BASH
PENSACOLA BAY CENTER
MAY 26, 1986
Welcome everyone to the Memorial Day Bash in Pensacola, Florida. I am Jim Ross along with my partner Cowboy Bill Watts and we are coming to you from the Pensacola Bay Center. The UWF has really gone all out to honor the military this weekend and it all began last night at Admiral Mason Field at the United States Naval Base right here in Pensacola where the UWF gave a free wrestling show for all military personal and their families and tonight it is the huge event we have all been waiting for.
Bill Watts: That’s right Jim. This wrestling spectacular has it all. Title matches, grudge matches, a Loser Leave Town Match and the big one, the finals of the UWF tournament to crown a new champion and Nikita Koloff vs Rick Martel for the NWA World Title!
Jim Ross: We have such a busy night with 11 huge matches so let’s get to the ring.
Brad Armstrong & Jeff Jarret vs The Hollywood Blondes (Rip Rogers & Buddy Landell)
A nice show case here where all 4 have some technical skill and the heels are great at bringing some heat on themselves. In the end, we see Jeff Jarrett save Brad from the Figure 4 of Buddy Landell and then when the action goes a little bonzo gonza, Double J hit the inverted Russian Legsweep for the victory! If Jeff Jarrett every makes it in this sport, he is going to owe so much to Brad Armstrong who is really showing him the ropes.
Exotic Adrian Street with Miss Linda vs Cowboy Ron Bass
With Ron Wright already in the ring, the crowd is full of smiles as Street and Miss. Linda head to the ring. Some truly enjoy the antics of this duo while many of these big military dudes in the audience are just seeming to have a big chuckle. Once the match gets under way, Street seems to be one step ahead of Ron Bass and is able to control the opening minutes. He even backed Bass all the way into the corner and when the ref called for the break, Street planted a big kiss on the cheek of Bass. As Bass flailed around in disgust, he “accidently” knocked the ref down. This allowed Black Bart to rush the ring and hit Street, who was in the middle of getting a freshening perfume spray from Linda, with the branding iron. This made it easy for Bass to cover Street for the 3 count just as the ref was getting up. Bass and Bart berated the crowd as the celebrated their victory on the way back to the locker room as Miss. Linda was in the ring taking care of Exotic Adrian’s aching head.
Ultimate Warrior VS Ron Wright’s Special Enforcer
When Killer Khan walks out with Ron Wright, everyone in the Bay Center is stunned except for the Ultimate Warrior who doesn’t seem the least bit concerned. Neither of these wild men waited for the bell. This had nothing to do with wrestling as both men knew they were in an all-out fight. From the chops and kicks of Khan to the forearm smashes and Big Boots of the Warrior, both men were busted open within the first 5 minutes. Then the most amazing thing of the night happened… Ultimate Warrior gorilla press-slammed Khan over the top rope all the way to the floor. Warrior didn’t wait for the ref to make the 10 count, instead he went out after Khan and the war continued out on the floor resulting in a double count-out. In order to regain some order, the officials had to empty from the back and get these two monsters separated.
Ron Wright’s Army (Grizzly Boone & Big Bubba Ottman) vs Bob Armstrong, Ron Fuller
As he leads Boone and Ottman to the ring, Ron Wright is heard over and over again that this is the end of the Unchristian Alliance of Armstrong and Fuller. There is one thing that is obvious; Ron Wright is one of those people who just gets your blood boiling and the crowd is all over him. They explode as Fuller and Armstrong had to the ring as this one is really good vs evil. The match has some nice back and forth and what makes it really fun is that neither team has any interest in rules. Wright has tried his best here to interfere in the match but the most he has been able to accomplish so far is that he jumped up on the apron and was clocked by the Bullet. Boone and the Bullet are battling it out in the center of the ring and Boone is just too powerful and he comes out on top of this exchange. Boone goes for the Splash but somehow Armstrong rolls away and even though he is up there in years, he makes a quick move for the Georgia Jawbreaker
Wham! Armstrong connects with his finisher!
1…
2…
Wham…
Jim Ross: Good Gawd Almighty! Ron Wright has just tossed his pair of knuckbusters to Ron Fuller and he has clocked his own partner. Bob Armstrong is busted wide open. Boone and Fuller embrace as Fuller holds Armstrong down for a Double Giant Splash by Ottman and Boone.
Jim Ross: As Gawd is my witness, Bob Armstrong might just be broken in half. Finally, Wright’s Army covers Armstrong to put an end to this diabolical attack.
Ron Wright, Grizzly Boon and Bubba Ottman hoist Fuller up on their shoulders and walk back to the locker room. The crowd is so mad, they are hitting Wright’s men with anything they can find as a medical crew rushes out with a stretcher for Bullet Bob.
UWF Southern Title Match
Lex Luger vs Dr. D David Schultz
Two more big horses going at it here as Jim Ross reminds us that Baby Doll is nowhere to be found. Back and forth we go as both men are just too big and strong to be kept down for ever. It looked like it was over after Dr. D hit a piledriver but Luger kicked out at the count of 2. We have all seen an angry Dr. D but this time it was like he was going to explode. He grabs Luger by the head and yanks him up as he is going for another piledriver.
Blocked by Luger.
Schultz goes for it again.
Back Body Drop by Luger who is now shaking as the adrenaline begins to pump through his body. The two exchange big right hands and the last one sent Schultz to the mat. As Schultz staggers to his feet, Luger comes off the ropes for a monster lariat. Luger then signals to the crowd that it is time for the Backbreaker Rack and they explode! Luger hoists Dr. D up across his shoulders and bends him in half! Shultz tries to wiggle free but Luger will have none of that! Shultz is forced to surrender and Luger retains his title.
As the match comes to a close, the crowd stirs as Baby Doll heads to the ring. She comes through the middle ropes and walks right over to Lex. She grabs his arm and raises it in victory and the two walk out together as Dr. D just watches both his chance at a championship and a women walk up the aisle.
UWF Continental Title Match
“Dirty” Dick Slater with Jim Cornette vs Kendell Windham
Another wild brawl where each man gets their turn to shine. Slater is as Dirty as always here but even his tapped fists and Figure 4 while holding the ropes for leverage can’t gain him the victory. After an eye rake on Windham, the ref admonishes Slater but this is when Cornette sees his chance and rushes into the ring and clobbers Windham with the tennis racket and Slater quickly comes over and gains the pinfall.
Hacksaw Butch Reed & Ron Simmons vs the Nation of Domination (Tony Atlas & Bad Bad LeRoy Brown) with Ernie Ladd
There is some real bad blood between these teams and at the center of the conflict is Ernie Ladd. Jim Ross reminds us that on the line in this match is Ernie Ladd’s Managerial License. As the action gets under way, we see these 4 big men are going for broke with power move after power. We see Atlas strap in the Bearhug on Simmons, Reed hits the Gorilla Press Slam on Brown, Brown hits Reed with the Ghetto Blaster and Simmons powerslam Atlas but each time someone hit a big move a save was made.
Things seemed to take a turn for the worse when Ladd hit a Big Boot on Reed but the crowd exploded as Ray Candy heads towards the ring to balance the sides out. As soon as Reed and Atlas get back in the ring after their little excursion to the floor, Reed tags in Simmons. Ron ducks a big clothesline attempt from Atlas and catches him with a huge powerslam. Reed rushes over and knocks Brown off the apron so he can’t make the save!
1…2…3.
Simmons gets the 3 count and as Jim Ross hypes up the fact the Ernie Ladd has lost his managerial license, Ray Candy hits the ring and wallops an unsuspecting Butch Reed. We now see Ray Candy, LeRoy Brown and Ernie Ladd all over Simmons and Reed. After the damage is done, they head over and begin a 3-1 crushing of Tony Atlas! When the beating ends, Ray Candy and LeRoy Brown embrace and then turn to Ernie Ladd and the two salute him like his is some king of General.
The Midnight Express with Jim Cornette vs The Rock n Roll Express
NWA NATIONAL TAG TEAM TITLE
SCAFFOLD MATCH
The champs come out first and they seem a little hesitant to climb the 25 foot scaffold to the top. Jim Cornette looks up and is upset and threatens to walk away but the ref reminds him that in tonight’s match, a countout will result in a title change. Reluctantly, Eaton and Condrey begin the ascent. The speakers begin to blast, “Rock n Roll All Night” and the crowd goes wild. Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton also seem a bit nervous but quickly take their place atop the scaffold. The rules are simple, when both members of one team reach the floor, the other team wins.
As the match starts, Gibson and Eaton carefully make their way to the center of the ladders that join the two sides of the scaffold. They lock up collar and elbow. As they do this, Morton quickly crawls between both of their legs and is on Condrey in a second. The teams continue to battle for a number of minutes but most of this is from a sitting position so they have a wide base for balance. Morton was able to catch Condrey with an enzuguri kick which knocked him off balance. Lover Boy Dennis ends up dangling from the side of one of the ladders and Ricky simple stomps on his hands until he lets go. Condrey falls the 25 feet to the ring and appears to have hurt his ankle. Cornette is irate and begins to kick and scream about how this type of match is barbaric. Eaton begins to descend down the scaffold and it is hard to tell if he is quitting or hiding. Robert Gibson is in hot pursuit of him. Ricky Morton begins to come across the ladders like he is on the monkey bars when he was a kid. Eaton sees this as a chance to at least take out one member of the Rock n Roll Express and starts to monkey bar at Ricky. They meet in the middle and begin to make giant swings at each other. Both were landing some heavy kicks to the chest of their opponent. Gibson is still in hot pursuit of Eaton and is monkey barring behind him. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson are now alternating kicks on Beautiful Bobby. Ricky is hitting him in the chest and when he sways the other way, Robert is kicking him in the back. After about 3 rounds of this, Eaton crashes to the ring. The Rock n Roll Express are the winners ane new NWA National Champions! Ricky and Robert careful monkey bar back across and descend to the ring as the crowd gives them a huge ovation.
Loser Leave Town Match
NO DQ
Eddie Gilbert vs Tommy Rich with Missy Hyatt
Cowboy Bill Watts and the UWF Board of Directors has decided this feud has gone far enough and that this is the last stand as the loser must leave the UWF! Eddie Gilbert is in the ring first and he seems poised to go. Missy Hyatt, in a very revealing outfit, leads Wildfire to the ring and she walks right up to Gilbert and smacks him across the face. As Hyatt prances away, the ref calls for the bell and the war is on. This has little to do with wrestling and looks more like a backyard brawl. The action often spills outside the ring and both men use anything they can find. Even though both men are a bloodied mess, Wildfire seems to be in control. He hits 3 consecutive body slams on the concrete floor and then rolls Gilbert into the ring! On his way into the ring, Tommy Rich grabs a steel chair and he is bringing into the ring with him. Gilbert seems to be really struggling and it is like a light bulb goes off in Rich’s head. He calls Missy Hyatt into the ring and hands her the chair. Wildfire grabs Gilbert as the crowd implores Missy to clock Gilbert!
WHAM!
Jim Ross: Oh my… that little jeezabel… Missy Hyatt has just clocked Tommy Rich and he is out. She is jumping around as giddy as 5 year old on Christmas morning. Eddie Gilbert looks at her with a big smirk across his face and it dawns on everyone that this was all a set up. Gilbert covers Rich and gets the victory. The crowd is stunned as Wildfire is out of the UWF!
NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
The Road Warriors with Paul Ellering vs Devastation Inc. (Steve “Dr. Death” Williams & the Barbarian) with Skandar Akbar
Jim Ross: No doubt about it… this one is going to be a slobberknocker!
And that was the understatement of the year. Dr. Death and the Barbarian and two men who won’t back down from the Road Warriors and this match always seemed to be one big move away from being over. In fact, it was many huge moves away as both teams hit each other with everything but the kitchen sink. Dr. Death hit Animal with the Spear. Hawk caught Barbarian with the Doomsday Device. The Barbarian hit his diving headbut on Hawk and Animal nearly decapitated Dr. Death with a huge clothesline. Each team it looked to be over, the partner made the save and we went bonza gonza for a while with all four men in the ring.
All of a sudden another man in Arabian attire heads to the ring and Skandar Akbar is ecstatic. The two embrace and we hear the murmur in the crowd. Jim Ross has no idea who it is but we find out that he is quickly going to get involved. As Dr. Death goes to whip Hawk into the ropes, Hawk reverses it. The mystery man doesn’t see the reversal and pulls the middle rope down causing Dr. Death to crash to the floor. Hawk quickly climbs the rope and crashes all the way to the floor for a flying clothesline. The ref is about to make the 10 count on Williams and Akbar tells his friend to roll Dr. Death into the ring so there is not a countout. This just leads to a Doomsday Device and the win by the Road Warriors.
As Dr. Death staggers to his feet, he seems confused and what has just happened while Akbar seems frustrated that Devastation Inc. did not win the titles.
UWF TITLE MATCH
Magnum. T.A. vs Dick Murdoch with Ron Wright
The crowd is on pins and needles for this one as T.A. is the most popular wrestler in the UWF right now and anyone seen with Ron Wright is automatically enemy #1. Murdoch loves the heat he is getting from the crowd and jumps T.A. before the bell rings. With this Pearl Harbor attack, Murdoch controls the opening minutes but can’t gain the victory. Eventually T.A. gets his time in the sun and it looks like he is trying to set Murdoch up for the Belly to Belly as he whips Captain Redneck into the ropes.
Ron Wright sees this also and actually pulls down the middle rope causing his man to tumble to floor. Murdoch is a little worse for wear but Wright actually saved his man from a loss with that quick thinking. The camera catches Ron Wright giving Murdoch his “chisel” (Brass Knuckles) as he heads to the ring. Ole Anderson, watching from the back also say this and rushed to the ring. He went right into the ring and alerted the ref. The ref checks Murdoch as finds the weapon and rips them off of the hand of Purdoch. Since the brass knuckles where never used, there is not DQ and the match continues. The ref simple tosses the chisel out of play but Ole sees this and grabs the brass knuckles and puts them on his own hand.
Wham…
Ole Anderson has clocked Ron Wright and the crowd goes wild. Murdoch sees this and is momentarily distracted. This is all T.A. needs to hit the Belly to Belly Suplex and the match is over.
Jim Ross: And the new UWF Champion is Magnum T.A.!
NWA WORLD TITLE MATCH
Rick Martel vs Nikita Koloff
This one has the large military contingent in the audience on edge and Nikita and Uncle Ivan do a great job of bringing the heat down upon themselves as the head to the ring waving the Russia flag. The crowd completely changes as the cheer the appearance of the champion. As Martel makes his way to the ring, Jim Ross expresses concern about his health and energy level as he reminds us of the heinous attack by Koloff on Martel and the Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup and the fact that he just wrestled a huge match in Japan just two days ago against Jumbo Tsuruta.
When we finally do get under way, it appears that Jim Ross might be correct. Martel does not seem to be quite at his peak and Koloff controls the first few minutes. That all changed when Koloff thought he had Martel down and out and went for the Russian Sickle and Martel ducked under and hit the ropes and came off with a flying cross body block. Martel now gets his time to shine and he connects with some big moves including the gutwrench suplex, the airplane spin and the Slingshot Splash but each time he thought he had Nikita pinned, the Russian Nightmare kicked out at the count of 1. Martel changes his plan and goes for the submission victory as he locks in the Boston Crab! Nikita simply does a pushup and drags the champ to the ropes forcing the break.
A big exchange in the middle of the ring and Koloff, the monster heel, once again takes charge.
Russian Sickle #1… No pin attempt. Koloff simple pulls the champ up by the head.
Russian Sickle #2… No pin attempt. Russian Sickle #3. Russian Sickle #4.
Jim Ross: Nikita Koloff is not just out to hurt Rick Martel, he is trying to end his career. Something must be done before this monster does some permanent damage.
The camera focuses on the ramp to the ring and Ole Anderson and Magnum T.A. are rushing down the aisle. Ole Anderson has a white towel in his hand and he never hesitates to throw it into the ring. Magnum gets between Martel and the Nightmare while Ole goes to help Martel. Ole is frantically calling for the doctor as Nikita doesn’t even seem to celebrate. Ivan has the belt and Nikita is just giving huge flex after huge flex!
Jim Ross: Bah Gawd… the new NWA Champion is the devil himself, Nikita Koloff. What could possible be next?
As Nikita and Uncle Ivan begin to had to the locker room, a nearly 7’0 Japanese man comes walking down the aisle. It is obvious that Ivan Koloff knows who he is and sees his appearance as a threat as he steps towards him.
Jim Ross: Bawh Gawd fans, its former NWA Champion, Giant Baba
WHAM! Big Boot to Ivan’s face and down he goes.
Baba and Nikita are now throwing haymakers at each other and as the screen fades to black, Jim Ross ends the show by saying he doesn’t know what happened in Japan but it is obvious they believe they still have some claim to the NWA World Title. We will have to keep our eyes on this situation very closely. What would be the lesser of two evils… the NWA title in Japan or the NWA title around the waist of the Russian Nightmare. Fans… these are some dark days.