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Classic Review - Wrestlewar '90

Posted in In My Head by Jack at 05:01, Aug 19 2011

by Playboy Don Douglas

WrestleWar '90

This is a show that will always mean a lot to me, one I'll find myself coming back and watching again and again as the years go by. Partially, it's because of the product itself. Ric Flair had just finished up his babyface run against Terry Funk and had turned on Sting, kicking him out of the Horsemen for signing a contract for a championship match vs Flair. I was totally caught up in this stuff as a kid when it happened, and I still enjoy it, not just for nostalgia.

Another reason is that this quite possibly the last PPV event I got to watch with my uncle Don (the inspiration for the "Don" in my gimmick name) before the cancer that took him a few months later really took hold. He was one of the three relatives responsible for me becoming such a huge wrestling fan, and while he's never too far removed from my mind, when I watch these shows, he's a little closer.

And with that revealing look into my psyche, let's get on with the show.

We actually get the "WrestleWar rap" advertisement to start things off, as this version has the 30 minute pre-show. Ah, WCW's attempts to be cool. They always failed miserably, but they're great in hindsight. These efforts were probably their first attempts to be more like the WWF, which I thought they never should have done. But that's an entire article worth of stuff right there.

The pre-show starts with Jim Ross giving us the rundown of the card, including Flair defending the title against Luger in the main event. He points out that it was scheduled to be Flair vs Sting, but at Clash of Champions X, Flair and the Andersons kicked him out of the Horsemen and injured him. We get the clip, and as always, I'm reminded of how good Ole Anderson was on the mic. They beat down Sting while Jim Cornette on commentary says it's the greatest thing he's ever seen in his life. Next we get Sting trying to run in on the Horsemen's cage match with the remnants of the J-Tex Corporation. Buzz Sawyer takes a nasty bump that doesn't seem to phase him, and the crowd is going ape for Sting. Sting breaks free and hits the side of the cage again. The Horsemen win and Flair immediately leaves the cage and dives into the middle of Sting, Brian Pillman, and the Steiners. The setup for the match was great. The only problem was, Sting legitimately injured his knee.

So, Lex Luger was elevated to once again challenge Flair for the belt. We get a clip of Cornette interviewing Luger. The Horsemen come into the ring, and Cornette kisses their asses. Ole once again handles the talking, and once again does a great job as they give Lex a chance to back out. Lex laughs at them, but Ole keeps trying to talk some sense into him. Flair falls off the apron as he leaves the ring, something I just noticed for the first time. Luger promises to have his answer before the show is over. We go to the clip of Lex giving his answer to the Horsemen. He drops the Andersons and chases Flair.

We get a Luger promo. Not much of note there. Then we get a Flair promo and he's joined by Woman. It's still strange whenever I see her on these old shows knowing what happened. Flair keeps it fairly short, but it's Flair.

The night before the PPV, the Horsemen had vowed that Luger wouldn't make it to WrestleWar. We go to Lex with Rick Fargo in the Torture Rack as the Horsemen surround the ring. The Steiners come out to even the numbers and the Horsemen slowly start to back off.

Ross lets us know the Steiners came down not out of friendship for Luger, but because they hate the Andersons. The Andersons have challenged the Steiners at WrestleWar, and we go to the previous week, with the Andersons interrupting a Steiners promo to give them the same chance to back out. As they start to leave, Scott stands up for them and Ole cuts him off, basically telling him to save the drawn out response and just don't show up. Scott isn't done and tries to grab Ole as he walks away, so Arn nails Rick with the TV belt and administers a DDT on the floor. The Steiners give a promo, and it's not much. Rick is still doing his simple minded bit, and Scott hadn't started doing his yet, so there's not much at all either way. The Andersons respond, and both of these guys are simple and very believable.

Ross then tells us a bit about the Road Warriors - Skyscrapers feud. We go back to the Clash and see the Skyscrapers (Spivey and Mean Mark, the future Undertaker) beat down the Warriors with a chair. The chair is bent by the end, as Spivey was going at it.

Ross then tells us the Z-Man and Brian Pillman will defend their newly won US Tag titles against the Freebirds. We get a Hayes promo, in which he talks more about the show as a whole than he does his match. Then we get a promo from Z-Man and Pillman. Not much there either, but Pillman was better.

Ross then says that one more time, we get a long standing rivalry: the Midnight Express vs the Rock n Roll Express and we get a video of Cornette and the Midnights screwing the Rock n Roll in a recent match. Then we get a promo from the Rock n Roll. Gibson always talks very fast and doesn't change his tone much. Ricky does some talking, and he's generally more entertaining when he's not working. Cornette talks about how they ran the Rock n Roll out of the NWA once, and they'll do it again.

We get the WrestleWar rap one more time and Ross makes a final pitch for people to call their cable providers.

February 25, 1990 - Greensboro Coliseum.
We get the WrestleWar rap yet again, and Jim Ross introduces us to his broadcast partner Terry Funk. We're informed that Teddy Long is claiming Danny Spivey is injured. We'll have more from Gordon Solie later. Jim and Terry both pick the US tag champs to retain. Terry says the Steiners have dedicated their match to Sting. We go to Gordon Solie with Theodore Long.
Long tells us Spivey is injured, but he's hired another wrestler for tonight. He's injured because Teddy wouldn't lie. Gordon rolls his eyes and asks him if he's sure. He is, and he has another big, big surprise for us later, but he's not telling yet. With that, we go to the first match.

Kevin Sullivan & Buzz Sawyer vs the Dynamic Dudes
Sullivan and Sawyer are already in the ring. The Dudes, of course, are Shane Douglas and current WWE office man/stooge Johnny Ace. Johnny and Buzz start it off. Ace uses his speed and agility to take the advantage and dropkick Buzz out of the ring. He then dives over the top onto Sawyer on the floor. Buzz kind of paces around in a circle for a bit, selling his crazy gimmick. Some double team work back in the ring leads to Sawyer making a tag to Sullivan. He doesn't have any better luck as the Dudes make quick tags. They try to trap Ace in the corner but it doesn't work, and Sullivan and Sawyer trade slaps. Well, they ARE a bit nuts. Sawyer misses a charge into the corner and Shane tags back in. Sullivan back in, and he tosses him outside. He then immediately nails Ace, and while the ref is distracted, Buzz drops to the floor and suplexes Shane. He then starts laughing like a loon, walking up to the camera as he does. I'm liking Buzz here. Back in the ring, a belly to belly almost gets 3. He then hits a jumping gutwrench suplex for another near fall. Cool move. Sullivan tags in and almost gets caught with a sunset flip. He tags Buzz back in, who lives up to his "Mad Dog" name by biting Shane. Again, he stops to laugh after doing this. He then applies a bearhug, as Ross says he needs a psychiatrist moreso than a wrestling manager. Shane makes it back to his feet but Buzz cuts him off and tags in Sullivan. With the ref distracted, Sullivan tosses Shane over the top. Buzz puts the boots to him. Buzz stands on the apron, looking down at Shane and laughing. He then hops down, still laughing, with his hands out and says, "I'm here to help," and puts him back in the ring. Shane finally comes back on Buzz and makes the tag and Ace handles business. Shane sort of dropkicks Sullivan and he leaves. Ace misses a headscissors attempt and Buzz gives him the suplex. Buzz off the top with the Jam Sandwich for 3. He hurt his arm here, and the replay shows it folding under him. I'm surprised if he didn't break it.

Missy is standing by with Norman the Lunatic, who is wrestling Cactus Jack. Norman says Missy reminds him of his sister. She's a lot bigger than Missy, though. He then gets a hug for good luck. Then he talks her into giving him a kiss on the cheek for luck. He tries for one more saying it would give him all kinds of luck. Missy says it's bell time, and she may have been saved by the bell. I'm sure with a little more time, Missy would have given him more than that.

Cactus Jack vs. Norman the Lunatic
Norman has autographed pictures and stuffed animals that he gives to the fans. He tosses a big teddy bear into the crowd, and we get a shot of the 30-something redneck with a mullet and acid washed jeans holding it up and celebrating. Nice. Jack takes a bump to the floor pretty early. Basic brawling, and we learn that you can't really hurt Norman by hitting him in the head. I guess because he's CRAZY. Norman grabs a bearhug for a while, then splashes Jack in the corner. It's weird seeing Jack this thin. Norman whips him back and forth in the corners, and Jack flips over the top to the floor. They brawl on the floor and Jack takes the backdrop over the security rail. They break the count and start brawling on the floor again. Jack posts Norman, and hits him with a dropkick from the apron. Jack basically keeps Norman on the outside for a bit, as Ross informs us that Norman's favorite movie is the Wizard of Oz. Well, if he could have watched Wrestlemania this year, he could have seen a munchkin wrestle. Back in and Jack does some biting. Chinlock by Cactus, and there's actually a small "Jack!" chant. Cactus forgets that you can't hurt Norman by hitting him in the head and hurts himself with some headbutts. Jack soon takes over again though, and goes back to a chinlock. Funk takes the opportunity to point out Norman's missing teeth and remind the kids not to eat too much candy. Jack sits on Norman's back, as Terry surprisingly breaks kayfabe a bit when he says, "Reminds you a little of the Sheik, ol' Eddie Farhat." Ross agrees, adding, "Maybe Skandar Akbar or somebody." I'll always have a soft spot for Ak. Norman wins in the fashion he always did, sitting on Cactus from a sunset flip position.

Gordon Solie is with Cornette and the Midnights. Cornette tells us that a lot of things change, but the Midnight Express is still the greatest tag team in wrestling, they still hate the Rock n Roll Express, and they will do whatever it takes to put them out of wrestling. Stan informs us that today is "the day the music died."

Rock n Roll Express vs. Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)
Rock n Roll is out first to a great response, as Terry butchers "You're momma don't dance and your daddy don't rock n roll." In the front row, a guy has a sign saying "We have Herd enough," a reference to the growing displeasure with the changes in the company since Jim Herd came into power. That guy was at the Fanfest a few years ago, and Cornette called him by name during his Q&A, acknowledging him as the guy with the sign. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Corny introduces his guys, and Stan returns the favor, citing Cornette as "the man who stole Ivana away from Donald Trump." Ross replies, "I didn't know he liked girls. I knew he was a mixed doubles tennis champion, but I thought his partner was a man." Terry tells us Corny's the most obnoxious person he's met and he can't stand him. Ross wonders if it's because Cornette has one of the announcer gigs that could have been Terry's. Gibson and Lane start it off. Both guys have some luck, but neither man gets a clear advantage. Lane complains of a closed fist, and when he stands on the ropes to yell at the fans, you can see the upper section of seats are empty. Nice. Lane goes for a monkey flip as Gibson comes off the ropes, but Gibson drops a fist. Lane jaws at the ref and gets shoved for his trouble. This brings Cornette onto the apron to poke his finger at Nick Patrick. Patrick returns the favor until Cornette falls down. Jimmy jumps into the ring, begging Patrick to come fight him. The crowd is going nuts. The Rock n Rolls come in and encourage the whole deal. Patrick finally comes after him and Cornette tries to bail but gets stuck in the ropes. He finally makes it back to the floor as Funk says he looks like Jimmy Swaggart on Sunday morning with his shirt all untucked. Things finally calm down a bit and Lane and Morton go back to work. Morton atomic drops Lane into Eaton, and out on the floor, Lane shoves Eaton down as Cornette plays peacemaker. Back in the ring, Lane catches Ricky with some good rights and makes the tag. Ricky catches Eaton coming in with an armdrag. Eaton stalls a bit and goes to a test of strength. Morton literally climbs Eaton until he's standing on his shoulders then dives off on Lane. Lane ducks under the top rope, and Ricky kicks him in the ass, sending him to the floor. Ross says, "I wonder if we'll ever know if he's bruised. I bet Cornette could tell us." They actually end up having a tug of war with Cornette draped over the top. He finally gets back to the floor and Stan administers CPR. Double team work by the Rock n Roll gives them an advantage as the Midnights take a powder. Stan comes in but doesn't have much luck, even after he tosses Ricky to the floor. Bobby tags in, but as Ross points out, he doesn't look happy about it. The Rock n Roll has pretty much dominated this one. Great right hand by Bobby in the corner, and he and Ricky trade shots until a crossbody by Morton carries both over the top. Lane quickly comes over and slams Morton on the floor. Ricky's starting to sell now. Cornette gets in a cheap shot with the handle of the racket. Double team by the Midnights, and the heat is on. Nice suplex by Eaton for a near fall. Powerslam by Lane, but Gibson makes the save. Lane just manages to cut Morton off on a tag attempt and throws him to the floor while the ref is with Gibson. Bobby drops him over the security rail and Cornette gets in a couple of cheap shots. Back in, Ricky gets a sunset flip but the ref is distracted. Ricky gets the O'Connor roll, but the Midnights made a blind tag. Ricky tries to fight back, but charges into the turnbuckles. Ricky comes back again, catching Lane with a boot as he goes for a back body drop...but Eaton tags in and cuts him off. Divorce Courts the arm. They call it that because it's worse than a separation. Eaton continues to work the arm with a hammerlock. Morton makes it back to his feet and elbows out, but Lane comes in on a blind tag and drops him. Ricky fights back again but Lane goes to the eye and tags in Eaton. Bobby goes up top and drops an elbow. Gibson makes the save. Cornette gets in another cheap shot with the handle of the racket, and pretends he's scratching his back with it when he notices the camera. Nice touch. Eaton hammerlocks Ricky again and rams his shoulder into the turnbuckle. Another divorce court and he keeps Ricky on the mat with the hammerlock. Having been in a hammerlock, I can assure you, it hurts like a son of a bitch. Ricky reverses an Irish whip, but the back of Eaton's head smacks Ricky in the face. Lane tags in and Ricky starts to take over but Lane cuts him off. They go for the Rocket Launcher but Ricky gets the knees up and finally makes the tag. Robert starts cleaning house. Lane makes the save on a pin. Cornette catches Gibson with the racket as he comes off the ropes, but Gibson kicks out. They go for a flapjack, but Morton, perhaps a moment late, tackles Eaton and Gibson rolls up Lane for the pin. Still a cool finish, even if the timing was slightly off.

Gordon Solie is with the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering. Hawk says they put 16 guys in the hospital just getting psyched up for this match. Ellering says they know Long could have Spivey come out from anywhere and they aren't forgetting it.

Chicago Street Fight: The Skyscrapers (w/Theodore R. Long) vs the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering)
The Skyscrapers are "Mean" Mark Callous and some big masked guy who is filling in for Spivey. I have no idea who this was, and can't recall having ever heard anyone say. It's no DQ, so the guys are in street clothes. The Warriors make their way down on the backs of motorcycles. Mark keeps talking to Teddy, kind of like he's not too sure about this fill in. Ellering gets on the mic and challenges Teddy, but Mark holds him back for a bit . Finally they let him in, and Paul decks him once and the match is on. The Warriors take control early and aren't really letting up. The masked guy is taking most of the bumps. Ron Simmons and Butch Reed make their way to ringside, dressed in tuxedos and sporting sunglasses. They flank Long as the Skyscrapers take an advantage. Animal comes back on the masked guy. Seriously, Mark is pretty much getting the Skyscrapers' only offense and he's not getting a hole hell of a lot. Hawk nails him with a clothesline off the apron to the floor. In the ring, the masked guy takes over on Animal, and his boots are so shiny I thought he was wearing dress shoes. Mark chokes Hawk with a rope and they try to double team Animal but he clotheslines them both. Mark gets tossed over the top and when he gets to his feet, the Warriors have the masked guy up for the Doomsday Device. Mark pretty much says to hell with it and leaves him to it. Long gets pulled into the ring, which brings Doom to ringside. Long gets tossed out but Doom catches him. They enter the ring and fake leaving, but a brawl erupts. Doom gets some offense, but the Warriors end up standing tall. Long assures Doom that it ain't over as he finally gets them to head to the back.

As a side note, I'd forgotten how much Funk tended to take over on commentary.

Ross informs us that from this point on, every match is a title match.

US Tag Team Championship match: The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes and Garvin) vs Brian Pillman and Z-Man (C.)
This is a rematch from the tournament final where Pillman and Zenk won the belts. Continuing the theme of the night, the babyfaces are wearing Sting armbands. Ross informs us that Sting will be with us later in the show. A coupld of random skanks in tight sparkly dresses come in and start talking to the Birds. Hayes and Garvin turn their back for the ladies to take their jackets, so Pillman and Z-Man send the chicks down the road and send the Birds to the outside. They put on the Freebirds jackets and strut around a bit while they actually play "Badstreet USA" again. Big "Freebirds suck!" chant. Hayes struts and moonwalks, which gets the chant started again. Hayes pushes Pillman into the corner but Pillman ducks and sends Hayes ducking to his corner. Funk keeps trying to be the play by play man instead of the color guy. Garvin and Z-man tag in. I liked Garvin a lot better in World Class. Garvin gets a waistlock takedown but Z-Man soon uses his speed to take the advantage. Well, at least until he missed a dropkick, as Ross tells us Garvin made the veteran move and stepped out of the way. You'd think that people would think of that more often. Z-man quickly retakes the lead and tags in Pillman, who gets a 2 count on a crucifix. Ross theorizes that the Freebirds may have a foreign object in their long unkempt hair. How have we never seen that angle before? Pillman does some work off the ropes to keep Hayes off balance. Ross says Pillman's favorite wrestler was "Flying" Fred Curry. Funk says he remembers him, and if you go back a few more years, he remembers his father, Bull Curry. As Ross points out, he was the guy with the eyebrows. Look up a picture if you don't know who it is. Basic action. The crowd starts going nuts, but no one acknowledges it. It looks like there was probably a fight in the crowd on the other side. Hayes applies a sleeper to Pillman, as Ross tell us that Paul Boesch used to demonstrate the hold to soldiers in World War II. Funk tells us the hold is dangerous and not to try it at home. Try it at your neighbor's home instead. Hell, try it ON your neighbor. Pillman runs right into a left from Hayes. Pillman most likely felt that one, looked like he punched him right in the mouth. Pillman finally makes a hot tag but soon gets booted in the face and Garvin makes a tag. Z-man takes over on Hayes with punches in the corner and puts a sleeper on Hayes. Pillman distracts the ref and Garvin jumps off the top and nails Z-man. Birds take over and Hayes works him over on the outside. Garvin tags in and goes to a rear chinlock. In closeups, Garvin tells us, "He ain't going nowhere, baby!" and gives us the occasional "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Garvin now sits on Z-man's back with the chinlock. He looks into the camera and laughs before giving us another "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" only this time Pillman comes in and boots him in the back of the head right as he finishes. I've watched it 3 times and will probably watch it again before I move on, as I find it pretty funny....There we go. Hayes comes in without a tag, but the ref seems like he's going to take their word for it. A crowd shot shows us that the upper section is probably only empty on the one side, so there's that at least. They hadn't killed themselves in the Carolinas yet, but that would come. Ross and Funk start talking about toothpaste and Terry having the breath of a Texan. That probably tells you something about the match, honestly. It's not particularly bad or anything, it just doesn't seem to be going anywhere and it's been going on for a while now. Still, it's worth seeing just for the "yeah yeah yeah" kick. The Freebirds double team Z-man, and change places without bothering to tag. Hayes goes with the chinlock. I personally don't like the term resthold. I understand why people use it, but if guys actually work the hold, it's fine. If both guys sit there looking like they're going to take a nap, then I still don't view it as a resthold, I view it as lazy and/or bad work. Pillman makes a hot tag, and Hayes is unsuccessful in an attempt to use the belt as a weapon. Pillman hits a flying cross body on Garvin for the pin. The Birds drop them after the match. It's finally over.

Missy Hyatt is with the Steiners. Rick has a piece of paper that says "Sting's Revenge" on his jacket. Basic Steiners promo. I wonder if Missy was one of Scotty's first Freaks.

World tag team championship match: The Andersons (Ole and Arn) vs the Steiner Brothers (C.)
Andersons are out first, and as a side note, Arn is the TV champion. Ole's nearing the end of his career here. I would have loved to have been able to see the Andersons from '85 or '86 take on the Steiners from this time period. Oh well. The Steiners quickly take control, out-brawling the Andersons. Ross plays up the emotions running high due to the Sting injury. Arn keeps trying to lure Scott into the corner, but he's having none of it. Scott catches Arn's leg as goes for a knee drop and both Andersons get dropped. Scott takes down Ole and quickly tags in Rick. They lock up and Rick ends up in the corner but fights his way out. The Andersons bail and are growing a little frustrated. Ross points out their lack of success but points out that it would be foolish to count them out. Ole tries to work Rick's arm, but Rick reverses and Ole tags in Arn. Rick takes a headlock and Arn can't get out. Nice powerslam by Rick. Ross tells us that Rick's favorite wrestler was NCAA great Dan Gable as Terry wonders why no one ever calls him their favorite wrestler. Arn stalls in the corner and they finally lock up. Arn gives him a knee to the gut and a snap mare, but then tries to go up top and Rick is waiting with his fist cocked. Arn takes a powder instead. Ole tries to sneak in while everyone's distracted but the ref catches him. He tags in and takes a side headlock on Scott. Scott goes for a single leg, but Ole gets him into the ropes and works the arm. Arn tags in and gets caught with an inverted atomic drop and a figure four. Ole makes the save, but Rick comes in to even things. Ole back in and he goes for a single leg. Scott takes a waist lock and basically just powers Ole over his head. Rick tags in. Lock up and Arn tags in. They briefly work him over in the corner and Arn goes for a suplex but Rick reverses. Ole rams his head into the turnbuckle but it has no effect, as Rick rams his own head a few times. Ole kicks him, possibly a little low, and they start working the arm and battering him in the corner. Ole gets a 2 count but Rick comes back with some punches. Ole grapevines the leg to try to keep him from making the tag, but it doesn't work. Both make the tag and Arn ends up on the outside. Scott tries to clothesline him and nails the post, so Arn slams it over the rail. Ole puts a couple shots in and Arn hammerlocks Scott and sends him back to the rail. Back in the ring, Ole goes back to the arm. Arn comes in with a hammerlock bodyslam and an armbar. Arn goes to the middle rope and gets nothing but knees. Scott hits a Frankensteiner out of nowhere but can't capitalize. Terry says he caught his shoulder on the way over. Ole tags in, but so does Rick right as he gets there. Rick takes control and catches Ole in a small package for 3. In true Anderson/Horsemen style, it doesn't end there and Arn grabs Scott and Ole comes off the top with a knee to the shoulder.

Earlier today, and Gordon Solie is with Lex Luger for his final thoughts. Better promo from Luger. Basic, but that's fine. He says Flair will not get out of the torture rack.

All through the night, they've still hyped the NWA as being wrestling and basically not a show, an obvious dig at the WWF. Of course, soon after this, they started trying to be the same thing.

Gordon Solie is with Flair and Woman. Flair is his usual self, and Woman tells us that Luger better get his engine started.

Gary Capetta tells us that tragedy befell the NWA on February 6th when Sting was injured. They introduce him and he comes out on crutches with his left leg in a brace. No paint. He's here as a "special observer" apparently. Main event time.

NWA World Heavyweight championship match: Lex Luger (US C.) vs Ric Flair (C.)
Not surprisingly, there's a decent number of Flair/Horsemen fans in the crowd. Ross tells us that in this same building at Starrcade '83, Flair defeated Harley Race for his second world title. It's also Flair's birthday. Ross feels this actually indicates that it's Luger's day. Funk is picking Flair, based on his own experience, though he refuses to say Flair's better than him. Flair takes his time folding his robe and handing it to the attendant. He also takes his time folding the belt and handing it to Nick Patrick. In a nice touch, Patrick brings them together for final instructions. An easy way to make the title match seem a little more important. Luger's power is too much for Flair to start with. They stalk around a bit before locking up again, and Luger takes a headlock. Flair gets out with top wristlock, but Luger powers him down. Flair claims his hair was pulled, and Terry thinks there's a possibility that it was. Luger wants a test of strength, and as Terry points out, if Flair goes for it, it's a mistake. Ross says if he does, it may be out of his competitive nature. He finally does and of course Luger wins out. Flair comes off the ropes but a tackle drops him and he goes to the floor. Back in, Flair teases a lockup but backs away and runs his fingers through his hair. Flair whips Luger into the corner, points and Woman and gives her a "Woo!" but Luger immediately runs out and clotheslines him. Flair bails and tries to leave but Luger chases him, picks him up, and runs back to the ring with him. Power moves by Luger and Flair ends up back on the floor. Flair briefly takes the lead but runs into a press slam. Luger goes for a cover but Flair is partly under the bottom rope. Flair comes back with a couple of shots to the gut, but the chop just seems to wake Lex up. He catches Flair in another press slam and grabs a bear hug. Ross tells us if Lex wins tonight, he'd be the first man in NWA history to hold both major titles at the same time. Funk admonishes the camera man to stay off of Woman and stay on the match. He would have gone nuts if he'd been on commentary not even 10 years later during the "Attitude Era." Luger with some punches in the corner, and Flair flops. Hip toss by Luger and he goes for a clothesline but misses and sails over the top. Woman pleads with Flair to get up. He finally does and goes on the offense at ringside, sending Luger into the rail and nailing some chops, which seem to be working now. Flair brings it back in, and Ross and Funk say it's smart and he has to win it in the ring. Actually, he doesn't, he's the champion. He throws Luger outside and has Woman get on the apron and distract the referee while he works over Lex on the outside. Back in, you can hear Ric yell at someone to get off their ass and do their job. Funk acknowledges it. Flair still in control. He tells Woman she'll like this and drops a knee across Lex's head. Cover, but Luger tosses Flair into the air. He starts coming back, but Flair moves and Lex charges into the turnbuckles. Flair takes him down in a hammerlock and puts a foot on the rope for leverage. Flair grows angry with the crowd trying to rat him out and stands up to yell at them to shut up. He goes back to the hammerlock and puts both feet on the ropes. He breaks the hold, and again tells the fans to shut up. He works the arm some more, wrapping it around the top rope, but Lex comes back with a clothesline. Flair catches him with a thumb to the eye and Woman gets in a cheap shot. Flair works the hammerlock and Luger tries to fire up the crowd. Flair twists the arm and Luger cocks his fist, but Nick Patrick stops him from punching and Flair takes the opportunity to nail Luger. Woman pulls his hair from ringside. Patrick catches Flair with his feet on the ropes during a pin attempt. Back to working the arm on the ropes, and Luger gets a second wind. Flair sails to the outside and Luger and Patrick follow. Flair with chops, but to no effect. Flair retreats back to the ring and begs off. Luger catches him in a sleeper. Ross points out that this is not typical offense for Luger. The camera pans out, and the Monday Night Wars have conditioned me to expect a run in. That's sad, but thankfully there isn't one. Flair gets the ropes, but Luger goes back to it. Flair fights his way out and Woman is going nuts. Flair tries to suplex Luger over the top to the outside, but Lex reverses, then wraps Flair's knee around the ring post. Luger goes for a figure four, but seems to have trouble and Flair rolls out and thumbs him in the eye. More chops and a tackle from Flair drops both guys. Flair comes off the ropes again and Luger hits a powerslam for a near fall. The crowd in Greensboro bought it. Chops have no effect. Flying forearm from Flair and he just bounces off. Luger chases him outside but Flair goes to the eyes. Back in, Flair goes for a hip toss, but Lex turns it into a backslide for another near fall. Woman yells to encourage Flair and Funk asks, "Why don't the girls holler for me? Why don't they holler for me, Jim Ross?" Seems like I'm always either asking that same question or wishing they would stop. Nowhere in between. Flair actually successfully comes off the top a couple of times but still can't put Lex away. Double arm suplex, a move you don't see enough these days, only gets 2. Flair grabs a sleeper and hops onto Luger's back. Luger makes it out and gets rolled up for 2. Desperation clothesline from Luger for another near fall, and again the Greensboro crowd thought he had it. Flair hits a couple of shin breakers and starts working the leg. Woman is finally happy and Flair applies the figure four, grabbing the rope for leverage. We all know how this goes. The crowd starts going nuts, and we see why. Sting makes his way back to ringside. Luger tries to hype himself up and turn the hold over but Flair rolls through. They're in the ropes, so Flair takes the opportunity to grab the ropes to inflict extra damage. Sting yells at Luger and finally seems to motivate him. To the outside, Flair whips Luger into the railing but he doesn't feel it. Flair runs, but Luger catches him in the ring with a press slam. Flair goes to the eyes, but gets slammed off the top. Clotheslines from Luger, the 3rd one taking Flair over the top to the floor. Suplex brings him back in. Near fall again. Powerslam, and Luger signals for the rack, but goes for the pin and Woman slaps him. He pulls her up on the apron and Flair nails him with a knee to the back. Patrick is down, but Luger isn't fazed. Punches in the corner and Flair does the flip over the corner from an Irish whip, runs down the apron and comes off the top, but Lex catches him with a clothesline. Ref is still down. Superplex and Luger again gets a pin but no ref. The Andersons are down, but Lex takes them out. Torture Rack and Patrick makes his feet. Arn grabs Sting from behind while Ole takes a shot with one his crutches. Luger comes to the rescue and gets tied up with the Andersons until he's counted out. The Horsemen start to work over Luger until the Steiners come down for the save.

Ross thanks us and says they'll see us again at Armed and Dangerous in May, a show I actually don't remember. I'll have to check the card on that one. Roll credits and we're done.

Some people may question the finish, as they had ran several non-finishes as well as the infamous Dusty Finish, but I think it was probably about as good as they could do. Luger had been a heel until Sting went down with the injury, so he was quickly added to the mix and made a de facto babyface. As their top guy until Sting came back, they didn't want to have Luger get beat cleanly, but they obviously weren't going to put the belt on Lex since they had plans for Sting, and while the injury slowed it down, it can certainly be argued that it made it hotter when it finally came to be. This way, Luger looked strong and cemented his babyface turn by giving up the title to rescue Sting, Flair kept the belt to eventually drop it to Sting, and there was a reason to run more Flair-Luger matches, which is about all they had at this time.

I wouldn't call it a great show. The main event is fine, the Express match is fun as always, and there are some little things like Buzz Sawyer's mannerisms and the "Yeah yeah yeah" kick that are cool to see, but that's really about it. Still, I know I'll watch this one again and again. Maybe you had to be a fan then to understand completely.

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