Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 18, 2024 23:36:28 GMT -5
AWA WINTERSLAM II
A highlight package hyped the show, featuring the participants of all of the matches on the night's card. Pyro and lasers, a crowd shot from the sold-out Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Joey Styles and Don West at the commentary table, and here we go!
BRASS RING LADDER MATCH
WINNER EARNS AWA INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JOSH ALEXANDER vs. MONTEZ FORD vs. JERRY LYNN vs. DAMIAN PRIEST vs. SAMOA JOE vs. RICKY STARKS:
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WINNER EARNS AWA INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
JOSH ALEXANDER vs. MONTEZ FORD vs. JERRY LYNN vs. DAMIAN PRIEST vs. SAMOA JOE vs. RICKY STARKS:
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The reigning champ, Batista, joined Styles and West at the broadcast table to watch the carnage while distilling his unique, cynical brand of color commentary. Needless to say, it was a car wreck of a match, and every competitor had his chance to shine. Ford and Starks continued their rivalry, seemingly trying to top each other with acrobatic dives for the ring and at their opponents. Alexander was a suplex machine, and Lynn used a hit-and-run strategy to try to stay healthy enough to climb the ladder. Priest and Joe used their superior power to launch bodies around the ring and off the ladder, and served as the “glue” to the match.
They went about 15 minutes, battling in the ring, on the floor, in the air, and seemingly everywhere else. Alexander and Starks were the last two men standing in the ring – them, and a single ladder. The former TNA stalwart went for a high belly-to-back suplex, “Absolute” somersaulted and landed on his feet, bounced off the ropes, and nailed Alexander with a spear. He slowly stepped up the ladder, but when he was within inches of the brass ring, Samoa Joe rolled back into the squared circle and pushed the ladder over, sending Starks over the top rope and into Priest, Lynn, and Ford. The 300-pounder rebalanced the ladder and marched up its rungs, seizing the ring for the win. He pointed to Batista from the ladder, and “the Animal” defiantly stood up with the IC belt held over his head.
Rick Rude entered the building in a suit and tie, and made his way to a luxury suite to take in the action. An off-screen voice asked him when he would be back in an AWA ring, and with a smirk, he said, “Next week – and not just because I feel like wrestling some fat, sweaty, overmatched chump. No, no, no... next week, you'll see who I've chosen to represent the “Ravishing One”, your undisputed and unbeatable UWA Universal champion, as his manager. Now, get out of my way.”
BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Sean O'Haire):
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The rapidly-improving Mysterio had the perfect opponent with the master tactician Armstrong leading the way, and the cocky luchador looked good – even in defeat. Armstrong's speed and quickness frustrated Mysterio throughout the battle, but the “Devil's Advocate” at ringside got in a few shots as well, helping his young colleague regain command. It ended when the man from Marietta nailed Mysterio with a side Russian leg-sweep, and Armstrong slid out of the ring before O'Haire could catch him.
Eric Bischoff introduced Shawn Michaels onto the stage, and he received a standing ovation. He was asked who he thought would win the main event match for the AWA World Heavyweight title, and after careful deliberation, he replied, “You gotta give the devil his due. I gave it everything I had, I made him bleed and work for every single hold and punch he threw, but it wasn't enough. That said, I think Ric Flair wins tonight.”
AWA WORLD MID-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BRYAN DANIELSON vs. LOU THESZ (c):
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BRYAN DANIELSON vs. LOU THESZ (c):
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Each man brought their hardware: Danielson, the Pat O'Connor trophy, and Thesz his championship belt. Thesz offered his hand before the match started, and to the amazement of many, the challenger shook it. This match was, to no one's surprise, the most mat-based, technical battle of the night. The “American Dragon” wasn't quite up to Thesz's standard when it came to pure amateur grappling, but he more than made up for it with his striking and willingness to bend the rules.
But the Missourian could scrap with anybody, and had no qualms about dirty boxing with Danielson if the situation called for it. They breezed past the 20-minute mark, then 25, then 30 minutes elapsed before either man was in true danger. The former WWE champion had been targeting Thesz's upper body whenever he could, and after an indescribable sequence of mat maneuvers, captured his foe in the LeBell Lock. Thesz writhed in agony, and after several long seconds, made it to to the ropes to break the hold. A couple of minutes later, the champ returned the painful favor by applying the STF to Danielson in the center of the ring, but Bryan fought his way to a rope break as well.
Both men were in pain now, and they wanted to finish it. After a dizzying series of pins and counters, the NWA legend went for his patented standing body-press, but only got a two-count before Danielson kicked out and immediately cinched in another LeBell Lock. Thesz flailed for the ropes, but Danielson seemed to anchor himself into the mat, and there was nowhere to go, so the unthinkable happened – Thesz tapped out.
But that wasn't it. The referee called for the bell and for Bryan to break the hold... but he wouldn't. It was like he wanted to break Thesz in half, and even the official's physical efforts to separate the two men failed. Finally, the referee told him that he would reverse the decision if he didn't let Thesz go – and yet he still wouldn't do it. As other AWA officials ran down the ramp, the referee told Lee Marshall that he was disqualifying Danielson. When it was announced, he finally broke the hold, at a final match time of 38:18.
As the ring crew got things ready for the next match, Bischoff spoke with Samoa Joe backstage. The “Samoan Submission Machine” promised to take down Batista, and win his first championship in the AWA.
A video package aired next, recapping the long-standing feud between the former members of Money Inc., Ted DiBiase and Mike Rotunda.
LOSER LEAVES TOWN, TUXEDO COAL MINER'S GLOVE ON A POLE, STEEL CAGE MATCH
TED DiBIASE vs. MIKE ROTUNDA:
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TED DiBIASE vs. MIKE ROTUNDA:
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As the cage descended from the ceiling, each man, dressed in a three-piece tuxedo complete with tails, knew that it was going to be someone's last match in the AWA. During the ring introductions, they both briefly looked at the heavy, ugly coal miner's glove tied to a pole ten feet above the mat. The referee briefly went over the rules and stipulations with the competitors, and as soon as he called for the bell, Rotunda and DiBiase were trading punches.
During the first few minutes, they alternated brawling with scientific wrestling, as both men were very capable of both. The cage became a weapon, and DiBiase was the first man to bleed. He was able to wipe it away from his eyes, but the former Syracuse Orangeman targeted DiBiase's forehead for the rest of the battle. To counter this, DiBiase ripped his right jacket sleeve off to wrap the wound.
15 minutes in, their suits half-torn to shreds, Rotunda also met the steel, and he was busted open as well. Their suites were both becoming stained with blood, and after the collegiate grappler hit DiBiase with his Stock Market Crash slam, he made his move for the coal miner's glove. Rotunda slowly climbed to the top turnbuckle, but before he could take possession of the glove, DiBiase recovered, used the cage to climb onto the top rope beside him, and hip-tossed him to the mat.
The crowd roared when DiBiase put the glove on, and Styles half-jokingly wondered if his experience in this specific type of match was finally showing. Rotunda was trapped, and tried to beg for mercy, but the “Million Dollar Man” wasn't listening. Rotunda dodged the first two swings, but Dibiase connected with the third, knocking his former partner into the corner. He staggered out, drenched in blood, and one more shot drove him to the canvas. DiBiase fell on him for the successful pin, and with that, Rotunda was out of the AWA.
A quick ten-minute intermission followed the match to raise the cage, as a video package with various wrestlers giving their opinion on the AWA World title match played on the videotron.
The BRITISH BULLDOGS and ?? vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and BARRY WINDHAM (w/Jim Cornette):
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The heel trio entered first, and waited with the audience in suspense for their opponents. The Bulldogs walked through the curtain to a huge cheer and waited for their partner... who turned out to be former NWA World champion Ricky Steamboat.
Cornette was incensed, as were his men, and complained to no avail to the official. Dynamite and Eaton started out, and after a couple of minutes, “the Dragon” entered the match, arm-dragging all three of his opponents before the referee restored some order. Once it resumed, it became a high-energy, fast-paced battle that see-sawed back and forth, with both trios close to capturing victory on several occasions. But in the end, it was Steamboat that earned the win for his team in his debut, pinning Windham with a high-crossbody for the win.
Steamboat and the Bulldogs celebrated on the ramp, hands held high, leaving Cornette and his crew fuming in the center of the ring. Suddenly, shockingly, Eaton and Lane hit Windhan with a double-goozle! The Texan landed hard, and the Express picked him up so that Windham was on his knees, where Cornette hit him over the head with his racket. Smith, Dynamite, and Steamboat all slid back in the ring, and the Midnight Express scurried out and left.
Bischoff was backstage with Arn Anderson, and he asked him who he thought was going to leave the arena with the AWA World belt. “The Enforcer” said that he knew Flair as well as anyone, but after the Trilogy of Hell match, there was no way he had enough gas in the tank to beat Christian Cage. Before he could say anything else, Terry Funk attacked Anderson from behind, and after both men got several shots in, AWA officials broke up the skirmish.
"SUPERSTAR" BILLY GRAHAM vs. THE ROCK:
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Two of the biggest men in the AWA– with two of the biggest egos as well – went nose-to-nose when the bell rang, jawing at each other and flexing. This was a pure power match, with little in the way of technical wrestling. The third-generation star stalled at first, eventually luring Graham in for some heavy right hands. The former WWWF champion returned the favor and took charge, focusing on the Rock's back with slams, tackles, and bearhugs. But the “Great One” was resilient, and after he hit Graham with a stungun over the top rope, he flattened him with a Rock Bottom for the three-count.
Bischoff found the Midnight Express and Cornette in the parking lot, and asked them why they turned on Windham. The “Louisville Slugger” exclaimed, “Because he's a loser, that's why! I manage champions, and he distracted me from focusing on the real deal, real champions, like 'Beautiful Bobby' and 'Sweet Stan!' I carried him to the AWA World Heavyweight championship, and as soon as he lost the belt, he was out of sight and out of mind. And tonight, he gets pinned by some guy that the British Bulldogs literally had to grab off the street? We ain't wasting our time and energy on Barry Windham no more!”
AWA WORLD TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (c, w/Gail Kim) vs. DEMOLITION:
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West reminded the audience that the two teams had a combined ten World tag-title reigns to put over their championship pedigrees. Ax and Smash were the monster faces, and dominated the early stages of the match. AMW battled back with every trick, legal or otherwise, in their arsenal, and isolated Smash in their corner.
Storm and Harris laid the proverbial boots to their bigger foe for several minutes, but Smash wouldn't stay down, and made the hot tag to Ax. The big veteran cleared house, and soon after all four men were fighting in and out of the ring. During the melee, Kim ripped one of the turnbuckle pads away and wrapped a pair of heavy handcuffs around the corner post. She got Harris's attention, and “the Cowboy” Irish-whipped Ax into that corner, followed immediately by a Snake Eyes, slamming Ax face-first into the exposed metal. Storm held Smash back while Harris made the pin, holding Ax down just long enough for the ref to make the three-count.
One last split-screen shot backstage of Christian Cage and Ric Flair getting ready for their match. MJF saw the camera, and he became Flair's hype man, telling the audience that in just a few minutes, the AWA World Heavyweight strap would belong to the Pinnacle. “Oh, and by the way, Nick Bockwinkel? You're still 0-1 to Maxwell Jacob Friedman!”
AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHRISTIAN CAGE (c) vs. RIC FLAIR (w/Freddie Blassie):
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CHRISTIAN CAGE (c) vs. RIC FLAIR (w/Freddie Blassie):
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Tale of the tape and big-match intros to set the table for this one. West wondered if either man was at 100%; the champion was favoring his neck, and Flair had barely survived his Trilogy of Hell match two weeks earlier. The first couple of minutes seemed to support that theory: it was a feeling-out process that saw neither man take the advantage. Blassie briefly conferred with the “Nature Boy”, and the referee warned the legendary manager that one wrong move would see him removed from ringside.
Christian pushed the pace, hoping to end it quickly before Flair settled into a rhythm. Cage focused on his foe's infamously weary lower back, and he had Flair on defense – but he couldn't pin him. The pendulum swung back in Flair's favor after he hit the “Instant Classic” with a chop-block on Cage's right knee, and he kept the champion grounded as he maintained his assault on that body part. Blassie cheered him on, waving his cane triumphantly as Flair finally locked on the figure-four. The anxious crowd was on their feet, and Cage rolled to the ropes to break the hold.
But Flair pressed on, and went for it again; this time, Cage caught him in a small package, and nearly got the pin. After that, the AWA World champ slowly built momentum, and nailed Flair with ten punches in the corner. The NWA icon swung wildly at Cage after the fact, but he fell on his face. Christian connected with a top-rope frog splash, but only got a count of two.
Blassie implored his client to catch his breath on the floor, but Cage followed him out, knocked their heads together, and rolled the “Nature Boy” back in the ring. They were both limping and exhausted, and traded chops before the champ kicked his foe in the gut to set him up for the Unprettier. He slowly turned Flair into position, but “the Man” kept rotating, and turned it into a back-slide. It was a shocking reversal, and it was the last move of the match... the ref counted three, the bell rang, and Ric Flair was the new AWA World Heavyweight champion. The rest of the Pinnacle raon out onto the stage, and the show ended with Flair and Blassie celebrating in the ring.