Steve Williams used Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" by Mr. Springsteen. The Born in the U.S.A. album was Springsteen's commercial monster, containing several Top Ten hits and became one of the best-selling albums of all time set to galloping rhythms and augmented by chiming guitars, the title track was a three-chord wonder. The Reagan administration attempted to co-opt the title track as an election-year campaign song and was rebuffed by Springsteen. However, the administration's desire for the tune as a patriotic tool wasn't so surprising. The lyrics described the disenfranchisement of a working class Vietnam vet, and the chorus was intended to be angry, but instead came off as anthemic. Springsteen softened his message with nostalgia and sentimentality, and those are always crowd-pleasers. In other words, a great wrestling' intro...

"Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said "Son, don't you understand...

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go

Born in the U.S.A..."

Those lyrics about the refinery could well apply to places like Houston, Baytown, Pasadena and Lake Charles, all a part of the Gulf Coast petrochemical complex and home to many of the industry's workers that formed the UWF's fan base. Dr. Death's ascension to the UWF's Heavyweight Championship presented an intriguing tale: the initial promos featuring Barry Switzer and narration by Jim Ross of Williams' OU football career, his early matches featuring an amateur style, his heel turn, and his teaming with Ted DiBiase to form one of wrestling's best tag teams. Of course, there were the classic battles with Terry Gordy and various members of Skandor Akbar's Devastation, Inc, culminating with Williams winning the UWF's top belt. I don't know if the Boss would have scripted it that way, but I do know that Springsteen is a wrestling fan and would probably appreciate the way his song was used.

Buzz Sawyer was not in the UWF for very long, but he was memorable for being his usual crazy self and for using Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" as an entrance theme. The song's churning, galloping tempo was propelled by Robert Plant's banshee wail. The tune fit Sawyer perfectly, as he was a perpetual motion machine inside the ring and often barked to enhance his crazy image... 

"We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your overlords"

Buzz "whispering" tales of gore? Hah! Maybe howling...

"On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western
shore...
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing."

Well, Buzz certainly was not the peaceful, trusting type either. Maybe I should just ignore the lyrics and listen to the rhythm and the melody.

Terry Taylor and Chris Adams turned an impromptu pairing at the UWF Tag Team Title Tournament in 1987 into a successful run as tag champs. However, there was dissension that was clearly developing throughout their reign in a clever bit of role reversal between the previously clean-cut Taylor and the former infamous WCCW Dynamic Duo heel Adams. Taylor played the wholesome image to the hilt, but he wanted to turn "bad" because his enormous popularity throughout the territory caused problems with privacy outside the ring. Taylor arrived late for one match pitting he and Adams against members of Devastation, Inc. He made it to the ring just in time to clock the Devastation dudes with his briefcase, but there was no doubt among longtime followers of Bill Watts and his storytelling magic that something was about to change, and the case would make another appearance later ...

"I can't read about it, burns the skin from your eyes,
I'll do fine without it, here's one you don't compromise.
Lies come hard to disguise
Let me to fight it out, not wild about it
Lay your seedy judgments, who says they're part of our lives?"

"Notorious" by Duran Duran.

Taylor and Adams dropped the tag straps to Sting and Rick Steiner in Atlanta in April 1987. Taylor's frustration with Adams was now evident to the fans. Soon thereafter, Taylor nailed Adams with the briefcase and completed the switch from one of the promotion's favorite sons to one of its most devious villains. Taylor modeled his heelish persona after the very best, Ric Flair, with whom he'd spent a lot of time with in and out of the ring. Taylor even mimicked Flair's strut to perfection...

"Girls will keep the secrets, so long as boys make the noise,
Fools run rings to break up, something they'll never destroy.
Grand notorious slam, (BAM!) and who really gives a damn -
For a flaky bandit?
Don't ask me to bleed about it, I need this blood to survive."

Okay, the "grand notorious slam" bit is cool. But "flaky  bandit" in a wrestling' intro? And "don't ask me to bleed?" Was Bill Watts aware of THOSE lyrics? Jeez, Simon LeBon and company would have been fired on the spot if they ever voiced those sentiments in the employ of the big Cowboy.  Let me just say that when it comes to groups that could get me to boo a wrestler, Duran Duran would qualify on image alone.

But wait, there is still more music, right? Well, yes, but we have come to the end of our shift at the KUWF for now. Thanks again for taking the time to read my ramblings. Special thanks to Vince for allowing me to contribute to the best wrestling site on the web. It's still an honor and a pleasure. If you have any requests, comments or suggestions to make regarding my space here, please feel free to e-mail me here . 

Steelermattb, I will be answering your message sometime next week. I apologize for the delay in responding and thank you for your kind words. And to loadedglove, the Bear2000, portagepark91, Decagon, Portalesman, jonbekdimi, bahdah, and all the rest who keep the UWF Message Board jumping, keep up the good work. I always learn something when I check out the threads.

Now, that's REALLY it. Do you think Angus and Malcolm Young would have made a good heel tag team?...

"Dog eat dog"
Read the news
Someone win
Someone lose
Up's above and down's below
And limbo's in between
Up you win, down you lose
It's anybody's game"

"Dog Eat Dog" by AC/DC.

NEXT MONTH:

Wrestling With Music, Part III.