AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic 9.08.09

AWA Championship Wrestling on ESPN Classic

AWA CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING ON ESPN CLASSIC
I’m back to being left to my own devices to figure out when the show is taking place. As always, we’re coming from the entertainment and people capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV. It’s probably the first or second week of June, since on 5/29, they were talking about Rose and Somers getting a title shot, and now they’re the “new” world tag team champions.

Current Champions:
AWA World Champion: Stan Hansen
AWA World Tag Team Champions: Buddy Rose and Doug Somers
AWA America’s Champion: Sgt Slaughter
AWA Light Heavyweight Champion: Buck Zumhofe
AWA Ladies Champion: Candi Devine

SHAWN MICHAELS/MARTY JANNETTY vs. EL SIEBRIANO/DON FARGO
I’m taking a wild guess at the spelling of Fargo’s partner, he’s also quite the porker, so there isn’t much that Shawn and Marty can do with him, so it’s a lot of simple holds. It’s a little better when Fargo is in there, Shawn hits a nice backdrop suplex and they trade punches, and Shawn cleans his clock with some sweet chin music. All four wind up in the ring, and Marty sends Fargo to the floor, Marty whips Siebriano into the ropes and Shawn hits a flying body press for the win.

Larry Nelson with the Midnight Rockers. Marty says they’ve had their problems with Rose and Somers, and they’re going to get the best revenge possible, by taking their titles. They’ve got Zukhov and Barbarian next week, and they figure the winner of that will get a title shot. Shawn isn’t worried, because it takes more than running around and barking to be champions, and the Midnight Rockers have what it takes.

Larry tells us the main event today is going to be Scot LeDoux vs. Larry Zybyszko!

THE BARBARIAN vs. JESSE HERNANDEZ
Total destruction by Barbarian here, he kills Jesse with a boot to the face, throws him to the floor and rams him into the post. Back in the ring and Jesse tries to fight back with punches, and Barbarian sells for a split second, and hits forearm to the back. Elbow off the second rope and a legdrop (with some good height on it) gets the win.

Larry Nelson in the studio, says that since losing the tag titles, Curt Hennig has developed a mean streak, and we go to footage to show it.

CURT HENNIG vs. KEN GLOVER
Hennig’s mean streak is in full effect, even in the way that he works the headlock or the armbar, the execution is as good as it’s always been, but Curt puts a little more oomph into it. He plasters him with a big forearm and a gorgeous dropkick. Everyone like to knock Bob Holly, but the man threw a great dropkick, and Curt’s dropkicks makes Holly look like Mick Foley. Hennig with The Axe, another dropkick, and one off the second for the win. It’s funny, after mostly seeing Hennig as Mr. Perfect and his WCW heel run, it seemed weird to see him as a babyface here, but I’m so used to it, that his mean streak seems weird now.

Larry Nelson with Curt Hennig. Hennig is mad about the title loss and that the powers that be are letting it stand, but he’ll deal with it. He and Hall said they’d defend against all comers and they did. Hall wants a piece of DeBeers, and Hennig is going to remember what his dad told him, that it’s just another step up the ladder. Hennig is taking the loss as a learning experience and he’ll be back.

LARRY ZYBYSZKO vs. SCOTT LeDOUX
YES! YES! YES! From a technical standpoint, this “sucks a dick.” Larry’s stalling is at it’s worst, and there isn’t a damn thing that LeDoux can do other than throw punches and he manages one hip toss. The basic premise is that Larry will take him down and put on a hold, only for LeDoux to find a way to escape, then Larry books it and then it’s rinse and repeat. Larry’s reaction to the hip toss is priceless, he accuses LeDoux of pulling the tights. They start trading fists, and Larry knows he’s screwed, so he pulls the ref in front of him, and the ref goes down like safe. LeDoux helps him up, and tells him that it was an accident and that it was Larry’s fault, and the ref just believes him and calls for the bell, and Larry is shocked. What makes this fun is how much the spudheads from Vegas are into it though, every time that LeDoux does anything, they come unglued, and when the ref DQ’s Larry, the erupt.

Larry Nelson with Larry Zybyszko. He’s appalled that the bartender, Scott LeDoux could hit a ref in front of the world and then still win. The commissioner told him that it’s the referee’s call “They’re both referees, you idiot!”