Post by fifthhorseman on Nov 1, 2021 22:32:55 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 2
EPISODE 2
Pyro from Omaha, Nebraska, then the TV credits ran, a 60-second of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of several members of the new AWA roster.
Joey Styles was at the broadcast desk solo, and he explained that Ed Whalen had to go back to Calgary. He then ran down the full TV card, with a whopping six matches scheduled, before introducing Verne Gagne to the table. He received a warm ovation, and after putting over his foe from the first round of the AWA championship tournament, Jeff Cobb, he said that the next round would be even tougher, when he faced a very familiar foe in Nick Bockwinkel.
LOSER LEAVE TOWN LADDER MATCH:
KANYON vs. WRATH:
vs.
KANYON vs. WRATH:
vs.
Gagne left, and as Kanyon made his way to the ring, a quick video recap aired in the corner, where he and Wrath failed to advance in the tag-team gauntlet and subsequently blamed each other. Now, his mask hung above the ring, and whoever retrieved it would stay in the AWA – the other man would have to leave.
It was surprisingly fast-paced given how big the two competitors were, and therefore, it didn't go longer than ten minutes. The “Innovator of Offense” survived the various power moves Wrath threw at him, and after hitting the 300-pounder with a facebuster off the ladder, he went up and snatched his mask back. He looked at it, shook his head, and threw it into the front row. The crowd cheered him as he left.
COMMERCIAL
A “coming soon” vignette aired for “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane... collectively known as the Midnight Express.
That was followed by a “tale of the tape” video for the first two competitors in the AWA Southern championship tournament. When it finished, Styles explained that the winners tonight would have their hands full in the next round, when they were matched off against the losers in last week's matches – Bad News Brown, Ilya Dragunov, Jeff Cobb, and Don Leo Jonathan!
This led to the introduction of AWA Commissioner Stu Hart, who brought out the belt the next two men would be trying to win, placing it on the table besides Styles.
AWA SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
WADE BARRETT vs. JACOB FATU:
vs.
WADE BARRETT vs. JACOB FATU:
vs.
The “Samoan Werewolf” was a tweener, so when opposed by the arrogant Brit, he became the de facto hero in this contest. Barrett didn't care, and didn't change anything he ever did; therefore, this wasn't a very scientific match. There were plenty of punches and kicks and slams, and the referee was on the verge of disqualifying one or both of them more than once. It ended when Barrett (perhaps ironically) went for his finisher, Wasteland. However, Fatu slipped off his shoulders and picked Barrett up for a massive Samoan drop. Then he took to the air with an equally devastating moonsault; three seconds later, he earned the victory.
Backstage, a split-screen shot aired for the next matchup – Mr. Ken Kennedy and Tyler Bate – as they got some last-second stretching and warm-up in.
COMMERCIAL
In another area backstage, Gagne was talking to the New Age Outlaws when Jeff Cobb angrily interrupted them. The former Guam Olympian felt disrespected, and it didn't take long for he and Gagne to start shoving each other. As the NAO tried to break them up, the action spilled into an adjacent locker room, where various wrestlers, including Buzz Sawyer, Austin Theory, Don Leo Jonathan, and Bockwinkel (to name just four) were playing cards. It turned into a much larger melee, and they were still fighting when the next match was about to begin. Another 60-second “tale of the tape” VTR aired, featuring Bate and Kennedy.
AWA SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
TYLER BATE vs. KEN KENNEDY:
TYLER BATE vs. KEN KENNEDY:
vs.
The brash native of Green Bay wasn't often the bigger man in the fight, so he made it a point to look down on his foe – literally. But being the taller man didn't mean he was necessarily the stronger man, and Bate made him look foolish early on with his freakish strength. It eventually settled into a very competitive bout, and both men looked like serious contenders for the Southern title; it ended with Bate hitting Kennedy with the Tyler Driver '97 for the win.
As Bate left the ring, the scene shifted to the back again. The locker room brawl was over, but medics were checking on a couple of the wrestlers... including Gagne, whose shoulder was hanging to the side.
COMMERCIAL
An ominous VTR aired, featuring Miro. He was training hard in preparation for next week's match against Maurice Vachon. “He calls himself a mad dog? In my world, dogs like that get put down – and when I put him down, I'll be one step away from my God-given reward – the AWA Heavyweight championship!”
Backstage, Marshall gravely reported that Gagne's status for next week was uncertain. Behind him, Sawyer randomly cackled and wandered off, then Bockwinkel – who himself seemed to be favoring his neck – strode up to Marshall and blamed Gagne for the whole altercation. “If he can't wrestle, then he should do what's right, and simply step aside.”
Another VTR aired, showcasing the immense grappling skills of the next two wrestlers.
AWA SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
ADAM PEARCE vs. ZACK SABRE Jr:
vs.
ADAM PEARCE vs. ZACK SABRE Jr:
vs.
Needless to say, this was the most technical match of the night. Pearce was old school, often displaying the pro wrestling skills that earned him multiple NWA championships. Sabre, on the other hand, reveled in using the elaborate – and painful – mat tactics that stretched his opponent on the mat. The “British Master” and “Scrap Iron” traded holds and counters, and counters to those counters, and Joey Styles was probably the only man quick enough to call the action. After a long series of pin reversals, Sabre trapped Pearce in the Cremation Lily (omoplata/figure-four combination), and he forced his opponent to submit.
COMMERCIAL
The final “tale of the tape” vignette aired, mixing footage from a wide array of territories for the final two grapplers.
AWA SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL
The SPOILER vs. MASATO TANAKA:
vs.
The SPOILER vs. MASATO TANAKA:
vs.
The masked man was more than 60 pounds heavier than Tanaka, and taller, and arguably even more agile. However, Styles noted that the former ECW champ was very used to fighting bigger men, and Tanaka certainly wasn't going to just mail it in.
It was a fantastic brawl. The referee was very lenient when they went to the outside, which was often; however, when they were locked up in the ring, the two men also threw in the occasional wrestling maneuver to confuse their foe. At the 15-minute mark, Tanaka hit the Spoiler with a roaring elbow and went for the pin – but at the last millisecond, the Canadian put his foot over the bottom rope. Tanaka got up, thinking he earned the win... and it cost him. The Spoiler staggered up, and with all of his might, launched his opponent into the ringpost shoulder- and head-first. He then went to the corner, walked halfway down the ropes, and hit a massive elbowdrop. Tanaka couldn't kick out; the Spoiler moved on to the semi-finals.
As the Spoiler walked through the curtain, he passed by the Nasty Boys, and the three heels barely acknowledged each other as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
Styles set up a video that spotlighted the six members of the AWA training camp: Alex Hammerstone, Ricky Starks, Shane Helms, Dustin Rhodes, Jungle Boy, and Rex Steiner. They were young, talented, and hungry. When it ended, the hardcore announcer introduced them to the crowd in Omaha, and they all came out in street clothes before departing just as quickly.
A quick recap video of last week's gauntlet aired – if you didn't see it, the New Age Outlaws won.
AWA TAG-TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP GAUNTLET QUALIFIER
JOE and LARRY HENNIG vs. the KILLER BEES vs. the NASTY BOYS vs. the NORTH:
vs.
vs.
JOE and LARRY HENNIG vs. the KILLER BEES vs. the NASTY BOYS vs. the NORTH:
vs.
vs.
vs.
Styles reminded the viewers that the winners of this gauntlet would take on the New Age Outlaws at SuperClash 2021. First up: the Nasty Boys versus the Hennigs. This was AWA territory, so the crowd was firmly behind the Hennigs, who brought a power/science mixture to the match. That didn't impress Sags and Knobbs, though, and they isolated Joe in their corner – amongst all of their qualities, the Nasty Boys had underrated chemistry. Somehow, the younger Hennig survived, and made the hot tag to “the Axe”. Larry cleared house, and after throwing Sags over the top rope, he pinned Knobbs with a powerslam.
The Killer Bees came down the ramp next, but were attacked by the Nasty Boys before they could enter the ring! They fought with each other for several seconds, and Knobbs nailed Brunzell with a vicious chop-block to his left knee. The Hennigs jumped out to separate the teams, and a bevy of AWA officials ran out to do the same... but not before Sags hit Joe across his right knee with a steel chair.
As the heels were forcibly escorted backstage, the show went to
COMMERCIAL
When the show resumed, “the Axe” and Blair were just getting underway, with their respective partners on the apron trying to get back to full health. The action here was much more scientific and honorable than the previous gauntlet bout, but as the minutes ticked by and the tension mounted, it got more intense. Punches and kicks were thrown more freely, and all four men wound up in the squared circle slugging away. But the Bees were able to able to duck a double-clothesline by Larry and eject him from the ring, and they hit a combination schoolboy trip/flying crossbody on the third-generation Hennig for the fall.
The final team out was the North. They had been watching from the back, and they knew that Brunzell's knee was their key to victory. “Jumping Jim” was still favoring his leg, but as usual, he battled. Unfortunately for the Bees, Alexander and Page made sure that once Brunzell was tagged in, he wasn't going to get anywhere near Blair. They used every trick in the book to keep him isolated, with savvy double-teaming and clever referee distractions.
But they couldn't keep Blair out forever. The Tampa native finally got in and took charge. He scored several near-falls on both foes, and turned the tide to his side. Ultimately, it was a tag he wasn't expecting that did the team in, as Brunzell sought to get back in. His knee finally failed him, and when the “Walking Weapon” trapped him in an grounded ankle lock, the Minnesotan had to tap out. The North celebrated their victory, and sneered at the beaten Bees, as the show's credits rolled and faded to black.
The final team out was the North. They had been watching from the back, and they knew that Brunzell's knee was their key to victory. “Jumping Jim” was still favoring his leg, but as usual, he battled. Unfortunately for the Bees, Alexander and Page made sure that once Brunzell was tagged in, he wasn't going to get anywhere near Blair. They used every trick in the book to keep him isolated, with savvy double-teaming and clever referee distractions.
But they couldn't keep Blair out forever. The Tampa native finally got in and took charge. He scored several near-falls on both foes, and turned the tide to his side. Ultimately, it was a tag he wasn't expecting that did the team in, as Brunzell sought to get back in. His knee finally failed him, and when the “Walking Weapon” trapped him in an grounded ankle lock, the Minnesotan had to tap out. The North celebrated their victory, and sneered at the beaten Bees, as the show's credits rolled and faded to black.