CLASSIC AWA AUGUST 7th TV REPORT
- 08/07/2008 (9:05:53 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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August 7th aired a 1990 episode of Verne Gagne`s AWA All-Star Wrestling. Broadcasters Lee Marshall and Ralph Strangis made an announcement that on February 10th, Mr. Saito won the AWA world championship from "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko in front of 64,000 in Tokyo, Japan. They mentioned that the next night in Tokyo, James "Buster" Douglas broke "Iron" Mike Tyson`s undefeated streak and won the WBA title from him with half of the Zbyszko/Saito encounter drew. In an interview backstage, Larry Zbyszko told Eric Bischoff that he was jobbed from a short count, and that he was dealt the biggest sports scandal since the 1919 World Series where the Black Sox threw a game to give Cincinnati Reds the win. Zbyszko said that his attorneys have the tapes of the match, and said that he would get back what is in god`s eyes is himself being rightful owner of the heavyweight championship of the world. Todd Becker versus Colonel DeBeers DeBeers walked toi the rings, twisting an end of his handlebar mustache, as Sheik Adnan El Kassey followed him as Guns ¡N¢ Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" played. DeBeers takes Becker to the mat with a forearm smash to the back. DeBeers smashes Becker`s head into the corner buckle, punched him in the stomach and whipped him to the opposite corner. DeBeers charged, but Becker moved, and DeBeers crashed his shoulder into the ring post. Becker takes DeBeers to his knees with a wristlock, but DeBeers rubbed Becker`s face against the top rope. After a snap mare and a stomp, DeBeers planted Becker into the mat with his front face piledriver, then stepped on Becker, while giving a double arm flex, as the referee administered the pin count of 3. DeBeers steps on Becker, after under three minutes of action. Brad Rheingans, "Hard Rock" Paul Diamond & Curtis "Bull" Hughes versus Psycho & Killer of the Texas Hangmen with The Russian Brute in the episodes` first main event. Commentator Strangis gave some background on Curtis. He made his debut in AWA with this match, he was the strongest freshman in big 8 conference where he was an All American in football at Kansas State. Strangis also mentioned Curtis was trained by Sonny Myers and famous Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry. He also mentioned that Rheingans was four time All American in wrestling, and who trained 1984 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling gold medalist Jeff Blatnick. The Hangmen stood on the apron, as they hugged Brute in the ring. Brute gave word sto Curtis in the center of the ring, and pushed him. Custis pushed back, knocking Brute down, then arm dragged him twice before Brute exited. Curtis hip tossed the incoming Hangman, as Ox Baker gave advice to his Brute at ringside. Brute re-enters to back Curtis to the ropes. Brute takes a swing, but Curtis ducked and Brute did a 360 degree flip out of the ring from Curtis` clothesline. When Brust gets back to the ring apron, Brute did a 360 degree flip into the ring from another Curtis clothesline. Curtis flew off the middle ropes, but crashed into Brute`s raised knees. A tagged Killer tried to grab Rheingans, but Rheingans out maneuvered him. Killer got Rheingans ton engage in a Greco-Roman knuckle lock. Rheingans jumped up and took Killer over with a monkey flip. Rheingans rolled with to cover him for a pin count of 2. Rheingans arm dragged Killer down, and leg dropped Killer`s left arm. A tagged Diamond assisted Rheingans with a whip and double clothesline, then covered Killer for 2 before Psycho came in to rake and punch Diamond off. A tagged Psycho is hip tossed, and Diamond won on an exchange of wristlocks that took Psycho to the mat. Diamond then held Psycho`s arm for a tagged Curtis` flying elbow from the middle rope. Curtis then took Psycho to the mat with a waistlock suplex, and covered for 2 before being ax handled in the back by Killer. A tagged Diamond applied a front face chancery on Psycho. Diamond then took down Psycho witha dropkick and arm drag. Diamond then held Psycho`s arm for a tagged Rheingans forearm uppercut. Rheingans is whipped to the corner, but crashes to the buckles when Psycho moved away from the charge. Psycho then held Rheingans for a Killer ax handle. Brute chokes him in the corner, then Psycho snapmared Rheingan to a chinlock. Psycho then landed an elbow off the ropes, and the crowd tried to rallied Rheingans with a "USA!" chant (even though his opponent is said to be from Texas). The referee didn¢t see Rheingans` tag to Diamond, and Diamond was held back as Rheingans was endanger of being triple teamed. The Brute booted Rheingans, but Killer got punted when he whipped Rheingans to the ropes for an attempted back body drop. A tagged Diamond kicked and punched Killer in the corner, then whipped him to opposite corner for a back body drop. Diamond then rushed Brute and punched him off the ring apron. Then Diamond slammed The Hangmen`s heads together. Brute landed a sledgehammer blow from the apron, then was tagged in to whip Diamond to the ropes for a clothesline. Brute landed a headbutt to the stomach of a downed Diamond. The fans chant "USA!" again. Diamond ducks a clothesline but both men drop from a collision. A tagged Curtis kicked a cornered Brute, and whipped to the opposite corner for a back body drop. Brute was then whipped for a dropkick by the over 300lb Curtis. Brute was over 300 lbs as well and was body slammed to a pin of 1. Rheingans entered the ring to whip Killer to the ropes for a Diamond dropkick. Psycho was hoisted up for an over the shoulders torture rack by Curtis, but Brute clocked Curtis in the chest with his Ox Baker taught heart punch. Brute hooked Curtis` leg and received the 3 count victory, closing the match after ten minutes. From one corner, Rheingans whipped Killer into the center of the ring, as Diamond whipped Psycho from the corner to the center. The Hangmen collide, then gets double clotheslined down by Curtis. Frankie "Thumper" DeFalco versus D.J. Peterson Peterson rushed to the ring to AC/DC¢s "TNT" and made DeFalco back away. DeFalco got a hip toss twice on DJ. DeFalco whipped DJ for another hip toss, DJ tried to reverse, but DeFalco held off. DJ rested his leg over the back of DeFalco`s neck and performed a back flip. This gave DJ enough momentum to hip toss the nearly 300 lb DeFalco. DJ landed a guillotine leg drop on DeFalco`s left arm. DeFalco whipped off DJ`s wristlock, and as went for a back body drop, but DJ just stopped and waited for DeFalco to raise up from his attempt. DJ wristlocked DeFalco, and took him to the mat with a step over roll of the arm. DJ then converted the wristlock to a short arm scissors. DeFalco rolled DJ to his back for a pin attempt, but that was halted when referee Gary DeRousha caught DeFalco holding onto the middle rope for leverage. DeRousha kicked DeFalco`s arm, and he rolled back to the mat, as DJ maintained the arm scissors. DJ reversed a corner whip, but straddled the middle turnbuckle, when DeFalco moved away from his charge. DeFalco got a pin count of 2 after a powerslam, but DJ got a back body drop on him when he reversed a corner whip. DJ body slammed him and got a 2 on his pin cover. DeFalco whipped DJ to the ropes, but gets blasted in the face when DJ flew off the ropes with a flying knee drive. DeFalco whipped DJ to the corner, but DJ moved, causing DeFalco to smash his knee to the top turnbuckle on an attempt of a high knee strike. DJ ties up DeFalco`s legs for a Scorpion Deathlock, and referee DeRousha signals the bell after DeFalco submits, closing the match after four minutes. In a post match ringside interview, Bischoff asked DJ where he had been since being away from the AWA for nearly two years. DJ brought up that his back was injured in a match in Las Vegas (against then champion Curt Hennig). DJ said that after his recovery, he wrestled in Australia, Germany, and was back in the AWA to challenge new champion Mr. Saito. DJ said that his tour of Japan had made Saito fear him. The second manin event of the evening was a 2 out of 3 falls (European rules) match that pitted former AWA world champion Larry Zbyszko versus "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff. Eric Bischoff aired the final minutes of their last encounter, where Zbyszko had the world title, and struck Nikita in the head with it. In backstage comments, Koloff spoke about the importance of this main event in offering a likely opportunity against AWA world champion Mr. Saito. Nikita wanted Zbyszko to be reminded of what he will face him across the ring, by flexing with a wild look on his face. Larry Zbyszko then offered opposing remarks, while standing in front of the Larryland amusement park graphic. Zbyszko again compared Saito taking his world title to the 1919 rigging of the World Series. Zbyszko told Nikita to imagine that some punk is keying up the paint job on his brand new Mercedes Benz, and the satisfaction Koloff would get to punch that punk in the face over and over again (reminiscent of what the movie Pulp Fiction later told). Zbyszko said that he views Nikita as that punk, and will get great satisfaction in taking out his anger on him. Then Eric Bischoff offered his view in disagreement to Zbyszko`s assessment that Nikita is a punk. "Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff versus "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko in a two out of three fall bout with NFL defensive end "Benchwarmer" Bob Lurtsema as referee. Zbyszko enters the ring to Tina Turner`s "Simply The Best", then yelled that he is the current world champion when ring announcer Donna Gagne announced him as former world champion. Donna rushed out with Zbyszko, when Nikita stormed the ring, looking to start the match immediately. Back in the ring, Nikita punched a cornered Zbyszko, then hip tossed him out of the corner. Zbyszko exits, then returns for a Nikita elbow, and exits again when Nikita threw him out of the ring. Nikita went to the floor, punched Zbyszko down, then slammed his head into the time keeper`s table. Nikita then slammed Zbyszko into the rope barrier near the fans, and beat on his own chest like a gorilla. Nikita slammed Zbyszko`s head into the ring apron, and shoved him back in the ring. Zbyszko retaliated by kneeing Nikita from the ring apron to the concrete floor. Zbyszko slammed Nikita`s head into the announcer`s table, then choked him with a microphone cord. Zbyszko applied a front face chancery in the ring as Nikita stand on the floor against the apron. Zbyszko drove a knee into Nikita`s back Commentator Lee Marshall admitted that he didn`t approve of Bob Lurtsema stating favoritism as a referee, as he had been doing in all the match he has officiated. Zbyszko choked Nikita on the middle rope. Nikita then kneed an incoming Zbyszko, and was struck back in the stomach by Zbyszko. Nikita is whipped to the corner, but Nikita grabbed Zbyszko and threw him face first into the turnbuckles. Nikita stood on the middle ropes as he cornered Zbyszko with punches. Nikita then corn whipped Zbyszko for a back elbow, and his pin cover was broken at 1, when Zbyszko put his foot on the bottom rope. Nikita got a pin count of 1, after snap marring Zbyszko for an elbow drop. Nikita Irish whipped Zbyszko for a back body drop, but Zbyszko side stepped with a roll-up pin of 3. Zbyszko won the first fall, and the replay showed that Zbyszko hooked Nikita`s trunks for extra leverage. The first fall ended in under five minutes. Zbyszko stalls on the apron, then gets gut punched and turnbuckle smashed by Nikita. Zbyszko is whipped to the ropes for a Nikita flying tackle. Zbyszko takes Nikita down with a double leg trip and Nikita gets his right shoulder up at 2, as Zbyszko`s legs are on the middle rope for extra leverage. Nikita lands a right fist on Zbyszko, but Zbyszko fires back with a spinning heel kick to Nikita`s mid-section, then snap marred Nikita for a pin of 2. Zbyszko yells to the crowd to shut up and gets another pin of 2 with a backbreaker. Zbyszko applied a chinlock and yelled to referee Lurtsema to "ask him!" if he submits. Zbyszko yells "ring the bell!" and Nikita jerks around as the fans stomp to rally his escape. Nikita is about to try to elbow out, Zbyszko instead turns him for a spinning neckbreaker, but Nikita backslides him for 3. This fall was under three minutes. Zbyszko punched and choked Nikita in the corner. Lurtsema first attempt at pulling Zbyszko back by the hair is unsuccessful, but his second try had Zbyszko yanked back to the mat. A caught off guard Zbyszko gets drilled when Nikita runs out of the corner to hit with his Russian sickle clothesline. Nikita hooks the leg, and Nikita pinned Zbyszko for the third fall win in under two minutes. Eric Bischoff congratulated Nikita, and announced that Nikita`s win had made him first in line to face new AWA world champion Mr. Saito. Nikita said that last tiem Zbyszko hit him with the world title, but the 2 out of 3 falls had proven a different result. Nikita said that this chance against Saito will be all he needed to become the new AWA world heavyweight champion. Bischoff then interviewed referee Lurtsema, who said nthat the match didn`t go as he expected. Lurtsema said that being a fan that had watched wrestling for many years, he had underestimated the work the officials had during matches. Lurtsema criticized himself in saying that he had been too slowly to get down to count pins, and was excited when he repeated that he was a fan. It sounded like he had become more of a fan, after the experience. Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 12am est on ESPN Classic. |
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