Posted December 30, 201014 yr comment_5461220 Medley of news highlights from St. Paul including a cool music video of the Crusher/Gagne v. Shieks Cage Match. Blackjack Lanza v. Nick Bockwinkel JIP. Slow moving opening as Lanza doesn't do much compelling on offense. When Bock takes over it gets a little more interesting and the chaotic finish was okay but this was nothing special. Crusher/Greg Gagne v. Jerry Blackwell/Shiek Adnan Al-Kaissie (Cage Match) JIP. This is easily the most complete version of this I've seen. There are some awkward moments in this, but it has a lot of momentum shifts and it feels like a war. Blackwell takes several wild bumps, including a missed splash off the ropes, two back body drops into the cage, et. There is a really cool spot where Blackwell just walks up and kicks Gagne right in the guts to stop his attempt at saving Crusher. Gagne hit some fun leaping shots off the ropes throughout this. Patera was a good second for heels, climbing the cage, mugging for the camera, et. There was definitely some shit that was not hit as cleanly as you would like in this, but Gagne's diving knee drop off the top of the Cage onto the arm of Adnan is enough to put this over the top. John Tolos(?) v. ? Not sure who either of these guys are though I think the guy in the singlet is Tolos. Okay match. Steve O v. Larry Zbyszko JIP. Crowd really gets up for Steve O's early offense and Larry flying around for him. Larry takes over and dances around before hitting a hanging vertical suplex for a nearfall. Larry really lays in those knees to the back. Larry gets pulled the floor and hit with an atomic drop. Back in the ring Steve O hits a backbreaker and locks on an ab stretch. Larry reverses but Steve hits a knee lift. He goes for a rope walk elbow but misses when Larry moves. Larry hits a release gutwrench suplex for a nearfall, but Steve O falls on him to score a nearfall of his own. Steve O with a nice suplex for a nearfall. At this point it seems obvious they are going to the fifteen minute time limit and there are less than three minutes left. Steve O hits a dropkick but whiffs on a second attempt. Larry hits a shoulder breaker for a nearfall. Larry tries a piledriver but Steve reverses. They go to a double knock down rope running spot. Steve O with a small package off of a suplex attempt for a nearfall. And they just sort of run out of time. This was perfectly fine "stretch run" wrestling, but it was so heavily telegraphed and there are much better ways to work a match like this. Buck Zumhofe v. Steve Regal JIP. There is some solid work early and a nice "Regal stubbornly holds onto an armbar bit" and then Zumhofe takes an insane bump to the floor off of a rope running spot. Regal elbows him on the apron and splats to the concrete again. Zumhofe avoids a second attempt by Regal to splatter him and hulks up on the floor. He comes in and rattles off some good babyface, highspot offense. Goes for a second Vader Bomb but Regal gets the knees up. Zumhofe gets pinned after taking a head bump into the corner. Not a great match, but Zumhofe looked good here. Brad Rheingans v. Steve Regal JIP. Basically the finishing run. I continue to be impressed by Rheingans offense. Blackjack Lanza v. Jerry Blackwell I really loved Blackwell's wild bump off of the Lanza back elbow. Blackwell offers his hand for a handshake and Lanza ends up squeezing it so hard it brings Blackwell to his knees. Blackwell brigns some hate filled offense but Lanza pretty quickly makes a comeback. God damn Blackwell takes an awesome bump off the finishing lariat. Fun while it lasted. Fabulous Ones v. Mr. Saito/Jesse Ventura The heels attack the faces at the bell before they can even get fully out of their stripper gear. Fabs fire back sending Saito flying with a dropkick and Jesse whirling around with his over the top bumping per usual. This is starting to look good when the Fabs throw the heels over the ropes for a DQ. Lame. Nick Bockwinkel v. Rick Martel JIP. This starts off with Rick working over Bock, including a cool spot with Bock going for a hip toss counter and Martel turns into an ab stretch. Heenan ends up getting on the apron which allows Bock to blindside Martel with a knee. Ref bump. Bock hits a piledriver but there is no ref to count the fall quickly and Martel ends up kicking out. Martel with the roll up for the finish. Less than four minutes shown. More news clips from St. Paul tv highlighting cards on the Civic Center. Curt Hennig v. Larry Zbyszko JIP. The opening exchange wit the quick spots and sharp execution from Hennig was great as was Larry fleeing the ring in terror. Larry gets caught in a sharp body scissors and is jawing with the ref and fans while wincing in pain. They work a cool roll up spot out of this and then Larry reverses, before Curt reverses back. Slight edit and Larry takes over with some cheap shots. Larry hits some nice offense and Hennig goes to make a comeback but gets cut off and dumped with a nice backbreaker. Larry locks on a really good looking Ab stretch in the middle of the ring. Hennig reversed out with a hip toss but Larry cut off his comeback with a knee to the head. Edit and now Hennig has reversed a suplex attempt and hit one of his own. Henning with some nice punches and goes for a slam but Larry falls on top for a nearfall. God damn Hennig selling he fuck out of Larry's punches and takes a backward bump through the ropes off of a punch to the gut. Hennig finally makes his real comeback and has Larry reeling. He hits a nice flying dropkick but just as he goes for a cover the bell rings with Hennig getting DQ'ed for coming off the top. This is probably about 60 percent of the match but what is shown is great. I am hoping this exist in full. Fabulous Ones v. Steve Regal/Jesse Ventura JIP. This is basically clipped highlights and the finish is not shown.
December 30, 201014 yr comment_5461228 Blackjack Lanza v. Nick Bockwinkel JIP. Slow moving opening as Lanza doesn't do much compelling on offense. When Bock takes over it gets a little more interesting and the chaotic finish was okay but this was nothing special. Blackjack Lanza v. Jerry Blackwell I really loved Blackwell's wild bump off of the Lanza back elbow. Blackwell offers his hand for a handshake and Lanza ends up squeezing it so hard it brings Blackwell to his knees. Blackwell brigns some hate filled offense but Lanza pretty quickly makes a comeback. God damn Blackwell takes an awesome bump off the finishing lariat. Fun while it lasted. I *think* this is Blackjack Mulligan, not Lanza. John Tolos(?) v. ? Not sure who either of these guys are though I think the guy in the singlet is Tolos. Okay match. I have this listed as Kevin Kelly (aka Nailz) vs. Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay, presuming this disc is from the footage I have. Jay would be the guy in the singlet. Kelly would be fairly muscular and green as hell.
October 12, 201113 yr comment_5484926 Nick Bockwinkel vs. Blackjack Mulligan (3/25/84) JIP but it looks like we don't miss much. Bock is really good here bumping for Mulligan who plods around here not showing a lot of fire. The match really isn't anything of note. Steel Cage Match: Da Crusher & Greg Gagne vs. Crusher Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Kaissey (3/25/84) This is nothing fancy just a war between these four as they pound on each other with Blackwell bumping like crazy and Gagne taking some wild bumps into the cage with him juicing. There is some clipping here which hurts some but the action is good enough to counter that. I loved the ending sequence with Gagne jumping off the top of the cage on Adnan's injured arm after Gagne had already jumped off the top rope numerous times. This was a blast and an easy nomination. Kevin Kelly vs. "Sodbuster" Kenny Jay (3/25/84) Nothing match. Steve O vs. Larry Zbyszko (3/25/84) Fine for what it was and Larry was in stalling like a motherfucker mode so of course this would go to a draw. AWA World Lt. Heavyweight Title: "Rock n Roll" Buck Zumhofe © vs. "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal (3/25/84) Clipped up but this was a decent match. Brad Rheingans vs. "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal (4/15/84) Just the finish run and Rheingans looked good. Blackjack Mulligan vs. Crusher Blackwell (4/15/84) Blackwell is fun here working as a chickenshit heel begging off and bumping for Mulligan who again plods around but shows a little more fire here than his Bock match. This was good for what it was for a Mulligan match in 1984 that wasn't in Florida. Mr. Saito & Jesse "The Body" Ventura vs. The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn & Stan Lane) (4/15/84) The match was just starting to get going before the Fabs snap and throw the heels over the top rope for the DQ. #1 Contender Match for the AWA World Heavyweight Title: Rick Martel vs. Nick Bockwinkel (4/15/84) We only get a few minutes of this and it's too bad because I'm sure it was a good match. Larry Zbyszko vs. Curt Hennig (5/13/84) There is some really good action here but damn this was butchered as we probably got about half the match if not less. Too bad.
October 12, 201113 yr comment_5484949 Larry Zbyszko vs. Curt Hennig (5/13/84) There is some really good action here but damn this was butchered as we probably got about half the match if not less. Too bad. I've looked around and I don't think any more than half of this ever aired. Shame.
