Post by fifthhorseman on Aug 28, 2022 14:23:40 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 24
EPISODE 24
Pyro from Las Vegas, Nevada, 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 was at the table, and after recapping what happened last week, went through the night's card, main evented by the AWA World Heavyweight champion, Don Leo Jonathan, alongside Drew McIntyre, taking on Barry Windham and one-half of the AWA World tag-team champions, Bobby Eaton.
The Pinnacle – Wardlow, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and the AWA Southern Heavyweight champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman – walked onto the stage and cut a scathing promo about the inferior competition in the AWA. MJF had his belt, Blanchard and Anderson were next in line to win “theirs”.
BATTLE ROYALE
WINNER BECOMES TOP CONTENDER FOR AWA SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
WINNER BECOMES TOP CONTENDER FOR AWA SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
15 of the AWA's best wrestlers battled en masse for a shot at MJF, who sat in on commentary with Styles and insulted them all. It was typical of most battle royales, with the usual/unusual alliances forming and breaking throughout the match, until it came down to the last two competitors: Diamond Dallas Page, and the inaugural Southern titleholder, Ilya Dragunov. The Russian was vicious, and tried everything to throw the “People's Champion” over the top, but DDP used his extra 50 pounds to chuck Dragunov over the top to win the bout.
COMMERCIAL
Lee Marshall interviewed Nick Bockwinkel in a pre-taped segment from Bockwinkel's home. The AWA legend was wearing a neck brace, but in a rare show of anger, vowed to return and get his revenge on Jerry Lawler.
TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON vs. 2.0:
vs.
Textbook squash match. The Pinnacle tag-team specialists put on a clinic, and the young Canadians never stood a chance. After it was over, Blanchard and Anderson pointed to their waists, signifying that they had unfinished business with the AWA World tag champs.
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, Killer Kross cut a promo wherein he put the rest of the AWA roster on alert, telling them that he would go through them one by one until he was at the proverbial top of the mountain. Scarlett Bordeaux ended the monologue by saying, “Tick tock”, but before they left, Christian Cage walked past them and said, “Tick tock? Wow, hell of a catch phrase there.”
Styles reported that the Dynamite Kid would be returning to the AWA next week, after suffering a leg injury back in early June.
AWA STAMPEDE MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DARBY ALLIN vs. CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
DARBY ALLIN vs. CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
Another week, another title defense by the former Olympian Gable. His opponent was almost the polar opposite, and the styles clash resulted in an energetic match. The challenger was quick and unorthodox, and it took Gable longer than he anticipated to adjust. But adjust he did, and he finished Allin with the Chaos Theory in about ten minutes.
COMMERCIAL
Jonathan and McIntyre came to the ring and told the audience that they would dispose of Eaton and Windham tonight. Simple pick-me-up promo.
MARK BRISCOE (w/Jay Briscoe) vs. “IRON” MIKE DiBIASE:
vs.
vs.
The two men didn't shake hands, but they met in the middle of the ring respectful of each other. Nothing fancy in this match, it was a couple of tough guys beating and stretching the hell of each other. After about eight minutes, DiBiase accidentally poked Mark in the eye, and Jay jumped up on the ring apron to yell at him. Suddenly, Jay was attacked by Money Inc., and DiBiase rolled up his foe from behind. Afterwards, “Iron Mike” sided with the former WWF World tag champs, beating down the Briscoes before the referee threatened to reverse the decision.
COMMERCIAL
Another pre-tape, this time featuring MNM and Matt Cardona at a social media conference in Las Vegas. The four of them bragged about their “smashing success” the week before on All-Star Wrestling, but they were interrupted by the Motor City Machine Guns and Josh Alexander. The three men had to be held back by convention security, and were usher ed away, but not before they challenged Cardona, Morrison, and Mercury to a six-man tag-team match next week.
A cameraman was outside Commissioner Stu Hart's office when the frazzled form of Jim Cornette burst through the door and into the hallway. Seeing the cameraman, he shook his head in frustration and said that Barry Windham's flight was delayed out of Texas, and he wouldn't be at the show. Thus, he asked Hart to change the match so that McIntyre and Jonathan would instead be in action against the Midnight Express.
And then his expression changed, and he was much happier. Holding up a contract, the “Louisville Slugger” exclaimed, “And by golly, that's exactly who those two lunkheads are gonna face. This here agreement says the Midnight Express, and the Midnight Express consists of 'Beautiful' Bobby Eaton, 'Loverboy' Dennis Condrey, and 'Sweet' Stan Lane. So unless a lawyer says otherwise in the next half-hour or so, we got ourselves a handicap match!”
FLEX KAVANA vs. JERRY LAWLER (w/Jimmy Hart):
vs.
vs.
The third-generation newcomer was strong and athletic, and “the King” was put on his heels early on. He angrily rolled outside to break Kavana's momentum, and when the match restarted Lawler took control. The legendary Memphis grappler eventually hit the rookie with a piledriver for the win.
COMMERCIAL
Before the main event got underway, Styles confirmed that the teased six-man match was official for next week, as well as a triple-threat match for the AWA Stampede Mid-Heavyweight title: Chad Gable would defend his belt against Darby Allin and Mustafa Ali!
DON LEO JONATHAN and DREW McINTYRE vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS:
vs.
This was a veritable All-Star game, with the top AWA singles star (and the man who took him to the limit twice in the last two months) taking on the top AWA tag team – times three. It was fought under regular tag-team handicap rules, and despite the odds, McIntyre and Jonathan gave as good as they got. As the TV time limit loomed, DLJ captured Eaton in a Boston Crab. McIntyre kept Lane at bay, but Condrey rolled in with his manager's tennis racket and clocked the “Mormon Giant”, causing a disqualification.
A three-on-two brawl broke out, and then things really spiraled out of control. Mark and Jay Briscoe ran out to help Jonathan and McIntyre, and about 30 seconds later, the DiBiases and Schyster ran down as well to continue their battle with the ROH icons. It was chaos, and Harley Race and Larry Hennig, as well as other wrestlers and officials, tried to settle things down. Just as Styles was frantically wrapping things up, Barry Windham bolted past him in street clothes and hit McIntyre with a lariat that sent them both off the ramp to end the show.