Post by fifthhorseman on Nov 11, 2016 12:52:08 GMT -5
UWF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
EPISODE 8
EPISODE 8
Tony Schiavone: We are live from the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma, and THIS… is UWF’s Friday Night Main Event! Four incredible matches are on tap, anchored by a UWF World Heavyweight championship defense by “the Hitman”, Bret Hart against Joe Hennig! Nick Bockwinkel makes his AWA debut, going one-on-one with Brad Armstrong! And two other matches will have “Mid-South Mayhem” consequences… isn’t that right, Mike?
Mike Tenay: Indeed so, Tony. In the Junior Heavyweight division, “the Man of 1,000 Holds”, Dean Malenko battles ACH, and Danny Hodge faces Jack Gallagher, in dual “Beat the Clock” action. If Malenko and Hodge both win their respective matches, then the man who wins his match the fastest can choose a stipulation for their match at “Mid-South Mayhem”… but if either man loses, then both ACH and Gallagher will take on Roderick Strong at Mayhem in a three-way dance! Let’s get to the ring for the first contest!
JACK GALLAGHER vs. DANNY HODGE:
vs.
As the action between two very technical grapplers got underway, Schiavone noted that the “either man losing” stipulation should keep Malenko and Hodge from interfering in each other’s matches… and spoiler alert, he was correct. This was a very entertaining opening match, with Hodge’s old-school, amateur-based wrestling contrasting with Gallagher’s nu-wave, fluid maneuvering. After 12 solid minutes (and 58 seconds), the hometown Oklahoman won with a full-nelson suplex.
After the match, a video vignette featuring the newest addition to the Mid-South Junior Heavyweight division was shown for Yoshihiro Tajiri, who will be making his UWF debut next week.
COMMERCIAL
Schiavone and Tenay introduced another video, taken earlier in the day as the wrestlers were entering the arena. The Newer Age Outlaws were confronted by Steve Williams, who wanted to know why Triple H interfered in his match last week. The trio, as before, denied any contact with him, and told him they didn’t know why his music played during their match weeks before. “Dr. Death” and “Mr. Ass” went nose-to-nose, but cooler heads prevailed.
BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. NICK BOCKWINKEL:
vs.
Armstrong entered the ring first, followed by the arrogant Bockwinkel, who carried himself like he owned the Centre. Surprisingly, the two shook hands in the middle of the ring, and the AWA legend took charge immediately, with a mixture of clean wrestling and stiff right hands. Never one to back down, Armstrong retaliated with dropkicks and punches of his own, and briefly took over. However, a missed top-rope bodypress was the error Bockwinkel was looking for, and he knocked out his foe with a sleeper in less than ten minutes.
Kevin Kelly interviewed Bockwinkel as he left the ring, and as only he could, the eloquent heel put the AWA and all of its champions on notice: he was going straight to the top.
COMMERCIAL
As opposed to the earlier, measured interview with Bockwinkel minutes earlier, the pre-taped video package with Jim Cornette and Eddie Gilbert was loud and pointed. The “Louisville Slugger” was furious that the newly-rechristened America’s Least Wanted – “who truly do live up to their handle” – jumped their friend, Chris Candido, and ran like “scared cowards”. ALW’s day of reckoning was coming, and if they accepted the challenge of Hot Stuff International, at Mid-South Mayhem, they would pay the piper. Five-on-five: the Midnight Express, Eddie Gilbert, and Chris Candido versus America’s Most Wanted and any two other men they could scrape up – in a “Bunkhouse Battle Royal”!
ACH vs. DEAN MALENKO:
vs.
“The Iceman” attacked before the bell rang, eager to beat a time of 12:58. He was relentless, battering ACH, not letting him even get to his feet. Malenko went for the pin constantly, but his foe refused to stay down. ACH even fought through several grueling submission attempts and ultimately got to his feet, where his superior quickness finally came into play. Lightning-fast chops and kicks floored Malenko, but he also battled back. It ended in a flash, when Malenko countered a cradle-DDT attempt and rolled ACH up into a small package to win… at 12:46. As he walked up the ramp, he pointed to the clock in arrogant delight.
COMMERCIAL
Schiavone and Tenay immediately sent the feed back to Commissioner Bill Watts’ office, where he was meeting with Demolition and their new manager, Gary Hart, who was pointing to a large monitor. “You can clearly see the time stamp on this video – authenticated by a professional videographer – and it shows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my men did not attack Buddy Roberts. They were getting ready for their match. Roberts himself says he doesn’t even know who attacked him! You can’t do a thing to my team, Watts.”
The commissioner replied that indeed, he would not discipline Demolition. However, he was ordering a rematch for Mid-South Mayhem, when both trios were all equally fit to wrestle... and this would be the final shot for the Freebirds. He also conceded that the champions were free to invoke the “Demolition rule” if they wanted. Ax, Smash, Crush, and Hart left, gloating, telling Watts they would make their decision at Mayhem.
A 60-second video package was shown, highlighting the classic mid-90s WWF battles between Bret Hart and Curt Hennig.
Schiavone: Bret Hart certainly didn’t have to accept this challenge, especially going into the UWF’s first pay-per-view, Mid-South Mayhem… but then, “the Hitman” has never backed down from a challenge in his life. What does surprise me, however, is the fact that he is putting the World Heavyweight title on the line.
Tenay: No surprise here, Tony. He’s always been a fighting champion, and with the gold up for grabs, he’ll be that much more determined. Let’s get to the ring, where Christy Hemme is standing by.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BRET HART (C) vs. JOE HENNIG:
BRET HART (C) vs. JOE HENNIG:
vs.
Main event intros for the combatants. In a tribute to his father over in WCW – or as a psychological ploy, or both – Hennig was wearing a flashy singlet. For the first couple of minutes, the two traded hip-locks, armdrags, and dropkicks in a flurry of action – then Hart settled into the lead with a mat-based side-headlock. He nearly put Hennig to sleep with it, but the third-generation star found the ropes and got the break.
Recovering, Hennig took charge with a series of bodyslams and strikes that quickened the pace, and he went for a Perfectplex that Hart reversed into a high suplex of his own. The next several minutes see-sawed back and forth, but there would be no upset on this night. At the 14-minute mark, Hart locked in the Sharpshooter, and after a long struggle, his foe submitted. Standing on the middle turnbuckle, the champion held his gold high over his head. As he celebrated, the top challenger for his title, Terry Funk, walked through the curtains and stared him down as the program ended.