Sage Cortez
It’s WrestleMania day, but it’s also Clash 6 day, and that’s what I’m about to watch! This is a show built on Flair/Steamboat, and that’s really all you need. This show doesn’t have the momentum that last year’s WrestleMania counter show did, but it has something amazing on top. There are some matches cut from the WWE Network version of this show, but I will not be held down. The thing I don’t understand, is that they booked the Superdome and didn’t promote the show. That means they had an enormous building sitting there…nearly empty. What compels somebody to make a decision like that? Even for NWA/WCW, that was pretty idiotic. You guys who read my articles know I loved this wrestling promotion, but nothing they did made any sense.
– April 2nd, 1989, from the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana
There was a neat introduction recapping Steamboat winning the NWA Championship at Chi-Town Rumble, and we’re underway. THE FAMILY UNIT WILL NOT GO DOWN. The Superdome is so dark that you can just tell nobody’s there. When you have a full building, you light that sucker up. Jim Ross and Michael Hayes are on commentary for this show, that’s an interesting team.
We then cut to videos of legends arriving at the building. Looks like Terry Funk, Gene Kiniski, Lou Thesz, Sam Muchnick, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Buddy Rogers, and Pat O’Connor are there. Sadly, for the first time on camera, we’re also subjected to JIM HERD. Haha. What a speech he gave. The lineup for the show is run down, or at least that’s how it’s made to sound, only that’s not what happens. It’s just a random video package of different guys beating each other up. Don’t think it’s too great to have Rip Morgan beating up Ricky Steamboat on there, but what do I know?
After that, we have the national anthem. Can we get on with it?
The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously) vs. The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)
Pre-Match Thoughts: The old Clash graphics and music seem to have been dispatched. That’s sad. This match should be a far better version of the TV match that I watched a few days ago. I wanted to get a bit of prep in, having not watched the Headshrinkers/SST in a really long time. I believe at the time, this was supposed to the last match on TV for the MX and Cornette.
Match Review: Samu and Stan Lane will start things off, and Samu no-sells a shoulderblock. The second one takes him down, and Samu misses a cross body. Lane lands one for 2, and Samu accidentally hits his partner shortly after that. Samu takes Lane out with a chop and bodyslam, then tags in his partner for the first time. Fatu gets taken down with an arm drag, and here comes Bobby Eaton. Time for the drop toe-hold and elbow drop attack, and an Eaton missile dropkick from the top! Lane tags in and puts Fatu in a chinlock, and Samu decides to chase Cornette around the ring for some reason. Cornette cracks him with the racket, and gets the hell out of there. Fatu gets tomped on during a monkey flip attempt, and Lane goes back to the arm. In comes Eaton, they land a double back elbow on Fatu. Lane comes back in and gets hit with some trusts, then Samu comes in with a headbutt. Lane gives him a sunset flip for 2, and Samu accidentally hits Fatu again. That’s good continuity. Fatu wanted to leave, but Dangerously made a phone call to somebody to make him stay. That’ll do it. Eaton takes Samu down with a headlock, but they wind up in the ropes as an anti-Dangerously chant gets going. I dig it. Lane tags in, and gets crunched with a back suplex. After a leg drop by Samu, out he goes. Fatu slams Lane for 2, and Lane comes back with a dropkick. In comes Eaton with a backdrop, and a small package gets 2. Lane and Eaton illegally switch, keeping a headlock on Fatu. That’s cheating! They legally tag the next time, and Lane gives Fatu a cross body to the back for 2. Eaton tags in once again, and Samu crushes him with a clothesline. He tears Eaton up with chops, and follows with a big spinning thrust kick for 2. He puts a nerve hold on Eaton for a brief time, and when Eaton gets out and runs the ropes, Fatu hits Eaton from behind. The SST beats Eaton down with double teams, and Fatu gives him a back elbow for 2. Fatu goes to the nerve hold, and follows with a clothesline to cut Eaton off from doing anything. Samu heads in, kicks Eaton in the face, but Eaton finally makes a tag out.
Lane tries to beat up both SST members, and Eaton gets back in the ring too. They do the battering ram spot, but the SST doesn’t sell it and misses charges to the corner. Dangerously trips Lane as he runs the ropes, but Fatu misses a headbutt. Cornette returns the favor by nailing Fatu with the racket, hilarious counter spot. All four guys start fighting again, but that didn’t last for long at all. Fatu and Lane are the guys in the ring, and Lane is taking a lot of punishment. Fatu gives him a powerslam for a 2 count, once again he applies the nerve hold. The SST gives Lane a double headbutt, it gets another near fall. Samu has tagged in, and kicks Lane right in the face for 2. He knocks Eaton off the apron, and Eaton rushes in to attack him. This leads to more double team attacks on Lane. I enjoy this. Fatu switched in during the last one, and Lane tries to sunset flip him, only to get hit in the face. Fatu gives him a bodyslam, and climbs up to the second rope for a diving headbutt which misses. Eaton finally tags back in, and tries to take care of both opponents by himself. A noggin knocker fails, so they give Eaton a double headbutt. Fatu accidentally hits Samu with a punch from the top, and Eaton gives Samu a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Lane gives Fatu an enziguri, and Eaton heads up top for the ROCKET LAUNCHER! Cornette and Dangerously start fighting with each other, as the Rocket Launcher is landed. Eaton goes for the cover, and has Samu down for about a 10 count, but Fatu has the cell phone and runs in to hit Eaton. He puts his partner on top for the cover, and the Samoan Swat Team wins this one at 20:33.
My Thoughts: This match wasn’t perfect, but I loved the way it finished. Weird to see the Express losing like that, but it made complete sense. The Express seems to have toned down some of their tag team moves, and the SST wasn’t really hitting them with the kind of stuff I was hoping for. *** for this one, a good start to the show if nothing else. The spots with Cornette and Paul E. were great, of course.
The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Steven Casey
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’m shocked Casey got another match at a Clash after that Butch Reed match. I thought Reed completely torpedoed his career. He sort of did as Casey didn’t do much after this, but I mean, he did get this chance. I anticipate a big time performance here, Muta will want to show his stuff and prove that he can have a big match. He has blue face paint!
Match Review: Muta is working an awesome super focused fighting stance, here. He spits his GREEN MIST in Casey’s face, and gives him a handspring elbow! He puts a chinlock on Casey for a brief moment, then gets up and is given an arm drag. Casey’s face is dyed green right now, he looks hilarious. Muta gives him a mule kick, and tosses him to the outside. Up top he goes, and Hart throws Casey back into the ring for a missile dropkick from Muta. Casey tries to come back with an armbar, but Muta flips through and gives him a leg whip. Simple but effective. He puts Casey in a spinning toe-hold, then kicks him in the face with a spinning kick. Muta then puts the ARMPIT HOLD on him, allowing JR to run down the card. Muta takes some shots from Casey, and gets taken out with a clothesline too. Casey gives him a back elbow for 1, and a dropkick to drive him back to the corner. He gives Muta a hip toss, but misses another dropkick attempt. After a spinning kick to the jaw by Muta, he flies to the outside with a plancha! Hayes and JR are putting Muta over so big. Muta throws Casey into the railing, and follows him with a handspring elbow. On the floor! Muta flips back into the ring, gives Casey a backbreaker, and here we go. He flies off the top with a moonsault onto Casey, and picks up the pin at 8:11!
My Thoughts: This was an amazing performance on Muta’s part. He dominated the match, busted out a slew of excellent moves, and kept the crowd very involved. He worked the gimmick so well, it was really quite amazing. I rate these matches in context, so in the context of watching a match in 1989, it would be impossible not to be awed with this match. Really, I still am in the context of right now. ***.
Butch Reed (w/Hiro Matsuda) vs. The Junkyard Dog
Pre-Match Thoughts: Oh God. Those are my thoughts before this comes on, the only ones I have. JYD’s entrance was interesting. He was played to the ring by a brass band and Jim Ross said that JYD was surrounded by his people. This comment was as bad as it sounds, but I thought the entrance was great. While this was a great rivalry in Mid-South, and they had some great moments…this is just bad.
Match Review: JYD looks absolutely massive here, and I mean that in the worst way. Reed talks shit, and they start pushing each other. JYD nails Reed with a BIG SOUP BONE, JR’s favorite way to describe a punch at this point. Hayes calls JYD “boy,” as JYD hits Reed with a ton of headbutts. The borderline racism here is quite interesting. JYD puts Reed in a wristlock, and follows with a hip toss. He gives Reed a bodyslam as well. The crowd is very much into this match. Reed comes back with some BIG SOUP BONES, and chokes him with the second rope. Matsuda does the same thing, then Reed drops some elbows for a 2 count. Reed puts a chinlock on JYD, and it takes a while for JYD to get up. When he does, he gives Reed a backdrop for 2. They nail each other with clotheslines, and Reed tries a double axehandle from the second rope. It misses, and JYD misses a headbutt too. Reed heads up top, down he comes with a flying shoulderblock that JYD takes right on his head, and that gets 2. I thought that would be the finish. Matsuda gets on the apron, Reed gets thrown into him, and JYD covers Reed for a 3 count at 8:55.
My Thoughts: Temptation to have JYD win was too strong, I guess. I don’t see where you have Reed go from here, singles wise. That being considered, it makes perfect sense that they moved him into a tag team. That had to be done. The weirdest thing about this match is that at an earlier point, JYD had been fired. They brought him in for this show, put him over, and then he started missing shows again leading to him leaving. *, this wasn’t offensive at all, and it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good either.
Bob Orton Jr. (w/Gary Hart) vs. Dick Murdoch
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match was cut out of the WWE Network version, but once again I’m not going to be held down like this. So we have a WWF reject and a guy who seems to be off and on with this company all the time. Who will they put over? Murdoch got a big cheer from the fans, so I’m guessing him.
Match Review: Orton looks quite old, so of course he’s going to wrestle an old style match. They lock up, and Orton uses a few fireman’s carry maneuvers. Murdoch replies with one of his own, and like I said, this is big time old style. Murdoch uses a wristlock, but Orton kips up on him and goes to one of his own. Murdoch reverses, and you can see the pattern here. I will not type anything else until something good happens. 30 seconds later, Orton takes Murdoch down with an arm drag. The same rule shall apply. Over 2 minutes later, Orton knocks Murdoch down with a right hand. You see how this is going? Orton gives Murdoch a knee drop, drops an elbow, and nails him with a bunch of punches. Murdoch comes back with some of his own, and a dropkick knocks Orton back into the turnbuckles. Murdoch has a bloody nose, and he cracks Orton with a huge elbow after draping him off the apron. Murdoch tries for a suplex, but Orton picks him up and puts him on the turnbuckles. Orton goes for a superplex, but Murdoch knocks him down and climbs off. Murdoch then blocks a charge to the corner, and signals to the crowd for some PUNISHMENT. He picks Orton up for the BRAINBUSTER, but Hart trips Murdoch and holds him down so Orton can pin him for the victory at 9:48.
My Thoughts: This match was very poor. According to the WON, it was supposed to be much longer. So, they wrestled a horrible match to start out and were told to go home for the finish. Sounds great, doesn’t it? I don’t understand why anyone would schedule this for 15 minutes to begin with. I think Orton and Murdoch were great wrestlers, but this was the end of the 80’s. Action was picking up across the board. Companies should not have wanted to put matches like this on television. 1/4* for the punches and blood. I don’t particularly think the right guy won, I’m not particularly sure there was a right guy.
The Varsity Club (w/Kevin Sullivan) vs. The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) for the NWA Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: This was also cut from WWE Network. I can’t explain that at all. This Varsity Club team will be of Mike Rotunda and Dr. Death. Those are the two best guys in the stable, so that’s what it should be. I don’t remember what happens with these tag belts after this show, so I may have some warped opinion after the match about whether or not things went correctly. Fact is, I don’t want to educate myself as the aura of surprise can make things more entertaining while doing this. I know the results of so many matches that it is more fun this way. The Road Warriors entrance was the best in wrestling at this point. If you don’t think so, I don’t know what to make of that. This is the first of five supposed title matches. I wonder why Dr. Death dropped the Oklahoma singlet. They didn’t like a guy running around on TV fucking people up while wearing their colors and lettering?
Match Review: Both teams stare each other down, looking quite similar height wise. Hawk and Rotunda will start the wrestling off, and Hawk gets taken down with a hip toss. He avoids an elbow drop and comes back with a clothesline, then dropkicks Rotunda to the floor. Hawk tries to follow him out there, but Teddy Long gets in the way of that. I wanted a brawl! Hawk tags in his partner, and Animal hits Dr. Death in the corner with a running elbow. Rotunda is still in there, he is given a big press slam. Dr. Death runs in and is press slammed as well, I don’t know how Animal did that! Well I do, but even still. Hawk and Dr. Death are the legal men now, and they start trading bombs. Hawk gives him an atomic drop and clothesline, which gets 2. Doc comes back with a running clothesline, and signals to Animal that he’s going to win the belt. He’s done a great job in a heel role, far better than his babyface stuff. Rotunda tags in with an elbow drop for 2, and Animal tags in as well. So does Williams, and Animal gives them a double dropkick. He follows with a double clothesline, and tries to charge at Doc…only to fly over the top and land on a table. Dr. Death gives him a SPINEBUSTER on the floor, that’s a hell of a bump from Animal. They bring him back in and Rotunda gives him a backbreaker, then Dr. Death follows with a punch from the top. Doc clotheslines Animal for 2, and puts him in a bear hug after that. Animal makes a blind tag to Hawk, but of course Teddy Long was distracted. Doc gives Hawk a belly to belly suplex, and Rotunda covers for 2. What the hell, he didn’t even tag in. Rotunda puts Animal in an abdominal stretch, and of course Animal gets out with a hip toss. Dr. Death tags in, and takes Animal out with a football tackle to the knee. Long heat sequence here. Animal gets pulled out to the floor, which is where he gets hit by a chair thanks to Sullivan. Back in he goes, and Doc gives Animal another spinebuster for 2. Animal is working really hard as a face in peril, no resting in this match yet. Animal destroys Rotunda with a clothesline, and sadly Dr. Death switches in. He gives Animal a powerslam, but gets clotheslined as well after a football tackle attempt.
FINALLY Animal tags out, and Hawk gives Rotunda a huge powerslam. A press slam follows, then Hawk shoulderblocks him. Dr. Death breaks up the cover, and now they’re all fighting. Teddy Long gets hit with an elbow from Animal, as the Warriors pick ROtunda up for the DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Long won’t count the fall, which is some absolute shit right there. Dr. Death rolls Hawk up, and Long fast counts him at 11:37. New champions, WHAT??? The Road Warriors are with Ross after the match, and Hawk suggests that the Varsity Club paid Long off. That’s a good explanation, you know.
My Thoughts: That’s one of the best damn fast counts ever. I couldn’t even hear his hand hit the mat. I liked the finish in the sense that it was the only way to get the titles off the Road Warriors without having them vacate the belts. You can’t have a team like that lose clean because it kills the gimmick. Considering that it’s a big pile of crap to vacate the titles, this is what you get out of it. Doing this also spawned Teddy Long as a great character, so it’s impossible to hate in any way from my perspective. I don’t know what the Varsity Club will do with the belts, but I thought this was a good match. Both teams worked hard, didn’t cut any corners by being lazy, and made the most out of a bad finish. They made it work. **1/2. The biggest problem with the match, was that they didn’t have to take the titles off the Road Warriors. At all. It rendered them quite irrelevant until they left for the WWF.
The Iron Sheik (w/Rip Morgan) vs. Ranger Ross
Pre-Match Thoughts: This was also removed from WWE Network. What the hell is this? The feud is like a copy of everything Iron Sheik has done, but with somebody worse. I just don’t understand some of the stuff on this card. What I do understand, is giving Ranger Ross the Sting entrance. That was amazing, it made him look great. Maybe I’m just a big mark and get caught up in that stuff. Rip Morgan is carrying Sheik’s Iranian flag, and I don’t see the purpose in that. It’s 50/50 on whether or not something here will make any sense to me. Sheik wants to do the Iranian National Anthem, which is just great. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Match Review: Sheik attacks Ross to start the match, and rips his shirt off. After choking Ross with his tunic, he gives him a gutwrench suplex. Sheik is so damn fat right now, he looks great. Ross gives him a suplex, it gets 2. He follows with MARTIAL ARTS, but Sheik kicks him in the gut with his pointed boots. He puts Ross in an abdominal stretch, but Ross reverses it. Sheik gives him a hip toss to get out, then misses a cannonball splash. Like he was ever going to land that. Ross kicks him in the face, covers, and would have gotten 3 if not for Morgan running in for a DQ at 1:55. THE JUNKYARD DOG HITS THE RING, clears it, and maybe we have a tag team match at some point. Or, you know, maybe we don’t.
My Thoughts: RANGER ROSS GOT THE JUNKYARD DOG RUB, WHAT A BRILLIANT BOOKING DECISION. I was pretty amused by this match, I’m sure that wasn’t the point but it was pretty damn funny. Sheik is so committed to his gimmick, the NWA ramped up the cheese by having Ross descend from the rafters, and I can dig that. JR had literally no enthusiasm for this match, and that made it even more funny. It was terrible wrestling wise, so it’s a DUD. I do think people should watch it though.
In the back, we have Bob Caudle with Ric Flair. He’s challenging Ricky Steamboat tonight, and he’s ready to win the NWA Championship for the 6th time. He’s so good at putting over multiple things at the same time. His message is that this better be a quality day for Ricky Steamboat. I agree.
The Varsity Club (Kevin Sullivan & Danny Spivey) vs. Eddie Gilbert & Rick Steiner (w/Missy Hyatt) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: The NWA has been calling Gilbert, Steiner, and Hyatt the First Family of late. Just…no. What’s the point of that, I’m not going to do it. The alliance of Steiner and Gilbert is extremely loose at best. Missy looked great, she added something to the show for sure. Emphasis on looked. Not looks. Not anymore. While Spivey fits in the Varsity Club, he really doesn’t. Looks too crazy and not collegiate enough.
Match Review: Sullivan knocks Steiner out of the ring, and that gets it going. Spivey gives Gilbert a huge chokeslam, it got a 2 count. For some reason he didn’t continue with the cover. He gives Gilbert a gutwrench suplex, then sends him hard into the buckle. He gives him a tilt-a-whirl powerslam, and brings in Sullivan for the first time. Sullivan draws Steiner into the ring, then uses the distraction to throw Gilbert over the top. Spivey rams Gilbert into the post, and this looks an awful lot like a title change at this point. Please no. Spivey tags in once again, and gives Gilbert a flying clothesline for 2. He looks totally dominant in this match. He puts Gilbert in tree of woe position, and Sullivan comes in with a running knee. He tries another and misses the charge, and Steiner comes in for the first time. He and Spivey are in there, and Steiner gives him a big clothesline. The kids are jumping in the aisleway for Steiner, who gives Spivey a powerslam for 2. Steiner gives Spivey comes punches, then a belly to belly suplex after a blocked inverted atomic drop. Gilbert comes in and Sullivan knocks him out of the ring, then Steiner and Spivey take a big tumble over the top after a Steiner clothesline. Ridiculous bump. Gilbert has Missy’s GUCCI BAG, which is obviously loaded up, and hits Sullivan with it. Gilbert cradles up Sullivan for the victory at 3:52, but this isn’t over. Spivey gives Steiner a baseball slide to knock him to the outside, then BREAKS Gilbert with a POWERBOMB. Sullivan busts Gilbert’s eye open with his taped up fist, and Steiner has to run in with a chair to fuck the Varsity Club up and clear the ring.
My Thoughts: This match was obviously rushed and was worked as such. They did everything after the match in fast forward it seemed. It was pretty good, too. Very short, but short and sweet works. Remember how I reviewed the match between these two teams the day before? It was never mentioned. So, Gilbert and Steiner jobbed in a non-title match only to win a 4 minute match. Very strange. I have a feeling this feud is over, and hopefully when they get a longer match at WrestleWar ’89, they make something happen. **.
Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat in a BEST 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH for the NWA Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is a perfect circumstance, perfect gimmick for the match, and all that. Lex Luger was supposed to face Jack Victory, but that shit got bumped. This match needed the full hour, brother. Most everyone expected a draw heading into the match. The time limit was one hour. For my money, this is the greatest wrestling match I’ve ever seen. The caveat is, I have never given the WrestleWar match the full attention that it deserved. It has never stopped holding up, it never will stop holding up. The hour long style is also my preferred route of putting on a match between two wrestlers like this. Only the best can pull it off and these are the best. The review is necessary, but everyone on the planet should have the opinion that this match is one of the best ever. I can’t stand Steamboat coming out with his wife and kid, though. Terry Funk is on commentary with Jim Ross for this one!
Fall #1: These two lock it up, and Steamboat slaps Flair. That’s a good start! Flair uses a drop toe-hold to take Steamboat down, but Steamboat comes back with some good amateur wrestling and another slap. You can’t hold Steamboat down, brother. He puts a headlock on Flair, it gets reversed into a Flair wristlock, and they fight over it. They tangle up in the ropes, and Flair tells Tommy Young that Steamboat had pulled his hair. Steamboat gives Flair a hip toss, then takes him down with a headlock for 2. They stay in the headlock, until Flair reaches the ropes. Now, the chops start. Flair and Steamboat destroy each other with a few, and Steamboat gives Flair a hip toss and flying head-scissors. He follows with a dropkick, then back to the headlock for 2. Steamboat gives Flair a few knee drops to the head, then Flair reaches the ropes. The chops start again, and Steamboat gives Flair a backdrop as well. After another dropkick, the champion covers for 2. Steamboat tries a cradle, it gets 2, then he clotheslines Flair. He uses a big headlock takeover for another 2 count, then starts using a front face-lock. Flair falls down after some chops and gets covered for 2, then gives Steamboat an inverted atomic drop. Finally some offense for the former champion. Steamboat comes back with a chop for 2, and a shoulderblock for 2. After another one, a double chop gets 2. Action is picking up! Flair takes a breather on the floor, as Jim Ross states the other two title matches will be on World Championship Wrestling instead of this telecast. That’s just great. We enter another chopping war, with Steamboat getting the better of it for another 2 count. Steamboat suplexes Flair in from the apron, and tries a splash only to have it blocked. Flair capitalizes with a double underhook suplex, it gets 2. He tries hard to continue to hold Steamboat down, but Steamboat kips up and they exchange chops. Steamboat misses a dropkick, so Flair goes for the figure-four! Steamboat reverses into a cradle, Flair reverses into one of his own, and that gets 3 at 19:33! He won the first fall!
Fall #2: After a commercial, it’s time for the second fall. Looks like Steamboat worked so hard in that fall that he’s now going bald. These two lock up again, and Steamboat gives Flair a press slam after some rope running. He heads up top, and comes down with a flying chop for 2. Flair replies with a back suplex, and a knee drop after that. He misses another, and Steamboat starts dropping elbows on Flair’s leg. Like, 10 of them. Finally he puts a FIGURE-FOUR on Flair, which Funk thinks will lead to a fall. When does it ever? Flair reaches the ropes, so Steamboat decides to put on a Boston crab after pulling him away. Flair reaches the ropes again, and takes Flair down with a headlock. They work to Steamboat bridging up to a backslide, it gets 2. This match is just too much. Flair and Steamboat head to the outside for the first time, and Flair throws Steamboat hard into the steel railing. He bodyslams Steamboat too, then sends him into the rail again. Flair suplexes Steamboat back in fron the apron, it gets 2. Flair wraps Steamboat in an abdominal stretch, then drops down for a pin that gets 2. He cheats by placing his feet on the ropes for multiple 2 counts, then finally he stops. Steamboat flips through a back suplex and cradles Flair up for 2, then gets wrecked with a chop. Flair gets 2 after that, and decides to head up top. Steamboat crotches him and gives him a SUPERPLEX, then starts going to work on the back. JR does a great job talking about Flair’s previously broken back immediately after the superplex, as Steamboat puts Flair in a DOUBLE CHICKEN WING, causing Flair to give at 34:14. That’s the first time I’ve seen a star submit the entire time I’ve been doing these! One more fall!
Fall #3: We come back from the commercial with Steamboat getting poked in the eye, that’s quite a good star. Flair clips him from behind, and Steamboat has to come back with chops for a 2 count. There are 25 minutes left in the time limit, by the way. Steamboat gives Flair another backdrop, Flair gives him a shin-breaker though. A kick to the face puts Steamboat down, and Flair puts on the FIGURE-FOUR. Sadly, Steamboat immediately reaches the ropes. Steamboat and Flair hit each other with the hardest chops imaginable, and Flair gets sent upside down into the corner. He runs down the apron and Steamboat hits him with a double chop! He begs for time, which allows him the opportunity to surprise Steamboat with a trip and pin with feet on the ropes for a 2 count. Love the cheating right there. Steamboat runs into a big boot, then misses a charge after whipping Flair into another corner. Well, damn. Steamboat’s leg got caught in the ropes during that, and Flair decided to go to work on the knee. After giving it a knee drop and some pulls, he slaps on the FIGURE-FOUR! Steamboat works the crowd into it by pounding the mat, and he reaches the ropes.Both guys roll to the outside, giving Flair the opportunity to ram Flair’s leg into the edge of the apron. Steamboat and Flair continue to crush each others chests with chops, then Flair gets sent upside down in the corner again. This time he runs the apron and comes off the top with a cross body, it gets 2! Wow! Steamboat tries a slam, but Flair falls on top for another 2 count. 15 minutes remain, and Steamboat gives Flair a running headbutt. Steamboat heads up top for the second time, down with his own flying body press for 2. That move won him the title! Steamboat misses an elbow drop, but gives Flair a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Flair tosses Steamboat to the outside, I guess he needed a break. Steamboat comes in from the apron with a sunset flip, and it gets 2. Flair puts Steamboat in a sleeper, and jumps on his back to put even more pressure on him. Steamboat hasn’t fallen asleep yet, and is simply not going to. He gets up, and ducks down to cause Flair to run himself into the turnbuckle. Flair falls out of the ring, and Steamboat doesn’t know where he is, so Flair attacks Steamboat from behind. Steamboat comes back with an enziguri, that gets another near fall. I think Tommy Young is getting tired. Steamboat heads up top, as JR starts taking shots at Hulk Hogan for posing. He didn’t mention the name, but everyone knows what he meant. Steamboat misses a big splash, so Flair rams his knee into the mat. Makes sense. Flair continues with the chops, as Steamboat looks to be just about done. That’s amazing selling. Steamboat hits Flair with the hardest chop I’ve ever seen, that’s one way to put a stop to Flair’s offense. Steamboat takes him out with a few more, and tries to give Flair 10 punches in the corner. He can’t, so Flair tries an inverted atomic drop and it gets blocked. Steamboat gives Flair a clothesline for 2, but Flair takes over with an elbow and gives him a back suplex. Flair puts Steamboat in the middle of the ring, and decides to head up top. For the first time in the match, Flair gets slammed down from the top! I can’t believe they waited 54 minutes to bust out that spot, that’s amazing. Steamboat goes for the CHICKEN WING once again, falls down due to presumed exhaustion, and both guys shoulders are on the mat for the count at 55:32. Or were they? Steamboat’s shoulder was raised, so he’s the winner! Flair’s foot was under the ropes, so that shouldn’t have happened!
In the back, we have Jim Ross with our champion, Ricky Steamboat. Don’t know how he could do an interview after that, but he did say that Flair should move on. Ouch. Jim Ross brings up the controversial aspect of this match, then it was made clear that Flair should not have lost. It is then announced that an enquiry will be made into the situation, and that something may come of it. Steamboat being the big man, he says that Flair has the right to complain. Everybody knows what’s going to come of that..it’s one last match at WrestleWar ’89! That’s the end of the show!
My Thoughts: I’m sure everyone thought that match was going to end in a draw. That was a perfectly booked match from all perspectives, they made sure Flair had an out for his second rematch. It’s hard to come up with superlatives for this match because it was one of those things that was too good. I don’t really know how they came up with the stuff in this match. Having Flair submit was a huge moment, but the finish was even better. I’ve still never seen a better wrestling match. There was no garbage, no run-ins, not ref bumps, none of that mess. They tore things up. The crowd also reacted to Steamboat the way that the NWA initially wanted. The pop for him was pretty large even though they were in an empty, cavernous NFL stadium. Wonder how cheap the Superdome was to book, that’s the only explanation for the show having been there. ***** and the absolute highest recommendation. If you haven’t watched this, do it now.
Perhaps one reason for the better (I won’t say good) booking on this show was that George Scott got dumped by the NWA. According to the WON, Jim Barnett, Jim Herd, Jim Ross, Eddie Gilbert, Kevin Sullivan, and Ric Flair took his place as the booking team. I’m sure that did not last long. Scott did a terrible job booking finishes, it really can’t be understated. It’s crazy that Flair was going through the trouble of booking the show and wrestling on it, that’s really quite a difficult job. The last two matches being completely dropped is actually a pretty large issue. There was no reason for Sting and Lex Luger to be dropped for Bob Orton and Dick Murdoch. They could have allocated that time much differently. They also could have shaved time from the opener, which was 20 minutes long. The paid attendance for this show as 1,300 people. That’s a good sign something is killing your company. What a bad decision to run the show in this building. Another thing that absolutely must be mentioned, is that the WWF got in advertisement right after the main event where they plugged their phone line. Talk about a disaster. It happened two years in a row! As for the show itself, it started off well with the first two matches and had a crappy middle act, but the three title matches were all very entertaining. The biggest bonus to me is that unlike Saturday Night’s Main Events, these are wrestling shows. Next up, it’s across the way to WrestleMania V, which aired at the exact same time as this.
Wrestling Time: 2:00:23. That’s a TON of wrestling, almost half taken up by one match.
Best: Flair vs. Steamboat. Duh.
Worst: Ranger Ross vs. Iron Sheik. This was hilarious, but it wasn’t supposed to be.
Card Rating: I’m going to give this the same rating as Chi-Town Rumble, an 8/10. The entertainment value was too high to give less, even though the matches weren’t as good.
