Thanks to Crue Fan, Stu, and Troy for the comments! Merry Christmas, promoters!Highlights of the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling with the fallout of Derby City Stampede! May 6:• The new USWA World Heavyweight champion “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, joined by manager Sir Oliver Humperdink, was interviewed in-studio. Sullivan said that Commissioner Armstrong and the USWA Committee wanted to play games with him by putting Humperdink in a cage at
Derby City Stampede. But they forgot that he (Sullivan) is “The Gamesmaster”! He said that he and Humperdink took advantage and slayed “The Boogie Woogie Man”! Commissioner Armstrong came into the studios and congratulated Sullivan on his win. He said that his first defense will be a rematch against “Handsome” Jimmy on June 5 at Engel Stadium in Chattanooga! Sullivan said if he needs to “embarrass” Valiant again, he will do so!
• A music video aired highlighting the Midnight Express and their time in the USWA set to their
theme music. The team debuted together with Jim Cornette in early 2005. While “Sweet” Stan Lane suffered a severe neck injury in late 2006 and left the USWA until July 2009, “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton had been in the USWA for the last 12 years. As a duo, Eaton and Lane hold the most reigns for the USWA World Tag Team titles, with seven reigns. Individually, Lane holds the most reigns with 12 and Eaton right behind him with 11. Eaton is also one of the most decorated wrestlers in USWA, also having held the Southern Heavyweight title, the Mid-America Heavyweight title, and the Texas title for 19½ months. During that historic Texas title reign, Eaton twice simultaneously held the World Tag Team titles with “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey, being one of only three wrestlers to have held two USWA titles at the same time. As of this airing of
Championship Wrestling, the Midnights’ plans in wrestling were not known.
• Speaking of the Midnights, the team that ran them out of the USWA was interviewed, as the new USWA World Tag Team champions the Heavenly Bodies, accompanied by manager Jim Cornette and his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn, were interviewed. Cornette said that he proved to the wrestling world that he was right and that without him the Midnight Express would not survive! Lance Russell pointed out that it took an ether towel to take “Sweet” Stan Lane out of the match! Cornette said there was nothing on that towel and that was his “burger towel” that he takes on long car rides to eat his bacon cheeseburgers! He said that he lent Severn the towel to get a good grip on his rear naked choke and he said that it was the choke of a former USWA World Heavyweight champion and one of the best heavyweights in MMA that knocked out Lane! He said that with the Midnights out of the way, “The Doctor of Desire” and “The Suicide Blonde” are going to reign atop the USWA for a long time!
• It was announced that “Superstar” Bill Dundee suffered a minor knee injury in the attack by Mad Dog Vachon, Doctor X, and Billy Black Lyons. The Australian fan favorite is expected to miss about a month of ring action.
• On another note related to the outcome of
Derby City Stampede, Commissioner Armstrong announced that Tyler Black will earn another shot at the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship because of his non-title pinfall victory over Ray “The Crippler” Stevens in Louisville!
• The commissioner also announced some big bouts for the return to the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum on May 22!
o The main event for this card will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. “Exotic” Adrian Street will defend the title against Red Bastien! Bastien has gotten some big wins over former Southern champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie and hopes to keep that momentum going against the current Southern champion!
o Also on the card will be the new World Heavyweight champion, as “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan will collide with The Patriot in a non-title grudge match. This is a rematch from a few weeks ago in Jonesboro where the Boston brawler defeated the American hero by countout, thanks to an ambush by the Dark Patriot. Patriot would love to avenge that loss and score a win over the new World champion!
o The former World Heavyweight champion will also be in action on this card, as “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas will team up to try and gain revenge for the attack on “Superstar” Bill Dundee. This first-time tag team of two fan favorites will have a tough challenge ahead of them in the two-time former World Tag Team champions Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons!
May 13• The commissioner had more announcements of matches for upcoming USWA cards! First of all, these bouts have been added to the May 22 card in Evansville:
o Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy have revenge on their mind for losing the World Tag Team titles to the Midnight Express last month in Nashville. They will be looking for revenge on Jim Cornette’s team of his bodyguard Dan “The Beast” Severn and one-half of the new World Tag Team champions Chris Candido! Candido and Severn’s interference in the Tag Team title match on April 17 led to a distraction and to the Midnights winning their seventh World Tag Team title, which they lost a few weeks later to the Heavenly Bodies in a Losers-Leave-Town Louisville Street Fight at
Derby City Stampede. Williams and Gordy want not only to beat Candido and Severn but also got a rematch for the Tag Team titles!
o A rematch from last month in “Music City” will see Tyler Black battle Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana. Cabana scored a big win on Black last month. Since then, Black has earned himself another shot at the Mid-America Heavyweight championship. Another win by the host of
The Art of Wrestling could get him a title match in the near future!
o Another rematch will be held, this one from
Derby City Stampede. Mad Dog Vachon will tangle with Billy Gunn. Gunn surprised the Algerian brawler and came very close to a pinfall win but had to settle for a disqualification win, after Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons interfered. Vachon is still guaranteed a World title match in the coming weeks. Can he avenge that loss to Gunn?
• “Bullet” Bob also announced several matches for the June 5 card at Engel Stadium in Chattanooga!
o Tommy Gilbert will collide once again with The Dark Patriot! Gilbert was interviewed in studio and brought up being ambushed by “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito during the Dark Patriot’s match with the Patriot at
Derby City Stampede. He stated that the House of Humperdink has strength in numbers, so maybe he and the Patriot should up their numbers!
o A big six-man tag team match will take place, when Billy Gunn and Brad and Brian Armstrong will battle Doctor X, Billy Black Lyons, and Mad Dog Vachon! X and Lyons attacked Gunn during his match with Vachon at
Derby City Stampede. The Armstrongs came to Gunn’s aid and now all six men will battle it out!
o In a rematch from
Derby City Stampede, Red Bastien will take on “Classy” Freddie Blassie. Last time these two met, Bastien won a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match in two straight falls when a frustrated Blassie got disqualified in the second fall. This time Blassie can bring in chairs or whatever he wants, as this will be a No-Disqualification Match! Bastien was interviewed and said he knows Blassie can brawl but he’s going to show “Classy” Freddie what a fired-up redhead can do when there are no rules!
The USWA comes back to the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville on May 15 with a huge card of wrestling action!• Two powerhouses will collide when “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas takes on King Kong Bundy! Both strongmen are looking for a win to get in line for a title shot. Who will leave Knoxville the victor?
• The Uptown Boys have been successful in their first matches as a tag team. But they will definitely have their biggest challenge to date, when they face the two-time former World Tag Team champions Doctor X and Billy Black Lyons! Give Tommy Rogers and Marty Jannetty credit for agreeing to a match with such a tough team. Can the Uptown Boys keep on the winning path?
• Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana doesn’t back down from much. This week, he will take on former USWA World Heavyweight and Southern Heavyweight champion, as well as former UFC World Heavyweight champion Dan “The Beast” Severn! Cabana challenged one of Jim Cornette’s men to a match after Severn, Chris Candido, and Southern Heavyweight champion “Exotic” Adrian Street gave Bryan Danielson a severe back injury after Danielson and Candido’s No-Disqualification Match in Nashville last month. Cornette agreed to a match with Cabana against his bodyguard Severn. Can the Chicago native Cabana pull off a huge upset or will “The Beast” tear him up?
• Harley Race remains undefeated. This week, he will face “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon in a rematch from six weeks ago in Nashville. The PBR drinker Cannon surprised wrestling experts with how competitive he was against Race before ultimately losing via countout. Race and “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart want to get a decisive win and move on to more competition. Can Race do it or will Cannon shock the wrestling world?
• Another rematch will see the now two-time former World Heavyweight champion “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will face Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon defeated Valiant last month in a non-title match in Jonesboro after using his chain during the match, while Doctor X distracted Sam Platania. Vachon will get his first USWA World title shot in the future but Valiant will get to challenge first when he faces “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan in Engel Stadium on June 5. Valiant is also fighting on behalf of his tag team partner “Superstar” Bill Dundee, whom Vachon, X, and Billy Black Lyons injured at
Derby City Stampede. Which wild wrestler will leave Knoxville the winner?
• The Knoxville fans will be treated to two title match on this night. Firstly, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens will put the title on the line against former champion Luke Harper. Stevens regained the title from Harper last month in Lexington and hopes to make his third reign a long one. The winner of this bout will have Harper’s employer Tyler Black waiting for him for a title match. Who will leave Lexington the champion?
• The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team titles. The new champions The Heavenly Bodies will put the titles on the line against Brad and Brian Armstrong! Both teams are coming off big wins at
Derby City Stampede, with the Armstrongs earning this title match with a win over the Joneses and the Bodies winning their first World Tag Team titles together from the Midnight Express in a Louisville Street Fight and sending them out of the USWA for one full year. Cornette bragged on
Championship Wrestling on May 13 that this card should be called “Heavenly Homecoming,” as he, the Bodies, and Dan “The Beast” Severn made their return to the USWA in March 2016 in this same arena. Brad is a former Tag Team champion and Brian is a three-time former champion but they have never held the belts together nor even challenged for the belts together in a standard four-man tag team match. (The Armstrongs teamed up their father “Bullet” Bob on November 7, 2011 in Memphis to battle Cornette, “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, “Sweet” Stan Lane, and Tom Prichard in a Handicap “Ultimate Jeopardy” Match where each wrestler had a stipulation in place if he lost the fall. Eaton, Lane, and Prichard were the Heavenly Bodies at the time and all three were allowed to defend the World Tag Team titles, which were on the line as their stipulation in this match. Brad lost the fall in this match and had to leave the USWA.) The Armstrongs have a long history with Cornette-managed teams. Will they make history and become the second brother tag team (after the Vachons) to win the titles or will the Bodies have a “Heavenly Homecoming” and remain champions?
All these huge bouts, plus a tag team rematch from a few weeks ago in Jonesboro between S.D. and S.T. Jones and “Dastardly” Danny Doring and the Amish RoadKill! Plus, the House of Humperdink’s new tag team of Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito in action, as well as “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay in Knoxville!