wrestling / Video Reviews
Universal Wrestling Federation (5.10.1986) Review
Image Credit: UWF
Loading...-Originally aired May 10, 1986.
-Your hosts are Jim Ross and Bill Watts. Bill Watts explains that the Mid-South Trivia Contest is like Russian Roulette, in the sense that you have to watch the entire show to get it. How is that ANYTHING like Russian Roulette?
BLADE RUNNER ROCK (with Eddie Gilbert & Sting) vs. TRACY SMOTHERS
-First time seeing the Eventual Warrior in a one-on-one match. Rock strangles Smothers and clotheslines him while Watts laments that, yeah, he’s a contender, but we haven’t seen him against Steve Williams or Jim Duggan yet.
-Slam and more choking by Rock, and a press slam gets the easy victory. This was pretty much exactly what you’d expect if I told you “Ultimate Warrior, but as a bad guy.”
-Jim Ross, the Fantastics, and a hoard of fans are in the ring. The old Mid-South Tag Team Title belts are being retired, and the Fantastics are about to be given the first shiny new pair of UWF Tag Team Title belts. The Fantastics take off the belts and hand them over to some of the children in front of them. I’m going to presume one of them is Conrad Thompson.
-Eddie Gilbert explains that Korchenko drapes the Soviet flag over his opponent because it’s symbolic of Russia’s superiority. Eddie promises some cross-promotional matches with Korchenko and the Koloffs in the near future. We get a reminder that Dr. Death had a run-in with the Koloffs and Korchenko at the Crockett Cup, and that’s probably not the last we’ve heard about that.
FANTASTIC BOBBY FULTON vs. GUSTAVO MENDOZA
-In an odd way to commemorate being issued new Tag Team Title belts, the Fantastics have signed contracts for singles matches, just to show what they’re capable of. Easy win for Bobby, who finishes Mendoza in moments with a bodypress.
-After the bell, the Sheepherders show up and beat the hell out of Fulton with their evil flagpole.
-We get the “Badstreet” music video. You can tell they spent MONEY on this thing, I can understand wanting to get some value for their buck.
Clue #2 in the Trivia Contest! And this one is fascinating–“His first wrestling identity saw him working on the wrong side of the law.” Kayfabe King Bill Watts is using “he had a different gimmick” as a clue for this thing.
FABULOUS FREEBIRDS vs. BRETT WAYNE & D.J. PETERSON
-It’s Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts for this bout, with Michael Hayes staying away completely.
-Gordy and Peterson start. Peterson shoulderblocks Gordy down but runs into a crescent kick. Roberts runs in and drives his face in the mat. Freebirds just take turns teeing off on Peterson, but Peterson counters an attempted double-team and Roberts runs full-speed into Gordy’s knee.
-Hot tag to Brett Wayne, who cleans house, but falls victim to the Bam-Bam Slam from the second rope, and it’s a win for the Freebirds. Freebirds got the win, but Wayne & Peterson looked good AND they had perfectly color-coordinated gear, which feels like Creative has some plans for them.
HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN & KOKO B. WARE vs. KORCHENKO & BLADE RUNNER STING (with Eddie Gilbert & Rock)
-Two odd pairs here. So the story here is that it’s supposed to be Korchenko & Gilbert, but Gilbert is faking an injury as an excuse to get Sting in there and do the dirty work for him.
-Duggan starts with Korchenko. Bodypress by Duggan gets a one-count immediately, then fires a series of fists into Korchenko’s forehead. Sting tags in and gets clotheslined down. Koko comes in with a bungled powerslam, and Sting very smartly no-sells that and bounces up.
-Skandar Akbar heads to ringside to do more scouting. Forces of evil begin double-teaming Duggan to turn the tide. Duggan comes back with a spear to wipe out Sting, but the double-teaming hurt Duggan so badly that he’s slow to get up, so Sting recovers before Duggan can pin him. Koko manages to tag in and throws an awesome dropkick, so Sting & Korchenko go back to double-teaming to regain control. Pier sixer beaks out, but Rock heads into the ring and attacks Koko to get the DQ.
-Post-match, Koko gets dumped out to the concrete, leaving Duggan all alone with Gilbert and his crew, and it’s a 4-on-1 beating, complete with a busted flagpole coming into play as a weapon. Duggan is out cold, and they prepare for the Soviet flag burial ceremony, but Dr. Death isn’t having THAT. He storms the ring and decides he’s up for fighting four guys at once.
-Noble effort, but yeah, four guys are too much for Williams too. Akbar heads in and prepares to throw a fireball, but Duggan recovers and blocks it with a chair, so Akbar burns himself. I love how the promotions that bellyached the hardest about Vince McMahon turning wrestling into a circus were the promotions that booked FIREBALLS.
TERRY TAYLOR vs. JACK VICTORY (with Lady Maxine)
-Victory stomps a mudhole to start, but a corner charge backfires when Taylor raises a knee. Holds are exchanged, and we get a moment of “student becoming the teacher” on commentary, as Bill Watts declares that nobody could possibly believe that Victory could beat Taylor, and Jim Ross hastily jumps in and gives Victory props for improving as much as he has since arriving in the promotion. Yeah, Bill, what the hell was that?
-Action continues and TV time is running out. We roll credits as Bill Watts takes just a moment to remind us that the UWF is proud “to provide an alternative to that New York stuff.”
