Two weeks after the attack on Valdez on Puerto Rico national television, a match was signed for Miami, Florida between the two. Local promoters in Puerto Rico really wanted the match to held at the National stadium in Puerto Rico, but realized if Valdez were to lose the title, the crowds would have rioted, so the match was signed to be held in Miami. Even though the injuries he suffered from the Outlaw's attack had not healed, Valdez went on with the match in Miami at the James L Knight Center. It was a grueling match, but in the end, Valdez lost via a figure four leg lock submission to James. James was on top of the world, winning the first of his three (3) single World Championships!
James had major feuds with many prominent wrestlers throughout his reign as the World's Champion. Superstars like Tommy "Wildfire" Rich, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat", Tyree Pride, Bobby "Jamaican Jammer" Welles, "Ram-Man" Johnnie Evans, T.J. "The Bull" Jackson, "Prime-Time" Darryl D, Andre Moore, Rusty Brooks and others all took several shots at wrestling away the title from James.
The Oulaw Wrestled them all, and one way or another came out on top. Of course, as World's Cahmpion, the cash was pouring in, so James hired a list of "Manager's" to assist him in his travels and title defenses. First was a former tagpteam partner and Champion Mean Mike Larrea, who had retied from the squared circle, but still helped guide J.R. through many of his early title defenses, if not "helping" him in one way or another during his matches.
After a falling out with Mean Mike, J.R. "hired" the Services of Snakemaster
Abudadein, and wrestled under the name of Niedaduba (Ny-Ad-A-Dube-A)
for about a year, shedding his ten gallon cowboy hat and boots for a lunitic's
straight jacket and face paint. J.R./Niedaduba ending up losing his title to
Demon Hellstorm in November of 1994, and the Snakemaster dumped J.R.
and sucessfully managed Demon Hellstorm for many years afterward.
Niedaduba went back to J.R., and once again hit the road to winning the
World's title. It did not take him long, because in July 1995, James defeated
Rusty Brooks to win for the second time the IPWA World's Heavyweight
Championship.
James defended the title sucessfully for almost two years, but lost the title in
Birmingham, Alabama to Jerry Gray from Orlando in August of 1997. But in
a fluke set of circumstances, it seems that J.R. was awarded an immediate
re-match by the IPWA governing board because the match actually went be-
yond the sanctioned 60 minute time limit, but the referee awarded the belt
and championship to Gray after an apparent 3 count over James. Furious,
J.R.and his Attorneys filed several motions, and got his re-match in Orlando,
Gray's hometown. James cried foul, saying the IPWA was stacking the deck
against him, but prevailed on winning back the World's title from Gray in
September 1997.
The Begining of the End...
After winning back the World's Title, J.R had several title defenses over the next almost two years, including outside of the United States. Tokyo Japan, Mexico City, Mexico, and Port a Prince Haiti. (See RINGSIDER interview about the Haiti Tiltle defense). Then in 1998, a realitive newcommer appeared in the squared circle to challenge James, real life Mayor of the town of Davie, Florida, Harry Venus.
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