Post by fifthhorseman on Dec 13, 2021 0:23:29 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 5
EPISODE 5
Pyro from Des Moines, Iowa, then the TV credits ran, a 60-second of classic AWA action interspersed with close-ups of several members of the reborn AWA roster.
Several black-and-white still photos to open the telecast featuring the Ultimate Warrior's shocking win over Verne Gagne at SuperClash. When the montage was over, ring announcer Lee Marshall introduced the man who held the AWA Heavyweight championship, the Warrior himself. Like he did just a week earlier, he ran down the ramp and thundered into the ring, bouncing off and shaking the ropes. The crowd loved every second of it, even if his three-minute-long monologue was full of wild and indecipherable analogies.
He was interrupted from the stage by Verne Gagne, who insisted that he should be the champion, and that their match never should have taken place. But before their argument turned physical, Maurice Vachon limped out, without crutches, and argued that he still deserved a match for that title. This went on for a couple of minutes until Commissioner Stu Hart came out and told them all to be quiet. “Ultimate Warrior, you are the AWA champion. Gagne, you issued what was interpreted as an open challenge for that belt, and you lost. However, you might have a valid point in that you were unprepared to take on a man who hadn't fought a single AWA match. And Vachon, when you're healed up, you will get a shot at the title, whoever holds it at that time.”
“But in the meantime, I have matches scheduled for tonight's show, so you two, get out of here! And Warrior, congratulations, but we're on a schedule, and we have to get the first match underway.”
The painted muscleman grunted, shouted a few more words, and held the title overhead as he left the ring to another roar of applause.
Joey Styles welcomed the TV audience into a new era of AWA dominance. He checked down the card for tonight, featuring a main event grudge match between the Killer Bees and the Midnight Express, and threw it back down to Marshall.
ADAM PEARCE vs. ?
vs.
“Scrap Iron” was already in the ring, waiting for his opponent. Then, a remixed version of the training vignettes played on the giant monitors, with the athlete in question training hard in the shadows.... ending with a shot of the Union Jack, and a wild animal's howl.
Desmond Wolfe strode through the curtains with confidence. His face didn't crack, and he wore sunglasses to the ring, removing them only when the bell rang. Pearce was a tough and rugged competitor, but he was quickly overmatched here. The British technician took charge early and kept the advantage throughout, and it took him less than five minutes to take Pearce out with the Tower of London cutter. When it was over, Wolfe left the ring as calmly as he entered it.
COMMERCIAL
Backstage, various wrestlers commended Tyler Bate for his great effort against Ilya Dragunov for the AWA Southern title. He thanked them all individually, and said he hoped that he'd get another match against the Russian. But the next man up wasn't so friendly – it was Miro. He looked down at Bate and told him to move to the back of the line. Bate didn't back down an inch, and the two stood toe-to-toe until the “Samoan Werewolf”, Jacob Fatu, entered the room and walked right up to Miro. “Hey, big man, I thought that I was next on your dance card. But if you want to fight both of us, why don't you go find a partner for next week?”
With that seemingly settled, Styles welcomed the aforementioned AWA Southern champion, Dragunov, to the table. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and he waved back at them. It was a short promo, but to the point – whether it was Bate, Miro, Fatu, or any of the world-class athletes in the AWA locked room, he'd defeat them all – and he'd prove it, starting next week.
HANDICAP MATCH
BRODIE LEE vs. SHANE HELMS and JUNGLE BOY:
vs.
BRODIE LEE vs. SHANE HELMS and JUNGLE BOY:
vs.
A 1980s-styled “picture in picture” box appeared as the young team walked to the ring, in which they said they would earn some respect back from Lee, shocked as they were by his unprovoked attack at SuperClash.
Well, at least they tried. Lee manhandled both of them, outweighing each of them by at least 70 pounds. They had heart, but lacked the power, the experience, or the killer instinct to put him down or keep him down for long. He bludgeoned them, and after he launched Jungle Boy over the top rope, Lee leveled Helms with a discus clothesline, and pinned him with a foot on his chest.
After the “Big Rig” departed, a split-screen shot of two separate locker rooms: one with the Killer Bees loosening up, the other showing the Midnight Express.
COMMERCIAL
Vignette time, and it was timely. The tag-team scene in the AWA was taking shape, and yet another team was on their way to the territory.
Jon Moxley. Chris Hero. The Hounds of Justice.
Back at the desk, Styles set up the next montage that recapped the AWA Tag-Team championship match at SuperClash, where the North won the straps over the New Age Outlaws through nefarious means – specifically, Jesse James was DDTed on the ring bell, on the floor, by Ethan Page. Styles then explained that the Road Dogg was going through AWA concussion protocol, and would likely be back in a week or so. In the meantime, his partner wanted revenge against one or both of the North... which set up the next match.
JOSH ALEXANDER (w/Ethan Page) vs. BILLY GUNN:
vs.
vs.
After Gunn entered the ring, the North, microphones in hand, cut a promo from the stage. It sounded exactly like you think an obnoxious, cocky heel promo sounds.
“The Bad Ass” was taller and stronger than Alexander, but the Canadian wasn't afraid to trade punches at the beginning of the bout. That turned out to be a bad idea, so he changed his strategy and used his superior grappling to try to focus on a body part. It was a (good) clash of styles, and it was an excellent 12-minute match. But as one might expect, with “All Ego” on the outside constantly interfering, the numbers caught up to Gunn. After a series of moves near the ropes, the “Walking Weapon” rolled Gunn up from behind, and with both a handful of tights and Page pushing from the apron, the North ran away – literally – with the win.
COMMERCIAL
Gagne was venting to/at his proteges, Buzz Sawyer and Jeff Cobb, about the title situation. As he claimed he would take his case to the highest authority, a familiar face entered the scene. Larry Hennig, followed by Joe, told Gagne he was being a “whiny jackass”... and that was all it took to set up a tag-team match for next week between the Hennigs and Cobb and Sawyer.
WADE BARRETT vs. NICK BOCKWINKEL:
vs.
vs.
Bockwinkel felt like he had something to prove, and for that matter, so did Barrett – neither man fought on the SuperClash pay-per-view, albeit for different reasons, and it was time to start a winning streak. It was another outstanding contest, with Barrett's slight physical advantages negated by Bockwinkel's unparalleled wrestling savvy. They went about ten minutes, and the legend from Beverly Hills used a figure-four leglock to make Barrett submit. After the match, as Bockwinkel left to a hearty round of applause and paused at the top of the ramp, he was met by Desmond Wolfe. There was no physical contact, no shouting, no threats... just a lot of suspense as the show went to
COMMERCIAL
After Styles confirmed a number of matches taking place next week, there was a montage of shots from the triple-threat tag match at SuperClash; the Nasty Boys won, but more memorably, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane appeared out of nowhere at the end and beat up the Killer Bees. Thus, this match, with a video promo from Blair and Brunzell wherein they vowed to get their revenge.
The KILLER BEES vs. the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS:
vs.
vs.
The Bees came out first to cheers; the Express did not, but they loved hearing the boos. Surprisingly, they waited until the bell rang to get things going, and unsurprisingly, it was a tag-team clinic. As smooth as Eaton and Lane were as a tandem, they were matched by their opponents. They were experts in cutting the ring in two, in executing flawless double-team maneuvers, and optimizing the five-count. It was fast-paced, and the tide turned several times throughout the match.
After a series of tags, “Beautiful Bobby” took charge, and the Bees wound up on the floor. They reached underneath the ring stairs in their corner, pulled out the masks to the crowd's delight, and put them on. The fresher man, Brunzell, rolled in and fired a series of punches at Eaton, and Lane, and nailed each of them with his patented dropkick. He was on a roll, and hit both of them with a high cross-body that took all three of them out of the ring.
All four men fought outside, and after throwing the Midnights back in the ring, the Bees unmasked. But as they were both about to enter the ring, a pair of hands shot out from underneath the ring apron, snaring Blair's ankle. Brunzell didn't notice at first. He rolled in and looked back for his partner, who was by now was being held by a man, who had both arms wrapped around his leg while still face-down and half-covered by the ring. When “Jumping Jim” turned back around to his foes, Lane and Eaton picked him up and slammed him down with a flapjack, and Bobby made the quick pin.
Blair finally escaped and shoved the Express away before they could put the boots to his partner... but in the process, that allowed the mystery man to sneak in right behind him and chop-block his leg. It was Dennis Condrey, Eaton's first partner in the Midnight Express, and the trio stomped away at the Killer Bees for several seconds before the referee finally got them to leave. They celebrated on the ramp to end the show.