Cory's USWA

[Cory Olson]

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling on March 13:
• Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher were interviewed. Page stated that the champ beat him, but he would like another title shot, somewhere down the line. But he was happy at the same time, because it was announced that The Crusher will receive another shot at the champ on April 5 in the main event at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville! Crusher said he last time Bockwinkel had help from Curt Hennig on the outside when the two battled in a Lumberjack Match. “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” said that if Bobby Heenan, or anyone else from The Heenan Family, get involved, they’ll receive a good old fashioned “sloon” beating!
• It was also announced that Larry Zbyszko’s first challenger for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship will be “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek! That bout will headline Card #240 on March 22 at the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, AL. Pesek is hoping to capture his first USWA title. He has already gotten one shot, against then-champion Johnny Valentine, at New Year’s Knockout VI. Will he succeed this time around?
• USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett announced that a stipulation was added to the Texas championship rematch on April 12 between “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and Chris Candido. He said that due to the interference of Jim Cornette in their last meeting, as well as the strong possibility of involvement by each man’s other allies (The Heavenly Bodies for the champ, and Buff Bagwell for the challenger), the Committee had decided to not allow anyone at ringside for this match! Jarrett stated that the Committee hopes this will determine a “clear and concise winner”.

The USWA comes back to the Rupp Arena in Lexington on March 15!
• Before he challenges for the Southern championship, “Tiger Man” John Pesek will face “Playboy” Buddy Rose in a big rematch from a few weeks ago. Rose scored the win after using “Sensational” Sherri Martel’s purse. You can bet Pesek is set on revenge and on making Rose tap out!
• Last month, Brad Armstrong teamed up with B. Brian Blair to take on The Heavenly Bodies. This month, he’ll partner with the other Killer Bee-“Jumping” Jim Brunzell. Can Brunzell help Armstrong get a win over his rivals?
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan continues his war against the Russians. This week he’ll face Boris Zhukov. Zhukov got involved in Duggan’s battle with his comrade Ivan Koloff, so “Hacksaw” will be looking to give a good old American beating to Zhukov!
• Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher continue their battle with The Heenan Family. This week they’ll face Curt Hennig and the Southern Heavyweight champion Larry Zbyszko. Who will come out the winners in this epic feud?
• The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team championship as “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant put the gold on the line against The Dream Team. The Dream Team scored a non-title win over the champs last month. In addition, Greg Valentine injured Valiant’s knee with his figure-four. The challengers have been impressive since adding “Boogie Woogie’s” brother, “Luscious” Johnny, as their manager. Can they capture the World Tag Team titles for the first time?
All this plus Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Bryan Danielson, and the debut of Bob Roop!

[du5tin]

Awesome stuff here, Cory.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Dusaster for the comments!

March 15, 2010
Card #239: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) Danny Hodge’s tag team partner, Bob Roop, made a successful USWA debut in the opener, pinning George South. Roop showcased some great scientific wrestling skills against South. In the end, Roop used a more “aggressive” wrestling move—a piledriver to score the pinfall. Hodge was at ringside and congratulated his partner on the win. *

2) Buff Bagwell and Chris Candido beat S.D. Jones and Cousin Luke. Bagwell and Candido were coming off a big win over The Heavenly Bodies last week. They took their opponents for granted at first. Candido had Luke set up for a Blonde Bomb, but took much time showboating and got thrown off by the hillbilly. Candido eventually recovered and hit the Bomb to score the pin, while Bagwell kept “Special Delivery” at bay. **

3) Bryan Danielson pinned Virgil. “The American Dragon” continued to impress the USWA fans with his offensive arsenal. He used a reverse fisherman’s suplex for a near fall. Virgil tried to used his punching power to knock out Danielson, but he fought back and scored the pin after a diving head butt. *¼

4) John Pesek beat “Playboy” Buddy Rose by DQ. Rose charged “The Tiger Man” at the bell, wanting to get the advantage and repeat his upset. Rose hit the Bombs Away, but only got a two-count. Pesek took over and began to outwrestle Rose. Rose was getting upset and rolled out of the ring. “Sensational” Sherri Martel was distracting Paul Morton, and “conveniently” had left her purse on the floor. Rose grabbed it, and as Pesek went to grab him, Rose clocked him with the purse, just like their last match. This time, however, Morton turned around and saw it and called for the bell. Rose seemed upset at getting caught, but also seemed happy that he hadn’t been pinned or hadn’t submitted. He and his valet quickly retreated for the locker room, before Pesek could recover. For the second card in a row, Sherri’s purse cost one of her men the match! *¾

5) Ivan Koloff scored a strange disqualification victory over Danny Hodge. “The Russian Bear” had control in the early going, using his power against his smaller foe. But Hodge used his quickness and superior pure wrestling skills to fight back and wear down Koloff. As things looked bad for the Russian, his tag team partner Boris Zhukov made his way to ringside. He distracted Scott Bowden, while Koloff grabbed his chain and brought it into the ring. Hodge intercepted the chain and pulled it away from Koloff, which drew a big pop from the Lexington crowd! Hodge was fired up and Koloff begging in the corner. Before he could use it, Bowden turned around and tried to pull the chain out of Hodge’s strong grip. Hodge was angry that the official was accusing him of anything and shoved Bowden down. Naturally this was an automatic disqualification. Hodge let go of the chain, allowing Koloff and Zhukov to retrieve it and run off. Bob Roop came down to calm his new partner down. Hodge was upset, but the fans supported him as he returned to the locker room. DUD

6) Ed “Strangler” Lewis made short work of “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. The three-time USWA champ only need to take Rodz down once with his headlock to score the tap in about one minute. Lewis naturally got a big cheer from his home state fans. DUD

7) Brad Armstrong found the right tag team partner on this night, as he and “Jumping” Jim Brunzell scored a big win over The Heavenly Bodies. Armstrong and Brunzell worked well together, keeping Dr. Tom Prichard in the ring for several minutes. Armstrong hit the Russian leg sweep twice, but Prichard kicked out both times. Prichard loaded his boot in the corner at one point and blindsided Armstrong with a kick to the face that knocked him out of the ring. The Georgian was almost counted out, but rolled back in by nine. “Sweet” Stan Lane entered the match and he attacked Armstrong. Later, Armstrong had busted Prichard open with big right hands and had him trapped in an abdominal stretch. Jim Cornette got on the apron to distract Tommy Gilbert, which allowed to come in and smash Armstrong with a superkick to break the hold. This allowed Prichard to make the tag. The Bodies hit the Rocket Launcher on Armstrong, but Brunzell jumped into the ring and broke up the pin attempt. Prichard, with his boot loaded, decided to go up to the top rope and dive with a big stomp to Armstrong’s face. Rather than go for the pin, “The Doctor of Desire” gloated and went up to the top rope for another stomp, surely trying to cause damage to Armstrong’s face. Prichard dove off, but went to the well once too often, as Armstrong rolled out of the way and Prichard landed hard on his own leg! Armstrong got to his feet and as Prichard hobbled around, he caught him and hit the Russian leg sweep. He floated into a cover, as Brunzell ran in to stop Lane from interfering by blasting him with a dropkick. Gilbert counted the three-count and the fans went wild as Armstrong and Brunzell got a huge win! ****

8) Boris Zhukov scored an big pinfall win over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Duggan was wildly popular against the Russian wrestler. “Hacksaw” used a different tactic, coming off the second turnbuckle several times in the bout with different maneuvers. Zhukov came back and came off the second rope himself with his diving head butt. Duggan managed to kick out of the maneuver. Ivan Koloff made his way to ringside to encourage his partner. Zhukov hit another diving head butt and made a cover. He managed to position his own feet near the ropes. The Russian placed his feet on the ropes, while Koloff held on from outside for extra leverage. The tactic worked as Zhukov scored the pin. The Russians quickly retreated before “Hacksaw” could realize what happened. ***

9) Diamond Dallas Page and The Crusher scored a quick disqualification win over The Heenan Family duo of Curt Hennig and Southern Heavyweight champion Larry Zbyszko. DDP and Crusher kept Hennig in the ring. Hennig had the advantage briefly and attempted a Hennig Plex, but Crusher blocked it, broke free, and blasted him with the Crusher Bolo. Hennig turned inside out and hit the mat. Crusher went for a cover, but Zbyszko jumped in the ring with the Southern title belt and smashed him on the back of the head with it. Scott Bowden saw this and immediately called for the bell. This was Zbyszko’s only time in the ring. Hennig, Zbyszko, and Bobby Heenan quickly retreated. Although Page and Crusher were victorious, you can bet they weren’t too happy with the result! DUD

10) The main event was a big grudge tag team match for the USWA World Tag Team championship, as “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy put the belts on the line against The Dream Team. Jimmy Valiant still had his knee bandaged from Greg Valentine’s figure-four leglock. Right after the pre-main event introductions, the challengers charged the champs and attacked them from behind. Brutus Beefcake threw Valiant out of the ring and smashed his injured knee into the ring post. Valiant was hurt and unable to climb onto the ring apron and into his legal corner. Snuka fought his best against “The Hammer”, fired up by the attack and wanting to stop their rivals. He hit a leap frog and a big chop to the chest for a near fall. Valentine recovered and made the tag. Beefcake pounded away on the “Superfly”, hitting his flying knee smash. He covered Snuka, but the Fijian warrior kicked out. The Dream Team trapped Snuka in the corner and worked over his leg. Valentine was the legal man and pulled Snuka into the center of the ring. He locked on the figure-four. Snuka fought hard for the ropes, or to tag his partner, but “Boogie Woogie” couldn’t get on the apron. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant ran over, and just for good measure, stomped on his own brother’s injured leg. Snuka fought for over a minute, but eventually tapped out. Johnny V. jumped into the ring right after the bell and celebrated as his men were awarded the USWA World Tag Team championship! (This is The Dream Team’s first reign as champions, but it is Greg Valentine’s fifth reign overall, putting him behind “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the most Tag Team title reigns by one person. Eaton currently is a six-time champion.) ¼*

[du5tin]

It's awesome to see the Dream Team win gold.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Dustin for the comments!

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling on March 20:
• The new World Tag Team champions, The Dream Team, along with their manager “Luscious” Johnny Valiant, were interviewed. The three were naturally in a celebratory mood. Valiant bragged to the USWA fans, saying he told everyone that he would lead this team to success. Lance Russell informed them that they will face the former champs Jimmy Snuka and Jimmy Valiant in a few weeks on April 5 in Evansville, and that “The Boogie Woogie Man” claims his knee will be fine by then. The group seemed nervous upon hearing that face, but Johnny V. said there would be no problem and that his men would embarrass Snuka and Valiant one more time.
• An irate Jim Cornette was also interviewed and was furious about his men’s loss to Brad Armstrong and “Jumping” Jim Brunzell from the night before. He said that a rematch between those teams will take place on April 19 in Knoxville. “The Louisville Slugger” said that he will show that Armstrong and Brunzell’s win was nothing more than a fluke. He also said that The Bodies will get their rematch for the World Tag Team titles on April 12 in San Antonio. He congratulated Johnny Valiant and his team on their victory, but said it will be a short reign, as The Bodies will finally and “rightfully” capture the gold.

The USWA returns to the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, AL on March 22!
• USWA Texas champion and Alabama native “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will be in action against Brad Armstrong. Eaton and Armstrong have met many times in the past, as part of Jim Cornette’s war against the Georgian. A non-title win would be a big boost for Armstrong and further enrage Cornette, but will Eaton have the advantage in his home state?
• The Birmingham fans will be treated to a first-time match-up as former World champion Johnny Valentine battles Diamond Dallas Page. Both are popular wrestlers looking to get back into the singles championship picture. Valentine especially needs a win after a strong 2009 record. Who will walk out victorious?
• A big rematch will be held, as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan goes after “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff. Duggan used his 2X4 in their bout two weeks ago, but Koloff helped his comrade Boris Zhukov get a win this past week. What will happen this time?
• Before he challenges Nick Bockwinkel for the World Heavyweight championship, The Crusher will face Bockwinkel’s fellow Heenan Family member Curt Hennig. Hennig has additional reasons to try and defeat Crusher, as it was Crusher who broke the ribs of Curt’s father, Larry “The Axe”. Also, Crusher cost Hennig the Southern Heavyweight championship back in January. Can Hennig stop Crusher or will “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” have momentum on his side?
• Another Heenan Family member will be in the main event as Larry Zbyszko puts the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship on the line for the first time against the challenger “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek. Despite not being the “flashiest” wrestler, Pesek has gained a following among USWA fans, for his hard-hitting style and impressive win-loss record. Can he capture his first USWA championship or will Zbyszko find a way to retain?
All this, plus Ed “Strangler” Lewis in action. Also, Bob Roop and Danny Hodge team up for the first time, and more USWA greats in action!

[Cory Olson]

March 22, 2010
Card #240: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville

1) Matt Jackson scored a big win, giving Bryan Danielson his first loss in the USWA in a fast-paced opener. Danielson had control early on, hitting a diving head butt for a two-count. Jackson took over after a flipping sitout facebuster. He hit a moonsault, but only got a two-count. He went up the ropes again and came off with a flying body press. He hooked Danielson’s leg and scored the surprising three-count. Danielson seemed angered at himself for the loss, but showed sportsmanship in shaking hands with Jackson afterward. ¾*

2) Boris Zhukov pinned Cousin Luke. Zhukov was looking for some revenge for his tag team partner Ivan Koloff, who defeated Luke by DQ in January in this same arena, but was embarrassed in getting hit by Luke’s lucky horseshoe. Luke was on fire in the early going, hitting a Hillbilly Drop for a two-count. Zhukov battled back and pinned Luke after a big stomp off the second rope. ½*

3) The Killer Bees defeated “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. This was a rematch from two weeks ago in Nashville when Sharpe was disqualified for smacking B. Brian Blair with “Sensational” Sherri Martel’s purse. The Bees kept Sharpe in the ring for the first few minutes, tagging in and out and trying to pin him or make him submit. Sharpe took over against “Jumping” Jim Brunzell and made the tag to the “Playboy”. The two-time USWA champion hit the Bombs Away twice, but Brunzell managed to kick out. Blair tagged in, but got hit with a gut wrench backbreaker. Sharpe came back in and hit a knee drop, but Brunzell made a save. Blair fought back and busted Sharpe open with a knee smash, then locked on the Scorpion Leglock. Sharpe looked close to tapping out, but Rose ran in and nailed Blair with a double sledge. Brunzell came in, and took Rose out of action with a dropkick. This left Blair and Sharpe one-on-one. Blair caught Sharpe in his sleeper and quickly put the bloodied “Pretty Boy” out, giving The Bees the win. ***

4) Texas champion “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton came back to his home state of Alabama and scored a win over Brad Armstrong. The Birmingham fans were respectful to Eaton, but sure didn’t like Jim Cornette! Eaton and Armstrong had some quick exchanges, but Eaton got the pin with the Alabama Jam after just a few minutes. The match was over, but the action wasn’t, as The Heavenly Bodies stormed the ring. They worked Armstrong over, while Cornette jumped in the ring, “directing traffic”. The Bodies grabbed Armstrong’s arms (in a in a scene, similar to what they did to Koko B. Ware at New Year’s Knockout VI) and held him, while Eaton was handed Cornette’s tennis racquet and jammed it into Armstrong’s throat. Armstrong came up coughing up blood. The Killer Bees, who were late in arriving to the scene, as they were showering from their match right before, stormed the ring and ran Cornette and his men off. They helped Armstrong to his feet and helped him to the back. The Birmingham fans were definitely not in favor of Eaton after this incident! *

5) The new tag team of Danny Hodge and Bob Roop got a win in their first match, defeating Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz by countout. Roop nearly got upset, as he missed a shot on an attempted takedown on Virgil and hit the turnbuckle. Virgil clamped on the Million Dollar Dream, but Roop quickly grabbed the ropes. Virgil tagged out to Rodz, but Roop gained control of him quickly. Hodge came back into the match and hit a big standing dropkick, which knocked Rodz out of the ring. Rodz landed on the floor hard and was unable to return to the ring by the 10-count. Hodge and Roop were happy to get a win, but probably would have preferred an in-ring victory. ¾*

6) Ed “Strangler” Lewis dominated Buff Bagwell and scored an impressive submission win. Lewis controlled most of the bout, attempting the Strangler’s Headlock several times. He finally took Bagwell down and forced him to tap out after a few minutes. ¼*

7) Johnny Valentine pinned Diamond Dallas Page. The crowd was split in their support for the two wrestlers. The match didn’t last too long, but the action was intense. Valentine pummeled Page and put him down with one Atomic Skullcrusher. Page kicked out, but it was right after the three. DDP recovered and offered his hand to Valentine. Valentine hesitated, perhaps based on his past battles with Page’s ally The Crusher, but eventually accepted. *

8) Ivan Koloff scored a submission win over “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. “The Russian Bear” had the early advantage, hitting a top rope knee drop for a two-count. He went for a second knee drop, but Duggan rolled out of the way and Koloff crashed hard. Duggan knocked Koloff out of the ring. Boris Zhukov made his way to ringside and distracted Sam Platania. This allowed Koloff to smash Duggan with his chain. Koloff worked over Duggan’s back, taking him outside the ring again and ramming him into the ring post. In the center of the ring, “The Russian Bear” locked on his Russian bear hug. Duggan fought hard to escape, but went out. Platania checked his arm and it dropped three times, giving Koloff the win. **¼

9) Curt Hennig scored a sneaky win over The Crusher. Hennig tried to use his father’s finisher The Axe early on to pin him, but was unsuccessful. Hennig used a sleeper, but Crusher rammed him backwards into the turnbuckle and then made a cover, but Curt kicked out. Crusher hit the Bolo, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distracted Tom Branch, allowing his man to recover. Hennig hit a rolling neck snap, and then made a cover, hooking Crusher’s leg and his tights. He scored the pin with the leverage. Crusher quickly recovered and grabbed Hennig by the throat. Heenan jumped in and nailed Crusher with a double axe to the back, but it had no effect on “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous”. Crusher grabbed “The Weasel” and was about to unleash, when out of nowhere World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel ran in with a chair in hand. The champ nailed Crusher from behind. Hennig got to his feet and was able to execute the Hennig Plex on Crusher. He held him locked in the move, while Bockwinkel drove the chair into Crusher’s ribs (the same part of the body Crusher injured on Larry Hennig). Diamond Dallas Page, recovered from his earlier match, finally made the save, but the damage had been done. The Heenan Family trio went back to the locker room, sensing they had done some damage prior to Crusher challenging Bockwinkel for the World title. **½

10) The Heenan Family was back after the intermission for the main event, as Larry Zbyszko made his first defense of the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship against “Tiger Man” John Pesek. Naturally the champion had Bobby Heenan in his corner, but the challenger had his ally Ed “Strangler” Lewis accompany him to ringside. Pesek had control in the first minutes, but the champ quickly took over. He hit a piledriver and made a cover, but Pesek kicked out. Zbyszko was shocked by this, but continued his onslaught. He hit a second piledriver and decided to put his feet on the ropes for leverage. Unfortunately he didn’t notice that he was on the side of the ring where the “Strangler” was standing. Lewis shoved Zbyszko’s feet off. The champ turned around to question Lewis and Lewis responded with a forearm. Unfortunately, Tommy Marlin saw this and disqualified Pesek for Lewis’ interference. The fans were furious at this, knowing that Zbyszko had cheated first. Lewis apologized to Pesek for losing his temper, but the Nebraskan seemed angrier at Zbyszko. Meanwhile, the champ and his manager walked up the aisle with the Southern title still in their possession. ½*

[Cory Olson]

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from March 27 and April 3:
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan announced on 3-27 that he was tired of battling both Ivan Koloff and Boris Zhukov by himself. Since his allies Ted DiBiase and Steve “Dr. Death” Williams are currently on a tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling, Duggan had called up a former USWA tag team partner. He said this man is embarrassed by the arrogance and rulebreaking of Koloff and Zhukov, and he takes it especially personally. “Hacksaw” revealed that two-time World Tag Team and Texas champion Nikolai Volkoff will be returning to the USWA on April 5 on the next card in Evansville. Volkoff and Duggan became allies in 2005, after Volkoff had a falling out with former partner The Iron Sheik. Volkoff supported both the United States and his native Russia, carrying flags of both countries to the ring (as well as the Texas flag, when he held the Texas title!) Duggan said that Volkoff doesn’t like Koloff and Zhukov a bad name to other Russians. The USWA Committee acted quickly and signed a big tag team match between Duggan and Volkoff and Koloff and Zhukov for April 12 in San Antonio!
• Two injuries from the last card were reported on. It was revealed that The Crusher suffered a minor rib injury from the attack by Nick Bockwinkel and Curt Hennig. It was not for certain as to whether or not Crusher will be able to compete for the World Heavyweight title.
• Brad Armstrong suffered a throat injury from the attack by The Heavenly Bodies and “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and will be out of action for about two months.
• USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett told Lance Russell on the 4-3 episode that the Committee was tired of unwarranted attacks. He warned all USWA wrestlers that in the future, the Committee may suspend wrestlers, should they feel that that punishment is necessary.
• It was announced on that 3-27 episode that The Von Erich brothers (Kerry, Kevin, and David) will make another special appearance in the USWA. They will compete in their home state of Texas on April 12 in San Antonio and will put their WCCW World Six-Man Tag Team titles on the line against the rulebreaking and arrogant trio of Jesse “The Body” Ventura, “The Golden Boy” Adrian Adonis, and “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol!

The USWA presents a big night of wrestling action on April 5 at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville!
• “Tiger Man” John Pesek looks to finally shut up “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Pesek will be more focused and fired up, since he was unable to capture the Southern Heavyweight title. Can he finally pin Rose or make him tap?
• The Killer Bees look to avenge Brad Armstrong’s injury, as they take on The Heavenly Bodies. These teams have had great battles in the past, but now there’s more on the line. “Jumping” Jim Brunzell and Armstrong defeated The Bodies a few weeks ago in Lexington. Which team will walk out victorious?
• A big first time match-up will take place as two former World Heavyweight champions lock-up. Ed “Strangler” Lewis will take on Johnny Valentine. Valentine continues his “lone” ways, taking on any and all comers, en route to gaining another championship match. Lewis has had some strong wins lately and also hopes to get another win. This could be a main event anywhere in the world!
• “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant is said to be all healed up from his knee injury. He and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will take on the team that took the World Tag Team titles from them—The Dream Team. This will be a non-title bout, but it’s still a very important one, as the fan favorites look to get a win over their rivals. Valiant and Snuka will need to watch out for “Boogie Woogie’s” brother—“Luscious” Johnny Valiant on the outside!
• The scheduled main event is for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Nick Bockwinkel will put the gold on the line against The Crusher…if The Crusher is able to compete. There was no definite information on Championship Wrestling, but most fans believe that Crusher would not miss another opportunity to defeat Bockwinkel and win his first USWA title. Will “Da” Crusher be able to compete?
All this plus Chris Candido in action. Also, Larry “The Axe” Hennig returns from his rib injury and will team up with his son Curt in tag team action. And another big return, as former Texas and World Tag Team champion Nikolai Volkoff wrestles in a USWA ring for the first time in over three years!

[Cory Olson]

April 5, 2010
Card #241: Sailors & Soldiers Memorial Coliseum in Evansville

1) Bryan Danielson scored a quick win over “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe in the opener. “The American Dragon” rebounded from his first USWA loss on the last card and made short work of Sharpe, scoring a submission win with the Cattle Mutilation. ¼*

2) “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff got revenge against Cousin Luke with a backbreaker submission. Koloff worked on the hillbilly in the first half of the match, punishing him and wanting to beat him for getting hit by Luke’s horseshoe the last time these two met. Luke had the crowd on his side and briefly gained control after a head butt. But Koloff came back, lifted Luke on his shoulder into a backbreaker and scored the submission. Boris Zhukov came out to celebrate with his comrade. **

3) Larry “The Axe” Hennig returned to action and got a tag team victory with his son Curt, defeating Virgil and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz. Larry looked strong, but did have some ring rust as Virgil and Rodz came very close to scoring a tag team upset. Rodz and Virgil double teamed Curt for several minutes, until Curt made the tag. Larry hit The Axe on Virgil and went for a cover, but Rodz broke it up. Rodz and Virgil hit a double team body slam on Larry, but the elder Hennig rolled to the floor for a breather and took over. Virgil hit a big dropkick back in the ring and went for a cover, but Bobby Heenan distracted Jerry Calhoun. Rodz and Virgil attempted a double team, but “The Axe” rammed their heads together, sending Virgil out of the ring. Larry hit a double forearm hammer on Rodz and made a cover to score the pin. ****

4) Chris Candido scored a dominant win over Matt Jackson. “The Suicide Blonde”, perhaps knowing about Jackson’s big win over Bryan Danielson on the last card, was ultra-aggressive in this match. He hit a top rope huracanrana, as well as a long delayed vertical suplex for near falls. In the end, Candido scored the pin after a Blonde Bomb. Candido looked impressive prior to his rematch for the USWA Texas championship next week. ¼*

5) Nikolai Volkoff made a successful return, quickly defeating George South. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan accompanied Volkoff to ringside to cheer him on for this match. Volkoff looked strong here. He whipped South into the buckle, caught him on the rebound, and hit his backbreaker drop to score the pin. Duggan celebrated with Volkoff. Ivan Koloff and Boris Zhukov came out and stood in the aisle, staring down their opponents for next week. DUD

6) “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek finally scored a submission win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose in a wild match. About two minutes into the match, Rose whipped Pesek into Paul Neighbors, which appeared to be intentional. Neighbors went down hard. Pesek recovered and tried to revive the ref. Rose took advantage and used a steel chair to smash Pesek’s ankle. He locked on a half Boston Crab. Even though he couldn’t score a submission, he used the hold to punish the ankle and work on it for the rest of the match. Pesek seemed even more fired up by the attack, fighting through the pain and showing Rose that his wrestling skills were going to beat Rose’s dirty tactics. Pesek tried both the double wristlock and the Tiger Man Toehold, but Rose got to the ropes on both occasions. Rose took over with a knee to the face. He got Pesek down and hit the Bombs Away for a near fall. “Sensational” Sherri Martel was screaming that her man hadn’t won. She got on the apron to distract Neighbors and dropped her purse into the ring behind Neighbors’ back. Rose grabbed it and smashed Pesek with it, which led to his victory in their match in February at the Louisville Gardens. Rose made a cover and Neighbors turned around to count it, but Pesek got hit shoulder up at 2¾. Both Rose and Sherri were shocked at this! Rose went up to the top for another Bombs Away. He dove off, but Pesek rolled out of the way. Rose landed awkwardly, hitting his face on the mat and coming up bloodied. After a back-and-forth battle, Pesek locked Rose again in the toehold. Rose fought hard, but ultimately tapped out. The Coliseum popped big for Pesek’s win. ***¾

7) The Heavenly Bodies scored a sneaky win over The Killer Bees. This was a back-and-forth match, with a lot of emotion behind it. Dr. Tom Prichard loaded his boot early on, but The Bees saw it and managed to avoid it any time Prichard attempted a kick. The Bees hit the Bee Sting on “Sweet” Stan Lane early on, but Lane managed to kick. Prichard and B. Brian Blair brawled outside the ring and Blair got fired up, smashing Lane’s head into the announcers’ table, while Frank Morrell was distracted by “Jumping” Jim Brunzell and Prichard in the ring. Brunzell was being worked over by Prichard, but hit a sunset flip for a near fall. Lane jumped in, but got cut off by Blair and the two went to the floor again. Morrell yelled at those two, while Jim Cornette snuck up on the apron on the other side. Brunzell grabbed Prichard and executed a reverse rolling cradle. Cornette jumped in the ring and smashed Brunzell in the head with the tennis racquet, then pushed Brunzell back, basically reversing the cradle. Prichard ended up on top of the unconscious Brunzell. Morrell turned around and counted the pin. The fans were irate at this, but The Bodies’ victory stood, one week before they get another shot at the World Tag Team titles. ***¼

8) Johnny Valentine scored a quick and controversial win over Ed “Strangler” Lewis in their first meeting. The fans were split in their support for these two former World Heavyweight champions. They exchanged mat holds early on and Lewis had most of the control. The action picked up and Valentine used his arsenal of chops and forearms to weaken the “Strangler”. Lewis took over and attempted a double leg takedown. Valentine saw it and dodged the hold, causing Lewis to crash head-first into the middle turnbuckle. Valentine seized the opportunity and rolled Lewis up with a school boy roll-up. As Paul Neighbors counted, it appeared Valentine grabbed Lewis’ tights right before the three. It was effective as Valentine scored a quick pin. Valentine quickly left the ring after getting his hand raised and walked to the back. Lewis asked Neighbors about it, but the official hadn’t seen it. Many of the
ringside fans supported Lewis’ claim, but the decision stood. ¾*

9) The World Tag Team champions looked dominant on this night, as The Dream Team ambushed and quickly beat former champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. In a similar scene to a few weeks ago in Lexington, the champs swarmed Snuka and Valiant before the bell, attacking them in the aisle, as the popular duo made their way to the ring. Brutus Beefcake attacked Valiant on the floor, naturally going after his previously injured knee. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant even got some shots in, unseen by Frank Morrell. Snuka and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine started the match as the legal participants. Valentine went to work on Snuka’s knee as well, going for the figure-four early. Snuka made the ropes, but the knee was hurt. He made a comeback on Beefcake, but got cut off, and couldn’t tag to Valiant, who managed to make it up to the ring apron. Beefcake whipped Snuka into the ropes and hit the flying knee smash. He made a cover and scored the quick pin, while Valentine took “The Boogie Woogie Man” out with an elbow smash. neg*

10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship. Nick Bockwinkel was scheduled to defend against The Crusher. Fans and USWA officials were not sure if the challenger would be able to compete, due to a rib injury suffered on the last card. But after intermission, the “Beer Barrel Polka” come on the Coliseum speakers and Crusher made his way to the ring, with his ribs heavily taped. To little surprise, the champion focused on the weak spot, using several kicks to the ribs. Bockwinkel applied the abdominal stretch several times. This hold alone is one of his specialties, but it was extra potent, as Bockwinkel would slip in punches to the ribs. With Crusher on the mat in pain, Bockwinkel went for the figure-four, trying to either get a submission or perhaps pin Crusher’s shoulders to the mat. He held the leglock on for a long time, but Crusher somehow made it to the ropes. Crusher went to the floor and the champ followed, but Crusher cut him off and rammed him head-first into the guard railing. He took Bockwinkel back into the ring and proceeded to ram him into the ring post. The champ was down, but it took Crusher a while to make a cover, so when he finally did, Bock kicked out. Crusher had the crowd behind him, hoping they would see some sort of a miracle. Out of nowhere, Bockwinkel charged an attempted punch, and sent Crusher into the corner. The champ followed up with a big knee smash to the back and ribs, which put Crusher down. Bockwinkel pulled him to the center of the ring, made a cover and scored the pin. As Bobby Heenan jumped into the ring to celebrate Bockwinkel’s victory, Larry “The Axe” Hennig returned to ringside. He appeared ready to attack Crusher, who injured his ribs, but before he could, Diamond Dallas Page made a surprise appearance (not being scheduled to wrestle on this card), running out of the crowd. He grabbed a chair from ringside and ran Hennig, Bockwinkel, and Heenan off before further damage could be done. **

[Cory Olson]

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from April 10:
• Replays were shown of the Johnny Valentine-Ed “Strangler” Lewis match from this past Monday night. The footage showed that Valentine definitely grabbed the tights right before the three-count. Lance Russell interviewed Valentine in the WMC-TV studio and asked him why he felt the need to do it. The former USWA champ responded saying that when you’re on your own, like he is, you do anything you can to get a victory. Russell asked Valentine what his fans would think about that. Valentine said he appreciates the fans’ support, but they pay to come watch him wrestle, and its their choice if they want to cheer for him or boo him. Lewis interrupted and said he’s not going to complain about the loss, and the fact is that Valentine capitalized on his (Lewis’) mistake and got the win. But he was surprised that Valentine felt the need to use illegal leverage. The “Strangler” complimented Valentine, saying he’s seen many of his matches and a wrestler the caliber of Valentine doesn’t need to take shortcuts like that. Lewis said that he talked to USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett and has a contract drawn up for a rematch on April 19 in Knoxville. Valentine seemed hesitant, but Lewis said he had a stipulation thrown in for the match. He said both of them have a common goal—another shot at the World Heavyweight championship. The Committee said that the winner of this match would receive the next shot at Nick Bockwinkel, in a match that would take place on May 10 at the Louisville Gardens. Lewis said it would mean the world to him to not only challenge, but when his record-tying fourth title in his hometown. But if Valentine beats him again, then the title shot is his. Valentine agreed to this, signed the contract, and the two wrestlers shook hands.
• Also, the main event on that Knoxville card was announced, as “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek will receive another shot at Larry Zbyszko and the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship.

The USWA presents a HUGE wrestling card on April 12, at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio!
• Ed “Strangler” Lewis and “The Nebraska Tiger Man” John Pesek have been allies and training partners, since Pesek debuted in 2009, but they will compete in a tag team match for the first time! Their opponents will be a formidable duo, as Southern Heavyweight champion Larry Zbyszko will team with fellow Heenan Family member Curt Hennig. Lewis got involved in Pesek’s title match with Zbyszko a few weeks ago in Birmingham, when Zbyszko attempted to use the ropes. Zbyszko said that the “spudhead” Lewis should have minded his own business! Both Pesek and Lewis hold singles wins over Hennig, but they look to get a tag team win over The Heenan Family in San Antonio!
• Diamond Dallas Page saved The Crusher from further injury last week. He’ll go head-to-head with rival Larry “The Axe” Hennig. These two have collided both in singles and tag matches. Who will get the win on this night?
• In another big tag team match-up, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff look to put a stop to the Russian invasion, when they take on Ivan Koloff and Boris Zhukov. Volkoff returned to the USWA to show his countrymen that their anti-American ways are wrong. Can he and Duggan beat the undefeated Russians?
• In a special attraction, and the first of three title matches, The Von Erich Brothers will defend their World Class Championship Wrestling World Six-Man Tag Team titles against Jesse “The Body” Ventura, “The Golden Boy” Adrian Adonis, and “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol. The trio of Ventura, Adonis, and Idol recently debuted in WCCW and have been constantly badmouthing the popular champions, calling them “punks” and “wimps”. The six wrestlers have met in various singles and four-man tag team matches, but this is actually the first time that the rulebreakers will have challenged for the prestigious Six-Man titles. Can they beat the Von Erichs or will the popular Texans prevail?
• A big return match for the USWA Texas championship will take place, and it will for sure be one-on-one, when “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton puts the gold on the line against Chris Candido. Remember fans, no one will be allowed at ringside for the bout, meaning Candido won’t have to worry about Jim Cornette or The Heavenly Bodies getting involved, and Eaton won’t have to watch out for Candido’s tag team partner, Buff Bagwell. Candido seemed to have the title won last time, until Cornette got involved. But with that factor taken out, can he finally end Eaton’s record title reign?
• Jim Cornette’s tag team of The Heavenly Bodies will be in the main event going for gold of their own, as they challenge The Dream Team for the USWA World Tag Team championship. The Bodies defeated former champs “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant twice via disqualification this year, and are still claiming to be the “uncrowned champions”. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant claimed on Championship Wrestling that his team is superior, since they actually were able to capture the belts! Which team will leave the Lone Star State as the kings?
All this plus Johnny Valentine, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, the team of Danny Hodge and Bob Roop, and more USWA greats in action!

[Cory Olson]

April 12, 2010
Card #242: Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio

1) Danny Hodge and Bob Roop got a win in the opener over “Playboy” Buddy Rose and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. Hodge and Rose started the match. These two have met in the past, including Rose winning the Texas title from Hodge at Independence Day Bash in 2008. Roop tagged in and worked over Rose, until he made the tag to Sharpe. Sharpe had less success, getting worked over by the Olympians. He survived Hodge’s Oklahoma side roll, but got pinned by Roop after a big shoulder breaker, while Hodge kept Rose at bay. *¾

2) Buff Bagwell pinned Bryan Danielson. “Buff Daddy” had control in the early going, hitting two Buff Blockbusters, but Danielson showed his toughness in kicking out both times. Danielson got the advantage and went for a tope dive on Bagwell, but Bagwell dodged it and Danielson crashed into the guard rail. He ended up busted open. Bagwell took advantage and hit a third Blockbuster in the ring to score the pin. **

3) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka made short work of Virgil. The Fijian warrior got Virgil down quickly and hit a picture perfect Superfly Leap (+6—using the new version from LegendsONLINE!) to score the pin about one minute. The fans cheered Snuka for his dominant win. DUD

4) Ed “Strangler” Lewis and “Tiger Man” John Pesek’s first match as a tag team was not a good outing, as they were quickly beaten by The Heenan Family duo of Southern champion Larry Zbyszko and Curt Hennig via countout. Hennig and Pesek started the match, and Hennig got control after a brawl outside the ring. Hennig tagged out to Zbyszko, who took the fight outside the ring. Zbyszko hit his piledriver on the arena floor on Pesek! He climbed back in the ring. Lewis tried to help his partner, but was unable, as Pesek was out and got counted out. The “Strangler” never saw ring action, but was more concerned about his tag partner’s condition. He helped Pesek to his feet. The Nebraskan came to, but was in rough shape as Lewis helped him to the back. DUD

5) Johnny Valentine destroyed Johnny Rodz. The former World champ pummeled “The Unpredictable One” and put him out with a sleeper in about 40 seconds. The sleeper was an effective maneuver, and perhaps one Valentine will use next week in his match to counteract Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ headlock in their match for a shot at the World Heavyweight title. DUD

6) Larry “The Axe” Hennig pinned Diamond Dallas Page in a competitive match. Page started off strong against Hennig. He appeared to be setting up for the Diamond Cutter, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distracted Paul Morton, allowing Hennig to recover. Page hit a Diamond Dream a minute later, but only got a two-count. Page whipped Hennig into the buckle, but the big Minnesota bounced back and hit The Axe out of nowhere for a near fall. He maintained control and punished Page, using his strength and weight to his advantage. Page got knocked outside the ring and was climbing back on the apron, but Hennig charged at him and blasted him with The Axe. The blow sent Page flying and he crashed hard to the arena floor. It looked like Hennig was going to get a countout win, but DDP showed his fortitude and climbed back in the ring by nine. “The Axe” was waiting for him and immediately blasted him with another Axe. He covered the woozy Page and scored the pin. ***¾

7) Ivan Koloff and Boris Zhukov defeated “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff in what turned out to be a memorable match. Volkoff brought the Texas flag to the ring with him, as he did during his days as USWA Texas champion. Naturally this brought a big cheer from the Lone Star State fans! Duggan started the match for his team and was dominating Zhukov. He tagged out to Volkoff. The powerhouse tossed Zhukov around, then quickly tagged back to Duggan, encouraging his partner to continue the punishment. Zhukov finally tagged out to “The Russian Bear”, who worked over Duggan. He caught Duggan in the Russian bear hug, but Duggan broke free with some big punches. He attempted to tag back to Volkoff, but Koloff recovered, took Duggan down, and drug him to his corner. Zhukov came back, but missed his diving head butt from the second rope. Duggan went to tag to Volkoff, but Koloff had run over and pulled Volkoff off the apron. Volkoff went after Koloff and missed the opportunity to tag. Duggan instead got in the three-point stance and blasted Zhukov with the flying spear. He went for a cover, but Zhukov was knocked near the ropes and put got a foot on the ropes. Duggan ran over and tagged Volkoff, who was back on the apron, but distracted by Koloff, thus he didn’t see Duggan coming over. Volkoff came in and took his time pulling Zhukov to a corner. Volkoff went up to the second rope and came off with a splash, but took his time in doing so. This allowed Zhukov to roll out of the way and Volkoff landed hard. Zhukov hit the diving head butt, from a standing position and made a cover. He surprised many fans by scoring the pin on Volkoff out of nowhere. Duggan was still recovering in the corner and was unable to attempt a save. He came in the ring and watched Koloff and Zhukov walk up the aisle. Meanwhile, Volkoff got to his feet. Duggan turned around and went to console Volkoff about the loss. He shook Volkoff’s hand, but Volkoff responded with a boot to the stomach! He then picked Duggan up and executed the backbreaker drop! Koloff and Zhukov came back to the ring, and Zhukov and Volkoff grabbed Duggan’s arms, while Koloff grabbed his chain and pounded away on “Hacksaw” busting him open. Volkoff then grabbed the Texas flag and broke it over his knee! The fans were furious by this point, and many tried to jump the guard railing to go after the three Russians! Security had to hold them back, while the Russians retreated to the locker room, gloating along the way! ***

8) An impromptu intermission was held to calm the crowd down. The crowd was happy to see native Texas The Von Erichs in action. In a special attraction, the three brothers retained the WCCW World Six-Man Tag Team championship, defeating Jesse “The Body” Ventura, “The Golden Boy” Adrian Adonis, and “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol. David and Adonis started the match. The brothers tagged in and out and gave Adonis a beating. Kevin attempted the Von Erich Iron Claw, but Adonis quickly grabbed the ropes. Idol came in and worked over David, almost getting a countout win, after whipping David into the ring post. Idol hit a piledriver back in the ring for a near fall. “The Body” tagged in and used his strength to wear down David, while he ran his mouth and gloated to the crowd. Adonis came back in and seemed to have control, but David made a come back and surprised Adonis with the Iron Claw. Ventura and Idol jumped in, but got cut off by Kevin and Kerry. David kept the claw on and pinned Adonis’ shoulders to the mat. The crowd celebrated the victory with the brothers! **¾

9) Chris Candido made history by ending “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton’s 18½ title reign and becoming the new USWA Texas champion! The match was back-and-forth at the start. This was a true singles match, as no one was allowed at ringside during the bout. The challenger got control and went to his high-risk offense early. He hit two top rope huracanranas, but couldn’t score the pin. He took Eaton up the turnbuckles and attempted the Blonde Bomb, but the champion back dropped Candido and sent him flying. Eaton had control, but Candido surprised him with a quick power slam for a near fall. Eaton took control and hit his Divorce Court for a two-count. Candido whipped Eaton in, but “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton dodged a flying charge, then rolled Candido into a reverse rolling cradle for a very close count. Eaton had control, whipped Candido into the ropes, but made a mistake in bending over to attempt a back body drop. Candido grabbed Eaton, and lifted him up into a vertical suplex. Candido has held up opponents for long periods of time before, but this was a new record, as he held Eaton up for nearly a minute, before dropping him hard to the mat. The champ’s face was red from the blood rushing to his head. Candido quickly turned into a cover and scored the pin to become the new champion! The fans gave Candido a big ovation, for making history. Since the match was over, Buff Bagwell came out to ringside to celebrate with his partner. In addition to ending Eaton’s reign, Candido becomes the first wrestler to beat “Beautiful” Bobby in singles competition via pin or submission since 2007! ***½

10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team championship, as The Dream Team defended the belts against the “uncrowned champions” The Heavenly Bodies. Although both teams are rulebreakers, the fans favored the challengers, perhaps since Dr. Tom Prichard hails from Houston, or maybe wanting to see the second USWA title change hands on this night. The Bodies looked like they were going to finally capture the gold in a short amount of time, as they double teamed Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and kept him from tagging out. Both Prichard and “Sweet” Stan Lane hit enzuigiris for near falls. Lane hit Valentine twice with the superkick. “The Hammer” kicked out of one, and was saved by “Luscious” Johnny Valiant’s distraction on the second. Brutus Beefcake finally entered the match, but got worked over as well. Valentine later had control against Lane and took the bout to the floor. Johnny V. again distracted Paul Morton, while Valentine grabbed one of the Tag Team title belts from the announcers’ table. He was going to clock Lane with it, but Lane intercepted it, grabbed it, and smashed Valentine with it, busting him open! Valentine was able to tag out to Beefcake back in the ring. The Dream Team hit a double team maneuver on Prichard. “The Doctor of Desire” managed to tag out. Lane used his feet again, hitting a superkick on Beefcake and busting him open as well. Lane made a cover, but Beefcake got a foot on the ropes. The Bodies hit the Flapjack on Beefcake. Beefcake managed to tag out to “The Hammer”, who went to work on Lane. He hit a neckbreaker on Lane. Valentine looked to have things in control, but Lane out of nowhere hit another superkick and made a cover. Prichard took Beefcake out, while Morton made the count and Lane scored the pin. Jim Cornette, who was relatively calm in this match, jumped in the ring and celebrated as The Bodies won the titles for the first time! “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, recovered from his match, came down to celebrate with The Bodies and Cornette. (This is Stan Lane’s third World Tag Team title reign, as he was a two-time champion with Eaton in The Midnight Express.) ****