Rise of a Star

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  Claire Lepage, Ashley Sinclair, Jane O'Brien, Renee Martel, Michele Richard, and Georgia Hase and Judy Sowinski (C)...

[Old School Fan]

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV - Night One @ Anaheim Convention Center Arena
May 5, 1970 - Anaheim, California
Attendance - 6,502

NOTE: Highlights from these matches were taped to air on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling on the weekend of May 9.

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - First Round

Claire Lepage defeated Irma Acevedo by pinfall following a flying bodypress.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - First Round

Ashley Sinclair (with Tonette Kadrmas) defeated Jane Sherill by pinfall with a schoolgirl rollup pin, aided by a handful of Sherill's tights for illegal leverage.

Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young) defeated Sally Vega by pinfall following a spinebuster slam.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - First Round

Jane O'Brien defeated Marie Vagnone by pinfall following a powerslam.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - First Round

Renée Martel used her technical skills to overcome the size advantage and brawling tactics of Patty Stevens and eventually trapped Stevens in the Alligator Clutch to get the submission win.

NWA United States Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Ann Casey & Bonnie Watson defeated Georgia Hase & Judy Sowinski (C) (with Mae Young), two falls to one.

⦁    First fall - Hase pinned Watson following a knee lift.
⦁    Second fall - Casey pinned Hase following an airplane spin.
⦁    Third fall - Sowinski was disqualified after reversing a whip to the ropes by Casey and whipping her into the referee (Hase & Sowinski retain their title due to the DQ).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prediction results: (Thanks to all who made their predictions for this card)

@piperrulz - 6/6

@Lord Byron - 5/6

All-time prediction results:

Herrbear - 78/107

The Blonde Bomber - 75/98

Lord Byron - 74/109

piperrulz - 23/34

Hitman74 - 10/12

Theheel - 7/10

Dalton - 6/6

auto45 - 5/6

Sco_xY2Jx - 2/6

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Old School Fan
Removed redundant wording

[Old School Fan]

American Girls' Wrestling Association @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
May 9, 1970 - Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance - 13,275

 

Sally Vega & Lita Marez defeated Irma Acevedo & Patty Stevens when Marez drew a submission from Acevedo with a Boston crab.

AGWA Shooting Star Championship

Ashley Sinclair (C) (with Tonette Kadrmas) defeated Marie Vagnone when Sinclair used a headscissors to force a submission from Vagnone.

Six-woman elimination match

Renée Martel, Julie Payne & Claire Lepage defeated Georgia Hase, Judy Sowinski & Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young).

⦁    First fall - Sowinski pinned Lepage following an airplane spin.
⦁    Second fall - Payne and Sowinski were both counted out while brawling outside the ring.
⦁    Third fall - Richard was disqualified for throwing Martel over the top rope.
⦁    Fourth fall - Martel pinned Hase following a belly-to-belly suplex.

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara defeated The Sisters of Love (C) (with Tonette Kadrmas), two falls to one.

⦁    First fall - Sister Lavender pinned O'Hara following a double-facebuster executed by Lavender and Sister Serenity.
⦁    Second fall - O'Hara avenged the earlier pin by pinning Lavender following a flying clothesline.
⦁    Third fall - The Sisters were disqualified when Kadrmas ran in and attacked Sherill as she had Serenity caught in an abdominal stretch (the Sisters retain their title due to the DQ).

NWA United States Women's Championship

Judy Arnold (C) defeated Jane O'Brien by submission with the spinning toehold.

 

[Old School Fan]

The updated tournament bracket for Night Two of Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV on May 12:

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now, let's see who you think will be the winners in Night Two:  😎

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV

First Round - East Division bracket

Sally Vega vs. Tonette Kadrmas

Bonnie Watson vs. Terry Majors

Patty O'Hara vs. Mary Jane Mull

Ann Casey vs. Sherri Lee

 

Non-tournament matches:

California Women's Championship

Jane O'Brien (C) vs. Claire Lepage

Six-woman elimination match

Judy Arnold, Renée Martel & Julie Payne vs. Ashley Sinclair & The Sisters of Love

NWA North American Women's Championship

Joan Weston (C) vs. Shirley Hardman

[Captain Kremmen]

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV

First Round - East Division bracket

Sally Vega vs. Tonette Kadrmas

Bonnie Watson vs. Terry Majors

Patty O'Hara vs. Mary Jane Mull

Ann Casey vs. Sherri Lee

 

Non-tournament matches:

California Women's Championship

Jane O'Brien (C) vs. Claire Lepage

Six-woman elimination match

Judy Arnold, Renée Martel & Julie Payne vs. Ashley Sinclair & The Sisters of Love

NWA North American Women's Championship

Joan Weston (C) vs. Shirley Hardman

6/6 last round! WOOHOO! 😇

You know, I would have prolly gone to something like this back in the day (my guess is the cheaps would have been super affordable) because of how serious it would have been presented.

A lot of women wrestlers today are good athletes and do mind-blowing stuff. But give me the more grounded realistic stuff plus more realistic promos over the flip, flop. fly act and scripted promos any day of the week.

[Old School Fan]

While awaiting further predictions for the upcoming second night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, here's an early Roddy Piper interview from Vancouver's All-Star Wrestling where he gets his diss on against Playboy Buddy Rose:

Roddy Piper: "Buddy Rose Couldn't Be The Centerfold In Popular Mechanics" (from All-Star Wrestling, November 1979)

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  Sally Vega, Terry Majors, Mary Jane Mull, Ann Casey, Jane O'Brien (C), Judy Arnold, Renee Martel, and Julie Payne, and Joan Weston (C)...

[Old School Fan]

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV - Night Two @ Anaheim Convention Center Arena
May 12, 1970 - Anaheim, California
Attendance - 6,848

NOTE: Highlights from these matches were taped to air on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling on the weekend of May 16.

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Dynasty leader Tonette Kadrmas defeated Sally Vega by pinfall following a vertical suplex.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Bonnie Watson defeated Terry Majors by pinfall following a leg sweep.

California Women's Championship*

Jane O'Brien (C) held off a spirited effort by Claire Lepage before overwhelming the spunky Canadian star with brutal tactics and then defeating Lepage by pinfall following a powerslam.  O'Brien was not done following the win, though, as she continued to abuse Lepage post-match and ignore the referee's warning that he would reverse his decision and disqualify O'Brien if she continued to beat on Lepage, who soon got help when Renée Martel ran out to the ring and chased O'Brien off to the crowd's delight.**

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young; subbing for Mary Jane Mull, who no-showed the match due to a reported injury) got a tough battle from Patty O'Hara as the blonde battler kept Richard backpedalling for a good part of the match, but Richard caught O'Hara by surprise with a spinebuster slam late in the bout to get the pinfall win.  Moments after Richard got her arm raised in victory, however, Mull stormed out from the locker room area to ringside, sporting a cut on her forehead with a trickle of blood coming from it, then grabbed the arena microphone and called out Richard and Young, accusing them of attacking her backstage prior to the match and laying her out so that Richard could take Mull's place in the bout; Mull then went into the ring to confront Richard, who responded by slapping Mull in the face, followed by a double-team by Richard and Young until Joan Weston charged to the ring and ran the heel duo off to make the save for Mull.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Ann Casey defeated Sherri Lee by pinfall following an airplane spin.

Six-woman elimination match

Dynasty members Ashley Sinclair & The Sisters of Love (with Tonette Kadrmas) scored an upset as they defeated Judy Arnold, Renée Martel & Julie Payne in the TV main event, though the Dynasty's win did not come without controversy.

⦁    First fall - Sister Lavender pinned Payne following a double-facebuster delivered by Lavender and Sister Serenity.
⦁    Second fall - Arnold and Serenity were both counted out while fighting outside the ring.
⦁    Third fall - Lavender was disqualified for piledriving Martel.
⦁    Fourth fall - Sinclair took advantage of Martel being stunned by the illegal piledriver and used roughhouse tactics on her to wear her down in between showboating to the crowd, who showed their disapproval of the tactics used by the diva from Hollywood with plenty of booing and jeering - but when Sinclair missed with an elbow drop when Martel rolled out of the way, Renée dug down deep and began fighting back against the arrogant heel with a blistering attack.  As Renée had Sinclair cornered and was delivering knife-edge chops at her foe's chest, Sinclair retook the advantage when she scratched at Martel's eyes with her nails, and with Martel still feeling the effects of the piledriver, the opportunistic Sinclair seized the moment and tossed her out through the ropes to ringside, then began arguing with the referee to distract him.  As Martel was slowly getting back to her feet down at ringside while that went on, Jane O'Brien suddenly ran out to ringside and, seeking revenge for Martel's earlier save of Claire Lepage from O'Brien's post-match attack earlier, slugged Renée, then took her down with a suplex on the arena floor before tossing her back into the ring and then running back to the locker room area.  With the damage done while she kept the ref occupied long enough for O'Brien to do her dirty work, Sinclair again struck as she again delivered an elbow drop to the half-out-of-it Martel, then she got back up, placed a foot on Martel's chest and arrogantly grandstanded for the booing fans as the ref made the three-count, then with Dynasty stablemate Kadrmas joining her, she began obnoxiously celebrating her ill-gotten win as the booing and jeering increased.  As Arnold and Sally Vega came out to check on Martel while Sinclair continued her over-the-top celebration, AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling host Dick Lane, his displeasure over the events that transpired showing in his voice, noted that Sinclair could not get the job done against the technically-superior Renée without a lot of help, both from Lavender's earlier piledriver and from O'Brien's later interference.**

Post-taping dark match
NWA North American Women's Championship

Joan Weston (C) surged back from getting dominated by Shirley Hardman (with help from Hardman's manager Mae Young) and retook control before she caught Hardman with a shoulderbreaker and pinned her to retain her title.  Moments after Weston was handed her title belt post-match, Michèle Richard ran into the ring and attacked Weston from behind; Richard, Young and a recovered Hardman triple-teamed on Weston until Ann Casey, Richard's quarterfinal opponent next week, and Mary Jane Mull ran in to help Weston fight the Queen's Court members off and run them out of the ring (and in so doing, solidify a babyface turn for the previously-heel Mull).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prediction results: (Thanks to all who made their predictions for this card; although Michèle Richard subbed for Mary Jane Mull in her tourney match, that still counts in the prediction results)

@piperrulz - 5/7

@Lord Byron - 4/7

All-time prediction results:

Lord Byron - 78/116

Herrbear - 78/107

The Blonde Bomber - 75/98

piperrulz - 28/41

Hitman74 - 10/12

Theheel - 7/10

Dalton - 6/6

auto45 - 5/6

Sco_xY2Jx - 2/6

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Since I couldn't find a clear and decent-sized photo of Jane O'Brien to use in the picture window on the center plate for the California Women's title belt, I decided to go the generic route by substituting a center medallion with a map of California in the middle where the photo would normally go (which should prove useful for @The Blonde Bomber's That '70s Mod).

** The events involving Renée Martel during Night Two of the tournament are going to be a huge factor in what happens during the last two weeks of the tournament, so you'll definitely want to stay tuned for what happens.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Old School Fan
Info added

[The Blonde Bomber]

@Old School Fan Glad to see you going strong with this dynasty. Old school (70’s and prior) wrestling isn’t represented too much in the dynasty section, so seeing yours always gives me a shot of dopamine. Keep it up man!! 👍🏻

[Captain Kremmen]

23 hours ago, Old School Fan said:

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV - Night Two @ Anaheim Convention Center Arena
May 12, 1970 - Anaheim, California
Attendance - 6,848

NOTE: Highlights from these matches were taped to air on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling on the weekend of May 16.

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Dynasty leader Tonette Kadrmas defeated Sally Vega by pinfall following a vertical suplex.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Bonnie Watson defeated Terry Majors by pinfall following a leg sweep.

California Women's Championship*

Jane O'Brien (C) held off a spirited effort by Claire Lepage before overwhelming the spunky Canadian star with brutal tactics and then defeating Lepage by pinfall following a powerslam.  O'Brien was not done following the win, though, as she continued to abuse Lepage post-match and ignore the referee's warning that he would reverse his decision and disqualify O'Brien if she continued to beat on Lepage, who soon got help when Renée Martel ran out to the ring and chased O'Brien off to the crowd's delight.**

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young; subbing for Mary Jane Mull, who no-showed the match due to a reported injury) got a tough battle from Patty O'Hara as the blonde battler kept Richard backpedalling for a good part of the match, but Richard caught O'Hara by surprise with a spinebuster slam late in the bout to get the pinfall win.  Moments after Richard got her arm raised in victory, however, Mull stormed out from the locker room area to ringside, sporting a cut on her forehead with a trickle of blood coming from it, then grabbed the arena microphone and called out Richard and Young, accusing them of attacking her backstage prior to the match and laying her out so that Richard could take Mull's place in the bout; Mull then went into the ring to confront Richard, who responded by slapping Mull in the face, followed by a double-team by Richard and Young until Joan Weston charged to the ring and ran the heel duo off to make the save for Mull.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - First Round

Ann Casey defeated Sherri Lee by pinfall following an airplane spin.

Six-woman elimination match

Dynasty members Ashley Sinclair & The Sisters of Love (with Tonette Kadrmas) scored an upset as they defeated Judy Arnold, Renée Martel & Julie Payne in the TV main event, though the Dynasty's win did not come without controversy.

⦁    First fall - Sister Lavender pinned Payne following a double-facebuster delivered by Lavender and Sister Serenity.
⦁    Second fall - Arnold and Serenity were both counted out while fighting outside the ring.
⦁    Third fall - Lavender was disqualified for piledriving Martel.
⦁    Fourth fall - Sinclair took advantage of Martel being stunned by the illegal piledriver and used roughhouse tactics on her to wear her down in between showboating to the crowd, who showed their disapproval of the tactics used by the diva from Hollywood with plenty of booing and jeering - but when Sinclair missed with an elbow drop when Martel rolled out of the way, Renée dug down deep and began fighting back against the arrogant heel with a blistering attack.  As Renée had Sinclair cornered and was delivering knife-edge chops at her foe's chest, Sinclair retook the advantage when she scratched at Martel's eyes with her nails, and with Martel still feeling the effects of the piledriver, the opportunistic Sinclair seized the moment and tossed her out through the ropes to ringside, then began arguing with the referee to distract him.  As Martel was slowly getting back to her feet down at ringside while that went on, Jane O'Brien suddenly ran out to ringside and, seeking revenge for Martel's earlier save of Claire Lepage from O'Brien's post-match attack earlier, slugged Renée, then took her down with a suplex on the arena floor before tossing her back into the ring and then running back to the locker room area.  With the damage done while she kept the ref occupied long enough for O'Brien to do her dirty work, Sinclair again struck as she again delivered an elbow drop to the half-out-of-it Martel, then she got back up, placed a foot on Martel's chest and arrogantly grandstanded for the booing fans as the ref made the three-count, then with Dynasty stablemate Kadrmas joining her, she began obnoxiously celebrating her ill-gotten win as the booing and jeering increased.  As Arnold and Sally Vega came out to check on Martel while Sinclair continued her over-the-top celebration, AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling host Dick Lane, his displeasure over the events that transpired showing in his voice, noted that Sinclair could not get the job done against the technically-superior Renée without a lot of help, both from Lavender's earlier piledriver and from O'Brien's later interference.**

Post-taping dark match
NWA North American Women's Championship

Joan Weston (C) surged back from getting dominated by Shirley Hardman (with help from Hardman's manager Mae Young) and retook control before she caught Hardman with a shoulderbreaker and pinned her to retain her title.  Moments after Weston was handed her title belt post-match, Michèle Richard ran into the ring and attacked Weston from behind; Richard, Young and a recovered Hardman triple-teamed on Weston until Ann Casey, Richard's quarterfinal opponent next week, and Mary Jane Mull ran in to help Weston fight the Queen's Court members off and run them out of the ring (and in so doing, solidify a babyface turn for the previously-heel Mull).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prediction results: (Thanks to all who made their predictions for this card; although Michèle Richard subbed for Mary Jane Mull in her tourney match, that still counts in the prediction results)

@piperrulz - 5/7

@Lord Byron - 4/7

All-time prediction results:

Lord Byron - 78/116

Herrbear - 78/107

The Blonde Bomber - 75/98

piperrulz - 28/41

Hitman74 - 10/12

Theheel - 7/10

Dalton - 6/6

auto45 - 5/6

Sco_xY2Jx - 2/6

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Since I couldn't find a clear and decent-sized photo of Jane O'Brien to use in the picture window on the center plate for the California Women's title belt, I decided to go the generic route by substituting a center medallion with a map of California in the middle where the photo would normally go (which should prove useful for @The Blonde Bomber's That '70s Mod).

** The events involving Renée Martel during Night Two of the tournament are going to be a huge factor in what happens during the last two weeks of the tournament, so you'll definitely want to stay tuned for what happens.

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but a suplex on the concrete seems extremely dangerous. I'm thinking there's something up here that's not on the level. A shoot attempt to injure Renee'?

[Old School Fan]

2 hours ago, piperrulz said:

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but a suplex on the concrete seems extremely dangerous. I'm thinking there's something up here that's not on the level. A shoot attempt to injure Renee'?

As noted in a previous post from a 1969 event, AGWA events now use protective mats on the ringside floor around the ring to lessen the impact of its wrestlers falling to the floor during matches.

[Old School Fan]

American Girls' Wrestling Association @ University Arena
May 16, 1970 - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance - 14,370

 

Jane O'Brien & Patty Stevens defeated Texas Red & Terri Grayson when O'Brien pinned Grayson following a powerslam.

Julie Payne and Terry Majors battled to a time-limit draw.

Mary Jane Mull battled Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young) to a no-contest when both wrestlers were disqualified for excessive brawling.

AGWA Interstate Championship

Ann Casey defeated Tonette Kadrmas (C) by disqualification when Ashley Sinclair ran in and attacked Casey as she was in the middle of performing an airplane spin on Kadrmas (who retained her title despite the DQ); post-match, Casey overcame the two-on-one attack on her by the Dynasty members and chased them both out of the ring.

NWA United States Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Georgia Hase & Judy Sowinski (C) (with Mae Young) went to a draw with Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara when both teams, after each getting one fall, were counted out during the third fall while brawling outside the ring.

Two Out of Three Falls

Judy Arnold, Renée Martel & Claire Lepage defeated Ashley Sinclair & The Sisters of Love (with Tonette Kadrmas), two falls to one.

• First fall - Sinclair pinned Lepage with her feet on the middle rope for illegal leverage.
• Second fall - Arnold pinned Sister Serenity following a spin kick.
• Third fall - Arnold's team won when Sinclair chose to retreat to the locker room and take a countout loss to avoid getting further thrashed by Martel, who was seeking revenge for the events of the second night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, after Lepage, who had taken the brunt of the punishment from the Dynasty for most of the third fall, finally tagged Martel in.  Following the match, Jane O'Brien came out to ringside, grabbed the arena microphone and made threats against Renée before telling her she would see her in Anaheim next Tuesday at the tournament quarterfinals.

 

[Captain Kremmen]

On 7/11/2023 at 5:58 AM, Old School Fan said:

While awaiting further predictions for the upcoming second night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, here's an early Roddy Piper interview from Vancouver's All-Star Wrestling where he gets his diss on against Playboy Buddy Rose:

Roddy Piper: "Buddy Rose Couldn't Be The Centerfold In Popular Mechanics" (from All-Star Wrestling, November 1979)

So often, Piper came up with the best stuff to say. On a confrontation with Ric Flair from Mid-Atlantic in the early '80s, Piper called Flair: the Slim Whitman of wrestling!

Classic stuff. Miss genuine, from the gut promos.

[Old School Fan]

Here's the updated tournament bracket for Night Three of Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV, taking place on May 19:

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And now for the Night Three predictions:  😎

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament - Quarterfinals

West division bracket:

Claire Lepage vs. Ashley Sinclair
Jane O'Brien vs. Renée Martel

East Division bracket:

Tonette Kadrmas vs. Bonnie Watson
Michèle Richard vs. Ann Casey

Non-tournament matches:

Texas Red vs. Patty Stevens

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship
The Sisters of Love (C) vs. Sally Vega & Lita Marez

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Judy Arnold

 

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  Claire Lepage, Renee Martel, Tonette Kadrmas, Ann Casey, Patty Stevens, The Sisters of Love (C), and Betty Niccoli (C)...

[Captain Kremmen]

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament - Quarterfinals

West division bracket:

Claire Lepage vs. Ashley Sinclair
Jane O'Brien vs. Renée Martel

East Division bracket:

Tonette Kadrmas vs. Bonnie Watson
Michèle Richard vs. Ann Casey

Non-tournament matches:

Texas Red vs. Patty Stevens

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship
The Sisters of Love (C) vs. Sally Vega & Lita Marez

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Judy Arnold

[Old School Fan]

Before the results of Night Three of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament get posted (and to allow time for any further predictions)... It's bonus content time again:

An article in the July 1970 issue of Inside Wrestling magazine ITTL (released to newsstands that May) discussed the massive positive response that was received for a special article, published in the magazine's April 1970 issue, of Top 10 lists of the most popular and most hated (male) wrestlers in the sport, written in response to popular demand (at the time, while Inside Wrestling and sister publication The Wrestler printed official ratings, the only categories included in the ratings then covered the NWA, the AWA, the then-WWWF, tag teams and female wrestlers, with no categories for Most Popular and Most Hated wrestlers yet included).  Among the responses to the article that praised those Top 10 Most Popular/Most Hated lists, many respondents also asked about doing an article featuring similar lists for female wrestlers; thanks to the rise back to popularity of women's wrestling in recent years (bolstered by the increasing exposure of the American Girls' Wrestling Association and its resulting popularity), the editorial staff at Inside Wrestling gave the fans what they wanted and published a special report of the Top 10 most popular and most hated female wrestlers in the sport, shown below from the magazine's pages (click to see in larger sizes):

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Edited July 16, 2023 by Old School Fan

[The Blonde Bomber]

West division bracket:

Claire Lepage vs. Ashley Sinclair
Jane O'Brien vs. Renée Martel

East Division bracket:

Tonette Kadrmas vs. Bonnie Watson
Michèle Richard vs. Ann Casey

Non-tournament matches:

Texas Red vs. Patty Stevens

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship
The Sisters of Love (C) vs. Sally Vega & Lita Marez

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Judy Arnold

[Old School Fan]

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV - Night Three @ Anaheim Convention Center Arena
May 19, 1970 - Anaheim, California
Attendance - 7,448

NOTE: Highlights from these matches were taped to air on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling on the weekend of May 23.

 

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - Quarterfinals

Ashley Sinclair (with Tonette Kadrmas) cheated her way past Claire Lepage to get to the semifinals next week as she got an ill-earned win by putting her feet up on the middle rope for illegal leverage (with Kadrmas holding onto Sinclair's feet to keep the rope from shaking) as she pinned Lepage, who had been dominating late in the match until Sinclair did an eye-rake on her opponent, followed by a leg trip to take the momentarily vision-hampered Lepage down to the mat before Sinclair hooked both her legs and went for the pin.  Post-match, Sinclair got up to engage in another obnoxious celebration as she gloated to the booing fans, then turned around to rub in her win against Lepage, who attempted to lunge at Sinclair to take her down, but Sinclair dodged her and then started attacking her in petty revenge before she saw Renée Martel running toward the ring to make the save for Lepage, after which Sinclair chose to escape to ringside to avoid Martel's wrath and retreated with Kadrmas back to the locker room area, with Sinclair throwing a few threats at Martel and Lepage for spoiling her victory celebration.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - Quarterfinals

Tonette Kadrmas returned to the ring soon after as she defeated Bonnie Watson by pinfall in an evenly-fought battle following an overhead suplex - but not before incapacitating Watson by delivering a thumb to the throat (not seen by the referee due to some careful maneuvering by the Dynasty leader) while she had Watson caught in a headlock.  Post-match, Kadrmas obtained the arena microphone and told the booing fans that every time she stepped into the ring against an opponent during the tournament - or in championship matches before or during her reign as AGWA Interstate Champion - fans and wrestling pundits alike would underestimate her chances, only for her to prove them wrong each time out, then she added that it would be a mistake for the fans and the experts to write her off as she announced her intention to go all the way in the tournament and win the vacant WWWA World title, the very championship Mildred Burke once held.

Patty Stevens got the pinfall win over Texas Red following a powerslam.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - Quarterfinals

Renée Martel, seeking revenge against Jane O'Brien for the latter's actions causing her to lose to final survivor Ashley Sinclair in last week's six-woman elimination match, had to battle from behind against the aggressive O'Brien until she managed to dodge an elbow drop attempt by O'Brien and went on the comeback trail against her, giving her rulebreaking opponent back in spades what she had gotten earlier as she dealt O'Brien punches and kicks, along with some suplexes and dropkicks, before flooring O'Brien with a flying forearm smash off the ropes, then tying her up in the Alligator Clutch; O'Brien tried to hold on and resist, but she eventually called it quits as she surrendered to the submission hold, giving Renée the hard-earned win and sending her to the semifinals.  As Martel got her arm raised in victory by the referee while the defeated O'Brien rolled out of the ring to head back to the locker room area, Sinclair returned to ringside and started making threats again toward Martel, who got hold of the arena microphone and warned Sinclair that she would now be coming for her in the semifinals and would deal with her like she dealt with O'Brien earlier to pay Sinclair back for the events of last week.

Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - Quarterfinals

Ann Casey took on Michèle Richard (with "The Queen" Mae Young) in this quarterfinal bout.  As the match began, the crowd was clearly on the side of Casey, cheering with her every move against Richard, and gasping whenever the Queen's Court member took the upper hand, sometimes with the help of distractions by Young. For nearly 20 minutes the match continued in a see-saw battle between the two stars from which no clear leader was apparent.  Suddenly, Casey blocked a spinebuster slam attempt by Richard and clotheslined her to the mat, then there was a flash of action as Casey fended off Young when the manager got up on the ring apron for distraction, followed by Casey hoisting Richard up on her shoulders for an airplane spin, then Richard was pinned for the three-count, ending her chance to repeat as tournament champion as Casey was declared the winner and would move on to face Tonette Kadrmas in the semifinals next week.

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Sally Vega & Lita Marez stunned The Sisters of Love (C) (with Tonette Kadrmas) to capture the title in the TV main event (joined in progress during the third fall due to time constraints), two falls to one.

⦁    First fall - Sister Serenity pinned Marez following a double-facebuster delivered by Serenity and Sister Lavender.
⦁    Second fall - Marez shook off the effects of the earlier double-facebuster as she caught Serenity in a Boston crab for the submission to even the match at one fall apiece while Vega prevented Lavender from interfering.
⦁    Third fall - Vega and Marez battled it out with the Sisters as all four girls brawled in the ring late in the bout.  As the referee attempted to break up one fight between Marez and Serenity, Jane Sherill and Patty O'Hara, who were not scheduled to wrestle that night, made an unexpected appearance as they came to ringside and confronted Lavender, who had the gotten the upper hand over Vega; when Lavender got distracted by arguing with Sherill and O'Hara, Vega caught Lavender from behind, whipped her to the ropes and took her down with a Lou Thesz press and hooked both her legs as the ref returned to count the pinfall while Marez, who had dispatched Serenity a moment earlier, then ran over to prevent Kadrmas from running into the ring to interfere.  A three-count later, the arena erupted in cheers as Vega and Marez were declared the new champions and handed the title belts, then were joined in the celebration by Sherill and O'Hara while Kadrmas flipped out over the Sisters' title loss as the hippie girls retreated to ringside to gather their bearings.

Post-taping dark match
AWA World Women's Championship

Judy Arnold battled Betty Niccoli (C) in the main event after the TV cameras were turned off.  While the match was evenly-fought between champion and challenger early on, about ten minutes into the match, Mae Young, even though she does not manage Niccoli, made her presence felt as she showed up at ringside and interfered several times in the bout to enable Niccoli to keep the upper hand, enraging Arnold and earning the ire of the near-capacity crowd. When Arnold retook control, grabbed Niccoli and started flinging her around the ring, Young motioned to the back and moments later, Diane Syverson, who was likewise not booked for the night's card, ran in and attacked Arnold, causing Niccoli to be disqualified (but enabling her to retain her title).  While Niccoli bailed out to ringside and grabbed her title belt, Arnold and Syverson fought it out in the ring until Arnold, with the fans rooting her on, got the upper hand and dropkicked Syverson out of the ring.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prediction results: (Thanks to all who made their predictions for this card)

@Lord Byron - 4/7

@The Blonde Bomber - 3/7

@piperrulz - 2/7

All-time prediction results:

Lord Byron - 82/123

Herrbear - 78/107

The Blonde Bomber - 78/105

piperrulz - 30/48

Hitman74 - 10/12

Theheel - 7/10

Dalton - 6/6

auto45 - 5/6

Sco_xY2Jx - 2/6

 

[Old School Fan]

  

This is it - the updated tournament bracket for the final night of Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament IV on May 26*:

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now for the predictions:  😁

Six-woman elimination match
Julie Payne, Claire Lepage & Jumbo Miyamoto** vs. Shirley Hardman, Michèle Richard & Baby Rocco

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship (rematch)
Sally Vega & Lita Marez (C) vs. The Sisters of Love

NWA United States Women's Tag Team Championship
Georgia Hase & Judy Sowinski (C) vs. Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara

NWA United States Women's Championship
Judy Arnold (C) vs. Diane Syverson

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Joan Weston

Plus - who will win the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament?
Ashley Sinclair • Renée Martel • Tonette Kadrmas • Ann Casey

(The winner to receive the Mildred Burke Invitational Trophy and the WWWA World Championship)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Due to the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena being unavailable to use because of a trade show taking place there, the final night of the tournament will be booked to take place at the Forum (the site of last year's Independence Day Spectacular) in Inglewood.

** Yep, Jumbo Miyamoto (of AJW fame) will be making her American debut at this event.

[The Blonde Bomber]

Six-woman elimination match
Julie Payne, Claire Lepage & Jumbo Miyamoto** vs. Shirley Hardman, Michèle Richard & Baby Rocco

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship (rematch)
Sally Vega & Lita Marez (C) vs. The Sisters of Love

NWA United States Women's Tag Team Championship
Georgia Hase & Judy Sowinski (C) vs. Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara

NWA United States Women's Championship
Judy Arnold (C) vs. Diane Syverson

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Joan Weston

Plus - who will win the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament?
Ashley Sinclair • Renée Martel • Tonette Kadrmas • Ann Casey

[Lord Byron]

My picks:  Julie Payne, Claire Lepage, and Jumbo Miyamoto, Sally Vega and Lita Marez (C), Georgia Hase and Judy Sowinski (C), Judy Arnold (C), Betty Niccoli (C), and Renee Martel...

[Captain Kremmen]

Six-woman elimination match
Julie Payne, Claire Lepage & Jumbo Miyamoto** vs. Shirley Hardman, Michèle Richard & Baby Rocco

AGWA Interstate Tag Team Championship (rematch)
Sally Vega & Lita Marez (C) vs. The Sisters of Love

NWA United States Women's Tag Team Championship
Georgia Hase & Judy Sowinski (C) vs. Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara

NWA United States Women's Championship
Judy Arnold (C) vs. Diane Syverson

AWA World Women's Championship
Betty Niccoli (C) vs. Joan Weston

Plus - who will win the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament?
Ashley Sinclair • Renée Martel • Tonette Kadrmas • Ann Casey

[Captain Kremmen]

When will the next results be posted?

Also, notice you use a wrestler named Buck Jones.

Was their a wrestler named that back then or was it used in reference to this guy:

Edited July 22, 2023 by piperrulz

[Old School Fan]

3 hours ago, piperrulz said:

When will the next results be posted?

Also, notice you use a wrestler named Buck Jones.

Was their a wrestler named that back then or was it used in reference to this guy:

Buck Jones competed primarily under that name in Stampede Wrestling between the mid-1960s and the early 1970s according to what I got from the WrestlingData.com site, though he also wrestled elsewhere using the name Karl Kramer (including with Johnny Rougeau's All-Star Wrestling and in the Eastern Sports Association in the Maritimes).

As for the upcoming results, they're just about done, I still have the main event to work on - things have just been going slower than expected because of a heat wave in my neck of the woods over the past week and I hadn't felt too much like writing during those last few days because of the hot daytime temperatures, but with the heat easing up recently, that'll allow me to get back in the game.