PLAYBOY BUDDY ROSE
2004 CAC HONOREE
One of the premier talents from the great Pacific Northwest, there are few people who don’t know the name of Playboy Buddy Rose. “His place in the wrestling business cannot be denied,” said CAC president Red Bastien. “I’ve known him since the beginning. He was always a fantastic talent.”
Rose (nee Paul Perschmann) started out as a fan, following wrestlers of the AWA as they traveled to the various towns. He became known to the wrestlers, and eventually worked his way into ring crew and other odd jobs. Rose wanted to be in the business so bad that he survived Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson’s training camp – a feat not many can claim – along with Olympian Chris Taylor and Robert Remus (the future Sgt. Slaughter). “If there’s one thing I can say I am most proud of in this business, it’s getting through that camp,” said Rose. “Only the best of the best made it through there, and many of them became industry leaders.”

As Paul Perschmann he worked in the AWA and in Texas for Fritz Von Erich before the opportunity that would make him arrived. In late 1976, Don Owen needed a top heel in Portland, and Perschmann was the man to fit the bill. It was Terry Funk who gave him the name “Playboy” Buddy Rose, but it was the opportunity to headline in the Pacific Northwest that made him a star.

The Northwest have very few who can claim icon status, but Buddy Rose is one of them. His matches with Roddy Piper are legendary. He is a multi-time Pacific Northwest Heavyweight champion, and an 8-time PNW Tag Team champion with Ed Wiskoski. He was so very, very hated, then became an incredibly popular babyface in the early 1980s. “I played them like a fiddle, and I loved it,” says Rose with pride.

After holding the United States Heavyweight title and NWA World Tag Team title with Ed Wiskoski, Rose would become a main event challenger for Bob Backlund’s WWF World Heavyweight title, then form a successful pairing with Doug Sommers in the AWA, eventually capturing the AWA World Tag Team titles. “People still talk about our feud with the Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty),” said Rose. “That was an exciting time.”

After 30 years in the business, you think there would be nothing left to prove, but Rose continues to be involved in various wrestling projects. He still works independent dates and runs a wrestling training school with long-time friend Ed Wiskoski. Rose also is very active on his own web site, PlayboyBuddyRose.com.

Rose is very proud to be honored by the CAC in 2004. “It’s really a humbling thing to be honored by the people you admired for so long,” he said. But it’s obvious that the admiration is quite mutual.