Post by fifthhorseman on Feb 4, 2024 23:56:27 GMT -5
AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING
EPISODE 72
EPISODE 72
Short “Saturday Night's Main Event”-styled promos from Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and Freddie Blassie, Art Barr, and Brad Armstrong. Pyro from Milwaukee, Wisconsin – calling the action, Joey Styles and Don West.
Cold open split-screen shot of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels preparing for their Trilogy of Hell match in their respective locker rooms. The scene shifted to the broadcast table, where the announcers explained the rules of this grueling match. They also noted that the winner would be the top contender for the AWA World Heavyweight title held by Christian Cage, who would defend that championship against one of these men at Winterslam II.
BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. ART BARR (w/Dominik Mysterio):
vs.
vs.
Exciting mid-heavyweight action led off the show to prime the crowd, and after about nine minutes, Armstrong pinned the “American Love Machine” after a side Russian leg-sweep. After the match, he was jumped from behind by Mysterio, who hit him with a frog splash before Los Gringos Locos left.
Another split-screen shot was shown of Michaels and Flair leaving their dressing rooms, and the show went to
COMMERCIAL
TRILOGY OF HELL MATCH
RIC FLAIR (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. SHAWN MICHAELS:
vs.
vs.
FIRST 30-MINUTE STAGE – STANDARD RULES
Both men were in their corners for the big-match intros, and Styles and West welcomed Flair's teammate in the Pinnacle, MJF, to the table for commentary for the first stage.
The first few minutes were wrestled very cautiously and deliberately, as the wrestlers know they were in for a long night. They breezed past the 10-minute mark, barely breaking a sweat. After trading some chops, the “Nature Boy” took command. He went to work on Michaels' right leg, and would for the entire match. However, HBK was well aware of his intentions, and was very adept on defense as well as offense.
Another ten minutes went by, and Michaels had turned the tide. After softening his foe up, Michaels went back to the past and hit Flair with a teardrop suplex – but at the last second, Blassie put Flair's foot over the bottom rope to break the referee's count. The former Rocker was furious, and went nose-to-nose with the official.
Surprisingly, when he was done, Flair shoved him away and did the same, as if to admonish the ref for wasting time talking to Michaels. However, it was just a distraction ploy; Blassie smashed Michaels over the head with his cane, and Flair turned around just in time to pin him with a small package for the first fall.
A 30-second clock counted down, and then the action began again. Flair was the aggressor, but HBK fended him off until he got his bearings back, and then he went on the attack. With less than a minute left in the first stage, Michaels nailed Flair with Sweet Chin Music, and went for the pin... and again, Blassie interfered, throwing Flair's left arm underneath the ropes. But this time, the official figured out what Blassie did, and ejected him from ringside. The sacrifice worked, though, and as the “Classy One” angrily stomped away, the first stage ended with Flair up 1-0.
In between stages, picture-in-picture commercials were shown as both men went to their corners for a 60-second break. Friedman left, and was replaced by a man who was very familiar with the AWA World title, Nick Bockwinkel... and the AWA legend dared MJF to face him again before settling in for commentary.
SECOND 30-MINUTE STAGE – FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE
As soon as the bell rang, Michaels rocketed out of the corner and hit Flair with a second superkick, lifting him over the ropes and to the floor. Without wasting any time, HBK followed him out and with the referee at his heels, made the pin just a minute into the second stage to tie the score.
After the recovery period, the action got considerably more frantic. The two gladiators battled at ringside, in and out of the ring for several minutes before the action moved up onto the ramp. Flair hit Michaels with a high vertical suplex, and they both crashed down in pain. Suddenly, MJF came back out to taunt Bockwinkel, who rose out of his chair and tackled him. Several officials burst out of the back, and even Flair ran up to admonish his young ally for getting involved... but it was yet another ruse.
No one paid attention to Michaels on the ramp, who was simply catching his breath. Suddenly, Tully Blanchard leaped over the rail and shoved HBK from the top of the ramp through a table down below. Once again, Flair took advantage, and he covered Michaels in the debris. While the swarm of officials angrily ushered MJF, Bockwinkel, and Blanchard away, Flair went up 2-1.
The match resumed, and the “Nature Boy” targeted his opponent's lower body again. Michaels was noticeably limping, and Flair was a shark attracted to blood. They wandered back to the ring for a couple of minutes, and then through the crowd all the way to the concourse.
With about five minutes left in the second stage – a full 55 minutes into the bout - the NWA icon chop-blocked Michaels and locked in the figure-four leglock on the floor near one of the merchandise stands. The “Heartbreak Kid” tried in vain to turn him over, but after several seconds he quickly submitted. Styles wondered if he gave up to protect himself for the rest of the match, especially the final stage.
The last few minutes saw the two men brawl their way back to ringside. Michaels was still hobbling, but he made it to the bell relatively unscathed, but down 3-1 as the cell began to lower from the ceiling.
COMMERCIAL
THIRD 30-MINUTE STAGE – HELL IN A CELL
During the short commercial break, Christian Cage joined West and Styles at the broadcast table to provide analysis and presumably scout the opposition. Flair stayed in motion, not sitting on the two-fall lead he accumulated. Both men were exhausted, and Cage noted that this was when athletes were more likely to make mental mistakes than physical.
A few minutes later, it was as if the champion predicted it; Michaels went to the top rope to mount an attack, but Flair caught him, a rare reversal of circumstances. He went to throw Michaels from the corner, but in mid-air, HBK hooked Flair's left arm and rolled to the mat with him. Flair was immobilized, and a few seconds later, Michaels was only down 3-2.
With 14 minutes left in the Trilogy, it was time for both men to bleed. Michaels was rejuvenated, and Flair tried to stall for time on the floor. HBK chased him down and ran him head-first into the cell, and Flair was the first man to be busted open. However, he eventually reversed an Irish whip in the ring and sent Michaels flying into the steel, and his blond hair quickly turned red as well.
It turned into a slugfest in the center of the ring, but when Michaels threw a wild haymaker his experienced foe ducked it and slipped behind him, and caught him in a sleeper. After 75 minutes of frantic action combined with the gash on his skull, Michaels folded up, and the referee checked his arm. It dropped once, it dropped twice.... and it dropped for a third time. Michaels was out, and Flair stumbled back to a corner up 4-2.
After the 30-second break, during which the official woke Michaels back up and asked him if he wanted to continue – which, of course, he did. But he was wrestling on fumes, and Flair had one last shot of adrenaline left in him. He hit Michaels high and low, alternating strikes between his right knee and his skull, but Michaels refused to yield. Eventually, he was caught in the figure-four again, and despite the blood beginning to pour from his own forehead, Flair squeezed for all he was worth, and the crowd was practically begging Michaels not to quit.
And he didn't; with what seemed like his last bit of strength, the former WWE champ rolled over on his stomach, putting all of the pressure of the hold back on Flair. The “Nature Boy” roared in agony, but he could not flip back over, and after about 20 seconds in his own hold, Flair furiously tapped the mat, still up 4-3.
“We have six minutes left!” West shouted after the break, and both men limped out of their corners bloody and bruised. No handshakes or shows of respect here... they both stared up at the table where Christian sat, and then the two competitors fired a series of chops at each other. Sweat and blood flew in the air until Flair kicked at Michaels' bad knee again, but in doing so he fell as well. They traded a series of near-pins on the mat, and incredibly, 87 minutes in, both men had the strength to do a combination bridge off the canvas.
Lee Marshall announced that there was one minute left, and Michaels took flight one last time with a moonsault from the top turnbuckle, but Flair lifted his shoulder off the mat right before the ref's hand hit the canvas. The big move seemed to finish both men off, and they groggily rolled to opposite sides of the ring. As Flair tried to pull himself up with the top rope, HBK stomped on the mat, queuing up Sweet Chin Music one more time. The audience was in a frenzy, clapping and stomping their feet with him, ans he waited for Flair to get to his feet...
And then the bell rang. The 90 minutes had finally elapsed. Flair 4, Michaels 3.
Both men collapsed back to the mat, Flair out of sheer exhaustion, Michaels due to utter frustration. The referee raised Flair's hand while Michaels watched numbly in disbelief, and as the show ended, Flair shouted at Cage that he was next.