Time to crack open Dan’s Video Vault! Now that I’ve completed the Best of the WWF series, I figured it would be fun to end the year by watching a whole bunch of random wrestling. I have a pile of commercial VHS tapes and DVDs that I’ve never watched, so I’d like to work my way through these.
First up, a couple of AWA tapes. My pal from work picked these up for me at a garage sale back in summer. Admittedly, I’ve never been an AWA fan. Our dads grew up on the AWA, as Winnipeg was one of the main cities on their circuit and tons of big angles and title changes happened here, but I’ve just never found an interest in the company. I do have a bunch of AWA stuff that I’ve never watched, and maybe one day I’ll give the AWA a serious chance.
I do recall seeing a little bit of AWA on TV in the late 80s and very early 90s, and of course reading a little bit about it in the Apter mags. One guy who was synonymous with that company during that time was the featured performer of this tape – Sgt. Slaughter. I could never figure out why Slaughter wasn’t in the WWF or WCW since he was a mainstream wrestler that was even in the GI Joe cartoon. He was one of the last main AWA stars before the company folded.
I was looking forward to seeing this tape as I had expected it to sell me on why Slaughter was such a huge deal in the late 80s. Unfortunately this tape is all of a half hour long, featuring highlights of random matches, including one that Slaughter isn’t even in!
1) Sgt. Slaughter defeated Larry Zbyszko
Ugh, Zbyszko is another guy I so strongly associate with the AWA, and I’ve never liked his ring work. I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but he just seems cheesy. This match was reportedly from 1985 and had some sort of significance. I couldn’t find any details on these matches in a quick Google search, so I really don’t know what this was all about. Anyway, it takes place in a dark, big arena (maybe the St. Paul Civic Center) and the five minutes we get to see are decent. It’s impossible to invest in any of these matches, as they’re all so clipped. Slaughter wins in the end, as he should since this tape is about him!
2) Sgt. Slaughter wins a Battle Royal
One funny thing about the AWA is that they started doing their TV tapings in the mid to later 80s at the Riviera in Las Vegas. There’s a huge Riviera sign that hangs above the ring, and the ring is set up on a carpeted floor in some kind of ballroom. Man it looks so weird! Even this damn battle royal is clipped, which is too bad as there’s a solid collection of talent – the Road Warriors, Freebirds, Curt Hennig, Nick Bockwinkle, etc. The eliminations come fast and furious and it’s kind of funny to see guys eliminated on to a brightly colored carpeted floor. The ending is zany as the Freebirds eliminate Animal and begin to celebrate. Meanwhile Slaughter, who had been tossed through the ropes, is back in and battles both ‘Birds. They gain the advantage, but as they go to eliminate him, Slaughter puts on the breaks and uses the momentum to toss Hayes and Gordy. Cool ending. Too bad we didn’t the get whole battle royal.
3) Brad Rheingans vs. Boris Zhukov
Lol, it’s funny how Zhukov was a main heel threat in the AWA before becoming a comedy jobber in the WWF just a couple years later. Zhukov seems fatter here and he’s wearing long tights. Internet fans always crap on his matches, but I’ve found him to be entertaining. This match was from a TV show, and for whatever reason, they show the whole damn thing! They clip the actual Sgt Slaughter matches, but feature this in its entirety. Holy crap that’s stupid. The whole thing is a setup for Boris to go nuts at the end and destroy Brad’s knee, which of course brings out Slaughter who’s “always watching from somewhere in the arena” according to the announcers. I guess this ignited the unforgettable feud that fans still talk about to this very day (I’m being sarcastic) between Slaughter and Zhukov.
4) Sgt. Slaughter vs. Chris Markoff
Chris Markoff was apparently another one of the top Russian heels in the AWA despite his ordinary sounding first name. This was supposed to be a singles match, but it’s no DQ, so it becomes a handicap match with Slaughter battling both Markoff and Zhukov. The match is endless bad brawling, with Slaughter bleeding profusely from a bad chair shot. The Russians choke and stomp on Slaughter who survives the mauling and Hulks up, laying out Zhukov and clotheslines Markoff for the pin. The tape concludes with the Russians further beating up Slaughter.
And that’s it. The tape is over. No comments from Slaughter or anything. What a crappy release! I have another half hour AWA tape and my expectations are extremely low after seeing this shit.
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