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UWC TV Taping On-Site Report (8/19/2003)

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Guest TSMAdmin

UWC TV Taping On-Site Report (8/19/2003)

by Jared "JHawk" Hawkins

 

After a week away due to transportation issues, I am back with another look at a live taping for the United Wrestling Council. I need to clarify a few things before we get started.

 

For those of you reading these at www.thesmartmarks.com, I've been calling their next big show on September 6 "Outrageous in the Cages", but due to some problems with finding a cage that's affordable and will stay in one piece, unlike at last year's Outrageous in the Cages event, they have now changed the name of the show to "Off the Hook", as well as changed the Ric Lieb-Time Bomb Fred Potok match into a Lumberjacks with Platters Match. Truth be told, the new stipulation is more interesting since UWC cage matches are like old school WWF cage matches...first one to leave the cage loses. So I'll accept the change readily.

 

Secondly, whenever I attend one of these shows, they will also be viewed via "Your Rolemodel" Ric Lieb's official website, so a special thanks to Ric Lieb for that and a hello to UWC fans who aren't familiar with these recaps. And for those of you new to my columns, check out www.thesmartmarks.com late Thursday for my SmackDown recaps. Cheap plug mode off.

 

And lastly (for now), I received a press release from Main Event Promotions saying that they will begin weekly shows in Massilon, Ohio on September 7 for just three dollars. I'll give full details of those shows next week, as I don't have the release handy. My only question: Are you guys trying to bleed me dry?

 

Onto the taping itself, and for those of you are able to see the show and wish to be surprised, this is your last chance to avoid the spoilers galore that a report like this always brings.

 

We almost don't even get the taping started, as something under the ring broke while they were setting the ring up. Luckily they were able to get it fixed and keep the show on as scheduled, albeit about 20 minutes after the scheduled 8pm start.

 

Dark Match: Mardi Gras vs. "Your Rolemodel" Ric Lieb

 

Mardi Gras has a great gimmick--just like at Mardi Gras, he'll give beads to a female fans who's willing to bear all. Unfortunately, the ownership of the Shamrock Nite Club wouldn't actually allow anybody to show skin, so it's bra only, which not only defeats the purpose, but also prevents the most attractive women from actually being willing to do it. Anyway, Mardi Gras dedicates the segment to his role model, but Lieb is offended that all he could some up with was "some woman from Barberginia," and it's on. It doesn't take long either, as Lieb hits the 4H before locking in the Rolemodel Clutch for a submission at 49 seconds.

 

Dark Match: The Purple Hooter vs. Vinn Wilder (w/Ric Lieb)

 

Hooter is fresh off of a TV win over Ric Lieb. The match is essentially Wilder overpowering Hooter and using Lieb's distractions to his advantage. Hooter manages a brief comeback, but Wilder hits the Black Kryptonite for the 4-count pin at 2:52.

 

Dark Match: ??? vs. ???

 

Sad point of the recap: I spoke to the first guy in this match for about 10 minutes before the show and never thought to actually ask his name. He carries a stuffed rabbit named Backfire that he talks to a la Al Snow's head. Sorry, "overly inflated" rabbit, as it doesn't like being called "stuffed". His opponent is under a mask, and the masked man wins with a spear in 1:23.

 

TV time, and it's the Night of Champions, as all four titles are on the line!

 

For the UWC World Heavyweight Championship: Kato vs. Tack (champion)

 

Now the regulars have begun turning on Tack despite his noticeable improvement in the ring, as not only were there catcalls, but one fan even counted the number of wrestling moves he used. (The final tally: Four, which is three more than the typical WWE main event.) "The Champ" John Potok is on the commentary desk for this one, and he distracts Tack long enough for Kato to gain a near fall, but Tack quickly finishes him off with a version of the Northern Lights bomb at 3:34. Tack and Potok are still set for a TLC Title Match at North High School in Akron, Ohio on September 6.

 

For the UWC Tag Team Championship: Go Go Boy and The Red Spyder vs. The Shadows of Darkness (champions--w/Selena)

 

Darkstar and Unknown will defend the titles against Feature Presentation and the team of Virus and Bret Myers at Off the Hook. This was an extended squash, with Go Go Boy taking a bulk of the punishment before making the hot tag to Spyder, who gets a brief rally before being taken out. Unknown pins Spyder after the champions hit their Three Kick Combo at 5:15, when out through the crowd come Feature Presentation (w/Tim Shady). Mikey Showtime nearly knocks me over as they run into the ring and send the champions out of the ring to a huge pop.

 

Hollywood interviews Ric Lieb about his loss to The Purple Hooter. Lieb makes the announcement that Triple AAA has been forced to retire as a result of a disc in his back, but announces that the newest member of the Four Henchmen will be introduced on September 6. As for the Purple Hooter, he only got the pin after powering up from a drink of his Purple Juice, and as soon as his lawyers can find out what illegal substance is in that drink, they'll have the loss removed from the record books.

 

For the UWC TV Title: Justin Dreams (champion) vs. "High Impact" Bret Myers

 

Justin Dreams once again reads his fan mail before the match, and as usual he gets such good heel heat that he can barely get through the promo. He does not mention whether he was ever able to help poor little Timmy though. At one point the referee looks to the crowd for no discernable reason in order to avoid seeing a low blow (and then when I asked what he was looking at, he just pointed to the crowd. Maybe he saw a hot chick that I didn't or something). The true cluster comes from another Feature Presentation run-in, as they attack both men but focus on Myers. The bell rings at 4:34, but the referee waits until that point to start the count and counts Myers out, so Dreams retains the title. Things seemed a second or two off here anyway, and the bell ringing before the finish didn't help matters any.

 

For the UWC Hardcore Extreme Championship: Wilbur Whitlock vs. Chef Meeker (champion)

 

Meeker is now defending the title in a hardcore battle royal at Off the Hook, and Whitlock is one of the other competitors in that. The match doesn't last long before the mass run-ins start, featuring basically the guys who lost the first couple of TV matches and some big guy I didn't recognize, and soon everybody except Meeker and Whitlock are dumped over the top rope. The Purple Hooter eventually runs out to help finish clearing off the ring, and Hooter and Meeker pose in the ring. No closing bell, call it a no decision in about 3:50. Personally, there's supposed to be a 24/7 rule for the title, and I think Hooter should have picked up the stop sign that Whitlock was using and gotten the pin off of it, but there's a reason I'm not a booker, I guess.

 

Bo Smirnow comes out to remind us to buy tickets for Off the Hook, and what might be the shortest TV taping ever ends right at 9:30.

 

Obviously, this wasn't one of their better shows, as most of the angle development will apparently be in pretaped segments. The wrestling itself was certainly passable, as this was a showcase for the champions to hype up the big show rather than a showcase for superior wrestling matches. Not a big deal though, as these usually come off better on TV than they do live anyway. The plus side was the lack of dead air that we usually sit through during the commercial breaks, as they seemed to just move things right along this week.

 

I'll be back next week, and don't forget to check TSM for my SmackDown recap around 11pm or so Thursday night.

 

In the meantime, e-mail me with your comments, particularly if you attended the taping.

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