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"Playboy" Buddy Rose (Paul Perschmann) was an American wrestler.

Career

Trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the mid-1970s. Wrestled primarily for the AWA, WWF, and for promoter Don Owen in Pacific Northwest Wrestling throughout his career. One of his most memorable feuds during his time in the Pacific Northwest was with a young "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, fresh from a stint in California. According to Piper in his autobiography, this was the feud that "made" both men. Rose would remain in the Pacific Northwest while Piper would eventually move on to the Carolinas and later, the World Wrestling Federation.

A consummate heel, Rose was well respected for his great ability to both work the microphone and take a bump. He even turned his excessive weight gain during the later part of his career into a gimmick. When the ring announcer listed his weight as 317 lbs., Rose would angrily grab the mike away from him and say, "I do not weigh 317 pounds. I weigh 217." This would of course bait the crowd into a booing frenzy. On occasion, he would also do one-handed push-ups in the ring and challenge other more muscular opponents to a "pose-down."

Rose, wrestling with a mask under the name "The Executioner," lost to Tito Santana in the opening match of WrestleMania 1985. He later returned to the World Wrestling Federation as enhancement talent. His most infamous WWF moment was a televised skit : the "Blow Away" diet plan, a parody of infomercials which sold weight loss products. In the skit, Rose, who at the time was close to 400 lbs., poured some type of powder (laundry soap) on himself, and then he stood in front of an industrial-strength fan, which "blew away" the powder and the fat with it.

Rose was found dead on April 28, 2009, at his home in Vancouver, Washington by his wife, Tammy Perschmann. A cause of death was not immediately available, but there were reports that Rose had several health issues, including diabetes and obesity.[1]

Championships and accomplishments

National
Regional

References

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