Thanks to Victory Roll for the comments!November 6, 2017
Card #524: Civic Coliseum in Knoxville1) Nacho Barrera went to 3-0 overall, with a countout win over George South after 12 minutes of wild action in the opener. South had a lot of offense against the Mexican star and it looked as if he would give Barrera his first loss. South hit a knee drop and went for a cover but Barrera got a foot on the bottom rope. There was a lot of brawling between these two and it seemed that Jerry Calhoun might disqualify one or both wrestlers. During a brawl outside the ring, Barrera surprised South with a knee to the midsection and then rammed South’s head into the ring apron. He then rolled back into the ring by the count of eight, while South did not beat the count. Barrera celebrated his win, while South recovered and was irate! **¾
2) Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito made record work of Jake “The Milkman” Milliman and “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay with a 15-second submission win! Saito and Milliman ended up only wrestling the bout for their respective teams, as Saito hit a judo throw right off the first tie-up and then immediately turned Milliman with the Scorpion Leglock. Milliman quickly tapped out before Jay could attempt a save. It was a very impressive win for the House of Humperdink team but they will face a tougher challenge next week in Evansville against the Flying Redheads! DUD (
NOTE: This was a two-move match!)
3) Baron Von Raschke picked up a win in eight minutes over Hillbilly Jim. The “Clawmaster” wanted to get back on track after suffering his first USWA loss to “Superstar” Bill Dundee on the last card in Lexington. He largely dominated Jim. He hit an elbow drop for a two-count. In the end, he scored the pinfall after coming off the second rope with a knee drop. ½*
4) The Flying Redheads defeated John and Chris Tolos by disqualification after a wild four-minute match. The Toloses brutalized Red Bastien in the first two minutes. Bastien made the hot tag to Billy Red Lyons, who attacked Chris but Chris cut him off and the Tolos Brothers double teamed him. John took the fight to the floor and grabbed a steel chair. He hit Lyons across the back with it which Jerry Calhoun saw. Calhoun called for the bell and disqualified the Toloses. Bastien went to check on his partner but John hit Bastien with the chair as well. Both Tolos Brothers then continued the attack on the Redheads. Suddenly, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee ran down to ringside to run off the Toloses! Valiant and Dundee helped the Redheads to the back. “Boogie Woogie” and the “Superstar” will get the opportunity to gain revenge against the Tolos Brothers next week in Evansville! *¾
5) Harley Race made surprisingly quick work of The Patriot. Race charged the masked man right at the bell and took control. He hit a swinging neckbreaker, then for good measure, pulled him up, and hit the vertical suplex. He covered the Patriot and scored the pinfall in about 20 seconds. Race continues to dominate and his manager Jimmy Hart continues to be a happy man!
neg* (
NOTE: This was another two-move match!)
6) “Classy” Freddie Blassie barely pulled out a win over “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in a wild bout! Blassie had the initial control but Valiant battled back, hitting a top rope super elbow for a two-count. Blassie fought back and bit “The Boy from New York City.” Valiant wouldn’t be deterred for too long, as he fought back and caught Blassie in a sleeper. “The Hollywood Fashion Plate” made it to the ropes for a break. Valiant threw some stiff roundhouse punches, busting open Blassie, and executed a neckbreaker for a two-count. Sensing their man was in trouble, John and Chris Tolos appeared at ringside. Blassie started a comeback but Valiant blocked a move and surprised him with a backslide. Chris jumped up on the apron, distracting Frank Morrell. This allowed John to enter the ring, break up the pin, and use his corkscrew on “Boogie Woogie.” Valiant was hurting and Blassie recovered to hit the Southern neckbreaker. He covered Valiant as Morrell turned around to count the pinfall after 16 minutes of action. Blassie and the Tolos Brothers looked ready to unleash more punishment but “Superstar” Bill Dundee and the Flying Redheads ran down to chase them off! ***½
7) In a battle of two long-time rivals, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens pinned “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez after 24 minutes of a double-juice bout! Gomez was the aggressor at the start, hitting the Mexican Leap four separate times, landing on Stevens’ face on the last one and busting him open. He executed an airplane spin and went for a cover but “The Crippler” kicked out at two. During a brawl outside the ring, Jimmy Hart got Gomez’ attention and allowed Stevens to take control. He hit two Bombs Aways, the piledriver, and a vertical suplex for near falls but couldn’t keep the former Southern and Mid-America champion down for the count. A third Bombs Away busted Gomez open as well and for good measure, Stevens picked Gomez up and hit a second piledriver. He covered him and scored the pinfall. After the bell, Stevens went up top again. This time he landed the Bombs Away on Gomez “cast iron stomach.” Stevens got up to gloat but Gomez quickly got up as well, feeling no effects from the move! A bloodied Stevens looked shocked and “The Mouth of The South” tried to ambush Gomez with his megaphone but the Mexican superstar saw it coming and intercepted it! He then cracked a bloodied Stevens in the head with it. Stevens was dazed, as Hart got him to the back, while the Flying Redheads came down to keep Gomez calm! ****¼
8) “Superstar” Bill Dundee defeated his rival Mad Dog Vachon in about 90 seconds via disqualification. Dundee had the early offense and frustrated the Algerian brawler. Vachon went to his corner and grabbed his chain. He punched Dundee with it, right in front of Paul Neighbors, leaving Neighbors no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify him. Vachon then wrapped the chain around the Aussie’s neck and started to choke him! Before too much damage could be done, “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant came down to the ring with a steel chair and chased off Vachon! Valiant helped his tag team partner back to the locker room.
neg*
9) In one of the greatest bouts in USWA history, Brad and Brian Armstrong, Billy Gunn, and Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana won the Elimination Match over Jim Cornette’s championship team of Southern Heavyweight champion “Exotic” Adrian Street, the World Tag Team champions The Heavenly Bodies, and Mid-America champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce. The first fall was a wild one, with all eight wrestlers getting in at least once and lots of near falls. Rivals Cabana and Pearce started off the bout. Cabana surprised Pearce with an early Colt .45 but Pearce got a foot on the ropes for a break. Pearce rallied back but missed a clothesline and Cabana rebounded with a folding Thesz Press for a very near fall. Pearce tagged Dr. Tom Prichard and both Heavenly Bodies double teamed Colt for several minutes. Chris Candido hit a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. Cabana tagged Brad, who ran wild on “The Doctor of Desire,” hitting a dropkick for a two-count. Brother Brian tagged in and executed a DDT on Prichard. “The Road Dogg” tagged to Gunn and fans saw a New Age Outlaws reunion, as Gunn worked over Prichard, then tagged back to Brian, and the duo hit a spike piledriver, a move that put Prichard out of action for several years. Brian went for a cover but Prichard got a foot on the ropes. He came up bleeding and was in trouble but managed to tag to Candido. “The Suicide Blonde” wore down Brian and tagged to Southern champion Street, who made his first legal appearance in the match. Street beat on Brian and executed a running splash for a two-count. Mid-America champ Pearce tagged back in and scored a near fall of his own with a spinebuster, the move that won him the title last month from Ray Stevens in Tupelo. Brian dodged an attack and tagged back to Cabana. The Art of Wrestling host attacked his rival and sent him into the corner. He charged in with a double knee strike but Pearce dodged the attack and Cabana hit hard. Pearce quickly tagged to Prichard. Dr. Tom worked on Cabana and then tagged to Candido. The Bodies hit the Flapjack and now Cabana was bloodied. Candido worked on Cabana for a few minutes and then tagged Prichard again. The Bodies hit the Prima Donna Plunge. Prichard covered Cabana and scored the pinfall, while his teammates kept the Armstrongs and Gunn at bay. The first elimination occurred after 22 minutes!
Brad jumped in the ring and went to work on a bloodied Prichard. He tried to get a submission with the sleeper but Candido made the save. “The Road Dogg” came in and went after Candido and the two brawled outside the ring. Brad tagged to Gunn, who controlled Dr. Tom and hit the Famouser. He made a cover and Brad stopped Street and Pearce with a double clothesline, while Gunn eliminated Prichard four minutes into the fall, and making the bout an even six-man tag team match.
Cornette’s team trapped “The Road Dogg” in the ring for much of the next fall, as Candido drove his head into the turnbuckle and busted him open. He executed a running neckbreaker for a two-count. Brian briefly took control on the Southern champion and went for a knee drop off the second rope but the “Exotic One” rolled out of the way and Brian landed hard. Street went for the London Bridge leglock but Brad saved his brother. Pearce tagged in and tried for a submission with a figure-four leglock. Despite the blood loss and the injured knee, with his partners and the fans cheering him on, Brian made the ropes. Candido tagged back and beat on Brian, who was bleeding buckets by this point. Candido took Brian to the corner and started to set up the Blonde Bomb. Brad and Gunn tried to stop him but they were cut off by Pearce and Street respectively and the four brawled out of the ring. Candido hit the maneuver and scored the pinfall, 36 minutes into the bout, putting Cornette’s team up 3-2.
Despite the numbers disadvantage, Brad and Gunn fought hard. Brad hit Mid-America champ Pearce with a dropkick but Street made a save. Gunn jumped in as well and knocked the Southern champ over the top rope to the floor with a clothesline! Gunn returned to his corner, while Cornette and Mr. Hughes checked on Street. Pearce tagged to Candido, who worked over Brad but Brad fired back. He had Candido in trouble and tagged to Gunn. Gunn went up to the top rope and came off with an impressive hooking clothesline! He covered Candido and scored the 44 minutes into this match! Things were now even again, at 2-2.
The next fall was an amazingly competitive standard four-man tag team bout, especially when you consider that neither side is currently an regular tag team! Perhaps Gunn and Brad both being partners with Brian formed a natural bond between them, as they battled back from insurmountable odds and had the Southern champ in trouble. Brad nearly pinned the Southern champ with the Russian leg sweep but Cornette put Street’s foot on the bottom rope, which Frank Morrell didn’t see but Gunn and Brad did. They didn’t pursue “The Louisville Slugger,” perhaps due to Hughes’s presence. Gunn tagged back in and he and Street battled it out, until Gunn reversed a whip into the ropes and caught the Southern champ with a power slam to score the pin and eliminate Street from the match at 62 minutes of the bout! It was now down to Gunn and Brad against the undefeated Mid-America champ Pearce!
Give Pearce credit, as he showed his ring skills and toughness here, taking on two men. Granted, he did have two men of his own at ringside with Cornete and Hughes. Pearce put a bloody beating on Gunn, busting him open with the Last Ride lariat. Gunn kicked out and Pearce went for a submission with the figure-four leglock. Gunn was in trouble but managed to pull himself to the ropes and tag Brad! Brad jumped in and went to work on “Scrap Iron.” He hit a huge dropkick and a bloodied Pearce went down. Before Brad could make a cover, Cornette whacked him in the back with the tennis racquet, which Morrell missed! Brad had to tag back to Gunn before he could fully rest. Gunn was fired up, having seen what happened and missed a move. Pearce grabbed him and hit the jumping piledriver to eliminate him at 70 minutes into the match! It was down to the final two!
As the bell rang to start the final fall, a cocky Pearce gloated at Gunn slowly returning to the back. With Pearce’s back turned, Brad came up behind him and hit the Russian leg sweep. Cornette was distracted by Gunn as well and didn’t see what was going on, as Brad covered Pearce and pinned the Mid-America champion in the center of the ring 20 seconds into the final fall! It was an amazing match and an amazing win for the fan favorites, as Gunn turned around to see Brad win. Despite his pain and blood loss, he came back to the ring to celebrate. He was soon joined by “The Road Dogg” and “Boom Boom,” both bandaged up from their own earlier wounds. The Knoxville fans went wild at this celebration, while Cornette was irate! *****
10) After the pre-main event intermission and that wild Elimination Match, the crowd was still buzzing for the huge USWA World Heavyweight title bout. “The Gamesmaster” Kevin Sullivan, accompanied by manager Sir Oliver Humperdink, put the title on the line against “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Sullivan got the rest of the House of Humperdink to put Gilbert out of action with a leg injury last August. He then (as was later discovered) captured Eddie’s brother Doug and was somehow able to convince him to become the Dark Patriot! Their father Tommy made a surprise appearance in December and attacked Sullivan and has been feuding with the House ever since. Eddie made his surprise return this past June. This was the first one-on-one meeting between Eddie and Sullivan. Eddie is a three-time former Southern champ and was hoping to grab the top USWA prize in his first-ever shot.
After each man was introduced in their corners by Gary Michael Cappetta, Gilbert asked for the microphone. Cappetta obliged and Gilbert said that while Sullivan has tried his best to destroy the Gilbert family, he has not succeeded. He said he’s still not sure what Sullivan did to his brother Doug to make him the Dark Patriot but it doesn’t matter, as Doug is now back with the family. He introduced Doug into the Civic Coliseum! The fans erupted as Doug made his way to the ring to stand in Eddie’s corner. Sullivan and Humperdink were irate and the champion started the match by charging Eddie and attacking him from behind, before Eddie could remove his ring jacket. Eddie started to fight back with punches and Jerry Calhoun called for the bell to start the match officially. Eddie surprised Sullivan with a DDT for a near fall about two minutes into the bout. Humperdink tripped Eddie from the outside, which allowed Sullivan to take control. The Boston brawler got Eddie in a Boston Crab and held him in it for over a minute. With the fans and Doug rooting him on, Eddie pulled himself to the ropes for a break. Sullivan attempted the Crab again but Eddie blocked it and nailed him with a punch. He got to his feet and executed a piledriver. Still feeling the effects of the Crab on his back, the challenger was slow to make a cover and only got a two-count. “Hot Stuff” missed a clothesline and the World champion rebounded with one of his own, knocking down the challenger for a two-count. Sullivan hit the double foot stomp but Eddie kicked out at two. Eddie again fought back a minute later with some stiff punches, busting Sullivan open. He hit the Hot Shot. He went for a cover but Humperdink got up on the apron to distract Calhoun. Doug came around and nailed his former manager from behind, knocking him off the apron. Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito made their way to ringside but were cut off by the Patriot and Tommy Gilbert, who attacked them from behind! Several USWA officials ran out and separated the wrestler. After all this mayhem, Sullivan recovered and got Gilbert down on the mat again. He hit a second double foot stomp but somehow the challenger kicked out again! Sullivan had Gilbert near the ropes and was pounding on him. Calhoun counted him and warned him about his actions. Sullivan went in for a double sledge but Gilbert dropped low and surprised “The Gamesmaster” with another Hot Shot. He covered Sullivan and scored the pinfall after about 10 minutes of wild action. Calhoun called for the bell and
awarded Eddie the USWA World Heavyweight championship! The Knoxville fans exploded as Doug jumped into the ring to celebrate with his brother! The Patriot and Tommy returned to the scene to join in the celebration. It was an amazing sight as Eddie held up the title belt, while
“Hot Stuff” blared over the speakers! ***½