On Blogger app I can't make new folders as it were so have dumped this amongst the ECW/TNA reviews through a need more than a want. Recently read Scott Keiths review of this and had to check it out myself. It can be found in the Hidden Gems portion of the WWE Network and the description reads 'Witness this unreleased home video pilot from the dying days of the AWA, as they unleash the infamous team challenge series' with a 23/10/1989 date which is roughly six weeks before my birth.
Verne Gagne introduces the event with his dog.
Ralph something and Greg Gagne are on commentary it seems, I can't make out Ralph's surname and there's no subtitles/closed captions, come to think of it when did CC replace subtitles as the name? Greg says we'll see wrestling like we never have before.
Tommy Jammer Vs. Tom Burton
Well Greg was right for sure, wrestlers enter with a green screen as images of fans are beamed next to the wrestler as if he is coming down an aisle. When they enter the ring its surrounded by darkness, looks like an old advert for WWF figures, whacky camera switches aplenty and the piped in noise and announcing has a very WWF Attitude for the N64 feel. Scoop slam and splash gets the win for Jammer to end a nothing match.
Baron Von Raschke and Slaughter cut a promo, they are the captain's of the team's mentioned in the title of the show I think, they're the Blitzers and the Snipers respectively.
The Destruction Crew cut a promo of their own with sledgehammers, so I guess we know we know what a certain Mr. Levesque was watching on October 23rd before he was Terra Ryzing the wrestling world.
Destruction Crew (w/ Johnny Valiant) Vs.Jerry Lynn/Ricky Rice
Destruction Crew are Mean Mike Enos and Wayne The Train Bloom. Surely I misheard, he can't be called Ricky Rice. Enos has the advantage on Rice until Rice hits some armdrags. Rice with a monkeyflip. More Rice armdrags but this time on Bloom. They keep randomly inserting fan reaction clips. Enos cheap shots Lynn allowing the Destruction Crew to take over. Oklahoma Stampede style shoulderbreaker then a powerslam to Lynn then a Doomsday Device ends it. Greg says Lynn may of broke his neck despite landing on his knees and not having his upper body hit the mat. Valiant cuts a post match and shut the front door it's Bischoff as the interviewer.
Slaughter hypes the main event of Paul Diamond Vs. Colonel DeBeers then the Colonel himself throws his two cents in.
Okay we now have a ladies boxing match. We get a weird camera angle where the Brown haired lady is punching Into the camera so I guess the blonde bomber, their name not mine, has a camera hidden in her bouffant. Slaughterhouse Jean or Sian or something is the brunettes name and they're now wrestling as the blonde bomber hits a suplex, ref decides that's okay. Now there's soccer kicks, is this Pride? Now a manager chokes Jean/Sian. Fairly sure Sara from Bananarama is on the outside. Sian/Jean KOs the blonde bomber and beats the 10 count to win whatever the hell I've just watched.
King Of The Hill - Paul Diamond Vs. Colonel DeBeers
Apparently the winning team at the end of the year gets $1,000,000 but I'd be shocked if AWA made it through the last nine weeks or so of 1989 after this. You have to throw your opponent to the floor to win. Are you telling me DeBeers isn't Pat Patterson with a fake 'tache? Diamond misses a corner splash. Diamond hits a dropkick but is then hit with a back suplex. DeBeers misses a diving headbutt. Bulldog by DeBeers who then hot shots Diamond under the bottom rope. Paul Diamond resembles Bart Gunn. DeBeers goes for a piledriver near the ropes, how did this guy make Colonel being a strategist like that, and is back dropped over the top as Diamond wins.
Sgt. Slaughter Vs. The Terminator
Okay I guess Diamond and DeBeers wasn't the main event. I can confirm that neither man has been Slaughtered or Terminated so far leading me to question the validity of their names. Ralph says Slaughter moves like a tank then says something like he's ready to pounce, does Ralph know what a tank is? Crossbodyblock gets 2 for Slaughter. The Sarge says I can't hear you to the eternal darkness that is ringside. One thing we have lost over the last couple decades or so in wrestling is the stupid names like Terminator or Dumpster etc. yes we still get silly names on occasion like McGillyDiamondCutter but they're no longer funny bad they're just bad. Terminator misses a corner splash and Slaughter hits a clothesline off the second rope and the Cobra Clutch ends it.
Greg says it's going to take him a week to recover, you're not the only one Greg my friend.
Well that was certainly something. This was the new AWA so I dread to think what point they'd reached to get to this, luckily for them it's got to be viewed and put in the funny bad column rather than the just plain bad column. The NWA was having arguably it's best year ever in-ring wise at least, Hogan was running wild in the WWF after disposing of Savage earlier in the year at Mania V and the AWA were running this, respect for trying something with the presentation as you certainly didn't get this anywhere else but then maybe there was a reason for that, you have to check it out though just once even if it's just to prove to me that I'm not on some LSD trip without knowing.
