UWF Power Pro Wrestling (4.4.1987) Review

-Another gap to be filled in, thanks to Richard Land’s Fish & Chips on Patreon.

-Originally aired April 4, 1987.

-Your host is Jim Ross, who, the Observer reported that week, had just been put in charge of UWF’s day-to-day operations after Bill Watts abruptly departed for to tend to some sort of business that nobody in the company was aware of.

TERRY TAYLOR vs. ICEMAN KING PARSONS (with Eddie Gilbert)
-Taylor keeps trying to lock up peacefully, but Parsons keeps going to the hair. Taylor decides he’s done with locking up, then, and just bodypresses Parsons for a two-count. We get a shout-out to Dr. George Napolitano at ringside as Parsons drops Taylor with headbutts. Parsons goes for a piledriver, but Taylor backdrops out and punches away. Taylor bounces off the ropes, but Gilbert jerks a rope down to make Taylor fall to the floor, and the referee calls for the DQ immediately. Mildly interesting: Taylor landed on blue mats surrounding the ring. Man, Bill Watts really DID cede control of the company this week! Not much to the match because it hadn’t really gotten going yet.

-Dark Journey (who is looking FINE this week) is feeling a little better after the shocking attack that she suffered recently, but she’s ready for the upcoming “catfights” at UWF house shows.

MIKE GEORGE vs. MARCUS HAWK
-Mike ‘n Mark exchange arm wringers. Hawk throws some nice dropkicks but eats a clothesline and it’s all downhill from there for the youngster. Snapmare into a chinlock by George while Dark Journey clarifies that she doesn’t really possess a lot of technique, so she’s just going to pull hair and rip clothes during those catfights. A really odd obvious edit follows and Mike George finishes with a powerslam. I have a hunch it wasn’t the first attempt at the powerslam.

-Chris Adams is grateful for the welcome back he’s received from UWF fans and is glad that he’s getting a second chance after his problems. He’s facing Ted DiBiase later today, and they shake hands and promise that it’s just business in the ring, and they’re going to keep it clean.

SAVANNAH JACK vs. HAYSTACK
-Jack hammerlocks Stack. Stack makes the ropes and forces Jack to step back. Stack and Jack lock up until the referee demands slack, and they step back. Jack wrings Stack to make the arm crack, but Stack gives Jack a whack as the fans give him flack. Splash by Stack, but he hits the mat with a smack, and the superkick by Jack makes Stack see black.

“Hot Stuff” EDDIE GILBERT (Champion) vs. RON SEXTON
-Honestly, with that last name and an epic mustache, Ron Sexton should have gone by the nickname “Hot Stuff.”

-Arm wringers are exchanged and Gilbert has a bit of trouble, as Sexton manages to hang onto it through several attempts to break the hold. Gilbert fights back with a knee as Jim Ross workshops “DJ” as a nickname for Dark Journey, like we didn’t have enough of those on TV in the late 1980s. Sexton charges at Gilbert and Gilbert catches him for the Hot Shot to get the three-count. Gilbert was feeling generous this week and gave the young up-and-comer a lot there.

-Two weeks ago, the Angel of Death, accompanied by Michael Hayes, was supposed to wrestle Super Ninja, but Skandar Akbar suddenly showed up and paid Ninja a wad of bills to leave the ring, at which point Angel turned on Hayes, and Devastation Inc. en masse showed up and bloodied Hayes. A week later, it looks like the Freebirds are about to get their revenge, but Devastation, Inc. lays them out again.

-We get a reel of Gordy vs. Williams match highlights. I gotta say, putting them together as a tag team in Japan was a stroke of genius, because even as OPPONENTS, you can sense how well they’d mesh.

$15,000 CHALLENGE: ROOKIE SENSATION STEVE COX vs. THE VIKING (with Skandar Akbar)
-Viking’s entrance costume is getting much closer to a fully-realized gimmick at this point. So it’s Akbar putting up the $15,000, but if Cox loses, he has to retire from wrestling altogether.

-Before the match even gets rolling, Terry Gordy storms into the ring and demands a fight. Now here’s the trick; Gordy never actually makes contact with anybody and never does anything. So when he threatens a fight, Viking and Akbar leave. But since Gordy never actually did anything, the referee never called for the bell, so the match is still going, and Viking loses by count-out. Cox makes the easiest $15,000 of his life. Smart booking; gotta protect The Viking.

-Bruce Prichard talks to Hot Stuff International. Iceman King Parsons laments that if Savannah Jack hadn’t been dippeny-dappenin’, he might actually know what’s happenin’. Bruce looks like he’s going to drop to the floor and laugh his ass off, but he maintains his composure and gets through the promo.

GENTLEMAN CHRIS ADAMS vs. TED DIBIASE
-JR says that the UWF Heavyweight Title has turned into an obsession for Ted DiBiase, and he’s concerned that DiBiase might do ANYTHING to get a shot at that title again.

-DiBiase and Adams shake hands and get right to work with holds and counters and reversals. The plot twist finally comes when Adams goes for an armdrag. DiBiase digs his heels in so he stays right where he is and Adams falls on his face. JR gives DiBiase a little credit, noting that he didn’t stomp on Adams or anything, but DiBiase definitely pounces the moment that Adams is hurt. From there, DiBiase is in control with a side headlock. DiBiase goes into the ropes and they collide on a double clothesline WE ARE DESPERATELY OUTTA TIME SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

5.1

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

That was quite a bit of cop-out booking, wasn't it?