Retro Re-View USWA Podcast Ep. 108 (USWA 9/16/91) Spirit of America Show starring Spirit of America

Episode #108 takes the Retro USWA Gang back to the November 16, 1991 episode of USWA Championship Wrestling, and if 1991 has been a roller coaster, this one may be the part where the wheels start sparking on the track. Corey Maclin is now back in the co-host chair with Dave Brown, but unfortunately for him, he arrives just in time for one of the strangest episodes of the year.This week’s show introduces not one, but two new gimmicks: The Spirit of America, a red, white, and blue babyface who wants kids to help clean up parks and throw wrestling trash into a 55-gallon drum, and The Gravedigger, a very familiar looking dark character managed by Nate the Rat, complete with body bags, dirt, rats, spooky music, and absolutely zero subtlety.Gene, Josh, and BT spend a good chunk of the episode trying to make sense of how the USWA went from the tighter Eric Embry booked run earlier in the year to this late 1991 parade of gimmicks, green screens, public domain music, trash barrels, body bags, and Toyota sponsored tournament hype. The guys also dig into the question of whether Jerry Lawler’s booking style is starting to show, with big characters and broad gimmicks suddenly taking over the show.The episode is not exactly a glowing review of the television show, but it is a very entertaining breakdown of one of those weeks where Memphis wrestling goes so far into “what were they thinking?” territory that the podcast almost writes itself. Between Spirit of America’s cleanup campaign, The Gravedigger’s Undertaker-adjacent debut, Kamala green screens, numerous Jeff Jarrett promos, and a tournament that feels halfway important and halfway thrown together, there is plenty for the boys to laugh at, question, and dissect.If you’re following the 1991 USWA journey, Episode #108 is a key example of just how weird the promotion gets as the year winds down. It may not be great television, but it is absolutely memorable podcast material. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★