Well, if you were watching, you know what happened from there. In the ring, a recalcitrant Eddie Gilbert begged Bill Watts to accept an apology, Watts agreed, and took the Soviet flag with the intention of burning it. Out of nowhere, Ivan and Nikita Koloff stormed in and, along with Gilbert and Korchenko, laid a massive beating on Watts as fans alternately frothed at the mouth and wept, while Jim Ross was nearly suffering cardiac arrest on commentary. “OH MY GOD!!! NO, NO, NO!!! DAMN YOU, NO!!!” It commenced with Gilbert draping the Soviet flag over the prone Cowboy. Well, I could go on, but I really want to save that story—the best angle the UWF ever did—for another installment. Let’s just say that Eddie’s “Hot Stuff” was the total antithesis of Watts’ “Okie from Muskogee.”

Once the Russian angle ended, Eddie Gilbert was on to other things. The Bladerunners broke up with the Warrior leaving for World Class Championship Wrestling, but Sting remained and began tagging with Gilbert. On July 20, 1986, Gilbert and Sting defeated the Fantastics in Tulsa for the UWF World Tag Team straps. Of course, controversy was due to follow Gilbert, who was still a nemesis of Watts, so the titles were held up after a rematch against the Fantastics in August. Gilbert and Sting retained the belts, only to drop them back to the Fantastics at the end of September. During one of the Sting/Gilbert title triumphs—sorry, can’t remember which one—a beautiful blonde who had recently debuted in the UWF as the manager of the Jack Victory/Hollywood John Tatum team interfered to help the bad guys win. Her name? Missy Hyatt.

“You see 'em coming' at you every night
Strung on pretension, they fall for you at first sight
You know their business, you think it's a bore
They make you restless, it's nothing' you ain't seen
before
Get around town, spend your time on the run
You never let down, say you do it for fun
Never miss a play, though you make quite a few
You give it all away - everybody wants you”

Billy Squier, “Everybody Wants You.”

Now, you might ask, why does the manager of another tag team (Tatum and Victory would down the Fantastics to take the belts for themselves in October 1986) interfere in a match not involving her guys? Avid followers of Bill Watts’ storytelling ability knew it was no coincidence, and “real life” events ensured yet another compelling angle for Eddie Gilbert.  One week on UWF television, Gilbert announced a “merger” between himself and Missy Hyatt, even though they were still managers/members of competing teams. If we only knew…

“You crave attention, you can never say "no"
Throw your affections any way the wind blows
You always make it, you're on top of the scene
You sell the copy like the cover of a magazine
Putting' on the eyes 'til there's nobody else
You never realize what you do to yourself
The things that they see make the daily reviews
You never get free - everybody wants you”

The merger—well, at least the one that was created for action IN the ring—was called Hot Stuff International. Rick Steiner had returned to Watts’ employ after a previous stint in Mid-South and began tagging with Sting, with Gilbert and Missy as their co-managers. Tatum, while still teamed with Victory, joined Gilbert and Sting for a 6-man televised tag match against the Fantastics and the Missing Link. Gilbert was busted wide open by the other team.…

“Everybody knows you
Everybody snows you
Everybody needs you, leads you, bleeds you”

What most of us UWF fans didn’t know in the pre-Internet days was that John Tatum and Missy Hyatt had been a real life couple for some time. A televised interview with the two of them and Eddie Gilbert portended the changes to come. In what was surreal and definitely rare in the kayfabe era, Gilbert told Tatum not to let the “dressing room gossip get to him”. By then, Gilbert apparently had designs on Missy that had nothing to do with wrestling. Well, at least not in the ring…

"Nights of confusion and impossible dreams
Days at the mirror, patching up around the seams”

The attention to detail that made the UWF great was in evidence as the angle continued. During a match between the Missing Link and John Tatum, Eddie Gilbert’s attempted interference backfired, resulting in a Tatum loss and his subsequent punch to Gilbert’s face. Sting ran in for Gilbert and Jack Victory sided with Tatum, as the heel factions remain loyal to one another. Missy Hyatt left with Tatum, but not before giving some anxious, hesitant glances toward the ring…

“Say goodbye to conventional ways
You can't escape the hours, you lose track of the days”

Jim Ross did another interview segment, this time with Tatum and Hyatt, as Missy emphasized that everything was fine. This was the prelude to a bout pitting the Hot Stuff International duo of Sting and Rick Steiner against Chavo Guerrero and Iceman King Parsons.  Tatum and Jack Victory ran in and attacked Gilbert, Sting, and Steiner until Hyatt got the microphone and told Gilbert and Tatum that she would never have anything to do with either of them ever again if they didn’t stop brawling. With that, everyone ceased fighting. Damn, was Missy some kind of mediator or what?…

“The more you understand, seems the more like you do
You never get away - everybody wants you”

The angle came to its resolution during a match between the Fantastics and Tatum/Victory. Eddie Gilbert brought Missy roses as she sat at ringside. Tatum got distracted and then pinned, causing a fracas involving he and Victory against Hot Stuff’s guys. There was no mediation for Missy this time, as she leveled Tatum with a loaded purse, busting him open. In this case, breaking up was really hard to do. If only Vince McMahon and his Sports Entertainment scripters could come up with something that juicy…

Well, that’s it for now.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this shift at KUWF with a tape of “As the Universe Turns” playing on the old VCR. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. As usual, feel free to e-mail any requests, suggestions or information to CL11@swt.edu. I’m glad to see that KM UWF Message boards is still populated by posters with plenty of memories of Bill Watts’ great promotion. And please, remember to take time for your family and loved ones.

Until next time, take care. And don’t forget

“Who's your leader, who's your man?
Who will help you fill your hand?
Who's your friend and who's your foe?
Who's your Judas, you don't know? 
Night of the long knives
Who's that fighting back to back?
Who's defending whose attack?
Night of the long knives.”

“Night of the Long Knives,”  AC/DC.

Ouch. 

NEXT MONTH: 

Styx and the Bladerunners, Hot Stuff and the Beastie Boys, Ted DiBiase and Joan Jett. All of this and more on KUWF!