Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 22, 2017 23:36:20 GMT -5
UWF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
EPISODE 19
EPISODE 19
Cold open with a 60-second, black-and-white highlight package from UWF Superblast.
Mauro Ranallo: Hello, fans, my name is Mauro Ranallo, and welcome to the UWF, and Friday Night’s Main Event! I’ll be your host and handling the play-by-play; the color chair will be inhabited throughout the night, and throughout the weeks and years to come, by the most intelligent and interesting wrestling minds on the planet. Every match will bring a different perspective, and while you might not share their opinions, you’ll be entertained by them. Trust me, I’m looking forward to engaging with such men as Jim Cornette, Gary Hart, Nick Bockwinkel, Dusty Rhodes, CM Punk… the spectrum of personalities is wide-open. Tonight, I’m privileged to sit side-by-side with Jake “the Snake” Roberts.
We have four great matches for you tonight, right here at the River Center Arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In our main event, the UWF World Trios champions will defend their titles against the Newer Age Outlaws, who earned that right to challenge when they scored the decisive submission during War Games at Superblast . You’ll also see the debut of the Junkyard Dog, as he goes head-to-head with the Midnight Express’s Dennis Condrey. In other action, the hardcore legend Terry Funk battles Drew Galloway, and Brutus Magnus faces the “American Dream”, Dusty Rhodes – now let’s get to the ring for that one!
BRUTUS MAGNUS vs. DUSTY RHODES:
vs.
Magnus was fired up for this one, eager to prove his worth against one of the true icons of the sport. The Brit took the offense to Rhodes early, controlling the first couple of minutes of the match. But the big Texan eventually took charge, and limiting his foe’s ability to outmaneuver him with a lengthy figure-four leglock, Rhodes dropped the bionic elbow on Magnus to take the fall.
A pre-taped interview was shown, recorded after curtains had gone down on Superblast. Kevin Kelly was speaking with Kenny Omega, who was despondent over the Authority’s loss, but who cockily vowed to take the Mid-South Junior Heavyweight championship from Danny Hodge. “After all, I have beat him, you know – a countout win is a win, right?” However, he was interrupted by Gary Hart, who stood beside his own contender for that title, Yoshihiro Tajiri. As usual, the “Japanese Buzzsaw” was silent, but Hart made it perfectly clear that the line to that championship started behind Tajiri.
COMMERCIAL
DENNIS CONDREY (w/Jim Cornette) vs. the JUNKYARD DOG:
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The crowd went crazy for the return of one of the territory’s most revered figures, the Junkyard Dog. He soaked in the applause, while the ring introductions for his opponent could barely be heard. “Loverboy Dennis” jumped the Dog before the bell, but he ruggedly fought back, and despite Cornette’s attempts at interference, the match outcome was rarely in doubt. Less than six minutes in, the JYD hit a crushing powerslam on Condrey for the win.
After the match, Kevin Kelly entered the ring, calling down the new UWF North American Heavyweight champion, Nick Bockwinkel. The tone in the arena changed dramatically, as the cocky, stylish heel strode to the squared circle. It was a lengthy monologue, and one in which the titleholder used every word in his vocabulary to describe the dominant reign he looked forward to enjoying.
COMMERCIAL
Another pre-taped interview was shown, with Christy Hemme handing the responsibilities of speaking with America’s Least Wanted from one of the wrestler’s homes. Marty Jannetty told her they were sore and hurt, but they were winners. Jim Neidhart said he was willing to jump right back into another War Games if they had to. But it was Chris Harris who said the most interesting thing, ending the interview: he declared that ALW was the first team to officially enter the 2017 Crockett Cup!
TERRY FUNK vs. DREW GALLOWAY:
vs.
Both men were bitter that they were not included on the Superblast card, and decided to take out their anger on each other. It was a fantastic brawl with some science thrown in, and the referee decided early on that he was going to give them a lot of leeway. Funk eventually cinched on a sleeper, but the Scotsman fought his out of it, and with a last-gasp burst of speed and strength, hit his foe with the Claymore kick – scoring the big upset win.
COMMERCIAL
A 30-second highlight reel from the 2014 Crockett Cup was shown, and then Kevin Kelly interviewed the “new” UWF Western States Heritage champion, Barry Windham. He earnestly vowed to defend the title whenever and wherever he could, against all challengers, and that he was proud to represent the Universal Wrestling Federation around the globe… and yet, it came off as condescending to the crowd. He left with a big smile on his face, and Kelly just stared in disbelief.
UWF WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (c) vs. the NEWER AGE OUTLAWS:
THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (c) vs. the NEWER AGE OUTLAWS:
vs.
Main event intros by Christy Hemme for two of the most charismatic and talented trios of all-time. This battle went for almost 20 minutes, and it was as even as one might expect, given the talent in the ring. The tags were crisp, and each squad tried to keep their foes isolated on “their” half of the squared circle. But in hindsight, the Outlaws probably shouldn’t have challenged the Freebirds so soon after their painfully-earned victory at Superblast. Gunn, James, and Palumbo were game, but they lacked the stamina to kick their game into overdrive when the champions hit a new gear. The match ended with a Gordy piledriver on the “Road Dogg”, and that gave the ‘Birds a clean win.
…but right before the show ended, the Authority’s trio – Orton, O’Haire, and Saturn – parted the curtain at the ramp and “applauded” the champions’ effort. The message was clear: we’re next.