u/WildBullMasala

Arguably Missy Hyatt's most notorious storyline, the Eddie Gilbert Vs John Tatum feud merged real life friction. Aswell as being an on screen item, Hyatt and John Tatum were an item away from the ring as well. When they came to the UWF in 1986 after a successful year in WCCW, Hyatt and Eddie Gilbert had began an affair behind the scenes. All parties agreed to turn the situation into a storyline and a good one at that.

Usually it's hard to do love triangle storylines in wrestling and they can come off as fake or corny, but this one in my opinion was one of the best storylines in 1986 (there's so many contenders for this great year in wrestling tbf) and probably the UWF's best storyline of the year.

Missy Hyatt had come into the UWF as the valet for the team of 'Hollywood' John Tatum and Jack Victory, including being Tatum's lover. Many fans in Mid South had already seen the pairing of Tatum & Hyatt as the two were an item on WCCW TV where Hyatt got her first break in a big feud against Sunshine.

Once coming to the UWF, Missy had started a feud with babyface valet Dark Journey after Jack Victory had called Tatum and Hyatt to help him take care off Journeys wrestler The Missing Link. Tatum & Hyatt would debut, running out alongside Jack Victory between a match of Kamala and The Missing Link and attacking The Missing Link. As Dark Journey gets in the ring to protect The Link, the two men would grab Journey so Hyatt could hit her in the stomach with her famous Gucci bag.

A few weeks later, Hyatt & Eddie Gilbert had confirmed that they were aligning their two corporations and making Hyatt & Hot Stuff International. Hyatt however had assured John Tatum that the partnership was strictly business and Tatum was still number one. However, tension would slowly emerge between Gilbert and Tatum as Hyatt would accompany Gilbert to the ring, including helping Gilbert & Sting win the UWF Tag Team Championships from The Fantastics. Eddie, Missy and Tatum would hold a press conference declaring the rumours of tension are false and Tatum is still number one for Missy, dispelling any rumours of a potential love triangle.

Over the coming weeks however this seemed to not be the case, as Hyatt would kiss Gilbert on the cheek during matches and even be found sharing a limo with 'Hot Stuff' when she was meant to be going for lunch with Tatum. Meanwhile, Tatum would constantly fumble the ball for the team, including being the cause for the UWF World Tag Titles to be held up after throwing powder in the face of Bobby Fulton when Sting & Gilbert were defending their Tag Championships.

Most importantly to Missy, Tatum would lose to The Missing Link in a Valet for the Day match, where the losers woman would have be the maid for their rival for a day, in this case meaning Missy would have to be the maid for Dark Journey. Things would come to blows between Hyatt's two love interests after Tatum lost this match, with Tatum blaming Gilbert for the loss after Gilbert fell from the top rope onto Tatum when running in to take out The Missing Link. Both companies, Hot Stuff International of Eddie Gilbert, Sting & Rick Steiner would come to blows with Hyatt's men John Tatum and Jack Victory, with Missy getting on the microphone and telling Gilbert to stop as Gilbert pummeled Tatum with punches. At this point, it was hard to know which way Missy would swing.

The two factions after this would break up, with Tatum and Gilbert both saying they refuse to work with each other, to Hyatt's annoyance as she would constantly blame Tatum for losing the Valet For a Day Match and say she wishes Eddie was here. Gilbert over the coming weeks as an apology would come out with presents for the 'First Lady of Wrestling' and despite Hyatt's words that she was loyal to Tatum, she would take these gifts.

This eventually would all come to blows as Tatum & Victory would lose a UWF Tag Team Title match against The Fantastics when Tatum would be distracted by Gilbert giving Missy flowers. Tatum & Victory after the match would trap Gilbert in the ring and beat on him and Tatum would grab Hyatt and snatch the flowers out of her hands. Sting & Rick Steiner run out and Hot Stuff International get the numbers game on Tatum & Victory. This is where Gilbert insists to Hyatt that she has to choose now, Hollywood or Hot Stuff? Missy would choose Hot Stuff and wallop Tatum over the head with her Gucci Bag, causing Tatum to bleed.

Tatum and Gilbert would then fight all over the territory in grudge matches until Tatum would eventually leave the territory at the end of the year after suffering a car crash. Hyatt & Hot Stuff however would become one of the iconic couples of wrestling and Hot Stuff International would become a legendary faction in giving a spotlight to Sting & Rick Steiner.

This match for the Western States Heritage Championship is an absolute match of the year contender for the year 1987.

This match without commercials went about 45 minutes and both men filled up the time fantastically, mixing some technical mat wrestling, high spots, brawling, blood and great selling. This match was in the dying days of the UWF for an incredibly unimportant championship so it amazes me how these two got motivated to have such a great match.

People know how great Barry Windham is. His matches with Flair are legendary and 1987 is arguably his strongest in ring year, with multiple MOTY contenders including this match as a single and multiple great tag team matches when teaming with Ron Garvin.

However people may forget or haven't saw or heard how great Dick Murdoch was. Murdoch when motivated was one of the best workers in the business and if around today would still be one of the best workers in the business. This is because of his versatility to be able to have a technical classic like this to a bloody brawl against DiBiase to being a bumping machine for babyfaces like Nikita all the way to integrating into the Japanese style in classics against Inoki or Brody.

Murdoch is perfect in this match from his punches to his psychology and the heel tactics of reaching out the ring and grabbing the microphone from the announce table and bludgeoning Barry with it whilst Eddie Gilbert distracted the referee.

His selling most of all really gets over with me in this match in how he sells the punches from Barry, particularly one where he walks around trying to get away from Barry whilst holding his teeth after a strike, just little things that get over. Murdoch also does one of my favourite spots of his when at the 23:25 mark after giving Barry a hard head butt, Murdoch makes himself a bit wobbly from it and gets unbalanced and starts throwing loose punches at Barry until Barry gives him a big strike and Murdoch sells it great. Look how Murdoch sells his leg at 27:22 after a kick from Barry.

Murdoch in other matches does some of my favourite selling spots ever, from in a match against Butch Reed setting it up so his dentures go flying out his mouth when Reed hits a big punch to after a strike being dizzy and not being able to see so just wildly striking anywhere to also when Murdoch would sell an atomic drop by acting like a whole entire shooting pain was entering his body.

Murdoch despite not being an athlete as such, was a natural in the ring, all his movements and timing precise. At 288lbs, Murdoch could do a perfect standing dropkick to coming off the top rope to flying up in the air doing leapfrogs.

Any wrestling student should watch Dick Murdoch. When motivated he was one of the best of all time.

The double main event of The Rock N Roll Express Vs The Midnight Express and Magnum TA vs Nikita Koloff in Match 7 of the best of 7 series drew 7 thousand fans paying 60 thousand dollars (182 thousand today)

This in my opinion is one of the greatest tag team matches of all time. A perfectly worked match, timing, selling, drama, it's got it all and the people go crazy for The Rock N Roll Express reclaiming the NWA World Tag Team Championships.

Philadelphia at this time was a hot bed for the NWA. Over 12 shows in 1986, Jim Crockett Promotions grossed over 861 thousand dollars in Philly (over 2.6 million today). I'd have to look into it, but I'm pretty sure Philly would be JCP's 3rd highest grossing market of 1986, with above them 12 events in Charlotte drawing $1.2 million dollars ($3.6 million today) and Greensboro over 14 events drawing $1.4 million dollars ($4.2 million today) and hot feuds like The Rock N Roll Vs Midnight Express were a big part of that.

The Midnight Express Vs Rock N Roll feud were drawing records everywhere in 1986, in Charlotte they had drew a record gate of 101 thousand dollars and 3 weeks later went back to Charlotte and did the same business as the main event.

After this match, both teams would go onto focus on the build towards their Starrcade matches, with The Rock N Roll Express defending their World Tag Team Championships in a great steel cage match against The Anderson's and The Midnight Express Vs The Road Warriors in the scaffold match being the main drawing match of the Starrcade 86 event.

This match took place just after the UWF had been bought by Crockett. I don't know actually whether they took the belt off One Man Gang because he was leaving or they wanted to push their own guy in Big Bubba.

Otherwise, this is a solid MOTY contender for 1987 and it's amazing what these two big men could do in the ring. Probably Ray Traylors first great singles match.

This match was also a rare Heel Vs Heel bought, although One Man Gang seems to lean more babyface being the more local wrestler to the UWF fans.

Ole and Dusty during this show cut all time great promos. Ole as the raging, manipulator that had faked being Dusty's friend for a year so he could eventually get the chance to attack Dusty and Dusty as the sorrowful hero that "only blames himself" for trusting Ole. Dusty's line of "it will never be over" is one of the best promo lines of all time.

For me this is definitely in the top 5 of episodes of wrestling TV of all time and in the top 10 of heel turns.