Post by fifthhorseman on Oct 4, 2022 23:27:53 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 29
EPISODE 29
Pyro from Chicago, Illinois, then a 60-second sizzle reel of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of and highlights from members of the current AWA roster.
JOSH ALEXANDER vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
vs.
Alexander was formidable competition for anybody, but Windham seemed to want to prove the saying, “They're not paid by the hour.” Lasting less than five minutes, “the Widowmaker” ended it with a top-rope superplex. After the match, Lee Marshall interviewed Cornette, who promised that at Autumn Bomb, he'd not only be managing the AWA World Tag-Team champions, the Midnight Express, he'd also be managing the new AWA World Heavyweight champion.
When Windham and Cornette reached the stage, Commissioner Stu Hart came out to address the audience, and as it pertained to those tag titles, he instructed the “Louisville Slugger” to stand with him. Hart said that it was obvious that the Express would do anything to keep the titles, so he wrote up a contract for a very special match at AWA Autumn Bomb.
“So in just a couple of weeks, we are going to have a triple-threat tag-team match for the AWA World Tag-Team titles... and, the UWA Universal Tag-Team titles. Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson in one corner, two members of the Midnight Express – and just two – in the second corner, and Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in a third corner.”
The Chicago crowd oohed and aahed, and Hart continued. “If the Midnight Express wins the match, and they pin either member of FTR, then they'll also win the UWA titles. If Anderson and Blanchard wins the match, then they'll win whatever titles the losing team holds. And if FTR wins, and they pin either member of the Express... then they're also win the AWA titles.”
Hart paused a moment and added, “And to make sure that no one interferes, and that we have an impartial party to watch over everything, I've appointed a special enforcer to stand at ringside... the UWA Universal Heavyweight champion, Nick Aldis.”
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, “Killer” Kevin Kross and his valet Scarlett Bordeaux were both ecstatic to hear that their business associate, the UWA kingpin Aldis, was coming back to the AWA. Not only would they get to see the man in person, Kross said, but he'd also get to destroy Christian Cage in the ring on the same night.
AWA STAMPEDE MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne) vs. CHRIS SABIN (w/Alex Shelley):
vs.
CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne) vs. CHRIS SABIN (w/Alex Shelley):
vs.
As the champion walked down the aisle with Gagne, Styles told the audience that Gable would be defending his belt against the Dynamite Kid at AWA Autumn Bomb. Maybe that's why Gable was more intense than usual in this match, although Sabin – a former World champion himself – gave him all he could handle. Eventually, Gable forced the Machine Gun to submit to an anklelock, and while Gagne taunted Shelley on the outside, he gave it an extra twist that had Sabin writhing in pain after the match.
COMMERCIAL
Another week, another promo video – this time, showcasing the skills of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash, the Pitbulls.
Jerry Lawler was standing in the ring with Jimmy Hart. He told the crowd that Mad Dog Vachon was lucky that he wasn't there last week, or else he would have run him back to Quebec with his tail between his legs. “And when I'm done with you, just like I finished off Bockwinkel, I'm setting my sights on the AWA World title again!”
2point0 vs. JACOB FATU and BRONSON REED:
vs.
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When Marshall said, “At a combined weight of 610 pounds,” the crowd gasped. Reed and Fatu were an imposing presence, and despite 2.0's efforts to play it cool, the Canadians knew they were in trouble. The two Samoans were fast and powerful, and it was a pure squash. Reed hit Parker with his Tsunami top-rope splash, and Fatu hit Menard with a perfect moonsault to score double pins for the win.
COMMERCIAL
A VTR aired with Matt Cardona and MNM. They complained that none of them were on the upcoming pay-per-view, and told Hart that if he really wanted to “pop buys and start trends”, he'd figure out a way to get them on the card.
The BLOND BOMBERS (w/the Grand Wizard) vs. MARK and JAY BRISCOE:
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This was a true grudge match, as West reminded the audience that the Bombers attacked the Briscoes a couple of weeks earlier, possibly costing them a shot at the AWA World Tag-Team straps. The referee struggled to keep control, and for most of the 15 minutes they battled, the two squads constantly trash-talked each other. But when it went to the floor, they all stayed out there, and the ref counted them both out. In fact, the four men fought all the way up the ramp and through the curtain backstage.
A cameraman was backstage, stationed outside Stu Hart's office, and a scarily happy Mad Dog Vachon marched out the door. “Lawler, you fool, you think you can run me out of the AWA? This is my home. This is where Maurice Vachon became the 'Mad Dog'! And so you are going to face me at Autumn Bomb, and you're going to do it on my terms – in a dog collar match!”
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, in the Pinnacle's dressing room, Wardlow was getting warmed up for his bout with Diamond Dallas Page, with “Classy” Freddie Blassie barking last-minute advice and Maxwell Jacob Friedman serving as his hype man. “I'm sending out the Minister of Mayhem himself on my behalf, Page, because I don't need to get my hands dirty on you until Autumn Bomb. Now, old man Stu thinks he's being pretty smart... the winner of this match gets to choose the stipulation for our match for my AWA Southern championship. But here's the thing, buddy. Wardlow is gonna powerbomb you so many times tonight I just have to pick up the pieces in a couple of weeks. And spoiler alert, don't be too surprised if I tell the world that we're going to have a handicap match at Autumn Bomb.”
CHRIS HERO vs. NORMAN SMILEY:
vs.
vs.
There was no feud, no rivalry, no score to settle in this one; the two men simply wanted to show the world who the better wrestler was. Between the two of them, they knew just about every style and hold that was used in modern wrestling. It was a quick, back-and-forth battle that Smiley won with a crossface chickenwing.
But that wasn't all. As soon as the match ended, the Family Business crashed the ring, and attacked Smiley and Hero. The DiBiases and the Rotundas laid them out and threw them to the floor, and the “Million Dollar Man” demanded that Marshall give him a microphone. He dared Rex Steiner to find a partner to face him and Mike Rotunda at Autumn Bomb.
COMMERCIAL
WINNER PICKS THE STIPULATION AT AUTUMN BOMB
DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE vs. WARDLOW (w/Freddie Blassie):
vs.
MJF had a vested interest in this one, and he sat in with Styles and West where he insulted DDP at every opportunity. In the ring, the young muscleman showed that he learned a lot working with the Pinnacle, and he utilized a simple power strategy to keep the “People's Champion” on the mat. But Page refused to give up, and and when Wardlow lifted him up for a powerbomb, DDP was able to twist in mid-air and connected with a Diamond Cutter for the victory.
When Page was alone in the ring, he asked for a microphone. Staring right at Friedman, he said, “You think you're so tough with that diamond ring you like to use. Well, I got something bigger in mind – you, me, the AWA Southern Heavyweight title... in a Coal Miner's Glove match!”
The champion and the challenger stared daggers at each other as the show faded to black.