Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the UWF run by Bill Watts. For the UWF founded by Herb Abrams, see Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams).

Universal Wrestling Federation
ParentJim Crockett Promotions (1987)
SisterHouston Wrestling
FormerlyNWA Tri-State (1950s–1979)
Mid-South Wrestling (1979–1986)
Websitehttp://www.universalwrestling.com

The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner

NWA territory, NWA Tri-State, founded by Leroy McGuirk in the 1950s. Tri-State/Mid-South/UWF promoted in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi
until 1987.

Because Watts did not register the "Universal Wrestling Federation" name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, businessman Herb Abrams was able to use it to launch an unrelated wrestling promotion of the same name in 1990.

History

NWA Tri-State (1950s–1979)

A former territory[1] wrestler who was blinded in a 1950 auto accident, Leroy McGuirk eventually took over promoting a wrestling circuit covering Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi. Until 1973, "Cowboy" Bill Watts had been one of Tri-State's most popular wrestlers. After leaving Tri-State for Eddie Graham's Championship Wrestling from Florida, Watts returned to Tri-State in 1975. NWA Tri-State fought a two-year promotional war against International Championship Wrestling that included the "outlaw" promotion filing an antitrust lawsuit against McGuirk and Watts.[2]

Mid-South Wrestling (1979–1986)

In 1979, Bill Watts acquired the Tri-State Wrestling territory from Leroy McGuirk, and re-branded it Mid-South Wrestling (MSW; officially, the Mid-South Wrestling Association). One of Watts' first acts as owner was to withdraw the company from the

Houston promoter Paul Boesch to feature Mid-South talent on shows at the Sam Houston Coliseum (one of the most famous arenas in professional wrestling), and other parts of southeastern Texas. Mid-South used Shreveport, Louisiana as the base for its television tapings, which were first housed in the studios of KTBS-TV
until they were moved around 1982 to the Irish McNeel Sports for Boys club, located on the Louisiana State Fairgrounds.

Instead of the cartoon-ish characters and interviews common to the

Magnum T.A. and Mr. Wrestling II
. The 1984 show drew 22,000 fans—an unimaginably large crowd for a regional territory show.

In the mid-1980s, MSW began to expand nationally.

Jim Crockett, Jr.
) to buy the Saturday timeslot from McMahon, and become TBS' sole pro wrestling show. Watts made one more attempt at going national the following year. As part of that plan, Watts replaced Mid-South Wrestling's parochial brandname with a more corporate, ambitious (and WWF-like) one: the Universal Wrestling Federation.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1986–1987)

In March 1986, MSW "went national" (the goal of the most ambitious regional promotions of this era), re-launching as the Universal Wrestling Federation, and securing a syndication deal airing their two one-hour, weekly TV programs (the lesser show, Power Pro Wrestling debuted in 1984) in major markets across the United States.[3] The TV tapings were also taken out of Shreveport and moved on location at various live shows throughout the Mid-South/UWF territory. New wrestlers, mostly from World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), joined the company, as did former WCCW co-promoter Ken Mantell. Despite the UWF's strong early ratings and critical praise, it could not compete nationally with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) and the WWF, as both had stronger TV distribution and larger live event, pay-per-view (and, in the WWF's case, merchandise licensing) revenue streams. The UWF was further hurt when the oil-based economy of its richest local market—Oklahoma—fell into a severe recession in late 1986. This left the blue collar core of the UWF's fanbase with far less disposable income to spend on things like attending wrestling shows.[3]

Watts sold the UWF to JCP on April 9, 1987,

The Blade Runners) partner would later become a WWF wrestling legend, too: The Ultimate Warrior
.

In October 1988, JCP, one of the biggest and late stage casualties of the "going national" war with the WWF, sold its collection of territories and titles to Ted Turner's TBS. Turner re-branded JCP "World Championship Wrestling," naming the new company after its TBS TV show.[5] Ironically, "Cowboy" Bill Watts ended up running the same business that had swallowed his own: In spring of 1992, WCW hired Watts as its latest Executive Vice President; he held the role less than a year.[8]

World Wrestling Entertainment acquired most of the Mid-South/UWF video archive, absorbing it into its WWE Libraries collection in 2012[9] -- with a notable exception: Mid-South/UWF matches taped for Houston Wrestling which aired on KHTV in Houston. Those rights are held by the estate of Paul Boesch, who was the Houston territory's promoter.[10] Select episodes of Mid-South are available for viewing on the WWE Network and on the NBCUniversal-owned Peacock streaming service in the United States.

Storylines

The Battle of New Orleans was a long-playing brawl between Eddie Gilbert, Terry Taylor, Chris Adams and Sting, which began in the ring and spilled out into the concession area. Beer kegs, chairs, tables, popcorn machine and anything the four wrestlers could get their hands on were used in the brawl which lasted nearly 15 minutes. Sting and Gilbert fought outside the ring, when Rick Steiner came in and piledrived Shane Douglas. With Taylor on top, referee Randy Anderson made the pinfall. Later, Adams came out and told Anderson what had happened, which prompted Gilbert and Taylor to gang-up on Adams. Sting came in to even the sides, and that resulted in an all-out brawl outside the ring. Gilbert was the mastermind of this famous angle and received huge praise from fellow promoters and wrestlers.

Adams was engaged in a storyline involving

Sam Houston. In a semi-finals match, Adams and Iceman wrestled against "Dr Death" Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase until Skandor Akbar's Devastation Inc. charged the ring to attack Williams and DiBiase. The match ended when Williams and DiBiase were counted out, and Adams and Parsons won the match. Adams, who was helping Williams and DiBiase fight off Akbar and his army, wanted the match to continue, but Parsons wanted the win. After a lengthy argument, Adams and Parsons split, and Chris chose Savannah Jack
as his new tag team partner. Iceman sucker-punched Savannah during a match and injured him, thus Adams had to choose another tag partner. He chose Terry Taylor, whose team lost a semi-final match to Rick Steiner and Sting. Taylor and Adams eventually won the UWF tag team titles, and held the belts for two months.

Meanwhile, Adams and Parsons engaged in a lengthy feud, which lasted for more than a decade (the two had feuded earlier in WCCW when Adams was the

turn as he piledrived Adams on the floor. The Taylor-Adams war proved to be one of the most violent feuds in the UWF, with an equal intensity to the feud Adams had with the Von Erichs
in World Class. The feud did have a short interruption when Taylor was injured in an automobile accident, but picked up again by the summer and carried over to World Class by 1988. Taylor and Adams promoted a famous angle in August which involved a press conference, where Taylor spoke about his situation with Adams and then left. Chris later took questions, which prompted Taylor to attack Adams with a chair. The following week, Adams conducted an interview vowing revenge against both Taylor and Eddie Gilbert.

Other famous UWF angles included promoter Bill Watts being attacked and having the

Big Bubba Rogers (Ray Traylor) to win the UWF Heavyweight Championship
. The Freebirds became faces around that time, as they began feuding with Skandor Akbar's army as well as The Angel of Death.

A prelim wrestler, Mike Boyette, wrestled in the UWF and is believed to be one of the very few wrestlers to never win a match. Video editors for the show even put together a music video of his various losses in the ring, set to the Little River Band song "Lonesome Loser". "Gorgeous" Gary Young also competed in the UWF, claiming that he was a rookie. He actually had five years experience under his belt. Young's claims prompted Jim Ross to begin referring to him as a "five-time rookie of the year."

As the UWF's merge with "the NWA" was taking place,

Starrcade 1987, and Nikita unified the two titles as the final leg of the NWA-UWF merger was finished. Williams would successfully defend the UWF Heavyweight Title on the same show versus Barry Windham
. Williams immediately left to do a series of lucrative performances in Japan; the title was retired while he was in Asia.

Sting, Rick Steiner, Eddie Gilbert, Missy Hyatt, announcer

Hacksaw Jim Duggan", who the WWF had signed in February 1987. The Sheepherders, who originally joined Crockett after the merger, left in mid-1988 for the WWF, where they were renamed the Bushwhackers
. Terry Taylor also departed, appearing in World Class for a few months (feuding with Chris Adams and Kevin Von Erich), then the WWF in mid-1988 as The Red Rooster. Taylor would go on to have a long WWF/WWE career behind-the-scenes, holding various management and creative team roles.

Former personnel

Main article: List of former Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts) personnel

Announcers

Mid-South's main television broadcasting team included Bill Watts and Boyd Pierce, with KTBS-TV staff announcer Reisor Bowden serving as ring announcer. Jim Ross joined Mid-South after the closure of Leroy McGuirk's Tri-State promotion in Oklahoma, and remained through the transition to UWF. Bill Watts's son Joel Watts was later added to the Mid-South/UWF broadcasting team, and also worked behind-the-scenes as a producer of the TV program.

Following Jim Crockett Promotions' purchase of the UWF, both Bill and Joel Watts exited the promotion and Jim Ross was joined by various partners including Magnum T. A., Michael P.S. Hayes and Missy Hyatt. Veteran JCP announcer Bob Caudle became Ross's permanent partner near the closure of UWF. Frank Dusek and Toni Adams also served as ringside commentators during the course of its UWF tenure; both of whom moved on to World Class.

Wrestlers of NWA Tri-State/Mid-South/UWF

Tag Teams and Stables

Championships

NWA Tri-State

Championship: Last Champion(s): Date Active: Date Retired: Notes:
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
 Tyrus 1948 Still active As a member of the National Wrestling Alliance NWA Tri-State recognized the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as the highest title in the organization
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship Homicide 1945 Still active As a member of the National Wrestling Alliance NWA Mid-America recognized the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship as the highest ranking junior heavyweight title in the organization
NWA Tri State North American Championship
Mr. Wrestling II
 1969 1979 The title was renamed the Mid-South North American Championship when Bill Watts bought out most of the NWA Tri-State territory in 1979[12]
NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version)
 Tommy Gilbert and Eddie Gilbert September 22, 1963 1980 Was renamed the Tri-State Tag Team Championship in 1980 after Watts bought out most of the NWA Tri-State territory.[12]
NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) Jack Donovan May 5, 1958 1960s [12]
NWA Tri-State Louisiana Championship
 Mike George 1946 (NWA-Gulf Coast Wrestling)/1972 (NWA Tri-State Wrestling) 1979 The title was renamed the Mid-South Louisiana Championship when Bill Watts bought out most of the NWA Tri-State territory in 1979. Before 1972 the title was promoted by NWA Gulfcoast Louisiana until the 1960s[12]
NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship Bob Sweetan September 7, 1980 1982 Title created after Bill Watts bought most of the NWA Tri-State territory, abandoned when Watts bought out the remaining Tri-State territory in 1982[12]
NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship Turk Ali and El Toro 1980 1982 Title created after Bill Watts bought most of the NWA Tri-State territory, abandoned when Watts bought out the remaining Tri-State territory in 1982[12]
NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Championship Don Fargo 1970 1982 Title renamed after Bill Watts bought most of the NWA Tri-State territory, abandoned when Watts bought out the remaining Tri-State territory in 1982[12]
NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Championship
 Mike George April 1978 August 1979 Tri-State recognized the Louisiana Heavyweight Championship between April, 1978 and August 1979 Title existed from 1964 until 1983[12]
NWA Louisiana Tag Team Championship Bill Watts and Buck Robley April 14, 1959 1979 Title existed while Tri-State recognized the NWA Louisiana Heavyweight Championship[12]

Mid-South Wrestling

Championship: Last Champion(s): Active From: Active Till: Notes:
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
 Tyrus 1948 Still active Despite not being a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, Mid-South recognized the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as the highest title in the organization
Mid-South North American Championship
 "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan 1969 May 1986 Title was originally named the NWA Tri-State North American Championship but renamed when Bill Watts bought out most of the NWA Tri-State territory in 1979[12]
Mid-South Television Championship Dick Slater May 2, 1984 1986 Title renamed "UWF Television Championship" in 1986[12]
Mid-South Tag Team Championship
Steve Williams
 September 28, 1979 1986 Title renamed "UWF Tag Team Championship" in 1986[12]
Mid-South Louisiana Championship
 "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan October 16, 1964 1983 Originally called the "NWA Tri-State Louisiana Heavyweight Championship", renamed after Bill Watts bought most of the NWA Tri-State territory [12]

Universal Wrestling Federation

Championship: Last Champion(s): Active From: Active Till: Notes:
UWF Heavyweight Championship
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams
 May 30, 1986 December 1987 Title replaced the "Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship" when the promotion changed name[12]
UWF Television Championship Nikita Koloff May 2, 1984 November 26, 1987 The "Mid-South Television Championship" was renamed when the promotion changed names[12]
UWF Tag Team Championship The Sheepherders September 28, 1979 November 1987 The "Mid-South Tag Team Championship" was renamed when the promotion changed names[12]

References

  1. ^ "WrestlingTerritories.png". Freakin' Awesome Network Forums :: Freakin' Awesome Wrestling Forum :: (w)Rest of Wrestling. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  2. SLAM! Wrestling
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-06-103101-1
    .
  4. ^ "(Encore) WWF vs WCW: Bulking Up". wondery.com. Wondery. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-06-103101-1
    .
  6. ^ Starrcade vs. Survivor Series: The Fight for Thanksgiving That Changed Wrestling
  7. ^ WrestlingEpicenter.com - The NEW Online Home of The Interactive Interview
  8. ^ Bixenspan, David (February 16, 2018). "Hank Aaron Sparked Pro Wrestling's First Major Racism Story 25 Years Ago". Deadspin.com. Deadspin. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  9. ^ WWE Purchases Mid-South Wrestling Video Collection
  10. ^ Corrigan's Corner: Bruce Tharpe Talks NWA - Then and Now (Part 1)
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55022-741-3
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .

External links
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