MAPLE LEAF GARDENS in TORONTO, ON
 
Presented by the Queensbury Athletic Club
Sanctioned by the American Wrestling Association
 
Thursday Night, August 30th, 1977
Belltime: 7:00pm
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The house lights in the Garden go down, leaving just the lights above the ring on.  Norm Kimber makes his way into the ring, followed by the referee.  Kimber announces the competitors for the first match and we're underway!
 
 
Match #1 - 1 fall, 20 minute time limit
Whipper Watson, Jr. battled The Wildman to a DRAW.
 
Match #2 - 1 fall, 20 minute time limit
Tex McKenzie defeated Gary McLaughlin.
McKenzie looked good in his return to Toronto.  The fans were solidly behind the big Texan as he went to town on McLaughlin, eventually putting McLaughlin away with a Bulldog Headlock for the pinfall.
 
Match #3 - 1 fall, 20 minute time limit
Tiger Jeet Singh defeated Edouard Carpentier.
Carpentier, the former World's Champion, puts up a good fight early on, but the returning Singh is on a rampage tonight!  Singh tears Carpentier apart, locking on the Cobra hold for the submission victory!  After the decision is announced, Tiger continues to pummel his opponent.  The referee threatens to reverse the decision and disqualify Tiger!  Singh finally lets up and leaves the ring while referee Fred Atkins calls for medical personnel to check on Carpentier.
 
Match #4 - 1 fall, 30 minute time limit
Baron Von Raschke defeated Klondike Bill.
Bill gave the evil Baron all he could handle in this match.  Things went back and forth for the majority of the match.  Every dirty trick that Von Raschke tried, Bill was ready for him.  In the end, Von Raschke's devious ways prove to be too much for Bill.  After a low blow, Von Raschke locks Bill in the Claw, gaining the submission victory.
 
Match #5 - 1 fall, 30 minute time limit
The Masked Canadian fought Dino Bravo to a Double Count-Out.
Bravo is out for revenge after the Canadian turned on him last Saturday on television.  Canadian spends the early part of the match just trying to stay away from Bravo, but it doesn't work as Bravo eventually catches up with him, and pounds Canadian into the mat!  It looks like this match could be over quickly, as Canadian can't seem to get any offence in, but the tide turns when the masked man rakes the eyes of Bravo.  From this point on, the momentum shifts, back and forth.  In the end, the two men make their way out onto the ramp and continue the brawl there.  Neither man pays any attention to the referee's count.  Referee Pat Flanagan reaches the count of 10, with both men still out on the ramp, brawling, and calls for the bell.  The match is declared a double count-out.
 
Match #6 - INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH - Best 2 out of 3 falls, 60 minute time limit
The Love Brothers (Champions) w/ Bruce Swayze defeated Johnny Powers & Carlos Rocha (Challengers).
 
FALL #1: Powers and Rocha dominate the first fall for the most part.  The Love Brothers turn things around, though.  While Powers has Hartford covered, Bruce Swayze distracts the referee, and Reginald comes off the top rope with an elbow to the back of Powers' head.  Reggie then rolls his brother on top of the barely-conscious Powers, and the Love Brothers win the first fall!
 
FALL #2: Powers is still groggy when the second fall starts, and almost gets pinned on several different occasions.  Things change, however, when Powers manages to tag Rocha in.  The Portugese Champion comes in like a house of fire, and has both Love Brothers reeling.  He catches Reginald with a dropkick that sends him through the ropes and to the floor.  Rocha then turns his attention to Hartford Love, and hits him with a series of dropkicks as well, leading to the pinfall.  Rocha and Powers have evened things up at 1 fall apiece!
 
FALL #3: Rocha is on a roll to start the third fall, but the Love Brothers manage to get him into their corner, and while Reginald distracts the referee, Hartford chokes Rocha with the tag rope!  Late in the fall, the match deteriorates into a brawl, with all four men in the ring at the same time.  During the melee, Bruce Swayze trips Rocha as he comes off the ropes, causing Carlos to fall, face-first, to the mat.  Reginald Love takes advantage, and comes off the 2nd rope with a kneedrop to the back of Rocha's head.  Reggie covers him, while Powers is busy with Hartford, and the referee makes the count.  The Love Brothers take the third fall and retain the International Tag Team Championships!  
 
Match #7 - LUMBERJACK MATCH - 1 fall, 60 minute time limit
Greg Valentine defeated Rufus R. Jones.
This is the match that Rufus R. Jones has been asking for, ever since June 2nd, when Valentine broke his leg by refusing to break the Figure Four Leglock.  Rufus goes right at Valentine as soon as the bell rings.  Valentine tries to roll out of the ring to safety...but the Lumberjacks are there to roll him right back in!  Valentine turns his attention to the Lumberjacks, yelling at some of them, giving Rufus a chance to grab Valentine, spin him around, and nail him with a series of lefts and rights!  Rufus dominates the next several minutes of the match.  Throughout this contest, both men are thrown to the floor, only to be thrown back into the ring.  Late in the match, Rufus has the advantage, but one of the Lumberjacks trips Rufus from the floor...it's the Masked Canadian!  The Canadian then slides something into the ring...it looks like brass knux!  Valentine quickly grabs the knux, and puts them on.  Out of the view of the referee, Valentine pulls Rufus up to his feet and NAILS him with a big right hand!  Rufus hits the mat, he's out like a light!  Valentine, with a quick, sweeping motion, throws the knux from the ring and covers Rufus!  Referee Pat Flanagan moves in for the count, 1....2.....3!  Greg Valentine has won this Lumberjack Match, thanks to the Masked Canadian!
 
Main Event - AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH - 1 fall to a finish, No Time Limit
Nick Bockwinkel (Champion) defeated The Crusader (Challenger) by Count-Out.
The match starts out slow, there's plenty riding on this match, and neither man wants to make the first mistake.  They go through a long feeling-out process.  Things pick up after a few minutes, the Crusader takes control of the match.  He keeps Bockwinkel down on the mat, wearing him down.  Crusader connects with a Sunset Flip for a very close nearfall at one point.  A few minutes later, the Crusader comes off the top rope with a flying bodypress, looking to put the World Champion away, but Bockwinkel is ready, and sidesteps the Crusader at the last second!  The masked man crashes into the mat, and Bockwinkel goes to work, wearing the Challenger down.  The next several minutes are all Nick Bockwinkel, he keeps the Crusader on the mat, focusing primarily on the knee of the masked man.  Bockwinkel goes for the Figure Four Leglock, but The Crusader uses his good leg to push the Champion off.  Bockwinkel tries it several times, but every time, the Crusader is able to avoid the move.
 
Late in the match, The Crusader is knocked to the floor.  He climbs back up on the ring apron, Bockwinkel goes to hit him, but the Crusader blocks it, and nails Bockwinkel with a series of lefts and rights of his own!  The two men continue to battle back and forth, with the Crusader on the ring apron.  Bockwinkel brings his arm back to throw a big punch...and clocks Referee Tiger Tasker in the head!!!  Tasker falls to the mat, Bockwinkel doesn't even pay any attention to that, he immediately goes back to brawling with the Crusader, who's still on the ring apron.  Bockwinkel takes a shortcut, raking the eyes of the Crusader, then grabs him by the mask and runs the Crusader, head-first, into the steel ringpost!  The Crusader falls off the apron and to the floor!  Bockwinkel goes and pulls the referee up, Tasker shakes his head, trying to clear the cobwebs.  What Bockwinkel did would have normally been a Disqualification, but because Tasker didn't see it, the match continues.
 
The Crusader is out cold on the floor, his white mask starts turning crimson.  He's been busted open!  Referee Tasker sees the masked man on the floor, Bockwinkel yells at him to start counting.  Tasker starts his count... 1......2......3......4......5......6......7......8......9......10!
 
The Crusader has been counted out, Nick Bockwinkel once again retains his World Heavyweight Championship!

Not sure what I like better the new name or the card lol
 
I'm gonna go with a tie....the final 3 matches blew me away.....the rest of the card was just a great freebie because those were the price of admission, no doubt!