CLASSIC AWA 4/12/08 TV REPORT
- 04/14/2008 (5:46:15 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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April 12th aired an April 8th 1986 episode of Verne Gagne’s AWA from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas.
Earthquake Ferris & Terry Hendrickson versus AWA tag tame champions Curt Hennig & Scott Hall
The nearly 400 lb Ferris hopped in his boxing robe, causing Larry Nelson to bounce too while giving announcements in the ring. Hendrickson backs Hennig in the ropes, but gets waist locked down, and loses in a knee lift exchange with Hennig. Henrickson is headlocked to a tagged Hall, who body slams Henrickson twice, before Ferris is tagged in. With the help of a hair pull, Ferris maintains the headlock on Hall. On the third attempt, Ferris doesn’t use the hair pull and gets muscled down to the mat.
Hall extended Ferris arm in a wristlock for a tagged Hennig to leap off with a middle rope ax handle on the arm. After having his arm worked over with a wristlock from Hall to Hennig and back again, Henrickson was tagged in to get corner whipped into a Hall back body drop. After an elbow drop, Hall whipped Henrickson in the ropes to catch a rough looking high Hennig dropkick. Hennig’s viscous streak continued with a body slam and an off the ropes elbow drop. Hall was tagged in to assist Hennig with double back elbows on a ropes whipped Hendrickon. An ankle twist and an elbow drop to the thigh would occur from Hall.
From an Irish ropes whip, Hendrick would take a shoulder jam from Hennig on the apron. After a Hall body slam that launced Hendrickson across the ring, Hall whipped Hendrick in th ropes to meet a tagged Hennig’s second rope missile dropkick. This scored referee Scott LeDux’s three count, closing the match in under five minutes. Hennig goes over to grab a hold of Hendrickson’s multi-colored punk style hair. I guess to check if it’s real.
In the post match in ring interview, Nelson brings up the match against the Long Riders at the upcoming WrestleRock event. Hall said that everybody has been getting cheap shots in on them, from the Long Riders’ steel tip boot to Sheik Adnan El Kassey’s Army doing anything they please.
Hall said that the teams in the AWA knew that the time to strike is now, because his wrestling abilities mare improving, just as Hennig's physique is. Hall said that he and Hennig "haven’t even peaked as a team, and we’re already the world champions!" Hennig clamped hands with Hall, thanked Scott and told the people to take notice because this improved team "we’ll be in your future!"
Billy Anderson versus "Playboy" Buddy Rose
On the bottom of the sceen, ESPN posted that this AWA show featured Bruiser Brody and mistakenly Arn Anderon. Rose threw a kiss to the camera while following his manager Sherri Martel to the ring. Rose took Nelson’s mic during the introductions to state that Rose is "the greatest attraction in Las Vegas today", and that he is weigning in today at 215 lbs. A commentating Verne Gagne guessed that Rose was actually weighing in at about 280 lbs. Sherri Martel got on the mic to add that Rose is "twisted steel and nothing but total sex appeal" Rose takes a swing at Anderson, and then ducks behind Sherri inthe corner when Anderson goes after Rose.
Commentator Lord James Blears brought up a quote by Ed "Stringer" Lewis "In man to man mortal combat, no one can defeat a wrestler". Blears said that Lewis was a eight time world champion. Verne added that Lewis was a gentleman that he didn’t see wrestle until Lewis was in his seventies, but added that Lewis was America’s first great champion.
Anderson backs Rose into the corner, but is caught with a stomach punch by Rose.
Anderson would receive a kneelift and stomps until he was dropped from the ring. Sherri went over to Anderson and spat on him. Anderson returned to get judo chops in the corner, and then got dropped to a seated position when Irish whipped into the opposite corner. Rose whipped Anderson to the corner again with the same result. Rose then used his foot to push Anderson out of the ring again, then on his return, Rose would press Anderson’s neck over the top rope and fling him back with a rope yank.
After a gut stomp, and a false pin after an elbow, Rose dropped his weight over the shoulder of a seated Anderson. Rose then applied an abdominal stretch to Anderson. When referee LeDux would check the hair, Rose would pull the trunks and then pull the hair when LeDux checked the trunks. Anderson tried to hip toss out but is brought back down with a hair pull and a stomp. After taking a suplexed with an off the ropes knee drive, Anderson took a turnbuckle smash but held off a second, and smashed Rose into the turnbuckle.
Anderson delivered stinging chest and knife edge chops, to a hip toss on Rose, out of the corner. Rose is on his knees pleading in the corner, and is Irish whipped to a back elbow in the opposite corner. A series of open hand shots would have Rose fall backwards, under the middle ropes to the floor.
Sherri tries to help Rose up, and Rose’ return would have him extend his hand for a shake, but Anderson stood in a fighting stance with his fists clenched. LeDux slapped away Anderson’s fist, and Rose spun Anderson into the corner for three shoulder jams to the mid section. Anderson would reverse a whip to the ropes, but duck down too soon and get planted to the mat with a Rose DDT. LeDux counts the pin and ends the match a little past six minutes.
After the slow motion replay, "The Playboy speaks up and out" was posted on screen. "Another victory for the shrinking Playboy, looks like you hit the jackpot" said Nelson. Rose said "That’s right, I am going to hit the jackpot on all the wrestlers in the AWA" Rose corrected himself in saying that he wouldn’t work to the top, that he was already there. He went on to say that he wanted to see anyone try to beat him, because he said it couldn’t be done.
When Nelson brought up the Midnight Rockers to Sherri, she changed the subject by saying that Verne Gagne knows that they don’t have the belts because the ref’s have been paid off, and she wanted justice. Sherri went on to say that she would run through anyone to get a re-match with AWA ladies’ champion Candy DeVine. Sherri put her hand to Rose’ face, saying "he’ll be right there with her, because they are two champions in one" Rose went on to say the"Midnight Rockers have gone to bed already, they aren’t even going to see midnight in Las Vegas"
At AWA studio, Larry Nelson introduced the next match that took place at Minnesota’s St. Paul Civic Center. Sheik Adnan El Kassey was hard to understand on the microphone, but it was explained that the documents he presented to referee Gary DeRousha stated that he couldn’t wrestle against Brad Rheigans. When Sheik Adnan continued his rant, Rheingans knocked down Adnan, dropped an elbow to the thigh and leg locked in the figure four. A large wrestler in red trunks and red mask stormed the ring, plants a big leg drop and lands stomps on Rheingans.
The masked man throws Rheingans from the ring, where he and Sheik Adnan then proceed to double whip him into the steel post. The masked man slams Rheingans onto a table, then throws him back in for more stomps. Rheingans delivers a leaping headbutt to the mid section to no effect, and the masked man scoops up and body slam Rheingans down before exiting the ring.
The masked man returns with a chair, and Greg Gagne rushes in to punch it away. Then Gagne removes his own right boot to hit the masked man with. After many strikes, Gagne throws aside the boot and hits the masked man with a chair. Gagne then tries to remove the mask, gets annoyed with the referee, and throws him through the ropes. Gagne then removes the mask to expose the man as King Kong Brody.
Gagne strikes him with the boot again, then hit Sheik Adnan, who holds Gagne's leg from the apron. Brody charges off the ropes and drops Gagne with a big boot to the face. Brody then hoists Gagne upside for at least five seconds in mid pile driver position, before crashing Gagne down on the chair. Rheingans rushes forward and lands stomach shots that have no effect. As Brody throws Rheingans from the ring, the crowd cheers as Verne Gagne propels himself over the tope rope, to land shots on Brody.
Verne whips Brody in the ropes, and looks to be attempting a back body drop, but Brody is large and working too stiff for that move happen. Commentator Rod Trongard called it a shoulder block. Verne strikes at Brody, then has some trouble trying to apply the sleeper hold. Once he has it applied, Brody throws strikes and Adnan releases the move with a double handed sledge to Verne’s back. Verne then fires back with a forearm strike, then grabs Sheik Adnan by the hair before throwing him over the top rope.
Verne then hits Brody with the chair, and after the third time, pushes the referee down like a piece of paper into the corner with the chair. Verne then kicks through the ropes at Brody on the floor. Verne goes and stands on the middle rope, raising his right fist as the crowd cheers.
After the video, Greg Gagne was behind a cage wall. He said that Sheik Adnan had paid $50,000 for Brody to take Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell out, so that the main event tag match couldn’t happen at WrestleRock. Brody not only did this, but put Blackwell in the hospital in cirtical condition.
Sheik Adnan didn’t want this match because if his Army lost, he would have to face Verne Gagne in the cage. Greg said that Adnan and Brody thought they pulled a fast one, and though Greg’s wife and friends tries to dissuade him from pursuing this caged tag match against Brody and Nord the Barbarian, Greg found himself the right partner in Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
Greg said that Snuka can fly off the cage, and that he and Snuka will be hitting Brody and Nord from all angles. "Gagne is a french name that means victory" said Greg. He went on to say that the Gagnes give it all they had in the ring, no matter if their opponents were bigger, stronger and faster. Greg added whatever happens, he will hold his head high, because Brody and Nord will feel the wrath, and Sheik Adnan will be facing Verne Gagne in the cage. Greg slapped the cage wall.
"Baby Bull" Leon White (Vader) versus AWA World Champion Stan "The Lariat" Hansen in a title match main event.
Blears mentions White’s background as being the Los Angeles Rams' 1st round draft choice as linebacker. Both men lock up and shove each other off three times. White is backed to the corner with a headlock, and then Stan is headlocked to the ropes. Hansen is unable to whip off White headlock, and is brought to his knees. After rib shots, Hansen pushes off White, but is brought down with a charge and White cartwheels in celebration.
White applied the headlock again, and Verne mentioned that was "Strangler" Lewis’ big hold. Hansen pushes White the corner, charges, but White moves and Hansen hits the turnbuckles. After being flipped over by a headlock take down, Hansen uses his forearms to try to cross face an escape. His second attempt would allow enough of an opening for Hansen to plant knees to White’s head, but a third knee would miss.
Hansen is flipped over again by the headlock take. Hansen rubs his forearm across White’s face, and then eventually gets up to forearm smash and land a boot on White after shoving him in the ropes. Hansen would punt kick White, but then White would respond with his own punt kick that knocked Hansen to mat.
After another headlock take down, Hansen would smash White into the top turnbuckle and land punches. Foloowing an arm drag and knees, Hansen would apply what Blears described as a Japanese arm bar, which was an arm bar with the palm being extended back. White tries to head scissors out, but Hansen would break the move to land knees on White’s hand.
Hansen would continue to work on White’s hand by smashing it on the top turnbuckle, and yanking the hand upwards on the top rope. Hansen would pull White’s trunks, to take him back down and stomp on his hand. Hansen then took White’s left hand and tried to drag him outside, but Hansen fell backwards as he dropped off the apron.
Hansen then slammed White’s hand into the ring steps, but then White shoved Hansen into the steel post. After taken big judo chops, Hansen rakes the eyes and slams White’s hand on a chair at ringside. White punched his way out of Hansen’s wrist lock, while referee Marty Miller was counting.
Hansen walks back towards the locker room, White spins him around, delivers a knife edge chop and throws Hansen back in the ring to break the count. Hansen stomps at White as he enters, tries to whip White to the ropes, but Hansen is whipped in the reverse and dropped by a White back elbow. White gets a foot ball stance, rushes and tackles Hansen down.
After a second tackle down, White drops an elbow and gets a count of two on the pin cover. White delivers a leaping head butt, whips him in for a big avalanche splash in the corner. White covers again, but Hansen gets his boot over the bottom rope at the count of two.
White whips Hansen into the corner, but Hansen moves away and hits the turnbuckles. Hansen knocks White back with a Lariat clothesline and dives on top, pressing White’s legs back for Marty Miller’s 1..2..3 count, in this twelve minute match. Hansen leaves the ring, raises the hook and horns devils and the AWA title to his "Boo" call.
Nelson is in the ring for the interview, and says that White makes one mistake for Hansen to retain the title. Hansen nudges aside Nelson and says "Next! Whose’s next, are you next Bockwinkel?!" and bends over in a display of pain and exhaustion. Hansen said that he has to "go home to lick his wounds, and Bockwinkel, you’re out there looking at yer damn dictionary boy, trying to figure out how to describe me. I ain’t the toughest man walking but I never damn quit! I got a big fat paycheck to go to the FMA and the rest of it is going to mama. I’ll be back in the Metrodome in St. Paul Minnesota!"
Hansen exited, and Nick Bockwinkel entered the ring to talk about how like Hansen, he was not liked by the people. Bockwinkel explained that this was due to his expertise in "getting dirty, cutting corner and being devious in the ring" Bockwinkel told Hansen that he may be winded after just experiencing a hard way in his last bout, but Bockwinkel warned that he would "not show any sympathy" in their match. Bockwinkel added that his "only concern is leaving that ring as AWA champion for the fourth time", to many crowd cheers.
Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic
David
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