-Today we take a look at Super Sunday from the AWA.
-Super Sunday took place on April 24, 1983, which was my mom’s 31st birthday. Super Sunday took place from the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul Minnesota. There were 20,000 in attendance including those watching on closed circuit.
-We open up on the ring and Gene Okerlund who is our ring announcer for the night. He announces Rocky Stone VS. Brad Rheinghans: Rod Trongard on the call. Crowd boos as Stone goes for a rope break. Crowd cheers a Rheinghans body slam. Stone with the early advantage. He works head locks and neck stomps. Rheinghans comes back. Rheinghans thrown out and Stone keeps preventing him from coming back in. Crowd loves it when he does get back and takes over on Stone. Rheinghans gets the pin after a gut wrench suplex that I swear Rod Trongard calls a soufflé on the replay.
-Gene Okerlund interviews Brad Rheinghans. He says that the suplex that he used has been his bread and butter for a long time. A chorus of boos goes out that Mean Gene says it other competitors coming into the arena and not anything against Rheinghans.
-Steve Regal VS. Buck Zumhofe: Buck Zumhofe is a piece of human slime. The idiot has his boom box with him. He tries to get the crowd to react and they respond. Zumhofe in control to begin. Regal comes back and works the arm of Zumhofe. Back and forth. Zumhofe dropkicks Regal out of the ring. Zumhofe gets the win after a second rope splash.
-Mean Gene interviews Zumhofe and the Certified Scum won’t turn the radio down. He says this makes him the #1 contender to the light heavyweight title.
-Jerry Lawler VS. John Tolos: This match is happening just because Lawler’s appearance with Andy Kaufman will be replayed on NBC the next night. Tolos attacks early. He works on Lawler’s arm. Lawler fighting back. Back and forth. Lawler in control with a headlock. Then more even as they knock each other down. Lawler takes a big bump over the top rope after a Tolos Punch. Rod Trongard thought Lawler had been thrown out for a DQ, but the match continues. Lawler pulls the strap down and starts his comeback. Flurry of punches towards Tolos. He hits the 2nd rope fist drop and gets a 2 count. Lawler misses a corner charge and hurts his shoulder. Tolos misses a 2nd rope knee drop. Lawler gets the pin after a piledriver.
-Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: The Texas Cowgirls Wendy Richter and Joyce Grable VS. Judy Martin and Velvet McIntyre: Richter and McIntyre start. McIntyre gets thrown outside. Back in, Grable argues with the ref. Martin in control against Grable. Back and forth. Richter in. Martin gets an arm bar against Richter. McIntyre in. Even paced match. Grable with a stiff shot to McIntyre. Snap mares McIntyre several times by the hair. McIntyre comes back against Richter and tags Martin in. Gets a two count after a clothesline. Richter comes back and she and Grable double team Martin. Martin comes back with a clothesline. McIntyre comes in and cleans house. McIntyre hits a head scissors. Martin and McIntyre do a double pin on the Texas Cowgirls but don’t get the three count. A series of missed moves wows the crowd. At the conclusion, the crowd boos and Rod Trongard says the crowd loves it. Grable gets the pin after a modified powerbomb on McIntyre.
-Mean Gene interviews Richter and Grable. They say they’re the best team and unbeatable.
-Dizzy Ed Boulder VS. Wahoo McDaniel: A pre-Brutus Beefcake Ed Leslie here and he looks like a proto Hulk Hogan. McDaniel is a favorite here. Handshake to start and then it quickly turns to a brawl. Jerry Lawler joins commentary. It goes to the mat as McDaniel works on Boulder’s arm. Back and forth as Lawler is very humble on commentary as opposed to his persona years later. Boulder in control with a slam and a knee drop. McDaniel takes a wild corner bump. McDaniel comes back with a suplex. They trade chops. McDaniel will always win that exchange. McDaniel driving Boulder into each corner post. McDaniel hits the tomahawk chop and gets the pin.
-Jesse Ventura, Blackjack Lanza, and Ken Patera with Bobby Heenan VS. Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, and Rick Martel: Weasel chant goes out towards Heenan to begin with. Patera and Martel to start, Patera stalls. Martel hits a couple of arm drags. Jesse sucks chant goes out. Martel tags in Brunzell who gets an arm bar on. Ventura tagged in. Gagne tagged in and he gets a two count on Ventura. Ventura then picks up Gagne and brings him into the heel corner. Lanza in and it goes back and forth. Martel in, Faces in control against Lanza. Patera in and he gets control and tags Ventura in. Ventura gets a bear hug on Brunzell. Gagne and Patera then in and Gagne cleans house. Crowd loves it as he gets the sleeper on Patera. Patera battles out and Lanza is in and he just brutalizes Gagne. Ventura in. He runs Gagne into the post. Gagne tries to tag Martel, but the referee doesn’t see it and he won’t allow the tag. Patera then puts a bear hug on Gagne, but he fights out. Lanza in. Martel then in and he is going after Lanza hard. Patera in. Close pins attempts. Ventura in. Back and forth. Lanza in. Brunzell in and he gets the figure four on Lanza. All 6 in now. Heenan slips something to Patera. Patera in and nails Brunzell as he goes back for the figure four. He covers Brunzell for the pin. Rod Trongard thought it was going to be a DQ. The Faces argue that the heels cheated. It breaks out again with everyone fighting.
-Mean Gene interviews the faces. Brunzell and Gagne say he was hit with something. They show a replay of the action and the pin.
-AWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Nick Bockwinkel with Bobby Heenan VS. Hulk Hogan: Music Dub City as Hogan comes out because I’m sure Eye of the Tiger was the original song. Hogan wearing a t-shirt that says We Want the Belt and Now or Never. We want the belt chant goes out. Wally Karbo and Stanley Blackburn are introduced as AWA officials. Lord James Blears is the referee. Crowd comes alive when Hogan is introduced with Music Dub City again. Hulk Chant goes out as Blears goes over the rules. Bockwinkel stalling to start. They tell the story that Bockwinkel demanded such a high fee, ticket prices had to be raised. Bockwinkel selling Hogan’s power moves to start. More stalling tactics by Bockwinkel, then Bockwinkel on the offensive. Hogan comes back. Bockwinkel selling hard. Slow, methodical match. Bockwinkel gets some shots on Hogan and takes over. Bockwinkel working a front face lock/choke hold. Hogan fighting back. He gets a leg up on a Bockwinkel corner charge. Hogan in charge. He hits a clothesline and an elbow smash for a two count. A shoulder breaker gets a two count. Bockwinkel fights back. Hogan hulking up. A powerslam gets two for Hogan. Hogan then misses the leg drop. Bockwinkel working some hard shots on Hogan. Hogan gets a quick two count. Hogan on the offensive and the crowd comes alive. He gets another two count. The crowd boos. Bockwinkel jumps on Hogan’s back and puts the sleeper on. Hogan flips Bockwinkel off of his back and hits Lord Blears. Bockwinkel goes back to the sleeper. Bockwinkel and Blears get knocked out by Hogan trying to get out of the sleeper. Hogan then flips Bockwinkel out of the ring. He suplexes him back in and hits the leg drop and pins Bockwinkel. The crowd erupts. Hogan grabs the belt. Hogan is celebrating. Bobby Heenan is arguing with Lord James Blears. Mean Gene announces that Stanley Blackburn says that Hogan threw Bockwinkel over the top rope and is disqualified. A minor bullshit chant starts and then grows louder. Hogan attacks Bockwinkel and Heenan. Hogan looks pissed and refuses to give up the belt. They send more referees in to get the belt.
-Mean Gene interviews Hulk Hogan who says that it is the fan’s belt, not Nick Bockwinkel’s belt.
-Sheik Adnan Al-Kaisse and Sheik Jerry Blackwell VS. Mad Dog Vachon and Verne Gagne: The crowd loves Verne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon. Gagne and Blackwell go at it. The crowd is all for Gagne and Vachon. Vachon going crazy. Lord James Blears joins commentary to explain the decision that took place in the title match. Vachon stomps on Blackwell’s hand. Al-Kaisse tagged in. Al-Kaisse hits Vachon with his cast arm. They go outside and Gagne comes to Vachon’s aid. Vachon gets hit with a mic stand and a chair. Everyone is getting shots in and Vachon is bleeding. Black is in and slams Vachon but Gagne saves him. Al-Kaisse is in and gets Vachon in the abdominal stretch. Gagne keeps saving Vachon. Blackwell and Vachon trade blows and Gagne tagged in. Gagne attacks Blackwell. Blackwell slams Gagne but can’t pin him. Blackwell misses a splash. Gagne gets the sleeper on Blackwell. Al-Kaisse goes to hit Gagne with his cast, but Vachon directs it to hit Blackwell. Gagne and Vachon then rip Al-Kaisse’s cast off. Vachon and Blackwell then fight on the outside. Gagne comes off the ropes and hits Al-Kaisse with his foot and pins him. They then dump Blackwell out.
-Mean Gene then interviews Gagne and Vachon. Gagne says it felt great. Vachon says he is still man’s best friend. Mean Gene then thanks everyone and says good night.
-The Build up
-Hogan VS. Gagne is a case of he said, he said.
The mass exodus begins after this and over the next couple of years
• Hogan
• Wendy Richter
• Beefcake
• Ventura
• Okerlund
• Heenan
• Brunzell
Would all leave to go to the WWF.