spaldoni

Looks like Taker and Lee will finish things once and for all in Vegas. Hart's tuned up and ready for his showdown with Windham. Whoa, DDP makes an ominous threat to Bigelow. Look at that, Finlay's protege gets his first big win. Hennig and Hall are both going to Vegas, but only one is coming back. Rose is working overtime to make sure he gets Pillman's TV title. Gotta watch that sneaky Jackal. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Christopher takes the pin and that might affect his momentum going into Vegas. Man, Tenryu is looking like a beast heading into his title match. Then again, Steamboat looks to be on his A game as well. Sweet finishing sequence by Malenko. FOJ split the night is single's action. People better take notice of Gunn. Regal ends the night with another successful title defense. A lot will be settled in Vegas.

Presents From Market Square Arena Indianapolis IN Live on Pay Per View 4-19-89 Brenda Britton and AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow are standing in the middle of the ring. Brenda is wearing a sparkling red dress. Morrow is wearing a white tuxedo, sunglasses and fedora hat. He's holding a bottle of champagne. Britton: Hi everybody! Welcome to Champagne Slam. Here's the man who created this event, your one and only AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow. Morrow: Ahhhhh Thank you Brenda. Tonight, teams will battle it out in elimination tag team match ups. And trust me, de winners, de last men standing, they will reap de rewards. All dat plus Hansen vs. Funk, de explosive match up between Hulk Hogan and Terry Gordy and finally de AWA world title match between Jumbo Tsuruta and El Canek. (Holds up his bottle, pours Brenda a glass) Now, a toast, to Champagne Slam. Brenda and Morrow raise their glasses as the fans cheer. The Dragon Kings/The San Juan Saints and 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Sweet Dreams/Vinergy and 'The Fortunate One' Gary Young w/The Vin Man Vinnie leads out the heels as they all wave brooms in the air. The boos turn to cheers as the diverse babyface team heads to the ring. The match starts at a fast pace to get the crowd going. Quick in and out tags so everyone can get a moment to show their stuff. It's Dream Machine and Tatsumi going at it. Dream starts doing a shuffle dance as he throws jabs at Tatsumi. Dream goes for a big right hook but Tatsumi ducks and executes a dragon suplex 1..2..3! Huge Pop! Dream Machine is eliminated. The match continues. The Saints and Vinergy end up in a pier six brawl. Vinergy swings the Saints to the ropes and go for stereo back drops but the Saints hit stereo sunset flips 1..2..3! Another big pop! Vinergy are eliminated and Vin Man is throwing a tantrum. After a minute, Sweet Brown Sugar and Takano are in the ring now. Sugar goes for a missile dropkick but Takano dodges it. Sugar staggers up as Takano executes a bridging back suplex 1..2..3! Sweet Brown Sugar is eliminated. Young gets in there as Takano tags in Brandi. Vinnie is trying to encourage Young but the odds are definitely against him. Young tries to leave but Brandi yanks him back in. They go back and forth. Young gets the upper hand and swings Brandi to the corner but Brandi hops on the middle ropes and comes back with a reverse flying press 1..2..3! Gary Young is eliminated. Vinnie collapses to the ground. It's all over. This was indeed a clean sweep. The Dragon Kings, Saints and Brandi get the heels brooms and wave them in the air as the fans laugh and cheer. The winners of the match- The Dragon Kings/The San Juan Saints and Tom Brandi Leo Burke/'The Foreman' Spike Huber/The Rose Cousins and 'The World's Strongest Man' Bill Kazmair vs. Mean Mike Miller/The High Chiefs/Cannonball Griz and Big Van Vader Miller, the Chiefs and Griz make room as Vader paces around yelling and pumping up. Burke gives his team a pep talk before the bell rings. The Ref gets order and makes the signal. Vader and Huber start things off. Huber gives a valiant effort but things take a drastic turn when Vader swings Huber into the turnbuckles and hits a corner splash. Huber just falls forward as Vader follows with a big splash 1..2..3! Spike Huber is eliminated After more back and forth fighting, Lightfoot tries to use his war club, but Burke nails Lightfoot from behind. This allows the Rose Cousins to finish off Lightfoot with the Rose Bomb. Chief Lightfoot is eliminated That leads to a pier six brawl. Miller clotheslines Randy Rose from behind as Siva Afi follows with a jumping knee drop 1..2..3! Randy Rose is eliminated Burke runs in, grabs Afi and hits a bridging back suplex 1..2..3! Siva Afi is eliminated After a few minutes we get the big boys in action as Kaz and Griz have a slugfest. Griz goes on an onslaught but Kaz manages to survive. Kaz comes back and nails Griz with a shoulder block. Griz staggers as Kaz swings off the ropes and nails him with a double axehandle 1..2..3! Cannonball Griz is eliminated Vader gets in there and goes at it with Kaz. Vader gives Kaz a big body slam and goes to the middle ropes. Kaz staggers up as Vader nails him with a Vader Block 1..2..3! Bill Kazmaier is eliminated After more action, Pat Rose swings Miller into the corner. Rose charges in but Miller moves as Rose hits shoulder first into the turnbuckles. Miller executes a shoulder breaker 1..2..3! Pat Rose is eliminated Burke gets in there and is all over Miller. Miller comes back and gives Burke a good beating. Miller goes for a suplex but Burke jumps over and clamps on the sleeper! Miller tries to fight it but Burke puts him to sleep. Mike Miller is eliminated As Burke stands up, Vader twirls him around and short arm clotheslines him down. Vader goes to the top rope and hits an incredible moonsault!!! That gets a big reaction from the crowd. 1..2..3! Vader gets up and raises his arms in victory and flexes. Winner of the match and last man standing- Big Van Vader Stan Hansen vs. Dory Funk Jr. Dory enters the ring wearing a vest and cowboy hat. This legend gets a warm reaction. Things get chaotic as Stan Hansen comes down the aisle swinging his bullrope. Larry Nelson tries to get out of the way, but Hansen pushes him down. The bell rings as Hansen enters the ring. These two Texans trade punches. They fight inside the ring and to the outside. They continue to trade punches and end up back in the ring. Dory takes Hansen down and works the leg. Dory drops several elbows on Hansen's leg, then sets the leg on the rope and drops several knees on it. Dory pulls Hansen's leg out and applies the spinning toe hold. Hansen is in trouble and fights to reach the ropes. Hansen's in pain as he finally reaches the ropes. Dory yanks Hansen out, picks him up and slams him down. Dory picks up Hansen and delivers a vertical suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Hansen rolls out of the ring and limps around. Dory goes towards the ropes, Hansen grabs his legs and pulls him to the outside. Hansen picks up Dory and swings him head first into the steel post. Hansen hurls Dory back into the ring. Hansen gets in the ring and limps around. Hansen picks up Dory, slams his head on the turnbuckle several times, then body slams him down. Hansen stomps away on Dory's head. Hansen picks up Dory, swings him to the ropes and puts him down with a devastating lariat 1..2..3! Hansen gets up and flashes the bullhorn sign Winner of the match- Stan Hansen 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff/Carlos Colon/'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn and The Gunslingers vs. Sgt. Slaughter/Tony' Simply the Best' St. Clair/Chicky Starr and the AWA National Tag Champs the Olympians There's a lot of arrogance as Slaughter leads his team to the ring. The boos turn to deafening cheers as Nikita leads his team to the ring. Colon gets a nice reaction. The match starts with a brawl! Fists are flying as grudges are being settled. After a good brawl, the Ref finally gets control. St. Clair and Keirn are going at it. Keirn pinballs St. Clair around for a bit. As St. Clair is staggering, Keirn swings off the ropes, but the Olympians nail him with double knees to the back. Keirn stumbles forward as St. Clair grabs him and hits a floating butterfly suplex 1..2..3! Steve Keirn is eliminated After a few minutes, things get wild as Slaughter and Koloff have a furious exchange. These two give the fans an intense back and forth fight. They end up fighting to the outside and into the crowd and into a double countout. Security runs out to calm this situation down. Nikita Koloff and Sgt. Slaughter have been eliminated Patera and Casey are in the ring. Casey works over Patera and hoists him up for a suplex but Rheingans runs in and clips Casey's knee as Patera falls on top 1..2..3! Scott Casey is eliminated After more action, It's now Starr and Colon fighting in the ring. Colon is like a madman as he hammers away on Starr. Starr fights back but Colon is pumped up tonight. Colon nails Starr with a hangman neckbreaker. Colon goes to the top rope. Starr staggers up as Colon nails him with a diving clothesline 1..2..3! Chicky Starr is eliminated Rheingans runs in and gets back dropped. Colon tags in Mantell. Mantell is all over Rheingans and goes for a running bulldog but as he backs up. Patera nails him from behind. Mantell staggers into a cradle by Rheingans 1..2..3! Johnny Mantell is eliminated The fans chant Colon's name as he's the last hope. Colon fires up and goes off on the Olympians and St. Clair. The fans are up and cheering as Colon's a house of fire. As Colon knocks the Olympians heads together, St. Clair nails Colon from behind with a high knee to the back, rolls him up with a handful of tights 1..2..3! The winners of the match and last men standing- Tony St. Clair and the Olympians Hulk Hogan vs. Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy Lynyrd Skynrd's Freebird blasts into its guitar riff as Gordy walks to the ring wearing a red vest and black cowboy hat. Gordy gets in the ring and is ready for a fight. The crowd goes nuts as Eye of the Tiger blasts. Hogan appears in his red and yellow gear. He looks around at the cheering fans, then points up at Gordy as he heads down the aisle. Hogan gets in the ring and Gordy attacks! The bell rings. Gordy pounds away on Hogan. Hogan blocks a punch and blocks another, then unloads on Gordy. Hogan swings Gordy to the ropes and a big boot to the head sends Gordy back and over the top rope. The fans go wild as Hogan finally rips off his T- Shirt. Gordy staggers around and then gets pissed. He hops on the apron but Hogan runs over, grabs his head and flings Gordy back into the ring. Gordy staggers up as Hogan grabs him and atomic drops him into the turnbuckles. Gordy hits hard and staggers back as Hogan executes a German Suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Hogan swings Gordy into the corner and charges in but Gordy runs forward and clotheslines Hogan down. Gordy regroups Gordy grabs the top rope and drops several knees on Hogan. Gordy chokes Hogan on the bottom rope. then angrily stomps away. Gordy lifts Hogan up and throat drops him on the top rope. Gordy swings Hogan to the ropes and hits a sidewalk slam 1..2..Kick Out. A frustrated Gordy swings Hogan to the ropes and puts him down with a back elbow smash. Gordy follows with a big elbow drop 1..2..Kick Out. Gordy swings Hogan to the ropes but misses a clothesline, Hogan swings back and puts Gordy down with the axe bomber! Now Hogan regroups. Hogan lifts Gordy up and vertical suplexes him down 1..2..Kick Out. Hogan lifts Gordy but Gordy rakes his eyes and hurls him out of the ring. Gordy goes to the outside. Gordy picks up Hogan and body slams him on the concrete. Gordy picks up Hogan, slams his head on the apron and hurls Hogan back in the ring. Gordy gets in the ring and hoists Hogan up then delivers an Oklahoma Stampede 1..2..Hogan barely gets his shoulder up. The crowd roars as Gordy hits the canvas with his fist and berates the Ref. Gordy is pissed and applies the Asian Spike! Gordy clamps down as Hogan suffers. The fans start to fire Hogan up as he shakes his arms. Hogan starts elbowing Gordy over and over until he breaks the hold. Hogan fires away but Gordy grabs him and choke slams him down 1..2..Kick Out. Gordy swings Hogan to the ropes but misses a clothesline, Hogan swings back and clotheslines Gordy down. The fans are up and cheering as Hogan clears the cobwebs and pumps up. Gordy staggers up and throws a punch but Hogan blocks it and punches away. Hogan swings Gordy into the turnbuckles and follows with a running clothesline. Hogan swings Gordy to the opposite corner and follows with another running clothesline. Gordy staggers out as Hogan lifts him up and slams him down. Hogan swings off the ropes and hits the leg drop 1..2..3!!! The fans blow the roof off the place as Hogan stands up in exhaustion. Eye of the Tiger blasts and it's posing time. Hulkamania is running wild in the AWA brother! Winner of the match- Hulk Hogan Intermission Larry Nelson informs everybody that the next Title Night will be in May and held in Japan. He also announces that the next pay per view will be the biggest event of the summer, WrestleRock 89 from the Metrodome! That will be in July. AWA Mid-American Champ Paul Orndorff/ 'Big' Jim Morris/The Bruisers and Missing Link vs. AWA Southern Champ Larry Cameron/Kokina/The British Bombers and 'Mad Dog' Buzz Sawyer w/Skandor Akbar As we've seen in the past couple of months, there's a lot of hate in this match. Of course it's balls to the walls from the start as everybody gets in their heavy hitting shots. It's Sawyer and Link going at it like two wild animals. Link nails Sawyer with a headbutt. As Sawyer wobbles, Link swings off the ropes but Akbar hits him with a crowbar to the back. Link stumbles forward as Sawyer grabs him and powerslams him over 1..2..3! Missing Link is eliminated After more intense fighting, it's now Busick and Smith going at it. Smith gets in some good moves but from out of nowhere Busick hits the spinebuster slam 1..2..3! Johnny Smith is eliminated More back and forth action and now it's Taylor and Strong exchanging blows. Akbar distracts Strong and when Strong turns around, Taylor nails him with a running forearm blast 1..2..3! Billy Jack Strong is eliminated Orndorff gets in there. Taylor turns around and Orndorff kicks him low and follows with a piledriver 1..2..3! Dave Taylor is eliminated After more hard hitting action it's now the big men Kokina and Morris trading blows. Morris has Kokina reeling and puts him down with a big boot to the head 1..2..Cameron breaks it with a stomp which brings in Orndorff. The Ref is trying to break them up. Sawyer comes in and nails Morris. Busick runs in and fights with Sawyer. Morris staggers up as Kokina grabs him and Samoan Drops him down 1..2..3! Jim Morris is eliminated After the chaos, Cameron nails Busick with a flying shoulder tackle 1..2..3! Nick Busick is eliminated Orndorff runs in but Cameron tags in Sawyer. Orndorff and Sawyer have a brutal exchange. Sawyer goes to slam Orndorff but Orndorff cradles him 1..2..3! Buzz Sawyer is eliminated Orndorff spends the next few minutes fighting both Cameron and Kokina. Cameron and Kokina start double teaming him. They miss a double clothesline and Orndorff swings back and puts them both down with a clothesline and the Ref gets sandwiched in and goes down as well. Akbar runs in and hits Orndorff from behind with a chair. Akbar drops the chair and helps Cameron up. Cameron picks up Orndorff and hits an inverted piledriver on the chair. Akbar throws the Ref over 1..2..3! BOOOOOOO Winners of the match and last men standing- Larry Cameron and Kokina 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong/Iceman Parsons/'Superstar' Bill Dundee and The Fantastics vs. 'The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol/'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko/AWA TV Champ Brian Adias and AWA Word Tag Team Champs The Guerreros A lot of grudges to be settled in this one. The fans are involved as both teams pull out all stops. We get multi men action as the Fantastics put Adias down with a double dropkick and Dundee follows with the Bombs Away 1..2..3! Brian Adias is eliminated Things get crazy with more pier six brawling. This time the Guerreros execute a double back breaker on Fulton 1..2..3! Bobby Fulton is eliminated As the Guerreros celebrate, Rogers rolls up Hector 1..2..3! Hector Guerrero is eliminated Idol gets in there and works over Rogers. Idol hits a shin breaker and finishes things off with the Las Vegas Leglock Tommy Rogers is eliminated Armstrong races in there and goes to town on Idol. Armstrong bounces Idol all over the ring. Idol goes for a wild haymaker but Armstrong ducks and nails Idol with a Jawbreaker 1..2..3! Big POP! Austin Idol is eliminated After more see saw action, Parsons and Chavo are going back and forth. Parsons back drops Chavo. Chavo staggers up as Parsons nails him with the Hip Attack 1..2..3! Chavo Guerrero is eliminated Zbyszko pulls out a pair of brass knuckles, runs in there and knocks Parsons out with them. Zbyszko follows with a swinging neckbreaker 1..2..3! Iceman Parsons is eliminated Armstrong runs in and clotheslines Zbyszko down. Dundee distracts the Ref as Armstrong grabs the brass knuckles and puts them on. Dundee picks up Zbyszko and atomic drops him into a brass knuckles punch by Armstrong 1..2..3! The winners of the match and last men standing- Bob Armstrong and Bill Dundee AWA World Title Bout Jumbo Tsuruta (C) w/Ray Stevens vs. El Canek Media from both Japan and Mexico surround the ring for this big international world title match. The lightshow starts as El Canek comes out wearing a colorful mask and cape. He stands on the turnbuckles as the Mexican Media take pictures. The spotlight shines up the aisle as Ray Stevens comes out in a brown suit. Jumbo walks out wearing a black robe. They enter the ring as Jumbo unties his robe and shows off the world title while Japan's media has a field day. The introductions are made and the Ref holds up the world title. Here we go! The first few minutes is a stalemate as both men exchange holds and counters. Jumbo gets in the first big move with a double arm suplex. Jumbo body slams Canek and follows with a knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Jumbo hoists up Canek and drops him with a delayed vertical suplex. Jumbo swings off the ropes and hits a jumping knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Jumbo swings Canek to the ropes and goes for a back drop but Canek does a cartwheel and comes back with a head scissors take over. Canek regroups as he applies a scissor lock on Jumbo. Jumbo fights and makes it to the ropes. Canek picks up Jumbo and hits a Saito suplex. Canek goes to the top rope and crashes down with a flying elbow drop 1..2..Jumbo gets his foot on the rope. Canek hits a snap suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Canek swings Jumbo to the ropes but Jumbo comes back with a crossbody press but Canek catches him and front slams him down 1..2..Jumbo barely gets his shoulder up. Canek goes to the top rope and crashes down with a flying leg drop but Jumbo moves at the last second. Stevens is on the outside having a panic attack. Jumbo rolls around and gets his senses back. Both men slowly stagger up and Jumbo puts Canek down with a lariat. Jumbo picks up Canek and delivers an overhead suplex then delivers another one and then delivers a 3rd one! Jumbo hoists Canek in the air and drops him with a brainbuster 1..2..Canek gets his foot on the rope. Stevens yells at the Ref. Jumbo picks up Canek and dropkicks Canek into the turnbuckles. Jumbo swings Canek hard into the opposite turnbuckles. Canek staggers out as Jumbo delivers a big back body drop. Jumbo goes to the top rope and comes down with a big knee drop but Canek moves. Jumbo crashes down and holds his knee while Canek gets a much needed breather. Canek staggers up. Jumbo gets up and limps around as Canek grabs him and executes an inverted suplex slam. Canek picks up Jumbo and hits a kneeling piledriver 1..2..Jumbo just gets his shoulder up. Canek swings Jumbo to the ropes but misses a clothesline, Jumbo swings back as Canek swings off the opposite ropes and nails Jumbo with a flying forearm blast 1..2..Kick Out. Canek hoists Jumbo on the turnbuckles. Canek hops up and delivers a superplex! Canek covers 1..2..Stevens reaches in and pulls the Ref out of the ring. The Ref is arguing with Stevens. Canek swings off the ropes and nails Stevens with a suicide dive! The crowd is going bonkers. Inside the ring Jumbo staggers up. Canek hops on the apron and nails Jumbo with a slingshot shoulder block. Canek picks up Jumbo, hoists him up over his head and Gorilla press slams him down! Canek swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop 1..2..Jumbo somehow manages to get his shoulder up. Canek can't believe it. Canek swings Jumbo into the corner and charges in but Jumbo runs forward and nails Canek with a running knee to the head. Both men are down. The Ref starts and standing 10 count and both men rise at 8. Jumbo swings off the ropes and nails Canek with a big boot to the head. Jumbo goes to the top rope and crashes down with a big knee drop to Canek's head. Jumbo hoists Canek up and powerbombs him down 1..2..3!!! Stevens is still hurting on the outside. The Ref gives Jumbo his title. Flashes from the Japanese cameras go off as Jumbo holds his title high. Gerry Morrow comes out and raises a glass to Jumbo. Winner of the match and STILL AWA World Champion- Jumbo Tsuruta

Night 2! Here we go! The Russians might have lost the match, but they put sportsmanship first. Uncle Ivan paid big time for that slap. Once the Horsemen kick it into gear, watch out! The New Breed found that out. Road Warriors and Demolition ended the way it should have. Hopefully, somewhere down the line these teams will meet again in our game. The Olympians were robbed by Cornette's cheating Express Prichard's injury is the deciding factor as Fuller retains. Steiners beat the Horsemen in a classic! Awesome visual for the finish. Wow! Garvin eeks out the win over Slater. I'm hoping for a rematch. This is such a fun match up. The Midnight Express back up Cornette's words and take home the trophy! This was a great final match up. The Midnights are at the top of their game while the Steiners are on the verge of greatness. Very well written tournament and fun to read. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Crockett Cup! First round, let's do this! Dreamboats were on the verge of advancing until Uncle Ivan put a stop to that. I like the story here with Ivan playing the classic Russian heel while it looks to me Salman and Victor want to keep it clean. Not sure there was anything the Guerreros could do against the raw power of the Steiners. Good description with New Breed's win over the Koslowski Brothers. Made perfect sense. Arn and Tully are such a great cohesive unit. Demolition looked pretty damn impressive. Road Warriors advance and now we have a dream match set for the next round. That's why this tournament is so awesome. Olympians prove that honor and integrity always comes out on top LOL. Thanks for giving their gimmick some NWA love. Cornette really has his Midnights in the zone. Great first night. Bring on night 2!

Things are happening. Really interested in seeing what you do with Spivey. I wonder who Heyman has his eye on??? Dusty and Bossman battling it out for the number one contender spot will be great TV. I'm loving Savage as a tweener champ, Opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Satisfying opener for Terri and the fans. This was a great blow off to a well built story. Sting's in! I'm sure the fans were disappointed with Missy's no show, but it makes total sense. I'm sure now that Gilbert got the win, we'll see Missy pop up real soon. It took a lot of help, but Funk gets in the Crowning. I thought the Woman's match was a blast! The Richter swerve was great. This gives the Woman's division a lot of heat. Debeers does it again. Bringing in Saito was a damn good move. I'll say this, when Debeers gets his comeuppance, that's going blow the roof off the place. I'm sure the Freebirds had no problem taking that win. I think this story has some legs. Big cage match blow off as Lawer looks strong heading into his big title match. Looks like Piper and Jake still might have some unfinished business. Psycho Sid is born! Awesome way to introduce this character. Thanks to the numbers, Flair retains. However, this opens up a Dibiase/Williams-Arn/Tully feud. I'll take it! Great set up to WrestleWar!

Welcome back! I'm excited to see what you do with Central States. Renesto's the man!

Always good to see young lions like Austin and Cactus battling it out. Eddie getting his resurgence on. The Sin City Superstars are back! Man, whoever is behind the triangle has some guts messing with the Oregon Wrecking Crew. Hennig's losing it. Portland, Malenko and Lynn continue to tear it up. The SCS look better than ever. Cornette has his Midnights geared up for Vegas and the Crockett Cup. Hennig snaps but it's on the Widowmaker's time. Awesome is doing a good job of softening Pillman up for Rose. Steamboat retains in a fun champ vs. champ match. Eugene, Lee is looking prime time. Soultaker continues his path of destruction. Looks like Regal has a new contender to face. Come on DDP, that was an impressive win for Bigelow. I think Kawada should be angry with the Triangle, since they pissed off an already unhinged Haynes. Warriors end the night with a fun title defense. YES! Steamboat vs. Tenryu! Bring it on!

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 4-12-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to AWA Major League Wrestling. We're only one week away from our next big pay per view, Champagne Slam. That event will take place inside Market Square Arena. You will see five 10 man tag team elimination matches. On that night you'll also see Stan Hansen face Dory Funk Jr. Terry Gordy will take on Hulk Hogan, in an explosive match up. And Jumbo Tsuruta defends the AWA world title against El Canek. What an incredible event that will be. We've got a great show lined up tonight. Listen to this main event. Paul Orndorff teams with the Bruisers to take on Larry Cameron, Buzz Sawyer and Kokina. (deep breath) ok, let's get to the ring. Leo Burke vs. Dave Lavene Burke makes it look easy and wins the match with the sleeper. Burke is joined at ringside by his Champagne Slam teammates, Bill Kazmaier, Spike Huber and the Rose Cousins. Burke says they're not shook by the announcement of Vader coming in as a replacement for Doll. Burke says his team all has scores to settle and they will get settled at Champagne Slam. Commercial Break Sweet Dreams vs. Neil Jordan and Van Moore Sugar hits a missile dropkick on Moore as Dream follows with a jumping elbow drop for the win. Sweet Dreams are joined by their Champagne Slam teammates, Vinergy and Gary Young, along with the Vin man. Everybody is holding a broom. Nelson: What's with the brooms? Dream: At Champagne Slam, you're looking at the winners and it's going to be a clean sweep babay! They all start waving their brooms and laughing as Nelson shakes his head. Commercial Break 'Superstar' Bill Dundee vs. Todd Rooney Dundee is fired up tonight and wins the match with the Bombs Away. Nelson: Bill, at Champagne Slam you'll be teaming with Bob Armstrong, Iceman Parsons and the Fantastics to take on Austin Idol, Larry Zbyszko, AWA world tag champs the Guerreros and a man you've had several issues with TV champ Brian Adias. Dundee: Brian Adias! I've had your number and every time you've cheated and weaseled your way out of things. At Champagne Slam, I'm targeted you! I'm going to put you down and eliminate you as I help my team to victory. Have mercy! Commercial Break Highlights are shown of Big Van Vader demolishing wrestlers in Japan. Big Van Vader will be at Champagne Slam! 'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn vs. Carl Kellerman Keirn wins the match with a reverse DDT. Nelson: Steve, at Champagne Slam you'll be teaming with Nikita Koloff, the Gunslingers and Carlos Colon. Your opponents will be Sgt. Slaughter, Chicky Starr, the Olympians and a man you wrestled here on TV a couple weeks ago, Tony St. Clair. Keirn: No doubt about it, there's going to be a lot of hate in that ring. Last time we met, old St. Clair pulled a fast one and got me. Listen up St. Clair, that wont happen again and at Champagne Slam, I'm going to be all over you boy. You claim to be the best, but after I get through with you, you'll be simply defeated. Commercial Break Brian Adias is standing on a Hollywood lot. He's wearing a pink tank top, sunglasses and has the TV title on his shoulder. Adias: I'm taking time out from my demanding schedule to address a couple issues. First is you Hulk Hogan. How dare you promote your movie on AWA television last week. Hollywood is my town and you better stay in your own lane and keep out of mine. I'm not going to tell you again. Next up is Champagne Slam. Blockbuster Brian Adias will be there and so will the ratings. I've heard Bill Dundee is still crying about all the butt whippings I've given him. Well Billy, keep crying, because you got another one coming at Champagne Slam. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to give the director my rewritten script. (Brian looks at his script) Oh yea much better. Commercial Break Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy vs. Ray Glader Gordy destroys his opponent and wins the match with the Oklahoma Stampede. Afterwards, Gordy picks up his opponent and clamps on the Asian Spike! Gordy then hurls him out of the ring. Nelson: Come on Terry, all that was unnecessary. Gordy: Hogan! I hope you're watching brother because that's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you at Champagne Slam! While you're out promoting your little movie, I'm kicking teeth in, stomping heads and kicking ass! You're on my tracks and the Bam Bam freight train is going to run you over! When I'm finished with you, they'll be peeling you off the canvas! Gordy storms out of there. Nelson: Fans, you wont want to miss that one. Right now let's hear some pre recorded comments from the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Hogan's lifting weights and stops. Hogan: I told everybody I was here to conquer Mount AWA. Well at Champagne Slam, Hulk Hogan starts his journey. I'm now faced with a monstrous obstacle in Terry Gordy. Oh, I've taken down monsters and beasts before and I've slayed the biggest dragons in wrestling. But now I'm faced with a challenge like never before. But let me tell you something brother, with the power of all my Hulkamaniacs behind me, there's no challenge big enough that can stop Hulk Hogan. So, Terry Gordy, whatcha gonna do when the power of Hulkamania runs wild on you!!!! Commercial Break AWA Mid American Champ 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff and The Bruisers vs. AWA Southern Champ 'Lethal' Larry Cameron/'Mad Dog' Buzz Sawyer and Kokina w/Skandor Akbar As you would expect this match quickly becomes a no contest. Missing Link hits the ring and attacks Buzz Sawyer. The British Bombers run out and brawl with the Bruisers. Jim Morris charges the ring and goes toe to toe with Kokina. The champs Orndorff and Cameron have a furious exchange. It's chaos once again between these teams. Commercial Break Nelson: My goodness, I can't imagine what Champagne Slam will be like. I hope the referees get a bonus that night. (regroups) Fans, at Champagne Slam Jumbo Tsuruta defends the AWA world title against number one contender El Canek. This match has taken the international media by storm. Let's take a look at a special highlight package featuring both men. The show ends with Steppenwolf's Rock me baby playing as highlights are shown of sensational wrestling moves by Jumbo and Canek.

The Assassin's plan seems to be working as his Beasts have given Garvin some brutal matches. Prichard bounces back to get the win. The question is, how bad has his leg been hurt. My teams from the AWA will definitely have their hands full in the first round.

Yamada had his moments but Sekishima's experience comes into play to get the win. Props to Anjo for hanging tough against the odds. Strong ending for Nakano to seal the win for his team. Suzuki and Shamrock gelled really well together. These guys will get some buzz after that performance. Hug impresses the crowd with a striking win over Aoyagi. Smith proves that body shots hurt. Vrij was dominant tonight and shows he's a legit contender. Onita bounces back from his Backlund loss, but Kido didn't make it easy for him. That brutal headbutt definitely sealed the deal as Fujiwara puts Fleming down. Takada catches a break but like they said, a win's a win. I know Ruas will live to fight another day. Fun show

Solid aftermath from Mania. What happened to Warrior???? Sherri is officially in the Dangerous Alliance. The Genius's poem was classic. Very interesting main event scene. Savage as the tweener. Bossman and Rhodes vying for a world title shot. And now throw in Rude. Looking forward to watching all this unfold.

Damn! Dibiase gets his revenge in a big way. After last week, I thought Flair had the serious momentum heading into Clash. This week changed everything. Great build. We get a little preview with Sting, Dr. Death, Murdoch and Funk. I think Terri is tired of Rogers antics. She might leave him hanging in the tag match. WOW! Piper and Lawler together in a cage match with Muraco and Snake! A lot more tickets just got sold. I'm sure Missy will walk out with the winner LOL. Medusa responds and has no problem accepting Mimi's challenge. Something tells me Debeers has something up his sleeve. It's fun to have a match built on just words. RnR vs. Freebirds are the types that can do this. Luger and Humungous get some shots in. Great way to end the show. Clash is set and I'm ready!

Suicide Blondes are looking to get in title contention. Incredible win for Gunn! Man, Hennig's having a rough patch. Always a treat to hear Cornette on the mic. Soultaker is on a brutal rampage. Windham is losing it. Triangle of Terror, show yourself! Vancouver, In singles or tags, Malenko and Lynn just can't stay away from each other. Lee's been coming on strong. WHOA! Just what are the intentions of the Triangle of Terror? They're messing with some heavy hitters. Ace's interference backfired in a bad way. Steamboat retains, but Tenryu is waiting. Kelowna, Great weekend for Soultaker. What's going on with Severn? Once again, Rose capitalizes on interference. It's a given that when Regal defends his title, the fans are going to get their money's worth. I guess that's the end of Ace's run with the Playboy Club. You can always count on Pillman to end the night on a high note.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 4-5-89 The show opens with Brenda Britton standing at a podium in front of Market Square Arena. Media from Japan and Mexico are in attendance as well as several businessmen and spectators. Britton: Hi everybody and welcome to the Champagne Slam AWA world title press conference. Let me turn the time over to the AWA C.O.O. Gerry Morrow. Morrow walks up wearing a white suit, fedora hat, sunglasses and is holding a champagne bottle. He holds the bottle up and smiles. Morrow: A toast to de world title bout for Champagne Slam. On Friday April 19th, live on pay per view, here at de Market Square Arena. Jumbo Tsuruta will defend de AWA world title against de number one contender El Canek. Let's bring out de competitors. Canek comes out wearing a suit with his mask on. Ray Stevens leads out Jumbo Tsuruta (also wearing a suit). Jumbo stands with the world title on his shoulder. Morrow stands between them as flashes from cameras go off. Morrow then backs up as Jumbo and Canek stand face to face. Jumbo takes the title off his shoulder and holds it high in front of Canek. It's a cool shot for the magazines. Commercial Break The High Chiefs vs. Neil Jordan and Harold Bannister Chiefs obliterate their opponents and win the match with a double rib breaker. The Chiefs are joined at ringside by Mike Miller and Cannonball Griz. Nelson: Mike Miller, I understand you have an announcement regarding Champagne Slam. Miller: Yea, thanks to the heartless jerk Spike Huber, our teammate Glamour Doll will not be able to compete at Champagne Slam. Poor guy's got a broken face. However! Gerry Morrow has allowed us a substitute partner. So, Leo Burke, Bill Kazmaier, Spike Huber and the Rose Cousins, say your prayers, because Big Van Vader will be our partner at Champagne Slam! Nelson: Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! We all saw Big Van Vader at Superclash and this man is nothing short of devastating. Commercial Break Sgt. Slaughter vs. Scott Casey These two will be on opposite sides at Champagne Slam. Casey's Gunslinger partner Johnny Mantell shakes Casey's hand and heads to the back. Casey gets early momentum and has Slaughter bouncing all over the ring with hip tosses, dropkicks and scoop slams. Casey goes for the running bulldog but Slaughter rides the momentum and throws Casey into the turnbuckles. Slaughter shakes the cobwebs. Casey staggers up as Slaughter grabs him and hot shots him on the top rope. Slaughter covers Casey with a handful of tights 1..2..3! Slaughter picks up Casey and clamps on the Cobra Clutch. Slaughter wrenches away until Johnny Mantell runs in. Slaughter tosses Casey and exits the ring. While Mantell is tending to Casey. Slaughter comes back in the ring, grabs Mantell from behind and clamps on the Cobra Clutch. Slaughter wrenches away. The crowd goes wild as NIKITA KOLOFF hits the ring. Just as Slaughter drops Mantell, Nikita nails Slaughter with the Russian Sickle! Nikita jumps down and pounds away on Slaughter until several officials run out to stop him. Commercial Break The Dragon Kings vs. Roland Jenkins and Todd Rooney Takano hits a snap suplex on Rooney, then tags in Fujinami, who finishes things off with a dragon suplex. The Dragon Kings are joined by Tom Brandi and the San Juan Saints. Brandi does the talking and says he has the best Champagne Slam teammates in the business. He says Sweet Dreams, Vinergy and Gary Young all have big mouths that need to be shut. And after they get through with all of them, Vin Man will be sulking in his tears. Commercial Break Highlights are shown of Stan Hansen destroying his opponents with his lariat. Stan Hansen goes one on one with Dory Funk Jr. at Champagne Slam. 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong and The Fantastics vs. AWA World Tag Champs the Guerreros and 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko We get a wild one here. Everybody gets a little shine until all hell breaks loose with a pier six brawl. During the brawl, Austin Idol runs in the ring and attacks Bob Armstrong. The Ref signals for the DQ. The fight still goes on. Zbyszko goes out and gets a chair but Iceman Parsons runs out and nails Zbyszko from behind. The Fantastics stereo dropkick the Guerreros out of the ring. Parsons body slams Zbyszko onto the Guerreros. Idol swings Armstrong to the ropes but misses a clothesline, Armstrong swings back and clotheslines Idol down. Armstrong picks up Idol and puts him down again with a Jawbreaker. The fans are loving all this. Commercial Break Chicky Starr vs. Ray Glader Starr has fun toying with his opponent before finishing him off with a corkscrew elbow drop. Nelson: Chicky, as you know Carlos Colon will be at Champagne Slam and you two will be on opposite teams. Starr: Ah senorita Carlita. The man who lost his manhood. Carlos, I took that from you and at Champagne Slam, you're not getting it back. Commercial Break The British Bombers w/Skandor Akbar vs. 'Big' Jim Morris and The Missing Link With all the chaos tonight, all other Champagne Slam teammates have been banned from the arena. Morris and Smith start things off. Smith gets in some hard shots and tags in Taylor. The Bombers double slam Morris. Taylor hits a knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Taylor swings Morris into the corner and charges in but Morris lifts his knees as Taylor crashes into them. Morris tags in Link. Link pounds away on Taylor and slams him down. Smith runs in but gets slammed down by Link. Link picks the Bombers up by their hair and knocks their heads together. Link continues to work over Taylor. Smith runs in and gives Link a high knee to the back. Morris runs in and shoulder blocks Smith down. Akbar gets on the apron. Morris walks over, grabs Akbar by his shirt and lifts him off his feet. While the Ref is distracted with this, Link headbutts Taylor down. Boos as BUZZ SAWYER hits the ring and clotheslines Link with a chain! Sawyer exits as Taylor rolls over and covers Link. The Ref turns around, runs over and counts 1..2..3!!! Sawyer was supposed to be banned from ringside BOOOOOOOOOOO! Commercial Break Ken Resnick: Ok fans, this has been one crazy night. I can't imagine what Champagne Slam will be like with all those 10 man elimination tag matches. Speaking of Champagne Slam. Making his return to in ring action on that night will be my guest at this time. Please welcome the immortal Hulk Hogan!!!!! Eye of the Tiger blasts as Hogan storms up the aisle in jeans, boots, yellow bandana and of course a Hulkamania T- Shirt. Hogan enters the ring and acknowledges the cheering fans. Resnick waits for the cheers to settle down. Resnick: What an unbelievable response. Ok, Hulk Hogan, before we get to Champagne Slam, I understand you have another big announcement to make. Hogan: Well, let me tell you something Killer Ken! As you know Hulk Hogan ventured to Hollywood awhile ago and filmed a movie. That movie is called No Holds Barred and brother I'm here to tell all my Hulkamaniacs that No Holds Barred will be in theaters this May! This movie will have all the action, excitement and adrenaline that Hulkamania can bring. There's a big stir in the crowd as TERRY GORDY heads into the ring. Resnick: Please Terry, after everything that's happened tonight, we don't want any more problems. Gordy: Shut up little man! (looks at Hulk) I can't tell you how sick and tired I am of hearing your name! You come out here and you're talking about a movie! Brother, do you have any idea of what you're dealing with at Champagne Slam? Your going to get run over by a freight train and that freight train is Terry Bam Bam Gordy! And I can tell you this, there's no way in hell that you're going to make it to your movie premier! Gordy steps back. Hogan looks at the crowd. Hogan: Let me tell you something Terry Gordy. I know exactly what I'm dealing with at Champagne Slam. I've been in the gym hang'n and bang'n with the weights and training like a madman. Gordy: (interrupts) Hold on big boy! You can lift all the weights you want, but weights don't hit back, but Terry Gordy hits hard! Gordy pushes Hogan back. Hogan rips off his T-Shirt! The fans are going wild. Hogan pushes Gordy. Gordy staggers back, then charges Hogan. Both men start a furious punch exchange! Security, officials and prelim wrestlers run out. It's chaos as the show ends.

I think Garvin and Slater are going to tear the house down. This is such a great match up. Well, Rod and Tommy did their jobs. Great idea putting these guys with Fuller. Only a matter of time until we get the big Valiant/Whatley reunion. Add Rich and the Nightmares and we've got a big feud going with Jone's army. Can't wait for the Crockett Cup. The Guerreros and Olympians are ready!

WrestleMania 5! Let's do this! Steiners opening up the show with a win is a great way to kick things off. Duggan and Haku give the fans a fun hard hitting match. After a couple fan favorite wins, Bossman changes the tone in a big way. He looked like a beast during his squash win over Herc. Hahahahaha! Oh wow, clever move by having Beefcake turn Taylor into the Rooster. That was so creative. The Von Erichs rocked the place tonight. Feel good moment at the end. Davey Boy gets a big showcase tonight. He really solidified himself as a single's wrestler with that big win over OMG. Tito was on fire tonight, but the Rude Awakening is such a devastating finisher. After a fantastic build up, Demolition proves who the best team in the WWF is. Props to the Rockers on their outstanding performance. Americana Dusty Rhodes tour is in full swing. Martel vs. Muta was everything I thought it would be and more. What a match! Sherri once again gets involved and that's all Muta needed to win the IC title. I always thought if Muta went to the WWF IRL, he would have made the perfect IC champ. Now we get to see it happen. Andre and Snuka are WWF legends. They deserved a big Mania moment. Main event time and man did these guys deliver. Warrior was on his A game, but that finish was classic Savage. That clean finish really put Savage on a new level. I loved the bonus coliseum footage. This really shows where the WWF is heading. Elizabeth is back and Bossman has established himself as the number one heel. Props to you and the hard work you put into this epic show.

Perfect go home show for Mania. I always liked tag wrestlers going at it in singles competition before a big tag title bout. Martel, Paul E, Sherri and Muta were all on their A game during that segment. That match is a potential show stealer. The Varsity Club and Steiners are going to tear the house down. Savage was the master of the slap LOL. I wonder who Savage saw? hmmmmmmm Fun main event. Earthquake is really getting the push. Bring on Mania!

Debeers is in big time trouble. He's lucky his men are willing to back him up. I still don't think it's enough to handle Reed, Atlas and Simmons. In a twist, the heel champ gets the better of the babyface challenger prior to a big event. This was a nice change. Big task ahead for Luger. Humongous has been built up perfectly as the monster heel. Loved that match set up between RnR and the Freebirds. Simple but effective. Poor Missy. Talk about being put in an awkward situation. Even Terri knows Miss Tennessee shouldn't be messed with. Piper really needs a friend. AD's right, he hasn't really made any in WCW. Excellent hype video from Mimi. It did a great job of getting her over quickly before the big show. Big qualifying matches for the Crowning. Looking forward to seeing what Wrestling 2 does with Brunk. Great job keeping us updated.

Malenko and Lynn have a pretty competitive rivalry going. Ok, Windham's pissed. Blackman is getting his respect. On the flip side, he gives his as well. My guys the FOJ are getting back into contention. Thanks to DDP, Adams gets the win over a game Dustin. Austin shows he can get down. Hmmmm, I wonder what the Playboy Club are up to??? LA, The Southern Boys storyline has been a lot of fun. They're snapping and they're going to full on explode soon. Spicoli has some fire, but Rose is so damn crafty. Tough weekend for Dustin. Even when it's not his fault, it's still his fault. Poor Bam Bam. Who keeps messing with Windham??? Tenryu is ready for Steamboat. Santa Barbara, Stormfront stay in contention after that big win over the Can Ams. Awesome wins the battle of big men. Oh yea, I would call that a big upset. That win catapults Lee to the next level. Great follow up by Christopher to retain. I loved that finishing sequence. Regal literally edges out Blackman to retain.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-29-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you will see the San Juan Saints and Tom Brandi take on Vinergy and Gary Young. Leo Burke clashes with Mean Mike Miller. A lot of issues between those two. Bill Dundee goes up against Larry Zbyszko. Nikita Koloff, the Rose Cousins, Austin Idol, Mid American Champ Paul Orndorff and a lot more. Let's get to the ring. The Rose Cousins vs. Vic Dutro and Willie Lopez The Rose's are in sync tonight. Randy stands on the middle turnbuckles. Pat hoists Lopez up for a vertical suplex, then sets him on Randy, who crashes down to the canvas with the Rose Bomb for the win. Pat and Randy cut a promo and warn the High Chiefs that they're coming for them at Champagne Slam! Commercial Break 'The Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol vs. Trent Watkins Idol hits a shin breaker and follows with the Las Vegas Leglock for the win. Nelson: Austin, at Champagne Slam, you and Bob Armstrong will be on opposite teams and he's made it very clear that he's gunning for you. Idol: Oh darling, old Bobby boy can make all the threats he wants but he doesn't scare me. I'm teaming with the best of the best. World tag champs the Guerreros, TV champ Brian Adias and the living legend Larry Zbyszko. We're an all-star team playing against a bunch of bush leaguers. Bobby's stupidity makes me laugh. Commercial Break The San Juan Saints and 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Vinergy and 'The Fortunate One' Gary Young w/The Vin Man We get a little preview of Champagne Slam as both teams go back and forth in a fast paced see saw battle. It doesn't take long before a pier six brawl breaks out. The Saints and Vinergy battle to the outside. Vinnie hops on the apron and argues with the Ref. Brandi dropkicks Young down and goes to the top rope. Booooos as Sweet Dreams run out and push Brandi off the top rope. Young staggers up, grabs Brandi and hits a tornado DDT. Vinnie yells at the Ref to turn around. The Ref runs over and counts 1..2..3! Commercial Break Nelson: (With a look of disgust) I'm here with Vinergy, Gary Young, Vinnie Valentino and Sweet Dreams. Dream Machine, what the hell was that all about? Dream: Let me break it down for you babay. At Champagne Slam, my former protege Gary Young and I will be reunited. That means we've got each other's backs. You're looking at an unbeatable team! Dragon Kings felt our pain and they'll feel it again at Champagne Slam! Vinergy and Gary will have no problem dealing with the San Juan Stooges and Boring Tom Brandi. It's going to be a clean sweep babay! Nelson looks on in disgust as Sweet Dreams, Vinergy, Gary Young and the Vin Man have a group hug. Commercial Break Footage from a few weeks ago is shown as Glamour Doll attacks Spike Huber from behind and then proceeds to put lipstick and glitter all over Huber's face. Nelson: With me right now is Glamour Doll. What was the point of doing all that to Spike Huber? Doll: (laughing) I did that ugly idiot a favor. It was an improvement, don't you think? At Champagne Slam... Cheers as Spike Huber runs out with his sledgehammer. Doll turns around as Spike nails him in the face with the sledgehammer! Doll's face is busted open as he falls to the ground. Huber stands over him and holds his sledgehammer up as Nelson looks on in shock. Commercial Break 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff vs. Harold Bannister Nikita destroys his opponent and takes him down with the Russian Sickle! Nelson: Nikita at Champagne Slam, you will be teaming with Carlos Colon, Steve Keirn and the Gunslingers to take on Tony St. Clair, the Olympians, Chicky Starr and of course Sgt. Slaughter. Nikita: Make no mistake about it, I'm coming for you Sgt. Slaughter! You are number one on Nikita's hit list and Nikita always finishes the job! When it's all said and done, my team will stand in victory at Champagne Slam! Commercial Break Nelson: Fans, next week there will be a special Champagne Slam International Press Conference with AWA World Champion Jumbo Tsuruta and number one contender, El Canek. Media from Japan and Mexico will be in attendance. This match is sure to be an epic International encounter. Ok, switching gears, we have a video sent in by the AWA National tag team champs, the Olympians. The Olympians are standing on pedestals. They're wearing their Olympian gear with the titles around their waists. Rheingans: This is where champions and winners like us stand. We wanted to take a moment and talk about our future. Next month, the best teams in the world will gather for the NWA's Crockett Cup. And, of course the Olympians will be there. Patera: Exactly right Brad. Now, what separates us from all the other mediocre teams is that we are winners, we are champions. At the end of the tournament, we will be the team holding up the trophy. We've already been in contact with the Crockets to make sure we have pedestals like this to stand on. After our victory there, it's onto Champagne Slam. And, well, that night ends the same way. Here, we'll show you. The Olympians take off their titles, hold them high as they raise their heads in sheer arrogance. Commercial Break Leo Burke vs. Mean Mike Miller Burke waits in the ring. Miller comes to the ring wearing a cast on his arm. Miller grabs the mic. Miller: Leo, I would love nothing more than to give you the beating of your life, but thanks to you, I haven't been cleared to wrestle. You dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm. I'll just have to wait until Champagne Slam to get my revenge. Burke walks over but the Ref holds him back. WHAM! Miller clotheslines Burke with the cast! Miller starts pounding away on Burke with the cast until the Rose Cousins run in to stop this. Miller exits and starts laughing as the Rose Cousins attend to Burke. Commercial Break Nelson: The Rose Cousins have helped Leo Burke out of here. I wouldn't want to be Mike Miller when Burke gets a hold of him at Champagne Slam. Speaking of Champagne Slam, Hulk Hogan will return to action in the AWA as he faces Terry Gordy. Well, next week, Hulk Hogan will be here! The fans go wild. Commercial Break 'Superstar' Bill Dundee vs. 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko The bell rings and Larry tries his stalling tactics, but Dundee unloads with Memphis punches, swings him to the ropes and back drops him. Larry staggers up as Dundee scoop slams him down and follows with a standing leg drop 1..2..Kick Out. Dundee reaches down but Larry rakes his eyes. Larry regroups and nails Dundee with a spin kick, then follows with a gut wrench suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Zbyszko hurls Dundee out of the ring. Boos as Brian Adias comes to the ring with his TV title on his shoulder. The Ref is yelling at Adias to get out of here. Adias holds up his arms and heads to the back as the Ref watches him. Larry heads to the outside. Cheers as Iceman Parsons runs out. Zbyszko turns around as Parsons nails him with his Hip Attack! Parsons hurls Dundee back in the ring. The Ref turns around and starts the count. The Ref hits 10 as Larry stands up and falls back down. The Ref raises Dundee's arm. WHAM! Adias is back and knocks out Dundee with the TV title! Parsons runs back out as Adias takes off. Commercial Break AWA Mid American Champ 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff vs. Samson Smith It's all Orndorff as he wins the match with the piledriver! Nelson: Paul, it seems that a bit of a rivalry has started between you and the Southern Champ Larry Cameron. He says at Champagne Slam, he's going to prove who the better champion is. Orndorff: Larry Nelson, you're looking at the better champion. At Champagne Slam if Larry Cameron... Orndorff is attacked by Cameron, Kokina, the British Bombers and Buzz Sawyer!! Skandor Akbar is cheering Devastation Inc. on. Wait a minute! Jim Morris, the Bruisers and Missing Link run out! It's chaos as fists and bodies start flying! The show ends with a wild brawl!

Prichard seals the deal for a US title shot. I loved that finish. The Crockett Cup is stacked this year. It's going to be awesome watching all these teams from our world go at it for one million dollars.

Youngsters, Fuke and Yamada get a chance to showcase their talents and succeed. Tamura shows he has a promising future. On the flip side, Sekishima is becoming a contender. Miyato's experience comes into play as he evens things up with Suzuki. The video showed how impressive that finish was. I was impressed with Shamrock as he wrestled a smart match and stayed calm to defeat Nakano. Yamazaki defeats Vrij in quite a contest. I like that Vrij has been working on his ground game. Allen is a force! Big things ahead for him and that's more bad news for future opponents. Oh man, the Koslowski's and Russians go toe to toe for 30 minutes while the crowd ate it all up. Great match and I'm sure we can expect another. Those strikes from Onita woke Backlund up as he gets it together and wins with his signature move. A Backlund vs. Brown match would be very interesting. Malenko put up a fight but Sayama came in clutch at the finish. Maeda gets back on the winning track with an impressive win over old rival Fujiwara. Great way to end the night.

Gunn wants to make sure he's mentioned in the rookie buzz. You're right, Tenryu is coming for Steamboat's title. Whoever is behind the triangle better come out and face the Widowmaker. The fighting Irishmen come up short but the Patriots know they were in a fight. The Patriots are still favorites of mine. Like Gunn, Young's name is in the rookie buzz. No matter what, Bigelow juts can't get on DDP's good side. Cow Palace, Malenko and Lynn keep tearing it up. The Playboy Club are more united the ever. Severn seems to be at a crossroads. Eddie gets wild and might have a rematch in the near future. Southern Boys are unraveling. Steamboat retains but Tenryu was watching closely. Fresno, Can Ams kick the night off with a big win. Dragon Kings get the best of the crazies. I can see Cactus and Gunn in a few more brawls. Payne scores and impressive win. Billy Jack is going to have quite the reign. His current attitude is perfect for the submission title. Regal's finding his groove as CA champ.

AWA TV @ The Hammond Center 3-22-89 Larry Nelson: Hello everybody and welcome to AWA Major League Wrestling. Tonight, you will see Tony St. Clair return to AWA television and take on Steve Keirn. Iceman Parsons goes up against Chicky Starr. The Missing Link clashes with Kokina. Bill Kazmaier takes on his current rival Cannonball Griz. Also in action will be the world tag champs, the Guerreros, Bob Armstrong, Sgt. Slaughter, Dory Funk Jr., Number One contender El Canek and Terry Gordy. Ok, let's go to the ring. Dory Funk Jr. vs. Trent Watkins Funk puts on another wrestling showcase and wins the match with the spinning toe hold. Nelson: Dory, you've been on quite the roll since coming to the AWA. You've got a big task ahead at Champagne Slam when you take on Stan Hansen. A battle of Texas, so to speak. Funk: Stan and I have had our share of run ins and I'm ready for one more. At Champagne Slam we're all going to find out who the toughest from Texas really is. Commercial Break 'The World's Strongest Man' Bill Kazmaier vs. Cannonball Griz The bell rings and these two powerhouses start pounding away on each other. It aint pretty but these two have a serious slugfest going. Kaz gets the upper hand, swings Griz to the ropes and puts him down with a powerful clothesline 1..2..Kick Out. Kaz swings Griz to the corner and follows with a charging back elbow smash. Griz stumbles out as Kaz grabs him, hoists him up and slams him down 1..2..Griz gets his foot on the rope. Kaz swings Griz into the opposite corner and charges in for a jumping splash, but Griz moves as Kaz hits hard. Kaz wobbles back as Griz rolls him over with a handful of tights 1..2..3! Griz slowly rolls out of the ring and raises his arms in victory as Kaz pleads his case to the Ref. Commercial Break 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong vs. Neil Jordan Armstrong's on fire tonight and wins the match with the Jawbreaker. Nelson: Bob, this situation with Austin Idol has become really personal. At Champagne Slam, you two will be on opposite sides. Armstrong: Idol likes to play childish games. He's the type that calls you a name and then runs away when you go after him. At Champagne Slam, I'm coming after you Idol. You have no chance making it to the end. Bet on that! Commercial Break Iceman Parsons vs. Chicky Starr Chicky tries attacking at the bell but gets back dropped. Chicky staggers up as Parsons dropkicks him down. Chicky staggers up as Parsons scoop slams him down. Parsons swings off the ropes and hits a jumping elbow drop 1..2..Kick Out. Parsons grabs Chicky, but Chicky rakes his eyes and hurls Parsons out of the ring. Chicky argues with the Ref. Booooos as Larry Zbyszko runs out. Parsons staggers up as Zbyszko nails him with nun chucks! Zbyszko hurls Parsons back into the ring. Chicky swings off the ropes and hits a corkscrew elbow drop 1..2..3! Commercial Break Sgt. Slaughter vs. Harold Bannister Slaughter easily wins the match with the cobra clutch. Nelson: Sgt. Slaughter, you were in the middle of a lot of controversy during your match with Nikita Koloff in London.., Slaughter cuts off Nelson. Slaughter: Listen up Puke! I pinned that no good commie and my hand was raised! Sgt. Slaughter was victorious! Now, at Champagne Slam, that commie Nikita and I will be on opposite sides. I would love to give that maggot another beating, but I know that coward will spend the entire match hiding behind his team. Because Nikita Koloff is nothing but a gutless wimp! (looks at Nelson) You're dismissed! Commercial Break 'Thrilling' Tom Brandi vs. Todd Rooney Brandi excites the fans and wins the match with a flying elbow drop from the top rope. Nelson: Tom Brandi, you racked up a lot of nice wins here in the AWA. Recently, you and Gary Young have had a lot of issues. At Champagne Slam, you guys will be on opposing teams. Brandi: It seems Gary Young and his stooge, Vinnie Valentino have targeted me. Well, as you know Larry, I've gotten the best of Young. I would say he's the Unfortunate One. Nelson chuckles Commercial Break The Missing Link vs. Kokina w/Skandor Akbar Kokina and Akbar wait in the ring. Link paces around the ring. As he gets set to walk inside, he's nailed from behind by Buzz Sawyer! Sawyer hurls Link into the ring and follows. Sawyer swings Link to the ropes and hits a powerslam! Sawyer and Akbar hold Link as Kokina swings off the ropes and hits a big splash! Kokina gets up and sets up for another splash. Cheers as Big Jim Morris runs into the ring and pounds away on Kokina. Boos as the British Bombers hit the ring. Cheers as the Bruisers hit the ring! It's chaos as fists start flying. The Bruisers are all over the Bombers. Morris swings Kokina to the ropes and nails him with a big boot to the face. Morris is nailed from behind by Sawyer. The Bruisers double clothesline Sawyer down and then continue to pound away on the Bombers into the commercial. Commercial Break AWA World Tag Team Champs the Guerreros vs. Carl Kellerman and Rance Jones Hector hoists Kellerman up for a suplex as Chavo hits a flying press off the top rope for the win. Nelson: Hector and Chavo, you two have a big April coming up. Chavo: Larry, we're on top of the world. Just look at us, we're riding high as AWA world tag team champions. And as if that wasn't enough, well, tell them Hector. Hector: The NWA obviously knows who the best team in the world is, because we've received our invitation for the Crockett Cup. So, you know what that means? It means that we're going to roll into Champagne Slam as AWA world tag champs and Crockett Cup winners! Chavo: It doesn't get any better than that. Nelson: Well, don't forget, you have the Fantastics hot on your tails. The Guerreros give Nelson a dirty look, shake their heads and walk away. Commercial Break El Canek vs. Ray Glader Canek looks like a million bucks and wins the match with a flying spin kick followed by a senton splash! Canek has a date with destiny at Champagne Slam. Commercial Break Tony 'Simply the Best' St. Clair vs. 'The Fabulous One' Steve Keirn The two lock up and St. Clair hip tosses Keirn over. St. Clair claps his hands and pats himself on the back. They lock up again and St. Clair hip tosses Keirn over. St. Clair claps his hands and holds out his arms for a pose. They lock up again and this time Keirn hip tosses St. Clair over. Keirn does a fabulous one strut that pisses St. Clair off. St. Clair charges but Keirn nails him with a punch. Keirn kicks St. Clair and follows with a vertical suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes and dropkicks him down. Keirn hits a delayed knee drop 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes but misses a clothesline, St. Clair swings back and puts Keirn down with a flying forearm blast. Both men stagger up as St. Clair nails Keirn with a European uppercut and follows with a snap suplex 1..2..Kick Out. St. Clair swings Keirn to the ropes and back drops him. Keirn staggers up as St. Clair nails him with a front feet dropkick. St. Clair goes to the top rope and comes down with a flying knee drop but Keirn moves. Keirn regroups as St. Clair stands up and limps around. Keirn grabs St. Clair and hits a belly to back suplex 1..2..Kick Out. Keirn swings St. Clair to the ropes and hits a back drop, but Keirn's head nails St. Clair in the groin area. St. Clair goes down and rolls over in pain. The Ref checks on St. Clair. Keirn waits for a few seconds, then moves in. The Ref is talking with Keirn. St. Clair gets up and nails Keirn with a rolling cannonball headbutt to his mid section. St. Clair cradles Keirn 1..2..3! Commercial Break Terry 'Bam Bam' Gordy vs. Clinton Stitch Gordy destroys his opponent and ends things with the Oklahoma Stampede! Nelson: Ok Terry, we all saw what went down 2 weeks ago. It's you and Hulk Hogan, one on one at Champagne Slam Gordy: You know something? I'm so sick and tired hearing about Hulk Hogan. Hogan! At Champagne Slam, you're in a world of trouble boy! You can't handle what I'm going to bring! I'm going to beat you down to nothing and when I'm done doing that, I'm going to pick you back up and beat you down again! I'm going to give you so much pain and agony, you're going to wish you never step foot in an AWA ring. I'm going to make sure you regret ever coming here. At Champagne Slam, Hulkamania dies before it even gets a chance to run wild in the AWA. You're finished Hogan!