P2B Greatest Crockett/WCW matches

[KB8]

I took part in a Greatest WCW match poll close to a decade ago on another forum; one that lasted about a year, over the course of which I watched an absolute ton. That one only covered the period from when Turner took over until WCW rode off into the sunset (same period that Smarkschoice covered for their poll a few years before that), but this was my top 100 at the time:

 

1.    Ric Flair v Ricky Steamboat (Clash of the Champions VI, 4/2/89)
2.    Eddy Guerrero v Rey Misterio Jr. (Halloween Havoc, 10/26/97)
3.    Ric Flair v Terry Funk (Clash of the Champions IX, 11/15/89)
4.    Ricky Steamboat v Rick Rude (Beach Blast, 6/20/92)
5.    Sting v Vader (SuperBrawl, 2/21/93)
6.    Goldberg v Diamond Dallas Page (Halloween Havoc, 10/25/98)
7.    Arn Anderson, Rick Rude, Larry Zbyszko & Bobby Eaton v Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (Saturday Night, 2/22/92)
8.    Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes & Nikita Koloff v Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko (Saturday Night, 5/23/92)
9.    Wargames (WrestleWar, 2/24/91)
10.    Wargames (WrestleWar, 5/17/92)

11.    The Steiner Brothers v Nasty Boys (Halloween Havoc, 10/27/90)
12.    The Steiner Brothers v Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Clash of the Champions XIX, 6/16/92)
13.    Eddy Guerrero v Chris Jericho (Fall Brawl, 9/14/97)
14.    Randy Savage v Diamond Dallas Page (Great American Bash, 6/15/97)
15.    Vader v Dustin Rhodes (Clash of the Champion XXIX, 11/16/94)
16.    Ric Flair v Terry Funk (Great American Bash, 7/23/89) 
17.    Rock n Roll Express v Midnight Express (Wrestlewar, 2/25/90)
18.    Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas v Barry Windham & Brian Pillman (Starrcade, 12/28/92)
19.    Vader v The Boss (Spring Stampede, 4/17/94) 
20.    Ric Flair v Ricky Steamboat (Chi-Town Rumble, 2/20/89)

21.    Midnight Express v Southern Boys (Great American Bash, 7/7/90)
22.    Sting v Vader (Starrcade, 12/28/92)
23.    Sting v Vader (Great American Bash, 7/12/92) 
24.    Rick Rude v Dustin Rhodes (Worldwide, 5/30/92)
25.    Ric Flair & Sting v Dick Slater & Great Muta (Clash of the Champions VIII, 9/12/89)
26.    Chris Benoit v Kevin Sullivan (Great American Bash, 6/16/96)
27.    Terry Funk v Ricky Steamboat (Clash of the Champions VII, 6/14/89)
28.    Hollywood Blonds v Marcus Bagwell & Too Cold Scorpio (Worldwide, 5/8/93)
29.    Ric Flair v Lex Luger (Starrcade, 12/26/88)
30.    Eddy Guerrero & Chris Jericho v Faces of Fear (Nitro, 2/24/97)

31.    Diamond Dallas Page v Sting (Nitro, 4/26/99)
32.    Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas v Steve Austin & Brian Pillman (Clash of the Champions XXII, 1/13/93)
33.    Ricky Steamboat v Lex Luger (Great American Bash, 7/23/89)
34.    Ric Flair v Ricky Steamboat (Wrestlewar, 5/7/89)
35.    Wrath & Mortis v Glacier & Ernest Miller (Bash at the Beach, 7/13/97)
36.    Barry Windham v Too Cold Scorpio (Clash of the Champions XXIII, 6/16/93)
37.    Steven Regal v Fit Finlay (Uncensored, 3/24/96)
38.    Arn Anderson v Dustin Rhodes (Saturday Night, 1/4/92)
39.    Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne v Nasty Boys (Spring Stampede, 4/17/94)
40.    Ric Flair & Barry Windham v Lex Luger & Eddie Gilbert (Main Event, 3/25/89)

41.    Rick Rude v Brian Pillman (Pro, 2/15/92)
42.    Arn Anderson v Barry Windham (Saturday Night, 6/6/92)
43.    Steve Austin v Ricky Steamboat (Clash of the Champions XX, 9/2/92)
44.    Dustin Rhodes v Bunkhouse Buck (Spring Stampede, 4/17/94)
45.    Vader v Sting (Slamboree, 5/22/94)
46.    Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes v Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko (Clash of the Champions XVII, 11/19/91)
47.    Sting v Cactus Jack (Beach Blast, 6/20/92)
48.    Doom v Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (Starrcade, 12/16/90)
49.    Diamond Dallas Page v Chris Benoit (Superbrawl, 2/22/98)
50.    Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes v Larry Zbyszko & Steve Austin (SuperBrawl, 2/29/92)

51.    Steven Regal v Larry Zbyszko (Saturday Night, 5/28/94)
52.    Chavo Guerrero Jr. v Rey Misterio Jr. (Superbrawl Revenge, 2/18/01)
53.    Steven Regal v Ricky Steamboat (Fall Brawl, 9/19/93)
54.    Sting v Cactus Jack (Power Hour, 11/16/91)
55.    Wargames (Fall Brawl, 9/18/94)
56.    Chris Benoit v Too Cold Scorpio (SuperBrawl, 2/21/93)
57.    Ric Flair v Brian Pillman (World Championship Wrestling, 2/17/90)
58.    Vader v Ric Flair (Starrcade, 12/27/93)
59.    Rick Rude & Steve Austin v Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes (Great American Bash, 7/12/92)
60.    Arn Anderson v Great Muta (Power Hour, 1/12/90)

61.    Vader v Dustin Rhodes (Saturday Night, 11/21/92)
62.    Randy Savage v Diamond Dallas Page (Halloween Havoc, 10/26/97)
63.    Jake Roberts v Dustin Rhodes (Saturday Night, 9/26/92)
64.    Eddy Guerrero & Juventud Guerrera v Rey Misterio Jr. & Billy Kidman (Nitro, 12/28/98)
65.    Vader v Hulk Hogan (Superbrawl, 2/19/95)
66.    Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes v Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Saturday Night, 10/3/92)
67.    The Steiner Brothers v Tatsumi Fujinami & Takayuki Iizuka (WrestleWar, 5/17/92)
68.    Ric Flair v Steven Regal (Worldwide, 4/30-5/28/94)
69.    Ric Flair v Ricky Steamboat (Saturday Night, 5/14/94)
70.    Vader v Ron Simmons (Main Event, 8/16/92)

71.    Arn Anderson v Big Josh (Saturday Night, 5/2/92)
72.    Chris Benoit v Brad Armstrong (Clash of the Champions XXII, 1/13/93)
73.    Ric Flair & Arn Anderson v Vader & Steve Austin (Saturday Night, 11/13/93)
74.    Steve Austin v Brian Pillman (Worldwide, 7/4/92)  
75.    Terry Funk v Tully Blanchard (Slamboree, 5/22/94) 
76.    Ric Flair v Hulk Hogan (Halloween Havoc, 10/23/94)
77.    Randy Savage v Diamond Dallas Page (Spring Stampede)
78.    Juventud Guerrera v Blitzkrieg (Spring Stampede, 4/11/99)
79.    Barry Windham v Eddie Gilbert (NWA TV, 1/14/89)
80.    Chris Benoit v Jeff Jarrett (Mayhem, 11/21/99)

81.    Arn Anderson & Vader v Stars ‘n’ Stripes (Saturday Night, 4/25/95) 
82.    Barry Windham v Brian Pillman (Pro, 4/6/91)
83.    Arn Anderson v Alex Wright (Slamboree, 5/21/95)
84.    Goldberg v Scott Steiner (Fall Brawl, 9/17/00)
85.    Bam Bam Bigelow v Hak (Spring Stampede, 4/11/99)
86.    Randy Savage v Ric Flair (Great American Bash, 6/18/95)
87.    Fit Finlay v Chris Benoit (Slamboree, 5/17/98)
88.    Brian Pillman v Johnny B. Badd (Fall Brawl, 9/17/95)
89.    Eddy Guerrero v Chris Benoit (Nitro, 10/16/95) 
90.    Rick Rude, Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton v Sting & The Steiner Brothers (Worldwide, 10/3/92)

91.    Vader v Cactus Jack (Worldwide, 4/30/94) 
92.    Fit Finlay v Steven Regal (Nitro, 4/29/96)
93.    Eddy Guerrero v Rey Misterio Jr. (Nitro, 9/8/97)
94.    Nikita Koloff v Mr. Hughes (Saturday Night, 5/9/92)
95.    Chris Benoit v Mike Enos (Souled Out, 1/17/99)
96.    Rey Misterio Jr. v Bam Bam Bigelow (Nitro, 3/1/99)
97.    Steven Regal v Ricky Steamboat (Saturday Night, 8/8/93)
98.    Eddy Guerrero & Chris Jericho v Dean Malenko & Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Nitro, 2/9/98)
99.    Terry Funk v Dustin Rhodes (Uncensored, 3/19/00)
100.    Terry Funk v Normal Smiley (Spring Stampede, 4/16/00) 
 

 

It'll obviously look much different this time around, not just because of an extra eight years' worth of eligible matches, but because my feelings on a lot of those matches there will have changed by now. I mean, I haven't watched my #1 there in forever but I'd be sort of shocked if I have it in the same spot this time around. 

[JKWebb]

Awesome list KB8!  I updated the full list I had on page one with all the matches that have been noted so far in this thread.  Clash 6 would be my first thought around #1 along with Tully/Magnum and Sting/Vader Starrcade… I do want to actually go through all the nominations and watch again though...

[elliott]

What are folks' early project top 5-10 contenders?

[Boss Rock]

Probably the first War Games, Sting's Squadron-Dangerous Alliance, all three Flair-Steamboat matches, both Funk-Flair matches, Magnum-Tully, and Rey-Eddie.

[Tim Cooke]

4 hours ago, elliott said:

What are folks' early project top 5-10 contenders?

10/26/97 - Rey vs Eddy

5/25/92 - War Games

2/21/93 - Vader vs Sting

2/22/89 - Steamboat vs Flair

3/27/88 - MX vs Fantastics

[KB8]

I'd think one of the Flair/Steamboat matches, Wargames '92 or Flair/Funk from the GAB probably takes the overall top spot. Rey/Eddy from Halloween Havoc with the outside shot. 

 

It's been so long since I've watched most of this stuff that I have no real clue what my own top 5 is likely to look like. Maybe Piper/Valentine, Rey/Eddy, Flair/Morton, Flair/Funk (GAB this time, rather than the I Quit match) and a Wargames (either '87 or '92).

[elliott]

I really hope people give Flair/Steamboat 3/17/84 a close look. I thought it was the level of their 89 matches the last time I watched it.

I'll have Piper/Valentine Dog Collar and Wargames 87 in some order at the top. Some of the matches that haven't been mentioned yet that I'm looking at in the 3-10 range are:

Piper vs Valentine 7/83

RnR's vs Russians 7/9/85

Final Conflict

Tully vs Ron Garvin 5/3/86

I haven't gotten there yet in my rewatching, but I expect the 9/87 Flair/Garvin title change will do well. I watched a cage match between them from 3/30/86 that I thought was really great and is something I'll revisit again later in the project. On the first watch I saw it as a top 10 sort of contender.

[KB8]

I actually started watching that whole Boogie Jam (3/17/84) show a few days ago so I should get to the Flair/Steamboat match soon. I've never seen it before. 

[AA484]

Tentative top 5:

 

Flair vs Steamboat, 2/3 falls

Final Conflict tag

MX vs Fantastics, Clash I

MX vs Southern Boys

Enforcers vs Steamboat and Rhodes, Clash

[ZubazKid]

Updated the Google doc at the link below. The link should be the same & I'm trying to include any match recs on here wherever I get to that spot in my chrono rewatch (I'm about halfway through 88 now). Probably missed a few but I'll try to keep checking both sites and coordinating the list.

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1UwSVmjhfoqvSEygTNMLriPfx7komnGOkdi-oMVUZQCE/mobilebasic

[elliott]

22 hours ago, ZubazKid said:

Updated the Google doc at the link below. The link should be the same & I'm trying to include any match recs on here wherever I get to that spot in my chrono rewatch (I'm about halfway through 88 now). Probably missed a few but I'll try to keep checking both sites and coordinating the list.

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1UwSVmjhfoqvSEygTNMLriPfx7komnGOkdi-oMVUZQCE/mobilebasic

 

Thanks for updating the list Zubaz! I'm a bit behind you, but have some recommendations I'd love to see get consideration. 1986 was absolutely loaded.

Ric Flair vs Ron Garvin (Atlanta 1/19/86)

Midnight Express vs Rock n Roll Express (SOTS 2/7/86)

Dusty Rhodes vs Arn Anderson (Cage Match WPW 2/23/86)

Ric Flair vs Magnum TA (WPW 2/23/86)

Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes (Handheld 3/9/86)

Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel vs Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (Bullrope & Strap Match - Greensboro 3/29/86)

Ric Flair vs Ron Garvin (Cage Match - Greensboro 3/29/86)

Dusty Rhodes vs Tully Blanchard (Texas Death Match - Charlotte 4/26/86)

Midnight Express vs Rock n Roll Express (World Pro 4/12/86)

Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel vs Ric Flair & Tully Blanchard (Bullrope & Strap Match - Charlotte WPW 4/12/86)

Ric Flair vs Ricky Morton (Cage Match - Roanoke WPW 7/11/86)

Tully Blanchard vs Ronnie Garvin (Taped Fist Match - GAB 7/26/86

Rock & Roll Express & Magnum TA vs Ric Flair, Ole & Arn Anderson (Elimination Match - WPW 9/22/86)

Rock & Roll Express vs Midnight Express (Handheld 8/16/86)

Ron Garvin vs Big Bubba (Atlanta Street Fight - Starrcade 11/27/86)

Dusty Rhodes vs Tully Blanchard (First Blood - Starrcade 11/27/86)

Road Warriors vs Midnight Express (Scaffold Match - Starrcade 11/27/86)

Rock & Roll Express vs Ragin' & Ravishin' (WorldWide 12/20/86)

Ric Flair vs Nikita Koloff (Handheld - Cincinnati 1/4/87)

Rock & Roll Express vs Ragin' & Ravishin' (Worldwide 2/87)

Midnight Express vs Barry Windham & Ron Garvin (Pro 2/21/87)

[paul sosnowski]

Whoa....wait a second...there is footage of a one hour draw from Atlanta 1/19/86???  I have definitely never seen or heard of this!!!

And I've got to check out the Dusty-Arn cage 2/23/86.   I know I have it.

Now...also...    

Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel vs Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (Bullrope & Strap Match - Handheld --  This is 3/29/86 Greensboro, not 3/30.   Same for Flair-Garvin Cage.

Dusty & Wahoo vs Flair & Tully, bullrope strap is Charlotte 4/12/86 (WPW 6/22/86)

Dusty- Tully Texas Death is Charlotte 4/26/86

Flair-Morton Cage is Roanoke 7/11/86, which aired on WPW 9/1/86, not 6/22/86

The only date I am not sure about is the taping date for the R&R & Magnum vs Horsemen 8/3/86.   It aired on WPW 9/22/86.

I think it should be Spartanburg SC 8/12/86.

 

[elliott]

The 1/19/86 Flair/Garvin match from Atlanta that I recommended is on GH's old 4 Horsemen set and goes to a double count-out after around 25 min. There is some clipping, but it doesn't seem like we're missing over half of the match. "Clippedish" is how I noted it on my running list.

Their 3/29/86 Cage match is also one to go out of your way to see.

[elliott]

Fixed the dates and added cities on the above recommendations, thanks to Paul's work. I kept the 9/22/86 WPW 6 man air date the same because Paul wasn't totally certain whether the match was 8/3 or 8/12.

For those wondering, all of these matches are from GH's 4 Horsemen, Midnight and RnR Express comps and should be relatively easy to find.

[paul sosnowski]

Ok, I just checked.  We've got 17:22 of Flair-Magnum 2/23/86 (incomplete, clipped), and Dusty-Arn in the cage goes 8:50 (complete?).   This is a Steel Cage Texas Death match, btw.

There is also a Flair-Garvin match from Greensboro handheld 3/1/86.   https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/50248-1986-03-01-jcp-greensboro-nc-ric-flair-vs-ronnie-garvin/

 

[KB8]

I'm also going through GH's Horsemen and MX comps right now and watched the 1/19/86 Flair/Garvin match the other night. I'm too pernickety to vote for most matches with clipping, but it was good stuff. I mean, I don't feel bad leaving it off a top 100 considering we have a handful of their other matches in full and their 12/85 match from the studio will be pretty high on my list anyway. 

Crockett in 1986 was truly absurd. What a year. 

[paul sosnowski]

The six man tag must be 8/3/86 in Greenville SC.   The 8/12 one supposedly has Tully instead of Flair

[GSR]

11 hours ago, paul sosnowski said:

The six man tag must be 8/3/86 in Greenville SC.   The 8/12 one supposedly has Tully instead of Flair

The 8/3 Greenville show was a TV taping (for the Pro and Worldwide shows that aired 8/9) and a Horsemen vs. Rock & Rolls & Magnum match definitely took place that night (results were listed in the Greenville News).

If you have the discs, just compare the crowd/arena of the Horsemen match to anything from those 8/9 shows and that will confirm (or not) whether 8/3 was the taping date.

In addition, Spartanburg is probably the most easily identifiable JCP taping venue (with the posts) so that would be straight forward to recognise if it was taped there.

[KB8]

What's usually considered the best Flair/Dusty match? It's not my favourite match-up and the one that was on the Puerto Rico 80s set did nothing for me at all (not that it'd be eligible for this anyway), but the last couple I've watched I've enjoyed. Thought Starrcade '85 was good when I watched it last year, and their 1/25/86 match from Greensboro that I watched a couple days ago looked even better, although it was clipped up a bit. 

[paul sosnowski]

I would like to strongly recommend Dusty & Magnum vs Tully & Flair 12/28/85 (listed as Jan 86).  Elimination match.   Greensboro NC

This is on the "NWA Handhelds Set 12/85-3/86".   The whole set is worth checking out.   I have updated it with all of the correct dates and locations.  Some are clipped, some are brief highlights, but there are some quality complete matches on here.  You can find most of these matches posted by me in the regular matches thread for that month and year.

NWA HOUSE SHOW DARK MATCHES FROM 12/85-3/86 COMP. VOL. 1 (4 hours)

These two tapes feature all exclusive footage shot during NWA house
shows in Charlotte, Greensboro & Roanoke from December 1985-March 1986.
The footage is shot from the crowd from Crockett's own one-man video
taping crew for house shows during the time. Some television filming
crews can be seen at ringside for some of the bigger matches, but the
camera never stops from the crowd. These matches were not shown on
television, and this tape has not been seen by most fans till now. There
is no commentary. All you hear is the crowd, and they do get very vocal
and into the matches.

1. Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff with Ivan Koloff   3/9/86 Roanoke VA
2. Midnight Express (Condrey/Eaton) vs. The Rock n Roll Express   3/9/86 Roanoke   2/3 falls
3. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes with Baby Doll   3/9/86 Roanoke
4. Midnight Express (Condrey/Eaton) vs. Rock n Roll Express - Jim
Cornette is in cage ringside  3/29/86  Greensboro NC --- This is NOT the same match from 4/12/86 WPW Japan TV
5. Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff with Ivan Koloff  3/29/86  Greensboro
6. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard vs. Wahoo McDaniel & Dusty Rhodes 
3/29/86  Greensboro
7. Ric Flair vs. Ron Garvin  Steel Cage   3/29/86 Greensboro
8. Tully Blanchard vs. Wahoo McDaniel 4/4/86 Roanoke VA
9. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes with Baby Doll - two referees  4/4/86 Roanoke
10. Nikita Koloff vs. Magnum T.A. - steel cage match 4/4/86 Roanoke
11. Ron Garvin vs. Arn Anderson  4/12/86  Charlotte NC
12. Nikita Koloff vs. Magnum T.A. - "Dusty ending"  4/12/86  Charlotte
13. Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel vs. Tully Blanchard & Ric Flair 
4/12/86  Charlotte
14. Jimmy Garvin with Precious vs. Wahoo McDaniel  4/26/86 Charlotte NC
15. Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard - Texas Death match  4/26/86  Charlotte 
16. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Morton   5/3/86 Greensboro NC


NWA HOUSE SHOW DARK MATCHES FROM 12/85-3/86 COMP. VOL. 2 (4 hours)

1. Ric Flair vs. Mack Jeffers - Rhodes, Blachard, Magnum & Baby Doll all
run-in  12/28/85  Greensboro NC
2. Dusty Rhodes & Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard & Ric Flair (match at
T.V. taping) 12/28/85 Greensboro NC
3. Outlaw Ron Bass vs. Tully Blanchard  1/4/86  Greensboro NC
4. Arn Anderson vs. "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant  1/4/86
5. Black Bart vs. Road Warrior Animal  1/4/86
6. Barbarian vs. Wahoo McDaniel  1/4/86
7. Ron Garvin vs. Arn Anderson  1/4/86
8. Tully Blanchard vs. Wahoo McDaniel  1/4/86  
9. Ricky Morton vs. Dennis Condrey  1/4/86
10. Ivan Koloff vs. Road Warrior Hawk  1/4/86
11. Harley Race vs. Magnum T.A.  1/4/86
12. Wahoo McDaniel vs. Arn Anderson 1/4/86
13. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes with Baby Doll  Greensboro NC

14. Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff vs. Ron Bass & Don Kernodle  1/25/86 Greensboro NC
15. Arn Anderson vs. Magnum T.A.   1/25/86
16. Tully Blachard with James J. Dillon vs. "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy
Valiant with Baby Doll   1/25/86
17. Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair   1/25/86
18. Black Bart vs. Sam Houston 2/2/86    Charlotte NC
19. Magnum T.A. vs. Barbarian   2/2/86
20. Tully Blanchard vs. Ronnie Garvin  2/2/86
21. Arn Anderson vs. "Ragin Bull" Manny Fernandez  2/2/86
22. Rock n Roll Express vs. Midnight Express (Condrey/Eaton) with Jim
Cornette  2/2/86  --- This is from Charlotte, NOT the title change from Atlanta the same day
23. Midnight Express vs. Manny Fernandez & Ron Garvin  2/22/86  Roanoke VA
24. Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff   2/22/86
25. Sam Houston vs. Jimmy Garvin with Precious  3/1/86     Greensboro
26. Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes with Baby Doll & Paul Ellering vs. Ivan
Koloff, Nikita Koloff & Baron Von Raschke  3/1/86
27. Rock n Roll Express vs. Midnight Express (Condrey/Eaton)  3/1/86
28. Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin  3/1/86

[goodhelmet]

Paul, those comps are where I got the footage for my comps. Match dates provided by Kris Zellner. 

[goodhelmet]

Here are some matches from the 80s I will consider. I wrote most of these write ups more than a decade ago so I will have to revisit the matches but it will be a fun exercise. 

Dick Murdoch vs. Lex Luger (Power Hour 11/10/89) (20:19)

- Man, this plays almost like a 1989 version of the Murdoch-Nightmare match where the ref prevents Dick from getting down and dirty while Luger gets away with the dirty tricks. There aren't many wrestling moves in this but alot of punches which is a good thing in a Murdoch match. Late in the match, the ref continues to catch Luger cheating. This plays perfectly into the finish as they pound each other in the corner and as the ref tries to separate them, both wrestlers throw him off resulting in a double DQ. This was awesome to see Murdoch in classic form and Luger has had some really good matches in 1989. Easy nomination in my book.

 

Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair (NWA HH Landover 3/18/89) 

- I love Steamboat vs. Flair. Seriously, I keep going into these matches ready to criticize and tear them apart but the fan in me just wants to enjoy the match. Really, if we include matches from the entire decade, there could be 6 matches of this matchup alone. The great thing about the handheld matches... every one of them build and build until the crowd is insane during the final stretch. They don't really do any new spots. They don't do any crazy moves. Hell, some of the spots are move for move from other matches but when you have a near-perfect formula for building a match, no need to deviate too much. Also, watching the house show, it reminds you how much these guys put in to shows that were never meant to be taped. The scary thing is they did a double shot on this day and both matches rock. 

 

Ron Garvin vs. Ric Flair (Cage match) (Detroit 9/25/87)

- This match SMOKES the Starrcade match. It has all of your Garvin-Flair goodness. Hard chops, stiff punches, and it really helps that the crowd is hot. When Flair gains control, he goes to work on Garvin's arm instead of his leg. although he does slap on the Figure 4 later on in the match . I guess it makes sense if Flair's goal is to neutralize Garvin's hands of stone. Later on, Garvin counters a knee drop, slaps Flair down and applies his own Figure-4. I think that is a spot that never gets old in Flair matches... the opponent putting Flair in his own hold. Unless it is Russo or something. Awesome spot as Flair tries for a pin in the corner with his leg on the ropes only to have Garvin breaking the pin by grabbing Flair's nose. the one negative is that they didn't really utilize the cage for most of the amtch., However, when Garvin is scraping Flair against the cage late in the game, the crowd goes batshit. The end stetch is super hot as Garvin hits all the big moves in a desperate attempt to pin Flair. We have seen it all before so you really think Flair wins in the end. He escaped the Garvin stomp, a body press, the Garvin punch. When Garvin hits the flying sunset flip at the end, it was a great fucking moment. Too bad they fucked up his World Title run. 

 

Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, & Barry Windham vs. Nikita Koloff, Lex Luger, & Steve Williams (6/10/88 = NWA Houston 6/25/88)

The faces just massacre the Horsemen early on and the crowd is going nuts. Doc, Luger and Nikita ll get the chance to shine as the Horsemen just bump and stooge, making the power guys look like a million bucks. It also helps that the crowd is eating it up. The tide turns when Flair draws Luger into the Horsemen corner and Arn Anderson racks him while the ref is not looking. Luger ends up playing face in peril and the Horsemen all look excellent in attacking him like sharks. Flair makes the mistake of going to the top rope because Luger just launches him across the ring. He gets the tag to Nikita but that doesn't do much good as Anderson just blasts him in the ribs and the Horsemen go to work on  him as well. Eventually all hell breaks loose and it ends in a double countout but this was rocking while it lasted.

 

Nikita Koloff vs. Tully Blanchard (8/19/87 = Superbouts 7 )

- Man, Tully Blanchard is awesome. He bumps like a pinball for Nikita's power moves. While Nikita has him in the resthols, Tully is constantly squirming, moving, trying to find ways to escape. Tully turns the tide after he ducks the Sickle and Nikita goes flying over the top rope. Cool visual. His control doesn't last long but JJ distracts the referee long enough for Tully to recover from a Sickle that connects. Nikita's eagerness to end it again costs him as Tully uses Nikita's momentum to toss him outside again. The end stretch was pretty great as Tully can  never hit a move to take control but Nikita can't seem to find a way to put Tully away as he throws everything out there including a flying shoulder block and even a figure four. The end was helter skelter as Tully knocks Nikita out with some brass knux. Barry WIndham comes flying in to stop the count which leads to Arn Anderson coming out. This allows Nikita enough time to grab the Brass Knux and knock Tully out for the pin and the title. The crowd goes batshit for the win but they were pretty amped the entire time. This is just about as good as any Nikita singles match you'll ever find. 

 

Steve Williams vs. Dick Murdoch (7/10/87 = Handheld)

Really good match and comparable to their UWF matchups. These guys brawl outside, Dick uses weapons, Gilbert is a general pain in the ass and you get a relatively clean ending. Murdoch and Eddie are upset at the decision and get back in the ring but Doc cleans house. It's too bad that the NWA didn't feature this match on their TV. Instead they released a subpar match on the 1987 GAB tape and they had a rather lackluster match (IIRC) on TV. 

 

Tully Blanchard vs. Dusty Rhodes (6/6/87 = NWA Pro Wrestling 6/13/87)

I think this might be the strongest of the Tully-Dusty matchups. It just has that big match feel. You have Magnum at ringside, Blanchard's money, almost as much hype as the WIndham-Flair 1/20 matchup. It also has that wonderful Dusty booking as Dusty appears to win with the slingshot suplex. JJ runs to the back with the money that Dusty thinks he won so Dusty chases him. Tommy orders the match to re-start and counts Dusty out. Before that, Tully bumps, stooges and sells for Dusty better than anyone and the crowd was really hot for this match which probably makes it better than it actually is.

 

The Midnight Express vs. Ronnie Garvin & Barry Windham (5/16/87 = WCW 5/16/87)

If you see the way people are talking about Chavo in the Mid South thread now, that is how people are going to talk about Ron Garvin after this set. One of the minor complaints I have about these NWA matches is a reliance on armbars, headlocks and other restholds but usually the formula is so solid that the wrestlers get their story told anyway. One of the little things I love about this match... Garvin gives Bobby a backdrop on the concrete. Later on, Windham delivers a powerslam to Bobby. If you remember the backdrop, you think that Bobby's back is toast but Barry picks him up before the count so Bobby doesn't have to kick out of the damaging situation. Hell, Bobby takes more damage to the back after a Barry superplex. Then, later on, when Bobby is tagged in during a Windham FIP section, he is still selling the back. So awesome. The finish is also memorable and too convoluted to explain so just watch this match and tell me what you think. 

 

Ivan Koloff & Dick Murdoch vs. Ronnie Garvin & Barry Windham (3/14/87 = WCW 3/14/87)

- Murdoch rules. Seriously, he has Garvin and just mouths off the entire time which is entertaining in itself. Koloff and Dick take turns working the neck lock which doesn't seem that interesting (besides Murdoch's jawing) but makes sense if the goal is to setup for the brainbuster. When the heels take over on Windham, it is much more interesting with Murdoch just laying in the kicks and punches. After about ten minutes, the match picks up with Windham and Murdoch going to town on each other. Great visual of Murdoch missing a punch but the last 8 minutes or so is just back and forth MOVES with Murdoch going to the top with the driving knee, Barry crotching Ivan on the top rope and capitalizing with a leg drop to the groin and Windham hitting his big clothesline finisher. Some shenanigans as hell breaks loose, Petrov tries to interfere but as the ref is taking him out, Cornette and Eaton come out of nowhere, pop Garvin on the head with the racquet and Dick & Ivan are the champs! The post matchinterview is great and needs to be included. Definite nomination and one of my favorite studio matches.

 

Ronnie Garvin & Barry Windham vs. The Midnight Express (12/27/86 = NWA TV 12/14 - 12/27/86)

- Early on, the story is that when Windham is in, he controls the match but when Garvin is in, the MX gain the advantage. It stays this way for about ten minutes until Windham gets a knee from Bobby but even when he gets the tag, Garvin still gets roughed up by the MX. I remember watching this match 20 years ago live and thinking how the MX were such a better team because of how long they controlled the match. I know Tim Cooke will disagree but I really like these studio matches because the intimate setting allows smaller things like headlocks and arm bars and eye rakes to feel a little bit more painful to the viewer because you are right up on the action. The match ends in a time-limit draw but Condrey thought he had Garvin pinned. The MX is upset and Cornette lays Garvin to waste with some racket shots. This match was the beginning of the Garvin-MX feud that would last through the next year and peak with the fire incident. This is a personal favorite but I think it stands on its own. The fact that Garvin was being abused by the MX the entire match and laid out after only makes it more interesting in my view.

 

Ragin & Ravishing vs. The Rock n Roll Express (12/6/86 = World Championship Wrestling 12/6/86)

- Damn, I would have loved a singles match between Morton and Manny. Early on, Fernandez gets frustrated by the RNR. After an extended RNR shine section, the heels work over Gibson's leg including a nice off the top rope knee from Manny Fernandez. Rude's leg work wasn't really inspired but it was great to see Robert give Rude a backdrop and collapse because of the weakened leg. Next up, after working over Robert's leg, they work over Ricky's arm. After an extended FIP, Gibson comes in and lights up Ragin' Bull. Gibson gets a roll-up but Rude gives him a vicious clothesline that whips Manny on top to give Ragin' & Ravishin' the pin and the titles. You really didn't get too many matches like this on free studio TV back in the day. The weakest point was Rude's offense or lack thereof as you could tell he was still finding his way but the other three more than made up for it. 

Magnum TA vs. Nikita Koloff (Match 6) (WWW 8/16/86)

- Magnum controls the early portion and he channels Ron Garvin in twisting Nikita up. He even attempts an Indian Death lock on the arm. He refuses to let go of the arm, hangs onto Nikita onto the outside and rams the arm into the ringpost. Fucking sweet. We miss Nikita regaining control during the commercial break. Still, during the remainder of the match, everytime Nikita  has control, Magnum finds a way to end up hurting the arm to stop the punish ment. The ref bump and restart was unnecessary but when Magnum pins Nikita, it is one of the biggest pops I have ever heard in the NWA. The crowd is going fucking NUTS! I love this match.

 

Magnum TA vs. Nikita Koloff (Match 7 of 7) (WWW 8/23/86)

- This is really weird to watch as the first few minutes are a sped up version of the first ten minutes of match 6 complete with ramming the arm into the ringpost. However, after that spurt, it takes a different turn as Nikita focuses on destroying Magnum's back while Magnum throws everything at Nikita that he can. Holy shit moment for 1986 as Ivan prevents a Magnum tag so Magnum piledrives Uncle Ivan on the concrete floor!!! Khruschev prevents the ref from counting and ends up hitting Magnum with the chain for the win. I loved this one almost as much as Match 6 and it is a definite nomination in  my book.

 

Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair (Pro 8/23/86)

Dusty stays on offense for about the first ten minutes of this match allowing Flair to stooge and bump and keeps the match interesting as Dusty is playing it up. It also helps that the crowd is fucking HOT for this. The backstory is that Dusty's leg is hurt but as long as he was on offense, he wasn't in trouble but once Flair gains advantage, he attacks the leg. This also has the infamous Baby Doll turn and eventually ends in a DQ as Dusty attacks Flair with a chair. Shit, this has been my favorite Dusty-Flair match so far. The crowd was hot, you have the Baby Doll turn and these guys kept everything exciting .

 

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew vs. The Rock n Roll Express (7/16/86 = WCW 7/19/86)

- Classic RNR tag with both guys shining and playing FIP. However, the Andersons work Morton OVER during his FIP section really making this stand out. Awesome spot where Ole is about to come of the top rope and Gibson comes out of nowhere to hit him in the midsection on his way down. This ends in a draw and was not as good as the Starrcade cage.

NOTE: Phil Schneider and shoe called this a contender for tag match of the decade so this warrants a rewatch.

 

Tully Blanchard vs. Ronnie Garvin (4/29/86 = WCCW & NWA WWW 5/3/86)

THIS IS KRIS ZELLNER'S REVIEW. I NEED TO WATCH THIS AGAIN! Garvin is definitely the aggressor early on as the crowd goes nuts when he just throws Tully from pillar to post. Garvin just lays in the shots but he sells the pain from each shot on his hand so he wants to take the match to the mat to take the pressure off of his hand. Garvin also would use his jumping headbutts as a big weapon as well which one of them forced a little trickle of blood from over Tully's eye. Tully is like a ragdoll here just taking punishment from all directions but he stays alive showing his resiliency. Tully watch Ronnie with a big knee to the gut sending him to the floor and that allowed Tully to get control of the match or so I thought as Garvin came back with a cross body block off the top rope for a nearfall. Garvin is selling that hand like crazy though even to the point where he couldn't even hook the leg on a pinfall attempt. Garvin would start focusing on Tully's left leg working it over hard stretching it around the ringpost with Tully yelling loudly in pain. This is becoming a completely grueling battle and the tide would turn when Garvin would get rammed into the ringpost shoulder first then Tully would grab Dillon's shoe and banged him over the head with it. Tully then started working over Garvin's bad right hand but Garvin wouldn't say die and would find ways to stay alive as well getting offense in. Garvin breaks out the Garvin Stomp here maybe for the first time and Dusty was fucking great calling the move.....This is now in slugfest territory as both men trade big shots but both won't go down. Garvin would throw Tully into Tommy Young so Dusty went over and taped Garvin's hand while Dillon gave Tully some coins but Garvin hit him first and Tommy counted the pinfall. The building goes nuts as Dillon points to the tape on the hand and tells Young that Garvin used them so he grabbed the belt and handed it back to Tully. The announcers were trying to tell Tommy about the coins which JJ was picking up and this was quite the creative finish even though it was bullshit. The match was fucking tremendous. 

 

Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin (2/2/86 = Superstars of the Superstation)

Ron Garvin vs. Ric Flair - Early on, Garvin is just chopping the shit out of Flair and tries to rip out Flair's nose. While Flair is doing his shtick, this really is a Ron Garvin striking showcase match. Chops, slaps, punches, kicks, headbutts. For the first 8 minutes or so, this felt like an extended squash. This also has one of the few cases wheere it made sense for Flair to run the ropes since Garvin was looking the other way. The end run was a case of each man trying to pin each other in various ways with Ric finally getting the win even though Garvin's foot was on the ropes. These two just work so well together. Again, the only weak point was the subdued crowd.

 

Nikita Koloff & Steve Williams vs. The Sheepherders (Clash of the Champions III)

Nikita Koloff & Steve Williams vs. The Sheepherders - Does anyone know the backstory on why Doc and Nikita are tagging? Shit, I am going to come out and say it... this match is much better than the Fans-Sheeps match from Clash II. I think it comes down to matchups. In the Fans matches, the Sheeps are supposed to be the aggressors. However, in this matchup, Doc and Nikita are clearly the stronger duo so when the Sheeps get an advantage, they attack like wolves because if they don't, they get their asses handed to them. There is actually a sense of desparation on the heel side. Also, the Nikita FIP section was pretty damn good with some good Sheeps offense and false hope spots. The ending came out of nowhere but was pretty cool as well. 

 

Louisville Street Fight: Big Bubba Rogers vs. Ronnie Garvin (Starrcade 86)

THIS IS KRIS ZELLNER'S REVIEW. Garvin goes from originally being in the Starrcade main event with Flair to this match but he was awesome so he made it work. Garvin does nothing but throw bombs early and Bubba takes them for a minute then gets knocked to the floor. Garvin was a machine here just taking it to Bubba who was doing as good as he could at this stage of his career selling for him. Bubba had to use a roll of nickels to get over on Garvin which tells you how much Garvin was frustrating him that a big dude like Bubba had to resort to that. Bubba starts working a bloody Garvin over until Garvin pulls a rope out of his boots and starts choking Bubba then attemps to hogtie him before he starts biting at his head bringing out juice from Bubba. This has become a war of attrition with Garvin using headbutts and punches to counter Bubba's weight advantage. Bubba for his size was a tremendous bumper and had a great bump over the top to the floor after a Garvin punch. Garvin follows Bubba to the floor for more fighting but it comes back to the ring where Bubba goes up top before Garvin press slams him off. Bubba would launch Garvin on top of Tommy Young on a pinfall before Garvin just nuked Bubba with a piledriver right on his damn head. Corny then nailed Garvin with his tennis racket and Young counted both men out so the first man to get up wins the match. Young shoves Corny out of the ring while both men struggle to get up and as Garvin gets up, Corny clips him with the racket and Bubba wins. This was a fantastic brawl.

 

Mexican Death Match: Manny Fernandez vs. Abdullah the Butcher (Starrcade 85)

It takes about 15 seconds for Manny to start bleeding. Abby uses his foreign object and even uses the bell hammer. Manny takes off his boot and hits some pretty brutal shots. He does the same with his leather belt as well. Manny gets Abby over in a monkey flip AND a suplex in the same match. Awesome. This match is full of some great spots including the foreign object to the nuts. Shit,  this may be my favorite Abdullah match ever. 

 

NWA World TV Title: "Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff © vs. "Capt. Redneck" Dick Murdoch (1/3/88)

THIS IS KRIS ZELLNER'S REVIEW. This is from Baltimore and a pretty cool looking matchup. Murdoch is dominant here from the start as he works over Nikita's neck which was injured the year before and Nikita fights hard trying to subdue Murdoch succeeding for a short time but Dick just keeps on coming. Murdoch is relentless at working over Nikita with Nikita doing a really good job of selling the punishment while getting in whatever hope spots he could get in. Whenever Nikita was on offense Murdoch was fantastic getting it over as the Baltimore fans was crazy for Nikita. Nikita would accidentally hit Dick Woehrle with a Russian Sickle allowing Corny to run in with a tennis racket to nail Nikita. The MX would come out now as Earl Hebner would take over as the referee then Dusty & Windham would come out to even the odds and the fans are even more hot. Murdoch keeps trying to put away Nikita but he won't quit even after a big Oklahoma Stampede which looked like the end. They were totally telegraping the draw but the fans didn't care and were heavily into everything as Murdoch is now bleeding from his nose. Dick hits a big piledriver on Nikita who barely kicks out then follows up with a brainbuster right as the bell rings. This had great drama and then the post-match was hot as the MX would attack Dusty before Murdoch tried to break Dusty's arm like he did Doc but Windham would make the save with the tennis racket. This was clipped up some but a tremendous segment and worth a nomination no doubt.

 

Loser Leaves Town Match for the National Heavyweight Title: "Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin © vs. Black Bart (6/8/85)

- I really like Bart’s bumping. Garvin’s hand is injured so Garvin uses headbutts to knock Bart down. He is also laying in the stiff kicks made better by Bart’s bumping. Bart doesn’t do much but attack Garvin’s hand but he doesn’t have to do much else. Garvin starts doing his twisty carny shit later on and it looks painful. I love this idea of Garvin having to find different ways to take Bart out because his hand is injured. Then, to make this match a stone-cold lock in my eyes, Bart does a senton (probably going for a leg drop) on the injured hand. Late in the match, Garvin knocks Bart out, sacrificing his hand but Bart has his leg on the ropes. As Ron argues with the ref, Baby Doll hands Bart a loaded elbow pad and knocks Garvin out in a shock ending. Great ending to a sweet match.

 

Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (Crockett Cup 4/11/87)

- I'll have to rewatch the TV match but I don't know which one I like better. I think this one may be helped by the fact that there are no commercial breaks. This should land in my Top 10 and this was another one of those matches where people should be pissed that they edit the commercial releases to hell.

 

Midnight Express vs. Road Warriors (Crockett Cup 4/11/87)

- OK, this may be the best Road Warriors match I have ever seen and it may be all due to Bobby Eaton. After watching this, along with the previous tag, it kind of pisses me off that they edited the fuck out of their commercial tapes. The fireball and interference was a little bit of overkill in the end but the fact that the Roadies were elminated was probably a big shock. 

 

Ricky Morton vs. Tully Blanchard (No DQ One Fall Death Match) (I NEED TO FIND THE DATE AND DISC)

- OK, to make things easier, this would be a Last Man Standing match in today's wrestling world. Early on, Morton shows a meaner streak here than he did in the No DQ tag match. Tully turns the tide by hitting Morton with a foreign object and the stips of the match kick in. I love how Tully blatantly chokes Morton with a rope AND pushes Teddy Long away when he tries to break it up. Thanks for playing up the stips! I love Tully's headbutt that only serves to send him out to the concrete as he bears the brunt of it. A double knockout spot allows Morton to stand up first despite JJ's best efforts to pick up Blanchard and we have a clean ending on NWA TV in 1987. Only after the decision does Arn come in and lay waste to Morton. Good stuff and a nomination. I feel tempted to put the No DQ tag on as an extra to show how different the matches can be when you respect the stipulations.

 

No DQ Match: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair & Dewey Robertson vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper & "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka (5/4/81)

- Pretty great tag match. Alot of stalling early on but when Piper gets Flair in the corner, he just unloads with some great shots. Piper played heel-in-peril for awhile and Robertson catches him with a beautiful cross-body from the 2nd rope. The end stretch is just great give and take between Flair and the heels. However, Robertson dropkicks Flair on top of Snuka for the pin. Great match and definite nomination.

 

Indian Strap Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair © vs. Ole Anderson (10/17/81)

- Both guys are pretty reserved in the early part with Flair trying to get Ole on the ground and Ole grabbing onto Flair's arm. It picks up midway through with more brawling and incorporating the strap into the match. This started off slow but the 2nd half makes this a keeper. 

 

Wahoo McDaniel vs. Magnum TA (Cage Match) (WWW 3/23/85)

-Fuck, I love Wahoo's chops. This was from World Wide Wrestling but shown in full on the Crockett commercial tape. Go figure. Anyway, this was a great cage match. I think I enjoy this more than the Flair-Race match. 

 

Flag Match: Don Kernodle & Ricky Steamboat vs. Ivan & Nikita Koloff (2/6/85)

- Uncle Ivan does what he does best which is letting the babyfaces shine. I don't know what the pecking order was at the time but Nikita isn't the unstoppable monster in this match as Kernodle dumps him on his head and Steamboat drops him with a clothesline. Kernodle plays FIP and Nikita and Ivan take turns abusing him. Alot of heat segments where Kernodle is so close to making the tag but comes up short. Great finish as a Nikita is disposed of and Steamboat and Kernodle do a Doomsday Device on Ivan to win the match. Great heat, good showing by Ivan and Kernodle.

 

NWA World Heavyweight Title: Harley Race © vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (8/31/83)

- Race takes it to Flair early but each time he goes for a big punishing move (falling headbutt, big elbow drop), Flair moves out of the way. Flair briefly gains control but Harley regains it with a sweet clothesline that Flair sells like death. There were also some small touches I really got a kick out of like Flair’s boot to Harley’s head or Flair chopping Harley so hard he bounces off the ropes and falls to his knees or Flair’s elbow drop. The end interference sucked but the Orton piledriver on Flair makes up for it. I like this one so much more than the Starrcade match. I have a feeling the Starrcade match will be voted higher but this might be my favorite American Race match. Maybe someone can refresh my memory on the great American Race matches. Maybe it just happens that I am tired of seeing the Starrcade match on every DVD release. This was just point/counter-point and who could capitalize the most off the other guy’s mistakes. Awesome match.

 

Jack Brisco vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (8/18/82)

THIS IS KRIS ZELLNER'S REVIEW.Flair finally decides to face Brisco and Paul Jones comes out to do commentary where he rips on Brisco constantly. Jack looks really good at the start working over Flair's left arm including a great rolling short arm scissors. Flair tries to fight back but Jack is on fire taking him back to the mat with a cross body block for a nearfall. Flair would get the advantage after Jack came back in the ring from the floor even breaking out a piledriver for a nearfall. Flair would go for a suplex but Jack would lock on the sleeper although that ended up in a backdrop suplex. Flair then would go for the figure-four but Jack would reverse it immediately before Flair could get to the ropes. Flair would of course foolishly go up top and got slammed off by Jack who would answer with the proper figure-four but Flair would counter with an inside cradle for a nearfall. Jack would eventually get a backslide on Flair who was counted out for the pinfall which angered Flair who jumped on Jack until Wahoo made the save. Very fun match between the legends and a solid nomination to me.

 

US Heavyweight Title: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine © vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (10/18/80)

- Former partners clash. For the first ten minutes, Flair controls and they take thier time in setting the tone. However, with a few well-placed, vicious elbows from Valentine, he turns the tide. While Flair worked the arm when in control, Valentine is working the neck and head. The last 8 minutes or so had both guys throwing everything at each other in an attempt to put the match away. Flair wins the match by countout but it was actually a pretty cool ending. They were battling on the apron outside the ropes. Valentine knocks Flair over the ropes with a hard blow but falls off the apron at the ten count. This was a great match and an easy nomination.

 

NWA World Tag Titles: Don Kernodle & Sgt. Slaughter © vs. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (2/5/83)

THIS IS KRIS ZELLNER'S REVIEW. All out brawling from the start and this is great as there was no controlling these guys. Slaughter & Youngblood were in the ring while Kernodle & Steamer were on the floor doing battle. The match would eventually go conventional with Steamer tagging in and going after Slaughter only to eat a huge Slaughter Cannon for a nearfall. They go to a break and there is some clipping but not sure how much but it's still all action with Youngblood taking punishment with him taking a big Slaughter Cannon as well. Youngblood would hit a desperation piledriver but Slaughter would get up and hit yet another Slaughter Cannon to put Jay back down for a big splash off the top which he misses. Steamer gets the hot tag and runs wild before the 4-way brawl kicks up again with blood now flowing and Roughhouse Fargo calls for the bell after being assaulted prompting a DDQ. This was great stuff and a definite nomination.

 

Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khruschev vs. The Lightning Express (10/19/86 = NWA 10/11-11/1/86)

- This was really good early on since nobody plays heel-in-peril better than Ivan Koloff. Seriously, I don't know of anyone else in this set who lets the babyfaces shine more than Ivan. Pretty brutal spot where it looks like Horner was supposed to take a back body drop but ends up in a pancake and falls flat on his face. Horner's FIP section was more interesting than Armstrong's but alot of the credit goes to Ivan in both cases for knowing when to allow the hot tags and to create hope spots. It looked like the Lightning Express were going to win the match in the end but the time limit expires before the three count can be completed. Another nomination and Ivan rules.

[paul sosnowski]

Tully vs Morton was taped in Charlotte on 9/19/87 and aired on WWW 9/26

[paul sosnowski]

Hmm.. where can I find the Russians vs Lightning Express match?

By the way, why does nobody talk about Flair and Steamboat 3/18/89 from PHILLY?   Same day as the famous Landover match

[GSR]

Just now, paul sosnowski said:

Hmm.. where can I find the Russians vs Lightning Express match?

World Championship Wrestling: Sunday Edition the 10/26 episode.