AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic 07.23.09

AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic

No date is given, it’s just listed as 1986. But it’s mentioned that there was a great main event “one week ago” between the Midnight Rockers and Larry Zybyszko and Mr. Go, so it’s safe to assume that it’s August 12, 1986

CURRENT CHAMPIONS:
AWA World Heavyweight Champion: Nick Bockwinkel
AWA World Tag Team Champions: Buddy Rose and Doug Somers
AWA Ladies Champion: Sherri Martel
AWA Light Heavyweight Champion: vacant

NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. JAY YORK
York is referred to as “The Original Alaskan” for reasons that I don’t quite understand. Unlike the Gantner match, this has a much more realistic looking approach. Bockwinkel is a better wrestler, so York tries to work around it by pulling the hair or using roughhouse tactics stay ahead. It works for awhile, but Nick gets fed up, and, in a funny moment he grabs York by the beard. The ref kicks Nick’s arms to break the grip and York takes a swing at him. Nick sends York over the top for a forearm, and York tries to regain his momentum the same way when he gets into the ring, but misses a charge into the corner and Nick hits the Bockwinkel dropkick (Tronguard’s name, not mine) and finishes with the sleeper hold.

Larry Nelson with Nick Bockwinkel. Nick thinks the way he was the title is a huge compliment, Stan Hansen was afraid to wrestle him and left the building! Nick is surprised with the reactions he gets from the crowd, but he appreciates it.

SHAWN MICHAELS/MARTY JANNETTY vs. DENNIS STAMP/ALEX KNIGHT
Matches like this are probably a part of why Shawn Michaels decided that when he became a top guy that he wouldn’t lay down for anyone. Like the other tag match that he had against the Rockers, Knight (spelled Night the last time) totally sandbags them and Shawn doesn’t take it this time around. The Stamp portions are fine, Stamp’s technical style doesn’t mesh well, but it’s dumbed down enough for Shawn and Marty to keep up and look good doing it. But when Knight is in there it’s ten times more interesting to watch with how he tries to screw things up, and how Shawn makes him pay for it. He starts by screwing up Shawn’s vertical suplex and when Shawn tries to put him on his shoulders Knight falls backwards. Shawn muscles him back up, so he drops forwards and Shawn has to let him go. Shawn looks visibly pissed and starts putting the boots to him. Shawn makes sure to really stiff him on a superkick, and gives him a backdrop diver, Dr. Death style, before Marty finishes with a splash.

Larry Nelson with The Midnight Rockers. Shawn says that Buddy Rose said the only things between the Rockers and the champions was the Rockers having the guts to kick someone in the face, and Shawn just proved they had those guts. Marty says that if fear was snow, that Rose would be a blizzard. Bottom line is that they want the tag titles.

BRAD RHEINGANS vs. PETE SANCHEZ
We’re not in Vegas for this match, it’s never said where it is. It’s the usual fun Brad match, he shows he can wrestle circles around Sanchez (literally), including a nice spot where he gets momentum built up and hits a high cross body press for two. He goes to a headlock and lets Pete work his way out so he can get offense, but Pete goes to the top and Brad slams him off. Brad finishes with the Bullet.

LARRY ZYBYSZKO/COLONEL DeBEERS/DOUG SOMERS vs. GREG GAGNE/CURT HENNIG/JIMMY SNUKA
DeBeers complains to Larry Nelson that signed to wrestle Scott Hall and not Jimmy Snuka. Larry tells him that Snuka is replacing Hall, and DeBeers says he doesn’t wrestle anyone not 100% Caucasian. I’d guess this is probably the early stages of the build up to the piledriver angle. It’s the usual Larry stalling demonstration to start, although it’s not as long as usual. Larry and Greg lock up and Greg takes him down to the mat and outwrestles him. Larry complains to the ref about Greg using the tights. Greg tags in Snuka and Larry tags in DeBeers, who tags Somers after seeing Snuka. And we go to commercial.

Back from commercial and all three heel are working over Snuka in the corner, DeBeers even gets in and goes after him a little bit. Funny spot where DeBeers punches him in the head and hurts his hand (you know what they say about Samoans and hard heads, Snuka’s not Samoan, but I guess that applies to Fijians too) and then tags out to Somers. Who apparently didn’t get what DeBeers was doing because he unloads with right hands to the head without any problem. Snuka gets control, knocks Larry and DeBeers off the apron and tags in Greg, Greg is the usual house of fire until he misses a dropkick and it looks like more traditional southern tag. The three heels keep him in the corner and cut the ring in half, they switch behind the ref’s back, and they keep the ref from seeing legal tags. Greg has a nice moment when Somers misses a charge and Greg hits a dropkick. He’s not sure if Somers is stunned enough for him to tag and hesitates before he grabs him and does a knee lift, and then tags Snuka. Snuka hits a few chops and tags in Hennig, who explodes onto Somers and hits The Axe and a big dropkick for the win in a pretty damn fun main event.

Afterwards DeBeers tries to attack Snuka from behind, but Snuka no sells, and DeBeers runs off. So yeah, it’s the early stages of the feud.