The Enlightenment: Mid-South/UWF Wrestling Vol. 17

Mid-South/UWF Wrestling #17
by J.D. Dunn

“Power Pro Wrestling”

From Ft. Worth, Texas.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum T.A.

Super Ninja vs. Barry Windham.
Windham counters a headlock to a backdrop suplex. Ninja tries a series of chops and punches, but Windham grounds him with a chinlock. Ninja gets a Butterfly Suplex, but Windham no-sells it and delivers the flying clothesline for the win. 1/2*

Windham gives Ross an interview and says that he wants to be UWF Champion.

UWF Tag Titles: Sting & Rick Steiner (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. The Glassman & Hank Wilburn.
The Glassman is kind of a poor man’s Brickhouse Brown. Sting and Steiner just murder them with power moves. Steiner botches a clothesline and brings in the Glassman. Sting finishes the Glassman with a flying fistdrop. 1/4*

Ted Dibiase joins Ross for another interview. Ted admits that he’s high right now (although I think he means high on life). Ted says he knows that Bubba Rogers is a double-tough hombre, but he knows a number of ways to cut down a tree. You just don’t get metaphors like that outside of the American south.

Jim Ross and Magnum T.A. talk about the rules changes.
1. You can come off the top rope as long as it’s a flying body press or some other sort of pinning maneuver.
2. Tag teams get one save, and then they’re disqualified. That means you can’t just jump in and keep your partner from getting pinned.
3. It’s no longer a DQ if you toss your opponent into the ringposts.
4. John Ayers has new criteria for judging the top ten.

Skandor Akbar and Big Bubba Rogers stand by to run down the babyfaces (and a few heels).

Vladimir Petrov vs. Ken Massey.
Massey is a dead man. You can tell before the bell rings because he’s so happy-go-lucky. Petrov finishes with the Russian Sickle. 1/4*

Terry Taylor gives an interview about Adams losing the tag titles. When Chris Adams shows up for his match, Taylor bolts. This is pretty clearly before their big match on the last tape.

Chris Adams vs. Craig Whitfield.
Adams dominates and finishes with the Superkick. 1/2*

Iceman King Parsons vs. Jeff Raitz.
Raitz is more JTTS than jobber, so this is a little more competitive than usual. Parsons finishes, oddly, with a flying clothesline rather than the Rumperstumper. 3/4*

Chris Adams comes out for an interview. Adams says that he’s viewed the tape from the tag match and realized that it was Terry Taylor’s fault that they lost the tag team titles.

Steve Williams vs. Mike Boyette.
Boyette is introduced as “the hippie.” He doesn’t do anything particularly hippie-ish except for the filthy hair. Dr. Death destroys him and finishes with the Oklahoma Stampede. 1/4*

Dr. Death says he’s studied film of Bubba Rogers and says the bigger they are, the harder they fall. That’s pretty much what Dibiase said.

Ross interviews Iceman Parsons who talks about Savannah Jack and how he beat him “like his mammy should have beat him long ago.” This is like some bizarre PCP-induced Dave Chapelle skit. Parsons says he has his sights set on Bubba Rogers. Black men in the south trash-talking guys named “Bubba” = not smart.

Handicap Match: Bubba Rogers (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. David Price (?) & ????.
Basically just a light workout for Rogers. He finishes one of the jobbers with a Bossman slam. 1/2*

Eddie Gilbert joins the announcers to declare that he is the #1 contender. He says he will beat all comers for his TV title.

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“Power Pro Wrestling”

From Ft. Worth, Texas.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum T.A.

Vladimir Petrov vs. Jeff Raitz.
Raitz goes right after him, but Petrov no-sells everything and finishes with the Russian Sickle. 1/4*

Steve Williams threatens to haunt Bubba Rogers for the rest of his days as champion.

Barry Windham vs. Gary Young.
Lots of mat stuff early on, which is fine because Windham does quite well at that. Young catches him with a reverse elbow and a kneedrop. Young gets a sloppy sleeper hold. Windham leapfrogs over him on a backdrop attempt and finishes with the flying clothesline. *

Ross interviews Sting and Rick Steiner. Sting says he’s sick of wrestling people who aren’t worthy. Steiner talks about killing small animals as a child. And to think, he’s the sane one in the family.

Chris Adams vs. The Thunderbird.
It was supposed to be Adams and Taylor versus the Shadow and the Thunderbird, but Taylor never showed. Thunderbird is a rather large man, but Adams dropkicks him to the outside with ease. They fight off a side headlock as Adams slowly dismantles him. Thunderbird uses the tights a lot, but Adams catches him with a superkick for the win. Extended squash. *

Steve Cox vs. The Super Ninja.
Ninja dominates with kicks early on and delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Out of nowhere, Cox ducks under a reverse elbow and finishes with a side Russian leg sweep. The kind of two-jobber match you might see on Sunday Night Heat. 1/2*

Ross tells Steve Cox he reminds him of Dr. Death, which for Ross is like Jimmy Stewart pining after Kim Novak’s double in “Vertigo.” Terry Taylor interrupts the interview and asks why he isn’t the subject of an interview. Ross says that this interview is specifically for Steve Cox, so Taylor cheapshots Cox and tells Ross to interview him now. Chris Adams comes out to check on Cox as Taylor heads to the back.

Handicap Match: Big Bubba Rogers (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. The Beach Boys.
Rogers toys with them and finishes with the Big Bubba Slam. 1/4*

Barry Windham says he will beat Bubba Rogers because he is a wrestler, while Rogers is a brawler.

Sting & Rick Steiner (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. Bobby Howell & The Glassman.
Legalized slaughter as Sting and Steiner continue to roll. 1/4*

Steve Williams vs. Ron Ellis.
Total message match as Dr. Death finishes another “house call” with a powerslam. 1/4*

Akbar and Bubba return to the ring and demand that Jim Ross interview them. Akbar says that the belt belongs to Big Bubba and he’s ready to sign a contract with whoever is worthy. Dr. Death runs back down and stands face-to-face with Bubba. Ted Dibiase also runs down and both men stare Rogers down as we go off the air. Curiouser and curiouser.

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“Power Pro Wrestling”

From Ft. Worth, Texas.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum T.A.

Commissioner John Ayers stammers through the top contenders. Mic skills are for pussies.

“UWF Top Ten”

10. Buddy Roberts
9. Angel of Death
8. Rick Steiner
7. Chris Adams
6. Sting
5. Terry Gordy
4. Terry Taylor
3. Barry Windham
2. Eddie Gilbert
1. Dr. Death Steve Williams

Barry Windham vs. Mike Reed.
Mild workout for Windham, who quickly finishes with the flying clothesline. 1/4*

Recap of the Taylor giving Cox a cheapshot.

Terry Taylor vs. Steve Cox.
Very technically oriented, considering this is supposed to be a revenge match. Cox works the arm quite a bit and delivers a flying crossbody. Taylor gets upset. Taylor takes over and drops a knee. Cox sunset flips him for two. Taylor gets a little overconfident, so Cox starts punching him down in the corner a la Cactus Jack.. Taylor gets a chinlock into a backbreaker — a move I’ve only seen Shelton Benjamin do. Taylor slaps on the figure-four, which gets the pinfall. He refuses to break the hold, so the ref reverses the call and hands the match to Cox. Perfectly solid. **

Dr. Death and Chris Adams come down to chase Taylor away and check on Cox. Taylor gets out of the ring and tells Ross that he couldn’t hear the bell because Cox hit him in the ear and damaged his eardrum. Ross said the fans are livid. Taylor says they were so loud that maybe that’s the reason he couldn’t hear the bell. Eddie Gilbert comes out to defend Taylor (and could you get a better lawyer?!) Gilbert says that if, by some freak accident, he were to fall out of the top ten, he wants to recruit Taylor into Hot Stuff International.

Barry Windham tells Magnum that he’s very happy to be #3 and that he’s going to take Bubba out.

Gary Young vs. Davey Haskins.
Back and forth jobber match. Young finally gets sick of him and tosses him over the top rope. 1/2*

The Lightning Express vs. Bob Bradley & The Red Devil.
The Express is Tim Horner and Brad Armstrong, two of the greatest jobbers/JTTS in history. Armstrong is probably more famous for being the Road Dogg’s brother, but he was also the MSW North American Champion only a few years earlier. They were an attempt to create one more version of the Fantastics/R&Rs etc. While they were exceptional in the ring, the crowds just didn’t take to them. They finish when Armstrong drops Horner into a legdrop on Bradley. 3/4*

The Express says that they’re headed right for Sting & Steiner.

Big Bubba Rogers (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. Steve Whale(sp?)
Rogers was still green, so he has more moves in his repertoire — moves he probably shouldn’t use. He delivers an Argentine Drop and finishes with the Bossman Slam. 1/4*

Akbar shouts that Rogers will take one anyone and beat them.

Sting, Rick Steiner & Eddie Gilbert vs. Bobby Howe, Graig Whitford & Hank Wilburn.
Gilbert starts out slapping Howe around. Sting comes in and splashes him for one, before pulling him up. Steiner shoves Howe to the corner and begs for fresher meat. Wilburn comes in and only gets a few shots in on Gilbert before Eddie violently suplexes him. Steiner tags back in and rams Whitford into the turnbuckle gut first. Sting and Steiner finish with a Canadian Backbreaker/Forearm Drop, but Gilbert demands the pin for himself. Just pure slaughter. Horrible, beautiful slaughter. 3/4*

Gilbert says that Sting and Steiner will derail the Lightning Train. He also tells Steve Williams to watch his back.

Angel of Death (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. Ron Ellis.
More squash anyone? Angel finishes with a Samoan Drop. 1/4*

Devastation Inc. cohort Black Bart comes down and delivers more punishment. He starts screaming about putting his branding iron on somebody’s noggin.

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“Power Pro Wrestling”

From Ft. Worth, Texas.

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum T.A..

Those of you who hate it when JR does his “Owen voice” to get over an injury angle would absolutely go ballistic here. Take a read of the opening sermon by Jimbo:

“As we take a look at this photograph of Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, later in this hour on Power Pro Wrestling you will see a tragic incident. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, perhaps the most awesome athlete in the history of professional wrestling, has fallen. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams has met with tragedy in the squared circle and later in this hour of Power Pro Wrestling you will see exactly how Steve “Dr. Death” Williams met his fate.

Now, is he alive or dead? Stay tuned.

Ross and Magnum welcome Commissioner John Ayers, who says he will not tolerate weapons being used in the ring. So Steve Williams was shot? Stay tuned.

#1 Contender Match: Steve Williams vs. Eddie Gilbert (w/Dick Murdoch).
Murdoch is making his return to the region after a little over a year away, and these two are #1 and #2, respectively. Williams manhandles Gilbert and sends him absolutely FLYING out of the ring off a shoulderblock. Gilbert is insane to sell it like that. Eddie tries to stick-and-move, getting a sunset flip and then darting away when it doesn’t get the pin. Doc press slams Gilbert to the outside where Murdoch offers some advice. Dr. Death controls with an armbar as we go to break. When we come back, Gilbert has a sleeper. Williams powers up and slams Gilbert into the turnbuckle. Gilbert goes up but, much like Ric Flair, he gets caught. Williams slams him off the top and starts giving him shoulder tackles. Gilbert tries a flying crossbody, but Williams rolls through and gets the pin. Very long for what they were offering. **

After the match, Gilbert holds Williams down while Murdoch hits him with a chair. They take turns ramming Williams’ arm with a chair until it’s broken (the arm, not the chair).

Akbar says it’s only a matter of time until all the challengers fall to Big Bubba.

The Lightning Express vs. Mike Boyette & The Red Devil.
Magnum notes that Boyette is 0-34. I guess hippies suck at wrestling. The Express does some nice crisp stuff, but they keep the jobbers around way too long. Boyette gets a kneelift. The Express doubleteams and alternates headlocks. The finish sees Horner finish Boyette with a crossbody. This was ugly. O

Ross asks the Lightning Express about their title shot against Rick Steiner and Sting.

Chris Adams vs. Hank Wilburn.
Wilburn tries a little taunting slap, so Adams gets stiff with him. He kicks Wilburn in the shin in one of the more girlie moves you’ll ever see. Terry Taylor comes down to ringside. You know he’s a heel because this is Mid-South and he’s well-dressed. Wilburn misses an awkward elbow drop, and Adams finishes with the superkick. 1/4*

Adams gets on the mic and challenges Taylor to get in the ring. Eddie Gilbert comes down and advises Taylor to stand back. Taylor heads to the back, heeding Gilbert’s advice.

Skandor Akbar introduces his newest charge — Black Bart. Bart sounds like Sam Kinneson during his interview. OH OHHHHH! I’M GONNA WIN THE TITLE! OHHHHHHHHH!

Black Bart vs. Bobby Howell.
Bart is, of course, a brawler. He drops Howell’s throat across the outside railing and finishes him with a legdrop off the second-rope. 1/4*

Terry Taylor comes back out and tosses Bobby Howell. He demands that Chris Adams come out and fight him. Adams music starts up, but WE’RE OUTTA TIME!

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We miss one week in here, but there are enough highlights to catch up.

“Power Pro Wrestling”

From Ft. Worth, Texas.

Your host is Jim Ross.

Terry Taylor vs. Ron Ellis.
You know Ellis doesn’t have a chance because he wears powder blue. Taylor does that Shelton Benjamin chinlock to a neckbreaker across the knee move. And here I thought Shelton was an innovator. The figure-four finishes moments later. 1/4*

Taylor joins JR on commentary.

UWF Tag Titles: Sting & Rick Steiner (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. The Lightning Express.
This is JIP as a clip from last week. All four men are brawling, so Eddie Gilbert sneaks into the ring. Armstrong reverses a whip, sending Sting into Gilbert’s swing. Gilbert knocks out his own man! Armstrong covers and picks up the win and the title! [N/R]

The Lightning Express vs. Mike Boyette & Gary Young.
You think Young burst into tears when he saw the booking sheet that night? Horner and Armstrong do their Rock ‘n’ Roll Express at 3/4-speed act for a while. They finish when Armstrong atomic drops his partner into a leg drop (a la the Bodydonnas). 1/2*

Adams says he’s as mad as hell and he’s not going to take crap anymore from Dick Murdoch, Eddie Gilbert or Terry Taylor.

The Enforcers (w/Shaska Whatley) vs. Bobby Howell & Craig Whitfield.
Not sure who the masked Enforcers are. They take turns destroying Howell and then Whitfield. They have a really cool finisher, though. Enforcer #1 backdrops Whitfield into a powerbomb from Enforcer #2. 1/2*

Terry Gordy returns after weeks of not being on the air (working on the Freebirds’ album). Gordy says that it’s not right what Murdoch and Gilbert did. That “he who is without sin” thing doesn’t apply, I guess. Gordy offers to wrestle Dick Murdock in order to avenge his fallen rival. See, how hard was that to book.

Black Bart (w/Skandor Akbar & Big Bubba) vs. Jeff Raitz.
Bart gets a half-clothesline/half-Rock Bottom. He blocks a Raitz charge with an elbow and finishes with the second-rope legdrop (dubbed the Compactor by JR). 1/4*

Dr. Death meets with the doctor to ask what he can and can’t do with his new cast. Hey, he should already know — he’s Dr. Death.

Dick Murdock (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. Terry Gordy (w/Michael Hayes).
Murdock misses an elbow, and Gordy hits a stiff jab to the face. Gordy wins a slugfest, so Murdock bails out. Back in, Gordy takes him down into an armbar as we go to commercial. When we return, Murdock has a chinlock. Gordy elbows out of the chinlock and gets his knees up to block a charge. Gordy prepares to apply the Oriental Spike, but Eddie Gilbert runs in and clips his leg for the DQ. Hayes runs in and makes the save. *

The Freebirds are pissed and they want revenge.

We get video packages promoting Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes.

And we’re outta time!

The 411: Things went downhill in a hurry as most of Watts' talent left and JCP brought in the stars who hadn't quite made it yet. The Freebirds return to the territory helps a little, but they would soon be castrated so as not to show up the Four Horsemen. One saving grace for this tape is the seedlings planted for a Sting babyface turn, which will play a huge part in WCW once the UWF is finally dissolved. Mild thumbs down here.

Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]