Universal Wrestling Federation (6.6.1987) Review

-Having filled in the gaps, we can jump back now to where I left off, the beginning of June 1987. The Wrestling Observer around this time is an unintentionally funny read, with Dave Meltzer pointing out positive signs for the future of the UWF and everything he’s noting is actually a sign of the company’s downfall. “Jim Crockett just bought a second private jet just for this promotion, and a bunch of NWA guys are going to be featured on UWF cards going forward, so things are going to go great!”

-Cold open, to jog my memory: Dick Murdoch attacked Dr. Death during his match with Eddie Gilbert, and Eddie & Dick used a chair to Pillmanize Doc’s arm.

-Originally aired June 6, 1987.

-Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum TA. Commissioner John Ayers is here and says that because he’s the new commissioner, he feels he has to do something drastic to make a point to the wrestlers about how he’s in charge now, but he notes that when he spoke to Williams, Williams personally requested that Ayers not suspend anybody for the incident.

BARRY WINDHAM vs. RON ELLIS
-The show is getting a bit Crockettized at this point, when ring introductions now being edited out and just going straight to the match. Barry throws a dropkick and follows with a suplex. DDT follows, but he just uses it as a regular move, and not a finisher, so I guess we should all blame Barry for that happening. Chinlock by Barry. Ellis shows some offense as I begin asking why they didn’t just go with Barry as the flag-bearer for this promotion? Steve Williams just always struck me as a natural HEEL and even if I get “They’re in Oklahoma,” making him the top babyface just always felt wrong.

-In a totally weird moment, they just lose interest in the match completely and cut to a Skandar Akbar promo. I mean, I didn’t think this was going to be Ron Ellis’ week, but at least give us a finish. Anyway, Skandar Akbar says that even though Barry is only ranked #10 right now, he’s no competition for Bubba and Bubba doesn’t feel threatened by Barry, so he agrees to a title match if Barry wants to go ahead and request one this week.

-And then we go back to the match, and Barry gets the win with an elbow. Yeah, the WWF head-in-a-box technique made more sense than this approach.

TAG TEAM TITLES: RICK STEINER & STING (Champions, with Eddie Gilbert) vs. LIGHTNING EXPRESS
-The girls in the crowd go crazy for Sting, and regardless of ownership changes, it’s kind of bananas that it’s taken THIS long for them to clue into the crowd reactions he’s getting.

-Tim Horner bodypresses Sting for two, and JR notes that Horner moves so fast that he’s like Lightning! Steiner tags in and tries an amateur takedown, but Horner gets out of it quickly, like lightning! Eddie goes to the commentary table to complain that it’s a biased referee officiating, and the referee is his own dad!

-Brad Armstrong tags in, and he applies a side headlock, just like an Express! It goes to a back suplex as we pause for commercial.

-And it’s a WEIRD commercial, too. A bunch of musicians bring their instruments into the studio for a recording session, playing some hot electric guitar licks and smiling as they enjoy making music in the recording studio…Buy a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated today!…What? I mean, eventually, we find out that Michael Hayes is there to sing, but it was weird how long it took us to get to that.

-We’ll have another in our series of Awkward Interruptions later, but unfortunately, we must pause for wrestling. Tim Horner applies a lightning-like armbar, but misses a corner charge and hits the turnbuckle shoulder-first. So the turnbuckle is a lightning bolt then.  I bet you could make Lightning-like Tim Horner tap-out if your finisher was the Benjamin Franklin’s Key-lock.

-Brad tags in and Sting gets a hold of him for  a chinlock. Brad escapes with an Irish whip but Sting meets him on the rebound with a clothesline for two. Sting blows a spot but Brad covers it REALLY well, and the commentators are able to play it off as Sting being thrown off by Brad’s movement and falling off the turnbuckle as a result.

-Everybody tags and Steiner hammers on Horner. Steiner gets some SPRING for a leapfrog as they criss-cross and Horner gets him on the chin with an elbow. They run the ropes again and collide for the slow crawl. Everybody tags again. Armstrong applies a side headlock on the Stinger. Sting gets out but Brad throws a great dropkick and applies the side headlock again. Eddie tries to interfere, but his dad catches him, and Tommy Gilbert, the referee is the biggest babyface in the match just for staying on top of his son’s bullshit.

-Horner tags in and gets worked over with a choke over the rope. Sting clamps on a bearhug, but Horner counters it by making it a belly-to-belly. Steiner stops the hot tag and backdrops Horner. Horner keeps taking the beating as the champs keep stopping the hot tag. Sting tries the bearhug again. Steiner tags in and tries his own bearhug while Eddie taunts Brad Armstrong and causes a referee distraction, allowing some double-teaming and a partner switcheroo by Steiner & Sting. Referee spots the switch, kinda, but Sting insists “No, no, I’m the legal man, I promise” and the referee reluctantly agrees…and Horner cradles Sting.

-Oh man, Sting kicks out at two. That would have been a good finish.

-Top rope splash, and Sting is AIRBORNE for this thing. Anybody from this era who says they were surprised that Sting became a star has no excuse. He has all the tools even here.

-We finally get the hot tag, and the donnybrook. Eddie Gilbert sneaks into the ring and gets a weapon ready, with Sting Irish whipping Brad into Eddie for the weapon shot, but Brad reverses the Irish whip so Eddie knocks Sting out instead. Three-count, title change. Good star-making match for the rookie team.

-We flash back to Terry Taylor injuring a jobber’s leg last week. He didn’t realize the referee called for the bell because Cox gave him a shot to the ear earlier in the match. I love this character; Terry is still TRYING to be a babyface while letting his true nature slip out.

-So we’re back to THIS week now, with Jim Ross talking to Terry Taylor. John Ayres is a great football player, but Terry doesn’t think he’s motivated to take any action because he’s too laid back.

-John Ayers says that a decision about Eddie Gilbert and Dick Murdoch is forthcoming, but he can’t reveal it just yet because both men need to have their legal counsel review it. Also, he’d like Terry Taylor to come back to ringside so that he and Terry can speak face-to-face and nothing gets lost in translation. Terry kisses his ass, and mumbly, awkward John Ayers unknots his tie and shows some fire for the first time and scolds Taylor, and Taylor seems a little puzzled by this stuff. Eddie Gilbert comes to ringside and tells Taylor that situations like this are why he needs representation from a manager, and Ayers immediately starts yelling at Eddie too, for the crap he’s pulling. Ayers–who seems like he’s a truly nice guy–comes off as George McFly learning to say “damn” when he has to play angry.

7.1

The final score: review Good

The 411

A good match dominated the hour, so it had that going for it.