[1987-07-11-NWA-Great American Bash] Nikita Koloff vs Lex Luger (Steel Cage)

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA US Heavyweight Champion Nikita Koloff vs Lex Luger - Great American Bash 1987 Steel Cage Match

Nikita has spent all of 1987 as US Champion, but I think he spent most of it playing second fiddle to the American Dream in the Superpowers. He won the Crockett Cup with Big Dust and was a part of the winning team at inaugural Wargames a week prior. The build has been ascension of Lex Luger is academic and it is just a matter of time that Luger becomes a champion like Flair and Blanchard and he has his eyes set on the US Championship. They had one brawl a month ago but other than that not much of a personal build to this one. Stream of consciousness to save time baby:

Nikita has a neck brace on...I dont know why...hmmm...lock up to start. Piledriven twice during Wargames, I had forgotten that, been a couple years since I have seen Wargames. Nikita is pretty over. There is a pretty sneaky clip. They show a random fan and come back to the action. The only giveaway there is a clip is that Luger went from being dry to sweating profusely. I dont know how much we are missing and if there is a full version.  Luger rams Nikita into the top turnbuckle and chokes him on the middle rope, reverse elbow. 1-2-No. Nikita fights back from his knees. Luger is registering those shots to his midsection so well. Chinlock by Luger. This chinlock is quite long. Very uncharacteristic for Crockett. Not a chance brutha by Luger was nice trash talk. Ring announcer says 25 minutes has elapsed. I would say we are missing 20 minutes easy then. Making this pretty much impossible to rate. Nikita is working to a vertical base. Koloff breaks free only to eat a Swinging neckbreaker. Luger rips off the neck race and throws it outside the cage. The beatdown is on. Massive clothesline by Luger. that looked great and only gets two. Luger is thinking Piledriver which makes sense give the injury. Koloff with one last gasp back drops Luger out of it. Full nelson by Luger. I am a pretty big Luger fan and I thought these two worked well together in the Crockett Cup Final, but this is not doing much for me. Luger is trying, but isnt doing much. Slugfest erupts. Luger goes to the eyes and again leans on Koloff as he drapes over the ropes. Shin across the throat. Luger/Nikita arent exactly two guys you really want going 30 minutes unless it is with Flair. I think if this was short, sweet power match this could have been great. Another chinlock. Does not even seem like a match I want to seek out in full at this point. Koloff breaks it by ramming Luger into the buckles. Koloff repeatedly punches him in the breadbasket back to a slugfest but this time Nikita is roaring back. Ten count punches in the corner. RUSSIAN SICKLE BUT HE HITS LUGER AND REF! Covers, but there is no ref! JJ throws in a chair for Luger. Waffles Nikita from behind. He throws the Smoking Gun out to JJ. Luger hoists him up into the Torture Rack as the ref comes to at the perfect time to call for the bell since Nikita has been knocked out. This was pretty much the end of Nikita as a main event act and this began the rise of Luger. Outside of an awesome heel finish, there's not much to this match. I would say we get about 10 minutes.