Post by fifthhorseman on Jan 21, 2024 18:57:48 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 70
EPISODE 70
Short “Saturday Night's Main Event”-styled promos from Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, Buddy Matthews, Danny Hodge, the Miracle Violence Connection, and the East-West Connection with the Grand Wizard. Pyro from Milwaukee, Wisconsin – calling the action, Joey Styles and Don West.
Cold open in the ring with Lee Marshall and the AWA Intercontinental Tag-Team champions, Badd Company. Pat Tanaka was on crutches, and he said that he had a fractured kneecap and a torn ACL. Therefore, they had to vacate the titles. Diamond and Tanaka left the belts in the ring, and departed to sympathetic applause, as Styles and West lamented their bad luck. The announcers then said – as did Marshall during his ring introductions – that in one week's time, the Monarchy would face the winner of the next match to determine the next IC Tag-Team champions.
MARK and JAY BRISCOE vs. the NORTH:
vs.
vs.
Both teams were former AWA World Tag-Team champions, and they were hungry to wear championship gold again. It was an intense battle right from the opening bell. The North isolated Jay in the second half of the match, but they couldn't keep him down. When he made the hot tag to his brother, Mark took it to Page and Alexander, and after several two-counts from both teams, the older Briscoe pinned Page after a Jay Driller.
COMMERCIAL
In a pre-taped segment, Samoa Joe cut a short but powerful promo declaring that 2024 was going to be his year, and he just needed one championship match – only one, against anybody who wrestled in the AWA – to prove it.
A quick video recap that highlighted how each man left in the Pat O'Connor Memorial Cup tournament got there was shown. The scene quickly shifted to the announce table, where two plaques were displayed: the UWA Male Wrestler of the Year for Christian Cage, and The UWA Show of the Year for AWA Super Sunday II. Styles and West also put over the other winners throughout the UWA, and a graphic for all the winners was shown on the videotron.
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL MATCH
DANNY HODGE vs. BUDDY MATTHEWS:
vs.
DANNY HODGE vs. BUDDY MATTHEWS:
vs.
Matthews repeatedly tried to overpower the amateur great, but Hodge was wiry-strong and wasn't afraid to throw punches to defend himself. Late in the match, the Australian nailed Hodge with a standing bicycle knee strike, but it knocked his foe out of the ring. Matthews hurried to get him back in the ring and whipped him into the ropes. Hodge reversed it, and Matthews rebounded and flew at the Oklahoman with another knee – but Hodge caught him in mid-air and hit “the Juggernaut” with a snap fisherman buster. Three seconds later, Hodge was declared the winner.
COMMERCIAL
Eric Bischoff welcomed Terry Funk onto the stage. The former NWA World champion was feisty as always, and he noted that the AWA was loaded with talent. “There are a lotta men here who have held World titles, just like me... the difference is that I'm better than any one of them! Next week, I challenge any former World champion to meet me right down there in that ring, and we'll just see who the better man is.”
The DYNAMITE KID (w/Davey Boy Smith) vs. BOBBY EATON (w/Jim Cornette and Stan Lane):
vs.
vs.
For as long as it lasted, it was an exciting technical match. The former Mid-Heavyweight champ was faster than Eaton, but “Beautiful Bobby” was smooth and able to counter most of whatever the Kid threw at him. They went about six minutes, but when Dynamite went to to the top rope for a flying headbutt, Lane jumped up on the apron and tripped him, sending him head-first to the mat instead. The referee saw it, though, and disqualified Eaton immediately.
Smith jumped in the ring to check on his partner, and the Express put the boots to him as well. It didn't take long for the Bulldogs to fire back, but suddenly Barry Windham ran down the ramp and hit Davey Boy with a wicked lariat. The crowd was shocked – the former AWA World champion hadn't been seen in three months – and Cornette's men laid a beating on the Englishmen until other referees and officials ran out to break it up.
COMMERCIAL
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. JULIUS GAGNE (w/Brutus Gagne):
vs.
Gagne put up a good fight, but this was simply a match to get Bockwinkel back in action with a win. After pinning Julius with a simple small package, the AWA legend rolled out of the ring before Brutus could do any damage. Bockwinkel walked to the broadcast table and asked West to hand him a microphone.
“MJF, you had to use every underhanded, sneaky trick in the book to defeat me at Autumn Bomb. But deep down, you know – you must know – that that doesn't prove you're the better man. If you want to claim that victory as your own, so be it.. but that will just prove one thing to me, and all of these fans. On your best day – on my worst day – MJF can't win a match cleanly against Nick Bockwinkel.”
After Bockwinkel left, Shawn Michaels was welcomed to the ring with a huge ovation. Moments later, the Pinnacle walked out, and Ric Flair told them to wait as he made his entrance as well. Both men were in street clothes, although Flair's version of “street clothes” was a five-figure outfit.
The “Heartbreak Kid” cut to the chase. “You and I, we are, without a shadow of a doubt, two of the greatest wrestlers in the world. No sense being modest, it's true. It doesn't matter where we are, how long we've been there, or even whether we hold a championship title or not... we're as good as it gets. In fact, I spoke to President Tunney a few days ago, and he agreed – we're two of the top contenders for the AWA World Heavyweight championship. And if you agree to wrestle me in the match I propose, he'll sanction it as a number one contender's match for Christian Cage's title. Are you interested?”
Flair laughed. “Keep talking, punk. Of course I am – but I'm no fool. And by the way, you don't have to tell Ric Flair he's a top contender – the whole world knows it! Now get on with it.”
“Alright then. You and me, three stages of hell at AWA Winterslam. And we let the fans vote for the three different types of match.”
The crowd erupted at Michaels' challenge, and Flair paced for several seconds in consideration of the offer. The noise didn't die down, so the NWA legend shouted at them to shut up so he could respond. “You're on – except you don't get to dictate terms to me! No you don't! For starters, I'm not taking any chance on losing a fall to you in something as stupid as a ladder match – so that's out!”
HBK smirked. “Whatever. I don't blame you for being scared of heights.”
Flair scowled. “And something else. You're talking to the original Space Mountain, pal! I go all night! You think I'm gonna let you off the hook in something as simple as a two-out-of-three-falls match? Not a chance! I've beaten men twice as good as you in those for years, and still had time to close the bar in every town I've wrestled in! Do you want to make this a real challenge, pal? Something that settles, once and for all, who the better man is?”
Michaels just nodded, so Flair continued. “Then let's make it a Trilogy of Hell! Each stage, all threee of them, let's make it a 30-minute Iron Man match! And the most total falls wins it!”
If anything, the crowd got louder. Now it was Michaels' turn to pace, and he finally stepped up to the 'Nature Boy', eye to eye, and said, “You're on.” He extended his hand, and perhaps surprisingly, Flair accepted it. He left the ring, but halfway up the ramp, Flair stopped him in his tracks with one more stipulation. “One more thing, kid. We don't have to wait until Winterslam. Ric Flair is always, always, ready to go! Wooooooo! So why don't we do this in two weeks! Wooooooo!”
COMMERCIAL
Marshall introduced the AWA World Tag-Team champions, and America's Most Wanted and Gail Kim entered the ring. They said that they were enjoying watching the “second-stringers” fight among themselves for the Intercontinental titles, but they wondered when they would fight a bona fide challenger for their titles. Predictable, they were interrupted – by Demolition, and Ax and Smash shouted that they were more than ready to face AMW. The teams shouted at each other, and AWA officials hustled out to make sure they didn't mix it up.
The EAST-WEST CONNECTION (w/the Grand Wizard) vs. the MIRACLE VIOLENCE CONNECTION (w/Ted DiBiase):
vs.
vs.
The referee was very lenient for this slugfest. Adonis and Ventura could fight with the best of them, but Williams and Gordy were next-level brawlers. They battled outside the ring almost as much as they were in it, and with DiBiase cheering them on, the MVC won after Gordy powerbombed Adonis.
As soon as it ended, Mike Awesome jogged out to join the fray, but Don Leo Jonathan ran him down and tackled him on the ramp. The two titans brawled back up towards the stage, and the former ECW World champ escaped through the curtain. In a rare display of anger, DLJ grabbed the microphone from the announcer's table, and challenged Awesome to a stretcher match.
COMMERCIAL
Before the main event began, West and Styles were joined by the UWA Universal champion, Rick Rude. He said that he wanted to see the two athletes up close and in person. “Maybe it's just me, but it seems like your champion hasn't taken his loss to the 'Ravishing One' very well. I'll give him some credit, though, he made me break a sweat at Autumn Bomb... but judging from the condition he's in, it's clear that he never should have got in the ring with me. And here's some breaking news for you – next week, you all get to watch your Universal champion, 'Ravishing' Rick Rude in action. Just something to stay in shape. And my opponent is going to be one of Christian Cage's best friends, and another worthless Canuck, Lance Storm.”
NON-TITLE MATCH
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL MATCH
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. BRYAN DANIELSON:
vs.
PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL CUP SEMI-FINAL MATCH
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. BRYAN DANIELSON:
vs.
Cage was the first man out, and he and Rude stared each other down. But as he walked down the ramp, Cage was nailed from behind by Danielson, who smashed him at the base of his skull with his UWA Male Wrestler of the Year plaque! The champion went down hard, and the “American Dragon” dropped the award and continued into the squared circle. He insisted that the referee count Christian out, but as the bell hadn't rung yet, the official went out to check on Cage first, who was groggy but insisted that he was ready to fight.
The match officially began a few moments later, and Danelson was relentless, working on the “instant Classic's” head and neck. He dominated the first several minutes, but Cage eventually battled back with everything he had. Christian kicked Bryan in the gut and set him up for the Unprettier, but Danielson didn't go down, and reversed it into the LeBell Lock.
Cage's neck was pulled back into an unhealthy and unnatural position, and he desperately tried to grab the ropes. But Danielson kept him in the center of the ring and cranked back even harder. Cage fought for as long as he could, but after a few more seconds, he tapped out. The crowd was shocked, and Danielson leaped to his feet in celebration. He pointed to the Pat O'Connor Memorial Cup on the timekeeper's table, while Cage sat in pain and misery to end the show.