rainmakerrtv Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 AWA show from the Canada Games Sportsplex, Lethbridge, Alberta, February 2nd The Youngbloods vs. The Onyx Express Wellington caught Koko in a belly to belly piledriver for the win Jeff Gaylord vs. Leo Burke In a match that went close to the 15 minute time limit, Gaylord caught Burke in a power slam off the ropes for the win. Jesse Barr vs. Too Cold Scorpio Scorpio hit a top rope splash to get the victory Greg Gagne vs. Darryl Peterson Both men went to a 20 minute time limit draw Mike Rotundo vs. Nord The Barbarian Nord was going for a short lariat, but Rotundo countered it with a crucifix for the pinfall Cactus Jack vs. Buzz Sawyer A reckless brawl that saw Cactus hit Buzz with an elbow smash off the second turnbuckle to the back ot the head to get the win AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : Chavo & Hector Guerrero © vs. Brian Pillman & Ron Simmons Chavo hit a flying top rope somesault senton on Pillman to defend their belts AWA Southern Title Match : Mando Guerrero © vs. Doug Furnas Furnas was able to give him a hell of a fight, but Mando was ultimately able to catch him in the German Suplex for the one two three Double Alberta Bullrope Match : Sgt. Slaughter & Dusty Rhodes vs. Jerry Blackwell & Ken Patera A lengthy brawl where all four men were busted open and only ended when Slaughter nailed Patera with the Slaughter Cannon, followed by the Bionic Elbow Drop by Dusty to finish him off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 I don't know if this was your first card in Lethbridge but if it was, fans surely had a good time. That Mando vs Furnas match must've been awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Normally, if I throw in an extra show in at this part of the cycle, it was in Edmonton, but since that's one of your big towns, I had it in Lethbridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 That's cool. I rarely run Lethbridge anyway. I probably ran it once. And besides, my towns aren't exclusive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 I just like the idea of Calgary and Edmonton being run by different promotions, keep that rivalry going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaldoni Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Good grief that was one strong card. The main event was crazy! I loved that finish! I'm sure the crowd was really into the Mando/Furnas match. Cactus Jack gets a big win over Sawyer. Scorpio keeps moving up the ranks. And hey how about the Youngbloods pulling off an upset over the Onyx Express. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Your young guys are looking good in Lethbridge. And: There is no bullrope like an Alberta bullrope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I was ahead on my writing so I decided to throw in an extra card and make it an NXT/learning excursion type show. Over half the matches are rookies working with members of the training staff so they would be getting more match time with experienced hands in front of an audience . Then I would cap the show off with a fun brawl with some big names to send the fans home happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I liked the look of the last 3 matches on the card a lot. Pillman and Simmons is a great team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowBlowPodcast Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 I really appreciate how well you are building this group of talent. I tend to run more towards established characters but you are doing a great job at establishing these individuals yourself and making them special. This is all highlighted by the top of the card with the bigger names who draw the houses but they see the younger up and coming talent. Very good development, top to bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneJackson95 Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Solid undercard with a mega main event Dusty/Slaughter vs. Blackwell/Patera is a sell out anywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for February 7th Masa Saito vs. Mark Caruso Saito had Larry Zbyszko in his corner for this match, but unlike his appearances during Nick Bockwinkel’s matches, Larry pretty much kept his opinions to himself. This could have been because of Saito’s intimidating presence (Saito could give even Ron Simmons lessons in the cold, hard stare) , or it could have been the fact that Saito clearly needed no “advice” in this match. Saito picked poor Caruso to pieces with his hard edged, strong style moves, mangling the rookie’s legs before hitting not one but two of his trademark Saito Suplexes, knocking him out. Even then, Saito chose not to go for the cover, instead wrapping the unconscious Caruso up in the Scorpion Deathlock until the ref called for the bell. One has to feel sorry for the next person who steps in the ring with Saito, especially if they should somehow make him mad. Doug Furnas vs. Leo Burke Kevin Sullivan did not make an appearance in this match, but Furnas was accompanied by Varsity Club members Mike Rotundo and Dan Spivey, who did offer coaching to the big Tennessee Volunteer throughout the match. Furnas had quite a challenge in this match, as the veteran Burke was not cowed by his power and physique and used his considerable technical expertise to stymie Furnas’s offense. Furnas found himself blocked at several turns by Burke’s counter wrestling, and would head to the outside to consult with Rotundo and Spivey. The more experienced Varsity Club hands seem to be able to give the advice and motivation he needed, as he was able to assert control of the match and start to land his power moves on Burke. It looked like Burke would still pull it off when he was about to cinch in the sleeper hold, but it turned out Furnas was drawing him in for a huge belly to back suplex that got the pinfall. Rotundo and Spivey both slapped Furnas on the back and congratulated him as they led him away from the ring. Ken Patera & Jerry Blackwell vs. The Killer Bees Jim Brunzell was no stranger to this pairing, having faced both men in various configurations back in his old team of the High Flyers. Perhaps this was why the Sheikh’s team was not able to run roughshod over the Bees like they had their past opponents. Brunzell and Blair used their speed and coordinated offense to keep one step ahead of the Syndicate for much of the match. They kept this up until Blair went for a running cross body block on Blackwell, only to be caught in a , yes, crushing power slam. From there on, the Syndicate lowered the boom on the Bees, culminating in a shoulder breaker by Patera to finish off Blair. A game effort by the Killer Bees but they came up just short. Leon White vs. Too Cold Scorpio Kevin Sullivan was certainly present for this match, as he had a personal interest in making sure that the young rookie who had defeated him last week would get his come uppance. One major complication in this match was that it had come out that White and Scorpio had actually been very good friends in the past in Colorado. Sullivan couldn’t seem to be satisfied with anything that White did in this match. When Scorpio was able to duck and dodge White’s initial offense, Sullivan was furious with his Varsity Club Rush prospect. And when White was able to catch Scorpio in several big slams, it didn’t seem to be enough for Sullivan, who was on White’s case to not just beat Scorpio but punish him. White clotheslined Scorpio out of the ring, but Scorpio was able to land on his feet. Sullivan was screaming at White to follow up on Scorpio, but at this point his bellowing was so incoherent that it only confused White, who turned to the Games Master to try to figure out what he wanted. A costly mistake, as Scorpio had swiftly made it back in and dropkicked the huge Colorado Buffalo to the outside. To make things worse, White landed on top of Sullivan, and the two got so badly entangled that the ref was able to count to ten and give the win to Scorpio. Sullivan was livid as he angrily berated the embarrassed White all the way back to the locker room, even smacking him in the back of the head. AWA Southern Title Match : Mando Guerrero © vs. Paul Diamond With Sunshine still nowhere in sight, Diamond, still tending to a damaged shoulder from Starrcade, certainly had his work cut out for him. He gave it the best shot he could, going at it hard with the champ and getting several near falls. He tried to finish him off with a flying back body press, but Mando dodged just in time and Diamond landed hard on his hurt shoulder. Mando put him in the Gory Special, and Diamond had no choice but to give up the match. AWA American Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Kevin Sullivan Another match where Sullivan was coming in with a lot of pent up aggression to work off. Bockwinkel, with Zybyszko once again in his corner, was clearly getting progressively more annoyed, both with Sullivan’s flailing antics and with Larry’s constant badgering from ringside to take more short cuts. The two factors combined seemed to distract the usually unflappable Bockwinkel, who found himself on the defensive for much of the match. He would invariably work his way back into control, only for Sullivan’s cheating or Zbyszko’s histrionics to send him off kilter. He almost was able to finish off Sullivan with a sunset flip, only Sullivan to grab a hold of the ropes and get the champion in a pinning position. This provoked Zybysko to jump on the ring apron and clothesline Sullivan. This broke up the pin, but before the ref could take any action, he was knocked out by the Fallen Angel, wielding Sullivan’s Golden Spike. This led to the AWA officials rushing out and declaring the match a no contest, then stating that Fallen Angel was now indefinitely suspended for directly assaulting an AWA referee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 I really appreciate how well you are building this group of talent. I tend to run more towards established characters but you are doing a great job at establishing these individuals yourself and making them special. This is all highlighted by the top of the card with the bigger names who draw the houses but they see the younger up and coming talent. Very good development, top to bottom. I see this as my place among the various promotions. While big promotions like the WWF and the UWF might focus on established characters, the AWA is the place where they get their initial experience and seasoning. I give them programs and training and work them in matches with veterans who teach them the ropes. That way, when it is time for them to move on to the bigger promotions (like Lex Luger to the UWF or Rick Steiner to the WWF) , they can be credibly be presented as big names, having already done the ground work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 Yeah, that's the cool part about this Project so far; every promotion seems to have found their niche and exploits it to the fullest potential. Everyone brings something good to the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 Great card top to bottom. The Vader match and the main really stood out for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 AWA show from the Met Center, Bloomington, Feb. 7th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) The Onyx Express vs. The Youngbloods Brickhouse pinned Blackman after a top rope missile dropkick Jesse Barr vs. Cactus Jack Cactus won with a flying forearm smash to the head Greg Gagne vs. Ron Simmons Both men went to a 20 minute time limit draw Larry Zbyszko vs. Dan Spivey Zbyszko trapped Spivey in a roll up with his feet on the ropes, but failed to notice that Spivey had gotten his shoulder up just before the three and the ref had not made the full count. While Larry was arguing with the ref, Spivey nailed him with the Spivey Bomber lariat to get the win Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes & The Great Kabuki vs. Ken Patera, Jerry Blackwell & Sheikh Adnan Al Kaissie Sgt. Slaughter scored the victory for his team when he hit the Slaughter Cannon on Kaissie AWA Southern Title Match : Mando Guerrero © vs. Too Cold Scorpio Mando reversed a sunset flip attempt by Scorpio to successfully defend his title Ricky Steamboat & Nick Bockwinkel vs. Paul Orndorff & Kevin Sullivan Steamboat hit a top rope flying cross body press on Sullivan for the victory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted February 6, 2018 Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 I hope that Gagne vs Simmons time limit draw was basically 20 minutes of Gagne getting rag-dolled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 6, 2018 Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 I love the use of the Southern Title as a kind of LHW championship with Mando facing the more agile guys. Huge card in Bloomington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 6, 2018 Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 I hope that Gagne vs Simmons time limit draw was basically 20 minutes of Gagne getting rag-dolled. Yeah, I wouldn't expect anything else myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 AWA show from Cobo Hall, Detroit, February 8th Cactus Jack vs. Leo Burke Cactus won with a flying clothesline Jesse Barr vs. Darryl Peterson Peterson made Barr give up to the Wakigatame armbar Too Cold Scorpio vs. Kevin Sullivan Scorpio scored the pinfall with a top rope flying splash Greg Gagne vs. Doug Furnas Both men went to a 20 minute time limit draw Dan Spivey vs. Al Perez In a long , hard-fought match, Perez had Spivey set up for a German Suplex, but Spivey blocked it with several big elbows to the face, then followed up with a Spivey Bomber lariat to get the victory AWA World Tag Title match : Buddy Rose & Doug Somers © vs. The Onyx Express Rose hit the Inside Out Backbreaker on Koko to successfully defend their titles AWA American Title match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Mike Rotundo Rotundo was about to hit the Varsity Rush, but Bock grabbed the ropes to stop it, then hit a belly to back suplex and got the win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 6, 2018 Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 Rose & Somers are one of the highlights of late period AWA, so it's awesome to see them here. I actually imagine that Gagne would get his share of offense on Simmons due to...uh....he's...the boss's son? Scorpio over Sullivan again, Sullivan has got to be getting pissed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted February 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 The behind the scenes reason for these Gagne draws is a very simple one : Groovy Greg is one of the trainers. Once the rookies have had their intial matches with Burke and Barr, they go the distance with Gagne to work on endurance and match building. From there on, the move on to more intense matches with the British Bullies, The Guerreros and Mike Rotundo for their advanced education. The order can change up, but the methodology remains the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 6, 2018 Report Share Posted February 6, 2018 I must say that your shows are a fascinating look at your behind-the-scenes thought process on your worker development. You're definitely the best in that field when it comes to the Project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaldoni Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 First off, great TV show. I love the description of the Saito match. Hmmmm, Saito vs. Simmons, that's a match I would pay to see. I like Scorpio getting his first title shot against Mando. Scorpio earned that shot. He came up short but I'm sure he gained a lot of experience in that one match. Spivey with two big wins against two top names. No doubt about it, Spivey's moving up. Rose and Sommers continue to look great. I'm sure the fans got a taste of Steamboat and Orndorff in that tag match. Great set up for their eventual title match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 The behind the scenes reason for these Gagne draws is a very simple one : Groovy Greg is one of the trainers. Once the rookies have had their intial matches with Burke and Barr, they go the distance with Gagne to work on endurance and match building. From there on, the move on to more intense matches with the British Bullies, The Guerreros and Mike Rotundo for their advanced education. The order can change up, but the methodology remains the same. I love the amount of thought you are putting into this. I wonder if your mind works like mine: When I'm on the bus or train or have time to kill and there's nobody to chat with, my thoughts just naturally drift over to Armchair Booking the JWA... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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