On Episode #111 of the Retro Wrestling Re-View USWA Podcast, The gang heads back to December 7, 1991, and for the first time in a while, USWA Championship Wrestling feels like it’s moving in a good direction. The Moondogs are back, Richard Lee is starting to sound like Richard Lee, Kamala finally steps into the TV5 studio, Eric Embry gets a questionable makeover, and the USWA Unified World Title ends up being “helt up” by Frank Morrell in classic Memphis fashion.

The boys open the show celebrating the return of Richard Lee and the Moondogs, while also continuing the ongoing mystery of whether Richard Lee is still out there somewhere living his best life. From there, the episode dives into one of the more eventful USWA TVs of late 1991, with Corey Maclin now seemingly locked in as Dave Brown’s new broadcast partner and the territory finally starting to shake off some of the weird dead spots from the previous few weeks.

The biggest match of the episode is Jerry Lawler vs. Kamala, and the boys all agree it feels like a major deal for TV. Kamala is not just another random challenger. He comes across as a legitimate monster, and the match gives Lawler the kind of opponent he always worked well against: a huge, dangerous heel that lets him fight from underneath before firing back. The finish is pure Memphis: a fireball, confusion, controversy, Eddie Marlin arguing, Lawler complaining, and the belt getting helt up just long enough to sell a rematch.

By the end of the episode, USWA feels like it has finally found some momentum again. The Unified Title is held up, Kamala is back on top of the territory, Embry regains the Southern Title on Monday night, the Moondogs remain tag champs, Sandman cracks Lawler with his surfboard, and "the Bart Man” may actually be turning into somebody Josh wants to see more of.

It is messy, illogical, violent, funny, and occasionally ridiculous. In other words, Memphis wrestling is back on track in 1991.

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Episode #110 of the Retro Wrestling Re-View USWA Podcast takes Gene Jackson, Josh Briley, and Brian Tramel back to the November 30, 1991 episode of USWA Championship Wrestling, and this week the boys are greeted with one of the most questionable “new arrivals” in recent memory: The Warrior — not that Warrior, but the USWA version, who proves that, apparently, you don’t have to be ultimate to be a warrior (even if you use the real Warrior’s image to promote Monday’s show)

Corey Maclin is now firmly in the co-host seat alongside Dave Brown, and the show opens with talk of the USWA’s “open door policy” bringing in new and returning talent. Unfortunately, that open door seems to be letting in just about anybody at this point, including a Warrior knockoff, a surfer Sandman, a “Catman”, a Spirit of America, a Candyman, a Gravedigger, and now the returning Moondogs with Richard Lee!

The big headline this week is the arrival of The Warrior, who squashes The Scorpion in short order and then cuts a promo telling Tony Falk, “You don’t have to be ultimate just to be a warrior.” The problem, of course, is that USWA also flashes a picture of the real Ultimate Warrior during the card rundown, which sends Gene, Josh, and BT into a full discussion of Memphis logic, copycat gimmicks, and whether this is even more ridiculous than the Lord Humongous/Sid/Randy “He-Man” Lewis bait and switch of several weeks ago. The other major story is the return of the Moondogs. Richard Lee brings them back to Memphis, and they waste no time making an impact.

By the end of the episode, Gene, Josh, and BT are fired up about the Moondogs being back, confused by the fake Warrior, entertained by Sandman nearly killing poor T.D. Steel with a kick from the top rope, and still trying to make sense of a USWA that seems to be throwing every gimmick it can find at the wall.

It may not be good wrestling every step of the way (it’s definitely not), but it is absolutely memorable Memphis television worth discussing (or at the very least making fun of).

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As we open Episode #109, Corey Maclin is still in the mix alongside Dave Brown, and the USWA seems to be deep in a “throwing s*** at the wall” phase. The Spirit of America is back, the Gravedigger is back, Nate the Rat has money for some reason and is threatening to cremate Jeff Jarrett , Reggie B. Fine has apparently found religion and the board game, Candy Land and has turned into the “Candyman”, and Jerry Lawler is trying to explain a Thanksgiving “turkey match” while wearing one of the ugliest outfits he has ever worn on television.

Gene, Josh, and BT spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what happened to the show. Not long ago, 1991 USWA felt like one of the strongest runs they had covered, with Eric Embry, Jeff Jarrett, Robert Fuller, Dr. Tom Prichard, Bill Dundee, “Uncle Danny”, and the Texas vs. Tennessee war keeping things moving. Now, suddenly, the show is full of Gravediggers, Candy Men, Spirit of America garbage bags, turkey feathers, blowtorches, weird rankings, and gimmicks that feel more like someone trying to copy WWF without fully understanding why any of it worked.

That makes the episode frustrating as wrestling TV, but very funny as podcast material, which will leave you feeling just as “turkeyfied” as Tony Falk when it’s over.

Episode #109 is full of bad gimmicks, strange decisions, hilarious commentary, and that very specific kind of Memphis wrestling weirdness where even when the show is falling apart, you still can’t look away (unless your Josh in 1991).

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