LOW - Legends of Wrestling

[Pariah]

Really enjoyed the interview segments with Andre and Dillon... Personal touches that really make your multi-promotional league stand out... Great stuff!

[Crimson Cross]

I really like your storytelling for your IWA and I look forward to how your new IWA will flow once all is set. I loved the Coal Miner match with Dutch and him winning is fitting, plus its cool seeing the bWo winning their match...

[bookerbill]

Really excellent way of booking to reduce your game playing load. Looking forward to see how the merger works out.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah, Crimson and Bookerbill. I love both CHIKARA and ROH but I was getting burnt out running both. I also wanted to add other feds like Evolve and realized that it would be way too many territories to run so I came up with the IWA merging all three groups plus the other indy sets. It will be a hybrid of various indy groups and I am really looking forward to starting it up at the end of this game year. I recently ordered Evolve and the first CWFH set to expand the talent roster I will draw from in creating the IWA roster.

[cruefan68]

LOW Northern Wrestling Corporation - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY (Card #852)

1) Naptown Dragons defeated Heartbreak Express:
The stars of LOW All-Star Wrestling were featured in the opening bout as the Heartbreak Express (Fabulous Phil Davis & Superstar Sean Davis) faced the Naptown Dragons (“Die Hard” Dustin Lee & Scotty Vortekz). The cult favorite Heartbreak Express had MSG rocking as they hit the ring and went to town on the Dragons. Early offense included them hitting the drop toe hold and big splash on Lee who felt all 320-pounds of Sean come crashing down on him. The Dragons would fight back and it was Sean who paid the price as they laid him out with Kiss of the Dragon, a combination Mafia Kick and Neckbreaker, with Lee covering him for the pin.

2) Dick Hutton defeated Johnny Rodz:
The talented Dick Hutton, a former three-time NCAA champion and a competitor in freestyle wrestling in the Olympic Games, took on “The Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz appearing courtesy of LOW All-Star Wrestling. Hutton showed off his great technique in this bout using such moves as the fireman’s carry, side salto and the Cowboy backbreaker. Rodz battled back at points but was unable to mount a serious offensive and Hutton scored the pin on him with an Oklahoma Sideroll.

3) Afa, Jr. defeated Ken Doane:
The intense rivalry between the Samoan Island Tribe (Alofa & Samu) and The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) has also grown to include Afa, Jr. for the SIT and Ken Doane, the new flag bearer of the New Zealand-based Sheepherders. Doane entered waving the colors of Butch and Luke who were not in attendance as the latter is recovering from injuries suffered at the hands of the SIT. Afa, Jr., nicknamed the “Samoan Storm”, also entered alone with the SIT choosing to stay out of it. Both men went at it at a furious pace looking to score a victory. Afa, Jr. hit Lights Out, a back suplex dropped into a neckbreaker, for a big near fall with Doane able to get his foot on the ropes. Doane struck back with the jumping elbow ram and a pin using the tights for a near fall. He also bailed out of the ring a few times resulting in Afa, Jr. following for some hard hitting exchanges. In the end it was Afa, Jr. hitting Lights Out for the third time in the match and he rolled over on top of Doane to score the pin.

4) Jerry Lynn defeated George Steele:
The popular Jerry Lynn, a former LOW Junior Heavyweight champion, had a tall order going against the maniacal George “The Animal” Steele. He did what he knows best and utilized his speed to his advantage stunning “The Animal” before delivering a triple execution of the German suplex. Steele didn’t know what hit him and Lynn followed with a top rope huracanrana and a DDT to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Lynn scored a huge win while Steele assaulted a turnbuckle. Fred Blassie, the manager of Steele, then hit the ring and jumped Lynn from behind. Steele joined in and it was two-on-one before Ilio DiPaolo hit the ring to even the odds. All four men brawled as LOW officials did their best to clear the ring. Blassie and Steele retreated with DiPaolo and Lynn in hot pursuit. This added fuel to the fire as DiPaolo and Blassie were set to meet in a one-on-one match later on the card.

5) Stars & Stripes defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik:
The first-ever meeting between Stars & Stripes (The Patriot & Marcus Alexander Bagwell) and Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik had the crowd at a fever pitch as the four men entered the arena. Patriot and Bagwell were waving Old Glory while Volkoff and Sheik carried the Russian and Iranian flags respectively to the ring. Fred Blassie was not at ringside for Volkoff and Sheik due to being otherwise occupied. The action was pretty intense throughout and the latter stages of the match saw both teams fighting hard for a victory. Volkoff took the upper hand on The Patriot blasting him with a boot to the face and locking on the powerful Russian Bearhug. The crowd got behind The Patriot who fought out of it and blasted Volkoff square on the jaw with a standing dropkick. He went for the cover and got a big near fall while an alert Bagwell cut off a save attempt by the Iron Sheik. A short time later it was Bagwell tagging in and catching a stunned Volkoff with a Cross Body Block to score the pin picking up a huge win for Stars & Stripes. The Patriot and Bagwell waved the U.S.A. flag post-match as an irate Volkoff and Sheik retreated to the locker room.

6) Fred Blassie defeated Ilio DiPaolo:
The earlier hostilities involving Ilio DiPaolo, Jerry Lynn, Fred Blassie and George “The Animal” Steele were fresh on everyone’s minds as this match was about to get underway. Blassie, a two-time LOW World Heavyweight champion and acting manager of Steele, Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik, did not want to wait and attacked DiPaolo as ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta was introducing them. DiPaolo couldn’t even get his ring jacket off as Blassie assaulted him with punches and kicks. The referee called for the bell to start the match as Blassie used his razor sharp teeth to bite DiPaolo and then executed a Roll-Up using the ropes for leverage to score a quick pin. The crow jeered the decision as a furious DiPaolo argued with the referee over the controversial finish.

7) Antonino Rocca, Bobo Brazil, & Tony Atlas defeated Killer Kowalski, The Warlord, & One Man Gang:
A huge six-man tag team grudge match saw the popular trio of Antonino Rocca, Bobo Brazil, & “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas take on the Captain Lou Albano-led team of Killer Kowalski, The Warlord, & One Man Gang. Albano had his men primed and ready for this one and they dominated early pounding away on Rocca preventing him from making a tag. That included both Kowalski using the Kowalski Claw and The Warlord using the crushing Full Nelson on him for submission chances. Rocca was finally able to tag out and a big hammer punch by Brazil on OMG led to a pin attempt and set off a six-way brawl as Kowalski and The Warlord ran in to make the save. The referee had a hard time getting order restored and subsequent action saw the match going out to the floor several times. Late in the battle it looked to be over as The Warlord trapped Atlas in the Full Nelson but somehow “Mr. USA” was able to escape to a big pop from the crowd. The closing moments saw Rocca stun OMG with a missile dropkick setting up Brazil who nailed the 495-pound behemoth with the Coco Butt to score the pin. The crowd went crazy as did Albano who staggered around ringside talking to himself while Kowalski, The Warlord, and OMG bailed out of the ring.

8) Frank Gotch defeated The Sheik by DQ:
Few will forget the night that The Sheik captured the LOW World Heavyweight title as it came at the expense of Frank Gotch in this very building (Card #767). Going into this match one had to think that Gotch was looking for some revenge and The Sheik, accompanied by his manager Abdullah Farouk, was going to do all that he could to prevent that. This was a pretty intense battle which often took place on the outside of the ring which is uncharacteristic for Gotch. After twice surviving the Camel Clutch it was Gotch mounting a furious attack including hitting the Iowa backdrop. The Sheik struck back and again applied the Camel Clutch but Gotch got to the ropes for a break. Another battle on the floor saw The Sheik disqualified snake eyes style as he ran Gotch head first into the ring post several times. Farouk then got on the ring apron and argued with the referee as The Sheik repeatedly struck Gotch over the back with a chair and then applied the Camel Clutch on the floor. A sea of LOW officials raced down as The Sheik cinched the hold on refusing to release it until Farouk gave him the signal. Gotch was seriously hurt in the altercation and will miss at least several weeks of ring time with what was announced as a shoulder and back injury.

9) Andre the Giant defeated Greg Valentine:
The SRO crowd at MSG let out a thunderous roar as the undefeated “Eighth Wonder of the World” Andre the Giant made his way to the ring for this grudge match with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine who was accompanied by his manager Captain Lou Albano. Andre was injured by both Valentine and The Warlord on the last MSG card and has been looking for revenge against them during his recovery time. Valentine was impressive during this bout as he fought tooth and nail against Andre and at one point knocked him out of the ring with the Valentine chops. An attempted bodyslam failed, however, and Andre went on a brutal offensive. He caught Valentine with a bodyslam and press for a near fall and also delivered the headbutt and sitdown splash. Valentine attempted to retreat but was unable to escape the grips of Andre who executed the Turnbuckle Squash and stomped on the fingers of Albano for good measure before dropping down on “The Hammer” to score the pin. It was a huge return win for Andre who not only remains undefeated in LOW competition but gained revenge on one of the men that was responsible for injuring him.

10) LOW World Heavyweight title: Lou Thesz© defeated Cowboy Bob Orton to retain the title:
The main event was a classic with Lou Thesz defending the LOW World Heavyweight title against the challenge of “The Ace” Cowboy Bob Orton. It was the first time in his long career in LOW that Orton received an opportunity to challenge for the LOW World Heavyweight title and a spot he earned due to his recent performances in the NWC. Thesz was on top in the early going and nearly put Orton away after hitting the Greco-Roman Backdrop for a near fall. Orton staged an impressive comeback and hit the piledriver and middle rope splash. He also scored a big near fall with a counter Roll-Up after Thesz missed with a charge into the corner. A suplex counter by Thesz led to him hitting the Thesz Press but somehow Orton kicked out at two. Thesz then hit the move again but Orton got his shoulder up just before the three count drawing great respect from both the champion and the crowd. Orton battled back and caught Thesz on the top rope hitting his trademark Superplex for another big near fall. Thesz was looking to be in trouble when he struck back with a series of dropkicks and then caught a tired Orton with an Airplane Spin covering him for the pin to retain the title. The crowd cheered the victory by Thesz which marked a successful version eight defense of the championship which is the longest since Nick Bockwinkel made twelve title defenses over four years ago, a record that Bockwinkel shares with Mil Mascaras. Orton was dejected over the loss but showed great respect to the champion by shaking hands with him capping off a great night of action at MSG.

[Crimson Cross]

I'm split on who wins between the Dragons & HBX, but it's cool the Dragons won. Too bad Bob Orton lost, but Thesz is a tough Champion. The highlight though is Stars-n-Stripes winning over Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik, plus I can see S&S waving Old Glory...

[bookerbill]

Another solid MSG card.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Crimson and Bookerbill, it is always fun to roll out the MSG cards and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thesz-Orton was a real classic and the dice really went back and forth building to the finish. Next up is some wild action from the SWA...

LOW Southern Wrestling Alliance - Myriad Convention Center - Oklahoma City, OK (Card #853)

1) S.D. Jones defeated Bobby Eaton by DQ:
A wild start to the show saw the popular S.D. “Special Delivery” Jones of LOW All-Star Wrestling take on “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, one-third of the Midnight Express who was accompanied by his manager Jim Cornette. The always outspoken Cornette had a lot to say at ringside and he even got physically involved several times. It was all Eaton during the middle portion of the match including him hitting the top rope elbow. Jones battled back and executed the power bodyslam causing Eaton to bail out of the ring. Jones followed and Eaton, at the urging of Cornette, launched into a wild attack and wound up hitting him several times with a chair resulting in the disqualification decision. Eaton then tossed Jones back in and delivered the Alabama Jam for good measure as a smiling Cornette looked on approvingly. It was a win for Jones but he was left lying in the end. Cornette afterward said that was just an example of what would happen to D-Lo Brown & Kenny King later on.

2) Tommy Rich defeated Bob Roop:
A feature bout saw “Wildfire” Tommy Rich go against former Olympian Bob Roop, the winner of the sixth annual PWI Invitational Cup Tournament. It has been an up and down year for Roop since winning that event and he was hoping to score a big win here. He dominated the early action and had Rich in trouble including scoring a near fall with the gut wrench backbreaker. Rich bounced back with the piledriver before taking the match to the floor where the two men traded blows. Roop took over again and hit a nice suplex and locked on the reverse stepover toehold. Rich fought out and went on a tear which saw him hit the Thesz Press three straight times and the third one was the charm as he got the three count on Roop.

3) Buddy Rogers & J.J. Dillon vs. Blonde Bombers was a No-Contest:
The recent edition of LOW All-Star Wrestling (Card #851) saw it revealed that J.J. Dillon was indeed the new manager of “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, a fact that riled up the now former manager of Rogers in one “Elegant” Eddie Fyne. That led to Fyne challenging Dillon to team up with Rogers against his Blonde Bombers (Chris Candido & Bobby Shane) for this match. Fyne paced nervously in the ring waiting for Rogers and Dillon to enter and when they did they were immediately confronted by Candido and Shane. The crowd was at a fever pitch waiting for the match to begin when suddenly Candido spun around and decked Fyne! Shane followed that up by grabbing the legs of Fyne and dropping a knee into his groin area. Dillon smiled in the corner as Rogers strutted over and proceeded to apply the Figure Four Grapevine on his rival manager. The Bombers threw in some kicks for good measure before Dillon moved in and dropped an elbow on Fyne who writhed in agony as Rogers kept him trapped in the hold. LOW officials rushed into the ring and were able to convince Rogers to release the hold but the damage had been done. Fyne was carried out on a stretcher screaming in pain while Dillon, Rogers, and the Blonde Bombers celebrated in the ring.

It was a classic double cross and the scheduled match never officially got underway. Dillon was confronted by local reporters backstage and said that Fyne was not in his league as a wrestler or manager and he proved that by adding not only Rogers but the Blonde Bombers to his stable as well. He said that Fyne was “history” and that a new era would begin in the SWA promising that he and his new charges would take their rightful spots at the top. For the record it was learned that Fyne had indeed suffered a broken leg and that he will be out of action indefinitely.

4) Magnum T.A. defeated Lord Humongous:
Former LOW World Heavyweight champion Magnum T.A. faced a tough challenge in the form of Lord Humongous, a feared member of the House of Humperdink. It was notable that Sir Oliver Humperdink wasn’t at ringside for Humongous despite being in the building. Humongous was dominant for much of this match including scoring a near submission using the overhead choke. He followed that up with a massive powerslam but then Magnum countered a corner running attack with a knee to the head. Magnum then stunned the big man with a barrage of dropkicks and connected with a stiff Running Forearm to score the pin. It was a shockingly quick finish to the match and both Magnum and the referee quickly bailed out of the ring leaving a raging Humongous inside. LOW officials showed up to escort Humongous to the back in order to prevent possible damage to the ringside area.

5) LOW Junior Heavyweight title: Danny Hodge© defeated Brad Armstrong to retain the title:
Four-time LOW Junior Heavyweight champion Danny Hodge received a huge pop from the crowd in his home state as he defended the title against Brad Armstrong, a former holder of the championship. “Bullet” Bob Armstrong accompanied his son to ringside offering him some advice and shook hands with Hodge before returning to the back. The advantage was traded back and forth in the early going with some great holds and counter holds exchanged. Hodge used the Boston Crab for a submission chance with Armstrong coming back with dropkick scoring a two count. Hodge scored a near fall of his own with a counter roll-up after Armstrong missed a charge in the corner. Armstrong bounced back trapping Hodge in an abdominal stretch going for the submission and quickly followed with a knee lift for a big near fall. Things were looking bad for Hodge until he caught Armstrong with an airplane spin and then connected with a Standing Dropkick to score the pin. It was a successful version one defense of the title against a strong challenge from Armstrong. Both men shook hands after the match drawing big cheers from the crowd.

6) Blackjack Mulligan & Hillbilly Jim vs. Ox Baker & Eddie Gilbert was a DDQ:
Grudge tag team action saw Blackjack Mulligan team up with Hillbilly Jim to go against House of Humperdink members Ox Baker & “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. Sir Oliver Humperdink was in the corner for Baker and Gilbert and the trio received a surprise when Cousin Luke, returning from injury, headed to ringside to back Jim and Mulligan. The referee chose to allow Luke to remain at ringside despite protests from the House of Humperdink. Mulligan and Jim did a great job of controlling the action as they dealt out punishment on Baker while keeping Gilbert on the outside. Mulligan locked on the Claw Hold early with Gilbert making the save. Later it was Jim trapping Baker in the Bearhug which Gilbert broke up by coming off of the top rope with a double axe handle. Baker, after being busted open on the outside, was again trapped in the Bearhug by Jim prompting Humperdink to jump in and break it up with a kendo stick shot. Luke then ran in as well and decked Humperdink which set off a wild brawl ending the match in a double disqualification.

7) Midnight Express defeated D-Lo Brown & Kenny King:
More tag team action featured the popular pairing of D-Lo Brown & Kenny King against two-thirds of the Jim Cornette-led Midnight Express (“Loverboy” Dennis Condrey & “Ravishing” Randy Rose). With Bobby Eaton having competed earlier it was Condrey and Rose pairing up here and they did a great job of dominating the early action. That included Rose scoring a near fall on Rose after hitting the Rose Bomb, a backward splash off of the middle rope. The Express also combined in the Rocket Launcher with Rose scoring a big near fall on King with Brown making a last second save. Brown rallied back against Condrey hitting the swinging side slam, the Shakey, Shakey leg drop and the Lo Down in succession for a near fall. King tagged in and hit the Coronation on Condrey with Rose making the save leading to the finish. Cornette jumped up on the ring apron distracting the referee and dropping his tennis racquet in allowing Rose to nail King with it. Rose then cut off Brown as a recovered Condrey hit the Face First Leg Sweep on King to score the pin. The boastful Cornette vowed to lead the Midnight Express to a fourth LOW World tag team title as he jawed with ringsiders on the way back to the locker room.

8) Texas Death Match: Don Muraco defeated Johnny Valentine:
An incredible main event saw “The Magnificent” Don Muraco and House of Humperdink member Johnny Valentine renew their heated rivalry squaring off in a match held under Texas Death rules. This was a bitter battle from the opening bell and by the end of it both men were bloody and exhausted. Sir Oliver Humperdink came to the ring with Valentine but was sent to the back by the referee before the match got underway. Valentine was dominant early battering Muraco with forearms, chops and elbows. He also whipped him into the barricade on the floor and worked him over with a bearhug. Muraco struck back hitting the falling face slam and took it out of the ring where he dropped Valentine throat first on the guard rail. He attempted to hit the Hawaiian Hammer on the floor but Valentine blocked it and delivered a low blow. He then tossed Muraco back inside and hit the Atomic Skullcrusher for a big near fall. A pivotal moment in the match came when the two men actually fought out of the building and into the parking lot with a throng of fans fallowing along with LOW officials. Valentine attempted to use a car as a weapon but Muraco reversed it and sent him head first into the windshield! Both men had been busted open by that point and as they brawled back into the building and down to the ring it was Muraco regaining control. The finish saw Muraco deliver the Asiatic Spike, driving his taped thumb into the throat of Valentine, which resulted in the pin. Both men were down after the fall and paramedics had to attend to them as the crowd applauded the big win by Muraco.

[Crimson Cross]

I really liked that victory by Don Muraco over Johnny Valentine, it's always cool seeing Muraco win. What a cool pairing of Mulligan & Jim, do you plan on maybe giving them a tag team run with their victory. As always Crue, another fun read...

[cruefan68]

Apr 19, 2015 8:13:58 GMT -5 Crimson Cross said:

I really liked that victory by Don Muraco over Johnny Valentine, it's always cool seeing Muraco win. What a cool pairing of Mulligan & Jim, do you plan on maybe giving them a tag team run with their victory. As always Crue, another fun read...

Thanks for the comments Crimson. I don't have plans to have Blackjack Mulligan & Hillbilly Jim as a regular tag team as Cousin Luke is the regular tag partner for Jim. Mulligan is an ally of the two though I do think him and Jim could make an impressive team based on size alone. Being a huge Muraco fan myself I was also happy to see him win that bout which really could have gone either way.