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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 2, 2020 21:02:18 GMT -5
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 11-19: • It was announced that Nick Bockwinkel suffered a serious neck injury and will be out of action indefinitely. “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, flanked by Sir Oliver Humperdink, Larry Zbyszko, and Mr. Saito, spoke to Lance Russell in the WMC-TV Studios. The four men were cackling as they came into the studios. Russell asked how they could be laughing at a time like this. Humperdink said that the House of Humperdink was celebrating fulfilling their master plain. Zbyszko said that when he attacked Bockwinkel with the nunchucks a few weeks ago in Nashville, it wasn’t because he couldn’t beat Bockwinkel; he had done that before back in June in nearby Union City. It was to weaken Bockwinkel. He said that Saito further weakened Bockwinkel two weeks later in Tupelo and that Sullivan followed up with the piledriver on the floor and then by pinning the legendary four-time former USWA champion last week in Memphis. Zbyszko stated that “The Gamesmaster” had put an end to the “so-called ‘legendary’” Nick Bockwinkel! Sullivan thanked Zbyszko and Saito for their assistance in his master plan. He pointed out how they have put out of action “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and Bockwinkel and they will continue to prove all USWA heroes to be “frauds.” He said that any “good guy” like World champion “Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant, “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas, the Patriot, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Superstar” Bill Dundee, or anyone else who wants to battle the House of Humperdink will ultimately fail! • Another injury occurred at the Mid-South Coliseum last week when one-half of the USWA World Tag Team champions Billy Black Lyons suffered a broken nose when Red Bastien dropped him on his own title belt after Lyons attempted to ambush the flying redhead with the belt. Commissioner Bob Armstrong reminded wrestling fans that if Lyons cannot wrestle in next week’s scheduled main event in Bowling Green, KY (See Card #488 preview below.), he and Doctor X will have to forfeit the USWA World Tag Team titles. Mad Dog Vachon spoke on behalf of the champions, with the always silent Doctor X behind him in a suit. Vachon said this just proved the bias of Armstrong and the USWA that X and Lyons have had to defend the titles twice with injuries. Last month, X had a back injury but they retained the titles. And now Lyons has a broken nose. But no matter the conspiracies of “you” (pointing right at the commissioner) and the USWA, X and Lyons will hold on to the gold for they are tough, dedicated wrestlers! • Commissioner Armstrong announced another match for November 28 at the Madison County Civic Center in Birmingham. Former Mid-America champion “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay will team up with David Taylor to take on Tyler Black and his bodyguard Luke Harper. Black defeated then-champion Finlay by DQ in a title match two months ago in Springfield when Finlay hit him with the title belt. Harper immediately went after Finlay after the bell. Both Black and Finlay are awaiting title rematches with now-two-time champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens but would love to get a victory over the other in this tag team match. This will actually be Harper’s first match since Derby City Stampede and the Rage in The Cage Match nearly five months ago that led to the demise of the Age of the Fall. Which team will win this grudge match?
The USWA returns to Bowling Green, KY and the Bowling Green High School for the first time in over two years! • Two tag teams that haven’t battled as teams for nearly five years will battle again. Brad and Brian Armstrong will take on the Midnight Express! Long-time USWA fans remember that the Armstrongs along with their father and now-Commissioner “Bullet” Bob battled with “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, “Sweet” Stan Lane, and “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard, then known as the Heavenly Bodies and managed by Jim Cornette, through much of 2010 and 2011. It was an “Ultimate Jeopardy” four-on-three Handicap Match at the USWA’s 300th card at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis with the Bodies and Cornette against the three Armstrongs that forced Brad to leave the USWA, after the villainous quartet ambushed the Armstrongs before the match even started. The reunited Armstrong brothers have been impressive since Brad returned in May. The Midnights have been embroiled in their feud with the new Heavenly Bodies and Cornette. Both teams would love a win over the other to move on toward a possible shot at the World Tag Team titles in the future. Which team will triumph in Bowling Green? • The Patriot returns to action and will face his toughest challenge to date in two-time former Mid-America champion “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. The masked man is fired up after the recent debut of Kevin Sullivan’s Dark Patriot. But he cannot underestimate the always crafty Irish brawler. Will the masked Patriot stay undefeated or will Finlay knock him down? • An old rivalry continues, as “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson takes on one-half of the Heavenly Bodies “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido. Danielson was brought in by Brian Kendrick to help in his battles with Jim Cornette’s men due to Danielson winning the now-retired USWA Texas championship from Candido back in 2010. Danielson’s surprise return in a tag team match saw him make Candido tap out to the LeBell Lock last month in Nashville, which was the first time any of Cornette’s charges has lost a match decisively since “The Louisville Slugger” returned to managing in the USWA in March. Can lighting strike twice for the “Dragon” or will Candido avenge his loss? • Two powerhouses will collide once again, as “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas takes on three-time former USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Rude defeated Atlas at Independence Day Bash at Chilhowee Park, thanks largely to the interference of his now-former manager “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart. Atlas avenged that loss in August in Louisville with a pinfall win in between Rude’s second and third World title reigns. A lot has happened since then, namely Rude being released from Hart’s First Family of Wrestling. Atlas has his first shot at the Southern Heavyweight championship next week in the main event in Huntsville against “Classy” Freddie Blassie. But he cannot look past Rude. Who will win this epic “rubber match”? • The World Heavyweight champion will be in tag team action, as “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant teams up with “Superstar” Bill Dundee to face the First Family of Wrestling’s Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy in a No-Disqualification Match! These two teams have had quite the battles in 2016. Hopefully, with no disqualifications and no countouts, a decisive winning team will be determined. Although there are no disqualifications, tags must be made to determine legal men. Valiant and Dundee have to keep an eye out for Jimmy Hart at ringside. Which team will win the latest chapter in this feud? • In the first of two championship matches, current and two-time USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will defend the title against former champion Tommy Rogers. Stevens won his second title from Fit Finlay last month in Lexington. Rogers defeated Stevens back in June in Union City to retain this title. Stevens and Jimmy Hart stated on Championship Wrestling that “The Crippler” underestimated Rogers and that he is now ready for this “punk.” Can Stevens retain the title or will Rogers surprise the wrestling world again with another big upset? • The main event is scheduled to be for the USWA World Tag Team championship, as Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons will defend the titles against Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. As was chronicled on Championship Wrestling, Lyons is going into this match with a broken nose. After the champions defended the titles last month against former champs Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito while X was suffering from a back injury, most wrestling experts feel that Lyons will show up, knowing the importance of holding championships. It was Williams and Gordy who beat the champs in a non-title match two months ago in Springfield and then injured X’s back. Now they will have their sights set on Lyons as the injured partner. Williams and Gordy are former enemies who have turned into a formidable duo with their great power and explosive offense. Can they become champions for the first time or will X and Lyons find a way to retain again?
All these huge bouts, plus “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, “Exotic” Adrian Street, and Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana in action at Bowling Green High School!
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 13, 2020 14:25:29 GMT -5
November 21, 2016 Card #488: Bowling Green (KY) High School
1) Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana continued his winning ways with a quick pinfall on Vinnie Romeo. The Dallas native Romeo went after Cabana right at the bell and whipped him into the ropes. Romeo missed a clothesline and Cabana rebounded with a flying hip attack. Cabana maintained control and hit the Colt .45 about two minutes into the bout to score the pinfall. The Bowling Green fans gave the Chicago native a big ovation for his win! DUD
2) Another superstar remained undefeated, as “Exotic” Adrian Street scored a pinfall on Hillbilly Jim. As the two combatants started the match, Street eyed the big Jim up-and-down and seemed impressed with his physical stature. Jim used his power to gain the early advantage and hit a big boot which knocked Street up-and-over the top rope and to the floor. Jim Cornette, with Dan Severn close behind, rushed over to the British rocker’s side and encouraged him. Street returned to the ring but Jim continued to attack. He whipped Street into the corner and went for a running big boot but Street rolled out of the way and Jim got tangled up on the top rope. Street kicked away at Jim’s hamstring and then pulled him off the ropes. He worked over his larger opponent and hit a neckbreaker. He then followed up with a running splash, covered Jim, and hooked the leg to score the pinfall. Cornette was very happy about the “Exotic One’s” ninth win in the USWA! ½*
3) The Midnight Express defeated Brad and Brian Armstrong in a competitive tag team match. The Armstrongs controlled “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the first few minutes, including “The Road Dogg” surprising him with a small package for a near fall. Eaton tagged to “Sweet” Stan Lane and the Midnights worked over Brian, with Lane executing a drop toehold and Eaton following up almost immediately with an elbow drop, showing the Midnights’ synchronicity. Brian managed to tag his brother a few moments later and Brad hit the Russian leg sweep on Lane. Eaton broke up the pin attempt. The Armstrongs kept “The Gangster of Love” in the ring for a few minutes, with Brian dropping Lane over the middle rope and following up with a rope straddle for a two-count. The Midnights took over again on Brian. They executed the Rocket Launcher and Eaton went for a cover but Brian managed to kick out. They followed up shortly thereafter with the Veg-o-Matic. It looked it was all over but Brian kicked out at 2¾, which shocked “Beautiful” Bobby and “Sweet” Stan. The fans were solidly behind the Armstrongs and Brian battled back, surprising Eaton with an Armstrong family favorite—the sleeper. Eaton started to drop to the mat. Scott Bowden checked Eaton’s arm and it dropped twice. Bowden raised “Beautiful” Bobby’s arm for a third time and it appeared it was about to drop but Lane broke up the submission attempt with a double ax-handle to the back of Brian. Fans were irate, thinking that Eaton had submitted but the match continued. The Midnights rallied back and Eaton showcased his stinging right hand busting open “The Road Dogg.” He tagged to Lane and they hit a Double Goozle. Eaton tagged back to Lane a few moments later and they hit a second Veg-o-Matic to score the pin, as Eaton stopped Brad with a right hand. The Midnights scored an impressive win, as they look ahead to another bout with the Heavenly Bodies next week in Eaton’s hometown of Huntsville. Fans gave the Armstrongs a big ovation as they returned to the locker room, as they proved they could beat the six-time former USWA World Tag Team champions in a future rematch! ****¼
4) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan made short work of Cousin Luke. Sullivan and Sir Oliver Humperdink were booed mercilessly by the Bowling Green fans after Sullivan’s sickening attack on Nick Bockwinkel last week in Memphis. Sullivan dominated Luke and picked up the pinfall in just a few minutes after the double foot stomp. Sullivan didn’t have much time to celebrate as the Patriot came sprinting to the ring with his American flag in hand, looking to strike Sullivan or Humperdink for his recent actions of injuring Nick Bockwinkel and bringing in the Dark Patriot! The evil duo retreated before the masked man could attack. DUD
5) The Patriot stayed in the ring for his own match-up with two-time former Mid-America Heavyweight champion “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. The masked man seemed distracted by Sullivan’s recent action and it led to his first loss in the USWA! Finlay attacked the Patriot aggressively at the bell. He went for the tombstone piledriver but Patriot flipped out of the hold and rolled up with Finlay with a reverse rolling cradle for a near fall. Patriot went for the Patriot Missile but the Irish brawler dodged the attack and Patriot crashed hard. Finlay hit a hard scoop slam, slamming the Patriot’s legs on the ropes. He then pulled Patriot off the ropes and made a cover, driving his forearm into Patriot’s throat and putting his own feet on the ropes for leverage and scored the pinfall. The Bowling Green fans berated Joe Wheeler for missing the illegal tactic but the decision stood! **¾
6) “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido defeated “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson by disqualification in a controversial match. This was a competitive match. Midway through the bout Candido hit a snap suplex for a two-count. Candido started climbing the ropes for an attack but Danielson recovered and followed him up before he could leap. The two-time former USWA World Heavyweight champion executed an impressive back superplex on Candido! He then went for the LeBell Lock. Candido fought for nearly a minute and looked in trouble. Dan “The Beast” Severn pulled Candido’s leg to the bottom rope and Jim Cornette quickly jumped up on the apron to point this out Scott Bowden. Bowden called for a break but Danielson maintained control. He delivered some knee strikes to Candido busting “The Suicide Blonde” open. He clamped on the guillotine choke and Candido again looked ready to tap. Cornette again distracted Bowden while Candido tapped out! The fans were irate. Severn slipped in the ring and hit Danielson with an elbow strike breaking up the choke. “The Beast” got out of the ring while Bowden returned his attention to the wrestlers. Suddenly, Brian Kendrick (dressed in street clothes since he was not booked to wrestle) came out from the locker room to cheer on Danielson, whom he brought back to the USWA. He pointed to Cornette, indicating he was watching him and Severn. Candido hit a top rope huracanrana but “Dragon” kicked out. Candido pulled Danielson up the ropes again and executed the Blonde Bomb. He went for a cover but as Bowden went to count, Kendrick jumped in the ring with a steel chair and smashed Candido across the back with it. Bowden was left with no choice but to disqualify Danielson after 20 minutes of action. Kendrick then hit the Sliced Bread #2 on the chair on Candido! Severn jumped in the ring but Kendrick smacked him with the chair as well! Cornette knew better than to try and go after a man who just knocked down his bodyguard and he gathered up Severn and Candido and returned them to the locker room. Kendrick checked on Danielson and apologized for costing him the match but Danielson was not upset with him and wanted to get Candido back in the ring! ***¾
7) “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas picked up a quick win over “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Rude still had his ribs taped up and was definitely feeling the injury from the attack by Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy. The fans gave him no sympathy against the popular Atlas and Atlas was not sympathetic to a man who’s given him problems. He clamped on a bear hug in the first minute of the match, crushing the injured ribs. When Rude wouldn’t submit, Atlas lifted him up into the press slam and dropped Rude hard on the match. Atlas followed up with a splash and scored the pinfall in about 90 seconds! Fans went wild for Atlas’ win and he looked impressive one week prior to challenging “Classy” Freddie Blassie for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship! neg*
8) World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee scored an impressive win over their rivals Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy in a No-Disqualification Match. It looked like the very popular team of Valiant and Dundee would score the win quickly, as they double teamed Studd in the opening minutes. Dundee got Studd down and hit a big splash for a near fall. The World champion tagged in and hit two Boogie Woogie elbow drops in a row, the second one landing right across Studd’s face and busting him open. He went for a cover but Bundy broke up the pin with a big splash to Valiant’s back, sacrificing his tag team partner’s condition as well. Both men were down but got to their feet and Studd blasted Valiant with a running clothesline. Bundy tagged in, sent the World champion to the corner, and immediately hit the Atlantic City Avalanche. He did his Superstar wiggle right at Dundee and then finally went for the cover. He scored the three-count on the World champion but then demanded his five-count. Valiant kicked out a 4¾ which drew a big pop from the fans and made Bundy, Studd, and Jimmy Hart irate! Bundy maintained control and tossed Valiant to the arena floor. He went after Valiant, while Studd and Dundee brawled in the ring, keeping the Aussie “Superstar” from saving his partner. Bundy grabbed a steel chair and smashed Valiant in the head with it, which was totally legal in this match. He tossed the World champion back into the ring and hit a knee drop across his head. As Studd and Dundee returned to their corners, Bundy went for a cover but “Boogie Woogie” kicked out! Valiant battled back against Bundy and had him dazed. Studd grabbed a chair, stepped over the ropes, and went to attack Valiant. “The Boy from New York City” saw him coming and rocked him with big right hands. He grabbed the chair and waffled Studd with it three times, knocking the giant out of the ring and out of the match. He continued to punish Bundy. Dundee begged for a tag against the man who has been mocking his “Superstar” persona for months. Valiant obliged him and Dundee went after Bundy. Dundee went to clothesline the giant Superstar but Bundy ducked and tossed Dundee over the ropes. Dundee was shaken up but crawled back up on the apron. Bundy went to clobber the Aussie but Dundee ducked and jumped on the big man’s back with a sleeper. With no countouts in this match, Joe Wheeler waited to see what happened. Bundy walked toward the center of the ring and pulled the “Superstar” over the top rope but with the sleeper still locked on. Bundy fought hard but started to drop to the mat. Hart jumped in the ring but Valiant cut him off and body slammed “The Mouth of The South,” which drew a big pop from the fans! Wheeler checked Bundy’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Valiant and Dundee a huge win! The Bowling Green fans went wild for the popular duo’s hard-fought win! ***½
9) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens successfully defended the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship with a win over former champion Tommy Rogers. Jimmy Hart did not initially accompany the champion to the ring as he was still in the back with Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy but came out about two minutes after the bell. Stevens was aggressive at the start, even hitting the piledriver about two minutes into the bout. Rogers landed near the ropes and was able to get a foot under the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Stevens stayed in control until he went up top for the Bombs Away. He took his time in leaping and Rogers rolled out of the way, causing Stevens to crash hard. Rogers immediately went for a cover but “The Crippler” kicked out. Rogers pummeled Stevens for several minutes, sending him into the buckle with such momentum that Stevens flipped upside down. Rogers was fighting hard to win back the title but got cut off with a knee to the midsection by the champ. Stevens executed a double-arm suplex and then went up top again. This time he landed the Bombs Away and scored the pinfall to retain the title after eight minutes of action. Stevens’ second Mid-America title reign started off strong tonight! **¾
10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team championship. Current champions Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons put the titles on the line against Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. The challengers had scored a non-title win on the champions two months ago in Springfield and then injured X’s back in a brawl after the match. X entered the match recovered from that injury, no longer wearing a back brace as he did in their defense against Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito. However, Lyons was wounded this week, as he was wrestling with a broken nose from a brawl with Red Bastien last week in Memphis. He sported a protective face mask.
X started the match for his team, giving Lyons the chance to rest, and worked much of the bout. He hit a piledriver on Williams for a two-count a few minutes into the bout. The challengers took advantage of X doing most of the work for his team by tagging in-and-out. Gordy got X down on the mat and went for an STF to try and get a submission win. The masked grappler pulled his way to the ropes for a break. The challengers blasted X with a double football tackle a few moments later, which is how they pinned him in their non-title match in Springfield. X evaded a pin attempt and made the tag to Lyons. Lyons had some offense against the larger Gordy but “Bamm Bamm” battled back. He hit the power bomb on Lyons and went for a pin but the Doctor made save. “Dr. Death” came in and sent Doctor X over the top rope with a lariat. Williams then returned to his corner and Gordy tagged him back into the match. Williams executed the backdrop driver and made a cover on Lyons. Paul Morton counted the three-count called for the bell after 18 minutes of action and awarded the World Tag Team titles to Williams and Gordy! The Bowling Green fans went wild at seeing history made! “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came out to the ring to celebrate with his allies. (While this is Gordy’s first time as a USWA World Tag Team champion, this is Williams’ second, as he had a brief reign with Ted DiBiase in 2011.) ***½
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Post by TTX on Apr 13, 2020 15:29:19 GMT -5
Congrats to Williams and Gordy.
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 20, 2020 11:40:07 GMT -5
Thanks to Troy for the comments!
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from 11-26 with some big matches announced for the final weeks of 2016, including the main event for the USWA’s year-ending supercard New Year’s Knockout! • Commissioner Bob Armstrong was very busy on this episode with several big matches announced for the coming weeks! First of all, he announced the final main event of the year, for the 13th annual New Year’s Knockout! As six-time former USWA champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis announced at the August card at the Louisville Gardens, the Gardens will be the host for this year’s supercard. This will be the fourth time that the Derby City has hosted the year-end supercard. The commissioner announced that the main event will feature one of the USWA’s most popular wrestlers battle one of the most hated. Current and two-time USWA World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will put the title on the line against the current Southern Heavyweight champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie! Blassie has been dominant since debuting in the USWA in June of 2015. He has suffered only one loss and has twice captured the Southern title. Blassie is a former WWA World Heavyweight champion and would love to add the USWA World title to his achievements. “Boogie Woogie” has had an unbelievable year as well. After 12 years, on-and-off, in the USWA, he captured his first World title from the longest-reigning champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude. This should be quite the battle between two of the USWA’s top stars for the top prize! In an interesting piece of USWA history, this will be the first time in 10½ years, and only the second time in history, that the current Southern Heavyweight champion will have challenged the World Heavyweight champion, assuming that Blassie still holds the Southern crown at that time. (The last time this happened was on March 10, 2006 when Nick Bockwinkel, during his second reign as World champion, defeated Gorgeous George, then in his third and last reign as Southern champion, in Cookeville.)
• The USWA will debut in a new city and venue on December 12, when they present a huge card at the Western County High School in Dixon, KY! The commissioner announced two big match-ups already. o The main event will be a rematch from last week in Bowling Green. The new USWA World Tag Team champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will defend the titles against the former champions Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons! Lyons and the Doctor were in the WMC-TV Studios. Lyons said that Williams and Gordy did not win a tag team match, they won a Handicap Match against Doctor X because he (Lyons) was not at 100% and he probably won’t be at 100% on December 12. But he and the Doctor will do whatever it takes to win back the gold and end 2016 as two-time champions! o Two-former Mid-America champions and former rivals will reignite their battles again, when “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson battles “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Finlay first came to the USWA in 2012, along with David Taylor, as allies for Nigel McGuinness in his feud with “Dragon.” Finlay and Danielson have had some physical battles over the years, including Finlay last year giving Danielson the tombstone piledriver outside the ring in June at Chilhowee Park. Another victory over Danielson in July in Lexington led to Danielson’s departure from the USWA. It will be interesting to see the latest chapter in this storied feud!
• The commissioner also announced matches for the December 5 card at the Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville. o The main event will see two rivals who have had some wild bouts in 2016 meet once again. The World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will battle Bobby Shane in a non-title grudge match! Shane holds three wins over Valiant this year and the World champion has yet to defeat the master of the Japanese sleeper. A fourth win by Shane would definitely earn him a World title shot in 2017! o It was announced that Paul London would return from injury on this card! The high-flying Texan will team up with Brian Kendrick and “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson to do battle with the Heavenly Bodies and “Exotic” Adrian Street in six-man tag team action! London was put out of action with facial injuries and a concussion after a brutal attack by the Bodies and Dan “The Beast” Severn in August at the Louisville Gardens. The injury to London is what led to Danielson’s return to help out Kendrick. Now all three fan favorites will team up once again to battle Jim Cornette’s trio! o The Patriot scored his devastating first loss last week in Bowling Green. He will get a chance for redemption when he battles “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay in a rematch! Patriot was interviewed in the studio. He said no disrespect to Finlay but he was not focused on their first match, due to the presence of Kevin Sullivan and his “bogus” Patriot right before his own match. He said that he knows he will get his hands on the Dark Patriot and Sullivan down the road but for now, he will focus on defeating Finlay! o One of the biggest stars in all of professional wrestling will return to the USWA for the first time in two years. “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant will wrestle on all four scheduled USWA cards in December! The popular French giant’s opponents will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Tune in again to USWA Championship Wrestling for more details!
• Another big match was made for the December 19 card at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, the last card before New Year’s Knockout XIII. Current and two-time USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will defend the titles against two-time former champion “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay! Stevens and Finlay have had some physical battles this year over the title and contention of it. Finlay has yet to defeat Stevens. Will he finally get his win and end 2016 as champion? • “Ravishing” Rick Rude was interviewed in studio. Lance Russell asked Rude the condition of his ribs. Rude was bothered by the question and asked Russell if he saw Rude’s match with Tony Atlas last week in Bowling Green. Russell answered that of course he had and Rude said that his ribs don’t feel great after having Atlas splash them! Rude said that he has a new goal for the remainder of 2016: He wants to be a “giant killer.” He wanted to challenge three wrestlers who were bigger than he is but he wants to prove that even if he’s not 100%, his worst is better than everyone else’s best! He said that he has not forgotten the two men who injured him: Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy. He wants both men inside the ring! He said that he currently doesn’t have any allies in the USWA and he’s not going to be stupid enough to fight them both in a Handicap Match. He wants them in separate one-on-one matches. He also said there’s a third giant he wants to knock down. He reminded Lance and the faithful USWA fans that two years ago, Andre, along with “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, injured his ribs. He never got the opportunity to battle Andre after that, due to both men’s different wrestling schedules. But since Andre is back in the USWA, he wants him one-on-one! Rude said that a huge match like that, the longest-reigning USWA World Heavyweight champion against “The 8th Wonder of The World” should be featured on the biggest card of the year—New Year’s Knockout! There was no response from Andre on this episode of Championship Wrestling but you can bet the giant will have an answer for Rude soon! • Rude did get an answer to his other two challenges, however, as “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart came into the studios later on (perhaps after Rude had left the building!) The manager replied that both Studd and Bundy would be happy to battle the “Ravishing One” and prove he’s nothing without Hart at his side! Hart said he had talked to the commissioner and that Rude will face Studd on December 5 in Evansville and then Bundy the following week in Dixon.
The USWA comes back to Huntsville and the Madison County Civic Center for the first time in two years on November 28! The Huntsville fans will see some exciting bouts! • The One Man Gang was embarrassed two weeks ago in Memphis and wants revenge! He will get his chance when he faces “The Angry Amish Warrior” the Amish RoadKill! RoadKill defeated Gang at the Mid-South Coliseum by disqualification when Gang got caught using a steel chair, giving RoadKill his first singles win in more than 18 months. Gang stated on Championship Wrestling that it won’t happen again and that the Amish farmer will have a 747 dropped on his barn! Can the giant from Halsted Street avenge that loss? • “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay and David Taylor will do battle with Tyler Black and Luke Harper! Black defeated Finlay in September by disqualification when challenging for Finlay’s then-Mid-America championship. As Finlay delivered a beating after the bell, Harper proved to be a faithful bodyguard by blasting the Irish brawler with a big boot! The British grapplers want revenge. Finlay is looking forward to a rematch with Ray Stevens for the Mid-America title in a few weeks in Knoxville but Black would love another shot at the title as well. While Harper is an impressive physical specimen, he has not competed since the grueling Rage in The Cage Match at Derby City Stampede in May and you have to wonder if there is any ring rust. Can the more experienced British duo defeat the spectacular Black and his intimidating bodyguard? • Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy are not resting after winning the USWA World Tag Team titles last week in Bowling Green! The popular powerhouses will do battle with an equally, if not more, powerful team in Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy of the First Family of Wrestling in a huge non-title bout! Studd and Bundy defeated Williams and Gordy last month in Tupelo and the new champions would love to avenge that loss. While Williams and Gordy had success last week, the First Family’s giants encountered disappointment in losing to World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee in a No-Disqualification Match on the same card. Jimmy Hart said that his men lost in an “unfair brawl with no rules” and that they will defeat Williams and Gordy again and go on to get a title match end 2016 as the World Tag Team champions. • In an international match-up, Australia’s “Superstar” Bill Dundee will take on the Algerian brawler Mad Dog Vachon! This will be a first-time match-up between these two stars. Dundee is coming off a huge tag team win last week, as well as finally getting a win over Bobby Shane last month in Tupelo. The elder Vachon brother has had some big singles wins this, including defeating “The Golden Greek” Jim Londos, “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas, and Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. Which grappler will achieve victory in Huntsville? • “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard will return from his neck injury to team up with “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido. The Heavenly Bodies will have a tough challenge ahead of them when they face their rivals the Midnight Express! “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane put Prichard on the shelf six weeks ago in Lexington, with a Veg-o-Matic on a chair. Jim Cornette said on Championship Wrestling that his men would come out, ready for war with the Midnights! Even though the Midnights are announced as hailing from the Dark Side, Eaton’s actual hometown is Huntsville and he is typically welcomed with big cheers. Cornette said that Huntsville is going to “revoke Eaton’s residency” after the Bodies get through him and Lane? Will “The Louisville Slugger’s” words ring true or will the hometown boy’s team triumph? • The main event will be a huge first-time meeting for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie will defend the title against “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. Atlas debuted in February of this year and has compiled an impressive win-loss record, currently at 19-3 overall, which is outstanding in the ultra-competitive USWA. Blassie’s record can top that, having debuted in June 2015 and having suffered his only loss at that time. In an interview in the WMC-TV Studios, the Southern champion said that Atlas may have a lot of power and speed but that won’t mean a thing when Blassie bites down on him! Blassie has his sights set on the World title on December 31 but he cannot look past “Mr. USA,” who is also an ally of “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant’s. Can Blassie continue his impressive reign or will Atlas capture his first USWA title?
All these bouts, as well as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan tangling with Butcher Vachon! As well as “Exotic” Adrian Street, the Dark Patriot, and the team of Bryan Danielson and Brian Kendrick in action in Huntsville!
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 22, 2020 10:20:08 GMT -5
November 28, 2016 Card #489: Madison County Civic Center in Huntsville
1) The One Man Gang avenged his disqualification loss from two weeks ago in Memphis with a pinfall win on the Amish RoadKill. RoadKill was aggressive in the first few minutes and looked like he might score a pinfall win. He attempted to lift Gang for a Barn Burner but couldn’t get the 495-pounder up in the air. Gang took over and hit a face-first suplex. He then followed up with a 747 Splash for the pinfall, making Sir Oliver Humperdink a happy man! ½*
2) Bryan Danielson and Brian Kendrick defeated Virgil and Johnny Rodz. Virgil and Rodz almost scored a big win. Virgil caught Danielson in the Million Dollar Dream and had it locked on for a minute. “American Dragon” started to drop but battled back and rammed Virgil backward into the buckles for a break. “The Unpredictable” Rodz tagged in but Danielson battled back and tagged to Kendrick. Kendrick hit a running forearm smash and went for a cover but Virgil broke up the pin. Kendrick blasted Virgil with forearm smashes and knocked him out of the ring with a big boot. Kendrick dragged Rodz toward his and Danielson’s corner and tagged to “Dragon.” Danielson locked on the LeBell Lock in the center of the ring. Rodz was trapped and forced to tap out. Danielson and Kendrick celebrated their win, as they are looking forward to reuniting with Paul London in a few weeks in Evansville and take on the Heavenly Bodies and “Exotic” Adrian Street! **¾
3) The Dark Patriot defeated S.D. Jones by countout. The masked man was accompanied by both Sir Oliver Humperdink and “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan. Jones had a lot of offense against the Dark Patriot and hit two head butts for separate near falls. Humperdink distracted Tom Branch, while Dark Patriot rolled to the ropes for a breather. Sullivan went to console him and in doing so slipped an object into Dark Patriot’s mask. Jones went to grab the masked man but Dark Patriot surprised him with a loaded head butt of his own. Jones rolled out of the ring but Dark Patriot. He came off the apron with a second loaded head butt to Jones on the arena floor and then returned to the ring. Branch put a count on Jones and he hit 10. Dark Patriot got the countout victory and he, Humperdink, and “The Gamesmaster” seemed content with that! Sullivan cackled maniacally as he raised Dark Patriot’s hand in victory! **
4) “Exotic” Adrian Street scored a pinfall on Cousin Luke. While Street scored a fairly easy win on Luke’s tag team partner Hillbilly Jim last week in Bowling Green, he had more trouble with Luke. Luke was aggressive, hoping to give Street his first loss. Hit the Hillbilly Drop early in the bout but only got a two-count. The bout spilled to the floor and as Jim Cornette distracted Tommy Marlin, Luke grabbed his horseshoe and clocked the British glam rocker with it, causing Cornette’s strategy to backfire! Street took control, got Luke down on the mat, and executed a running splash, which is how he pinned Jim last week. Luke managed to kick out. Street went for a submission with the Daffodil, which is a stump puller, but Luke wouldn’t give. The “Exotic One” continued his onslaught and hit an impressive vertical suplex on his larger foe. He then followed up with an elbow drop and scored the pinfall. Street is now at 10 singles win since debuting at Independence Day Bash! ***
5) “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay and David Taylor got a hard-fought tag team victory over Tyler Black and his bodyguard Luke Harper. The more established British duo had the advantage in the start of this bout. Taylor hit the British suplex but Black managed to get a shoulder up before the three-count. Finlay came back in and hit a Belfast Bomb for a two-count. He followed up with the tombstone piledriver but Black again kicked out at 2¾. Finlay took the fight to the floor and gave Black a hard body slam into the guard railing. The Irish brawler returned to the ring. The Iowan was almost counted out but with Harper’s help returned to the ring by the count of eight. Black managed to tag to Harper a few moments later. “The Belfast Bruiser” whipped Harper into the buckle and charged in at him but Harper blasted him with the big boot. He covered Finlay but the two-time former Mid-America champion kicked out. Finlay tried to get away but Harper grabbed him whipped him into the ropes and delivered a second big boot. Harper went for another cover but Taylor broke up the pin attempt. Black came in and knocked Taylor out of the ring with a clothesline. Black returned to his team’s corner and Harper tagged him in. Black ran wild on Finlay and went up to the top rope. Taylor had returned to the ring apron and grabbed Black’s ankle before he could attack. The distraction was enough to allow Finlay to recover, pull Black off the top, and hit Rolling Hills. Both men were hurt and Sam Platania began to count them both down. They both got to their feet around seven but Finlay struck first. He blasted Black with a short-arm clothesline and made a cover, driving his forearm into Black’s throat. Harper stepped over the ropes to attempt a save but Taylor stopped him with a jumping knee smash. Finlay scored the pinfall. The British duo looked impressive and Finlay especially impressed, as he looks forward to a rematch with Ray “The Crippler” Stevens in a few weeks in Knoxville for the Mid-America Heavyweight title! ***½
6) “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan battled back to score a big win over Butcher Vachon. Butcher looked like he might score a big singles win over the American hero. He blasted Duggan with a big boot for a near fall. Duggan fought back and hit two clotheslines for a two-count. Vachon reversed a whip into the corner and Duggan almost crashed into Tom Branch but stopped short. Vachon took advantage of the distraction and clobbered “Hacksaw” from behind. He slammed Duggan to the mat and hit a big splash for a near fall. Vachon worked over Duggan for a few minutes and got him up in the hangman. Duggan managed to get a foot over the top rope for a break. Vachon continued his onslaught for a few more minutes but the Huntsville fans stayed behind “Hacksaw” with big “USA” chants. Vachon hit another splash but wouldn’t go for the cover. He went up to the top rope and came off a splash from there. He covered Duggan but pulled his shoulder up before the three-count. He went up to the top again but quite slowly. He finally came off with a second splash but Duggan rolled out of the way and Vachon crashed hard! The two brawlers were down on the mat but Duggan went to the corner and got in the three-point stance. Vachon got to his feet and turned around, only to get blasted by the flying spear! Duggan made a cover and scored the pinfall seemingly out of nowhere. The Huntsville fans erupted at “Hacksaw’s” victory! ***¾
7) Duggan’s allies, the new World Tag Team champions, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy scored an impressive win over Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy in a non-title match. Studd had some early offense against Williams but Williams battled back and hit an impressive belly-to-belly suplex on the giant! A few minutes later, Bundy had tagged in and had control of Williams but “Doc” surprised him with a lariat. He tagged to Gordy and the champs blasted the New Jersey giant with a double football tackle. Gordy went for a pinfall but Bundy kicked out. Gordy went up to the top rope and came off with an impressive flying body press that flattened Bundy. Gordy hooked the leg but Bundy kicked out. Gordy managed to get the 446-pounder up for the power bomb and dropped him hart on the mat, shaking the ring and rocking the Huntsville fans! Gordy made a cover. Studd stepped over the ropes but was stopped by a flying shoulder tackle from “Dr. Death.” Tommy Marlin counted Bundy down for the three-count, as the fans went wild and Jimmy Hart was in shock! **¼
8) “Superstar” Bill Dundee scored a wild win over Mad Dog Vachon via disqualification. Dundee surprised Vachon in the first minute of the match with a sunset flip for a two-count. Vachon took over with a running knee lift. He hit the piledriver but Dundee got a foot under the bottom rope for a break. Dundee started to battle back with some punches. Before he could get too far ahead, Vachon grabbed the Australian “Superstar” and whipped him into the corner but sent him right into Sam Platania. It appeared that Vachon knew that the official was there. Platania was down on the mat. Dundee was down too but had the wherewithal to check on Platania. Vachon showed no sympathy to the referee and continued his onslaught on Dundee. He choked Dundee on the middle rope and pummeled his face, busting him open. He then delivered two Mad Dog Pounces, pulled Dundee off the rope, and hit another piledriver. He covered Dundee but Platania was still down. Vachon went over to Platania, who had started to move. The Algerian brawler yelled at Platania and shoved him in the face. He went over to punish Dundee some more. Dundee surprised him with some big roundhouse punches. He slammed Vachon, then went up to the top rope, and came off with the Superstar Bomb. He covered Vachon. Platania finally had the strength to come over to the wrestlers. He tapped Dundee on the back and then called for the bell. The fans went wild. Platania spoke to Gary Michael Cappetta at ringside and clarified that he had disqualified Vachon for laying his hands on him. While it wasn’t the type of win he wanted, Dundee still was happy with his win. Vachon got to his feet and went after Platania but was stopped by the “Superstar,” who nailed him with more punches. Vachon decided to retreat rather than try to fight back! **½
9) The Midnight Express got their first win over the Heavenly Bodies in “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton’s hometown in a very memorable match-up! Eaton got a huge ovation from his hometown fans. Dr. Tom Prichard was returning to action from his neck injury but seemed in good shape, as he and Chris Candido double teamed Eaton for the first few minutes. They even hit the Prima Donna Plunge in the opening minutes but “Sweet” Stan Lane made a quick save, knowing the success the move has brought the Bodies. The Midnights took over on Prichard and double teamed him for several minutes, including Lane blasting him with a flurry of karate kicks for a near fall and Eaton hitting a top rope knee drop for a two-count as well. The Bodies regained control on the hometown boy Eaton. Candido executed a power slam on Eaton but Eaton kicked out. Prichard came back in and blasted Eaton with two enzuigiris. He covered “Beautiful” Bobby but Eaton got a foot on the bottom ropes for a break. Eaton briefly battled back against “The Suicide Blonde” but Candido cut him off with some punches, which busted Eaton open. Candido surprised him with a small package but Eaton kicked out. Eaton finally made the tag to “The Gangster of Love.” The Midnights trapped Candido in the ring for several minutes, using their double team arsenal on the former Texas champion. The executed the Rocket Launcher but Jim Cornette distracted Tom Branch. Candido tried to get a breather on the floor but Eaton followed him and executed a bulldog on the arena floor! The fans went wild as Cornette tried to protest the maneuver to Branch. Candido’s blonde hair now had some red in it as he was busted open as well. “The Suicide Blonde” was almost counted out but with Cornette and Dan Severn’s help rolled back in by eight. Lane hit the Russian leg sweep but Prichard made a save. Later, Prichard was the legal man when the Midnights set him up for the Veg-o-Matic, the same move, aided by a steel chair, that put him out of action. Before Eaton and Lane could hit the maneuver, Cornette was again up on the apron. The Midnights released Prichard, both grabbed Cornette by his jacket and pulled him over the top rope and into the ring! The Huntsville fans erupted. As Branch got “The Louisville Slugger” out of the ring and restored order, Prichard tagged Candido who ambushed “Sweet” Stan. The Bodies double teamed Lane for several minutes, twice executing a Midnights’ specialty, the Flapjack, on him. Lane rallied back and tagged to Eaton. The Midnights executed their great combination of a drop toehold from Lane and a big elbow drop from Eaton on “The Doctor of Desire.” They worked over Prichard some more and nailed him with a Double Goozle, which nailed Prichard right in the face and busted him open too, making this a triple-juice match! Lane used Prichard’s own finisher, the enzuigiri, against him and went for a cover but Prichard got his shoulder up at the last possible second. “Sweet” Stan tagged back to “Beautiful” Bobby and the Midnights executed the Veg-o-Matic. Eaton covered Prichard, while Lane stopped Candido with a roundhouse kick, and Eaton got the pinfall in his hometown. The Huntsville fans exploded at the Midnights’ first win over the Bodies, as well as Prichard and Candido’s first decisive loss as a team! As Eaton and Lane celebrated amongst the fans, Prichard was in a lot of pain. He needed Candido and Severn’s help to return to the locker room and Cornette seemed concerned! ***** (NOTE: The combined fatigue token count for the four wrestlers was 21—unbelievable!)
10) The main event was for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and two-time champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie put the title on the line against “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. The champion was aggressive at the start, using any tactics he could against his stronger opponent. He hit the Southern neckbreaker twice in the first few minutes but the challenger managed to kick out. He bit Atlas and opened up a cut. He then delivered multiple knee drops to cause the blood to flow more. The champion tried for a pin but again Atlas powered out. Atlas had some control and sent Blassie into the buckle. He dove in for a splash but the champion moved and Atlas’ head hit the buckle, causing more blood to spill. Atlas wouldn’t be stopped as he battled back and surprised Blassie with a dropkick. He went for a cover on the champion but “The Hollywood Fashion Plate” kicked out. Atlas executed the press slam and followed up with the splash. The Huntsville fans were buzzing hoping to see history made. A bloodied Atlas made a cover but Blassie got his shoulder up at 2¾. It was so close that many fans thought that Tommy Marlin had made a mistake! The champion “The Vampire” briefly took over with another bite, blinding Atlas with his own blood. “Mr. USA” fought as hard as he could but the blood loss was getting to him. He whipped Blassie into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop. He telegraphed the move, as Blassie was ready and surprised him with a third Southern neckbreaker. He covered Atlas and scored the pinfall after about 10 minutes of physical action to retain the Southern Heavyweight title. As Marlin raised Blassie’s hand and handed him the Southern title, Blassie indicated to the fans that on December 31 in Louisville, he would be adding the World Heavyweight title to his collection! ****¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Apr 24, 2020 13:33:17 GMT -5
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 12-3, including more announcements for New Year’s Knockout XIII from the Louisville Gardens! • An interview aired from the locker room at the Greensboro Coliseum at a Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling card. The interview was with “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant and was conducted by MACW announcer Bob Caudle on November 27. Caudle said he had talked with Lance Russell on the phone about the challenge from “Ravishing” Rick Rude had made the day before on Championship Wrestling for a match with him at New Year’s Knockout XIII. Andre said he remembers how Rude was one of the members of the First Family of Wrestling at Independence Day Bash 2014 who tried to cut off all of his hair, which is why Andre delivered the big splash to him the following month at Engel Stadium. He said he knows the problems Rude has caused for great men like Nick Bockwinkel, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, and current World champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant over the last two years. He would be happy to battle Rude one-on-one and defeat him in front of the great USWA fans! Later in the episode back in the WMC-TV Studios, Commissioner Bob Armstrong confirmed that the match between Andre and Rude is signed for December 31 and, along with the World Heavyweight title match, will be part of a double main event for this supercard! • Two more title matches were announced for the huge Louisville Gardens supercard on New Year’s Eve. Tyler Black will get a rematch for the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship. His opponent will be either Ray “The Crippler” Stevens or “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay, depending on who comes out of their title match on December 19 in Knoxville as the champion. Black won his title match in September in Springfield against then-champion Finlay by disqualification and has been awaiting a title rematch. He had Finlay in trouble in that bout. It would be an interesting match-up against current champion Stevens, as both men use finishing maneuvers off the top rope! • The other title match will feature the Midnight Express trying to break their own record and go for their seventh USWA World Tag Team championship! They will challenge either the current champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy or Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons, depending on who leaves Dixon, KY on December 12 the champions! The Midnights’ last reign was at the end of 2015. They were stripped of the titles when they were suspended for four cards after injuring Sweet Brown Sugar. When their suspension was up, they challenged the then-champions the Vachons for the titles in Union City and won that match by disqualification when their then-rivals the PYT Express interfered, just as it appeared the Midnights had the titles won. This will be “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane’s first title shot since that match, more than a year ago!
• Speaking of the Midnights, after their epic match last week in Eaton’s hometown of Huntsville, it was revealed that Dr. Tom Prichard reinjured his neck from the Veg-o-Matic that led to his pinfall and the Heavenly Bodies’ first decisive loss as a team. The five-time former World Tag Team champion will be out of action until early 2017. As a result of this, this had led to a change in the six-man tag team match scheduled for next week in Evansville. (See Card #490 preview below.)
• Commissioner Armstrong announced more matches for the USWA’s debut card at Western County High School in Dixon, KY on December 12! o A first-time meeting between two former World Tag Team championship teams will take place, when six-time former champions the Midnight Express battle two-time former champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink. Give “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane credit for signing for huge matches prior to the title match on December 31! Zbyszko and Saito don’t have the experience in the USWA as a team that the Midnights but their record as a team this past year has been impressive. A win over the Midnights prior to New Year’s Knockout would certainly put them into consideration for another title match in 2017! o Ray “The Crippler” Stevens could be defending his Mid-America title twice in the month of December. The First Family of Wrestling member has a busy schedule for the whole month, as he will take on Tyler Black’s bodyguard Luke Harper in Dixon! Harper is certainly an impressive athlete with great power and great agility for a wrestler of his size. While he doesn’t have that many matches on his USWA record, a non-title win over the Mid-America champion would get him noticed and earn him a title shot in the New Year! o A rematch from last week in Huntsville has been signed, as “Superstar” Bill Dundee will collide once again with Mad Dog Vachon! These two had a wild match last week that saw Vachon bloodied up Dundee but get disqualified throwing the Aussie into Sam Platania. What will be the outcome this time? o As part of his tour of the USWA in December, Andre the Giant will do battle with First Family of Wrestling member Bobby Shane! While Andre is no stranger to “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, he has not met Shane before, who debuted in the area this year. Shane has an impressive track record and could surprise “The 8th Wonder of The World” with his devious tactics!
• Commissioner “Bullet” Bob also announced some big matches for the December 19 card at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville. o Before he challenges for the World Heavyweight title on New Year’s Eve, “Classy” Freddie Blassie will need to make his mandatory monthly defense of the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. He will put the title on the line in the main event against a man who has made a splash on the USWA in just about five months—the undefeated “Exotic” Adrian Street! Street is 10-0 in singles matches since debuting as part of Jim Cornette’s stable in July. The British punk rocker has proven to be a formidable wrestler despite his outrageous antics! It will be interesting to see whom the Knoxville fans support, as both Blassie and Street are two of the most despised wrestlers in all of the USWA at this moment! o Andre the Giant will do battle with a man he knows very well—Big John Studd! In Andre’s last appearance in the USWA two years ago, he defeated Studd, then the Masked Superstar II, at New Year’s Knockout XI at Roberts Stadium in Evansville in a Hair vs. Mask Match and then unmasked Studd! Studd has always bragged about his status as a giant and would love to give Andre his first loss in the USWA, especially before Andre tangles with “Ravishing” Rick Rude in Louisville!
The USWA kicks off the last month of the year with the first in a huge series of cards leading up to New Year’s Knockout XIII on December 31! The first card takes place this coming Monday night, December 5, from the Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville! • The World Tag Team champions will compete once again in a non-title bout, as Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy take on two-time former champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink! While these four wrestlers have collided in the past, this will be the first time they have met as teams. Zbyszko and Saito would love to get a win over the champions and get another title shot in the near future. Can they knock off the powerful fan favorites or will Williams and Gordy stop them? • The Mid-America Heavyweight champion will compete in a non-title bout, when Ray “The Crippler” Stevens faces former champion David Taylor. Stevens has got a rematch against Taylor’s mate “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay in two weeks in Knoxville. You can bet Taylor will be looking to weaken Stevens for Finlay, as well as to earn himself another title match in the future. Can Taylor outwrestle the champion or will it be Bombs Away for the British grappler? • “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan hopes to continue his dominance when he faces former Mid-America champion Tommy Rogers! Sullivan hopes to defeat another “good guy,” as he has put it on interviews, when he faces the popular Rogers. But Rogers cannot be underestimated. Who will leave Evansville the winner? • “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant returns to the USWA for the first time in nearly two years. The French giant will do battle with an Algerian heavyweight in Butcher Vachon! Can Butcher score a huge win on one of the top stars in all of wrestling today? • “Ravishing” Rick Rude has stated that he will end 2016 as the “giant slayer.” He will have first test in doing so when he battles his former ally in the First Family of Wrestling Big John Studd! Rude is still competing with injured ribs, thanks to the attack backstage by Studd and Superstar Bundy about two months ago in Nashville. Rude is obviously one of the most put-together wrestlers in the USWA but can he knock down the giant Studd, especially when he’s not at 100%? • A six-man tag team match will take place, although the line-up has changed from what was originally announced on WMC-TV. The fan favorite team of Brian Kendrick, “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, and the returning Paul London will stay the same. But due to the injury last week to Dr. Tom Prichard, their opponents will now be Jim Cornette’s unique trio of “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido, “Exotic” Adrian Street, and Cornette’s bodyguard and former USWA World and Southern Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn! Give Cornette credit for not only hiring Severn for his own security but also to step in when his other wrestlers are injured. He’s got a very eclectic group here in the fast-paced Candido, the British glam rocker and technician Street, and the submission and grappling specialist Severn. London is returning to action after more than three months, after he suffered facial injuries and a concussion from the Heavenly Bodies and Severn in an attack at the Louisville Gardens. While he has been cleared to compete, you have to wonder if there is any ring rust. Can the high-flying, fast-paced fan favorites topple Cornette’s men? • The main event will be another meeting between two wrestlers who have had heated matches in 2016. The current and two-time World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will do battle with Bobby Shane of the First Family of Wrestling in a non-title grudge match! This will the fourth time these two has met. Shane holds three wins over the World champion, although each time with some level of controversy due to interference from “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart and/or some type of illegal tactics. Whether illegal or not, Shane has amassed an impressive win-loss record in 2016, with only four decisive losses as of this writing. A fourth win over “Boogie Woogie” would definitely earn Shane a shot at the World title in 2017. On last week’s USWA Championship Wrestling, Valiant’s challenger for New Year’s Knockout XIII Southern Heavyweight champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie announced that he will be in attendance in Evansville and plans to sit ringside with “you” (talking to Lance Russell) and your “grit-eating freak” friend Dave Brown to watch “The Booger Man” Jimmy Valiant up close. Can Shane topple Valiant once again or will “Handsome” Jimmy finally stop the nefarious Shane?
All these huge bouts, plus two huge rematches. First, the Patriot battles “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay! And then, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan takes on the One Man Gang! And to give all the members of the House of Humperdink matches on this card, the Dark Patriot will also be in action!
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Post by TTX on Apr 27, 2020 15:59:03 GMT -5
Heck of a match between the Midnights and Bodies. Great card as usual.
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Post by Cory Olson on May 11, 2020 15:02:58 GMT -5
Thanks to Troy for the comments!
December 5, 2016 Card #490: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville
1) The House of Humperdink’s Dark Patriot scored a pinfall on Jim Powers in the opener. The Dark Patriot largely dominated the New Yorker, hitting a clothesline and later an elbow drop for near falls. At one point, while Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Jerry Calhoun, “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan slipped an object into his charge’s mask. Patriot head butted Powers once, busting him open. A few moments later, a second head butt put Powers down for the pin. As the Dark Patriot got his hand raised, the Patriot charged the ring with his American flag in hand and tried to attack all three members of the House of Humperdink. The Evansville fans went wild as he cleared the ring! Calhoun calmed Patriot down, as “The Gamesmaster” grabbed the microphone from Gary Michael Cappetta. He said if the Patriot is so passionate about getting his hands on “his” Patriot, why don’t they step into the ring on New Year’s Eve at New Year’s Knockout! To little surprise, the Patriot accepted Sullivan’s challenge! *¼
2) The Patriot stayed in the ring for his own match and avenged his loss from a few weeks ago in Bowling Green with a strong win over “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. The masked American hero was very focused here against his Irish opponent. Finlay kicked out of the Patriot Missile once and looked like he might score a second win, as he had the Patriot in trouble. With loud “USA” chants behind him, the Patriot rallied back and hit the Uncle Slam to score the pinfall. Patriot looks very read for a battle with the Dark Patriot in Louisville! ***
3) The One Man Gang scored an impressive pinfall on “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. These two powerhouses slugged it out for a few minutes until Gang executed a big body slam on “Hacksaw.” He immediately followed it up with the 747 Splash and scored the pinfall after just a few minutes. ½*
4) The World Tag Team champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy surprised two-time former champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito with a quick win in a non-title match. Sir Oliver Humperdink did not initially come out with his team, as he was still in the back right after the One Man Gang’s match. Perhaps that made a difference, as the champions dominated the House of Humperdink team and kept Zbyszko in the ring the entire match. Williams executed the backdrop driver on Zbyszko and went for the pin but Saito broke it up. Gordy ran in and clotheslined the Japanese Olympian over the top rope. Saito landed at Humperdink’s feet, who had just arrived to ringside. Gordy returned to his corner and Williams tagged him into the bout. Gordy hit the power bomb on Zbyszko and covered him to score the pinfall as Saito tried to get back in for another save but could not in time. The Evansville fans gave Williams and Gordy a big ovation for their impressive victory! Can they retain the titles in their first defense against the team they beat for the belts—Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons in next week’s main event in Dixon? DUD
5) Former Mid-America champion David Taylor bloodied up current champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and scored an impressive non-title pinfall on him in an amazing match! Taylor was physical against Stevens, probably wanting to wear him down for his title defense against Taylor’s mate Fit Finlay in two weeks in Knoxville but also to get his win over the champion. Taylor hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. He seemed to be setting up Stevens a moment later for the British suplex but “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart jumped up on the ring apron to distract Taylor and Frank Morrell. The distraction allowed the champion to take over. He wore down Taylor and got him down on the mat. He came off with the Bombs Away but Taylor managed to kick out. Taylor rallied back and successfully executed the British suplex but Stevens kicked out. Taylor tried for a submission with a sleeperhold. The Mid-America champion started to drop but made his way to the ropes for a break. Taylor maintained control and busted “The Crippler” open with a double knee lift. He then executed another British suplex. Hart had gotten up on the ring apron again to distract Morrell from what was a three-count. With Morrell distracted on the far side of the ring, this allowed Stevens’ First Family of Wrestling ally Bobby Shane, who had been in the locker room preparing for the main event, to slide in on the side nearest the aisleway and drop what was probably a loaded knee drop on to the back of Taylor’s head. Shane quickly left the ring and smirked at his actions. He didn’t celebrate for long, as Fit Finlay, recovered from his own match earlier in the card ran down to ringside and nailed Shane with a forearm to the back! Shane retreated and the Irish brawler followed to ensure Shane wouldn’t get involved again. The interference did allow Stevens to take control for a few minutes. He came off the top with a flying sledge to Taylor. The British grappler would not give up and battled back again. He hit another British suplex and finally scored the hard-fought pin a great match! A non-title pinfall win over the current Mid-America champ should definitely earn two-time former champion Taylor a title shot in 2017! ****½
6) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan defeated former Mid-America champion Tommy Rogers. Rogers came out a house of fire at the start against the hated Sullivan. He got control and hit the Tomikaze a few minutes into the match. He went for a cover but Sullivan kicked out. Sullivan took control and blasted Rogers with a clothesline for a near fall. He wore down Rogers, got him on the mat, and hit the double foot stomp to score the pinfall after just a few minutes. As Sullivan and Sir Oliver Humperdink started to leave the ringside area, a man in a suit came out of the back and attacked him. Fans at ringside quickly recognized that the man was Tommy Gilbert, former USWA referee and father of Eddie and Doug Gilbert! Tommy started to pummel “The Gamesmaster” with some stiff fists! Humperdink tried to intervene with his cane but was given a right hand from Gilbert for his help! Sullivan quickly retreated to the locker room, as USWA referees and officials came out from the back to try and calm down Gilbert. The fans chanted “Tommy! Tommy!” for the surprise appearance and attack by a former USWA referee! **
7) “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant made his return to USWA rings after two years and scored a pinfall on Butcher Vachon. The Evansville fans gave Andre a big ovation for his return. Vachon had a lot of offense against the French. Despite his power, Andre’s size and power were too much for him and the Algerian brawler couldn’t maintain offense. Andre slammed Vachon hard to the mat and followed up with the big splash to score the pinfall in about five minutes. The fans gave Andre a big pop for his win! *¾
8) Another giant Big John Studd scored an impressive, albeit somewhat controversial, pinfall on three-time former USWA World Heavyweight champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Despite Studd having the size advantage and Rude still sporting his injured ribs, the “Ravishing One” was still very aggressive against his former First Family of Wrestling ally. Rude knocked down Studd with a powerful clothesline and scored a two-count. He kept the giant down on the mat and came off the top rope with a knee drop to the head. The knee busted open Studd but he still managed to power out of a pin attempt. Studd took control and got Rude down on the mat. He dropped an elbow right to Rude’s ribs and went for a cover but Rude kicked out. The three-time former World champion rallied back and had Studd in trouble. He managed to execute the Rude Awakening on Studd. He went for a cover but “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart distracted Frank Morrell. Rude got off Studd and grabbed his former manager by his colorful jacket! Before Rude could strike, a bloodied Studd rose to his feet and smashed Rude’s injured ribs from behind. He slammed Rude to the mat and dropped a second elbow to the ribs. He covered Rude and scored the pinfall. Hart was ecstatic about his charge’s win over his former charge! ***
9) In an amazing, competitive six-man tag team bout, Jim Cornette’s eclectic trio of “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido, “Exotic” Adrian Street,” and his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn defeated “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Brian Kendrick, and the returning Paul London. Severn was a substitute for the originally-scheduled “Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard, who was reinjured by the Midnight Express a few weeks ago in Huntsville. Cornette’s men double teamed the returning London for the first few minutes. Candido tried to take the advantage of London’s previous concussion by hitting a diving head butt early in the bout for a two-count. London sent former USWA World champion Severn into the corner and dove in at him with a forearm smash but “The Beast” ducked the forearm, caught London in midair, and hit an impressive T-bone suplex for a near fall. Street came in and worked over London. London surprised Street with a hooking sunset flip out of the corner. He and Kendrick then executed the assisted Shooting Star Press but Street kicked out. Danielson tagged and despite Street’s flirtatious actions toward the two-time former USWA World champion, the two exchanged some great mat wrestling holds. Street got the upper hand and hit a top rope elbow drop on “Dragon” for a near fall. A few minutes later, London and Severn were the legal men when London surprised the MMA fighter with a stiff roundhouse kick to the head which busted Severn open. Severn managed to tag to Candido. Candido and Kendrick were the legal men when Candido took Kendrick down in an armbar and tried to get a submission. Kendrick made the ropes but “The Suicide Blonde” continued his attack on the arm and tagged to Severn. Severn clamped on the wakigatame. Kendrick was in a lot of pain but fought hard for the ropes. Severn prevented him from a rope break but Kendrick managed to roll through and get Severn in a pinning position. Severn pushed off his shoulders and kept the armbar on until Kendrick finally made the ropes. Kendrick managed to tag to Danielson. Danielson was not intimidated by his larger opponent as he delivered some stiff elbow smashes, causing Severn’s cut to flow more. Danielson attempted the guillotine choke but Severn fought out of it before “Dragon” could fully apply the hold. Severn tagged to Candido but Danielson took over on him and hit a missile dropkick for a two-count. Kendrick and Candido were going at it when Kendrick surprised him with a rolling front cradle for a very near fall. London and Severn were the legal men a few minutes later when Severn threw London with a German suplex into a bridge for a near fall. London battled back, got Severn down on the mat, and came off the top with a standard Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Danielson came back in and locked on the guillotine choke. Severn was bloodied, weakened, and looked ready to tap until “Exotic” Adrian came in and booted Danielson in the foot. As Street pranced about, London came in and nailed him with a forearm smash. The two brawled to the floor. Danielson recovered and went for the win with the LeBell Lock. Severn was bleeding BUCKETS at this point and looked ready to tap. Candido came in for a save but was cut off by London and those two brawled to the floor. Cornette jumped up on the ring apron distracting Paul Neighbors, just as “The Beast” tapped! The fans were outraged at this! Danielson released Severn and threatened to hit Cornette! Candido rescued Cornette from Danielson’s grasp. Cornette dropped the tennis racquet to the floor. Severn had slid out of the ring for a breather. On the other side of the ring, Street clocked both Kendrick and London with Cornette’s racquet. Candido diverted Neighbors’ attention, while Danielson went for a suicide dive on Severn. Street shoved his partner out of the way and jammed the racquet into Danielson’s throat on the dive. Danielson hit the arena floor hard. Street tossed Danielson back in and then helped “The Beast” as well. Despite having lost a lot of blood, Severn had enough strength to clamp on a rear naked choke on Danielson who was coughing a lot from the racquet shot to the throat. Danielson was hurting a lot and forced to tap. The fans were outraged as Cornette and his men celebrated their victory and returned to the locker room! ****¾
10) The main event featured the World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant battle a man who has given him headaches throughout 2016 Bobby Shane of the First Family of Wrestling in a non-title bout. Going into this match, Shane had defeated Valiant three times and Valiant had never defeated Shane. Adding more of a potential distraction for this bout, Valiant’s challenge for the World Heavyweight title at New Year’s Knockout, current Southern Heavyweight champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie, came out to ringside before both wrestlers and joined Lance Russell and Dave Brown at the announcers’ table to scout his opponent on December 31. Blassie lived up to one of his many nicknames as “The Hollywood Fashion Plate” as he was dressed to the nines tonight!
Shane attacked the World champion right at the bell, hoping to get a non-title win. Shane went for the Japanese sleeper but Valiant broke it before Shane could fully lock it on “Handsome” Jimmy. Shane loaded up his knee pad, while “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart distracted Jerry Calhoun. Shane delivered a loaded knee drop but Valiant kicked out. Shane locked on the sleeper and the World champion started to drop. Calhoun checked Valiant’s arm and it dropped twice. Just as it looked like Shane was going to get a win over the champion, Valiant’s arm popped back up and he boogie woogied his way to his feet! He busted out of the sleeper with elbows to the midsection. He pounded away on Shane and got him down on the mat. He hit the Boogie Woogie elbow and then for good measure hit a second elbow. He covered Shane and scored the pin, getting his first win over his rival! The Evansville fans went wild for “Boogie Woogie’s win,” as he held up the World title belt and stared down Blassie at ringside! **
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Post by bookerbill on May 11, 2020 16:16:46 GMT -5
Rock solid action!
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Post by Cory Olson on May 13, 2020 19:48:13 GMT -5
Thanks, Booker Bill, for the comments!
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from December 10, including more announcements for New Year’s Knockout XIII from the Louisville Gardens! • Last week in Evansville, a challenge was made after the opening bout by “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan. While the challenge was accepted, it was verified that the Patriot will battle the Dark Patriot for the first time at New Year’s Knockout! The American masked man is looking to defeat the man whom he has called an “imposter” and a man who has made a mockery of everything for which he stands! • An interview aired that was taped in the locker room at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum last Monday with former USWA referee Tommy Gilbert, who made a shocking return by attacking “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan. Dave Brown caught up to Gilbert after he was escorted from the arena by USWA officials. Gilbert apologized to Commissioner Bob Armstrong, Chairman Jerry Jarrett, and the rest of the USWA Committee for his actions. He said he knows it wasn’t the best way to handle things but after watching Sullivan these last few months, he couldn’t control himself! Dave asked Tommy where he has been the last five years. Tommy reminded wrestling fans that he was a referee in the USWA from its inception in 2004 until 2011, when he felt he could no longer be a fair and impartial official after his son Eddie Gilbert formed his stable of rulebreakers known as Hot Stuff, International. He said that while he did not agree with most of Eddie’s actions, he still loved both him and Doug and wanted them to succeed in their wrestling careers. He reminded Dave that prior to 2004, he had been a wrestler and he decided to return to that after he resigned as an official. He said since 2011, he has wrestled all over the world, including in two CWFs (Championship Wrestling from Florida and the Continental Wrestling Federation), as well as the WWC (World Wrestling Council) in Puerto Rico. He said that he followed his sons’ careers faithfully and when Sullivan betrayed Eddie, he was irate. He was proud of Doug for wanting to defend the Gilberts by returning in September to battle Sullivan. But then Sullivan bloodied up Doug. And he feels very certain that Sullivan has everything to do with Doug’s disappearance after that match in Springfield. He said he doesn’t know what Sullivan is into but he doesn’t like it and he wants to run him out of wrestling! He said that if Commissioner Armstrong will sign the match, he wants to battle “The Gamesmaster” on New Year’s Eve! • Back in the WMC-TV Studios, Sullivan, accompanied by Sir Oliver Humperdink, responded to Gilbert’s challenge. He said that the Gilberts can’t accept the fact that he (Sullivan) and Humperdink took the former Hot Stuff, International and made it stronger and better as the House of Humperdink! He said that Tommy’s jealously of his sons’ failures has led him to make up false accusations that Sullivan had something to do with Doug’s disappearance. He said that if Tommy wants to face disappointment just like Eddie and Doug, then he (Sullivan) will be happy to grant his wish. He concluded by saying on December 31, he’s going to end 2016 by eliminating an entire family dynasty! • Another unique match-up was announced, as the undefeated “Exotic” Adrian Street will take on “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson! This match was made after Street used Jim Cornette’s tennis racquet and jammed it into Danielson’s throat in the huge six-man tag team match last week in Evansville. Street said that Dan “The Beast” Severn is “Mr.” Cornette’s bodyguard and if the bodyguard was in danger, he cannot do his job of protecting Cornette! Therefore, he (Street) had to be “noble” and protect his fellow ally. Despite Street’s eccentric gear and behavior, this could be a great, technical match-up! • Two of Street’s allies will also be in action, as “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido and Jim Cornette’s bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn will team up to battle two men who have been a thorn in the sides of Cornette’s men in 2016—Brian Kendrick and Paul London! Due to the neck injury to Dr. Tom Prichard, Cornette has called in the services of Severn once again to step into the ring. Severn was instrumental in putting London out of action for more than three months with a concussion, along with the Heavenly Bodies. Kendrick, London, and Bryan Danielson gave “The Beast” a bloody beating last week but he rallied, thanks largely to Street and Cornette’s tennis racquet. This war isn’t over yet! • Another tag team match will see a unique match-up, as two brother tag teams will collide for the first time. Two-time former USWA champions the Vachons will do battle with Brad and Brian Armstrong! The Armstrongs reunited as a tag team this summer and have compiled a good win-loss record. A win over the Algerians would definitely put them into consideration for a World Tag Team title shot in 2017! • Commissioner Armstrong announced that for only the seventh time in USWA history, a Battle Royal will take place! This Battle Royal will be a 25-man Battle Royal. The winner of this Battle Royal will have a lot of momentum going into the New Year, as he will receive the first shot at the USWA World Heavyweight champion in 2017! The commissioner announced the first 10 participants for this huge match-up:
1. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan 2. "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas 3. “Superstar" Bill Dundee 4. Billy Gunn • Three members of the First Family of Wrestling! 5. Big John Studd 6. Superstar Bundy 7. Bobby Shane • Three members of the House of Humperdink! 8. The One Man Gang 9. Larry Zbyszko 10. Mr. Saito The remaining 15 participants will be announced in the coming weeks on USWA Championship Wrestling!
• Commissioner Armstrong also had some big match-ups to announce for the December 19 card at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville! o In a separate interview on the show, Sir Oliver Humperdink challenged the Patriot to find a partner and battle the two-time former USWA World Tag Team champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito on this card! The masked American replied later in the show that he would be happy to battle two of Humperdink’s men before he steps into the ring with the Dark Patriot on New Year’s Eve! He plans to look for a partner this coming week and will announce who that is on next week's episode of Championship Wrestling! o “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has got a tough schedule of matches ahead of him these next few weeks. In addition to his big grudge match next week in Dixon (See Card #491 preview below.), he will tangle with former USWA World Heavyweight, Southern Heavyweight, and UFC World Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn! Danielson made Severn tap out in the six-man tag team match last week in Evansville but Jim Cornette distracted Paul Neighbors. This will be an interesting match-up not only for pro wrestling fans but MMA fans! o Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana has been impressive so far since debuting in August in the USWA. He will face his toughest opponent yet when he battles former Mid-America champion David Taylor! Cabana has studied videos of World of Sport from England and is a fan of the style. Taylor has a lot of momentum going into this match, coming off his non-title win over current Mid-America champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens last week in Evansville. It will be interesting to see how the Chicago native can fare with the British grappler! o A rematch between two rising singles stars will take place, when Billy Gunn faces Tyler Black! These two traded wins in October on back-to-back cards. Black is looking forward to his rematch for the Mid-America title at New Year’s Knockout XIII but Gunn would love a title shot in 2017 and another win over Black would get him some attention! o A tag team rematch from last month in Bowling Green will take place, as the Midnight Express battle Brad and Brian Armstrong! The Armstrongs came very close to defeating the six-time former World Tag Team champions in their first meeting but “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane prevailed. The Midnights have their sights set on their shot at the titles on New Year’s Eve but they cannot underestimate the Armstrongs!
The USWA makes its debut in Dixon, KY at Western County High School with a huge card on December 12! • Ray “The Crippler” Stevens is outraged after losing a non-title match to one of his upcoming challenger’s allies last week. He doesn’t want that to happen again this week but he will have a big challenge in Tyler Black’s bodyguard Luke Harper! Commissioner Armstrong announced that as a result of his win last week, David Taylor will challenge for the Mid-America title in 2017. That means that Stevens has Fit Finlay next week, potentially Black at New Year’s Knockout, and if he is still champion after that, a rematch with Taylor for the title in 2017! He cannot look past Harper. While Harper hasn’t had a lot of singles matches in the USWA, he is an impressive wrestler, with a great combination of size, strength, and agility. Can Harper score a huge win over the Mid-America champion? • A rematch from a few weeks ago in Huntsville will take place, when “Superstar” Bill Dundee battles Mad Dog Vachon! Dundee got the win via disqualification after Vachon whipped him into Sam Platania. While Dundee was happy with that win, he would love to get a pinfall or submission win this time. Can he do it or will the Algerian brawler triumph? • An old rivalry will resume, when “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson battles “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Finlay initially came to the USWA in 2012, as an ally of Danielson’s then-rival Nigel McGuinness. Finlay and Danielson have had many physical battles of their own over the years. Finlay takes credit for Danielson leaving the USWA last summer, after giving him a tombstone piledriver outside the ring at Chilhowee Park and then defeating him in a rematch a month later. Finlay’s got his Mid-America title match next week in Knoxville against Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and he wants to go into the title match with momentum. Wrestling experts are wondering what condition “Dragon” will be in after taking Jim Cornette’s tennis racquet to the throat. Who will win the latest chapter in this storied feud? • Two former World Tag Team championship teams will battle it out for the first time when the Midnight Express battles Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito of the House of Humperdink! The Midnights are gearing up to challenge the winners of this card’s main event for the titles on December 31. Zbyszko and Saito would love to get another shot at the titles too. Which team will leave Dixon the winners? • “Ravishing” Rick Rude appeared to have one giant defeated last week in Evansville, until “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart got involved. This week, he will battle another former First Family of Wrestling ally in Superstar Bundy! Rude and Bundy’s association goes back before the First Family when both were members of the Heenan Family from the end of 2007 to the fall of 2008. Rude’s ribs are still injured from the attack by Bundy and Big John Studd from two months ago in Nashville. Can Rude triumph over the New Jersey giant? • “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan has made a lot of enemies in recent months! This week he will battle the popular Red Bastien! Sullivan and Bastien had a double-juice bout in August at the Mid-South Coliseum that saw “The Gamesmaster” win after delivering four double foot stomps! What was just as memorable after the match was that that was the night that Sullivan betrayed “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and injured his leg. Since then, Sullivan has also taken out Eddie’s brother Doug and Bastien’s ally Nick Bockwinkel. Can Bastien get a win over Sullivan or will the devious Boston native get the win again? • “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant will take on Bobby Shane of the First Family of Wrestling! Shane has been impressive since debuting in the USWA in January, with his devastating Japanese sleeper and his devious arsenal of tactics. But can the crafty Shane bring down a 7’4” giant from the French Alps? • The main event will be a rematch from last month in Bowling Green for the USWA World Tag Team titles. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will defend the titles against the team they beat for the belts—Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons! Williams and Gordy captured the titles in impressive fashion. Lyons is said to still be dealing with a broken nose from a post-match altercation with Red Bastien last month in Memphis. However, Mad Dog Vachon spoke on behalf of the team and said that his allies are ready to take out “Doc” and “Bamm Bamm” and bring the titles “home.” Who will leave Dixon the champions and go on to defend against the Midnight Express at New Year’s Knockout?
All these huge bouts, plus the Dark Patriot and Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana in action in the USWA’s debut in Dixon!
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