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Post by Cory Olson on Feb 12, 2009 0:15:27 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on February 7: • An interview aired with Bill Apter and Ted DiBiase. DiBiase stated that since leaving the USWA at the end of 2006, he has been competing in the UWF and has had some great success, capturing the UWF World Tag Team titles with Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, as well as the North American Heavyweight championship. Apter asked him to what he attributed his success. DiBiase responed by saying that he hit rock bottom when he lost his fortune to Frank Gotch, and he thought that was the end. But he went to the UWF and focused on the important thing—wrestling. He had a mentor who reminded him that he stopped focusing on the money and started caring about being the best wrestler he could be. When Apter asked who this mentor was, DiBiase said that it was no other than a man he knew very well—his father, “Iron” Mike DiBiase! DiBiase said he also allied himself with another former USWA wrestler—“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. DiBiase said that Duggan was a great American wrestler and a tough brawler. Apter asked DiBiase his thoughts on Gotch’s use of DiBiase’s former fortune to form Team RPW. The former “Million Dollar Man” stated that he has followed the USWA closely in his time away and at first he had respect for RPW, as they represented real wrestling. But in recent months, their arrogance and attitude has bothered him and given wrestling in general a bad name. Apter asked if that meant that DiBiase would look to battle RPW and DiBiase confirmed that. He said he wasn’t coming alone, as “Dr. Death”, “Hacksaw”, and “Iron” Mike would all join him! • Speaking of Team RPW, Lance Russell interviewed the group in the WMC-TV studios. New World Heavyweight champion Frank Gotch said that any tension among the members has been settled. He beat Dan Severn and captured the title, proving he was the better man on that night. When asked if Gotch would give “The Beast” a rematch, he somewhat avoided the topic and brought up Ted DiBiase. Dick Hutton said that RPW would show DiBiase, his former tag team partner, who the true wrestlers are in the USWA. • It was announced that The Crusher will return from injury on February 20 at the USWA’s debut in El Dorado, AR. He will take on two of the men that injured him—The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer and Larry Zbyszko in a tag team match. Crusher’s partner? Well…at this point it is unknown! It is said that this will be a mystery partner who will be revealed that night! • In another mysterious situation, Buff Bagwell revealed that he and his new partner will team up for the first time on March 6 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington “Buff Daddy” has also signed to meet his former tag team partner Brutus Beefcake on the February 20 card in El Dorado.
The Sportatorium in Dallas will host a big card of action on Friday the 13th! • S.D. Jones was close to an upset on Dick Hutton a few weeks ago in Cookeville, until Danny Hodge intervened. He’ll get a second chance to get a big win. Can “Special Delivery” deliver? • Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik will be in non-title action as he does battle with “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Sheik will defend his strap against Doring’s partner “Playboy” Buddy Rose the following week in El Dorado. You can bet that Sheik looks to make a statement in taking out Doring first! • In a big tag team match-up “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant collide with The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer and Larry Zbyszko. Snuka and Valiant are hoping to get another shot at the World Tag Team titles, while Zbyszko and Destroyer are taking a big name team in preparing to do battle with The Crusher and his partner. Which team will come out the winners? • In a first time meeting, three-time USWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel will collide with Argentine sensation Antonio Rocca. Rocca would get a big “boost” by defeating Bockwinkel. Can he do it or will Bockwinkel stop him? • Ed “Strangler” Lewis continues his revenge quest against Team RPW. In Dallas he’ll meet former World Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn. Will it be the Strangler’s Headlock or the wakigatame that gets the win here? • The USWA Texas championship will be on the line, when “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton defends against “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware. Ware appeared to have Eaton pinned in the tag team match between Ware and Brad Armstrong and The Midnight Express, until “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey clocked Ware with Jim Cornette’s tennis racket. Can Ware capture his first USWA championship in Dallas? • The main event will be for the World Tag Team titles. Capt. Lou Albano’s duo of Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine will make their first defense, when they face The Killer Bees. The Bees have the experience edge, when it comes to teaming, but Muraco and Valentine have been an impressive duo. Can Muraco and Valentine hold on to the gold, or will The Bees make their reign a short one? All this plus a rematch between Diamond Dallas Page and Buff Bagwell, as well as more great bouts!
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Post by Cory Olson on Feb 15, 2009 22:59:45 GMT -4
February 13, 2009 Card #197: Sportatorium in Dallas
1) Virgil and Johnny Rodz got a win in the opener defeating George South and Larry Sharpe. You had two teams, with less than stellar records, battling it out for a win. South and Sharpe had control for quite a while, but Virgil came back. Rodz hit a body slam, which he calls the Unpredictable Slam, on Sharpe and went for a cover, but Sharpe kicked out. Rodz tagged out to Virgil, who slapped on the Million Dollar Dream and put Sharpe out. **
2) Brutus Beefcake pinned Brad Armstrong. The popular Armstrong hit a Russian leg sweep early on and went for a cover, but Beefcake got his foot on the bottom rope. Armstrong later hit a top rope dropkick, but Capt. Lou Albano distracted Paul Morton. This allowed Beefcake to recover and wear down Armstrong. A flying knee smash would put Armstrong down for the pinfall. *¾
3) Diamond Dallas Page scored some revenge, pinning Buff Bagwell. “Buff Daddy” knew he’d need to be impressive against DDP, if he wanted to win again. He attacked Page right at the bell and even hit a Buff Blockbuster. He went for a cover, but Page kicked out. Page fought back and hit a swinging neckbreaker, as well as a Russian leg sweep for near falls. Page scored the pinfall after a Diamond Dream. **
4) Dick Hutton put a beating on “Special Delivery” Jones before finally scoring the pin. Jones fought hard in this one, making it to the ropes on two occasions while locked in Hutton’s abdominal stretch. Jones was weakened, but had the crowd behind him and out of nowhere nailed a head butt, but the force was such that he rocked himself and busted himself open! Jones was worn out and fought with all his might, but couldn’t capitalize. Hutton used his tag team partner Danny Hodge’s specialty, the Oklahoma side roll to score the pin. **¾
5) USWA Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik defeated “Dastardly” Danny Doring in a non-title bout. Sheik pulled out the sharp object early on and locked on the Camel Clutch, but released when Doring wouldn’t give. Doring actually landed a sunset flip, but Sheik quickly recovered outside the ring and continued his onslaught. Sheik dropped an elbow right to Doring’s throat and covered him to score the pin. “Playboy” Buddy Rose ran down to check on Doring with “Sensational” Sherri Martel. Rose stared down Sheik and Abdullah Farouk, as Sheik ran to the locker room with the Southern title—the title which Rose will challenge him for next week. ½* 6) The Destroyer and Larry Zbyszko worked well as a team, defeating former World Tag Team champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. This was a back-and-forth bout that looked like either team could win at any time. Destroyer and Zbyszko would gain the advantage with cheap shots or sneaky tactics. Destroyer worked both opponents’ legs, slamming them into the ring post and using the single leg Boston Crab. Snuka hit a Superfly Leap on Zbyszko, but Zbyszko just managed to kick out in time. Zbsyzko hit two piledrivers on “Handsome” Jimmy, but as he went for the cover, Scott Bowden was trying to get Destroyer out of the ring and missed the cover. Snuka came off the second turnbuckle with a fist drop to the back of Zbyszko’s head. He then put “The Boogie Woogie Man” on top for the cover, but Zbyszko managed to kick out. Destroyer later locked Snuka in the figure-four leglock, but the “Superfly” got to the ropes. The rulebreakers managed to wear down Valiant. Meanwhile, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan ran around to the other side of the ring and got Snuka’s attention. Snuka jumped off the apron and was about ready to attack Heenan. At the same time Zbyszko locked a weakened Valiant in an abdominal stretch and was able to turn just right, so that he could grab Destroyer’s hand for leverage out of view of Bowden. The “double submission” move was enough for Valiant to surrender. Snuka turned around at the sound of the bell to see what had happened to his partner. This allowed “The Weasel” to escape unscathed and made him extra happy, since his man Zbyszko and his associate The Destroyer got the win. ****
7) Antonino Rocca scored the biggest win of his USWA appearances to-date, making three-time USWA World champion Nick Bockwinkel submit. Rocca had the advantage early on, but got reversed into a near fall, after Bockwinkel rolled through on a flying body press off the top. Bockwinkel took the bout to the floor and worked over Rocca, while Bobby Heenan distracted Tommy Gilbert. Bockwinkel applied the figure-four back in the ring, but Rocca reached the ropes. Rocca staged a comeback and blasted Bockwinkel with a dropkick. Heenan jumped on the apron, but Rocca spotted him. He picked Bockwinkel up into the Argentinian Backbreaker, then spun Bockwinkel around, so that Bockwinkel’s legs knocked his own manager off the apron! He held the move and Bockwinkel surrendered to the hold, in a relatively short bout. Rocca celebrated among the Dallas fans at ringside. **½
8) In a heated battle of former USWA World Heavyweight champions Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Dan “The Beast” Severn. Severn missed a takedown attempt in the corner in the opening minutes and rammed his arm into the turnbuckle. Lewis capitalized and locked on a double wristlock. Severn momentarily had control and locked on a bow and arrow, but the “Strangler” managed to break free. Lewis fought back and locked on the Strangler’s Headlock several times. He took Severn down to the mat in the headlock and was able to pin his shoulders to the mat in an impressive win. ¾*
9) Koko B. Ware defeated USWA Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton by DQ, so Eaton left the Sportatorium with the title still in his grasp. This was “The Birdman’s” night, as he had the champion rocking and reeling. He weakened Eaton with several combo punches. Jim Cornette was frantic at ringside, sensing the possibility of a title change. Eaton kicked out of the Ghostbuster, and made a brief comeback. He sent Ware into the ropes and went for a clothesline, but Ware bounced back with a big cross body block. He went for a cover, but as Scott Bowden went to count, Cornette jumped in the ring, and smacked “The Birdman” across the back with the tennis racket, causing an intentional disqualification for Eaton. Ware was weakened, and Eaton and Cornette went to attack him more with the racket. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey ran out from the locker room, but was cut off by Brad Armstrong, who nailed him from behind. Armstrong then sprinted to the ring, grabbing a chair from ringside and chased Eaton and Cornette out of the ring. The Midnight Express and Cornette fled to the locker room, with the Texas title still in hand. **½
10) Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine made their first defense of the USWA World Tag Team titles in the main event, taking on The Killer Bees. The champions had control early on. Muraco lifted “Jumping” Jim Brunzell up for a Hawaiian Hammer, but Brunzell broke free, before the move could be executed. The Bees worked over the Hawaiian, utilizing several of their finishers on him and eventually busting him open. After one Bee Sting, B. Brian Blair went for a cover. Paul Morton went to make the count, but right before what looked like it would be a three, Valentine had dropped to the arena floor and pulled Morton out of the ring. The fans booed this action and were mad that Morton didn’t disqualify “The Hammer”. But perhaps due to the importance of the championship match, Morton let the action go. This allowed the champions to take over on Blair. Valentine tagged in and went to work on his long-time rival Blair, applying the figure-four. Blair fought hard and eventually made the ropes. The challengers came back and worked over Valentine. Brunzell nailed Valentine with a dropkick and went for a cover, but Muraco jumped in to make the save. Blair was angered and jumped in as well, attacking Muraco and tossing him out of the ring. Blair went back to his corner, where “Jumping” Jim tagged him in. Blair went to work on Valentine, with the Dallas fans rooting The Bees on, sensing they were about to win the titles for the first time. Blair whipped Valentine into the corner, then leapt at him to execute a monkey flip. Unfortunately the corner was near where Muraco was laid out on the floor. The Hawaiian powerhouse had recovered enough to get to his feet and push Blair off of his partner before he could execute the flip. Blair went crashing and Valentine seized the opportunity to make a cover. He put his feet on the ropes and had Muraco hold on to his feet for leverage, out of sight of Morton. Blair’s shoulders were down and Morton counted the three. The champs quickly retreated from the ring with the belts and a celebrating Capt. Lou Albano. The Bees were angered by the ending and the fans were in support of them. ****¼
In the next update, the first matches for the historic 200th USWA card on March 13 will be announced, including the main event!
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Post by Cory Olson on Feb 28, 2009 23:21:09 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on February 14, including the first matches announced for the historic 200th USWA card! • The main event for this huge event at the Mid South Coliseum will feature Frank Gotch making his first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Gotch will defend against two-time champ and his rival Ed “Strangler” Lewis! Even though Lewis is currently involved in a heated war against Team RPW, technically he and Gotch have only met once before in a one-on-one match—last Fourth of July at the Independence Day Bash at Texas Stadium. On that day Lewis was the champ and Gotch was the challenger, and the “Strangler” retained that belt. Shortly after that bout, Lewis declined an offer to join RPW, which infuriated Gotch and his teammates. This led to the attack on Lewis, which broke his ankle, primarily thanks to the Gotch Toehold. It has taken Gotch a long time to win his first USWA championship, and you can bet he doesn’t wish to have a short reign! He will be battling hard against Lewis, but the “Strangler” will be looking not only for his third championship, but also revenge for the injury caused him. • In addition to the huge title bout, there will also be a one-night four-man elimination tournament, entitled Clash at the Coliseum[/b]. The winner of this tournament will receive $25,000, as well as a shot at the USWA World Heavyweight championship in April. The first round bouts were announced on WMC-TV. Danny Hodge will do battle with The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer, while Nick Bockwinkel will collide with Dan “The Beast” Severn. Four hard-nosed rulebreakers, who also possess technical wrestling skills. In an added feature to the tournament, the final bout will be refereed by the first USWA World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine! Valentine has been wrestling around the world, including in the AWA, and has compiled an impressive win-loss record in his time away from the USWA. The USWA Committee wanted to commemorate the historic 200th card, with a “piece of history” in bringing back the first USWA World champion! • Ted DiBiase, who will return to USWA ring action on the next card, will do battle that night with Team RPW’s coach Dick Hutton. DiBiase and Hutton were former USWA World Tag Team champions in 2005, but had a falling out. This led to Hutton’s alliance with Frank Gotch. USWA fans can expect a heated match in this one! • One week before the 200th event, the main event for Card #199 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington will be a battle of Team RPW and The Heenan Family (and their associate). Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, and The Destroyer will team up to face Dick Hutton, Danny Hodge, and Dan Severn. This will be a huge match featuring six of the USWA’s top stars!
The USWA comes to the Civic Center in El Dorado, Arkansas for the first time with Card #198! • In another heated tag team match, Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer will take on the returning Crusher and his mystery partner. Whoever Crusher’s partner will be, he will need to be a great wrestler, as Zbyszko and Destroyer proved effective in their only teaming to-date, beating former World Tag Team champions Jimmy Snuka and Jimmy Valiant. Can Crusher and his partner gain revenge for the attack on “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous”? • The tag team war between The Midnight Express and Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware rages on, as the two teams will do battle in El Dorado. You can bet the popular duo of Armstrong and Ware will be even more fired up, after the last card where Jim Cornette got “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton disqualified, so that Eaton could retain the Texas championship. This tag feud roars on! • Nick Bockwinkel is hoping to avenge his loss to Danny Hodge, as the two will lock up once again. Both men are participants in the Clash at the Coliseum tournament and could very well face each other in the finals, but they are guaranteed to meet on February 20! • World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will face their rivals and the men they beat for the belts, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in a non-title match. Snuka and Valiant are hoping for another shot at the gold, but may have gotten sidetracked with the loss to Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer. But a win over the champs would definitely earn them another opportunity! Can they do it or will Captain Lou Albano’s men prevail? • Ed “Strangler” Lewis takes on Dick Hutton. Lewis got a countout win last time in his home arena. Can he win again on “neutral territory”? • The main event will be a huge return bout for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship as The Sheik puts his gold on the line against “Playboy” Buddy Rose. The champion was the winner last time via countout in a double bloody bout that saw his sharp object come in to play on several occasions. Can Rose get the win and become the first “Grand Slam” winner in USWA history, or will The Sheik continue to reign? All this plus, former tag team partners collide when Buff Bagwell faces Brutus Beefcake! Plus Ted DiBiase makes his return to the USWA rings, and more great bouts!
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 2, 2009 16:29:48 GMT -4
February 20, 2009 Card #198: Civic Center in El Dorado, AR
1) The Killer Bees got a win in the opener against George South and Larry Sharpe. After their controversial loss in challenging for the USWA World Tag Team titles last week, The Bees were focused here, wanting to get another championship opportunity. They kept South in the ring the entire bout and picked up the win when B. Brian Blair pinned South after a flying body press off the top rope. ¼*
2) Danny Doring got a surprising win via countout over Dan Severn. Doring fought hard, hoping to get a big upset win over “The Beast” and even scored some near falls. Nick Bockwinkel, along with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan came down to ringside, to scout Bockwinkel’s first round opponent in the Clash at the Coliseum tournament on Card #200. Doring knocked Severn out of the ring with a dropkick. “Sensational” Sherri Martel distracted Sam Platania, which allowed Bockwinkel to attack Severn. He threw “The Beast” into the ring post. He and Heenan then walked up the aisle, making it look like they hadn’t touched Severn. Platania turned around to see Severn on the floor and put the count on him. Dick Hutton came from the other side of the ring to check on his man, but it was too late, as Severn was counted out. Bockwinkel looked happy with his tactics, and Doring and Sherri were definitely excited over “The Dastardly One’s” dastardly win! ¾*
3) In the first battle of The Killer B’s, it was Brutus Beefcake that got the win over Buff Bagwell. This was a quick, physical bout, that saw each man trying to get the first win. Each hit their respective finishers on the other, but it was as if the former partners knew each other so well, that they were able to kick out at two. Beefcake took control and blasted “Buff Daddy” with a big double thrust to the throat. The move was strong enough to put Bagwell down for the three-count. *
4) After more than two years away, Ted DiBiase returned to the USWA with a vengeance and defeated Johnny Rodz. DiBiase sported a black glove on his right hand in this bout. “The Unpredictable” Rodz had a lot of control in this one, and looked on his way to his first one-on-one win in a USWA ring. But out of nowhere, DiBiase took control and blasted Rodz with the gloved right hand. The punch dropped Rodz and DiBiase took advantage to make a cover and score the pin out of nowhere. DiBiase was cheered by the El Dorado crowd. Dick Hutton was seen watching the match from the aisle, and DiBiase stared him down, pointing to his right hand and signaling that Hutton would soon feel the power of the right. * 5) The Crusher returned from injury with a mystery partner to battle Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer. “Da” Crusher came to the ring first, then told something to Gary Michael Cappetta. Suddenly, familiar music hit, and out from the crowd came Diamond Dallas Page! The choice of partner was a good one. Page hit the Diamond Cutter on Zbyszko early on, but Bobby Heenan distracted Tommy Marlin. Crusher came in and hit the Bolo, but Zbyszko rolled out of the ring. Zbyszko took a beating, but eventually tagged out the “Intelligent, Sensational One”, who went to work on DDP’s leg, applying the figure-four, and later a single leg Boston Crab. Zbyszko came in and managed to take off the turnbuckle pad, while Destroyer momentarily diverted Marlin’s attention. Zbyszko then rammed Page’s head into the buckle, weakening the Jersey native. But with the crowd behind him, Page fought back and tagged out to Crusher. Crusher hit a punch to the face, then another Crusher Bolo, but again Heenan caused a distraction. Zbyszko was bloodied, but recovered and came off the top rope with a double sledge to Crusher’s neck. Later on, Page had control against Destroyer, and went up to the top rope. Before he could come off, Zbyszko pushed DDP off the top, causing him to hit the mat hard. Destroyer went for a cover, but Crusher came in and broke it with a big stomp. Both men recovered and tagged out to their partners. After a few minutes of action, Crusher put Zbyszko down for the count with a third Bolo, while Page kept Destroyer at bay. The El Dorado fans popped big time and Crusher and Page celebrated among the fans at ringside. ****½
6) The Midnight Express scored a hard-fought victory in a great match against Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware. Both teams fought tooth and nail in this one, as this feud has heated up. “The Birdman” and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton went at it several times, as Ware was hoping to get a pin on the Texas champion, after being cheated out of the title last week in Dallas. Armstrong hit a Russian leg sweep on Eaton for a near fall. The Georgian followed up with a stiff knee lift, which busted Eaton’s nose. Armstrong went for a cover, but Jim Cornette jumped up on the ring apron. This allowed Eaton to recover and blast Armstrong with a right hand. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey later hit a face-first leg sweep on Ware for a near fall, but Ware used his Ghostbuster later for another two-count. Ware later hit a top rope diving head butt on Condrey, which bloodied him up as well. The Midnights managed to take control and hit a Midnight Massacre on ‘The Birdman”. Somehow Koko managed to kick out. A few minutes later, they followed up with a second Massacre and Eaton made the cover to get the pin. The match was over, but the war wasn’t, as Condrey charged Armstrong and threw him to the floor. Cornette then tossed Eaton his tennis racket, and the Texas champ drove the racket into Ware’s throat. While “The Birdman” writhed in pain, Eaton went to the top rope, while Condrey and Cornette held him down. Eaton dove off with a knee drop, landing right across Ware’s throat. Ware started coughing up blood, while The Midnights and Cornette celebrated their attack. Armstrong finally recovered, but the damage had been done to his tag team partner. *****
7) Nick Bockwinkel got a submission victory over Danny Hodge. Bockwinkel was focused here, fighting more aggressively than usual. His focus was on Hodge’s leg, going for the figure-four leglock. When Hodge wouldn’t surrender, Bockwinkel went for his sleeper, but Dan Severn had come down to ringside and tried to get in the ring, looking for revenge on Bockwinkel for his earlier involvement in Severn’s bout. Dick Hutton calmed “The Beast” down, but Bockwinkel released the hold and jawed with Severn. Hodge was later seeing red, as the blood streamed down his face. Bockwinkel continued the attack on the leg and eventually caused Hodge to tap to the figure-four. **
8) World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated their rivals “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. This was a back-and-forth bout. The champions, as has become one of their trademarks, worked over their opponents’ necks. They proved their toughness as a duo, busting open both Snuka and Valiant. Snuka had control over Valentine, but Capt. Lou Albano attacked Snuka at one point on the floor, while Tommy Gilbert was distracted by Muraco and Valiant in the ring. Snuka wasn’t too hurt by the Captain, but this allowed Valentine to recover and nail Snuka with a steel chair to the back of the neck. Muraco hit a Hawaiian Hammer and went for a cover, but Valiant made a save. Snuka came back and went to the top rope, looking for the Superfly Leap. He dove off, but Muraco rolled out of the way. Snuka hit hard and his neck whiplashed back. Muraco hit another Hammer and got the pin. ***½
9) Team RPW’s coach Dick Hutton scored a huge win, pinning Ed “Strangler” Lewis prior to Lewis challenging Frank Gotch for the World Heavyweight crown on the USWA’s 200th card. This was a physical bout that saw both men have the upper hand at various times. Lewis locked on a double wristlock, then turned into a Strangler’s Headlock trying to get either a pin or a submission on Hutton. Hutton managed to get his foot on the bottom rope after a long struggle. Hutton applied his own abdominal stretch to the “Strangler” for nearly a minute, but Lewis managed to force a break as well by grabbing the ropes. It was a slugfest between the two, with Hutton starting to gain control via some forearm shots. Hutton went up to the second turnbuckle, and leapt off with another impressive forearm shot, that leveled Lewis. Hutton went for a cover and got a somewhat surprising three-count. This was Lewis’ first pin or submission loss since returning from his broken ankle. Lewis seemed shaken up by the forearm blows, but was able to return to the locker room on his own. Hutton definitely gave Team RP W a psychological advantage over the “Strangler” prior to his title shot, and perhaps to Ted DiBiase prior to Hutton and DiBiase’s bout. ***
10) The main event was a rematch for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship as The Sheik defended against “Playboy” Buddy Rose. This one was practically over before it started. With both men in their respective corners after Gary Michael Cappetta’s main event introductions, Sheik charged Rose from behind and attacked him. “Sensational” Sherri Martel started screaming for her man. Meanwhile Abdullah Farouk ran around the ring and started yelling at Sherri. Tommy Marlin was distracted by Farouk and Martel, and didn’t see Sheik toss a huge fireball right at the challenger! Sherri saw it and screamed for Rose’s safety, while he rolled on the mat in pain. The champ then went to his second weapon—the sharp object and proceeded to jab away at Rose’s burned flesh. It was just a matter of moments before Sheik was able to pin Rose’s shoulders to the mat, after using the spike several times. The El Dorado fans were not happy by the quick and controversial main event, but the decision stood. Danny Doring made his way down to the ring, to attend to his fallen partner, along with Sherri. By virtue of his victory, Sheik has set a record for most defense of the Southern title—with seven, having just surpassed Frank Gotch’s first reign in late 2006-early 2007. DUD
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 2, 2009 16:30:50 GMT -4
February 20, 2009 Card #198: Civic Center in El Dorado, AR
1) The Killer Bees got a win in the opener against George South and Larry Sharpe. After their controversial loss in challenging for the USWA World Tag Team titles last week, The Bees were focused here, wanting to get another championship opportunity. They kept South in the ring the entire bout and picked up the win when B. Brian Blair pinned South after a flying body press off the top rope. ¼*
2) Danny Doring got a surprising win via countout over Dan Severn. Doring fought hard, hoping to get a big upset win over “The Beast” and even scored some near falls. Nick Bockwinkel, along with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan came down to ringside, to scout Bockwinkel’s first round opponent in the Clash at the Coliseum tournament on Card #200. Doring knocked Severn out of the ring with a dropkick. “Sensational” Sherri Martel distracted Sam Platania, which allowed Bockwinkel to attack Severn. He threw “The Beast” into the ring post. He and Heenan then walked up the aisle, making it look like they hadn’t touched Severn. Platania turned around to see Severn on the floor and put the count on him. Dick Hutton came from the other side of the ring to check on his man, but it was too late, as Severn was counted out. Bockwinkel looked happy with his tactics, and Doring and Sherri were definitely excited over “The Dastardly One’s” dastardly win! ¾*
3) In the first battle of The Killer B’s, it was Brutus Beefcake that got the win over Buff Bagwell. This was a quick, physical bout, that saw each man trying to get the first win. Each hit their respective finishers on the other, but it was as if the former partners knew each other so well, that they were able to kick out at two. Beefcake took control and blasted “Buff Daddy” with a big double thrust to the throat. The move was strong enough to put Bagwell down for the three-count. *
4) After more than two years away, Ted DiBiase returned to the USWA with a vengeance and defeated Johnny Rodz. DiBiase sported a black glove on his right hand in this bout. “The Unpredictable” Rodz had a lot of control in this one, and looked on his way to his first one-on-one win in a USWA ring. But out of nowhere, DiBiase took control and blasted Rodz with the gloved right hand. The punch dropped Rodz and DiBiase took advantage to make a cover and score the pin out of nowhere. DiBiase was cheered by the El Dorado crowd. Dick Hutton was seen watching the match from the aisle, and DiBiase stared him down, pointing to his right hand and signaling that Hutton would soon feel the power of the right. * 5) The Crusher returned from injury with a mystery partner to battle Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer. “Da” Crusher came to the ring first, then told something to Gary Michael Cappetta. Suddenly, familiar music hit, and out from the crowd came Diamond Dallas Page! The choice of partner was a good one. Page hit the Diamond Cutter on Zbyszko early on, but Bobby Heenan distracted Tommy Marlin. Crusher came in and hit the Bolo, but Zbyszko rolled out of the ring. Zbyszko took a beating, but eventually tagged out the “Intelligent, Sensational One”, who went to work on DDP’s leg, applying the figure-four, and later a single leg Boston Crab. Zbyszko came in and managed to take off the turnbuckle pad, while Destroyer momentarily diverted Marlin’s attention. Zbyszko then rammed Page’s head into the buckle, weakening the Jersey native. But with the crowd behind him, Page fought back and tagged out to Crusher. Crusher hit a punch to the face, then another Crusher Bolo, but again Heenan caused a distraction. Zbyszko was bloodied, but recovered and came off the top rope with a double sledge to Crusher’s neck. Later on, Page had control against Destroyer, and went up to the top rope. Before he could come off, Zbyszko pushed DDP off the top, causing him to hit the mat hard. Destroyer went for a cover, but Crusher came in and broke it with a big stomp. Both men recovered and tagged out to their partners. After a few minutes of action, Crusher put Zbyszko down for the count with a third Bolo, while Page kept Destroyer at bay. The El Dorado fans popped big time and Crusher and Page celebrated among the fans at ringside. ****½
6) The Midnight Express scored a hard-fought victory in a great match against Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware. Both teams fought tooth and nail in this one, as this feud has heated up. “The Birdman” and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton went at it several times, as Ware was hoping to get a pin on the Texas champion, after being cheated out of the title last week in Dallas. Armstrong hit a Russian leg sweep on Eaton for a near fall. The Georgian followed up with a stiff knee lift, which busted Eaton’s nose. Armstrong went for a cover, but Jim Cornette jumped up on the ring apron. This allowed Eaton to recover and blast Armstrong with a right hand. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey later hit a face-first leg sweep on Ware for a near fall, but Ware used his Ghostbuster later for another two-count. Ware later hit a top rope diving head butt on Condrey, which bloodied him up as well. The Midnights managed to take control and hit a Midnight Massacre on ‘The Birdman”. Somehow Koko managed to kick out. A few minutes later, they followed up with a second Massacre and Eaton made the cover to get the pin. The match was over, but the war wasn’t, as Condrey charged Armstrong and threw him to the floor. Cornette then tossed Eaton his tennis racket, and the Texas champ drove the racket into Ware’s throat. While “The Birdman” writhed in pain, Eaton went to the top rope, while Condrey and Cornette held him down. Eaton dove off with a knee drop, landing right across Ware’s throat. Ware started coughing up blood, while The Midnights and Cornette celebrated their attack. Armstrong finally recovered, but the damage had been done to his tag team partner. *****
7) Nick Bockwinkel got a submission victory over Danny Hodge. Bockwinkel was focused here, fighting more aggressively than usual. His focus was on Hodge’s leg, going for the figure-four leglock. When Hodge wouldn’t surrender, Bockwinkel went for his sleeper, but Dan Severn had come down to ringside and tried to get in the ring, looking for revenge on Bockwinkel for his earlier involvement in Severn’s bout. Dick Hutton calmed “The Beast” down, but Bockwinkel released the hold and jawed with Severn. Hodge was later seeing red, as the blood streamed down his face. Bockwinkel continued the attack on the leg and eventually caused Hodge to tap to the figure-four. **
8) World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated their rivals “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. This was a back-and-forth bout. The champions, as has become one of their trademarks, worked over their opponents’ necks. They proved their toughness as a duo, busting open both Snuka and Valiant. Snuka had control over Valentine, but Capt. Lou Albano attacked Snuka at one point on the floor, while Tommy Gilbert was distracted by Muraco and Valiant in the ring. Snuka wasn’t too hurt by the Captain, but this allowed Valentine to recover and nail Snuka with a steel chair to the back of the neck. Muraco hit a Hawaiian Hammer and went for a cover, but Valiant made a save. Snuka came back and went to the top rope, looking for the Superfly Leap. He dove off, but Muraco rolled out of the way. Snuka hit hard and his neck whiplashed back. Muraco hit another Hammer and got the pin. ***½
9) Team RPW’s coach Dick Hutton scored a huge win, pinning Ed “Strangler” Lewis prior to Lewis challenging Frank Gotch for the World Heavyweight crown on the USWA’s 200th card. This was a physical bout that saw both men have the upper hand at various times. Lewis locked on a double wristlock, then turned into a Strangler’s Headlock trying to get either a pin or a submission on Hutton. Hutton managed to get his foot on the bottom rope after a long struggle. Hutton applied his own abdominal stretch to the “Strangler” for nearly a minute, but Lewis managed to force a break as well by grabbing the ropes. It was a slugfest between the two, with Hutton starting to gain control via some forearm shots. Hutton went up to the second turnbuckle, and leapt off with another impressive forearm shot, that leveled Lewis. Hutton went for a cover and got a somewhat surprising three-count. This was Lewis’ first pin or submission loss since returning from his broken ankle. Lewis seemed shaken up by the forearm blows, but was able to return to the locker room on his own. Hutton definitely gave Team RP W a psychological advantage over the “Strangler” prior to his title shot, and perhaps to Ted DiBiase prior to Hutton and DiBiase’s bout. ***
10) The main event was a rematch for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship as The Sheik defended against “Playboy” Buddy Rose. This one was practically over before it started. With both men in their respective corners after Gary Michael Cappetta’s main event introductions, Sheik charged Rose from behind and attacked him. “Sensational” Sherri Martel started screaming for her man. Meanwhile Abdullah Farouk ran around the ring and started yelling at Sherri. Tommy Marlin was distracted by Farouk and Martel, and didn’t see Sheik toss a huge fireball right at the challenger! Sherri saw it and screamed for Rose’s safety, while he rolled on the mat in pain. The champ then went to his second weapon—the sharp object and proceeded to jab away at Rose’s burned flesh. It was just a matter of moments before Sheik was able to pin Rose’s shoulders to the mat, after using the spike several times. The El Dorado fans were not happy by the quick and controversial main event, but the decision stood. Danny Doring made his way down to the ring, to attend to his fallen partner, along with Sherri. By virtue of his victory, Sheik has set a record for most defense of the Southern title—with seven, having just surpassed Frank Gotch’s first reign in late 2006-early 2007. DUD
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 13, 2009 19:35:34 GMT -4
Highlights from two very newsworthy episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling: February 21, 2009 • It was announced that due to the attack by The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette, “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware had suffered a throat injury and will be out of action for about two months. Brad Armstrong was interviewed and announced that he had enlisted some help to battle The Midnights and Cornette. The Killer Bees walked into the WMC-TV studios. Armstrong revealed that a six-man tag team match had been signed between the two trios for the 200th card. • In another big tag team match signed for the Mid South Coliseum, former World Tag Team champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will take on one-half of the USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and manager Capt. Lou Albano. You can bet that Snuka and Valiant are looking forward to getting their hands on the rubber banded manager in a sanctioned match. • The Crusher will do battle with Heenan Family member Larry Zbyszko in another big feud match. • Ted DiBiase was interviewed by Bill Apter on this episode. Apter asked the former Southern Heavyweight champion about his black gloved right hand. DiBiase stated that while wrestling in the UWF, he suffered a broken hand. The glove was to protect the previously injured hand. Rather than make excuses, DiBiase had trained his hand to be one of his top weapons and he delivers a powerful blow which has knocked down many opponents. He plans to knock out Team RPW or anyone else who gets in his way. DiBiase also announced that his teammates “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and “Iron” Mike DiBiase are finishing commitments for the UWF, but will debut at the 200th card!
February 28, 2009 • Another tag match was signed as the other half of the World Tag Team champions Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will reform The Dream Team with Brutus Beefcake. These two will battle Buff Bagwell and his new partner. “Buff Daddy’s” partner will debut on the next card, but Capt. Lou Albano was confident that The Dream Team can handle whoever the partner turns out to be, so he signed for this bout. • In singles action, Diamond Dallas Page will do battle with two-time former USWA World Heavyweight champion “Playboy” Buddy Rose. • Speaking of DDP, he and The Crusher were interviewed by Lance Russell about their victory the previous week over The Destroyer and Larry Zbyszko. Crusher said he chose Page as his partner, because he sees him like himself, as a man of the people. Russell asked if the two would team up again. Page stated that while both are more focused on singles competition, that they are willing to help each other out, whenever it’s needed.
We’re one stop away from this huge 200th card! But Card #199 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington will be a huge one itself! • “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous”—The Crusher will take on “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Rose is suffering some bumps and bruises from challenging The Sheik for the Southern Heavyweight title on the last card, but you have to give him credit for not taking time off. Who will win this big bout? • “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will collide with one of Capt. Lou Albano’s men—former Texas champion Brutus Beefcake. Albano is looking to wear down Valiant before he and Magnificent Muraco have to step into the ring with Valiant and Jimmy Snuka. Can Valiant boogie his way to a victory over the San Francisco native? • Before they collide in six-man tag team action, The Killer Bees will face The Midnight Express. The Bees are fighting for Koko B. Ware’s honor, but this match is also important for moving up in the tag team division. Will it be The Bees or The Midnights getting a victory before the showdown at the Mid South Coliseum? • World Tag Team champion Magnificent Muraco will take on his hated rival “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. This feud continues to roll on. Who will get the win in Lexington? • Before challenging for the World Heavyweight title, Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Doring was bragging on Championship Wrestling about his “win” over Dan Severn on the last card and claims he’ll upset another technical wrestling great in Lexington. While Lewis is coming off a loss to Dick Hutton, you can be he’s focused for the World title bout, plus he’s got his home state on his side. Can Doring gain the upset or will Lewis put a stranglehold on him? • The main event will be a big six-man tag team bout pitting Team RPW against The Heenan Family and their associate. Dick Hutton, Danny Hodge, and Dan “The Beast” Severn will take on Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, and The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer. There’s six of the top wrestlers in the USWA in this one. You’ve got three former USWA World Heavyweight champions featured, plus all four participants in the Clash at the Coliseum tournament. There will be some bragging rights going to the winners. Will it be the pure wrestling unit or the Family coming out on top? All this plus Diamond Dallas Page and Ted DiBiase in action, as well as Buff Bagwell teaming up with his new partner!
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 13, 2009 22:32:21 GMT -4
March 6, 2009 Card #199: Rupp Arena in Lexington 1) Brad Armstrong was victorious in the opener defeating George South. Armstrong rocked South and picked up the win in a few minutes with a Russian leg sweep. DUD 2) Cousin Luke and S.D. Jones were to meet Buff Bagwell and his new partner. Buff Bagwell came out to his “Buff Daddy” theme song first. He handed a card to Gary Michael Cappetta. Cappetta then introduced… Chris Candido, who walked out to his familiar “Back in Black” theme! Candido last wrestled in the USWA in 2006-2007, as part of a unit with “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Gorgeous George. The new duo of Bagwell and Candido worked well together, keeping “Special Delivery” in the ring the entire time. Candido took Jones to the top rope and looked about ready to execute his Blonde Bomb, but the hillbilly Luke jumped in to stop the attempted move. Bagwell came in and knocked Luke out of the ring with a clothesline. “Buff Daddy” tagged in shortly after and picked up the win with after a Buff Blockbuster on Jones. ¼* 3) Larry Sharpe got perhaps his biggest USWA win to date with a pinfall over Ted DiBiase. DiBiase had the match in control, locking on a figure-four leglock early, but Sharpe made the ropes. Team RPW’s coach Dick Hutton came down to ringside to scout his opponent for the 200th card. DiBiase went up to the top rope for a maneuver. Before he leapt, he started jawing with Hutton. This was a mistake that allowed Sharpe to get to his feet and slam DiBiase off the top rope. He made a quick cover and scored the pinfall. DiBiase got up right after the bell and was mad at himself for his mistake. Hutton seemed to have a smirk on his face as he made his way back to the locker room. ¼* 4) Diamond Dallas Page scored a hard-fought win over Virgil. DDP went for the Diamond Cutter early, but Virgil slipped out of it. The former bodyguard gave Page a good fight, using his punching skills to wear down the Jersey native. But with the crowd behind him, Page rallied back and put Virgil down after a stiff discus clothesline. ¾* 5) The Crusher scored an impressive win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Crusher rocked the former USWA World champion with his hard-hitting offense. Despite “Sensational” Sherri Martel’s best efforts, “Da” Crusher put her man down after a big Crusher Bolo. DUD 6) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant battled Brutus Beefcake to a double disqualification. Valiant had control throughout most of this bout, locking on his sleeper, and later hitting a top rope super elbow drop, but couldn’t keep Beefcake down. The two brawled in and out of the ring, and were throwing wild punches in the center of the ring. When Paul Neighbors tried to break the two up, both Valiant and Beefcake slugged Neighbors. The official was left with no choice but to disqualify both men. The World Tag Team champions Greg Valentine and Magnificent Muraco ran down and jumped “Handsome” Jimmy, holding him down, while Capt. Lou Albano went to attack him with a steel chair. Before he could “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka ran down to save his partner from further punishment. *¼ 7) The Midnight Express got a controversial win via DQ over The Killer Bees. Jim Cornette got involved several times to give his men the advantage. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey used the face-first leg sweep a few times, as well as the Rocket Launcher on B. Brian Blair. As Texas champion Eaton went for the cover, Jerry Calhoun was getting Condrey out of the ring, which allowed “Jumping” Jim Brunzell to sneak in and blast Eaton with a low dropkick to the face and give his team the advantage. Still Cornette was able to sneak in cheap shots and sneaky tactics to allow The Midnights to retain control. Brunzell managed to tag out to Blair and The Bees took over on “Beautiful” Bobby, double teaming him and hitting a double dropkick. Unfortunately they were so angered by The Midnights’ tactics, that they were not paying attention to Calhoun’s count and got disqualified for double teaming, giving “Beautiful” Bobby and “Loverboy” Dennis the win. Cornette celebrated the victory. The Lexington fans were irate by the call, considering all of “The Louisville Slugger’s” antics! **¼ 8) World Tag Team co-champion Magnificent Muraco bloodied and beat his rival “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Muraco worked over Snuka and hit the Hawaiian Hammer twice. With the fans behind him, as well as his tag team partner “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant who came down to ringside midway through the bout, Snuka managed to kicked out. After the second Hammer, Snuka came up bleeding and the blood poured throughout the rest of the bout. The Fijian warrior fought hard against the Hawaiian surfer, but couldn’t keep him down for long. Muraco used his Asiatic Spike several times and got the win after a third Hawaiian Hammer. ***¼ 9) Despite coming off a loss on the last card to Dick Hutton, Ed “Strangler” Lewis dominated “Dastardly” Danny Doring. The next challenger for the World Heavyweight title had the Kentuckian crowd on his side. He utilized his Strangler’s Headlock several times, even sidestepping a top rope double sledge from Doring and grabbing the “Dastardly One” in the headlock and taking him down to the mat in a quick motion. But the headlock would come in to play again and force a tapout from a bloodied Doring. ¼* 10) The main event was a big six-man tag team match that pitted Team RPW members Dick Hutton, Danny Hodge, and Dan Severn against Heenan Family members Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, and their associate The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer. Neither team is considered fan favorites, but the Lexington fans sided slightly with the trio of Bockwinkel, Zbyszko, and Destroyer, perhaps due to RPW fueding with Kentuckian Ed “Strangler” Lewis. “The Beast” and Destroyer, who met in January for the World Heavyweight title, started the match off. Severn hit a German suplex for a two-count, then tagged out to Hodge. Destroyer caught Hodge with a small package for a near fall, then continued his onslaught on the Oklahoman. He applied the figure-four, but Hodge made the ropes. Zbyszko tagged in and slammed Hodge’s head into the turnbuckle several times. He dropped Hodge with a piledriver, but only got a two. Bockwinkel tagged in and worked over Hodge, before tagging out to Destroyer. The masked man locked on the figure-four again, but Hutton jumped in and dropped a knee to Destroyer’s head. This allowed Hodge to recover and he tagged out to Hutton, who made his first official appearance of the match. Hutton threw Bockwinkel with a nice side salto, then turned into a pin attempt, but Bockwinkel just kicked out. Bockwinkel took over on Hutton after a brief skirmish on the floor, then applied the figure-four in the center of the ring. Hutton managed to roll into the ropes. Zbyszko tagged in again. He showcased his martial arts skills, blasting Hutton with a big spinning back kick. Hutton went down and Zbyszko capitalized, making a cover. He wisely positioned himself near the ring ropes, where Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was. Zbyszko put his own feet on the middle ropes and “The Brain” held on for added leverage, unseen by Jerry Calhoun. The move proved effective as Zbyszko scored the pin for his team. RPW was outraged by the ending, but the crowd didn’t seem too sympathetic to them! ***¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 14, 2009 19:17:33 GMT -4
From beginning to end, here’s the line-up for the historic 200th USWA card from the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis on March 10! The card will open up with the first round matches in the Clash at the Coliseum tournament. This will allow the two winning wrestlers time to rest up before the final bout. The Destroyer vs. Danny Hodge (First Round Match in The Clash at the Coliseum Tournament) Former World Heavyweight champion Destroyer battles former NWA Jr. Heavyweight champion Hodge. Both men are great technicians. This will be the first time the two have met in a one-on-one match. Hodge holds wins over “tougher” opponents and hopes get another win here against the masked man. This should be a great bout, and it’s just the opener! Nick Bockwinkel vs. Dan Severn (First Round Match in The Clash at the Coliseum Tournament) Two former USWA World Heavyweight champions collide in this one. They have met before, with Bockwinkel coming out the winner. “The Beast” would love to make the three-time champ tap out and earn another opportunity at the gold. Who will emerge victorious and move on to the finals? The final bout of the tournament is currently slated to take place before the main event. Remember, fans—the winner of this four-man tournament will win $25,000 and will get to challenge the winner of the main event for the USWA World Heavyweight championship on April 10 in Evansville, IN. Also, the inaugural USWA champion Johnny Valentine will be the special guest referee for the finals. Valentine appeared in the WMC-TV studios this past week and was interviewed by Lance Russell. He informed the four wrestlers that he will be an impartial official and will call it right down the middle. In a random “USWA history” moment, should Nick Bockwinkel get to the finals, it was Valentine whom Bockwinkel defeated in 2004 for his first USWA championship. Mike DiBiase vs. Virgil “Iron” Mike makes his USWA debut. He’ll battle his son Ted’s former bodyguard. Virgil should not be underestimated and he is a tough competitor and has scored upset wins in the past! The Dream Team vs. Buff Bagwell & Chris Candido “Buff Daddy’s” new tag team partner was a good choice, but they’ll be going up against a tough team in Beefcake and one-half of the World Tag Team champs Valentine. Which former Killer B will have the better partner to lead his team to victory? Steve Williams & “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. George South & Larry Sharpe The other members of Ted DiBiase’s group will make their first appearance. Duggan wrestled in the USWA in 2005 and 2006, but this will be “Dr. Death’s” first time in a USWA ring. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Buddy Rose DDP continues to roll in the USWA, having not lost by pin or submission. He’ll have a big bout against two-time former USWA World Heavyweight champion Rose. Will the “Playboy” feel the BANG!? The Crusher vs. Larry Zbyszko Zbyszko, along with Nick Bockwinkel and The Destroyer, put Crusher out of action with a neck injury. Crusher and Diamond Dallas Page got a tag win over Zbyszko and Destroyer, but “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” wants to get another one-on-one win over Zbyszko. Will it be “Da” Crusher polkaing out of the Mid South Coliseum in victory or can Zbyszko pick up the win? The Midnight Express & Jim Cornette vs. The Killer Bees & Brad Armstrong “The Louisville Slugger” will certainly bust out his typical spandex bodysuit for this one! Armstrong enlisted the help of The Bees when his partner Koko B. Ware went down to injury from The Midnights and Cornette. Can the popular trio stop Cornette and his men? Ted DiBiase vs. Dick Hutton A lot of history in this one! DiBiase and Hutton formed an alliance in 2004. Many experts thought it was an odd combination, but the duo briefly held the USWA World Tag Team titles in 2005, defeating the then-undefeated Valentines. Their partnership fell apart and Hutton joined up with Frank Gotch. It was DiBiase losing his money to Gotch at New Year’s Knockout in 2006 that led to the formation of Team RPW. Now the “roles” have switched with DiBiase being backed by the fans, and Hutton and RPW becoming cocky, hated wrestlers. Who will get the win in this one? Magnificent Muraco & Capt. Lou Albano vs. Jimmy Snuka & Jimmy Valiant Albano follows fellow manager Jim Cornette in stepping in the ring on this night. The “Superfly” and “The Boogie Woogie Man” have had their problems with Albano interfering in their matches. Now they get the chance to face him head-on. Can the former World Tag Team champs defeat one of the current titleholders and the rubber banded manager? Frank Gotch vs. Ed “Strangler” Lewis (Main Event—USWA World Heavyweight Championship) Even though it’ll only be the second time these two have met one-on-one, there’s so much heat and history here. Gotch offered Lewis a spot in Team RPW last summer, but the “Strangler” politely refused. Gotch claimed there were no hard feelings, but the rejection obviously bothered Gotch and his teammates, as they ambused Lewis and broke his ankle with the Gotch Toehold. Gotch finally achieved his goal this year of winning his first USWA World championship, but his first defense will be a tough one, against two-time champ Lewis. Will the “Strangler” headlock his way to a third championship or will the Gotch Toehold bring him down? That’s the historic 200th USWA card on March 13 from the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis, TN!
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 23, 2009 20:42:47 GMT -4
March 13, 2009 Card #200: Mid South Coliseum in Memphis
1) Danny Hodge started this historic card with a big win over The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer to advance to the finals of the Clash at the Coliseum tournament. Dick Hutton didn’t accompany Hodge to ringside for this match, nor for Dan Severn’s bout to follow, as he was getting ready for his own match with Ted DiBiase later on. These two showcased some great scientific wrestling. Destroyer had most of the advantage and his plan was to wear down Hodge’s leg, by using the single leg Boston Crab. The masked man had control and went up to the top rope. He came off with a Bombs Away, but Hodge rolled out of the way and Destroyer hit hard. Even with a weakened leg, Hodge managed to leap over Destroyer, catch him with an Oklahoma side roll, and score the pin out of nowhere. Hodge earned some cheers from the crowd for his “out of nowhere” win. **¾
2) Nick Bockwinkel got by Dan “The Beast” Severn to become the other finalist in the Clash at the Coliseum. Severn was in control in the opening minutes, but Bockwinkel reversed a whip into the corner and was able to pick up Severn with a back suplex on the rebound. Bockwinkel applied the figure-four, but Severn made the ropes. As Severn got to his feet, Bockwinkel pounced on him and applied the Bockwinkel Sleeper. The move weakened “The Beast” and his arm dropped three times, giving Bockwinkel the win and the right to face Danny Hodge later in the evening. ¾* 3) “Iron” Mike DiBiase made a big impact in a short amount of time, beating Virgil in less than a minute. DiBiase tossed Virgil to the mat, then went up to the top rope and came off with a well-placed knee drop right to Virgil’s back. He made the cover and got the three-count. Ted DiBiase met up with his father in the aisle to congratulate him on his win. DUD
4) Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido proved they will be a force to be reckoned with, as they got a big win in only their second match together defeating The Dream Team. Even though Bagwell and Candido wouldn’t normally be considered fan favorites, the crowd was behind them here, perhaps due to their dislike for Capt. Lou Albano and his men! The former Killer B’s started off against each other. Bagwell got a near fall early on with a crossbody block on Brutus Beefcake. Chris Candido tagged in, as well as Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Valentine went for the neck, getting a two-count on Candido after a neckbreaker. Bagwell came back in and got a close one with the Buff Blockbuster. Beefcake later had Candido in a sleeper, but Bagwell jumped in and nailed his former partner with a dropkick from behind. Candido used his high-impact offense to wear down Beefcake, getting close counts on two occasions with a superplex. Bagwell came off the top rope with a flying body press on Valentine. The Captain got up on the ring apron to distract Tommy Gilbert. This allowed Beefcake to sneak in and smash Bagwell on the back of head with Valentine’s World Tag Team title belt. “Buff Daddy” was shaken up and got hit a falling elbow from “The Hammer”. Valentine went for a cover, but Bagwell kicked out. Beefcake tagged in, but Bagwell managed to tag out to Candido as well. Candido went to work on the former Texas champion. He pulled Beefcake up to the top rope and managed to execute the Blonde Bomb. He went for a cover, while Bagwell cut off Valentine with a big clothesline. Candido got the three-count as the crowd popped for this small upset win. As Candido and Bagwell left the ring celebrating, Beefcake lay in the ring. Albano and Valentine checked on him and it appeared as if he hurt his neck when Candido dropped him with the Blonde Bomb. He managed to return to the locker room, with the help of Albano, Valentine, and Magnificent Muraco, who came down to the ring. ***½
5) Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan defeated George South and Larry Sharpe. Williams and Duggan got a big cheer from the Memphis crowd. Duggan sent South flying over the top rope with a powerful clothesline in the first minute of the match, then let out a big “Hooooooo!” to the crowd. South almost got counted out, but rolled back in at nine. South and Sharpe managed to double team “Hacksaw” and looked on their way to their first tag team win. South went for a body slam on Duggan, but couldn’t get the big man up. Duggan picked up South and hit a shoulder breaker, then tagged out to Williams who made his first appearance of the match. “Dr. Death” flew at South with a powerful lariat that knocked South out of his boots. That’s all it took for Williams to put down South for the pin and earn the win for him and “Hacksaw”. Ted and Mike DiBiase came down to celebrate with their teammates. **
6) Diamond Dallas Page got a strange win via countout over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. The “Playboy” wanted to show he’s not a “stepping stone” and attacked Page right away, showing he can be aggressive. The Crusher came down to ringside to cheer on his new ally DDP. Rose had Page locked in a half Boston Crab, while Crusher pounded on the mat to get the crowd behind Page. “Sensational” Sherri Martel ran over and started screaming at “Da” Crusher. Crusher jawed back at the “dolly”. Sherri went to slap The Crusher right in the face, but the big man ducked and then proceeded to pick Sherri up over his shoulder and haul her back to the locker room! Rose saw his valet in “peril” and released the Crab, going after Crusher. Rose ran up the aisle to save Sherri, but soon realized that Jerry Calhoun was counting him out. He ran back towards the ring, but couldn’t beat the count. Rose got into the ring after the bell and tried to plead his case to Calhoun, but to no avail. Rose ran over to DDP, but got nailed by a big discus clothesline. While it probably wasn’t the type of victory Page hoped for, it was still a victory. Page returned to the locker room going through the crowd. DUD
7) Crusher “released” Sherri Martel and was soon back to the ring for his match. This was also controversial as Crusher lost to rival Larry Zbyszko by DQ. Crusher went after Zbyszko right as the Pittsburgh native entered the ring. He blasted Zbyszko with powerful forearms. Zbyszko took over after a brawl on the floor and used dirty tactics to wear down “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous”. He slammed Crusher’s head into a turnbuckle, then went for a cover, but only got a two-count. Bobby Heenan distracted Paul Morton, which allowed Zbyszko to quickly remove the turnbuckle pad. Before he could make use of it, Crusher rallied back and pounded away on Zbyszko. “Da” Crusher saw the exposed buckle, grabbed Zbyszko by the hair, and pointed to the corner. Before he could make a move, Morton warned Crusher not to do it, or else he would be disqualified. Crusher refused to listen to the warning and tossed Zbyszko head-first into the exposed metal. Morton was left with no choice but to disqualify The Crusher. Fans were definitely not happy about this one! "The Brain” grabbed Zbyszko and pulled him out of the ring, hauling the woozy Zbyszko back to the locker room, before Crusher could continue his attack. **
8) The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette defeated The Killer Bees and Brad Armstrong by countout. The popular trio of Armstrong and The Bees kept Texas champ “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton in the ring for the first few minutes. “Jumping” Jim Brunzell went for a cover after the Bee Sting, but as Tommy Marlin was getting B. Brian Blair out of the ring, “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey came off the second turnbuckle with a sledge to Brunzell’s back, and then reversed the pin attempt, so that Eaton was on top. Marlin turned around to count, but Brunzell kicked out. Condrey tagged in legally and hit a backbreaker on “Jumping” Jim for a near fall. With Brunzell weakened, it was Cornette’s opportunity to take advantage, so he tagged in. He had brief control of Brunzell, until a mistake cost him and Brunzell tagged out to Armstrong. Cornette tried to get out of the ring, but Armstrong caught him and locked him an abdominal stretch. Cornette was close to the ropes, luckily, and grabbed the second rope to get a break. Armstrong went up to the top rope, but was shoved off by Eaton. Armstrong crashed hard and “The Louisville Slugger” gloated as he had control. Condrey jumped in the ring for no apparent reason, but it was a plan as Cornette grabbed the tennis racket and clocked Armstrong with it. He then tagged out to the “Loverboy” who hit a face-first leg sweep on Armstrong. It looked like Armstrong would be down, but he lifted his shoulder at 2¾. Condrey tossed Armstrong to the floor. Eaton and Cornette goaded The Bees into the ring, which allowed Condrey to attack the weakened Armstrong outside the ring. “Loverboy” Dennis dropped Armstrong with the face-first leg sweep on the arena floor. He then crawled back into the ring. The other four participants were already back in their corners by this point and Marlin counted the knocked out Armstrong out of the ring, giving The Midnights and Cornette the win. The Bees checked on Armstrong and were able to revive him. He was shook up, but suffered no major injuries. **¾
9) Ted DiBiase defeated former tag team partner Dick Hutton in a hard-hitting bout. The action was fast-paced from the opening bell. DiBiase decked Hutton with his big right hand and then went for a figure-four leglock. Dan “The Beast” Severn came down to ringside and clocked DiBiase with a forearm smash, which Paul Morton didn’t see, as he was asking Hutton if he wanted to submit. Hutton went for a cover after the interference, but DiBiase kicked out. Hutton took control, but suddenly Steve Williams appeared at ringside to even the odds. Hutton applied the abdominal stretch, but DiBiase managed to get to the ropes. DiBiase came back and hit another big right hand. He went for a cover, but Hutton got his foot on the bottom ropes. DiBiase and Hutton battered each other back-and-forth. DiBiase gained control hitting a spinning neckbreaker, then coming off the second rope with a big elbow smash that flattened Hutton. DiBiase went for a cover and got the three-count. ***
10) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant defeated one-half of the USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and his manager Capt. Lou Albano. Unlike Jim Cornette in the earlier six-man tag team match, Albano was more willing to get in the ring. After all, the rubber banded manager was once a full-time wrestler as well! “Handsome” Jimmy caught his former manager in the sleeper, but Muraco broke up the submission attempt. Valiant took a page out of the World Tag Team champs’ playbook and hit a neckbreaker on Albano for a near fall. Albano got the advantage by pulling out a foreign object and clocking Valiant with it. He made a cover, but Valiant managed to kick out. “Boogie Woogie” was shaken up, but eventually tagged out to the “Superfly”, who hit a Superfly Leap on Albano, but again Muraco saved his manager. Valiant came in again and landed a big super elbow drop, right across Albano’s nose, which busted him open. Valiant went for a cover, but Albano got his foot on the ropes. Snuka and Muraco ended up in the ring against one another and the Fijian warrior had the edge, getting a near fall after a backbreaker. Valiant came back in, but Muraco took control. He hit a big Hawaiian Hammer and it looked like that would be all, but Valiant kicked out, which drew a big pop from the Memphis fans! Muraco pulled Valiant to his feet and blasted him with an Asiatic Spike. He then tagged out to Albano. Albano went to attack his former charge, but Valiant came back and punched away at Albano. “Boogie Woogie” tagged out to Snuka, who dominated Albano. Snuka went up to the top turnbuckle and dove off with a picture-perfect Superfly Leap onto the manager. Valiant ran in and knocked Muraco off the apron with a double sledge. This allowed Snuka to make the cover and get the three-count. ***¾
11) Danny Hodge harkened back to the days of competing in NCAA wrestling tournaments to win the Clash at the Coliseum tournament with a decisive win over Nick Bockwinkel. The special guest referee for this bout was the first USWA World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine. Valentine received a big ovation from the Mid South Coliseum faithful. (Random USWA fact—Valentine lost the championship to Bockwinkel in this very same arena.) Dick Hutton did not come to ringside with Hodge at the start of this bout, as he was recovering from his loss to Ted DiBiase from earlier in the night. Despite some heated bouts between the two wrestlers as of late, they kept things clean in the opening minutes, with some classic scientific wrestling. Hodge was the aggressor wanting to prove he could beat Bockwinkel once again. He worked Bockwinkel’s leg, applying variations of the Boston Crab. He locked Bockwinkel in the Oklahoma side roll, hooking the wounded leg, but Bockwinkel still managed to kick out. Hodge had Bockwinkel in the middle of the ring and applied a grueling Indian Deathlock to the three-time World champ. Sensing his man was in trouble, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan got up on the ring apron. Now if Jerry Calhoun or Paul Morton would have been officiating, they would have just yelled at “The Weasel” to get him down. But not Johnny Valentine! The former champ smashed Heenan with one of his famed Atomic Skullcrushers, which rocked the crowd! Heenan fell to the floor and Valentine returned his attention to the match. Bockwinkel was stuck and with the pain on his injured leg, he was left with no choice but to tap out. Hodge was the Clash at the Coliseum winner. The Memphis fans cheered the big win, even though Team RPW are not their favorite wrestlers. Valentine presented Hodge with the $25,000 check. Dick Hutton and Dan Severn came down to celebrate with their teammate. (World champion Frank Gotch was preparing for his main event title match.) With the win, Hodge also earned the next title shot against the main event winner. *½
12) The main event saw Frank Gotch make his first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship against rival Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Dick Hutton, recovered from his earlier match with Ted DiBiase, made his first ringside appearance of the night, accompanying the champion. The two exchanged some great mat holds early on, with Gotch working Lewis’ previously injured ankle, that he and Team RPW injured. Lewis was the first to pick up the action, locking on the Strangler’s Headlock, several times on the champ. Gotch rolled out of the ring for a breather. Lewis followed, but it was a trick, as Gotch clipped the ankle from behind. The champion threw the challenger back in the ring and immediately applied the Gotch Toehold. Lewis fought hard and reached the ropes. Gotch went to his punching skills and tried to knock out the “Strangler”. He connected with some stiff blows, but Lewis fought back and ducked the punches. He took Gotch down to the mat into a double wristlock, which popped the Mid South Coliseum. Gotch got his foot on the ropes before much damage could be done. Lewis again applied the headlock and the champ looked to be trapped. As Jerry Calhoun was checking on the champ’s condition, Hutton from outside the ring slipped in a forearm smash to Lewis’ back, breaking the hold. Gotch went on the attack and the fans were irate by what they had seen, but what Calhoun had missed. Still Lewis rallied back, not wanting to quit. He caught Gotch with another headlock. Gotch had been busted open by this point and fought hard to get out of the hold. He appeared to have passed out. Lewis drove Gotch onto his shoulders and Calhoun counted him down to the mat. The crowd popped big time as the bell sounded and Lewis captured the title for the third time! Dan Severn and Danny Hodge came down to help Hutton revive Gotch and get him out of the ring. Hodge signaled to Lewis that he would be the next challenger. (With the win, Lewis ties the record for most World title reigns with Nick Bockwinkel. He also regained the title in the building, in which his second reign ended to Rikidozan.) ***½
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 23, 2009 20:43:54 GMT -4
March 13, 2009 Card #200: Mid South Coliseum in Memphis
1) Danny Hodge started this historic card with a big win over The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer to advance to the finals of the Clash at the Coliseum tournament. Dick Hutton didn’t accompany Hodge to ringside for this match, nor for Dan Severn’s bout to follow, as he was getting ready for his own match with Ted DiBiase later on. These two showcased some great scientific wrestling. Destroyer had most of the advantage and his plan was to wear down Hodge’s leg, by using the single leg Boston Crab. The masked man had control and went up to the top rope. He came off with a Bombs Away, but Hodge rolled out of the way and Destroyer hit hard. Even with a weakened leg, Hodge managed to leap over Destroyer, catch him with an Oklahoma side roll, and score the pin out of nowhere. Hodge earned some cheers from the crowd for his “out of nowhere” win. **¾
2) Nick Bockwinkel got by Dan “The Beast” Severn to become the other finalist in the Clash at the Coliseum. Severn was in control in the opening minutes, but Bockwinkel reversed a whip into the corner and was able to pick up Severn with a back suplex on the rebound. Bockwinkel applied the figure-four, but Severn made the ropes. As Severn got to his feet, Bockwinkel pounced on him and applied the Bockwinkel Sleeper. The move weakened “The Beast” and his arm dropped three times, giving Bockwinkel the win and the right to face Danny Hodge later in the evening. ¾* 3) “Iron” Mike DiBiase made a big impact in a short amount of time, beating Virgil in less than a minute. DiBiase tossed Virgil to the mat, then went up to the top rope and came off with a well-placed knee drop right to Virgil’s back. He made the cover and got the three-count. Ted DiBiase met up with his father in the aisle to congratulate him on his win. DUD
4) Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido proved they will be a force to be reckoned with, as they got a big win in only their second match together defeating The Dream Team. Even though Bagwell and Candido wouldn’t normally be considered fan favorites, the crowd was behind them here, perhaps due to their dislike for Capt. Lou Albano and his men! The former Killer B’s started off against each other. Bagwell got a near fall early on with a crossbody block on Brutus Beefcake. Chris Candido tagged in, as well as Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Valentine went for the neck, getting a two-count on Candido after a neckbreaker. Bagwell came back in and got a close one with the Buff Blockbuster. Beefcake later had Candido in a sleeper, but Bagwell jumped in and nailed his former partner with a dropkick from behind. Candido used his high-impact offense to wear down Beefcake, getting close counts on two occasions with a superplex. Bagwell came off the top rope with a flying body press on Valentine. The Captain got up on the ring apron to distract Tommy Gilbert. This allowed Beefcake to sneak in and smash Bagwell on the back of head with Valentine’s World Tag Team title belt. “Buff Daddy” was shaken up and got hit a falling elbow from “The Hammer”. Valentine went for a cover, but Bagwell kicked out. Beefcake tagged in, but Bagwell managed to tag out to Candido as well. Candido went to work on the former Texas champion. He pulled Beefcake up to the top rope and managed to execute the Blonde Bomb. He went for a cover, while Bagwell cut off Valentine with a big clothesline. Candido got the three-count as the crowd popped for this small upset win. As Candido and Bagwell left the ring celebrating, Beefcake lay in the ring. Albano and Valentine checked on him and it appeared as if he hurt his neck when Candido dropped him with the Blonde Bomb. He managed to return to the locker room, with the help of Albano, Valentine, and Magnificent Muraco, who came down to the ring. ***½
5) Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan defeated George South and Larry Sharpe. Williams and Duggan got a big cheer from the Memphis crowd. Duggan sent South flying over the top rope with a powerful clothesline in the first minute of the match, then let out a big “Hooooooo!” to the crowd. South almost got counted out, but rolled back in at nine. South and Sharpe managed to double team “Hacksaw” and looked on their way to their first tag team win. South went for a body slam on Duggan, but couldn’t get the big man up. Duggan picked up South and hit a shoulder breaker, then tagged out to Williams who made his first appearance of the match. “Dr. Death” flew at South with a powerful lariat that knocked South out of his boots. That’s all it took for Williams to put down South for the pin and earn the win for him and “Hacksaw”. Ted and Mike DiBiase came down to celebrate with their teammates. **
6) Diamond Dallas Page got a strange win via countout over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. The “Playboy” wanted to show he’s not a “stepping stone” and attacked Page right away, showing he can be aggressive. The Crusher came down to ringside to cheer on his new ally DDP. Rose had Page locked in a half Boston Crab, while Crusher pounded on the mat to get the crowd behind Page. “Sensational” Sherri Martel ran over and started screaming at “Da” Crusher. Crusher jawed back at the “dolly”. Sherri went to slap The Crusher right in the face, but the big man ducked and then proceeded to pick Sherri up over his shoulder and haul her back to the locker room! Rose saw his valet in “peril” and released the Crab, going after Crusher. Rose ran up the aisle to save Sherri, but soon realized that Jerry Calhoun was counting him out. He ran back towards the ring, but couldn’t beat the count. Rose got into the ring after the bell and tried to plead his case to Calhoun, but to no avail. Rose ran over to DDP, but got nailed by a big discus clothesline. While it probably wasn’t the type of victory Page hoped for, it was still a victory. Page returned to the locker room going through the crowd. DUD
7) Crusher “released” Sherri Martel and was soon back to the ring for his match. This was also controversial as Crusher lost to rival Larry Zbyszko by DQ. Crusher went after Zbyszko right as the Pittsburgh native entered the ring. He blasted Zbyszko with powerful forearms. Zbyszko took over after a brawl on the floor and used dirty tactics to wear down “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous”. He slammed Crusher’s head into a turnbuckle, then went for a cover, but only got a two-count. Bobby Heenan distracted Paul Morton, which allowed Zbyszko to quickly remove the turnbuckle pad. Before he could make use of it, Crusher rallied back and pounded away on Zbyszko. “Da” Crusher saw the exposed buckle, grabbed Zbyszko by the hair, and pointed to the corner. Before he could make a move, Morton warned Crusher not to do it, or else he would be disqualified. Crusher refused to listen to the warning and tossed Zbyszko head-first into the exposed metal. Morton was left with no choice but to disqualify The Crusher. Fans were definitely not happy about this one! "The Brain” grabbed Zbyszko and pulled him out of the ring, hauling the woozy Zbyszko back to the locker room, before Crusher could continue his attack. **
8) The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette defeated The Killer Bees and Brad Armstrong by countout. The popular trio of Armstrong and The Bees kept Texas champ “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton in the ring for the first few minutes. “Jumping” Jim Brunzell went for a cover after the Bee Sting, but as Tommy Marlin was getting B. Brian Blair out of the ring, “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey came off the second turnbuckle with a sledge to Brunzell’s back, and then reversed the pin attempt, so that Eaton was on top. Marlin turned around to count, but Brunzell kicked out. Condrey tagged in legally and hit a backbreaker on “Jumping” Jim for a near fall. With Brunzell weakened, it was Cornette’s opportunity to take advantage, so he tagged in. He had brief control of Brunzell, until a mistake cost him and Brunzell tagged out to Armstrong. Cornette tried to get out of the ring, but Armstrong caught him and locked him an abdominal stretch. Cornette was close to the ropes, luckily, and grabbed the second rope to get a break. Armstrong went up to the top rope, but was shoved off by Eaton. Armstrong crashed hard and “The Louisville Slugger” gloated as he had control. Condrey jumped in the ring for no apparent reason, but it was a plan as Cornette grabbed the tennis racket and clocked Armstrong with it. He then tagged out to the “Loverboy” who hit a face-first leg sweep on Armstrong. It looked like Armstrong would be down, but he lifted his shoulder at 2¾. Condrey tossed Armstrong to the floor. Eaton and Cornette goaded The Bees into the ring, which allowed Condrey to attack the weakened Armstrong outside the ring. “Loverboy” Dennis dropped Armstrong with the face-first leg sweep on the arena floor. He then crawled back into the ring. The other four participants were already back in their corners by this point and Marlin counted the knocked out Armstrong out of the ring, giving The Midnights and Cornette the win. The Bees checked on Armstrong and were able to revive him. He was shook up, but suffered no major injuries. **¾
9) Ted DiBiase defeated former tag team partner Dick Hutton in a hard-hitting bout. The action was fast-paced from the opening bell. DiBiase decked Hutton with his big right hand and then went for a figure-four leglock. Dan “The Beast” Severn came down to ringside and clocked DiBiase with a forearm smash, which Paul Morton didn’t see, as he was asking Hutton if he wanted to submit. Hutton went for a cover after the interference, but DiBiase kicked out. Hutton took control, but suddenly Steve Williams appeared at ringside to even the odds. Hutton applied the abdominal stretch, but DiBiase managed to get to the ropes. DiBiase came back and hit another big right hand. He went for a cover, but Hutton got his foot on the bottom ropes. DiBiase and Hutton battered each other back-and-forth. DiBiase gained control hitting a spinning neckbreaker, then coming off the second rope with a big elbow smash that flattened Hutton. DiBiase went for a cover and got the three-count. ***
10) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant defeated one-half of the USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and his manager Capt. Lou Albano. Unlike Jim Cornette in the earlier six-man tag team match, Albano was more willing to get in the ring. After all, the rubber banded manager was once a full-time wrestler as well! “Handsome” Jimmy caught his former manager in the sleeper, but Muraco broke up the submission attempt. Valiant took a page out of the World Tag Team champs’ playbook and hit a neckbreaker on Albano for a near fall. Albano got the advantage by pulling out a foreign object and clocking Valiant with it. He made a cover, but Valiant managed to kick out. “Boogie Woogie” was shaken up, but eventually tagged out to the “Superfly”, who hit a Superfly Leap on Albano, but again Muraco saved his manager. Valiant came in again and landed a big super elbow drop, right across Albano’s nose, which busted him open. Valiant went for a cover, but Albano got his foot on the ropes. Snuka and Muraco ended up in the ring against one another and the Fijian warrior had the edge, getting a near fall after a backbreaker. Valiant came back in, but Muraco took control. He hit a big Hawaiian Hammer and it looked like that would be all, but Valiant kicked out, which drew a big pop from the Memphis fans! Muraco pulled Valiant to his feet and blasted him with an Asiatic Spike. He then tagged out to Albano. Albano went to attack his former charge, but Valiant came back and punched away at Albano. “Boogie Woogie” tagged out to Snuka, who dominated Albano. Snuka went up to the top turnbuckle and dove off with a picture-perfect Superfly Leap onto the manager. Valiant ran in and knocked Muraco off the apron with a double sledge. This allowed Snuka to make the cover and get the three-count. ***¾
11) Danny Hodge harkened back to the days of competing in NCAA wrestling tournaments to win the Clash at the Coliseum tournament with a decisive win over Nick Bockwinkel. The special guest referee for this bout was the first USWA World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine. Valentine received a big ovation from the Mid South Coliseum faithful. (Random USWA fact—Valentine lost the championship to Bockwinkel in this very same arena.) Dick Hutton did not come to ringside with Hodge at the start of this bout, as he was recovering from his loss to Ted DiBiase from earlier in the night. Despite some heated bouts between the two wrestlers as of late, they kept things clean in the opening minutes, with some classic scientific wrestling. Hodge was the aggressor wanting to prove he could beat Bockwinkel once again. He worked Bockwinkel’s leg, applying variations of the Boston Crab. He locked Bockwinkel in the Oklahoma side roll, hooking the wounded leg, but Bockwinkel still managed to kick out. Hodge had Bockwinkel in the middle of the ring and applied a grueling Indian Deathlock to the three-time World champ. Sensing his man was in trouble, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan got up on the ring apron. Now if Jerry Calhoun or Paul Morton would have been officiating, they would have just yelled at “The Weasel” to get him down. But not Johnny Valentine! The former champ smashed Heenan with one of his famed Atomic Skullcrushers, which rocked the crowd! Heenan fell to the floor and Valentine returned his attention to the match. Bockwinkel was stuck and with the pain on his injured leg, he was left with no choice but to tap out. Hodge was the Clash at the Coliseum winner. The Memphis fans cheered the big win, even though Team RPW are not their favorite wrestlers. Valentine presented Hodge with the $25,000 check. Dick Hutton and Dan Severn came down to celebrate with their teammate. (World champion Frank Gotch was preparing for his main event title match.) With the win, Hodge also earned the next title shot against the main event winner. *½
12) The main event saw Frank Gotch make his first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship against rival Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Dick Hutton, recovered from his earlier match with Ted DiBiase, made his first ringside appearance of the night, accompanying the champion. The two exchanged some great mat holds early on, with Gotch working Lewis’ previously injured ankle, that he and Team RPW injured. Lewis was the first to pick up the action, locking on the Strangler’s Headlock, several times on the champ. Gotch rolled out of the ring for a breather. Lewis followed, but it was a trick, as Gotch clipped the ankle from behind. The champion threw the challenger back in the ring and immediately applied the Gotch Toehold. Lewis fought hard and reached the ropes. Gotch went to his punching skills and tried to knock out the “Strangler”. He connected with some stiff blows, but Lewis fought back and ducked the punches. He took Gotch down to the mat into a double wristlock, which popped the Mid South Coliseum. Gotch got his foot on the ropes before much damage could be done. Lewis again applied the headlock and the champ looked to be trapped. As Jerry Calhoun was checking on the champ’s condition, Hutton from outside the ring slipped in a forearm smash to Lewis’ back, breaking the hold. Gotch went on the attack and the fans were irate by what they had seen, but what Calhoun had missed. Still Lewis rallied back, not wanting to quit. He caught Gotch with another headlock. Gotch had been busted open by this point and fought hard to get out of the hold. He appeared to have passed out. Lewis drove Gotch onto his shoulders and Calhoun counted him down to the mat. The crowd popped big time as the bell sounded and Lewis captured the title for the third time! Dan Severn and Danny Hodge came down to help Hutton revive Gotch and get him out of the ring. Hodge signaled to Lewis that he would be the next challenger. (With the win, Lewis ties the record for most World title reigns with Nick Bockwinkel. He also regained the title in the building, in which his second reign ended to Rikidozan.) ***½
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 23, 2009 20:47:57 GMT -4
Following the historic 200th USWA card, there was a lot of news on the March 14 edition of USWA Championship Wrestling! • Team RPW was interviewed. Frank Gotch said that while he was far from happy about losing the USWA World Heavyweight championship, he was pleased to see that an RPW member won the Clash of the Coliseum and that he trusted that Danny Hodge could bring the championship back to them. Lance Russell congratulated Hodge on his victory and asked if he had any plans for the $25,000 prize money. The Oklahoman said his focus right now was on training to capture the gold from Ed “Strangler” Lewis on April 10 in Evansville. Dick Hutton said the rest of the team was ready to take on Ted DiBiase and his new allies. Dan “The Beast” Severn said his main focus is on defeating Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. The former USWA champion explained that the two have past history, as they wrestled each other in college, with Williams coming out the winner. Severn said they’re both now pros and he wants a match in the squared circle. Severn says that he’s been USWA World champion and wants to show “Dr. Death” that he’s the better wrestler now. • Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan were interviewed. Heenan stated that he wanted to file a formal complaint to the USWA Committee about the results of the Clash at the Coliseum tournament. He said there was no reason for an official to put his hands on him. “The Weasel” stated that the Committee wouldn’t listen to his request. Bockwinkel said that the reason Johnny Valentine attacked his manager was that he was jealous of Bockwinkel. It was he (Bockwinkel) who ended Valentine’s USWA World title reign in his first defense and made Valentine just a “footnote” in USWA history. Valentine could never defeat Bockwinkel in a one-on-one match, so he had to “help” someone else beat him and keep Bockwinkel from winning his fourth World championship. Bockwinkel stated that if Valentine were a true competitor, he would return to the USWA rings as a wrestler and take Bockwinkel on one-on-one! • Some upcoming bouts were made. Argentinian sensation Antonino Rocca has decided to start wrestling in the USWA on a full-time basis. He’ll have his first USWA match outside of the Lone Star State on March 27 in Chattanooga when he battles The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer. Rocca defeated former World champ Nick Bockwinkel last month in Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can beat another former champ. On that same card, new World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face Team RPW coach Dick Hutton in a non-title bout. Hutton defeated Lewis a few weeks ago and you can bet he’s gunning for another victory over the champ. The main event on that card will be a big one, as The Sheik will defend the Southern Heavyweight championship against Diamond Dallas Page. DDP has yet to lose via pinfall or submission in the USWA and has become very popular among the fans. This will be his first time challenging for a USWA title.
Card #200 was a great one, but can #201 top it? We’ll see on March 20, when the USWA comes back to the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! • After putting Brutus Beefcake out of action for a few weeks, the new team of Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido will do battle with The Killer Bees. Obviously, “Buff Daddy” has history with The Bees. He claimed on Championship Wrestling that with his new and better partner, The Bees will go down in defeat! • Nick Bockwinkel has been rocked by recent losses. He’s hoping to get back on track with a win over “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. These two had a competitive bout in January. Can Bockwinkel get a needed win against The Boy from New York City? • In a rematch from the 200th card, Diamond Dallas Page will take on “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Rose claimed that DDP only defeated him due to “interference” from The Crusher. Can Page shut up the “Dough Boy” right before challenging for the Southern gold? • Dick Hutton is irate about Larry Zbyszko pinning him in the big six-man tag team battle a few weeks ago with illegal leverage. The two will meet again, this time in Nashville in a one-on-one contest. Will Hutton gain revenge or will Zbyszko find another way to get a victory? • The winner of the Clash at the Coliseum and next challenger for the USWA World title Danny Hodge will be in action. The former Texas champion will take on “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Doring is still gloating over his cheap win over Dan Severn from a couple of weeks ago. How will he fare against Hodge? • The main event will be a big tag team contest, as Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine will defend the USWA World Tag Team titles against The Midnight Express! Jim Cornette and Capt. Lou Albano have battled before (both at ringside and in the ring). Should The Midnights win, they would not only break their own record for number of Tag Team titles won, but also set the record for most reigns for any USWA championship. Can they make history or will Albano’s dominant team retain? All this plus “Iron” Mike DiBiase, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and Ted DiBiase teams up with Steve Williams!
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Post by tyguy on Mar 23, 2009 22:16:13 GMT -4
Nice show. Looked like a fun way to play.
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Post by Cory Olson on Mar 31, 2009 23:04:56 GMT -4
Thanks to Ty for the comments!
March 20, 2009 Card #201: Municipal Auditorium in Nashville
1) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was victorious in the opener defeating Larry Sharpe. The Glens Fall, NY native fired up the crowd with his “Hooo!” and “USA!” chants. He dispatched of Sharpe with ease, going down into the three-point stance and blasting Sharpe with a flying spear to pick up the win. DUD
2) “Iron” Mike DiBiase got a win over George South. DiBiase missed his top rope knee drop early on, when South moved out of the way. DiBiase quickly took over and outwrestled South at every turn. He came off the top with a well-placed knee to the back to get the pin. *
3) Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido won an amazing match over The Killer Bees. The Bees had the early advantage, but “Buff Daddy” took over and hit “Jumping” Jim with a Buff Blockbuster. B. Brian Blair came in to save his partner, which also brought in Candido. A brawl with all four men took place, but Scott Bowden quickly cleared out all four competitors. Bagwell went to clothesline Brunzell, but he ducked and Bagwell collided with Bowden. While the official was knocked down, mayhem broke loose. Bagwell knocked Blair out of the ring, and he Candido double teamed Brunzell. Bowden recovered. Bagwell was confident he had things wrapped up and posed for the crowd. He charged at Brunzell with a knee smash, but missed and hit the turnbuckle hard. “Jumping” Jim leaped over him and applied a figure-four, but Bagwell made the ropes. Blair came back in and worked over Bagwell. Candido came back in, but got hit with a Bee Sting for a near fall. Blair came off the top rope with a flying body press, but Bagwell made the save and again a four-way brawl broke out. Blair reversed a whip into the ring post outside the ring and sent Bagwell head-first into the metal post, busting him open. Bagwell got reversed on a whip into the corner and almost crashed into Bowden a second time, but stopped short. He turned around and got blasted with a dropkick from Brunzell, which caused him to smash into Bowden after all. Bowden hit the floor and was out of the rest of the match. Again all four brawled in and out of the ring, and during this melee, both Brunzell and Candido wore the “crimson masks”. Blair and Bagwell were brawling on the floor, with “Buff Daddy” gushing blood. Candido went for the Blonde Bomb on Brunzell, but Brunzell back dropped out of it. Candido was hurt, but not done. Several officials had gathered by this point to help Bowden to the back. Meanwhile, Candido placed Brunzell on the top rope and executed an excellent superplex. He rolled on top of Brunzell. Paul Morton saw the pin attempt and dove into the ring to make the count. Blair tried to jump back in, but Bagwell held him from the other side. Morton made the count and Bagwell and Candido picked up the big win in a memorable match. Bowden was unable to ref the rest of the night, leaving Morton and Tommy Gilbert to do the duty. ****¾
4) Former UWF World Tag Team champions Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams teamed up again to get a decisive win over Virgil and Johnny Rodz. DiBiase started the match off against his former bodyguard Virgil. Virgil gained the momentary advantage with a cheap shot punch, and quickly tagged out to “The Unpredictable” Rodz. DiBiase took over on Rodz and decked him with his big right hand. He went for a cover, but Virgil made the save. “Dr. Death” tagged in and executed his famed back drop driver on Rodz. He went for a pin, but Virgil again made the save. After some more pummeling, Williams executed his Oklahoma Stampede (a running power slam) and made the cover to get the win. ¾*
5) Nick Bockwinkel pinned “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. “The Boogie Woogie Man” was the first to go for a sleeper, as he locked on his version, but Bockwinkel quickly made the ropes. The three-time USWA champion locked on his unique version and held it on for over a minute. Valiant weakened, but as Paul Morton checked his arm, Valiant wouldn’t drop for the third time. Valiant got to his feet, went towards the ring ropes, and fell to the arena floor with Bockwinkel still holding on. Valiant got the better of the fall and with the crowd behind him started a comeback, gunning for the big upset. Valiant and Bockwinkel fought toe-to-toe. In the middle of a slugfest, Bockwinkel ducked a punch, scooped Valiant up with a back suplex and dropped him hard. Bockwinkel bridged back, putting Valiant’s shoulders to the mat and scoring the pin. Bobby Heenan celebrated his man’s victory. ***
6) Diamond Dallas Page proved he didn’t need The Crusher’s help to score the win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Page was rocking Rose with several big maneuvers, but Rose took over. He hit a gut wrench backbreaker on Page and had him weakened. Rose was delivering hard kicks to Page’s back. He nailed Page with one kick that bounced DDP into the ropes. On the rebound, a dazed Page caught Rose with a Diamond Cutter out of nowhere! Page made a cover and got a quick three-count. DUD
7) The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer scored a pinfall on The Crusher. Crusher was hoping to get revenge on the masked man, who aided Larry Zbyszko and Nick Bockwinkel in injuring Crusher in Evansville back in January. But Destroyer was focused tonight, looking for a win, after his surprise loss to Danny Hodge in the first round of the Clash at the Coliseum. Destroyer nailed a dropkick for a near fall, then dropkicked Crusher’s knee. The “Intelligent, Sensational” one utilized the single leg Boston Crab several times to wear down the knee, then applied the figure-four. Crusher had been busted open by a Destroyer knee drop to the face. Crusher was hurting, but managed to roll to the ropes. Destroyer managed to hit a sensational suplex on his larger foe. The masked man positioned himself near the ropes and put his feet on the second rope as he made the cover and got the pin. The fans tried to tell Tommy Gilbert of the infraction, but to no avail. Crusher managed to get to his feet and was about to pummel Destroyer, but Larry Zbyszko charged down to ringside, with Bobby Heenan following. Zbyszko clipped Crusher’s knee from behind. Destroyer then applied the figure-four again. Diamond Dallas Page ran down to save his partner, but the damage had been done. Crusher suffered a knee injury, as Zbyszko and Destroyer had struck again. *¼
8) Larry Zbyszko scored another controversial win over Dick Hutton. The Team RPW coach was wanting to avenge his illegal pinfall loss to Hutton in the six-man tag team match a few weeks ago. He battered Zbyszko with stiff forearms, which busted the Pittsburgh native open. Hutton locked on the abdominal stretch and held it on for a long time, before Zbyszko made the ropes and took the bout to the floor. Bobby Heenan checked on Zbyszko and it appeared he went into his jacket for something. Zbyszko came up with brass knuckles and decked Hutton with them, but Paul Morton didn’t see the knucks. Zbyszko threw Hutton into the ring and hit a piledriver. He made a pin attempt, but Hutton got his foot on the ropes. Zbyszko tried to force Hutton submit to his own finisher—the abdominal stretch, but slipped the knucks back on and slipped in some jabs to Hutton’s back. Zbyszko dropped the knucks in his trunks, then delivered a big backbreaker to the wounded back. He made a cover and got the win. ****
9) Clash at the Coliseum winner Danny Hodge defeated “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Doring was hoping for a win over another Team RPW and was focused early on, attacking Hodge from the get-go. Doring hit two Danacondas, but Hodge kicked out. Doring missed a third Danaconda and Hodge took over. Doring went for a dropkick, but Hodge caught his legs and turned it into a Boston Crab. Hodge released the Crab, but immediately hit the Oklahoma side roll to get the 1-2-3. **
10) The main event featured two rulebreaking teams clash for the first time. Capt. Lou Albano’s duo of Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against Jim Cornette’s team, and the three-time former champions—The Midnight Express. The fans in Nashville seemed to side slightly with The Midnights on this occasion. Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton started off against Valentine. The champs gained the advantage and focused on Eaton’s neck, with Valentine dropping his famed elbows to the back of Eaton’s neck. Muraco tagged in and dropped Eaton with the Hawaiian Hammer early. He made an arrogant cover, but Eaton got his foot on the bottom rope. Muraco hit a second Hammer, but before he could cover, Cornette jumped on the apron to distract Paul Morton. Albano jawed with “The Louisville Slugger” about his distraction. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey later tagged in to give his partner a breather, but faced the same fate as well, as Muraco hit a rolling neck snap for a near fall. Valentine came off the top with a falling sledge, but Condrey sidestepped it and nailed Valentine with a shot to the midsection. He then hit his face-first leg sweep, but only got a two-count. Eaton tagged back in and the challengers blasted Valentine with a Double Goozle. A second tag was soon made and “The Hammer” got nailed with the Midnight Massacre. As Condrey went for the cover, Albano got on the apron to distract Morton. Eaton went to get Albano down, which allowed Muraco to sneak in and blast Condrey in the throat with his Asiatic Spike, breaking up the pin attempt. The champs briefly regained control, but Muraco soon also felt the wrath of the Massacre. The Hawaiian surfer managed to kick out of the pin attempt. It was a back-and-forth bout at this point. Condrey nailed Valentine with another face-first leg sweep, which busted him open. As he went for a cover, Albano again got up on the apron, but Cornette quickly ran around and popped the rubber banded manager in the back with his tennis racket! This drew a big pop from the Municipal Auditorium crowd! Eaton tagged back in and went to work on Valentine, while Condrey and Muraco brawled on the floor. Out of nowhere, Eaton gave Valentine a taste of his own medicine and dropped him with a spinning neckbreaker. He went into a cover and scored the three-count to crown new World Tag Team champions! The Midnights broke their own record, by winning the titles for the fourth time. Interestingly, the spinning neckbreaker was the same move Eaton used to capture their second championship in March 2008 from The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy. This is also Eaton’s second time as a double champion! ****
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 5, 2009 21:36:03 GMT -4
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on March 21: • It was announced that Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer had “struck again” and injured The Crusher’s leg in their attack the previous night. Diamond Dallas Page spoke on behalf of his ally and stated that “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” would wrestle on one leg if he had to, to get revenge on the two. While he won’t be wrestling on the next card, he will be back soon! • A special taped interview aired with the first USWA World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine. Valentine had been interviewed in St. Louis by CSW (Central States Wrestling) announcer Larry Matysik, as Valentine was competing there the next night. Valentine wanted to respond to the allegations by Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan about his refereeing in the Clash at the Coliseum finals. Valentine said he showed no favoritism to Danny Hodge on that night, and that Hodge was simply the better man. He said that he had no intentions to hurt “The Weasel”, but when Heenan attempted to interfere in a great wrestling match, Valentine had to make sure that the match would not end in controversy. As far Bockwinkel’s challenge to a wrestling match, he said that while he currently had some more wrestling commitments to oblige, he was always up for a new challenge and announced that he would soon return to USWA rings and he will take on Bockwinkel or anyone looking for a fight! • Lance Russell announced that “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware is slated to return on April 24 from his neck injury, caused by The Midnight Express. Ware will return on the first ever USWA card at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic Center in Temple, TX. Not only that, but he will receive another shot at the USWA Texas title and a chance for revenge as he’ll do battle with “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton! Remember fans, Ware had Eaton pinned on February 13, but Cornette’s interference caused a DQ and his man to retain the title. Russell had a message from the USWA Committee that more stipulations would be added to this title match soon.
The USWA returns to the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga on March 27! • Frank Gotch returns to the ring, since losing the World Heavyweight championship. The Team RPW member will take on “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Snuka and Gotch had a great one-on-one bout on the first card of 2009 that saw Snuka win by DQ. It will be interesting to see who comes out the victor in this one, with Gotch set on regaining the gold! • The new USWA World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express will do battle with The Killer Bees. These two teams have had problems in the last few weeks, and with The Midnights once again champions, more fuel has been added to the fire! • Ted DiBiase got a win over Team RPW coach Dick Hutton at the 200th card. He’ll face a big RPW challenge here, when he faces former World Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn. Can DiBiase’s powerful right hand knock out the former USWA and UFC World Heavyweight champion? • Antonino Rocca makes his first USWA appearance outside of the Lone Star State and he faces a big battle in former World champion The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer. Sources say that “Argentina” Rocca doesn’t like what Destroyer and Larry Zbyszko did to The Crusher and he’s willing to fight on behalf of a “good man” like Crusher. Can Rocca get a big win over the masked man? • World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face Dick Hutton in a big non-title match. Remember, Hutton scored a big pinfall on Lewis a few weeks ago in El Dorado, AR. Can the coach score again? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship, as The Sheik puts the gold on the line against Diamond Dallas Page! DDP has yet to lose by pin or submission, and has become very popular among the USWA fans. But can the man from the Jersey Shore stop the Syrian madman and win the Southern gold? All this plus, two former World Tag Team champion teams do battle, as Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine collide with “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring! Plus, Clash at the Coliseum winner Danny Hodge in action, and more!
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 9, 2009 20:39:28 GMT -4
March 27, 2009 Card #202: Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga
1) The card started off with a bang as Virgil and Johnny Rodz scored a big win over the team of Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido. As Bagwell and Candido made their way to the ring, they were attacked from behind in the aisle by former World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine, with Capt. Lou Albano close behind giving directions. The former champs, angered by the loss of the titles and seeking revenge for Candido injuring their teammate Brutus Beefcake, tossed Bagwell into the guard railing, then focused on Candido. Each man executed a neckbreaker on Candido outside the ring. Bagwell grabbed a chair from ringside and chased the trio off. Sam Platania checked with the wounded team to see if they wanted to participate in the match, and although shaken up, they agreed. Candido stood on the apron, but was hurting and was unable to tag in. “Buff Daddy” tried his hardest, but Virgil and Rodz double teamed him with punches in their corner. The attack made Bagwell easy prey for Rodz to get a win after a series of roundhouse rights. While Bagwell and Candido aren’t necessarily the most popular team, the fans were sickened by the actions of Capt. Lou’s men. DUD
2) “Iron” Mike DiBiase pinned Larry Sharpe. Sharpe scored an upset win on Mike’s son, Ted, a few weeks ago, thanks to a distraction from Dick Hutton. But the New Jersey native wouldn’t fare so well tonight. DiBiase worked him over, punishing him with his hard-hitting offense. Sharpe tried his best, but couldn’t keep up. DiBiase landed his top rope knee drop to Sharpe’s back, but it was a series of stiff punches that would put Sharpe down for the pin. ½* 3) Two former USWA World Tag Team champion teams battled for the first time, but there would be no winners tonight, as Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine went to a double disqualification with “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Rose had early control against “The Hammer”, even landing a Bombs Away, but only scoring a two-count. Doring tagged in, but Valentine regained control and tagged to Muraco. Muraco worked over Doring and hoisted him into an over-the-shoulder backbreaker. Suddenly Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido, bandaged up from the earlier attack, rushed down to ringside. Bagwell ran over and pulled Valentine off the apron, then punched his former manager Capt. Lou Albano. Rose got angry for their involvement and questioned his former partner Candido, who responded with a punch to the “Playboy”! Candido and Bagwell then entered the ring, and attacked Muraco, causing him to drop Doring. They stomped away at Doring as well. Since the duo had attacked both participating teams, Tommy Marlin felt it was only fare to call for the bell and disqualify both teams. After the bell, a pier six brawl broke out among all three teams, as well as Albano, while “Sensational” Sherri Martel screamed in horror for her men! Several USWA referees and officials finally got the teams separated. *
4) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka scored a big win, pinning former World champion Frank Gotch. This was an interesting match-up, as the two countered one another’s moves in the early going, with Snuka using his great agility and Gotch using his technical wrestling knowledge. Gotch tried to take away Snuka’s high flying with a rolling knee bar, but the “Superfly” would not be stopped. He dazzled Gotch with a big flying head butt, as well as a jumping knee drop. Snuka went up to the top for the Superfly Leap, but didn’t quite hit the target well, as he landed across Gotch’s face, busting him open. Snuka hurt himself as well, and took his time in making a cover. When he did, Gotch managed to kick out. Snuka went for a second leap, but missed and landed hard on his arm. Gotch took control, applying a hammerlock and working on the arm. But with the crowd behind him, Snuka would fight back. The two were going toe-to-toe, when Snuka whipped Gotch into the ropes. Gotch bounced back, but Snuka leap frogged over him, then when Gotch came back again, Snuka blasted him with a chop to the chest. Snuka went for a cover and got the three-count. ***
5) World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express scored a victory over The Killer Bees. B. Brian Blair had the advantage early against Texas champ “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, catching him in the sleeper, but Eaton made the ropes. The Midnights worked over “Jumping” Jim Brunzell for several minutes, until Brunzell rolled out of the ring. Blair grabbed The Bees’ masks and he and Brunzell put them on. Blair took his partner’s place, then attacked Eaton, locking on the sleeper for several minutes. Eaton somehow managed to hang on. Brunzell tagged in and the two hit the Bee Sting for a two-count. Eaton regained control and tossed Blair out, hitting a bulldog on the arena floor. Blair almost got counted out, but just rolled back in time. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey took over on Blair. He made a cover, but Brunzell made the save. Eaton came in and knocked Brunzell out of the ring with a big clothesline. The champs then followed up soon after with the Midnight Massacre and Condrey got the pin on Blair. The Midnights weren’t done, as Jim Cornette jumped in and smacked Blair in the ribs with the tennis racket. The champs then pulled off Blair’s Bee mask and delivered a Rocket Launcher to his ribs. They delivered a second Launcher and were going for a third, until Brad Armstrong ran down to chase them off. Brunzell recovered and crawled back in the ring to check on his partner. Armstrong and Brunzell helped Blair to the back. It was later determined that Blair had suffered broken ribs as a result of the attack. ***¼
6) Ted DiBiase scored a hard-fought victory in a great win over Dan “The Beast” Severn. DiBiase had control early on, scoring near falls after a spinning neckbreaker, and his big right hand. DiBiase locked on a figure-four leglock, but Severn made the ropes. With Dick Hutton rooting him on at ringside, Severn fought back and hit a shoulder slam on DiBiase for a two-count. “The Beast” then threw DiBiase with his fireman’s carry slam, right on the same shoulder, and floated in to a cover, but again only scored a two. Severn applied the wakigatame, but DiBiase got his foot on the ropes. DiBiase rolled to the floor, but Severn followed him. He went for a takedown on DiBiase, but he dodged it and Severn hit the ring post, drawing blood. DiBiase again applied the figure-four, but Severn once again made the ropes. Severn threw DiBiase again with a shoulder slam, and then delivered some knee smashes, busting DiBiase open as well. The two bloodied grapplers were fighting tooth-and-nail. Severn went for another shoulder slam, but DiBiase broke it up with an elbow to Severn’s head. DiBiase then wound up and delivered the big right again, which dropped the bloody “Beast”. DiBiase made a cover and scored the pin. Mike DiBiase came down to celebrate his son’s win. (Steve Williams and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan were not present this night.) *****
7) In his first USWA appearance outside of the state of Texas, Antonino Rocca got a big submission win over former World champion The Destroyer. Destroyer hit a Bombs Away and went for a cover, but Rocca kicked out. Rocca got the masked man up in his Argentinian backbreaker, but Destroyer got his foot over the top rope to break the hold. Rocca dazzled Destroyer with a flying head scissors and other aerial maneuvers. Destroyer came back and went for another Bombs Away, but Rocca rolled out of the way. He covered Destroyer, but Destroyer kicked out. Destroyer had control and went for a charge in the corner, but Rocca caught him with a head scissors, spun around, and tossed Destroyer to the mat. He went for another cover, but again the “Intelligent, Sensational One” kicked out. Rocca lifted Destroyer up again in the backbreaker and finally forced the masked man to submit. “Argentina” Rocca celebrated among the Chattanooga fans at ringside. ***½
8) Danny Hodge scored a countout victory over Brad Armstrong. Dick Hutton didn’t accompany his Team RPW teammate, as he was preparing for his own bout following this match. But the coach wasn’t needed, as Hodge was focused on his upcoming World title match. He hit a nice sunset flip on Armstrong for a two-count, and applied a sleeper, utilizing his great grip strength. Hodge nailed Armstrong with a nice standing dropkick, which knocked him out of the ring. Armstrong was unable to get back in the ring, and Hodge was awarded the win via countout. ¾*
9) USWA World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis pinned Team RPW coach Dick Hutton. This was a rather short bout, but a physical one. Hutton hoped to get another win over Lewis, especially now that the “Strangler” has the World title again. Hutton fought hard, but Lewis was ready for him utilizing his Strangler’s Headlock several times. Lewis forced Hutton’s shoulders to the mat with the headlock and scored a three-count. Danny Hodge came down to check on Hutton. While helping Hutton out of the ring, Hodge glared at the champ, indicating that he was the “Strangler’s” next opponent. *½
10) Diamond Dallas Page challenged The Sheik for the USWA Southern Heavyweight title in the main event. The Syrian madman pounded on Page from the opening bell, slipping in the sharp object. Abdullah Farouk distracted Tommy Marlin, while the champ unleashed a huge fireball at DDP. Sheik made a cover and got the quick win to retain the title. In addition to retaining the Southern crown, Sheik gave Page his first pinfall or submission loss in the USWA. DUD
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