Roddy Piper vs Greg Valentine (JCP - 11/24/1983)

Second

I agree with everything above (though I would add Bull vs Kandori to the mix - more on that in that thread). This match is just good ol 80s brutality at its best. It is stuff like that that makes me laugh when people say Piper's best match was against Hart. This is a fantastic FIGHT, very likely to make the back half of my list somewhere, but very open to how it may move either direction.

One of the my first 80s matches I have ever seen and I was blown away by the violence. Ear psychology is insane. Stone cold lock. I'm a total Hammer mark.

NWA US Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper - NWA Starrcade 1983 Dog Collar Match

The 1980s were just a decade of absolute awesome, violent brawls. It is a total lost art. I love how Valentine and Piper put over the danger the match early with the tug of war with the chain and just how cautious they are. I love a barnburner brawl, but there is something about this slow build that adds to the danger element. You add in Gordon & Caudle stressing the injury to Piper's ear. You know at any point Valentine could lash that heavy steel chain against the Hot Rod's vulnerable ear. Piper was in command early and used the chain more effectively. We got some many cool, violent chain spots. Valentine wrapping it around Piper's eyes only to have Piper wrap it around The Hammer's mouth and nose was an awesome visual. We got of course Piper yanking the chain out from under Valentine into his crotch, a good TIMBAH spot and Piper fucking around with Valentine in the corner. One of Piper's counters was just to take the chain hold it taught and pop right into Valentine's face. I let out an audible "Shit!" and grimace every time I see that spot. On the outside, Valentine seeks refuge, but Piper just hurls a chair at him and continues to wail. The ref tries to restrain Piper and BOOM! Chain lashed straight against the ear. What follows is one of the nastiest and gnarliest heel heat segments. Valentine bashes the side of Piper's head into the post and chucks him into chairs. He constantly is brutalizing the ear with the chain, his massive forearms and knees. The infamous blading of the ear takes to a whole new visceral level. There are two times Piper is in his element: loud, obnoxious jackass you want to punch in the face and scrappy underdog. We get the best damn scrappy underdog Piper! I loved when he fires up and just tackles Valentine. He sees his own blood and just fucking loses his shit. The best part about any Valentine match he will take as good as he gives. So he is game for taking all the beating from Piper. Also what is great about the Hammer is he ain't just let you fucking hit him. He is going to fire right back at you with some stiff shots. It was awesome watching this. The suplex struggle and the visual of both men lying on their backs with the chains on their faces was more telling than any words I can write. After all this violent awesomeness, how can I have complaints, I do and they are minor. I have never really like Piper's punches and some of them were clear whiffs. I wished he tightened that shit up. My bigger problem is the finish. It is just too anticlimatic. In the 80s, you can get away with that finish because the crowd is going to pop anytime an over babyface goes over an over heel. It was just Piper yanks Valentine off the second rope in the safest bump of the match, sort of throws the chain around and then just pins with a half-hogtie, just was not that definitive violent ending. What takes Slaughter/Sheik, Duggan/DiBiase, and Mags/Blanchard to that next level is that definitive, satisfactory and memorable violent ending. It is the lack of that ending that gets this knocked down a peg. Up until that finish, it was right there with him in terms of sheer brutality and great hated-filled brawling. ****3/4

Honestly, I can see it. So smart yet so brutal at the same time. The ear stuff is epic. Total classic

glad to see this get some love here so underrated match.holy fuck this is an all time classic. The start with both guys pulling and bending the chain was great both trying to damage each other pull at each other choke and the neck attachment was so badass. Then both just start trading and its business great strikes. I love how gnarly and reckless this is the chain spot to face chain whips etc are not only great visuals but just brutal. I love how they struggle with putting it on the face. And this is a fight. Such unique brutal spots and piper is so dirty in this his character work is good but at the end of the day hes a street brawler he knees valentine in the face chokes him with post attched to neck and even pulls it from his nether regions. This is shot so well reminds me of jumbo bock 79. It just feels like a boxing slugest with two heavyweights in blue tights the atmosphere and heat is great as the crowd wants piper to win. The commentary is great as they make great points and adds to it and treat it like a fight and it just connects perfectly. Then the ear stuff and man greg bleeds after those brutal chain whips and takes revenge by destroying the ear making it bleed and piper does so expectional fighter trying to stay but falling down sell every time piper builds a comeback greg cuts him off with going to the ear and they recklessly brawl. Its one thing to bleed but piper bleeds from ear/equaliream and its a bloodbath with blood on the ring man the visuals with their skin turning white both falling and looking concoussed is so great and piper destroys valentine. Even the basic slams elbows have good execution and surve purpose. This is a gruesome brawl as both guys are almost done and greg takes risk and piper somehow survives. The post match with greg taking revenge for 7/9/83 suffocating piper as he sells even in post match, great punches great execution and perfect narrative hatefulled war. This gruesome bloodbath is top 35 contender. I hope all the piper valentine house shows matches that exist get available someday. Piper is wahoo to gregs johnny

Just watched this for the first time. If you haven't seen this match YOU NEED TO STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!