Cory's USWA

[EpicDave]

Sounds like a great card, Cory. Looking forward to it!

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Dayton Dave for the comments!

May 22, 2009
Card #208: Mid South Coliseum in Memphis

1) Larry and Curt Hennig were victorious in the opener over George South and Larry Sharpe. Once again, The Hennigs were able to keep one man in the ring the entire match. In this case, South was the “lucky” one. Both father and son utilized The Axe several times on South. Sharpe saved his partner from a pin attempt by Larry at one point. It was Curt’s version of The Axe that finally pinned South’s shoulders to the mat and giving the Heenan Family’s newest tag team another win. ½*

2) The new World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine got a hard-fought win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring. These two teams went to a double disqualification back in March in Chattanooga, when Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell attacked both teams. Valentine and Rose started off for their teams. The champs worked over the “Playboy”, as usual focusing on his neck, hitting a double team neckbreaker on Rose. Muraco followed up with an Asiatic Spike. Doring tagged in, but was overpowered by the Hawaiian. Valentine used a neckbreaker on Doring for a near fall. Rose was being worked over on Valentine outside the ring, but out of nowhere Rose threw “The Hammer” head-first into the guard railing. He tossed Valentine back in the ring, went up to the top rope and came off with a Bombs Away. He went for a cover, but Muraco made the save. The champs regained control and Valentine applied the figure-four to Rose. “Sensational” Sherri Martel jumped up on the apron and distracted Tom Branch, which allowed Doring to jump in and boot Valentine in the face, breaking the leglock. Doring returned to his corner, but Rose couldn’t make the tag as Valentine continued to punish him. He dropped a big elbow hammer to Rose’s face, busting him open. Muraco tagged in, picked up Rose, and executed the Hawaiian Hammer. The move was enough to pin the weakened Rose and give the champs the win. ***

3) Dick Hutton scored a quick pinfall on “Iron” Mike DiBiase. The two wrestlers had some great exchanges in the opening minutes. DiBiase whipped Hutton into the ropes and went for a clothesline. Hutton ducked the clothesline and caught DiBiase in the abdominal stretch. DiBiase wouldn’t give, so Hutton dropped him backward into a lateral guillotine. The hold was enough to pin DiBiase’s shoulders to the mat for a three-count. DUD

4) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka defeated Brutus Beefcake in a competitive bout. Beefcake took control of the action, after a brawl outside the ring. He choked Snuka with Gary Michael Capppetta’s microphone chord, while Capt. Lou Albano had Sam Platania’s attention diverted. “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant came down to ringside to even the odds for his tag team partner. Beefcake blasted Snuka with his studded armband. Meanwhile Valiant went after Albano on the floor. This distracted Beefcake and allowed Snuka to recover. The Fijian warrior went to work on Beefcake, using the backbreaker several times. He blasted Beefcake with a flying head butt and gained a near fall. Beefcake came up bloody from the head butt. Snuka went to the top rope and came off with a Superfly Leap. He went for the cover and got the pin. Snuka celebrated with “Handsome” Jimmy afterward and looked excited for his shot at the World Heavyweight title. ***½

5) Antonino Rocca scored a submission victory over Frank Gotch. Former World champion Gotch tried to ground the high flying Rocca by keeping him on the mat. He locked on a hammerlock and looked to have Rocca trapped, but the Argentine made the ropes. Rocca battled back and interestingly enough used his arsenal of submission moves. He briefly caught Gotch in a bow and arrow, but Gotch managed to escape. As Gotch got to his feet, Rocca got behind him and lifted him up in to the Argentinian Backbreaker. Gotch fought for nearly a minute to get the ropes or escape, but eventually gave in, giving Rocca a big win. **¾

6) B. Brian Blair returned from injury and got a big win for The Killer Bees over former World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express. Blair showed some ring rust in the first few minutes, as The Midnights worked him over. They hit the Rocket Launcher, which injured Blair, in the first few minutes. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton went for a cover, but “Jumping” Jim Brunzell came in and made the save. Texas champ Eaton continued to work over Blair. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey came back in and whipped Blair into the corner. He charged in at Blair, but Blair sunset flipped him for a near fall. Brunzell finally tagged in, but Eaton worked over him as well, getting two-counts after a spinning neckbreaker and a top rope elbow drop. Condrey came in and continued to beat on Brunzell, but he made the “hot tag” to Blair. Blair was a house of fire. He picked Condrey up on his shoulders and executed an airplane spin. Eaton ran in, but Blair spun him around so that Condrey kicked his own partner! Eaton rolled out of the ring and Brunzell went after him to keep him at bay. Jim Cornette jumped up on the apron, but Blair did the same thing, knocking Cornette off the apron. He dropped Condrey and dizzy himself, fell on top of Condrey to get the pinfall. The fans popped at the ending and The Bees’ big win! ***¼

7) The Destroyer pinned Johnny Valentine in a physical back-and-forth bout. The match started with some great scientific wrestling. Valentine gained the advantage and used two big Atomic Skullcrushers on the masked man. Tommy Marlin got sandwiched in the corner as Destroyer tackled Valentine. Marlin went down and was out of commission for a few minutes. Destroyer immediately came off the top with a Bombs Away to Valentine’s back. The two grapplers brawled for a few minutes until Marlin came to. Destroyer caught Valentine in a small package. A woozy Marlin made the count, but Valentine kicked out. Destroyer jawed with Marlin, claiming it was a three-count. Destroyer applied the figure-four leglock, but Valentine made the ropes. Destroyer released the hold and dropped a hard knee to Valentine’s face, busting him open. Marlin warned Destroyer about his tactics, which led to the masked man arguing with the referee again. While this was taking place, Valentine limped to his feet and nailed Destroyer with a knee smash to the back. This knocked Destroyer into Marlin a second time, which sent the official out of the ring. Destroyer went to work on Valentine’s legs to set him up for the figure-four again. Sam Platania came down to replace Marlin, who had to be helped back to the locker room by other USWA officials. Valentine came back on offense and caught Destroyer in an abdominal stretch. The “Intelligent, Sensational One” wouldn’t give, so Valentine released the hold and nailed him with two Atomic Skullcrushers. The elbows drew blood on Destroyer and caused his white mask to be stained with red. Valentine couldn’t pin Destroyer’s shoulders though. Destroyer recovered and weakened Valentine with an Intelligent Sleeperhold, jawing at Valentine while locking him in the hold. Valentine wouldn’t go down and reached the ropes. Both men were bloody, beaten, and tired, but not done. Destroyer went to the top rope and came off with a nice flying body press. He made a cover, hooking Valentine’s leg, but also his tights! The added leverage led to the pinfall and Valentine was once again cheated out of a victory. Valentine was angered, by his loss, but knew he had been outsmarted in a great bout. (Marlin was unable to officiate the rest of the evening.) ****½

8) The second wrestler to return from injury was also successful tonight, as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Steve “Dr. Death” Williams scored a dominant win over Dan “The Beast” Severn and Danny Hodge. The fan favorites charged the ring and went right to work on their Team RPW opponents. They knocked Hodge out of the ring with a double tackle and were able to keep Severn in the ring the entire bout. Williams hit a back drop driver on Severn. “Hacksaw” came in and went to work on the man who tore his pectoral. The Memphis fans were behind him with big “Hooooo!” cheers. Duggan blasted Severn with a flying spear from the three-point stance, but Severn kicked out. Williams came back in and hit an Oklahoma Stampede on “The Beast”. He went for a cover, but Hodge came in and broke up the pin attempt. Duggan ran in and knocked Hodge out of the ring with the flying spear. Williams picked up Severn and executed a second Oklahoma Stampede. He covered Severn and scored the pin. ½*

9) The Crusher scored his biggest USWA win to-date, pinning three-time World champion Nick Bockwinkel. The former champ had the initial control. He went for the figure-four on Crusher’s previously injured leg, but “Da” Crusher kicked him off before he could fully apply it. Crusher attempted his big Bolo twice, but Bockwinkel managed to dodge the punch. Bockwinkel locked on his sleeper. “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” weakened, but his arm only dropped twice. Crusher fought out of the hold and executed a big body slam for a near fall. Crusher finally landed the Crusher Bolo, which drew a big pop from the crowd. Crusher made a cover, but Bockwinkel got his foot over the bottom rope. Bobby Heenan was going crazy at ringside and attempted to get involved, but out of nowhere Johnny Valentine came to ringside and grabbed “The Weasel”, threatening to drop him with a Skullcrusher! Bockwinkel was momentarily distracted by this. He turned around and got blasted with another Bolo. Crusher made the cover and scored the big three. The Mid South Coliseum erupted at the win! Valentine released Heenan and smirked as he was happy to see Bockwinkel go down in defeat. ***¼

10) An injured Ted DiBiase was going for his second USWA Southern Heavyweight title in the main event against current champ The Sheik. DiBiase had his knee bandaged from the injury in his match against Danny Hodge last week. “Iron” Mike DiBiase accompanied his son to ringside for this important match, and perhaps as well to keep an eye on Abdullah Farouk. Despite the wounded knee, DiBiase showed his toughness and used his big right hand to knock down the champ and bloodied him up. The challenger locked on the figure-four leglock. The fans went wild, hoping to see Sheik tap out. He looked close to it, but he broke the hold with an eye rake. DiBiase recovered and signaled for another big right hand. Farouk got on the apron to distract Tom Branch. Mike DiBiase ran over and pulled the manager off the apron. While Branch tried to clear up that carnage, Ted turned his attention back to the champ and went for the punch. Sheik staggered to his feet and out of nowhere blasted DiBiase with a huge fireball! DiBiase went down in a heap and rolled to the floor. “Iron” Mike missed what happened, but went to check on his son. He helped him back into the ring, but Sheik pounced on the challenger, locking on the Camel Clutch and digging his fingers into the burned flesh. With the pain on his face and the wounded knee, DiBiase surrendered to the Camel Clutch. The Mid South Coliseum fans were irate at what they witnessed! Steve Williams and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan came down to check on Ted and helped “Iron” Mike to get DiBiase back to the locker room for medical attention. ***

[Cory Olson]

With no USWA cards until June 12, here are highlights from the last three episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling:
• Some upcoming title bouts were made. On June 19 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, two championship matches will take place. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will defend the USWA Texas championship against “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. And in the main event, Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will defend the USWA World Tag Team gold against The Killer Bees.
• Also on that card in San Antonio will be a big six-man tag team bout. Heenan Family members Nick Bockwinkel and Larry Zbyszko will team up with The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer to take on three popular USWA wrestlers—Diamond Dallas Page, The Crusher, and Antonino Rocca.
• Rocca will also be in the main event the following week in Nashville. This will be the USWA’s annual show at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Rocca will challenge for a USWA championship for the first time, when he goes after The Sheik’s Southern Heavyweight gold!

The USWA kicks off the summer with a hot night of action on June 12 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington!
• Texas champion and Midnight Express member “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton battles with rival Brad Armstrong. The war between The Midnights and Armstrong and Koko B. Ware rages on. You can bet that Armstrong will have eyes in the back of his head watching the often interfering Jim Cornette! Can Armstrong gain a win?
• The World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine will collide with Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell. These teams have had some heated collisions. It would be a huge victory if Candido and Bagwell could beat the champs in this non-title match-up!
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan will go one-on-one with the man who injured him—Dan “The Beast” Severn. Duggan and “Dr. Death” were victorious over Severn and Danny Hodge. How will the American patriot Duggan fare against the former USWA World Heavyweight champion in singles competition?
• Two former World champions will tangle, as Johnny Valentine will take on Frank Gotch. These two have met in the past. Currently both are looking for a win to get them back on track in the championship picture. Will it be the Atomic Skullcrusher or the Gotch Toehold that proves to be more effective?
• It will be father and son teaming for the first time in the USWA! Ted and Mike DiBiase will collide with Team RPW’s Oklahomans—Dick Hutton and Danny Hodge. Ted came out of his match with The Sheik with some burns and his knee still bothering him, but is determined to wrestle in Lexington. The DiBiases have teamed up in the past in the UWF. They’ll be facing a tough duo that’s gotten wins over some big name teams in the USWA!
• Another tag team war rolls on, as Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher will collide with Larry Zbyszko and The Destroyer. Destroyer beat Crusher by DQ a few weeks ago when DDP got involved. Can the popular duo of Page and “Da” Crusher beat the sneaky Zbyszko and The “Intelligent, Sensational One”?
• The main event will feature two USWA fan favorites competing for the World Heavyweight championship. Kentucky native Ed “Strangler” Lewis will defend against the Fijian warrior—“Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Lewis told Lance Russell on Championship Wrestling that while he respects Snuka as a person, he doesn’t see him as much of a wrestler, as he’s all about “leaping” and “jumping”. The champ said that his wrestling skills will bring him to victory. Snuka later stated that with the fans behind him, even in Lewis’ home state, he can achieve the ultimate goal and win the gold.
All this plus “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant goes one-on-one with Brutus Beefcake! Plus The Killer Bees and more great bouts!

[Cory Olson]

June 12, 2009
Card #209: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) Heenan Family members The Hennigs went to 3-0 in the opener, defeating Virgil and Johnny Rodz. The duo of Virgil and Rodz has scored upsets in their short time teaming together, and were hoping for another one here. They scored a “moral victory” of sorts, as they were both able to tag in, unlike the Hennigs’ first two USWA matches. Larry “The Axe” saw more ring time, showcasing his power and toughness against Virgil. Son Curt was in against “The Unpredictable” Rodz and looked in trouble. Out of nowhere Curt came back and executed his Hennig Plex (a fisherman’s suplex). He locked Rodz up with the hold and was able to pin his shoulders to the mat, while Larry kept Virgil at bay. **½

2) Jimmy Valiant lost his cool and got disqualified against Brutus Beefcake. This was a rematch from the last USWA card at Rupp Arena in March, that saw these two go to a double DQ. “The Boogie Woogie Man” was in control for most of this bout and had the Lexington fans on his side. At one point, Beefcake attempted to put “Handsome” Jimmy out with Valiant’s own finisher—the sleeper. Valiant managed to tumble to the floor with Beefcake on his back to break the hold. Back in the ring, Valiant was punching away at Beefcake in the corner, while Frank Morrell warned him. Valiant got caught up in the emotion and action and ended up punching Morrell. Morrell went down, but was able to call for the bell. “Boogie Woogie” realized his mistake and was upset at himself, but the decision stood. *½

3) The Killer Bees earned a hard-fought win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring. The Bees were focused, wanting to get a victory before challenging for the World Tag Team titles next week in San Antonio. They were in control early on, but Rose rolled out to the floor for a breather. With Doring diverting Paul Neighbors’ attention, “Sensational” Sherri Martel handed Rose her purse. The former USWA champ used it to smack B. Brian Blair in the head. Blair dropped hard, so as has been suspected in the past, Sherri must have something “special” in that purse! Blair struggled to regain control. The Bees used some sneaky tactics of their own, as “Jumping” Jim Brunzell donned his Bee mask, then handed Blair his, while Blair was on the floor again. Brunzell snuck in and “played possum”. Rose whipped him into the ropes and was caught by surprise with a sunset flip for a very near fall. The Bees took over and removed the masks, to show they didn’t need them to win. Brunzell had Doring worn out with a sleeper, but a distraction from Sherri allowed Doring to recover. The Bees hit a double elbow on Doring and went for a cover, but Rose made a save. Rose tagged in and was working over Blair, until Blair made a quick tag to Brunzell. Brunzell dropkicked Rose’s leg, then applied a figure-four. Rose was caught off guard and caught in the middle of the ring, and thus tapped to the hold. ***

4) Once again it was Jim Cornette as the difference maker, as Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton pinned Brad Armstrong. In his pre-match introductions of his man, Cornette mentioned that “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey wasn’t present tonight, as he had party too hard at Mama Cornette’s mansion in Louisville (west of Lexington) the night before. Armstrong was fired up and eager to score a win on Eaton. This was a back-and-forth bout. Eaton came off with a top rope splash, basically a solo version of the Rocket Launcher, but Armstrong rolled out of the way and Eaton hit hard. It looked like this would be the Georgian’s opportunity, until Eaton was knocked out of the ring. Armstrong came after him, but Cornette distracted Jerry Calhoun on the other side of the ring. Conveniently Cornette dropped his tennis racquet on the floor. Eaton grabbed it and jammed it into Armstrong’s throat, knocking the wind out of him. “Beautiful” Bobby rolled Armstrong back into the ring, then climbed the buckles and came off the top with the Alabama Jam, right to the throat. He made a cover and picked up the win. **½

5) Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell defeated USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine by DQ in a non-title grudge match. This was a short bout, but a wild one. “Buff Daddy” and “The Hammer” started the bout off. About a minute in, Frank Morrell went down, after Bagwell accidentally clotheslined him. The Tag Team champs took advantage of no ref, as Muraco knocked Candido off the apron, then joined Valentine in smashing Bagwell’s leg into the ring post. Valentine locked on the figure-four to apply damage. Muraco then smacked Bagwell across the back of the neck with the same chair and executed two Hawaiian Hammers. Morrell came to and it looked like Bagwell would soon be down and out. Somehow he managed to come back and blast Muraco with a dropkick, then make his first tag to Candido. The “Suicide Blonde” came in and went toe-to-toe with Muraco. Candido showed his own power, hitting a delayed vertical suplex on the big Hawaiian and holding him up there for quite a few seconds, in an almost humiliating move. He went for a cover, but only got two. Muraco rolled out of the ring in frustration and grabbed the chair again. Capt. Lou Albano tried to distract Morrell from the other side, while Muraco came back in. Candido was jawing with Valentine in the corner and didn’t see Muraco come up behind him. Muraco blindsided Candido with the chair to the back of the neck. Morrell happened to turn around in time to see it and called for the bell. Muraco and Valentine immediately went to double team Candido and looked to give him a spike piledriver on the chair. Before they could, Bagwell recovered from his beating and came in to run the champs and Albano off. **

6) Dan Severn achieved an impressive victory over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Dick Hutton did not accompany “The Beast” to ringside, as he was preparing for his own tag team bout later, so this was truly one-on-one. Severn went for the bow and arrow early on, trying to tear Duggan’s pec again, but “Hacksaw” broke out of the hold. Severn instead turned his attention to the heel, working over it and applying the heel hook. After holding the hook on for more than a minute, Duggan was finally forced to tap out. ½*

7) Johnny Valentine scored a quick win over Frank Gotch. In the USWA trivia department, these two first met on the first USWA card, in the first match in the tournament to determine the first USWA World Heavyweight champion. Valentine won that match, in what was considered an upset at the time, and went on to win the tournament as well. These two started slowly, but things picked up, as Gotch went for the rolling kneebar. Valentine held on and rallied back with a stiff forearm smash. He dropped Gotch with a big Atomic Skullcrusher. It took just one to put Gotch down for the pin and give Valentine a much needed win. ¾*

8) Dick Hutton and Danny Hodge emerged victorious over Ted and Mike DiBiase. Ted came out with a bandage on his knee, from his knee injury, and bandages on his face, from The Sheik’s fireball. “Iron” Mike started the bout, to give his son a chance to conserve his energy. The Oklahomans worked over Mike in the first few minutes. Hutton caught Mike in his abdominal stretch, but Ted saved his father. Ted finally tagged in and went to work on his former tag team partner, Hutton. Hodge came in and went to work on the knee that Ted injured in their singles bout. Hodge went up to the second turnbuckle and came off with a vertical body press, but Ted caught him in midair with his famed right hand. He made a cover, but Hodge managed to get his foot on the bottom rope. Hutton later tagged in and worked over Ted. Ted was worn out, from his injured condition. Hutton picked him up into the Cowboy Backbreaker. Ted tried to escape the hold, but was too weakened and had to give in. ***½

9) Larry Zbyszko and The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer scored a sneaky win over Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher. The fan favorites started off strong, keeping Destroyer in the ring for several minutes. Crusher worked over his rival and scored a two-count after tossing Destroyer shoulder-first into the ring post. Zbyszko finally tagged in and worked over Crusher. Zbyszko was able to remove the turnbuckle pad while Paul Neighbors was getting Destroyer back to his corner. Zbyszko smashed Page’s head into the exposed buckle. Neighbors didn’t notice at the time that the padding had been taken off. Crusher and DDP were later able to use the metal to their advantage, as Crusher reversed a whip into the buckle and Destroyer hit his back on it. Crusher caught Destroyer coming out and lifted him into a big bear hug. Bobby Heenan jumped up on the apron and tried to get Crusher disqualified. Neighbors noticed the metal, but stated that the move was not intentionally and he couldn’t disqualify Crusher, since he didn’t see how the pad had been taken off. Still, “The Brain’s” distraction helped, as Zbyszko broke up the bear hug attempt. Destroyer recovered and wore DDP down with a single leg Boston Crab. Zbyszko tagged in and worked over the New Jersey native as well. He hit the piledriver and looked to have things wrapped up for his team. Zbyszko took his time making a cover and when he finally did, Page managed to kick out at 2¾. Zbyszko was infuriated and argued with Neighbors, calling him a “spud head”. Page came up bleeding from the piledriver. Zbyszko worked over Page’s back and applied an abdominal stretch. As they’ve done in the past, Zbyszko and Destroyer employed illegal tactics, as Destroyer grabbed Zbyszko’s free hand from the apron, while Zbyszko blocked the leverage from the referee’s sight. Page was hurting and gave in to the hold. Right as the bell sounded, Crusher realized what had taken place and went after Destroyer. The two brawled back to the locker room, while Zbyszko and Page were left in the ring. Zbyszko pulled the bloody DDP to his feet, but before he could attack, Page hit a Diamond Cutter out of nowhere! Zbyszko was down on the mat and held his neck. Page made his way through the crowd, while Heenan checked on Zbyszko. The Hennigs came down to ringside to help their Heenan Family teammate back to the locker room. (Nick Bockwinkel was not present on this night.) ****

10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Kentuckian Ed “Strangler” Lewis put the gold on the line against “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. The Rupp Arena was in support of the champ, but the challenger had a good share of fans as well. Snuka offered his hand to the champ before the match out of respect. Lewis seemed hesitant, perhaps uncertain about Snuka’s intentions, due to his own comments about Snuka’s wrestling skills on WMC-TV. But the champ did accept and the crowd applauded. Lewis caught the challenger in the Strangler’s Headlock early on, but Snuka managed to escape before Lewis could inflict too much damage. Snuka came back and went up to the top rope, signaling for the Superfly Leap, but the champ rolled out of the way, before Snuka could even attempt the move. The challenger had control early on and looked on his way to the victory. Snuka knocked Lewis out of the ring with a dropkick, then hit a slingshot plancha dive to the floor, almost getting a countout win. Snuka had control and went to the top again. The crowd got behind him more, sensing that history might take place. Snuka dove off with a great Superfly Leap. He hooked Lewis’ leg, but before Jerry Calhoun could count, Capt. Lou Albano climbed on to the apron to distract Calhoun. Snuka released Lewis and went towards Albano and Calhoun, but before he could, World Tag Team champion Magnificent Muraco snuck in from the other side and blasted Snuka with the Asiatic Spike. The fans booed strongly. Muraco rolled out of the ring and he and his manager retreated to the locker room. The “Strangler” was down on the mat, feeling the effects of the Superfly Leap and didn’t appear to see any of Muraco’s involvement. Lewis took control, even though he had been busted open by this point. He took the challenger down with the headlock and ground away at his face. Snuka was soon bloody as well. He had Snuka’s shoulders down, but Snuka lifted his shoulder just before the three. Lewis held the headlock and tried to force a submission. Snuka had his hand out, like he was about to tap, but out of nowhere managed to grab the ropes, which drew a big cheer from the crowd. Lewis looked shocked at this. Lewis threw Snuka down with another headlock. Suddenly “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant came to the ring. As Calhoun was checking Snuka’s shoulders, Valiant jumped in the ring and pulled him out of the way of the action. Calhoun yelled at Valiant and disqualified Snuka for the interference. The fans were not happy about the ending. Valiant explained to Calhoun that Muraco and Albano had gotten involved. The champ came over to question Valiant and told him the story as well. Lewis had not been aware of this and looked ashamed about his victory. He shook hands with both Snuka and Valiant and helped his opponent back to the locker room. Fans were not happy about the inconclusive ending, but were happy to see the three popular wrestlers helping each other out. ****½

In the next update, find out the first matches announced for the 2009 Independence Day Bash, including the main event!

[Cory Olson]

June 12, 2009
Card #209: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) Heenan Family members The Hennigs went to 3-0 in the opener, defeating Virgil and Johnny Rodz. The duo of Virgil and Rodz has scored upsets in their short time teaming together, and were hoping for another one here. They scored a “moral victory” of sorts, as they were both able to tag in, unlike the Hennigs’ first two USWA matches. Larry “The Axe” saw more ring time, showcasing his power and toughness against Virgil. Son Curt was in against “The Unpredictable” Rodz and looked in trouble. Out of nowhere Curt came back and executed his Hennig Plex (a fisherman’s suplex). He locked Rodz up with the hold and was able to pin his shoulders to the mat, while Larry kept Virgil at bay. **½

2) Jimmy Valiant lost his cool and got disqualified against Brutus Beefcake. This was a rematch from the last USWA card at Rupp Arena in March, that saw these two go to a double DQ. “The Boogie Woogie Man” was in control for most of this bout and had the Lexington fans on his side. At one point, Beefcake attempted to put “Handsome” Jimmy out with Valiant’s own finisher—the sleeper. Valiant managed to tumble to the floor with Beefcake on his back to break the hold. Back in the ring, Valiant was punching away at Beefcake in the corner, while Frank Morrell warned him. Valiant got caught up in the emotion and action and ended up punching Morrell. Morrell went down, but was able to call for the bell. “Boogie Woogie” realized his mistake and was upset at himself, but the decision stood. *½

3) The Killer Bees earned a hard-fought win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring. The Bees were focused, wanting to get a victory before challenging for the World Tag Team titles next week in San Antonio. They were in control early on, but Rose rolled out to the floor for a breather. With Doring diverting Paul Neighbors’ attention, “Sensational” Sherri Martel handed Rose her purse. The former USWA champ used it to smack B. Brian Blair in the head. Blair dropped hard, so as has been suspected in the past, Sherri must have something “special” in that purse! Blair struggled to regain control. The Bees used some sneaky tactics of their own, as “Jumping” Jim Brunzell donned his Bee mask, then handed Blair his, while Blair was on the floor again. Brunzell snuck in and “played possum”. Rose whipped him into the ropes and was caught by surprise with a sunset flip for a very near fall. The Bees took over and removed the masks, to show they didn’t need them to win. Brunzell had Doring worn out with a sleeper, but a distraction from Sherri allowed Doring to recover. The Bees hit a double elbow on Doring and went for a cover, but Rose made a save. Rose tagged in and was working over Blair, until Blair made a quick tag to Brunzell. Brunzell dropkicked Rose’s leg, then applied a figure-four. Rose was caught off guard and caught in the middle of the ring, and thus tapped to the hold. ***

4) Once again it was Jim Cornette as the difference maker, as Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton pinned Brad Armstrong. In his pre-match introductions of his man, Cornette mentioned that “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey wasn’t present tonight, as he had party too hard at Mama Cornette’s mansion in Louisville (west of Lexington) the night before. Armstrong was fired up and eager to score a win on Eaton. This was a back-and-forth bout. Eaton came off with a top rope splash, basically a solo version of the Rocket Launcher, but Armstrong rolled out of the way and Eaton hit hard. It looked like this would be the Georgian’s opportunity, until Eaton was knocked out of the ring. Armstrong came after him, but Cornette distracted Jerry Calhoun on the other side of the ring. Conveniently Cornette dropped his tennis racquet on the floor. Eaton grabbed it and jammed it into Armstrong’s throat, knocking the wind out of him. “Beautiful” Bobby rolled Armstrong back into the ring, then climbed the buckles and came off the top with the Alabama Jam, right to the throat. He made a cover and picked up the win. **½

5) Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell defeated USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg Valentine by DQ in a non-title grudge match. This was a short bout, but a wild one. “Buff Daddy” and “The Hammer” started the bout off. About a minute in, Frank Morrell went down, after Bagwell accidentally clotheslined him. The Tag Team champs took advantage of no ref, as Muraco knocked Candido off the apron, then joined Valentine in smashing Bagwell’s leg into the ring post. Valentine locked on the figure-four to apply damage. Muraco then smacked Bagwell across the back of the neck with the same chair and executed two Hawaiian Hammers. Morrell came to and it looked like Bagwell would soon be down and out. Somehow he managed to come back and blast Muraco with a dropkick, then make his first tag to Candido. The “Suicide Blonde” came in and went toe-to-toe with Muraco. Candido showed his own power, hitting a delayed vertical suplex on the big Hawaiian and holding him up there for quite a few seconds, in an almost humiliating move. He went for a cover, but only got two. Muraco rolled out of the ring in frustration and grabbed the chair again. Capt. Lou Albano tried to distract Morrell from the other side, while Muraco came back in. Candido was jawing with Valentine in the corner and didn’t see Muraco come up behind him. Muraco blindsided Candido with the chair to the back of the neck. Morrell happened to turn around in time to see it and called for the bell. Muraco and Valentine immediately went to double team Candido and looked to give him a spike piledriver on the chair. Before they could, Bagwell recovered from his beating and came in to run the champs and Albano off. **

6) Dan Severn achieved an impressive victory over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Dick Hutton did not accompany “The Beast” to ringside, as he was preparing for his own tag team bout later, so this was truly one-on-one. Severn went for the bow and arrow early on, trying to tear Duggan’s pec again, but “Hacksaw” broke out of the hold. Severn instead turned his attention to the heel, working over it and applying the heel hook. After holding the hook on for more than a minute, Duggan was finally forced to tap out. ½*

7) Johnny Valentine scored a quick win over Frank Gotch. In the USWA trivia department, these two first met on the first USWA card, in the first match in the tournament to determine the first USWA World Heavyweight champion. Valentine won that match, in what was considered an upset at the time, and went on to win the tournament as well. These two started slowly, but things picked up, as Gotch went for the rolling kneebar. Valentine held on and rallied back with a stiff forearm smash. He dropped Gotch with a big Atomic Skullcrusher. It took just one to put Gotch down for the pin and give Valentine a much needed win. ¾*

8) Dick Hutton and Danny Hodge emerged victorious over Ted and Mike DiBiase. Ted came out with a bandage on his knee, from his knee injury, and bandages on his face, from The Sheik’s fireball. “Iron” Mike started the bout, to give his son a chance to conserve his energy. The Oklahomans worked over Mike in the first few minutes. Hutton caught Mike in his abdominal stretch, but Ted saved his father. Ted finally tagged in and went to work on his former tag team partner, Hutton. Hodge came in and went to work on the knee that Ted injured in their singles bout. Hodge went up to the second turnbuckle and came off with a vertical body press, but Ted caught him in midair with his famed right hand. He made a cover, but Hodge managed to get his foot on the bottom rope. Hutton later tagged in and worked over Ted. Ted was worn out, from his injured condition. Hutton picked him up into the Cowboy Backbreaker. Ted tried to escape the hold, but was too weakened and had to give in. ***½

9) Larry Zbyszko and The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer scored a sneaky win over Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher. The fan favorites started off strong, keeping Destroyer in the ring for several minutes. Crusher worked over his rival and scored a two-count after tossing Destroyer shoulder-first into the ring post. Zbyszko finally tagged in and worked over Crusher. Zbyszko was able to remove the turnbuckle pad while Paul Neighbors was getting Destroyer back to his corner. Zbyszko smashed Page’s head into the exposed buckle. Neighbors didn’t notice at the time that the padding had been taken off. Crusher and DDP were later able to use the metal to their advantage, as Crusher reversed a whip into the buckle and Destroyer hit his back on it. Crusher caught Destroyer coming out and lifted him into a big bear hug. Bobby Heenan jumped up on the apron and tried to get Crusher disqualified. Neighbors noticed the metal, but stated that the move was not intentionally and he couldn’t disqualify Crusher, since he didn’t see how the pad had been taken off. Still, “The Brain’s” distraction helped, as Zbyszko broke up the bear hug attempt. Destroyer recovered and wore DDP down with a single leg Boston Crab. Zbyszko tagged in and worked over the New Jersey native as well. He hit the piledriver and looked to have things wrapped up for his team. Zbyszko took his time making a cover and when he finally did, Page managed to kick out at 2¾. Zbyszko was infuriated and argued with Neighbors, calling him a “spud head”. Page came up bleeding from the piledriver. Zbyszko worked over Page’s back and applied an abdominal stretch. As they’ve done in the past, Zbyszko and Destroyer employed illegal tactics, as Destroyer grabbed Zbyszko’s free hand from the apron, while Zbyszko blocked the leverage from the referee’s sight. Page was hurting and gave in to the hold. Right as the bell sounded, Crusher realized what had taken place and went after Destroyer. The two brawled back to the locker room, while Zbyszko and Page were left in the ring. Zbyszko pulled the bloody DDP to his feet, but before he could attack, Page hit a Diamond Cutter out of nowhere! Zbyszko was down on the mat and held his neck. Page made his way through the crowd, while Heenan checked on Zbyszko. The Hennigs came down to ringside to help their Heenan Family teammate back to the locker room. (Nick Bockwinkel was not present on this night.) ****

10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Kentuckian Ed “Strangler” Lewis put the gold on the line against “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. The Rupp Arena was in support of the champ, but the challenger had a good share of fans as well. Snuka offered his hand to the champ before the match out of respect. Lewis seemed hesitant, perhaps uncertain about Snuka’s intentions, due to his own comments about Snuka’s wrestling skills on WMC-TV. But the champ did accept and the crowd applauded. Lewis caught the challenger in the Strangler’s Headlock early on, but Snuka managed to escape before Lewis could inflict too much damage. Snuka came back and went up to the top rope, signaling for the Superfly Leap, but the champ rolled out of the way, before Snuka could even attempt the move. The challenger had control early on and looked on his way to the victory. Snuka knocked Lewis out of the ring with a dropkick, then hit a slingshot plancha dive to the floor, almost getting a countout win. Snuka had control and went to the top again. The crowd got behind him more, sensing that history might take place. Snuka dove off with a great Superfly Leap. He hooked Lewis’ leg, but before Jerry Calhoun could count, Capt. Lou Albano climbed on to the apron to distract Calhoun. Snuka released Lewis and went towards Albano and Calhoun, but before he could, World Tag Team champion Magnificent Muraco snuck in from the other side and blasted Snuka with the Asiatic Spike. The fans booed strongly. Muraco rolled out of the ring and he and his manager retreated to the locker room. The “Strangler” was down on the mat, feeling the effects of the Superfly Leap and didn’t appear to see any of Muraco’s involvement. Lewis took control, even though he had been busted open by this point. He took the challenger down with the headlock and ground away at his face. Snuka was soon bloody as well. He had Snuka’s shoulders down, but Snuka lifted his shoulder just before the three. Lewis held the headlock and tried to force a submission. Snuka had his hand out, like he was about to tap, but out of nowhere managed to grab the ropes, which drew a big cheer from the crowd. Lewis looked shocked at this. Lewis threw Snuka down with another headlock. Suddenly “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant came to the ring. As Calhoun was checking Snuka’s shoulders, Valiant jumped in the ring and pulled him out of the way of the action. Calhoun yelled at Valiant and disqualified Snuka for the interference. The fans were not happy about the ending. Valiant explained to Calhoun that Muraco and Albano had gotten involved. The champ came over to question Valiant and told him the story as well. Lewis had not been aware of this and looked ashamed about his victory. He shook hands with both Snuka and Valiant and helped his opponent back to the locker room. Fans were not happy about the inconclusive ending, but were happy to see the three popular wrestlers helping each other out. ****½

In the next update, find out the first matches announced for the 2009 Independence Day Bash, including the main event!

[Cory Olson]

The June 13th edition of USWA Championship Wrestling was very newsworthy. The biggest item was the announcement of the first matches for the 2009 Independence Day Bash, which will come from Chilhowee Park in Knoxville!
• After the controversial ending to the USWA World Heavyweight title match at the Rupp Arena, the USWA Committee has ruled that “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will receive a rematch for the title against champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis on July 4! These great two had a great bout the previous night, that was ruined by some outside interference. Will a decisive winner be determined on Independence Day?
• Also, for the first time in nearly five years, Johnny Valentine will go one-on-one with Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel lured Valentine back to action in the USWA, but soon got involved in Valentine’s matches. Valentine is looking to gain some revenge and score a much needed win over Bock. This is a huge battle of two former USWA World champions—the first two men to hold the title in fact!
• Another HUGE match-up will be an eight-man tag team Elimination Match. Ted and Mike DiBiase, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan will collide with the four members of Team RPW—Frank Gotch, Dick Hutton, Dan Severn, and Danny Hodge! These eight men have met up in various singles and four-man tag team matches, that have been ultra competitive. This all dates back to the history between Gotch and Ted DiBiase, going back to 2006. Remember fans, in this match, a wrestler can be eliminated in any standard manner—by pinfall, submission, countout, or disqualification. Which team will survive this battle?
• More matches will be announced for the Independence Day Bash in the weeks to come. But before that supercard, a big card will take place at the Nashville Fairgrounds. The main event for the Southern Heavyweight title has already been announced (see previous update). In addition, Jimmy Snuka will collide with World Tag Team champion Magnificent Muraco, before he challenges for the World Heavyweight title. This feud has gotten even hotter, with the Hawaiian powerhouse costing the “Superfly” the gold.
• Also at the Fairgrounds, The Crusher will continue his feud with The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer. And for the first time, Nick Bockwinkel goes one-on-one with Diamond Dallas Page. Page has an impressive win-loss record since coming to the USWA at the end of 2008. This battle against the three-time World champ will be a tough one. Bockwinkel will be seeking revenge for Page injuring Larry Zbyszko’s neck on the last card. (More on that in the preview for the next card below.)

On the road to Independence Day Bash, the USWA makes a stop at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio on June 19!
• Before the eight-man tag team elimination war, Frank Gotch will collide with “Iron” Mike DiBiase in singles competition, while Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams will face Dan Severn and Danny Hodge. The winners will have motivation on their side going into the Bash!
• Speaking of Team RPW, coach Dick Hutton will face the inaugural USWA World champion Johnny Valentine. Two hard-hitting wrestlers will be in action in this one!
• The USWA always says, “Card subject to change.” in their advertising. And it’s good they do! Larry Zbyszko suffered a minor neck injury from Diamond Dallas Page’s Diamond Cutter, last week in Lexington. Zbyszko will be out of action for about a month. Therefore, he will not compete in the six-man tag team match that was announced in the last USWA update. Now it will be manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan donning his black singlet to team with Nick Bockwinkel and The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer to take on DDP, The Crusher, and Antonino Rocca. Can Heenan lead his team to victory, in the ring?
• “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will defend the USWA Texas championship against the popular “Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Footage was shown on Championship Wrestling this past week of Valiant putting Eaton out with the sleeper back in November, giving Valiant and Jimmy Snuka the win and the Tag Team titles over The Midnight Express. Valiant hopes to repeat that scene, but after two incidents with referees on the last card, he better remain calm, if he hopes to win the Texas title!
• The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team titles, as Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will defend against The Killer Bees. The Bees gave the champs quite the challenge for the belts back in February in Dallas, that saw Muraco and Valentine retain due to some illegal leverage. Can The Bees finally grab the belts or will Capt. Lou Albano’s men hold on to the gold?
All this plus The Hennigs face Brad Armstrong and “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware. Plus the team of Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell in action, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, and more USWA superstars!

[Cory Olson]

June 19, 2009
Card #210: Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio

1) “Special Delivery” Jones and Cousin Luke got a narrow win in the opener over George South and Larry Sharpe. The duo of South and Sharpe seemed on their way to their first win as a team, as they kept S.D. in the ring for the first several minutes. Sharpe hit his piledriver on Jones and went for a cover, but the hillbilly Luke saved his partner. South tagged back in and held Jones for a forearm shot from Sharpe, but Jones dogged it and South got smashed. Jones knocked Sharpe out of the ring, then tagged out to Luke for the first time. Luke hit the Hillbilly Drop almost immediately on South and scored the winning pinfall. After the bell, Sharpe yelled at South for his mess-up. The two patched things up, upset by coming so close to their first win, and returned to the locker room together. **

2) The Hennigs had their toughest challenge to-date, but still prevailed over Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware in a phenomenal match. Scott Bowden got knocked down early, as “The Birdman” went for a clothesline on “The Axe”, but the big man ducked and Bowden took the blow. Paul Morton soon came out to the restore order. Larry was arrogant in blasting Armstrong with The Axe four consecutive times, but refusing to go for a pin attempt. He tagged out to Curt and The Hennigs nailed a double Axe. Armstrong was busted open, but fought back, hitting a Russian leg sweep on Curt out of nowhere, then tagging out to Ware. Ware followed up with the Ghostbuster, but Curt kicked out. Larry came back in, but got knocked out of the ring by some of Koko’s quick punches. Armstrong worked over the big man, but couldn’t get him down for the pin. Curt came back in and hit a stiff running knee lift. He went for a cover, but “The Birdman” made the save. Koko and Larry ended up against each other. Ware attempted to lift Larry for the Ghostbuster, but couldn’t get him up. So, he held on to Larry, then tagged in Armstrong and the fan favorites hit a double team Ghostbuster on Larry, which drew a big cheer from the crowd! Armstrong went for a cover, but Bobby Heenan (wearing his singlet underneath his coat for his own tag team match later on) distracted Morton. “The Axe” came up bleeding from the move. Armstrong managed to catch Larry in an abdominal stretch. Curt attempted to break it up, but he got cut off by Ware. While Morton escorted both illegal men back to the corners, “The Brain” jumped on the apron again. Armstrong released the hold and blasted “The Weasel” with a dropkick, knocking him to the floor. Armstrong turned around and got caught with a big body slam. Both men were bloody and weakened, but managed to tag out to their partners. “The Birdman” went to town on Curt, wanting to give The Hennigs’ their first loss. Koko went for a big punch, but Curt ducked it and nailed him with a punch of his own. With Koko bent over, Curt bounced off the ropes and hit another running knee lift to put “The Birdman” down for the count and give The Hennigs a hard-fought win. Heenan was happy by his men’s success, despite being shaken up from Armstrong’s dropkick! ****¾

3) Frank Gotch scored a submission win in less than a minute, making “Iron” Mike DiBiase tap out. Gotch took down DiBiase quickly and caught him in the Gotch Toehold, forcing a quick surrender. DiBiase was upset by his mistake, but will live to fight another day. DUD

4) Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell looked impressive in defeating “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Former allies Candido and Rose started off the bout against each other. Bagwell and Rose went at it, with each man gaining a near fall. After some tagging in and out by Candido and Bagwell, Candido worked over the “Playboy” and set him up for the Blonde Bomb. Rose fought hard to escape the strong finisher. Before Candido could execute it, “Sensational” Sherri Martel jumped up and down on the apron to distract Paul Morton. Candido shoved Rose off, but then came off the top with a leg drop, right across Rose’s nose and drawing blood. Candido hit a vertical suplex and went for a cover, but Doring made the save. Doring finally got in and actually got some good offense, getting a near fall on Candido after a Danaconda. Candido came back, tossed Doring out of the ring, and almost got a countout after a baseball slide knocked Doring into the guard railing. Doring managed to recover and both men tagged out. Rose took over on “Buff Daddy” and caught him in a half Boston Crab. Bagwell managed to fight to his corner and tag out to Candido, unseen by Rose, but seen by referee Morton. Rose kept the hold on, as Candido came around, pulled the “Playboy” off, whipped him into the ropes, and caught him with a quick power slam. He made the cover and got the pin to give him and Bagwell an impressive win. This duo is beginning to “gel” more as a tag team. ***¼

5) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka made short work of “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Snuka took quick advantage of Rodz. The Fijian warrior hit a power slam, then went up to the top turnbuckle, and dove off with a picture-perfect Superfly Leap to get the pinfall. Snuka looked tough going into his rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight title at the Independence Day Bash! DUD

6) Johnny Valentine pinned Dick Hutton. After exchanging some mat wrestling, things picked up. Hutton gained control and attempted to slam the first USWA World Heavyweight champion. Valentine blocked the slam and leveled Hutton with a big chop to the chest. Valentine made a cover and got the win after just a few minutes. ¼*

7) Team RPW scored another victory on this night over their rival group, as Dan Severn and Danny Hodge gave the team of Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams their first pin or submission loss so far in the USWA. DiBiase’s knee appears to be healed, as he did not have it wrapped for this bout. DiBiase and Williams were impressive early on, keeping Hodge in the ring. DiBiase knocked down Hodge with his big right hand, then tagged in “Dr. Death”, who drilled Hodge with a backdrop driver. Williams blasted fellow Oklahoman Hodge with a lariat for a near fall. Williams went up to the top rope, but “The Beast” started jawing with him from the apron. This allowed Hodge to momentarily gain control. Williams tagged out to DiBiase, but Hodge tagged Severn in as well. Severn looked like a “Beast”, as he went to work on DiBiase. He clamped on the wakigatame and forced DiBiase to quickly tap. Williams and Severn never locked up during the match, but you can bet they will meet up in the ring again soon! **

8) The popular trio of The Crusher, Diamond Dallas Page, and Antonino Rocca defeated Nick Bockwinkel, The Destroyer, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in a six-man tag team match. Remember fans, Heenan was substituting for Larry Zbyszko, who was injured on the last card by Page’s Diamond Cutter. Rocca and Bockwinkel started the match for their respective teams. Bockwinkel seemed frustrated, having suffered more losses in 2009, than perhaps any other year of his USWA tenure. Rocca nearly scored another pin on Bockwinkel in the first minute with a sunset flip. Rocca went up to the top rope, but was too wild, and missed a flying body press. Rocca hit his knee and Bockwinkel took advantage going for the figure-four. Destroyer tagged in and continued to work the knee with a single leg Boston Crab, as well as his own figure-four. It looked as if Rocca would be the only one on his team to actually wrestle tonight, but Crusher came in and broke up the hold with a stomp to Destroyer’s face. With Rocca’s knee weakened, Heenan entered the match, but underestimated Rocca. The Argentine high flyer surprised “The Weasel” with a crushing body scissors. He pulled Heenan towards his corner and tagged in The Crusher. Heenan managed to quickly evade “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” and tagged out to Bockwinkel. DDP came in as well, and a quick preview of next week’s meeting in Nashville took place. Bockwinkel applied the figure-four, but Page managed to reverse it momentarily, before the hold was broken. Destroyer and Crusher ended up in the ring against each other, with Destroyer attacking Crusher’s previously injured leg and attempting the figure-four. Crusher powered out of the hold, but was weakened. “The Weasel” seized the moment, tagging in and attempting to pin Crusher, with his own feet on the ropes. Despite the illegal tactics, Crusher kicked out. “Da” Crusher fought back and locked Heenan in a Crusher Nelson, then drug him to his corner and tagged out to Rocca. “Argentina” Rocca ran after Heenan, as the manager tried to escape the ring. Rocca grabbed him and lifted him up into the Argentinian Backbreaker in the middle of the ring. Bockwinkel and Destroyer attempted to save “The Brain”, but were cut off by Page and Crusher respectively. Heenan quickly submitted to the hold, as the fan favorites celebrated their win. ***½

9) It was not a good night for Scott Bowden! Bowden, recovered from getting clobbered by Koko B. Ware, was back to officiate the USWA Texas championship match. Unfortunately, Bowden got slammed by “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, which naturally led to a disqualification loss against champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. In doing his own introduction for Eaton, Jim Cornette sucked up to the San Antonio fans, claiming that he and The Midnight Express had been to a “western watering hole” the night before, and “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey took a bad spill in falling off the mechanical bull, and thus was not present tonight. It didn’t matter, as “The Boy from New York City” was very popular, even among Lone Star State fans. Cornette was very antsy in this one, attempting to trip Valiant and get him at any opportunity from the opening bell. Valiant quickly had enough, jumped out of the ring, and chased “The Louisville Slugger”. Cornette dove into the ring and ran behind the champion. Bowden stopped Valiant, trying to maintain order in the championship bout. “Handsome” Jimmy responded with a body slam to Bowden, then continued to chase Eaton and Cornette. Bowden was down and hurt, but had enough strength to call for the bell and disqualify “The Boogie Woogie Man”. Eaton and Cornette fled to the locker room with the belt in hand. Valiant once again lost his patience with a USWA official and it cost him the bout! DUD

10) The main event saw Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defend their USWA World Tag Team titles against The Killer Bees. The challengers picked up some steam a few minutes into the bout and kept Valentine in the ring for a while. They hit the Bee Sting and Jim Brunzell went for a cover, but only got a two-count. “Jumping” Jim blasted Valentine with two dropkicks and went for another cover, but Capt. Lou Albano put Valentine’s foot on the bottom rope. Tommy Gilbert didn’t see the Captain’s involvement, but Brunzell did and yelled at the rubber banded manager. This allowed Valentine to recover. He attacked Brunzell and hit a piledriver, a maneuver that the champs have used very effectively in the past. He went for a pin, but Brunzell kicked out at 2¾. Muraco tagged in and hit a vertical suplex for another two-count. Muraco dropped Brunzell with a Hawaiian Hammer, which looked to spell the end. The Hawaiian powerhouse made a cover, but Blair broke up the pin and kept the challengers in the match. “Jumping” Jim was very weakened. He was knocked out of the ring near his corner. Blair grabbed The Bees’ masks, put his on, and attempted to switch with Brunzell, but Gilbert caught them making the attempt. While Gilbert directed Blair back to the corner, Muraco went after Brunzell and hit another Hawaiian Hammer, but this time on the Freeman Coliseum floor! Brunzell was out, and Muraco climbed back in the ring to get the easy countout victory for the champs. Blair checked on his partner. Brunzell was woozy and had to be helped the back, but thankfully suffered no major injuries. ***¼

[Cory Olson]

More great matches were made for the Independence Day Bash on the June 20 edition of USWA Championship Wrestling:
• There will be two special attraction matches on this card, featuring wrestlers who aren’t regulars in the USWA. First of all, in a clash of two up-and-coming wrestlers, Chris Hero will do battle with the fast-paced Mike Quackenbush! USWA fans will remember Hero defeated Delirious at New Year’s Knockout V. He and Quackenbush have had some exciting battles in many smaller, independent promotions, with Hero gaining most of the victories. Can Quackenbush defeat the super athlete at Chilhowee Park? Remember, Hero will be accompanied by his agent—“Sweet & Sour” Larry Sweeney!
• The other special attraction will be a family feud. The All-American Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) will defend the NWA World Tag Team titles against the brothers from Amarillo—The Funks (Terry and Dory Jr.). The Steiners have a great amateur background at the University of Michigan, and have made a great transition to the pros. They are currently based in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, which is a big tag team territory, but they have defended the NWA belts all over the world. The Funks have both held the NWA World Heavyweight title and are now looking to win the Tag Team titles. Which brother duo will reign supreme?
• “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will collide with his rival Brutus Beefcake. These two have had some wild bouts in 2009, with no clear winner being determined, so hopefully a decisive victor will emerge. (Valiant apologized to Scott Bowden, Jerry Calhoun, and Frank Morrell for laying his hands on the officials, during Championship Wrestling this past week, stating that when he gets the “boogie woogie” in him, he can’t always control his actions!)
• Bobby “The Brain” Heenan is sending the undefeated Hennigs after The Crusher and Diamond Dallas Page, for the recent headaches the fan favorites have caused The Heenan Family! This will be an intriguing tag team match-up!
• Another big tag bout pits the USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in a rematch against Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido. The duo of Bagwell and Candido gave the champs a fight in a non-title bout over a week ago in Lexington. This match will also be non-title, but a victory for “Buff Daddy” and the “Suicide Blonde” is so vital in gaining them recognition and respect in the USWA.
• Brad Armstrong and “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware are still gunning for another win over former World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express. They’ll get their opportunity at Chilhowee Park! Jim Cornette better watch out!

We’ve got one card left until the Independence Day Bash. But the annual card at the Nashville Fairgrounds on June 26 is a spectacular one as well!
• Before their tag team match on July 4, “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware will take on “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey. Ware had some tough bouts with “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the USWA Texas title this year. Can he defeat the “Loverboy”?
• Chris Candido and Buff Bagwell will get a preview of sorts of their Independence Day Bash match, when they take on one-half of the World Tag Team champions Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and his other partner, Brutus Beefcake—The Dream Team! Remember, Candido injured Beefcake’s neck with his Blonde Bomb back at the 200th card in March, so these two duos have some history as well!
• In a first-time meeting, three-time USWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel collides with the popular Diamond Dallas Page. Page has gotten wins over former World champs The Destroyer and “Playboy” Buddy Rose, and hopes to defeat another former champ. Bockwinkel has had his roughest year in the USWA thus far, but never count him out!
• Before the big eight-man tag team Elimination Match, the two men that many fans consider the captains will do battle, as Ted DiBiase faces Frank Gotch. These two men’s historical USWA feud is what brought their respective groups against one another. Who will gain advantage going into the Bash?
• Another heated feud match will take place as The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer will collide with “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” The Crusher! Destroyer is determined to put Crusher out of wrestling for good, by breaking his leg. Can he do it or will “Da” Crusher give him a barroom beating?
• Before he challenges for the World Heavyweight title, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will collide with his rival, the other half of the World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco. Many fans feel that Muraco cost Snuka the World title in his first shot in Lexington. Can Snuka gain some revenge before his championship rematch?
• The main event will be for the Southern Heavyweight title as The Sheik defends against Antonino “Argentina” Rocca. Rocca got the win for his team in the six-man tag team match on the last card, making Bobby Heenan submit. But Heenan is not the caliber of opponent that The Sheik is! Can Rocca win the gold in his first USWA title match, or will The Sheik find another win to retain?
All this plus The Killer Bees face The Hennigs, Johnny Valentine in action, and more great USWA stars!

[Cory Olson]

June 26, 2009
Card #211: Nashville Fairgrounds

1) “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Dastardly” Danny Doring defeated S.D. Jones and Cousin Luke in the opener. The former World Tag Team champions perhaps underestimated their foes, as “Special Delivery” and the hillbilly came close to an upset. Luke’s battles with Rose and Doring have been well-documented here. Doring was in trouble against the fan favorites, until Rose jumped Luke on the floor, while “Sensational” Sherri Martel had Tommy Marlin and Jones’s attention diverted. Rose then legally tagged in and worked over Luke. Doring later hit the Danaconda on Luke, but Luke managed to kick out. Rose tagged in and came off with his Bombs Away to put Luke down for the pin. **¾

2) Johnny Valentine made short work of Larry Sharpe. Valentine has looked more aggressive in his last few bouts, after suffering some controversial losses, thanks to the Heenan Family. He blasted Sharpe with two Atomic Skullcrushers, then knocked him down with a big chop to the chest (the same move he used to pin Dick Hutton last week). The chop was effective here too, as Valentine scored the pin. DUD

3) The Hennigs narrowly defeated The Killer Bees by countout. B. Brian Blair started the match for his team, as “Jumping” Jim Brunzell seemed to be still feeling the effects of Magnificent Muraco’s Hawaiian Hammer on the floor in San Antonio last week. The Bees worked over Curt throughout the match and were able to keep the younger Hennig in the ring for most of the match. Brunzell blasted Curt with a dropkick, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distracted Sam Platania before a pin attempt could be made. Brunzell soon followed with a second dropkick, right to Curt’s face, which busted him open. Brunzell went for a cover, but Heenan put Curt’s foot on the ropes. Platania caught the action and was fed up with “The Weasel’s” antics, thus he ordered the manager back to the locker room! Heenan was irate and looked nervous that his team would have their perfect USWA record ended. Blair tagged in and applied a sleeper to a bloody Curt, but somehow he made the ropes and tumbled to the floor. Blair got hurt as well and this allowed Curt to recover. Curt hit a Hennig Plex back inside the ring, but Blair was near the ropes and got his foot on the second rope. Curt tagged in his father. “The Axe” attacked Blair and knocked him out of the ring. The big man followed, picked up Blair into a bear hug, then proceeded to slam Blair’s back into the ring post. Larry got back in the ring, but Blair was too hurt and was counted out. The Hennigs celebrated their come from behind victory and went back to the locker room to find their manager, who was surely happy, despite having been booted from ringside! ***½

4) The USWA tries to be honest to its fans, but sometimes situations come up that they can’t control. For this reason, they always put “Card subject to change” in its advertising! “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey was a no-show for his match against Koko B. Ware. Therefore, Condrey’s partner, Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, took his place. Jim Cornette announced that Condrey had missed his flight into Nashville, due to bad weather. “The Birdman” seemed upset by the last minute change and was caught off guard. Eaton worked over him early on, but Ware fought back, hoping to get a non-title win. “Beautiful” Bobby prevailed, hitting the Alabama Jam to pick up the pinfall after a few minutes of fast-paced action. **

5) The Dream Team defeated Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido in a hard-fought tag team bout. Former Killer “B”s Bagwell and Brutus Beefcake battled in the opening minutes. “Buff Daddy” hit a dropkick and scored a two-count. Candido tagged in and worked over Beefcake, hitting two consecutive diving head butts. The blonde bombshell went for a cover, but Greg “The Hammer” Valentine made the save. The Dream Team recovered and worked over Bagwell in their corner. Bagwell fought back, but missed a flying body press off the top rope and hit hard. Valentine, as he does with his World Tag Team championship partner Magnificent Muraco, worked over Bagwell’s neck. Beefcake raked Bagwell’s eyes with his studded armband, which drew blood. He hit a double thrust to Bagwell’s throat and attempted a pin, but Bagwell managed to kick out. Bagwell managed to make the hot tag to Candido. Candido was in control of Valentine. He whipped “The Hammer” into the corner and dove in at him, but Valentine dodged the attack. Candido hit the corner hard. Valentine seized the opportunity and made a cover, putting his feet on the second rope for leverage, unseen by Tom Branch. Valentine managed to get the pin out of nowhere. The Dream Team quickly retreated to the locker room with Capt. Lou Albano, celebrating their sneaky win. ***¾

6) Diamond Dallas Page scored a quick win via countout over Nick Bockwinkel, thanks in part to his tag team partner The Crusher. The match lasted only a few minutes. Bobby Heenan, not concerned about a possible second barring from ringside, attacked Page, after Bockwinkel had tossed DDP to the floor. “The Weasel” tossed Page back into the ring, where Bockwinkel applied the figure-four. Page managed to get to the ropes. The Crusher suddenly stomped down to ringside and threatened Heenan for his involvement. Bockwinkel went for a second figure-four, but released it when he saw Crusher chasing his manager up the aisle. Bockwinkel yelled at Crusher, but in doing so got distracted, and ended up counted out of the ring. After Page was declared the winner, Crusher delivered a big Bolo to Bockwinkel in the aisle. Page came out and delivered an elbow drop of his own for good measure. negative*

7) Team captains Ted DiBiase and Frank Gotch met up prior to the big eight-man tag team Elimination Match at Independence Day Bash. On this night, DiBiase came out the winner. It was a back-and-forth, hard-hitting bout. Both men tried their leg submission finishers, but couldn’t get the win on the first try. Gotch attempted a takedown, but DiBiase blocked it and whipped Gotch into the corner, so that Gotch’s leg hit the buckle. DiBiase swooped in and again applied the figure-four. Gotch quickly tapped out, giving DiBiase the win and perhaps some momentum going into the Elimination Match. ***

8) The Crusher got a huge victory, defeating The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer by submission. Destroyer, as he has been saying, worked over Crusher’s leg and tried twice to force him to submit to the figure-four. Crusher had the crowd on his side and powered out of the hold. Crusher took the fight to the floor and slammed Destroyer on the floor. Destroyer was hurt and almost counted out, but managed to crawl back in at the count of nine. Crusher locked the masked man in a Crusher Nelson and held with all his might, determined to win. Tommy Marlin checked Destroyer’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Crusher a huge win. **½

9) Magnificent Muraco defeated “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka by DQ. Prior to either wrestler coming out, Gary Michael Cappetta introduced World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis. The champ, dressed in a fine suit and carrying the World title belt, came to ringside and sat with Lance Russell and Dave Brown at the announcers’ table, scouting his next challenger. This was a wild-and-wooly bout between Snuka and Muraco. The match seemed to be out of the ring more than in. “Superfly” was bound and determined to pin his rival, especially after Muraco cost him the World title. Snuka hit a big piledriver, but the Hawaiian powerhouse managed to kick out. Capt. Lou Albano was somewhat of the difference maker, as he distracted Sam Platania several times, allowing Muraco to bend the rules. Muraco weakened Snuka with his Asiatic Spike. When Muraco couldn’t keep the “Superfly” down, Albano distracted Platania again, allowing Muraco to grab his World Tag Team title belt from ringside. Muraco went to smash Snuka with it, but the Fijian warrior intercepted the gold, and smashed Muraco with it instead. Unfortunately, Platania turned around and saw the action, and immediately called for the bell. The fans were irate about this! Snuka looked upset at himself, but more so at Muraco and Albano. Lewis left ringside and stared down his next challenger as well. ***½

10) The main event saw the popular Antonino “Argentina” Rocca challenge for a USWA title for the first time, as he took on the three-time Southern Heavyweight champion—the maniacal Sheik. Rocca rocked the champ from early on, with a simple strategy: dazzle the champ with his aerial tactics. Rocca used his big flying dropkicks several times on The Sheik. Rocca came off the top with a big flying body press for a very near fall. Sheik rolled out of the ring and regained control after smashing Rocca into the ring post. He threw the challenger back in and locked on the Camel Clutch. The fans were chanting “Rocca” and it must have helped, as Rocca reached the ropes. Sheik tossed Rocca out of the ring and went to pursue the attack, but this time Rocca took over, sidestepping the madman and throwing him into the ring post with a drop toehold. This busted Sheik open. Rocca picked Sheik up into the Argentinian Backbreaker, but Abdullah Farouk pulled Sheik’s foot over the rope, unseen by both Rocca and Tommy Marlin. Marlin did see the foot “out of bounds” and called for a break. Rocca locked a bow and arrow on in the ring, but Sheik escaped. The Syrian was desperate and started to bite Rocca’s forehead, trying to draw blood on him as well. The champ tried a different approach and climbed up to the second rope. But before he could hit a move, Rocca leapt to his feet, then leapt up and tossed Sheik off the buckle with an amazing flying head scissors, that popped the crowd! Rocca went for a cover, but Farouk distracted Marlin. Rocca was irate and chased Farouk around the ring. Sheik was bleeding buckets by this point, and the crowd was definitely behind Rocca. Rocca picked Sheik up into the backbreaker again. Sheik, trapped in the center of the ring and losing blood quickly, was left with no choice but to surrender. Marlin called for the bell and Gary Michael Cappetta announced that a new Southern Heavyweight champion was crowned! The Fairgrounds fans went crazy, having just witnessed history! Several fan favorites, including Diamond Dallas Page, The Crusher, and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka came out to hold up the new champ and celebrate. ****½

[Cory Olson]

From beginning to end, here’s the line-up for the 2009 Independence Day Bash!

Virgil & Johnny Rodz vs. S.D. Jones & Cousin Luke

Two teams looking to make a name for themselves and move up the USWA tag ranks will collide in the opener!

Buddy Rose & Danny Doring vs. Larry Sharpe & George South

Both teams have struggled this year. Former World Tag Team champs Rose and Doring haven’t had as much success so far, as this did in 2008. But Sharpe and South are still hoping for their first win as a team, and would love to get it over former champs on the 4th of July!

Jimmy Valiant vs. Brutus Beefcake

These two have had some wild brawls so far. Can “The Boogie Woogie Man” keep things under control to gain a victory, or will Beefcake take advantage of the wild “Boy from New York City?”

Chris Hero vs. Mike Quackenbush
(Special Attraction)

It’s the superhero from Metropolis against the “Lightning” Quackenbush. What role will Hero’s agent, “Sweet & Sour” Larry Sweeney, play in the match?

The Crusher & Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Hennigs

The Hennigs are still undefeated in the USWA. They’re looking not only for another tag team victory, but also a measure of revenge for Page’s injury to their Heenan Family teammate Larry Zbyskzo. Can the father-and-son duo keep up their perfect record or will the popular duo of Crusher and DDP make them feel the BANG!?

The Midnight Express vs. Brad Armstrong & Koko B. Ware

Lance Russell asked Jim Cornette on Championship Wrestling this past week the whereabouts of “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey, as he hasn’t been seen in several weeks. Cornette seemed nervous, but stated that he will be there in Knoxville to defeat the “punk” tag team of Armstrong and Ware. Will Condrey show up or will the “Card subject to change” line come into play again?

Antonino Rocca vs. The Destroyer

This bout was just added on Championship Wrestling this past weekend. These two have collided before. Rocca is fresh off his huge victory over The Sheik for the Southern Heavyweight title. Although this will be a non-title match, you can bet the “Intelligent, Sensational One” (a former Southern champ himself) is looking for a win over “Argentina” Rocca to earn a shot at the gold.

Magnificent Muraco & Greg Valentine vs. Buff Bagwell & Chris Candido

Another big non-title match. “Buff Daddy” would love for him and Candido to get the win over the World Tag Team champs, not only for the possibility of a future title shot, but also to prove his former manager, Capt. Lou Albano, wrong for siding with Brutus Beefcake after the split-up of The Killer “B”s. Can this up-and-coming tag team succeed, or will the hard-hitting champs walk out the winners?

The Steiner Brothers vs. The Funk Brothers
(Special Attraction—NWA World Tag Team Championship)

The high-impact Steiners battle the rough and tough Funks! Will it be the University of Michigan alumni or the boys from the Double Cross Ranch who emerge the NWA Tag Team champions?

Ted & Mike DiBiase, Steve Williams, & “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Team RPW
(Elimination Match)

The singles and four-man tag team bouts between these units have been impressive, with each side gaining some wins. RPW leader Frank Gotch has had a tough series of losses lately and would love not only for his team to win, but for him to be one of the survivors. There are so many possibilities of the “numbers game” in this one. It could end up two-on-one; three-on-one, or even four-on-one!

Johnny Valentine vs. Nick Bockwinkel

Bockwinkel urged Valentine to return to the USWA ranks, and then proceeded to get involved in some of his bouts. A victory is so important for both men here. Valentine would love to get back in the title picture, as well as get his first win over Bockwinkel. While Bockwinkel wants to get back on track after some tough losses in 2009. A huge match-up that has USWA fans excited!

Ed “Strangler” Lewis vs. Jimmy Snuka
(Main Event--USWA World Heavyweight championship)

Snuka’s a former Southern Heavyweight and two-time World Tag Team champ. But he’s looking for his first World title. He came close on June 12 in Lexington. While “Strangler” has respect for the “Superfly”, he still thinks that his pure, technical wrestling style can overcome Snuka’s high flying, high-impact arsenal. Is Lewis right, or will the Fijian warrior finally capture the big prize?

That’s the 2009 Independence Day Bash, coming your way on July 4 from Chilhowee Park in Knoxville! Fans who attend can stay after the card for a great fireworks show!