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AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 5-12-88 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. Lots of excitement as our champions and their challengers are in Alaska, awaiting Title Night. A historic AWA event indeed. But before we get there, we have an exciting show for you tonight. Carlos Colon takes on Buzz Sawyer. The Gunslingers will face a mystery tag team. Johnny Rich clashes with the Dream Machine. All that and so much more. Right now, you're going to hear pre recorded comments from AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow, who's in Alaska as we speak. Morrow is standing in front of the ring inside Sullivan Arena. Morrow: Greetings from Alaska! It is cold here but de AWA will heat dis place up wit de red hot action at Title Night. Right now, I need to address two items. Greg Gagne approached me earlier dis week with revenge on his mind and has made a loser leaves town challenge to Billy Jack Strong. Billy has eagerly accepted. And so, tonight, it will be Billy Jack Strong verses Greg Gagne's newest client in a loser leaves town match. Next item, due to de departure of Chris Adams, there is a spot open in de upcoming Memorial Day Tournament. So, de winner of de Dream Machine, Johnny Rich match tonight will get entry into de tournament. HAHAHA, enjoy tonight and I'll see all of you at Title Night. Commercial Break Synergy vs. Phil Elliot and Seth Maxwell Ricky Rice and Scott Armstrong have quickly become a cohesive unit and it shows tonight. They double back drop Maxwell and follow with the double dropkick for the win. Nelson: Tremendous win for Synergy. Fans, this weekend, the AWA brings Title Night to Alaska. Ken Resnick will be hosting the televised special. Not only will you be seeing 5 title bouts but a bonus match has been added. United Kingdom's Dave Taylor got his wish and will be facing the Ultimate Warrior. Commercial Break Footage from a couple weeks ago is shown as Billy Jack Strong defeated Mike George in a loser leaves town match. Loser Leaves Town Match! Billy Jack Strong vs.??? Strong waits in the ring with confidence as Greg Gagne strolls in and grabs the mic. Gagne: Listen up Billy Jackass, you thought you got one over on Gagne's Gang, but think again. I told you the muscle was coming and here he is. The man who's going to send you packing, my newest client...Tony Atlas! The crowd boos as Atlas comes down the aisle and into the ring. Atlas hugs Gagne. Gagne points and laughs at Strong before exiting. The Ref signals for the bell. Atlas and Strong lock up. Atlas pushes Strong back and starts flexing. Strong nods his head and locks up again. Atlas rears back and pushes Strong down again. Atlas does more flexing as Gagne applauds. They lock up again, but this time Strong rears back and pushes Atlas down. Atlas is pissed as Strong does some flexing of his own. Atlas gets up and takes a wild swing but Strong ducks and atomic drops Atlas into the turnbuckles. Atlas hits hard and staggers back as Strong grabs him and hits an overhead German suplex. Strong swings off the ropes but Gagne reaches in and trips him. Strong stumbles but turns around and runs out after Gagne. Strong chases him around the ring. Gagne slides into the ring and out the other side. Strong slides into the ring but runs right into a clothesline from Atlas. Atlas works Strong over with punches, thrusts, stomps, chokes and headbutts. Gagne also gets his shots in while Atlas distracts the Ref. Atlas goes for a suplex but Strong fights it and suplexes Atlas! Strong fires up and goes to town on Atlas with slams, back drops and suplexes. Strong hits a backbreaker, hops on the middle ropes and connects with a knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Strong hoists Atlas up and hits a running shoulder breaker 1..2..(Gagne puts Atlas's foot on the rope) The Ref sees Atlas foot and tells Strong. Gagne's on the apron. Strong grabs Gagne and lifts him off his feet. Gagne's terrified. Atlas nails Strong from behind with a jumping headbutt. Atlas swings Strong to the ropes and puts him down with a double axehandle. Atlas then executes 3 consecutive German suplexes, then hits a bridging back suplex 1..2..3! Gagne runs in the ring, gives Strong a stomp, then raises Atlas's arm in victory. BOOOOOOO! Commercial Break 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff vs. Neil Jordan The fans need a pick up and Nikita gives it to them by finishing things off with the Russian Sickle. Nikita cuts a promo about his goal to win the AWA world title and says the Memorial Day Tournament is the first step in achieving that goal. Nelson says the first round tournament match ups will be announced next week. Commercial Break Nelson: Fans, the tag team division in the AWA is hotter than ever. Joining me right now is one of those teams, I'm talking about the Glamour Boys. The Glamour Boys comes down the aisle slapping hands and hugging the fans. WHAM! From behind, they're attacked by the HARRIS BROTHERS! The Harris Brothers give quite a beating. They hoist Doll up and throat drop him on the guardrail. They grab Simpson and throw him into the steel post. They head over to Nelson and take his mic. "When we're paid to get a job done, we follow through!" Commercial Break Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Quinton Barnes Fujinami looks outstanding and wins the match with the Dragon Suplex. Nelson mentions that Tatsumi Fujinami is one of his favorites to win the Memorial Day Tournament. Commercial Break Winner gets a spot in the Memorial Day Tournament 'The Wild One' Johnny Rich vs. The Dream Machine The bell rings and these guys rip into each other. They have a furious exchange and fight through the ropes. They hammer each other around the ring. Rich hurls Dream into the ring, but when he slides in, Dream nails him with a knee. Dream grabs the top rope and drops several knees on Rich. Dream chokes Rich on the bottom rope, then swings off the opposite side and comes back with a body guillotine. Dream picks up Rich and delivers a hanging suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Dream chokes Rich and breaks at the Ref's 5 count, then does it again. Dream swings Rich to the ropes and goes for a back drop but Rich kicks him. Dream is staggering as Rich puts him down with a clothesline, then regroups. Rich swings Dream into the corner, hops up on the turnbuckles and punches Dream 10 times as the fans count along. Rich monkey flips Dream to the center of the ring. Dream sits up as Rich executes a neck snap. Rich grabs Dream and hits a Jawbreaker 1..2..Dream barley gets his shoulder up. As Rich gets up. Dream rolls out of the ring. Rich goes towards him but the Ref guides him back. Dream reaches in his tights, pulls out a foreign object and loads his mask. Dream gets towards the apron but Rich sprints over and baseball slides him into the ringside table. Rich goes out and starts messing with Dream's mask. The fans cheer as Rich turns Dream's mask around. The Ref goes out and threatens to count both men out. Rich hurls Dream into the ring. Dream frantically readjusts his mask. As Rich climbs through the ropes, Dream headbutts him with the loaded mask and covers 1..2..3! The fans boo as Dream gets out of there in a hurry. Commercial Break Nelson: Well, under very tainted circumstances, Dream Machine gets a spot in the Memorial Day Tournament. Next week, we'll have the opening round match up announcements. Fans, this weekend, in Alaska at Title Night, you're going to see all the titles on the line plus Dave Taylor vs. The Ultimate Warrior. It will be a historic night indeed. Let's get back to the ring for a special tag team match up. The Gunslingers vs. A mystery team The Gunslingers wait patiently for their unknown opponents. A ring attendant comes in the ring and hands the announcer a note. He announces the mystery team as The Unhinged Outlaws. Jesse Barr and Joel Deaton hit the ring and start brawling with the Gunslingers! The next few minutes is nothing but a pier six brawl. The match never officially begins but there's one heck of a fight happening. Commercial Break Nelson: My goodness! I have no idea what that was all about. Apparently, Jesse Barr and Joel Deaton have an issue with the Gunslingers. Jeez, ok let's get back to the ring. Kokina w/Abbuda Iaukea vs. Todd Rooney Kokina hits the Samoan Drop and it's all over. Iaukea cuts a promo and warns Nick Busick that Kokina isn't done with him! Commercial Break Carlos Colon vs. 'Mad Dog' Buzz Sawyer The bell rings as Sawyer hits the ring and charges Colon. Colon's taken off guard as Sawyer punches and stomps him into the corner. Sawyer picks up Colon and hangs him upside down in the corner and continues to kick and stomp away on Colon. Sawyer then starts biting Colon. Sawyer yanks Colon out. Sawyer slams Colon, hops on the middle ropes and comes down with a double stomp to the chest. Sawyer paces around the ring like a madman, yelling and laughing. Sawyer slowly walks over and picks up Colon for a slam, but Colon cradles him 1..2..3! Big POP! Colon rolls over but Sawyer starts pounding away on him. Sawyer swings Colon to the ropes and hits his powerslam. Sawyer goes to the outside and grabs his chain. As he heads to the ring, a swarm of security guards and officials run out to stop him. Sawyer starts going crazy and swings his chain around. As all this is going on, a groggy Colon slowly regroups, rolls to the outside and grabs a chair. Sawyer is telling him to bring it as he swings his chain. More Security and wrestlers come out to prevent a bloodbath. The show ends on this chaotic scene. For some reason, I couldn't post pictures. Hopefully I'll figure it out.

I love that WCW is pushing international stars. They have acquired top names from Japan and Mexico. So cool to see Gary Hart as the mouthpiece for Japan. I'm with Kev, Hart was awesome on the mic. Michael Hayes wants it all. Harley vs. Dusty proves that the old vets still have a lot to offer. Can't wait for the big six man tag. Slick is the man with the plan. You nailed his promos. This will be a fun match up. How can the Rockers overcome this colossal challenge??? The show closes with a shocker as Spivey dethrones Savage for the US title! This was set up so well. The injury keeps Savage strong. I must admit, I like Spivey's push here. He deserved this IRL. I wonder what's up with Bock? Great week!

The Nightmares can do well here. They've been around and are a cohesive unit. I've said this before, but I really enjoy mid card feuds. The Buffalo Soldiers and Tough Guy Inc. fit this perfectly. Jones's boys get a huge TV win over their current rivals. Love your Battlebowl concept and what makes this great is the stakes involved. Winner meets Tully at one of the NWA's flagship events. Pretty big deal. Pride gets one of his biggest career wins over Kabuki. Looks like Jones is done with Kabuki. It's bad enough facing the Sheepherders but add in Foley and it's almost too much for anybody. Looks like Morgan just wanted to hurt Prichard. He succeeded. Lighfoot wins a big battle against Wahoo. Nothing solved between the Garvin's, which means plenty more to come. Jones bad luck continues as the Warriors send the Moondogs packing. Good grief! That Arabian Death match was nuts. That's really the only way to put Abby down. The NWA always had exciting summers and this summer's going to be sizzling!

AWA @ The All Seasons Arena, Minot, North Dakota 5-7-88 'Luscious' Lanny Poffo defeated Salvatore Bellomo with a moonsault. Poffo got some good heat with his antics. AWA TV Champ Brian Adias defeated Gene Ligon with a cradle suplex Chicky Starr defeated 'The Wild One' Johnny Rich- During a Ref bump, Dream Machine ran out and headbutted Rich with his loaded mask. Chicky waited for the Ref to gain his senses, then dropped his corkscrew elbow for the tainted win. Synergy (Scott Armstrong and Ricky Rice) and Scott 'Powerhouse' Putski battled The Original Midnight Express and Cannonball Griz w/Norvell Austin to a 20 minute draw- Thrilling seesaw battle that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. El Canek defeated Crusher Blackwell w/Greg Gagne by DQ, when of course Greg Gagne interfered. Canek was able to hurl Blackwell out of the ring, then pleased the fans when he military pressed Gagne and threw him out onto Blackwell. Nick Busick and Billy Jack Strong defeated Kokina and Abbuda Iaukea- Hard hitting and heat filled match as these 4 men pounded and tore into each other. At the 15 minute mark a pier six brawl broke out. During the melee, Busick put Iaukea down with the Spinebuster Slam for the win. Kokina wanted to keep the fight going but thought better when Busick and Strong were ready to oblige. Nikita Koloff defeated Dream Machine- During the match, Johnny Rich came to ringside but Security stopped him. Dream was yelling down and pointing at Rich when Nikita grabbed Dream and hit an overhead German Suplex. Nikita backed up and waited. Dream staggered up as Nikita put him down with the Russian Sickle to send the fans home very happy.

Great opening segment. One thing I know, if Dundee and Bruno are talking Rip out of suspending DJ, they have a plan. Renesto is one of my favorites here. He gets some good attention today. His brother wants to team up but the Zebra Kid stands in the way. Intriguing. Yep, what a plan! I could see the studio crowd exploding at the finish. Man, I can't wait to see DJ as Dundee and Bruno's valet. Priceless.

Christopher is building serious momentum heading into his LHW title match. A squash match is always a great way to get a talent back on track. Lee's going to be alright. Look at that, Leo Burke is back home! Citadel and the Army sound like they're going to give the heels problems. I agree with Burke, Pacific is the place where stars are born. The Vampires are back and even more ruthless. HMMMM, Backlund is snapping a bit and Anvil noticed. Lethal Larry returns and joins up with the Diamond Exchange. I loved writing for him and Atlas, so I can't wait to see what you have planned for Cameron this time around. Portland, Perez is getting over with submission finishes. Singh is on a monster roll. He's found his place in Pacific. Burke's comeback kicks off with a win. Hall and Hennig could be a solid team here. They already proved it by defeating the Wrecking Crew. LOL, Rose gets a win any way he can. Severn regains his focus. Big moment for the Lethal Weapons as they take the champs to the limit. Eugene, Lynn tried but Malenko's experience was the deciding factor. Regal fires with fire and it worked. Anvil powers his way to another win. Another guy who's been on a roll is Furnas. The Wild Things are in full sync. It's going to be hard getting the straps off these guys. Cheetah Kid proves he belongs in the main event spot and is keeping the LHW title hot.

Cooley's always been a game favorite. Looking forward to watching him tear it up in the NWA. Watch out NWA, because the Sheepherders are back! I knew one thing was for sure after the Crockett Cup, and that is the Horsemen were going to party. What a scene. Tully is going to rock as champ. What I loved most was that during all the celebrating, Arn is all business. Get ready RnR. I can't wait for this feud. Lightfoot stays tuned up for Wahoo. Prichard wins a battle in the Beauty and the Beast feud. Damn! Tough Guy Inc really did a number on Boone. Ross vows revenge and the Buffalo Soldiers are reunited. I love this team and the name. Now we get to watch them reach their full potential. SSM and Abby get wild and crazy! This has been a gem of a feud and we're going to get plenty more. Worldwide, The NWA has a built up quite the tag team division. Add in the Patriots. Debeers gets the win but he's still got to deal with Brody. Battlebowl! Bring it on! Taylor better get ready because he's got a very pissed off Flair coming after him. Once again, I liked how you changed up the dynamics by having Flair feud with the Horsemen. You took a risk and it's paid off nicely. Props to you. Enjoyed the Crockett Cup follow up. Good things are coming.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 5-5-88 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you'll see a rematch from Champagne Slam as Scott Putski takes on Cannonball Griz with a TV title shot at Title Night on the line. The Glamour Boys take on Badd Co. All that and a lot more including comments from the AWA world champ Bad News Brown. Let's go to the ring. 'Crippler' Rip Oliver vs. Jorge Gonzales Oliver is aggressive tonight and finishes things off with the piledriver! Nelson: Ok, next weekend at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage Alaska, the AWA will present its next Title Night event. Rip Oliver, you get your big shot at the world title. Are you prepared for Bad News Brown? Oliver: They call me Crippler for a reason. I proved that to Ray Stevens and now it's time to prove it to Bad News Brown. I'm focused, prepared and more than ready to take the gold. Commercial Break AWA National Tag Team Champs Venomous vs. Clyde Putnam and Ray Glader Venomous excites the fans and turn things way up when Cobra executes a suplerplex on Putnam and Kat follows with a frog splash for the win! Venomous cut a promo as Kat says they're not only going to retain at Title Night but they're going to get some sweet payback on the Midnight Express. Commercial Break Nelson: Well, with me right now is Baby Doll and I believe she has something to say. Baby Doll: That's right, I do, so just keep quiet for a minute Larry. My client Chris Adams has left the AWA. WCCW is back in business and Fritz made him an offer he couldn't refuse. It's business and I can accept that. Now, moving on. As you know, I managed Tommy Rich, who became AWA world champion. I've decided to try my luck again, only this time with a team. I've got my eye on a couple tag teams and when I decide who I will manage, trust me, I'm going to take them all the way. Commercial Break The Glamour Boys vs. Badd Co. These teams go at it at a fever pitch. The match is a seesaw, high octane, back and forth encounter. Both teams show off their chemistry as they execute several stereo moves. After a few minutes, Badd Co. is in control as Doll plays the face in peril. Doll finally makes the hot tag and Simpson cleans house. Simpson keeps up the pace for a minute before Diamond nails him with a knee to the back from the apron. Badd Co regains control and Simpson takes a beating. Badd Co goes for a double back drop, but Simpson flips over and tags in Doll. Doll is on fire, until Badd Co start double teaming him. Simpson runs in and it's a pier six brawl. The Glamour Boys double dropkick Tanaka through the ropes. Diamond staggers around and is met with a double hot shot! Doll covers 1..2..3! Big POP! Commercial Break Dream Machine vs. Arnie Goldstein Dream swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop for the win. Nelson: Dream Machine, it looks like you and Johnny Rich still haven't settled things and next week right here on TV, you guys will go at it once again. Dream: Ya know, I heard old Johnny Boy out here last week talking a big game. Big talk from a wannabe Rich. Listen up babay! Next week I'm going to beat you up so bad, they're going to have to peel you off the mat! Commercial Break Crusher Blackwell and The Fortunate Ones w/Greg Gagne vs. Carl Kellerman, Vic Dutro and Willie Lopez Stubbs and Young execute a double suplex on Lopez as Blackwell follows with a big splash for the easy win. Nelson: Well, it looks like we've got the whole Gagne Gang with us. Oh, wait a minute, thanks to Billy Jack Strong, I guess there's one person missing. Gagne: Oh, that's cute Nelson, real cute. Mike George deserved better but don't think for a minute I'm going to forget about you Billy Jerk. Gagne's Gang has some serious muscle coming and you all will be sorry. Now, in a couple weeks, Crusher Blackwell is going to get the golden ticket to WrestleRock, because he's going to steamroll everybody in the Memorial Day Tournament. I can only hope he gets to mow over that moron El Canek during the tournament. Next up, my Fortunate Ones. These two were the survivors in the elimination match at Champagne Slam. So, I have to ask, why are the Guerreros wrestling for the world tag titles at Title Night? Shouldn't it be the Fortunate Ones? AWA C.O.O Gerry Morrow walks out with Brenda Britton. Britton snatches the mic from Nelson. Britton: You know the drill Larry, get lost. Hi everybody! Ok Gerry, talk to them. Morrow: AHHHHH thank you Brenda. I for one am looking forward to Title Night in Alaska. De AWA is venturing out and I'm loving every minute. After all, it is my vision. Greg Gagne, I have heard you loud and clear and you bring up a valid point. I'll tell you what, after de Title Night, I will guarantee your Fortunate Ones a world tag team title shot. Fair Enough? Morrow extends his hand. Gagne: As always Mr. Morrow Gagne shakes his hand. Gagne's Gang walks away with smiles. Britton: Gerry, you are the man. Until next time toooodles. Commercial Break AWA Mid-American Champ Larry Zbyszko vs. Neil Jordan Larry hits the swinging neckbreaker for the win. Nelson: Larry Zbyszko, at Title Night, it's you and Austin Idol for the Mid- American title. Larry: Is it really? Wow, thanks for clearing that up for me Nelson, you're so informative. Geez, I can't believe we have the same first name. Can you please change yours? Anyways, I've already taken this title from Idol. Our rematch at Title Night is just a formality. I'm walking out with this title and that's that. Commercial Break Nelson: Coming out now are the AWA World Tag Team Champs. DJ Peterson and Kevin Kelly along with the Vin Man. Vin Man comes out, but the champs are nowhere in sight. Nelson: What's going on here? Where are the champs? Vin: Hold on a sec Larbo. I'm out here to assure you and everybody else that there is absolutely no problems or issues whatsoever between the champs. They are in sync more than ever and they're going to prove that to those chump Guerrero brothers at Title Night. Oh Larbo, before I forget, do me a favor, when you announce the champs, announce Kevin Kelly's name first. It's ok, DJ's cool with it. Thanks Larbo! Nelson: (rolls his eyes) Yea, no issues at all. Commercial Break Winner gets an AWA TV Title shot at Title Night Scott 'Powerhouse' Putski vs. Cannonball Griz w/Norvell Austin The bell rings and these guys go toe to toe, exchanging hard punches. Griz rakes Putski's eyes and scoop slams him down. Griz swings off the ropes and goes for an elbow drop but Putski moves. Putski gets up. Griz staggers up as Putski swings off the ropes and clotheslines Griz down. Norvell hops on the apron but jumps down when Putski charges towards him. Putski hops on the middle ropes. Griz staggers up as Putski nails him with a diving forearm blast 1..2..Kick Out. Putski swings Griz into the corner and charges in, but Griz moves as Putski crashes into the turnbuckles. Griz regroups, pulls Putski out, lifts him up and throat drops him on the top rope. Griz picks up Putski and chokes him on the top rope, then rakes his head across the top rope. Griz picks up Putski and delivers a shoulder breaker 1..2..Kick Out. Griz picks up Putski and hits a backbreaker 1..2..Kick Out. Norvell yells at the Ref. Griz swings Putski to the ropes and goes for a back drop but Putski kicks him. Putski hammers away on Griz, swings him to the ropes and puts him down with a flying back elbow smash. Putski swings off the ropes and hits a jumping knee drop 1..Putski sees Norvell on the apron and runs over. Putski grabs Norvell by his shirt, winds up and punches Norvell. Norvell goes flying off the apron as the fans go wild. Griz pulls a foreign object from his tights and puts it in his elbow pad, then sneaks up from behind and forearm blasts Putski through the ropes. Griz stands back and counts along with the Ref until he hits 10. BOOOOOOO! Cannonball Griz gets a TV title shot at Title Night. Commercial Break Nelson: What a show this has been. Next week you're going to see Carlos Colon go one on one with a returning Buzz Sawyer. Johnny Rich takes on Dream Machine. The Gunslingers have signed to face a debuting mystery team. More announcements regarding the Memorial Day Tournament. Should be an exciting show. Ok, joining me now is the AWA World Champion Bad News Brown. Brown looks rested as he walks out in his buttoned down suit, gold chains showing and the title on his shoulder. Nelson: Next week in Alaska, you will be defending that world title against Rip Oliver. Your thoughts? Brown: My thoughts? Let me give you some names. Ricky Steamboat, Jerry Lawler, Al Perez, Carlos Colon. What do they have in common? They all went down to Bad News Brown. What makes Rip Oliver any different? He's got some fight, that's for sure and I like that, but he's not a serious threat. He's not a serious challenger. He's going down and he's falling hard and that's bad news for the so called Crippler! The show ends with Bad News Brown holding up the title with his other fist held high.

Wrestling is back in the Mid South Coliseum! Even though Dutch wasn't in the tournament, he makes his presence known right away by costing Douglas his match. Dundee advances in his return. Rogers upsets Keirn. Scorpio loses to Slater but shows he has a bright future here. Dutch strikes again. He may have costed Dundee the match but him and Gaylord paid the price. LOL, just like that, Slater takes care of Rogers. Bullet Bob is on fire and scores the fall in a wild cage match. Finals! WOW! What a shocker! TOMMY RICH is back in the game! Landel is the new champ! Talk about heat! Slater and Rich are going to tear it up. I can't wait for Landel's promo next week. We're off and running now.

The newspaper article is such a great touch. Dundee and Bruno take advantage of DJ's absence, but DJ manages to sneak in on the Michaels/Knighton match. I wonder what Tyler will say about that. Tojo keeps his heat with the kendo stick. I assume Rose wasn't happy with the DQ win. However, he has a good case for a rematch.

I loved the contrast between the first and second match. Can anybody beat the Outlaws in a brawl? JYD shows Moretti why he's Mid South's big dog. Oh man, Woman screws up badly and costs Vader his match with Manny. Looks like Hot Stuff Inc is rebuilding as both Steiners take a beating. Scott's previous beating takes a toll as we now have new champs! I enjoyed Herc and Scott's run, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to a wild and crazy Barbarians run. Snowman causes quite the scene that it costs Reed the title yet again. I can't wait to hear Ladd's solution to this problem. I wonder if Williams is next in line for Luger? Oh man, Dibiase and Jake had their working boots on tonight as they gave the fans their money's worth. Dibiase's money pays off as Alofa saves the day. What a thrilling ending. This was great because it sets up another blow off. Superb storytelling.

You said it, a barnburner match kicks things off as Reno and Wolf win this battle with a crowd pleasing win. I hope Dark Journey was listening. When Tyler says he means business, he means business. Two top names battling for a title shot. Doesn't get any better than this. Rose earns his rematch and Ash better be on his A game. I have to say, Zebra Kid is now a made man.

Steamboat and Savage go toe to toe in WCW's biggest TV match ever! Savage is seriously hurt. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out because Savage is so unpredictable in his thinking. Not going to lie, I'm going to enjoy Hayes's TV title reign. I do wonder what Slick is up to??? HOOOOOOOOOO! Big ending to the show as Hacksaw Duggan arrives to help Dusty. Dusty and Duggan going up against the Russians is big money.

Lance and Dutch are such a great balance. Keirn gets things off to a fabulous start. What a way to return to the Mid South Coliseum! Look at those names in the tournament! And now we're going to get Dutch vs. the returning Memphis icon Dundee in a qualifying match. Lawler might not be back, but having Dundee is pretty damn good. Rogers made the very best career decision coming here. He's a highlight. Adding Terry Power gives him even more heat. Great stuff. Another guy thriving here is Shane Douglas. Working with Dutch is going to elevate Shane to another level. Tonight's angle was great TV. YES! Bullet Bob is back in the game! I agree with Lowblow, he still has so much to offer and Memphis is the place to prove that. This territory is so entertaining!

I'm really liking the Christopher story. Cornette's guidance has paid off tremendously. Oh man, if the Playboy Club and Diamond Exchange are in cahoots, PCW is in serious trouble. Perez is getting some nice shine and that quick win over Spicoli will gain more buzz. Cornette has built up a damn good faction, especially with muscle like Big Cat. Sad to see them go but Coast to Coast had one heck of a PCW run. WOW! Lee returns and Makhan puts Haynes out on a stretcher! This was big! Owen and Pierre deserves a shot. With a bit more experience, the Hollys will get their day. Vancouver, Steamboat is making a name for himself. I'm sure Ricky is proud. There are so many awesome teams in PCW, but the FOJ might just be my favorites. I love these guys. No matter what, Flowers knows how to pull out the wins. He's a sneaky one. It's rare when we see heels get attacked by other heels, but it's so cool to see a shake up. Hart and Sawyer was one of my favorite feuds here and it had to end in the cage. Hitman prevails over the Mad Dog! Kelowna, I hope the PCW champs are keeping an eye on the Destruction Crew. St. Clair rebounds from his Anvil loss in a big way. Speaking of Anvil, I would call his loss to Furnas a minor upset. I would like to see these powerhouses go at it again. Poor Wellington. Makhan is on a terror right now! Cheetah Kid keeps the LHW division rocking as he closes out the night with an exciting win. You do an amazing job with talent. I always love picking up guys after their runs here because they've been built up so well. Keep up the great work!

AWA sends Bruce Prichard to WWF.

AWA picks up Joel Deaton

AWA releases Mike George, Richard Charland and Mike Miller

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 4-28-88 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you'll see Nikita Koloff.in action. Mike George takes on Billy Jack Strong in a loser leaves town match. Huge main event as Nick Busick teams with El Canek to take on Kokina and Crusher Blackwell. And yes, the Ultimate Warrior will make his televised wrestling debut. That and so much more, let's get to the ring. 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff vs. Winston Long The fans chant "Ni-ki-ta" throughout the match. Nikita finishes things off with the Russian Sickle! Nelson: Great win tonight, Nikita. Memorial Day Weekend at the St. Paul Civic Center, the annual eight man tournament takes place, with the winner getting a world title shot at WrestleRock. The eight men participating will be Carlos Colon, Chris Adams, Crusher Blackwell, El Canek, Chicky Starr, Tatsumi Fujinami, Mid American Champ Larry Zbyszko and Nikita Koloff. I'm sure you're looking forward to that. Nikita: From the moment I came to the AWA, my sights have been set on the world title. Thanks to Chris Adams, I got off track. Now that that's over, I'm focused and ready to tear through the competition and earn that title shot! Nikita does his trap pose as the fans cheer. Commercial Break United Kingdom vs. Trent Watkins and Leon Johnson Taylor hits a double underhook suplex as Haystacks follows with a gigantic elbow drop for the win. United Kingdom talk about Haystacks going on an upcoming European tour while Taylor will stay here and continue to wipe out the pathetic American competition. He even mentions the Ultimate Warrior and how he would love to teach that joke a wrestling lesson. Commercial Break "The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol vs. Seth Maxwell Idol ends things quick with the Las Vegas Leglock. Nelson: Fans, on May 12th at the Sullivan Arena in Alaska, that's right Alaska, the AWA will hold its next Title Night. Austin Idol, you have been granted a rematch for the Mid American Title against Larry Zbyszko. I have to ask, with all this non sense going on with Lanny Poffo, will you be able to focus on Zbyszko and the Mid American Title? Idol: Lanny Poffo! You call yourself a man, well baby, you're the sorriest excuse for a man if I've ever seen one. You fit the bill of a coward and nothing more! You costed me the title and trust me darling, you're going to pay dearly. But, before I end you, I'm going to win back the Mid American Title! That's a fact Jack! Commercial Break Loser Leaves Town Match! Billy Jack Strong vs. 'Marvelous' Mike George w/Greg Gagne The bell rings as Gagne distracts Strong, which allows George to nail Strong with a high knee to the back. George hurls Strong to the outside. George distracts the Ref as Gagne picks up Strong and slams his head on the apron, then hurls him back in the ring. George picks up Strong and gives him a Jawbreaker 1..2..Kick Out. Both George and Gagne berate the Ref. George swings Strong to the ropes and hits a sidewalk slam 1..2..Kick Out. Gagne and George are livid. George picks up Strong and swings him hard into the turnbuckles and charges in, but Strong nails him with both boots! George staggers up as Strong clotheslines him down. George staggers up as Strong scoop slams him down and follows with a jumping knee drop 1..2..Strong gets up because he sees Gagne going to the top rope. Strong runs over and grabs Gagne. As George staggers up, Strong throws Gagne like a dart into George! Strong picks up Gagne and hurls him over the top rope. Strong picks up George and hits an inverted piledriver 1..2..3!!!! Huge Pop! Mike George is out of the AWA. Commercial Break The Original Midnight Express w/Norvell Austin vs. Vic Dutro and Willie Lopez Midnight's hit the double flapjack and it's all over. Cannonball Griz joins Norvell and the Midnights at ringside. Nelson: Norvell, your Midnights have a big opportunity coming up at Title Night. They get a National Tag Team title shot with Venomous. The last time those two teams met was in Puerto Rico. Also, next week, your man Cannonball Griz will wrestle Scott Putski for a TV title shot at Title Night. Norvell: This just gets better and better, doesn't it? My Midnights whooped it up at the Crockett Cup, then went on a vacation to the Bahamas. Just to remind all these idiots, they earned that vacation by winning the Toast to the Tag Teams Tournament. Now, they're back, rested, recharged, rejuvenated and ready to take the titles from those masked freaks. In Puerto Rico, we left them laid out and knocked out! This time, we're going to do worse. Oh and my main man Griz is going to run right over Putski next week and then take the TV title from that fluke winning Brian Adias. What a night it will be! Commercial Break 'The Wild One' Johnny Rich vs. Bruce Looper Rich hits the flying elbow drop from the top rope for the pin. Nelson: Johnny, last week Dream Machine was wrestling Brian Adias for the TV title. I believe you saved the day when you stopped Dream from loading a foreign object in his mask. I imagine that felt pretty good, since you probably haven't forgotten that chair shot he gave you at Champagne Slam. Rich: Not gonna lie Larry, it felt damn good! Congratulations to Brian Adias on his TV title win. As for you Dream Machine, if you want to do something about what I did, come on and try boy! Commercial Break Hector and Chavo Guerrero w/Mando Guerrero vs. Hal White and Jersey Joe Hector back drops Joe. As Joe staggers up, Chavo hits a sunset flip from the top rope for the win! Nelson: Big news for the Guerreros, at Title Night, you get a world tag team title match with DJ Peterson and Kevin Kelly, watch out for the Vin Man. Hector: This is our first crack at the AWA world straps and we're more than ready brother! Chavo: We've held titles all over the world and it's time to add the AWA titles to our resume. Mando: Hey, don't worry about the Vin Man, that's what I'm here for! Commercial Break Nelson: Joining me right now is the new AWA TV Champ, Brian Adias. Brian, congratulations on winning the TV title. I'm sure you'll have a successful run. Brian: Thank you very much Larry. This title means more than you can imagine. I'm looking forward to defending it against all the top competition right here on TV. Right now, I would like to bring out my partner Ricky Rice. Rice comes out and hugs Brian. Brian: Ricky, you were there when I needed you and we made Synergy work. There was no way I was going to leave you high and dry. You and I figured this out and now it's time to tell everyone what's going on. Synergy will continue and we found a partner and man he's the perfect fit. We're talking about Scott Armstrong! Armstrong comes out and hugs Adias and Rice. Adias smiles and motions to the ring. Synergy (Ricky Rice and Scott Armstrong) vs. Sam Smith and Todd Rooney Rice and Armstrong are wearing matching black pants with a yellow stripe swirled around them and down to their yellow boots. They defiantly have chemistry as they execute several stereo moves before finishing things off with a double dropkick. Adias runs in and holds their arms up, then raises his TV title as the fans cheer. Commercial Break Crusher Blackwell and Kokina w/Abbuda Iaukea vs. El Canek and Nick Busick w/Mando Guerrero Gagne must still be reeling because he's not out here. A lot of bad blood here and I'm sure you know how this is going to go. The bell rings, Canek and Blackwell hammer away on each other as Kokina and Busick go toe to toe. On the outside, Iaukea starts something with Mando and sparks fly! Here we go, Gagne and the Fortunate Ones run out. Gagne helps Iaukea beat up on Mando as the Fortunate Ones hit the ring and attack Canek. The Ref signals for the DQ. Iaukea hits the ring and helps Kokina double team Busick. Wait a minute! The Guerreros and Billy Jack Strong storm out! The Guerreros pound away on the Fortunate Ones! Strong clotheslines Gagne down! Canek gets the upper hand on Blackwell. Iaukea and Kokina swing Busick to the ropes but miss a double clothesline, Busick swings back and clotheslines both of them! All hell is breaking loose as the commercial hits. Commercial Break Nelson: Wow! Things got pretty crazy! (Deep Breath) Next week in action will be Carlos Colon, Chris Adams and Rip Oliver. The Glamour Boys take on Badd Co. Cannonball Griz will wrestle Scott Putski for a TV title shot at Title Night. And the AWA world champion, Bad News Brown will be joining us as well. When we come back, the Ultimate Warrior will be in action. Commercial Break The Ultimate Warrior vs. Neil Jordan The cannon blasts, then goes right into 'Shoot to Thrill' by AC/DC The fans go wild as Warrior sprints down the aisle and into the ring. Warrior clotheslines Jordan down, picks him up, presses him high in the air and drops him down. Warrior swings off the ropes and hits the body splash for the 1..2..3! Nelson: My goodness! What a television debut for this man, the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior: Speak to me Warriors! (Huge cheers) Because of you, I was victorious at Champagne Slam and that was only the beginning! I fear no man and accept any challenge! (Shakes his head and arms) AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! Warrior sprints around the ring and back up the aisle as the show ends.

Michaels is such a good sport. Dark Journey has her Terrors focused. The 6 man tag was a real crowd pleaser. This was a perfect 80s match between top babyfaces and dastardly heels. As if the 6 man tag wasn't enough, the fans get one heck of a mixed tag match with all hell breaking out in the end. The Zebra Kid is gaining quite the buzz and now inserts himself into a main event program. Great card!

I'm with the others, the summaries work well. They do a great job of keeping things moving. The Dibiase/Jake story has been one of the best in the game. I love all the side bits with Ladd, Rotunda and JYD. This story is red hot. Now, it all comes down to the cage. This match guarantees a sell out crowd. Another great build has been Hot Stuff Inc and Steiner. That's another hot match we'll see at the Lakefront Coliseum. If Steiner wins, the fans will blow the roof off the place. Herc and Scotty vs. The Barbarians is going to be brutal and hard hitting. Luger vs. Reed is a huge match, add in the Snowman angle and this is going to be must see. I knew Manny would get into something big and he did just that by antagonizing Vader. We'll find out who the real Bull is. The card is stacked! With everything going down in the big matches, we're also going to see big names like the Texas Outlaws and JYD in action. Can't wait!

Oh snap! Steamboat vs. Savage for the world title on free TV! AWWWWWWWESOME! If there's one guy that can walk alone, it's Bam Bam. Kamala and Snuka as friends? Never thought I would see that in this game. Crush gets a monstrous debut. Rockers and Twin Towers are heading for a collision. Konan brings in some buddies. The Conquistadors are in trouble. Speaking of bringing in buddies, Dusty is calling in the calvary. I see some good brawls ahead. Muta relinquishes the TV title and 6 men get a chance to take it. Hayes backs up his talk and wins the battle royal. This title run is going to be a lot of fun. I love the variety of talent WCW has.

Dark Journey is a highlight every week. That fine/slap segment was awesome TV. I know it would be pretty tame in today's wrestling world, but in the 80s this would've been a big deal. WOW! Who is the Zebra Kid? He's come on the scene blazing and is one match away from a title shot. I thought Renesto was going to win it. ZK has my attention. Rose and Knighton tear it up! I loved the intensity. Rose advances, but Knighton is a player. The scene is now set for the Armory and DJ probably isn't happy.

The AWA was revived in April, 1986 AWA World Title Ricky Steamboat defeated Terry Funk 4-17-86, St. Paul Civic Center Tommy Rich defeated Ricky Steamboat 1-8-87. Louisville Gardens Tommy Rich stripped of the title 7-8-87 Bad News Brown wins battle royal to become AWA World Champion 7-15-87, Hammond Center Nikita Koloff defeated Bad News Brown 7-15-88, Minneapolis MN Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Nikita Koloff 12-30-88, Denver CO AWA World Tag Team Titles Curt Hennig and Brian Adias defeated Porkchop Cash and Snowman 5-7-86, Hammond Center Cabin Fever (Manny Fernandez and Grizzly Boone) defeated Curt Hennig and Brian Adias 9-6-86 Priceless (Gerry Morrow and George Wells) defeated Cabin Fever Jumbo Tsuruta and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Priceless 11-26-86, St. Paul The Bruise Brothers (Snowman and Larry Cameron) defeated Jumbo Tsuruta and Tatsumi Fujinami 7-4-87, Mid South Coliseum The Bruise Brothers would use the Freebird Rule as Tony Atlas was a part of the group. Snowman left the AWA in December and it would be Atlas and Cameron defending the titles. DJ Peterson and Kevin Kelly defeated The Bruise Brothers 3-11-88, San Juan Puerto Rico Hector and Chavo Guerrero defeated DJ Peterson and Kevin Kelly 5-13-88, Anchorage Alaska AWA Mid-American Title Austin Idol defeated Mike George in a match to determine the first champ 2-4-88, Mecca Arena Larry Zbyszko defeated Austin Idol 4-15-88, Market Square Arena Paul Orndorff defeated Larry Zbyszko, 12-30-88, Denver CO AWA TV Title Scott Casey defeated Jose Estrada to determine the first TV champ, 4-2-86, Hammond Center Greg Gagne defeated Scott Casey 7-23-86, Hammond Center Nick Busick defeated Greg Gagne 1-7-87, Hammond Center Larry Zbyszko defeated Nick Busick 2-4-88, Mecca Arena Larry Zbyszko vacated the title after winning the Mid American title. Gerry Morrow drew two names to wrestle for the title. Brian Adias defeated Dream Machine, 4-21-88, Hammond Center AWA National Tag Titles Larry Zbyszko and Al Perez defeated Porkchop Cash and Snowman in tournament finals 11-26-86 Jumbo Tsuruta and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Larry Zbyszko and Al Perez in a titles vs. titles match. 5-28-87, Liberty Bowl. National titles had to be vacated. The Quebecers (Richard Charland and Phil Lafon) defeated The British Bombers (Dave Tayor and Johnny Smith) in tournament finals 7-3-87, Mecca Arena The Technicians (Brad Rheingans and Mark Fleming) defeated The Quebecers 9-3-87, Richmond KY Venomous (Cobra and Kat) defeated The Technicians 12-31-87, St. Paul Badd Co. defeated Venomous 7-15-88. Minneapolis MN The Gunslingers defeated Badd CO., 11-18-88, Milwaukee WI The AWA International title was retired. El Canek had the longest reign which lasted 8 months.

The bantering between Ladd and Dibiase gets better every week. It's hard to argue Dibiase's points LOL. I will say, as a fan, Ladd is the man. Dibiase vs. Jake on free TV. YES! Well, Hot Stuff Inc. gives their side of the story and I don't think many are buying it. Mid South is exactly where Manny needs to be. he'll be involved in something big, I'm sure. Reed has some serious words for Snowman. I have a feeling this might distract Reed in his quest for the title. I'm sure Luger and Woman don't mind. Steiners are reunited and it feels so good. I like the dynamics of Scott holding the tag titles with Herc while Rick is holding the TV title. They're reunited but not yet a team. You've got a good story going on. HAHAHA, Woman loves flirting with Gordon. I will say, she's loyal to her champ Luger. Dr. Death is in a good place. If Snowman gets Reed out of the title picture, Dr. Death steps up. Rick and Vader give the fans 10 hard hitting minutes. Woman isn't too keen on Vader these days. Not sure if Hot Stuff Inc wants both Steiner and Vader as enemies. It still amazes me that you can write up two totally different territories. If I just popped on here, I would think Mid South and Memphis were written by two different people. Amazing job!