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Post by stu on Jul 9, 2020 18:00:39 GMT -5
What a fun Main Event! Valiant vs. Bundy, Valiant goes over in the rematch....and Andre returns! That's a great card! Dundee and Vachon sounds like a fun feud too.
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 11, 2020 15:06:21 GMT -5
Thanks to Troy, Chad, and Stu for the comments!
Happy GalactiCon weekend, everybody!
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from February 18, including some announcements of huge matches upcoming! • A video aired from this past week in the locker room of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum in Evansville. Dave Brown caught up with World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant after Valiant’s championship win over King Kong Bundy and Andre’s surprise appearance. Dave told the two his appearance was a big surprise. Valiant said he had called Andre after his last title match with Bundy and told him that he wanted to beat Bundy on his own but he wouldn’t mind Andre being there to keep an eye on “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart and the rest of the First Family of Wrestling. Andre replied that he was happy to come back to the USWA and help his friend “Boogie Woogie,” especially after Bundy’s attack on him at New Year’s Knockout XIII. Dave followed up asking what Andre’s condition was and when the USWA fans could expect to see him in this area again. The French giant responded that he is at 100% and thanked all the wrestling fans around the world for their support. He said he understands that the USWA will be having a huge event on March 13—the 500th USWA card at the Mid-South Coliseum. Andre said that a huge card like that needs a huge match and he challenged Bundy to wrestle him, one-on-one! • Bundy and Hart were interviewed back in the WMC-TV Studios. Bundy spoke up and said that Andre cost him the USWA World title. He said that he put Andre out once and now he’s going to put him out for good. He accepted the challenge! Hart seemed shocked by Bundy’s announcement and tried to talk his charge out of it but Bundy stood by it. The match was made for March 13! • Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced three more huge matches for this milestone event, including two championship matches! o The main event will be for the USWA World Heavyweight title. Current and two-time champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will put the title on the line against “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan of the House of Humperdink! Sullivan debuted last June and has made quite an impact—injuring and putting out of action four-time former World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel, three-time former Southern Heavyweight champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, and Doug Gilbert. He has earned the ire of most of the USWA fan favorites. Valiant was interviewed in-studio. Lance Russell congratulated him on his win over King Kong Bundy last week. Valiant thanked Lance, thanked Andre, and thanked the fans for his support. The champion turned his attention to his next challenger. He said he’s sick of the games “The Gamesmaster” has been playing. He said that he and Nick Bockwinkel battled in the past but he was a changed man and what Sullivan did to him was disgusting. He said that he has been waiting a long time to get on his hands on Sullivan and if he has to defend his championship, he will do it. He said that he and the “street people” will be victorious over Sullivan and the House of Humperdink! o The other title match will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will challenge for the title, as a result of his non-title win over champion “Exotic” Adrian Street last week in Evansville. He will either challenge Street or Billy Gunn, depending on the outcome of their title match next week in Knoxville. Danielson has never challenged for the Southern title. Should he win, he will become the first wrestler to have held all four USWA singles championships, as he is a two-time former World Heavyweight champion, a three-time former Mid-America Heavyweight champion, and was the last USWA Texas champion! o The other match announced came after the wild double disqualification result last week in Evansville. “Superstar” Bill Dundee and Mad Dog Vachon will tangle again. A special guest referee will be assigned for this bout! The commissioner explained that the referee will be determined next week after a special match at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville. (Read on for more details!) o Jimmy Hart was in the studio again and said that after talking to King Kong Bundy, he said that he has confidence his man will defeat and destroy the “myth” that is Andre the Giant! Hart said that he has also signed a new wrestler, who has competed in the USWA before but not for many years. He said that all wrestling fans know who this man is and on a historic night such as the USWA 500th card, it is a fitting return night for this man. Lance Russell asked if Hart could give more hints on who this man is. He said that he owes the fans nothing and that he is going to wait until next week’s episode of Championship Wrestling to make that announcement but one hint is that the man is a former USWA Southern Heavyweight champion!
• Commissioner Armstrong explained that next week in Knoxville, Dundee will team up with the current World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant to battle The Vachons! The winners of that match will get to choose the special referee for the match between Dundee and Mad Dog on March 13! • Another bout announced for Knoxville on the 27th will be a return tag team match between the high-flying team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London and Jim Cornette’s duo of “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido and Cornette’s bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn. Because of the three disqualification endings in their three meetings, “Bullet” Bob Armstrong has made this a No-Disqualification Match! • It was also announced that “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan has decided to leave the USWA for now and compete in the WWF. Duggan had been in the USWA for this second tenure since 2009. He said that he wishes his allies and current World Tag Team champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy the best of luck and thanked the USWA fans for their great support!
The USWA comes back to the Tupelo Sports Arena on February 20! • Tommy Gilbert is a tough wrestler. He will have a tough challenge against The One Man Gang! Gilbert agreed to this match in order to get a rematch with “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan next week in Knoxville. Gilbert has a lot of wrestling experience but will that be enough against the giant from Halsted Street? • Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana fought tough against former Mid-America champion David Taylor a few weeks ago in Chattanooga. The Chicago native is hoping to finally get a win on Taylor this week. Taylor won their last match via countout after hitting the British suplex on the Memorial Auditorium floor. Cabana is said to be at 100% and is hoping to get his first win on Taylor this week! Can he do it or will the British grappler reign supreme? • In a first-time tag team meeting, The Heavenly Bodies will face Brad and Brian Armstrong. While this is the first time these two teams have battled each other, the Armstrongs and “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard are no strangers to each other. Brad and the then-“Birdman” Koko B. Ware battled the Bodies of Prichard and “Sweet” Stan Lane throughout 2009, concluding with the Bodies putting Ware out of action at New Year’s Knockout VI. This brought in “Bullet” Bob and later Brian to battle Cornette’s three Bodies of Lane, Prichard, and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. The Bodies put Bob out of action in 2011 and also sent Brad out of the USWA due to a Loser-Leave-Town stipulation. This eventually led to Brian becoming “The Road Dogg” Jesse James and teaming with Billy Gunn as The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws put Prichard out of action with a spike piledriver in late 2012 and Prichard was gone from the USWA for 3 ½ years. Fast-forward to the present day, both teams are hoping for a big win to move on toward a potential shot at the USWA World Tag Team titles. Which team will triumph in Tupelo? • In a rematch from New Year’s Knockout XIII, The Patriot will battle The Dark Patriot! It was in this same arena in Tupelo on Halloween night when “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan debuted his Dark Patriot after claiming to have signed the original Patriot to the House of Humperdink. His Dark Patriot has managed to stay undefeated, including defeating the American masked man on New Year’s Eve at the Louisville Gardens, thanks in large part to help from Sullivan and Sir Oliver Humperdink. The Patriot scored an impressive win on the One Man Gang last week and is dying to get his hands on the Dark Patriot again. Which Patriot will soar to victory? • Another BIG rematch will see King Kong Bundy battle Big John Studd! Studd got a countout win a few weeks ago in Chattanooga, when Bundy decided to head to the back. Bundy has got another big match upcoming on March 13 against Andre the Giant and would love to defeat another giant, as well as gain revenge on his former tag team partner. Can he topple Studd or will Studd triumph again? • In the first of two title matches, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will defend the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship against Luke Harper! Harper scored a huge non-title win over Stevens in December in Dixon, KY to earn this title shot. Stevens is trying to get into Harper and Tyler Black’s heads by saying that Harper deliberately got Black disqualified in the Triangle Match with Stevens and Fit Finlay for the belt at New Year’s Knockout. Stevens has the experience edge but Harper has beaten him once. Who will leave Tupelo the Mid-America champion? • The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team championship and is a dream match for many wrestling fans! Current and two-time champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will defend the titles against six-time former champions The Midnight Express! The Midnights have started off 2017 well, with wins over The Vachons, their rivals The Heavenly Bodies, and Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito. Williams and Gordy regained the belts last month in Lexington from their rivals Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane definitely have more ring time together and are experts at double teaming. Williams and Gordy have the edge in power and sheer brawling. Should the Midnights win, they will break their own record for most World Tag Team title reigns. Which team will be champions at the end of this epic bout?
All these great matches, plus Red Bastien faces Bobby Shane! Plus, S.D. and S.T. Jones look for revenge for the attack on “Soul Train” last month in Nashville, when they face “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz! And Billy Gunn in action in Tupelo!
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Post by cruefan68 on Jul 12, 2020 7:49:15 GMT -5
Exotic Adrian Street dethroning Fred Blassie was a shocker, but Street is as tough as they come despite outward appearances. I imagine the "King of Men" will be looking to get that belt back. Two things I really loved on the last show, the Hurt Referee chart again playing a role in Dundee vs. Vachon and Andre the Giant returning to cost King Kong Bundy his title match with Jimmy Valiant. That was sweet revenge for Andre and keeps Valiant as champ.
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 19, 2020 17:27:10 GMT -5
Thanks to Crue Fan for the comments!February 20, 2017 Card #498: Tupelo Sports Arena1) S.D. and S.T. Jones got a big win in the opener over “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. The Joneses got a big ovation from the Tupelo fans as they entered to “Living in America.” Sharpe and Rodz had the early advantage against “Special Delivery,” as Rodz hit an Unpredictable Slam a few minutes into the bout. “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son” battled back and knocked down Sharpe with a K.O. punch after a Philly Shuffle. “Soul Train” tagged in and he and S.D. cut the ring in half on Sharpe for several minutes. S.T. kept pointing to his former partner Rodz on the apron, indicating he had made a bad choice in betraying him and forming a team with Sharpe. S.T. went up top and hit the missile dropkick on Sharpe, right after tagging back in. As Paul Morton was warning S.D. to get back to the Joneses’ corner, he did not see Rodz sneak in and drop a falling head butt on S.T., breaking up S.T.’s pin attempt. Rodz then grabbed his former partner, rammed him into the ring post, and then placed Sharpe on top of S.T. before returning to his and Sharpe’s corner. Morton turned around to count but S.T. kicked out. Rodz tagged in and the two former partners battled for the first time. Rodz hit an Unpredictable Slam on “Soul Train.” Sharpe tagged back in but got caught in the ring again, as “Special Delivery” tagged back in. S.D. hit an amazing head butt off the top rope to a standing Sharpe and went for a cover but Rodz broke up the pin attempt again. S.T. tagged back in and hit the missile dropkick again a few moments later. For good measure, he ran over and knocked Rodz off the apron with a big right hand! The fans went wild, as S.T. covered Sharpe and scored the pinfall after about 16 minutes of great wrestling action! The Joneses celebrated their big win after the bell! ***½ 2) Billy Gunn made short work of George South. Gunn dominated South and scored the pinfall in about 90 seconds after the Famouser. Gunn looked impressive tonight and he is looking forward to challenging for his first USWA singles championship in next week’s main event in Knoxville when he faces “Exotic” Adrian Street for the Southern Heavyweight championship! DUD 3) Bobby Shane scored a tainted pinfall over old rival Red Bastien. Bastien had the early advantage but Shane cut him off and went for the Japanese sleeper a few minutes into the match. Bastien looked like he might be down and out but with the Tupelo fans behind him, he rallied back and fought out of the hold with elbows. He took control for a few minutes and knocked Shane into the ropes with a dropkick. Shane rolled to the edge for a breather and “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart ran over and quickly slipped him an object. While Hart yelled at Bastien through the megaphone, Shane loaded his knee pad and then smashed Bastien with the loaded knee pad. He came off the second turnbuckle with another knee drop with the loaded pad. He then delivered a falling elbow drop for good measure to Bastien, who already appeared knocked out and covered him to score the pin. The Tupelo fans were not happy with Shane or Hart after this decision! *** 4) Tommy Gilbert made a huge comeback to score a big win over The One Man Gang. The Chicago giant had the early advantage, using his power and size to his advantage. Gilbert battled back and hit two standing dropkicks in a row to knock the Gang off his feet. Gilbert went for a cover but Gang powered out of the pin attempt. Gilbert whipped Gang into the ropes and went for a haymaker but Gang ducked the attempt, bounced back off the opposite ropes, and blasted Gilbert with a double forearm clap. He covered Gilbert but Gilbert kicked out. Gang maintained control for a few minutes and went for the 747 Splash. Gilbert rolled out of the way and Gang hit the mat hard. Sir Oliver Humperdink was nervous and yelled at the Halsted Street native to fight back. Gilbert recovered first and came off the second rope three times in a row with knee drops and busted open the Chicago giant. Gang stumbled to his feet but was woozy. Gilbert got behind him and managed to execute a back suplex on the 495-pounder, although didn’t get the height and impact he might have gotten on smaller opponents. Gilbert went for a cover but Gang kicked out again. Gang got to his feet and Gilbert threw some stiff punches at him. Gang was wobbling and wheeling but wouldn’t go down. Gilbert finally landed one more punch and the Gang crashed face-first to the mat! The Tupelo fans went wild, as Gilbert pounced on the Gang, turned him over, went for a cover, and scored the pin after 14 minutes. As Gilbert got his hand raised by Paul Morton, he eyed up Humperdink and indicated he is ready to battle “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan next week in Knoxville! ***½ 5) David Taylor pinned Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana after about 22 minutes of action. Cabana came out aggressive against Taylor, hoping to get a win on him. He hit the Cabanarama a few minutes into the bout for a near fall. Taylor managed to slow down the pace, which helped him in the long run. He used the European uppercuts a lot, busting open Cabana. He tried to put Cabana out with a sleeperhold. Cabana started to drop. Joe Wheeler checked “Boom Boom’s” arm. It dropped twice but right before the third drop, bounced back up and Cabana fought to the ropes. Taylor maintained control and hit an impressive gorilla press gutbuster. He went for a cover but Cabana kicked out at 2¾. The Tupelo fans rallied Cabana on, wanting to see a big win. He battled back and hit Taylor with everything in arsenal. Taylor cut him off and executed the British suplex. He rolled right into a cover but Cabana lifted his shoulder at the last possible moment again! Taylor was shocked. He continued to work on Cabana for a few more moments. Cabana rallied back again but Taylor cut him off and hit the British suplex a second time to finally score the pinfall. After the bell, the Tupelo fans gave Cabana a lot of respect, despite the loss for his tough fight. ***¾ 6) Brad and Brian Armstrong got a big win via disqualification over The Heavenly Bodies. The Bodies double teamed Brian for the first few minutes of the match until he made the hot tag to Brad. The Armstrongs then cut the ring in half on Dr. Tom Prichard. Brad attempted a submission with an Armstrong favorite—the sleeper. Prichard started to drop but Chris Candido broke up the attempt. “The Road Dogg” tagged back but Prichard finally tagged to “The Suicide Blonde.” Brian knocked Candido out of the ring with some shuffling punches. Jim Cornette ran over to Candido to console him but also to hand him the tennis racquet. Brian reached through the ropes to bring Candido back into the ring by the New Jerseyan smashed the racquet into his throat. Unfortunately for the Bodies, Scott Bowden saw this and for the second week in a row, Candido was disqualified for using Cornette’s racquet! Brad jumped into the ring and went after the Bodies, Cornette, and Dan “The Beast” Severn but the four retreated before the Armstrongs could retaliate! **½ 7) The Patriot gave The Dark Patriot his first loss in a great bout! The Dark Patriot was accompanied by both Sir Oliver Humperdink and “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, which was somewhat surprising, that Sullivan would appear before the crowd when Tommy Gilbert was in the same arena! The Patriot came out a house of fire against his rival. He hit a power slam in the first 30 seconds of the match and scored a two-count. He executed the Uncle Slam but Sullivan distracted Patriot and Paul Morton before the masked American could go for a pin. The Patriot went up the ropes, possibly for the Patriot Missile. Sullivan grabbed Patriot’s leg, which distracted him and allowed the Dark Patriot to slam him off the ropes. The Dark Patriot then went over to Sullivan, who handed him an object. The Dark Patriot loaded up his mask and delivered a crushing head butt. The rulebreaker hit a suplex a few moments later for a near fall. The Dark Patriot went up to the top and hit the Scud Missile. Sullivan and Humperdink celebrated as if their charge had won the match. Dark Patriot took his time in making a cover. He finally did but the Patriot kicked out at 2¾ to a thunderous pop from the Tupelo fans! The Patriot battled back and hit a second Uncle Slam. Humperdink had gotten up on the apron to distract Morton. Sullivan entered the ring on the other side and nailed the Patriot from behind with Humperdink’s cane! Suddenly, Tommy Gilbert, recovered from his earlier match, came storming out of the locker room with a steel chair in hand! He chased Sullivan out of the arena! The interference did put the Dark Patriot back in control for a few moments but Patriot rallied back and surprised his opponent with an atomic drop, sending Dark Patriot head-first into the turnbuckle and busting him open. The rulebreaker rolled out of the ring for a breather. The Patriot went to pull him back into the ring but got met with a big right hand. The Dark Patriot climbed up to the apron and went up the ropes, possibly for a second Scud Missile. The Patriot cut him off and crotched him on the top ropes. He then ascended the ropes himself and executed a superplex. He covered the Dark Patriot and scored the pinfall after about 12 minutes of action. The Tupelo fans gave the American masked man a big ovation for his win! **** 8) King Kong Bundy took a bloody beating but rallied back to pin his former tag team partner Big John Studd. Studd had the early advantage. He got Bundy down on the mat early and hit a falling elbow drop for a two-count. Studd hit a big splash from a standing position and made a cover but again the New Jersey giant kicked out. Studd knocked him down a few moments later with a running clothesline and went for another pin but again Bundy kicked out. Sensing his man was in trouble, “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart tossed the megaphone into the ring while distracting Joe Wheeler. Studd caught the megaphone and smashed Bundy over the head with it! Bundy was busted open, as Studd tossed the megaphone back out. Studd then lifted Bundy up for the backbreaker. He got him up briefly but Bundy shifted his weight and Studd tumbled. Bundy took control and drove Studd into the corner. He delivered the Atlantic City Avalanche and made a cover. He scored the three-count and then in the ultimate mockery to his former partner, asked for a five-count. Wheeler obliged and called for the bell. Bundy took a tremendous beating but rallied back to defeat Studd, making Hart a happy man! **¾ 9) In the first of two title matches, Luke Harper shocked the world by defeating Ray “The Crippler” Stevens to become the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion! Harper was accompanied by his employer Tyler Black. Jimmy Hart did not accompany Stevens to the ring for the introductions, as he was still in the back with King Kong Bundy but he quickly sprinted to ringside, knowing the importance of a title match, particularly one against someone who had beaten Stevens once already! The two battled it out back-and-forth for the first few minutes. Harper hit the big boot about three minutes in and went for a cover but Stevens kicked out. Harper nailed a thunderous choke slam on “The Crippler.” Hart got up on the apron. Harper went after him but Black came around and pulled “The Mouth of The South” off the apron. Hart retreated from Black. In the melee, the megaphone ended up in the ring, just as in the previous match! Stevens grabbed the megaphone and clocked Harper in the head with it. He tossed it out and then went up to the top rope, coming off with a double ax-handle, knocking Harper down. He went for a cover but only got a two-count. Harper was dazed and Stevens took advantage of that, hitting the piledriver. He went for a pin attempt but Black had distracted Scott Bowden. Stevens got off of Harper and grabbed Black by the throat! Black resisted retaliating, so as not to get Harper disqualified. The move paid off, as Harper recovered and clotheslined Stevens from behind. Bowden was distracted by Harper and didn’t see Black snap Stevens’ neck on the top rope! The Tupelo fans supported Harper and Black tonight and were happy to see the First Family get a taste of their own medicine! Harper stayed on the offensive. He sent Stevens into the ropes and delivered a second big boot. He covered “The Crippler” and scored the pinfall to become the new Mid-America Heavyweight champion after about 10 minutes of action! Black was very happy with his bodyguard's victory but Hart was not happy with the outcome! ***¼ ( NOTE: Harper/Brodie Lee is the first card from any of the Legends of the Future series to have held a USWA championship!) 10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The current and two-time champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy put the belts on the line against six-time former champions The Midnight Express. Fans were buzzing about this as a dream match between two of the top tag teams in all of professional wrestling today. The challengers came to the ring to their usual theme music while the champions entered to Williams’ original theme song of “I Love It Loud” by KISS. Williams and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton started the match off for their respective teams. The action just got going when Williams reversed a whip into the buckles by Eaton. “Doc’s” strength sent Eaton crashing in hard and he went over the top rope and to the floor. Williams stood in the ring awaiting Eaton’s return when out of nowhere, The Heavenly Bodies and Dan “The Beast” Severn stormed the ring and attacked Williams! Paul Morton was left with no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify the Midnights since Williams was attacked. The match ended before Gordy or “Sweet” Stan Lane could tag in legally. Gordy jumped in but got suplexed by Severn. Lane grabbed a chair and ran the three off, just as quickly as they appeared. Jim Cornette was seen up the aisleway laughing that his men had just cost the Midnights their seventh World Tag Team title. While the Tupelo fans were happy that Williams and Gordy retained the World Tag Team titles, they were not happy with the main event, which only lasted about a minute! neg*
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Post by stu on Jul 19, 2020 17:44:23 GMT -5
Luke Harper winning makes up for a bad Main Event (in terms of match time) for the paying faithful! Liking Tommy Gilbert's win....just like Gilbert in general for some reason! Patriot over Dark Patriot sounded fun....good stuff Cory!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 20, 2020 20:10:45 GMT -5
Thanks to Stu for the comments!
I realized after posting that Harper was the first LOTF card to win a USWA title, technically he was the second, as Claudio Castagnoli won the Mid-America title with his LOTF card but then I immediately switched to his Legends 12 card. In the match where he won the belt from Bryan Danielson, Danielson kicked out of the Ricola Bomb several times. Nobody had kicked out of that that many times at that point. So I decided to say that Claudio introduced his new finisher--the Neutralizer and switch to his LOW card.
Look for another USWA update soon!
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Post by Chad Olson on Jul 20, 2020 21:10:35 GMT -5
Thanks to Stu for the comments! I realized after posting that Harper was the first LOTF card to win a USWA title, technically he was the second, as Claudio Castagnoli won the Mid-America title with his LOTF card but then I immediately switched to his Legends 12 card. In the match where he won the belt from Bryan Danielson, Danielson kicked out of the Ricola Bomb several times. Nobody had kicked out of that that many times at that point. So I decided to say that Claudio introduced his new finisher--the Neutralizer and switch to his LOW card. Look for another USWA update soon! That is great attention to detail and a cool way to transition to the new Claudio stats, little brother!
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Post by TTX on Jul 21, 2020 11:35:35 GMT -5
Nice to see Bundy win. Cornette may pay for what he did to the Express and congrats to Harper because that card definitely overperformed. Fun show as always.
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 28, 2020 17:04:34 GMT -5
Thanks to Chad and Troy for the comments!
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on February 25 with more information about the huge card on March 13 in Memphis! • Commissioner Armstrong announced some more big bouts for the 500th USWA card at the Mid-South Coliseum! o The USWA World Tag Team titles will be at stake on this card. Current and two-time champions Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy will defend against two-time former champions Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons! These teams have had some back-and-forth bouts, with or without the titles on the line. Because the titles have changed hands three times between these times, the commissioner announced that the losers of the bout will not receive another shot at the titles, as long as their opponents are champions! o Another huge tag team rivalry will continue, as The Midnight Express will battle The Heavenly Bodies! The Bodies quickly interfered in the Midnights’ match with Williams and Gordy last week in Tupelo for the World Tag Team titles, getting “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane disqualified. The commissioner announced that since there have been several injuries in this feud and some wild, physical battles, the match on March 13 will be the first-ever Stretcher Elimination Match! While Stretcher Matches have taken place in the past in the USWA, including one tag team Stretcher Match, this will be the first time where both members of the team must be taken out of the arena on stretchers before the other team can win! o Another title match will take place on this huge card. The new USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion Luke Harper will make his first defense of the title in a Triangle Match! The champion will defend against two-time former champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Harper’s own employer Tyler Black! Commissioner Armstrong explained that he was scheduling this as a Triangle Match because Stevens was entitled to a rematch as the former champion and he felt that Black deserved another title shot, even though he was disqualified in the Triangle Match at New Year’s Knockout XIII, since Jimmy Hart interference turned the tide in Stevens’ favor. He said that a card of this magnitude deserves a huge Mid-America title match. This will be an interesting dynamic to see how Harper and Black as allies will function with the Mid-America title at stake! With the Mid-America championship match now added, this will be the first time since New Year’s Knockout X in 2013 (held on the same night at three separate arenas) that all four USWA titles have been defended on the same card! o Another match was announced to be wrestled under World of Sport Rules! Former Mid-America champion David Taylor will tangle one more time with Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana! Cabana asked for a rematch in the studio with Lance Russell, saying he felt he was very close to defeating Taylor in their last two matches. Taylor responded later in the show, stating if Cabana wants to wrestle him again, he will do so under his (Taylor’s) rules. This World of Sport Match will be wrestled under eight five-minute rounds, where a wrestler must win via two pinfalls and/or submissions, a knockout, a countout, or a disqualification. o “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart was interviewed in-studio. Lance Russell said that USWA fans have been speculating on who the newest member of the First Family of Wrestling will be. Hart stated on last week’s Championship Wrestling that this man is a former Southern Heavyweight champion. Rumors have circulated of names such as Killer Kowalski, Ted DiBiase, The Sheik, Curt Hennig, The Iron Sheik, or The Masked Superstar. Lance reminded fans that the Superstar brought Hart to the USWA in the first place! Hart told Lance that he knows his history well but that “once again,” he is wrong! He said that this man has not been in the USWA in over 10 years! He said that this man was a Southern Heavyweight champion and challenged for the World Heavyweight and World Tag Team titles. He said that this man was briefly managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and later tried to go on his own but with his (Hart’s) guidance, he will achieve greater heights! Hart said that while the man has not held the USWA World Heavyweight title, he is a former NWA World Heavyweight champion and has held titles worldwide. He said that his charge is none other than Harley Race! Lance was surprised by this announcement! Race is one of the biggest stars in all of wrestling today. He was a former NWA champion prior to joining the USWA in its inception in 2004 and has held the NWA title since leaving the USWA at the start of 2007. Race’s last match in the USWA was losing a heartbreaking challenge for Nick Bockwinkel’s USWA World Heavyweight title at New Year’s Knockout III in 2006 at the Louisville Gardens. The title defense was a 60-minute Iron Man Match and Ed “Strangler” Lewis was the special guest referee. Race had tied up the match in the last few seconds so the bout went into sudden death. Bockwinkel won the sudden death period to retain the title. This is definitely a huge signing for Hart and the First Family!
• Speaking of the First Family, former member Big John Studd has decided to leave the USWA and compete in CWF (Championship Wrestling from Florida).
The USWA comes back to the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville on February 27! • Before they tangle with Luke Harper for the Mid-America title on March 13, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Tyler Black will go one-on-one! This will actually be the first time that these two have wrestled in a singles match, as their only other meeting was a Triangle Match with Fit Finlay. Stevens bragged on Championship Wrestling that he loves the commissioner’s decision because Black and Harper are going to turn against each other with the gold at stake and Black will need to find a new bodyguard! An interesting point is that the new Mid-America champion Harper will accompany Black for this match, since he is still Black’s bodyguard. This could be an exciting bout with both men specializing in top rope finishers. Who will win this bout and gain some momentum for the title match? • “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will rekindle an old feud when he tangles with David Taylor. As has been documented in past reports, Taylor and Fit Finlay initially joined the USWA in 2012 to help Nigel McGuinness in his feud with Danielson. Both men have huge bouts on March 13, with Danielson challenging for the Southern Heavyweight title for the first time while Taylor will face Colt Cabana under World of Sport Rules. Which grappler will emerge victorious? • King Kong Bundy will take on Red Bastien! Bastien and Bundy were the last two competitors in the 25-man Battle Royal at New Year’s Knockout XIII. Bastien almost eliminated Bundy but he was saved by his now-former tag team partner Big John Studd. Bundy wants to prove he can beat the flying redhead without Studd, especially before he does battle with “The 8th Wonder of The World” Andre the Giant at the 500th card. Can Bundy succeed or will Bastien pull off a big upset? • A tag team rivalry will continue, as Brian Kendrick and Paul London take on Jim Cornette’s team of Chris Candido and Cornette’s bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn! While Severn was supposed to be a substitute for Dr. Tom Prichard during Prichard’s neck injury, his team with Candido has had some wild matches with the high-flying fan favorites, as their three meetings since New Year’s Eve have resulted in a disqualification for one side, the other, or both! Therefore, Commissioner Armstrong has made this a No-Disqualification Match! In this setting, there will be no disqualifications and no countouts. Since this is a tag team match, wrestlers must tag in to be considered the legal man for attempting pinfalls or submissions. Which team will get the victory? • Another rematch from New Year’s Knockout will feature Tommy Gilbert going for revenge against “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan! Gilbert got the win in their first match after Sullivan was disqualified for using his golden spike, the same thing he did to Tommy’s son Doug in September in Springfield. Sullivan is fairly confident in taking this match before he challenges “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant for the World Heavyweight title on March 13. Gilbert has been fired up and has a lot of momentum coming off a win over the 495-pound One Man Gang last week in Tupelo. Who will win this epic grudge match? • Speaking of Jimmy Valiant, the World Heavyweight champion will be in tag team action, as he and “Superstar” Bill Dundee will take on The Vachons! The results of this match will have an impact on Dundee and Mad Dog Vachon’s singles bout on March 13, as the winning team will get to choose the special guest referee! Who will win and whom will the winners choose as a referee? • The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. “Exotic” Adrian Street will make his first defense of the title against Billy Gunn! Gunn has scored some impressive singles wins so far in 2017. Gunn is a two-time former World Tag Team champion but this will be his first shot at any USWA singles championship. Street stated on Championship Wrestling that Gunn is a “handsome tall drink of water” but he does not have the wrestling skills that Street possesses…nor the fashion sense. Jim Cornette stated that he knows Gunn well from the New Age Outlaws’ past battles with Cornette’s various incarnations of the Heavenly Bodies and the Midnight Express and he has been scouting Gunn for the “Exotic One.” The winner of this match won’t have much time to rest, as he will need to defend the Southern title on March 13 against “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. Will Street keep his hold on his glamorous belt or will Gunn capture his first singles title?
All these great bouts, plus “Classy” Freddie Blassie takes on Tommy Rogers! As well as the House of Humperdink team of Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito in action, as well as S.D. and S.T. Jones!
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Post by stu on Jul 28, 2020 18:46:27 GMT -5
Bastien vs. Bundy??? Sign me up for that!
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