The Enlightenment: Mid-South/UWF Wrestling Vol. 13
“UWF Wrestling”
From Tulsa, Okla.
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Michael Hayes (with a brown paper bag).
Jim Duggan & Terry Taylor vs. The Libyan & Bobby Perez. Taylor and Duggan finish rather quickly with a clothesline and the Fivearm (for those who have asked, it’s just a flying forearm only so powerful that it’s a “five”arm. Tee hee.) 1/4*
Jack Victory comes out to announce that his partner John Tatum has been injured in a severe auto accident. As a result, he has a new partner…Mike George. Interesting choice because George was a former superstar. This would be like Danny Basham getting injured and replaced by Arn Anderson.
Eli the Eliminator vs. Ken Massey. Eli’s making his debut here. He’s a big Bruiser Brody-ish looking guy. He finishes Massey with a Tombstone Piledriver. 1/4*
Bill Irwin & The One Man Gang vs. Jeff Gaylord & Brett Sawyer. Not sure why Leroy Brown isn’t in there. Sawyer shows some fire but gets side slammed by Irwin. OMG finishes with a 747 Splash. 1/4*
Recap of all the chaotic beatdowns and interference over the past few weeks. Ah, for the days when marks would write in letters of complaint to protest unfair decisions.
UWF President Bill Watts joins us to tell everyone to stop being such pussies and whining about things being unfair. Really, though, it’s just an excuse to hype the Bunkhouse Battle Royal coming up.
UWF TV Title: Savannah Jack vs. Buddy Roberts (w/Sunshine). This is a rematch from Jack taking the title from Roberts. Roberts grabs a toehold and pulls the tights a lot. The ref catches him, so Roberts ducks out of the ring. Roberts cheats some more off an armbar. He goes to the second rope but misses a kneedrop. Jack backdrops him and delivers the Superkick, but Buddy spills to the outside. Michael Hayes runs down with the brown paper bag, but it’s too late. Buddy Roberts gets counted out. Hayes has something in a jar, but for whatever reason he doesn’t use it. The Freebirds leave peacefully. *
Chavo Guerrero vs. Art Crews. Chavo opens with a flying headscissors. Crews counters to a headlock, but Chavo backdrops him. Chavo takes him over in a bodyscissors. Crews takes his eye off Chavo for a second, and Chavo finishes him with a moonsault bodypress. *1/4
Skandor Akbar and Bill Irwin have words for Terry Taylor and Jim Duggan.
Savannah Jack says he won’t duck anyone in the UWF who wants a title shot. He also says he wants a piece of the OMG.
Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt gloat about outsmarting the Missing Link.
Eddie Gilbert, Sting & Rick Steiner (w/Missy Hyatt) vs. The Fantastic & The Missing Link (w/Dark Journey). The faces clear the ring to start. Missing Link drags Gilbert back in. Steiner and Fulton tag in. Fulton dropkicks him down and tags in the Link. Link ducks a clothesline and headbutts Steiner down. All six men get in the ring. IT’S BREAKING DOWN! Sting and Steiner get tossed to the outside while Gilbert gets trapped in a headlock. AND WE’RE OUTTA TIME! [NR].
UWF Wrestling
From…underneath the Christmas Tree.
Your host is Jim Ross.
This is mostly a year end recap show, but many of the matches weren’t shown on UWF TV.
Recap of Terry Gordy’s year in wrestling, including the UWF Title tournament win, his defense against Dr. Death on 9/30 and him being stripped of the title. Watts explains why they stripped him (and takes a shot at WCCW).
The Fantastics (with BADASS Bobby Fulton wearing a Snoopy shirt) say they want a title shot after they’re done with Jack Victory and Mike George.
Jack Victory & Mike George (w/Art Crews) vs. The Fantastics (w/Chavo Guerrero). This is a replay from “Power Pro Wrestling.” Not sure what Crews is doing there. Chavo is there to counteract him, though. It’s not long before Crews and Guerrero get involved, and all six men wind up in the ring. Somehow, Crews gets pinned, despite not being in the match. JIP, but what was here was good. *
UWF World Title: One Man Gang vs. Buddy Roberts. Before the match gets underway, Jim Duggan interrupts and attacks OMG. Roberts is HILARIOUS here, running in and tagging Duggan with a punch then running away. Then he goes in and punches Gang and runs away. The locker room empties, trying to hold back Duggan and Gang. It takes four or five guys to hold back the OMG, so Duggan runs and jumps into the pile. No match to rate.
UWF World Title: One Man Gang (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. Jim Duggan. Duggan pounds away to start, tipping the Gang over to the mat. Gang falls into the ropes and gets tied up. Duggan punches him like as the Gang see-saws back and forth. Gang finally spills to the floor. Duggan follows him out, intending to hit him with a chairshot, but the referee stops him. Back in, Gang cheapshots Duggan as the referee tries to separate them. Gang headbutts him for two. They punch each other for a double KO. Gang recovers and goes for a piledriver. Duggan backdrops him all the way over the top rope while the ref is distracted by Akbar. Duggan hits his clothesline, so Akbar jumps in with his riding crop to save the title with a DQ. Bill Irwin jumps in to attack Duggan. That brings out the entire locker room to try and separate them again. Duggan grabs a chair and clears the ring of about twenty other guys. WILD STUFF! The match was better than you’d expect from these two. Duggan breaks through the wall of guys, and they start to brawl AGAIN, this time down the aisle to the back of the arena. **
Various interviews. Jim Duggan, Chavo Guerrero, Hyatt & Hot Stuff International.
Seasons greetings from the UWF Superstars!
“UWF Wrestling”
From Tulsa, Okla.
Your host is Jim Ross.
Mike George (w/Jack Victory) vs. Brickhouse Brown. Both men are making their returns. Brown after a year absence, George after several years. Brown armdrags George to start. They crisscross and nearly come to blows. George slows things down and dominates with his methodical 1970’s offense. Brown misses a missile dropkick and falls victim to the Russian Leg Sweep. *
Rick Steiner & Sting (w/Hyatt & Hot Stuff International) vs. Jim Duggan & Terry Taylor. Ross says this is huge for the tag rankings. Steiner shoves Taylor right on his ass. He tries it again, but Taylor comes back with a crossbody. Duggan leans in and tags Steiner with a punch to fire up the crowd. Duggan leapfrogs a backdrop attempt and crossbodys Steiner for two. Steiner works in a spinout sell of a Duggan shoulderblock. The video actually hiccups a little here, so we’re clipped to Sting taking an ass-kicking. Duggan delivers a running kneedrop and chases Steiner off the apron. Sting & Steiner finally take over with a little help from Eddie and Missy. Steiner holds Taylor for a Sting fistdrop off the top. Taylor backslides Steiner for two. Steiner comes back with a flying clothesline. Sting grabs a bearhug on Taylor, but Terry hiptosses out of it. Steiner cuts off a tag and locks in a chinlock. Taylor avoids a charge and makes the HOT TAG to Duggan. Duggan hiptosses Steiner for two as Ross screams about the imminent time limit. Taylor and Duggan go hard after the win, but time runs out at 10:00. Gilbert is all cocky, though, and asks for five more minutes. Taylor whips Gilbert into Steiner. Duggan spears Sting, and the heels take a walk. ***
The Fantastics suck up to the fans.
Michael Hayes promises revenge on those who have wronged him.
The UWF Top Ten:
The UWF Champion is the One Man Gang.
10. “Iceman” King Parsons
9. The Missing Link
8. Rick Steiner
7. Chavo Guerrero
6. Michael P.S. Hayes
5. Terry Taylor
4. Terry Gordy
3. Steve Williams
2. Jim Duggan
1. Savannah Jack (TV Champion)
Steve Williams vs. Gustavo Mendoza. They trade armbars to start. Dr. Death nearly rips Mendoza’s head off with a lariat and press slams Mendoza to the mat. Williams finishes with the Oklahoma Stampede. 1/4*
Michael Hayes & Buddy Roberts (w/Sunshine) vs. Ken Massey & Gary Young. Young actually takes it to Hayes early on but falls victim to an elbow. Roberts tags in and delivers a double ax-handle. Massey comes in, but the Freebirds quickly finish him when Hayes reverse suplexes Roberts on top of him. I’m sure there used to be a name for it at one point. The Fantastics come out of the crowd and piledrive Buddy Roberts in retaliation for the beatdown. 1/4*
The Fantastics say they’re sick of the heel teams beating them up, so they’re going to use the same tactics they use. The Freebirds return from the back with The Angel of Death. The Fantastics double dropkick him and brawl with the Freebirds. It’s 3-on-2, though, so the Freebirds win out in the end. Hayes grabs his paper sack and pulls the jar out of it. The referee keeps him from using whatever is in there on the Fantastics.
Recap of the Duggan/Roberts/Gang brawl.
The One Man Gang (w/Skandor Akbar) vs. Bobby Perez. Gang no-sells everything and finishes Perez in under a minute. 1/4*
Skandor Akbar promises to finish off Jim Duggan in 1987.
Iceman Parsons & Missing Link vs. Art Crews & the Libyan. One day, I’m going to burn a disc of UWF entrance music. It’d kick Themeaddicts’ ass! Parsons shucks off The Libyan, and he accidentally runs into partner Crews. The Libyan actually comes back in and gets a leapfrog. Parsons catches him on the rebound with the Rumperstumper. 1/4*
We’re outta time.
“UWF Wrestling”
From the Cowtown Coliseum.
Your hosts are Jim Ross for the “Year in Review.”
Terry Taylor had just returned to Mid-South, and Watts fed him the two biggest monsters to get him over. He defeats the Nightmare with the Fivearm. Humongous does a little better, but Taylor avoids the shinni no make. Humongous’ manager, Oliver Humperdink tries to interfere, but it backfires. Taylor wins with the Fivearm. This all leads to a #1 contenders match with Jake Roberts. Jake was on his way out anyway, so this match wasn’t really in doubt. Jake DDTs Taylor, but Taylor’s leg is under the ropes. Taylor counters another DDT attempt to a small package for the win.
(Barbed Wire Cage) Terry Taylor & The Fantastics vs. Jack Victory & The Sheepherders (w/Lady Maxine). This is from May ’86 and is a pretty famous match for its brutality. We’re JIP to The Sheeps doubleteaming Taylor and rubbing his face in the wire. The whole thing is like a battle royal so it’s hard to recap. The heels put the faces in a circle in the middle of the ring and start beating on them. Taylor and the Fantastics suddenly get their second win AND IT’S BREAKIN’ LOOSE IN TULSA! Tommy Rogers hits Luke with a double ax-handle off the top of the cage. Fulton and Victory fight on the top rope. Victory falls back down into the ring. Victory tries to suplex Fulton, but Terry Taylor goes up top and sunsets Victory for the pin. **3/4
North American Title: “Buzz” Sawyer vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. The NA Title was the top belt in Mid-South. Jim Duggan retired it when MSW became Universal Wrestling. There’s kind of a goofy story behind this, which I guess I have time to go into. Dick Slater was actually the North American champ at the time as well as the MSW Television Champion. He decided to give Sawyer his TV Title for all his hard work. That didn’t sit well with Bill Watts who thought titles should be won and lost in the ring. Watts figured since Slater didn’t mind Sawyer defending his titles for him, he wouldn’t mind Sawyer defending the North American title either. That set up this match. JIP to Duggan running into a boot. Sawyer takes too long going up top and gets slammed off. Duggan goes for the spear, but Sawyer dives out of the way. Duggan falls to the outside. Back in, Sawyer suplexes Duggan and goes up to the top rope. Normally, off-the-top moves are illegal, but what does Sawyer care? He retains on a DQ. Sawyer flies off, but Duggan avoids a splash. Duggan pops up and hits the spear for the win and the title. **1/4
Duggan would retire the tournament and become the #1 seed in the tournament to crown a new champ.
UWF Heavyweight Title Finals: Jim Duggan vs. Terry Gordy. Before the match can start, The One Man Gang returns to the UWF and attacks Duggan. Duggan bleeds a gusher (and actually had legitimate blood poisoning). Terry Gordy, with a little help from Michael Hayes, finishes off Duggan way easier than they normally would.
Bill Watts wasn’t just a figurehead, though. He also wrestled when it was warranted. Case in point, Eddie Gilbert and his Russian army were causing havoc, so Watts, Duggan and Williams kicked their little asses.
But The Freebirds advanced in their place. This lead to Watts attacking the Freebirds with a baseball bat, setting up a big six man with Watts, Williams & Dibiase vs. The Freebirds. Williams would earn a shot at the UWF title. During that match, the ref would get bumped. Another ref replaced him. Doc German Suplexed Gordy into a bridge for the apparent win, but it turns out neither man’s shoulders were on the mat for an entire three count.
Lumberjack Match: Ted Dibiase & Steve Williams vs. Buddy Roberts & Michael Hayes. JIP to Dibiase backdropping out of a piledriver. Doc tags in and hits Roberts with the Stampede. Roberts and Doc get tossed, drawing all the lumberjacks over to that side of the ring. Hayes sneaks out, grabs a leather strap and tries to break Dibiase’s neck with it. [NR]
Hayes would go on to lose to Terry Taylor. After the match, Hayes started beating the tar out of Taylor with the belt. Dibiase made the save and whipped Hayes with his own strap, setting up…what else — a country whuppin’ tag match between Taylor & Dibiase and the Freebirds. Taylor body presses Hayes for the win, but the Freebirds won’t take “loss” for an answer. They steal Dibiase’s own loaded glove and knock him out with it.
Watts perhaps has a Freudian slip as he says “everything will be anything but better in 1987.”
A special look at the valets in the UWF. We spend a lot of time on the exploits (conquests?) of Missy Hyatt. We see the match where she dumps John Tatum and hooks up with Eddie Gilbert.
We close with a look at the young talent in the UWF.
“UWF Wrestling
From Tulsa, Okla.
Your host is Jim Ross.
The Angel of Death (w/Sunshine) vs. Jeff Raitz. Raitz manages a dropkick, but Angel avoids another one and splashes him. Angel delivers his own dropkick and finishes with a Samoan Drop. 1/4*
Sting & Eddie Gilbert vs. The Fantastics. Fulton starts out trying to get the crowd excited. Gilbert is hilarious as usual, following Fulton around the ring and telling them to shush. Fulton reverses a corner whip and atomic drops Gilbert into Sting. Rogers comes in and takes out both members of Hyatt & Hot Stuff with dropkicks. Sting tags in and pushes Rogers around. Rogers leapfrogs a backdrop attempt and floors Sting with a dropkick. Gilbert tags in and runs right into an armdrag. Finally, Sting knees Fulton in the back to take advantage. Sting locks in a bearhug on Fulton. We come back from commercial to Gilbert and Sting continuing to work Fulton’s lower back. Fulton hiptosses out of Gilbert’s bearhug, but Sting cuts off the tag. Sting delivers a nice pendulum backbreaker and goes back to the bearhug. Sting takes a shot at Rogers, drawing him in to distract the ref so the heels can double suplex Fulton. Gilbert and Fulton collide off a corner whip. HOT TAG TO FULTON! Fulton knocks Gilbert down and dropkicks Sting. Sting sells it like he got shot by a cannon. Terry Gordy comes down and drags the recovering Fulton off the apron. He steps in the ring and piledrives Tommy Rogers. I wish it could have had a finish, but that’s Bill Watts for you. Steve Williams makes the save. Gordy threatens to come for him once the Freebirds are done with the Fantastics. ***3/4
Ted Dibiase returns and promises revenge on the One Man Gang.
The OMG and Skandor Akbar threaten to break the other side of Dibiase’s ribs.
Michael Hayes joins Jim Ross on commentary.
Eli the Eliminator vs. Bobby Perez. Perez doesn’t even get an offensive move in. Eli batters him and delivers a Snake Eyes. Eli finishes with the cradle piledriver. Love the finisher. 1/4*
Recap of the One Man Gang breaking Dibiase’s ribs with a second-rope 747. SPLAT!
Ted Dibiase vs. Ken Massey. This is Dibiase’s big return from Japan injury. Nice scientific stuff to start. Dibiase excels at that, though, so he dominates. Dibiase finishes with a powerslam. 1/2*
Dibiase calls out Skandor Akbar, saying he wants revenge. Gang comes out, and they get into a fistfight. Dibiase charges into a boot, allowing the Gang to take over. Gang busts Dibiase open and bites the cut. A slam sets Dibiase up for another second-rope 747 to end Dibiase once and for all. DIBIASE MOVES! Gang splats on the canvass. Dibiase rolls him over for the pin. Michael Hayes screams that it wasn’t a real match.
The Freebirds promise a bad 1987 for the rest of the UWF. No shit.
Hyatt & Hot Stuff International also gets to say a few words. Missy is really on here, pouting and whining “I want the belllltts!” in the background.
Iceman Parsons & Chavo Guerrero vs. Leroy Brown & Bill Irwin (w/Skandor Akbar). Devastation Inc. actually lost the tag belts to Jim Duggan and Terry Taylor a week or so earlier. Chavo hits Brown with a flying bodypress for two. The faces work Brown’s arm, until he overpowers Parsons and makes the tag. Irwin comes in with some Demolition-ish offense. Chavo flips out of a sideslam and get two off a reverse rollup. Parsons tags in and backdrops Brown. AND WE’RE OUTTA TIME. *-ish
And…well, we’re outta time.
Final Thoughts: It’s hard to judge because much of the tape is made up of the Christmas and New Year’s shows. Injuries and defections were starting to take their toll on the UWF, but it’s not quite evident in the TV, because Watts knew how to reload. It wouldn’t be long, though, before Watts would be out of the picture and Jim Crockett would step in. But that is another story.
Thumbs in the middle.
J.D. Dunn.
