spaldoni

Solid aftermath from Mania. What happened to Warrior???? Sherri is officially in the Dangerous Alliance. The Genius's poem was classic. Very interesting main event scene. Savage as the tweener. Bossman and Rhodes vying for a world title shot. And now throw in Rude. Looking forward to watching all this unfold.

Damn! Dibiase gets his revenge in a big way. After last week, I thought Flair had the serious momentum heading into Clash. This week changed everything. Great build. We get a little preview with Sting, Dr. Death, Murdoch and Funk. I think Terri is tired of Rogers antics. She might leave him hanging in the tag match. WOW! Piper and Lawler together in a cage match with Muraco and Snake! A lot more tickets just got sold. I'm sure Missy will walk out with the winner LOL. Medusa responds and has no problem accepting Mimi's challenge. Something tells me Debeers has something up his sleeve. It's fun to have a match built on just words. RnR vs. Freebirds are the types that can do this. Luger and Humungous get some shots in. Great way to end the show. Clash is set and I'm ready!

Suicide Blondes are looking to get in title contention. Incredible win for Gunn! Man, Hennig's having a rough patch. Always a treat to hear Cornette on the mic. Soultaker is on a brutal rampage. Windham is losing it. Triangle of Terror, show yourself! Vancouver, In singles or tags, Malenko and Lynn just can't stay away from each other. Lee's been coming on strong. WHOA! Just what are the intentions of the Triangle of Terror? They're messing with some heavy hitters. Ace's interference backfired in a bad way. Steamboat retains, but Tenryu is waiting. Kelowna, Great weekend for Soultaker. What's going on with Severn? Once again, Rose capitalizes on interference. It's a given that when Regal defends his title, the fans are going to get their money's worth. I guess that's the end of Ace's run with the Playboy Club. You can always count on Pillman to end the night on a high note.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 4-5-89 The show opens with Brenda Britton standing at a podium in front of Market Square Arena. Media from Japan and Mexico are in attendance as well as several businessmen and spectators. Britton: Hi everybody and welcome to the Champagne Slam AWA world title press conference. Let me turn the time over to the AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow. Morrow walks up wearing a white suit, fedora hat, sunglasses and is holding a champagne bottle. He holds the bottle up and smiles. Morrow: A toast to de world title bout for Champagne Slam. On Friday April 19th, live on pay per view, here at de Market Square Arena. Jumbo Tsuruta will defend de AWA world title against de number one contender El Canek. Let's bring out de competitors. Canek comes out wearing a suit with his mask on. Ray Stevens leads out Jumbo Tsuruta (also wearing a suit). Jumbo stands with the world title on his shoulder. Morrow stands between them as flashes from cameras go off. Morrow then backs up as Jumbo and Canek stand face to face. Jumbo takes the title off his shoulder and holds it high in front of Canek. It's a cool shot for the magazines. Commercial Break The High Chiefs vs. Neil Jordan and Harold Bannister Chiefs obliterate their opponents and win the match with a double rib breaker. The Chiefs are joined at ringside by Mike Miller and Cannonball Griz. Nelson: Mike Miller, I understand you have an announcement regarding Champagne Slam. Miller: Yea, thanks to the heartless jerk Spike Huber, our teammate Glamour Doll will not be able to compete at Champagne Slam. Poor guy's got a broken face. However! Gerry Morrow has allowed us a substitute partner. So, Leo Burke, Bill Kazmaier, Spike Huber and the Rose Cousins, say your prayers, because Big Van Vader will be our partner at Champagne Slam! Nelson: Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! We all saw Big Van Vader at Superclash and this man is nothing short of devastating. Commercial Break Sgt. Slaughter vs. Scott Casey These two will be on opposite sides at Champagne Slam. Casey's Gunslinger partner Johnny Mantell shakes Casey's hand and heads to the back. Casey gets early momentum and has Slaughter bouncing all over the ring with hip tosses, dropkicks and scoop slams. Casey goes for the running bulldog but Slaughter rides the momentum and throws Casey into the turnbuckles. Slaughter shakes the cobwebs. Casey staggers up as Slaughter grabs him and hot shots him on the top rope. Slaughter covers Casey with a handful of tights 1..2..3! Slaughter picks up Casey and clamps on the Cobra Clutch. Slaughter wrenches away until Johnny Mantell runs in. Slaughter tosses Casey and exits the ring. While Mantell is tending to Casey. Slaughter comes back in the ring, grabs Mantell from behind and clamps on the Cobra Clutch. Slaughter wrenches away. The crowd goes wild as NIKITA KOLOFF hits the ring. Just as Slaughter drops Mantell, Nikita nails Slaughter with the Russian Sickle! Nikita jumps down and pounds away on Slaughter until several officials run out to stop him. Commercial Break The Dragon Kings vs. Roland Jenkins and Todd Rooney Takano hits a snap suplex on Rooney, then tags in Fujinami, who finishes things off with a dragon suplex. The Dragon Kings are joined by Tom Brandi and the San Juan Saints. Brandi does the talking and says he has the best Champagne Slam teammates in the business. He says Sweet Dreams, Vinergy and Gary Young all have big mouths that need to be shut. And after they get through with all of them, Vin Man will be sulking in his tears. Commercial Break Highlights are shown of Stan Hansen destroying his opponents with his lariat. Stan Hansen goes one on one with Dory Funk Jr. at Champagne Slam. 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong and The Fantastics vs. AWA World Tag Champs the Guerreros and 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko We get a wild one here. Everybody gets a little shine until all hell breaks loose with a pier six brawl. During the brawl, Austin Idol runs in the ring and attacks Bob Armstrong. The Ref signals for the DQ. The fight still goes on. Zbyszko goes out and gets a chair but Iceman Parsons runs out and nails Zbyszko from behind. The Fantastics stereo dropkick the Guerreros out of the ring. Parsons body slams Zbyszko onto the Guerreros. Idol swings Armstrong to the ropes but misses a clothesline, Armstrong swings back and clotheslines Idol down. Armstrong picks up Idol and puts him down again with a Jawbreaker. The fans are loving all this. Commercial Break Chicky Starr vs. Ray Glader Starr has fun toying with his opponent before finishing him off with a corkscrew elbow drop. Nelson: Chicky, as you know Carlos Colon will be at Champagne Slam and you two will be on opposite teams. Starr: Ah senorita Carlita. The man who lost his manhood. Carlos, I took that from you and at Champagne Slam, you're not getting it back. Commercial Break The British Bombers w/Skandor Akbar vs. 'Big' Jim Morris and The Missing Link With all the chaos tonight, all other Champagne Slam teammates have been banned from the arena. Morris and Smith start things off. Smith gets in some hard shots and tags in Taylor. The Bombers double slam Morris. Taylor hits a knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Taylor swings Morris into the corner and charges in but Morris lifts his knees as Taylor crashes into them. Morris tags in Link. Link pounds away on Taylor and slams him down. Smith runs in but gets slammed down by Link. Link picks the Bombers up by their hair and knocks their heads together. Link continues to work over Taylor. Smith runs in and gives Link a high knee to the back. Morris runs in and shoulder blocks Smith down. Akbar gets on the apron. Morris walks over, grabs Akbar by his shirt and lifts him off his feet. While the Ref is distracted with this, Link headbutts Taylor down. Boos as BUZZ SAWYER hits the ring and clotheslines Link with a chain! Sawyer exits as Taylor rolls over and covers Link. The Ref turns around, runs over and counts 1..2..3!!! Sawyer was supposed to be banned from ringside BOOOOOOOOOOO! Commercial Break Ken Resnick: Ok fans, this has been one crazy night. I can't imagine what Champagne Slam will be like with all those 10 man elimination tag matches. Speaking of Champagne Slam. Making his return to in ring action on that night will be my guest at this time. Please welcome the immortal Hulk Hogan!!!!! Eye of the Tiger blasts as Hogan storms up the aisle in jeans, boots, yellow bandana and of course a Hulkamania T- Shirt. Hogan enters the ring and acknowledges the cheering fans. Resnick waits for the cheers to settle down. Resnick: What an unbelievable response. Ok, Hulk Hogan, before we get to Champagne Slam, I understand you have another big announcement to make. Hogan: Well, let me tell you something Killer Ken! As you know Hulk Hogan ventured to Hollywood awhile ago and filmed a movie. That movie is called No Holds Barred and brother I'm here to tell all my Hulkamaniacs that No Holds Barred will be in theaters this May! This movie will have all the action, excitement and adrenaline that Hulkamania can bring. There's a big stir in the crowd as TERRY GORDY heads into the ring. Resnick: Please Terry, after everything that's happened tonight, we don't want any more problems. Gordy: Shut up little man! (looks at Hulk) I can't tell you how sick and tired I am of hearing your name! You come out here and you're talking about a movie! Brother, do you have any idea of what you're dealing with at Champagne Slam? Your going to get run over by a freight train and that freight train is Terry Bam Bam Gordy! And I can tell you this, there's no way in hell that you're going to make it to your movie premier! Gordy steps back. Hogan looks at the crowd. Hogan: Let me tell you something Terry Gordy. I know exactly what I'm dealing with at Champagne Slam. I've been in the gym hang'n and bang'n with the weights and training like a madman. Gordy: (interrupts) Hold on big boy! You can lift all the weights you want, but weights don't hit back, but Terry Gordy hits hard! Gordy pushes Hogan back. Hogan rips off his T-Shirt! The fans are going wild. Hogan pushes Gordy. Gordy staggers back, then charges Hogan. Both men start a furious punch exchange! Security, officials and prelim wrestlers run out. It's chaos as the show ends.

I think Garvin and Slater are going to tear the house down. This is such a great match up. Well, Rod and Tommy did their jobs. Great idea putting these guys with Fuller. Only a matter of time until we get the big Valiant/Whatley reunion. Add Rich and the Nightmares and we've got a big feud going with Jone's army. Can't wait for the Crockett Cup. The Guerreros and Olympians are ready!

WrestleMania 5! Let's do this! Steiners opening up the show with a win is a great way to kick things off. Duggan and Haku give the fans a fun hard hitting match. After a couple fan favorite wins, Bossman changes the tone in a big way. He looked like a beast during his squash win over Herc. Hahahahaha! Oh wow, clever move by having Beefcake turn Taylor into the Rooster. That was so creative. The Von Erichs rocked the place tonight. Feel good moment at the end. Davey Boy gets a big showcase tonight. He really solidified himself as a single's wrestler with that big win over OMG. Tito was on fire tonight, but the Rude Awakening is such a devastating finisher. After a fantastic build up, Demolition proves who the best team in the WWF is. Props to the Rockers on their outstanding performance. Americana Dusty Rhodes tour is in full swing. Martel vs. Muta was everything I thought it would be and more. What a match! Sherri once again gets involved and that's all Muta needed to win the IC title. I always thought if Muta went to the WWF IRL, he would have made the perfect IC champ. Now we get to see it happen. Andre and Snuka are WWF legends. They deserved a big Mania moment. Main event time and man did these guys deliver. Warrior was on his A game, but that finish was classic Savage. That clean finish really put Savage on a new level. I loved the bonus coliseum footage. This really shows where the WWF is heading. Elizabeth is back and Bossman has established himself as the number one heel. Props to you and the hard work you put into this epic show.

Perfect go home show for Mania. I always liked tag wrestlers going at it in singles competition before a big tag title bout. Martel, Paul E, Sherri and Muta were all on their A game during that segment. That match is a potential show stealer. The Varsity Club and Steiners are going to tear the house down. Savage was the master of the slap LOL. I wonder who Savage saw? hmmmmmmm Fun main event. Earthquake is really getting the push. Bring on Mania!

Debeers is in big time trouble. He's lucky his men are willing to back him up. I still don't think it's enough to handle Reed, Atlas and Simmons. In a twist, the heel champ gets the better of the babyface challenger prior to a big event. This was a nice change. Big task ahead for Luger. Humongous has been built up perfectly as the monster heel. Loved that match set up between RnR and the Freebirds. Simple but effective. Poor Missy. Talk about being put in an awkward situation. Even Terri knows Miss Tennessee shouldn't be messed with. Piper really needs a friend. AD's right, he hasn't really made any in WCW. Excellent hype video from Mimi. It did a great job of getting her over quickly before the big show. Big qualifying matches for the Crowning. Looking forward to seeing what Wrestling 2 does with Brunk. Great job keeping us updated.

Malenko and Lynn have a pretty competitive rivalry going. Ok, Windham's pissed. Blackman is getting his respect. On the flip side, he gives his as well. My guys the FOJ are getting back into contention. Thanks to DDP, Adams gets the win over a game Dustin. Austin shows he can get down. Hmmmm, I wonder what the Playboy Club are up to??? LA, The Southern Boys storyline has been a lot of fun. They're snapping and they're going to full on explode soon. Spicoli has some fire, but Rose is so damn crafty. Tough weekend for Dustin. Even when it's not his fault, it's still his fault. Poor Bam Bam. Who keeps messing with Windham??? Tenryu is ready for Steamboat. Santa Barbara, Stormfront stay in contention after that big win over the Can Ams. Awesome wins the battle of big men. Oh yea, I would call that a big upset. That win catapults Lee to the next level. Great follow up by Christopher to retain. I loved that finishing sequence. Regal literally edges out Blackman to retain.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-29-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you will see the San Juan Saints and Tom Brandi take on Vinergy and Gary Young. Leo Burke clashes with Mean Mike Miller. A lot of issues between those two. Bill Dundee goes up against Larry Zbyszko. Nikita Koloff, the Rose Cousins, Austin Idol, Mid American Champ Paul Orndorff and a lot more. Let's get to the ring. The Rose Cousins vs. Vic Dutro and Willie Lopez The Rose's are in sync tonight. Randy stands on the middle turnbuckles. Pat hoists Lopez up for a vertical suplex, then sets him on Randy, who crashes down to the canvas with the Rose Bomb for the win. Pat and Randy cut a promo and warn the High Chiefs that they're coming for them at Champagne Slam! Commercial Break 'The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol vs. Trent Watkins Idol hits a shin breaker and follows with the Las Vegas Leglock for the win. Nelson: Austin, at Champagne Slam, you and Bob Armstrong will be on opposite teams and he's made it very clear that he's gunning for you. Idol: Oh darling, old Bobby boy can make all the threats he wants but he doesn't scare me. I'm teaming with the best of the best. World tag champs the Guerreros, TV champ Brian Adias and the living legend Larry Zbyszko. We're an all-star team playing against a bunch of bush leaguers. Bobby's stupidity makes me laugh. Commercial Break The San Juan Saints and 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Vinergy and 'The Fortunate One' Gary Young w/The Vin Man We get a little preview of Champagne Slam as both teams go back and forth in a fast paced see saw battle. It doesn't take long before a pier six brawl breaks out. The Saints and Vinergy battle to the outside. Vinnie hops on the apron and argues with the Ref. Brandi dropkicks Young down and goes to the top rope. Booooos as Sweet Dreams run out and push Brandi off the top rope. Young staggers up, grabs Brandi and hits a tornado DDT. Vinnie yells at the Ref to turn around. The Ref runs over and counts 1..2..3! Commercial Break Nelson: (With a look of disgust) I'm here with Vinergy, Gary Young, Vinnie Valentino and Sweet Dreams. Dream Machine, what the hell was that all about? Dream: Let me break it down for you babay. At Champagne Slam, my former protege Gary Young and I will be reunited. That means we've got each other's backs. You're looking at an unbeatable team! Dragon Kings felt our pain and they'll feel it again at Champagne Slam! Vinergy and Gary will have no problem dealing with the San Juan Stooges and Boring Tom Brandi. It's going to be a clean sweep babay! Nelson looks on in disgust as Sweet Dreams, Vinergy, Gary Young and the Vin Man have a group hug. Commercial Break Footage from a few weeks ago is shown as Glamour Doll attacks Spike Huber from behind and then proceeds to put lipstick and glitter all over Huber's face. Nelson: With me right now is Glamour Doll. What was the point of doing all that to Spike Huber? Doll: (laughing) I did that ugly idiot a favor. It was an improvement, don't you think? At Champagne Slam... Cheers as Spike Huber runs out with his sledgehammer. Doll turns around as Spike nails him in the face with the sledgehammer! Doll's face is busted open as he falls to the ground. Huber stands over him and holds his sledgehammer up as Nelson looks on in shock. Commercial Break 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff vs. Harold Bannister Nikita destroys his opponent and takes him down with the Russian Sickle! Nelson: Nikita at Champagne Slam, you will be teaming with Carlos Colon, Steve Keirn and the Gunslingers to take on Tony St. Clair, the Olympians, Chicky Starr and of course Sgt. Slaughter. Nikita: Make no mistake about it, I'm coming for you Sgt. Slaughter! You are number one on Nikita's hit list and Nikita always finishes the job! When it's all said and done, my team will stand in victory at Champagne Slam! Commercial Break Nelson: Fans, next week there will be a special Champagne Slam International Press Conference with AWA World Champion Jumbo Tsuruta and number one contender, El Canek. Media from Japan and Mexico will be in attendance. This match is sure to be an epic International encounter. Ok, switching gears, we have a video sent in by the AWA National tag team champs, the Olympians. The Olympians are standing on pedestals. They're wearing their Olympian gear with the titles around their waists. Rheingans: This is where champions and winners like us stand. We wanted to take a moment and talk about our future. Next month, the best teams in the world will gather for the NWA's Crockett Cup. And, of course the Olympians will be there. Patera: Exactly right Brad. Now, what separates us from all the other mediocre teams is that we are winners, we are champions. At the end of the tournament, we will be the team holding up the trophy. We've already been in contact with the Crockets to make sure we have pedestals like this to stand on. After our victory there, it's onto Champagne Slam. And, well, that night ends the same way. Here, we'll show you. The Olympians take off their titles, hold them high as they raise their heads in sheer arrogance. Commercial Break Leo Burke vs. Mean Mike Miller Burke waits in the ring. Miller comes to the ring wearing a cast on his arm. Miller grabs the mic. Miller: Leo, I would love nothing more than to give you the beating of your life, but thanks to you, I haven't been cleared to wrestle. You dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm. I'll just have to wait until Champagne Slam to get my revenge. Burke walks over but the Ref holds him back. WHAM! Miller clotheslines Burke with the cast! Miller starts pounding away on Burke with the cast until the Rose Cousins run in to stop this. Miller exits and starts laughing as the Rose Cousins attend to Burke. Commercial Break Nelson: The Rose Cousins have helped Leo Burke out of here. I wouldn't want to be Mike Miller when Burke gets a hold of him at Champagne Slam. Speaking of Champagne Slam, Hulk Hogan will return to action in the AWA as he faces Terry Gordy. Well, next week, Hulk Hogan will be here! The fans go wild. Commercial Break 'Superstar' Bill Dundee vs. 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko The bell rings and Larry tries his stalling tactics, but Dundee unloads with Memphis punches, swings him to the ropes and back drops him. Larry staggers up as Dundee scoop slams him down and follows with a standing leg drop 1..2..Kick Out. Dundee reaches down but Larry rakes his eyes. Larry regroups and nails Dundee with a spin kick, then follows with a gut wrench suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Zbyszko hurls Dundee out of the ring. Boos as Brian Adias comes to the ring with his TV title on his shoulder. The Ref is yelling at Adias to get out of here. Adias holds up his arms and heads to the back as the Ref watches him. Larry heads to the outside. Cheers as Iceman Parsons runs out. Zbyszko turns around as Parsons nails him with his Hip Attack! Parsons hurls Dundee back in the ring. The Ref turns around and starts the count. The Ref hits 10 as Larry stands up and falls back down. The Ref raises Dundee's arm. WHAM! Adias is back and knocks out Dundee with the TV title! Parsons runs back out as Adias takes off. Commercial Break AWA Mid American Champ 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff vs. Samson Smith It's all Orndorff as he wins the match with the piledriver! Nelson: Paul, it seems that a bit of a rivalry has started between you and the Southern Champ Larry Cameron. He says at Champagne Slam, he's going to prove who the better champion is. Orndorff: Larry Nelson, you're looking at the better champion. At Champagne Slam if Larry Cameron... Orndorff is attacked by Cameron, Kokina, the British Bombers and Buzz Sawyer!! Skandor Akbar is cheering Devastation Inc. on. Wait a minute! Jim Morris, the Bruisers and Missing Link run out! It's chaos as fists and bodies start flying! The show ends with a wild brawl!

Prichard seals the deal for a US title shot. I loved that finish. The Crockett Cup is stacked this year. It's going to be awesome watching all these teams from our world go at it for one million dollars.

Youngsters, Fuke and Yamada get a chance to showcase their talents and succeed. Tamura shows he has a promising future. On the flip side, Sekishima is becoming a contender. Miyato's experience comes into play as he evens things up with Suzuki. The video showed how impressive that finish was. I was impressed with Shamrock as he wrestled a smart match and stayed calm to defeat Nakano. Yamazaki defeats Vrij in quite a contest. I like that Vrij has been working on his ground game. Allen is a force! Big things ahead for him and that's more bad news for future opponents. Oh man, the Koslowski's and Russians go toe to toe for 30 minutes while the crowd ate it all up. Great match and I'm sure we can expect another. Those strikes from Onita woke Backlund up as he gets it together and wins with his signature move. A Backlund vs. Brown match would be very interesting. Malenko put up a fight but Sayama came in clutch at the finish. Maeda gets back on the winning track with an impressive win over old rival Fujiwara. Great way to end the night.

Gunn wants to make sure he's mentioned in the rookie buzz. You're right, Tenryu is coming for Steamboat's title. Whoever is behind the triangle better come out and face the Widowmaker. The fighting Irishmen come up short but the Patriots know they were in a fight. The Patriots are still favorites of mine. Like Gunn, Young's name is in the rookie buzz. No matter what, Bigelow juts can't get on DDP's good side. Cow Palace, Malenko and Lynn keep tearing it up. The Playboy Club are more united the ever. Severn seems to be at a crossroads. Eddie gets wild and might have a rematch in the near future. Southern Boys are unraveling. Steamboat retains but Tenryu was watching closely. Fresno, Can Ams kick the night off with a big win. Dragon Kings get the best of the crazies. I can see Cactus and Gunn in a few more brawls. Payne scores and impressive win. Billy Jack is going to have quite the reign. His current attitude is perfect for the submission title. Regal's finding his groove as CA champ.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-22-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you will see Tony St. Clair return to AWA television and take on Steve Keirn. Iceman Parsons goes up against Chicky Starr. The Missing Link clashes with Kokina. Bill Kazmaier takes on his current rival Cannonball Griz. Also in action will be the world tag champs, the Guerreros, Bob Armstrong, Sgt. Slaughter, Dory Funk Jr., Number One contender El Canek and Terry Gordy. Ok, let's go to the ring. Dory Funk Jr. vs. Trent Watkins Funk puts on another wrestling showcase and wins the match with the spinning toe hold. Nelson: Dory, you've been on quite the roll since coming to the AWA. You've got a big task ahead at Champagne Slam when you take on Stan Hansen. A battle of Texas, so to speak. Funk: Stan and I have had our share of run ins and I'm ready for one more. At Champagne Slam we're all going to find out who the toughest from Texas really is. Commercial Break 'The World's Strongest Man' Bill Kazmaier vs. Cannonball Griz The bell rings and these two powerhouses start pounding away on each other. It aint pretty but these two have a serious slugfest going. Kaz gets the upper hand, swings Griz to the ropes and puts him down with a powerful clothesline 1..2..Kick Out. Kaz swings Griz to the corner and follows with a charging back elbow smash. Griz stumbles out as Kaz grabs him, hoists him up and slams him down 1..2..Griz gets his foot on the rope. Kaz swings Griz into the opposite corner and charges in for a jumping splash, but Griz moves as Kaz hits hard. Kaz wobbles back as Griz rolls him over with a handful of tights 1..2..3! Griz slowly rolls out of the ring and raises his arms in victory as Kaz pleads his case to the Ref. Commercial Break 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong vs. Neil Jordan Armstrong's on fire tonight and wins the match with the Jawbreaker. Nelson: Bob, this situation with Austin Idol has become really personal. At Champagne Slam, you two will be on opposite sides. Armstrong: Idol likes to play childish games. He's the type that calls you a name and then runs away when you go after him. At Champagne Slam, I'm coming after you Idol. You have no chance making it to the end. Bet on that! Commercial Break Iceman Parsons vs. Chicky Starr Chicky tries attacking at the bell but gets back dropped. Chicky staggers up as Parsons dropkicks him down. Chicky staggers up as Parsons scoop slams him down. Parsons swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop 1..2..Kick Out. Parsons grabs Chicky, but Chicky rakes his eyes and hurls Parsons out of the ring. Chicky argues with the Ref. Booooos as Larry Zbyszko runs out. Parsons staggers up as Zbyszko nails him with nun chucks! Zbyszko hurls Parsons back into the ring. Chicky swings off the ropes and hits a corkscrew elbow drop 1..2..3! Commercial Break Sgt. Slaughter vs. Harold Bannister Slaughter easily wins the match with the cobra clutch. Nelson: Sgt. Slaughter, you were in the middle of a lot of controversy during your match with Nikita Koloff in London.., Slaughter cuts off Nelson. Slaughter: Listen up Puke! I pinned that no good commie and my hand was raised! Sgt. Slaughter was victorious! Now, at Champagne Slam, that commie Nikita and I will be on opposite sides. I would love to give that maggot another beating, but I know that coward will spend the entire match hiding behind his team. Because Nikita Koloff is nothing but a gutless wimp! (looks at Nelson) You're dismissed! Commercial Break 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Todd Rooney Brandi excites the fans and wins the match with a flying elbow drop from the top rope. Nelson: Tom Brandi, you racked up a lot of nice wins here in the AWA. Recently, you and Gary Young have had a lot of issues. At Champagne Slam, you guys will be on opposing teams. Brandi: It seems Gary Young and his stooge, Vinnie Valentino have targeted me. Well, as you know Larry, I've gotten the best of Young. I would say he's the Unfortunate One. Nelson chuckles Commercial Break The Missing Link vs. Kokina w/Skandor Akbar Kokina and Akbar wait in the ring. Link paces around the ring. As he gets set to walk inside, he's nailed from behind by Buzz Sawyer! Sawyer hurls Link into the ring and follows. Sawyer swings Link to the ropes and hits a powerslam! Sawyer and Akbar hold Link as Kokina swings off the ropes and hits a big splash! Kokina gets up and sets up for another splash. Cheers as Big Jim Morris runs into the ring and pounds away on Kokina. Boos as the British Bombers hit the ring. Cheers as the Bruisers hit the ring! It's chaos as fists start flying. The Bruisers are all over the Bombers. Morris swings Kokina to the ropes and nails him with a big boot to the face. Morris is nailed from behind by Sawyer. The Bruisers double clothesline Sawyer down and then continue to pound away on the Bombers into the commercial. Commercial Break AWA World Tag Team Champs the Guerreros vs. Carl Kellerman and Rance Jones Hector hoists Kellerman up for a suplex as Chavo hits a flying press off the top rope for the win. Nelson: Hector and Chavo, you two have a big April coming up. Chavo: Larry, we're on top of the world. Just look at us, we're riding high as AWA world tag team champions. And as if that wasn't enough, well, tell them Hector. Hector: The NWA obviously knows who the best team in the world is, because we've received our invitation for the Crockett Cup. So, you know what that means? It means that we're going to roll into Champagne Slam as AWA world tag champs and Crockett Cup winners! Chavo: It doesn't get any better than that. Nelson: Well, don't forget, you have the Fantastics hot on your tails. The Guerreros give Nelson a dirty look, shake their heads and walk away. Commercial Break El Canek vs. Ray Glader Canek looks like a million bucks and wins the match with a flying spin kick followed by a senton splash! Canek has a date with destiny at Champagne Slam. Commercial Break Tony 'Simply the Best' St. Clair vs. 'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn The two lock up and St. Clair hip tosses Keirn over. St. Clair claps his hands and pats himself on the back. They lock up again and St. Clair hip tosses Keirn over. St. Clair claps his hands and holds out his arms for a pose. They lock up again and this time Keirn hip tosses St. Clair over. Keirn does a fabulous one strut that pisses St. Clair off. St. Clair charges but Keirn nails him with a punch. Keirn kicks St. Clair and follows with a vertical suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes and dropkicks him down. Keirn hits a delayed knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes but misses a clothesline, St. Clair swings back and puts Keirn down with a flying forearm blast. Both men stagger up as St. Clair nails Keirn with a European uppercut and follows with a snap suplex 1..2..Kick Out. St. Clair swings Keirn to the ropes and back drops him. Keirn staggers up as St. Clair nails him with a front feet dropkick. St. Clair goes to the top rope and comes down with a flying knee drop but Keirn moves. Keirn regroups as St. Clair stands up and limps around. Keirn grabs St. Clair and hits a belly to back suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes and hits a back drop, but Keirn's head nails St. Clair in the groin area. St. Clair goes down and rolls over in pain. The Ref checks on St. Clair. Keirn waits for a few seconds, then moves in. The Ref is talking with Keirn. St. Clair gets up and nails Keirn with a rolling cannonball headbutt to his mid section. St. Clair cradles Keirn 1..2..3! Commercial Break Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy vs. Clinton Stitch Gordy destroys his opponent and ends things with the Oklahoma Stampede! Nelson: Ok Terry, we all saw what went down 2 weeks ago. It's you and Hulk Hogan, one on one at Champagne Slam Gordy: You know something? I'm so sick and tired hearing about Hulk Hogan. Hogan! At Champagne Slam, you're in a world of trouble boy! You can't handle what I'm going to bring! I'm going to beat you down to nothing and when I'm done doing that, I'm going to pick you back up and beat you down again! I'm going to give you so much pain and agony, you're going to wish you never step foot in an AWA ring. I'm going to make sure you regret ever coming here. At Champagne Slam, Hulkamania dies before it even gets a chance to run wild in the AWA. You're finished Hogan!

Great hype for the Crockett Cup. Nice touch having Uncle Ivan narrate the Russian's video piece. Scorpio has been racking up some impressive wins. He could make a serious run at the TV title. The Nightmares are working their way up the NWA tag rankings. Whatley does enough to save Valiant from a serious beating. The saga continues. Fuller pulls out a crafty heel move to retain. The Road Warriors are tuning up for the Crockett Cup. Slater wins the war against Manny and now gets a title shot with Garvin. Garvin vs. Slater will be one hard hitting match up.

If you want to draw a crowd for the Superdome, a Flair/Dibiase world title match is the way to go. No doubt about it, Lawler in a world title bout in Memphis will be a sell out. April will be a money making month for WCW. Debeers keeps adding fuel to his fire. His Anti American stable going up against Reed, Simmons and Atlas will add to WCW's profits. I don't know, Piper may need a friend. The tag division is so stacked, WCW has its hands full choosing who gets a title shot. This could set up some interesting scenarios. Gilbert's getting a little jealous and it might cost him his faction. LOL, Miss Tennessee is having a great time giving it to Rogers. Bring on the Women! Humongous has definitely earned a US title shot. We've got a big time power match coming. Looks like Mr. Wrestling 2 has found a future manager in Mitchell.

I think the Rockers want to make sure they get the best from Demolition at Mania. Bulldog looked like a million bucks, but Savage was great with these kinds of finishes. What's Sherri's deal with Martel? With Muta on the horizon, now is not the time for Martel to be distracted. What a way to showcase Earthquake! Muta looks strong heading into Mania. On the other hand, Warrior gets his momentum back in a heartbeat. Savage vs. Warrior is the exact Mania main event the WWF needs after the departure of Hogan. This is going to Rock!

Hmmmm, it seems the Diamond Exchange have a little interest in Austin. Lee's been bulldozering the competition lately. WOW! Looks like the Southern Boys have taken a page out of Billy Jack's book. Candido is setting himself up for another shot at the LHW title. The Playboy Club is united and causing chaos. Portland, Cactus..Jackal...Tick...Tick...Tick Bad timing for Bobby. Malenko finally ends the stalemate. Hashimoto gets tested but comes out on top. I get this feeling Rose is setting himself up for a TV title run. Steamboat has had Windham's number. The mysterious triangle isn't helping Windham's focus. Furnas gets things going with a bang. Eddie gets back on the winning track. Kawada evens things up as this feud continues. Soultaker has been another impressive breakout star. Regal's title reign has been off to a good start. After this weekend, Hart might be in line for a title shot.

AWA Champagne Slam official lineup Friday, April 19th Market Square Arena, Indianapolis IN AWA World Title Bout Jumbo Tsuruta (C) w/Ray Stevens vs. El Canek Hulk Hogan vs. Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy Stan Hansen vs. Dory Funk Jr. Elimination 10 man tag matches 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff, Carlos Colon, the Gunslingers and 'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Tony 'Simply the Best' St. Clair, AWA National Tag Team Champs the Olympians and Chicky Starr AWA Mid American Champ Paul Orndorff, 'Big' Jim Morris, the Bruisers and Missing Link vs. AWA Southern Champ Larry Cameron, Kokina, the British Bombers and 'Mad Dog' Buzz Sawyer w/Skandor Akbar 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong, the Fantastics, Iceman Parsons and 'Superstar' Bill Dundee vs. 'The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol, AWA World Tag Champs the Guerreros, 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko and AWA TV Champ Brian Adias The Dragon Kings, The San Juan Saints and 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Sweet Dreams, Vinergy and 'The Fortunate One' Gary Young w/The Vin Man Leo Burke, the Rose Cousins, 'The Foreman' Spike Huber and 'The World's Strongest Man' Bill Kazmaier vs. Mean Mike Miller, the High Chiefs, Glamour Doll and Cannonball Griz

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-15-89 Highlights are shown from last week as Terry Gordy signs the contract to face Hulk Hogan at Champagne Slam. That segment is followed by highlights from the Royal Albert Hall card. Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. After what happened last week, tonight you will see a rematch for the AWA TV title as Brian Adias defends against Bill Dundee. Due to travel issues, the match between Sweet Dreams and the Dragon Kings wasn't able to take place in London, but we'll have that match for you tonight. Also, the AWA world champ Jumbo Tsuruta along with Ray Stevens will be here. Right now, let me bring out the AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow, who has some exciting news regarding the next pay per view, Champagne Slam. Brenda Britton and Gerry Morrow walk out. Britton: This is an important moment Nelson, so I'll take it from here. See ya! Nelson shakes his head and walks away. Britton: Hi everybody! Let me now turn the time over to the man that makes things happen, Gerry Morrow. Morrow: AHHHHHHHH thank you Brenda. On Friday April 19th, de AWA will present Champagne Slam at de Market Square Arena. Brenda, we created dis event last year and it is very special to me. So, I thought we would have some fun with it. On dat night you will see five, ten man tag team elimination matches. Britton: Five elimination matches? Wow! Morrow: Dat is right Brenda. And believe me, whoever is left standing at de end of those matches will be heavily rewarded. However, dat is not all you will see. As you saw last week, Hulk Hogan will face Terry Gordy. Also signed will be Stan Hansen taking on Dory Funk Jr. and of course Jumbo Tsuruta will defend de AWA world title against number one contender, El Canek. Britton: Gerry, I can't believe it, but you've outdone yourself once again. Morrow: Hahahahaha yes Brenda, dat is what I do. At de end of dis program, you will see de elimination match ups for Champagne Slam. Trust me, a lot of grudges in these match ups. Oh and Brenda, we will kick off de event with a toast. Britton: That sounds wonderful. Gerry, I can't wait for Champagne Slam. Until next time, toooooodles. Commercial Break 'The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol vs. Neil Jordan Idol wins the match with the Las Vegas Leglock. Nelson: Austin Idol, last week at the Royal Albert Hall, you made your presence known to Bob Armstrong before the start of the world title match. That was a long way to go just to taunt Bob Armstrong. Idol: Yea, well it worked, didn't it? Old Bobby Boy came back empty handed. Now Bobby, you and me will be on opposite sides at Champagne Slam and you can bet I'm coming after you and I'll eliminate you with the Las Vegas Leglock darling! Commercial Break 'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn vs. Trent Watkins Keirn finishes things off with a reverse DDT. Nelson: Steve Keirn, next week you will face Tony St. Clair as he returns to AWA TV. Let me take you to some pre recorded comments from Mr. St. Clair. St. Clair: At the Royal Albert Hall, the so called world's strongest man found out what it was like to be in the ring with the best. I understand I will be facing Steve Keirn next week. That's a shame for you Steve, but then again, there will be no shame in losing to simply the best. Keirn: Tony St. Clair really loves to run his mouth and talk about being the best. Well, all that talk doesn't mean a thing and none of it will matter when I put his head straight through the canvas! Commercial Break Nelson: With me right now is Mean Mike Miller WHAM! Miller is nailed by LEO BURKE! Burke pounds away on Miller, then swings him shoulder first into the steel post. Burke picks up Miller and hits a shoulder breaker! (This was the exact same thing Miller did to Burke a few weeks ago) Commercial Break 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko vs. Roy Glader Zbyszko looks pissed tonight and wins the match with a swinging neckbreaker. Nelson: (smirking) Larry, at the Royal Albert Hall, Iceman Parsons caught you slipping and got the 1..2..3 on you. Zbyszko: (long pause while staring at Nelson) I despise you Nelson, I really do. That spudhead Parsons is the luckiest man on the planet and luck will only take you so far. Next time we meet, Parsons will be out of luck. Commercial Break The Dragon Kings vs. Sweet Dreams Sweet Dreams get in their moments, but the Dragon Kings are on their A game tonight and frustrate Sweet Dreams throughout the match. Tanaka hits a snap suplex on Sugar 1..2..Dream runs in with a stomp. Fujinami sends Dream flying with a front dropkick. The Dragon Kings execute a double suplex on Sugar 1..2..3! After a minute, the Dragon Kings head to ringside. On the outside, Sweet Dreams load up their masks. They charge from behind and nail the Dragon Kings with loaded headbutts to the back of their heads. Dream grabs Nelson's mic. Dream: Sweet Dreams babay! Commercial Break AWA Southern Champ 'Lethal' Larry Cameron w/Skandor Akbar vs. Todd Rooney Cameron destroys his opponent and finishes him off with a running double axehandle to the head. Nelson: Skandor Akbar, at the Royal Albert Hall, the AWA Mid American Champ Paul Orndorff got the pin on the Southern Champ, your man, Larry Cameron. People are saying maybe Orndorff is the better champion. Akbar: That's a joke! Larry Cameron is the most dominating champion in the world and he is in fact lethal. I've talked with Gerry Morrow and made sure that Orndorff is on the other side of the ring at Champagne Slam. We'll just see who the better champion is. Cameron: Orndorff! You're going down!! Akbar points at Cameron as Cameron holds up his Southern title with pride. Commercial Break The High Chiefs vs. Marvin Thomas and Carl Kellerman The High Chiefs are vicious tonight and win the match with a double rib breaker! After the match, Afi holds Kellerman as Lightfoot nails him with his War Club! Lightfoot looks in the camera and yells "Rose Cousins! You're next!" Commercial Break Chicky Starr is on camera with a bandaged up head. Starr: Carlos Colon, I was right. You are not the man you used to be. After what I did to you, I'm sure you will never want to get in the ring again. (smiles) Adios Carlos! Back Live Nelson: I think Chicky Starr has underestimated Carlos Colon, because I've been told that Colon will in fact be at Champagne Slam. I do hope Colon knows what he's doing. His neck is in very bad shape. Fans, next week Terry Gordy will be in action and I'm sure he will have words for Hulk Hogan. Speaking of Hulk Hogan, I understand he will be back on AWA TV in 2 weeks. Those two will meet at Champagne Slam and what an epic match up that will be. Our TV title match when we return. Commercial Break AWA TV Title Bout 'Blockbuster' Brian Adias (C) vs. 'Superstar' Bill Dundee After the introductions are made, Adias grabs the mic. "There is no way I'm defending my AWA TV title tonight. I beat this chump last week, end of story. The AWA better realize that when it comes to this title, I call the shots! I'm supposed to be on set in Hollywood right now. The only reason why I'm here is because all the viewers wanted to see me. So, it's only fair that I give them a special cameo appearance. Now that you got that, I'm out of here!" Adias heads to the outside. The Ref signals for the bell. Dundee grabs Adias by his hair and yanks him back in the ring. Dundee unloads with Memphis style punches, swings Adias to the ropes and back drops him. Adias staggers up as Dundee clotheslines him down. Dundee picks up Adias and hits a vertical suplex. Dundee goes to the top rope. Dundee crashes down with the Bombs Away but Adias moves at the last second. Both men stagger up. Adias staggers over and kicks Dundee right between the legs. The Ref signals for the DQ. Adias goes and grabs his TV title. Adias goes to the top rope. Dundee gets to his knees as Adias crashes down and nails Dundee with the title! Winner of the Match by DQ- Bill Dundee. However, Brian Adias is still the AWA TV champ. Commercial Break Nelson: Coming out now, with manager Ray Stevens, the AWA world champion Jumbo Tsuruta. Stevens walks out in jeans and brown suit jacket. Jumbo is wearing a black suit with the title on his shoulder. Nelson: Ray, your man Jumbo is coming off an impressive title defense against Bob Armstrong. I know Jumbo Tsuruta impressed the UK crowd. Stevens: Of course he did! You and all of the UK saw what a devastating champion Jumbo Tsuruta is. This man is unbeatable and unstoppable! Nobody can end his reign and I mean nobody! Which brings me to you El Canek. Yes, you're an impressive specimen and an elite wrestler. That's why you're the number one contender. However, at Champagne Slam, you're going into the ring with (points at Jumbo) this man! He's more than just an impressive specimen and elite wrestler. He's a bone crushing, human wrecking machine! And at Champagne Slam, he's going to mow over El Canek and remain AWA World Champion! Jumbo holds up his title.

Oh yea! April means Crockett Cup! I can't wait. Slater vs. Manny in a cage for a shot at the world title! Doesn't get any better than this. Damn! Jones sure found a suitable replacement for Kamala. Bundy has arrived! I'm really liking this Whatley slow burn story. Adding Valiant in the mix is brilliant.

AWA @ The Royal Albert Hall 3-9-89 Brenda Britton and AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow stand in the ring and welcome all the UK fans to this special AWA event. The British Bombers w/Skandor Akbar vs. The Rose Cousins Even with Akbar present, the Bombers get the homeland cheers tonight. The Rose Cousins are on their A game and almost spoil the Bombers homecoming night several times. In the end, Smith clips Pat behind the knees as Taylor hits his running forearm blast for the win. 'Mad Dog' Buzz Sawyer vs. The Missing Link These two have been heading for a collision and the UK fans get to witness the explosive brawl. The match is declared a double c.o. early, but Sawyer and Link give the fans a few more minutes of brutal action until security swarms the scene to finally stop it. 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko vs. Iceman Parsons The UK fans prove to be just as annoyed with Zbyszko's stalling routine as the Americans are. Parsons starts off strong and pinballs Zbyszko all around the ring for the opening minutes. Eventually, Zbyszko comes back with a vengeance and really works over Parsons with scientific wrestling combined with aggressive heel tactics. Zbyszko gets a little too cocky while bantering with the fans. He goes for a body slam but Parsons cradles him for the 1..2..3! Parsons gets a huge pop as Zbyszko punches the canvas and throws a huge tantrum. AWA World Tag Champs The Guerreros and 'The Fortunate One' Gary Young w/The Vin Man vs. The Fantastics and 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi This match tears the house down for over 30 minutes. Both teams take the fans on one hell've a roller coaster ride. In the end we get a wild pier six brawl. Vinnie hops on the apron but Brandi dropkicks Young into him. The Fantastics double back drop Chavo, then nail Hector with a double dropkick to get the crowd pleasing win. Carlos Colon vs. Chicky Starr Rumors are that Colon's neck still isn't 100%, but after Chicky questioned his manhood, Colon wanted this match. Colon gives Chicky quite a beating and makes him bleed bad. Colon is relentless as he continues to pound on Chicky's bloody head. Things take a drastic turn when Colon attempts a Thesz Press but Chicky hangs on and hot shots Colon on the top rope, snapping his neck. The bloody Chicky staggers over and delivers a Hangman's Neckbreaker to get the win. Chicky gets the win but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. On the flip side, Colon needs help to the back. For the World Title Number 1 contender spot El Canek vs. 'Mean' Mark Miller Miller attacks at the bell and roughs up Canek pretty bad. Canek comes back and dazzles the crowd with his aerial moves. Miller stops the momentum with a low blow. Miller has things going his way and delivers a shoulder breaker to Canek but Canek survives. Miller charges Canek in the corner but Canek nails him head on with two boots to the face. Canek goes on a flurry and Miller's in big trouble. Canek swings Miller to the ropes and hits a flying forearm smash, then follows with a Senton off the ropes for the exciting win. Canek remains number one contender. AWA Mid American Champ 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff and 'Big' Jim Morris vs. AWA Southern Champ 'Lethal' Larry Cameron and Kokina w/Skandor Akbar This is an exciting and hard hitting match up. The two champs Orndorff and Cameron are trying to prove who the better champion is, so they have some intense moments. Kokina and Morris get the fans going with their titanic like interactions. All four men end up in the ring fighting. Kokina and Morris trade some huge shots. The Ref is locked up with them. Akbar is on the apron, holding Orndorff. Cameron charges but Orndorff breaks free as Cameron clotheslines Akbar off the apron. Orndorff rolls up Cameron as the Ref runs over and counts 1..2..3! BIG POP! Tony 'Simply The Best' St. Clair vs. 'The World's Strongest Man' Bill Kazmaier Kaz waits in the ring as the spotlight shines on the aisle. Tina Turner's 'Simply The Best' plays. St. Clair strolls down the aisle wearing a gold sequence robe. He's playing heel in the US, but in the UK, he's a legend. St. Clair gets in the ring and takes off his robe. He's wearing gold shiny tights, gold knee pads and shiny gold boots. Kaz gets in his moments and displays his awesome power as he slams and tosses St. Clair all around the ring. At one point St. Clair had Kaz in a headlock but Kaz hoisted St. Clair up and delivered a back suplex. Kaz looked to finish things off with his bearhug but luckily St. Clair punched his way out early. St. Clair gets things going his way and his wrestling experience comes into play. St. Clair nails Kaz with a rolling cannonball headbutt to the mid section, then takes the big man over with a floating butterfly suplex for the win. 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff vs. Sgt. Slaughter Here we go! The bell rings and both men tear into each other. Nikita is raging and takes control. He punches Slaughter down in the corner and unleashes with several kicks and stomps. Nikita hip tosses Slaughter across the ring. Slaughter staggers up as Nikita puts him down with a flying shoulder tackle. Nikita continues to work over Slaughter but Slaughter weathers the storm and turns the tide when Nikita charges but Slaughter back drops him out of the ring. Slaughter goes to the outside and swings Nikita into the steel post. Slaughter chokes Nikita with a cable, then hurls Nikita back in the ring. Slaughter hits a gut wrench suplex and follows with a back breaker but can't put Nikita away. Slaughter clotheslines Nikita down, then clamps on the Cobra Clutch! The fans cheer Nikita on as Nikita fights it and backpedals Slaughter into the turnbuckles. Nikita regroups and pounds away on Slaughter, then hits a snap suplex followed by a jumping fist drop 1..2..Kick Out. Nikita swings Slaughter to the ropes and flips him over with a knee to the mid section. The fans go wild as Nikita sets up for the Russian Sickle. Slaughter staggers up as Nikita charges, but at the last second, Slaughter "accidently" bumps the Ref and Nikita nails the Ref with the Russian Sickle. Slaughter groggily rolls out of the ring as Nikita checks on the Ref. Another Ref runs into the ring and checks on the original Ref. While all that is going on, Slaughter gets back in the ring with a chair. Nikita turns around as Slaughter busts his head open with the chair. Slaughter tosses the chair as the 2nd Ref turns around. Slaughter picks up the lifeless and bloody Nikita and clamps on the Cobra Clutch. The 2nd Ref quickly looks at Nikita and signals for the bell. Slaughter twirls Nikita around and tosses him. The 2nd Ref raises Slaughter's arm then calls for the Medics. BOOOOOOOO! AWA World Title Bout Jumbo Tsuruta (C) w/Ray Stevens vs. 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong As the introductions are made, there's a commotion in the crowd when Austin Idol appears and heads for the ring. Security quickly stops him and escorts him out. The entire time, Idol is yelling and pointing up at Armstrong. Back to business as the fans cheer when the Ref holds up the world title. The fans get an entertaining world title match. Despite Idol's distraction, Armstrong is in the zone. He frustrates Jumbo with arm drags, headlocks, hip tosses and take overs. Jumbo rolls out of the ring as Stevens helps him regroup. Jumbo takes control with a flying knee to the head. Jumbo follows with a suplex flurry. German Suplex, belly to back suplex, gut wrench suplex and a hanging vertical suplex but Armstrong stays in it. Jumbo hoists Armstrong on the turnbuckles and goes for a Superplex, but Armstrong clocks Jumbo with fists and forearm blasts, eventually knocking Jumbo to the canvas. Armstrong shakes the cobwebs. Jumbo staggers up as Armstrong nails him with a diving clothesline. Armstrong swings Jumbo to the ropes and back drops him. Jumbo starts to rise but Armstrong nails him with a knee lift. Armstrong delivers a vertical suplex, swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop 1..2..Kick Out. Armstrong slams Jumbo, hops on the middle turnbuckles and crashes down with a forearm drop 1..2..Kick Out. Armstrong picks up Jumbo and drops him with the Jaw Breaker 1..2..Jumbo gets his foot on the rope. Armstrong swings Jumbo to the ropes and goes for a back drop but Jumbo stops, grabs Armstrong and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Jumbo catches his breath. Jumbo picks up Armstrong and executes a front face suplex. Jumbo follows with a brain buster. Jumbo goes to the top rope and comes down with a flying knee drop. Jumbo picks up Armstrong and delivers the Powerbomb 1..2..3! Stevens runs in and hands Jumbo the world title. Jumbo raises it high. Winner of the match and STILL AWA World Champ- Jumbo Tsuruta

WrestleMania 5 is stacked and ready to deliver. At this point, Andre and Snuka might be passed their primes, but they're still huge money making names. Putting them in a showcase tag match at Mania is smart booking. I like the shine put on the upcoming Herc/Bossman match. The pick your poison match makes the road to Mania so much fun.

No doubt about it, this Austin kid is going places. The Juice Crew take advantage of all the chaos and get the win. I like that Malenko has been sort of the measuring stick for the New Generation. Steamboat is a great fit as champ in PCW. He definitely has a lot of heels to work with. Bam Bam is on the right track but it seems he still has some work to do with the Exchange. The Warriors look good in their first title defense. On the flip side, the Southern Boys have really fallen on hard times. Pillman's injuries are taking a toll, but man he's a true fighting champ. Vancouver, I agree with AD, I always like to use outside interference and payback later on to further feuds. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Rose always manages to stay in the spotlight here. Severn and Payne were off tonight while the OWC seem unstoppable. Bret racks up another solid win. Steamboat proves his title win was no fluke. I'm so intrigued with what's going on during Windham's entrances. Kelowna, Can Ams have been lighting it up lately. It's cool that we both have a team called the Dragon Kings. For a while we both had Midnight Express teams going. Great stuff Scotty might have a claim for a LHW title shot. Dustin vs. Cactus is a fun match up. Looks like Stormfront will have to work their way back up for another title shot. Hall takes down Hennig once again. Regal's off to a good start with the CA title.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-8-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to AWA Major League Wrestling. As you know, the AWA will be at the Royal Albert Hall in London tomorrow night. You will see highlights from that historic event next week. As for tonight, none other than the immortal Hulk Hogan will be inside the ring for another interview with Ken Resnick. I can't wait to hear what Hulk has to say. Also tonight, Brian Adias defends the AWA TV title against Bill Dundee. The San Juan Saints take on current rivals Vinergy. All that and a lot more, so let's go to the ring. Dory Funk Jr. vs. Trent Watkins Funk puts on another clinic as he takes his opponent to wrestling school and wins the match with the spinning toe hold. Commercial Break Footage from last week is shown as the British Bombers cost the Bruisers their match with Vinergy. The Bruisers vs. Vic Dutro and Willie Lopez The Bruisers are pissed and it shows. Strong executes a swinging back breaker on Lopez, then tags in Busick, who finishes things off with the Spinebuster Slam! Bruisers cut a promo and say the Bombers are so lucky they're in the UK right now, but when they return, the Bruisers will be waiting, not with open arms but with fists ready to knock their teeth in! Commercial Break Nelson: Fans, the AWA is really excited to be in the UK this weekend. As you know Jumbo Tsuruta will defend the AWA world title against Bob Armstrong. Also, after what happened last week, El Canek had no problem putting his number one contender spot on the line against Mike Miller. I think Canek just wants Miller in the ring, no matter what. Switching gears, I would like to bring over Spike Huber. Spike, it seems one Glamour Doll has had issues with you but so far, you've beaten him twice. As far as your concern, are these issues over? Huber: I'm not sure what his problem was with me, but yes, it's time for me to move on... WHAM! Glamor Doll runs out and nails Huber from behind with loaded bag. Huber is laid out on the ground. Doll pulls out some lipstick and colors Huber's face with it. Doll then pulls out another bag and pours glitter all over Huber. Doll smiles with approval and walks away. Nelson: (shaking his head in disgust at Doll) We're going to need some help out here. Commercial Break Cannonball Griz vs. Neil Jordan Griz is aggressive tonight as he angrily slams Jordan down. Griz goes to the middle ropes and crashes down with a splash for the win. Griz cuts a promo and warns Bill Kazmaier that he's not done with him Commercial Break Nelson: I'm here with Vinergy. In just a moment, you two will face the San Juan Saints. Now, the Vin Man is in the UK with Gary Young. Will that make a difference tonight? Putski: Hey, we're dedicating tonight's win to Vinnie. He's with us in spirit. Dukes: That's right. Hey, Vinergy's on a roll of a lifetime. You saw us put down the Bruisers last week, so all we can say is bring on the San Juan Aints! Vinergy vs. The San Juan Saints This is a high octane match with some heat. The tide turns back and forth and we see several pier six brawls. In the end all four men fight to the outside and around the ring, ending in a double c.o. They keep fighting into the commercial break. Commercial Break We come back and see highlights of Stan Hansen practically decapitating several wrestlers with his lariat. STAN HANSEN Is Coming to the AWA!!!!!! The Gunslingers vs. Harrold Bannister and Ray Glader The former National tag champs are in sync tonight and win the match with a double running bulldog. Nelson: Before I talk to the Gunslingers, I want to show you a special video sent to us by the AWA National tag champs, the Olympians. Ken Patera and Brad Rheingans are standing in a weight room. They're wearing sweat suits and the titles are around their waists. Rheingans: You know being an Olympian and a champion comes with a lot of duties and commitments. Well, one thing we want to do is help out future Olympians. Patera: That's right. Today, we want to bring in Jimmy. Jimmy is 12 years old and wants to be an Olympian weightlifter. Well, we're going to give him the proper guidance and advice he needs. Jimmy, come on over. 12 year old Jimmy walks over with excitement in his eyes. Patera: Ok Jimmy, show us what you got. Rheingans rolls out a bar with 300 lbs on it. Patera: Ok Jimmy, go ahead and do a simple overhead military press for us. Jimmy has an embarrassed and shocked look. Jimmy: Um Mr. Patera,, I can't do that. Patera and Rheingans look at each other and lower their heads. Patera: Jimmy, you've really disappointed us today. An Olympian never says the word CANT. Rheingans: Jimmy, you simply don't have what it takes. Patera: I was lifting twice as much as this weight when I was your age. Jimmy, this isn't for you. Go on, get out of here! Jimmy lowers his head and walks away. Patera: To be an Olympian and champion, you have to be something special, like us. That's why we're going to go down as the greatest champions of all time. The Olympians smile and pose, while holding up the 'number one' sign with their fingers. Back Live Nelson: I really can't believe what I just saw. Gunslingers, would you care to comment. Casey: That was despicable and low, even for the Olympians. Mantell: Hey Olympians, we're going to get those titles back and we're going to humiliate you as well. Let's see how you like it. Commercial Break AWA TV Title Bout 'Blockbuster' Brian Adias (C) vs. 'Superstar' Bill Dundee The bell rings but Adias is taking his sweet time taking off his sunglasses. Dundee has enough so he runs over, spins Adias around and punches him in the face. Adias's sunglasses fly off as Dundee pounds away on Adias. Dundee swings Adias to the ropes and puts him down with a back elbow smash. Dundee swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop 1..2..Kick Out. Dundee hoists Adias up and suplexes him back 1..2..Kick Out. Dundee swings Adias in the corner and charges in, but Adias lifts his knees and nails the charging Dundee in the face. Adias regroups. Dundee staggers up as Adias rakes his eyes and follows with a gut wrench suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Adias picks up Dundee and slams him down, then follows with a knee drop. Adias holds the top rope as he drops several more knees on Dundee. Adias chokes Dundee on the bottom rope, then swings off the opposite ropes and hits a body guillotine. Adias picks up Dundee and hits a Russian Leg Sweep 1..2..Dundee gets his foot on the rope. Adias argues with the Ref for too long. Adias goes for a suplex on Dundee but Dundee blocks it and suplexes Adias. Dundee shakes the cobwebs. Adias staggers up as Dundee unloads with Memphis style punches. Dundee swings Adias to the ropes and clotheslines him down. Dundee picks up Adias and swings him to the ropes, but when Adias swings back, he collides with the Ref. The Ref bounces over and down. Adias goes down and rolls out of the ring. Dundee is trying to wake the Ref up. Adias grabs his TV title off the ringside table and goes back in the ring. The Ref groggily gets to his knees. Adias is about to hit Dundee with the title but Dundee turns around, kicks Adias, grabs the title and nails Adias with it! Dundee covers as the Ref signals for the bell. Dundee gets up and celebrates. The Ref grabs the TV title and talks with the ring announcer. The Ref sets the title on Adias's chest and lifts his arm as the announcer announces that Dundee has been disqualified for hitting Adias with the title. BOOOOOOOO! Commercial Break Nelson: Ok fans, Ken Resnick is in the ring, so let's go to him. Resnick: Thank you very much Larry. AWA fans, here we go! Please welcome to the ring, the IMMORTAL HULK HOGAN! Eye of the Tiger blasts over the speakers. The fans go absolutely nuts as Hogan steps through the curtain. He stands there in jeans, Hulkamania tank top and headband. He looks around in awe as the fans roar. He points his fingers and heads down the aisle, slapping hands with the fans. He enters the ring and takes the cheers in. He nods and gives the fans the thumbs up. Resnick: (looks around in amazement at the fans reaction) Hulk Hogan, welcome to AWA TV. You had quite the debut at Title Night and judging by this reaction, the fans are behind you 100%. Hogan: Well let me tell you something Killer Ken! Hulkamania is now running wild in the AWA and nothing can stop this momentum brother! When Hulk Hogan arrived in the AWA, I told all my Hulkamaniacs that I wanted to face the best competition here and conquer Mount AWA. I'm a man of my word and I'm ready to back those words up. Hogan reaches in his back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. Resnick: What might that be Hulk? Hogan: (holds up the paper) Right here in my hand is an open contract for the next AWA pay per view event in April. Champagne Slam brother! My name is already on it. I told you I wanted to face the best the AWA had to offer, so at Champagne Slam I will face any wrestler who puts his name on the dotted line. Resnick: I've got to say, that's a pretty bold challenge. Hogan: I'm here to prove to my Hulkamaniacs that we can take on any challenge put against us. There's a huge commotion in the crowd. A man wearing a bandana, jeans and cut off shirt approaches the ring. Resnick: My goodness! It's Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy! Gordy walks into the ring and snatches Resnick's mic. Gordy: Oh yea, that's right! Terry Gordy is back from Japan and ready to rock! You know, when I was in Japan cracking skulls, all I heard about was Hulk Hogan is in the AWA. Hulkamania has arrived in the AWA. Hulkamania is going to run wild in the AWA. Well, let me tell you something Hulk Hogan, nobody runs wild on Terry Gordy! The last time I was here, I gave Kerry Von Erich such a beating that he packed his bags and left. That got me thinking. So, I've decided, I'm going to do the same to you! You want an opponent for Champagne Slam? You just got one boy! Gordy snatches the paper from Hogan and signs it, then throws the paper in Hogan's face. Hogan starts to boil as Gordy throws the mic back at Resnick and calmly exits the ring. Resnick: (gathers himself) I can't believe it. I was not expecting that. How about it Hulk? Are you prepared for Terry Gordy? Hogan looks around at the fans. The fans go wild as Hogan rips off his shirt. Hogan: Hell yes I'm ready! (Cheers get even louder) Terry Gordy! You're wrong and at Champagne Slam whatcha gonna do when Hulk Hogan, Hulkamania and all my Hulkamaniacs run wild on you! Eye of the Tiger blasts as Hogan does his poses.