Buddy Rose

National Wrestling Alliance (1976–1982) 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. 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.

Rose next embarked on a lengthy tour of New Japan Pro-Wrestling that spring, wrestling opponents including Yoshiaki Yatsu, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Animal Hamaguchi. He returned to the PNW in June and had multiple matches with Matt Bourne before finally departing for the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation (1982–1983) While still finishing up with the PNW, Rose made his WWF debut on June 1, 1982, at a Championship Wrestling taping in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at the Agricultural Hall.

Now managed by Grand Wizard and accompanied by two women to ringside (one was Sherri Martel and the other Judy Martin), he pinned Steve King. In this run however Rose was not winless; he did secure pinfall wins against Jim Powers, Pez Whatley, Dale Wolfe, Jim Brunzell, and Dustin Rhodes on house shows.

Having gained a large amount of weight, Rose turned it into a comical gimmick; when the ring announcer introduced him and listed his weight at 317 pounds, Rose would angrily take the microphone away from the announcer, and claim to weigh "a slim, trim, 217 pounds"; this drew jeers from the crowd. Rose memorably appeared in a faux infomercial for the "Buddy Rose Blow Away Diet," which consisted of pouring powder all over himself and then "blowing away the fat" with a household fan; Rose looked exactly the same after the blow away. Rose's final match occurred at Wrestle Reunion 2005 in Tampa, Florida, where he teamed with Colonel DeBeers and Bob Orton Jr. against Jimmy Valiant, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka. The match was billed as Jimmy Valiant's retirement match, but Rose also retired after the match. Rose continued to make personal appearances, and opened a wrestling training school with DeBeers in Portland.

Rose battled a cocaine addiction for years, for which he later went to rehab as an outpatient for six weeks. He also had a lifelong struggle with obesity.

Championships and accomplishments 50th State Big Time Wrestling NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time) OPWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Buddy Wayne Wrestler of the Year (1980–1981)