Post by fifthhorseman on Oct 22, 2022 0:43:55 GMT -5
AWA AUTUMN BOMB
A video package ran down all of the matches, and Joey Styles and Don West came out to the commentary table.
SIX PACK BRASS RING MATCH
WINNER CAN PICK HIS AWA TITLE SHOT
DONOVAN DIJAK vs. FLEX KAVANA vs. LEVIATHAN vs. CHRIS NOWINSKI vs. SCORPIO ORO vs. LOU THESZ:
WINNER CAN PICK HIS AWA TITLE SHOT
DONOVAN DIJAK vs. FLEX KAVANA vs. LEVIATHAN vs. CHRIS NOWINSKI vs. SCORPIO ORO vs. LOU THESZ:
The surprise entrant was the Harvard heavyweight, Chris Nowinski. This wasn't a ladder match like the previous PPV brass ring bout – Gagne and Hart thought it'd be too risky given the size and mass of most of the competitors – so Dijak and Thesz started it off with the other four men each occupying a corner. Tag rules applied, and the first man to get a pin or submission would win. They all got a chance to shine in the ten-minute match, but in the end, it was Kavana who earned the brass ring by bulldogging Nowinski for the three-count.
AWA STAMPEDE MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne) vs. the DYNAMITE KID:
vs.
CHAD GABLE (c, w/Verne Gagne) vs. the DYNAMITE KID:
vs.
The two men fought to a standstill in the early moments of the match, and this prompted Gagne to get involved a little too much for the referee's liking – so he ejected Gagne from ringside. The crowd loved it, Gable did not, and the match continued at a breakneck pace. Pound for pound, the Englishman was as good as the UWA had to offer... but he was challenging an Olympian. They went 20 fierce minutes. Gable was ready to hit his Chaos Theory suplex, and cinched the Kid in a waistlock, but Dynamite charged towards the nearest corner. He ducked at the last minute, and Gable crashed face-first into the top turnbuckle. The champion fell to the mat, and the challenger wasted no time going to the top rope. Dynamite flew through the air and hit Gable with a devastating headbutt. With the crowd counting along, the ref hit the mat three times, and the Dynamite Kid became the new AWA Stampede Mid-Heavyweight champion.
The Family Business cut a backstage promo warning Steiner that he never should have gotten in their business.
MONEY INC. vs. REX STEINER and STEVE WILLIAMS:
vs.
vs.
At the beginning of the match, DiBiase and Rotunda – both of whom were former partners of “Dr. Death” - tried to appeal to him, but the Oklahoman seemed to hear none of it. When the bell rang, it was a snug, hard-hitting, Mid-South-flavored match, and Steiner more than help up his end of the contest. However, after about ten minutes, Mike DiBiase walked down to the ring with a steel suitcase. Getting Williams' attention, he opened it, revealing a large amount of cash. Williams looked at the elder DiBiase, looked at the money... and jumped down from the corner. Steiner looked on in shock and anger as “Dr. Death” took the case and abandoned him. This gave Ted the perfect opportunity to lock in the Million Dollar Dream from behind, and although Steiner lasted longer than most men, he eventually passed out.
Backstage, the Dynamite Kid was celebrating his title victory with other wrestlers when Gable interrupted the party, and he challenged the stout Bulldog to a rematch.
A VTR package recapping the rivalry between the competitors in the next match aired.
DOG COLLAR MATCH
JERRY LAWLER (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
JERRY LAWLER (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
It took three referees to make sure that they were kept apart until the dog collars were tightened, and even then, “the King” jumped Vachon before the opening bell. They tore at each other like a pair of animals. There were very few actual wrestling holds used by either man, and they preferred to use their fists, their feet, and the chain that bound them together.
After about a dozen minutes, the action spilled to the floor. Mad Dog was in his element and he took control, but it suddenly stopped when a hooded fan in the front row slapped him in the back of the head. Vachon whirled around, and the fan threw a full drink in his eyes; whether it was simply soda or water was unknown, but Vachon reacted as if he was blind. Security finally moved in and seized the interloper, and in the process of carrying him out, the hood slipped off his head – revealing the grinning face of Andy Kaufman.
Lawler choked Vachon on the outside to the point of unconsciousness, and rolled him back in with a smirk. Wrapping the chain around his famous right hand, the Memphis legend belted Vachon between the eyes, and pinned him in the center of the ring. He quickly unstrapped the collar and continued the beatdown for several seconds before setting Vachon up for a piledriver. But another man charged down the ramp and threw Lawler over the top rope – it was Nick Bockwinkel! Still sporting a neck brace, the AWA icon shouted at his bitter enemy as he and Hart scampered off.
A cameraman was outside, and he fortuitously caught the “Universal Treasure” Nick Aldis, as he entered the arena, and he was talking to the UWA Universal Tag-Team champions, FTR.
DARBY ALLIN vs. MATT CARDONA (w/Melina):
vs.
vs.
The self-proclaimed social media king tossed Allin around the ring, but the skateboarder kept bouncing back for more punishment every time. He had Cardona on the ropes later on in the bout, but a well-timed distraction from Melina gave the former Broski the opportunity to poke Allin in the eyes. This gave him enough time to shove Allin back a few feet so he could hit him with Radio Silence, earning him the shady win.
After the match, Cardona nailed him with a series of legdrops, but was pushed away by the sudden appearance of Scorpio Oro. The two men went nose-to-nose for a few seconds before Oro leaped to the top rope and hit Allin with a wicked frog splash. When Oro got to his feet, he pulled his mask off.
It was Logan Paul.
The two men, and Melina, laughed at the audience and left to a chorus of jeers.
Backstage, Nick Bockwinkel cut a promo aimed squarely at Jerry Lawler; he declared that he was back and eager to get back in the ring, or in an alley, or a parking lot, or wherever he had to go to get his hands on “the King.”
AWA SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
COAL MINER'S GLOVE RULES:
MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN (c, w/Freddie Blassie) vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
COAL MINER'S GLOVE RULES:
MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN (c, w/Freddie Blassie) vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
Before DDP could even get to the ring, Wardlow powerbombed him through the announcers' table on the stage! As one set of officials hauled “Mr. Mayhem” away, another group checked on Page, and after a couple of minutes, declared that he still wanted to fight. He limped to the ring, furious, and waited for the cocky MJF to arrive.
The match began with the challenger at an obvious disadvantage, and MJF worked him over big-time. But no matter what he did, Page would not stay down. This was a short but violent match, and after a struggle on the top turnbuckle where the loaded glove was tied to a pole several feet overhead, DDP sent the Southern champion crashing to the floor.
With the crowd cheering him on, he scurried up the pole, and made his way to the floor as well. As Friedman got to his feet, he put the diamond ring on his finger... unseen by his foe. Page cocked his fist, and swung – but MJF had the same idea, and the two nailed each other at the same time. They both collapsed, and the referee went outside to check them before reluctantly began to count. An agonizingly long ten seconds later, it was over, a double-countout that kept the title in MJF's possession.
Blassie seized the belt from the timekeeper and escorted his groggy client to the back. When the scene was clear, Lee Marshall introduced the new AWA Commissioner, Eddie Graham, as well as the outgoing man in charge, Stu Hart. Graham kept his comments to a minimum, and promised that he would ensure that the American Wrestling Association would get better than ever.
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. “KILLER” KEVIN KROSS (w/Scarlett Bordeaux):
vs.
vs.
Kross was the aggressor early on, and with Scarlett serving as a constant distraction, Cage found it difficult to get any measure of sustained offense. But he absorbed everything Kross threw at him, and after a series of reversals, and just before Kross could throw Cage with his Saito suplex, the Canadian backflipped over the big man's right shoulder and connected with the Unprettier for the win.
A highlight package to hype the next match was shown, with predictions from teams from across the entire UWA.
UWA UNIVERSAL TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP AND AWA WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
TRIPLE-THREAT RULES
SPECIAL GUEST ENFORCER: UWA UNIVERSAL CHAMPION NICK ALDIS
FTR (c, UWA) vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (c, AWA, w/Jim Cornette) vs. TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON (w/Freddie Blassie):
vs.
vs.
TRIPLE-THREAT RULES
SPECIAL GUEST ENFORCER: UWA UNIVERSAL CHAMPION NICK ALDIS
FTR (c, UWA) vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (c, AWA, w/Jim Cornette) vs. TULLY BLANCHARD and ARN ANDERSON (w/Freddie Blassie):
vs.
vs.
Nick Aldis strutted out first, in a referee's shirt that showcased his mighty arms, and he wore the UWA gold around his waist. Then it was the three teams' turn. The Express came out first, the Condrey/Eaton version; Blanchard and Anderson second, and the UWA titleholders last. The crowd didn't pick a clear-cut favorite, not that any of the three teams cared; they were all there to win by any means necessary. It was an old-school style of battle with a triple-threat twist, and there was never a dull moment, especially with Cornette and Blassie on the outside. After almost 20 hard-fought minutes, Harwood fired “Double A” into the ropes, and of all people, Aldis swiped at his ankle. Anderson stumbled and fell prey to FTR's Big Rig, and the WWE team secured yet another successful defense of their UWA belts.
West tried to interview Aldis as he walked up the ramp, but the normally verbose champion simply said, “What comes around goes around. I hate this place.”
A split-screen video showed the next two competitors making their last-second preparations, and back at the rebuilt announcers' table, Styles and West hyped the last match of the night.
AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DON LEO JONATHAN (c) vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
DON LEO JONATHAN (c) vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
vs.
Main event time, and main event intros for the two titans standing toe-to-toe in the middle as the referee uttered his final instructions. Both men looked calm, cool, and ready to fight. Cornette shouted his encouragement from the corner when they locked up to start it off, and the first few minutes were spent probing each other's weaknesses... not that there were many.
It looked and felt like a heavyweight boxing match, with the tide shifting several times, but Windham and Jonathan were both as agile as cruiserweights. They breezed past the 20-minute mark, then 25, and then the champion started to assert himself. The “Mormon Giant” got a series of near-falls on Windham, which drew Cornette onto the ring apron to scream and holler at both him and the referee. DLJ strode over to shut him up, despite the official's efforts to get in between them, and Jonathan reached over the ref and bopped the “Louisville Slugger” on the head.
During the commotion, Windham staggered to his feet and seemed to adjust the black glove on his right hand, shaking it a couple of times until he was satisfied with the result. Jonathan marched back over to him, but the Texan snapped off a kick to the champ's mid-section, and followed that up with a snap DDT. Rolling Jonathan onto his back, Windham applied the iron claw with his large gloved hand, completely covering his opponent's face. Jonathan thrashed away for several seconds, but suddenly stopped. Windham went for the pin, and three seconds later, he was declared the new AWA World Heavyweight champion. Cornette gleefully strapped the belt onto his man as the ref checked on Jonathan, who was still unconscious on the mat, and the show ended with Windham posing with his newly-won title.