dawho5

Pass

Yeah, that was my favorite segment on the show. The tag team division is heating up too, which is pretty sweet.

The ghost of Savage is incredible. Street, the Hart angle, the Samoans are all great too. Awesome TV.

Yeah, I have probably about your knowledge of the territory. I'm making up some character stuff and playing off of what came through from my limited viewing of Brito, Armand, Creatchman, etc. I hope I'm not butchering any of them, but there's maybe two people on the board that would even know, so I guess it's no big deal.

August 12th,1983, Colisée de Rimouski, Rimouski, QC (4,300) Dave Kochen defeated Etienne Bergeron with an abdominal stretch Goldie Rogers defeated Frederic Tremblay with a neckbreaker Louis Laurence & Tony Ricco defeated the Kay Brothers with a wishbone snap/half crab combo on Bobby Kay The Invaders defeated the Gerrard Brothers with a Catapult on Tim Gerrard Rene Goulet defeated Gilles Poisson with a scorpion claw hold The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers defeated the Midnight Express & Mad Dog Lefebvre with a crab/flying fist drop/flying knee drop combination on Lefebvre

International Wrestling on August 12th, 1983 (Taped in the Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, QC on August 10th , 1983) 3,800 fans Opening match/interview 0:00 - 9:30 The opening montage plays and we cut to the ring where Frederic Tremblay is already in the ring awaiting his opponent. Dave Kochen comes out of the curtain and gets a lukewarm response from the fans. He slaps a few hands that are offered to him and gets in the ring. Jacques, Sr. welcomes the fans to another night of International Wrestling before talking about Kochen as a young man with a lot of potential. Dave Kochen vs. Frederic Tremblay Kochen is dominant throughout the whole match, Tremblay getting no offense in whatsoever. Kochen focuses his attack on Tremblay’s ribs with rugged punches and knees. An abdominal stretch is too much for Tremblay to stand and he taps out. Dave Kochen over Frederic Tremblay by submission with an abdominal stretch 4:48 The camera cuts to Eddie Creatchman and the Midnight Express in the backstage interview area with Jacques. Sr. after a short celebration from Kochen. Jacques, Sr.: Eddie Creatchman, we heard from you last week about how you and your team are going to be the next challengers for the Canadian International Tag Team Titles. Have you made any progress? Creatchman: My lawyers have been on the phone with the IWA offices for the last four days. It doesn’t matter what kind of roadblocks Valois and his “championship committee” want to throw in my way. It will happen. Jacques, Sr.: Lawyers? Is it that impossible to just walk in and talk to Mr. Valois? Creatchman: Listen to this, “Mr. Valois.” Why don’t you just call him “Frank?” I have seen you two, you are buddy-buddy and have been for a long, LONG time. I think that’s the main reason your boys get the opportunities they do. Jacques, Sr.: Now you listen here, Eddie Creatchman! My boys have worked hard to get where they are and I will not stand for this nonsense from you! Creatchman: You know what? I’m not going to give you any more reason to take MY time to talk about your boys. That’s another thing I have to talk to Valois about. We need a new interviewer around here that is unbiased. I’m sick of dealing with this slander towards me and you can expect my lawyers will be talking to Valois about that as well! Jacques, Sr.: I’m sure that I’ll be replaced very soon, Eddie Creatchman. From what you said earlier it didn’t seem like you were any closer to getting your team a title shot than you were last week. Creatchman: That’s because certain individuals and teams around here are favored, not just by the worst interviewer in professional wrestling, but by the ownership and whoever is on Valois’ “committee.” If it exists. This team that I represent is one of the best tag teams in all the WORLD. You could go south to the United States or Mexico. Travel to Europe or Japan. They would be RESPECTED! Not treated like second class citizens the way they are here. And do you know why? Because people like your precious sons, Gino Brito, Phil Lafon and Jim Brunzell are the darlings of not only the fans, but the promoter. So I have to scrape and claw just to get this incredible tag team the recognition the men who make it up truly deserve. Randy Rose and Dennis Condrey could go ANYWHERE and get title shots. They don’t have to stay here. Jacques, Sr.: Then why are they here? Creatchman: Because they want to PROVE that they are better wrestlers, better tacticians, better strategists than anyone I just mentioned. These men were smart wrestlers before I was their manager and I’m only making them smarter. The fact that you and Valois and all of these idiot fans fawn over Gino Brito and the Rougeaus makes me sick. These men are the best tag team in the world, what makes you think that they aren’t cut out to be the best tag team in Quebec? Jacques, Sr.: I think that’s a statement that could be debated, Eddie Creatchman. You may feel that they are the best tag team in the world, and I will admit they are a great tag team. But I think you may be a little ambitious in that claim. Creatchman: When did it ever matter what you thought, Rougeau? While we’re on the subject, when did you start thinking? I guess being an interviewer and play-by-play man makes you the foremost expert on wrestling in the world. And another thing, Rougeau. I notice that you call everyone else Mr. and use my full name. Care to explain? Jacques, Sr.: Eddie Creatchman, the term “Mister” is a sign of respect. I lost all respect for you years ago. Creatchman: I would have lost respect for you, Rougeau, but I never had any to begin with. I’m sick of talking to you. I’m sick of you wasting the time of these two great pro wrestlers to further your own agendas. I’m going right now to have a chat with Frank Valois about his choice of interviewers! Creatchman storms off with the Midnight Express glaring at Jacques, Sr. for a moment before following. Jacques, Sr.’s bemused expression, which has been on his face for the last half of the interview tells the story as he watches them storm away. Commercial Break 9:30 - 17:00 We come back from commercial to the ring where Bobby and Rudy Kay are waiting. Jacques, Sr. puts over Dave Kochen’s win before the break. The Invaders come out to the ring, the crowd reacting with both boos and cheers. Jacques, Sr. talks up the impressive win for the Puerto Rican team in the Invaders’ debut last week. The Invaders vs. The Kay Brothers The Kays put up a fight, but the Invaders were simply too much and overpowered the veteran team for an easy victory. Invader 3 over Rudy Kay by pinfall after a Catapult 4:21 Post-match, Invader 1 gets on the microphone in the ring. Invader 1: We come here to fight someone strong. Gino Brito think he is strong. Next week we want fight him! The fans react as there is movement from the back, but it’s Mad Dog Lefebvre and Gilles Poisson. A short brawl ensues, with the Invaders driving off the Mad Dog and Poisson. Jacques, Sr. Takes time to go over the rest of the matches on the card quickly before commercial break. Commercial Break 17:00 - 24:00 Jacques, Sr. praises the Invaders for running off Lefebvre and Poisson as we return from commercial to Alex Gerrard waiting in the ring. Hercules Ayala, a large, muscular man of Cuban descent comes out to the ring to almost no reaction. Jacques, Sr. puts Ayala over as massively strong and very capable. Hercules Ayala vs. Alex Gerrard Ayala dominates this match, hitting impressive moves like an overhead press slam, an over-the shoulder-power slam and a big running body splash in the corner with zero offense from Gerrard. Hercules Ayala over Alex Gerrard by pinfall after a running body splash 3:43 Following the match Jacques, Sr. is in the interview area with Lou Albano, once again without his charges. Jacques, Sr.: Mr. Albano, last week was just about the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in wrestling. Those fans pay good money to come here and watch a wrestling show, not to get knocked out because you’re angry! Albano: Those fans are in the combat zone, Rougeau! Did you see how fast that guy dropped?! You may not like him, but King Tonga is a very dangerous man. Jacques, Sr.: I’ve never once doubted that. What I doubt is how safe it is to have him around most human beings. Albano: I warned you and all of these people! Tonga John and King Tonga are monsters. Nobody wanted to listen. Now everyone is finding out that not only was I serious, but I may have undersold them! Jacques, Sr.: That may well be true, Mr. Albano, but you can’t deny that the Can Am Express held their own last week. Albano: I knew you’d find a way to make this about your new best buddies. Guess what, Rougeau, I will say that those two surprised me. Jacques, Sr.: I suppose that’s all I’m going to get out of you on that. Do you have any plans of scaling back this assault on everyone who makes you upset and letting your charges spend a few consecutive weeks wrestling in the IWA? Albano: Do you plan on asking a good question ever? You think these little vacations bother my monsters? They know that everything they do has a purpose and that’s why they do it. They trust me to get them where they want to go and I plan on doing just that. I have been involved in wrestling longer than you have, Rougeau and I can tell you that my monsters are something special! I mean to use every bit of knowledge I have to make them into bigger stars than even your sons! Jacques, Sr.: I commend you on your devotion to your clients, Mr. Albano, even if I don’t agree with your methods. That is certainly a tall order and I wish you luck. Albano: I don’t need luck, Rougeau. I leave the luck to schmucks like you and find ways to get what I want. Albano laughs at Jacques, Sr. as he walks away. Commercial Break 24:00 - 39:30 Jacques Sr. Talks up Hercules Ayala’s displays of strength in the previous match as we come back from commercial. Mad Dog Lefebvre and Gilles Poisson make their way to the ring with the crowd booing. Jacques, Sr. recaps how the Invaders ran Lefebvre and Poisson off earlier in the evening. Armand Rougeau and Rene Goulet get a lot of cheers on their way to the ring. Jacques, Sr. talks about the improvements he’s already seeing from his son after working with Goulet. Armand Rougeau & Rene Goulet vs. Mad Dog Lefebvre & Gilles Poisson Armand comes out hot against Lefebvre and the two have a heated brawl. Poisson catches Rougeau and holds him in place as Lefebvre knees him in the midsection. Poisson and Lefebvre destroy Armand’s back for a long while. Armand almost reaches his corner to tag, but Poisson grabs the trunks to continue the beating. Lefebvre begins biting Armand’s forehead, but Armand brawls back through it. Armand is again cut off, this time Lefebvre grabbing his leg just as he looks to make the tag. Lefebvre and Poisson use quick tags until Armand crawls through Lefebvres’ legs to tag Goulet, but Poisson detains referee Pierre Bertrand, who doesn’t see the tag. Rougeau finally hits a dropkick on Poisson, now the legal man, and crawls to his corner to make the tag. Goulet is hot, clearing Lefebvre off the apron and working over Poisson. Armand lays in right hands on Lefebvre outside and whips him into the turnbuckle before dropkicking him over. Referee Bertrand sees the end of this and sends Rougeau back to his corner. Goulet is working a tight headlock on Poisson, who uses the hair to take Goulet to the ropes. Armand, standing within reach, tags in and blindsides Poisson with a flying bionic elbow to set up his sleeper for the win. Armand Rougeau over Gilles Poisson by submission with the sleeper 13:51 Jacques, Sr. praises Armand’s resilience after the beating he took, calling his son’s win “hard-fought and well-earned.” He puts over Lefebvre and Poisson as a team that works well together and calls Goulet “a fine mentor for my son.” Commercial Break & Upcoming Events August 14th, 1983, Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB Joint show with Maple Leaf Wrestling Phil Lafon vs. Gilles Poisson Richard Charland defends his Quebec Heavyweight Title against “The Farmer” Louis Laurence Rene Goulet and Jim Brunzell will be on the card. August 15th, 1983, Halifax Forum, Halifax, NS Joint Show with Maple Leaf Wrestling The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. the Midnight Express & Mad Dog Lefebvre Gino Brito vs. Invader 1 Dave Kochen vs. Goldie Rogers Invader 3 vs. Tony Ricco August 17th, 1983 Colisée de Rimouski, Rimouski, QC Raymond Rougeau vs. Dennis Condrey Jacques Rougeau vs. Randy Rose Mad Dog Vachon & Jim Brunzell vs. Mad Dog Lefebvre & Gilles Poisson Gino Brito vs. Invader 1 & More! August 18th, 1983, Centre Civique, Drummondville, QC The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. The Midnight Express & Mad Dog Lefebvre Gino Brito vs. Rene Goulet Richard Charland, Louis Laurence & Tony Ricco and the Invaders will be in action. August 19th, 1983, Palais des Sports Saguenay, Saguenay, QC The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers & Invader 3 vs. The Midnight Express & Mad Dog Lefebvre Gino Brito vs. Invader 1 Jim Brunzell vs. Tonga John Phil Lafon vs. King Tonga Louis Laurence & Dave Kochen vs. Richard Charland & Dan Johnson And more! 39:30 - 56:30 We return from commercial to Jacques, Sr. in the ring with The Can Am Express. Lafon and Brunzell are playing to the crowd. Jacques, Sr.: You two have had quite a lot on your plate since arriving here in the International Wrestling Association. Your troubles with Sgt. Slaughter continued at Blood & Gold. Lafon: I hope Slaughter is proud of himself. I can promise you one thing, Jacques, Sr. The next time we meet I will make sure Slaughter pays! Brunzell: We could stand here and make excuses for what happened both times, Jacques, Sr. Instead I’m going to tell you that we came up short twice and it won’t happen a third time! The crowd pops. Jacques, Sr.: I’m sure these fans are looking forward to that! Let’s talk about Lou Albano and his Tongan Terrors. Last week was quite the brawl. Brunzell: We decided to give the Tongans a taste of their own medicine. It’s time somebody stood up to them. Lafon: The only shame is that we didn’t get our hands on Albano. Jacques, Sr.: I don’t think I can agree with attacking a manager or anyone else who isn’t a wrestler. Lafon: I understand what you’re saying Jacques Sr., but we owe it to these fans to make Albano and his “monsters” pay for their actions. Brunzell: Monsters. They are men just like the rest of us and can be beaten. We will prove that. Lafon: Right before we make Albano pay. The crowd pops again. Jacques, Sr.: You heard it here tonight, fans. The Can Am Express have the Tongan terrors in their sights! Jacques Sr. exits the ring as the Can Am Express play to the crowd. The crowd gets a little louder as Gino Brito and Tony Parisi walk to the ring slapping hands with fans. Jacques, Sr. is back at the announce table calling this match another test for the Can Am Express after their great match with the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers. The Can Am Express vs. Gino Brito & Tony Parisi Lafon tries to start out fast against the veteran Brito, but can’t force the mroe expreienced wrestler to work his pace. Brito and Parisi work Lafon over methodically, but Lafon fires up and hits a few kicks on Parisi to tag. Brunzell matches up well with both Parisi and Brito. Lafon again is tagged in and trades blows with Parisi before hitting a dropkick and tagging Brunzell. Brunzell and Parisi speed the pace up as they use their cutting edge offense to work on Parisi. Tempers flare when Brito is tagged in against Lafon, resulting in a short brawl. Brito gets the better of the rookie and sets him up for a side suplex after tagging in Parisi, who immediately climbs to the top. Parisi comes crashing down with a senton off the top to get the three count. Following the match, Brito and Parisi shake hands with the Can Am Express. Brito’s handshake with Lafon is a bit tense at first, but the rookie smiles and says something that leads to a hug between the two. Tony Parisi over Phil Lafon by pinfall after a side suplex/flying senton combination 14:22 The show closes with all four wrestlers playing to the crowd as Jacques, Sr. applauds all four for a match well wrestled and without unnecessary shortcuts taken. Dark Matches Pre-show Dan Johnson over Etienne Bergeron with a power slam Post-show The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers & Louis Laurence over The Midnight Express & Richard Charland, Laurence over Charland with a half crab

That main on the 14th is gonna be killer. Wondering if Fuller is gonna leave Welch high and dry again.

So many things. Terry Funk promo, Hansen & Brody, Lafon & Brunzell working under a completely different name for no reason, Archie Gouldie, Hennig getting blasted with quarters. Great stuff, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Loving Bad News and Tito so far. I really hope Tito works his way up to a Bad News feud at this point.

Richard Charland is the Quebec Heavyweight Champion

Aug 11th, Auditorium de Shawinigan, Shawinigan, QC (3,600) The Gerrard Brothers defeated Frederic Tremblay & Etienne Bergeron with a Tim Gerrard schoolboy on Tremblay The Invaders defeated the Kay Brothers with a Catapult Goldie Rogers, Richard Charland & Dan Johnson defeated Rene Goulet, Louis Laurence & Tony Ricco when Charland & Johnson hit a spike piledriver on Ricco Phil Lafon defeated Tony Parisi with a cobra clutch Jim Brunzell defeated Tonga John with an O’Conner roll before escaping quickly Gino Brito went to a double count-out with King Tonga, Brito bled for the second half of the match The Midnight Express & Mad Dog Lefebvre defeated the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers with a Lefebvre superplex to Armand

Backlund is so dead.

Yeah, I got the idea listening to Regal's podcasts that British wrestlers liked the idea of coming to North America. It almost seemed like one of the goals was to get big enough to be noticed by an American promotion.

The UK?

August 9th, 1983 in the Pavillon de la Jeunesse, Quebec City, QC (4,200) Goldie Rogers defeated Bobby Kay with a neckbreaker The Invaders defeated the Gerrard Brothers with a Catapult Louis Laurence & Tony Ricco defeated Richard Charland & Dan Johnson with a wishbone/half crab combination on Johnson Rene Goulet defeated Tony Parisi with a scorpion claw hold The Tongan Terrors & Mad Dog Lefebvre defeated The Can Am Express & Gino Brito with a savate kick/flying headbutt combination on Lafon The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers defeated the Midnight Express & Gilles Poisson with a crab/flying knee drop combination on Poisson

How big is the GC enemy list going to get? Rich, Jake, Koko, Reed, masked Superstar, potentially Adonis? They may be a dominant heel group, but they are going to bite off more than they can chew eventually.

I only meant as Ventura's #1 hated guy who he tears down on commentary for being a fraud, etc. after experiencing how Martel wrestles in the ring. But I could see Martel being that big in Canada after an extended run.

It's hard to fault Michaels, Hall and Nash for wanting to be in the best earning spot they could. It is, however, easy to fault them for causing major problems within the promotion they were working for to stay there. I could say the same for Flair as he got more powerful as well. It's a tough thing as a wrestling fan to separate the enjoyment of in-ring work from the knowledge that a wrestler very likely fucked a lot of people over to get where they are and stay there.

Great double main event! Khan is going to remove all of Tully's opposition for him if he keeps going. And it looks like Roy Lee Welch got one put over on him and Alfred Hayes finally found himself a worthy charge.

I'm a big fan of how you're developing your feuds. It has a Japanese feel to it, but with some distinctive American stuff too. Some of the pins over higher up guys would have been difficult to get worked in, especially in Japan, but I think they are necessary to create drama in the matches. If you don't ever have the underdogs go over everyone knows the ending before the match starts. That's one aspect of slow All Japan booking that tends to work against it.

I laughed at the Dory promo. Terry building Tenryu up is a nice touch. I hope Mighty Inoue continues to get screen time because I am a Mighty fan even when he shows up in the early 90s. Misawa and Kawada are super ahead of schedule, but I think that's happening across the board on personal favorites.

Great show again! Pete fits right in despite interrupting Parv at points. I am a huge Kawada fan myself, but I tend to agree on Kawada losing 6/3/94 as a good idea. As Johnny Ace goes, 1997 was his big year in AJPW. He really stepped up and started to be a major player in main events and held his own for the most part. Good luck getting the next show out quickly as you have two 60 minute matches on there.

I'm sure we all have our styles we care for about as much as Bill does the DG style. regardless of what style it is, it's going to drive us nuts trying to watch it. Arguing about that is hardly worth the time or effort.

I am caught up on everything but Will's TV. That will have to wait until the morning. I'm impressed with how much people are putting into this.

Tongan Terrors as faces? Interesting use of them there. I like the Fink vs. Bret pairing and am looking forward to either Dynamite killing Davey for not keeping up or them finally beating the Hurricanes.