AWA Superclash III (12.13.88) review 

 

December 13, 1988 

 

We’re in Chicago, Illinois at the UIC Pavilion, which is now known as the Credit Union 1 Arena. It’s the home of various Chicago sports teams over the years, mainly University of Chicago teams but also others like WNBA Chicago Sky. Several major NWA wrestling events took place here including Starrcade ‘87 and the Chi-Town Rumble is coming in a few months. Your hosts here are Lee Marshall & Ray Stevens with Verne Gagne and David McLane joining at various times during the course of the evening. The PPV buyrate here is not great. Around 40-45k people bought the show, compared to the WWF, who were doing ten times that for their PPVs. WCW was doing somewhere in the middle. Around 180-250k per PPV. The AWA is a distant third promotion in 1988 and has been for ages (basically since they dropped the ball with Hogan). They also don’t have the house show revenue or a TV deal to speak of. The attendance here was 1,672.  

 

How did we get here exactly though? Verne Gagne, struggling to compete with the WWF and NWA and their collective expansionism, joined forces with Jerry Lawler’s Memphis promotion, the Von Erich’s World Class promotion and a few others. The aim is create a new NWA-esque coalition of promotions that can scratch each other’s back and share talent. It wasn’t going badly, up to this point, with Lawler taking the AWA belt and defending it in all of the different territories. He’s even defending tonight against Kerry von Erich, the ace of World Class. However, when Lawler asked for a pay day for this show he was promptly stripped of the belt and the alliance came to an abrupt halt. Blame Verne for getting greedy or a bunch of promoters for not being able to get together for their collective good.  

 

Los Guerreros ‘88 vs. Rock N’ Roll RPMs & Cactus Jack 

Foley is a couple of years in and has mostly worked out of Memphis. He takes a ridiculous back drop on the floor in the first minute. He doesn’t look like he’s a decade away from becoming a legend. Los Guerreros are a lot of fun, as was demonstrated in a similar match on a recent TV taping. However, it lacks the structure of that contest and just serves as an excuse to reel out as many wacky lucha spots as they can think of. Chavo finishes with the moonsault press, as he did at the taping. If you’re looking for snowflakes, it’s around ** and disappointing considering how good this was in the taping.  

 

Video Control takes us to Larry Nelson who interviews POWW (Powerful Women of Wrestling) champion Nina.  

You may recognise her as Ivory. She’d been working GLOW before this as Tina Ferrari. POWW is from the brain of David McLane, GLOW founder, still trying to get women’s wrestling over in the USA, god bless him. Tonight’s effort is a lingerie battle royal.  

 

WCCW Light Heavyweight Championship 

Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Eric Embry  

These boys decide to take a fast pace but stray from the lucha opener by doing realistic looking quick counters. The hammerlock counters and blocked hip tosses show parity. Do they overkill the reversals? Maybe a little bit, but it all looks good to me. Jarrett injures his shoulder, missing a falling Embry with a crossbody and taking a spill to the floor. Jarrett tries a sunset flip but Embry rolls out and rolls Jeff up for the win, with Jarrett selling the shoulder. Hey, this was GREAT. I don’t care that it was only 4 minutes. It ruled. *** 

 

Video Control takes us backstage again, where Larry Nelson has The Terrorist for an interview. She wrestled as Palestina in GLOW. If you’ve seen the GLOW TV show, you know. She’s supposed to be from Syria, but I would hazard a guess at New Jersey, based on the accent*. “I am as hot as the desert sun”.  

*I googled it, she’s from Vegas.

 

Wayne Bloom vs. Jimmy Valiant 

We saw Mike Enos recently, Bloom is the other Beverly Brother. Due to Valiant’s age and limitations they keep this brisk, and Bloom is beaten inside 0:30 with a back elbow. 

 

Video Control takes us backstage so David McLane, promoter/pervert of POWW and Bambi. The latter is Selina Majors, who had an ok career and worked for WCW for a while in the early 90s.  

McLane yells about women ripping their clothes off as a way to win.  

 

WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship 

Iceman Parsons (c) vs. Brickhouse Brown 

Brown would eventually win this belt in Dallas early in 1989. Clearly, they didn’t want the switch to happen on the undercard here. Both guys wear baby blue, which is odd. Brown has a nice enough time here. He hits a few dropkicks, does a bit of dancing, gets some near falls. Boy, do the Chicago crowd ever not give a fuck about any of it. Choosing Chicago, where none of the talent are over, was certainly a “choice”. Run it in Dallas or Memphis or anywhere down south. Brickhouse thinks he’s got a three count, which he hasn’t and the ref never counts three, so Parsons socks him in the jaw with the roll of quarters for the pin to retain. This barely scraped past five minutes. Nobody gives a shit.  

Massive respect to Iceman Parsons for wearing this hairstyle on PPV. He also dubs Brown a “roody-poo”. Elsewhere, Larry Nelson interviews Brandi Mae, the farmer’s daughter, and Pocahontas, native American hero. Neither woman even remotely resembles their gimmick. GLOW baby!  

 

AWA Tag Team Championship 

AWA Women’s Championship 

Badd Company (c) & Madusa Micelli vs. Top Guns & Wendi Richter (c) 

Both titles are on the line in this mixed tag with whoever loses the fall losing their belt (or retaining it). This isn’t even the normal Top Guns as John Paul is injured, so they’ve subbed in Ricky Rice’s Indies partner; Derrick “Starfire” Dukes.  

DDP is here to manage the Badd Company, and calls Wendi Richter’s AWA women’s title win a fluke, akin to the Bears winning the Superbowl! *CHEAP HEAT*. They start this off with a convoluted triple Irish whip spot, which looks dreadful. They take forever to set it up. This AWA run was the last hurrah in the biz for Wendi Richter. It’s crazy how someone can be in the zeitgeist as much as Wendi and a few years later have completely fallen off. She does jack Madusa up for a powerbomb in here though. Bonus points. 

 

Tanaka is supposed to come in and kick Madusa by mistake but he full on kicks Wendi in the face because they don’t move. They run the spot again, like immediately, but this time Madusa tries to kick out of the pin. Look, we’ve screwed the pooch here, let’s just move on. A comically bad match that embarrassed the sport of professional wrestling. We’re rapidly heading towards the era of botches.  

Post Match: the faces spank Madusa. It’s sad how badly booked the women’s wrestlers were in this era. At least Madusa got a half decent run as Alundra Blayze in the fed and Wendi already had her spell in the sun. Madusa goes after Lee Marshall, saying he doesn’t need a man in her corner and proceeds to slap Pat Tanaka. Well, it was his fault. DDP dumps her from the Diamond Exchange and calls her a “bimbo”.  

 

Video Control takes us to Larry Nelson, who has an interview with someone serious for a change; Kerry von Erich. Kerry, somewhat spaced out, tells us there’s only one Eiffel Tower and only one Mona Lisa, so how come there’s more than one world champion? Politics, mate.  

 

AWA International TV Championship 

Ron Garvin vs. Greg Gagne 

So, Garvin had this belt, left the company (and is on his way to the WWF) and they declared it vacant. However, this being the big ‘supercard’, they brought Ronnie back for one final match. Greg looks old here. The decline of the AWA has weighed heavily on his shoulders. He is a staggering 41 years old! I did not know he was that old.  

 

They do very little in this but keep moving. There’s a lot of brawling and simple holds. They’re supposed to do the crossbody over the ropes but Greg is way too slow and they have to improvise it. The ref has counted to FIVE before they’re even out of the ring. Hahaha. Garvin gets counted out and Gagne wins the vacant belt. This was ok until the finish and the post-match, which SUCK. Greg Gagne embarrassed himself here. The failure to get pace going for the crossbody is abject and the post-match brawling is also embarrassing. This is the worst showing I’ve seen from Greg Gagne.  

 

It’s funny that neither of the last two finishes have been called correctly by Lee Marshall (who called the previous match a tag title switch and this one a DQ for ‘over the top’), who clearly hasn’t been told the finishes in advance.  

 

Ron Garvin is all “this isn’t done” and makes Gagne look like an idiot for not coming back in to fight him, and then he left for the WWF. Gagne, aware the crowd hate him, compares himself to the Vikings beating the Bears. *CHEAP HEAT*.  

 

Video Control takes us to Larry Nelson, who has Jerry Lawler, who tells us he won’t go after Kerry’s injured ankle because it’s “healed”. Haha. He’s got no foot Jerry!  

 

Lingerie Battle Royal 

David McLane, women’s wrestling promoter, is on hand for this one. His POWW talent make up the contestants in this match where you can eliminate someone by throwing them over the top rope OR ripping their clothes off. Oh, good lord. Participants include Nina (Ivory), Peggy Lee Leather (former WWF and future WCW talent) and Luna Vachon. The others are GLOW/POWW talent like Terrorist (duh), Brandi Mae (farmer’s daughter), Lori Lynn (normally playing a Soviet called Ninotchka*), Malibu (aka California Doll) and ‘native American’ Pocahontas.  

 

*The inspiration for Zoya the Destroyer, if you’re a fan of the Netflix GLOW show.  

 

I feel bad for the talent, who put on fun shows for GLOW, based on strong characters. They don’t have the chance to get those characters over here. Despite McLane’s enthusiasm, the match is dogshit. People just falling over each other. They bizarrely chuck Nina out about halfway through. Brandi Mae, whose trademark denim jeans were torn up by Peggy Lee, ends up two on one against Luna and the Terrorist. No revenge on Peggy Lee? What a strange piece of booking. Luna gets punched off the top rope, which is stupid.  

 

Brandi vs. Terrorist to finish and the crowd chants “USA”. Your ‘evil foreigner’ was born in Las Vegas lads. The crowd get feisty and you can see security removing someone. How much of a twat do you have to be to get thrown out of an 80s AWA show? The last two take forever to finish this with Terrorist slowly pushing Brandi over the top. She saves herself on the apron and Terrorist just kicks her off. Haha.  

This was awful pro-wrestling but credit to the Terrorist for sticking it to the United States. Preach on, sister! Syria 1 USA 0. If I’d seen this at the time, I would have had a massive crush on her (I was 12). 

 

Video Control takes us to post match interviews with Peggy Lee Leather and Luna Vachon before we go back to ringside with Bill Apter, who is here to hand “inspirational wrestler of the year” to Jerry Lawler. He’s supposed to come out here and receive the award but is busy trying to hash out the finish with Kerry von Erich so doesn’t. Poor Bill’s little face when he realises there’s no presentation is absolutely tragic.  

 

Boot Camp Match 

Colonel de Beers vs. Sgt Slaughter 

Two big fakers pretending to military types here. Sarge looks awful compared to his WWF performances in the mid 80s. He looked like a steal for AWA at the beginning of his tenure here, but he’s now washed and useless. They try and recapture Sarge’s glory days with his trademark Boot Camp match, where there are no DQs, and pinfalls count anywhere.  

 

Using plunder to hide wrestlers’ ability is something ECW would have a lot of success with. DDP plays a role here, getting involved and getting knocked off the apron. Sarge wins with a Cobra Clutch, but Sheik Adnan El-Kassie runs in as the bell rings. Did they call this a DQ? I thought it was no DQ? Sarge starts clocking Commies with the Slaughter Cannon, but Iron Sheik runs in here to renew his rivalry with Sarge. This was a whole lot of nothing. 

 

Video Control takes us backstage where Bill Apter has finally found Jerry Lawler and repeats his spiel from earlier. Lawler claims he’ll be wrestler of the year in 1989. Oh, Jerry, you have no idea what’s a comin’.  

 

WCCW Tag Team Championship 

Samoan Swat Team (c) vs. Michael PS Hayes & Steve Cox  

The run of dogshit awful matches at least ends here. They have a story with Buddy Roberts, former Freebird, managing the unbeatable savage tag champs while Hayes is coming after his former running buddy. They have good chemistry and run through a basic match without fucking anything up. Given the last four matches, it’s a huge increase in quality to reach ‘passable’.  

 

I’ve never been so happy to watch a ** match. They’ve clearly developed spots over a series of house show matches on the Dallas loop. The duck under into the Hot Shot from Fatu on Cox is really cool and well done. Cox also hits a great tope right before the finish. Hayes has it won with a DDT but Roberts sneaks in to switch the pinfall by socking Michael in the face with a gimmick. This was pretty good! **½ 

 

Video Control takes us to Larry Nelson.  

Adnan has Iron Sheik and introduces him to the audience. I have no idea what Sheiky said but they cut him off the Network. He was starting to rant about Allah, so I think it may have been a spicy take. Sheik’s AWA tenure involved him wrestling five matches and they never blew off the Slaughter thing. Sheik would end up signing for WCW in early 1989. Yeah, I’m as surprised as you gentle reader. I have no memory of that run.  

 

In the ring, they announce IWGP champion Tatsumi Fujinami, who Manny Fernandez challenges and calls him a “zipperhead”. Jesus Christ, Manny, is that really the word you want to use here? It speaks of the times that no one blinks an eye at the use of a racial slur. I’ve rarely heard it used and had to google the meaning. 

 

Strap Match 

Manny Fernandez vs. Wahoo McDaniel 

This is Wahoo’s five thousandth strap match. I don’t notice him blade and he may just bleed naturally from all that scar tissue by this point.  

Anyway, the match is just two guys walloping each other. It’s not a disaster but I’ve seen this Wahoo match a lot of times. Chicago, while a lively crowd, reacts less to blood and carnage than Philadelphia. Both guys bleed a lot and Wahoo gets booted into the fourth corner to win. I hate the ‘collect four corners’ gimmick. If you like bloodshed, this is for you, but it would have worked better without the strap. Tatsumi Fujinami jumps in to make the save with Manny acting like a jerk. This is to set up Manny’s tour of New Japan, where he wouldn’t work Fujinami at all.  

 

AWA World Championship 

WCCW World Championship 

Jerry Lawler vs. Kerry von Erich 

Lawler is AWA champion, von Erich is the WCCW champion. It’s not so much a unification match as it is title vs title, winner takes all.  

The crowd are very into Kerry von Erich. He’s the obvious favourite. Lawler doesn’t turn himself fully heel pre-match in his interview, but Kerry’s promo is much clearer for a babyface.  

Watching the career of Kerry von Erich has been an experience. I watched him grow as a worker, get to world title contention, become a great wrestler and then get in that motorbike crash and completely fall apart in the ring. He’s already washed by this point, but he has one last great match in him. This is it.  

 

Lawler himself is a year off being 40 and this feels like the peak of his career. He’s on cracking form and takes great bumps. They have an interesting story where Kerry gets his arm cut open in the first minute and bleeds heavily from just under his bicep. It gives Lawler an opening to break up the Von Erich powerhouse dominance.  

 

EDIT: A word on the bleeding arm from the Twitter machine and Ant (@aom_ref):

 

Someone in the crowd yells about “steroids” and Kerry has this look on his face, which is all “the fuck you mean, steroids?” You look like a Greek god of horses mate. Lawler hits the piledriver, which Kerry completely no sells and whacks the King with the discus punch for two. Lawler’s whole reaction through that and the bump and everything was awesome.  

 

This feels like a far more modern match than anything else I’ve seen in 1988. It’s Lawler’s skill in putting a match together that does it. They were creatively ahead of their time in Memphis. Lawler’s bumping and storytelling gives Kerry one final great match. Every spot leads to something else. There’s even a ref bump, which works and makes sense and prevents Kerry from scoring the pin.  

 

Lawler gives up on the pretence of wrestling as a face by hitting Kerry with a foreign object, concealing it, and using it to bust Von Erich open.  

“He’s opened up like an old can” claims Lee Marshall. The match goes off the rails a bit with the Stomach Claw, which I have always hated, but it’s intensified by Kerry bleeding all over the fallen Lawler.  

In a truly disgusting, yet wonderful, visual, we see Von Erich applying the Claw while bleeding profusely all over the fallen Lawler. There’s blood everywhere. The ref is covered. The ref keeps checking the cut and Chicago is not happy. At least this blood loss is extreme, unlike the Lex Luger bladejob in the NWA. Lawler does incredible work with the concealed foreign object, riling the crowd up and pissing off Frank Dusek.  

 

“He’s fine, he’s fine, he bleeds all the time” – Dusek. Kerry gets the Iron Claw and Lawler is down but Marty Miller, the referee, calls it for blood loss saying that Von Erich cannot continue. Ah, man, is that the best finish they could come up with? It’s a shame because the match was wonderful. A contender for MOTY until the finish. If Verne had figured it out and put the belt on Von Erich here, he could have had one last run of success. As it stands, they didn’t even keep the belt on Lawler because they didn’t pay him and stripped him of it. **** for the match though, it absolutely bangs until the finish.  

 

Post match Jerry Lawler cuts a great promo saying how much he respects Kerry von Erich but he promises the referee saved Kerry’s eyesight as he would have blinded him if the match continued. Lawler was basically unconscious, in the Iron Claw, at the end of the match. 

We go to Kerry for a rebuttal, and he claims no match has been stopped for excessive blood loss (he doesn’t watch Crockett). Stanley Blackburn (BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) is here and claims the blood loss was ridiculous and the match should have been stopped. Everyone hates you Stanley, get the fuck out of here. To be fair, Kerry has lost roughly half his blood.  

 

Rock n’ Roll Express vs. Stud Stable 

This is on last because they didn’t want to end the show with a bummer. The ring canvas is covered in Kerry’s blood. You can complain about that finish, but he sure bled for his art. Nobody cares about this. Fuller would be a staple of AWA in its final years before joining WCW. It’s a shame his peak years were here, so nobody saw them.  

Jimmy Golden would also go on to more fame in WCW as “Bunkhouse Buck”. He’s less of a loss but a solid hand. RNR are way past the point of giving a shit, clearly still steaming about their cash-related departure from the NWA. If they put the effort in, this could have been a humdinger. Sylvia, Fuller’s wife/valet, goes to town on Gibson with the kendo stick and does a wonderful job of not hitting him at all but making it look like she was.  

 

The ending comes out of nowhere, with PPV time almost up, as they brawl outside for a double count out. Well, this was not an ideal conclusion to the PPV.  

 

The 411: 

The AWA absolutely shit the bed with this show. In trying to bring all these different promotions on board, to maximise the audience, they ended up pleasing nobody. The show has a woeful stretch of bad matches from the mixed tag to the Boot Camp match. Four absolute stinkers in a row. The show is somewhat saved by an exceptional Lawler-von Erich match but even that is hurt by a bad finish.  

 

It does feel like one of those shows that is essential viewing though. You really are witnessing the end of the AWA here. They’d already lost all their stars and were relying heavily on other (mostly dead) territories. Nobody watched this and were justified in not doing so. I’ve seen the show before but it was completely out of context. Having watched a few years of AWA, it’s pretty clear this was not a good representation of what the promotion was in the late 80s. However, it’s not boring. So, points for that, I guess.  

 

Verne Gagne would trouser all the money from this show and all the companies stopped working together. Lawler was stripped of the AWA belt, after having the temerity to ask for payment for services rendered. A returning Larry Zbyszko would capture the belt a few months after this and essentially steer the company into the sewer until it closed for good in 1991. I do have one more AWA show to cover, Superclash IV, but the company is toast by then so this is the real Tombstone marker for Verne Gagne’s AWA and arguably the territory system as a whole.  

 

We did get some territorial upstarts during the 1990s. Notably Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling and ECW out of Philly. Plus attempts at rattling Vince McMahon’s cage like Global and UWF. Until ECW’s rise almost a decade after this, AWA’s demise ends the “Big Three” era of the 80s.