AWA TV 4-8-88 A wild main event!
Apr 12, 2017 23:13:32 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Apr 12, 2017 23:13:32 GMT
AWA “PRO WRESTLING USA”
Airdate: Saturday, April 8, 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 co-host again this week, AWA President Bill Watts. This week on Pro Wrestling USA, we’ll see members of Skandor Akbar’s Army in action, as the One Man Gang takes on Johnny Gunn, and the main event will see Abdullah the Butcher and Mr. Saito face Sgt. Slaughter and Iceman Parsons!
Watts says that he has an announcement regarding Pro Wrestling USA, and says that, starting with next week’s show, the show will be moving from Saturday evenings to Fridays.
Watts says that fans around the country will now have a full weekend of wrestling right here on Superstation WGN, with Pro Wrestling USA on Friday nights, then a new show from our friends at Chicago’s own Windy City Wrestling on Saturday evenings, and finally AWA Championship Wrestling on Sunday afternoons, which will feature taped matches from AWA arena shows around the country.
STEVE DOLL VS. “ROCK & ROLL” BUCK ZUMHOFF. We get an exciting, fast-paced opening bout between two fan favourites in Steve Doll and Rock & Roll Buck Zumhoff. The match is a clean, scientific bout that sees Doll get the win by pinfall after a flying forearm off the ropes. The two men shake hands after the match.
Trongard sends us to clips from last night’s show at the St. Paul Civic Center, particularly the big 6-man tag team main event.
VTR: Slaughter/Blackwell/Williams vs Abdullah/Gang/Vader, JIP:
Late in the bout, as Slaughter and Vader pummel each other outside the ring, and Blackwell and Gang brawl inside, Abby uses his trusty fork to open up a nasty gash over Doc’s eye. Abby keeps punching, and even BITING, at the cut, and it’s not long before Doc is wearing the crimson mask. Despite his legs getting rubbery, Williams keeps trying to fight back, but in his weakened state, his punches don’t have much effect on the madman from the Sudan.
The representative of the Minnesota Athletic Commission sitting ringside, obviously concerned about the amount of blood that Williams has lost, tells the timekeeper to ring the bell, and informs the referee that Williams is unfit to continue, due to blood loss.
The match is awarded to Akbar’s trio of Vader, Gang and Abby, over protests from Williams, who says he can continue, and tries to get at Abdullah, but is held back by Slaughter and Blackwell.
END VTR
Trongard says that Abdullah has wasted no time in making enemies since he arrived in the AWA, in recent weeks he’s used that fork to bloody both Sgt. Slaughter and World champ Steve Williams!
Watts says that over the past few weeks, there’s been talk among the AWA promoters of fining and suspending Abdullah for his recent actions, but Steve Williams approached him after the show last night, and asked for a match with Abdullah, to get some payback for Abby’s actions at the Civic Center. Watts says that he and the AWA promoters are working to get that match signed as soon as possible.
Magnum TA is standing in front of the AWA logo, and talks about upcoming AWA events, including the return to the St. Paul Civic Center on Thursday night, April 20. Magnum runs down some of the matches that have been signed for that card, including:
AWA World champion Steve Williams vs Abdullah the Butcher!
AWA Tag champs the Fantastics vs the Islanders in a 2 out of 3 falls match!
Sgt. Slaughter & Iceman Parsons vs Mr. Saito & Big Van Vader!
One Man Gang vs Jerry Blackwell in a Bodyslam match, where the man that slams his opponent will be declared the winner!
King Kong Brody vs Jimmy Snuka!
And much more!
Magnum is then joined by Skandor Akbar and Abdullah the Butcher. Akbar says that Steve Williams has let his wounded pride cloud his judgment, and as a result, he has to step in the ring with the most dangerous man in wrestling, Abdullah the Butcher! He says that what happened to Williams the last time at the Civic Center will pale in comparison to what the Butcher will do to him on April 20!
After Akbar and Abby leave, Magnum is joined by AWA World champion Steve Williams. Williams has his head heavily bandaged, and says that Abdullah may have cut up his head with that fork, but Doc was still ready to fight, and says that no matter what Abdullah does to him, he will keep fighting, and he will hold onto this title!
KING KONG BRODY VS. MIKE GRAHAM. On commentary, Trongard and Watts put over Graham as the son of legendary wrestler and promoter Eddie Graham, and a very talented wrestler in his own right. Unfortunately for Graham, he doesn’t get a chance to show much of that skill here, as Brody dominates the match, and after putting Graham on the mat with a picture-perfect standing dropkick, he heads to the top rope and connects with a flying kneedrop for the pinfall victory.
ONE MAN GANG (w/General Skandor Akbar) VS. JOHNNY GUNN. Gunn takes the fight to OMG to start, but Gang soon turns the tables, and after wearing Gunn down, Gang squashes him with the 747 splash for the pinfall.
Trongard and Watts talk about the Battle Royal that took place two weeks ago.
VTR: Battle Royal, 3/25/88, 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
Trongard says that, as the winner of that match, Scott Hall earned a shot at Butch Reed’s World TV title on last week’s program.
VTR: Reed vs Hall, 4/1/88, JIP:
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!!!!
END VTR
Trongard and Watts congratulate Hall on winning the title last week, with Watts saying that he thinks this young man has a very bright future ahead of him in pro wrestling. Trongard says that, due to the action of “Hollywood” John Tatum at the end of that Battle Royal, the AWA has signed a title match between Hall and Tatum, and we will see that match right here next week on USA Pro Wrestling!
AWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
THE FANTASTICS: TOMMY ROGERS & BOBBY FULTON (champs) VS. THE MASKED TERRORISTS. The Fantastics get the win when Rogers pins one of the Terrorists after the Fantastic Flip.
Before the main event starts, Trongard and Watts talk about what led to the match.
VTR: Saito vs Parsons, 4/1/88, JIP:
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.
END VTR
ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER & MR. SAITO (w/General Skandor Akbar) VS. SGT. SLAUGHTER & ICEMAN PARSONS. As soon as all four men are in the ring, before Larry Nelson can even finish the introductions, Saito jumps Parson and drops him to the mat with a vicious chop to the throat. Slaughter tries to help his tag team partner, but Abdullah pulls out his trusty fork, and goes to town on Sarge, repeatedly jabbing him in the head and throat with the weapon!
The match never officially starts, as Slaughter is quickly reduced to a bloody mess, and Abby then helps Saito double-team Parsons as the General yells out orders to the two men. Slaughter, weakened from the attack and blood loss, once again tries to help Parsons, but he gets several more shots from the fork for his trouble, and collapses to the mat. Parsons is trying desperately to fight off both Abdullah and Saito, but to no avail, and they leave him laying as well.
Steve Williams hits the ring, and after dropping Saito with a running clothesline, he faces off with Abdullah! The crowd errupts as Williams tears into the Butcher, even getting his hands on Abby’s fork, and opens up a cut on the Butcher’s head!
Saito is back up, and attacks Williams, but the World champion gains the upper hand, and throws Saito out of the ring. He turns his attention back to Abdullah. The blood running down Abby’s face seems to make him even more crazed, and he launches himself at Williams, throwing punches with wild abandon, and then starts BITING DOC’S FOREHEAD!!!!
Williams fights back, and has the Butcher on the ropes . . . but here comes Big Van Vader and the One Man Gang! Vader and the Gang climb into the ring and attack Williams from behind. Then they hold him while Abby repeatedly jabs his fork into Doc’s head.
Sgt. Slaughter has lost a lot of blood and has been helped to the back, but Iceman Parsons is back to his feet, and tries to help Williams, but Mr. Saito grabs him and pounds him into the mat, eventually dropping Parsons with the Saito Suplex.
Several prelim wrestlers hit the ring and try to stop the carnage, but they’re dispatched of by Akbar’s Army.
Finally, Jerry Blackwell, the Fantastics, Scott Hall and Wahoo McDaniel hit the ring and are able to clear Akbar and his men from the ring.
Trongard and Watts can’t believe the mayhem that we just witnessed, with Trongard saying that Akbar said he wanted a war, and it looks like he’s hellbent on destroying everyone in the AWA! Watts hypes next week’s show as the show comes to an end.
Credits Roll
© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
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