March 29^th aired AWA matches from September 26^th 1985 from White Sox stadium in Chicago.

 

Sherri Martel versus AWA ladies champion Candi Devine in the first match.

 

This match was joined in progress after the seven minute point. Martel leaves the ring to frustrate Candi. On her return, Candi catches Sherri into a behind the head wrist lock. Then twists Sherri to the mat, turning the hold into a sit down arm stretcher. Sherri is pulled down to the mat twice, but manages to roll over Candi to escape. Sherri brags to the crowd, punches, kicks, knee drops and stomps a down Devine. A headlock and a short punch, followed by an Irish whip and back body drop on Candi. Sherri finds her second attempt at this unsuccessful, as Candi flips over a bent over Martel for a sunset flip. Martel’s momentum would return when Candi is caught in a hangman’s clothesline (clothesline where the attacked keeps arm draped over opponet’s neck on the way down). A vertical suplex, followed by a flying knee drop the top ropes scored the pin and Sherri Martel’s first ladies’ world championship, after nearly twelve minutes of action. Sherri raised the title over head, then used the belt to whip mat prone Candi Devine.

 

In a post match ringside interview, Larry Nelson asked Sherri why she whipped Candi with the belt. Sherri said that Candi is a coward, who has been dodging her, and she showed all the dumb yankees in the audience who the better woman is.

 

Kamala the Ugandan headhunter versus Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell in a body slam challenge match.

 

Nelson interviewed Sheik Adnan El Kassey, who said that he promised to return after a long absence. He didn’t come alone, as he said he came with a surprise. That surprise this evening was the Ugandan giant, Kamala. Adnan said that the Arab people want a winner, and is on a mission to bring that. Nelson then interview Crusher Blackwell, who said that Sheik Adnan has another thing coming, if he thinks that he can stick his nose in Blackwell’s business again. Blackwell added "I’ll chop the damn thing off!"

 

Adnan repeated to the crowd what he said in the interview, and had the announcer request the audience to be quiet as he sang the Arabian national anthem.

 

Kamala attacked Blackwell before the bell with forearms, and Blackwell traded shots, but was met with chops, a back hell kick and headbutts. Kamala held up Blackwell’s left arm, to deliver a punch to the ribs. Then struck Blackwell with a cross thrust judo strike. Kamala continued his assault by choking Blackwell on the mat, then as Blackwell was against the second rope, Kamala pulls him forward for a top rope choke. This occurred right above Nelson and the commentator’s table. Nelson’s admitted to being nervous about having these behemoths over him. Blackwell comes back with a gut punch, chops and more punches. Kamala reeled from a headbutt, and then was taking down after a ropes whipped clothesline. Blackwell then launched himself down on Kamala with a splash.

 

Blackwell would attempt a body slam that only managed to back Kamala into the ropes. Kamala then failed in his body slam attempt, chop away at Blackwell, then make two more slam attempts. Blackwell fired back with punches but was stopped by Kamala’s chops. Kamala did some early celebrating by doing his belly tapping stomp dance. Kamala looked to Sheik Adnan for instructions, then leaped onto Blackwell with a splash. The referee forgot the rules, went to make a count, and Nelson called verified that pins didn’t work in this match. Kamala would clamp on a nerve pinch to Blackwell’s shoulders.

 

The crowd chats "JERRY..JERRY!" (Many years before Springer). Kamala would go to head chops, Blackwell would back Kamala in the corner with left and right punches. Kamala is then whipped into the corner and Blackwell catches him with a corner splash. Kamala is dazed and as he comes forward, Blackwell scoops him up for a body slam win in just under six minutes.

 

Sheik Adnan then attacks Blackwell from behind with the sheath part of his sword. Adnan then grabs Blackwell’s check from promoter Wally Karbo. While against the ropes, Blackwell is then met with Kamala chops and Adnan’s sheath strikes. A jobber named Drew Tossel rushes to the ring, only to be grabbed by the head and tossed over the top ropes by Kamala. Another jobber with the last name Ryker is giving left and right gut shots to a corner bound Sheik Adnan.

 

Kamala then tosses Ryker over the tope rope before going back to work over Blackwell with Adnan’s assistance. The crowd cheers as a third man entering finds more success. It is Baron Von Rascke, who storms the ring, just missing Adnan as he strikes down onto the top turnbuckle with a baseball bat. Baron would hit the opposite turnbuckle after Kamala and Adnan flee.

 

Next up is Larry Nelson introducing the Mat Classic segment at AWA studio. This match from the vault is a March 9^th 1973 encounter of Dick The Bruiser & his cousin The Crusher against Dick Murdoch and Dusty Rhodes.

 

Bruiser and Crusher move through thick crowded arena as flash bulbs go off. Murdoch and Rhodes attack with punches as soon as Bruiser and Crusher get to the ring. Bruiser knocks down Murdoch, then Dusty runs behind Murdoch when Crusher comes in to stop the beating on Bruiser. Dusty does a shimmy dance after being tagged. Bruiser hits Dusty so hard in the corner, that Dusty flies up and lays against the top rope.

 

Crusher throws Murdoch into a corner bound Dusty, who is being held by Bruiser. Nelson described Murdoch as a "Sinister" wrestler. Dusty delivered an elbow on Bruiser, and Murdoch landed a charging kick. Bruiser would leap onto Dusty from the top rope, then run him from one steel turnbuckle connector to opposite connector, on the apron. Nelson mentioned that a month after this match, Nick Bockwinkel won the AWA title form Verne Gagne. The referee called for a double disqualification, after all four men continued to fight, instead of returning to their corner. Like many early matches, this one was edited down to four minutes.

 

Big Scott Hall, Curt Hennig & Greg Gagne versus Larry Zbyszko, Ray "The Crippler" Stevens & Nick Bockwinkel in the main event.

 

Nelson conducts a pre-match interview where Stevens said that his team will give a wrestling lesson, that won’t last long. "Ditto to Mr. Stevens" says Bockwinkel. Zbyszko added that they are going to "take these three pukes, show them what wrestling is about, and put them in the hospital where they belong."

 

As that team went to the ring, Nelson interviewed the opposing team. Greg Gagne said "We’ll find out who gives who a wrestling lesson. We’re pumped up and ready. We got our big man (Hall), 6'8 295lbs, take a look at him Bockwinkel!" Nelson asked what was Hall’s plan, since they know he is strong and would try to come at him with speed. Hall said that he "has two good partners and I think we’re all ready." Nelson asked Hennig who has more experience, and Hennig said "everyone knows they have more experience than anyone in the AWA, but we’re ready, so let’s go do it!"

 

Bockwinkel and Hennig take turns backing each other in the ropes for a clean break. Bockwinkel catches Hennig with a swift arm drag. The crowd turns it’s attention to something happening to the right of the screen. Nelson mentions it, but can’t see what it is (I assume a drunken fight in the audience). Bockwinkel catches Hennig with a hip toss, then a body slam. Hennig would respond to this by mirroring Nick’s move, by quick arm drag, hip toss and body slam on Bockwinkel. Nick would back away, crouched down in his corner for a tag. Hennig backs a tagged Zbyszko to the ropes. Zbyszko shoves Hennig back, but Hennig shoves back, and this forces Zbyszko through the ropes and to the grass.

 

Zbyszko’s return would earn him an arm drag by Hennig. Zbyszko would push off the headlock, and Hennig knocked Zbyszko down in an off ropes collision. Hennig would come off the ropes again, get caught with a Zbyszko bodyu slam, but immediately bring up his leg to bring down Zbyszko with a mule kick. Hennig twisted Zbyszko’s arm, and a tagged Hall twisted the other. As Zbyszko was taken to the mat, Hall and Hennig yanked the arms outward. Greg Gagne and Curt Hennig shook the top rope, causing Bockwinkel to shake with the ropes, and fall into the ring. Gagne then jumped off the apron, while holding Zbyszko’s head, for a yanking top rope choke. Hall held Zbyszko’s arm, for a top rope knee from a tagged Gagne.

 

Zbyszko is flipped with an arm twist, then is headlocked, but pushed off Gagne into the ropes. Gagne gets knocked down, after colliding with Zbyszko. Greg would then leap frog over a charging, drop to his back, and monkey flip Zbyszko over. Gagne then run to Zbyszko, and took him over with a flying head scissors. Greg tags Hennig and holds Zbyszko’s arm for a mid rope double ax handle. Zbyzko drills Hennig into the mat with a back suplex, then a tagged Bockwinkel would flip a ropes flung Hennig over twice with a knee to the mid section.

 

Bockwinkel would distract referee Larry Losowski, as Stevens choked Hennig on the top rope, and Zbyszko comes down with a forearm smash. Bockwinkel punches Hennig, then chokes him with an assit by Zbyszko. Hall rushes to the corner, and get a good shot on Bockwinkel. Newly tagged Zbyszko knocked Hennig out of the ring, where he is body slammed to the ground by Zbyszko. Bockwinkel and Stevens takes shots. Zbyszko would drop knees on Hennigs shoulders from the ring apron. Bockwinkel would work in a kick to the ribs, before Hennig returned to receive a Zbyszko Irish whip into an abdominal stretch.

 

Hennig would get a tag to Gagne, but the ref did not see this due to the other team’s distraction. Stevens would gives shots to Hennig, before a Zbyszko front face lock. Hennig would flip Zbyszko over but then get caught with a suplex. Hennig halted the whip to the ropes, and punted, when Zbyszko lowered his head. A tagged Bockwinkel would meet a Hennig body press. Stevens kicked off the pin attempt. Bockwinkel and Hennig would get knocked to the mat after an off the ropes mash up. All six men enter the ring. Gagne grabs Stevens, runs him into Zbyszko, then takes down Bockwinkel with a dropkick. Hennig then whips Bockwinkel inot Zbyszko, who is whipped in by Hall. Gagne then Irish whips Stevens towards Hennig, who drops down so Stevens is picked up into a Big Scott Hall powerslam for 1..2..3.

 

Nelson interviewed the winner after this twelve minute bout. Gagne said that they faced a tough team, but his team also had experience to go with their youth. Hall said he was fortunate, giving a lot of credit to his partners, who have helped train him and who he hopes to have a long relationship with. Hennig added that he digged down deep, pull out everything. "We came to win and we did it!".

 

Catch the legends of AWA Monday thru Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic

 

David

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