CLASSIC AWA 3/20/08 TV REPORT
- 03/20/2008 (8:00:28 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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March 20th aired a June 28th 1986 episode of AWA from the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland California.
Oakland’s own Anthony "Earthquake Ferris pinned Ali Khan in under 6 minutes with a body splash. After a few attempts by Khan to overpower, Ferris forced Khan down with a collar and elbow tie up, then Khan fled the ring after receiving a back body drop. Khan was stalling outside the ring with his manager Sheik Adnan Al’Kassey (the posted spelling on screen). Much of Khan’s offense in the match was working over Ferris with a chin lock. A corner splash from Ferris seemed to get the match to move back in his favor, but Khan got his knee up when Ferris charged with another corner splash attempt at the opposite corner. As Khan was coming off the ropes, Ferris scooped up Khan into a powerslam and referee Rick Fritz’ three count. Khan ended Ferris’ celebration quickly by clubbing him out of the ring and running Ferris into the ring post, before exiting with his manager.
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka pinned Jay York in under 7 minutes with a flying body press from the top rope. York complaining to ref Fritz lulled Snuka in for back elbows, into a seated cross face wristlock. When York tried to pull Snuka back for a full nelson pin, Snuka rolled backwards over York, catching him into a double leg vice to York’s waist. York would roll this into a ankle lock, and have to break the hold as they were in the ropes. York would throw his leg over Snuka’s arm, to flip him over, turning York’s arm twist into a seated arm stretch. Snuka rolled over York, into a side headlock. York would choke Snuka over the top rope, and yank the rope back so Snuka would crash backwards into the mat. When York tried this a second time, Snuka did a backward roll, and knocked York down with a flying dropkick. Snuka smashed York’s chest with forearms, whipped him to the opposite corner with a follow up kick. York reversed Snuka’s second corner whip, and Snuka climbed up the corner, and twisted his body to convert that into a top rope Superfly leap and pinfall win for The Superfly.
Larry Nelson asked Snuka about his alliance with Greg Gagne and about facing AWA champion Stan "The Lariat" Hansen for the title. Snuka said that he would help Greg, if ever he needed it. On Hansen, Snuka said that even though he has been wrestling for awhile, he is willing to work his way up from the bottom to earn a title shot.
The next match was the last AWA title defense of Stan "The Lariat" Hansen. The setting was Oakland California on June 28th 1986 and the opponent was the nearly 500 lb mountain from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell. The challenger is coming into this match with an injured ankle, a result of a recent automobile accident. After the announcements, Hansen scares Nelson out of the ring, then goes right after Blackwell with heavy blows.
Blackwell showed that he is certainly on the same page, as he returned with heavy shots of his own. So heavy that Hansen was knocked out of the ring, and when he returned his head was busted open (looking to be the results of blading). Hansen was unrelenting, as was Crusher Blackwell, who again knocked Hansen out of the ring. Still, this did not slow down Hansen’s offense much, until Blackwell applied the bear hug. This was the only wrestling hold the match had to offer, as this was an all out brawl.
At one point, referee Rick Fritz was too close to the action and found himself squashed in the corner. He was unable to get up and count the pin attempt by Blackwell who had just nailed Hansen with the big slash. As Crusher Blackwell’s attention was diverted, Hansen took that opportunity to remove his boot and used it to beat Blackwell over the head with, which opened up Blackwell. Now with both men gushing, Hansen continues to use the boot on Blackwell.
Another referee Gary DeRousha courageously rushed in and tackled Hansen. This was also incredibly stupid, as Hansen flings DeRousha across the ring, and floors him with a punch for his troubles. Blackwell recovers the boot, and uses it to knock Hansen out of the ring. As he is restrained momentarily by an ailing DeRousha, officiating referee Fritz gets to his feet and signals for the bell, ending the match with a disqualification loss to Hansen at the nine minute mark.
After the commercial, a bloodied Hansen was interviewed by Larry Nelson in the ring. Hansen called out Nick Bockwinkel. He also called out Blackwell, mocking his injury and complaining that his opponent used the boot on him and wasn’t disqualified for it. Hansen was still looking hungry for a fight and said that he looked forward to kicking more ass across the country. Hansen would soon forfeit the AWA title, due to switching his commitments to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
This was the main event, but the Hansen & Blackwell match made this a night of two main events. In a 6 man tag team match, The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) with Curt Hennig defeated "Playboy" Buddy Rose, "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers & Alexis Smirnoff in under 12 minutes, when Jannetty pinned Somers after a flying body press. The spotlight shown on Rose, Somers and Smirnoff when they followed Sherri Martel to the ring, as the song Dress You Up by Madonna played. The crowd cheered as the spotlight hit Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty and Curt Hennig coming to the ring to the song Living After Midnight by Judas Priest.
Rose and Hennig criss cross the ring, Hennig stop to the center of the ring and flip Rose with a back body drop, then made Rose flee after connecting with a crisp dropkick. Rose’s return would mean two body slams on Hennig, followed by a most muscular pose each time. This earned two body slams on Rose by Hennig, then a Hennig body slam on the incoming Somers and Smirnoff, as all of Sherri’s men escaped from the ring. Two fresh tags, as Michaels back Smirnoff into the corner, whipped him to the opposite corner but got caught with Smirnoff’s high boot as he rushed in. A body slam, then an off the ropes leg drop would only find canvas for Smirnoff, as Shawn got away just in time.
A tagged Somers met Michaels foot, fist and was flipped by a Michaels back body drop. Somers would escape a couple of pin attempts, but suffer an atomic drop by Michaels, into a fireman’s carry take over and arm bar by a tagged Jannetty. Somers backed Jannetty against the ropes, tagged Rose, then whipped Jannetty into the ropes. Jannetty hopped over a bent over Somers, then hopped over a bent over Rose, avoiding both mens’ back body drop attempts. As Jannetty came off the ropes, Somers and Rose would ducked down next to each other, and was met by a double sunset flip by Jannetty. The crowd cheered as commentators, Greg Gagne and Rod Trongard confessed to have seen that move before.
Rose, Somers and Smirnoff worked Jannetty over in the corner. Jannetty took a suplex with a snapmare by Smirnoff, then a snapmare with a knee drop by Somers, but come back with another sunset flip on Rose. Jannetty escaped Rose’s body slam, a tagged Shawn escpaed Rose’s headlock with a whip to the ropes, then leap frogged over Rose twice before rocking Rose with a superkick to Rose’s chest. Somers pulled Michaels off the pin, then Rose’s left arm would be held in Michael’s arm twist as a tagged Hennig crashed down on Rose’s shoulder with a middle rope double ax handle. Somers reached from his corner to pull Hennig off the pin, and Hennig answered that with a knife edge chop on Somers, and a right fist to Smirnoff.
Hennig raised Rose’s right arm, for Jannetty’s punch to Rose’s ribs. Jannetty whipped Rose into the ropes, tagged Michaels, then gave Rose a gut punch as Michaels come off the ropes with a knee lift on a crouched Rose. A halted pin with a leg over the bottom ropes would mean much misfortune for Rose, as he received a Michaels face stomp, Jannetty eye gouge, Hennig right fist and dropping after Michaels’ right punch. Michaels would miss a high leg drop on Rose, a tagged Smirnoff leap frogged over an incoming Hennig, and knocked Hennig to the mat with a high boot. Smirnoff got a near fall, but his body slam couldn’t keep Hennig down long enough, as Smirnoff attempted to leap off the top rope. Hennig reached up and launched Smirnoff from the top rope with a power press slam.
Hennig bounded off the ropes with a leap on Smirnoff, but Smirnoff got his knees up. A tagged Somers lifted Hennig with a waistlock to a half gut wrentch suplex, but instead of completing the move to land Hennig on his back, Hennig was dropped on Somers knee for a gut buster. Shawn kicked Somers off the pin, but worked over Hennig in the corner with Rose and Smirnoff. A tagged Rose attempted a superplex on Hennig, Hennig blocked and punched Rose to the mat. Hennig rose to leap from the top ropes, but Rose got up and punched Hennig in the stomach, causing Hennig to land his crotch on the steel turnbuckle connecter.
Hennig would received a couple of head butts to the lower abdomen from a tagged Hennig, then Smirnoff and Somers would trade shots on Hennig. A tagged Smirnoff gave a quick high boot to bring down Hennig, but Hennig escape Smirnoff’s body slam, and back roll up him off the ropes for a pin count by referee Gary DeRousha. Greg Gagne commented that referee DeRousha didn’t see Smirnoff’s tag to Somers as he was counting the pin (making Somers the legal man to pin). Somers kicked Hennig off the pin, then applied that waist lock gut buster again. Hennig kicked out of the pin and finessed an incoming Smirnoff with an abdominal stretch.
Rose broke this hold by pulling Hennig’s hair, then a tagged Rose would whip Hennig into the ropes, held on to Hennig’s wrist with a knee to the mid section as Hennig bounced off the ropes. Rose worked this move again, as atagged Somers tried to trap Hennig in the corner with punches. Hennig fired back, and was now fighting off Somers and Rose, who was attacking from the apron. Hennig slammed Somers’ and Rose’s heads together, and slowly got to his corner for a tag to Jannetty. The crowd cheered as a fired up Jannetty fired rights on Somers, an incoming Smirnoff and Rose. From the apron, Shawn fired a punch on Somers, Jannetty dropped kicked down Smirnoff, then rope whipped Somers into power slam.
Rose pulled off Marty’s pin with a hair grab, and Hennig fired a right punch on Rose. Then Hennig worked over Somers into the corner, as Marty worked over Rose in the corner and Shawn worked over Smirnoff in the corner. Michaels, Jannetty & Hennig whipped Smirnoff, Rose & Somers from the corner where Smirnoff, Rose & Somers collided in the center of the ring. Hennig would then take to the air from the middle rope and drill Somers with a missile dropkick. Shawn Irish whipped Marty into the ropes and then gorilla press slammed Marty onto a mat prone Somers for the 1..2..3.
Hennig and Smirnoff were trading shots as Jannetty would join in on Smirnoff, and along with Hennig, double Irish whipped Smirnoff into a Shawn Michaels flying dropkick. Greg Gagne was going horse from his excitement while pointing out in the slow motion replay, Shawn Michaels leap from the ring to Rose on the floor, which also amazed Rod Trongard.
An in ring post match interview with Larry Nelson, had Curt Hennig thanking the people for coming out to see AWA, said AWA had the toughest wrestlers in the world and thanked Nelson for noticing his added aggression in the match. Hennig said "Yeah, I’ve got a change in my attitude. "Playboy" Buddy Rose, "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers and Colonel DeBeers..you’re bringing it out of me, so be looking for it!". Nelson said to Jannetty that the Midnight Rockers must be top team for contention. Jannetty said that he knows everyone across the country feels as Oakland does that "Buddy Rose you’re nothing but a fat jelly belly Pillsbury dough boy".
Jannetty added that after beating Rose & Somers in singles matches along with tag matches, that the six man loss weighs heavy on Rose and Somers’ mind, and we may have new world tag team champions tomorrow night in Denver. Michaels included that "We’ve beaten you every way we could. Now it’s for all the money..all the marbles, Denver Colorado brother, Buddy Rose and Doug Somers..your time as champions are over. The dough boys are going down, and The Rockers are the new world champions!"
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David
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