[2000-02-23-WCW-Thunder] Ric Flair vs Vampiro

[soup23]

Flair has Hogan’s belt and runs down Reno. The fans chant for Hogan like he is there. LOL. I looked it up and he did work 4 Thunders in 2000 which is honestly more than I would have thought. Flair presents an open challenge to anyone from the back. Vampiro answers the challenge and they present it as the biggest match in Vampiro’s career. The match itself is really good. I got the type of vibe as the 1996 Eddy vs. Flair matches where they have a different type of chemistry with each other. Flair does good to pepper Vamp’s leg throughout the match. Vamp goes to the top but here comes the Total Package to throw him off and a figure four gets the win for Flair. Actually enjoy that heel stable more than I probably should. **3/4

[Loss]

Considering how little the WCW crowds react to anything at this point other than appearances from their childhood favorites, I'm really surprised Vampiro gets the reaction he does. Very strange and surprising that Flair has better chemistry at this stage with Vampiro than he does Terry Funk. Whaaaa? It helps a lot that Flair is able to do his traditional broomstick match here and because the crowd is into it, it all comes together very well. Of course Luger interferes when it looks like Vampiro might stand a fighting chance and they attack Vampiro in the post-match. I would like to point out that there is an art to ringing the bell to represent chaos after a match and this timekeeper does it horribly.

[GSR]

Flair is out for an interview and he’s carrying Hulk Hogan’s weightlifting belt with him. He says Monday night Lex Luger completely demolished Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania came to a halt. At the end of the match he came down the aisle, took the belt off him and whipped his Californian ass! Tonight Lex Luger is going to take Sid Vicious and knock him down too, but he wonders why he can’t find anyone to wrestle him. He challenges a few people in the audience, when out walks Vampiro. Flair seems a bit taken aback that ‘he’ wants to wrestle him, but the crowd are excited about the prospect. When Flair again questions he wants to wrestle him? Vampiro says he doesn’t want to wrestle him, in fifteen minutes he’s going to kick his ass!

 

Later on Thunder we get the match and Vampiro blocks a hip toss and rolls through into a nice kneebar submission. A pair of clotheslines, a back body drop and Flair steps outside to compose himself. Vampiro suplexes him back into the ring and unleashes some chops, before a poke to the eye gives Flair a chance to reverse the situation and get some chops in of his own. Vampiro with some weird looking spin kick and he then misses a leg drop off the top. Flair focuses on the knee and starts to try and soften it up for the Figure Four. Spinning toe hold and Vampiro cradles him with a small package for a two. Luger and Liz head out to ringside at this point, concerned it’s not all going Flair’s way. Vampiro with an enziguiri, another spin kick and he heads to the top. Liz distracts referee Billy Silverman, Luger nails Vamp in the back of the knee with a baseball bat and he falls to the canvas. Flair with the Figure Four and Vampiro submits. They double team Vamp post-macth with Lex putting the boots to him and Flair whipping him with Hogan’s weightlifting belt.

 

The main take from this was the crowd, who were hot for the match and super into Vampiro. Wouldn’t know why, but it’s going to be interesting to see if this is the start of any sort of push for him in the upcoming weeks. It might just be a one off, or the fact it’s a new match up, but the crowd certainly look ready to accept him at that level. Inside the ring there is something rather ungainly about him, almost unnatural, but flashy in spots. Enjoyed Flair’s working over of the knee as he set Vamp up for the Figure Four.