Cory's USWA

[bookerbill]

Great discussion with Grant on his Podcast.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy and Booker Bill for the comments!

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling from February 2:
• Commissioner Teddy Long had a lot of updates in this show. He announced that a rematch has been signed for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will defend the title against Mad Dog Vachon in the main event on February 18 at the Tupelo Sports Arena! Even though Danielson retained the title last week, you can bet that the champion wants to defeat the Algerian brawler decisively and is willing to put the title on the line again!
• The commissioner also announced that “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo’s first defense of the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship will be against a wrestler who is no stranger to gold—former Southern Heavyweight champion “Exotic” Adrian Street! That bout will take place on the Tupelo card on the 18th. Fargo was interviewed in studio and was congratulated by Lance Russell for winning the gold after so many tries against Luke Harper. Fargo thanked Lance and the fans for their support and said he hopes to hold this gold for a long time! He said that he’s sure Street would want to add some glitter or beads to this belt but Fargo will fight him tooth and nail to prevent that!
• It was announced that World Tag Team champion Ray “The Crippler” Stevens suffered a minor neck injury in the attack by Eddie and Doug Gilbert last week in Chattanooga. Stevens is still expected to team up with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine next week in Louisville and defend the titles against the Heavenly Bodies.
• In other injury news, The Patriot suffered a knee injury in the attack from Doctor X, Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and the Barbarian. The Patriot was interviewed in studio and was in a lot of pain. Lance asked if this meant that the Patriot would have to back out of his match with “Wildfire” Tommy Rich next week in Memphis for the World Heavyweight championship. Patriot said he’s not a quitter and he knows that not everyone gets title matches. He said even if he’s not at 100%, he will do his best against Rich and to make his country proud!
• Coming out of the attack on the Patriot, Commissioner Long announced a huge eight-man tag team match was added to the Louisville Gardens next week, as Mad Dog Vachon, Doctor X, Baron Von Raschke, and The Barbarian will face Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson, new Mid-America Heavyweight champion Jackie Fargo, and Eddie and Doug Gilbert! The fan favorite foursome will be fighting on behalf of the injured Patriot!
• Also added to Louisville, Harley Race will take on a long-time rival Tommy Gilbert!

The USWA comes home to Memphis and the Mid-South Coliseum for the first Memphis card of 2019 on February 4!
• “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez will take on Doctor X! Both of these men are coming off losses last week in Chattanooga and are hoping to get back on track. Will it be the Mexican superstar or the masked Doctor taking home the win?
• Eddie and Doug Gilbert will do battle with Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian in a preview of next week’s huge eight-man tag team battle! While the rulebreakers suffered their first losses as a team this month, they are still a formidable duo. Can the popular Gilbert Brothers score a big win or will “The Clawmaster” and the Barbarian reign supreme?
• Southern Heavyweight champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has vengeance on his mind when he battles the now-former Mid-America Heavyweight champion Luke Harper! Danielson wants to avenge the injury to Colt Cabana that Harper caused and that put the Chicago native out of action indefinitely. Can Danielson bring down the big Nebraskan?
• In a six-man tag team match, The Heavenly Bodies and Mr. Hughes will take on The Uptown Boys and their mystery partner! In an interview on Championship Wrestling, Ric McCord stated that their partner may dislike Cornette more than he and Marty Jannetty! Jannetty said that this man is one of the toughest around and has agreed to return to the USWA to go after Cornette. Who could this man be and will he help the Uptown Boys get the win?
• In a huge main event, “Wildfire” Tommy Rich will defend the USWA World Heavyweight championship against two-time former champion The Patriot! As mentioned, the Patriot is going into this match with a knee injury. That could impact where he is able to lift Rich for power moves such as the Uncle Slam or whether he can climb the ropes for the Patriot Missile. Rich was interviewed as well in the WMC-TV Studios and said that he respects the Patriot a lot for not backing out of this match. He said that he doesn’t feel right not wrestling the Patriot at less than 100% but he is going to do his duty as champion. Can the Patriot pull off a miracle and win the title for a third time or will the champion continue to burn brightly?

All these matches, plus The Fantastics battle Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito! As well as “Exotic” Adrian Street, Frogman LeBlanc, and the first in-ring appearance of “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant under the guidance of Jimmy Hart!

[Cory Olson]

February 4, 2019
Card #572: Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis

1) Frogman LeBlanc picked up his second win, with a pinfall on George South. The Louisiana native hit a high hip toss on South and followed it up with a running big splash before making a cover to get the win in about three minutes. The Memphis gave LeBlanc a nice ovation for his win! DUD

2) “Exotic” Adrian Street defeated S.T. Jones by countout. The British glam rocker controlled much of the action. He knocked “Soul Train” out of the ring with a European uppercut. Street followed Jones and executed a vertical suplex on the Mid-South Coliseum floor. Street rolled back into the ring but Jones could not beat Frank Morrell’s 10-count, so Street won the bout. Jim Cornette was happy with his charge’s win and hopes that Street will be bringing the Mid-America Heavyweight title to their stable in two weeks in Tupelo! ¼*

3) The Fantastics picked up a disqualification win over Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito. Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton gave the House of Humperdink team some headaches in this bout. Frustrated by their lack of success, “The Russian Bear” grabbed his chain from his team’s corner. Sir Oliver Humperdink attempted to distract Paul Neighbors but Neighbors saw Koloff’s action. Koloff wrapped the chain around Rogers’ neck and despite Neighbors’ warnings would not release. Neighbors was left with no choice but to call for the bell and disqualify Koloff and Saito after eight minutes. Fulton grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area and ran off Koloff, Saito, and Humperdink. Rogers was hurting but was more angry than anything else! **½

4) Pepper Gomez picked up a big win over Doctor X in about six minutes. “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” was very focused and scored a few near falls on the masked man. Gomez picked X up into an airplane spin and spun him around several times. He dropped X to the mat and then fell onto X, dizzy himself, into a pinning position. He scored the pinfall much to the delight of the Mid-South Coliseum fans, as well as Ed “Strangler” Lewis! **½

5) The Masked Superstar got a hard-earned victory over Tommy Gilbert. The former Southern champion the Superstar had some near falls against the Gilbert patriarch early on. Gilbert fought back, even hitting the running knee lift. Superstar was down but had the wherewithal to get a foot on the bottom ropes for break. The Superstar capitalized on a mistake from Gilbert and hit the swinging neckbreaker to score the three-count after 14 minutes of action. Sir Oliver Humperdink’s charge continues to impress! ***½

6) Tommy’s sons Eddie and Doug Gilbert picked up a huge tag team win, defeating Baron Von Raschke and The Barbarian. “The Clawmaster” had some early offense against Doug and tagged out to the Barbarian. Doug regained control and the Gilberts kept the big man in the ring for the remainder of the match. Barbarian briefly mounted a comeback but missed a clothesline. Barbarian spun around but got blasted with a superkick and dropped to the mat. Doug went for an immediate cover and scored the pin after 10 minutes! Von Raschke was so surprised by the quick nature of the move, he didn’t have time to make a pin save! The fans went wild for the Gilberts’ big win! **¾

7) In his first appearance as a member of the First Family of Wrestling, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant defeated S.D. Jones. Valiant, accompanied by “The Mouth of The South” Jimmy Hart, entered the ring to his own song “Rocker and Roller.” While Valiant was charismatic as ever, he was cockier and more arrogant than he was as “The Boogie Woogie Man.” He had control of “Special Delivery” and probably could have defeated him with wrestling maneuvers but chose to cheat! Valiant grabbed Jones in a headlock but then pulled some type of stick out of his boot and jabbed it into “Philadelphia’s Favorite Son’s” throat. Jones dropped to the mat and Valiant made a lackadaisical cover to get a pin after six minutes of action! “Handsome” Jimmy did not receive an ovation from the Memphis fans as he had in the past! ¾*

8) Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson earned a submission victory over Luke Harper. Danielson was very impressive here against his larger opponent. “American Dragon” got Harper in the LeBell Lock but Harper managed to get to the ropes. Danielson busted Harper open with a jumping knee strike and got him down on the mat again. Danielson locked on the LeBell Lock a second time and forced Harper to tap after 12 minutes of action. As Frank Morrell called for the bell, Danielson kept Harper in the LeBell Lock. Morrell tried to get the Southern champ off of Harper but Danielson wouldn’t release. Several other USWA officials and referees came down and the champion finally released but he wasn’t finished. He gave Morrell a German suplex and then applied the LeBell Lock on him! Danielson held the move on for nearly a minute before finally releasing. The fans supported “Dragon,” but it was an eerie scene, as both Harper and Morrell had to be helped to the back! **¾

9) Next up was a six-man tag team match. Jim Cornette led his team of The Heavenly Bodies and his bodyguard Mr. Hughes to the ring to face The Uptown Boys and their mystery partner! As Cornette and his team stood in the ring, Marty Jannetty and Ric McCord came out to “Living After Midnight” but stood at ringside to avoid an unfair attack. Gary Michael Cappetta came over to the Uptown Boys. McCord whispered some information to Cappetta, who then announced that making his return to the USWA, was “from Coldwater, MI, weighing 265 pounds, a former USWA World Heavyweight champion Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn!” Severn’s familiar music blared and he entered the Mid-South Coliseum to a big ovation! Fans remember that when Cornette returned to the USWA in March 2016 in Knoxville after a year-plus absence, he brought with him the Bodies, as well as Severn as his new bodyguard! That relationship came to an end at Independence Day Bash in Bowling Green, KY the following year when Cornette fired Severn and had Hughes debut as a surprise as his new bodyguard and attack “The Beast.”

Unfortunately for the Uptown Boys and Severn, Severn did not get to wrestle in his return bout in a year-and-a-half. Both Jannetty and McCord tagged in against the Bodies and Hughes and had some offense. McCord whipped Hughes into the corner and charged in at him. The former Southern champ lifted his dress shoe and blasted McCord in the face with a big boot. Hughes made a cover. Severn and Jannetty had attempted a save but the Bodies cut them off, so Hughes got the pinfall after four minutes. The Bodies, Hughes, and Cornette got their arms raised in victory and then quickly got out of dodge before Severn could get his hands on them! DUD

10) The main event was for the USWA World Heavyweight championship and featured two of the most popular stars in the territory today. Champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich put the title on the line against two-time former champion The Patriot. The Patriot earned this title shot by defeating Doctor X and Ivan Koloff in a Triangle Match on New Year's Eve in Lexington. However, he was going into this match at a disadvantage, as X and his allies attacked his knee after a match between the two last week in Chattanooga. The masked American entered the ring with his knee heavily bandaged. Rich had a look of frustration on his face, not wanting to wrestle the Patriot at less than 100% but also wanting to respect the challenger’s wishes to go on with the match at all.

As the bell rang, Rich offered his hand in sportsmanship to the Patriot and not surprisingly, the Patriot accepted. Rich scored some near falls early on and kept the action largely clean. The Patriot rallied back and hit the Uncle Slam. However, the lifting movement put pressure on the injured knee and the Patriot fell to the mat too. He eventually made a cover but Rich kicked out. He went up to the top and came off with the Patriot Missile. His knee buckled as he came off the ropes and he didn’t quite land with the full impact. He was able to make a cover but again the champ kicked out. Rich battled back and caught the Patriot in the sleeper. The Patriot started to drop and his knee was hurting as he dropped. As Jerry Calhoun was about to check the challenger’s arm, the Patriot battled back to his feet and broke free but was not quite able to get to his feet. Rich went up to the top rope, which he doesn’t do a lot, and came off with a flying body press. The Patriot caught Rich but again, the knee buckled. Rich landed on top, hooked the leg, and made a cover to score the pin after 22 minutes and to retain the title. The fans gave Rich an ovation for the win but also showed respect to the Patriot for his brave performance. Rich helped the masked man to his feet and offered him his hand, which again, the Patriot accepted. The two fan favorites then returned to the locker room together. ***¾

[TTX]

Always enjoy the return of Handsome Jimmy. Go Frogman.

[bookerbill]

Great card Cory and certain worthy of the Mid South Coliseum.

The Dragon snaps! Excellent. Cannot wait to see how this story unfolds.

[neilybob21]

Great card Cory. Two thumbs up.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy, Booker Bill, and Neilybob for the comments!

Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling from February 9:
• Commissioner Teddy Long announced that “Wildfire” Tommy Rich’s next challenger for the USWA World Heavyweight championship will be Harley Race! That bout will main event the March 4 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! Rich was interviewed in the studio and said that he hopes he can repeat his success against Race from New Year’s Knockout XV in Lexington. He said that he also hopes that the commissioner gives the Patriot a rematch when he’s at 100%. He thanked the masked American for a great challenge last week in Memphis and he wished him the best in his recovery!
• The commissioner announced an update following the aftermath of the Bryan Danielson-Luke Harper match from last week at the Mid-South Coliseum. Harper suffered a neck injury from Danielson cranking on the neck while holding him in the LeBell Lock. The former Mid-America champion will be out of action for about three months. Long said that he understands the Southern Heavyweight champion’s outrage for what Harper did to Colt Cabana. However, he cannot attack an official. Because of his actions against Frank Morrell, “American Dragon” has been suspended for three cards! The commissioner stated that while USWA bylaws state that championships must be defended once per calendar month, he does not wish to end Danielson’s title reign like this. After consulting with the USWA Committee, Danielson will be allowed to remain as champion, despite missing his rematch next week against Mad Dog Vachon in Tupelo. Long stated that as part of the punishment, Danielson will defend his Southern Heavyweight title two weeks in a row upon his return. The rescheduled match with Vachon will take place on March 11 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington! The winner will then defend the title on March 18 at Freedom Hall in Johnson City against former champion The Masked Superstar! Danielson’s suspension also throws a wrench into the eight-man tag team match for this coming week at the Louisville Gardens. However, a substitute has been determined. (See Card #573 preview below.)
• Long went on to apologize to the loyal fans in Tupelo for missing out on a Southern championship match. He said that they need a new main event for February 18 and he has already signed a huge tag team match. World Heavyweight champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich will team up with “Superstar” Bill Dundee to face the First Family of Wrestling team of Harley Race and King Kong Bundy! This will be a preview of the World title rematch on March 4 in Nashville!
• The commissioner also announced more big matches for the card at the Tupelo Sports Arena:
o In a rematch from a few weeks ago in Chattanooga, the World Tag Team champions Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will take on Eddie and Doug Gilbert in a non-title grudge match! The Gilberts gave Stevens a spike piledriver after their last match. Jimmy Hart said that “The Crippler” will be coming into this match at 100% and ready for a fight!
o Another big tag team match will see a first-time meeting, as The Fantastics will take on The Heavenly Bodies! Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton have been on a roll since debuting last July at Independence Day Bash in Memphis. This will be quite the test against Jim Cornette’s former World Tag Team champions!
o George South gave a rare interview in studio and said that he wants to get back into tag team competition. He said that he is bringing in a new wrestler who has become famous through WTBS and Georgia Championship Wrestling and that is Keith Steinborn! While Steinborn certainly is well known from the nationally broadcasted Georgia Championship Wrestling, his win-loss record is not the best. But he is a crafty competitor and he and South could surprise wrestling experts! Steinborn will make his USWA in-ring debut in Tupelo in a singles bout and then he and South will team up for the first time on March 4 in Nashville!
o Dan “The Beast” Severn was interviewed in studio. Lance Russell welcomed him back to the USWA. Severn thanked Lance and said it was great to be back here. He said that despite the disappointing outcome last week in the six-man tag team match in Memphis, he thanked the Uptown Boys for reaching out to him. He said that he does plan to battle all of Jim Cornette’s men but is most looking forward to getting at the man who replaced him as Cornette’s bodyguard—Mr. Hughes! Severn said that he will be back in action next week in Tupelo!

The USWA returns to the Louisville Gardens on February 11!
• Dutch Savage will return to action after his Scaffold Match loss to the now-Mid-America champion Jackie Fargo at New Year’s Knockout. He will take on a man on whom he walked out in December—Hugh Morrus of the House of Humperdink! Savage and Morrus teamed up to take on Fargo and Pepper Gomez back in December in Radcliff, KY. Fargo and Gomez came out the winners in a ***** tag team bout, allowing Fargo to pick the Scaffold Match stipulation for New Year’s Eve. Savage blamed Morrus for the loss and wants to shut up the laughing man! Morrus is a capable competitor and won’t be a pushover for Savage. Which brawler will prove tougher in Louisville?
• Harley Race continues his path toward a World title rematch and his battles with the Gilberts. This week, he will face long-time rival Tommy Gilbert! Gilbert has come very close in the past to defeating Race. With the World title on Race’s mind, this could be the week the Gilbert patriarch pulls it off. Can he do it or will Race triumph?
• In a rematch from last week in Memphis, The Fantastics will take on the House of Humperdink team of Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito! “The Russian Bear” and the Japanese Olympian got disqualified last week in Memphis after Koloff used his chain against Tommy Rogers. What will happen this week?
• “Superstar” Bill Dundee will take on his old rival King Kong Bundy! Dundee and Bundy had some wild battles in the past when Bundy donned a red bodysuit and started calling himself Superstar Bundy! Now that Dundee’s former tag team partner “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant is a member of the First Family of Wresting, he has extra reason to fight! Can Dundee defeat the New Jersey giant or will Bundy put him down for the five-count?
• In an eight-man tag team match, the USWA always advertises “card subject to change,” and after this week’s announcement on the suspension of Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson, fans in Louisville will now see Mad Dog Vachon, Doctor X, Baron Von Raschke, and The Barbarian take of Eddie and Doug Gilbert, Mid-America champion Jackie Fargo, and now “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” Pepper Gomez! Gomez and manager Ed “Strangler” Lewis were interviewed in the WMC-TV Studios and Lewis said that Gomez has a lot of respect for Danielson and is happy to take his place, as he has had battles with Vachon and Doctor X in the past. Which quartet of violence will emerge in the end?
• The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team titles. In a first-time meeting, Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will defend the titles against The Heavenly Bodies! Stevens and Valentine have been on an impressive run as champions. “The Doctor of Desire” Tom Prichard and “The Suicide Blonde” Chris Candido had the second longest reign with the titles and would love to win the belts for a second time. Jimmy Hart and Jim Cornette, flanked by Mr. Hughes, were interviewed in studio. They basically said they would stay out of the match this week and let the best team win. They even shook hands but had a hard time releasing the grip. Few wrestling fans and experts believe that the two will actually keep their word! Cornette might have an advantage, being that this match will take place in his hometown. Can the First Family hold on to the titles or will the Bodies end their reign?

All these matches, plus a tag team rivalry continues, when The Flying Redheads face John and Chris Tolos! As well as “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, “Exotic” Adrian Street, Frogman LeBlanc, and more USWA stars in action!

[Cory Olson]

February 11, 2019
Card #573: Louisville Gardens

1) The Amish RoadKill picked up a singles win in the opener, defeating Frogman LeBlanc via countout. LeBlanc took a lot of punishment from “The Angry Amish Warrior” and kicked out of a few pin attempts. RoadKill sent him over the top rope to the floor after a running clothesline and then climbed up the middle part of the ropes, all the way to the top rope. He dove on LeBlanc on the floor with a clothesline and then returned to the ring. LeBlanc was unable to get by Paul Morton’s count of 10, so the chicken plucker got the victory. **¼

2) “Exotic” Adrian Street picked up a pinfall over George South in impressive fashion. Street’s introduction by Louisville’s own Jim Cornette probably took longer than the match itself. Street went right after South and executed a fireman’s carry into a throat drop on the top rope. As South stumbled around, Street took him down to the mat with the crucifix and scored the three-count in 16 seconds. The British glam rocker looked dominant here but he will definitely have a tougher challenge next week in Tupelo when he challenges “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo for the USWA Mid-America Heavyweight championship! DUD

3) Two rival tag teams hooked up once again, as The Flying Redheads defeated The Tolos Brothers in a 25-minute classic. As is often the case when these teams collide, the action was back-and-forth. Red Bastien and John Tolos both wore the “crimson mask,” as Bastien was busted open by John’s corkscrew submission and John ran face-first into the turnbuckle after Bastien’s airplane spin into the atomic drop. Lyons was in trouble late in the match, as John and Chris kept tagging in-and-out. In a desperation move, he dove to the Redheads’ corner and tagged Bastien. The Redheads hit a series of rapid-fire dropkicks on Chris and Bastien made a cover. John attempted to save his brother but got met with a dropkick of his own from Lyons. Bastien scored the three-count and the Louisville fans went wild! ****½

4) “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant scored a quick pinfall on S.T. Jones. Valiant largely dominated “Soul Train.” He slammed Jones hard to the mat and hit the super (no longer Boogie Woogie) elbow. He covered Jones but pulled him up before Paul Morton would have counted three. For good measure, Valiant executed a piledriver on “Soul Train” and then made an arrogant cover, as he did to Jones’s tag team partner S.D. Jones last week in Memphis, to pick up the win after two minutes. Valiant and Jimmy Hart showed each other a lot of love after this victory! DUD

5) Hugh Morrus of the House of Humperdink picked up a big win with a pinfall on the returning Dutch Savage. Savage was aggressive at the start but perhaps underestimated the laughing man, as Morrus took control. He came off the top rope with an elbow drop and covered Savage to score the somewhat surprising pinfall in eight minutes. Sir Oliver Humperdink was definitely pleased with Morrus’ win and Morrus’ face vacillated between anger and laughter! **¾

6) Harley Race continued his path toward a rematch for the World Heavyweight title, as he defeated long-time rival Tommy Gilbert in 14 minutes. As usual, this was a competitive bout with each man picking up some near falls. Race took over control and hit the vertical suplex for a two-count. Race stayed on the offensive and hit the piledriver to score the pinfall. While his rematch for the World title in Nashville is still a few weeks away, Race has a big opportunity next week in Tupelo, when he and King Kong Bundy team up in the main event to battle World champion “Wildfire” Tommy Rich and “Superstar” Bill Dundee! ***

7) The Fantastics gained a measure of revenge by defeating Ivan Koloff and Mr. Saito after 24 minutes in a great tag team bout. Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton had control in the early part of the match, scoring near falls on both “The Russian Bear” and the Japanese Olympian. The House of Humperdink team regained control and caught Rogers in the ring. Koloff used the chain once again that got him disqualified last week in Memphis. It looked as if the rulebreakers would come out the winners until Saito knocked Rogers into the Fantastics’ corner and Rogers tagged Fulton, which Saito didn’t see at first. Saito came over to the corner to go after Rogers but Fulton from the apron grabbed Saito by the back of the head and rammed him into the top turnbuckle. Fulton then came flying over the top rope and caught Saito with a sunset flip from the apron to score the pin. The action happened so quickly that Koloff didn’t have time to try a pin save! The Gardens erupted at the Fantastics’ big win! ****½

8) “Superstar” Bill Dundee rallied back to score a pinfall on King Kong Bundy. The New Jersey giant had control at the start of the match. He hit Dundee with the Atlantic City Avalanche but Dundee managed to kick out of the pin attempt. The Aussie fought back and wore down the big man. Bundy kicked out of several pin attempts but a Superstar Bomb after 25 minutes finally sealed his fate. As Dundee got his hand raised by Louisville native Joe Wheeler, he signaled to Bundy and Jimmy Hart that he’ll see them again next week in Tupelo in the huge tag team main event! ***½

9) Mid-America champion Jackie Fargo, Eddie and Doug Gilbert, and Pepper Gomez scored a victory over the foursome of Doctor X, Mad Dog Vachon, Baron Von Raschke, and The Barbarian in an eight-man tag team match in 11 minutes. Gomez, joined by manager Ed “Strangler” Lewis, was a substitute announced last week on Championship Wrestling for the suspended Southern Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson. X seemed content staying on the ring apron and not tagging into the bout, and in face, that’s what he did! “The Clawmaster” also did not enter the bout, although it appears he just didn’t get a chance. The fan favorites team kept the Barbarian in the ring for the last few minutes of the bout and used their teamwork to wear him down. “The Fabulous” Fargo hit the atomic drop on the big man and scored the pinfall, while the Gilberts and “The Man with The Cast Iron Stomach” kept Vachon and Von Raschke at bay. It was an impressive win for this unique group! *¼

10) The main event was a first-time meeting and a rare match-up between members of Jimmy Hart’s First Family of Wrestling and Jim Cornette’s stable. Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine put the titles on the line against The Heavenly Bodies. The Bodies not only had “The Louisville Slugger” with them but also his bodyguard Mr. Hughes. This ended up being one of the bloodiest matches in USWA history, as Valentine was first, after Tom Prichard’s enzuigiri. Chris Candido got busted open next after a knee smash from Stevens. And Prichard was third after a stiff elbow smash from Valentine. While each team’s manager got involved at one point, distracting Paul Morton, they kept their hands and weapons off each other! Valentine and Prichard were the legal men, when “The Hammer” tagged “The Crippler.” Stevens entered the bout and hit the double underhook suplex on “The Doctor of Desire.” He covered Prichard and scored the pinfall after 34 minutes of action, while Valentine blocked Candido from a save. While the Louisville fans favored the Bodies tonight, possibly because of the connection to Cornette and possibly because they wanted to see a title change, they did appreciate the good effort by both teams in this bloodbath! ***** (NOTE: Prichard finished this match with six fatigue tokens, while Candido and Valentine each had seven!)

[TTX]

Wild finale. Fun to see Dundee best the big man and Harley Race doing his thing.

[bookerbill]

Tag action is setting the USWA on fire! Another solid card Cory.