July 17^th aired a 1987 episode of Verne Gagne`s AWA All-Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Art Washington versus Tommy "Wildfire" Rich

Washington is taken to the mat in a headlock. Rich is backed to the ropes, blocks a strike, then takes his opponent down with an arm drag to an arm bar. Rich picks up Washington`s left leg, then sweeps the right leg, taking Washington down. Rich works over the left leg with a grapevine ankle lock, a rolling hamstring stretch and a knee drop. Rich pressing his knee into Washington¢s left thigh, and Washington breaks Rich`s hold by grabbing the bottom rope.

Rich is clubbed in the corner, but maneuvers out of a corner whip to knock down Washington with a bionic elbow. Wahsington reverses an Irish whip, goes to clothesline, but Rich slides under to roll up Washington for referee Robert Warren`s 3 count in this under four minute match. AWA Notebook displays the individual rankings onscreen. Champion Curt Hennig (1) Greg Gagne (2) "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (3) Chief Wahoo McDaniel (4) "Dirty" Dick Slater (5) Tommy "Wildfire" Rich 

Jim Evans versus AWA world champion Curt Hennig

Commentator Mick Karch said that if they could bottle arrogence and deceit, Hennig woould make a fortune. Hennig backs Evans to the rope and backs off for a clean break. Hennig takes Evans to the mat with a waistlock, then rubs Evans` face in the canvas. A cornered Evans blocks Hennig`s strike, then strikes Hennig back. Hennig is corner whipped for a dropkick. Evans goes for another, but Hennig sidesteps it, drops an elbow. Hennig covers for referee Gary DeRousha`s 3, ending the match in under two minutes. Hennig stomps the downed Evans near the corner until Evans is out of the ring.  

Tommy "Wildfire" Rich, Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell & Chief Wahoo McDaniel versus "Adorable" Adrian Adonis with AWA world tag team champions "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey & "Ravishing" Randy Rose of the Original Midnight Express.

This venue for the match was not explained, and neither was how the Original Midnight Express became tag team champions. Wahoo chops off Condrey`s wristlock, and from the ring apron, Blackwell strikes a cornered Condrey in the chest. Condrey is held in Wahoo`s wristlock as a tagged Rich lands a gut shot. After taking a knee drop, Condrey eye gouges out of Rich`s armlock

A tagged Rose is body slammed, taken to the mat with a headlock. Rose pushes off Rich to the ropes, but Rich charges him down. Rich comes off the ropes dukcing Rose`s chop and clothesline. Rich spring off the rope, catching Rose in a cross body press and gaining referee Marty Mill`s count of 1.

Rose backs Rich to the ropes, and gets clobbered from behind by a tagged Blackwell`s clothesline. Adonis chops Blackwell in the corner, then charges in with a shoulder tackle. A tagged Condrey assists Adonis in double whipping Blackwell`s back into their corner. This move is repeated when a tagged Rose assists Condrey.

From the corner, Blackwell`s stomach is shoulder jammed by Rose. A tagged Adonis front face locks Blackwell, then tags out to Condrey when Blackwell gets a wristlock on him. A wristlocked Blackwell headbutts Condrey down. Blackwell then headbutts down an incoming Rose. Condrey strikes Blackwell in the corner, then distracts the referee as Adonis chokes Blackwell with the tag rope.

Condret twists Blackwell`s wrist, then a tagged Adonis uppercuts the twisted arm. Adonis attempts to bodyslam the nearly 500 lbs Blackwell, and actually succeeds on his second lift. Adonis falls back to favor his strained back, gets up to splash Blackwell, but crashes when Blackwell moves away.

A tagged Rich charges in with strikes on Adonis, then Irish whips him for a back body drop. Adonis rakes Rich`s eyes, then holds Rich by the leg for a tagged Rose`s clothesline. Rich is body slammed, then Rose grabs the top rope to propel himself for a splash onto Rich from the middle rope. This gains Rose a 2 count on his pin. Rich elbows out of Rose`s chinlock, charges down Rose, but Rich falls to the mat too. Rose covers and gets another 2.

Rose applied another chinlock, then body slams, but Rich moves away as Rose rushes out of the corner for a fist drop. Adonis illegally enters to stomp Rich, then Wahoo comes in to chase Adonis out. Wahoo tomahawk chops Condrey¢s head, then chops down both Express. Rich body slams Adonis off the top rope, then Wahoo rolls up Rose in an inside cradle, gaining the 3 count in this over eight minute match.  

After the commerical, Larry Nelson at AWA studio presents a music video highlight of the Chicago Street Fight Battle Royal at the Showboat. Clips show Jerry Blackwell striking Curt Hennig in the ropes; Dennis Condrey holding Mitch Snow on the floor as Paul E. Dangerously strikes him with the cordless phone; Wahoo McDaniel whipping Nick Kiniski through the ropes with a brown leather strap; Greg Gagne being lifted up in a choke by "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly, Randy Rose slamming Snow`s head into the steel post on the outside; Gagne being held by Kiniski for Hennig`s strike; Hennig holding Snow over the shoulder to ram him bloody in the steel post.

Hennig nearly getting punched over the top rope by Gagne before Condrey knees Gagne`s back; Blackwell headbutting away Kelly on the floor; Tommy Rich against the ring as Rose is in the ring choking him with the strap; a seated Rich is bloody and being biten by Adrian Adonis; Hennig strikes Wahoo in the corner with the strap; Adonis piledrives Rich on the concrete floor; Hennig and Gagne on their knees trading fists; Blackwell hits Kelly over the head with the winner`s oversize prop check; Gagne¢s cross body takes him and Hennig to the floor; Rich strikes Adonis to the corner then punches Rose down; Adonis strikes Rich in the corner, then help Rose strikes a bloody Wahoo in the corner.  

Rick Gantner versus Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell

Gantner yells at the crowd, then is backed to the corner for forearm clubs to the chest. Gantner is whipped to the corner with a follow-up driving forearm by Blackwell. Gantner is headbutted down, body slammed, then Blackwell corners him with a series short splashes in the corner. Blackwell kicks away Gantner`s kick, bionic elbows him, then Irish whips in for a clothesline.

Blackwell drives Gantner to the mat with a Samoan drop, then picks off his own pin at 2 after a powerslam. Blackwell charges out of the corner for a splash, gaining referee Gary DeRousha`s 3 and ending the match after three minutes. Blackwell takes Larry Nelson`s microphone to say "this is my town, and I love all you people!"

Frankie DeFalco & Mike Richards versus "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly & "Slick" Nick Kiniski (accompanied by Madusa Miceli)

Kiniski twirls Madusa, who is wearing a white leather jacket and bikini bottoms. Kelly gets to one knee to flex his arm to the crowd. Richards yanks at Kiniski`s arm with a wristlock. Kiniski backs Richards to the ropes with a hair pull, then lands knees and chops on him. Richards` head is smashed to the turnbuckle, then into Kelly`s boot. A tagged Kelly assists Kiniski for a ropes whip to deliver a double back elbow.

Kelly throws Richards to the corner to tag in his partner. DeFalco yells as Kelly applies a wristlock. Commentator Rod Trongard mentions that Kelly can bench press 540 lbs and deadlift 750 lbs. Kelly then reverses DeFalco`s wristlock attempt, and smashes him to the turnbuckle. Kiniski jumps off the apron while yanking DeFalco`s neck on the top rope. A tagged Kiniski throws DeFalco to the floor, then antagonizes Richards to come in, while Kelly shoves DeFalco back in the ring.

DeFalco goes down after a corner whip, is hit with Kiniski`s elbow drop off the ropes, then held for a chest shot by the tagged Kelly. DeFalco is whipped for a clothesline, then has his 270 lb body hurls across the ring by Kelly`s press slam. A tagged Kelly then plants DeFalco in the mat with a piledriver, covers for referee Robert Warrn`s 3, ending the match in under five minutes. Kelly then gives a double arm pose. On screen the top tag teams are posted. (1) Original Midnight Express (2) D.J. Peterson & J.T. Southern (3) Kevin Kelly & Nick Kiniski (4) Jerry "The King" Lawler & "Superstar" Bill Dundee (5) The Nasty Boys  

At AWA studio, Larry Nelson interviews Jerry Blackwell. Nelson felt that Blackwell`s size made him the odds on favorite in the street fight battle royal series. Blackwell said that he would be entering these matches in overalls that don¢t smell too good. Blackwell said that his big ol¢ boot kicking his foes in their face would take care of that concern.

Blackwell said that AWA world champion Curt Hennig would do anything to hang on to the title, and called him out to sign his name for a title match against him. Blackwell warned Hennig that he would "wipe the ring up with you" if Hennig had the guts to get in the ring. Blackwell then asked where was "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly`s briefcase containing $10,000 for the arm wrestling challenge. Blackwell said that he would put Kelly`s arm down, then called Kelly`s manager Madusa Miceli a bimbo. Blackwell called Kelly to bring the money and see who`s arm goes down.  

"Loverboy" Dennis Condrey versus Chief Wahoo McDaniel in the international televison championship tournament

Paul E. Dangerously takes the microphone to say that the pople thought he would be too chicken to split up his Midnight Express for singles matches, and announced Condrey¢s solo match debut in the AWA. Condrey¢s tag team partner, "Ravishing" Randy Rose followed him to the ring.

McDaniels chased Dangerously and his Express from the ring, as the starting bell sounds. Condrey exits the ring after Wahoo chops out of Condrey`s wristlock. Wahoo then spits at Dangerously. Condrey stalls in the ropes, re-applies the wristlock, but runs out of the ring again when Wahoo is about to chop him.

Condrey returns to hide behind referee Gary DeRousha in the corner. Condrey is chopped and eye rakes in the corner. From another corner, Condrey holds onto the top ropes, and is yanked from his boot to the mat. Condrey is chopped down, then Wahoo chops Condrey`s right wrist. Condrey eye gouges, but Wahoo chops at Condrey`s wrist again.

On the outside, Dangerously yells at the camera to "get outta here!" Condrey is wristlocked, keed, then hit with a falling chop. Wahoo stomps on Condrey`s right hand, then corners him, pressuring Condrey`s right arm against the top rope. Condrey rakes the eyes again, but is chopped down before exiting.

Dangerously cries out "he broke his finger!" Back in the ring, Condrey hits with a groin shot in the corner. A headlocked Wahoo is punched then is kicked in the upper thigh. Wahoo drives his elbow into Condrey and gets a 2 count. Condrey rakes the eyes, then Rose on the outside holds Wahoo back in the corner by his trunks. Condrey strikes at Wahoo, then step chokes him.

After strikes the throat, Condrey is headlocked into a hell kick to the groin. Condrey is chopped down, then Irish whipped into an abdominal stretch. Dangeroulsy runs into the ring and hits Wahoo on the back with the phone. Referee DeRousha signals the bell to disqualify Condrey for interfernece, as Wahoo chops down Dangerously. This match was over seven minutes. Wahoo then chops down Rose. Condrey ax handles Wahoo into the corner, where The Express stomp at him. Tommy Rich runs to the ring, knocking away Rose, and striking Condrey on the ring apron.

On the floor, Wahoo is attacked by Condrey from behind, as he went after Dangerously. Rich strikes at Rose in the ring, as Wahoo knocks back Condrey and strikes down Dangerously with the phone. In the aisle, Wahoo hits Rose with the phone, while Rich strikes Condrey before the Dangerous Alliance flees back to the locke rooms. Larry Nelson had gotten up, looking to give a ringside interview, but Wahoo and Rich went back to the locker rooms.

Wahoo is awarded 2.5 points as Condrey has 2.5 points deducted from his score. Onscreen posts the TV tournament point leaders. (1) "Wildfire" Tommy Rich - 23.0 (2) D.J. Peterson - 21.0 (3) "Adorable" Adrian Adonis - 19.5 (4) "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly - 18.5 (5) Greg Gagne - 17.5

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

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