Sage Cortez
Time for yet another article recapping the NWA in 1989! With Clash 8 done, the NWA had some issues over how they had presented Terry Funk’s interference. A lot of people had complained about it and with good reason as the angle was quite absurd. In reality it has been a while since I’ve watched an NWA show despite how I present these articles, so I’m a bit out of the loop at the moment and need to job my memory. Going to get to the matches!
– Taped to air September 22nd, 1989, on NWA Pro, from the Civic Center in Greenwood, South Carolina
Michael Hayes (NWA Tag Team Champion, w/Jimmy Garvin) vs. Stan Lane (w/Jim Cornette)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This feud was still going, no surprise there. This was the only thing I’m watching that was taped before the Clash, as I suppose it wasn’t that essential to tape later. I find it strange that Eaton was not at ringside with his partner. The Freebirds were too corny to hate at this point, I’d say.
Match Review: These two lock up after a lot of stalling on Hayes part, and right into a set of arm drags by Lane they go. He knocks Hayes out of the ring with a clothesline, and of course Hayes will take a break. When he gets back in, he chops away at Lane to knock him down. Lane comes back with a powerslam for 1, and Hayes stalls again. He pokes Lane in the eye and throws him out of the ring, but Lane gets back in the ring quickly after and uses a sunset flip for a 2 count. I hate when the referee kicks away hands that are holding onto the ropes. The spot doesn’t make any sense to me. Lane bars up Hayes left arm, then Hayes pops him in the jaw and stomps away until Lane falls out of the ring. Garvin takes care of Lane with a right cross, then slams his head into the ring mat. Hayes picks Lane up for a bodyslam, then heads up top which he rarely does. Lane slams him down, and backdrops him. He then kicks Hayes in the gut and chest for a 2 count, as Garvin cheated by placing Hayes foot on the ropes. Hayes goes for his own pin with feet on the ropes, but the feet get spotted. Lane then gets clocked with a right hand from Garvin, and Cornette climbs into the ring and blasts Hayes with the TENNIS RACKET. Sadly, Lane gets disqualified at 6:05.
My Thoughts: Fans got to see what they wanted at least. That was nothing special, but I did like that the match had a little length to it and didn’t end in 3 minutes. *3/4.
– Taped to air September 23rd, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
SCOTT STEINER BETRAYED
Remember the events of Clash 8, where Robin Green tripped Scott Steiner? Time for that whole thing to be paid off. Scott was on a basketball court to ask Robin what happened at Clash of the Champions, and Robin pulled up in a LIMO. After she rolls down the window, there’s a discussion about Rick Steiner, who was supposed to be there for this meeting. She rolls the window up, and all of a sudden some THUGS pull him into the limo and it sounds like they’re raping him. Then, they throw him out, and one of the voices was very clearly Ron Simmons. The guy continues to stomp on Scott and the camera doesn’t show their faces, then the limo drives away. BAH GAWD HE WAS ASSAULTED. This skit was terrible, really. The attack was very realistic, but the way it was presented was not. Because the attack took place outside of the wrestling arena, it was a crime, and the person filming it didn’t try to show the faces of the criminals. All in all, not good.
Later on, Scott would do an interview about the attack, and to get the angle over, he had Rick Steiner punch him in the face beforehand so that he had a real black eye. Robin Green is also going to be called WOMAN. Because of this and the plastic bag angle, there was some talk from PPV providers about dropping the next show. On top of that, Jim Herd had to talk about these two things and said that TBS was going to bring the booking under control. “THIS IS GOING TO BE A FAMILY SHOW,” he said.
Eddie Gilbert vs. “Flyin'” Brian Pillman
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is an excellent matchup, especially for TV. I don’t know exactly the reason for this babyface match, maybe we’ll find out. Gilbert has been out of the mix for a while before this match.
Match Review: Both guys shake hands, and this match is ready to start. They go into the corner and break cleanly, as Ross now explains the cause for the match. Pillman beat Gilbert when Gilbert had his foot on the bottom rope. Pillman takes Gilbert down with a hip toss, then when it’s time to break again, they refuse to do so even though the referee got between them. When they finally did, Pillman nearly takes a bad fall out of the ring, only to land on his feet and try Air Pillman, which causes Gilbert to duck out of the ring. Gilbert takes Pillman down while having him in a wristlock, which gets reversed. The fans seem to prefer Pillman. Gilbert gets out of the wristlock with a leg trip, then they lock up again and fight over a hammerlock. Gilbert ducks out of the ring, and they start arguing, which culminates in Pillman shoving Gilbert. Gilbert takes Pillman down with a headlock, it gets reversed into a head-scissors, and Gilbert gets out of that for a cover that gets 2. He and Pillman argue again, then lock up and Pillman hits Gilbert with a dropkick to send him out of the ring. Gilbert was very mad about that, and we return to the state of arguing, during which they lock up again. Gilbert hits Pillman in the gut, then in the face, so I guess the friendliness is over. Gilbert drops a knee on Pillman’s jaw, and suplexes him as well for 2. Another knee drop gets 2, then Gilbert wraps his opponent up in an abdominal stretch. Pillman gets out with a hip toss, then misses an elbow drop and Gilbert falls on top of him with a headbutt for 2. Pillman suplexes Gilbert this time, and uses a big splash for 2. Wasn’t expecting that. Pillman backdrops Gilbert, then follows with a flying back elbow that gets 2. Pillman gets hit with a knee lift, then he backdrops Gilbert over the top rope. For some reason, no DQ for that. Gilbert tries to sunset flip back into the ring, and Pillman rolls out of it and gets 3 at 11:40!
My Thoughts: I was expecting Gilbert to go heel after the loss, but nothing happened. I don’t really know what to make of the way that turned out. The match was very solid, and slowly built up. It felt like it got cut off before they could put together the right ending, so I don’t think it was great or anything like that. If it was 20 minutes, with the proper build to a finish, that could have been a great match. Instead, just **1/2. Acceptable wrestling.
– Taped to air September 30th, 1989, on NWA Pro, from the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia
The Fabulous Freebirds (NWA Tag Team Champions) vs. The Dynamic Dudes (w/Jim Cornette)
Pre-Match Thoughts: As the title here says, the NWA paired the Dudes with Jim Cornette. I don’t know what quite to make of that move yet. Either it was good because Cornette would get a babyface reaction for the Dudes or there was something else planned. I don’t remember. Cornette isn’t their manager, he’s an advisor. Okay. It’s time for the Freebirds to be pushed back at this point, too. Only been just under 3 months of them as champions but given the way the NWA puts their talent on TV, they’ve been exposed enough. They weren’t good enough in the ring for me to want to see them remain champions for longer. Freebirds had a promo before the match, which was a non-title affair. Didn’t realize that until Garvin said so.
Match Review: Ace and Hayes will begin the match, which starts with some typical Hayes antics. These two men then lock up, and bear in mind the Dudes have to earn a title shot. I bet they’ll do that by winning this match somehow. Ace takes Hayes down with an arm drag and clothesline, which only gets a 1 count. Hayes comes back with a boot to the gut, but Ace makes a blind tag and Douglas takes Hayes down with a face smash for 1. Garvin tags in for the first time, and takes Douglas down with some waistlocks. Weird. Ace tags in with a double axehandle from the top, then he takes Garvin down with a hip toss and ropkick. A bodyslam follows, but the elbow drop misses. A sunset flip by Ace gets 2, and Hayes comes back in. He hits Douglas with some punches, then misses a knee drop after some showboating. Douglas goes for a spinning toe-hold, then Ace tags in with a splash to the leg. He keeps that toe-hold on, but Hayes uses his reach to rake the eyes and get out of there. Garvin gets taken down and given the stepover toe-hold, but Garvin also rakes the eyes. Ace goes for a monkey flip, but Hayes runs over for a clothesline and now the Freebirds are in control. Garvin rams Ace into the buckle, then misses a charge to the corner like an idiot. Both guys make tags out, and Douglas uses a backdrop on Hayes. He follows that with a dropkick, it gets 2. Hayes is kicking out very early on these guys. They botch a spot, and Douglas follows with a back suplex for 2. Don’t even know what they were trying to do. The Freebirds get thrown into each other by the Dudes, and Douglas has a back elbow for Hayes that gets 2. Douglas tries a sunset flip, and once again we have that spot where the referee kicks the heel’s hands off the ropes so that the babyface can take the heel down for 2. Douglas goes for a small package, and now we have a 10 minute time limit draw. Terrible finish.
My Thoughts: This match really didn’t need that finish, as it was going pretty well and the Freebirds could have taken a loss. These four faced off again at Halloween Havoc, but the match means less because the Dudes didn’t pick up a victory to earn their shot. **1/4. Douglas in particular obviously had a LOT of potential.
– Taped to air October 7th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
Richard Sartain vs. Lex Luger (NWA US Champion)
You may be thinking, why would I review a squash match…but watch the video. Lex Luger had previously issued an open challenge for anyone to face him for his title, and Flyin’ Brian decides that he wants to take the place of Sartain in this current match. He called Luger out too, to big cheers. Pillman got in the ring, and the match started! Luger threw the referee out to the floor, and bodyslams Pillman in this UNSANCTIONED match. Pillman takes Luger down with a dropkick, then follows with chops and a backdrop. Pillman slams Luger and heads up top for a MISSILE DROPKICK, and goes to the ropes for AIR PILLMAN. He hits Luger with it, and Luger rolls out of the ring! I thought Luger was leaving the arena, but instead he got back in the ring. Pillman hits him with a flying back elbow, and takes him out with another backdrop. This time, Luger runs behind the curtain and quits the match. We then cut to a promo where Luger says that Pillman was pumped up on adrenaline, but he can’t beat him in a real match. So, Halloween Havoc it is. Oh shit, this video had the Scott Steiner blackened eye interview on it. First time I saw it!
– Taped to air October 21st, 1989, on NWA Main Event
The State Patrol vs. Ric Flair (NWA Champion) & Sting
Pre-Match Thoughts: Gotta air a match with Flair and Sting as a team on regular TV, I suppose. No complaints here! I also feel obligated to mention that Ric Flair paid a fine so that Terry Funk’s suspension would be lifted. You know how dumb that is? The typically great creative team that was in place right at that moment had started to fall off, I’d say. The State Patrol have outrageous outfits, dead ripoffs of the Big Boss Man’s. Flair and Sting were such a good attempt to replicate the Mega Powers, in my opinion. I really wanted to watch a match with both these guys in it, even though it will be a squash.
Match Review: Sting gets his eyes ranked by the as of yet unnamed assailant, who I believe is Lt. Col. James Earl Wright. Sting hits that guy with a hip toss and dropkick, so Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker tags in. He drives Sting back to the corner, and the State Patrol takes him out with a double shoulderblock. They try a double clothesline, but Sting breaks it and smashes both their faces into the mat. He comes off the top with a cross body onto Wright, it gets 2. Flair tags in, gives Wright an atomic drop, then a back suplex. He goes to work on the leg as well, then tags in Sting for a kick that was very low. Parker tags back in and goes for an armbar, but Sting uses strength to break out of it and he tags out. Flair destroys this guy with chops, then drops a knee on him. He follows with an inverted atomic drop, then tags his buddy back in for a leg drop. Sting gives this poor sap a delayed vertical suplex, then drills him with a back elbow. Flair comes back into the match, and demands that Wright tag in and get his share of the punishment. He does that, and gets thrown out to the floor. Flair throws him into the rail, and suplexes him as well. Flair as a babyface was a lot of fun. Sting tags and drops Wright on the railing, then sends him back in. He sends Wright to the corner for the STINGER SPLASH, and there it is! He wraps him up in the SCORPION DEATHLOCK, and that gets the victory for Sting and Flair at 6:48.
My Thoughts: That was an extended squash, but it’s one of the best squash matches I’ve ever seen. Had great spots for both Sting and Flair, and put over Sting’s finisher that he never seems to finish anybody legitimate with. Regardless, this was good hype for THUNDERDOME, which was just a week away at this point.
– Taped to air October 27th, 1989, on the POWER HOUR
Dan Spivey (w/Teddy Long) vs. Road Warrior Animal (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: This is a CAPTAIN’S match in anticipation of the tag team match that would take place the following day. I don’t expect a spectacular match but I’m sure there’s going to be a good angle to towards the match between these two teams at Halloween Havoc. I wish this match had been Hawk facing Sid.
Match Review: Spivey stalls for a bit, which is probably needed to make sure this match can fill the time needed. These two titans lock up, and run into each other like TWO BIG TRUCKS. They do it again, and Spivey follows with a slam. Animal comes back with a clothesline to knock Spivey out of the ring, and when Spivey gets back in, Animal takes him down with a monkey flip. Spivey tries to come back by working on the arm, but Animal kicks him in the face to knock him down. Spivey tries his own big boot, and Animal trips him before dropping an elbow on the leg. Animal follows with a powerslam, then heads to the outside to finally deal with Long. Long tries hitting him with a chair, which provides enough distraction for Spivey to leap off the apron and hit Animal before throwing him into the rail. Ellering chased Long away and all, but that was ineffective. Spivey plants Animal with a side slam in the ring, it only got 2. Spivey clotheslines Animal in the corner, then knocks him out of the ring with a baseball slide. He then rams Animal’s back into the apron, and Animal misses a rush to the corner when they get back in. That was his only chance for offense. Long chokes Animal with the second rope, then Ellering chases him around the ring again. Animal does kick Spivey in the chest, but that doesn’t change momentum. A suplex by Animal does just that, and he hits Spivey with a clothesline as well. He dropkicks Spivey, then follows with a flying shoulderblock. He goes to work on him with punches, but here comes SID out from the back, leading to a DQ at about 9:30.
They tag Animal with a double clothesline, but of course out comes HAWK, who conveniently has face paint on. He and his partner clear the ring of these giants, as Jim Ross sells the PPV. Why, of course!
My Thoughts: This match was a LOT better than I expected, but it did end the way I expected. The finish was the right thing to do so they could put over how heated the rivalry was and attempt to sell PPV’s during the brawl. Good power spots here, but a lack of selling. That’s exactly what you’d expect. Good crowd involvement too with the managers working their spots too. **1/2. With a clean finish, I would have rated this higher. Now to skip past Halloween Havoc for 2 matches…
– Taped to air November 10th, 1989, on the Power Hour, from Georgia Mountain Center in Gainesville, Georgia
Norman the Lunatic (w/Teddy Long) vs. Tommy Rich
Pre-Match Thoughts: I think this is going to be important as Norman and Long had teased a breakup for a while do to Long’s mistreatment of him. I don’t particularly care about Tommy Rich one way or the other even though he had that match with Lex Luger. What a match it was! Rich seems to age years every month.
Match Review: Norman seems a bit preoccupied with a teddy bear, which was given to him by a fan at ringside. These two get it going with Rich evading clubbing blows, and Norman getting caught up in staring at the teddy bear again. He slams Rich and goes back to the teddy bear, then misses a leg drop. Norman slams Rich again and heads up to the second rope, then gets distracted again. Rich rolls him up for 2, and slams him as well. This gimmick is hilarious, I have to say. He snaps and goes after Rich to hit him with big right hands, then clotheslines him. Norman powerslams Rich for 2, then squashes him in the corner for good measure. Rich comes back with a series of right hands, then he and Norman do a sloppy backdrop. Don’t think Norman can do that bump. A knee lift knocks Norman down, then he gets rammed into the buckle. Rich gets thrown to the outside and grabs the teddy bear, and of course when Norman notices it, he stops in his tracks. HAHA! He lays down with the bear, and Rich covers him for 3 at 4:29! Long then threatens Norman with that big gold key, but there’s no turn yet. Damn.
My Thoughts: I realized I didn’t even post thoughts about this match on the night of writing it. This was only notable for Norman’s tease of a turn and that’s it. Rich stunk, but I did like the finish! *1/2.
– Taped to air November 11th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
DR. DEATH VS. SID (w/Teddy Long)
Pre-Match Thoughts: THE NAMES ON THE MARQUEE, BROTHER. This should be a hell of a match, not because it’s going to be a great match, but because I’m going to really enjoy watching it and that’s all that matters. I linked it cause I think everyone would want to see it. This sounds awesome on all levels.
Match Review: These two future legends do a staredown, and shove each other before trading BOMBS. YES. Sid powerslams Doc for 2, then misses a charge to the corner and Doc plants him with a GERMAN SUPLEX. BAH GAWD THE WORKRATE. Doc covers for 2, then misses his own charge to the corner and Sid destroys him with a clothesline. He chokes Doc with the top rope, then clotheslines him again. Sid throws Williams out to the floor, and rushes out there to throw him back in. Bit nonsensical, that was. He side slams Doc for 2, then goes to a chinlock. Doc gets out and clotheslines the big man, then hits him with a bunch of right hands and a bodyslam. He football tackles Sid into the corner, then misses a rush to the corner and Sid flies over the top with a failed clothesline. Doc jumps off the apron with a double axehandle, then they brawl with each other until Dan Spivey comes out. Obviously, that’s a disqualification. SHIT. They double team Doc for a while, and someone really needs to come save the guy. The heat is building up to it, too. HERE COMES THE JOBBERS! The Skyscrapers throw them out of the ring, and do the same to another set of jabronis. They hit Doc with a double clothesline, and hold the ring until Norman comes out from the back and gives Dr. Death a giant teddy bear. HAHA.
My Thoughts: This was another match that was far better than you’d expect, even with it being quite short. Sid looked really good in there, obviously he was carried and Doc made sure to get both guys spots in, but that’s beside the point. I think somebody should have went in to save Doc, wasn’t smart to do the opposite of that in my book. **, watch the video. Norman’s involvement was pretty stupid if I’m being honest, as it shitted up something that was supposed to be serious.
There were some things about Halloween Havoc that I never talked about, and seeing as that was the next show I’m watching which I have not reviewed, I should mention them. Bruno Sammartino was advertised to be the special referee for THUNDERDOME. Apparently, the company also wanted to bring him in as a commentator, but he didn’t want to go out on the road again. Ole Anderson was also brought in to corner Flair and Sting in that match. And, as we know, he was brought in for other stuff as well. Whatever could it be. Anyway, that’s next, and I’m going to get right over to watching it.
Best: Nothing in particular, which was the problematic thing about the NWA at this time. They weren’t setting the world on fire with any of their TV stuff, but their specials were outstanding. I do like the tease of Cornette and the Midnight Express splitting up, though.
Worst: The Freebirds were particularly annoying. Don’t like the way the booking stagnated either.
