AWA TV 5-12-88 New Tag Champs Crowned!
May 12, 2017 16:01:08 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on May 12, 2017 16:01:08 GMT
AWA “PRO WRESTLING USA”
Airdate: Friday, May 12, 1988
Broadcast nationwide on Superstation WGN
Airing live from the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, MN
“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, AWA President Bill Watts.
Tonight, we’ll see two big tag team main events. The first will see the Fantastics put the World Tag titles on the line against Stan Hansen and King Kong Brody! And, we’ll see AWA champ Steve Williams and Sgt. Slaughter take on Abdullah the Butcher and Mr. Saito!
Watts says that before we get to the first match, he has a big announcement to make!
The AWA will return to Pay-Per-View on Saturday night, June 17, with WRESTLEROCK ‘88! The show will originate from Wrigley Field in Chicago!
Watts says that matches will be announced in the next few weeks, but one thing he can say at this point, is that at WrestleRock, we will see the Great War! He says he’ll have more details next week on what exactly the Great War is.
HANDICAP MATCH:
THE ONE MAN GANG (w/Gen. Skandor Akbar) VS. MIKE GRAHAM & JAKE “THE MILKMAN” MILLIMAN. Gang shakes off some early offence from Graham and Milliman, and gets the win by pinning Milliman after the 747 Splash.
BOB BACKLUND VS. NICK KINISKI. Backlund, a former NCAA wrestling champion, and a former WWWF World heavyweight champ, is in top form here tonight. He wears Kiniski down with his vast array of holds, and then locks on the Crossface Chickenwing for the submission victory.
Larry Nelson climbs into the ring and after announcing Backlund as the winner, he takes a few minutes to speak with Bob. Backlund puts Kiniski over as a very talented opponent, and says that he wrestled with Nick’s dad, Gene Kiniski, in Canada a few years back, and says that Gene taught his son well. He then talks about the sport, and the fact that we’re seeing more and more celebrities getting involved, and the fact that some wrestlers see themselves more as rock stars or comic book characters, as opposed to athletes. He says that he’s not a rock star, he’s not a movie star, and he’s definitely not a comic book character . . . he’s an athlete, and he prides himself on setting a positive example for all the fans out there.
Magnum TA stands in front of an AWA backdrop, and talks about the AWA returning to the St. Paul Civic Center on Thursday night, May 18. He runs down the matches that will place that night:
Steve Williams & Sgt. Slaughter square off with Abdullah the Butcher & One Man Gang!
The Fantastics defend the AWA World Tag Team titles against Stan Hansen & King Kong Brody!
TV champ John Tatum puts the belt on the line against former champion Scott Hall!
Newcomer Nikita Koloff gets right into the thick of things, as he takes on Devastation Inc member Mr. Saito!
Sherri Martel challenges Madusa Miceli for the International World Women’s title!
The opener will see two youngsters face off, as Johnny Gunn meets Jack Foley!
We then hear comments from several of the wrestlers on the card, including Scott Hall, who promises to beat John Tatum and regain the World TV title.
AWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP:
“HOLLYWOOD” JOHN TATUM (champ) (w/Sherri Martel) VS. JOHNNY GUNN. The youngster from Philadelphia gives Tatum a tough match, but in the end, Tatum gets the win after connecting with the California Kick.
Trongard and Watts talk about what took place last week, leading up to our first of two big tag team matches.
VTR: Last Week On Pro Wrestling USA:
The masked men are in the ring, awaiting the arrival of the champions. ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” begins to play, and here come the Fantastics . . .
WAIT A MINUTE!!! Stan Hansen and King Kong Brody appear, and they blindside the Fantastics in the aisle! Hansen repeatedly whips Fulton over the back with his bullrope, then takes the cowbell that’s attached to it, and repeatedly smacks Fulton in the forehead with it! Mean, while Brody knocks Rogers to the floor with a boot to the head, and then puts the boots to him!
Hansen and Brody drag the Fantastics to the ring. Inside the ring, the Super Assassins question what Hansen and Brody are doing, as they were looking forward to a shot at the belts, but Hansen and Brody smack them around as well! After tossing the masked men over the top rope and to the floor, Brody and Hansen turn their attention back to the champions.
Rogers is back to his feet, and throws some punches at Hansen, but after the beating he’s taken, there’s not much behind the punches. Hansen shrugs them off, and drops Rogers with a haymaker! Hansen then whips Rogers with his bullrope, while Brody delivers a flying kneedrop on Fulton!
The champions are down and out, they can’t defend themselves, and several wrestlers, referees and AWA officials hit the ring, AWA President Bill Watts even leaves his spot at the announce desk to go into the ring and help. Finally Hansen and Brody are forcibly removed from the ring, and medical personnel come in to check on the Fantastics as Trongard sends us to a commercial break.
END VTR
AWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP:
THE FANTASTICS: TOMMY ROGERS & BOBBY FULTON (champs) VS. STAN HANSEN & KING KONG BRODY. The Fantastics have proven themselves to be among the very best tag teams in the sport, but they just get overpowered here by Hansen and Brody!
These two are monsters, they don’t bother with scientific wrestling, they simply pound their opponents into the mat! The Fantastics make a desperate, last-ditch effort late in the match, as they double-team Brody, and hit him with a double dropkick, but when Fulton goes for the cover, Hansen comes in and kicks him in the head! Tommy Rogers then eats a vicious Lariat from Hansen, and Brody, back to his feet now, slams Fulton to the mat, runs the ropes, and hits a jumping kneedrop. Brody covers Fulton, the referee starts the count, and 3 seconds later, we’ve got new World Tag Team champions!!!
STEVE “DR. DEATH” WILLIAMS & SGT. SLAUGHTER VS. ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER & MR. SAITO (w/Gen. Skandor Akbar). The match never gets started, as the One Man Gang hits the ring, and he and Akbar jump into the ring to help Abby and Saito pummel Williams and Slaughter!
Williams and Slaughter hold their own for a minute or two, but it’s a 5-on-2 at this point, and they end up getting beaten down.
The crowd in attendance erupts as Nikita Koloff hits the ring, swinging his chain over his head! Koloff jumps into the ring, and uses the chain to clear Akbar and his goons from the ring!
Trongard and Watts wrap things up, with Trongard hyping next week’s show.
Credits Roll
© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
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