A Look at the AWA's Silly & Confusing Team Challenge Series

Times were tough for the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s ... and one of their last attempts to stay relevant was known as the TEAM CHALLENGE SERIES! Featuring teams! A point system! A never-ending schedule! Lots of stupid gimmick matches!
From Sgt. Slaughter to Baron Von Raschke, Colonel DeBeers to Larry Zbyszko, watch the fast decline of the once-great company speed up a little with the AWA Team Challenge Series!
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[@WrestlingWithWregret]

PROMOTION GRAVEYARD! kzbin.info/aero/PLdy7NPpr-IczwserLLEF1RuRBFWkW8zD1

[@SirDawkster]

I'm sorry to hear that one of your trainers passed away, Brian.

[@jonathanbohm6489]

“I’m changing the rules it’s now a chicken on a pole match” -Terry Funk

[@KingKrakenSports]

I was hoping someone would do that

[@SageVallant]

They call that "rotisserie"

[@kenterminateddq5311]

RIP Colonel Debeers, one of the guys who trained Brian Zane and one of the wrestlers with the coolest moustache. 😅

[@wstine79]

"Hey, Vince! This is your cousin, Marvin Russo. You know that revolutionary match gimmick you've been looking for? Well, listen to this."

[@closethockeyfan5284]

"Gonna put the turkey up Someone gotta get it down Everyone gon' run around in some bird goo Gimmick wanna make you cry AWA say goodbye Ever gonna tell a lie that I worked you"

[@IkeWarchol302]

If you want Wrestling with Wregret and Wrestling Bios to collaborate in the future gimme a hell yeah!

[@Charles_Scouten]

HELL YEAH!

[@bonafide9781]

HELL YEAH!!!!!

[@KoSBDD024]

Oh Hell Yeah

[@wind_scar_6711]

Hell yeah !

[@tboland728]

Hell yea!

[@wstine79]

AWA in the 1980s: "How do you do, fellow kids?"

[@dr.snakes]

Vern Gagne wearing an Adidas track suit and Kangol hat. He uses words like "dope", "fresh", and "phat" now.

[@JimmyHeartburn]

I met Debeers briefly once after he appeared at an ECCW show in the late 90’s. It was at the bar above the venue and I just happened to be sitting next to him at a table with some of the other wrestlers. He just turned and started chatting with me for a bit, super nice guy. RIP

[@dkupke]

Brian Zane: “The math isn’t mathing.” Scott Steiner: “Because there’s a thirty three and a third chance I didn’t write the graph!”

[@mrterp04]

…because Verne Gagne KNOWS he can’t pay me

[@johndonald9239]

​@@mrterp04 and he's not gonna try

[@hecksters423]

Gagne didn't add Bolea in the mix

[@Venemofthe888]

Turkey on a pole? That makes both Terry Funk and Vince Russo happy. ''Ive changed the DNA of my skin im a turkey now gobble gobble''

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Russo: I swear it bro I didn’t book the turkey on a pole match bro

[@andresscott3927]

I know Vince.... I know

[@SpanishFly120]

Okay, that "Airplane!" reference was great. 10/10.

[@MrBrettwolverton]

The moment Brian said "altogether" I started to repeat what he said just as the other voices kicked in. Big laugh for that one.

[@miikkalehtonen1648]

"...the team now be called Debeers' DIAMONDDDDDDDDDD CUTTTTTTTERRRRRRRS"

[@DeaDGoD_XIV]

Shoulders back, chest out!

[@freakfoxvevo7915]

​@@DeaDGoD_XIVat ease

[@Anynom]

I'm old enough to remember the AWA really was one of the "Big Three" of wrestling, their world title held in high regard and some top stars. To see it end like this was truly sad.

[@ra0929]

Same. I had stopped paying attention to them after Zbyszko won the championship in a battle royal.

[@GlenGlingo9]

Ed Wiskoski for Hall of Fame and a separate entry for his moustache.

[@monarched]

His mustache game was strong

[@pippin3430]

1:56 The fact that you mention Wrestling Bios, is pretty much an "opening the forbidden door" moment. Sorry about your loss of your trainer, RIP Colonel Debeers

[@pal-of-pals]

I simply adore how you've implemented the 4:3 CRT TV set into this video. :D

[@claymathewselevator8121]

King Of The Hill match should’ve had Boomhauer as referee

[@AuroDHikoshi]

Duchess of Queensbury rules match, just you have to work out what the rules are.

[@martincann5052]

Maybe the slow-mo Doomsday Device looking safe is what motivated Enos and Bloom to come up with the legitimately terrifying Shaker Heights Spike.

[@rmcastillo83]

Deepest condolences to you Brian as well as to all of Colonel Debeers’s loved ones.

[@CapnSmite]

Hey, didn't Wrestling Bios recently-- oh, fair enough! BZ's tongue makes a good point. I'll shut up now.

[@HandlebarOrionX]

18:57 "A pinfall is a count of 0.73, so pay attention to the exact angle of the referee's hand! Also tags only count if the person you are tagging is standing exactly 7 inches from the ring post, they cannot stand too close to the buckle or too far away. Once tagged in, you must spray the soles of your boots with this cleaning solution and wipe them upon the apron, making sure not to wipe on a used section of fabric for we must keep the ring clean at all times! After every fall, shake your opponet's hand and trade tips on how to apply a more effective pin as advice for the next round. If you bounce off the ropes from your side and not your back, your team's last win is deducted by ⅛ of a point."

[@CanadianBulldog]

Love this recap, and have distinct memories of watching the TCS as a kid. One clip you need to track down from this era was a Harley Race-Larry Zbyszko title match on ESPN. As Race walks to the ring, a fan is audibly caught yelling at him "You lost your crown when you were in the WWF." Oh, AWA - never change.

[@ravynreads6285]

I’m sorry to hear about Ed, Brian. When you talk about him, it’s clear how fond you are of him. I know I’d love a retrospective, if you thought it would be appropriate

[@claymathewselevator8121]

RIP Colonel DeBeers

[@HandlebarOrionX]

21:08 "Y'know Wayne I'm hungry we should get s-" "Hold on Mike I'll handle this one!" "Wayne I'm having trouble with these W-2s-" "Hold on Mike I'll handle this one!" "Wayne when does the Vikings game co-" "Hold on Mike I'll handle this one!" "Hey Wayne what should I get my wife for valent-" "Hold on Mike I'll handle this one!" *(struts toward Mike's wife)*

[@Anynom]

I remember for years the story of Bischoff creating this and was basically booking the AWA in its last days. Even the first edition of "Death of WCW" reported it as fact. Then the 2006 WWE AWA doc has Bischoff laughing "no idea how I got blamed for this" and making it clear Gagne was always in charge.

[@AuroDHikoshi]

Given the ins and outs of wcw, he can't escape the blame for it

[@Daniel-ot8zx]

Yes! Please post more AWA content! The boss’ son can come up with great ideas! Remember Raw Underground? 😂 also Jake Milliman reminds me of Otis.

[@MastaMS21]

22:25 "AWA, the company reinventing maths and spelling !" Sounds like the perfect place for Scott Steiner

[@Obscusion2]

I can't tell which is more demeaning: Jake "The Milkman" Milliman being given a mini-push through the Team Challenge Series, to the point where he's the man who gives Larry's Legends the overall victory, only to be treated like trash by his team, even after getting them the &1,000,000... or Otis winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, only to eventually lose it to The Miz, who would then win the WWE Title by cashing in said briefcase? On the one hand, Otis' push as Mr. MITB had no real end goal in mind, as he was never actually going to become champion. On the other hand, Milliman's push actually had an end goal, yet it didn't mean anything because his teammates were still a bunch of jackasses to him.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

WWE should’ve had Von Wagner recreate that Destruction Crew promo given one was his father

[@michaelbreen7865]

The tried to recreate the Blackjacks with JBL and Barry Windham and the Midnight Express with Bart Gunn and Bob Holly, and none of them worked too well. No way the New Destruction Crew would've done any better.

[@EnforcerX71]

1:56 : Wrestling with Wregret vs. Wrestling Bios, who will win the eternal KZbin deathmatch?

[@jarrodhook]

OSW Review does a run in - brawl to the back. Seriously love all those channels

[@saturdaymorningcheapseats3281]

An Airplane! reference in 2025 is fucking spectacular.

[@claytonrios1]

Pole matches can be fun but the turkey on a pole match might be one of the silliest after the Judy Bagwell on a Forklift match!

[@mrterp04]

9:06 “A young Jerry Lynn” sounds like an oxymoron

[@EdBurke37]

Jerry Lynn was born 40 years old. You can not convince me otherwise.

[@princeofstrongstyle6683]

R.I.P. Easy Ed Wiskowski Btw you cant tell me that the image of Milliman holding the Raw turkey didnt remind you of Otis holding that Holiday Ham.

[@redmangc]

9:05 Brian, you might have been the first person to ever say that

[@WaterborneCamper]

Gotta love and good "Airplane" reference in my wrestling content 😅

[@knicknac95]

I'm surprised they didn't instead do what NWA would do and record the matches in a studio - that would have surely helped to cover for small audiences and still look like a somewhat respectable promotion.

[@danlonghurst3568]

Love the Airplane reference! ❤

[@Puncherjoe1]

Last man Standing on a pole match, steel cage on a pole match, pole on a pole match... Guys, the money prints itself

[@mikegambino3362]

The team challenge series was almost as illogical and confusing as the continental classic.

[@MrBeardsley]

I can’t lie, I unironically love those green screen entrances. I just find something charming and comforting about the late ‘80s/early ‘90s era of low budget TV production, all this cheesy chromakey and Video Toaster stuff is like a warm blanket.

[@MrBeardsley]

You need a line of shirts with random quotes on them like “Greg Gagne, punch the button!” and “I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE ROUND SYSTEM!”

[@firethunder834]

Shortly after it's appearance, Vince probably signed that turkey to a guaranteed contract.

[@AuroDHikoshi]

I think for empty arena shows, they never really ever made full use of their situation, try to work differently like with promos or testing out alternative ideas instead of just sitting out the clock until they get a crowd again... just like a mix of experimenting and adapting that could help improve performances

[@JLWide]

I appreciated the nod to Airplane! “The Team Challlenge Series is an entirely different beast!”

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

I almost feel like Vince Russo must've been watching the final years of AWA combined with Jerry Springer when writing for the WWF, WCW and TNA

[@BPCRevere]

3:15 surely, you can't be serious

[@mrterp04]

Roger, Roger

[@benjaminmorgan425]

I’m the copilot!

[@gregt9919]

Don't call me Shirley 😅

[@VorpalDerringer]

First of all, RIP Colonel Debeers. May his legend never die. Second, if I'm putting the pieces together correctly here... Robert Remus decides to leave the WWF to work for Hasbro as Sergeant Slaughter, being the face of the GI Joe brand and getting an action figure made of the Sarge. Presumably that didn't take up all of his time, so he's here in the AWA...wearing a Hasbro GI Joe patch on his BDU jacket, in character as Sergeant Slaughter, friends with a former Nazi? ...or are they really rivals and the Baron is just playing fast and loose with his wordplay? If they are...friends...Remus is in character here, I'd think there's a clause in his contract about something about denigrating the character or the brand or something like that.

[@cctitansfan]

Greg Gagne created this while in a Rage

[@AuroDHikoshi]

It's an idea that should be left in a cage.

[@TheRaven_200]

RIP Colonel DeBeers.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

9:44 Wow, AWA really was ahead of its time. Very progressive for the late 80’s I must say.

[@quasiotter]

i never knew i was missing the milkman in my life, what an adorable character!

[@tokubrony9447]

Rest in Peace to one of your trainers, Brian. I hope you're doing alright now.

[@jroberts2nd]

“HOLD ON MIKE, I’LL HANDLE THIS ONE!” Poor Mike, did he ever get the chance to speak? 😂

[@efraimgarcia7876]

3:13 Nice Airplane reference in there.

[@sonicheroxd5767]

19:14 You could say, that the numbers DO lie, and they DON'T spell disaster for you at Sacrifice!

[@NY4Life]

RIP to Col. DeBeers

[@chiefterror]

My condolences to you re: Col Debeers. "JEEEZUS CHRIST KID"

[@willcee29]

Young hhh watching like 📝 bring a sledgehammer to ring

[@iAmCyberwaste]

4:55 Before any Dallas Stars fans ask; yes, it's THAT Ralph Strangis.

[@PlatinumRoseLady]

This whole thing was like following vcr instructions in the dark while on cough medicine AND dealing with a concussion. (PS: Sorry for your loss, Brian.)

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Micheal Scott’s Beach Games scoring made more sense 😂

[@BigBWolf90]

"The sweet embrace of nepotism" in defense of Greg he was a good wrestler in comparison to others who get the nepotism slander, but he would've been looked at better had a good portion of his career been outside the AWA

[@AuroDHikoshi]

Know there has been the generations video a while ago, but to look deeper into the families of wrestling could be interesting.

[@mikem10481]

Jesse Ventura once said had Greg worked out more he would have accepted better by fans. He always looked like a white collar guy pretending to be a wrestler.

[@stingrey1571]

Greg was okay but by no means should have been a main eventer. On the nepo scale, Greg Gagne is above David flair but right below Jeff Jarrett.

[@cigi-tem]

r.i.p. Ed Wiskoski

[@jonathanbohm6489]

RIP Col DeBeers one of the last of his kind

[@GMSpectre]

Strangely, I remember watching wrestling on ESPN after school with the AWA Team Challenge series on full effect on Mondays, and WCCW classics the rest of the week showcasing the Super Clash 3. buildups.

[@farmerproductions9869]

Rest in Peace Colonel!!!!

[@AuroDHikoshi]

Millman = prelude to Otis

[@claymathewselevator8121]

His dad

[@JosephDaoud87]

I remember I bought a vhs tape with hogan on the cover and it was "the best of the 80s" and Eric Bishoff said "we will have another one the best of the 90s..makw sure to mark your calenders for that amazing classic to come".

[@mastermace7770]

Turkey on a pole match. Vince Russo would be proud!

[@Kaltagstar96]

RIP to Colonel DeBeers, although this video and his promo did make me realise "For a man who's meant to be from Apartheid era South Africa, the Colonel never even attempted to do a South African accent."

[@kbudz]

Ahaha I loved the Airplane! reference Bryan.

[@brettbowling7382]

Final nail in the coffin for AWA

[@raytorres8050]

Brian, condolences for the loss of the colonial . I have always enjoyed your reference to him in your videos. R.I.P Colonial

[@T.h.e__T.r.u.t.h]

No lie I'm like didn't wrestling bios just cover this and tyvm for clearing that up yet honestly I like when these things happen because then it's still fresh on my mind and know you both will do a great job shining a light on different aspects

[@glenhayman8722]

you and wrestling bios are the high points of my week, so I appreciate the fact that you reference them. Thanks

[@SapinskiMath]

I got you covered on the math, Brian. The chart at 19:12 seems to just be 2 points per win and 1 point for every draw or DQ win. I checked every row and it adds up. HOWEVER, that totally flies in the face of them saying that tag wins or other matches were supposed to earn 3 points or more. So, wokka wokka!

[@HouMat-if5fi]

I remember watching Colonel DeBeers vs Jimmy Snuka in a diamond miners glove match at the Showboat in Vegas when I was about 13.

[@Dynaman21]

When The Lapsed Fan covered this part of AWA history, in their Superclash III post-script, they told the tale of an organization with almost no stars, almost no viewers, and no idea what to do throwing everything at the wall in a desperate attempt to make something stick. Except nothing did. Even Verne, by his own admission, couldn’t make talent fast enough, not to mention he was decapitated financially by the eminent domain case against his house (they wanted to take the land he owned and was borrowing against to keep the AWA running and turn it into a park). It’s telling one of the few highlights from this period on KZbin is a one-off appearance from a Harley Race desperately trying to pay some divorce bills, but three years off from managing Vader working Zybysko.

[@bestgoutmachine]

This was the 80s and you know nobody thought to clean anything that touched the turkey.

[@tafua_a]

RIP Colonel DeBeers. And his beers. Couldn't resist, sorry.

[@uhtred_son_of_stanuhtred_s3242]

Wrestling Bios is hands down the best wrestling youtuber. not a knock on WWW but something about wrestling bios is very comforting

[@jesspayant1667]

I remember Col. DeBeers. I remember watching him on ESPN. Rest in peace.

[@Graysyk]

I’ve been waiting for this episode for Lord knows how long. This is gonna be great!

[@vaughnrussell5772]

Remember seeing him on IWCCW fighting Sandman (surfer gimmick). He was a classic foreign heel and had great heat.

[@alexs7670]

I don't post here often, but RIP debeers. An apartheid gimick in the 80's is unbelievably ballsy.

[@BeaconXDR911]

I'd really enjoy Brian on episode of Reliving the War for a particularly bad WCW ppv

[@00boscopops]

I remember col. DeBeers as one of the few segments in the dying days of awa that was always entertaining. RIP DeBeers

[@imfreviews]

Love the callback "from Appleton Minnesota".

[@SGTSAM101ST]

I'm surprised they didn't mention Paperclips when they showed that Sgt. Slaughter and Baron Von Rasche promo...

[@ItDoesntMatterReally]

Chikara did a similar concept called Challenge of the Immortals. It was just as vague on score keeping, but I'd call it an OK send up. Outside of the score being vague constantly, they did get rid of some of the more glaring issues with TCS: teams were drafted instead of "random" and there surprisingly weren't any wacky gimmick matches. Cagematch actually has a good tally of it, but that wasn't around in 2015.

[@dr.snakes]

Remember that Outrunners/Destruction Crew feud? Now THAT was good television!

[@sunshineholmes3487]

This was like the 2nd or 3rd time an Airplane! reference has been in one of your videos. Surely you are a big fan.

[@THEANIMEFANZ_]

What a weird point at Wrestling Bois

[@bad-people6510]

Here's my pitch for a Football Rules Match, really has nothing to do with football, but it's a modification of the Bodyguards vs Bandits version. It's a iron man lumberjack match. Each team acts as lumberjacks for the two participants in the ring. Points are scored as per iron man match, but the participant being pinned or submitted rotates out and becomes a lumberjack, and the next person on his team becomes legal. That way you get fresh people in fairly consistently and very easy advantage swings.

[@SoulPhoenix316]

No, absolutely not, I refuse to believe there was ever such a thing as a young Jerry Lynn

[@GregHuffman1987]

DeBeers vs Diamond? what kinda product placement is this

[@karlschlenzig6884]

Terry Funk: I've changed the rules, it's a meatloaf on a pole match now!!