|
Post by cruefan68 on May 19, 2019 13:27:40 GMT -5
Nothing beats USWA action, one of my all-time favorite feds around here. Zbyszko & Saito with a classic heel win over London & Kendrick, in an awesome match to boot, and I'm loving the build for Bastien vs. Lyons.
|
|
|
Post by Cory Olson on May 23, 2019 10:52:55 GMT -5
Thanks to Booker Bill, Troy, Luke, and Crue Fan for the comments!
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 3-26: • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced several upcoming matches. First, three matches were made for the April 18 card, when the USWA returns to the Tad Smith Coliseum on the campus of “Ole Miss” for the first time in 3½ years! o The main event will be a rematch for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The House of Humperdink’s Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito will defend the titles against the First Family of Wrestling’s Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. The last time these two teams met, in February in Jackson, TN, Studd and Bundy won the bout via DQ when Saito blasted Bundy with one of the Tag Team title belts. The giants are hoping to leave both the victors and champions this time around! o Nick Bockwinkel will collide once again with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Bockwinkel got the win the last time, in Louisville on Leap Day. Gilbert has vowed to get his first decisive win over Bockwinkel and wants to put the four-time former USWA champion out of pro wrestling! o Tracy Smothers will finally get his hands on Jimmy Jacobs, as the two will meet one-on-one! The leader of the Age of the Fall has been elusive lately but has signed for this match-up. Will he have tricks up his sleeve? • The main event was made for the USWA’s return to the Rupp Arena in Lexington on April 25. Billy Black Lyons put Southern Heavyweight champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams out with a sleeper on March 14 in Evansville in a six-man tag team Elimination Match. Because of that, Lyons will receive his first-ever shot at a USWA singles championship. He will challenge the winner of next week’s main event, either Williams or “Classy” Freddie Blassie for the Southern Heavyweight title! • A special “Press Conference” aired, hosted by Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Apter’s guests were Jim Cornette, Dr. Tom Prichard, Chris Candido, and Dan “The Beast” Severn. The interview was held at Mama Cornette’s mansion in Louisville. Apter asked Cornette what he had been doing since being forced to leave the USWA on New Year’s Knockout XI in 2014. He said in addition to being the best manager in wrestling today, he is also a wrestling fan at heart and he had been attending wrestling cards all over the world, often incognito, so as not to be attacked by fans! He said that he was scouting talent the world over, looking for the next talents to sign and manage. He said that when his Loser-Leaves-Town suspension was up on December 31, 2015, he contacted “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane about returning to the USWA and managing them but they refused his offer! He claimed that he was the one to put Eaton and Lane together as the Midnight Express back in 2005, shortly before they debuted in the USWA. He said that he found a team that can surpass the Midnights. Cornette stated that after Prichard recovered from his neck injury in 2012, he wrestled in the UWF and later Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW). After Candido and Buff Bagwell left the USWA at the end of 2010, they wrestled in Georgia Championship Wrestling for a while before breaking up and feuding. Bagwell, now wrestling under his real name of Marcus Alexander Bagwell, won the feud in 2013. Candido left from there to wrestle in Big Time Wrestling the Michigan-Ohio area, the same promotion with which the USWA co-promoted the card in Cincinnati last August. Knowing Prichard’s past of teaming with both Eaton and Lane and knowing that Candido was the one to end Eaton’s historic USWA Texas title reign in 2010, he feels that the Heavenly Bodies can become a better team than Eaton and Lane! Apter asked both Bodies’ opinions on returning to the USWA as a new team. Prichard said that he is excited to be back under the greatest managerial expertise in the business. He said that not only will he get revenge on the Midnights for abandoning him in 2012 after his neck injury but he also wouldn’t mind tangling with the New Age Outlaws again, since their spike piledriver injured him! Candido said that he was the one to dethrone “Beautiful” Bobby in singles competition and now the Bodies will take out the Midnights! Apter asked what Dan Severn had to do with all of this. Cornette said that “The Beast” had been wrestling in BTW (USWA fans saw him last August at the USWA-BTW card.) and doing a few MMA fights in the UFC the last few years. He said that wrestling and MMA fans know Severn’s toughness and that Cornette has used his mama’s funds to hire Severn as his personal bodyguard! Apter asked if Severn will compete in the USWA as well. Cornette reminded wrestling fans of how his first bodyguard, Justin Credible, eventually became a two-time USWA Texas champion under his guidance. He said that Severn may very well return to the ring to add to his accolades! The new Bodies will make their debut as a team on April 11 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! To read the full transcript of this “Press Conference,” including some inside dirt on Eaton and Lane, pick up the latest copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, available at newsstands everywhere! • After this interview aired, Eaton and Lane were interviewed in studio. Lance Russell asked them their responses to Cornette’s statements. Lane said that while normally he respects Bill Apter and the Pro Wrestling Illustrated family of magazines that fans should boycott this month’s issue and not read Cornette’s lies about him and Eaton! “Sweet” Stan said that Cornette has always been known for stretching the truth and this is an example of that. Lane claimed that while he and Eaton were suspended at the end of 2015 and stripped of the USWA World Tag Team titles, they contacted Cornette about returning as their manager in 2016. He said that they left several messages on Cornette’s answering machine, filling up the tape, and he never returned any of their calls! Lane said that that was fine, as he and Eaton won the titles on their own, never lost them, and won their feud with the PYT Express. He said that he and Eaton know Prichard and Candido very well and if they need proof of who the best tag team in wrestling is, they would be happy to prove it in the ring. He added that the USWA female fans know who the true “Heavenly Bodies” are, as he pointed to Eaton and himself. The soft-spoken Eaton simply added, “Maybe after we beat Candido and Prichard, Cornette will return our calls!” • It was announced that the PYT Express have decided to leave the USWA and compete in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF). • It was announced that the second annual Derby City Stampede will take place on Friday, May 6 at the Horse Show Pavilion at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds, the night before the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports”—the Kentucky Derby! Matches for this supercard will be announced in the coming weeks on USWA Championship Wrestling!
The USWA returns to the Tupelo Sports Arena on March 28! • Tracy Smothers will continue his battles with Jimmy Jacobs’ disciples when he faces the wild brawler the Necro Butcher! Can Butcher score a big upset on the two-time Mid-America Heavyweight champion? • The next challengers for the USWA World Tag Team titles will face the last challengers, as Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy will face Brian Kendrick and Paul London. It will be an interesting match-up of the powerful giants vs. the high-flying fan favorites. Which team will leave Tupelo the winners? • Another First Family of Wrestling member will have his biggest challenge to date, as Bobby Shane will collide with “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Shane has showcased his Japanese sleeper but Valiant has won many matches with the sleeper as well. Will the sleeper be the difference maker in this bout? • Nick Bockwinkel will be in action. He has a big bout with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert on April 18 in Oxford. But this week he will face Gilbert’s House of Humperdink ally Ox Baker! Bockwinkel and Baker were both active in the USWA at its inception in 2004. This will be an interesting clash of Bockwinkel’s technical skills vs. Baker’s brawling and deadly heart punch. Which style will emerge superior? • The New Age Outlaws will collide once again with their rivals the Age of the Fall! Jimmy Jacobs has been very elusive lately. Many wrestling fans are wondering if Jacobs will even show up to Tupelo or if Tyler Black will wrestle a Handicap Match. What will happen? • Two brutes will collide again, as Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy faces Mad Dog Vachon! Gordy was eliminated from the six-man tag team match two weeks ago in Evansville. He is hoping to get revenge on Mad Dog one-on-one for injuring his ankle back in December in Radcliff. Vachon is coming off a big singles win over Red Bastien last week in Knoxville. Can he keep that momentum going against the former Southern Heavyweight champion Gordy? • In the first of two championship bouts, “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay will defend the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship against former champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens. Stevens was stripped of the title back in October, when he, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy were suspended. Finlay ended up winning the tournament in November in this same arena to crown a new champion. In an interview on Championship Wrestling, Jimmy Hart called Finlay the “interim champion” that has just been holding the belt until Stevens came back. He said that “The Crippler” will prove he is the real champion and win back “his” belt. Will Hart’s words prove to be true or will the Irish brawler hold on to the championship? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and eight-time champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams put the title on the line against former champ “Classy” Freddie Blassie! Blassie won the title from Williams at New Year’s Knockout XII in Knoxville. Williams came back to win the title at the Louisville Gardens on Leap Day and gave Blassie his first loss in the USWA. This is a huge “rubber match,” as not only will the winner gain the lead in the series of matches but also leave Tupelo as the Southern Heavyweight champion. Which grappler will emerge the champion?
All these huge match-ups, plus the Midnight Express, “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, and more USWA stars in action in Tupelo!
|
|
|
Post by Cory Olson on May 25, 2019 20:52:50 GMT -5
March 28, 2016 Card #465: Tupelo Sports Arena1) Hillbilly Jim was dancing to “Don’t go Messin’ With a Country Boy” after this bout, as he scored a huge win over three-time former Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert in the opener. Gilbert had the early advantage but spent more time gloating than trying to get the win. Jim was fed up by Gilbert’s cockiness and battled back. Sir Oliver Humperdink got nervous and got up on the ring apron. Jim went after the manager. Gilbert came up from behind and attempted to blast Jim with a double sledge but the Kentuckian saw him coming, sidestepped him, and sent Gilbert head-first into his own manager! Humperdink went down and Jim grabbed Gilbert and picked him up into the bear hug. Gilbert was trapped in the center of the ring. When he wouldn’t tap out, Tom Branch checked Gilbert’s arm. It dropped three times, so Branch called for the bell and awarded the bout via submission to Jim! The Tupelo fans went wild for Jim’s big win! *½ 2) The Midnight Express defeated “Dastardly” Danny Doring and the Amish RoadKill. Doring and RoadKill put up a fight against the six-time former USWA champions. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane pulled out a bunch of moves in their impressive arsenal. Eaton hit a Divorce Court on Doring and went for a cover but RoadKill made a save. Later Lane hit the Russian leg sweep on Doring and went for a pin but RoadKill came off the top with an Amish Splash, sacrificing his own partner’s safety to save the match. It did allow Doring to make the tag to “The Angry Amish Warrior” but Lane regained control. He tagged to Eaton and the Midnights hit the Flapjack. Eaton went for a cover but RoadKill got a foot under the bottom rope. RoadKill managed to tag back to Doring but Lane took over again. He hit a second Russian leg sweep and scored the pinfall before RoadKill could attempt another save. The Midnights were impressive tonight and looked ready to take on the new Heavenly Bodies and Jim Cornette! ***¼ 3) Tracy Smothers scored a quick pinfall on the Necro Butcher. Butcher had some brief offense against the two-time former Mid-America champ. He sent Smothers into the ropes and went for a back body drop but Smothers scouted the move and responded with a sunset flip. The move was enough for the pinfall. The Tupelo fans popped big for Smothers’ win and Smothers looked ready for Necro’s ally Jimmy Jacobs on April 18 in Oxford! ½* 4) Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy were victorious over Brian Kendrick and Paul London. Kendrick and London gave the First Family of Wrestling’s team a big challenge and looked like they might score the upset win. Studd had London down on the mat and went for a big splash from a standing position but London rolled out of the way and Studd crashed hard. London kept Studd down on the mat and hit the 450 splash. He went for a pin but Studd kicked out with authority, sending London flying. Later, Kendrick and Bundy were the legal men. Bundy hit a big splash, with a nearly 300-pound weight advantage on Kendrick! He went for a cover but Kendrick somehow got a shoulder up. Later Studd had London in a reverse bear hug. Kendrick came off the top with a missile dropkick to Studd’s back to break up the submission. Later Bundy missed an Atlantic City Avalanche on Kendrick. Kendrick tagged to London and the fan favorites hit their combination reverse STO and enzuigiri. London made a cover but Bundy kicked out. London hit a 450 on Bundy and went for a pin but Bundy barely kicked out. London went for a Shooting Star Press but Bundy got his knees up. The New Jersey giant then tagged to Studd who worked over London and got him up in the backbreaker in the center of the ring. Kendrick attempted another save but Bundy cut him off, lifted him up in a bear hug, and drove him into the turnbuckles. London was trapped and forced to submit. Jimmy Hart was ecstatic about his team’s win and Studd and Bundy signaled that they will win the World Tag Team titles from Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito on April 18 in Oxford! ***½ 5) Nick Bockwinkel made short work of Ox Baker. Bockwinkel was extra aggressive in this bout, slamming Baker’s leg into the ring post and then clamping on the figure-four in the center of the ring. He forced “The Fabulous” Ox to tap after just a few minutes of action. As Bockwinkel got his hand raised by Sam Platania, he pointed to Sir Oliver Humperdink to send a message to “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert that the same thing will happen to him on April 18 in Oxford! DUD ( NOTE: This was my first time using Bockwinkel’s color card, available in Legends Color Expansion Set III!) 6) Bobby Shane picked up an impressive submission win over “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Valiant went for his sleeper a few minutes into the bout but Shane quickly scrambled to the ropes before the hold could be fully applied. Valiant hit a neckbreaker a few minutes later for a near fall. Shane capitalized on a mistake by “Handsome” Jimmy and clamped on the Japanese sleeper. Valiant fought hard but eventually went down to the mat. Tommy Marlin checked Valiant’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Shane an impressive victory. As Shane got his hand raised, he stomped Valiant in the face as his way of waking him up from the sleeper! ½* 7) The New Age Outlaws got a quick win over their rivals the Age of the Fall. While Jimmy Jacobs did actually show up in Tupelo, you wouldn’t have known it, as he did not tag into this bout despite a few attempts by Tyler Black. The Outlaws double teamed Black and tagged in-and-out. They hit a spike piledriver on Black and “The Road Dogg” Jesse James hit the pump handle slam on Black to score the pinfall. Jacobs did not attempt a save and actually walked back to the locker room without Black! neg* 8) Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy battled back to get a big win over Mad Dog Vachon. Gordy had the early advantage. He went for a submission with an STF (stepover toehold facelock, also used by four-time former USWA champion Lou Thesz) but Vachon pulled himself to the ropes for a break. Gordy got Vachon in the Oriental Spike, trying to get a submission. Suddenly, Doctor X appeared at ringside, jumped up on the ring apron, and distracted Sam Platania. Just as suddenly, Butcher Vachon and Billy Black Lyons appeared at ringside. Lyons slid into the ring and clipped Gordy’s leg to break up the Spike. He then held Gordy while Butcher smashed him in the head with a steel chair from the apron. Lyons, Butcher, and the Doctor quickly retreated just as quickly as they appeared. They were halfway up the aisleway, when Southern Heavyweight champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams came out of the back with a chair of his own and chased the three to the back. The match continued with Gordy busted open from the chair shot and Vachon in control. Vachon hit the piledriver and went for a cover but Gordy kicked out. Vachon choked Gordy on the ropes and then hit a Mad Dog Pounce. He pulled Gordy off and went for a pin but Gordy kicked out. Vachon took “Bamm Bamm” to the corner and bit at his bloody forehead. He then climbed up on the second rope and punched away at Gordy. Gordy blocked a punch, got underneath Vachon, and lifted him up into the power bomb. He drove Vachon into the mat with his finisher and then covered to score the pinfall out of nowhere! The Tupelo fans popped big at Gordy’s comeback win! ***¼ ( NOTE: This was the first time I used the Gang Interference Chart, available in Legends Color Expansion Set I!) 9) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens defeated USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay by DQ, so Finlay retained the title. The champion had the early advantage and was aggressive against the challenger, wanting to prove “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart wrong about being an “interim champion.” Finlay hit a reverse splash off the second rope and then following up with a hard scoop slam onto the ropes for a near fall. Stevens rolled out of the ring for a breather. Finlay followed him and pummeled Stevens. Hart grabbed the Mid-America Heavyweight title belt from the announcers’ table. He tried to ambush the Irish brawler from behind with the belt but Finlay saw the manager coming and nailed him with a punch to the stomach. Finlay then picked up his championship belt and smashed “The Crippler” with it. Unfortunately for Finlay, Tommy Marlin saw this and disqualified the champion, giving Stevens the win but not the title. Stevens and Hart seemed content with the win, as they retreated to the locker room before Finlay could retaliate! * 10) The main event was a huge “rubber match” for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and eight-time champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams put the title on the line against former champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie. This mac was back-and-forth showing how close the battles between these two grapplers have been. In the middle of the match, Blassie had the advantage for a few minutes. He blasted Williams with multiple knee drops for a near fall. Blassie tossed Williams out of the ring and then followed him. He proceeded to ram the champion’s head into the ring post. Blassie rolled back into the ring. Williams was down but managed to get back in by the count of nine. Blassie turned to one of his famed tactics—a vicious bite to the forehead. Williams started to bleed from the bite and it looked like “Dr. Death” was in trouble. Blassie threw Williams into the buckle and then charged in at him with a jumping knee smash. Williams rolled out of the way and Blassie hit the buckles hard. Williams hit a German suplex and bridged into a pin but Blassie kicked out. Blassie battled back and locked on a stomach claw. Williams went down to the mat but managed to get to the ropes before “The King of Men” could score a pinfall or submission. Williams surprised the challenger with a lariat a few moments later and picked up a two-count. He took Blassie up” to the top rope and hit a superplex. He went for a cover but again “The Hollywood Fashion Plate” kicked out. Williams executed the Oklahoma Stampede but landed near the ropes so Blassie got a foot on the bottom rope for the break. Blassie surprised “Doc” with an uppercut and then bite him again, causing the blood to flow more. “The Vampire” bit Williams again. The champion stumbled around blinded by his own blood. The challenger took advantage of Williams’ confusion and rolled him up with a school-boy. Tom Branch went to count Williams’ shoulders down and he hit three. Branch called for the bell and awarded Blassie his second Southern Heavyweight championship! Blassie was ecstatic about the win but the Tupelo fans were not as happy! ****¼
|
|
|
Post by TTX on May 25, 2019 21:47:04 GMT -5
Fun to see Blassie grab some gold. Nice to see Bundy and Studd come out on top as well.
|
|
|
Post by luke929 on May 25, 2019 21:52:05 GMT -5
Great card! Loved the Main Event! Good win by the "King of Men"!
|
|
|
Post by cruefan68 on May 26, 2019 20:14:14 GMT -5
Hillbilly Jim over Eddie Gilbert in the opener! Is Eddie on his way out of the territory? The rest of the Tupelo card was awesome, especially the main event with Fred Blassie regaining the USWA Southern Heavyweight title from Steve Williams. I'm hoping for a strong second title reign for Blassie.
|
|
|
Post by TTX on May 26, 2019 20:39:41 GMT -5
Don't know how I missed that result. I would have marked out big time seeing that on TV in the late 80s.
|
|
|
Post by Cory Olson on May 27, 2019 13:24:42 GMT -5
Thanks to Troy, Luke, and Crue Fan for the comments! Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day!Hillbilly Jim over Eddie Gilbert in the opener! Is Eddie on his way out of the territory? I actually have/had big plans for Eddie! I still hope to do what I had in mind. Will just need to do some creative booking and hope the dice help! Highlights from the last two editions of USWA Championship Wrestling:April 2:• Commissioner Bob Armstrong had some big match-ups to announce for the coming weeks. First of all, the main event for April 25 at the Rupp Arena was made official after the result of last week’s main event in Tupelo. The new and now two-time USWA Southern Heavyweight champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie will make his first defense of his second reign when he battles Billy Black Lyons! Lyons earned this shot by eliminating then-champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams from the six-man tag team Elimination Match a few weeks ago in Evansville. Blassie was interviewed in studio on this episode. Lance Russell congratulated “The King of Men” on his victory last week and asked him what his thoughts were on Lyons. He stated that Lyons was “more respectable” than Williams and some of the other “pencil-necked geeks” in the USWA. But when he enters the Rupp Arena on the 25th, he expects a champion’s reception from the Lexington fans! When Russell asked the champion why he expects that, Blassie stated that his Southern neckbreaker makes him an automatic favorite and that he should naturally be cheered against a Canadian like Lyons! • The commissioner announced these huge match-ups for the April 18 card at the Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, MS! o “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos is looking to back on track in singles competition. He will have a tough opponent ahead of him in Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon scored two pinfall victories over Londos’ ally Ed “Strangler” Lewis this past year, including one in Lewis’ hometown of Louisville. How will Londos fare against the Algerian brawler? o Two superstars who are new on the scene in the last six months will collide for the first time when “Superstar” Bill Dundee faces First Family of Wrestling member Bobby Shane! Both wrestlers have amassed impressive win-loss records the last few months. After Dundee’s battle teaming up with “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant against Shane’s fellow First Family members Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy a few weeks ago in Evansville, Jimmy Hart has declared the Aussie grappler an enemy to the First Family! • Sir Oliver Humperdink was interviewed and announced that “The Fabulous” Ox Baker has decided to leave the USWA. The former World Tag Team and Texas champion plans to compete in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF). Humperdink said that he and Baker split on good terms and that Baker is welcome back to the USWA and the House of Humperdink any time in the future. Lance Russell asked the eccentric manager if he plans to acquire a new wrestler for the House of Humperdink. Humperdink replied that he has been in contact with not just one, but two big names in professional wrestling and he will more updates for the USWA fans in the coming weeks! April 9:• Commissioner “Bullet” Bob added more great bouts to the April 18 card in Oxford! o Two tag teams that have gotten to know each other quite well in the last few months will collide once again when the Midnight Express do battle with the Mid-America Heavyweight champion Fit Finlay and David Taylor! These two teams met in the first round of the tournament to crown new USWA World Tag Team champions on the first card of this year in Chattanooga. Both teams ended up disqualified and eliminated from the tournament. Later that night, Finlay and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton met again for the Mid-America title, which saw Finlay come out on top to retain the gold. The teams met again the following week in Nashville, which saw the British get the huge win. Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane are hoping to defeat Finlay and Taylor and gain some momentum, especially to prove to Jim Cornette that he chose the wrong team! o Two powerhouses will do battle, when “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas faces former Mid-America Heavyweight champion Claudio Castagnoli. This is a battle of Supermen, as it’s “The Swiss Superman” in Castagnoli against the man that Bill Apter recently called in Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Superman” Tony Atlas! Which Superman will have the “Kryptonite” to defeat the other? • Commissioner Armstrong also added these great matches for the April 25 return card to the Rupp Arena in Lexington. o In a huge tag team match from last month in Evansville, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee will battle the First Family of Wrestling’s Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. The two fan favorites came nearly close to a huge win over the giants last time. Will they knock them down and get the win this time? o One-half of the current World Tag Team champions will be in singles action, when Larry Zbyszko of the House of Humperdink faces Mad Dog Vachon! The Vachons gave champions Zbyszko and Mr. Saito their first decisive loss when they defeated the champions in a non-title bout after returning from suspension on Leap Day at the Louisville Gardens. The Algerian brothers are awaiting their title match but meanwhile, Mad Dog hopes to soften Zbyszko up for that future bout. Both wrestlers specialize in the piledriver, so it will be interesting to see if either man can execute and if so, can it score the win? The USWA returns to “Music City”—Nashville and the Municipal Auditorium on April 11 with a huge card! • In a huge tag team match, the Vachons will take on Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy! The last time these teams met, the Vachons scored an impressive win at the 450th USWA card at the Mid-South Coliseum, back in November. The Vachons and Double X (now Billy Black Lyons) put Gordy out of action a few weeks later with an ankle injury in Radcliff, KY and ended up getting suspended (and the Vachons stripped of the World Tag Team titles). Gordy took a pounding from Mad Dog in a singles bout on the last card in Tupelo but hit the power bomb out of nowhere to pick up the win. Can he and “Doc” have similar success in tag team competition or will the two-time former World Tag Team champions triumph again? • In an international match-up, “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos will take on “The Swiss Superman” Claudio Castagnoli! Both grapplers are hoping for a win to get consideration for a singles championship bout. Will it be Londos’ quickness and technical wrestling skill or Castagnoli’s power that will make the difference? • In a first-time tag team meeting, the New Age Outlaws will collide with the First Family of Wrestling’s Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. Studd and Bundy are looking forward to their rematch for the USWA World Tag Team titles next week in Oxford against Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito. But they cannot look past the two-time former champs “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn. Which team will leave Nashville the winners? • In the first of two big championship matches, “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay will defend the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title against former champion Tracy Smothers. Smothers’ second reign is tied for the most defenses (along with Johnny Saint’s reign from July 2013 to March 2014) at seven defenses. When Smothers lost the title to Ray “The Crippler” Stevens back in August at the Louisville Gardens, he never received a rematch, as he was put out of action by the Age of the Fall during the fall. Finlay has had an impressive title reign since capturing the vacant title in November in Tupelo. The Irish brawler currently stands at four title defenses and the third longest for the Mid-America title. Can Finlay retain or will Smothers capture his third Mid-America title? • The main event will be a huge rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight title. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude will once again put the title on the line against fellow Minnesotan Red Bastien! When Bastien challenged Rude last month in Evansville, the flying redhead appeared to have the championship won until his former tag team partner in the Flying Redheads team Billy Black Lyons interfered and attacked him, disqualifying Rude. Despite the loss, Rude kept the title and tied Nick Bockwinkel’s first World title reign for the most defenses. Should Rude retain again this time, he will break that record and hold it himself, with 17 defenses. Bastien is fired up about having the champ beat but not winning the gold and you can bet he is not going to go easy on the “Ravishing One”! What tricks will Rude and “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart have up their sleeve to keep the gold and make history? Or can Bastien capture the World title for the first time? All these big matches, as well as Billy Black Lyons taking on Hillbilly Jim. Also, “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas takes on two opponents in Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz in a handicap Elimination Match! Plus, Bobby Shane in action, and the debut of Jim Cornette’s new Heavenly Bodies!
|
|
|
Post by Cory Olson on May 28, 2019 21:06:52 GMT -5
April 11, 2016 Card #466: Municipal Auditorium in Nashville1) “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe picked up a win in the opener over Nashville’s own Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. The “Music City” fans always love seeing Milliman in action. But Sharpe was aggressive tonight and picked up the pinfall in just a few minutes after the piledriver. DUD 2) Bobby Shane continued his winning ways with a pinfall on “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Shane had the initial advantage but the PBR drinker battled back and was on a roll. He hit a Saito suplex for a two-count. Cannon came off the top with a frog splash. Shane got to his feet but Cannon stopped him and hit a brainbuster for a near fall. With his man in trouble, Jimmy Hart consulted Shane in the corner and slipped him a foreign object. Shane slipped the object into his kneepad. As Cannon came toward Shane, Shane nailed him with a punch to the midsection. He then delivered a big knee smash to Cannon with the loaded kneepad. Cannon dropped to the mat and Shane covered him to pick up the tainted pinfall. Nashville fans berated Shane and Hart with boos as they returned to the locker room! **¼ 3) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas continued to impress as he defeated not one, but two wrestlers in a singles match, as he picked up the win over Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz in a Handicap Elimination Match! Atlas took out Virgil in about a minute after the press slam and splash combo. Rodz had a little bit of offense against the powerhouse but met the same fate, as Atlas hit a vertical suplex on the New Yorker and the followed up with the press slam and splash to eliminate him as well! The Nashville fans gave “Mr. USA” a big ovation for his win! ½* 4) Jim Cornette’s new Heavenly Bodies of “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard and “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido picked up their first win as a team, defeating S.D. Jones and Jim Powers. The Bodies were accompanied not only by their manager Cornette but also by Cornette’s bodyguard, former USWA World Heavyweight and Southern Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn. As Cornette did during his last tenure in the USWA, he stole the microphone from Gary Michael Cappetta and introduced his own men. Prichard and Candido showed that they work well together for a new tag team, as they executed a Flapjack on Powers in the first few minutes. Prichard hit an enzuigiri on the New Yorker but pulled Powers’ shoulder off the mat before the three-count, just to showboat and to inflict more punishment. The decision could have cost the Bodies the match as Powers battled back against Candido and made the tag to “Special Delivery.” Jones ran wild on the blond bombshell, hitting a flying head butt off the top rope to Candido for a near fall. He then delivered two more of his famed head butts on Candido and went for a cover but Prichard made the save with a knee smash to the back of Jones’s head. Candido managed to tag Dr. Tom, who took over on “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son.” He blasted Jones with an enzuigiri and made the cover to score the pinfall, while Candido kept Powers at bay. Cornette was very happy about his new team’s debut win! ***¼ 5) Billy Black Lyons picked up a submission win over Hillbilly Jim. The Nashville fans gave Jim a big ovation as he entered the Municipal Auditorium to “Don’t Go Messin’ With a Country Boy,” coming off his big upset win over “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert in Tupelo on the last USWA card. Unfortunately, Jim couldn’t keep up that momentum tonight, as Lyons took the big man down to the mat and worked on his legs. Lyons clamped on the figure-four leglock and forced Jim tap out after just a few minutes. Lyons looked impressive as he looks ahead to his shot at “Classy” Freddie Blassie and the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship in two weeks in Lexington! ½* 6) Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon scored a disqualification win over Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. This was a physical, back-and-forth bout between these two teams. Williams and Gordy blasted Butcher with a powerful double football tackle in the first few minutes of the bout. Butcher rallied back, tagged his brother, and the Vachons hit a quadruple foot stomp on Gordy. Mad Dog went for a cover but Gordy kicked out. Mad Dog hit his Pounce on Gordy but the former Southern champion was able to get away long enough to tag Williams. Williams gut cut off by Mad Dog, who hit the piledriver on the eight-time former Southern champion. Mad Dog went for a cover but the Oklahoma Sooner got hit shoulder up at 2¾. Williams made the tag to Gordy a few minutes later and the fan favorites hit another double tackle on Butcher, sending him flying out of the ring. Gordy went after Butcher, but the Algerian brawler cut him off. Butcher then grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area and nailed Gordy across the back with it. Frank Morrell had been distracted by Mad Dog jawing with “Doc” inside the ring and did not see this. Butcher returned to the ring but then immediately rolled back out to break the count. He continued to inflict punishment on “Bamm Bamm,” rolling in-and-out to continue to break up Morrell’s count. Finally, an irate Gordy grabbed the same chair Butcher had used from the arena floor and smacked him right in the head with it. Unfortunately for Gordy and Williams, Morrell did see this and called for the bell, giving the Vachons the disqualification win. The Vachons quickly retreated before the fan favorites could inflict more punishment! ***½ 7) “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos earned a submission victory over Claudio Castagnoli. Londos tried for an early submission with a Grecian sleeper grip but Castagnoli made the ropes. Londos maintained control and got him in the Boston Crab in the center of the ring, forcing a tap out. Londos looked impressive in his win over “The Swiss Superman”! ** 8) Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy took a bloody beating but came back to defeat the two-time former World Tag Team champions the New Age Outlaws. “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and Billy Gunn tagged in-and-out in the first few minutes, trying to wear down Studd. Gunn managed to get the giant Studd bent over and hit the Famouser, driving Studd’s face into the mat and busting him open. Gunn went for a cover but Bundy broke up the pin attempt. Studd managed to tag to the New Jersey giant but the Outlaws worked Bundy over as well. Gunn executed the Famouser on Bundy as well. As Paul Neighbors was getting James out of the ring, Hart threw Studd his megaphone. Studd stepped over the ropes and smashed Gunn in the back of his head with the megaphone. Bundy recovered, as Studd returned to their corner and Neighbors turned around. Bundy sent Gunn into the corner and followed up with the Atlantic City Avalanche. Gunn, still shaken up from the megaphone, crumbled to the mat. Bundy went for the pinfall but James made the save. Studd tagged back in a few moments later but Gunn fought back with some stiff punches. Studd blocked a punch and whipped Gunn into the corner. Neighbors was there and Gunn stopped short of crashing into the official. Studd ran up behind Gunn and crushed him into the corner, causing Gunn to crash into Neighbors after all. All four wrestlers started brawling in the ring. Bundy hit a big splash on “The Road Dogg” but there was no referee to count. Bundy sent James into the corner and went for an Avalanche but James moved out of the way. Bundy’s face hit the metal rod connecting the turnbuckle to the ring post and he was now bleeding like Studd. Gunn knocked Studd into the ropes, causing the giant to get both arms tied in the top and middle ring ropes. The Outlaws then hit a double team body slam on Bundy. Frank Morrell made it into the ring to take over officiating duties, as several other USWA officials helped Neighbors to the back. Morrell counted James’s pin attempt on Bundy but the New Jersey giant kicked out. Bundy rolled out of the ring and James followed. Meanwhile, Studd had gotten out of the ropes and he started to attack Gunn inside the ring. Morrell turned his attention to those two, as Bundy slammed James’s back onto the announcers’ table at ringside. He then tossed James back into the ring. He and Studd then tossed Gunn over the top rope to the arena floor. Studd returned to the First Family’s corner, so Bundy could legally tag him into the bout. Studd hit a falling elbow drop on “The Road Dogg” and covered him to score the pinfall in a great tag team bout! ****¾ 9) In the first of two title bouts, “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay retained the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight title over two-time former champion Tracy Smothers. Finlay was very focused in this bout, wanting to prove himself against the former champ. He hit a hard scoop slam on Smothers, dropping his legs on the bottom rope, for a two-count. The champ followed up with a reverse splash off the second rope for another near fall. A few minutes later, the Irish brawler used a stiff short-arm clothesline to knock down the challenger. He covered Smothers, driving his forearm across Smothers’ throat as he did to score the pinfall and retain the title! *½ 10) The main event was a rematch from last month in Evansville for the top prize in the USWA—the World Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude put the title on the line against Red Bastien. Last month, Bastien appeared to have the title won until Billy Black Lyons interfered, getting Rude disqualified but allowing him to keep the title. With the win, Rude tied the record for the most defenses of the World title (along with Nick Bockwinkel’s first reign from March 2004 to July 2005). If he were to retain the title tonight, Rude would be the sole holder of that record with 17 title defenses. The action was fast and furious in this bout, with so much on the line. Rude had Bastien on the mat in the first few minutes and went up to the top rope for a knee drop but missed and crashed hard. Bastien went for the airplane spin into the atomic drop. He went for the cover but the champion got a foot on the bottom rope for a break. Bastien hit a flying head scissors a few minutes later. Rude tried to block the move and throw the challenger over the top rope but Bastien held on and managed to throw Rude to the floor. Bastien crawled back in the ring. Rude was almost counted out but with “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart screaming at him through the megaphone he managed to crawl back in by the count of nine. Bastien went up to the top and came off with a missile dropkick but Rude dodged the attack and Bastien crashed hard. Rude came off the top with a top rope fist drop. He punished Bastien for several minutes but Bastien cut him off and surprised him with a double knee lift, the same move he used on the champion last month in Evansville right before Lyons interfered. The move busted Rude open and Bastien went for a cover. Hart placed Rude’s foot on the bottom rope, unseen by Jerry Calhoun but seen by Bastien. Calhoun called for the break, while Bastien went after Hart outside the ring. Bastien was about to deck Hart when Rude recovered and came to his manager’s aid. Bastien and Rude started slugging it out outside the ring. Bastien gained the upper hand. Hart attempted to clock Bastien with the megaphone but Bastien saw him coming and intercepted the object. He then cracked Rude in the head with it, dropping the bloody World champion to the floor. Unfortunately for the challenger, Calhoun saw this and called for the bell, disqualifying Bastien. The decision gave Rude the World championship once again and set a new record for most defenses of the title with 17! Bastien pounded on Rude more after the bell and decision. Hart pulled his man away and retreated to the locker room with the World title belt still intact. Despite the win, Rude did not look like the winner, as blood poured down his face and he stumbled back to the locker room! ***½
|
|
|
Post by Vegas on May 28, 2019 21:42:35 GMT -5
Cory, I like your pairing of Tom Prichard and Chris Candido as the Heavenly Bodies, I actually just brought the Heavenly Bodies back in my fed.
Also, congrats to Rick Rude for attaining that record tonight even though Red Bastien certainly made him pay for it.
|
|