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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 14, 2019 22:12:34 GMT -4
May 23, 2016 Card #471: Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis
1) Tyler Black, with his new bodyguard Luke Harper, defeated Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. While wrestling fans always knew about Black’s talent and athleticism, he showed more of a confidence in his first match post-Age of the Fall. Milliman had a brief flurry of offense against the Iowan and went up to the second rope for the head butt. Black rolled out of the way and Milliman crashed hard. Black took control and an in an impressive feat, gave Milliman a stiff power bomb into the turnbuckles. Milliman was out and Black covered him to pick up the pinfall. *
2) The Midnight Express picked up a win over Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane double teamed Virgil for the first few minutes of the match. Virgil tagged to Rodz, who had some offense against Lane, including hitting an Unpredictable Slam. Virgil tagged back in but Lane regained control and tagged to Eaton. Eaton dominated Virgil and tagged back to Lane, so that the Midnights could hit the Veg-o-Matic on Virgil. Lane covered Virgil, while Eaton knocked down an intervening Rodz with a stinging right hand, and scored the pinfall. The Midnights looked ready for another match-up with the Heavenly Bodies or Brian Kendrick and Paul London! (Who would win between those two teams? Read on!) *¼
3) Jim Powers scored his first win of 2016 and a HUGE win at that with a big upset over the One Man Gang. Gang had the early advantage and was dominating Powers but got cocky and would not go for a cover. Perhaps this infuriated the New Yorker as he battled back and dazed the giant Chicago native with punches. Powers hit a dropkick and sent Gang over the top rope and to the Mid-South Coliseum floor. The fans went wild at this! Gang was down and almost got counted out. Sir Oliver Humperdink ran over to his charge and yelled at him to get back in. Gang got back in by the count of eight. As the Gang rolled back in, Humperdink climbed up on the ring apron and distracted Tommy Marlin. Humperdink threw his cane into the ring without Marlin seeing it. Powers caught the cane in midair and smashed Gang with it, ruining Humperdink’s plan! He tossed the cane out and hit Gang with another dropkick, taking the big man off his feet. Powers jumped on the Gang, hooked the leg, and made a cover. Marlin turned around to count the pinfall. The Coliseum exploded as Powers got his hand raised and Humperdink was in a state of shock! **¼
4) Bobby Shane scored a big pinfall on two-time former Mid-America champion Tracy Smothers. This was a back-and-forth bout. Smothers had the early advantage and sent Shane out of the ring. He came off the apron with an impressive clothesline to Shane. Shane was shaken up and almost got counted out but with Jimmy Hart’s encouragement rolled back into the ring. Smothers was on the offensive for a few minutes and went up top. He came off with the jawjacker but Shane had the move scouted and dodged the elbow, causing Smothers to crash hard into the mat. Shane gloated about his maneuver. He took control for a few minutes but got overconfident and Smothers surprised him with a running crossbody into a cover for a very near fall. Smothers tried the jawjacker again a few moments later and this time connected. Unfortunately for Smothers, Shane landed near the ropes and was able to get a foot under the bottom rope for a break when Smothers attempted the pinfall. Shane took control a few moments later and caught Smothers in the Japanese sleeper. Smothers started to drop to the mat but after two arm drops, he bounced back up on the third and fought of the submission with elbows to the midsection. Smothers took over again and had Shane reeling until he missed a dropkick, as Shane held on to the ropes to avoid the attack. As Smothers regained his footing, Shane came up from behind and caught him with a rolling reverse cradle. As Tom Branch went to count Smothers’ shoulders down, Shane grabbed a handful of Smothers’ tights, which aided him in scoring the pinfall. Shane and Hart quickly retreated, as Smothers realized what had happened. Fans were outraged by Shane’s tactics! ***¼
5) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas returned to the city where he made his USWA debut in February. He had one of his toughest matches to date in the USWA but in the end emerged victorious once again, as he defeated former Mid-America Heavyweight champion David Taylor. Atlas had control at the start of the bout, including hitting an impressive jumping head butt off the top rope to a standing Taylor. Taylor was knocked down but managed to recover a few moments later and took control. Taylor came off the second rope with a European uppercut to knock down Atlas and score a two-count. Taylor executed the British suplex and floated into a cover but Atlas just got the shoulder up at last possible moment. Taylor was outraged, thinking he had scored the three-count. The action continued with Taylor tossing Atlas outside the ring and ramming him back-first into the ring post. Taylor rolled back in and tried to get a countout victory but “Mr. USA” rolled back in as well at the count of eight. With the Memphis fans behind him, Atlas rallied back. He blasted Taylor with a dropkick for a two-count. Atlas lifted Taylor up a few moments later and dropped him with the press slam. He then immediately followed up with the splash and covered Taylor to score the pinfall. The Memphis fans gave “Mr. USA” a big ovation for his win! ***
6) Brian Kendrick and Paul London continued their recent winning ways by giving the Heavenly Bodies their first, albeit, via countout. This was an action-packed bout with both teams showcasing their skills. Chris Candido and Tom Prichard tried to wrap things up quickly, as they executed their Prima Donna Plunge on Kendrick a few minutes into the bout. Prichard went for the pin but London made a save. A few moments later, Candido went for a leg lariat in the corner on Kendrick but Kendrick moved and “The Suicide Blonde” crashed hard. Kendrick seized the opportunity to hit Sliced Bread #2 out of the same corner. He made a cover but Candido was close to the ropes and got a foot on the bottom rope for the break. The Bodies trapped Kendrick in the ring for several minutes, even hitting a double DDT on him at one point. Prichard hit a Doctor Bomb (or as Jim Cornette told Lance Russell and Dave Brown at ringside, the Dr. Tom Bomb!) He went for a pin but again London made the save. Kendrick got an opportunity for a quick pin with a rolling front cradle after Prichard missed a clothesline but Prichard kicked out. Prichard kept control and tagged back in to Candido. The former Texas champion suplexed Kendrick and then went up to the top rope. He came off with a crushing diving head butt, which busted open Kendrick. It looked like that would be it but Kendrick somehow kicked out at 2¾. With London and the fans cheering him on, Kendrick rallied back and hit a second Sliced Bread #2 on Candido. He went for a cover but Prichard made the save at the last possible moment. London was fed up and jumped in the ring as well, nailing Prichard with a forearm smash. Prichard rolled out of the ring but London followed by jumping out to the ring apron. London nailed Prichard with a roundhouse kick from the apron, knocking Prichard down. London then hit an amazing running Shooting Star Press off the apron to the floor! The Memphis fans went crazy at this spectacle! Candido in the ring had dazed Kendrick with an eye rake and saw what just transpired with his partner on the floor. He ran across the ring and dove over the top rope with a somersault plancha on to London. The fans went wild at this! Kendrick recovered inside the ring and dove out of the ring with a suicide dive which leveled Candido! The fans were going wild at this succession of dives, while Cornette looked in shock! All four men were down. Legal man Kendrick recovered first and slide back into the ring. Candido started to get to his feet but couldn’t beat Tommy Marlin’s count. Marlin called for the bell and gave Kendrick and London the victory. Cornette and the Bodies were outraged by the decision! ***¾
7) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens made short work of “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Stevens came out viciously against Duggan from the opening bell. He hit the Bombs Away early in the bout but Duggan kicked out. He followed up with the piledriver and went for another cover but again Duggan kicked out. Stevens maintained control and hit a second Bombs Away to score the pinfall. Stevens looks focused and determined to win back the Mid-America title in a few weeks in Union City. ½*
8) Mr. Saito scored a controversial disqualification win over Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel was in control for much of the bout. He went for the figure-four leglock a few minutes into the bout. Saito fought hard and made the ropes for a break after being locked in the hold for nearly a minute. Bockwinkel went for an abdominal stretch but Saito hip tossed Bockwinkel to break the hold. Bockwinkel regained control and went for his sleeper. Sir Oliver Humperdink got up on the ring apron to distract Sam Platania as Saito dropped to the mat. Saito appeared to be almost out but there was no ref to check. Bockwinkel released the sleeper to go after Humperdink. Humperdink got off the apron but stayed close to the ring. As Bockwinkel threatened him from inside the ring, Saito recovered. He attempted to ambush Bockwinkel but Bockwinkel sidestepped him and dropped him on the middle rope with a drop toehold. Bockwinkel then started to choke Saito on the rope. He released before Platania hit five but then would choke Saito again for four seconds. Bockwinkel’s body was blocking Platania’s view to the outside of the ring. Humperdink reached in and pulled on Bockwinkel’s arm, which made it appear he was still choking Saito. Platania counted to five and called for the bell, disqualifying Bockwinkel for the choke hold, even though Humperdink was putting on more of the pressure! Bockwinkel was very confused at first by the outcome. Once Gary Michael Cappetta made the announcement of the decision and Platania explained it to him, he was outraged! Humperdink and Saito retreated to the locker room, as the Mid-South Coliseum fans berated them with boos and garbage! **¼ 9) Mad Dog Vachon scored an impressive pinfall on “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos. Londos had the initial advantage and outwrestled the Algerian amateur. He executed a crotch lift slam and went for a pin attempt but Vachon got up the shoulder. Londos executed the airplane spin and went for another pin attempt but again Vachon kicked out. Londos locked on a grinding armbar but Vachon scrambled to the ropes for a break. Vachon reversed a whip into the corner and Londos went crashing into Tommy Marlin. Vachon set up Londos for the piledriver but Londos swept his legs, taking him down to the mat. He then applied the Boston Crab in the center of the ring. Vachon tapped out but Marlin was down in the corner and did not see it! Suddenly, Butcher Vachon, Doctor X, and Billy Black Lyons, all dressed in street clothes, since they were not booked to wrestle on this card, all charged the ring. Butcher nailed Londos with a forearm from behind, breaking up the Crab. The three then stomped and pounded on Londos until Mad Dog recovered. Marlin started to get to his feet, so Mad Dog’s allies retreated as quickly as they appeared. Vachon took control and hit a backbreaker and made a cover as Marlin returned to officiating. Marlin counted but Londos got his shoulder up. Vachon remained and control and hit the Mad Dog Pounce on two separate occasions. He clawed away at Londos’ face, eventually drawing blood on “The Golden Greek.” Vachon hit another backbreaker for a near fall. He hit the piledriver but somehow Londos kicked out at 2¾. Vachon dragged Londos over to the middle rope, choked him, then bounced off the opposite ropes, and came back with another Pounce. He pulled Londos off the ropes, covered him, and score the pin. Fans were in outrage but also in shock at seeing Vachon’s pinfall win on Londos! ***¾
10) The main event was for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. It was a first-time meeting between two wrestlers who debuted in the USWA in 2015 and who have made a big impact since then. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie put the title on the line against the popular “Superstar” Bill Dundee. Blassie started off the bout the aggressor. He tossed Dundee out of the ring after just a few minutes. He went after the Aussie but Dundee surprised him with a punch to the midsection. He then slammed Blassie’s head into the ring apron and rolled him back into the ring. Dundee kept control in the ring and went up to the top rope. He came off with the Superstar Bomb and made a cover but Blassie kicked out. The champion came back and surprised Dundee with his finisher—the Southern neckbreaker. He made a cover but Dundee kicked out, which drew a big pop from the crowd. Blassie stomped on Dundee’s stomach and then applied a stomach claw in the center of the ring. Dundee kept his shoulders up and wouldn’t tap. With the fans on his side, Dundee fought out of the claw with some stiff punches. Blassie cut him off as he tried for a comeback and took him out of the ring again. “The King of Men” followed up with a body slam on the arena floor. Blassie climbed back in the ring while Tom Branch put the count on Dundee. The fans’ cheers helped Dundee ally back again. He got up on the apron by eight. Blassie charged at him but Dundee grabbed him by the back of the neck and snapped the champ’s neck on the top rope. Dundee immediately went up to the top rope and came off with a flying body press (which is how he pinned King Kong Bundy at Derby City Stampede). He covered Blassie but the champ kicked out at 2¾. Dundee stayed in control until Blassie nailed him with a chop to the throat. Blassie then choked Dundee in the corner. He released the challenger before the count of five but then proceeded to bite Dundee’s forehead! “The Vampire” drew blood on the “Superstar.” The blood blinded Dundee’s eyes and as he stumbled around, Blassie rolled him up with a schoolboy. The maneuver was effective enough for Blassie to score the three-count after about eight minutes of intense action and to retain the Southern title. The fans blasted Blassie with boos, as he held up the Southern title belt and gloated! ***¾
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 16, 2019 10:26:14 GMT -4
Highlights of the last episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling:
May 30: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong had some announcements of upcoming matches. First of all, for the June 13 card at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville, the fans will see a tag team rematch, as Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will do battle with the Vachons! Williams and Gordy got their first win in this series a few weeks ago in Cookeville. Who will win the latest chapter? • The commissioner also made two big matches for the June 20 card at the Union City Civic Auditorium: o Another tag team rematch will take place, as Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy will battle “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee! The new team of Valiant and Dundee have given the giants a run for their money in their previous two meetings. Dundee scored a big win over Bundy in a singles bout at Derby City Stampede, so you can bet the First Family of Wrestling team will be more fired up to defeat the fan favorites again! o Another First Family member will be in action on this card, as Bobby Shane faces the undefeated “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas in a first-time match-up! Both men debuted in the USWA this year and have both made a great impact. Who will win this interesting match-up? • It was announced that “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos has decided to leave the USWA. The popular superstar has signed for some matches in his native Greece and also plans to compete in the Catch Wrestling Association (CWA). He sent a message in, thanking the USWA fans for their great support during his tenure in the area!
June 4: • Commissioner Armstrong announced some more big match-ups. First, for the June 13 card in Evansville, Red Bastien will return from his throat injury that impacted his Derby City Stampede main event. He will be going for revenge against Bobby Shane! Shane and “Ravishing” Rick Rude ambushed and injured Bastien after his match with Shane a few weeks ago in Lexington. Bastien valiantly went on to compete against Rude for the World Heavyweight title in Louisville as scheduled but lost in a shorter bout, most likely due to the injury. • The June 20 card in Union City will see a first-time match-up between two former allies in the now-defunct Heenan Family, as Nick Bockwinkel will face Larry Zbyszko! Zbyszko is Bockwinkel’s latest opponent in his battles with the House of Humperdink. While this is a first-time meeting, the two wrestlers are familiar with each other, as they were both managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan from November 2008 through October 2010. They even tag teamed together in a six-man tag team match in March 2009 (with the “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer) and in a standard four-man tag team match in August 2010. This should be an interesting match-up! • It was announced that two-time former Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tracy Smothers has decided to leave the USWA for now and compete in the Continental Wrestling Federation (CWF). He too sent a message thanking the fans for their great support in leading him to two championships during his tenure and said he could very well be back in the area in the future! • Sir Oliver Humperdink, flanked by “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, was interviewed in-studio. Humperdink was asked if he made a bad decision in signing the One Man Gang, after his loss to Jim Powers last week in Memphis. Humperdink said that Powers needed his (Humperdink’s) own weapon to beat the Gang and that the House of Humperdink wasn’t through with the “New York punk”! He said that while Gang is the most recent signing, he just signed a former ally of the Gang’s who will be debuting soon. Lance Russell asked who this man would be and Humperdink announced that “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan will be joining the House as well! Gilbert, who has known of all of Humperdink’s managerial decisions, since selling his former Hot Stuff, International stable to become the House, seemed unaware that Sullivan had been signed. Russell stated that Sullivan has made a name, particularly in Championship Wrestling from Florida (the other CWF) for sadistic acts and for his stable called the Army of Darkness, where he transformed some wrestlers into bizarre characters! The Gang, as himself, was part of Sullivan’s stable for a while, as Sullivan was both an active wrestler and manager of the Army. Humperdink said that Sullivan will make the House the most superior unit in the USWA and will be making his debut on June 20 in Union City!
The USWA kicks off the summer with its return to the Earl Belle Community Center in Jonesboro, with a huge card on June 6! • “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert will be in action against Jim Powers! Gilbert, in the aforementioned interview on Championship Wrestling with Sir Oliver Humperdink, supported Humperdink’s claims that Powers’ win over the One Man Gang was only due to the use of Humperdink’s cane and that Powers will regret using that weapon when he gets embarrassed by the three-time former Southern Heavyweight champion next week. Will Gilbert’s words ring true or can Powers score two huge upsets in a row? • The former World Tag Team champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito will do battle with Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons in tag team grudge match. X and Lyons interfered in Zbyszko and Saito’s title defense against Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon at Derby City Stampede leading to a disqualification victory for the then-champions. X and Lyons are a formidable duo themselves. Can they beat the former champions? • “Superstar” Bill Dundee has lost two heartbreaking matches to Bobby Shane due to illegal tactics or the interference of “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart. The two will do battle again this week. Can Dundee finally score the victory? • Two tag team rivals will collide in singles competition for the first time in six years, as “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton of the Midnight Express faces Chris Candido of the Heavenly Bodies! Candido captured the USWA Texas title in April 2010, ending Eaton’s historic 18½-month reign. The Bodies defeated the Midnights in their first tag team meeting at Derby City Stampede. Will Candido have the same success in Jonesboro or will Eaton get the win? • “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas remains undefeated. He scored an impressive win against Big John Studd at the Stampede. Can he do the same this week, when he takes on Studd’s tag team partner, King Kong Bundy? • Another First Family of Wrestling member will main event this card, as the current, two-time, and longest-reigning USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude will put the title on the line against his long-time rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant! These two have had quite the feud over the last two years, as was documented on the May 21 edition of Championship Wrestling. This will be Valiant’s first-ever shot at the USWA World title and it will be in the same city where he defeated Rude in October 2014. This will also be the first USWA World Heavyweight title match in Jonesboro in 4½ years, when Curt Hennig captured the title from “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. With Valiant’s good record in this arena and one title change in the arena, does “Boogie Woogie” have a good chance to capture the top gold in the USWA?
All these great match-ups, plus Mad Dog Vachon battles “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. As well as the high-flying fan favorites Brian Kendrick and Paul London in tag team action. Plus, One Man Gang, Tyler Black, and more USWA stars at the Earl Belle Community Center on Church Street!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 17, 2019 13:00:40 GMT -4
June 6, 2016 Card #472: Earl Belle Community Center in Jonesboro
1) Tyler Black was victorious in the opener over S.D. Jones. “Special Delivery” had the initial advantage. Black tried to leave the ring for a breather but Jones grabbed him by the leg. Jones was near the ropes and Luke Harper nailed him with a right hand, which was unseen by Jerry Calhoun. Black took control and hit the Paroxysm for a near fall. Black went up to the top rope and came off with the Phoenix Splash to put Jones down for the 1-2-3. With Black’s athleticism and Harper watching his back, this could be an effective combination! ¼*
2) One Man Gang got back on track and scored a pinfall on Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. Like Jim Powers did on the last card in Memphis, Milliman was gunning for an upset win on the Chicago giant. He had some early offense but Gang cut him off with a big right hand. Gang pounded on Milliman in the corner, then went out the apron, climbed up the ropes, and got behind a standing Milliman. He executed a falling face slam, driving his 495 pounds into Milliman to the mat! Gang made a cover and scored the pinfall, making himself and Sir Oliver Humperdink two happy men! ¼*
3) Brian Kendrick and Paul London scored a victory over Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Virgil had some early control against Kendrick, even hitting a missile dropkick for a two-count. Rodz tagged in but the fan favorites took over and kept him in the ring for the remainder of the match. Kendrick and London used a variety of their impressive, aerial offense. In the end, Kendrick used a running forearm smash on Rodz to score the pinfall, while London stopped Virgil from a pin save with a running dropkick. The Jonesboro fans popped big the high-flying team’s win! *¼
4) “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert defeated Jim Powers via countout. Gilbert was very aggressive against Powers, wanting to avenge Powers’ upset win over the One Man Gang in Memphis. Gilbert hit a second rope elbow drop and later a DDT for near falls. Suddenly, Gang made his back into the arena. Gilbert nailed Powers with a big clothesline, sending him over the ropes and to the Community Center floor. Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Jerry Calhoun, while Gang grabbed Powers and rammed him back-first into the ring post. He then body slammed Powers on the floor. Humperdink got off the apron and Gilbert alerted Calhoun to Powers outside the ring. Calhoun put the 10-count on Powers and the New Yorker could not beat it. Calhoun called for the bell and gave Gilbert the victory via countout. ½*
5) Mad Dog Vachon pinned “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Cannon put up a good fight against the Algerian but couldn’t maintain the offense for long periods of time. Vachon hit two separate Mad Dog Pounces and finished the PBR drinker off with the piledriver. Vachon seemed extra intense tonight! **
6) Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito scored an impressive win over Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons. The House of Humperdink team worked on the masked X at the start of the bout, including Zbyszko scoring a near fall after a spinning back kick. X got Zbyszko down on the mat and hit a handstand knee drop before tagging off to Lyons. Zbyszko was ready for Lyons, taking him down to the mat and working on his legs before applying a Boston Crab. Lyons managed to pull himself to the ropes for a break. Zbyszko continued to attack him and pulled him to his own team’s corner, where he tagged to Saito. Saito entered the ring and immediately hit the Saito suplex. He covered Lyons and scored the pinfall, while Zbyszko kept the Doctor at bay with a knee smash to the midsection. The former World Tag Team champions were impressive tonight, as they’ve got their sights set on winning back the belts from the New Age Outlaws in next week’s main event in Evansville! **¾
7) Bobby Shane scored another tainted win over “Superstar” Bill Dundee. At the opening bell, both men tied up in a collar-and-elbow lock-up. Shane gained the leverage and sent Dundee into the corner. Dundee hit the buckles but dodged out of the way of a charge by Shane. Dundee rolled him up with a schoolboy for a very near fall 20 seconds into the match! Dundee gained control and hit a big splash for a near fall. He executed the Superstar Bomb a few moments later and made a cover but “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart had gotten up on the ring apron and distracted Jerry Calhoun. Dundee got off Shane and went after Hart. Shane recovered and charged Dundee but the “Superstar” was ready for him and nailed him with a big punch to the midsection. Dundee stayed on the offensive for a few minutes. Suddenly, King Kong Bundy entered the Community Center, wearing a fancy jumpsuit, like what Dundee wears to the ring! (Of course, Bundy’s jumpsuit was much larger than Dundee’s!) Dundee spotted Bundy and looked very perplexed. Bundy responded by shaking his booty, as Dundee often does during matches. Dundee did his own shake in response and the Jonesboro fans went wild! Dundee stayed focused and slammed Shane to the mat. He then went up the ropes again, perhaps for a second Superstar Bomb. Hart again got up on the apron to distract Calhoun. This allowed Bundy to come over and shove Dundee off the top rope, causing him to crash hard in the ring. Shane took control and locked on the Japanese sleeper in the center of the ring. Dundee fought hard but Shane kept him away from the ropes and kept it locked on tightly. Dundee dropped to the mat after nearly two minutes of trying for a break. Calhoun checked his arm and it dropped three times, so Calhoun called for the bell and gave Shane the submission win. Hart and Bundy entered the ring after the bell and Bundy requested that he wake up Dundee from the sleeper. Shane obliged and Bundy woke up Dundee with a big knee drop. Dundee came to but was definitely in pain. Bundy, Shane, and Hart looked ready to inflict more punishment but “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas sprinted down to ringside and chased them off. He checked on Dundee and then pointed to Bundy that he would see him in the ring shortly. The fans popped big time as Dundee and Atlas shook hands! ***
8) Chris Candido picked up an impressive win over “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. Eaton came to the ring alone, while Candido naturally was accompanied by his manager Jim Cornette and Cornette’s bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn. In a moment similar to the previous match, Eaton nearly scored an early pinfall, as he sent Candido into the turnbuckles but Candido reversed the whip. Eaton hit the buckles but then sprawled across the top ropes as Candido charged in at him. Candido hit the buckles and Eaton caught him on the rebound in a small package for a very near fall about 25 seconds into the bout! Candido regained control a few minutes later. He took Eaton to the corner and climbed up the buckles with him, then executed his always-impressive Blonde Bomb. Candido gloated and strutted about hitting the move, so when he finally did make a cover, Eaton kicked out. Candido stayed on the offensive and hit a diving head butt off the top rope a few minutes later. He covered Eaton and picked up the pinfall win. As Candido got his hand raised, “Sweet” Stan Lane (in street clothes) ran down to the ring. He checked on Eaton, who started to recover. The Midnight Express then double teamed Severn, grabbed him, and threw him shoulder-first into the ring post. Lane then nailed Cornette with a karate kick. The Midnights then hit a Flapjack on Candido. They grabbed Cornette’s tennis racquet and placed it on the mat in an upright position. They then executed the Veg-o-Matic on Candido, driving his back into his manager’s racquet! Candido was in a lot of pain. Dr. Tom Prichard (also in street clothes) entered the ring but the Midnights hit a Flapjack on him as well. “Beautiful” Bobby and “Sweet” Stan then returned to the locker room, leaving quite a mess of bodies behind them! Several USWA referees and officials came down to the ring to check on the Bodies, Cornette, and Severn. Candido needed the most assistance and could be seen clutching his back a lot, as he was helped back to the locker room. **¾
9) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas scored an impressive win over the former King Kong Bundy. Bundy and “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart came to the ring first. Bundy was still sporting the flashy jumpsuit he wore earlier when interfering in Bobby Shane’s match. As Gary Michael Cappetta was introducing the New Jersey giant, Hart interrupted him and said that he is now known as Superstar Bundy! Despite the new outfit, Atlas would not be distracted. The powerhouse had the early advantage. He used his strength to get the big man in a full nelson. Bundy was in pain but managed to get a foot on the ropes for a break. Atlas went up to the top rope but Bundy recovered before Atlas could leap and tossed him off. Bundy hit a backbreaker for a two-count. He maintained control for a few minutes until he whipped Atlas into the ropes and telegraphed a back body drop. Atlas leapt over Bundy and tried for a sunset flip. Bundy tried to block it with a sit-down splash but Atlas had that scouted as well and Bundy crashed hard into the mat. “Mr. USA” regained control. He once again showcased his great power by pressing Bundy over his head and delivering the press slam. He immediately followed up with the splash and scored the pin. The Jonesboro fans went crazy at seeing Atlas’ strength in person! After the bell, “Superstar” Bill Dundee ran down to the ringside area. He came off the top rope with the Superstar Bomb on Bundy and then hit a knee drop on the big man, as payback for Bundy waking him up earlier! Atlas and Dundee again shook hands and returned to the back together! ***
10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight title. Current, two-time, and longest reigning champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude put the title on the line against his long-time rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. While Rude holds the majority of the victories in their singles bouts in this feud, their matches had always been competitive. Valiant’s sole win over Rude took place in this same arena in October 2014. Valiant was with the USWA at its inception in 2004. He left in 2006 but returned in 2008. He lost a Loser-Leaves-Town Match in 2011 but came back the following year. In all his time in the USWA, this was his first shot at the World Heavyweight championship.
The fans were buzzing as the bell rang to start the bout. Rude took the early advantage, hitting a suplex for a near fall. Valiant surprised him with a clothesline and then hit the Boogie Woogie elbow. He made a cover but Rude kicked out. Valiant caught Rude in a sleeper. The fans went wild, as this is how he beat Rude in this same arena a year-and-a-half ago. Rude started to drop to the mat but scrambled to the ropes for a break. Valiant slammed Rude to the mat and went up to the top rope. He came off with a super Boogie Woogie elbow but Rude rolled out of the way. Rude took control and worked over Valiant. He hit the Rude Awakening. Rather than make a cover, Rude started to pose and swivel his hips, thinking he had the match won. He finally covered “Handsome” Jimmy but “The Boy from New York City” kicked out, which drew a big pop from the crowd! Rude was in shock by this. Jimmy Hart got up on the ring apron to distract Jerry Calhoun. Rude grabbed his flexing bar from outside the ring. He sat on Valiant’s back in a Camel Clutch-like position. He then started to choke Valiant with the flexing bar. Fans were outraged at this and Calhoun eventually turned around to see this. Calhoun warned the “Ravishing One” but the champion would not release. Calhoun gave him a five-count and the champion still would not break. Calhoun was left with no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify Rude. Valiant was the winner but not the World Heavyweight champion. After the bell, Rude continued choking Valiant with the bar. Suddenly, “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas sprinted down to the ring and chased off Rude and Hart. They helped Valiant to his feet. “Boogie Woogie” seemed alright but was upset that he did not capture the World title! ***
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 19, 2019 15:23:40 GMT -4
Highlights from the June 11 episode of USWA Championship Wrestling, including announcements of the first matches for Independence Day Bash 2016, coming your way from Chilhowee Park in Knoxville on (When else?) Independence Day! • “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas was interviewed in-studio. The powerhouse said that he couldn’t understand how anyone could call “Ravishing” Rick Rude a champion after his tactics against “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant last week in Jonesboro. Atlas said that while Valiant deserves a title rematch, he too would like to challenge Rude for a championship match at the Bash! • Rude and Jimmy Hart were interviewed later in the program. Hart said that Rude was on his way to victory against Valiant last week but felt he would save him some level of “embarrassment” and not pin him! Rude responded to Atlas’ challenge. He said that Atlas may be stronger than he and may have a better physique, although Rude doubts it (as he flexed and posed for the camera)! But in the end, that won’t matter, as you win the World title (which he held up) by wrestling and he is a superior wrestler to Atlas. He said he would be happy to accept the challenge and that Atlas will just out to be “#20,” in regard to Rude’s record number of title defenses. The main event for July 4 was made! • Commissioner Bob Armstrong confirmed that Jimmy Valiant will receive a rematch for the World title in the near future! • Another championship match for the 4th was signed. “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay will receive a rematch for the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title that he held for six months. Finlay will challenge the champion, either Tommy Rogers or Ray “The Crippler” Stevens, depending on who leaves their title bout on June 20 in Union City the champion. • Nick Bockwinkel will be out for revenge, as he faces Mr. Saito in a rematch from a few weeks ago in Memphis! Saito got the win in their first meeting via disqualification, although it was his manager Sir Oliver Humperdink’s involvement that led to Bockwinkel’s DQ loss! • Two superstars will do battle again, as “Superstar” Bill Dundee faces the newly-christened Superstar Bundy! Dundee got the win in their match at Derby City Stampede last month. Bundy responded by donning his own shiny bodysuit and renaming himself. Bundy and Jimmy Hart were interviewed in-studio. Lance Russell asked what in the world are they thinking by this change in outfit and name. Hart said it was so simple, even Lance could understand it! He said that Dundee calls himself the “Superstar” but Bundy is a much bigger deal than he is. He’s got better wrestling moves, better dance moves, and is bigger than Dundee. Therefore, he was taking on the name of “Superstar” as well and with his newfound confidence, he will defeat Dundee at the Bash! Dundee replied later in the show that he is happy to battle Bundy once again. He said he can call himself whatever he wants but the fact is that Dundee won their first bout. He said that with the fans on his side the real “Superstar” will triumph again! • It was announced that Chris Candido suffered a back injury in the attack by the Midnight Express last week in Jonesboro and will be out of action for about six weeks. Jim Cornette stated that “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane should have been suspended for life but since Bob Armstrong is in charge, he’s not surprised that no action is being taken! • A tag team Triangle Match was announced for the supercard. Originally the match was to be the team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London, the Midnight Express, and the Heavenly Bodies. However, due to the back injury to Chris Candido, the third team will now be Tom Prichard and a mystery partner! Lance Russell asked Cornette if Dan “The Beast” Severn would be the partner. Cornette said that Severn is one of the toughest men in the world but tag team wrestling is not his strength. He said that Cornette has signed a new wrestler to join his stable and this wrestler will debut as Prichard’s partner on July 4! The manager explained that while this wrestler will debut in a tag team match, he plans to compete as a singles star. Cornette reminded USWA fans that while he (Cornette) is mostly associated with managing Tag Team champions, he has had success in the past with singles wrestlers, as he managed Justin Credible to two USWA Texas titles, in 2006 and ’07. Cornette said that his new wrestler has made a name in both wrestling and other forms of entertainment and is an international star! • Commissioner Armstrong announced a big main event for the June 20 card at the Union City Civic Auditorium. “Classy” Freddie Blassie will put the USWA Southern Heavyweight title on the line in the main event against Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon has had some great success in singles action recently. This will be the two-time former World Tag Team champion’s first shot at a USWA singles championship!
The USWA comes back to the Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville on June 13 with a huge card of action! • Two of the wrestlers in the tag team Triangle Match at Independence Day Bash will go one-on-one, as “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard battles Paul London! You can bet that Prichard will be irate going into this bout, coming off the Heavenly Bodies’ countout loss to London and Brian Kendrick a few weeks ago in Memphis, as well as the injury to Chris Candido. Who will win this bout and give their team some momentum going into the Triangle Match? • Red Bastien will be healed up from his throat injury and will be out for revenge when he faces Bobby Shane of the First Family of Wrestling! Shane and World champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude injured Bastien after Bastien defeated Shane in Lexington at the end of April. The injury put Bastien at less than 100% going into his main event match for the title with Rude at the Stampede, as many fans felt that Bastien had Rude’s number prior to the injury. Can Bastien avenge that setback or will the always-crafty Shane pull out a win? • A physical tag team feud will continue, as Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy face the Vachons! Williams and Gordy got their first win in this feud a few weeks ago in Cookeville. Give Mad Dog credit for accepting this match, one week before he challenges “Classy” Freddie Blassie for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship! Which team will win the next chapter in this feud? • Another feud will resume, as Nick Bockwinkel battles “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert! Bockwinkel’s bouts with Gilbert led up to making Bockwinkel a target for all of the House of Humperdink! Bockwinkel won their most recent meeting at Derby City Stampede. Can he stay focused and win again or will “Hot Stuff” light him up? • “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas has some tough upcoming bouts, prior to challenging for the World Heavyweight title. He will face Ray “The Crippler” Stevens of the First Family of Wrestling in a first-time match-up! Stevens also has his own big championship bout upcoming, as he will face Tommy Rogers for the Mid-America Heavyweight championship next week in Union City. Both men have a lot on the line going into this meeting! • The main event will be a return bout for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The current and three-time champions the New Age Outlaws will defend against the former champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink! “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn won the belts from Zbyszko and Saito last month in Cookeville. Sir Oliver Humperdink complained that the win only came about when Gunn hit Saito with one of the World Tag Team title belts outside the ring. (Humperdink ignored the fact that Saito tried to hit Gunn with the belt first!) Can Zbyszko and Saito win back the belts or will the Outlaws shoot down their plans?
All these huge matches, as well as the Midnight Express, the team of Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy, the One Man Gang, and Tyler Black in action in Evansville!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 20, 2019 15:03:27 GMT -4
June 13, 2016 Card #473: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville
1) Tyler Black was victorious in the opener over “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Black dominated the New Yorker and picked up the pinfall in just a few minutes with the impressive God’s Last Gift. Black continues to do well with only Luke Harper in his corner and no connection to Jimmy Jacobs and the Age of the Fall! DUD
2) Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy defeated Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke in a very competitive bout. The hillbillies had the early advantage and looked on their way to a huge upset win. They kept Studd in the ring for several minutes, hurting the big man but not being able to take him off his feet and try to get a pin. Bundy tagged in and took over on Jim, hitting a backbreaker for a near fall. Bundy went up to the second rope, did a booty wiggle, and then came off with a big splash. He covered Jim but Luke broke up the pin attempt. Bundy hit the Atlantic City Avalanche and made a cover and scored a three but when the New Jersey Superstar demanded his five-count, Luke made another save on 4½. Bundy was outraged but stayed in control. Studd tagged back in and got Jim up for the backbreaker but Jim got a foot over the top rope for a break. The giants double teamed Jim, with Studd holding Jim down by the legs, while Bundy delivered a knee drop to the face, which busted open the hillbilly. Bundy sent Jim into the ropes and went for a clothesline but Jim ducked, spun around, and nailed Bundy with a big boot to the face, knocking him down. Jim was too weakened to make a cover immediately. He finally tried for the pin but Bundy kicked out. Jim got to his corner and made the hot tag to Luke. Luke had some early offense but got caught with a big body slam by Bundy. The giants double teamed Luke for a few minutes. Studd tagged back to Bundy, then immediately pressed Luke over his head. Bundy kneeled down and Studd dropped Luke stomach-first across the New Jerseyan’s knee. Bundy made a cover and scored the pin, while Studd stopped an interfering Jim with a big boot to the face. ****
3) One Man Gang scored a quick win over Nashville native Roy Rodgers. The giant from Halsted St. scored the pinfall on Rodgers quickly with the 747 Splash. Sir Oliver Humperdink was very happy with his man’s win! DUD
4) The Midnight Express made short work of George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane kept South in the ring the entire match. Eaton tagged to Lane and held South by the legs, with his throat across the top rope. Lane entered the ring, bounced off the opposite ropes, leapt over Eaton, and nailed South with a splash to the back. Lane covered South and scored the pinfall while Eaton knocked down an intervening Sharpe with a right hand! The Midnights look ready for the Triangle Match at Independence Day Bash! DUD
5) Speaking of that Triangle Match, two of the other participants battled it out in singles competition. Dr. Tom Prichard picked up a pinfall on Paul London. London had the initial advantage and even hit the 450 splash in the first few minutes. It was too early to beat “The Doctor of Desire,” so Prichard kicked out at 2. Prichard took control in a brawl outside the ring. He hit the enzuigiri and later a jumping knee drop for near falls. London took control and sent Prichard into the corner. He charged in at him with a leaping forearm smash. Prichard dodged the attack and London crashed hard into the buckles. Prichard smashed London’s head into the top turnbuckle which busted open London. Prichard got London down on the mat and hit a second knee drop. He covered London, hooked the leg, and scored the pinfall, making Jim Cornette a happy man! **¾
6) Bobby Shane scored a controversial submission victory over Red Bastien. Shane tried for the Japanese sleeper early but Bastien broke free before Shane could fully apply the hold. Bastien had the advantage and went up to the top rope. He came off with a flying body press but Shane rolled through, ended up on top, and went for a cover. Bastien kicked out at two. Bastien regained control and hit the airplane spin into the atomic drop. He went for a cover but “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart distracted Scott Bowden. Bastien whipped Shane into the corner and went for a flying head scissors. Shane ducked the attack and Bastien landed on the ropes. Shane pulled him off the ropes and then attacked the legs. He locked on a figure-four leglock with Bastien’s body positioned toward the center of the ring and far from the ropes. Shane, however, was near the ropes and used that to his advantage by grabbing Hart’s hands for extra leverage. Bowden was focused on Bastien’s condition and didn’t see Hart’s interference. Bastien was forced to tap out. The Evansville fans were not happy about this result! After the bell, Shane kept the figure-four locked on, with Hart still hodling on to Shane’s hands. Suddenly “Superstar” Bill Dundee, in street clothes, made his way to the ring with a steel chair in hand. Dundee chased off Hart, releasing the leverage. Shane saw Dundee and released the hold. He went at Dundee but got met with a steel chair to the face! Bastien slowly got to his feet. He was hurting but had enough strength to hit a second atomic drop on Shane. Shane went flying right into Dundee’s chair again! Shane dropped to the mat, as did Bastien, still feeling the effect of the illegal figure-four. Dundee helped Bastien to the back, as Hart did the same for Shane. Shane had a very dazed, glassy-eyed look on his face. ***¼
7) Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon defeated Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. The Vachons were able to keep Williams in the ring for much of the match. Butcher hit a big splash on him early on for a near fall. Mad Dog tagged in and executed a backbreaker for a two-count. Williams surprised Mad Dog with a clothesline and then tagged to Gordy. The fan favorites blasted Mad Dog with a double football tackle. Gordy had offense for a while and then tagged “Doc” back into the bout. Williams had control on Mad Dog but missed a charge into the corner. Mad Dog bit Williams, which busted open the Oklahoma Sooner. Butcher tagged back in and the Vachons hit the quadruple foot stomp. Williams kicked out of the pin attempt, so Butcher went for a submission with the hangman. Gordy attempted a save but Mad Dog stopped him with a double leg takedown and then clawed away at his face. Mad Dog and Gordy brawled out to the floor while Williams was forced to surrender. The former World Tag Team champions were impressive tonight. How will Mad Dog fare when he challenges “Classy” Freddie Blassie for the Southern Heavyweight title in next week’s main event in Union City? ***
8) Nick Bockwinkel dominated his rival “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Gilbert came out swinging at Bockwinkel from the opening bell. He got overzealous and Bockwinkel took control, clamping on the Bockwinkel sleeper about 30 seconds into the bout. Gilbert fought for the ropes for over a minute but finally dropped to the mat. Joe Wheeler checked Gilbert’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Bockwinkel the submission win in about 90 seconds. Right after the bell, as Bockwinkel was reviving Gilbert, Mr. Saito made his way to the ring. He came up behind Bockwinkel and hit the Saito suplex. He followed up with two more suplexes. Saito’s opponents for tonight’s main event, the New Age Outlaws, sprinted down to the ring to end the attack. Saito, Humperdink, and a groggy Gilbert escaped their wrath. The Outlaws helped Bockwinkel up to his feet. Bockwinkel was able to walk to the back but was holding his neck a lot. DUD
9) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas remained undefeated and won a hard-earned victory over Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. Stevens was aggressive at the start, hoping to be the first wrestler in the USWA to defeat Atlas and trying to wear him down for Atlas’ shot at Stevens’ First Family of Wrestling teammate “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the World Heavyweight title in the main event of Independence Day Bash. Stevens hit two piledrivers, the Bombs Away, and a vertical suplex at various times throughout the bout for very near falls. Atlas had the Evansville fans on his side and battled back from the punishment being dished out by the former Mid-America Heavyweight champion. Stevens went for another suplex but Atlas blocked it and executed one of his own. He went for a cover but Stevens kicked out. Atlas remained in control, using his great strength to dominate Stevens. Atlas hit the press slam followed by the splash to score the pinfall on “The Crippler” after a great back-and-forth bout! Atlas stared down Jimmy Hart and indicated that he is coming to take Rude’s title away on July 4! ****
10) The main event was a rematch from last month in Cookeville. The New Age Outlaws put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against the House of Humperdink’s team of Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito. The Outlaws ended Zbyszko and Saito’s reign last month in Cookeville, becoming three-time champions. Sir Oliver Humperdink claimed that the Outlaws only got the pinfall because Billy Gunn hit Saito with one of the World Tag Team title belts. (Of course, Saito tried to use the belt first but Humperdink must have missed that footage in the video!)
This was a back-and-forth tag team bout. Zbyszko and Saito cut the ring in half on “The Road Dogg” Jesse James for the first few minutes. They tried for submissions early with Saito trying a Scorpion Leglock and Zbyszko a Boston Crab but in both cases, James made the ropes for breaks. Zbyszko turned the attack to James’s neck, hitting the piledriver for a near fall. James made the tag to Gunn and the Outlaws turned the tide, trapping Zbyszko in the ring for several minutes. James hit the pump handle slam for a two-count. Gunn came back in and caught Zbyszko with a power slam for a near fall. Gunn busted Zbyszko open with an elbow smash. He then tagged to “The Road Dogg” and the Outlaws hit a spike piledriver on Zbyszko. Zbyszko managed to tag to Saito a few moments later. Once again, the challengers double teamed James and focused the attack on his neck. During their attacks, Zbyszko busted James open as well with a series of knee smashes. Zbyszko executed a spinning neckbreaker and went for a pin attempt but Gunn broke up the cover. Saito came in and attacked Gunn. The two went outside the ring, where Saito smashed Gunn in the face with one of the World Tag Team title belts, as he had attempted to do in their first meeting last month in Cookeville. Back inside the ring, Zbyszko continued to target James’s neck. He choked James on the top rope, then went up to the top rope and jumped off with a sledge right to the back of the neck. Saito had returned to the House of Humperdink’s corner. Zbyszko tagged the Japanese Olympian back into the match. Saito immediately hit his suplex on James. He made a cover and Paul Morton counted to three after 18 minutes of action. Zbyszko and Saito were awarded the USWA World Tag Team titles for the second time! Humperdink was ecstatic about his team winning back the belts! ****½
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 23, 2019 12:01:35 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 6-18, including more announcements for Independence Day Bash 2016 at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville! • A tag team feud will continue as the Vachons will collide once again with Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy! These bouts have been intense, physical battles. Mad Dog and Butcher have more victories so far in the series. But with two former Southern Heavyweight champions in Williams and Gordy, a victory can come at any time! • One Man Gang will be out for revenge, when he faces Jim Powers! Powers gave the Gang his only loss so far in the USWA when he pinned him a few weeks ago at the Mid-South Coliseum after using Sir Oliver Humperdink’s cane on the Gang. Gang attacked Powers during his match with Gang’s House of Humperdink ally “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert a couple of weeks later in Jonesboro. Will lightning strike twice for Powers? • Red Bastien was interviewed on this episode. He said that he is not through with Bobby Shane and still hopes to get another shot at “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the USWA World Heavyweight title sometime soon. But he does want a measure of revenge on a man he once considered a friend but who has since betrayed him and cost him the World title in his first shot against in March in Evansville. Bastien challenged Billy Black Lyons to a match at the Bash! He said that he would still love Lyons to change his mind and reform the Flying Redheads. But until Lyons accepts his invitation, he is willing to beat some sense into him inside the ring. Lyons came in the studios later in the show and accepted Bastien’s challenge. He said that he ruined Bastien’s chance to win the World title in March and now plans to ruin Bastien’s career by defeating him on July 4! This will be the first time Bastien has faced Lyons since he unmasked Lyons as Double X after their Leap Day bout at the Louisville Gardens. • A new wrestler will be joining the USWA on July 4 and it’s very fitting that he is debuting on this date. The masked American hero known as the Patriot will be making his USWA debut! This masked man has gained fame inside the ring in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and World Class Championship Wrestling. He is known for his great combination and speed and power. He comes to the ring with two finishers: the Patriot Missile (a shoulder tackle off the ropes) and the Uncle Slam (a full nelson slam). While his identity and background remain a mystery, his abilities in the ring are well known. How will this masked hero fare inside the USWA rings? • It was announced that Nick Bockwinkel suffered a neck injury after getting hit by three Saito suplexes after his match with Eddie Gilbert last week in Evansville. Some video footage was shown from backstage at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum of Bockwinkel getting checked out by an EMT. Despite the injury, the four-time former World champion stated that he will be in action this coming week in Union City (See Card #474 preview below.), as well as in Knoxville on July 4! • In another injury update from the Evansville card, Bobby Shane suffered a concussion in the post-match brawl with Red Bastien and “Superstar” Bill Dundee. The First Family of Wrestling member will be out of action for about one month. Jimmy Hart was interviewed and said that Dundee and Bastien should be arrested for their “criminal, unprovoked attack” on Shane! When Lance Russell reminded Hart that Shane would not release his figure-four leglock on Bastien after having won the match and could have had the decision reversed on him, Hart was flabbergasted and left the WMC-TV Studios in an outrage! • Sir Oliver Humperdink introduced a video made by his newest charge “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, who will debut next week. (See Card #474 preview below.) The video aired clips of Sullivan’s matches from the past and some of the sick attacks he has committed on other wrestlers. Sullivan himself narrated the video and ended by saying that “the USWA may have seen a lot of violence in the past but he will take violence and shock to a new level.” He ended the video by stating that he is “the new face of pro wrestling, the new face of the USWA…” and he is “The Gamesmaster!” The video ended with a close-up of Sullivan’s face with a dark background!
It’s the last stop before Independence Day Bash 2016, when the USWA comes back to the Union City Civic Auditorium on June 20! • Red Bastien is looking forward to another match with Billy Black Lyons on the 4th of July. But this week he will face Lyons’ ally Butcher Vachon! Butcher scored the submission on former Southern Heavyweight champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams in the tag team match with the Vachons against Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy last week in Evansville. You can bet the Algerian will be looking to wear down Bastien for his bout with Lyons! • In another singles bout, involving tag team wrestlers from the Triangle Match at the Bash, Brian Kendrick will take on “Sweet” Stan Lane! Both wrestlers are known for fast-paced action and hard-hitting kicks. This could be an exciting match-up and should give the winner momentum for his team heading to Chilhowee Park! • “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee will collide once again with Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy of the First Family of Wrestling. These two teams have had some competitive bouts in their first two meetings. You can bet that “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart has ordered the giants to target Valiant especially, as he will be getting a rematch in the near future for “Ravishing” Rick Rude’s World Heavyweight title. Dundee will be targeting Bundy, as he is fired up by Bundy now using the “Superstar” moniker for himself. Which team will leave Union City the winners? • Nick Bockwinkel will be starting off his bout at a disadvantage, with his neck injury suffered last week in Evansville from Mr. Saito. Bockwinkel will take on Saito’s World Tag Team championship partner Larry Zbyszko! This will be a first-time meeting between two men who were allies in the Heenan Family for two years. Can Bockwinkel overcome the odds and beat the former Southern Heavyweight champion? • The USWA never purposely false advertises but their card advertisements always list “Subject to change.” This week that line will be needed. Due to the concussion to Bobby Shane, he will not compete against “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas as scheduled. Taking Shane’s place will be Billy Black Lyons! “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart revealed on Championship Wrestling that he worked out a deal with Lyons and his allies for Lyons to take Shane’s place. Hart has offered Lyons a lot of money to try and take out Atlas prior to Atlas’ main event with Rick Rude for the World title at Independence Day Bash. The manager revealed that he will be in Lyons’ corner in Union City for this match! Can Lyons score a big win and give Atlas his first loss or will “Mr. USA” continue his winning ways and gain more momentum en route to his World title bout? • In the first of two title matches, Tommy Rogers will make his first defense of the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title when he faces former champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens! Stevens scored two wins over former champion Fit Finlay, one via disqualification and one via countout. Stevens claimed that this was part of his plan to regain the title. Will his plan be successful or can the undefeated Rogers retain the gold? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie will put the title on the line against Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon has had a good year, scoring singles wins over Ed “Strangler” Lewis, “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos, Red Bastien, and others. This will be his first shot at any USWA singles championship. Blassie has had a great year as well, debuting last June in Dayton and only suffering one loss. This could be a very wild brawl and a bloody bout. Will “The King of Men” Blassie still be “King of The South” after this bout or will Mad Dog take home the gold?
All these great match-ups, plus Tyler Black battles Jim Powers. As well as the One Man Gang, and the debut of the newest House of Humperdink member—the sadistic “Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 25, 2019 9:49:14 GMT -4
June 20, 2016 Card #474: Union City Civic Auditorium
1) One Man Gang defeated Cousin Luke in the opener. Gang scored a pinfall very quickly after a big right hand. Gang looks ready to avenge his loss to Jim Powers at Independence Day Bash! DUD
2) Speaking of Jim Powers, he fought a valiant bout with Tyler Black but ultimately lost via pinfall. Powers had control at the start. He hit the power slam a few minutes into the bout but Black kicked out. Powers went up to the top rope and came off with a flying body press. Black rolled through and ended up on top in a pinning combination. Powers kicked out and Black took control. He weakened Powers and then went up to the top rope. He came off with the Phoenix Splash but Powers rolled out of the way. Both men were down as Sam Platania administered a 10-count. Both men got up by about seven but Powers struck first with a boot to the midsection. He then hit a suplex on Black and made a cover but Black kicked out. Powers bounced off the ropes and hit a crossbody block. Unfortunately, Platania was right behind both men and got knocked down. Powers made a cover but there was no official to count. With Platania down, Luke Harper came into the ring and dropped a leg to the back of Powers’ neck. He then rolled back out of the ring and went around to Platania to revive him. Platania was able to resume duties as Black hit an enzuigiri. He covered Powers but the New Yorker kicked out. Black stayed in control and had Powers down in the center of the ring. Black went up top again and this time hit a successful Phoenix Splash. He covered Powers and scored the pinfall. ***¼
3) Sir Oliver Humperdink’s latest charge “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan made an impressive debut with a pinfall on S.D. Jones. Jones had some early offense but Sullivan took over outside the ring. Humperdink distracted Tommy Marlin, while Sullivan took “Special Delivery” over near Gary Michael Cappetta. The Boston native grabbed the microphone from Cappetta and then wrapped the chord around Jones’s neck. He choked Jones into unconsciousness with a diabolic look on his face. He then unwrapped Jones and tossed him back into the ring. He made a cover, as Marlin turned around to count the three. Sullivan certainly lived up to his sadistic reputation with a debut like this! *
4) Red Bastien made an impressive comeback and pinned Butcher Vachon. The Algerian had control of much of the action. He blasted Bastien with a big boot to the face and later a big splash for near falls. He got the flying redhead up in the hangman but Bastien got a foot on the ropes for a break. Vachon worked over Bastien for a few minutes and then tried for a second hangman. Bastien broke free, got Vachon up in an airplane spin, and then hit the atomic drop. He covered Vachon and got the pinfall out of nowhere! Fans went wild at Bastien’s comeback win. Bastien looked ready for another battle with former tag team partner Billy Black Lyons on the 4th of July! **½
5) Brian Kendrick picked up a big win in singles competition over “Sweet” Stan Lane. Kendrick was very focused here. He hit a double foot stomp, a jumping heel kick, and a huracanrana for near falls at different times during the boot. Lane had offense but couldn’t sustain it long enough to keep Kendrick down. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton (in street clothes) came down to the ringside area, concerned for his tag team partner. Eaton got up on the ring apron but his timing was bad, as Kendrick had grabbed Lane for Sliced Bread #2. Kendrick hit his finisher and in doing so kicked Eaton off the apron. The fans went wild for this move, as well as for Kendrick as he scored the pinfall. He and Paul London have some momentum going into the tag team Triangle Match at Independence Day Bash! ***
6) Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy defeated “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant by disqualification. This was a back-and-forth match-up. Midway through the bout, Bundy blasted Dundee with the Atlantic City Avalanche. Dundee kicked out at two and Bundy was in shock! Dundee ducked a clothesline by Bundy, got behind him, jumped on his back, and got Bundy in a sleeper. The New Jersey giant started to drop but made the ropes for a break. Valiant tagged back in and hit the Boogie Woogie elbow for a near fall. Bundy made the tag to Studd, who got Valiant down on the mat and hit an elbow drop of his own for a two-count. Studd followed up with a double-arm suplex and a pin attempt but Valiant kicked out again. The giants hit a double team body slam on Valiant. “Handsome” Jimmy managed to get to the corner for a tag. Bundy cut Dundee off with a clothesline and then went up to the second rope. The giant Superstar did a booty wiggle and then came off with a splash but the Aussie rolled out of the way and Bundy crashed hard. Dundee rolled out of the ring but pulled Bundy out with him. The two started to brawl. Bundy got the upper hand and went for a steel chair. Dundee nailed him with a kick to the stomach and then intercepted the chair. He smashed Bundy across the back with it. Unfortunately for Dundee and Valiant, Tommy Marlin saw this and called for the bell. After the bell, Dundee pounced on Bundy and then tried to rip up his bodysuit! Studd and Jimmy Hart came running over and pulled Bundy away from a mad Dundee! Dundee looked focused on embarrassing Bundy in the “Battle of the Superstars” at the Bash! ***¼
7) One-half of the World Tag Team champions Larry Zbyszko scored a big win in singles competition over Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel came to the ring with his injured neck in a brace. Zbyszko attacked Bockwinkel strongly at the bell, taking advantage of Bockwinkel’s injured state. He hit a backbreaker a few minutes into the bout for a near fall. Zbyszko went up to the top rope and came off with a falling sledge. Bockwinkel was ready for him, sidestepped him, and hit Zbyszko in the midsection. Bockwinkel grabbed Zbyszko in the Bockwinkel sleeper. Zbyszko dropped to the mat. Tom Branch checked Zbyszko’s arm. It dropped twice and on the third check, it appeared to have dropped again. But Sir Oliver Humperdink had gotten up on the apron and gotten Branch’s attention. Fans were outraged at Branch for missing this! Bockwinkel released the sleeper and called Branch’s attention to Zbyszko. Humperdink revived Zbyszko while Bockwinkel returned his attention to his opponent. Bockwinkel attacked Zbyszko’s neck, perhaps as a former of payback against Zbyszko’s tag team partner Mr. Saito for injuring his neck last week in Evansville. He hit Zbyszko with his own finisher—the piledriver. He covered Zbyszko but the former Southern Heavyweight champion kicked out. The match spilled out of the ring. Zbyszko took control and ripped off Bockwinkel’s neck brace. He then dropped Bockwinkel neck-first onto the guard railing. He tossed Bockwinkel into the ring and hit a spinning back kick. He then followed up with the piledriver on Bockwinkel’s injured neck. He covered Bockwinkel and scored the pinfall. Bockwinkel was in a lot of pain following the bell. ***¼
8) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas scored a quick submission win over Billy Black Lyons. Lyons was a substitute for Bobby Shane, who suffered a concussion in the post-match melee with Red Bastien and “Superstar” Bill Dundee last week in Evansville. “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart accompanied Lyons to the ring for this match, as he had made a deal with Lyons to try and weaken Atlas for Atlas’ main event match with “Ravishing” Rick Rude at Independence Day Bash for the USWA World Heavyweight title. It looked like Hart’s plan would succeed as Lyons had the early advantage. He got Atlas down on the mat and worked on his leg. He applied the figure-four leglock in the middle of the ring. Atlas fought through the pain and rolled through to reverse the figure-four. Lyons was in pain but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Atlas battled back and caught Lyons in a full nelson in the center of the ring. Lyons fought hard for the ropes but Atlas’ strength was too much so Lyons gave up to the hold. The fans popped big for Atlas’ win and “Mr. USA” again eyed up Hart and told him he’s ready for his title match with Rude! ¼*
9) In the first of two championship matches, Tommy Rogers remained undefeated and scored a huge win over Ray “The Crippler” Stevens to retain the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title. Jimmy Hart did not initially come out with Stevens, as he was still in the back from the previous match but quickly came out after the opening bell, due to the importance of the title match. Stevens took control at the start and hit a double underhook suplex for a two-count. The challenger kept the champion down on the mat and went up to the top rope. He came off with the Bombs Away but Rogers rolled out of the way and Stevens crashed hard. Rogers took control and worked over Stevens. He hit the Tomikaze a few moments later to score the pinfall and retain the title! The Union City fans went wild for Rogers’ huge win! ***
10) The main event was for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship between two vicious brawlers. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie put the title on the line against Mad Dog Vachon. This was Vachon’s first shot at any USWA singles championship. The fans tonight sided with the challenger, as Blassie’s brashness and loudness continues to infuriate fans throughout the South!
As most wrestling experts predicted, the bout was a wild brawl, pretty much from the start. Blassie bit Vachon early in the bout and hit the Southern neckbreaker a few minutes into the match. He went for a cover but Vachon kicked out. Vachon battled back and hit a gutbuster for a near fall. Vachon followed up with a stiff running knee lift on Blassie, which busted open “The Hollywood Fashion Plate.” Vachon hit the Mad Dog Pounce on two separate occasions. He hit a double foot stomp and scored a two-count. Blassie two control and bit Vachon two more times, eventually drawing blood on him as well. Blassie stomped away at Vachon, who was down on the mat. Vachon surprised Blassie with a drop toehold, sending the champion throat-first onto the middle rope. He then hit a third Mad Dog Pounce. It looked like Vachon was on his way to winning the gold but Blassie nailed Vachon with a head butt to the midsection. He then bit Mad Dog again. Vachon stumbled around due to the blood in his eyes. Blassie grabbed Vachon and hit a second neckbreaker. He covered the Algerian and scored the pinfall after 14 minutes of action to retain the Southern title. Even with his face covered in blood, Blassie cackled and gloated to the crowd as he held up the Southern title belt! ****½
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 29, 2019 11:42:38 GMT -4
Highlights from the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling: 6-25: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced some title matches for the month of July, post- Independence Day Bash. The July 25 card will be the USWA’s annual summer card from the Nashville Fairgrounds. This year’s card at the Fairgrounds will be headlined by “Classy” Freddie Blassie defending the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship against eight-time former champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams! Blassie’s only loss in the USWA came at the hands of Williams on Leap Day in the Louisville Gardens. Blassie avenged that loss and regained the Southern title the next month in Tupelo and has had an impressive reign since then, defeating a variety of opponents! 7-2:• The main event for the July 18 card at the Rupp Arena in Lexington will also be a big title rematch. Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink will defend the USWA World Tag Team titles against three-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws captured the gold in May in Cookeville but Zbyszko and Saito regained the tiles a few weeks ago in Evansville. This will be a very important “rubber match,” as the first two meetings were very back-and-forth between these two great tag teams! The USWA presents the ninth annual Independence Day Bash on (When else?) July 4! This year’s patriotic supercard comes for the third time from Chilhowee Park in Knoxville! From beginning-to-end, here is the line-up for this huge event!Tyler Black vs. Arik Cannon Black has been very impressive since competing in singles, with Luke Harper as his bodyguard. He cannot underestimate “The Anarchist” who has scored big singles wins in the past. Who will win this opening contest? - One Man Gang vs. Jim Powers Powers scored a huge upset on Gang last month in Memphis, thanks in part to intercepting Sir Oliver Humperdink’s cane. The 495-pound Gang has been impressive in his other bouts. Can he avenge his only loss or will lightning strike twice for Powers? The Patriot vs. Larry Sharpe As detailed in last week’s report, the masked Patriot has made his name in several areas around the world and now hopes to have similar success in the USWA. He will have a formidable opponent in the “Pretty Boy.” Can the Patriot triumph on America’s birthday or will Sharpe spoil his debut? Kevin Sullivan vs. Jake Milliman “The Gamesmaster” is the newest member of the House of Humperdink and had a memorable debut last week in Union City, choking out S.D. Jones with a microphone chord en route to a pinfall. Can Sullivan triumph over the always capable “Milkman”? Bill Dundee vs. Superstar Bundy These two have had some great tag team battles, with Dundee and his new partner “Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant going against Bundy and Big John Studd. The giants have come out the winners in their three meetings. But Dundee scored a huge win over Bundy in a singles match at Derby City Stampede. That win pushed Bundy to adopt the new outfit and name to mock Dundee. Who will win the next “Battle of the Superstars”? Larry Zbyszko vs. Billy Gunn World Tag Team champion Zbyszko is coming off a huge win over Nick Bockwinkel, as well as regaining the Tag Team titles with Mr. Saito two weeks ago over Gunn and “The Road Dogg” Jesse James in Evansville. A win by either wrestler would give his team momentum going into the Tag Team title rematch two weeks later in Lexington! Steve Williams & Terry Gordy vs. Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon This has been another hot tag team feud this year, with some very physical match-ups. The Vachons currently hold more wins but Williams and Gordy can score a win at any time. Who will win the next chapter of this feud? Mr. Saito vs. Nick Bockwinkel World Tag Team champion Saito got the first win via disqualification at the end of May in Memphis, although his own manager Sir Oliver Humperdink got involved to cause the disqualification. The Japanese Olympian then ambushed Bockwinkel after his victory over “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert a few weeks ago in Evansville. Bockwinkel lost to Saito’s partner Larry Zbyszko on the last card in Union City, when Zbyszko targeted the neck. Bockwinkel is still feeling the effects of the neck injury going into this bout. Will Saito have similar success to Zbyszko or will Bockwinkel find a way to prevail? Red Bastien vs. Billy Black Lyons Lyons returned to the USWA last year as the masked Double X, as an ally to Doctor X and the Vachons. His former tag team partner Bastien defeated him in Louisville on Leap Day to take the mask and reveal his true identity, which Bastien had suspected for a while. Bastien forgave Lyons and offered him the opportunity to reform the Flying Redheads but Lyons has remained with Doctor X and the Vachons. Can Bastien defeat Lyons again? The Midnight Express vs. Tom Prichard & A Mystery Partner vs. Brian Kendrick & Paul London (Triangle Match) The original plan for this match was for Prichard to team with his regular Heavenly Bodies partner Chris Candido but Candido was put out of action by the Midnight Express with a back injury after his bout with “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton a few weeks ago in Jonesboro. Cornette has promised that Prichard’s partner for this bout is an internationally-known wrestler and entertainer and will be wrestling primarily in singles competition, with Cornette as his manager. It was in this same city where Cornette, the Bodies, and Dan “The Beast” Severn made their return in April, shocking the Midnights and the rest of the wrestling world. Kendrick and London got involved in this picture, as they have gotten two wins over Eaton and Lane in the last two months, as well as have given the Bodies their only loss of any type so far when they beat them by countout last month in Memphis. Dave Brown reviewed the rules of a Triangle Match on the 7-2 edition of Championship Wrestling:
I. Two wrestlers are in the ring at one time, with the other wrestlers 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 (teams) 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. Since this is a tag team match, tag team partners cannot be pitted against each other. III. A team can be eliminated from the bout by any standard method—pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout. The last team left will be declared the winners. Tommy Rogers vs. Fit Finlay (USWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship) The undefeated Rogers shocked the wrestling world by defeating Finlay for the title last month in Cookeville. He kept up with the surprises by defending against former champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens on the last card in Union City. Finlay went into the Cookeville match with a minor neck injury, as Stevens had given him a piledriver on the floor in their title match at Derby City Stampede. Can Rogers hold on to the gold once again or will “The Belfast Bruiser” become a two-time champion? Rick Rude vs. Tony Atlas (Main Event—USWA World Heavyweight Championship) Atlas debuted in February in Memphis and is undefeated as of this writing, with 14 overall wins, three of them over three of Rude’s First Family of Wrestling allies. His combination of power and speed has brought him victories and built up a great fanbase in the South! He challenged Rude after saving “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant from further injury when Rude attacked Valiant with a flexing bar and then proceeded to choke him with it after their championship bout in Jonesboro a few weeks ago. Rude and Jimmy Hart have bragged that Atlas will be proven to be a fraud and that he will just be “#20,” in reference to Rude’s number of title defenses in this historical reign. Will Atlas become #20 or will he be the one to end Rude’s run? All these great bouts, plus the annual fireworks show to cap off the night! That’s Independence Day Bash 2016, coming your way from Chilhowee Park!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 30, 2019 14:58:57 GMT -4
Independence Day Bash 2016 July 4, 2016 Card #475: Chilhowee Park in Knoxville 1) Tyler Black kicked off the annual supercard with a win over “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Black hit an enzuigiri for a near fall. He followed up with the Phoenix Splash to get the pinfall just a few moments later. Black continues to impress! ½* 2) One Man Gang avenged his only loss with a dominant win over Jim Powers. The big man from Halsted St. was focused and defeated Powers in just a couple of minutes with the 747 Splash. DUD 3) An American hero made a successful USWA debut on the nation’s birthday, as the Patriot pinned “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. The Knoxville fans gave the Patriot a big ovation as he entered Chilhowee Park to “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The Patriot scored a near fall with a neckbreaker drop. He hit the Uncle Slam a few moments later to put the New Jerseyan down for the count. The fans popped big for the masked man’s win! ¾* 4) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan scored a submission victory over “The Milkman” Jake Milliman. Milliman had some early offense, even getting Sullivan down on the mat and hitting a knee drop for a two-count. Sullivan took over and punished Milliman. He locked him in a Boston Crab and Milliman tapped after just a few minutes. Sullivan looked very impressive again and had a devious look on his face as Sir Oliver Humperdink raised his hand in victory! ½* 5) “Superstar” Bill Dundee scored another impressive win over Superstar Bundy. The giant Superstar was eager to avenge his loss at Derby City Stampede and attacked Dundee aggressively at the start of the match. Bundy sent Dundee into the corner and hit the Atlantic City Avalanche. He scored the three-count but when demanded the five-count from Scott Bowden, Dundee kicked out at 4¾, just as he did at the Stampede! Bundy maintained control but missed a big splash. Dundee took over and kept the big man down on the mat, then went up to the top rope. The Aussie came off with the Superstar Bomb and scored the pinfall! The Knoxville fans went wild, as Bundy and Jimmy Hart were in shock again! *¼ 6) Billy Gunn picked up an impressive singles victory, defeating one-half of the World Tag Team champions Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko hit a spinning back kick in the first few minutes and scored a near fall. Gunn took over in a brawl outside the ring. He hit a power slam back inside the ring and scored a two-count. Gunn executed a Cobra Clutch slam and went for a cover but Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Paul Morton. Zbyszko took over after reversing a whip into the turnbuckles. He grabbed Gunn and hit the piledriver. He went for a cocky cover but Gunn got a foot on the ropes for a break. Gunn took control with a knee lift, which busted open Zbyszko. He then executed a Jackhammer. He made a cover but as Morton was counting, he went sliding out of the ring, as Humperdink had pulled him out of the ring to interrupt the count! Fans were outraged by this. Morton could have disqualified Zbyszko but knowing the importance of this match, ordered Humperdink back to the locker room for the duration of the match! The Knoxville fans were very happy with Morton’s decision! The match continued. Gunn hit a second Cobra Clutch slam a few moments later and scored the pinfall on the former Southern champion! It was a big win for Gunn and some momentum for the New Age Outlaws, as they look forward to their World Tag Team title rematch against Zbyszko and Mr. Saito in two weeks in Lexington! ***¼ 7) Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy picked up their second win in their series with Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon. The fan favorites beat on Butcher for the first few minutes of the match, blasting him with a double football tackle. Gordy hit the power bomb on Butcher and went for a cover but Mad Dog broke up the pin attempt. Butcher took over on Williams and tagged to his brother. The Vachons hit the quadruple foot stomp on Williams but he kicked out of Mad Dog’s pin attempt. Williams battled back against Mad Dog and surprised him with a press slam. “Doc” made a cover but Mad Dog kicked out. Mad Dog stopped Williams from tagging to “Bamm Bamm” and the Vachons double teamed him for several minutes. At one point, Mad Dog had Williams in a front facelock and Williams pushed Mad Dog toward his and Gordy’s corner reaching for a tag. Butcher ran in the ring and nailed Williams on the back. Tommy Marlin ordered Butcher back to his corner, while Williams did tag to Gordy. However, Marlin missed the tag and ordered Gordy back to his corner! Mad Dog forced Williams back to the Vachons’ corner and the Algerian brawlers pounded on Williams, with Butcher slipping in the tag rope to choke Mad Dog. Marlin turned around to warn the Vachons about their double teaming. Butcher unwrapped the tag rope and held on to it so that Mad Dog could tag him back in legally. Williams was in trouble but fought back and made the hot tag to Gordy. Gordy nailed Butcher with some stiff jabs, which busted him open. Gordy then clamped on the Oriental Spike trying to get a submission. Butcher started to weaken but made the ropes for a break. Gordy pulled him to the center of the ring and hit a second power bomb. He covered Butcher and scored the pinfall. Mad Dog jumped in but was late in making the save. Right after the bell, Mad Dog attacked both Williams and Gordy with a double sledge. He then started to bite “Bamm Bamm” ferociously. Suddenly, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (in street clothes but carrying his 2X4) stormed into Chilhowee Park. He nailed Mad Dog on the back with the board to break up his mauling of Gordy. Butcher got to his feet but Duggan nailed him in the back with the 2X4 twice! Williams and Gordy recovered and the three set up a triple team power bomb on Butcher, driving him onto the 2X4! Doctor X (in a suit) and Billy Black Lyons ran down to help their allies but they weren’t of much help, as Williams and Gordy nailed them with fists. The fan favorites returned to the locker room to the cheers of the crowd, as the Doctor and Lyons helped the Vachons to the back. Butcher especially was in a lot of pain and favoring his back. ***¼ 8) The injured Nick Bockwinkel defied the odds and scored a quick submission victory over the other half of the World Tag Team champions and the man who injured him in Evansville Mr. Saito! Saito had some early offense but Bockwinkel was a house of fire in this one, pummeling Saito. Bockwinkel clamped on his sleeper. Sir Oliver Humperdink got up on the ring apron but Bockwinkel saw him and released Saito to shove him into his own manager. Humperdink crashed to the ground. Saito spun around and Bockwinkel swept his leg, taking him down to the mat, and then immediately applied the figure-four. Saito was trapped in the center and forced to tap out. As Bockwinkel was getting his hand raised, Saito’s championship partner Larry Zbyszko and newest House of Humperdink member “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan ran into the ring. Sullivan motioned to Zbyszko, who nailed Bockwinkel from behind with his nunchakus. Sullivan then pulled off Bockwinkel’s neck brace and started hammering Bockwinkel’s neck. Saito limped to his feet and Sullivan told him to grab a steel chair, which he did from ringside. The three House of Humperdink members then picked up Bockwinkel. Zbyszko grabbed Bockwinkel for the piledriver. Saito placed the chair underneath Bockwinkel and the three hit a spike version of the move onto the chair! Humperdink had recovered by this point and was happy with his men’s actions! Suddenly Red Bastien and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant (in street clothes) ran into the ring to chase off the House of Humperdink. Bastien and Valiant checked on Bockwinkel and motioned to the back. A stretcher was brought into Chilhowee Park and the paramedics but a brace back on Bockwinkel’s neck, as the four-time former USWA champion had to be taken out on the stretcher. * 9) Red Bastien stayed in the ring after this carnage, for his big grudge match with former partner Billy Black Lyons. Despite seeing his ally Nick Bockwinkel just stretchered out, Bastien stayed focused and scored another pinfall victory on Lyons! Lyons looked like he might avenge losing his Double X mask, as he went for the sleeperhold early on. Bastien dropped to the mat but when Jerry Calhoun checked his arm, it dropped twice but popped back up on the third check. Bastien fought to his feet and elbowed Lyons in the midsection. He attempted to break free totally but Lyons cut him off with a hair pull. Lyons then worked on Bastien’s leg. He went for the figure-four but Bastien got to the ropes before Lyons could fully apply it. Lyons tried a few minutes later for another figure-four but Bastien stopped him midway through the attempt and surprised him with a small package for a two-count. Lyons got back in control and was a man possessed when it came to the figure-four. He finally locked the move on in the center of the ring. Bastien looked in a lot of trouble but with the fans behind him, managed to grab the ropes for a break. Bastien took advantage of a mistake by Lyons and got back on the offensive. He got Lyons up in the airplane spin and then hit the atomic drop to put Lyons down for the pinfall! It was the second great comeback in a row in as many matches for Bastien! **¾ 10) Next up was the tag team Triangle Match between the team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London, the Midnight Express, and Tom Prichard and…his mystery partner, replacing the injured Chris Candido. The high-flying fan favorites, followed by the Midnights, made their way to the ring first. Then Prichard came out with manager Jim Cornette and Cornette’s bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn. As he typically does, Cornette introduce Severn and Prichard and then gave a grand introduction for his newest charge, “a trendsetter in professional wrestling and in rock ‘n roll, the international sensation, from the Royal Forest of Dean in England, weighing 221 lbs., the ‘Exotic’ Adrian Street!” Suddenly, Street’s song “Breakin’ Bones” from his album Shake, Wrestle, ‘n' Roll started playing in Chilhowee Park, while the two-time former World Middleweight champion in World of Sport in the United Kingdom entered the park! Fans, aware of Street’s achievements and reputation, blasted the flamboyant British grappler with boos, as he strutted and pranced his way to the ring. The first fall of this Triangle Match saw lots of action with all six men tagging in-and-out frequently. “Sweet” Stan Lane took a lot of punishment from both teams. London caught him in an Oklahoma side roll for a near fall. “The Doctor of Desire” tagged in and nailed his former Heavenly Bodies partner with the enzuigiri for a two-count. Street tagged in for the first time and he and Prichard hit a double suplex on Lane. Adrian made a very unusual cover, blowing a kiss to “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton in the corner as he did, so Lane kicked out. Later, the Midnights hit the Flapjack on London and Eaton went for the pin but London kicked out. Kendrick and Street were the legal men a few moments later when Kendrick knocked the “Exotic One” out of the ring a kick. He then bounced off the ropes and came back at Street with a suicide dive. The fans went wild as Kendrick returned to the ring. Street was almost counted out but with Severn’s help and Cornette’s pleading got back in by the count of eight. Later, Street almost got a countout over London, as he delivered a body slam on the high-flying Texan outside the ring and then followed up with a cocky elbow drop. London managed to beat the count but was then double teamed for a few minutes by the Midnights. London finally tagged Kendrick, who ran wild on Lane. Kendrick hit Sliced Bread #2 on “The Gangster of Love.” As Kendrick flipped over on the move, he cracked heads with Lane, which hurt both men but busted open Lane. Kendrick was still able to cover Lane but only got a two-count. Later, Street came off the top rope with a big splash to Eaton. He covered “Beautiful” Bobby but only got a two-count. Kendrick later surprised Street with a jumping heel kick for a near fall. London hit the assisted Shooting Star Press onto Street but again the British grappler kicked out. Lane and Kendrick were the legal men when Lane tagged to Eaton. Eaton immediately went up to the second rope, while Lane picked up Kendrick in an atomic drop-type position. He handed Kendrick up to Eaton, who then grabbed Kendrick and came off the buckles with a super spinebuster onto Kendrick! Eaton made a parallel cover and their unique double team maneuver scored the pinfall to eliminate Kendrick and London. Lane had stopped an intervening London from a save with a superkick. It was now Cornette’s makeshift team against his former team. All four men had taken a lot of punishment in just the first fall. The Midnights worked over Prichard and hit the Veg-o-Matic but Prichard got a shoulder up at 2¾. Prichard managed to tag “Exotic” Adrian. Adrian worked over the bloodied Lane and executed a neckbreaker. He went for a pin but Eaton broke up the attempt. Prichard came into the ring after Eaton and the two fought out to the floor. Lane recovered and sent Adrian into the ropes. He went for a clothesline but Street ducked it and jumped up behind Lane, taking him down to the mat with his famous crucifix pinning combination. Paul Morton counted Lane’s shoulders down for the three. Eaton had knocked down Prichard with a right hand outside the ring and was trying to climb back in for a save but Severn had grabbed him from behind and prevented him from entering the ring. Cornette was ecstatic about his two charges winning this huge tag team affair! **** 11) In the first championship match of this supercard, “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay defeated USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tommy Rogers via disqualification, so Rogers retained the title. Rogers had control at the start but Finlay battled back and was gunning to win back his title. He pummeled Rogers and then went for the tombstone just a few minutes into the bout. He hit the maneuver and went for a cover. As Tommy Marlin went to count, his count was interrupted by Ray “The Crippler” Stevens (in street clothes), who came off the top rope seemingly out of nowhere with the Bombs Away to the back of Finlay’s head! Marlin called for the bell and disqualified Rogers, since Stevens attacked Finlay. Stevens then piledrove Finlay into the mat. Rogers was still groggy from the tombstone but had enough wherewithal to realize what had happened. He went to attack Stevens but “The Crippler” cut him off with a boot to the midsection. He then gave Rogers a piledriver of his own, leaving both men laying! Fans were not happy that Stevens made this championship match a quick one! neg* 12) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, going into this bout with 19 defenses, put the title on the line against the undefeated “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. Atlas was going into this bout with 14 wins since debuting in the USWA in February. He was also defending the honor of “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, whom Rude had choked with his flexing bar last month in his title defense in Jonesboro. Rude had claimed prior to this match that he was a superior wrestler to Atlas and he would make Atlas “#20”! Rude wore American flag airbrushed tights. His patriotic gear did not endure himself to the fans or "Mr. USA"! Fans were buzzing as these two great physical specimens stared each other down during the pre-match. Once the bell rang, the action was fast and furious with the champion starting off the aggressor. He nailed Atlas with a quick clothesline and went for a cover about 30 seconds into the bout but Atlas kicked out. Rude then quickly followed up with back-to-back Rude Awakenings. He made a cover but Atlas powered out! Atlas ducked a second clothesline from Rude and then surprised him with the press slam! He dropped the champion to the mat as the Knoxville fans went wild! Atlas perhaps celebrated a second too long as he bounced into the ropes for the splash. Jerry Calhoun was focused on Rude’s condition and missed Jimmy Hart reach in and clip Atlas’ leg with the megaphone. Atlas went down as the fans booed! Rude recovered and swarmed Atlas. He hit two more Rude Awakenings and then covered Atlas to score the pin and retain the title in about four minutes! Fans were outraged by this! As Rude got his hand raised and Hart handed him the title, Chilhowee Park started to pelt them with garbage! They quickly retreated, as Valiant, “Superstar” Bill Dundee, and Red Bastien all came down to check on Atlas. ½*
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 5, 2019 14:31:59 GMT -4
Here are the highlights of the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling, after a very memorable Independence Day Bash 2016!July 9:• Another huge card will be coming in the month of August. For the second year in a row, the USWA and BTW ( Big Time Wrestling) out of the Great Lakes region will co-promote a card! This year’s card will take place on August 8 at the Toledo Sports Arena in Toledo, OH—home of the Toledo Mud Hens and Tony Packo’s hot dogs! Here are the matches that USWA Commissioner Bob Armstrong and BTW promoter Ed Farhat have put together so far, including three huge championship matches! o “Ravishing” Rick Rude will defend the USWA World Heavyweight championship in a rematch from last month in Jonesboro against “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant! Rude and Jimmy Hart were interviewed on this edition. Hart said that this match should be not taking place, as the Toledo card is not a USWA card! Lance Russell corrected him to tell “The Mouth of The South” that it is a USWA card, in conjunction with BTW. Hart said he didn’t know Ed Farhat but he is as big of a buffoon as Commissioner Armstrong to put this match together, as Valiant didn’t win the title last time and shouldn’t be getting a rematch. Lance once again put Hart in his place by saying that Rude’s use of a weapon (his flexing bar) caused a disqualification and Valiant won the match. Rude interjected saying that Valiant may have gotten the win but he didn’t get “this” (holding up the World title belt). He said that if Valiant wants to get embarrassed in another state, he’d be happy to do it again! o Three-time former USWA Southern Heavyweight champion the Sheik will be in action once again when he puts the BTW United States Heavyweight title on the line against a current USWA member— Dan “The Beast” Severn! Severn competed in BTW this past year before Jim Cornette hired him to be his bodyguard in the USWA. Cornette and Severn were interviewed in the WMC-TV Studios. Cornette said he has a lot of respect for the Sheik and his manager Abdullah Farouk but on August 8 in Toledo, his man will prove he is the superior wrestler and bring the U.S. title to the USWA! Long-time USWA fans remember that Severn was the first wrestler to decisively defeat the Sheik in a USWA singles bout when he pinned the Sheik to win the Southern title and end Sheik’s first reign in a ***** bloody match in Abilene, TX in September 2007. o The third championship bout will feature two-time former USWA World Tag Team champions and now-BTW World Tag Team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos put the titles on the line against John and Chris Tolos! The Kangaroos captured the titles last December in Detroit and have been on a tear ever since, with manager “Wild” Red Berry still at their side. The Toloses, Greek brothers from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, are known for their rough, vicious tactics. They are former BTW champions and would love to win back the gold. While both teams are considered rulebreakers, most BTW fans have sided with the Toloses, perhaps due to the Greek influence in Detroit. o An interview was sent in from WKYZ-TV in Detroit, where BTW records its weekly programs. The interview featured Bobby Fulton and was conducted by Bob Finnegan of BTW. USWA fans remember Fulton from wrestling on last summer’s joint card in Cincinnati. Fulton said he considers himself not only a wrestler but also a wrestling fan and he watches videos of lots of different areas. He said he’s been watching the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tommy Rogers ever since he debuted at New Year’s Knockout XII. Fulton said that has a lot of respect for Rogers, as the two have similar styles inside the squared circle. Fulton said he is challenging Rogers to a match in Toledo as two fan favorites, and two sportsmen. He said that he hopes Rogers accepts and that the fans in Toledo will be the real winners! • While there was no response from Rogers on this episode for Fulton’s challenge, Commissioner Armstrong did confirm that Rogers will defend the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title in a rematch against “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay on August 15 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, due to Finlay winning their match at Independence Day Bash via disqualification because of Ray Stevens’ interference. • Jim Cornette and his newest charge “Exotic” Adrian Street, flanked by Dan “The Beast” Severn, were interviewed. Lance Russell congratulated Street on a successful debut at Independence Day Bash. Street thanked him and said that he knows Lance is jealous that he is not as gorgeous as Street is! Cornette reminded Lance and USWA fans that he had said that Tom Prichard’s mystery partner would be not only a great wrestler but a great entertainer. He said that for the next few weeks, Championship Wrestling is going to show Street’s talents in the ring and on the microphone by airing Street’s music videos from his album Shake, Wrestle, ‘n' Roll. They aired the video for the entrance music he used at Chilhowee Park, “ Breakin’ Bones.” • There were a couple of injury updates coming out of the Bash. First, Nick Bockwinkel suffered more damage to his already-injured neck in the attack by “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, Larry Zbyszko, and Mr. Saito. The four-time former USWA champion will be out of action at least three months. • Butcher Vachon also suffered an injury, this one to his back, in the attack by Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan after Williams and Gordy’s bout with the Vachons. The two-time former World Tag Team champion will also be out of action about three months. July 16:• The USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tommy Rogers appeared in-studio. He acknowledged Bobby Fulton’s challenge from last week and said he has seen Fulton’s matches and has a lot of respect for him as well. Rogers said he would be happy to face Fulton and he would be happy to make wrestle him not just once, not just twice, but three times! Rogers said that he has some openings in his USWA schedule the next few weeks and he looked up BTW’s schedule going up to the Toledo card on August 8. Rogers said he sees that there are cards on July 23 in Detroit at Cobo Arena and on July 30 in Findlay, OH (about 40 miles south of Toledo) at Green Mill Gardens in Riverside Park. He said he called Promoter Ed Farhat and Farhat has signed this series of matches! (The first two matches will not count on Rogers’ win-loss record in the USWA, as they will be on BTW cards. However, the Toledo match will count, as this card is promoted by both promotions!) • More matches were announced for the huge co-promoted USWA and BTW card on August 8 at the Toledo Sports Arena! o “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas will take on Bobby Shane of the First Family of Wrestling! This match was originally scheduled to take place on June 20 at the Union City Civic Auditorium but Shane suffered a concussion from “Superstar” Bill Dundee and Red Bastien the week before in Evansville. Shane will actually return to action on the card before this one. ( See Card #477 details below.) o A BTW match will feature the popular Angelo Poffo battle the wild George “The Animal” Steele! Poffo is known for many feats in wrestling, perhaps most famous achieving 6,033 sit-ups in a row many years ago! Poffo often teams with his son “Leaping” Lanny Poffo in BTW. His son has also become well-known in professional wrestling. While his legal name is Randy Poffo, he has taken on the moniker of Randy “Macho Man” Savage! (Savage is currently working in Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). But long-time USWA fans remember him making a special appearance on a card in Chattanooga in May 2008, defending the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight championship against Hulk Hogan.) Steele is known for his green tongue, unusual mannerisms during a match, using foreign objects, and removing the turnbuckle pads. Unlike World Tag Team champion Larry Zbyszko who sneakily removes the pads, Steele makes a scene of it by tearing up the pad, so that the stuffing goes flying! Often, he does so by eating through the covering! Steele is also currently managed by Abdullah Farouk. • Commissioner Armstrong also had more matches to announce for the July 25 card at the Nashville Fairgrounds. o Mad Dog Vachon will battle “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Vachon will be looking to defeat the American hero, especially after Duggan, Steve Williams, and Terry Gordy injured his brother Butcher on July 4 in Knoxville! o “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will take on former Mid-America champion David Taylor. These two battled it out at New Year’s Knockout XII in Knoxville with Taylor scoring a big win. Valiant is hoping to avenge that loss, especially with his upcoming rematch for the USWA World title against “Ravishing” Rick Rude on August 8 in Toledo! o “Superstar” Bill Dundee will battle “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan in a one-on-one match! Sullivan was interviewed in-studio, flanked by manager Sir Oliver Humperdink. Lance Russell asked Sullivan his reasons for leading an attack on Nick Bockwinkel at Independence Day Bash. Sullivan said that many fans considered Bockwinkel a legend in the history of the USWA. He said that a lot of legends turn out to be false and nothing more than stories. Bockwinkel thought he could wrestle and compete with an injured neck but Sullivan wanted to prove to Bockwinkel he is nothing more than a human and a weak human at that. He told Bockwinkel that if he does heal, he should strongly consider whether or not he wants to continue wrestling. If Bockwinkel does return to the ring, Sullivan and the House of Humperdink would be happy to disprove this legend once again! • This week’s “Exotic” Adrian Street music video was for his famous song “ I’m In Love with Me.” Following the video, Jim Cornette announced that Street will have his first singles match in the USWA on July 25 at the Nashville Fairgrounds! The USWA returns to the Rupp Arena in Lexington on July 18!• In a first-time one-on-one meeting, former Heavenly Bodies partners “Sweet” Stan Lane will take on “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard! Prichard and new Heavenly Bodies partner Chris Candido have gotten the edge in the feud with Lane and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton so far. Can Lane give the Midnight Express a win? • Two former Mid-America Heavyweight champions will battle it out in a grudge match when “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay takes on Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. Stevens interfered in Finlay’s title match with Tommy Rogers at Independence Day Bash and attacked the Irish brawler, giving Finlay the DQ win but not the title. Stevens attacked Rogers as well, showing he’s not an ally of the current champion but just trying to cause problems for others since he hasn’t regained the Mid-America title like he hoped! Stevens has gotten the wins in their previous two meetings, although neither via decisive means. Can he get a pin or submission on Finlay or will Finlay avenge Stevens’ attack? • A tag team feud will continue, as “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will face Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy of the First Family of Wrestling! Dundee got another pinfall win on Bundy at the Bash. The second tag team match between these two took place in this same arena 2½ months ago. Will the result be different this time? • “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas lost his first match in the USWA and got cheated out of the World title at Independence Day Bash. He hopes to get back on track when he faces Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon is irate as well, at the injury to his brother Butcher. Vachon has had a good year in singles and could score a big win on Atlas. Which competitor will get the win? • Vachon’s allies Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons will be going for revenge for Butcher’s injury when they take on Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy! These two teams met at Derby City Stampede with X and Lyons coming out the winners. Who will win in Lexington? • The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team titles. Current and two-time champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito will defend against three-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. These two teams have traded the belts the last two months, with the Outlaws winning in May in Cookeville but the House of Humperdink team regaining the belts last month in Evansville. Billy Gunn got a one-on-one win over Zbyszko at the Bash. Will that give the Outlaws momentum going into this bout or will Zbyszko and Saito win this “rubber match”? All these huge bouts, plus “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, the Patriot, Tyler Black, and the high-flying tag team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London in action at Rupp Arena!
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 9, 2019 22:11:00 GMT -4
July 18, 2016 Card #476: Rupp Arena in Lexington
1) Brian Kendrick and Paul London defeated George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe in the opener. Just as in their meeting against the Midnight Express last month in Evansville, South wrestled the entire match and was unable to tag Sharpe. Kendrick and London used their fast-pace offense to wear down South. London scored the pinfall with the 450 splash about two minutes into the bout, while Kendrick kept Sharpe from a pin save with a running forearm smash. DUD
2) Tyler Black pinned David Haskins of Memphis. Black could have picked up the pinfall quicker but seemed to want to showcase his abilities. He hit a turnbuckle power bomb and then a Paroxysm but would not go for the pin. He finally went up top and hit a perfect Phoenix Splash to pin Haskins. Black continues to impress with Luke Harper at his side! DUD
3) The Patriot dominated Virgil en route to a pinfall victory. The masked man got a great ovation from the Rupp Arena fans. Virgil had the initial control but the Patriot took control and dominated the rest of the bout. He hit a neckbreaker drop for a near fall. He placed Virgil on the top rope and then executed a great superplex to score the 1-2-3. ¼*
4) Dr. Tom Prichard picked up a countout win over former tag team partner “Sweet” Stan Lane. The bout started off evenly between the two, perhaps because they know each other well. Prichard dodged a charge into the corner by Lane and Lane hit the buckles hard. As Lane stumbled out of the corner, Prichard surprised him with the enzuigiri. He went for a cover but Lane kicked out. Lane battled back and had some offense but “The Doctor of Desire” surprised him with a clothesline, sending him over the top rope and to the floor. Jim Cornette distracted Paul Morton, while his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn came around the ring. Severn picked up Lane and threw him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lane landed hard on the Rupp Arena floor. Cornette got off the apron so that Morton could see “Sweet” Stan. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton (in street clothes) came down to the ringside area. He tried to help Lane back into the ring but couldn’t do so in time, as Morton’s count hit 10 and he awarded the bout to Dr. Tom. Cornette seemed very pleased with “The Beast’s” actions! *
5) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens scored a quick pinfall on “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Stevens charged the Irish brawler right at the bell. He hit a top rope sledge for a near fall. He followed up with the piledriver but pulled Finlay’s shoulder up before the three-count to deliver a second piledriver for good measure. The move put Finlay down for the three. Jimmy Hart was very happy with Stevens’ quick win. ¼*
6) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan defeated “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Cannon was hoping for his first win of 2016 and came very close to it. He hit an exploder a few minutes into the bout for a near fall. He followed up with the Glimmering Warlock on Sullivan. He went for a cover but Sir Oliver Humperdink started to enter the ring. Scott Bowden did not see this but the PBR drinker did and got off Sullivan to go after the manager. Sullivan recovered and attacked Cannon from behind. Humperdink distracted Bowden, which allowed Sullivan to choke Cannon with his manager’s cane. As Bowden turned his attention back to the action, Sullivan hit a clothesline for a near fall. He followed up with the double foot stomp—his primary finisher to score the pinfall. Sullivan has certainly made an impression and an impact in his few weeks in the USWA! **¼
7) “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored their first win over Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy. Studd started off strong against Valiant, hitting a backbreaker slam for a near fall. Studd trapped Valiant in the fan favorites’ corner and blasted him with shoulder rams. Dundee reached in and decked Studd. Studd tagged back to Bundy but Dundee tagged to Valiant as well. Valiant hit a neckbreaker on the New Jersey giant for a two-count. Dundee tagged back in and hit the Superstar Bomb but Bundy kicked out. The fan favorites trapped Bundy in the ring and double teamed, showing that they are starting to gel together as a team. Valiant hit the Boogie Woogie elbow, landing across Bundy’s nose and busting him open. He went for a pin but Studd made a save. Dundee tagged back in and almost immediately came off the top with a second Superstar Bomb. He ran over to the giants’ corner and decked Studd with big right hands, knocking the giant off the apron. Dundee covered the bloodied Bundy and scored the pin. The Lexington fans went wild, having seen the second match between these two teams 2½ months ago in this same arena and ecstatic that Dundee and Valiant had finally defeated the First Family of Wrestling team. ***
8) Mad Dog Vachon scored an impressive pinfall on “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. Atlas had the initial advantage. He hit a jumping head butt for a near fall. Vachon took control in a brawl outside the ring. He used the Mad Dog Pounce three separate times to weaken the powerhouse. He hit the piledriver once but Atlas kicked out. A second piledriver put Atlas down for the count a few minutes later. Vachon was very impressive here and seems extra aggressive following the injury to his brother Butcher! **¾
9) Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons got a hard-earned submission win over Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy after 16 minutes of action. The fan favorites cut the ring in half on Lyons for the first few minutes. Gordy had Lyons trapped in the center of the ring in an STF but Doctor X broke up the submission attempt. Lyons capitalized on a mistake by “Dr. Death” and tagged to the masked X. The two worked on Williams’ leg. X went for the figure-four but Gordy broke it up with a knee drop to the masked man. Williams took control a few minutes later and surprised the Doctor with the backdrop driver. He made a cover but X got a foot on the bottom rope for a break. Lyons tagged in and regained control on the Oklahoma Sooner. He tagged back to the masked man and the duo hit a double dropkick on Gordy. “Bamm Bamm” managed to tag Williams but Williams got blasted with a dropkick from Doctor X right in the face, which busted open “Doc.” X worked on Williams’ leg some more and then tagged again to Lyons. Lyons locked on the figure-four in the center of the ring. Williams was trapped in the hold for nearly a minute. But with Gordy and the Rupp Arena fans cheering him on, Williams turned over and reversed the pressure. Lyons was in pain but was in a good position to tag to X, breaking up the hold. X continued the attack on Williams’ leg, as the blood flowed profusely down his face. X came off the second rope twice with a stomp to the injured leg. Williams got away from X and managed to make the hot tag to Gordy. Gordy hit a back suplex on X for a two-count. Williams, despite his blood loss and injured leg, begged for a tag and Gordy obliged. Williams had control on X but went for a slam and his leg buckled. X locked on the figure-four leglock again. Gordy went for a save but got knocked out of the ring with a dropkick from Lyons. Williams was forced to tap out. After the bell, X kept the figure-four locked on. Lyons joined in smashing Williams’ leg with a steel chair, adding more pain to the already injured leg. Gordy recovered from outside the ring and came in with a steel chair of his own to run off X and Lyons. Gordy helped Williams to his feet and to the back. Williams was limping a lot and in a lot of pain. ****
10) The main event was a huge “rubber match” for the USWA World Tag Team titles. Current and two-time champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito put the titles on the line against three-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. These teams had traded the belts the last two months and each was hoping to get a decisive win tonight! This was a back-and-forth bout and it looked like either team could leave Lexington the champions at any moment. The challengers worked over Zbyszko for several minutes. Billy Gunn executed a jackhammer on Zbyszko and went for a cover but Saito made a save. The Outlaws hit a spike piledriver on Saito a few moments later. (Perhaps Nick Bockwinkel was cheering on the Outlaws at this moment after he got spike piledriven by the champions and Kevin Sullivan at Independence Day Bash 2016.) Saito managed to tag to Zbyszko shortly thereafter but Gunn took over on him. He hit the Famouser, which busted open Zbyszko’s nose. Zbyszko rolled out of the ring to avoid a pin. Gunn went to bring him back in but Zbyszko caught him with a karate chop to the throat. Zbyszko returned to the ring and immediately hit the piledriver on Gunn but Gunn kicked out. Saito tagged in and hit the Saito suplex. He covered Gunn but Gunn got a foot on the ropes. A few minutes later, Saito and Jesse James were the legal men when Saito got “The Road Dogg” in the Scorpion Leglock. James was in trouble but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Zbyszko came in and blasted James with a spinning back kick for a near fall. James fought back against the Japanese Olympian and came off with top rope with a double ax-handle and got a two-count. Gunn and a very bloodied Zbyszko were the legal men a few moments later when Zbyszko got knocked out of the ring. Gunn followed him and had control. Saito and James had started fighting inside the ring, which diverted Paul Morton’s attention. Sir Oliver Humperdink came up behind Gunn and nailed him in the back of the head with Humperdink’s nunchakus. Gunn collapsed to the Rupp Arena floor. Zbyszko tossed Gunn back inside the ring and then hit the piledriver for good measure. He covered Gunn. Morton turned around to see the cover, as “The Road Dogg” was pounding away on Saito in the corner. Morton counted Gunn down for the three-count. James turned around just after the three-count to see what had happened. Zbyszko and Saito rolled out of the ring, as Humperdink grabbed the World Tag Team title belts and helped his men to the back. Gunn started to recuperate and he informed James of what Humperdink had done! ****¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 16, 2019 12:30:25 GMT -4
Thanks to Crue Fan for the comments!Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling on 7-23: • It was announced that Steve “Dr. Death” Williams suffered a knee injury from Doctor X’s figure-four leglock last week in Lexington. Williams needs to take time off for the injury to heal. But the Oklahoma Sooner has his rematch for the USWA Southern Heavyweight title next week at the Nashville Fairgrounds! ( See Card #477 preview below for more details on that situation.) • Two more big matches were announced for the combined USWA and BTW card on August 8 at the Toledo Sports Arena! o In a match originally scheduled for Independence Day Bash 2016, Brian Kendrick and Paul London, the Midnight Express, and the Heavenly Bodies will battle it out in a tag team Triangle Match! Chris Candido will be healed from his back injury by the 8th. To make this bout more important, the winners will challenge Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito for the USWA World Tag Team titles in the main event the following week at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis! o In an interpromotional match-up which should be a wild brawl, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan will collide with “Wild” Bull Curry! USWA fans remember Curry from last year’s joint card at the Cincinnati Gardens. He is known for his stiff punches, which are sometimes made extra stiff by slipping on some brass knuckles! • A special “Press Conference” conducted by Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated aired. Bill’s guests were the New Age Outlaws and Brad Armstrong. Billy Gunn said that things will be changing among the three for the time being. He said that he will be competing more in singles action, while “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Brad will reform their tag team. Apter asked what led to this decision. Gunn said with a chuckle that he is jealous of James, in that James had held singles gold (the USWA Mid-America title in the fall of 2011) and he wants an opportunity to do the same. He said that he has loved being a New Age Outlaw and that he feels he and James have been one of the best tag teams in the history of the USWA. James said that Gunn will still be an ally with him and his brother and the Outlaws could very well reunite at any time. Brad said that he is excited to reunite his team with his brother, as their time was cut short when he had to leave town at the end of 2011. Apter asked if James will keep his current name or use his real name of Brian Armstrong. James said that he will now be known as “The Road Dogg” Brian Armstrong, as sort of a tribute to both eras of his time in the USWA. He is very proud of being an Armstrong and he wants to become the second brother tag team (after the Vachons) to hold the USWA World Tag Team titles! Brad reminded the wrestling world that he and their father and current USWA Commissioner Bob Armstrong were briefly champions in 2011 and that he would love to become champion again with another family member! To read the full transcript of this “Press Conference,” pick up the latest edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated on newsstands everywhere! • This week’s “Exotic” Adrian Street music video was the title track for his album “Shake, Wrestle, ‘n Roll.” • A special video aired on the Midnight Express. “Sweet” Stan Lane highlighted much of the action. The video focused on the Midnights’ skills at double teaming. Lane focused on two moves that have recently brought him and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton victories. One was the combination rope hang and leap to the back that brought them a win over George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe last month in Evansville. Lane labeled this maneuver the Midnight Seesaw! Another was the move that led to them eliminating Brian Kendrick and Paul London from the Triangle Match at Independence Day Bash, where Lane picked up Kendrick in an atomic drop and handed him to Eaton on the second turnbuckle, who then came off the ropes with a super spinebuster. Lane said that he and Eaton have named this move the Gravedigger! Lane said that in addition to some of their other maneuvers like the Rocket Launcher, Double Goozle, and the Veg-o-Matic, the Midnights have a variety of ways to defeat other teams and they plan to become seven-time USWA World Tag Team champions in the future! • Tonight, at the BTW’s home base of Detroit, at the Cobo Arena, the first match between Mid-America champion Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton will take place. Since this episode aired live on WMC-TV and airs in many of the USWA’s markets before this card, results and video footage of this match will air on next week’s episode of Championship Wrestling! The USWA makes its annual stop at the Nashville Fairgrounds on July 25! • In a preview of the tag team Triangle Match in Toledo, The Midnight Express will take on Brian Kendrick and Paul London. Kendrick and London have gotten two wins over “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane this year but the Midnights eliminated the high-flying fan favorites in the first Triangle Match at Independence Day Bash. Which team will win the latest in this competitive, fast-paced series of bouts? • Mad Dog Vachon will take on “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan! Vachon will be out for blood, as Duggan was part of the injury that occurred to Butcher Vachon at the Bash. The Algerian brawler is coming off a big win over “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas last week in Lexington. Can he keep up his momentum? • In a related bout, Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will be out for revenge when he collides with Doctor X! X injured Gordy’s partner Steve “Dr. Death” Williams after last week’s tag team bout with X and Billy Black Lyons against Gordy and Williams. Can Gordy avenge that injury? • Bobby Shane will return from his concussion. He will be looking for revenge, when he battles Red Bastien! Bastien and “Superstar” Bill Dundee put Shane out of action after Shane’s bout with Bastien last month in Jonesboro. Shane got the win last time with Jimmy Hart adding leverage to his figure-four leglock. Who will win this grudge match? • “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan will take on “Superstar” Bill Dundee. Sullivan has made an impact in his few weeks in the USWA. He will have a tough challenge in the Australian Dundee. Can Sullivan keep up his winning ways or will the “Superstar” give him his first loss? • The main event for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship is scheduled as current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie putting the title on the line against eight-time former champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. However, that could be in jeopardy, due to Williams’ knee injury. As of today, there has been no change announced. Blassie was interviewed in-studio and said that he has beaten Williams at his best, so he doesn’t know why the goof would want to fight the champion at his worst! He said that as dumb as Williams is, he thinks “Doc” should forfeit and give Blassie the victory! Most fans feel that Williams won’t want to miss out on a championship match. Will Williams show up or will Blassie win via forfeit? All these huge bouts, plus the singles debut of “Exotic” Adrian Street! Also, the reunion of the Armstrong Brothers—Brad and Brian! And the One Man Gang in action!
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 20, 2019 14:20:26 GMT -4
July 25, 2016 Card #477: Nashville Fairgrounds 1) The One Man Gang made short work of “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Gang dominated Rodz from the opening bell and picked up the pinfall in just a few minutes after the 747 Splash. After avenging his loss to Jim Powers at Independence Day Bash 2016, Sir Oliver Humperdink’s giant has looked very dominant! ½* 2) “Dastardly” Danny Doring and the Amish RoadKill ruined the tag team reunion of Brad and Brian Armstrong with a big upset win. The Armstrongs looked to be working well together, keeping Doring in the ring for the entire match. Brad went up to the top rope but before he could leap “The Angry Amish Warrior” shoved Brad off the top rope. Doring seeing Brad hurting on the mat immediately went for a cover and scored the pinfall. “The Road Dogg” had gone for the save but RoadKill cut him off with a double forearm clap. The Nashville fans were in shock as Doring and RoadKill celebrated their win! DUD 3) “Exotic” Adrian Street made his singles debut in the USWA and scored a…memorable victory over S.D. Jones. As Jim Cornette introduced Street and Street pranced around the ring, “Special Delivery” was not intimidated and had a lot of offense. Street took over and showed his toughness and wide arsenal of moves. “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son” battled back and had Street in trouble. Jones dazed Street with punches before delivering his Philly Shuffle and a big punch. Street went down, Jones immediately went for a cover, but Street kicked out. Jones went up to the top rope but Street got to his feet. Street went over to the corner, grabbed Jones by the back of the neck, and then proceeded to kiss his opponent! The fans went wild at this sight! Street pulled Jones off the buckles with his liplock and Jones stumbled around, confused. Amid the confusion, the British grappler seized the opportunity to roll Jones up in a small package and score the pinfall. Jones was outraged by Street’s tactics costing him the bout. Cornette was delighted that his newest charge got his first singles win! ¾* 4) The Midnight Express defeated Brian Kendrick and Paul London. After two recent losses to the high-flying fan favorites, “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane were focused on avenging their losses. After a few minutes, the Midnights trapped Kendrick in the ring. Eaton hit a top rope elbow drop but London broke up the pinfall. Lane tagged in and hit a flurry of karate kicks, as well as a lariat for near falls. Lane tagged back in and the Midnights hit their newly-christened Gravedigger on Kendrick. Eaton made a vertical cover and scored the pin, while Lane knocked down an intervening London with a back spin kick. The Midnights were very impressive tonight. **¾ 5) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan took a pummeling but ended getting a disqualification win over Mad Dog Vachon. Vachon punished “Hacksaw” but Duggan would not give up. The Algerian brawler hit a backbreaker for a near fall. He used the Mad Dog Pounce on two separate occasions during the bout. He landed a jumping knee drop which busted open Duggan but only got a two-count. Duggan battled back and used big right hands to knock Vachon out of the ring. Vachon recovered and grabbed his chain from ringside. He brought the chain into the ring and wrapped it around “Hacksaw’s” throat. Scott Bowden put a count on Vachon but Vachon would not break by five, so Bowden called for the bell and disqualified Duggan. Vachon continued to choke Duggan after the bell until Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy ran down to the ring to run off Vachon! *** 6) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored a submission win over David Taylor. Taylor had the early advantage and hit a floatover fallaway slam for a two-count. Taylor hit the British suplex but Valiant got a shoulder up at 2¾. Taylor protested, saying hit got the three but the bout continued. Valiant battled back. He nailed the Boogie Woogie elbow drop and went for a cover but Taylor got a foot on the ropes. “Handsome” Jimmy picked up Taylor, whipped him into the ropes, and caught him on the rebound in the sleeper. Taylor dropped to the mat. Joe Wheeler checked the British grappler’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Valiant a big win. “Boogie Woogie” celebrated amongst the Nashville fans and looked fired up for another shot at the USWA World Heavyweight championship! ** 7) Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy got a measure of revenge for Steve Williams’ injury with a pinfall victory on Doctor X. Gordy was aggressive against the masked man. He hit the power bomb early but X kicked out. Gordy nailed him with a lariat for another near fall. X fought back and hit Gordy in the knee with a dropkick. He tried to injury “Bamm Bamm’s” knee as well but Gordy battled back and hit a second power bomb to score the pinfall. The Nashville fans popped big for Gordy’s win! **3/4 8) Bobby Shane returned to action and scored a tainted win over Red Bastien. Shane tried for the Japanese sleeper early but Bastien got to the ropes. The flying redhead surprised Shane with his own version of the sleeper. Shane got to the ropes before the move could be fully applied. Bastien hit the airplane spin into the atomic drop. Shane kicked out at the count of 2¾. Shane was knocked out of the ring by a dropkick. Jimmy Hart ran over to check on him and in doing so, slipped him a foreign object. Hart then distracted Sam Platania, while Bastien went to bring Shane back into the ring. Shane surprised Bastien by blasting him with the object. He returned to the ring and slipped the object in his kneepad before delivering a loaded knee smash. Bastien rallied back a few moments later and hit a second atomic drop, this time sending Shane head-first into the top turnbuckle and busting him open. Bastien went for the cover but Hart again distracted Platania. Bastien went after “The Mouth of The South,” which allowed Shane time to recover. Shane nailed Bastien again with the loaded knee smash and went for a cover but Bastien kicked out. Shane locked on the Japanese sleeper in the center of the ring. It looked like Bastien was going to go out as the former Texas champion dropped to the mat. Platania checked Bastien’s arm. It dropped twice but on the third time, he popped back up and worked his way to his feet. He elbowed Shane in the midsection and tried to escape but Shane cut him off with a hard hair pull. Shane turned his back to Platania to remove the object from his kneepad and instead place it in his elbow pad! Many of the ringside fans saw this and tried to alert Platania but to no avail. Shane delivered a loaded elbow drop on Bastien and covered him to score the pinfall. Shane and Hart left the Fairgrounds amidst a sea of boos! ****½ 9) “The Gamemaster” Kevin Sullivan picked up a big win, albeit tainted, over “Superstar” Bill Dundee in a wild, bloody brawl! Dundee was a house of fire at the start of this bout, fighting in honor of Nick Bockwinkel, whom Sullivan and the World Tag Team champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito injured at Independence Day Bash. Dundee went for the Superstar Bomb early in the bout but Sullivan rolled out of the way and Dundee missed. The Aussie maintained control and went for a submission with a Boston Crab on the Boston native. Sullivan managed to get to the ropes for a break. Sullivan rolled out of the ring for a breather but didn’t get one, as the “Superstar” followed him and rammed Sullivan’s head into the ring post busting him open. “The Gamesmaster” was almost counted but Sir Oliver Humperdink’s helped managed to get back in by the count of eight. Dundee tried for another submission, this time, an Indian Deathlock. Sullivan gouged Dundee in the eyes to break up the hold. He then rolled to the corner and pulled something out of his boot. It appeared to be some type of a small metal spike! Sullivan smashed Dundee in the head with it, while Humperdink was distracting Tom Branch. Dundee rolled out of the ring but he did not get a breather either as Sullivan attacked him more with the spike, over and over, eventually drawing blood on him as well. Sullivan tossed Dundee back into the ring, then picked him up in a body slam-position but instead hung Dundee upside down in the corner, by hooking his feet over the top ropes. Fans recognize this as Sullivan’s well-known Tree of Woe maneuver where Sullivan followed up with a running knee smash to the “Superstar” from the other corner. Sullivan delivered the knee and then unhooked Dundee to try and score the pinfall but the Aussie kicked out at two. Sullivan used the spike again, shielding the attack from Branch. Sullivan knocked Dundee out of the ring. Dundee was hurt but got back up on the ring apron and surprised Sullivan with a shoulder block to the midsection. He then leapt over the ropes back into the ring and caught Sullivan with a great sunset flip! Branch went to count Sullivan’s shoulders but as he was focused there, Humperdink reached in from behind Dundee and nailed him the back of the head with his cane! The “Music City” fans were not happy about this one, especially as Branch had hit two and it appeared Sullivan would have been pinned. “The Gamesmaster” got to his feet and pummeled Dundee, then delivered the double foot stomp to score the pin. Sullivan continues to find more devious ways to win! ****¾ 11) The main event was a return bout for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie put the title on the line against eight-time former champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. These two greats had traded the title three times in the last 6½ months, with Blassie winning the title first at New Year’s Knockout XII in Knoxville. Williams regained the title and gave Blassie his only loss in the USWA to date by winning the belt back at the Louisville Gardens on Leap Day. Blassie regained the title the following month in Tupelo and has had an impressive reign since then. Going into tonight’s card, it was unclear as whether Williams would even be able to compete, as he suffered a knee injury after his and Terry Gordy’s tag team match against Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons last week in Louisville. Williams’ music played first, as is customary for the challenger in a championship match. However, he did not enter the Nashville Fairgrounds. Blassie came out next to his own “Pencil Neck Geek” song and entered the ring. Blassie spoke to Tommy Marlin and Gary Michael Cappetta about what would happen. Marlin spoke to Cappetta and Cappetta announced to the fans that if the challenger did not enter the arena by a count of 10 from Marlin, he would forfeit the match. Marlin started the count and it appeared as if Blassie would have an easy night. When Marlin got to eight, Williams’ music started again. “Dr. Death” entered the arena to a huge pop! He was noticeably limping and a huge bandage could be seen on his knee through his ring robe. He entered the ring and Cappetta introduced both combatants from their corners. Both wrestlers came to the center of the ring. Blassie insulted Williams and then kicked him in his injured knee! Marlin checked on Williams to see if he was able to wrestle. The ever-tough “Dr. Death” agreed and Marlin called for the bell to officially start the match. Blassie stomped on the injured knee and Williams rolled out of the ring. He grabbed a steel chair from ringside and clocked Blassie in the head with it as Blassie reached through the ropes. Unfortunately, Marlin saw this and was left with no choice but to disqualify Williams in less than a minute. Blassie was groggy from the chair shot but had enough wherewithal to grab the Southern Heavyweight title and return to the locker room. Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came out to help Williams to the back and the fans gave the three a big ovation! neg*
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 24, 2019 22:38:15 GMT -4
Highlights from the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling: July 30:• This week’s music video from “Exotic” Adrian Street was “The Krippler.” Jim Cornette claimed this would be the “latest summer dance craze”! • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced some matches for the return to the USWA’s home base of the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on August 15. o Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will do battle with Mad Dog Vachon. The feud between the Vachons, Doctor X, and Billy Black Lyons against Gordy, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan has picked up with injuries to Butcher Vachon and “Dr. Death” in the last month. Gordy and Mad Dog have both been impressive in singles action this year. Not only would a win here give them an important win the battle between these groups but also get them recognition for a shot at a USWA singles championship. o “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan will tangle with Red Bastien. Sullivan has made a big impression in just about a month in the USWA, first injuring Nick Bockwinkel at Independence Day Bash and then scoring a controversial win over “Superstar” Bill Dundee on the last card at the Nashville Fairgrounds. • Footage aired from the famous Cobo Arena in Detroit from the July 23 Big Time Wrestling card. USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tommy Rogers met Bobby Fulton in the first of their three-match series. The two fan favorites shook hands in a great show of sportsmanship. The two started off with some great mat wrestling. The action picked up and Rogers gained the upper hand. He dazzled Fulton with a plethora of dropkicks. He covered Fulton, hooked the leg, and scored the pinfall after about eight minutes of action. Fulton seemed surprised by the pin but admitted that Rogers got the better of him on this night. The two shook hands after the bout once again. ¼* August 6: • Commissioner Armstrong had matches to announce for the August 22 card at the Louisville Gardens: o The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. “Classy” Freddie Blassie will put the title on the line against former champion Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy! Gordy is not only looking to win his second Southern title but also to gain a measure of revenge for Blassie’s treatment of his injured tag team partner Steve “Dr. Death” Williams in their title bout on the last card at the Nashville Fairgrounds. This will be a first-time meeting of these two superstars! o Mad Dog Vachon will take on “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in a rematch from the last card at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Vachon punished Duggan in their last bout but when he couldn’t score the win on Duggan, brought in his chains and got disqualified. What will be the outcome this time? o Chicago native Colt Cabana will make his USWA debut! Fans of all styles of pro wrestling know Cabana from smaller promotions like Impact Pro Wrestling (IPW) in Iowa and Midwest All-Star Wrestling (MAW) in Minnesota. He has also made a reputation for his broadcasting skills with his Internet radio show The Art of Wrestling, where he interviews some of the biggest names in the sport! • An interview took place with “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan and Sir Oliver Humperdink. Sullivan spoke about his match with Red Bastien in a few weeks in Memphis, saying he put Nick Bockwinkel out of action and defeated “Superstar” Bill Dundee, and he will prove another hero to be a “myth” when he topples Bastien. Lance Russell asked Humperdink the whereabouts of three-time former Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert in the last month. Humperdink said that Gilbert is still part of the House of Humperdink but has been resting some injuries and will be back in action soon. • This week’s “top of the charts hit” (Jim Cornette’s words) from “Exotic” Adrian Street was “Imagine What I Could Do to You,” where he describes what he can do to opponents inside the ring! • Footage aired from match #2 in the series between Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton. Their second bout was held on July 30 at the Green Mill Gardens in Riverside Park in Findlay, OH. Fulton was more competitive against the Mid-America champion this week. Rogers used the Tomikaze twice on him during the bout but Fulton managed to kick out. A third Tomikaze put Fulton down for the count after 10 minutes of action. Once again, both men shook hands in a sign of respect. While Rogers has won both of their matches, it looked like Fulton could get a win on him any day, including in eight days in Toledo! **¾ The USWA and BTW will put on a huge interpromotional card for the second year in a row! This year, the USWA wrestlers and fans will travel up I-75 to Toledo, OH and the Toledo Sports Arena! Commissioner Bob Armstrong and BTW Promoter Ed Farhat have put together a great card for fans of both promotions! • Fans will see two Poffos in action on this card! Firstly, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo will face former Mid-America champion David Taylor! As his nickname suggests, Poffo is very agile and acrobatic in the ring. Often, he will also read self-penned poems to the fans before his bouts! It will be his aerial skills against Taylor’s grappling and brawling skills! • Brad and Brian Armstrong had a rough reunion as a tag team, losing to “Dastardly” Danny Doring and the Amish RoadKill on the last USWA card at the Nashville Fairgrounds. They will get a chance to get back on track when they face the Bolsheviks—Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov! USWA fans remember the Russian team from their tenure in the USWA from 2010 to 2012, as part of Ivan Koloff’s stable and later Eddie Gilbert’s Hot Stuff, International. Zhukov captured the Mid-America Heavyweight title in the championship’s initial year from Brian in November in Oxford, MS. The Bolsheviks reunited in BTW at the end of 2015. Which reunited team will win in Toledo? • The patriarch of the Poffo family will also compete as Angelo Poffo battles George “The Animal” Steele, managed by Abdullah Farouk! Poffo is hoping to earn a shot in the near future at the BTW U.S. Heavyweight title. Farouk is going to do all he can to prevent that, including sending “The Animal” to try and stop Poffo. Will Farouk’s mission be accomplished or will Poffo triumph? • Two wild brawlers will collide when “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan faces “Wild” Bull Curry! Will the 2X4-wielding Duggan or the brass knucks-wearing Curry win this battle? • A match that was originally scheduled for June in Union City will finally happen, as “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas battles First Family of Wrestling member Bobby Shane! Shane was put out of action for a few weeks with a concussion, thanks to “Superstar” Bill Dundee and Red Bastien after his bout with Bastien on June 13 in Evansville. Shane returned on the last card and scored a controversial win on the flying redhead and hopes to do the same to Atlas. Atlas is hoping to get back on track after losing his challenge to Shane’s First Family teammate “Ravishing” Rick Rude for the World title at Independence Day Bash in Knoxville, thanks to Jimmy Hart’s megaphone. Atlas also suffered a devastating loss to Mad Dog Vachon two weeks later in Lexington; his only two losses so far since debuting in the USWA in February. Can Atlas get back on track with a big win or will Shane find another way to win? • A huge tag team Triangle Match was originally scheduled for Independence Day Bash but had to be revised, due to the injury to Chris Candido in June. Now this match will take place, as the Heavenly Bodies, the Midnight Express, and Brian Kendrick and Paul London will do battle! Dr. Tom Prichard and substitute partner “Exotic” Adrian Street won the Triangle Match at Chilhowee Park and Jim Cornette is confident his regular tag team will do the same. The Bodies’ only loss so far in the USWA was via a countout to Kendrick and London in May in Memphis and the team of Prichard and Candido has not yet defeated the high-flying fan favorites. Dave Brown reviewed the rules of a Triangle Match on the August 6 edition of Championship Wrestling: I. Two wrestlers are in the ring at one time, with the other wrestlers 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 (teams) 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. Since this is a tag team match, tag team partners cannot be pitted against each other. III. A team can be eliminated from the bout by any standard method—pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout. The last team left will be declared the winners. IV. As an added stipulation for this specific bout, the winning tag team will challenge Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito for the USWA World Tag Team titles next week in the main event at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Which team will win and go to challenge for the gold in Memphis? • Mid-America champion Tommy Rogers will face Bobby Fulton in the third match of their trilogy! Rogers won the first two matches but Fulton seemed to improve from match 1 to match 2, kicking out of two Tomikazes. Can he get a win in the third meeting? Toledo fans will be treated to some great wrestling action between these two fan favorites! • Fans will be treated to three huge title bouts! The first one will see the BTW World Tag Team titles defended, as two-time former USWA champions the Fabulous Kangaroos, managed by “Wild” Red Berry, defend against Chris and John Tolos! The Toloses are hoping to regain the BTW belts. Can they do it in Toledo or will the ‘Roos hold on to the gold? • In the first half of the double main event for the evening, three-time former USWA Southern Heavyweight champion the Sheik will defend the BTW’s top prize—the United States Heavyweight title against former USWA World and Southern Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn. These two have a great history in the USWA from their battles in 2007 over the Southern title, including Severn being the first wrestler to pin or make the Sheik submit in a one-on-one bout. While Severn was hired by Jim Cornette this year as his bodyguard, he had been active in BTW last year and Cornette would love to take the BTW U.S. title back down south! You can bet that Abdullah Farouk will have his charge ready to keep the gold. While Cornette has expressed respect for Farouk on recent editions of Championship Wrestling, you can bet that “The Louisville Slugger” will get involved for Severn, if the opportunity arises! Will the BTW U.S. title go to a USWA wrestler or will the Sheik continue his reign of terror? • The second main event will see the two-time and longest reigning USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude put the gold on the line against his long-time rival “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Rude defended the title against Valiant in June in Jonesboro and Valiant came out the winner via disqualification when a frustrated Rude attacked him with his flexing bar. Valiant would love to win his first World title, especially from his rival. Can “The Boy from New York City” finally capture the gold or will Valiant become “#21” in Rude’s historical reign? That’s August 8 at the Toledo Sports Arena! BTW commentator Bob Finnegan will once again team up with Memphis’ favorite weatherman Dave Brown to call the action from ringside!
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Post by Cory Olson on Aug 27, 2019 21:18:23 GMT -4
August 8, 2016 Card #478: Toledo (OH) Sports Arena1) David Taylor was victorious in the opener by submission over “Leaping” Lanny Poffo. Poffo is known not only for his high-flying wrestling skills but also his poetry skills. He read a poem to the crowd that ended with what he claimed were facts: “The Toledo Mud Hens will go out and play ball while ‘Leaping’ Lanny shows he’s the great wrestling poet of all!” Poffo had a lot of offense against Taylor but the former Mid-America champion was ready to go toe-to-toe with him. Taylor hit the British suplex but Poffo got a shoulder up at two. Taylor took the bout to the floor and rammed “Leaping” Lanny’s head into the ring post. Poffo was almost counted out but managed to roll back in by nine. Taylor clamped on a sleeperhold in the center of the ring. Poffo started to drop so Jerry Calhoun checked his arm. It dropped three times, giving the British grappler the win. ½* 2) Brad and Brian Armstrong scored an impressive win over the Bolsheviks. Nikolai Volkoff sang the Russian National Anthem before the bout, which didn’t please the Toledo fans! That was the most action Volkoff would see, as the Armstrongs kept Boris in the ring the entire bout. Brad hit the Russian leg sweep on the Russian after a few minutes and scored the pinfall, while “The Road Dogg” stopped an interfering Volkoff with some punches. The Toledo fans gave the brothers a big ovation for their win! DUD ( NOTE: This was my first time using Zhukov’s color card, available through Promoter Prime!) 3) Angelo Poffo pinned George “The Animal” Steele in a wild brawl. Poffo was fired up in this one, not being intimidated by “The Animal’s” tactics and wanting to send a message to Abdullah Farouk and BTW U.S. Heavyweight champion the Sheik. A few minutes into the bout, Poffo snapped Steele’s neck on the top rope and went for a pinfall. Farouk reached in and pulled BTW referee Tiger Tasker by the leg to interrupt the count. Knowing the importance of the match, Tasker ordered Farouk back to the locker room for the duration of the match, which drew a big pop from the crowd! Steele was irate and as he went after Tasker. In the confusion, Poffo rolled him up from behind with a reverse rolling cradle for a near fall. Steele gained control and hit a running knee to score a two-count on Poffo. Steele went to one corner and ripped off the turnbuckle pad, exposing the metal. Tasker warned Steele about using the metal, as “The Animal” tossed the stuffing at Poffo and Tasker. Poffo got to his feet and attempted to whip Steele into a different corner. Steele reversed the whip and sent Poffo crashing into Tasker, which caused Tasker to hit back-first into the exposed metal. Tasker was in a lot of pain and lay on the mat while Poffo and Steele continued to brawl. Poffo blasted Steele with a running stomp, busting open “The Animal.” Poffo hit a running knee lift and went for a cover but Tasker was still hurting. Several USWA and BTW officials ran down to help Tasker to the back, while BTW referee Hal Lite took over for Tasker. (He ended up taking Tasker’s matches for the rest of the night.) Poffo nailed Steele with a second knee lift as Lite entered the ring and made another cover. Lite dropped down and counted the pinfall. The fans popped big for Poffo’s win in this wild match! ***¼ 4) The BTW ring crew quickly replaced the turnbuckle that Steele had exposed before the next match. “Wild” Bull Curry won a short but wild brawl over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. The two brutes slugged it out in the first minute. Duggan got the upper hand and sent Curry out of the ring with a clothesline. While Jerry Calhoun kept Duggan in the ring, Curry slipped on some brass knuckles. He returned to the ring and punches Duggan with the knucks out of nowhere. He covered “Hacksaw” and scored the pinfall in just a few minutes. While Calhoun didn’t see the knuckles, the fans did and were outraged! ¼* 5) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas defeated Bobby Shane in a hard-fought match-up. Shane was aggressive at the start, hoping to score a big won on Atlas. He hit a bulldog for a near fall in the first few minutes. He went for the Japanese sleeper early but Atlas powered out before Shane could fully apply the sleeper. Atlas took control for a few minutes and came off the top rope with a jumping head butt to Shane, who was standing. Shane was ready for the attack and moved out of the way, causing the powerhouse to crash hard. Shane was on the attack and went up to the top rope himself. Before he could leap, Atlas got to the ropes, shook the top rope, and caused Shane to get crotched on the ropes! Atlas then knocked Shane off the top with an amazing dropkick, sending him to the floor. Shane was almost counted out but with Jimmy Hart yelling encouragement through the megaphone, rolled back in by nine. Atlas came off the top again with the jumping head butt and this time nailed it successfully, so much, that Shane was busted open. Shane capitalized on a mistake by “Mr. USA” a few minutes later and locked on the Japanese sleeper. BTW referee Al Worshoski checked Atlas’ arm and it dropped twice but popped back up on the third attempt. Atlas powered to his feet and powered out of the hold. He then took over on Shane. He wore him down and then lifted him up for the press slam. He slammed Shane hard and then checked to see where Hart was, knowing what Hart did to him in his World title match at Independence Day Bash. He bounced off the ropes and hit the splash to score the pin. As Worshoski raised Atlas’ arm, “Mr. USA” stared down “The Mouth of The South” and indicated he wants another shot at “Ravishing” Rick Rude and the gold. (This was only Shane’s second pinfall loss in the USWA since his debut in January.) ***¾ 6) Chris Candido had a successful return from injury, as he and Dr. Tom Prichard won a Triangle Match over the Midnight Express and Brian Kendrick and Paul London to earn a shot at Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito’s USWA World Tag Team championship in next week’s main event at the Mid-South Coliseum. Dan “The Beast” Severn did his job of being Jim Cornette’s bodyguard but was sporting his wrestling gear for his later BTW U.S. Heavyweight championship bout against the Sheik. Brian Kendrick took a lot of punishment in the first fall from both the Heavenly Bodies and the Midnights. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton drove Kendrick’s face into the mat and busted him open with a Divorce Court. The Bodies executed a Flapjack on him and Prichard followed up with the enzuigiri to eliminate him and London. London had attempted a save but was stopped short by “The Suicide Blonde.” Former partners Prichard and “Sweet” Stan Lane started the next fall as the legal men. Lane took control and tagged to Eaton. The Midnights hit a great combo, where Lane executed a drop toehold on Prichard and Eaton followed up with an elbow drop. Eaton took Dr. Tom to the floor and executed a bulldog on the Sports Arena floor! It looked like Prichard might get counted out but with Candido and Severn’s help, got back into the ring by nine. Inside the ring, Eaton hit the Alabama Jam and went for a cover but Prichard kicked out. Lane tagged back in and again knocked Prichard out of the ring. Cornette distracted Hal Lite, while Severn brought Prichard the tennis racquet. Lane reached through the ropes but Prichard nailed him with the racquet. “The Doctor of Desire” returned to the ring and blasted Lane with the enzuigiri. He went for a pin but Lane kicked out. Prichard tagged to Candido, who continued the attack on Lane. Prichard tagged back in a few moments later and the Bodies executed the Prima Donna Plunge on “Sweet” Stan. Prichard made the cover, while Candido stopped an intervening “Beautiful” Bobby, and scored the pinfall. The Bodies scored another impressive win and earned their first shot at the World Tag Team titles! Cornette’s charges got one win tonight. Would Severn take the U.S. title back to the South? ( Read on!) ***½ 7) Mid-America Heavyweight champion Tommy Rogers made a clean sweep of his three-match series, with a pinfall on Bobby Fulton. Both men again started the bout with a handshake. While both men were cheered, Fulton had a few more cheers from the Toledo fans. The two exchanged some great mat holds once again in the first few minutes. The action picked up and Fulton took control. He looked like he would get a win on Rogers. He sent Rogers into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop. Rogers surprised him with a sunset flip and scored the pinfall after about eight minutes of action. After the bell, Fulton realized he had capitalized the backdrop and complimented Rogers on his ring awareness. Rogers offered his hand again and Fulton accepted, as the fans gave both wrestlers a big ovation! *½ 8) In the first of three title bouts, the Fabulous Kangaroos took a brutal beating but managed to come back and defeat John and Chris Tolos to retain the BTW World Tag Team titles in an amazing match! The Greek brothers were very adept at double teaming tonight. They kept Al Costello in the ring for the first few minutes. John hit his flying knee drop off the second rope and went for a cover but Costello kicked out. Roy Heffernan tagged in against Chris and went for the stepover toehold. Chris managed to grab the ropes for the break. Costello tagged back in and the Aussies hit the Boomerang. Costello went for a cover but John saved his brother. Chris recovered and tagged to John. John used the corkscrew (a submission move where he grinds his knuckles into his opponent’s temple). He ground into Costello’s temple so brutally that he drew blood. He held on the move for over a minute but Costello finally got to the ropes for a break. Costello tagged back to Heffernan but the Toloses cut him off initially. John blasted Heffernan with a thumb to the throat and went for a pin but Heffernan kicked out. Heffernan worked on John’s leg and tagged to Costello who went for the Marble Bor Leglock. John scrambled to the ropes for a break. Heffernan tagged back in and the champs hit a second Boomerang. Heffernan made a cover but John kicked out at 2¾. John battled back and used the corkscrew again. Heffernan got to the ropes but was near the Toloses’ corner. Chris tagged in and worked over Heffernan for several minutes. He tagged back to John, who held Heffernan down while Chris came off the second rope with his flying knee drop. The knee landed right across Heffernan’s face and he was now bleeding, like Costello. John went for a cover but Heffernan kicked out. After a pummeling in the corner by the Toloses, John went for another corkscrew. Heffernan was bleeding profusely and started to drop to the mat. Al Worshoski checked Heffernan’s arm. It dropped twice and as Worshoski checked for the third time, “Wild” Red Berry, who had been uncharacteristically inactive for much of the match, jumped up on the apron and acted like he was going to enter the ring. Worshoski turned his attention to the manager and missed Heffernan’s arm dropping for the third time! Fans were outraged by this, hoping to see the titles change. The Toloses protested but to no avail. John hit a second flying knee drop and went for a cover but Costello came in with a boot to the head to break up the pin. John was dazed but managed to tag Chris. Chris attacked Heffernan but he surprised him with a Kangaroo Kick out of nowhere, then made the tag to Costello. Costello worked over Chris and then hit an Aussie suplex. He made a cover and scored the three-count, while Heffernan knocked down John with a Kangaroo Kick. The ‘Roos won the match and retained the titles after 26 minutes of amazing action! ***** ( NOTE: Costello had seven fatigue tokens, Heffernan had nine, John had four, and Chris had two. An awesome match!) 9) In the first of two main events, the Sheik, managed by Abdullah Farouk, put the BTW United States Heavyweight title on the line against Dan “The Beast” Severn, accompanied by his manager and employer Jim Cornette. These two had a history in the USWA dating back to 2007 when Severn became the first man to decisively beat the Syrian madman in a one-on-one bout. The Toledo fans were definitely supporting Severn tonight, despite Cornette being his manager, due to his time in BTW in the past and being from nearby Michigan. “The Beast” had the initial advantage. He went for a head and arm throw a few minutes into the bout, which is how he pinned Sheik in Abilene, TX nine years ago to win the Southern title. Sheik had the move scouted and slipped out of it before the challenger could throw him. Sheik rolled out of the ring for a breather. Abdullah Farouk distracted Hal Lite, while Sheik pulled out his sharp object and jabbed Severn in the face from outside the ring. He returned to the ring and applied the Camel Clutch for over a minute. Severn managed to pull himself to the ropes for a break but Sheik continued his onslaught, pulling out the object again and carving Severn open, causing him to bleed. Sheik locked on the Camel Clutch in the center of the ring. Sheik held it on for another minute, slipping in the object to “The Beast’s” face when he could. Cornette, not wanting his bodyguard to suffer severe injury, had had enough and entered the ring. He bravely (?) smacked the Syrian madman in the back with his tennis racquet, right in front of Lite. Lite was left with no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify Severn after about six minutes of action. Farouk entered the ring but Cornette nailed him with the racquet as well, which drew a big cheer from the Toledo fans. The U.S. champion recovered and charged “The Louisville Slugger.” He grabbed Cornette and was ready to carve him up until the Heavenly Bodies made their way to the ring and ran off the champion. Severn had recovered and started tossing steel chairs up the aisle trying to strike the fleeing Sheik and Abdullah! ¾* 10) The second half of the double main event was a huge rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Current, two-time, and longest-reigning champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude, currently sitting at 20 defenses of the titles, put the title on the line against “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. The last time these two met, in Jonesboro in June, Rude lost via disqualification when he used his flexing bar on “The Boy from New York City.” Their battles date back to 2014. While Rude has won more of their bouts, Valiant came close in many of those losses to the win but the interference of “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart turned the tide for the “Ravishing One.” Fans were buzzing for this one as the bell rang. The champion came out strong attacking the challenger with punches and forearms. He hit a piledriver early in the bout but only got a two-count. Valiant surprised Rude with an ear clap, knocking Rude down. Valiant went for a cover but the World champ kicked out. Valiant went up to the top rope and hit a flying body press for another near fall. Rude took control and came off the top himself, hitting a sledge to score another two-count. Valiant surprised Rude with a running elbow smash, knocking him down. He followed up with the Boogie Woogie elbow, which drew a huge pop from the crowd. Before Valiant could cover, Hart was on the apron distracting Jerry Calhoun. Valiant remained in control and a moment later, hit another elbow, this time landing across Rude’s face and busting him open. As Valiant went for the cover, Hart got up on the apron and tossed in the megaphone behind Calhoun’s back. As Calhoun went to deal with “The Mouth of The South,” Valiant went to attack Hart. Before he could strike, Rude had scooped up the megaphone and nailed Valiant in the back of the head with it. Rude tossed out the megaphone and then fell on Valiant for a cover. Valiant got his shoulder up at 2¾, which electrified the crowd. Rude and Hart were in shock! Rude attacked the challenger but Valiant fought back with stiff punches of his own. He had the champ rocking-and-reeling. He whipped Rude into the ropes and then caught him on the rebound with the sleeper, which is how he beat Rude in Jonesboro back in October 2014. Hart was in a panic and waved to the back. Bobby Shane came down the aisleway with a steel chair. But before he could reach the ring, his opponent from earlier, “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas cut him off with a clothesline from behind. Atlas picked up Shane and held him in a full nelson, facing the ring, so he could see what was happening to Rude! A bloodied Rude had fought for the ropes but Valiant kept him in the center. Rude dropped to the mat and was fading. Calhoun checked Rude’s arm and it dropped three times. Calhoun called for the bell and the submission after 10 minutes of action. Jimmy Valiant won his first USWA World title and had ended Rude’s 19½ month reign as champ! The Toledo Sports Arena erupted as “The Boy from New York City” started to blare over the speakers! Atlas joined Valiant in the ring, as well as “Superstar” Bill Dundee, who was a surprise, since he was not booked to wrestle on the card. Other USWA fan favorites on the card entered the ring as well and lifted Valiant up on their shoulders! (Not only did Valiant end Rude’s historical reign but he also joins an elite and eclectic group of wrestlers who have held the USWA World Heavyweight, World Tag Team, and Southern Heavyweight titles: the “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer, Frank Gotch, Johnny Valentine, and Curt Hennig!) ***½
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