MAPLE LEAF GARDENS in TORONTO, ON
Presented by the Queensbury Athletic Club
Sanctioned by the American Wrestling Association
Thursday Night, September 20th, 1977
Belltime: 7:00pm ---------------------------------------------------------
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, 15 minute time limit
Mike "Porky" Loren battles
Steve Bolus to a DRAW.
Match #2 - 1 fall, 20 minute time limit
Stan Stasiak defeats
Golden Boy Apollo.
Stan "The Man" Stasiak makes his return to Toronto and picks up right where he left off several months ago. Stasiak immediately goes to work on his opponent, he wears Apollo down. Stasiak ends the match after hitting Apollo with the Heart Punch, leading to the pinfall victory.
Match #3 - 1 fall, 20 minute time limit
Tony Parisi defeats
The Wolfman.
Like Stasiak, Parisi is making his return to Toronto after several months of wrestling elsewhere. Parisi is a native of the Toronto area, and the crowd gives him a nice reaction. Parisi is looking to make his return a successful one, but The Wolfman has other ideas, he attacks Parisi before the bell and goes on to enjoy an early advantage. It doesn't last long, though, Parisi turns things around and methodically wears his opponent down. Late in the match, Parisi slams The Wolfman near the corner, then comes off the top rope with the Cannonball Splash, leading to the pinfall.
Match #4 - 1 fall, 30 minute time limit
Billy Red Lyons & Edouard Carpentier defeat
Chris Tolos & The Wildman.
Lyons and Carpentier have been teaming fairly regularly over the past few months in Toronto, and it shows, as their teamwork is smooth, they work very well together. Tolos and the Wildman work well together as well, but find themselves on the defensive end for the majority of the match. Tolos does get some offence in, late in the match, and goes for a kneedrop on Carpentier, but Edouard rolls out of the way, then goes to work on Tolos' knee. With a bad leg, Tolos has trouble getting to his corner, and Carpentier eventually applies a leglock on the injured knee. Tolos fights it as long as he can, but ends up submitting, giving Carpentier and Lyons the victory.
Match #5 - 1 fall, 30 minute time limit
Verne Gagne defeats
Baron Von Raschke.
Von Raschke gets under the skin of Gagne and all the fans in attendance when he starts goose-stepping around the ring, but when Gagne goes after him, Von Raschke quickly bails out of the ring! Once back inside, the evil Baron starts up again, and again runs for cover when Verne tries to lock up with him! Finally the match begins and the momentum swings, back and forth, during the early going. At one point, Von Raschke locks Gagne in the dreaded Claw, but Gagne fights it and won't give up. Even when the Baron draws blood from Gagne's head with the hold, Gagne still refuses to submit. Gagne soon gets his second wind, breaks free of the Claw, and goes on the offensive. Moments later, Gagne whips Von Raschke into the ropes and when he rebounds off the ropes, Verne slaps on the Sleeperhold! They're right in the middle of the ring, Von Raschke has nowhere to go, and moments later, the lights go out and Verne Gagne is declared the winner.
Greg Valentine and the Masked Canadian make their way to the ring for the next match.
Dino Bravo comes out, alone, and asks Norm Kimber for the house mic.
Bravo says that Rufus R. Jones will not be here tonight. After a match in Winnipeg, Manitoba earlier this week, Rufus was attacked by Valentine and the Canadian and was put out of action.
Valentine grabs the mic and says that they had nothing to do with it, Bravo is out here spreading lies, but if Rufus is scared to come out for the match, then that means Bravo and Rufus have to forfeit and BOTH of them have to leave Toronto!
Bravo says that he's not forfeiting anything, he went out and found a replacement.
Out walks...
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IT'S HAYSTACK CALHOUN!!! Valentine and the Masked Canadian freak out and start yelling at Bravo, the referee, even Norm Kimber, saying that this isn't right, but it's no use, the match will go on as scheduled!
Match #6 - LOSER OF THE FALL LEAVES TORONTO - 1 fall to a finish
Dino Bravo & Haystack Calhoun defeat
Greg Valentine & The Masked Canadian.
Calhoun starts out for his team, but neither Valentine or the Canadian seems interested in locking up with him! Finally, Haystack grabs both of them by the hair and pulls both of them right over the top rope and into the ring! Valentine and Canadian quickly double-team Haystack...but they can't get him off his feet! Bravo comes in to help his friend, and we've got all four men in the ring! Things eventually settle down, and Valentine and Canadian use some double-teaming to gain the upper hand. Valentine and the Canadian dominate the next several minutes, but can't put their opponents away. Late in the match, the Canadian is in the ring and having his way with Dino Bravo, but Bravo ducks a clothesline attempt and manages to get to his corner. Haystack comes in and takes control, throwing the Canadian around like a ragdoll. Canadian scrambles to his corner and tags Greg Valentine in. Valentine doesn't fare any better with Calhoun.
After being thrown around the ring, Valentine goes to tag the Canadian back in...
BUT CANADIAN REFUSES TO TAG IN! Valentine looks at him, the anger starts to show on his face as the Canadian just turns and hops off the ring apron! Calhoun grabs Valentine by the hair, spins him around and nails him with a series of lefts and rights. Haystack slams Valentine hard to the mat, and then comes off the ropes...BIG SPLASH! Calhoun splashes Valentine and covers him for the 1,2,3!
Greg Valentine now has to leave Toronto!!! Bravo and Calhoun celebrate while Valentine looks around for his partner, but the Masked Canadian is nowhere to be seen! Valentine leaves the ring and walks down the ramp for the last time.
Semi Main Event - AWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH - Best 2 out of 3 falls, 30 minute time limit
The Love Brothers (Champions) w/Bruce Swayze Battle
Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell (Challengers) to a DRAW.
FALL #1: The challengers have the early advantage in this first fall, but Bruce Swayze constantly interjects himself, and it seems like every time the High Flyers come close to putting the Love Brothers away, Swayze is there to put a stop to it. In the end, there is a miscommunication with the Champions when Swayze gets up on the ring apron and distracts Gagne. Reginald Love charges at Gagne from behind, but Greg is ready, and ducks out of the way! Reginald clotheslines Swayze off the apron instead, and Gagne then rolls his stunned opponent up for the 1,2,3. The High Flyers take the first fall.
FALL #2: The Love Brothers attack Gagne before the bell rings to signify the start of the second fall! They give him a vicious beating. Jim Brunzell comes in and chases Hartford out of the ring, but the damage has been done, and Gagne is easy pickings for Reginald, who connects with a piledriver, then covers Gagne for the 1,2,3 to even this match up at one fall apiece.
FALL #3: Both teams kick it up a notch as the third fall starts, both want to pick up the decision in this third and final fall. The High Flyers take control early in the fall, when Gagne plays possum and when Hartford Love goes for a kneedrop, Gagne rolls out of the way, then makes the tag to his partner, Jim Brunzell. Brunzell comes in like a house o' fire, and cleans house on the Champions. The High Flyers dominate the majority of the fall from this point on. In the end, Gagne comes back in and he and Brunzell hit Hartford Love with a double dropkick and it looks like we could have new World Tag Team Champions, Brunzell covers Hartford, but at the count of 2, the bell rings. The High Flyers think that they've won the fall and the match, but a moment later, referee Pat Flanagan informs them that the time limit expired, so the match is declared a Draw!
Main Event - TEXAS DEATH MATCH FOR THE AWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Nick Bockwinkel (Champion) defeats
The Crusader (Challenger).
This could be the last shot at the title for the Crusader. In order to secure this match, he put a stipulation into the contract that if he failed to win the title, he would not get another title match as long as Bockwinkel is Champion! There are no rules in this match, there is no time limit, no DQ's and no Count-Outs...there must be a winner! The Crusader takes control early on, and focuses on the leg of the Champion. Bockwinkel fights back and staggers the Champion with a series of rights and lefts. Things look bleak for the Crusader, as he charges at Bockwinkel, who's on the ropes, but Bockwinkel ducks down, pulling the top rope with him, and the Crusader tumbles over the rope and down to the floor, hitting hard on the cement floor. Bockwinkel goes out after him, and proceeds to pull the Crusader up, slam his head into the ring apron, then roll him back into the ring. Back inside, Bockwinkel covers the Crusader for the 1,2,3! The Crusader now has to the count of 10 to get up, and he does, at the count of 6.
The Crusader is groggy, but he fights back. Bockwinkel attempts to apply a sleeperhold, but the Crusader quickly backs into the corner, sandwhiching the Champion between him and the turnbuckles. The Crusader hiptosses Bockwinkel out into the centre of the ring, then charges towards him and nails Bockwinkel with a dropkick! The Crusader goes for the cover, but Bockwinkel kicks out at 1 and is back up quickly...only to be met with a second dropkick! This happens a few more times, every time Bockwinkel gets up, he's met with another dropkick! After a fifth dropkick, The Crusader is able to keep Bockwinkel down for the 1,2,3! Bockwinkel is up at the count of 4, and the match continues.
Both men are starting to show some wear and tear, as they've been going tooth and nail this entire match. The Crusader again gains the upper hand and catches Bockwinkel with a flying bodypress, but only gets a 2-count. The Crusader stays right on top of the Champion. Bockwinkel hits a low blow, turning the tide immediately, but when he attempts to suplex the masked man, the Crusader instead rolls him up with an inside cradle, surprising the Champion, and he picks up the 1,2,3! Bockwinkel is up right away and ready to fight!
The two men go back and forth for the next several minutes. The Crusader gets the upper hand, and catches Bockwinkel with a flying bodypress. This time, he gets the 1,2,3. Bockwinkel takes his time getting up this time, obviously looking for a bit of a breather, but he's up at the count of 4.
Late in the match, The Crusader is again in control, he works over the leg of the Champion. After a few minutes of that, Bockwinkel is in bad shape, he can barely stand, he's not able to put any weight on the leg. The Crusader moves in for the kill, he slams Bockwinkel in the middle of the ring, and goes for the Figure Four Leglock. Bockwinkel, with his good leg, pushes the Crusader off, with such force that the Crusader goes head-first into the top turnbuckle. The Crusader stumbles backwards out of the corner, dazed. Bockwinkel pulls something out of his trunks...it looks like brass knux! Bockwinkel slips the knux on, and blasts the Crusader right in the back of the head! The referee, unfortunately, cannot do anything about this, as there are no Disqualifications in this match. The Crusader falls, flat on his face, on the mat, he looks to be out cold. Bockwinkel covers the Crusader for the 1,2,3. The referee starts the 10-count, and it's obvious that the match is over, as the Crusader isn't moving. At the count of 9, he starts to stir, but it's too late, the referee reaches 10 and the match is over!
Nick Bockwinkel has successfully defended his World Heavyweight Title in this Texas Death Match, and now, the Crusader will not get another title shot as long as Bockwinkel is Champion.
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AWA at Maple Leaf Gardens 9-20-77 (Read 387 times)