Sage Cortez
With WrestleWar now in the books, the NWA is in the interesting position of needing to put on good TV to build towards the next big show just a month later. 1995 wasn’t the first time that a company had to do this, it was right at this point in 1989. The thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing the guys that they brought in. Terry Gordy and Terry Funk were at the PPV, and we know things are going to ramp up with wrestlers like the Great Muta. With the tag team titles being vacated after Wrestlewar, and the First Family dropping their belts because Rick Steiner was going to team with somebody else, it appears that we’ll have a tag team tournament!
– Taped to air May 13th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Ranger Ross
Pre-Match Thoughts: AMERICAN PRIDE AGAINST THE EVIL JAPANESE. This is what wrestling is supposed to be about! I like that they show the Funk/Flair angle coming back from commercial before this match. This was the kind of thing you have to repeat many times and disregard whether anyone thinks they got screwed by buying the PPV and still having non-buyers see the clip. Muta got cheered loud by the studio crowd, except for some idiot who ran up to the barricade to try to get in his face and yell at him.
Match Review: Can’t wait to see Ross try some of his martial arts. After Muta sprays the mist, here we go! Muta sends Ross to the outside and follows him by jumping over the top, then rams him into the post. Back in they go, and Ross tries a cross body that Muta jumped too early for. Ross gives him a dropkick as well, and out Muta goes. He comes back in and gives Ross a STUNNER, then a monkey flip. Muta follows with his elbow drop, then misses a handspring elbow in the corner. Ross hits Muta with a back elbow, but gets karate kicked in the chest. Muta misses a punch and flies over the top, but he lands on his feet. Muta comes back in and trips Ross, and he was trying to spit mist at him or something. Muta dishes out his moonsault, and thankfully the match is over after 3:53.
My Thoughts: I read in the WON that this was a good match…but this was not remotely a good match. It was terrible. Really bad timing in terms of the way moves were sold, some strange missed moves, and I don’t really know what was going on with that. I can’t give it a DUD because Muta always does good stuff, but this match did a great job of establishing why wrestling companies have pecking orders. 3/4*.
Kevin Sullivan (w/Paul E. Dangerously) vs. Scott Steiner
Pre-Match Thoughts: I love that Scott Steiner has been hired and given a spot as a wrestler. I’m looking forward to seeing what he did to some of these jobbers. Won’t be reviewing those, just watching them. Neither I nor JR understand why Dangerously is in Sullivan’s corner. Steiner is representing the First Family here, I suppose.
Match Review: Steiner gives Sullivan a hip toss, and a nice dropkick to send Sullivan to the outside. He gives Dangerously and Sullivan a noggin knocker, then lands a back elbow. Sullivan takes Steiner down with a drop toe-hold, he reverses to a hammerlock and clutches onto that arm for dear life. It’s weird seeing Scott Steiner wearing trunks. Sullivan uses a distraction to throw Steiner over the top, then rams him into the steps. He pulls Steiner back into the ring, and takes him down to head up top. Steiner slams him down, then follows with a powerslam. He misses a big charge to the corner, and Sullivan picks Steiner up for a back suplex. He covers for 3 at 3:16, and grabs a chair to hit Steiner with. He misses, Eddie Gilbert heads out to the ring to help his new buddy, and the referee reverses the decision to one in favor of Scott Steiner.
My Thoughts: Scott showed some nice athleticism, but was very bland. There’s really no doubting that at all. I also don’t understand why they used a reverse decision or why Dangerously was out there with Sullivan. Not like they were associated before. *.
– Taped to air May 20th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
Terry Funk vs. Eddie Guerrero
Pre-Match Thoughts: I wouldn’t pass up a chance to watch either of these guys at this point in time. It would be idiotic if I did. Eddie is so young right here and Funk’s thing is going amazing too. Jim Ross having to carry these shows on commentary by himself isn’t so great in my opinion.
Match Review: These two lock up, and Eddie evades some chops from his far more experienced opponent. He gives Funk an enziguri, and Funk bails out to the floor. Funk mocks Eddie’s behavior, and when Eddie gets back in, he chops him. Eddie dodges a charge by back flipping over the top, and Funk trips him to apply a GIANT SWING. I love it. Funk misses a leapfrog body guillotine, eats a dropkick, and is given a flying head-scissors. Eddie misses a dropkick, and Funk picks him up to POWERSLAM HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE. Wasn’t a disqualification for some reason. Funk misses a charge and accidentally clotheslines the post, then Eddie heads up top for a cross body to the outside! He’s definitely auditioning for a job. Eddie misses a plancha and belly flops on the mat outside the ring, what a move! Funk gets inside and starts running the ropes for a baseball slide that sends Eddie over the railing, then he PILEDRIVES Eddie on the floor. I think that’s it for Eddie. Funk drags him back into the ring and pins him at 5:14.
After the match, and it’s included in the video, Funk cuts an amazing promo. When he was a young lad, he had a jackass. When that jackass broke its leg, his father blew its brains out. He said it’s time for the same thing to happen to Ric Flair.
My Thoughts: This was one of the best showcase matches for any wrestler that I’ve ever seen. The thing is, it was so good that I’m not sure who was being showcased. Because of Eddie’s family and their legacy, it probably earned him a much greater look than the vast majority of guys somebody like Funk would face. He gave him the chance to look great, and Eddie took that opportunity to look amazing. ***1/2 and recommended. As far as 5 minute matches go…good luck finding a better one.
On this show they also had a video hyping up Brian Pillman’s leaping ability. Exactly what I want to see. He’s a real flyer! I lifted one from a later episode. Start at 6:05 for this one. It has Def Leppard on the track!
NWA Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: As soon as I saw the bracket with this match as part of it, I was quite hyped up. This is exactly what we need, man. It’s almost too big a match for TV, and I don’t know why they’d give it away before the Clash. It’s positively insane actually. Hayes still has his United States Championship, good for him. Sorry to spoil, but he won’t for much longer.
Match Review: The Road Warriors hit the ring immediately, and here we go. They whip the Freebirds into each other, and both Hayes and Gordy have to take a minute outside of the ring to recuperate. Hawk and Hayes restart the match, and Hawk nails Hayes with a big boot. He also press slams Hayes, and tags out. Gordy tags in as well, which should lead to a big collision. These guys are pretty hoss like, but Ross hasn’t quite come up with that term yet. Animal powerslams Gordy, and they both clothesline each other after that. Hawk and Hayes get in the ring, and Hawk gets ushered out of there. Hayes gives Animal a DDT, tags in legitimately and gets 2. He follows with a back elbow, and tags back out. The Freebirds dish out a back elbow, Gordy lands a few elbow drops, and that gets 2. Gordy clotheslines Animal in the corner a few times, and on the third try, he eats a big boot. Animal makes the big tag out to Hawk, and it appears that Paul E. Dangerously is at ringside. Hawk backdrops Hayes and hits both Freebirds with clotheslines, then the Samoan Swat Team hit ringside. They beat up Animal and the referee doesn’t even see it, as Hawk tries to win the match by himself by giving the Freebirds a double clothesline. Hawk eventually notices what’s going on and tries to help Animal, and I can’t understand why this isn’t a disqualification. Instead, the referee counts the Road Warriors out at 5:16. This brawl was amazing too, by the way. Sadly, the Road Warriors are out of the tournament.
My Thoughts: Now I want to see a match between the Road Warriors and SST. Funny how that works. Once again, this was another excellent short match. Gordy showed some great athleticism in there, and the match was extremely hard hitting. I like seeing sprints like these. The finish didn’t make any sense though, and you can’t explain it or play it off like it did make sense. **1/4. Still, it’s crazy to see a matchup like this on the weekly TV. This is a dream match.
– Taped to air May 27th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
NWA Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously) vs. Ranger Ross & Ron Simmons
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match is certainly befitting of a tournament place. Not. They couldn’t even come up with 8 teams to use in this tournament. Many of them I’ve never seen team up before. People had been booing Simmons in his rare appearances on TV at this point.
Match Review: The SST attacks, and we’re off! All four guys brawl for a little while, with the SST getting the better of it. Fatu misses a charge to the corner, allowing the makeshift team to take control. Simmons hits him with a back elbow, and Ross covers for 2. Samu tags in, and it’s awesome that Hayes is back on commentary. We needed that! Samu kicks Ross in the face, and tags back out so the SST dish out a double clothesline. Fatu gives Ross a powerslam for 2, then puts a chinlock on him. Simmons seems to be having a discussion with Teddy Long now, and Simmons has completely lost interest in the match. Ross goes for a tag after a sidewalk slam, but Simmons is talking to Long about something. Eventually, Fatu misses a headbutt from the second rope, only for Ross to be unable to tag again. His facial expressions regarding the betrayal were amazing. The third time, Ross leaves the ring and slaps away Teddy Long’s notebook. Simmons slides back off the apron as he has no intention of tagging in, and finally Fatu hits Ross with a big splash from the top for the win at 5:01.
My Thoughts: Once Simmons began his turn angle and association with Teddy Long, I stopped paying attention to the match. The turn was far more interesting. Ross is a glorified jobber, and obviously they had plans for Simmons. As they should have. Just * for the match, but I thought Ross’ reaction to being betrayed was great.
Update on Ric Flair’s injury
The doctor says that Ric Flair has previously had wear and tear in his neck, and what Terry Funk did to him damaged his neck more. It was made to sound like Flair’s injury was very serious, and that it was questionable as to whether or not he would be back. I hope Flair had a good vacation for as long as this went on. Terry Funk’s promo afterward was great, he offered a spot for Flair to appear on this show next week. He then says Flair will absolutely be there!
– Taped to air June 3rd, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
NWA Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: The Raider & Butch Reed (w/Teddy Long) vs. The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Thankfully, the Midnight Express is back. Originally, this match was supposed to have Bob Orton in the place of the Raider. He was supposed to job in this match, but he refused. They fired him. What they did to explain the different partner for Reed, was to have Dick Murdoch run out there and fight with Orton before the match. It was hilarious when Reed’s partner headed out there, the crowd didn’t know how to react, it was just a guy wearing a red mask who walked out to the ring.
Match Review: Reed and Eaton lock up, and Eaton gets shoved hard back into the corner. He bodyslams Eaton, as Ross says that Reed is the #5 contender for the world title. HOW? Lane tags in, hits Reed with a back elbow, and Eaton follows with a bulldog. The Raider tags in for the first time, is taken down with an arm drag, and given a drop toe-hold and elbow drop combo by the Express. They land a double back elbow now, and Lane gives the Raider a bodyslam. Lane clotheslines the masked man, but the Raider tags out for Reed to do the same. Reed hits Lane with a back elbow, and the makeshift team gives Lane a double slam. Reed unloads with punches, and Raider tags in for another back elbow. Raider follows with a splash, but Lane comes back with a flying forearm and tags out. Eaton hits Raider with a back elbow and bodyslam, then heads up top for a big elbow drop. He follows with a backdrop, and gives one to Reed too. They clothesline Reed over the top, then hit the Raider with a double flapjack for the win at 6:02.
My Thoughts: That wasn’t bad at all, even though the circumstances leading to the match were quite dumb. Not much of a tag team tournament though, given the teams they’ve sent out there. The Raider was Doug Gilbert, by the way. There’s still one more QF match. **.
RIC FLAIR IS BACK
I seem to remember Terry Funk saying that Flair would be back this week. Funk introduced him, and it turned out to be some skinny mug wearing a blonde wig. EXCELLENT! The graphic at the bottom of the screen says he’s Rick Flaire. The guy showed his back to the camera, and there was a yellow streak painted on it. Oh boy. Here comes Sting to stick up for Flair, and he’s had it with this. Funk takes his shirt off, and they’re ready to fight! Sting accepts the challenge, and he hits Funk with a running clothesline. After another, he lands a third after leaping off the second rope. A few jobbers run out to break it up, but Sting and Funk keep beating them up. Great segment. Also on this show, there was a video of Scott Hall doing beach activities to the tunes of James Bond’s music. 1989 World Championship Wrestling is the best wrestling show in history.
– Taped to air June 10th, 1989, on Worldwide, from Brushfork Armory in Bluefield, West Virginia
Lex Luger vs. Michael Hayes for the NWA United States Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: At the time of this match, Hayes had the US belt for about two weeks. Despite his losing the title, Luger was still very over. Strange taping location as well, Bluefield is out there in the boondocks. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Luger was probably going to win the title back here. Hayes could have held the belt for longer, but they had other, far more important plans. Jim Ross said that Terry Gordy wasn’t there to help Hayes this time. Hope that’s true.
Match Review: Hayes kicks Luger in the gut to start the match, but Luger dishes out a cross body for 2. He knocks Hayes out of the ring, to the delight of this super hot crowd. Back inside we go, and Luger goes to work on the left arm. Hayes fights out with some chops, and dodges a charge by Luger to the corner. Hayes DDT’s Luger, but he leaves the ring before Hayes can pick up the pinfall victory. Hayes rams Luger’s head into the post, then Luger tumbles back into the ring for some eye gouges. Hayes slaps a choke on Luger for a brief time, but Luger’s done taking this punishment. He picks Hayes up with his own choke, throws him into the corner, and backdrops him. Luger follows with a powerslam, and it’s time for the RACK. Hayes reverses into a failed DDT attempt, so Luger picks him up for a press slam. Luger heads to the corner for 5 punches, and on the way down Hayes hits him with a great one. Hayes tries a cradle, but Luger grabs the trunks and gets his title back via pin after about 6 minutes!
My Thoughts: The crowd booed a little bit, seeing as Luger just fucking cheated. As we know, they’re trying to send him back to the heel side and this was very well executed. They also did a match where Luger faced Steven Casey and attempted to injure Casey’s leg. I think that’s the right direction to go. While Luger is very over, it’s Sting who should be in that babyface position behind Flair, not Luger. **1/4 for the match, it was inoffensive and quick.
– Taped to air June 10th, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
NWA Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: New Zealand Militia vs. The Dynamic Dudes
Pre-Match Thoughts: The Militia are Jack Victory and Rip Morgan. I don’t particularly care much about the match, but it’s a tournament contest and I feel like I have an obligation.
Match Review: We join in progress with Morgan and Victory being bodyslammed by Ace, and thrown into each other for stereo dropkicks. Ace tags out and Douglas lands a blow from the top on Morgan, then Morgan blocks a charge. After a clothesline, Morgan gives him a bodyslam and leg drop. Victory tags in, hits Douglas with a flying clothesline, and switches back out. Morgan plants Douglas with a spinebuster, then drops an elbow on him. Back out he goes, and Victory misses a charge to the corner. Ace and Morgan make tags in, with Ace landing awesome dropkicks. He gives both Militia members bodyslams, then Ace gets knocked to the outside. They give Douglas a double backbreaker, then Ace runs back in from the outside to roll Morgan up for the win at 3:41. The match is over, but Morgan and Victory have a plan. They assault the Dudes with BOOMERANGS, ending the match and segment.
My Thoughts: That was entertaining wrestling with a nice post-match. The Dynamic Dudes weren’t half bad. ** for this, and now our tournament matches for the Clash are set! We have the Freebirds facing the Dynamic Dudes, and the Samoan Swat Team facing the Midnight Express. The winner of those will face off for the tag team championships! I am sufficiently hyped.
Missy Hyatt gets attacked
This is at 5:51. Apparently at a different event, Missy Hyatt was conducting an interview with Lance Russell. The Great Muta and Gary Hart come out to the interview position, and Muta MISTS MISSY IN THE FACE. WHAT A COWARDLY ATTACK. I’ll have more on this in my Clash article.
Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat TRADE WORDS
After an interview by Paul E. Dangerously about the Samoan Swat Team’s tag team tournament match at Clash 7, it appears that we have an interview with Terry Funk. Funk is going for the #1 contenders position, and his way of getting it is to go from his #10 ranking to #1 by beating Ricky Steamboat. I don’t know the result of that match at Clash 7, but my initial reaction is that there’s no way Steamboat is going to do another job here. Funk says he’ll step on whoever it takes to get that chance at Flair. Ricky Steamboat heads out to the interview position, he wants to be told to his face what Funk thinks of him. Lex Luger then hijacks the broadcast, cuts off the pre-taped interview, and demands attention from the camera. He said he’s tired of politics, and seeing as this is a Clash of Champions coming up and he isn’t on it, it’s bogus. He says he has the #2 title and deserves a spot. He says that Steamboat doesn’t deserve his spot, just like Terry Funk. He also craps all over Flair, and says if he can’t wrestle he should vacate his title. The Luger heel turn is coming, no doubt about that.
That was a fun month of NWA wrestling. Tons of stuff going on there, much of it being very entertaining. I expect some big angles and reprisals at the Clash for things that happened on these TV shows. One absolutely fantastic thing that went unmentioned, is that the NWA has some of my favorite guys coming in. SID and Brian Pillman are nearly there. Dr. Death should be back from a tour of Japan. This company is about to start hitting top marks. The tag team tournament is somewhat of a bust, but I’m sure it will have a good payoff. Next up for me, is Saturday Night’s Main Event #21, then we’ll jump back to the NWA for Clash 7.
Best: Terry Funk. Not anything specific. Just the guy. He’s the best.
Worst: Makeshift tag teams in a title tournament. That should not happen.
