AWA TV 1-7-88 Loser Leaves Town tag team main event!
Jan 11, 2017 17:48:11 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Jan 11, 2017 17:48:11 GMT
Airdate: Saturday evening, January 7, 1988
Broadcast nationwide on Superstation WGN
Taped on January 5, 1988 at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, WI
We see footage from Christmas night at the Met Center, of Dick Slater and Ole Anderson defeating Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne for the World Tag Team titles.
Rod Trongard opens the show, and welcomes his co-host, Magnum TA.
Tonight, it’s the end of the road for one of the participants in our main event, as new World Tag champs Dick Slater and Ole Anderson square off with the former champions “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer and “Maniac” Matt Borne in a match where whoever loses the fall must leave the AWA!
Plus, the AWA Board of Directors decided that extra measures were needed to ensure that both teams follow the rules and that we get a clear cut winner, so they’ve announced a special referee for the match! A man that stands for truth, justice and the American way, a true American hero . . .
SGT. SLAUGHTER!
At that point, Trongard and Magnum are joined by Sgt. Slaughter.
Slaughter talks about tonight’s main event, where he will referee the tag team match, with the stipulation that the loser of the fall will have to leave the AWA. He says that he’s going to call it right down the middle, and promises that there won’t be any funny business, the fans will see a clear winner, and somebody will be leaving the AWA!
TERRY TAYLOR VS. TOM “ROCKY” STONE. Taylor takes the fight to Stone, and wears him down. As the match is going on, TV champ Butch Reed comes down to ringside and taunts Taylor, motioning down to the TV title belt around his waist. This leads to Stone nearly scoring a huge upset, but Taylor turns his attention back to the match, and connects with the diving forearm smash. As Taylor pins Stone, Reed heads back to the locker room.
Local promos air for upcoming shows later this week in Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Des Moines.
Rod Trongard and Magnum TA talk about a working arrangement that has been struck between the AWA and the premier organization in Japan, New Japan Pro Wrestling. Fans who were in attendance at the Christmas shows were treated to an outstanding match between two of the top Jr. heavyweight competitors from New Japan, IWGP Jr. heavyweight champ Kuniaki Kobayashi and the #1 contender Shiro Koshinaka. Plus, over the next few weeks, several of the stars of the AWA will be travelling to the Orient to take part in big shows over there.
“SUPERFLY” JIMMY SNUKA VS. THE MASKED TERRORIST. The Superfly makes short work of his opponent, hitting the masked man with the Superfly Splash for the pinfall.
Local promos air for upcoming shows later this week in Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Des Moines.
Larry Nelson interviews AWA World Tag Team champions Dick Slater and Ole Anderson.
Slater says that Sawyer and Borne have been a thorn in his side for months now, but that changes tonight, because after the main event, one of those two jerks will be leaving the AWA!
Nelson asks Ole about Sgt. Slaughter coming to the AWA to act as special referee for the match. Anderson says he doesn’t care who referees the match, all Slaughter needs to do is count to three.
AWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP:
“HACKSAW” BUTCH REED (champ) (w/ Percival Pringle III) VS. STEVE DOLL. The match goes back and forth early on, the champion relies mostly on power moves, while Doll uses his speed and agility to his advantage. Late in the match, former TV champ Terry Taylor makes his way out, just as Reed did during Taylor’s match earlier. Taylor picks up the TV title belt off the timekeeper’s table, and straps it around his waist. Reed notices this, and flips out, yelling at Taylor to get his hands off his belt! While this is going on, Doll rolls Reed up from behind, but the Hacksaw kicks out at the very last second!
Reed tries to leave the ring to get at Taylor, but Doll grabs him and pulls him back into the ring. Reed responds by jabbing a thumb into Doll’s eye, then rolls out of the ring and starts brawling with Terry Taylor at ringside! Reed and Taylor trade punches on the floor, and Reed doesn’t even notice that the referee is counting him out! The ref gets to 10, and calls for the bell, awarding the match to Doll by count-out!
Reed is livid! He throws Taylor into the ringpost, then jumps back into the ring and pounces on Doll! Reed stuns Doll with a hard right hand to the head, then bounces off the ropes and nearly takes Doll’s head off with a lariat, causing the youngster to do a full flip in the air before hitting the mat! Reed then runs the ropes again, and drops a knee across Doll’s head.
Taylor jumps into the ring and attacks Reed, and they continue to brawl until finally several referees and a group of wrestlers rush out to the ring to separate them and check on Steve Doll.
Local promos air for upcoming shows later this week in Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Des Moines.
Larry Nelson talks with “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer, “Maniac” Matt Borne and Percival Pringle III.
Pringle is not happy about Sgt. Slaughter being named as the special referee, he thinks the AWA is trying to stack the deck against them, but says that his men will overcome the odds, and will run Slater and Ole out of the AWA!
Sawyer says that Slaughter had better stay out of their way, or he’ll be sorry! Borne hopes that Ole and Slater have their bags packed, because one of them is going to be leaving town after this match.
MR. SAITO & BIG VAN VADER & NORD THE VIKING (w/ Gen. Skandor Akbar) VS. BOB BACKLUND & GREG GAGNE & JAKE MILLIMAN. Backlund is able to get some offence going for his team, but Gagne and Milliman don’t fare so well when they’re in the ring, as Akbar’s men pound them into the mat. In the end, Vader pins Milliman after delivering a splash from the second turnbuckle.
Local promos air for upcoming shows later this week in Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Des Moines.
Trongard and Magnum talk about the Rock n’ Roll Express, one of the top tag teams in the world today, and Trongard says that they’re on their way to the AWA!
AWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, LOSER OF THE FALL LEAVES TOWN
SPECIAL REFEREE: SGT. SLAUGHTER
DICK SLATER & OLE ANDERSON (champs) VS. “MAD DOG” BUZZ SAWYER & “MANIAC” MATT BORNE (w/ Percival Pringle III). After a wild, bloody brawl, the Tag Team champs get the win when Slater hits Sawyer with the Russian Legsweep and quickly moves into a pinning predicament for the 1, 2, 3!
Per the stipulations, Buzz Sawyer must leave the AWA!
He’s not going to go quietly, though, as he gets in Sgt. Slaughter’s face, claiming Slaughter made a fast count! Slaughter doesn’t back down, and when Sawyer shoves him, Sarge nails the Mad Dog with a big right hand!
All hell breaks loose at that point! Matt Borne jumps Slaughter, with Dick Slater and Ole Anderson then attacking Borne. This brings the other members of the Pringle Dynasty, Butch Reed and Rick Rude into the ring, and they start brawling with Ole and Slater!
While that’s going, Buzz Sawyer attacks Slaughter from behind, then he and Borne tie Slaughter’s arms up in the ropes, and take turns punching and kicking him! Percy Pringle slides a chair into the ring, and Borne blasts Slaughter in the head with it!
At that point, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and Terry Taylor arrive on the scene, with Taylor going right at Butch Reed, and Williams attacking Sawyer and Borne, before turning his attention to Rick Rude.
With all this mayhem going on in the ring, Rod Trongard informs us that we’re out of time, and he and Magnum quickly hype next week’s show.
Credits Roll
© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
Working on it now.