We review the first shootstyle match ever rated five stars by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. And it wasn't even the best match on the card!
UWF: Five Star Classic (12/5/1984)
UWF: Purple Haze Days (9/11/1984)
At 47, he didn't look like much. Every movement was stiff, his body performing like an old man's, labored and awkward. His hairline was even slightly receding, as if to confirm this decline was no illusion. His wrestling moveset was the final straw, a remnant of the previous decade. Without context he appeared to be … Continue reading UWF: Purple Haze Days (9/11/1984)
UWF: The Super Tiger (9/7 +9/11/1984)
They say man was formed in the image of his creator. So too, the wrestlers of the UWF. Their deity, Kamisama, was neither loving, nor forgiving. He was gruff, brutal and unsparing, a submission master who demanded discipline and daring from all who would train under his tutelage. His name was Karl Gotch and he was … Continue reading UWF: The Super Tiger (9/7 +9/11/1984)
UWF: Tiger Mask Cometh (July, 1984)
Satoru Sayama wasn't the first wrestler to wear a mask and commit acts of flagrant derring do in a wrestling ring. By the late 1970's, that was de rigueur in the world of Mexican lucha libre and slowly making its way around the globe. Although not completely unique, there was something special about Sayama, who … Continue reading UWF: Tiger Mask Cometh (July, 1984)
UWF: Akira Maeda vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (4/17/84)
Yoshiaki Fujiwara made his UWF debut against his protege Akira Maeda as the shootstyle revolution continued in Sumo Hall.
The Rise and Fall of the UWF
A brief history of the UWF excerpted from Jonathan Snowden’s book Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling.
UWF Starting Over (April 11, 1984)
The first UWF show was highlighted by a...brutal lucha libre bout? The gang explores the unexpected origin story of the revolutionary UWF.
