AWA Recap May 19 to June 16
Jun 16, 2017 12:15:53 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Jun 16, 2017 12:15:53 GMT
* The last half of May and early June focused on the upcoming WrestleRock '88 event. Bill Watts made the announcement on TV on May 12 that WrestleRock will air on PPV on Saturday night June 17. The main event will be the Great War, a two-ring, 6-man Steel Cage match with Sgt. Slaughter, Nikita Koloff and AWA World champion Steve Williams squaring off with Skandor Akbar's Army of Abdullah the Butcher, One Man Gang and Mr. Saito.
Watts explained that there will be two referees inside the two rings, and every time a wrestler is pinned or made to submit, he'll be handcuffed to the cage, giving the opponents an advantage. The match will end when all three members of one team are cuffed to the cage.
* At the end of May, Bill Watts was replaced as co-host of "Pro Wrestling USA" by newcomer "Diamond" Dallas Page. Page stated that not only is he the premier commentator in wrestling, but he will be scouting talent, looking for a wrestler, or wrestlers, to manage as well because he is also the premier manager in the sport! On the 6/2/88 TV show, former AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel was introduced as the new AWA President.
* The first two weeks of June saw plenty of new faces, particularly "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, a man who has made a name for himself as one of the biggest stars in the sport. Orndorff arrived holding the Americas title, a belt he won earlier in the year in California. Orndorff defended the title against all challengers, and what seemed to irritate the fans most was the fact that, not only is Orndorff as conceited and arrogant as anyone in the sport, but he has the ability to back it up in the ring, as fans watched their favourites fall in defeat to "Mr. Wonderful".
* Jimmy Hart made his way to the AWA in June, and brought with him the Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. Bret and Neidhart have been very successful so far in tag team matches on TV, and Jimmy Hart has stated that his men are setting their sights on the AWA Tag Team titles, currently held by Stan Hansen and King Kong Brody. On the June 16th TV show, the Mouth of the South announced that he had signed a contract with Paul Orndorff, and he would now be overseeing the career of the Americas champion, as well as the Hart Foundation.
* Speaking of Hansen and Brody, the World Tag Team champions continued to steamroll over every team that got in the ring with them. They ran the Fantastics out of the AWA, then squared off with a team that has now been dubbed "the Super Powers", Sgt. Slaughter and Nikita Koloff. Fans were treated to some wild, bloody matches between the two teams, but Hansen and Brody hung on to the belts, and it seemed like no one will be able to stop them. On TV at the beginning of June, it was announced that Hansen and Brody would defend their titles at WrestleRock '88 against a new team in the AWA, the British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. DK and Smith have wrestled all over the world, including England, Canada, Japan and right here in the US, and have held tag team gold everywhere they've been. In interviews, Hansen and Brody mocked their new challengers, saying they're more like Chihuahuas than Bulldogs, and they promised to crush Davey Boy and Dynamite at WrestleRock on June 17. The Bulldogs responded by telling Hansen and Brody they can laugh and make jokes all they want, but the Bulldogs have made a name for themselves by toppling bigger teams, and that's exactly what they're going to do on PPV on June 17.
* AWA TV champion "Hollywood" John Tatum and Sherri Martel ran Scott Hall out of the AWA, but a new challenger to Tatum's TV title has emerged. Tatum made the mistake of taunting Wahoo McDaniel on TV, and Wahoo responded by attacking Tatum, and after a series of chops that left welts on Tatum's chest, Hollywood John hightailed it. Wahoo issued a challenge to Tatum for a match at WrestleRock on June 17.
WrestleRock '88 on PPV, Saturday night, June 17, 1988.
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.
The Great War!
2 rings enclosed by a huge steel cage!
Steve Williams, Nikita Koloff & Sgt. Slaughter vs. Skandor Akbar's Army of Abdullah the Butcher, One Man Gang & Mr. Saito
AWA World Tag Team Championship!
Champions Stan Hansen & King Kong Brody defend the belts against The British Bulldogs
AWA Americas Championship!
Champion Paul Orndorff, with Jimmy Hart in his corner, defends against Jimmy Snuka
AWA TV Championship!
Champion John Tatum faces Wahoo McDaniel
Bob Backlund squares off with Bob Orton Jr
Plus two other big-time wrestling matches!
Watts explained that there will be two referees inside the two rings, and every time a wrestler is pinned or made to submit, he'll be handcuffed to the cage, giving the opponents an advantage. The match will end when all three members of one team are cuffed to the cage.
* At the end of May, Bill Watts was replaced as co-host of "Pro Wrestling USA" by newcomer "Diamond" Dallas Page. Page stated that not only is he the premier commentator in wrestling, but he will be scouting talent, looking for a wrestler, or wrestlers, to manage as well because he is also the premier manager in the sport! On the 6/2/88 TV show, former AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel was introduced as the new AWA President.
* The first two weeks of June saw plenty of new faces, particularly "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, a man who has made a name for himself as one of the biggest stars in the sport. Orndorff arrived holding the Americas title, a belt he won earlier in the year in California. Orndorff defended the title against all challengers, and what seemed to irritate the fans most was the fact that, not only is Orndorff as conceited and arrogant as anyone in the sport, but he has the ability to back it up in the ring, as fans watched their favourites fall in defeat to "Mr. Wonderful".
* Jimmy Hart made his way to the AWA in June, and brought with him the Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. Bret and Neidhart have been very successful so far in tag team matches on TV, and Jimmy Hart has stated that his men are setting their sights on the AWA Tag Team titles, currently held by Stan Hansen and King Kong Brody. On the June 16th TV show, the Mouth of the South announced that he had signed a contract with Paul Orndorff, and he would now be overseeing the career of the Americas champion, as well as the Hart Foundation.
* Speaking of Hansen and Brody, the World Tag Team champions continued to steamroll over every team that got in the ring with them. They ran the Fantastics out of the AWA, then squared off with a team that has now been dubbed "the Super Powers", Sgt. Slaughter and Nikita Koloff. Fans were treated to some wild, bloody matches between the two teams, but Hansen and Brody hung on to the belts, and it seemed like no one will be able to stop them. On TV at the beginning of June, it was announced that Hansen and Brody would defend their titles at WrestleRock '88 against a new team in the AWA, the British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. DK and Smith have wrestled all over the world, including England, Canada, Japan and right here in the US, and have held tag team gold everywhere they've been. In interviews, Hansen and Brody mocked their new challengers, saying they're more like Chihuahuas than Bulldogs, and they promised to crush Davey Boy and Dynamite at WrestleRock on June 17. The Bulldogs responded by telling Hansen and Brody they can laugh and make jokes all they want, but the Bulldogs have made a name for themselves by toppling bigger teams, and that's exactly what they're going to do on PPV on June 17.
* AWA TV champion "Hollywood" John Tatum and Sherri Martel ran Scott Hall out of the AWA, but a new challenger to Tatum's TV title has emerged. Tatum made the mistake of taunting Wahoo McDaniel on TV, and Wahoo responded by attacking Tatum, and after a series of chops that left welts on Tatum's chest, Hollywood John hightailed it. Wahoo issued a challenge to Tatum for a match at WrestleRock on June 17.
WrestleRock '88 on PPV, Saturday night, June 17, 1988.
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.
The Great War!
2 rings enclosed by a huge steel cage!
Steve Williams, Nikita Koloff & Sgt. Slaughter vs. Skandor Akbar's Army of Abdullah the Butcher, One Man Gang & Mr. Saito
AWA World Tag Team Championship!
Champions Stan Hansen & King Kong Brody defend the belts against The British Bulldogs
AWA Americas Championship!
Champion Paul Orndorff, with Jimmy Hart in his corner, defends against Jimmy Snuka
AWA TV Championship!
Champion John Tatum faces Wahoo McDaniel
Bob Backlund squares off with Bob Orton Jr
Plus two other big-time wrestling matches!
Working on it now.