This match was booked to determine the top contender for Bruiser Brody and the AWA Intercontinental Championship. Joey Styles informed the audience that via a random draw earlier in the day, the two men to start the match would be bitter rivals: Tully Blanchard and Magnum T.A. Fans throughout the arena and at home were able to see the countdown start from 30:00, and the clock would only stop if a man was pinned or submitted, and only then for 15 seconds. The other four men were stationed in each corner.
Blanchard and Magnum wasted no time renewing acquaintances, and they set the tone for the entire match. Because of the scramble rules, and the motors that all six men possessed, it was, to borrow a term, total non-stop action. In fact, Magnum nearly pinned Blanchard a minute in with his patented belly-to-belly suplex, but Cole broke up the fall. (
Josh Mathews: A key bit of strategy displayed by Cole there, and something we’ll have to watch for the duration of this contest – do you try to break up pins and submissions to keep your foes from earning the interim contender spot, or do you let them eliminate your competition for you?)
The varying styles employed by the sextet made it a tough match to call, or predict, and the highlights of the match were too numerous to list all in one spot. Elgin hitting a spinning power bomb on Henry ranked with the best, as did Henry’s “World’s Strongest Slam” on all five men in less than a minute’s time. Cole and McGuinness exchanged strikes and suplexes like the technicians they were, and probably had the most ringtime against each other compared to the other permutations of wrestlers.
From start to glorious finish, there were three eliminations. The first came approximately 14 minutes in, when Henry eliminated Magnum with a pair of slams (Cole tried to break up the pin, but literally could not budge the big man off his fallen foe). A few minutes later, Elgin knocked Henry out of the match with the aforementioned power bomb, an awesome visual and testament to the Canadian’s tremendous strength.
That left Blanchard, Cole, Elgin, and McGuinness with approximately ten minutes left, and the tags were made at a much quicker pace, and many were made against a man’s will. No one wanted to be stranded on the ring apron, especially Elgin, who tentatively held the top contender position.
With about three minutes left, all four men wound up inside the ring, brawling. The referee tried to restore order, but Elgin was pummeled by all three of his opponents, and thrown outside the ring. Cole went to the top rope, and hit Elgin with a cross-body, but the ROH tank caught him. Blanchard and McGuinness looked at each other, conferred, and began to mount parallel top corners, as if to try the same thing Cole had. But the devious Blanchard attacked the Brit from behind, and brought him crashing to the mat with a vicious second-rope reverse DDT. J.J. Dillon screamed at the referee to make the count as he conveniently got between Cole and Elgin, and the ring. Three seconds later, Blanchard was the interim top contender… and just over a minute after that, he was declared the victor.
Winner: Tully Blanchard, 30:00.
While Blanchard and Dillon celebrated with his stablemates Edge and the Natural Born Thrillers, Lance Russell did a brief interview backstage with Bruiser Brody. He “congratulated” Tully on his hard-fought win, but made clear the fact that he beat him once, and he could certainly do it again.
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STRIKE FORCE (RICK MARTEL and TITO SANTANA) vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS (MATT and NICK JACKSON):
The AWA’s newest team ran down the ramp, spurring a loud ovation from the crowd; the Young Bucks followed accompanied by a chorus of boos. Martel and Nick Jackson started the contest, and it became apparent that though Strike Force was able to keep up with the pace their younger foes were trying to set, they also wanted to use their size advantage on them as well. The first half of the match was controlled by Martel and Santana, who kept their foes guessing with both aerial- and ground-based maneuvers. The Bucks, however, regained the advantage with stereo dropkicks. They then set a faster tone, utilizing numerous double-team tactics – legal and otherwise – on Santana, cutting him off from his partner for several minutes. Despite their high-impact offense, they were nonetheless unable to keep him down , and he dove to his corner and made the hot tag to Martel. The Quebecer took charge, punching and dropkicking his opponents to regain control. A minute later, Strike Force earned the victory, with Santana scoring the pin after a devastating flying forearm.
Winners: Strike Force, 10:46.
After the match, Santana borrowed the microphone from Christie Hemme and stated to the crowd that this would be the team’s first and last AWA match as Strike Force. Upon entering the AWA, they had decided that they would both try to earn their stripes as singles competitors. Martel nodded, and declared that though they would be friends for life, it was time was part ways and claim glory as individual champions. The two men shook hands, hugged, and left the ring together, hearing the cheers from an appreciative crowd.
Another video package, focusing primarily on the AWA Television Champion, the Great Muta, and the dominance he has thus far shown during his title reign. However, his opponents also got fair play, showcasing the hard work and phenomenal arsenal of moves in their respective repertoires.
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AWA TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
ART BARR (w/VICKIE GUERRERO) vs. [C] THE GREAT MUTA (w/GARY HART) vs. ADRIAN NEVILLE:
(
Joey Styles: This is, without question, Muta’s greatest challenge yet. Not only is he facing the man who met him hold-for-hold in the AWA TV title tournament in Art Barr, not only is he facing a man who took him to a time-limit draw in his last title defense in Adrian Neville, but he is facing both men at the same time, in a match where he doesn’t even have to get pinned to
lose his championship.)
AWA triple-threat rules were in effect, with all three competitors in the ring at the same time. Christy Hemme made the “big fight” introductions once the trio and their managers settled into their respective corners. All three men got applause, even the Great Muta, despite Hart being at his side. Once he and Guerrero left the ring, the bell rang, and it was go time.
It was beautiful chaos. On the mat, in the air, outside the ring - and the countless transitions from one to another – the three men wrestled with an intensity rivaling the extreme lucha battles that ECW once provided. It was apparent that each man had a gameplan, and it meant weakening one of their opponents for their respective top-rope finishers: Muta’s moonsault, Barr’s frog splash, and Neville’s corkscrew shooting star press. At various points during the bout, two men would ruthlessly double-team the third, often with the reigning champion being that target; that said, each of the three inevitably took a beating.
Though the crowd could have watched it all night, it had to eventually end. Barr looked like he would be the one to take the title home, as Muta was downed in one corner, and Neville was momentarily dazed in the middle of the ring. Taking flight, the “Love Machine” connected hard with the frog splash, but he only got a two-count as Muta barely broke the fall. Barr and Muta brawled for a while, allowing Neville to stagger to his feet, throwing Barr from the ring and knocking Muta down. Neville raced to a corner and landed his patented press, but like Barr, only got a two-count thanks to Hart’s interference. The young Englander was furious, and rolled outside the ring to confront Muta’s manager, who was, by now, prevented from leaving by Barr and Guerrero.
Hart’s pleadings distracted everybody. The Great Muta rolled outside the ring from another side and stealthily approached his opponents, hitting Guerrero in the face with a green mist. As Barr frantically tended to his manager, the TV champ focused on Neville with a brutal kick to the head. Rolling him back into the squared circle, Muta forced Neville to submit with his Muta Lock, an inverted Indian deathlock.
Winner: The Great Muta, 19:31.
INTERMISSION
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NO-DISQUALIFICATION MATCH
EDGE (w/JJ DILLON) vs. SCOTT HALLThe former and current AWA star Hall was the first man out, but before he could make it to the ring, he was attacked from behind by Edge. The referee rang the bell, and the brawl was on. The two men mauled each other on the floor for a few minutes, entering the crowd several times. By the time Hall threw Edge into the ring for the first time, both men’s foreheads were cut. The “Bad Guy” used his superior mass and strength to wear down his foe, using fists and throws to batter the Canadian. Dillon frantically tried to motivate his man, but Hall’s methodical offense was punishing. After kicking out of a near-fall, Edge rolled back outside to catch his breath; Hall followed, and was caught by a last-ditch spear that bowled him into the ring steps.
It was the ultimate opportunist’s turn to lay in the offense. He found a steel folding chair and used it to further weaken Hall’s back, hitting him hard several times. Feeling that the big man was done, Edge rolled him back inside, but only got a two-count. Furious and bloodied, Edge propped the chair into a corner, placed Hall in front of the chair, and prepared to charge for another spear. He only got halfway across the ring, though, as Hall met him with a wicked clothesline, reassuming control of the match. Hall slowly got to the feet and signaled for the Razor’s Edge, but he was mobbed by Edge’s colleagues, Mark Jindrak and Sean O’Haire. The duo mauled him until Edge got to his feet, and he told them to put him on their shoulders. Once Hall was up, Edge went to the top rope and speared him down. As the Thrillers left the ring, Edge pinned Hall for the hard-fought, albeit not entirely fair, victory.
Winner: Edge, 9:15.
A pre-taped interview was shown from earlier in the day. Lance Russell interviewed Daniel Bryan, who vowed to win the AWA Heavyweight title. He wasn’t afraid of Vader, but he definitely respected him, and he knew that the match would be the toughest of his career.
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AWA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
THE BLUEBLOODS [C] (WILLIAM REGAL AND DOUG WILLIAMS) AND WADE BARRETT (w/LAYLA)
vs. THE MIRACLE VIOLENCE CONNECTION (STEVE WILLIAMS AND TERRY GORDY)Williams and Gordy jogged to the ring first, pacing within a pair of caged animals, eager to get their hands on the Monarchy – especially Barrett. The British trio followed, looking smug, holding their belts high in the air as they made their way down the ramp. Christy Hemme made the big-fight introductions (the norm for all AWA championship matches), and Gordy and Regal started the match. As in their first bout, they exhibited brilliant form; Regal was eager to lay in some stiff forearms and knees, and Gordy utilized his underrated grappling skills and power moves. Despite the mutual hatred, it was obvious there was a keen amount of respect as well.
The two Williamses were similarly well-matched, but Steve’s massive bulk eventually allowed him to get the upper hand over Doug. To his credit, the Englander survived the onslaught and tagged in Barrett, who stalled for as long as he could, much to the crowd’s dismay. When he finally locked up with Dr. Death, he was pressed over Williams’s head ten times before being slammed hard to the mat. The crowd roared as Gordy tagged back in, and he continued the assault on Barrett. The MVC kept control, but the tough Barrett refused to be pinned. He eventually made the tag to Regal, and the next few minutes were a clinic in chain wrestling for both teams, with neither capturing an advantage.
The match turned for good when Steve Williams took an “errant” thumb in the eye. While the referee checked on him, Barrett laid Gordy out by hitting him with his “Wasteland” slam on the floor. As the legal man for his team, Regal locked in his self-named stretch on the Oklahoman, but Williams refused to quit. He held on for nearly a minute, and then doggedly escaped the move. Not knowing what happened to his partner, who had just made it back to the apron, Dr. Death tagged in “Bamm Bamm”. As he slowly and sorely entered the ring, Doug Williams was tagged in on his side, and hit a brutal belly-to-back suplex on Gordy, knocking him senseless. Holding the tights for insurance, Williams scored the pin, and the BlueBloods retained their titles.
Winners: The BlueBloods, 16:03
Another pre-taped interview was shown on the big screen, as Lance Russell spoke with Gary Hart and Big Van Vader. Hart correctly predicted Muta’s win, and declared that soon he would be representing two champions. Vader was equally confident, and guaranteed the world that he would be wearing the most important title in the world by night’s end.
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STEEL CAGE MATCH
VERNE GAGNE vs. KEN SHAMROCKAWA steel cage rules are in effect – pinfall, submission, or escape are the three ways to win. Shamrock entered the cage first, and felt completely at home as he jogged around the ring to loosen up. The local legend Gagne walked down the ramp next, absorbing the loud cheers with a determined look. As soon as he entered, the door was locked, and the bell rang. After waiting a month to get their hands on each other, it was time to fight.
It was as close to an MMA fight as one would ever expect to see in the AWA. Shamrock, a skilled wrestler in his own right, did his best to avoid being taken down by the former NCAA champ by using kicks and boxing. While it wasn’t Gagne’s strong suit, he was nonetheless willing to mix it up with Shamrock, alternating between grappling and dirty boxing. The referee did very little to break anything up; he was only there to render the final verdict. As vicious as the bout was, it was also relatively clean.
Shamrock got the upper hand late in the contest, running Gagne into the cage multiple times, softening him up. With Gagne downed, he went to work on his leg, but he could not make the AWA stalwart give up. Thus, Shamrock let him go, and slowly made his way to the ropes, and began climbing out of the cage. However, Gagne staggered to his feet and caught up to the martial artist. He also made it to the top rope, and threw Shamrock down with a headscissors.
Both men were dazed, but Gagne got to his feet first. He picked up Shamrock and whipped him into the ropes, bouncing him off the steel cage. As Shamrock staggered back to his opponent, Gagne whirled him around and locked in a sleeper. The UFC star fought it as long as he could, but he eventually succumbed, and the referee dropped his hand three times before signalling to the timekeeper that the match was over.
Winner: Verne Gagne, 17:30.
As the cage slowly lifted, Gagne stayed in the ring to acknowledge the ovation he was receiving. Doing so, he didn’t notice that Shamrock had regained consciousness, and he viciously clipped Gagne the back of the knee. Shamrock applied his ankle lock, wrenching and twisting as he screamed in rage. The referee tried his best to dislodge him, but could not; Gagne was finally saved by the Varsity Club. Mike Rotunda and Jack Swagger ran Shamrock off, and helped the Minnesotan back to the dressing room.
Joey Styles and Josh Mathews introduced one last video package. It showed Bryan’s run through the Heavyweight tournament (defeating Nigel McGuinness, Magnum T.A., and Harley Race), then Vader’s (who beat Mark Henry, Stan Hansen, and Edge). It concluded with a montage of former AWA champions: Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel, Mad Dog Vachon, Curt Hennig, and others, before ending on a graphic of Daniel Bryan and Big Van Vader.
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AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DANIEL BRYAN vs. BIG VAN VADER (w/GARY HART)Gary Hart led his massive client to the ring first, who flexed and yelled all the way down the ramp. By comparison, Bryan was quiet, and all business as he made his way to the ring. One more time with the classic fight introductions from Ms. Hemme.
It was the classic David vs. Goliath match, a la Hart/Yokozuna 20 years earlier; Vader outweighed Bryan by over 200 pounds, and his gameplan was obvious. However, Bryan also had a plan, and for the first few minutes, it was successful: dodge the big man, try to break down his cardio, and strike fast at a distance whenever possible. It also served to infuriate his gigantic opponent, whom Hart implored to settle down.
Eventually, the tide turned. Bryan went for a top-rope dropkick but Vader swatted him out of mid-air, and followed that with a splash. The “American Dragon” barely kicked out of the pin, but Vader kept control. Bruising forearm strikes, shoulder tackles, and short-arm clotheslines were all unleashed on his smaller foe, but Bryan would not stay down. He did try to create space for himself by rolling outside, but Vader methodically followed him outside and press-slammed him back, over the top rope.
Vader locked in a bearhug, looking to finish off Bryan with the submission maneuver in the middle of the squared circle. The referee looked on, as did Hart, as the young man’s head sagged and his eyes closed. The official checked his hand, and it fell twice – but stayed in the air on the third check. His arm pumped, and the crowd cheered “Yes!” as Bryan seemed to draw strength from their cheers. Desperately, he broke the hold with the only thing he could – a headbutt, aimed between Vader’s eyes. It took three headbutts, but he escaped the hold, as Vader grabbed at his bleeding nose.
Bryan kicked at the big man’s legs, forcing him to one knee. He bounded off the ropes and hit a bulldog on Vader, then immediately went for the LaBelle Lock. With the crowd on its collective feet, Bryan wrenched back as far as he could. But Vader still had gas in the tank, and he got to his feet with Bryan still wrapped around him, and rammed him into one of the corners. Both men were tired, feeling the effects of a long and grueling battle, and the mastodon got to his feet first. Positioning Bryan a few feet away, Vader climbed the ropes, ready to hit his 400+ pound version of the moonsault.
He flew through the air – and missed! Bryan rolled into the move, toward the corner, and Vader landed hard on the mat, missing the smaller man by mere inches. Bryan slowly lifted himself up with the ropes, nodding his head with the resurgent “Yes!” chants. Vader was winded, and rolled in the opposite direction, trying to clear his head. He got halfway up, but Bryan took him back down with a running knee-smash. Bryan leaped onto the fallen Vader, but he shrugged him off – barely - at two. Undaunted, Bryan ran back to the corner, and hit him again with the knee. This time, the referee completed the count.
Winner, and new AWA Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan, 24:27.
Pyro, confetti, a crazy crowd – the end.