AWA results for July-August 1986

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA All-Star Wrestling On ESPN / TSN for July 12^th

 

Tom Zenk vs. Paul Diamond

 

Zenk has let it be known that he has designs on the Southern Title, currently held by Diamond's compatriot Pat Tanaka. Diamond was clearly intent on not being looked past as he put in a mighty effort to shut down Zenk. It looked like he would pull it off when he hit the flying back bodypress, but Zenk reversed it with a rollover and grabbed a fistful of tights to cinch the pinfall.  Dirty pool, but it just goes to show that Zenk will stop at nothing in his pursuit of the gold.

 

Death Sentence & Kevin Sullivan vs. The Sheepherders & Mark Starr

 

After blaming their loss at the Independence Day Spectacular on Mark Starr, it seemed strange that the Sheepherders would be tagging with their young flagbearer in their match against the Neighborhood Of Evil. Their plans became clear as the match wore on, as Butch and Luke showed no interest in tagging in or even helping young Starr in any way. As Gaylord, Payne and Sullivan battered Starr from pillar to post, the Sheepherders stood on the ring apron, either yawning or jawing with the crowd. When Starr was finally able to make it to his own corner, both members of the Sheepherders jumped to the floor and marched back to the locker room, leaving their partner to his fate. One  Execution later, and that was the end of the match. But not the end of the punishment, as the Neighborhood of Evil continued to tear into Starr, then set him up for a Spike Piledriver. This was interrupted by Brian Pillman, Bill Dundee and Shane Douglas, who ran off the members of the Neighborhood and saved Starr from potential serious injury.

 

Masa Saito vs. Chavo Guerrero

 

After Saito took the Six Man Titles from the Guerreros with his partners, Nick Bockwinkel and Larry Zbyszko, the three brothers have been determined to show that they are worthy of a rematch. The result was this incredibly intense match where both men stretched each other six ways to Sunday and Chavo was able to block a Saito Suplex and reverse it into a rollup to score the one two three. Chavo might have just put himself and his brothers back into contention.

 

Steve Blackman vs. Phil Lafon

 

The Youngbloods and the Can-Am Express are two rising young teams that have been thrilling the crowds with some exciting matches recently. Blackman and Lafon kept up that pace in a tight singles match where Blackman dodged a thrust kick and came back with a flash bicycle kick and pulled out the victory. Lafon was clearly unhappy with the result but still shook hands with Blackman after the match.

 

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Buddy Rose

 

Ever since the mysterious disappeance of Leon White, Sarge has been on a roaring rampage of revenge, blaming both Piper's Pit and Playboy After Dark for the loss of his Cobra Corps colleague. Thus far, Sarge has destroyed both Buzz Sawyer and Doug Somers, and looked set to make the Playboy his next victim. He whipped Rose from pillar to post until the Playboy, in a flagrant display of cowardice, bailed out of the ring , deliberately getting counted out. To rub salt in the wound, Rose got on the ringside mic and goaded Sarge, saying that if he really wanted to get his hands on him, he and Scorpio would face Rose and a partner of his choosing in a tag match in San Francisco, a challenge that Sarge angrily accepted.

[dawho5]

Awesome to see you back as I missed the AWA!

Zenk as a force of evil has to be more entertaining than as a babyface.  Those evil bastards the Sheepherders.  I love it.  Big win for Chavo over Saito.  Blackman and LaFon would have been a great workrate/karate type match.  I'm not sure playing with Sarge is the wisest choice for Rose after all of his friends have been put out of commission.

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show from the Cow Palace, San Francisco, July 12^th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards)

 

The Youngbloods vs. The Can-Am Express

 

Furnas pinned Jones after a power slam

 

Hector Guerrero vs. Larry Zbyszko

 

Hector caught Larry in the Guerrero Clutch for the one two three

 

Jake Roberts vs. Shane Douglas

 

Jake won with the DDT

 

The Sheepherders vs. The Razor Boys

 

A crazy brawl that ended when the Sheepherders hit a double stomach breaker on Diamond

 

AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs. The Great Kabuki

 

Orton defended his title with a lariat

 

Sgt. Slaughter & Too Cold Scorpio v. Buddy Rose & ??

 

Rose's partner turned out to be … former NWA World Champion Harley Race! The match never really got off the ground as very soon into it, Rose ordered Col. Debeers and Leo Burke to attack the Cobra Corps, leading to a no contest. Playboy After Dark continued to beat down the Cobra Corps until somebody charged out of the audience and into the ring and started tossing Rose and his men around, sending them scattering back to the locker room. It was Cpl. Scott Hall, making his return to the AWA! Hall embraced Sarge and Scorpio as they celebrated his fortuitously timed return to the Cobra Corps.

 

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

 

Regal pinned Finlay after a Regal Plex

 

AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. TNT

 

The latest challenger Roddy Piper has brought in to take on Ricky Steamboat for the World Title turned out to by Puerto Rican firebrand TNT. TNT gave Steamboat a ferocious fight but the Champ looked like he might just prevail when he went up to the top rope for a flying cross body press, only to be knocked off by Roddy Piper, leading to the DQ. Both men attacked Steamboat until he was able to grab a chair from ringside and fend them off.

[dawho5]

Furnas gets the Can Ams some revenge for the night before.  Love the switch on the Guerreros with them winning in singles instead of trios now.  Jake and the Herders with big wins and I would have enjoyed that tag a ton.  I love how you use Kabuki.  Scott Hall with the big re-debut, I love it!  I will definitely complain if you refuse to run British Steel, The British Bullies and Black Irish against each other anymore.  Until then, I am a happy fan.   Whoa, huge debut for TNT.  Piper and TNT both have a temper and a love to mix it up in common, so it makes a lot of sense.

[SirEdger]

Interesting main event and totally unexpected challenger, which I like a lot. Also a big fan of Harley Race being Buddy Rose's surprise partner here!

[spaldoni]

So great to see the AWA back! I've mentioned this before but Zenk has been on a stellar run in the AWA. Those Sheepherders really left Starr hanging. Chavo pulls off a huge upset over Saito. Nice contest between Blackman and LaFon. Maybe that was a smart move by Rose because Slaughter might of killed him. 

The Youngbloods/Can Ams feud has been fun and has elevated both teams. The Guerreros have been scoring some surprising singles wins, this time its Hector over Larry Z. Always nice to see Jake win with the DDT. With that win over the former champs, the Sheepherders put themselves in contention. Orton gets a solid defense over Kabuki. I'm enjoying Orton as the American champ. Damn! Harley debuts as Rose's partner! That's huge! Wow! Then Scott Hall comes back in the same match! Those fans in San Fran got their money's worth on that match alone. British Steel and Bullies has been another top notch tag team feud. All that and we get a Steamboat/TNT title main event with interference by Piper. Amazing night of action. 

[gordi]

I'm always up for a "mystery partner" angle, and Harley Race is a great pay-off. Nice return for Scott Hall, too. 

I like how you use singles matches to set up tag and six-man matches down the line. Simple but effective booking. You also managed to refresh the Guerreros as six man contenders. 

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show from the Kingdome, Seattle, July 13^th

 

Cactus Jack vs. Mark Starr

 

Cactus won with a Russian Legsweep

 

Chavo & Hector Guerrero vs. Masa Saito & Larry Zbyszko

 

Larry was going for an over the shoulder neckbreaker on Chavo, but Chavo countered with a backslide that got the pinfall

 

Chris Adams vs. Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie

 

Adams finished him off with a Superkick

 

The British Bullies vs. Brian Pillman & Shane Douglas

 

Pillman pinned Jones with a top rope flying sunset flip

 

AWA Canadian Title Match : Ron Garvin©  vs. Leo Burke

 

Both men went to a double countout while brawling outside the ring

 

AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Roddy Piper & Bob Orton © vs. Black Irish

 

Piper blocked a powerslam attempt by Cameron and countered with a rollup assisted by a fistful of tights to defend their titles

 

Buddy Rose, Harley Race & Col. Debeers vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Cpl. Scott Hall & Too Cold Scorpio

 

Slaughter and Hall took down Debeers with a massive double lariat to get the win

 

AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Tom Zenk

 

In what many onlookers called Zenk's best AWA match, he and the World Champion went to a 30 minute time limit draw.  While Kevin Sullivan intervened on a number of occasions to try to tip the balance in his man's favour, Zenk hung with Steamboat throughout the match and impressed the crowd with his resilience and cunning.

 

 

[dawho5]

Good win for Cactus.  Loving the Guerreros being able to win in everything except for six-man tags against the guys that beat them.  Adams gets some revenge on Kaissie.  Pillman and Douglas is an interesting team.  Not sure if I think either would make a great FIP, but I know Pillman would be a superb hot tag.  Garvin and Burke would be a super fun brawl.  Piper & Orton vs. Black Irish is an unexpected but awesome matchup.  At what point does DeBeers decide that enough is enough and stop taking punishment for Rose?  Big match for Zenk and have I mentioned how awesome Steamboat's run has been?

[SirEdger]

Anybody can have a great match with Ricky Steamboat and while Tom Zenk isn't a shabby worker by any means, no doubt that it exceeded expectations. Loved Piper & Orton vs Black Irish. Solid card overall!

[LowBlowPodcast]

Zenk and Steamboat would be an interesting match at this point. Zenk is young and probably pretty green even with his seasoning here in the AWA but Steamboat could have carried him without question. I can dig on Piper and Orton being champions and just wonder who/what it will take to put them down for the titles when the time comes.  Lastly, the team of Pillman/Douglas could have been something very special in a couple of years with those two talents. 

[rainmakerrtv]

I was figuring Steamboat vs. Zenk would be a mix of Zenk wrestling over his head and carrying on with the strong momentum he had built up, with Steamboat doing everything he could to make him look good while still maintaining his own credibility as champion. If Steamboat was given the order from the road agent to go the distance with Zenk and build him up, this would be the result.

[spaldoni]

The Guerreros are really on a roll. Must of been a sweet win for Adams when he super kicked Adnan. Pillman and Douglas get a big win over the Bullies. I could watch Garvin and Burke brawl night after night. Piper and Orton retain in an intriguing match with Black Irish. Slaughter's men get a satisfying win. Zenk has been built up so well and now gets a well deserved world title match with Steamboat. Zenk really made the most of this and Steamboat makes the match gold. I'm hoping for more. Steamboat is such a versatile champ, a promoter's ideal champ. He can make anybody look good and still be a strong champion. 

[Crazymax Jack]

Another stacked roster with quality workers. Intriguing tag teams here in the AWA as well. Not a big Tom Zenk guy. I did enjoy his WCW run (sans the Johnny Gunn stuff), but here in 1986, I just don't know if I'd like to see him go 30 with Steamboat, or buy it even with a decent string of wins here. Lots of super young guys getting big pushes here, curious to see where many of them go. I'm excited for many of them, but some of them are going to be a hard sell for 1986, but with your writing I'm sure you can get some of these guys over years before they would "make it" in real life. Exciting roster here for the AWA, essentially the opposite of what Verne was using in real life which ultimately led to his demise. So you already have that much up on the real life Verne and AWA in 1986. 

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for August 22^nd

 

Brian Pillman, Shane Douglas & Mark Starr vs. Des Quilty, Evan Jones & Peter Feighehen

 

After a break for coverage of the International Sportsball Championship, the AWA returns to ESPN / TSN with a fast paced six man match. Recently Bill Dundee has taken some of the younger wrestlers under his wing in a group that has been dubbed Superstar Unit, and this time out he was at ringside as his young charges took on  a trio of Dundee's fellow Australians. Pillman got the most cheers with his boundless enthusiasm and charisma, and Douglas pulled off some impressive suplexes and dropkicks, but it was Starr who got the victory with a lightning quick running cross body on Quilty that got the pinfall. These talented up-and-comers clearly are learning a lot under the guidance of the veteran Dundee.

 

Harley Race vs. Too Cold Scorpio

 

The legendary Harley Race has proven to be a tough new addition to Playboy After Dark, and Buddy Rose was looking pleased as punch to have the multi time NWA world champion fighting under his banner. He was using Race as his personal attack dog to go after the junior member of the Cobra Corps, and Race showed all the cunning and ring savvy that made his such a dangerous force in pro wrestling. To his credit, Scorpio did his best to hang in there with Race, making the most of his speed and energy to try to get the advantage over his opponent. Race was never flustered, patiently waiting for his spot to bring Scorpio down and get the ball back in his court. Scorpio attempted a late rally with a series of dropkicks that knocked Race down, but Race ended up colliding with the ref, and when Scorpio went up top, Rose took advantage of the distraction by sneaking up behind and shoving Scorpio hard off the turnbuckle to the mat. Race then pounced on Scorpio and trapped him in an Indian Deathlock that forced the young Colorado native to give up. Race kept the hold on Scorpio long after the bell, clearly looking to injure him, until Sgt. Slaughter and Cpl. Scott Hall charged into the ring, running off Race and Rose and helping their comrade from the ring.

 

Doug Furnas vs. Biff Wellington

 

The rivalry between the Youngbloods and the Can-Am Express has been getting white hot of late. On the last episode of All-Star Wrestling, Steve Blackman prevailed over Phil Lafon, and Wellington seemed to be carrying on his team's momentum with a series of quick suplexes on the Tennessee Volunteer. But something switched on in Furnas and he switched into a whole new gear, using his considerable strength to block several suplex attempts before levelling Wellington with a series of brutal power moves. He then hoisted Wellington over his shoulder and drove him hard into the turnbuckle with a running Canadian backbreaker before getting the one two three.  It looks like this rivalry has a ways to go before reaching a conclusion.

 

Greg Gagne vs. Nord the Barbarian

 

Normally, Greg Gagne would have his work cut out for him in taking on the huge Barbarian. But now, with the new bloodthirsty attitude in Nord encouraged by Jake Roberts, the AWA mainstay didn't really stand a chance. Nord unleashed an hellacious assault on Gagne, bouncing him all over the ring like a ragdoll before coming off the top rope with a kneedrop that spelled the end of the match. The Snakepit are getting more and more terrifying with each week that goes by.

 

The Sheepherders, Roddy Piper & Bob Orton vs. The Sunshine Boys (The Great Kabuki, Pat Tanaka & The Razor Boys)

 

Ever since Piper's Pit and the Sheepherders conspired to take the World Tag Team titles from the Razor Boys, Sunshine and her men have been determined to get their vengeance. Meanwhile, Roddy Piper and his associates have been equally determined to take the Sunshine Boys out permanently. What followed was a crazy brawl that only ended when the Sheepherders clobbered Pat Tanaka with a chair, then hit the referee for good measure. The two deranged Kiwis then went to town on Tanaka with the chair, which seemed to catch even Roddy Piper off guard.  He ordered them out of the ring, which they only did when Kabuki came after them swinging his nunchaku. Tanaka was clearly in bad shape as his partners helped him out of the ring.

 

 

 

[Crazymax Jack]

Good old ESPN, covering "Sportsball" at it's best!

God help me, I actually like Cpl. Scott Hall. It just works.

The youth movement is real here in the AWA. 

Nord is just a monster. You'd never see Greg Gagne treated like this in real life. If you ever saw a Nord match in the 80's you'd know he was absolutely reckless and borderline unsafe in the ring. You captured him well here.

Seeing Piper with the Sheeps brings back Portland memories of the beginning of the 80's. A wild match as I expected. Sunshine fits well here. Glad she's in a good spot.

[spaldoni]

Good to see the AWA back on ESPN. Douglas and Pillman will no doubt learn a lot from Dundee. Race and Scorpio is such a great contrast of styles match. Race looks to be on his A game here in the AWA. Impressive win for Furnas over Wellington. You're right, that Youngbloods/Can Am feud is really heating up. Poor Gagne, that was one brutal beating at the hands of Nord. The Snakepit has been on a vicious roll. Wild main event. When Piper is thrown off guard, you know it's pretty bad. Might take awhile for Tanaka to bounce back from this. 

[kevinmcfl]

From Sullivan to the Snake, the AWA youth movement continues to be an awesome angle.  Loved your jobber names hear also.  Kabuki on the good side is an interesting and fun read.  I had only seen him as a heel in real life.  Any ring with Slaughter, Race and Rose at the same time is true gold!

[dawho5]

I am always glad to see AWA shows.  Dundee taking the youngsters under his wing is a cool angle.  Scorpio looks good against Race, but goes down anyway.  Hall making the save is a nice bit of putting him over.  I keep waiting for Furnas to bust out that amazing dropkick.  Nord really took it to Gagne.  Could Gagne be on his way even further down the card?  Love the Sheepherders here.  Those guys just don't listen to anybody.  Poor Tanaka.

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA show from the Mecca, Milwaukee, August 22^nd (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards)

 

Mando & Hector Guerrero vs. Larry Zbyszko & Masa Saito

 

Larry was going for an over the shoulder neckbreaker on Hector, but Hector blocked it and reversed into a backslide to get the one two three

 

Bill Dundee,  Shane Douglas, Brian Pillman & Mark Starr vs. Ken Patera, Jerry Blackwell & the British Bullies

 

Superstar Unit put in an heroic effort but when Douglas was going for a running cross body press, Blackwell caught him in a power slam to put an end to their challenge

 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Nick Bockwinkel

 

Chavo had Bock set up for a German Suplex, but Bock blocked it and reversed it into a roll up with a fistful of trunks to get the tainted win

 

Cactus Jack vs. Sabu

 

In an incredibly crazy match, Sabu won by DQ when Cactus executed a piledriver on the ref

 

Sgt. Slaughter, Cpl. Scott Hall & Too Cold Scorpio vs. Buddy Rose, Col. Debeers & Harley Race

 

Hall capped off an intense battle with a truly impressive display of strength when he hit the Corporal Punishment on Buddy Rose and scored the victory for the Cobra Corps

 

AWA Southern Title Match : Pat Tanaka © vs. Tom Zenk

 

The match got off to a rocky start when the Sheepherders attacked Tanaka before  the match and hurt his neck. Tanaka fought valiantly but, when the Sheepherders showed up again later in the match to distract him, Zenk nailed him with a Superkick in the back of the head to win the match and the title. A sad end to Tanaka's epic Southern title reign

 

AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Roddy Piper & Bob Orton © vs. Ron Garvin & Chris Adams

 

Garvin caught Piper with a top rope sunset flip, but Orton nailed him with a lariat and reversed to pinfall to give the victory to the champs

 

AWA World Title Match : Rick Steamboat © vs. TNT

 

A blistering hot rematch that ended when Steamboat dodged a thrust kick and hit a belly to back suplex on the Puerto Rican superstar to come out on top

[dawho5]

I love the Guerreros continued success outside of 6-mans against Larry Z.  Tough night for Dundee.  But Blackwell is and always has been a beast.  Bock proves to be as tricky and effective as ever.  That Guerrero was able to hang with him that long puts him over.  Sabu vs. Cactus always delivers the craziness.  I liked the creativeness of the finish.  Hall is really getting a chance to shine lately.  Those dastardly Sheepherders won't leave Pat Tanaka alone.  I wonder if Tanaka came in at 100% anyway after that last show.  Piper and Orton are on fire lately.  Man, you really pushed TNT right to the top.  Not that having Ricky Steamboat as your champ ins't the perfect time for that.  Steamer could get a good match out of anyone, even really young guys.  And teach them a bunch along the way.

[Crazymax Jack]

My God, I'm salivating at the ideas I could have with Steamboat vs. TNT. I hope this is only the beginning. I know Savio is green here, but even as a rookie he was already leaps and bounds better than most rookies. Would be some fun matches for him to cut his teeth and really hone his craft.

Could it be? Will we see a Private Scorpio in our future? Wishful thinking for the young guy who needs the rub. Fun 6-man.

Classic Bockwinkel, even when cheating he does it with eloquence. What a great pairing of Bock vs. Chavo.

If anyone was going to have a team called the Unit I figured it would be Robert Fuller (bah-dum-bum). Looking across the ring at their opponents I figured this match was only going to end one way. The right team won. Good stuff. 

Bummer for Tanaka. Zenk will make a good champion. The Sheepherders actions were heelish.

Love the hodgepodge style team of Adams and Garvin. Not a team you got to see in real life, but it works here in fantasy as together they offer a little bit of everything. A tough match for sure that Piper and Orton got lucky to escape. 

I'm not crazy about the Cactus and Sabu stuff here in 1986. Just feels a little early to showcase these guys. But I'm absolutely loving everything else.

[rainmakerrtv]

Cactus vs. Sabu is not meant so much as a showcase but the youngest guys in the Snakepit and Piper's Pit feuding with each other but yeah, it was probably too high on the card. The crazy ending was more for foreshadowing for something further down the line.

There was a Gaea heel stable in the 90s/00s called Superstar Unit and the name stuck in my mind, so I appropriated it for Dundee's team. I try to give the rookies some victories when I can but am very careful about how and with whom. Tonight was a paying dues match.

I just love the idea of Piper and Orton as a team, with Orton as the bodyguard both in and out of the ring. Piper is the mouthy guy who knows how to be sneaky, but when his mouth takes things too far, the Ace is there to drop the hammer.

[spaldoni]

Guerreros continue their winning ways over Larry Z and Saito. Fun 8 man tag, Blackwell really did put an end to that. Chavo wasn't as successful as his brothers tonight but no shame in losing to Bock. Wow! Great seeing Sabu and Cactus rekindling a rivalry. Very impressive moment for Hall as he gets the fall on Rose. I knew it was only a matter of time before Zenk's hot streak got him some gold. Tanaka fought through injury and interference but his epic title reign comes to an end. That really was a great reign. I would of bought a ticket just for that tag title bout. Good teamwork by Piper and Orton. Glad we got a Steamboat/TNT rematch. Those were 2 fun matches. Steamboat with another solid title defense. 

[rainmakerrtv]

AWA Show from the International Amphitheater, Chicago, August 23^rd

 

Leo Burke vs. Mark Starr

 

Burke put Starr out with the Sleeper Hold

 

The Youngbloods vs. The Can-Am Express

 

Blackman caught Lafon with the bicycle kick, but didn't notice that Lafon had made the blind tag to Furnas, who blindsided Blackman with a dropkick to the back of the head, followed by a running splash to get the pinfall

 

The Great Kabuki vs. Kevin Sullivan

 

Kabuki won with the Thrust Kick to the jaw

 

Brian Pillman & Shane Douglas vs. Death Sentence

 

Interference by Kevin Sullivan led to Death Sentence pinning Douglas after the Execution

 

Chris Adams vs. Dave Taylor

 

Adams won with a belly to back suplex

 

Jake Roberts vs. Bill Dundee

 

A back and forth match that ended when Roberts hit the DDT for the victory

 

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

 

Smiley countered a running power slam attempt by Cameron with a slide down and a sunset flip to defend their belts

 

AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs.  Al Perez

 

An intense, technical bout that ended with Orton blocking the German Suplex and hitting a back breaker, followed by a Superplex to get the final pinfall