Cory's USWA

[victoryroll84]

All caught up on all the action and looking forward to the year end NYK!

[gst]

Wild action

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Victory Roll and GST for the comments! Hope everyone had a great 4th!

New Year’s Knockout XV
December 31, 2018
Card #568: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) In a rematch from New Year’s Knockout VII in 2010, Cousin Luke defeated George South in the opener. South had the early control and hoped to repeat his victory over the hillbilly. But Luke rallied back and scored the pinfall in three-and-a-half minutes with the Hillbilly Drop, getting big cheers from the fans! ¼*

2) “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe and “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz avenged their loss from last month in Louisville with a win over The Mulkey Brothers. The rulebreakers from the East Coast double teamed Randy for several minutes. Rodz scored near falls after a knee drop and after his partner’s finisher—the piledriver. Sharpe tagged and hit a big elbow drop. He made a cover but Bill saved his brother. Randy finally made the hot tag but Bill was cut off by his opponents. Sharpe pounded on him and hit a hard body slam. He covered Bill near his and Rodz’s corner and put his feet on the ropes for leverage to score the pinfall after 12 minutes before Randy could reach him for a save. **½

3) The Masked Superstar scored a decisive win over S.D. Jones. The former Southern Heavyweight champ largely dominated “Special Delivery” and scored the pinfall in three minutes after a Superstar clothesline. Sir Oliver Humperdink is looking forward to big things for the Superstar in 2019! DUD

4) The Heavenly Bodies defeated their rivals The Uptown Boys in eight minutes. As usual, the action between these two duos. The Bodies worked over Ric McCord for a few minutes until Chris Candido sent him into the corner. McCord leapt up to the second rope, spun around, and nailing “The Suicide Blonde” with the flying body press for a two-count. Marty Jannetty tagged back in and came off the top with a fist drop to Candido for another near fall. Candido trapped Jannetty in the Bodies’ corner and they double teamed him. Tom Prichard tagged back in, slammed Jannetty, and hit an elbow drop for a two-count. Prichard went back to the Bodies’ corner, while Jim Cornette distracted Jerry Calhoun. Mr. Hughes went into his coat pocket and dug out an object, which he handed to “The Doctor of Desire.” Prichard slipped the object into his boot and then delivered a loaded enzuigiri. He covered a knocked-out Jannetty and scored the pin, as Candido kept McCord at bay. It was a dastardly win for the former World Tag Team champions! ***

5) In the first-ever Gauntlet Match in USWA history, Mad Dog Vachon came out the winner to earn a shot at Bryan Danielson’s USWA Southern Heavyweight title on January 28, 2019 in Chattanooga! Mike Jackson and Nacho Barrera were the first competitors in the bout. The former SCW Alabama Jr. Heavyweight champion score the pinfall on the Mexican grappler in about 30 seconds with a float-over cradle!

Jackson battled Baron Von Raschke next. The German grappler applied the brain claw and looked like he might the win but Jackson managed to get to the ropes after a minute-and-a-half. Jackson came up bleeding from the claw and Von Raschke stayed on the attack, hitting an elbow drop and an atomic drop for near falls. “The Clawmaster” finally utilized a back suplex to eliminate Jackson after eight minutes.

Billy Red Lyons came in next but Von Raschke scored a surprisingly quick elimination, forcing Lyons to surrender to the claw at 1:08.

Tommy Gilbert was the next entrant. Von Raschke had the initial advantage but Gilbert rallied back and surprised him with a standing dropkick to score the three-count after about seven minutes of action.

Von Raschke’s tag team partner The Barbarian was next, meaning the two could have had to fight each other! The Barbarian came out strong against Gilbert upon the start of the fall and sent him into the ropes. He telegraphed a back body drop but Gilbert surprised him with a sunset flip and scored the pin in 52 seconds!

Next up was “The Angry Amish Warrior” The Amish RoadKill. The chicken plucker put up a fight against the Gilbert patriarch before going down to his running knee lift after nine minutes of battle.

Jake “The Milkman” Milliman was the next participant but went down in about one minute to Gilbert’s running knee lift. Gilbert helped Milliman to his feet after the fall and shook hands with him out of respect.

Mad Dog Vachon entered next. He and Gilbert battled it out and it looked as if Gilbert would stay in the match. He got the Algerian down on the mat and went up to the second rope. He came off with a knee drop but Vachon rolled out of the way. Gilbert was hurt and Vachon took advantage by making a cover and scoring the pin in about 90 seconds.

Vachon’s next opponent was Hillbilly Jim but the Mud Lick, KY native went down to Vachon’s piledriver in 36 seconds.

Doug Gilbert came out next but Vachon was ready for him and attacked him as soon as he entered the ring. Vachon hit the piledriver and eliminated him in 18 seconds.

The House of Humperdink’s member Hugh Morrus was the next combatant. The two battled back and forth until Vachon knocked Morrus down with a running knee lift and scored the pin after four minutes.

“The Sodbuster” Kenny Jay entered next. He surprised Vachon by blasting him with the Sodbuster Spike and the scoring a two-count. Vachon rallied back and got Jay down on the mat. He hit a jumping knee drop and score the three-count.

King Kond Bundy entered the match next. Despite having a 200-pound advantage over the Algerian brawler, Vachon did not back down and was merciless against the New Jersey giant. He utilized the running knee lift to knock down the big man and scored the pin in about four minutes. The Lexington fans cheered Vachon for his impressive performance.

Vachon’s next opponent was Red Bastien. The former Texas champion gave Vachon his toughest challenge so far in this Gauntlet Match. He scored a near fall on Vachon with a beautiful flying head scissors. He also tried for a submission with a sleeperhold but Vachon got to the ropes for a break. Vachon battled back. He got Bastien across the ropes and hit the Mad Dog Pounce, then followed up with the piledriver to eliminate Bastien after six minutes.

“Soul Train” Jones came out next. He had a good amount of offense against Vachon, kicking out after a double foot stomp and then surprising Vachon a double sledge off the second turnbuckle, busting open the Algerian brawler. S.T. went for a cover but Vachon kicked out. Jones sent Vachon into the corner and charged in at him but Vachon dodged the attack and raised his knees, smashing Jones in the face. Jones dropped to the mat and Vachon covered him to score the pin after seven minutes.

Former World and Southern champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert came out next. The two brawled from the get-go. Vachon gained the advantage and executed a backbreaker. He covered Gilbert and put his feet on the middle ropes for leverage to score the pin in one minute.

One-half of the World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens was next into the match. Vachon put a beating on the former Mid-America champion and scored the pin in 84 seconds after the piledriver. The fans got behind Vachon in his impressive string of victories!

The support for the Mad Dog continued, as former Mid-America champion “Dastardly” Danny Doring entered the bout. Vachon attacked him at the start. He hit a double foot stomp for a near fall and then followed up with the piledriver to eliminate the “Dastardly One.”

The final entrant was Japanese Olympian Mr. Saito. Despite having battled 11 other wrestlers, the bloodied Vachon continued his onslaught. He scored a near fall after a Mad Dog Pounce and then followed up with the piledriver to score the pinfall at 1:42. Vachon got the win and earned a Southern Heavyweight title shot against Danielson on January 28! ****½

6) Speaking of the Southern Heavyweight title, champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson was next, teaming up with Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana to battle “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black and Mid-America Heavyweight champion Luke Harper in a No-Disqualification Match. Black and Harper came out the winners in this bout. The rulebreakers controlled much of the match, taking advantage of the no-disqualification stipulation. While tagging in and out was still necessary for determining the legal men, the five-count for double teaming was basically useless. The Southern champion kicked out of both Black’s curb stomp and the Mid-America champion’s big boot. Cabana became the legal men but Black executed a power bomb into the turnbuckles, targeting his previously-injured back. Harper tagged in and hit a sitout power bomb but Danielson broke up a pin attempt. Black came in and took Danielson outside the ring. The two brawled at ringside. Black got the upper hand and drove Danielson backwards into one of the poles of the scaffold, set up for Jackie Fargo and Dutch Savage’s later match. Danielson was down on the floor and Black grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area. He nailed Cabana in the head with it, then stood up the host of The Art of Wrestling in the corner, with the chair in front of his face. Harper delivered a running big boot, kicking the chair into Cabana’s face. Cabana collapsed to the mat and the Mid-America champion covered him for the pinfall after eight minutes. After the bell, the action wasn’t over as Harper set the chair in the middle of the ring. He then delivered a sitout power bomb on the Chicago native on to the chair! Danielson had recovered by this point and came into the ring swinging a chair of his own. Black and Harper retreated while “Dragon” checked on his tag team partner. Cabana was not moving. Danielson had Jerry Calhoun signal to the back for paramedics to come out with a stretcher. They came out a few moments later and took Cabana back to the locker room. The Southern champion looked very concerned. **

7) In a wild Triangle Match, The Patriot emerged the winner over Doctor X and “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff to earn a shot at the World Heavyweight title on February 4, 2019 in Memphis. Per the rules of the match, a coin flip determined that the masked American and “The Russian Bear” would start off the bout against each other. In the first fall, the two rulebreakers seemed to form a temporary alliance against the Patriot, tagging in and out. About five minutes into the fall, X pulled out a foreign object, which he used to knock down the two-time former World champion. X went for the figure-four leglock but the Patriot powered his way to the ropes for the break. Koloff was the legal man and executed a falling face slam, which busted open the Patriot. Koloff went for the cover but the Patriot kicked out. With the fans behind him, the Patriot rallied back and tagged to the Doctor. The two rulebreakers were now opponents. Former World champ Koloff sent X into the corner and charged in at him. The masked man dodged the attack and Koloff crashed head-first into the buckle, getting busted open as well. Koloff fought through the blood and tagged to the Patriot. In the battle of the two masked men, the Patriot hit an atomic drop, which sent X into the buckle and drew blood from his white mask. Koloff sent X into the ropes and hit the Russian Sickle. He went for a cover but suddenly, Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian hit the ringside area. “The Clawmaster” distracted Morton, while the Barbarian got the Patriot’s attention on the ring apron. Vachon snuck into the ring and dropped a knee to the back of Koloff’s head. X’s allies quickly retreated up the aisle as X rolled to the corner and tagged the Patriot, who seemed unaware about Vachon’s interference. The Patriot hit the Uncle Slam to score the pinfall after 20 minutes.

The two masked men fought tooth and nail. X tried for a full nelson but the masked American made the ropes. He took control and hit the Uncle Slam. He went for a cover but suddenly, X’s three allies were back in the ring. They attacked Patriot before Morton could hit the three-count. Morton called for the bell and disqualified X after three minutes in the second fall. Vachon, Von Raschke, and the Barbarian continued the attack after the bell. The three Gilberts ran down to the ring to run off the rulebreakers. ****¼

8) In the first-ever Scaffold Match in USWA history, “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo was victorious over Dutch Savage. Savage tried to avoid climbing up the scaffold to start the match but eventually made it up. Jerry Calhoun called for the bell to start the match officially. Fargo largely dominated against his rival. He used every part of the scaffold to wear down Savage. Fargo wound up and hit a big right hand, sending Savage flying off the scaffold and to the ring below, where he landed on his back. Calhoun called for the bell and awarded Fargo the bout after four minutes! DUD

9) John and Chris Tolos scored a tainted win over their rivals The Fantastics after 16 minutes. The former World Tag Team champions double teamed Bobby Fulton for the first few minutes. John used a corkscrew on Fulton but Fulton made the ropes. Tommy Rogers tagged in but was cut off by John, who nailed him with a thumb to the throat. Chris tagged in and took Rogers to the floor. He rammed the former Mid-America champion into the ring post, busting him open. Chris returned to the ring and Rogers was almost counted out but he rolled back into the ring by the count of eight. The fan favorites rallied back and executed the Rocket Launcher on John. Rogers went for the cover but Chris broke up the pin attempt. John was dazed and tried to punch Fulton but Fulton ducked and caught him in a small package for a near fall. Fulton hit the ropes for an attack but got nailed with a knee smash from behind by Chris. John took over and hit his solo flying knee drop. He covered Fulton, while Chris held onto John’s legs for leverage, unseen by Tommy Marlin, and scored the pinfall before Rogers could make the save. ***¾

10) Pepper Gomez picked up a victory over one-half of the World Tag Team champions Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. The match was brief but action-packed. Valentine had the early advantage and hit an atomic drop for a two-count. Gomez fought back but Valentine cut him off. He went up to the top rope and came off with a sledge. “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” dodged the attack and nailed Valentine with a punch to the stomach, sending Valentine up and over. Gomez made the cover and scored the pinfall after six minutes. It was an impressive win for the Mexican superstar, as he looks forward to being the first challenger for the USWA World Heavyweight title in 2019! **

11) “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee ended 2018 with a win over their rivals “Exotic” Adrian Street and Mr. Hughes in a Lexington Street Fight! At stake in this match was Valiant’s beard vs. the fan favorites getting five minutes after the bout with Jim Cornette. “The Louisville Slugger” accompanied his team to the ring wearing his polyester bodysuit, in case he had to get into the ring! Valiant and Dundee came into the bout dressed in T-shirts, jeans, and boots. Street was dressed in some flamboyant wear tonight! Hughes is pretty much always dressed for a Street Fight but was also still sporting his neck brace from the attack by the Uptown Boys three weeks ago in Radcliff, KY. With the rules of the match allowing all four men to be in the ring at once, this was a wild one from the get-go! Cornette handed Hughes a bag a few minutes into the bout and the bodyguard threw powder into “Boogie Woogie’s” eyes! Valiant was hurting for several minutes. As Dundee and Hughes battled on one side of the ring, the “Exotic One” took “Handsome” Jimmy to the announcers’ table. He placed Valiant onto the table and then Cornette held Valiant’s legs down. Street went up to the ring apron. Valiant kicked away Cornette and then rolled off the table, as Street came off the apron with a splash and crashed through the table, breaking it in half! Valiant rallied back and wiped the powder out of his eyes. He took a piece of the broken table, as Lance Russell and Dave Brown tried to get out of the way, and rammed it into Street’s face! “Exotic” Adrian’s makeup was soon mixed with his blood! Street ran into the ring but Valiant followed. He blasted Street with an ear clap, then caught him in a sleeper. Street started to drop. Paul Morton checked Street’s arm and it dropped twice. It appeared that it was going to drop for a third time but suddenly, Cornette was in the ring and smacked Valiant on the back with the tennis racquet! “Handsome” Jimmy was out and Dundee ran in but got nailed with a clothesline by Hughes. Street recovered and Cornette’s team double teamed Dundee. Street came off the top rope with a splash, while Hughes held the “Superstar’s” legs down. The British glam rocker went for a cover but Dundee kicked out. The Aussie took over on a misfired double team and took Hughes down to the mat. He locked on an Indian Deathlock but Street saved his partner. The rulebreakers again double teamed Dundee. Valiant had rolled out of the ring and went under the ring. He emerged with a metal pipe! He brought it into the ring and nailed Street with it, then smashed Hughes in the face with it, busting him open as well! Dundee pointed to Hughes down on the mat and Valiant hit the Boogie Woogie elbow to score the pinfall after 26 wild minutes! The Lexington fans went wild! Per the stipulations of the match, Street and Hughes had to return to the locker room, while Cornette took on both Valiant and Dundee! The battered team started to make their way to the back. *****½

12) Valiant and Dundee only needed to 46 seconds to defeat Cornette! The rules were similar to the previous match, where anything was legal and both fan favorites could take on Cornette at once. “The Louisville Slugger” tried to flee but the fan favorites caught him. Valiant delivered a big wind-up punch, which flattened the manager! As he played to the crowd, Dundee went up to the top rope and came off with the Superstar Bomb! He went for a cover and scored the pin before “Handsome” Jimmy even realized it! The fans went wild again, as the popular duo celebrated their big wins over their rivals! DUD

13) During the pre-main event intermission, the USWA ring crew brought out a new table for Lance Russell and Dave Brown and cleaned up other debris from the Street Fight. Then it was time for the last USWA World Heavyweight title bout of 2018. Current and three-time champion Harley Race of the First Family of Wrestling, accompanied by his manager “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, put the title on the line against “Wildfire” Tommy Rich. Rich made his debut in March of this year in Nashville and became one of the most popular wrestlers in the territory. His only decisive loss was definitely tainted, as “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff pinned him three weeks ago in Radcliff, KY but not before a pre-match ambush by the World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, as well as the use of Koloff’s chain. It was later revealed that Race had put his fellow First Family members up to this, to little surprise! Race won the title for the first time in January on the first card of ’18 in Chattanooga. He held it for much of the year, trading it with the Patriot, the only wrestler to have defeated him since his 2017 return to the USWA.

The crowd was buzzing for this one. Despite the animosity between the two, particularly from Rich to Race, the two took their time not wanting to make an early mistake. Race took over a few minutes into the bout and hit the vertical suplex early. He went for a cover but Rich kicked out. Race sent Rich into the ropes but the challenger reversed and caught the champion on the rebound in the sleeper. Race fought hard to stay on his feet but after a minute dropped to his knees. Jerry Calhoun checked Race’s arm and it dropped twice but bounced back up on the third check. Race got back to his feet and made it to the ropes for a break. Rich went up to the top and came off with a flying body press, immediately making a cover but the champion kicked out at two. Rich missed on a running elbow smash into the corner and Race took over for a few minutes. He hit another suplex but again “Wildfire” kicked out. Rich surprised Race again with the sleeper. Race tried to make his way to one of the corners for a break. Rich released the sleeper to shove Race head-first into the turnbuckle, making him groggier and also busting him open! Rich then caught Race stumbling backward in the sleeper again! Race was in trouble with the blood streaming down his face. He looked out of it but Hart got up on the apron to distract Calhoun. Rich released the hold to go after the manager, which allowed Race the chance to recover. He surprised his challenger with a boot to the midsection, then immediately hit the piledriver. Race cackled, thinking he had the match won. He was slow to make a cover so when he finally did, Rich kicked out at 2¾! Race and Hart were shocked. Race stayed in control for a few minutes but Rich reversed a whip into the ropes and caught him on the rebound with a big right hand. Race was stunned but still on his feet. “Wildfire” bounced off the ropes and came back with the Thesz Press, flattening the champion. He made a cover and Calhoun counted 1-2-3, then called for the bell after 14 minutes, awarding Rich the USWA World Heavyweight championship! The Rupp Arena exploded into cheers having seen history made! As Rich was handed the World title belt, the ring quickly filled up with fan favorites such as “Superstar” Bill Dundee, the Patriot, the Gilberts, the Fantastics, and more! ****

[throwingtoasters]

What a performance by Vachon! Career making!

[bookerbill]

Great way to end another year Cory! That was a blast to read.

How long did that card take you to play out?

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Grant and Booker Bill for the comments!

Jul 8, 2024 21:29:23 GMT -5 bookerbill said:

How long did that card take you to play out?

I can't remember off the top of my head. I played this one out with cards and dice (as opposed to COTGOnline). I would estimate that it took me about three hours. And I doubt that I played it all in one sitting.

Thanks for reading!

[TTX]

Some wild stuff, glad to see Rich grab the title and the Valiant/Dundee vs Cornette thing was beautiful.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy for the comments!

After a very memorable New Year’s Knockout XV, the first two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling of 2019 had a lot of news!
January 5:
• The new USWA World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich was interviewed in studio. Lance Russell congratulated the new champion on his victory over Harley Race in Lexington. Rich thanked Russell and the fans for their support and especially thanked “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee for bringing him to the USWA in 2018. He said he loved competing in his home area and he hopes to make the Southern fans proud. Rich said that he will defend the title against any wrestlers, as evidenced by his first two scheduled challengers of the new year: His first defense will be against “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez (See more details in Card #569 preview below.), while the winner will defend against The Patriot on February 4 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis!
• Commissioner Teddy Long thanked the USWA fans for a great 2018 and said he is very excited for 2019! He also mentioned it was great meeting IPW Owner Troy Peterson in person at New Year’s Knockout XV and he wishes IPW all the success in 2019! The commissioner announced some other USWA championship matches for the start of the new year:
o Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine of the First Family of Wrestling will defend the USWA World Tag Team titles on January 21 in the main event at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, when they take on Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian! “The Clawmaster” and the big man have been a formidable combination, as they are currently undefeated in tag team competition!
o Coming off what could be considered a career-making performance at New Year’s Knockout, Mad Dog Vachon will once again challenge “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship in the main event on January 28 at the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga! Vachon defeated 12 other wrestlers in a row to win the Gauntlet Match at Rupp Arena and earn this shot.
o Also in Chattanooga, fans will see Luke Harper put the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship on the line for a third time against “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo! Fargo has now defeated the champion on two occasions but both times left without the gold, due to a countout or disqualification. Will the third time be the charm for Fargo?

• In other news, coming out of the year-end supercard, Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana suffered a serious neck injury from the sitout power bomb by Luke Harper on the chair after their No-Disqualification Match with Harper and Tyler Black against Cabana and Southern champion Bryan Danielson at New Year’s Knockout. The Chicago native has not been able to record or release an episode of The Art of Wrestling in the last week. His in-ring career may be in jeopardy. Danielson may be a one-man army but he will continue his war with Black and Harper, when he battles “The Monday Night Messiah” in a non-title grudge match on January 21 in Knoxville!
• In other injury news, Dutch Savage received some back injuries after falling off the scaffold against “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo but should only miss the first few weeks of the new year.

January 12:
• Commissioner Theodore R. Long was back in the WMC-TV Studios with more announcements for the coming weeks:
o The January 21 card at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville is shaping up to be a great one, as The Patriot will take on John Tolos! When these two met last month in Gallatin, TN, Tolos got the win due to a blood stoppage when the Patriot’s red, white, and blue mask became largely red. With a title shot upcoming for the masked American, you can bet he wants to avenge that loss!
o Also in Knoxville, Harley Race will compete for the first time since losing the USWA World Heavyweight title on New Year’s Eve, when he faces former champion and his rival “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert! These two have had some competitive bouts in the past and will be gunning for a win at the start of the year!

• Long also announced these bouts for the January 28 card in Chattanooga:
o In a huge return bout, World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich will take on “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff in a non-title bout! Koloff gave Rich his only loss in the USWA so far, when he pinned him a few weeks ago in Radcliff, KY thanks to a pre-match ambush by the World Tag Team champions Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine, as well as the use of Koloff’s chain. Another win for former champ Koloff would certainly put him in line for a title shot against the new champ but Rich is fired up to avenge that loss!
o A future challenger for Rich’s championship will also be in action when The Patriot faces Doctor X! While Patriot earned the shot in his victory in a Triangle Match against X and Ivan Koloff at New Year’s Knockout, his win over X came via disqualification due to outside interference by Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian. The masked American wants to get a decisive win over his fellow masked foe before his championship bout!
• Long was joined via satellite by IPW Owner Troy Peterson, who was at The Vault in Collins, IA. The USWA commissioner announced that a few USWA stars have decided to join the new IPW promotion. Peterson said that he is not trying to steal any USWA talent but these grapplers have made the decision to work primarily in the Iowa, due to having wrestled in the Midwest in the past. Those grapplers are Jake “The Milkman” Milliman, “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay, Nacho Barrera, and “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon! Long thanked these grapplers for their memorable matches and said they are welcome to compete in the USWA anytime! (This interview also aired on Episode 2 of IPW Action from The Vault, which also aired on KDSM in Des Moines on the same date.)

The USWA kicks off 2019 with a huge card at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum in Evansville on January 14!
• Mr. Hughes has his neck brace off and wants revenge, as he and “Exotic” Adrian Street will take on The Uptown Boys! Marty Jannetty and Ric McCord gave Jim Cornette’s bodyguard a double DDT on a chair last month in Radcliff, giving him the neck injury. Cornette stated on last week’s Championship Wrestling that the former Southern champ is back to 100% and is angrier than usual! (Cornette also told Lance Russell that he’s fine after his unfair assault by Jimmy Valiant and Bill Dundee after the Lexington Street Fight on New Year’s Eve!) Can Hughes and Street defeat the Uptown Boys?
• Before he challenges big Luke Harper for the Mid-America title, “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo will take on another big man in King Kong Bundy of the First Family of Wrestling! Give Fargo credit; he’s not backing down from a challenge en route to his title rematch. Can he take down the New Jersey giant?
• In another tag team bout, The Fantastics will take on Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian in a first-time match-up! The duo of Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton made a great impact in 2018 in the USWA accumulating a great win-loss record and becoming one of the most popular duos in the area. “The Clawmaster” and the painted powerhouse were an odd duo but have also been very effective, going undefeated in four-man tag team matches and challenging for the World Tag Team titles next week in Knoxville. Can the rulebreakers defeat the popular Fantastics or will Rogers and Fulton give the rulebreakers their first loss?
• Another huge tag team bout with possible implications on the title scene will see the current World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine take on “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee in a non-title bout! The champs also impressed the wrestling world in 2018, losing only one match decisively and winning the titles from the Tolos Brothers in October in Knoxville. Valiant and Dundee ended 2018 on a good note, winning the Lexington Street Fight against “Exotic” Adrian Street and Mr. Hughes and then getting comeuppance on Jim Cornette! Dundee was interviewed in-studio on last week’s episode and said that it felt so good to drop the Superstar Bomb on Cornette, after all the headaches he’s caused them. Now, he would love to win the Tag Team gold with “Boogie Woogie” in 2019! Lance Russell asked the Aussie “Superstar” where “Boogie” was this week and Dundee stated that he took extra time staying in New York City for the holidays. Can Valiant and Dundee start off the year with another big win over the dominant First Family team?
• The main event will see two popular superstars collide for the USWA World Heavyweight championship, as new champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich puts the gold on the line just two weeks after winning it, when he faces “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez! Gomez challenged then-champion Harley Race back in October in this same arena and came out the winner via countout but did not leave Evansville the champion. He wants to change that this time around. Gomez’ abdominal strength is unparalleled and his quickness and toughness could bring him the World championship. Having six-time former USWA champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis in his corner has also been a big help. Rich had a monumental 2018 in the USWA, quickly becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in the territory and winning the World title from Harley Race on New Year’s Eve. His ability to take a lot of punishment and keep fighting back has brought him so many victories and now the top prize in the USWA. Will Gomez make Rich’s reign a short one or will “Wildfire” blaze his way to victory?

All these bouts, as well as two brother teams colliding when The Tolos Brothers take on The Mulkeys! Plus, Mad Dog Vachon, “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff, The Masked Superstar, and more in action!

[Cory Olson]

(NOTE: Starting with game year 2019, I had been playing both my USWA and IPW in COTGOnline, other than supercards and other random cards. I had been saving all the details in the chat log without writing the updates I post here. At some point, there was a crash in the COTGOnline system and some of that data disappeared. I have all match results, fatigue count, finishes, and other big storylines coming out of the matches but I don’t have the details I usually include in my write-ups. So for the first few game months, my recaps will be a little shorter than in the past.)

January 14, 2019
Card #569: Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum in Evansville

1) The Tolos Brothers kicked off 2019 with a win over another brother tag team—The Mulkeys. John and Chris were vicious against Bill and kept him in the ring the entire time. John scored the pin about two-and-a-half minutes after his solo version of the flying knee drop. The Toloses hope to regain the World Tag Team titles in the new year! DUD

2) “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff made short work of Mike Jackson. The former USWA World Heavyweight champ dominated the former SCW Alabama Jr. Heavyweight champ and scored the pinfall after the Russian Sickle at 1:56. Koloff hopes to pick up his second win over new World champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich in two weeks in Chattanooga. DUD

3) Doctor X picked up a win via submission over S.D. Jones. “Special Delivery” had some early offense against the Doctor but the masked technician took over and worked on Jones’s leg. He clamped on the figure-four and forced “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son” to tap after four minutes. X has his sites set on another masked man—the Patriot in two weeks in Chattanooga! ¼*

4) Another House of Humperdink member, The Masked Superstar, got a singles win as well, defeating Cousin Luke in about four minutes. Superstar scored the pinfall after the swinging neckbreaker. The former Southern Heavyweight champion would love to get another shot at a title in 2019! ¼*

5) “Exotic” Adrian Street and Mr. Hughes picked up a win over The Uptown Boys after 12 minutes of action. Marty Jannetty and Ric McCord tried to keep the bodyguard Hughes in the ring and wear down his previously-injured neck. The big man powered through and made the tag to the “Exotic One.” McCord had Street in trouble and whipped him into the corner, near Jim Cornette’s team’s corner. McCord charged in but Street blocked him by raising both boots to McCord’s face. Street quickly swept McCord’s legs and made a cover putting his own feet on the second rope for leverage. Frank Morrell did not see the illegal leverage but did see McCord’s shoulders down and counted the three before Jannetty could arrive for a save. Street, Hughes, and Cornette quickly bailed after getting their arms raised to avoid an onslaught from the Uptown Boys! ***

6) “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo was victorious over King Kong Bundy via disqualification. Fargo did not back down from his larger foe and was in control for much of the match. Bundy cut off Fargo and tried to wear him down with his size and power. Fargo rallied back with the fans behind him. He got the New Jersey giant down on the canvas twice for near falls. Getting frustrated, Bundy went to the floor and grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area. Jimmy Hart distracted Paul Neighbors, while Bundy came back into the ring with the chair. He nailed Fargo from behind with it but Neighbors turned around in time to see this. Neighbors called for the bell and disqualified Bundy after 10 minutes of action. Bundy got in another chair shot for good measure and then returned to the locker room with Hart. Fargo was hurting but managed to get to his feet and return to the locker room on his own. **½

7) The Fantastics picked up a big win, giving Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian their first loss as a team! “The Clawmaster” started off the bout against Tommy Rogers and had the former Mid-America champion hurting. The Barbarian tagged in but the Fantastics took over and kept him in the ring the rest of the match, using their double teaming prowess and speed to wear down the big man. Rogers scored the pinfall after the Fantastic Flip after six minutes, while Bobby Fulton stopped Raschke from a save with a dropkick. The Evansville fans gave Rogers and Fulton a big ovation for their win! *¾

8) Mad Dog Vachon defeated Hillbilly Jim after 14 minutes. Jim had a lot of offense against the Algerian brawler. He caught Vachon in the bear hug and looked like he might get a big win but Vachon broke the bear hug with a face rake. Vachon battled back and brutalized the big hillbilly. He hit the piledriver and scored the pinfall. Vachon is focused on his shot at Bryan Danielson and the Southern Heavyweight title in two weeks in Chattanooga! ***

9) The World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and “Superstar” Bill Dundee in a non-title bout. Dundee started off the bout against Stevens. After some exchanges, Valentine tagged in but Dundee stayed on offense. He tagged in “Boogie Woogie,” who had some quick offense against “The Hammer” but then tagged back to the “Superstar.” The champs took over and double teamed Dundee for several minutes. It looked several times as if Dundee would recover and make the tag but the champs would cut him off. Dundee reversed a whip into the corner and sent Stevens crashing hard. Dundee was hurting and dropped to the mat himself. He crawled to his corner for the tag where Valiant reached out, while still staying in a legal position to tag. Just as Dundee was about to reach, “Handsome” Jimmy dropped down to the arena floor. Dundee looked at his partner in shock, as Valiant strutted away from his corner. He signaled toward Jimmy Hart, who came over and met him in the aisleway. Hart went into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. He handed Valiant the envelope, which Valiant kissed and then walked to the back! The Evansville fans erupted in a chorus of boos toward the once popular Valiant! Meanwhile, the match continued, as Dundee was in pain. He fought hard against Stevens and Valentine but finally went down after 16 minutes, after a spike piledriver, with Stevens executing the piledriver, Valentine coming off the ropes to push the “Superstar’s” feet, and Valentine scoring the pinfall. The Evansville fans were irate and had to be told by Gary Michael Cappetta to stop pelting the First Family with debris! **¾

10) After cleaning the ring and after the pre-main event intermission, “Wildfire” Tommy Rich made his first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship, taking on challenger “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez. Rich captured the title from Harley Race two weeks ago in Lexington, at New Year’s Knockout XV. Gomez challenged Race for the title here in Evansville back in October and came out the winner via countout but did not leave as champion. Rich shook hands both with Gomez and Gomez’ manager Ed “Strangler” Lewis in a great sign of sportsmanship before the match.

While both Rich and Gomez can both brawl, they kept the action largely clean for the first portion of the title bout. As the action continued, things get a little edgier with Rich slipping in a punch and Gomez retaliating. Rich caught Gomez in the sleeper a few moments later and looked like he might get the win but the Mexican superstar made the ropes. As Gomez and Rich started to slug it out again, Rich hit a big right hand. Gomez was dazed and Rich grabbed him a small package to score the pinfall and retain the title after 16 minutes of action. Rich immediately helped Gomez to his feet. While Lewis checked on Gomez, Rich came over and again offered his hand to both. Both men accepted and each raised one of Rich’s hands to show their support of the champ! ***¼

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 1-19:
• After his successful defense of the title last week in Evansville, it was confirmed that “Wildfire” Tommy Rich will defend the USWA World Heavyweight championship against two-time former champion The Patriot in the main event on February 4 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis! Both of these fan favorites have something in common: They are the only wrestlers to have defeated Harley Race decisively in the USWA since Race’s return in 2017.
• Commissioner Theodore R. Long also made some matches for next week’s card at the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga!
o Two wrestlers with their eyes on the World Heavyweight championship will do battle when three-time former champion Harley Race faces “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez! Although Gomez did not win the title from Tommy Rich last week in Evansville, he did defeat Race back in October by countout when Race was champion.
o In a rematch from New Year’s Knockout XV, The Tolos Brothers will collide with The Fantastics! Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton are still hoping for their first win over the Canadian brothers and could get it at the start of 2019!
o Another tag team match will see the World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine take on Eddie and Doug Gilbert! Eddie and Tommy Gilbert are the only team to have defeated the First Family team decisively, when they defeated them back in October in Evansville, one week before Stevens and Valentine won the titles from the Toloses in Knoxville. The Gilbert Brothers hope to have similar success against the champs!
o Commissioner Long announced that a new wrestler will debut in Chattanooga, as fans will see Frogman LeBlanc compete for the first time in a USWA ring! LeBlanc hails from Louisiana and has competed against some of the top stars in WCCW and the UWF!

• The Uptown Boys were interviewed in the studio and had a challenge for Jim Cornette’s men. Marty Jannetty said that they want to do battle with The Heavenly Bodies and Mr. Hughes in a six-man tag team match! Lance Russell asked who their partner would be. Ric McCord said they found someone who dislikes “The Louisville Slugger” as much, if not more, than they do! And this man wants to team up with them. Jannetty said they want the match on February 4 in Memphis. There was no answer from Cornette’s camp at this time.
• One match was made certain for Memphis on the 4th, and that will be a special non-title grudge match between two singles champions, as Southern Heavyweight champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will face Mid-America Heavyweight champion Luke Harper! Danielson is focused on revenge for Harper putting Colt Cabana out of action indefinitely. You can bet that Tyler Black’s bodyguard will want to hurt Danielson and perhaps earn a shot at Danielson’s title!
• “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart was interviewed in studio and had a lot to cackle about this week! Lance Russell asked him what in the world fans saw in Evansville last week, with Hart handing “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant an envelope of money, leading to him abandoning “Superstar” Bill Dundee! Hart said he is first and foremost a businessman and he made a business deal with Valiant. He said that he noticed some discontent and he tried to make Valiant a happy man. Lance asked if this meant Valiant was now part of the First Family of Wrestling and the manager verified that this is true! Lance asked where Valiant was and Hart said that he is getting a makeover but will be here at the WMC-TV Studios next week to give more of his reasons as to his new direction!

The USWA returns to the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville on January 21!
• “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff will take on “Superstar” Bill Dundee! Koloff faces the World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich in a non-title bout next week in Chattanooga but must contend with Rich’s tag team partner first. Can the Aussie “Superstar” take down the former USWA World Heavyweight champion?
• Two former World Heavyweight champions and rivals will tangle again when Harley Race returns to the ring for the first since losing the title on New Year’s Eve. Race will take on “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert! Race is looking forward to a rematch at some point with Tommy Rich but he cannot overlook the always crafty Gilbert. Will Gilbert score the big win on Race or can the three-time former champ get back on track?
• In a rematch from New Year’s Knockout XV, The Heavenly Bodies will face The Uptown Boys! Marty Jannetty and Ric McCord are hoping for a win over Cornette’s men. Now that they have announced they have an ally wanting to battle the Bodies and Mr. Hughes, will this give them a boost of confidence against the former World Tag Team champions?
• Southern Heavyweight champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will take on “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black in a non-title match! Danielson is on a quest for revenge against Black and his bodyguard and Mid-America champ Luke Harper for injuring Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana. Black would love to stop Danielson’s plan and get a win to get another shot at the Southern gold. This could be a knockdown, drag-out fight in Knoxville!
• In a rematch from December, The Patriot will take on John Tolos! When these two met in Gallatin, TN, Tolos was declared the winner due to excessive bleeding from the masked American. The Patriot has his upcoming World title shot on February 4 in Memphis but he wants to avenge that loss first. Can he do so or will the victor’s name be spelled T-O-L-O-S?
• The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team championship. First Family of Wrestling members Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will put the titles on the line against Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian! “The Clawmaster” and the Barbarian were undefeated until this past week in Evansville, when the Fantastics ruined that streak. That could have an impact on them going into this bout or it could fire them up to win the gold! The champions have a knack for surviving longer matches and still winning in the end, using whatever means they need to use to triumph! Can the First Family hold on to the gold in the new year or will the German grappler and the powerful Barbarian become the new champs?

All these bouts, plus “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo battles Chris Tolos! As well as Mad Dog Vachon, The Fantastics, and The Masked Superstar in action!