Loss Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I've seen this a million times. It's still great to watch as a Flair performance ("Come on, Stinger! I'm here!"), and it still makes no sense (Why does Flair need to turn on Sting? Why not just reunite the Horsemen? Not sure what he gained from it ...) Anyway, I understand Sting's frustration. And it's also interesting that Flair complained on his shoot that Flair vs Arn was cut short, when it was in the WON at the time that Flair was insistent on turning heel again while WCW wanted him to stay a babyface because he was so over (which he was). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I've seen this a million times. It's still great to watch as a Flair performance ("Come on, Stinger! I'm here!"), and it still makes no sense (Why does Flair need to turn on Sting? Why not just reunite the Horsemen? Not sure what he gained from it ...) Because making Sting his little bitch never gets old to Flair. This is the angle that put Sting over the edge as the dumbest babyface ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Guitar Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I love this angle. It feels like the swan song for early WCW. Going in you knew that Sting was going to get fucked over. Thats what Flair & Arn did. Fuck Sting over. They'd done it before and they'd do it again. Pillman had been Sting's friend in the past. But he'd gone heel with Austin. So he was untrustworthy. Arn & Flair had both been to the WWF for a quick run, whilst Sting & Pillman had stayed in WCW. These guys along with Luger and Eaton, were the only people with ties left to the early years of the company. After this people in WCW were linked with the WWF or ECW mainly. Flair, Arn & Pillman beating down Sting. Four guys who'd been with company for years. Everything that had happened since 1989, felt like it had been building to this moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted August 19, 2012 Report Share Posted August 19, 2012 This was so great. Easily one of Heenan's best WCW calls and Flair was just awesome in his turn. Everyone knew it was coming but it worked. Flair struts and then punches Sting right in the face. I like Sting fighting back after the turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laney Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I'm not sure exactly where I stand on this one. On one hand Flair did an excellent job here in executing the turn. Flair coming out bandaged up to help out Sting only to turn on him and reveal that he was never attack was done perfectly. On the other hand, it made no sense, especially how they played it off like this was the plan all along. Flair and Arn pretending to feud with each other and having Pillman come to Arn's aid so that Flair has to beg for Sting to help him. The whole plan just seems really convoluted. Also, I have to say that I was not a fan of the match itself. The beatdown on Sting before Flair's run-in just seemed to go on for too long. Sting also played off a little two strong when it was 2-on-1 for my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Great angle, great beatdown, great face-in-peril segment, great hot-tag, great double-cross, great Sting fiery comeback, great beatdown again. The fan in the first row going crazy for the Sting beatdown is awesome. So yeah, let's just pretend Arn & Flair made up after Fall Brawl, decided to reunite the Horsemen and fuck around with Sting just for the hell of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 No, the angle makes no sense, for the reasons Loss stated. But goddamned if this isn't one of the most glorious moments of the year. I forgot just how good of a match this was before the angle, and how agonizingly long they teased us with the hot tag to Flair. Just some masterful work on the part of Sting and Arn, with some good contributions by Pillman and Flair being a tornado working the apron. And it seemed to blindside the fans, as they seem genuinely pissed at this turn of events and litter the ring with garbage for the first but certainly not last time. Okerlund: "This is one of the most despicable acts I've ever seen." You ain't seen nothing yet, Gene. It should also be noted that Tony Schiavone was absolutely fantastic for all of this. Arn knocking Sting into Pillman was a great nod to history and Schiavone was right on top of it, pointing out that that was a favorite tactic of Ole & Gene Anderson. And I love his reaction to the turn--"This is beyond sick, this is DEMENTED." 1995 is a horrible year for announcers but Tony is clearly the best working a national stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrzfn Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I actually thought the angle did make sense, though I'm almost certainly giving it more thought than the bookers did. The whole point of Arn vs. Flair was Arn wanted Flair to prove he was still the old Flair, THE MAN, the guy he dedicated his career to following. So, what is more vintage Flair than screwing over Sting? So the original conflict is real, then after Fall Brawl Flair approaches Arn with this plan and Arn is convinced that Flair is back to his old self and re-aligns with him in secret, and Pillman comes along because he's quietly been a Flair guy forever and of course he wants to be a Horsemen. Probably more in my head than in the canon, but still I think it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted May 15, 2023 Report Share Posted May 15, 2023 Having watched this the first time in decades (probably since it aired initially), I thought Flair did a surprisingly bad job on the apron. He strutted around a couple of times, but for such a long heat segment, he should have done more. He missed to do the obvious things like pounding on the turnbuckle to get the crowd the clap along or better chant something like "let's go Sting". As a result the crowd died down a couple of times at the later points of the heat, something that should not have happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted April 9 Report Share Posted April 9 Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman vs Sting & "Ric Flair" - WCW Halloween Havoc 1995 I watched all of Halloween Havoc 1995 something like 5-10 years ago. This is even more glorious than I remember it. It is not just the turn that is excellent, but the actual match itself is wicked good. Bobby Heenan, as always when Flair is involved, is much more engaged and entertaining on commentary. The Sting shine was brilliant. It is exactly how you want a top level babyface to handle two midcard heels that are our threats. He divides & conquers and outsmarts them. In the Crockett tradition, they mix in enough camp and levity to make it really fun. Love the Full Nelson spot where Sting Kangaroo Kicks Pillman off the apron and then switches onto Double A and drops Anderson on his ass. Sting gets bated to the floor, Heenan says that is the exact opposite thing to do, but he ducks both Pillman and Anderson and slugs them both. The Military Press Slam on Pillman had me pumping my fist. The standard Pillman spot with the railing worked perfectly into the transition. As a groggy Pillman pulls himself up on the apron, Anderson cracks Sting's head into Pilman's and thus begins the Heat Segment. The babyface shine was money. Of course, this is the exact time, Flair hits the ring, which is perfect timing. The crowd was rabid for Flair! Lots of We Want Flair chants both before and after his arrival. I enjoyed the heat segment as well. I thought it did grow a little long in the tooth, but it was more entertaining than not. Perfect mixture of the Horsemen grinding Sting down, hope spots and cutoffs. I really enjoyed Flair on the apron. He was a maniac, strutting and hollering at Sting. Flair yelling "Stand Tall" and Sting doing his Action Movie Acting howling "NATURE BOY!" was so damn good. It felt like a real struggle. I bit on two or three of the hope spots thinking that had to be it. I really liked the Sting rally that ended in the Spinebuster. They get bonus points for having Sting crack Pillman's head into Anderson's head on the apron to be the high spot that leads to the tag. The tag is tremendous. It was the perfect climax to all the tension they built. Flair stomping around and winding up to hit Double A ONLY TO SLUG THE STINGER! What really makes it is Sting's reaction. He does NOT lie there and get pummeled. He is INCENSED! He fights back and the way Anderson and Pillman TACKLE him is so realistic. I loved it. Flair gets his cheapshots in. To me this is a ***** angle, wicked good. Hard to rate as a match because it is more of an angle, but it really holds up well as a match too so I am going ****. This ages very well, I am pretty sure this is my 3rd time watching it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.