Post by fifthhorseman on Sept 10, 2016 23:45:11 GMT -5
UWF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
EPISODE 1
EPISODE 1
Tony Schiavone: Hello, fans, and welcome to the premiere episode of Friday Night’s Main Event! The UWF is proud to present the finest professional wrestling action on the planet, and needless to say, tonight is no exception. We are live at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado! Settle in for the next 90 minutes – four matches are on the card, and the main event is a Mid-South Junior Heavyweight title defense, with champion Roderick Strong defending against Chris Candido! Also, we have “the American Dream” Dusty Rhodes taking on the Midnight Express’s Bobby Eaton! D’Lo Brown meets “the Alpha Male” Monty Brown! And in Trios action, reDragon battles the Newer Age Outlaws! Great action to be sure, Mike.
Mike Tenay: Indeed it is, but let’s get it started with our colleague Kevin Kelly, who’s in the ring awaiting the arrival of the new UWF World Heavyweight Champion… “the Hitman”, Bret Hart!
Because the Universal Wrestling Federation is all about action, the interview is short and sweet. Hart vows to defend the title as often as possible, citing the 30-day rule and also complimenting the quality of opposition within the UWF. The “Excellence of Execution” proved his mettle during the championship tournament, and he’s willing to take each and every one of them on again.
THE NEWER AGE OUTLAWS vs. REdrAGON:
vs.
These teams met very early on in the round-robin stage of the World Trios tournament, with the NAO coming out on top, so reDRagon was especially inspired to get even. They used their superior quickness and striking ability to take the advantage early, trapping Palumbo in the ring. The double- and triple-teaming was impressive, but eventually the Outlaw got to his corner and tagged in Gunn. The tide turned due to the “Bad Ass’s” freakish athleticism. Everyone was inevitably involved in a pier-six brawl, but it ended with a “Fameassser” leg drop on Quackenbush.
As the NAO departed, Fish and O’Reilly turned on their teammate, blaming him for their futility in the tournament. After laying in a series of double-team maneuvers, UWF referees and officials had to clear the two from the ring, and Quackenbush was stretchered to the back.
COMMERCIAL
In a pre-taped backstage segment, Kevin Kelly spoke with the Fabulous Freebirds. Michael Hayes did the bulk of the talking – as usual – and gave credit to World Trios champs Demolition for winning the straps, but he also noted that they deserved a rematch. With a rested-up Terry Gordy, and recharged Buddy Jack Roberts, there was no way that Demolition could beat them in a one-fall match.
D’LO BROWN vs. MONTY BROWN:
This was a match in which both men had to start proving themselves all over again to the UWF Championship Committee, and Commissioner Bill Watts. It was a very dynamic, smashmouth battle, and D’Lo nearly ended it early with a big frog splash. But “the Alpha Male” kicked out, and took charge with a series of punches, shoulder-tackles, and clotheslines before grounding his foe. Yet D’Lo had one last offensive flurry in him, and after putting Monty down, went for the frog splash again… but he was hit hard in mid-flight by a crushing “Pounce” tackle. Three seconds later, Monty Brown took the pinfall victory.
A video package was then shown, announcing the imminent arrival of a former UWF Heavyweight Champion, including several of his greatest victories both in the United States and overseas. Coming soon… “Dr. Death” himself, Steve Williams.
COMMERCIAL
BOBBY EATON (w/Jim Cornette) vs. DUSTY RHODES:
If you like traditional, old-school NWAish wrestling, this was the bout of the night. The charismatic brawler vs. the smooth-as-silk technician. Rhodes controlled the first few minutes, much to Cornette’s chagrin, before “Beautiful Bobby” took over with a series of left hands and kicks to the mid-section. Grounding the big Texan with a chinlock, he wanted to take the air out of his opponent. But Rhodes rallied with the usual arsenal – jabs, elbows, and bodyslams, followed by a huge “Bionic Elbow” for the victory.
After the match, Rhodes yelled into the camera, “I want championship gold, baby! Bret Hart – I’m comin’ for that title! Jack Swagger – if the Hitman don’t give me a title shot, I’m comin’ for you too!” The crowd erupted, and as the “Dream” walked back up the ramp, he was suddenly attacked by his former tag-team partner from the NWA, Manny Fernandez! The “Raging Bull” shoved Rhodes off the ramp and onto the floor, and shouted, “I’M the next North American champion!”
COMMERCIAL
Before the main event started, Dean Malenko joined Schiavone and Tenay at their broadcasting station, ostensibly to scout the match. He was stoic, intense, and a man of few chosen words: he ran down Strong as an undeserving champion, and then he threatened one of the newest wrestlers in the UWF, Danny Hodge.
MID-SOUTH JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHRIS CANDIDO (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. RODERICK STRONG (C):
CHRIS CANDIDO (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. RODERICK STRONG (C):
Like the match before it, this was a mat-based battle, but as twice the speed. It was back and forth, dead-even for the first couple of moments, despite Gilbert’s attempts to intervene. Strong eventually broke through with his superior quickness, attacking Candido’s legs and back with kicks and an unparalleled array of backbreakers. However, the blue-collar Candido would not stay down, and aided by a “Hot Stuff” trip, he took charge, battering Strong like a boxer.
The next several minutes saw Strong continually fight back from underneath, steadily rallying the crowd to his side. Finally, after slipping out of an avalanche power bomb, Strong went back to work on Candido’s back. Suplexes, high knees, and backdrops took their toll, and at the 18-minute mark, the “Messiah of the Backbreaker” submitted Candido with the “Strong Hold” Boston crab.
When Strong had his hand raised, “the Iceman” left the broadcast table and began walking down the ramp towards the ring. But he only made it a few steps before Hodge sprinted through the curtain and blocked him, and the show ended with the two men standing nose-to-nose, as other officials came out to separate them.