AWA Wrestlerock PPV

Ken Resnick: welcome everyone as we are here live residing from the beautiful stage room of the AWA Theater for our second ever pay per view presentation, AWA Wrestlerock! I am joined here tonight with my broadcast partner, Verne Gagne. Verne, we’ve got five action packed matches scheduled for tonight. And each has quite a story behind them, some for a matter of pride and some out for revenge.
Verne Gagne: Our first match is definitely a match out for revenge. After their wild brawl at AWA Dome of Destruction, Andre the Giant and Abdullah the Butcher couldn’t be contained in the ring, so scheduled for tonight is a steel cage match between the two.


Ken Resnick: Andre the Giant is already waiting inside the ring and here comes Abdullah the Butcher.
Verne Gagne: It looks like Abdullah wants to leave right where they left off at Dome of Destruction as he has brought a trash can full of weapons to the ring!


Verne Gagne: Referee Marty Miller will be in charge of the door with the lock and key as these two giants battle it out inside the cage.
Ken Resnick: We’re getting quite the shot here from our camera operator as we look over the shoulder of Abdullah the Butcher just moments before he is to step into the ring with Andre the Giant.


Ken Resnick: Marty Miller has put the lock on the door, the only way to escape now is going to be up and over the top of the steel cage where the first man to get two feet on the floor will be declared the winner.
Verne Gagne: Oh my! Abdullah is already on the attack and is going after the eyes of Andrew the Giant with that wrench. This is only the first match on this show and the violence is already reaching incredible levels!


Verne Gagne: And up close and personal in your living room, as we get the close up shot of Abdullah continuing to go to work on the forehead of Andre as he rakes his face across the cold hard steel of the cage. These two are locked in a blood feud which hopefully comes to an end tonight with a victory from one of these two.


Ken Resnick: And Andre has turned the tide of this matchup by using his strength to hoist the rather large Abdullah over his head for a gigantic suplex.
Verne Gagne: The ring crew did a little extra work on the ring before tonight’s contests in anticipation of this match alone. A few more steel support braces were added to the ring in the event that the over 950 pounds these men combine for could be supported by the ring.


Verne Gagne: It looks like Abdullah may have had enough and is trying to head over the top of the cage to escape the grasp of Andre. You can hear the screams of Abdullah as he is caught perilously on the top of the steel cage.
Abdullah the Butcher: Abdullah say no! Abdullah say let me down! AHHHH!!!!
Ken Resnick: I’d be looking for any way out too if I was Abdullah. Standing across the ring from Andre let alone being locked inside a steel cage with him is scary enough!


Ken Resnick: And I think Andre has had enough. He’s tired of the games, he’s tired of Abdullah hitting with all sorts of foreign objects. It’s time to fight fire with fire. And Andre has told himself, and Abdullah for that matter, that two can play at this game.
Verne Gagne: I have never seen this violent side of Andre the Giant. I have never seen him use a weapon like this in a match. Andre has finally had enough and he wants to end this once and for all with Abdullah the Butcher.


Verne Gagne: Again, we see Abdullah begging for mercy and trying to escape the grasp of Andre the Giant. Although this time it looks as if he has been caught and Andre is about to send him flying.
Abdullah the Butcher: Abdullah say….ahhhhhhhh!


Verne Gagne: Oh my, with a thunderous crash Andre the Giant has grabbed Abdullah the Butcher and sent him flying from the top of the cage through a board propped between two chairs which has split in two due to the sheer force in which Abdullah went flying through it!
Ken Resnick: It’s very rarely that you see Abdullah get taken off his feet let alone going soaring through the air after being thrown off the top of a steel cage.


Ken Resnick: Andre the Giant has asked for the lock to be taken off the door so that he can make his escape. Abdullah the Butcher is lying motionless in the ring and I don’t see him making a comeback to stop Andre at this point.
Verne Gagne: Referee Marty Miller obliges and has unlocked the steel cage door to allow Andre to make his escape.


Verne Gagne: And we have the winner of our first match here at AWA Wrestlerock as Andre the Giant escapes the cage and is declared the winner.
Ken Resnick: The Eighth Wonder of the World does it again and hopefully this time has settled the feud with Abdullah the Butcher with this big win here tonight.


Ken Resnick: our next match is one that will hopefully settle yet another blood feud going on here in the AWA. Ever since Precious turned her back on Jimmy Garvin and ran away with Eddie Gilbert, he has been obsessed with getting her back. After earning a hard fought victory in a handicap match against the Long Riders last week on AWA All-Star Wrestling, Jimmy Garvin has cornered Eddie Gilbert into a one on one match, but the stakes couldn’t be any higher.
Verne Gagne: That’s right Ken. The winner and loser of this match both have prizes…and consequences to this match. The winner of this match receives the contract rights to both the Long Riders as well as Precious. The loser of this match must leave town for thirty days. And in an added twist to this match, Jimmy Garvin’s workout dumbbell will be on a platform overlooking the ring which can be legally used by both men in the match, after one of them is able to reach the top and get it.


Ken Resnick: And here comes “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert himself. Flanked by his side are Bill and Scott Irwin, also known as the tag team known as the Long Riders or more suitably Gilbert’s evil henchmen and the turncoat herself, Precious. Collectively they are known as “Hot Stuff International”. Looks like Eddie Gilbert has stopped and has a word to say before this all important match.


Eddie Gilbert: Garvin, I know you’ve been in quite the funk lately. Lost to me, got beat up by the Long Riders, lost your girl, the list goes on and on. But tonight, that’s when you hit rock bottom. You’ll be out of the AWA for thirty days and you’ll probably never want to show your face again. Take my $1000 jacket Precious, it’s time to take care of business.


Verne Gagne: Wait a minute, what’s this? Referee Marty Miller is ordering the rest of Hot Stuff International to the back so they can’t interfere in this match!
Ken Resnick: With all of the outside interference we’ve seen when these two face each other, I don’t blame Marty Miller one bit in making this decision. There’s just way too much at stake in this match for it to be ruined by outside interference. This is the kind of match where’d we’d like to see a clean cut winner and loser.
Verne Gagne: But as Marty Miller escorts Hot Stuff International to the back, Eddie Gilbert has seized the opportunity from the distraction and has gained himself the early advantage in this match.


Ken Resnick: It looks as if Eddie Gilbert is in firm control of this match as he delivers a huge back body drop to Jimmy Garvin.
Verne Gagne: it looked like Garvin’s feet were going to touch the lights here in the AWA Theater with the height that Gilbert got on that one.


Ken Resnick: I’m not sure if that’s a punch to the throat or a possible chokehold but either way, I am very surprised that Marty Miller is not in there admonishing Eddie Gilbert for these clearly illegal tactics.


Verne Gagne: And I think Eddie has his eye on that dumbbell which is sitting on that raised platform outside of the ring. One shot with that and you can kiss this match goodbye.
Ken Resnick: But as you can see behind Gilbert, it looks as if Garvin is starting to get his wind back and maybe ready to make a comeback.


Ken Resnick: And just as Gilbert was going to exit the ring to attempt to retrieve the dumbbell from the platform, Jimmy Garvin comes flying in with a backwards body splash in the corner which has Gilbert reeling!


Verne Gagne: Now is the time for Garvin to exact his revenge. The referee tried to stop him at 10 for the number of times he’s bashed Gilbert’s head into the top turnbuckle, but it looks as if Garvin wants to double that and go for 20 instead!
Ken Resnick: To my knowledge there are no disqualifications in this match, so Garvin could probably go to 100 if he wanted to!


Ken Resnick: As the referee was admonishing Garvin on his way to 100 turnbuckle smashes, Eddie Gilbert has used the distraction to escape to the outside while Jimmy Garvin gives chase. The whole entire match could change on an instant in this one once someone is able to get ahold of that dumbbell.


Verne Gagne: Ah c’mon referee! Why is Marty Miller still speaking to Jimmy Garvin? He needs to let these two men go at it!
Ken Resnick: And this has given Eddie Gilbert the opening he has been looking for all match. He’s climbing up onto the platform and looks like he’s going to be the first man to reach Jimmy Garvin’s workout dumbbell!


Verne Gagne: But quick as a jack rabbit, Jimmy Garvin has climbed up onto the platform and is going neck and neck with Eddie Gilbert.
Ken Resnick: These men must be a good 15 to 20 feet in the air. A fall by either man…or both for that matter…could be disastrous to their health!


Ken Resnick: WOW! That’s all I can say. Jimmy Garvin has tossed Eddie Gilbert off of the platform and he has fallen hard onto the solid wood stage of the AWA Theater right here in front of our announcers table!
Verne Gagne: This doesn’t look good at all for Eddie Gilbert. He seems to be lying motionless. We may need to get some our medical staff out here to give some assistance. I think Eddie Gilbert is in a bad way.


Ken Resnick: Jimmy Garvin has obtained the dumbbell from the platform and has entered the ring waiting for Eddie Gilbert to make his way back. Remember the only way he can win this match is in the ring.
Verne Gagne: I really cannot believe that Eddie Gilbert is actually moving and conscious and appears to be crawling down the stage steps towards the ring.


Verne Gagne: Marty Miller has exited the ring to check on Eddie Gilbert to see if he’d like to continue in this match. I think for the sake of his longtime future health and for his career he should…..
Ken Resnick: HEY! Wait a…!
Verne Gagne: That’s “Ravishing” Rick Rude! My fellow Minnesota native has grabbed one of the camera sets from one of our operators and just nailed Jimmy Garvin right in the back of the head with it! I can’t believe what we are seeing here!


Ken Resnick: Ah, c’mon, not like this. It can’t end like this.
Verne Gagne: Eddie Gilbert has somehow managed to find the strength to crawl back in the ring and is making the cover for….yes, that’s the three count over Jimmy Garvin has Rick Rude looks on from the corner with great pride.


Ken Resnick: oh would you like at this? Eddie Gilbert can hardly stand on his own two feet and he’s celebrating in the ring with Rick Rude like he’s just easily defeated Jimmy Garvin like it was nothing. If it wasn’t for Rude, Hot Stuff International wouldn’t be in existence right now. This is absolutely despicable. I have a feeling that the day is coming when Eddie Gilbert is going to pay the price. But tonight, the Long Riders, Precious, and I guess it looks like Rick Rude are all under the umbrella of Hot Stuff International. Oh let’s move onto the next match please.


Verne Gagne: Now this is a match that should contain some honor and respect and no shenanigans inside and outside the ring. Scott Hall takes on the Dynamite Kid in the finals of the Frank Gotch Memorial Tournament.
Ken Resnick: Over the past few weeks on AWA All-Star Wrestling we’ve seen the quarterfinal and semifinal matches of this eight man tournament which pitted four of the best from the AWA up against four of the best from around the world. And it has come down to these two to decide who walks out tonight with this beautiful trophy which AWA President Stanley Blackburn will present to the winner and also gain a shot at the AWA World Heavyweight Championship at our next pay per view event coming up in just four weeks’ time.


Ken Resnick: Dynamite Kid jumps out to the early advantage by connecting with one of his patented running powerslams out of the corner.
Verne Gagne: He is such a technician in that ring. The kind of wrestler that any up and coming athlete in the world of professional wrestling should be striving to be like.


Ken Resnick: Their backs may be turned to the camera, but we definitely know that’s the international sign for the DDT which Dynamite Kid connects with.
Verne Gagne: He is really starting this match out with a fast pace and has really jumped on Scott Hall from the very beginning. But we have to remember in a match like this that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.


Ken Resnick: And look at the agility of the Dynamite Kid. It is just an absolute spectacle to behold when he comes flying off the top rope with his Flying Headbutt.
Verne Gagne: That’s the kind of maneuver that would put any normal man down. But Scott Hall is not normal. As we have seen time and time again in this tournament he has been almost superhuman at times and keeps on defying the odds.


Verne Gagne: Dynamite is going for the pin and may get him here.
Ken Resnick: Marty Miller down for the count, count of one, count of two…count of…oh, so close, I am not too sure how he got out of that pinning predicament.


Ken Resnick: Scott Hall able to turn the tables a bit in this match now as he has Dynamite in a reverse neck crank here.
Verne Gagne: A very simple yet effective move that Scott Hall is applying here. We know that Dynamite has had some neck and back issues plague him throughout his career, so definitely not a bad idea here for hall to be working over this area with this move.


Ken Resnick: Hall sends Dynamite Kid into the corner with an Irish Whip and…oh no, Dynamite Kid went sailing over the top rope and onto the floor after the force of hitting that turnbuckle sent him tumbling.
Verne Gagne: Those turnbuckles may be padded but in the end there is still never enough padding on these wrestling rings to stop things like this from happening.


Verne Gagne: Dynamite Kid is laying prone on the AWA Theater floor while what’s this, Scott Hall has started running down the apron of the ring and…
Ken Resnick: Oh what an elbow from Hall! I don’t think I have ever seen anyone having a running start down the apron and crash down to the hard floor on top of his opponent with an elbow like that before. Unbelievable!


Ken Resnick: Scott Hall is seizing the opportunity. This is the opening he was looking for.
Verne Gagne: This is the move he calls, “The Edge”. Dynamite Kid is in trouble now.


Ken Resnick: Scott Hall connects with The Edge and it’s all over for Dynamite Kid.
Verne Gagne: Marty Miller makes the three count and we have the winner of the Frank Gotch Memorial Tournament and a new #1 contender for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship…Scott Hall!


Verne Gagne: And this right here is what it’s all about, the sportsmanship these two men are displaying in this moment is what the AWA was built upon.
Ken Resnick: AWA President Stanley Blackburn is about to enter the ring to award the trophy to Scott Hall.


Ken Resnick: Scott Hall stands triumphant with the Frank Gotch Memorial trophy. What a moment in AWA history.
Scott Hall: Stan Hanson, I told you I was coming for that belt. In four weeks, just like tonight, I’ll be victorious and will be holding more gold high above my head.


Verne Gagne: Umm….who’s this guy out here on the stage?
Ken Resnick: Oh Verne, you need to catch up with the times. That’s Andy Kaufman, world renowned standup comedian who is also a star on Saturday Night Live and Taxi on your television screens.
Verne Gagne: Oh, well I haven’t watched TV since the days of the Honeymooners being on the air. My TV is only tuned to watch AWA All-Star Wrestling.


Andy Kaufman: Well I’m the king, I’m the king of the wrestling world. I am the greatest. I am the man with the plans. I am the greatest. I am from Hollywood….hey, hey, hey, why are you booing and hissing me out here tonight.
Verne Gagne: Sounds like the AWA crowd is not too keen on this Kaufman character.
Andy Kaufman: Oh you think that all this booing is going to make me go away? Maybe it will tonight, but wait until next week, then you’ll see my plan start to unfold. I am about to bring in the world’s biggest and brightest starts from Hollywood. Just wait and see what I have in store for you all!


Verne Gagne: well that Kaufman character created quite a debacle.
Ken Resnick: And moving on Verne, our next contest is one that I know you have some vested interest in after what the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering did to your son, Greg Gagne.
Verne Gagne: Yes, back at AWA Dome od Destruction, these two street thugs gave my son a spike piledriver through the announce table. He’s been rehabbing from neck and back surgery over the past few weeks and he’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to resume his wrestling career.


Ken Resnick: Well tonight, the Road Warriors put the AWA World Tag Team Championship belts on the line, against these men…the Masked Mercenaries. We don’t know much about them at all since they arrived on the scene last week and accepted the open contract spot that the Road Warriors had for the tag team titles here tonight. Only known as Masked Mercenary #1 and masked Mercenary #2, we have location unknown and weight unknown!


Verne Gagne: Well these Masked Mercenaries better get their act together quick or this match will be over quick.
Ken Resnick: Not sure if that’s #1 or #2, not really sure how to tell them apart, but nonetheless, that’s Animal of the Road Warriors giving him a real working over in the neutral corner.


Verne Gagne: These guys seem to be out for permanent injury of their opponents on a nightly basis, and again, they are targeting a man’s neck. He just dropped that Masked Mercenary right on top of his head.
Ken Resnick: Once again tonight, the Road Warriors, with the vision and guidance of Paul Ellering are showing the world exactly why they are the AWA World Tag Team Champions.


Verne Gagne: You ever notice how these two Chicago street toughs always seem to turn their match into something resembling a Chicago Street Fight? These guys seem to have little to no scientific wrestling capability and instead resort to street fight moves like this.
Ken Resnick: Animal holds the Masked Mercenary down while Hawk stomps right on top of his head with those big black motorcycle boots.


Verne Gagne: Oh would you look at Hawk just taunt the Masked Mercenaries as one of them tries to make the much needed tag. This is getting out of hand.


Ken Resnick: Looks like Hawk just showed a little compassion there in letting the man make the tag…
Verne Gagne: Or maybe he wants to dish out his vicious brand of street justice on not just one of these guys, but both of them.
Ken Resnick: Oh…good point there Verne.


Verne Gagne: Now this is getting downright out of hand now. He’s not here to try and pin the man for the victory. He’s here to hurt him permanently. What use is it for him to dump him outside the ring onto the floor, head first I might add.


Ken Resnick: Paul Ellering shouting instructions on the outside as the Road Warriors have one of the helpless Masked Mercenaries up on their shoulders for their finisher, the Doomsday Device.
Verne Gagne: This hasn’t been a wrestling match, this has been a beat down. Who’s going to stop these guys and get the vengeance for my son Greg?


Ken Resnick: And would you look at this now. With the match seemingly well in hand, the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering have stopped short of the pin attempt so that they can pose for our AWA camera operators and do a little taunting.


Verne Gagne: Wait! WAIT JUST A SECOND HERE! The Masked Mercenaries look like they are pulling the old switcheroo on the Road Warriors here. The one that got hit with the Doomsday Device just rolled out of the ring and the fresh man is in there. They look so much alike that I don’t think that referee Marty Miller or the Road Warriors are picking up on this!


Verne Gagne: A roll attempt as the other Masked Mercenary jumps on Animal and Paul Ellering!
Ken Resnick: I can’t believe what we just saw the Masked Mercenaries just pulled a fast one on the Road Warriors and we have NEW AWA World Tag Team Champions…the Masked Mercenaries!


Verne Gagne: The match may be over but I think the war has just begun between these two. The Masked Mercenaries are dishing out a little street justice of their own and have completely knocked the Road Warriors senseless with those steel chairs.


Verne Gagne: Oh now is the time for sweet revenge! The Road Warriors are down and out and Paul Ellering has been cornered all by himself on the stage of the AWA Theater!
Ken Resnick: Wait just a minute, it appears that the Masked Mercenaries are about to take their masks off!


Ken Resnick: That’s Curt Hennig and Greg Gagne!!! I can’t believe it! We thought Greg was home in Minnesota right now recuperating but instead he’s here at AWA Wrestlerock swindling the tag team titles off the Road Warriors!
Verne Gagne: Hahahahaha! I knew it all along! I just had to sell the story long enough for Greg to get his revenge on these guys!


Verne Gagne: It’s time for a little bit of sweet revenge. Ken, remember how they say that revenge is best served cold? Well tonight, revenge is best served on a cold hard wooden table!
Ken Resnick: Greg and Curt are about to exact revenge as they look to piledrive Paul Ellering off the stage and through a solid wood table!


Ken Resnick: Oh what a thunderous crash as Ellering goes sailing through the table with an absolutely devastating Greg Gagne piledriver!


Verne Gagne: Now Ellering will know how it feels to sit it at home recuperating after being driven through a table.
Ken Resnick: Greg Gagne and Curt Henning are your NEW AWA World Tag Team Champions and follow it up by exacting revenge on Paul Ellering by driving him through a table. But if I know the Road Warriors, this may not be the last of this feud that has suddenly taken a very violent turn.


Ken Resnick: And now we move on to our main event of the evening. This is a tag team match which pits AWA World Heavyweight Champion Stan Hanson and Terry Funk up against Jerry Blackwell and a mystery partner.
Verne Gagne: We first saw that mysterious white cowboy hat pop up in the ring after Stan Hanson defeated Jerry Blackwell in a Bull Rope Match at AWA Dome of Destruction. Although we still do not know who the owner of the white cowboy hat is, the hat has almost taunted Hanson and Funk the past few weeks. Last week on AWA All-Star Wrestling, Jerry Blackwell came out wearing the white cowboy hat and promised to have the man reveal himself and be his tag team partner here tonight for the main event of what has been an eventful night of AWA Wrestlerock.


Ken Resnick: Referee Marty Miller gave the mystery man ample time to come down to the ring, but he has not appeared so Marty Miller was forced to ring the bell to start this match and quickly Jerry Blackwell finds himself in a 2 on 1 situation with the world champion Stan Hanson leading the charge.


Verne Gagne: And high in the air, Hanson and Blackwell have Blackwell up for a devastating double atomic drop.
Ken Resnick: This mystery man better get out here quick or this match is going to be over before he even hits the ring!


Ken Resnick: This could be the end of the night for Jerry Blackwell. Terry Funk is whipping Jerry Blackwell into the ropes as Stan Hanson winds up for his Lariat clothesline.
Verne Gagne: Where is this mystery man when Jerry Blackwell needs him the most? Does this guy even exist?!
ken Resnick: Well, it doesn’t look like this guy is going to pop up, as Stan Hanson goes for the cover, one….two…….


Ken Resnick: Wait…what?! Is that..?
Verne Gagne: It’s the ‘American Dream” Dusty Rhodes!!!!!!
Ken Resnick: Look at Hanson and Funk shaking in their cowboy boots in the middle of the ring. It’s like they’ve seen a ghost!


Verne Gagne: The “Mystery of the White Cowboy Hat” has been solved as Dusty Rhodes hits the ring with fists…or maybe I should say…elbows of fire!
Ken Resnick: A huge elbow by Dusty has the old Funker temporarily paralyzed as the shockwaves course throughout his body and he flies over the top rope and onto the floor.


Verne Gagne: Dusty is winding that elbow up again as he delivers another of those ferocious elbows to Stan Hanson too.
Ken Resnick: What a big time addition this is to the AWA to have the most popular wrester in the entire world wrestling under the American Wrestling Association banner!!!


ken Resnick: Terry Funk is all but helpless to save Stan Hanson now. He’s lying on the floor partially in pain and partially in shock I think that one of his worst nightmares from the past has reappeared in the form of Dusty Rhodes.
Verne Gagne: Dusty has Hanson up and looks like he’s going to hit his Stampede Powerslam! What a turn of events!


Ken Resnick: And Dusty has slapped on his Figure Four leg lock on Stan Hanson as “The Lariat” screams in pain and agony.
Verne Gagne: And back comes Jerry Blackwell recovering from the Lariat clothesline to deliver his “Stone Mountain Splash” on Stan Hanson. And that’s a three count! I can’t believe the world champion has been pinned by Jerry Blackwell. It seems like only a matter of time before he loses his grasp on the title.


Ken Resnick: Scott Hall has jumped in the ring to celebrate with his good friend Jerry Blackwell along with their new ally in this fight against Hanson and Funk, the one, the only, “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes!
Verne Gagne: over the past few weeks we had felt that Stan Hanson was gaining the advantage in this fight, but with the arrival of Dusty on the scene, this is a complete game changer!


Ken Resnick: But in the end, once again, Hanson escapes with the gold belt in his possession and will live to fight another day….
Stan Hanson: Rhodes! Rhodes! You think this is the end, this is only the beginning! Wait until next time, this is far, far, far from over!
Verne Gagne: Well, this feud may be far from over but unfortunately our time here at AWA Wrestlerock is done. We’ll see you next week for what surly will be a very eventful episode of AWA All-Star Wrestling! Good night everybody!