AWA TV 4-1-88 A couple of upsets!
Apr 1, 2017 23:18:34 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Apr 1, 2017 23:18:34 GMT
AWA “PRO WRESTLING USA”
Airdate: Saturday, April 1, 1988
Broadcast nationwide on Superstation WGN
Taped on March 31, 1988 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minnesota
“From coast to coast, border to border, and continent to continent, this is the AWA, the major leagues of professional wrestling!”
Rod Trongard opens the show, and welcomes his new co-host this week, AWA President Bill Watts. This week on Pro Wrestling USA, “Hacksaw” Butch Reed defends the World TV title against the man who won a #1 contenders Battle Royal last week, Scott Hall! Plus, Iceman Parsons will face Mr. Saito, and we’ll hear from the new World Tag Team champs the Fantastics!
STAN “THE LARIAT” HANSEN VS. STEVE DOLL. Hansen destroys his opponent, connecting with the Lariat for the pinfall. Doll takes a stretcher ride after the match.
Magnum TA is backstage with with John Tatum and Sherri Martel. Magnum says that things didn’t go quite as Tatum planned in the Battle Royal last week.
VTR: Battle Royal, JIP:
We’re down to four participants: John Tatum, Scott Hall, Mr. Saito and Bob Backlund.
Backlund eliminates Mr. Saito, but Tatum then shoves Backlund over as well, leaving us with just John Tatum and Scott Hall in the ring!
Tatum and Hall brawl for a minute or two, with Sherri then tossing her loaded purse to Tatum. Tatum charges at Hall with the purse, but Hall quickly ducks, then backdrops Tatum up and over the top rope!
Scott Hall has won the Battle Royal!
Hall takes a moment to talk with Larry Nelson about winning the match, and says he’ll see Butch Reed next week, but suddenly Hall is attacked from behind by a livid John Tatum! Tatum smacks Hall in the back of the head with the loaded purse, and then screams at Nelson that he should have won the match, that should be his title match! Nelson sends us to a commercial break as Tatum continues to rant and rave.
END VTR
Tatum says it’s a conspiracy against him, and everyone’s in on it, from the referees assigned to that Battle Royal, all the way up to the President of the AWA, Bill Watts! Tatum says that title shot should be his, and then says that he wants . . . no, he DEMANDS a match with the winner of the title match later tonight!
Sherri says that it sickens her to see a great man like John Tatum being held down by the powers that be in the AWA. Sherri then talks about Madusa Miceli, and says that surprise, surprise, Madusa isn’t here again this week to answer her challenge. With every week that goes by, Sherri is becoming more and more convinced that she’s been right all along, that Madusa’s simply scared, and she’s hiding out somewhere, so she can avoid having to give Sherri a rematch for the International Women’s title.
Trongard and Watts talk about the match last week between the Fantastics and the Islanders.
VTR: Islanders vs Fantastics, 3/25/88, JIP:
Rogers is finally able to make the hot tag to Fulton, making a mad dash for his corner and slapping Fulton’s hand just as Tama grabs him. Fulton comes in and cleans house, but a moment later, a jab to the throat from Haku stops Fulton dead in his tracks. The champions pummel Fulton, again using double-team maneuvers to keep Bobby in a bad way.
Things look bleak for the Fantastics, but the momentum is about to shift again. As Tama holds Fulton, and Haku goes to deliver a thrust kick, Fulton ducks out of the way, and Tama, the legal man, takes the kick right in the jaw! Tommy Rogers rushes back into the ring, and he and Fulton hit a double dropkick on Haku, sending him through the ropes and to the floor. Rogers then goes to the top rope and the challengers deliver the Rocket Launcher onto Tama, with Fulton then covering him for the 1, 2, 3!!!!
The Fantastics have won the AWA World Tag Team titles!!!!!
END VTR
Larry Nelson caught up with the new champions in the locker room last week, just after the show had gone off the air.
Larry Nelson is in the locker room with the brand new World Tag Team champions, Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton, the Fantastics.
Fulton and Rogers are both exhausted after the grueling match with the Islanders, where they took quite a beating before rebounding to win the match and the titles. Fulton says that wearing these belts is a dream come true for him and Tommy, it’s what they’ve been working towards their entire careers. Rogers gets emotional as he thanks all the fans for their support, and says that they will be champions that the fans can look up to, that the fans can be proud of!
Nelson says that they’ve won the belts, they’ve reached the top of the top of the mountain, but now the hard part is going to be keeping the belts, as there are plenty of top teams from all around the world that are going to be looking for a shot at the belts.
Fulton says that he and Rogers are going to be fighting champions, they’ll face any and all challengers, and says that with the fans behind them, they can’t lose!
AWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
THE FANTASTICS: TOMMY ROGERS & BOBBY FULTON (champs) VS. THE CUBAN ASSASSINS: ANGEL & FIDEL. The Cubans get under the skin of the fans before the match starts, but once the bell rings, the Fantastics make short work of their opponents. Rogers pins Fidel after the Fantastic Flip.
BIG VAN VADER & THE ONE MAN GANG (w/ General Skandor Akbar) VS. MIKE GRAHAM & BUCK ZUMHOFFE. On commentary, Watts says that Vader and Gang are one of the most imposing duos he’s ever seen! He says that Graham and Zumhoffe certainly have their work cut out for them! Watts wasn’t kidding, as Vader and Gang shake off any offence that Graham and Zumhoffe throw at them, and get the win in about when Vader drives Zumhoffe into the mat with a vicious Powerbomb, then pins him by placing one foot on his chest!
Larry Nelson talks with Skandor Akbar, Big Van Vader and One Man Gang after the match. Akbar says that his men are unstoppable, and promises that Vader and the Gang, along with Abdullah the Butcher, will end the careers of Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Blackwell and Steve Williams next Friday night at the Civic Center!
Trongard and Watts talk about the big event coming up next Friday night, at the St. Paul Civic Center, where the following matches will take place:
Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Blackwell and World champion Steve Williams square off with Big Van Vader, One Man Gang and Abdullah the Butcher, with General Skandor Akbar in their corner!
New World Tag Team champs The Fantastics will put the titles on the line against the team they took the belts from, The Islander, Haku and Tama!
John Tatum has been granted a title match with the winner of the TV title match later on tonight’s show!
Stan Hansen and King Kong Brody will be in tag team action against AWA legends Wahoo McDaniel and Baron von Raschke!
And more, with six big matches in all!
MR. SAITO (w/ General Skandor Akbar) VS. ICEMAN PARSONS. After a back and forth match, Parsons pulls off a HUGE upset, much to the delight of everyone in attendance, when he catches Saito with the Butt Butt and pins him!
Skandor Akbar is LIVID, and he jumps into the ring, getting in the Iceman’s face! Parsons grabs Akbar, but before he can inflict any damage on the General, the rest of Devastation Inc hits the ring and jump on Parsons! The Iceman takes a beating before Sgt. Slaughter and Steve Williams hit the ring, chairs in hand, and clear the ring.
AWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
“HACKSAW” BUTCH REED (champ) VS. SCOTT HALL. Trongard and Watts talk about the fact that we saw a title change on last week’s show, and wonder if we could see another one here tonight? Reed has defended the title against some of the very best wrestlers in the world today, and has to be considered a huge favourite against the young man from Florida. Hall surprises a lot of people though, by hanging with Reed, giving the champion all he can handle!
In the end, we see the second upset of the program, as Hall sidesteps Reed as the champion comes off the top rope with the flying shoulderblock, and Hall then hits Reed with the Bulldog for the 1, 2, 3!!!!
Scott Hall is the new World Television Champion!!!!
Trongard and Watts offer congratulations to the new World TV champion, with Trongard then hyping next week’s show before wrapping things up for this week.
Credits Roll
© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
Working on it now.