Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 24, 2022 23:31:40 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 10
EPISODE 10
Nostalgia to start the show, as Mad Dog Vachon, and then the Ultimate Warrior, cut short, intense pre-taped promos straight out of a 1980's Saturday Night Main Event broadcast.
Pyro from Omaha, Nebraska, then the TV credits ran, a 60-second of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of several members of the reborn AWA roster.
Joey Styles and Jesse Ventura hyped up the six upcoming matches, which included all three championships being defended. They also announced that AWA Winterslam, the next big pay-per-view, was coming up in mid-March, and then sent it down to Lee Marshall in the ring for the first championship match of the night.
AWA SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
ILYA DRAGUNOV (c) vs. ??:
vs.
ILYA DRAGUNOV (c) vs. ??:
vs.
Dragunov waited several seconds in the ring for his mystery opponent, and after a suitably long pause, the titan called Wardlow emerged from the curtain and walked slowly down the ramp. However, he paused on the ring apron, and shook his head.
The real opponent walked onto the stage. Maxwell Jacob Friedman.
He took his time getting to the ring, and went to the opposite corner with his diamond-ringed fist raised to the crowd. The referee went over to take it away, but MJF argued it was his... and being the master of distraction that he was, it gave Wardlow time to pull Dragunov out of the ring for a powerbomb on the floor!
As he threw the Russian back in, MJF “reluctantly” gave the referee his ring and ran at his gravely injured foe, hitting him with a low-elevation clothesline. The official signaled for the bell, eager to get the bout underway. MJF propped Dragunov over the ropes and crushed him with his Heatseeker piledriver. It was hardly necessary at that point, done purely for show, but it served its purpose. Friedman pulled the champion into the center of the ring and cinched in a tight pin, and it was over before it started.
Your new AWA Southern Heavyweight champion, MJF.
COMMERCIAL
The new champion and Wardlow were celebrating in the back, champagne bottles in all four fists. MJF was never at a loss for words, and after describing his “easy” win, warned that his win “was just the beginning.”
Back to the broadcast table, where Joey Styles set up the next bout. “Desmond Wolfe and Nick Bockwinkel are heading for a showdown at AWA Winterslam, and each of those men are in action tonight in 'beat the clock' matches. If both men win their matches, then the man who wins the fastest can pick the stipulation for their Winterslam match. But if one or both of their opponents win tonight, they'll go to Winterslam instead... and Wolfe, or Bockwinkel, will be forced to referee their match!”
BEAT THE CLOCK CHALLENGE MATCH
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. KEN KENNEDY:
vs.
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. KEN KENNEDY:
vs.
The usually methodical Bockwinkel was forced to wrestle at a faster pace than he preferred – not that he couldn't do it, but it worked to Kennedy's harder-hitting advantage. The former TNA champ got his share of offense in, and it was fairly competitive. However, the wily veteran eventually found his stride, and pinned Kennedy with a crucifix at 9:55.
After the match, Wolfe was shown backstage loosening up for his match, seemingly without a care in the world. Fade to another Briscoe Brothers vignette. The ROH tag kings were coming to the AWA, and they were different than any other team here – or anywhere in the entire world.
COMMERCIAL
Styles and Ventura introduced footage that was recorded after last week's episode went off the air. Brodie Lee and Don Leo Jonathan had fought all the way from the locker room to the parking lot, and were only separated when a dozen officials and wrestlers finally got between them. Therefore, Commissioner Hart was putting them in a Last Man Standing match – next week!
BUDDY MURPHY vs. AUSTIN THEORY:
vs.
vs.
The “Best Kept Secret” had his game face on against Theory, who wasn't taking selfies ahead of this match. (Nor will he ever in the AWA.) They were both full speed ahead from the get-go, hitting each other with some vicious strikes. They were also superbly conditioned, and kept up that frantic, back-and-forth pace for 15 minutes. At the end, Theory hoisted Murphy up for the ATL – but the Australian slid off his back and connected with Murphy's Law for the sudden victory.
COMMERCIAL
A pre-tape featuring Tyler Bate aired, and the English star was in the mood to fight. He said that he was, pound for pound or otherwise, one of the best wrestlers in the world. “Go watch my match with Dragunov. Every week I'm not in that ring is a week of my career wasted. Mr. Hart, I need competition. Put me in the ring next week with anyone, and then, just keep doing it. Winterslam is coming – that'd be a good place to wrestle, too.”
BEAT THE CLOCK CHALLENGE MATCH
KANYON vs. DESMOND WOLFE:
vs.
KANYON vs. DESMOND WOLFE:
vs.
It was a technical showcase and it was also a clash of styles. Some of the transitional maneuvers were perfectly executed, while other holds and moves looked rough and painful... and it all worked. The crowd was in Kanyon's corner, and rode that wave of emotion as long as he could. But he could not keep Wolfe down for long, and the Englishman forced Kanyon to submit to his Thames Barrier wrist-lock at 9:51.
COMMERCIAL
Styles: “Fans, this is big. This is huge. I can confirm that we will be hosting not one, but two UWA title defenses at Winterslam! First, UWA Universal champion Nick Aldis will defend his title against the AWA Heavyweight champion, whether that's the current champ the Ultimate Warrior, or Mad Dog Vachon, or whoever else might be wearing that belt in a couple of weeks! And as if that wasn't enough, UWA Universal Tag-Team champions Strike Force will put their belts on the line against the AWA tag champs, whoever they are, too! Let's get down to the ring! Lee Marshall, take it away!”
AWA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The KILLER BEES vs. the NORTH (w/Jimmy Hart):
vs.
The KILLER BEES vs. the NORTH (w/Jimmy Hart):
vs.
Jesse Ventura was scouting as much as he was commentating this match. The North were cockier than usual, riding a winning streak and accompanied by one of the most successful managers of all-time. But for the veterans in the other corner, they were unfazed; they were used to going against Jimmy Hart-led teams.
The two squads had an old-school battle that saw the heels control most of the match, thanks to steady double-teaming and constant distraction from their manager. Eventually, Blair made the hot tag to Brunzell, who cleared house with his industry-famous dropkicks. All four men wound up in the ring at the same time, at which point the masked Spoiler stomped down to ringside. He marched up the ring stairs, and the ref cut him off and warned him to leave. Meanwhile, Hart tossed his megaphone to Alexander – but before he could use it, the official whirled around and saw him before he could use it. While this occurred, the Spoiler went to the top rope and leaped down on Brunzell with a (presumably) loaded headbutt. The ref did see and hear that, and called for the disqualification. The North hit Blair with a double spinebuster, and the four men – Page, Alexander, Hart, and the Spoiler – all celebrated together, knowing that despite the DQ, they were going to Winterslam to meet Strike Force.
COMMERCIAL
The Hounds of Justice were muttering about the tag-team match they had just watched on the backstage monitors when Adrian Adonis wandered in and told them that the East-West Connection should be the next team in line for the North's belts. A few moments later, the New Age Outlaws joined the argument, insisting that if Jimmy Hart didn't interfere in their match a couple of weeks earlier, they'd be the champions. Before the inevitable brawl occurred, Commissioner Hart walked onto the scene, and told them that he was scheduling a triple-threat tag-team match for next week's All-Star Wrestling.
AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The ULTIMATE WARRIOR (c) vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
The ULTIMATE WARRIOR (c) vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
There might not have been two more different wrestlers in the territory. The crowd was eager to see Vachon finally get his title shot, and they were equally eager to see the Warrior win in his usual dynamic fashion.
The champion ran down to the ring and bounced off the ropes, tossing his championship belt to the referee as he went back and forth. At first, Vachon tried to shoot amateur-style on Warrior, aiming at his legs, but he couldn't take him down. The Warrior attacked “Mad Dog” with forearm smashes, and caught him in a bearhug for several moments before his opponent broke free.
It was a slow, deliberate match that went about eight minutes. Vachon had momentum, and he dropped the Warrior with a piledriver – and the champion no-sold it. He flexed his massive arms and whipped Vachon into the ropes, dropping him with a big boot. Then he threw him into one of the corners – sloppily – and “Mad Dog” crashed awkwardly face-first into the middle turnbuckle. To wrap things up, the Warrior pulled Vachon out and pressed him over his head, dropping him chest-first in the center of the ring before nailing him with his patented splash. The referee counted to three, and the champion grabbed his belt and held it high overhead to end the show.