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Wahoo was actually working heel around this time period IRL. I admit I am using the heel Tony Atlas angle several years ahead of when it actually happened, but that was the role that most interested me when I picked him up (he did actually do a couple of baby face guest appearances for me from WWA in the early days of the project).

I've been trying to put across Atlas as a runaway train. Wahoo was too tough to be forced to surrender but in the end , just couldn't stop Atlas' momentum.

AWA show from the Met Center, Bloomington, August 9th (As shown on ESPN/TSN Super Cards) Memphis Vice vs. Onyx Express Onyx Express pinned Lou Winston after a spike brainbuster Buddy Rose vs. Norman Smiley Rose won with the Inside Out Backbreaker Leo Burke vs. Curt Hennig Hennig got the victory with the Ax Lariat Da Crusher vs. Dan Spivey Spivey got the win after a running leg drop Nick Bockwinkel vs. Bob Roop Bockwinkel made Roop give up to a figure four leg lock AWA Southern Title match : Al Perez © vs. Buzz Sawyer Sawyer was going for a German Suplex when Perez countered with a roll up to successfully defend his title Cobra Corps ( Sgt. Slaughter, Cpl. Scott Hall, Pvt. Mick Foley & “Special Forces” King Kong Bundy) vs. The Sinister Syndicate ( Kendo Nagasaki, The Great Kabuki, Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie & Tojo Yamamoto) Sarge was about to lock Kaissie in the Cobra Clutch when two men charged the ring and attacked him and Bundy. It was Killer Khan and Crusher Blackwell! Khan locked Sarge in the Oriental Chokehold while Blackwell gave a running splash to Bundy while the rest of the Syndicate piled on Foley and Hall until the AWA officials intervened AWA World Title match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Don Muraco Orndorff worked over Muraco’s legs for much of the match. Muraco was going for a piledriver on Orndorff when his leg gave out and Orndorff was able to get the cover with his feet on the ropes to get the win.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN , August 9th Jesse Barr vs. Daniel Lue Things have been a bit quiet of late from Buck Robley’s army, but the Colonel certainly brought in an impressive new recruit in tough Jesse Barr. Young pup Daniel Lue didn’t stand a chance as Barr pummeled him all over the ring before finally putting him out of his misery with a running bulldog. After the match, Barr let it be known he had his sights set on Al Perez and the Southern title. The Varsity Club vs. British Steel Kevin Sullivan had let it be known that he was displeased with Missy Hyatt lately, and it clearly didn’t take long for him to show the cheerleader of the Varsity Club the door, as her place at the side of the Club was taken for this match by a black clad woman with a whip known only as the Fallen Angel. As Rotundo and Steiner did battle with Regal and Smiley, she was all over Sullivan at ringside until Smiley looked like he was about to get Steiner in the Norman Conquest, at which point she leapt on the ring apron and started shrieking at the referee. While the ref was so distracted, Sullivan took advantage by tossing the Golden Spike in to Rotundo, who slugged Smiley in the head with the blunt end of it before putting Steiner on top of Smiley for the win. After losing the World Tag titles, the Varsity Club seem to be back on the rise with Fallen Angel on their side. Pvt. Mick Foley vs. The Great Kabuki After Kabuki’s impactful performances as a gun for hire at the Holiday Spectaculars, Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie was impressed enough to buy his services full time. Kabuki was accompanied not only by Kaissie and Kendo Nagasaki, but Tojo Yamamoto, who Kaissie refered to as the Sensei and waved his kendo stick as Kabuki took apart the youngest member of the Cobra Corps with his martial arts moves. After he had got Foley staggering in the middle of the ring, finally dispatching him with a thrust kick to the jaw. With the war between the Sinister Syndicate and the Cobra Corps escalating the way it has , who knows where it will go next? Tony Atlas vs. Wahoo McDaniel Tony Atlas has been running roughshod since he first appeared in the AWA, but he was facing someone who was neither impressed nor intimidated by his imposing physique and power. Atlas went full bore against Wahoo with huge clotheslines and slams, but Wahoo just kept firing back with blistering chops and shots . After a brutal match, Atlas was finally able to get Wahoo in a crushing bear hug, but McDaniel just refused to give in, so Atlas tossed him to the ground in frustration then hit a running splash to finally put him away. Nick Bockwinkel & Curt Hennig vs. Lex Luger & Bob Roop While Roop was clearly going all out against the young Hennig, Luger didn’t seem to be taking the veteran Bockwinkel seriously , taking every chance to showboat and mock the former AWA world champion. Not a good idea against one of the most cagey men in wrestling. After an extended sequence slugging away at Bock, the American champ made the mistake of thinking he was out of commission when he was only playing possum. When Luger turned his back to him and gave a mocking double bicep flex to the crowd, Bockwinkel snuck up behind him and caught him in a tight-grab assisted roll up to get a shocking one two three. Luger was livid at this result but he has no one but himself to blame for not treating the former World champ with the resepct he deserved.

I read the same thing. Heartbreaking news

Think the wheeling and dealing is done for now, here is the current AWA roster : Paul Orndorff Davey Boy Smith Dynamite Kid Jerry Blackwell Da Crusher Ricky Steamboat Greg Gagne Curt Hennig Sgt. Slaughter Scott Hall Nick Bockwinkel Wahoo McDaniel Phil Lafon Tom Zenk Jerry Bryant Lou Winston Paul Diamond Pat Tanaka Steven Regal Norman Smiley Al Perez Mick Foley King Kong Bundy Sunshine Kevin Sullivan Mike Rotundo Rick Steiner Dan Spivey Lex Luger Bob Roop Jesse Barr Tojo Yamamoto Mike Shaw Buzz Sawyer Dave Schultz Great Kabuki Don Muraco Tony Atlas Killer Khan Buddy Rose Ed Wiskowski Leo Burke Doug Somers Koko Ware Brickhouse Brown Kendo Nagasaki Sheikh Adnan Kaissey Col. Buck Robley Fallen Angel

is that number 911?

I am, of course, leaving behind Bob Roop, Kendo Nagasaki and Dave Schultz with orders to shoot on anybody who tries to poach my territory

Just a heads up I will be away on vacation, leaving tomorrow morning, and will be off line until next Monday at the latest.

In a major trade between the AWA and Continental : The AWA sends Harley Race, Elijah Akeem, Kareem Muhamad and Missy Hyatt Continental sends Kabuki, Killer Khan, Tojo Yamamoto, Jesse Barr and Fallen Angel As this will put the AWA one over the roster cap, they release Jack Victory directly to Central States

AWA Show from the Saddledome, Calgary, July 27th Mike Shaw vs. Lou Winston Shaw countered a sunset flip attempt with a sitting splash to get the pinfall on Winston Pvt. Mick Foley vs. Jack Victory Victory looked to hit the Victory Plex for the, ahem, victory, but Foley countered in mid air with a cross body press to get the pin Tony Atlas vs. Jerry Bryant Atlas forced Bryant to give up to a Full Nelson Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Bob Roop Hall pinned Roop after the Corporal Punishment Ricky Steamboat vs. Kendo Nagasaki Steamboat beat Kendo after hitting the top rope flying cross body press AWA Southern Title match : Al Perez © vs. “Doctor D” Dave Schultz Schultz came very close to winning the match on a number of occasions, but when he looked to finish Perez off with a running bulldog, Perez countered it with a belly to back suplex to successfully defend his belt AWA American Title match : Lex Luger © vs. Curt Hennig In another close match, Luger was able to hit a running forearm smash to the side of Hennig’s head to get the win AWA World Tag Title match : The British Bulldogs © vs. The Varsity Club In an exciting match that went back and forth and got the crowd on their feet, Routundo tried to take out Dynamite Kid with the Varsity Rush (Samoan Drop) only for Dynamite to reverse it with a crucifix to get the one two three .

AWA Show from the Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, July 26th (As shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) The Moondogs vs. Zambuie Express The Moondogs won with a double elbow smash to the head on Elijah Akeem Loser Leaves Town Match : Ivan Putski vs. Ed Wiskowski In a battle between former members of the Brotherhood Of Poland, Wiskowski executed the face first piledriver to send Putski out of the AWA AWA Southern Tag Title match : Badd Company © vs. Leo Burke & Doug Somers Badd Company hit a double super kick on Somers to get the win King Kong Bundy vs. ?? It seems that the Sinister Syndicate just can’t stop hiring mercenaries to try to destroy the Cobra Corps, bringing in a mystery opponent to get revenge on “Special Forces” Bundy which turns out to be Big John Studd . This was a titanic struggle between two giants that ended with both of them slugging it out at ringside until the ref called for a double count out. AWA Canadian Title match : Rick Martel © vs. Buddy Rose In an epic battle that went back and forth, Martel was ultimately able to counter an attempt at the Inside Out Backbreaker with a cross body press to finally get the pin on Rose. The Final Battle : Nick Bockwinkel vs. Harley Race In another classic match where Bockwinkel spent much effort working over the legs of Race, Nick countered a piledriver attempt with a single leg takedown and followed it up with a figure four leglock that forced Race to submit, giving Bockwinkel the Ultimate Victory. AWA World Title Match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Don Muraco Both men went to a 30 minute time limit draw to close out a long night at the Winnipeg Arena

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for July 26th Memphis Vice vs. Clarence Black & Chip Gaither Memphis Vice had been on a bit of a roll of late with several successive victories over the PYT Express before they were renamed the Onyx Express. They continued this as they easily dominated Black and Gaither, two young gladiators just making their start in the business. After a very one sided match, Bryant and Winston hit a double backdrop into a faceplant on Gaither to put an end to things. But it turned out to not be the end, as Tony Atlas and the Onyx Express charged to the ring and attacked the members of Memphis Vice. Atlas trapped Winston in the Full Nelson and forced him to watch as Koko and Brickhouse executed the spike brainbuster on Bryant before the AWA officials finally intervened. AWA American Title match : Lex Luger © vs. Wahoo McDaniel Lately, Luger’s efforts had been focused on trying to win the World title from Paul Orndorff, but now he was having to defend his own belt against the tough veteran Wahoo McDaniel. McDaniel really took it to Luger, blasting him with blistering chops and not seeming impressed by the power and muscle of the young champion. Luger was on the defensive for much of the match, frequently back pedaling and trying to muscle his way out of compromising situations, only for Wahoo to keep coming after him. It took interference by Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie to turn the tide, grabbing Wahoo from the outside and tripping him when he tried to hit the running overhand chop. Luger swiftly capitalized, hitting a nasty running knee to the head before pulling the tights to get a dirty pinfall. Luger was only just able to make it out of this match with his championship intact. AWA Six-Man Tag Team Title match : Mike Shaw, Buzz Sawyer & Dave Schultz © vs. Al Perez & Badd Company For all that this match was for the Six-Man Tag Titles, much of the focus was on Southern champ Al Perez as both Sawyer and Schultz went after him, looking to prove their individual claims for a shot at his belt. Perez went toe to toe with both men, just as determined not to bow down but still taking quite a few shots from them. Badd Company tried to take advantage of this by sneaking in several double teams on Mike Shaw. Ultimately , however, the big “Tank” would prevail, catching Tanaka coming off the top rope with a crushing power slam to put an end of the match. Sawyer and Schultz kept coming after Perez well past the final bell. Nick Bockwinkel & Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose & Harley Race Rose and Race have seemed determined to strip all of Bockwinkel’s allies from him, especially in light of the upcoming match in Winnipeg between Bockwinkel and Race being dubbed “The Final Battle”. To that end, they focused much of their attention on Hennig through this match, keeping him in their end of the ring and attacking him mercilessly. They did an expert job of drawing Bockwinkel into the ring, only for the ref to shoo him out while they double teamed Hennig. He was able to rally even knock Rose out of the ring with the Ax Lariat, only to get caught in a belly to belly suplex from Race that ended the match. A convincing win, but it will be one on one for Race when he faces Bockwinkel in Winnipeg. King Kong Bundy vs. Kendo Nagasaki “Special Forces” Bundy has had the Sinister Syndicate gunning for him ever since he showed his true allegiance to the Cobra Corps, but he certainly has shown no indication that he has felt intimidated. Kendo Nagasaki was certainly intent on making him pay, pummeling Bundy with vicious martial arts kicks and chops, but Bundy just kept rolling on after him. It looked like he was going to spray Bundy with the green mist, but Bundy crashed into him then hit a running splash to get the pinfall. A solid victory for Bundy, but it is unlikely that it’s going to stop the Syndicate from coming after him. The British Bulldogs & Rick Martel vs. The Varsity Club (Mike Rotundo, Rick Steiner & Dan Spivey) The Varsity Club had both Missy Hyatt and Kevin Sullivan at ringside with them as they took on both the World Tag Team and Canadian champs and both liberally attempted to interfere in the match. As dominant as both the Bulldogs and Martel have been of late, the powerfully built lettermen of the Varsity Club gave as good as they got, frequently coming one suplex or power slam away from taking the match. While Steiner was fighting with Martel inside the ring, Sullivan was looking to turn the tide of the battle with the Golden Spike, but was intercepted by Dynamite Kid. Missy, however, recovered the Spike and got on the ring apron, trying to use it on Martel when he was whipped into the ropes. Martel reversed Steiner at the last second, though, and Steiner crashed into Missy, sending her tumbling to the floor. Taking advantage of the confusion, Martel rolled up Steiner to get the one two three. While Missy shrieked at ringside after the match, Sullivan was clearly upset with her costing them the match, and it took the rest of the Varsity Club to get both parties calmed down.

AWA show from the International Amphitheater , Chicago, July 20th Pvt. Mick Foley vs. Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie Foley pinned Kaissie after a running senton The Zambuie Express vs. The Moondogs The Moondogs won after a double elbow smash on Kareem Muhammad Wahoo McDaniel vs. Bob Roop Wahoo got the victory with a running overhand chop The Onyx Express vs. Memphis Vice Koko pinned Jerry Bryant after a spike brain buster Greg Gagne vs. Buddy Rose Rose caught Gagne with the Inside Out Backbreaker to get the win AWA Southern Tag Title match : Badd Company © vs. Kevin Sullivan & Dan Spivey Tanaka pinned Spivey after a Thrust Kick to the jaw AWA Southern Title match : Al Perez © vs. Leo Burke Perez trapped Burke with the German Suplex to successfully defend his title Paul Orndorff, Ricky Steamboat & Sgt. Slaughter vs. Don Muraco, Lex Luger & Kendo Nagasaki Sarge flattened Kendo with the Slaughter Cannon to get the victory for his team. Post-Match, Muraco and Luger tried to hit a spike piledriver on Orndorff, but Steamboat and Sarge managed to save him just in time.

And Mil Mascaras. I am in favor of the current system, but might suggest possibly putting Lawler and the RnR into the draft. The other guys are pure Freelance, though.

Now breathing slightly easier for this year's draft

AWA is entertaining offers for Bob Roop and Missy Hyatt.

AWA show from the Mecca, Milwaukee, July 19th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) Steven Regal vs. Dan Spivey Regal pinned Spivey after hitting the Regal Roll Mike Shaw vs. Wahoo McDaniel Shaw caught Wahoo with a power slam to get the win Da Crusher vs. Jack Victory Crusher knocked Victory out with a running Bolo punch Curt Hennig & Nick Bockwinkel vs. Buddy Rose & Doug Somers Hennig pinned Somers with a cradle suplex Sgt. Slaughter & “Special Forces” King Kong Bundy vs. Kendo Nagasaki & Bob Roop Bundy pinned Roop after catching him in the corner with the Avalanche AWA American Title match : Lex Luger © vs. Paul Diamond Diamond put up quite a fight but Luger was ultimately able to make him give up to the Human Torture Rack AWA World Tag Title match : The British Bulldogs © vs. The Zambuie Express Dynamite pinned Elijah Akeem after hitting a top rope flying headbutt AWA World Title match : Paul Orndorff © vs. Harley Race Race was going for a piledriver, but Orndorff countered with a small package to get the win

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for July 19th Tony Atlas vs. Peter Harkey We had seen Atlas in the past couple of weeks taking a hand in the acts of what is now the Onyx Express, but this would be the first time seeing him on his own in the AWA ring. Both Koko Ware and Brickhouse Brown were at ringside, observing as Atlas basically took apart Peter Harkey. The young rookie never stood a chance as Atlas blasted him with power moves and slams, finally locking him in a Full Nelson until he screamed out his surrender. Atlas tossed Harkey aside like a rag doll and seemed like he wanted to get in a few more shots before thinking better of it. The Express might have been a fading presence before, but with Atlas now guiding them, this trio has become truly dangerous. Kevin Sullivan vs. Steven Regal The Varsity Club have tried to bully the “Young Gentleman” pretty much since their inception, but the popular Englishman has managed to stay one step of ahead of Sullivan’s men. “The Big Man” has clearly decided to take matters into his own hands as he tried to intimidate and beat down Regal. Regal, on the other hand, was not in the mood to be pushed around, sticking and moving while dodging out of the way of Sullivans shots and peppering him with kicks and punches. Sullivan kept trying to get Regal at a disadvantage , and Regal kept maneuvering out of danger. Sullivan finally had Regal trapped in the corner and came in with the Devil Stomp, only Regal to dodge out of the way at the last second. Regal then wrapped Sullivan in a double leg roll up to get a quick one two three. He didn’t have long to celebrate his victory as Sullivan swiftly clobbered him in the back of the head with the Golden Spike, and looked like he might do some serious damage but was run off by Norman Smiley rushing to the ring. Harley Race vs. Curt Hennig Once again, Harley Race had Buddy Rose in his corner as he took on one of Nick Bockwinkel’s allies. Hennig showed he was certainly not cowed by Race’s reputation, coming out at Race with as much fury as the former NWA brought to him. This was an intense match that raged back and forth, with both men looking like they just might take the win at several points. It was right at the point that Hennig seemed about to finally take the match with the Ax Lariat when Rose decided to strike. He reached in and snagged Hennig’s leg when he was coming off the ropes, causing the second generation superstar to faceplant to the mat. Hennig tried to recover, but was met with a nasty falling headbutt from Race that knocked him for a loop. Race then wrapped up Hennig for the pinfall. Not a pretty win, but Race clearly doesn’t care how he gets the victory. AWA Southern Tag Title match : Badd Company © vs. Leo Burke & Doug Somers In a rematch from the Canada Day Spectacular, Sunshine’s men were on fire , keeping the former champs off balance with their fast paced offense. The two veterans from Playboy After Dark tried to put Tanaka and Diamond under their thumbs, but Badd Company were just not having it, swiftly tagging in and out and coming at them from all directions. Tanaka thrust kicked Somers into a belly to back suplex by Diamond to maintain their grip on the AWA Southern Tag Title belts. Clearly there are big things ahead for this exciting young AWA team. Don Muraco vs. Pvt. Mick Foley Muraco came to the ring accompanied by Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie , removing all doubt (if there was any) that he is the latest weapon in the Sinister Syndicate’s war to take the World Title back from Paul Orndorff. Squaring off against the young recruit of the Cobra Corps, The Magnificent One steamrolled over Foley with his incredible power and size, tossing him all over the ring before finally putting an end to the match with the belly to belly piledriver. If Orndorff wasn’t concerned at this fresh challenge before, he surely is now. Rick Steiner vs. Dynamite Kid The former Tag champs in the Varsity Club are still gunning to get back the belts, and the “Wild Dog” of the Club was trying to do as much damage as he could to one half of the Bulldogs with his jarring suplexes and slams. Dynamite was no slouch in the technical skills department himself, showing the veracity of his name with his own explosive offense rocking Steiner. This broke down into a battle of the suplexes, with both men being unable to keep the other down for long. They were both battling it out on the top turnbuckle to try to put the other out with a superplex when the bell rang, signaling a 15 minute time limit draw. The two continued to exchange punches after the end of the match, but the answer to who would be the true suplex master would have to wait for another day.

AWA show at the Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, July 13th The Moondogs vs. Memphis Vice The Moondogs won after a double elbow smash on Jerry Bryant Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Kendo Nagasaki Hall won by DQ after Kendo sprayed him with the green mist to the face Tony Atlas vs. Norman Smiley Atlas made Smiley submit to a Full Nelson Mike Shaw vs. Da Crusher Shaw caught Crusher in a power slam for the victory AWA Southern Tag Title match : Badd Company © vs. Buzz Sawyer & Dave Schultz Diamond hit Schultz with a flying back body press to successfully defend their belts Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose In a long , intense and frequently out-of-control match, Rose used a cheap shot and a fistful of trunks to pin Hennig AWA Southern Title match : Al Perez © vs. Ed Wiskowski Perez countered a face first piledriver attempt with a slingshot into the turnbuckle followed by a roll up for the win.

AWA show from the Cow Palace, San Francisco, July 12th (As seen on ESPN/TSN Super Cards) Pvt. Mick Foley vs. Dan Spivey Spivey won with a running legdrop Onyx Express vs. British Steel Brickhouse pinned Smiley after a missile dropkick King Kong Bundy vs. Bob Roop Bundy won with an Avalanche Sgt. Slaughter vs. Kendo Nagasaki Sarge hit the Slaughter Cannon to get the victory AWA World Tag Title match : The British Bulldogs © vs. The Varsity Club Davey Boy pinned Steiner after a power slam Nick Bockwinkel vs. Harley Race (with Buddy Rose in Race’s corner) Bockwinkel won by countout after a collision between Race and Rose on the outside Paul Orndorff & Ricky Steamboat vs. Don Muraco & Lex Luger Orndorff was wearing a neck collar and not much of a factor in the match. Muraco pinned Steamboat after a belly to belly piledriver

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN/TSN for July 12th The Onyx Express vs. Dirk Been & Joel Klug Been and Klug are two up and comers looking to make their way in wrestling biz. The Onyx Express turned out to be the former PYT Express, with Brickhouse and Koko replacing their colorful gear with black jackets and tights and being led to the ring by a scowling Tony Atlas. Atlas bellowed orders from ringside as the Onyx Express dismantled their young opponents with a ruthless efficiency before Koko took out Been with an especially nasty brain buster. That wasn’t enough for Atlas, who ordered Brickhouse to hit the swinging neckbreaker on Been after the match. Even then, Atlas then came in the ring and hit a running splash on the felled Been before locking him in a Full Nelson until the ref ordered him to release it. It looks like Atlas is determined to make the newly dubbed Onyx Express a force to be reckoned with in the AWA. Interview : Ken Resnick stands in the ring Resnick : Folks, my next guests pulled off a major surprise at the Independence Day Spectacular in Minneapolis. Ladies and gentlemen … Sgt. Slaughter and the Cobra Corps! (Sgt. Slaughter, Cpl. Scott Hall, Pvt. Mick Foley and King Kong Bundy head out to the ring as the crowd cheered them on.) Resnick : Sgt. Slaughter, it looked like the Sinister Syndicate had you at a disadvantage when they brought in King Kong Bundy at the Independence Day Spectacular, but then Bundy turned on the Syndicate in the middle of the match! Was this your plan all along? Sarge : Strategy, Resnick, pure strategy. I knew that the dirty Sheikh was going to try to pull something on the 4th of July. So I pulled my own covert ops. I sent in “Special Forces” Bundy to infiltrate the enemy camp. And when it came time to make our move, he pulled the Syndicate into our trap. They thought they had a sure thing, but this man is Cobra Corps through and through! Resnick : King Kong Bundy, word has it that Sheikh Andan Al-Kaissie is livid with you. He’s claiming that he paid good money to bring you into the AWA and that he is taking this breach of contract personally. Bundy : Oh, he paid me big money, Resnick. And here I am, in the AWA. I never said squat about working with him. If he decides to shell out cash to bring in the guy who is going to destroy him, that just shows what an idiot he is. Like the Sarge said, I stand with the Cobra Corps, and we have got the Syndicate’s number! AWA Southern Title Match : Al Perez © vs. Jack Victory Al Perez has been on a hot streak lately, not only winning the AWA Southern Title but retaining the title over two tough challengers in Ricky Steamboat and Buddy Rose. This time out, he was defending against the big “bodyguard” of Col. Buck Robley’s Army. Both Robley and Buzz Sawyer were at ringside, keeping a close eye on the action as Perez was able to dodge the rookie Victory’s attempted power moves and take him down to focus on working his arm before forcing him to submit to a short arm scissors. Neither Robley nor Sawyer got directly involved in the match, but Perez might want to be a bit concerned at having drawn their attention. Harley Race vs. Greg Gagne After having appeared with a vengeance at the Independence Day Spectacular against Nick Bockwinkel, Harley Race showed up for this match with Buddy Rose by his side and clearly looking to make a statement. Gagne tried his best to get some sort of control in this match, but it was like trying to hold back a freight train, as Race blasted him with punches and head butts while Rose chortled at ringside. After a jarring series of suplexes, Race hit a belly to belly suplex that put Gagne down for good. Rose seemed well pleased with himself at this new weapon in his war against Nick Bockwinkel. AWA World Tag Team Title match : The British Bulldogs © vs. Leo Burke & Doug Somers The British Bulldogs have been on an absolute tear since their arrival in the AWA, swiftly making an impact and winning the World Titles. For their part, the former Southern Tag champs, Burke and Somers, gave the Bulldogs quite a fight for most the match, refusing to go down to their high impact moves. Then the Bulldogs seemed to kick into a higher gear, flattening both members of Playboy After Dark and tossing them around the ring before Davey Boy press slammed Dynamite onto Somers to put an end to the match. Looks like it would take a lot to get the title belts off the Bulldogs. Don Muraco vs. Ricky Steamboat Muraco had been missing in action from the AWA for the past 2 months as he toured Japan, but he certainly knew how to make an auspicious return, attacking and badly hurting World Champ Paul Orndorff at the Indepdence Day Spectacular. He looked to further prove himself by taking on Orndorff’s friend, Ricky Steamboat. Muraco almost overwhelmed Steamboat with his incredible power and size, but Steamboat kept hanging in there and refused to go down. Steamboat even looked like he was starting to rally when he ascended to the top rope for a flying karate chop, but found himself attacked from behind by Lex Luger. Luger sent him plummeting to the mat , and while the ref called for the DQ, Luger and Muraco proceeded to beat down Steamboat. With Orndorff still out hurt, it looked like Steamboat was on his own and might get badly injured when they were about to set him up for a spike piledriver, but the Cobra Corps arrived just in time to put a halt to that and Muraco and Luger headed back to the locker room, satisfied with the damage they had done.

Having previously employed both Wildman Jack Armstrong and and Mike "Apocalypse" Boyette, I am psyched to see the debut of Mack Bunker. And any promotion with a time lord/agent wrestling for them is aces in my book. Keep it up!

After that glorious period where I was actually up to date, I then went on vacation ... I will do my best to get caught back up over the next week or so.

Word out of the AWA locker room is that both Harley Race and Zambuie Express aren't long for the promotion. Word has it that the combined egos of Race and Nick Bockwinkel are too big to be in the ring together and the promoters are siding with Bockwinkel. Meanwhile, there are reports that Zambuie Express tried to take some liberties in their Independence Day match and Wahoo and Crusher shut that down right quick. This could bring a premature end to what seemed to be a promising start for the Zambuies.