[1986-03-29-JCP-Greensboro, NC] Ric Flair vs Ronnie Garvin (Cage)

[paul sosnowski]

House show footage from Greensboro NC.   Ric Flair defends the NWA World Heavyweight Title.    

 

[KB8]

Man, this is up there with anything these two have ever done together. I'd never seen it before, never even knew it exited, and after finally getting around to the 12/85 studio match last year I figured I'd watched all the Flair v Garvin I'd ever need to watch. Yet here's this handcam from the Greensboro Coliseum where they both bloody each other up for half an hour and practically all of it is captured from the perfect camera angle. Every exchange felt like a Flair/Garvin exchange, which meant you could almost hear the thwack on every chop even over the rabid crowd (and a gentleman in close proximity to our cameraperson - or perhaps he himself is our cameraperson - who was very much a Ric Flair guy and very not a "hedgehog Garvin" guy).

Flair is always really fun at selling surprise when an opponent drops him early on, like he can't believe someone would treat the champion of the world like that even though the champion of the world is kind of a dickhead and absolutely deserves to be punched in the mouth. With Garvin it's less surprise and more palpable contempt. He fully expects Garvin to punch him in the mouth but it won't stop him from hating that little Canadian to death. I love Garvin just grabbing Flair by the nose and measuring a punch. I love how they don't tie up as much as grab each other by the throat. It's all nasty and rough and obviously they lay it in until they're four shades of purple. Flair taking over by kneeing Garvin in the balls was amazing and it set up a doubly amazing payback spot later, which bled into a triply amazing example of Flair getting slammed off the top rope. Garvin gets cut open pretty quick and this was very much vicious Flair coming to the party. He'd woo now and then but for the most part he was focused on grinding Garvin's forehead through the cage, less about the strutting and taking him to school, more about making him regret ever coming for the belt. Rather than take the comedy bump after Tommy Young shoves him Flair just wiped his blood-soaked hands on Young's shirt. You know Garvin is going to come back and you know Flair is going to bleed. You know Garvin is going to punch him in the cut and bite his forehead and shred his face across the cage, but that revenge punt to the balls was just perfection. Flair frantically trying to climb out the cage, Garvin yanking him back and exposing his bare white keister, the forearm uppercut to the crown jewels, the slam off the top while Flair's trunks are half down; also perfection. I'm mostly over Flair taking his signature bumps every time out but the slam off the top has never been set up better than it was here. Finish is great as well. Flair takes over again with the shin breaker, then he works the leg for a bit and goes to the figure-four. Garvin weathers the storm and you'll never guess what he does in response but if by some miracle you guessed "kick the living shit out of him" then I'm sorry I ever doubted you. He drops Flair with the fist of stone and Flair lucks out by getting his foot on the rope. Garvin picks him up to do it again, Flair throws a couple punches to Garvin's leg and hits a cross body, Gavin catches him but the leg gives out under him, and as they topple Flair lucks out again, this time by using the same ropes to leverage the pin. This was shit hot. 

[MichaelZ]

This match was really well put together with a lot of disparate elements: brawling, technique, and detestable acts. Garvin and Flair went after each other with gusto and it made for a compelling 30 minutes. 

[Superstar Sleeze]

So I watched this Same video Charles says it is from 3/30 in Omni this says 3/29 Greensboro. We are clearly talking about the same match so I will let someone else decide the date and venue.
 

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ronnie Garvin - NWA 3/30/86 Omni Steel Cage

Fantastic Handheld as someone not usually into fancams, this is worth going out of your way to see! Much better than the 3/1 match less cuts and easier to follow the narrative. 
 

WHAT A WAR! This is what you want from Flair vs Garvin. Just a dog fight from beginning to end. Pelting each other with stiff shots. The beginning of the match is each back the other into a corner just lighting each other up. Flair was trying to crowd Garvin in the crowd and Garvin was BELTING him back. The way Flair would lunge to close the gap or got for the throat or how Garvin would go for the hair. So visceral. Garvin grabbing that big banana nose and yanking was awesome doubly awesome because he demonstrated to Tommy Young what he just did. I will get to my one beef with the match. Just like on 3/1 Garvin hits the Hands of Stone early and Flair kicks out. Garvin had punched Flair in the run up and Flair was registering, Flair clearly bumped around 8 minute mark of the footage I watched like he got DECKED and then kicked out. Back to heaping praise on this…

Garvin grabs a front face lock, Flair muscles him into the corner and BALLSHOTS him. This is what really separates this from 3/1 EXCELLENT Heat segment we starts with busting Garvin open by ramming and grating him head on the Steel. Then it is the heavy hands of Flair. Watch the punches and the way he takes him down beats the fucking shit out of him. When Garvin starts to No Sell the shots in the corner FUCK YES! They don’t jump to it early. Flair beats him back into another corner. Garvin no sells. Watch Flair RIP him down the ground. That was not a snap mare that was a RIP. He unleashes a fury of punches but it is Flair who tastes the steel for the first time. Then it is UNHOLY Testicular Violence! Garvin straight up punches him in the asshole and the dick it was like fuck. HOW THE FUCK DO FLAIR’s TRUNKS HOLD ON? I thought for sure we were going to see his junk fuck he yank that shit down. They do classic Garvin stands out of the atomic drop CLOCKS HIM WITH THE HANDS OF STONE! ELECTRIC! Flair gets his foot on the ropes. Pretty lame in a steel cage match. Great spot but they were in a tough spot because Garvin was not winning the title. The action kinda Peters out as their only play was to get to the Figure-4 to reheat and they do. Flair crotches him on the ropes. A little leg work and the Figure-4 and the heat is back. Garvin reverses the pressure and revs back up. Flair goes to escape again and again his trunks work overtime to stay in his body. Again the HANDS OF STONE! Again the foot on the ropes. Ugh. Take it home fellas Flair crossbody and Garvin knee buckles and he collapses under the weight of Flair for the win. Garvin makes sure to sell the knee.

Normally I love that finish but if you’re going to use it I would have liked some more leg work. Three near falls with Hands of Stone was two too many. Cut out the first one that was fucking stupid. I like the second one. Go into the leg work. Make the leg work more extensive and vicious. Have Garvin make one final comeback but he whiffs on the Hands of Stone because of his leg, Flair crossbody Knee buckles and you have a 5 star classic. As is **** 1/2 because the violence and hatred and nastiness was so fucking awesome, this is exactly what you want Flair vs Garvin to be hard hitting and nasty. **** 1/2