Cory's USWA

[victoryroll84]

Always quality stuff here in your fed Cory

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy, Neilybob, and Victory Roll for the comments!

October 22, 2018
Card #561: Community Center in Cookeville, TN

1) Bill and Randy Mulkey made their USWA debut but had a rough welcome, as they lost to “Dastardly” Danny Doring and The Amish RoadKill in the opener. The Cookeville fans gave the Mulkeys a nice USWA welcome, as many of them have seen the brothers compete on Georgia Championship Wrestling on WTBS from Atlanta. Bill put up a fight against Doring and RoadKill but wasn’t able to tag to his brother. “The Angry Amish Warrior” hit a diving clothesline off the middle part of the top rope and made a cover but Bill kicked out. Doring tagged back in and hit the Danaconda to score the pin in eight minutes. ¼*

2) Doctor X was victorious over Nacho Barrera in four minutes. The masked man largely dominated the Mexican grappler and made him tap out to the figure-four leglock. X hopes to get back in title contention now that he’s cleared from his concussion and having sent the Armstrongs out of the USWA. DUD

3) The Fantastics avenged their first loss by scoring a strong win over Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito. Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton came out strong against the House of Humperdink team wanting to avenge their loss to them two weeks ago in Evansville when they were ambushed before the bout by the Tolos Brothers. They trapped the Japanese Olympian in the ring for several minutes. Fulton busted Saito open with a big right hand and then caught him in a small package for a near fall. A few minutes later, the Fantastics executed a combination press slam and splash, with Rogers tossing Fulton on top of Saito. Fulton made a cover but Saito kicked out. Koloff tagged back and regained control for his team for a few minutes. Saito was the legal man again but was surprised by a series of dropkicks from Rogers. Rogers knocked him down and went for a cover but Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Tom Branch. Koloff tagged in again and took over on Rogers, getting him up in an over-the-shoulder backbreaker. Rogers fought hard for the ropes while up in the air and finally grabbed the top rope. He pulled the rope, sending him and Koloff crashing to the floor. Rogers took less impact from the fall and tossed “The Russian Bear” back into the ring. He tagged Fulton and the duo hit the Uptown Flip that Rogers used to use with Marty Jannetty when they were the Uptown Boys. Fulton made a cover and scored the pin on the former World Heavyweight champion after 20 minutes of action, while Rogers stopped an intervening Saito with a dropkick. The Cookeville fans erupted for the Fantastics’ big win over the next challengers for the World Tag Team titles! ***

4) Mad Dog Vachon picked up an impressive win over Chris Tolos in five minutes. While Tolos was irate over losing the World Tag Team titles last week in Knoxville with his brother John, perhaps his anger distracted him, as the Algerian brawler dominated much of the action in this one. Vachon hit the piledriver early but decided to dish out more punishment. He hit the Mad Dog Pounce and then followed with a second piledriver to pick up the pinfall. DUD

5) “Wildfire” Tommy Rich gained a measure of revenge with a submission win over Baron Von Raschke. The action was back and forth in this bout. Rich picked up some near falls in the middle of the match after a vertical suplex and later after a big right uppercut. Rich went up to the top rope and came off with a double sledge. Von Raschke sidestepped the move and caught Rich in the claw! Rich was in trouble, as he dropped to the mat but he managed to get to the ropes before “The Clawmaster” could secure the victory. von Raschke stayed in control, hitting an atomic drop for a two-count. The German grappler sent “Wildfire” into the corner but Rich caught him with a boot to the face when Von Raschke charged in at him. Rich regained control and caught Von Raschke in the sleeper a few moments later. Von Raschke fought hard for the ropes but Rich kept him in the center of the ring. Von Raschke dropped to the mat, Sam Platania checked his arm, and it dropped three times, so Platania called for the bell and awarded the bout to Rich after 12 minutes! Rich is now 13-0 overall in singles competition! ***¾

6) The new World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine gained a measure of revenge for suffering their first loss two weeks ago at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum by scoring a win over Eddie and Tommy Gilbert in a non-title bout after 22 minutes. The Gilberts double teamed “The Crippler” for the first few minutes of the bout, hitting a double clothesline for a near fall. Tommy hit the running knee lift and made another pin attempt but Stevens kicked out again. Stevens took over in a brawl outside the ring and then executed the piledriver back inside but only scored a two-count. “The Hammer” tagged in for the first time and the champs double teamed Tommy for several minutes until he made the hot tag to Eddie. The younger Gilbert hit his own piledriver on Valentine for a near fall and then followed up with the Hot Shot. He covered Valentine but Valentine was able to get his foot on the bottom rope for a break. The champions regained the control a few minutes later after Eddie missed an elbow drop on Valentine. They tagged in and out on “Hot Stuff,” cutting the ring in half on him. Eddie started to regain control and sent Stevens into the ropes. He set up for a dropkick but Valentine held on to his own partner from the apron so that Eddie crashed hard into the mat, hitting the back of his head. Stevens immediately went up top and came off with the Bombs Away. He covered Eddie and scored the pinfall, while “The Hammer” kept Tommy from saving his son. Jimmy Hart was definitely pleased with the new champions’ win over their rivals! ****¼

7) “Exotic” Adrian Street kept up his winning ways in his feud with “Superstar” Bill Dundee. The British glam rocker attacked the Aussie “Superstar” at the bell and was aggressive, trying for an early submission but Dundee quickly made the ropes. Street went for the crucifix a few minutes into the bout but Dundee kicked out. The “Exotic One” attempted another submission with the London Bridge leglock but again Dundee got to the ropes. Street whipped Dundee into the turnbuckle and charged in but the Aussie leapt straight up and caught Street with a hooking sunset flip to score a two-count. Dundee took control for several minutes but couldn’t keep the two-time former Southern champ down for the count. Street regained control and came off the top with a sledge right to the “Superstar’s” head, busting him open. Street caught Dundee in the crucifix again but Dundee kicked out. Street scored another near fall after a neckbreaker and then went for a third crucifix. Tommy Marlin went down to count and while it appeared that Dundee might have kicked out, Marlin counted the three, called for the bell, and awarded the bout to “Exotic” Adrian after 14 minutes. Dundee and the Cookeville fans were furious but Street and Jim Cornette were ecstatic! (Mr. Hughes might have been happy too but it’s hard to tell!) ***¼

8) John Tolos scored an impressive singles win over two-time former World champion The Patriot, albeit via controversial means. The masked American was hoping to avenge the Toloses attacking “Classy” Freddie Blassie during their World Heavyweight championship bout back in August in Tupelo. He was aggressive at the start of the bout and hit the Patriot Missile about five minutes into the match. Tolos was able to roll out of the ring before the Patriot could make a pin attempt. Tolos rallied back and used the corkscrew for nearly a minute. He immediately blasted the former World champ with a thumb to the throat and went for a quick pin attempt but the Patriot powered out. With big “USA” chants, the Patriot battled back and had Tolos in trouble. Chris Tolos made his way to ringside. The Patriot hit a standing dropkick and knocked down John. With Sam Platania checking on John, he did not see Chris get up on the ring apron and knee the Patriot in the back. The Patriot was hurting but was irate and reached through the ropes to try to get at Chris. John recovered and nailed the Patriot from behind. He hit a body slam on the masked American, then came off the ropes with the flying knee drop to score the pinfall after 12 minutes. The Toloses were berated with boos as they returned to the locker room! ***½

9) “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo won his first USWA title match, defeating Mid-America Heavyweight champion Luke Harper…but did not take home the gold, as the win was via a countout. At the start of the bout, it looked as if the champion would make a quick defense of the title, as he dominated Fargo. Harper hit the big boot three separate times but Fargo kicked out. The action went outside the ring and Harper grabbed the Mid-America championship belt from the commentators’ table. He attempted to smash Fargo with it but Fargo sidestepped the attack and hit a drop toehold, sending Harper face-first into his own belt. Tom Branch did not disqualify Fargo, since Harper had attempted to use the belt first and the move was seen as momentum of Fargo’s counter. Fargo took the bout back to the ring but Harper tried to avoid him by leaving the ring shortly thereafter. Fargo smashed Harper’s head into the ring post. Harper was dazed and stumbled around. Fargo body slammed the big man on the floor. He noticed that Platania’s count was up to eight and rolled back into the ring. Harper was still down on the floor when Platania hit 10, so Platania awarded the bout but not the Mid-America belt to Fargo after 12 minutes. While Fargo was certainly disappointed in not winning the title, he was happy to have gotten a victory on the champ and the Cookeville fans showed their support! ***

10) The main event was a Triangle Match for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Current and three-time champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson put the title on the line against former champion Mr. Hughes, as well as “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black. Danielson had defended against both of his challengers in the last few months and in all cases (two shots for Black and one for Hughes), the challengers won via disqualification due to outside interference from Colt Cabana or the Uptown Boys. However, in all three cases, there had been outside interference first on the other end, from Black’s bodyguard Mid-America champ Luke Harper or from Hughes’s employer Jim Cornette. Because of those situations, Commissioner Teddy Long had ordered that no one would be allowed at ringside during the duration of this match.

Because of the coin flip prior to the match, the two challengers started off against each other. Black quickly gained the advantage and just as quickly tagged in Danielson. Danielson wasted no time going after his rival. He tried for the guillotine choke but Hughes blocked him. The champion transitioned into the LeBell Lock in the center of the ring. The bodyguard was trapped and tapped out to the hold just two minutes into the bout, eliminating him from the match!

Black seemed surprised by the quick elimination and entered the ring. The action was fast-paced, as Danielson quickly executed a German suplex for a near fall. Danielson went up top and went for a missile dropkick but “The Monday Night Messiah” dodged the attack and Danielson crashed hard. As the champ got back to his feet and Black blasted him with an enzuigiri. Black made a cover but the champ kicked out. Black missed a knee drop and Danielson went up top again, this time nailing the missile dropkick. Danielson kipped up to his feet and covered Black but only got a two. Black tried to avoid Danielson by rolling out of the ring for a breather but Danielson blasted him with a suicide dive. He tossed Black back in the ring and locked in the guillotine choke. Black managed to get a foot on the ropes. “Dragon” released the choke but as Black got back to his feet, Danielson took him down to the mat with an armbar, then locked on the LeBell Lock. Black fought hard for the ropes but couldn’t get there, so he tapped out after six minutes into the total bout! Danielson retained the Southern title against both of his foes in a fair fight with no interference! The Cookeville fans gave Danielson a big ovation as “Flight of The Valkyries” played! **

[neilybob21]

Another awesome card cory.

[victoryroll84]

How long till Mulkey Mania sweeps over the USWA?

Great action from Cookeville

[TTX]

Mulkey Mania Mulkey Mania.

One match I never tire of doing is Midnight Express vs The Mulkeys. Never ceases to be fun.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Neilybob, Victory Roll, and Troy for the comments!

Highlights from the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling:

October 27:
• Commissioner Teddy Long announced that the USWA will return to the Sportscenter in Owensboro, KY on November 19! Two big title bouts will take place on that card:
o “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will defend the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship against Mad Dog Vachon in the main event! The Algerian brawler is looking to capture his first singles title in the USWA. Danielson is coming off an impressive win in a Triangle Match over Tyler Black and Mr. Hughes in relatively short order!
o The other bout will see Luke Harper defend the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship against Vachon’s ally Baron Von Raschke! “The Clawmaster” was impressive in his team’s win in the eight-man tag team Elimination Match against the Armstrongs and Lou Thesz three weeks ago in Evansville, scoring three of the eliminations for his team.
• The commissioner stated that “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo will receive a rematch for the Mid-America title after his countout victory over Harper last week in Cookeville!

• More matches were also added to the November 12 card, which will be the Louisville Gardens’ last card for 2018!
o A long-awaited first-time tag team match will take place, as The Fantastics will take on The Tolos Brothers! It was almost a year ago that the Canadian brothers put Tommy Rogers out of action. Rogers returned at Independence Day Bash with Bobby Fulton as his new partner. The teams have had one-on-one bouts against each other with each side getting a win so far. This tag team match has a lot at stake!
o “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome" Jimmy Valiant will collide once again with “Exotic” Adrian Street! Valiant and his teammates have had quite the battles with Jim Cornette’s men in 2018. It will be interesting to see who will get this win in “The Louisville Slugger’s” hometown!

November 3:
• Commissioner Theodore R. Long announced more big matches for the month of November. Another one of Jim Cornette’s men will compete in his hometown, when Mr. Hughes faces Ric McCord on November 12 at the Louisville Gardens! Hughes ambushed McCord during the tag team bout between the Uptown Boys and the Heavenly Bodies in September in Lexington. McCord is hoping for a singles win over the former Southern Heavyweight champion!
• These bouts were added to the November 19 at the Sportscenter in Owensboro!
o “Wildfire” Tommy Rich and “Superstar” Bill Dundee will collide once again with John and Chris Tolos! Their last bout a few weeks ago in Evansville ended in a quick disqualification win for the Tolos Brothers before Rich could legally tag into the bout. Will a decisive winning team be determined this time?
o Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana will return from his back injury and will be out for revenge when he faces “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black! Black put Cabana out of action after delivering a power bomb into the guard railing in their bout at the Rupp Arena in September. Can the Chicago native avenge that loss?

• USWA Committee member Max Andrews was interviewed in the WMC-TV Studios. He announced that the 15th annual New Year’s Knockout will take place (as usual) on December 31! This year the USWA’s year-ending supercard will be held at the Rupp Arena in Lexington! This will be the second time that the Rupp Arena has held this event. Matches will be announced in the coming weeks on USWA Championship Wrestling.
• Lance Russell asked Andrews where USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett was, as normally he makes big announcements like this. Andrew said that Jarrett was on a business trip to the Midwest.

The USWA kicks off the month of November with the last stop at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis for 2018! The card on November 5 will be a big one!
• Dutch Savage will return from injury and will continue what has become a wild feud with “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo! Each man has put the other out of action. Who will win the next chapter in this physical battle?
• “Superstar” Bill Dundee will take on “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard! Dundee continues his war with Jim Cornette’s stable. Prichard is a six-time former World Tag Team champion but has scored victories in singles bouts. Can the Aussie topple Dr. Tom?
• In a family battle, John and Chris Tolos will take on Tommy and Eddie Gilbert! John scored a big win over the Gilberts’ ally the Patriot on the last card in Cookeville, thanks to interference from Chris. The Gilberts are fighting on behalf of the masked American, as well as “Classy” Freddie Blassie. Which familial unit will leave Memphis as the victors?
• “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant will do battle once again with Mr. Hughes! When these two collided three months ago in Tupelo, “The Boy from New York City” appeared to have the match won until Jim Cornette got involved with brass knuckles and decked Valiant, leading to a win for his bodyguard. What will happen at the Mid-South Coliseum?
• “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez will go one-on-one with one-half of the World Tag Team champions Greg “The Hammer” Valentine! As Gomez awaits a rematch for the World Heavyweight title, he will battle one of Harley Race’s First Family of Wrestling teammates. Valentine’s championship Ray “The Crippler” Stevens knows Gomez very well from their battles over the years and will certainly be prepping Valentine on what to do against the Mexican superstar. Can Gomez triumph over “The Hammer” or will Valentine knock him down?
• The main event will be for the USWA World Heavyweight championship and will highlight a feud that has been a heated one for the title. Current and three-time champion Harley Race will defend against two-time former champion The Patriot! These two competitors have had some intense bouts over the gold in 2018. As of this date, Race has the slight lead in the series, up 3-2. The Patriot won the title for the second time in this city at Independence Day Bash. Can he three-peat or will Race hold on to the gold?

All these bouts, plus The Flying Redheads will face Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian! As well as Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito facing The Mulkeys! Plus, Mad Dog Vachon in action, as well as the return of former Southern Heavyweight champion The Masked Superstar!

[victoryroll84]

Great stuff as always Cory

The USWA is rolling along!

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Victory Roll for the comments!

November 5, 2018
Card #562: Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis

1) The House of Humperdink team of Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito were victorious in the opener over Bill and Randy Mulkey. This week both Mulkeys tagged into the match but despite the brothers’ best efforts, they were no match for “The Russian Bear” and the Japanese Olympian. Saito scored the pinfall on Bill after his patented suplex in six minutes. Saito and Koloff look ready for another shot at the World Tag Team titles in next week’s main event at the Louisville Gardens! ¼*

2) Mad Dog Vachon picked up a hard-fought victory over S.T. Jones in 14 minutes. “Soul Train” put up a fight against the Algerian brawler, scoring near falls after a clothesline and later after a missile dropkick. Vachon took control by biting Jones in the forehead! He punished S.T. for several minutes before hitting the piledriver to score the three-count. Vachon wants to sink his teeth into the Southern Heavyweight title in two weeks in Owensboro, KY! **

3) The Masked Superstar returned to the USWA after a three-and-a-half-year absence, this time as a member of the House of Humperdink! The former Southern Heavyweight champion picked up a decisive win over Jake “The Milkman” Milliman. The Superstar largely dominated the Nashville native Milliman and put him out in four minutes with his dreaded Cobra Hold. Sir Oliver Humperdink was very pleased with his newest charge’s win! DUD

4) The Flying Redheads made a huge comeback and got a countout win over Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian in 25 minutes! The rulebreakers trapped Red Bastien in the ring for several minutes. Von Raschke blasted him with a running knee smash and Barbarian later came off the top with a diving head butt, both of which earned two-counts. Billy Red Lyons tagged in but also sustained a lot of punishment, getting clotheslined outside the ring by the Barbarian and hitting the arena floor hard. Bastien helped his partner return to the ring before the count of 10. Lyons battled back against the German grappler and tagged Bastien. Bastien was cut off and got caught in the brain claw! Von Raschke dug his fingers into the former Texas champion’s face. Bastien started to fade but made it to the ropes for a break. After being released from the claw, Bastien’s face was a “crimson mask.” The Barbarian tagged back in and hit the flying clothesline. He made a cover but Bastien miraculously kicked out at 2¾! The Barbarian hit a second clothesline but Lyons made a pin save. “The Clawmaster” tagged back into the match and went up to the second turnbuckle. Before he could leap, a woozy Bastien got to his feet and had enough wherewithal to pull Von Raschke off of the buckles into the airplane spin and then the atomic drop! Von Raschke hit the buckle and Bastien collapsed to the mat! As Jerry Calhoun administered a 10-count, Bastien managed to pull himself to the Redheads’ corner and make the hot tag to Lyons! Lyons ran wild on Von Raschke and tagged back to Bastien. The Redheads hit a double dropkick and Bastien continued with an abdominal stretch on the German grappler! As Calhoun was trying to get Lyons out of the ring, Doctor X from ringside handed an object to the Barbarian. The big man loaded up his boot, stepped into the ring, and blasted Bastien in back of the head! Von Raschke fell backwards into a pinning position on Bastien, as Calhoun turned around. He went to count and at the last possible moment, Bastien got a shoulder up! The rulebreakers seemed at a loss of what to do! Von Raschke set up Bastien for an atomic drop of his own but Bastien flipped backward over his opponent, then nailed him in the back with a dropkick, sending Von Raschke over the top rope and to the floor! Doctor X gathered up both Von Raschke and the Barbarian and signaled that they were going to live to fight another day! The three headed back to the locker room, as Calhoun continued his count and hit 10, awarding the bout to the Redheads! While the Mid-South Coliseum went wild for the Redheads’ big comeback and the fan favorites were certainly happy that they got another victory, you can bet that they would love to get Von Raschke and the Barbarian in the ring again and try for a decisive win! ****

5) In a big grudge match, Dutch Savage returned from injury and defeated his rival “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo by disqualification! The action was wild from the opening bell between these two brawlers with much of the bout going outside the ring. Fargo at one point rammed Savage’s face into the announcers’ table, which surprised Lance Russell and Dave Brown. Later in the bout, an irate Fargo grabbed a steel chair from ringside, brought it into the ring, and used it on Savage, right in plain sight of Frank Morrell. Morrell was left with no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify Fargo after 14 minutes. For good measure, Fargo delivered another chair shot to Savage, which popped the Memphis fans and sent Savage scurrying! You can bet this feud isn’t over! **¾

6) “Superstar” Bill Dundee picked up a big win via countout over Dr. Tom Prichard. “The Doctor of Desire” had the advantage at the start of the bout, hitting a clothesline for a two-count. Dundee took control and hit a jumping knee drop for a near fall. He tried for a submission with an Indian Deathlock but Prichard made the ropes. The Aussie went up to the top rope, possibly for the Superstar Bomb. Before he could leap and with Cornette shouting at Prichard, the six-time former World Tag Team champion rolled out of the ring for a breather. Dundee hit a flying fist drop which busted open Prichard. Dr. Tom stumbled to his feet but Dundee caught him with a sleeperhold. Prichard started to drop but managed to get to the ropes for a break. Dundee stayed on the attack and went for another Indian Deathlock, this time in the center of the ring. Prichard was in pain and looked ready to tap. Jim Cornette distracted fellow Louisvillian Paul Neighbors, which caused the official to miss the tap! Dundee released the Deathlock to question Neighbors. As the two argued, a wounded Prichard got to his feet and attacked Dundee from behind. He hit the Dr. Tom Bomb and went for a cover but Dundee kicked out. Prichard dropped Dundee stomach-first on the top rope and then delivered a running knee lift, knocking the “Superstar” to the floor. Cornette again distracted Neighbors, while Prichard followed him and Mr. Hughes swarmed in from the other side of the ring. The two went to ambush Dundee but he was ready for them, catching both with punches to the stomach, and then bringing their heads together in a noggin’ knocker! The fans went wild, as Dundee slid back into the ring and directed Neighbors attention to Prichard (and Hughes) down on the floor. Cornette tried to revive his man but the blood loss was too much, as Neighbors hit 10 and awarded the bout to Dundee via countout after 16 minutes! As Cornette threw a fit, Dundee celebrated by mocking Cornette and shaking his booty in the manager’s direction! ***½

7) Tommy and Eddie Gilbert made a big comeback and scored a huge win over the former World Tag Team champions John and Chris Tolos in 16 minutes. In typical Tolos style, the Canadian brothers charged their opponents right at the bell. John and Tommy became the default legal men. Tommy battled back a few minutes later against Chris and tagged “Hot Stuff.” Eddie hit a DDT on Chris for a two-count. John took over on Eddie a few minutes later, wearing him down with a corkscrew and then hitting the flying knee drop. He went for a cover but Tommy broke up the pin attempt with a knee smash of his own. Both John and Eddie were hurting but were both able to tag their partners. Chris pounced on Tommy and looked as if he had things wrapped up for the Toloses. He whipped the Gilbert patriarch into the ropes and telegraphed a back body drop attempt. Tommy nailed him with the running knee lift out of nowhere and covered him to score the pin, while Eddie blocked John from a pin save. The Memphis fans went wild for the Gilberts’ big win! ***½

8) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant gained some revenge with a pinfall on Mr. Hughes. Jim Cornette’s bodyguard had control initially, hitting the spike slam a few minutes into the bout for a two-count. Hughes hit an impressive dropkick a few minutes later for another near fall. Valiant rallied back and hit a neckbreaker and made a cover but Hughes kicked out. Valiant stayed in control and hit the Boogie Woogie elbow to score the pinfall after 25 minutes. The Mid-South Coliseum was rocking as “The Boy from New York City” blared on the speakers! ***¼

9) One-half of the World Tag Team champions Greg “The Hammer” Valentine scored a tainted win via disqualification over “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez in six minutes. Gomez hit a flying head scissors in the first 90 seconds of the bout and scored a two-count. Gomez hit the Mexican Leap and followed up with the Mexican cradle but Valentine got a foot under the bottom rope for a break. Valentine’s tag team partner and Gomez’ long-rival Ray “The Crippler” Stevens came to ringside (wearing a suit, since he was not booked to wrestle on this card) and joined “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart. Valentine rolled out of the ring and consulted with his manager and championship partner. The break helped as he took over on the Mexican superstar, getting him down on the mat and hitting a falling elbow hammer for a two-count. Valentine tossed Gomez out of the ring and then distracted Paul Neighbors. Stevens grabbed Valentine’s World Tag Team title belt from the announcers’ table and went to clock Gomez with it but Gomez was ready and blocked the attack, sending the belt back into Stevens’ face! Valentine saw this and reached for Gomez through the ropes. Almost instinctively, Gomez retaliated by smashing Valentine with the belt from the floor. Neighbors saw this and called for the bell, giving Valentine a DQ win. The champions and Hart quickly retreated, as Ed “Strangler” Lewis tried to calm down Gomez. **¼

10) The main event was the next chapter in what has been an epic feud over the USWA’s top prize. Current and three-time World Heavyweight champion Harley Race put the gold on the line against two-time former champion The Patriot. The two combatants had exchanged the title four times in 2018 going into this bout. Race had the slight lead in their series of battles, with a 3-2 lead. Race, as usual, was accompanied by manager Jimmy Hart. The Patriot was joined at ringside by “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, who was keeping an eye on Hart.

Race used his methodical style at the start of the bout to wear down the challenger. He attempted the vertical suplex a few minutes into the match but the masked American blocked the attempt. Race sent the challenger into the corner but the Patriot reversed the whip and sent the champion crashing hard into the buckles with Race sailing over the ropes and to the floor! While “The Mouth of The South” was yelling encouragement through his megaphone, the Patriot interrupted and smashed Race’s head into the ring apron. He tossed the champ back in and hit the Uncle Slam but Race kicked out. The challenger stayed in control for a few minutes. He went up top, perhaps for the Patriot Missile. Before he could launch, Race, perhaps due to loss of balance or perhaps intentionally, fell into the ropes and crotched the masked man on the top rope. The Patriot fell to the mat and Race took advantage by immediately hitting the vertical suplex. He went for a cover but the Patriot kicked out. Race stayed on the attack and hit the piledriver a few minutes later but again got a two-count. The Patriot rallied back and nailed a standing dropkick. He went to the well once too often, as he missed a second dropkick and landed on his knee. Race worked the knee and attempted a submission with an Indian Deathlock. With Gilbert and the fans rooting him on, the Patriot powered his way to the ropes after a minute in the hold for a break. The challenger was wounded. Race seized the opportunity by executing another suplex. He covered Patriot and scored the three-count after 18 minutes to retain the World Heavyweight championship. It was a very impressive win for the three-time champ! ***

[TTX]

Mr. Hughes in a 25 minute match, crazy. Felt like a really nice main event.

[victoryroll84]

Gotta' hand it to Harley he's the Champ for a reason! Patriot gave him a run for his prize money that's for sure.

Always great to read your write ups Cory!