CLASSIC AWA 3/14/08 TV REPORT
- 03/14/2008 (4:45:20 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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Alexi Smirnoff & Yuir Gordyenko defeated Sonny Rogers & Spike Jones in under five minutes, after Smirnoff & Gordyenko dropped Rogers over the top rope, on the December 7th 1986 episode of AWA from the Showboat in Las Vegas Nevada. A woman held up a sign that said "RUSSIA SUCKS" as Smirnoff and Gordyenko walked to the ring. Smirnoff had his behind the head arm lock turned into a test of strength with the bulky Jones, that was turned to Smirnoff’s favor with a hair pull. Jones got caught in the Soviets’ corner, and made some nice amateur style rolling and bridge escapes from Gordyenko’s pin attempts.
Rogers’ botched dropkick would become a long vertical suplex by Smirnoff, that looked awkward on Rogers’ neck as he was suspended upside down. The match would momentarily look like a Three Stooges skit, as Gordyenko and Smirnoff would knock into each other, when trying to position a ropes bouncing Rogers into a double drop onto the ropes near their corner. When going to count the pin, Referee Robert Warren recklessly landed on Gordyenko’s right leg. Gordyenko gave a look of pain as Warren counted the pin on Rogers.
During the after match in-ring interview, Gordyenko asked Larry Nelson if it was fair for the official to dive on his leg and nearly break his knee. Gordyenko would say to the crowd that they know why he and Sminroff are here. Nelson said that he doesn’t think any AWA official would try to injure the wrestlers, and Gordyenko told Nelson to go look at the film of this match. Smirnoff would chime in saying "We’re Unbelievable!" as Gordyenko said the Americans imitate the Russians because they are the best, and were the first men in the sky (to space). Smirnoff and Gordyenko would "UNBELIEVABLE!" to each other, and Nelson said "Let’s not go through all that again."
Jerry Blackwell beat Pete Sanchez before the five minute mark with a Samoan Drop. The mountain from Stone Mountain Georgia removed his ring jacket that stated CRUSHER on the back. Blackwell broke Sanchez’ headlock by pushing him into the ropes, and Sanchez sprung back, only to drop after colliding into a wall of Blackwell. Even though Sanchaz was nearly 300 lbs, he was giving up about 100 lbs to his opponent. A Blackwell headlock would turn into a Sanchez getting his face rubbed against the top rope (rope burn). Blackwell then yelled to the crowd "How about that?!" as the crowd cheered. A Sanchez axe handle to Blackwell’s back, would only earn him a look from Blackwell, and then a clubbing shot against the ropes by Blackwell.
Sanchez would jam his left shoulder twice into Blackwell’s gut. As Sanchez tried to pull Blackwell’s left arm for a whip to the opposite corner, Blackwell pulled his arm back which forced Sanchez forward, crashing and falling again from a Blackwell wall. A clothesline, and a couple head butts were Sanchez’ fate before getting hit by a dropkick from the nearly 500 pounder. The crowd cheered as commentators Rod Trongard and Lord James Blears were disbelieving their eyes. After a powerslam, Blackwell got up to break the pin at the count of two. Then Blackwell hoisted Sanchez up in a fireman’s carry and dropped backwards with a Samoan Drop, or backward splash as Rod Trongard called it, for Gary DeRousha’s three count.
The crowd cheers Blackwell as Nelson introduces him to start their in-ring interview. Blackwell said "These are my kind of people!" "Sometimes during interviews, I get carried away, saying things you’re not supposed to on television." "I was sick for awhile, now I’m well, and ready to kick some you know what!" The crowd cheered for that and then again when Blackwell said he was nice for a long time, but he thinks the people want him to return to his meanness, and start beating people up again. Then Blackwell mentioned that he was working hard with his younger brother, and wanted to bring him in to Vegas. Nelson asked if they were going to be a tag team, but the show broke away into commercial.
Next up, Nelson was at AWA studio, and he introduced a clip of how Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was injured by Colonel DeBeers. The video showed Snuka about to leap off the top rope for a Superfly splash on Larry Zbyszko, when DeBeers rushed the apron to push Snuka to the concrete floor. Zbyszko gripped the back of the waistline to referee Gary DeRousha’s pants, preventing him from getting in the way, as DeBeers drove Snuka face first to the floor from a piledriver position. As a yelling match occurred between DeBeers and the crowd, Showboat security had to restrain a fan who looked like he was going to come after DeBeers with the barrier chain. DeBeers twirled his mustache as he walked away when Curt Hennig, Greg Gagne and a jobber wrestler rushed to tend to a bloodied Snuka.
The Superfly wore a neck brace, bandaged pinky and ring finger on his left hand and forehead, when he joined Nelson after the clip. Snuka took the neck brace off as he said if his neck wasn’t 22", DeBeers would have easily broken it. Snuka said that although he was healing well, DeBeers will be paying a bigger price for thr hurt to Snuka’s pride. Nelson looked ill, and shook when Snuka addressed him. Snuka said that "You’re shaking but I’m shaking more in my heart." Nelson added that "Col. DeBeers will probably wish he was suspended, after he steps into the ring with The Superfly.
AWA’s previous episode showed a replay match. This episode would do the same by replaying the match that saw Larry Zbyszko’s Super Black Ninja defeat Tom "Rocky" Stone in under four minutes with a butterfly (double under hook) suplex bridge. The after match interview was also replayed, where Zbyszko said that he and the Ninja are looking for Bockwinkel’s AWA title. This was followed by another replay match from two nights ago, that saw Greg Gagne defeat Tony Leone before the five minute mark with a flying knee drop from the second ropes.
Curt Hennig was seated with Larry Nelson at AWA studio, as the segment offered their commentary for five minutes of a November 23rd 1974 match that had Curt’s father Larry "The Ax" Hennig against Boris Breznikoff. Nelson said that Breznikoff is wrestling now as Nikolai Volkoff (WWF/WWE). After consulting with his manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Boris gripped The Axe in a bear hug. A double punch would break that, but as Boris held on to the ropes in the corner, he double kicked and kneed the incoming Axe. Boris worked over Ax Hennig's mid section with knees, then a jumping knee drop on his head with biting. Ax Hennig jammed his fingers in Boris’ mouth and yanked until he dropped Boris to the mat. Curt Hennig said that he was sophomore in high school at the time, concentrating on amateur wrestling, but said that watching this match, made him want to take on his father’s style in roughness. The Ax would club a cornered Boris down, drop an elbow and wait for a pleading Boris to rise.
Curt said that "No matter how big or strong you are, once you get Big Red mad, you better head in the other direction." The Ax took Boris down with a fist, and a foot on the rope broke the pin count, after The Ax dropped an elbow. Curt said that his father was a naturally big 330 pounder, that unlike most wrestlers today at that weight, he had evenly solid bulk throughout his frame. Nelson agreed with Curt, that at the age of fifty, Larry Hennig could still wrestle in the ring, as the clip showed Ax Hennig hyper extending Boris’ right leg with a fall back stretch. Nelson said that Curt’s partner Big Scott Hall reminded him of Curt's father, and Curt agreed by saying that Hall is like a modern day Ax. Curt commented that the over 30 lb Boris’ chest clubs didn’t even budge his dad. Then one ax forearm by Larry Hennig took Boris to the mat, and then to a top turnbuckle smash.
Curt said that there may be truth to the rumor that Larry Hennig used his Ax maneuver to knock down small trees in the north woods of Minnesota. When Nelson felt that there were advantages of being a second generation wrestler, like Greg Gagne and Nick Bockwinkel are, Curt said that it definitely gives an edge to a career. As The Ax continued to knock down and keep down Boris, Curt mentioned that Larry Hennig and Lars Anderson were voted by Bill Apter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated as the roughest team. A punch to the stomach, a bodyslam on big Boris, then an Irish whipped Boris would be chopped down by the Ax move.
When Larry dropped Boris with another Ax forearm, he spotted Bobby Heenan climbing to the top ropes. Heenan received double forearms to his shoulder, was dragged in as Boris rushed out, whipped into the ropes and flipped with Larry Hennig’s Ax. Nelson said Heenan's sneaky pete move was basically the same as what cost Hall and Hennig the tag titles. Curt said "Bobby Heenan, for his little tactic there, paid the price." Curt Hennig, as Mr. Perfect, would go on to be briefly managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
Curt Hennig defeated Rick Gatner before the four minute mark, with a top rope missile dropkick and elbow drop. Hennig ran to the ring to the cheers of the crowd. Gatner made false claims to referee Gary DeRousha of hair pulling and trunks pulling, when he couldn’t get the better of Hennigs tie up and waistlock. Hennig pushed Gatner to the ropes, was knocked down in the charge but hip tossed over Gatner, and then made Gatner flee the ring after connecting on him with a beautiful high dropkick to the crowd’s wild cheers.
Gatner would gain a momentary upper hand through an eye gouge and raking Hennig’s head over the top rope, but had his chest smashed into the corner turnbuckles when Hennig reversed the Irish whip. Hennig knife edge chopped Gatner, but dropped his head low too soon on the back body dropped, and was kicked. Gatner lost control of his corner whip, and Hennig stopped himself to deliver a high crescent kick and knee lift to Gatner. Hennig whipped his opponent into the ropes, and struck Gatner down with the patented Ax forearm move. Perched on the top rope, Hennig then drove Gatner down with a missile dropkick. Then put a period on to the match with an elbow drop, as referee DeRousha slapped the canvas three times, to more of the crowd's wild cheers.
During the post match in-ring interview, Hennig said that 1986 hasn’t been too good, due to his and Hall's tag title rip off and AWA's delay in arranging his world title shot, either from Larry Zbyszko’s politics or Nick Bockwinkel’s politics. Nelson told Hennig that he looked devastating and that he looked great. Hennig thanked him and said that "Whoever has the AWA world championship better be ready, because he is ready and is in the best shape of his career."
You can catch classic AWA on ESPN Classic channel Monday thru Friday at 1 am eastern.
David
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