Cory's USWA Fed

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on March 17.
*A big announcement came from the Heenan Family, as “The Brain” announced that former USWA World Heavyweight champ “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Jr. has decided to leave the USWA for the time being. Bob Orton, Sr. spoke saying that he wasn’t sure where his son was going to compete, but he wanted a break from the USWA. “The Big O.” said that they will keep in contact with the “Cowboy” and perhaps he will return to the USWA rings one day.
*Virgil, Danny Doring, and Cousin Luke were interviewed. Doring again laid out a challenge on behalf of Virgil for a shot at Red Bastien’s Texas championship on April 13 in San Antonio. Suddenly the trio was interrupted by Capt. Lou Albano and the Vachons! The rubber banded manager said that Butcher had more recently defeated the champ and that he should receive the shot. Doring commented that the big Algerian wouldn’t have been victorious over Bastien had it not been for Virgil’s involvement. Bastien was interviewed later in the show by Bill Apter and said that he had promised when he captured the gold that he would take on any comers. He said as far as he’s concerned he’ll take on both competitors! An decision is supposed to be made by the USWA Committee on next week’s show.
*Antonio Inoki’s first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship will definitely be an international affair, as he’ll lock-up with Estonian powerhouse the “Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt on April 6 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Evansville! USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett made the announcement on WMC-TV. This will be Hack’s second shot, as his first USWA loss came to former champ Nick Bockwinkel in Louisville this past Labor Day.

The USWA returns to the Community Center in Cookeville, TN on March 23!
*In a rematch from New Year’s Knockout III, new World Tag Team champion “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka will team up with his other partner Bruiser Brody to battle the Vachons! Snuka plans to still split time between his two partners. Can the Vachons get their first victory of 2007?
*A rematch from Louisville has just been signed as the Road Warriors will do battle again with the Midnight Express. Can Jim Cornette’s duo gain some revenge or will the Legion of Doom come out on top again?
*The other half of the new World Tag Team champions “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers will take on “Playboy” Buddy Rose in their first one-on-one meeting. Rose claims that he got some therapy from Dr. Mike Lano this past week on his surgically reconstructed knee. Can the two-time World champ break his slump or will Rogers make the “Doughboy” tap to the grapevine?
*Nick Bockwinkel will compete for the first time since losing his World Heavyweight championship, as he goes one-on-one for the first time in a USWA ring against the “Man of 1,000 Masks” Mil Mascaras! Bockwinkel is looking to get back on track after losing the gold. Mascaras too would love a title shot. He has locked up with Bockwinkel’s Heenan Family teammates several times. Can the luchador put down the former champ or will Bockwinkel recuperate from his loss?
*Speaking of the Heenan Family, the Masked Superstar will challenge Frank Gotch in the main event for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship! Gotch gave an emotional interview on WMC-TV with his head bandaged from the Louisville card, saying that Team RPW may have suffered a setback in losing the tag gold, but Hackenschmidt will soon capture the world crown and he (Gotch) is not giving up the Southern strap to some man who “hides his face behind a mask.” Will it be the pure wrestling of Gotch or the masked wrestler on a roll in Superstar who will leave Cookeville the champ?
All this plus Giant Baba goes one-on-one with Bob Orton, Sr., Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Virgil, and more in action!

[Cory Olson]

A wild night of action, as two USWA superstars suffered serious injuries!

March 23, 2007
Card #125: Community Center in Cookeville, TN

1) S.D. Jones scored a rare win in the opener, ending Virgil’s recent string of upset victories. The Cookeville crowd was behind “Special Delivery” as he got some nearfalls in the opening minutes. Virgil applied the Million Dollar Dream twice, but Jones made the ropes. S.D. came back and smashed Virgil with one of his big head butts, which dropped the former bodyguard. Jones covered Virgil and hooked the leg to score the three. Jones celebrated his win with the fans at ringside. ***

2) George Hackenschmidt scored a victory prior to his shot at the World Heavyweight championship, by squeezing Koko B. Ware into submission. “The Birdman” knew that he’d have to be quick against the powerful Estonian if he were to upset the “Russian Lion”. Ware dazzled Hackenschmidt with some punches and a flying head butt, then executed his Ghostbuster, as his home state fans erupted. Ware covered Hack, but couldn’t keep him down. Hackenschmidt came back and used his strength and pure wrestling skills to wear down Ware. He locked Koko in a twisting heel hook, but Koko reached the ropes for a break. He took Ware down with a single leg pick-up and slam and worked in a half nelson, but couldn’t keep Ware’s shoulders down. Hackenschmidt locked on his Russian Bear Hug and finally finished off “The Birdman” by forcing a submission. **½

3) Greg Valentine pinned Cousin Luke. The hillbilly looked very determined to not lose, perhaps wanting to win a match in his home state. The Cookeville fans did get behind him somewhat. Luke got some offense, but would get worked up and lose his momentum. He lasted nearly a minute in “The Hammer’s” figure-four leglock, before somehow rolling towards the ring ropes. Valentine punished him with two big neckbreakers, but couldn’t keep Luke down for the three. Luke even suffered a cut on the forehead. With Luke staggering on his feet, Valentine targeted his wound and came off the top rope with an elbow smash directly to Luke’s head. “The Hammer” covered Luke and picked up the victory. A side note: Capt. Lou Albano and Virgil had a brief staredown at ringside, due to their respective challenges (Albano’s on behalf of Butcher Vachon) on WMC-TV for Red Bastien’s Texas title. **

4) Giant Baba scored a win over Bob Orton, Sr., but wouldn’t be so fortunate after the match. The two had a very physical match. “The Big O.” was able to pick up the big man and execute his piledriver, but couldn’t score the pinfall. Baba came back and got a two-count after a Russian leg sweep. Ironically Baba would be the one to score the winning pin after a piledriver, almost mocking Orton by using his finisher for victory. But the celebration would be short lived as fellow Heenan Family members, Nick Bockwinkel and the Masked Superstar hit the ring and jumped the Japanese giant from behind. Superstar picked up the man he injured a few weeks back into a piledriver position. Bockwinkel added to the move by coming off the second turnbuckle and the two hit a spike piledriver on Baba. Orton recovered and stomped away at Baba’s neck. Superstar wasn’t finished though, as he took Baba to the arena floor and executed his spinning neckbreaker on the floor! Baba hit the floor with a sickening thud and was unconscious. Mil Mascaras finally came down to ringside to end this slaughter. (World champion Antonio Inoki was not present at this card.) The Heenan Family retreated to the locker room. Paramedics came down to ringside and had to bring an extra large stretcher to load up the giant. It was later determined that Baba had suffered a broken neck. It is not known how long he will be out of action. **¾

5) New World Tag Team champion Jimmy Snuka teamed up with his other partner Bruiser Brody to defeat the Vachon Brothers in an awesome match! This one was back-and-forth wild action. Some highlights included Butcher kicking out of a Superfly Leap and Brody’s jumping knee drop in the opening minutes. Midway through the match a crazy scene erupted. Butcher came off the top rope with a high risk big splash on Brody, but the New Mexican Wildman rolled out of the way. He went for a cover on Butcher, but Capt. Lou Albano jumped up on the ring apron to distract referee Kevin Christian. The “Superfly” went after the portly manager. While Christian was distracted by that action, Mad Dog grabbed Brody’s chain from ringside and wrapped it around Brody’s throat, strangling him! He released and threw the chain out of the ring. Butcher got to his feet and picked up Brody in his hangman. It looked like Brody would give in after such being choked with the chain, but Snuka ran in to break up the hold. Snuka would tag back in later on and bust Butcher open with a fist drop off the second turnbuckle. Snuka and Brody showed great teamwork by delivering an amazing double dropkick to the bloody Butcher. He went for a cover, but somehow Butcher kicked out! Mad Dog came in, but was cut off by the “Superfly” and the two brawled to the floor. Brody hit another jumping knee drop and went for a cover, but Albano attempted to climb into the ring. Brody saw him coming and got off Butcher. He ran over and booted the Captain right in the face, knocking him out of the ring. He then smashed Butcher with a running leg drop and covered him to score the winning three-count. Butcher showed great toughness even in losing in kicking out of two men’s finishers and losing a large amount of blood. ****½

6) Ed “Strangler” Lewis won his second USWA match, defeating Danny Doring. Lewis had no trouble with the “Dastardly One” using two of his patented headlocks to put Doring down. This time Lewis pinned Doring’s shoulders to the mat for a three-count with the headlock. The “Strangler” was heavily cheered in Cookeville. DUD

7) In a rematch from last week’s card, the Road Warriors defeated the Midnight Express by DQ. The Midnights started off strong, as Jim Cornette tripped up Hawk and gave “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton a chance to roll him into a small package for a quick nearfall and give the Midnights the early advantage. “Loverboy” Dennis used a unique face-first leg sweep on both Warriors throughout the match, but couldn’t put either man down for the count. The Legion of Doom hit the Doomsday Device on Eaton, but Condrey saved his partner from defeat. Animal used his power slam on the “Loverboy” and went for a cover, while Hawk and Eaton were tied-up in one corner of the ring. The Express’ bodyguard Justin Credible jumped in the ring and cracked Animal across the back with his Singapore cane, causing an automatic disqualification. Hawk ran off Credible and company before further damage with the cane could be done. ***

8) Dr. Mike Lano must be a miracle worker, as “Playboy” Buddy Rose returned from his checkup at the Mayo Clinic to score a big, albeit tainted, win over the other half of the World Tag Team champions “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Rose clocked Rogers’ with “Sensational” Sherri Martel’s purse later in the match and went for a cover, but Rogers managed to kick out. Rose then started to make flagrant use of his knee brace, smashing Rogers several times in the face with it and eventually busting him open. The “Nature Boy” resorted to underhand tactics of his own, making a pin attempt while putting his own feet on the ropes for leverage, but Rose kicked out. Rogers signaled for his figure-four grapevine, but first attempted to take off Rose’s brace, but the “Playboy” managed to get away from his opponent. Rogers got the crowd behind him, but couldn’t maintain the advantage, perhaps due to the blood loss.Referee Frank Morrell in some cases saw use of the brace, but seemed to allow it, as the USWA Committee has allowed it so far and has placed no restrictions on the apparatus. Rogers looked like he was in control, but a quick distraction from Sherri, allowed Rose to get up and nail Rogers with a knee smash (using the brace of course) to the “Nature Boy’s” back. Rogers crumbled to the mat, leaving him easy prey for Rose to cover him and hook the leg and score a big victory. Jimmy Snuka came down to the ring afterwards to check on his championship partner. Rogers seemed fine physically, but wore a look of anger on his bloody face and will certainly want to lock up with the “Doughboy” again. ***¼

9) Nick Bockwinkel scored a quick victory over Mil Mascaras in what turned out to be a bizarre match. In the opening minutes, the “Man of 1,000 Masks” threw the former World champ out of the ring and executed a slingshot plancha to the floor. While he did take Bockwinkel down, Mascaras also hit his head on the arena floor. Bock recovered first and tossed Mascaras back in the ring. He locked on his version of the sleeper. Most likely due to hitting his head on the floor, the luchador went down to the move, giving Bockwinkel a very quick victory. Bobby Heenan entered the ring, as Bockwinkel in a “sportsmanlike” fashion slapped Mil to revive him from the sleeper. Mascaras leaped up to his feet and nailed him with a jumping head butt! He dropkicked “The Brain” out of the ring, then whipped Bock into the ropes and smashed him in the face with his crossbody attack. Mascaras repeated this move several more times. Bockwinkel laid in the ring, apparently knocked out. Bob Orton, Sr. and the Masked Superstar (preparing for his main event match) came down to ringside to chase Mascaras away. Bockwinkel had to be taken out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Since Heenan needed to stay for Superstar’s match, “The Big O.” rode with Bockwinkel in the ambulance. It was later determined that Bockwinkel suffered a concussion, which has been a problem for him in the past (he suffered two in attacks by “Playboy” Buddy Rose in 2005.) The former champ’s career may be in jeoporady. DUD

10) There was the standard 15-minute intermission before the main event, so the Heenan Family could regroup, but it didn’t help, as Frank Gotch largely dominated the Masked Superstar to retain the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Gotch sported a bandage on his head, from his large blood loss from the last card in losing the World Tag Team titles. He seemed focused on keeping the Southern gold as he showed his pure wrestling skills against the Superstar. Gotch smashed Superstar with a stiff forearm shot and locked on a guillotine choke. “The Brain” got up on the ring apron and distracted referee Jerry Calhoun. Gotch released the hold to scare off Heenan, but then maintained control. Blood could be seen staining the mask of the Superstar. Gotch applied his toehold in the middle of the ring and forced a quick submission. The fans cheered Gotch, showing no sympathy for the Heenan Family’s woes. *¼

[Cory Olson]

With March 30 being the USWA’s “off week”, here are highlights of the last two episodes of USWA Championship Wrestling.

*On the March 31 edition, Jerry Jarrett, head of the USWA Committee made a decision regarding the challenges of both Virgil and Butcher Vachon for a Texas title match. He announced that on April 13 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Red Bastien will make his first defense against both Virgil and Vachon in the first ever Triangle Match in USWA history! The type of match will be fought using elimination rules, so both men must be eliminated and can be eliminated by any means (pinfall, submission, countout, or disqualification). Two wrestlers will be in the ring at once, while the third waits on the ring apron to be tagged in. However, if all three are in, there will be a five-count for double teaming, similar to a standard tag team match. Bastien said that his new tag partner Billy Red Lyons (scheduled to debut in the ring the following week in Knoxville) will be in his corner for this historic match!
*Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was interviewed and was more low-key and serious than usual. He said that the doctors were not 100% sure at this point, but their preliminary diagnosis was that Nick Bockwinkel should not wrestle again due to repeated concussions. Heenan said that he is truly upset by this, as the Heenan Family is decreasing, because of Bob Orton, Jr.’s recent departure as well. He said that Bob Orton, Sr., the Masked Superstar, and “the rest of the Family” will get Mil Mascaras for what he did. Lance Russell asked him what he meant by the “rest of the Family”, but Heenan walked off without answering.
*The April 3 edition featured a challenge by Jim Cornette on behalf of the Midnight Express for the World Tag Team titles on April 13 in San Antonio. Cornette claimed that the Express are “owed” a shot, since they defeated then-champions the Road Warriors by disqualification at New Year’s Knockout III (the same night that “Loverboy” Dennis was injured). The “Louisville Slugger” stated that Eaton and Condrey have yet to lose a match by pinfall or submission. Later in the show, champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers stated they’d be glad to make their first defense against the Midnights. Rogers stated that he’s in a bad mood after what “Playboy” Buddy Rose did to him, as he needed several stitches from Rose’s knee brace, and that if Jim Cornette and/or Justin Credible get involved, Rogers and Snuka will take them out as well! On a related note, the Road Warriors will be wrestling a few special attraction matches in the AWA the next couple of weeks and will be gone from USWA action. The Legion of Doom and “Precious” Paul Ellering stated that they will meet up with the Midnight Express again and that they too are gunning for a shot at the World Tag Team titles in the near future.
*The remaining Heenan Family members were interviewed by Bill Apter. “The Brain” announced that a new member has been signed and will debut in a few weeks in the USWA. Apter asked if Heenan could reveal the new member’s identity. Heenan said that he had originally planned a later debut, but with Nick Bockwinkel’s injury, his services were needed sooner. He stated that this man will flatten Mil Mascaras, Antonio Inoki, and anyone else who dares mess with the Heenan Family. Into the WMC-TV studios came the enormous KING KONG BUNDY! The New Jersey giant thanked Heenan for bringing him and guaranteeing him good money. Bundy stated that he will crush the luchador Mascaras for what he did to a great wrestler like Nick Bockwinkel. This monster has been impressive in many territories. Bundy stated that his Avalanche finisher is so effective, it can put down any wrestler for a count of five!

The USWA will come to Evansville on April 6 with a huge card at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum!
*Bruiser Brody will take on the Masked Superstar! Brody was originally scheduled to meet Nick Bockwinkel for the first time on this card, but Bockwinkel’s concussion obviously changed that. Both men are power wrestlers looking to gain a win and move on towards title matches. Can Brody stop the masked man or will the Superstar win one for the Heenan Family?
*Speaking of the Family, Bob Orton, Sr. looks for revenge for Bockwinkel as he battles luchador sensation, Mil Mascaras! The “Big O.” said he was sickened to have to ride with his teammate in the ambulance to the hospital and he vows to piledrive Mascaras into the mat. Can he do it or will the “Man of 1,000 Masks” dazzle Orton with his high flying moves?
*The Syrian madman returns! The Sheik is back from his injury and he and nephew Sabu will take on the team who put him out—former World Tag Team champions Dick Hutton and Southern Heavyweight champion Frank Gotch! These two had a ***** match in December when Hutton became the first man to pin the Sheik. Katie, bar the door, as this one is guaranteed to be wild!
*The main event will be a big one, as Antonio Inoki defends the USWA World Heavyweight championship against the “Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt! Both wrestlers have two very impressive win-loss records in USWA history. Will it be the popular Japanese superstar remaining champ or will the Estonian powerhouse grab more gold for Team RPW?
All this plus a big six-man tag team match in which Texas champ Red Bastien will team up with “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware and S.D. Jones to face “Dastardly” Danny Doring, Cousin Luke, and Virgil; Greg “The Hammer” Valentine collides with “Playboy” Buddy Rose; and Ed “Strangler” Lewis and the Midnight Express in action!

[Cory Olson]

April 6, 2007
Card #126: Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Evansville

1) Greg Valentine got a big win in the opener defeating “Playboy” Buddy Rose. The fans supported “The Hammer” in this one. Valentine became the first wrestler so far to remove Rose’s knee brace midway through the bout, allowing him to apply his figure-four leglock. The Evansville fans popped big time, but Rose was saved thanks to a distraction from “Sensational” Sherri Martel. Rose controlled the action at times as well, scoring nearfalls after a brainbuster and a body slam. With his face busted open, the “Playboy” whipped Valentine into the corner and charged at him with a jumping knee smash (using his bad knee without the brace on it). “The Hammer” dodged the attack, causing Rose to hit his wounded knee hard against the turnbuckles. Valentine scooped up Rose’s legs, covered him and put his own feet on the ropes to score the pinfall. Sherri protested the decision, but to no avail as Capt. Lou Albano and “The Hammer” celebrated his win over the two-time World champion. ****

2) What was scheduled as a six-man tag team match was basically a three-on-one match, as Texas champion Red Bastien, “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware and “Special Delivery” Jones made quick work of Cousin Luke…who was technically teaming with Danny Doring and Virgil. This was basically a showcase for the three fan favorites. To start the match, Luke whipped Bastien into the ropes, but the Texas champ bounced back with a big crossbody block and cover. Luke was close enough to his corner, that Virgil saved him. For his efforts, Virgil was knocked off the ring apron with a big dropkick from Red! Koko came in and executed his Ghostbuster on the hillbilly, but this time Doring made the save. As he was doing his Dastardly Strut, “The Birdman” nailed him with a flying head butt, knocking him out of the ring! S.D. came in and he and Koko executed a double atomic drop on Luke, then Jones immediately applied a sleeper. With both partners on the floor, Luke went down easily to the submission hold. DUD

3) One-half of the World Tag Team champions “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka pinned rival Chris Candido. Snuka landed a big Superfly Leap early on, but Tammy Sytch distracted referee Tommy Gilbert. Snuka came off the top later with a flying body press, but Candido rolled through and went for a cover (grabbing Snuka’s tights in the process), but only got a two-count. He went for his Blonde Bomb, but Snuka blocked it and tossed Candido off the top rope to the mat. A piledriver and another Superfly Leap would secure the victory for Snuka a few minutes later. *¾

4) Two rulebreaking teams collided, as the Midnight Express narrowly got by the Vachon Brothers, prior to their shot at the World Tag Team titles. Jim Cornette got involved early on, tripping up Mad Dog Vachon from outside of the ring. Mad Dog ran after the Kentuckian manager. Bodyguard Justin Credible, who gave Mad Dog his first pinfall loss a few weeks ago, tried to smack Mad Dog with his Singapore cane, but Mad Dog ducked and booted Justin in the stomach. He got back in and nailed “Beautiful” Bobby with his piledriver, but only got a two-count. The Vachons looked like they would get their first win of 2007 here, as they cut the ring in half on Eaton and kept him in for over five minutes. Butcher got him in the hangman and looked to have a submission in hand, but Cornette distracted referee Frank Morrell, allowing “Loverboy” Dennis to run in and break up the hold. A bloody Eaton rolled up Mad Dog into a small package out of nowhere for a count of two, but the hold allowed him to tag in to Condrey who was a house of fire. He hit two face-first leg sweeps on Mad Dog and went for a cover, but Butcher broke up the count. Eaton attacked Butcher and the two went to the floor. “Loverboy” Dennis picked up Mad Dog and executed a third face-first leg sweep and put him down for the three, giving the Midnights a close victory. ****½

5) The other half of the World Tag Team champions Buddy Rogers scored another victory over Gorgeous George. The “Nature Boy” scored a surprise pinfall after only a few minutes. George went to whip his former teammate into the ropes, but Rogers reversed it, got behind George and pushed him into the ropes, taking him back into a reverse rolling cradle. The surprise pinning combination put George down for a three. Rogers scored the win, but it wasn’t over. George got to his feet and complained that referee Paul Morton counted a fast count. He then clipped Rogers’ knee and stomped on his leg that was injured back in October. Buddy Rose and Chris Candido (along with Sherri Martel and Tammy Sytch) came down to ringside and joined in the attack. Candido and George held Rogers down, while the “Playboy” drove his knee several times into Rogers’ leg, with Rose’s knee brace back intact. Jimmy Snuka and Bruiser Brody made the save with steel chairs in hand, but the damage was done. Rogers re-injured the leg. Normally he would probably miss some ring time, but he and Snuka’s defense of the World Tag Team championship comes into question (more on that later). *½

6) Brody stayed in the ring for his match. Perhaps he was distracted by the attack in the previous match, as the Masked Superstar was able to score a decisive pinfall on the big man, giving the masked man another in his series of recent big wins. The New Mexican wildman dominated the opening minutes and seemed on his way to an easy victory. But the masked man regrouped and focused his attack on Brody’s neck. He executed both his spinning neckbreaker and cobra hold finishers on Brody. Although neither move scored the win, they weakened Brody’s neck. Superstar draped Brody’s throat across the top rope and then came off the top turnbuckle with a falling sledge to the wounded neck. He covered Brody and scored what some would consider a surprising pinfall. **½

7) Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ momentum was cut short, but in a treacherous way, as former Texas champion Justin Credible upset the former NWA World Heavyweight champ. Lewis did apply his headlock early on, but Credible quickly positioned himself towards the ring ropes. Justin nailed a double sledge off the top rope and then kicked Lewis “below the belt,” while Jim Cornette had referee Frank Morrell distracted. Credible only got a two-count. Not sure how to stop the “Strangler”, Credible went to a trusty friend—his Singapore cane. Cornette again distracted Morrell, allowing Credible to climb up the turnbuckles and jump off the top with a big cane smash to Lewis’ head. Morrell turned around in time to count a tainted three. Cornette and Credible celebrated the big win, but the Evansville fans were not happy as they pelted the duo with garbage! *½

8) Another big win was scored when Bob Orton, Sr. drew blood through Mil Mascaras’ mask and pinned the luchador sensation. Both wrestlers were looking for revenge for injuries to their respective allies: in Orton’s case—Nick Bockwinkel, for Mascaras—Giant Baba. “The Big O.” was looking to impress here and he achieved that, as he worked over the “Man of 1,000 Masks” with his physical, stiff offense. He piledrove Mascaras early on, but it was too soon into the match to score the pinfall. He tried to injure Mascaras’ neck, as he and the Heenan Family did to Baba, using a neckbreaker and vertical suplex, but again couldn’t keep him down. He delivered three big scoop slams, once dropping Mil face-first, which caused the blood to flow through one of his many masks. The luchador came back and nailed a beautiful flying body press for a two-count. He also got nearfalls after a sunset flip and his crossbody attack, but both time Bobby Heenan caused a distraction. “The Brain’s” interference gave Orton time to recuperate and come back with another piledriver, which this time would lead to pinfall and an important victory. ***¾

9) Dick Hutton must know the Sheik’s weaknesses, as he and Southern Heavyweight champion Frank Gotch scored another victory over the returning Sheik and Sabu, when Hutton again used his abdominal stretch to defeat the Syrian madman! Abdullah Farouk’s team charged the former World Tag Team champions before Gary Michael Cappetta could finish his introductions, but the Team RPW members saw them coming and took control, with Hutton and Sheik starting the match off. The Sheik would take control and apply the camel clutch early on, but Hutton made the ropes. Both teams tagged in and out, changing who was in control. At one point, Sabu locked Hutton in his camel clutch, then tagged in his uncle who switched and applied the clutch in the center of the ring. Meanwhile, Sabu bounced off the ropes and nailed a dropkick smack dab in Hutton’s face while he was locked in the punishing hold! Sabu attempted the triple jump moonsault several times, but just could hit his target. Sheik and Sabu worked over the Southern champ for several minutes, with Sabu drawing blood on him after blasting him in the face with a kick off his Air Sabu. Sheik came in and opened the wound further by taking a bite out of Gotch’s forehead. It looked like the champ would go down, but tonight the crowd was behind and Gotch was able to tag back in to Hutton. Hutton picked up Sheik and executed a big atomic drop, which lead to a cover, but no pinfall. He then locked on the abdominal stretch, which brought the Veterans Memorial Coliseum to its feet! Sabu jumped in, but Gotch took him down with a double leg! Sheik was in the middle of the ring with seemingly no escape. This time Hutton was able to force the submission, which drew a big pop from the crowd and caused Farouk much agony in seeing his man surrender! Hutton scored his second win over the Sheik, although technically he still has not lost in singles competition. ****¼

10) The third Team RPW member would challenge for the new USWA World Heavyweight champion for his crown in the main event, when George Hackenschmidt took on new champion Antonio Inoki in what could truly be called a world championship bout. The two wrestlers showed their mat skill, trading holds early on, although the champion seemed to gain control more often, using his agility to counter Hackenschmidt’s tremendous strength. Hackenschmidt threw Inoki with a waistlock suplex into a bridge and got a two-count. Inoki fired back, nailing his enzuigiri twice and applying the octopus hold, but the “Russian Lion” was able to hang on. Inoki sent Hackenschmidt into the turnbuckle, but the challenger reversed the whip and Inoki’s back hit the corner hard. “The Russian Lion” wisely took advantage and applied his Russian Bear Hug, punishing Inoki’s back. Inoki was in the hold for nearly a minute, but managed to get to the ropes, forcing a break. Evansville was behind Inoki and this may have helped him come back, despite the pain. Inoki applied his cobra twist submission in the center of the ring. As Hackenschmidt struggled to break free, the champ smoothly turned the move into the octopus. Hackenschmidt tried to find an escape, but eventually had to concede. The crowd cheered Inoki as he celebrated his first successful defense. ***¼

I'll be back later with highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling, as well as the line-up for the huge Card #127 in San Antonio!

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on April 7:

*USWA Committee Chairman Jerry Jarrett had a very important announcement. Due to three top wrestlers being injured (Nick Bockwinkel, Giant Baba, and Buddy Rogers) and the title picture for challengers to the USWA World Heavyweight championship being “mixed-up”, the Committee has announced that an eight-man single elimination tournament will take place over the next two cards with the winner challenging Antonio Inoki on May 4 in Nashville for the title. Jarrett stated that no one will be allowed at ringside for any of the tournament matches, to hopefully ensure fair outcomes in all of the matches. The first round will take place this next week in San Antonio, while the semifinal and final matches will be held on April 20 in Knoxville. The first round matches were announced (see Card #127 preview below).
*Speaking of the injured reserve, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers’ leg was re-injured in the attack by Buddy Rose, Chris Candido, and Gorgeous George. Rogers at this point plans to defend the World Tag Team titles with Jimmy Snuka, but will not compete in any other matches until his leg is healed.
*The USWA Committee also announced that Frank Gotch will make his next defense of the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship against the sadistic Sheik. At this point, the date of the match is undetermined, as Gotch will compete in the first round of the #1 Contenders tournament for the World title. Should he be eliminated in the first round, the bout will be the main event of Card #128 in Knoxville. Sheik defeated Gotch by countout in a title match back in October in Dallas. He was originally scheduled for a rematch in January, but was injured in December by Richard Hutton and Gotch when Hutton gave Sheik his first pinfall loss. Abdullah Farouk said that Gotch is biding his time in granting Sheik the rematch, because he fears the Sheik and knows he can defeat him. Gotch stated that no matter if he or George Hackenschmidt (who is also in the tournament) wins, the gold will come back to Team RPW. He also said that whenever he meets up with the Sheik, he will defeat him just as partner Richard Hutton has twice.

The Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio will host a huge night of USWA action!
*The #1 Contenders Tournament will kick off with the four first round matches
• Southern Heavyweight champion Frank Gotch takes on Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. These two each hold a win over the other. Who will win the rubber match and go on towards an opportunity at the big crown?
• The Masked Superstar battles Bruiser Brody in a rematch from the last card. Brody’s goal from Day One in the USWA was to win the World Heavyweight title, but first he must get by the masked man who just upset him and who is on a roll lately. Will Brody go on to achieve his dream or will Superstar win one for the Heenan Family?
• In an international affair and a “styles clash”, luchador sensation Mil Mascaras will take on Estonian powerhouse George Hackenschmidt in their first meeting. Will it be high flying Mascaras or the strong, mat wrestling style of Hackenschmidt that will advance?
• In another rematch from Card #126, Ed “Strangler” Lewis hopes to avenge his first USWA loss when he locks up with Justin Credible. Lewis stated that he believes Credible is a talented wrestler, but his upset victory means nothing since he had to use a weapon. Lewis also said that he is disappointed that a fellow “Louisvillian” in Jim Cornette would participate in such actions (obviously he doesn’t know the “Louisville Slugger” well enough yet!) Without Cornette at ringside, can Justin prove his victory was no fluke or will Lewis go on towards what brought him to the USWA—a shot at the gold?
*In a non-tournament match, the Sheik goes one-on-one with Richard Hutton! Hutton holds two wins in tag action over the Sheik, but wants to put the first blemish on Sheik’s singles record, especially before Sheik takes on Frank Gotch for the Southern Heavyweight title. Can Sheik gain revenge or will Hutton prove his control over the Syrian madman?
*In a special attraction and the first of three title matches, this one from World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), “The Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich will defend the WCCW American Heavyweight title against San Antonio’s own Tully Blanchard! The popular Von Erich has defend the championship, which is second only to WCCW’s own World crown currently held by Kerry’s brother David, for many months. The arrogant rulebreaker Blanchard (with his valet, “The Perfect 10” Baby Doll by his side) has been impressive in WCCW and would love to win the American strap in his hometown. Who will walk out of the Freeman Coliseum with the gold?
*In the first ever Triangle Match in USWA history, Red Bastien puts the USWA Texas title on the line against both Virgil and Butcher Vachon! Will it be the sneaky Virgil, the brutal Butcher, or the high flying champion Bastien leaving with the Lone Star State gold?
*The main event will feature the down, but not out, team of “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers defending the World Tag Team titles against the Midnight Express! Can Jim Cornette’s duo win the gold, especially with a wounded Rogers, or can the popular duo find a way to retain?
All this plus the debut of the newest Heenan Family member—King Kong Bundy!

[Cory Olson]

April 13, 2007
Card #127: Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio

1) A tag team bout was the opener, as Gorgeous George and Chris Candido barely scored a win over “Dastardly” Danny Doring and Cousin Luke. Doring and Luke were accompanied by Virgil and his recent success must have rubbed off on his allies, as Doring and Luke controlled a good portion of the match. Luke hit his Hillbilly Drop on Candido and Doring came off the top with his Danaconda leg drop on George, but neither finisher could pick up the win. Doring missed a charge in to the corner on the “Human Orchid” and George rolled him into a small package, but Doring kicked out. George took advantage and pulled him into his corner, where he and Candido double teamed Doring. Candido tagged in and took the “Dastardly One” up to the top turnbuckle and executed his Blonde Bomb, which put Doring down for the 1-2-3. ***

2) The massive King Kong Bundy made his USWA debut, defeating S.D. Jones. “Special Delivery” tried to use his agility against Bundy’s size, but the Heenan Family member dominated Jones. He showed some arrogance, but also his impressive power, as he nailed Jones in the corner with his Avalanche and then demanded referee Kevin Christian make a five-count before calling for the bell! Christian probably could have counted to 100 and beaten Jones, as he looked impressive here and made Bobby Heenan a happy man. ¾*

3) The Sheik avenged his only USWA losses so far, making short work of Dick Hutton. As is common for his matches, Sheik attacked Hutton as the Oklahoman was entering the ring and prior to the bell ringing to officially start the match. The lunatic pulled out his sharp object early on and jabbed Hutton with. Hutton took over outside the ring and attempted an Oklahoma side roll on the inside, but couldn’t keep Sheik’s shoulders down for even a one-count. Sheik nearly scored a countout win, after using the object again during a brawl on the arena floor. Hutton climbed back in just in time, but got locked in Sheik’s camel clutch. Sheik was able to hide the object and jab Hutton with it while holding on to the clutch. The sheer pain of the hold coupled with the added use of the object naturally led to a submission. *

4) The tournament to determine the #1 contender and the next challenger for Antonio Inoki’s USWA World Heavyweight championship began. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine scored his second victory this year over Southern Heavyweight champion Frank Gotch. Many fans thought that Valentine wouldn’t do as well with Capt. Lou Albano banned from ringside, but Valentine showed his abilities and desire for a title shot. “The Hammer” controlled most of the action working over the champ with chops and elbow smashes. When Gotch did have momentum he tried to soften up Valentine’s leg for his toehold, by applying the rolling knee bar. But it didn’t slow down Valentine enough as he scored two nearfalls after shoulder breakers. Valentine locked on the figure-four leglock, but Gotch made the ropes. With Gotch cut open, “The Hammer” dropped a big elbow hammer and covered the Southern champ to score a decisive win and move on to the semifinals. **¾

5) Bruiser Brody got closer to his goal of a title shot, avenging his loss from the last card by beating the Masked Superstar. Brody received one of the biggest ovations of the night from the San Antonio fans, as he was a big fan favorite in the local WCCW, prior to coming to the USWA last year. The masked man wanted to repeat his success, as he nailed Brody with two big clotheslines, but only got two-counts each time. Brody executed a big body slam on Superstar, but Superstar came back and went to hit his dreaded spinning neckbreaker. Brody sensed it and pushed Superstar backwards into the turnbuckles, preventing the hold. Brody climbed up behind Superstar and went to the top rope, but Superstar hit the ropes, crotching Brody. Superstar grabbed Brody in a front facelock and pulled him off the buckles, but Brody’s legs were still draped over the ropes. Superstar executed an “elevated’ version of his spinning neckbreaker, which drew a big pop from the crowd, being such a unique move. It looked like that would be it, but Brody’s desire for gold must have given him strength to kick out at 2¾. The crowd rallied behind the New Mexican madman and it led to Brody making a comeback. A jumping knee drop a few minutes later would score the pinfall for Brody. ***¼

6) In an international match-up, Mil Mascaras defeated “The Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt in a relatively easy manner. The two wrestlers traded holds for the first several minutes, showing their skills despite varied grappling styles. Mascaras had Hackenschmidt in an Indian Deathlock for over a minute, when the Estonian powerhouse was able to power out of the move and turn the luchador into a twisting heel hook. Mascaras wisely got to the ropes. While Hackenschmidt was on the floor, Mascaras came off the top turnbuckle with a big plancha to his foe on the floor! Hackenschmidt was almost counted out, but managed to get back in by 8. Yet the “Man of 1,000 Masks” was waiting for him and nailed him with his crossbody attack. He went for a cover, but only got a two. Mascaras wasted little time in ascending the ropes again and coming off with a beautiful flying body press, which put down Hack for the three-count and sent Mascaras on in the tournament. Many fans were surprised that it only took Mascaras a few minutes to defeat the “Russian Lion”. This was not a good night for Team RPW. **

7) Despite Jim Cornette being banned from ringside, it looked as if Justin Credible would score his second win over Ed “Strangler” Lewis, but in the end Lewis would be the victor and move on in the final first round match of the tournament. Credible started off strong, using his brawling tactics to wear down Lewis. The former Texas champion scored two nearfalls after a DDT and That’s Incredible. Lewis came back and threw Credible with the Strangler’s Headlock, but Credible made the ropes. Credible scored a surprise nearfall with a sunset flip a few minutes later. Lewis showed he has other moves in his arsenal, by locking Credible in what looked to be a very painful double wristlock, but Credible again got to the ropes to force a break. After two more of his headlocks, Lewis would pin Credible’s shoulders to the mat and get some revenge for his tainted loss on the lost card. ***¾

8) The popular Texan Kerry Von Erich retained his WCCW American Heavyweight title by pinning San Antonio’s own Tully Blanchard. Despite Blanchard being the hometown boy, the crowd was definitely pro-Von Erich. The crafty rulebreaker Blanchard used his slingshot suplex finisher on the champ in the opening minutes, but it was too early to put down Kerry. Kerry came back and smashed Tully with his famous discus punch, but couldn’t keep him down. He hit another punch, but Blanchard’s valet “The Perfect 10” Baby Doll distracted referee Paul Morton. It looked like Blanchard was out, but suddenly he nailed Kerry in the stomach with a boot, then executed a piledriver for a very nearfall. A clothesline gave Tully another two-count. A few minutes later, Blanchard whipped Von Erich into the ropes and bent over for a back body drop. The champ was quick thinking and nailed Blanchard with a boot to the face and then rolled him up into a small package for the three-count out of nowhere, which brought the Freeman Coliseum to its feet! ****

9) Red Bastien made his first defense of the USWA Texas title winning the first Triangle Match in USWA history by defeating Virgil and Butcher Vachon. By virtue of a coin toss, the two challengers started the match off. Virgil started off a house of fire against Butcher, showing his punching skills and working over his larger foe. Surprisingly, Virgil and Bastien tagged in and out wearing down Butcher, perhaps to get the largest man out of the match first. Whether or not they planned it, it worked, as Virgil was able to put Butcher out with his Million Dollar Dream, sending the Algerian and Capt. Lou Albano back to the locker rooms. Bastien and Virgil started going at it, with the champion controlling most of the action. Perhaps getting frustrated, Virgil rolled out of the ring. Cousin Luke, who was at ringside, got up on the other side of the ring to distract referee Tommy Gilbert. Red’s new partner, Billy Red Lyons, who will debut next week, ran over, pulled the hillbilly off the apron and nailed him with a big dropkick on the arena floor. While Gilbert was distracted by the brawl on the floor, Virgil grabbed Luke’s lucky horseshoe which had dropped in the ring. He clocked Bastien over the head with it, which brought him a non-title win, a few weeks back. This time the official turned around in time to see it and called for the bell, disqualifying Virgil and giving the champion the win. Afterwards, Luke ran in the ring and he and Virgil went after Bastien. Lyons jumped in and the Flying Redheads knocked Luke and Virgil out of the ring with picture-perfect dropkicks. **

10) Jimmy Snuka and an injured Buddy Rogers put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against the Midnight Express. The “Nature Boy” wore a walking cast for this match. The “Superfly” naturally started the match for his team, but Rogers would soon enter. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey whipped Rogers into the corner and charged in, but Rogers was able to use his walking cast and stomp Condrey’s right leg before he could attack. Condrey collapse and Rogers immediately went for the figure-four grapevine. Jim Cornette wisely got up on the apron to distract referee Jerry Calhoun. The Midnights used their double teaming offense effectively, at one point doing two Double Goozles on the “Superfly”. Even with his agility and mobility limited, Rogers was still able to control the offense at times and get some nearfalls on both of his challengers. Condrey executed his face-first leg sweep on Snuka, but it was close to the champions’ corner, so Rogers was able to boot Condrey in the face with his walking cast to break up the pin. The “Nature Boy” came back in a few minutes later, but got worked over and hit with the Rocket Launcher and the Double Goozle, yet managed to hold on. He came up bleeding after the Goozle. “Loverboy” Dennis swarmed in on him and hit another face-first leg sweep, smashing his face into the mat and attacking Rogers’ wounded leg. He covered the “Nature Boy” and picked up the victory, giving the Midnights the belts. Cornette and Justin Credible celebrated with their team. This gives “Beautiful” Bobby his third USWA World Tag Team title, having won two previously with his original M.E. partner “Sweet” Stan Lane. ****½

The #1 Contender’s Tournament and a wild Southern Heavyweight title match will headline Card #128 on April 20 at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville!
*”Superfly” Jimmy Snuka looks for revenge, as he battles “Playboy” Buddy Rose! Snuka will be even more fired up after losing the World Tag Team titles on the last card. Rose complained on WMC-TV this past week about being left out of the #1 Contender’s Tournament and says he will put the “Superfly” out of action just as he did to Buddy Rogers. Can Snuka put down the “Doughboy” or will Rose’s knee brace help him gain a much needed win?
*Texas champion Red Bastien locks up with Virgil in a non-title match. Virgil blew his chance at winning the Texas title by getting caught with a horseshoe. Can he gain another win over the champ or will Bastien put him down? Also Bastien’s new tag team partner Billy Red Lyons will debut taking on Virgil’s ally Cousin Luke!
*Both semifinals and final match of the #1 Contender’s Tournament will take place here. The two semifinal bouts will start off the card, giving the two winners time to rest before the final match later in the evening. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will take on Bruiser Brody, while Mil Mascaras locks-up with Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Which of these four combatants will go on to battle Antonio Inoki on May 4 for the USWA World Heavyweight championship?
*The main event is a match that’s a long time coming, as Frank Gotch puts the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship on the line against the sadistic Sheik! Sheik gained his revenge on Gotch’s partner and the only man who’s been able to beat him Dick Hutton and holds a countout victory over the champ. Will Abdullah Farouk’s maniacal charge capture USWA gold or can Gotch outwrestle the Sheik?
Also in action the Road Warriors back from their AWA tour, the new World Tag Team champions the Midnight Express, and King Kong Bundy! How could you even think about missing a great card like this?

[Tournament Master]

Wow, awsome card. New tag champs, debut of King Kong Bundy, Virgil almost winning a title...and a tournament on top of all of that!

I'm rooting for Ed Lewis to win the tournament, although it could be interesting if Mil wins it, since he and Inoki both have ties to Baba.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks for the comments, Todd. I'm pulling for Lewis as well, although Brody's a close second. Since Brody's been in the USWA longer, I'd kinda like to see him win. But at the same time, I don't want Strangler to lose again for a while, especially after the Justin Credible fiasco!

The fun part about this tournament is that I could see any of the eight guys winning and having fun with it. Well...maybe not Justin. He's cool and all, but come on, he shouldn't be beating the Strangler!

[Cory Olson]

April 20, 2007
Card #128: Civic Coliseum in Knoxville

1) The card opened with the semifinals of the tournament to determine a #1 contender to Antonio Inoki’s USWA World Heavyweight championship. Bruiser Brody advanced to the finals with a win over Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in a back-and-forth contest. Brody hit his jumping knee drop in the opening minutes, but referee Kevin Christian had been knocked down by a missed clothesline from the big man and couldn’t make the count. Brody would attempt his knee drop from the top turnbuckle, but Valentine rolled out of the way. He covered Brody but only got a two-count. Valentine almost scored a victory with a pinfall while putting his feet on the ropes, but Christian stopped the count when he noticed the illegal leverage. At different points in the match, Brody used his twisting vertical suplex to score two nearfalls on “The Hammer”. A third twisting suplex would put down Valentine for the count and send Brody to the finals later in the evening. ****

2) Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ mat wrestling skills triumphed over Mil Mascaras’ high flying offense and sent him to the finals of the tournament. The luchador had the early advantage trying to wear out Lewis. He nailed Lewis twice with the crossbody attack, but the “Strangler” kicked out. Lewis scored some nearfalls after Mil missed a flying splash in the corner and then later with a ¾ nelson and leg grapevine. Lewis threw the “Man of 1,000 Masks” with the Strangler’s Headlock, which drew a big pop from the Knoxville crowd, who was mostly split between the two fan favorites. Mascaras tried to roll out or get to the ropes, but Lewis’ grip strength was too much. The “Strangler” was able to pin Mascaras’ shoulders to the mat with his headlock. In a great sign of sportsmanship, Lewis helped the luchador to his feet and shook his hands with him afterwards. **¾

3) Billy Red Lyons made his USWA debut defeating Cousin Luke. The hillbilly looked like he was going to spoil Lyons’ debut, as he executed his Hillbilly Drop, but only got a two-count. Lyons showcased his offense, scoring nearfalls after a rolling reverse cradle and an atomic drop, similar to the finisher his partner Red Bastien uses. Lyons applies one of his main finishers, the figure-four leglock in the center of the ring. Luke tried to escape or reach the ropes, but was unable and tapped out to the hold, giving Lyons his first USWA victory. **

4) King Kong Bundy was nearly upset by the much smaller “Dastardly” Danny Doring, but the newest Heenan Family member eventually prevailed. Bundy dominated the opening minutes of the contest, but Doring somehow managed to comeback and tried to use his quickness to tire the New Jersey giant. Bundy attempted his Avalanche, but Doring managed to dodge the move and Bundy hit the buckle hard. Doring immediately climbed up the turnbuckles and came off with a missle dropkick which knocked Bundy down. Doring went up the other set of buckles and came off with the Danaconda, which brought a big cheer from the Civic Coliseum, thinking they were going to see an upset. Doring covered Bundy, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distracted referee Frank Morrell. Bundy came and used his size and strength to weaken Doring. Bundy successfully hit the Avalanche and again demanded a five-count from Morrell to ensure a victory. ***

5) Texas champion Red Bastien defeated his rival Virgil by countout. Bastien got some revenge for Virgil hitting him with Cousin Luke’s horseshoe on the last card in the Triangle Match. Virgil looked on his way to another victory over Bastien, as he locked on the Million Dollar Dream, but the champ made the ropes. Bastien came back and his spinning atomic drop, which sent Virgil flying out of the ring. The former bodyguard got to his feet, but decided to fight another day and walked back to the locker room, drawing boos from the Knoxville crowd. Bastien scored a countout win, but will surely want another match with Virgil to score a decisive victory. ***½

6) The new USWA World Tag Team champions the Midnight Express defeated the struggling Vachon Brothers. Jim Cornette’s men worked over the larger Butcher to start the match, executing the Double Goozle. Butcher managed to tag in to brother Mad Dog, who hit “Loverboy” Dennis with his piledriver, but only got a two-count. Butcher came back in and climbed up to the top rope. Cornette got up on the ring apron, which brought up Capt. Lou Albano as well, as the two managers argued. Albano leaned against the ropes, which caused his own man to get crotched on the turnbuckle! Cornette smacked Albano with his tennis racket, knocking the Captain to the floor. Condrey tagged in to Eaton and the Express hit the Rocket Launcher on Butcher. Eaton covered Butcher, while Condrey kept Mad Dog from breaking up the pinfall. This makes the Vachons 0-8 overall this year. *¾

7) The Road Warriors returned from their AWA tour to score an impressive victory over Gorgeous George and Chris Candido. Hawk hit a top rope splash on Candido for a nearfall, then tagged in Animal who whipped the blonde bombshell into the ropes and gave his patented power slam. Tammy Sytch got up on the ring apron to distract referee Tommy Gilbert and give Candido time to recover. The “Human Orchid” eventually got in the ring, but didn’t have much success either, getting double-teamed by the Legion of Doom. George took a spike piledriver, as well as two Doomsday Devices, somehow kicking out of one and being saved by his Cherie Dupré from the second. A third Device would put him down, as Hawk scored the pinfall on the three-time Southern Heavyweight champ. **

8) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka scored a pinfall on rival “Playboy” Buddy Rose. It was not Rose’s night, as Snuka controlled most of the offense. Snuka hit a sunset flip for a pin attempt, but “Sensational” Sherri Martel distracted Frank Morrell. Snuka hit a Superfly Leap, but didn’t get the full impact he often does, so Rose was able to kick out. Snuka came off the top again, but this time with a flying body press and this time got the pinfall. *¾

9) Ed “Strangler” Lewis earned himself a shot at the World Heavyweight championship on May 4, defeating Bruiser Brody in the finals of the tournament. World champion Antonio Inoki came down to ringside before the match and sat with Lance Russell and Dave Brown to watch his two prospective challengers. The fans were split on this match as well, although Brody had a few more cheers early on. Lewis used his headlock early on and held Brody in it for over a minute, but couldn’t score a pin or submission. The New Mexican brawler came back and hit his jumping knee drop twice, but Lewis kicked out both times. The Knoxville crowd started to get behind the “Strangler”, seeing his determination for a shot. Lewis went for a double leg takedown in the corner, but Brody dodged it and took him into a school boy roll-up for a nearfall. Lewis cameback and again got the Strangler’s Headlock on Brody. He held it on and pinned the big man’s shoulders to the mat, which drew a big cheer from the crowd and gave Lewis the victory. Inoki got in the ring after the match and shook hands with Lewis, much as Lewis did when Inoki won the championship. ****

10) The main event saw the Sheik became even more feared, as he captured the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship from Frank Gotch. Many fans were surprised by how the Sheik punished the champion for the majority of the match, using his sharp object early on. Sheik appeared that he was going to throw a fireball, but Gotch cut him off before he could, taking him down and punching away at him. The champ applied a rolling knee bar on the sadistic challenger, but Sheik managed to reach the ropes. The Sheik used the object again and locked on the camel clutch, jabbing Gotch with the object and drawing blood. But the Iowan wouldn’t surrender. Abdullah Farouk distracted referee Jerry Calhoun, while Sheik successfully threw a huge fireball at the bloodied Gotch. Gotch rolled around in pain. Sheik covered Gotch and Calhoun turned around to count the pinfall and crown a new Southern champion! The Civic Coliseum fans started to pelt the ring with garbage as Gary Michael Cappetta announced the new champion. Gotch’s Team RPW teammates Richard Hutton and George Hackenschmidt came down to the ring to check on the fallen Gotch. Gotch suffered severe burns from the fire and had to be helped to the back. **¾

Check back later for highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling and a preview of Card #129 from Nashville!

[Cory Olson]

I meant to get this up sooner, but here's some highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling and the preview for Card #129!

*On the April 21st edition, Richard Hutton and George Hackenschmidt were interviewed. Hutton stated that Frank Gotch is down, but not out and will return in a couple of weeks, suffering only minor burns from The Sheik's fireball. He said that Team RPW has some good news, as their negotiations were successful and a new member will debut for them in a few weeks. Hutton said that this man has achieved success both in professional wrestling and most recently in the sport of mixed martial arts. Into the WMC-TV studios walked Dan "The Beast" Severn a former World Heavyweight champion in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). The UFC is divided up into weight divisions and Severn usually weighs in close to the Heavyweight limit of 265 lbs. Hutton said that Severn represents the ideals of pure wrestling that Team RPW stands for and will soon demonstrate his skills in a USWA ring.
*On the April 28th edition, a huge main event was signed for Card #130 on May 11 in Chattanooga, as The Midnight Express will defend the USWA World Tag Team titles against The Road Warriors. Besides this being another meeting between these feuding teams, this will have extra significance as Chattanooga has featured match-ups between the Legion of Doom and the first incarnation of The Midnights the previous two years. In 2005 "Beautiful" Bobby and "Sweet" Stan defeated the Warriors at the USWA's 50th card at Engle Stadium and then injured Hawk and Animal, putting them out for the rest of the year. Last year, the Warriors captured their second Tag Team championship from Eaton and Lane at Memorial Auditorium. The biggest difference now is "Loverboy" Dennis is Eaton's partner. The Chattanooga fans should be pumped for "their" feud!
*Lance Russell updated the USWA fans that Giant Baba has returned to his home country of Japan to get treatments for his neck injury, but does plan to return later this summer to get revenge on the Masked Superstar and the rest of the Heenan Family.

Another huge USWA event comes to the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on May 4!
*"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka and Bruiser Brody battle "Playboy" Buddy Rose and Gorgeous George in a big tag team battle! Snuka scored an impressive singles win on Rose in Knoxville and he and Brody have an excellent tag team record. Who will emerge the victors here?
*Before they challenge for the World Tag Team championship in Chattanooga, The Road Warriors will do battle one more time with The Vachons! Despite their disappointing record this year, Capt. Lou Albano's Algerian team have had competitive matches with the Legion of Doom. Can Mad Dog and Butcher gain their first victory of '07 or will Hawk and Animal gain more momentum going in to their title opportunity?
*In a big rematch from Card #126, Mil Mascaras takes on Bob Orton, Sr. "The Big O." scored a big win over the luchador with his piledriver and was disappointed that he wasn't a part of the #1 Contender's Tournament. Can Orton show his win wasn't a fluke or will the luchador rebound?
*The new Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik and his nephew Sabu will take on Team RPW members Richard Hutton and "The Russian Lion" George Hackenschmidt. Will Team RPW be able to outwrestle the crazy relatives?
*The main event is of huge preportions, as Antonio Inoki defends the USWA World Heavyweight gold against the winner of the #1 Contender's Tournament--Ed "Strangler" Lewis. Both combatants are fan favorites. Both received their first USWA title shot shortly after their debut, as Inoki pinned former champ Nick Bockwinkel in a tag team match in his very first match. It will be interesting to see who the "Music City" fans side with. Can Inoki hold on to the gold or will Lewis get a stranglehold on the belt?
All this plus Greg "The Hammer" Valentine goes one-on-one with Justin Credible, King Kong Bundy in action, and The Flying Redheads team up for the first time!

[Chad Olson]

Where are the results brother? I want to see Roadies vs. the Vachons and the big world title showdown!

[Cory Olson]

Hey brother! I hope to get the results up this weekend and play the next show as well. Both matches you mentioned were pretty good. A couple of injuries came out of the show as well. Stay tuned!

[Cory Olson]

May 4, 2007
Card #129—Municipal Auditorium in Nashville

1) Virgil avenged his loss from the end of March, scoring an impressive, aggressive victory over S.D. Jones. Virgil focused on Jones’s shoulder throughout the match, ramming his shoulder into the ringpost outside the ring. The former bodyguard forced “Special Delivery” to surrender to his Million Dollar Dream, due to the punishment. But Virgil wasn’t finished as he stomped away on the shoulder and locked on an arm bar. Jones’s partner Koko B. Ware, along with The Flying Redheads, came down to run Virgil off. Jones suffered some shoulder damage, but will only miss a couple weeks of action. ¼*

2) Masked Superstar scored a quick win over Chris Candido. The blonde bombshell managed to kick out of the dreaded spinning neckbreaker, but Superstar would take a page out of Candido’s playbook, coming off the second turnbuckle with a diving head butt and scoring the pinfall. There didn’t appear to be any signs of Bobby Heenan and/or Superstar putting any type of object in his mask, as he has done in the past. DUD

3) The Flying Redheads got their first tag victory in the USWA defeating “Dastardly” Danny Doring and Cousin Luke. The Texas champion and his Canadian partner were heavily cheered in Nashville and look like they will provide a challenge to other USWA tag teams. They made frequent tags, using several dropkicks throughout and busting open Doring. Billy Red Lyons showcased the other finisher he likes to use—the sleeperhold. He applied it on Luke and put him out to pick up a win for the Redheads. ***½

4) Justin Credible scored what some would consider an upset, defeating Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Managers Jim Cornette and Capt. Lou Albano didn’t get into it with each other, like when The Midnight Express and The Vachons met a couple weeks ago, but the “Louisville Slugger” did hammer Valentine with a good old fashioned tennis racket “whack” to the back when he was on the floor. A DDT from Credible would put down Valentine for the 1-2-3. Albano tried to protest, but couldn’t convince Frank Morell to change the decision. DUD

5) King Kong Bundy kept up his momentum, making short work of Koko B. Ware. Bobby Heenan’s monster showed his power and arrogance, as he nailed one Avalanche on “The Birdman” and went for a cover. He asked referee Kevin Christian for his five-count, but lifted Ware off the mat at four! He proceeded to whip Koko into another corner and execute a second Avalanche. He put Ware for down for the 1-2-3…4-5. DUD

6) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and Bruiser Brody defeated rivals “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Gorgeous George. The “Playboy” (or “Doughboy”) looked like a human pinball in the opening minutes, getting beaten on and double teamed, before somehow tagging in to the “Human Orchid”. From that point, it became more competitive, as both teams exchanged the advantage. Rose hit his illegal Bombs Away on Brody, but Snuka broke up the pinfall. Snuka hit a perfect Superfly Leap on George, but George managed to kick out at 2¾. George was almost counted out on two separate occasions, but both times just beat the count back in. Brody hit the jumping knee drop on Rose, while Snuka and George were brawling on the floor. “Sensational” Sherri Martel jumped on the ring apron to distract Paul Morton. Brody actually charged at her with a big boot! Martel dove off the apron, dodging the boot and (thankfully?) wasn’t seriously hurt. Brody hit a second jumping knee drop on the “Playboy”, then covered him and picked up the win for him and Snuka. ***

7) The Vachons came close again, but close doesn’t count, as The Road Warriors scored another victory over the Algerian brothers. Butcher took more punishment here, getting busted open. Hawk picked him up in an over-the-shoulder backbreaker, showing his immense power, but Mad Dog broke it up before Butcher could surrender. The Legion of Doom hit a Doomsday Device on Butcher, but this time Capt. Lou Albano would provide a distraction. Mad Dog tagged in and hit his Mad Dog Pounce on Animal, scoring a nearfall. He also executed his piledriver on the larger Warrior, but Animal managed to kick out. Butcher tagged back in and Animal power slammed him out of nowhere and put him down for the victory, giving the Road Warriors momentum going into their tag title match. ***½

8) Bob Orton, Sr. proved his win last month was no fluke as he bloodied up Mil Mascaras for a second time and put him down again with the piledriver. “The Big O.” used his finisher several times, as well as several vertical suplexes and scoop slams. Mascaras came back and locked on a bow and arrow in the center of the ring. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan distracted Frank Morrell, which some could claim as a valid excuse for Mascaras’ loss. Orton came back and came off the top rope with a big sledge to Mascaras’ head, which was already squirting blood from his mask (Ironically, he was sporting a vampire-style mask on this occasion!) Orton executed one more piledriver to put the luchador down. **

9) Dick Hutton and George Hackenschmidt were looking for revenge on the new Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik and Sabu. While Sheik and Sabu pulled off the victory, Hutton and Hackenschmidt did get some vengeance afterwards. The match started off wild, as most Sabu and Sheik matches seem to! Sabu hit a triple jump moonsault on “The Russian Lion”, but the powerhouse kicked out. Sheik became the legal man and worked over Hackenschmidt on the floor. He locked in his camel clutch, but Hackenschmidt made the ropes. The Estonian strongman finally made the tag to Hutton, which brought the crowd to its feet. After working over the Southern champ, Hutton locked on the abdominal stretch—Sheik’s “weakness”. Sabu tried to save his uncle, but was met with a takedown from Hackenschmidt. Abdullah Farouk got up on the apron and distracted Paul Morton. Hutton released the hold and went after Farouk, who wisely got off the apron. Morton was distracted by Farouk, as well as Sabu and Hackenschmidt brawling, so he didn’t see as Hutton turned towards the Sheik, but was met with a fireball! Hutton rolled around on the mat in agony. Sheik covered Hutton and Morton turned around to count the three. Hackenschmidt went over to check on his fallen partner. The Municipal Auditorium turned into the Municipal Dump, as fans started littering the ring with garbage! Hackenschmidt wasn’t going to let this injustice go on. He gave Sabu a released waistlock suplex, then smashed Farouk with a forearm. He grabbed the Southern champ and locked on his Russian Bear Hug. He squeezed the Sheik for several minutes, as officials swarmed the ring to try and stop the carnage. He finally let go, as he dropped a limp Sheik. Sheik suffered broken ribs from the strongman. Hutton suffered burn damage from the fireball as well. What a scene! ***¼

10) From a wild brawl to a great wrestling match in the main event. Antonio Inoki retained the World Heavyweight title defeating the winner of the #1 Contender’s Tournament: Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Both combatants were cheered here, but Lewis may have had a slight lead. The two traded mat holds early on and the Nashville crowd was appreciative of their skills. The action picked up as Inoki nailed Lewis with enzuigiri after enzuigiri, eventually busting the challenger open, but unable to put him down. Lewis came back and threw Inoki with the Strangler’s Headlock. He clamped the hold on with Inoki on the mat, but the champ’s shoulders wouldn’t stay down nor would he tap out. Lewis had Inoki in a waistlock, but Inoki maneuvered towards the ropes, spun out and started nailing Lewis’ legs with a barrage of karate kicks. With Lewis bent over and weakened, Inoki caught Lewis right in the face with a roundhouse kick, almost a version of the enzuigiri. Inoki covered the fallen “Strangler” and picked up the 1-2-3 for an almost “out of nowhere” pinfall. After being given his belt back by Jerry Calhoun the champion helped Lewis to his feet and offered him his hand in sportsmanship. The challenger although bloodied accepted and raised the champion’s hand, as the Nashville crowd applauded. ***¼

Check back later for the WMC-TV report and the preview for Card #130! Some big news was announced already for June on USWA Championship Wrestling!

[Cory Olson]

USWA Championship Wrestling on WMC-TV—May 5

*The usually quiet George Hackenschmidt gave a powerful interview (demonstrating good English skills!) He said he was not going to allow some “psychos” like Sheik and Sabu take out true wrestlers like Frank Gotch and Dick Hutton. He challenged The Sheik to be his first challenger for the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship on May 28—Memorial Day—at the Rupp Arena in Lexington! He said that the Russian Bear Hug broke Sheik’s ribs and he wants to use it to bring him the Southern crown! Abdullah Farouk appeared later in the show and said that while Sheik should not be wrestling, he (Sheik) wants to take out his third Team RPW member and thus accepted “The Russian Lion’s” challenge! Hackenschmidt also announced that newest member Dan “The Beast” Severn will debut on the same card.
*Ed “Strangler” Lewis spoke about his loss to Antonio Inoki. He said that Inoki was a great wrestler and there was no shame in losing to him. He said that he would like a rematch on Card #132 on June 8 from his hometown of Louisville! He said he’s not guaranteeing any “hometown advantage”, but wants another opportunity. Lance Russell received word later in the show that Inoki’s representatives had accepted the and the rematch has been signed!

May 11 will be a historical night at the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga as the USWA presents Card #130!
*Bruiser Brody will go one-on-one with “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Rose stated on WMC-TV that Brody was a jerk to go after a wonderful woman like “Sensational” Sherri on the last card. He also said that he and Gorgeous George should have won, as he had Brody beaten with his Bombs Away and that only the “Superfly” saved his partner. Rose claimed his top rope knee drop is superior to Brody’s jumping version. Brody responded later in the show saying that he doesn’t care about “no dog like Sherri” and he just wants to beat Rose again and move on towards a World title shot. Whose knee drop will prove to be better?
*Before receiving his first shot at the Southern Heavyweight title, George Hackenschmidt will face the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying Sabu! Abdullah Farouk hopes that The Sheik’s insane nephew can do some damage to “The Russian Lion” before he battles the champ on Memorial Day. Will Sabu take Hack to the extreme or can the Estonian squeeze Sabu into submission?
*In a battle of speed vs. strength, Mil Mascaras battles King Kong Bundy! Bobby “The Brain” Heenan originally brought Bundy in to the USWA to squash the luchador, as revenge for his attack on Nick Bockwinkel. Heenan said that the New Jersey giant will destroy the “Man of 1,000 Masks” just like “The Big O.” did. Can Mascaras get out of his slump or will Bundy put another wrestler down for a five?
*Speaking of Bob Orton, Sr. he’ll face a big challenge as he takes on Ed “Strangler” Lewis! Lewis would love a win before his rematch for the USWA World title next month, but Orton is on a roll and wants to prove himself as well. Who will emerge victorious?
*The main event will feature a feud that has a lot of history in Chattanooga. The Midnight Express will make their first defense of the USWA World Tag Team titles against two-time title holders The Road Warriors! Jim Cornette claimed that “Beautiful” Bobby and “Loverboy” Dennis will end this saga once and for all and finally destroy the Legion of Doom. Can they do it or will Hawk and Animal win the gold for a record third time?
All this plus a rematch from last week as Greg “The Hammer” Valentine looks for revenge on Justin Credible. The Flying Redheads will be in action and more!

[Cory Olson]

May 11, 2007
Card #130—Memorial Auditorium in Nashville

1) Koko B. Ware defeated “Dastardly” Danny Doring in the opener. Ware busted Doring open after two Ghostbusters. The two went to the arena floor, where Virgil, who was at ringside for Doring, got involved. His interference backfired though, as Ware grabbed both Doring and Virgil and delivered a big noggin knocker to the two, then rolled back in the ring before the count of 10, resulting in a countout win and his first singles win of 2007! But his celebration was short lived, as Virgil and Doring recovered and attacked him. Virgil held Ware down in an arm bar, just as he used on “The Birdman’s” partner S.D. Jones. Doring came off the top rope with his Danaconda, right to the back of Ware’s neck. The Flying Redheads ran down and chased the duo off before more damage could be done. Ware reportedly suffered a “stinger” and will only miss a couple weeks of action. **½

2) The Vachons’ woes in ’07 continued, as they lost to Gorgeous George and Chris Candido. The Algerians looked like they would gain a victory, as they double teamed “The Human Orchid” for a good portion of the match, each using their finishers on him. Candido tagged in and was able to execute the Blonde Bomb on Mad Dog, but couldn’t capitalize and cover immediately, so Vachon kicked out. Candido picked up Mad Dog in a vertical suplex, then showed good power in holding him up for about 15 seconds, before dropping him back to the mat. He went for a cover and scored a big win for the duo. Butcher attempted to save his brother, but George cut him off. ***¼

3) The Flying Redheads scored a quick win over Cousin Luke and Virgil. Knowing the Redheads were fired up from the attack on Koko B. Ware, Virgil stayed on the apron, allowing the hillbilly to do the work. It wasn’t a successful plan as Bastien and Lyons showed their great teamwork again, scoring a quick submission win on Luke with Billy Red’s figure-four leglock. DUD

4) Justin Credible proved his win on the last card was no fluke. This time around it was more of a challenge, but he did manage to defeat Greg Valentine for the second consecutive card. This was a back-and-forth match, with both wrestlers executing their finishers several times. Valentine wore the crimson mask after taking two That’s Incredibles in a row, but still kicked out. Valentine hit a piledriver of his own for a two-count. Cornette provided one of many distractions for his man, allowing Justin to smack “The Hammer” with his Singapore cane. Capt. Lou Albano got on the apron as well, to distract Frank Morrell and prevent a pinfall. Cornette ran around the ring and smacked Albano with his tennis racket! While Morrell was tied up with another scuffle between the two managers, Credible smacked Valentine again with the cane and covered the bloody “Hammer”. Morrell turned around and made the three-count. ****¼

5) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka scored a big singles win, defeating Heenan Family member The Masked Superstar. Snuka kicked out of an early spinning neckbreaker and came back to knock Superstar out of the ring with a big flying head butt. The masked man almost got counted out, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan managed to stall for a few extra seconds and allow him time to recover and beat the count. Snuka came off the top with a Superfly Leap and scored the 1-2-3, which brought the Chattanooga crowd to its feet! **¾

6) Bruiser Brody pinned “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Rose hit his brace-enhanced Bombs Away early on, but Brody managed to kickout. Brody came back and controlled the match from that point on. He had Rose down and “Sensational” Sherri Martel got involved, even entering the ring. Brody cut her off and gave her a one-arm body slam! He then hit the jumping knee drop on the “Doughboy” and picked up the win. Gorgeous George and Chris Candido, along with Tammy and Cherie, came down to check on both, but mainly Sherri. Sherri seemed shook up, but suffered no injuries. **

7) Sabu defeated George Hackenschmidt by DQ. Sabu used his brawling tactics as only he knows how in this match. He brought in a steel chair and hit an Arabian facebuster, while Abdullah Farouk distracted Paul Morton. “The Russian Lion” came back and applied the Russian Bear Hug and later a keylock arm bar, but couldn’t score a submission on either occasion. The suicidal, genocidal, homicidal Sabu used another chair outside the ring and then applied his own submission—the camel clutch back inside. Hackenschmidt’s Team RPW teammate Dick Hutton came down to the ring, sporting bandages from the burns he suffered from The Sheik’s fireball last week. He got up on the ring apron to try and inform Morton of the illegal use of the chair, but without seeing the violation, Morton couldn’t do anything. Fed up by this, Hutton entered the ring and nailed Sabu with a forearm smash, break the clutch, but getting Hackenschmidt disqualified. The Estonian didn’t seem to mind, as he joined in with Hutton to stomp away at Sabu, before leaving the ring. **¾

8) Mil Mascaras rebounded from recent losses to give King Kong Bundy his first USWA loss. In this bout, agility would win out over strength. The “Man of 1,000 Masks” dazzled the New Jersey giant with his offense. At one point, Mascaras nearly scored a countout victory, after coming off the top turnbuckle with a big plancha. He hit the crossbody attack and went for a cover, but Bobby Heenan distracted Frank Morrell. A knee lift from the luchador drew blood on the big Bundy. While Bundy did have his moments, he couldn’t maintain the control. One of Mil’s famous flying body presses off the top would give him the victory. **

9) Bob Orton, Sr. looked on his way to a pinfall victory, but had to settle for a disqualification over Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Orton started off punishing Lewis with two of his piledrivers early on. Lewis came back and threw Orton with the Strangler’s Headlock, but couldn’t get the win. Orton came back again and controlled Lewis. He hit a third piledriver on the “Strangler”. Mil Mascaras came down to ringside fresh off his victory and jumped in the ring, due to his recent problems with Orton and The Heenan Family. He pulled Orton off, threw him into the ropes, and nailed him with the crossbody attack. Orton rolled out of the ring and left with “The Brain” before further damage could be done. Naturally Mil’s actions got Lewis disqualified and made “The Big O.” the victor. The luchador tried to apologize to Lewis, but perhaps due to the language barrier or just his lack of success, Lewis did not seem too pleased. *¾

10) The main event featured a feud with so much history in Chattanooga as The Midnight Express defended the USWA World Tag Team titles against The Road Warriors. The typical main event introductions began, with both teams in separate corners. Gary Michael Cappetta gave the microphone over to Jim Cornette, so he could introduce his own men, as he usually does. He made the comment that after this match, the Memorial Auditorium would be renamed the Legion of Doom Memorial Auditorium, because his men were about to end this feud and bury Hawk, Animal, and “Precious” Paul Ellering once and for all. This comment angered Ellering, who jumped on Cornette before he could finish. The teams started brawling before Jerry Calhoun had called for the bell. The champs controlled the offense early. It was back-and-forth in this battle, although The Road Warriors couldn’t seem to keep The Midnights down long enough for many nearfalls. The kept the larger Animal in the ring for a majority of the match. After getting smashed face-first with “Loverboy” Dennis’ face-first leg sweep, Animal’s face paint would be mixed with blood. Hawk would later tag in and pound away on “Beautiful” Bobby with big forearms. The end came out of nowhere, as Animal whipped Eaton into the ropes, but Bobby reversed the whip. As Animal hit the ropes, Cornette happened to be on that side of the ring and cracked him across the back (which has previously been injured) with the tennis racket. Eaton rolled him into a small package and scored the pinfall. Of course the action wasn’t over here! Ellering ran after Cornette and started choking him, but was smacked from behind by Justin Credible and his Singapore cane. Condrey gave Hawk a face-first leg sweep, momentarily taking him out of the picture. The champs then stretched out Animal, while Cornette smacked his back more with the racket. Hawk recovered and chased the group away. He helped his partner and manager Ellering to their feet. Animal had to be assisted to the back. He will be out of action for a few weeks, but thankfully no major damage occurred. Yet the USWA’s injury list gets longer and longer! ***½

Coming up: the preview for the special Memorial Day card on May 28!

[Cory Olson]

Yes, I realize that the real Memorial Day has passed, but I will get around to playing this card now that school is out!!

The USWA is taking a couple weeks off before returning with a special Memorial Day card on May 28 from the Rupp Arena in Lexington! The last three weeks of USWA Championship Wrestling aired highlights of the Chattanooga card and focused on the big Memorial Day card.

*Frank Gotch steps back into the ring for the first time since losing the Southern Heavyweight title. His first opponent will be the nephew of the man to whom he lost the belt--Sabu! Gotch was interviewed on the May 19 show. He said that Team RPW is down, but not out and that whether it's himself or George Hackenschmidt who defeats The Sheik, the Southern gold will come back to a true wrestler. Can Gotch outwrestle Sabu or will Sabu's insane offense take out the "rusty" Gotch?
*Before challenging for the USWA World Heavyweight title, Ed "Strangler" Lewis will lock-up again Justin Credible. Lewis wants to settle the score with the former Texas champion before returning to his hometown and getting another shot at the belt. Justin is on a roll with two consecutive wins over Greg Valentine. Will the headlock put Credible down or will Lewis get caned?
*Two managers will compete as Jim Cornette and the World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express will face Capt. Lou Albano and The Vachons in a six-man tag team bout! The USWA Committee put this together, due to the two managers' recent scuffles during their charges' matches. Cornette has competed in the USWA before, but this will be the Captain's first match. A win for Albano and The Vachons would give the Algerians some hope after a rough year so far. "Beautiful" Bobby and "Loverboy" Dennis hope to gain a win after their attack on The Road Warriors. Which trio will reign supreme?
*In a huge tag team contest, the USWA World Heavyweight champion Antonio Inoki teams up with "The Man of 1,000 Masks" Mil Mascaras to battle Heenan Family members The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy. "The Brain" continues his pursuit to take out the champ and the luchador, despite Bundy's loss to Mascaras. He said that he is still unsure about whether or not former champ Nick Bockwinkel will be able to return. Will it be the international duo coming out on top or can the Family work together to score the victory?
*The main event will be for the Southern Heavyweight champion as new title holder The Sheik makes his first defense against "The Russian Lion" George Hackenschmidt. Sheik is going in to the bout with wounded ribs from the Russian Bear Hug. The challenger also has revenge on his mind, for his Team RPW teammates getting burned by the champ's fireball. Can The Sheik find a way to hold on to his belt or will Hackenschmidt squeeze his way towards his first USWA championship?
All this plus Bob Orton, Sr. takes on Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Jimmy Snuka and Bruiser Brody, "Playboy" Buddy Rose, and the debut of newest Team RPW member--Dan "The Beast" Severn! Memorial Day in Lexington!

[wildcat]

Rupp Arena ?! Lexington, KY ?! I'm there bro...............
Love your fed , I always read even if I sometimes don't post.

[Cory Olson]

wildcat said:

Rupp Arena ?! Lexington, KY ?! I'm there bro...............
Love your fed , I always read even if I sometimes don't post.

Thanks, Kevin. Maybe I can get you and the family some front row tickets.

[Cory Olson]

May 28, 2007 (Memorial Day)
Card #131: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) Team RPW’s newest member Dan “The Beast” Severn quickly won his debut match over “Dastardly” Danny Doring. The Michigan native showed his great wrestling and submission skills, which made him a champion in the UFC. He applied his wakigatame, also known as the Fujiwara arm bar. Doring actually held on longer than most expected, but eventually had to tap out. ½*

2) Even with burns from The Sheik’s fireball, Dick Hutton scored a big win over the struggling “Playboy” Buddy Rose. With the two week break from USWA events, “Sensational” Sherri Martel was recovered from the Bruiser Brody body slam, although she did look cautious at ringside. Rose hit his Bombs Away right to Hutton’s burned face, but the Oklahoman managed to kick out. Hutton threw Rose with a side salto, then covered him and hooked the leg to score a big win and bring the Rupp Arena to its feet. *

3) “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and Bruiser Brody defeated Cousin Luke and Virgil by countout. Whether he’s trying to avoid action or not, for the second card in a row, Virgil did not tag in (or Luke was unable to tag him). Snuka knocked the hillbilly out of the ring with a flying head butt. While Snuka and Virgil were jawing in the corner, Brody went after Luke and body slammed him on the arena floor. Kevin Christian turned around and counted Luke out, while Brody returned to his corner. DUD

4) The Flying Redheads continued their winning ways scoring an impressive win over Gorgeous George and Chris Candido. Candido hit an impressive diving head butt on Lyons, but only got a two-count. The blonde bombshell tagged in to the “Human Orchid”, but that may have been a mistake. The Redheads showed their teamwork, cutting the ring in half on George and even busting him open. Lyons locked George in his sleeperhold. With the blood pouring down his head, George started dropping. Candido tried to save his partner, but Texas champion Bastien cut him off. Frank Morrell checked George’s arm and it dropped three times, giving the Readheads another tag win. **¾

5) Greg Valentine and Bob Orton, Sr. had a physical match, ending with “The Hammer” winning by DQ. Valentine was able to apply the figure-four leglock early on, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan jumped up on the ring apron to provide a distraction. Valentine, who has needed a win, controlled Orton, who had been on a roll, for a good portion of the match. “The Big O.” came back and started stomping and punching away at Valentine in the corner. Kevin Christian was warning Orton to let Valentine out of the corner, but Orton wouldn’t listen. The elder Orton got tired of the warnings and shoved down Christian, leading to an automatic disqualification. Heenan eventually called off Orton, while Capt. Lou Albano checked to see that his charge suffered no injuries. ***

6) Frank Gotch returned and scored a disqualification win over Sabu in a wild match. The pure wrestler Gotch seemed content with going toe-to-toe with Sabu outside of the ring on the arena floor. Abdullah Farouk provided a distraction at one point, while Sabu used a steel chair. Sabu would use the chair again later and get caught, although it seemed as if he was focused more on re-injuring Gotch than winning. *

7) Ed “Strangler” Lewis scored a decisive win over Justin Credible, prior to his rematch for the USWA World Heavyweight title in his hometown. Jim Cornette (dressed in his spandex bodysuit for his six-man tag team match following this one) distracted Paul Morton, allowing Credible to crack Lewis with the Singapore cane. It looked like Credible would pick up another tainted win, but Lewis kicked out, drawing a big cheer from the crowd. The “Strangler” caught Justin with his headlock and threw him to the mat. Credible fought to get free, but eventually went down to hold. ¾*

8) In a short, but wild six-man tag team match, The Vachons and Capt. Lou Albano defeated the World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette by DQ. The Midnights and Cornette were favored in the Rupp Arena, perhaps due to it being Cornette’s home state. The Vachons actually worked over the champs for the first few minutes and came close to defeating them. The Captain tagged in for the first time, which appeared to be a mistake, as the Express gained control. They hit Albano with the Rocket Launcher, but “Beautiful” Bobby pulled him up before the three-count, probably to humiliate Albano. Cornette finally tagged in, which popped the crowd. As he stepped in, Eaton and Condrey charged at the Vachons in the corner and started brawling with them, which momentarily tied up Frank Morrell. Cornette went to the corner and grabbed his trusty tennis racket. Cornette wound up and smacked Albano right across the face with the racket! Unfortunately, Morrell turned around in time to see the action and called for the disqualification. Since his team had lost, Cornette decided to nail Albano with the racket a few more times, while the World Tag champs held him down. The Vachons recovered and chased the trio off. **

9) The Heenan Family duo of The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy worked well together as they scored a huge victory over the World Heavyweight champion Antonio Inoki and Mil Mascaras. All four men seemed to kick out or break out of their opponent’s big maneuvers. Inoki appeared to have Superstar locked up in the octopus, but Bobby Heenan distracted Paul Morton, causing the champ to release the hold. Bundy hit his Avalanche on Mascaras and of course asked for a five-count. Shockingly Mascaras kicked out a 4¾! Since Bundy demands the count of five, the match continued. Inoki later hit Superstar with a big enzuigiri, but Superstar kicked out. The masked man came back against his masked rival Mascaras and whipped him into the corner. He then tagged in Bundy and whipped Bundy into the opposite corner, giving him extra momentum for another Avalanche on Mascaras! Superstar knocked Inoki off the apron and Bundy covered Mascaras. The big man avenged his only USWA loss by putting “The Man of 1,000 Masks” down for a five-count. ***¾

10) The Sheik defied logic in the main event, wrestling with broken ribs, but still managing to bloody up and defeat “The Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt to make his first defense of the USWA Southern Heavyweight championship. Hackenschmidt applied the Russian Bear Hug in the opening minutes. The Rupp Arena figured the match would end quickly, but the champ jabbed the challenger in the eye to break the hold. Sheik took the action to the arena floor and gained the advantage. He pulled out the sharp object and was able to hide it from Jerry Calhoun. Sheik carved Hackenschmidt up, drawing blood. He applied the camel clutch and slipped the object in, again unbeknownst to the official. Dick Hutton was at ringside for his Team RPW teammate and tried to tell Calhoun what was happening, but Calhoun didn’t catch the action. Hackenschmidt finally surrendered to the clutch. Hutton climbed in the ring to check on his fallen teammate, while Abdullah Farouk celebrated with The Sheik and the ring was pelted with debris! **¼

Later on—the rest of the card for the big World title match at the Louisville Gardens!

[Cory Olson]

The USWA kicks off the summer on June 8 with a big card from the Louisville Gardens!

*In a rematch from Memorial Day, Bob Orton, Sr. goes head-to-head with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. These two had a physical battle that saw Orton, Sr. lose his cool. Both wrestlers are hoping for a decisive victory to move on towards other things, such as a singles title shot. Will it be “The Big O.” or “The Hammer” walking out the victor?
*Two tag rivals lock-up as “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey will battle Hawk. Hawk wants revenge for The Midnight Express’ attack to his partner Animal’s back. Will the Road Warrior get the win or can “Loverboy” Dennis get by the powerhouse?
*Condrey’s World Tag Team championship partner “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton will face Mad Dog Vachon. Capt. Lou Albano made the challenge for this match on the June 2 edition of USWA Championship Wrestling. He added in the stipulation that if Mad Dog can achieve victory, the Vachons will receive a World Tag Team title shot at the Midnight Express on June 16 in Austin, TX. Jim Cornette accepted, noting some of Eaton’s past victories in singles matches will keep the floundering Vachons from a title match. Who will emerge the victor as the war between managers Albano and Cornette rages on?
*Frank Gotch meets Sabu in another rematch. Not that Team RPW needed another reason to go after The Sheik and Sabu, but with the controversial win over George Hackenschmidt in the last main event, you can bet Gotch will be looking to make Sabu tap out. Can he do it or will Sabu find another dastardly way to stop him?
*Hometown hero Ed “Strangler” Lewis will get another shot at the USWA World Heavyweight championship, held by Antonio Inoki. Lewis looked focused against Justin Credible, surviving a stiff Singapore cane shot. Can he put down Inoki or will the Japanese superstar hold on to his gold?
All this plus two rulebreaking teams do battle as Heenan Family members The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy face “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Gorgeous George. S.D. Jones returns from injury to try and gain revenge on Virgil. Bruiser Brody, Dan “The Beast” Severn, and more in action!