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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 15, 2020 11:59:48 GMT -5
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on January 11:• The USWA World title and World Tag Team title tournament brackets were updated and shown. USWA World Heavyweight Title Tournament USWA World Tag Team Title Tournament• USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett announced that the tournament for the other sanctioned singles title, the Southern Heavyweight title, will begin on February 7 at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville! Like the World title tournament, the Southern title will be decided in an eight-man single-elimination tournament. All four first-round matches will take place in Knoxville. The semifinals will take place the following week at the Rupp Arena in Lexington and the finals will be held on February 21 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! Jarrett stated that the brackets will be announced on next week’s episode of Championship Wrestling. The USWA comes to the Louisville Gardens on January 17!• While the Valiants are in the finals for the World Tag Team titles next week in Evansville, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant wants revenge for being hit with a Singapore cane. He will get an opportunity when he faces the Sandman one-on-one! Can the New Yorker Valiant stop the Philadelphia brawler? • Harley Race is moving on to the semifinals of the World title tournament next week in Evansville. He will be in non-tournament action this week when he faces Bobo Brazil! Brazil impressed fans with his massacre of Gorgeous George last week in Memphis. A win over Race would certainly put him in line for a shot at the World title in the future after the tournament. Who will win this battle? • “The Legion of Doom” the Road Warriors will face “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Virgil the first-round match in the World Tag Team title tournament. DiBiase picked up an impressive submission win against Hawk last week but this will be the Warriors’ forte of tag team competition. Who will move on to face the Valiants next week in Evansville for the gold? • A double main event will be held again, as the last two first-round matches in the World title tournament will take place. First, Nick Bockwinkel will tangle with Killer Kowalski. Kowalski has the size and strength advantage. But Bockwinkel has an arsenal of scientific moves and dirty tactics at his disposal. Who will move on to Evansville? • The second main event will see “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers face the Iron Sheik! Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose scored a big win over Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff last week. Sheik is hoping to avenge that tag team loss with a singles victory. Nikita Breznikov could make the difference in this bout. Who will triumph in the quest for the gold? All these bouts, plus Johnny Valentine faces Red Bastien. Also, two debuts of two popular wrestlers in “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 16, 2020 10:51:06 GMT -5
January 17, 2004 Card #2: Louisville Gardens
1) “Playboy” Buddy Rose scored a big win in the opener over “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Snuka got a huge ovation from the Louisville fans as he came to the ring to his theme music. Rose pulled out a foreign object out of his tights a few minutes into the match and used it several times on the Fijian warrior. Rose locked on a half Boston Crab in the middle of the ring. Snuka passed out from the foreign object shots. Paul Morton checked Snuka’s arm and it dropped three times, so Rose got a submission victory. The Louisville fans berated the “Playboy” as he returned to the locker room! ***
2) While Snuka’s debut did not go as he hoped, “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer had a successful first match with a win over Nikolai Volkoff. Nikita Breznikov again introduced the Russian powerhouse and Volkoff started off with the Russian National Anthem. The Destroyer got a big ovation from the Louisville fans. He showcased his great wrestling skills and scored a submission after just a few minutes with his figure-four leglock. The Gardens’ fans popped big for the Destroyer’s win! ¼*
3) Johnny Valentine pinned Red Bastien. Bastien had a lot of offense against Valentine but the Seattle native took control. Valentine hit two Atomic Skullcrushers and scored the pinfall. Valentine is looking forward to his semifinal match in the World Heavyweight title tournament against Harley Race next week in Evansville! **¾
4) The Sandman scored a big pinfall on “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. This was a back-and-forth brawl between these two. A few minutes into the match, Ox Baker came out and distracted Jerry Calhoun. This allowed Sandman to grab his Singapore cane and smack Valiant in the head with it, as he did last week in Memphis. Valiant collapsed to the mat and Sandman scored the pinfall! **½
5) Harley Race was victorious over Bobo Brazil. These two powerhouses battled it out but, in the end, Race triumphed after the piledriver. Race has a big bout ahead next week when he faces Johnny Valentine in the World title tournament! **¾
6) In the second first-round match in the tournament to crown USWA World Tag Team champions, the Road Warriors defeated “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Virgil. DiBiase and his bodyguard worked well together and looked like they might score a big upset but Hawk and Animal battled back. “The Legion of Doom” got the win in the end when Animal pinned Virgil after the Warriors’ Doomsday Device (a double team maneuver where Animal lifts the opponent up on his shoulders and Hawk comes off the top rope with a flying clothesline), while Hawk stopped DiBiase from intervening. It will be a battle of Chicago vs. New York City when the Warriors battle the Valiants next week in Evansville for the USWA World Tag Team titles! ****
7) In the first main event of the evening, Nick Bockwinkel advanced to the semifinals of the USWA World Heavyweight title tournament with a submission win over Killer Kowalski. Kowalski took a lot of punishment from the Beverly Hills native but in the end Bockwinkel used his other finisher—the figure-four leglock to force Kowalski to tap out. It was an impressive win for Bockwinkel. ***¼
8) The other main event was the final first-round match in the tournament for the USWA World Heavyweight title. The Iron Sheik scored a huge upset and pinned “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, albeit in controversial fashion. Nikita Breznikov ended up being the difference maker in this, as he frequently distracted Jerry Calhoun and at one point, handed Sheik an object which Sheik slipped into one of his pointy-toed boots. Sheik stomped his boot to ensure it got loaded and then stomped Rogers with it, eventually busting him open. Sheik stomped him one more time and covered him to score the pinfall. The Louisville fans were not happy about the Sheik’s methods of winning! The Iranian powerhouse will face Nick Bockwinkel in the semifinals next week! **¾
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 17, 2020 13:55:56 GMT -5
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 1-18: • The updated brackets for the World Heavyweight title tournament were shown. • USWA Committee member Eddie Marlin also announced the brackets for the USWA Southern Heavyweight title tournament! The USWA comes to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Evansville on January 24! • “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers was one of the odds-on-favorites to win the World title tournament. But he got eliminated by the Iron Sheik, thanks in large part to Nikita Breznikov’s interference and a loaded boot. Rogers hopes to get a measure of revenge against Sheik’s tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff! Can Rogers defeat the Russian powerhouse? • Two wrestlers eliminated from the World title tournament are looking to get a big singles win when Frank Gotch faces Killer Kowalski! This is quite the match-up, as you have the technical, pure wrestling expertise of the Iowan Gotch against the power, size, and brutality of Kowalski. Whose style will lead them to victory? • The World Heavyweight title tournament will continue with the two semifinal bouts! First, Johnny Valentine will take on Harley Race. These two grapplers have a similar, physical style. They have tangled in the past, in CSW and CWF. Who will go on to the finals in Knoxville on February 7? • The other tournament bout will see Nick Bockwinkel take on the Iron Sheik! Sheik drew even more ire from the fans after his tainted win over Buddy Rogers last week in Louisville. Bockwinkel is known to bend the rules when needed as well. Which rulebreaker will go on to the championship match? • The Evansville fans will see history made, when the first USWA champions will be crowned! The Valiant Brothers will collide with the Road Warriors in the finals of the four-team tournament to crown the first USWA World Tag Team champions! These teams have gained fame in wrestling over the last five years but have never wrestled each other. Will it be the New Yorkers or “The Legion of Doom” taking home the belts? All these great bouts, plus “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer in action, and two more bouts!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 18, 2020 13:11:10 GMT -5
January 24, 2004 Card #3: Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum in Evansville1) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka was victorious in the opener over Gorgeous George. George once again had Cherie Dupré spray the ring with his atomizer. He attempted to avoid the Fijian warrior but Snuka’s quickness led him to catch “The Human Orchid.” This was a very competitive bout that could have gone either way at any time. In the end, Snuka slammed George to the mat and came off the top with the Superfly Leap to score the pinfall. The Evansville fans popped big for the “Superfly’s” win and he hopes to keep up this momentum in two weeks in the Southern title tournament! ***½ 2) In tag team competition, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his bodyguard Virgil scored a big win over Ox Baker and the Sandman. Both teams worked well together and came close to a win at many times. DiBiase and Virgil managed to trap “The Fabulous” Ox in the ring. Virgil went up to the top rope and hit an impressive missile dropkick to knock down Baker. He went for the cover, hooked the leg, and scored the pin while DiBiase prevented Sandman from making a save. The fans reacted big to Virgil’s pin on the Iowa brawler! ***¾ 3) “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer scored a submission win over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. The masked man dominated most of the match and use his technical wrestling knowledge to get the submission with a single-leg Boston Crab. Destroyer looked impressive as he looks ahead to the Southern Heavyweight title tournament! **¾ 4) “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers scored an impressive pinfall on Nikolai Volkoff, accompanied by Nikita Breznikov. Rogers controlled Volkoff for most of the match. He knocked Volkoff down with a jumping knee smash and scored the pinfall. You can bet Rogers will be watching the final rounds of the World title tournament very carefully! ** 5) Killer Kowalski scored a big win via submission over Frank Gotch. This was another competitive match between two vastly different styles of wrestler. Kowalski managed to get Gotch on the mat and apply his specialty—the claw, in this case a stomach claw! Gotch seemed perplexed by the claw, perhaps having never seen one in one of his matches. He fought hard for the ropes and fought hard to stay off his shoulders for a pin but in the end, tapped out to the pain! It was a big win for Kowalski, as he will get another chance at a championship in the Southern title tournament. ***¼ 6) In the first semifinal match of the USWA World Heavyweight title tournament, Johnny Valentine kept up his winning ways with a huge pinfall on Harley Race. Race scored some near falls on Valentine but couldn’t keep the Seattle native down. Valentine brutalized Race with his forearms and chops, eventually busting Race open. Valentine hit two Atomic Skullcrushers but Race kicked out. The two were slugging it out when Valentine surprised Race with a big chop to the chest, sending Race flying straight to his back. Valentine seized the opportunity and made the cover to score the pin and move on to the finals in two weeks in Knoxville! The fans supported Valentine tonight and gave him a big ovation for the win! ***½ 7) The Iron Sheik made headlines again advancing to the World title finals and by defeating Nick Bockwinkel via a very controversial disqualification win! Bockwinkel had the early advantage and looked like he would go on to the finals. Nikita Breznikov distracted Paul Morton, which allowed Sheik to take over and throw Bock out of the ring. While Morton remained distracted, Sheik grabbed a steel chair from the ringside area and smashed Bockwinkel with it. The Evansville fans were not happy about this! Sheik took control and worked over Bockwinkel in the ring. Breznikov distracted Morton again and Sheik again hit Bockwinkel with the chair outside the ring! Sheik continued his onslaught as the fans berated him! Breznikov continued distracting Morton while Sheik again went for the chair, this time bringing it into the ring. Bockwinkel saw him coming, fought through the pain, and nailed the Iranian powerhouse in the midsection with a punch as Sheik raised the chair above his head! Sheik dropped the chair and rolled to the corner. Bockwinkel grabbed the chair and threatened to use it but never did. Morton turned around, saw the chair in Bockwinkel’s hands and Sheik lying on the mat and assumed he had used it. Morton called for the bell and disqualified Bockwinkel. The fans were irate by this and started to pelt the ring with garbage! (Please don’t do that, fans!) The Sheik and Breznikov barely made it back to the locker room and Morton also received many harsh words from the fans! But the decision stood and it will be now The Iron Sheik and Johnny Valentine in a Two-out-of-Three Falls Match in two weeks in Knoxville to crown the first USWA World Heavyweight champion! *¼ 8) The main event was the tournament final to crown the first USWA World Tag Team champions. The Valiant Brothers took on the Road Warriors! Hawk and Animal came out to "Iron Man" and the Valiants entered to "New York, New York," which did not sit well with the Evansville fans! The Warriors were definitely the favorites here. “Handsome” Jimmy and “Luscious” Johnny had some initial offense but Hawk and Animal were ready for them. “The Legion of Doom” hit the Doomsday Device on Johnny V. after just a few minutes and scored the pinfall while Animal kept Jimmy at bay. Jerry Calhoun called for the bell and awarded the Warriors the match and the USWA World Tag Team championship! USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett presented Hawk and Animal the belts and the Evansville fans gave them a big cheer as “Iron Man” played throughout the coliseum! *½
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 20, 2020 20:37:56 GMT -5
Highlights of USWA Championship Wrestling on January 25: • It was announced that the Road Warriors’ first defense of the USWA World Tag Team titles will be on Valentine’s Day, February 14, at the Rupp Arena in Lexington. “The Legion of Doom” will defend the titles against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his bodyguard Virgil! The Warriors defeated DiBiase and Virgil in the first round. DiBiase and Virgil scored an impressive win last night against Ox Baker and the Sandman and could surprise wrestling fans! • Nick Bockwinkel was interviewed. He called Paul Morton’s decision in his match with the Iron Sheik a “debacle.” He said that he knows he bends the rules but, in this case, he did not hit the Sheik once with the chair. USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett entered the studios. He said that he talked to Morton in the Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum locker room after the card and they watched the video footage together. Morton realized he made a mistake but the decision will be final. However, to rectify that mistake and since Bockwinkel was the only wrestler in the World title tournament not to have been pinned or submitted, he will receive the first shot at the World champion, whether Johnny Valentine or the Iron Sheik on March 6 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis! Bockwinkel begrudgingly thanked Jarrett and the Committee for making the only right decision. • Bockwinkel also announced that he has formed an alliance with another wrestler—Harley Race! Race entered the studios and said that wrestling fans and experts feel he and Bockwinkel are the two best wrestlers in the USWA and what better way to have strength in numbers than for the two best wrestlers to team up! Bockwinkel said that he wants to get Nikita Breznikov’s team of the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff in the ring and that will happen when he and Race face the international powerhouses on February 14 in Lexington!
The USWA comes to the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville on February 7 with a huge card! • Two of the top stars in wrestling have formed an alliance and they will showcase their talents for the first time together, when Nick Bockwinkel and Harley Race team up to battle “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose! Rogers and Rose are also a new duo but pulled off a big win over the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff a few weeks ago in Memphis. Which team will triumph? • Another USWA championship quest will start, as the Southern Heavyweight title tournament will begin with all four first-round matches! “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase holds a lot of gold but he hopes to win championship gold. He will need to get by a very formidable competitor in Red Bastien! Both wrestlers are great technical wrestlers. DiBiase has the brawling edge and has Virgil in his corner. Bastien’s got his speed and high-flying attacks. Who will triumph? • The winner of the match will face either “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka or Killer Kowalski! This is an interesting match-up of Snuka’s high-flying attacks and Kowalski’s brawling. Kowalski showcased the strength and efficacy of his stomach claw by defeating Frank Gotch in Knoxville with the hold. Who will move on in the tournament? • The third tournament match will be a hard-hitting one, as Bobo Brazil collides with “The Fabulous” Ox Baker! Both wrestlers have hard-hitting finishers, with Brazil’s Coco Butt and Baker’s heart punch. Who will hit harder? • The final tournament match will see The “Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer take on “The Human Orchid” Gorgeous George! The Destroyer has showcased his great, technical wrestling skills in his first two USWA matches. While George hasn’t won a match in the USWA, he is very capable of defeating any opponent. Will it be the masked man or “The Toast of The Coast” moving on to the semifinals? • The main event will determine the top wrestler in the USWA, as Johnny Valentine will be the Iron Sheik in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to crown the first USWA World Heavyweight champion! Valentine made an impressive trip to the finals with wins which some wrestling experts feel were upsets, over Frank Gotch and Harley Race. While the Iranian powerhouse is a very capable wrestler, his route to the finals included using his loaded boot against “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and then setting up Nick Bockwinkel to be falsely disqualified. However, those illegal tactics and the presence of manager Nikita Breznikov could make the difference for the Sheik! In this type of a match, a fall can be scored by any of the typical ways (pinfall, submission, countout, or disqualification). In between each fall, there will be a one-minute rest period where each wrestler returns to his corner and waits for the referee to start the next fall. Will Valentine skullcrush the Sheik or will the Sheik pull out the win and become the first USWA World champion?
All these huge matches, as well as Giant Baba and Frank Gotch in action!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 22, 2020 10:02:24 GMT -5
February 7, 2004 Card #4: Civic Coliseum in Knoxville 1) Frank Gotch was victorious in the opener over Nikolai Volkoff. Gotch managed to get his larger opponent down on the mat and outwrestle him. He locked on the Gotch toehold after just a few minutes and forced the Russian to tap, despite Nikita Breznikov’s pleas from outside the ring. The Knoxville fans gave the Iowan a big ovation for his first USWA win. ½* 2) Giant Baba defeated Virgil. Baba largely dominated the bodyguard and scored a pinfall in about three minutes after the dreaded neckbreaker drop. Baba continues to be popular among the USWA fans! ** 3) Two of the top stars in all of wrestling formed an impressive tag team, as Nick Bockwinkel and Harley Race made short work of “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose. For their first time teaming, Bockwinkel and Race worked well together and kept Rogers in the ring for the entire match. Race scored the pinfall in just a few minutes with the piledriver while Bockwinkel stopped Rose from a save before the “Playboy” could fully enter the ring. Bockwinkel and Race hope to be as dominant next week in Lexington against former WWF World Tag Team champions the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff! neg* 4) In the first first-round tournament match to crown a USWA Southern Heavyweight champion, Red Bastien scored a big pinfall on “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. This was a back-and-forth match between these two great ring technicians. DiBiase thought had the match won but took his time in trying for a pin or submission. He whipped Bastien into the turnbuckle and charged in with a double sledge but the flying redhead rolled out of the way and DiBiase crashed head-first into the buckles. Bastien followed up with the airplane spin into the atomic drop. He covered “The Million Dollar Man” and scored the pinfall. The Knoxville fans popped big for Bastien’s win, as Virgil checked on DiBiase! ***¼ 5) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka moved on in the tournament with a big win over Killer Kowalski. Kowalski had the early advantage and scored some near falls. With the crowd on his side, the Fijian warrior fought back and got Kowalski down on the mat. He came off the top with the Superfly Leap and scored the pinfall! Snuka will face Red Bastien next week in the semifinals in Lexington in what should be a great match between two high-flying fan favorites! **½ 6) Another fan favorite advanced in the Southern title tournament, as Bobo Brazil scored a submission win on Ox Baker. Brazil caught “The Fabulous” Ox in a bear hug after just a few minutes. Jerry Calhoun checked Baker’s arm and it dropped three times, so Calhoun called for the bell and awarded the bout to Brazil! *¾ 7) The semifinals will be a final four of fan favorites, as “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer pinned Gorgeous George. This was a back-and-forth bout but Destroyer scored the pinfall with a suplex. As Paul Morton raised the masked man’s hand, out of nowhere “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose (recovered from their earlier tag team match) stormed the ring and nailed the Destroyer from behind. Rogers stomped on him, as Rose helped George to his feet. Rose returned to the attack, while George called for his atomizer from Cherie Dupré. Rose and Rogers each grabbed one of the Destroyer’s arms, while George grabbed the atomizer and sprayed into the masked man’s eyes! Destroyer writhed on the mat in pain. Giant Baba, Bobo Brazil, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, and Red Bastien, along with some USWA officials, all ran down to the ring to chase off the rulebreakers. Baba grabbed some water and a towel to try and wash the chemicals out of Destroyer’s eyes. All the fan favorites helped the “Intelligent, Sensational One” to the back, as he was struggling to see. Destroyer should face one of the wrestlers who saved him here, Brazil, next week. But the aftermath of the win makes things look in jeopardy. *** 8) After the pre-main event intermission, it was time to crown the first USWA World Heavyweight champion. Johnny Valentine took on the Iron Sheik, accompanied by Nikita Breznikov in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. Valentine was not intimidated by Breznikov’s presence, as he was dominant against the Sheik in the first fall. He scored a pin just a few minutes in with the Atomic Skullcrusher, putting him up, 1-0! After the one-minute rest period, the second fall began. Sheik tried to rally back from being down a fall. While Breznikov distracted Calhoun, Sheik loaded up his boot, which is how he defeated Buddy Rogers in the first round a few weeks ago. He blasted Valentine with the boot, while the fans berated him. Sheik went to stomp Valentine again but Valentine caught the kick and tossed Sheik on his back! Valentine blasted Sheik with chops and forearms. He dropped the Atomic Skullcrusher, busting open the Iranian powerhouse. He hit a second Skullcrusher and covered Sheik to score the pinfall. Calhoun called for the bell and declared that Valentine was the first USWA World Heavyweight champion! USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett entered the ring with the title belt and awarded it to Valentine. As Valentine strapped the belt around his waist, suddenly out from the locker room in street clothes, came the champion’s son Greg “The Hammer” Valentine! Valentine has been wrestling in other territories. ( NOTE: I had been actually using Valentine regularly in my CPC. As I explained in the backstory, I said that my GWF, CPC, and USWA all were in the same universe but that the USWA would not acknowledge the futuristic federations and only the Earth Cloneworld recreations of the territories.) The Valentines looked at each other and Greg finally offered his hand to his father. The two shook hands and then embraced, as the Knoxville fans cheered! **¼
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 26, 2020 11:48:29 GMT -5
Highlights from a very newsworthy edition of USWA Championship Wrestling on February 8! • It was announced that after the heinous attack by Gorgeous George, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, and “Playboy” Buddy Rose and the use of George’s atomizer on “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer the night before in Knoxville, the Destroyer was rushed to a local hospital. Doctors found that the spray from the atomizer had gotten more into Destroyer’s right eye. The spray caused temporary vision loss in that eye for the masked wrestler. Doctors are hopeful that the Destroyer will regain sight in that eye with treatments and rest. Destroyer sent in a message to the WMC-TV Studios that Lance Russell shared with wrestling fans. He said that he does not want to miss out on an opportunity to win a title in the USWA and that no matter what he has to do, he will be in action in the semifinals next week in Lexington! He also said that he will get his hands on George, Rogers, and Rose, whether he has one good eye or two! • The three men responsible for the Destroyer’s sight loss sent in an interview they conducted and recorded themselves in the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville. Rogers stated that when he brought Rose with him to the USWA, he was bringing the best with him. He and Rose reached out to George after seeing his ring entrances and his confidence and they feel that he belongs with them! Therefore, the three of them will be a unit! George said that he considers the Destroyer an “ugly man” if he has to wear a mask! He said that he was purifying the ring by blinding Destroyer and putting him out of action! • USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett spoke in-studio saying that the USWA is not going to condone attacks like what Rogers, George, and Rose perpetrated. If the Committee feels the need to suspend wrestlers in the future, they will do so. However, the overall mentality of the USWA will be for wrestlers to settle issues inside the ring! He said that several fan favorites contacted the Committee members late through the night and have requested matches with George, Rogers, and/or Rose to fight on behalf of the Destroyer! • One such match has already been signed, as George will have to collide with Giant Baba! Baba knows Destroyer very well, both as an opponent and tag team partner from AJPW. A representative for Baba said that what George did to Destroyer was disrespectful. Baba will get his chance for revenge on February 21 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville! • The updated brackets for the Southern Heavyweight title tournament were shown. • The new World Heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine and his son Greg “The Hammer” Valentine were interviewed in studio. Lance Russell congratulated Johnny on his victory from the night before and asked Greg if he was just passing through the USWA to congratulate his dad. Greg stated that he is up for a new challenge and he will be joining the USWA! He said that the two best wrestlers in the world (pointing to himself and Johnny) were now here and that they will rule the USWA! Lance reminded Johnny that his first defense will be against Nick Bockwinkel on March 6 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Lance also reminded Johnny and the wrestling world that Bockwinkel was the only wrestler not to be pinned or submitted in the World title tournament. The champion responded that Bockwinkel can make all the excuses he wants but he lost. He said that he’s battled Nick’s father Warren Bockwinkel in the past and has beaten him and will do the same to the son! Greg ended the promo by saying that the Valentines will take on any wrestlers, loved or hated, any style of wrestling, and they will triumph each and every time! The USWA comes to the Rupp Arena in Lexington on Valentine’s Day—February 14!• “The Human Orchid” Gorgeous George was already hated by USWA fans. But after his attack on the Destroyer last week, you can bet he will be more despised! This week, “The Toast of The Coast” will grapple with Frank Gotch! This is an interesting match-up with the strait-laced, pure wrestler Gotch against the outlandish George! George is actually a capable wrestler but how will his skills match up with Gotch’s? • Two of the largest wrestlers currently in the USWA will collide as Giant Baba faces Killer Kowalski! Both men were part of the World Heavyweight title tournament and Kowalski was also a participant in the Southern title tournament. Both are looking to get a win and get back in contention for a title match. Which big man will prevail? • A huge tag team grudge match will take place as Nick Bockwinkel and Harley Race battle the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, managed by Nikita Breznikov! Bockwinkel is out for revenge after his controversial DQ loss to the Iron Sheik in the semifinals of the World title tournament! He and Race made very short work of Buddy Rogers and Buddy Rose last week in Nashville but how will they fare against the former WWF World Tag Team champions? • The semifinals of the tournament to crown the first USWA Southern Heavyweight champion are set! Firstly, two high-flying fan favorites will do battle, as Red Bastien takes on “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka! Both men are coming off big wins in the first round, with Bastien upsetting “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Snuka scoring a pin on Killer Kowalski. Who will fly high to the finals? • Bobo Brazil is scheduled to face “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer in the other semifinal bout. After the heinous attack on Destroyer’s eye last week in Knoxville, doctors have said that the masked man should not rest. But the Destroyer stated that he would be in Knoxville. Brazil was interviewed in-studio and said he is in a tough spot. He has a lot of respect for Destroyer and does not want him to risk further damage or his career. But Brazil knows the prestige of being a champion. He told Destroyer that if he (Destroyer) forfeits the match and Brazil wins the title, he would be happy to give him a title shot when his eye is healed and he is at 100%. What will happen in this semifinal bout? • The main event will be the first defense of the USWA World Tag Team titles. The champions the Road Warriors will defend the titles against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his bodyguard Virgil! Hawk and Animal have proved to be dominant in their first few matches, winning the four-team tournament fairly easily. DiBiase is a great technical wrestler and he and Virgil scored an impressive win over Ox Baker and the Sandman a few weeks ago in Evansville, with Virgil scoring the fall. Can DiBiase and Virgil pull off a huge upset over “The Legion of Doom”? All these great bouts, plus “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose take on the Valiant Brothers! And the USWA debut of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, as he takes on the Sandman!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jun 27, 2020 15:17:01 GMT -5
February 14, 2004 Card #5: Rupp Arena in Lexington1) Frank Gotch was victorious in the opener over Gorgeous George. As soon as “Pomp and Circumstances” hit and he entered the arena with Cherie Dupré, “The Human Orchid” was blasted with boos by the Lexington fans after his part in the attack on the Destroyer’s eye last week. He tried his best to avoid Gotch but Gotch was able to catch him and outwrestle him. Gotch forced George to tap out to the Gotch toehold. The Lexington fans gave Gotch a big ovation for his win! ** 2) “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose scored a big win over the Valiant Brothers. The fans sided with the Valiants tonight, again because of Rogers and Rose’s involvement in the attack on the Destroyer. “Handsome” Jimmy and “Luscious” Johnny double teamed Rose for the first few minutes. Rose made the tag to Rogers and Rogers wore down Jimmy. He tagged back to Rose and Rose came off with the top with a knee drop (which he calls the Bombs Away). Rose covered “Handsome” Jimmy and scored the pinfall, while Rogers stopped Johnny from a save with a dropkick. As Rose and Rogers got their hands raised, the fans continued to berate them! ***½ 3) Killer Kowalski got a big pinfall win over Giant Baba. Kowalski was aggressive against Baba. He got him down on the mat and then went up to the top rope. He came off with a big splash, covered Baba, and hooked the leg to score the impressive pinfall! **¼ 4) Nick Bockwinkel and Harley Race dominated the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Bockwinkel and Race certainly got a measure of revenge for the Sheik’s controversial disqualification win over Bockwinkel in the semifinals of the World title tournament a few weeks ago in Evansville, as they kept the Iranian powerhouse in the ring for the entire match. Race hit the piledriver after a few minutes and covered him to score the pinfall, while Bockwinkel stopped Volkoff from making a pin save by nailed him with some big right hands. Right after the bell, Bockwinkel and Race turned their attention to the defeated Sheik. They stomped away at him and then delivered a spike piledriver, with Bockwinkel coming off the second rope and spiking Sheik’s legs. Nikita Breznikov jumped in the ring but Race gave him a head butt for good measure. Bockwinkel and Race then left the ring, as Volkoff recovered and checked on his tag team partner and manager. Several USWA officials came out to the ring to help the Sheik to the back. The Iranian powerhouse was in a lot of pain, holding his neck. DUD 5) Greg “The Hammer” Valentine made his USWA debut. While Valentine was victorious, it was probably not the type of win he would have wanted, as he defeated the Sandman by disqualification. Sandman actually got a couple of near falls on Valentine but Valentine was able to fight back and outwrestle the brawler. Frustrated that he couldn’t beat “The Hammer,” Sandman grabbed his Singapore cane and cracked Valentine in the head with it, right in front of Paul Morton. Morton called for the bell and disqualified the Sandman. Valentine was hurting but got fired up and went after the Sandman. Sandman retreated before Valentine could catch him! *¾ 6) In the first semifinal match in the tournament to crown the first USWA Southern Heavyweight champion, Red Bastien picked up another upset win with a pinfall on “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Both men shook hands before the match in a great sign of sportsmanship. Snuka had early control but missed a flying head butt and knocked down Jerry Calhoun. Snuka was not in pain but ended up bleeding from the collision. Snuka and Bastien continued wrestling, while several USWA officials came to help Calhoun to the back and Paul Morton took over officiating duties. Bastien hit the airplane spin into the atomic drop and went for a cover but the Fijian warrior kicked out. Snuka was bleeding profusely and Morton kept checking the cut to see if he should stop the match. Snuka fought back and had control for several minutes. He looked like he had things wrapped up until he sent Bastien into the corner and came at him with a flying vertical splash. Bastien dodged the splash and Snuka’s head hit the top turnbuckle hard. Bastien rolled up Snuka with a school-boy and scored the pinfall out of nowhere! “Superfly” got to his feet and couldn’t believe he had been had so quickly. He offered his hand to Bastien and the flying redhead accepted in a great show of sportsmanship! Bastien will move on to the finals next week in Nashville! ***½ 7) Bastien will face Bobo Brazil, as Brazil was triumphant over “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer in the other semifinal bout. Brazil was introduced first. The Destroyer was introduced. There was a pause but the masked man finally entered the Rupp Arena, with a bandage over his right eye. The fans gave the Destroyer a huge ovation and even his opponent Brazil clapped for him. Brazil seemed concerned about having to wrestle Destroyer in his condition but the Destroyer told him to do what they both came to do and wrestle. The two shook hands and the match started. The fans definitely favored the injured underdog the Destroyer in this bout. He had some offense against Brazil but the blinded right eye threw off his perception. Brazil hit the Coco Butt and the fans booed him for using the move in this situation, even though it’s the Michigander’s finisher! Brazil covered Destroyer and scored the pinfall after just a few minutes. Brazil seemed frustrated at himself for using the move. He immediately helped up the “Intelligent, Sensational One” and apologized to him. Destroyer reacted that he was not mad at Brazil and the he did want he wanted him to do: wrestle! The two again shook hands and then walked to the back together. It will be Bastien vs. Brazil next week in Nashville for the Southern Heavyweight title! * 8) The main event was the first defense of any USWA championship. The Road Warriors put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his bodyguard Virgil. The challengers were largely overmatched by Hawk and Animal. Virgil took quite a bit of punishment but finally went down for the count after the Doomsday Device. The Lexington fans popped big for the champions’ victory! ¼*
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 8, 2020 20:42:31 GMT -5
Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on 2-15: • There was an update on the condition of “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer after his semifinal match with Bobo Brazil. Destroyer did not suffer any further damage in the brief match but doctors have told him that if he continues to wrestle with the eye condition, he risks losing his sight permanently. Therefore, the masked man will be out of action and will do what he can to regain the eyesight. The predicted timeline for his return is about three to four months. • Another injury was announced, as The Iron Sheik suffered a neck injury from Nick Bockwinkel and Harley Race’s spike piledriver after their tag team match last week at the Rupp Arena. Nikita Breznikov said that the Iranian powerhouse will miss between two and three months of action. • Some upcoming matches were made. The next USWA card at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis will be on March 6. A return tag team match from the World Tag Team title will take place, as The Valiant Brothers will face Ox Baker and The Sandman! Sandman got caught using his Singapore cane and got his team disqualified in the tournament. What will happen this time? • Two of the top stars in wrestling today will grapple for the first time ever, when Giant Baba faces Frank Gotch! Both men have already become very popular with USWA fans. This should be a great, pure wrestling match, as both grapplers hope to get a future shot at the USWA World or Southern Heavyweight titles! • The following week, March 13, the USWA will come back to the Louisville Gardens. The main event will be for the USWA World Tag Team championship. The Road Warriors will defend the titles against “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and “Playboy” Buddy Rose! The new team of Rogers and Rose have impressed wrestling experts with their teamwork. Can they shock the world and knock off “The Legion of Doom”?
The USWA comes to “Music City”—Nashville and the Municipal Auditorium on February 21! • Frank Gotch will go one-on-one with “Playboy” Buddy Rose! Gotch is hoping to build up more wins on his record. He definitely has the edge against Rose when it comes to pure wrestling skills. But Rose is sneaky and could pull off an upset! • In a rematch from the Southern Heavyweight title tournament, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will face Killer Kowalski! Snuka scored the pinfall on Kowalski in the first round. What will happen this time? • Harley Race will face Nikolai Volkoff! Race and Nick Bockwinkel scored an impressive win over Volkoff and The Iron Sheik in tag team competition in Lexington. Will he have similar success in singles competition? • Giant Baba is an angry giant after the heinous attack on his ally the Destroyer two weeks ago in Knoxville. He will be out for revenge on Gorgeous George! Can Baba put “The Human Orchid” in his place? • The World Tag Team champions will be in non-title action. The Road Warriors will take on The Valiant Brothers! Hawk and Animal defeated “Handsome” Jimmy and “Luscious” Johnny last month in Evansville to become the first champions in relatively decisive fashion. The Valiants have the chance to beat the champs and earn another shot at the gold. Can they do it or will “The Legion of Doom” triumph again? • Nick Bockwinkel will collide with “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Both of these men were eliminated from the World Heavyweight title tournament by The Iron Sheik due to controversial means. Bockwinkel is scheduled to challenge Johnny Valentine for the USWA World title on March 6. Give him credit for facing a tough opponent in Rogers before that match. Who will win this battle of top superstars? • The World Heavyweight champion will also be in action, as Johnny Valentine teams up with his son Greg “The Hammer” Valentine to do battle with Ox Baker and The Sandman! Greg’s debut was somewhat ruined last week in Lexington. Although he beat the Sandman, it was a disqualification victory and Greg had to feel Sandman’s Singapore cane. Give Johnny credit for teaming up with his son for revenge, before he makes his first defense of the World title on March 6 in Memphis! Baker and the Sandman will be looking to hurt both Valentines and to get a pin on the World champion. What will happen in this wild match? • The main event will crown the next USWA champion, as Red Bastien faces Bobo Brazil to crown the first Southern Heavyweight champion! Both men made it through the eight-man elimination tournament. Brazil defeated Ox Baker and an injured Destroyer. Bastien has been the upset king, with wins over “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. This could be a memorable match-up. Who will become the first Southern Heavyweight champion?
That’s February 21 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville!
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Post by Cory Olson on Jul 9, 2020 15:44:52 GMT -5
February 21, 2004 Card #6: Municipal Auditorium in Nashville1) Frank Gotch made short work of “Playboy” Buddy Rose in the opener. Gotch largely outwrestled Rose and scored a submission win in just a few minutes with a grinding hammerlock. Gotch impressed fans tonight. How will he fare against Giant Baba on March 6 in Memphis? ** 2) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka scored another victory over Killer Kowalski. The Fijian warrior knocked Kowalski down with a flying head butt and scored another pinfall. The fans gave Snuka a big ovation for his win! DUD 3) Harley Race made very short work of Nikolai Volkoff. Race entered the ring and attacked Volkoff. He got the big Russian down on the mat, went up to the second rope, and came off with a diving head butt. He covered Volkoff and scored the pinfall in about 20 seconds! Nikita Breznikov was shocked by his charge’s quick loss! DUD ( NOTE: This match lasted two moves!) 4) Giant Baba gained a measure of revenge for “The Intelligent, Sensational” Destroyer with a pinfall on “The Human Orchid” Gorgeous George. Despite George’s attempt to avoid the Japanese giant, Baba grabbed a hold of “The Toast of The Coast” and scored the pinfall in just a few minutes with the neckbreaker drop. Baba got a big ovation from the “Music City” fans. Can he triumph over Frank Gotch in Memphis? * 5) The World Tag Team champions The Road Warriors scored a non-title win over The Valiant Brothers. “Handsome” Jimmy and “Luscious” Johnny put up more of a fight this time but Hawk and Animal prevailed. Animal hit the power slam on Jimmy and scored the pinfall, while Hawk knocked down Johnny with a clothesline. “The Legion of Doom” continue to dominate the USWA tag team division! **½ 6) Nick Bockwinkel picked up an impressive win against “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Rogers got a near fall on Bockwinkel early in the bout but Bockwinkel rallied back. He got Rogers down on the mat and used the figure-four leglock, Rogers’ own finisher, to force Rogers to tap out. Bockwinkel has a huge opportunity on March 6 and could make Johnny Valentine’s USWA World title reign a short one! **¼ 7) Speaking of the World Heavyweight champion, Johnny Valentine and son Greg “The Hammer” Valentine scored a quick win over Ox Baker and The Sandman. The Valentines kept “The Fabulous” Ox in the ring the entire time. The World champion scored the pinfall on Baker in just a few minutes with the Atomic Skullcrusher, while Greg stopped the Sandman for a save with an elbow smash of his own. The Valentines showed that they could be an effective tag team in the USWA! DUD 8) The main event was to crown the first USWA Southern Heavyweight champion, the finals of an eight-man single-elimination tournament. Red Bastien took on Bobo Brazil. Both fan favorites showed great respect for each and shook hands before the match. This was a back-and-forth match. Brazil landed a big hammer punch to Bastien and scored the pinfall to become the first USWA Southern Heavyweight champion! USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett presented Brazil the Southern title belt. Bastien recovered after the bell and once again showcased his great sportsmanship and character by shaking Brazil’s hands. The Nashville fans gave both wrestlers a big ovation! ***
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