Baron Von Raschke promo

 

Sgt. Slaughter promo

 

Nick Bockwinkel/Billy Robinson v. Curt Hennig/Blackjack Lanza

 

We have this nominated already.

 

Sheik Adnan promo. He literally says "you know what happened to the Marines in Lebanon!" Tonga runs in and starts raving. Fun promo.

 

King Tonga v. Sgt. Slaughter

 

Slaughter charges out of the gates early but gets tied up with Adnan and Tonga takes over with some stiff as fuck chops to the throat. Sarge starts absorbing blows and firing back. He takes off his belt and starts beating Tonga with it wildly, eventually clotheslining him with it. Slaughter does an off the top rope stomp and gets DQ'ed. Slaughter launches the ref and goes back to work on Tonga. Too bad I was looking forward to this one.

 

Mr. Saito v. Curt Hennig

 

Really solid opening with Saito taking some rapid fire bumps for Hennig and Saito bowing off of the clean breaks, offering up his hand, et. Hennig eventually bites on the handshake and gets a thrust to the throat and then a punch to the face. Really great sleeper from Saito with Curt feeding off the crowd and working back to a base but then getting stiffed in the back of his head for his trouble. Saito locks on a nervehold that looks like a choke which makes it a lot less tedious to me and more impressive when Hennig fights back to his feet. Hennig hits a double axe that looks nasty as fuck and then opens up with some really stiff chops before decking Saito in the guts which Saito takes a nice tumbling bump for. Hennig ends up going for a corner charge and takes an insanely fast bump flying through the middle ropes to the floor. Hennig does some great selling here falling limply for every Saito shot. Hennig finally catches Saito coming toward him on the apron and ends up crotching him on the ring post and going to work on Saito's leg. Hennig works a spinning toehold and then tips him over into a Boston Crab. Saito does a cool push up out and manages to get to the ropes but now Hennig is opening up on his back. Hennig hit a nice suplex for nearfall with Nelson screaming at him to hook the leg on commentary being a nice touch. Hennig hits another suplex and goes for a third but Saito hits a back drop suplex. Really great nearfall on a sunset flip with both Hennig and Saito milking the fuck out of it. Hennig hits a second sunset flip off of a corner charge and they end up squaring off from there with some stiff as strikes and Saito backing Hennig into the corner. Saito stiffs Hennig with a foreign object and scores the fall with his feet on the ropes. I thought this was a pretty damn good match.

 

Promo with Bertha/Baron Von Raschke. Interesting to watch Von Rashke of all people work a three faces of Foley gimmick in AWA.

 

Mike Graham v. Buck Zumhoffe

 

JIP but I don't think much is lost. The opening matwork is shockingly good stuff as they make same clean transitions out of leg locks and slide around nicely. I also like Graham's work out of the armbar. Graham is playing heel and bails to the floor the second Buck gets some offense in. Back in Graham starts utilizing hair pulls and the ropes which was an interesting change from how he was working prior. This is all elementary stuff but is well worked by Graham. Zumhoffe ends up going to work on Graham's arm and they start to lose me here. The finishing run of this is kind of funny with Graham escaping Buck's finish so Buck just lands on his feet and then Graham stealing a win on a missed monkey flip. Well half of this was good.

 

Nick Bockwinkel promo

 

Jimmy Garvin promo. What are you gonna do with out Precious as a distraction? I don't know. Deep answer.

 

Jimmy Garvin v. Baron Von Raschke

 

Garvin attacks the Baron before he can get his robe off. Garvin starts choking him with the rope belt. Baron makes his comeback and beats Garvin around the ring and then dumps over the top for a DQ. Well that was odd.

 

Steve Regal v. Buck Zumhoffe

 

JIP. Buck does some decent stuff early cartwheeling over a drop down, doing a nice monkey flip out of a knuclelock, et. Zumhoffe works the arm and they do some decent stuff based around this. Regal goes on offense and here comes the boredom. To be fair they don't sit around here and Regal heels a little bit and they do do a pretty good hope spot with Buck bumping down off of a kneelift. They get great heat for an overhead wristlock spot. God damn this goes on way too fucking long. Ugh. Regal wins rolling through on a cradle and hooking the trunks.

 

Tom Zenk/Curt Hennig promo

 

Steve Regal promo

 

Baron Von Raschke v. Mr. Saito

 

JIP. Saito is on defense and ends up taking the claw coming off the ropes. Saito wins with a foreign object shot. This is really just the finish.

 

Nick Bockwinkel promo

 

Greg Gagne promo

 

Rick Martel v. Nick Bockwinkel

 

This is a full version of a JIP match that we have nominated

Jimmy Garvin v. Baron Von Raschke

 

Garvin attacks the Baron before he can get his robe off. Garvin starts choking him with the rope belt. Baron makes his comeback and beats Garvin around the ring and then dumps over the top for a DQ. Well that was odd.

The basic story here is that Garvin wanted revenge for Bertha/Baron costing him the title in his blowoff match against Martel. Wasn't meant to be anything more than an angry brawl to set up more matches between the two and to segue Garvin out of the title picture.

 

Garvin vs. Martel with Bertha was 3/7/85, this match was 3/28/85, and they had a rematch that went around 11 minutes on 4/23/85.

King Tonga vs. Sgt. Slaughter (3/7/85)

 

This was a fun brawl as both men were teeing off on each other before Sarge got DQed. Shitty finish to a match that was building well.

 

Mr. Saito vs. Curt Hennig (3/28/85)

 

Saito trying to sucker Hennig to shaking his hand then when Curt takes his hand before taking a thrust to the throat was great. Saito would then work his sleeper followed up by a nervehold that Hennig sold really well thus keeping it from being boring to the fans. Hennig then made a fun comeback before throwing Saito into the corner and missing a running shoulderblock hitting all post and taking a hard bump to the floor. Saito would then attack Hennig from the apron until Curt pulled his legs out from under him and wrapped his left leg around the post before crotching him. Hennig brought Saito back in the ring and worked him over before a desperation Saito Suplex would even the odds. Hennig would fight back with nearfalls until Saito used a foreign object on Curt and pinning him using the ropes as the referee wasn't looking. Very good match and a nomination.

 

Next we get a promo from Baron & Bertha.

 

Then we get clips of Mike Graham vs. Zumhofe.

 

Next we get promos from Bock & Garvin.

 

Baron Von Raschke vs. "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (3/28/85)

 

Precious is banned from ringside so Garvin is pissed and he attacks Baron as soon as he gets in the ring. Garvin works him over pretty good before Baron makes a comeback then snaps throwing Garvin over the top for the DQ. Nothing much here.

 

Then we get clips of a LONG Regal/Zumhofe match that would've been sleep inducing if it was in full.

 

Next are promos by Hennig, Zenk, & Regal.

 

Then we get clips of Baron vs. Saito.

 

Next are promos by Bock & Greg Gagne.

 

AWA World Heavyweight Title: Rick Martel © vs. Nick Bockwinkel (3/28/85)

 

I don't think these two could have a bad match against each other and this was just another damn good match between these two. Both men working hard mixing up high impact moves with mat wrestling and I actually liked Bock's nearfall run at the end since he was the challenger. This is a solid nomination.