Cory's USWA

[TTX]

Always enjoy a Fargo win and nice to see Doctor X win as well.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy for the comments!

January 21, 2019
Card #570: Civic Coliseum in Knoxville

1) The Masked Superstar was victorious quickly in the opener over George South. The former Southern Heavyweight champion only needed 82 seconds to hit the swinging neckbreaker and to score the pinfall. The House of Humperdink member is looking forward to tougher competition in 2019! DUD

2) The Fantastics defeated “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz and “Pretty Boy” Larry Sharpe. The New Yorker Rodz started off the bout for the rulebreakers Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton showcased their double teaming synergy by keeping Rodz in the ring the entire match. They hit the Fantastic Flip on Rodz and Fulton scored the pin in seven minutes, while Rogers stopped Sharpe with a dropkick. The Fantastics looked…well, fantastic tonight and they seem ready to tangle with the Toloses again next week in Chattanooga! ¼*

3) Speaking of the Toloses, Chris Tolos lost a quick bout to “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo in about 86 seconds. Tolos tried to ambush Fargo at the bell but Fargo was ready for him. He controlled the action and hit the atomic drop to score the quick pinfall Fargo’s goal is not only to beat Luke Harper next week in Chattanooga but this time to leave as Mid-America Heavyweight champion! DUD

4) In another quick bout, Mad Dog Vachon pinned Mike Jackson in 74 seconds. The Algerian stormed his opponent at the bell and pummeled him. He got him down on the mat and hit the double foot stomp to score the pinfall. Vachon has his sights set on “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and the Southern Heavyweight title next week! DUD

5) “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff pinned “Superstar” Bill Dundee in a competitive 18-minute match. Dundee was not only fighting on behalf of World champion Tommy Rich but also distracted by the betrayal of his former tag team partner “The Boogie Woogie Man” “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant! Still, he did his best to stay focused, given the situation. The action between these two was back and forth. Dundee hit the Superstar Bomb midway through the bout the former USWA champion Koloff kicked out at 2¾. Koloff took over and hit the Russian Sickle but Dundee got a foot underneath the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Koloff took the fight to the floor and used his chain, while Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Scott Bowden. Dundee was busted open but rallied back inside the ring. He had Koloff in trouble, until Humperdink again distracted Bowden. Dundee went after the manager but Bowden separated them. While Bowden warned Humperdink, Koloff grabbed the chain again and punched Dundee in the face, dropping him to the mat. Koloff tossed out the chain and for good measure, picked up the “Superstar,” sent him into the ropes, and then delivered a second Sickle. He covered Dundee and scored the pinfall. Koloff looked very impressive and could be on his way to a second victory over “Wildfire” next week in Chattanooga! ****¼

6) Harley Race returned to the ring for the first time since losing the World Heavyweight championship and picked up a win over former champion “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Gilbert was aggressive at the opening bell and looked as if he might score his first win over Race. He executed the Hot Shot but only got a two-count. Gilbert came off the second rope with an elbow drop and made another cover but again only got a near fall. Gilbert climbed the ropes again, this time going to the top. Race got to his feet and stopped him from an attack with some punches. He then pulled Race off the top into the vertical suplex, or essentially a superplex. He covered Gilbert but only got a two-count. Race hit the piledriver but again Gilbert kicked out. A second piledriver would bring Race the win after 12 minutes. You can bet that Race wants a rematch for the World Heavyweight championship! ***½

7) The Heavenly Bodies scored a tainted win over The Uptown Boys in about 94 seconds. The Bodies, Jim Cornette, and Mr. Hughes made their way to the ring first and after Cornette’s own ring introductions of his men, Marty Jannetty and Ric McCord came out to “Living After Midnight.” As they came down the aisle and greeted Knoxville fans, they were ambushed by Hughes, Tom Prichard, and Chris Candido! Candido and Hughes focused their attack on McCord, suplexing him on the floor, while Prichard rammed Jannetty face-first into the ring guard rail! The Fantastics, as well as USWA officials ran out to run off the Bodies and Hughes, who headed back to the ring, where a cackling Cornette stood. Paul Morton, came out to check on Jannetty and McCord to see if they were willing and able to go on with the scheduled match. Knowing their dedication, the Uptown Boys said they would, although they were certainly not in the best condition to compete. Jannetty was in slightly better shape and started off the bout. It ended up not going long, as Prichard ambushed him quickly with a big running boot and covered him to score the pinfall, even adding more insult to injury by putting his feet on the middle rope for leverage! McCord was still too hurt to try to make a save. As the Bodies got their hands raised in victory, Cornette grabbed the microphone from Gary Michael Cappetta. He acknowledged the Uptown Boys’ challenge to a six-man tag team match from last week’s episode of USWA Championship Wrestling. He said that after an “embarrassing performance” tonight, he doesn’t believe that they have a mystery partner, or at least a competent wrestler, who would want to team with them! Therefore, he accepted their challenge for a six-man tag team match against the Bodies and Hughes on February 4 in Memphis! neg*


8) Southern Heavyweight champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson got a submission win over his rival “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black. Danielson was very focused here, fighting on behalf of Colt Cabana. He fought off interference from Mid-America champ Luke Harper and forced Black to tap after 10 minutes of physical action to the LeBell Lock. Danielson stared down Harper and indicated he’s coming for him on February 4 in Memphis! **¾

9) The Patriot scored a quick win via disqualification over John Tolos. The masked American dominated the action. He hit the Uncle Slam and went for a cover but before Joe Wheeler could count three, Chris Tolos hit the ring, coming off the second rope with the flying knee. Wheeler called for the bell at 1:59. The Toloses continued their attack but were quickly run off by the Fantastics and Patriot’s ally “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert before further damage could be done. neg*

10) The main event was for the USWA World Tag Team championship. Current champions and First Family of Wrestling members Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine put the titles on the line against Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian. The champions trapped “The Clawmaster” in the ring for several minutes and looked as if they were going to achieve an easy victory. The German grappler rallied back and tagged to the Barbarian. The fans were surprisingly siding with the challengers tonight, perhaps wanting to see history made. Von Raschke and the Barbarian double teamed “The Hammer” for several minutes. Von Raschke applied the brain claw, drawing blood on Valentine. It looked as if he might put down Valentine but Stevens made a save, kneeing Von Raschke from behind and then tossing him out of the ring. Stevens Jimmy Hart distracted Paul Morton, while “The Crippler” followed Von Raschke to the floor. He had grabbed Hart’s megaphone and nailed Von Raschke with it. He tossed Von Raschke back inside, then returned to the First Family’s corner, so Valentine could tag him legally. Stevens immediately went to the top and came off with the Bombs Away. He then ran over and dropkicked the Barbarian, knocking the big man off the apron. Stevens made a cover and scored the pinfall after 22 minutes to retain the titles! ****½

[bookerbill]

Great action from Knoxville Cory!

You may have discussed this in the past but how do you pick the challengers for titles? Storyline? Ranking? Maybe a little of both?

[TTX]

Stevens and Valentine are clicking on all cylinders. Nice win by the American Dragon.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Booker Bill and Troy for the comments!

Jul 24, 2024 22:39:04 GMT -5 bookerbill said:

You may have discussed this in the past but how do you pick the challengers for titles? Storyline? Ranking? Maybe a little of both?

Great question, Bill! I would say it's a little bit of both but maybe slightly more leaning toward storyline. Often, if there is a specific match to which I'd like to build, I try to give the challenger some easier bouts that he can, hopefully, win. But of course, there's no guarantee the challenger will win and/or that the champion will retain until then!

I don't have an official rankings system but I do keep tracks of wins and losses in a spreadsheet. I tend to look more at recent winning streaks. For wrestlers that might not be able to sustain a long winning streak, I tend to give them a shot at a championship earlier than others, while they're still winning and on a hot streak. If you look at the last card, I posted, I wanted to give Baron and the Barbarian a shot while they had a good record. Even though they lost to the Fantastics on the previous card, I had already planned for them to be in the main event on #570.

Hope that makes sense and thanks for being a faithful reader!

[neilybob21]

Great card Cory.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Neilybob for the comments!

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 1-26:
• After a successful defense of the USWA World Tag Team championship last week in Knoxville, Commissioner Teddy Long announced that Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine’s next challengers will be former champions The Heavenly Bodies! That bout will take place in the main event on February 11 at the Louisville Gardens—the hometown of the Bodies’ manager Jim Cornette! This will also be a rare time that a match features Cornette’s man (or men, in this case) battling members of Jimmy Hart’s First Family of Wrestling!
• Speaking of Cornette, Long made it official that The Heavenly Bodies and Mr. Hughes will take on The Uptown Boys and a mystery partner in a six-man tag team match on February 4 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis!
• Jimmy Hart was back in the studio. Lance Russell reminded “The Mouth of The South” that he had said last week that Jimmy Valiant would be in studio. Hart told Lance to be patient and that he had a “big surprise” for the USWA fans. He said that one of the reasons Valiant wanted to join Hart and the First Family is that he wanted to showcase his musical talents! Hart used his connections to the music industry as a former member of the Gentrys to help Valiant record his new theme music! A music video was played with this song. After that, back in the studio, Valiant entered the scene with much shorter facial hair and some new fancy clothes! Lance asked how “The Boogie Woogie Man” could turn his back on his long-time partner “Superstar” Bill Dundee, as well as the fans. Valiant said first of all, that he is no longer “The Boogie Woogie Man” but simply “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant! He said that he helped make Dundee one of the most popular stars in the USWA. And it was he who brought the current World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich to the area. He said that it was his (Valiant’s) convincing that brought Rich and that Rich didn’t want anything to do with his home state fans! Lance didn’t believe that statement for a second. Valiant said that he was tired of dancing and wiggling and not getting the respect he deserves. He said that when he challenged Bryan Danielson for the Southern title a few weeks ago in Gallatin, TN, he played by the rules and it brought him nothing! He added that Dundee had become selfish and had the USWA production crew show the clip of New Year’s Knockout XV where the “Superstar” stole the pin from him when they took on Jim Cornette! He said that he was so mad he went back to the locker room at Rupp Arena and Hart caught his attention. He said that Hart made him a deal and despite their own animosity in the past, Valiant wanted to make money! He said that he traveled back to New York City over New Year’s and spoke to his brothers Johnny and Jerry, who encouraged him to take the deal. He agreed to make it public in the tag team match with Valiant and Dundee against the World Tag Team champions Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine two weeks ago in Evansville, as a way to embarrass the Aussie, just like he had embarrassed Valiant! Hart ended the interview by saying that Valiant is going to the top of the USWA with the First Family and will bring them more gold! Lance asked when Valiant would be competing under his new look and guidance and Hart revealed that fans can see “Handsome” Jimmy on February 4 in Memphis!

The USWA returns to the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga on January 28!
• In a non-title tag team grudge match, the World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will collide with Eddie and Doug Gilbert! Eddie and Tommy Gilbert are the only team so far to have defeated the First Family duo decisively and now the Gilbert Brothers hope to do the same. Can they do it or will the World Tag Team champions triumph again?
• Harley Race will go one-on-one with “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez! Gomez defeated Race by countout back in October in Evansville when challenging Race for his then-World championship. The results of this match could have an impact on upcoming World title shots for “Wildfire” Tommy Rich!
• Another tag team rival will roll on when The Fantastics face John and Chris Tolos! Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton are still hoping for their first win in tag team competition over the former World Tag Team champions. Will this be the week?
• Two masked enemies will collide when The Patriot faces Doctor X! Patriot was triumphant over X and Ivan Koloff in a Triangle Match at New Year’s Knockout XV to earn his shot at the World title in a few weeks in Memphis. He defeated X by disqualification in the deciding fall when Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian stormed the ring and ambushed the masked American. Give the Patriot credit for taking on this tough battle prior to his World title shot. Can the Patriot gain some revenge for the New Year’s Eve attack or will X mark the spot?
• Speaking of Ivan Koloff, “The Russian Bear” will have a huge match-up when he faces the World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich in a non-title bout! Koloff is the only wrestler to have decisively beaten Rich so far in the USWA, which he achieved last month in Radcliff, KY, thanks in large part to help from the World Tag Team champions Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine, as well as Koloff’s own chain! Rich is coming out with guns blazing! Lance Russell asked him about Jimmy Valiant’s comments on Championship Wrestling about Rich having to be convinced to wrestle in his home territory and Rich called that a “bunch of crap”! He said that he would deal with Valiant later but this week, he’s got a war to settle with “The Russian Bear”! Can Rich avenge his loss or will Koloff go 2-0 against the champ?
• In the first of two big title bouts, Luke Harper will put the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship on the line against “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo! Fargo has scored two wins in title bouts against the big Nebraskan but has not left with the title. He remains undefeated since debuting in the USWA last spring. Harper has been an impressive champion but has yet to beat Fargo. Can Harper end Fargo’s winning streak or will Fargo end Harper’s impressive title reign?
• The main event will be for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship, as “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will put the title on the line against Mad Dog Vachon! Vachon earned the shot by winning the 20-man Gauntlet Match at New Year’s Knockout in Lexington by eliminating 12 other wrestlers! The Algerian brawler has been World Tag Team champion twice with his brother Butcher but has yet to hold any singles gold in the USWA. Danielson has been an amazing champion in his third reign, currently at fourth place overall for most defenses in the history of the Southern title with eight. A successful defense against Vachon would tie him for third place with “Classy” Freddie Blassie’s second reign from March 2016 to January 2017. Given his dominant performance on New Year’s Eve, you know that the Mad Dog has a taste for gold. Can Vachon continue his impressive ways or will Danielson make history once again?

All these great bouts, plus The Heavenly Bodies take on The Flying Redheads! Also, “Exotic” Adrian Street in action, plus the USWA debut of Frogman LeBlanc!

[Cory Olson]

January 28, 2019
Card #571: Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga

1) Frogman LeBlanc made a successful USWA debut with a pinfall on Gene Spurlock in 26 minutes. The Chattanooga fans gave LeBlanc a nice welcome. Spurlock looked like he might spoil LeBlanc’s debut, as he wore him down and scored a near fall midway through the bout. LeBlanc fought back and hit a nice hip toss on Spurlock. He followed that up with a big splash and picked up the 1-2-3. ***

2) The Heavenly Bodies were victorious via countout over The Flying Redheads. Red Bastien and Billy Red Lyons kept Dr. Tom Prichard in the ring for several minutes. “The Doctor of Desire” finally tagged out to Chris Candido, who went to work on Lyons. Candido threw Lyons out of the ring, then executed a baseball slide. As Tom Branch warned “The Suicide Blonde,” Mr. Hughes delivered a clothesline on Lyons outside the ring. Bastien saw this and went to help his partner but could not get him back in by the count of 10. Branch called for the bell after 12 minutes of action and awarded the bout to the Bodies. The Chattanooga fans berated the Bodies, Hughes, and Jim Cornette with boos as they returned to the locker room! ***¼

3) “Exotic” Adrian Street scored a submission win over Mike Jackson. Jim Cornette and Mr. Hughes were not initially present with the British glam rocker, as they had just returned to the back from the previous match, and perhaps were wanting to avoid angry fans! The former SCW Alabama Jr. Heavyweight champion Jackson fought hard against Street and scored a near fall at about the four-minute mark. This brought out Cornette and Hughes and “The Louisville Slugger” yelled out encouragement to Street. Street capitalized on a mistake by Jackson and scored some near falls. He locked in a Cobra Clutch and brought Jackson down to the mat. Sam Platania checked Jackson’s arm and it dropped three times, giving Street the win after 10 minutes. ***

4) The World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeated Eddie and Doug Gilbert by disqualification after six minutes. The Gilberts double teamed “The Crippler” and it looked as if they would get a win over the champs. Stevens bailed out of the ring for a breather near the First Family team’s corner, where he had a consultation with Valentine and Jimmy Hart. In consulting with them, Hart handed Stevens the megaphone. Doug came out after Stevens. Stevens tried to use the megaphone but Doug intercepted it and cracked Stevens over the head. Unfortunately for the Gilberts, Tommy Marlin saw this action and called for the bell, disqualifying the Gilberts. Stevens, Valentine, and Hart began to celebrate as they got their arms raised but then attacked the Gilberts! Eddie and Doug battled back and threw “The Hammer” out of the ring. They then executed a spike piledriver, a move the champions like to use, on Stevens! The Gilberts returned to the back, while Hart and Valentine checked on Stevens. He was able to walk to the back but was favoring his neck. ½*

5) Another First Family of Wrestling member Harley Race was victorious as well, also in controversial fashion, with a pinfall on Pepper Gomez. “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart didn’t initially come to the ring with Race, as he was probably tending to Ray Stevens’ condition in the locker room. “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” took advantage of this, as he ran wild on the three-time former World champion. He scored some near falls on Race. Hart came out about eight minutes into the bout. Race took control and hit the vertical suplex and the piledriver but Gomez kicked out of two separate pin attempts. Race went up to the second turnbuckle and hit the diving head butt, which busted open the Mexican superstar. Race made a cover but Gomez kicked out again. Gomez rallied back and had control. He sent Race out of the ring with a big right hand. Seeing his charge in trouble, Hart jumped up on the ring apron and distracted Tom Branch. Ed “Strangler” Lewis came over to threaten Hart. Meanwhile, Gomez went after Race on the other side of the ring. The Missouri native grabbed a steel chair from ringside and smashed Gomez with it. He then tossed the former Southern and Mid-America champ back into the ring and delivered a second piledriver. Race covered the bloodied Gomez. Branch turned around from the managers’ skirmish and counted the pinfall after 17 minutes. Hart’s involvement turned the tide in two matches in a row! ****

6) The Fantastics got their first tag team win over John and Chris Tolos. The Canadian brothers double teamed and pummeled Bobby Fulton for the first few minutes and looked as if they would get another win. With the fans and Tommy Rogers rooting him on, Fulton held on. He capitalized on a mistake by John and wore him down. He tagged to Rogers and the Fantastics hit the Rocket Launcher. Rogers covered John and Fulton stopped Chris with a dropkick, so the Fantastics got the pin after five minutes. The Chattanooga fans went wild for their first win over their rivals! **¾

7) The Patriot got a relatively quick pinfall win over Doctor X. The masked American came out strong against his masked rival and dominated much of the action. He went up to the top and came off with the Patriot Missile to score the pinfall after four minutes. The two-time former World champion didn’t have much time to celebrate, as Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian stormed the ring, as they did at New Year’s Knockout XV. They attacked the Patriot from behind, knocking him to the mat. Barbarian stomped his boot, perhaps loading it up, and stomped away on the Patriot’s knee. X recovered and worked over the same knee, before applying the figure-four leglock. Patriot was in a lot of pain. Suddenly, Eddie and Doug Gilbert and Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson ran to the ring to run off the four rulebreakers. X and his allies quickly retreated. The Gilberts and Danielson checked on the masked American and his knee was in a lot of pain. They helped him to his feet and had to help him back to the locker room. ¾*

8) World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich gained a measure of revenge by defeating “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff in a non-title bout. Rich controlled much of the action here, wanting revenge for his first USWA loss. Rich appeared to have Koloff beaten with the sleeper but Sir Oliver Humperdink distracted Tom Branch. Rich stayed in control and sent Koloff into the ropes. He caught him on the rebound with the Thesz Press and earned the 1-2-3 after five minutes. The Chattanooga fans gave the World champ a big ovation for his win! ¼*

9) “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo finally captured the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship by pinning Luke Harper after 10 minutes in a bloody match. The fans were buzzing for this bout. Harper had the early advantage and scored some near falls after the big boot. Fargo took control and brawled with the champion outside the ring, slamming his head into the announcers’ table, right in front of Lance Russell and Dave Brown, and busting him open. Fargo had Harper in trouble and got him up for the atomic drop. He hit the move and then went for a cover. Suddenly, Harper’s employer “The Monday Night Messiah” Tyler Black showed up at ringside and started to enter the ring. Fargo saw him before Sam Platania did and went after the Iowan outside the ring. Black struck Fargo with a jumping knee strike, which Platania didn’t see because of the quick nature of Black’s appearance. Fargo was bloodied from the move. Black tossed Fargo back into the ring and then slid a steel chair into the ring. Black got up on the apron to distract Platania, while a wounded Harper went for the chair. Suddenly, Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson was back out at ringside again, this time to pull Black off the apron! He nailed Black with forearms, then hit a suplex on the floor! Platania had his attention diverted to the brawl at ringside and didn’t see Harper and Fargo on their feet with Harper ready to hit Fargo with the chair. Fargo dodged the shot and booted Harper in the stomach. He then grabbed the chair and smashed Harper across the back with it! The big Nebraskan dropped to the mat. Fargo slid the chair back out of the ring and covered Harper, yelling to Platania to turn around. Platania did and counted the pinfall. The Chattanooga fans erupted at Fargo capturing the title and ending Harper’s six-month reign! Danielson jumped in the ring and celebrated with Fargo! They were joined by Eddie and Doug Gilbert, Pepper Gomez, and the Fantastics! ***½

10) After the pre-main event intermission, Bryan Danielson was back again, this time to put the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship on the line against Mad Dog Vachon. Vachon had earned this title by winning the 20-man Gauntlet Match at New Year’s Knockout in Lexington by eliminating 12 other wrestlers. Vachon started off aggressively against the champ but Danielson rebounded. He wore down Vachon and got him on the mat into the LeBell Lock in the center of the ring. The Algerian brawler looked ready to tap but Doctor X, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian hit the ring and attacked Danielson! Tommy Marlin called for the bell and disqualified Vachon after 10 minutes, causing Danielson to retain the Southern Heavyweight title and putting him at a tie for third place for the most defenses of the Southern title. There was little time to celebrate the milestone, as Vachon recovered and joined his allies in an ambush on the champ. Before they could deliver too much damage, Eddie and Doug Gilbert were back out and were joined this time by the new Mid-America Heavyweight champion Jackie Fargo. The three fan favorites came into the ring with chairs and sent Vachon and his crew flying. The Gilberts and Fargo checked on the Southern champ, who was ready to go after Vachon and his allies but cooler heads prevailed! Marlin handed Danielson the Southern title belt, raised his hand in victory, and Danielson was able to enjoy somewhat his accomplishment! **½

[TTX]

Go Frogman and congrats to The Fabulous One himself for winning the Mid-America title.

[bookerbill]

Some crazy southern action from Chattanooga with lots of mayhem and a big title change. Cannot wait to see what the fallout is going to be.