[1990-02-06-NWA-Clash of the Champions X] Interview: Four Horsemen

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

The Horsemen tell Sting if he doesn't get a release by the time they finish the cage match, they will find him in the streets and end him.

[PeteF3]

That's...actually some serendipitous foreshadowing on Flair's part.

[soup23]

Horseman are full on heels here telling Sting he better back down.

[Kevin Ridge]

They switched over to heels pretty quickly.

[Cox]

Ole Anderson seems a lot more comfortable being a heel. The steel cage beat the Horsemen to the job of injuring Sting.

[JerryvonKramer]

Thought Ole was really good in this segment. I do wonder if this booking makes Sting look like a bit of a loser or a chump though.

[Loss]

I think you may have the wrong thread. This is the one you are looking for.

[JerryvonKramer]

I do wonder if Flair had stayed face in 1990, who would he have feuded with?

[Loss]

That's a great point. Flair vs Heel Luger still had legs. After that, they probably would have needed to bring in some new people.

[JerryvonKramer]

I've seen people talk about a talent raid on WWF, but seriously were any of the top line guys going to jump ship at that point? I think the only way you could lure a Rude, Hennig, DiBiase, Savage or even Martel at that point is a promise of a world title run and a significant pay rise. Would Flair have been willing to drop the title to any of those?

 

The only other thing I can think of is somehow elevating Butch Reed or Ron Simmons to main event level. Whether Flair vs. Reed would have drew a dime in 1990, I don't know.

[Loss]

I'm not necessarily thinking someone from the WWF. Hansen probably would have worked Flair when he came in, instead of Luger. I could see them making a play for Terry Gordy for a short run too.

[Laney]

Time is running out for Sting to back out of his match with Flair. Everyone seems to change their tone and are full on heels here. Except for Ole, who seemed like a heel even when the Horsemen were faces.

[garretta]

I just realized what felt so wrong about this turn: The Horsemen were always about competition in the eighties. Not necessarily fair or honest competition, but competition nonetheless. Here, they try and get out of wrestling not just Sting, but the Steiners (as we'll see when their match with the Andersons is announced). Now, they're not only heels, but cowards, and the Horsemen were always the one group of heels who never ran scared.

 

On a more aesthetic note, if you've got Arn and Flair, two of the best promo men in the business, behind you, why are you talking, Ole? You were a fifth wheel in this group on your best day with it four years ago. Let the masters do the promo work. (To be fair, Ole can be an effective, even menacing talker, but he pales next to Arn and Flair by this time.)

[soup23]

The coward point is a very good one and one I havent thought about.

[PeteF3]

I think I mentioned this, but it really gets noticeable when they try the same "Just walk away" spiel on Luger. Was their goal just for Flair to never defend the title again?

[drew wardlaw]

A real shame and a mistake here. This is really blindsiding and seems off, but what I do really enjoy is how the Horsemen's collective attitude immediately shifts and they attack Sting. Like as soon as he tries anything, that's it. But ultimately a big shame.

 

Edit: oops! Wrong thread.

[GSR]

Gordon Solie doesn’t understand this action at all, but Ole says he explained it clearly. The time is almost up and Sting hasn’t met the conditions. They let him slide once, let him slide twice, but they aren’t going to let him slide a third time. He better go and tell the promoter that the match on the 25^th is off otherwise he’s a dead man. Flair says Sting has heard the ultimatum and if he doesn’t get that release by the time they get back from this cage match they’re going to find him, whether that’s in the building or on the streets of Corpus Christi.

[dawho5]

I like Ole's promo. He's really good in this role. Sting getting jumped the instant he moves was the right call.

 

Now onto the negative.

 

WHY?? Flair is huge as a babyface. As mentioned above, the Horsemen always thrived on competition. You ADVERTISED for a six-man match with Sting in it. So right away on the show he's not going to be in it anymore? Explain how that is going to bring in a bigger audience to me please. Just poorly thought out all-around. I understand how it was supposed to make Sting, but you could have waited until Sting beat Flair for the eventual betrayal by the other 3. Just build the tension between the Andersons, Flair and Sting with Flair assuring the Andersons that Sting would lay down when the time came. The when Sting finishes Flair off on the 25th things go off the rails. Would make way more sense than what we got.