Post by Cory Olson on Aug 9, 2019 21:10:54 GMT -5
July 18, 2016
Card #476: Rupp Arena in Lexington
1) Brian Kendrick and Paul London defeated George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe in the opener. Just as in their meeting against the Midnight Express last month in Evansville, South wrestled the entire match and was unable to tag Sharpe. Kendrick and London used their fast-pace offense to wear down South. London scored the pinfall with the 450 splash about two minutes into the bout, while Kendrick kept Sharpe from a pin save with a running forearm smash. DUD
2) Tyler Black pinned David Haskins of Memphis. Black could have picked up the pinfall quicker but seemed to want to showcase his abilities. He hit a turnbuckle power bomb and then a Paroxysm but would not go for the pin. He finally went up top and hit a perfect Phoenix Splash to pin Haskins. Black continues to impress with Luke Harper at his side! DUD
3) The Patriot dominated Virgil en route to a pinfall victory. The masked man got a great ovation from the Rupp Arena fans. Virgil had the initial control but the Patriot took control and dominated the rest of the bout. He hit a neckbreaker drop for a near fall. He placed Virgil on the top rope and then executed a great superplex to score the 1-2-3. ¼*
4) Dr. Tom Prichard picked up a countout win over former tag team partner “Sweet” Stan Lane. The bout started off evenly between the two, perhaps because they know each other well. Prichard dodged a charge into the corner by Lane and Lane hit the buckles hard. As Lane stumbled out of the corner, Prichard surprised him with the enzuigiri. He went for a cover but Lane kicked out. Lane battled back and had some offense but “The Doctor of Desire” surprised him with a clothesline, sending him over the top rope and to the floor. Jim Cornette distracted Paul Morton, while his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn came around the ring. Severn picked up Lane and threw him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lane landed hard on the Rupp Arena floor. Cornette got off the apron so that Morton could see “Sweet” Stan. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton (in street clothes) came down to the ringside area. He tried to help Lane back into the ring but couldn’t do so in time, as Morton’s count hit 10 and he awarded the bout to Dr. Tom. Cornette seemed very pleased with “The Beast’s” actions! *
5) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens scored a quick pinfall on “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Stevens charged the Irish brawler right at the bell. He hit a top rope sledge for a near fall. He followed up with the piledriver but pulled Finlay’s shoulder up before the three-count to deliver a second piledriver for good measure. The move put Finlay down for the three. Jimmy Hart was very happy with Stevens’ quick win. ¼*
6) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan defeated “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Cannon was hoping for his first win of 2016 and came very close to it. He hit an exploder a few minutes into the bout for a near fall. He followed up with the Glimmering Warlock on Sullivan. He went for a cover but Sir Oliver Humperdink started to enter the ring. Scott Bowden did not see this but the PBR drinker did and got off Sullivan to go after the manager. Sullivan recovered and attacked Cannon from behind. Humperdink distracted Bowden, which allowed Sullivan to choke Cannon with his manager’s cane. As Bowden turned his attention back to the action, Sullivan hit a clothesline for a near fall. He followed up with the double foot stomp—his primary finisher to score the pinfall. Sullivan has certainly made an impression and an impact in his few weeks in the USWA! **¼
7) “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored their first win over Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy. Studd started off strong against Valiant, hitting a backbreaker slam for a near fall. Studd trapped Valiant in the fan favorites’ corner and blasted him with shoulder rams. Dundee reached in and decked Studd. Studd tagged back to Bundy but Dundee tagged to Valiant as well. Valiant hit a neckbreaker on the New Jersey giant for a two-count. Dundee tagged back in and hit the Superstar Bomb but Bundy kicked out. The fan favorites trapped Bundy in the ring and double teamed, showing that they are starting to gel together as a team. Valiant hit the Boogie Woogie elbow, landing across Bundy’s nose and busting him open. He went for a pin but Studd made a save. Dundee tagged back in and almost immediately came off the top with a second Superstar Bomb. He ran over to the giants’ corner and decked Studd with big right hands, knocking the giant off the apron. Dundee covered the bloodied Bundy and scored the pin. The Lexington fans went wild, having seen the second match between these two teams 2½ months ago in this same arena and ecstatic that Dundee and Valiant had finally defeated the First Family of Wrestling team. ***
8) Mad Dog Vachon scored an impressive pinfall on “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. Atlas had the initial advantage. He hit a jumping head butt for a near fall. Vachon took control in a brawl outside the ring. He used the Mad Dog Pounce three separate times to weaken the powerhouse. He hit the piledriver once but Atlas kicked out. A second piledriver put Atlas down for the count a few minutes later. Vachon was very impressive here and seems extra aggressive following the injury to his brother Butcher! **¾
9) Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons got a hard-earned submission win over Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy after 16 minutes of action. The fan favorites cut the ring in half on Lyons for the first few minutes. Gordy had Lyons trapped in the center of the ring in an STF but Doctor X broke up the submission attempt. Lyons capitalized on a mistake by “Dr. Death” and tagged to the masked X. The two worked on Williams’ leg. X went for the figure-four but Gordy broke it up with a knee drop to the masked man. Williams took control a few minutes later and surprised the Doctor with the backdrop driver. He made a cover but X got a foot on the bottom rope for a break. Lyons tagged in and regained control on the Oklahoma Sooner. He tagged back to the masked man and the duo hit a double dropkick on Gordy. “Bamm Bamm” managed to tag Williams but Williams got blasted with a dropkick from Doctor X right in the face, which busted open “Doc.” X worked on Williams’ leg some more and then tagged again to Lyons. Lyons locked on the figure-four in the center of the ring. Williams was trapped in the hold for nearly a minute. But with Gordy and the Rupp Arena fans cheering him on, Williams turned over and reversed the pressure. Lyons was in pain but was in a good position to tag to X, breaking up the hold. X continued the attack on Williams’ leg, as the blood flowed profusely down his face. X came off the second rope twice with a stomp to the injured leg. Williams got away from X and managed to make the hot tag to Gordy. Gordy hit a back suplex on X for a two-count. Williams, despite his blood loss and injured leg, begged for a tag and Gordy obliged. Williams had control on X but went for a slam and his leg buckled. X locked on the figure-four leglock again. Gordy went for a save but got knocked out of the ring with a dropkick from Lyons. Williams was forced to tap out. After the bell, X kept the figure-four locked on. Lyons joined in smashing Williams’ leg with a steel chair, adding more pain to the already injured leg. Gordy recovered from outside the ring and came in with a steel chair of his own to run off X and Lyons. Gordy helped Williams to his feet and to the back. Williams was limping a lot and in a lot of pain. ****
10) The main event was a huge “rubber match” for the USWA World Tag Team titles. Current and two-time champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito put the titles on the line against three-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. These teams had traded the belts the last two months and each was hoping to get a decisive win tonight! This was a back-and-forth bout and it looked like either team could leave Lexington the champions at any moment. The challengers worked over Zbyszko for several minutes. Billy Gunn executed a jackhammer on Zbyszko and went for a cover but Saito made a save. The Outlaws hit a spike piledriver on Saito a few moments later. (Perhaps Nick Bockwinkel was cheering on the Outlaws at this moment after he got spike piledriven by the champions and Kevin Sullivan at Independence Day Bash 2016.) Saito managed to tag to Zbyszko shortly thereafter but Gunn took over on him. He hit the Famouser, which busted open Zbyszko’s nose. Zbyszko rolled out of the ring to avoid a pin. Gunn went to bring him back in but Zbyszko caught him with a karate chop to the throat. Zbyszko returned to the ring and immediately hit the piledriver on Gunn but Gunn kicked out. Saito tagged in and hit the Saito suplex. He covered Gunn but Gunn got a foot on the ropes. A few minutes later, Saito and Jesse James were the legal men when Saito got “The Road Dogg” in the Scorpion Leglock. James was in trouble but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Zbyszko came in and blasted James with a spinning back kick for a near fall. James fought back against the Japanese Olympian and came off with top rope with a double ax-handle and got a two-count. Gunn and a very bloodied Zbyszko were the legal men a few moments later when Zbyszko got knocked out of the ring. Gunn followed him and had control. Saito and James had started fighting inside the ring, which diverted Paul Morton’s attention. Sir Oliver Humperdink came up behind Gunn and nailed him in the back of the head with Humperdink’s nunchakus. Gunn collapsed to the Rupp Arena floor. Zbyszko tossed Gunn back inside the ring and then hit the piledriver for good measure. He covered Gunn. Morton turned around to see the cover, as “The Road Dogg” was pounding away on Saito in the corner. Morton counted Gunn down for the three-count. James turned around just after the three-count to see what had happened. Zbyszko and Saito rolled out of the ring, as Humperdink grabbed the World Tag Team title belts and helped his men to the back. Gunn started to recuperate and he informed James of what Humperdink had done! ****¼
Card #476: Rupp Arena in Lexington
1) Brian Kendrick and Paul London defeated George South and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe in the opener. Just as in their meeting against the Midnight Express last month in Evansville, South wrestled the entire match and was unable to tag Sharpe. Kendrick and London used their fast-pace offense to wear down South. London scored the pinfall with the 450 splash about two minutes into the bout, while Kendrick kept Sharpe from a pin save with a running forearm smash. DUD
2) Tyler Black pinned David Haskins of Memphis. Black could have picked up the pinfall quicker but seemed to want to showcase his abilities. He hit a turnbuckle power bomb and then a Paroxysm but would not go for the pin. He finally went up top and hit a perfect Phoenix Splash to pin Haskins. Black continues to impress with Luke Harper at his side! DUD
3) The Patriot dominated Virgil en route to a pinfall victory. The masked man got a great ovation from the Rupp Arena fans. Virgil had the initial control but the Patriot took control and dominated the rest of the bout. He hit a neckbreaker drop for a near fall. He placed Virgil on the top rope and then executed a great superplex to score the 1-2-3. ¼*
4) Dr. Tom Prichard picked up a countout win over former tag team partner “Sweet” Stan Lane. The bout started off evenly between the two, perhaps because they know each other well. Prichard dodged a charge into the corner by Lane and Lane hit the buckles hard. As Lane stumbled out of the corner, Prichard surprised him with the enzuigiri. He went for a cover but Lane kicked out. Lane battled back and had some offense but “The Doctor of Desire” surprised him with a clothesline, sending him over the top rope and to the floor. Jim Cornette distracted Paul Morton, while his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn came around the ring. Severn picked up Lane and threw him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lane landed hard on the Rupp Arena floor. Cornette got off the apron so that Morton could see “Sweet” Stan. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton (in street clothes) came down to the ringside area. He tried to help Lane back into the ring but couldn’t do so in time, as Morton’s count hit 10 and he awarded the bout to Dr. Tom. Cornette seemed very pleased with “The Beast’s” actions! *
5) Ray “The Crippler” Stevens scored a quick pinfall on “The Belfast Bruiser” Fit Finlay. Stevens charged the Irish brawler right at the bell. He hit a top rope sledge for a near fall. He followed up with the piledriver but pulled Finlay’s shoulder up before the three-count to deliver a second piledriver for good measure. The move put Finlay down for the three. Jimmy Hart was very happy with Stevens’ quick win. ¼*
6) “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan defeated “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Cannon was hoping for his first win of 2016 and came very close to it. He hit an exploder a few minutes into the bout for a near fall. He followed up with the Glimmering Warlock on Sullivan. He went for a cover but Sir Oliver Humperdink started to enter the ring. Scott Bowden did not see this but the PBR drinker did and got off Sullivan to go after the manager. Sullivan recovered and attacked Cannon from behind. Humperdink distracted Bowden, which allowed Sullivan to choke Cannon with his manager’s cane. As Bowden turned his attention back to the action, Sullivan hit a clothesline for a near fall. He followed up with the double foot stomp—his primary finisher to score the pinfall. Sullivan has certainly made an impression and an impact in his few weeks in the USWA! **¼
7) “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored their first win over Big John Studd and Superstar Bundy. Studd started off strong against Valiant, hitting a backbreaker slam for a near fall. Studd trapped Valiant in the fan favorites’ corner and blasted him with shoulder rams. Dundee reached in and decked Studd. Studd tagged back to Bundy but Dundee tagged to Valiant as well. Valiant hit a neckbreaker on the New Jersey giant for a two-count. Dundee tagged back in and hit the Superstar Bomb but Bundy kicked out. The fan favorites trapped Bundy in the ring and double teamed, showing that they are starting to gel together as a team. Valiant hit the Boogie Woogie elbow, landing across Bundy’s nose and busting him open. He went for a pin but Studd made a save. Dundee tagged back in and almost immediately came off the top with a second Superstar Bomb. He ran over to the giants’ corner and decked Studd with big right hands, knocking the giant off the apron. Dundee covered the bloodied Bundy and scored the pin. The Lexington fans went wild, having seen the second match between these two teams 2½ months ago in this same arena and ecstatic that Dundee and Valiant had finally defeated the First Family of Wrestling team. ***
8) Mad Dog Vachon scored an impressive pinfall on “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas. Atlas had the initial advantage. He hit a jumping head butt for a near fall. Vachon took control in a brawl outside the ring. He used the Mad Dog Pounce three separate times to weaken the powerhouse. He hit the piledriver once but Atlas kicked out. A second piledriver put Atlas down for the count a few minutes later. Vachon was very impressive here and seems extra aggressive following the injury to his brother Butcher! **¾
9) Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons got a hard-earned submission win over Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy after 16 minutes of action. The fan favorites cut the ring in half on Lyons for the first few minutes. Gordy had Lyons trapped in the center of the ring in an STF but Doctor X broke up the submission attempt. Lyons capitalized on a mistake by “Dr. Death” and tagged to the masked X. The two worked on Williams’ leg. X went for the figure-four but Gordy broke it up with a knee drop to the masked man. Williams took control a few minutes later and surprised the Doctor with the backdrop driver. He made a cover but X got a foot on the bottom rope for a break. Lyons tagged in and regained control on the Oklahoma Sooner. He tagged back to the masked man and the duo hit a double dropkick on Gordy. “Bamm Bamm” managed to tag Williams but Williams got blasted with a dropkick from Doctor X right in the face, which busted open “Doc.” X worked on Williams’ leg some more and then tagged again to Lyons. Lyons locked on the figure-four in the center of the ring. Williams was trapped in the hold for nearly a minute. But with Gordy and the Rupp Arena fans cheering him on, Williams turned over and reversed the pressure. Lyons was in pain but was in a good position to tag to X, breaking up the hold. X continued the attack on Williams’ leg, as the blood flowed profusely down his face. X came off the second rope twice with a stomp to the injured leg. Williams got away from X and managed to make the hot tag to Gordy. Gordy hit a back suplex on X for a two-count. Williams, despite his blood loss and injured leg, begged for a tag and Gordy obliged. Williams had control on X but went for a slam and his leg buckled. X locked on the figure-four leglock again. Gordy went for a save but got knocked out of the ring with a dropkick from Lyons. Williams was forced to tap out. After the bell, X kept the figure-four locked on. Lyons joined in smashing Williams’ leg with a steel chair, adding more pain to the already injured leg. Gordy recovered from outside the ring and came in with a steel chair of his own to run off X and Lyons. Gordy helped Williams to his feet and to the back. Williams was limping a lot and in a lot of pain. ****
10) The main event was a huge “rubber match” for the USWA World Tag Team titles. Current and two-time champions Larry Zbyszko and Mr. Saito put the titles on the line against three-time former champions the New Age Outlaws. These teams had traded the belts the last two months and each was hoping to get a decisive win tonight! This was a back-and-forth bout and it looked like either team could leave Lexington the champions at any moment. The challengers worked over Zbyszko for several minutes. Billy Gunn executed a jackhammer on Zbyszko and went for a cover but Saito made a save. The Outlaws hit a spike piledriver on Saito a few moments later. (Perhaps Nick Bockwinkel was cheering on the Outlaws at this moment after he got spike piledriven by the champions and Kevin Sullivan at Independence Day Bash 2016.) Saito managed to tag to Zbyszko shortly thereafter but Gunn took over on him. He hit the Famouser, which busted open Zbyszko’s nose. Zbyszko rolled out of the ring to avoid a pin. Gunn went to bring him back in but Zbyszko caught him with a karate chop to the throat. Zbyszko returned to the ring and immediately hit the piledriver on Gunn but Gunn kicked out. Saito tagged in and hit the Saito suplex. He covered Gunn but Gunn got a foot on the ropes. A few minutes later, Saito and Jesse James were the legal men when Saito got “The Road Dogg” in the Scorpion Leglock. James was in trouble but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Zbyszko came in and blasted James with a spinning back kick for a near fall. James fought back against the Japanese Olympian and came off with top rope with a double ax-handle and got a two-count. Gunn and a very bloodied Zbyszko were the legal men a few moments later when Zbyszko got knocked out of the ring. Gunn followed him and had control. Saito and James had started fighting inside the ring, which diverted Paul Morton’s attention. Sir Oliver Humperdink came up behind Gunn and nailed him in the back of the head with Humperdink’s nunchakus. Gunn collapsed to the Rupp Arena floor. Zbyszko tossed Gunn back inside the ring and then hit the piledriver for good measure. He covered Gunn. Morton turned around to see the cover, as “The Road Dogg” was pounding away on Saito in the corner. Morton counted Gunn down for the three-count. James turned around just after the three-count to see what had happened. Zbyszko and Saito rolled out of the ring, as Humperdink grabbed the World Tag Team title belts and helped his men to the back. Gunn started to recuperate and he informed James of what Humperdink had done! ****¼