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Post by Rated R on Mar 27, 2013 7:39:54 GMT -5
THE RISE & RISE OF THE NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCEA New Era DawnsNote: This backstory is based on an alternate history, so yes, historical inaccuracies abound.In the 1980s, video tape trading and cable television paved the way for the eventual death of the NWA’s inter-regional business model, as fans could now see for themselves the pot holes and inconsistencies between the different regional storylines. Vincent K. McMahon used these gathering trends to turn the World Wrestling Federation into the first truly national promotion, including buying out NWA member Georgia Championship Wrestling and taking over GCW’s long-time TV slot on TBS. On top of this the massive success of WWF’s move into pay per view with WrestleMania made it apparent that the old days of wrestling were officially over, and that if the NWA wanted to survive then they’d have to get with the times. To combat this threat Jim Crockett Promotions decided to unify certain NWA territories and go national itself. Jim Crockett Jr. began buying out other NWA member promotions and allowing others to quietly die while absorbing their rosters. Because of this mass acquisition spree, and because he failed to consistently match the WWF’s ambitious marketing, TV production values and merchandising, Crockett was soon facing bankruptcy, threatening to take down the National Wrestling Alliance with it. Knowing that they had to do something quickly the NWA’s board of directors decided to pull their backing from Jim Crockett Promotions, a move which was the final nail in the coffin for the promotion as they folded in early 1987. In early 1987, with the highly promoted WrestleMania III pay per view on the horizon the NWA announced that they would seek to be more than a governing body, they were going to be their own professional wrestling promotion. While the affiliate promotions would continue to exist the National Wrestling Alliance would begin promotion their own shows, including taking on an open timeslot on Ted Turner’s TBS station. Their intention was to be a viable competitor for the World Wrestling Federation and succeed where Jim Crockett had failed. This is the moment where the war began. This is when the march back to glory began.
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Post by Rated R on Mar 27, 2013 7:40:12 GMT -5
Roster
Animal Arn Anderson Barry Windham Big Bubba Rogers Bill Mulkey Bobby Eaton Chris Adams Chris Champion Denny Brown Dusty Rhodes Hawk Ivan Koloff Johnny Ace Kevin Sullivan Lazer Tron Lex Luger Manny Fernandez Mike Rotundo Nikita Koloff Randy Mulkey Ric Flair Rick Rude Ricky Morton Robert Gibson Roddy Piper Ron Simmons Sean Royal Stan Lane Tim Horner Tully Blanchard Vladamir Petrov
Tag Teams & Stables
Four Horsemen | Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger
| Midnight Express | Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane | Mulkey Brothers | Bill & Randy Mulkey | New Breed | Chris Champion & Sean Royal | Road Warriors | Hawk & Animal | Rock-N-Roll Express
| Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson | The Russians | Ivan Koloff & Vladamir Petrov |
Managers
Manager | Clients
| James J. Dillon | The Four Horsemen | Jim Cornette | Big Bubba Rogers & The Midnight Express |
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Post by Rated R on Mar 27, 2013 7:40:27 GMT -5
Championship HistoryNWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipHOLDER | # | DATE WON | DATE LOST | DAYS HELD | Ric Flair | 5 | August 5, 1986 | Current | 277+ |
NWA United States ChampionshipHOLDER | # | DATE WON | DATE LOST | DAYS HELD | Nikita Koloff | 1 | August 17, 1986 | April 18, 1987 | 244 | Arn Anderson | 1 | April 18, 1987 | Current | 14+ |
NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipHOLDER | # | DATE WON | DATE LOST | DAYS HELD | Manny Fernandez (2) & Rick Rude | 1 | December 6, 1986 | Current | 154+ |
NWA World Television ChampionshipHOLDER | # | DATE WON | DATE LOST | DAYS HELD | Tully Blanchard | 3 | November 27, 1986 | May 2, 1987 | 156 | Mike Rotunda | 2 | May 2, 197 | Current | 0+ |
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Post by Rated R on Mar 27, 2013 7:40:44 GMT -5
Schedule
Every Saturday Night - NWA Showcase
July 4th, 1987 - The Great American Bash November 26th 1987 - Starrcade
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Post by DTP. on Mar 27, 2013 9:38:53 GMT -5
I'm in love.
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Post by Chris Hammers on Mar 27, 2013 15:40:52 GMT -5
Looking forward to this, Dale. I had no idea Vladimir Kozlov was in 80's NWA. Looking forward to some fun tag team feuds, since you have Rock n Roll Express, Midnight Express, Horsemen about. Would be fun to see some teams like the Rockers show up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2013 4:56:09 GMT -5
Risky time to take, but I'm sure you'll pull it off. Woo!
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Deleted
Joined on: Jun 14, 2024 7:41:14 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2013 17:55:25 GMT -5
is this for EWR or EWT
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Post by Rated R on Apr 21, 2013 12:30:18 GMT -5
NWA SHOWCASEApril 4th 1987 - Following a well-produced opening video we head towards the ring where the president of the National Wrestling Alliance Bob Geigel welcomes us to the show. He talks about how tonight is the beginning of a new era in professional wrestling, a night where the true athletes… “Woo!” Before Geigel can continue he is cut off by the signature catchphrase of the Nature Boy Ric Flair. He’s backed by the rest of the Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and their manager J. Dillon much to the anger of Geigel and the crowd. The Four Horsemen hit the ring, Flair asking why Geigel is the one getting the first word in when they’re the real stars of the National Wrestling Alliance. Geigel attempts to interrupt but he’s cut off by Dillon who tells him not to interrupt when the Nature Boy is talking. Dillon says that there’s no arguing, they’re the real deal. Dillon says there’s no better technician than Ric Flair, that nobody hits harder than Arn Anderson, that nobody is outright tougher than Tully Blanchard and that nobody is more powerful than Lex Luger.
Geigel tells him that some people would disagree, with someone shouting “And I’m one of ‘em” from the top of the entrance. All eyes are drawn to Ron Simmons who makes his way down to the ring much to the surprise of the crowd, the relatively unknown Simmons interrupting some of the biggest stars in the business. Simmons hits the ring, Flair asking him who the hell he thinks he is. Simmons says that some people in this arena won’t have a clue who he is, so he’s going to tell them. Simmons says he is stronger than Lex Luger, he is tougher than Tully Blanchard, he hits harder than Arn Anderson and when it comes down to it when he’s got his foot on Ric Flair’s throat holding him down for three it won’t matter how great a technician the NWA World Heavyweight Champion really is. The Four Horsemen don’t like any of that and look set to launch a huge attack on Simmons but Bob Geigel cuts them off before they can try, announcing that he likes a rookie who has the guts to call out the big guns, so tonight, on the first ever edition of NWA Showcase it’ll be Ron Simmons facing off with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair! The Four Horsemen are livid at the decision, claiming Simmons to be a nobody, but Geigel isn’t budging. The main event is set and as Ron Simmons stares down the Horsemen you just know it’s going to be a big one!
- We next head down to ringside where we are introduced to the official announce team of the National Wrestling Alliance’s flagship television show NWA Showcase – Tony Schiavone and Rich Landrum. They thank us for tuning in tonight and talk briefly about how Ron Simmons may have just ended his career before it’s even begun, but before that there is plenty more action on the card, starting off with an NWA World Television Championship Match!
1. NWA WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH) Tully Blanchard © w/ James J. Dillon Defeated Lazer Tron with the Piledriver. A big start for the first edition of NWA Showcase with the appropriately named World Television Championship on the line. Lazer Tron, the cybernetic fan favourite, came into this hoping for the upset but it was not to be because despite going all out and getting in a lot of offence Tully was out to prove exactly why James J. Dillon calls him the toughest man in wrestling by ploughing through Lazer Tron. Blanchard did exactly that and eventually put Tron away with the big Piledriver to retain the title.
- We cut to a pre-packaged video showcasing “Mr. Varsity” Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan claims that as an all American wrestler he should be the true star of any wrestling promotion, and that the NWA is holding him down because they don’t want everybody to look bad. After all, a champion is only as good as his challengers and there isn’t anybody that can challenge him! Kevin Sullivan laughs, saying that as “Mr. Varsity” it his job, no, his duty to show everybody was a real athlete is and that isn’t going to happen if they’re just watching losers like the Four Horseman or that ‘fat tub of lard’ Dusty Rhodes. No, that’s only going to happen when Mr. Varsity steps into the ring. Mr. Varsity Kevin Sullivan, coming soon to NWA Showcase.
- We head backstage where Lazer Tron is nursing his pain following his loss to Tully Blanchard. He’s quickly joined by the New Breed, otherwise known as Chris Champion and Sean Royal, the team who have been sent back in time straight to us from 2002. They tell Lazer Tron to hook himself up to the mains and repair his damage, believing him to be a real robot since they’re so common in 2002. Tron just seems confused as the New Breed continue talking about how if they had the flux capacitor they could go back in time and help him win. They’re thankfully cut off by the NWA World Tag Team Champions of Manny Fernandez and Rick Rude. The two muscular competitors mock the New Breed, calling them jokes who should go back to the asylum they came from. Champion says they didn’t come from an asylum, they came from the future obviously. Fernandez & Rude tell them to shut up and watch a real tag team in action, the champions sauntering off, Royal saying that he can’t wait for them to be captured in the great war of the apes in 1999. Lazer Tron just shakes his head as we return back to ringside.
2.) Manny Fernandez & Rick Rude Defeated The Mulkey Brothers when Rude used the DDT on Bill Mulkey. This one was barely a contest, the NWA World Tag Team Champions just showing off their stuff in the usual squash contest. Both Fernandez & Rude looked like stars by the end of the contest and Rude connected with his signature big DDT to pick up the victory.
- Following the match we head to a special pre-recorded promo featuring Hawk and Animal of the Road Warriors. They talk about how there are two pretty boy prima-donnas holding the NWA World Tag Team Championships but that’s not going to be the case for long, because the Road Warriors don’t care about looking good, they care about kicking ass and that’s exactly what they’re gonna do. They say they’re the real warriors of the NWA and soon those pretty boys won’t be looking so pretty without their belts.
- Prior to the next contest we head to the changing room where Ron Simmons is preparing for his match when he is approached by the fan favourite duo of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff. Rhodes does most of the talking, which most would say is a blessing, telling Simmons that they’ve got his back here tonight against the Four Horsemen. Koloff adds a very simple “I crush their skulls if they get in way.” Simmons thanks them, but makes it clear that he’s going out there alone tonight and he doesn’t want any interference. He’s going to kick Ric Flair’s ass and make the entire Four Horsemen watch. Simmons walks off, Koloff saying “Ron tough, but not as tough as Koloff.” Rhodes simply adds “whatever you say Koloff” as we return to ringside.
3.) Mike Rotunda Defeated Tim Horner with the Airplane Spin. Another squash match, though this one had a bit more of a back and forth to make Rotunda look more impressive in victory. Rotunda’s got everything a star needs, he just needs to take that next step up and he might just do it here in the revamped NWA, getting off to a good start with this victory.
- As Rotunda celebrates his victory he is cut off by the familiar drone of Jim Cornette who is flanked by his personal bodyguard Big Bubba Rogers. Cornette and Rogers head towards the ring with Cornette telling Rotunda to clear out so these fans can witness some real entertainment. Rotunda isn’t impressed and doesn’t do as demanded, annoying Cornette as the pair enter the ring. Cornette tells Rotunda to get out or he’ll make him get out, Big Bubba Rogers stepping up to try and intimidate Rotunda to little success. Rogers attempts to push Rotunda back but the fan favourite doesn’t take kindly to that, striking out with a big right hand that knocks Big Bubba on his ass. As Cornette quickly clears out of the ring Rogers rises onto his feet only to be caught with a big leaping clothesline that sends Rogers crashing out of the ring through the ropes. Cornette is irate at being humiliated, screaming that Rotunda just made the biggest mistake of his career.
- We head over to the NWA live event centre with Paul Schiavone running down the upcoming live events being held by the NWA regions, including a blockbuster main event in Florida featuring the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair facing off with Ed Gantner.
4.) Ric Flair w/ James J. Dillon Defeated Ron Simmons with the rollup. A big main event on the debut edition of NWA Showcase as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion took on an up and comer who the NWA brass clearly have a lot of faith in. While he appears to still be somewhat green in the ring Flair made the kid look like gold throughout a very solid ten to fifteen minute clash. Simmons played the power game and was made to look more than capable of beating Flair, the Nature Boy having to rely on dirty tricks and the distracting appearance of the rest of the Four Horsemen at ringside to keep himself in the match. Simmons was setting up for what was going to be a mammoth running clothesline when Dillon grabbed his leg, distracting him and allowing Flair to sneak in, roll Simmons up and hold onto the middle ropes to pick up the cheap victory much to the disgust of the fans.
The moment the bell rings Simmons is after Flair but as soon as he gets his hands on him he’s caught from behind by Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the duo taking the fight to Simmons while Luger soon joins in. Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff make their way down to the ring but as soon as they enter it the Four Horsemen bail, not wanting to engage in a huge all our brawl here tonight. With Dusty and Koloff checking on Simmons in the ring the Four Horsemen back up the entrance when… bagpipes blare out around the arena, the crowd going wild. All eyes turn to the front of the entrance, wondering if it could really be… it is! It’s Roddy Piper! Roddy Piper is here in the National Wrestling Alliance! The crowd are going wild, the Four Horsemen are absolutely shocked and Dusty and Koloff can barely believe it but as NWA Showcase comes to an end the NWA have landed a huge hit in their ‘war’ with the WWF – Roddy Piper has jumped ship, and he’s here to make things rowdy.
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Post by Mike Bockwinkel on Apr 21, 2013 13:07:07 GMT -5
Looks good man. Couple typos here and there but no biggie. Nice write ups for New Breed, KvE would love you for that. Of course the Mulkeys lose. Cool to have Piper jump ship. Fits into this timeframe.
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Post by Chris Hammers on Apr 21, 2013 13:18:45 GMT -5
Been looking forward to this, Dale. For a while, I was starting to think you forgot about the sim.
- Fun opening segment with the president of the NWA, and the Four Horsemen. Flair vs Simmons for tonight will make for a good main event.
- No idea who Lazer Tron is but an expected win for the Television Champion, Tully Blanchard. I'm wondering if you'll put the tag titles on Luger & Anderson to give the Horsemen all the gold.
- Nice hype video for Kevin Sullivan. A Sullivan/Rhodes feud could be really good.
- Fun segment with the Tag Champs, and The New Breed. Hilarious that they had a gimmick thinking they were from 2002. They should talk about the NWA not being around anymore, heh.
- Squash match to make the tag champs look good. I do like Ferandez & Rude as champions, a feud with the Road Warriors will be solid.
- Awesome main event with Flair vs Simmons. Flair winning by distraction roll up, and holding the ropes doesn't hurt Simmons at all. Piper jumping ship after the match is amazing, and does big things for the NWA. Not sure if War Games were 8 men or 10, but if 8, you have a solid one already set up with the Four Horsemen vs Simmons, Rhodes, Koloff, & Piper.
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Post by Rated R on Oct 23, 2014 9:40:32 GMT -5
THIS WEEK IN WRESTLING HISTORYMarch 30th - April 5th 1987Roddy Piper Joins the National Wrestling AllianceRoddy Piper had wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation just one week prior at WrestleMania III in a match that was promoted as his retirement match, with Piper citing plans to head to Hollywood and begin an acting career. With his contract with the WWF expired many expected that to be the last time they saw him inside a wrestling ring for some time, so when he appeared on the debut edition of NWA Showcase there was a real feeling of shock. As it turned out Piper had been in talks with the National Wrestling Alliance for several weeks prior, with the NWA offering him a contract that allowed him to film movies as well as compete inside of a wrestling ring. The offer was reportedly too much for Piper to turn up and heÂ’d make his huge debut, setting up a feud with then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair in the process. NWA Showcase Debuts to Big NumbersMany people were doubtful when the National Wrestling Alliance announced that they would be promoting their own shows and even more so when they announced that they would be producing their own weekly television show, NWA Showcase. However thanks to the hype put into the show, with the promise of appearances by big stars such as the Four Horsemen, Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff the show debuted to a big rating. Roddy PiperÂ’s debut on that show would broadcast to that huge number of viewers and ensure that they returned for some time after that, giving the NWA a big leaping point for the future.
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Post by Rated R on Oct 25, 2014 14:22:41 GMT -5
NWA SHOWCASEApril 11th 1987
- This week’s National Wrestling Alliance Showcase begins exactly as it should, with the well-produced opening video and a special graphic highlighting tonight’s featured main event, a clash between Four Horsemen representative Arn Anderson and Dusty Rhodes. We head to our announcers Tony Schiavone and Rich Landrum who run down tonight’s card featuring appearances from The Midnight Express, Barry Windham, the Legion of Doom and yes that huge main event.
- Before they can continue they’re interrupted by the appearance of the NWA’s big new signing ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper. Piper hits the ring to talk about joining the NWA, calling it a dream of his to wrestle in the big leagues of the National Wrestling Alliance where real wrestlers come to prove themselves, and that’s what Piper is here to do, he’s here to wrestle and he’s here to entertain. He runs down The Four Horsemen, saying that while they like to think they can cause chaos they’ve got nothing on the rowdy one. As he continues he’s interrupted by the manager of the Four Horsemen himself, J.J. Dillon. Dillon calls Piper a moronic scot who doesn’t realize he’s just made the most stupidest mistake of his life, and for a man as stupid as Piper that’s saying something. Dillon refuses to approach the ring with Piper in it, saying he’s not as stupid as the former WWF star and promises that coming after the Four Horseman wasn’t just the biggest mistake Piper’s made but also the last. Roddy tells him to bring it on and the crowd cheer for the newest star of the National Wrestling Alliance with things only just getting started.
1.) The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette & Big Bubba Rogers) Defeated Mike Rotunda & Lazer Tron. An interesting tag team contest here as the makeshift team of Rotunda and Lazer Tron took on the rough customers Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton, commonly known as the Midnight Express. Rotunda was going after Cornette after their conflict last week but when Rogers took Rotunda out on the outside Lazer Tron quickly fell victim to the Rocket Launcher for the cheap victory much to the disdain of the fans.
- We’re shown an interview from Ron Simmons recorded last week after his match with Ric Flair. Simmons verbally tears apart the Four Horsemen, calling them cowards and saying they messed with the wrong man. Simmons says he isn’t just a wrestler, he’s a fighter, he’s a tough guy and he’s full of pride. The Four Horsemen stepped on his pride and now he’s going to step on them and it doesn’t matter who he’s got to go through to do it. He’ll tear every single member of the National Wrestling Alliance apart until he gets the Four Horsemen in the ring and then… then he’ll crush them too.
2.) Barry Windham Defeated Johnny Ace. A very quick and efficient display from fan favourite Barry Windham as he powered through Johnny Ace, putting him away in short order with the Lariat.
- We go to another pre-packaged video showcasing “Mr. Varsity” Kevin Sullivan at a track field. Sullivan again claims to be the real star of the National Wrestling Alliance but that he’s being held down in favour of dirty slobs like Dusty Rhodes. He again claims that it’s his duty to show everybody what a real athlete is and that he’ll do it despite being held down by “the man”. That’s only going to happen when Mr. Varsity finally steps back inside an NWA ring. The video comes to an end showing Sullivan begin to run track as the words “Mr. Varsity Kevin Sullivan, coming soon to NWA Showcase” appears on the screen.
- We go to a pre-recorded promo courtesy of the National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Champions Manny Fernandez & Rick Rude. The pair spend the entire promo talking themselves up, calling themselves the most entertaining, attractive and skilled NWA Tag Team Champions in the history of the National Wrestling Alliance. Rude adds on that they could be the best in all of professional wrestling. The pair claim there isn’t a single team in the business that could defeat them and that’s no lie.
3.) Legion of Doom Defeated The Mulkey Brothers. An absolutely dominant squash by the Legion of Doom to most definitely put a dent in Fernandez & Rude’s previous claims of being the best in the business. The Legion picked up the pin with the devastating Doomsday Device and made their case to be the next challengers for the titles in the process.
- We go backstage where Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff are shown ahead of Rhodes’ main event clash with Arn Anderson in just a few moments. Koloff is trying to convince Rhodes to let him be in his corner for tonight’s match. Rhodes refuses, saying he respects Koloff and they’re team but that he’s going to take the fight to the Four Horsemen tonight all by himself because he’s got to prove to everyone that the Four Horsemen can’t cheat their way to victory every time.
- We head over to the National Wrestling Alliance’s live event centre with Paul Schiavone running down the upcoming live events being held across the NWA regions, including a big main event in Florida as Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson battle the Legion of Doom inside of a steel cage!
4.) Dusty Rhodes Defeated Arn Anderson (w/ J.J. Dillon) via disqualification. A big main event as Dusty Rhodes attempts to put a dent in the seemingly invincible shell of the Four Horsemen. These two put on a solid TV main event as you’d expect, showing off some hard hitting action along with the perfect display of psychology and story all at the same time. Dillon of course played a part at ringside but Rhodes didn’t let that affect him and he easily had Anderson on the ropes before Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger struck to cause the disqualification finish as the pair assaulted Rhodes in the ring.
- The assault continues as Blanchard and Luger do the damage to Dusty Rhodes before Ron Simmons and Nikita Koloff make the save, taking the pair out of the ring and brawling around ringside. It’s at that moment that Roddy Piper slides into the ring having come through the crowd and delivers a low blow to Arn followed by a big DDT that leaves the big man laying. Dillon quickly leads Luger and Blanchard in retreat as Piper, Rhodes, Koloff and Simmons stand tall in the ring over the fallen Arn Anderson having truly proven that the Four Horsemen certainly aren’t untouchable.
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Post by Zigzag on Oct 26, 2014 19:28:14 GMT -5
Glad to see this back. I'll be reading.
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Post by Rated R on Nov 1, 2014 17:43:55 GMT -5
NWA SHOWCASEApril 18th 1987
- NWA Showcase kicks off with the usual well-produced opening video package before heading down to our announcers Tony Schiavone and Rich Landrum. The duo talk up how tonight will feature appearances by The Midnight Express, Big Bubba Rogers and Chris Champion before focusing in on how we’re expecting to hear from The Four Horsemen on what happened last week. They’ve only just said this when…
- Arn Anderson makes his way down to the ring flying solo without the rest of the Horsemen. Arn says he’s out here on his own because last week he was the one taken out. Arn wants to make it clear that he’s a fighter, he hits harder than anybody else in this company and he wants a fight right here tonight because nobody makes him look like a fool. He’s cut off by the broken English of United States Champion Nikita Koloff. Koloff tells Arn very simply that if he wants a fight he can have one against him tonight. Arn seems pretty happy about that but then tells Koloff that they should make things interesting, asking him if he’s a fighting champion and if he is then he should put that belt on the line in the main event here tonight. Koloff agrees, it’s an honour to be the United States Champion and he’ll defend it with honour against anybody who wants to get crushed at his hands. The two stare each other down as the main event is set. Here tonight Nikita Koloff will defend the NWA United States Championship against Arn Anderson!
1.) The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette & Big Bubba Rogers) Defeated New Breed. A feature tag team contest to kick off the show as the always eccentric New Breed came up short to the Midnight Express. With Jim Cornette in their corner, not to mention the always intimidating Rogers, the Midnight Express had the obvious advantage and they capitalised on it in a solid contest. The New Breed fought back but in the end Champion fell victim to the Rocket Launcher.
- A video promo airs courtesy of the Legion of Doom, Animal & Hawk. The pair cut their usual intimidating and energy fuelled promo as they challenged “those pretty boys” Manny Fernandez & Rick Rude to put the NWA World Tag Team Championships on the line against them. The Legion of Doom promise that you’re only real champions if you get in the ring with the best and they’re the best and the strongest team the NWA, or wrestling, has seen. The challenge has been laid down, now will it be accepted?
- We return to ringside where Jim Cornette stands and while Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton have made their exit Big Bubba Rogers remains at his side. Cornette uses his time to tear into Mike Rotunda for making a nuisance of himself the past two weeks. Cornette makes it clear that Rotunda made a mistake when he laid his hands on Big Bubba Rogers and that when the time comes Rogers will certainly return the favour in kind.
2.) Big Bubba Rogers (w/ Jim Cornette) Defeated Lazer Tron. Lazer Tron, as entertaining as the fake robot might be, stood absolutely no chance against a man like Rogers who just ran right through him while Cornette shouted from ringside the entire time. Rogers put Tron away in strong fashion with the Big Bubba Slam, flattening Tron for the win.
- Jim Cornette climbs back inside the ring, ordering Big Bubba Rogers to send a message to Mike Rotunda and everyone else in the locker room. Rogers is about to do exactly that when Rotunda charges the ring, slides in beneath the ropes, ducks underneath a clothesline attempt and then sends Rogers barrelling out of the ring with a big shoulder tackle. Jim Cornette is about to strike Rotunda himself when he turns around to face him and the cowardly Cornette hightails it out of the ring leaving Rotunda to check on Lazer Tron.
- We head to the locker room area where Nikita Koloff is standing silently as Dusty Rhodes, Ron Simmons and Roddy Piper all say that they’re going to be in his corner for his match against Arn Anderson tonight. The three of them begin to argue over who gets to be in his corner, each of their strong personalities clashing in what can only be called more amusing that genuinely being aggressive with each other. Koloff eventually tells them all to shut up and they do, because you obviously would if you’re being roared at by a terrifying Russian. Koloff is adamant that he’s heading out there on his own and that he’s going to run through anyone who is around that ring whether it be Arn Anderson or somebody else. He walks out of the locker room as the other three basically agree they’re not going to be at ringside later tonight.
3.) Vladamir Petrov (w/ Ivan Koloff) Defeated Denny Brown. Petrov, one half of The Russians, proved exactly how powerful he is tonight as he threw the lightweight Denny Brown around like he was made of paper. With his metor Ivan Koloff watching from ringside Petrov locked in the Bearhug and near enough crushed Brown’s ribs on the way to a victory here on Showcase.
- We go to another pre-packaged video showcasing “Mr. Varsity” Kevin Sullivan at the athletics field, preparing to compete in the long jump. Sullivan calls himself a real American athlete and that he’s tired of wimpy little kids like Mike Rotunda and the New Breed being called athletes when you’ve got a real Varisty man right in front of you. He promises that when he debuts in two weeks’ time everybody will finally get to see what a real athlete looks like and then they can forget all of the pretends. Sullivan begins running down towards the long jump as the words “Mr. Varsity Kevin Sullivan, coming soon to NWA Showcase” appears on the screen before cutting out before we see if he’s successful.
- We head to the NWA Live Event Centre with its new host, some brash New York yuppie called Paul E. Dangerously. Dangerously, who never let go of his big cell phone once, ran through some of the NWA’s regional shows and announced a special arena show on May 17th in New York City featuring all of the stars of NWA Showcase.
4. NWA UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH) Arn Anderson (w/ J.J. Dillon) Defeated Nikita Koloff to become the NEW NWA United States Champion. NWA Showcase has made a point of having a big headline match close each episode and this was no different as the show featured its first ever title match. This one was as hard hitting as you’d expect from Arn Anderson and a guy nicknamed The Russian Nightmare. Koloff was having none of Dillon at ringside and he just went all out on Anderson, the two beating each other to a pulp in the ring with both of them having a point to prove. Koloff looked set to gain the victory when he locked Anderson in a bearhug but Dillon distracted the referee. Tully Blanchard would hit the ring, knocking Koloff out with the United States Championship belt and letting Anderson get the pinfall to get the shocking victory and become the new NWA United States Champion!
- The crowd are in shock as NWA Showcase has just broadcast it’s very ever title change! Koloff remains down as Arn Anderson is joined in the ring by Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and Ric Flair. The Four Horsemen surround Nikita Koloff as he starts to come to while the announcers ask where are Roddy Piper, Ron Simmons and Dusty Rhodes? A very good question and a quick cut backstage gives the answer as it’s shown that their locker room now has a chain and padlock on it and despite their attempts from the other side there’s no getting out. Back in the ring the Four Horseman have launched a vicious attack on Koloff, beating him to the mat before Luger hauls him up and locks him in the Torture Rack before dumping him to the canvas. Showcase goes off the air with The Four Horsemen standing tall over Nikita Koloff, Arn Anderson holding his new United States Championship to boot, having turned the tables with a strong message for the National Wrestling Alliance.
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Post by Rated R on Nov 5, 2014 15:54:33 GMT -5
THIS WEEK IN WRESTLING HISTORY April 19th – April 24th
AWA Joins the War For the first few weeks following the announcement of NWA Showcase everybody believed the battle for American wrestling supremacy would be between World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance. However it soon became apparent that the American Wrestling Association wasn’t going to become a footnote. So they got a steal all of their own and, just like with Roddy Piper and the NWA, it came at the expense of WWF. During what appeared to be a run of the mill AWA show everybody got a shock when King Kong Bundy made an appearance, attacking stalwart babyface Jimmy Snuka and declaring himself an AWA man. It was with this that AWA became the third promotion competiting to be number one and while they had plenty of ground to make up they planned on doing exactly that.
However it would be only weeks until WWF got a steal of their own.
NWA Arena Show Special
It was also this week that the National Wrestling Alliance would announce a special two hour edition of NWA Showcase exclusively on TBS taking place from New York City. With the NWA already rumoured to be running their own pay per views later in the year this was seen as another method for them to take over the WWF’s popularity and with a NWA World Heavyweight Championship match rumoured for the New York main event it very well could have worked.
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Post by Zigzag on Nov 5, 2014 18:22:11 GMT -5
Which steal did WWF get? Can't wait for more!
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Post by Rated R on Nov 10, 2014 11:58:12 GMT -5
Which steal did WWF get? Can't wait for more! Like I said, a few weeks. For those wondering yes this is specifically an NWA diary but on a wider scale it's an alternate take on the wrestling world. There'll be news stories and big show results from other notable promotions that won't follow the events that actually happened. My hope is that I can have this run years in diary time and that a really interesting wrestling world will develop around the NWA results.
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Post by Rated R on Nov 10, 2014 12:03:38 GMT -5
NWA SHOWCASE April 25th 1987
- NWA Showcase kicks off with the usual video package before heading to Tony Schiavone and Rich Landrum. They kick off the show by showing footage from last week when Arn Anderson defeated Nikita Koloff to become the new NWA United States Champions. They then move on to promoting the rest of the show featuring the debut of “Gentleman” Chris Adams, appearances by Mika Rotunda, Rick Rude and the Legion of Doom and a big main event featuring Dusty Rhodes & Nikita Koloff facing off with Koloff’s old enemy The Russians.
- Speaking of Dusty Rhodes & Nikita Koloff we kick off the show proper with a video promo from the pair of them, talking about how The Four Horsemen crossed a line last week and made it personal, Koloff was proud to represent the United States as its champion and they tore that away from him. Koloff promises that now they’re going to tear everything away from The Four Horsemen one limb at a time. Dusty says real men fight in the ring, not cost other people matches but if the Horsemen want to play dirty then someone’s going to have to teach them how real men fight.
1.) Mike Rotunda Defeated Rick Rude (w/ Manny Fernandez). The first of Showcase’s two spotlight matches pitted Rotunda against one half of the NWA Tag Team Champions in an entertaining contest that highlighted two of the NWA’s hottest up and coming talents. Fernandez spent much of the match trying to flirt with women at ringside and that meant he was no help to Rude when Rotunda used the Airplane Spin and finished Rude off with a Samoan Drop for the victory.
- Immediately following the match Jim Cornette leads Big Bubba Rogers down towards the ring looking to extract some revenge on Rotunda for the past few weeks. Rotunda is so preoccupied by the silent bodyguard of Cornette that he fails to see Manny Fernandez coming from behind, Fernandez clocking Rotunda over the back of the head with the NWA Tag Team Championship belt. As Fernandez and Rude exit the ring Rogers enters, immediately hauling Rotunda up and planting him to the mat with the Big Bubba Slam. Cornette makes a point to stand over Rotunda, telling him he should have stayed out of their way before escorting Rogers to the back, message well and truly sent.
- We head to an amateur wrestling event where Mr. Varsity Kevin Sullivan is set to go on next. Sullivan of course spends some time preaching to the camera about how he’s the real deal, a true Varsity athlete who’s going to bring his talents to NWA Showcase to show everybody what a real wrestler is. This time round he uses his time to insult “pretty boys” like Rick Rude, Manny Fernandez and Barry Windham who are only in the business to get girls. He’s here to wrestle and that’s exactly what he’s going to do when he debuts next week exclusively on NWA Showcase. His name is called for his match and we see his opponent is some scrawny kid who doesn’t stand a chance, Sullivan tackling him to the ground as we get a graphic reiterating that “Mr. Varsity, Kevin Sullivan debuts next week on NWA Showcase!”
2.) Legion of Doom Defeated The Mulkey Brothers. A quick squash match to put over the Legion of Doom while a picture in picture interview showed them again challenging Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez to put the NWA World Tag Team Championships on the line against them. The Mulkey Brothers didn’t stand a chance as the Legion of Doom ran through them, putting Bill Mulkey away with the Doomsday Device.
- Following the match NWA World Tag Team Champions Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez walk out at the top of the entrance, not wanting to head to the ring to meet the Legion of Doom. The pair ignore Rude’s loss earlier in the night, making sure to focus only on the Legion of Doom’s recent challenges for their belts. They mock Hawk & Animal for having to cover their faces in paint because of their looks but concede that they’re a hell of a team and it’ll get them all the girls when they beat them, confirming that they’re accepting the challenge from the Legion of Doom! Rude & Fernandez mock the pair but the Legion of Doom don’t care, they’ve got their title shot and they intend to capitalise on it.
- Following a commercial break NWA Showcase returns with J.J. Dillon already in the ring, the manager of The Four Horsemen wanting to talk to Rowdy Roddy Piper one on one. Piper answers the call, hitting the ring to the delight of the crowd and getting in Dillon’s face before saying he’ll let Dillon say his piece before he locks him in the sleeper. Dillon attempts to ‘reason’ with the Rowdy one, saying that they don’t want any trouble with him and that they can give him anything he wants if he just takes his ball and goes back home to the land of colourful characters he came from Piper tells him that if they can give him anything he wants then they’ll have to give him the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Dillon says they can’t do that, that the title belongs around the waist of the best and the best is Ric Flair. Piper says that’s too bad, grabs Dillon and nails him with the double arm DDT! Piper quickly high tails it out of the ring as he sees Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard heading towards it, leaving Dillon down and out at the hands of the Rowdy Scot!
3.) Chris Adams Defeated Johnny Ace. This was the NWA Showcase debut of “Gentleman” Chris Adams and he certainly impressed, wrestling a fairly fast paced and technical style in comparison to the rest of the roster. There was little chance for Johnny Ace to really get into the swing of things before Adams connected with the Enzuigiri for the pin.
- Following the match Chris Adams cuts a promo on how he’s a real man’s man, the kind of man who stands in this ring and wrestlers fairly. He says you don’t have to be a brute to be victorious, you don’t have to walk around with a big mouth insulting people and you certainly don’t have to rely on sneak attacks to get to the top in this business. Adams says he’s going to become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and he’s going to do it fairly, the gentleman’s way.
- We head to the National Wrestling Alliance’s Live Event Centre with host Paul E. Dangerously who kicks it off by running down some of the events from the NWA’s regional territories. He then goes on to confirm that at the upcoming NWA New York Arena Show Rick Rude & Hector Fernandez will defend the NWA Tag Team Championships against the Legion of Doom before officially announcing that next week on NWA Showcase Tully Blanchard will defend his Television Championship against Mike Rotunda!
4.) Dusty Rhodes & Nikita Koloff Defeated The Russians. This was a big main event as Nikita Koloff teamed up with Dusty Rhodes to take on his “uncle” Ivan and Vladamir Petrov. It was a close, hard hitting contest with plenty of bad blood between the three Russians and of course Dusty being taken along for the ride. The Four Horsemen were nowhere to be seen, likely dealing with the fact Dillon just got dropped on his head, and that meant Rhodes & Koloff could focus on the match at hand and that drove them forwards towards the victory as Nikita nailed Petrov with the Russian Sickle and put the Russians away for the victory.
- With Rhodes & Koloff standing victorious The Four Horsemen emerge out at the entrance, clearly expecting the numbers game to give them the advantage right here. What they aren’t banking on is Roddy Piper and Ron Simmons coming through the crowd and joining Rhodes & Koloff in the ring. The Four Horsemen decide against getting physical having maybe met their match in the four men now standing in the ring as NWA Showcase goes off the air.
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Post by Zigzag on Nov 10, 2014 16:03:56 GMT -5
I love this. I didn't have cable as a kid, but I watched the NWA sporadically at my grandparents' house in Jersey. That's when I discovered, in 1988, just how cool Ric Flair was. When he jumped to WWF in 1991, I was overjoyed to have my two favorites - Flair & Piper - feuding right off the bat. This was my era, which is why I love any diary from the mid-80s to mid-90s. I can't wait to read more.
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