SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:01 Min.
After losing his AWA World Championship at the Tokyo Dome two months before, self-proclaimed “Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko sought to reclaim the title from Mr. Saito (Masa Saito). Their title rematch headlined the AWA’s last significant show: SuperClash IV. The site would be Saint Paul Civic Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on April 8, 1990.
At ringside are AWA owner/promoter Verne Gagne and (off-camera) his son, Greg Gagne. Also present, as representatives of Japanese pro wrestling, are Riki Choshu and Tiger Hattori, to support Saito. Four-time AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel would be this title bout’s special guest referee. Neither commentary nor on-screen graphics are included, so the unfiltered video footage resembles that of an average house show.
By year’s end, the AWA essentially became defunct, with only its contractually obligated ESPN programming keeping the promotion alive. By January 1991, the AWA World Championship had been deactivated. The AWA’s dissolution, per its bankruptcy, became official as August of 1991.
Note: Verne Gagne’s Minneapolis-based AWA was the American Wrestling Association.
REVIEW:
Some reviewers have judged this Saito/Zbyszko bout harshly, as in a mere ½-star-caliber rating. Undeniably, the match isn’t good, but it’s not that horrendous, either. Apart from a single Scorpion Deathlock, Saito and Zbyszko ride a wrestling time warp to the 1950’s. Evidently, it’s the best that a 48-year-old Saito and 39-year-old Zbyszko could muster.
To no one’s surprise, this AWA World Title defense is likely 1990’s most methodically mundane. Zbyszko (the king of stall tactics) and the no-nonsense Saito were both far better in-ring tacticians than the WWF’s then-new World Champion, the Ultimate Warrior. Unlike the one-dimensional Warrior, their glaring problem is that neither one generates an ounce of fan-friendly charisma. That’s why this AWA championship bout is a sleep-inducing slog to watch.
As for why it’s the last noteworthy AWA World Title match, one should beware of the bleak context. Decimated by the WWF’s mid-to-late 80’s talent raids, Verne Gagne’s thirty-year-old AWA was coasting on fumes by April 1990. Backstage squabbling had halted cooperative relief from the Von Erichs’ Dallas-based WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) and Jerry Lawler’s Memphis-based CWA/USWA (Championship Wrestling Association/United States Wrestling Association).
Yet, between late 1988 and early 1990, Gagne still had some popular options in anointing a possibly game-changing World Champion. Kerry Von Erich, Nikita Koloff, the acrobatic Tom Zenk (like Koloff, a Minnesota native), or an aging Sgt. Slaughter could have all potentially spearheaded an AWA rebuild. Besides Zbyszko, prominent heels included Tully Blanchard and Kokina Maximus (aka the WWF’s future Yokozuna) – both of whom appeared on SuperClash IV’s undercard. Such star power might have sparked AWA’s remaining fanbase a glimmer of hope heading into the 1990’s.
Gagne’s old school mentality predictably veered towards nepotism in choosing his son-in-law, Zbyszko, as the promotion’s supposed savior. Per company tradition, this decision made some sense: Zbyszko possessed the necessary technical skills for an AWA World Champion. His villainous drawing power (a decade after his legendary WWF feud against Bruno Sammartino), however, was dubious at best.
A title rivalry with a Japanese veteran of Mr. Saito’s caliber wasn’t likely to excite fans stateside to the mediocre AWA product. Again, this SuperClash IV match-up competed against exciting World Title feuds like the NWA/WCW’s Sting and Lex Luger challenging Ric Flair or the WWF’s Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude (or Hulk Hogan vs. any WWF villain). Zbyszko’s who-cares? title challenge, in other words, didn’t stand a chance.
Try as they might, Saito and Zbyszko’s no-frills showdown, along with Nick Bockwinkel’s classy presence, will appeal to nostalgic AWA die-hards only. Ironically, the ring announcer’s post-match confusion is realistic. More so, having Saito and Zbyszko both question Bockwinkel before he explains the contested three-count to the announcer is a nice touch.
Unfortunately, this bout’s lackluster action ensures its historical significance would plummet into pro wrestling’s dustbin.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE
