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

[BruiserBrody]

I shared this several years ago but have been meaning to find it again ever since I made this thread.

A homemade parody of AWA Wrestling from the 84-86ish era. They somehow even got Larry Nelson to make a cameo!!!

This was Southpaw Championship Wrestling 30 years ahead of its time.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Can we get on WWF? NO
Can we get on JCP? NO
Has Verne called us back? NO
Windy City Wrestling must have wanted us? NO
F it, we'll do it ourselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWiqJyv6mNs

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

NWA Grandslam « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database

Internet Wrestling Database

www.cagematch.net

Paging @BruiserBrody

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Holy poop! ^that show is on YouTube.

Featuring AWA Unleashed co-host (and crabby old man wrestling forum poster) Mick Karch.

 

[BruiserBrody]

I'd say Schire was more of the grumpy old man on WrestlingClassics/Kayfabe Memories. AWA Unleashed was once again a "Hey 'member him?" this week as they listed the announcers from the AWA from the 60s onward and praised them in rapid fire fashion.
I'd don't believe they mentioned "Ringside" Ralph Strangis from the dying days.

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The boys cover an old AWA show that is fun, but certainly not for everyone. Verne works an extended squash against "Blackjack" Daniels while promoting "Blackjack" Lanza as a top heel. He and Verne do tell a nice story in the match.
The Vachons work Kenny Jay and another geek in a 2 out of 3 fall squash, which actually has some really good high spots.
The Big K shows up, still a wrestler in these early days, and he looks MASSIVE. He looked like Gorilla Monsoon's cousin and cut a good promo.

There's also a terrible WWF 1979 show at the end. If you want to see Backlund grapple fuck Johnny V for 20 mins. this is your card.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Brod or @snuffbox, do you know anything more about the Super Chicken Graham gimmick!?

 

[BruiserBrody]

One would think that was Crusher's nickname for him as he often made up names to shit talk opponents (Super Dummy (Destroyer), Dolly Sisters, Road Runners (Warriors) etc.

Patera was basically a rookie here, but they were putting him with Nick to elevate him fast. Strongman Kenny Patera was the American powerlifting hero at first before he found his true calling as an asshole heel.

View attachment 1306

Brod or @snuffbox, do you know anything more about the Super Chicken Graham gimmick!?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1536827483131195393

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1536898034256056321

Not only is Jesse in much better shape than his 84-85 WWF run, but freakin Adonis has show muscles! They both got MSG runs with Backlund in 82 so I wonder if they got in tip top shape for the NY money?

 

[BruiserBrody]

The Mini-Apple grapple: A look at Twin Cities rasslin' during the 1980s

A photo exhibit provides a ringside view of Baron Von Raschke, Sgt. Slaughter and more.

www.startribune.com

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No AWA Unleashed this week as the pod stars were in some small West WI bar as guests for an indy show. I'm sure the dozens of kids wearing John Cena shirts were thrilled to see them.

 

[snuffbox]

I should get back into the loop of that stuff.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1538312161046323200

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1538312161046323200

To put things in perspective, Green Bay and its Lake Michigan neighbor Manitowoc both had rules in place against African Americans being out after dark up until Vince Lombardi's early days in GB when he helped fight against such silliness. (Verne ran both places in the 70s and 80s and likely beforehand.)
We still jokingly act shocked when we go "Up Nort" and see any minorities. Green Bay may as well be the cut off point of the Chicago migration.

===

https://twitter.com/TheDaveDynasty/status/1537772487676932096

“Every Saturday Night” by Craig Somers. Black and white film documentary about professional wrestling. We see the athletes warming up, the crowd gathering in the ring, and can feel the energy and excitement developing in the arena. There are some brief interviews with fans and wrestlers, but there is so much ambient noise that the words are hard to understand. Features Dick the Bruiser. According to a fan: “Bruiser…he’s the best. When Bruiser comes, the blood comes.” We see the Bruiser in a match. Afterwards, the wrestlers have some interesting things to say about the psychology behind wrestling. “People make it or break it, and I don’t care if they like me or don’t like me, as long as those turnstiles keep clicking.” The card : Jim Brunzell defeated Geoff Portz Greg Gagne defeated Yugo Babich Billy Robinson defeated Boris Breznikoff (Nikolai Volkoff) by disqualification Nick Bockwinkel defeated "Sailor" Art Thomas Baron Von Raschke and Horst Hoffmann defeated Billy Graham and Dusty Rhodes Ox Baker defeated Dick the Bruiser by countout

AWA/WWA Chicago (1975/02/22)

“Every Saturday Night” by Craig Somers. Black and white film documentary about professional wrestling. We see the athletes warming up, the crowd gathering ...

www.youtube.com

Only one non HOF'er on the card, Not bad.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Between The Sheets this week is from this week in 1986 and has Dave Meltzer attending an AWA supercard in Oakland.

AWA Battle By The Bay « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database

Internet Wrestling Database

www.cagematch.net

Top three matches look intriguing and/or good but got to love Verne bringing in Minnesota celebrity Scott LeDoux in for a card in OAKLAND!

 

[snuffbox]

LeDoux was more than a local name. He got a shot against Larry Holmes for the world title and fought 7 other former/future world champions. Putting him against a worker like Zbyszko in a lower-card match that can still draw some interest reminds me of Butterbean-Bart with Vinny Pazienza as guest referee down the card at WM 15. And, imo, it's a step up from trying to shoehorn Cain Velasquez into Brock Lesnar booking in 2020.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Didn't listen yet, but one of my questions is used!!

 

[BruiserBrody]

What better way to unwind after another 50 hour work week than to watch shitty AWA shows at 1 am?

This one is the Tully debut, which is heavily pushed throughout. Plus Sgt Slaugter name drops Big Van Vader (since Leon had been trained by Rheinghans and booked for several years by Verne, I'm sure they were hoping to use him again. He is mentioned in the TCS "Draft" episode too. Not sure I've seen that online, but I have the DVD (who doesn't?)
Final fun is the AWA setting up a jobber vs jobber feature match for the following week as competing TCS coaches pick their team's opposition.

Verne shows he still has it by booking 2 future WWF World champions to collide in the main event as Sarge clashes with Yoko! (I marked out a little at the start when it was announced). PLUS Ox Baker and the Russian Brute explode! (Don't remember that) Brute is a goof in my modern eyes, but I was intimidated by him in 1990 as an almost 8 year old watching this.

AWA: Now, Then, Forever!

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1545859302329565185

More content exclusively for Brody.


(Rest of TSM: So like 99% of your posts?)

 

[Valeyard]

Larry Nelson always looked like the guy who stands up at meetings in movies talking about how Batman is an evil vigilante or how dancing is evil or something.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Which is fun cause he was a raging drunk who revealed how decadent the AWA hotel pool parties were.


I don’t remember him killing anyone and Google fu is not helping. I assume it might have been drunk driving related, @BruiserBrody ?

 

[BruiserBrody]

Midnight on a vacation Sunday? I smell some AWA incoming!

Sarge, only weeks away from the WWF return, slays Johnnie Stewart by dubbing him "Bart WIMPson".
The Lumberjacks cut their semi-infamous "Flapjack eating" promo
and Brad Rheingans finally gets revenge on Enos and Bloom for injuring him in 1989.

---

Verne books his AWA legends/TCS leaders to pick jobbers for their opponents to partner with for an epic main event!!

I enjoyed all of this way more than I should have.

7 min mark: Tom Stone tries to cut a promo, but Sarge tells him to ____ off.
And we get a Jake "the Milkman" Milliman highlight package at 8:30! (Set to "Charlie Brown", a song that was popular when Groovy Greg was 7)
Larry Z and off brand Jack Lanza (Tony Leone) yell at the Milkman in one of the segments highlighted.
We also get a glimpse of the Nov 89 AWA TCS draft, which I've now mentioned in back to back posts. If only I had any clue how to convert DVD to digital.
If you were hankering for some Pink room of doom wrasslin', those highlights are here too.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Which is fun cause he was a raging drunk who revealed how decadent the AWA hotel pool parties were.


I don’t remember him killing anyone and Google fu is not helping. I assume it might have been drunk driving related, @BruiserBrody ?

I think its just humor? Nelson lost his gig for missing TV from being hungover or whatever, which is how the world got Easy E.

Nelson was the announcer I remember 1st on TV (at least for Verne) so I have nostalgic feelings for him.

Nelson's book was worth reading just to learn of the wild hotel orgies. Party Marty and Shawn probably kept Ray Stevens and Wahoo floating in 2nd hand poon in 1987.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Sarge, only weeks away from the WWF return, slays Johnnie Stewart by dubbing him "Bart WIMPson".

It seems anachronistic as heck that AWA and The Simpsons existed at the same.

Verne definitely seems like the type of guy who would've been morally deeply appalled by Bart's antics (as he pulled out his donger on some unsuspecting ring rats)

 

[alkeiper]

We need wrestling to look more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons!

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Didn't some babyface tag team wear Batman t-shirts in '89/'90 to get a cheap pop too?

For all of the talk about AWA being out of touch, it's a surprise we didn't get Groovy Greg entering the ring to "U Can't Touch This".

 

[BruiserBrody]

Didn't some babyface tag team wear Batman t-shirts in '89/'90 to get a cheap pop too?

For all of the talk about AWA being out of touch, it's a surprise we didn't get Groovy Greg entering the ring to "U Can't Touch This".

I'm pretty sure that was Derrick Dukes (maybe at SuperClash?) Maybe Tommy Jammer?
I'm still thinking about Mad Dog Vachon and Verne Gagne coming down to "Celebrate Good Times, Come on!" at Super Sunday as a wacky choice.
AWA taped that pilot with the Foxy Boxing during Married with Children Season 3, so we could have gotten a Al Bundy/Verne Gagne Nudie Bar crossover event.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Was Ugly Bear Harris a young Kamala?

 

[alkeiper]

I went to joke that this looks like an ICW card and as it turns out...

Show @ Jackson (1979-03-14) - Results @ Wrestlingdata.com

Show @ Jackson (1979-03-14) - Results

www.wrestlingdata.com

And yes. That's Kamala.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

According to the Wrestling Classics thread where I found that poster, Verne briefly had some points in the Culkin territory which explains the random AWA World Title defense.

 

[BruiserBrody]

I went to joke that this looks like an ICW card and as it turns out...

Show @ Jackson (1979-03-14) - Results @ Wrestlingdata.com

Show @ Jackson (1979-03-14) - Results

www.wrestlingdata.com

And yes. That's Kamala.

Tom "Boogaloo" Shaft!!

(I have no idea who that is, but Corny drops that name quite a bit.)
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Two reasons the 1989/90 AWA stuff stuck in my 7/8 year old skull was Sarge's cross overs into my other worlds....

Now only if the Hogan Family had done the obvious guest star stunt casting.