AWA Rage In Rochester

Akio Sato v. Jim Evans

 

Sato's double stomp and splash onto head of hunched over Evans were awesome. Evans dropkicks are just terrible.

 

Ridiculous segment with Wayne Bloom challenging Ken Patera to a "carlifting contest."

 

Ken Patera interview putting over the car lift challenge.

 

Scott Norton v. Tom Stone

 

This is Norton's debut or at least it is billed that way. Lots of power spots with Norton playing brick wall in all sorts of ways, throwing off an armscissors, squeezing stone's hand on a handshake, stiffing him with a forearm, et. Norton offers Stone to punch him in the stomach and of course Stone sells the hand then Norton returns the favor knocking the wind out of Stone. Stone rakes his eyes on the third attempt but that advantage didn't last long. Stone gives up to a bearhug.

 

Col Debeers. v. Eddie Slater

 

Debeers being managed by DDP is hysterical. Decent squash for Debeers.

 

Car lifting contest. Lee Marshall explaining this shit dead serious is awesome. Then Bloom and Patera banter back and forth with Bloom bitching about the rules. They are lifting some sort of hatch back. Bloom easily lifts the car, so "under the rules of weight lifting" Patera "passes" his lift which means they add weight to the hatchbacks trunk. Bloom makes the lift and Patera passes again. They add more weight and Bloom makes the lift. Patera elects to lift the car with the even more weights. Patera gets in position to do it and the Destruction Crew and Johnny Valiant attack him and Brad Rheingans from behind. This is long but I feel like this should be an EXTRA.

 

Johnny Valiant/Destruction Crew promo explaining their actions backstage.

 

Greg Gagne v. Tony Leone

 

Typical squash for Greg.

 

Backstage interview with Rheingans and Patera vowing revenge against Destruction Crew.

 

Jake Milliman v. Mike George

 

George tossing Milliman by his beard into the bottom turnbuckle was awesome. Also George's shoulder breaker looked nasty.

 

Badd Company v. Derrick Dukes/Tommy Jammer

 

DDP introduces Badd Company. Rheingans/Patera are ruled incapable of performing due to the attack earlier from Destruction Crew so Dukes/Jammer are brought in as subs which causes DDP to flip out. The first part of this is really unimpressive as the heels work a pretty uninspired headlock as a base and Jammer does nothing compelling from underneath. Match gets good when the faces go on offense primarily because of Tanaka who takes an insane clothesline bump and nice bumps off of press slams and back body drops. Diamond ends up getting isolated and having his arm worked over. Diamond makes a comeback and Tanaka ends up face planting on a splash attempt. Tanaka's arm ends up getting worked over and Dukes is charismatic milking everything for effect. Stupid finish with Tanaka accidentally hitting diving headbutt on Diamond costing them the match. Tanaka was pretty awesome in this but the rest of this was just sort of their.

 

DDP backstage interview freaking out about losing the match and getting screwed out of a title shot.

 

Greg Gagne v. Akio Sato

 

Fuck a nervehold match. I will give Greg credit for his selling of it and they actually worked some decent hope spots out of it, but fuck a nervehold. Gagne doing a seated piledriver spot to block Sato from sitting out of his headscissors was cool as was Sato's escape and subsequent leg cracker thing. Gagne with a horrible clothesline to set up the sleeper which Sato counters. Gagne DQ'ed after salt spot. Meh.

 

Tom Zenk v. Paul Diamond

 

Match is mainly about Page and Diamond arguing. Story of the match is that Diamond is puzzled and doesn't know how to deal with the speed and precision of Zenk which I just find comical. Work was certainly not bad, and I liked Zenk's dropkick a good bit, but this was not a standout mach.

 

Post-match Tanaka runs out and turns on Diamond DDTing him into oblivion. Akio Sato runs out and helps destroy Diamond after Diamond starts to make a comeback. This flows right into a DDP interview with Tanaka/Sato. This might be worth an EXTRA.

 

Paul Diamond interview post-beatdown.

 

Scott Norton/Wahoo McDaniel v. The Destruction Crew

 

Mainly there to make Scott Norton look like a bad ass. Wahoo gets cheapshotted with Destruction Crew hard hats and Norton ends up going ballistic as a result beating the fuck out of everyone.

 

Scott Norton interview

 

Wahoo McDaniel promo package and sit down interview segment and "retirement." EXTRA