Sage Cortez
I’ve really been looking forward to this one. This is about as good as it gets. There are a lot of big time, feud ending matches in play here. Flair vs. Steamboat was going to finish on this show, and everyone knew it. The feud between the Road Warriors and Varsity Club should be over. So should the feud between Rick Steiner, Eddie Gilbert, and the Varsity Club. There was also a feud between Bob Orton and Dick Murdoch, but people didn’t seem to care too much about that. I’m hoping that the whole show is on WWE Network. I don’t want to have to go hunting stuff down, I shouldn’t have to be doing that. Hopefully the concert is cut out though! It should also be mentioned that the night before this show, the WWF ran this building and put on a show that went deep into the night. Considering this show aired on a Sunday afternoon, the NWA had to set up quick. In a strange twist, two of the title matches are after the main event. Had to make sure it got time, I suppose.
– May 7th, 1989, from Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee
Jim Ross and Bob Caudle are our announcers here, and the Oak Ridge Boys will be performing the national anthem. Amazing. I bet my grandfather listened to those guys. It does appear that concert has been cut from this match! Jim Ross says that the US Tag Team Championship match will no longer have a hair vs. hair stipulation. That’s too damn bad. Now, they go through the matches.
We have the Great Muta facing the Junkyard Dog, Butch Reed facing Ranger Ross, and a bullrope match between Dick Murdoch and Bob Orton! The Dynamic Dudes will face the Samoan Swat Team, and Michael Hayes will challenge Lex Luger for his US Championship. The Iron Sheik challenges Sting for the TV Championship, and Ric Flair challenges Ricky Steamboat for the NWA Championship! After that, we have the Road Warriors facing Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams for their NWA Tag Team Championships, and Nikita Koloff will be the special referee. That’s an interesting twist. Lastly, we have Kevin Sullivan and Danny Spivey facing Rick Steiner & Eddie Gilbert. It’s good to see a company roll through all their matches so that fans know what’s going on. There’s also the right mixture of gimmick matches here.
The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) vs. Doug Gilbert
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’m sure everybody can see the problem here. The Junkyard Dog didn’t show up. That got him fired, of course. This match should be much better though, so it’s not a bad thing. I’m sick of watching JYD’s matches, so it’s nice to have a short break. This is an opponent who can make Muta look like a champion. He needs to look good, not like a bum. The production and lighting here was also very professional. The building was made to look like people were there!
Match Review: Muta spits mist into the air after a karate kick, then tosses Gilbert to the outside. He throws Gilbert into the post, and Gilbert gets back in. He clotheslines Muta, and him being a Tennessee guy, he tries to get the crowd into it. That would appear to be smart. Muta rakes the eyes, and hits Gilbert with a great elbow drop. Muta hits him with the HANDSPRING ELBOW, then goes to a nerve hold for the first time. Gilbert fights out, rams Muta’s face into the mat, and is given a backbreaker. Eddie Gilbert comes down to ringside as Muta tries a moonsault, and Doug moves out of the way of it. Muta lands on his feet anyway, and gives Gilbert a dropkick to send him to the outside. Muta flies out with a PLANCHA, and tosses Gilbert back in. He gives Gilbert another backbreaker, and heads up top for the MOONSAULT again, this time it lands. Muta covers for 3 at 3:04, and spits RED MIST into the air celebrating that victory.
My Thoughts: This was the most amazing of squash matches. I guarantee that JYD wouldn’t have been able to do that. Obviously, JYD didn’t want to do that job. It was so short, and obviously he valued himself more than any other company did, so maybe walking out made sense for him. Bear in mind he was nearly fired before and didn’t have much incentive to stick around. **1/4 for the match, that was absolutely impressive. It was a stroke of genius to send Eddie Gilbert out there, but it took too long. That should have happened from the very start, as it would have given Doug some positive momentum.
In the back, we have Tennessee fixture Lance Russell with Ric Flair. Flair says he needs to style and profile like never before. He also says that Steamboat is the best wrestler on the planet, but Steamboat can’t beat him for a third time.
Butch Reed vs. Ranger Ross
Pre-Match Thoughts: Looks like Hiro Matsuda got dropped. That was the smart thing to do, as that whole association was just stupid. I hope Ranger Ross rappels from the ceiling again. Reed has an awesome, very swaggy entrance theme. Sadly, Ross does not rappel from the ceiling again. Instead, a group of men from the Navy and Air Force escort him out to the ring. Look, if Vince put this much effort into the Corporal Kirchner gimmick, it would have gotten over far more. In the case of Ross, it’s merely a case of the gimmick coming too late in the 80’s.
Match Review: For some reason, Ross swivels his hips. Does he want to be booed? These guys lock up, and Ross takes Reed down with a headlock. This is a rare case in any wrestling company of two black guys wrestling each other without any prior ties to each other. They do some nice rope running and Ross gives Reed a hip toss, then Ross pulls Reed out of the corner. Don’t know why Reed likes that spot. Ross goes back to the headlock, but Reed gets up and gives him a clothesline. Teddy Long makes his way down to the ring, and I’m expecting something good to come out of this. He’s scouting! Reed gives Ross a swinging neckbreaker for 2, and kicks Ross in the head. Reed gives Ross a bodyslam, drops the elbow a few times, and covers for 2. The referee is named Byron Scott. That does not look like Byron Scott. Reed puts a chinlock on Ross and uses the ropes for leverage, and the referee doesn’t put a stop to it. Long continues to floss that visitor’s pass, as Reed continues to hold Ross with the chinlock. Eventually the referee does catch Reed, and Ross takes Reed down with a hip toss. He hits Reed with hilarious “martial arts,” and a dropkick as well. Another sends Reed to the outside, and Ross does a hilarious leap over the topes to throw Reed back in. Ross has the funniest offense of any wrestler I’ve seen in a while. Reed suplexes Ross back in from the apron, and heads up top for the FLYING SHOULDERBLOCK. There it is, and Reed wins via pin at 6:59.
My Thoughts: That wasn’t any good, but Ross is starting to become a guilty pleasure. This guy has hilarious offense, takes a good bump, and his gimmick actually resonates with me. Reed on the other hand was turning in lazy performances, and he seems to keep sticking around. Doesn’t make much sense to me right now, but knowing what I know, it makes far more sense. 1/2*. Less Reed singles matches, the better.
Lance Russell is now with Lex Luger, who looks jacked up for his title defense tonight. Wasn’t a great promo, but it worked well enough. They didn’t really need anything better.
Bob Orton Jr. (w/Gary Hart) vs. Dick Murdoch in a BULLROPE MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: You guys have heard the rumor about Murdoch being a KKK member, right? He sure looks like one. The nickname of “Captain Redneck” fits him perfectly. I love the gimmick here, and Murdoch is wearing jeans to get it over. Now, what I don’t understand, is Orton wearing trunks. He’s an old school guy. Why wouldn’t he be wearing street clothes? The rope is there to link them together. This is a good way to get over a feud that not many people care about. It’s just a matter of whether or not they care about the match now.
Match Review: Orton and Murdoch play tug-of-war with the rope, and Murdoch cracks him with right hands. He tries to use the bell, but Orton moves out of the way. He pulls Murdoch to the floor, and they fight until Orton tries to run away. He’s unable to run away, so Murdoch hits him again and pulls him into the post. Back in they go, and Murdoch starts lashing Orton with the rope. Orton comes back by grabbing the bell and whacking Murdoch with it, which should draw blood given the style of match. Orton covers for 2, but Murdoch takes off his cowboy boot and nails Orton with it. The crowd loved that spot. He hits Orton a few more times with that boot, the last of which was very hard. Orton kicks out at 2, and Murdoch wants his shoe back, but the referee took it away. Well, damn. Orton punches away now, and just CRACKS Murdoch with an elbow to the head. Could hear the smack there. Orton decides to head up to the top rope, and Murdoch “jerks him off the top” according to JR. Murdoch ties Orton’s feet up, drops a few elbows, and Orton can’t kick out of the pin at 5:01.
Hart rushes into the ring to deal with Murdoch, and that allows Orton to hit Murdoch with the bell. He ties the rope around Murdoch’s neck, and throws him over the top so he can hang him. WHAT A DIRTY BASTARD.
My Thoughts: This match really needed blood to make it better. As it was, it was just okay. I thought it was entertaining, fitting the mold of the prior two matches. While these six didn’t tear the house down with great wrestling, they’re putting on something entertaining at the very least. Murdoch did some great selling while getting beaten up after the match, too. *3/4. I don’t understand why they put over Orton like this when they intended to do something that would make him leave the company. Apparently he was supposed to put over the Midnight Express clean a few weeks later and didn’t play ball. He wasn’t around long!
Lance Russell is with Michael Hayes, who says he can win this match without any help. We’ll see about that. He believes completely that he can be a singles champion without his buddies from the Freebirds.
The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously) vs. The Dynamic Dudes
Pre-Match Thoughts: Paul E. does a great introduction for the Samoan Swat Team, and craps all over the Midnight Express during it. Anyone think those guys aren’t coming back? Please. I don’t know who expected the Dynamic Dudes to get over in Tennessee. These guys were supposed to get over with the male portion of the fanbase. Clearly that was never going to happen. Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace ran out carrying skateboards, that was a great visual. Like, are you kidding me? What a totally shitty gimmick to be gifted to them. They even got pyro! Jim Ross plugs the wrestling hotline, sounds like something I should be listening to. The Dudes also have extremely stupid looking trunks. Again, if anyone thought guys were going to cheer them…what were they thinking?
Match Review: Ace and Fatu start the match off, with Ace ramming Fatu’s face into the mat. Ace stomps on Fatu’s feet, bodyslams him, and gives Samu a bodyslam too. Douglas tags in for the first time, and gives Fatu a dropkick. In comes Samu, and Douglas gives him a flying head-scissors. Ace heads back in with a double axehandle from the top, and Samu tags out. Ace leaps into a savate kick to the face from Fatu, and Fatu clotheslines him as well. Samu tags in, is thrown into the corner and Samu takes Ace down with a leg trip. The SST gives Ace a double wishbone move, and Samu follows with another kick to the face. Fatu tags in, takes Ace out with a punch from the top, and starts choking him. Fatu puts a chinlock on Ace, but Ace gets out and gives him a backdrop. Ace misses a dropkick, which allows Samu to make a tag in and accidentally hit his partner. Samu still cuts Ace off from the tag, and gives him a sidewalk slam for 2. Fatu tags in, and gives Ace a powerslam for 2. The SST gives Ace another double wishbone when the referee is distracted, and Samu drops a leg for 2. There’s some great character work by the SST in this match. They were great at acting like savages, and their holds back that up. Ace rams Samu’s face into the mat, but still can’t tag. Samu catches Ace and puts him in a Boston crab, and Paul E. gets on the house mic! He says that Ace is as useless as a woman from Nashville, as Ace monkey flips Samu and makes the tag. Douglas gives out a series of great looking dropkicks, and gets crushed with a clothesline by Samu. Fatu tags in and heads up top, for an enormous big splash that gets 2. The referee goes to get Samu out of the ring, as Fatu picks up Douglas for a powerslam. Ace then leaps off the top with a missile dropick that puts his partner on top for the pinfall victory at 11:00! This is treated like a major upset.
My Thoughts: Well, that’s one way to promote a victory. I suppose it is an upset as the Dudes had only made their debuts on TV the previous day. The crowd also popped big for their win. In large part that’s because this was a good match. The face in peril segment worked because there was little down time, and the crowd actually cared. The SST did a great job of getting heat on themselves and pushed the pace quite well. ***. The Dudes gimmick was still headed towards failure for an assortment of reasons. Their ring attire being tight, fluorescent colored speedos certainly didn’t help matters.
Now, the fans at home watching on PPV, were subjected to watching a concert from the Oak Ridge Boys that went on for nearly a half-hour. Wrestling and music doesn’t mix like that. I’m curious to see if the crowd remains hot after the concert. I think this would qualify as a waste of time and money given that the house for this show was quite small.
In the back, we have Lance Russell with our judges for tonight’s event. They are Pat O’Connor, Lou Thesz, and Terry Funk. Those judges will only come into play if this match reaches the time limit. Hopefully these aren’t like the judges from Clash 1. These three former wrestlers were far more legitimate.
Michael P.S. Hayes (w/Hiro Matsuda) vs. Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: The sounds of Badstreet USA come on, and everyone knows what that means. I have no expectations for a good match here, it’s a weird matchup. For whatever reason, the Hiro Matsuda association still applies to Hayes. At least Hayes has the greatest entrance theme ever. He also has a funny looking robe. Luger is over big with the fans, there’s no denying that. This is the first of five title matches.
Match Review: Perhaps Hayes and Luger should have color coordinated better. They’re both wearing blue. Luger pushes Hayes back to the corner and the fans want him to hit Hayes, but referee Nick Patrick won’t allow it. Hayes puts a headlock on the champion, and runs the ropes for a cross body that gets 1. Back to the headlock, and Luger gets out of it only to be given a Russian leg sweep for 1. Teddy Long is at ringside again to scout, as if this match needed his attention. I think this gimmick Long has going is great. Luger slaps Hayes, gives him a high backdrop, and Hayes has to take a break. Hayes throws Luger into the buckle when he gets back in, and gives Luger a clothesline. He signals for the DDT, but Luger pushes Hayes off and Hayes has to go to the outside once again. Back inside, they lock up again and Luger goes to work on the left arm. He bars it up, only for Hayes to get out of it and try a sunset flip. Luger blocks it, arm drags him, and back to the arm he goes. He also gives Hayes a backbreaker, and that gets 2. Hayes comes back with some chops, and his clothesline doesn’t even hurt Luger. Luger gives Hayes a choke-lift, then gives him 7 punches in the corner and a clothesline. The crowd is on fire for this. Luger misses a cross body and flies over the top, that’s a huge bump for him to be taking. Hayes heads to the outside with a big clubbing blow to the back, then sends him into the post. Hayes suplexes Luger in from the apron for 2, then puts a quick chinlock on him. Long seems to have disappeared from ringside, as Luger gets popped in the mouth and given a bulldog for 2. This is the hardest I’ve seen Hayes work in a singles match. Back to the chinlock for a brief time, and Hayes sends Luger to the floor. Matsuda tosses Luger into the rail, serving his purpose for the match I suppose. I bet that’s all he does. Hayes bodyslams Luger in the ring, and drops the elbow for 2. Back to the chinlock for a third time, but despite that I don’t find the match boring at all. Luger fights out of the hold, rams Hayes into the buckle a few times, and gets elbowed in the eye. Hayes signals for another bulldog, but Luger picks him up and dumps him on his ass. Luger goes up the turnbuckles for 5 punches in the corner, and gives Hayes a hip toss. Luger gets 2 off a clothesline, and Luger gives Hayes a PRESS SLAM. After another big slam, Luger signals for a third. He drops him with it, and picks Hayes up for the RACK only for Hayes to turn it into a DDT! That’s Hayes finish, but he can’t get over in time for the pin. Hayes gets thrown into Nick Patrick while giving Luger a shoulderblock, and here comes TERRY GORDY from the back. Patrick doesn’t stay down long, but Gordy pushes Hayes on top of Luger, makes sure that Luger’s foot stays off the bottom rope, and Hayes picks up the victory and title at 16:29! YES!
My Thoughts: I loved the finish here, but it wasn’t executed properly. They barely made contact with Patrick. I think my favorite thing about the match, was Hayes cuting that promo before the match about winning it by himself and all of that, only to not win it by himself. This was far better than you’d expect, that’s for sure. Both guys did a great job working the right kind of match, getting all the heat out of it that they could. The crowd loved it, too. **3/4. Nobody expected Hayes to win the belt, and once he did, certainly nobody expected him to have it for very long. Nor should they have. Hell of a surprise debut for Gordy too. The replay of the finish made it look even better.
The Iron Sheik (w/Rip Morgan) vs. Sting for the NWA Television Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: During Sting’s promo before the match, he looks completely sunburned. Not tanned, but bright red. The crowd loves Sting, you’d expect nothing less. He high-fived all the fans on the way to the ring, that’s very classy. Sheik’s gimmick is still hilarious to me. He wants Gary Michael Cappetta to announce him as a former world champion, and he does.
Match Review: Sheik attacks Sting from behind with his Iranian flag, then throws it to the outside before the official can see it. Sheik chokes Sting with a t-shirt, then rams him into his pointed boot. Sting stops selling these weak chops, chokes Sheik with his head scarf, and clotheslines him with it. After choking Sheik with his tunic, Sheik comes back with a gutwrench suplex for 2. Sheik clotheslines the champion as well, then Sting whips him into the corner. There’s the STINGER SPLASH, Sting follows by locking in the SCORPION DEATHLOCK, and Sheik gives up at 2:10.
My Thoughts: Well, that was short and to the point. Obviously, there was no doubt who would win that match. Considering that, it needed to be short. Sheik was too old to put on a match of any length much longer than that, and he was professional in doing the job for the younger, better guy. * for a lack of stupidity, which is what I had expected. After the show, Sheik got in an argument in the airport, they wanted to check his bags and Sheik got fired. I wonder why they wanted to check his bags.
Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat for the NWA Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: After the last two matches, I don’t know how they could top it here. The crowd has been hot for the last few matches, so you’d expect that to be just right too. Before the match, Ricky Steamboat was interviewed in the back, and he says this is the most important match of his career. This has been advertised as Ric Flair’s last chance to beat Steamboat for the title. Russell has done a good job with the interviews. Flair has women lining the aisleway for his entrance, and four more escorting him to the ring. According to Jim Ross, there were 40 women lining up in the aisle. How could anyone boo this guy? Steamboat on the other hand comes out with his wife and kid. His kid is on a pony. Steamboat got booed quite a bit during entrance. THE FAMILY UNIT WILL SURVIVE.
Match Review: After all that pageantry, the match starts with the two locking up. Steamboat takes Flair down with an arm drag, a hip toss, then another arm drag. Flair and Steamboat start slapping each other, and it is stated that the judges will have their scores read at 15 minute intervals. That’s strange, but good. They start smacking each other with chops, and words don’t do that battle justice. Steamboat gives Flair a backdrop, and that sends Flair out to the floor. Flair gets back in the ring, and they fight over a wristlock now. Steamboat gets the better of it, drops some elbows on the arm, and keep pressing with the hold. Steamboat takes Flair down with another arm drag, then Flair gives him a drop toe-hold as they fight over a hammerlock. Steamboat trips Flair from behind and keeps the hammerlock on, and Flair gets out of it with some forearms. This match is a slow starter compared to the first two. Both guys leather each other with more chops, and Flair goes down first. Steamboat goes for an armbar, building towards the CHICKEN WING. Flair picks Steamboat up on his shoulders, puts him on the top turnbuckle, and Steamboat leaps over him. He gives Flair a hip toss and dropkick, the latter of which sends Flair to the outside. Steamboat wanted to dive on Flair from the top, but was prevented from doing so. I wish he had. Steamboat catches Flair with yet another arm drag, and sticks with the armbar once again. Flair gives Steamboat his own hip toss, and misses an elbow drop. Steamboat goes back to the arm after another arm drag, but Flair gets up and reaches the ropes. He shoulder charges into Steamboat a few times, and chops the shit out of him. Apparently the judges have the contest in favor of Ricky Steamboat at this time. That’s a good gimmick. Flair and Steamboat continue to trade chops, until Flair throws Steamboat to the outside. Steamboat runs back into the ring, lands some chops, and 10 open handed chops to the head in the corner. Steamboat sends Flair into the turnbuckles and upside down, where Steamboat can just pound on him. Flair throws Steamboat over the top rope, and for some reason that is not called a DQ. The reason would appear to be that Flair didn’t put much pressure on the throw. Flair stomps on Steamboat as he sits there, then comes down to the floor and chops him into the front row. Some women at ringside were copping a feel on Steamboat. They trade chops on the floor now, with Steamboat getting the better of them and chasing Flair around the ring. Steamboat lands a flying chop from the top when they get back in, and rams Flair’s face into the mat. Flair goes upside down again, runs the apron, and gets chopped down to the canvas. That was amazing. Steamboat puts the armbar on Flair again, then Steamboat flies over the top on accident after a missed cross body. Flair brings Steamboat back into the ring the hard way, and knee drops him too. Flair chokes Steamboat with his knee, then gives him a back suplex for 2. That was an extremely close 2 count. Flair dishes out another knee drop, then a double underhook suplex for 2. Flair gives Steamboat an elbow drop to get 2 one more time, then Flair gives Steamboat a HOTSHOT. The judges scores are collected again, as they begin to fight on the floor once more. Flair gives Steamboat a SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR, and the judges are split this time. Thesz picked Steamboat, the other two picked Flair. Flair drags Steamboat up to the apron, and goes for a suplex. Steamboat reverses into a cradle, and it got 2. Crowd bought that as the finish. Steamboat and Flair then tumble over the top after a Flair cross body, can they get in before the count? According to Jim Ross, the judges also decide the winner if there’s a count-out. That’s strange. They do get in and Steamboat slams Flair down from the top, then lands punches in the corner. Steamboat backdrops Flair once again, but Flair kicks him in the gut and goes for a back suplex. Steamboat reverses into a roll up for 2, and Steamboat puts Flair in position for a superplex. There’s the SUPERPLEX, and Steamboat picks Flair up for the DOUBLE CHICKEN WING. Flair reaches the ropes super quickly, at which point Steamboat heads up top. He comes down with a big chop, and climbs up top again. Flair shakes the ropes to cause Steamboat to fall down all the way to the floor, and Steamboat clutches onto his left leg after that. Flair’s suplex in from the apron works this time, which is a neat touch of psychology. Flair slaps the figure-four on Steamboat, who reaches the ropes after quite a long time in the hold. Flair and Steamboat trade chops once more, until Steamboat gives Flair an enziguri. Steamboat has a really jacked up leg, but he tries a bodyslam anyway. Flair rolls through with a cradle, and it gets him the win and his sixth championship at the 31:31 mark!
Steamboat and Flair shake hands, and Steamboat makes his exit before one of the greatest angles in history. Jim Ross is in the ring to interview the new champion, Ric Flair! Terry Funk heads into the ring to congratulate Flair on his victory, and he says that if the match went 60 minutes, he would have voted for Ric Flair. Funk also says that he wants to be the first challenger for Flair’s belt! Flair tells Funk that he’s been out of the rankings for far too long, and the champion is obligated to face a top ten contender. Funk is not on that list. Terry suggests that Flair thinks he isn’t good enough, and he says he was kidding about challenging for Flair’s belt. Flair and Funk shake hands, then Funk CLOCKS Flair with a leg hand. They tumble out of the ring, and Flair gets thrown into the first row for Terry to put a beatdown on him. Terry then walks over to a table, puts Flair on top of it, and PILEDRIVES HIM THROUGH IT. Terry makes sure to put the table on top of Flair, hits him in the head with a chair, then teases punching fans. He walks over to Jim Ross, and screams that he’s a contender. Look what he just did to Flair.
My Thoughts: That was an excellent match, one of the best to ever take place. I still feel that their match at Clash 6 was better due to length and the variety of moves used without spot repetition. The best thing about this one, was that they didn’t use their usual spots, and rolled through a ton of new, different things. I love their Clash match though, I’m not going to change my mind about that being better. Obviously, it was the right thing to do to put the belt back on Flair and he was the true star and the only guy they had with proven drawing power. The match was ***** and recommended, without question. There’s never been a better trilogy of wrestling matches in this country, never will be a better one. The angle is one of the best things I’ve ever seen in wrestling, possibly even the best. It was the perfect way to set up Flair’s next feud, and it’s great that they found a legitimate challenger. What was the other alternative, the Iron Sheik?
The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) vs. The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams, w/Kevin Sullivan) for the NWA Tag Team Championships with Nikita Koloff as SPECIAL REFEREE
Pre-Match Thoughts: Looks like we have an interview with Nikita Koloff before this match. He hasn’t dropped the accent at all, thankfully. He won’t be scared of anything in this match, whether that be the Road Warriors or Varsiy Club. The Varsity Club had cheerleaders for their entrance. That’s a great touch! The Road Warriors hit the ring at full speed, and here we go!
Match Review: The Road Warriors clear the ring as pyro is going off above it, then the Varsity Club gets back in only to be clotheslined back out. There’s a referee on the outside in addition to Koloff inside the ring. Very weird. Animal and Dr. Death lock it up, then Nikita prevents a closed fist strike. He kicks Sullivan out from ringside, and this match has WAY more heat than you’d expect after the match that just happened. Animal clotheslines Dr. Death, and Doc starts pushing Nikita after a break in the action. Rotunda tags in, and hits Animal with a dropkick. He heads up top, and Animal catches him on the way down for a powerslam. After a clothesline to Rotunda, Animal has a cover broken by Dr. Death. Hawk and Doc tag in, and Doc gives Hawk a bodyslam. He misses an elbow drop, and Hawk gives him his own slam and fist drop. Doc rolls to the outside for a break, but Hawk gets on the apron and hits him with a flying clothesline! Hawk accidentally clotheslines the post, and Rotunda makes sure it hurts by ramming Hawk’s shoulder into the post as well. Doc wrenches Hawk’s arm around the railing, and back in the ring they clothesline each other. Animal and Rotunda tag in, and Animal gives him an atomic drop and dropkick. Animal also hits him with a flying shoulderblock, and now all four guys are in. Rotunda takes a tumble over the top, and the Road Warriors hit Dr. Death with a double clothesline. They pick him up for the DOOMSDAY DEVICE, and land it! Before the cover, Sullivan and Danny Spivery run out and start beating up Nikita. That’s just terrible. Animal is trapped and double clotheslined by the Varsity Club, and Nikita eventually throws Spivey into the post. This is a straight out brawl. The Road Warriors give Rotunda a double clothesline, and it appears that the Road Warriors have won this match via disqualification at 5:03.
My Thoughts: This was short, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed some of the moves that Hawk busted out, and I think these teams are a great match for one another. The finish was quite strange, but there was a reason for it going down the way it did. I’ll give this **, as the fans sort of got screwed by the way the match ended. I’m not tired of the Varsity Club yet (by the time of posting this article, I was far ahead of this show and was actually tired of them), at least! They’ve been around for quite a while and have had great staying power from my perspective. The booking here has been great.
The Varsity Club (Kevin Sullivan & Danny Spivey) vs. Rick Steiner & Eddie Gilbert (w/Missy Hyatt) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’m still not doing that First Family crap. It was a ridiculously stupid name, and never stopped being one. Steiner has been ridiculously over on the TV leading into this, but I don’t see how the crowd can still have any juice left to keep this match hot. According to Jim Ross, the NWA board members are meeting over what happened in the last match. You can’t attack a referee!
Match Review: To start the match off, Sullivan hits Gilbert with one of the hardest looking stiff punches that I’ve seen. Spivey goes to work on Steiner, and this thing is underway. Sullivan decides to chase Missy around the ring, but Gilbert cuts him off. On the other side of the ring, Spivey picks Steiner up and rams him into the post. This looks like a brawl! Steiner has been taken out of the match for a reason that will be explained later, and the legal portion has Gilbert beating up Sullivan. He misses a charge to the corner, and Spivey tags in for the first time. Gilbert goes out to check on Steiner, then has to evade Spivey for a while. Sullivan gives Steiner a big forearm to make sure he can’t get to the apron, and rams him into the post too. Spivey tags out after ramming Gilbert into the buckle, and Sullivan keeps the punishment going. Spivey heads back in, gives Gilbert a choke-lift, and follows that with a dropkick. He puts Gilbert in a backbreaker submission hold, and Gilbert flips out of it to backdrop Spivey. Sullivan cuts Gilbert off from making a tag, and Spivey tags in with a double axehandle. Spivey plants Gilbert with a sidewalk slam, it gets 2. A big boot follows, as I notice that the crowd still hasn’t trickled out. I’m quite surprised. These are REAL wrestling fans. Spivey gives Gilbert another sidewalk slam, and Sullivan tags in. Gilbert finally makes a tag out, and the referee won’t allow it. Spivey gets in the ring at that point, and Tommy Young has to usher him out, so…Steiner nails Sullivan with a clothesline. Gilbert falls on top, and that’s a victory for the First Family at 6:49!
After the match, Spivey gets in there and deals with Steiner on a more permanent basis. He hits Steiner in the head and shoulder with a chair, and Sullivan grabs a hold of Missy. Gilbert grabs the chair and misses his chair shot, but Sullivan gets out of there anyway. Steiner wound up with a bloody nose as a result of the beating he took, which was absolutely not supposed to happen as it was against the rules of TBS.
My Thoughts: I suppose I should explain why Steiner got beaten up like this. Apparently he tore his bicep at a house show and was going to go on the shelf for a while. In addition to that, this was going to be the last time Steiner and Gilbert defended their belts. The company intended to vacate them and move Rick Steiner towards teaming with his brother. Of course, that makes sense. The match here was fine, it’s actually a little difficult to rate. Nothing bad happened, but nothing great did either. *1/2.
Now that the matches are over, we do have an announcement from the mysterious BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Jim Ross is here to inform us that the NWA Tag Team Championships have been VACATED after the attack made by Rotunda and Dr. Death’s stable members on Nikita Koloff. I applaud the consistency to detail and ensuring that wrestlers wouldn’t be able to hit officials. Wonder how long that lasts? Show’s over!
There’s a lot to take in from that, I’m not sure where to start. After much reflection, I think I’ll start with the booking. The booking here was excellent. The way they utilized the Dynamic Dudes, Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, Terry Funk, Ric Flair, the Varsity Club, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors…was just amazing. Everything on this show made sense. As a result the PPV was a lot of fun. Judging it from the context of getting money’s worth out of ordering it, there’s no doubt that any fan would have positive thoughts on what took place. Other than one of the greatest matches in the history of North American wrestling, the wrestling on this show wasn’t that great. I can admit that. However, in analyzing the total package on offer, it was a big hit and still holds up today. The angle after the Flair vs. Steamboat match added so much to the program as well. It was also one of the best angles in North American wrestling history. Considering that, the show is bordering on faultless, only hindered by a bad concert which I luckily didn’t watch. Even the poor matches offered something to me. I also wanted to mention that the presentation was top notch and had the NWA looking like something better than bush league. Next up, it’s over to the WWF for action from April and May of 1989!
Wrestling Time: 1:28:02. That’s not spectacular considering they also put a terrible concert. They ran a few long angles though, and added good interviews to the show.
Best: Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat. I was very tempted to put down the Flair/Funk angle as being better. Let’s just say it’s the whole thing.
Worst: Placing a long concert on the PPV. Very bad form.
Card Rating: 8.5/10. I think it was as good as Starrcade ’88. That’s the bench mark for PPV’s being given this score, and it offered that level of entertainment. The WWE Network version that has the concert excised passed more quickly than any PPV I’ve watched on there.
