-9/7/88
From Albany, GA
-So the company tradition of having events called "Fall Brawl" when it's still Summer starts here.
-Cool opening video details Sting's previous attempts to dethrone Horsemen champions at the first two Clashes.
-Hosts are Tony Schiavone & NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair
-Announcers are Jim Ross & Bob Caudle
-Tony & Flair preview tonight's event. Flair is very low-key while schilling for the NWA.
-Match 1: NWA Television Championship: Mike Rotunda [c] (w/Kevin Sullivan) VS Brad Armstrong
-I am now convinced that "Hooray for Mr. Touchdown" should be Jack Swagger's entrance music. Rotunda takes Armstrong down with a fireman's carry. Rotunda goes for a crossbody off the top, but Armstrong rolls through for a close near-fall. Armstrong keeps out-wrestling Rotunda, but cannot put him away. Rotunda tries to get out of an armbar by giving Armstrong a wedgie. Rotunda eventually has enough of being out-wrestled, and turns the match with a knee to the gut, before sending Armstrong outside for abuse from Sullivan. Rountda keeps pounding away, but then he cannot put Armstrong away. Armstrong fights out of a rear chinlock, but then is floored with a big clothesline. Armstrong almost gets the pin with a sunset flip after the referee keeps Sullivan from interfering. Dr. Death comes out to cheer Armstrong on, and gets a big reaction himself. Rotunda keeps Armstrong in a pinning position as the time limit ticks down, but cannot keep him down for the pin. JR plays this up as a big moral victory for Armstrong, even though he didn't win the title. Nothing spectacular, but the comebacks and near-falls were well-timed, and the crowd was molten for the finishing stretch.
-Jim Ross & Bob Caudle announces that Jimmy Garvin has a broken leg and will be out for a while, and bemoan the fact that action is spilling outside the ring, and surmise that a suspension should be forthcoming for Sullivan, especially since Dusty was recently suspended. The video of Sullivan breaking Garvin's leg is shown, as he jumps Garvin at a TV taping and slams a couple blocks down on his leg. Garvin's selling of the injury is pretty great.
-Match 2: Dr. Death Steve Williams & Nikita Koloff VS The Sheepherders (w/Rip Morgan)
-Dr. Death keeps control of Butch before tagging Nikita. The Sheepherders have no idea how to react to Nikita. I love the Sheepherders both falling out of the ring after a double noggin knocker. The faces completely dominate the match, and Dr. Death even goes up top for a splash on Luke. The momentum finally takes a turn when Williams misses a charge in the corner, and hits the ringpost. Heel miscommunication allows Williams to tag Nikita. Nikita fires up on Luke, until Morgan trips him up from the outside. Butch sends Nikita into the ringpost twice. The Sheepherders pound on Nikita for a while. Nikita finally punches Luke in the face, which sends Luke over the top, but no DQ. Nikita finally gets to his corner, but Morgan pokes Williams with his flag pole, so Dr. Death is not ready for the tag. Luke misses a splash from the top, and Nikita finally makes the tag. Williams gets his knee clipped and makes the tag right back out to Nikita, who simply hits Butch with the Russian Sickle for the pin. Odd final strecth with an out of nowhere finish. Match was decent before that.
-Tony & Flair preview the next match.
-Match 3: Kevin Sullivan (w/Gary Hart) VS Dusty Rhodes
-Dusty no-sells a Sullivan clothesline, and goes right after both Sullivan and Hart. Hart in turn bitches to JR & Caudle. Dusty connects with a series of elbows in the corner, but when Tommy Young tries to separate them, Sullivan sneaks a punch in to turn the tide. Hart nails Dusty with his shoe, then passes Sullivan the spike. Sullivan nails Dusty in the chest, and gets two off that. During the match, JR notes that Dusty has agreed to a Dog Collar match between he and Sullivan. Dusty fights back, but then Al Perez comes out to nail Dusty with a chain. Perez and Sullivan work Dusty over, and Tommy Young does not call for the DQ. Dusty then suddenly rolls up Gary Hart...and Young counts the pin?! WHAT. THE FUCK. WAS THAT? Match was nothing before the finish and...I'm not even sure what I just saw there.
-Match 4: Russian Chain Match: Ivan Koloff (w/Paul Jones) VS Ricky Morton
-This will be contested under "touch the corners" rules. JR notes that Morton is dedicating this match to his ailing father, and that Paul Jones thinks that Koloff has to prove himself. Koloff takes control off the bat until Morton smashes his nuts with the chain. This lasts momentarily, as Koloff uses his big strength advantage to retake control and touch two of the corners before Morton can pull him away. Morton fights back, hitting Koloff's knee with the chain, but cannot pull Koloff around the ring. Really basic match. Morton manages to drag Koloff to the first three corners until Jones hands his riding crop to Koloff, and they hang onto it for leverage, until Jones loses his grip, and Morton touches the fourth corner. The Russian Assassin attacks Morton after the match. Koloff finally has enough of Jones and decks him, causing the Assassin to attack Koloff, then another masked Russian aids in the beatdown of Koloff. The body of the match was nothing special, but the finish was nice (I thought they'd have Koloff drag Morton around, with Morton touching the corners behind Koloff's back before they fight over the fourth corner), and the post-match turn was interesting.
-JR interviews John Aires (not sure if that is spelled correctly), a two-time Super Bowl Champion, who will referee a future Flair/Luger World title match. He says he won't be intimidated by either wrestler.
-Match 5: NWA United States Championship: Barry Windham [c] VS Sting
-Sting goes with a yellowjacket motif. Fast-paced start, and Sting sends Windham to the outside with two dropkicks. Windham does a Flair flop off some punches. Windham takes the match outside the ring, where he builds momentum. Windham gets a big suplex, then takes a moment to taun the football player. Windham tries a Stinger Splash and misses, then dangles over the top rope until Sting gives him a little shove to send him flying over the top. JJ wants a DQ, but none comes. Sting busts Windham open and slams his head into the time keeper's table, and Windham falls over the guardrail. Sting locks in a sleeper. Windham holds on, and counters with a shin breaker. Windham works on Sting's leg and locks in a Figure 4, getting some help from JJ. The ref catches them, and makes Windham break the hold. Sting tries a suplex, but Windham counters by locking in the Claw on Stings chest. Sting fights back, but Tommy Young is bumped. Sting gets the Stinger Splash and gets ready to lock in the Scorpion Deathlock, but JJ enters the ring with a chair. Sting cuts him off, but takes a weak chairshot from Windham. Tommy Young tries to count the pin, but Aires stops him, and tells Young that Windham hit Sting with a chair. This is enough for Young to instantly declare Sting the winner. Sting is denied a title yet again. Match was OK, a little disappointing.
-Flair flips out about Aires involvment in the U.S. title match, and the prospect of him reffing the match between he and Luger. Tony plugs the NWA Main Event show.
-Nothing worth going out of your way to see here, and that Dusty match was just perplexing.
No comments:
Post a Comment