High On: 1981 AWA All-Star Wrestling
by Coach B
As I write all these, I am trying to sample every major territory from the 1970s and 80s. I grew up in the Midwest, but never saw much of the AWA product because it was on the way out. I saw WWE’s The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA documentary, and like most of what they churn out, it’s well-produced and just kind of blah. Current WWE documentaries simply cut around or remove anything from history that does not fit the “narrative.”
The AWA used to be on ESPN in the mid-1980s, and we were better people because of it. I would pay an extra $6 a month so that every time Stephen A. Smith appeared, a random “AWA on ESPN” match showed in his place. Yeah, you won’t know shit about current sports, but your expert knowledge of Larry “The Axe” Hennig will be a panty-dropper.
I will make fun of Minnesota a few times out of jealousy. It’s a nice place.
AWA Tag Team Title Bout, 2 out of 3 Falls
“The High Flyers” Greg Gagne and Jimmy Brunzell, champions, vs. Mickey Shannon & Butch Shoal
0:20 - We get the whole classic AWA introduction, and it feels like 1971. You can tell the graphics budget was tight, but then again, what if this was top-of-the-line shit? Do you know who wasn’t in charge of this operation? Joel Watts. This outdated crap would not fly with JW ruling with an iron fist.
I am going out on a limb, but we aren’t going to three falls on this one. Not to say that Butch and Mickey can’t compete because, yeah, I can’t. They are two guys from the early 1980s who look like their names are “Mickey and Butch.” I am not saying that AWA wrestlers from this era didn’t work out. I am sure they did. They just never invited these two to join in.
I would say this style of wrestling feels “real,” but I have been in fights and wrestled. This feels like neither of those. This is painfully SLOW.
Jimmy Brunzell nails a sweet dropkick to get the pin, and it is the only highlight so far.
8:30 - Okay, back from the commercial break for the second fall. I wonder what is going to happen.
This is getting a little better, but this match has a slow, deliberate pace to it. Unfortunately, this is starting to remind me of the handful of AWA matches I have seen. This could be a trend.
Greg Gagne wins with the sleeper hold! It was not as exciting as that exclamation point would lead you to believe. Greg Gagne is not bad at all, despite the obvious nepotism here. I would rather watch Greg wrestle than his dad, Verne. I was prepared to shit on Greg Gagne, but he’s fair to middling. He didn’t have a serious physique back then, but it doesn’t seem like many did.
3.5/10 - Remember in 2006, when the Iron Sheik threatened to humble B. Brian Blair by sodomizing him? Well, Jim Brunzell was Blair’s future tag partner, and Sheiky didn’t threaten to rape Brunzell, which should count for something. Probably a lesson in humility.
Gene Okerlund Promo with Hulk Hogan & Johnny Valiant
12:22 - You can see that Hogan was going to be a fucking star. The promo skills are developing, but the look was already money, especially in this era.
Gene Okerlund was excellent, as always.
If you’ve already seen this, it’s worth a rewatch. If this is your first time, you’re welcome.
“Dizzy” Ed Boulder vs. George “Scrap Iron” Gadaski
15:30 - It’s Ed “Brutus Barber Beefcake” Leslie, and he is built like a goddamn tank. He is going with the handle of “Dizzy,” which, after doing extensive research, is a terrible fucking name. When your best friend is wrestling superstar and Spanish-American War veteran Hulk Hogan, you should get something better than Dizzy.
Sometimes I am typing along here, high on Mount Edible, when I realize I am a fucking moron. I watched the ENTIRE match thinking to myself, “Wow, I know this is old footage, but Brutus is barely recognizable here. He looks completely different.”
One Mississippi, two Mississippi.
Oh yeah, he had to have his entire face rebuilt because of a parasailing accident.
Side note: I have had three chances to parasail in the past, and it is always a hard pass for me. Why? Brutus’s accident.
You can see what all the promoters saw in young Ed Boulder: 6’4”, 260, blond, muscles, best friends with Hulk Hogan. Who gave a shit if he could wrestle? Considering he was in the first five years of his career, young Brutus was solid. Sure, the style and tempo will hurt your feelings, but he looked great.
Dizzy “Brutus” Boulder wins with a full nelson that looks goofy and like it hurt, a rare feat to master.
3.7/10 - This was a little higher than it should be because I forgot about “Face-Off” Ed Leslie and how physically impressive he looked.
Baron von Raschke vs. Ricky Young
21:30 - Really interesting crowd reaction for Baron von Raschke. Obviously not Ricky Young, no one cared. Baron comes out in a black hooded robe, shaved white head, and menacing claw, and the crowd goes wild.
Relatively speaking. This is Minnesota after all. Minnesotans have three modes: friendly, drunk, and asleep. They are not an excitable populace.
He is still alive at 84 years old and would put me in the hospital if he decided to do so.
The referee’s shirt is two sizes too small.
Von Raschke is only 41 years old here but could pass for his early 60s without much of a problem. This is such a great gimmick: the look, the goose steps, the claw. I am an adult who knows better, and I watched this thinking, “I get the Baron von Raschke gimmick and all, but I am still a little concerned.”
I am all in.
From all appearances, Ricky Young took a world-class ass-kicking. I am sure the family was proud.
Baron wins with the claw. He refuses to let go of the hold as the bell continues to ring, but the fans give zero shits about Ricky Young or the rules. These folks were friendly and probably drunk.
4.1/10 - Wanna see a scary grown man assault a hefty gentleman? Right this way.
Handicap Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Sonny Rogers & Name Literally Not Mentioned
26:45 - The ring announcer, Al DeRusha, is on the struggle bus. He is messing up hometowns, completely forgetting names, fumbling his words. It’s a clusterfuck out there.
Wait, he’s drunk, isn’t he?
HOGAN IS MASSIVE. He is listed at 6’8” and 340 pounds. Those are probably not true stats, given the person and profession. Let’s say he was “only” 6’6”, 320 pounds, and shows up looking like that.
Holy hell.
Hogan does the typical handicap match spots with these buttholes, but it is 100% magic. We eventually learn that Sonny Rogers’ partner does indeed have a birth name: Chuck Greenlee. I tried to research the mother Chucker, and the first post I saw from a fan board said, “Smelled like a billy goat.”
Hulk Hogan has never been known for his athleticism, other than that time Knute Rockne offered him a full scholarship to Notre Dame but he had to turn it down to rule Inner Mongolia. More than once during this match, Hogan looks fairly fluid for a fella his size. His skillset doesn’t vary too much, but he does just enough to win.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Milton%20Berle
Didn’t have Milton Berle’s cock on your Daily Life Bingo card, did you?
I enjoyed seeing early Hulk Hogan and the beginnings of a true megastar. My childhood needed this.
5.5/10 - This was a good time. Hogan wins with a double bear hug submission. Worth checking out for sure.
Nacho Barrera vs. Tito Santana
33:45 - Tito is back. Two weeks in a row.
Well, I heard back from Tito’s people. They’re pissed. Despite me politely asking you guys not to request butt stuff from Tito on his Cameo, it seems that’s exactly what happened. Listen, Tito is gonna honor your request for butt stuff, but only because he’s a man of his word.
Here’s the link:
https://www.cameo.com/titosantana?qid=1737761649&aaQueryId=2559c52cad5b2d5a6cf5d889a1a17f30
It’s $15. You can probably swing that.
Young Tito had it going on. He was a good worker with a great look. We learn that Tito played for the Kansas City Chiefs, which makes me only hate that three-ring circus 1% less. Tito gave a fired-up promo, but English wasn’t his strong suit. He is so damn athletic it is easy to see Tito would have been able to thrive in modern professional wrestling.
Nacho Barrera is built like a buttplug, but he works well with Tito here.
I was older than I should have been when I learned Nacho was a normal male first name in Hispanic culture. I was a brand-new teacher trying to be inoffensive and thought my student was going by some slang nickname. We had a quasi-“Who’s on First?” moment.
Me: What name do you go by?
Student: Nacho.
Me: Are you okay with being called that?
Student: Are you asking if I am okay with being called by my name?
Me: Yes. Is there something else I should call you?
Student: Umm, also Nacho.
For the next two years he was known as “Also Nacho,” which he loved.
4.1/10 - As TV matches for this era go, this was one of them. I enjoyed seeing a young Tito Santana more than the match itself. These matches are a fun reminder that dropkicks used to be important.
Gene Okerlund Promo: Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura
38:18 - Jesse Ventura is firing on all cylinders here. Jesus. This is awesome. It’s worth clocking in to see Jesse work on this promo. He said that Hulk Hogan has “blubber arms,” and it made me laugh out loud.
40:00 - ANDRE THE FUCKING GIANT.
Out of nowhere.
Adrian was saying something I wasn’t paying attention to and BAM. There is the big man. Andre gives a short promo here about a battle royal. I think he wants to be in it. Pretty sure he wants to win it. I kind of pieced that together.
You’ll see.
It is an 18-man battle royal at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. I’ll take Andre. I’ll spot you the other guys.
Overall: 4.9/10
This started fairly slow, but as the episode went along, it started to pick up steam. It’s easy to say there are “stars” knowing what we know now, but holy shit, dude, look: Andre the Giant, Jesse Ventura, Adrian Adonis, Johnny Valiant, Baron von Raschke, Chuck Greenlee, Hulk Hogan, Gene Okerlund, Jim Brunzell, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana.
It is a who’s who of professional wrestling in the 1980s. I love the power move to drop Andre at the very end of the episode to promote the big event in Oakland.