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The British Bullies are evil foreigners (albeit from a nation where the AWA does have babyfaces), plus Chris Adams did have a feud as a heel with babyface Kabuki (who has heat with the Syndicate) in Texas IRL, so it isn't entirely out of nowhere. The Guerreros and the Rougeaus sounds like a natural matchup

AWA show from the Cow Palace, San Francisco, January 10th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) The British Bullies vs. The Youngbloods Taylor pinned Blackman with the British Suplex (Bridging floatover double underhook suplex) Cactus Jack vs. Buzz Sawyer A crazy brawl that ended with both wrestlers DQed Ron Simmons vs. Leo Burke Simmons hit a spinebuster slam for the victory Jesse Barr vs. Jake Roberts Roberts executed the DDT and got the win Chris Adams vs. The Great Kabuki While Sheikh Adnan Al Kaissie distracted the referee , Adams hit Kabuki with his own nunchaku and got the pinfall Dusty Rhodes vs. Killer Khan A bloody brawl that ended with Dusty winning by countout after hitting the Bionic Elbow on the concrete Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo & Dan Spivey vs. Nick Bockwinkel, ??? & ??? Bockwinkel introduced his partners, who were ….. Larry Zbyszko and Masa Saito! A long and intense match that finally ended when Saito his two of his trademark Saito Suplexes consecutively on Sullivan that scored the win for his team AWA World Title Match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Greg Gagne Gagne came in with his ribs still bandaged, fresh off not only his big win at Super Clash but an incredibly tough tag match against Riki Choshu and Rusher Kimura in Japan. Gagne gave Orndorff a ferocious battle that looked like it go either way, but Orndorff was able to ultimately hit the Piledriver to defend his title.

I started out the Varsity Club Rush with a couple of squash matches so I could give each of them a chance to show off. I am having fun developing their individual personalities in my writing. Two title changes in one TV show is a bit much, but I do have a lot of titles It helps to emphasize that, with Sunshine out and Diamond hurt, the Sunshine Boys are in disarray and easy pickings for the newly aggressive Guerreros.

Am actually working ahead of pace on my writing, hope it isn't an issue if I get my shows in a day early. AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN/TSN for January 10th Ron Simmons, Leon White & Doug Furnas vs. Chet Welch, Joel Anderson & Mikey Bortone The Varsity Club Rush kicks off in earnest, with Simmons, White and Furnas (accompanied by their “Coaches”, Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo and Dan Spivey) making their All-Star Wrestling in-ring debuts. Their young oppoents were dwarfed by these three huge college football stand outs. While White (who has already turned some heads in a big match in Japan) got some looks of disapproval from Sullivan for his friendly attitude to the fans, he certainly impressed the coaches and fans alike with the raw power he showed in his slams and clotheslines. Furnas drew a gasp from the fans as he lifted the muscular Anderson up in a Gorilla press slam as if it took no effort at all, but also showed quickness and threw a graceful dropkick that knocked Welch across the ring. But it was Simmons, who devastated his opponents with explosive tackles, who got the final shot when he power slammed Bortone so hard that it knocked the breath right out of him, pinning him with ease. The Varsity Club certainly hav some impressive prospects vying for their membership. Too Cold Scorpio vs. Joe Dowdle The Varsity Club doesn’t have a monopoly on AWA newcomers, with Scorpio, a high flying youngster from Denver , looking to make his way in the promotion. He got the fans going with his fast exchanges and aerial ability before finishing off Dowdle with a top rope splash. It looks like the sky is the limit for this engaging rookie. AWA Southern Tag Team Title match : Badd Company © vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero The Sunshine Boys have found themselves in disarray since their manager went into seclusion, following a dastardly attack by Chris Adams. After the loss last week of the Six Man Titles, Badd Company once again found themselves in a title match against the Guerreros, this time defending their Southern Tag Titles. They found themselves still behind the 8 ball , with Diamond still badly hurting from the Guerreros exacerbation of his Starrcade shoulder injury. Tanaka did all he could to carry the team on his own , but gradually found himself overwhelmed by superior numbers. Diamond could eventually take no more and tagged himself into the match, doing well for a while but finally brought low by a double team on his hurt shoulder. A Guerrero Clutch by Hector and the brothers had brought even more gold around their waists. Interview : Ken Resnick stands in the ring Resnick : Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest has made a shocking impact on the AWA of late. The so-called “Gentleman” … Chris Adams! The crowd boos as he comes out , and boos even louder when they see that his is accompanied by Sheikh Adnan Al Kaissie. Resnick : Chris Adams, you have been on a reign of terror in the AWA. Bad enough with the wrestlers you have attacked, but Sunshine hasn’t been seen since you Superkicked her at Super Clash. How are these the actions of a gentleman? Adams : The Sheikh brought me in to take care of business, Resnick, and that is just what I did. He didn’t care about losing Kendo and Tojo, they were yesterday’s news, but Sunshine was too much of a thorn in his side. So I pulled her out of it! If she’s a woman who is going to insist on getting involved in man’s business, she’s going to learn that there is a price to pay! Resnick : (clearly disgusted) What, then , is your reasoning for your other attacks. You are responsible for the British Bulldogs being run out of the AWA and hurt British Steel so badly that Steven Regal was taken out on a stretcher. Why attack your fellow countrymen with such violence? Adams : Countrymen? They don’t deserve to call themselves British! The Bulldogs wasted their time , kissing up to the Americans, and I showed them where it would get them. And British Steel shouldn’t break as easily as I broke those two young ponces! The British Empire use to rule the world! And I’ve brought in some men … real men! … who are going to show you just why! “Squire” Dave Taylor! “The Lancashire Lion” Marty Jones! Together, we are … the British Bullies! The booing of the crowd reaches a crescendo as Taylor and Jones come out and shake hands with Sheikh and Adams, but the newest members of the Sinister Syndicate pay it no mind as they cackle and laugh in the ring. Jeff Gaylord, Darryl Peterson & Brian Pillman vs. Steven Morris, Dave Cruser & Aaron Reisberger Round 2 of the Varsity Club Rush. Brian Pillman certainly was a marked contrast to his partners, not just his smaller size but his boundless enthusiasm standing out against the sullenness of Peterson and the arrogance of Gaylord. Pillman’s eagerness to shake hands with the fans drew the ire of Sullivan, who smacked him in the back of the head and ordered him to go to the ring. Peterson showed off his strong amateur background, tossing Cruser with a series of takedowns and suplexes. Gaylord seemed to have something to prove, looking to show that he was the most powerful and had the best physique of all of the Varsity Club rookies. He rocked Reisberger with powerslams and tackles. Ultimately, it was Pillman who was the most impressive, for the fans if not Sullivan. He showed lightning quickness against Morris with dazzling fast moves before coming off the top rope with a flying clothesline for the win. Clearly , all of the Varsity Club recruits have consideral physical skills. But which of them have the attitude that Sullivan is looking for? Stay tuned! Killer Khan vs. Anthony Robinson Khan came in completely unchecked, destroying Robinson in quick order and not even being stopped by the AWA officials. Just when it seemed that nobody would be able to stop him, the crowd erupted when someone charged out to the rescue. It was “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes! He managed to stagger Khan with a series of big elbow smashes before finally knocking him out of the ring. Khan was still standing, though , and the two brawled all the way back to the locker room. AWA Southern Title match : Al Perez © vs. Mando Guerrero Perez came to the ring clearly shaken by the recent losses by his allies but determined to defend his title. He certainly had his work cut out from him, with Mando having both of his brothers at ringside providing plenty of distraction. Perez took the fight to Guerrero, digging into his considerable bag of technical skills to try to put down his challenge. At several points, it looked like he would trap him in either the Oriental Armlock or the Indian Leglock, but either Guerrero would wriggle to the ropes or his brothers would interfere to break up the hold. Perez was finally getting Mando set up for the German Suplex, but while Hector distracted the ref, Chavo came in off the top rope with a double axehandle. While Chavo scrambled out of the ring, Mando excecuted his own German Suplex and got the one two three. And just like that, Perez’s Southern Title reign of over 6 months came to an end. AWA American Title match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Mike Rotundo This could have worked out to be a strong technical matchup, but once again, outside interference kept making its way into the match. Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey kept trying to tip the scales in Rotundo’s favor, until the ref had enough and called for the DQ. The Varsity Club then tried to beat down Bockwinkel, but Nick bailed to the outside and grabbed a chair to fend them off. Bock then got on the ringside mic and challenged the three members of the Varsity Club to take on him and two partners in a match in San Francisco. But what partners could he possibly have in mind?

I am having to do a fair amount of that with my rookies. Can't have Spivey doing power bombs or Scorpio hitting Tumbleweeds at this stage. Part of the challenge, but also part of the fun.

Here is the current, post-January 1st roster for the AWA : Biff Wellington Steve Blackman Ricky Steamboat Greg Gagne Jake Roberts Sgt. Slaughter Brian Pillman Nick Bockwinkel Nord The Barbarian Phil Lafon Tom Zenk Paul Diamond Pat Tanaka Steven Regal Norman Smiley Al Perez Mick Foley Great Kabuki Dusty Rhodes Leon White Too Cold Scorpio Doug Furnas Mr. Saito Sunshine Kevin Sullivan Paul Orndorff Mike Rotundo Bob Orton Dan Spivey Dave Taylor Jesse Barr Jeff Gaylord Marty Jones Buzz Sawyer Chris Adams Larry Zbyszko Buddy Rose Ed Wiskowski Leo Burke Doug Somers Koko Ware Brickhouse Brown Jerry Blackwell Ken Patera Maxx Paine Mando Guerrero Chavo Guerrero Hector Guerrero Sheikh Adnan Kaissey Fallen Angel

I fricking love your use of Eric Embry.

Matches like Mando vs. 2 Cold are one of the big reasons I have my training program laid out like it is. Ironically, Gaylord is pretty much the most experienced member of the Varsity Club Rush in this project's reality, having been wrestling for about a year in the previous version of Puerto Rico. I was a little unsure about his victory coming over a current champion, but I figured there were enough mitigating factors to explain Tanaka doing the job (tag specialist in a singles match, much bigger wrestler, just coming off a beating from the Guerreros) while still giving Gaylord credibility. One of the benefits of the alliance between Paul Orndorff and the Varsity Club is that, while one of my top contenders get a title shot, I can have other ones take on Rotundo as a gatekeeper . Rotundo is becoming one of my go to guys for strong technical matches (training program again, blah blah blah). We definitely have not seen the last of the Rougeaus and their title challenge.

AWA show from Cobo Hall, Detroit, January 4th Brian Pillman & Doug Furnas vs. The Onyx Express Koko pinned Pillman after a Ghostbuster Pat Tanaka vs. Jeff Gaylord Gaylord caught Tanaka with a flying shoulder tackle to get the victory Mando Guerrero vs. Too Cold Scorpio Mando won with a German suplex Darryl Peterson vs. B. Brian Blair Blair won by DQ when Peterson hit the ref Leo Burke vs. Cactus Jack Cactus hit a nasty elbow smash to the back of Burke’s head and got the pinfall AWA World Tag Title match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. Armand & Raymond Rougeau Both teams went to a 30 minute time limit draw AWA American Title match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Mike Rotundo Rotundo went for the Varsity Rush (Samoan drop) but Bock blocked it and countered with a sunset flip to defend his belt Sgt. Slaughter & Dusty Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff & Kevin Sullivan Sarge hit the Slaughter Cannon on Sullivan and got the win

AWA show from the Met Center, Bloomington, January 3rd (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) The Youngbloods vs. Jesse Barr & Buzz Sawyer Sawyer pinned Blackman with a diving splash Cactus Jack vs. Brickhouse Brown Cactus won by countout after hitting a diving elbow drop from the ring apron to the outside The Great Kabuki vs. Leo Burke Kabuki won with the thrust kick Al Perez & Pat Tanaka vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero Perez was a substitute for the injured Paul Diamond. Chavo hit the top rope somersault senton on Tanaka for the win Jake Roberts vs. Kevin Sullivan Jake executed the DDT for the victory Koko Ware vs. Dusty Rhodes Dusty scored the pinfall with the Bionic Elbow AWA World Title match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Sgt. Slaughter Sarge won by DQ when he was attacked by the Varsity Club. Orndorff retained the title.

One other background thing for the Guerreros heel turn is that it plays into my "behind the scenes" dirt sheet story about them being promoted to trainers for the AWA. This move means that they will be having matches and providing education with youngster tag teams such as British Steel, Badd Company and the Youngbloods. There will be another tag team coming in that will also be working in this role. Have I mentioned that I like talking about my training program?

Nope, another thing in the works since I picked them up. Liked their various heel runs in places like Mid-South and Memphis and wanted to bring that here. Also wanted a heel unit to act as a foil for the Sunshine Boys and the Rougeaus.

I tried to make sure to always refer to them as "thrust kicks to the jaw" to keep from completely giving it away. Same reason I resisted the temptation to have him wearing a Union Jack mask. I have been planning the Varsity Club Rush angle for months. That is the reason I went kind of crazy in the draft Special thanks to kevinmcfl, who helped with both a trade and a talent loan to put all of the pieces I wanted in place.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for January 3rd The Youngbloods vs. Blake Towsley & Brandon Bellinger The AWA is looking to have a big year for 1986, and they are kicking it off by introducing the brand new tag team of the Youngbloods, Steve Blackman and Biff Wellington. Blackwell and Wellington are both relative newcomers to the sport of wrestling but were able to get the crowd going, Wellington with a series of suplexes and Blackwell with his martial arts moves. Wellington ultimately polished off Towsley with a jumping piledriver and the Youngbloods start off 1986 and their AWA career with a victory. Killer Khan vs. Jim Lynch Killer Khan lost his guiding light in Tojo Yamamoto at Super Clash and it looks like he has gone completely out of control. He savagely dismantled poor Jim Lynch before knocking him out with the Oriental Thumb choke, but even that was not enough for the crazed Mongolian. He kept on kicking and stomping Lynch before going up to the top turnbuckle and coming off with the flying kneedrop to the sternum. Lynch was taken out of the ring on a stretcher, but even then Khan knocked him off and kept attacking him, only being restrained by a swarm of AWA officials. Can anyone stop his rampage? Interview : Ken Resnick stands in the ring Resnick : Folks, my next guest is the leader of the Varsity Club … “The Games Master” Kevin Sullivan! The crowd boos as Kevin Sullivan comes out, with Fallen Angel, Mike Rotundo and Dan Spivey in tow. Fallen Angel wore her traditional seductive look and not much else, while Spivey and Rotundo were broadly smirking, but Sullivan had one of his peculiarly thoughtful looks, as though he had an ace up his sleeve that nobody would see coming. Resnick : Kevin Sullivan, you seem to be in a strangely good mood today. Hard to believe, given that the Varsity Club recently lost a member in Rick Steiner. Sullivan : (chortling sinisterly) It’s the New Year, Mister Resnick, the time of new beginnings! One door opens, several more open. It is an age of new opportunities, and the Club is giving new opportunities for a lucky few. You see, what I am announcing here is the Varsity Club Rush! I have combed the ranks of collegiate athletics for the top prospects and have found the prime candidates for the Club. The boys and I will put them through training camp and put them through their paces to see who has what it takes and the right mind set to be Varsity Club members. So let me introduce the Varsity Club freshman recruits! (Loud , college football marching band music blares over the arena PA) Sullivan : From the Iowa State Cyclones … Darryl Peterson! The huge Peterson strides impassively out to the ring, his eyes locked forward as he pays no attention to the fans at ringside. Sullivan : From the Missouri Tigers … Jeff Gaylord! Sporting an impressive physique, Gaylord hustles to the ring, seeming annoyed by the fans reaching out to greet him. Sullivan : From the Tennessee Volunteers … Doug Furnas! Furnas is an incredibly powerful looking man who took time to slap palms and high five some of the fans on the way out. Sullivan : From the Miami of Ohio Redskins … Brian Pillman! A decided contrast to the other recruits, the noticeably smaller Pillman enthiastically high fives as many fans as he can before going to the ring. Sullivan : From the Florida State Seminoles … Ron Simmons! Simmons does reach out his hands to the fans but is otherwise all business as he joins the other recruits Sullivan : And last, but far from least, from the Colorado Buffalo … Leon White. White is another huge man and would look intimidating if not for the shy smile he has as he reaches out to the fans. Sullivan : This is the Varsity Club Rush, class of 1986! And we will see what these guys are capable of! British Steel vs. Jesse Barr & Buzz Sawyer British Steel have had some trouble with interference in their matches, but were wanting to put that aside as they took on the tough team of Barr and Sawyer. They were starting to make some head way, with Regal starting to get Barr in a series of armlocks, when the mysterious masked man struck again. But this time, it was with even greater viciousness than before. He yanked Norman Smiley off the ring apron and drove him hard, head first, into the ringside steps, knocking him unconscious. He then nailed Regal with the thrust kick to the jaw as the ref called for the DQ and Barr and Sawyer bailed from the ring. But this was not enough for him, as he grabbed a chair from ringside and used it to batter Regal before laying it on top of him and taking a high running jump on both the chair and Regal underneath it. He finally pulled off the mask, revealing himself to be … “Gentleman” Chris Adams!!!!!! Adams then ran out of the ring, cackling as the medics came out and had to remove young Regal on a stretcher. The Rougeau Brothers vs. Sekhou Bunch, Billy Garcia & JP Calderon After the chaos of the last match, it took a while to get things calmed down, but the crowd was able to get into the special appearance by Jacques, Raymond and Armand Rougeau. They dazzled the fans with their high flying, acrobatics and double and triple team moves before Jacques finally put Garcia away with a missile dropkick. AWA Six-Man Tag Team Title Match : Badd Company & Al Perez © vs. The Guerrero Brothers The champions were coming in at a disadvantage, not only missing their manager Sunshine (still shaken up after being attacked by the masked Chris Adams at Super Clash), but with Diamond’s shoulder heavily bandaged from injuries at Starrcade. They seemed relieved to at least be in the ring with the popular Guerreros. All went well until Tanaka had to tag in Diamond. The Guerreros went at him like sharks with blood in the water, ruthlessly mangling his arm to exacerbate the injury to his shoulder and double teaming him whenever the ref’s back was turned. Diamond tried to escape to the outside, but then Mando rammed him hard, shoulder first, into the turnbuckle post. He then tossed Diamond back in the ring to his brother Chavo, who locked Diamond in the Gory Special. Paul Diamond had nothing left in him to escape it, and was forced to give up both the match and the Six Man titles. His partners, Tanaka and Pereze, demanded to know what gives with the Guerreros, but the three brothers simply shrugged and laughed as they picked up the belts, all while the crowd watched in stunned amazement, shocked at their change of attitude.

Hopefully they have learned their lesson, like IRL

*enormous comedic spit take* Wow, this is a serious blockbuster deal.

I was hoping that big Mike would go to a good home.

There was a major bloodletting in the AWA as many big names have been announced as leaving right at the new year. The promotion is apparently banking very heaviliy on a major influx of new young talent and it has been seen as an "Out with the old, in with the new" move. As for the specific names being let go : The British Bulldogs and Scott Hall have reportedly taken extremely lucrative offers elsewhere, with the Bulldogs unhappy since losing the World Tag belts and Hall finding his Cobra Corps gimmick too limiting. Tony Atlas and Dave Schultz have had a reputation as having attitude problems and causing trouble backstage, so it was only a matter of time before they were encouraged to let go. Rick Steiner has been unsatisfied with the switch in focus from him to the young British wrestlers, and there is word of him getting a special incentive to make the jump to another territory. Regardless, he is leaving on good terms, with a high profile final program with Ricky Steamboat being seen as a final thank you for his hard work throughout the year. Buck Robley considers himself pretty much retired at this point, as indicated by his declining involvement in any major program of late. Bob Roop has had all he can take of the cold midwestern climate and has mentioned he is looking to move back to Florida. Roop may well have jumped before he was pushed, as there is a major shakeup in the AWA training team. With the continued focus on training and development of the younger wrestlers, the continued sqabbles between the Japanese and American trainers have proved too much of a headache for AWA management, with the result of them replacing most of the current training staff. With Leo Burke lately keeping his hands clean of the infighting, it looked like that might just have saved his job, but not only is Roop leaving, but so are Kendo Nagasaki and Tojo Yamamoto (possibly returning to Japan and Memphis, respectively). If Steven Regal is concerned about his two main backers leaving the training team , he can breath easy, as Burke has had a major reversal of opinion on Regal following their recent program together, becoming one of the young Englishman's most vocal supporters. Further more, two recent additions to both the AWA and the training team, Dave Taylor and Marty Jones, have let it be known how much they are looking forward to working with their young countryman and how much faith they have in him. Joining Burke , Taylor and Jones in the training staff will be Mando Guerrero, Jesse Barr and Bob Orton, with Chavo & Hector Guerrero, Greg Gagne and Mike Rotundo acting as associate trainers. There will also still be a Japanese presence in the AWA, with not only Kabuki but a very hush hush big name rumoured to be coming back to the AWA, as well as discussions with Japanese promotions for talent sharing that will give valuable experience to their young wrestlers. This, along with the completion of the new AWA training facilities, shows that, in spite of recent turbulance, the future is shining bright for the AWA.

The following people will be released to free agency by the AWA effective Jan. 1st to make way for the new draft picks : Mike Shaw, Bob Roop, Kendo Nagasaki, Tojo Yamamoto, Buck Robley .

Not sure which of these have been posted, so will get all caught up on the Post Draft trades. Pretty much all of these are effective Jan. 1st : Hercules goes to the WWF for Ken Patera Tony Atlas and Scott Hall go to the UWF for a draft pick. The British Bulldogs , Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid, go to WWC for draft picks Rick Steiner and a player to be revealed later go to the WWF for Bob Orton and Roddy Piper Dave Schultz goes to WCCW for a draft pick. Think that clears it up.

AWA Super Clash 1985 : The Last Chance Saloon, from the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, December 31st 1985 Loser Leaves The AWA Match : Dan Spivey vs. Cpl. Scott Hall Poor Scott Hall’s head (and heart) didn’t really seem to be in this match. Losing his best buddy, Pvt. Mick Foley (now calling himself Cactus Jack) pretty much took the wind out of his sails, and he seemed pretty listless throughout the match as Spivey dominated him throughout. He seemed to rally late in the match with some big power moves, but he then got distracted by Kevin Sullivan at ringside, only turn around and get flattened by a Big Boot from Spivey. One running legdrop later and Hall was done in the AWA. It looks like Sgt. Slaughter now stands alone in the Cobra Corps. Loser Leaves The AWA Match : Kendo Nagasaki vs. The Great Kabuki These two Japanese legends have been going at it, fist and fire, for the past few months, and it would all come to an end here. While Sunshine cheered on Kabuki from the outside, both men threw down with vicious chops and nasty kicks, while the momentum swung back and forth. Nagasaki looked like he would take the match when he unleashed the green mist, but Kabuki got his hands up and blocked it at the last second. He flattened Kendo with a mighty roundhouse kick then got him up in a piledriver, but as he had his back to the outside, the mysterious masked man came out of nowhere … and nailed Sunshine with a thrust kick to the jaw before disappearing just as suddenly! As Sunshine dropped to the floor, Kabuki got the three count, only right after getting his hand raised in victory did he realize that something was wrong. He was quite clearly distraught as he carried Sunshine in his arms and rushed her to the back for medical attention. Losing Team Leaves The AWA Match : Greg Gagne & The Killer Bees vs. Mike Shaw, Dave Schultz & Buck Robley Gagne still had his ribs taped for this match but was clearly very determined to get the last word over Mike Shaw and Col. Robley’s Army. The Army worked over his ribs throughout the match but he and his good friends, The Killer Bees, kept coming at them, eventually with Gagne sinking the Sleeper Hold on Shaw. Shaw kept driving him , back first, into the corner to force him to let go, but Gagne would not release it and the ref dropped “The Tank’s” arm three times then signaled for the bell. Looks like that is it for the Army in the AWA. Loser Leaves The AWA Match : Rick Steiner vs. Ricky Steamboat Steiner has been a persistent thorn in Steamboat’s side as part of the Varsity Club’s state goal of keeping him as far away from Paul Orndorff’s belt as possible. Steiner used his considerable power to try to toss Steamboat around the ring, but Steamboat was able to roll through most of those moves and keep coming back with his own smooth offense. Steiner was able to knock Steamboat out of the ring with a huge clothesline, but Steamboat, as he does, caught himself on the top rope and charged up to the top turnbuckle. He then came off with a flying cross body press but Steiner, who had been caught with this move before, rolled through the move and went for the cover, assisted by a fistful of trunks. One … two … no!!! Steamboat was just able to get his shoulder up in the nick of time. Steiner started celebrating, thinking he had won the match, but then exploded in fury when the ref informed him the match would continue. Steamboat took advantage of this by grabbing him by both arms from behind, bridging back and hitting a Tiger Suplex. One … two … three! The Varsity Club was now down one man and Steamboat was closer in getting to a World Title shot. Loser Leaves The AWA Match : Dusty Rhodes vs. Tony Atlas Tony Atlas was clearly out to run the American Dream out of the AWA , but Rhodes was just as obviously looking to bring the fight to Mr. Olympia. This was a crazy brawl, with both men being busted open and lots of jarring moves and slams. Atlas was able to trap Rhodes in a powerful bearhug and it looked like Dusty was starting to fade, keeping his stay in the AWA a short one. Dusty was able to rally, however, and started raining mighty elbow smashes on Atlas’ face until he was finally forced to let go. Dusty then sent Atlas to the mat with a clothesline before hitting the Bionic Elbow Drop for the one two three. The crowd roared their approval as Dusty stood triumphant in the ring. AWA Southern Title Match : Al Perez © vs. Killer Khan (if Khan wins, Perez leaves the AWA , if Perez wins, Tojo Yamamoto leaves the AWA) Perez was coming to the ring without his manager, Sunshine, and was clearly concerned about her condition, as well as glancing about for possible interference from the masked man. While the masked man didn’t make an appearance this time out, Perez had more than his hands full with the ferocious attacks of Khan , as well as the looming presence of Tojo Yamamoto. Perez tried to battle back with his considerable technical skills, but Khan kept coming at him, several times coming close to cinching the Oriental Thumb Choke , with Perez just barely escaping by getting to the ropes. The Latin Heartthrob gradually was able to work his way back into the match by going after Khan’s legs, kicking and chopping at them and then going for a series of leg based submissions. It looked like he might just pull it off, but he went for a dropkick at a time when Khan was able to grab onto the ropes, so Perez plummeted hard to the mat. Khan then body slammed Perez and hit some massive foot stomps before going up to the top turnbuckle to put him away for good with his Killer flying knee drop. However, Perez was just playing possum and rolled away at the last second, then executed the Indian Death Lock on Khan’s injured leg. Khan struggled mightily but could not escape , and had to give up the match. Who knows what Khan will be like now that he no longer has the influence of Tojo Yamamoto to keep him in check. AWA World Tag Team Title Match with the Losing Team Leaving The AWA : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. The British Bulldogs The Bulldogs were still incensed at Playboy After Dark having stolen the titles from them, and had put up their AWA careers to get a shot at taking them back. They proceeded to run roughshod over the Playboy and the Pretty Boy, sending Rose and Somers scattering to the outside on multiple occasions. The champs were able to keep themselves in the match with some deft cheating and double teams, but the tide turned in favour of the Bulldogs when Rose collided with the ref, sending them both to the mat while Davey Boy power slammed Somers. Dynamite Kid went up top for the flying headbutt, but out of nowhere someone grabbed his ankle and yanked him hard down to the ringside area. It was the masked man! He quickly slipped into the ring, nailed the confused Davey Boy with a thrust kick to the jaw, then put Somers on top for the cover before disappearing once more. The ref had by that time recovered and was able to make the count. One … two … THREE! The Bulldogs are now gone from the AWA! The crowd was in shock and the champions seemed as confused as everyone else, grabbing their belts and bailing from the ring. Who is this mysterious masked man and what is his agenda? AWA World Title Match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Nick Bockwinkel It was announced before this match that Kevin Sullivan and the Varsity Club woud be banned from ringside for this match. If this fazed Orndorff, he certainly didn’t show it, as all of his attention was clearly focused on Bockwinkel from the get go. Much of the early part of the match involved Orndorff trying to put Bock away quickly with big slams and clotheslines, all while Bock kept his trademark cool and suavely dodging out of the way of possible knockout blows. Gradually Bock asserted control of the match and started to go after Orndorff’s legs, softening him up in hopes of for the Figure Four. He looked like he might get it at a few points, but Orndorff furiously kicked his way out of it. Bock then tried to put Orndorff away with a piledriver, mocking the champ with his own move, but Mr. Wonderful countered with a slingshot that sent Nick hard into the turnbuckle. Orndorff then started opening up with elbows to the back of Bock’s head and neck, trying to break him down in spite of the champ’s own damaged legs. It looked like he would be able to hit his own Piledriver to put an end to Bock’s challenge, but Nick countered with a small package that got a 2.999999 count. Orndorff then tried to come back with an elbow drop, but Bock rolled out of the way and Orndorff went down hard on the mat. As the match ran down, Bockwinkel kept after Orndorff’s legs, looking to get the figure four, but the champ was always able to scramble to the ropes. It looked like Bockwinkel just might pull it off when he was finally able to cinch in the figure four in the middle of the ring, but in spite of Nick’s mightiest efforts and the clear pain it was causing Mr. Wonderful, Orndorff was able to gut it out and the bell rang , signaling a one hour time limit draw. Both men slowly were able to pull themselves to their feet and Bockwinkel offered his hand to Orndorff as a show of respect. Orndorff stared at him for a long time before very begrudgingly shaking his hand, as the crowd cheered both men for their incredible athletic effort.

Also just want to say how happy it makes me to see that Phil Hickerson now has gainful employment.

Oh, and, good to see you back, gordi!

Huzzah! I've got a big crop of rookies I am going to want to send on Japan tours

The regular AWA broadcasting for this week was pre-empted for the Christmas holidays, but I will be getting Super Clash posted fairly soon.