[1993-08-21-WCW-Saturday Night] Ric Flair vs Sting

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This match has lots of positives and negatives. Overall, it was a good match, but considering how much time they got and how lively the crowd was, it probably should have been better. Flair and Sting have worked each other a ridiculous amount of times, but there were quite a few moments -- especially in the first 20 minutes or so -- where it seems like they had crossed signals. Sting was easing into one of their sequences we had seen a million times but Flair seemed to have a different idea. They tried some different matwork than we normally see from them early in the match, and most of it was really good. They also kept a really good pace. From an action standpoint, this was as good as any Flair/Sting. But there were a few times when it seemed like Flair was drawing blanks. 25 minutes or so into the match, they were in a groove, and from then on, the match was excellent.

[BackToBionic]

The fan reaction to a suplex about halfway in is my favourite fan reaction to anything ever.

 

Really, the crowds at these SN tapings were always very good. It seemed like they had youth groups in there a lot because you'd see packs of kids with no adults around and they were just going wild throughout.

[El-P]

25 minutes or so into the match, they were in a groove, and from then on, the match was excellent.

Funny, I have the exact opposite feeling. I enjoyed the first 20 minutes more, as they both worked face and yet still kept their character alive : Flair didn't beg as much but was still dirty at times, Sting didn't go full blast at Flair yet still showed intensity. It made for a few little floating moments, because they aren't used to work that way, but it made the match really interesting to me. Then when Sting reverted to no-selling babyface comeback, it kinda fella part into mediocre Flair/Sting circa 1990 stuff, especially since Sting totally brushed-off a long figure four spot, and did the chop no-sell not once, not twice, but like 3 or 4 times, which totally got le out of the match. The finish is horrendous too, as there's no way the referee can't see what's happening, they really didn't do a good job at all with it (not to mention it was really cheap to begin with). So, for the first 20 minutes I thought this was gonna be a MOTYC, then regressed into "good TV match" territory. That being said, it's the first time Flair looked like the Flair of old (well, at least like the Flair of early 90's), and he showed he could still go. I blame Sting more than Flair for the match going downward, although it's obvious working with Flair kinda makes Sting automatically go back into bad stuff he wouldn't do against Vader, in a way Flair demands formula, consciously or not. Still very cool overall.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I was quite disappointed by this. I was expecting babyface Flair, who always goes to WAR~! Instead, I got subdued, Budokan Ric Flair vs subdued, on downers Sting. I will say the beginning back work by Sting was very refreshing, but it was clear throughout the match the gorilla press slam was their touchstone. If either one ever got lost, Flair would feed Sting that and they would reset. Flair was clearly in heel mode throughout telling the ref to "Shut up!" early and throwing up his hands. Compared to some 1980s matwork I had seen from Sting, this stuff made him look like El Friggin Dandy. Flair takes over on some Sting overzealouness. Those Sugar Smacks always do the Stinger in. Flair's offense is actually kinda pedestrian. He does do two nice delayed vertical suplexes, but he does that jockeyed for a pinfall, which he works in longer matches. I wanted him to throw some more stuff out. They trade figure-4s. Sid joins us and mentions that Flair's chops are the most painful thing EVAH~! Maybe Sid just had a sensitive pectoral region. Sting get his usual sugar rush and makes a pretty decent comeback. I liked the finish just fine with Sid stopping Sting from getting back in the ring as it furthers their 1993 Wargames program. It was a good TV match, but I was expecting more.

[Zenjo]

My proverbial cockles are practically roasting. 37m shown with just one commercial break. It was like a throwback to Flairs glory days of the 1980's, a classic style NWA title bout. For once we had some good commentary until Sid arrived in the booth. They were talking about the history of the rivalry, wrestling strategy and potential outcomes of different results. Some of Jesse rubbed off on Shuhvonny. Flair was past his physical prime yet could still go better than most. He had the 1975 back injury worked on. All the old favourite moves, I never got bored. Okay there were problems with the work. Sting was good rather than excellent and his moveset got exposed. Didn't have a clean finish either. But I applaud their ambition and it's not easy to keep me entertained for north of 30m. At times Sting could barely contain how much he was loving it out there.

[Kevin Ridge]

It must be instinctual for Flair to wrestle a certain way when he is in the ring with Sting or Luger. It wasn't the over the top begging you see when he's a full heel but he'd half heartedly beg off before realizing he was a good guy too. I wish Flair wasn't doing that stuff as much here with him being a face also and we got a more even/different match than their previous efforts. Curious that they would throw out this match on regular TV. Should have been saved for a PPV or at least a Clash show. With the time given I thought this would be much better. Like a a really good under the radar match between the two because it wasn't on a big show. Sid on commentary was a big distraction at the end. A long match that didn't feel satisfying in the end with the finish. I should say more positives about it and I felt similar to El-P that the earlier stuff was better. Though, I felt the crowd wasn't into it as much early and Sting/Flair did an excellent job over the course of the match getting the fans into it.

[PeteF3]

I haven't watched that Clash match in awhile, but I think this may have been better. That's not to say that it's a great match, but there's a lot of this that's admirable and worked differently than your typical Flair/Sting formula. As Jerome points out, it does revert into Invincible Sting vs. Stooging Flair as the match goes on, and there is quite a bit of sloppiness and/or hesitance at points. But it's a well-paced and generally well-worked match, from two guys who were working very hard. Schiavone and Jesse were on their game, too--Tony does what he does best which is invoke the history of JCP and early-'90s WCW, and Jesse calls the action straight without excessively focusing on his go-to jokes or by now cliched heel talking points. I even enjoyed the lighter, more low-key, and smartass side of Sid when he sat in on commentary. The ending's kind of bullshit but I was in no way expecting a real finish going in.

[soup23]

This match was fine and really long which was refreshing. However, the main thing that I took away from this is that even though Sting vs. Flair isn't one of my favorite Flair feuds at all, the matches they have are all a good bit different. Starrcade 89, GAB 90, Clash 1, and this one all feel really different. I think the first portion of this match was really engaging and when they would flub things, they really covered it well. Interesting stuff to watch. ***1/4

[drew wardlaw]

Tony and Jesse are good on commentary here and cover well for some of the goofs early on. Really strange to see the miscommunication on the standard gorilla press spot. I really like Sting here. His matwork early on looks really good and the strategy of working on the back, then moving to the knee. He struggles a lot of times when not working from underneath but he handles himself well here I think. So between the setting (1993 tv match) and Sting's performance I think this is my favorite of their matches together.

[garretta]

Bullshit.

 

That ought to be the only word I write in this post, but I want the world to know how much I despised the finish here. They went almost forty minutes for a Sid run-in? They could have done it in ten and gone to another match that might have actually meant something. I never thought I'd give credit to Vince where lousy finishes are concerned, but at least he telegraphs them so no one in the audience can possibly miss them and gets the matches- more like extended pull-aparts- over with in five to seven minutes, give or take. He doesn't completely waste the audience's time getting them invested in a match- an NWA World title match, no less- then pulling the rug out from under them by making that match nothing more than a setup for another, by definition less important, match.

 

What makes it worse is that this match was a payoff to another angle that had no damn business being associated with it: the whole thing with Flair and Harley and his team the Awesome Kongs. That angle gets a blowoff, but a World title match comes to nothing. How fair is that? Have Sid and Harlem Heat do their run-in at the Clash, have the six-man in this spot, and save Sting's title match for a time when it's the ​one and only ​issue to be decided. No setup for any other angles, no interference, nothing.

 

There's no sense commenting on anything else to do with this match since it leads to nothing anyway, so I'll save myself the keystrokes. I've done reviews like this only four or five times since I started going through the Yearbooks, and almost all of them have been in WCW matches. Let me amend that: They've almost all been in good to great WCW matches which terrible booking have completely ruined and made forgettable.

 

As I alluded to above, people blame Vince for this kind of thing all the time, but I don't think I've ever seen him build a no-doubt classic match, get his fans into it, and then ruin the whole thing not just through interference, but through interference that makes that classic the setup for a match that can't possibly be as much of a classic because it's a totally different kind of match. if Sid, Harlem Heat, Flair, Sting, and whoever their partner is can go almost forty minutes with no stalling, no interference, and the crowd equally hot for both sides like they were here, I'll recant every lousy word I've just typed and eat my keyboard besides. Something tells me that I won't need to get out my knife and fork anytime soon.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I was quite disappointed by this. I was expecting babyface Flair, who always goes to WAR~! Instead, I got subdued, Budokan Ric Flair vs subdued, on downers Sting. I will say the beginning back work by Sting was very refreshing, but it was clear throughout the match the gorilla press slam was their touchstone. If either one ever got lost, Flair would feed Sting that and they would reset. Flair was clearly in heel mode throughout telling the ref to "Shut up!" early and throwing up his hands. Compared to some 1980s matwork I had seen from Sting, this stuff made him look like El Friggin Dandy. Flair takes over on some Sting overzealouness. Those Sugar Smacks always do the Stinger in. Flair's offense is actually kinda pedestrian. He does do two nice delayed vertical suplexes, but he does that jockeyed for a pinfall, which he works in longer matches. I wanted him to throw some more stuff out. They trade figure-4s. Sid joins us and mentions that Flair's chops are the most painful thing EVAH~! Maybe Sid just had a sensitive pectoral region. Sting get his usual sugar rush and makes a pretty decent comeback. I liked the finish just fine with Sid stopping Sting from getting back in the ring as it furthers their 1993 Wargames program. It was a good TV match, but I was expecting more.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Sting - Saturday Night

 

I totally agree with myself that this is not babyface Ruc Flair with all that vim & vigor ready to go to WAR! He is paying deference to the Stinger & playing de facto heel. I thought the first 15 minutes were really solid besides the botch of the first press slam: Sting's back work set up by the Press Slam was smart and interesting. I like Flair coming out of the powder after Boston Crab by crowding Sting in the corner and hitting those chops. Misses a knee drop and Sting switches to the leg which I'm cool with. Back to the Press Slam which would be the touchstone of this match. Flair collapses after the Irish Whip causing Sting to miss the Stinger Splash. Would have loved to have Flair hit a piledriver on the floor to set up his heat segment but Sting back drops out. Around this point it transforms into traditional Sting vs Flair, which is a bummer because they could have worked something interesting. Sting no sells chops and Flair begging off. Sting clotheslines himself on top rope. Flair's heated segment is uncharacteristically boring going for a lot of covers only the vertical Suplex is a highspots. Sting makes his come back with pin falls, Flair Flip and Press Slam from top. Flair cools his jets with an eyepoke then knee crusher then figure-4. Sting powers out. Very basic Sting vs Flair nothing to Wow me. Sid Vicious makes his presence felt on commentary at this point. They kick into gear in the last ten minutes. Lots of high spots lots of Sting vs Flair spots. Sting no sells chops, press slams galore, no sells a vertical Suplex with a pop up and putting the Figure-4 on Flair, Flair does the double leg Rollie in the corner with feet on the ropes all the classics. Sting gets a superplex as his big spot. They tumble over the top rope off a cross body. Sid yanks off the apron and throws him into railing and Sting gets counted out. Flair morphs into face Flair and jaws with Sid and then fends off Harlem Heat.

 

Good lead in to Wargames 93 heating up Sting vs Sid. I remember a ton of press slams from the match and yep they were there. Good Flair vs Sting match but could have been more unique & interesting. ***

[flyonthewall2983]

Watched this last night. I like the commentary for this too, I think Ventura was always a big mark for Flair so it was kind of cool that he'd be deferential to him even as a babyface during this time. He pretty much calls it down the middle, like he did for the Hogan/Warrior match or even as he did for Hogan/Andre at WM III. 

For something with literally no heat between the two going in, they made the most of it. Flair telling Nick Patrick to shut up a few times was a nice touch, not really heelish but just pure annoyance. Sid being wrenched in towards the finish let the air out of the balloon a little for me, but honestly he was okay on the mic, except to harp on the fact Flair was too old (an obvious shoot in retrospect).