The SmarK 24-7 Rant – More Bockwinkel!
– Hey, it’s more from Nick…
Nick Bockwinkel v. Sgt. Slaughter
From October 8 1985. Slaughter is listed as "America’s Champion", and Larry Zbyszko at ringside is "Former America’s Champion", and I don’t even know what the hell that’s supposed to mean. Bockwinkel offers a handshake, but Sarge wants none of that sportsmanship crap. Nick gives a clean break to start and they trade some scientific stuff, which bores me enough that I go check Wikipedia for this America’s title thing. And in fact it was a real title, but only two people ever held it — Larry and then Slaughter, as the title was created in January 85 and then left when Slaughter did, later in 1985. Larry just had a habit of killing titles off, didn’t he? Sarge finally gets sick of Bockwinkel’s stalling and gets a series of slams, sending Nick running to the floor to confab with Larry. The best advice Larry can offer is "Marry Verne’s daughter", which does no good in this case, so Bockwinkel heads back in. Sarge works on the arm with an over-the-shoulder armbar, but Nick gets to the ropes to break and then rams Slaughter into the turnbuckle and puts him down with a cheapshot to the throat. Choking on the ropes follows, and Bockwinkel sends him into the corner for the trademark Slaughter bump, and that sets up a piledriver for two. Another try is reversed by Slaughter and he gets his own piledriver, for two. Neckbreaker gets two as Boris Zhukov joins us to stare menacingly at Slaughter. Did they ever acknowledge that Zhukov used to be Slaughter’s protégé Private Jerry Nelson? Or did they just pretend he was a totally different guy? Sarge stops to yell at the Russian for being so Russian in a land where he’s not welcome to be a Russian, but that just allows Bockwinkel to attack from behind. Sarge no-sells a shot into the turnbuckles and makes the comeback as the crowd gets hotter and hotter. Sarge puts him down with a forearm shot, but Bockwinkel rakes the eyes and gets the sleeper. Sarge breaks out and gets the Slaughter Cannon clothesline, which sets up the cobra clutch, but Boris distracts him and he breaks it off. Slaughter chases Boris to the back and gets counted out at 13:00. Slaughter returns to get his revenge and beat up the heels, fear not. This was a very enjoyable 80s-style match once they got past the initial stalling, with good crowd heat. ***1/2
AWA World title: Nick Bockwinkel v. Curt Hennig
This is pretty famous. From the AWA’s TV show in November 1986. Bockwinkel gets a quick slam for two, and Hennig bails. Back in, they trade headlocks and that goes to a stalemate. Bockwinkel gets a quick rollup for two. Back to the lockup and Bockwinkel gives the clean break, then takes him down with a side headlock. He works on that on the mat, and when Curt fights up, Nick shoulderblocks him down and goes right back to it. Hennig reverses to the headscissors and cranks on that, but Bockwinkel does the classic escape and we’re back to square one. Bockwinkel goes back to the headlock, but Hennig powers out and knees him into a hiptoss. Nick slams him in return, and they trade bodyslams until Hennig takes over with a series of armdrags, into the armbar. And just that simple sequence gets the fans going.
Hennig works on that arm while Ron Trongard amazingly reels off the dates of Bockwinkel’s tag team titles in the 70s. You’d never hear today’s announcers being able to do that. Hennig switches to a hammerlock on the mat, blocking a reversal attempt by Bockwinkel, and then rolling him over with the half-nelson for two. Bockwinkel throws elbows in the corner, but misses a charge and hits his shoulder into the post, allowing Hennig to go back to that arm again. Bockwinkel gets a series of slams, but Hennig doggedly goes back to the armbar again. And with Bockwinkel on the mat, he turns it into a short-arm scissors, which the announcers do an excellent job of explaining. Bockwinkel rolls over and gets two, but Curt won’t let go. Nick pulls himself out of it and deftly maneuvers into a toehold, which is a counter I’ve never seen done. He goes into a leglock from there and the announcers throw into the break, but there’s no edit here! So this is truly the full and complete match! God bless 24/7!
Hennig reverses out and hammers on the arm, but Bockwinkel fires away with forearms to put him down and then hooks a facelock on the mat. Hennig reverses to the short-arm scissors again, so a frustrated Bockwinkel grabs a handful of tights and rolls him over for two. Hennig is pissed, so Bockwinkel bails to buy some time, and then heads back in. So we start again and Hennig grabs a headlock and knocks Bockwinkel down, but the old man slickly takes him down with a drop toehold and into a leglock of his own. He bridges back, so Hennig fights fire with fire and grabs the hair to break the hold, then hooks onto the arm and stomps the shit out of it. Hennig drops a knee on Bockwinkel’s arm, but hurts his own knee in the process and Bockwinkel pounces with an Indian deathlock. Hennig tries to fight up, but Nick slugs him down again. Hennig gets out, so Bockwinkel tosses him and Hennig takes a breather to shake off the knee injury.
Back in the ring, Bockwinkel whips Hennig into the corner and catches the sleeper on the rebound, but Hennig makes the ropes and everyone tumbles out, including the ref. They slug it out on the floor, and back in for a big chop from Hennig that gets two. So he’s back on the arm again, wrapping it around the post. Bockwinkel boots Hennig with his head down and tries a stepover toehold, but Hennig throws him down to counter. Nick puts him down with a right hand for two, however. Hennig ducks a clothesline and gets a bodypress for two. Back to the armbar, but Bockwinkel tosses him to break and rams him into the stairs. Hennig slugs back from the floor, and then decides to wrap Bockwinkel’s leg around the post. Back in, he starts going to work on the leg now, but Bockwinkel slams out. Another one and Hennig reverses to a small package for two, so Bockwinkel puts him down with a kneelift. Piledriver gets two, as Hennig does the dangerous foot on the ropes break. So Bockwinkel goes to work on that leg again, but Hennig pounds on the back and applies a rear chinlock until Bockwinkel makes the ropes. They fight for the advantage again, and this time Hennig takes him down and gets a boston crab.
Bockwinkel powers out of the move, but Hennig rolls him into a sunset flip for two. Hennig pounds him with shoulders in the corner and fires away with chops, then takes him down with a small package for two. He gets his own piledriver for two, but Bockwinkel is in the ropes, although barely. They slug it out and both go down, but Curt is up first and grabs a headlock, which Bockwinkel turns into a backdrop suplex. That gets two. Hennig gets a rollup for two with a burst of energy, then drops a series of elbows for two. He whips Bockwinkel into the corner and then puts him down with a perfect standing dropkick, and that gets two. Bockwinkel slugs him down for two and then follows with the abdominal stretch as only 10 minutes remain.
Hennig quickly makes the ropes, but runs into a knee, and that gets two for Bockwinkel. Hennig takes him down and starts working the leg again, but Bockwinkel shoves him into the post and if you want blood, you’ve got it. Bockwinkel sees that and starts working on the cut from the apron, and Bockwinkel just pounds on him as they head back in. He slugs Hennig down for two and unloads on the cut in the corner, getting two. However, Hennig wallops him with the Ax clothesline, and then a second one, as Hennig is wearing the proverbial crimson mask. Another Ax puts Bockwinkel down again for two and now Bockwinkel is bleeding too. He whips Bockwinkel into the corner and Axes him again, but Bockwinkel lands on his stomach and thus Hennig can’t pin him. Hennig rams Bockwinkel into the turnbuckles to put him down, and gets a suplex for two. Back elbow gets two. He hooks the figure-four with time running out and the crowd is going nuts. Hennig cranks on the hold, but Bockwinkel hangs on for the minute needed and it’s a draw at 60:00. Up until this, Hennig was the upstart son of Larry Hennig. Now he was a STAR and the guy clearly destined to be the next champion. A total classic in every sense, with great, flawless work from both guys and absolutely nothing missed. Best of all, there was no resting and no stalling — everything was either leading to something else, or a submission move where they were playing chess with each other trying to counter. Do you even need to guess the rating? *****
