Championship Wrestling from Florida presents: Live Professional Wrestling
March 10, 1983 from the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida
 
*Matches sanctioned by the AWA, the Major League of Professional Wrestling*
 
Opening Contest: 1 fall with a 10 minute time limit
Tyree Pride defeats George Barnes with a flying cross body block after 8:18
 
Second Contest: 1 fall with a 15 minute time limit
“Maniac” Mark Rocco defeats Perro Aguayo with a leaping knee drop off the second rope at 9:47
 
Third Contest: 1 fall with a 20 minute time limit (Winner becomes #1 contender for the Florida Tag Team Title)
The Assassins defeat “Macho Man” John Ringer and Hercules Stevenson after Assassin #3 locked Ringer into a swinging full nelson after a hard fought 17:19.
 
Fourth Contest: For the Florida Television Title, 1 fall – 15 minute time limit
Champion Brett Sawyer defeats Boy Tony with Terry Garvin after a big side Russian leg sweep in a time of 10:26
 
Fifth Contest: Loser Leaves Florida Match – a Boston Street Fight – 1 fall to a finish
Kevin Sullivan verse Jake Roberts
 
     Both men come to the ring with their hands taped and Sullivan is there in jeans and boots. It is obvious that there will be little technical wrestling in this match. Referee Jack Terry checks over both men and signals for the bell and Roberts comes out looking like a boxer ready to spar. Sullivan instead charges and drives a shoulder tackle straight through the ribs of Roberts, taking him to the ground. A stream of flailing punches follows and Roberts tries to cover up until Terry pulls Sullivan off. Roberts pulls himself up by the ropes and he sidesteps another rhino-like charge and Sullivan hits the steel ring post. Jake then goes on the offensive, working over the right shoulder of the bad man from Boston, driving elbow after elbow into the shoulder before wringing the arm and snapping off a short clothesline that drops Kevin to the floor. Roberts slides out and grabs Kevin’s arm, dragging him across the mat and wrapping the arm around the steel once again. More elbows into the deltoid muscle by Roberts gets boos raining down from the fans and Jake just eats it up, posturing towards the fans before climbing back in and locking on a rear chin lock. Sullivan fights his way to his knees, making his way all the way to his feet as Jake maintained the chin lock before dropping backwards and driving Roberts to the canvas. An attempt at a cover gets a 1 count and Roberts kicks out forcefully.
 
     With Sullivan and Roberts regaining their feet, again Roberts readies himself like a boxer and Kevin looks set to tie up. Roberts tries a swinging left, only to get a hard right from Kevin to the ribs. Sullivan grabs the left of Roberts and whips him hard into the ropes and dumps him with a big high back body drop. Sullivan again gets on top of Roberts and pounds away with lefts and rights, adding some bright red to the graying tape of his fists as he busts Jake the Snake open before Jack Terry again pulls Sullivan off of Roberts without an attempted fall.  
 
     A bloody Roberts wobbles his way back to his feet and again tries to swing at the smaller Sullivan, connecting with a few sharp jabs before whipping Kevin into the ropes and catching him coming back with a big knee lift. A staggered Sullivan looks like his is coming in but Jake catches him off the ropes with a stiff boot to the midsection and sets up for the DDT. Fans boo heavily and Roberts seems to feel it, senses it. But as he seems set to deliver the DDT, Sullivan shoves hard and Roberts flies off into the ropes. As he stumbles back, Kevin catches Jake with a scoop slam and drives the bloody Roberts into the canvass. Kevin hooks the leg and Jack Terry counts the 1-2-3.
 
Winner of the match in 13:41, Kevin Sullivan
 
-Intermission-
It is announced to fans that due to weather issues in Chicago, AWA World Tag Team Champions the East-West Connection will not be here for their scheduled title defense with the Malenko Brothers. Fans are told that if they present the ticket stub from tonight’s matches when a reschedule date is announced, fans will receive a discount for the next ticket.
 
Sixth Match: 2 on 1 Handicap match for the Florida Heavyweight Championship
Butch Reed verse the Missing Link and Mr. Pogo w/ King Curtis Iaukea
 
Reed makes his way to the ring and meets the challengers who are already whipped into frenzy by their manager. Iaukea knows that if one of his men is pinned, they are gone from Florida, just like Jake Roberts and he’s already lost one man tonight. But Reed faces down two monsters in the ring and it is the unpredictable Mr. Pogo that starts off in the ring.  The two tie up and the power of the Florida Heavyweight Champion is visible as he throws Pogo off and across the ring. Quickly the Japanese madman tags in the Missing Link and now the power advantage is in the hands of Iaukea’s Legion. The Link locks up and he and Reed tussle in the center of the ring.  As the two bulls brawl, it is the Link that seems to be getting the better of the fight, flattening the champion with a big guided headbutt. Another butt is followed by yet another and Reed is down. The Link covers and gets the 1…2… thre… NO!  
 
He’s pulled off Reed by….. MR. POGO???? Pogo pulled his own partner off Reed and now is back in the corner. The Link covers again and this time Reed kicks out at 2. A third cover attempt by the Missing Link and Reed gets a shoulder up at 1 this time. The Link tries to cover again, only to be driven off Reed by the powerful legs of the champion. The Missing Link is shot back towards the corner and Pogo makes a blind tag, coming in and going after Reed, chopping away at him and connecting with a big thrust kick. Pogo then goes for a pile driver and takes Reed down. A cover by Pogo and he’s got the 1…2…thre… NO!!! The Missing Link dives in and drills his partner with a headbutt, rolling Pogo off the prone champion. He attempts to cover but is not the legal man and he slugs referee Gilberto Roman for reminding him of that. Reed is down and now its between the two partners, Pogo and the Link. Both men want to get the pin and the title. They start shoving each other and finally Pogo reaches into his trunks and FOOOSH!!! He hit the Missing Link with a FIREBALL!!! The Link is writhing in pain. Pogo is on the outside and King Curtis is trying for answers, but getting none. The Link is holding his face! Reed is up and sees the Link staggering. He goes up to the second rope… Flying shoulder tackle! Butch covers…. Roman with the count…1…2…3….!!!!
 
Winner of the match in 14:33 and Still Florida Heavyweight Champion, Butch Reed
 
 
Seventh Match of the Evening- For the AWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
Champion Tiger Mask (Japan) verse “Professor” Bill Ash w/ the Boss (St. Joseph, MO)
 
Ash is coming in after a big victory over the champion on TV a little more than 24 hours ago. Tiger Mask must recover or will leave Florida without his title. As the two lock up, referee Jack Terry calls for the bell and we are under way. Ash takes the early advantage working over the champion, taking him off his feet with a nice drop toe hold. Ash grinds on the champion, working him over, but the quickness of Tiger Mask shows, keeping him out of possible pinning positions. Ash in frustration throws Mask through the ropes and down to the arena floor.
 
Ash stays on the offense and delivers a strong boot to the skull of the champion as he tries to get to his feet, but from there, Ash makes a huge mistake. With the champion down, Ash leaps off the ring apron to deliver a knee drop, but the man from Japan rolls out of the way and down goes the challenger, clutching his knee. Tiger Mask rolls in to break the count of Jack Terry and then rolls back out and tosses the Professor into the ring. From there, Mask throws a huge Japanese leg whip and Ash stays down, clutching his knee. With Ash down, Tiger Mask flips him over and slaps on the crossfaced chicken-wing. Bill fights, but the champion has the devastating hold locked in. Finally, Jack Terry calls for the bell and the match is awarded to the champion.
 
Winner of the match in 14:58 and STILL AWA Junior Heavyweight Champion, Tiger Mask
 
Main Event of the Evening- 1 fall with a 60 minute time limit
Southern Heavyweight Champion Greg Valentine and Ron Garvin verse “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and ?????
 
The fans boo as Valentine and Garvin make their way to the ring and cheer loudly as Rhodes emerges from the dressing rooms and arrives at the ring area. Then, Valentine grabs the microphone from the ring announcer and demands to know who the Dream’s partner is. A royal fan fair plays and it is announced….
 
And his tag team partner, from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the AWA World Heavyweight Champion… Jerry “the King” Lawler!
 
Lawler walks to the ring, clad in his cape, crown, and most importantly, the AWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. Valentine is livid in the ring and its Garvin that is calming him down and Dusty and Jerry get into the ring. Referee Earl Hebner calls for the bell and it is Garvin and Rhodes that start it off. In a match with three former and current World champions involved, it is Garvin that has the most to prove and he takes it to the Dream. A tag in and Valentine works over the former World Champion as Greg starts to target the knee of the American Dream. Another tag and Garvin is back in and he seems to have a killer look in his eyes. He proceeds to demonstrate the Garvin stomp on the joints of Rhodes, paying special attention to the left knee. A hard whip into the ropes and a sharp fist to the midsection doubles Dusty over. Lawler is priming the crowd and they start begging on the American Dream. Dusty starts fighting back and after a few rolling punches he connects with a big elbow and makes the tag to the World Champion, Jerry Lawler.
 
Lawler goes right after Garvin, with hard lefts and rights before a scoop and a slam that has Ronnie sprawling to the arena floor. He and Valentine try and regroup and as Jerry stands there waiting for whichever man comes in, Garvin steps back in and tags in the Southern Heavyweight Champion.  Valentine locks up with Jerry, driving Lawler back into a neutral corner before getting a break from earl Hebner. Both seem to break clean, but Valentine slaps the champion and gets a evil smile across his face. Lawler now knows what he’s up against. Again the two lock up and Valentine drives Lawler into his corner, but Lawler elbows Ron Garvin and then delivers a hard right hand before sidestepping out of the corner and getting a sea of cheers from the Bayfront faithful. Greg tries to lock up again, only to get a rake of the eyes by the champion and then slung into the champion’s corner where Jerry then grates the eyes of Valentine along the top ring rope before tossing Greg out into the center of the ring and slapping on a side headlock. The Southern Champ fights his way back to his feet and shoves Jerry into the ropes and catches the champion with a big elbow. Lawler is down, but kicks out after only a count of 1. Valentine tags back in Garvin and Ron starts working over the ribs of the AWA World Champ. Now it is Dusty pumping up the crowd, trying to rally them behind Jerry Lawler.  
 
The Florida fans believe in the Dream and believe in the King, stomping and clapping to help power up the champion, and it seems that Garvin’s blows are lessening in effect until a final punch to the face only gets and angry stare. Lawler pulls down the strap of his singlet, drills Garvin, and the crowd explodes. A hard whip in and a big back drop and Garvin is down. Valentine rushes in and goes after Lawler, but he’s pulled off by Dusty Rhodes and the two former World Champions start pounding away at each other, falling out of the ring in the process. Lawler is watching the action, but when he turns around, he’s met by a hard left hand from the self professed one man gang Ron Garvin. Earl Hebner makes the count… 1… 2… Rhodes is too far away to make a save… 3…  
 
Dusty slide in just after the bell and throws a haymaker that Garvin dodges as he rolls out of the ring and regroups with Greg Valentine.
 
Winners of the match in 33:46, the team of Greg Valentine and Ron Garvin
 
Garvin grabs the ring announcers microphone and tells the crowd that the next time he pins Jerry Lawler, it’ll be for the AWA World Title.

One punch from Garvin and a program with Lawler is launched. Awesome! Like the Assassins as the tag contenders. The distinctive voice of Jody Hamilton rocks. Very well written  ending to the Roberts/Sullivan feud. Wonder how Link will respond to the fireball.
 
Great stuff, Kyle.