AWA TV 12-1-88 Taylor vs Orndorff!

[Chitohausen]

AWA “PRO WRESTLING USA”

Airdate: Friday, December 1, 1988

Broadcast nationwide on Superstation WGN


Taped November 29, 1988 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois




“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.

Tonight, the Playboys will be in action! The Young Lions Cup continues, as Johnny Smith meets Dave Finlay! Two teams that will take part in the Christmas Night tournament will be in action, as Steve Williams and Gary Albright meet the masked Conquistadors, and Mike Rotunda and Brad Rheingans face the MOD Squad!

And in our feature match, AWA World TV champ Terry Taylor defends the title against former Americas champ “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff!


Trongard and Page are then joined by Jimmy Hart and AWA World Tag Team champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart.

Trongard talks about last week’s main event, where Bret and Neidhart defended the titles against the Can-Am Express. Jimmy Hart is smiling from ear to ear, telling Trongard to go ahead and show the footage, he wants to see it again!

VTR: Hart/Neidhart vs Zenk/Lafleur, last week on USA Pro Wrestling, JIP:
As the match progresses, the champions gain the upper hand, and after a brief brawl with all four men in the ring, they toss Lafleur to the floor, and double-team Zenk. Bret Hart works over Zenk’s leg, then locks him in the Figure-4 Leglock.

Neidhart then hoists himself up on the middle turnbuckle . . . AND JUMPS OFF, RIGHT ONTO ZENK’S KNEE!!!!!

On commentary, Trongard says they could hear a snap all the way at the broadcast table, and he thinks Zenk could be seriously hurt.

The ref checks on Zenk, and after a moment, he waves to the timekeeper to ring the bell. Larry Nelson informs us that the referee has decided to end the match, awarding it to the Hart Foundation, and the ref then motions for medical personnel.

The champions don’t seem too concerned about Zenk, as Bret shoves the referee aside, and Neidhart repeatedly stomps the Z-Man in the knee! Phil Lafleur has climbed back into the ring, with a chair in hand, and he clears the champions from the ring.

Moments later, the medical team loads Zenk onto a stretcher, as he clutches his knee. Lafleur is at his teammate’s side as they wheel Zenk from the ring and to the back.
END VTR

Jim Neidhart says that he doesn’t think the Can-Ams are going to be getting a title shot any time soon, and says that’s one less team that he and Bret have to face!

Bret then talks about a recent house show where he pinned TV champ Terry Taylor.

VTR: Bret/Neidhart vs Slaughter/Taylor, Thanksgiving night in Chicago, JIP:
Taylor takes a horrendous beating, but won’t stay down, and the fans cheer him on, as he finally fights his way back to his corner and tags Slaughter. However, Jim Neidhart distracted the referee, and he didn’t see the tag, forcing Slaughter back to the corner! This gives the champions the opportunity for some more double-teaming. Slaughter has seen enough, he climbs back into the ring, charges past the referee, and tears into Bret and Neidhart!

All four men brawl in the ring, with Slaughter tossing Neidhart out of the ring, then following him to the floor. This leaves Bret and Taylor, the legal men, in the ring. Bret gains the upper hand on the weakened TV champ, and delivers a Russian legsweep, then an elbowdrop off the second rope. Bret covers Taylor, while Neidhart keeps Slaughter from getting back into the ring, and Bret gets the 3-count on the TV champion!
END VTR

Bret says that since he and Neidhart have beaten all the teams around here, he’s thinking he might go after Taylor’s TV title, assuming Taylor somehow manages to beat Paul Orndorff later tonight.



Diamond Dallas Page leaves Trongard alone to go and manage his Playboys in the first match. Trongard mentions that, previously, Page would stay at the broadcast desk, and finds it interesting that now he feels the need to be at ringside with his team.

THE PLAYBOYS: TOM PRITCHARD & JIMMY DEL RAY (w/ Diamond Dallas Page) VS. NICK DECARLO & BUCK ZUMHOFF. The Playboys get the win when Del Ray pins DeCarlo after a double Flapjack.


After the match, the Playboys join Page as he returns to the announce desk.

Trongard says that, while they’ve had success on television, the Playboys have struggled in their matches at non-televised events around the country.

Page berates Pritchard and Del Ray, saying that he’s suffered enough humiliation and embarrassment because of them! He says that he’s giving them one chance to turn things around, or he’s done with them!



YOUNG LIONS CUP:
JOHNNY SMITH VS. DAVE FINLAY. After 10 minutes of back and forth action, neither man can put the other way, and the match is declared a DRAW. This moves Smith to 3 points, and gives Finlay his first point of the tourney.



MAGNUM TA is standing by with Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Gary Albright. Magnum says that they’ve been involved in some wars with Triple Crown champ Stan Hansen and Big Van Vader in arenas around the country.

Williams says that Magnum is right, they’ve been wars! He says that Hansen and Vader are the two toughest men he’s ever been in the ring with, but he’s got the best tag team partner he could ever ask for in Gary Albright! Williams says that any time Hansen and Vader want to step in the ring him with Albright and himself, they’ll be ready!

Magnum says that they’ll also be a part of the 10-team tournament on Christmas night at the St. Paul Civic Center.

Williams says he and Gary have been training hard for this tournament, and he’s confident that they’ll win the whole thing!



STEVE “DR. DEATH” WILLIAMS & GARY ALBRIGHT VS. THE CONQUISTADORS. Williams and Albright dominate the match right from the start, tossing their opponents around like masked ragdolls! In the end, Albright drops one of the masked men right on the back of his head with a vicious German suplex, then tags in Williams, who picks the barely-conscious masked man up, and then plants him with the Oklahoma Stampede for the 1, 2, 3!

On commentary, Trongard says that Williams and Trongard look ready for the tag team tournament on Christmas night!


BRAD RHEINGANS & MIKE ROTUNDA VS. THE MOD SQUAD: SPIKE & BASHER. Rheingans and Rotunda use their technical prowess to wear down Spike and Basher, with Rotunda pinning Basher after an Airplane Spin.


Trongard and Page are joined at the announce desk by AWA Americas champ Sgt. Slaughter. Sarge talks about Jimmy Hart’s Hart Foundation. He says what Bret and Neidhart did to Tom Zenk last week was disgusting, and says they’re just a couple of cowards, that’s how they hang onto the World Tag titles, they try to take out the competition! Slaughter says that if Phil Lafleur needs his help in dealing with Hart and Neidhart, he’s not hard to find!

Sarge then talks about Paul Orndorff and Kamala. He says that they tried to take him out, but they couldn’t get the job done, he’s still standing here, and he won’t rest until he’s run both of them right out of wrestling, once and for all!


AWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP:
TERRY TAYLOR (champ) VS. “MR. WONDERFUL” PAUL ORNDORFF (w/ Jimmy Hart). The former Americas champion jumps Taylor as he’s removing his ring jacket and the TV title belt. Orndorff picks up the title belt, and tries to smash Taylor with it, but the champion ducks, and stuns Orndorff with lefts and rights. It’s all Taylor for the next few minutes, but Orndorff eventually turns the tables, and goes to work wearing Taylor down.

Orndorff looks to have the match pretty much won, when he kicks Taylor in the gut, then goes for the Piledriver. However, Taylor blocks it, and backdrops Orndorff to the mat. Taylor then runs the ropes, and as Orndorff gets back to his feet, Terry nails him with the diving forearm smash!

Taylor goes for the cover, but just as the ref gets into position, the bell rings. Larry Nelson gets on the house mic and informs us that time has run out, and the match is declared a DRAW!


Trongard and Page quickly wrap things up as the show comes to an end.


Credits Roll


© 1988, AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION



AFTER the show goes off the air, Orndorff attacks Taylor from behind, and here comes Kamala! As Bob Orton, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart keep anyone from getting involved, Orndorff and Kamala give Taylor a vicious beating, with Orndorff repeatedly piledriving Taylor!

Finally Sgt. Slaughter and several prelim wrestlers are able to get into the ring. Orndorff bails, Kamala wants to stay and fight Slaughter, but Orndorff and Jimmy Hart pull him from the ring.

Sarge checks on Taylor, who ends up having to be taken from the ring on a stretcher.