Post by fifthhorseman on Aug 8, 2016 18:35:21 GMT -5
Live from Oklahoma City, it's the first of seven consecutive days of the reborn Universal Wrestling Federation Tournament of Champions! Four different tournaments, 60 matches, and every match matters.
Calling the action at ringside is play-by-play man Tony Schiavone and color man Mike Tenay. Christy Hemme is in the ring, ready to make the introductions for tonight's competitors in the UWF World Heavyweight championship tournament. This is a double-elimination bracket, with 16 of the toughest, most respected grapplers of the last 50 years all vying for one title. This tournament will also help the UWF Championship Committee decide who will battle in one single match for the UWF North American heavyweight championship as well.
This is the bracket:
And here are your first-round results:
The first match promoted by the reborn UWF saw Dusty Rhodes defeat D'Lo Brown after an even 11 minutes of fast-paced action. Brown, one of the great WWF European champ of his time, went toe-to-toe with his opponent, but Rhodes was particularly inspired, and fed off the adulation of the crowd. "The American Dream" finished off Brown with a big bionic elbow for the win.
Next up, Manny Fernandez defeated Bobby Fish at 14:53, who was a late substitution for the malcontent Carlito Colon. It was a very stiff, hard-hitting contest, and very even throughout. However, the lack of prep time may have been a factor for Fish, who eventually succumbed to the "Raging Bull", via a series of forearm smashes into a pinfall.
The third match saw Stan Hansen dispose of Billy Gunn with his patented lariat clothesline at 8:46. It was a dominant performance by the big Texan, who overcame early distractions by Chuck Palumbo and "Road Dogg" Jesse James before they were banished from ringside.
In the final match before a brief intermission - and in direct contrast to the Hansen/Gunn bout before it - Bob Backlund defeated Dalton Castle with the crossface chickenwing at 25:02. Several times, the flamboyant Castle nearly scored pinfalls, matching the scientifically-oriented hold for hold early on in what might have been the biggest upset of the first round. In the end, though, Backlund locked on his finisher, and after the tap-out, the two men shook hands in the middle of the ring.
Monty Brown defeated Crush in the fifth match of the night, in a battle of two smash-mouth brawlers. It was not the prettiest match, and the referee gave both men plenty of leeway on the outside of the ring. Brown pinned Crush after two big "pounces" at 11:20.
The next match featured two men with wrestling written into their DNA. It was a back-and-forth contest with equal measures of technical skill and hard right hands, and after 16 minutes of bell-to-bell action, Terry Funk pinned Curtis Axel with a small package. The two briefly shook hands, and then Axel grabbed a microphone from Hemme and declared that he was returning to his heritage and his birthname: Joseph Hennig.
The seventh match saw Eddie Gilbert pin Jack Swagger after a stun-gun into the ropes and a roll-up at 13:49. It was a classic David vs. Goliath battle, except the crowd was heavily behind the hometown Goliath. Swagger utilized strength and amateur skills against the devious Gilbert, but a key distraction by "Hot Stuff International" stablemate Chris Candido led to his downfall.
Closing the card out, the main event pitted the "Hitman" against "Bamm Bamm". Terry Gordy was eager to show his mettle; he was the first-ever UWF Heavyweight champion, and the big Freebird was ready to "reclaim" his title. In the other corner, Bret Hart sought to gain another singles World championship, his eighth. The two engaged in some snug mat wrestling to begin, before the fists and kicks were inevitably exchanged. Gordy also displayed his always-surprising agility; Hart muscled up and used slams and submissions. It was the match of the night, lasting 39 minutes, and at the end of it all, Bret Hart made Terry Gordy submit to the Sharpshooter.
Calling the action at ringside is play-by-play man Tony Schiavone and color man Mike Tenay. Christy Hemme is in the ring, ready to make the introductions for tonight's competitors in the UWF World Heavyweight championship tournament. This is a double-elimination bracket, with 16 of the toughest, most respected grapplers of the last 50 years all vying for one title. This tournament will also help the UWF Championship Committee decide who will battle in one single match for the UWF North American heavyweight championship as well.
This is the bracket:
And here are your first-round results:
The first match promoted by the reborn UWF saw Dusty Rhodes defeat D'Lo Brown after an even 11 minutes of fast-paced action. Brown, one of the great WWF European champ of his time, went toe-to-toe with his opponent, but Rhodes was particularly inspired, and fed off the adulation of the crowd. "The American Dream" finished off Brown with a big bionic elbow for the win.
Next up, Manny Fernandez defeated Bobby Fish at 14:53, who was a late substitution for the malcontent Carlito Colon. It was a very stiff, hard-hitting contest, and very even throughout. However, the lack of prep time may have been a factor for Fish, who eventually succumbed to the "Raging Bull", via a series of forearm smashes into a pinfall.
The third match saw Stan Hansen dispose of Billy Gunn with his patented lariat clothesline at 8:46. It was a dominant performance by the big Texan, who overcame early distractions by Chuck Palumbo and "Road Dogg" Jesse James before they were banished from ringside.
In the final match before a brief intermission - and in direct contrast to the Hansen/Gunn bout before it - Bob Backlund defeated Dalton Castle with the crossface chickenwing at 25:02. Several times, the flamboyant Castle nearly scored pinfalls, matching the scientifically-oriented hold for hold early on in what might have been the biggest upset of the first round. In the end, though, Backlund locked on his finisher, and after the tap-out, the two men shook hands in the middle of the ring.
Monty Brown defeated Crush in the fifth match of the night, in a battle of two smash-mouth brawlers. It was not the prettiest match, and the referee gave both men plenty of leeway on the outside of the ring. Brown pinned Crush after two big "pounces" at 11:20.
The next match featured two men with wrestling written into their DNA. It was a back-and-forth contest with equal measures of technical skill and hard right hands, and after 16 minutes of bell-to-bell action, Terry Funk pinned Curtis Axel with a small package. The two briefly shook hands, and then Axel grabbed a microphone from Hemme and declared that he was returning to his heritage and his birthname: Joseph Hennig.
The seventh match saw Eddie Gilbert pin Jack Swagger after a stun-gun into the ropes and a roll-up at 13:49. It was a classic David vs. Goliath battle, except the crowd was heavily behind the hometown Goliath. Swagger utilized strength and amateur skills against the devious Gilbert, but a key distraction by "Hot Stuff International" stablemate Chris Candido led to his downfall.
Closing the card out, the main event pitted the "Hitman" against "Bamm Bamm". Terry Gordy was eager to show his mettle; he was the first-ever UWF Heavyweight champion, and the big Freebird was ready to "reclaim" his title. In the other corner, Bret Hart sought to gain another singles World championship, his eighth. The two engaged in some snug mat wrestling to begin, before the fists and kicks were inevitably exchanged. Gordy also displayed his always-surprising agility; Hart muscled up and used slams and submissions. It was the match of the night, lasting 39 minutes, and at the end of it all, Bret Hart made Terry Gordy submit to the Sharpshooter.