CLASSIC AWA 5/2/08 TV REPORT
- 05/02/2008 (10:33:48 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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May 2nd airs a 1988 episode of Verne Gagne’s AWA All Star Wrestling from Minot North Dakota and the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.
Ricky Rice versus "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (w/ "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr.) in Minot, ND.
Rice applied a top wristlock, and is arm dragged down. Adonis throws Rice to the floor, where Orton picks up Rice and rams his back into the steel post. Rice fights out of the corner, but crashes to the mat, after missing a flying tackle. Rice reverses Adonis’ Irish whip in the corner, but Adonis delivers a back elbow that drops the charging Rice. The match closes after three minutes, when referee Marty Miller counts the pin, after Adonis hits Rice with an off the ropes splash.
At AWA studio, Larry Nelson presents a feature that highlights recent title victories in AWA. Starting with Madusa Miceli’s defeating Candi Divine in the finals of a tournament for the ladies’ world title (vacated by Sherri Martel, who headed to the WWF). Next was Greg Gagne defeating Adrian Adonis by disqualification in the finals of a tournament to decide the new international tv champion. Then there was a replay from last night’s airing of The Midnight Rockers winning the AWA tag titles from the Midnight Express. All matches were held at the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.
Samoan Joe (not TNA champion Samoa Joe) versus Jerry "The King" Lawler at the Showboat in Las Vegas.
Lawler took a chop in the corner and punched Joe back. A commentating Lee Marshall said that he had just completed a book with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper called Dirty Wrestling. Lawler knocked Joe down with a charge off the ropes, and though had plenty of time to get up, Lawler caught him with an elbow drop. Lawler snap mared Joe over for a knee drop, then worked on Joe’s left left with a grapevine, then went to work with a chinlock.
Lawler’s turnbuckle smashes had no effect on Joe’s skull, and Joe blasted Lawler down with a headbutt. Lawler took a back elbow and headbutts, before moving away from Joe’s middle rope headbutt dive. Lawler knocked Joe down with a right fist, body slammed him and referee Scott Ledoux counted the 3, after Lawler’s middle rope flying fist drop put Joe away in this over five minute match.
Darryl Olsen versus international tv champion Greg Gagne in Minot, ND
Olsen reverses Gagne’s hammerlock, and is snap mared over. Gagne escapes Olsen’s half nelson wristlock with an arm drag takedown. Olsen escapes Gagne’s arm lock with an Irish whip, and is charged down. Olsen then flips Gagne with a knee lift, as he charges off the ropes. Olsen hammers Gagne with fists and turn buckle smashes. Gagne reverses the corner whip to deliver open hand slaps before whipping Olsen in for a back body drop. Gagne brings the match to a close when referee Gary DeRousha counts the pin after two dropkicks, in this over three minute match.
At AWA studio, Baron Von Raschke was interviewed by Larry Nelson. Raschke announced his return to AWA, and that he had an open contract to face the top talent in the AWA. Raschke called out his challenge that anyone who signs a contract to meet him "will feel the claw!"
Tom Johnson versus "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr from Minot ND
Orton steps on the bottom rope to release the hammerlock by Winnipeg Canada’s Tom Johnson. After a being hip tossed, Johnson elbows out of Orton’s hammerlock, but is body slammed onto the top rope. Orton springs off the ropes his a knee, then drives a elbow drop. Orton hoists Johnson up over head with a one handed press, into a back breaker. Orton flexes his muscles, then referee Marty Miller counts the 3 after Orton plants Johnson with a piledriver, in this over four minute match.
At AWA studio, Greg Gagne holds his tv title belt and talked about Badd Company (Paul Diamond & Sensai Pat Tanaka) being a team to be reckoned with. Gagne said that Badd Company against the Midnight Rockers would be a sensational match. Gagne then mentioned that Jerry "The King "Lawler had tremendous credentials, is known all of the world, and that AWA champion Curt Hennig (WWE’s Mr. Perfect) would have his hands full in an upcoming with Lawler. Gagne predicted that Lawler would win the title, and that Gagne would be pursing Lawler for a title shot in 1988.
Tom Zenk & Wahoo McDaniel versus The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Saggs) in the main event at Minot ND
Zenk works over Saggs’ left arm with a arm twist. A tagged Wahoo whips Saggs to the ropes and drops him with a back elbow. Knobbs makes false claims of a hair pull, and gets tomahawk chopped off the ring apron. Wahoo and Zenk tag back and forth, working on Saggs’ with a chin lock, then dropping him with double knife edge chops.
Saggs elbows out of Zenk’s headlock, punches him to the corner, where Zenk kicks Saggs down. Zenk whips Saggs to the corner, charges, but Saggs moves away, and Zenk jams his shoulder into the top turnbuckle pad. A tagged Knobbs whips Zenk in for a back elbow, then trades punches until Zenk slams Knobbs into the top turnbuckle pad.
Knobbs is double whipped into the ropes and knocked down with a Wahoo knife edge chop. Wahoo does an over head chop that takes Knobbs to the floor. On his return to the ring, Knobbs chin locked, then held for a flying elbow from the middle rope. Knees in the corner releases Zenk’s headlock, but Zenk reverse corner whips Knobbs into Wahoo, who jumped on top of the turnbuckles. A commentating Ray Stevens felt that Wahoo did that to protect an incoming Zenk, but planted an elbow in when Knobbs was thrown in.
Saggs eye rakes Wahoo into Knobbs’ corner, where Saggs lands shots before distracting the referee Gary DeRousha away from Knobbs’ choking. Wahoo kicks out at 2, after a Knobbs clothesline. A tagged Zenk is fired up, knocking away both Nasty Boys with right fists and then knocking their heads together. All four men battle in the ring. Wahoo whips Knobbs into Saggs, as Zenk whips Saggs into Knobbs. Zenk jumps over to sunset flip Saggs into a pin, and ref DeRousha slides out of the ring to complete the count of 3, in this eleven minute match.
Catch the lends of AWA Monday to Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic.
David
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