Cory's USWA

[Cory Olson]

October 16, 2009
Card #223: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville

1) Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton was victorious in the opener against Virgil. The former bodyguard went right on the offensive at the beginning, hoping for a non-title win against the champ. He hit a big piledriver for a near fall. After a trip up from the outside by Jim Cornette, Eaton got back in control, weakened Virgil, and finished him off with an Alabama Jam. ¼*

2) John Pesek scored a submission win over Brutus Beefcake. After defeating Beefcake’s Dream Team partner Greg Valentine last week, Pesek was successful against the San Francisco native. He attempted to use the Tiger Man Toehold, but Beefcake managed to get to the ropes. It was the double wristlock that would force former Texas champ Beefcake to surrender. ¼*

3) Brad Armstrong and “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware finally got a pinfall win over the team of Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido. Bagwell and Candido had control early in, tagging in and out. Candido hit a big vertical suplex on Ware for a two-count. Armstrong came in and the match was back-and-forth. Unlike their previous two meetings, the match stayed in the ring for the most part. Ware got control on Candido and tagged out to Armstrong. Armstrong immediately went to the top rope and came off with a big dropkick on the blonde bombshell. He made a cover and got the three, while Koko knocked “Buff Daddy” out of the ring with a big head butt. **¼

4) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant took a bloody beating, but came back to score a hard-fought win over Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. This was a back-and-forth bout that went out of the ring on several occasions. Paul Morton, knowing the intensity of this feud, was lenient in letting the two grapplers brawl outside of the ring. Valiant locked on his sleeper at one point in the center of the ring. “The Hammer” was dropping quickly. Capt. Lou Albano climbed on to the apron and distracted Morton. Valentine was down and out, but Morton wasn’t there to check his arm. Valiant released the hold and nailed Albano with a big punch to knock him off the apron. Although the “Guiding Light” was down, it allowed his man to recover from the sleeper. He fought back and hit a piledriver for a two-count. Valentine nailed Valiant with a big elbow smash, which busted him open. He followed up with a shoulder breaker for another two. Valentine hit a falling sledge off the top rope and the blood continued to poor down “Boogie Woogie’s” beard. Valentine attempted to ram Valiant’s head into the ring post, but Valiant blocked it and smashed Valentine into the post. He tossed him back into the ring and hit his big, super wind-up elbow drop and scored a big pin. Valiant danced with the Evansville fans around the ringside area! ****

5) The war between The DiBiases’ crew and Team RPW roared on, as Ted and “Iron” Mike beat the Oklahomans of Dick Hutton and Danny Hodge. All four men tagged in and it was anyone’s match. Former tag partner Ted and Hutton were going at it. DiBiase got Hutton down and locked on the figure-four in the center of the ring. Hodge came in, but Mike cut him off and the two battled to the arena floor. Meanwhile, Ted kept the leglock on and Hutton tapped out. At the same time, Hodge blasted Mike with a forearm shot and stomped him on the floor. Out of nowhere, Frank Gotch ran in and nailed Ted with boxing punches, while Ted was just releasing the figure-four on Hutton. Gotch grounded and pounded Ted and busted him open. Hutton got to his feet, still feeling the effects of the figure-four, but was able to smash DiBiase’s face as well. Hodge jumped in and the three pounded away on Ted in the corner. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams ran down to the ring and ran RPW off. Ted was a bloody mess and had to be helped to the back. His father recovered and assisted Williams in helping him to the back. ***

6) The Crusher defeated Larry Zbyszko by countout in a wild brawl. The two rivals battled in and out of the ring throughout this bout. Crusher hit the Bolo early on, but Zbyszko managed to roll out of the ring before Crusher could make a cover. Zbyszko recovered and tried to put Crusher out with a sleeper, but Crusher made the ropes. Zbyszko came off the top rope with a big knee drop. Crusher had the fans behind him and managed to come back, locking on a stomach claw and trying to put Zbyszko down. The match went out of the ring again and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan tried to console his man. Crusher came out, grabbed both “The Weasel” and Zbyszko and delivered a huge noggin knocker! Both men hit the floor, Crusher beat the count back in, and won via countout! **¾

7) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka pinned Magnificent Muraco. Snuka was in control for most of this bout, focused on getting a win over his rival. Capt. Lou Albano saw the fire in the Fijian’s eyes and tried to help Muraco. Snuka used a piledriver on Muraco, but before he could make a cover, Albano got up on the apron. Much like in the Jimmy Valiant-Greg Valentine match, Albano got knocked off the apron—this time by a Snuka head butt. Snuka scaled the ropes and came off with a picture-perfect Superfly Leap, then covered Muraco to score the pin. ½*

8) Frank Gotch took a beating, but out of nowhere scored a submission win over Steve “Dr. Death” Williams. Team RPW coach Dick Hutton did not accompany Gotch to ringside, as his leg was hurting from Ted DiBiase’s figure-four in the earlier tag team bout. Williams was fired up, especially after RPW’s earlier attack on DiBiase. He uncharacteristically came off the top rope with a flying body press on Gotch for a near fall. Out of nowhere, Gotch took Williams down and locked on the Gotch Toehold. He held the move on tight and caused Williams to tap out. *

9) Johnny Valentine scored a huge non-title pinfall win over the new USWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel in a physical, back-and-forth match. The two rivals went at it right away, as Valentine leveled Bockwinkel with a forearm hammer and wetn for a cover in the first minute. He used the Atomic Skullcrusher several times. Bockwinkel came back, hitting a sunset flip for a two-count. He went on the attack on Valentine’s previously injured leg and applied the figure-four, but Valentine grabbed the ropes. The World champ instead went to his other specialty—the Bockwinkel Sleeper. Valentine was weakened, but got to the ropes. Valentine fought back and used the Skullcrusher several times, eventually drawing blood on Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel looked in trouble, as Valentine went for a cover. Bobby Heenan grabbed Valentine’s leg from outside to distract him. This infuriated Valentine who grabbed Heenan and delivered a Skullcrusher to the manager! Heenan went down in a heap. Valentine leveled Bockwinkel with another Skullcrusher, then made the cover to score the pin. This drew a huge pop from the Evansville crowd and Valentine himself was fired up by the win! ***¾

10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team titles as the popular Killer Bees made their first defense against The Heavenly Bodies. Evansville was the sight for the crowing of the first USWA World Tag Team champions (The Road Warriors) back in 2004, and also has seen the titles change hands three other times in USWA history. Manager Jim Cornette hoped his men would make it the fifth title change tonight. The champs were in control early on, keeping “Sweet” Stan Lane in the ring. After a brawl outside, Lane smashed “Jumping” Jim Brunzell into the guard railing to get control. He tagged out to Dr. Tom Prichard and The Bodies hit the Rocket Launcher, but only got a two-count. Prichard used his typical rulebreaking tactics outside the ring, hitting Brunzell with one of The Bees’ championship belts, while Cornette had Paul Morton distracted. Brunzell almost got counted out, but rolled back in to the ring in bad shape, where Prichard tried to score a pinfall, but Brunzell got his foot on the ropes. Prichard went up to the top rope and came off with a double sledge. But in an amazing move, Brunzell dodged the flying move, got behind Prichard, and caught him in a sleeper. Prichard made the ropes, but Brunzell was able to tag out to B. Brian Blair. Blair and Prichard ended up outside the ring, and Prichard choked Blair with Gary Michael Cappetta’s microphone chord, again while Cornette created a diversion. Lane tagged in, but got caught with a boot to the face and a small package by Blair for a two-count. Lane was busted open from the boot. The Bees got control and hit a double elbow smash. As Blair went for a cover, Cornette again was up on the apron. Brunzell nailed him with a dropkick, sending him flying. Brunzell and Prichard brawled up the aisle, while Blair locked Lane in a sleeper. The bloodied “Sweet” Stan was too weak and went down to the hold, giving The Bees the win and keeping them as champs! ***¼

[Crimson Cross]

Good to see Gotch win over Williams and thats cool to see the Killer Bee's retain in what is a great read...

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Crimson Cross for the comments!

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from October 17:
• Steve “Dr. Death” Williams was interviewed, along with “Iron” Mike DiBiase and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, by Lance Russell. Williams announced that Ted DiBiase suffered a broken nose in the attack by Team RPW the previous night. Williams said DiBiase plans to wrestle, even with the injury, and get his revenge on RPW.
• In a related story, the three-match series between Williams and Dan “The Beast” Severn has been rescheduled, with the first match signed for November 13 at the City Coliseum in Austin, TX. The Amateur Rules Match will take place the following week at the Louisville Gardens, and if needed, the Mixed Martial Arts Match in the Octagon cage will be held on December 4 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Severn told the USWA Committee that his shoulder will be healed by that point and he wants to show Williams and all the USWA fans who the tougher man is! A special feature, detailing each individual type of match, is scheduled to air on Championship Wrestling in the coming weeks.
• Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was in a rage in the WMC-TV studios! He claimed he had been trying all week to get his lawyers to get the USWA Committee to cancel the Southern Heavyweight championship match between Curt Hennig and Johnny Valentine next week in Jonesboro, but it didn’t happen. The Committee stated that if Hennig is unable to defend, he will be stripped of the championship! World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel was his usual calm, but confident self, trying to calm his manager down.
• Valentine was later interviewed. Russell congratulated him on his victories over the Southern and World Heavyweight champions in consecutive weeks. Valentine said that it was great to have pinned Bockwinkel the night before, but it was more than a grudge match—he pinned the World champion and wants a shot at that title as well. Valentine said he made history in 2004 becoming the first USWA champion. And he wants to make history in 2009, becoming the first man to simultaneously be the World and Southern champion!

The USWA returns to the Earl Bell Community Center on Church Street in Jonesboro, AR on October 23 with a huge card!
• The war rages on, as Brad Armstrong and “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware will take on The Heavenly Bodies. Jim Cornette’s team tried their best to cheat their way to the USWA Tag Team titles. Can they beat the popular team of Armstrong and Ware?
• Another big tag team will take place when “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant face Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. The last time these teams met, the bout hardly got started before Muraco and Valentine got a countout win. Who will emerge the winners in Jonesboro?
• Before he gets his rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight title, Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face Heenan Family member Larry Zbyszko. This won’t be an easy match for Lewis—Zbyszko has been on a roll lately and hopes to pull out an upset!
• Steve “Dr. Death” Williams was originally scheduled to meet Dan “The Beast” Severn in the second match of their Best-of-Three Tough Man series. Due to Severn’s shoulder injury, Williams will instead face Severn’s Team RPW coach Dick Hutton. Can Hutton stop Williams?
• World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel has got a lot on his plate and it will continue in Jonesboro, when he faces The Crusher. The last time these two met, Crusher got a win via countout. Can he get a pinfall or submission win on the new World champ in this non-title grudge match?
• The scheduled main event will be for the Southern Heavyweight championship as Curt Hennig defends against Johnny Valentine. Valentine gave Curt his first loss in singles competition two weeks ago and then gave him a brutal beating, giving Hennig a concussion. Assuming that Hennig actually arrives for the defense, it will be a tough challenge for him in the shape he’s in. Can he hold on to the belt or will Valentine capture his first Southern title?
All this, plus a rematch between Antonino “Argentina” Rocca and Larry “The Axe” Hennig, as well as “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek collides with “Playboy” Buddy Rose. That’s at the Earl Bell Community Center on Church Street!

[Crimson Cross]

Hennig vs. Valentine is a huge match, can't wait to see how that match turns out, keep up the great work Cory...

[Deleted]

The USWA returns to the Earl Bell Community Center on Church Street in Jonesboro, AR on October 23 with a huge card!
• The war rages on, as Brad Armstrong and “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware will take on The Heavenly Bodies. Jim Cornette’s team tried their best to cheat their way to the USWA Tag Team titles. Can they beat the popular team of Armstrong and Ware?
• Another big tag team will take place when “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant face Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. The last time these teams met, the bout hardly got started before Muraco and Valentine got a countout win. Who will emerge the winners in Jonesboro?
• Before he gets his rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight title, Ed “Strangler” Lewis will face Heenan Family member Larry Zbyszko. This won’t be an easy match for Lewis—Zbyszko has been on a roll lately and hopes to pull out an upset!
• Steve “Dr. Death” Williams was originally scheduled to meet Dan “The Beast” Severn in the second match of their Best-of-Three Tough Man series. Due to Severn’s shoulder injury, Williams will instead face Severn’s Team RPW coach Dick Hutton. Can Hutton stop Williams?
• World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel has got a lot on his plate and it will continue in Jonesboro, when he faces The Crusher. The last time these two met, Crusher got a win via countout. Can he get a pinfall or submission win on the new World champ in this non-title grudge match?
• The scheduled main event will be for the Southern Heavyweight championship as Curt Hennig defends against Johnny Valentine. Valentine gave Curt his first loss in singles competition two weeks ago and then gave him a brutal beating, giving Hennig a concussion. Assuming that Hennig actually arrives for the defense, it will be a tough challenge for him in the shape he’s in. Can he hold on to the belt or will Valentine capture his first Southern title?
All this, plus a rematch between Antonino “Argentina” Rocca and Larry “The Axe” Hennig, as well as “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek collides with “Playboy” Buddy Rose. That’s at the Earl Bell Community Center on Church Street!

Great line up.............but when will Muraco & Valentine get their rematch? The Bee's days as champs are numbered.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Kevin for the predictions! And stay tuned for more on Muraco and Valentine!

October 23, 2009
Card #224: Earl Bell Community Center in Jonesboro, AR

1) Former tag team partners met in the opener, as “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe pinned George South. South started off a house of fire, hitting a crossbody block for a near fall. Sharpe battled back, using rulebreaking tactics. He threw South shoulder-first into the ring post, then rolled him up and put his foot on the ropes, while “Sensational” Sherri Martel held on from outside, to score the pin. ½*

2) In another battle of former partners, Buff Bagwell scored his first win in singles over Brutus Beefcake. Beefcake almost clotheslined Sam Platania but stopped short. He turned around and got hit with a dropkick by Bagwell and was knocked out of the ring. He was almost counted out, but Capt. Lou Albano helped his man recover and get back in the ring. Beefcake momentarily had control, but Bagwell hit a double arm DDT out of nowhere. He followed up shortly thereafter with a Buff Blockbuster and scored the pin. *½

3) Dr. Tom Prichard took a beating, but used some chicanery to lead him and “Sweet” Stan Lane to a win over Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware. The Heavenly Bodies had control early on, but the fan favorites came back. Armstrong hit his Russian leg sweep on Prichard twice, but Lane made the save for his partner. “The Birdman” later hit the Ghostbuster and went for a cover, but Jim Cornette distracted Tom Branch. Prichard ended up busted open, but managed to tag out to Lane. The Bodies double teamed Ware, including hitting a Flapjack. After several tags in and out, Lane handed something to Prichard. “The Doctor of Desire” slid the object in his right boot, then stomped the boot, apparently to load it up. He then delivered a big boot to Ware, who dropped like a rock. Prichard went for a cover, while Lane kept Armstrong at bay and The Bodies picked up the win. ***¾

4) John Pesek defeated “Playboy” Buddy Rose by submission. Rose tried some dirty tactics early on, but Pesek showed he can “fight fire with fire”. Rose hit a gut wrench backbreaker for a two-count, but Pesek soon gained control and didn’t look back. He attempted to force a submission with a double wristlock, but Rose got a foot on the ropes. Pesek instead went for the Tiger Man Toehold. The “Playboy” fought for the ropes, but eventually surrendered to the hold, giving Pesek another win. **

5) Antonino Rocca beat rival Larry Hennig by submission. “Argentina” Rocca got “The Axe” up in his backbreaker on two occasions, but couldn’t make the big man give. Hennig got the advantage after a brawl outside the ring, which saw Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distract the Argentinian superstar. Rocca used his quickness and speed to outwrestle and wear down Hennig. He got Hennig up in the backbreaker again and forced him to surrender. Rocca celebrated with the Jonesboro fans at ringside over his big win. ***

6) Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. The two teams managed to remain calm and not start a wild brawl, like their last meeting. Snuka had control and tagged out to “Handsome” Jimmy. Muraco took over, using the Asiatic Spike twice. The Hawaiian powerhouse hit a vertical suplex, then floated into a cover. To add insult to injury, Muraco put his feet on the ropes for added leverage and scored the pin. Muraco, Valentine, and Capt. Lou Albano quickly retreated to the locker room, celebrating their win. *¾

7) Ed “Strangler” Lewis scored a hard-fought win over Larry Zbyszko. Lewis used the double wristlock in the first part of the bout, but couldn’t get Zbyszko to give in. Zbyszko’s attack was to focus on Lewis’ back, as he hit several backbreakers and knee smashes to the back. Zbyszko locked on a sleeper at one point, a similar move that Nick Bockwinkel used to win the World title from Lewis two weeks ago. Lewis was dropping, especially with the added weight on his back. The “Strangler” managed to grab the ropes to force a break. Zbyszko came off the top rope with a knee drop to Lewis’ back, then went to the corner. While Bobby Heenan distracted Tommy Marlin, Zbyszko removed the turnbuckle pad. Lewis fought hard to prevent getting his back slammed into the corner, but Zbyszko eventually won and slammed him hard into the corner. As Lewis stumbled out, Zbyszko grabbed him and hit a piledriver. It looked like it might be over, but Lewis kicked out at 2¾. With the fans behind him, Lewis fought back, after Zbyszko tried to attack him outside the ring. Back in the ring, Lewis caught Zbyszko and took him down with the Strangler’s Headlock. He managed to pin Zbyszko’s shoulders to the mat and get the win. ***½

8) Steve “Dr. Death” Williams scored a strong win over Team RPW coach Dick Hutton. The fans were behind Williams and he largely dominated Hutton. Williams hit an impressive standing dropkick and scored a two-count, but followed up with an Oklahoma Stampede to put the former Oklahoma A&M Cowboy down for the pin. ¾*

9) The Crusher scored a huge non-title win over World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel in a bloody match. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, to little surprise, was very active in this bout, frequently distracting Sam Platania. After attempting to put Crusher down with his sleeper early on, Bockwinkel went to the top rope. Crusher recovered and stopped Bockwinkel before he could come off, giving him a big body slam off the top rope. Crusher then followed up with a Crusher Bolo, but only got a two-count. Bockwinkel rolled out of the ring, and while Heenan had Platania distracted, he smashed Crusher in the head with the World title belt. He then tried the sleeper again and looked to have Crusher down. Platania checked Crusher’s arm. It dropped twice, but right before the third drop, Crusher’s arm popped back up and he fought out of the hold, which popped the Earl Bell Center. Crusher was busted open from the belt shot. The bout spilled to the floor again. Bockwinkel attempted to use the belt again, but Crusher intercepted it and smashed Bockwinkel with it. Bockwinkel was soon wearing the crimson mask. Crusher nailed the Bolo again, but Heenan distracted Platania. Crusher went after Heenan and “The Weasel” sprinted away from ringside. Crusher returned to the ring and locked Bockwinkel in a Crusher Nelson. With the blood streaming down his face, Bockwinkel dropped to his knees. Platania checked Bockwinkel’s arm and it dropped three times. Platania called for the bell and Crusher celebrated, as the “Beer Barrel Polka” blared through the center! Heenan watched in horror from the aisle, as the champ lost his second match in as many weeks. The Heenan Family was 0-3 at this point in the card. ****½

10) After intermission, Bobby Heenan was back out for the main event, accompanying Curt Hennig to the ring for his defense of the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship against Johnny Valentine. There was some question as to whether or not Hennig would even be able to physically compete, after Valentine brutalized him two weeks ago in Knoxville and gave him a concussion. Hennig definitely showed up! Valentine was making his way down the aisle, when Hennig ran out from behind him and nailed him with a double sledge to the back. Heenan was right behind his man. Hennig dragged Valentine to the ringside area and threw him head-first into the ring post. He then tossed the challenger into the ring and stomped away at him. Tom Branch kept Hennig away from Valentine long enough to ask Valentine if he wanted the match to go on as scheduled. Knowing Valentine’s toughness, it was no surprise that he said yes. Branch signaled for the bell to start the match. Immediately the champ hit the Hennig Plex. Valentine managed to kick out. Hennig executed the suplex two more times, but amazingly Valentine kicked out! The champ, himself injured, was shook up and didn’t know what to do. He later hit a big running knee lift for another near fall. The challenger fought back and began to use his Atomic Skullcrusher to weaken the champ. Hennig held strong and wouldn’t get pinned. Valentine blasted Hennig with a big stiff chop to the chest, which sent Hennig flying and knocked him out of the ring. The crowd cheered as Valentine had control. Hennig was near the announcers’ table and grabbed the Southern title belt. Valentine leaned out of the ring to pull the champ back in, but instead got smashed in the head with the belt. Hennig used the same tactic that his Heenan Family teammate Nick Bockwinkel used in the previous match, but unfortunately for him the official saw it this time. Branch called for the bell and disqualified Hennig. Valentine got the win, but due to the DQ, Hennig remained champ. As Valentine tried to shake off the belt smash, Hennig and Heenan ran back to the locker room, with the belt in hand. The rest of The Heenan Family met them at the entryway and made sure they got out of Jonesboro safe! ***¾

[Deleted]

Great show and I only missed one pick. Dang you Hutton. ;D

Johnny Valentine looks like he's going to single handedly dismantle the Heenan Family. Can't wait to see where it goes.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Kevin for the comments! I'm interested to see what Valentine continues to do as well!

Highlights of the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling:
• Some upcoming USWA title bouts were made on the October 24 edition. It was announced that Capt. Lou Albano’s team of Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will receive a rematch for the USWA World Tag Team titles against The Killer Bees in the main event on November 13 at the City Coliseum in Austin.
• Also on that card, “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will defend the USWA Texas title against Buff Bagwell. Bagwell’s first USWA appearance was at New Year’s Knockout II in 2005 at Texas Stadium. “Buff Daddy” was one of the 10 participants in the Battle Royal to crown the inaugural Texas champ. He was considered one of the favorites in his debut, but was embarrassingly the first one eliminated, being tossed out by future Texas titleholder B. Brian Blair. Bagwell didn’t wrestle in the USWA for two years after that incident! Now is his chance to finally grab the Texas gold!
• Also, young up-and-coming independent wrestler Chris Hero will make a special appearance on that card. Hero has made two USWA appearances and defeated both his opponents. The man from Metropolis will of course by accompanied by his sports agent, “Sweet & Sour” Larry Sweeney!
• USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett announced on October 31 that the sixth annual New Year’s Knockout will be held this year at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX! Some matches for this annual supercard will be announced in the coming weeks!
• When asked by Lance Russell about possible matches for NYK, Jarrett wouldn’t give a definite answer, but mentioned that Johnny Valentine and The Crusher’s recent respective non-title wins over the World Heavyweight champion would not go unnoticed!
• A special video package narrated by Bill Apter aired on this episode, detailing the three separate types of matches that will take place in the Best-of-Three Tough Man series between Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Dan “The Beast” Severn.

1) The first match on November 13 at Austin’s City Coliseum will be a standard pro wrestling match, where a victory can be achieved by pinfall, submission, disqualification, or countout. Obviously both men have achieved success in this combat and continue to do so! Severn is a former USWA World and Southern Heavyweight champion. While Williams has yet to capture USWA gold, he’s held several titles in other territories, most recently the UWF World Tag Team titles with Ted DiBiase.

2) The second match on November 20 at Louisville Gardens will be fought in a pro wrestling ring, but under Amateur Wrestling rules. Only maneuvers allowed in NCAA collegiate wrestling will be allowed and victory will be achieved when one wrestler scores a one-count pinfall on the other. This particular match has been “adapted” by the USWA Committee to ensure a winner—there will be no periods, time limits, or point system, a pin is the only way to win. Both Williams and Severn made names in the collegiate wrestling world prior to entering the pro ranks and long-time USWA fans know that it was on the collegiate mat where they first met, with Williams coming out the winner. As an added “touch” for this match, both wrestlers will wear their collegiate wrestling gear—singlets and headgear. For “Dr. Death” it will be the crimson and cream of the Oklahoma Sooners and for “The Beast” it will be the Arizona State Sun Devils’ maroon and gold!

3) If the first two meetings are split, the final match will be fought in the Octagon cage of the Ultimate Fighting Championships under Mixed Martial Arts rules on December 4 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! In this style of combat victory is achieved via a submission or knockout. While typical MMA matches involved rounds with five-minute time periods, this fight too will be tough to a clear winner. The USWA Committee has acquired a special guest referee for one night only—UFC official “Big” John McCarthy! Severn is very well-known in this world, being a former UFC World Heavyweight champion. Williams has never competed in this sport, but has a reputation for being one of the toughest pro wrestlers alive. But how he will fare against an MMA legend like Severn?
• Jerry Jarrett announced that the MMA match will be the second half of a double main event that night, with a pro wrestling match being the first half. This will allow time in between to set up the Octagon cage. Should the MMA match not be necessary, the USWA has announced that alternate matches will be held featuring both Williams and Severn on that card.

The USWA returns home to the Mid-South Coliseum on November 6!
• Before Buff Bagwell battles “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the Texas title, he and Chris Candido will take Jim Cornette’s other wrestlers—The Heavenly Bodies. The Bodies have an impressive win-loss record and have met “Buff Daddy” and the “Suicide Blonde” before. Who will walk out the winners here?
• Despite a broken nose, Ted DiBiase will get back in the ring and do battle with long-time rival Frank Gotch. Apparently DiBiase will be sporting a protective faceguard, which has been legally approved for the time being by the USWA Committee. Can it keep him from safe from the onslaught of former World and Southern champion Gotch?
• Diamond Dallas Page will be back in action as well, after taking a piledriver on the floor a few weeks ago in Knoxville. He’ll be out for revenge against the man who piledrove him—Larry Zbyszko!
• One week before his Tough Man series, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will face another former Sooner—Danny Hodge. (This card would have originally hosted the MMA Match between Williams and Dan Severn.) Williams has yet to pin Hodge in the pro wrestling ring. Can he get a big win in Memphis?
• Johnny Valentine is a father of a wrestling star. In Memphis, he’ll do battle with another wrestling patriarch—Larry “The Axe” Hennig! Hennig is irate by the abuse Valentine has given his son and Southern champ Curt. Can “The Axe” chop down Valentine?
• The main event will be a huge return bout for the USWA World Heavyweight title when Nick Bockwinkel puts the gold on the line against Ed “Strangler” Lewis. This will be the fifth time in history these two have met. Each man holds two wins over the other, although Bockwinkel’s first win against the “Strangler” was via countout. Plus, the champ is coming off two non-title losses in physical contests. Will Lewis regain his gold and tie Bockwinkel’s record or will the champ leave the Mid-South Coliseum with the gold in hand?
All this plus, The Crusher battles Team RPW coach Dick Hutton. As well as the team of Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and the popular tag team of “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in action!

[TDalton]

I'm pulling for Strangler in the rematch against Bockwinkel!

Really looking forward to the three match series between Williams and Severn! Here's a question - if Tommy James of the Shondells wore a wrestling singlet, would it be crimson and clover?

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Tim for the comments! Love the Tommy James reference, by the way!

November 6, 2009
Card #225: Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis

1) Former World Tag Team champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant got a win in the opening match over Virgil and Johnny Rodz. Virgil and Rodz had control early on, but the fan favorites battled back. “The Unpredictable” Rodz sent the “Superfly” into the corner with a whip, but Snuka leapt up to the top rope, turned around and came back with a picture-perfect flying body press. He covered Rodz and hooked the leg to score the pin, while Valiant kept Virgil at bay. *

2) Antonino Rocca forced George South to submit. After dazzling South with his unique offensive arsenal, “Argentina” Rocca hoisted him up across his shoulders into the Argentinian Backbreaker for the submission. DUD

3) Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido defeated The Heavenly Bodies by DQ in a great tag team match. The Bodies of course were accompanied by manager Jim Cornette, but also by Texas champ “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, who appeared to be scouting Bagwell, his challenger next week in Austin. Bagwell was jawing with Eaton and Cornette and got attacked by The Bodies early on and hit with the Flapjack. Prichard appeared to have loaded his boot, as he used on the last card against Koko B. Ware, and blasted “Buff Daddy” with the boot. Candido made the save for his partner. After taking a beating, Bagwell finally tagged out to Candido, who went to town on Dr. Tom Prichard. Candido and Prichard were up on the top turnbuckle in a dangerous position, as Candido attempted to hit the Blonde Bomb, while Prichard tried to fight out of the move. Candido finally hit the move, but it took a lot out of him and he was slow to make the cover, so Prichard kicked out. Bagwell tagged in and hit a double arm DDT on Prichard, which busted him open. Prichard still managed to kick out of the hold. “Sweet” Stan Lane managed to tag in, after Bagwell and Candido failed on a double team maneuver. He was working over Bagwell, until Bagwell hit a school-boy roll-up out of the corner for a near fall. Lane regained control with a kick, and then tagged in Prichard. The Bodies hit another Flapjack and Bagwell was bleeding from the nose. Cornette jumped up on the apron to distract Frank Morrell, while Eaton tossed Prichard Cornette’s tennis racquet. Prichard clocked Bagwell with the racquet. Morrell turned around just in the nick of time to see the infraction and called for the bell, giving Bagwell and Candido the win. ****

4) Two-time former USWA World Tag Team champions Magnificent Muraco and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine scored a hard-fought win over Brad Armstrong and Koko B. Ware. Capt. Lou Albano’s team worked over Armstrong in the first few minutes, until he made the “hot tag” to “The Birdman”. Ware worked over Valentine and looked on his way to a big win for his team. He came off the top rope with a missile dropkick on Valentine and went for the cover, but Albano put Valentine’s foot across the bottom rope to break the pin. This may have saved his team, as Valentine came back and worked over Ware’s leg. He locked on the figure-four, but Ware made the ropes. Muraco came back in and out of nowhere blasted Ware with an Asiatic Spike. He made a cover and picked up the pin. Capt. Lou’s team looked impressive one week before their rematch for the Tag Team titles. ***¼

5) Frank Gotch got a win over Ted DiBiase via disqualification, but didn’t look like much of a winner at the end of the match. Dick Hutton didn’t accompany Gotch to ringside, as he was preparing for his own match following this one. DiBiase wore a protective faceguard for his broken nose. He came out fighting against Gotch, hitting several fist drops and his patented right hand, busting the Iowan open. DiBiase slapped on the figure-four, but Gotch managed to get to the ropes. Gotch momentarily regained control, but DiBiase fought back. He was pounding away on Gotch in the corner, trying to open up the cut further and perhaps due damage to Gotch’s face, as Gotch, Hutton, and Danny Hodge did to DiBiase in Evansville. Jerry Calhoun warned DiBiase, but DiBiase continued his onslaught. Calhoun gave him the five-count, as DiBiase continued to punch away. Calhoun called for the bell, giving Gotch the win. Danny Hodge ran down and pulled Gotch out of the corner and back to the locker room. ***

6) The Crusher pinned Dick Hutton. The Team RPW tried his best to use scientific wrestling skills to put down “Da” Crusher, but “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” battled back. He locked Hutton in the Crusher Nelson, which drew a big pop from the crowd, since he used the same hold to beat World champion Nick Bockwinkel on the last card. Hutton quickly got a foot on the ropes to break the hold. Crusher used a Crusher Bolo to put Hutton down and score the pin. ½*

7) Diamond Dallas Page scored a pinfall out of nowhere on Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko attacked DDP right at the bell, going to work on him and hoping for a quick pin. He used the piledriver twice, but Page kicked out. Zbyszko came off the top rope twice with a knee drop. He covered Page, but again he kicked out. Page was bleeding by the point, but still had the Mid-South Coliseum fans behind him. Zbyszko went to apply an abdominal stretch, but as he did, Page slipped and nailed him with the Diamond Cutter. He made a cover and scored the pin. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was in shock by what happened and tried to claim that Paul Neighbors made a fast count, but there was no truth to this at all! **½

8) Steve Williams finally scored a victory over Danny Hodge. Williams was once again fired up for this bout. He lifted up Hodge early on for the Oklahoma Stampede, but Hodge escaped before the slam could be executed. Hodge came back and hit a sunset flip for a near fall. He had control for quite a while, until Williams drilled him with a backdrop driver out of nowhere. A few minutes later, “Dr. Death” got Hodge up in the Stampede again and successfully hit it to put Hodge down for the pin. **¾

9) In a battle of wrestling fathers, Johnny Valentine scored a decisive win over Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Valentine was in control for most of this bout, in his continued war with The Heenan Family. He blasted Hennig with a stiff chop, and started using the Atomic Skullcrusher several times. Bobby Heenan jumped up on the ring apron, but was soon down, as Valentine smashed him with a forearm. He then went to a different tactic, locking Hennig in a bear hug. He used his own great power to try and wear down his heavier foe. When “The Axe” wouldn’t give, Valentine tripped his leg with his own leg and held him down on the mat. He managed to position Hennig’s shoulders down on the mat. Paul Neighbors checked his shoulders and counted them down for the three, giving Valentine an impressive win. ¼*

10) The main event was the big rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight championship as Ed “Strangler” Lewis was going for his record-tying fourth title against current four-time champ Nick Bockwinkel. The two grapplers had some good scientific wrestling early on, with Lewis in control and looking like he could regain the gold. Bockwinkel took over and used roughhouse tactics to maintain control for the rest of the bout. He busted Lewis open after ramming his head into the turnbuckle. Bockwinkel tried to put Lewis out again with the Bockwinkel Sleeper, but Lewis fought out of the hold. Bockwinkel instead attacked Lewis’ legs and locked him in the figure-four leglock. Lewis was trapped in the center of the ring and forced to tap out. Bobby Heenan was very happy with his man’s win, especially after non-title losses on the last two cards! *¾

In the next update, big news that concerns New Year’s Knockout VI!