CLASSIC AWA 5/1/08 TV REPORT
- 05/02/2008 (2:35:22 am)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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May 1st aired a 1988 episode of Verne Gagne’s AWA All Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.
Van Van Horne & Jake "Milk Man" Milliman versus "Slick" Nick Kiniski & "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly (accompanied by AWA ladies’ champion Madusa Miceli)
Kelly (WWF’s Nailz) powered Milliman back to the mat, then Van Horne was subject to a double team with twin back elbows. Madusa distracted the referee Robert Warren as Kiniski choked Van Horne on the middle rope. Kelly rope burned Van Horne, then distracted the ref as Kiniski landed a guillotine forearm to the chest as Van Horne laid on the apron. Kiniski then finished the match in in under five minutes with a piledriver. Kiniski and Kelly then kicked Van Horne out of the ring.
Ricky Rice & Steve O (Osinowski) verus Destroyer Samoan & Dennis Stamp
Destroyer chokes Steve O in Rice’s corner with the Samoan tribal dress, then is double whipped by Steve and Rice for a double clothesline. From a Steve O body slam and Rice leg drop, Destroyer chops Steve O in the corner. From an Irish whip to the ropes, Stamp flipped over Steve O with a kick, and then battered Steve O in the corner. Destroyer took too much time as Stamp tried to set up a double team, and Steve O knocked their heads together, then Stamp was dropkicked down.
Stamp escaped a two pin attempts after a Steve O roll up from a Rice body slam and suplex. Steve O hurt his hand punching the Destroyer in the head, and was Destroyer double chopped down, clotheslined but moved away from a headbutt drive. Stamp took a Rice monkey flip, a double back elbow, a Steve O back body drop, two Rice dropkicks and a Rice flying cross body press before referee Scott LeDux counted the final pin in this five minute match.
Billy Jack Strong versus Tom "Rocky" Stone
Strong (WCW’s Minotaur) easily broke Stone’s full Nelson, and commentator Rod Trongard mentioned that Strong can bench press over 600 lbs, squats over 900 lbs, deadlifts over 600 lbs. Stone clubs Strong in the corner to no effect. String clubs Stone in the opposite corner, before hip tossing him and nearly taking him over the top rope with a clothesline.
Stone lands a knee to the mid section, with forearm smashes to the back, but is unable on two attempts to body slam. Strong then scoops up and body slam him. Strong clotheslines Stone down, then a cornered Stone eye rakes Strong, choking and rope burning on the top rope. Stone’s turn buckle smashes have no effect, as Stone is lifted up and dropped on his chest.
Stone is knocked down with a flying body tackle, then Strong raises his arms to the cheer of the crowd. After being side slammed, Stone is backed in the corner, and Strong DDTs him from the middle rope. Stone is then gut wrenched into a tombstone piledriver for referee Marty Miller’s pin count in under five minutes.
AWA notebook then posts on the screen the top five most popular as 1. Greg Gagne 2. The Midnight Rockers 3. Wahoo McDaniel 4. Billy Jack Strong 5. Alan West
Senior editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Bill Apter interviews Wahoo McDaniel. When asked about Paul E. Dangerously (Heyman), Wahoo said that Dangerously was a very intelligent person that he had to look out for. Apter asked Wahoo how far he could take Billy Jack Strong in his training. Wahoo said Strong could lift up the building they are in, and said that he could take Strong far, as Wahoo had trained Ric Flair. Wahoo said that we may see the first Native American champion in Strong.
Soldat Ustinov versus Dennis Stamp
Ustinov elbows off Stamps hammerlock, body slamming him to an elbow drop. Ustinov covers for a pin, but lifts up Stamp at 2. After taking turnbuckle smashes, Stamp fires back with punches, after Ustinov misses with a corner splash. Ustinov is whipped into a back drop, then whipped to the corner, but an icoming Stamp get a high size 17 boot and is pinned in under three minutes.
Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels) versus Midnight Express ("Lover Boy" Dennis Condrey & "Ravishing" Randy Rose)
Midnight Express manager Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman) took the microphone, telling the audience "You wanted big time?! I’ll give you big time! The only team the rock ‘n rolls past midnight..The Midnight Express!" When the Rockers got to the ring, Michaels rallied the crowd cheer of "Paul E. Sucks!", for which Rose covered Dangerously’s ears.
Michaels mounts the middle ropes in the corner to land punches on Condrey. After being knocked to the floor, Jannetty atomic drops Condrey, then ducks Rose’s swing to atomic drop him. Jannetty pats Rose on the butt, and Michaels’ rally of "Paul E. Sucks!" has Dangerously and his team walk back to the locker rooms.
Jannetty grabs the AWA tag titles from a ringside table, handing one to Michaels. The Midnights return to the contest. From a Condrey knee and elbow strike, Michaels reverse whips him to the corner, where Jannetty runs him down with a clothesline from the apron. Condrey tries to set up Michaels in the corner for Rose’s clothesline from the apron, but Rose charges without looking and Condrey is reversed into the corner and a Rose clothesline.
Jannetty lands two legs on the top ropes to back flip out of Rose’s wristlock, then flip Rose with two hip tosses. Rose falls to a seated position in the corner, signaling a time out. Rose is pushed back in The Rockers corner, and taken to the mat by a Michaels side headlock. Condrey pulls down the top ropes as Rose whips Michaels in, causing Michaels to fall to the floor. Condrey then delivers a back breaker to Michaels on the cold concrete.
Condrey rams Michaels back into the ring apron, then Rose suplexes his opponent in. Michaels kicks out of the pin at 2, ducks a Rose knife edge off the ropes, but gets spun in mid air from a Rose clothesline off the ropes. Michaels escapes two pin attempts, as The Express tag in and out working on Michaels’ back with back backers and chin locks. Michaels hammers back on Rose, but was flipped by a knee lift off the ropes.
After two headlock punches, Michaels knocks Condrey back with a right fist. A tagged Rose body slams, then mounts the middle ropes in the corner to come down with a splash and near fall at 2. Rose pulled Michaels against his knee in the chin lock, then assisted Condrey’s abdominal stretch in adding further pressure. Condrey mainted the hold, and a tagged Rose leaped from the top ropes to land a shot to Michaels’ back, and another near fall. Referee Marty Miller was keeping Jannetty in the corner from Condrey’s taunts, as Rose flung Michaels backwards with a throat yank on the top ropes.
Michaels ducks the double clothesline, springing off the ropes, taking Condrey and Rose down with a flying double clothesline. A tagged Jannetty is fired up, taking down The Express with rights fists and body slams, before a double noggin knocker. Now all four men are battling in the ring. Condrey suplexes Michaels, and comes down on referee Marty Miller’s leg.
Rose battles Jannetty in the corner, then rushes to attack Michaels, who is held by Condrey. Michaels brings his legs up, kicks away Rose, which causes Condrey to fall backwards into a pin by Michaels. Referee Robert Warren ran to ringside, making the1..2..3 count with referee Miller. This match comes to a close after fifteen minutes. The Midnight Rockers have won the AWA tag team titles.
Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic.
David
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