[1988-03-27-NWA-Clash of the Champions I] Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs Lex Luger & Barry Windham

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA World Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs Lex Luger & Barry Windham - NWA Clash of the Champions I

 

My post was eaten so we are going short and sweet just like this match.

 

Balls out sprint! Luger killed it at the beginning. Manhandling the Horsemen and he came to win. Signals for Torture Rack and hoists Blanchard up, but AA attacks the leg. I love babyfaces going for quick victories. They work a short but energetic heat segment on Luger's leg, Luger kicks Arn into Tully and they knock heads. Here comes Windham to kick some ass. Powerslam, Lariat and sleeper. Love Blanchard in this he is a total schmuck in the best way possible. AA rubs his shoudlers after sleeper great spot. Windham gets clocked in ab stretch by The Enforcer who drops him in a heap on a DDT and then SPINEBUSTER1 Just like that the Horsemen are in control. Windham does some awesome next level selling. I love the extended barrage of hope spots needed to earn the hot tag. He is just throwing desperation right hand bombs against the Horsemen. SLINGSHOT SUPLEX! KICKOUT~! HOLY SHIT! Greensboro is fucking rocking tonight! MOLTEN ALL NIGHT LONG! Best crowd in US history? Windham clocks Blanchard and falls into the Total Package! LUGER DESTROY! JoJo Dillon has a chair and Luger sends Double A's skull into the chair. 1-2-3! GREENSBORO EXPLODES! ONE OF THE LOUDEST POPS EVER! Luger's celebratory leap is the number one thing I remember from this match having been burned into my mind from previous viewings.

 

Blanchard made the faces look like a million bucks. Arn brought the street cred. Windham brought that awesome babyface selling and Luger was an offensive dynamo! Amazing sprint tag team match! ****3/4

[cactus]

Jesus, how have I not heard of this match before? Might be one of the best ever US tag matches I've ever seen and it totally eclipses the already excellent Fantastics vs Midnights match from the same show. Lex Luger gets a lot of shit for not being as good as his contemparies, but he looks good here. The audience go apeshit for his shine segment and even buy into some of the early near falls. AA & Tully take out Luger's leg, as J.R gives us a lesson on autonomy and explains how sound the heel's strategy is. Windham gets in, but it's not long before he's taken out by a beautifully executed Spinebuster and a DDT from AA. Windham and Anderson are such great sellers that they can even make those double knockdown spots look believable. Dillon ends up accidentally costing his team the win and the crowd explode, reaching a level that could even exceed Kobashi/Kikuchi vs Kroffat/Furnas. 

★★★★¾

[xlynwoodx]

Did Lex Luger sleep with the director's wife or something?  When Luger is running wild early, the camera keeps cutting to crowd shots.  Windham tags in and that stops.  When Luger makes the hot tag, it cuts to Dillon standing outside doing nothing while Luger is in the ring.  Really weird.

The match was great.  Crazy hot crowd, faces run wild and almost get the pin a minute in.  Barry Windham does this cool spot where he follows Blanchard to the outside while he is in a sleeperhold.  He doesn't let go and puts Blanchard to sleep on the outside.  Arn has to come and wake him back up.  Anderson and Blanchard do what they do best, cheating and double-teaming to get the advantage.  Windham kicks out of the slingshot suplex, which sets the crowd off.  Luger gets back in and he is unstoppable.  The absolute joy of Luger when he gets the win is a sight, jumping high in the air and lifting his partner.  Tag team wrestling doesn't get much better than this.