July 11^th aired a 1987 espiode of Verne Gagne`s AWA All-Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.

M.L. Williams versus "Nature Boy" Buddy Landell

The debuting Landell ignored William`s handshake and Williams backs off to the corner. Williams then scrambles for the ropes when he is unable to roll up Landell. Williams is kicks, chopped and snap mared into a chinlock. Williams backs Landell to the corner, Landell kicks, forearm clubs and whips Williams for a back elbow. Williams elbows out of a chinlock, then takes a knee before being thrown to the floor.

Williams returns to forearm club Landell in the corner and corner whip him for a back body drop. Landell holds onto the ropes to avoid William`s dropkick, and Williams crashes to the mat. Landell lands a corkscrew elbow drop, then gets Williams in the Figure Four Leglock. Referee Robert Warren signals when Williams submits for Landell victory, ending the after three minutes.

Tony Leone versus "Adorable" Adrian Adonis

Adonis ax handles Leone in the back, when Leone approaches Adonis` manager Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman). Leone is chopped, snap mared, hip tossed, kneed and DDT`ed. Leone is whipped for a clothesline, then is lifted in mid-suplex and thrown on the top rope. Adonis locks up Leone`s right leg and slingshots Leone upwards into the bottom rope. Adonis rubs Leone`s face into the top rope, rakes his back, Leone is backed to the corner with an elbow to the head. Adonis pushes Leone chest first into the ropes and Leone is wrapped up in Adonis` Goodnite Irene sleeperhold.

Referee Gary DeRousha signals the bell when Leone goes out, ending the match with a submission win for Adonis in under four minutes. Wrestlers Mike Tolos and Lance Allen enter the ring to get Adonis to release the hold, but Tolos takes an elbow before Allen gets tossed to the floor. Adonis then leaves the ring to a stand off on the floor when Tommy "Wildfire" Rich shows up.

At AWA studio, Larry Nelson gave the rankings. He explained that the top five in the women`s division is (5) Killer Tomato (4) Susan Green (3) Despina Montega (2) Madusa Miceli (1) Candi Divine, but expected Madusa would be number one after eliminating Candi in a tournament match for the AWA ladies¢ championship that was vacated by Sherri Martel.

In the tag team division (5) Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs of the Nasty Boys (4) Nick Kiniski & "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly (3) Chief Wahoo McDaniel & Tommy "Wildfire" Rich (2) DJ Peterson & JT Southern (1) "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey & "Ravishing" Randy Rose of the Original Midnight Express and the AWA world tag team champions are Boris Zhukov and Soldat Ustinov.

Nelson The men`s singles division has (10) Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell, who Nelson mentioned being injured (9) "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly (8) Jerry "The King" Lawler (7)DJ Peterson (6)"Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko (5)Tommy "Wildfire" Rich (4) Nick Bockwinkel. Who is also injured (3) Chief Wahoo MDaniel (2) "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (1) Greg Gagne and the AWA world champion is Curt Hennig.

Mike Tolos versus AWA world champion Curt Hennig

Hennig backs Tolos to the ropes, slapped in the corner, and charged down when pushing off the headlock. Hennig leapfrogs over a charging Tolos then executes a perfect knockdown dropkick. Tolos is punched in the corner, and hip tossed out of the corner. Tolos is dropkicked into the corner, then is nailed with an uppercut. Tolos reverses Hennig`s corner whip to hit Hennig with a shoulder tackle, then jams a cornered Hennig with shoulder jams to the mid-section.

Tolos corner whips Hennig, and Hennig fires out of the corner, drilling Tolos to the mat with an Ax clothesline. Hennig then cradles up Tolos with a fisherman`s suplex (Perfectplex). Referee Robert Warren counts 3 for a Hennig victory, ending the match in under two minutes. AWA Notebook posts onscreen "I¢m still a nice guy...but now I¢ll use a baseball bat to break your legs if it means keeping my title" - Curt Hennig

Rick Gantner versus Greg Gagne

Gantner backs himself midway through the ropes for Gagne to back off. Gagne wristlocks out of Gantner`s headlock, then a grab of the rope to breaks Gagne`s hammerlock on a downed Gantner. Gagne arm drags Gantner down, then hip tosses him out of the corner. Gantner on his knees pleads for Gagne to back off, looking to lull him into a move. Gagne goes from a headlock to hammerlock, Gantner elbows out, punches with a choke on Gagne to the corner.

Gantner corner whips Gagne, but his slow approach in, gives Gagne time to deliver a kick. Gagne then slams Gantner`s head into the top turnbuckle of all four corner. A cornered Gantner is knife edge chopped, then whipped to the opposite corner for a back body drop. Gagne knocks down Gantner twice with dropkick, then referee Gary DeRousha counts the 3 for a Gagne victory. This match was under four minutes.

At AWA studio, Jammin` Mitch Snow tells Larry Nelson that he will take Larry Zbyszko out of the first round in the tv title tournament, then said that he looks to bring his cowboy hat and spurs to bash opponents in the battle royal series.

Madusa Miceli then pushes away Snow, as she joins the interview area with her tag team of "Slick" Nick Kiniski and "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly. Nelson told Madusa that she looked hot in her red leather, and Madusa said hot is an understatement to what her men are. Kiniski says that his team has the bodies, the babe and will get the bread for winning in the battle royal series.

Kelly brought up that the National Football League was on strike, showed envelopes from the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. Kelly said that they were coming to him because he is the best conditioned athlete. Kelly then warned "we¢re coming to your town to tear it up!"

DJ Peterson & JT Southern versus "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey & "Ravishing" Randy Rose of the Original Midnight Express

The Express` manger Paul E. Dangerously grabbed the microphone to say "there are three things you don`t do, you don`t fight city hall, you don`t bite the hand that feeds you and you never mess around with the Dangerous Alliance!"

The starting bell rings with all wrestler in their full ring attire. Once the jackets are removed with Dennis Condrey and JT Southern in, the starting bell rings again. "PAUL E SUCKS!" chants can be heard from the audience. Condrey backs JT to the rope, then JT shoves off Condrey, as both men look for an opening. JT takes a Condrey knee, but Condrey is caught in an inverted atomic drop, then a tagged Rose is atomic dropped into Condrey. The Express exits the ring, and looks to exit the area, but comes back with Paul E. Signaling for a timeout.

Upon their return, JT knees Rose, then headlocks him to the mat. Rose is held for a tagged DJ kick, but Rose then holds DJ for a tagged Condrey stomach punch. DJ cranks on a headlock on Condrey, kicks away Rose¢s attempt to tag, and then brings his legs up to headlock an incoming Rose. Rose is rolled to the mat with a head scissor at the same time DJ rolls Condeey to the mat with a headlock

After DJ hip tosses both Rose and Condrey, The Express exit the ring again. Paul E. Yells into the commentators mic "go to a commercial!" Condrey returns to the ring and tries to lull DJ into the corner. A tagged Rose punches down DJ, but DJ retaliates with forearm clubs as Rose charges off ropes. Rose whips DJ to ropes, DJ hops over a dropped down Rose and clobbers Condrey off the ring apron.

DJ headlocks Rose to the mat, Rose escapes by locking DJ in a head scissors. When DJ escapes to re-apply the headlock, Rose gets the head scissors back on. There are chants in the crowd for DJ. Condrey holds DJ for a tagged Condrey stomach punch, but after snap marring DJ, Condrey misses with a knee drop. A tagged JT assists DJ to whip Condrey for a double back elbow.

JT knee drops Condrey, chinlocks him, but Condrey delivers a knee on JT in the rope, and punches him in a headlock. A tagged Rose corner whips JT, charges but JT moves. Rose crashes his shoulder into the steel ring post. JT delivings a stabbing elbow drop and cover for 2. JT headlocks Rose to the mat, but Rose shoulder jams and strikes a cornered JT.

Rose body slam JT, but JT moves away from a middle rope fistdrop, and Rose crashes his fist to the mat. A tagged DJ full nelsons Rose, then charges down a tagged Condrey, but Condrey comes back with a clothesline. Condrey delivers a double throat chop, back rakes DJ, then plants him with an atomic drop.

Condey then steps on DJ as he goes over to tag Rose. DJ is stomped and snap mared into a chinlock. DJ elbows for an escape, charges down Rose, but is clotheslined on his second charge. Rose captures DJ in a front face lock, when DJ tries to go between Rose`s legs to get to JT. A tagged Condrey nails DJ, as he is taken down and held in a drop toe hold by Rose.

Condrey lifts up DJ for a backbreaker, then Condrey chokes a seated DJ in the corner. A Condrey snap suplex earns him a 2. Condrey works on DJ with a chinlock. In his commentary, Ray "The Crippler" Stevens says that the Express "must know about DJ`s back injury, that¢s why they are working hard on that back"

Condrey lands an overhead right, then throws DJ into Rose`s boot. A tagged Rose back rakes DJ and strikes him in the corner. A tagged Condrey assists with a ropes whip, but DJ ducks the double clothesline, and double clotheslines down Condrey and Rose by himself.

A tagged JT body slams Rose, knocks him out of the ring and a 2 count after clotheslining Condrey.

JT gets an abdominal stretch on Condrey, and Rose leaps off the middle rope with Paul E.`s cordless phone, smashing it apart on JT`s back. Referee Gary DeRousha signals for the bell, disqualifying The Express for the foreign object. This match lasted over fifteen minutes. "I see it" says commentator Larry Nelson as an angered DJ shows Nelson the phone.

At AWA studio, Larry Nelson spoke about matches that aired from the ladies` tournament, about Madusa Miceli helping "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly get a win over Steve Olsonoski, a bandaged Wahoo McDaniel from Curt Hennig¢s attack. None of these of course were shown in this episode, because of ESPN Classic`s edit. They will likely show up soon in future episodes.

Nelson said he would be politicing hard for the mat classic to stay on. He mentioned that they showed a Mat Classic from December 1974 that had Nick Bockwinkel team with Ray "The Crippler" Stevens. Nelson added that a future episode would have Chief Wahoo McDaniel against the late Chris Taylor, who was also an Olympic hopeful.

Nelson mentioned the DQ win by DJ Peterson and JT Southern in the main event over The Original Midnight Express would earn them a shot at AWA world tag team champions Boris Zhukov and Soldat Ustinov. Nelson announced Leit Hulquist from Sweden as AWA¢s Fan of the Week.

Catch the legends of AWA Monday to Friday at 12am on ESPN Classic.

David   http://www.myspace.com/unrulyghouly