[1987-07-11-NWA-Great American Bash] Ric Flair vs Jimmy Garvin (Steel Cage)

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Jimmy Garvin - NWA Great American Bash 7/11/87 Steel Cage

The build to this was fantastic. Some of the best unhinged, obnoxious Ric Flair promos ever. He was a total wildman. When he gave the fur coat to Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin's Main Squeeze, Precious, only to have her back smooching Gorgeous Jimmy in the every fur coat in the next segment, was just classic and what made it all better was his Meltdown. Meltdown of the Century. It was a Meltdown that played over multiple weeks. There's a very good Flair/Luger vs Garvins match that builds to this where Gorgeous Jimmy gets the visual pin on Flair. Gorgeous Jimmy wants a title match but Flair says only if he puts up Precious. If he wins, he gets date night with Precious. He sounds like a psycho creep and it is just so amazing. The other reason I am interested in this match is I have no idea how Flair is going to work this match. Jimmy is not technical, workrate like Steamboat/Windham, he is not a small, quick guy like Morton/Koko, he is not a musclehead like Nikita/Kerry/Luger, he is not a stiff brawler like Ronnie Garvin or Wahoo. My guess is the default template is the musclehead template but man Jimmy Garvin doing press slams sounds awfully funny to me.

Unfortunately, this is clipped too, I would love to see it in full. Garvin starts off with stiff, wicked over hand chops in the corner, maybe he will be in Ronnie's category...hmmm...Flair Flop. 1-2-No! Garvin goes for chinlock/smother. Flair goes for the balls. Well we might just get the Flair heat segment so maybe we will never find out. Snapmare. Garvin press slams him off the top rope. Well everyone does that spot so not surprising. Garvin applies the Figure-4. Another common Flair trope. Flair hollering never gets old! They are working the Figure-4 very well. Ahh shit from Flair. Jimmy goes for it again, but eyerake from Flair. Garvin has been blinded and a big punch to the breadbasket. O'Connor Roll by Garvin as a counter to a Flair suplex. 15 minutes has elapsed missing the first ten minutes. The firefight in the corner is not the best. Garvin throws him into the cage and again. Flair is the best. Garvin rakes his face across the cage. We have blood baby!  The cage bumps gives Garvin something to do without having rely on his own spots. Moon Over Greensboro! Precious hopes she does not have to see that tonight! Garvin slams his head into the top of the cage, but still not enough. More Cage throws and rakes. Ten count punches in the corner. Flair back drop. Garvin goes down on a leapfrog. Since Garvin is a babyface, I think it is legit (i.e. not playing possum). It is. This is Flair's opening. Jimmy Garvin is a better heel and is similar to Flair when he wrestles thats why this could be interesting. Flair is so great at working the leg. Kneecrusher and the way he stomps the knee. Jimmy is selling like a million bucks plenty of verbal selling. Ronnie Garvin is out to exhort him. Flair is on cruise control and Jimmy's sell is carrying it. Flair is hip thrusting at Ronnie and Precious. Another kneecrusher. Woooooooooooo! Jimmy fights back from his knees and the crowd and Ronnie comes alive! Flair chops him down. Flair on top is a thing of beauty. The chops and the work on the knee. Kneedrop on the knee! Flair is the king. Double goozle in the corner. Awesome firefight breaks out in the corner. Garvin beats him down but he collapses. Flair climbs and Garvin's knee does not hold up. There's a lot of Flair ass in this match. Flair crotches himself! 1-2-NO! Crowd bit hard on that nearfall. He is going to try for the Brainbuster, but his knee gave out. Now we go to school! Figure-4! Is this the finish? Flair has the top rope for extra leverage.  Some fan really wants to defend the honor of Precious tries to scale the Cage but it is actually harder than it looks apparently and security yanks him down. Tommy Young looked ready to fight him. It kinda undercuts the moment as Garvin just submitted and the defender of Precious muddied the water. Flair has a hold of Precious. HANDS OF STONE! Flair is left to scurry out of the ring on his knees! This is all to build to the big Garvin vs Flair confrontation later in the year. 

This was better than it had any right to be.  **** I could see it being higher if we have the full match.