Lance Russell and Dave Brown are in the booth and they are broadcasting from the WMC-TV5 studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Footage of Jerry Lawler defeating Razor Ramon for the USWA Unified World title in Memphis is shown. Ramon was initially declared the winner after decking Lawler with Jimmy Harris’ walkie talkie, but the decision was made to restart the match and when Sid distracted Ramon, Lawler schoolboyed his opponent for the victory.
USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Brian Lee and Harris tell Russell that Lawler is a marked man.
Opening Contest: Scott Studd (16-7-2) pins the Yellow Jacket after a missile dropkick at 1:31:
Studd displays good energy, somewhat reminiscent of Rady Savage, by tearing into his opponent and finishing him with a missile dropkick in less than two minutes.
Russell interviews Downtown Bruno and Uptown Karen. Sweet Georgia Brown does not like the interview because it distracts from her television match with Miss Texas, so Bruno changes the booking and puts Karen in her place.
Non-Title Match: Miss Texas (USWA Women’s Champion) (8-3) defeats Uptown Karen (w/Downtown Bruno) (1-2) via disqualification when Bruno interferes at 3:10:
Fans Eighth Amendment rights are violated watching this match. Karen is limited in the ring, her offense consisting of chokes and weak blows. That is a problem when she dominates the match. Texas hits an elbow drop off the second rope to end a comeback and Bruno charges in and hits her in the back of the head with a shoe to cause the disqualification. Rating: DUD
After the match, Bruno puts the boots to Texas and Sweet Georgia Brown makes the save, turning her babyface.
USWA Unified World Championship Match: Jerry Lawler (Champion w/Seth) (8-3) beats Brian Lee (USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion w/Jimmy Harris) (6-2-1) via disqualification when Jimmy Harris interferes at 4:31:
Seth is a special needs kid who is wearing a cowboy hat. From a distance at first it almost seems like a mini-Jim Ross is managing Lawler. On the Memphis broadcast the previous week, Lee chased Seth around the building, which was crucial in building to a Lawler-Sid tag match against Lee and Razor Ramon at the Coliseum. It takes three minutes for Lee to work in some sustained offense after a lot of stalling. Lawler comes back with some fists and hits a fist drop off the second rope, causing Harris to interfere. This match never got going. It also marks Lee’s fourth straight loss. Rating: DUD
In a funny moment, the ENTIRE heel roster comes out and beats on Lawler until Sid Vicious makes the save.
Brown interviews Brian Christopher, who lists his championship pedigree. He hypes a round robin tournament that will determine the top contender to the USWA Southern Heavyweight title, as well as a tag team battle royal that is taking place for the USWA Tag Team Championship. Bill Dundee, Christopher’s partner for an upcoming match against WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Yokozuna, comes out and Christopher has to give him a pep talk to participate in the battle royal. USWA Tag Team Champions PG-13 interrupt and Christopher runs down their physiques. This angers Dundee because his son, J.C. Ice, is part of the team.
Doug Gilbert & Gorgeous George III defeat Bill Dundee & Brian Christopher via disqualification at 4:05:
When Gilbert and George pound on Dundee, Christopher yells for his partner to make a comeback, not tolerating poor performance. There is not much drama before Christopher gets the hot tag and then a crazy, screwy finish follows as the referee is bumped; Christopher and Dundee take turns covering George, who Christopher leveled with a superkick; and J.C. Ice runs in to count the fall but that is not considered official; and then the referee disqualifies Dundee and Christopher because Ice ran and took his job. Rating: ½*
Russell interviews the Gambler and Brickhouse Brown. Brown is not happy over losing the USWA tag team titles. The Gambler says that the former tag team champions strategy in the battle royal will be to hang back.
Non-Title Match: PG-13 (USWA Tag Team Champions) (17-9-1) defeat the Gambler & Brickhouse Brown (2-3) via disqualification when Doug Gilbert interferes at 3:37:
As the match unfolds, Gilbert comes out to rip PG-13 on commentary. A run of the mill tag match sees J.C. Ice placed in peril and he is almost pinned after Brown uses a good swinging neckbreaker and fist drop. After the hot tag, Gilbert runs in for the show’s third disqualification finish. Rating: *¾
After the bell, Bill Dundee clears the ring with a broom and Brian Christopher comes in late and acts like he did all of the work in a funny bit. Tempers flare between the two.
The Last Word: The promotion has a lot of energy coursing through it right now, but the problem is that there needs to be something different at the top of the card. The USWA needed to change and go with more younger faces, but their inability to stay with the times is one of the reasons that they would go into decline over the next three years. Brian Christopher did some nice promo and angle work on today’s show, but the matches were not good and there were way too many screwy finishes.
Here were the results of the May 8 show at the Memphis Coliseum. According to prowrestlinghistory.com, the show drew 1,500 fans, 500 fewer than the previous week:
-Johnny Rotten (0-0-1) defeated David Haskins (5-0-2)
-Scott Studd (17-7-2) beat Johnny Rotten (1-0-1) via disqualification
-Wolfie D (4-1-1) beat the Gambler (1-0)
-Brickhouse Brown (0-1) beat J.C. Ice (1-0)
-Bill Dundee (12-7) beat Gorgeous George III (8-9-1) in a USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship number one contender semi-final tournament match
-Doug Gilbert (2-2-1) beat Brian Christopher (20-8-2) in a USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship number one contender semi-final tournament match after Downtown Bruno interfered
-Doug Gilbert (3-2-1) defeated Bill Dundee (13-7) via disqualification Dundee was caught using a chain to become the number one contender to the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
-Koko B. Ware & Miss Texas beat Downtown Bruno & Uptown Karen via disqualification
-USWA Tag Team Champions PG-13 (18-9-1) defeated the Gambler & Brickhouse Brown (2-4) in a battle royal rules match
-USWA Tag Team Champions PG-13 (19-9-1) beat Brian Christopher & Bill Dundee (0-1) when Christopher hit Dundee with a chain
-Jerry Lawler & Sid Vicious (2-0) defeated Brian Lee & Ron Harris due to heel miscommunication
Backstage News*: The promotion is planning a big show in Louisville on June 11 to honor the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first professional wrestling show to be held at the Louisville Gardens. Jim Cornette and the Rock N’ Roll Express are expected to appear there. The reason that all the heels attacked Jerry Lawler on USWA Championship Wrestling is that the promotion is about to run an angle where all of the heels are forming an alliance. In talent relations news, Kenny Kendall is done, and the Gambler is being phased out. Also, Erik Watts and Chad Fortune are going to go on the road with the WWF so that is why they have been pulled from Memphis.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer on May 15.
Up Next: USWA Championship Wrestling for May 13!