New Fed: Universal Wrestling Alliance-Updated 5/31

[soulsearcher33]

I'm a new LOW promoter starting his first fed using a combination of LOW originals and bootlegs, and I just finished the first edition of the Friday night TV show, which for now is called WrestleFire unless/until I think of something I like better. The first two house shows are booked as well and the early focus is on the 32-man Tournament of Champions, which will decide three of the initial singles champions at the Night of Champions PPV, the UWA World Heavyweight Champion, the UWA US Champion, and the UWA TV champion. Instead of holding separate tournaments for every championship, the final 8 men here will all have a chance at three titles. The quarterfinal losers will be placed in matches at the second Friday WrestleFire show with the two winners facing each other for the TV title at Night of Champions two nights later. The two semifinal losers will wrestle for the US Title at Night of Champions, and the semifinal winners will of course compete for the UWA World Championship in the Night of Champions main event. The first 4 matches of the tourney were held on the TV show(results below) and the two house shows(one from Charlotte NC and the other from Los Angeles CA) will finish the first round.

Two other championships will be decided at Night of Champions; the UWA Tag Team Championship and the UWA International Champion. The International title will be awarded to the winner of an 8-man tournament beginning after the first two house shows. Definitely competing for the International Title will be Antonio Inoki, Mil Mascaras, Konnan, The Mountie, Tiger Mask, and Jushin Liger. Others who could fill the final two slots include Ivan or Nikita Koloff, Tito Santana, and the Belgian Brawler. Initially I'm planning on having this belt be contended for by non-Americans. I'll see how things work out and I may open it up to everyone later. To decide the tag titles I'm having eight teams battle for the right to face the Road Warriors and the Midnight Express. Definitely among those eight teams are the Armstrongs, the Killer B's, Masked Superstar and Super Destroyer, Dennis Condrey and Buff Bagwell, and the James Gang. Other possibilities include Ivan and Nikita Koloff, Playboy Buddy Rose with either Ray Stevens or Tom Prichard, and Ole and Arn Anderson.

Here are the results from the first Wrestlefire TV show, a special three-hour broadcast from Birmingham AL(my hometown.)

Rocky Johnson vs Playboy Buddy Rose
This was my first ever match and an intro to the weird ways a match can go when you're rolling the dice. Johnson totally dominated the match with armdrags and dropkicks and an occasional punch. Then, after not having rolled on offense the entire match, Rose caught Johnson with a knee after Johnson threw him into the ropes and tried to backdrop him. Then Rose bodyslammed the obviously surprised and shaken Johnson and pinned him at the 6:01 mark. It was my first match and I was already tempted to disregard the result because it struck me as a lame finish, but I figured someone could score a quick pin like that and it sets up Johnson demanding a rematch down the road.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Kerry Von Erich vs Rick Rude
This turned out to be by far the longest and most competitive match of the show with the advantage changing hands several times. Late in the match Von Erich caught Rude in a sleeper, Rude escaped, then Von Erich re-applied the sleeper and Rude escaped again. Unfortunately for Rude he was worn down by the ordeal and moments later Von Erich landed a Discus Punch and scored the pin after 22:30 of action. Von Erich moves on to face the winner of Ric Flair vs Tito Santana.

The Road Warriors vs The Mountie and Dr Tom Prichard
I booked this looking for a fairly easy win for the Warriors in their first UWA match and that's pretty much what I got. After limited offense from the Mountie/Prichard duo Hawk gained control, then tagged Animal and they hit a Doomsday Device on Prichard and pinned him after 7:33.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Mil Mascaras vs The Iron Sheik
Another competitive match that featured multiple near falls, with the Iron Sheik barely kicking out after Mascaras Flying Bodypress and Mascaras also rolling just one number above his PIN rating twice. Finally, after the Iron Sheik landed a kick with his loaded boot and a piledriver he locked Mascaras in the Camel Clutch and got the submission at 13:22.

Dan Severn vs Konnan
This match was very surprising and another lesson in how strange the roll of the dice can be. Severn never once got in any offense while Konnan basically ran through his entire Level 3 move set and then forced a submission with the Tequila Sunrise in an unexpected 5 minute squash. This one also screams rematch...

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Bruiser Brody vs Larry Zbyszko
This was another very good match that was fast paced with a lot of brawling in and out of the ring and several high impact maneuvers. Brody showed amazing resilience when Zbyszko hit him with a piledriver and Brody kicked out, then Zbyszko immediately picked him up for another piledriver and Brody kicked out again. Brody ultimately picked up the pinfall at 10:08 with the Jumping Knee Drop.

WrestleFire Main Event
UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Greg Valentine vs Diamond Dallas Page
This match didn't live up to the main event spot as Valentine was in control much of the way. DDP did have one shot at reversing a Valentine move into the Diamond Cutter but the dice wouldn't cooperate. Valentine wins at the 8:43 mark when he locks in the Figure Four and gets the submission. Valentine will face the winner of Hulk Hogan vs Justin Credible in the second round.

Other first round tournament matchups are Harley Race vs Rob Van Dam, Nick Bockwinkel vs Raven, Bret Hart vs Magnificent Muraco, Bob Backlund vs The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Dusty Rhodes vs Cowboy Bob Orton Jr, King Kong Bundy vs Stan Hansen, Curt Hennig vs Magnum TA, Jimmy Snuka vs Tully Blanchard, Ricky Steamboat vs Arn Anderson, and Nikita Koloff vs Sabu. If things work out the way I planned them the semifinal matches would be Bret Hart vs Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race, but after 9 matches I certainly see that the dice can have other ideas.

In addition to the already mentioned titles I'll have a Cruiserweight/Light Heavyweight division but maybe not right away. There are several people in the first Legends of the Future set(Quackenbush, Castognoli, Delirious) who could compete in that and I may wait awhile until I introduce some more of them. There are so many freakin' guys to use(I have all the LOW original sets sans Legends of the Future 2 + selected boots) that it's a bit overwhelming to figure out the who, what, and when of using them. I'm also planning on adding a Super Heavyweight Champion for the 300+ pounders when I start mixing in some of the bootlegs of bigger guys like Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, Bam Bam Bigelow, Vader, Kamala, Yokuzuna, and the upcoming Legends Original card of the One Man Gang.

You also may have noticed that I haven't got some of the older guys like Gotch, Hackenschmidt, Strangler Lewis, Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and so on in the tournament. I'm planning to introduce them slowly and keep them on the low and midcard level, denying them the opportunity to compete for the titles and in the main event level matches. In reality I'm doing it because these are all people I've never really seen wrestle and I want to play with them a bit and see how much I like using them, but I decided to also work that as an angle within the fed where I'm forcing them to show their worth and earn my respect so they can move up the card. The way I'm currently seeing this play out is with them getting their own UWA Legends Championship and possibly their own TV show and also maybe being mixed into the competion for the other titles as well if I enjoy using them enough. Or I could decide I hate them all and stop using them altogether. I'm guessing that with this game, like WWE Creative, that sometimes you plan an angle and start working it and then decide you don't like it and it disappears. I've got several more ideas but that's enough babbling for one post. I'm looking forward to developing my first fed and glad to be a part of the LOW family...

[marktaggart]

Hello and welcome to the "LOW universe" (hey, if they can have a universe why can't we?).

The roll of the dice can make your plans go out the window in a hurry, as you saw with this show, but it makes it more fun to think on your feet. When you start playing this way the game almost feels like an organic thing, like it changes and reacts to you even though it's just dice and paper. Depending on which Von Erich bootleg you used, Kerry and Rude is always an awesome match. Rose winning the way he did actually makes a lot of sense and makes it easy to book something off of that fluke win. The upset of the night was easily Iron Sheik (or anyone) beating Mil Mascaras.

[korgano]

Soul33.. Great job enjoyed it a lot..Keep up the good work.

[soulsearcher33]

May 26, 2009 16:25:12 GMT -5 @marktaggart said:

Hello and welcome to the "LOW universe" (hey, if they can have a universe why can't we?).

The roll of the dice can make your plans go out the window in a hurry, as you saw with this show, but it makes it more fun to think on your feet. When you start playing this way the game almost feels like an organic thing, like it changes and reacts to you even though it's just dice and paper. Depending on which Von Erich bootleg you used, Kerry and Rude is always an awesome match. Rose winning the way he did actually makes a lot of sense and makes it easy to book something off of that fluke win. The upset of the night was easily Iron Sheik (or anyone) beating Mil Mascaras.

Sounds like you've used these cards enough to get to know them pretty well. It also sounds like Mil Mascaras is a tough customer and will have a great shot at the International Title. I used the Von Erich bootleg that I found at the LOW Bootlegs Yahoo group. It was in a file with cards of Kevin and David Von Erich and Iceman Parsons. I don't know how many there are or how to better identify it, but it worked out pretty well. With Rose and Johnson I'm seeing Johnson wanting a rematch and Rose dodging him a bit(saying he's already beaten him and has nothing to prove by doing it again), maybe making him get a partner and beat Rose and Ray Stevens to get a singles rematch. A program between the two of them won't be headlining any shows but gives me a little heat on the lower end of the card right off the bat.

[soulsearcher33]

May 26, 2009 17:06:29 GMT -5 korgano said:

Soul33.. Great job enjoyed it a lot..Keep up the good work.

Thanks dude. I'm hoping to get in the first house show tonight or tomorrow and report on it. I've been reading some of the other feds and having more colorful and detailed reports. There are some pretty creative folks here...

[Spider Kid]

That was a very good show, I was happy to see Buddy Rose get his win over Mil. Also I like seeing Kerry Von Erich get his hand raised. Good Luck with your promotion.

[soulsearcher33]

The first house show is now complete and six more grapplers are into the second round of the Tournament of Champions. Here are the results...

UWA Tournament of Champions House Show
Charlotte NC

Koko B. Ware vs Brutus Beefcake
Koko took Beefcake by storm early and dominated with dropkicks and headbutts. Beefcake gained the advantage but then shortly afterward the action spilled out of the ring and a wild brawl ensued on the floor, and Beefcake was disqualified after 8:12.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Jimmy Snuka vs Tully Blanchard
Snuka took the early advantage but Blanchard then took over and after a short bit of brawling he quickly went to the Slingshot Suplex and picked up the win via pinfall at the 5:07 mark. Very surprising outcome here...

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Sabu vs Nikita Koloff
Sabu opened up the match on offense and unloaded with high impact maneuvers, including 2 Air Sabu's. But Koloff was able to weather the early storm and take the advantage. Koloff then attacked Sabu with clubbing forearms, punches, and a chokehold. He then was able to force a submission with a Russian Bear Hug after 10:18.

Hacksaw Duggan vs Nikolai Volkoff
This was a highly competitive match with many counters, by far the most times so far that the wrestlers fought back with their defensive rolls. After 12:21 Volkoff locked Duggan in a Russian Bear Hug and forced him to quit. The Russians were really squeezing the competition tonight.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Bob Backlund vs Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase
Backlund totally dominated this match, early with scientific maneuvers and then going to the sleeper three times. Dibiase was resilient but finally succumbed the second time he was locked in the Chickenwing Crossface at 11:37. Backlund will now face Tully Blanchard, who has already scored a surprising win over Jimmy Snuka.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Dusty Rhodes vs Cowboy Bob Orton
This battle of western tough guys was the longest and best match of the night. Orton got in his share of offense with backbreakers and shoulderbreakers. Rhodes countered with two Bionic Elbows and ultimately got the pin at 17:23 after a Running Lariat. Dusty moves on to face the Iron Sheik in the second round...

Six Man Tag Match
Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, and Rikidozan vs Abdullah the Butcher, The Sheik, and Ox Baker
I was expecting a lot more than I got out of this one. Inoki started against Baker and Baker took the early advantage. After Baker beat Inoki down briefly he tagged in Abdullah, who immediately attacked Inoki with a foreign object and threw him out of the ring. That's where the momentum shifted as Inoki slammed Abby to the concrete and rolled him back into the ring. He tagged in Baba, who landed a series of Baba Chops and went for the pin. Abby kicked out strongly(rolling a 12) but then Baba hit him with a Neckbreaker Drop that knocked all the starch out of the Bad Man from the Sudan and Baba pinned him after only 6:57. This one isn't over though, as Abdullah and The Sheik will set their sights on Baba while Inoki moves on to compete for the International Title.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Don Muraco
Muraco gained the early advantage but after a few moves and counters Hart took over and dominated the remainder of the match. Muraco gamely absorbed a lot of punishment, kicking out after a Superplex and once escaping the Sharpshooter, but Bret's determined attack continued. Hart continued to unleash high impact maneuvers and even a couple of stomps to the groin, then after a backbreaker he locked on the Sharpshooter for a second time and Muraco submitted at the 11:54 mark. Hart will now face the Russian Nightmare Nikita Koloff in the second round of the tournament.

UWA Tournament of Champions First Round Match
Tito Santana vs Ric Flair
Flair had the North Carolina crowd largely in his corner in this match. Santana made the first move, throwing Flair into the ropes, but Flair floored him with a shoulder tackle and was off to the races. Flair laid in a string of chops, reddening Santana's chest. He then threw Santana into the ropes, Santana leap frogged him, but Flair backdropped him when he came back off. Flair then landed a series of knee and elbow drops and slapped Santana in the Figure Four. Santana was able to survive Flair's finisher, but then Flair pulled out another signature move, going for a pin and using the ropes for leverage. That was the end of the line for Santana as Flair got the victory after 8:47. Flair's next opponent is Kerry Von Erich in the second round.

So the second round of one half of the UWA Tournament of Champions bracket is filled, with the next house show in Los Angeles CA set to fill out the other half. This card was a bit of a letdown with short and often one-sided matches, but I guess that's going to happen when the dice are calling the shots. The Four Horsemen are happy though, as their quest to gain all the gold is in good shape. Flair and Blanchard are through to the second round and could be joined by Arn Anderson, who faces off against Ricky Steamboat in LA. If Arn loses, he'll join Ole Anderson to go for the tag titles.