[1996-06-17-WCW-Nitro] Ric Flair vs Randy Savage

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This was awesome. Not really a great match, but a fun brawl with Savage pouring food and champagne all over Flair. Before the match, Savage chases Heenan to the ring and Heenan takes a self-propelled throw over the top rope and runs for his life. That little stretch was actually pretty athletic. Mongo hits Savage with the briefcase to help Flair get the win.

 

It was obvious they were trying to wrap up any distractions in the main event scene to put the focus on Hall and Nash. This was really the conclusion of the Flair/Savage program, despite a few other one-off matches, and Luger and Sting were now fully cooperating babyfaces. They also seemed to be getting the Horsemen strong with the possibility of doing Horsemen vs NWO stuff a few months down the line.

 

Good time period for WCW.

[shoe]

I thought this was just a fun little brawl. The stuff with Heenan was gold and gives you a taste of why he was one of if not the greatest managers who ever lived. Mongo gets put over pretty strong here.

[Tim Evans]

Mongo's reaction to hitting Savage the first time was great. Fun match but I always liked the Savage/Flair matches. Heenan's chase was awesome and I don't understand why they did elaborate more on the Savage/Heenan stuff.

[El-P]

Really fun brawl that looked fresh in comparison with all those routine matches Flair was having otherwise. The champagne spot and the Heenan chase were terrific touches. Like Loss said, you can feel they are wrapping things up to let the stage clear for the upcoming nWo, but not in an obvious ways, are there are still a lot of stuff going on especially with the Horsemen vs Dungeon of Doom. Flair coming down the ring with the three hot women was awesome.

[PeteF3]

Fun on all levels: Savage's pre-match promo ("I saw a female psychiatrist, she said I was OCD--ONE COOL DUDE, OOH YEAH") to his chase of Bobby, the Brain busting out the cowardly heel manager tactics one last time, Flair's entrance, the pre-match mic spots, the brawl at the VIP table, Liz slapping Macho in the face, Savage hitting the elbow while flying through the three ladies trying to protect Flair--nothing not to love here. McMichael actually looks like a genuine badass dressed in all black and sunglasses and laying out Savage with a stiff briefcase shot to the head.

[soup23]

Will be the low vote on this as some of the outside brawling was fun I guess with the food and stuff, but it didn't really get over the hate and violence this feud has had and felt like two old guys going out and relying on way too many tricks considering their skill level. **1/4

[tim]

If you had to pick a definitive Flair/Savage match for the year, I think this would have to be it. Fun, heated brawl with some great moments of catharsis for Savage -- rubbing Flair into the food and pouring champagne on him, and clearing through the three women to hit Flair with the elbow. Both elbows looked pretty damn good too. Two good pre-match promos from Flair and Savage and a hilarious Heenan chase also. Really good segment/match.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Ric Flair vs Randy Savage - WCW Nitro 6/17/97

This kicks off the second hour of the hottest wrestling show on the planet (sorry about been watching so much Nitro that Tony is stuck in my head). The night before Mongo turned on Kevin Greene & Savage to join the Horsemen in a good angle where he sold out for money. It is too bad Mongo sucked and the NWO came along because the '96 Horsemen felt hot at this point. Well actually I shouldnt say too bad the NWO came along as the NWO was absolutely molten compared to anything the Horsemen could have done in 96, but Flair was still the top main event heel in WCW with the most mic and air time even though Giant was champion. With the NWO, Flair would take a backseat, but this match still feels huge. Flair vs Savage in WCW was each man's best stuff in the mid-90s. 

This was a great brawl. Typically awesome crazed Savage performance. Crawling under guardrails, chasing Flair down, shoving Flair's face into fruit and pouring champagne on him. He was not GAB '95 levels of possessed but still very energetic. Flair was bumping and selling. Mid-90s heel Flair was a cartoon but he was entertaining as hell cartoon. Liz gets a slap in and Flair uses a foreign object at one point. Savage crashes and burns to start the heat segment. Solid stuff. Savage makes a comeback so that when Flair busts out the foreign object. Flair wastes too much time jawing with the ref. Savage high knees Flair but ref bump. Macho Man Elbow. Here come the girls, but Savage dont give a fuck and he comes flying again onto Flair. Horsemen hit the ring. Benoit eats a piledriver, AA over the top, but the Halliburton from Mongo does the trick. Throws Flair on top and the ref thrown in for the 1-2-3. I like that it was not just a no contest. Flair got the win even though he was destroyed. 

A lot of people said Flair/Savage was being phased out. Didnt feel that way to me. Flair getting a tainted win over Savage does not feel like the end even though thats what would happen. The Horsemen beatdown and the announcers reaction is eerily reminiscent of the NWO. Fun Nitro match. ***1/2