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Getting caught up but Tracey Smothers vs. Buzz Sawyer is a match I would love to see.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for October 10th The Hollywood Stud Squad vs. Mark Herlaar & Adam Parkin Last week, a group of blonde haired men attacked the various members of Superstar Unit, costing the young rookies some matches. This week, they show themselves to be "Hollywood" John Tatum and the returning Jack Victory (joined at ringside by Johnny Ace and Wayne Bloom), taking the collective name the Hollywood Stud Squad. While Bloom and Ace struck beefcake poses and flexed their muscles from outside the ring, Tatum and Victory easily destroyed Herlaar and Parkin before Victory hit the Victory-Plex on Parkin, followed by a running elbow drop by Tatum to end the match. After the pinfall, Tatum was met outside the ring by Ken Resnick, who questioned him while the rest of Tatum's crew continued flexing behind him. Resnick : John Tatum, you and your men came out of nowhere and perpetrated a dastardly attack on Superstar Unit! What is the deal? Tatum : The deal is this, Resnick! Pillman and Douglas think they are the big thing here in the AWA, just because they have bunch of teeny boppers squealing over them! Well that's just because they haven't seen what real men look like here in Minnesota! I have come all the way from Hollywood with my Stud Squad , and everybody is going to forget about those young punks. Now is the time for … Tatum gets cut off by Bill Dundee, Shane Douglas and Brian Pillman charging out for revenge. They get some good shots in, but are still outnumbered four to three and the Stud Squad looked like they might do some real damage before security came out and forced them to leave. Rick Martel vs. Sabu A long time favorite of the AWA fans, Rick Martel has just recently announced that he has signed a long term contract with the AWA, with no other commitments to other promotions or organizations. Since his big entrance at the Met Center Show, his first opponent is the always unconventional Sabu. Sabu brought his high risk style full bore against the former Canadian champ, and this made for an exciting and fast paced match that ended when Sabu went for a flying splash on Martel, only for Martel to get his knees up in time and then follow up with his own slingshot splash for the one two three. Martel helped Sabu up after the match, and Sabu got a fair amount of cheers from his own little cult subsection of the AWA fans. Steven Regal vs. Maxx Payne Death Sentence have been gunning hard for the Southern Tag Team Titles held by British Steel for a while now, and this time out one member of each team would face off in singles action. Regal was certainly no small fry, but even he had trouble budging the huge Maxx Payne. In spite of crazy appearance and allegiance to the Neighborhood Of Evil, Payne has serious collegiate wrestling credentials as well as experience in Japan, and young Regal seemed to get the worst of several suplex exchanges. Regal was clearly jarred by some heavy slams but fought back with a series of blistering lefts and rights, and seemed to get set up for the Regal-Plex, but just could not get the big man up and over. Payne ultimately countered with a single arm takedown and locked in the Payne Killer armbar until Regal had to give up the match. Not a good omen for British Steels hopes to keep their titles from Death Sentence. Jake Roberts vs. Hector Guerrero Jake The Snake has been a bit of a lower profile of late, but anyone who overlooks him does so at their peril. Similarly, the Guerrero Brothers have come back into prominence since regaining the Six Man Tag Titles, and Hector is certainly not someone to take lightly. This led to a vicious and intense match between the two. Jake pulled out every dirty tactic he could work into the match, but Hector was no stranger himself to underhanded methods, and the momentum of the match careened back and forth. Hector tried to get the double underhook suplex to put Jake away, but Jake cut it short with a nasty low blow knee shot and then took advantage with the DDT. Jake got the victory, but it is unlikely that Hector will forgive any time soon. Ken Patera vs. Ron Simmons Patera remains a force to be reckoned with in the AWA, but in his newly declared war with Dan Spivey, he has drawn the attention of the dynamic All American Ron Simmons, newly returned to the AWA. These two powerhouses shook the ring as the blasted each other with clothelines, tackles and slams, with the fans clearly taking the side of the Florida State Seminole. Patera eventually threw fair play out the window when he summoned Dynamite Kid to the ring, and both men attacked Simmons as the ref called for the DQ. Dan Spivey quickly rushed out to the ring and he and Simmons cleared the Syndicate men from the ring. Patera and Dynamite got on the ringside mic and challenged Spivey and Simmons to a tag match at the San Francisco show, a challenge the two men swiftly accepted.

Love the Hulk vs. Doctor D blow up! WWF is keeping on it's hot streak.

AWA show from Cobo Hall, Detroit, October 4th Tonga Kid vs. Marty Jones Tonga Kid won with a flying splash Sabu vs. Chavo Guerrero Chavo hit a flying top rope somersault senton for the victory Fit Finlay vs. King Tonga Both men went to a double countout while brawling inside the ring Super Vader vs. Mando Guerrero Vader blocked a German Suplex attempt with several hard elbows to the face, then followed up with a chokeslam to get the pinfall. After the match, Super Vader looked to do more damage, but Chavo and Hector Guerrero ran in to pull their brother out of the ring Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Dave Taylor Taylor kept Hall on the defensive for much of the match with his expert counter-wrestling and submission holds, but ultimately got caught in the Corporal Punishment to give the match to Hall Larry Cameron vs. Shane Douglas Cameron was able to nail Douglas with a running power slam for the one two three Buddy Rose vs. Rick Martel Martel beat Rose with a slingshot cross body press AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs. Bill Dundee Orton caught Dundee's attempt at a running cross body and reversed it into a backbreaker, then followed up with a lariat to defend his title.

AWA show from the Met Center, Bloomington, October 3rd (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) The Youngbloods vs. The Marauders After the Can-Am Express snuck in the ring and nailed Wellington with a double clothesline to the back of the head, Slater pinner Wellington with a piledriver Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Buddy Rose Hall won with a running bulldog headlock The Can-Am Express vs. The Love Connection When the Youngbloods came down to ringside and distracted Phil Lafon, Perez pinned him with a German Suplex Black Irish vs. Shane Douglas & Brian Pillman Pillman went for a top rope clothesline on Finlay, Finlay ducked it but Pillman adjusted in mid air and caught him in a flying sunset flip to get the one two three. After the match, the four blonde men came out and again attacked Pillman and Douglas until security forced them to leave. Hector & Mando Guerrero vs. Jake Roberts & Nord The Barbarian Nord pinned Mando after a Bombs Away running kneedrop AWA Southern Title Match : Tom Zenk © vs. Steven Regal Zenk blocked a Regal-Plex and grabbed the trunks to get a school boy roll up and defend his title The Sinister Syndicate vs. Dan Spivey & ?? ?? & ?? ?? & ?? ?? Sheikh Kaissie and his men came out en masse, looking confident that they were ready for whatever Spivey had in store with them. Spivey came out on his own and grabbed the ringside mic. "Well, y'know, brothers and sisters, when I went out to find people who wanted to help me get revenge on the Slippery Simpletons, I had no shortage of volunteers. It seems like everyone want to get a shot at the Sheikh and his merry band of idiots. But I managed to find just the three guys to back me up. The first guy is someone who is no stranger to Ken Patera , and no stranger to beating him. He's a proud son of Minnesota , and a former WWF World Champion … Bob Backlund!" The crowd cheers wildly as Bob Backlund power walked to the ring, smiling broadly and shaking hands with the fans on his way. "My next partner is one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and has made his mark in the AWA time and again. He's held the AWA Canadian Title on multiple occasions and is a former NWA World Champion. He is Canada's greatest wrestler … Rick Martel!" The crowd cheers more and women squeal as the handsome Martel runs to the ring, slapping palms with as many fans as he can. "And my final partner is a guy I got to know pretty well when we were stuck in the Varsity Club, and he impressed me as someone who knew how to take care of business. He had the sense to shake off the chains of Kevin Sullivan, and I followed his example. He is a former All American, and the toughest son of a gun I have ever met … Ron Simmons!" The crowd explodes as Ron Simmons comes out , raises his fists above his head and stand, soaking in the cheers. The last time the AWA fans saw Simmons, he had left Kevin Sullivan lying in the middle of the ring , and they were overjoyed to see him back and aligned with Spiveymania. The match was a knock down drag out fight that included : Bob Backlund shutting down an attempted Full Nelson by Patera and then deadlifting him into a German Suplex that got a 2.5 count ; an exciting matwork and counter wrestling showdown between Martel and Jones ; Dynamite Kid hitting a top rope missile dropkick that knocked Martel out of the ring ; and Spivey and Simmons putting Taylor away with a massive double flying shoulder block to finish the match. Spivey and his partners stood triumphantly in the ring after their victory, but Patera and Kaissie seemed to be intense conversation as they headed to the back, scheming a new plan to get back at Spivey. AWA World Title Match : Rick Steamboat © vs. Harley Race An epic match that went to a 30 minute time limit draw.

I trust that Greg will do as good a job mowing Jim Crockett's lawn as he did for his father.

Glad Mick has found a place.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for October 3rd The Love Connection vs. Andrew Torrens & Craig L'Anson After losing Badd Company when they left the AWA following a brutal loss to the Sheepherders, Sunshine has put together a new team named the Love Connection, consisting of Al Perez and young newcomer Chris Candido. The brand new pairing impressed the fans with some fast paced and exciting offense, with Candido finishing off Torrens with a top rope flying legdrop. A commendable start, but time will tell how well they do against the brutal New Zealanders. Shane Douglas & Brian Pillman vs. Black Irish Superstar Unit have recently lost one of their members when Mark Starr went out at the hands of Super Vader, but the remaining members have closed ranks, with Billl Dundee joining his young charges at ringside to watch their backs. Douglas and Pillman put in a strong showing against the always tough former Southern Tag Team champs, and kept bouncing back no matter what Finlay and Cameron threw at them. But the match took a turn for the strange when, seemingly out of nowhere, four blonde men appeared at ringside and attacked Bill Dundee, driving him head first into the ringside steps. Douglas and Pillman dove out of the ring to defend their mentor, leading to them being counted out of the ring. From the expressions on their faces, Finlay and Cameron were none too pleased with someone interfering with their match but still left Pillman and Douglas to their fate, clearly seeing it as none of their business. Facing a four to two numbers disadvantage, Pillman and Douglas took quite a beating until AWA security intervened. The four interlopers seemed well pleased with themselves, puffing out their chests and smirking arrogantly as they were led away from ringside. Interview : Ken Resnick stands in the ring Resnick : Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest have been at the center of a lot of big changes here in the AWA … Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie and the Sinister Syndicate! The crowd explodes in boos as the Sheikh comes out leading his men : Ken Patera, the British Bullies, and the latest member of the Syndicate, Dynamite Kid. Resnick : Dynamite Kid, I am shocked, shocked I say, to see you in such company! You haven't been seen in the AWA for almost a year, and when you return, you are joining the Sinister Syndicate! What is the deal? Dynamite : The two best motivators in the world, Resnick : money and revenge! The Sheikh's money got me back into the AWA , and he promised me revenge against Chris Adams. It was Adams who sent me out of the AWA in the first place, and now I have returned the favor. Now that Adams is gone, my loyalty is with the Syndicate. Resnick : Ken Patera, you might have sent Chris Adams out of the AWA, but it wasn't until after he took out Jerry Blackwell. Patera : Blackwell's time was done. The Syndicate is better off without him. We've got the toughest tag team in the AWA. In Dynamite, we have the most dangerous man in wrestling. And most of all, there is me, the world's strongest man, former and future AWA World Champion. Together, there is nothing … Patera is cut off by someone sneaking into the ring behind him and hitting him in the back with a steel chair … Dan Spivey! Spivey, who hasn't been seen in the past couple of months, scattered the Syndicate from the ring by wildly swinging the chair. He then grabbed the abandoned microphone and challenged the Syndicate to face him and three partners in and 8 man tag match in Bloomington, a challenge that the Syndicate angrily accepted. The Marauders vs. Connor Bethune & Adam Parkin The tag team ranks of the AWA are at their most competitive in a long time right now, and a dangerous new element was added to the mix in the form of Dick Slater and Matt Borne. Taking the collective name of the Marauders, Slater and Borne battered their young opponents around the ring, showing a callous disregard for the safety of Bethune and Parkin as they attacked them before Borne finished them off with the Cannonball (sitting splash from the top rope). It looks like the intensity of the tag team competition in the AWA is about to get white hot. Sabu vs. The Great Kabuki Speaking of reckless opponents, for all that Sabu is affiliated with the dastardly Piper's Pit, he has been developing something of a cult following for his out-of-control, go-to-hell style and daredevil offense. He let it all loose against the veteran Kabuki with flying fists and top rope moves that had Kabuki working hard to gain control of the match. In the end, it was this very recklessness that cost Sabu the match, as he ended up running straight into a Thrust Kick from Kabuki that led to the one two three. Nevertheless, Sabu still got a round of applause from the group of fans who have taken a shine to him, and Kabuki bowed to him in respect after the match. AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : British Steel © vs. Death Sentence British Steel have proven to be fighting champions since winning the Southern Tag Team Titles, but they certainly had their work cut out for them when they face Kevin Sullivan's huge enforcers. Regal and Smiley dug into their bag of technical know how to keep shutting down the brawling and power attack of Payne and Gaylord, but Death Sentence kept coming after them. Smiley was able to sink in the Norman Conquest on Payne, but then Gaylord clobbered him in the back of the head with the Golden Spike. Death Sentence lost the match by DQ, but did serious damage to the champs, and look like they are determined to get that gold around their own waists.

I had originally intended for Garvin's final match to be the title loss to Burke. Then I realized that I had a dream match (for me) that I had not run and one last chance to fit it in, so I gave him one more match in Calgary.

AWA show from the Saddledome, Calgary, September 27th The Youngbloods vs. The Can-Am Express Both teams went to a double DQ when they would not stop brawling with all 4 men in the ring Tonga Kid vs. Kevin Sullivan Tonga Kid won with a top rope flying splash Sabu vs.Larry Cameron Cameron caught Sabu in a running cross body press attempt and reversed it into a running power slam for the win Brian Pillman & Shane Douglas vs. The British Bullies Pillman and Douglas hit Jones with a double top rope missile dropkick to get the victory Ron Garvin vs. Fit Finlay This match was announced beforehand as Garvin's last AWA match. An incredibly hard hitting match that ended when Garvin was going for a piledriver , but Finlay countered with a small package and held him for the one two three. The fans gave both men a standing ovation as they shook hands in the ring. Loser Leaves Town Match : Chris Adams vs. Ken Patera Adams kept peppering Patera with kicks and chops throughout the match to try and soften him up for the Super Kick, but Patera just kept coming at him. Chaos erupted when the British Bullies charged out to interfere, but the ref spotted them and ordered them to go back to the locker room by threatening them with suspension. However, during this distraction, someone came out of the crowd and dropped Adams hard throat first onto the top rope. It was Dynamite Kid, making his return to the AWA! While Adams was staggered, Patera executed the shoulder breaker and scored the three count. The crowd looked on in shock as Dynamite and the Sinister Syndicate celebrated sending Adams out of the AWA. AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : British Steel © vs. Death Sentence British Steel won by countout when Regal hit Gaylord with the Iron Fist Punch, sending him toppling out of the ring and onto Kevin Sullivan. AWA Southern Title Match : Tom Zenk © vs. Bill Dundee Zenk caught Dundee charging into the corner with a Super Kick, successfully defending his title AWA World Title Match : Rick Steamboat © vs. Harley Race Steamboat defeated the former NWA World Champion with a top rope flying cross body press

AWA show from the Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, September 27th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) Al Perez vs. Marty Jones A tight technical bout that ended when Perez caught Jones in a single arm takedown and forced him to submit to the Japanese Armbar (wakigatame) Cactus Jack vs. Sabu Sabu won with a moonsault. After the match, Cactus assaulted the ref and gave him a piledriver on the concrete outside the ring. It was then announced by the AWA officials that Cactus Jack was immediately and indefinitely suspended Greg Gagne vs. Super Vader Gagne put up quite a fight, dodging much of Vader's offense with his technical knowhow and even sinking in the sleeper hold. Vader powered out by driving him back first into the corner several times until he let go. Super Vader then tore into Gagne like a lion on a lamb, raining down brutal punches on his face before the spine snapper and choke slam combination. Once again, Super Vader's opponent was taken from the ring on a stretcher Loser Leaves Town Match : Chris Adams vs. Jerry Blackwell Adams hit Blackwell with two Super Kicks and was going for a third when Blackwell grabbed him for a power slam. Adams, however, was able to counter with an inside cradle and, when Blackwell kicked out, Adams blasted him with the third Super Kick to put him down for good. Blackwell is now gone from the AWA. No DQ Streetfight : Badd Company vs. The Sheepherders The Sheepherders took advantage of the No DQ stipulation by blasting both members of Badd Company with steel chairs. Pat Tanaka, already hurt from an attack by Super Vader a week before, took quite a pounding, and after the Sheepherders hit him with a double gutbuster, Tanaka was pinned to end the match. Loser Leaves Town Match : Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Col. Debeers Debeers was going for a face first piledriver, but Hall powered out of it, then hit the Corporal Punishment for the win. Col. Debeers is now gone from the AWA. AWA Canadian Title Match : Ron Garvin © vs. Leo Burke Garvin hit a top rope sunset flip, but Burke was able to block him from rolling through and countered with a hard right cross to the face of Garvin. Burke then caught Garvin with a double leg rollup and got the one two three. Leo Burke is now the AWA Canadian Champion. AWA World Title Match : Rick Steamboat © vs. Bob Orton Steamboat won by DQ when Roddy Piper attacked him. Steamboat was able to fight them off but had to bail out of the ring when Super Vader charged in. Piper laughed in the ring as he hid behind Super Vader and pointed at Steamboat.

Brad Rheingans and Bad News Brown as the New Olympians is an idea so crazy it just might work.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for September 26th Super Vader vs. Mark Starr Up until now, Super Vader had a more methodical approach as he faced his opponents, but this time out, he just went full bore on young Mark Starr, grabbing him and battering him before administrating several crushing power slams. This was not enough for Piper's monster, who took Starr outside the ring and drove him back first into the corner post, causing Starr to start spasming. After that it was all academic as he brought him back into the ring to hit the spine snapper followed by the chokeslam to put an end to this massacre. The other members of Superstar Unit rushed out to see to Starr taken out on a stretcher, but none of them got in the way of Super Vader as the cackling Piper led him away from the ring. The arrival of this behemoth from the Far East clearly spells big trouble for the rest of the AWA roster. Black Irish vs. Brian Pillman & Shane Douglas Douglas and Pillman were coming out clearly shaken by what had just happened to their partner, Mark Starr, but worked hard to keep focused against the always dangerous former Southern Tag champs. Finlay and Cameron kept up an intense attack on the two youngsters, but Douglas and Pillman fired back with their own fast paced offense. Douglas looked like he just might catch Finlay with the belly to belly suplex, but the fighting Irishman shut that down with a hard elbow to the face, followed by a stiff lariat that got the one two three. A tough loss for Douglas and Pillman, but one that earned them the respect of Black Irish, who shook their hands after the match. Sgt. Slaughter vs. Col. Debeers Debeers' hatred of Sarge is well known , but this time out he was focused on Cpl. Scott Hall who was cheering on his Cobra Corps comrade from ringside. Debeers kept jawing with hall as he slugged it out with Slaughter in a tough brawl. He should have paid more attention to his opponent, as his constant distraction led to him being caught flat footed by the Slaughter Cannon, which got the victory for Sarge. After the match, an enraged Debeers got on the ringside mic and challenged Hall to a Loser Leaves Town match at the Winnipeg show, which Hall quickly accepted over the protests of Sgt. Slaughter. Ron Garvin & Chris Adams vs. Ken Patera & Jerry Blackwell Adams is still thirsting for vengeance against Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissie for kicking him out of the Syndicate, and brought his good friend Ron Garvin to challenge the Sinister Syndicate's two biggest men. What resulted was a classic bout between a team of skilled veterans and a duo of powerful super-heavyweights. The end came when the ref was escorting Adams out of the ring while Garvin blasted Patera in the corner with chops, only for Blackwell to take advantage of the distraction by hitting him with an Avalanche, crushing Garvin against Patera. Patera then fell on top of Garvin and scored the pinfall. Perhaps inspired by the previous match, Adams also challenged Blackwell to a Loser Leaves Town match, which was accepted by Blackwell. AWA Six-Man Tag Team Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zybszko & Masa Saito © vs. Chavo, Mando & Hector Guerrero Ever since the Guerreros lost the Six Man titles back in June, they have been on a quest to regain them from Bockwinkel's crew, getting some wins in singles and regular tag matches but falling short in title matches. They cranked up the intensity in this latest attempt, throwing every high flying and combination move they could think of against the champs, forcing them to back pedal for much of the match. A missed flying senton by Chavo put the advantage back in the hands of the champions, and Bockwinkel proceeded to take him apart with leglocks and kneedrops, all while keeping him in their corner, before tagging in Saito. Saito managed to get Chavo in the Jailhouse Lock and looked like he would put an end to the challenge of the brothers, but Chavo managed to get to the ropes in time. Saito then whipped Chavo into the ropes, where Larry was waiting to slug him with the title belt, but Chavo reversed it aind it was Saito who took the shot. While his brothers dropkicked Larry and Bock out of the ring, Chavo rolled up Saito and scored the three count. The Guerreros are once again the Six-Man Champions! Unlike when they first won the titles from the Sunshine Boys, the fans loudly cheered the brothers' victory. After the match, Saito argued with both Larry and Bock before storming out on them. It looks like this alliance has come to an end.

AWA show from the International Amphitheater, Chicago, September 20th Four Corners Tag Team Match : The Youngbloods vs. The Can-Am Express vs. The British Bullies vs. Death Sentence 1st fall : Furnas pinned Taylor after a running Canadian backbreaker into the corner 2nd fall : Blackman pinned Lafon after hitting the running bicycle kick 3rd fall : After the Can-Am Express snuck back in the ring and ambushed Lafon, Death Sentence hit the Execution on him to win the match Tonga Kid vs. Sabu Tonga Kid won with a top rope flying splash Jake Roberts vs. Mark Starr Roberts won with the DDT Sgt. Slaughter & Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Buddy Rose & Col. Debeers Debeers went for a lariat on Hall, but Hall ducked and came back with his own lariat for the victory AWA Southern Title Match : Tom Zenk © vs. Bill Dundee Both men went to a 20 minute time limit draw AWA Southern Tag Team Title Match : British Steel © vs. Larry Zbyszko & Masa Saito Larry went for a low blow kick on Regal, but Regal blocked it and countered with the Iron Fist punch that knocked Larry out. When Larry came to, he threw his usual temper tantrum in the ring AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs. The Great Kabuki Kabuki hit the Thrust Kick on Orton, but then Piper entered the ring and attacked him, leading to a DQ win for Kabuki but not the title. The two men double teamed Kabuki until Badd Company came out to back up their stablemate. But then Super Vader entered the fray and all hell broke loose. The masked man got a number of brutal shots in on Tanaka before gorilla press slamming him out of the ring. Tanaka seemed very badly hurt as his comrades helped him back to the locker room.

AWA show from the Mecca, Milwaukee, September 19th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) Masa Saito vs. Hector Guerrero Hector scored the pinfall with the Guerrero Clutch Al Perez vs. Harley Race Both men went to a 20 minute Time Limit Draw Black Irish vs. Shane Douglas & Brian Pillman Finlay pinned Douglas after a belly to belly piledriver Bill Dundee vs. Cactus Jack Dundee reversed an attempted Russian Legsweep into an inside cradle for the win. After the match, Cactus chased the ref out of the ring Chris Adams vs. Jerry Blackwell Adams staggered Blackwell with two superkicks, but Blackwell blocked the third then hit a powerslam to get the win Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Buddy Rose Hall pinned Rose after a running bulldog headlock AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Roddy Piper & Bob Orton © vs. Badd Company Orton hit Tanaka in the back of the head with the title belt, enabling Piper to catch him in a roll up for the one two three AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Nick Bockwinkel Steamboat caught Bockwinkel with the top rope flying cross body press to successfully defend his title.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for September 19th Super Vader vs. Rohan MacLaren After his shocking but impressive debut at the recent Bloomington show, terrified whispers about Roddy Piper's intimidating new charge have spread through the AWA locker room. Young MacLaren clearly did not want to be in the ring with him at all. He never managed to even get a move in as Super Vader opened up with a mammoth swinging backfist that knocked MacLaren to the mat. After that, it was all a series of crushing slams on the young rookie, closing with a nasty spine snapper that had MacLaren spasming in agony. Piper then gave the order to put him down for good, and Super Vader obliged with the one handed choke slam that ended the match. At this rate, nobody will be able to stop Super Vader. Nord The Barbarian vs. Bill Dundee Jake Roberts and the Snakepit have been waging their own reign of terror on the younger members of Superstar Unit, so the fearless leader of the Unit has taken it upon himself to go toe with the biggest bully in the Snakepit. Although Nord towered over the scrappy Australian, Dundee was not intimidated in the slightest. Although the Barbarian would knock him down, Dundee would not stay down for long, and would always come back with a hurricane of flying fists. Nord tried to take him out completely by whipping him into the ropes and hitting him with the Big Boot, but Dundee ducked under it and countered with a single leg roll up that shockingly managed to get the one two three. Dundee and the fans were jubilant, and Nord seemed to want to go after him post match, but Roberts advised him to calm down and told him they would get their own back in good time. Leo Burke vs. Chris Adams Leo Burke has been on a hot campaign to take the Canadian title from Ron Garvin but for now would have to content himself with facing Garvin's good friend, "Gentleman" Chris Adams. Both men hit hard but also showed their deep well of technical abilities in their exchanges. Burke attempted to lock in the Sleeper Hold, but Adams countered with an inside cradle. However, Burke in turn countered by reversing the inside cradle and holding it in place for the pinfall. Garvin is clearly in for a fight when they do have their title match. The British Bullies vs. Shane Douglas & Brian Pillman Douglas and Pillman have started to gel together under Bill Dundee's leadership and become a fast rising team in the AWA ranks. As they squared off against the always tough British Bullies, they showed strong coordination with plentiful double team and combination moves. They managed to weather the storm of the Bullies intense awesome and hit a double top rope missile dropkick to pull out the victory. The AWA tag team division continues to heat up. Badd Company vs. Death Sentence Speaking of which … the former Southern Tag Team champs faced a tough match up with the Neighborhood Of Evil's terrifying duo of "The Black Knight" Jeff Gaylord and Max Payne. Tanaka and Diamond did manage to keep one step ahead of their much larger opponents for much of the match, and Diamond had Gaylord lined up for a flying back body press. It was at this point that the Sheepherders, Badd Company's hated rivals , chose to strike, sneaking down to ringside and knocking Diamond off the top turnbuckle. Death Sentence took advantage and hit the Execution to get the pinfall. A dirty win, but one that sends Death Sentence up the tag rankings. AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs. The Great Kabuki Orton has faced some incredible contenders in his defense of the American Title, and the Great Kabuki has been one of the toughest. Orton has managed to fend off the Japanese legend in several recent house shows, but Kabuki brought a new focus to this match, ignoring the hectoring of Roddy Piper from ringside and blasting Orton with stiff kicks throughout the match, chipping away at Orton's defenses. Piper ended up deciding to take a short cut to keep the title in the ranks of Piper's Pit by summoning his allies the Sheepherders to interfered, but the New Zealanders found themselves intercepted by Badd Company, and both teams did battle at ringside. While Orton was distracted by this, Kabuki nailed him with a thrust kick that sent him flying out of the ring, and Orton ended up being counted out. Orton still retained the title, but Kabuki seems to be inching closer to taking the belt.

* edit * addressed later in the podcast

Awesome victory for Terry Gordy. Should make for a great title match. Exciting title win for the Warrior, leading to a furious quit by Schultz. Can't wait to see what you do next.

AWA show from Cobo Hall, Detroit, Sept. 6th Marty Jones vs. Tonga Kid Tonga Kid won with a flying splash in his first AWA appearance Nord The Barbarian vs. Greg Gagne Nord hit the top rope kneedrop for the victory The Great Kabuki vs. Dave Taylor Kabuki caught Taylor with a thrust kick to the jaw that got the pinfall Death Sentence vs. Brian Pillman & Shane Douglas Death Sentence hit the Execution on Douglas and got the win Bill Dundee vs. Larry Zybszko Larry went for a low blow kick, but Dundee blocked it and countered with a single leg takedown and cradle for the one two three. Larry threw a hissy fit after the match, as he tends to do AWA Southern Title Match : Tom Zenk © vs. Steven Regal Zenk defended his title with a top rope flying cross body press Col. Debeers vs. Cpl. Scott Hall Hall scored an impressive victory with a running bulldog headlock AWA World Tag Team Title Match : Roddy Piper & Bob Orton © vs. Badd Company A hot match that descended into chaos when Super Vader made his way to ringside and seemed to be threatening Sunshine. This led to Kabuki rushing out to interpost himself between the two. While this was going on outside, Piper and Orton took advantage of the distraction by Spike Piledriving Pat Tanaka to get the pinfall.

The third band on the bill with the Allmans and the Dead was the Peter Green version of Fleetwood Mac. There is a legendary bootleg of a show from that run that has the Dead performing "Dark Star" with Duane Allman and Peter Green guesting on guitar, as well as a version of "Turn On Your Lovelight" with Gregg Allman on vocals.

AWA show from the Met Center in Bloomington, Sept. 5th (as shown on ESPN / TSN Super Cards) Nord The Barbarian vs. Mark Starr Nord won with a front slam The Youngbloods vs. The Can-Am Express Both teams went to a 20 minute time limit draw, and continued fighting after the final bell Cactus Jack vs. Brian Pillman Pillman took out Cactus with a top rope flying clothesline. Post match, Cactus once again went after the ref Leo Burke vs. Shane Douglas Douglas was going for a belly to belly suplex, but Burke blocked it with a legsweep, and hit his own belly to bell suplex for the victory Nick Bockwinkel & Larry Zbyszko vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero Larry had Chavo set up for an over the shoulder neckbreaker, but failed to notice that Chavo had tagged out, and Hector rolled him up with a single leg rollup . After the match, Larry started to throw a tantrum but was cut off by Bock slapping him on the back of the head Too Cold Scorpio vs. ?? Scorpio came out to face Roddy Piper's secret challenger looking wary but determined, and had Sgt. Slaughter and Cpl. Scott Hall watching his back. Roddy Piper came out with Cowboy Bob Orton , a fistful of papers in his hand and a cocky grin on his face. Piper then took the ringside mic while waving the papers. He announced that this was the contract for the match that Scorpio had signed, and that it included a clause that stated, should anyone interfere in the match while it was in progress, that person would be immediately suspended from the AWA. However, he continued, it also included a clause that banned unsanctioned people from ringside. He had a manager's license so he could be there, of course, and Orton was there in the official capacity as Piper's bodyguard, but Slaughter and Hall had no legal status in the match, so they could just head back to the locker room. Sarge and Hall both protested while pleading with Scorpio not to go further in the match, but Scorpio insisted that he could handle it and that they should go to the back. After they had done so, Piper got back on the mic and proceeded to announce his competitor, a mystery man who had destroyed everyone in his path in Japan and was now going to do the same in the AWA. A man known only as …. SUPER VADER! What came out next was a huge, powerful man in a black singlet and black mask, moving slowly and methodically to the ring. When he came to the ring, Scorpio tried a few tentative punches, but they had no effect on this behemoth. Vader then threw a few punches of his own, and Scorpio was able to dodge most of them, but the ones that landed had considerable impact. Scorpio tried cat and mouse tactics from there on in, peppering Super Vader with dropkicks while dodging out of the way of the retaliatory strikes, but it wasn't having much of an effect on the mystery man. He then went for desperation tactics, trying an eye rake that ended up tearing part of Super Vader's mask. Scorpio seemed to see something in Vader's eyes that caused him to stop in his tracks in shock. Unfortunately, this left him open to a brutal right cross from Super Vader that caught him flush on the jaw and dropped him like a sack of rolled oats. Vader then proceeded to annihilate Scorpio with several crushing slams before a vicious over the knee spine snapper that put Scorpio out for good. This was not enough for Piper, who told Vader to put him away completely. Sarge and Hall charged out to the ring, but were blocked by Piper and Orton, waving the contract. While this was going on, Vader grabbed Scorpio by the throat and lifted him up from the mat with one hand, before driving him back down with a chokeslam. Vader then put one foot on Scorpio's chest while the ref counted to three, finally putting an end to the massacre. While Piper and his men left the ring, gloating all the way, Scorpio was taken from the ring in a stretcher while Sarge and Hall followed him in great distress. Who is this monster that Piper has unleashed on the AWA? AWA Southern Tag Title Match : British Steel © vs. Ken Patera & Jerry Blackwell Regal hit Patera with the Iron Fist punch, to set him up for a crucifix by Smiley that led to a successful title defense for British Steel. AWA World Title Match : Ricky Steamboat © vs. Roddy Piper As could be expected, a chaotic match ending in a DQ win for Steamboat when he was chasing Piper around the ring, only to be cut off by a lariat from Bob Orton. The two men beat on Steamboat until Sgt. Slaughter and Scott Hall rushed out to the ring, only for Super Vader to come out soon after. Piper hid behind the masked man and slapped Vader's chest, saying, "Your time is coming, Steamboat!"

Loved the show, especially the title matches. Can't wait to see how it develops between Garvin and Rougeau.

AWA All-Star Wrestling on ESPN / TSN for September 5th Cpl. Scott Hall vs. Barry Lea The Cobra Corps had been taking a fair number of blows for a while, notably with the disappearance of Leon White, the return of Cpl. Scott Hall has been a real shot in the arm for Sgt. Slaughter's crew. His boundless enthusiasm and immense strength have been an incredible asset in their matches, and he brought both qualities to this match, as he easily overwhelmed Barry Lea with a series of impressive slams and hard hitting clotheslines. Hall polished him off with the Corporal Punishment and stood tall in the ring, as if daring Piper's Pit and Playboy After Dark to come after him. If they do accept his challenge, they might end up biting off more than they can chew. Harley Race vs. Greg Gagne Speaking of Playboy After Dark, their newest addition has made quite the impression of his own, knocking off challengers left and right. The wily veteran Race has been on a real hot streak of his own , and was looking to keep the momentum going as he took on AWA mainstay Greg Gagne. Gagne certainly wasn't going to go down without a fight, and held his own for most of the match, before a mistimed dropkick sent him down to the mat and gave the advantage to Race. Race went for a two leg rollup, assisted by a fistful of trunks and both feet on the ropes, to get the one two three. A dirty win, but further proof that you don't dare take your eye off the former NWA World Champ for a second. Jake Roberts vs. Mark Starr Jake the Snake has been keeping an unusually low profile of late, but experienced observers know that it is only a matter of time before he decides to strike. As he took on the newest member of Superstar Unit, he seemed unusually sedate, with Starr getting in a number of dropkicks and other moves, as well as a few near falls. But Roberts was merely biding his time, like the proverbial snake in the grass, drawing Starr into the corner before catching him with a vicious kneelift. After that, a short clothesline and a DDT soon followed and that was all she wrote. Who knows that Roberts has planned next? Sabu vs. Bill Dundee Sabu has been really making a name for himself as a wild brawler to keep an eye on. The young charge of Piper's Pit has had some intense throwdowns with Cactus Jack , and went all out against the veteran Dundee. Sabu kept Dundee backpedaling with a non stop barrage of flying fists and feet. But the canny Australian showed why he is one of the most respected names in wrestling as he let Sabu wear himself out, ducking and dodging until Sabu was missing more shots than he was hitting, then taking advantage with a sunset flip out of the corner to get the pinfall. A tough loss for Sabu, but he seemed to get the respect of both Dundee and the crowd. Cactus Jack vs. Chris Adams Speaking of Cactus Jack, the wild man from Truth Or Consequences has been acting progressively more unhinged as the weeks go on. Wrestlers and officials alike have faced the wrath of Cactus, and an ongoing topic of discussion has been whether he has been actually losing his mind. Adams did all he could to rein in Cactus, going for suplexes and take downs, but eventually realized that the technical approach just wouldn't work, and blasted him with three straight Superkicks to finally put him down. Cactus, as has been the trend with him, started arguing the result with the ref and even took a swing at him before being swarmed by security. Word has it that the AWA officials have been having a lot of discussions about what to do if he goes completely out of control. AWA American Title Match : Bob Orton © vs. Al Perez With his Razor Boys partner Paul Diamond reuninting with Pat Tanaka in their feud with the Sheepherders, Al Perez finds himself back in singles action and contending for the American Title. The result was an intense, technical bout where the momentum swung back and forth. Perez almost had Orton up for the Ally-Copter, but Orton broke it up with some hard elbows to the face of the Latin Heartthrob. He followed up with a backbreaker and a huge lariat to score the hard fought victory. A tough loss for Perez, but it showed he is a contender for any title he sets his sights on.

Great start, miz, can't wait to see where you go with this.

Love the main and how it plays into current storylines.