AWA TV 11-26-87 A wild main event! Debut of the Superfly!
Nov 30, 2016 1:56:37 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Nov 30, 2016 1:56:37 GMT
CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING
Airdate: Saturday evening, November 26, 1987
Taped earlier in the day on Nov. 26 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, MN
Broadcast nationwide on WGN
We see footage of last week’s main event, where “Dr. Death” Steve Williams pinned World champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude following the Oklahoma Stampede in the third and final fall of a 2 out of 3 falls, 6-man tag team match!
Rod Trongard opens the show, and welcomes his co-host, Magnum TA.
On today’s program, we’ll see “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and the man he’s taken under his wing, Ron Simmons, in tag team action. We’ll see World champion “Ravishing” Rick Rude in action as he takes on Baron von Raschke. In our main event, Dick Slater faces Percival Pringle’s mad dog, Buzz Sawyer!
Plus, one of the biggest stars in the wrestling world, the Superfly, Jimmy Snuka, makes his AWA debut right here today!
Rod and Magnum then send us back to last week, where the popular young man Terry Taylor challenged Eddie Gilbert for the World Television title.
VTR: Gilbert vs Taylor, last week on Championship Wrestling, JIP:
As the match progresses, the momentum goes back and forth, Gilbert uses several underhanded tactics to gain the advantage when it looks like Taylor may be ready to put him away. In the end, though, Gilbert jumps off the second turnbuckle with a crossbody attempt, but Taylor steps out of the way, and as Gilbert slowly gets to his feet after crashing to the mat, Taylor runs the ropes . . . FOREARM SMASH!!!
Taylor connects with the flying forearm smash, and covers Gilbert for the 1, 2, 3!!!
Terry Taylor is the new World Television Champion!!!
END VTR
From there, we go to a special video of the new Television champion.
“DR. DEATH” STEVE WILLIAMS & RON SIMMONS VS. BOB SWEETAN & KERRY BROWN. After a hard-hitting, back and forth match, Williams and Simmons get the win when Williams plants Brown with the Stampede for the 1, 2, 3.
After the match, Larry Nelson talks with Williams and Simmons. Williams talks about he and Simmons playing against each other in college bowl games, and puts Simmons over as one of the toughest men he’s ever played against. Doc says that he’s much happier having Simmons on his side now! Simmons talks about training with Doc, and says that with Williams’ help, he feels that he’s ready for the big time, and ready to take on the best of the best here in the AWA!
Nelson brings up last week’s main event, which we saw the final moments of at the top of the program, where Williams pinned Rick Rude for the third fall to win the match. Doc says that Rude cheated to beat him for the title, and every time they’ve faced each other since, Rude has cheated in order to hold onto the belt. But last week, he pinned Rude, right here on television, for the whole world to see and the next time they meet, he’ll do it again, and leave with the World title!
Larry asks Doc about their main event, with Dick Slater facing “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer. Williams says that after what Sawyer did to Slater during the heavyweight title tournament back in October, Slater’s been chomping at the bit to get Sawyer in the ring. Doc says that tonight, Sawyer’s gonna find out who the real “Mad Dog” is when Slater tears him limb from limb!
“SUPERFLY” JIMMY SNUKA VS. THE IRON SHEIK. The Superfly may be getting a little long in the tooth, but he’s still immensely popular with the fans! He makes short work of the hated Iranian here, connecting with the Superfly Splash from the top rope for the pinfall victory.
“PLAYBOY” BUDDY ROSE VS. JAKE MILLIMAN. Rose gets a quick win, hitting Milliman with the DDT for the pinfall.
As Larry Nelson announces the decision, Rose grabs the mic from him. As the crowd boos, Rose says that they’re all just jealous, that’s why they’re booing, all the men here wish they looked like him, and he says he sees some women booing, but he knows that if he were to offer, there’s not a single one of them that would pass up a date with the Playboy! Rose tells them all to keep on booing, because it will make his inevitable success here in the AWA that much sweeter!
Trongard and Magnum hype some upcoming AWA shows, including a big one, Christmas night at the Met Center in Bloomington! Rod says matches will be announced for the Christmas night show as they’re signed, but what they do know at this point is that all three World championships will be on the line on Christmas night.
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
“RAVISHING” RICK RUDE (w/ Percival Pringle III) VS. BARON VON RASCHKE. Rude does his usual pre-match routine, telling the “fat, out of shape Minnesota morons” to zip it while he takes his robe off and gives the ladies in the crowd a look at a real man! Von Raschke gets a loud cheer when he attacks Rude, as the Ravishing One was removing his robe, and pummels the champion! The Baron even uses Rude’s own robe to choke him! Von Raschke stays on the offensive, and has things going his way, until Rude jams a thumb into the eye of the challenger, and heads to the floor for a breather. Rude talks things over with Percy Pringle, but refuses to re-enter the ring until the referee forces the Baron back. With the referee keeping Von Raschke at bay, Rude gets back into the ring, but as soon as Von Raschke goes to grab him, Rude sticks his head back through the ropes, and the ref forces Von Raschke back. Over the next few minutes, we get a feeling-out process, with each man looking for a weakness to exploit, both men get some shots in, but neither is able to gain any kind of advantage.
As the match progresses, Rude takes over, and applies some holds designed to put pressure on Von Raschke’s neck, obviously looking to soften the challenger up for the Rude Awakening. Von Raschke eventually fights back, and stuns the champion with some big right hands . . . and then he locks on the Claw! Rude, screaming in agony, is able to reach the ropes quickly, forcing a break, then he rolls out of the ring again, holding his head as Percy complains to the ref about the hold! Von Raschke doesn’t wait for Rude to re-enter the ring this time, instead he grabs Rude by the hair and drags him up onto the apron. The Baron attempts to suplex Rude back into the ring, but Rude blocks it by hooking his foot around the bottom rope, and then nails Von Raschke with a forearm to the head. As Von Raschke stumbles backwards, Rude quickly climbs up to the top turnbuckle of the nearest corner, and delivers a double axehandle to the back of Von Raschke’s head.
Rude immediately goes back to work on the neck of the Baron, and a moment later, he sets Von Raschke up, and delivers the Rude Awakening! There’s no kicking out of that, and Rude gets the 1, 2, 3!
Trongard and Magnum send us to “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer for comments about tonight’s main event.
Buzz Sawyer and his tag team partner Matt Borne are backstage in the dressing room. Sawyer gloats about what he’s going to do to Dick Slater tonight, and says what he did to Slater in the World title tournament was just a little taste of what’s in store for Slater tonight! Sawyer says that he hopes they have an ambulance waiting outside, because Slater’s going to be needing one!
“HACKSAW” JIM DUGGAN VS. JEFF SWORD. The big Hacksaw charges down to the ring, and gives the fans a big thumbs up as they cheer him on. Once the bell sounds, Duggan pounces on Sword and pounds him into the mat! A moment later, Duggan goes into the 3-point stance, and delivers the running tackle for the 1, 2, 3!
Trongard and Magnum send us to comments from Duggan’s tag team partner, Dick Slater, regarding his match with Buzz Sawyer.
Dick Slater is in the locker room, getting ready for the match. He tells Sawyer that he’s been all over this country, and he’s made a name for himself by taking the supposed biggest and baddest guys around, and putting them in their place! He says that he’s got the scars on his forehead, to remind him of what Sawyer did to him with that big logging chain back on October 22. Since then, all he’s done is think about Sawyer, and what he would do to him once he got his hands on him, one on one, and now, tonight, Sawyer’s in for a world of hurt!
As the wrestlers are introduced, Buzz Sawyer comes out with Percy Pringle and his Tag Team championship partner, Matt Borne. Then the crowd errupts as Slater comes out . . . along with his friend and tag team partner, Hacksaw Jim Duggan!
DICK SLATER (w/ Jim Duggan) VS. “MAD DOG” BUZZ SAWYER (w/ Percival Pringle III & Matt Borne). The battle starts before the bell even sounds, as Slater attacks Sawyer and they brawl all over the place! Slater backs Sawyer into a corner, and starts pummeling him. Sawyer eventually battles back, and for the next few minutes, it’s a back and forth brawl, as the rulebook goes right out the window!
Late in the match, Slater again has the upper hand, and from the floor, Matt Borne grabs Slater’s leg to distract him, but Jim Duggan is right there, and he attacks Borne!
As Slater pummels Sawyer inside the ring, Duggan and Borne brawl on the outside! Duggan gets the upper hand, and throws Borne into the ring, and then follows him in! The referee has no choice but to throw the match out as we’ve now got four men brawling in the ring!
Duggan and Slater put a beating on Sawyer and Borne while Trongard and Magnum quickly thank the television audience for tuning in and the show comes to an end.
Credits Roll
© 1987, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
Working on it now.