By Brian Hoops, Torch nostalgia specialist

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Paul Perschmann, better known as “Playboy” Buddy Rose, passed away in his home in Vancouver, Washington on April 28, 2009.

Rose was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 27, 1956 and grew up a wrestling fan, following the local promotion in Minneapolis, the AWA. Perschmann became friends with former AWA ring announcer Mick Karsch before either man entered the wrestling business.

"He and I spent many a Saturday afternoon, waiting for the wrestlers to stop by the Wrestling Office at the Dyckman Hotel in Minneapolis," Karsch wrote in a blog honoring his friend. “We played pinball together. We always had lunch at The Forum Cafeteria in downtown Minneapolis. I watched wrestling films at his apartment. He gave me rides on his motorcycle. When he lived with Ed Wiskoski (Colonel DeBeers) in the Twin Cities, we would watch wrestling pay per views, or go visit his neighbor in the next building, Sherri Martel."

Perschmann broke into wrestling in 1971 as a referee in the AWA and entered Verne Gagne’s training camp in 1972. The camp featured future wrestling superstars such as Ric Flair, Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, The Iron Sheik and Ken Patera. The camp was run by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson and was the same brutal camp that Ric Flair quit twice. Perschmann also quit, but unlike Flair, did not return to camp until the following year. The 1973 camp featured future wrestling stars Bob Remus (Sgt. Slaughter) and former Olympic wrestler Chris Taylor. Perschmann graduated this camp and wrestled for the AWA in preliminary bouts as well as refereeing. Perschmann had the distinction of being the referee in the match where Nick Bockwinkle ended Verne Gagne’s seven year AWA World Title reign on November 8, 1975.

Perschmann adopted the ring name Buddy Rose and began wrestling in other territories including Kansas City where he would meet long time friend and tag team partner Ed Wiskoski (Col. DeBeers). Rose also wrestled in Texas for Fritz Von Erich, including having the distinction of being the very first opponent for Kevin Von Erich. In 1976, Rose ventured to the Pacific Northwest where he formed a tag team with Jesse Ventura. Rose would become a fixture for Don Owen’s promotion winning the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title 8 times and the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles 12 times. Rose wrestled for Don Owen from 1976-1984, igniting the territory with feuds with local legends Roddy Piper and Matt Borne. Rose also wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF World Title, selling out Madison Square Garden in 1982 for a series of matches.

Rose wrestled for the WWF in 1985 and was in the opening match at WrestleMania 1 against Tito Santana, under a mask as the Executioner. McMahon wanted to have a strong opening match and Rose could be counted on to have a good match. Rose was put under a mask to protect him in case the WWF wanted to push Rose, but drug issues curtailed his WWF push and he was released.

Rose resurfaced in the AWA in 1986 and formed a tag team with Doug Somers. The team was managed by Sheri Martel and captured the AWA World Tag Team Titles from the team of Scott Hall and Curt Hennig on May 17, 1986. During Somers and Rose run with the belts, their main challengers were the Midnight Rockers, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. With the AWA on ESPN television, this was the first national exposure for the Rockers. Their feud carried the dying AWA territory, highlighted by an excellent, bloody cage match on Christmas night, 1986 on an AWA supercard called “The Brawl in St. Paul.” Their feud would culminate when Michaels and Jannetty would capture the belts from Rose and Somers on January 27, 1987.

Rose always had a problem with his weight. Although he weighed less than 200 pounds when refereeing for the AWA in 1971, Rose weight would balloon to over 275 pounds by the time he wrestled for the AWA in 1986. Rose used his weight as part of his “Playboy” gimmick as he would also claim to have lots of women in all the territories he wrestled in.

Rose was also very good on promos and when announced prior to his matches as “271 pounds,” would interrupt the ring announcer, usually Larry Nelson in the AWA, and say, "I don’t weigh 271 pounds, I weigh a slim, trim 217 pounds." This gimmick would garner lots of heat from fans who knew it was totally preposterous.

Rose finished his career as a comedy jobber act in the WWF as his weight ballooned to over 320 pounds. Despite his weight increase, Rose was very agile and would do one arm pushups regularly in the ring as part of his gimmick.

Lately, Rose had been living in Vancouver, Washington with his wife and had just closed down a wrestling school he had been running with Col. DeBeers. Recently, Rose had been complaining of health problems related to his weight and diabetes. It is estimated Rose weighed close to 400 pounds at the time of his death.

Rose is survived by his wife of 18 years, Tammy, and daughter, Alexia.

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