Curt Hennig Tribute Thread
11-17-2014
, 12:19 PM
11-17-2014
, 12:33 PM
11-17-2014
, 12:34 PM
11-17-2014
, 01:25 PM
11-18-2014
, 02:29 AM
Quote:
AWA World Heavyweight Title: Jerry Lawler (c) vs. Curt Hennig w/ Madusa Miceli
Date: July 16, 1988
Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p...t-hennig_sport
Background: Lawler won the title from Hennig a couple of months previous, and I believe this is the first and only return bout since then. Hennig was on his way out of the company, so this is the last AWA bout I have. Hennig and Lawler also appeared to carry on this feud in another company, CWA, but I can't find any history cliffs on that, just sporadic YouTube videos here and there.
The Match: The early part of this match is a lot of feeling out. The crowd is hotter than I've seen from these other AWA matches; both guys are hugely over. It feels like a slow build to another long match, and in fact the announcers talk about how the match could easily go 60 minutes, but it doesn't come close so it doesn't really justify the slow start.
Hennig posts Lawler hard on the outside, then forces him inside from the apron with a suplex. He covers and gets two. The announcers are pretty hilarious here, as they sell the garden-variety suplex like it's the most amazing move ever, and then actually yell about how exciting it is when Hennig then locks in an abdominal stretch.
As the referee is distracted, Madusa slips her spiked heel shoe to Hennig, who clobbers Lawler with it, but his pinning attempt still only gets two. The near-fall here kind of gets ****ed up because Lawler throws his shoulder up way early and kills the drama of a believable false finish. Hennig piledrives Lawler, but doesn't hook a leg upon pinning him and the predictable rope break occurs. Lawler makes a surprise roll-up on Hennig, but Madusa had distracted the referee so there's no count. Hennig back in with the Rick Rude neckbreaker on Lawler, but it's still only worth two.
Curt heads to the top rope, but Lawler arrives in time to crotch him on the corner. The King hits him with an atomic drop and then drops the strap on his singlet. He pounds away on Hennig, gets a running start and connects with a punch that Hennig sells like a hand grenade just exploded in front of him. Lawler to the second rope, attempts a fistdrop, but Hennig moves and the King gets a fist full of canvas. Hennig quickly locks in a sleeper hold. Lawler's hand drops twice but not three times.
As Lawler struggles to try to escape the sleeper, Hennig is riding his back and hanging on, which causes Lawler to toss him off, over the top rope, and that causes a disqualification. Lame. Hennig was gone shortly after this from AWA, but I can't find record of another match between he and Lawler. How do you not just put Lawler over clean there?
Result: Curt Hennig via DQ (16:30)
Rating: Ummm…it was decent. Like it basically all played out like the start to a potentially great match, and then suddenly ended in lame fashion. I'm certainly now a believer that an inability to ever just end a match cleanly was really a big problem for AWA. 3 stars out of 5 though, good work by both men.
Date: July 16, 1988
Link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p...t-hennig_sport
Background: Lawler won the title from Hennig a couple of months previous, and I believe this is the first and only return bout since then. Hennig was on his way out of the company, so this is the last AWA bout I have. Hennig and Lawler also appeared to carry on this feud in another company, CWA, but I can't find any history cliffs on that, just sporadic YouTube videos here and there.
The Match: The early part of this match is a lot of feeling out. The crowd is hotter than I've seen from these other AWA matches; both guys are hugely over. It feels like a slow build to another long match, and in fact the announcers talk about how the match could easily go 60 minutes, but it doesn't come close so it doesn't really justify the slow start.
Hennig posts Lawler hard on the outside, then forces him inside from the apron with a suplex. He covers and gets two. The announcers are pretty hilarious here, as they sell the garden-variety suplex like it's the most amazing move ever, and then actually yell about how exciting it is when Hennig then locks in an abdominal stretch.
As the referee is distracted, Madusa slips her spiked heel shoe to Hennig, who clobbers Lawler with it, but his pinning attempt still only gets two. The near-fall here kind of gets ****ed up because Lawler throws his shoulder up way early and kills the drama of a believable false finish. Hennig piledrives Lawler, but doesn't hook a leg upon pinning him and the predictable rope break occurs. Lawler makes a surprise roll-up on Hennig, but Madusa had distracted the referee so there's no count. Hennig back in with the Rick Rude neckbreaker on Lawler, but it's still only worth two.
Curt heads to the top rope, but Lawler arrives in time to crotch him on the corner. The King hits him with an atomic drop and then drops the strap on his singlet. He pounds away on Hennig, gets a running start and connects with a punch that Hennig sells like a hand grenade just exploded in front of him. Lawler to the second rope, attempts a fistdrop, but Hennig moves and the King gets a fist full of canvas. Hennig quickly locks in a sleeper hold. Lawler's hand drops twice but not three times.
As Lawler struggles to try to escape the sleeper, Hennig is riding his back and hanging on, which causes Lawler to toss him off, over the top rope, and that causes a disqualification. Lame. Hennig was gone shortly after this from AWA, but I can't find record of another match between he and Lawler. How do you not just put Lawler over clean there?
Result: Curt Hennig via DQ (16:30)
Rating: Ummm…it was decent. Like it basically all played out like the start to a potentially great match, and then suddenly ended in lame fashion. I'm certainly now a believer that an inability to ever just end a match cleanly was really a big problem for AWA. 3 stars out of 5 though, good work by both men.
WTF DQ for throwing them over the ropes? What sort of rule is that?
liked the slow start made the tension feel more real. Also enjoyed the way they sold moves, nowdays someone gets punched a bunch of times and suplexed and they jump back up.
Overall good match though. Does bring me to a question that I will start a new topic for.
