CLASSIC AWA JULY 5th TV REPORT
  • 07/08/2008 (9:37:16 am)
  • Georgiann Makropoulos

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June 5th aired a 1987 episode of Verne Gagne`s AWA All-Star Wrestling from the Showboat Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas Nevada.

Mitch Snow versus Brian Costello

After both men crisscrossed the ring, Costello leapfrogged but was fist dropped by Snow when attempting a monkey flip. Snow charged down Costello, then reversed a hip toss on him. Snow body slammed Costello, but Costello took Snow to the mat with a back suplex, then landed an elbow drop. Snow reversed Costello¢s Irish whip, and hits him with a knee strike. Snow punches down Costello, then whips him to the ropes for a dropkick.

After Snow back flipped off the top rope in the corner, he planted Costello in the mat with his Jam Slam finisher (hip toss/powerslam combination). Referee Robert Warren counted to 3, giving Snow the victory. AWA Notebook posted on screen that Jammin` Mitch Snow recently won a battle royal in Great Falls, Montana proving once again that it¢s not the size of the man, but the size of his heart that wins matches.

Art Washington versus "Adorable" Adrian Adonis

Adonis¢s manager Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman) took the microphone to announce his protege as being the late Liberace`s all time favorite wrestler. Adonis attacks Washington before the bell with kicks and a body rake, before throwing him from the ring. When Washington gets back to the ring apron, Adonis wraps his towel around Washington`s neck, and yanks him back into the ring. Adonis rakes Washington¢s back and lands a knee. Adonis hits Washington with kicks and elbow strikes in the corner, then chokes him.

After referee Gary DeRousha warns Adonis about the choke, Adonis wraps his arms around Washington`s head for the sleeper hold. In his commentary, former AWA world champion Verne Gagne said that Adonis calls his finishing maneuver "Good Night Irene" and Washington goes unconscious, ending the match in under two minutes with a submission victory for Adonis. Washington was still in the hold and Paul E. Urged Adonis to break to avoid a disqualification, then raised Adonis¢ hand.

At AWA studio, Larry Nelson interviewed "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly and his manager Madusa Miceli. Kelly flexes as Madusa shows off her brown leather purse that Madusa and Kelly claim holds $10,000 for anyone who can beat Kelly in arm wrestling. When Nelson asked about Madusa`s fashion, she said that it was specially made for her by North Beach leather. When Nelson brought up Kelly previous manager Sherri Martel, Kelly said that she was old news, old hat.

In talking about a challenger in Tommy "Wildfire" Rice, Kelly said that "Rich maybe is in good condition, but not magnificent like myself" Kelly went on to say of himself as being "the best condition athlete in the world of professional wrestling today, bar none jack!" Kelly said that since the time he was born, and slapped the doctor, he has been working out. Kelly then kisses his biceps.

After the commercial, Larry Nelson presented former AWA world champion Nick Bockwinkel`s re-match against the man who defeated him for the title in Curt Hennig. This was also the last match of Bockwinkel`s before was taken out of competition due to an injury. Nelson said that Bockwinkel`s return was uncertain to him. This match was joined in progress.

Bockwinkel reversed Hennig¢s full nelson, and Hennig placed both feet on the top rope. Bockwinkel then released the hold, causing Hennig¢s back to fall to the mat. A cornered Bockwinkel moves away, causing Hennig to punch the top turnbuckle. Bockwinkel forearm smashes Hennig into the corner, then hip tosses him out of the corner. Hennig staggers backwards and flips over the top rope. Bockwinkel goes to the outside to slam Hennig¢s head into the ring apron, then returns to the ring to stomp Hennig away from the ring.

Hennig returns to the ring and Bockwinkel takes him to the mat with a headlock. Hennig escapes and exits the ring. Three fans in the audience hold up a large yellow banner that read "Curt Hennig is Minnesota¢s Greatest Athlete" Hennig returns to the ring, has Bockwinkel against the rope as he punches him. Bockwinkel is whipped to the corner, then Hennig¢s uppercuts takes him down. Hennig presses his boot into Bockwinkel`s neck, then jams Bockwinkel in the corner with shoulder strikes to Bockwinkel`s the mid-section.

Bockwinkel`s reversal of a corner whip, jolts Hennig, then Hennig is whipped to ropes for a knee. Bockwinkel covers and gets a two count. Hennig hammers away on Bockwinkel, then Bockwinkel punches back as both men are on the ring apron. Bockwinkel shoulder jams Hennig back into the ring. Hennig punches back, body slams Bockwinkel and cover for 1. Hennig punches down Bockwinkel and gains a 2 on a pin cover. Bockwinkel`s legs are in a figure four position, as he wraps them around Hennig`s head.

Hennig knees Bockwinkel`s left leg, but Bockwinkel retaliates by kicking Hennig down to the mat twice. Bockwinkel holds Hennig`s left leg, trips the right leg and applied a figure four leglock. Hennig grabs the bottom rope to break the hold, Bockwinkel gets the figure four on again, but Hennig gets to the ropes again. Hennig lands a knife edge chop, whipping Bockwinkel for a gut punch and getting a 2 count with a backbreaker.

Hennig smashes Bockwinkel seven times to the top turnbuckle, lands a kidney shot with his forearm, ax handles the back, and kicks the ribs. Hennig then whips Bockwinkel to the corner for an uppercut. Bockwinkel reverses a corner whip, taking Hennig over with a hip toss. Bockwinkel punches Hennig`s head and stomach, forearm strikes the head, then whips Hennig to the corner. Bockwinkel gets a 2 count after a back body drop, then another 2 after a body slam. Both men are knocked to the mat after a collision.

Hennig lands a standing dropkick, Bockwinkel corner whips Hennig for a hip toss, then covers for 2. Bockwinkel Irish whips Hennig into a sleeperhold, but Hennig rushes himslef to the corner, causing Bockwinkel to have his head smashed to a turnbuckle. Hennig ducks Bockwinkel`s clothesline, then drops Bockwinkel with the Hennig Ax clothesline. Hennig punches Bockwinkel down, hooks the leg and gets a 2 count.

Hennig holds Bockwinkel by the hair, then punches him down. Hennig leaps off the middle rope in the corner for a missile dropkick, knocking Bockwinkel into referee Gary DeRousha. Bockwinkel goes for a piledriver, but Larry Zbyszko enters the ring, knocking Bockwinkel down with a strike from Zbyszko`s nunchakus. Hennig picks Bockwinkel upside down in mid-piledriver position, and Zbyszko brings his added weight by pressing down on Bockwinkel`s feet as Hennig completes the move (spike pildriver).

Referee DeRousha has recovered to signal the bell. Bockwinkel wins the match on a disqualification, but doesn`t win the title, since AWA rules stipulate a title only changes hands by pinfall, submission and forfeit. In his commentary, Verne Gagne called for AWA president Stanley Blackburn to do something about the illegal conduct that drew this match to a close.

At AWA studio, world champion Curt Hennig told Larry Nelson that Greg Gagne`s slap on the champion didn`t make him a big man, but a coward. Hennig said that no one gets away with slapping someone of his dignity and wrestling pride. Hennig warned Gagne that his days of slapping and wrestling will soon come to an end. Hennig proclaimed himself the "original man of mayhem" and said that what he did to Nick Bockwinkel speaks about his mayhem, which Hennig said he would bring from U.S.A., Japan and the middle east. Hennig then smiles and says "if you want mayhem, you¢ve come to the right place"

Nick Kiniski versus Steve Olsonoski

Verne Gagne mentioned that Paul Boesch had just retired after being a great wrestling promoter in Texas for over fifty-five years. Verne said that Boesch introduced him to the sleeperhold. Steve O tried to wristlock out of a headlock, but Kniski gains an arm bar. As Kiniski holds Steve O¢s arm against the top rope, Kiniski kicks it. Kiniski wristlock and rolls Steve O to the mat for the count of 1. Steve O then rolls up Kiniski for 1.

Steve O charges down Kniski, then moves free of a body slam attempt to roll Kiniski off the ropes for a 2. After exiting the ring, Kniski returns to a headlock that he can¢t immediately push off. Kiniski jumps over the ropes, onto the apron, but Steve O holds on to the headlock. Kiniski is then brought into the ring with a headlock, then dropped to the canvas.

Kiniski breaks Steve O`s hammerlock with a drop toe hold, but Steve O regains the hold and lands knees to the left arm of the downed Kiniski. From a wristlock, Steve O rolls up Kiniski for a 1 count. Kiniski pushes off from the bottom rope to help bring Steve O down to the mat with a Greco-Roman knucklelock. Kiniski tries to pin this lock, but he is caught in a head scissor, and Steve guillotines Kiniski with a leg chop.

Kiniski is whipped to the corner, but reverses a whip to the ropes, catching Steve O with a knee. A body slam and leg drop earns Kiniski a 2 count. Steve O grabs the ropes to break the Boston Crab hold, then he is corner whipped for a Kiniski clothesline. Steve O`s head is between Kiniski¢s legs for a head vice/stomp combination. Kiniski then snap mares Steve O for a chinlock. Steve O escapes with an arm drag, but is caught back in the chinlock.

Fans clap to try to rile up Steve O to escape. Steve O tries to elbow out, but Kiniski uses the trunks to leverage himself back to the chinlock hold. Kiniski then press drops Steve O on the ropes. Though Kiniski lands a throat punch, referee Robert Warren does not reprimand Kiniski. Referee Warren does have Kiniski break his chinlock for the third time, when it appears to be a choke. Kiniski tries the hold again, but Steve O elbows out, charges down Kniski, then gets a 1 count after a corss body press off the rope.

Kiniski ducks Steve O`s right, tackles him down, then drops a knee and an elbow. Kiniski yanks Steve O from the roipes, after choking him. Kiniski hooks the leg for 1, then corner whips Steve O. Kiniski charges but Steve O moves, causing Kiniski`s corner collision. Steve O punches Kiniski against the ropes, then whips him for a running back elbow.

Steve O body slams Kiniski, flies off the middle rope for an elbow, but only partial gets Kiniski. After unsuccessfully tying Steve O in the ropes, Kiniski misses Steve O in a charge, and flips onto the ring apron. As Steve O holds onto the top rope, Kiniski yanks the rope, causing Steve O to flip to the floor. An angered referee Warren yells at Kiniski for deliberately bringing Steve O over the top rope, but does not disqualify him.

Kiniski continues his assault by jumping from the apron onto Steve O with an elbow. Kiniski slams Steve O`s head to the ring apron, then chops at him. Kiniski throws Steve O to the steel ring post. Warren signals the bell, disqualifying Kiniski and ending the match after thirteen minutes. Kiniski raises his arms in the ring, as Warren tends to Steve O on the floor.

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

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


 

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