AWA 1989: A Financial Savior Is (Badly) Needed

[the autumn wind]

(NOTE: Most of the stuff on this program already aired on the ESPN program. Only the squashes and interviews are new.)

AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING SYNDICATED TAPING RESULTS - MUNCIE, IN - IRVING GYMNASIUM - NOVEMBER 1989

In-Studio Host: Larry Nelson

Match Commentator: Lee Marshall

Color Commentator: Lord James Blears

Show Intro

In-Studio - Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program:

SUPER CLASH 4 INSTANT CLASSIC: Greg Valentine's AWA debut match vs. Baron Von Raschke

PLUS! Von Raschke's emotional farewell to the sport

Sam Houston (w/ Coach Dick Murdoch) sees action

NON-TITLE: The Destruction Crew (WTTC) sees action

A look back at Larry Zbyszko's attack on The Trooper on last week's program

Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament news

Lee Marshall calls out Tommy Rich

News about a match on next week's program

Manny Fernandez wrestles

Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco see action

And more!!!

Nelson then sent it to the ring in Muncie.

Tommy Jammer won a squash match over the Carlton The Doorman with his Jammer Slam (whip opponent into the buckles, opponent bounces out and is caught in a powerslam)

In-Studio: Larry Nelson talked about the impressive win by Jammer.

Nelson then intro'd video of AWA announcer Lee Marshall calling out Tommy Rich

VIDEO:

(From last week's AWA Wrestling on ESPN)

Nelson was standing mid-ring with mic in hand.

Nelson: Would you please welcome my guest at this time...AWA announcer Lee Marshall.

Fair amount of cheers as Marshall got up from the announcers' table and made his way into the ring.

Marshall acknowledged the fans.

Nelson: Lee, we have heard that Tommy Rich is in the Showboat but we're not sure where. Per your request, his suspension has been lifted.

What do you want to say?

Marshall: Larry, I've made it clear that I was gonna call Tommy Rich out tonight. And that's what I'm gonna do!

Tommy Rich! If you can hear me. Come on down to the ring!

Brief time went by.

Nelson: I wonder if he's anywhere near the Sports Pavilion.

Marshall: Come on out, Tommy.

After another brief period of time went by...

Nelson: It looks like he's not around the Sports Pavilion. I guess we'll just have to...wait a minute!

Rich had come through the front entrance of the Sports Pavilion and made his way past the ringside seats, over the barricade and climbed into the ring as the crowd booed his appearance.
Rich was in street clothes.

Rich briefly played to the crowd to more boos. Rich then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and waved it in the air.

Rich: I'd have been here earlier, but I had a great run of luck at the Blackjack table as you can see.

I'm here, Marshall, let's get this over and done with. I gotta Blackjack table to get back to.

Marshall: Tommy...it's hard for me to control my anger right now...

Rich: Just stay calm, man. I ain't got time for fightin' tonight. Only thing I got time for is winnin'.

Marshall: When you slammed my head into that ring post that was the last straw for me.

Rich: Well, you deserved it. Glad I could be of help.

Marshall paced around for a few seconds.

Marshall: I'll get to the point. Tommy, I called you out here to...

Rich: Choose your words carefully. You're talkin' to a former NWA World Champion.

Marshall: Right. Right. How could any wrestling fan forget that 5-day World Title reign of Tommy Rich! It was the greatest 120 hours in the history of the sport!

Rich: Watch your mouth, Marshall! A World Champion should be treated with the respect he deserves!

Marshall: Respect?! You, Tommy?! Respect?! Respect is earned, not handed out like candy on Halloween.

Rich: Now I'm gettin' mad. You might be affecting my mojo for when I return to the Blackjack table! Make your point!

Marshall: Here's the point, then!

Tommy, I want you in a wrestling match!

Crowd popped.

Rich looked away and briefly chuckled and then looked back at Lee.

Rich: You really want a match with me...a former NWA World Champion? Haha! He's joking, Larry.

Marshall: It's no joke. I want a match with you on one condition.

Rich: Let me guess, I have to have my hands tied behind my back.

Marshall: No. The only thing I'm...

Rich: I have to be blindfolded, right? I can't see you.

Marshall: No. Since I'm not a wrestler, I'll need some time to train. And I want it to be a tag match. You pick your partner and I'll pick mine.

Rich: You want a tag match with me, huh?

Well, I'll give you your match, Lee Marshall. Each of us picks their tag partner.

But I want one stipulation added to the match.

Marshall: What is it?

Rich: If my team wins...then I get five minutes alone with you in the ring. Just you and me. No one can interfere and no AWA officials can stop the five-minute period for any...and I mean any...reason.

No matter how ugly or bloody it may get, the five minutes are the full five minutes.

Marshall: If the AWA bosses will agree to all this then I accept.

Crowd buzzing.

Rich: You're on, Lee Marshall. It won't take me long to find a partner. And I'm really going to enjoy cleaning your clock in the five-minute period after you and your tag partner, whoever that will be, lose to me and selected partner.

Now, I gotta go. A Blackjack table is calling my name.

Rich left the ring and headed back out through the ringside seating area and exited through the main entrance of the Sports Pavilion as Lee Marshall looked on.

Pic aired of Sam Houston and Dick Murdoch with the caption: NEXT... STUDENT AND MENTOR!

Commercials

Sam Houston (w/ Coach Dick Murdoch) won a squash match over Tom Willis via pinfall with his bulldog finisher

During the match, Murdoch yelled instructions and encouragement to Sam.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Dick Murdoch, you have arrived in the AWA.

What made you decide to take Sam Houston under your wing as a student?

Murdoch: Well, Larry, I've had my eye on this young man for a long time.

He's one helluva talent. But, I always felt there was something holding him back.

He's got all the tools to be a major champion. This kid's got a lot of fight in him and is tough as a $2 dollar steak.

Nelson laughed at the steak remark.

Murdoch: To get to the next level, I realized that he needed a veteran of the mat wars to train him.

I've had a lot of success in this sport. I know all the ins and outs and tricks of the trade. I'm at a point in my career where it's time to impart some of that wisdom to younger wrestlers.

Nelson: Well, it seems to be working as Sam is undefeated since arriving in the AWA.

Sam, Murdoch's tutelage has obviously been a huge positive for you.

Houston: There's no doubt about that, Larry. Dick Murdoch has been the best thing that's ever happened to me career-wise.

As he pointed out to me when I first met him I just need some guidance to move up the ladder.

This is a tough sport to succeed in. Murdoch's a tough veteran wrestler and I needed that toughness, both physically and mentally, to become a better wrestler.

Nelson: Where do you think this is all leading for you?

Houston: With Dick Murdoch as my mentor the sky's the limit!

Crowd cheered.

Nelson: Sam Houston and coach Dick Murdoch, everybody!

In-Studio: Nelson said he thinks Houston made the right choice by bringing on a guy like Murdoch as his coach. Said Murdoch has a proven track record of success in the sport and can take Houston to the top.

Nelson then introduced video of PWI's Bill Apter talking about the upcoming Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament in February 1990 in Anaheim.

VIDEO:

Apter was standing in front of the PWI logo with mic in hand. He was in street clothes.

Apter: Hello, wrestling fans!

This is Bill Apter from Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Mark Saturday, February 17th, on your calendar.

That's the day the 16-man tournament to decide the first-ever Pro Wrestling Heritage Champion will be determined.

The tournament will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

Anaheim is a world class city with great places to stay and eat and see. Of course, there's also Disneyland and the beach is nearby.

And Anaheim also has great weather in February.

The historic event will take place in two sessions.

The opening round will take place at 12:30pm on the 17th. And the quarterfinals, semifinals and tournament final will take place that evening at 7:30pm.

It promises to be a great, full day of wrestling action.

Tickets for the event are now on sale.

For ticket information: call the Anaheim Convention Center Box Office at (714) 555-1812 or contact Ticketmaster.

This is shaping up to be a great event, wrestling fans! Be part of it!

See you February 17th in Anaheim!

I'm Bill Apter. Until next time.

Video aired of Zbyszko attacking The Trooper with the caption: NEXT... LAW ENFORCEMENT BLUES!

Commercials/Market-Specific promos for upcoming house shows/Generic promos for non-house show cities

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd video from last week's ASW where Zbyszko attacked The Trooper Del Wilkes.

VIDEO:

(From All-Star Wrestling)

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW AT RINGSIDE:

Nelson: 'Trooper' Del Wilkes, you just continue racking up the wins here in the AWA with that devastating submission hold of yours.

What's next for 'The Trooper'?

Wilkes: Larry, I've just gotta keep going here in the AWA. Gotta keep winning and working my way up the ladder; because just like every wrestler that enters this sport, my goal is to one day be the AWA World Champion.

Fans cheered.

Nelson: You keep on winning and I think it's a safe bet to say that you'll be...

Crowd booed as Larry Zbyszko walked into the picture.

Zbyszko: I bet you think you're a real big man with that badge of yours, buddy!

Wilkes just looked at Zbyszko.

Zbyszko: You come out here and this idiot asks you what you're gonna do next and you talk about challenging for the World Championship?! Did I hear that correctly?!

Wilkes: Wait a minute! I didn't say it that way! I siad I've got to continue winning and...

Zbyszko: You stood right here and said you were deserving of a World Title match! Is that true or not?!

Wilkes: If I keep winning my matches I think I will deserve a crack at the championship!

Zbyszko: The gall of this man!

Zbyszko pointed an accusatory finger at Wilkes.

Zbyszko: You seem to think somebody should just hand you whateverr it is you want! Is it because you wear that badge, buddy?!

Wilkes: You're twisting my words! Why don't you just calm...

Zbyszko slapped Wilkes. Wilkes briefly touched his jaw and then popped Zbyszko with a slap of his own. Slap was so hard that Zbyszko stumbled and crashed to the floor as the crowd popped.

An angry Wilkes glared down at Zbyszko. Zbyszko unsteadily made it to his feet holding the side of his face.

Zbyszko stumbled off and out of the picture.

Wilkes: Larry Neslon! I don't know what Zbyszko's problem is! But if he wants a piece of...

Zbyszko charged back into the picture and nailed Wilkes from behind with a forearm smash to the back. Wilkes stumbled forward. Zbyszko pounced on Wilkes and hammered away on Wilkes. Zbyszko threw Wilkes into the ring. Zbyszko followed Wilkes in stomped Wilkes, snapped Wilkes up, whipped Wilkes into the ropes and caught Wilkes coming off with a spin kick to the chest. Wilkes crashed to the mat.

Zbyszko picked up on a mic.

Zbyszko: This clown needs to be taught a lesson!

Zbyszko left the ring, grabbed an empty folding metal chair that was sitting next to the timekeeper's table, folded it up and climbed back into the ring with it as Wilkes was getting to his feet. Wilkes up and facing away from Zbyszko and Zbyszko slammed the chair into Wilkes' back. Wilkes staggered. Zbyszko repeated the chair shot and Wilkes went down. Wilkes got to all fours and Zbyszko slammed the chair across Wilkes back twice. Wilkes back down on the mat. Zbyszko then methodically started beating Wilkes with the chair. Shots were so violent they bent the top of the chair. Crowd popped as some of the faces anbd refs charged down to the ring. Zbyszko tossed the chair and bailed to the safety of the floor as the wrestlers and refs hit the ring. Zbyszko didn't wait around and just headed back up the heel aisle as Wilkes was checked on in the ring.

In-Studio: Nelson briefly discussed Zbyszko's assault on The Trooper.

Nelson then sent it back to the ring in Muncie, IN.

NON-TITLE: The Destruction Crew (WTTC) won a squash match over Louie DePalma & Tony Banta via pinfall when Bloom pinned DePalma after their Wrecking Ball (Doomsday Device) finisher

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Destruction Crew! You've fought off every challenge for the tag team titles to date. But, you could be living on borrowed time when you square off against former champs Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans.

Wayne Bloom: Ha! That's funny, Nelson! These belts have never been in better hands nor have they ever looked better than around our waists!

Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans are the former champions for a reason! It's because they weren't tough enough to hold onto the belts!

We've said it before and we'll say it again! They can demand any type of match against us! Any...kind...of...match! It can be for the titles or a non-title match!

But it's not gonna matter! Because Patera and Rheingans are gonna remain the former champs for good!

Mike Enos: Larry Nelson! This is the AWA! This is where the wrestling is front and center!

There's no way...NONE...that Patera and Rheingans can beat us for the gold!

It's our time now! The Destruction Crew rules the roost and we're gonna rule it for a long, long time to come!

Patera's a former Olympic powerlifter and Rheingans is a former amateur wrestling champion and Olympian!

They have impressive resume's! But they're gonna be another team me and Wayne add to our resume' of teams who tried and failed to take the tag team titles from us!

Nelson: They are the Destruction Crew.

Pic aired of Manny Fernandez with the caption: NEXT... RAGIN' TIME!

Commercials

Manny Fernandez won a squash match over Bob Geldof via pinfall with his flying burrito (double flying forearm smash) finisher

In-Studio: Nelson briefly discussed the Fernandez win.

Then sent it back to Muncie, IN for the next match.

Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco won a squash match over Sam Malone & Cliff Clavin via pinfall when Muraco pinned Clavin with his inverted piledriver finisher

During the match, the announcers pointed out that this was not an open contract match.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Don Muraco and Wahoo McDaniel, this was not an open contract match. But you guys are undefeated so far in those macthes. What's the secret to your success?

Wahoo: It's no secret, Larry. It's teamwork. Even in a match like this one that we're expected to win, good teamwork is the key.

Nelson: Well, you two work really well together. Like a well-oiled machine.

In your open contract matches, you guys can't prepare for who you are facing because you don't know who your opponents are.

Muraco: That's right. We can't prepare for those opponents because we have no idea who's gonna walk out to the ring. The key is being able to make adjustments during those matches and so far it's worked out well for us.

Nelson: Making adjustments during the match? It's kind of like football.

Wahoo: You got that right. If you can't make adjustments during a match then you're in big trouble.

Muraco: Good veteran wrestlers can always make the necessary adjustments. We're a good team and we know it. We know how to get the job done. And more open contract matches are coming.

Nelson: Wahoo McDaniel and Don Muraco, everybody!

In-Studio: Nelson said it was amazing how Wahoo and Muraco could constantly make adjustments during matches and constantly defeat good competition.

Nelson then said that after the break: an announcement about a big match next week on ASW and the Valentine-Baron match from SC 4.

Commercials/Market-Specific promos for upcoming house shows/Generic promos for non-house show cities

In-Studio: Nelson announced the next week on the program: Kokina Maximus makes his official ASW debut. Nelson pointed out that Kokina's previous two matches had originally taken place on their ESPN program and were replayed on ASW but next week Kokina would be wrestling on the ASW program.

Nelson then intro'd the match between the debuting Greg Valentine and Baron Von Raschke from SC 4. Said the match turned out to be the Baron's last match and he bids an emotional farewell to the sport at the end of the match.

VIDEO:

(From Super Clash 4 - 10/18/89)

DEBUT MATCH

Greg Valentine vs. Baron Von Raschke

Baron Von Raschke came to the ring to a solid ovation from the crowd. Baron climbed into the ring and walked to a neutral corner.

Greg Valentine came down the aisle to pretty strong boos but also had his fans. Valentine climbed in the ring and went to a neutral corner.

Nelson intro'd the Baron. Nice response from the crowd as Baron did the goose-step (try doing that as a face today) and did the claw gesture with his right hand.

Nelson then intro'd Valentine to mainly boos. Valentine stepped out of he corner and did the Ric Flair spread the arms out wide and spin around in his robe.

Valentine and Von Raschke removed their robes and Von Raschke pulled on the top rope to stretch a little as the ref called for the bell.

Crowd buzzing as the two men came out and circled one another. Greg took a swipe at Baron but the Baron evaded it.

The two continued to circle one another and then engaged in a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Greg gained the advanatage and drove Baron against the ropes. Ref ordered a break. Clean break. The two circled each other once again and engaged in another collar-and-elbow tie-up. After a brief struggle, Greg was able to catch Baron in a hammerlock. Greg tightened up on the hold but Baron refused to submit. Baron was then able to maneuver around and reverse the hold and lock Greg in the hammerlock. Baron took Greg down in the hold. Baron cranked away on Greg's left arm and Greg was squirming. Ref asked if Greg gave up and Greg said no. Baron, still holding Greg in the hammerlock, proceeded to drive a series of swinging knees into Greg's back. Baron released the hold. Greg made it to his feet and was shaking out his left arm from the effects of the hammerlock. Baron moved in on Greg and Greg quickly leaned out between the top and middle rope. Ref ordered Baron back. Greg still shaking out his left arm. Greg slowly pulled his upper body back into the ring. Baron started to move on Greg and Greg again leaned out through the top and middle rope and the ref ordered Baron back once more. Greg yelled at the ref to: Keep that Kraut away from me! Greg slowly pulled his upper body back into the ring. Baron again moved on Greg and Greg feigned he was going to stick his upper body out through the ropes again and Baron hesitated and Greg stunned Baron with a kick to the gut. Baron doubled over holding his gut. Greg moved in and hit Baron with a series of elbows to the back of the neck, the last one dropping Baron to a knee. Baron holding the back of his neck. Greg snapped Baron up and nailed Baron with a suplex. Greg up and nailed Baron with an elbow smash across the chest. Greg up, pointed at the ropes, ran and hit the ropes and came off with a running elbow smash that connected. Greg for the cover. 1...2... Baron kicked out. Greg snapped up Baron and slammed Baron's head into the top buckle. Baron turned around and Greg blasted Baron with a chop. Baron eye's suddenly widened and his body seemed to stiffen. Crowd buzzing like a driver coming home from a bar on Friday night. Valentine hit Baron with another chest chop and again the Baron stiffened. Greg then reared back for a third chop and the Baron again no-sold it. Baron goose-stepped out of the corner to the delight of the crowd. Greg then grabbed Baron and went to whip Baron into the opposite buckles but Baron reversed and sent Greg crashing into them. Baron moved in and hit Greg with a series of shoulder blocks to the gut. Baron then went to lock Greg in the Iron Claw but Greg got his arms up and crossed in an 'X' formation to block the move. Greg went down to his ass in the corner and quickly rolled under the bottom rope and dropped to the floor.

Crowd into the match. Greg walking around on the floor as the Baron gestured for him to get back in the ring. Ref started the 10-count. Count grew and Greg climbed up on the apron and quickly got into the ring and tackled baron to the mat and the two rolled around engaging in a wild punch exchange. Ref trying to get them separated. The two finally separated and both men got to their feet and briefly shook out the effects of the match. Baron moved in on Greg and Greg stunned Baron with another chest chop. This time, Baron felt it. Greg then fired away with a series of chest chops on the Baron, the last one knocking Baron to the mat. Greg quickly moved in and grabbed Baron's right leg and yanked on it a few times and then went to lock Baron in the figure 4 but Baron reached up and caught Greg in a small package for the pin. 1...2... Greg kicked out. Fans groaned. Both men up and and Greg caught Baron with a shot to the gut. Greg went to whip Baron into the ropes but Baron reversed and caught Greg coming off with a high backdrop. Greg crashed to the mat. Greg up and Baron caught Greg with a couple of head shots that drove Greg next to the ropes. Baron leaned Greg back across the top rope and blasted Greg with a series of forearm smashes to the chest. Greg staggered off holding his chest. Baron grabbed Greg and went to whip Greg into the ropes but Greg reversed and looked to catch the Baron coming off with a high backdrop but the Baron leapfrogged Greg. Greg up and turned and the Baron stunned Greg by catching Greg in the Iron Claw. Crowd popped big-time for the old German. Greg struggling to free himself from the hold. Greg maeuvered close enough to get his hand on the top rope to try and force a break but Baron yanked Greg away from the ropes still locked in the hold. Crowd cheering even louder.

Greg started to weaken in the hold and was getting desperate.

Marshall: The Baron might just pull this off!

Greg went down to a knee and then fell back while still locked in the hold. Greg was able to reached over and grab the middle rope and force a break. Crowd groaned. Ref ordered the Baron back as Greg was still leaned against the ropes shaking out the effects of the Iron Claw. Greg slowly to his feet. Ref aksed Greg if he could continue and Greg nodded and said 'yes'. Greg and Baron circled one another and engaged in another collar-and-elbow tie-up and Baron quickly gained the advantage and caught Greg in a side headlock but Greg countered with a belly-to-back suplex. Baron up facing away from Greg and Greg moved in behind Baron and nailed Baron with a chop block to the back of the knee area. Baron crumpled to the mat. Greg went over and stomped on Baron's right knee, grabbed Baron's right leg and yanked on it a few times and then locked Baron in the figure 4. Most of the crowd roaring for Baron to not submit. Baron fighting hard through the pain. Baron not giving up. Baron then started to reverse the hold. Crowd cheering Baron on. Greg fought against the hold being reversed. A struggle ensued. Just as it appeared that Baron would complete the reversal, Greg was able to shift his weight and regain control of the hold. Crowd groaned.

A few seconds later...

it was all over as Baron could no longer stand the pain and shook his head 'yes' and cried out 'yes' to the ref. Ref called for the bell.

Valentine released the hold and got to his feet. Ref raised Valentine's hand in victory. Baron still down. Valentine left the ring, Stood on the apron and raised his arms victoriously in the air to mainly boos. Valentine then left the scene and disappeared to the back.

WINNER: Valentine - Submission - 11:02

POST-MATCH:

Baron had started to recover and got to his hands and knees. Ref went to help Baron up but Baron waved off the ref. Baron, on shaky legs, made it to his feet as the crowd looked on. Ref said something to Baron and Baron said something in return and the ref left the ring. Baron was limping. Baron stood center ring and looked out at the crowd.

Marshall: Baron sure is staying in that ring a long time. Wait a minute...

Crowd cheered Baron. Baron then walked/limped over to a corner and sat down. He briefly bowed his head and then looked up. His eyes were glistening. Baron then started to untie his boot laces. The announcers remained silent. Baron took off his boots and, with the aid of the ropes, made it to his feet. Baron hobbled out to mid-ring and placed his boots there. Baron looked out at the crowd once more. Shot of some fans crying at the moment. Baron then made the Iron Claw gesture one more time as the fans popped and chanted: Baron! Baron! Baron!

Baron then left the ring and dropped to the floor. He was still limping from the effects of the figure 4. Shot of the Baron from behind as he made his way back up the face aisle.

Shot of Baron's ring boots left in the middle of the ring as the fans continued to chant his name as the program faded to black.

END PROGRAM

​

 

[the autumn wind]

AWA ON ESPN - SHOWBOAT SPORTS PAVILION - LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 1989

(NOTE: IRL, these tapings would have taken place in late October/early November before the sale of the AWA was agreed upon.)

(2nd Taping Re-cap)

Show Intro:


ANNOUNCERS: Lee Marshall & Lord James Blears

IN-RING INTERVIEWER/RING ANNOUNCER: Larry Nelson

In-Studio: Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program.

SC 4 INSTANT CLASSIC! Col. DeBeers vs. Tom Zenk

Ken Patera & Brad Rheingans see action

An announcement about the AWA Women's World Championship match between Wendi Richter (WC) and Magnificent Mimi

Tommy Rich reveals his tag team partner for his match against Lee Marshall & ???

Also! An interview with Jerry Lawler that took place after his match at SC 4

The Top Guns wrestle

Jonnie Stewart laces 'em up

PWI's Bill Apter has more on the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament in Feb. '90

And more!

Nelson then sent it to the Showboat in Vegas!

Larry Zbyszko won a squash match over Larry Flynt via pinfall with his piledriver finisher

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Larry Zbyszko, we all witnessed what you did recently to The Trooper Del Wilkes.

The attack was excessive. We also hear the AWA has fined you for your actions.

Zbyszko: They did fine me! They can fine me all they want!

It gave me a great deal of pleasure to do what I did to The Trooper!

Nelson: A great deal of pleasure?! What you did to that man was sadistic!

Zbyszko: Every time I hit The Trooper with that steel chair it was for all the victims of police brutality!

Nelson: Wow! The Trooper never brutalized anyone!

Zbyszko: Doesn't matter, Nelson! It's what The Trooper represents! And he represents out of control authority!

Nelson: I'm at a loss...

Zbyszko: Shut up, then, and let me do the talking!

Crowd booing loudly.

Zbyszko: The same cop who puts his arm around you and says everything is OK won't hesitate to turn around the next day and bang you upside the head with his night stick if he's told to do so by his bosses!

More boos.

Nelson: These fans are irate at you, Larry! Listen to 'em!

Booing got louder.

Zbyszko: These morons, by booing me, are actually cheering for police brutality!

Nelson: Whoa! That was Larry Zbyszko, everybody!

Booing continued.

In-Studio: Nelson said that the fan heat in the Showboat was so hot that he felt safer in the ring during the incendiary DeBeers interview last week.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... TOURNAMENT UPDATE!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd a Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update.

VIDEO:

Video opened with Bill Apter standing in front of the PWI logo. Apter was dressed in street clothes and holding a mic.

Bill: This is Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated with this week's update on the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament.

The event takes place Saturday, February 17th, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The 16-man tournament will take place over two sessions in one day.

The first session will begin at 12:30pm and will feature the opening round of the tournament and the night time session, which will feature the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final and has a bell time of 7:30pm.

It promises to be a great day of professional wrestling.

Here's some news regarding the tournament itself.

Some wrestlers, selected by a committee, will automatically be entered into the tournament. Others will wrestle in qualifying matches on AWA programming In January.

Wrestlers from all over the globe are contacting the AWA to be part of this historic event.

Tournaments have always been a great part of the pro wrestling. They can be tough, grueling.

The winner of the tournament and inaugural Pro Wrestling Heritage Champion will have to win four matches in one day against quality opposition. To say that's a tall order would be an understatement.

If you want to see the tournament in person, tickets can be purchased through Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center box office. The box office number is (714) 555-1812.

It's gonna be a great, full day of action on February 17th! Be part of it!

I'm Bill Apter. Until next time.

In-Studio: Larry Nelson talked about how much he's looking forward to the tournament and hopes he doesn't get arrested for a DUI before it happens.

Nelson then sent it back to the Showboat in Las Vegas.

The Top Guns (Derrick Dukes & Ricky Rice) won a squash match via pinfall over Mr. Carlin and Howard Borden when Dukes pinned Borden after a double dropkick

Announcers played up the feud between the Top Guns and Badd Co. during the match.

Pic aired of Jerry Lawler with the caption: NEXT... LAWLER'S REACTION!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd the post-match interview with Jerry Lawler after Lawler lost the match to determine the undisputed AWA World Champion to Sgt. Slaughter at Super Clash 4.

VIDEO:

(Recorded 10-18-89 at SC 4)

Jerry Lawler was standing in the dressing room with AWA announcer Eric Bischoff.

Lawler was still in his tights but had the strap pulled down.

Bischoff: Jerry, we know emotions are raw right now. But can you tell us what you're thinking?

Lawler: First, I want to congratulate Sgt. Slaughter on winning the match and becoming the undisputed AWA World Champion. He was the better man tonight.

Bischoff: Everyone was shocked when you congratulated Slaughter in the ring for winning the match.

No one really seemed to know how to react to it because of the bad blood between you two the last several months.

Lawler: You can have serious differences with an opponent but you can also respect them.

I knew beating Sgt. Slaughter would not be easy. My goal heading into the match was to get into his head and mess with his mind. Ring psychology is a very real thing.

When you come into a big match like we had tonight and you're running on an overwhelming amount of aggressiveness and emotion that can lead to making serious mistakes and costing you in the end. My goal was to get Sgt. Slaughter to overplay his hand.

But as you can see he wrestled a fantastic match. I tip my hat to him. The end result speaks for itself.

Bischoff: Do you intend to trigger the re-match clause that's in the championship match contract anytime soon?

Lawler: I'm gonna take a little time off and concentrate on other things going on in my life.

But, to answer your question: yes, I will be triggering the re-match clause at some point in the near future and I'm gonna work hard to ensure a different outcome.

Bischoff: Jerry Lawler, thank you for your time.

Lawler: Thank you, Eric.

END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson talked about how surprised he was that Lawler was so gracious in defeat.

Nelson then sent it back to the Showboat in Vegas.

Jonnie Stewart won a squash match over Richard Moll via pinfall with his flying knee to the gut finisher.

Announcers wondered if Stewart loaded his knee pad before hitting his finisher on Moll.

Announcers also played up Stewart calling himself the Wrestler of the '90s.

Pic aired of Tommy Rich with the caption: NEXT... RICH'S REVEAL!

Commercials

IT'S THE AWA ON TOUR! We'll be at the high school/community center/county fair/used car dealership parking lot/church fellowship hall in (insert town here). THE AWA IS THE MAJOR LEAGUE OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING!

In-ring: Larry Nelson was standing with AWA announcer Lee Marshall.

Nelson: It is now time for Tommy Rich to reveal who his tag team partner will be for his match against Lee Marshall and a partner of his choosing.

Lee, have you found a tag team partner yet?

Marshall: I'm still in the process of looking, Larry. There's a lot of good wrestling talent out there.

Right now, I'm pairing my list down to a few men who I'd like to ask to tag with me.

Nelson: OK. Hope you find a partner soon, Lee.

Now, would Tommy Rich come to the ring.

After a brief pause, Rich made his way down the heel aisle to the ring in street clothes. He was roundly booed. Rich climbed into the ring and briefly played to the disdainful crowd.

Nelson: Tommy, you promised to reveal your tag team partner tonight.

Is he here?

Rich: He is here.

And I just wanted to say: Lee Marshall...you just made the biggest mistake of your life, son! Hahaha!

The man who will be my tag team partner in our match is...well...a little off.

Nelson: What do you mean by that, Tommy?

Rich: This man has no respect for his own body and has even less respect for the bodies of others!

He'll do anything...and I mean anything...to win a match.

I've never seen a wrestler like this in my life. But I knew he's who I wanted as a partner.

He's a daredevil and he's as crazy as they come. He loves to hurt people.

Marshall looked concerned.

Rich: I'm gonna enjoy watching what he does to you, Lee Marshall. It's gonna hurt...a lot!

You've never suffered like you're gonna suffer in our match.

Without further ado, I give you my tag team partner...Cactus Jack!

Jack came out to a mix of boos and cheers from the people in the crowd who knew who he was. He was in his ring attire.

Jack climbed into the ring and he and Rich embraced and shared a wicked laugh.

Nelson: Cactus Jack! I must say it's shocking to see you!

Jack: You didn't see me coming, did you, Larry Nelson?! Bang bang!

When Tommy called me and told me about needing a partner for a match and that one of the wrestlers was gonna be an announcer I jumped at the chance!

You see, I hate announcers! They lie! They always try and make me look bad! They run me down; say bad things about me! They always praise my opponents! They call me crazy because of the way I wrestle!

Well, Lee Marshall, you're about to get a clinic in Cactus Jack 101! I'm going to throw you around like a rag doll! I'm going to hurt you...both in the ring and out of it!

This is my chance to harm an announcer without being fined or fired! I live for moments like this! I dream about maiming announcers in my sleep!

Lee Marshall, announcer scum, prepare for my dreams to become your nightmare! Bang bang!

Nelson: Anything to say, Lee?

Marshall had a look of stunned, horrified disbelief on his face.

Marshall: I'm don't know what to say right now.

Rich: Lee, just make sure the partner you get has a good life insurance policy! Hahaha!

Pic aired of Patera and Rheingans with the caption: NEXT... THE OLYMPIANS!

Commercials

Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans won a squash match over Junior Samples and Count Floyd via pinfall when Rheingans pinned Floyd with his fisherman suplex into a bridgeout (Perfect Plex) finisher

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans! You guys have been having a war of words recently with the World Tag Champions The Destruction Crew.

Patera: Let's not forget, Larry, that the war of words between our teams is because they attacked us on two occasions!

The Destruction Crew keeps talking about giving us any kind of match we want...

Nelson: Wait a minute! Here come the champions!

Destruction Crew, in street clothes and with belts in tow, made their way down the heel aisle and climbed into the ring to pretty strong boos but they also had their fans.

Nelson: This is not your interview time...

Enos: Shut up, Nelson! We got something to say to these chumps!

Patera: Go ahead and say it!

Both sides were ready to fight if the need arose.

Bloom: Me and Mike are tired of talkin'! It's time to fight!

Buzz rippled through the already buzzed crowd.

Rheingans: Just name the time and the place, boys! We'll be there!

Bloom: Get Verne Gagne out here now!

Nelson: Could Verne Gagne please come to the ring.

The two sides were glaring at each other and having words off-mic when Gagne, in a suit, made his way down the face aisle to the ring. Verne climbed in.

Verne: Wayne and Mike, what do you want?

Bloom: We called you out here because we want a match with these two!

Verne: What kind of match did you have in mind?

Bloom: You guys said we could pick the type of match, right?

Patera: You pick it!

Bloom: We'll give you guys a match...but it won't be for the belts!

Crowd booed.

Rheingans: We told you guys if you wanted it to be non-title we'd still fight you! We just want you in the squared circle!

Some cheers.

Verne: So, both sides agree on a non-title match, correct?

Both sides agreed.

Verne: That's fine. It will be the champs The Destruction Crew vs. The Olympians in a non-title match.

Some cheers and some boos.

Enos: Great! Patera and Rheingans, prepare for the beating of a lifetime!

Patera: You guys better realize that once that bell rings it could be you receiving the beating of your lives!

Crowd cheered as the two sides started shoving each other.

Verne: Stop it right now!

Sides backed off the shoving match.

Bloom: You guys are about to step on a landmine! BOOM!

The shoving began again between the two sides as the crowd cheered.

Verne: Enough!

Save it for your match!

Now, I have decided that if Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans win the non-title match...they will get a tag team title shot against you!

Crowd cheered.

Bloom: Wait! We never said anything about a title match if they beat us!

Enos: Yeah! We only offered them a non-title match and they accepted!

Verne: Bloom and Enos! I'm the promoter and what I say is final!

Patera: You boys heard the man! See you then!

Destruction Crew beside themselves and Patera and Rheingans briefly played to the crowd as the interview ended.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... DEBEERS VS. ZENK FROM SC 4!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson announced that in two weeks on the AWA on ESPN Wendi Richter would defend the AWA Women's World Title against Magnificent Mimi.

PLUS! Non-Title: The Destruction Crew (WTTC) vs. Patera and Rheingans

Hyped for next week: A special interview with Baron Von Raschke

PLUS! Greg Valentine makes his AWA on ESPN debut

AND...

Cactus Jack wrestles as well

Nelson then intro'd the DeBeers-Zenk match from SC 4 with its controversial ending.

THIS IS WAR!

Col. DeBeers vs. Tom Zenk

A 15/85 split cheers to boos as Col. DeBeers made his way down the heel aisle to the ring.

DeBeers climbed up on the apron and looked out at the crowd twirling his 'stache while announced by Larry Nelson.

DeBeers climbed into the ring. More boos and some trash thrown his way.

Nelson: And his opponent!

Tom Zenk came charging down the face aisle. Nelson didn't even finish the introduction of Zenk before Zenk hit the ring. DeBeers charged at Zenk and went to punch Zenk but Zenk blocked the punch try and fired away on DeBeers with a series punches that dropped the Col. Ref called for the bell. DeBeers up next to the ropes and Zenk charged over and blasted DeBeers with a running clothesline that sent DeBeers head-over-heels crashing to the floor. Fans into it. Zenk ignored the ref and dropped to the floor and grabbed DeBeers and sent DeBeers crashing into the ring steps. Ref started the 10-count. DeBeers down next to the steps. Zenk snapped up DeBeers and slammed DeBeers head into the top step. Zenk then grabbed DeBeers and threw DeBeers back into the ring. DeBeers to his feet as Zenk climbed back in. DeBeers started to back up and was begging off until he'd backed himself into the corner. Zenk moved in and raised his right fist and looked to the crowd for approval. With the exception of those who supported Apartheid*, the rest of the crowd roared. Zenk popped DeBeers with a head shot and then mounted the middle buckle and popped DeBeers with another 10 head shots as those who weren't for Apartheid counted along. Zenk dropped back to the mat and pulled the stunned DeBeers out of the corner and whipped DeBeers into the ropes. DeBeers caught the top rope and held on. Zenk charged at DeBeers and DeBeers backdropped Zenk over the top rope down to the floor. Zenk down on the concrete. DeBeers shook out the early Zenk assault in the ring as the ref started the 10-count. Zenk slow to get up. DeBeers went to leave the ring but the ref stopped him. Ref ordered DeBeers back. Zenk up next to the apron. Ref re-started the 10-count. DeBeers over and stomped Zenk in the head, ignored the ref and dropped to the floor. DeBeers clocked Zenk with a forearm smash to the back and then whipped Zenk at the ring post and Zenk slammed shoulder-first into the post and staggered off. Ref had re-started the 10-count. DeBeers quickly rolled in and out of the ring to break the count. DeBeers stalked Zenk and came up behind Zenk and popped him with a punch to the side of the ribs. DeBeers then grabbed Zenk around the waist and and deliberately slammed Zenk back-first into the ring apron twice. Zenk dropped to a knee on the floor. DeBeers again rolled into and out of the ring to break the 10-count. The pro-Apartheid crowd in attendance was now loving it.

DeBeers snapped Zenk up and went to whip Zenk into the post again but Zenk reversed and sent DeBeers slamming head-first into the post. Zenk fell back against the apron as DeBeers went down on the floor. Ref counting. Zenk quickly rolled in and out of the ring to break the 10-count. DeBeers on his hands and knees on the floor and Zenk pulled DeBeers by the hair and...SURPRISE!...another fire gruden special...DeBeers was bleeding. Zenk threw DeBeers back into the ring. Zenk climbed in and DeBeers swung widly at Zenk and missed and spun himsefl around and Zenk popped DeBeers with an atomic drop. DeBeers dropped to his knees holding the jewels. Zenk then popped DeBeers in the head with more punches. Zenk snapped up DeBeers and slammed DeBeers head into the top buckle. DeBeers spun around in the corner and Zenk hit DeBeers with a trio of deliberate shoulder blocks to the gut. Zenk whipped DeBeers into the opposite corner and charged and looked to blast DeBeers with a running shoulder block but DeBeers moved and Zenk crashed shoulder-first into the ring post. Zenk with his shoulder practically welded to the post. DeBeers shook out the effects of the violent match and grabbed Zenk and rolled Zenk up from behind for the pin. 1... DeBeers grabbed a handful of tights. ...2... Zenk got a shoulder up. DeBeers tried again for the pin and once again grabbed a handful of tights. 1...2... Zenk kicked DeBeers off and DeBeers slammed back-first into the buckles. Zenk to his feet. Both men feeling the effects of the match and not no-selling like the grapplers of today. Zenk moved in on DeBeers and DeBeers caught Zenk with a kick to the gut. Zenk stumbled back holding his gut. DeBeers moved out and caught Zenk with a couple of bionic elbows to the top of the head. Zenk stunned. DeBeers went to whip Zenk into the buckles but Zenk reversed and DeBeers crashed front-first into the buckles and crashed to the mat. Zenk briefly shaking out the effects of the match as DeBeers got to his feet. DeBeers moved in and went to punch Zenk but Zenk blocked the punch try and Zenk fired back on DeBeers with a series of punches that drove DeBeers into the corner. Zenk reared back and hit DeBeers with a big right hand that dropped the Colonel. DeBeers rolled out on the apron. Ref ordered Zenk to stand back. Zenk tried to grab DeBeers but the ref stood in between him and DeBeers. Zenk arguing with the ref. DeBeers made it to his feet facing the crowd.

DeBeers reached into the side pocket of his camo pants and quickly pulled out his hand.

Marshall: Wait a minute! What's that blue stuff on DeBeers' thumb?!

Blears: I have no idea.

DeBeers still facing the crowd when Zenk came up behind DeBeers and spun DeBeers around with the ref in between the pair. Zenk trying to pull DeBeers back into the ring. Ref caught in the middle. DeBeers quickly jabbed his blue thumb in Zenk's eye. Zenk stumbled back and crashed to the mat holding his eye. DeBeers calmly climbed back into the ring. Zenk in great pain and down on the mat. DeBeers reached down, grabbed Zenk, hoisted Zenk up and blasted Zenk with his face-first piledriver finisher. DeBeers rolled Zenk over on his back for the cover. 1...2...3! Ref called for the bell. Pro-Apartheid crowd cheered their hero as the rest of the crowd booed. Zenk still down holding his eye. DeBeers made sure the ref raised his left hand for obvious reasons.

Marshall: What in the world did DeBeers just do to Zenk's eye?!

Blears: We don't know what that stuff is, Lee. But it's clear that it helped in giving DeBeers the victory.

DeBeers left the ring and dropped to the floor and was quickly approached by Larry Nelson.

Nelson: Col. DeBeers! What did you stick in Tom Zenk's...

DeBeers: Shut up! What the people just witnessed in that ring was a victory for decency and morality over vile, shallow American decadence!

The people in this crowd worship at the altar of chemically enhanced muscleheads like Zenk and negro athletes like those on the Green Bay Packers! It's disgusting! Shame on them!

Most of the crowd went nuclear. A beer was flung in the Colonel's direction and splashed both he and Nelson.

Nelson: I think that was intended for you!

Why do you have your thumb wrapped up in your fist?

DeBeers: That is classified!

DeBeers turned and walked off. More garbage flung at him.

Shot of Zenk being attended to in the ring by the ref.

Nelson: If we find out anything during the broadcast regarding what DeBeers had on his thumb when he stuck it in Zenk's eye as well as Zenk's status, I'll pass the news along.

WINNER: DeBeers - Pinfall - 11:33

END PROGRAM

BANG BANG!!!​

 

[the autumn wind]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY READERS!!!
ENJOY THESE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS NIGHT WRESTLING MEMORIES!!!

Kevin Sullivan vs. Dusty Rhodes: Steel Cage Loser Leaves Town Match - Florida - 1982:



Ric Flair defends the NWA World Title against David Von Erich - World Class - Dallas - 1983:

​

 

[the autumn wind]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS!!!

LEX LUGER CANCELS HIMSELF AS A HORSEMAN:




Also features Proper Promo Cutting 101!​

 

[the autumn wind]

(NOTE: Most of the stuff on this program already aired on the ESPN program. Only the squashes and interviews are new.)

AWA ALL-STAR WRESTLING SYNDICATED TAPING RESULTS - MUNCIE, IN - IRVING GYMNASIUM - NOVEMBER 1989

In-Studio Host: Larry Nelson

Match Commentator: Lee Marshall

Color Commentator: Lord James Blears

(2nd Taping Re-cap)

Show Intro

In-Studio - Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program:

ASW Exclusive! Kokina Maximus wrestles his first official match on ASW (match will be shown nowhere else except in illegal tape trading circles! )

Badd Company sees action

Another Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update with PWI's Bill Apter

Heidi Lee Morgan wrestles

Jerry Lawler comments on his loss to Sgt. Slaughter at Super Clash 4

The Guerrero Bros. wrestle

Another Tommy Rich-Lee Marshall Update

And more!

Nelson then sent it to the ring in Muncie.

Greg Gagne and Jake Milliman won a squash match over Morey Amsterdam and Mel Cooley via submission when Greg put Cooley out with the Gagne Sleeper.

Before the match, Milliman ripped his 'Milkmania' t-shirt off and threw it into the crowd and struck some pre-match poses.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Greg Gagne, Jake Milliman. Another impressive performance by you two.

Jake, milk sure is doing a body good in your case.

Jake: It sure is, Larry!

And I don't go for the soft stuff, no sir! I go for the hard stuff!

Nelson: The hard stuff?

Jake: Yep! I only do 2% milk! No skim milk for the Jakester!

Skim milk is for wussies!

But the 2%...brother! That's the drink of universal manliness!

Nelson: Greg, you put Mel Cooley out with the Gagne Sleeper. You were taught that by your dad, Verne Gagne.

Greg: My dad did teach me that sleeper, Larry. There are certain nuances when applying that hold that make it different from the traditional sleeper.

Nelson: Can you tell us what those nuances are?

Greg: Those are family trade secrets, Larry.

Jake: And Greg's been enjoying lots of the white stuff lately. And that allows him to apply that sleeper with an even stronger grip!

Greg nodded in agreement.

Nelson: Greg Gagne and Jake 'Milkman' Milliman, everybody!

Crowd cheered as Jake did more poses.

Pic aired of former AWA World Champion Jerry Lawler with the caption: NEXT... LAWLER REACTS!!!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd the post-match interview with Jerry Lawler after Lawler lost the match to determine the undisputed AWA World Champion to Sgt. Slaughter at Super Clash 4.

VIDEO:

(Recorded 10-18-89 at SC 4)

Jerry Lawler was standing in the dressing room with AWA announcer Eric Bischoff.

Lawler was still in his tights but had the strap pulled down.

Bischoff: Jerry, we know emotions are raw right now. But can you tell us what you're thinking?

Lawler: First, I want to congratulate Sgt. Slaughter on winning the match and becoming the undisputed AWA World Champion. He was the better man tonight.

Bischoff: Everyone was shocked when you congratulated Slaughter in the ring for winning the match.

No one really seemed to know how to react to it because of the bad blood between you two the last several months.

Lawler: You can have serious differences with an opponent but you can also respect them.

I knew beating Sgt. Slaughter would not be easy. My goal heading into the match was to get into his head and mess with his mind. Ring psychology is a very real thing.

When you come into a big match like we had tonight and you're running on an overwhelming amount of aggressiveness and emotion that can lead to making serious mistakes and costing you in the end. My goal was to get Sgt. Slaughter to overplay his hand.

But as you can see he wrestled a fantastic match. I tip my hat to him. The end result speaks for itself.

Bischoff: Do you intend to trigger the re-match clause that's in the championship match contract anytime soon?

Lawler: I'm gonna take a little time off and concentrate on other things going on in my life.

But, to answer your question: yes, I will be triggering the re-match clause at some point in the near future and I'm gonna work hard to ensure a different outcome.

Bischoff: Jerry Lawler, thank you for your time.

Lawler: Thank you, Eric.

END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson talked about how surprised he was that Lawler was so gracious in defeat.

Then sent it back to the ring in Muncie.

Heidi Lee Morgan won a squash match over Chrissy Snow via pinfall with a diving splash off the middle rope

Pic aired of the AWA logo: NEXT... TOURNAMENT UPDATE!!!

Commercials/Market-Specific promos for upcoming house shows/Generic promos for non-house show cities

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd a Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update.

VIDEO:

Video opened with Bill Apter standing in front of the PWI logo. Apter was dressed in street clothes and holding a mic.

Bill: This is Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated with this week's update on the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament.

The event takes place Saturday, February 17th, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The 16-man tournament will take place over two sessions in one day.

The first session will begin at 12:30pm and will feature the opening round of the tournament and the night time session, which will feature the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final and has a bell time of 7:30pm.

It promises to be a great day of professional wrestling.

Here's some news regarding the tournament itself.

Some wrestlers, selected by a committee, will automatically be entered into the tournament. Others will wrestle in qualifying matches on AWA programming In January.

Wrestlers from all over the globe are contacting the AWA to be part of this historic event.

Tournaments have always been a great part of the pro wrestling. They can be tough, grueling.

The winner of the tournament and inaugural Pro Wrestling Heritage Champion will have to win four matches in one day against quality opposition. To say that's a tall order would be an understatement.

If you want to see the tournament in person, tickets can be purchased through Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center box office. The box office number is (714) 555-1812.

It's gonna be a great, full day of action on February 17th! Be part of it!

I'm Bill Apter. Until next time.

In-Studio: Larry Nelson talked about how much he's looking forward to the tournament and hopes he doesn't get arrested for a DUI before it happens.

Nelson then sent it back to the ring in Muncie.

The Guerrero Bros. won a squash match over Darren Stevens and Larry Tate via pinfall when Hector pinned Tate with a rolling cradle

Pic aired of Badd Co. & DDP with the caption: NEXT... BADD TIMES AHEAD!

Commercials

Badd Co. (Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond) w/ Mgr. DDP won a squash match over Jim McMahon and Matt Suhey via pinfall when Tanaka pinned Suhey after the Superkick/Plex (Diamond superkicked Suhey into a bridgeout German suplex by Tanaka)

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Another impressive win by Badd Company. Dallas Page, you have really molded Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond into a well-oiled machine.

DDP: Of course I've molded them into the premiere tag team in wrestling, Nelson! That's because you're loooking at the premiere manager in this sport!

Nelson: You're still having issues with the Top Guns. They have been a tough team for you guys to handle.

DDP: The Pop Guns may be a good team. But they're not managed by yours truly. Imagine where they'd be if DDP was their manager?

But I'll never be the Pop Guns manager because I loathe the fact that they breathe the same air as I do.

Those boys cost us the World Tag Team Titles and $25 grand of my money!

They're gonna get their comuppance, I can tell you that!

I've ordered my men to inflict $25 grand worth of pain and suffering on Ricky Rice and Derrick Dukes!

Nelson: That's a lot of pain and suffering.

DDP: And they'll deserve every bloody bit of it!

This is no longer about just defeating the Pop Guns! This is now about their total destruction!

Nelson: Dallas Page and Badd Company, everybody!

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... TOMMY & LEE!!!

Commercials/Market-Specific promos for upcoming house shows/Generic promos for non-house show cities

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd footage from last week's confrontation between Tommy Rich and announcer Lee Marshall from AWA Wrestling on ESPN.

VIDEO:

Marshall: Here's the point, then!

Tommy, I want you in a wrestling match!

Crowd popped.

Rich looked away and briefly chuckled and then looked back at Lee.

Rich: You really want a match with me...a former NWA World Champion? Haha! He's joking, Larry.

Marshall: It's no joke. I want a match with you on one condition.

Rich: Let me guess, I have to have my hands tied behind my back.

Marshall: No. The only thing I'm...

Rich: I have to be blindfolded, right? I can't see you.

Marshall: No. Since I'm not a wrestler, I'll need some time to train. And I want it to be a tag match. You pick your partner and I'll pick mine.

Rich: You want a tag match with me, huh?

Well, I'll give you your match, Lee Marshall. Each of us picks their tag partner.

But I want one stipulation added to the match.

Marshall: What is it?

Rich: If my team wins...then I get five minutes alone with you in the ring. Just you and me. No one can interfere and no AWA officials can stop the five-minute period for any...and I mean any...reason.

No matter how ugly or bloody it may get, the five minutes are the full five minutes.

Marshall: If the AWA bosses will agree to all this then I accept.


END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson then intro'd comments from both men about the situation.

VIDEO:

Video opened with a shot of Lee Marshall, in his announcer tux, standing in front of the AWA logo. He had a mic.

Lee: Well, Tommy Rich has accepted the offer for a tag team match. He gets to choose his partner and I get to choose mine.

I've started looking for a tag team partner. So far, I'm just in the feeling out phase. I want to make sure we're a good fit.

This match means an awful lot to me.

Tommy Rich may be the most disrespectful wrestler I've ever come upon.

He's shown his true character by attacking an announcer. What does that say about him?

I want a match with Tommy. But, I also know that I am not a trained professional wrestler. There's no way I could outwrestle Rich on my own. That's why I asked for this to be a tag team match.

Someone has got to put Tommy Rich in his place.

Pic flipped and Rich was standing in front of a non-descript white wall in the back of an arena. Rich was in street clothes with mic in hand.

Rich: Lee Marshall...boy...are you dumber than you look?! Haha!

Guess what, Lee?!

I've already got my tag team partner for our match!

You heard that right, son!

I looked far and wide in my search for a tag team partner for this match!

I wanted someone who fights according to his own rules and also doesn't suck up and kiss the rear ends of announcers!

Well, I found him, boy!

And next week, right here on AWA Wrestling on ESPN, I'm gonna introduce him to the world!

Lee Marshall! Prepare to receive a cold, hard slap of reality!

END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson discussed Rich's partner reveal next week on ASW.

Pic aired of Kokina Maximus with the caption: NEXT... KOKINA!

Commercials

TV MAIN EVENT: Kokina's ASW Debut!

Kokina Maximus (W/ Mgr. Sheik Adnan El-Kaissey & The Masked Doctor) vs. Jeff Gaylord

Shot of a stretcher at ringside. Announcers pointed out that it was at ringside for all Kokina matches.

Gaylord was in the ring and announced.

Loud rumble followed by a volcano-like explosion sound filled the arena as Kokina, Kaissey and the masked doc came out to pretty strong boos but Kokina also had his supporters.

Kokina was in his ring attire; Kaissey in his Arab garb and the doc was in a suit and mask carrying a medical bag.

The trio made their way to the ring with Kaissey leading the way and the doc bringing up the rear with Kokina in the middle.

The trio climbed into the ring. Kaissey had words for Kokina, who said nothing and had a menacing stare on his face aimed at Gaylord.

Kaissey and the masked doc left the ring for the floor.

Ref called for the bell.

The two men came out of their corners and Gaylord cautiously sized up the situation.

Gaylord then struck Kokina with a punch to the face. Kokina briefly flinched but quickly regained his composure. Gaylord struck Kokina with another punch that Kokina no-sold. Kokina then popped Gaylord with a headbutt that staggered Gaylord. Announcers pointed out the impressive size of Gaylord. Kokina picked up Gaylord and bodyslammed him. Kokina then dropped a trio of big elbows across Gaylord's chest. Kokina, snapped up Gaylord, whipped Gaylord into the buckles with such force that Gaylord bounced out of the corner into Kokina's waiting arms. Kokina hoisted Gaylord up and nailed Gaylord with a front powerslam. Kokina for the cover. 1...2...thr... Kokina pulled Gaylord up by the hair. Ref reprimanded Kokina. Announcers pointed out that Kokina loves to torture his opponents. Kokina snatched up Gaylord and blasted Gaylord with another headbutt. Gaylord crashed down next to the ropes and rolled over on his front side. Kokina grabbed the top rope and stood on Gaylord's back. Gaylord yelling out in pain. Kokina broke the illegal move at the ref's count of 4. Kokina turned and glared at the ref. Gaylord grabbed Kokina's ankle and Kokina kicked him off like a ragdoll. Kokina stomped Gaylord in the head. Gaylord rolled out on the ring apron. Ref ordered Kokina back and Kokina obeyed. Ref started the 10-count. Count grew and Gaylord unsteadily made it to his feet with the aid of the ropes. Gaylord up and Kokina went over and popped Gaylord with a punch, grabbed Gaylord and threw him back into the ring. Ref briefly checked on Gaylord and allowed the match to continue.

Marshall: They really need to stop this, Lord James.

Blears: Right you are, Lee. This is just cruelty on display from Kokina now.

Gaylord struggling to make to to his feet. Kokina moved in with a stiff kick to the side of the ribs. Kokina snatched Gaylrd up and nailed Gaylord with a side slam. Kokina then popped the prone Gaylord with a running legdrop. Kokina up and dragged Gaylord over to the corner. Kokina mounted the middle buckle facing the crowd and popped Gaylord with his Bonzai drop finisher. Kokina sat on Gaylord's chest as the ref counted. 1...2...3! Ref called for the bell as most of the fans booed. Ref raised Kokina's hand in victory as Kaissey and the masked doc entered the ring.

Kaissey went over and raised Kokina's hand in defiant victory to more boos as the doc checked on Gaylord. Doc pulled a pen light out of his jacket breast pocket and looked into Gaylord's eyes.

Marshall: You can see it in Gaylord's eyes. He's been absolutely demolished.

The doc checked placed two fingers on Gaylord's pulse and then pulled a stethescope out of his bag and checked Gaylord's heart beat. Doc looked up at Kaissey and nodded 'yes' and Kokina grabbed the downed Gaylord as the doc left the ring and pulled the stretcher over to ringside. Kokina pulled Gaylord next to the ropes. Kokina dropped to the floor and pulled Gaylord onto the stretcher.

The victors then left the ringside area and headed back up the heel aisle as the crowd looked on in shock as Kokina wheeled Gaylord to the back.

WINNER: Kokina - Pinfall - 4:32

END PROGRAM

 

[the autumn wind]

AWA ON ESPN - SHOWBOAT SPORTS PAVILION - LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 1989

(NOTE: IRL, these tapings would have taken place in later October/early November before the sale of the AWA was agreed upon.)

(3rd Taping Re-cap)

Show Intro:


ANNOUNCERS: Lee Marshall & Lord James Blears

IN-RING INTERVIEWER/RING ANNOUNCER: Larry Nelson

In-Studio: Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program.

AWA ON ESPN DEBUT MATCH: Greg Valentine

Special video of Wendi Richter (AWA Women's WC) and Magnificent Mimi preparing for their title clash next week; plus comments from both women

A special interview with Baron Von Raschke

A look back at last week's reveal of Cactus Jack as Tommy Rich's tag team partner for their match against announcer Lee Marshall & ???

Cactus Jack sees action

Tommy Jammer wrestles

Another Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update with PWI's Bill Apter

And more!

Nelson then sent it to the Showboat Sports Pavilion.

Tom Zenk won a squash match over Remington Steele via pinfall with a missle dropkick

Zenk came to the ring carrying the padded manilla envelope.

After the match, Zenk picked up the envelope out of the corner.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Tom Zenk, you looked really sharp and I noticed an edge to your wrestling in beating Remington Steele.

Zenk: See this envelope, Larry?

Nelson: Is that the envelope that contains the coal miner's glove?

Zenk reached in the envelope and pulled out the glove.

Zenk: It is the envelope and its contents that was delivered to me here in this ring just before my match with Col. DeBeers at Super Clash 4.

As you know, DeBeers defeated me in that match thanks to some blue substance he put on his thumb and jabbed me in the eye with.

Well, I've been looking at this coal miner's glove every day since that match.

The coal miner's glove match is said to be the specialty of South African wrestlers.

You may also remember when DeBeers used a glove similar to this to injure my face and put me in a hard plastic match for several weeks a while back.

These gloves are lined with a hard substance because they're used for mining.

So, Col. DeBeers I am out here tonight to offer you a challenge.

I want to face you, Colonel, in a coal miner's glove match!

Crowd cheered.

Nelson: Whoa! You want to face DeBeers in a match that is his specialty?

Zenk: That's right!

So, come on, DeBeers! Sign on the dotted line and let's have this match!

Nelson: The way to win the match is to climb up a pole, grab the glove and use it on your opponent! That glove is quite a weapon!

Zenk: I know that because I've felt the pain this thing can inflict!

I want to use this glove to inflict the same kind of pain on DeBeers!

So, Colonel, the ball is in your court!

Be the man you claim you are and face me in a coal miner's glove match!

And I want to say one more thing!

DeBeers comes out here and insults Americans of all races! This is the greatest country in the world because people from all over the world helped make it great!

I am fighting for the American people!

More cheers.

Nelson: Tom Zenk, everybody!

Pic aired of the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship belt with the caption: NEXT... TOURNAMENT UPDATE!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd the newest Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tourney Update with PWI's Bill Apter.

Apter was standing in front of the PWI logo with mic in hand and wearing a suit.

PRO WRESTLING HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT UPDATE

Apter: Hello.

This is Bill Apter with this week's Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update.

The event will take place on Saturday, February 17th of next year at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The event will be a two-session, one-day event. Bell time for the afternoon session will be at 12:30pm Pacific Time and the night session will take place at 7:30pm Pacific Time.

Tickets are now on sale for this historic event and you can secure your seats today by contacting Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center box office at (714) 555-1812.

Each passing week brings us closer to the tournament and if you're a wrestling fan you'll want to be there to see it.

As mentioned last week, in January of next year, eight qualifying matches will be held to determine who gets eight of the 16 slots in the tournament.

The other eight slots will be filled on an invitation-only basis.

Wrestlers from all over the world are contacting the AWA to be part of this event.

This will truly be a global event as several promotions will be represented.

It's not gonna be a tournament featuring only wrestlers from one promotion.

The excitement is building, fans!

The Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship is a belt that will represent the glorious history of this great sport of ours!

And next week, I'm gonna have a big announcement about the tournament. You won't want to miss the update!

Anaheim is a great place to visit, especially during the winter months.

Come on out and enjoy the sun, warm temperatures, great food, Disneyland, the beaches and so much more!

It promises to be a good time for all!

I'm Bill Apter. Until next time.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... A DANGEROUS MAN!

Commercials

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd video from last week of Tommy Rich's reveal of his tag partner for his match against announcer Lee Marshall and a partner of his choosing.

In-ring: Larry Nelson was standing with AWA announcer Lee Marshall.

Nelson: It is now time for Tommy Rich to reveal who his tag team partner will be for his match against Lee Marshall and a partner of his choosing.

Lee, have you found a tag team partner yet?

Marshall: I'm still in the process of looking, Larry. There's a lot of good wrestling talent out there.

Right now, I'm pairing my list down to a few men who I'd like to ask to tag with me.

Nelson: OK. Hope you find a partner soon, Lee.

Now, would Tommy Rich come to the ring.

After a brief pause, Rich made his way down the heel aisle to the ring in street clothes. He was roundly booed. Rich climbed into the ring and briefly played to the disdainful crowd.

Nelson: Tommy, you promised to reveal your tag team partner tonight.

Is he here?

Rich: He is here.

And I just wanted to say: Lee Marshall...you just made the biggest mistake of your life, son! Hahaha!

The man who will be my tag team partner in our match is...well...a little off.

Nelson: What do you mean by that, Tommy?

Rich: This man has no respect for his own body and has even less respect for the bodies of others!

He'll do anything...and I mean anything...to win a match.

I've never seen a wrestler like this in my life. But I knew he's who I wanted as a partner.

He's a daredevil and he's as crazy as they come. He loves to hurt people.

Marshall looked concerned.

Rich: I'm gonna enjoy watching what he does to you, Lee Marshall. It's gonna hurt...a lot!

You've never suffered like you're gonna suffer in our match.

Without further ado, I give you my tag team partner...Cactus Jack!

Jack came out to a mix of boos and cheers from the people in the crowd who knew who he was. He was in his ring attire.

Jack climbed into the ring and he and Rich embraced and shared a wicked laugh.

Nelson: Cactus Jack! I must say it's shocking to see you!

Jack: You didn't see me coming, did you, Larry Nelson?! Bang bang!

When Tommy called me and told me about needing a partner for a match and that one of the wrestlers was gonna be an announcer I jumped at the chance!

You see, I hate announcers! They lie! They always try and make me look bad! They run me down; say bad things about me! They always praise my opponents! They call me crazy because of the way I wrestle!

Well, Lee Marshall, you're about to get a clinic in Cactus Jack 101! I'm going to throw you around like a rag doll! I'm going to hurt you...both in the ring and out of it!

This is my chance to harm an announcer without being fined or fired! I live for moments like this! I dream about maiming announcers in my sleep!

Lee Marshall, announcer scum, prepare for my dreams to become your nightmare! Bang bang!

Nelson: Anything to say, Lee?

Marshall had a look of stunned, horrified disbelief on his face.

Marshall: I'm don't know what to say right now.

Rich: Lee, just make sure the partner you get has a good life insurance policy! Hahaha!

END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd Cactus Jack in action in Vegas.

Cactus Jack (w/ Tommy Rich in street clothes) won a squash match over Rick Astley via pinfall with a double arm DDT

Cactus did some of his wild moves, including his running elbow smash off the apron to a prone opponent on the concrete floor; his running clothesline that sent both men over the top rope crashing to the floor; trademark biting; violently rubbed his opponent's face into the mat; did the Bang! Bang! and even a couple of wrestling moves were thrown in.

After the pinfall, Jack joined Rich at ringside.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Cactus Jack! I am stunned by what I just saw! Are you sure you're playing with a full deck?!

Jack: You mean am I crazy?!

Nelson: Well...yes.

Jack: We're all a little crazy in our own way, Nelson! But I guess I'm a little crazier than others! And that crazy is gonna help me and Tommy Rich take down Lee Marshall and whoever he can get as a tag team partner! That's if he can find one!

Rich: What you just witnessed is a little taste of what Lee Marshall and his partner are gonna get in our tag team match! This man operates on a different plane!

And Lee Marshall is gonna regret the day he asked for this match and treated a former NWA World Champion with disrespect!

Pain and suffering is comin', Lee! Hahaha!

Jack: Bang! Bang!

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd a video of champ Wendi Richter and challenger Magnificent Mimi preparing for their title clash on next week's AWA on ESPN.

VIDEO:

Video began by showing Richter working out: lifting weights; hitting and kicking the heavy bag; practicing her punches with a trainer; running on the treadmill and riding a stationary exercise bike.

Pic flipped...

Mimi was shown lifting weights; doing push-ups and sit-ups; running on an open street; doing the Stairmaster and sparring.

END VIDEO

in-Studio: Nelson said the ladies were really training hard in preparation for their title match. Mentioned Mimi gave him some serious wood.

Nelson then intro'd comments from the combatants.

VIDEO:

Video opened with Mimi, in street clothes and holding a mic, standing in front of the AWA logo.

Mimi: Wendi Richter! It's come down to this!

You've got one week left as the AWA Women's World Champion!

I have never wanted anything so badly in my life! I've never trained this hard before!

The belt is within my grasp!

Richter! You've had your time in the spotlight! You've been at the top long enough!

It's time for new blood! It's time for someone else to stand at the pinnacle of our sport!

It's time for a new AWA Women's World Champion!

And that's me!

Pic flipped and Wendi Richter was standing in a dress holding the title in her left arm and holding a mic in her right hand. She was standing in front of the AWA logo.

Wendi: I consider it an honor to be the AWA Women's World Champion.

I worked my tail off to win the belt and I've worked super hard to retain this title.

Night after night and town after town the challengers come for me. I've thwarted them all and it has not been easy.

Magnificent Mimi, I have a great deal of respect for you as a wrestler. You're one of the best in the business.

But I also know that you'll do anything to win.

You'll take every shortcut and break every rule because for you it's all about the winning.

And now with the belt on the line I expect you to kick things into overdrive.

You've made it clear you want this belt in the worst way. For you, this title represents a certain high status.

And you don't care how you attain that status as long as you get it.

But I'm ready for you, Mimi.

I've been covering every angle in my training and watching hours of video of you in the ring.

Mimi, I will see you next week.

Just show some class and wrestle like we all know you're capable of.

If you beat me and win this title, at least do it without taking shortcuts.

END VIDEO

In-Studio: Nelson hyped the Women's World Title match on AWA on ESPN next week.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... MORE AWA ACTION!!!

Commercials

Back from commercial: Crowd was buzzing as Stan Hansen was stomping around in the ring in street clothes, black cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Hansen was wildly waving his cowbell and thrashing around his bullrope.

Larry Nelson made his way into the ring.

Nelson had to jump out of the way of Hansen thrashing the bullrope around.

Nelson: Stan Hansen, may I have a word with you?!

Nelson jumped out of the way of the bullrope one more time.

Hansen stopped waving the bullrope around and waved the cowbell in the air and it clanged noisily.

Hansen: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Crowd still buzzing.

Nelson: Stan Hansen! This time was set aside for a match! What are you doing here?!

Hansen (chewing tobacco): I'm here for one reason and it can be summed up in two words: Sgt. Slaughter!

Tobacco spittle flew in the face of Larry Nelson.

Nelson quickly wiped off his face.

Nelson: Sgt. Slaughter?!

Hansen: I came back to the AWA to challenge Slaughter for the AWA World Title! I want the title a second time! Haaaaaaaaaa!

More bullrope thrashing and Nelson moved around nervously in the ring.

Nelson: Could you please stop waving the bullrope around! It's making me very nervous!

Hansen ceased the thrashing.

Hansen: I deserve a title shot because I'm a former AWA World Champion! And I want that title shot ASAP!

Sgt. Slaughter! I know you'll see this!

My kids need new clothes and new shoes! And the best way to buy those things is to become the champ once again! Bills are a lot easier to pay when you're at the top of the food chain in this sport! Being the champ pays real good!

So, Sgt. Slaughter, I'm gonna await your response! And you'd better say what I want to hear son or else!

Nelson: Or else what?

Hansen once again thrashed the bullrope around and Nelson quickly bolted out of the way.

Hansen: Or else he'll feel the wrath of the bullrope and the cowbell!

Hansen waved the cowbell in the air and many were now booing.

Nelson: You haven't been the champion since '86!

Even if Sgt. Slaughter accepts your challenge, AWA officials are gonna have to determine if you are deserving of a title shot.

Hansen: They won't say no to me because I'm Stan Hansen!

If they do say no then hell will be unleashed on the Sarge!

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I'm an impatient man! I want an answer and I want it quickly! And the answer better be 'yes'!

Nelson: That's Stan Hansen! We'll see what develops!

Pic aired of Baron Von Raschke with the caption: NEXT... A SPECIAL INTERVIEW!

In-Studio: Nelson discussed the return of Stan Hansen. Said we now know why Hansen showed up at Super Clash 4.

Nelson then intro'd a special interview done recently with the now-retired Baron Von Raschke.

VIDEO:

Video opened with announcer Eric Bischoff sitting with the Baron in his home. The two were sitting in chairs. Bischoff was in a suit an the Baron was in street clothes. Both men had a mic.

Eric: Hello. This is Eric Bischoff.

We are coming to you from the Minnesota home of pro wrestling legend Baron Von Raschke.

Baron, we all felt a great wave of emotion when you left your boots in the middle of the ring signifying your retirement after your match with Greg Valentine at Super Clash 4.

But now we want to know what you were feeling in that ring as you removed your boots and bid the sport of professional wrestling farewell?

Baron: Eric, it was an emotional time for me. You know one day you're gonna have to hang 'em up and walk away.

It was hard to do because this sport has meant so much to me for decades now.

When I returned to the locker room several wrestlers hugged and congratulated me on my career. I sat in front of my locker for a long time in my tights. The other wrestlers had left the arena. I just thought about everything I'd been through the last three decades. And yes, there were some tears.

There's that moment, when the match is over and you know what you're going to do, when you finally take off the boots and place them in the middle of the ring, the reality really hits home.
There will be no wrestling the next night or anymore nights in cities across this country or around the world.

I no longer have to catch planes to fly long distances to wrestle. The travel by car across the roads of the territory to get from city to city are no more. I admit I do miss those things. I have fond memories of traveling with wrestlers all over the place. The road was fun. The travel could be insane at times. Living out of a suitcase for days or weeks at a time. The beating your body takes in the ring night after night does wear on you both mentally and physically. But as crazy as it might sound...I miss it. The traveling. The wrestling. The comraderie. All of it I miss. I'm still adjusting to no more living the wrestling life. It's gonna take time to fully make the adjustment to normal life. That's if I can ever fully make that adjustment.

Once a wrestler always a wrestler.

Eric: Was there a particular reason you chose to retire after facing Greg Valentine at Super Clash 4?

Baron: Win or lose, I had made the decision that the bout with Valentine would be my farewell days before the match. But I didn't tell anybody. Only I knew what was going to happen.

The reason was simple: Father Time had caught up to me. I certainly was no longer the wrestler I was a few years earlier. Some of us are fortunate to have long, successful careers in this sport. The grind is too much for some wrestlers and they walk away from it after a short period of time. I loved being in that ring and under those lights, Eric.

When the bell rang it was time to wrestle. God put me on this earth to make a living in the squared circle.

But, everyone's number comes up eventually. It's time to step away from whatever you're doing and let the younger folks have their day in the sun. I hope I've been a good influence on some of the younger guys in wrestling.

Eric: I think it's a safe bet you have had a positive influence on some of the young lions, if you will, of this sport.

Now, can you tell us what the Baron is up to today. How do you use your time?

Baron: Well, it's been around a month since my last match.

Right now, I am able to catch up on my reading. I love to read. I also have some TV shows that I enjoy. I putter around in my garden. Mrs. Von Raschke and I have already done a little traveling to a warmer climate. There will be more travel in our future. I enjoy time with my two German Shepherds. They're great dogs. I'm catching up with some old friends that I haven't talked to in months or years. I drive Mrs. Von Raschke a little crazy because I'm around almost all the time now. I also get to enjoy being with my family more.

Bischoff laughed politely.

Baron: The world looks a lot different when you've got time on your hands.

Of course, there are times when I start getting the 'urge', as I call it. You know, the 'urge' to be back on the road with the wrestlers and wrestling every night. But those days are in the past now. I do miss the wrestling lifestyle from time-to-time.

If you become a wrestler, you have to make a lot of sacrifices if you want to succeed. People who work regular jobs won't understand this. There is no off-season in wrestling. You're on the move all the time. The business comes first before everything else.

Oh! And I'm enjoying my beer very much.

Polite laughter from Bischoff.

Eric: Well, Baron, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I think I speak for all the fans out there when I say thank you for everything you've done for the sport of professional wrestling. The fond memories we'll carry of you will last forever.

Baron: It's been my pleasure, Eric. And thank you to the fans who made my career possible.

Baron then did the claw gesture with his right hand.

Baron: That is all the people need to know!

Eric: This is Eric Bischoff on location with Baron Von Raschke.

END VIDEO

Pic aired of Greg Valentine with the caption: NEXT... THE HAMMER!

Commercials

Announcers said because of Stan Hansen's unexpected appearance on the program that the originally scheduled Tommy Jammer match was postponed until a later date. Said fans who need their Tommy Jammer fix will have to keep tuning in to AWA programming.

AWA ON ESPN DEBUT: Greg Valentine vs. Kosmo Kramer

Kramer was in the ring and announced.

Nelson: And his opponent, coming down the aisle and making his AWA on ESPN debut, from Seattle, Washington, weighing in at 243 pounds, he is Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine!

Mostly boos but also some cheers as Valentine climbed into the ring.

Valentine was in his trademark robe.

Valentine removed his robe and was all business once the bell rang.

Valentine dominated Kramer throughout the short, explosive match.

Valentine finished Kramer off by working over the left leg and locking Kramer in the figure 4. Kramer quickly submitted. Ref called for the bell.

Valentine released the hold, got to his feet and had his hand raised in victory by the ref.

WINNER: Valentine - Submission - 3:47

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Greg Valentine, you were dominant in victory over Kosmo Kramer. You've come firing out of the box since your arrival here in the AWA.

Valentine: It's like this, Larry Nelson! The Hammer Train is gonna keep on rollin' right down the tracks and running over everything and everyone in its path!

I could have broken that clown's leg if I wanted to but I showed him some mercy because I'm a swell guy!

Nelson: Your first victory in the AWA was a big one as you defeated the legendary Baron Von Raschke.

Valentine: I knew this was gonna come up!

Baron Von Raschke had a great career; he was an outstanding wrestler; he was a champion; yada yada yada!

I finished the man off, Nelson!

Greg Valentine sent Baron Von Raschke to the wrestling glue factory!

Nelson: What a way to talk about the man.

Valentine: The bottom line is I beat Von Raschke! I made him submit to the most devastating submission hold in wrestling, the figure four leglock!

As far as I'm concerned, the Baron is yesterday's news!

It's now 'Hammer Time' in the AWA! The man has arrived! And there's gonna be no stopping me! I'm gonna take what I want when I want!

And the wrestlers here better be ready because I'm going straight to the top and I don't care who I have to hurt to get there!

All roads in the AWA lead to glory for Greg Valentine!

Nelson: Greg Valentine, everybody!

More boos and some cheers.

Pic aired hyping next week's AWA Women's World Title Match: Richter (WC) vs. Mimi and the pic flipped and hypoed next week's non-title match: Destruction Crew (WTTC) vs. Patera & Rheingans.

END PROGRAM

HAMMER TIME!​

 

[the autumn wind]

VERNE CALLS AN AUDIBLE!


In post #195, a meeting was held between Verne Gagne, Sgt. Slaughter and Stan Hansen in Verne's hotel room the day of the November ESPN tapings.

An angle was set up where Hansen would attack Sarge on taping 3 or 4 of the November ESPN tapings and Sarge would work a neck injury angle to set up an eventual match between the two for the AWA strap at Brawl in St. Paul 2* on Christmas night.

But before Stan was to show up as an 'unexpected guest' on November taping 3, Verne changed his mind.

Verne talked to each man in their respective locker rooms at the Showboat Sports Pavilion.

There would now be a series of promos and confrontations between Sarge and Hansen leading up to their Xmas night match.

Verne told the two men that an angle would take place at the show in St. Paul.

(* Original Brawl In St. Paul took place in 1986.)




THE SHOWBOAT! WRESTLING AT THE 'BOAT!

- Jingle from the local TV ads promoting the Showboat AWA cards​

 

[the autumn wind]

LOST TREASURES FOUND!

1988 AWA WRESTLING AT THE SHOWBOAT COMMERCIALS!

#1:

#2: ​

#3: ​

 

[the autumn wind]

THE AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

BRAWL IN ST. PAUL 2

MONDAY - DECEMBER 25 - BELL TIME: 8:00 PM

ST. PAUL CIVIC CENTER - ST. PAUL, MN

AIRING LIVE ON: KMSP CH. 9

MATCHES* (As of the time of this press release)

FOR THE AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Sgt. Slaughter (WC) vs. Stan Hansen

FOR THE AWA WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Magnificent Mimi (WC) vs. Wendi Richter

FOR THE AWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES
The Destruction Crew (WTTC) vs. Ken Patera & Brad Rheingans

COAL MINER'S GLOVE MATCH
Tom Zenk vs. Col. DeBeers

PLUS!

Kokina Maximus

Greg Valentine

Sam Houston (w/ Coach Dick Murdoch)

* Card subject to change

SEATING CHART & TICKET PRICES ​

​

​

(All seats reserved unless otherwise noted.)​

Ringside (First 5 Rows): $25.00

Floor Seats (Row 6 and back): $20.00 ​

100 Level Side Seats (Secs. 101-105, 136-140 & 116-125): $ 16.00

100 Level End Seats (Secs. 106-115 & 126-135): $12.00 ​

200 Level Side Seats (Secs. 201-204, 236-240 & 216-225): $13.00 ​

200 Level End Seats (Secs. 201-215): $10.00 ​

200 Level End Seats (Secs. 226-235 - GENERAL ADMISSION): $7.00 ​

(Tickets available through Ticket Master or the St. Paul Civic Center Box Office.) ​

 

[the autumn wind]

​

AWA ON ESPN - LAS VEGAS, NV - SHOWBOAT SPORTS PAVILION - DECEMBER 1989

Announcers: Lee Marshall & Lord James Blears

Ring Announcer/In-ring Interviewer: Larry Nelson

(In the Minneapolis market, ads were airing for Brawl In St. Paul 2 taking place on Christmas night in Minneapolis-St. Paul.)

(# - Aired on a previous AWA program.)

2nd Taping Re-cap

Show Intro

Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program:

COAL MINER'S GLOVE MATCH CONTRACT SIGNING: Col. DeBeers and Tom Zenk

Lee Marshall has a question he wants to ask Jerry Blackwell

TV MAIN EVENT RE-MATCH: Jonnie Stewart vs. Greg Gagne

(Verne Gagne has ordered Stewart to not wear knee pads during the match since there is suspicion that Stewart loads one of them before hitting his finisher)

Stan Hansen sees action

Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans wrestle

A look back at last week's match that never started on ASW between Badd Co. and the Top Guns

News about Women's Champ Magnificent Mimi and former champ Wendi Richter

Another Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Update with PWI's Bill Apter. Apter reveals another wrestler who is entering the tournament.

And more!

Nelson sent it to the ring in Vegas.

The Trooper won a squash match over Don Adams via submission with his double trap nerve hold

On the way to the ring, Trooper handed out souvenir speeding tix to the fans.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Trooper Del Wilkes, the situation between you and Larry Zbyszko just gets more and more bizarre.

Did you hear Zbyszko's recent comments?

Trooper: I did, Larry.

Zbyszko is talking out of his other end. If all police officers are bad then what's the use in having law enforcement in the first place?!

While there are a few bad apples, most policemen are there to protect and serve!

And Zbyszko seems to forget that he attacked me without provocation!

I'm fighting on behalf of all the citizens of this great country of ours and for all those who walk the thin blue line every single day putting their lives on the line for the people!

Fans cheered.

Trooper: Zbyszko, you say you're gonna fight the law and you're gonna win?!

So you're admitting you wanna tear down law enforcement!

What are you gonna replace the police with if you get your way and get rid of them, Zbyszko?!

You got an answer for that, son?!

Because what you seem to want is a society built on anarchy!

Well, people like me are here to make sure we have a safe, free and orderly society!

Anarchy or freedom, Zbyszko! Take your pick! You can't have both!

Nelson: The Trooper, everybody!

Video aired of the brawl between the Top Guns and Badd Co. on last week's ASW with the caption: NEXT... OUT OF CONTROL!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd video of the brawl from last week's non-match between the Top Guns and Badd Company on ASW PLUS! post-match comments from the two sides.

VIDEO:

# Badd Co. came to the ring and were announced to loud boos and some cheers from the crowd.

Top Guns came charging down the face aisle, hit the ring and charged over and attacked Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka as DDP bailed to the safety of the floor.

The two teams started brawling in the ring. Dukes and Tanaka spilled out onto the floor.

Ref left the ring and went over and talked with Larry Nelson.

Brawling continued.

Nelson: Referee Marty Miller has said that if the two teams don't get back to their respective corners that he will rule the match a no contest!

The warring factions didn't listen and now all four men were on the floor brawling with each other.

After about a minute more of the fighting, Marty Miller talked to Nelson again and Miller signaled for the bell.

Nelson: Referee Marty Miller has informed me that he has thrown the match out! It is a no contest!

While Rice and Tanaka brawled at ringside, Dukes and Diamond had spilled into the ringside seating area.

The fighting was raging out of control.

Marshall: Fans! We are out of time! We'll let you know what happens regarding this situation next week!

Fighting continued as the program went off the air.

Pic flipped and the Top Guns were standing in their locker room still in their ring attire. Rice had a mic.

Rice: For those expecting to see a match between us and Badd Company we would like to apologize.

Just seeing them standing there in that ring lit a fire under me and Derrick!

Dukes nodded in agreement.

Rice: You all saw what happened!

This fight with Badd Company and that snake manager of theirs is very personal for us!

This transcends normal wrestling standards!

I don't see how either team can win a normal rules wrestling match against the other because the hatred is so strong!

We need a match with Badd Company where we can just be unleashed! There needs to be a minimum of rules!

The match needs to be a survival of the fittest type of battle! Only the strong survive in the end!

Rice passed the mic to Dukes.

Dukes: Ricky just said what needs to be said!

Badd Company! Dallas Page! You just come at us, boys!

Let's see who can survive!

Pic flipped and DDP and Badd Company were in their locker room. Badd Co. were still in their ring attire. DDP had a mic.

DDP: The Pop Guns cheated those fans in the arena! They should be forced to refund every single fan their money because they took away a match the people wanted to see because of their unprofessional behavior!

But nobody ever accused Rice and Dukes of being too bright.

Do they not realize that Badd Company can wrestle any style of match?! We can adapt to different situations like nobody's business.

So, Pop Guns, where do we go from here? Hmmm... Where do we go?

Because you can't treat Badd Company like you treated us out there in the arena and not think retaliation isn't coming because it is!

There's gonna be no end to this until one team cries surrender!

And I can tell you that team won't be Badd Company!

END VIDEO

Pic aired of the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship belt with the caption: NEXT... TOURNEY UPDATE!

Commercials

AWA Tour Update

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd this week's Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tourney Update with PWI's Bill Apter.

VIDEO:

Video opened with a shot of Bill Apter in a suit standing int front of the PWI logo with mic in hand.

Apter: Greetings, wrestling fans.

This is Bill Apter of Pro Wrestling Illustrated with this week's Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update.

The event will take place on Saturday, February 17, 1990, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The tournament will take place over two sessions. The first session has a bell time of 12:30pm and will feature all the opening round tournament matches. The second session will take place that evening with a bell time of 7:30pm and will feature the quater-finals, semi-finals and the tournament final.

For tickets, contact Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center Box Office at (714) 555-1812.

Last week, I revealed who the first two participants are gonna be in this tournament and they are huge names in wrestling.

They are Carlos Colon from Puerto Rico and Riki Choshu from Japan.

This will truly be an international tournament.

Our next entrant also comes from outside the USA.

He is a Mexican icon and fighter in every sense of the word, from the Universal Wrestling Association it's Perro Aguyao.

Let's take a look at Perro in action in a recent match that features 1936-style camera work. Perro is in the white tights.



(Just pretend the first 30-60 seconds you see are what airs on TV.)

Apter: As you can see, Perro's another fine addition to this historic tournament and he could be a favorite to win it all with his hard-nosed wrestling style.

Next week, I'll be revealing the first American participating in the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championsip Tournament and it's a major name in the sport!

Fans, tickets are still available and Anaheim is a wonderful place to visit in the winter.

Get out of the cold and come to this city that features lots to do: the beaches, excellent dining options, great golf courses, Disneyland and so much more! There are also lots of hotels to choose from in the area for your stay!

Enjoy the wrestling and enjoy Southern California.

One more time, the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament takes place over two sessions on one day at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. For tickets, contact Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center Box Office at (714) 555-1812.

I'm Bill Apter. See you again next week.

END VIDEO

Pic aired of Patera and Rheingans with the caption: NEXT... THE OLYMPIANS!

Commercials

Ken Patera & Brad Rheingans won a squash match over Radar O'Reilly & Clint Howard via submission when Patera forced Howard to submit to his swinging full nelson finisher

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans, it's now only a matter of time before you get your shot at the Destruction Crew for those tag team titles.

Patera: Indeed it is, Larry. Indeed it is.

We beat the Destruction Crew to earn this shot at them with the belts on the line.

And we aim to not let this golden opportunity pass us by! We want the gold and the gold medal in wrestling are those tag team titles!

Crowd cheered.

Rheingans: We are positioned right where we want to be! This is what it's all about in this, the greatest sport in the world!

I trained harder to become a professional wrestler than I did for the Olympics!

You truly pay your dues in this sport if you want to be successful!

Ken and I both know how hard you have to work to get to the top!

And now we're just three seconds away from becoming the AWA World Tag Team Champs a second time!

Patera: One last thing before we wrap this up!

Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom, you've held those titles for over 7 months now!

And in our book that's seven months too long!

We aim to re-store some respectability to what it means to be the tag team champions!

Crowd cheered.

Nelson: Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans, everybody!

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... DECISION TIME!

Commercials

In-ring: Nelson was standing with announcer Lee Marshall. Nelson had a mic.

Nelson: Lee, we hear that you have a question you want to ask one specific wrestler.

Marshall: That's right, Larry. I was wondering if Jerry Blackwell could come to the ring.

Nelson: Jerry Blackwell. Come on down.

After a brief pause...

Fans cheered as Blackwell, in his ring attire, made his way down the face aisle to the ring.

Blackwell climbed in and walked up to Nelson and Marshall.

Marshall extended his hand as a greeting and he and Blackwell shook hands.

Nelson: Lee.

Marshall: Jerry, a couple of weeks ago I saw how you fought back against Cactus Jack and Tommy Rich ganging up on you.

I have to tell you that it was awe-inspiring to see. The fight you showed when they had the upper hand was amazing.

As you know, I'm due to have a match against Tommy Rich and Cactus Jack at some point in the future.

I've been looking high and low for a tag team partner but haven't found the right fit yet.

Until now...

The way you came back against them...I just cannot get it out of my head.

So, Jerry, I asked you out here tonight for one reason.

Would you be my tag team partner against Tommy Rich and Cactus Jack?

Crowd buzzing as Blackwell briefly looked around and rubbed his beard.

Jerry: Lee, I would consider it an honor to be your tag team partner against Rich and Cactus.

Crowd cheered the news.

Marshall let out a sigh of relief.

Marshall: Jerry, you don't know how much it means to me for you to accept my offer. I think you're the perfect man for the job.

Thank you.

Blackwell: But first, there is one thing we need to do.

Marshall: What's that?

Jerry: We can't just jump right into a match with these two.

We're gonna have to take some time to train and get you good and ready to step in the ring for a match.

Marshall: I could not agree more, Jerry. And having you train me is truly a bonus. It's always good to learn from the best.

Blackwell: Now, let's get ready to beat those suckers!

Crowd cheered.

Nelson: It is official! Jerry Blackwell will tag with Lee Marshall for the tag team match against Cactus Jack and Tommy Rich!

In-Studio: Nelson discussed Blackwell accepting Marshall's offer to be his tag team partner against Rich and Cactus.

Nelson then announced that Wendi Richter has triggered her re-match clause against new AWA Women's World Champion Magnificent Mimi (w/ Valerie).

The match will take place at Brawl In St. Paul 2 on Christmas night at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, MN.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... RE-MATCH!

Commercials

TV MAIN EVENT RE-MATCH: Greg Gagne vs. Jonnie Stewart

(Stewart is banned from wearing knee pads.)

The two men went back-and-forth in the brief encounter with neither gaining a clear advantage.

End of the match saw Stewart gain the upper hand. Stewart popped Greg with some European uppercuts and then slammed Greg's head into the top buckle. Stewart then picked up Greg and bodyslammed him. Stewart ran and hit the ropes and came off with a running elbow smash that connected. Stewart for the cover. 1...2... Greg kicked out. Stewart snapped Greg up and went to whip Greg into the ropes but Greg reversed and caught Stewart coming off with a flying dropkick. Stewart crashed to the mat. Stewart up and Greg hit Stewart with another dropkick and Stewart slammed into the buckles, staggered out and was blasted by a third dropkick. Stewart crashed down near the ropes. Greg for the cover. 1...

Marshall: What's this?! That's Manny Fernandez!

Manny charged down the heel aisle. ...2... Manny at ringside and put Stewart's foot on the bottom rope. ...thr...

Manny: The foot! The foot!

Ref looked over and saw the foot on the rope and ordered a break.

Greg up and glaring down at Manny on the floor. The two had words as Stewart recovered enough to sneak up behind Greg and roll Greg up for the pin. Ref counted. 1... Stewart grabbed a handful of tights. ...2...3! Ref up and called for the bell as the crowd booed.

Stewart up and the ref raised Stewart's hand in victory.

Crowd cheered as Jake Milliman made his way down the face aisle and hit the ring.

Stewart bailed to the safety of the floor and was standing with Manny.

Greg up and both Greg and Milliman were discussing the finish with the ref. Greg pulled on the back of his tights to show Stewart held the tights but the ref didn't see it. The two kept having an animated chat with the ref.

Stewart took the house mic from Larry Nelson.

Stewart: Face it, Greg! You just can't beat the 'Wrestler of the '90s'!

Many booed while others in the crowd just didn't care.

Stewart and Manny walked off laughing and smiling as Greg and Jake looked on from the ring.,

WINNER: Stewart - Pinfall - 4:09

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... CONTRACT SIGNING!!!

Commercials

VIDEO:

CONTRACT SIGNING

Shot of a conference table and the AWA logo on the wall in the background.

Seated at the table were AWA boss Verne Gagne (the head of the table), Col. DeBeers and Tom Zenk.

AWA lawyer Gustav B. Schirach III was standing off to Gagne's right and Larry Nelson was standing off to Gagne's left. Nelson had a mic.

There were mics in front of Gagne, DeBeers and Zenk.

Gagne was in a blue sport coat and white dress shirt. Zenk was in street clothes. DeBeers was in his military garb and beret.

Nelson: Welcome to our viewers watching across the U.S. and Canada.

I'm Larry Nelson.

We are here at the AWA headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota to witness the contract signing for the coal miner's glove match between Col. DeBeers and Tom Zenk.

With us is AWA lawyer Gustav B. Schirach III to witness the signing. Also with us are AWA promoter Verne Gagne and the participants in the match: Col. DeBeers and Tom Zenk.

Shot of Zenk and DeBeers staring down each other across the table.

Nelson: And now, Verne Gagne will speak.

Verne: Thank you, Larry.

We are here today for the contract signing for the coal miner's glove match between Tom Zenk and Col. DeBeers.

The feud between these two has been burning red hot for months now and the dangerous, violent coal miner's glove match is another chapter in this ordeal.

We will now have Col. DeBeers sign the contract.

Verne slid the contract and pen over to DeBeers.

DeBeers briefly looked over the contract and signed it and slid it back to Verne.

Verne: Now, Tom Zenk will add his signature.

Verne slid the contract over to Zenk and Zenk quickly looked it over and signed it.

Verne: Attorney Gustav B. Schirach III will now sign the contract as the witness to make it official.

Gustav quickly leaned over and signed the contract.

Verne held the contract aloft.

Verne: It is now official. It will be Col. DeBeers vs. Tom Zenk in a coal miner's glove match.

The match will be held at Brawl In St. Paul 2 on Christmas night, December 25, at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Now, Zenk and DeBeers will speak.

DeBeers: Tom Zenk, you're a good wrestler and a good athlete. But you're not very smart.

What kind of a man challenges a man to match that is his opponent's specialty?

What do you expect to gain in this match, Tom? Because you're sure not gonna gain a victory.

I'm the master of the coal miner's glove match. Never lost one before and that won't change on Christmas night at the St. Paul Civic Center.

If you think it was bad when I drilled you in the face one time wearing a coal miner's glove before, imagine what it's going to be like when we have the match where, if you get a hold of the glove, you can hit your opponent with it as many times as you like. That could be one time or 100.

Maybe your mind has been wrecked by all the racial pollution in this country. I don't know.

But you just made the biggest mistake, not only of your career, but also your life, when you signed that contract a moment ago.

When the match is over, sorry Zenk, but you're not gonna be paraded around in the ring in victory by some American made multi-racial nightmare.

No! You're going to be a laid out, bloodied, battered mess who might have to have his dental records checked just to make sure you're really Tom Zenk because that pretty face of yours is gonna pounded to jelly when I get that glove.

I am gonna show you no mercy.

And I'll get the greatest Christmas gift of all...smashing a decadent American into the ground on his home turf.

Zenk: I have sat here and listened to you ramble on about what you're gonna do to me and how you hate America, Colonel.

Frankly, I'm getting sick of it and so are the fans.

When you hit me in the face with that coal miner's glove a few months ago I had to wear that special mask just to wrestle. I've never forgotten that. Nor will I forgive it.

I challenged you to this coal miner's glove match, the match that is your specialty, because I know that I can beat you at your own game. This is gonna be payback for the things you've done to me over the last few months.

DeBeers guffawed.

Zenk: Oh! You laugh, Colonel! But just remember that he who laughs last laughs loudest!

I can, check that, I'm winning the coal miner's glove match at Brawl In St. Paul 2!

And I'm gonna give the fans the greatest gift of all, DeBeers...kicking your ass in your specialty match on Christmas night!

DeBeers quickly stood up and Zenk followed suit. The two men glared at one another as Verne made it to his feet.

Verne: Gentlemen, save it for the ring on Christmas night!

Pic froze with DeBeers and Zenk glaring at one another.

The following caption came up on the screen:

COAL MINER'S GLOVE MATCH

COL. DEBEERS vs. TOM ZENK

BRAWL IN ST. PAUL 2

CHRISTMAS NIGHT - DECEMBER 25 - ST. PAUL CIVIC CENTER - ST. PAUL, MN

BELL TIME: 7:00 PM

Pic aired of Stan Hansen with the caption: NEXT... LARIAT TIME!

Commercials

Stan Hansen won a squash match over Billy Squier via pinfall with his lariat finisher

Hansen was largely booed.

Hansen went over by the ropes and demanded the ring mic from Larry Nelson and got it.

Hansen: Sgt. Slaughter! I know you're here! And if you don't come out right now I'm gonna lariat this son of a gun over and over again until you do!

I might just knock his head into the third row!

Get out here, Sarge! Or this guy gets it!

Hansen tossed the mic aside and stomped around the ring waiting for Sarge but there was no sign of the champ.

Hansen picked up on a mic.

Hansen: OK! I warned you, Sarge! You call yerself the World Champion?!

Hansen quick stomped Squier, snapped Squier up, whipped Squier into the ropes and blasted Squier coming off with another lariat.

Squier crumpled to the mat,

Hansen waited a few seconds and pulled Squire to his feet.

Crowd popped as Sarge in his ring attire and carrying the belt, charged down the face aisle, dropped the belt on the apron, climbed into the ring and nailed Hansen from behind. Hansen lost his grip on Squier who crumpled to the mat and disappeared like jobbers do in these situations.

Sarge hammered away on Hansen before Hansen fought back and the two were brawling in the ring as the fans cheered the battle.The two were slugging it out when several face and heel wrestlers and AWA officials hit the ring and separated the two. The warring factions were kept apart by the wall of wrestlers and officials.

The two exchanged heated words over the wall before Sarge broke through the barrier and jumped on Hansen and started hammering Hansen to the delight of the crowd. Hansen fought back and the wrestlers and officials once again separated the pair and again did the wall thing to keep them apart.

Hansen and Sarge jawed at each other over the wall as the program ended.

END PROGRAM

WILL HE BE A 2-TIME AWA WORLD CHAMPION???​

 

[the autumn wind]

PRESS CONFERENCE

TO ANNOUNCE THE SALE OF THE AWA

Thursday - December 14 - 1:00pm CST

Main floor of Chicago Stadium

A stage was set up with a long table, several chairs and a speaking podium on it. Mics and drinking glasses sat in front of each seat with three pitchers of water on the table. A large AWA logo was on a black temporary wall behind the table.

The media stood on the floor in front of the stage.

A small group of fans who had shown up for the signing was sitting in one section of permanent seats on the sideline where center court would be for hoops.

There was a buzz in the air.

Then, all those involved in the contract signing made their way out from the back and took their seats at the table on the stage.

AWA ring announcer/interviewer Larry Nelson stepped up to the podium and placed the contract on it.

Nelson: Good afternoon, everyone.

Some of the press/fans responded in kind.

Nelson: We are here today to announce the sale of the American Wrestling Association to a group of five buyers, known collectively as Triumph Media Sports, Incorporated.


Here are the sale participants and other distinguished guests seated on the stage.

First, seated to my right, are AWA attorney Gustav B. Schirach III and Ivar Haglund. They are here to witness the contract signing.

Flashbulbs going off in the press area and fan area.

Nelson: Now, for the participants seated at the table.

At the end of the table to my left is Jerry Jarrett.

Seated next to Jerry is Jim Crockett. Seated to the right of Jim Crockett is Bill Watts. Seated to my immediate left is AWA promoter Verne Gagne.

Seated at the end of the table to my right is AWA wrestler Greg Gagne. Seated next to Greg is AWA President Stanley Blackburn. For the record, President Blackburn and Greg are not part of the selling team.

To the left of President Blackburn is John Waters. And to my immediate right is Deborah Harry.

What we are going to do is have all the people involved in the sale come up to the podium and sign the contract.

Attorney Schirach III and Mr. Haglund will then sign the contract as witnesses.

Our first signer will be the seller, AWA owner and promoter, Verne Gagne.

Verne stood and moved to the podium and was handed a pen by Larry Nelson.

Verne signed his name on the dotted line as camera bulbs were a poppin'.

Verne handed the pen back to Nelson and Nelson stepped back to the podium.

Nelson: Our next signer will be the first buyer to sign from Triumph Media Sports.

That will be Jerry Jarrett.

Jarrett stood and went over and signed the contract as the flash bulbs again went off.

Nelsons stood again at the podium.

Nelson: The next signer will be Jim Crockett.

Crockett went through the same drill as Jarrett and Verne.

Nelson: Our next signer is Bill Watts.

You know the drill by now.

Nelson: The next person to sign will be John Waters.

Same drill. The four wrestling personalities that had signed got a decent response from the fans. Waters himself got a good response from the crowd.

Nelson: And now, Deborah Harry will sign the contract.

Nice pop for Harry from the fans in attendance. Ditto the drill.

Nelson: And finally, Gustav B. Schirach III and Ivar Haglund will sign the contract as witnesses.

Same drill.

Nelson held the contract up.

Nelson: There you have it, everyone! The American Wrestling Association has officially been sold to Triumph Media Sports!

Cheers from the fans and some members of the media.

Nelson: Now, the new owners and current owner Verne Gagne will speak.

Verne.

Verne stepped to the podium.

Verne: Thank you, Larry.

It is a bittersweet day for me.

There's a sadness because I'm walking away from the sport that has been my whole adult life. I don't think things will really hit me until I leave my office and shut the door behind me that one final time.

But, I'm excited about the future of the AWA and you fans should be, too.

The AWA is being left in good hands

The people you see sitting on this stage with me are dedicated to keeping the AWA a wrestling-first promotion. The AWA will continue to strive to be the true alternative to the WWF

And I wanted to say a special thank you to John Waters and Deborah Harry.

Your willingness to take a chance on this business and keep the AWA legacy alive means a lot.

And you've got three solid wrestling minds working with you who can help make the AWA great again.

The future looks bright. I'm confident the AWA will return to it's rightful place in the pro wrestling pantheon.

Thank you.

Nice response from the fans and many in the press corps.

Nelson stepped back to the podium.

Nelson: And now, Jerry Jarrett.

JJ to the podium.

Jerry: I'll be brief with my comments her.

I want to thank Bill Watts and Jim Crockett for talking me into investing in this project.

I only own a small percentage of the company, but I believe my four co-owners all have a vision for the AWA moving forward and I like where it's headed.

To Deborah and John, I say thank you for taking the risk and buying the majority of the promotion.

All business ventures have risks...but wrestling can be one helluva roller coaster ride. You two might want to strap yourselves in because it's gonna be wild.

Lots of laughter.

Jerry: Anyway, I'm looking forward to this opportunity.

Thank you.

Nelson: Thank you, Jeff.

And now, Jim Crockett will speak.

JC to the podium.

Crockett: Like Jerry, I'll be brief.

The chance to be back in the wrestling business is exciting.

Little over a year ago, my family and I sold Jim Crockett Promotions to the Ted Turner Corporation. I thought that was gonna be the end of my involvement with wrestling. I'm glad I was wrong.

To be here with Jerry, Bill, Deborah and John is indescribable.

We face some real challenges coming in.

But, with this team you see assembled on the stage, I am very confident we will bring the AWA completely back and make it a major player once more.

There's really not much else to say.

It's about time for us to roll our sleeves up and get to work.

Thank you.

Good response from the fans.

Nelson: Bill Watts will speak next.

Good response from the fans for Watts.

Watts: Like Jim, I never expected to return to wrestling after I sold the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1987.

But when Jim contacted me about this opportunity I was intrigued.

Let me just state for the record the AWA is already rising again.

I think us at Triumph Media Sports are coming in at the perfect time.

It will be our job to complete a turnaround that's already started under Verne.

And John and Deborah, let me also give you a tip of the cap for taking a chance on this wild, crazy, wonderful sport.

Jim, Jerry and I will work hard on the wrestling side of things to make your investments worthwhile.

Thank you.

Cheers for Watts from the fans.

Nelson: Now would you please welcome to the podium, John Waters.

Fans cheered Waters. It was flashbulb city in the press area.

Waters: Thank you, Larry Nelson.

I first heard the AWA was available a few months ago from a friend of mine.

I called Deborah to see if she might be interested in trying to buy it.

Well...here we are.

Before I go any further, let me just thank Verne Gagne for his insight and guidance during all of this. Verne's been very gracious in our dealings and, while new owners may be coming to the AWA, Verne will always be the heart and soul of it.

It's been a great ride on the road to this sale.

Pro wrestling is filled with many unique characters and we're looking forward to working with them anyway we can.

Jim, Bill and Jerry will be in charge of the day-to-day wrestling operations.

But Deb and I hope our names can help when it comes to things like TV contracts, merchandising, booking arenas. Things like that.

I can't believe I'm now the part-owner of a wrestling company. A legendary wrestling company at that.

I am definitely looking forward to this opportunity.

Can't wait to see what the future holds for the AWA.

Thank you.

Fans cheered and licked each other joyfully.

Nelson: Now, for our final speaker, I give you Deborah Harry.

Biggest pop by the fans for any of the new owners.

Deb: Thank you for the response.

The first thing I'd like to do is thank Verne Gagne for his 40 years of service to professional wrestling. Thank you, sir.

Your help and honesty during these last few months has been tremendous.

Nice ovation from the fans and some in the press corps.Verne stood and waved to the fans.

Deb: My ex-boyfriend and Blondie bandmate Chris Stein got me into watching pro wrestling.

I started watching on WTBS on cable and it grew from there.

I love professional wrestling. This is a dream come true

It's easily one of the most exciting things I've ever done.

More crowd cheers.

Deb: When the opportunity presented itself to possibly own an established wrestling company, I sat up and took notice

There were some twists, turns and unexpected surprises during the period of exploring buying the AWA.

The most unexpected and pleasant surprise was being able to bring on three great wrestling minds like Jim Crockett, Bill Watts and Jerry Jarrett.

These three men are gonna make sure that the word 'wrestling' in American Wrestling Association means just what it says.

The fans are going to get quality wrestling action. We intend to give them their money's worth every time they buy a ticket for an AWA show at their local arena.

Our goal is, simply, to continue to carry the banner of the AWA well into the future as one of the top promotions in the country.

Thank you.

More cheers from the fans.

Nelson: We will open up the floor to questions from the reporters in a moment.

But I did want to say that if you haven't had Ivar Haglund's white clam chowder, do yourself a favor and get a bowl. Best chowder on the planet and that's not an exaggeration!

Let the questioning begin.

For the next 30 minutes, reporters asked the buyers and seller questions. The mood was largely pleasant and jovial except for a couple of questions directed at Bill Watts and Verne Gagne where the exchange with reporters got a little heated.

During the Q&A session, Waters did clear up one thing.

Waters: Just so people know, we originally were going to assume control of the company on February 19th. But we've decided to push the transfer back two weeks and the AWA will change hands on Monday, March 5th.

At the end of the press conference, Verne Gagne and the new owners stood in front of the AWA logo on the stage and posed for a group photo.

The sale was complete.

Or was it?

A reporter at the Wrestling Narc Newsletter named Lonnie Frisbee was about to bring something to light that might dampen the mood of the fans.

STAY TUNED...​

​

 

[DTP]

AWA Super Clash 4 - October 18, 1989:

It's been a long time, but I wanted to check back in and read the show built up over on Wrestling Clique. I will probably come back later on and review the television fallout on a monthly basis.

Firstly, interesting decision to have the AWA World Tag Team Championships not at stake in the dark match, but to have the AWA Women's World Championship defended. Wendi Richter getting a win against Linda Dallas, sure thing. I don't know the first thing about Linda, but can't imagine she had a whole lot going on. It would be an interesting challenge to see the women's division be given a greater focus, but don't expect it given the gravitas of the scene at this point in time. Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans beating the Destruction Crew suggests the idea that a title opportunity may be coming their way. I suspect this may see television in the coming weeks.

Very interesting decision having the Steel Cage match open. I liked Nick Bockwinkel coming back to the AWA to officiate this one. I liked Larry Zbyszko's protest at the sight of Bockwinkel, and his character work was very effective in getting Greg Gagne over in advance of his big win. Could we be seeing Zbyszko and Bockwinkel down the line, or is this simply a cameo appearance by an AWA legend?

Col DeBeers cheating his way to victory over Tom Zenk worked well, and I liked the spot with targeting his eye to ensure it. This one looks destined to continue, which is not a bad thing with the intrigue involved surrounding the eye injury to Zenk. Man, did peoples' morales differ in 1989 or what? I forget we're still in the time of Apartheid.

Oof, the big one for the Undisputed AWA World Championship. Great touch with no time limit, or television-time remaining, whichever comes first. I do like this method of booking to one-hour big events on ESPN, as opposed to the constant flow of three-hour pay-per-views which would soon encompass the industry. It feels like a much more formidable model for the AWA in 1989. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Sgt. Slaughter came out the champ. With Memphis to worry about, perhaps Jerry Lawler is best suited to one-off appearances here or there. I'm sure he boosted interest in this big high stakes show, but this storyline clearly served to establishing Slaughter as AWA's main big star heading into the 1990s. I love that Stan Hansen's coming in, and thought it was a rather genius introduction of him.

The interview with the Crusher was a way to fill time. I didn't think too much of it. An extraordinary amount of detail dedicated to the Fabulous Thunderbirds. I listened to a few of those YouTube videos. Not really my thing, but sounded cool and fit the theme AWA has going for it. It added to the appeal of Super Clash being AWA's flagship event.

Sam Houston's undefeated streak continuing is fine, I wonder where it could be leading. I highly doubt he's the big star AWA is in dire need of. I would love to see Manny Fernandez get a rub at some point. Such an underrated athlete. Dick Murdoch watching over the scene is an interesting sign of things to come.

Greg Valentine's made to look like a killer with the submission victory against the legend Baron Von Raschke. By all accounts a nice guy, but I'm sure Greg is bound to be in for a major role moving forward.

Overall, this was a vividly entertaining show to read. I'm glad to see the build culminate with a satisfactory show, but coming away from Super Clash 4 I'm eager to see what comes next with what we have set up. As always, your attention to detail is unmatched, and I love how you write television with the charm of the 1980s style.

 

[the autumn wind]

AWA Super Clash 4 - October 18, 1989:

It's been a long time, but I wanted to check back in and read the show built up over on Wrestling Clique. I will probably come back later on and review the television fallout on a monthly basis.

Firstly, interesting decision to have the AWA World Tag Team Championships not at stake in the dark match, but to have the AWA Women's World Championship defended. Wendi Richter getting a win against Linda Dallas, sure thing. I don't know the first thing about Linda, but can't imagine she had a whole lot going on. It would be an interesting challenge to see the women's division be given a greater focus, but don't expect it given the gravitas of the scene at this point in time. Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans beating the Destruction Crew suggests the idea that a title opportunity may be coming their way. I suspect this may see television in the coming weeks.

Very interesting decision having the Steel Cage match open. I liked Nick Bockwinkel coming back to the AWA to officiate this one. I liked Larry Zbyszko's protest at the sight of Bockwinkel, and his character work was very effective in getting Greg Gagne over in advance of his big win. Could we be seeing Zbyszko and Bockwinkel down the line, or is this simply a cameo appearance by an AWA legend?

Col DeBeers cheating his way to victory over Tom Zenk worked well, and I liked the spot with targeting his eye to ensure it. This one looks destined to continue, which is not a bad thing with the intrigue involved surrounding the eye injury to Zenk. Man, did peoples' morales differ in 1989 or what? I forget we're still in the time of Apartheid.

Oof, the big one for the Undisputed AWA World Championship. Great touch with no time limit, or television-time remaining, whichever comes first. I do like this method of booking to one-hour big events on ESPN, as opposed to the constant flow of three-hour pay-per-views which would soon encompass the industry. It feels like a much more formidable model for the AWA in 1989. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Sgt. Slaughter came out the champ. With Memphis to worry about, perhaps Jerry Lawler is best suited to one-off appearances here or there. I'm sure he boosted interest in this big high stakes show, but this storyline clearly served to establishing Slaughter as AWA's main big star heading into the 1990s. I love that Stan Hansen's coming in, and thought it was a rather genius introduction of him.

The interview with the Crusher was a way to fill time. I didn't think too much of it. An extraordinary amount of detail dedicated to the Fabulous Thunderbirds. I listened to a few of those YouTube videos. Not really my thing, but sounded cool and fit the theme AWA has going for it. It added to the appeal of Super Clash being AWA's flagship event.

Sam Houston's undefeated streak continuing is fine, I wonder where it could be leading. I highly doubt he's the big star AWA is in dire need of. I would love to see Manny Fernandez get a rub at some point. Such an underrated athlete. Dick Murdoch watching over the scene is an interesting sign of things to come.

Greg Valentine's made to look like a killer with the submission victory against the legend Baron Von Raschke. By all accounts a nice guy, but I'm sure Greg is bound to be in for a major role moving forward.

Overall, this was a vividly entertaining show to read. I'm glad to see the build culminate with a satisfactory show, but coming away from Super Clash 4 I'm eager to see what comes next with what we have set up. As always, your attention to detail is unmatched, and I love how you write television with the charm of the 1980s style.

Thank you for the post. Always appreciate hearing from readers.

I stopped posting here in mid-January because my views had dried up. Was stuck in 4K for a long time. Since I thought no one was reading it, I went ahead and pulled the plug.

Am posting here again to see if there is renewed interest.

If you wish to read what you missed here, please go to Grey Dog Games. My diary is posted under the exact same name it is here.

Go to page 18 and start reading at the third re-cap of an episode of All-Star Wrestling posted on Jan. 15.

As always, your attention to detail is unmatched, and I love how you write television with the charm of the 1980s style.

As I like to say: people write what they know.

The '80s and '90s are my two favorite wrestling decades so my writing will always be during that time period.

People who grew up with the Attitude Era and later will write BTB's most of the time from that time period on because it's what they know.

So, thank you for the comments and glad you enjoyed the show. Got quite a few interesting things coking right now. Stay tuned.

 

[the autumn wind]

BREAKING NEWS!!!

According to Wrestling Narc writer Lonnie Frisbee, the sale of the AWA, even though they had the press conference to announce it, is not set in stone.

Frisbee: Lost in all the hype, hoopla and happiness at Chicago Stadium on December 14 was the fact that the sale of the AWA still might not go through.

You see, there's an opt-out clause in the contract.

Until 11:59pm on Sunday, March 4 (Triumph Media Sports original takeover date was February 19 but it was pushed back two weeks), either side can walk away from the deal with no financial penalties incurred for backing out.

So, while it looks like there will most likely be a changing of the guard at the AWA there is the chance, however small, one party might decide to bail out for whatever reason without losing a dime.

And according to inside sources, Verne Gagne has been waffling on the sale lately. He thinks that the AWA is turning around and he can be the man to pull it off and bring the AWA back off of life support. Verne said all the right things at the press conference. But it appears he's not wanting to go quietly into the night. It's the burden of ego.

We'll keep you updated on the situation if anything happens regarding the triggering of the opt-out clause.​

 

[the autumn wind]

​

AWA ON ESPN - LAS VEGAS, NV - SHOWBOAT SPORTS PAVILION - DECEMBER 1989 ​

Announcers: Lee Marshall & Lord James Blears​

Ring Announcer/In-ring Interviewer: Larry Nelson​

(In the Minneapolis market, ads were airing for Brawl In St. Paul 2 taking place on Christmas night in Minneapolis-St. Paul.)​

(# - Aired on a previous AWA program.)​

3rd Taping Re-cap​

Show Intro​

Larry Nelson welcomed viewers and ran down the program:

Nelson hyped that it was the last edition of AWA on ESPN before the big Brawl In St. Paul 2 show in St. Paul on Christmas night.


Since it's almost Christmas, Nelson said they had a big show for the fans.

SPECIAL TV MAIN EVENT!

6-MAN ELIMINATION TAG MATCH: Larry Zbyszko & Badd Company (w/ Mgr. DDP) vs. The Trooper & The Top Guns

Final comments from Sgt. Slaughter (AWA WC) and challenger Stan Hansen before their title clash at Brawl In St. Paul 2

NON-TITLE MATCH: Magnificent Mimi (Women's WC w/ Mgr. Valerie) vs. Brandi Mae

Col. DeBeers vs. Mando Guerrero

Greg Gagne & Jake Milliman vs. Manny Fernandez & Jonnie Stewart

Another Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tourney Update from PWI's Bill Apter

Also! An announcement about another match just added to Brawl In St. Pa

And more!

Nelson sent it to the ring in Las Vegas.

Greg Valentine won a squash match over Sal Bellomo via submission with his figure 4 finisher

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Greg Valentine, you made quick work of the veteran Bellomo.

You kept the figure four on for several seconds after the bell rang before letting go. Why was that?

Greg: I was thinking.

Nelson: Thinking about what?!

Greg: Whether or not I should have broken Bellomo's leg,

Nelson: What?! Break his...

Greg: As you could see, I did not do it.

It's Christmas time and I made the decision to let Mr. Bellomo have the gift of walking for the holidays.

Fans booed.

Nelson: How very generous of you, Hammer.

Greg: Tell me about it, Nelson.

The great thing for all these fans out here is that I'm just getting started in the AWA.

My rise to the top will be lightning fast.

And 'The Hammer' will be a champion very soon.

Nelson: Greg Valentine, everybody!

Pic aired of AWA Women's Champ Magnificent Mimi w/ Mgr. Valerie with the caption: NEXT... ALL GIRL ACTION!

Commercials

NON-TITLE MATCH: Magnificent Mimi defeated Brandi Mae via pinfall with her missle dropkick finisher - TIME: 2:28

Before the match, Mimi strutted around the ring holding the belt in the air to mainly boos.

Brandi Mae came out fast but could not maintain the momentum. Once Mimi took control it was all but over.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW:

Nelson: Magnificent Miimi and Valerie. You two have made quite a quick impact together here in the AWA.

Mimi, there are those who question the validity of your title win.

Mimi: Let them question it, Nelson! The fact is I've got the belt right here which means I defeated Wendi Richter and took this from her!

So, go ahead and wonder if I won it fair or square because I don't care! I'm the champ and that's all their is to it!

Valerie: This woman is truly magnificent!

She came! She saw! And she conquered!

Crowd booing.

Valerie: You people boo all you like! Boo until you can't breath anymore!

Because at the end of the day, like Mimi said, she's the champ and that is all that matters! Engage in all the conspiracy theories you like! It changes nothing!

And we're already making a lot of money together because she's the champ.

And Wendi Richter, the re-match is coming! But for you, the only thing you're gonna win is deep-seated frustration! Mimi's not letting the title go anytime soon!

Nelson: We've heard you're looking to build a stable.

Valerie: That's right.

I'm looking to build the best stable in all of this sport.

I've got some people I'm already looking at to become part of this elite group.

Nelson: Any names you can give us?

Valerie: Ha! I'd be a fool to tell you who's on my radar!

You and these fans out here will know who they are when I reveal them!

Until then...all you people out here need to mind your own damn business!

Fans booed.

Nelson: World Champion Magnificent Mimi and her manager Valerie, everybody!

More boos.

Pic aired of the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship with the caption: NEXT... TOURNEY UPDATE!

Commercials

AWA Tour Update

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd the lateest Pro Wrestling Heritage Championsip Tournament Update with PWI's Bill Apter.

VIDEO:

Apter was standing in front of the PWI logo in a suit and tie with mic in hand.

Apter: Greeting, wrestling fans!

This is Bill Apter from Pro Wrestling Illustrated with this week's Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament Update.

We'll be telling you in a moment about the newest entrant into the tournament and he's a major wrestling star.

The Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament will take place on Saturday, February 17th, 1990, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The tournament will take place over two sessions on the 17th. The afternoon session, which will feature the eight opening round matches of the tournament, has a bell time of 12:30pm. The evening session will feature the quarter-finals, semi-finals and tournament final and has a bell time of 7:30pm.

We already have three declared entrants into the tournament. They are: Riki Choshu from Japan, Carlos Colon from Puerto Rico and Perro Aguyao from Mexico.

Now, we have our first American entrant into the tournament.

He hails from the great state of Texas. He's been a champion as both a single and in tag teams many times over. He was also one of the original Four Horseman.

He is...Tully Blanchard!

Tully's coming to the AWA and he's gunning for the sport's newest championship.

Now, let's take a look at Tully in action.

(Just pretend the first minute-plus that you see is what you'd see on TV.)



The Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship is shaping up to be an exciting, historic event.

We'll announce another entrant during next week's update.

For tickets, contact Ticket Master or the Anaheim Convention Center Box office at (714) 555-1812.

Anaheim is a great place to be in the winter and there are lots of fun things to do. From visiting the Pacific Ocean to visiting Disneyland, to good food and top-notch hotel accommodations, Anaheim has it all.

Get your tickets now, wrestling fans, and be a part of history in-person. Be the guy who tells his friends: I was there when they crowned the first-ever Pro Wrestling Heritage Champion.

I'm Bill Apter. Until next time.

END VIDEO

Pic aired of Col. DeBeers: NEXT... COL. DANGEROUS!

Col. DeBeers defeated Mando Guerrero via pinfall with the face-first piledriver - TIME: 0:44

AFTER THE MATCH: As Guerrero struggled on the mat trying to recover, DeBeers reached into the right pocket on the outside of his camo pants and brandished a coal miner's glove.

Marhsall: He's gonna hit Mando with that coal miner's glove!

Blears: Someone needs to put a stop to this or it will end badly for Mando.

Crowd buzzing.

Ref tried to order the Colonel out of the ring but the Colonel responded by knocking the ref down. Ref rolled out on the apron and was hurt.

Mando slowly getting to his feet as Colonel prepared to drill him with the glove.

Mando up. Crowd popped as Tom Zenk, in his ring attire and wearing his own coal miner's glove, charged down the face aisle and hit the ring. The fan reaction caused the Colonel to look over and see Zenk. DeBeers started to bail from the ring and Zenk charged over and took a swipe at with his coal miner's gloved hand and barely missed striking the Colonel as DeBeers made it to the safety of the floor.

The two engaged in a brief staredown as the segment ended.

In-Studio: Larry Nelson hyped the DeBeers- Zenk coal miner's glove match for Brawl In St. Paul 2 on Christmas night.

BISP 2 MATCH UPDATE: Nelson intro'd the final match for the show and it is:

$50,000 CHRISTMAS NIGHT BATTLE ROYAL!

Some of the participants: Larry Zbyszko, The Trooper, Badd Company, Top Guns, Jake Milliman, Greg Gagne, Don Muraco, Wahoo McDaniel, Manny Fernandez, Jonnie Stewart, Jerry Blackwell and more!

Nelson also announced that next week on AWA on ESPN, Kokina Maximus returns to action.

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... TAG TEAM ACTION!

Commercials

In-Studio: Nelson intro'd video from last week of the end of the Greg Gagne - Jonnie Stewart re-match where Stewart was banned from wearing knee pads because of concerns he was loading one of the pads to use on his opponents.

VIDEO:
​

# Stewart snapped Greg up and went to whip Greg into the ropes but Greg reversed and caught Stewart coming off with a flying dropkick. Stewart crashed to the mat. Stewart up and Greg hit Stewart with another dropkick and Stewart slammed into the buckles, staggered out and was blasted by a third dropkick. Stewart crashed down near the ropes. Greg for the cover. 1...

Marshall: What's this?! That's Manny Fernandez! ​

Manny charged down the heel aisle. ...2... Manny at ringside and put Stewart's foot on the bottom rope. ...thr...

Manny: The foot! The foot!​

Ref looked over and saw the foot on the rope and ordered a break.​

Greg up and glaring down at Manny on the floor. The two had words as Stewart recovered enough to sneak up behind Greg and roll Greg up for the pin. Ref counted. 1... Stewart grabbed a handful of tights. ...2...3! Ref up and called for the bell as the crowd booed.​

Stewart up and the ref raised Stewart's hand in victory.

Crowd cheered as Jake Milliman made his way down the face aisle and hit the ring. ​

Stewart bailed to the safety of the floor and was standing with Manny.​

Greg up and both Greg and Milliman were discussing the finish with the ref. Greg pulled on the back of his tights to show Stewart held the tights but the ref didn't see it. The two kept having an animated chat with the ref.​

END VIDEO​

In-Studio: Nelson sent it to the ring in Vegas.​

Jake Milliman & Greg Gagne vs. Manny Fernandez & Jonnie Stewart​

In a short, explosive bout, the two teams battled it out in a slugfest.​

End of the match saw Greg and Jonnie in the ring as the legal men. The two were battling it out when Greg managed to hit Jonnie with a flying dropkick that sent Jonnie crashing into the buckles. Greg went for another dropkick in the corner but Jonnie moved out of the way and Greg crashed to the mat. Jonnie put the boots to Greg, snapped Greg up and whipped Greg into the corner. Jonnie charged in and blasted Greg with a running elbow to the side of head. Greg crashed to the mat. Jonnie for the cover. 1...2... Greg kicked out. Jonnie up and stomped Greg in the back. Jonnie snapped Greg up and hoisted Greg up for a suplex but Greg wriggled out of Jonnie's grasp, dropped down behind Jonnie, ran Jonnie into the ropes and rolled up Jonnie for the pin. Manny hit the ring to break up the pin. 1... Jake charged in and tackled Manny to the mat and the pair rolled out on the apron as the crowd popped. ...2... Greg returned last week's favor to Jonnie by grabbing a handful of Jonnie's tights. ...3! Crowd popped big-time as Greg and Jake won. ​

Ref raised Greg's hand in victory as Jonnie immediately started complaining in animated fashion to the ref about Greg grabbing his tights. Ref pointed at his own eyes and shook his head 'no' signaling that he did not see the tights held.​

WINNER: Greg & Milliman - Pinfall - 4:05​

Pic aired of Stan Hansen and AWA WC Sgt. Slaughter with the caption: NEXT... FINAL WAR OF WORDS!​

Commercials​

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd footage of the confrontation between Stan Hansen and AWA World Champion Sgt. Slaughter from AWA on ESPN two weeks ago.

VIDEO:​

# Hansen: Sgt. Slaughter! I know you're here! And if you don't come out right now I'm gonna lariat this son of a gun over and over again until you do! ​

I might just knock his head into the third row!​

Get out here, Sarge! Or this guy gets it!​

Hansen tossed the mic aside and stomped around the ring waiting for Sarge but there was no sign of the champ.​

Hansen picked up on a mic.​

Hansen: OK! I warned you, Sarge! You call yerself the World Champion?!​

Hansen quick stomped Squier, snapped Squier up, whipped Squier into the ropes and blasted Squier coming off with another lariat. ​

Squier crumpled to the mat,

Hansen waited a few seconds and pulled Squire to his feet.​

Crowd popped as Sarge in his ring attire and carrying the belt, charged down the face aisle, dropped the belt on the apron, climbed into the ring and nailed Hansen from behind. Hansen lost his grip on Squier who crumpled to the mat and disappeared like jobbers do in these situations.​

Sarge hammered away on Hansen before Hansen fought back and the two were brawling in the ring as the fans cheered the battle.The two were slugging it out when several face and heel wrestlers and AWA officials hit the ring and separated the two. The warring factions were kept apart by the wall of wrestlers and officials.

The two exchanged heated words over the wall before Sarge broke through the barrier and jumped on Hansen and started hammering Hansen to the delight of the crowd. Hansen fought back and the wrestlers and officials once again separated the pair and again did the wall thing to keep them apart.

Hansen and Sarge jawed at each other over the wall as the program ended.

In-Studio: Larry Nelson intro'd pre-recorded final comments from Stan Hansen and AWA World Champeen Sgt. Slaughter as they get ready to battle for the belt at Brawl In St. Paul 2.​

VIDEO: ​

Video opened with Stan Hansen in street clothes and cowboy hat with mic in hand standing in front of the AWA logo.​

Stan: These are the last words you're gonna be hearin' from me before my match with Sgt. Slaughter for the World Title at Brawl In St. Paul 2 on Christmas night!​

On that night, Stan Hansen is becoming a repo man!

Because I'm gonna repossess that World Championship belt and become the AWA World Champion for the second time!
​

It will be a glorious moment in AWA history when the referee raises my hand in victory!

​

I've come back here on a mission, dammit, and I intend to complete that mission!

I aim to turn America's Hero into America's Zero in the span of three seconds!
​

And to all you Sgt. Slaughter fans out there, get ready!

​

Because on Christmas night at the St. Paul Civic Center I'm gonna leave one big lump of coal in everybody's Christmas stockings when

I walk out of the ring with that belt around my waist one more time!

Pic flipped and Sgt. Slaughter was standing in his camo gear, DI hat and sunglasses with the World Title slung over his left shoulder with mic in hand in front of the AWA logo.​

Sarge: Wrestling on Christmas night has had a long and glorious tradition.​

And it continues this year with Brawl In St. Paul 2.​

Stan Hansen, you've come out and run your mouth for weeks now.​

You were gonna break a guy's neck if I didn't come out and confront you in the ring!​

And the people saw what happened!​

I came! I saw! I fought!​

The people who saw us brawl got just a small taste of what's going to happen in St. Paul December 25!​

Our match may be for this World Title! But it's gonna be anything but a wrestling match!​

Hansen! You're one of the best brawlers in all of wrestling! But so am I!

We're both tough as nails! We know what it takes to fight and win! We've both been World Champions!​

But now, as we enter a new decade, change is in the air!

The world is changing around us!​

But I aim to keep one thing the same!

And that's keeping this belt around my waist as we head into 1990!

See you in St. Paul, Hansen!​

END VIDEO​

Pic aired of the AWA logo with the caption: NEXT... SEASON'S BEATINGS!​

Commercials​

TV MAIN EVENT!​

6-MAN ELIMINATION TAG TEAM MATCH
​

Larry Zbyszko & Badd Company vs. The Trooper & The Top Guns

​

(Since I'm tight for time, there will be no full match layout here.)

​

ORDER OF ELIMINATION:

​

1 & 2 - Larry Zbyszko and The Trooper fought to a double countout - 3:13

3 -Paul Diamond pinned Derrick Dukes with a small package - 5:08

4 - Ricky Rice pinned Pat Tanaka after a dropkick - 7:22​

After Rice pinned Tanaka, Diamond hit the ring and stomped away on Rice. A stunned Rice made it to his feet and Diamond nailed Rice with a punch barrage. DDP feeling confident on the floor. Diamond whipped Rice into the ropes and caught Rice coming off with a scoop powerslam. Diamond yelled: It's over! and then covered Rice. 1...2...thr... Rice kicked out. Fans cheered. Diamond up and clubbed Rice in the back as he was getting up. Diamond whipped Rice into the ropes and looked to catch Rice coming off with a clothesline but Rice ducked the move and came back and blasted Diamond with a clothesline of his own. Crowd popped. Rice briefly regained his bearings as Diamond slowly made his way to his feet. Rice moved in and nailed Diamond with punches, whipped Diamond into the ropes and caught Diamond coming off with a dropkick. Diamond crashed to the mat. Diamond up and Rice nailed Diamond with a second dropkick. Diamond crashed back to the mat. Diamond slow to get to his feet as Rice prepared to hit Diamond with a third dropkick when DDP suddenly jumped up on the apron. Ref went over and ordered DDP off the apron and DDP argued with the ref. Rice looked over and saw what was going on went over and had words with DDP. Rice grabbed DDP and started shaking him. DDP dropped his cane on the floor. Rice with his back turned to Diamond. Tanaka came charging back down the heel aisle and tossed a foreign object to Diamond that everyone but the two most important people, the ref and Rice, could see. Tanaka fled the scene. Fans yelling for Rice to turn around. Rice let go of DDP and DDP was now down on his knees on the apron. Ref trying to get DDP off the apron. Rice turned and walked right into a foreign object shot to the head from Diamond. Rice crumpled to the mat. DDP miraculously recovered and dropped off the apron back to the floor as Diamond quickly dropped the object in his tights behind the ref's back. Ref turned back to the match and saw Diamond covering Rice. 1...2...3! Ref called for the bell as most of the fans booed but Badd Co. had their fans. Diamond up and the ref raised his hand in victory. Rice still dazed and confused on the mat. Diamond dropped to the floor and hugged his boss as the two headed back up the heel aisle.

5 - Diamond pinned Rice after a foreign object shot - 9:31​

WINNER: Larry Zbyszko & Badd Co.

END PROGRAM​

​

TULLY'S COMING! ​

​

​