AWA SuperClash IV (April 1990)

 

Original Airdate: April 8, 1990

From St. Paul, Minnesota

Opening Match: Jake Milliman v Todd Becker: The ring announcer appears to be wearing Zubaz. He also doesn't actually, like, introduce these guys so much as just goes "let's do it," before walking out of the ring. Okay then. Becker charges him, and unloads in the early going, but Milliman is a big boy, and absorbs everything. He takes Becker to the mat for an armbar, and wow, this ring looks like a full-on trampoline. Becker escapes the hold and uses a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, and he works a chinlock from there. Milliman escapes, but this dude is so out of shape that running the ropes winds him, allowing Becker another bodyslam to keep control. Elbowdrop gets two, but Milliman counters a backdrop with a sunset flip for the pin at 4:26. Yeah, this was not good. ¼*

The Texas Hangmen v Brag Rheingans and DJ Peterson: The Hangmen are two identical masked guys called 'Psycho' and 'Killer,' but there's no commentary or ring announcements here, so I have no hope of telling them apart. I mean, I still have enough trouble with the Usos, now you want me to figure this stuff out, too? And, honestly, given how much wrestlers love slapping their name on any and every piece of clothing they own, that's on them for not doing a better job of being a wrestler man, frankly. Luckily, I do know who Brad and Peterson are, so at least I can tell them apart. Not that it matters much, as it's just slow feeling out stuff so far, and I'm barely paying attention anyway. It does give me time to look out into the crowd, and man, these poor souls look bored out of their minds sitting out there. Also, the barricade isn't so much a proper 'barricade' as it is a red velvet rope, like you see in movie theaters sometimes. I've seen some really laid back barricades in the 80s, but that may take the cake. It does make me laugh though that in the era when fans were much more aggressive and likely to stab a wrestler, they had the most relaxed barricades imaginable. I guess the AWA just figured no one could possibly care about this product enough to go after one of these guys by 1990, so why waste money carting steel barricades around? And they weren't wrong. I mean, people barely cared enough to bother showing up to the arena, let alone. Anyway, the Hangmen end up cutting the ring in half on Brad for a while, but end up colliding while trying a tandem move, and that's enough for the hot tag to Peterson - Roseanne Barr the door. Peterson with a powerslam, but the other Hangman breaks the count at two, and they end up in a double knockout spot as the referee restores order. That allows the masked Hangmen to switch off, and Peterson gets pinned with a small package by the fresher one at 12:01. This felt like it went on forever. ¼*

Col. DeBeers v Baron von Raschke: Oh man, the hits just keep on coming here in St. Paul! Baron is subbing for an injured Junkyard Dog here. You know a dude is badly injured when a FIFTY year old is deemed in fitter condition to wrestle than he is. They trade wristlocks in the early going, with Baron dominating, but DeBeers managing to avoid the Claw over and over. Finally, DeBeers manages to sucker him into the ropes to snap Baron's throat across the top, but then takes forever getting to the top rope to follow up, and Baron slams him off. Baron unloads, but DeBeers manages a cheap shot, and he pounds Baron in the corner. These ring ropes are so loose that I'm not sure they aren't the same velvet ropes being used as the barricade here. DeBeers with a bodyslam to set up a flying headbutt, but Baron dodges, and makes the comeback. Elbowdrop gets him two, and a backelbow leaves DeBeers tied up in the ropes. Claw time, but it spills to the outside, and Baron ends up getting a cheap countout win at 6:16. Man, if you thought Baron looked old and horrible in 1986 JCP, you ain't seen nothin' yet! DUD

Tully Blanchard v Tommy Jammer: We switch to a female ring announcer now, and she's already 10x better than the first guy because she actually, you know, announces the names of the wrestlers before the match. Crazy, I know. Tully is only six months removed from the WWF Tag Team title at this point, which pretty much makes him the biggest star on the show by default, no? Jammer dominates him in the early going, so Blanchard bails, and stalls on the outside. Back in, Blanchard tries to corner him, but Jammer fights him off, and goes to the mat with a hammerlock. A hammer by the Jammer! Too bad this show wasn't held in Alabama somewhere, where it would be a hammer by the Jammer in Alabammer. It's also kind of laughable (even in kayfabe) that he'd be dominating Tully like this, less than a year into his career. Jammer continues to dominate on the mat for an extended period, with Blanchard needing the ropes to save himself over and over. Jammer keeps working the hammerlock, as the hard camera (the only angle they're shooting from tonight) turns away from the match, in what I'm assuming is a similar statement to what Scorsese was going for when he turned the camera away from Travis during the payphone scene in Taxi Driver. Finally, nine minutes into this hammerlock, Tully takes a cheap shot, and dumps Jammer to the outside. He goes to drag him back in, but damn Jammer snaps his arm across the top rope to block, and he goes back to working the arm on the mat. Man, no wonder WCW didn't want Tully back. Tully tries countering to a cloverleaf, but Jammer jams his fist into Blanchard's face, and Tully ends up on the outside for some stalling. Back in, Jammer goes to (you guessed it) the hammerlock. Tully tries dumping him to the outside to escape, but Jammer blocks, and covers for two. And then Tully just dumps his ass to the outside anyway. That's finally enough to turn the tide, and Blanchard uses a snapmare to set up a kneedrop. Corner whip works, but Jammer blocks the follow-up charge in, and he locks Tully in an abdominal stretch. Blanchard tries bailing, but Jammer holds onto him with a suplex, so not-Bobby Heenan sweeps the leg, and Tully topples him for the pin at 14:54. This was not only really boring, but also aggressively lazy. –¼*

Lumberjack Match: John Nord v Kokina Maximus: The crowd seems to be getting smaller as the show drags on. And the ring announcer actually has the gall to try and get people to go buy tickets for the NEXT show following that negative-star borefest. Extended stalling from Kokina to start, with so little contact made in the first few minutes that I wonder why they even need the lumberjacks, since it doesn't seem like they want to engage anyway. Kokina challenges him to a test-of-strength to really kick things into gear, but Nord knocks him to the outside, and the lumberjacks just kind of politely ask him to get back inside. More stalling, and this is already worse than Blanchard/Jammer in my book. At least the hammerlock is SOMETHING. Nord tries a headlock, but that goes nowhere, and they charge each other a few times to a stalemate. Nord tries a jumping shoulderblock to knock Kokina to the outside, and Nord chases, but Kokina steals the high ground, and headbutts him. These lumberjacks are useless. Kokina works an extended nervehold, but Nord powers up. Kokina responds with a superkick and a clothesline to send him over the top, but the lumberjacks continue to be useless, and Nord storms around ringside with little interruption. Back in, Kokina chokes him in the corner, and a snapmare sets up another nervehold. Tell me how it was only because he got too fat in the mid-90s that he had to lean on those extended nerveholds again. I dare you. Kokina misses a charge in the corner, allowing Nord to fire a big boot, but he gets tripped up by Sheik Adnan El Kassey, and stops to beat on him instead. That allows Kokina to sneak up with an avalanche, but Nord dodges (in a really phony looking spot), and he whacks Kokina with Adnan's briefcase for the pin at 12:17 - with Kokina kicking out right at three, like a jerk. This was so horrible that even the lumberjacks were actively ignoring it. And then, afterwards, Kokina turns face by beating up Adnan, but the crowd is so bored that they barely even acknowledge it. -*

AWA World Title Match: Masa Saito v Larry Zbyszko: Nick Bockwinkel acts as the special guest referee for this one. Feeling out process to start, until Saito tries to put it away with a sleeper. Larry fights him off with an armdrag (drawing a very excited response from one dude in the front row), but then Saito just puts him back in the sleeper again a second time anyway. It's interesting seeing a Larry match that forgoes the traditional five minutes of stalling he usually starts off with, though it's replaced here by restholds, so it's really not an improvement. Zbyszko escapes the sleeper again, and this time uses a bodyslam for two, and a backbreaker for two, but Bockwinkel keeps getting on his case for illegal choking. Back off, Nick. Or just DQ him. Whatever gets this to a finish quicker. Zbyszko with an abdominal stretch, and there appears to be a guy sobbing in the audience. That, or he's trying to keep himself awake, not sure. Saito reverses the hold, and I have to give the AWA a little credit here. As terrible as the promotion as at this point, they've still managed to get the logo on the mat pointing the right way for the hard camera, and that's already ten steps better than WCW for most of 1990. Larry escapes the hold and starts throwing chops, but Saito returns fire, and the challenger falls out of the ring. Back inside, Saito wrecks him with a lengthy series of turnbuckles smashes, until Zbyszko falls out of the ring again. Saito stays on him with chops on the apron, but Larry manages a slingshot sunset flip for two. Vertical suplex, but Saito reverses. The champ tries a charge, but Zbyszko ducks, and Saito wipes out in the ropes. That allows Larry a swinging neckbreaker for two, and holy shit, the execution of everything here is just terrible. Cross corner whip, but Saito reverses, and he takes Larry to the mat for a sharpshooter. Zbyszko makes the ropes, so Saito drills him with a clothesline for two, and a small package is worth two. Saito Suplex looks to finish, but Larry gets a shoulder up at two. Zbyszko fires off a savate kick as they both get to their feet, so Saito grabs him for another Saito Suplex, but this time holds it into a bridge, and Larry lifts the shoulder to pin Saito with his own move at 16:02. That finish works sometimes, but it felt really weak here, coming off like Zbyszko won the belt back on a fluke, instead of like he outsmarted Saito. And Larry isn't doing himself any favors by acting so surprised that he won, either. The match sucked, but the crowd actually seemed moderately engaged with it, so that's something. Match of the night thus far at a whopping ½*

Main Event: Cage Match: The Destruction Crew v Paul Diamond and Trooper: Crew (the AWA World Tag Team Champions at this point, though this is non-title) refuse to get in to start the match, but get forced in, and promptly destroyed. Well, no wonder they didn't want to get inside. Funny moment here, with Wayne Bloom just casually hanging out on the apron while Diamond and Trooper destroy Mike Enos two-on-one for an extended period. Like, wow, at least pretend to care. The referee finally settles them down, and Paul sends Mike into the cage with a catapult to draw blood. They pinball Mike in the corner for a bit, and he tastes the steel again via a battering ram. Bloom, seeing all of this, just decides to leave the cage, but Trooper pulls him back down before he can escape. Trooper dives with a flying elbowdrop, but Bloom dodges, and the Crew quickly isolate Trooper in their corner. Enos with a vertical suplex for two, and Johnny Valiant (their manager) holds a chair up against the side of the cage for Bloom to toss Trooper into to draw blood. The Crew cut the ring in half on Trooper, and go for the kill with an electric chair/flying clothesline combo, but the referee is bumped. And then he pops back up, beats up both Enos and Bloom, and puts Trooper on top for a fast count pin at 9:55. Um. Okay...? This was not great. By the way, Wikipedia lists the match time as almost twenty five minutes, but it only felt that long. ½*

BUExperience: Um, are you kidding me? This is interesting for history nerds like myself (and probably you, if you’re bothering to read this), but let’s not kid ourselves.

DUD