Sage Cortez
Now that perhaps the greatest PPV ever was in the books, the NWA had the task of maintaining their momentum and keeping things moving forward. A lot of their talent had suffered injuries, and Ricky Steamboat was out of the picture due to a contract squabble. The latter may severely impact their momentum, the other things probably should not. They also brought a few guys back or increased the prominence of their roles. The Great Muta in particular has been pushed to the main event level, it would seem. Speaking of him, the TV Title was held up at the Bash, and we’ll see where that goes as well.
– Taped to air July 29th, 1989, on World Wide
The Iron Sheik vs. Rick Steiner (w/Missy Hyatt & Scott Steiner)
Pre-Match Thoughts: The Iron Sheik was brought back because at some point it was decided that his firing was unfair. Before the match starts, Scott Steiner has some things to say about his brother, putting him over. Not as good as Scott’s future promos. The Steiners entered to “Welcome to the Jungle,” that’s a good touch. Jim Ross called attention to Rick wearing two different boots. Geez.
Match Review: Sheik chokes Steiner to begin the match, wrapping his tunic around him. Sheik looked so fat by this point, he needed to put a shirt on. Steiner takes him out with a clothesline, and tries to hold him in place for Scott to hit the Sheik. Dude, this isn’t a tag match. Rick then gives Sheik a German suplex for 2, and they both get in an amateur wrestling position for Steiner to headbutt Sheik. Sheik comes back with a shot from behind and knocks Steiner out to the floor, and when Steiner gets back in, he gives him a gutwrench suplex for 2. Sheik puts Steiner in an abdominal stretch, and of course, Steiner hip tosses his way out of it. After dropping an elbow, he tries to put Sheik in the CAMEL CLUTCH, only to fail. Sheik hits him in the throat for 2, and Steiner comes back with some foot stomps. He stomps on the Sheik’s groin region, and rams his leg into the post as well. Sheik tries to come back with a suplex, but Steiner rolls him up for 3 after about 4:30.
My Thoughts: This was a funny match, perfect kind of thing for TV. Sheik really needed to give it up or change his look, but of course he wouldn’t do that. Rick’s matches are pretty fun, this was no exception. Just *1/4 as the wrestling was not any good, though.
– Taped to air August 4th, 1989, on the POWER HOUR, from Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana
Terry Gordy & Terry Funk (w/Gary Hart) vs. Sting & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match could be amazing, frankly. The crowd in this building was always red hot, and there’s four great acts in there. I’m really hoping they tear the house down. I especially like the idea of pairing the two Terry’s together.
Match Review: It appears that Sting and Funk will get the match started, and they do so by locking up. Funk tries some chops, but Sting shoots him into the ropes and clotheslines him over the top. When he gets back into the ring, he tries to work Sting over with body shots. He sends Sting to the outside and follows him, but Sting pretty much flew back into the ring. Some idiot fan starts taunting Gordy and Funk as they meet on the outside, that was hilarious. The cops got rid of that guy, haha. Gordy tags in for the first time, and he throws Sting out as they do the same routine again. I like the way Sting no-sells these trips out to the floor. Gordy and Sting lock up again, and this time Sting takes him down with a cross body for a 1 count. Gordy comes back with a clothesline, but misses a charge to the corner. Dr. Death tags in, and trades bombs with Gordy for a bit. He takes Gordy and Funk down with shoulderblocks and clotheslines, and we then normalize back to Doc against Gordy. Funk heads in, they botch a double clothesline spot, and he throws Doc to the outside. After throwing Dr. Death into the crowd, he rams him face-first into the rail. Funk then sends Doc back into the ring for a waiting Gordy, and they hit Doc with a SPIKE PILEDRIVER for 2. Sting then drops Funk on the rail as that’s going on, and Gordy drops Doc with a bodyslam. He hits him with a big clothesline for 2, and tags out of there. They both pound away, and Funk decides to jump on Doc’s neck. He puts Doc in the SPINNING TOE-HOLD, which Doc reverses into a small package for 2. They then run into each other, and Sting makes the tag in! He plants Funk with a piledriver of his own, and that gets 2. Sting misses a charge at Funk and crotches himself on the top rope, so Funk pulls the kid to the outside. He rams Sting’s leg into the apron, and throws a chair into the crowd for good measure. What a guy. He and Gordy double team Sting on the floor, then Doc meets Funk on the outside. Gordy and Sting are in the ring, and Gordy clotheslines him HARD. Funk rolls back into the ring, and he seems out of it after that mini-fight he just had with Williams. Funk tries some headbutts, but Sting comes back with a bulldog for 2. Gordy and Dr. Death rush into the ring, and pair off to fight each other on the outside. Gary Hart runs into the ring and Funk gets thrown into him, as the bell rings at 11:43. I guess Funk and Gordy got disqualified due to interference.
The match is over, but the segment is not. Dr. Death picks up Gordy for a press slam, and Sting has Hart picked up in the air for a choke! Funk grabs his branding iron from the outside, hits Sting in the head with it, and Doc grabs it to take a big swing. He misses, and that’s just too bad. Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin head out to ringside, and it should be 4 against 2, but they head to a commercial. WHY?
My Thoughts: This was really good, it’s strange to see big matches like this on television in those days. Pretty happy with the way that match went. The crowd engagment on Funk’s part generally gets the building heated up and talking all kinds of mess, which they did in this match as much as any of his others. The finish was a little annoying as Funk doesn’t even need a manager, but I guess it’s the heel thing to do to have that numbers game advantage. I wanted to see what happened at the end with the Freebirds, so the commercial was ill timed. ***1/4 and I even linked the video so people could check it out!
– Taped to air August 5th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
The New Zealand Militia vs. Sting & Eddie Gilbert (w/Missy Hyatt)
Pre-Match Thoughts: So, I suppose the association between Sting and Gilbert will continue. Remember that Sting turned on Gilbert in the UWF. Gilbert would make a great fit on the heel side but I don’t think that’s going to happen here. The Militia are JTTS so they should be dispatched in short order.
Match Review: Gilbert and Victory begin the match, and Gilbert gets the better of the early punching. He gets backdropped in short order by Victory, then comes back with a big face smash into the canvas. He hits both of the Militia with dropkicks, then struts around the ring to the delight of the crowd. The gimmick of the Militia members talking super loudly is pretty stupid. Rip Morgan tags in, as does Sting. Sting dodges a charge to the corner, dropkicks Morgan to the outside, and holds the center of the ring. He gives those guys a noggin knocker as well, and pours some water on Morgan’s face. This is somewhat of a Bushwhackers rip-off now that I see how strange these guys are acting. Sting goes to work on the left arm of Morgan, and Morgan tries to reply by ramming Sting’s face into the buckle, but that doesn’t work. Gilbert tags in now, as does Victory. Gilbert gives him a flying head-scissors, then follows with a hip toss. Gilbert tries the head-scissors again, but Morgan walks over with a BOOMERANG and hits Gilbert with it. Referee didn’t spot that, of course. Victory drops Gilbert throat-first on the top rope, and tags in Morgan for a choke-lift that gets 2. Morgan spits at Sting, leading to he and Victory illegally switching places and choking Gilbert behind the official’s back. Victory slams Gilbert, then drops a forearm for 2. Gilbert evades Victory for a short moment, and makes the tag out. Sting takes care of Morgan and Victory with clotheslines, then they get whipped into each other. Sting hits Victory with the STINGER SPLASH, puts the Scorpion Deathlock on him too, and here comes Terry Funk and the Great Muta! Of course, the Militia gets disqualified at 7:29.
Funk and Muta hit Gilbert with the branding iron and try to team up on Sting, eventually hitting him with a cowboy boot. Sting needs some damn help, and here comes RIC FLAIR. He hits the ring, starts laying in chops on Funk, and beating up Muta too. The pop was enormous, especially for a studio show. Eventually, Muta grabs hold of the boot again and chokes Flair with it. Sting gets the boot himself and hits both of the heels with it, and Flair gets the other boot. He hits Funk with it, and sadly they go to a commercial. Once that’s over, Ric Flair, Eddie Gilbert, and Sting have some things to say. What a trio that is. Flair as a babyface was just a great fit. He danced in Funk’s cowboy boots during the promo.
My Thoughts: This segment was designed to promote their show at the Omni, which drew a pretty big house. It sure better have considering they put a WarGames rematch on that show. Flair was also made the head booker, so perhaps that was his idea. Why he’d agree to do that when he was already working super hard as a wrestler is beyond me. The match was simply acceptable, and nothing special. The post-match was far better. *3/4.
– Taped to air August 6th, 1989, on the Power Hour
The Dynamic Dudes vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (w/Michael Hayes) for the NWA Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: By the look of it, the Freebird rule hasn’t been used for these titles at all. I don’t recall Gordy defending them a single time yet. During the entrances though, it’s made clear that Gordy is. ABOUT TIME. The funny thing is, this video is super short. Don’t know what kind of match we’re going to get.
Match Review: Gordy and Ace start the match, and Ace tries a sunset flip, which gets a 1 count. Ace tries a cross body, which gets 2. That’s progress! Douglas tags in, and rolls Gordy up from behind for 2. Ace heads in again with a sunset flip from the top, also only gets 2. Gordy rakes the eyes and gives Ace a bodyslam, then tags in Jimmy Garvin. Ace takes Garvin down with an arm drag, and brings in Douglas for a shot from the top. He gives Garvin punches in the corner, but upon being whipped into the other corner, Gordy clotheslines Douglas over the top rope from the apron. Garvin then hits Douglas with a series of running knees to keep him out of the ring, and when Douglas gets back in, the two collide with each other. Ace makes the tag in, and hits Garvin with a few dropkicks. After a bodyslam, Ace drops an elbow on him. He rams Garvin into the corner, backdrops him on the other side, and hits Gordy with an enziguri. The Dudes hit Gordy with a double dropkick, then Hayes comes into the ring and Douglas slams him off the top. The Dudes then hit Hayes with a double dropkick to send him out of the ring, and Ace goes for a roll up of Garvin. Gordy hits Ace in the head, Garvin covers, and picks up the win after about 4:10.
My Thoughts: Jim Ross hyped this match up quite a bit, but in the end it wasn’t shit. They packed a lot in to those four minutes, but it’s disappointing when a match gets hyped like that and they only put on something short. **. The Freebirds heel act was better with Hayes and Gordy, rather than the two combinations the NWA fans have gotten to see to that point.
– Taped to air August 12th, 1989, on the Power Hour, from the Centroplex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Eddie Gilbert (w/Missy Hyatt) in a NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: This stipulation should equate to violence, right? There’s a disclaimer that this match isn’t for the kids, so this sounds perfect! Before the match starts, Muta mists Missy in the face. HAHA.
Match Review: Well, that certainly was a good way to get things going. Gilbert runs in and throws Muta over the top, as Missy’s screaming for Eddie to help her out. The Steiners rush out there instead to help her head to the back, as Gilbert chokes Muta with the ring apron. Hilarious start to a match, really. Hart then distracts Gilbert so Muta can hit him from behind, but Gilbert throws Muta into the post anyway. Gilbert then grabs a chair, and cracks Muta on the head with it. Gilbert then htis Muta’s back, and rams him into the buckle. Gilbert starts choking his opponent, and punching him in the eye as well. Muta comes back with a spinning kick to the jaw, and Hart throws Gilbert into the post for good measure. Tommy Rich heads out to the ring for a bit to help out Gilbert, and apparently hang out at ringside to keep Hart from taking part in the match. Muta has some kind of cord, and he chokes Gilbert with it while biting him. Rich tries to fire his buddy up, but the choke persists anyway for quite a while. Gilbert won’t give up, so when he gets up, he rams Muta face-first into the buckle. Muta comes back with a kick to the nuts, and he drops the leg down there too. This is hilarious. Gilbert blocks a backdrop, and finally he lands some punches and calls Muta a “son of a bitch.” Gilbert uses his own backdrop, then chases Muta out of the ring. Hart holds Gilbert’s feet for a second, so he and Tommy Rich start fighting in the ring. Rich puts Hart in a sleeper, as Gilbert finally grabs hold of the cord. Muta gouges the eyes and throws Gilbert to the outside, and Muta decides to spit RED MIST in Rich’s eyes. Gilbert heads up top now, and hits Hart with a cross body. For some stupid ass reason, the referee counts the fall on Hart, meaning that Gilbert wins the match at 7:17. WHAT? Muta sprays green mist in Gilbert’s face after that bogus pin, then Rich grabs a chair to chase Muta out of the ring.
My Thoughts: This was a hell of a match with a stupid ass finish. I do like that Muta sprayed mist in the eyes of three people, that adds some intrigue into the equation. The match itself was just great. They did a typical TV brawl, but had a lot of interesting, violent elements added in. The choking spots were cool, as was the involvement of so many other people. I’ve said much about this kind of finish before so I won’t harp on that. Definitely worth checking the match out if you haven’t seen much of Muta. ***.
– Taped to air August 12th, on NWA Pro, from the Centroplex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Norman the Lunatic (w/Teddy Long) vs. “Flyin'” Brian Pillman
Pre-Match Thoughts: I really wanted to see Pillman have a match. Who it happens to be against is trivial. I have no idea who’s going to win this match based on how they pushed Norman at Clash 7. If they’re already burying him, that’s cool. Pillman’s entrance is never not funny to me, he’s rocking that Def Leppard theme.
Match Review: Pillman takes Norman down with a few arm drags, then he knocks him down with a dropkick. He tries a cross body, but Norman catches him for a powerslam. Norman then rams Pillman into the buckle, and hits him with a back elbow too. Norman squashes Pillman with an avalanche, then falls to the mat and starts hitting himself. This is a good way to make a bad gimmick work. He has one boot and one tennis shoe on too! Norman misses a second avalanche, and Pillman picks him up for a bodyslam. He takes Norman down with a suplex, and lands a missile dropkick from the top! Pillman then backdrops the big guy, but eats knees on a big splash. Norman slams Pillman, and drops a leg, and starts acting like a moron again. Pillman is sure to fall on top while that’s going on, and gets the victory at 3:30.
Pillman celebrates his victory, but Long tells Norman he better go do something. He slaps Norman a few times, and Norman heads to the outside to go after Pillman. He attacks Pillman from behind, slams him into the post, and brings him back into the ring. Norman heads up to the second rope, and down he comes with a BIG SPLASH.
My Thoughts: This was far better than anyone would have thought. Frankly, given the time allotted, I would call it very good. They were able to get Pillman over by having him throw around a much bigger guy and pin him, then they got Norman over by having him destroy Pillman after the match. Very impressively booked, is what that was. **1/4.
Mike Rotunda vs. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in a SCIENTIFIC WRESTLING MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: These two guys now have a best 2 of 3 series going where it will be decided who the REAL best wrestler of the two is. I don’t quite understand the rules here, as it was advertised as “SCIENTIFIC WRESTLING.” In the first match, Rotunda kept talking trash about Dr. Death’s family, and that goaded Doc into doing something that wasn’t scientific. He was disqualified. Now Doc is wearing amateur wrestling headgear so he doesn’t have to listen to anything Rotunda may say. WHAT A GIMMICK.
Match Review: These two men lock up, and Rotunda winds up in the ropes after Doc takes his back. Doc’s headgear falls off, and the trash talk starts until he puts it back on. Dr. Death takes Rotunda down with a shoulderblock and hip toss, then drops an elbow. What the hell kind of SCIENTIFIC WRESTLING is this? After some research, I’ve seen that the stipulation means that any singular breaking of the rules leads to a disqualification. Doc uses a fireman’s carry on Rotunda, and takes his back again as they tumble into the ropes. These two lock up once again, and Rotunda tries to take off the headgear for a second time. They then exchange shoves, and Doc picks Rotunda up for a press slam. He misses a huge charge to the corner, so Rotunda puts him in a sleeper. He tries to rip the gear off again, and now it’s off! Doc drives Rotunda back into the corner to break the sleeper, then Rotunda kicks the gear out of the ring before Doc can get it. WHERE’S THE SCIENCE IN THAT? Doc teases punching Rotunda and he turns his back in fear, then Doc rolls Rotunda up for 3 at 5:25.
My Thoughts: This was hilarious, I thought. It was such a 70’s style gimmick, very basic and easy to get heat on. Rotunda has fallen down the pecking order quite a lot, so I expect Williams to win the feud. ** as the mannerisms and little things carried the match. Let’s just finish this feud off!
– Taped to air August 19th, 1989, on NWA Pro, from the Centroplex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mike Rotunda vs. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in an ANYTHING GOES MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: It would appear that there are no rules for the last match of this best of 3 series. I dig it.
Match Review: Dr. Death runs down to the ring and starts trading bombs with Rotunda, that’s how you know this match didn’t have the same rules as the last. Doc gives Rotunda a backdrop and clothesline, sending him to the outside. That also allows the commentary to explain what’s going on. Back in the former TV champ goes, and he gets taken down with a shoulderblock. Dr. Death goes to a chinlock for a brief time, then switches to an armbar. They reach the ropes and Rotunda puts Doc in an abdominal stretch, and cheats while holding the top rope to boot. Dick. Doc gets out and gives Rotunda a press slam for 2, then goes back to the arm. Unfortunately, that armbar lasts for a while. When it’s over, Rotunda throws Doc to the outside, where he took a big bump into the railing. Rotunda puts his head into the apron as well, and back in they go. He puts Doc in a chinlock, and judging by the holds used here, you can tell they taped this entire series in one night. This match doesn’t have the energy the second one had. Rotunda drops an elbow and covers for 2, then Dr. Death is ready for his babyface comeback. He gives Rotunda the OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE, then goes for a shoulderblock only for Rotunda to pull Tommy Young into the way. Interested in seeing the finish from this point. Doc gives Rotunda another STAMPEDE, and here comes another referee…oh wait. It’s Teddy Long! He counted the fall, and tried to sneak out of the ring before Doc realized he didn’t actually win the match. Rotunda attacks Doc from behind and rolls him up, then gets the 3 count at about 6:50.
My Thoughts: They really put Rotunda over? I can’t believe that. The match wasn’t as good as the last one by any stretch, and it had a screwy finish. I don’t think anyone benefited from how that turned out, and I’m a bit pissed about it. *1/4. I have absolutely no idea why they didn’t put Williams over.
– Taped to air August 19th, 1989, on World Wide, from the Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio
The Steiner Brothers (w/Missy Hyatt) vs. The Fabulous Freebirds for the NWA Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: Little bit surprised that they went back to Cleveland to tape TV. Anyway, this is a great match to have on TV, no doubt about that. This incarnation of the Freebirds will be Hayes and Garvin. The Steiners are so over that if it was up to me, I’d probably put the tag titles on them. That being said, it’s too soon after the Freebirds won them, isn’t it? Terry Gordy was barred from ringside, and if he shows up, he’ll be suspended.
Match Review: Looks like Scott and Hayes will start the match off. Hayes reacts in a great way to being booed, then gets clobbered in the corner. Scott backdrops him too, and gives him the FRANKENSTEINER. He brings Garvin in the hard way, and clotheslines both Freebirds. Then, Scott runs the ropes and Garvin pulls the top rope down, causing Scott to take a big flip to the outside. Garvin continues to keep Scott on the floor, and Hayes tags in, only to be suplexed by Scott. Scott makes a tag to Rick, and Rick gives Hayes a huge belly to belly suplex. He takes the Freebirds out with STEINERLINES, but they give him a double spinebuster. Garvin puts a sleeper on Rick Steiner now, but that isn’t held for long. Scott makes a blind tag in, and while the referee’s getting him out of the ring, Rick slams Hayes off the top. Scott then walks into the ring again, for stereo powerslams on the Freebirds! They give them stereo powerslams AGAIN, and Rick takes Garvin down with a belly to belly that also takes out the official. Now, Hayes chases Missy around the ring, and Rick attacks Hayes from behind. He accidentally STEINERLINES the post, and Scott tries to roll up Garvin. He has him pinned, but Hayes DDT’s Scott. For some reason, the referee then disqualifies the Freebirds at 5:15. Rick Steiner then has to chase the Freebirds from the ring with a chair.
My Thoughts: The match was good and could be even better with more time. The Steiners were just too good. Everyone could see that Scott Steiner was going to be a star, it’s just a matter of how long it would take. It kind of took too long. **1/4 for this one, I need to see more before going higher. The finish didn’t seem like something worth disqualifying a wrestler for.
Now, on the World Championship Wrestling show for the evening of August 19th, there were some absurd snafus. The wrong show got put in the VCR and the show they had taped never aired. I don’t know how that’s even possible. There were even problems with the shows they taped. They also taped for August 26th and part of the show wasn’t even taped correctly. That’s unbelievable. According to the WON, the match with Dick Slater and Sting had to be pieced back together using film from the cameras they used to shoot the things. Weird.
– Taped to air August 26th, 1989, on World Wide, from the Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio
THE SKYSCRAPERS (w/Teddy Long) VS. THE DING DONGS
This should be hilarious. The Skyscrapers attacked the Dongs basically immediately and destroyed them. One of them took two powerbombs from Spivey, and that was the whole thing. Then the Ding Dongs both have their masks taken off. I guess that’s the end of that gimmick. To cap things off, Norman heads down to ringside and tries to put the masks on. That’s quite the burial. The Tommy Rich promo at the end of this video was hilarious, by the way.
– Taped to air August 26th, 1989, on World Championship Wrestling, from Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
Rick Steiner date with Robin Green
Alright, this should be a lot of fun. It’s only the first two minutes of the video. For a long time, whenever the Steiners would wrestle in the studio, a nerdy girl would try to give Rick Steiner gifts. Steiner is going on a date with her and this is supposedly his first date. Jim Ross is talking this guy up, and Steiner said that he was wearing his best shirt. That’s a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He wants to watch 90 minutes of Leave it to Beaver with Robin. This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Then, Steiner’s ready for his date, and the SURPRISE IS REVEALED. She looks like a real woman! Rick’s interviews regarding this subject are just amazing. Yeah, as everyone can see, it’s Woman. So, there you go. Great moment.
– Taped to air September 1st, 1989, on the Power Hour, from the Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio
The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Sting for the NWA Television Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: Now, I don’t understand the purpose of this when they’ve stated that the true champion will be decided at the Omni the next night. I just don’t understand. That match wasn’t taped for TV from what I can see, either. I looked everywhere for that Omni match, and instead I found this. This should still be a great watch, no doubt about that.
Match Review: Muta and Sting are a bit hesitant to engage with each other, but when they do, Muta takes Sting down with a headlock. Sting gets out, and they reset. Muta takes over with chops and kicks, but Sting rolls him up for 2. Sting tries a sunset flip, and Muta grabs the ropes. A Sting small package gets 2, and he bodyslams Muta shortly after. Sting heads up top, and down he comes with a cross body for 2. Terry Funk then heads down the ring and tries to get in it, seeing as Muta was just dispatched to the outside. Sadly, Funk doesn’t get in the ring, and just helps his new partner instead. Muta takes advantage to attack Sting from behind, and then distracts the referee so that Hart can choke Sting. Muta throws Sting to the outside, then sends him into the rail as well. Muta then slams Sting on the floor, and once again Hart gets involved with the choking. The match finally heads back into the ring, and Sting blocks a backdrop. He uses his running face smash, and dumps Muta out to the floor. Sting drops Muta on the rail a few times, and sends him back in for another face smash. Sting decides to give Muta a suplex as well, it gets 2. He follows with a clothesline, and sends Muta out of the ring again. Sting and Muta then fight on the apron, and Sting misses a charge and hits the post with his elbow. Muta drags Sting in for the handspring elbow, and that looked awfully good. Sting goes for a hotshot, and Muta slams into the referee, knocking him out to the floor. Sting hits the STINGER SPLASH and puts Muta in the SCORPION DEATHLOCK, but there’s no referee. Hart hits Sting with something from behind, that breaks the hold too. Muta covers, and Sting kicks out at 2. Great false finish. Muta suplexes Sting, it gets yet another 2 count. Unbelievable stuff here. Muta gives Sting a backbreaker, and decides to head up top for the MOONSAULT. He lands on Sting’s knees, and Sting hits Muta with another STINGER SPLASH. Sting goes up for punches in the corner, so Hart grabs Sting and throws him down to the floor for the DQ at 13:51. Well, damn.
My Thoughts: That was another excellent match between these two. If any fans in Atlanta were on the fence about going to the Omni, this may have changed their mind. The attendance was nearly a sell out, so it probably did. These two were just the right mix to put on great matches, they could have had a rivalry that lasted years. This was nothing like the Great American Bash match, which made it a lot more fun to watch. I’m going with ***1/2, it would have been more with a better finish.
While Great Muta did finally win the belt at the Omni, apparently the match wasn’t anywhere near as good as their TV matches. Maybe I was better off not seeing that. They certainly put that title on the right guy, seeing as Sting was above that level by this point. There was a Clash of the Champions coming up, and it wasn’t exactly advertised much other than a few matches. I know for sure that Flair and Sting tag up together (they were supposed to face Muta and Terry Funk), and I know that Lex Luger faces Tommy Rich. I also know that the Steiners will challenge the Freebirds again. That sounds like a show worth watching ot me, but it’s not the show I’m watching next. It’s time for SummerSlam!
Best: The skit with Jim Ross, Woman, and Rick Steiner takes the cake. I also saw an Iron Sheik promo in which he repeatedly calls Ron Simmons a muslim, that was pretty good too.
Worst: The promo where Iron Sheik calls Ron Simmons a muslim. It has to be, doesn’t it? That wasn’t true!
