WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING (Harley Race Edition)

October 26th 1984

NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion Harley Race challenging Rick Martel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship at Kiel Auditorium in St.Louis, Missouri.

The match ended in a 60-minute draw and only Martel's AWA World Title was on the line.

Today in Wrestling History (August 29th)

August 29th 1982

St. Paul, MN

Otto Wanz defeats Nick Bockwinkel to win the AWA World Heavyweight title.

Wanz would hold the title for 41 days before losing the belt back to Bockwinkle in Chicago IL on October 9th 1982

This would be Wanz only reign with the AWA World Title.

WWE honors the life and career of WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel

R.I.P. Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Bockwinkel has passed away at the age of 81

One of the greatest of all time and with Ray Stevens they formed one of the best tag teams in the history of wrestling winning the AWA World Tag Team Titles on 3 occasions.
He was also one of the greatest World Heavyweight champions winning the AWA World Heavyweight Title 4 times.  He was so trusted and loved by AWA owner/promoter Verne Gagne when Stan Hansen refused to come back from Japan in 1986 to defend the title, he stripped him and handed it to Bockwinkel as a transition champion but left the title on him for 308 days.  Bockwinkel dropped the belt Curt Hennig on May 2nd 1987 at SuperClash 2 in San Francisco CA.

Jerry Lawler Wins the AWA World Title (May 9th 1988)

May 9th 1988

Mid South Coliseum

Memphis, TN

Jerry Lawler defeats Curt Hennig for 

the AWA World Heavyweight Title

Lawler would hold the title until January 20th 1989 when his promotion, CWA, would split from the AWA and he was stripped of the title.

WWE Hall Of Fame 2015 - Larry Zbyszko

The self proclaimed "Living Legend" Larry Zbysko will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Wrestlemania weekend 2015.

The former AWA World Heavyweight Champion, former WWF, NWA World Tag Team champion, NWA World Television champion will most likely be inducted by his longtime friend and mentor Bruno Sammartino.

Zbysko was born in 1951 as Lawrence Whistler, he rose fast up the ranks of the WWF and in 1980 was part of one of the most famous feuds in wrestling history as he "turned" on his mentor Bruno Sammartino.  This feud ended in a cage at the sold out Shea Stadium in New York City.

This was voted "Feud of the Year" 1980 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestling Observer newsletter
Zbysko was voted "Most Hated Wrestling of the Year" and "Best Heel" of 1980.

He was Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Rookie of the Year" for 1974 and won PWI's Tag Team of the Year with Arn Anderson in 1991.

1981 Bockwinkel vs Gagne

July 18th 1981

Comiskey Park

Chicago IL

AWA World Heavyweight Title

Nick Bockwinkel

(Champion)

vs

Verne Gagne

Gagne wins the AWA World title for the 10th and final time

AWA World Tag Team Champions

The Vachon Brothers, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon and Paul "The Butcher" Vachon held the AWA World Tag Team belts for a record 623 consecutive days.
They won the belts on August 30th 1969 in Chicago when they managed to defeat the reigning champions Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher.   This ended the Bruiser and Crushers 4th stint as AWA Champions.

The Vachon Brothers held the belts until May 15th 1971 when they lost them to the team of Red Bastien and Hercules Cortez  (below) in Milwaukee, WI.

AWA World Champion - Rick Martel

AWA World Heavyweight Champion graces the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (dated Feb 1985)

April 24th 1985 

Mr. Saito

vs

Rick Martel

AWA Champion

AWA World Tag Team Title

1983 -  its the AWA Tag Team Champions, The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera) managed by Sheik Adnan Al Kassie  defending against the team of Mad Dog Vachon and Dick the Bruiser.

Minneapolis Minnesota
(this is near the end but its still fun to watch to crazies like Bruiser and Vachon tag together.  What are the odds a match involving those 2 would end in a double DQ with them just beating the daylights out of Blackwell and Patera, such good stuff.

Champion vs Champion 1985

NWA vs AWA

The first ever World Title Unification Match between the NWA and AWA World Heavyweight Singles Champions

October 21st 1985

Japan

Ric Flair

NWA World Champion

vs

Rick Martel

AWA World Champion

its so nice to see champions show class and come to the ring with no loud music or explosions and not grabbing a microphone to run his mouth for 20 minutes before the match starts.

The History of the AWA World Title

New Stan Hansen Book

This is for the fans that love Stan "The Lariat" Hansen and his unpredictable and crazy style.  I am one that misses the "dont know what is going to happen next" style that he made famous all over the world.


This  is his story in his own words about everything you wanted to know...from Japan, to King Kong Brody to Bruno's broken neck to the AWA Title and what happened between him and Verne Gagne....good looking stuff from the all the excerpts you can read at the link post below.

Highspots is selling it...click this link.

NWA-AWA Star Wars

In February 1985 the NWA and AWA decided to join forces to put together a Super Card for the New Jersey Meadowlands.  This was, sadly, a desperate attempt to stem the tide of the WWF and Vince McMahon who was raiding the talent and the regions of the AWA and NWA.   They went to the heart of the WWF, New York City/NJ area, to try and promote themselves as a better alternative to the "cartoonish"  style the WWF had adopted in its spread across the US.

here is that first card from 1985 with the biggest names of the NWA and AWA.  Sadly this was ignored by the US wrestling press and television.  However, Japanese fans got to see the card and all the talent on display and that is why we have the japanese commentary.

Star Wars was held 3 more times with the only card to draw more than 10,000 fans was on December 29th 1985, well below the 18,500 fans for the first show.   All in all it was a money loser for both promotions and the small crowds finally convinced them to steer clear of the New York area for good.

If you notice Sgt Slaughter winning the Battle Royal in a nod to his recent departure from the WWF, they knew he still had a huge following in the NY/NJ area.

The scheduled matches

1. Ivan & Nikita Koloff beat Steve Keirn & Jimmy Valiant when Ivan pinned Valiant.
   
2. Jimmy Garvin beat AWA World Champion Rick Martel via DQ.
   
3. AWA World Tag Champs The Road Warriors beat Jerry Lawler & Baron Von Raschke when Raschke was pinned.
   
4. NWA World Champ Ric Flair pinned Harley Race (25:00).
   
5. Sgt. Slaughter won a "tag team battle royal." Slaughter's partner, Jerry Blackwell, was injured and could not compete, forcing Slaughter to wrestle alone. Also in the match were: The Road Warriors, Ivan & Nikita Koloff, Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell, Kamala & Billy Robinson, Mark & Chris Youngblood, Jerry Lawler & Baron Von Raschke, Bob Backlund & Jimmy Valiant, Mr. Saito & Masked Superstar, Nick Bockwinkel & Dory Funk Jr., Jimmy Garvin & Larry Zbyszko, and Steve Keirn & Jerry Oski.