Autistic Dragon

From the Civic Center in Charleston WV. Previously recorded &airing on 4/22/88 on the USA Network. On Commentary: Gordon Solie. Ring announcer/interviews: Sean Moony. Match #1 "Wildcat" Wendell Cooley vs "Rotten" Ron Starr Cooley is a talented athlete who's most famous for his tenures in the Alabama territory. It's fitting then that the Cotton State native Starr who meets him in his NWA debut. The two have a competitive opening match which ends when Cooley hits a running Bulldog for his first win. (Before the next match, Jr Foley speaks with Mooney. He says that due to the sublime performance of his troops so far, he's been given a reward in the form of two departed comrades returning to finish the fight. With that he proudly welcomes back The Sheepherders.) Match #2 The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) w/Jr Foley defeat Tomē Laurynas Carvalho & Vasil Abdul-Fazl Marston with a double gutbuster on Carvalho. (VTR- Sean Moony leads a cameraman into a lavish penthouse suite where a raucous party is taking place. Mooney guides the cameraman through the party goers to the center of the room. The Crockett Cup sits on a coffee table with the NWA World Heavyweight Title in front of it with champagne bottles on each side. JJ Dillon, a mile wide grin on his face welcomes Mooney to "the celebration of the century". Says the Crockett Cup proved beyond a shadow of a doubt we he already knew, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew are the greatest tag team on God's green while Tully Blanchard is ten times the wrestler Ric Flair ever was. Tully sitting in between two ladies in cocktail dresses to say some things are just meant to be, like the fact that he is now a four time World Heavyweight Champion. Says he always knew he was meant to be the main man and know he's exactly where he belongs, at the top of the mountain. Ole says that he & Arn beat the best teams the world had to offer and that a million dollars buys one hell of a good time. Arn agrees but says something is missing and it's time for them to focus on getting back what's theirs, and that's the NWA World Tag Team Titles and makes clear the Andersons are coming for the Rock n Roll Express.) Match #3 "Chief" Joe Lightfoot defeats Joakin Neeraj Ò Maoilsheachlin with the "Indian Death Lock" Match #4 "The Doctor of Desire" Tom Prichard vs "The Monster" Rip Morgan w/Jr Foley Solie dubs this bout "beauty vs the beast" and it seems the crowd agrees. Morgan is extra aggressive keeping Prichard on the backfoot for much of the match. Still Prichard is able to use his superior technique to keep himself in the fight. Morgan's aggression is ultimately his downfall as he charges Prichard in the corner only to catch a boot to the mouth that turns him around allowing Prichard to score a victory roll for the struggling three count. Match #5 "British Magician" Steve Wright defeats The Miner 49'er with the "Octopus hold" (We see security camera footage of Commando Boone walking up to his pick-up truck when Tough Guy Inc jump him from behind. He try to fight them off but the 2-1 is too much and we get a nasty scene of TGI slamming the truck door on his knee. When the footage ends Ranger Ross is with Mooney and says he doesn't know when or even if Boone will be able to step in the ring again but he promises to make the Stud Stable pay for what they've done. Says he was pleased to get a phone call from an old friend who says he's ready to go to war. This brings out Brickhouse Brown who says that NWA Special Forces may be gone but the Buffalo Soldiers are locked & loaded) Match #6 Buffalo Soldiers (Ranger Ross & Brickhouse Brown) defeat Sosruko Orpheus Van Agthoven & Maybernd Dinu Rava with a neckbreaker/top rope splash combo on Rava. Main Event. Super Strong Machine vs Abdullah the Butcher w/"Number One" Paul Jones An all out brawl between the "sensai" of the Japanese contingent and the monster of the Paul Jones Army. Abby seems more focused on crippling SSM then winning the match (which let's be honest, is not that unusual for him) and by the matches end, SSM's mask is torn and a bit of blood is visible. A "Machine" Lariat sends the two over the top to the floor where they fight through the referee's 10 count. Security is able to get them separated but this clearly isn't over.

NWA releases Norman Smiley, Jimmy Del Ray, Chic Donavon, Grizzly Boone & Tom Brandi. That should get me back in the 60 wrestler limit. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Looks like DJ just couldn't help herself. See ya in 90 days sweetheart. If someone wanted to do Riggins & Wolf a favor they'd take that stick from Tojo. The Headliner escapes with the belt again. I'm sure Rose isn't giving up however. Really like the newspaper article. Very creative.

Portland night 1. Christopher gets a major win over a former Light Heavyweight champion. The Bulldozer proves he's still a rising star. Leo Burke returns to lead the Army while Severn, Blackman, Snow & Furnas break off to form The Citadel. That's a big shakeup. The og Hollywood Vampires haven't missed a beat. Mr Backlund's desperate actions have Neidhart questioning his leader. Larry Hamilton returns meaning The Diamond Exchange doesn't have to close its doors just yet. Portland night 2. Perez is really stepping up his submission game. Singh is really taking to his new singles run. The General returns with a win. RPG is probably wishing he left for Alabama when he had the chance. The Playboy only just escapes The Natural. The future Iceman gets put on ice by the Beast. The Lethal Weapons take the new tag champ to the limit. Finally Eugene. The Elder Malenko gives Lynn a wrestling lesson. Regal uses a bit of venom to overcome the Virus. Neidhart beats the other half of the Force, noticably more cleanly than Mr Backlund. Furnas stampedes over Cactus. Eddie & Art retain over the Canadians. Crash must've made for some scrappy prey.

Jack Brisco vs Nick Bockwinkel in a street fight, not something I thought I'd see.

Honestly after reading this card, I can see why you couldn't wait to post it. Dutch may not have made it in the tournament but he definitely had an impact. Scorpio looks impressive pulling double duty even hanging in there with Slater. Speaking of Slater, it looks like he ran his mouth one time to many because WILDFIRE came to close it for him. On the bright side, we get to enjoy a Budro title reign. This should be fun.

Rheingans wins a friendly opener. Alofa fells Goliath. The Texas Outlaws outshoot the Assassins. JYD shows the Moondog whose yard it is. Woman screws up allowing Fernandez to win the Battle of the Bulls. Looks like Eddie found a couple of new suck...er I mean students for Hot Stuff Inc. Scott saves his brother but it costs him & Herc the tag titles. Snowman screws Reed.... again. Alofa earns his paycheck by helping Dibiase retain the Louisiana title by a matter of seconds.

Papa-san goofs costing his team the win but they get a do-over in Jonesboro. Rose gets another shot at The Headliner.

Nikita has to be a favorite in the Memorial Day tournament. Taylor calls out the Warrior while Haystacks takes a tour of Europe. Idol has got two things on his mind, getting his title back from Zbyszko and getting his hands on Poffo. Austin's men have two chances for gold. Los Guerrero's get their shot at the still dysfunctional tag team champions. Mando will be there but the Vin Man is sneaky af. The new Synergy is off to a hot start. Bad night for Gagne has George is gone and their Pearl Harbor job doesn't pan out.

Crush, The Towers & Bigelow all get dominat wins. What is the Slickster planning? Unfortunate ending to the Savage/Steamboat match as Macho Man hurts himself going for the big one. Duggan is a natural ally for Dusty against the Alliance.

Christopher and the Hitman are getting some huge opportunities in Seattle.

Michaels continues to rack up opening match wins. Jugen & Weiss' quest for retribution comes up short. The Assassin gets squished in a wild six man tag. Zebra Kid interrupts the main event leading to a brawl featuring the whole locker room! Jonesboro will be talking about this for weeks.

NWA sends Adrian Street and Miss Linda to Mid-South/Memphis for Todd Champion & Curtis Thompson NWA also signs Brett Wayne Sawyer from free agency. NWA further signs Ron Fuller off the retirement list to serve as a manager.

I had a feeling The Superstar was headed to Memphis. Dutch may not have been happy but I'm sure the fans were. The Fab One gets a solid win showing he deserves to be in the Southern Heavyweight Title tournament. Rogers finally finds a woman worth his time as Terri Powers helps him get the win over Double J. The Bullet enters the ring to help his boy -& Horner- score the main event win.

Victoria. Christopher's rise since joining Camp Cornette continues. I love Rose calling his deal with Flowers "the power of friendship". The Ladies Man unveils a new submission hold. Hughes wastes no time settling in with Camp Cornette. SCS' first defense sends Coast 2 Coast out of PCW. The NoE is stronger than ever with the return of the Gravedigger. A win over the Holly's nets Owen and PCO a title shot. Vancouver. Candido succumbs to the Demon. The Force get Wild. Flowers scores his first defense. Between their win in the opener and the interference in the Golden State Tag Title match, Muscle Beach is definitely hunting for gold. After a grueling cage match, the Mad Dog is gone. Kelowna. The Destruction Crew rebound but Bull Pain isn't as lucky. Furnas must've had a few new bruises after the match with the Anvil. Wellington gets caught by the Animal. The Monster derails the Bulldozer. Cheetah Kid fends off the Virus.

I don't mind these summaries because you always manage to convey the important information that we need to know. The Battle of the Bulls is gonna rock the Lakefront Arena. Missy's mouth just wrote a check that Gilbert's ass might not be able to cash. Roberts gets Dibiase in a cage, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. How does the Million Dollar Man get out of this? This is easily the most important Snowman has ever been.

NWA places Norman Smiley, Adrian Street and Miss Linda on the block.

NWA sends Jim Duggan to WCW for Luke Williams and Butch Miller.

We open the show with a shocking announcement, Muta beat Gordy for the Japanese title and is giving up the TV title! The Lucha invasion has begun! Hayes shows he meant what he said last week by becoming the new TV champion. Steamboat vs Savage next week! Let's go!

Reading your opening scene I get the image of the IPW intro before cutting straight to the Terrors kicking ass. DJ gets her moneys worth as she slaps the boss! Tyler pays her back immediately by banning her from next week's show. Zebra Kid has come from nowhere to being one win away from a title shot. Good news for Cody Michaels, it looks like Knighton's gonna be free next Saturday after all.

Poor Nelson, dude had a rough night. Morrow making some big announcements, AWA headed north to Alaska for Title Night, the Memorial day tournament is back and the vacated TV will be awarded in the main event. Starr's landed on his feet without DDP but Badd Company is struggling to do the same. Oliver gets a world title shot in Alaska. Much deserved. Billy Jack Strong makes Gagne eat his words. Can he do it again next week when Loser Leaves Town? The Harris Brothers could definitely solve a problem. Lucious Lanny is here to show us all what a real man looks like. What happens to Synergy now that Adidas is TV champion?

Kobashi is in for a hell of a fight from Umaga. Where does the HDA go without Taue? I imagine Brisco isn't finished with Bock just yet.

Wild vs Purcell is getting heated quickly. Dark Journey is a happy woman as all her charges bring home wins. The American spoils The Cuban Assassin's IPW debut.

Night 2 airing live 4/16/88 on Pay Per View from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro NC. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson)(NWA) w/JJ Dillon defeat The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell) (WCW) after JJ tripped Blair allowing Ole to hit his pattened knee drop. Jumbo Tsurata & Tatsumi Fujinami (AWA) defeat The Barbarians (Nord & Konga)(Mid-South) w/Shiek Adnan Al-Kassie after Konga went for a diving headbutt but the Japanese star moved out of the way. Konga staggered up & Jumbo hit a Lariat to advance to the semi's. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)(PCW) w/Jim Cornette defeat The Original Midnight Express (Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey)(AWA) w/Norvell Austin when Eaton pinned Rose with the "Alabama Jam". Austin tried to intervene but Cornette whacked him with his tennis racket. NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock n Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)(NWA) defeat Mid-South Tag Team Champions Hercules Hernandez &Scott Steiner (Mid-South) when Morton countered a butterfly suplex into an inside cradle. The two teams shake hands after the match. NWA United States Title. Bruiser Brody vs Col Debeers w/Jr Foley ends in a double countout. Crockett Cup semi-finals. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson)(NWA) w/JJ Dillon defeat Jumbo Tsurata & Tatsumi Fujinami (AWA) in a rematch from last year's finals that saw JJ distract the ref while Fujinami had Ole in what Gordon Solie identified as a "Dragon Sleeper" allowing Arn to pull something from his tights and punch Fujinami with it before putting Ole on top. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)(PCW) w/Jim Cornette defeat NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock n Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)(NWA) NWA World Heavyweight Title Tully Blanchard defeats "Nature Boy" Ric Flair(c) after JJ gets on the apron only to catch a right hand from flair which sends him crashing to the floor. While the ref is checking on Dillon, Terry Taylor gets in the ring and hits the "Five-arm" on Flair as he's setting up the figure four. TITLE CHANGE!!! Crockett Cup Finals. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson)(NWA) defeat The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)(PCW) w/ Jim Cornette. After a ref bump Eaton hits the "Alabama Jam" on Arn and goes for the cover. Brad Anderson comes from the crowd and hits a top rope knee drop before rolling the pair over so Arn's on top. He then revives the ref and he & Ole keep Lane & Cornette at bay. Three seconds later, the Andersons are one million dollars richer.

The National Wrestling Alliance is proud to present the.... Airing live 4/15/88 from the Memorial Auditorium in Greenville SC on the USA Network. The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell)(WCW) defeat The Moondogs (Rex Spot)(NWA) w/" Number One" Paul Jones in a fun contrast of styles that saw Jones try to pass Spot his bone only to be carried away by The Zero Fighters. The wildman was furious at his manager being manhandled which allowed Brunzell to catch him in a O'Connor roll to advance. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson)(NWA) w/JJ Dillon defeat The Renegade Warriors (Chris & Mark Youngblood)(NWA) after JJ shoved Mark off the top rope into a Double A Spinebuster. Jumbo Tsurata Tatsumi Fujinami (AWA) defeat Tojo Yamamoto & The New Guinea Headhunter (IPW) when Fujinami pinned Tojo with a "Dragon" Suplex. An oddly friendly scene early in the match saw Jumbo & Tojo shake hands like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. The Barbarians (Nord & Konga)(Mid-South) w/Shiek Adnan Al-Kassie defeat The South Pacific Connection (Siva Afi & Cocoa Samoa)(NWA) when a distraction from the Shiek lead to double big boot on Afi. The Original Midnight Express (Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey)(AWA) w/Norvell Austin defeat Reno Riggins & Dancing Wolf (IPW) when Riggins tried to suplex Condrey but Austin grabbed his leg causing Condrey to land in top & Austin held Riggins legs for the three count. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)(PCW) w/Jim Cornette defeat The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags) (WCW) by DQ when Sags snaps and hits Lane with a chair. Mid-South Tag Team Champions Hercules Hernandez & Scott Steiner (Mid-South) defeat The Sin City Superstars (Scotty the Body & Mark Starr)(PCW) when Starr submitted to a Hernandez Full Nelson. NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock n Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)(NWA) defeat NWA United States Tag Team Champions The New Breed (Chris Champion & Sean Royal)(NWA) with a double dropkick on Champion.