UWA Elite Delivers Bang For Your Buck
Is UWA Elite the best kept secret on the indies?
I attended my first UWA Elite event over the weekend and ended the night wondering what took me so long.
After all, the New Jersey-based promotion has been around for 20 years, half of which as a backyard wrestling league. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has gone back to its roots with outdoor shows at the South River VFW. Mother Nature must be a fan because it was a beautiful evening of sunshine and a cool breeze before Raze Lighting’s top-notch production lit up the night sky. About 100 people set up their soccer mom chairs around the ring, the biggest wrestling crowd I’ve been part of since the pandemic began.
I knew a few of the wrestlers who had also worked for defunct Synergy Pro Wrestling, but most of these characters were new to me. Thanks to UWA Elite’s very active social media presence, I quickly caught up on the storylines, which is what founder/owner Dave Swan prides himself on. On the surface, the biggest story seemed to be the confusion surrounding the Golden Ticket, UWA Elite’s version of the Money in the Bank briefcase. Although both the 155-pound King Tek and the scale-crushing Hedges have staked their claim, Swan ordered them to coexist and face DAWGNation, one of the top teams in the company.
It was more of a handicap match, as Hedges remained on the apron and distracted Ref Ryan (who refereed all 10 matches on the show) while DAWGNation doubled teamed Tek. The “Leader of the UWA Elite Army” refused to capitulate, fighting off both men before attempting to tag in his partner. However, after pleading for the tag, Hedges hopped off the apron and tried to abandon Tek before Swan forced him to continue or forfeit the Golden Ticket. Hedges finally tagged in and ran wild, but he and Tek just couldn’t get on the same page, leading to their demise.
I wasn’t the only newcomer to UWA Elite. Boom Harden, a product of CZW, challenged “Explosive” Eddie Thomas, fresh off ending Eric Corvis’ 526 day-reign as UWA Elite Iron Man Champion. Harden couldn’t take Thomas’ title, but he certainly deserves his nickname after bringing the fight to the champion. Thomas had to resort to every trick in the book, even busting open Harden, in order to retain the gold.
With such a variety of styles and characters, no two matches felt the same. You had a hoss fight between KTB and Lukas Finnegan, a chaotic fatal four way, BT Bull issuing an open challenge and a test of strength between Mike C-Way of the BROtein Pack and Jay Evans, or “chicken breast chest” as the kids chanted. While I considered Territory Champion Matt Vertigo vs. Corey Dillinger the match of the night, the crowd was red hot for the main event.
View this post on Instagram
Vincent Valentine defended the UWA Elite Champion against “The Wretched” Bowes. Known as “The Dark Angel,” Valentine has Kevin Sullivan’s build and talks like Father James Mitchell. He’s equally as devious as evidenced by the brawl with Bowes, a powerhouse with surprising agility and the adoration of the fans. They waged war all over the field, with Bowes tossing Valentine into a table and Valentine responding by whipping Bowes into the stairs and then the steel post.
Bowes regained momentum back in the ring, dropping Valentine with a sidewalk slam and a bone-crunching back breaker. That wasn’t enough to keep the champion down, though, as Valentine ducked a punch and hit a neck breaker, followed up by natural selection. That’s when the hijinks ensued with Tek and Hedges running out, neither cashing in the Golden Ticket and both getting bounced out of the ring. Valentine retrieved a Singapore cane, but Bowes blocked the shot and Ref Ryan accidentally got knocked down.
Sean “Damage” McNelis ran out, seemingly to prevent Valentine from further craziness. Instead, McNelis cracked Bowes with the Singapore cane, allowing Valentine to drop the challenger with an ace crusher for the victory.
The shocking closing moments of @UWAElite Dangerous Uprisings… pic.twitter.com/kfDhCgyXXu
— The Wrestling Estate (@TheWrestlingEst) May 17, 2021
With so many twists and turns throughout the evening, I pulled out of the parking lot with more questions than answers. At three and a half hours, including a brief intermission for food, refreshments and a raffle supporting The Valerie Fund, the show moved at a brisk pace and left me wanting more. There wasn’t a bad match and now I’m trying to clear my calendar for June 12 – UWA Elite’s 20th Anniversary Show.
I suggest you do, too.
Full results (Available soon on UWA Elite Network)
Golden Era def. StepDads
Ty Thomas def. Adam Bizare
DAWGNation def. King Tek & Hedges
KTB def. Lukas Finnegan
Eddie Thomas retained the UWA Elite Iron Man Championship against Boom Harden
Eric Corvis def. Anthony Michael, Joey Adams & Sean McNelis to become No. 1 contender to the Territory Championship
Jay Evans def. Mike C-Way
BT Bull retained the UWA Elite iChampionship against Johnny Strong
Matt Vertigo retained the Territory Championship against Corey Dillinger
Vincent Valentine retained the UWA Elite Championship against Bowes
About Author
