Sage Cortez
So, it’s time for Starrcade, and their IRON MAN TOURNAMENT idea is going to be on full display. I do believe there will be 12 matches on this show, featuring four singles wrestlers and four tag teams. I got a look at the crowd numbers and gate, and they were woeful. 5200 fans on a Wednesday for a gate of $70,000. That’s the kind of crowd the WWF would get for a house show. Oftentimes even better for their house shows. That tells you about where the NWA was at. A distinct #2 promotion. Frankly, I prefer shows that settle feuds. As such, the format doesn’t do it for me at all. Here’s how the scoring goes. Every team/wrestler must face each other. 20 points for a pin or submission, 15 for a count out, 10 for a DQ, and 5 for a draw. If you lose, you get nothing. I also don’t like the format as it establishes such a clear pecking order that it would be difficult to imagine somebody elevating themselves up from that.
– December 13th, 1989, from the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia
This introduction was a LOT like the future WCW Saturday Night intro, with the computer graphics and stuff. Gary Michael Cappetta asks that we stand for the national anthem, which sadly I will not do. My teeth hurt. There were lots of empty seats in the arena. Jim Ross is with Terry Funk for the singles matches, and Jim Cornette for the tag team matches. That’s a good fit! Apparently all the matches have 15 minute time limits, but now I’m thinking that the commentary team should have been a three man booth. Seems like they would have worked really well together.
Before the matches, there’s a bit where all four teams are introduced. I don’t like this that much, as they should fight when getting that close to each other. Especially Doom and the Steiners. The other two teams were THE ROAD WARRIORS and THE WILD SAMOANS. Why are they not calling them the SST anymore? Really embarrassing the way they now mention them being part of this tournament. Lots of empty seats in the arena, too.
IRON TEAM MATCH: Doom (w/Woman & Nitron) vs. The Steiner Brothers (NWA Tag Team Champions)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Of course, these matches are all non-title. Before watching this one, I had just watched the Doom/Steiners match in my last article one hour before. It’s like watching it on repeat now. I hope it’s different in some easily definable way. That isn’t very likely, but I had to fill the other article by watching that match. If it’s a repeat, oh well.
Match Review: Scott Steiner and Ron Simmons will start the match off, and they lock up to get it going. Scott pushes him into the corner, and they start trading bombs with each other until Scott gives Simmons a powerslam for 2. He rams Simmons into the buckle, then runs into a knee. Scott hits Simmons with a STEINERLINE though, and tags out of there. Rick comes in and locks up with Simmons, only to be given a jawbreaker. Rick comes back with a belly to belly throw, then Reed runs in and gets bodyslammed. Reed legally tags in and knees Rick in the face, then starts pounding away on him. Rick comes back with a bodyslam for 2, then Scott switches in. Cornette does a good job running down tournaments in wrestling, making sure to hint at the G1 Climax being similar to this. Scott gives Reed an atomic drop, then he rolls him up for 2. Scott trips Reed and tags out, so Rick slaps a chinlock on his foe. He tags back out quickly, and Scott gives Reed a backbreaker for 2. Reed needs to exit. Simmons complies, and Scott gives him an inverted atomic drop. Scott misses a clothesline and flies over the top, where Nitron and Simmons work him over. About time they involve the giant that’s been standing at ringside doing nothing. Scott gets dumped back into the ring, and Simmons gives him a great looking powerslam for another 2 count. Reed tags back in, and once again Scott gets torn up by Nitron and Simmons. This is CHEATING. Reed gives Scott Steiner a suplex, and covers for 2. He rams Scott into the boot of his partner, then they follow with a double backdrop. 5 minutes remain in the time limit, apparently. Simmons gives Scott a great looking spinebuster for another near fall, then puts a chinlock on him. Reed tags in, and they hit Scott with a double back elbow. Reed then dumps Scott over the top, which of course wasn’t spotted by the official. Reed tries to suplex Scott back into the ring, but Scott falls on top for what should have been 3, but was just 1. Scott reverses a piledriver into a backdrop, and gets cut off from tagging again. Scott gives Reed a belly to belly, and there’s the tag!
Rick is in there with Simmons, and he nails him with a STEINERLINE. A powerslam follows that, then he picks Simmons up and clotheslines him over the top. He hits Reed with more Steinerlines, and the second one to Simmons was as stiff a clothesline as I’ve seen. Reed and Simmons go for a double clothesline, then Nitron trips Rick. So, Rick goes outside the ring and hits Nitron with a STEINERLINE, and Doom decides to jump him from behind. All four guys are fighting out there now, and Doom gets thrown into the railing. Scott gets posted, then we don’t see it, but Rick gets back in the ring before the count of 10 to win the match at 12:25. 15 POINTS TO THE STEINERS. The replay didn’t even show how Rick Steiner got back in the ring.
My Thoughts: This match didn’t flow as well as their others, but I didn’t think it was bad or anything of the sort. I didn’t like the finish, but there was absolutely no way to get around it. They couldn’t have their new champions do a job, nor could they have Doom do one here when they were trying to present them as being legitimate. Part of the problem with this format. Anyway, it’s a decent enough start to the show. Average is okay. **1/2.
Before the next match, the four singles competitors in the IRON MAN TOURNAMENT are introduced. They are the Great Muta, Ric Flair, Lex Luger, and Sting. Luger was quite obviously the top heel, and Sting was obviously the top face.
IRON MAN MATCH: Lex Luger (NWA US Champion) vs. Sting
Pre-Match Thoughts: I just realized the Iron Man title gives the appearance this match is of a set time. It is not. The time limit is 15 minutes. My initial guess is that this match will go the full 15 minutes. Honestly, it’s a hell of a match and it’s very surprising they’re doing it for the first time with this format. Maybe it would have opened the show if there had been some people in the building. Only a moron wouldn’t be hyped to see this at the time. About time this match took place.
Match Review: Luger did a great job stalling before the match, and he threatened to leave only for Sting to go out there to meet him and drag him back to the ring. Sting hits him with some kicks, punches, and lastly he tries a splash that misses and Sting flies over the top. HOWEVER, Sting grabbed the top rope, pulled himself back up to the apron, and hit Luger with a clothesline! He flies back in with a slingshot splash that gets 2, and hits Luger with more clotheslines to send him out of the ring. Hell of a sequence. I have noticed that Cappetta has been lying about the time elapsed in these matches. No way all that took 5 minutes to do. Sting rams Luger into the railing a few times, then clotheslines him. Nice to see the match didn’t slow down even though Luger tumbled out of the ring. Back in they go, and Sting leaps off the top with a cross body for 2. He punches Luger in the corner and Luger runs out with an inverted atomic drop attempt that Sting blocks and turns into a clothesline for 2. Sting goes to an armbar, then tries another cross body from the second rope for 2, after Luger shot him into the corner. Luger tries another whip, runs into Sting’s knee, and Sting takes him down with a dropkick for 2. Sting heads up top again, and comes down with a cross body that Luger catches and turns into an inverted atomic drop. Luger picks him up for another, and gives Sting a gutbuster as well. Sting rolls out to the floor, and Luger throws him into the rail a short while later. They get back in the ring again, for Luger to head up to the second rope. He comes down with a double axehandle, and covers for 2. Sting starts fighting back, but Luger drops him with a powerslam. He tries to put Sting in the TORTURE RACK, but Sting rolls out of it. Sting begins to stop selling punches and kicks, and he goes for a choke up against the ropes. I think that was supposed to be something else. Sting suplexes Luger, and it gets a 2 count. Luger and Sting head out of the ring and there’s supposedly one minute left, but Sting brings him up to the apron. I don’t quite understand. Both guys are on the apron, and they tumble back into the ring with Luger putting his feet on the ropes during a cover. Despite how bad that looked, that’s the finish, and Lex Luger pins Sting at 11:33. 20 POINTS TO LEX LUGER!
My Thoughts: The beginning of this match was really awesome, but it certainly didn’t finish that way. The match was nowhere near what it could have been, and from the point where Sting choked Luger at the ropes, it was a disjointed mess. I don’t think this is the way their first match should have gone at all. In the first place it was too short, and the format forced it to be too short. The fake time limit was also not too good, I thought. Apparently Sting injured his ankle during this match, so we’ll see if the rest of his matches will be any good. **1/2 again, it was equal to the opener. Very disappointing, though. I’m also surprised that Luger won the match with a pin, as terrible as the finish was.
IRON TEAM MATCH: Doom (w/Woman & Nitron) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: I am confused as to why Doom is wrestling again so soon. Whatever. After all they had done in their last match, I’m not sure they’ll have a lot of energy for this one. Regardless, this is a hell of a matchup. What does it say about the Freebirds having been tag champions not long before this when they couldn’t even get on this show? A clean finish is needed at this point, I think. Woman is doing the Elizabeth thing and wearing a different dress to every match.
Match Review: Reed and Animal will start the match, and Animal takes Reed out with a dropkick. Hawk tags in and has a punch from the top rope on Reed, then they run into each other with nothing happening. The third time, Hawk clotheslines Reed and Reed has to tag out. Simmons comes in, and they do their own collision spots. On the third one, Hawk powerslams Simmons. Hawk hits him with a flying shoulderblock, then tags in Animal for a back elbow. He puts a chinlock on Simmons, but Simmons rakes the eyes to get out of it. He hits Animal with his own back elbow, and in comes Reed for a big boot from Animal. Hawk tags in and has a standing dropkick for Reed, then Reed dodges a charge and Hawk flies all the way out of the ring. Back inside, Reed works Hawk over with punches, and tags in Simmons for a powerslam that only gets 2. Simmons puts Hawk in a chinlock, and uses the ropes for good measure. I like the cheating on that spot, it’s so minor that it makes someone seem like a real dick when they do it. Reed tags in there for a double back elbow, then he gives Hawk a bodyslam. Up to the second rope, and down with an elbow drop for 2. Reed hits Hawk with a great looking clothesline for 2, then back to the chinlock. Hawk fights out of it, takes Reed down with a shoulderblock, and falls on top of a bodyslam attempt in order to tag out. Animal hits Reed with a flying shoulderblock, then he powerslams him for 2. Hawk and Simmons rush into the ring, and Reed goes for a piledriver only for Hawk to hit him with a flying clothesline from the top first. Animal covers Reed, and that gets the victory for the Road Warriors at 8:33. 20 POINTS TO THE ROAD WARRIORS!
My Thoughts: This match stunk. Zero heat at all, and the crowd knew that the Road Warriors were going to lose. They had also already watched Doom wrestle. Such is the problem with these tournaments. Anyway, if the crowd didn’t care, it’s hard for me to care. I would like to have watched something better, but that wasn’t to be. *3/4, not the best idea to place the match right here. Doom look like idiots seeing as they haven’t won either of these matches.
IRON MAN MATCH: The Great Muta (NWA TV Champion, w/Gary Hart) vs. Ric Flair (NWA Champion, w/Ole and Arn Anderson)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Hell yeah, I hope this is a more action packed version of their match that aired on TV. Otherwise, why even have this stupid tournament? Before the match, Norman the Lunatic was at ringside wearing a Santa Claus costume. I like that Flair brought the Andersons out there. That’s quite the equalizer to the Hart and J-Tex problem. Flair is wearing pink trunks, I laughed at them.
Match Review: These two lock up, and almost immediately we go into big spots. Muta blocks a hip toss, and gives Flair punches in the corner. He follows that with the HANDSPRING ELBOW, and drops an elbow too. They start hitting each other with chops, and Flair uses an inverted atomic drop. A shin-breaker follows that, and Flair wraps Muta up in the FIGURE-FOUR! Hart signals for Buzz Sawyer and the Dragon Master to hit the ring, but the Andersons cut them off! Muta attacks Flair from behind and gives him a backbreaker, then he heads up top for the MOONSAULT. Flair blocks it, cradles Muta up, and gets a 3 count at 1:55. Um…20 points to Ric Flair, I guess.
My Thoughts: This feels really bogus. I can’t remember another advertised PPV match with such good workers that ended in such a short time frame. I don’t know why this match would be the one to get cut so short, especially given that Muta hadn’t lost a match on television. Now he has, and it’s in the dumbest fashion imaginable. Really stupid. Just * for this, I am actually very annoyed and it’s going to take something to pick me up. The finish was the correct one, but should have been added to a much longer match.
All four guys have wrestled, so here are the standings.
Ric Flair – 20 points
Lex Luger – 20 points
Sting – 0 points
Great Muta – 0 points
IRON TEAM MATCH: The Steiner Brothers (NWA Tag Team Champions) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is welcome after the last match, but it’s crazy that every team will have wrestled twice except for the Samoans, who won’t have wrestled at all. That’s absolutely nonsensical. They’re going to have to wrestle in each of the following tag team matches. Crazy matchup though, I’m loving the idea of watching this. Both teams had said they’ll remain friendly, and this match won’t change anything between the two. Well, damn.
Match Review: Scott and Hawk are going to begin the match, who will the crowd cheer for? Scott trips him, and Hawk reaches the ropes. He tries it again, and Hawk kicks him in the head with an enziguri. Scott trips him on the third try, and back to the ropes they go. Rick tags in, and gets drilled with a clothesline for 2. Animal tags in for a double elbow, and that’s follows with a STEINERLINE from Rick. Rick follows that with a belly to belly suplex for 2, and Hawk breaks the cover. Scott tags back in there as does Hawk, and Hawk gives him a press slam. After dropping the first, he covers for 2 with Rick breaking the cover. Hawk nails Scott with a big boot for 2, and Animal tags back in for a bodyslam. Animal misses an elbow drop, and Scott uses a belly to belly suplex on him for 2. I don’t think the crowd knows who to cheer for. Scott gets destroyed by a clothesline, and Hawk tags in for a big over the shoulder backbreaker. Hawk uses a gutwrench suplex for 2, and Scott comes back by putting Hawk on the top rope. He follows that with a botched belly to belly from the second rope, they could have killed each other with that mess. Animal tags in and puts Scott in a bear hug, but Scott gets out of it in no time only for Animal to kick him in the face. Rick breaks the cover, in very gentle fashion. Hawk tags in there, and fires off a powerslam on Scott. Animal comes in with an elbow drop for 2, and when Rick breaks the cover this time, Hawk goes in and they start brawling with each other. The Road Warriors set Scott up for a back suplex and flying clothesline combination, and then when Scott is pinned, it appears Animal’s shoulders are down too. The referee counts, and Scott Steiner won the match for his team at 7:28! The Steiners now have 35 POINTS!
My Thoughts: This was probably the best match so far, but the crowd didn’t really know how to react. The babyface match doesn’t always work. This was one of those times, it would seem. It’s not about the crowd not caring, because of course they care about these teams. It’s a matter of not knowing who to cheer for because there was no program to give people an opinion on who they’d prefer. I’m glad to see the Road Warriors doing a job here, it rarely happened. When it did, it was usually in this double pin fashion. Lots of good moves in this match, so I’ll give it **3/4. Starrcade wasn’t quite setting the world on fire, though.
IRON MAN MATCH: The Great Muta (NWA TV Champion, w/Gary Hart) vs. Sting
Pre-Match Thoughts: I think this match is sure to get some time. Would they really have Muta lose twice in one night after nurturing an undefeated streak? Probably. This is the NWA after all, and that’s what they do. I am still compelled by the Samoans not having wrestled yet. It’s like the NWA was ashamed of them and tried to hide them. I can’t think of any other reason for this. For either one to lose renders their participation in the tournament somewhat irrelevant.
Match Review: These two lock up with Muta moving to a full nelson, and Sting reversing it into his own. Muta gets out with a kick, and takes Sting down with a headlock. Terry Funk did a great job describing Muta’s offense, by the way. They leave the headlock and Sting gives Muta a monkey flip, then he clotheslines him. The crowd is back into the show, it would seem. A snap suplex by Sting gets 2, and he follows with an atomic drop. He goes for the SCORPION DEATHLOCK, but Muta quickly reaches the ropes. Sting will have to do more. Muta goes to the eyes now, and he follows that with a backdrop. After that, he elbow drops him and locks Sting up in like…an inverted full nelson. I’ve never seen that hold before. Sting flips out of it, and lands some punches. Fuck the wrestling, just fight I guess. He rams Muta into the buckle, and follows that with a press slam for 2. Sting continues with a bodyslam and then an elbow drops him, those get a 2 count. Sting goes to a chinlock, and when they reach the ropes, Muta doesn’t break cleanly. He drives Sting out of the ring, but Sting rolls back in only for Muta to choke him. Muta continues the fight with some chops, and a backbreaker follows them. He goes up for the MOONSAULT, but Sting dodges it only to be kicked in the face. Muta heads up top oncce again, and Sting dropkicks Muta, crotching him on the top. Sting heads up there for a SUPERPLEX, and it gets 3 at 8:41. 20 POINTS TO STING!
My Thoughts: This was good, but I was surprised that the finish was a superplex. The first half of the match was a bit slow, but the second half really picked up. Still no crowd reaction, which I don’t really understand. It also sucked that Muta couldn’t do better in this match, and certainly he won’t do better in his last either. ***, it wasn’t as good as their Great American Bash match, but it was good to the tune of about one star less. Really dislike the format of this show though, I think as a total thing, it sucks.
IRON TEAM MATCH: Doom (w/Woman & Nitron) vs. The Wild Samoans (w/Oliver Humperdink)
Pre-Match Thoughts: I guess Samu was replaced by the Samoan Savage, leading to the new team name and all that. These are not the Wild Samoans who wrestled in the WWF. Look, it’s halfway into the show, and all the remaining tag team matches have them in it. That’s terrible card structure, really. A heel match is rare as it is, I have no idea how either one of these teams will be able to get cheered. It’s a perfect time for a piss break! If Doom can’t win a match, there’s absolutely no way to take them seriously. If the Samoans don’t win, the tournament is over, right? Nobody buys them beating the Steiners or Road Warriors. The Samoan Savage has gained so much weight he’s as big as Fatu, now.
Match Review: Reed and Fatu lock up, holding onto each other for a while before anything happens. Reed eventually pulls off a bodyslam, then he flexes his muscles. Fatu comes back with a running powerslam, then the two guys exchange headbutts. The Samoan Savage and Ron Simmons tag in there and trade punches, until Simmons powerslams him. He tries a headbutt which doesn’t get sold, and the Savage kicks him in the face. He heads up top and comes down with a big splash that fails, so Simmons slams him for 2. Reed tags in and drops a fist on the Savage, and he follows with a swinging neckbreaker that gets 2. I guess Doom are working as the heels. Simmons makes a blind tag in, and gets headbutted. He cuts his opponent off, and Reed comes in with an elbow drop from the second rope. Don’t know why he’s used that spot in all three matches. Reed follows with a clothesline, and dumps the Samoan Savage out to the floor where Simmons throws him into the rail. Back in they go, and the Savage tries a sunset flip which gets 2. Reed has a bulldog blocked, and Simmons has to tag in to cut the guy off. No heat at all for this match, by the way. Simmons slams him, then he heads up top for a flying shoulderblock that misses. Fatu makes a cold tag in, and he hits Reed with a flying headbutt for 2. The Savage rushes in, and all four guys are there. Fatu and Reed collide heads with each other, and Fatu lands on top for the victory at 8:22.
My Thoughts: This wasn’t bad at all, but the crowd does not give a shit about any of this. Worst of all, they didn’t replace the Skyscrapers with the Midnight Express. That was fucking dumb. While the match was fine, it having no heat nearly put me to sleep. I also thought the finish was terrible, and given that Doom has been beaten three times, it’s going to be hard to take them seriously going forward. ** for this one. After this match, I had to tap out on the show for a while.
The Iron Team standings now look like….
Steiner Brothers – 35 points
Road Warriors – 20 points
Wild Samoans – 20 points
Doom – 0 points
IRON MAN MATCH: Lex Luger (NWA US Champion) vs. Ric Flair (NWA Champion)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is the first of the bunch that I expect to tear the house down. Luger had been so good in the previous few months leading to this point, and Flair is Flair. No doubt this match will have the heat the others have not. Sting/Flair going last is a bit surprising, actually. Seeing as Flair’s hardly wrestled, he’ll have a lot left in the tank for these last two matches. Weird to see the status of the two wrestlers reversed from the previous year’s Starrcade, which they main evented.
Match Review: These two lock up after a lot of stalling, most of which made the crowd very angry. Luger stalled even more to get heat afterward, and Flair takes him down with a headlock. Luger reverses into his own, and takes Flair down by the hair when they fight over a wristlock. They fall into the ropes and break up, and when it’s time for the match to go again, Flair chops Luger a lot and he doesn’t sell for a while. Those were HARD. They go to the outside for more chops from Flair, and when they roll back in, Flair backdrops Luger. He puts Luger in a wristlock, and turns it into a hammerlock. I hope they don’t sit in this hold for too long. Luger gets out and Flair elbows him in the head, then gives him a double underhook suplex for 2. Flair chops away again, then it’s back to the arm. I think it’s about time for the match to pick up into some high spots. Luger starts by poking Flair in the eye, then raking that eye across the top rope. Flair comes back with a cradle for 2, and does so once more for another 2 count. A third roll up gets 2, and it’s back to the arm. This is good wrestling, but I wanted the energy levels to be higher. Luger picks Flair up and drops him throat-first on the top rope, then into the turnbuckle he goes. Flair’s selling right there was so good, bordering on the hard to believe. Luger drills him with a clothesline, and drops a few forearms on him for a 2 count. Luger follows with a press slam that Flair has to roll out of the ring after, and the match slows for a bit afterward. Flair comes back into the ring and suplexes Luger, but Luger gets up first only for Flair to give him a backslide for 2. Flair and Luger exchange shots, then Flair gets sent upside down into the corner, runs across the apron onto the top rope, and Luger clotheslines him on his leap down. Wow. Cover only got 2, though. Luger throws Flair out of the ring, but Flair gets up to the apron and sunset flips his way in for 2. A big right hand knocks Flair down, but Flair climbs up to the top rope when Luger isn’t paying attention. Luger slams him down, and misses an elbow drop. Flair comes back with a back suplex, then puts the Total Package in the FIGURE-FOUR! The 15 minute time limit then expires at 17:15, so we have a draw. Great build to the finish, but I think everyone knew it would be a draw. 5 points to Ric Flair and Lex Luger!
My Thoughts: This was the first match that really got me going and excited. The action here was just great. The chopping and selling were excellent, as were Luger’s mannerisms and his talking to the crowd. Very good stuff. It wasn’t their best match with each other, but this was still a lot of fun. Luger talking to the crowd has added a lot to his matches, as when he gets wrapped up in doing it, he usually has something bad happen to him. It’s very consistent. I’m going to give this ***1/2 even with the draw. It had to be a draw, it wouldn’t have made any sense for either guy to lose as there was money in programming them with each other later.
Iron Man Standings
Ric Flair – 25 points
Lex Luger – 25 points
Sting – 20 points
Great Muta – 0 points
IRON TEAM MATCH: The Wild Samoans (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. The Steiner Brothers (NWA Tag Team Champions)
Pre-Match Thoughts: I suppose this tournament comes down to who does better against the Samoans. Unless of course you believe that the Samoans had a chance to win the tournament. I have a hard time believing anyone would think that. I have to be honest, it’s a little weird seeing him as Fatu rather than as Rikishi. It’s just a matter of prominence. Like, for example, seeing the Undertaker as Mean Mark. Mean Mark wasn’t bad, but it was a major difference in gimmick.
Match Review: Rick Steiner mocks the pre-match routine of the Samoans, I found that a great way to get the crowd involved. It took a very long time for the match to start, and when it did, it was Rick Steiner and the Samoan Savage in there. The Savage’s headbutts don’t hurt Rick, but the bodyslam does. The Savage misses an elbow drop, and gets nailed with a STEINERLINE. One of the braids falls out of the Savage’s head, so Rick puts it in his headgear. At that point, the Samoans just want to leave. That fan getting in their faces was an idiot, they could easily have knocked him out. Anyway, they come back, and we have Fatu in there with Rick. Fatu clotheslines him, then Rick comes back with his own to send him out of the ring. Scott Steiner tags in for the first time, and he wrecks Fatu with a STEINERLINE for 2. He goes to a front face-lock, but Fatu gets out of that quickly. The Savage tags in, as does Rick, and Rick tries to go to work on the left arm. He gets pushed back to the corner, and the Savage punches Fatu on accident. Haha. Fatu shoves his partner, and they tease that these guys are too wild to not fight with each other. Instead, they hug it out to a chorus of boos. Scott tags in there, and goes for the FRANKENSTEINER only for the Savage to stop running towards him. He throws Scott out of the ring, and Fatu crotches Scott on the guardrail. Man. Fatu tags in legally after a wishbone attack, and continues with dirty actions like choking and biting. The Savage tags in and covers for 2, then Rick runs in and bites him on the ass. The Samoans then give Scott a double clothesline, then when the referee isn’t paying attention, Scott Steiner gets thrown over the top rope. Scott flies in with a sunset flip, only for it to be blocked. Fatu then puts him in a bear hug, and hits him down low for a 2 count as well. Then, the Samoans hit Scott with a double superkick to the face, the cheating here is hitting unbelievable levels. Back to the bear hug, this time it’s the Savage giving it out, and he powerslams Scott as well for 2. Fatu tags in and Scott pulls off a backslide, but it only got 2. Scott then fires off the FRANKENSTEINER, but the Savage tags in and cuts him off. Scott tries a sunset flip which gets 2, then the Savage bodyslams him. After a missed big splash, it’s announced that a minute is left. All four guys get in the ring, and Rick drills both Samoans with STEINERLINES. Unfortunately, the finish gets blown, and Scott backdrops the Savage over the top even though the referee wasn’t paying attention. Then, the referee realizes his mistake, and awards the DQ victory to the Wild Samoans after 14:11. 10 POINTS TO THE SAMOANS!
My Thoughts: The way that finish got ruined was REALLY bad. Before this show, I had never seen this referee. Also, the match went on for a lot longer than a minute after they had said there was only a minute left on the time limit. The match was good besides those things. The Samoans did a very good job cutting Scott off from making a tag and getting heat while doing it. It’s also weird that they’ve won two of these matches, even though one came as the result of a rule rarely applied by the promotion. **3/4.
Iron Team Standings
Steiner Brothers – 35 points
Wild Samoans – 30 points
Road Warriors – 20 points
Doom – 0 points
IRON MAN MATCH: The Great Muta (NWA TV Champion, w/Gary Hart) vs. Lex Luger (NWA US Champion)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Although this is a heel match, I anticipate that the matchup means that people will finally cheer Muta the way they’ve wanted to. It’s the perfect time to have him wrestle like a babyface. There’s no chance of Luger getting cheered like one, after all. Muta’s face paint is nearly all gone, I’m actually a bit surprised he hasn’t put more on. Maybe he doesn’t care and expected to do a third job in a row. Luger sold his leg on the way down to the ring, that was a great touch. Flair had him locked in the figure-four, let’s not forget. Terry Funk pointed out that Muta didn’t want to go home without any points, his competition level won’t allow for it. We’ll see!
Match Review: These two lock up, and Luger goes for a leapfrog during which he fell down, selling his leg. Muta goes to work on that left leg, with Luger begging for a reprieve. They go to the outside where Muta continues, and when they get back in there, Muta puts Luger in a toe-hold. Luger gets up and tries a suplex, but he falls down. The crowd wants Muta to break his leg. That’s not nice. Muta hits him with the handspring elbow, and back to the leg he goes again. Luger rakes the eyes, drops a few elbows on him, and covers for a 2 count. The selling that Luger is doing is really good. Muta goes back to the leg with a half crab, then he turns it into his MUTA LOCK. The crowd cheered big for him pulling that one off, too. 10 minutes are supposedly gone, but there’s really no way. This match hasn’t had a lot of action, but it’s still very good. Muta continues to kick Luger around the ring, and wraps his leg around the rope for good measure. Luger starts fighting back, then Muta kicks him in the face almost immediately. Muta hits Luger with a dropkick too, but then Luger nails Muta with a clothesline out of nowhere. These guys start trading punches, and Luger follows that sequence with a backdrop. Luger hip tosses Muta and throws him out to the floor, and Muta tried to come back in with a sunset flip, which only got a 2 count. Luger powerslams him in response, and goes for the RACK only for his leg to not quite work right. So, Muta sprays green mist in his face and gets disqualified at 11:48. LEX LUGER PICKS UP 10 POINTS!
My Thoughts: Jim Ross and Terry Funk summed up exactly why I hate this show’s concept in just a few words. You have to be a mathematician to figure it all out. Wrestling is supposed to be something easy, something simple that you don’t have to put a lot of mind power towards. Most of all, it’s supposed to make sense. Anything where you have to think about mathematical permutations with only one night to do so does not belong in North American wrestling. Flat out, end of story. The match was fine, other than the finish not making any logical sense at all. There was a minute left, and Muta would have at least earned a draw. The more I think about it, the stupider it was. **1/2, but Luger’s selling was exceptional and I would have rated the match higher if not for the nonsense.
Iron Man Standings
Lex Luger – 35 points
Ric Flair – 25 points
Sting – 20 points
Great Muta – 0 points
IRON TEAM MATCH: The Wild Samoans (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Due to the format and the guys needing rest before matches, I’ve noticed a lack of promos throughout the whole show. That is so dumb. Humperdink also brings very little to the table, I don’t even know why he’s the team’s manager. It had been long enough since the Road Warriors last worked that they got a big pop. New paint, too! If the Road Warriors win with a pin or submission, they win the tournament. Why, of course!
Match Review: Animal and Fatu start the match off, with Fatu going for a piledriver that Animal doesn’t sell. Animal clotheslines him, and Hawk tags in along with the Savage. Hawk pulls him down from the second rope, then these guys chop each other really hard for a while. Hawk gives him a backdrop, and the Savage comes back with an inverted atomic drop and Samoan drop. His headbutts don’t do anything to Hawk, then Hawk dropkicks him for 2. Animal gets back in there, as does Fatu, and Animal slams him. They blow a spot, then repeat and blow it again with Fatu headbutting Animal in the gut on it. Bad stuff. The Savage tags in and kicks Animal in the face, then he puts Animal in a chinlock. He bodyslams Animal shortly after putting it on, then misses a pump splash. Hawk makes the switch in, and he hits him with a flying shoulderblock. The other two rush in and Hawk kgoes out of the ring, then Fatu gets crotched on the top rope. They blow another move, and Hawk leaps off the top with a flying clothesline onto the Samoan Savage for the victory at 5:48. The Road Warriors win the tournament as they have 40 points, and I don’t even care. The Steiners came out to congratulate their friends on their victory, but the Road Warriors did not look happy about how the match finished. There wasn’t a big celebration. Why even care?
My Thoughts: This match was really bad. Botched moves everywhere, the Road Warriors not selling anything, and a conclusion that nobody really cared about. What a joke this whole thing was. I don’t think anything was gained from it whatsoever, then at the end they had the Steiners come out to congratulate the Road Warriors. At this point, I think it was time for the Road Warriors to leave the company. They’d done all there was to do, they weren’t the champions, and it was all getting a little bit stale. This match was definitely a DUD.
IRON MAN MATCH: Sting vs. Ric Flair (NWA Champion)
Pre-Match Thoughts: These guys are buddies, but something’s at stake here.These two had a while to rest up, so they should have something great to offer. It’s about damn time these two wrestled each other again, too. Most over guys in the company about to have a match, hell yeah. Also, for Sting to win, he must pin or submit Flair. For Flair to win the tournament, he must pin Sting, submit Sting, or have Sting counted out. If there’s a draw, Luger wins.
Match Review: These guys lock up, and quickly Sting goes to a headlock. Flair gets out of it, and Sting hip tosses him. Flair takes a break, and when he gets back in there, they fight over a hammerlock. Sting takes Flair down with a drop toe-hold, and Flair gets up and puts Sting on the top rope. Clean break! Don’t see that much from Flair. They fight over a wristlock after that, with Sting obviously being the more powerful man. Into the ropes for another clean break after that. They lock up again, and Sting press slams him after a great rope running sequence. Flair and Sting start pushing each other, which indicates these two may not be so friendly after all. Flair has a hip toss blocked and turned into a backslide, it gets 2. Flair gets offense in with some chops, those weren’t as hard as those in the Luger match, but that’s maybe because Flair liked Sting more. Sting hip tosses Flair and dropkicks him a few times, then lands a clothesline for 2. Flair quickly tosses Sting out of the ring at his first chance, and he throws Sting into the rail. He snaps Sting’s neck on the top rope, then suplexes him back into the ring for 2. Flair drops the knee on him, and I’m struggling to see how this match will only go 15, yet really wanting to see the results. Flair takes Sting down with an abdominal stretch that gets 2 on the cover. Flair then tries a small package, it also gets 2. Flair follows that with a suplex, and that’s another close count. After throwing Sting into the buckle, Flair gives him a double underhook suplex for another 2 count. Sting comes back with a clothesline out of nowhere for his own 2 count, and Flair takes a break. Sting follows, gets chopped, and he doesn’t seem to be selling any of those. Sting and Flair go back in with Sting sunset flipping Flair, only for Flair to block it with a punch. Flair tries to suplex Sting to the outside, but of course Sting reverses it to his own and brings Flair back in for 2. It’s time for Sting to make his comeback, and that starts with Sting hitting Flair with punches in the corner. A hip toss follows that, and so does a clothesline for a 2 count. Sting hits Flair with the STINGER SPLASH, and puts him in the SCORPION DEATHLOCK! Is it the end? NO, Flair makes the ropes. Flair gives Sting a shin-breaker, and then locks in the FIGURE-FOUR. That was a great turn of fortune in such a short time frame. Sting makes the ropes, and there’s just a bit of time left in the match I believe. Flair kicks Sting’s leg repeatedly, then he chops him down to the canvas and does more work on the leg with a knee drop. He takes Sting down with a headlock and they bridge out to a backslide, with Sting getting 2. That seemed a bit out of place. Flair goes with another shin-breaker, and goes for the FIGURE-FOUR AGAIN! This time, Sting cradles him up for the tournament victory at 14:57! Crowd didn’t quite expect that judging by the pop.
Fireworks go off and all that stuff, and the Andersons come out to the ring. I think they’re a bit pissed. In the end, Flair raises Sting’s hand, then Arn Anderson raises up four fingers and congratulates him. BAH GAWD IT’S THE FOUR HORSEMEN.
My Thoughts: This was a hell of a match with a finish nobody expected. I think it was certainly the right way to go about things. Obviously, this was building towards Sting taking the title at WrestleWar, and given that Flair was booking the company, I find that quite selfless on his part. The best bit was the finish, from the time Sting pulled off the splash in the corner, I think everyone bought the possibility of the next move being the finish. I do think the show was beyond saving in some ways, but this match was great by any standard. **** easily, no doubt about that. Flair also showed, not that anyone had any doubt, that he could work the new PPV style with a hot 15 minute match that had a lot of action. He had not been made to do that yet.
Now, Gordon Solie is with the Road Warriors. They said they’re the IRON MEN, which is all that really needed to be said. They also put over the Atlanta crowd. Sting was then supposed to have an interview, but the PPV cut off. Great.
This was most certainly not a good show from my perspective. It was very repetitive in some aspects and my review probably reflects that. I’m sure that’s why a similar show was not tried again. I thought this was properly booked, and while it wasn’t time to move on from Ric Flair, it was time for something fresh. The big problem with that was, when it’s time for Sting to no longer feud with Flair, then what is he going to do? That would tell the tale on whether or not he could be a successful champion. It seemed to me that people didn’t really care about the tag team tournament at all. Also, while it seemed obvious that the thing at the end with Sting was a reformation of the Four Horsemen, it wasn’t pushed as much as I had expected. Apparently it wasn’t official, though. I guess that makes sense. I’m glad this concept didn’t reappear, as it bothered me the whole time I was trying to watch this. It made me tired! Next up, I’ll have a WWF article that features matches like the Rockers facing the Hart Foundation, and the NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH.
Wrestling Time: 2:02:54. Obviously there was a lot of wrestling, there were no promos on the whole show. The singles matches were longer than the tag matches, but not by all that much.
Best: Sting vs. Ric Flair. I loved the match.
Worst: The entire concept of this show. I explained why in my thoughts on the Luger/Muta match. It just didn’t work at all. People want to see some variety on their wrestling cards, and the lack of heat showed that.
Card Rating: 5/10. Yes, the matches were all decent except for one of them. However, I think the concept sucked, and that 2 hours of average matches isn’t a substitute for variety. Rare bad show at this point for the NWA, but sadly, the bad ones started becoming far more prevalent.
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