Post by fifthhorseman on May 1, 2014 20:22:56 GMT -5
Joey Styles: Greetings and salutations, wrestling fans - this is AWA Wednesday Night Warriors! We are live from the U.S. Bank Arena Center in Cincinnati, Ohio! We are coming off one of the greatest shows in AWA history, the Team Challenge Series, and oh my God – if you haven’t seen it yet, if you don’t know what happened, I implore you to order the replay. As for tonight, we have five outstanding matches scheduled – no rest for the wicked – and one of those matches is for the AWA Television title. That’s right – the Great Muta defends his championship against the “Rated-R Superstar”, the leader of the HoRsemen… Edge!
And as for the rest of the card, I’ll hand over the reins to my partner in crime, the inimitable Josh Mathews. Josh?
Josh Mathews: Thank you, Mr. Styles, and hello fans around the world. Tonight, we will hear from the AWA Heavyweight champion himself, the “American Dragon”, Daniel Bryan! You’ll also see Rick Martel battle “Captain Redneck”, Dick Murdoch. Paul Orndorff goes one-on-one with Booker T, seeing solo action tonight. Also in singles competition, Trent Barreta of the Dudebusters meets “the Phenomenal A.J. Styles! Finally, in tag action, the BlueBloods – Wade Barrett and Doug Willams - tangles with the Midnight Express!
Joey Styles: Let’s get down to the ring – this is the American Wrestling Association; if you want talk, you’re on the wrong channel. Tonight’s first match is about to be introduced!
VS.
Trent Barreta (w/Caylen Croft) vs. AJ Styles: The Dudebusters entered the ring first, followed by Styles, briefcase in hand; both men were still favoring injuries sustained at the PPV, a trend that most of the night’s combatants would continue. Styles took control early, using his unique brand of offense to totally baffle Barreta, but a distraction from his partner turned the tide. Barreta tried to force the pace even faster, and for a while it worked – however, “the Phenomenal One” fought back with dropkicks, a Pele kick, and finally, the “Styles Clash” slam to secure the victory.
As he walked up the ramp, he was met by Gary Hart and Big Van Vader. The two grapplers locked eyes, but no punches were thrown, and the interlopers continued to the ring, where Vader took the microphone from an intimidated Christy Hemme.
Vader: Listen up! Everyone knows that I’m the biggest, baddest man in the AWA today! And last Sunday, I proved it! War Games, inside the cage, against four other men – who got the win? Me! Who was the man that got his hand raised in the most dangerous match of the night? Me! So let’s get right to the point. Daniel Bryan, I want a rematch! I’m the man! I’m the man that’s gonna take your title! And I’m not leaving this ring until I beat somebody else up – so if anyone has the guts to come out and tell me to leave, I’m waiting!
Several tense seconds elapsed at Hart and Vader waited, alongside a sheepish referee. He had no inclination to remove them from the ring, and luckily for him, the challenge was accepted.
VS.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Van Vader: These two behemoths were no strangers, having fought with and against each other many times. They tore into each other with devastating force, exchanging forearms, fists, and headbutts. Incredibly, Vader gradually overpowered Bigelow, taking him to the mat where he clamped on a tight headlock, siphoning the energy from his foe. But the Asbury Park native fought out of it, and got to his feet. He tackled Vader off his feet, and followed with a splash that was barely kicked out of. When he went for a second, however, Vader rolled away, and followed with one of his own that Bigelow could not squeeze out from underneath.
VS.
Rick Martel vs. Dick Murdoch: It was explained that Hart did not manage Murdoch, but only paid for his services at Team Challenge Series. Here, the French-Canadian used his superior speed and agility to frustrate Murdoch, but that changed when the Texan eventually caught him. The brawler used straight jabs, elbows, and kneedrops to punish Martel, opening a cut above his left eye. Murdoch even displayed his own agility with a pair of standing dropkicks. But Martel would not quit, and he fought back with his trademark fury. After a brief exchange in the middle of the ring, Martel won it with a sunset flip.
VS.
The Midnight Express vs. the BlueBloods (w/Layla): This was a slower-paced, textbook tag-team contest. Barrett was the X-Factor in this match, using his leverage and strength to batter both Lane and Eaton, softening them up for his partner. Williams tied up Eaton the mat, using several submission maneuvers that weakened every part of his body. Lane begged for the tag – and after an agonizingly long wait, he got it. He used kicks and clotheslines on both BlueBloods, and “stalled” long enough for Eaton to get back in and turn into a pier-four melee. After Barrett missed his “Bullhammer” elbow, flying outside the ring in the process, the Express hit the “Veg-o-Matic” legsweep/clothesline on Williams to earn the hard-fought victory.
[After the commercial break, Lance Russell interviewed AWA Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan in the ring. After giving Diamond Dallas Page the respect he rightly deserved after a hard-fought title defense, he said that he was ready for his next challenger, whoever that might be. Whether it was Big Van Vader, Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Edge, DDP, Intercontinental champ Nigel McGuinness, TV champ the Great Muta… he was a fighting champion, and whenever the AWA wanted him to go out and put his strap on the line, he would.]
VS.
Paul Orndorff vs. Booker T: During the entrances, Mathews explained that Stevie Ray was at home, still afflicted with concussion symptoms. “Mr. Wonderful” attacked Booker before the bell rang, using intense punches, kicks, and backdrops against his slightly larger opponent. He threw him from post to post, and held the advantage for several minutes. But the former WCW champion rallied, taking control with scissor kicks and slams of his own. It see-sawed back and forth, and almost touched upon the 20-minute time limit before Booker finished off Orndorff with the “Harlem Hangover”.
VS.
Edge (w/JJ Dillon and Missy Hyatt) vs. the Great Muta [C] (w/Gary Hart): Big-match ring intros from Christy Hemme while the two confident men stood in their corners. However, as soon as the bell rang, it was as if Edge made the trip to Cincinnati by way of Memphis, as he threw fire at the TV champ, instantly blinding him! AS Dillon and Hart barked at each other, the “Rated-R Superstar” put the boots to Muta, and was joined seconds later by his stablemates Robert Roode, James Storm, and Tully Blanchard, who jumped the ringside rail and made it a four-on-one attack. It only lasted a minute before they were scared off by a chair-wielding Mike Awesome – but before they left for the night, Edge took the microphone from Hemme and said, “Nothing personal, champ – but now we’re even for War Games.”
As the HoRseman left through the crowd, A.J. Styles made an appearance on the top of the ramp, holding his “Money in the Bank” briefcase. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, but Styles simply stood there, while Hart and Awesome tended to their man as the cameras went black.