Post by fifthhorseman on Sept 3, 2016 1:51:14 GMT -5
This is it. The seventh and final night of the UWF Tournament of Champions, live and in living color from Oklahoma City, the homebase of the Universal Wrestling Federation! Champions in four different divisions will be crowned tonight, and representatives from the UWF Championship Committee are here to hand out the gold. Who wants it the most? You are about to find out.
The two men were familiar foes, and they started the first match of the night very defensively. Neither man wanted to make a critical mistake, knowing that even with a win, they still had another match in front of them. That said, it was also a very fast-paced contest; Kushida sought to take out Strong’s right arm, while “Mr. ROH” focused on “the Timesplitter’s” back. Despite Strong’s efforts to keep it on the mat, Kushida’s use of airborne maneuvers allowed him to take charge, and he got even faster, piling on the two-counts. But one errant, missed top-rope knee-strike gave Strong the opening he needed, and he hit a “Sick Kick” of his own to get the pin at 17:19.
This was a radical contrast of styles – Swann was all flash and speedy showmanship, and “the Iceman” was working a no-nonsense ground game. Malenko did a good job slowing Swann down early, and this match was much more methodical than the Junior Heavyweight bout that preceded it. The veteran went after Swann’s legs with kicks and submission holds, but could not get the tap-out. After several long and agonizing minutes, Swann broke free, nailing Malenko with a dynamic frog splash that the one-time Radical barely kicked out of. Yet he did, and a couple of back-and-forth minutes later, he locked in the “Texas Cloverleaf”, a move that Swann gamely fought before submitting at 14:32.
Earlier in the night, the UWF Championship Committee chose these two men to fight for the North American title, based on their performances during the World tournament. The first man to enter the ring was Swagger – but he was attacked from behind by a furious Manny Fernandez, who insisted that HE belonged in this match. Then, compounding the chaos, the “Raging Bull” ran up the ramp and ambushed Castle as he stepped from behind the main stage curtain!
As referees held back Fernandez, the other two wrestlers eventually regained their senses, and demanded that he be allowed in the match. Commissioner Bill Watts entered the ring, and allowed the change, making it a three-way dance.
Once the bell rang, Castle and Swagger got their revenge on Fernandez, ganging up on the Texan like a well-tuned tag-team. The previously-cocky Fernandez was beaten from pillar to post, and he was eliminated from the match just four minutes in, pinned by both men. As he was escorted to the back, he vowed vengeance on the two.
Now it was back to the singles match that was planned all along. This turned into another amateur-styled classic, with more than a bit of glam thrown in by Castle. Suplexes and throws knocked the wind from both men, and both men were battered and bruised. “The Boys” at ringside encouraged their leader to go for the deadlift German suplex, but “the All-American American” reversed the positioning and hit a devastating gutwrench powerbomb at 19:40 to win the North American heavyweight title in front of the hometown fans.
Both superstars received a hero’s welcome, although the big Texan was welcomed just a little bit more. It started with an exchange of headlocks, shoulder-blocks, and armdrags, clean and even. Rhodes wanted to brawl, and “the Hitman” wanted to chain-wrestle; that said, they were willing to switch strategies at any time.
15 minutes in, Rhodes caught a break when Hart missed a dropkick, and he went to work on the left knee, stretching it and leaning his 290 pounds on his foe, slowing the pace considerably. But eventually, the Canadian got to his feet and fought back, landing an array of punches, elbow-smashes, and throws, concentrating on Dusty’s lower body. The tide turned, and Hart locked in his “Sharpshooter” in the middle of the ring. Yet Rhodes would not quit, and after several torturous moments, he made the ropes.
The next ten minutes were a war. Hard-hitting, high-impact, no quarter given. After several near-falls, Rhodes slammed Hart to the mat and went for the figure-four, but “the Hitman” reached up and cinched in a small package, barely keeping the “American Dream” down for the three-count at 31:16. The two men hugged in the ring, and Rhodes vowed he would be back later in the night to fight for the World title.
If you were in the rafters, you would swear that two mirror images were facing off; dressed similarly, the same height, the same weight… Strong and Malenko even employed the same crisp offensive maneuvers. Kicks and chops were thrown with devastating effectiveness, and the bruises on both of their bodies formed quickly. Backbreakers, slams, and suplexes took their toll on both expert mechanics, and after 20 minutes, the action went outside.
After the referee was inadvertently knocked down, an increasingly frustrated Malenko grabbed a chair from ringside and slammed into his foe’s back. But when “the man of 1,000 holds” went for a second shot, the chair was grabbed out of his hands by a spectator in the front row – the UWF’s newest acquisition, Danny Hodge! Malenko was furious, and took a swing at the amateur icon, but missed… Hodge did not.
Embarrassed, Malenko rolled Strong into the ring as the referee got to his feet. One eye on Hodge, “the Iceman” continued his assault on “Mr. ROH” with vicious kicks and clotheslines. Finally, he set up Strong for the “Texas Cloverleaf”, but he was stunned by a jumping high knee, followed by a lethal “Strong Breaker” (vertical suplex into a double-knee backbreaker). Three shocking seconds later – officially, 22 minutes and 23 seconds in - Roderick was declared the champion.
This was the final match in the bottom bracket: the loser would go home, and the winner would face the undefeated Bret Hart for the title. Extremely familiar foes, they wasted no time tying up. This was not the prettiest match, but it was certainly intense. Ten minutes in, Funk began to bleed, but he didn’t seem to notice, and he went after Rhodes’ legs. Already weary from his earlier contest, Rhodes desperately tried to keep a vertical base, but the hardcore icon was relentless.
The pace slowed to a crawl, as Funk sought to grind out the win. However, this actually worked in the “American Dream’s” favor – although he was off his feet, he was also conserving energy. Thus, after a few tough minutes on the mat, Rhodes came up swinging (and bleeding), rocking Funk with elbows and jabs. He was fired up, and after flooring his foe, he went for the big bionic elbow… but missed! Smartly, Funk sprang to his feet and went after Rhodes’ right knee with a spinning leg lock. He twisted and wrenched the knee, and Rhodes writhed in pain. But he refused to quit; instead, after 90 agonizing seconds, he simply fell back on his shoulders, unconscious for the pain and blood loss. At 17:51, Funk moved on in the quest for the gold.
Through an odd scheduling quirk, these two teams did not face each other in the round-robin tournament, and both teams went 5-0. Obviously, each team had something to prove.
The first fall went to Demolition at 14:03 when Ax pinned Michael Hayes after an assisted second-rope elbowsmash. The theme of this fall – and indeed, the entire match – was the power game employed by the WWF trio versus the guile and varied offense of the southern legends. Gordy went head-to-head with all three members of Demolition throughout the fall, weakening the painted brutes whenever he could. But Hayes was caught, and was pinned.
Nine minutes later, the Freebirds took the second fall after a double-spike piledriver on Smash, and Gordy made the pin. This fall was all Freebirds, as they cut the ring off masterfully on Smash; Roberts, Hayes, and “Bamm Bamm” were a well-tuned machine, laying in punches and kicks together as often as the five-count allowed them. Prototypical Southern-styled offense that the referee never “saw”, and it was a tie game.
The third fall went another 13 minutes, bringing the total ring time to just under 38 minutes – an epic battle worthy of UWF World Trios championship action. Both teams were worn-out, having wrestled nearly every night for a week against the best competition in the world. Quick tags were made by both squads, trying to conserve every bit of energy they had… and in retrospect, perhaps one of the combatants overextended himself in singles competition. Gordy was pinned by Crush after a top-rope double-chokeslam (assisted by Smash). Neither Roberts nor Hayes could make the save, blocked off by Ax for a millisecond longer than necessary. Demoliton: the first and new UWF World Trios champions.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Terry Funk vs. Bret Hart
vs.
This was it. Both men, exhausted after their earlier efforts. Hart was undefeated, and needed one more win to capture the championship. Funk was fighting from behind, and had to beat Hart twice.
The two shook hands in the middle of the ring, but it was a tense exchange. Similar in size, thousands of pro wrestling bouts under their collective belts, second-generation grapplers… dissimilar on the surface, stylically different, but under the surface, incredibly similar. The first few minutes of the match could only be described as “scientifically rough”: within the rules, but on the edge. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the inevitable explosion.
They did not have to wait long. A Funk dropkick knocked “the Hitman” outside, and then it turned into a ECWesque brawl that the referee let go. He literally gave up counting as the two grapplers went at it, in and out of the ring and even into the first few rows of the fans. No weapons were employed, though – just fists and boots. When the action finally spilled back into the ring, Hart and Funk settled into a more methodical, scientific pace, hold for hold. But when Hart missed a second-rope elbow-drop at the 18-minute mark, Funk immediately went for a crucifix pin – and got it.
The crowd exploded, knowing that the next fall was sudden death. Funk had the momentum, and Hart had suffered his first defeat of the tournament. Thus, the Canadian tried to slow it down, but the Texan wasn’t having any of that. He surged ahead, with crisp left hands, followed by offense directed at Hart’s head and neck. Taking him down, Funk worked on him with neck vices and sleeper holds, hoping to drain the fight out of his foe.
But Hart was too resilient for that. Getting to his feet, he backed Funk to the corner and unleashed a barrage of back-elbows. When Funk fell, Hart rolled outside and locked in his ringpost-assisted figure-four, hanging onto it until the very last millisecond. Now he was in attack mode, targeting Funk’s knee with elbow-drops, kneedrops, and other Dungeon-inspired holds. Only Funk’s legendary grit kept him from giving up.
The fight eventually went vertical, and the two traded punches in the middle of the ring. Passing the 35-minute mark, the two were exhausted, but defiant. Shockingly, Hart hit a stunner on Funk, but only got a two-count. Undeterred, he pressed the advantage, locking in the “Sharpshooter” – but not for long, as the Texan powered out and applied a “Boston Crab”. Hart writhed in pain, but eventually HE broke out as well. It was toe-to-toe now, in the middle of the ring, until Funk whipped “the Hitman” into the ropes, but he came back with an old-school “Hart Attack” clothesline. Wasting zero time, he went for the pin. Three seconds later, he rolled off his foe, and his hand was raised. At 33:32, Bret Hart was declared the UWF World Heavyweight Champion.
MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL:
Kushida vs. Roderick Strong
vs.
Kushida vs. Roderick Strong
vs.
The two men were familiar foes, and they started the first match of the night very defensively. Neither man wanted to make a critical mistake, knowing that even with a win, they still had another match in front of them. That said, it was also a very fast-paced contest; Kushida sought to take out Strong’s right arm, while “Mr. ROH” focused on “the Timesplitter’s” back. Despite Strong’s efforts to keep it on the mat, Kushida’s use of airborne maneuvers allowed him to take charge, and he got even faster, piling on the two-counts. But one errant, missed top-rope knee-strike gave Strong the opening he needed, and he hit a “Sick Kick” of his own to get the pin at 17:19.
MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL:
Dean Malenko vs. Rich Swann
vs.
Dean Malenko vs. Rich Swann
vs.
This was a radical contrast of styles – Swann was all flash and speedy showmanship, and “the Iceman” was working a no-nonsense ground game. Malenko did a good job slowing Swann down early, and this match was much more methodical than the Junior Heavyweight bout that preceded it. The veteran went after Swann’s legs with kicks and submission holds, but could not get the tap-out. After several long and agonizing minutes, Swann broke free, nailing Malenko with a dynamic frog splash that the one-time Radical barely kicked out of. Yet he did, and a couple of back-and-forth minutes later, he locked in the “Texas Cloverleaf”, a move that Swann gamely fought before submitting at 14:32.
UWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH:
Dalton Castle vs. Jack Swagger
vs. vs.
Dalton Castle vs. Jack Swagger
vs. vs.
Earlier in the night, the UWF Championship Committee chose these two men to fight for the North American title, based on their performances during the World tournament. The first man to enter the ring was Swagger – but he was attacked from behind by a furious Manny Fernandez, who insisted that HE belonged in this match. Then, compounding the chaos, the “Raging Bull” ran up the ramp and ambushed Castle as he stepped from behind the main stage curtain!
As referees held back Fernandez, the other two wrestlers eventually regained their senses, and demanded that he be allowed in the match. Commissioner Bill Watts entered the ring, and allowed the change, making it a three-way dance.
Once the bell rang, Castle and Swagger got their revenge on Fernandez, ganging up on the Texan like a well-tuned tag-team. The previously-cocky Fernandez was beaten from pillar to post, and he was eliminated from the match just four minutes in, pinned by both men. As he was escorted to the back, he vowed vengeance on the two.
Now it was back to the singles match that was planned all along. This turned into another amateur-styled classic, with more than a bit of glam thrown in by Castle. Suplexes and throws knocked the wind from both men, and both men were battered and bruised. “The Boys” at ringside encouraged their leader to go for the deadlift German suplex, but “the All-American American” reversed the positioning and hit a devastating gutwrench powerbomb at 19:40 to win the North American heavyweight title in front of the hometown fans.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL:
Bret Hart vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs.
Bret Hart vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs.
Both superstars received a hero’s welcome, although the big Texan was welcomed just a little bit more. It started with an exchange of headlocks, shoulder-blocks, and armdrags, clean and even. Rhodes wanted to brawl, and “the Hitman” wanted to chain-wrestle; that said, they were willing to switch strategies at any time.
15 minutes in, Rhodes caught a break when Hart missed a dropkick, and he went to work on the left knee, stretching it and leaning his 290 pounds on his foe, slowing the pace considerably. But eventually, the Canadian got to his feet and fought back, landing an array of punches, elbow-smashes, and throws, concentrating on Dusty’s lower body. The tide turned, and Hart locked in his “Sharpshooter” in the middle of the ring. Yet Rhodes would not quit, and after several torturous moments, he made the ropes.
The next ten minutes were a war. Hard-hitting, high-impact, no quarter given. After several near-falls, Rhodes slammed Hart to the mat and went for the figure-four, but “the Hitman” reached up and cinched in a small package, barely keeping the “American Dream” down for the three-count at 31:16. The two men hugged in the ring, and Rhodes vowed he would be back later in the night to fight for the World title.
MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:
Dean Malenko vs. Roderick Strong
vs.
Dean Malenko vs. Roderick Strong
vs.
If you were in the rafters, you would swear that two mirror images were facing off; dressed similarly, the same height, the same weight… Strong and Malenko even employed the same crisp offensive maneuvers. Kicks and chops were thrown with devastating effectiveness, and the bruises on both of their bodies formed quickly. Backbreakers, slams, and suplexes took their toll on both expert mechanics, and after 20 minutes, the action went outside.
After the referee was inadvertently knocked down, an increasingly frustrated Malenko grabbed a chair from ringside and slammed into his foe’s back. But when “the man of 1,000 holds” went for a second shot, the chair was grabbed out of his hands by a spectator in the front row – the UWF’s newest acquisition, Danny Hodge! Malenko was furious, and took a swing at the amateur icon, but missed… Hodge did not.
Embarrassed, Malenko rolled Strong into the ring as the referee got to his feet. One eye on Hodge, “the Iceman” continued his assault on “Mr. ROH” with vicious kicks and clotheslines. Finally, he set up Strong for the “Texas Cloverleaf”, but he was stunned by a jumping high knee, followed by a lethal “Strong Breaker” (vertical suplex into a double-knee backbreaker). Three shocking seconds later – officially, 22 minutes and 23 seconds in - Roderick was declared the champion.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL:
Terry Funk vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs.
Terry Funk vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs.
This was the final match in the bottom bracket: the loser would go home, and the winner would face the undefeated Bret Hart for the title. Extremely familiar foes, they wasted no time tying up. This was not the prettiest match, but it was certainly intense. Ten minutes in, Funk began to bleed, but he didn’t seem to notice, and he went after Rhodes’ legs. Already weary from his earlier contest, Rhodes desperately tried to keep a vertical base, but the hardcore icon was relentless.
The pace slowed to a crawl, as Funk sought to grind out the win. However, this actually worked in the “American Dream’s” favor – although he was off his feet, he was also conserving energy. Thus, after a few tough minutes on the mat, Rhodes came up swinging (and bleeding), rocking Funk with elbows and jabs. He was fired up, and after flooring his foe, he went for the big bionic elbow… but missed! Smartly, Funk sprang to his feet and went after Rhodes’ right knee with a spinning leg lock. He twisted and wrenched the knee, and Rhodes writhed in pain. But he refused to quit; instead, after 90 agonizing seconds, he simply fell back on his shoulders, unconscious for the pain and blood loss. At 17:51, Funk moved on in the quest for the gold.
UWF WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL – TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS:
Demolition vs. the Fabulous Freebirds
vs.
Demolition vs. the Fabulous Freebirds
vs.
Through an odd scheduling quirk, these two teams did not face each other in the round-robin tournament, and both teams went 5-0. Obviously, each team had something to prove.
The first fall went to Demolition at 14:03 when Ax pinned Michael Hayes after an assisted second-rope elbowsmash. The theme of this fall – and indeed, the entire match – was the power game employed by the WWF trio versus the guile and varied offense of the southern legends. Gordy went head-to-head with all three members of Demolition throughout the fall, weakening the painted brutes whenever he could. But Hayes was caught, and was pinned.
Nine minutes later, the Freebirds took the second fall after a double-spike piledriver on Smash, and Gordy made the pin. This fall was all Freebirds, as they cut the ring off masterfully on Smash; Roberts, Hayes, and “Bamm Bamm” were a well-tuned machine, laying in punches and kicks together as often as the five-count allowed them. Prototypical Southern-styled offense that the referee never “saw”, and it was a tie game.
The third fall went another 13 minutes, bringing the total ring time to just under 38 minutes – an epic battle worthy of UWF World Trios championship action. Both teams were worn-out, having wrestled nearly every night for a week against the best competition in the world. Quick tags were made by both squads, trying to conserve every bit of energy they had… and in retrospect, perhaps one of the combatants overextended himself in singles competition. Gordy was pinned by Crush after a top-rope double-chokeslam (assisted by Smash). Neither Roberts nor Hayes could make the save, blocked off by Ax for a millisecond longer than necessary. Demoliton: the first and new UWF World Trios champions.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Terry Funk vs. Bret Hart
vs.
This was it. Both men, exhausted after their earlier efforts. Hart was undefeated, and needed one more win to capture the championship. Funk was fighting from behind, and had to beat Hart twice.
The two shook hands in the middle of the ring, but it was a tense exchange. Similar in size, thousands of pro wrestling bouts under their collective belts, second-generation grapplers… dissimilar on the surface, stylically different, but under the surface, incredibly similar. The first few minutes of the match could only be described as “scientifically rough”: within the rules, but on the edge. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the inevitable explosion.
They did not have to wait long. A Funk dropkick knocked “the Hitman” outside, and then it turned into a ECWesque brawl that the referee let go. He literally gave up counting as the two grapplers went at it, in and out of the ring and even into the first few rows of the fans. No weapons were employed, though – just fists and boots. When the action finally spilled back into the ring, Hart and Funk settled into a more methodical, scientific pace, hold for hold. But when Hart missed a second-rope elbow-drop at the 18-minute mark, Funk immediately went for a crucifix pin – and got it.
The crowd exploded, knowing that the next fall was sudden death. Funk had the momentum, and Hart had suffered his first defeat of the tournament. Thus, the Canadian tried to slow it down, but the Texan wasn’t having any of that. He surged ahead, with crisp left hands, followed by offense directed at Hart’s head and neck. Taking him down, Funk worked on him with neck vices and sleeper holds, hoping to drain the fight out of his foe.
But Hart was too resilient for that. Getting to his feet, he backed Funk to the corner and unleashed a barrage of back-elbows. When Funk fell, Hart rolled outside and locked in his ringpost-assisted figure-four, hanging onto it until the very last millisecond. Now he was in attack mode, targeting Funk’s knee with elbow-drops, kneedrops, and other Dungeon-inspired holds. Only Funk’s legendary grit kept him from giving up.
The fight eventually went vertical, and the two traded punches in the middle of the ring. Passing the 35-minute mark, the two were exhausted, but defiant. Shockingly, Hart hit a stunner on Funk, but only got a two-count. Undeterred, he pressed the advantage, locking in the “Sharpshooter” – but not for long, as the Texan powered out and applied a “Boston Crab”. Hart writhed in pain, but eventually HE broke out as well. It was toe-to-toe now, in the middle of the ring, until Funk whipped “the Hitman” into the ropes, but he came back with an old-school “Hart Attack” clothesline. Wasting zero time, he went for the pin. Three seconds later, he rolled off his foe, and his hand was raised. At 33:32, Bret Hart was declared the UWF World Heavyweight Champion.