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Herb Abrams founded the UWF in 1990 to try to challenge Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation on a national level. He announced the promotion's formation at John Arezzi's Wrestling Fans Fantasy Weekend convention in August 1990. Despite having no experience in the wrestling business, Abrams was given a budget of $1 million by SportsChannel America to develop a weekly television series, which would become UWF Fury Hour.[1] The first Fury Hour tapings were held at Reseda Country Club in fall 1990 and featured established stars such as Billy Jack Haynes, Bob Orton, Jr., Brian Blair, Cactus Jack, Colonel DeBeers, Dan Spivey, David Sammartino, Don Muraco, Ivan Koloff, Ken Patera, Paul Orndorff, and Steve Williams.[2] The top homegrown talent included "Wild Thing" Steve Ray and "Cutie Pie" Louie Spicolli. Bruno Sammartino and Lou Albano were hired as commentators.  The promotion held a taping in New York City at the New York Penta in January 1991 that became plagued with legal issues. The World Wrestling Federation sent cease and desist orders to the UWF after Honky Tonk Man and Rick Rude appeared on-camera.[3] Both had recently walked out of the WWF but were still under contract to the company. Honky Tonk Man would later explain that the check he received from Abrams for this taping bounced, and he filed a formal complaint with the New York State Athletic Commission to get reimbursed.[4]  Abrams hired Howard Brody, the owner of Ladies Major League Wrestling, to help him expand UWF into the Florida market in mid-1991.[5] Following several house shows and a television taping at Universal Studios Florida, Brody was entrusted with finding a venue for the promotion's first pay per view event in June 1991. Brody suggested the Odeum Expo Center in Chicago. Abrams insisted on holding Beach Brawl at Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida.[6] The pay per view was a disaster in both attendance and pay per view buys. Following Beach Brawl, Abrams ran one final television taping at War Memorial Auditorium before running out of fresh footage for Fury Hour. He struck a deal with Brody to use footage from Ladies Major League Wrestling to fulfill his content creation obligations to SportsChannel America, and the two parted ways in fall 1991.[7]  Abrams only ran three more shows after his SportsChannel America deal expired in late 1991. This included: a television taping at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in June 1992 that aired on Prime Ticket as Thunder Hour; a television taping at All Seasons Arena as part of the North Dakota State Fair in July 1993, which never aired; and Blackjack Brawl at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, in September 1994. The latter show aired live on SportsChannel America, yet was a disaster in both attendance and critical reception. Abrams left for New York City to care for his ailing mother in December 1994, and wrestler Al Burke was put in charge of the promotion.[8]  ESPN2 aired old episodes of Fury Hour and Thunder Hour in 1995, albeit in heavily edited form.  A February 1996 card called St. Valentine's Day Massacre was scheduled to be broadcast live from Grand Olympic Auditorium on Prime Sports Network, but was cancelled.[9] Zoogz Rift worked for the company during this time and claimed Abrams' cocaine addiction drained the company of money needed to produce such events.[10] Abrams died of a cocaine-related heart attack in July 1996 while still in New York.

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UWF - Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation