Post by fifthhorseman on Apr 16, 2022 20:10:11 GMT -5
AWA WEDNESDAY IN WISCONSIN
A VTR was shown, recapping the various plot twists and matches that took the AWA from the Ultimate Warrior's World Heavyweight title win, to tonight's Three Stage of Hell match to crown a new champion.
Pyro from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then the scene shifted to Joey Styles and Jesse Ventura at the broadcast table. They excitedly described the rest of the card, and as they spoke, the camera shifted to various areas of the arena. The first several rows, as well as a couple of suites, were occupied by a number of AWA wrestlers who wanted to see the show up close and personal; there were more than a few curious observers from other UWA territories as well.
BUDDY MURPHY vs. AUSTIN THEORY:
vs.
vs.
After several weeks of non-finishes and arguing, the two foes were eager to square off in the squared circle. It was as fast and hard-hitting as you'd imagine, and they were as evenly matched as any two wrestlers in the AWA locker room. Murphy had more experience, but Theory was a fast study for his age, just one of the reasons he wasn't in the AWA young lions camp. They went about 12 minutes, and after a series of reversals, Theory caught the Australian in a small package. Murphy complained that the cocky Georgian grabbed his tights – and replays would show that to be true – but Theory stole the win, evening their “series” at a win apiece.
COMMERCIAL
A Darby Allin vignette was shown, and when it ended, Styles told the audience that he would be debuting next week.
Ventura introduced the new AWA World Tag-Team champions, the Midnight Express. Jim Cornette led all three of them out – Lane, Eaton, and Condrey – and bragged that now that he was in the American Wrestling Association, his men would hold the straps forever... and that the UWA Universal tag titles wouldn't be far behind.
TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON (w/Wardlow) vs. JOE and LARRY HENNIG:
vs.
vs.
The former Horsemen were supremely confident, moreso with Wardlow watching their backs. The Hennigs were no slouches, either, but were on a small losing streak. This was old-school tag wrestling at its finest, and the heels worked the referee to perfection, bending the rules throughout the contest. “The Ax” showed off his power early, but Tully and Arn took over and stayed over, and won via a double slingshot suplex on Joe.
The villainous trio wasn't just satisfied with the win, and they beat down the Hennigs after the bell. Wardlow locked Joe in a full nelson, and the other two men set up Larry for a spike piledriver. But before Blanchard could jump off the middle ropes, Harley Race jumped the rail, grabbed a steel chair, and chased all three of them from the ring. The Hennigs thanked him, but Race seemed just as angry as them, and when they left, they were still speaking in raised voices.
COMMERCIAL
A hype package aired for next week's Nigel McGuinness/Nick Bockwinkel Ironman match. Both competitors were intense, angrily articulate, and eager to prove who the better man was.
The scene shifted to the seats where Verne Gagne and Chad Gable sat, but after a few seconds, another man in the crowd caught Gable's eye – his former partner, Jason Jordan. Gable shouted at him, and asked him why he accepted the try-out match with Tyler Bate a few weeks earlier, as if preparing the Englishman for his battle with Gable soon after. Jordan yelled back that it was his only opportunity to crack the AWA roster, and then Gagne interrupted both of them to challenge Jordan to a tag match with them next week, telling him to “bring that no-good Bate with you!”
Suddenly, the scene changed. A cameraman was seemingly caught in a middle of a stampede – but in actuality, it was one of the seating sections, about halfway up the stairs, where Chris Hero and Jon Moxley were being separated by a troop of security guards. The former tag partners still despised each other, and they were eventually escorted backstage by two different security groupings.
KEN KENNEDY vs. ?
vs.
vs.
He stood in the ring with a single spotlight shining on him, wondering who his opponent was going to be. For a few seconds, the Wisconsin crowd was on his side... until the Green Bay native said that Milwaukee was inferior to his hometown. The boos quickly rained down after that.
Suddenly the spotlight went off, plunging the arena in darkness. A few moments later, another spotlight came on, illuminating the man that stood in the center of the stage...
...Prince Puma.
Kennedy jumped the high-flying fan favorite when he somersaulted into the ring, but he didn't retain the advantage for long. Puma was too fast to keep down, and he ended things in just a few minutes with a 630 senton.
COMMERCIAL
Main event time. Commissioner Hart brought the AWA World title to the timekeeper's table, where he stayed to oversee the match. When all four athletes got to their respective corners, ring announcer Lee Marshall made the big-time ring intros.
THREE STAGES OF HELL ELIMINATION MATCH FOR THE
AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. JERRY LAWLER vs. MIRO vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
vs.
vs.
AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. JERRY LAWLER vs. MIRO vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
vs.
vs.
FIRST STAGE: SUBMISSION MATCH
As per AWA fatal four-way matches, two men started in the ring, and the other two men waited in opposing corners. “The King” and Jonathan stood across from each other to start things off, but Lawler decided that Miro was better equipped to take on the “Mormon Giant”, so he tagged out immediately.
Each man had to pace himself, knowing that there were still two falls to come – but if they stayed in the ring too long, they risked getting worn out quickly and falling easy prey to a submission hold. So the tags came often, albeit reluctantly, and strange alliances were formed. 10 minutes sped by, and as the 14-minute mark approached, Lawler and Vachon wound up brawling in the outside, and Miro went for the kill on Jonathan, locking in the Accolade. For several painful seconds, Jonathan was stuck – and then he suddenly slipped out the back, and caught “the Redeemer” in a Boston crab. The 300-pounder leaned back and applied the pressure, and before the other two men realized what was going on in the ring, Miro gave up.
SECOND STAGE: PINFALL
As soon as Miro left the ring, the second fall started under triple-threat rules. “The King” and Mad Dog stopped hitting each other and went after Jonathan. They battered him to the mat, and then, of course, they resumed punching each other. And so it went for the next ten minutes; whenever a man inevitably fell to the wayside, the other two worked against each other to try to score the quick pin. This stage ended when Lawler and Vachon sent Jonathan shoulder- and head-first into the ringpost, causing the behemoth to fall awkwardly to the floor. When the referee looked down to check on him, Lawler hit the Frenchman with a low blow, and then spun him around for a brutal piledriver. Three seconds later, the interim AWA champ raised his fist in the air, and pointed at the cage hanging overhead.
COMMERCIAL
FINAL STAGE: CAGE MATCH
The cage was down, and the two remaining, tired combatants were in opposing corners ready to go. It was a standard mesh cage, and escape was not an option – the only way to win was via pinfall or submission. The referee told them it was go time – and they went at it.The pace was obviously slower than before, and Lawler worked the weaselly heel role to perfection. The Memphis legend used every trick he knew, but he couldn't keep his much bigger foe down. Conversely, Jonathan's offense came in explosive spurts of action. He used shoulder-tackles, lariats, and powerful punches and kicks to pulverize Lawler, smashing him to the canvas – but to his credit, the interim champion refused to stay down.
After another grueling ten minutes, Lawler went to his tights for a chain. He wrapped it around his right fist and popped the giant between the eyes. He fell hard to the mat, and Lawler went for the pin. One, two – no! Jonathan kicked out with authority, and got to his feet, bleeding from the forehead. He was fired up, and so was the crowd. The “Mormon Giant” worked Lawler over in the corner, and threw the chain over the cage. He mounted the middle turnbuckle and hit him with a dozen right hands, and Lawler staggered a few feet out of the corner before falling flat on his face. Seizing the moment, Jonathan went to the top turnbuckle, his back to the ring... and using the cage to push off, crashed down on Lawler with a top-rope Vader bomb.
One, two... and three.
The crowd rose en masse to cheer, and as the weary big man got to his feet, Hart walked through the cage door with the AWA World Heavyweight championship belt. Jonathan shook Hart's hand, and then held the belt high overhead with both hands as the show ended.