-Today we will be looking at WrestleRock ’86 from the AWA.
-WrestleRock ’86 took place on Sunday, April 20, 1986 from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 23.000 people were in attendance, but this card was not available via closed circuit or on PPV, nor was an official videotape ever released. Although several matches were later shown on the AWA on ESPN show.
-The most famous thing about this event was the WrestleRock Rumble song that the wrestlers did to promote the event in the style of the Super Bowl Shuffle. Sadly, it is not on the event, but can be found easily online. It really has to be seen to be believed.
-We start off with the national anthem playing, but we never get by whom. This is common with this show and I would like to thank wrestlingdvdnetwork.com for providing some information that I could not get on my own.
-After the national anthem, we get Ken Resnick interviewing Brad Rheingans. He has Boris Zhukov first. Gary Michael Capetta does the ring introductions. Boris has Sheik Adnan Al-Kaisse with him. Rod Trongard on the call. Back and forth to start out. Rheingans gets the win with a powerslam.
-Gary Lumpkin, a local celebrity, refs the midget match, and yes folks, that is what it was called in 1986. It’s a tag team match: Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo VS. Little Mr. T who is the Haiti Kid and who was in Mr. T’s corner at WrestleMania 2 just a few weeks before this. He is tagging with Cowboy Lang. The heels dominate early. Little Mr. T comes in, then they go back and forth. Heels regain control. Little Tokyo hits Lord Littlebrook accidently two times. Cowboy Lang gets the pin on Lord Littlebrook after a scissor roll.
-Wahoo McDaniel VS. Colonel DeBeers is next. Farm Service Director of a local station Chuck Liligren is guest ring announcer.
-Wahoo starts out by hitting Col. DeBeers with hard right hands. Back and forth. DeBeers slammed out of the ring, Later, Wahoo is also thrown out. Wahoo then comes back with a fury. Throws Col. DeBeers over the top rope for the DQ. Then they start to chop each other on the outside for a while.
-The Midnight Rockers Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty VS. Buddy Rose and Doug Sommers with Sherri Martel is next but it is edited out of the Network Version. Rose and Sommers win.
-University of Minnesota Athletic Director Paul Geil is introduced.
-Piece of Human Slime Rock and Roll Buck Zumhofe is interviewed by Ken Resnick but the idiot has his boom box on and you can’t hear him. Common theme with this slime.
-Tiger Mask Mitsuharo Misawa VS. Rock and Roll Buck Zomhofe: Back and forth to start with some solid mat wrestling. Buck Zumhofe starts doing the taking the mask off gimmick. Tiger Mask hits a top rope somersault for the pin.
-Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich announces Verne Gagne day, but it is also edited out of the Network Version.
-Ken Resnick interviews Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham. Ken mentions that they are former WWF tag team champions. They want the AWA tag belts and they take on the Fabulous Ones Here.
-Windham and Rotunda VS. The Fabulous Ones Stan Lane and Steve Keirn. Note: The Fabs had competed in a losing effort in the first round of the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament just the night before in New Orleans. Too much talk between the referee and the Fabs to start. Back and forth. Good chain wrestling. Both teams doing some solid wrestling here. Windham and Rotunda have a slight edge as it goes along. The Fabs come back. Several close pins by both teams. Windham gets the pin after coming off the top rope after an elbow smash.
-Bulldog Bob Brown VS. Giant Baba: For some reason, Wikipedia says this match didn’t happen for the longest time, to the displeasure of anyone viewing it. I didn’t expect much, and it does not live up to expectations. Baba wins after a Big Boot and a pin.
-Harley Race is interviewed by Ken Resnick about Rick Martel. Harley Race also issues a challenge to current AWA champion Stan Hansen. As he finishes up, Rick Martel heads to the ring.
-Battle of the Ex Champions: Harley Race VS. Rick Martel: Wrestling holds to start. Back and forth. Test of strength at one point. Rest Holds. Race does a great over the top bump. Both men eventually go up and over and get counted out. They then continue to brawl outside.
-Then it is time for the $50,000 10-woman Battle Royal. Your participants are: Sherri Martel, Luna Vachon being called Leona Vachon here, Joyce Grable, Kat LeRoux, Rose Divine, Taylor Thomas, Despina Montagas, Misty Blue Simmes, Debbie Combs, and Candi Divine, who is the AWA women’s champion.
-Typical Battle Royal with a lot of hair pulling. Sherri at one point rolls to the floor. Joyce Grable is last eliminated by Candi Divine, who thinks she has won, but Sherri sneaks back in to eliminate her and wins the Battle Royal. Sherri Martel, Doug Sommers, and Buddy Rose celebrate in the ring as she is given the check.
-They all want shots at the champions.
-Kamala with Skandor Akbar VS. Sgt. Slaughter is next. Slaughter is AWA America’s Champion here. Larry Nelson joins commentary. Sarge has GI Joe on his tights. Back and forth. At one point, Sarge launches himself towards the turnbuckle in classic Sarge style on an Irish whip. Akbar gives Kamala an object that he hits Slaughter with and they do this spot a couple of times. Sarge then hits a dropkick and slams Kamala. Slaughter gets the Cobra Clutch on Kamala. Akbar comes up and grabs Slaughter. Kamala goes to hit Slaughter and he moves and Akbar gets hit. Akbar loses his whip and Slaughter whips both men with it. Sgt. Slaughter wins by DQ to retain. Larry Nelson then interviews Sgt. Slaughter and he brings some kids on to do the Pledge of Allegiance.
-AWA tag team champions Scott Hall and Curt Hennig VS. The Long Riders: Bill and Scott Irwin: Scott Hall is presented the most popular wrestler trophy by Pro Wrestling Report before the match. Curt Hennig is good here but is going to get so much better. Back and forth to start. Pretty Even match. Curt Hennig gets the pin after a flying dropkick on Bill Irwin. Scott Irwin comes in and hits the champs with a loaded boot after the bell.
-Larry Nelson interviews the champs after the match about the loaded boot.
-Ken Resnick interviews Scott LeDoux about Larry Zbyszko.
-Scott LeDoux with “Benchwarmer” Bob Lurtsuma VS. Larry Zbyszko with GO the ninja in a 10 round European Rules Match: Larry “The Axe” Hennig is the special guest referee. The rounds are two minutes and each participant is wearing 4 oz. karate gloves.
-Round 1: LeDoux dominates early. Classic Zbyszko stalling tactics. Larry striking late.
-Round 2: Larry striking early, Scott fights back. They go back and forth.
-Round 3: LeDoux starts out with a swollen eye. Zbyszko comes out fiercely attacking LeDoux, who goes defensive quick.
-Round 4: LeDoux comes out fighting. He’s the proverbial House of Fire. Zbyszko is out on his feet. Larry gets knocked out but is saved by the bell.
-Round 5: It quickly goes outside. Zbyszko puts LeDoux into the ring post for the DQ. GO hits LeDoux from behind and Larry uses the nunchakus on him but gets hit by The Axe.
-Nick Bockwinkel VS. AWA Heavyweight Champion Stan Hansen: Hansen beats up Larry Nelson before the match. Bockwinkel brings a whip to the ring. They brawl on the outside to start. In the ring, they go back and forth. This is the match of the night. They spill back outside the ring. They start to brawl. Back in the ring, Bockwinkel gets dropped throat first on the ropes but Hansen only gets a two count. Then they trade near falls. The ref gets hit accidently. He gets back up just as Stan Hansen throws Bockwinkel over the top rope for a DQ.
-They brawl briefly after. Larry Nelson then interviews Nick Bockwinkel. Nick is tremendous here.
-We fade out and when it comes back, the cage is up.
-Nord the Barbarian who is just called the Barbarian here and King Kong Brody with Sheik Adnan Al-Kaisse VS. Jimmy Snuka subbing for Crusher Blackwell and Greg Gagne with Verne Gagne.
-If Gagne and Snuka win, Verne Gagne gets Sheik Adnan in the cage for 10 minutes.
-Back and forth to start and Brody is stiff. It breaks down and they all brawl. Jimmy Snuka hits the splash on Brody. Gagne and Brody are both bleeding. Double Dropkick on Barbarian. Double Suplex on Brody. Snuka hits Gagne accidently from the top rope after Barbarian moves. Then Brody dropkicks Barbarian accidently and Snuka gets the pin.
-All four men brawl outside the ring. Verne Gagne gets Sheik inside the ring and the cage. Verne is 60 here. Sheik is bleeding almost immediately. Verne whips Sheik with his own gun belt. They go back and forth. Verne then gets the pin with a cradle.
-Rod Trongard recaps the end of the match. Larry Nelson interviews Verne Gagne, who says that is absolutely his last match.
-Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin VS. The Road Warriors with Paul Ellering: Hayes puts a piledriver on Hawk, who no sells it. Hayes then bleeds. Garvin refuses to tag. Hayes tags Garvin when he isn’t looking. Garvin doesn’t want to go in. Animal gets a 2 count. Hayes then doesn’t want to tag. Back and forth they go. Hayes puts the figure four on Hawk. Hawk reverses it. An inadvertent hit gets the win for the Road Warriors. Hayes went to hit Animal, but he moved and Garvin gets hit. The Metrodome then empties out quickly despite the fact that Waylon Jennings plays a concert afterwards.