Autistic Dragon

Oakland. Gunn just spilled some Big Juice. Tenryu is on a roll. Windham is fed up with the Triangle of Terror. O'Grady continues to impress, even if he has a tendency to take pins. Young gets his own chance to show-off. Page has to help Bigelow get the win and he is not happy about it. San Francisco. Lynn and Malenko put on another fun display. Awesome proves the deciding factor. Severn gets back in the winners column but but it doesn't improve his mood. Eddie gets a little carried away. Smothers' temper blows a shot at the title. Steamboat fends off one half of the Blood Syndicate. Fresno. The Express best the Blondes. The DK's defeat a reshuffled Wild Things. Cactus makes things a little too Wild for Gunn. Payne gets an Illustrious win. Haynes & Regal close the loop by holding onto their gold.

Mean Gene is right, the fifth edition may be the biggest Mania yet!

NWA Live @ the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City TN JT Southern defeats John Kronus with an inside cradle. Big John Studd w/"The Perfect 10 Baby Doll" defeats Doug Gilbert with a Bearhug. Too Cold Scorpio defeats "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff by ducking under the "Russian Sickle" and performing a crucifix. The Nightmares (Danny Davis & Ken Wayne) defeat The Samoan Island Tribe (Alofa & Fatu) with a dropkick/Russian legsweep combo on Fatu. King Kong Bundy w/"Number One" Paul Jones defeats "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant with the "Avalanche" leading to a 5 count. Jones signaled for Bundy to lay on more punishment but Shaska Whatley came down and got into a dispute with Jones. Surprisingly the three men left without further harm to Valiant but fans close to them say Jones and Bundy both were casting withering looks at Whatley. NWA United States Title. "Tennessee Stud" Robert Fuller w The Mastermind Ron Fuller defeats "The Doctor of Desire" Tom Prichard when Prichard attempted a sunsetflip only for Fuller to drop down and grab the rope to retain the title. NWA World Tag Team Titles. The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal)(c) defeat The Stud Stable (Rod Price & Tommy Cairo) w/"The Mastermind' Ron Fuller by hitting Price with the "Doomsday Device". NWA World Heavyweight Title #1 contender Steel Cage match. "The Unpredictable" Dick Slater w/The Assassin defeats "Raging Bull Manny Fernandez in a grueling and bloody war that finally came to a win when The Assassin managed to slide his client a pair of brass knuckles.

The Crockett Cup. We get our first batch of teams entered into the tournament this week. It's reported that the NWA will be entering both sets of tag champions, currently The Road Warriors & The Sheepherders respectively. However it's said that if there is a title change between now and the tournament the new champions will be entered into the tournament. Our first round of "foreign" talent come from UWF International out of Japan. The relatively new promotion has garnered massive buzz with it's MMA inspired bouts and they have jumped at the chance to prove their styles superiority. The UWFI has entered three teams into the tournament. First is the Koslowski Brothers, Dennis & Duane. The South Dakota twins are both standout amateur wrestlers who represented America at last year's Summer Olympics with Dennis taking the bronze in Greco-Roman grappling. The second duo hail from the Soviet Union. Salman Hashimikov is a four time Men's freestyle world champion, claiming the gold in 79, 81-83. He also won the 1982 World Cup as along with a list of titles throughout Europe and the Soviet Union. Joining him is Victor Zangiev who captured the Junior World Championship in 81, the World European Championship in 82 as well as the silver in the 85 World Cup. Interestingly the video highlighting these two was narrated by Ivan Koloff. The final pair is Wayne Shamrock and Joe Malenko. Malenko is a second generation wrestler who in addition to his father Boris Malenko has studied under the legendary Karl Gotch. Shamrock is new to the sport but has learned from the likes of Nelson Royal, Buzz Sawyer and Gene Anderson. Jimmy Valiant - Paul Jones Army Valiant was asked why he intervened between Shaska Whatley and Paul Jones. He said he's known Whatley a long time and he may not like everything he does but has long considered him one of the best in the business. Seeing a man he respects getting pushed around by a "snake in a cheap suit" has got him fighting mad and he's looking to take it out on the whole army.

Here's the full card for Once Upon a time in New York. Matt Riddle vs Davey Boy Smith Jr w/Saint Laurent MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima, Okumura & Alex Kane vs World Titan Federation (Tom Lawler, Richard Holiday & Josh Bishop) w/Saint Laurent AJ Francis w/Saint Laurent vs Mr Thomas Magnus w/Caesar Duran vs Star Jr w/Salina de la Renta Delmi Exo vs Zayda w/Saint Laurent Bad Dude Tito w/Salina de la Renta vs Azteca 66 6 Man Scramble. Brett Ryan Gosselinvs vs Love, Doug vs Ichiban vs Marcus Mathews vs Dylan McCay vs Cannonball

Morrow is loading up the 2nd annual Champagne Slam. Hoss has been on a roll but that could come to a screeching halt when Hansen arrives. Also interested to see what's being offered in those 10 man tags. Idol finally has Armstrong's full attention. Not sure why that's a good thing but he seems happy. Keirn isn't sweating St Clair. Burke finally pays back Miller. Larry Z is taking his loss as well as expected. Dragon Kings get the win but Sweet Dreams get the last laugh. Akbar and Cameron are determined to prove who the better champion is. The High Chiefs are on the warpath. Starr doesn't waste time patting himself on the back. Adias trys to walk away but Dundee won't let him so the champ takes the easy way out. But he doesn't leave without sending a violent message. Stevens ends the show with a promise that the World Title is going nowhere.

Maeda looks to get back on track in Sapporo. Interested to see if the UWF adds pinfalls to the mix.

The Varsity Club put on a good show against the champs before things break down. Bulldog looks like a million bucks against the Macho Man. Sherri offers Taylor a hand against Martel. What is she up to? Jimmy Hart unleashes the Earthquake and Kevin may have just become collateral damage. Warrior vs Muta is worth tuning in for the visual alone. Savage sticks his nose in to give Muta the win.

Portland. Has Austin actually earned some respect from Adams and Page? Lee was too Rough for the Roughneck. The Southern Boys have lost their damn minds! Candido proves a contender whether in singles or tags. Another chaotic scene between The Playboy Club and their various foes. Portland night 2. Cactus gives The Jackal a taste of his own medicine. Austin shows some killer instinct against Eaton. Malenko takes the edge over Lynn. Hashimoto wins the battle of the international tough guys. Rose pins the TV champ and you just know he's gonna let everybody hear about it. Big night for the Steamboat brothers as they each score the pin in their match. Eugene. Furnas opens some eyes in the opener. Eddie catches the Leprechaun. Kawada avenges his partner. Louie gets his soul reaped. Regal retains. Hart survives being locked in a cage with a Beast.

Author's note: Apologies friends but I'm just not feeling up to writing two episodes worth of content. Please accept this brief highlight reel. The Crockett Cup. This week's Main Event saw a special appearance by NWA President Jim Crockett Jr. He says it's time once again to determine who is the greatest tag team in wrestling today. As is tradition, he has sent invitations to every major wrestling promotion in this great country to send their finest Tag Teams to compete in a two night tournament. The winners will not only claim the titular cup but a cash prize in the amount of One Million Dollars. He announces that Night 1 will air live on the USA Network April 13th from the Winthrop Coliseum in Rocky Hill SC on while Night 2 will air the following night, April 14th, from the Carolina Coliseum in Columbia SC live on Pay Per View. Manny Fernandez isn't done yet. Manny Fernandez returned to NWA programming and call out Dick Slater for needing the help of three men to beat him at SuperBrawl 2. Crockett addressed this later in the night, decreeing that Slater and Fernandez would meet one more time on March 18th at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City Tennessee with the winner being declared number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. And to ensure that the best man wins, this bout will be held inside a steel cage! The Paul Jones Army. As promised Paul Jones revealed his newest monster on Main Event in the form of the "Walking Condominium" King Kong Bundy who needed less than 30 seconds to finish his unlucky opponent with the "Avalanche" before demanding the ref count to five. But what everyone was talking about was the events of the following Worldwide. In the main event Shaska Whatley faced off with former tag partner and longtime rival Jimmy Valiant. Jones remained disinterested throughout the match allowing it to play out without incident. Whatley would claim the win via backslide and Valiant would offer a handshake. Whatley actually looked ready to accept but Jones stirred himself to shout at his client to refuse. The two had another back and forth with Jones becoming increasingly heated. It was at this point that Valiant would interject himself seemingly arguing on Whatley's behalf. Security got between the three before things could erupt further but a new wrinkle had been added to Whatley's fraying relationship with his longtime manager.

Jarrett had better load that Clash up if he's putting a show in the Superdome on free TV. Flair and Dibiase in a rematch is a good start. Also love the idea of "The Crowning". Debeers and the AAC are gonna be lighting fires everywhere they go. There appears to be some dispute over who's in charge of Hot Stuff Inc...or is it Hyatt International? Miss Tennessee calling out The Hustler. Is Rogers man enough to accept. Humperdink looking a little reluctant to send his monster against Luger.

Nice touch having the Bombers win clean in the home country Sawyer and Link don't care if it's a match or a fight. Larry Z charming fans worldwide. Brandi and the Fantastics make a Thrilling trio. Colon's neck doesn't hold up allowing Starr to take the win. Canek holds onto his title shot. Orndorff and Big Jim prove a formidable team. St Clair with a triumphant return. Nikita's anger gets the better of him. Jumbo dodges the Bullet and remains World Champion.

Dory is teaching some valuable lessons so far. The Bruisers vent on some poor schmucks. Glamor Doll takes his beef with Huber to the next level. Grizz makes a statement. The spirit of the Vin Man was with Vinergy as they go to a co with the Saints. Stan Hansen is coming! Even I couldn't enjoy that stunt the Olympians pulled. Dundee uses the belt Adias brought in and it costs him. The Hulkster throws out an open challenge and a returning Terry Gordy immediately steps up. What a match for Champagne Slam!

Out of curiosity, which of the "kids' do you think is ready to step up and lead NJPW as World Champion?

Some fun options for Pick your Poison next week. Andre & Snuka get their chance to fight the Powers at Mania.

Victoria. Austin keeps his momentum going. The Juice Crew derail the Blondes. Lynn and Malenko were just getting started. The Dragon just got the gold and is already making a list of who he's looking out for. Bigelow blows off some steam but things are still tense with DDP. The Rainbow Warriors and Flyin' Brian end the night with back to back defenses. Vancouver. I like how you connect the first three matches. Soultaker and the Bulldozer take advantage while Rose shows Dreamer why he's the kind of the Northeast. The OWC prey on deflated opposition. Finlay gets taken out by the Hitman. Windham has had enough of this little lightshow that's been following him around. Kelowna. The New Generation unveils another exciting new tag team. Scotty and Dustin both get solid wins. The DC manage to hold onto the gold again. Hall proves to have Hennig's number. Regal shows his title win was well earned.

Taped at the Memorial Auditorium before Main Event. Originally airing on 3/3/89 on the USA Network. On commentary: Bob Caudle & David Crockett The Eliminators (Perry Saturn & John Kronus) defeat Alex Portman & Rupert Overstreet with "Total Elimination" on Portman The returning Commando Boone defeats Rick Bronson with a big splash. "The Gatekeeper" Jimmy Golden w/"The Mastermind" Ron Fuller defeats "Jumping" Jerry Maxwell with the Piledriver. Main event. "Wildcat" Wendell Colley defeats Brad Anderson with the running Bulldog. In other news... Commentary hype the announcement of the 1989 addition of the Crockett Cup. Venues are still placing bids to hold either parts of the two night extravaganza with the final decision to be announced next week.

From the Memorial Auditorium in Greenville SC. Previously recorded and airing on 3/2/89 on the USA Network On commentary: Gordon Solie Ring announcer/interviews: Sean Mooney Match #1 Too Cold Scorpio vs Dynamite Kid A pioneer of the fast paced "light heavyweight" style taking on a man many say can take it to the next level. Dynamite does a respectable job keeping pace but you get the feeling he's just a step behind and he ultimately falls to the 450 splash. Match #2 The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Saggs) defeat Kip Johnson and Samuel Biles by taking Johnson on "A trip to Nastyville" VTR- We see footage from a recent houseshow where Kamala is taking on Wahoo McDaniel. Something has set Kamala off and he starts attacking anything that moves. His opponent, the referee, ringside security, even his own handler Friday! Jones has to call down the rest of the Army to finally corral the crazed beast. We then cut to Paul Jones who says that NWA leadership has "unjustly" barred Kamala from competing at NWA events. He vows to unleash a new monster next week and everyone is going to pay. Match #3 "The Latin Hearthrob" Al Perez defeats The Masked Marauder with the German suplex. Match #4 The Beasts of Burden (John Nord & Rip Morgan) w/The Assassin vs The Patriots (Firebreaker Chip & Todd Champion) The Patriots have had a rough few months after losing the United States Tag Team Titles. They clearly are trying to reassert themselves but they run into a huge obstacle in the Beasts. The former champs put up a fierce fight but they were overwhelmed by the ferocity of Nord and Morgan with Champion falling to the double big boot. Match #5 Jamie Dundee defeats Robert "Rough Stuff" Stanton with a second rope fist drop as Adrian Street looked on approvingly. We see more footage from the recent NWA loop. Shaska Whatley is set to take on Jimmy Snuka but it's announced Snuka didn't make it to the building. However a suitable replacement has apparently been found. A buzz goes throughout the building which turns into a shocked applause as "WILDFIRE" TOMMY RICH makes his way down. The video skips to the finish which sees Jones try to trip Rich only to get Whatley by mistake causing him to stumble into a Piledriver for the win. Match #6 "The Russian Bear Ivan Koloff defeats Aaron McMichael with the "Russian Bearhug" Main Event "The Doctor of Desire" Tom Prichard vs "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel w/JJ Dillon Both men are on point and produce a thrilling TV main event. Landel puts the ref in front of him to stave off the Superkick. Prichard moves the ref out of the line of fire allowing Landel to score a punt to the uprights followed by the Corkscrew Elbow drop for the win. The future of the Horsemen may be somewhat in doubt but the self-styled "real Nature Boy" is clearly a threat no one should take lightly.

Nikita is on the warpath and he's headed straight for Sarge. Nelson continues to make Larry Z a salty bitch every time he opens his mouth. Miller strikes again and this time with his eye on the #1 contender spot on the line. Keirn looks Fabulous in a showcase. Huber nearly eeks out another win over Doll. Sweet Dreams is looking good but I still say they're in over their heads. The Fantastics aren't done with Los Guerreros. St Clair is all class. Armstrong is trying to focus on the world title but Idol refuses to be ignored. Speaking of the world title, Stevens is sick of hearing about Hulk Hogan.

Taylor cutting some randos hair while threatening Brutus is such a funny visual. The Americanna 89 tour is going strong! A couple of big matches for the Heenan Family. A dramatic return for Snuka as he saves Andre from the Fuji-clan.

Damian over Rotunda is a pretty big upset to me. Robin holds onto the gold but Simmes has a good case for a rematch. Interesting to see the crowd cheering for the champ getting dq'd. I imagine Zenk & Steiner was a fun time. Walker is on a major roll. Things get heated in the semi-main. Saito & Goto with a hard fought win to close the show. Between cheering Robin taking the easy way out and booing the Japanese duo despite them playing faces, you're making the MLW crowd a interesting part of the show.

WWE apparently had to pay MLW 20M in a antitrust lawsuit last year. https://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-paid-mlw-20-million-to-settle-antitrust-lawsuithttps://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-paid-mlw-20-million-to-settle-antitrust-lawsuit

MLW won 20M from WWE in a antitrust lawsuit. https://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-paid-mlw-20-million-to-settle-antitrust-lawsuithttps://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-paid-mlw-20-million-to-settle-antitrust-lawsuit

Nothing like a ranking system to sell that "real sport" feeling. The Russians are taking over the UWF. Mr Backlund evens the score with Takada while Madea seems to be entering a bit of a slump.

SuperBrawl aftermath. The Four Horsemen. The future of the historically dominant stable is in question. With Race and Anderson failing to recapture the World Tag Team Titles and Orton once again falling to Garvin, the group is without gold and seemingly out of various title pictures entirely. Landel and Orton were both victorious on this week's NWA television but manager JJ Dillon was noticably vague when asked about future plans. The Stud Stable. SuperBrawl 2 was much kinder to the Stud Stable as not only did Golden, Price and Cairo retain the World Six Man Tag Team Titles but Robert Fuller -with some help from brother Ron- defeated Junkyard Dog to become the new United States title. This means all four active members are carrying gold which has some saying that the Stud Stable have placed themselves as the new top group in the NWA. The Paul Jones Army. On paper SuperBrawl 2 was a good night for the Army with both the Super Destroyer and The Sheepherders retaining their titles but that's not necessarily what people were talking about the next day. The Destroyer's match was marred by the odd behavior of Jimmy Snuka (who was not on this week's programming) while the Sheepherders were confronted by former Army members The Nightmares. The now unmasked duo cut a promo saying they'd returned to pay Jones back for unceremoniously firing them last year. These are not the only issues facing the Army as the recent tension between Jones and Shaska Whatley was taken to another level on this week's programming. During a match with Jimmy Valiant, Whatley appeared to have the match won when Jones started shouting at Whatley to inflict more punishment. This started a discussion which distracted Whatley enough for Valiant to score a roll-up for the win. Jones was furious and was shouting at Whatley. Unlike previous incidents Whatley fired back leading to a heated argument which ended with Jones slapping Whatley! Shaska cut his manager a withering glare but ultimately fell in behind his leader. Dick Slater and The Assassin. One of the more surprising developments at SuperBrawl 2 was Dick Slater winning the Taped Fist Match against Manny Fernandez with the aid of the Assassin and the Beasts of Burden. The Assassin was in Slater's corner as he pummeled a local talent on this week's Main Event with the two cutting a joint promo afterwards. The Assassin said Slater possessed the killer instinct he looked for in a client as well as the in-ring ability to take his group -which he seemed to dub Killer Inc- to the top of the NWA by bringing him the NWA World Heavyweight Title.