NAPWA (Presented by The Guilty Party)

[guiltyparty]

NAPWA Year 1 Card 1
04.01 from The Sportitorium, Dallas Texas

- North American Championship Tournament, First Round -
Lou Thesz(1) defeated Afa Jr. via pinfall with a Thesz Press.
Match Notes: As expected, the number one over all seed Lou Thesz made short work of Afa Jr. The second generation grappler was on the defensive from the word go and never turned the tide. Thesz barely even broke a sweat in moving on to the second round and one step closer to being crowned the inaugural North American Champion.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
”Classy” Freddie Blassie(2) (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Colt Cabana(15) via pinfall after repeated bites.
Match Notes: Number 15 seed Colt Cabana gave the number 2 seed a scare here, controlling "The Vampire" from the early get go, and even locking him in the dreaded Chicago Crab. Blassie took a breather on the floor and when Colt tried to exit the ring to get him, Cabana walked right into a sucker punch. After that, it was all Blassie, as he pounded Colt with the Southern Neckbreaker, the stomach claw, and finally, vicious bites with his sharpened teeth.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
”American Dragon” Bryan Danielson(3) defeated George “The Animal” Steele(14) via submission with the Labell Lock.
Match Notes: Bryan Danielson had a little trouble with "The Animal" and his obvious power advantage in the beginning, but was quickly able to use his superior speed and technical precision to dominate Steele. After softening the former history professor up with a dizzying arsenal of suplexs, "The American Dragon" locked in his dreaded submission hold for the win.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
Chris Candido (13) (with Sunny) defeated Magnum T.A. (4) via pinfall after a superplex.
Match Notes: In the first big upset of the North American championship tournament, lucky 13 seed Chris Candido beat #4 seed Magnum T.A.
Early in the match, Candido caught Magnum charging into the corner with a double knee to the face. Though the action was back and forth and Magnum had Candido in trouble for a time, Magnum never fully recovered. Magnum gave his fans cause to hope when he kicked out of Candido's Blond Bomb finisher, but Magnum wasn't able to kick out of a subsequent superplex.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
Kurrgan(5) (with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated Hillbilly Jim(12) via pinfall after a big boot to the face.
Match Notes: There are few men who can physically dominate Hillbilly Jim, but the South African monster did just that. Though Jim had a brief flurry of offense after the action spilled out of the ring, Kurgan soon regained the upper hand and never looked back. After several Kurgan slams, the big man put away Mudlick's favorite son with a big boot to the face.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
Giant Baba(6) defeated One Man Gang(11) (with Jimmy Hart) via pinfall following a neck breaker drop.
Match Notes: Giant Baba delivered the most dominating performance so far, absolutely destroying One Man Gang in only 6 moves. OMG managed to kick out from the first neck breaker drop, but not the second.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine(8) (with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated ”Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert(9) via pinfall after the Valentine chops
Match Notes: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine rolled to an easy victory over "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert. Valentine used his size and strength advantage to dominate Gilbert, and pinned him after a vicious chop.

- North American Championship Tournament, First round -
vs.
King Bobby Shane(10) defeated ”Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig(7) via submission with the Japanese sleeper.
Match Notes: The King of Wrestling scored an impressive victory over Mr. Perfect. Hennig looked good early on, but once Shane took over, the King would not be denied. He locked on the Japanese Sleeper, and Mr. Perfect managed to get to the ropes, but Shane just grabbed hold of Hennig again and reapplied his dreaded sleeper for the win.

- Matches Announced for Next Week-
North American Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals
Lou Thesz(1) versus Greg “The Hammer” Valentine(8) (With Luscious Johnny V.)
Kurrgan(5) (with Luscious Johnny V.) versus Chris Candido(13) (with Sunny)
”American Dragon” Bryan Danielson(3) versus Giant Baba(6)
”Classy” Freddie Blassie(2) (with Jimmy Hart) versus King Bobby Shane(10)

Non-Tournament Matches
Squire David Taylor versus ”The One” Billy Gunn(with Jimmy Hart)
Colt Cabanna versus Afa Jr.
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito(with Luscious Johnny V.) versus The All Night Express
”Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert versus The One Man Gang (with Jimmy Hart)

[guiltyparty]

NAPWA Year 1 Card 2
04.06 from The Sportitorium, Dallas Texas

- Non-Tournament Match -
”The One” Billy Gunn (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Squire David Taylor via pinfall after a standing leg drop
Match Notes: In a potential preview of upcoming tag team title tournament action, Jimmy Hart's tag team specialist, "The One" Billy Gunn, faced off against one half of The Blue Bloods, Squire David Taylor.
Though Taylor impressed with his toughness, Gunn showed just why he calls himself "The One" and dominated through out, putting away the Englishman with his standing leg drop finisher.

- North American Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals -
Kurrgan (with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated Chris Candido (with Sunny) via pinfall after locking on the Paralyzer
Match Notes: Candido's Cinderella run in the tournament came to an abrupt end as he ran into the brick wall that is Johnny V.'s South African monster, Kurrgan.
Kurrgan made short work of Sunny's main man, who he had nearly a foot and a half height advantage on. Kurrgan locked on the Paralyzer claw hold, combined it with an STO to take Candido down to the canvas, and got an easy three count to move into the semi-finals.

- Non-Tournament Match -
”Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert defeated One Man Gang (with Jimmy Hart) via pinfall after a “Hot Shot”.
Match Notes: After less than stellar performances in the first round of the North American Championship tournament, both Gilbert and OMG were hungry to find the win column this week.
Obviously unable to match One Man Gang's power, Hot Stuff was dependent on his speed and agility here. With Gang's manager, The Mouth of the South, helpless to do anything but watch, Gilbert connected with one move off the top rope after another. Then, with the big man suitably wobbly, Gilbert used the Hot Shot to pick up an impressive victory.

- North American Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals -
Giant Baba defeated ”American Dragon” Bryan Danielson via pinfall after a neckbreaker drop
Match Notes: The self described "Best Wrestler in the World", Bryan Danielson, ran into a mountain that was to much for even his vaunted mat skills, the awesome power of Giant Baba.
Though Danielson pressed the big man hard with numerous hard strikes, including European uppercuts and roundhouse kicks, Baba shook it off and took over,nailing Danielson with a Baba chop that could be heard all the way to the back row.
From there, Baba physically dominated his opponent, getting near falls after a piledriver and a boot to the face before putting "The American Dragon" away with the neckbreaker drop.

- Non-Tournament Match -
Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito (with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated The All Night Express via pinfall following a double Karate chop
Match Notes: In another preview of the action in the upcoming tag team tournament, Luscious Johnny V.'s duo from the far east absolutely mauled The All Night Express. The ANX never didn't get in any offense in this utterly one-sided match. Mr. Fuji and Mr. Siato finished off Kenny King with a vicious double Karate chop for the win.

- North American Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals -
”Classy” Freddie Blassie (With Jimmy Hart) defeated King Bobby Shane via pinfall after a southern neckbreaker
Match Notes: The crown jewel of Jimmy Hart's First Family squared off with a man accustomed to crown jewels, The King of Wrestling Bobby Shane.
King Bobby Shane put up a good fight, but found himself constantly on the defensive. Though he was able to kick out of the first time Blassie hit him with the Southern neckbreaker, the second time was once to many, and "The Mouth of the South's" crown jewel moves on.

- Non-Tournament Match -
Afa Jr. defeated Colt Cabana via pinfall after hitting the "Lights Out"
Match Notes: The second generation Samoan took on the popular Colt Cabana, with both men hungry for victory. Though Boom-boom did well early, when the action spilled out of the ring, the vicious fight went Afa Jr.'s way. Once the action went back in the ring, Afa Jr. quickly connected with his finisher for a three count.

- North American Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals -
Lou Thesz defeated Greg Valentine via pinfall with a Thesz press
Match Notes: In a truly great match, the number one overall seed battled the second generation "Hammer". Though Valentine seemed to have Thesz in trouble early, Lou Thesz battled back, took control, and systematically took Valentine apart with classic moves like the side salto, dropkicks, and the double wristlock.
Thesz then hit Valentine with the Thesz press, but Johnny V. at ringside distracted the referee. The respite was only temporary as Thesz hit a second Thesz press and got the pinfall victory to advance to the semi-finals.

- Matches Announced for Card 3-
North American Championship Tournament, Semi Finals
Lou Thesz(1) versus Giant Baba(6)
”Classy” Freddie Blassie(2) (with Jimmy Hart) versus Kurrgan(5) (with Luscious Johnny V.)

NAPWA Tag Team Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals
”Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert & Colt Cabana versus The Blond Bombers (Harley Race & Billy Gunn)(with Jimmy Hart)
The Blue Bloods (David Taylor & Bobby Eaton) versus Afa Jr. & Chris Candido(with Sunny)
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito(with Luscious Johnny V.) versus ”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan & Fit Finlay
The All Night Express versus The Vachons

Non-Tournament Matches
”Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig versus King Bobby Shane
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine(with Luscious Johnny V.) versus Magnum TA

[guiltyparty]

-Word has it that card #4 will feature the winner of card #3’s Lou Thesz/Giant Baba match taking on the loser of Freddie Blassie/Kurrgan, and vice versa. In addition to creating two interesting and high profile matches, it’s being booked this way so that the North American champion and the tag team champions can both be crowned on card #5.

-Card #5 will move south from the Sportitorium in Dallas to the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. The Sam Houston Coliseum was home to the legendary Houston Wrestling promoted by Paul Boesch.

-Unnamed sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, tell the insider that “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart is highly displeased with The One Man Gang. OMG has yet to find the win column in NAPWA, including a humiliating lose to the much smaller Eddie Gilbert. Our sources say that if Gang doesn’t turn things around, he may quickly find himself replaced in Hart’s First Family.

-Card #3 will feature, as part of the first round of the tag team tournament, the debut of Fit Finlay and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Reportedly, these two gifted brawlers are appearing in the tag tournament on a short term, ten day contract. If they want to stay in the NAPWA past that, they’ll have to impress the powers that be in their match with Luscious Johnny V.’s tag team Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito.

-The tag team championship tournament will also feature the debut of Jimmy Hart’s Blond Bombers, “The One” Billy Gunn and “Handsome” Harley Race. Reportedly, folks in the NAPWA home office are very high on Race, and see a big career in store for the young tag specialist.

[guiltyparty]

NAPWA Year 1 Card 3
04.11 from The Sportitorium, Dallas Texas

- Tag Team Championship Tournament Match, Quarter Finals -
The Vachons defeated The All Night Express via pinfall after a piledriver.
Match Notes: The All Night Express battled the Vachon brothers in a rough and tumble back and forth opening match up. Rhett Titus started out having trouble with Butcher, and when Mad Dog tagged in, it didn't improve any. But, when Titus was able to make the hot tag to Kenny King, the tide turned. King had Mad Dog in trouble, but could never put him away. King tagged Titus back in, and Mad Dog was able to reverse a whip into the corner, which he soon followed up with a piledriver to get the pinfall victory and advance to the semi-finals of the tag team championship tournament.

- Non-Tournament Match -
Magnum T.A. defeated Greg Valentine (with Luscious Johnny V.) via pinfall after a belly-to-belly suplex.
Match Notes: This match was all Hammer, with Valentine dominating Magnum with a series of falling elbow hammers and shoulder breakers. Then, Valentine tossed Magnum out of the ring, and when he went to pursue his opponent, got caught by a stinging shot that left him woozy. Magnum quickly capitalized, hitting his trademark finisher and getting a surprise pinfall before Valentine or manager Johnny V. knew what had happened.

- Tag Team Championship Tournament Match, Quarter Finals -
The Blond Bombers (with “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart) defeated Colt Cabana & Eddie Gilbert via pinfall after a spiked piledriver.
Match Notes: The official tag team of Jimmy Hart's First Family, "The Blond Bombers" ("Handsome" Harley Race and "The One" Billy Gunn) made short work of the hodgepodge that some call "Hot-Boom". Hart's tag experts kept Cabana isolated, in fact the only action Gilbert saw was to break up a pinfall after Gunn hit his standing leg drop... It was for not though, as moments later Gunn and Race combined on a devastating double team move to put Cabana away and move on to the semi-finals.

- Tag Team Championship Tournament Match, Quarter Finals -
Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito (with Johnny V.) defeated Fit Finlay & "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan via pinfall following a middle rope splash.
Match Notes: Johnny V.'s highly touted duo from the far east did not disappoint here, dominating the brawling duo of Duggan and Finlay. Though Finlay and Duggan both displayed their toughness by escaping Saito's scorpion leglock, they were never even in it and Fuji put away the Glen Falls New York native with his middle rope splash.
After the match, Finlay and Duggan exchanged words, with Duggan upset that his partner hadn't come to his aid. Finlay waved Duggan's complaints off dismissively and turned away, only to be clobbered from behind by Hacksaw!

- Non-Tournament Match -
”Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig defeated King Bobby Shane via pinfall via the Hennig-plex.
Match Notes: In a rematch from the first round of the North American championship tournament, "Mr. Perfect" came out looking to avenge his lose to "The King of Wrestling". Hennig was a house of fire in this one, controlling the match from the get go, and putting the king away with the Hennig-plex after softening him up with repeated running knee lifts.

- Tag Team Championship Tournament Match, Quarter Finals -
The Blue Bloods defeated Afa Jr. & Chris Candido (with Sunny) via pinfall after connecting with the Veg-o-matic.
Match Notes: In what was easily the match of the night so far, the odd couple duo of Chris Candido and Samoan savage Afa Jr gave the Blue Bloods all they could handle. Though it looked like Afa Jr. would pick up a huge upset victory after nailing Earl Robert of Eaton with the "Lights Out", Squire David Taylor came into break up the pinfall attempt. a wild brawl erupted and The Blue Bloods emerged on top. Earl Robert hit Afa Jr. with a spinning leg lariat, and then he and Taylor combined to nail the second generation star with the Veg-o-matic for the win.

- North American Championship Tournament, Semi Finals -
”Classy” Freddie Blassie (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Kurrgan (with Johnny V.) by disqualification after interference by Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito
Match Notes: With Jimmy Hart and Johnny V. at ringside, it should come as no surprise that this one broke down quickly. Blassie out dirty tricked the South African giant, bring him down with a low blow. When Blassie went for the cover, Johnny V.'s tag team of Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito hit the ring and attacked Blassie, drawing the disqualification. Hart's team, The Blond Bombers, and the One Man Gang came out and a wild brawl ensued. Greg Valentine came out, seemingly to even the sides, but instead the Hammer joined the First Family in beating down Johnny V.'s men, much to the shock of his apparently former manager. It took NAPWA officials over 10 minutes to restore order.

- North American Championship Tournament, Semi Finals -
Lou Thesz defeated Giant Baba via pinfall after hitting the Greco-Roman backdrop
Match Notes: This match was surprisingly short. The big man from Japan was in control, gaining a near fall after a Russian leg sweep and another after a neckbreaker drop, but then, Giant Baba made the costly error of going to the top rope. Thesz ducked an attempted flying cross bodyblock, and then hit his patented backdrop for a quick victory. After the match, the two men shook hands, and Thesz helped Baba, who seemed to have suffered some sort of upper body injury, to the locker room.

[bookerbill]

I am enjoying the action so far.

[guiltyparty]

-Card #3 was a rough night for Luscious Johnny V. and his V. Foundation. Not only did both of his singles stars, Kurrgan and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, lose, but The Hammer defected to rival manager Jimmy Hart’s First Family before the night was through. The one bright spot for the V. Foundation, Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito looked dominant in defeating Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Fit Finlay. While Fuji & Saito move on to face The Vachons and Kurrgan prepares for a main event showdown with Lou Thesz on card #4, word has it Johnny V. is busily scouting new talent to deal with the traitorous Valentine.

-NAPWA spokesman David Manning issued a statement this week, denying rumors that cards #5 & #6 were moving to the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston so that exterminators can address The Sportatorium’s near legendary rat problem. The reasons cited for the move were the Coliseum’s larger seating capacity and a desire to increase NAPWA’s presence in the large Houston market.

-Giant Baba’s unspecified “upper body injury”, suffered when he missed a leap from the top rope in his semi-finals lose to Lou Thesz, has thrown the top of card #4 into disarray. The original plan was for Baba/Freddie Blassie to be the main event, but Baba will be out at least two weeks. So, Thesz/Kurrgan has been made the main event. In the interest of fairness to Thesz, Blassie will now be facing “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in a featured bout.

-As impressed as folks were with the strong showing by the mismatched duo of Chris Candido and Afa Jr. , no one was more impressed than Chris Candido himself. The Body Donna and his manager/wife Sunny have reportedly made overtures towards the second generation Samoan superstar about making the partnership permanent.

-Matches announced for card #4:

-NAPWA Tag Team Championship Tournament, Semi Finals-
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (with Johnny V.) Vs. The Vachons
The Blue Bloods Vs. The Blond Bombers (with Jimmy Hart)

Non-Tournament Matches
One Man Gang (with Jimmy Hart) Vs. George “The Animal” Steele
Bryan Danielson Vs. Hillbilly Jim
King Bobby Shane Vs. Colt Cabana
Fit Finlay Vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
“Classy” Freddie Blassie (with Jimmy Hart) Vs. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
Lou Thesz Vs. Kurrgan (With Johnny V.)

-Matches already signed for card #5:
-North American Championship Tournament, Finals-
Lou Thesz Vs. “Classy” Freddie Blassie (with Jimmy Hart)

[guiltyparty]

NAPWA Year 1 Card 4
04.18 from The Sportatorium, Dallas TX

- Singles Match -
One Man Gang (with Jimmy Hart) defeated George “The Animal” Steele via pinfall after a scoop power slam.
Match Notes: This one had serious bowling shoe tendencies. Jimmy Hart's big man desperately needed a win, and he got one in an ugly brawl that went through two referees after senior official Pat Bowen got sandwiched between these two beefy competitors.

- Singles Match -
Bryan Danielson defeated Hillbilly Jim via submission with the Labell Lock.
Match Notes: Bryan Danielson gets a very hard fought win over Mudlick's favorite son. Hillbilly Jim's power gave the self described "best wrestler in the world" fits, but after a yakuza kick Danielson locked on his signature submission hold and got the fightin' Kentuckian to tap.

- Singles Match -
Colt Cabana defeated King Bobby Shane via pinfall after hitting the Cabanarama.
Match Notes: Colt Cabana was another superstar who was desperate for the win. The King of Wrestling gave Boom-Boom all he could hope for, almost getting the win with a figure-four leglock, but when Shane tried and missed a running spear Cabana capitalized and nailed the Cabanarama for the “W”.

- Singles Match -
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated Finlay via pinfall following a flying spear.
Match Notes: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan surprised everyone, including his former partner Fit Finlay, by being accompanied to the ring by "Luscious" Johnny V.
Not a lot of headlocks in this one, as these two brawlers went toe to toe. Finlay had the advantage for a time, and had Duggan in trouble after hitting a sit down splash, but Johnny V. at ringside provided a vital distraction that allowed Duggan to battle back. The Glen Falls native hit his Irish foe with two consecutive flying spears to get the win.

- Tag Team Championship Tournament, Semi Finals -
The Vachons defeated Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito (with Luscious Johnny V.) via pinfall after hitting a huracanrana.
Match Notes: In a surprisingly one sided affair, the brothers Vachon completely isolate and dominate Mr. Saito. Butcher Vachon hit Saito twice early on with the Hangman, requiring both Mr. Fuji and Johnny V. at ringside to make the save. Then, after Mad Dog hit a stunning huracanrana, Fuji and Johnny could only watch as the Vachons advance to the finals.

- Tag Team Championship Tournament, Semi Finals -
The Blue Bloods defeated The Blond Bombers (with Jimmy Hart) via pinfall following a botched attempt at interference by One Man Gang.
Match Notes: This was the match of the night so far. These two talented teams displayed great teamwork, making frequent tags both on offense and on defense, and hitting several devastating double team maneuvers.
It looked at first like it might be an easy night for Jimmy Hart's Blond Bombers, after "Handsome" Harley Race hit Earl Robert with his vertical suplex finisher early. But the Blue Bloods kept battling back, surviving not only that near fall, but Squire David managed to kick out after "The One" Billy Gunn's legdrop bulldog not once but twice.
The tide turned in the Blue Bloods favor, and Taylor got a near fall after hitting Gunn with the British suplex, then Earl Robert and he combined to hit Gunn with the Veg-a-matic!
That brought Jimmy Hart up onto the apron, distracting the referee from Eaton's attempted cover. With the referee so distracted, fellow First Family member One Man Gang hit the ring! But the attempted interference backfired as Eaton gave OMG and Gunn the old noggin-knocker! Eaton made the cover, which the referee turned around just in time for, and The Blue Bloods advance to the finals.

- Semi-Main Event -
Freddie Blassie defeated Curt Hennig via pinfall after the Southern neckbreaker.
Match Notes: "Classy" Freddie Blassie came into this match looking to make a statement, and a statement he did make. With his manager Jimmy Hart not at ringside (reportedly he was still yelling at One Man Gang in the locker room), Blassie showed just how dangerous he is on his own. Blassie countered an attempted flying tackle by the second generation star right out of the gate, dropping him across the top rope with a devastating stun gun. Blassie followed this with a crushing flying shoulder block, and then hit the Southern neckbreaker for an easy and decisive pinfall victory.

- Main Event -
Lou Thesz defeated Kurrgan (with Luscious Johnny V.) via pinfall after an airplane spin.
Match Notes: Lou Thesz methodically took apart Luscious Johnny V.'s South African monster. Using superior agility and mat skills, Thesz kept Kurrgan of balance and off the offensive most of the match. Thesz seemed to have the match won after catching the big man with the Thesz press, but Johnny V. pulled his charge's foot onto the bottom rope. Soon after, Kurrgan briefly rallied, even hitting Thesz with the Paralyzer, but Thesz escaped the dreaded claw hold, and hit the giant with an impressive airplane spin for the win.

[guiltyparty]

- With card #4 in the books, card #5 is shaping up to be a huge event! It’s a good thing that the action is moving south to the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, because the Sportitorium couldn’t handle it all.

-Starting with the first of two title matches, the first NAPWA tag team champions will be crowned when The Blue Bloods face off against The Vachons. These two popular duos took very different routs to the tournament finals. The Vachons, after having a little trouble in the first round, steamrolled through to the finals; while the Blue Bloods got hard fought wins in both rounds, showing great toughness along the way.

-It will be The V Foundation Vs. The First Family in two big matches on card #5. First, Johnny V.’s South African giant Kurrgan battles the resident big man of The First Family: The One Man Gang. After his botched attempt to interfere last week, OMG needs a big win here to stay in Jimmy Hart’s good graces.

-In the second meeting between these sinister syndicates, The V. Foundation’s Mr. Saito, Mr. Fuji, and newest recruit ”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan face on in six-man tag team action against The Blond Bombers and former V. Foundation member Greg “The Hammer” Valentine . Johnny V. has sworn to make The Hammer pay for jumping ship to the First Family, and card #5 will be his first chance to make good on that promise.

-There’s more great tag action on the card for Houston, as Chris Candido once again joins forces with the second generation Samoan savage Afa Jr. . This duo impressed in their hard fought lose to the Blue Bloods two cards ago, and the buzz is that Candido and his wife/manager Sunny are trying to convince Afa Jr. to make this pairing permanent. Though he hasn’t agreed to anything long term, Afa Jr. has agreed to give the pairing another try. They will be facing the hodgepodge duo we like to call “Hot Boom” , ”Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert and ”Boom-Boom” Colt Cabana .

-Speaking of Cabana, King Bobby Shane is placing the blame for his lose to Cabana on card #4 on his being distracted by thoughts of getting a rematch with ”Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig . These two have met twice before, with each man winning one. Both are also coming off tough loses at card #4, so look for these hungry grapplers to put on another great match at card #5.

-Two other very interesting singles matches have been signed to round out card 5. First Kenny King , one half of All Night Express will be in singles action, taking on everyone’s favorite fightin’ Kentuckian Hillbilly Jim . Then, in a match with major show stealing potential Magnum TA takes on Bryan Danielson !

-And it all leads up to the big main event: Lou Thesz versus ”Classy” Freddie Blassie to crown the first ever North American champion! Will the brilliant mat general Thesz continue to dominate? Or will Blassie bring gold to the First Family? To find out, you’ll have to be in the Sam Houston Coliseum!

[guiltyparty]

NAPWA Year 1 Card 5
04.22 from the Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston Texas

- NAPWA Tag Team Championship Match -
The Vachons defeated The Blue Bloods by count out after a power bomb on the arena floor.
Match Notes: This was a great match with a disappointing ending. Though the action was back and forth, The Blue Bloods had the Vachons in trouble for a big chunk of the match. Both Butcher and then Mad Dog tasted the sting of the Veg-a-matic, both times needing their brother to interfere to break up the match. It was after Butcher pulled the referee from the ring to save Mad Dog (surprising many that there was no disqualification) that the Vachon's turned the tide.
Mad Dog proceeded to hit a surprising suicide dive on Earl Robert of Eaton, jarring both men. Mad Dog rolled Eaton back in and tagged in Butcher, who hit Eaton with the Hangman, requiring Squire David Taylor to come in and make the save. Butcher than tossed Eaton out of the ring, followed him to the floor, and delivered a devastating power bomb.
Though Eaton tried, he could not meet the referee's count, and, to a chorus of boos, the brothers Vachon won the first ever NAPWA tag team championship via count out.
After the match, in a curious display of respect, Mad Dog and Butcher joined Taylor in assisting Eaton to the back.
The Vachons won the NAPWA Tag Team Championship

- Singles Match -
Magnum T.A. defeated Bryan Danielson via pinfall after connecting with a belly-to-belly suplex.
Match Notes: Danielson dominated this match pretty much from the get go, hitting lots of high impact kicks and one suplex after another, but never able to keep the super resilient Magnum down. Every time Magnum would start to get some offense going, Danielson would counter and go back to keeping Magnum hurt with his kicks.
The end came though when Danielson tried for a high cross body off the top. Magnum rolled through and got a surprise near fall. From there, Magnum took over and quickly hit his signature belly-to-belly suplex to once again snatch a sudden victory out of the jaws of seemingly certain defeat.

- Tag Team Match -
Afa Jr. & Chris Candido defeated Colt Cabana & Eddie Gilbert via pinfall after hitting the Blonde Bomb.
Match Notes: Another great tag team match. Both of these irregular pairs worked very well together in a very competitive match. In the end, after being softened up by the second generation Samoan savage, Cabana fell victim to Candido's "Blonde bomb" (the second of the match).

- Singles Match -
Kurrgan(with Luscious Johnny V.) defeated One Man Gang (with “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart) via pinfall with the "Paralyzer" claw hold.
Match Notes: This match was like two semi-trucks colliding over and over again. One Man Gang put on a good showing, but every time he went for the 747 Splash to put the South African giant away, Kurrgan moved and went on the attack. Three times this happened and after the third time, Kurrgan locked on the "Paralyzer" claw hold. Jimmy Hart jumped on the apron of the ring, and tossed his mega phone in to Gang, but Kurrgan intercepted it. He laid gang out with the megaphone and then applied an academic Paralyzer to get the three count.

- Six-Man Tag Team Match -
Greg Valentine and The Blond Bombers (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito(with Johnny V.) by disqualification after a wild brawl outside the ring
Match Notes: This one broke down fast as the animosity between the two top factions in the NAPWA quickly boiled over. Newest V. foundation member "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan did most of the heavy lifting in this one, particularly taking out his manager's anger on former foundation member Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Unsurprisingly, these two soon spilled out of the ring where things broke down into a pier 6 brawl, the referee disqualified Johnny V.'s men when Duggan used a chair on Valentine. With the First Family beating a hasty retreat, it was clear nothing was settled here.

- Singles Match -
”Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig defeated King Bobby Shane via pinfall with the Hennig-plex.
Match Notes: "Mr. Perfect" made short work of his rival, putting away "The King of Wrestling" after only a few minutes.
But, as soon as the referee finished the three count, the fans were shocked to see John and Chris Tolos, The Hamilton Wrecking Crew, jump the barrier that separated the fans from the action and attack Curt Hennig! Shane quickly recovered and joined the Tolos brothers in administering a savage beat down to Hennig. With the Tolos brothers holding him down, Shane delivered a brutal chair shot to Mr. Perfect's knee.
Suddenly, from out of the crowd ran Curt's father, Larry "The Ax" Hennig! The arrival of the senior Hennig sent the Tolos brothers and King Bobby Shane scattering, but it was clear from the way Curt was writhing in pain that the damage had been done.

- Singles Match -
Kenny King defeated Hillbilly Jim via pinfall after hitting the "Coronation".
Match Notes: The man from Mudlick has not had much success in the NAPWA, but neither have the All Night Express. As they say, "some one had to win". Kenny King looked good in his first singles outing, picking up the W after hitting his burning hammer/DDT.

- North American Championship Match -
”Classy” Freddie Blassie(with Jimmy Hart) defeated Lou Thesz via pinfall after delivering the Southern neckbreaker.
Match Notes: The battle to crown the first ever North American champion did not disappoint. Going into this match, there was no doubt that Lou Thesz was the superior technician, or that Freddie Blassie was the better brawler, it was just a question of which style would win out.
In the end, it was Blassie's vicious streak that gave him the edge. Repeated bites with his sharpened teeth drew blood from Thesz's forehead, weakening the man from St. Louis. After Thesz missed a charge in the corner, Blassie got a near fall. Blassie followed this up with a low blow, which the referee might have seen if not for Jimmy Hart at ringside. This blow sent Thesz tumbling from the ring, where Blassie followed and the two men brawled at ring side. Blassie got the upper hand and tossed Thesz back in the ring, where he applied his dreaded Southern neck breaker to get the win and capture gold for the First Family!
Freddie Blassie won the NAPWA North American Championship

[guiltyparty]

- Card #5 was a good night for Jimmy Hart and his First Family, not only did The Blond Bombers and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine pick up a win against Johnny V. ’s V Foundation, but “Classy” Freddie Blassie walked away as the first ever NAPWA North American Champion! The only cloud to rain on Hart’s parade was the failure of One Man Gang in singles competition against Johnny V.’s South African giant Kurrgan. OMG will get another chance to try and get out of Hart’s dog house by teaming with Blassie to face Lou Thesz and the returning Giant Baba on card #6.

-The Hamilton Wrecking Crew made a big impact when they arrived in the NAPWA on card #5, injuring “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig after his victory over King Bobby Shane. Hennig will be out at least 6 weeks, and for their brutal actions the Tolos brothers have been suspended two cards… Before they even make their official in ring debut! Waiting for Chris and John Tolos will be Mr. Perfect’s father, Larry “The Ax” Hennig, who will start on the his path for vengeance on card #6 when he faces King Bobby Shane!

-Johnny V. is still hell bent on making Greg “The Hammer” Valentine pay for jumping ship from the V. Foundation to the First Family. To that end, on card #6, he’s sending his bruiser from the far east, Mr. Saito, into battle against the First Family’s second generation star.

-Tag team champions, The Vachons, surprised people with the brutality the displayed in winning the tournament finals against The Blue Bloods. “Hey, you do what you have to do to win,” said Butcher Vachon, “When the bell rings, sportsmanship goes out the window, especially when gold is on the line.”
The Blue Bloods seem to understand, as they are already requesting another match up with the champions. But Jimmy Hart’s Blond Bombers are also looking to be the first team to challenge The Vachons for the belts. As a result, Earl Robert of Eaton will square off against “Handsome” Harley Race one on one at card #6.