Ryan Navigates '90 - #49 (6/30)
An early Pillar battle in AJPW, big men slap meat in Europe, we dive into NAWA, and Tugboat reads fan mail for Hulk Hogan.
Good day!
First off, I want to wish all of my 2SLGBTQIA+ readers a Happy Pride! Just know that you are loved, valued, and seen.
We’re finally at the end of the odyssey that was June of 1990, and it will not go gentle into that good night. We have a STACKED Saturday Special for you today. Not only do we get our usual Saturday stops from the United States, but we even get rare non-Tony Atlas content from ICW, and we’ll take our first look at North Carolina’s North American Wrestling Association (NAWA).
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s some international flavor today, with AJPW and Europe’s Catch Wrestling Association contributing some bouts. I’d say this is a veritable wrestling feast, but it’s crossing into mukbang territory.
On a completely separate note, I have launched a new project on Substack where I randomly review the songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic. If that sounds like fun (it will be!), then feel free to subscribe to FULLWEIRD AL-CHEMIST! An introduction and the first song review (“Skipper Dan”) have been published.
SATURDAY, JUNE 30th
AJPW One Night Special In Korakuen
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi - Needless to say, these guys have crossed paths MANY times over the years. Long-time readers may remember their 1995 contests, one of which was the first five-star match I awarded in the Dive into ‘95 series. Watching these guys during their formative years is always interesting given how they end up.
Kobashi is in his traditional orange gear, while Kawada is again repping Ukraine.
Both guys trade bombs early on, with Kawada getting a shoulderblock and a kick, while Kobashi downs him with a lariat. Kawada comes back with a spinning heel kick to put Kobashi to the floor, then he follows with a pescado that Kobashi dodges! Kobashi ducks a spinning hook kick and gets a spinning kick of his own to put Kawada over the guardrail!
Kobashi dropkicks an approaching Kawada off the apron and back into the guardrail, then he follows with a MASSIVE plancha. He slightly overshoots it to the point that he lands on his face. Yikes.
Back in, Kobashi presses his attack with a legdrop before grounding his fellow Pillar with a chinlock. That changes to a side headlock that Kobashi maintains for a while, fighting off Kawada’s numerous attempts to escape. Kobashi backs Kawada into the corner, chops him a few times, then dares him to strike back! Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Kenta. Kawada catches him with a stiff forearm, but Kobashi blitzes him with knee strikes aplenty.
Kawada pummels Kobashi with knees of his own, then takes him over for more pounding. It turns into a roll-around brawl, with both guys punching and gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
Back up, Kawada hits a nasty corner kick to the face, then soon applies a quasi-Scorpion Deathlock that Kobashi breaks via the ropes. Kawada maintains control, tossing Kobashi to the outside for a body slam on the parquet floor. Kobashi hobbles back in, allowing Kawada to KICK SOME BACK. After a bit of a jumble on the mat, Kawada continues assaulting the injured back before applying a bow-and-arrow.
Kobashi counters that into a pin attempt, but Kawada quickly flicks him off and continues the back-related aggression…until Kobashi just unloads with a spinning heel kick to Kawada’s mush! However, from the ground, Kawada drops some boots onto Kobashi to maintain the upper hand. Kobashi dodges a second-rope kneedrop, then he catches a spinning heel kick, applying a Texas Cloverleaf in the process!
Kobashi finds refuge in the ropes, but the damage is done. Kobashi goes to town on Kawada’s left leg, applying a half-crab that segues into a grounded legbar. Kawada tries to snag a leg grapevine of his own, but Kobashi’s hold endures. Back to the half-crab, which Kobashi really cranks on!
Kawada makes the ropes, so Kobashi rewards him by dropping him knee-first onto the ringside table! Kawada limps back in and falls prey to a kneebreaker and another Texas Cloverleaf. Again, Kawada breaks via the ropes, so Kobashi switches to a figure four. Kawada reverses the pressure, and they end up in the ropes.
Kobashi works away at the compromised leg before drilling Kawada with a back elbow in the corner. Kawada breaks the cover with a quick knee to the head, but Kobashi still has control, applying a stretch muffler! Hell yeah!
Some of the action in the last few minutes seems to be captured on a zoomed-out hard camera, which hurts the immersion a bit. That’s rather surprising given AJPW’s camera work usually does a good job of getting the viewer in on the action.
The crowd tries to will Kawada back into things as Kobashi releases, only to eat a brutal Kawada kick from the mat. Again, though, Kobashi keeps on top of things with stomps to the leg…until Kawada decks him with an enzuigiri for two! Kawada then hits a rolling solebutt and a hard lariat for a close two!
Kawada hits an elbow, but gets back body dropped out of the ring. Kobashi follows with a springboard plancha that seemed to hit the legs. Back in, Kobashi drops Kawada with a powerbomb for two, then dizzies him with a rolling cradle for another near-fall. Kawada escapes a vertical suplex attempt and soon sends Kobashi to the floor, where Dangerous K follows with a springboard cannonball!
Back in, Kobashi fights out of a piledriver, then counters a powerbomb by shifting his weight for a near-fall. Kawada counteracts a back body drop with a vicious kick to the chops, but Kobashi comes back with a flying lariat for another close call! Kawada catches a charging Kobashi with a kick and gets a crucifix for a two-count, but Kobashi retaliates with a backdrop driver for a near-fall!
Kobashi heads upstairs for a moonsault, but that hits knees! Kawada gets two off of that, then they trade a series of thwarted suplex attempts and pinfall counters, with Kawada rolling through a prawn hold and falling back onto Kobashi for the three!
Post-match, sportsmanship is displayed. Friendship!
**** - While it naturally wasn’t on the level of what they would later achieve, this still overdelivered considering where both guys were at this point in their careers. Personally, I would have trimmed at least five minutes off of this as it did drag at points, but the match was still exciting, aggressive, and a ton of fun to watch. It was a rather nice glimpse into what the future was going to be like for All Japan.
The finish was smart, as it allowed Kobashi, who is still relatively low in the pecking order, to look strong while Kawada notched a solid win.
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
FROM THE PAGES OF THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION MAGAZINE, HERE’S UPDATE!
Update is brought to you by Coliseum Video, exclusive distributors of WrestleFest ‘90!
“Mean” Gene Okerlund is still wearing his Hulkamania friendship bracelet until Hulk Hogan returns. Hogan is feeling better physically, but he’s still hurting emotionally and psychologically from Earthquake sitting on his chest.
We kick it over to Tugboat!
The Best Boat Machine is so proud that the “Big Kahuna” gets a big smile on his face knowing the Hulkamaniacs are thinking of him. Tuggers reads a letter from a fan who claims to still be wearing his Hogan friendship bracelet and taking his Hulk Hogan multivitamins. Big Tug encourages the fans to continue writing in.
Mean Gene then throws it to comments from various fans giving their thoughts on Hogan’s return. Some want him to come back to exact vengeance on Earthquake, while others want him to stay out of wrestling in case something worse happens.
Remember, send your cards and letters to PO BOX 911!
This week on The Brother Love Show, Mr. Perfect and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan are the featured guests. The intro was a bit unusual because there wasn’t the typical semi-monologue from Love. Perfect’s music started playing, and everyone was already on the set.
Brother Love introduces Curt Hennig as the “Perfect Intercontinental Champion”, and Mr. P agrees. Perfect puts over the “Perfect Manager”, Bobby Heenan. The Brain asks that if anyone were to have a child, would they rather he look like Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, with the ripped tights, mediocre physique, and unkempt hair, or would they rather have Perfect? Bobby goes over many of Perfect’s positive traits, including his bronze tan and BEAUTIFUL WHITE TEETH.
Perfect says that the people would probably like nothing more than the Barber shearing his golden blonde locks, but he is what champions are made of! He’s the greatest wrestler of all time! Perfect closes by saying that Beefcake will NEVER cut his hair or wear the Intercontinental title! Well, he was certainly right about both, but not for the reasons expected.
Pretty fun promo from Perfect, and Heenan does his usual great job of spotlighting his charges. They really were a terrific pairing. From what I understand, the Beefcake feud was meant to result in the Barber’s coronation as IC champion, but his horrific parasailing accident on July 4th would put an end to THAT.
USWA Championship Wrestling (Memphis)
We kick Memphis off this week with Mid-South Coliseum clips of Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Leon Spinks. It's a Boxer vs. Wrestler match with ROUNDS! Spinks is wearing gloves, while Lawler is bare-knuckling it.
We pick it up at Round 5 as Lawler drops a pair of second-rope fists onto his supine opponent.
Spinks gets his foot on the ropes, which The Snowman points out to the ref. Lawler heads out and slugs Snowman for snitching, then pummels Spinks with a series of rights. Spinks drives Lawler in the corner, and Snowman partakes in the beating, earning Leon the dreaded TECHNICAL LOSS. Both guys continue double-teaming Lawler for a bit until the clip ends.
We’re back in the studio with Lawler and Dave Brown. Lawler brings up Leon’s desire to make a similar comeback to George Foreman, then puts over Spinks’ toughness and pugilistic prowess. The King says that it was difficult trying to contend not only with Spinks, but with Snowman in tow. Lawler’s dealt with 2-on-1 situations before, and he should expect it from a “jerk like Snowman”.
For the upcoming Lawler vs. Snowman match, there will be no referee in the ring. There will be no excuses! Snowman is stoically seated in the crowd as Lawler tells him to just sit there like the idiot he is. Lawler calls the fans sitting around Snowman, “welfare stooges”, and THAT prompts Snowman to stand up. I do like his sparkly blue jacket.
Lawler reiterates that the referee will only come into the ring to count the pin, and he’ll emerge victorious at the Mid-South Coliseum this coming Monday!
Next, “Dirty White Boy” Tony Anthony and Dirty White Girl join Dave at the desk. Tony brags about the beating DWG put on Tessa this past Monday. Anthony confirms with Dave that neither Bill Dundee nor Tessa are in the building before launching into further smack talk.
WHY AIN’T YOU HERE, DUNDEE? This coming Monday, DWB threatens to stomp Dundee’s brains out. Dirty White Girl then says that Tessa wouldn’t know how to act like a lady even if she took lessons for it, then says she’ll be there this Monday.
We’ll find out who scratches whose eyes out! The delivery from White Girl was pretty awkward, but Anthony was solid.
North American Wrestling Association
We welcome yet another US indie to the Navigation, as North Carolina’s North American Wrestling Association (NAWA) gives us a couple of matches.
NAWA, who would soon be renamed South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW), was founded in January 1990 by John Ringley, Mike Lamberth, and George Scott, the last of whom was a longtime booker for the NWA, and for the WWF during their national expansion.
After a second, unsuccessful stint as NWA booker in the late 1980s, Scott and company started up this new territory. Unlike other indies who were dabbling with more hardcore-style fare, NAWA was a family-friendly throwback in the classic Mid-Atlantic mold. It was good old-fashioned WRASSLIN’, the way it used to be, consarnit!
NAWA/SAPW managed to get on TV in the Carolinas by purchasing Jim Crockett Promotions’ old TV timeslots. They also managed to sign contracts to wrestle in a lot of JCP’s original arenas in the Mid-Atlantic region, so when I said that they wanted to bring back the old-school flavor, I meant it.
Financially, however, the company never really got off the ground. Scott was said to have lost approximately $600,000 before cutting bait and retiring in July 1990. JCP manager Paul Jones and Frank Dusek took over afterwards and managed to get a timeslot on the America One Network. Unfortunately, it was a Friday night “death slot”.
After a couple of years struggling with withdrawn investors, departing talent, and low ratings, the company was sold to North Carolina promoter Greg Price. After that, NAWA/SAPW was not much longer for this world, running its final show on August 1st, 1992.
Like most indies, NAWA had an interesting mix of veterans and future stars, and they had an especially talented roster for the time period. Tenured grapplers like Ricky Steamboat, Matt Borne, Robert Fuller, Randy Colley, Manny Fernandez, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Ivan Koloff, and others, shared the cards with newer acts like the Nasty Boys, Chris Chavis (the future Tatanka), Curtis Thompson (Firebreaker Chip in WCW), Rob Van Dam, The American Pitbulls (ECW’s Pitbulls), Dean Malenko, Nelson Frazier (Mabel/Viscera/Big Daddy V), P.N. News (YO BABY, YO BABY, YO BABY, YO!), Vince Torelli (later known as Ken Shamrock), to name a few. Even golden-aged legends like Lou Thesz, Tim Woods, and Johnny Weaver would make appearances, and long-time NWA commentator Bob Caudle would join the company in 1991.
The matches here come courtesy of the tournament to crown the first ever NAWA Heavyweight Champion. The entire tournament was filmed on June 30th with 18 total competitors, but the matches were broadcast over many weeks of television.
Here are the entrants!
American Bulldog Rex (Anthony Durante, aka Pitbull #2)
American Bulldog Spike (Gary Wolfe, aka Pitbull #1)
Beau Ragin
Brian Knobbs
Chris Chavis
Colt Steele
Curtis Thompson
Dean Malenko
Jerry Sags
Mark Fleming
Matt Borne
Randy Colley
Ranger Ross
Ricky Steamboat
Thunderfoot II
Trent Knight
Vince Torelli
NAWA Heavyweight Championship Tournament, Semi-Final: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. “Maniac” Matt Borne - Hey, it’s a rematch from the very first WrestleMania! Steamer had left the NWA in 1989 after a contract dispute and is coming off of foot surgery. To get his ring legs back under him, he started working the NAWA, likely as a favor to George Scott, who had been a big proponent of his over the years.
Borne defeated Chris Chavis and Ranger Ross to get to this point, while Steamboat got past Curtis Thompson and Brian Knobbs.
We get some tentative grappling at first, with Steamboat getting a few irritating bops on Borne before both guys trade fiery punches and chops. Borne backs Steamer into the corner for some abuse and applies a front facelock, which Ricky breaks via the ropes. Steamboat pops Borne with a chop as the hold was being broken, then it’s another fierce exchange of strikes until Borne REALLY slugs him.
Borne toys with Steamboat for a while, clubbing and pounding away in the corner until the Dragon comes back with a top rope chop. Steamboat beats Borne from pillar to post before dropping another top rope chop (“Excedrin Headache #9”, per announcer Tedd Webb) for two. Borne comes back with a kick to block a back body drop, then chokes away at his prey.
Steamer rallies back with a high knee, but ends up damaging his leg in the process.
Steamboat hobbles around, but Borne attacks it like a shark to chum. Borne goes for a spinning toehold, but Steamer snatches him in a cradle for the three!
*** - The match went 6:13, and the action was intense while it lasted. I really enjoyed the strike exchanges and the back-and-forth action. Steamboat’s calling card is his awesome selling, and we got to see that here with some of the punches and the knee injury late in the match. It was a compact, well-told story.
NAWA Heavyweight Championship Tournament, Final: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. “The Tennessee Stud” Robert Fuller - As per the above, Steamboat is going into this one with a bad wheel and only had about a ten-minute breather between matches. Fuller defeated Beau Ragin, American Bulldog Spike, and Dean Malenko on his way here.
Fuller immediately goes after the leg, thrashing it in the corner. Steamboat fires back with chops, but Fuller hones in on the leg and continues his assault, withstanding chops in order to dish out punishment.
Steamboat tries to rally back by flipping out of a back suplex, but he lands on his crippled leg. Fuller trips him up, applies a spinning toehold, and falls forward for the three and the NAWA Heavyweight Championship!
Lou Thesz comes in and presents the new title to the Tennessee Stud, but does so under protest due to the earlier assistance from Matt Borne.
The match lasted just under two minutes, but they told another great little story in that time. It got across the Dragon’s gutsiness while allowing Fuller to be crafty and opportunistic in victory.
Backstage, Ricky Steamboat thanks Webb for the kind words and gives a high-energy, yet sportsmanlike, interview, putting Fuller over before declaring that he’s not truly beat. Steamboat came back in shape, with the heart of a tiger AND a lion! The heart of a liger! Was Steamboat bred for his skills in magic?
He’s always been a devoted wrestler! Steamboat started this long, painful campaign and promises his fans and family that he’ll take the gold from the Tennessee DUD! Oh, got his ass. He won’t have a gimp leg next time! He’ll be 100%!
Fuller then comes in and crows about winning the “most influential belt” going today. This started off a just another tournament to the Stud, but it became more than that once the field deepened. He felt the acrimony from the fans towards him and the state he hails from, but when Fuller started feeling it, no man alive could beat him!
He took the fire right outta your Dragon, daddy! You’re looking at the toughest man in America! Webb asks how Fuller can be so cocky after winning the belt with assistance from Matt Borne. The Stud tells the interviewer to find Matt Borne and ask him who the champion is! I’m your champion!
My experience with NAWA is pretty limited, but I really enjoyed what I saw. A couple of brief, action-packed, matches with a strong story thread and a pair of high-level promos. Cutting promos isn’t exactly one of the sharpest tools in Steamboat’s locker, but when the burners are on, he can deliver. Fuller was excellent here in delivery and content. He can cut a tremendous fired-up heel interview.
NWA World Championship Wrestling
First, we hear from Mr. Electricity himself, WCW Executive Vice President Jim Herd.
Herd invited the Four Horsemen to join him, but only Ole Anderson shows up.
Herd deals out some stipulations for the upcoming Ric Flair vs. Sting title match at the Great American Bash. The Dudes with Attitude (or “Super Dudes”, as Herd calls them) are going to surround the ring to thwart any Horsemen interference. Herd teases a special stip for Ole, but that doesn’t come until later.
Now it’s later as Herd and Ole rejoin us. Anderson keeps trying to interrupt as Herd tells him that he’ll no longer do commentary for WCW. Also, for the Bash, Ole is going to be handcuffed to El Gigante!
Ole goes berserk at the announcement.
Next, Jim Ross interviews Ole and Ric Flair on the interview platform. Ole warns El Gigante not to cross him, and he posits that the “Super Dudes” being at ringside may not be enough. Sting may get a look at the title, but it’ll only be from the canvas looking up at Flair, who will remain champion until he decides otherwise.
Flair tells Sting that, while things are starting to appear in his favor, he still has to beat Ric Flair! He still has to beat the world champion! There’s only one! TO BE THE MAN, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE MAN! WOO! Fun little prototypical Flair promo here. Ole continues to be somewhat superfluous.
Next, Jim Ross speaks with the Super Dudes Dudes With Attitude. Rocky King tells the Horsemen their days are numbered, BABY, before throwing it to Sting.
Sting’s happy that the Dudes will be around ringside, and nobody watching is going to get RIPPED OFF this time as it’s going to be one-on-one. We’ll find out if Ric Flair really CAN go all night long!
JR asks Junkyard Dog about being a guard dog. JYD says if anyone tries to cross the line, he’ll take a big ol’ bite out of him! Paul Orndorff…doesn’t get to say anything as JR runs down the upcoming broadcasts to end the show.
Another decently peppy promo from Sting, and they’re pretty much doing everything they can to sell the fans on the fact that we’ll have a decisive winner after a couple of PPVs with bullshit endings. It’s kind of weird that Rocky got to talk, but not Orndorff.
USWA Championship Sports (Dallas)
“Stunning Steve Austin” and Jeanie join Craig Johnson at ringside for a chat. At the Sportatorium last night, a pair of handcuffs were introduced into the feud with Chris and Toni Adams. Austin was still laughing about last night, then he explains what happened.
Austin and Chris had a match last night where, if the ladies interfered, there would be a $10,000 fine levied at the offender. Steve says that Toni, “the *bleep* that she is”, tried to instigate Jeanie, but it didn’t work. Austin claims that Chris brought the handcuffs in, but the Gentleman ended up getting handcuffed while Steve and Jeanie toyed around with Toni.
Austin insinuates that Chris like to employ handcuffs in his “private life”, so he was cuffed to the ropes “like a stinkin’ pervert”. Austin OWNS Chris! Him and Jeanie rule supreme! On July 4th, the big mixed-tag match is signed. He’s not worried about Chris.
Steve claims that Toni was raised on a shrimp boat, so she’s trash. Toni may be tough, but Steve and Jeanie are confident about their chances on Independence Day.
Jeanie takes the mic and says that Chris definitely enjoyed being in handcuffs last night, then compares her $500 dress to Chris’ thrift-shop polyester looks. She claims Chris loves calling those 1-900 “skank lines”, then holds up a picture of her ex-boyfriend, Sylvester Stallone.
YES! We had Frank and Jackie Stallone references during the course of this project, and now the Stallone Triforce has been assembled!
Jeanie threatens to tear Toni apart on the 4th of July before Austin heads into the ring for his match. You can tell Austin’s getting more confident in his promos, and him and Jeanie continue to be irritating enough for the fans to want to see them get their asses kicked.
Next, we jump to Chris and Toni Adams joining Craig at ringside for their account of the recent happenings.
The Gentleman can’t believe what is happening! It’s like Fairytale Land! He doesn’t know why Jeanie is attacking him and his family like this. They even showed up to his house while he was injured, and he has a permanent lump on the back of his neck because of his ex-wife! Jeanie was literally a pain in his neck.
Jeanie even cracked Toni’s ribs with a kendo stick and caused Chris to lose and be hurt several times. All he can ask is “WHY?”, but it doesn’t matter because he can’t take it anymore! Adams threatens to knock an Austin fan’s teeth down his throat before bringing up the mixed-tag match, then apologizes to Toni for shouting.
Toni takes the mic and says she doesn’t know what Jeanie’s problem is, then ponders if Jeanie actually wants Chris back! Jeanie claims that Toni’s an unfit mother, so Toni says the word that describes Jeanie starts with “mother”, but ends with something she can’t say on television. Oh, shit.
Chris is going to enjoy helping Toni kick Jeanie’s ass. Toni tells Jeanie to put on her terrible aerobics gear and come get some on July 4th!
Some awkwardness aside, this was a fine counter-promo from the Adamseseses.
To close off USWA Dallas, it’s Percy Pringle! After a week of being a straight-up interviewer and commentator, he’s back to his increasingly-unhinged self. He tells Craig, the human microphone stand, to earn his $25 by holding the mic for him, then launches into a tirade on YOU PEOPLE. YOU’RE driving him insane!
He can’t sleep at night! What do they want from him?!? An apology? Pringle again claims credit for bringing Eric Embry back (again, you didn’t have to do that) and tearing down the World Class banner. Pringle plugs the final showdown between “Maniac” Matt Borne and Kerry Von Erich. Kerry missed Percy beating the snot out of Chris last week because he was in traction!
We saw what Kerry did to Matt's father, Tony! Speaking of fathers, Kerry shamed his! On Wednesday, it's over.
Another entertaining promo from Percy as he really does an tremendous job playing a complete nutter. Sadly, because Borne straight-up leaves the USWA before July 4th, we won’t be getting the big blowoff with Kerry, who himself is not much longer for the company.
International Championship Wrestling
It’s the TEEN REPORT WITH DAWNA, coming to us for the first time since Part 28, where young, heavily-accented Dawna interviewed the legendary paisano, Super Duper Mario. The guest this week is June 1990’s wrestler of the month, GQ Madison,
Dawna asks where his PAHTNAH, Al “Cornbread” Phillips is, to which Madison states that he has commitments elsewhere. We now get to the fan mail, as Michelle writes in and asks what “GQ” stands for. Madison confirms it stands for “Gentleman’s Quarterly”, because he used to pose for said magazine.
Dawna: “I thought I’d seen ya before.”
Courtney asks what his most prized possession. GQ says it’s his…
Family is not a possession, dude.
Jason pens in, asking about GQ’s career ambitions. Madison hopes to make it big! Yeah, about that.
Dawna congratulates GQ again for being the wrestler of the month and thanks him for stopping by.
“SEE YA LAHTA!”
We really could have used more Dawna. Again, the accent is incredible.
In the end, GQ didn’t really turn out to be much on his own, but his tag partner in the Madison Brothers, TD Madison, would become more famous later on as Tommy Dreamer.
Tommy Dreamer in a pink singlet. Enjoy your new nightmare fuel.
Catch Wrestling Association
For the first time since that awesome “We Are Dynamite” music video from Part 1, we take a look at some CWA! This show comes to us hot from Graz, Austria.
As usual in CWA, the matches are broken up into rounds.
Fit Finlay vs. Steve Wright - Steve Wright has some serious middleweight pedigree, holding the CWA Middleweight Championship for a combined 2,028 days, or just over five and a half years, between 1985 and 1991. He’s also the father of “Das Wunderkind” Alex Wright.
ROUND ONE: We start off with Finlay maintaining a headlock despite Wright’s attempts to counter with a top wristlock.
You think Finlay’s Irish?
Fit goes for a wristlock, but Wright kips up repeatedly and violently flips Finlay out of it to the delight of the fans. Wright works the ankle a bit, but he soon releases the hold, then Finlay manages a double nerve pinch. Wright clobbers out and wrecks him with a European uppercut, then, moments later, Wright gets a slick headstand reversal out of an armbar and covers for a two-count.
We get a criss-cross sqequence that results in Wright stopping Finlay for a slap to the chest. Fit bails to collect himself, but he trips Wright up as he re-enters the ring. We now get the Greco-Roman knucklelock with Wright coming out on top. Wright gets a hard stomp on Fit as we reach the end of the round.
ROUND TWO: Wright works over Finlay’s leg, both on the mat and in the corner. Finlay comes back with some stiff forearms, stomps, elbows, and European uppercuts, then stretches the shoulder for a bit before tossing Wright to the floor. Wright goes for a sunset flip, but Finlay punches out of it before the round concludes.
ROUND THREE: Finlay maintains the upper hand with an uppercut and a pair of flying knees. A third knee is caught by Wright, who looks to put Finlay in a precarious position on the ropes.
However, Fit fights out of it, only to get backdropped out of the ring! Wright absolutely drills him with a baseball slide dropkick, but gets distracted arguing with the official, allowing Finlay to sneak in and regain the advantage. Finlay goes for an uppercut, but Wright catches him with a small package. However, they’re too close to the ropes.
Finlay offers a hand in sportsmanship, and Wright shakes it…before stomping Fit and blasting him with European uppercuts! Wright baits Finlay in by pretending to be distracted and grounds him for a two-count. Wright looks for a sleeper, but everyone’s too close to the ropes. The referee admonishes Wright, so Wright leapfrogs over him to blast Finlay with a big inside forearm smash at the end of the round! Awesome!
ROUND FOUR: Finlay blindsides Wright with a clubbing blow, then downs him with a stiff backbreaker. Fit continues pressing his attack on the back, but Wright flips out of another backbreaker attempt and gutwrenches Finlay down. Wright looks to continue the assault, but Finlay ducks away in the corner. Wright walks away, allowing Finlay to crack him from behind. Finlay administers some harsh punishment for a bit, but Wright snatches him in the AIRPLANE SPIN!
Fit kicks out of repeated pin attempts, then they resume grappling, with Finlay whipping Wright hard into the buckles even after the round has already ended.
ROUND FIVE: Finlay jumps Wright from behind immediately, then follows with a pair of jumping knees from the ropes. Fit goes for a crossbody, but Wright rolls through for a pin attempt. Moments later, Finlay attempts a Tombstone, but Wright plants Finlay with one of his own for the pin!
***1/2 - This was a super-entertaining clash of styles. Wright brought the smooth catch-style technique while Finlay delivered his requisite stiffness and surly brawling, making for a satisfying contrast. Wright also showed some good intensity in returning Finlay’s viciousness, and there were some ridiculously fun sequences. That referee spot ruled.
CWA World Heavyweight Championship: Big Otto Wanz (c) vs. Bull Power - Hell yeah! I love me a good behemoth battle!
Bull Power is another moniker used by Big Van Vader whenever he was in Europe. Wanz was the owner/operator of CWA and a four-time winner of its heavyweight championship. Otto even had a 41-day reign as AWA World Heavyweight Champion in 1982, winning it from, then dropping it to, Nick Bockwinkel.
Wanz was an absolute beast of a man. Otto would tear up telephone books, even earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. He also organized strongman competitions in his native Austria. Fellow Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger cited pro wrestling as an influence for his bodybuilding career, and named Wanz as a favorite of his. Sadly, Wanz passed away in 2017 at the age of 74.
Unlike most wide-waisted wrestlers, Otto is wearing the championship like an actual belt. It kind of looks like the one that was designed for Andre the Giant in the late 1980s. Wearing a belt with an extended strap like a BOSS.
Before the match, a dude plays the “Star Spangled Banner” on a trumpet. This is already amazing.
ROUND ONE: Vader avalanches Wanz right away and thrashes away in the corner. The announcer shouts “OUT OF THE CORNER” over the mic, which is pretty crazy. Wanz rallies back with shots of his own, earning rapturous applause from the fans. One forearm even knocks Bull out of the ring.
Back in, Vader drops Wanz with a few forearms, then Otto falls victim to a meaty bodyslam and an elbow drop for a near-fall. Power continues castigating the champion in the ropes, then it’s back to the corner for more brutal forearms and kicks. The round ends, but Vader takes another couple cheap shots.
ROUND TWO: Vader peppers Wanz with many a hard shot in the corner before grounding him with an armbar. A closeup reveals that Otto is bloodied from Vader’s onslaught.
Vader releases and resumes the punishment…until he runs in to a HUGE clothesline! Wanz scores a couple more to send Vader to the floor! That got a MASSIVE pop from the crowd. Vader collects himself on the floor as the second round expires.
ROUND THREE: Wanz gets walloped with a couple of nasty clotheslines and some fists in the corner as the announcer again yells at Vader to get out of there. Wanz tries to come back with a European uppercut, but Vader absorbs the blow and again rocks him with clubbing forearms. The rest of the round is simply Bull Power beating the absolute crud out of Wanz.
ROUND FOUR: Vader looks for a vertical suplex, but Wanz blocks and reverses to one of his own! Good lord.
Otto avalanches him in the corner and gives Vader his receipt for the earlier beatings. He even gets a somersault senton! Wanz scoops Vader up for a slam as the crowd is becoming absolutely unglued with every move.
Wanz then takes Vader to the mat and works the leg, but Vader breaks that via the ropes. Otto takes his time letting go.
ROUND FIVE: Vader immediately UNLOADS with vicious blows in Wanz’s corner, then goes for an avalanche…but he buggers up his leg! Wanz seizes the opportunity by putting him down with some clotheslines. Vader tries to buy time, but Wanz thumps him with a forearm to the chest instead to send him to the outside.
Vader makes it back in and hobbles around, firing off desperation clubbing blows. However, Wanz withstands it, downs Vader with a forearm of his own, and applies a standing legbar. However, Vader’s saved by the bell.
ROUND SIX: Vader tries to clobber Wanz, but Wanz isn’t having any of it, getting in some blows of his own and kicking Vader’s leg out from under him. Another massive vertical suplex puts Bull on the mat, then Otto comes out on top during another strike exchange before dropping a giant elbow onto the knee!
Having seen enough, Vader’s corner throws in the towel! Wanz retains!
****1/4 - This was like watching two grizzlies in spandex fighting over the last scrap of carrion. This was an AWESOME super-heavyweight slugfest, with Vader and Wanz trading beefy blows and a hell of a story being told. Vader was incredible as the bully early on, but Otto kept fighting back, and an injury eventually put Vader on the full-time defensive.
Vader brought the stiffness and intensity throughout, and his selling of the knee injury was excellent (if it wasn’t legit). Wanz’s comebacks were very well-timed and got massive reactions from his home country fans. The then-47 year old Otto was very impressive here, being game to take an absolute pasting and repaying Vader in kind.
I may be going high on this, but who cares? I love me some stout lads beating and suplexing the piss out of each other. Textbook “Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat”.
THE TUGBOAT TRIBUNE
As always, the news comes courtesy of Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair recently had dinner with then-president George H.W. Bush, who claims that Flair is his favorite wrestler.
In what is probably the most Jim Cornette story possible, Jimbo was recently hospitalized for a possible heart attack, but it turned out to be gas.
The source of said gas: Jim drank 62 ounces of Pepsi that day.
The WWF continues to win fans over by not offering refunds for the Rick Rude no-shows.
Again, that continues to be a major sticking point for the Ravishing one.
The AWA has been running joint shows with fellow Minnesota promotion PWA, and a young(ish) Jerry Lynn has been getting raves for his performances.
In less good news for Verne Gagne, the AWA cancelled another St. Paul show, further signaling the demise of the company.
NEXT TIME: Owen Hart and Keiji Muto go at it, Rhythm N’ Blues perform, and controversy erupts during USWA Dallas’ huge Fourth of July show!
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The amount of times Ole wore that shirt and suspenders in 1990…