Post by fifthhorseman on Jan 25, 2023 21:51:10 GMT -5
AWA THE BIG CHILL
Cornette's contingent entered the arena, and Bobby Eaton wore a sling on his left arm. The “Louisville Slugger” wasn't fazed in the least, and said as much: “In just a little while, you're gonna find out how spectacular the Midnight Express truly is. That little brouhaha last week messed up Bobby's shoulder, so that just means he won't be able to hug us with both arms in the victory celebration when 'Sweet Stan' and 'Loverboy Dennis' bring back the gold! And as for you, Don Leo Jonathan, well, there's no shame to losing twice in a row to 'the Widowmaker', Barry Windham. You're big, you're fast, and you're tough, no doubt – but Barry Windham is a wrestling machine, and he's gonna keep the AWA World Heavyweight title around his waist for a long, long time.”
A video package ran down all of the matches, and Joey Styles and Don West came out to the commentary table.
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL MATCH
TULLY BLANCHARD (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE:
vs.
TULLY BLANCHARD (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE:
vs.
Blanchard defeated Cage with a small package to move on to the finals. The match was a technical treat that went almost 15 minutes, and the two men were as closely matched as any two men in the AWA. But it was Blassie's interference that was the deciding factor; after Cage initially packaged the Texan up near the ropes, the devious manager pushed “Captain Charisma” over with his cane, giving his man the pinning advantage.
A Lou Thesz vignette aired, indicating his return would be soon. He looked older and more grizzled than when he left, and after it ended, West said, “Lou's looking good – so I guess we're just waiting for Flex Kavana to get back from his learning excursion!”
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL MATCH
CHAD GABLE vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
CHAD GABLE vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
DDP pinned the former AWA Mid-Heavyweight champ by escaping Gable's Chaos Theory suplex. The Olympian threw Page into the corner chest-first, but when he charged in for his finisher, DDP moved out of the way, and nailed Gable with a Diamond Cutter for the win.
UWA Universal Champion Chris Jericho was interviewed in the ring by Lee Marshall. He cut a fiery face promo and despite not being an AWA wrestler, it was well received by the 23,000-plus fans in Chicago. It certainly helped that he was facing one of the most hated men in the AWA, and the crowd loudly cheered as he left to get ready for his match.
MATT CARDONA and MNM vs. the ELIMINATORS and LANCE STORM:
vs.
vs.
Kronus pinned Nitro after Total Elimination to win the match for his side. They only went about six minutes, and after the ECW alumni got momentum they could not be stopped. Melina was a non-factor at ringside, and Storm chased off a shocked and angry Cardona after the bell rang.
The newest member on the AWA roster, Frankie Kazarian, was backstage meeting and talking to various wrestlers and employees when he was interrupted by Christopher Daniels. The two men hugged and chatted for a few moments until they were interrupted by 2point0. The cocky Canadians insulted them and challenged them to a match next week – naturally, it was accepted.
AWA WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (c, AWA, w/Jim Cornette) vs. the MINNESOTA WRESTLING CLUB:
vs.
The MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (c, AWA, w/Jim Cornette) vs. the MINNESOTA WRESTLING CLUB:
vs.
The champions retained their titles after 18 minutes when Williams pinned Condrey after an Oklahoma Stampede. It was a classic, old-school tag battle that the Chicago crowd appreciated, and they begrudgingly cheered for Gagne and “Dr. Death” just because Cornette was so obnoxious at ringside. Before the match, Graham barred Big Bubba Rogers from ringside to minimize the potential for interference with so many other bodies in the ring..
A short recap package was shown, highlighting Page's and Blanchard's path to the tournament finals.
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP FINAL
TULLY BLANCHARD (w/Wardlow) vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
TULLY BLANCHARD (w/Wardlow) vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE:
vs.
Blanchard won the Cup by pinning DDP in controversial fashion. It started before the opening bell even rang; when Blanchard walked through the curtain, Blassie gave him last-minute instructions on the stage and left, only to be replaced by the massive Wardlow. The former WCW World champ did his best to ignore him at ringside, but after about 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, Page had had enough. He went out to the floor and confronted the powerful prospect, and the two shoved each other several times, prompting the ref to try to separate them. Suddenly, Arn Anderson ran down to the ring, hit his former friend with a spinebuster, and bolted to the back. However, by the time Page got back in the ring, he was only able to get a two-count. Blassie reappeared and confronted the referee about the blatant (but unseen) interference, which gave Wardlow time to toss Blanchard MJF's big diamond ring. The wily Texan hit DDP with a low blow, then nailed his foe over the eye with the ring. A few seconds later, it was all over, and the heels cheerfully fled the scene, leaving a bloody Page in the center of the mat.
INTERMISSION
The Dynamite Kid came out to a huge ovation and sat down with Styles and West to provide commentary for the next match.
AWA STAMPEDE MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOP CONTENDER MATCH
FATAL FOUR-WAY RULES
ART BARR vs. WILL OSPREAY vs. PRINCE PUMA vs. RICKY STARKS:
vs.
vs.
vs.
FATAL FOUR-WAY RULES
ART BARR vs. WILL OSPREAY vs. PRINCE PUMA vs. RICKY STARKS:
vs.
vs.
vs.
Ospreay won by pinning Barr after ten crazy minutes of action. It was the proverbial match that any of them could have won; at the end, everyone traded high-impact strikes and aerial maneuvers. Barr looked like he had it won after squashing Puma with a frog splash, but the Englishman came out of nowhere with a running forearm smash to the back of Barr's head. It knocked him out of the ring, and Ospreay stole the pin on Puma instead. The winner met the Kid at the table, and said, “I told you I was going to win... now are you going to give me that two out of three falls match or not?” The Mid-Heavyweight champ extended his hand, and this time, Ospreay shook it.
A table was set up on the stage, and Eddie Graham came out with two other officials who brought the Pat O'Connor Memorial Cup with them. A small nameplate bore Tully Blanchard's name on it, along with the year, and the Pinnacle were introduced to a cacophony of jeers. Graham reluctantly handed him the Cup, and said (off-microphone), “I'll be watching you, Tully. Don't expect congratulations for this.” The Texan smirked and made a typical self-aggrandizing speech about how there was never any doubt he'd win the tournament.
He handed the microphone over to MJF as his stablemates applauded, and the “Generational Talent” declared that he was mere moments away from claiming the UWA Universal crown. He was on the biggest roll of his life, and Jericho was going to be rolled over. “Chris Jerichoke, Nick Ald-ass, the '85 Chicago Bears, or Jesus Christ himself – none of them can stop me from getting that title tonight.”
UWA UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. CHRIS JERICHO (c):
vs.
MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. CHRIS JERICHO (c):
vs.
Jericho defeated MJF by disqualification after 20 minutes – much to the AWA Southern Heavyweight champ's frustration. There were plenty of shenanigans in the back half of this match, which was very competitive right up to the end. The resurgent UWA champion fought out of several near-falls and submissions, including MJF's Salt of the Earth armbar, and rallied back with quick strikes and kicks, and a Lionsault that scored a 2.9 count.
Blassie urgently signaled to the back, and the Pinnacle's new enforcer, Manny Fernandez, burst through the curtain. But when he got halfway down the ramp, he was tackled from behind by Anderson. The two men rolled down the ramp, and then Blanchard showed up to make it a two-on-one. “Double A” gamely took them both on, and eventually AWA officials pushed them all back up the ramp and backstage.
As this was taking place, MJF nailed Jericho in the knee with the suspiciously-weighted knob of Blassie's cane while the ref's back was turned, and locked in a figure-four. However, a heavily-bandaged DDP worked his way through the crowd, jumped the rail, and stood in Jericho's corner cheering him on. Inch by inch, Jericho pulled himself to the corner, grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold, and Page pulled him to the outside to catch his breath...
Diamond Cutter!
Jericho went down. The referee immediately called for the bell. And a furious MJF realized instantly what had happened. Page shrugged his shoulders and left back through the crowd, and the official slid to the floor to signal that Jericho won by disqualification, keeping the UWA belt in the process.
A lengthy video package aired to set up the next match, going back to the first interaction between Nick Bockwinkel and Jerry Lawler at AWA Awesomesauce seven months earlier. Needless to say, there was plenty of ill will going into this one.
COME AS YOU ARE TAG-TEAM HANDICAP MATCH:
ANDY KAUFMAN, JERRY LAWLER and AUSTIN THEORY (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. NICK BOCKWINKEL and MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
ANDY KAUFMAN, JERRY LAWLER and AUSTIN THEORY (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. NICK BOCKWINKEL and MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
The AWA icons defeated the First Family when Vachon pinned Kaufman after a piledriver. This was a fight, not a match, and all five men came to the ring dressed in some combination of jeans, boots, and work gloves... except for Kaufman, who wore a Tony Clifton-inspired tuxedo. By the end of the short but violent contest, most of them were bloodied, but Bockwinkel and Vachon were more than satisfied with the result – especially with Kaufman being stretchered away by AWA medical staff.
A cameraman snaked his way through a busy hallway and made his way into a private suite, in which one lone occupant sat watching the show. The AWA employee said, “Excuse me? I'm looking for Leviathan?” Upon hearing that, the occupant stood up. He was dressed in an expensive, tailored suit that covered his 300-pound frame to perfection. He removed a pair of sunglasses and said, “You must be in the wrong place. My name is Batista, and you have five seconds to get the hell out.”
AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c, w/Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers):
vs.
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. BARRY WINDHAM (c, w/Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers):
vs.
Windham won the championship rematch after 24 minutes of hard-fought action with a top-rope superplex. Before the match, the referee checked the Texan's hands thoroughly, insuring that his trademark black glove was legal. Despite their size – they came into the match at a combined weight of well over 550 pounds – the two wrestlers fought at a brisk pace for most of the match. The “Mormon Giant” asserted himself early on with raw power, but he was constantly looking over his shoulder for Cornette and/or Rogers. Windham took over with superior technique and conditioning, and after DLJ kicked out of two lariats, the champion finally used the big superplex to take the victory. The show ended with Windham holding the belt up high with both hands, standing on a middle rope, with Cornette and Rogers backing him up.