Post by fifthhorseman on Jun 6, 2017 1:26:06 GMT -5
UWF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
EPISODE 27
EPISODE 27
Mauro Ranallo: Good evening, wrestling fans – we are live from the CenturyLink Center in Shreveport, Louisiana! I’m joined tonight by Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and we have four great matches in store for you tonight… in fact, the last four UWF matches scheduled before the Crockett Cup! In tonight’s main event, the UWF World Trios champions, the Fabulous Freebirds, defend their titles against the Authority! In other tag-team action, their stablemates, Triple H and Kenny Omega, battle the Mid-South Junior Heavyweight champion Danny Hodge and Dusty Rhodes! Speaking of the junior heavyweight division, Tajiri goes one-on-one with Tyson Kidd! But leading things off, the UWF debut of the “American Dragon”, Daniel Bryan!
D’LO BROWN vs. DANIEL BRYAN:
vs.
Bryan received a hero’s welcome as he came down the ramp; video of his unofficial debut the week before, rescuing Ricky Steamboat from a post-match beatdown was shown. D’Lo, however, was far from impressed. The match itself was, for lack of a better term, a spotlight for Bryan. He was superior in both the striking and the chain wrestling facets of the bout, but Brown did get some licks in. Not enough, though, and Bryan finished him off with the “Yes Lock” in about six minutes.
After the match, Kevin Kelly caught up with Bryan in the ring. Predictably, he hyped the intense competition that he would find in the UWF, and he was willing to take any man on, in any division, until he was wearing the UWF World Heavyweight championship. The crowd practically salivated thinking about the various matchups that that might create, and he left to a chorus of “YES!” chants.
A “Later tonight” graphic ended the first segment, with a split-screen shot of MUW World champion Brock Lesnar, and UWF champion Bret Hart.
COMMERCIAL
TYSON KIDD vs. YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI (w/Gary Hart):
vs.
Two of the premiere athletes in their weight class – or for that matter, any weight class – locked up, eager to make an impression on the UWF championship committee. Tajiri took control early with lightning-quick strikes and kicks, but “the Workhorse” was Dungeon–trained and able to withstand the initial onslaught. Kidd returned fire with several dropkicks before focusing his offense on “the Buzzsaw’s” back. So it went for several minutes before the closing sequence; Tajiri flung Kidd towards the ropes, where Gary Hart stood, slyly waiting to trip his client’s foe – but Kidd reversed it, and the manager reached out and caused Tajiri to stumble instead. The Calgarian swooped in with a swinging fisherman’s suplex and pinned his opponent, while Hart fumed outside.
Ranallo: Earlier this week, the UWF conducted an exclusive interview with Brock Lesnar and Bret Hart, who head into the Crockett Cup in a champion versus champion megafight. Let’s roll that footage.
Each competitor was in their home, Paul Heyman, as usual, at Lesnar’s side. Split-screen style, and with Heyman doing most of the talking, they actually showed each other a small measure of respect. But as the dialogue continued, the debate got tenser, and each wrestler vowed that by the end of the Crockett Cup, they would be wearing two championships. After Hart promised to show why he was the excellence of execution, Heyman countered that he’d be “meeting the ultimate executioner… Brrrrooooockkkkk…. Lessssssnarrrrrr!”
COMMERCIAL
Before the next match began, UWF North American Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel made his way to the broadcasting booth. As Jake Roberts eyed him with the title on his mind, the “Smartest Man in Wrestling” declared that although Dusty Rhodes had the courage and the skills worthy of being a top contender to his championship, “it doesn’t mean that he had the courage, the skills, the intelligence, and the will to win that I do. Thus, he isn’t man enough to capture this title from me. At the Crockett Cup, I’m going to show the world what a real champion looks like, and how a real champion performs under fire.” With a dismissive final look at Roberts, he walked away, as arrogant as ever.
DANNY HODGE/DUSTY RHODES vs. TRIPLE H/KENNY OMEGA:
vs.
A quick video package aired, promoting the Hodge/Omega match at the Crockett Cup. The Authority’s “captains” entered the ring first. Before the other team arrived, cameras picked up an unlikely audience for this match – BCCW’s New Day – sitting at ringside. Ranallo and Roberts wondered if that was a psychological ploy in advance of the Crockett Cup.
Two of the greatest minds in the business started it off, with Rhodes and Triple H cautiously trading holds for the first couple of minutes. This was a slow, methodical pace, but “the Game” eventually overpowered Rhodes and pulled him into his corner. Omega tagged in and put the boots to the big Texan, and very quickly the two villains took charge, rapidly tagging in and out.
Despite the odds, the “American Dream” finally made the hot tag to Hodge after several long minutes. The Junior Heavyweight champion was the proverbial house on fire, and he took on both members of the Authority with abandon. After a series of punches and throws, he launched HHH outside, and went on work on Omega. A pair of German suplexes later, he set up “the Cleaner” for his finisher, the straightjacket suplex… but he was clocked from behind by a sledgehammer-wielding Triple H. The referee immediately called for the disqualification, and as Triple H cornered Rhodes, Omega rolled outside and looked under the ring for another hammer. But he was blocked by a rail-jumping Kofi Kingston, and his partners, Big E Langston and Xavier Woods, ran in to protect Rhodes! The crowd went crazy as a swarm of officials raced down to disarm the Authority and eject the New Day.
COMMERCIAL
Live footage from outside the arena was shown on the arena's big screens, as the New Day left in their rental car under the stern watch of UWF Commissioner Bill Watts. After that, Ranallo set up a video package that served as a highlight reel for all 24 trios entered in the Crockett Cup… which segued to one more package that focused specifically on tonight’s main event.
UWF WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
THE AUTHORITY vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (c):
THE AUTHORITY vs. the FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (c):
vs.
Christy Hemme with the big-fight intros; Ranallo briefly cut in afterwards to note that the other members of the Authority were barred from ringside due to their actions in the previous match. Though the Freebirds were wildly applauded – smack in the middle of UWF territory – the heels also received an audible, but faint, ovation.
Orton and Gordy started out for their respective trios, and fought to a relative standstill… until “Bamm Bamm” used his superior strength to fire “the Viper” back into his corner. A tag brought O’Haire, who was one of the few men in the Trios ranks who could match Gordy’s power. As the match progressed, it became a very even battle, to determine who would be able to exploit a match up best. All six men had their own particular strengths and weaknesses, and despite the rulebreaking by the Authority, it was hard-fought war for close to 20 minutes.
A weakened Michael Hayes, trapped in the ring for too long, finally tagged in his partner Roberts, and soon thereafter all hell broke loose! It was a pier-sixer that drifted in and out of the ring, and lead official Tommy Young didn’t want to call anything too soon. Gordy hit a massive powerslam on Saturn, but “Buddy Jack” failed to keep his foe’s shoulders down for the three-count. The brawl continued, and after Roberts avoided an O’Haire spear – that took both the Authority’s muscle and Gordy outside the ring – he could not dodge a springboard RKO that figuratively came from out of nowhere. For his trouble, Orton was DDTed by Hayes, but neither was the legal man… that particular duo was Roberts and Saturn, and “the Enforcer” staggered over and fell on top of his opponent.
Three seconds later, the bell rang, signifying that the UWF World Trios championship was changing hands, just days before the Crockett Cup. As the Freebirds commiserated over the shady loss, Orton, O’Haire, and Saturn stood in three of the four corners, holding their gold high overhead. Momentum was on the side of the Authority, and the show faded to black with the Crockett Cup trophy placed in the center of the entrance stage.