Post by fifthhorseman on Sept 22, 2022 0:12:28 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 27
EPISODE 27
Pyro from Kansas City, Missouri, 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 ran through the night's card, six matches strong, and wasted no time sending it down to ring announcer Lee Marshall.
TAG-TEAM TOP CONTENDERS MATCH
TEXAS TORNADO GAUNTLET
MARK and JAY BRISCOE vs. MNM:
vs.
TEXAS TORNADO GAUNTLET
MARK and JAY BRISCOE vs. MNM:
vs.
The two teams were on fire early on. They had contrasting styles, but they were all dynamic, hard-hitting athletes, and Mercury was the glue that kept it together. With all four men in the ring at the same time, the referee had a hard time keeping up with them. Ten minutes in, Jay caught Nitro in a cross-armbreaker, and his opponent had no choice but to submit.
The Briscoes had no time to rest, though – and not for the reason you'd think. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Blond Bombers slipped through the crowd and jumped into the ring, attacking the brothers from behind. Patterson and Stevens laid the boots to them, and Styles theorized that they were still angry about not being part of the process to determine the next contender for the AWA World Tag-Team titles. They only left when they saw the third and final team in the gauntlet walk through the curtain with their very happy manager.
TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. MARK and JAY BRISCOE:
vs.
vs.
Blassie insisted that the referee ring the bell immediately, and when the Briscoes defiantly said they were ready to fight – even though they were not 100 per cent – the official started the match. Blanchard and Anderson pounced on their foes, but Jay and Mark fended them off... for a little while, at least. “Double A” tossed Mark over the top rope and he landed hard on the floor, taking him out of the fight. Blanchard squashed Jay with a slingshot suplex, but the tough ROH stalwart kicked out at 2.9. However, he could not kick out of the spike piledriver his two foes hit him with a few moments later. Blassie arrogantly raised his men's hands in victory as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
The Pinnacle cut a promo backstage. Anderson said that when they lost the NWA tag titles to Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane, they never got a rematch. “You boys ducked Tully and I, but you can't do that now! It's been a long, long time coming, but we're gonna get our revenge on you!”
MJF took his turn, and told Diamond Dallas Page that he didn't deserve a rematch for his AWA Southern Heavyweight title. “Take this advice for free. Go back to managing – and I don't mean managing wrestlers, I mean the dark, cheap peeler bar you used to work at!”
AWA STAMPEDE MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne):
vs.
All three members of the Gagne camp came out onto the ramp, but Gagne told Jason Jordan to go to the back; he would second the champ out to the ring. Once the action started, it was as good as you would expect. It was Gable's toughest defense to date, and the “Instant Classic” had things under control until the lights dimmed and Scarlett Bordeaux appeared on the stage. Cage was distracted, and while Gagne shouted at the referee to take control of the situation, Gable hit the challenger with a low blow, and rolled him up for the win.
COMMERCIAL
Another vignette for the titanic team of Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu.
SCORPIO ORO vs. TOM ZENK:
vs.
The masked man was covered head to toe in a gold-colored bodysuit, but he was obviously athletic. Zenk was built like a bodybuilder, and he controlled the first couple of minutes of the match, but the handsome rookie soon lost the advantage. Oro ended things with an impressive frog splash in about five minutes, and didn't said a word when he left.
Backstage, the Dynamite Kid hijacked a cameraman and said that Gable was a very good wrestler, and he respected the former Olympian's skills... but he was dreaming if he thought he was better than the Kid. But before he could challenge him for a match, he was interrupted by Prince Puma. The former Lucha Underground champion retorted that “a one-match winning streak doesn't get you title shots here in the AWA – why don't you try to make it two in a row against me?”
COMMERCIAL
A pre-taped, split-screen interview with Mad Dog Vachon in one room and Jerry Lawler (with Jimmy Hart) in another was shown. Lots of shouting, plenty of insults and threats, and the end result was inevitable – the two legends would be facing off next week.
NON-TITLE MATCH
MATT CARDONA (w/Melina) vs. DON LEO JONATHAN (c):
vs.
MATT CARDONA (w/Melina) vs. DON LEO JONATHAN (c):
vs.
Joey Styles noted that this match was indeed the reward Cardona asked for the week earlier, after helping MNM qualify for the gauntlet match. However, because he was still so new to the AWA, he'd had to earn a future title shot here, whether it was with a straight-up win or an impressive showing.
Jonathan was up to the challenge, though. He outweighed and overpowered his foe early on, but Melina was enough of a distraction that she gave Cardona a chance to get back in the match. He fought hard, but DLJ was just too much for him, and the “Mormon Giant” finished him off with a Boston crab.
COMMERCIAL
A Norman Smiley vignette aired. Though he lost in his debut against Killer Kross the week before, he was more determined than ever to show the world what he was really capable of, and the shooter-style video clips from Mexico and Japan showed that he was indeed a tough, multi-dimensional grappler.
Next up was Rex Steiner, who was interviewed by Lee Marshall on the stage. He was fired up, furious at each and every member of Family Business for triple-teaming and embarrassing him. Thus, he challenged any member of the group to face him one-on-one next week.
STEEL CAGE MATCH
DREW McINTYRE vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
DREW McINTYRE vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
Before the cage came down from the ceiling, AWA officials checked under the ring and around ringside to make sure that the Midnight Express was not hiding anywhere. Thankfully, none of them were around, and it descended without incident. Cornette was allowed to be at ringside, but the mesh cage kept him from being anything other than a loud, distracting presence. There was no escape in this one; the only way to win was by pinfall or submission.
The Scotsman was stronger, the Texan was quicker, but otherwise they were as evenly matched as any two men in the AWA. They went almost 25 minutes in an intense battle that had both men bleeding by the end. Windham wore McIntyre down, and hoisted him on the top rope for a superplex. But the “Chosen One” fought up to his feet and the two men wound up standing on the top rope, trading punches. Finally, after ramming McIntyre's head into the cage, Windham took him down with a vicious-looking top-rope bulldog and pinned the former WWE champion. After he wiped the blood from his forehead and raised his hands in victory, Jonathan walked back out onto the stage with the World Heavyweight title over his massive shoulder. The show ended with the two big men staring daggers at each other.