I feel like an archaeologist stumbling across the missing link. Obviously others have known about the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWF) long before I ran across some of their matches on YouTube. But as an armchair enthusiast, I just discovered it. UWF, as far as I can tell, looks to be about two-thirds WWF, one-third Ultimate Fighter from the early 90’s. The action is fast and sweaty, with strikes and grappling, clearly scripted but with a lot of genuine contact mixed in. It looks Japanese, but at least a few of the clips I find have Russian(?) subtitles and commentating, perhaps from a rebroadcast.
The boys in this America vs. Japan tag-team match are handsome, though the Americans have mullets and a few too many Big Macs packed on, particularly compared to the long, lean Japanese competitors/performers. Gene Lydick had a face made for Hollywood, though.
I love the Russian commentator’s continual reference to the American, “Billy Squat.” The moves are damn sexy, including a barrage of “Mortal Kombat-esque” suplexes. The boys sell the product nicely, with believable ferocity and anguish playing themselves out throughout most of the match. Kudos to ALUSyraGERAI from Lithuania for popping these up for us to see. This tends to be more the style of matches I write, mixing strikes and more classical pro-wrestling. When you author fiction, though, you enjoy the privilege of getting to include backstory, sell the suffering, and not have to depend on performers to make the script come to life.
Sidelineland 