wrestling / Video Reviews
Universal Wrestling Federation (6.21.1986) Review
Image Credit: UWF
Loading...-Recapping some stuff in the cold open: Michael Hayes has demanded an apology from Dark Journey for the slap to the face, and Dark Journey has flatly said no. Meanwhile, Ted DiBiase coined a new taunt, telling Hayes that the P.S. stands for “Prissy Sissy,” and Hayes isn’t happy about that either.
-Originally aired June 21, 1986.
-Your hosts are Jim Ross and the Prissy Sissy.
TV TITLE: TERRY TAYLOR (Champion) vs. THE LIBYAN
-They want a guy with a Cuban gimmick, they name him Gustavo Mendoza. They want a guy with a Russian gimmick, they name him Korchenko. They want a Libyan, and Bill Watts and his friends sit around the office going “What do Libyan names sound like?” and after 30 seconds of staring at the ceiling, they call this guy The Libyan. Cagematch doesn’t know who this guy is, but he’s a roided-up Lyle Alzadoish-looking dude in camo pants.
-Libyan outmuscles Taylor earlier, but Taylor comes to life with a back suplex and a dropkick. Kneedrop gets a two-count. Libyan fights back, but Taylor stays on him with a backdrop and a suplex. Five-arm connects, and Taylor retains the gold.
-A few weeks ago, Terry Gordy became the first UWF Heavyweignht Champion, defeating Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the finals of a tournament held in Houston. And this week, he has his first title defense, right here on television…
UWF TITLE: TERRY GORDY (Champion) vs. “Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS
-Williams shoves Gordy into the corner right away. Gordy shoulderblocks him down, and Williams answers that by hoisting Gordy up and heaving him across the ring. Williams applies a side headlock, and JR is doing some awesome work on commentary, making it sound like this is definitely THE night for Williams to pull this off.
-Press slam by Williams, and Michael Hayes is losing his mind on commentary because he needed the tights to finish the move. Gordy comes back with a suplex, and Williams kicks out at two. I really have to wonder if Williams’ more and more frequent use of yellow tights and red kneepads is a coincidence or if Bill Watts was giggling and going “That’ll show ’em” backstage.
-Irish whip by Gordy, and Williams hits the corner so hard that the top turnbuckle snaps right off the post, and we pretty much don’t have a top rope for the moment. The ring crew makes a frantic repair while the combatants trade headbutts and duel for a suplex, with Williams winning that battle. Right hands by Doc while Hayes loses his mind about absolutely NO action being taken to stop all this illegal bullshit.
-Gordy fights back with clubbing blows and goes for a piledriver, but Williams counters with a backdrop, with Gordy falling over the top rope and landing on the concrete. But since it was a matter of Williams and Gordy just happening to be in that spot in the ring, it wasn’t intentional, so no DQ, and the match will continue after THESE messages.
-We pause for a commercial, including some house show promos, and Terry Taylor very quietly, politely requests a title shot against the winner of this feature match, whether it’s Gordy or his good friend Doc.
-Back from commercial, Michael Hayes is on the apron now to complain about all the unethical stuff happening in this match. Referee refuses to hear his case as Gordy takes a Heenan bump into the corner. Gordy starts to mount a comeback as Bill Watts comes to the ring, suspicious of Michael Hayes and making sure that no chicanery happens during this protege’s big match.
-Williams tackles Gordy, but Gordy falls backward into the referee, knocking him to the floor. Hayes takes advantage of the opening to interfere, but Bill Watts retaliates with right hands as Gordy falls victim to the Stampede, and Bill Watts hurries into the ring and counts the pin himself, apparently giving Williams the championship, and the crowd loses their shit, thinking they saw a title change. What actually happened appears to be more along the lines of “have a screwy finish so the fans can go home happy, but actually the official ruling is nothing happened because the finish was screwy.” Watts is the PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY, in real life and in kayfabe. If he counts a three-count, it feels like that ruling should stand. Really good hoss fight until then, though.
-Back from commercial, JR explains the official verdict, a double-DQ, because of all the things and whatnot that transpired.
-We go to Houston, Texas, for footage from the tournament. Duggan goes opened up when One Man Gang rammed him into a ring post, and Duggan blames Gang for the fact that he didn’t take home the big one at the end of the night.
-JR is with Duggan, who vows that he has a vendetta against the Gang and the Freebirds, and he’s going to be back in action as soon as all the stitches are out of his skull.
COWBOY BILL WATTS vs. KORCHENKO (with Eddie Gilbert)
-Eddie comes out with Sting, but no Korchenko, because of an incident in Jackson, Mississippi, in which Watts just beat the hell out of Korchenko with a baseball bat, and Korchenko is no longer in the UWF because of the beating. And this is actually borderline true, as Korchenko held Watts up over money, and Watts responded by just shooting on him in a house show match until Korchenko got out of there and left the company.
-Also, Rock caught a stray shot in the baseball bat incident, so he’s recovering from a minor injury. But Sting is here, able-bodied and ready for a match, so Sting will be Cowboy Bill’s opponent tonight. If Watts wins, he gets five minutes with Gilbert. If Sting wins, Watts gets five lashes with a belt.
-Watts shoulderblocks Sting flat on his back to start, and Sting is SLOW TO STAND BACK UP FROM IT OH MY GOD COME ON. Watts ties Sting into the ropes, splashing him and slapping him around. Stampede finishes. Watts completely squashed him and Sting didn’t get one bit of offense. Honestly, that’s embarrassing. I can see the splotch forming on Watts’ stomach as he gets his arm raised.
-Eddie Gilbert enters the ring, and Watts immediately tapes up his fist, lighting into Eddie with punches and belt shots. Freebirds suddenly hit the ring and join Sting for an assault on Watts. Gordy comes off the top with an Oriental spike. Ken Mantell tries to restore sanity, but he gets thrown to the floor too. FINALLY an army of babyfaces heads to the ring to make the save, but they certainly took their time. Probably because Watts was worried that if they showed up too quickly, it would look like he had asked quarter.
-Frank Dusek is here to help JR finish the show, since his co-hosts keep leaving to attack wrestlers.
KOKO B. WARE vs. GUSTAVO MENDOZA
-Mendoza attacks before the bell as JR notes that UWF house shows now have radio coverage throughout the state of Oklahoma, and he congratulates Dusek on a fundraiser show recently that did 2,800 attendance in a town with a population of 1,000.
-Koko throws rights and armdrags Mendoza. Series of dropkicks by Koko, and the missile dropkick finishes with ease.
-Watts is in the locker room. He knows that the Freebirds are still mad about how bad Bill Watts made them look in a match back in 1980 while they were feuding with JYD. But Watts is still breathing, so the Freebirds aren’t done with him.
-Missing Link and Jack Victory are battling in the ring as time is completely gone and the credits are already rolling as the match starts. Oh, by the way, JR quickly mentions that Mad Maxine isn’t in the promotion anymore, just so you know. And Missing Link actually scores a pin right as the show ends. So things are certainly going well for Jack Victory’s career trajectory.
