Cory's USWA Fed

[wildcat]

Awesome, Lewis wins title in Kentucky.
Can't wait for the full results..................

[Cory Olson]

August 10, 2007
Card #138: Rupp Arena in Lexington

1) In a match-up of fan favorite tag teams, The Killer Bees picked up a win over Koko B. Ware and S.D. Jones. Ware and Jones got some nearfalls and looked on their way to what would have been a much needed win, as Jones got a 2¾ count on B. Brian Blair and “The Birdman” was able to hit “Jumping” Jim Brunzell with the Ghostbuster for a close one. But the Bees showed their teaming experience to rally back and pick up the win after hitting Ware with the Bee Sting. Both teams shook hands after this great opener. ***¼

2) Gorgeous George was out to prove that his win over Dan Severn on the last card wasn’t a fluke. “The Human Orchid” attacked “The Beast” at the bell, but made use of his Georgie pins to rake Severn’s eyes several times. He worked over the leg and applied his spinning toehold. Dick Hutton tried to warn Frank Morrell about the use of the pins, but Morrell wouldn’t listen. So the Team RPW coach took matters into his own hands and entered the ring, nailing George with a big forearm smash. Morrell was left with no choice but to disqualify Severn for outside interference. DUD

3) Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s duo of The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy kept up their winning ways by defeating The Flying Redheads. Despite being outweighed and overpowered, the Redheads used their quickness and double teaming skills to get some offense in on Superstar and Bundy. Billy Red Lyons almost put out with the New Jersey giant with his sleeper hold, but Bundy managed to stay in the match. Superstar would use his own submission, the Cobra hold, to wear down Bastien and pick up the victory. ***

4) Rikidozan made short work of “Dastardly” Danny Doring. The Japanese sensation showcased his powerful and thunderous chops, which put down Doring for the 1-2-3. DUD

5) In a short, but wild brawl, Bruiser Brody emerged victorious over Mad Dog Vachon. Vachon controlled the action early on, using a double foot stomp and airplane spin, as well as his piledriver, which injured Bobby Eaton’s neck, but couldn’t put down Brody on this occasion. Brody battled back and nailed Vachon with a big boot to the face. He followed it up by bouncing off the ropes and coming back with a big running leg drop on the downed Mad Dog. The combination proved to be effective as Brody gained the pinfall. **¾

6) The Road Warriors looked down and out, but made a huge comeback to pick up a win over another pair of former World Tag Team champions—Team RPW members Frank Gotch and Dick Hutton. Both teams brought out all of their big moves in this one. Hutton was hit twice with the Doomsday Device early on, but first got his foot on the ropes and the second time was saved by Gotch. After making a comeback, Hutton tagged out to Gotch, who worked over Hawk and drew blood on the powerhouse after some stiff forearms across the bridge of the nose. Gotch applied his version of the toehold and looked to have Hawk trapped, but Animal would break up the submission hold. Somehow Hawk, survived and tagged into Animal who came in as a house of fire on Hutton. He tagged back out to Hawk and the Legion of Doom hit their third Doomsday Device on Hutton and put him down for the count. ****¼

7) World Tag Team champion “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey and his manager Jim Cornette defeated Butcher Vachon and Capt. Lou Albano by countout in an interesting bout! Vachon and Albano charged Condrey at the bell and gained an early advantage. Once Butcher had control, the rubber banded manager wanted to see some action, so Butcher obliged. Albano hit Condrey with a low blow, while Butcher distracted Frank Morrell. Cornette jumped in to attack Albano, but Morrell saw him and tried to get him out of the ring. Meanwhile, Texas champion and bodyguard Justin Credible came in behind Morrell’s back and superkicked Albano, which knocked the rotund manager out of the ring. Butcher helped Albano back in, while Condrey tagged to Cornette. The tag actually brought a pop from the Rupp Arena crowd! Albano pulled out a foreign object and decked Cornette out of nowhere. He rolled onto Cornette, but somehow the “Louisville Slugger” kicked out! Cornette tagged out to the “Loverboy” who beat on Albano and tossed him out of the ring. While Condrey and Butcher were arguing in one corner, Cornette recovered and clocked Albano with the tennis racket! Morrell turned around and saw Albano knocked out on the arena floor. He started the count and soon reached ten, giving Cornette and Condrey the countout victory. ***

8) With no one allowed at ringside, Buddy Rogers scored a definitive victory over “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Rogers was a man focused, going for Rose’s leg with the knee brace and was able to remove it! Rose rolled out of the ring, where he rammed Rogers head-first into the ringpost. He tossed Rogers back into the ring and mounted the turnbuckles, diving off with the Bombs Away. Rose made the cover, but only got two. The “Nature Boy” came back and attacked Rose’s bad leg. He locked on the figure-four leglock and Rose quickly surrendered. **

9) Nick Bockwinkel returned to action and got some revenge, defeating Mil Mascaras in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. The first fall ended relatively quickly. After both men showcased their mat wrestling skills, Mascaras won the first fall with a beautiful flying body press. The second fall was more competitive with both combatants getting nearfalls. Bockwinkel attempted his sleeper at one point, but Mascaras got to the ropes. The “Man of 1,000 Masks” hit several more flying body presses, but couldn’t put Bock down. Bockwinkel evened things up, getting a submission win with the figure-four leglock. In the third fall, Mascaras controlled most of the action. The luchador nailed the cross body attack, which is what gave Bockwinkel a concussion. He couldn’t make the cover right away, as both wrestlers were busted open and fatigued from the long bout. Mascaras started to go for the cover, but Bobby Heenan jumped up on the apron. Mascaras got up and dropkicked “The Brain” off the ring apron! At the same time, Bockwinkel recovered and got Mascaras from behind with a school boy roll-up and the pinfall. ****½

10) The main event saw history made as Ed “Strangler” Lewis captured the USWA World Heavyweight championship from Antonio Inoki. Inoki and Lewis also showcased their great mat wrestling skills in the opening minutes of a long bout, including Inoki applying the unique sickle hold submission. The action picked up and saw both men gain the advantage at various times. It was basically the enzuigiri against the Strangler’s Headlock. Both finishers drew blood on the other man, but couldn’t gain the win. Midway through the bout, Nick Bockwinkel, recovered from his victory in the last match, and Bobby Heenan made their way to ringside. Inoki blasted Lewis with another enzuigiri, which knocked “Strangler” down near the ring ropes. Bockwinkel grabbed Lewis’ foot and placed it on the ropes. Kevin Christian didn’t see Bockwinkel’s help, but did see the foot, so the pinfall was broken up. Inoki stared down Bockwinkel, but didn’t take his attention off of “Strangler”. Lewis came back with several headlocks and even got a near submission with a different move—the double wristlock. But it was his pride and joy, the headlock, that caused Inoki to tap out and brought Lewis the title in his home state. Bockwinkel and Heenan left ringside before Inoki recovered. Inoki, although upset by the loss, did shake hands with Lewis afterwards. *****

[Highway61Revisited]

I *heart* the USWA.

Spectacular job, Cory.

[Cory Olson]

highway61revisited said:

I *heart* the USWA.

That would be a good slogan for USWA merchandise. Thanks, Highway!

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on August 11:

*The new World Heavyweight champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis was interviewed. He said that he did not really realize that Nick Bockwinkel had put his foot on the ropes, as he was knocked for a loop by Inoki's enzuigiri. Lewis said he is not in cahoots with Bockwinkel nor any other Heenan Family members and didn't know what Bockwinkel's motive was. He said he will gladly give Inoki a rematch. "Strangler" said if Bockwinkel wants a shot, he'll have to earn it--he won't get it by doing Lewis "favors".
*Nick Bockwinkel defended his actions, saying that it was Inoki who "stole" his championship. In his mind, he is still the champion, because it was him who put Lewis' foot on the ropes and kept him in the match. Bockwinkel said that he will soon prove to be the undisputed champion when he does get another shot.
*Another former champion threw his name in the ring for wanting a shot as "Playboy" Buddy Rose (along with "Sensational" Sherri Martel) were interviewed by Bill Apter. Rose said that he wants to challenge Lewis for the first shot on September 7 in Lewis' hometown of Louisville. USWA Committee member Jerry Jarrett came out with some documents in hand. He announced the Rose had been lying about his "doctor ordered" knee brace that he has been wearing this year. While Rose did suffer injuries in the Alley Fight Match with Nick Bockwinkel in 2005, Rose had surgery and was never in need of a brace. In fact the doctor Rose claimed to have received the brace from (Dr. Mike Lano) isn't really a surgeon at all, but just a dentist! Jarrett stated that from this point on Rose will no longer be allowed to wear the brace in USWA matches. Rose and Sherri naturally tried to protest the decision.

The USWA returns to Huntsville, AL for the first time in two years on August 17! The Madison County Coliseum will host a huge card!
*Rikidozan takes on a tough challenge in "The Big O." Bob Orton, Sr.! Orton has scored big wins in the past, but can he stop the Japanese superstar?
*The Road Warriors take on a huge challenge in the team of The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy! The Heenan Family team is undefeated, but the Legion of Doom are looking for another victory, as they wait for The Midnight Express to lose the World Tag Team titles. Can Hawk and Animal win or will Superstar and Bundy take out another team?
*Nick Bockwinkel wants to avenge his loss from Japan when he takes on Giant Baba. Bockwinkel claims Baba had a "home country advantage" in their match at Budokan Hall and that he (Bock) will walk out the victor on U.S. soil. Is he right or can Baba gain another win?
*The huge six-man tag team elimination bout takes place as "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, and Bruiser Brody lock-up with their rivals--"Playboy" Buddy Rose, Gorgeous George, and Chris Candido. Will this war finally be settled? How will Rose fare without his knee brace?
*The main event will feature Huntsville's own "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton defending the World Tag Team titles with "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey against their rivals The Vachons in a Huntsville Street Fight! The Midnights may have the momentum at the moment, after Jim Cornette clocked Capt. Lou with the tennis racket! But Eaton's neck is still questionable after Mad Dog piledrove him on a chair. Who will walk out of this match the champions? Remember--anything goes!
Plus Texas champion Justin Credible battles Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik in action, and "The Man of 1,000 Masks" Mil Mascaras!

[Cory Olson]

August 17, 2007
Card #139: Madison County Coliseum in Huntsville, AL

1) The Killer Bees defeated Danny Doring and Cousin Luke in a surprisingly competitive opener. B. Brian Blair and “Jumping” Jim Brunzell worked over the hillbilly Luke early, even drawing blood on him. But the native of Hog Waller, TN came back and he and “Dastardly” Danny kept Brunzell in the ring for a while. The Bees would eventually come out on top after a Bee Sting on Luke. ***

2) Mil Mascaras avenged his loss in Dallas by busting open Sabu and scoring a pinfall on him. This one was fast-paced and back and forth. Mascaras hit several flying body presses and cross body attacks on the Bombay madman. After dodging a body press, Sabu locked on the Camel Clutch, but “The Man of 1,000 Masks” reached the ropes. Abdullah Farouk attempted to intervene, but Mascaras knocked him off the apron with a dropkick. Another cross body attack would put Sabu down for the count. ***¾

3) Sabu’s uncle, current USWA Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik defeated “The Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt by submission in a non-title bout. There have been some wild battles between Sheik and Sabu and the members of Team RPW the last few months and this one didn’t disappoint, as Sheik charged his opponent before the bell rang. The champ controlled most of the action here, digging his fingernails into Hackenschmidt’s face and drawing blood. Sheik locked in the Camel Clutch on several occasions. Hack attempted to use his pure wrestling skills against the madman, scoring a nearfall with a waistlock suplex, and then trying to get him to submit to the Russian Bear Hug, but Sheik made the ropes. Eventually the blood loss was too much for Hack, as Sheik clamped on the Clutch again and scored the submission. The action wasn’t over as Sabu came back down and nailed Dick Hutton from behind with a chair smash. Sheik kept the Clutch on and Sabu blasted Hackenschmidt in the face with a dropkick. Sheik then held Hack down, while Sabu ascended the turnbuckles and came off with a moonsault. He hit several more moonsaults on the Estonian powerhouse. Dan “The Beast” Severn ran down and chased Sheik, Sabu, and Abdullah Farouk away. Frank Gotch came down as well to check on their fallen teammates. Hackenschmidt suffered broken ribs and will be out of action indefinitely. ***

4) Greg Valentine defeated Texas champion Justin Credible in a non-title bout. “The Hammer” wanted some revenge after suffering two losses to the Singapore cane swinger in the past few months. Valentine brutalized Credible early on working over the legs and attempting the figure-four leglock, but also by smashing Credible with stiff chops and elbows. Credible scored one nearfall, busting out his cane and cracking Valentine on the head with it, while Jim Cornette distracted Kevin Christian. Naturally this got Cornette and Capt. Lou Albano going at it at ringside! Valentine wouldn’t stay down and continued to punish Credible. “The Hammer” scored the pinfall after a top rope sledge to Justin’s neck, and following it up with a neckbreaker. **½

5) The Flying Redheads scored a big win defeating Team RPW members Frank Gotch and Dick Hutton. Gotch and Hutton seemed off their game, perhaps concerned about George Hackenschmidt and Hutton may have still been feeling the effects of the chair shot from Sabu. Red Bastien and Billy Red Lyons busted out several dropkicks on both men and used their fast-paced style to wear the mat wrestlers out. Bastien scored the pin seemingly out of nowhere on Hutton after a flying head scissors. The Redheads showed their sportsmanship by shaking hands with Gotch and Hutton afterwards. **

6) Rikidozan kept up his winning ways, with a pinfall over Bob Orton, Sr. The Japanese superstar made short work of “The Big O.” relying mainly on chops to wear down the Missouri native. Rikidozan put Orton down for the 1-2-3 after a series of his thunderous chops. ¼*

7) Bobby Heenan’s men rebounded, as The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy remained undefeated scoring what many would consider a big upset over The Road Warriors. These four behemoths went back and forth, but the Heenan Family team was able to keep Animal in the ring for a longer amount of time. Animal attempted a power slam on the big Bundy, but couldn’t get the full momentum and dropped Bundy. The Legion of Doom was able to give Bundy a double suplex at one point, which drew a big pop from the Huntsville crowd. Superstar was in the corner at one point and appeared to have received an object from Bobby Heenan, which he put in his mask and followed up with a head butt to Animal, busting him open. Superstar went for a cover, but “Precious” Paul Ellering distracted referee Tommy Gilbert, trying to tell him about the loaded mask. Animal tried another slam on Bundy, but the loss of blood and fatigue made him unable to pull it off. Bundy fell on top, but picked Animal up and whipped him into the corner. He followed up with the Avalanche and a cover. Many fans were shocked to see Animal get put down for the five-count. The strength and success of the Superstar/Bundy combo cannot be overlooked in the USWA! ****

8) Giant Baba proved his win in Japan last month was no fluke, as he scored another pinfall victory over two-time World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel. The two wrestlers went back and forth in the opening minutes with some great mat wrestling. The paced picked up with Bockwinkel coming off the top rope with a sledge, knocking Baba down and making him easy prey for Bock’s figure-four leglock. Baba powered out of the hold and reached the ropes. He came back and nailed a big dropkick. Baba whipped Bockwinkel into the ropes and came back with his dreaded neckbreaker drop. Baba covered Bockwinkel and scored the 1-2-3 in a relatively short match. **¼

9) Bruiser Brody, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka defeated their hated rivals “Playboy” Buddy Rose, Gorgeous George, and Chris Candido. Fans were surprised by the first elimination, as Candido who has struggled in 2007, pinned the “Superfly” after pulling off his Blonde Bomb. The second fall saw the remaining five competitors all get in. Rose, with his knee brace no longer allowed in the ring, got locked in Rogers’ figure-four grapevine. George jumped in and raked Rogers’ eyes to break it up. Rose hit the Bombs Away, but Rogers kicked out. “The Human Orchid” tagged in and applied the spinning toehold for several minutes, before Brody ran in and booted George in the mush. The “Nature Boy” was busted open. Candido came back in, but got surprised and locked in the figure-four. Rogers although bloody forced Candido to submit, leading to the second elimination. Brody came in and went to town on the “Playboy” (or “Doughboy”). Brody eliminated Rose taking him out with a big dropkick. Even with a two-on-one advantage, George managed to keep Rogers in the ring and work him down, eliminating his former teammate by submission with the spinning toehold. It came down to long-time rivals Brody and George in the final fall. Brody took control on George who was also busted open by this point. He landed the jumping knee drop. Before Brody could make the cover, Cherie Dupré got on the ring apron. Brody ran over and barked at her, which caused Cherie to change her mind about interfering! Brody hit a second knee drop to pin George and stand the sole survivor. ****½

10) The main event saw Huntsville’s own “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton team up with “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey to defend the USWA World Tag Team championship against The Vachon Brothers in a Huntsville Street Fight. Eaton was still wearing a neck brace, due to an injure from Mad Dog’s piledriver on a steel chair. The Midnight Express would get some revenge tonight, as they beat and bloodied Mad Dog in this anything goes bout. Eaton pulled a small chain out of his jeans pocket early on and punched away at Mad Dog. Eaton and Condrey hit the Midnight Massacre on Mad Dog, while Butcher was on the floor, having gotten rammed into the steel ringpost by “Loverboy” Dennis. Condrey went for a cover, but Capt. Lou Albano jumped in the ring to prevent the pinfall. Of course referee Paul Morton could not disqualify Albano in this type of a match. Jim Cornette took offense and jumped in on Albano with a barrage of punches, as the Madison County Coliseum went wild. The Midnights hit the Rocket Launcher, but Butcher recovered and saved his brother. Mad Dog came back and started to do what a dog does best—bite. He chomped away on Eaton’s forehead. Butcher focused on Eaton’s neck and got him up in the Hangman. Eaton looked like he might surrender, but eventually broke free from Butcher’s grasp. Eaton decked Butcher with the chain, which rocked the big man. Condrey knocked Mad Dog out of the ring, where Justin Credible put the boots to him. Meanwhile the Midnights hit another Rocket Launcher on Butcher. Eaton made the cover and scored the win in his hometown, after a wild brawl! ***¼

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on August 18:
*”Playboy” Buddy Rose and Gorgeous George appeared in the WMC-TV studio, along with “Sensational” Sherri Martel and Cherie Dupré, and were interviewed by Lance Russell. Russell asked where Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch were. Rose informed him that Candido and Sytch had decided to leave the USWA and compete elsewhere. Rose said he had no hard feelings towards the two. George announced that he and Cherie will soon follow, as he has been cast to star in a Hollywood movie! “The Human Orchid” said he will wrestle one more match on next week’s card. (See card preview below.) Rose again issued a challenge to Ed “Strangler” Lewis to be his first challenger for the USWA World Heavyweight belt. Rose stated that when he lost the title to Nick Bockwinkel at New Year’s Knockout II, he was injured and never received a rematch. He also said he was not prepared, as Bobby Heenan made his debut on that card, managing Bockwinkel and helping him regain the belt from Rose. The new champion came out and said even though Rose doesn’t deserve it, Lewis will give him the title shot, to prove that Rose is not worthy to be a champion. The match was signed for September in Lewis’ hometown of Louisville!
*Another title match was made, as the undefeated team of The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy will be the Midnight Express’ next challengers for the USWA World Tag Team titles! The match will also take place in September at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Even though rulebreaker vs. rulebreaker matches are common in the USWA, this will be the first time that Jim Cornette and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan have managed against each other! Reports are that “Beautiful” Bobby’s neck is improving and he should be at 100% by then. But will that be enough to stop the dominant Heenan Family duo?

The USWA presents its last card of the summer on August 24, when it comes to Nashville with a big card at the Nashville Fairgrounds!
*In his last USWA match for the time being, three-time USWA Southern Heavyweight champion “The Human Orchid” Gorgeous George will take on Dan “The Beast” Severn. Severn made this challenge, wanting one last chance to defeat George before he leaves for Hollywood. “The Beast” is fired up, especially after the injury to teammate George Hackenschmidt. Severn stated that George is not a wrestler, but a cheater, as he has used illegal tactics to beat Severn. Can Severn finally beat George or will George leave a winner?
*Before he and King Kong Bundy challenge for the USWA World Tag Team titles, The Masked Superstar takes on a challenge in singles action, against the impressive Rikidozan. Rikidozan pinned Superstar in his debut six-man tag team match. Can Superstar avenge that loss or will Rikidozan keep rolling on?
*In big tag team action, The Road Warriors lock-up with The Vachons. These teams are both looking for wins. They have had some good matches this year, but the Algerian brothers have yet to achieve a victory over The Legion of Doom. Who will come out on top?
*Antonio Inoki gets back in action after losing the USWA World Heavyweight title, as he locks up with “The Big O.” Bob Orton, Sr. This is another match where both men need to get back on track. Who will walk out the victor?
*Jim Cornette and Capt. Lou Albano will finally go at it one-on-one. Can the two rulebreaking managers finally settle the score?
*Bruiser Brody will do battle for the first time with Nick Bockwinkel. These two were originally scheduled to meet back in April, but Bockwinkel went down with a concussion, thanks to Mil Mascaras. Brody is fresh off surviving the six-man tag team Elimination Match. Can he defeat the former champ as well?
*The main event will be an interesting clash of styles, as The Sheik puts his Southern Heavyweight championship on the line against Giant Baba! Baba’s last shot at the Southern gold was last year in the same building, when he challenged then-champion Ted DiBiase after emerging the victor in an 11-Man Battle Royal at the beginning of the card. Baba is on a roll lately. The Sheik has put down many tough challengers, but can he stop a Japanese giant? Will Baba tie the record (currently held by Gorgeous George) and win his third USWA Southern title?
All this plus “Playboy” Buddy Rose and The Flying Redheads in action!

[Tournament Master]

Fantastic stuff Cory. I just caught up on a bunch of USWA action. Loved the Road-Warriors Midnights cage match...that must have been awesome to play out. I loved that Buddy Rose got the knee brace from Dr. Mike Lano...thats hilarious. I hope he gets his match against the Strangler and gets headlocked for 10 minutes straight.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks for the comments, Todd! The cage match was amazing. Considering Eaton was weakened by the injury and especially had a crappy Cage Rating, and STILL won was awesome.

I put a little Seinfeld humor in with the Dr. Mike Lano being "only a dentist" angle. (He's an anti-dentite!)

Buddy Rose has been known to do some strange things in the past in the USWA! His record since returning isn't great, but who knows what he's capable of?!

[Chad Olson]

I'm a big fan of the Superstar/Bundy team! Hoping they take straps from the Midnights!

[Stu]

Isn't Rose a former World Champ in the good old USWA? I couldn't remember for sure.

Somebody...was it you?...was thinking of running an angle where his weight was reversed (i.e. 217, instead of 271), and he was going to make a run at the Junior strap. It was pretty funny, except I can't remember who was doing it.

Good old Rose. I'll bet he weighs in at a bit more than one foot pound these days! ;D (Ask your brother...hilarious typo in an on screen graphic in one of those old AWA matches we watched a few months ago).

[Cory Olson]

isuchado said:

I'm a big fan of the Superstar/Bundy team! Hoping they take straps from the Midnights!

It would be cool to have them remain undefeated and win the belts. They'd be the first tag champs for the Heenan Family. But I'm getting into the Eaton-Condrey team as well. I haven't emphasized it enough, but the Midnights have not lost a tag bout by pin or submission yet either.

stubucco said:

Isn't Rose a former World Champ in the good old USWA? I couldn't remember for sure.

Yup, two-time (two-time!) champ. Head over to the "Cory's USWA Fed:A-Z" in the subboard to see the history. (Cheap plug!)

stubucco said:

Somebody...was it you?...was thinking of running an angle where his weight was reversed (i.e. 217, instead of 271), and he was going to make a run at the Junior strap. It was pretty funny, except I can't remember who was doing it.

I hadn't thought about that really, since I don't have a jr. title. But with Danny Hodge and Tiger Mask about to join LOW, I may have to steal it. I haven't really played up the "217 lbs." gimmick with Rose at anytime in the USWA.

stubucco said:

Good old Rose. I'll bet he weighs in at a bit more than one foot pound these days! ;D (Ask your brother...hilarious typo in an on screen graphic in one of those old AWA matches we watched a few months ago).

I think I did see the match you were talking about. Good old AWA! I like how Stanley Blackburn goes through a list of past AWA champs and mentions Harley Race, then realizes he didn't hold it.

[Cory Olson]

August 24, 2007
Card #140: Nashville Fairgrounds

1) The Flying Redheads scored a victory over “Dastardly” Danny Doring and Cousin Luke in the opener. Luke was actually more effective for his team, scoring a nearfall on Red Bastien after a mule kick. When Doring tagged in, the popular Redheads cut the ring in half on him. Billy Red Lyons paid homage to his partner by using Bastien’s finisher, picking Doring up into an airplane spin, then bringing him down into an atomic drop. Lyons’ version was effective here, as it put down Doring for the 1-2-3. **¾

2) “Playboy” Buddy Rose made short work of Virgil. Long-time USWA fans will remember Virgil scoring an upset on the two-time former World Heavyweight champion back in February in El Paso. But Rose was focused here before his shot at new champion “Strangler” Lewis. Even without his knee brace to add impact, Rose’s Bombs Away off the top earned him a victory. ¼*

3) Dan “The Beast” Severn finally got some revenge, dominating Gorgeous George in “The Human Orchid’s” last USWA match before leaving for Hollywood. Severn outwrestled George at every turn here. He locked on the wakigatame, but the former Southern champ was able to reach the ropes. George raked Severn’s eyes and then received some Georgie pins from Cherie Dupré at ringside, but before he could use them Severn caught him in a belly to belly suplex, sending the pins flying. Severn caught George in a waistlock, then threw him with a German suplex into a bridge to score the pinfall. Severn celebrated with Richard Hutton, as Cherie consoled her man. The Nashville fans berated George with catcalls as he left the building! ½*

4) Severn’s Team RPW teammates also tasted victory, as Frank Gotch and Richard Hutton defeated “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in a battle of former World Tag Team champions. It was actually Snuka and Rogers who captured the belts from Gotch and Hutton back in March. Snuka and Rogers received slightly more cheers here, as they had the early advantage. But Hutton would catch Snuka in an amateur style cradle for a nearfall, then apply his abdominal stretch. “Superfly” managed to reach the ropes. Gotch tagged in, but Snuka regained control and nailed a Superfly Leap, but didn’t get the full force, so Gotch was able to kick out. Frequent tags were executed by Snuka and Rogers and a double dropkick busted Gotch open. Snuka went up for a second leap, but Gotch sensed it and rolled out of the way, then in a slick motion, applied the Gotch toehold. Snuka wouldn’t surrender, but Gotch maintained control, pulling Snuka to the corner and tagging in Hutton, who pounced on Snuka with an Oklahoma side roll, but only got a two-count. Hutton threw Snuka with a picture perfect side salto and scored the pinfall to the slight surprise of the Fairgrounds crowd. Both teams showed respect for one another by shaking hands after the bout. ***¼

5) Rikidozan dominated The Masked Superstar en route to a pinfall victory. The Japanese superstar was merciless from the bell, using his hiplock and thunderous chops on the masked man. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan got up on the ring apron early on, but was quickly knocked off with a Rikidozan chop! Superstar was able to recover and got an object from Heenan, who was still dizzy from the chop. Superstar loaded his mask and charged at Rikidozan with a head butt in the corner, but Rikidozan dodged the attack and Superstar cracked his own head on the buckle. His starred mask was soon crimson red from the collision. Rikidozan took immediate advantage of the error and threw down Superstar with another hiplock and pinned the masked wrestler to the mat. **

6) The Road Warriors scored another victory over The Vachons in their usual wild bout. The Legion of Doom held nothing back, going for the Doomsday Device in the opening minutes on Butcher, but Mad Dog saved his brother before Hawk and Animal could execute the move. When Mad Dog tagged in, Animal threw him headfirst into the ringpost on the arena floor, almost getting him counted out. Mad Dog got hit by the Device, but somehow managed to lift his shoulder at 2¾. Butcher came back in and dropped Animal with a big backbreaker. Mad Dog executed his piledriver on Animal, but only got a 2. Animal was sent into the ropes by Butcher, but ducked a clothesline and came back with a powerful flying shoulder ram. Capt. Lou Albano got up on the apron, but “Precious” Paul Ellering ran over and knocked him down. While Hawk took Mad Dog to the floor, Animal nailed a big splash on Butcher. He whipped Butcher into the ropes and caught him with his power slam. Just for good measure, Animal hit Butcher with a second power slam and put him down for the pinfall. ***¼

7) Antonio Inoki rebounded from his loss of the USWA World Heavyweight title to score a quick win over Bob Orton, Sr. Inoki wouldn’t let up on the Heenan Family member, hitting a belly to back suplex for a nearfall, then applying his octopus hold. Orton got to the ropes, then briefly gained the advantage with some stiff forearm shots. Orton inadvertently bumped referee Tommy Gilbert when going for another forearm. Orton turned around to check on Gilbert. This allowed Inoki to get up and surprise Orton from behind with a reverse rolling cradle. Inoki bridged back for extra legal leverage. Gilbert recovered and counted the pinfall. ½*

8) Capt. Lou Albano defeated rival manager Jim Cornette in what wasn’t much of a “match”! Cornette started off with some punches on Albano and the crowd was on his side. Kevin Christian pulled Cornette off Albano in the corner, which allowed the rubber banded manager to pull out a foreign object. Albano decked Cornette with the object, then picked up Cornette with a big body slam, which he calls the Sicilian slam. Cornette seemed knocked out from the object and was easy prey for an Albano pin after only two minutes of “action”. neg*

9) Bruiser Brody scored a huge win, defeating the struggling former World champion Nick Bockwinkel. This was surprisingly a fast-paced match, with Bockwinkel hitting a sunset flip in the opening minute for a nearfall. Bockwinkel locked on his sleeper and tried to put Brody out, but the brawler’s arm wouldn’t drop three times. Bordy came back and hit two jumping knee drops. Bockwinkel showed his resiliency by kicking out both times. Brody showed his great agility by landing a perfect dropkick for another close count. Brody nailed a third knee drop, but before going for the cover, Bobby Heenan got up on the apron. The manager was sent flying off the apron for the second time that night when Brody nailed him with a big boot to the face! Brody picked up Bockwinkel and dropped him with a crushing piledriver, then covered him to the score the victory. The Nashville crowd popped big time, at the sight of Bock being pinned! ****

10) Giant Baba was going for his third USWA Southern Heavyweight championship in the main event against The Sheik, who still has yet to be pinned or to submit in the USWA. Right after Gary Michael Cappetta made the typical main event ring introductions with each man in one corner, Sheik charged at the big man, but Baba cut him off with one of his big chops to the chest. Baba hit a big leg drop for an early nearfall, but the champ regained control on the arena floor, when Abdullah Farouk momentarily distracted Baba and Sheik threw him headfirst into the ringpost. Sheik applied the Camel Clutch back in the ring for several minutes, pounding away on Baba’s head. Baba fought hard, but eventually conceded to the move, giving Sheik another big victory. **½

[Cory Olson]

The summer may be over, but the action in the USWA is HOT, HOT, HOT! The Louisville Gardens will host a huge card on September 7!
*Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik and the death defying Sabu will team up to battle Team RPW members Dick Hutton and Dan “The Beast” Severn. Hutton and Severn are out for revenge after Sheik and Sabu broke George Hackenschmidt’s ribs. Can the pure wrestlers take out the maniacal duo?
*Fresh off his huge win over Nick Bockwinkel, Bruiser Brody will do battle with another Heenan Family member “The Big O.” Bob Orton, Sr. Brody is on a roll, while Orton is struggling. Who will walk out the victor here?
*Another wrestler on a hot streak, Rikidozan, will take on a huge challenge in King Kong Bundy! Can the Japanese superstar continue his dominant performances or will Bundy put him down for the five-count?
*Before they defend against The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy, the USWA World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express will take on another up-and-coming team, The Flying Redheads in a non-title bout. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton’s neck is said to be healed, so he should be at 100%. This bout promises some great tag team wrestling!
*Two former World champions will collide again as Antonio Inoki takes on Nick Bockwinkel! It was Inoki who captured the title from Bockwinkel back in March, but Bockwinkel (along with “Strangler” Lewis) is one of only two men who hold pinfall or submission victories over Inoki in the USWA. Who will gain a victory in hopes of earning another shot at the gold?
*The main event will feature the new USWA World Heavyweight champion and Louisville’s own Ed “Strangler” Lewis make his first defense against a two-time former champion “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Can Rose find a way to win a record third World title or will the Strangler’s Headlock stop him?
All this plus The Killer Bees take on The Vachons and more great bouts!

[mft]

A negative star for Corny and Albano!?!?!? Come on Cory, you know the fans were at least entertained! That should give it at least a 1 star!!!! ;D


..and from an earlier card, I would have loved to be in Huntsville to see the pop for Bobby Eaton!

[Cory Olson]

mft said:

A negative star for Corny and Albano!?!?!? Come on Cory, you know the fans were at least entertained! That should give it at least a 1 star!!!! ;D

I thought about that aspect of it. But I think Cornette would be the more popular of the two in the South, and since he jobbed in two minutes, the fans weren't too happy!

mft said:

..and from an earlier card, I would have loved to be in Huntsville to see the pop for Bobby Eaton!

Even though I like to have more typical faces and heels (although there are a few more heels currently), I like how there are some guys that have hometowns on the circuit. I see Eaton getting cheered whenever they would come to Huntsville. Cornette in Louisville on the other hand gets a different reaction! (Unless he's fighting Albano!)

I like the "city by city" aspect of it, where a guy might be booed in most places but loved in his hometown.

[Cory Olson]

September 7, 2007
Card #141: Louisville Gardens

1) Two old rival tag teams locked horns in the opener, as “Dastardly” Danny Doring and Cousin Luke defeated Koko B. Ware and “Special Delivery” Jones. The odd couple team of Doring and Luke worked over S.D. in the first part of the match, “cutting the ring in half” and keeping him from tagging to Ware. Referee Frank Morrell was taken out of the match after Jones ducked a superkick from Doring. While Morrell was on the floor, mayhem broke out among all four men. Ware finally got involved and hit two Ghostbusters on Luke, but there was no official. Virgil, who was not at ringside at first, due to preparing for his own match, ran down but was knocked off the apron by a dropkick from Koko. Thanks to the great USWA officiating crew, Kevin Christian finally came down and took over duties. Ware hit Doring with a Ghostbuster, but the “Dastardly One” kicked out. Jones came back in. Out of nowhere though, Doring hit his Bareback jawbreaker-type move on S.D. and picked up the clean pinfall. Jones was seen holding his jaw afterwards. As Koko went to check on him, Virgil came back in and clocked him with Luke’s horseshoe. Virgil and Luke then held Jones down, while Doring came off the top rope three times with the Danaconda. Ware finally came to, but it was too late. It was determined that S.D. suffered a broken jaw and will be out of action about a month. ***½

2) Virgil stayed in the ring for the next bout, but didn’t have the same success, as he was quickly pinned by Greg Valentine. “The Hammer” took it to the bodyguard, pounding on him, as Valentine is focused on his shot at Justin Credible’s USWA Texas title at the end of September. Valentine put Virgil down after a shoulder breaker. DUD

3) The Killer Bees scored a sneaky win over The Vachons. B. Brian Blair and “Jumping” Jim Brunzell surprisingly controlled a lot of the action against the Algerian brothers, tagging in and out, using double team maneuevers, and even busting open Butcher. But the Algerians took over, as Mad Dog began to pound on Blair. He drapped Brunzell over the middle rope, then nailed him with the Mad Dog Pounce for a nearfall. Mad Dog executed a second Pounce, then growled in delight in the corner with Butcher. Meanwhile, Blair handed Brunzell one of the bee masks that they wear to the ring and then put one on himself. While Kevin Christian was tied up with the Vachons’ antics, Blair switched places with Brunzell and put himself over the second rope. Mad Dog came back with another Mad Dog Pounce, but Blair moved out of the way, causing Mad Dog to crash and burn. Blair went for a jackknife cradle cover, but Mad Dog kicked out. Blair kept up the attack and tagged back in to the masked Brunzell. The Bees hit the Bee Sting on Mad Dog, and Brunzell, who technically was the legal man to begin with made the cover for the three-count. Capt. Lou Albano tried to protest the use of the masks, but the decision stood! ***¾

4) In a battle of masked wrestlers, Mil Mascaras defeated The Masked Superstar. Even though Superstar scored a pinfall victory on Mascaras back in March, tonight was the luchador’s night, as he controlled the action. Superstar did hit the spinning neckbreaker at one point, but only got a two. Mascaras got the 1-2-3 after a beautiful flying body press off the top rope. **

5) Dan Severn made history, as he became the second man in the USWA to get a pinfall or in this case, submission victory over USWA Southern Heavyweight champion The Sheik. Ironically Severn got the win in a tag team match with the other man who’s beaten The Sheik—Dick Hutton, as the Team RPW members beat Sheik and Sabu. The pure wrestlers started off strong against Sabu, tossing the daredevil around the ring. Sabu managed to tag out to The Sheik, who came in and pounded away on Hutton. Hutton came back and nailed an atomic drop on Sheik for a two-count. Severn tagged in, but Sheik pounced on him, biting and gouging away at him. Sheik had Severn near the ropes, when out of nowhere, Severn grabbed his arm and took him down into his wakigatame. Sheik was close to the ropes, but Severn managed to pull him into the center of the ring as the Louisville Gardens went wild! Sabu jumped in and Abdullah Farouk got up on the apron, but Hutton came in and threw Sabu headfirst into his manager. Severn kept the armbar on, until finally Sheik tapped out! The Gardens popped huge at seeing the Southern champ surrender! ***

6) Bruiser Brody scored a decisive victory over Bob Orton, Sr. The two exchanged punishing blows in the opening minutes, but Brody took over after that. He nailed two jumping knee drops and went for a cover, but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan jumped up on the ring apron. Brody charged at Heenan, but Heenan wisely jumped off, knowing what Brody is capable of! Brody hit a running leg drop, then followed up with a third knee drop to put “The Big O.” down. *

7) Rikidozan’s win streak continues, as he chopped down the giant King Kong Bundy. Despite the size difference, Rikidozan attacked Bundy with several chops and kicks. He even managed to throw Bundy with his hiplock after a failed attempt, although he didn’t the full height and throw that he usually does. With Bundy reeling from several slaps and chops, Rikidozan went to the top rope and came off with another chop right to the head, which knocked Bundy down. Rikidozan covered Bundy and hooked the leg to get the pinfall. **

8) World Tag Team champions The Midnight Express defeated The Flying Redheads in a non-title bout. Red Bastien started off with some quick nearfalls on “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton. Billy Red Lyons came in and locked on his sleeperhold, but Eaton had the move scouted and went to the ropes, sending both he and Lyons to the arena floor. Lyons appeared to have hit his head hard on the floor and was shaken up for the rest of the match. The champs took advantage of this, keeping Lyons from tagging out the rest of the match to Bastien. “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey tagged in and The Midnights hit the Rocket Launcher on Lyons, but only got a two. Jim Cornette got involved whenever Paul Morton was not looking, as the “Louisville Slugger” threw in some cheap shot punches at Lyons. The Midnights hit the Midnight Massacre on Lyons, but Bastien broke up the pinfall. They attempted a second Massacre, but Lyons somehow managed to kick out. Condrey threw Lyons to the floor, where Justin Credible also got involved, stomping away at Lyons’ head. The Texas champ threw Lyons back in the ring, where Condrey hit his face-first leg sweep and finally put him down for the count. ***

9) Two former World Heavyweight champions locked up in a great bout, hurt by a bad ending, as Nick Bockwinkel defeated Antonio Inoki by DQ. Despite the heated rivalry between these two, the bout started off with some great scientific wrestling. Things quickly picked up when Bockwinkel took the action to the floor and rammed Inoki’s head into the security guard railing. He threw Inoki back and locked on the Bockwinkel Sleeper, but Inoki quickly got the ropes. After another skirmish on the floor, Inoki took over and hit two enzuigiris inside the ring. He also hit a big dropkick for another nearfall. Bockwinkel almost scored a countout victory when Bobby “The Brain” Heenan punched away at Inoki, while Bock had distracted Jerry Calhoun. He attempted another sleeper, and then the figure-four leglock, but Inoki wouldn’t surrender to either hold. The Japanese superstar was busted open by this point, but wouldn’t quit. Bockwinkel again took the bout to the floor and grabbed a steel chair. He charged at Inoki but missed and hit the ringpost. Inoki picked up the chair and smashed Bockwinkel in the head with it. Calhoun saw this action and immediately called for the bell. The Gardens’ fans booed this decision, especially since Bockwinkel had cheated throughout the bout. Inoki, knowing well of Bockwinkel’s past concussions threw him back into the ring and stood him up to apparently go for another enzuigiri. Before he could land the kick, Heenan jumped in and threw Bockwinkel down to avoid it. Inoki grabbed Heenan and locked him in the octopus, as the Gardens went wild! The rest of the Heenan Family ran down to save their manager and teammate, as Inoki retreated to the dressing room. In the aisle way, Inoki did his “Ichi, ni, san, da!” chant along with the crowd. ****

10) The main event saw hometown hero Ed “Strangler” Lewis make his first defense of the USWA World Heavyweight championship against two-time former champ “Playboy” Buddy Rose. Lewis outwrestled Rose early on, so Rose had to attempt dirty tactics, like eye gouging to try and gain an advantage. But the champ with the crowd behind him wouldn’t be stopped. Lewis locked on the Strangler’s Headlock and threw Rose down, which drove the crowd wild. Rose managed to keep his shoulders off the mat and tried to get to his feet, but was only taken down again. The “Playboy” fought the hold hard, but ultimately tapped out, making Lewis’ first defense a quick and successful one. Lewis stayed in the ring for quite a while afterwards, thanking the Louisville faithful for their support. ¼*

[Cory Olson]

Highlights from USWA Championship Wrestling on September 8:
*Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Jim Cornette were interviewed simultaneously by Bill Apter. The two rulebreaking managers were very complementary towards one another, pointing out each others’ accomplishments in the USWA. Apter asked about the main event on the next card between the managers’ teams. Both men claimed that their teams would wrestle a clean scientific match. Cornette said that in the end, one of the teams will leave Memphis the World Tag Team champions and the other team will no longer have an undefeated record. The managers shook hands, while The Midnight Express and Justin Credible, and King Kong Bundy and The Masked Superstar stood behind them, staring each other down.
*As a result of his tap out victory over The Sheik, Dan “The Beast” Severn will receive the next shot at The Sheik’s Southern Heavyweight championship on September 21, when the USWA debuts in Abilene, TX at the Taylor County Coliseum. Team RPW was interviewed. Frank Gotch said he was very proud of Severn’s win, not only beating The Sheik, but getting a measure of revenge for George Hackenschmidt. Dick Hutton stated that now that he and Severn are the only two USWA wrestlers to beat the sadistic Sheik, this proves the superiority of pure wrestling to brawling or any other style. Hutton said that Severn would bring the gold home to Team RPW on the 21st.

The USWA comes home on September 14, as the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis will host Card #142!
*Greg “The Hammer” Valentine will take on one-half of The Killer Bees—B. Brian Blair. Remember fans, it was Valentine and Dream Team partner Brutus Beefcake that sent The Bees out of the USWA in 2006. Valentine is focused on his upcoming shot at the Texas title, but he shouldn’t look past Blair, who would certainly love to score a win on “The Hammer”. Capt. Lou Albano stated that Valentine will also gain revenge for The Vachons’ “tainted loss” to The Bees, as a result of their “Masked Confusion”. So much at stake in this one!
*The Road Warriors will take on “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Both popular teams are looking for a win here, as The Legion of Doom await The Midnight Express to lose the belts. Snuka and Rogers also are hoping for a shot against The Midnights or whoever holds the gold. These teams had a great match last year when The Warriors were champs. Who will come out on top?
*Another match-up of popular wrestlers will take place, and this will be a first in the USWA, as Giant Baba takes on Bruiser Brody! Brody is on a roll here and Baba is looking to get back in the swing of things after his loss to The Sheik in challenging for the Southern title. Both hold recent wins over Nick Bockwinkel. Will it be the wildman Brody or the big Baba to gain another win?
*Before he challenges The Sheik for the Southern Heavyweight title, Dan “The Beast” Severn takes on Sheik’s nephew—the suicidal, genocidal, homicidal Sabu! Can Severn put down Sabu or will Sabu weaken him prior to his title match? An interesting note—this is a battle of two Michiganders!
*In a rematch of the main event of New Year’s Knockout II in 2005, Nick Bockwinkel battles “Playboy” Buddy Rose. In this contest, we have the only two men to hold the USWA World Heavyweight title on two occasions. Rose’s knee was injured in the Alley Fight Match at NYK II. But it was Rose who ended Bockwinkel’s first title reign and gave him his first concussion. Both men are looking to “bounce back” and get back in the title picture. Who will walk out the victor and who will the Memphis fans side with?
*The main event will be a huge tag team bout, as The Midnight Express put the USWA World Tag Team titles on the line against The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy. Both teams are undefeated. Their managers have stated that this will be a “clean bout”, but we all know that Jim Cornette and Bobby Heenan aren’t always the most truthful! “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton has just recovered from a neck injury, so perhaps Superstar’s spinning neckbreaker will gave the Heenan Family duo an advantage. Will Superstar and Bundy’s size and power advantage bring them the gold, or will The Midnights’ quickness and double teaming expertise keep them on top?
All this, plus “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware looks for revenge for S.D. Jones when he takes on “Dastardly” Danny Doring. Also Rikidozan, “The Man of 1,000 Masks” Mil Mascaras, and more in action!

[mft]

LOL...when I see Strangler defending in Louisville, I was wondering about the hometown faithful...but saw we gave Strangler his props!

Good show Cory!

[Cory Olson]

Thanks, Travis!

NEWS FLASH!!
New USWA World Tag Team champions were crowned in Memphis, as The Masked Superstar and King Kong Bundy gave The Midnight Express their first pinfall defeat to capture the gold! As expected, both teams bent the rules a bit, but Superstar scored a clean pinfall on "Loverboy" Dennis with his spinning neckbreaker!

Full results to come later on!