Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 28, 2022 19:57:31 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 14
EPISODE 14
Pyro from Regina, Saskatchewan, then a 60-second sizzle reel of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of and highlights from members of the current AWA roster.
Joey Styles and Jesse Ventura were on commentary, and they wasted no time listing the matches before sending it to the ring where Lee Marshall was standing by.
AWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH QUALIFIER
JERRY LAWLER (ic) vs. LARRY ZBYSZKO (w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
JERRY LAWLER (ic) vs. LARRY ZBYSZKO (w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
AWC's “Living Legend” didn't come out alone; Gagne had obtained a manager's license for this contest, and Lawler argued about it right up until the bell started the match. Zbyszko was not in peak form; he competed in a grueling ladder match at AWC Supercard just days earlier, but he wasn't about to turn this title shot down. Neither man was especially popular, but Zbyszko was impossible to cheer for, so the crowd favored “the King”. They wrestled at a very deliberate pace, both men stalled a lot, and Gagne occasionally stuck his finger in the referee's face. They went about ten minutes, and Zbyszko nearly stole the win with an O'Connor roll and a handful of tights... but Lawler reversed it and hooked his enemy's trunks for the three-count. It wasn't completely legal, but the Memphis legend was moving on the biggest match of his life in two weeks.
COMMERCIAL
A video package began with footage from last week, when Desmond Wolfe renounced his name and announced that Nigel McGuinness would be back. Historical footage of his ROH reign of terror was shown, where he mixed vicious and unique submission moves with brutal brawling.
AWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH QUALIFIER
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. ILYA DRAGUNOV vs. BRODIE LEE vs. MIRO:
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NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. ILYA DRAGUNOV vs. BRODIE LEE vs. MIRO:
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Styles clarified that these qualifiers would be fought under AWA's version of fatal four-way rules: two men started the match, the other two men waited on the apron until they were tagged in (or, to be expected, interfered).
This match featured a wide range of skills and diverse offense, but there was no denying the athletic skill on display. Miro and Lee were explosive and hard-hitting, Dragunov was lightning-quick, and Bockwinkel was a master on the mat. It was a whirlwind of a match, and Styles and Ventura had their hands full calling it. The endgame saw Lee thrown to the outside, and Miro fired Dragunov towards the side of the ring Bockwinkel occupied. The AWA icon tagged himself in, but as he was getting into the ring, Nigel McGuinness suddenly rolled from underneath, and rammed Bockwinkel's head into the ringpost! He fell into the ring at “the Redeemer's” feet, and Miro fell on him for the three-count.
COMMERCIAL
MJF was in Hart's office and he demanded to know why he wasn't included in the AWA Heavyweight championship title hunt. The commissioner was happy to answer. “With the way you won the Southern title, and retained it – you practically admitted that Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard attacked Ilya Dragunov for you – you expect to be rewarded for that? Not a chance. But if you are that eager to get back in action, how's this sound – next week, you're going to defend your title against a man you might remember from your days back in MLW... the 'Samoan Werewolf', Jacob Fatu.”
TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON vs. TOMMY DREAMER and DUSTIN RHODES:
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Wardlow accompanied his stablemates onto the stage, where Blanchard and Anderson shook their hands before smugly making their AWA debut. The match was a standard squash, where the veteran heels had things their way from start to finish. Dreamer and Rhodes got one or two punches in, but they were overwhelmed, and after the founding Horsemen hit their greatest hits, “Double A” ended it with a spinebuster on Dreamer.
Kevin Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux walked out onto the stage, complete with the elaborate smokeshow. Kross went on a tirade about Diamond Dallas Page; he said that when two alphas show up in the same place at the same time, someone has to take charge. “Someone has to be the true alpha. I've already proven that I'm the bigger, badder man. And that didn't take any time at all. Now, I'm on to larger prey. And -”
Diamond Cutter!
DDP stood over Kross as Scarlett screeched at the “People's Champion”. He gave the crowd his patented diamond cutter hand symbol, and left through the crowd.
COMMERCIAL
Another exciting vignette aired to hype the arrival of the former Lucha Underground sensation, Prince Puma.
AWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH QUALIFIER
TYLER BATE vs. VERNE GAGNE (w/Chad Gable) vs. CHRIS HERO vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
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TYLER BATE vs. VERNE GAGNE (w/Chad Gable) vs. CHRIS HERO vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
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As you'd expect, this match had a little bit of everything – but it didn't have Gable for very long, as the referee preemptively booted him from ringside to try to keep things as fair as possible. There were plenty of reluctant and accidental tags, and it just made them angrier and angrier as the contest went on. Gagne and Hero constantly tried to one-up each other with unique scientific holds, while Bate and Vachon relied more on their power. They went about 15 minutes, and after Bate and Gagne tumbled to the floor together, Vachon pinned the “Knockout Artist” after hitting him with a piledriver.
COMMERCIAL
The AWA tag-team champions, Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, were in the ring with their manager, Jimmy Hart. Typical heel promo that the shrill “Mouth of the North” dominated, but before he was done, the Midnight Express – all three of them – parted the curtain. The top contenders for the titles responded that it was their time now, and after earning the right to take on the North next week, the belts would be back on the dark side.
A VTR aired, hyping the eventual debut of a highly touted, dark, and brooding daredevil... Darby Allin.
LARRY and JOE HENNIG vs. the KILLER BEES:
vs.
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Brunzell and Joe shook hands to start the match, and they put on a strong, scientific exchange. But it wasn't what happened in the ring that was the story here. Harley Race was in the front row watching the match, and whenever the Bees were in charge, Race could be seen shaking his head and muttering under his breath. It was a see-saw battle that Brunzell won with a top-rope cross-bodyblock on the younger Hennig, and when it ended, Race got up and left, seemingly in disgust.
COMMERCIAL
Styles announced that next week, Hart would reveal the details of the AWA Heavyweight championship match. He also reminded the audience about the North/Midnight Express title showdown, as well as MJF's title defense against Fatu, and also told the world that the Motor City Machine Guns would be debuting in the AWA next week.
AWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH QUALIFIER
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. JON MOXLEY vs. AUSTIN THEORY:
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Lawler, Miro, and Vachon were in – who would join them? As with the other two multi-man qualifiers, any of these four were worthy contenders, and Theory and Moxley started it off with a flurry of action. The entire match was non-stop action, and all four enjoyed brief period of dominance, with strange and temporary alliances forming throughout.
As they approached the 20-minute mark, McGuinness started to assert himself. However, the audience's attention was diverted to the ramp where Bockwinkel was forcing his way to the ring, surrounded by several AWA agents. It was a rare sight, the normally calm and cool Bockwinkel furiously shouting at the Englishman. As McGuinness moved closer to the ropes to taunt him, Theory tagged himself in, and charged at the other legal man, Jonathan. But the “Mormon Giant” hit him with a big boot, and a massive belly-to-belly suplex that drove the air from Theory's lungs. Three seconds later, DLJ was declared the victor.
Now it was McGuinness's turn to be angry, and he jumped off the apron into the pile of agents and Bockwinkel. They brawled their way to the back, and Jonathan eventually stood alone in the ring as the show went off the air.