AWA results for May 1986

[kevinmcfl]

Nice series of events here. I am glad that all those time limit draws for Adams look like they are paying off.

[gordi]

Ah, the ole Greco-Roman blackjack. Classic wrestling.

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show at Boylan High School, Rockford, IL , May 25^th

 

The Can-Am Express vs. The British Bullies

 

The Express pinned Jones after a double dropkick

 

Tom Zenk vs. Paul Diamond

 

Diamond hit a flying back body press, but Zenk reversed it with a fistful of tights for the win

 

Jake Roberts, Nord The Barbarian & Cactus Jack vs. Roddy Piper, Buzz Sawyer & Sabu

 

Cactus was going for a Russian Legsweep on Piper, but Sabu roundhouse kicked him in the back of the head and Piper got the pinfall

 

The Youngbloods vs. Mando & Hector Guerrero

 

In a match of dueling attempted suplexes, Hector managed to get Wellington with the double underhook suplex and secure the win

 

Brian Pillman vs. Leo Burke

 

This was a very hotly contested bout where Burke nearly locked Pillman in the Sleeper hold, but Pillman was able to block it and catch Burke in a crucifix for the one two three

 

Masa Saito vs. The Great Kabuki

 

Saito cut off the thrust kick with a legsweep and followed up with the Saito Suplex to get the victory over Kabuki

 

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Buddy Rose

 

Sarge won by DQ after he was attacked by Col. Debeers

 

Bob Orton vs. Leon White

 

White fought off attempts to set him up for a Superplex and managed to hit an Avalanche in the corner to score the win. Piper was in Orton’s corner during the match, observing

 

AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : Black Irish © vs. British Steel

 

Both teams went to a 20 minute time limit draw

 

AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Shane Douglas

 

Tanaka ducked under a running cross body press, then followed up with a crescent kick to the side of the head to defend his title

 

Rick Steamboat & Ron Garvin vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Chris Adams

 

Ron Garvin went for a sunset flip on Adams, but Adams reversed it for the one two three

[dawho5]

Orton is asking for it hitting White over the head with a blackjack. All 3 Guerreros together and Spivey continue to be on a huge roll.

 

White getting payback on Orton is good booking. Piper's reaction is definitely of interest. Black Irish and British Steel could wrestle every show and I'd be happy. Douglas as a challenger for Tanaka is a good pairing. Tag main would have been great with the talent involved. I wonder if Adams and Bock disagreed on tactics.

[SirEdger]

I honestly dig the pairing of Bockwinkel & Adams, even if it's only a one-time thing. Love seeing Adams that high on the card!

[rainmakerrtv]

Tanaka will be facing some pretty exciting challengers in June.

[kevinmcfl]

Now that is some show for a high school gym

[spaldoni]

Lots of great stuff happening in the AWA this week. I like the Douglas/Guerreros feud going on. Great way to get Douglas over but man when it comes to 6 man tags, the Guerreros rule that match. The Spivey/Rotunda alliance continue to dominate. Sabu has taken Piper's Pit to another level. Poor Jake just cant seem to find a way to beat Piper. Zenk continues his winning ways. Loved that Zenk/Pillman match. Black Irish and British Steel continue to put on great hard hitting matches. I'm liking this Chris Adams and he sneaks a pin on Garvin in that tag match. Heck, I would also love to see a Steamboat/Adams match.

[LowBlowPodcast]

I have been to Boylan High School and my family used to go to AWA shows there... which is how my grandma got hooked up with Billy Robinson... regardless... this was a stacked card. Top to bottom. When you're third match has Jake Roberts and Roddy Piper and you've got more to come... things are looking good.

 

I will say that I think Sarge is kind of an unsung hero right now in the game... he has got the star power to be more if used the right way but AWA is loaded right now.

[rainmakerrtv]

_{AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for May 30^th}

 

_{Larry Zbyszko vs. The Great Kabuki}

 

_{Larry Z has come to fancy himself a black belt of late, wearing a headband and karate gi to the ring. Even though Larry had Masa Saito in his corner, Kabuki didn’t seem particularly impressed by either his moves or his gear. Kabuki laced into Larry with vicious kicks, and after a tentative attempt to match him with his own karate kicks, Larry spent most of the match back pedaling and stalling. He managed to get a momentary advantage a few times by taking some cheap shots, but this ended up drawing him in close enough for a brutal round kick to the head, followed by a piledriver that put an end to the match. After the match, Saito gave Kabuki the hard stare, but Kabuki just gave it right back.}

 

_{Chris Adams vs. Biff Wellington}

 

_{This would be the last stop for Adams before his big challenge for Ron Garvin’s AWA Canadian Title. Last week, Adams faced one half of the Youngbloods in Steve Blackman, and now he would take on Blackman’s partner Wellington. This wound up being a tight technical match up, with a lot of matwork and suplex attempts. It was ultimately a belly to back suplex by Adams that wound up giving him the one two three. After the match, Adams shook hands with Wellington. An impressive win, but Adams has a tough challenge ahead of him in trying to take the Canadian championship from Garvin.}

 

_{Leo Burke vs. Brian Pillman}

 

_{Pillman has had a lot of strong victories ever since leaving the Varsity Club, but the veteran Burke would prove to be no pushover. Burke skillfully avoided being drawn into Pillman’s fast paced offense, instead catching the fomer Bengal in several submission holds to try to break down the youngster. Pillman kept fighting out of it, blasting Burke with several hard chops, but Burke would not be held back for long. Burke came very close on a number of occasions to locking Pillman in the Sleeper hold, and while Pillman was always able to break out, it would take a lot out of him. The two were still slugging it out in the corner when the bell rang, signaling a 15 minute time limit draw, but the two kept at it for a while afterwards.}

 

_{Sgt. Slaughter & Rocky Mountain Thunder vs. Buddy Rose, Doug Somers & Col. Debeers}

 

_{The deep well of hatred between the Cobra Corps and Playboy After Dark, specifically Sgt. Slaughter and Col. Debeers, exploded into a pretty crazy six man tag team match. Buddy Rose’s crew spent much of their time working over Too Cold Scorpio, the junior member of the Corps, and it looked like they just might put him away at several points, but Scorpio proved incredibly resilient, and eventually was able to roll into his corner for the hot tag. Sarge and Leon then took over the match, with White whipping Somers into a Slaughter Cannon to give the victory to the Corps. Debeers clearly wanted to go after Sarge post-match, but Rose convinced him that there would be a better time.}

 

_{AWA American Title Match : Dan Spivey © vs. Maxx Payne}

 

_{While Spivey has been dominant since winning the American Title, but faced a stern test in his former Varsity Club stablemate. The huge Payne was coming off a Japanese tour with his Death Sentence partner Jeff Gaylord, and seemed to have developed an even sharper edge to his brutal array of suplexes and submission holds. Payne mercilessly worked over Spivey’s right arm, looking to both take away the Spivey Bomber and soften him up for the Payne Killer. Spivey kept battling back but Payne was relentless in going after his right arm. Spivey was able to stagger Payne with a Big Dan Boot, following it up with a left armed Spivey Bomber, but Payne got up his forearms and blocked it. Spivey then followed up with a Spivey Bomber from his damaged right arm and, even though that took a lot out of him, he was able to get the one two three. Spivey was clearly in a lot of pain from his right arm after the match.}

 

_{NWA World Title Match : Rick Martel © vs. Ken Patera}

 

_{Martel, a long time favorite of the AWA fans, has been having a series of spectacular matches defending the NWA title all over the world. He certainly had his hands full as he took on the former AWA World champ. This proved to be an exciting battle, with Martel’s skill and speed evenly matched by Patera’s power and viciousness. Martel was in the middle of rallying against the tough Patera, staggering him with several dropkicks, when Jerry Blackwell charged into the ring and attacked him, leading to a DQ decision. Blackwell and Patera double teamed Martel until he was able to grab a chair from ringside and fend them off. Martel then got on the ringside mic and dared Patera and Blackwell to face him in a tag match in Winnipeg with the partner of his choice, a challenge that the Syndicate readily accepted.}

[gordi]

Phoney Karate Expert Larry Z is a really fun character.

 

Adams vs Wellington is a good face vs face match-up.

 

Pillman vs Leo Burke? Yes please! More, thank you! A great veteran worker and a young guy with loads of talent. Pillman can only improve by working more with Burke.

 

Cobra Corps vs Playboy After Dark and Varsity Club vs Ex-Varsity Club continue to be hot feuds. Nice to see that Payne picked up some skills over here!

 

Patera & Blackwell vs Martel & "X" --------> Shaddap and take my money!!

[dawho5]

Loving DeBeers and Sarge so far. Adams is definitely ready for his title shot. Is this his match to finally win gold? Larry Z better not try that shit against Tanaka. I'll second Burke and Pillman as a great feud for Pillman and the big tag match in Winnipeg being a HUGE draw.

[spaldoni]

A lot of fun matches here, LOL yea Larry Z doing the karate gimmick is pretty great but looks like Kabuki took him to school. Adams has been so intriguing as of late and looking forward to his showdown with Garvin. Loved that Burke/Pillman match and looks like we'll be getting more. Slaughter and DeBeers is going to be a huge money making feud. Spivey gets the win but looks like he took some serious damage to the arm. Great seeing the Martel appearance and cant wait to see who he gets as a partner.

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show from the Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, May 30^th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards )

 

The Can-Am Express vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero

 

Lafon went for a flying back body press on Hector, but Hector reversed it with a rollover and got the one two three

 

Tom Zenk vs. Too Cold Scorpio

 

Zenk put out Scorpio with a Sleeper Hold

 

Steven Regal vs. Fit Finlay

 

What started out as a technical match up ground down into a slugfest where Regal ultimately was able to knock out Finlay with the Iron Fist Punch

 

Shane Douglas vs. Mando Guerrero

 

Douglas won with a German Suplex

 

AWA World Tag Team Title Match : The Razor Boys © vs. The Sheepherders

 

A ferocious brawl that ended in a double DQ

 

Ken Patera & Jerry Blackwell vs. Rick Martel & ??

 

The Syndicate were looking pretty cocky as they clearly felt confident they were more than a match for anyone Martel could bring in. Confidence turned to panic as Martel introduced his partner … Andre the Giant! The NWA Champ and the enormous 8^th Wonder Of The World waged a mighty war with Patera & Blackwell which went back and forth, and finally ended when Andre flattened Patera with a lariat, followed by a slingshot splash from Martel to finally get the pinfall.

 

AWA Canadian Title Match with no time limit : Ron Garvin © vs. Chris Adams

 

Adams has come off a series of challenges for various titles in the AWA that have gone to the time limit, so he has demanded the stipulation for this match that the time limit be removed. He was joined at ringside by both his manager, Sheikh Adnan Al Kaissie, and the British Bullies, David Taylor and Marty Jones. Garvin was not intimidated, as he and Adams both seemed ready to go for the long haul. A feeling out process started the match, with technical wrestling and matwork. The two then engaged in a battle of chops to try to soften each other up. As the match went on, the pendulum of momentum swung back and forth, with Adams just barely avoiding the Hands Of Stone Punch and Garvin in turn dodging the Superkick. The match went past the 30 minute mark with both men going at hit full force. Adams got a number of near falls with a series of suplexes, but Garvin was always able to kick out. Adams then tried to put him away with the Superkick , but Garvin countered with a single leg takedown that seemed to particularly hurt Adams ankle. The champ then administered the Garvin Stomp before locking the challenger in the Figure Four leglock. Adams struggled mightily to get to the ropes to break the hold, but fell just short. He seemed like he was going to attempt one last push to try to escape … however, he never got the chance, as Sheikh Kaissie ordered the Bullies into the ring to attack Garvin, forcing him to break the hold. The ref had no choice but to call for the DQ, giving the match to Garvin. Adams was livid , and once he was able to pull himself to his feet, he screamed at Kaissie that he shouldn’t have interfered. Kaissie was adamant, insisting that it was his call to make, he was protecting his investment and if Adams wasn’t going to take the title, he should at least damage Garvin enough so that one of the others of the Syndicate could take it. This led to a shoving match between the two, which was cut off by David Taylor clipping Adam’s damaged leg from behind. Kaissie and the Bullies savagely beat down Adams and, no doubt due to his past behaviour and attitude, nobody came out to save the Englishman until the AWA officials flooded the ring. Adams was taken out of the ring on a stretcher.

 

Cage Match : Jake Roberts vs. Roddy Piper

 

A ferocious battle that led to both men being busted open. Roberts looked like he would finally get the DDT, but Piper blocked it and kicked off into a double leg takedown assisted by the cage, with both his feet on the ropes for leverage ot get the one two three. The cunning Scot had slipped through Roberts’ grasp again.

 

AWA World Title Cage Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Nick Bockwinkel

 

One last classic to close out the night. Bock fought his most aggressive match yet against Steamboat yet, going after his legs to try to get him to submit to the Figure Four. Steamboat was able to battle back and managed to climb all the way up to the top of the cage, then turn around and come off it for a flying cross body press and get the pin. Many observers said this was Steamboat’s most impressive title defense yet.

[gordi]

Tremendous card in Winnipeg! Any of those last 4 matches could have been a main event anywhere in Canada and maybe anywhere on your circuit. Andre as the mystery partner is impossible to top. He is the best possible mystery partner and you can just imagine the look on the faces of the heels when he shows up. And then you cap it all off with that spectacular finish to the Steamboat match. Those fans will be talking about that one for a good long while. If only the AWA could have put something like that on TV "in real life."

[SirEdger]

Just like gordi said, you look at the last 4 matches on the Winnipeg card and you couldn't have gone wrong with any of them. I'm absolutely intrigued with the whole Chris Adams/Sheik Adnan situation and this could build for some tremendous TV through the summer!

[spaldoni]

Zenk continues his winning ways, has he even lost a solo match yet? Regal/Finley never disappoints. Once again Shane has the number of a Guerrero. I would love to see more Razor Boys/Sheepherder matches. Martel gets the ultimate mystery partner in the 8th wonder of the world. I could just imagine the pop Andre got. The Adams storyline just got more intriguing as he's out of the Syndicate but like you mentioned, who will stand by him??? Piper does it again, beating Jake in the cage. Jake just cant seem to get one over on Piper. Steamboat and Bock deliver! What a finish!!!!

[kevinmcfl]

That ESPN show was perfect! I would have been on the edge of my seat for the entire show. I really enjoyed the Canadian Championship match as I was unsure of the outcome. I keep expecting Adams to win one of these title matches.

[dawho5]

So 5 main events PLUS Can Ams vs. Guerreros PLUS Regal vs. Finlay...what a show! I'm pretty sure the fans in Winnipeg got their money's worth there.

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show from the Saddledome, Calgary, May 31^st

 

Bill Dundee vs. Mando Guerrero

 

Dundee blocked a German Suplex and pinned Mando with a schoolboy rollup

 

Brian Pillman vs. Leo Burke

 

Pillman won by countout after hitting a top rope clothesline to the outside

 

Col. Debeers vs. Greg Gagne

 

Debeers won with a face first piledriver

 

Mike Rotundo vs. Maxx Payne

 

Rotundo won by DQ after he was attacked by Kevin Sullivan

 

Sabu vs. Cactus Jack

 

Another crazy bout that went to no decision when the match got completely out of control

 

Texas Death Match : The Great Kabuki vs. Jerry Blackwell

 

A bloody battle that had several pinfalls for both men that finally ended when Kabuki hit Blackwell with several vicious kneestrikes to the side of the head, followed by a big roundhouse kick that knocked Blackwell out

 

AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Chavo Guerrero

 

In what a lot of viewers called a classic, Tanaka countered a Gori Special attempt with a sunset flip to get the one two three

 

AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : Black Irish © vs. The Youngbloods

 

The Calgary fans were solidly behind the Youngbloods and it looked like they were close to taking the belts when Blackman caught Cameron in the cross armbreaker, but while the ref was telling Wellington to get out of the ring, Finlay hit Blackman with a running kneedrop, then he and Cameron executed a spike piledriver on Blackman to defend their belts

 

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

 

This was a true clash of titans that ended when Buddy Rose came to ringside and distracted the ref, while Col. Debeers snuck in the ring and took down Sarge with a brutal knee shot to the ribs. Bigelow then came off the top rope with the nuclear splash and got the shocking pin on Sarge

 

AWA American Title Match : Dan Spivey © vs. Jeff Gaylord

 

With a lot of shenanigans going on at ringside between the former Varsity Club and the All-Star Squadron, Gaylord kept going after Spivey’s damaged right arm, but Spivey was able to catch him with the Big Dan Boot followed by the Big Dan Legdrop and score the pinfall

 

AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Bob Orton

 

With Roddy Piper observing from ringside, this was another tough match for Steamboat, where Orton had him set up for the superplex, but the champ was able to kick him off then follow up with the top rope flying cross body press to pull out the victory

[SirEdger]

I bet Hot Rod fought bitterly the urge of getting involved in the finish against Ricky Steamboat! And holy crap at the Texas Death Match. I never really pictured Kabuki working that kind of environment but his style would actually make sense in there.

[spaldoni]

Great card! Looks like Douglas has rubbed off on Dundee, as he gets the win over Mando. Pillman and Burke is so much fun. After this feud, I don't know if Sabu and Jack will ever be the same again. Speaking of feuds, Kabuki and Blackwell have had a wild one, this time Kabuki puts him down for the count. Tanaka and Chavo put on a clinic. Bam Bam gets a huge win over Slaughter, I'm sure Slaughter will get some payback on DeBeers. Hurt arm and all, SpiveyMania continues to run wild. Steamboat and Orton would of been my money match. Great win for Steamboat. I wonder how long it will be before Piper wants a shot???

[dawho5]

Kind of disappointing only three main events in Calgary. Great TDM and Sabu/Jack would have been wild as Hell. Tanaka is having an amazing run. Pillman and Burke is such a great feud for Pillman. Speaking of great runs, Steamboat is killing it as AWA champ.

[gordi]

Bam Bam Bigelow keeps on pulling off the upset victories. How far can he go in this version of reality?

 

Loved the ending to Orton vs Steamboat. Escaping the Superplex and hitting the Flying Cross Body is a perfect visual.

[GeneJackson95]

Huge win for Bigelow over Slaughter!

 

Loved the finish of Steamboat and Orton, I was watching an old Best of the WWF VHS with a Steamboat vs. Orton on it recently and it really stood out to me as a great match so I was quite excited to see it take place here as a Main Event.

 

I love that Jake can't get past Piper, I can only imagine what devious depths he'll stoop to, to get it done.