-12/26/88
-From the Scope in Norfolk, VA
-Terriffic opening video previews the main matches.
-Hosts are Jim Ross & Bob Caudle
-Match 1: NWA United States Tag Team Championship: The Fantastics [c] VS Kevin Sullivan & Dr. Death Steve Williams
-Sullivan is introduced as being from Singapore. Sullivan chops away at Fulton, who responds with a Thesz Press for two. Nice move by the Fantastics as Fulton holds Williams in a wrist-lock, allowing Rogers to leapfrop Fulton, and crash on to Williams' arm. Double monkey flip takes Williams over, but when Fulton tries one on his own, it doesn't work. Williams responds with a Gorilla Press Slam, repeatedly tossing Fulton a bit before slamming him down. Rogers slams Sullivan off the top at the ten minute mark, but hitting Sullivan's knees on a splash from the top. Williams almost murders Rogers with a clothesline to a pop. Sullivan gets a flying (as much as Sullivan can "fly") clothesline for two. Rogers is face-in-peril for quite a while. Sullivan gets a double stomp to the stomach for two. Hot tag is made to Fulton, who pounds on Williams. Fulton tries for the Thesz Press, but Wiliams counters with a hot shot for the pin and the titles, although Fulton protests that he had kicked out. Williams gets another big pop for scoring the pin. Really strong opener.
-Match 2: The Midnight Express (w/James E. Cornette) VS The Original Midnight Express (w/Paul E. Dangerously)
-The Midnights attack the Originals before the bell. Cornette wants Paul E. Odd to see Cornette acting as a face. Condrey and Lane officially start. Condrey is pushed outside, and immediately is whacked across the back with the tennis racket by Cornette. Cornette struts around ringside and hams it up to the approval of the crowd. Tags are made, and after Lane knocks Rose to the outside, Cornette hits him with the racket. Paul is PISSED, and rings the bell himself, but for some reason, Teddy Long does not call for the DQ. Condrey tries a handshake with Lane, who responds by kicking him in pelvis (not quite the nuts). Eaton is tagged in, and actually hits his flying elbow on Condrey. The Midnights dominate the match, until Eaton misses a charge in the corner, crotching himself in one of those "what was he actually going for if he hit it?" spots. Eaton is now the face-in-peril.
-The Originals try the Rocket Launcher, but Eaton avoids it, and makes the tag. Lane gets a kick combination on Rose, ending with an enziguiri. Paul nails Lane with the portable phone and rolls Rose on top. Cornette KO's Paul. Teddy Long stops counting the pin when he see the phone, and the Midnights hit Rose with the Double Goozle (clothesline/chop block combo) for the pin. The Original destroy the Midnights after the pin until Eaton gets a hold of the racket. Hot match, but Cornette's Midnights were never in any serious trouble until Paul used the phone. The Originals seemed to get more offense in after the match than during.
-Match 3: The Russian Assassins (w/Paul Jones) VS Ivan Koloff & The Junkyard Dog
-HUGE ovation for JYD. The Russians must unmask and Paul Jones will be forced to retire if the Assassins lose by pinfall. JYD gets a near-fall on #1 after a clothesline, and gets another one on #2 shortly after he is tagged in. Ivan gets a choke takedown on #2 for two. Ivan gets the Russian Sickle on #2, but #1 makes the save. JYD is tagged in, but misses a diving headbut just as JR & Caudle put JYD's head over as the hardest in wrestling. JYD is face-in-peril for a little bit, but the Assassins miss the Russian Missle (one Assassin being Irish Whipped into their opponent in the corner). Cut spot as one Russian leapfrogs over JYD, crashing into Ivan, who crashes into the other Assassin, sending him outside. This allows Jones to slip something in #1's mask, and he headbuts Ivan and scores the pin. Nothing to write home about.
-Match 4: NWA World Television Championship: Mike Rotunda [c] VS Rick Steiner
-Kevin Sullivan is locked in a cage, which is then raised above the ring. Shoving match turns into a slugfest, which goes Rick's way, naturally. Match is clipped to Rotunda locking on a sleeper, and using the ropes for leverage. Rotunda taunts Rick, and takes a punch to the face for it. Match is clipped again to the fifteen minute mark, and Rotunda pounds on Rick before giving the thumbs up/thumbs down signal. Rotunda misses a dropkick, and Steiner lands a huge clothesline to a big pop and barking from the crowd. Dr. Death makes his way to ringside as things get worse for Rotunda. Rick gets a belly-to-belly suplex, but Dr. Death rings the bell before Teddy Long makes the count. Rick thinks he's won, Rotunda thinks the time limit has expired, but neither are correct. The cage is lowered and Sullivan is freed. Sullivan argues with Tommy Young to no avail. Steiner rams Rotunda into Sullivan, and gets the pin and the title, to a HUGE reaction. Rick excitedly running around the ring is tremendous. Match was nothing until the end. I'm guessing this was one of those matches that you had to really be in the moment for it to mean a whole lot.
-Match 5: NWA United States Championship: Barry Windham [c] (w/JJ Dillon) VS Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink)
-Bigelow overpowers Windham early. Windham lands three great punches before Bigelow hits a Shock Treatment, but with Windham facing down instead of up. Bigelow no-sells a belly-to-back suplex, causing Windham to bail out and consult with JJ. Bigelow no-sells a couple punches and gets a big Military Press slam, but doesn't move in for the kill. Windham goes out over the top off a Bigelow dropkick, but no DQ, despite JJ's protests. Bigelow gets a delayed vertical suplex for two. Bigelow tries to finish with the Atomic Splash (big splash from the top), but misses, allowing Windham to finally get some offense. Windham locks on the Claw, but Bigelow backs into a corner, forcing a break. Windham slams Bigelow and gets a pop for it. Windham tries a flying elbow and (naturally) misses. Windham tries a cross-body, sending both men over the top and out, crashing into a cameraman in the process. Awesome shot. Windham sends Bigelow into the ringpost, and gets back into the ring just in time for the countout victory. Windham gets another pop for the win. Decent enough carry job by Windham. Good way for the heel to get a cheap win.
-Match 6: NWA World Tag Team Championship: The Road Warriors [c] (w/Paul Ellering) VS Dusty Rhodes & Sting
-Roadies attack right away, but are sent scurrying outside in short time. Then they do the ring introductions. Sting & Dusty control the early going, and Dusty tries to smother Animal. Tags are made, and Hawk stomps a mudhole in Sting. Animal casually tosses Sting around. Sting no-sells a hot shot, clotheslines Animal outside, then follows him out with a big dive. Dusty almost gets Hawk in the Figure 4, but Animal saves. Hawk immediately goes after Dusty's eye, and stomps the shit out of him on the floor. Dusty responds to Hawk's punches by dancing, then throwing a dropkick. Animal responds by going after Dusty's eye. The challengers retake control. Sting gets the Stinger Splash and the Scorpion Deathlock on Animal, but Hawk saves. Hawks throws Sting out over the top and the Roadies double team Dusty. Sting has Animal pinned after a cross-body from the top, but Ellering pulls Tommy Young out and attacks Sting to draw the DQ and keep the titles. Match was decent, but that ending was weak sauce.
-Match 7: NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair [c] (w/JJ Dillon) VS Lex Luger
-If Flair is DQ'd, Luger wins the title. Flair starts by posing and high-fiving JJ. Luger clotheslines Flair over the top, and stops to pose himself, to the crowd's approval. JR goes into Luger's football background. I DO NOT GIVE A SHIT JR, FIND ANOTHER WAY TO PUT SOMEONE OVER. Flair's a little testy tonight, landing some ridiculously stiff chops on Luger. Luger responds with a big slam, but then works on the arm instead of the back. Flair does a Flair Flop off an Irish Whip. Luger keeps working the arm, and shrugs off any attempts at offense from Flair. Luger misses one clothesline, hits the seconds, and gets two, as Tommy Young goes outside the ring to make the count. I love it when refs do that. Flair finally gets some sustained offense in. Flair throws Luger through the ropes, then just as JR notes that Flair is not going outside...Flair goes outside to send Luger into the guardrail. Flair gets into an ill-advised shoving match with Young. Flair breaks out a double-stomp. Luger starts no-selling chops, and does a little pec dance to really intimidate Flair.
-Luger gets a sleeper, and Flair gets out of it with a belly-to-back suplex to put both men down. Figure 4 is countered with a small package, and there's a huge (rather high-pitched) reaction from the crowd, as some were thinking that was it. Luger gets a superplex, and the crowd can't believe that wasn't it. Luger locks in a Figure 4. Flair eventually makes it to the ropes to break it. Luger pounds away in the corner, but accidentally elbows Young. Flair throws Luger out over the top, but Young doesn't see it. Luger gets a cross-body off the top, but Young is slow to make the count, so it only gets two. Luger gets another two near-falls, and fires up. The crowd is with him the whole way, and are dieing for Luger to win. As JJ has Young detained, Flair whacks Luger across the knee with a chair. Flair goes for the kill, doing everything he can to soften Luger up for the Figure 4. Luger fires up while in the hold, responding to Flair's slaps by flexing. Luger manages to reverse the hold to escape.
-Luger gets thrown through the ropes, but gets fired up again. Luger tries a Military Press, but his leg buckles. Luger gets a sunest flip for two. Luger really stops selling the leg, and just stands there as Flair tries a running forearm. Luger gets a powerslam, and goes back to limping, before locking in the Torture Rack. Luger's leg buckles, and Flair gets a cover and the pin by using the ropes for leverage. Really good main event, and the only match on the show that had a second gear. Luger should have won though.
-Man, they never got the hang of having a happy ending to their big events, did they?
-The opener and the main are pretty good, the rest is just kind of there. This show was set up well by the last Clash to be a good "babyfaces get their revenge" type of show, and aside from Steiner winning the TV title, it didn't work out that way.
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