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Wow! Awesome action from beginning to end and lots of big shockers. I can only imagine the reaction from the crowd at that Lawler vs. Nikita match.

My home town gets another epic main event.

AWA show from the Canada Games Sportsplex, Lethbridge, Alberta, March 2nd Larry Cameron vs. Norman Smiley Cameron pinned Smiley after a powerslam David Finlay vs. Chris Adams An intense match that wound up going to a 15 minute time limit draw Steven Regal vs. Mike Rotundo Rotundo blocked the Regal Stretch and countered with a rolling cradle to get the pinfall Jake Roberts, Nord The Barbarian & Cactus Jack vs. Buzz Sawyer & The Onyx Express Yet another crazy brawl with Nord nailing the running double knee drop on Brickhouse for the win Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Greg Gagne Bigelow once again dominated his opposition before polishing them off with a slingshot splash The British Bullies vs. The Razor Boys A thrilling match where, after a series of moves and countermoves, Perez blocked a straight jacket suplex by Jones and replied with a German Suplex to get the victory Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes & Too Cold Scorpio vs. Jeff Gaylord, Darryl Peterson & Kevin Sullivan Scorpio hit a flying top rope splash on Sullivan for the win Leo Burke vs. Doug Furnas Burke nearly caught Furnas in the Sleeper, but Furnas was able to execute a belly to back suplex and defeat Burke AWA Southern Tag Team Title match : Chavo & Hector Guerrero © vs. The Youngbloods Hector ducked under the bicycle kick from Blackman and came back with a running cross body press to defend their titles AWA Southern Title match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Brian Pillman A very fast paced match that finally ended when Tanaka was able to execute the rolling wheel kick for the win AWA World Tag Team Title match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Larry Zbyszko There was a lot of tension in the air for this match, as there was always the threat of violence erupting between Bockwinkel and Zbyszko. That being said, they managed for the most part to stay on the same page through this match, which turned out to be a long brutal bout, which ended in double DQ with both teams popping the ref and continuing to slug it out long after the final bell.

Full credit to you for putting the idea in my head and to SirEdger for making it possible.

Had to figure a way to one up the Bull Rope match

AWA show from the Saddle Dome , Calgary, March 1st Dog Collar Chain Match : Buzz Sawyer vs. Cactus Jack A bloody battle that ended when Buzz hit a chain assisted Bulldog on Cactus to get the pin Ron Simmons vs. Greg Gagne Simmons flattened Gagne with a flying shoulder tackle for the win Doug Furnas & Brian Pillman vs. The British Bullies A fast paced tag match where Taylor was able to catch Pillman in the British Suplex to get the victory Special Hockey Brawl : The Youngbloods vs. The Nasty Boys (courtesy of Lutte Internationale) The special referee for this match was the young, up and coming Canadian actor Keanu Reeves, here to promote his hit film, Youngblood. The Youngbloods came out wearing Calgary Flames jerseys, drawing cheers from the fans, while the Nasty Boys wore Edmonton Oilers jerseys, drawing boos. What ended up happening was a crazy brawl that went all over the building , and the finish was Wellington pulling Sags’ jersey up over his head and delivering several brutal punches to the head and ribs, followed by Blackman delivering the bicycle kick. Reeves rushed over and counted the one two three for the local favorites. Chris Adams vs. Steven Regal Regal ducked the Superkick and hit the Iron Fist Punch to score the pinfall Texas Death Match : Dusty Rhodes vs. Ken Patera Patera hit a second rope kneedrop on Rhodes to get the final pinfall. Rhodes was about to make it back to his feet to beat the ten count, but Sheikh Kaissie swept his leg from outside the ring to cost him the match AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. The Razor Boys Diamond caught Rose with a spinning back kick that sent him out of the ring, leading to a win for the Razor Boys by countout. Playboy After Dark retained the titles. AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Mike Rotundo Rotundo was going for the Varsity Rush (Samoan Drop), but Steamboat countered with a crucifix. Rotundo was able to kick out and follow up with a leaping clothesline, but Steamboat was able to block that and counter with a roll up that got the one two three.

AWA show from the Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, February 28th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) Black Irish vs. The Onyx Express Cameron powerslammed Koko for the victory Doug Furnas & Brian Pillman vs. The Youngbloods Pillman hit a top rope sunset flip on Blackman to score the pinfall Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Mando Guerrero Bam Bam completely bowled over the former Southern Champion, dominating him before hitting a slingshot suplex for the win Nord The Barbarian & Cactus Jack vs. The British Bullies In a battle of brawling abilities against technical skills, Jones pinned Cactus after a takeover suplex AWA Tag Team Title match : Chavo & Hector Guerrero © vs. The Killer Bees Chavo caught Blair in a German Suplex to defend his title Chris Adams vs. Jake Roberts Adams was very close to hitting the Superkick on Roberts, but the Snake was able to dodge it and hit the DDT to win the match AWA Canadian Title Match : Rick Martel © vs. Larry Zbysko Martel dominated Larry through most of the match, but Zbyszko had loosened the ropes during the match when Martel and the ref were not paying attention. When Martel went for the slingshot splash, the loose ropes threw him off sufficiently that Larry was able to dodge out of the way. Larry then followed up with the trifecta of low blow kick , fistful of tights and both feet on the ropes to get the shocking one two three. The fans were baying for the blood of both Larry Z and the ref but the decision stood and there was a new Canadian champion. AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Leo Burke Steamboat was making his first World Title defense in Winnipeg against the Canadian veteran, Burke. After the shenanigans of the last match, Steamboat and Burke brought back the crowds with an engaging technical match that ended with Steamboat hitting the top rope flying cross body press to get the pinfall.

So much greatness, Flair vs. Magnum is probably my favorite.

Love the intensity of Martel vs. Gordy. Looking forward to see what happens with King Tonga.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN , February 28th Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Zane Knight Bigelow is a young up and comer who has been tearing up Puerto Rico of late and is making his first appearance in the AWA. Good news for him, bad news for Zane Knight, who got pretty much torn apart by Bigelow. The crowd was in awe as Bigelow whipped Knight from pillar to post and threw him to the mat like he was nothing before hitting a slingshot splash for the one two three. At a time when the competition in the AWA is at its most fierce, it looks like a major new player has entered the scene. Mike Rotundo & Brian Pillman vs. The Youngbloods If Kevin Sullivan has been the Bad Cop of the Varsity Club Rush, badgering and shouting at them as part of his leadership method, it looks like his “assistant coach” Mike Rotundo has been the Good Cop. While Pillman has been a particular target of Sullivan’s bad temper, Rotundo looked to be making a concerted effort to give guidance to the former Cincinnatti Bengal, tagging in and out and giving advice and coaching from the ring apron. Pillman seemed to respond well to this approach and gained confidence as the match went on, managing to hit a springboard clothesline to get the win over the always dangerous Youngbloods. Perhaps Sullivan could stand to take a page out of Rotundo’s coaching book. The Razor Boys vs. Drew Christie & Dale Wentworth With “Cuts Like A Knife” by Bryan Adams playing over the arena PA, the audience craned their necks to see just who the Razor Boys would be … then cheered when it turned out to be the new team name for Paul Diamond and Al Perez. With Pat Tanaka currently the AWA Southern champ, his partner Diamond is forming a new duo with Perez that made an impressive debut on All-Star Wrestling. They easily dominated their opposition with swift tags and slick double team moves before Perez hoisted up Wentworth for what looked to be the Ally-Copter, only for Diamond to send Wentworth crashing to the mat with a top rope elbow smash (a move that they dubbed the Straight Razor). Time will tell if the Razor Boys can have the success that Badd Company had before them. Interview : Ken Resnick stands in the ring Resnick : Folks, my guest is one of the big favorites among the many fans of the AWA … Sgt. Slaughter! The fans cheer loudly as Sarge makes his way to the ring. He seems , however, to be moving rather slowly, as though something was weighing on his mind. Resnick : Sarge, normally we would be seeing you out here with the Cobra Corps, but now you are out here alone. Sarge : *sadly* That’s right , Resnick. The Cobra Corps has suffered some casualties of war. Cpl. Hall lost a loser-leaves-town match. Pvt. Foley … I don’t even recognize him any more. Now I am the last survivor of the Cobra Corps . Resnick : But surely, you have been teaming with “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes of late. Sarge : Dusty Rhodes has been a good ally to me, but he has his own battles to fight. I have nobody left under my command. It looks like I will have to fight my last campaigns on my own. There is some commotion from the fans as somebody comes out and heads to the ring. It’s the members of Rocky Mountain Thunder, Leon White and Too Cold Scorpio. White asks for the microphone and looks Sarge directly in the eye. White : Very sorry to interrupt, Mister, umm, Sergeant, sir. I made some bad choices when I arrived in the AWA. Kevin Sullivan was the wrong leader for me, and he was trying to steer me down a bad path. My good friend Scorpio has been helping me find my way, and we both agree that there’s no better leader we could have than you. If you will take us, sir, we would be honored to serve you in the Cobra Corps. Sarge stares at them for a while, then slowly raises his hand in a salute. White and Scorpio return his salute as the fans cheer. Darryl Peterson & Jeff Gaylord vs. The Killer Bees Judging by the look on his face, Sullivan was hugely displeased that his former charge now was a member of the Cobra Corps (then again, Sullivan pretty much always has that look on his face). Poor Brunzell and Blair getting caught in the path of his ill temper, as Sullivan directed his two huge trainees to punish the Bees, and they certainly delivered. Peterson and Gaylord seemed to sadistically relish the chance to batter their smaller opponents, following Sullivan’s every command but adding a bit of extra venom to each shot. After his usual series of huge suplexes, Peterson looked like he had Blair set up for the Wakigatame, but Sullivan ordered him to tag out and have Gaylord finish him off. Gaylord obliged by throwing Blair around like a rag doll before hitting a massive backbreaker and get the pinfall. Clearly Sullivan is looking to bring out the brute in his Varsity Club Rush charges. AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Mando Guerrero Tanaka took the Southern Title from Mando last week in what some considered an upset. Mando clearly was determined to show this as a fluke and make his title reign a short one. He went straight after Tanaka, looking to overpower him and break him down. Tanaka, though, was not about to be taken lightly, fighting back hard with all of his wrestling and martial arts expertise. Every time it looked like Mando would have Tanaka set up for a submission hold, Tanaka would work his way free. Every time it looked like Mando would have Tanaka in place for a high flying move, Tanaka would recover in time to dodge out of the way. It finally looked like Mando would be able to wrap Tanaka up in the Gory Special, Tanaka was able to wriggle himself out of his clutches, and when Mando turned around , Tanaka nailed him with a roundhouse kick to the face that knocked him straight out. The three count was academic, and Tanaka is clearly a champion that one underestimates at their peril. AWA American Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Dan Spivey Spivey has been gradually gaining ground on Bockwinkel in their recent matches, impressing many with his efforts and improvement in the ring. When he came out and did his usual routine of ripping off his t-shirt and flexing while cupping his ear to the audience, he actually was drawing a fair number of legitimate cheers from the fans. Helping this response was likely the fact that a) Kevin Sullivan was not in his corner for this match and the always cantankerous Larry Zbyszko was in Bockwinkel’s corner. Both competitors tried to get down to the business of the match and try to ignore Larry’s yapping away. Bock was as cool as ever, fending off Spivey’s power offense and showing his strong technical expertise. But Spivey kept chipping away at him, making sure that evey shot, every slam counted and he was clearly starting to wear down the champ. He finally had Bock in place for the Spivey Bomber, but as he was coming off the ropes , Larry reached in to snag his leg and trip him. Spivey briefly stumbled, but regained his footing in time to duck under a lariat by Bock. While Larry was pointing at his head to show how clever he was, Spivey came off the opposite ropes and nailed the Spivey Bomber. One … two … three!!! Half the crowd was in shock, while the other half roared their approval. One of those in shock was Larry Z, who stared slack-jawed before trying to blame Bock for the loss. The two almost came to blows and still ended up arguing all the way back to the locker room. Meanwhile, Spivey raised the belt above his head as the Spiveymaniacs cheered on their new champion.

Glad to see my Bullies have some impact. Big upset for Fujiwara . Loved the Hansen tag and the main event.

Well written house show, love the intense matches. Enjoy the continuing Owen Hart storyline and how the action helps set up future matches.

I am really looking forward to seeing how the Dick Slater angle turns out.

Back in the brief period I was able to actually watch Internationale as it happened, King Tonga was my favorite, so I am loving the push he is getting here.

Angry Savage is the best Savage. Love the way this is shaping up.

AWA show at Boylan High School, Rockford, IL, February 23rd Ron Simmons & Brian Pillman vs. The Youngbloods Pillman hit a diving crossbody on Wellington to score the pinfall Masa Saito vs. Mando Guerrero Saito forced Mando to give up to the Scorpion Leglock Jeff Gaylord & Darryl Peterson vs. The Killer Bees Gaylord caught Brunzell with a leaping clothesline for the victory Black Irish vs. The Onyx Express Finlay pinned Brickhouse after a belly to belly piledriver Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo & Doug Furnas vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Rocky Mountain Thunder White crushed Sullivan with a power slam to get the win for his team Larry Zbyszko vs. Danny Spivey Spivey nailed Larry 3 seconds in with the Spivey Bomber and got the one two three. Larry complained that the ref had made a fast count, as you would pretty much expect him to. AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Leo Burke Burke put up a tough challenge, but Tanaka was eventually able to knock him out with the rolling wheel kick to retain the title AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : Chavo & Hector Guerrero © vs. Paul Diamond & Al Perez In a controversial decision, Perez hit the German Suplex on Hector at the same time that Chavo hit the German Suplex on Diamond, but the ref made the count for the champions and declared them the winners Texas Bullrope Match : Ken Patera vs. Dusty Rhodes In an incredibly bloody match, Dusty was ultimately able to hit all four turnbuckles and got the win. In spite of their cuts and exhaustion, both men continued to slug it out after the final bell. AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. British Steel Regal was able to knock out Somers with the Iron Fist punch, but it was right at the 30 minute mark and the decision was a time limit draw AWA American Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Jerry Blackwell Bock was able to dodge out of the way of an avalanche in the corner and follow up with a cradle to get the one two three.

Wild finish to a great TV show. Dumb question, who is the Crusher on your roster? Is it Reggie Lisowski? I ask because I am pretty sure he is still showing in the free agent listings.

AWA show from the International Amphitheatre , Chicago, February 22nd Ron Simmons, Jeff Gaylord & Darryl Peterson vs. Greg Gagne & Rocky Mountain Thunder Simmons pinned Scorpio after a spine buster slam Larry Zbyszko vs. Sgt. Slaughter Yet another cheating attempt by Zbyszko led to him walking into a Slaughter Cannon to give the win to Sarge. Larry threw his traditional hissy fit after the match The Sheepherders vs. The Killer Bees The Sheeps pinned Brunzell after a double stomach breaker Buzz Sawyer vs. Nord The Barbarian A wild match that finally ended in victory for Nord after a running knee drop Ken Patera vs. Dusty Rhodes A very intense battle where Patera attempted a shoulder breaker, but Dusty blocked it, then sent him into the corner turnbuckle, then caught him coming out with a schoolboy rollup for the fast pinfall Masa Saito vs. Chris Adams After multiple near falls, Saito was ultimately able to put Adams away with a Saito Suplex AWA Southern Tag Title Match : Chavo & Hector Guerrero © vs. Black Irish This match went long and Hector was finally able to put a stop to their challenge by catching Finlay in the Guerrero Clutch AWA American Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Dan Spivey A ferocious battle where Dan Spivey had the title within his grap when he had Bock set up for the Spivey Bomber, but Larry Zbyszko tripped him from the outside, sending him face first to the mat. The ref caught that and called for the DQ, giving the win to Spivey but not the title. This pleased neither Spivey, nor the fans, nor Bockwinkel, who argued with Larry Z all the way back to the locker room.

AWA show from the Mecca, Milwaukee, February 21st (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) 2/3 Falls Match : The British Bullies vs. British Steel 1st fall : Marty Jones pinned Norman Smiley after a belly to belly piledriver 2nd fall : The Bullies had a long sequence as they worked over Smiley, but he was able to come back and catch Jones in the Norman Conquest and made him give up the second fall 3rd fall : The clock was ticking down to the time limit , but Regal was just able to knock out Taylor with the Iron Fist Punch to take the decisive fall Triple Dog Collar Chain Match : The Snakepit vs. Buzz Sawyer & The Sheepherders An incredibly bloody, chaotic brawl that ended when Sawyer hit a chain assisted bulldog on Cactus Jack to take the win Nick Bockwinkel & Larry Zybyszko vs. The Youngbloods Once again, Blackman was able to blindside Larry with a bicycle kick, but neither man noticed that Bock had tagged himself in, and Nick then hit a belly to back suplex for the pinfall. After the match, Larry was upset that Bock hadn’t come in for the save sooner. No pleasing some people. Brian Pillman vs. Greg Gagne The AWA’s other resident fussbudget, Kevin Sullivan, was in Pillman’s corner. An exciting bout that ended when Pillman caught Gagne in a schoolboy rollup, but Gagne reversed it to get the pinfall. Both men shook hands after the match, which made Sullivan even more unhappy (although frankly, pretty much everything does) AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Al Perez It was announced going into this match that, as Al Perez had signed for a Southern Title match prior to Pat Tanaka winning the belt from Mando Guerrero, he would get a shot at the title tonight, only challenging Tanaka instead of Guerrero. As Sunshine managed both men , she stood in a neutral corner for the match and watched with a concerned look on her face. Both men shook hands before the match but gave each other a steely gaze, clearly not about to let friendship stand in the way of their desire to win. The match started out technical but grew more intense as it went along. Perez, determined to take back the title that he had dominated for so long, tried to wear him down with limbwork to try to get either the Indian Leglock or the Oriental Armlock, but Tanaka was always able to find a way out. In turn , Tanaka was able to score a number of knock downs with martial arts kicks and high flying moves, and Perez was just able to make sure he was close to the ropes to avoid a pinfall. As the match wound down, both men kicked it into overdrive to strike the killing blow, with Tanaka struggling mightily to block the German Suplex and the Ally Copter, and Perez just barely able to dodge out of the way of the rolling wheel kick. Perez looked like he would finally hit the German Suplex to take back the title, but Tanaka blocked it and countered with a legsweep into his own leglock. He tried to make Perez submit, but the Latin Heartthrob gritted his teeth and refused to give up, and the bell signaled the time limit draw. Both men helped each other up then embraced, raising each other’s hands as the crowd cheered. AWA World Tag Title match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. Black Irish The pairing of David “Fit” Finlay and “Lethal” Larry Cameron is an extremely new entry in the AWA tag team roster, and Playboy After Dark didn’t seem to be taking them very seriously. Big mistake, as the double tough Irishman and the powerful former linebacker came at them with an intense ferocity that caught both them and the audience off guard. Rose and Somers were running scared for most of the match, and even when they had the advantage, it wasn’t for long as Black Irish came raging back at them. They ended up resorting to the cheap tactic of popping the referee, leading to a loss by DQ but retaining their titles. Black Irish may not have taken the belts, but they had served notice that they had truly arrived in the AWA, and Playboy After Dark and the Guerreros could only take them lightly at their peril. Loser Leaves Town AWA World Title Match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Ricky Steamboat This is it. The Big One. This one has been building up for months. The former friends turned hated enemies would square off and by the end, one would be AWA World Champion and the other would be gone from the AWA. Steamboat came out first, taking time to slap palms with his many fans but his face clearly focused on the task ahead of him. Orndorff , on the other hand, came out to a chorus of boos, but wasn’t going to let any of that distract him from defending his title. When the bell rang, he charged right at Steamboat, but the challenger was waiting for him and took him down with an armdrag. From there on, the opening stretch was all Steamboat as he really took it to the champion. The momentum swung back in favour of Orndorff when he caught Steamboat attempting a running cross body block and countered with a power slam. He then proceeded to show why he has been such a dominant World champion, punishing Steamboat with elbow smashes and power moves. As the match wore on, it became a real nail biter, with both sides looking like they could take it at any moment. It looked like Orndorff would finally put an end to the challenge when he got Steamboat in position for a Piledriver, but Steamboat put in a mighty effort to block it, then countered it with a back body drop. Orndorff then followed through with a sunset flip for a two count, which Steamboat in turn reversed for a two count. When both men got back to their feet, Orndorff came at Steamboat with a lariat, but Steamboat blocked it, countered with a go behind then hit a belly to back suplex. One … two … THREE !!! Ricky Steamboat is the new AWA World Champion! The crowd exploded into cheers and many other AWA wrestlers rushed to the ring to celebrate with him, all while Orndorff quietly made his exit from the AWA.

I've been neglecting poor Norman, he has been pretty much Regal's partner and not much else. Figured it was time to redress that.

It sets up something for which I have long term plans, is also a pay back for Sarge doing the job to Spivey.

When I decided that I was going to team them up, I couldn't resist the joke.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN , February 21st Rocky Mountain Thunder vs. John Cody & Cliff Robinson There was a fair amount of buzz in the audience before the match as to who Rocky Mountain Thunder would be, but the fans exploded in cheers when it turned out to be a new tag team of Leon White and Too Cold Scorpio. White has really got the fans behind him since he is no longer tied in with Kevin Sullivan and the Varsity Club, while Scorpio’s exciting style has made him a stand out among the AWA rookies. The two old friends worked together like they had been teaming their whole lives, blending White’s power with Scorpio’s high flying as they easily dominated their opponents before White propelled Scorpio in a Rocket Launcher onto Cody for the win. The tag division in the AWA just keeps on getting better. Nord the Barbarian vs. Buzz Sawyer Hoo boy. Buzz Sawyer is clearly holding a grudge against the Snakepit after his match with Cactus Jack last week. Normally, one man facing down three would garner some sort of sympathy from people, but Sawyer has been so obnoxious, people were readily siding with Jake Roberts and his men. Sawyer and Nord went at it fist and fire for several minutes before Sawyer went after Nord with his chain , leading the ref to call for the DQ. He kept on attacking with the chain until Roberts and Cactus charged out and ran him out of the ring. Sawyer dared them to come after him as he swung the chain, but the Snakepit clearly didn’t see the point in that and the stalemate continued until the AWA officials sent them back to the locker room. Kevin Sullivan, Brian Pillman & Ron Simmons vs. Greg Gagne & The Youngbloods This wound up being a clash of differing coaching styles, as it looks like Gagne has taken Wellington and Blackman under his wing and give them the benefit of his guidance. The Youngbloods took well to his leadership, smoothly tagging in and out and working out some double team and combination moves. Sullivan, on the other hand , seemed to believe it was all down to shouting, bellowing orders at both of his men throughout the match. Simmons seemed to pay no mind to it and get on with his match, but Pillman wound up getting the worst of it. It seemed like nothing the former Cincinnatti Bengal could do would satisfy Sullivan, who criticized and nitpicked his every move, even though Pillman showed great technical promise in all of his exchanges with the Youngbloods. Pillman was in the midst of an offensive flurry but it was cut short when he went for a running cross body on Wellington, which wound up being caught and countered with a belly to belly piledriver for the one two three. Wellington helped his opponent up but Sullivan would have none of it, berating the still groggy Pillman while smacking him upside the head. Simmons gave an extremely disapproving look before interposing himself between the two, wrapping his huge arm around Pillman’s shoulder as he helped his partner to the back. Sullivan fell silent but was clearly saving his ire for another time. Marty Jones vs. Norman Smiley Both men’s partners were in their corners for this match, but the ref informed them that he would tolerate no interference from either of them. That being said, this wound up being a purely scientific match, with a lot of counter wrestling and matwork. It was something of a coming out party for Smiley, who has tended to dwell in his partner’s shadow, but clearly had Jones on the defensive for much of the match. Jones, “The Lancashire Lion”, could always work his way out of any predicament, but it seemed like Smiley was steadily starting to catch up with him. It looked like he might finally get him trapped in the Norman Conquest, but Jones was able to block it and counter with a go-behind followed by a straightjacket suplex for the win. A solid victory but the youngsters are clearly closing in on the heels of the veterans. Sgt. Slaughter vs. Doug Somers Sarge was recently coming off a recent match against the World Tag champs, but was now facing Somers in a solo outing. Somers was not alone, however, as “Playboy” Buddy Rose was supporting his partner from ringside by doing everything he could to distract Slaughter. The tandem actually managed to keep the big drill sergeant off balance for much of the match, but Sarge eventually had enough of their shenanigans and sent Rose crashing off the ringside apron with a big boot. Somers looked to take advantage of this distraction by slipping something into his elbow pad and blindsiding Sarge, but Slaughter whipped around and nailed him with the Slaughter Cannon, getting the three count. Sarge was triumphant, but Rose and Somers were swearing vengeance in the ring. AWA Southern Title Match : Mando Guerrero © vs. Pat Tanaka Mando had already defeated Paul Diamond in a Southern Title defense a couple of weeks ago, and now would be defending against the other half of Badd Company on the way to a rematch with Al Perez in Milwaukee. However, there was a significant difference this time out, as the newly returned Sunshine was at ringside to give guidance to her man, along with The Great Kabuki who was watching over Sunshine like a hawk. Her comeback seems to have invigorated her boys, as Tanaka was all over Mando for much of the match, keeping the champ in full scale retreat with fast paced martial arts and flying moves. Mando would take back control of the match and start to grind him down, but Tanaka would keep coming back at him. He finally looked like he would put an end to the challenge when he tried to lock Tanaka in the Gory Special, but Tanaka blocked and countered it with a sunset flip for a two count. Mando reversed it to get another two count, and then picked Tanaka up and whipped him into the ropes for a clothesline. Tanaka ducked at the last possible second, then came back off the ropes with a rolling wheel kick that landed hard on the top of Mando’s head, seemingly knocking him cold. Tanaka went for the cover. One … Two … THREE? Pat Tanaka just won the AWA Southern Title! The crowd exploded as Sunshine and Kabuki rushed in to the ring to celebrate with Tanaka . (Well, Sunshine celebrated, while Kabuki watched her back.) Paul Diamond and Al Perez soon joined in on the celebration, although Perez seemed a bit subdued. He had to be wondering what that meant for his title shot in Milwaukee.

Glad to see you back. Flair on the Sports Shop is everything it should be. Owen Hart continues to be one of my favorite stories.

Jimmy Jack Funk *is* Roughhouse Fargo! I love it ! So glad Jesse went to a good home, I hated to let him go.