Nick and Ray defeated Bruiser and Wahoo by disqualification two weeks later on June 9th, 1973 which set up a grudge match three weeks later between Bockwinkel and Stevens and former champs Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher. Nick and Ray used brass knuckles to retain the tag titles against Bruiser and Crusher in Chicago on June 30th, 1973.

Bruiser and Crusher demanded and received a cage match against Bockwinkel and Stevens on July 14th, 1973. The cage did not show up at the International Amphitheatre so promoter Bob Luce had to improvise and came up with the idea of renaming a lumber jack match a human cage match. Bruiser and Crusher won the extremely violent human cage match over Bockwinkel and Stevens. This victory came in a non-title match so Bockwinkel and Stevens remained AWA tag team champions. After three straight appearances at the International Amphitheatre, Bockwinkel and Stevens did not return to Chicago as a tag team until October 31st, 1973.

While Bruiser and Crusher teamed frequently in Chicago and in WWA cities like Detroit and Indianapolis throughout 1973, they rarely teamed in AWA cities during that time period. According to the Crusher record book (see the Kayfabe Memories Link page for a banner link) researched by AWA wrestling historian George Lentz, Bruiser made three appearances as Crusher's tag team partner in 1973. On February 4th, 1973 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bruiser and Crusher defeated the Texas Outlaws Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch. On June 2nd,1973 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bruiser and Crusher beat Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens by disqualification. On September 23, 1973 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bruiser and Crusher once again defeated Bockwinkel and Stevens by disqualification.

Billy Robinson continued teaming with a variety of partners including Red Bastien, Wahoo McDaniel, fellow Brit Geoff Portz and the Crusher in his dogged pursuit of Bockwinkel and Stevens. Robinson received title shots against Bockwinkel and Stevens with each of the aforementioned four men but never could defeat get the job done and remained frustrated by Nick and Ray.

Robinson and Portz were granted a title shot on October 6th, 1973 at a TV taping in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the beginning of the television show, the AWA announced Portz had been injured by Bockwinkel and Stevens and would not appear as Robinson's partner in the scheduled tag team title match. Bockwinkel and Stevens insisted Robinson should have to wrestle against them by himself since his signed partner for the match was nowhere to be found. Red Bastien stepped in volunteering to be Robinson's partner. AWA matchmaker Wally Karbo entered the fray asking both teams if they wanted to wrestle each other on television. Both teams agreed to the match. Robinson and Bastien scored an upset victory over Bockwinkel and Stevens to apparently win the AWA tag team titles. 

Because Portz not Red Bastien was originally scheduled to be in the tag team title match, Bockwinkel and Stevens kept the AWA tag team titles. A rematch of Bockwinkel and Stevens against Robinson and Bastien was signed for October 20th, 1973 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bastein was injured by Bockwinkel and Stevens in a televised match and was unable to compete on the night of October 20th, 1973. Geoff Portz substituted that night for Bastien and teamed with Robinson to defeat Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens for the AWA tag team titles. Once again though the AWA tag team titles were returned to Bockwinkel and Stevens because Portz was a substitute for the originally scheduled opponent Bastien.