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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 2, 2018 22:29:04 GMT -4
August 3, 2015 USWA Card #441: Cincinnati Gardens
1) Bobby Fulton was victorious in the opener over “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Rodz was aggressive against the popular Fulton, hoping to get a big singles win. He choked Fulton on the ropes and then snapped his neck. Rodz went for a cover, but Fulton kicked out. Rodz went for a falling head butt, but Fulton rolled out of the way and took control. Fulton hit a dropkick and went for a cover, but “The Unpredictable” Rodz kicked out. Rodz took control again and hit an Unpredictable Slam. With the fans behind him, Fulton came back. He bounced off the ropes and took Rodz down with a crossbody block. He covered Rodz, hooked the leg, and scored the pin. Fulton got a big pop from the Cincinnati crowd! **½
2) “Wild” Bull Curry pinned “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon in quick fashion. As he often does in his matches, Curry went wild on the PBR drinker right away. Cannon briefly took control and knocked Curry out of the ring. Curry got back to the ring apron. Cannon went after him, but Curry cut him off and dropped him with his famous right hand. Cannon dropped to the mat, Curry reentered the ring, and covered Cannon to score the pinfall after just a few minutes. Curry looked very impressive in this bout. ¼*
3) Doctor X and Double X were victorious over Red Pepper. This was another great back-and-forth bout with these two tag teams. X had control on Pepper Gomez early in the bout. He went for a back suplex and bridged into a pin. As Paul Neighbors went to count Gomez’ shoulders, Gomez shifted his weight, got his shoulder up, and actually put X’s shoulders down on the mat for a two-count. X released the hold and got to his feet, but Gomez nailed him with a big right hand. “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” went for the Mexican Cradle, but X kicked out. Later in the bout, after each team had tagged, Gomez had X down on the mat again and went for a Mexican Leap. X rolled out of the way and Gomez crashed hard. X recovered and went to work on Gomez’ leg. He clamped on the figure-four leglock. Gomez managed to reverse the hold and the pressure, but X quickly got to the ropes. X tagged to Double X, who went right to work on Gomez. Double X surprised Gomez with a rolling reverse cradle for a near fall. Gomez moved out of the way of an elbow drop and then immediately hit a Mexican Leap. Gomez tagged Bastien who went to work on Double X. Bastien whipped him hard into the buckles and went for a cover, but Double X kicked out. Bastien picked up Double X into the airplane spin. He spun Double X around, but before he could transition into the atomic drop, Double X fought out of the hold and dropped down Bastien’s back into a sunset flip. Bastien kicked out, but Double X kept control. The masked man double teamed Bastien, working his right leg and grounding the high flyer. X got Bastien down on the mat and clamped on the figure-four leglock. Gomez came in for a save, but Double X leapt over the pile and nailed him with a dropkick. Bastien was trapped and forced to tap out, giving the masked team another big win over Red Pepper! ***¼
4) Ox Baker scored a big win over Don Leo Jonathan. Jonathan had the early control. He got Baker down on the mat and came flying off the top rope with a big splash. He covered Baker, but the Iowan kicked out. Jonathan went up top again a few minutes later and came off with a knee drop, but Baker rolled out of the way and Jonathan landed hard. “The Fabulous” Ox took control. He landed a knee drop to Jonathan’s head and tried for a pin attempt, but “The Mormon Giant” kicked out. Baker impressively got Jonathan up and hit a shoulder breaker for another near fall a few moments later. Baker continued to punish Jonathan and eventually nailed him with the heart punch. He covered Jonathan and scored the pin. Sir Oliver Humperdink was very happy with his charge’s win! **¾
5) While Humperdink was happy about Ox Baker’s win, he wasn’t as happy with the results of the next match, as Eddie and Doug Gilbert suffered a quick loss to Southern Heavyweight champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. The Gilberts were introduced first and were without Humperdink, since he had just returned to the locker room with Baker. Williams and Gordy entered next. As they came into the ring, the Gilberts stormed them and attacked them. Frank Morrell called for the bell to start the match, as all four men brawled. Gordy and Gilbert went to the floor, while Williams and Doug stayed in the ring. Williams took control on Doug, press slamming him hard to the mat. Humperdink came down to the ringside area, but Gordy saw him coming. He grabbed the manager and rammed his head into Eddie’s on the outside! Gordy then climbed up on the ring apron and took a tag from “Doc.” “Bamm Bamm” came in and blasted Doug with the Oriental Spike and then scored the pin after just a few minutes of action and before Eddie could even tag into the match. The Gardens fans popped big time for the quick win for this powerhouse tag team! neg*
6) In a reunion of former tag team partners and rivals in the USWA, Nikolai Volkoff was victorious over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. The bout was physical from the opening bell. Duggan took control, got down in the three-point stance, and blasted Volkoff with the flying spear. He covered the Russian, but Volkoff got a foot under the bottom rope. Duggan tried for a second spear a few minutes later, but Volkoff dodged it, and Duggan crashed hard into the turnbuckles. Volkoff tried to get a submission with a Russian bear hug. When he couldn’t get Duggan to give, he held on to the bear hug and tried to pin “Hacksaw’s” shoulders to the mat, but Duggan fought out of the hold. Volkoff hit the backbreaker drop and went for a cover. A second backbreaker put Duggan down for the pinfall a few moments later. (NOTE: This was my first time using the LOW color cards for both wrestlers.) *¾
7) In a historic tag team bout, the Fabulous Kangaroos defeated the Midnight Express. The Kangaroos had “Wild” Red Berry in their corner. Al Costello and Roy Heffernan trapped “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton in the ring for the first part of the match. They tried to ground the high flyer by using their respective submission finishers—the Marble Bor Leglock and the stepover toehold. Eaton fought back from the pain and managed to tag to “Sweet” Stan Lane. The Midnights hit the Veg-o-Matic on Heffernan, but Costello broke up the pin attempt. Costello tagged back in, but the Midnights turned the tables and trapped him in the ring for several minutes, they used several of their double team maneuvers, such as the Flapjack and the Double Goozle twice, busting Costello open after the second one with Eaton’s clothesline. The Midnights hit the Rocket Launcher, but Costello got a foot on the ropes. Eaton went up top again and came off the top with the Alabama Jam, but Costello rolled out of the way. Costello nailed Eaton with some stiff forearm shots and then tagged to Heffernan. The ‘Roos hit the Boomerang on “Beautiful” Bobby. Heffernan made a cover, as Costello cut Lane off and the ‘Roos got the pin. It was an impressive win for the Aussies and the Midnights’ first loss of 2015! ***¾
8) In a battle of two great pure wrestlers and former USWA World Heavyweight champions, Ed “Strangler” Lewis pinned Dan “The Beast” Severn’s shoulders to the mat in a somewhat, surprisingly quick fashion. Despite having a heated feud in 2008-2009, Severn offered Lewis his hand before the match in a great sign of sportsmanship. The “Strangler” accepted and the Cincinnati fans cheered! The bout started with some great mat wrestling. Lewis took control and executed one Strangler’s Headlock. Severn managed to keep his shoulders up and get a foot on the ropes for a break. Lewis went for a full nelson. “The Beast” dropped to his knees, but wouldn’t submit. Lewis kept the hold on and forced Severn’s shoulders to the mat. He was able to hold him there and score the pinfall after about six minutes of action. As Lewis released the hold, Severn recovered and was upset by the quick loss. Lewis offered Severn his hand in a return of sportsmanship. Severn calmed down and accepted the gesture, then raised Lewis’ hand in victory! *
9) In the first of two big title bouts, former USWA Southern Heavyweight champion the Sheik retained the BTW U.S. Heavyweight title with a submission victory over former USWA Southern, World Tag Team, and the inaugural World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine. The Sheik, of course, was accompanied by his manager Abdullah Farouk. The champion was extra aggressive at the start of the bout and looked like he would retain the title in short fashion, as he pulled out a sharp object right away and used it to jab Valentine. He then continued to try and bust open Valentine, as he bit his forehead, but couldn’t open up any noticeable cuts. Sheik tried for the Camel Clutch after a few minutes, but Valentine got to the ropes for a break. Sheik came off the second rope with a knee drop to the throat and went for a cover, but again Valentine survived. The challenger battled back, using several Atomic Skullcrushers to try and pin the U.S. champion, but to no success. He also caught the Sheik in a bear hug and looked like he might gain a submission, but Sheik gouged Valentine’s eyes to get out of it. Sheik got Valentine down on the mat and pulled out the object again. He clamped on the Camel Clutch and jabbed Valentine with the sharp object at the same time, keeping it hidden from BTW referee Kenneth “Tiger” Tasker. Valentine started to fade from the pain. Tasker raised Valentine’s arm and it dropped three times, so Tasker called for the bell and awarded the bout to the U.S. champion after 12 minutes of brutal action! ****
10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, managed by “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, put the title on the line against a current BTW star and a former USWA World Tag Team and Southern Heavyweight champion Bobo Brazil! Brazil was accompanied by his former tag team partner, with whom he held the USWA gold, Red Bastien. With fans of both the USWA and BTW on his side, Brazil was hoping to capture a USWA title that he had never held.
The match was a back-and-forth battle. Brazil got knocked out of the ring early on, but as Rude came out to attack him, Brazil cut him off and rammed him into the ring post. Brazil threw the champion back into the ring, but Rude caught him with a punch to the midsection. Rude went up top and came off with a top rope sledgehammer. He covered the challenger, but only scored a two-count. Rude hit a second sledge and later an impressive suplex, but still wasn’t able to put down Brazil. Brazil fought back and had some control, slamming Rude to the mat. He then attempted a falling Coco Butt, but Rude rolled out of the way and Brazil smacked his head hard, which busted him open. Rude capitalized and executed the Rude Awakening, but made a cocky cover and Brazil kicked out at 2¾. Brazil reversed a whip into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop, but telegraphed the attempt, so Rude sunset flipped him, but couldn’t keep down the challenger. Brazil fought back with some big, powerful punches. He then blasted Rude with the Coco Butt. The “Ravishing One” was knocked up-and-over the top rope and to the floor. Jerry Calhoun put a count on the champion. With Hart yelling encouragement through the megaphone, Rude avoided a countout and dazedly crawled back into the ring. Brazil maintained control and hit a body slam for a near fall. He kept Rude on the mat and successfully nailed a falling Coco Butt, which had the champion now bleeding as well. Brazil went for a cover, but the champion got up his shoulder before the three. The World champion battled back and surprised Brazil with a clothesline. He covered the challenger, but Bobo got his shoulder up at the last possible moment. Brazil regained control and locked the champion in a standing hammerlock. Rude ran toward the corner, ducked out of the way, and sent Brazil head first into the turnbuckle to break the submission. With Brazil stumbling around, dazed and bleeding, Rude grabbed him and executed a second Rude Awakening to score the pin and retain the World title after 17 minutes of action! Bastien checked on Brazil after the match, as Hart and Rude celebrated and gloated before the Cincinnati Gardens fans! ****½
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 5, 2018 11:07:23 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 8-8: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced some matches for the USWA card that will take place on Labor Day, September 7, at the Civic Center in Springfield, TN! o The main event will be for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time titleholder “Ravishing” Rick Rude will put the title on the line against the two-time current Mid-America Heavyweight champion and Springfield’s own Tracy Smothers. Smothers is currently tied for the most defenses of the Mid-America title and has had a great 2015, with only one decisive loss so far. This will be his first shot at the World title. Rude and Jimmy Hart were interviewed in-studio. Lance Russell congratulated Rude on retaining the title against Bobo Brazil in Cincinnati. “The Mouth of The South” laughed off Russell’s comment, saying that there was no doubt that Rude would leave Ohio still the champion. Rude the interjected that a physical specimen and a caliber of an athlete like himself cannot be defeated. He bragged about beating Brazil on “Big Time Wrestling turf” and said he’s going to do the same thing to Smothers in his hometown on Labor Day! o In a rematch from Independence Day Bash, the Midnight Express will take on the PYT Express. The Midnights won the first meeting between the Expresses on July 4 at Engel Stadium and have had a great 2015, with their only loss occurring last week in Cincinnati to the Fabulous Kangaroos. The PYTs are not backing down and are hoping to prove that they are the better Express. o In what should be a wild six-man tag team match, the World Tag Team champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon will team up with Doctor X to do battle with the House of Humperdink trio of Eddie and Doug Gilbert and Mr. Saito. The Vachons not only ended the historic reign of Saito and Mr. Fuji in May at Derby City Stampede, but also put Fuji out of action with a back injury in a title rematch in July at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Doctor X and “Hot Stuff” have been involved in the “hot potato” scene of the Southern Heavyweight title, along with Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. Which team will win this latest chapter?
• The commissioner also announced matches for the USWA’s return to Memphis and the Mid-South Coliseum on August 17. o In a first-time tag team meeting, the New Age Outlaws will take on the PYT Express. The Outlaws are waiting for their rematch for the USWA World Tag Team titles, as they have two wins over the champions this year, first over Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito via countout in Tupelo in April and then over the Vachons via DQ in Memphis in May. The PYTs are looking for a big win over the two-time former champions to get them noticed for Tag Team title shots in the future. o Before their big six-man tag team match on Labor Day, one-half of the World Tag Team champions Butcher Vachon will do battle with former champion Mr. Saito. While Sir Oliver Humperdink and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert are still scouting for a new tag team partner for Saito due to Mr. Fuji’s back injury, the Japanese Olympian is looking for revenge in singles competition! o Two former Southern champions will collide, as Doctor X takes on Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. Gordy has been on a roll since leaving the former Hot Stuff, International stable. X is hoping to get a big win and get a rematch for the Southern Heavyweight title in the coming months.
The USWA comes back to the Louisville Gardens on August 10! • In an international match-up, “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay will take on the “Swiss Superman” Claudio Castagnoli. Finlay recently sent Bryan Danielson out of the USWA, thanks to his Tombstone. Castagnoli’s own Neutralizer is an equally effective piledriver variation. Will one of these grapplers be able to execute their specialty? • In a tag team rematch from last month at the Nashville Fairgrounds, the masked tag team of Doctor X and Double X will face Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke. The hillbillies scored a big upset on the masked team. Not only are X and XX fired up by this loss, but also by X’s loss of the Southern Heavyweight title to Steve “Dr. Death” Williams last month in Lexington. Can the masked men avenge that loss or will the hillbillies triumph in the Gardens? • In a meeting of two powerful brutes, Mr. Saito will face “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Saito is known for his strong throws and punishing submission holds. Can he outwrestle and triumph over “Hacksaw”? • In the next meeting of what is becoming a heated tag team feud, the New Age Outlaws will collide with the Age of the Fall. Despite having a good record and two wins over two different World Tag Team championship teams, the Outlaws have yet to decisively defeat Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. In their last meeting, the Age of the Fall got the impressive win at Independence Day Bash, as Jacobs forced Billy Gunn to tap out to the End Time. Will the Outlaws avenge that loss or will the Age of the Fall continue their impressive performances? • Ed “Strangler” Lewis continues his battles with the First Family of Wrestling. He will have a large challenge before him this week in his hometown, when he takes on the New Jersey giant King Kong Bundy! These two wrestlers have battled before, most famously in a match in Jackson, TN in December 2007, where both men bled and Lewis got the win via tap out to the Strangler’s Headlock in a ****½ match. Can Lewis repeat history, especially in front of his hometown fans and gain momentum as he looks ahead to another shot at “Ravishing” Rick Rude’s USWA World title? • The First Family will be involved in another huge match-up, as two-time former World Tag Team champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens challenges the popular Southerner Tracy Smothers for the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship. These two met in September of last year for this same title, during Smothers’ first reign and Smothers came out the victor. Stevens has been on a roll the last few months, scoring impressive singles wins over former partner Nick Bockwinkel as well as “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. You can bet that Jimmy Hart wants Stevens not only to bring the Mid-America gold to the First Family, but also for “The Crippler” to do some damage to Smothers, prior to him challenging “Ravishing” Rick Rude for the USWA World championship on Labor Day in Smothers’ hometown of Springfield. Can Stevens capture his first USWA singles championship or will Smothers rise again to win? • The main event will be a rematch for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The Algerian champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon will put the titles on the line against the popular team of Red Pepper. The challengers scored a countout win over the champions in June in Dayton when Pepper Gomez sent Butcher over the top rope and to the floor with a series of punches. Gomez and Red Bastien are hoping to win their first USWA World Tag Team titles together. Can they do it or will the Vachons hold on to the gold once again?
All these bouts, plus the Midnight Express, “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, and more USWA stars in action!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 8, 2018 17:27:38 GMT -4
August 10, 2015 Card #442: Louisville Gardens
1) “Classy” Freddie Blassie continued his winning ways by scoring a pinfall on Virgil in the opener. Blassie dominated Virgil and scored the pin in a short amount of time after the Southern neckbreaker. The Louisville fans were not fans of “The King of Men”! DUD
2) “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay was victorious via countout over Claudio Castagnoli. The Irish brawler was extra aggressive in this bout, wanting to get a a win and get noticed in the USWA. He controlled much of the action, hitting a body slam onto the bottom rope, a Tombstone, and a fireman’s carry into a Hot Shot for near falls. The bout went to the arena floor and Finlay maintained control. He slammed the “Swiss Superman” head-first into the ring apron, then grabbed him into a Tombstone, driving him into the floor, in a scene similar to what he did to Bryan Danielson in June at Chilhowee Park. Finlay got back into the ring and beat Louisville native Joe Wheeler’s 10-count. Castagnoli was out on the floor and did not beat the count, so “The Belfast Bruiser” was awarded the victory. As Finlay returned to the back, several USWA officials and referees came down to check on him. Castagnoli came to, but needed assistance to the back. *
3) The Midnight Express defeated George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. This was a rematch from a few weeks ago in Lexington, when Sharpe used brass knuckles on “Sweet” Stan Lane and got his team disqualified. Lane and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton controlled the early action. Eaton executed a Divorce Court on South and then tagged into Lane who hit a big elbow drop. Lane covered South, but as Scott Bowden was getting Eaton out of the ring, Sharpe snuck in and nailed a knee drop to the back of Lane’s head and reversed the pin attempt. Bowden turned around to count, but Lane kicked out. South himself was hurting and didn’t realize he had made a pin attempt, so he tagged to Sharpe. The New Jersey native worked over Lane and he and South kept “The Gangster of Love” in the ring for several minutes. Lane reversed a whip into the corner on South, but missed a flying splash in the corner and sailed over the top rope and to the floor. Lane was almost counted out, but managed to get back in the ring. South hit a crossbody block on Lane and made a cover, but Lane kicked out. Sharpe came back into the bout and executed the piledriver on “Sweet” Stan, but again Lane kicked out. Lane capitalized on a mistake by South and tagged to “Beautiful” Bobby. The former Southern, Texas, and Mid-America champion ran wild on South and then nailed Sharpe with a stinging right hand for good measure, knocking the “Pretty Boy” off the apron. Eaton tagged Lane back in and the Midnights executed the Veg-o-Matic on South. Lane covered South and scored the pinfall. The Midnights looked good in this win and looked ready for another bout with the PYT Express on Labor Day! **¾
4) Another newcomer continued his winning ways, as “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos defeated “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Londos outwrestled Rodz and showcased a lot of his arsenal, including a crotch lift and slam (which defeated David Taylor a few weeks ago in Lexington), a Grecian sleeper grip, a headlock throw, and a grinding armbar. In the end, Londos got Rodz up and delivered his famous airplane spin. He dropped Rodz to the mat and made a cover to score the pinfall. Londos continues to gain popularity among USWA fans with each victory! ½*
5) Doctor X and Double X made short work of Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke. The masked men were ready for the hillbillies this time and did not take them for granted. They worked over Luke and kept him in the ring the entire bout. The Doctor locked Luke in the figure-four in the center of the ring after just a few minutes. Double X nailed Jim with a dropkick, as the big man stepped over the ropes to attempt a save. Jim got tangled in the ropes, leaving Luke alone to tap out to the hold. It was another impressive outing for the mysterious masked duo! neg*
6) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan made a big comeback to defeat Mr. Saito. The Japanese Olympian had the early advantage and looked on his way to a big win, as he hit an Oriental leg sweep for a near fall. Saito hit two of his patented suplexes, but couldn’t keep Duggan down. With the fans behind him, “Hacksaw” rallied back. He got Saito down in one corner, then went to the other corner, got in the three-point stance, and delivered the flying spear. He covered Saito and picked up the pinfall after just a few minutes, surprising Saito and Sir Oliver Humperdink! *
7) The New Age Outlaws scored a countout victory over their rivals the Age of the Fall. After the Outlaws did their own ring introductions, the Age of the Fall made their way into the Louisville Gardens. “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn went right after Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. Paul Morton called for the bell to start the match. James and Jacobs became the legal men, while Gunn and Jacobs briefly brawled on the floor, before going to their respective corners. The Outlaws kept Black in the ring for the entire match, although it was a brief encounter. They hit a spike piledriver on Black and Gunn went for a pin, but the Iowan kicked out. Gunn blasted Black with a big knee lift and looked ready for a pin attempt, but before he could cover Black, Jacobs grabbed his own partner, pulled him out of the ring, and took him to the back. The Age of the Fall decided to give up on this match and fight another day, without Jacobs ever legally wrestling, as Morton counted them out and gave the Outlaws the win. It was definitely not the type of win that James and Gunn had hoped for against their rivals! neg*
8) King Kong Bundy scored somewhat of an upset win, defeating six-time former USWA champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis in his hometown! The New Jersey giant attacked Lewis right after the bell, wanting to hurt the “Strangler” for when he eventually gets a rematch with Bundy’s ally World champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, but also to make a name for himself. Bundy hit a powerful body slam on Lewis and scored a two-count. He then sent Lewis into the corner and hit the Atlantic City Avalanche. He covered Lewis and demanded a five-count to showcase his strong win over the Louisvillian. Jimmy Hart was cackling with delight, as Bundy got his hand raised in victory! (This was only the third time that Lewis had lost a match in Louisville, with the other two instances happening in 2011 to “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and in 2013 to “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.) DUD
9) In the first of two titles matches, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens captured his first USWA singles championship by ending the historic second reign of Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tracy Smothers. These two wrestlers battled back-and-forth, each vying for the Mid-America championship. Smothers executed a belly-to-back suplex on Stevens in the first few minutes and scored a two-count. Smothers had Stevens hurting and went up top, perhaps for the jawjacker. Before the champion could leap, “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, who had not accompanied Stevens to the ring, since he was still in the locker room with King Kong Bundy from his prior match, sprinted to the ring and jumped up on the ring apron and yelled at Smothers through the megaphone. Smothers got off the turnbuckle and chased after Hart outside the ring. In his pursuit, Hart dropped the megaphone. It appeared to be a setup, as Stevens recovered, went outside the ring, grabbed the megaphone, and smashed Smothers in the head with it, while Scott Bowden was preoccupied with Hart. Stevens worked over the champion for several minutes. Smothers was dazed, but managed to hit a body slam out of nowhere for a near fall. Stevens quickly recovered and went up to the top rope. He hit the Bombs Away and made a cocky cover, but the champion kicked out. Smothers fought back again, with the crowd cheering for him. He had Stevens in trouble and went up top again for the jawjacker. Stevens was dazed, but managed to dodge Smothers’ attack, causing Smothers to crash into the mat hard. Stevens went up top and hit the Bombs Away a second time. He made a cover, but the champion kicked out. “The Crippler” went up to the top rope again and hit a third Bombs Away to score the pinfall and capture the championship! Bundy made his way to the ring, fresh off of his own big win on the card, to celebrate with Stevens and Hart, as “The Crippler” held the Mid-America title belt high above his head! ***¼
10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon put the titles on the line against Red Pepper. Red Pepper got the victory the last times these teams met for the titles, in June in Dayton, but did not leave the champions, as Butcher Vachon was counted out. The Vachons were extra aggressive tonight, knowing what the challengers could do to them. They double teamed Red Bastien in the first few minutes. Mad Dog hit the piledriver on Bastien and went for a cover, but Bastien got a foot under the bottom rope. Bastien made the hot tag to Pepper Gomez, who ran wild on Butcher. Gomez hit a dropkick on Butcher for a two-count. Mad Dog came back in, but so did Bastien, and he surprised Mad Dog with an airplane spin into the atomic drop. He covered Mad Dog, but the Algerian kicked out. Gomez was the legal man and hit a Mexican Leap on Mad Dog, followed up by a big wind-up punch to the stomach a few moments later, sending Mad Dog up-and-over, but not scoring a pinfall. Bastien tagged back in, but got cut off by Mad Dog. Mad Dog hit a double foot stomp and later a jumping knee smash, which caused Red to be busted open, but it didn’t put him down for the pin. Bastien tagged to “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach,” who sent Mad Dog into the ropes, and then bounced off the opposite ropes. After crisscrossing each other a few times, Gomez stopped in the middle of the ring and smashed Mad Dog with a chop to the forehead. Mad Dog went down and Gomez went for a cover, but only got a two-count. Bastien tagged in a few moments later and hit a second atomic drop. He went for a cover, but Butcher broke up the pin attempt for his brother. The save allowed Mad Dog to crawl to his corner and tag Butcher. Butcher came in wild against Bastien, but Bastien surprised him with a sunset flip for a near fall. Butcher battled back and got Bastien up in the air in the hangman. With blood pouring down his face, it looked like that would be it for Red Pepper, but Bastien managed to drape a foot over the top rope for a break. Butcher missed a big splash a few moments later and Bastien started to climb the ropes. He was bloodied and beaten, so it took him longer than it typically would have. This allowed Butcher to get to his feet and have enough strength to get to the corner before Bastien could dive. Butcher shoved Bastien off the top turnbuckle, which sent the flying redhead flying off the top and head-first to the guard railing. Bastien crumpled to the floor and Paul Morton began to count. Gomez left his corner to go help his partner, but it was not enough as Morton’s count hit 10 and he awarded the match and the belts to the Vachons! As the Vachons celebrated retaining their titles, Gomez helped his partner back to the locker room. ****
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 9, 2018 17:01:41 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 8-15: • Some upcoming matches were announced. After retaining their USWA World Tag Team titles last week in Louisville, the Vachons’ next challengers were announced. Mad Dog and Butcher will put the gold on the line on September 14 at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville when they face two-time former champions the New Age Outlaws in the main event! The Outlaws have been victorious in title matches twice this year, but haven’t won the belts. Their most recent challenge was in May against the Vachons, where it appeared they were ready to win their third championship, but Doctor X and Double X interfered for the disqualification. The Outlaws hope to leave Knoxville with a decisive victory and the World Tag Team titles! • Speaking of the World Tag Team title scene, the most recent challengers, Red Pepper will be in action on Labor Day at the Civic Center in Springfield when they collide with the First Family of Wrestling’s giant team of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. These teams have met twice before this year, with each team getting a win over the other. It was revealed that Red Bastien was alright after being shoved off the top rope and to the floor by Butcher Vachon in last week’s main event at the Louisville Gardens. While his neck was hurting, he is alright and the flying redhead will be back in action this next week at the Mid-South Coliseum. (See Card #443 preview below.) • In another update coming out of last week’s card, Claudio Castagnoli suffered a minor neck injury after Fit Finlay gave him the Tombstone on the arena floor. The former Mid-America Heavyweight champion will be out of action about one month. • “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, and new Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens were interviewed in-studio. Hart laughed in delight at Stevens’ championship win last week and said that the First Family of Wrestling will be bringing all the gold their way in the future! Stevens mocked Smothers, saying that he couldn’t successfully execute his jawjacker in their match and that he (Stevens) was better at coming off the top rope, as it was his Bombs Away that got the win. Rude congratulated his ally on the win and pointed out that a similar fate awaits Smothers in a few weeks when he challenges Rude for the World title. The champion stated that Smothers is an idiot to want this match in front of his family and friends in Springfield and that after Rude defeats him, Smothers will be run of town for an embarrassing loss!
The USWA comes back home to Memphis and the Mid-South Coliseum on August 17! • Red Bastien will be back in action, as he takes on the masked Double X! Red Pepper have had some great bouts with Double X and Doctor X, but this week it will be one-on-one. Both grapplers possess some great mat wrestling and scientific skills, as well as high-flying attacks. In an interview on Championship Wrestling, Bastien stated that there is something very familiar to him about Double X’s style and he, like the rest of wrestling world, would love to find out who is behind that mask! Can Red defeat the man in the black mask? • Mr. Saito is looking for revenge for the injury to Mr. Fuji. This week the Japanese Olympian will do battle with one-half of the World Tag Team champions Butcher Vachon! • In a first-time tag team match-up, the New Age Outlaws will face the PYT Express! The Outlaws are looking ahead to their rematch for the World Tag Team titles in a few weeks in Knoxville, but they cannot overlook the always capable PYTs. Can the Outlaws topple the Pretty Young Things or will the PYTs score a huge win over the two-time former champions? • Two former Southern Heavyweight champions will do battle, when Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy takes on the masked man Doctor X! Can Gordy use his power and size to beat the masked man or will X knock down the big man? • In another first-time tag team match-up, the Midnight Express will take on the Age of the Fall. Both teams are very familiar with the New Age Outlaws and would love to get noticed for a World Tag Team championship shot in the near future. Given the athleticism and talents of these four wrestlers, this could be the best match on the card. Who will leave Memphis the winners? • Give Tracy Smothers a lot of credit. After a tough loss of the Mid-America championship last week to Ray Stevens in Louisville, the popular Southerner is not slowing down as he looks ahead to a World title match in his hometown in a few weeks. This week, Smothers will do battle with the other half of the World Tag Team champions--Mad Dog Vachon! Smothers had battles with Butcher Vachon over the Mid-America gold earlier this year and now will tangle with the older Vachon. Mad Dog is a very accomplished singles wrestler, as he has defeated two former USWA champions this year in “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Can Mad Dog defeat another former champion or will Smothers score a big win en route to a championship bout? • The new Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will also be in action this week. The First Family of Wrestling member will battle his rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in a non-title grudge bout! Valiant is returning to action after a spike piledriver from Stevens, Hennig, and World champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude after his bout with Rude last month at the Nashville Fairgrounds. You can bet that “The Boy from New York City” will be ready to tangle with “The Crippler.” A non-title win over Stevens would definitely put Valiant in line for a title shot. Can “Handsome” Jimmy gain revenge on Stevens? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight title. Current and six-time champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will make his first defense of his sixth reign, when puts the belt up against two-time former champion and his hated rival “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. The Southern title has been a “hot potato” in 2015, with Gilbert winning it twice from Williams and Williams capturing it once from Gilbert and then just last month from Doctor X. Gilbert has proved to be very effective against his larger and more powerful rival, finding ways to defeat “Doc” on more than one occasion. With the added help of Sir Oliver Humperdink in his corner, Gilbert seems to have the upper hand going into Memphis. But Williams will have the Mid-South Coliseum fans on his side on this night! Can Williams hold on to the Southern title or will Gilbert capture his third championship?
All these great match-ups, plus “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos faces “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay! As well as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan taking on David Taylor!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 11, 2018 10:44:46 GMT -4
August 17, 2015 Card #443: Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis
1) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was victorious in the opener, defeating former Mid-America Heavyweight champion David Taylor. The Memphis fans were definitely in support of the American hero, with big “USA” chants. After knocking Taylor down with a big clothesline, Duggan got into the three-point stance and delivered a big flying spear. He covered Taylor and scored the pinfall after just a few minutes. ¼*
2) Double X scored an impressive submission victory over Red Bastien. Bastien hit a flying head scissors on Double X in the opening minutes and scored a two-count. Bastien went up to the second rope and came off with a knee drop, but the masked man rolled out of the way. Bastien landed hard on his knee and Double X took advantage, working over the knee and applying the figure-four leglock. Bastien fought through the pain and was able to make the ropes. Double X continued the onslaught and switched to his other specialty—the X-cellent sleeperhold. The masked man really wrenched on Bastien’s neck that got hurt in last week’s World Tag Team title main event. Bastien’s injured leg buckled under the pressure and he dropped to the mat. Sam Platania checked Bastien’s arm and it dropped to the mat three times, giving Double X the submission win over the former Texas champion. **
3) One-half of the World Tag Team champions Butcher Vachon got a singles win over Mr. Saito via countout. While Saito was out for revenge for the injury to Mr. Fuji, Butcher was relentless, wanting to make a statement. Butcher went fo the hangman twice during the bout. Saito was able to break out of the hold once and then got his foot on the ropes for a break the second time. Butcher busted Saito open with an elbow smash and the delivered a backbreaker. He went for a cover, but Sir Oliver Humperdink put Saito’s foot on the bottom rope for a break. Even though Tom Branch didn’t see this, Butcher did and he went after the manager on the outside. As Butcher grabbed Humperdink by his shiny coat, Saito recovered, came outside, and nailed Butcher from behind. Butcher ducked a double sledge from Saito and caught him in a bear hug. He then drove Saito back-first into the ring post. Butcher got back in ring, but Saito could not beat Branch’s count, so Butcher got the victory. **½
4) “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos got an impressive win over “The Belfast Bruiser’ Fit Finlay. Finlay was hoping for a big win over the newcomer, to keep his momentum going from recent wins against Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli. The Irish brawler had the early advantage and hit a hard scoop slam for a two-count. Londos came back and used his pure wrestling skills to dominate Finlay. He got Finlay up into the airplane spin. After several revolutions, Londos dropped Finlay to the mat and dropped down to a cover to score the pinfall. Londos was well-received by the Memphis fans in his first Mid-South Coliseum match! **
5) The New Age Outlaws got a hard-earned victory in a back-and-forth tag team bout against the PYT Express. This was a high-action match and it looked like either team could get the win at any point. Sweet Brown Sugar executed a backbreaker on “The Road Dogg” Jesse James in the opening minutes and made a cover, but only got a two-count. James fought back, got Sugar down on the mat and hit the Shake, Rattle, and Roll knee drop. Billy Gunn and D’Lo Brown were the legal men a few minutes later and Gunn blasted Brown with a knee lift for a near fall. A few minutes later, Brown took control on James and hit the Sky High for a very near fall. Brown hit a second Sky High a few minutes later. Gunn came in for a save, but so did Sugar, but Sam Platania saw Sugar enter first and told him to get back into the corner. This allowed Gunn to nail Brown in the face with a knee smash and break up the pin. He then pulled “The Road Dogg” on top of Brown and returned to the Outlaws’ corner. Platania turned around to count the pin, but Brown kicked out. James and Brown were both hurting and were slow to get to their feet. James connected with some punches first and then grabbed Brown to hit the pump handle slam. He was slow to make a cover, which allowed Brown to kick out at two. Gunn tagged back in and the Outlaws executed a spike piledriver. Brown was able to get to his corner a few minutes later and tag Sugar. Sugar worked over Gunn, hitting a spinning neckbreaker for a two-count. Gunn battled back and executed a Jackhammer for a near fall. Brown and James were the legal men and Brown hit a swinging side slam. He covered “The Road Dogg,” but he kicked out at 2¾. Sugar came back in, but James battled back with some stiff punches, which drew blood on Sugar. Brown jumped in to save his partner, but Gunn jumped in and took him out of the ring with a big clothesline over the ropes. James then grabbed Sugar and hit the pump handle slam to score the pinfall in an exciting bout! ****
6) In a battle of former Southern Heavyweight champions, Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy emerged victorious over Doctor X. The masked man took advantage at the start of the match, picking up Gordy for a piledriver and a two-count. Gordy reversed a whip into the corner and sent X into the buckles hard. He followed up with a running lariat for a near fall. Gordy grabbed X and tried to pull off his mask, but X avoided it. Instead, Gordy held onto X’s head and went for a submission with the Oriental Spike. Tom Branch checked the masked man’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Gordy the submission victory. ***½
7) In another exciting tag team match, the Midnight Express defeated the Age of the Fall. The Midnights kept Tyler Black in the ring for the first few minutes of the match. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton hit a spinning neckbreaker for a two-count. “Sweet” Stan Lane tagged in and the Midnights hit a Double Goozle on Black. Lane went for a cover, but Black kicked out. Jimmy Jacobs came in, but the five-time former USWA champions executed a Flapjack on him. Eaton executed a Divorce Court and made a cover, but Jacobs kicked out. It looked like the Express would wrap up things quickly, but then Black surprised Lane with God’s Last Gift for a very near fall. Black maintained control and blasted “The Gangster of Love” with an enzuigiri—a kick that Lane himself often uses. Black went for a cover, but Lane kicked out. Eaton tagged in, but Jacobs worked over him very aggressively. He caught Eaton in the End Time in the center of the ring. Eaton was locked in the submission for about 45 seconds and had his arm up like he was about to tap out. Suddenly, Eaton shifted his weight, pushing Jacobs’ own shoulders on to the mat. Tommy Marlin, ever the observant referee, checked Jacobs’ shoulders and started to count him for a pin. Jacobs realized what was going on and got a shoulder up, but also released the pressure of the End Time, saving Eaton from submission. The break allowed the Midnights to get back into control. They executed another Double Goozle on Jacobs. Eaton’s clothesline in the double team busted Jacobs open. Lane went for a cover, but Jacobs kicked out with authority. As we’ve seen before, the blood loss seemed to make Jacobs stronger. The Midnights double teamed Jacobs, but he wouldn’t go down easily. They executed another Flapjack and “Beautiful” Bobby followed up with another Divorce Court. The move finally put Jacobs down for the pin, while Lane knocked an intervening Black out of the ring with a karate kick. The fans went wild for the Express’ big win! ****¼
8) Tracy Smothers scored a very impressive win over the other half of the World Tag Team champions Mad Dog Vachon. Mad Dog put up a fight against the former Mid-America champion, but couldn’t maintain control long enough to put Smothers down for a pin. Smothers used his speed and agility to try and keep away from the Algerian brawler as much as possible and wear out his opponent. Smothers hit a running crossbody block early in the match for a near fall. He went up to the top rope a few minutes later and hit a moonsault body block for another two-count. Smothers missed the jawjacker once, but fought back against Mad Dog. He successfully hit the jawjacker and made a cover, but Mad Dog managed to kick out. He busted the Dog open with a jumping wheel kick and hit the jawjacker for a second time to score the hard-earned pinfall. Smothers looked impressive tonight as he looks forward to his first shot at the USWA World Heavyweight title on Labor Day in his hometown! ***¼
9) “The Boogie Woogie Man” made a big return from injury, as “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored a submission win over the new Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens in a non-title grudge match. Valiant was a house of fire in this bout, going for the sleeper about a minute into the bout. It was too early to try such a move on Stevens, as he quickly made it to the ropes for a break. Stevens gained control and went for his own finisher just a few minutes into the bout, as he dove off the top with the Bombs Away, as Valiant rolled out of the way and Stevens crashed hard into the mat. Stevens regained control and came off the second rope with an elbow smash. He later knocked “Boogie Woogie” down with a jumping knee smash. The Mid-America champ went for a cover, but Valiant kicked out. Stevens went for a clothesline, but Valiant ducked and sent “The Crippler” up-and-over the top rope and to the arena floor. Valiant went out after his rival and executed a suplex on the floor. Stevens was in a lot of pain, as Tom Branch started to administer a count. “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart jumped up on the ring apron and was yelling at Branch through his megaphone to stop the count and give Stevens a timeout! The distraction worked, as Branch admonished the manager, which allowed Stevens time to get back in the ring, time he might not have had without Hart’s help! Valiant maintained control and hit the Boogie Woogie elbow, landing right across Stevens’ nose and busting him open. Valiant made a cover, but Stevens kicked out at 2¾. Valiant threw Stevens into the ropes and caught him with the sleeper. Stevens started to drop to the mat, but as Branch checked his arm, Stevens grabbed the bottom rope right before his arm would have dropped for the third time. Valiant executed a neckbreaker and went for another pin attempt, but Hart put Stevens’ foot on the bottom rope. Valiant saw “The Mouth of The South’s” involvement and grabbed him by the colorful coat collar. Valiant wound up and nailed Hart with a big right hand, which popped the Memphis fans! A bloodied Stevens got to his feet and tried to ambush Valiant from behind, but “Handsome” Jimmy was ready. He swept Stevens’ leg and applied a spinning toehold in the center of the ring. Stevens was trapped and forced to tap out to the hold, giving “Boogie Woogie” a big win! ****
10) The main event was for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and six-time champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams put the title on the line against two-time former champion, his hated rival, and a man with whom he has exchanged the title several times in 2015—“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Gilbert was ready for his foe tonight, as Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted the champion early on, which allowed Gilbert to ambush Williams and work on his previously-injured neck. Gilbert hit a neckbreaker clothesline and went for a cover, but Williams powered out. Gilbert hit the Hot Shot and went for another cover, but again “Dr. Death” kicked out. The Southern champion fought back and sent his foe over the ropes and to the floor with a big back elbow smash. Humperdink distracted Tommy Marlin, while Williams went out after “Hot Stuff.” The challenger had crawled over to the announcers’ table. Williams followed and grabbed Gilbert by the hair, but Gilbert had grabbed the hammer for the ring bell. He jammed the handle into Williams’ throat. He then tossed the champion back into the ring and continued the attack. He executed a second Hot Shot a few moments later and scored the pinfall to win his third Southern Heavyweight championship! Humperdink was very happy about Gilbert’s win and the two were joined by Doug Gilbert and Mr. Saito in their celebration. Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came down to check on Williams and help him to the back. ½*
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 15, 2018 15:41:31 GMT -4
Hope everyone had a good time at Galacticon!
Highlights from the last three episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling:
August 22: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced some big matches for the September 14 card at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville: o Ed “Strangler” Lewis will continue his battles with the First Family of Wrestling he takes on Big John Studd! Lewis suffered a heartbreaking loss in his hometown two weeks ago to Studd’s tag team partner King Kong Bundy. The six-time former USWA champion hopes to bounce back from that loss and knock down the giant Studd! o Claudio Castagnoli will return from his neck injury and he will be looking for payback on the man who injured him. The “Swiss Superman” will do battle with “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay!
August 29: • Commissioner Armstrong had some more matches to announce. First of all, a huge added match for the Knoxville card will see Armstrong’s son “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn—the New Age Outlaws take on the Age of the Fall! The Outlaws are still hoping for a decisive win over Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. Their most recent battle at the Louisville Gardens saw Jacobs drag Black to the back and take a countout loss. Dundee debuts on 9/21 in Evansville • The commissioner announced that as a result of his non-title submission win in Memphis, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will challenge Ray “The Crippler” Stevens for the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship on September 21 at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville! Valiant is a two-time former Southern Heavyweight and World Tag Team champion and would love to add the Mid-America championship to his list of accomplishments! • Also on the Evansville card, will be the debut of a new athlete from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in Australia. “Superstar” Bill Dundee will make his USWA debut! Dundee is one of the most popular wrestlers in his home country’s promotion. He is very skilled at both brawling and technical wrestling. He is also known for coming back and scoring victories out of nowhere. While he has a variety of ways of finishing an opponent, his most effective maneuver is the Superstar Bomb, which is a sit-down splash off the top rope!
September 5: • “Bullet” Bob had more huge match-ups to announce. Nick Bockwinkel and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will return from their suspension for injuring Larry “The Axe” Hennig’s neck in July in Lexington. Their suspension will expire for the September 14 card in Knoxville. These two USWA greats and former opponents will team up for the first time in a standard four-man tag team match. The duo will have two huge bouts in September against members of the First Family of Wrestling. The first meeting will see them take on King Kong Bundy and the Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. Since Bundy’s regular tag team partner Big John Studd had already signed to face Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Jimmy Hart put Stevens in the match. Stevens knows Bockwinkel very well, as the two are two-time former World Tag Team champions and considered one of the best tag teams in USWA history. “The Crippler” also holds two victories over both Snuka and Bockwinkel in 2015. • Snuka and Bockwinkel will have another huge match-up the following week, when they take on the returning Larry Hennig, whom they put out of action, and the World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude! That bout will take place on September 21 in Evansville. The two rulebreakers from Robbinsdale, MN will be looking to injure their popular rivals as revenge for “The Axe’s” neck injury! • The new and three-time Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, along with manager Sir Oliver Humperdink, was interviewed in the WMC TV studios. Lance Russell congratulated on Gilbert on winning the title again. Gilbert sarcastically thanked Lance and said that the third time’s the charm and that he will be holding on to this title until the end of his life and when he gets to the “pearly gates,” St. Peter will shine up the Southern championship belt for him! Russell called Gilbert’s comments “blasphemy” and moved on to ask if the champion would defend against Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, Doctor X, or someone else for his first defense of his third reign. Humperdink interjected and said that they will make that decision, when they are ready! Commissioner Armstrong returned to the studios, which led Gilbert to ask, “Haven’t you been on this show enough?!” Armstrong congratulated Gilbert on winning the title for the third time. He said that Gilbert joins some prestigious names, as he is tied for third for most number of reigns with the Southern title, along with the Sheik and Gorgeous George. Gilbert said he embarrassed George last summer in the huge Two-Ring Battle Royal at Engel Stadium and that if the Sheik ever wants to challenge him, he can show him who throws fire better! Armstrong went on to mention how the Southern title has been a “hot potato” between Gilbert, Williams, and Doctor X the last few months, which is a sign of the great competition among USWA wrestlers. Gilbert said it didn’t matter, because now the belt will stay with him and the House of Humperdink! The commissioner responded that “We will see about that,” and announced that Gilbert’s first defense of his third reign will be against both men he has battled for the Southern gold. “Bullet” Bob made a Triangle Match between Gilbert, Williams, and Doctor X for the Southern Heavyweight title as the main event on 9/21 in Evansville! And as an added stipulation to hopefully get some stability for the Southern title, both losers of the match will not get any shots at the championship as long as the winner holds the Southern title! Armstrong wished Gilbert “good luck” and then left the studios, while Gilbert and Humperdink were outraged and claimed it was a conspiracy by the USWA!
The summer wraps up with a huge USWA card on Labor Day—Monday, September 7! The USWA comes back to the Civic Center in Springfield! • Two tag teams will do battle again, as Red Pepper do battle with the First Family of Wrestling’s team of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. Wrestling experts are wondering what condition Red Bastien is in, after being shoved from the top rope to the floor by Butcher Vachon in the World Tag Team championship match a few weeks ago in Louisville and after his loss to Double X on the last card in at the Mid-South Coliseum. Each team holds a win over the other. Who will win this “rubber match”? • “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan scored an impressive win over former Mid-America champion David Taylor a few weeks ago in Memphis. This week he hopes to repeat his success against Taylor’s tag team partner—“The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay! Finlay has had success of his own this year, defeating and injuring the likes of Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli. Which brute will topple the other? • A tag team feud will continue, as the Midnight Express will face the PYT Express! “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane got the first win at Independence Day Bash. Can Sweet Brown Sugar and D’Lo Brown avenge that loss? • In a big six-man tag team grudge match, the World Tag Team champions the Vachons will team up with Doctor X to face the House of Humperdink team of Mr. Saito, Doug Gilbert, and the new Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert! With the announcement of Gilbert’s title defense against both Doctor X and Williams in two weeks in Evansville in a Triangle Match, more fuel has been added to this already hot fire in this feud! Which rulebreaking trio will win this chapter? • The main event will be for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude will put the title on the line against Springfield’s own Tracy Smothers. Smothers has had success wrestling in his hometown, as he made his debut here in November 2013 and then captured his first Mid-America title in July of last year. Smothers has had a great 2015, with only two decisive losses. This will be his first shot at the World title. But Rude has had a great year as well, holding on to the championship ever since winning his second title at New Year’s Knockout in Evansville from Lou Thesz. He has defended against a variety of challengers and has made eight title defenses, putting him in sixth place for the most number of defenses of this championship. Will Can Rude continue his impressive reign or will Smothers’ success in Springfield continue?
All these great bouts, plus “The Fabulous” Ox Baker battles the big Hillbilly Jim! Plus, “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos, the New Age Outlaws, the masked Double X, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, and more USWA superstars in action on Labor Day in Springfield!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 18, 2018 21:12:19 GMT -4
September 7, 2015 (Labor Day) Card #444: Civic Center in Springfield
1) “Classy” Freddie Blassie continued his winning ways, scoring a countout win over Cousin Luke in the opener. Blassie was vicious against the hillbilly, delivering multiple knee drops. Luke rolled out to the arena floor for a breather, but Blassie followed. “The King of Men” delivered a hard body slam to Luke on the floor. Blassie rolled back into the ring, but Luke was unable to do so, so Blassie got a a countout victory. DUD
2) Double X was victorious via submission over Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. The masked man attempted to put out Milliman with an X-cellent sleeper, but Milliman made the ropes. Double X turned his attack to the Nashville native’s leg. He clamped on the figure-four leglock in the center of the ring and got “The Milkman” to tap out. ¼*
3) The New Age Outlaws got a countout win over “Dastardly” Danny Doring and the Amish RoadKill. Doring and RoadKill worked over “The Road Dogg” Jesse James early in the bout, hoping to get an upset victory. “The Angry Amish Warrior” executed a Barn Burner on James for a near fall. James took over on Doring and tagged to Billy Gunn. The Outlaws double teamed Doring for several minutes. Doring eventually had enough of James’s punishment and he and RoadKill decided to bail on the match and return to the locker room, taking a countout loss. (This was a similar scene to the Outlaws’ match with the Age of the Fall a few weeks ago in Louisville.) While it definitely wasn’t the type of victory they had hoped for, the Outlaws do look focused as they head into their next shot at the USWA World Tag Team championship next week in Knoxville! ½*
4) Ox Baker scored a quick pinfall on Hillbilly Jim. “The Fabulous” Ox pummeled Jim from the opening bell. He nailed Jim with the heart punch after just a few minutes and scored the pinfall, making Sir Oliver Humperdink a happy man! DUD
5) Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy got a hard-earned win over Red Pepper. Red Bastien seemed very cautious as the bout started and seemed to be favoring his neck. Most likely this was from his match for the USWA World Tag Team titles in Louisville a few weeks ago, as well as his bout with Double X on the last card in Memphis. Typically, Bastien starts the matches for his team, but tonight, “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” started things off. The former Southern and Mid-America champ did a great job, going toe-to-toe with Studd. He attempted to lift Studd once for an airplane spin, but couldn’t get him up. A few minutes later after some big right hands, he was able to get Studd up and spin him around just a few times. He dropped the giant and went for a cover, but Studd kicked out. Studd trapped Gomez in his team’s corner and he and Bundy double teamed Gomez. Bundy tagged in and sent Gomez into another corner (to avoid Red Pepper’s corner) and then delivered the Atlantic City Avalanche. Bundy went for a cover and scored the three-count, but then demanded a five-count from Frank Morrell. Morrell counted, but Gomez got a shoulder up at 4¾! Jimmy Hart was yelling at Morrell, but the official reminded “The Mouth of The South” that his own charge demanded this. Studd tagged back in a few moments later, but Gomez evaded him and tagged to Bastien. Bastien was blasted with a clothesline by Studd. Studd hit a big splash from a standing position and then picked up Bastien into the backbreaker. Bastien managed to get a foot across the top rope for a break. Gomez tagged back in and got Studd down on the mat, so he could land the Mexican Leap. Studd got back to his corner and tagged Bundy. Bundy and Gomez started slugging it out and went outside the ring. While Morrell had his attention turned to Studd and Bastien inside the ring, as well as Hart on the apron yelling through his megaphone, the official missed seeing Bundy nail Gomez in the back with a steel chair outside the ring. Bundy tossed the Mexican superstar back into the ring and the giants double teamed him for several minutes, but couldn’t keep him down. Gomez got to his own corner and tagged Bastien. The flying redhead ran wild on Bundy and used his speed and agility to his advantage against his larger foe. Bastien blasted Bundy with a big dropkick that knocked the New Jersey giant in between the top and middle rope and to the floor. Morrell put the count on Bundy, but with Studd’s help and Hart’s encouragement, Bundy rolled back in by the count of nine. Bastien continued his attack on Bundy, but Bundy eventually tagged in Studd. Studd stepped over the ropes and nailed Bastien with another powerful clothesline for another two-count. Bastien was holding his neck as he writhed in pain on the mat. Studd missed an elbow drop a few moments later, but recovered before Bastien and tagged in Bundy. Bundy went after Bastien and whipped him into the First Family team’s own corner. He went for the Avalanche, but Bastien dodged the attack. Bundy hit the corner hard, sending his own partner Studd off the apron for a moment! Bastien rolled-up Bundy with a school boy, but Bundy kicked out. Bastien then went up top and came off with a missile dropkick, knocking Bundy down again. He quickly tried for a pin attempt, but again Bundy powered out. Bastien attempted to crawl back to his own corner, but Bundy grabbed his leg and put his weight on Bastien, to prevent him from getting there. He then pulled Bastien up, scooped him up, and executed a backbreaker over his knee. He immediately followed up with a knee drop to the head, which drew blood on Bastien. Bundy went for a pin, but Bastien kicked out. Bundy used his size to his advantage and locked on a bear hug in the center of the ring. The bloodied Bastien started to drop, so Morrell checked his arm. It dropped twice and as it looked like it might drop a third time, Gomez jumped in and nailed Bundy with a double sledge in the back, breaking up the submission attempt. Morrell ordered Gomez back to the ring apron, while Bundy managed to tag Studd, who stepped over the ropes and then tossed Bastien over the top rope on the First Family’s side of the ring. Studd went to the floor and choked Bastien on the guard railing, focusing on the injured neck. He then tossed the former Texas champion back into the ring, stepped over the ropes, and hit a falling elbow drop. He covered Bastien, but the redhead kicked out. Studd then went after Gomez, nailing him with a head butt and sending him to the arena floor. He then tagged back to Bundy, who came in and hit a big splash on the downed Bastien. He covered Bastien and scored the three-count. Hart was ecstatic by his big team’s big win! ****½
6) “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos stayed undefeated with a quick win over Virgil. Virgil was no match for Londos’ wrestling skills. After just a few minutes, Londos got Virgil up into the airplane spin. He dropped the former bodyguard to the mat and dropped down into a cover to score the pinfall. Londos continues to impress inside USWA rings! DUD
7) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was victorious over “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Duggan largely controlled the action. Just a few minutes into the match, Duggan got down in the three-point stance and then blasted the Irish brawler with the flying spear to get the win. Springfield fans gave Duggan lots of chants of “USA” after the bout! ½*
8) The Midnight Express defeated their rivals the PYT Express. The PYTs had the advantage on “Sweet” Stan Lane for quite a while. D’Lo Brown got Lane down on the mat, went up to the top rope, and hit a picture-perfect moonsault. He didn’t immediately go for the cover, but rather stood up, showboated, and then delivered the Shaky, Shaky leg drop. He finally made a cover, but Lane kicked out. Lane took control on Brown and tagged to “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. They cut the ring in half on Brown, hitting him with most of their double team arsenal. The Midnights hit a Flapjack and Eaton attempted a pin, but Brown kicked out. A few minutes later, they hit the Double Goozle and then executed the Veg-o-Matic. Lane went for a cover, but Sweet Brown Sugar broke up the pin attempt. Eaton decked Sugar with a big right hand and the two went to the floor. Lane maintained control on Brown, while Eaton hit a back suplex on Sugar on the floor, then returned to the Midnights’ corner. Lane tagged him back in and the Midnights hit the Rocket Launcher on D’Lo. Eaton made a cover and got the 1-2-3! **¾
9) In a wild six-man tag team match, that didn’t feature all six men legally, new Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, Doug Gilbert, and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink defeated the World Tag Team champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon and Doctor X via countout. To little surprise, all six men started brawling before Gary Michael Cappetta could find introducing the Vachons and X. Through the melee, Butcher and Saito ended up as the legal men to start the bout. Saito sent Butcher into the corner and charged in at him, but Butcher moved out of the way. Saito’s head hit the middle turnbuckle and his neck snapped back. Saito rolled to the floor and was almost counted out, but with the help of the Gilberts and Sir Oliver Humperdink, made it back in before 10. Butcher attacked the neck and went for the hangman, but Saito got a foot on the middle rope for the break. Mad Dog tagged in and chocked Saito over the ropes, pounding on the neck as well. He then bounced off the opposite ropes and came back with the Mad Dog Pounce. Mad Dog and Saito brawled to the floor. Saito fought back and executed the Saito suplex on the floor. He rolled back into the ring, but Mad Dog was unable to, despite help from his partners. The House of Humperdink trio got the win, before the Gilberts and Doctor X could even wrestle in the match! neg*
10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude put the title on the line against Springfield’s own hometown hero Tracy Smothers. This was the second time the USWA title had been defended in Springfield, as the last time was in August 2011, as sort of a last-minute replacement for a scheduled Southern title match, when Southern champion the Iron Sheik was suspended. Then-World champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson agreed to give the fans a title match and defend against Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, who was supposed to challenge the Iron Sheik for his title originally.
The crowd was electric for this one, hoping to see history made by one of their own. As Rude often does, he sported something on his tights that has to do with his opponent. Tonight it was a map of the state of Tennessee, as well as other regional items! The champion was his usual arrogant self and took control in the first few minutes, stopping to flex every so often! Rude tied up with Smothers again and sent him into the ropes. He went for a clothesline, but Smothers ducked, bounced back, and surprised Rude with a running crossbody block. He made a cover, hooking the leg, but Rude kicked out at two. The champion got more aggressive, realizing that Smothers was a threat to his championship. Rude hit a suplex and a clothesline for separate near falls. Smothers was tossed over the ropes, but landed on the apron. He spun around and surprised Rude with a slingshot dropkick. He covered the “Ravishing One” for a two-count. Smothers went up to the top rope and came off with a flying body press. He made another cover, but again the champion kicked out. Smothers went up to the top and hit the jawjacker, smacking Rude right in the face and busting him open. He made a cover, but the champion kicked out. Smothers went up again and came off with a missile dropkick. He made another cover, but “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart had jumped up on the ring apron and distracted Jerry Calhoun. Smothers briefly went after Hart, but kept his focus on the World champion. Smothers worked over Rude some more, then went up top again for the jawjacker. He covered Rude, but again Hart got up on the apron. The manager tossed in the megaphone over Smothers and Calhoun, without them seeing it. Smothers was irate by Hart’s interference and went after him. He chased him around the ringside area. Hart tried to get back to the locker room, but the New Age Outlaws came out and blocked the way! Hart crawled under Smothers’ legs and returned to the ringside area. Calhoun warned Hart about getting involved. Meanwhile, in the ring, Rude had recovered and picked up the megaphone. Smothers returned to the ring, but was greeted by a megaphone to the face, which now drew blood on the challenger. Rude tossed the megaphone outside the ring, while Calhoun turned his attention back to the action inside. Rude picked up Smothers off the mat and hit the Rude Awakening in the center of the ring. He took his time in making a cover and when he did, make a lax one, as Smothers kicked out at two. Rude hit a second Rude Awakening and made a better cover, hooking the leg, but Smothers kicked out at 2¾. The Springfield fans went wild, with the Outlaws standing in the aisleway cheering on their ally! Rude started to pound away on the challenger, but Smothers battled back with big fists of his own! Smothers got the champion in the corner and was pounding away, when Rude ducked a punch, lifted Smothers, and executed a reverse atomic drop. He scooped Smothers’ legs into a pinning combination. As Calhoun went to count Smothers’ shoulders, the World champion put his own feet up on the second rope for leverage. Calhoun did not see this and called for the bell, giving Rude the pinfall and the World title! Fans were outraged as Rude and Hart celebrated their victory! ****¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 22, 2018 16:17:32 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 9-12: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced these huge matches for the September 21 card at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville. o Mr. Saito won the big six-man tag team match last week in Springfield by hitting his suplex on World Tag Team champion Mad Dog Vachon on the arena floor. In Evansville, the two former Olympians will square off inside the squared circle! o The other half of the World Tag Team champions will be in action, as Butcher Vachon brawls with “The Fabulous” Ox Baker! The war between the Vachons-Doctor X faction and the House of Humperdink continues to heat up. These two bald brutes will collide in what will not be a beauty contest! o Another rivalry will continue, as the New Age Outlaws battle the Age of the Fall. The Outlaws are still looking for a decisive win over Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. Their last meeting, in Louisville last month, saw Jacobs and Black walk out for an intentional countout loss. Depending on the outcome of next week’s main event, the Outlaws could be going into this bout as the three-time World Tag Team champion!
• Some big news was also announced about the October 5 card at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. o “Ravishing” Rick Rude will defend the USWA World Heavyweight championship in the main event on this card. He will put the title on the line against a man who’s been waiting for his rematch—six-time former champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis! Lewis now holds two disqualification wins over the champion in title matches, thanks to outside interference. Lewis has battled other members of the First Family of Wrestling to try and get some revenge en route to another title match. “Ravishing” Rick Rude and “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart were interviewed in-studio. Rude said that once again he did the impossible, by beating Tracy Smothers in his hometown in front of the “Springfield sweat hogs” to hold on to his championship. Hart said that Lewis is just making excuse after excuse about not defeating Rude for the title. He pointed out that King Kong Bundy defeated Lewis in his own hometown and that next week in Knoxville, Big John Studd will finish the work, so that the “Strangler” won’t even make it to Nashville for his title shot! o Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and Sir Oliver Humperdink, flanked by Mr. Saito, were interviewed on this episode. Gilbert said after a lot of scouting the world and after talking to Saito, they have found him a new tag team partner. Humperdink said that Saito has wrestled this man on a New Japan Pro Wrestling card and that he is very familiar to USWA fans, as he is a former Southern Heavyweight champion, who hasn’t been around for about five years. Lance Russell asked for more information about this man. Gilbert stated that this wrestler was a former member of the Heenan Family, who has a knowledge of the martial arts. Russell responded, “You don’t mean…?” and before he could finish his question, Gilbert said that Saito’s new tag team partner will indeed be Larry Zbyszko! Zbyszko has been wrestling all over the world in the last few years. He said that Zbyszko will make his in-ring return on October 5 in Nashville and that he and Saito will team up for the first time the following week in Lexington! • A music video aired showcasing “Superstar” Bill Dundee, who will be making his USWA debut on September 21 in Evansville. Fans got to see Dundee’s wide arsenal of maneuvers including several clips of his Superstar Bomb, even some in slow motion!
The USWA comes back to Knoxville and the Civic Coliseum on September 14! • Claudio Castagnoli will be back from his neck injury and he will be out for revenge against “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Finlay’s Tombstone on the arena floor last month at the Louisville Gardens put Castagnoli out of action for a few weeks. Can the “Swiss Superman” get revenge on the Irish brawler? • Two tag teams that have had some exciting match-ups this year will meet again as the high-flying fan favorites of Brian Kendrick and Paul London will collide with the Age of the Fall! Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black have yet to score a win on Kendrick and London. The last two matches these teams had received ratings of **** (June at Chilhowee Park, also in Knoxville) and ****½ (July at Rupp Arena in Lexington). While these teams could have another great match, more important than star ratings is whether the Age of the Fall can finally get a win over Kendrick and London or whether the fan favorites will soar again? • Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy continues his battles with the House of Humperdink. This week he will face his former ally in Hot Stuff, International—Doug Gilbert. Gordy and Steve “Dr. Death” Williams scored a very quick win over Doug and Eddie Gilbert in August at the joint card with BTW at the Cincinnati Gardens, with Gordy scoring the pinfall on Doug before Eddie could tag in. Can Doug give Gordy a bigger challenge this time around? • Gordy’s tag team partner Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will do battle with another House of Humperdink member—Mr. Saito. This should be a physical battle between two wrestlers who like to utilize throws and suplexes. This will also be a tough challenge for Williams before he challenges for the Southern Heavyweight title in the Triangle Match with champion Eddie Gilbert and Doctor X in next week’s main event in Evansville! • Two of the USWA’s longest-competing stars will team up for the first time in a standard tag team match when Nick Bockwinkel partners with “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka to take on the First Family of Wrestling’s team of Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and King Kong Bundy! Bockwinkel and Snuka are returning from their four-card suspension for injuring Larry “The Axe” Hennig in July in Lexington. Stevens holds singles wins over both fan favorites in 2015. Bundy has been on a roll lately, both in tag team matches with regular partner Big John Studd, and just a few weeks ago with a win over Ed “Strangler” Lewis in his hometown of Louisville. Which super team will get the win in this mega match-up? • Speaking of the First Family, Big John Studd will have a big match-up when he faces six-time former World champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis. While Lewis has more singles accomplishments, in some ways, this is a bigger challenge for him, as he has suffered recent losses to two other First Family members—King Kong Bundy and Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Lewis is guaranteed his rematch for the World Heavyweight championship with “Ravishing” Rick Rude on October 5 in Nashville, but a win over Studd would give him more momentum. Lewis has defeated larger opponents in the past. Can he knock down Studd or will the First Family cause him another problem? • The main event will be a rematch for the USWA World Tag Team championship. Current champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon will defend the titles against the two-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. Looking at records and stats from this year, most wrestling experts feel that the Outlaws are going to leave Knoxville as three-time champions. They have wins over both the Vachons and former champions Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito this year in championship matches via disqualification or countout. In addition, the Outlaws defeated the Vachons decisively in February, prior to the Vachons winning the belts, which has been the Vachons’ only decisive loss since returning to the USWA last summer at Independence Day Bash 2014. Since the Vachons won the titles from Fuji and Saito in May at Derby City Stampede, while they have remained champions, they have to get a decisive victory, as all of their defenses have ended in disqualifications or countouts, either for themselves or their challengers. Things seem to favor “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn, but Mad Dog and Butcher are always ready for a battle! Can the Outlaws win the belts for a third time or will the Vachons find a way to hold on to the gold yet again?
All these bouts, plus “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan battles Double X! As well as “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, “The Fabulous” Ox Baker, and more USWA stars in action!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 27, 2018 11:46:59 GMT -4
September 14, 2015 Card #445: Civic Coliseum in Knoxville
1) House of Humperdink member Ox Baker got a win in the opening bout, defeating Cousin Luke. Luke had control at the start and looked like he might score an upset, as he knocked Baker down with a two-fisted sledgehammer and got a two-count. Baker rolled out of the ring for a breather and took control in a brawl outside the ring. Back in the ring, he executed a shoulder breaker on Luke and then put him down for the pin with the heart punch, just as he did to Luke’s tag team partner Hillbilly Jim last week in Springfield. Baker looked impressive here, but he will have a tougher challenge in World Tag Team champion Butcher Vachon next week in Evansville! *½
2) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant defeated the masked Terror in just a few minutes. Valiant rocked Terror with big punches, before catching him in the sleeper and putting him out for the submission win. Valiant will have a huge bout ahead of him next week in Evansville, when he challenges Ray “The Crippler” Stevens for the Mid-America Heavyweight championship! ½*
3) Claudio Castagnoli got some short-term revenge against “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Castagnoli was aggressive at the opening bell. He executed a Very European uppercut and went for an early pin, but Finlay kicked out. Finlay capitalized on a mistake by Castagnoli and hit the Tombstone inside the ring. He gloated about executing the move, so he was slow to cover Castagnoli, which allowed the former Mid-America champ to recover and kick out. Finlay threw Castagnoli out of the ring. He went after him and set him up for another Tombstone on the floor. The “Swiss Superman” fought free, to avoid another injury. Castagnoli got to his feet, but Finlay nailed him with a clothesline into the ring post. “The Belfast Bruiser” crawled back in, as Joe Wheeler put the count on Castagnoli. Castagnoli was hurting but managed to get back into the ring by the count of eight. Finlay sent Castagnoli into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop. He telegraphed the attempt, as Castagnoli blasted him with a forearm to the back. He then grabbed Finlay and hit the Neutralizer. He covered Finlay and scored the pin. The fans were in support of Castagnoli and gave him a big pop for his payback win. However, his celebration was short as David Taylor charged the ring and nailed Castagnoli with forearms and European uppercuts. He head butted Castagnoli as Finlay recovered from his loss. The duo then hit a spike Tombstone on Castagnoli, with Finlay holding Castagnoli up in his move and Taylor pushing Castagnoli’s feet. Several USWA referees and officials ran down to the ring and ordered Finlay and Taylor back to the locker room. The British duo eventually obliged but shoved some of the officials around first. As the British duo left the ringside area, the officials had to help Castagnoli up to his feet and back to the locker room. **¾
4) Brian Kendrick and Paul London beat the Age of the Fall by disqualification. This match was not as good as their previous two bouts. Kendrick hit the Sliced Break #2 early on Tyler Black, but Black kicked out of the pin attempt. London tagged in and went for the 450 splash. Black rolled out of the way and tagged out to Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs worked over London for a few minutes, but London battled back. He had Jacobs in trouble and as he did a few weeks ago in Louisville against the New Age Outlaws, he decided to fight another day. This time Jacobs decided to punch Paul Morton and get the Age of the Fall intentionally disqualified. He and Black then quickly retreated to the locker room, before Kendrick, London, or Morton could retaliate! Kendrick and London checked on Morton, who was able to get back on his feet and walk to the back with some assistance but was unable to referee for the rest of the card. ¾*
5) Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy scored a pinfall on Doug Gilbert. Gilbert attacked his former ally at the start of the bout and worked over him, hoping to get an upset win on the former Southern champion. He hit a DDT on Gordy a DDT a few minutes into the bout and went for a cover, but Gordy kicked out. Gordy battled back and rocked Gilbert with big punches. He executed the power bomb on the House of Humperdink member and scored the pinfall a few minutes later. The Knoxville fans gave “Bamm Bamm” a big ovation for his win! *½
6) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan picked up an impressive win over Double X. Duggan was focused here tonight and needed only a couple of minutes to score the pinfall on the masked technician, after a big clothesline. The Civic Coliseum was loud with “USA” chants! DUD
7) Duggan and Gordy’s ally Steve “Dr. Death” Williams made it a perfect night for their trio, as he earned a hard-fought victory over House of Humperdink member Mr. Saito. Saito had control at the start of the bout, working on Williams’ leg. He locked on the Scorpion Leglock. Williams was in the hold for nearly a minute but used his power to pull himself to the ropes for a break. Saito continued the attack and hit an Oriental leg sweep for a two-count. Out of nowhere, Williams ducked behind Saito and hit a backdrop driver. “Doc” took control and followed up with a second driver a few minutes later. He went for a pin attempt, but Sir Oliver Humperdink put Saito’s foot on the bottom rope for a break. Williams maintained control and hit a standing dropkick for another near fall. A few moments later, Williams got Saito up and delivered the Oklahoma Stampede to score the pinfall. Williams looked impressive here, as he hopes to break his own record and win his seventh Southern championship next week in Evansville from another of Humperdink’s men—“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert in the unique Triangle Match! ***¼
8) Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and King Kong Bundy of the First Family of Wrestling scored a tainted victory over Nick Bockwinkel and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. The dream team of Bockwinkel and Snuka worked well together in their first time teaming in a standard tag team match. Former championship partners Bockwinkel and Stevens started off the bouts for their respective teams and battled it out. In the middle of a skirmish, Bockwinkel hit a back suplex and went for an early pin, but Stevens got out. Snuka tagged in and continued the attack. He nailed the Superfly Leap, but Bundy broke up the pinfall. Bundy finally tagged in and worked over Bockwinkel, his former ally in the Heenan Family. He tried to gain a submission with a bear hug, but Bockwinkel broke it up with an eye rake, still using his rulebreaking tactics from time-to-time, despite being a fan favorite! Bundy kept control and hit a backbreaker. He went for a cover, but Snuka made the save. Bundy caught Bockwinkel in a bear hug again. Bockwinkel started to fade, but fought free with a series of punches. He tagged to Snuka, who came off the top rope with a flying body press, which took down the New Jersey giant. Snuka hooked Bundy’s leg for a pin attempt, but Bundy powered out. Bockwinkel tagged back in and had Bundy reeling. He knocked the big man out of the ring with an impressive dropkick. Bundy was down on the floor, as Scott Bowden put the count on him. With Stevens and Hart’s help, Bundy got back in by nine. Snuka was back in and knocked Bundy into his own corner with a head butt, allowing the Mid-America champion to tag back in. Snuka didn’t allow Stevens a chase to attack, as he pounced right on him. He slammed “The Crippler” hard to the mat and came off the top again with the Superfly Leap. He landed right across Stevens’ face, busting open Stevens. As Snuka went for a cover, Bundy came in for another save but was cut off by Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel punched away at Bundy in one corner of the ring, which drew Bowden’s attention and kept him from counting the pinfall. Meanwhile, Jimmy Hart came into the ring from the other side and was going to smash the Fijian warrior with the megaphone. Snuka saw him coming and got up to stop “The Mouth of The South.” As Snuka choked Hart, Hart dropped the megaphone. Stevens recovered and picked up the megaphone himself, then used it to smash Snuka from behind. Snuka collapsed to the mat and Stevens quickly went up top, with Bockwinkel still occupied with Bundy. Hart grabbed the megaphone and got out of the ring, while “The Crippler” came off the top with the Bombs Away. Hart yelled through the megaphone at Bowden to count the pin. The official did, just as Bockwinkel realized that his partner had been pinned. Right after the bell, Bockwinkel started to pound away on the Mid-America champ. Big John Studd, wearing his ring robe, since his match was next, came down to ringside, stepped over the ropes, and nailed Bockwinkel with a double-sledge to the back. Bundy recovered and he and Studd tied Bockwinkel’s arms between the top and bottom ropes. Bockwinkel had to watch as Studd and Bundy delivered a double suplex on the “Superfly.” The giants then held Snuka down by the arms and legs, while Stevens came off the top three times with the Bombs Away. Bockwinkel finally got free, grabbed a steel chair, and chased the First Family of Wrestling members out of the ring. Several USWA officials and referees came down to get Stevens and Bundy to the back. Bockwinkel tried to revive Snuka, but he was out cold. A stretcher was called into the arena to take Snuka out. Bockwinkel walked to the back with the stretcher. Studd and Hart stayed at ringside for Studd’s scheduled match. ***¾
9) Ed “Strangler” Lewis scored an impressive submission win over Big John Studd. Studd took advantage at the start of the bout, pounding on Lewis in one corner of the ring. Studd dropped “Strangler” throat-first onto the top rope and went for a cover, but the six-time former USWA champion kicked out. Studd maintained control and dropped a big elbow on to Lewis. He tried for another pinfall, but Lewis kicked out. Studd went for the backbreaker about five minutes into the match. Lewis looked in trouble. Suddenly, Nick Bockwinkel made his way back to ringside. As Joe Wheeler checked with the “Strangler” to see if he wanted to submit, Bockwinkel snuck up on the ring apron and clipped Studd’s knee, which Bowden did not see, as Studd’s mass blocked his view. Studd crumbled to the mat, dropping Lewis. The giant turned around to see Bockwinkel at ringside. Jimmy Hart tried to call Bockwinkel out, but the four-time former champ simply walked back to the locker room with a cocky look on his face. Studd was irate, thinking he had the match won. He turned around, but got caught in the Strangler’s Headlock! Lewis clamped on to Studd, bringing the giant down to his knees. Studd made the ropes for a break. Lewis let him go but quickly clamped on a double wristlock as soon as Studd was away from the ropes. Studd managed to get a foot on the ropes for a break. Lewis pounded away on Studd, busting him open and keeping him down on the mat. He clamped on the headlock again, keeping Studd on his back and positioning himself away from the ropes. Fans were chanting “Squeeze!” like they would for an amateur wrestler trying to score a pin. Wheeler kept asking Studd if he wanted to give and he would also check the big man’s shoulders for a pin. He counted two four separate times. Hart tried to find a chance to interfere, but with Lewis positioning Studd over and over again, he couldn’t find an opportune time, without risking an automatic disqualification. After holding on the headlock for five minutes, Stud, with the blood pouring out of his forehead, finally tapped out, as the Knoxville fans erupted! As Lewis got his arm raised by Wheeler, he stared down Hart and indicated that he plans to do something similar to “Ravishing” Rick Rude in a few weeks in Nashville in their World championship rematch! ***½
10) The main event was a rematch for the USWA World Tag Team championship. The current champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon put the titles on the line against two-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws entered this match with two wins in championship bouts this year, without winning the titles, as well as the only decisive win over the Vachons since they returned to the USWA last July. The action was fast-paced from the opening bell. “The Road Dogg” Jesse James got Butcher down on the mat and went up to the second rope. He came off with a fist drop, but Butcher rolled out of the way and James crashed hard. Mad Dog tagged in and hit the piledriver a few minutes into the match. He went for a cover, but James got a foot under the bottom rope for a break. Mad Dog clawed and punched away at James’s face, busting him open. He choked him on the ropes and hit two Mad Dog Pounces. He went for a pin attempt, but “The Road Dogg” kicked out. James managed to get to his corner and tag Billy Gunn. Gunn worked over Mad Dog. Mad Dog took control and tried for a Mad Dog Pounce on Gunn, but Gunn moved out of the way and Mad Dog crashed hard. Gunn pulled him off the ropes and went for a cover, but Mad Dog kicked out. Mad Dog managed to get to his corner and tag his brother. Butcher came in and went right after Gunn. He got him up in the hangman. Gunn was in trouble but managed to flip over Butcher and break out of the hold. Butcher looked up but got hit with a clothesline. Both men were weakened and crawled to the corners to tag their partners. James attacked Mad Dog with punches, but the blood loss was too much, and Mad Dog took over. He suplexed James to the mat and then delivered a jumping knee drop, right to James’s bloody head. Mad Dog went for a cover. Gunn was weakened and slow to make a save, as Mad Dog scored the impressive three-count. The fans booed the Vachons, as they celebrated retaining the titles! ***
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 30, 2018 14:36:20 GMT -4
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from 9-19: • Updates were given on two wrestlers who were injured at last week’s card in Knoxville. First, Claudio Castagnoli reinjured his neck and this time more severely, thanks to the spike Tombstone from Fit Finlay and David Taylor. The former Mid-America champion will be out of action until December. As a result of their attack and for shoving USWA officials afterward, Commissioner Bob Armstrong has suspended both Finlay and Taylor for three cards! • After the attack by Ray “The Crippler” Stevens, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy, it was determined that “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka suffered a serious concussion and will be out of action indefinitely. Commissioner Armstrong said that he is consulting with the USWA Committee to determine an appropriate punishment for the three First Family of Wrestling members. He said that he plans to make a decision in the coming weeks.
The USWA returns to the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville on September 21 with a huge card of action! • In an interesting tag team match-up, Brian Kendrick and Paul London will take on the First Family of Wrestling team of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. This will be a styles clash, as the high-flying fan favorites will be against the size and power of the rulebreakers. Both teams are hoping for a win to hopefully get a shot at the World Tag Team titles down the line. Which team will leave Evansville the winners? • Speaking of the World Tag Team championship, both champions will be in singles action on this card against members of the House of Humperdink. First, Butcher Vachon will take on Ox Baker. This could be an ugly brawl between two ugly competitors! • Butcher’s brother Mad Dog will battle Mr. Saito! Both wrestlers have an amateur and Olympic background, although they often rely on rough, pro tactics to win matches. Saito lost to Butcher last month in August via countout. He hopes to erase that loss. And even though this is a singles bout, Saito is looking to get some recognition for the tag team division, as his new partner Larry Zbyszko will be returning to USWA action in a few weeks to form their new team. Who will win this hard-hitting match-up? • A tag team rivalry will continue, as the New Age Outlaws will take on the Age of the Fall. Coming off challenging for the World Tag Team titles last week in Knoxville, “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn are hoping to get back on track and get their first decisive win over Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. In their last meeting, Jacobs decided to walk out and take a countout loss, rather than risk a pinfall or submission. Perhaps Jacobs’ mind games and psychology will work to the Age of the Fall’s favor or perhaps the Outlaws will finally accomplish their mission! • Larry “The Axe” Hennig will return from injury and team up with his First Family of Wrestling ally and the World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Originally the Robbinsdale, MN natives were scheduled to battle Nick Bockwinkel and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Due to Snuka’s concussion caused by fellow allies Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, and Mid-America champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens, Bockwinkel needed a new partner. This past week on Championship Wrestling, the four-time champion was interviewed in-studio. He had invited Ed “Strangler” Lewis to join him. Bockwinkel said that he and Lewis have had many battles for the USWA championship over the years. He said that both of them have scores to settle with “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the First Family. He stated that he knows that the “Strangler’s” goal is the World title, as every wrestler’s goal should be, and that he knows that Lewis did not ask for help from him in previous matches, but he would appreciate if Lewis would help him out for this one match. Lewis said that he respects Bockwinkel’s accomplishments, even if they haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. And he emphasized that he doesn’t want to be part of a “gang war,” but that he would love to get at both Rude and Hennig on the same night. Therefore, he would be happy to accept Bockwinkel’s offer and team up with him this week! The two shook hands. Bockwinkel made a deal for yet another dream team this month with the deal with the “Strangler.” The two former USWA World champions are coming together on very short notice, with the announcement made two days before the card in Evansville! Can they stop the First Family? • In the first of two championship matches, another First Family member will be in action, as Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will make his first defense of the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship. He will put the title on the line against his rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Valiant defeated Stevens in a non-title match via submission last month at the Mid-South Coliseum. Valiant is a two-time former Southern champion, but the last time he held a singles championship was in April 2006. Can Valiant become a champion again 3,440 days after his last reign or will the crafty “Crippler” retain the gold? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship between three men who have traded the title a lot this year. Current and three-time champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert will defend the title in a Triangle Match against two former champions he knows very well—Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Doctor X! These three have had back-and-forth battles with the title bouncing around. Should X win, he would become a two-time champ, while Williams would break his own record and become a seven-time champion. This will be the first time that the Southern title has been defended in any type of multi-person match. Dave Brown reviewed the rules for this match on Championship Wrestling:
I. Two wrestlers are in the ring at one time, with the other wrestler on the apron, awaiting a tag from either wrestler. A coin flip will take place in the locker room prior to the bout to determine which two wrestlers will start the match. II. A wrestler in the ring can tag to the third man at any time. The tagging wrestlers may double team the third wrestler for a five-count from the referee, as in a standard tag team match. III. A wrestler can be eliminated from the bout by any standard method—pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout. If the champion is disqualified or counted out, he cannot lose the title, as in a standard title match. The last wrestler left will be declared the winner. IV. For this particular match, Commissioner Bob Armstrong has added the stipulation that the two losers of the match will not be able to challenge for the Southern Heavyweight championship as long as the winner holds the title. The “hot potato” nature of the Southern title in 2015 will hopefully stabilize somewhat after this bout. Which of these three combatants will leave Evansville the Southern champion?
All these great match-ups, plus “Classy” Freddie Blassie, “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos, and the USWA debut of Australia’s “Superstar” Bill Dundee!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 31, 2018 13:27:07 GMT -4
September 21, 2015 Card #446: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville1) “Superstar” Bill Dundee was victorious in the opener, winning his USWA debut match over “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. The Evansville fans gave Dundee a big pop as he entered the arena in his fancy jumpsuit! Dundee largely dominated Rodz. He went for a submission with a Boston Crab, but Rodz made the ropes. Dundee maintained control and came off the top with his Superstar Bomb to score the pinfall in about three minutes. ¼* 2) “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos continued his winning ways, pinning Kenny Shane of Black Oak, AR. Londos outwrestled Shane and quickly got him up into the airplane spin to score the pinfall. The fans gave Londos a big ovation for his win! DUD 3) Another wrestler continued his win streak, as “Classy” Freddie Blassie made quick work out of Hillbilly Jim. Blassie bit Jim early in the bout. Jim was outraged by this and battled back against Blassie, sending him into the buckle. Jim charged in with a big boot, but Blassie moved out of the way and Jim get hung up on the ropes. Blassie clamped on a nerve pinch. Tom Branch checked Jim’s arm. It dropped twice, but stopped before the third. Jim fought to his feet and fought out of the hold. Blassie cut him off and continue to work over him. He hit the Southern neckbreaker and scored the pinfall. Blassie continues to impress inside the ring. ¾* 4) Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy defeated Brian Kendrick and Paul London. The fan favorites had the early advantage on Bundy, tagging in-and-out and using their quickness to wear the New Jersey giant down and get him down on the mat. Both Kendrick and London attempted pinfalls, but Bundy kicked out. Studd got nervous and broke up one pin attempt, which turned the tide. The giants mainly worked on London. Studd got London up in the backbreaker. While holding up London, Studd spun him around and used London’s legs to knock Kendrick off the ring apron. Studd then walked back toward the center of the ring. London was trapped and forced to submit. Jimmy Hart was very happy by his team’s win. ***¼ 5) Ox Baker defeated one-half of the World Tag Team champions Butcher Vachon in just a couple of minutes. The two brutes brawled intensely, but it took only one heart punch from Baker to put Butcher down for the count. “The Fabulous” Ox has won his last four matches in a row and in fairly impressive fashion! DUD 6) The New Age Outlaws finally got a decisive win over the Age of the Fall. It looked like Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black were going to win this bout, as they had control over both Outlaws for the first half of the bout. Black hit an impressive buckle bomb on “The Road Dogg” Jesse James a few minutes into the bout. He went for a cover, but James kicked out. Jacobs tagged in and continued the onslaught on James. Jacobs locked on the End Times. James looked like he was about to tap until Billy Gunn broke up the submission. Jacobs stayed in control and hit a diving senton on James for another near fall. James capitalized on a mistake by Black a few minutes later and tagged to Gunn. Black managed to wear down Gunn, getting him down on the mat and hitting the Phoenix Splash. Black went for a cover, but Gunn kicked out. Jacobs came back in and hit a springboard dropkick for another two-count. He executed a Contra Code as well for another near fall. Black was the legal man when Gunn took over and tagged to James. The Outlaws hit a spike piledriver on Black. Jacobs tagged in, but “The Road Dogg” went after him aggressively, hitting a DDT. Black broke up a pin attempt. Gunn and Black were the legal men a few minutes later. Gunn clotheslined Black over the top rope and to the floor. Gunn went out after him, but Black surprised him with a roundhouse kick to the head, while he was on the apron. Black then slammed Gunn’s head into the apron and pushed him back into the ring. Jacobs tagged back in and worked over Gunn, punishing him with punches and kicks and mocking him. Gunn managed to get away to tag “The Road Dogg.” James was ambushed by Jacobs. Jacobs pummeled him and then clamped on the End Times again. James was in the choke for nearly 30 seconds but stayed on his feet. With the crowd and Gunn rooting him on, James was able to ram Jacobs backward into the buckle to break the submission. Both men were hurting and struggled to get to their respective corners, but eventually did and tagged their respective partners. Gunn and Black battled back-and-forth. Black sent Gunn into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop. He telegraphed the attempt and it allowed Gunn to hit the Famouser out of nowhere. Gunn made a cover and scored the pin, as both Jacobs and James were still recovering out on the apron. James climbed back in and celebrated the big win with his partner! ***¾ 7) Mr. Saito defeated World Tag Team champion Mad Dog Vachon via disqualification. Both men battled it out at the opening bell, jockeying for position. Saito took control and worked over Mad Dog’s leg. He went for the Scorpion Leglock, but Mad Dog kicked him away. Saito successfully applied the move about two minutes later. Mad Dog managed to get to the ropes for a break. Saito stayed in control and applied a sleeper. Mad Dog fought hard for the ropes, but started to drop to his knees. Tommy Marlin went to check Mad Dog’s arm. It dropped twice. As it looked like Saito might get a submission win, Butcher Vachon jumped in the ring out of nowhere and kneed Saito in the back. Marlin called for the bell and disqualified Mad Dog. The Vachons briefly double teamed Saito, before leaving the ring area. They also gave Sir Oliver Humperdink a shove before heading to the locker room! ¼* 8) Nick Bockwinkel and Ed “Strangler” Lewis, who was a substitute on short notice for “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, were triumphant over World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the returning Larry “The Axe” Hennig. As Bockwinkel and Lewis were consulting in the corner, Hennig charged them and went after Bockwinkel first. The action was underway and Sam Platania called for the bell to officially start the match, as Rude and Lewis returned to their respective corners. Bockwinkel fought back from “The Axe’s” ambush and went for his sleeper just a few minutes into the bout. Hennig quickly scrambled to the ropes for a break. Bockwinkel continued the attack, coming off the top rope with a sledge. He then grabbed an armbar on Hennig, pulled him to his corner, and tagged in Lewis. The Evansville fans went wild at this first tag between the two former multi-time World champions. “Strangler” outwrestled Hennig and tried to throw him with the Strangler’s Headlock, but Hennig stepped in front of Lewis used Lewis’ momentum to throw him. “The Axe” tagged to the World champion. Rude flexed and posed, then went to work on Lewis. He sent Lewis into the ropes and blasted him on the return with a clothesline. He made a cocky cover, but Lewis kicked out. Lewis took Rude down toward the fan favorites’ corner and tagged to Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel pummeled his rival and caught him in the Bockwinkel sleeper. Rude started to drop and might have submitted, had his fellow Robbinsdale native not made a save with an elbow smash to Bockwinkel’s back. Bockwinkel maintained control and went for the figure-four leglock, but Rude pulled himself to the ropes for a break. Bockwinkel tagged back to Lewis, who grabbed Rude in a bear hug. He then tripped Rude and both grapplers went down to the mat, hitting heads as they landed. Rude took the brunt of the blow and started to bleed quickly. Lewis tried to pin his shoulders to the mat, but the “Ravishing One” fought off his back and to his stomach. He got to his feet, but Lewis held on to him and transitioned into the Strangler’s Headlock. Jimmy Hart got up on the apron, but Bockwinkel had him scouted and ran across the ring, nailing Hart with a dropkick and sending him off the apron! Bockwinkel then grabbed “The Axe” and rammed him head-first into the ring post, sending him to the floor. Bockwinkel followed Hennig to ensure no interference if he recovered. Lewis held the headlock on for over a minute. Rude fought hard for the ropes, but Lewis had counters for his counters. Lewis kept the pressure on and ultimately forced Rude’s shoulders down to the mat for the 1-2-3. The fans went wild at seeing the World champion pinned in the center of the ring! Bockwinkel returned to the ring, as Platania raised both wrestlers’ hands in victory! Rude had not suffered any type of pinfall or submission loss this year, even in non-title singles bouts or tag team matches! *** 9) In the first of two title matches, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant defeated USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens by disqualification. Since he had just been at ringside for the previous tag team match, Jimmy Hart did not accompany Stevens to the ring for the start of the bout. (Perhaps Hart was still recovering from Nick Bockwinkel’s dropkick!) Valiant was on fire in this one, hoping to win his first singles championship in over nine years. He hit a neckbreaker on Stevens a few minutes into the bout and went for a cover, but only got two. A few minutes later, he locked on a spinning toehold in the center of the ring, which is how he defeated Stevens last month in Memphis in a non-title match. The champion looked in trouble again, but managed to crawl to the ropes for a break. As soon as Valiant released, Stevens rolled out of the ring. He grabbed his Mid-America title belt off of the announcers’ table and started to walk out of the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum! As fans vociferously attacked the champion, Valiant ran out of the ring after him, not willing to accept a countout win. He grabbed Stevens and spun him around, but Stevens responded with a smash with the belt. Tom Branch saw this and immediately called for the bell, disqualifying Stevens, but allowing him to retain the title. As Valiant was on the floor, Stevens was met in the aisleway by “The Mouth of The South,” who quickly encouraged the champion to get to the locker room and fight another day. Fans were not happy about this outcome for “The Boogie Woogie Man”! *¼ 10) The main event was a historic Triangle Match for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship that saw current and three-time champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert put the title on the line against six-time former champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and former champion Doctor X. This bout was historic, as it was the first time the Southern title had been contested in a Triangle Match or any type of multi-person match. It was also historic as Commissioner Bob Armstrong had put the stipulation in place that the winner of this match would not have to defend the title against either of his two opponents, as long as he held the gold! With the frequent title changes between these three, as well as other close non-title battles, there was a lot at stake between these three combatants! Due to a coin flip that took place with Tommy Marlin in the locker room before the bout, it was determined that the two challengers would face off first. It looked like Gilbert might help X at first, as he or Sir Oliver Humperdink would distract Marlin, while the masked man would bend the rules. It turned out to be a short-term alliance and perhaps a premeditated plot by the House of Humperdink, as X was choking Williams on the middle rope, while Gilbert distracted Marlin. However, Gilbert returned to the apron quicker and allowed Marlin to turn around and count. X did not realize that Marlin was counting him, until it was too late and Marlin hit five. Marlin disqualified X, eliminating him from the match. Gilbert and Humperdink had smirks on their faces, as X returned to the back, making it seem like they had a plan and it worked! The bout continued with rivals Gilbert and Williams battling it out for the South’s top prize. The champion was aggressive against his more tired challenger, surprising him with a small package for a near fall. A few minutes later, Gilbert hit the Hot Shot on “Dr. Death,” which is how Gilbert had won all three of his Southern titles from Williams. Gilbert slowly went for a pin attempt. Tommy Marlin went to count, but Williams kicked out at 2¾. The Evansville fans popped big at the kickout as Gilbert and Humperdink looked on in shock! Gilbert continued his attack, but Williams was fired up with the crowd on his side. Gilbert threw the challenger into the ropes and went for a big punch, but Williams ducked the punch, rebounded off the opposite ropes, and blasted Gilbert with a lariat. He went for a cover, but Gilbert kicked out. Williams went for the Oklahoma Stampede, but Gilbert grabbed the top rope and fought for his life to avoid the slam. He was able to break out of Williams’ powerful grasp and he leaped over the top rope and to the ring apron. He tried to avoid “Dr. Death,” but could only do so for so long. Williams eventually got Gilbert up again in the Oklahoma Stampede and successfully delivered it. He went for a cover, but Gilbert kicked out at 2¾. Gilbert took control a few minutes later, surprising Williams with a neckbreaker clothesline. He again took his time in trying to win the match, choosing to gloat about his offense. “Hot Stuff” pulled Williams to his feet and went to whip him into the turnbuckles. Williams blocked the attempt, pulled Gilbert toward him, picked him up over his head, and then dropped him face-first onto the top turnbuckle! Gilbert was busted open from the force of the toss. Williams picked Gilbert up for another Stampede out of the corner. As Marlin was focused on the wrestlers, he did not see Humperdink slide his cane under the bottom rope and clip Williams’ leg, causing the two to crumble to the mat. The fans booed Marlin for missing this call! Both combatants were down and Marlin began to administer a 10-count. Both men managed to get to their feet. Gilbert went for a big roundhouse, but again Williams ducked, ran to the opposite ropes, and came back with a thunderous lariat. He covered Gilbert and scored the pinfall to a huge ovation from the Evansville fans! Marlin called for the bell and awarded Williams the Southern title! “Dr. Death” broke his own record and became a seven-time Southern champion! As Humperdink helped Gilbert out of the ring and to the back, Williams was joined by Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in the ring. Even though they were not booked to wrestle on this card, both were in attendance to support Williams in hopes of a title victory. They held Williams upon their shoulders, as the fans went wild, while “Born in the USA” played throughout the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum! Whoever Williams’ first challenger of his seventh reign will be, we know for sure it will not be Gilbert or Doctor X! ***¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 8, 2018 15:24:54 GMT -4
Highlights of the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling: 9-26 • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced two upcoming championship main events. First, on October 12 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon will put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against the Midnight Express! The Vachons have never battled the combination of “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane, who have been on a roll in 2015, since becoming strictly a two-man tag team after dropping Sweet Brown Sugar. The Midnights combination of Eaton and Lane currently share the record for most number of World Tag Team title reigns with five. (Ironically, the co-holders of this record are Lane and Dr. Tom Prichard. As the Heavenly Bodies, three of their reigns intersected with Eaton being a part of a three-man team that shared the championship!) The Vachons had a successful defense against the New Age Outlaws two weeks ago in Knoxville and hope to keep that momentum going. • Speaking of championship records, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams broke his own record for most Southern title reigns, winning his seventh title in the historic Triangle Match with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and Doctor X. Per the pre-match stipulations, Gilbert and X will not receive any rematches for the title, as long as Williams holds the belt. Williams’ first challenger will be a big one, when he defends against Larry “The Axe” Hennig. These two powerhouses will battle it out for the Southern Heavyweight title in the main event on October 19 at the Earl Belle Community Center in Jonesboro!
10-3 • Commissioner Armstrong announced more matches for the October 12 card in Lexington: o Although he is forbidden from challenging for the USWA Southern Heavyweight title for the time being, Doctor X will challenge the champion in a non-title bout, as he will face Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. Williams was interviewed in the studio on this episode. Lance Russell congratulated him on his historic win. Williams thanked Lance and the fans for their support. He said that he hopes to hold the title for a long time, so Gilbert and X might want to challenge for other championships! He said that with the history between the three of them, especially with Gilbert, he willing to battle them at any time in non-title match-ups. He said he looks forward to another bout with Doctor X in Lexington. o Doctor X’s tag team partner will also be on the card, as Double X faces Red Bastien in a rematch. Bastien and Double X have had some good bouts: two tag team matches with the Doctor and Pepper Gomez and a singles bout in Memphis in August that saw Double X come out the winner in impressive fashion. Red Pepper were interviewed in the WMC-TV Studios. Bastien reiterated a point that he’s mentioned before; that Double X’s style and actions are very familiar with him. Lance Russell asked if Red wanted to guess who was under the black mask, but he kindly replied that he did not want to make any statements until he is a little more certain. He plans to review the footage of the Memphis match and he plans to come out the winner in Lexington! o Pepper Gomez will also be in singles competition in Lexington when he takes on his long-time rival—the Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens! In the same interview with Red Pepper, “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” reminded Lance and the wrestling world that he is very familiar with the Mid-America title, as he had the second-highest number of defenses with the championship, when he held it for almost six months in the first half of 2012. He said that he would love to get a win over Stevens, not only to get another win in their long-running feud, but also to earn himself a future title match! • Commissioner Armstrong announced two more matches for the October 19 card in Jonesboro, which will be comprised of wrestlers from a tag team feud. Members of the Midnight Express and the PYT Express will face off in one-on-one bouts! “Sweet” Stan Lane will face D’Lo Brown, while “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will face Sweet Brown Sugar! • The commissioner also announced that the November 9 card at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis will be the USWA’s 450th card! This card will be loaded with 12 matches! More announcements will be made in the coming weeks on USWA Championship Wrestling!
The USWA comes back to “Music City,” Nashville on October 5! The fans at the Municipal Auditorium will be in for a huge card of action! • In a first-time meeting, former Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tracy Smothers will face one-half of the Age of the Fall—Tyler Black! Smothers is hoping to get back on track after losing the Mid-America title in August in Louisville and then losing to “Ravishing” Rick Rude in challenging for the World title last month in his hometown of Springfield. Black is a talented athlete with a unique offense and a win over Smothers would definitely get him a lot of recognition in singles competition. A video aired on Championship Wrestling this past week with the Age of the Fall. Jimmy Jacobs called Smothers a “pathetic follower” of the New Age Outlaws and that his “weaknesses would be revealed” in Nashville. Will Jacobs’ words come true or will Smothers make Black and Jacobs out to be all talk? • In what could be an exciting tag team bout, the Midnight Express will take on Brian Kendrick and Paul London. While Kendrick and London have battled “Sweet” Stan Lane and Sweet Brown Sugar in the past, they have never met the Midnight combination of Lane and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. These Midnights have had a great year, suffering only one loss. They are looking ahead to their shot at the USWA World Tag Team titles next week in Lexington, but they can’t look past the always-capable Kendrick and London, who have gotten wins over the Age of the Fall this year and even defeated Lane and Sugar in 2013. The Midnights have been hearing more cheers from fans since dumping Sugar back in March, so it will be interesting to see whom they favor in this bout. Which team will leave “Music City” the victors? • Jimmy Jacobs will also be in singles action on this card, as he battles former Mid-America champion and one-half of the New Age Outlaws “The Road Dogg” Jesse James! In the same video interview with the Age of the Fall, Jacobs called USWA fans “sheep” for joining in on James’s self-ring introductions of the Outlaws. He said that James is a “false shepherd,” who will disappoint his sheep when Jacobs brings the End Times. Can Jacobs get the win over “The Road Dogg” or will the popular Outlaw triumph? • In a rematch from the last card in Evansville, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will once again put the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship on the line against “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant! Valiant frustrated Stevens last time, leading the champ to get himself intentionally disqualified to retain the gold. Between that win and Valiant’s non-title win in August over Stevens, “Boogie Woogie’s” got a lot of momentum on his side. Can he capture the gold or will Stevens have a trick up his sleeve? • The main event will feature another First Family o Wrestling member defend his title, when “Ravishing” Rick Rude puts the USWA World Heavyweight championship on the line against six-time former champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis! Lewis holds two DQ wins over the champion at both USWA supercards this year, Derby City Stampede and Independence Day Bash, both due to outside interference from First Family members. Lewis also holds the only pinfall victory over the champion in 2015, when he put Rude’s shoulders down in the tag team match with “Strangler” and Nick Bockwinkel against Rude and Larry “The Axe” Hennig on the last card in Evansville. Like Steve Williams did on that card, Lewis hopes to break his own record and capture his seventh USWA World title. But Rude and Jimmy Hart always seem to have a plan in place. Rude has made nine defenses in this second reign and continues to move up the charts of the most defenses. Can Rude not only retain, but also find a way to defeat the “Strangler” or will Lewis grasp the gold for the seventh time?
All these huge bouts, plus the PYT Express battle Red Pepper in tag team action. As well as Larry “The Axe” Hennig, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Superstar” Bill Dundee, and the return of former Southern champion Larry Zbyszko, as the newest member of the House of Humperdink!
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 10, 2018 17:07:34 GMT -4
October 5, 2015 Card #447: Municipal Auditorium in Nashville
1) “Superstar” Bill Dundee was victorious in the opener over George South. The Australian only needed a few minutes to get South down on the mat and hit the Superstar Bomb to score the pinfall. The “Music City” fans gave Dundee a great ovation for his win and first match in their city! DUD
2) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan rallied back to defeat “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. Sharpe ambushed Duggan at the bell, hoping to get a big upset win. Sharpe rammed Duggan’s shoulder into the ring post and then hit the piledriver for a two-count. With big “USA” chants on his side, Duggan battled back. He nailed Sharpe with some big punches, then came off the second turnbuckle with a flying shoulder tackle to put Sharpe down for the count. Duggan has been impressive lately, winning his last five singles matches! ½*
3) Red Pepper defeated the PYT Express in tag team action. The PYTs kept Bastien in the ring for the first half of the bout, as Sweet Brown Sugar surprised him with a sunset flip for a near fall in the first few minutes. D’Lo Brown tagged in and hit a Shakey, Shakey leg drop on the flying redhead for a two-count. Sugar tagged back in and the PYTs tossed Bastien out of the ring. They followed Red, as Pepper Gomez tried to come to his rescue, but was cut off by Frank Morrell. The PYTs hit a double suplex on Bastien on the arena floor. Sugar returned to the ring, while Brown returned to the PYTs’ corner. Morrell put the count on Bastien. Gomez jumped off the apron, crawled under the ring, and came out the other side to help Bastien to his feet and to beat the count. Bastien capitalized on a mistake by Brown a few moments later to make the hot tag to Gomez. Gomez ran wild on both PYTs and got Brown down on the mat in the center of the ring. He executed the Mexican Cradle and scored the pinfall, while Bastien stopped Sugar with a dropkick. The fans went wild for Red Pepper’s big comeback win! ***
4) Larry Zbyszko made his return to the USWA after five years. The former Southern Heavyweight champion defeated Jim Powers in his return bout. Zbyszko was accompanied by his new manager Sir Oliver Humperdink and new tag team partner Mr. Saito. Zbyszko sported a new ring robe that was shiny and silver and somewhat resembled a karate gi. He also carried a pair of nunchucks to the ring with him and did some tricks with them before the bell rang. Perhaps Zbyszko underestimated Powers’ abilities, as the New Yorker dominated the first half of the bout. He hit the power slam and went for a cover, but Zbyszko took control. Zbyszko took control with a knee to the head. He showcased his martial arts skills with a spinning back kick that knocked down Powers. He went for a pin, but Powers kicked out. Zbyszko slammed Powers’ head into the turnbuckle and then went to one of his old tricks: taking off the turnbuckle pad to expose the metal. Jerry Calhoun caught Zbyszko doing this and stopped him, then scolded him for his actions. Meanwhile, Humperdink reached in through the ropes and nailed Powers in the throat with his cane. Zbyszko tossed Powers out of the ring and then again distracted Calhoun, while Saito hit his suplex on the arena floor. The Japanese Olympian then tossed Powers back inside the ring, so that Zbyszko could deliver more punishment. A few minutes later, Zbyszko hit the piledriver to put Powers down for the three-count. The Nashville fans booed Zbyszko for his return and his victory! ***
5) Larry “The Axe” Hennig pinned Nashville native Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. Despite having the hometown fans on his side, Milliman was no match for the big Minnesotan. Hennig got Milliman in a chinlock and pummeled away on him. A few moments later, Hennig dropped a big elbow on a downed “Milkman” to score the pinfall. “The Axe” was impressive tonight, as he looks ahead to his shot at Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship in two weeks in Jonesboro! *
6) Tyler Black scored a huge singles victory with a pinfall on former Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tracy Smothers. Smothers had the early advantage and looked like he would score the pinfall in just a few minutes, as he body slammed Black to the mat and then went up top for a moonsault body block. He made a cover, but Black kicked out. Smothers followed up with a jumping wheel kick a few minutes later for another near fall. Smothers went up top and hit the jawjacker. Black landed near the ropes and was able to roll out of the ring before Smothers could try for a pin. Smothers followed, but Black cut him off with a jumping kick to the head from the floor. He then pulled Smothers out of the ring and rammed him back-first into the ring apron. He tossed Smothers back into the ring. Smothers was holding his ribs, but struggled to his feet. Black caught up to him and worked over him. He picked Smothers up and delivered a crushing buckle bomb. Smothers clutched his ribs and Black went for a cover, but Smothers kicked out. Black maintained control and went up to the top rope. He came off with the Phoenix Splash, landing right on Smothers’ injured ribs. He covered Smothers, hooking the leg, and scored the impressive pinfall. Frank Morrell raised Black’s hand in victory. Black pulled away his arm after a few seconds, turned his attention back to Smothers, and stomped away at his ribs. Black delivered two more Phoenix Splashes. The New Age Outlaws ran down to ringside to chase away Black. Black avoided an attack, as the Outlaws helped Smothers to his feet. Smothers was clutched over, grasping his ribs, as the Outlaws helped him back to the locker room. ***
7) In another huge win, Brian Kendrick and Paul London defeated the Midnight Express. Before the bout, Kendrick and London offered their hands to both “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane in a sign of sportsmanship. The Midnights seemed like to be considering accepting it, but then turned their backs and walked to their corner. The high flyers had the early advantage against Eaton. They executed a combination of a Kendrick reverse STO with a London enzuigiri. London went for the cover, but Jerry Calhoun was still getting Kendrick out of the ring and didn’t see Lane sneak in with a double-sledge to London’s back. He then reversed the pin, putting “Beautiful” Bobby on top. Calhoun turned around to count, but London kicked out. The save allowed the Midnights to dominate the action and cut the ring in half on London. They hit a Flapjack and Eaton went for a cover, but London kicked out. The Midnights continued their attack on London and executed the Veg-o-Matic. Eaton went for the cover, but Kendrick broke up the pin attempt. Eaton started jawing with Kendrick and calling his actions “illegal,” even though the Midnights have made a save just a few minutes ago. The save turned the tide for Kendrick and London, as the Texan somersaulted his way to the corner for the hot tag. Kendrick worked over Eaton with his fast-paced offense. Lane came in, but so did London, now recovered, and he tossed “Sweet” Stan out of the ring, then flattened him with a pescado dive. London returned to his corner, where Kendrick tagged him in. London worked over Eaton and got him down on the mat. He tagged back to Kendrick and the fan favorites hit the assisted Shooting Star Press. The spectacular move was enough to put “Beautiful” Bobby down for the pinfall. Lane crawled back into the ring right after the bell and looked in shock. He helped Eaton to his feet as Kendrick and London got their hands raised. Kendrick and London looked back at their opponents and again offered their hands in sportsmanship, although this time with slightly smug looks on their faces. Eaton and Lane looked at each other and begrudgingly accepted, shaking hands with both of their opponents. **¼
8) “The Road Dogg” Jesse James battled back to pin his rival Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs looked like he might repeat Tyler Black’s success from earlier in the card, as he took control at the opening bell. He locked James in a Camel Clutch, but James wouldn’t submit. Jacobs instead went for the End Times. James stayed on his feet for about 20 seconds, but then dropped to the mat. About 40 seconds later, James had his arm up like he might tap, but instead delivered some stiff punches to Jacobs’ ribs, breaking up the hold. He was free, but James was very dazed from the choke. Both men got to their feet, but James caught Jacobs in the pump handle slam. He went for a cover, but Tyler Black sprinted down to the ring and puts Jacobs’ foot under the ropes. Fans booed Black’s involvement but cheered as Billy Gunn came out and attacked Black from behind. The two battled back to the locker room and left their tag team partners to continue their singles bouts. Jacobs went to ambush “The Road Dogg” off of their partners’ skirmish but James saw him coming and caught him in a backslide for a near fall. James kept up the attack, coming off the second rope with a knee drop. Jacobs rolled out of the ring for a breather, but James wouldn’t let him get one, as he grabbed Jacobs by the back of the head and rammed him into the ring post. James rolled back in the ring as Jacobs was down on the floor and had been busted open. As fans have seen before, Jacobs seemed to get stronger from the blood loss, as he crawled back in the ring and started to slug it out with “The Road Dogg.” James’s punches were landing harder, but Jacobs was a man possessed, as he begged James to hit him more! James did and when the punches wouldn’t take down Jacobs, he grabbed him in a front facelock and delivered a thunderous DDT. Jacobs was out and James capitalized by covering him and scoring the pinfall. ***½
9) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens retained the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship with a pinfall victory over “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Valiant was aggressive early on, going right to work on the champion. He caught “The Crippler” in the sleeper in the first few minutes. Stevens quickly got to the ropes for a break, before Valiant could sink in the sleeper. The champion took control and hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. He worked over Valiant and got him down on the mat again. Stevens gloated and took his time in capitalizing on Valiant’s state. He finally went up the ropes, perhaps for the Bombs Away, but he took too much time in climbing. Valiant got to his feet and slammed Stevens off the top rope. He went for a cover, but the champion kicked out. The match spilled out of the ring. With Jimmy Hart yelling encouragement through the megaphone, Stevens took control on Valiant. He threw him back into the ring and continued his attack, keeping “Boogie Woogie” down on the mat. Stevens went up top again, this time in a quicker manner, and came off with the Bombs Away. He covered Valiant and scored the pinfall to retain the Mid-America title. **¾
10) After the pre-main event intermission, Jimmy Hart was back out to the ring, accompany the USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude for his defense of the title against six-time former champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Lewis was going into this bout with a lot of momentum on his side, having beaten Rude twice via disqualification in championship matches and most recently having pinned the champion in a tag team match a few weeks ago in Evansville.
The fans were buzzing as the bout began. Rude especially was cautious against his challenger, but Lewis was aggressive with his pure wrestling skills. He went for a double wristlock submission a few minutes into the bout. Rude was in pain but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Lewis went for the Strangler’s Headlock a few moments later. Rude managed to slip out before Lewis could take him down or throw him. Lewis kept up his attack and outwrestled the “Ravishing One.” He finally got the headlock on and took the champion down to the mat. Lewis kept the headlock on tight and used his strong forearms and grip to grind on the champion’s forehead, eventually drawing blood. Lewis had the headlock on for nearly three minutes. Rude was tough in staying off his shoulders and not tapping out. While Jerry Calhoun was checking Rude’s shoulders and checking for a submission, “The Mouth of The South” snuck under the ropes and pulled Rude’s leg underneath the bottom rope. He then yelled to Calhoun through the megaphone to draw attention to it, so Calhoun called for a break. The “Strangler” stayed on the offensive, applying the double wristlock again. As Calhoun again checked on Rude, Hart snuck in from outside the ring and clocked Lewis in the back with the megaphone. The challenger dropped to the mat, releasing the hold and giving a bloodied Rude the chance to recover. Rude took control. He went up to the top rope and came off with a flying fist drop on Lewis. A few moments later, he hit the Rude Awakening. He made a lackadaisical cover, so Lewis kicked out. Rude kept up his attack, almost mocking his opponent with punch-after-punch. Rude had Lewis up against the ropes. He bounced off the opposite ropes and came back at the “Strangler” with a clothesline. Lewis ducked the attack. Rude swung again, but Lewis ducked again. Lewis caught Rude in the headlock and went to throw him, but the two were near the ropes, and Rude went sailing over the top rope and to the floor. The move took a lot out of the challenger as well as he fell to the mat, but was able to get back to his feet. Calhoun administered a count to the champion. Despite Hart’s pleas, Rude was not able to get back in the ring by the count of 10. Calhoun called for the bell and declared the “Strangler” the winner via countout. For the third time, Lewis defeated Rude in a championship match, but Rude held on to the World title! ***¾
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 16, 2018 21:55:16 GMT -4
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from 10-10: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong had a lot of announcements for upcoming matches on this show. The first announcements were the first two matches for the 450th USWA card on November 9 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis! o After defeating the USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude three times in championship matches, Ed “Strangler” Lewis will receive another shot at the title in the main event of this historic card! Rude and Jimmy Hart were interviewed in-studio. Hart said that this is a conspiracy by Armstrong and the USWA Committee to give Lewis another championship match. He said that if he couldn’t take the title the first three times, what will be different this time? Rude stated that Lewis is fooling himself and the USWA fans by making them think that he can defeat Rude and end his historic reign. He said that the Rude Awakening will put Lewis down once-and-for-all and that he will end 2015 still the champion, while Lewis will be history. o The other match announced will see a tag team feud that has been hot in 2015 continue. The New Age Outlaws will face the Age of the Fall! Much of the battles between these four wrestlers have been about surviving physical match-ups and, for the Outlaws, surviving Jimmy Jacobs’ mind games. Their match-up on the 9th will be about survival too, as this will be an Elimination Match! For the Outlaws, they will also be fighting for an injured ally. It was announced on Championship Wrestling that Tracy Smothers suffered injured ribs in his match with Tyler Black last week in Nashville and will be out of action for about a month.
• Commissioner Armstrong also announced more matches for the October 19 card at the Earl Belle Community Center in Jonesboro: o Before their tag teams collide in an Elimination Match at the 450th card, “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Tyler Black will do battle one-on-one. Black was very impressive with his win over Tracy Smothers last week in Nashville. James is a very capable singles wrestler, as he is a former Mid-America Heavyweight champion under his real name of Brian Armstrong. o “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos will grapple with the masked Doctor X. Londos is undefeated so far since debuting at Independence Day Bash in Chattanooga. This will be one of his toughest opponents so far in the former Southern Heavyweight champion X. • Speaking of the Southern title, Ox Baker will get a shot at the champion, whether current champ Steve “Dr. Death” Williams or his next challenger Larry “The Axe” Hennig. That championship match will be the main event on November 23 at the last USWA card of 2015 at the Louisville Gardens. • Ray “The Crippler” Stevens found a way to defeat “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and retain the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship last week in Nashville. Stevens’ next defense will be on November 16 at the Tupelo Sports Arena, when he defends against “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan! Duggan has been on a roll lately and would love to capture his first USWA championship! • Commissioner Armstrong also said that he will have an announcement regarding a punishment for First Family members Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, and Mid-America champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and their attack on “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka last month in Knoxville. That announcement will take place on next week’s edition of Championship Wrestling!
The USWA comes back to Rupp Arena in Lexington on October 12 with a huge card! • In a rematch from August in Memphis, Red Bastien will tangle with Double X! The masked Double X scored an impressive victory on Bastien last time. The flying redhead was not 100% going into that bout. He said that he has watched the video of their last meeting and is ready for the masked man. Bastien has stated that Double X seems very familiar to him but has not given any type of prediction on who he could be. Will Bastien get the win this time or will Double X double his victories over the former Texas champion? • Bastien’s tag team partner Pepper Gomez will also be in singles action, when he does battle with his long-time rival Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens in a non-title bout. Gomez would love to gain a win over Stevens to earn himself a future title shot at a belt he held in 2012. Stevens has been impressive this year, not only in capturing the title, but in wins earlier in the year over Nick Bockwinkel and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. He has also been very aggressive, especially putting Snuka out of action with a concussion last month, with the help of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy a few weeks ago in Knoxville. Who will win the latest chapter in this epic feud? • Another big rivalry will see former allies Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert collide. This will be Gilbert’s first match competing since losing the Southern title to Steve “Dr. Death” Williams a few weeks ago in the Triangle Match in Evansville. Gordy has been on a roll in 2015, interestingly enough since being dumped by Gilbert and his former Hot Stuff, International unit. Both combatants are hoping for a win to get recognition for a future championship match. For Gilbert, we know that he cannot challenge for the Southern title for the time being! Can Gordy get another win over his former manager or will Gilbert get back on track? • Speaking of the Southern championship scene, the current champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will be in action against former champion Doctor X. X, like Gilbert, cannot challenge for the Southern gold as long as Williams holds the belt, so this will be a non-title match-up. However, a win over the champ would certainly be an important victory for the masked man. X was eliminated from the Triangle Match via disqualification and sources say that he feels the no-challenging for the title stipulation should not apply to him in this situation! Can X avenge his elimination or can “Dr. Death” put Doctor X down for the pinfall? • Two rivals with upcoming title matches will tangle once again, as Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Lewis is scheduled for his fourth shot at “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the USWA World Heavyweight title on November 9 in Memphis at the 450th USWA card, while Hennig will face Steve “Dr. Death” Williams for the Southern Heavyweight title in the main event next week in Jonesboro. The last time these two met one-on-one, “The Axe” got the victory with a loaded Axe, but was attacked by and injured by Nick Bockwinkel and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka right after the bout, unbeknownst to the “Strangler,” who was still knocked out from the loaded elbow pad. Both wrestlers would love to get a victory and gain some momentum prior to their championship bouts. You can also bet that Jimmy Hart has instructed “The Axe” to take out Lewis prior to him battling Hennig’s First Family of Wrestling ally “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Who will win this epic battle? • Speaking of the World champion, he will be in action in Lexington as well, as “Ravishing” Rick Rude faces his rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in a non-title grudge match. When these two met at the Nashville Fairgrounds in July, Valiant was given a spike piledriver by Rude, Larry Hennig, and Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and was put out of action for a few weeks. Valiant went after Stevens and the Mid-America title the last few weeks but came up short in his conquest. He would love to finally gain a decisive win over Rude and earn himself a World Heavyweight title shot. Can “Boogie Woogie” do it or will Rude reign triumphant again? • The main event will be a first-time meeting between two of the greatest tag teams in USWA history. Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon will put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against the Midnight Express! While the Vachons have never wrestled the combination of “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane, they are very familiar with Eaton, as they had several battles with Eaton and then-partner “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey in 2007. This feud also involved several battles, both legal and impromptu, between the Midnights’ manager Jim Cornette and the Vachons’ manager Capt. Lou Albano! During the feud, Mad Dog injured Eaton’s neck with his piledriver on a steel chair after a match in Dallas. Eaton and Condrey gained revenge about six weeks later, defending the World Tag Team titles against the Vachons in a wild Huntsville Street Fight in Eaton’s hometown (after the Dark Side). Lane has had a history of neck issues as well, so you can bet the Vachons will be targeting that with their piledriver and hangman. Should the Midnights win, they will set a record for the greatest number of USWA World Tag Team title reigns, with six. The Vachons have held on to the titles, since winning them in May at Derby City Stampede, doing whatever they need to do to remain champions. Can the Vachons hold on again or will the Midnights make history?
All these huge match-ups, plus the First Family of Wrestling team of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy, “Superstar” Bill Dundee, and the first appearance of the House of Humperdink’s new tag team of Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito!
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 21, 2018 10:08:57 GMT -4
October 12, 2015 Card #448: Rupp Arena in Lexington1) The House of Humperdink’s newest tag team had a successful debut, as Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito scored a dominant win over S.D. Jones and Jim Powers. Zbyszko and Saito showed great teamwork for their first match, as they kept “Special Delivery” in the ring for the entire match. The rulebreakers could have gotten the win sooner but chose to showcase their skills and hurt “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son.” Saito hit his suplex on Jones but chose to tag to Zbyszko rather than go for a pin. Zbyszko pounded on Jones and hit the piledriver but pulled Jones’s shoulder up before what would have been a three-count. Saito came back in and locked Jones in a sleeper. Jones dropped to the mat quickly. Paul Morton checked Jones’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Sir Oliver Humperdink’s new duo the submission win! DUD 2) Newcomer “Superstar” Bill Dundee pinned “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. The Aussie got a good ovation from the USWA faithful in Lexington. He dominated most of the match, attempting a submission on Sharpe with a Boston Crab. Sharpe made the ropes, but Dundee came off the top with the Superstar Bomb a few moments later to score the pinfall. DUD 3) The First Family’s tag team of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy dominated Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke, picking up a victory in short order. The giants kept Luke in the ring the entire time. Bundy tried for a submission with a bear hug, but Luke broke free with a double forearm clap. Bundy kept Luke in the ring and threw him into the First Family’s corner. He then delivered the Atlantic City Avalanche and put Luke down for the five-count, while Studd stopped Jim from making a save with a clothesline. Jimmy Hart was ecstatic about his team’s win. DUD 4) In a very exciting match-up, Red Bastien scored a pinfall victory over Double X. Bastien was fired-up at the beginning of the match and went right after his masked foe. He used the airplane spin into the atomic drop twice in the first five minutes of the bout, but Double X managed to kick out. The two grapplers were battling near the ropes when Bastien hit a flying head scissors and sent both himself and Double X over the top rope and to the floor! The fans went wild at this amazing maneuver. Both wrestlers were down, as Paul Morton began to count. Bastien recovered first and got back into the ring by four. Double X took the worst of the fall and looked like he might not make it, but finally managed to crawl in at nine. A few moments later, the masked man took control and worked on Bastien’s knee. He clamped on the figure-four leglock, but Bastien made it to the ropes. Double X was the aggressor until Bastien ducked a punch and surprised him again with the atomic drop. This time Double X went flying head-first into the top turnbuckle from the move and blood started to pour out of his black mask. Bastien went for a cover but Double X got a foot under the bottom rope for a break. Bastien went up to the top rope and came off with a flying body press. The masked man was ready for the attack and move out of the way, causing Bastien to crash hard to the mat. Double X tried for a submission with the X-cellent sleeper. Bastien started to fade but battled out of the hold with the fans on his side. The masked man maintained control and went for a rolling reverse cradle. He held Bastien down for a two-count before the flying redhead reversed the move and went for a pin of his own. Double X kicked out at 2½. Bastien stayed on offense and hit another atomic drop to finally score the pinfall. The fans went wild at Bastien’s big win! The former Texas champion did not have long to celebrate, as Doctor X ran into the ring and nailed Bastien from behind with a forearm smash. He then stomped on Bastien’s knee, as Double X got to his feet. Double X applied the figure-four on Bastien as Doctor X stomped away on the knee. Pepper Gomez sprinted to the ring. He grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area and came into the ring, going after the masked duo. X and XX took off before the Mexican superstar could strike. Gomez checked on his tag team partner, as USWA officials came into the ring. They helped Bastien up to his feet and back to the locker room, as he was not able to walk on his own. Gomez stayed in the ring, as his scheduled match was next. ****½ 5) Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens took advantage of a distracted Pepper Gomez and scored an easy win over his long-time rival. Gomez did not seem focused in this match, as surely, he was thinking of the condition of Red Bastien. Stevens scored a two-count after a jumping knee smash and scored the winning pin a few moments later after two consecutive piledrivers. As Stevens got his hand raised and Jimmy Hart entered the ring to celebrate, Stevens turned his attention back to Gomez and stomped away at his head. Hart signaled to the back and out came Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy, recovered from the earlier easy win. The giants entered the ring and stomped away at Gomez’ head as well. Studd dropped an elbow on Gomez, while Bundy delivered a big splash to his head, knowing that “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” might not be fazed by a typical splash to the stomach. The giants then held Gomez down by his arms and legs, while Stevens delivered five Bombs Aways to his head. USWA officials had tried to stop the First Family but to no avail. Finally, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant came into the ring and chased off his rivals with a steel chair, just at Gomez had done for Bastien in the previous post-match attack. Gomez was out as he lay on the mat. A stretcher had to be brought into the arena and take the Mexican superstar out. ¼* 6) Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy scored an impressive win on his former manager “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Gilbert took control at the start and got the big Tennessean down on the mat. Gilbert came off the second rope with an elbow drop for a near fall. Gordy battled back and went up the ropes with “Hot Stuff.” He delivered a crushing Bamm Bamm Slam to score the pinfall after just a few minutes. The fans gave Gordy a big ovation for his win! *½ 7) Ed “Strangler” Lewis was dominant and scored an impressive pinfall on Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Lewis controlled much of the bout, using the Strangler’s Headlock several times and releasing it, allowing Hennig back to his feet, so he could execute a second one. Lewis did so in a somewhat cocky manner and the fans supported him! After a fifth headlock, Hennig was busted open from Lewis strong grip. Lewis released the hold again. Lewis threw Hennig with a sixth headlock and looked ready to score the victory. Jimmy Hart jumped up on the apron to distract Paul Morton. Suddenly the World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude came into the ring, wearing his robe for his own bout later on. Rude nailed Lewis with a double-sledge and then gloated to the crowd. Lewis shook off the attack, grabbed Rude in a full nelson, then tossed him out of the ring, as the fans went wild! Lewis then turned his attention back to “The Axe” and threw with a seventh headlock and put the Minnesotan’s shoulders down for the pin. Lewis looks ready to battle Rude for the title in a few weeks in Memphis! **¾ 8) Doctor X scored a controversial victory over Southern Heavyweight champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams via countout. This, of course, was a non-title bout, since X cannot challenge for the Southern title as long as Williams is champion. The Doctor focused his attack on Williams’ leg, certainly setting him up for the figure-four. He came off the second rope with a stomp to Williams’ knee. X had Williams in a waistlock and shoved him off, sending him crashing into Scott Bowden. It was unclear as to whether X knew Bowden was where he was. With no referee, Double X and the World Tag Team champions the Vachons all ran down to the ring and jumped Williams, all attacking his injured knee. X then applied the figure-four in the center of the ring, but there was still no referee. As Double X and the Vachons started to head to the back, they were met by Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (wearing street clothes, since he was not scheduled to wrestle on this card). Gordy went after Mad Dog, while Duggan slugged it out with both Double X and Butcher. USWA officials came out to try and separate the five and get them back to the locker room, while Joe Wheeler sprinted to the ring to take over officiating duty. X went for a flying body press off the middle rope but got caught in midair by Williams. Williams turned the move into the Oklahoma Stampede! He delivered the slam, but his knee was hurting and it took a lot of him to make the cover. When he finally did, X was able to kick out at 2¾. Williams went for another Stampede a few moments later, but his knee buckled and X took control. He continued to attack the injured knee, until “Dr. Death” rolled out of the ring for a breather. X followed, placed Williams’ leg across the ring steps, and then stomped away at the knee. He climbed up the steps back into the ring, while Williams was unable to return by the count of 10. Although he cannot earn a Southern title shot in the near future, you can bet that X was happy to get the win and gain a psychological advantage on Williams! ***¼ 9) World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude defeated “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in a non-title bout. While Rude did his usual insulting of the local fans, he seemed more angry than cocky, perhaps embarrassed from what Ed “Strangler” Lewis did to him earlier in the card during Lewis’ match with Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Valiant may have been distracted from the earlier attacks on both members of Red Pepper, as he had trouble maintaining offense in this match. Rude hit a top rope sledge, as well as a Rude Awakening for near falls, but a second Rude Awakening scored the pinfall. Rude was back to his more cocky-self after the bell, swiveling his hips, as Jimmy Hart held up the USWA World Heavyweight championship! * 10) The main event was the first meeting between two great USWA tag teams. The current World Tag Team champions Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon put the titles on the line against five-time former champions the Midnight Express of “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane. The fans in the Rupp Arena were buzzing as both teams were introduced. The Vachons started the bout off with their usual aggression, going right after “Beautiful” Bobby. Mad Dog used the piledriver early in the bout and went for a cover, but Lane broke up the pin attempt. Mad Dog hit his Pounce a few moments later and then tagged to his brother. Butcher worked on Eaton’s neck, but “The Sultan of Swing” surprised him with a big right hand. He then made the tag to Lane. Lane used his quickness to wear down Butcher. He nailed the superkick. Butcher was rocked, but wouldn’t go down, so Lane followed up immediately with a second superkick. Sensing their allies were in trouble, Doctor X and Double X, who had been very active on this card, ran down to ringside and distracted Paul Morton, allowing Butcher to recover. Morton ordered the masked men to the back and to stay there for the duration of the bout! The fans went wild, knowing that the bout would be more even without X and XX present. The Midnights executed the Rocket Launcher on Butcher, but the Algerian kicked out. He was able to tag to Mad Dog, who took over on Eaton for a few minutes. “Beautiful” Bobby tagged back and took control on Mad Dog. He tagged in Lane again and the Midnights executed the Veg-o-Matic. Lane made a cover, but Mad Dog kicked out. Mad Dog cut off Lane and slammed him hard to the mat a few minutes later. He executed a double foot stomp and went for a cover, but “The Gangster of Love” got out. Butcher tagged back in and the Vachons attacked Lane’s neck, which was injured by the Road Warriors’ Doomsday Device back in 2006 and put him out of action for a couple of years. Butcher got Lane up in the hangman. It looked like the Vachons would hold on to the belts at that point, but Lane was able to get a foot on the middle rope for a break. Butcher stayed on offense for a few minutes. He went for a clothesline, but Lane ducked. Butcher spun around but got nailed with the superkick! Lane fell on top of Butcher and Morton counted to three out of nowhere! Mad Dog had tried for a save but was too far away from the pinfall to get there in time. Morton called for the bell and awarded Eaton and Lane their sixth USWA World Tag Team championship! The fans supported the Midnights tonight and popped big time, as their theme music blared throughout the Rupp Arena! ***¾
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