AWA TV 8-11-88 Hansen vs Nikita!
Aug 12, 2017 23:19:04 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Aug 12, 2017 23:19:04 GMT
AWA “PRO WRESTLING USA”
Airdate: Friday, August 11, 1988
Broadcast nationwide on Superstation WGN
Taped August 2, 1988 at the Civic Arena in Brainerd, 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 Diamond Dallas Page!
Trongard tells us that tonight, we’ll see not one, but TWO, big feature bouts! Nikita Koloff will square off with Stan Hansen, and then, a 6-man tag team match, where Sgt. Slaughter will team up with the British Bulldogs to face Bob Orton Jr, Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart of the Hart Foundation!
Page says, speaking of Stan Hansen, he did a short tour of Japan recently, and on July 27 in Nagano, Hansen faced Genichiro Tenryu, who held both the Japanese version of the World heavyweight title and the NWA’s United National title, which are generally considered to be the top two singles titles in all of Japan.
Let’s take a look at some highlights from that match.
AWA champion Steve “Dr. Death” Williams joins the announcers as Trongard sends us to footage from the Steve Williams and Stan Hansen AWA World title match from August 5 in St. Paul.
VTR: Williams vs Hansen, 8/5/88 St. Paul, MN; JIP:
After a back and forth match, Hansen gains the upper hand. Both men are dead tired as Hansen pummels Williams, but as Stan goes for the Lariat, Williams’ legs seemingly give out on him, and he falls to the mat. Hansen’s momentum carries him right through the ropes and to the floor. Hansen is down and out on the floor, and can’t answer the referee’s count. Steve Williams is awarded the match by count-out!
After the decision is announced, Hansen sneaks back into the ring, as Williams is getting his hand raised, and batters Doc with his bullrope! Hansen then tries to hang Williams over the top rope, but Sgt. Slaughter hits the ring and puts a stop to that!
Slaughter then turns his attention to Williams, allowing Hansen to jump him from behind! Hansen stomps away at Slaughter until several wrestlers, referees and even some security personnel, are able to drag Hansen from the ring.
END VTR
Williams says that was probably the toughest match he’s ever been a part of, and says that while he retained the title, he’s not satisfied with a count-out, he won’t be satisfied until he pins Hansen, 1 2 3, right in the middle of the ring. Williams then says that while his belt is the top prize in the sport today, those titles that Hansen won in Japan are both very prestigious, and he wouldn’t mind the opportunity to challenge for them as well!
Trongard says that maybe the championship committee can set up a title vs title match or something along those lines.
Let’s go to the ring for the first match!
BOB BACKLUND & MIKE ROTUNDA (w/ Brad Rheingans) VS. BUDDY WOLF & CHRIS COLT. Backlund and Rheingans, both former All-Americans in collegiate wrestling, have taken Rotunda, another All-American, under their wing. Backlund and Rotunda work well together here, and get the win when Rotunda pins Colt after an Airplane Spin.
Magnum TA is standing by with Jimmy Hart and his Hart Foundation: Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton Jr, Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart.
Footage is shown of Sgt. Slaughter and Nikita Koloff defeating Orndorff and Orton in St. Paul. Slaughter pinned Orndorff after the Slaughter Cannon for the win.
Orndorff is beside himself! He says that what the camera didn’t catch there was that Slaughter had hit him with a foreign object, AND had a handful of his trunks during the pin! Orndorff is getting sick and tired of Slaughter constantly cheating whenever they’re in the ring together! Slaughter obviously knows that he can’t beat Orndorff fair and square, so he cheats. Orndorff rants and raves that the AWA and Nick Bockwinkel need to do something about it!
Footage is shown of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart going to a draw with the British Bulldogs in St. Paul.
Jimmy Hart says that the time limit is the only thing that saved the Bulldogs titles! Jimmy says they want a rematch, with a longer time limit, so that they can’t stall like they did in St. Paul to save their titles!
STAN HANSEN VS. NIKITA KOLOFF. After a violent, hard-hitting match, Hansen gains the upper hand, and after pummeling Koloff in the corner, Hansen appears to slip an object into his elbowpad . . . and hits the Lariat!
Koloff crumbles to the mat, and Hansen quickly covers him. Referee Gary DeRusha counts to three, and Stan Hansen is the victor!
As Hansen celebrates, DeRusha realizes that Koloff still isn’t moving, and calls for medical personnel. The EMTs come out and check on Nikita. Steve Williams and Sgt. Slaughter come out as well. Moments later, Koloff, still out, has a neckbrace put on him, and is loaded onto a stretcher. Stan Hansen stands in the aisleway and gloats, then points at Williams and tells Doc that he’s next!
The arena goes quiet as Koloff is taken to the back on the stretcher. He’s still not moving, and Slaughter and Williams are both emotional, watching their friend being taken from the ring.
THE CAN-AM EXPRESS: TOM ZENK & PHIL LAFLEUR VS. THE MASKED DEMONS. Zenk and Lafleur pick up the win when Zenk pins one of the masked men with a flying crossbody.
Magnum TA is standing by with Sgt. Slaughter and AWA World Tag Team champs the British Bulldogs: Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid. Slaughter doesn’t say much, he’s no doubt focused on Nikita Koloff and wondering about his condition. The Bulldogs talk about the 6-man tag coming up a little later against Bret, Neidhart and Orton.
Back at the announce desk, Trongard is alone, as Dallas Page has gone to the ring with his team for the next match.
THE PLAYBOYS: TOM PRITCHARD & JIMMY DEL RAY (w/ Diamond Dallas Page) VS. JAKE MILLIMAN & JOE LIGHTFOOT. The Playboys get the win when Pritchard pins Milliman after a double flapjack.
SGT. SLAUGHTER & THE BRITISH BULLDOGS: DAVEY BOY SMITH & DYNAMITE KID VS. BOB ORTON JR & BRET HART & JIM NEIDHART (w/ Jimmy Hart). The match is a wild affair and could go either way, but in the end, the Sarge and the Bulldogs get the win when Dynamite Kid pins Neidhart after a diving headbutt off of Davey Boy’s shoulders.
Trongard and Page then wrap things up, and Trongard hypes next week’s show.
Credits Roll
© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
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