Post by fifthhorseman on Dec 25, 2016 18:23:10 GMT -5
CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
DARK MATCH
ULTIMATE X FLAG MATCH
ULTIMATE X FLAG MATCH
KENNY OMEGA vs. WILL OSPREAY vs. TJ PERKINS vs. ALEX SHELLEY (w/Kushida) vs. YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI:
vs. vs.
vs. vs.
vs. vs.
UWF Mid-South Junior Heavyweight champion Roderick Strong sat on commentary for this match, an important one in deciding the hierarchy of the division. The rules were simple – retrieve your nation’s flag, suspended overhead on the criss-crossed cables. With all of this talent in one ring, it was bound to be total nonstop action.
And it was. It was 15 minutes of aerial mayhem and dynamic chain wrestling. Unlikely aliiances were temporarily formed in order to gain the slightest advantage, and more than one wrestler’s blood was shed; anyone that thought that this division was comprised of nothing but high-flying “spot monkeys” were sadly mistaken. In the end, it came down to Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega above the ring, trading punches, upside-down, hanging from the cables like trapeze artists. One last solid left hand later, the Canadian, Omega, snatched his flag for the win.
The main show started with a two-minute-long vignette featuring the best wrestlers, matches, and moments in the UWF.
BILLY GUNN (w/Jesse James and Chuck Palumbo) vs. STEVE WILLIAMS:
vs.
Two of the best pure athletes in the UWF were locking up, due to Williams’ belief that Gunn was affiliated with Triple H, whose alleged interference cost “Dr. Death” the opportunity to battle Bret Hart later this night.
Williams tried to overpower “the Badass”, as he did every other opponent, but Gunn was able to withstand the early barrage and fought back, encouraged by the other Outlaws. He quickened the pace with dropkicks and a series of elbowdrops before grounding the hometown hero. But the tide turned, and Williams put Gunn down with hard-hitting amateur-based grappling for a number of two-counts. It went back and forth for a few more minutes before “the Doctor” finished him off with a devastating powerslam.
After the match, Williams got in the Outlaws’ faces, again threatening to take out Triple H. Their only response was, “Let us know how he is.”
Before the next match started, a video vignette was shown, highlighting the various encounters between America’s Least Wanted, and Hot Stuff International… usually with HSI on top.
BUNKHOUSE BATTLE ROYAL
HOT STUFF INTERNATIONAL (Eddie Gilbert, Chris Candido, Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton, and Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette, Missy Hyatt, and Matt Morgan
vs.
AMERICA’S LEAST WANTED (Chris Harris, Marty Jannetty, and Jim Neidhart), TBA, and TBA
vs.
AMERICA’S LEAST WANTED (Chris Harris, Marty Jannetty, and Jim Neidhart), TBA, and TBA
vs.
Hot Stuff International – all eight of them – entered the ring first, full of confidence. However, it quickly changed to hysteria (for Cornette) when by Commissioner Bill Watts’ order, Cornette and Morgan were handcuffed together at the wrist to minimize the odds of interference.
ALW walked halfway down the aisle before waiting for their partners, and the crowd erupted when the curtains parted… for the Eliminators, Perry Saturn and John Kronus! All ten men were dressed for a brawl, and as soon as everyone was in the ring, the bell rang, and the battle royal was on. They paired off and brawled, and within a couple of minutes, Jannetty and Lane were gone.
The match continued, and a few minutes later, after Candido was ejected by Kronus, Kronus was accidentally thrown out by his partner Saturn, who was immediately launched over the top rope by Gilbert. When Saturn went to apologize, his partner levelled him with a clothesline, and the Eliminators fought all the way up the ramp. Schiavone theorized that their losing streak in the WWE instilled such tension that even a new start in the UWF couldn’t resolve their differences.
The numbers advantage switched to HSI, and Neidhart was taken out – leaving Harris to face Glibert, Eaton, and Condrey. The three men pounded on “the Wildcat” mercilessly, who in a brief flurry, scattered them and threw “Hot Stuff” over the top rope… but with his back turned, the Express got rid of him, winning the match for their team.
#1 CONTENDER'S MATCH FOR THE UWF MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
THREE STAGES OF HELL (PINFALL, SUBMISSION, LAST MAN STANDING)
THREE STAGES OF HELL (PINFALL, SUBMISSION, LAST MAN STANDING)
DANNY HODGE vs. DEAN MALENKO:
vs.
This match was booked for two reasons: first, that they were arguably the two finest wrestlers in the Junior Heavyweight division not named Roderick Strong, and second, because they just didn’t like each other. A 60-second vignette was shown, highlighting their career achievements in a “Tale of the Tape” fashion.
The first fall didn’t take place until the 20-minute mark, and if it had ended there, it would have been a classic. Malenko and Hodge went move for move, and there were some holds that were even beyond Tenay’s description. Nearly all of the action stayed inside the ring, and it was as evenly fought as one would expect, given their experience and conditioning, but the pin went to Hodge, who kept “the Iceman” down with a hammerlock suplex.
After a 30-second break, the match continued. Hodge nearly ended it quickly with another suplex, but Malenko just got his shoulder up. He eventually took over when it went outside, and he slammed Hodge against the ringpost back-first, then picked him up and rammed into the post until the referee made an eight-count; then he threw Hodge back in. Malenko continued the assault, targeting the lower back with every move in his arsenal, before locking in the Texas Cloverleaf. He leaned back as far as he could, and kept it on for over a minute before the unthinkable happened… Hodge submitted.
The match was 30 minutes in, and still not over. The final fall meant anything went, and Hodge was still favoring his back. “The Man of 1,000 Holds” tried to take it outside again, but Hodge fought him off and took charge with stiff right hands, throws, and heavy knees into Malenko’s midsection. Inevitably, though, it did spill outside again, and they fought up the ramp. Malenko nearly threw Hodge from it, a ten-foot drop to solid concrete, but the Oklahoman great locked in a belly-to-belly suplex and crushed Malenko on the ramp with it. Another right cross from the Golden Gloves champ made Malenko’s eyes roll, and it ended a minute later – 38 minutes bell-to-bell – when Hodge rendered his foe unconscious with a rear naked choke.
Before the next match began, Kevin Kelly caught up to John Kronus, who was just about to enter his rental car. He said, “There is no way the two of us can exist in the same territory without injuring or retiring each other. I love him like a brother, but if I see him again, I’ll finish him for good – so I’m gone. Watts just released me from my contract. Adios.”
TEXAS BULLROPE MATCH
MANNY FERNANDEZ vs. DUSTY RHODES:
vs.
A video package rolled before this match, highlighting the animosity between the two men. The only way to win this match was pinfall or submission; neither man wanted the “drag your opponent to all four corners” rule, because neither man wanted to win that way.
Fernandez attacked “the American Dream” before the bell rang, just as Rhodes was getting cinched into the rope at his end; he was hit hard by the cowbell tied midway on the rope, cutting him open immediately. The “Raging Bull” continued his vicious attack, pummeling Rhodes with closed fists in the corner. Barely a minute in, his opponent was a bloody mess.
But he battled back. Rhodes kicked out of several near-falls and rallied, with the sold-out crowd firmly in his corner, with hard elbows and jabs. Fernandez tried to flee, but the rope kept him in the ring, and Rhodes whipped him with the thick, tough cord. His arms and back quickly showed the damage, and he speared Rhodes to momentarily stop the attack.
The next several minutes were back and forth, and they beat the hell out of each other. The turning point came when Fernandez pulled Rhodes into an exposed turnbuckle face-first. The former NWA champ fell to the mat hard, the blood loss taking its toll. Fernandez pounced; wrapping his fist in the rope, he belted the prone, defenseless Rhodes several times before grabbing the bell in his free hand and slamming into his hated foe. Before he could strike a second time, the referee jumped in and gave the decision to “the Bull”. He left with the rope around his upper body, gloating over the win, and medical attendants took care of Rhodes inside the ring.
As the ringside crew cleaned the mat, Schaivone and Tenay shilled the next episode of UWF Friday Night’s Main Event: the debuts of Randy Orton and Jake Roberts, the Motor City Timesplitters versus the Midnight Express, and Roderick Strong versus Jack Gallagher!
UWF NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JAY LETHAL vs. JACK SWAGGER (C):
vs.
The two men shook hands, but there was obvious intensity in their eyes. Schiavone wondered if the momentum Swagger had in winning the title was still there, as he had suffered some defeats since then, albeit in non-title matches. Tenay noted that this was Lethal’s first title match in the UWF, and while he was no stranger to high-stakes matches like this, he rarely fought men that outsized him like Swagger did.
It was even up through the first ten minutes - Swagger’s power and amateur-based style, and Lethal’s quickness and savvy, were evenly-matched. The crowd was in the hometown champion’s corner, but both men’s moves were applauded. Lethal finally took charge by taking it to another gear, and dropkicks and top-rope wizardry ensued. He even hit the “Lethal Injection”, but Swagger kicked out at 2.9.
Then the “All-American American” battled back with hard left hands and a variety of suplexes that had Lethal holding his ribs. He dominated in this quick flurry and hit a gutwrench powerbomb on his foe that nearly ended the match. But Lethal kicked out, the match continued in frantic style. The two traded near-falls for a couple of minutes until Lethal missed his “Hail to the King” top-rope elbowdrop. Swagger slowly limped back to Lethal, and reached down for his ankle to cinch in the “Patriot Lock”… and then Lethal rolled him up in a small package and held on for dear life until the referee counted to three. The official handed over the belt to the new champion, and after his name was announced – and a few more tense seconds – Swagger raised Lethal’s hand as well.
UWF WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DEMOLITION (C) w/Gary Hart vs. THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS:
vs.
A video package encapsulated the rivalry, as the announcers explained the stipulations of the match. This would be the Freebirds’ last shot at the titles, and the champions had to defend the belts three-on-three, and not via “Demolition rules”.
Gordy started out with Smash, and they started with a knuckle-lock test of strength in the middle of the ring that lasted for close to a minute. They broke it, each flexing their hands and arms, and tagged out to other men – Roberts and Ax. “Buddy Jack” immediately tried to brawl, but that was a bad idea against his much biggest foe, and he quickly became the resident face in peril for a few minutes.
Eventually he made the hot tag to Hayes, who took charge and laid out Crush with a DDT, getting a two-count. Now the Freebirds took charge, and he and Gordy tagged in and out like a fine-tuned machine while Roberts rested. But the tide turned again, and Demolition took charge, driven by their manager from the outside.
14 minutes in, exhausted, all six fought in the ring. After squirming out of a “Demolition Decapitation” elbow, Hayes grabbed Ax and Crush by an ankle each, and held on for dear life as Roberts and Gordy delivered a spike piledriver on Smash. Three seconds later, the Fabulous Freebirds were crowned the new UWF World Trios champions.
Before the main event started, Kevin Kelly went into one of the suites at the Chesapeake Energy Arena to interview MUW World champion Brock Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman. As usual, Heyman did most of the talking: “This is our first visit to the territory, and we wanted to see what all the buzz was about. Now, this match… there should be some buzz. Bret Hart, a wrestler I deeply respect, versus Terry Funk, an old friend of mine. I watched the tournament that Mr. Hart won, and what an array of men he defeated… Terry Gordy, Manny Fernandez, Bob Backlund, Dusty Rhodes, and my friend Terry Funk. My God, what a showing. But, you might have noticed that your champion did not face my client, the MUW World Heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. Nor can he tonight. But for the right championship purse, my client would face him, or for that matter, any other worthy challenger here in the Universal Wrestling Federation. Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to watch this match in peace and quiet. How did you get in here, anyways?”
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
TERRY FUNK vs. BRET HART (C):
vs.
Big-match announcements by Christy Hemme, for this, the biggest match of the night. Both men were at the top of their game, and came in mentally and physically fit. Schiavone noted the many similarities Hart and Funk: height and weight, main event experience, second-generation pedigree, and mental toughness. They circled each other cautiously, knowing that they had all night to finish the match.
“The Hitman” took control after several see-saw minutes, focusing on Funk’s legs. But the wily Texan was able to defend that particular attack, even if he could not get off the mat. It was a mat-level, grind-it-out, NWA-styled match in which Hart switched his attack to Funk’s back. However, a missed dropkick gave Funk the opening he needed to go after the champion’s legs, and he dropped knees on them at will. He even locked in Hart’s “own” ringpost figure-four leglock, nearly crippling his opponent.
After the hold was broken up, Funk continued his assault. He alternated between bending his foe’s legs in knots, and running him into the ropes to wear him down further, but Hart would not submit. Each passing minute made the hardcore legend more confident, and he taunted Hart with every offensive move. Yet the “Excellence of Execution” refused to stay down, and he battled back to his feet, throwing lefts and rights out of sheer desperation before taking Funk back down, grapevining his legs. His two-pronged goal: hurt Funk, and give his own legs a chance to recover.
The match hit the 30-minute match, and other than the damage done to their legs, both men were barely breathing hard. The next ten minutes, though, was fought at a much quicker pace, and 40 minutes in, they stopped trading holds to wail on each other outside the ring. The referee began his count, but it was a very slow count, as if he didn’t want to end the match on his own. At the count of seven, Hart waist-locked Funk and back-suplexed him onto the hard edge of the ring apron. He threw him back in and followed with a series of elbow-drops to the Texan’s back, before locking in the “Sharpshooter” in the middle of the ring. To his credit, Funk held on as long as he could, and nearly made the ropes several times… nearly. After a true ring war, Bret Hart retained his championship via submission.