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Brody and Friends talk about the AWA (Brody has no friends)


The Andre episode is a lot of fun.
- Verne wears an Andre sized shirt to intro the show. He claims it was Andre's from 1983, and given that it is the actual shirt the AWA was selling at the time, maybe it really was made for Andre.
- We see Andre vs Blackwell, where you can truly appreciate Andre's size considering his rotund opponent. Both men move really well for 450 plus pounders.
- We see the end of a battle royal as Andre and the Hulk fight the Heenan Family.
- Thats leads to the famous 4 on 2 Handicap challenge in front of a packed and raucous crowd in the Twin Cities.
- Verne closes the show by claiming the famous story of Andre drinking 156 beers took place one night after being challenged by 450 pounder Chris Taylor. Taylor passed out after 120 beers.

This show was aired in the Twin Cities and sponsored by the car dealer Gagne worked for BTW.

I plan to watch the rest this weekend. Wahoo, Mad Dog, the Hi Flyers and the East West Connection all have been uploaded so far.
 

Baron is still in full "Fuck it" mode here on Hospice AWA. This week he at least wore a faded gym shirt instead of just promoing in a dress shirt. He makes fun of his own body compared to the Trooper's and then brings in Rapey Zumhoffe who does more cringe in retrospect kind of promo about his fans of all ages.
I think I neglected to mention that Buck's new boom box is quite small from the Ghetto Blaster he carried in the late 70s and early 80s. Baron takes it from him to try and express things are now "serious" as they cut a promo on the Hangmen. But then Baron does what could loosely be deemed "dancing" to the music as Buck screams.
Buck references Bobby Heenan as he brings in a stuffed Weasel. Buck's the "exterminator". He then says a few years after getting rid of the Weasel that he then got rid of the Skunk (as he produces a plush skunk) Was that a reference to Steve Regal? Not sure. Then he produces a Rat plush and compares it to Johnnie Stewart and asks the fans to chant "Rat Fink" at Stewart.
Baron then attacks the rat with the boombox. Incredible. 12 Stars.
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Baron later puts his gimmick on to cut a promo on behalf of the Tokyo Bullets.
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Yukon John Nord comes out to "Werewolf in London" since he howls.
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The Team Challenge package shows "Highlights" from last week's Wendi vs Candi main event. Even in clipped form this looks botchy and awful. The girls did do a cute story of each trying to use their team captain's finisher. Claw vs Cobra Clutch.
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Sarge has been on WWF TV for 2 weeks now. Still here and listed as a Team Captain. I wonder what 8 year old Brody thought of Sarge double dipping.
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Larry Z squash. Greg Gagne claims Larry is going to be the star of a "big budget movie". They then riff on Larry. Gagne suggests it's a Spike Lee film for the lulz.
 
Armstrong Alley uploaded AWA Legends episodes on Baron Von Raschke and Jerry Blackwell

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@BruiserBrody coming home from Wally World and going on YouTube tonight.

Late '90s Verne looks like Jeff Dunham's puppet Walter.
 
Watched the Blackwell one.
- Greg claims two different times that Blackwell "ended my career" with a power slam on the cement. Kokoina Maximus was given storyline credit for ending Greg's career in 1989, 5 years after Blackwell turned face.
- They show a squash match instead of any number of Blackwell's main events. I was waiting for a run in or something but no dice.
- Verne claims Blackwell was goaded into arm wrestling Tony Atlas, who he then beat quickly.
- Verne "He must have had muscles buried under all that fat"
- They air the last several mins of Adnan/Blackwell vs Gagne/Brunzell in a cage. Blackwell is just a big BIG bump machine! The heels attack after the finish and Verne rushes the cage in his sweater to kick some ass and pop the crowd.
 
The XPW racist angle triggered a memory of how my neighbors at the farm on top of the hill were supporters of Col Debeers' war with the colored folk.
Life in rural Wisconsin in 1987 everybody!

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I watched a 40 min comp of AWA promos for Xmas 1983 that was just posted this week. It exposes Groovy Greg's tall tale about Hogan no showing Xmas night, with Greg calling him and asking WTF? Because they show an angle/promo where Mad Dog Vachon brings in Santa to watch his back vs Bockwinkel and Heenan Xmas night. He then unmasks Santa as DA CRUSHER who had been gone for 3 years and was brought back to soften the blow of losing Hogan.
There was also a Hogan promo that actually served as a farewell as he told the fans he was going to Japan for a tour and would not return until the AWA gets it together and gives him his rematch with Bockwinkel or Mad Dog, should Vachon win the title.

Very surprised to see Ken Resnick and Mean Gene both there. Thought he was Gene's replacement.

 

Since we lost this episode "review" in the purge, I've been thinking that since even the TV tapings for a nationally seen TV show are not archived in the major results sites, then it's likely there are at least some high school gym or county fair results from this era that the AWA would have run through their pre-paid charity show wing.
Some random midwestern 50 year old has a dusty self filmed VHS tape of Baron and Buck vs Texas Hangmen, Yukon John Nord chasing Larry Z, and Enos and Bloom facing DJ Pederson and The Trooper in front of 25 disinterested hillbillies.
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Even during the 80s boom, there are indy shows where Mad Dog Vachon and other AWA cast offs were running that we have very limited results for. (Windy City Wrestling, etc.)
If Jim Zordani wasn't able to find them before his death, all these results are likely never to see the light of day.

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Tommy Jammer worked for at least 1 more indy after the AWA as I remember his name in the Apter top 10 rankings in the small print section of the big boys. I wonder why he never even popped up for job duty in WCW or WWF. Or something goofy with Global, ECW or whatever.

-Looks like Curtis Hughes was making AWA shots in the summer of 90, too bad they didn't bother getting him back for TV to actually plug the event.
- Jake Milliman was getting a push on Hospice AWA TV only a few weeks ago and has been AWOL lately. (Assuming these are all fresh matches and not redubbed and reused TV) The Milkman will be back for the end of the TCS at least.
 
I may have commented on this before, but I attended a good portion of the last AWA tapings in front of people in Rochester, MN. I think I went to maybe 4 to 5 tapings at the Mayo Civic Center as a kid. Some pretty good memories from this time, even though the crowds were abysmal there for sure. I remember the tickets being next to nothing also. Wendi Richter was super approachable (and I admit I had a bit of a kid crush on her), Tommy Jammer was as well. One other take is that the merchandise was pretty much next to nothing, other than a shitty generic program. I recall many of those matches you mentioned live, I think I saw a title change with Enos and Bloom losing the titles to DJ and Trooper (Patriot) at one of those last tapings.

A few assholes in the bunch, one a work and one not so much. So during most of the shows, the crowd was so small, and there was zero security there, so us kids could basically walk right up to the wrestlers after they would have a match in the entranceway and try to get an autograph. I did this with Kokina Maximus (Yokozuna) and was met with a furious and loud verbal assault on me for daring to this to this big heel, and he ceremoniously ripped my program in half and then screamed at me. Holy shit did it scare me to no end at the time.

Bischoff was kinda newish to the AWA at this point, and was doing TONS of pre-tape interviews in the arena. I dont know if he was annoyed at the format of things or what, but he was the biggest dickhead to a bunch of us kids whenever we would approach him for even an autograph.

I wish ESPN Classic would still air these episodes, it would be a fuckin treat to check them out again. I know at least a decade ago, maybe longer, they had.

Also, I bought by Santa Fe early 2000s from the dealership that Greg Gagne worked for at the time. Another guy that was pretty much a complete asshole in person.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1585133095967080448

Wrestlingdata has Roberts matches ending literally right before this card.
Kind of fun they went with a jobber squash as the big draw.
I can only assume the bootcamp match was to tease Slaughter but I'd guess it was Debeers if they were lucky.

Actually this is potentially a Shindy card but WTF is Buddy Roberts doing in Wisconsin 6 months after the AWA/WCCW cross promotion ended?
 
Continuing the '90 AWA *and* weird show conversations

AWA « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database

Internet Wrestling Database
www.cagematch.net
I was shocked during one of my frequent Cagematch.net trips to find out AWA did a house show in New Jersey in August of '90. I assumed they were done running outside of the Midwest after '88. I'm half assuming this was an indie show that was co-promoted with AWA?

All three of these matches seem like Brody dream matches
 
To follow up on that note, in looking at the database I saw a surprising number of events from 91 to 95, just general spot shows in MN here, mostly appearing to be at casinos. I wonder if this was Verne/Greg promoted and booked shows or was someone else managing those ones.

I am betting it was maybe Dale Gagner (who I think MIGHT be related to the Gagne's? He changed his name to Gagne at some point). He ended up "purchasing" the AWA sometime late 90s, I think? I put that in quotes because it was a fucking joke, WWE really was the true owner, and he got sued at some point to stop using any AWA referencing. I actually worked with him a few times in the 2000s as I ran a local arts and entertainment magazine in southern Minnesota at the time, and being the fan that I am, ran some wrestling promotions in there (even had an issue with HHH on the cover in his post-water spit pose). One was an AWA Superstars show in Rochester in, I think 2006 or so that had a better than I expected turnout, and then a few years later, Gagner referred me to speak with the guy who ran AWA Rush, which was a regional territory that did mostly shows in the southern Minnesota area. Gagner tried an approach worldwide and then regionally to basically do something similar to how Marquez would do his Championship Wrestling brand. From my discussions with him, Dale reminded me so much of Scott D'Amore and had the look down too.

What was so fun about the AWA Rush experience was that I booked the group to do an outdoor show literally right outside my apartment in an area of the city I still live in. The magazine I ran and some other partners all decided to put on an outdoor summer festival in where I reside (and still do) where basically a 4 block section of the city had the road closed so we could put attractions right on the street. Mostly food vendors, music stages, but my most memorable area was the wrestling ring they put outside my place and that event, basically a new match on the top of each hour for 6 hours, and the workers all hung out and used my apartment for their backstage/locker room. Most notable of this group was Ariya Daviari (just getting his feet wet) and a Kamala Jr, who claimed up and down to me that he was related to the actual Kamala (I feel like he was kayfabing me to no end).
 
RedJed said:
To follow up on that note, in looking at the database I saw a surprising number of events from 91 to 95, just general spot shows in MN here, mostly appearing to be at casinos. I wonder if this was Verne/Greg promoted and booked shows or was someone else managing those ones.
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I just read about those shows on KM or Wrestling Classics the other day. Those shows were promoted by Verne. Basically, Treasure Island Casino just offered him enough guaranteed money that he agreed to come out of retirement and book a few more spot shows there.
 
TIL (Wrestling Edition): Justin Roberts got his career start as the ring announcer for Dale Gagner's AWA and won over a lot of people in the business for how he was able to handle the announcements that Cactus Jack, Kane, Sycho Sid, Bruno Sammartino, Spaceman Frank Hickey, or whoever wasn't able to make the card that night at the Pine Bluff Motor Lodge and steer the crowd away from rioting.
 
RedJed said:
What was so fun about the AWA Rush experience was that I booked the group to do an outdoor show literally right outside my apartment in an area of the city I still live in. The magazine I ran and some other partners all decided to put on an outdoor summer festival in where I reside (and still do) where basically a 4 block section of the city had the road closed so we could put attractions right on the street. Mostly food vendors, music stages, but my most memorable area was the wrestling ring they put outside my place and that event, basically a new match on the top of each hour for 6 hours, and the workers all hung out and used my apartment for their backstage/locker room. Most notable of this group was Ariya Daviari (just getting his feet wet) and a Kamala Jr, who claimed up and down to me that he was related to the actual Kamala (I feel like he was kayfabing me to no end).
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Daviari did a bunch of shots in Green Bay too. Did you guys ever get Jack Berzerker? He was a really jacked up dude with a big Foley/Brody beard who I thought would be WWF bound on size alone.

Oh...here he is: https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Igotta_Brewski

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My favorite part of that New Jersey show Kamala posted is the finishes were all fuck finishes. Vintage Verne.
 
BruiserBrody said:
Daviari did a bunch of shots in Green Bay too. Did you guys ever get Jack Berzerker? He was a really jacked up dude with a big Foley/Brody beard who I thought would be WWF bound on size alone.

Oh...here he is: https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Igotta_Brewski

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My favorite part of that New Jersey show Kamala posted is the finishes were all fuck finishes. Vintage Verne.
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I remember seeing that guy in random indies around this time, I think he was part of the AWA Rush roster on and off.
 

More Hospice Era AWA!
- Gagne and Stangis are back after being AWOL last week.
- Sarge is still there, a month or so into his WWF run and about to show up on Summerslam!
- They aren't bashing Sarge this week. Oops... Gagne does mention at the end that the doubters are wrong about Sarge.
- I'm guessing this was a redubbed match that had been previously shown?
- Promo: Baron VR talks about the Alaskans being on his team. Have they been on AWA TV since 1986?
- Col Debeers squash. Jake Milliman's push continues after a few weeks as he shows up to get the crowd chanting "turkey" at Debeers.
- 7 weeks left in the TCS. How much longer until Debeers takes over from Sarge?
- Yukon John Nord squash. More Lumberjack camp talk.
- Johnnie Stewart's squash match is joined in progress, complete with on screen graphic to alert us. I wonder what that was about?
- The main event is not taped at the same time as the other squashes (although the announcers do not admit this) as they show Larry Z vs Nikita from the show in early May that also saw Pillman vs Flair in the main event.
Nothing too wacky to poke fun of this week :(

They promise a Mr Saito match for next week. Assuming they do not have an unknown TV taping to pull from, then the only squash Saito worked in 89/90 was against Todd Becker in Dec of 89. Will we see that match with newly dubbed commentary?
Also Candi Devine vs Magnificent Mimi
 
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I’m low key amazed that Shawn Michaels was getting World Title shots as early as ‘86.


Question for people who were watching wrestling in the ‘80s. I’ve heard oldheads say “Well, actually people thought Marty Jannetty was going to be the breakout star of the Rockers.” Seeing stuff like this just emphasizes to me that they’re probably just HBK haters trying to make themselves feel better!
 
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