Post by fifthhorseman on Oct 26, 2021 0:02:41 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 1
EPISODE 1
Cold open with the eclectic broadcasting duo of Ed Whalen and Joey Styles standing in the middle of the ring. They welcomed the live crowd in Minneapolis and the TV audience to the reborn, revitalized AWA, and told everybody that the road to the AWA Heavyweight Championship would begin tonight!
Pyro, then the TV credits ran, a 60-second of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of several members of the new AWA roster.
Back to the ring, where Lee Marshall made the ring announcements for the first match, beginning with the man synonymous with the American Wrestling Association.
AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
JEFF COBB vs. VERNE GAGNE:
vs.
JEFF COBB vs. VERNE GAGNE:
vs.
Gagne received a hero's ovation, and it seemed to give the AWA icon an extra gear. Despite being outweighed by about 60 pounds, he and Cobb made it a pure wrestling match, with virtually zero strikes exchanged. It wasn't an upset, but it was a shock – Gagne pinned Cobb with an O'Connor roll in only about three minutes.
After he left, Whalen and Styles laid out the rest of the quarter-final matches, and then a video aired for the next match: a four-team gauntlet match that would determine one of the two teams that would face off for the AWA Tag-Team Championship at the inaugural AWA pay-per-view, SuperClash 2021.
TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP GAUNTLET QUALIFIER
The BLUDGEON BROTHERS vs. the GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS vs. the NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. WRATH and MORTIS:
vs.
vs.
vs.
The BLUDGEON BROTHERS vs. the GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS vs. the NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. WRATH and MORTIS:
vs.
vs.
vs.
Dry ice and strobe lights marked the appearance of Wrath and Mortis, who stalked to the ring. They were followed by the fan-favorite duo of Billy Gunn and Jesse James. It was a good, competitive bout for the first few minutes, but miscommunication between the heels cost them, and Gunn nailed Mortis with the Fameasser.
While the NAO waited for the next team, Wrath tore Mortis's mask off on the outside, revealing Kanyon's face. The two men brawled up the ramp as the next team came out onto the stage – James Drake and Zack Gibson, the Grizzled Young Veterans, and the show went to
COMMERCIAL
Return to live action, and the Brits had the Outlaws on the proverbial ropes. Gibson, in particular, looked like a superstar, and he scored several two-counts on his tiring foes. However, after a four-man brawl caused momentary chaos, the “Road Dogg” hit Drake with a pumphandle slam to stay in the gauntlet.
The last team to participate was the largest and meanest. Harper and Rowan were expressionless, but the audience could tell that they were eager to get their hands on a very tired Gunn and James. They were monstrous, and cut the “Road Dogg” off from his corner, sadistically wearing him down for minutes. But James made the hot tag to his partner, and Gunn hit two Fameassers on Rowan to ensure that the New Age Outlaws would be competing for the tag belts.
As their celebration concluded, Marshall was backstage with Gagne, who put over Cobb as a great opponent. He then said that it didn't matter who came out of the rest of the brackets, he was going to regain the AWA Heavyweight title one more time.
COMMERCIAL
The New Age Outlaws cut their backstage promo in typical Attitude Era fashion. They started reciting the teams that would be battling next week, and they warned them all that come SuperClash, they would be wearing gold again.
A 60-second “tale of the tape” VTR aired, featuring the next two combatants in the AWA title tournament.
AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. MIRO:
vs.
DON LEO JONATHAN vs. MIRO:
vs.
The ”Mormon Giant” versus the “Bulgarian Brute”. Two of the most athletic big men in the world squared off, with the crowd firmly behind the underrated Jonathan. He took it to Miro from the onset, but to his credit, his foe not only battled back but took control midway through the match. That said, Miro used his power and dirty tactics in equal measure, and after distracting the referee, he rammed Jonathan's head into an exposed turnbuckle. The 300-pounded bled profusely, but refused to quit; however, when Miro trapped him in the Accolade, the referee stopped the match and gave the win to the self-proclaimed “God's Favorite.”
COMMERCIAL
Another “tale of the tape” aired, for the next two wrestlers; one of those two, Nick Bockwinkel, cut a promo on his way out to the ring – in typical Bockwinkel fashion, he announced that the upcoming match was merely a warm-up.
AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. ILYA DRAGUNOV:
vs.
NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. ILYA DRAGUNOV:
vs.
Suffice to say, it was NOT a tune-up match for Bockwinkel. The Russian superstar utilized his unorthodox and high-impact offense early on, and it frustrated the AWA stalwart to the point where he stalled on the floor so many times the referee had to warn him. Bockwinkel successfully slowed things down with his mat science, but could not finish “the Czar” off. In the third stage of the match, the pace quickened again, and Dragunov went for a grounded dragon sleeper. However, Bockwinkel rolled up and over Dragunov, and pinned him – with his feet on the ropes for good measure.
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, Lee Marshall announced that Kanyon challenged his former partner, Wrath, to the promotion's first “loser leave town” match for next week... and the only way to win was by retrieving his now-discarded Mortis mask from a hook 15 feet above the ring! He then did a quick interview with Don Leo Jonathan, who was tended by the AWA medical staff. He vowed that he would get a rematch with Miro, and next time, he'd be prepared for the Brute's devious tactics.
The last “tale of the tape” VTR aired for the last two men battling in the AWA Heavyweight championship tournament, and when the live shot went to the broadcast table, Styles listed off the four teams battling in the second gauntlet next week: the North, the Killer Bees, Joe and Larry Hennig, and the Nasty Boys.
When he finished, Whalen introduced the AWA commissioner, Stu Hart, who came out to the table carrying the brand-new AWA Heavyweight title. It was a gorgeous belt, one that modernized the title worn throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He held it up for the crowd to see, and left it on the table before departing backstage.
AWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
BAD NEWS BROWN vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
BAD NEWS BROWN vs. MAD DOG VACHON:
vs.
Not only were they were two of the toughest men in the AWA, not only were they (surprisingly) former Olympians, but they were two men that simply did not care what anyone thought about them in the ring. Nonetheless, the crowd sided with Vachon, respecting his AWA pedigree and toughness. However, several fans also applauded for Bad News, as he was a ferocious blend of power and technique.
They put on a main event match. Brown was bigger, and arguably stronger, but Vachon could not be kept down. It was the mostly evenly-contested match of the night, and as the TV time limit began to rear its head, the two warriors traded punches in the middle of the ring. Brown went for the Ghetto Blaster enziguri kick, but Vachon ducked it, and gave the Harlem brawler a piledriver. Even after landing his finisher, Vachon made sure he cinched his foe's head and shoulders for the pin.
After the match, Mad Dog saluted the crowd, and pointed to Brown as a show of respect. As he got to his feet, he begrudgingly extended his gloved hand to Vachon... but at the last second, pulled it back and connected with the Ghetto Blaster. Vachon fell to the mat, and as Brown left, bellowing and threatening, Mad Dog slowly got to his feet and pointed at the championship belt.