CLASSIC AWA 5/31/08 TV REPORT
- 06/03/2008 (2:21:12 am)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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May 31st airs a 1988 episode of Verne Gagne’s AWA All Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mike Luca versus Teijo Khan (accompanied by Soldat Ustinov)
Teijo greets Luca with a kick to the stomach and a knife edge chop to the mat. Luca moves away from Teijo’s diving chop, but his headlock is back suplexed off. Luca is smashed to the top turnbuckle, and as Teijo distracts the referee Marty Miller, Soldat Ustinov chokes Luca on the bottom rope. Soldat repeats this when Teijo distracts the ref again, after dropping Luca with a forearm to the kidneys.
Luca lands forearm shots to the stomach that have no effect. Teijo double chop has commentator Lee Marshall say "it sounds like a board cracking" Luca is caught in a nerve hold on the shoulder, then is flying clotheslined down., Teijo goofily sizes up a rising Luca before putting him away with an uppercut chop. This match was under the five minute mark.
Ricky Rice & Jon Paul (Top Guns) gave backstage comments. Rice said hello to the fans, and the beautiful women, then said on a serious note that he and Paul have been training hard. Paul mentioned this upcoming match with Soldat Ustinov and Teijo Paul added that their opponents are a top team, but will be used as stepping stones to AWA tag champions Badd Company (Paul Diamond & Sensai Pat Tanka). Paul then thanked the fans, and the AWA for the opportunity.
AWA notebook posted theses names as having birthdays: Julie Anderson * Michael Niman * Paula Anderson * Gary DeRousha * Pat Boone * Stacy Keach
Tony Leoni versus Cousin Luke (AWA debut)
Luke walked to the ring barefoot, then sat down in the ring to put on his white Chuck Taylor high top sneakers. The camera showed AWA newcomer Magnificent Mimi, but commentators Rod Trongard and Lee Marshall did not mention it. Leoni is shoved to the ropes for a hip toss, after Luke’s body slam, Luke gave a serious look and a smile to Leoni. Luke engages Leoni in a knucklelock, that has Luke take Leoni down twice to his knees. Leoni delivers a kick to the stomach, choking Luke in the corner with the tag rope and top ring rope.
Leoni drops his head too soon when trying to Irish whip Luke to the ropes for a back body drop, and is brought down with a kneelift. Leoni strikes Luke into the corner, but Luke reverses the corner whip, to nail Leoni with a flying elbow/splash combination. Leoni is whipped to the ropes and knocked down by Luke’s double fisted sledge shot to the chest. Leoni is body slammed and gains referee Marty Miller’s pin after Luke bounces off the ropes for a splash. This match ended after five minutes.
Announcer Larry Nelson interviewed Luke in the ring. Luke said it was nice to find fellow hillbillies in the audience and country folk when pointing to Nelson. Larry said his family was from Tennessee, and confirmed with Luke hometown as being in the hills of Hogwaller Tennessee. Luke said that he loves Las Vegas but that he can’t find possum and taters on the menu. Luke also gestured to not being allowed moonshine on the airplane. Luke then told about starting his business raining catfish in Mississippi
David Koorijian versys "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez
In Fernandez’s second match in AWA, he twisted Koorijian’s left arm, then brought him to the mat with a double leg takedown. Fernandez struts away, then looks to the crowd whenever he beats down Koorijian. A back elbow, then an arm twist to a chop takes down Koorijian. The powerful looking Koorijian has no success with a forearm smash to the chest, and is chopped down.
After a taking a turnbuckle smash, Koorijian reverses a whip to the corner, but is dropped when Fernandez quickly strikes Koorijian down with a back elbow. Koorijian is whipped to the ropes for Fernandez’s Flying Burrito (flying forearm assault), and gains referee Marty Miller Miller pin count, closing the match in under three minutes.
Fernandez grabbed a microphone from the ring apron, and said that the audience must be Indian, because they are ignorant. Fernandez calls himself bad, awesome and unique, then goes on to say that he is coming for the last ounce of Indian pride that Chief Wahoo McDaniel has left inside."The Bull don’t take no seconds, and nobody..no body does it like the Bull"
Madusa Miceli held her AWA ladies’championship and said she was granting the interview as requested. Madusa said that newcomer Brandi May made farmboys jump off their tractors, and that Brandi was nowhere near Madusa’s caliber. She added that when people think of Madusa, "they think of Rome, Paris, Italy..need..I..say..more?" with a smile.
Larry Nelson interviewed former AWA champion Verne Gagne about the 1988 Olympics games in Seoul Korea. Gagne said he was routing for the U.S. wrestling team, and more specifically the twin brothers Dennis and Duane Koslowski, who he interviewed many episodes back. Dennis acquired the a bronze medal at those summer games, then would gain the silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Greg Gagne presented the Mat Classic match between two former pro football players, Bobby Duncum versus Wahoo McDaniel in Denver Colorado. McDaniel is whipped to a knee, then Duncum knee drops for a choke. Duncum whips McDaniel for a back elbow, but McDaniel chops to an escape on Duncum’s headvice. Duncum is blasted with an overhead tomahawk chop, then McDaniel Irish whips Duncum into an inside cradle and pin. McDaniel then chases Duncum out of the ring with a war dance.
In Big K’s segment, he mentioned warning former champion "Cool" Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect) about facing new champion Jerry "The King" Lawler in Lawler’s hometown of Memphis Tennessee. K said that newcomer Cousin Luke has an excessive waistline, but no guts, and will be torn aprat by Badd Company, Soldat Ustinov and Teijo Khan. K brought up the young team of Ricky Rice and Jon Paul (Top Guns), saying that have already come a long way but they should talk with him if they ever wish to get far.
Larry Bicone & Brian Costello versus AWA tag team champions Badd Company (Paul Diamond & Sensai Pat Tanaka) accompanied by Diamond Dallas Page and the Diamond Doll.
Page took the microphone and wanted the "dirtballs" in the audience to listen up, asking where the talent in the tag division for his team to face. Page said "we ran those boys out of the AWA" referring to former AWA tag champions the Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels). Page said that his team will put the nail in the coffin to the Rock N’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson), and called the team they faced that night "chumps"
Bicone twice muscled back Diamond with a top wristlock, and jams the left shoulder into the corner. Bicone’s left arm is twisted, then elbow before Bicone is whipped to the ropes for a Diamond knee. Badd Company tagged back and forth with stomach strikes, then Diamond drops Bicone stomach first on his knee. A tanka headbutt and Diamond body slam followed.
Diamond missed a big elbow drop, was struck with shots and shoulder blocks, but turned the tide with a flying clothesline. Costello was slingshotted by Diamond into Tanaka’s DDT. Referee Gary DeRousha counted the 3, ending the match after five minutes. Tanaka then struck at Costello’s head, as his vanquished opponent was down.
Soldat Ustinov (accompanied by Teijo Khan) versus AWA world champion Jerry "The King" Lawler in the main event.
Soldat forearm clubs Lawler back, and Lawler punches out of the corner. Lawler then punches through the ropes, nailing Teijo on the floor. Soldat hits with stomach and shoulder strikes but misses with a leg drop after a body slam. Lawler snap mares Soldat for a chinlock, then punches him down. Soldat powers down Lawler with a knuckle lock with his right arm power. The fans chant "U.S.A.!" and Lawler punches Soldat away.
Soldat knees Lawler on ropes, whips him to the ropes for a bear hug, then Lawler is cornered for Soldat’s shoulder jams. After being chokes down, Lawler is corner whipped for another bear hug. Another corner whip had Soldat punched down, but got choked on the middle ropes by Soldat and then by Teijo when Soldat distracted referee Gary DeRousha.
Lawler comes back with right fists and a headlock punch on Soldat. Lawler’s headlock is pushed off, as Soldat shoves him into the ref. Soldat holds Lawler’s arms as Teijo charges with an off the ropes attack. Lawler ducks and Teijo’s flying clothesline takes down Soldat. Lawler punches Teijo over the top rope, and referee DeRousha recovers to count Lawler’s 1..2..3 on Soldat. This match ended after eleven minutes.
Soldat and Teijo double punch Lawler 360 degrees over the top rope. Referee DeRousha then clams Lawler from bringing the chair to the ring. Announcer Larry Nelson interviews Lawler at ringside. Lawler calls them ignorant idiots, adding "anytime they want some of the world heavyweight champion, you got it, brother". Lawler then questioned why they had to jump him from behind, and challenged them to be man enough to attack him from the front.
Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 1am est on ESPN Classic.
David
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