Post by fifthhorseman on Mar 5, 2023 1:22:53 GMT -5
AWA SUPER SUNDAY 2
A highlight package started the show, and the first live shot focused on the double cages suspended above the two rings. Joey Styles and Don West were all hype at the broadcast table, and as they thanked the fans in attendance at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City and made their predictions, 24 men walked down the ramp, split into two groups, and entered the rings.
12-MAN MID-HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE ROYALE
DARBY ALLIN, AMAZING RED, ART BARR, JERRY LYNN, MATT MENARD, WILL OSPREAY, ANGELO PARKER, PRINCE PUMA, CHRIS SABIN, ALEX SHELLEY, RICKY STARKS, and TAJIRI:
12-MAN HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE ROYALE
BATISTA, CHRISTIAN CAGE, MATT CARDONA, TED DiBIASE, DON LEO JONATHAN, JOHN KRONUS, JERRY LAWLER, DREW McINTYRE, MIKE ROTUNDA, PERRY SATURN, BRON STEINER, and AUSTIN THEORY:
Graham (and AWA owner Gagne) figured that as long as they had two rings to work with, they would do both battle royales at the same time. It made for a crazy spectacle, and bodies were flying out of each ring at a rapid pace. The only wrestler that wound up in the wrong ring was Allin, and to his chagrin, Batista picked him up in a press-slam position and with a running start, launched him about a dozen feet into the other ring, knocking down most of the mid-heavyweights in the process.
Eventually, three men were left in each ring. On the mid-heavyweight side, it came down to Starks, Tajiri, and Red. None of them were friends, so there was no ganging up on any particular man. Starks fired the “Japanese Buzzsaw” over the top rope, and confidently went after Red. But the high-flyer – the lightest man in the ring – took care of Starks with a hurancana, sending his arrogant opponent out for the win.
On the heavyweight side, the remaining trio consisted of Jonathan, Batista, and DiBiase. The “Mormon Giant” fended off his foes for a couple of minutes, and nearly had the “Million Dollar Man” out before his monstrous protege caught him from behind and tipped him over the top rope. DiBiase congratulated Batista for saving him, and told him to eliminate himself from the match. “The Animal” scowled, but did as he was told, handing DiBiase the victory.
When both rings cleared, a split-screen shot came up. One camera was in the Pinnacle's locker room, the other dressing room contained their foes. They were starting to suit up for the main event.
In yet another locker room, the AWA World Heavyweight champion was stretching and sparring with his colleagues, the Midnight Express. Jim Cornette delivered a bold, loud promo, declaring that his man Windham was twice the man that Nick Bockwinkel was, and whether it took a minute or an hour, “the Widowmaker” was going to walk in with the belt, and leave with the belt.
CHAD GABLE vs. LOU THESZ:
vs.
vs.
After 10 minutes of nearly flawless technical wrestling, Thesz pinned Gable with a shoulder-straddling bodypress. Gable looked very strong, demonstrating why he was the first man to wear the AWA Stampede Mid-Heavyweight title, but the young Thesz was able to negate the Olympian's mat skills with his own hooking and stretching tactics.
DiBiase cut a backstage promo with Batista and Rotunda at his side, bragging about his win as he claimed it would be the start of his quest to AWA gold. Batista simply rolled his eyes and shrugged.
A highlight video for FTR was shown, highlighting their various victories across the UWA.
UWA UNIVERSAL TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
FTR (c) vs. the MINNESOTA WRESTLING CLUB:
vs.
FTR (c) vs. the MINNESOTA WRESTLING CLUB:
vs.
The AWA tag straps were not on on the line, so Gagne and Williams wrestled like they literally had nothing to lose. On the other hand, Wheeler and Harwood were defending the most prestigious titles in wrestling, so they were the de facto rulebreaking heels in this one.
FTR retained their titles after about 13 minutes of solid action when Harwood pinned Williams. “Dr. Death” was a difference maker in the match with his raw power, and he nearly won the match single-handedly after FTR rammed Gagne head-first into the steel stairs, taking him out of the end of the contest. The Oklahoman brawled with both of his foes on the floor, and the exasperated referee was forced to start a count. Harwood, the legal man, slid in at seven and distracted the official. When Williams tried to follow him in, Wheeler seized him on the ring apron, trapped him in a front facelock, and DDTed him from the apron to the floor! Wheeler muscled the barely-conscious Williams into the ring, and Harwood made the cover. Even after that, “Dr. Death” got his foot on the bottom rope at two, but Wheeler pushed it off before the referee could catch it. FTR retrieved their belts from the timekeeper and left as Gagne checked on his teammate.
Eric Bischoff interviewed Amazing Red in the back, but it was interrupted by Starks, who challenged the daredevil to a one-on-one match. Obviously, Red accepted.
A video package highlighted Bockwinkel's various title wins, including his past World title wins.
AWA WORLD HEAVY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers):
vs.
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers):
vs.
Windham won a 30-minute classic when he rolled through Bockwinkel's cross-bodyblock and grabbed a handful of tights to steal the victory. Both men were conditioned to go all night if that was required, but they started the match cautiously, with simple chain wrestling, holds and counter-holds. As the contest progressed, both men dug deep into their respective arsenals to find a move that would end the match – and between the second-generation stars inside the ring and Cornette on the outside, there was no lack of brainpower thinking two and three steps ahead. Bockwinkel survived the big Texan's superplex and later on, caught Windham with a piledriver that could have won it, but Rogers pulled the referee out of the ring at two, earning himself an ejection. The reversed cross-body came came just a couple of minutes afterwards.
After the rings cleared, the cages began to descend, and a highlight package was shown featuring all of the War Games competitors, and the various feuds and matches that led to this night.
WAR GAMES / THE MATCH BEYOND
ARN ANDERSON, DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE, MAD DOG VACHON, and DEMOLITION vs. the PINNACLE (w/Freddie Blassie) and MIKE AWESOME:
vs.
ARN ANDERSON, DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE, MAD DOG VACHON, and DEMOLITION vs. the PINNACLE (w/Freddie Blassie) and MIKE AWESOME:
vs.
Styles and West were shocked to see “Classy” Freddie Blassie accompany his stable in wrestling tights and boots. Each man was thoroughly patted as the introductions were made – the only weapon that Graham wanted to see used in the match was the cage itself. Both sides went over last-minute strategies, but as this was a War Games match, there was one constant: Arn Anderson was starting for his team.
And from the other side, it was the Pat O'Connor Memorial Cup winner... Anderson's former teammate, Tully Blanchard.
For the first 90 seconds, Blanchard stayed out of “the Enforcer's” reach, infuriating his former friend. He darted back and forth between the two rings under Anderson finally caught him, and when that happened, 19,000 fans erupted in applause. For the rest of the period, the two men punched, kicked, and choked each other, eager to inflict as much damage as possible before the next man came in.
Soon enough, the countdown began, and Mad Dog Vachon got up on the steps in his corner. Suddenly, he was attacked by Mike Awesome, who sneaked around the massive caged structure. The former ECW champ rammed Vachon's head into the steel corner frame, busting him open immediately and with such force that Vachon bounced limply into the ring. Demolition laid in a few shots on Awesome, but he escaped and got back to the Pinnacle side of the match.
For the next two minutes, the AWA icon barely moved, and Blanchard and Anderson continued to fight. With about 30 seconds left, Vachon finally started to move, and he got to his feet just as the cage opened on the other side – and Awesome smirked as he jumped over the top rope and made straight for Vachon. But his bloody foe was ready for him now, and Vachon fired back. The four men continued their individual battles until it was time for the next man to enter the ring.
Smash was next. He worked with “Double A” to brutalize Blanchard, and then went to help Vachon against Awesome. For the first time in the match, the numbers advantage meant something, and the Pinnacle were just trying to survive.
Two minutes later, the Pinnacle's young bruiser Wardlow entered the War Games. He went straight for Smash, and the powerhouses traded big punches in the middle of one ring. By now, Blanchard was paired off with Vachon and he attacked his bloody forehead, while Anderson and Awesome traded shots against the cage.
When the next countdown began, Ax tore his helmet off and got ready for battle. The cage door opened and the former WWF tag champ went to help his partner, and Demolition battered Wardlow to the mat. In the heels' corner, MJF and Blassie shouted at their teammates to regain control. From his side, DDP cheered on his partners as loudly as the crowd did.
The AWA Southern Heavyweight champion finally entered the fray next. MJF nailed each member of Demolition from behind, and pulled Wardlow to his feet. He attacked Anderson and Vachon as well, hitting each with DDTs. They were all feeling the effects of this brutal environment, especially Anderson and Blanchard, but they battled on.
Diamond Dallas Page was eager to get his hands on MJF, and the “Generational Talent” was waiting for him when the buzzer went. The two rivals collided at the door, and fought on the mat for several seconds, exchanging short, stiff punches as they rolled back and forth. The other seven men were still battling, weary but determined to put one of their opponents in such a weakened state that they would have to give up in the Match Beyond.
As the final countdown started, Blassie made a big show of slowly unzipping his ring jacket, and he stomped on the steel steps. But when the buzzer went off, and the door opened, he zipped his jacket back up and laughed, and then he looked up at the stage. Blassie was not the fifth member of his team after all.
The fifth member
Was Ric Flair.
Flair looked confident and determined, knowing that the Match Beyond wouldn't begin until he entered the ring. He shook Blassie's hand and walked through the cage door, where he was met by a stunned DDP. The “Nature Boy” raked his eyes and went to work, the other eight men matched up and slugged it out, the scene getting bloodier and bloodier.
After a few more minutes, Flair finally met Anderson. The two former Horsemen stared each other down, their conversation unheard... and then Tully hit Arn with a low blow from behind. The “Nature Boy” reached into his left kneepad and retrieved MJF's diamond ring. He put it on and punched Anderson in the head, busting him even wider open. With Blanchard playing defense, Flair locked Anderson in the figure-four. Blanchard tackled Page, and a referee ran in to check on “Double A”. After several agonizing seconds, he didn't submit, he didn't surrender... he passed out from the pain.
The referee called for the bell. War Games and the Match Beyond was over, and the Pinnacle, Blassie, Awesome and Flair exited the cage and congratulated each other on the ramp. Their opponents checked on their comrade Anderson inside the cage, and as the show ended, the heels raised their arms to the sky together.