The American Wrestling Association (AWA) is a blind spot in my wrestling fandom. It’s one of the few promotions that I haven’t watched much of, but I am aware of the talent that had competed there through its existence.
One of the major rivalries that I’ve been interested in watching was between Nick Bockwinkel and Curt Hennig over the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. The rivalry began shortly before the decline of the promotion and concluded as the AWA became a distant competitor to the WWF and NWA.
Bockwinkel won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship four times and held the title for nearly 3,000 combined days. Hennig had been a fan favorite alongside tag partner Scott Hall and had been an AWA Tag Team Champion. Hennig chased after the AWA World Championship starting in the winter of 1986 and culminating at Superclash 2 in May 1987. I’ve decided to checkout the available matches on YouTube to see how well they hold up. Lets get into it.
Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel — December 25th, 1984 — St. Paul, Minnesota
Hennig takes Bock down to the mat with a headlock, but Bock counters quickly and they get back up. Bock controls Hennig with a waist lock, but Hennig counters. Bock quickly counters again and they get back up to their feet for a standoff. Hennig backs Bock against the ropes, but breaks away cleanly. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes, and back away cleanly. Bock forearms Hennig against the ropes a few times and rams Hennig into the corner face first several times. Bock kicks Hennig in the ribs several times. Bock stomps Hennig in the corner some more. Bock kicks Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the timekeepers table at ringside. Bock stomps Hennig from the ring as Hennig remained on the floor. Bock forearms Hennig on the apron. Bock kicks Hennig to the floor again. Bock continues to strike Hennig on the floor and goes to the apron to stomp Hennig. Bock forearms Hennig off the apron to the floor again. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the timekeepers table again. Hennig pulls Bock down and slams Bock’s knee over the apron.
Hennig pummels Bock before returning to the ring and sends Bock into the corner to deliver a strike to the chest. Hennig dropkicks Bock for a two count. Hennig tosses Bock through the ropes to the floor. Hennig strikes Bock on the apron a few times. Hennig suplexs Bock into the ring for a near fall. Hennig keeps a front face lock on Bock, but doesn’t get a submission. Bock strikes Hennig to get out of a headlock. They collide as Hennig comes off the ropes and both men are down. Hennig strikes Bock to regain the momentum. Bock shoulder rams Hennig in the corner several times. Bock backdrops Hennig and gets a two count. Bock knee lifts Hennig coming off the ropes. Bock knee lifts Hennig a second time for a near fall. Bock tries for a piledriver, but Hennig counters with a backdrop. Bock puts a sleeper on Hennig for a few moments, but Hennig manages to ram Bock into the corner face first. Bock recovers to strike Hennig several times in the corner with right hands. Bock hip tosses Hennig, but Hennig sunset flips Bock. Bock strikes Hennig several times, but Hennig fires back with right hands. Hennig chops Bock and delivers a strike to the mat. Hennig punches Bock against the ropes. Hennig strikes Bock in the midsection. Hennig delivers a head cracker to Bock. Hennig sunset flips Bock for a near fall. Bock sends Hennig into the corner. Hennig sunset flips Bock again and gets another two count. Bock takes Hennig down to the mat and locks in a figure four in the middle of the ring.
Hennig rolls over and reaches the ropes to break the hold. Bock stomps on Hennig’s knee. Bock splashes onto Hennig’s knee. Bock puts another figure four on Hennig. Bock splashes onto Hennig’s knee, but Hennig counters a figure four attempt with an inside cradle to pin Bock! After the match, Bock puts a figure four on Hennig. The referee gets Bock to release the hold as Hennig has won the match. Bock tosses Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock tosses Hennig into the ring post from the apron. Hennig returns to the ring and is busted open as Bock strikes Hennig several times. Bock pummels a bloodied Hennig. Bock spikes Hennig with a piledriver. Bock spikes Hennig with a second piledriver. Several officials get in the ring to hold Bock back to save Hennig, but Bock continues to beat Hennig until he’s finally held back. (**1/2. A solid first encounter between these two. Hennig winning is a bit of a surprise and they played off the quick pin pretty well as it took a moment for the crowd to realize that Hennig had actually won. The aftermath clearly sets up another match between them as Bock snapped at the thought of losing to a young wrestler. I like that they kept it simple, but told a story that was compelling.)
Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockkwinkel — February 7th, 1985 — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Bock offers a handshake at the start of the bout, but Hennig doesn’t seem to trust Bock. Hennig hesitates and ends up refusing the handshake. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes, but backs off quickly. Hennig backs Bock against the ropes and also backs off cleanly. Hennig backs Bock against the ropes, but doesn’t deliver a strike. Bocks Hennig against the ropes again and delivers a strike. Bock rams Hennig into the corner and delivers a forearm strike several times. Bock kicks Hennig in the corner followed by another right hand. Bock punches Hennig to the apron and taunts the crowd. Bock stomps Hennig on the mat followed by a kick to the midsection. Bock tosses Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock strikes Hennig on the floor from the apron. Bock kicks Hennig on the apron to keep Hennig on the floor. Bock knocks Hennig off the apron to the floor again and Bock continues to taunt the fans. Bock kicks Hennig off the apron. Hennig strikes Bock several times from the apron and drops Bock throat first over the top rope. Hennig strikes Bock followed by an elbow strike. Hennig chokes Bock over the bottom rope. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat. Hennig strikes Bock into the corner and delivers a clap to Bock’s head. Hennig comes off the ropes to punt Bock in the ribs and delivers a knee strike to the back followed by a boot scrape on the mat.
Hennig puts a chin lock on Bock, but doesn’t get a submission. Hennig splashes onto Bock’s lower back followed by a knee strike. Bock strikes Hennig several times to regain momentum. Bock rams Hennig into the head first. Bock sends Hennig into the corner, but misses a shoulder ram and hits the ring post. Hennig works over Bock’s left arm and yanks Bock to the mat to deliver a leg drop. Hennig works over Bock’s left arm and wrenches on the arm. Hennig continues to wrench on the left arm to keep control of the match. Hennig rocks back and forth on the left arm, but Bock doesn’t submit. Bock gets to his feet and uses the ropes, but the referee strikes Bock to the mat. Hennig keeps arm control on the mat. Hennig knee drops Bock on the back and puts a hammerlock on Bock. Hennig keeps a hammerlock on Bock but doesn’t get a submission. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes and delivers a strike. Hennig strikes Bock against the ropes. Hennig drops Bock’s arm over the top rope from the apron. Hennig sends Bock shoulder first into the corner. Hennig chops Bock in the corner and runs into a knee strike. Bock tries for a cover with the ropes, but the referee saw the attempted cheating.
Bock strikes Hennig into a corner and delivers a strike. Bock scoop slams Hennig and tries for a cover. Bock slams Hennig to the mat. Bock and Hennig strike each other in the middle of the ring. Hennig runs the ropes and they collide in the middle of the ring. Bock puts an abdominal stretch on Hennig. Hennig hip tosses Bock to the mat to break free from the hold. Hennig puts an abdominal stretch on Bock in the middle of the ring. Bock manages to break free with an elbow strike. Bock axe handles Hennig over the back and continues with strikes in the corner. Bock snapmares Hennig and gets a two count. Bock misses a strike and Hennig atomic drops Bock for a near fall. Hennig strikes Bock against the ropes followed by strikes. Hennig strikes Bock in the corner followed by a knee lift. Hennig hip tosses Bock out of the corner for a two count. Hennig puts a front face lock on Bock, but doesn’t get a submission. Bock backs Hennig into a corner and delivers a shoulder ram followed by strikes. Bock tosses Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock strikes Hennig on the floor from the ring. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the apron.
Bock grabs Hennig on the apron and delivers a strike. Bock rams Hennig into the corner a few times. Bock backs off as the referee threatens a DQ. Bock reminds the referee has until a count of five. Bock strikes Hennig on the apron several times. Hennig rams Bock several times onto the top turnbuckle several times. Hennig clubs Bock over the chest. Hennig shoulder rams Bock from the apron and is met with an eye rake. Bock pulls Hennig into the ring and pins Hennig with his feet on the ropes to win the match. (*1/2. Huh, well they kind of regressed there. I didn’t even realize Bock had pinned Hennig as the count by the referee didn’t come across very well. I feel like they didn’t do a lot here and it was kind of a boring match.)
On June 29th, 1986 Nick Bockwinkel won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from Stan Hansen by forfeit due to Hansen leaving the AWA following a disagreement with management.
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig — November 15th, 1986 — Las Vegas, Nevada
Bock backs Hennig against the ropes, but cleanly backs off. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes again and backs off without incident a second time. Hennig breaks free of a waist lock and puts a head scissors on Bock, but they have a standoff. Hennig backs Bock agains the ropes and backs off cleanly, as well. Bock gets a rollup on Hennig for a two count. Bock counters a wrist lock by backing Hennig against the ropes and backs off. Hennig backs Bock into the ropes and they have another standoff. Bock puts a headlock on Hennig and keeps control in the middle of the ring. Hennig sends Bock into the ropes, but Bock regains control with a headlock in the middle of the ring. They roll into the ropes causing a rope break. Bock tries for a headlock, but Hennig counters with a head scissors on the mat quickly to gain the advantage. Bock manages to break free and they have a standoff. Bock regains headlock control on the mat and blocks being countered by Hennig. Bock shoulder blocks Hennig, but Hennig hip tosses Bock. Bock kicks Hennig away and delivers a slam. Hennig responds with a slam and a couple of arm drags before locking in an arm bar. Hennig keeps the arm bar locked in, but Bock doesn’t submit. Hennig runs the ropes and takes Bock back down with an arm drag and goes back to the arm bar. Bock refuses to submit to the arm bar. Hennig rolls through to keep the arm bar and leg drops Bock on the arm. Bock takes Hennig down to the mat, but Hennig counters with a hammerlock. Hennig keeps Bock on the mat with the hammerlock.
Hennig tries to keep Bock on the mat for a pin, but Bock bridges up to avoid a three count. Bock gets to his feet and backs Hennig into a corner. Bock elbows Hennig several times in the corner, but misses a spear and hits the corner shoulder first. Hennig wrenches on the left arm. Hennig takes Bock down to the mat and knee drops Bock on the arm. Hennig keeps wrist control on the mat for a few moments. Hennig is met with a knee lift by Bock and a scoop slam. Bock scoop slams Hennig a second time, but is kicked away. Hennig arm drags Bock and keeps arm control on the mat for a few moments. Hennig goes back to an arm bar on the mat for a few moments as Bock refuses to submit or be pinned while in the hold. Bock manages to eventually counter with a toe hold. Bock switches to a leg lock, but Hennig doesn’t submit either. Hennig is able to counter with a headlock on the mat. Hennig elbows Bock over the shoulder and puts a wrist lock on Bock. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes and continues with forearms. Bock snapmares Hennig and keeps control on the mat. Hennig counters with an arm bar. Bock tries for a rollup with a handful of tights for a near fall. Bock bails to the floor to regroup.
Hennig gets a headlock on Bock and delivers a shoulder block. Bock takes Hennig down with a drop toe hold and keeps leg control on the mat. Hennig grabs arm control to fight free from the hold. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat and delivers a knee drop to the left arm. Bock recovers and splashes down onto Hennig’s leg and puts an Indian death lock on Hennig. Bock forearms Hennig on the mat several times as they have been battling for an half hour at this point. Hennig rolls over and they get into the ropes. Bock knee strikes Hennig to the floor. Hennig returns to the ring and is backed into a corner. Bock forearms Hennig and sends Hennig chest first into the corner before locking in a sleeper hold. Hennig gets a burst and goes through the ropes with Bock, but they knock the referee to the floor, as well. All three men crashed to the outside. Hennig rams Bock onto the apron face first. Hennig kicks Bock in the ribs followed by a strike. Hennig drags Bock into the ring and chops Bock coming off the rope for a near fall.
Hennig kicks Bock and goes to the apron to drop Bock’s arm over the top rope. Hennig wraps Bock’s arm around the ring post. Hennig strikes Bock against the ropes followed by elbow strikes. Bock kicks Hennig as he’s coming off the ropes. Bock tries for a figure four, but Hennig yanks Bock down by his hair. Hennig avoids the figure four a couple of times. Bock strikes Hennig in the midsection and drops Hennig to the mat with a right hand. Bock tries for a cover, but Hennig kicks out at two. Hennig hits a crossbody off the ropes for a two count. Hennig keeps an arm bar on Bock, but doesn’t get a submission. Bock sends Hennig to the floor. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the apron to regain control of the bout. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the ring steps. Bock kicks Hennig from the apron a few times as Hennig appears to be a bit dazed. Hennig recovers and pulls Bock to the corner to wrap Bock’s leg around the ring post and delivers a few strikes. Hennig wraps Bock’s knee around the post a second time. Hennig somersault over to jam Bock’s knee and delivers a few stomps to the left knee.
Hennig keeps leg control on the mat, but Bock doesn’t submit. Hennig drops to the mat, but Bock chokes Hennig over the middle rope for a moment. Bock slingshots Hennig off the ropes to the mat. Bock tries for a slam, but Hennig lands on top for a two count. Bock knee lifts Hennig coming off the ropes. Bock tries for a piledriver and spikes Hennig to the mat. Bock tries for a cover, but Hennig reaches the ropes. Bock splashes down onto Hennig’s knee. Bock puts a toe hold on Hennig, but can’t get a submission. Bock uses the ropes for leverage, but Hennig refuses to submit despite the cheating antics. Hennig kicks Bock several times on the mat. Hennig splashes down onto Bock’s back and puts a chin lock on Bock. Bock manages to reach the ropes, but Hennig keeps control with a stomp and knee drops Bock on the hamstring. Bock strikes Hennig a few times to stagger Hennig. Bock drops Hennig to the mat with a strike to the chest. Bock tries for a cover, but Hennig powers out and strikes Bock followed by a knee lift. Bock decks Hennig to the mat with a strike. Hennig takes Bock to the mat and tries for a Boston Crab. Hennig manages to get the hold locked in right in the middle of the ring. They’ve been wrestling for forty-five minutes at this point.
Bock bridges up to relieve some of the pressure, but drops to the mat again. Bock powers up and breaks free. Hennig gets a rollup on Bock for a two count as Bock got his legs in the ropes. Hennig backs Bock into a corner and delivers a few shoulder rams. Hennig chops Bock in the corner. Hennig tries for an inside cradle, but Bock kicks out at two. Hennig tries for a piledriver and spikes Bock for a near fall as Bock got his boot on the bottom rope. They strike each other at the same time and drop to the mat. Bock back suplexs Hennig and both stay down for a moment. Bock covers, but Hennig kicks out at two. Hennig tries for a rollup, but Bock kicks out at two again. Hennig elbow drops Bock several times. Hennig tries for a cover, but Bock kicks out at two. Hennig knee strikes Bock on the back followed by a stomp on the mat. Hennig sends Bock into the corner and delivers a strike followed by a chop. Hennig dropkicks Bock into the corner. Hennig covers for a two count again. Bock strikes Hennig to the mat for a near fall. Bock puts an abdominal stretch on Hennig and uses the ropes for leverage. Bock knee lifts Hennig coming off the ropes. Bock knee lifts Hennig for another near fall.
Hennig takes Bock down to the mat and tries for a spinning toe hold, but Bock kicks Hennig int the corner and Hennig hits the ring post shoulder first. Hennig has been busted open due to the ring post. Bock rams Hennig onto the apron face first. Bock strikes Hennig a few times and knocks Hennig to the floor. Bock kicks Hennig to the floor. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the apron. Bock strikes Hennig again on the floor and pulls Hennig into the ring. Bock bites Hennig’s forehead and rams Hennig into the post. Bock punches Hennig several times, who is bleeding profusely at this point. Bock covers, but Hennig kicks out at two. Bock decks Hennig to the mat for a near fall. Hennig strikes Bock and nails Bock with a axe strike. Hennig delivers another axe strike. Hennig strikes Bock on the mat, but Bock backs Hennig into a corner. Hennig strikes Bock several times in the corner. Hennig nails Bock with an axe strike. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat and tries for a cover. Hennig pummels Bock on the mat. Hennig twists Bock’s head and delivers a kick to the head. Hennig splashes Bock over the middle rope. Hennig nails Bock with another axe strike. Bock drops to the mat, but is on his stomach avoiding a cover. Hennig rams Bock into the corner several times head first. Hennig boot scrapes Bock and delivers a vertical suplex for a near fall. Hennig slaps Bock’s head and delivers a knee lift.
Two minutes remain as Hennig boots Bock followed by an elbow drop for a two count. Hennig puts the figure four on Bock in the middle of the ring. Bock has been busted open as well. Hennig has the figure four locked in with about a minute left in the match. There are thirty seconds remaining as Bock is struggling in the figure four. The bell sounds causing the match to end in a one hour time limit draw. (****1/2. The first 45- minutes or so of the match is a good wrestling match with constant counters and both men coming across as evenly tested opponents. Once Hennig took the post shot the battled turned into more of a fight and both men getting bloodied made for more of a war vibe instead of a battle. I enjoyed this quite a bit and the Vegas crowd was lively for the action. I had long thought the match was a build for Hennig to eventually beat Bock, but since Hennig already has beaten Bock the context changes a bit more. Hennig winning was more believable than I thought and explains the crowd being invested in several near falls. This is just great in-ring wrestling and told a great story without the need of big spots.)
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig — December 25th, 1986 — St. Paul, Minnesota
They lockup with Bock backing Hennig into a corner, but backs off cleanly. Hennig gets a waist lock on Bock and they get into ropes causing a rope break. Bock backs Hennig into the ropes again and backs off again. Hennig backs Bock into the ropes and they have a standoff. Bock shoulder blocks Hennig. Hennig powerslams Bock for a two count. Bock bails to the floor to regroup. Bock backs Hennig into the ropes and slaps Hennig across the face. Bock puts a top wrist lock on Hennig, but doesn’t get a submission. Bock takes Hennig down to the mat. Hennig knee drops Bock on the back while keeping a hammerlock locked in. Hennig keeps Bock on the mat with an arm bar. Bock bridges up to avoid his shoulders being counted down. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes and forearms Hennig to the floor. Hennig returns to the ring and strikes Bock. Hennig rams Bock into the corner head first several times. Bock bails to the floor to regroup. Bock pulls Hennig to the corner and wraps Hennig’s leg around the ring post a couple of times. Bock splashes onto Hennig’s knee and keeps control.
Hennig strikes Bock a few times followed by a headbutt. Bock kicks Hennig on the knee, but Hennig tosses Bock to avoid a figure four. Bock kicks Hennig on the knee and wraps Hennig’s leg around the bottom rope. Hennig strikes Bock followed by a knee lift to drop the champ to the mat. Hennig knee lifts Bock through the ropes to the floor. Hennig pulls Bock to the corner and wraps Bock’s arm around the ring post a couple of times. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat a few times to keep control of the bout. Hennig strikes Bock over the arm, but Bock eye rakes Hennig. Bock rams Hennig into the corner face first a few times. Bock drives Hennig into the corner and chokes Hennig. Bock strikes Hennig to the mat and delivers a knee lift to knock Hennig to the mat a couple of times for a near fall. Hennig kicks Bock in the ribs and knee drops Bock on the arm. Hennig strikes Bock on the mat several times. Hennig drops Bock’s arm over the top rope and delivers a stomp on the apron. Hennig kicks Bock in the ribs several times. Hennig chokes Bock over the bottom rope.
Bock strikes Hennig a few times and Hennig delivers a right hand to drop Bock. Hennig nails Bock with a right hand. Hennig elbow drops Bock for a near fall. Bock backs Hennig into a corner and delivers a strike. Bock sends Hennig chest first into the corner and locks in a sleeper hold. Bock keeps the hold locked in the middle of the ring. Hennig counters with a sleeper hold and Bock drops to the mat. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat a few times. Hennig chops Bocks in the corner and sends Bock into the corner back first. Hennig leg drops Bock on the lower midsection. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat several times. Hennig knee drops Bock on the ribs. Hennig knee lifts Bock coming off the ropes for a near fall. Hennig teases a piledriver, but Bock takes Hennig down to the mat. They end up striking each other at the same time and both drop to the mat.
Bock tries for a cover, but Hennig kicks out at two. Bock tries for a slam, but Hennig lands on top for a near fall. Bock strikes Hennig several times and knocks Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock rams Hennig face first onto the announcers table. Bock rams Hennig’s face onto the apron a few times. Bock stands on the apron and kicks Hennig. Bock rams Hennig onto the apron several times. Bock stomps Hennig on the apron as Hennig regroups on the floor. Bock forearms Hennig to the mat for a near fall. Bock forearms Hennig to the mat again for a two count. Bock backdrops Hennig to the mat for another near fall. Hennig sunset flips Bock for a near fall. Hennig punches Bock in the midsection. Hennig knee lifts Bock to the mat. Hennig dropkicks Bock coming off the ropes for a two count. Hennig chops Bock in the corner. Hennig chops Bock in the corner and gets an inside cradle for a near fall. Hennig nails Bock with a forearm strike for a near fall. Bock runs into the referee knocking the referee to the floor.
Bock forearms Hennig from behind and tries for a piledriver, but Hennig backdrops Bock over the top to the apron. Hennig slams Bock from the apron into the ring. Hennig climbs to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick and has the cover, but the referee stops Hennig. This makes Hennig believe he’s won the title, but instead the match has ended in a disqualification due to Hennig backdropping Bock over the top rope to the floor. (***1/2. There is certainly a level of formula to their matches and the fake out finish is a long trope in wrestling. It’s obvious that the fans are supportive of Hennig to win the title and I’m sure the AWA waits far too long to put the strap on him to try and get the maximum result.)
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig — March 7th, 1987 — Las Vegas, Nevada
Hennig backs Bock against the ropes, but backs off cleanly. Bock arm drags Hennig to the mat and they have a standoff. Bock puts a wrist lock on Hennig and takes Hennig down to the mat. Hennig strikes Bock several times and tries for a strike, but Bock bails to the floor to regroup. Bock puts a headlock on Hennig, but Hennig counters with a top wrist lock. Bock yanks Hennig down to the mat by his hair to keep the advantage. Hennig arm drags Bock and they have a standoff. Bock backs Hennig against the ropes and they have a standoff after breaking apart. Bock shoulder rams Hennig agains the ropes a few times followed by a knee lift to knock Hennig through the ropes to the floor. Bock puts a front face lock on Hennig, but Hennig punches free and knee lifts Bock. Hennig tries for a cover, but Bock kicks out. Hennig takes Bock down to the mat with a headlock to maintain control of the bout. Hennig wrenches on the headlock to keep Bock on his knees in the middle of the ring. Hennig shoulder blocks Bock and they collide to the mat. Hennig kicks Bock in the corner and nearly wins with an inside cradle.
Bock strikes Hennig in the midsection and sends Hennig into the ropes, but is met with a kick. Hennig stomps Bock on the mat. Hennig puts an abdominal stretch on Bock in the middle of the ring. Bock breaks free with a hip toss and strikes Hennig into the corner. Bock rams Hennig into the corner a few times. Bock kicks Hennig in the corner and snapmares Hennig for a two count. Bock puts a head scissors on Hennig to maintain advantage. Bock rams Hennig’s head into the mat while keeping the head scissors locked in. Hennig knee drops Bock’s left leg and jams the hamstring. Hennig does a spinning toe hold, but Bock flips Hennig over to avoid further punishment. Hennig recovers to deliver a headbutt to the midsection and controls Bock with a leg lock in the middle of the ring. Hennig strikes Bock in the corner followed by a kick. Hennig sends Bock into the corner and blocks a boot. Bock backdrops Hennig for a two count. Hennig sunset flips Bock for another two count. Hennig knee lifts Bock to the mat. Bock strikes Hennig followed by an eye rake. Bock delivers a strike to the throat and knocks Hennig to the floor.
Bock rams Hennig into the ring steps face first and onto the apron. Bock pulls Hennig onto the apron and delivers a slam into the the ring for a near fall. Bock strikes Hennig to the mat. Hennig bounces off the ropes to strike Bock. Hennig strikes Bock a few times and delivers a dropkick. Hennig spikes Bock with a piledriver for a two count. Hennig rams Bock several times into the corner head first. Hennig strikes Bock to the mat again. Bock puts a sleeper hold on Hennig, but Hennig pulls Bock over the top to the floor while sitting on the apron. The referee calls for the bell and the match ends in a DQ awarding the title to Bock. After the match, Hennig axe strikes Bock and dropkicks the champ. Hennig grabs the championship but drops the title onto Bock. (***. They continue to follow their formula, and it seemed like Hennig had a little bit more of a mean streak to him here, especially the aftermath. The DQ finish continues to prolong the feud, and it’s not a horrible way to avoid a title change.)
AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig — May 2nd, 1987 — Daly City, California
They lockup with neither man getting a clear advantage. Hennig backs Bock against the ropes, but cleanly backs off. They counter each other on waist locks and they end up having a standoff. Bock puts a waist lock on Hennig, but Hennig manages to clean free. Bock puts a top wrist lock on Hennig, but Hennig arm drags Bock. Hennig arm drags Bock again to avoid a top wrist lock. Hennig backs Bock into a corner and cleanly backs off. Hennig puts a hammerlock on Bock, but Bock quickly breaks free leading to a standoff. Bock slaps Hennig against the ropes. Hennig puts a headlock on Bock, but Bock breaks free quickly a few times, but Hennig is able to keep Bock down on the third attempt and keeps a headlock on the champ. Hennig shoulder blocks Bock followed by a scoop slam. Bock responds with a scoop slam, but Hennig kicks Bock away. Hennig goes back to a headlock on the mat to keep control. Bock tries to fight out of a side headlock on the mat. Bock hip tosses Hennig followed by arm drags. Hennig regains control with a headlock. Bock forearms Hennig in the midsection followed by forearms against the ropes. Hennig continues to strike Bock in the corner. Bock avoids a spear in the corner and Hennig crashes to the floor. Bock kicks Hennig on the floor from the apron.
Bock strikes Hennig off the apron and knee strikes Hennig over the bottom rope. Hennig crashes to the floor to regroup. Bock kicks Hennig several times entering the ring. Bock controls Hennig with an arm bar. Bock rams Hennig into the corner shoulder first. Bock keeps arm control on the mat. Bock shoulder blocks Hennig, but Hennig stops Bock with a slam. Bock kicks Hennig away and delivers an arm drag to keep arm control. Hennig refuses to give in on the mat. Larry Zbyszko is at ringside for the match, by the way. Bock shoulder blocks Hennig, but Hennig knee lifts Bock. Bock nails Hennig with a kick to the chest for a near fall. Bock keeps Hennig on the mat with an arm bar. Bock puts an arm bar on Hennig, but Hennig keeps refusing to give up. Hennig knee drops Bock on the knee. Hennig kicks Bock on the leg to drop the champ to the mat. Hennig kicks Bock again. Hennig jams the hamstring and kicks Bock on the mat several times. Hennig puts a figure four on Bock. The hold is broken after a few moments. Hennig continues to stomp on Bock’s knee. Hennig splashes onto Bock’s knee. Hennig continues with a knee drop. Bock stops Hennig with an eye rake on the mat.
Bock strikes Hennig several times and covers for a two count. Bock knee lifts Hennig coming off the ropes. Bock covers Hennig for a near fall. They strike each other at the same time and drop to the mat. Bock rams Hennig into the corner face first a few times. Bock kicks Hennig into a corner, but Hennig knee lifts Bock. Hennig chops Bock, but Bock sends Hennig hard into the corner for a near fall. Hennig sunset flips Bock for a two count. Hennig rams Bock face first onto the mat a few times. Hennig strikes Bock in the corner a few times. Hennig ducks a wild strike and atomic drops Bock into the ropes. Hennig gets a rollup on Bock for a near fall. Bock misses a clothesline and Hennig hits a crossbody for a near fall. Hennig strikes Bock to the mat and tries for a cover managing a two count. Hennig nails Bock with a axe forearm, but Bock reaches the ropes to break the cover. Hennig spikes Bock with a piledriver. Hennig chops Bock followed by a dropkick for a near fall. Hennig sends Bock into the corner, but Bock nails Hennig with a clothesline. Bock delivers a back suplex and both men are down. They collide on a shoulder block. Zbyszko gets up and gives something to Hennig. Hennig decks Bock with something in his fist and covers Bock to win the match and title! Hennig and Zbyszko shake hands as the crowd is cheering for Hennig winning the title. (***. By all accounts, this is essentially Hennig turning heel in order to win the title. I’ve always found it a bit weird when a long-term babyface turns heel in the match with a long reigning heel to win the title. The fans should have something to cheer for instead of back to back heels being champions. It’s a decent match with a cheap finish. By the way, Zbyszko never got a title match with Hennig so this may have been pointless long-term.)
Their one-hour time limit draw encounter is by far their best bout out of the series. The other matches felt as if they were house show styles matches taking some aspects of the time limit draw to pop the crowd. They certainly had a formula and they mostly kept to it throughout each bout. While the one-hour time limit match is great, the overall series didn’t make me feel as if I should watch more AWA.
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