Wiskoski were finally beaten for the PNW Tag-Team titles by Dutch Savage and Johnny Boyd on November 21, 1978.

By 1979 Perschmann was now a mainstay of the PNW and one of their top attractions.

At some point in the year Rose & Wiskoski regained the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

On May 8, 1979, in Portland, Oregon, he wrestled PNW Heavyweight Champion "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to a draw, the start of a feud which Piper credits in his autobiography as establishing his name in the business.

Three days later Rose regained the Big Time Wrestling United States Title by pinning Ron Starr.

However his efforts to win the PNW's primary title remained unsuccessful, as he was unable to defeat Piper or latter champion Stan Stasiak.

However, on November 17, 1979, Rose finally broke through when he defeated Stasiak to win the PNW Heavyweight Championship.

His first title reign saw defenses against Roddy Piper, Ron Bass, King Parsons, and Don Leo Jonathan.

He would finally lose the title on March 22, 1980, to Rick Martel.

While he was initially unable to regain the championship, he feuded with Martel, Piper, and The Sheepherders for much of the year.

On July 28, 1980, he and Wiskoski defeated The Sheepherders in a loser leaves town match; on August 8 Martel & Piper defeated them to win the vacant PNW Tag-Team Championship.

On August 16, 1980, Rose defeated Martel to regain the PNW Northwest Heavyweight Championship, and following this triumph by defeating Roddy Piper in a loser leaves town encounter on September 20 in Portland, Oregon.

He successfully defended the title that winter against Jonathan Boyd and Sivi Afi before losing it to Jay Youngblood in early 1981.

Rose would get a measure of revenge by defeating Youngblood in a loser leaves town match on May 12, 1981.

On October 6, 1981, he capture the Northwest Heavyweight Championship for a third time, defeating Steve Regal in Portland.

Regal would regain it eighteen days later in a rematch.

While continuing to be a mainstay in Portland Northwest Wrestling, Rose also traveled to fellow NWA territory Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1982.

Teaming with Rip Oliver they won two televised matches before losing to the Funk Brothers in the first round of a tournament to crown the NWA World Tag-Team Championship on February 28, 1982, in Atlanta.

Back in PNW and five years after his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match, Rose earned another shot—this time against current champion Ric Flair.

Flair however was victorious in a match that was refereed by Curt Hennig.