CLASSIC AWA 3/18/08 TV REPORT
- 03/18/2008 (10:39:30 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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March 18th airing of AWA was a March 25th 1986 episode from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.
"Playboy" Buddy Rose beat Jesse Hernandez in under 4 minutes with a DDT. During the introductions, Rose told ring announcer Larry Nelson "I don’t weigh 255 lbs, I weigh 217 lbs". Sherri Martel accompanied Rose for this match. To show the crowd that he is fit, Rose got down and performed three one handed push-ups. Rose then backed Hernandez (who played George Steel’s opponent in the movie Ed Wood) against the ropes, and slyly gave him a slap to the face. Lord James Blears oddly asked Verne Gagne if he’d slap back if his wife did that to him, Verne said that he didn’t want to say what he’d do, but yes. Rose complained of hair pulling when Hernandez backed him to the ropes, which made Rose leave the ring to have his hair combed by Sherri. Rose would choke Hernandez over the top rope, yanking the rope back to make Hernandez fly backwards.
Rose exited the ring after an angered Hernandez fired back on him. Verne Gagne said that he did not under Sherri’s attraction to Rose, as she brushed Rose’s hair back. Rose applied a behind the head wrist lock to Hernandez, called a Japanese armbar by Blears, and held the move even after Hernandez flipped Rose. Rose would have that move reversed into a hammerlock, and have it broken by grabbing the bottom ropes. Rose judo chopped Hernandez on the ropes, then delivered a flying back elbow as Hernandez came back from the Irish whip. This move is commonly used by Midnight Rockers’ Marty Jannetty. Verne Gagne mentioned that former pro boxer turned referee Scott LeDux didn’t have marks on his face, even after mentioning LeDux being the only man at that time to have boxed eight champions. Rose would then execute a Rick Rude style neckbreaker, then gain the pain the pin count from referee LeDux after a DDT.
Nelson interviewed Rose in the ring, as he was joined by Sherri and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers. When asked the name of his DDT, Rose called it hitting the jackpot, and that he would be using it on all his opponents. Sherri told Nelson that she and her men deserve to champions unlike current ladies champion Candi Devine. Nelson said that he’s out of time and didn’t get a chance to talk to Somers, Rose said "That’a alright, we want the Midnight Rockers next week!", as Somers nodded approval.
Colonel DeBeers defeated Billy Anderson a little past the 3 minute point after a forward face piledriver. DeBeers backed Anderson into the corner, walked away twirling his mustache, then walked away again twirling the stache after whipping Anderson down with an arm drag. DeBeers would take Anderson down with a drop toe hold, and a snap mare to elbow drops and stomps. DeBeers would toy with Anderson by punishing him, then lifting him up before the two count. DeBeers even put Anderson’s foot on the middle rope, to show LeDux to break the count. DeBeers ran Anderson’s head across the ring to the top turnbuckle from a headlock position. A boot would put an end to Anderson’s punches to the Colonel’s stomach. A fast suplex , knee off the ropes, then a variation of a forward press Russian leg sweep. DeBeers would then wrap up the match with his finisher.
After the commercial, Nelson interviewed a street clothed AWA champion Stan "The Lariat" Hansen in the ring. When Nelson interrupted Hansen, Hansen told him to shut up, as he was mentioning that in a few weeks he had to be careful in his match against the nearly 400 lbs ex LA Ram Leon White (Vader). Hansen said Bruno Sammartino Jr (David Sammartino) put up a gallant fight last week, but then spat, saying that’s what he thought of him. Hansen said he has challenges back to to June, as he had matches in Japan and April’s Wrestle Rock where he was to face Nick Bockwinkel. Looking for an even earlier encounter, Hansen called out Bockwinkel and White for a match that night at the Showboat.
Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) beat Hans DeHass & Alex Night (I think they spelled his name wrong) just past the five minute mark. Shawn would get the better of an off the ropes collision with Night. Shawn reversed a hip toss attempt, Night prevented on a pull back. With his arm locked and a placed right leg on the back of Night’s neck, Shawn back flipped and muscled over his opponent, even though it looked like Night didn’t want to cooperate on that move. The crowds cheers got even louder. Shawn twists Night’s left arm, as a tagged Jannetty leaps and hits Night’s arm with a double ax handle. Marty would continue you with the arm twist, then into an arm bar from a fireman’s carry takeover.
Verne Gagne mentioned how young this team was, with Jannetty at 22 and Michaels at 20. From his corner, Hans grabbed Jannetty’s hair, Marty broke the move and exited the corner with caution. Hans was tagged, and chose to stall and walk around the mat. Jannetty was a little annoyed, and then gave a chicken walk around the ring to mock Hans. Jannetty would reverse the arm twist on Hans, then roll over him to flip Hans to the mat with an arm drag. Blears said that was a move he loved to do. After reversing a headlock into an armbar on Hans, Jannetty delivered a shot to Hans’ gut, a tagged Michaels sprung off the ropes and dropped Hans’ with a knee lift.
Hans roughly dangled upside down as Michaels had him up in a vertical suplex, then twirled Hans around before depositing him to the mat. Michaels would plant Hans with a tough looking backbreaker before tagging Jannetty. Verne stated he was of French descent and corrected Blears’ pronunciation of LeDux’s name. Hans rushed from the ropes to tag out as Jannetty was being back by LeDux. Night would convert a front face lock into wristlock, then get caught with a forearm uppercut from Jannetty, and flattened by a tagged Michaels top rope body press for three slaps to the canvas.
Larry Nelson interviewed former AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel about his upcoming match against current champion Stan Hansen at Wrestle Rock. Bockwinkel said that Hansen brings a lot of bravado and tough talk, that he realizes Hansen has a lot of tough matched between now and their match. Bockwinkel wanted to remind Hansen, that Bockwinkel is a man who has been there three times before and for over 8 ½ years, that he has seen all the trails going up as he’s been on top. Bockwinkel said that as egotistical and desirous Hansen is in holding the title, there is nothing he would like more than to gain it back for the fourth time.
Next up, Ken Resnick and Verne Gagne are at AWA studio to introduce a clip from a recent match with former Olympian Brad Rheingans against the Masked Marauder at the Civic Center in St. Paul Minnesota. Before that match, Verne said that he likes country rock music and Waylon Jennings promised him that his first performance at the wrestling show will be his best. Resnick said that Sheik Adnan El Kassey was to be facing Rheingans, but backed out last minute and sent in his protege. Brody..I mean Masked Marauder booted down Rheingans, tossed him out of the ring and whipped Rheingans into the steel post, with an assist from Sheik Adnan. Marauder then repeatedly slammed Brad’s head into a ringside table.
Greg Gagne rushed to Brad’s aide when Marauder was going to use a steel folding chair on Brad. Greg threw fists and whipped Marauder with his right boot, hits Marauder with the chair, working him over with more boot whips and fists until Greg was able to subdue Marauder long enough to try removing the mask. Thus revealing the Masked Marauder as King Kong Brody. Greg had enough of referee Gary DeRousha in his face, so he grabbed the ref and tossed him through the ropes. As Greg was using his loose boot on Brody, Adnan grabbed Greg’s right ankle. Greg git adnan with the boot, but Adnan held on as Brody sprung off the ropes and obliterated Greg with a high boot to the face.
Then Brody would pick up Greg in piledriver position, holding him for six seconds until finally spiking Greg into the mat. As Brody through Rheinghans through the ropes, street clothed Verne Gagne hops over the top rope and strikes at Brody with lefts and rights. Verne whips Bordy into the ropes. Commentator Rod Trongard said that Verne hit Bordy with a shoulder tackle, but it looked like Verne tried to back body drop Brody, but Brody was too gigantic. Verne throws some rights and then hops on Brody’s back to procure the sleeperhold. Sheik Adnan breaks the hold when he gives a double ax handle to the back of Verne.
Verne gives Sheik Adnan a right for his trouble, then grabs Adnan by the hair and tossing him over the top ropes, as the crowd cheers louder. Verne throws some rights, then hits Brody three times with the chair. Referee Gary DeRousha seems to be made of paper as he collapses to the corner after barely touching Verne’s chair. Greg is still out on the mat, as Verne tries to get a kick on an exiting Bordy. Verne goes to the corner, stands on the middle ropes and raises his right hand as the crowd cheers.
The main event at the Showboat saw AWA tag team champions Curt Hennig & Big Scott Hall defeated Boris Zhukov & Nord the Barbarian by disqualification when Zhukov nailed Hennig in the throat from the top rope after the 12 minute mark. Hall & Hennig got into a fighting stance when Nord came towards them in threatening fashion with his chain links. Sheik Adnan was pointing and jawing to Hennig, Hennig clenched his fist and stopped moving towards Adnan as fled behind Zhukov. Bleares brought up Verne from the previous clip, and Verne said that he shouldn’t have gotten involved but couldn’t standby and let that brutality continue, and apologized for using a chair in blind rage. The crowd chants "GO, SCOTT, GO" as Hall starts out against Nord. Verne Gagne said that in his day, you couldn’t find men that big and muscular. Both men couldn’t budge each other in the collar and elbow tie up. Hall would clamp on a standing side headlock that Nord quickly pushed his way out of. Hall would bound from the ropes twice and not budge Nord on the impact.
When Hall tried a third time, Nord floored Hall with a quick high and giant boot to the face. Nord picks up Hall and launches him with a body slam. Hall would get up quick to avoid Nord’s jumping knee drop. Hall Then returned with a right punch to Nord’s stomach and a body slam. Zhukov ran in, but Nord kicked out by the count of two. Nord raised his right hand to engage Hall in a test of strength by way of a Greco Roman knuckle lock. Neither man could gain an instant edge. Nord would get Hall down to one knee, but Hall got up as the crowd cheered him. He backed Nord into the corner, and pulled him back into a monkey flip. Hall ducked the charging Nord’s clothesline, couldn’t maneuver on Nord’s return from the ropes, and got his head caught under Nord’s arm in ropes. Hall got caught in Nord’s corner, where Zhukov laid kicks into him, then after being smashed into the opposite corner’s turnbuckle, Hall punched Zhukov back into Hennig’s corner.
Hennig Irish whipped Zhukov in and followed up with a high dropkick, then rushed over to Zhukov’s corner to lay right and left shots on Nord. Another Irish whip by Hennig would mean a shot to Zhukov’s mid section and have Zhukov fleeing after another high dropkick. Hennig would war dance in the ring, as Hall got into the ring to celebrate with Hennig and the cheering crowd. After a double high five, Hennig reached over and pulled Sheik Adnan’s keffiyah (Arabian head dress) off his head, as Adnan was talking with his men on the floor. The crowd is now chanting "USA". Hennig and Hall would work on Zhukov’s left arm with arm twists, elbows smashes and arm yanking. Hall would hold Zhukov’s arm for a middle rope double ax handle by Hennig, and then a punt by Hennig.
Boris would break out by taking Hennig down with a size 10 ½ head butt, then hold Hennig to dropped again by a big Nord boot. Nord got a count of 1 on his pin, as referee Marty Miller’s attention was on Zhukov, making him out of position. Nord applied a chin lock on a seated Hennig. Curt raised up to get whipped into the ropes, and move away from a high Nord boot. Hennig hit with one drop that staggered Nord back a bit, then a second dropkick off the ropes had Nord do a back flip over the top rope. Nord landed on his feet, but then fell to complete the momentum. The crowd cheered as Nord ran around the ring and tumbled, as Zhukov fell to the floor and into a chair from the apron.
Verne Gagne said that might have been a disqualification on Hennig and Hall, due to their top rope rule, but the referee Miller didn’t see that. This wasn’t true though, but just by looking, it couldn’t be proven that Hennig intended to have his opponent go over the top rope. Nord would step over the top rope on his return, lull Hennig into a stomach kick, then smash him into his corner’s turnbuckle. Nord had Hennig trapped while Boris worked him with an elbow, then a snap mare into a chin lock. Hennig would kick Zhukov after a back body drop attempt, take an ax handle from Nord, then catch Nord with a cross body press. Nord’s lifted Hennig off the pin attempt that sent Hennig over the bottom rope.
After absorbing forearm clubs and an eye rake, Hennig fired back with right punches, the Nord met a kick by Hennig when trying to go for the back body drop. Hennig drop kicked Nord, then reversed a whip in the corner by Zhukov. Hennig made the tag, Hall unloaded shots on Zhukov and dropped him with an elbow smash. Zhukov was whipped into the ropes, dropped by Hall’s back elbow. Zhukov was whipped into the corner and flipped by Hall’s back body drop. Nord clubs Hall into the corner, as Verne mentions that Nord could be Brody’s twin. Both men get knock each other down with a clothesline. A freshly tagged Hennig rushes in and hits Nord in the stomach with a smash from his right outer thigh. The bell rings to the confusion of everyone except the time keeper. Hennig yells out "What?!" to the timekeeper, then referee Miller goes over to find out that the timekeeper made a mistake on the time limit.
Verne Gagne and Lord James Blears falsely accused Sheik Adnan of ringing the bell, but Adnan was clearly on the other side of the ring, as he watched the action. Nord and Hennig exchanged eye rakes. Then Hennig fired away with chops, punches and kicks on Nord. Hennig gets grounded by a Nord foot when Hennig lowered his head too soon for the back body drop (proven to be a very tricky move in this match). Hennig gets his right shoulder off the mat just before the 3. Nord then hoists Hennig into a one shoulder torture rack. Hall runs in for the save and is stopped by the ref. Zhukov then climbs to the top rope and lowers the boom with a forearm against Hennig’s throat. Marty Miller signals the bell.
There is confusion at first as to why, but Verne and Blears explained that top rope shot to the throat is an automatic disqualification. Hall knocks Zhukov from the ring, then stands over to protect Hennig as Nord and Boris threaten to return. Nelson asked Hennig how he was, and Hennig said he felt the pain mostly in his ribs. Hennig said that he doesn’t know where Sheik Adnan gets his men, but Adnan had paid for the biggest, most powerful and most dangerous men he’s been in the ring with. Nelson brought up the champs calling out a challenge for the Long Riders ("Wild" Bill Irwin & Scot "Hog" Irwin). Hennig said that they tried to put he and Hall out with their steel tipped boots. Hennig went on to explain that AWA president Stanley Blackburn issued a contract stating that the Long Riders have to wrestle in regular wrestling gear. "Scott and I got them just where we want them".
Catch vintage AWA Monday thru Friday at 1 am eastern standard time on ESPN Classic.
David
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