CLASSIC AWA 5/15 TV REPORT
- 05/15/2008 (8:42:22 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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May 15th aired a 1988 episode of Verne Gagne’s AWA All Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.
Greg Robertson versus Soldat Ustinov (accompanied by Teijo Khan)
Robertson took a backbreaker, then was whipped to the corner for a clothesline and a leg drop. After a powerslam and a suplex, Ustinov threw Robertson to the outside. Robertson was chopped down by Khan, then clubs on the chest when climbing to the ring apron. Robertson would catch his breath a bit on the outside, but his mid section shots had no effect, as he was eye raked then lifted up into an over the shoulder body vice. Referee Jim Bunning signaled for the bell, ending the match in under three minutes with a submission victory for Ustinov.
Donna Gagne announced 13 year old Patrick Sevard from the Province of Quebec as the AWA Fan of The Week.
A clip of Soldat attacking Baron Von Raschke with the board replayed and laying the Soviet flag over him. Baron gave a comment afterwards that Sheik Adnan El Kassey has been spending money like a wild man hired thugs against him. Baron said that he had friends of his own, one on the Minnesota Twins who gave him a baseball bat that Baron calls his Louisville Sleeper. Baron told Sheik’s Army to come on, as he has his partners lined up and a little something extra. Baron sings some of "Take me out to the ball game" before the commercial.
Dennis Stamp versus Ricky Morton
Commentator Rod Trongard mentioned that Morton was wrestling solo because his partner in the Rock N’ Roll Express Robert Gibson missed a connecting flight. Morton rallied the crowd’s chant of "Rock N’ Roll!" Twice Morton head scissored out of Stamp’s head lock take downs. Stamp wristlocked out of Morton’s headlock, but was hammerlocked back into the headlock. Stamp pushed off Morton to the ropes, was charged down, then Morton halted to knock down Stamp with a dropkick.
Stamp rose too quickly and fell back down, as Morton swooped in to apply a headlock on the mat prone Stamp. A grab of the rope by Stamp would break the hold, and then Stamp followed up with knees and kick to Morton’s mid section. Stamp delivered a chop the throat away from referee Gary DeRousha’s vantage point, then proceeded to choke Morton on the middle rope. The force of Stamp’s corner whip had Morton fly over the top turnbuckle to hit the steel connector.
Morton landed punches to Stamp’s stomach, then Stamp was Irish whipped into a dropkick. Stamp landed a shot on the ribs that dropped Morton to ring apron. Stamp drove knees into Morton’s ribs, but a right leg from Morton blocked the turnbuckle smash. Morton then smashed Stamp to the turnbuckle pad, then caught Stamp with a flying body press from the top rope. DeRousha made the 3 count, ending the match in under four minutes.
Next up was AWA champion Curt Hennig standing with AWA ladies’ champion Madusa Miceli for comments. Hennig said that in just a week’s time, he had made the right decision in having Madusa in his corner. Hennig asked Madus where they would be traveling in their title defenses, and she mentioned Canada, USA & Italy. Hennig said he had Wahoo McDaniel, Baron Von Raschke, the Rock N’ Roll Express gunning for him, and that Greg Gagne wouldn’t get a title shot. Hennig was looking forward to Madusa showing him around Milan, and said that he and Madusa will remain as champions while looking down on the competition.
Daryl Nickel versus International Television champion Greg Gagne
Though Nickel had a fit fifty pound weight advantage, Gagne hopped over the top rope and chased Nickel off to the ropes. Nickel twice pushed Gagne to the corner then flexed his arms, then charged down Gagne off the ropes. Gagne leapfrogged over a charge, to land a punch that stagged Nickel, and Gagne dropped his knee into Nickel’s thigh. Gagne cranked on an ankle lock, but when Gagne dropped back, Nickel choked him for an escape. After being forearm clubbed and turnbuckle smashed, Gagne reversed the corner whip to back body drop Nickel. A body slam and face stomp followed before Gagne put away Nickel with a dropkick. Trongard thought that Nickel had kicked out before Jim Bunning’s 3 count, but the replay showed that Nickel’s shoulders down. This match was under four minutes.
Ricky Morton told Larry Nelson in a ringside interview that he was looking to become five time world tag team champions in the AWA. When Nelson brought up the Rock N’ Roll Express heading to North carolina, Morton said that the people there knew what the Express were made of, and that they had walked over every team that has tried to get in their way. Morton then said that he couldn’t be late, as he had three lovely ladies that just can’t wait.
AWA Notebook posted on screen the tag team rankings
Champion: Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels)
1) Rock N’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
2) Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Saggs)
3) Badd Company (Paul Diamond & Sensai Pat Tanaka)
4) "Adorable" Adrian Adonis & "Ace" Bob Orton Jr.
5) Chief Wahoo McDaniel & Tommy "Wildfire" Rich
In the AWA mat classic segment, Greg Gagne presented a 1981 encounter between Sheik Adnan El Kassey against Baron Von Raschke at the Chicago Amphitheater
This match was joined in progress, starting with The Baron awaiting Sheik Adnan’s return to the ring. Baron clubbed Adnan off the apron, then when Adnan finally made it into the ring, Baron chased him into the corner with a double claw threat. Baron clawed with two hands on Adnan’s back, but Adnan clawed back and brought Baron to the mat by biting.
For many minutes Sheik Adnan kept The Baron seated while clamping onto the shoulders for a nerve hold, breaking at times to stomp The Baron. Von Raschke would elbow out, then slam Sheik Adnan’s head into the canvas. As Sheik Adnan was on his knees with hands raised for mercy, Baron mocked bowing to him before slamming his head again to the mat.
After a body slam and leg drop, Sheik kicked out at 1. The commentator mentioned that Sheik Adnan’s head was opened up before Baron smashed Sheik Adnan to the turnbuckle. Baron whipped Adnan to the ropes, but Adnan punted Baron when he lowered his head for a back body drop attempt. Adnan then applied an abdominal stretch until Baron slapped his Claw hold on for an escape.
Referee Marty Miller backed off Baron to break the hold, when Sheik Adnan was backed into the ropes. Baron Irish whipped Sheik Adnan in for The Claw. Adnan would rise from the mat, backing into the ropes, while The Baron kept the hold clamped. When Miller backed Von Raschke off, Sheik Adnan reached into his singlet for a foreign object, as the ref’s attention was diverted. When Baron pushed aside the ref, Sheik Adnan nailed him on the side of the head, then covered for the 3 count. Eight minutes of this match was aired.
Big K’s segment was next, and he was looking to see if Badd Company would follow his advice on what K described as a weakness to the AWA tag champion Midnight Rockers. K said that Greg Gagne is a whiner, and that although Gagne would likely be champion in any other wrestling organization, he was ranked #15 in AWA. K then said that he would soon come forth with a news scoop on newcomer Rocky Mountain Thunder.
Badd Company versus AWA tag team champions The Midnight Rockers in a non title match in the main event
This was a replay of the main event that aired two episodes ago.
In the corner, Diamond propelled himself over a charging Michaels, but Michaels backflipped himself to turn a Diamond’s wristlock into a hip toss. Tanaka tried to overpower Jannetty, but was taken down with charges, back drops and dropkicks.
After being charged down, Michaels would knock down Tanaka with right fists, until Diamond delivered a knee to the back. Diamond Irish whipped Michaels towards Jannetty, who was being Irish whipped by Tanaka.
Both corner charging Rockers locked arms to spin off the collision. Badd Company ducked the punches, but The Rockers back flipped out of the atomic drops to push Company into a collision. Both Tanaka and Diamond flee the ring for a breather.
Diamond returns to whip Michaels into a trip from Tanaka on the floor. After delivering elbow drops to the back, Diamond gut wrench suplex then gives a breakbacker to Michaels. Diamond holds Michaels in a backbreaker position, as Tanaka delivers an elbow off the ropes.
Jannetty would fight off Badd Company, taking them down with right punches and dropkicks. Michaels pushes Diamond into the corner for a roll up pin attempt, but referee Gary DeRousha gets mashed in the corner, and is down.
Tanaka shoves Jannetty off into the steel post on the outside, then takes down Michaels with a throat chop. DeRousha recovers to find Diamond covering Michaels, and makes the 3 counts, ending the match a little past ten minutes. No titles change hands, due to this bout being a non-title encounter.
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David
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