Sage Cortez
Alright, so we’re back to March 1990 for the NWA, and it’s safe to say there’s going to be a lot of stuff here. I don’t remember if I mentioned previously that Tony Schiavone was going to return, but yeah, he was going to return. He belonged on Turner’s programming. One problem though, was the list of injuries. It hit really hard. Arn Anderson pinched a nerve in his neck. Out he goes for a while. He kept a few of his bookings but it was just a matter of time. Buzz Sawyer was out after his big splash, and he never came back. Shane Douglas got injured and soon left. Dan Spivey got fired after an injury. Eddie Gilbert got hurt, finished some bookings, then left. Ricky Morton got hurt, but he’s too tough. Didn’t go anywhere. Speaking of him, let’s go to the first match!
– Taped to air March 3rd, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express
Pre-Match Thoughts: Look at the star quality here, I don’t even care about how bad this match might be. They taped this before the PPV, so on this episode they couldn’t have given away much about the results. Before the match, the Freebirds had a promo talking about their opponents. This is a total rednecks against rednecks match. Really cool.
Match Review: Gibson and Hayes are going to start the match, and Hayes misses a kick, taking a back bump on the canvas. He pinballs around getting punched by both members of the Express, then retreats to his corner. Garvin tags in there, as does Morton, and Morton nails him with a dropkick after some rope running. Hayes tags in, and gets taken down with a Thesz press. Gibson tags in for a double elbow, and Garvin makes a switch in too. He knees Gibson down low, and backdrops him. Hayes makes his way in, swings away with right hands, and clotheslines Gibson in the corner. He throws Gibson to the outside, then into the rail he goes. Hayes slugs Morton to knock him off the apron, then Garvin tags in there for some double team attacks. He puts a chinlock on Gibson once they’re over, and Hayes comes in for a sleeper! Gibson gets out of it, and uses a back suplex to take Hayes down. Hayes stops a tag by elbow dropping Gibson, then he goes for a suplex that Gibson reverses into his own. Garvin tags in for a clothesline, rams Gibson into the buckle, then he pounds away with right hands. Gibson comes back with a sunset flip, only gets 2. Garvin goes back to the chinlock, then Hayes tags in for a bodyslam. Hayes heads up top, and hits Gibson with a double shot. Missed spot, I think. Gibson rams Hayes’ face into the mat, and finally makes the tag out! Morton comes in with his usual, including a cross body that has Garvin covered, only for the referee to not be ready for it. Garvin then hits Hayes on accident, and Morton rolls him up for the 3 count at 10:59!
After the match, Hayes knocks Gibson out of the ring, and the Freebirds hit Morton with a double clothesline. The Freebirds follow that with a double DDT, and Morton is down for the count until Gibson runs in with a chair to chase the Freebirds out of the ring.
My Thoughts: So, I guess the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express are sticking around. This was a good way to start a feud off, they needed something for both teams to do. I actually prefer this to seeing the Freebirds in something else. **1/4 seems like a fair rating, they could do better but who knows if they actually did. I’ll find out. Right after this, Michael Hayes got busted on a drug test and suspended. Ha.
– Taped to air March 10th, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from Jaffa Mosque in Altoona, Pennsylvania
The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) vs. The Z-Man & Brian Pillman for the NWA United States Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match might rule. I feel really good about this one, five talented guys out at ringside can make something happen. Maybe they’ll try to tear the house down. Given that this TV taping was on the road, they have people who they need to make sure come back to the arena next time. The fans went crazy for the white meat babyfaces, seems like a hot crowd!
Match Review: Eaton and Pillman begin the match, and Eaton has a problem with the officiating. Pillman arm drags him, and the accusations of hair pulling continue. No way this white meat would cheat. Eaton slaps him, and takes him to the corner for an early SUPERPLEX that Pillman reverses. Wow! Eaton hip tosses him, and Pillman hits him with a dropkick in response. He follows with a flying head-scissors, and Lane tries to get on the top rope only for Zenk to shake it and crotch him. Slick spot. Eaton takes Pillman down and knee drops him, then Lane tags in and gets arm dragged. Zenk tags in for an elbow, then goes for a cradle that gets 2. He takes Lane down with an arm drag, but Lane gets up and flips through a slam, only for Zenk to toss him out of the ring. Lane also teased hitting Cornette, he wasn’t too happy. Sadly, we head to a commercial.
Back from that commercial, it appears that nothing was cut out of the match. Eaton tags in, and Zenk slams him down. He hip tosses Eaton, then does the same to Lane, again to Eaton and again to Lane. A noggin-knocker by Zenk follows that, and Pillman tags in for a DOUBLE AIR PILLMAN! Great way to clear the ring. Eaton gets back in, and Pillman cradles him up for a 2 count. Lane sneaks in for a throw into the ropes that gets after Pillman’s throat, then a swinging neckbreaker from Eaton gets 2. He does the same again for 2, and Lane tags in for his own swinging neckbreaker. Lane kicks Pillman in the throat, then clotheslines him. Out he goes, and Eaton covers for 2. Pillman flips through a side slam for his own bodyslam, but he misses an elbow drop. He then blocks a bodyslam and gets a 2 count, but Lane makes a tag in and draws Zenk in with a big right hand. The Midnights keep double teaming, then Lane chokes Pillman at the ropes. Pillman tries a sunset flip, but Cornette provides the distraction. Eaton tags in, and there’s the drop toe-hold and elbow drop combination for 2. The action here is REALLY fast. Pillman gets thrown to the outside, so Lane hits him and sends him back in. Eaton then misses a charge to the corner and crotches himself, what a spot that was. Time for a tag, right? Yes, it is! Zenk heads in, and cleans house with right hands. He hits Lane with a dropkick, then puts a SLEEPER on him. All four guys are in, and there’s a distraction, so Cornette CLOBBERS Zenk for a DQ after 11 minutes of great action.
After the match, the Midnights double team Pillman, hitting him with a few double clotheslines. Lane then holds Pillman up, Cornette puts the racket on Pillman’s throat, and Eaton comes off the top with a LEG DROP onto Pillman’s throat. Cornette then destroys jobbers who try to help Pillman, and this is really awesome stuff. After more shots from the racket to Pillman’s throat, out comes THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL EXPRESS from the back to get the Midnight Express out of there, and Cornette steals the tag belts. Man, what a bastard.
My Thoughts: I really thought that was great, and what a good angle to follow the match. It was a little hard to get the Midnight Express booed…until that. Now, anyone booing them looks just as bad as them. It was a great way to go about things. There was a lot of action in the match, but they didn’t give away too much as they were obviously building towards a match at the PPV. The only problem with this was that it was awfully similar to the other tag program they had just started. That isn’t that big a deal either. ***1/4, nicely done. The Midnight Express were apparently not happy at all about the way this angle was treated, as it was brushed under the rug. It was apparently likely they’d be gone after Capital Combat. Fortunately, not quite yet!
– Taped to air March 17th, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from Jaffa Mosque in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan vs. Norman the Lunatic & Mike Rotunda
Pre-Match Thoughts: There is nothing that makes sense about Norman and Rotunda tagging up. In fact, you’d think this is a time for a double-cross because Rotunda and Sullivan never really broke up. I’m watching this because it’s Cactus Jack, obviously. They haven’t booked him well, but I need to see it. Sullivan and Cactus even had a promo before the match! So did Norman and Rotunda, and WHAT THE FUCK THIS GUY IS WEARING A CAPTAIN’S HAT. CAPTAIN MIKE ROTUNDA IN FULL EFFECT! Sullivan had a damn butcher’s apron on during his entrance. The babyfaces entered to “SHOUT.” This is like a damn parody of a wrestling match, this is completely surreal. Easy to see Jim Herd got the book!
Match Review: Rotunda and Cactus start the match, and Cactus bodyslams him. He follows with a hip toss, and look. This guy can wrestle! Cornette pointed out that Cactus turned on Rotunda during a tag match, which explains this. Rotunda hip tosses Cactus, then Sullivan runs in and gets knocked out of the ring. Back to square one with Cactus and Rotunda, and Cactus goes for the CACTUS CLOTHESLINE only for him to take a massive bump over the top when it misses. Then Sullivan runs over there and slaps him, so he better get back in there. Norman tags in for the first time, backdrops Cactus, and bites him too. He bodyslams Cactus, then drops a big leg on him. Rotunda tags back in and elbows Cactus from the top, then he wrenches the leg after teasing a low blow. Sullivan hits Rotunda as he runs the ropes, then he makes a tag in and bodyslams him. He puts Rotunda in a bear hug, then drives him into the corner before putting it back on. Cactus makes an illegal switch in and throws Rotunda over the top rope, then Sullivan grabs Norman’s TEDDY BEAR. After stomping on it, Norman chases Sullivan around the ring, and Cactus drops an elbow on it. I busted out laughing at that, great stuff. Sullivan backdrops Rotunda, then Cactus drops a knee for 2. Cactus clotheslines Rotunda for 2, then he goes for a suplex that Rotunda reverses into his own. Sullivan tags in to cut Rotunda off, and blocks a charge to the corner. These guys then collide with each other, and Norman makes a big tag in. He rips his shirt, crotches Sullivan on the top rope, and slams Cactus. He dropkicks Sullivan, and all four men are in now. Norman throws Cactus over the top at 7:54, and that’s a DQ. NORMAN DOESN’T KNOW THE RULES THOUGH!
My Thoughts: This was just good fun. The spots with the teddy bear were absolutely hilarious, I haven’t laughed that loudly while watching wrestling in quite a while. The way Norman lost also fit his character perfectly. Sometimes, something can be really stupid and it can work anyway. This worked. Really enjoyed the way that went down, ** as it wasn’t good wrestling, though.
– Taped to air March 24th, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from Marietta, Georgia
Well, before getting into the match I have planned to watch, the day before this was important for another reason. In Chicago, Lex Luger was scheduled to win the NWA Championship. Off TV, before the PPV match, and all that. The story goes that it was supposed to happen in St. Louis on March 24th, but the NWA got paranoid and changed the date. Then, in Ric Flair’s contract, it said that he needed ample notice before dropping his title. That he needed to be informed. Once he was told that he was going to drop his title, he made a power play. A video crew was flown in to tape the title change, but it never happened. My opinion is that changing the title in a match that isn’t televised in full and advertised is really dumb unless the champion is hurt. Especially at that time, it was a lot of lost money. And why not put Luger over on PPV? I just don’t get it. In the end, Flair said he’d lose the title if Jim Herd released him from his contract. As we know, there was absolutely no way that was going to happen. Yet.
Ron Simmons vs. Road Warrior Animal (w/Paul Ellering)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Also on this show was a match between Ric Flair and Ricky Morton, but I couldn’t find it. Even though Doom got destroyed at Starrcade, I don’t care. I want to see this feud. Damn, in the promo before the match, Hawk said that Doom would be better at pumping gas than wrestling. That’s rough. Hell of a promo by Hawk too. BETTER HAVE A LOW DEDUCTIBLE ON YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE. A week later, they had a Hawk vs. Butch Reed match that I’ll watch as well. Their TV wasn’t great, or they’d have made more money, but I think it was really good. Especially seeing the star power in these matches. Where is Teddy Long, anyway?
Match Review: These big men get in each other’s face, and it’s time to get this match moving. Simmons attacks from behind, and they do a great collision spot, then Animal clotheslines Simmons out of the ring. Butch Reed makes his way to ringside, I expect FIREWORKS now. Hawk’s out there too, this is going to end in a brawl. No doubt about it! Animal powerslams Simmons, then drops him with a shoulderblock. Simmons takes a while to get back in the ring, and tries an attack that Animal was ready for. Animal sends Simmons into the corner, but Simmons blocks the charge and takes over. He powerslams Animal for 2, then bodyslams him. Glad Doom isn’t wearing masks anymore. Simmons puts a chinlock on Animal and cheats by placing his feet on the bottom rope, THAT’S LOW, BROTHER. Hawk pushes the feet away, and a fight on the outside has been properly teased. Just a matter of time! Reed slugs Animal, then Simmons slams the guy. He heads up to the second rope, and flies down with a shoulderblock that misses. Animal hits Simmons with a dropkick, then Reed trips Animal for a DQ after just 5 minutes.
Hawk and Reed brawl on the outside, and out comes Teddy Long! He hits Ellering with a loaded boxing glove, and that knocks him out. Job done, I suppose.
My Thoughts: The match was nothing special, but this was a good build. What’s really dumb is that this didn’t build to shit. They took Doom in a different direction, I guess they knew the Road Warriors were leaving, and that was that. They pushed them way down the card before the PPV, but I’ll watch the Hawk/Reed match anyway when I get to it. *1/2.
– Taped to air March 25th, 1990, on NWA Main Event, from Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew II (w/Ole Anderson) vs. The Steiner Brothers (NWA Tag Team Champions)
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’m sure this won’t be a title match. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew II was a team of the Destruction Crew from the AWA, who were put under masks so nobody from the AWA would gripe about them jobbing. That team then became the Beverly Brothers, who bored the shit out of me. I don’t have any expectations for this, but Ole is their manager. So he’s still getting after the Steiner Brothers. While this is a great way to use Ole, I don’t understand why he left during this company’s hot period and came back after it. I like that Teddy Long is on commentary for this, I’ve always thought he’d be great at that job.
Match Review: I can’t tell the two masked men apart at all. Shit. Scott starts with one of them, and it’s clear that the opponent is going to go after Scott’s messed up arm. Remember WrestleWar? It’s from that. Scott takes the guy down with a hip toss, but the guy goes to work on the arm with punches. Scott blocks a hip toss attempt, and gives the guy a gutbuster for 2. The Wrecking Crew member tags in his partner, who we’ll call #2. Scott bodyslams #2, and that gets 2. He takes the guy down with arm drags, then #1 comes in for arm drags. The Steiners then slam them both, and knock them out of the ring with STEINERLINES. Rick gets powerslammed after that for a 1 count, and he comes back with a STEINERLINE. Scott tags in there and gives the guy an inverted atomic drop, so he tags out. I really hate matches like this with vague masked men. Glad those days are nearly over. Scott drills both of them with STEINERLINES, but gets thrown to the outside. Looked like he could have hurt himself taking that bump. He gets sent back in, and rammed shoulder-first into the post. The Crew cheats a lot, then makes a tag and one comes off the top with a knee to the arm. Scott then hits both guys with right hands, and Rick runs in to help him out. With all four guys in, Scott gets kneed from behind and thrown back to the outside. He gets thrown into the post, then dropped with a HAMMERLOCK SLAM on the floor. Then, very hilariously, Scott gets counted out against a team of guys we don’t even know.
My Thoughts: That finish was so bad and so dumb. They had the Steiners lose to a team that wasn’t even going to be around and had to be put under masks. I don’t know what else to say about that, and it’s not like the match was any good either. *3/4. The way this company booked things is so weird.
– Taped to air March 31st, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from FIU Arena in Miami, Florida
Butch Reed (w/Teddy Long) vs. Road Warrior Hawk (w/Paul Ellering)
This match was joined in progress. I was surprised to see Hawk actually sell a piledriver. He gave Reed a neckbreaker, and I thought that was going to be the finish. Instead, he hit him with a flying shoulderblock and signaled for a finish. After a dropkick, Long got on the apron, and had his loaded boxing glove! He called out Ron Simmons, gave him the glove, and he nailed Hawk from behind. Reed then pinned Hawk! WOW! You never see that.
– Taped to air March 31st, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling
The Cuban Assassin vs. Captain Mike Rotunda
This match has an absolutely hilarious finish, that’s why I’m watching it. It’s a continuation of the issue between Rotunda, Norman, Sullivan, and Cactus Jack. I am a little concerned about this because it’s so long, and I can’t fanthom watching a long match between these guys. Before the match, Norman talked with JR about the black wooden box at ringside. WHAT COULD BE IN THE BOX? WHAT’S IN THE BOXXXXX? You know what? Fuck it, I’m skipping.
After Rotunda wins the match, Cactus Jack runs out to ringside! He starts pointing at Rotunda, and rushes into the ring. They trade bombs, and Sullivan comes out there too. He rips the box open, and it’s ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER. OH MY GOD. Abdulash starts beating down Cactus and Sullivan with chairs, as the crowd is going crazy. Some of the bumps Cactus took for him were perfect. Hilarious to see him in this role, helping out Norman the Lunatic.
Now, around this time…there was another creative argument. And another. So much drama with this company. The first one was that Cornette had an idea where the Midnight Express would join the Four Horsemen until guys could come in to fill out the group. Then the ME would get kicked out of the Horsemen, and they’d feud with them. I don’t know if this was a good idea or not, but I’m leaning towards not. In the end, Jim Herd vetoed it. Originally the story goes that it was only supposed to be Eaton joining the Horsemen, then Cornette came up with the idea for both guys to join. When Herd had a problem with it, they nearly left, only for Herd to offer them all contracts. For now.
The second booking issue was related to Terry Funk’s position as an announcer. When Tony Schiavone came in, he got control over syndicated TV and what would happen on it. So, he wanted to change announcers. According to the WON, Terry Funk was told that they wouldn’t have Funk’s Grill at a taping, so he flew home. Chris Cruise was also told to work with Kevin Sullivan and Cruise refused, so they fired him. Funk didn’t come back after flying home. Weird company.
– Taped to air April 14th, 1990, on NWA Pro, from the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville, Georgia
Ric Flair and Lex Luger…
I don’t remember what this video even is, and I pre-screened it. Luger walks down to the ring while Flair and Woman are having an interview, and he said that Cornette needs insurance if he keeps talking. BAH GAWD. The crowd was on fire for Lex Luger, man. Flair said that if Luger gets in his face, he’s going to kick his ass. Oh boy. Luger grabs Flair, Flair slaps him, and now they’re gonna get it on. Oh shit. Flair puts Woman in the way, and she slaps Luger too. Ole Anderson then attacks Luger from behind, and gets dropped. Now it’s Flair’s turn. He chops Luger to no effect, then Luger gives him a press slam. He clotheslines Ole too, and Arn Anderson is BACK. He hits Luger with Woman’s shoe, and the Horsemen triple-team Luger with stomps. HERE COMES JOBBERS. The Horsemen beat them up too, AND HERE COMES CAPTAIN MIKE ROTUNDA AND EDDIE GILBERT. Those guys got the Horsemen out of the ring. Great angle. This video I linked continues with Flair and Woman cutting a promo on Luger. Luger’s response was actually good. At the very end, there was a Sting interview addressing bogus retirement rumors, then they drop a ROBOCOP mention. ROBOCOP. YES! I recommend watching this.
– Taped to air April 28th, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling
Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Oliver Humperdink) vs. Abdullah the Butcher (w/Captain Mike Rotunda)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Humperdink’s promo before the match was good, but when Bigelow talks, he sounds like a dope. He definitely needed work. The promo Rotunda does for Abby is just…too much. I don’t even know how to describe this trio that includes Norman as well. Total freaks. Anyway, for this one, no expectations at all. This program is just hilarious.
Match Review: Bam Bam attacks, and Abby fights back with right hands. These guys are huge! Abby throws Bam Bam to the outside, and I can see a count-out coming already. He rams Bam Bam into the steps, then they head back in. Bam Bam nails Abby with right hands, then they trade until Abby shoulderblocks Bam Bam over the top. Humperdink then goes for something in his pants, Rotunda attacks him, and Bam Bam hits Rotunda. Bam Bam gets back in the ring, and here’s Cactus Jack for a DQ after like 1:30. Sullivan and Norman run out there, what a six man tag this would be. If only it happened. In the end, Cactus got triple-teamed.
My Thoughts: Like I said, if only they followed through with that six man tag. They didn’t, so this was utterly meaningless just like so many other fun things they did. DUD for the match, but I liked the program. What happened was, Abdullah had a tour of Japan lined up, told the NWA that, and they did all this stuff anyway. Then he went on his tour. Haha.
– Taped to air April 28th, 1990, on NWA Main Event, from the Flora County Civic Center in Greenwood, Mississippi
The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express
Pre-Match Thoughts: This series just keeps on going. I’ve heard this is an excellent match, I really hope that’s true. Need one after some of the stuff I’ve just watched. While that stuff was good, it wasn’t good wrestling if that makes any sense.
Match Review: Gibson and Eaton will start it off, and they lock up. They struggle with each other until Gibson uses some arm drags, and Eaton claims his hair was pulled. Figures! They lock up again, Eaton lands some big rights, and goes for a hip toss that Gibson reverses. Gibson follows that with a flying head-scissors, and brings in Morton for a frankensteiner. He and Eaton then lock up, and Sweet Stan makes a tag in only to be arm dragged. Gibson tags in too, and they trade with each other for a bit, with Gibson getting the better of it. Lane comes back with kicks, but Gibson hits him with an enzuigiri. Morton tags in, and the crowd’s getting into it. Eaton hits him and tags back in too, and Morton goes for a flying head-scissors only for Lane to grab him and drop him on the top rope. Eaton gives Morton a backbreaker, then follows with another that has good impact. Lane tags in, and powerslams Morton for 2. He knocks Gibson off the apron, which allows for Eaton to switch in with an illegal double-team. He gives Morton a great looking running suplex, and that gets 2. Lane switches back in, and hits Morton in the gut. That’s follows by a shot to the throat, and Eaton’s back in. He uses a double underhook suplex for 2, and fights with Morton for a little bit until raking him in the eyes. Lane tags back in, and Morton tries a sunset flip, only for Cornette’s distraction to prevent a count. Eaton tags in again, and Morton reverses his suplex into one of his own. Then they pull of a ref spot that features Nick Patrick doing A LEAPFROG, and Morton hitting Eaton with a dropkick. Haven’t seen that spot before or since. Both guys make tags, and Gibson comes in with a face smash for Lane and right hands for Eaton. Morton takes Lane down with a cross body, but Eaton breaks the cover. All four fight with each other, and Cornette comes in with a racket shot that accidentally hits Eaton. Morton then shoulders Eaton to the outside, and out comes JIMMY JAM GARVIN. He drops Robert Gibson with a DDT, and Stan Lane makes the cover for the win! Great finish!
My Thoughts: This match owned. It was about 10 minutes long, and both teams went all out. There were also some great spots, and they didn’t resort to a DQ finish. This worked for me. The interference was perfectly building towards Capital Combat, and I almost didn’t notice Michael Hayes distracting Ricky Morton. He did though, so this became a 7 man affair. Good match, ***1/2. The referee spot was something unique too.
– Taped to air May 5th, 1990, on Worldwide, from Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia
Ric Flair (NWA Champion, w/Ole Anderson) vs. Lex Luger (NWA US Champion, w/Sting)
Pre-Match Thoughts: The way this company runs matches like this on TV is both awesome and dumb at the same time. In this case, more awesome than dumb. It’s a non-title match, and it could absolutely tear the house down. I think they did this match to try to revitalize interest in the program. The funniest thing of all is that I’m so hyped for this match that I’d pay to watch it right NOW. Flair is tanned to a ridiculous degree and he’s sporting a pony tail, funny look. No Woman at ringside.
Match Review: The bell rings, and it’s time. Oh shit, given away on free TV. Flair goes to the eyes and throws Luger out of the ring, then chops away only for Luger to not feel it. Luger and Flair get back in the ring, and Luger takes him down with a hip toss. Luger takes a charge at Flair for a clothesline, and flies out over the top. Flair follows and rams Luger into the rail, and he cracks him on the way back in. Tony Schiavone has been really good on commentary for this. Flair and Sting then argue with each other, and Ole hits Luger as that’s going on. I think this got clipped given how much both guys are sweating, but I don’t know. Flair chops away at the big guy, but Luger returns the favor with punches until being poked in the eye. Luger tries a backslide, and it gets 2. He clotheslines Flair too, and nails him with a second as Flair runs out of the corner. That got a really close 2 count. Luger misses an elbow drop, and Flair misses a knee drop. Luger then puts a good FIGURE-FOUR on Flair, much better than last time! Flair reaches the ropes, and Flair jumps into Luger with another rake of the eyes. He heads up top, and Luger slams him down! Luger signals for THE RACK, but takes Luger to the corner for something else. Looks like a SUPERPLEX! Now Luger REALLY signals for the RACK, and Ole gets in the ring for a DQ after 8:40.
Arn Anderson runs out ot the ring, and BARRY WINDHAM runs out from the back to attack Sting. WHAT A RETURN. He gets in there and clobbers Luger, NOW WE HAVE FOUR HORSEMEN! Flair attacks Sting too, where’s the help at? Flair wants to damage Sting’s leg even worse, so he puts a figure-four on it until the Steiner Brothers, Eddie Gilbert, Brian Pillman, and the Z-Man rush out from the back.
My Thoughts: Now that’s how you do a match before a PPV. Great action with nuclear heat and a major angle at the end of it. They’ve done a lot to build this PPV up to be great, now it’s just a matter of it all coming off right. I haven’t watched Capital Combat 1990 before. All I know is that Robocop shows up in the main event. That’s it. Luger and Flair had such good chemistry, it’s too bad Luger went downward once this feud was over. He was primed for a title change even more after this, and a cage match is the right way to do it. ***1/4. Almost lost in the shuffle was that Barry Windham came back. That was a great signing, can’t wait to see him work more. The Horsemen weren’t done yet, either…
– Taped to air May 12th, 1990, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan vs. The Southern Boys
Pre-Match Thoughts: The Southern Boys were a hell of a team, nice to see them brought in. I think they’ll give us some great matches. Right before this show happened, there was an episode of Family Feud that had guys from the NWA on it. Another smart move, great for publicity. The Southern Boys having a Confederate flag makes them heels in my eyes regardless of how fans at the time thought of him. Maybe I should have listed them first as I customarily do for heels.
Match Review: Looks like Cactus Jack and Tracy Smothers will start this. Cactus hits him with a knee, then Smothers dodges a charge and flies off the top with a cross body for 2. A dropkick follows that, and the Southern Boys then give Sullivan and Cactus stereo bodyslams. Sullivan gets the attention of Cactus with a slap, so the match continues. Steve Armstrong backdrops Sullivan, then hits both opponents with dropkicks and that’s followed with a double dropkick to Cactus. Poor guy. Smothers is back in there, and Cactus gives him the CACTUS CLOTHESLINE! Unbelievable spot, especially when Foley still had his athleticism. He rams Smothers into the buckle, then gets a charge to the corner blocked with a boot. Smothers makes a tag out, and Armstrong comes in with a noggin-knocker to his opponents. They set Cactus up for an ELEVATED MISSILE DROPKICK, and Sullivan has to break up the cover. He throws Smothers over the top, and that’s a DQ at 3:17.
Sullivan puts Armstrong in the TREE OF WOE, and both heels pound on him for a bit. Cactus drops Smothers with a high knee, and here comes Norman to make the save! This is hilarious. Bam Bam attacks Norman from behind, then CAPTAIN MIKE heads out there. Lastly, ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER runs out, and the babyfaces use the advantage to clear the ring.
My Thoughts: The Southern Boys looked really good. Lots of athleticism on display. It’s funny that this tied back to the feud with Abdullah that was never able to go anywhere. I think comedy feuds like that, and who knows if this was intended to be one, can provide a good relief from the other, more serious things on a wrestling card. That was fun once again. **.
SOMEBODY JOINS THE FOUR HORSEMEN!
I don’t know who thought of this, but I have an idea, and maybe I’ll find out and say who did at the end of the article. The Horsemen were with Jim Ross to reveal a surprise, who was going to be their fourth active wrestling member! Flair called him the TRUMP CARD. Ole then revealed…SID VICIOUS. THE NEW HORSEMAN! For whatever reason, Sid was wearing a tuxedo. Glad to see him back from his injury, IT’S TIME TO WATCH GREATNESS. Sid dropped some verbal bombs on ROBOCOP, and said he was the REAL MAN OF STEEL. At the end, Flair goes into an insane rant, and says he’s going to BREAK STING’S LEG AGAIN. Awesome video.
That was a lot of stuff, wasn’t it? Some really great things there. Of course, I have news. Right before Capital Combat, Paul E. Dangerously made his return! He was brought in to eventually manage our favorite guy, MEAN MARK CALLOUS. Callous was also given THE HEART PUNCH as his finishing move. I hope I get to watch a match against a legitimate opponent where he uses it. Apparently Callous was being built up to challenge for the NWA Title. Imagine if that had gone down. Shane Douglas leaving was due to him not wanting to do a clean job to Mean Mark. What a dork. Terry Funk was supposed to officiate the Flair-Luger match at Capital Combat before he left. There was also an incident in New Jersey. Road Warrior Hawk was forced to take a physical before his match, and his heartbeat was too fast. Probably due to steroid use, you know. Lex Luger also had a staph infection and it was a close call whether or not he’d make the PPV. Imagine if he didn’t.
It was also time for a new booker to be hired. Beforehand, supposedly Bill Watts was the front runner. They also looked at Dusty Rhodes, and the supposed list had Jerry Jarrett on it. Maybe we’d have seen Jeff Jarrett pushed years before it actually happened, if that had. In the end, Ole Anderson got the job. We all know about Ole’s booking because so many people have criticized it. I have not ever seen a single thing he’s booked. So, I’ll find out for myself. Next up for me though, is SNME #26. I wanted to jump ahead because nothing that happened between WrestleMania and that was pertinent to that show. I’ll go back to review the events from the WWF in April some time afterward. Writing this article was a lot of fun!
Best: The Four Horsemen becoming a unit again. Oh yes, this by far was the best. Flair, Windham, Arn, and Sid was an interesting fit for sure.
Worst: Um, technically, the six way feud with Norman, Captain Mike, Abdullah, Cactus, Sullivan, and Bam Bam. But this was so bad it was good. Really good.
