Post by fifthhorseman on Aug 12, 2023 20:26:33 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 56
EPISODE 56
Pyro from Cincinnati, Ohio, then a 60-second sizzle reel of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of and highlights from members of the current AWA roster. Announcing the action, Joey Styles and Don West.
Lee Marshall introduced the AWA World Heavyweight champion, Barry Windham. The lanky Texan slowly walked to the ring with Jim Cornette, where the “Louisville Slugger” cut an loud, angry, confident promo on Christian Cage, warning him that their Hell in a Cell match would very likely be Cage's last day on Earth. That prompted the “Instant Classic” to come out onto the stage, and he borrowed a microphone from the broadcast table.
He mocked Cornette, calling him delusional and desperate before focusing his retort on Windham. “I've wrestled all over the world, against the very best wrestlers to ever lace a pair of boots... and Barry, you're right at the top of that list. But there's only one way to go when you're at the top, and you've been the champion here in the AWA for a long, long time. At WrestleRock, it'll just be me, you, and that cell. And one on one, you can't beat me. When the smoke clears, when our blood is spilled – and trust me, it will be – I'm the one walking out of there with the AWA title.”
Both parties eventually left, the announcers quickly ran through the card, and it was go time.
STAN LANE (w/Jim Cornette), WILL OSPREAY, and JAMES STORM vs. JERRY LYNN, PAUL LONDON, and PAT TANAKA:
vs.
vs.
This was a preview of the six-team elimination match, and it gave every indication that the WrestleRock battle would be a show-stealer. Neither trio got along with each other, and the men bickered with their teammates as much as they did with their opponents; after about seven minutes, it broke down into a six-way brawl and the referee called it a double-disqualification. All of their respective teammates – Paul Diamond, Bobby Eaton, Chris Harris, Brian Kendrick, Nigel McGuinness, and Lance Storm – ran down as well, and the dozen men brawled in and out of the ring to the
COMMERCIAL
CCTV footage was shown from outside the Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas, after WCCW's Lone Star Live event. As Arn Anderson opened the door to his rental car in the parking garage, he was jumped by Tully Blanchard and “Classy” Freddie Blassie. “The Enforcer” valiantly battled back, but with Blassie's help, Blanchard slammed Anderson's left arm in the door. The two scurried off, and Anderson rolled on the ground in pain.
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. BOBBY ROODE (w/Freddie Blassie):
vs.
vs.
Styles noted that after last week's episode, Roode challenged Bockwinkel to this match; the “Canadian Enforcer” was feeling very confident, and West wondered if it was a preemptive move to keep the AWA icon away from Roode's teammate, Ric Flair, as both men could be considered top contenders to the AWA World title. In any event, the two pros had a solid match that Bockwinkel won with a small package.
COMMERCIAL
Video package recapping and previewing the upcoming Diamond Dallas Page/Batista PPV match.
TED DiBIASE (w/Steve Williams) vs. AUSTIN THEORY (w/Jimmy Hart):
vs.
vs.
The crowd was about 90 per cent in DiBiase's corner (along with “Dr. Death), who came down in simple ring gear reminiscent of his Mid-South days. A handful of people were still leery of his selfish, checkered past, so Theory did his best to get the entire building to boo him instead. DiBiase started out hot, and after a brief beatdown from the young prodigy, he eventually fought back and won with what he used to call the Million Dollar Dream.
Immediately after the match, Mr. Jones (the former Virgil) ran down and attacked Williams from behind. Mike Rotunda appeared on the stage as well to watch his manservant try to injure Doc before their tag match at WrestleRock , but the move backfired on him. Williams picked Jones up and squashed him with the Oklahoma Stampede on the padded floor. Rotunda angrily left, as did the other wrestlers, as medical staff ran down to check on Jones.
COMMERCIAL
Video package recapping and previewing the upcoming Ric Flair/Midnight Rider PPV match.
MIKE AWESOME and DAMIAN PRIEST (w/the Grand Wizard) vs. BRYAN DANIELSON and SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM:
vs.
Styles and West recapped what occurred the week before to set this all-star match-up, and confirmed that the Grand Wizard was officially managing Priest as well as Awesome. The crowd popped whenever Awesome and Graham faced off, or when Danielson and Priest did the same. It was an intense but short fight, as none of the men wanted to show their respective WrestleRock opponents too much of their repertoire. “Superstar” cleared the ring, and the Wizard told his men to save their energy for the pay-per-view, handing Graham and Danielson a countout win. Neither side was thrilled with the outcome – nor was the crowd – but it ensured that they'd all be healthy and motivated for WrestleRock.
COMMERCIAL
Video package recapping and previewing the upcoming Lou Thesz/Dynamite kid PPV match.
ART BARR vs. RICKY STARKS:
vs.
vs.
This started as a rare heel versus heel showdown, but the young grapplers gave the audience plenty to applaud nonetheless with their fast-paced offense and cocky charisma. They went back and forth in a very competitive match, and after a series of roll-ups and reversals, Starks used a handful of tights to steal the win after Barr's similar attempt failed.
But that wasn't all. When Starks rolled out of the ring to celebrate the victory, two men in hoodies jumped the rail and put the boots to him. Barr joined in a few seconds later, and the interlopers pulled their hoods back to reveal the faces of Tommaso Ciampa and Dominik Mysterio. By the time officials intervened, Starks was left bloody, and the three men – Barr, Mysterio, and Ciampa – celebrated on the stage.
COMMERCIAL
Video package recapping and previewing the Chris Jericho UWA Universal Championship match at WrestleRock.
AWA WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JAY and MARK BRISCOE (c) vs. the ELIMINATORS:
JAY and MARK BRISCOE (c) vs. the ELIMINATORS:
vs.
West: “The Briscoes certainly aren't making it easy on themselves!” Indeed they weren't, because Saturn and Kronus knew that they were in practically a no-lose situation – a win gave them the AWA titles and a shot at FTR for the UWA Universal tag straps, while a “good” loss would put them in line for a rematch. It was a very rugged, high-impact bout that went about ten minutes, and Mark pinned Kronus after a Froggy-Bow elbow-smash for the win. The brothers put their belts on their shoulders and pointed to their “empty” waists, signaling that they have plenty of room for more gold.
One final video package showcasing all of the WrestleRock matches to end the show.