AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic 07.01.09

AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic

Eric Bischoff and a clean shaven Lee Marshall welcome us to AWA on ESPN, we’re still in 1990, no telling as to when yet. Eric and Lee give us a preview of what to expect on this Monday afternoon. Jonnie Stewart, The Trooper, The Destruction Crew, and the main event is Magnificent Mimi challenging Candi Devine for the AWA Ladies Championship.

TOMMY JAMMER vs. RANDY GUST
This is over before it begins, which is a good thing. It’s fine when it’s just Jammer doing his stuff, like the big clothesline and the Ultimate Warrior Big Splash that he uses to win. But the three spots that they have to work together on, Gust’s missed swing, the atomic drop and the powerslam all look awful, because they’re done so slowly. Gust’s swing doesn’t look like it’d have hurt even if he did hit it, and the delay from Jammer grabbing him for the powerslam to when he actually does it is embarrassing.

JONNIE STEWART vs. SPIKE JONES
This is actually a fun little cat and mouse type of match, Stewart can’t compare with the size or strenth of Jones, but he’s a smarter wrestler and that’s what makes the difference. Spike may catch him in a bearhug, but Stewart knows one of the two ways to get out (according to Lee Marshall) and claps him in the head (the other being to bury his hands in his ribs). Stewart is a bit cocky and shows off with a bodyslam and a nice near fall from an elbow drop. He also manages to suplex him, its ugly, but the fact that he did it is nice. Spike is able to back Stewart into the corner with his fists but stops to crowd play and gives Stewart a chance to reverse his whip into the other corner and Stewart pulls down the knee pad and finishes him with a knee to the gut.

Eric Bischoff with Buck Zumhofe, who’s apparently feuding with Stewart. Buck is chopping up carrots into a large pot, he’s got a surprise for Jonnie Stew-Rat, he’s making Rat Stew! Yeah, Mad Dog Vachon building a Pine Box for Jerry “Fatwell” this isn’t. Then, Baron Von Rashke comes over and compliments him on the Stew and suggest they also make Hangmen stew out of Killer and Psycho.

SGT SLAUGHTER vs. TOM BURTON
Marshall and Bischoff talk about Slaughter needing to regain his focus on wrestling after failing to win the AWA from Larry Zybyzsko twice. Seeing as the last episode featured Slaughter wanting a title shot, it’s safe assume this one is at least a few weeks after that one. Burton would go on to some minor fame in Japan wrestling for UWFi. Slaughter backs Burton into the corner but breaks clean, he backs Burton again and Burton goes for the eyes to take control. Burton doesn’t really do anything though, he just rakes Slaughter’s eyes with the ropes and backs him into a corner and hits some forearm shots. Slaughter fights back with forearms and then whips Burton into the ropes and does a back body drop. Slaughter with the lariat and the Cobra Clutch. Burton’s arm drops three times and it’s all over. Slaughter was at Summerslam ‘90, so we’re sometime before August of 1990.

Eric Bischoff standing by with the AWA World Tag Team Champions, Destruction Crew. Typical DC promo, the topic is rumors of Dissension within Larry’s Legends between the DC and the Texas Hangmen and the new team of DJ Peterson and The Trooper. “Hold on a second Mike, I’ll handle this one!” Bloom makes it clear that there’s no problems within the team between the two teams. And they’re not worries at all about Peterson and Trooper, they’re good singles wrestlers, but they’re not a team and they haven’t beaten any teams to warrant a title shot. Enos actually tries to jump in at a couple points but Bloom insists that he’ll handle it. I assume that all these promos were supposed to eventually lead to a split and feud.

MIKE ENOS/WAYNE BLOOM vs. TOM BENNETT/KENT CARLSON
Holy shit, the team that would go on to become the Beverly Brothers, and have epic feuds with the Bushwhackers, look for all the world like the next coming of the Road Warriors. They unload on Carlson with some pretty big moves for 1990, Enos’ powerslam looked like a finisher in it’s own right, but they keep going. Enos picks him up for a powerbomb and holds him there while Bloom comes off the top with an elbow, and then Enos finishes the powerbomb. Bloom does a backdrop suplex off the top and then they hit The Wrecking Ball (Doomsday Device) and the bell rings. I assumed the ref stopped the match, but he actually DQ’s the champs. Why, you ask? Because the Wrecking Ball has been outlawed!

THE TROOPER vs. WT JONES
Okay, it’s official, WT Jones is the worst worker ever. He can’t even take a fricking back body drop correctly, it’s not like Flair adjusting himself, you can tell he had no control over his body. Plus, he gets thrown into the corner and is supposed to move so Trooper misses the charge, but he moves before he charges, and makes Trooper look like a bumbling idiot. Trooper wins with the big pinch and the ref checks the arms and actually gives him five drops instead of the usual three.

CANDI DEVINE © vs. MAGNIFICENT MIMI (AWA Ladies Title)
Mimi was supposedly trained by Billy Robinson, which now makes her my favorite AWA ladies wrestler. This is a decent enough main event, the Billy Robinson influence isn’t prevalent very much, only in some early chain-wrestling between them. They’ve got some decent spots, but a lot of this is just Devine clubbing Mimi on the back and taking Mimi down with snap mares. Their execution and timing is off too, especially with Mimi’s vertical suplex and her failure to bump when Candi grabs her feet to take her down. One of their better moments was Candi’s body scissors atomic drop and Mimi’s counter into a cradle for a good near fall. Mimi also takes a few impressive bumps, especially the one when Candi dropped her, face first, when Candi held her ankles and she was holding the top rope. Mimi mounts a comeback after Candi misses something off the top, but a slingshot sends her over the top and the ref calls for the bell, saving the title.