Post by fifthhorseman on Aug 23, 2017 20:44:57 GMT -5
UWF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT
EPISODE 31
EPISODE 31
Cold open in the middle of the ring. Kevin Kelly is in the ring with Ricky Steamboat, and still pictures are shown on the video screens of “the Dragon” blasting Jake Roberts and Daniel Bryan with chair shots. The mood in the arena is tense, and perhaps for the first time in Steamboat’s career, the crowd is angry at him. Kelly looked at the wrestler across from him, and asked, simply, “Why?”
The dialogue to follow is a mix of fact and fiction – you can figure it out.
Steamboat: Whenever people talk about the greatest matches they’ve ever seen, they’re talking about me… they’re talking about my work. But for whatever reason, they only seem to remember the match, and not the men in it. Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania III, for example. ‘The greatest Wrestlemania match ever’. Do you remember who won that match, though? I did.
And what about the trilogy against Ric Flair for the NWA World championship? ‘Greatest set of matches ever’. I beat him for the championship that first night, at Chi-Town Rumble. Then I beat him again, two out of three falls, in our second match at the Clash of Champions. He did finally beat me at WrestleWar – once - but who won two of the three matches? Who won the most falls? I did.
I have defeated legends in this sport during my entire career. Yet, for some reason, you people seem to think I’m just the ‘other part’ of the equation. I’ve been overlooked and screwed over my entire career, and I’ve overcome all of it – I’m the best wrestler in the world. You think the Montreal screwjob is a travesty? Go back and see how I 'lost' the Intercontinental championship. Stolen from me, plain and simple.
So now you’re all probably convinced, he’s right, we’re wrong… but why did he attack his friends last week? Well, here’s another history lesson, but we’re only going to go back a few weeks. In my UWF debut, I wrestled Barry Windham for the Western States Heritage title, and he blindsided me by altering the time limit on me. A real crooked move… but did the UWF Championship Committee step in and fix it? Of course not.
After that, my next match was against Manny Fernandez, and as soon as I beat him, my celebration was interrupted by Daniel Bryan. Sound familiar? A Ricky Steamboat victory that no one remembers? And how do I get rewarded? Why, in their infinite wisdom, they book me against Bryan at the Crockett Cup… in a dark match! You put the greatest wrestler, making his UWF pay-per-view debut… in a curtain-jerking, no-one-watching, dark match.
But Daniel Bryan is my friend, right? So, he decides on his own that we’ll go after the Authority’s Trios titles, and he recruits Jake “the Snake” Roberts. The same Jake Roberts who DDTed me on a concrete floor. And I’m supposed to trust him? Supposed to believe that these two men have my back? And when did I ever say that I wanted a Trios title shot?
Kevin Kelly, I’m done. Done with the disrespect, and the fickle whims and selective memories of this crowd. I’m on my own, and Bill Watts, I hope you’re listening. Show me some respect, and I’ll show you the next UWF World Heavyweight champion.
Steamboat left to a cascade of boos, and then…
_ _
Mauro Ranallo: We are live and outdoors from the Phoenix Rising Complex in Tempe, Arizona – and THIS is UWF Friday Night’s Main Event! Those were some eye-opening revelations from Ricky Steamboat, and we are going to get right back to the ring for action! This is the first of two UWF title defenses tonight… take it away, Christy Hemme!
UWF WESTERN STATES HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DREW GALLOWAY vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
DREW GALLOWAY vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c):
vs.
Big match intros to begin, and the two shook hands in the middle of the ring. They were, physically, very equal - about the same height, about the same weight. Windham took command early with armdrags and hip-tosses, frustrating the Scot with his offense as much as he did with his ever-present smirk. Nor was the lanky Texan opposed to sneaking in an “accidental” thumb to the eye, or a punch after a corner break.
However, Galloway would only put up with that for so long, and he turned the tables on Windham. The wrestling match turned into a fight, and the next several minutes were hard-fought. But the champion was as tough as he was talented, and it went back and forth as the clock ticked on. 18 minutes elapsed, and the second-generation star locked an iron claw on the “Chosen One’s” skull, seemingly sapping the life from him. Yet he withstood the pain for over a minute, and punched his way free. With a last burst of adrenaline, Galloway bounced off the ropes and hit Windham with his Claymore kick, and he fell on top of the champion. The referee made the three-count… just before the 20-minute time limit expired.
And just like that, the UWF had a new Western States Heritage champion.
Ranallo: What a great match! And fans, that’s just the start of it! I’m alongside the North American Heavyweight champion, Nick Bockwinkel, and in our main event tonight, we’ll call the action when Randy Orton of the Authority challenges the UWF World champion, Bret Hart, for the gold! But that’s not all – Bully Ray Dudley battles Terry Gordy, and in six-man action, Kenny Omega, Roderick Strong, and CM Punk go up against the Dynamite Kid, Daniel Bryan, and the UWF World LightHeavyweight champion, Danny Hodge! We’ll be right back!
COMMERCIAL
BULLY RAY DUDLEY (w/D-Von Dudley) vs. TERRY GORDY:
vs.
The two big bulls wrestled at a faster pace than one might expect from a pair of near-300-pounders. “Bamm Bamm” eventually took charge, but a trip by D-Von gave his “brother” the edge. However, the referee saw it, and forced Dudley to leave. As D-Von stormed off, Bully Ray hammered on his foe with big forearms and elbows, and then went to a different gear, hoping to wear Gordy right out. But the longtime Freebird was just as well-conditioned as his opponent, and fired back with clotheslines, punches, and even dropkicks. A crunching high-crossbody from the top rope came next, and Gordy pinned Dudley after a grueling 12 minutes.
However, it came at a cost, as the other member of the hated trio, David Schultz, charged down the ramp and attacked Gordy. It quickly turned into a two-on-one, and they punished “Bamm Bamm” until another behemoth ran down to even the sides – Steve Williams! He cleared the ring with Gordy, and the Dudley faction vowed vengeance.
As the two friends left the ring, another highlight package for the soon-to-be-debuting Nigel McGuinness played.
COMMERCIAL
Ranallo: Fans, during the break, I was handed a match announcement for next week – and this concerns you, Nick. The UWF championship committee is giving Rusev another rematch for the North American title, due to the inconclusive finish last week… and this time, it’s a no-disqualification match!
Bockwinkel: Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. He didn’t beat me, he can’t beat me, and quite frankly, I have other, better contenders to concern myself with.
Another video package was shown, showing why and how the five challengers for the UWF World LightHeavyweight strap were chosen.
DANIEL BRYAN, the DYNAMITE KID, AND DANNY HODGE vs. KENNY OMEGA, CM PUNK, and RODERICK STRONG:
vs.
As the match began, Ranallo told the audience that prior to the telecast, UWF Commissioner Bill Watts warned Bryan that if he tried anything during the Steamboat interview segment beforehand, he’d be taken out of the Chamber match next week.
Punk and Hodge started the match, and already, the “Second City Savior” was arguing with his teammates, as he considered himself to be more of a sportsman than Omega and Strong. The two men put on a mini-clinic for the first couple of minutes, and then the tags – and the action –were fast and furious. The stylistic diversity, the myriad weapons in each man’s wrestling arsenals were on full display, and every man looked like a world-beater throughout. Unfortunately, the referee could only control the action for about ten minutes, before it all went to hell. All six men started brawling inside and outside the ring, and the official had no choice but to call it a no-contest.
COMMERCIAL
Ranallo and Bockwinkel - himself a second-generation wrestler – set up the next video package, which highlighted the title wins of the men participating in the main event. Needless to say, there were a lot of shots of championship gold being held high in the air for both wrestlers.
UWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BRET HART (c) vs. RANDY ORTON:
BRET HART (c) vs. RANDY ORTON:
vs.
The two men eyed each other warily as Christy Hemme made the big-match introductions. This was a proverbial dream match between two multi-time World champions that had never faced each other in singles competition. Both announcers expected a lengthy, methodical contest… and – spoiler alert – they were right.
Hart and Orton were machines. The first several minutes were a feeling-out process, but an intense one. The corner breaks were rough, and the tie-ups were violent, and they ground each other to the mat at every opportunity. Eventually, “the Hitman” took charge, and he immediately targeted his foe’s back with knee- and elbowdrops, backbreakers, and various vices. He went for pins when the opportunity was there, but he was content to punish Orton, all to set up the Sharpshooter.
But “the Viper” was tougher than that. A missed corner-charge gave Orton a slight window in which to catch his breath, and he used it to pick up Hart and whip him across the ring chest-first into the opposite turnbuckle. The third-generation star stalked his opponent now, and focused his attack on Hart’s shoulders and neck. They were 15 minutes in, and now it was the “Apex Predator’s” turn. He smashed him with elbows, and alternated with headlocks, neckbreakers, and even a tough head-scissors.
And then, Triple H came out to watch.
Head official Tommy Young warned “the Game” that if he saw anything he didn’t like, he’d disqualify Orton in a heartbeat… and even Orton quickly conferred with his Authority stablemate to insure that he would not get involved. Resuming his attack, “the Viper” dropped several knees on Hart’s upper back, and posed to the crowd. Slowly bouncing off the ropes, Orton leaped high for another kneedrop, but Hart rolled out of the way, and with a surge of adrenaline, locked in a figure-four leglock in the center of the ring.
It was an equalizer. The champion cinched in tight, regaining his senses while Orton bellowed in pain. Eventually the hold was broken, and both men went to a higher gear. The two traded punches, but the “Excellence of Execution” nailed Orton with a basement dropkick, and then went immediately for the Sharpshooter. He wanted to end it quickly now, knowing that Triple H was just a few feet from him. Again, Orton screamed in agony, but he fought his way out of it, but not after a lot of damage was done. He found the ropes, and Young broke the hold. The UWF flagbearer let his foe get to his feet, and went in for the kill.
RKO!
Hart was down, but in hitting the lethal maneuver, Orton was a few feet away and still clenching his back. He slowly crawled over to the champion, and draped an arm over him. One, two – kick out. 25 minutes in, and both men had successfully – at least, for now – escaped each other’s finishers. They both lay dazed, and Young started a ten-count. The warriors slowly got up, and started punching each other again. Orton went for a second RKO, but Hart countered into a sleeper. Then Orton reversed it, and “the Hitman” had wobbly legs. But he fought long enough to walk towards a corner, climb the ropes – while still in the sleeper – and somersault/roll over Orton’s shoulders, a la Hart/Piper at Wrestlemania VIII.
And it worked. He held Orton down just long enough to get the pin – but in his awkward position, he never had a chance to defend himself against the “Cerebral Assassin”, who hit the ring a millisecond after Young’s hand hit the canvas three times. Triple H kicked Hart several times, picked him up, and set him for the Pedigree… but in a show of supreme arrogance, he simply let his rival fall back to the mat. The message was sent, and he verbalized it several times: “I can finish you off anytime I want to.”
As Hart’s UWF World championship was set in the ring for Young to hold, Triple H grabbed it from him, and he and Orton held opposite straps as they lifted it overhead, standing on either side of the battered champion. Show over.