-5/7/89
-From The Municiple Auditorium in Nashville, TN
-Hosts are Jim Ross & Bob Caudle
-Match 1: The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) VS Doug Gilbert
-Muta's entrance music is suitably creepy. This is the first time Nick Patrick is refereeing on one of these big events. Gilbert tries to interrupt Muta's pre-match ritual, and that doesn't go well for him. Handspring elbow draws a small "Muta" chant. Moonsault misses, but Muta lands on his feet. Second attempt finishes quickly after, however. Not much to it, but good enough to showcase Muta. Eddie Gilbert comes out to look after his brother, and has a short staredown with Muta.
-Match 2: Butch Reed VS Ranger Ross
-Ross gets some members of the Color Guard to accompany him to the ring. Ross swivels his hips after taking his jacket off, and Reed is not amused. Ross controls the early going, until Reed catches him with a blow to head as Ross steps through the ropes. Vertical suplex and top rope shoulderblock finish quickly for Reed.
-Match 3: Bullrope Match: Bob Orton (w/Gary Hart) VS Dick Murdoch
-Match is butchered to pretty much just the finish, with Murdoch tying Orton up with the rope and pinning him. Orton beats Murdoch down, and hangs him after the pin.
-Match 4: The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously) VS The Dynamic Dudes
-The Dudes are Johnny Ace & Shane Douglas. Johnny takes Fatu down with an X-Factor, but Fatu no-sells, because he's Samoan, and Samoans have really hard heads. Fatu gets two off a powerslam, then threatens to bitch slap the ref. SST make a wish with Ace. Samu locks in a Boston Crab, and Paul takes the opportunity to get on the mic and let Ace know that he's as useless as a woman from Nashville. Hot tag is made, and Shane cleans house before getting dropped with a clothesline from Samu. Fatu hits a splash from the top to finish, but Ace makes the save. Fatu tries to slam Shane, but Ace hits a missile dropkick on Shane's back, putting him on top of Fatu for the pin. Big pop for the upset. Match was decent.
-Match 5: NWA United States Championship: Lex Luger [c] VS Michael P.S. Hayes (w/Hiro Matsuda)
-Hayes gets a crossbody for a one count. Teddy Long as it ringside, looking like a black Colonel Sanders. Hayes gets tired of Luger slapping him in the face, so he lands several punches before Luger fights back and launches him with a backdrop. Luger blocks a DDT attempt. Luger completely overpowers Hayes at every opportunity. Hayes manages to crack Luger's head against the ringpost, and struts to celebrate. Hayes keeps the pressure on, utilizing chinlocks. Hayes throws Lex outside and distracts the ref, allowing Matsuda to slam Luger's head onto the guardrail. Hayes drops an elbow for two. Luger blocks a bulldog, and makes his comeback. Two gorilla press slams set up the Torture Rack, but Hayes slips out and hits the DDT. Ref gets bumped as they knock heads, and Terry Gordy pushes Hayes on top of Luger for the pin and the title, making sure to keep Luger's foot off the bottom rope. Huge upset here. Match was OK, if a little slow. Finish was awkward.
-Match 6: NWA Television Championship: Sting [c] VS The Iron Shiek (w/Rip Morgan)
-Shiek attacks Sting with the flag pole right off the bat. Sting quickly has enough of that shit, and chokes Shiek with his own jacket. Quick squash, and Sting finishes with the Scorpion Deathlock. Not much here.
-Match 7: NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Rick Steamboat [c] VS Ric Flair
-Flair has 40 women with him, most of which look like they're ready to get out of there and cash their checks. Steamboat comes out with Bonnie and The Little Dragon, who is on a pony. Match is being judged by Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor, and Terry Funk, in case this goes the time limit. I think this is the only context in which Funk would be described as "distinguished". They go out and do their usual, which, I have to say, if it's not broke, don't fix it. These two are awesome at making their matches seem like physical struggles, rather than cooperative dances. That art is really lost, and has been for a long time. Steamboat controls the first ten minutes, mainly working over Flair's arm.
-Flair finally turns the tide a little bit around the fifteen minute mark, and the two have a really stiff chop exchange. Flair keeps control of the match by making it a brawl, taking Steamboat over the guardrail with another stiff chop. Steamboat very quickly has enough of that, and regains control, until he tries a crossbody, which Flair ducks, sending Steamboat over the top and out. Flair gets a belly-to-back suplex, and keeps trying to hold Steamboat's shoulders down, but he can't do it. Flair gets annoyed with Tommy Young ("count faster, or you'll be working somehwere else tomorrow"), but keeps the pressure on Steamboat. Steamboat counters a suplex into a rollup for two. Flair tries a crossbody, sending both men out over the top.
-Flair tries going up top, and Steamboat slams him down. Superplex sets up the double chicken wing, but Flair gets his feet into the ropes to cause the break before Steamboat can sinch it in. Flair "accidentally" sends Steamboat out over the top, and Steamboat hurts his leg. Flair quickly locks in the Figure 4, but cannot get the submission. Steamboat connects with an enziguiri, but tries a bodyslam, which Flair, using the same counter Steamboat used to pin Randy Savage at WrestleMania III, rolls him up for the pin and the title. Steamboat shakes his hand and raises it before leaving. Typically great Flair/Steamboat match, but I think it's the least of their trilogy, but you can't go wrong with any of them.
-Jim Ross interviews Ric Flair. Then, in an angle as well-known as the match itself, Terry Funk keeps interrupting the interview, and eventually challenges Flair for the title. Flair responds that since Funk hasn't been active, and is not in the top 10 challengers, and that comes first. Terry takes this as Flair saying he's not good enough to face him, and ends up attacking Flair, culminating with a piledriver on the ringside table, which doesn't break. GREAT angle after the match, and this should have been the show closer.
-Match 8: NWA World Tag Team Championship: Mike Rotunda & Dr. Death Steve Williams [c] (w/Kevin Sullivan) VS The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
-The Varsity Club are surrounded by cheerleaders for their introduction. Nikita Koloff is special guest referee inside the ring. Nick Patrick is on the outside. The Roadies waste no time in going after the champions. Sullivan gets in Nikita's face, and gets ejected from ringside. Match quickly spills outside, and Hawk accidentally clotheslines the ringpost, giving the champions an oppening. That doesn't last long, and the Roadies get Williams up for the Doomsday Device, but Kevin Sullivan & Dan Spiver rush out to attack Nikita to prevent him from making the count. This kicks off a big brawl, and the Road Warriors are declared the winners by DQ. The Varsity Club would not keep the belts long, as they were stripped shortly after this.
-Match 9: NWA United States Tag Team Championship: Rick Steiner & Eddie Gilbert [c] (w/Missy Hyatt) VS Kevin Sullivan & Dan Spivey
-Match immediately spills outside. Spiver rams Steiner's shoulder into the ringpost. This essentially turns the match into a handicap match. Spivey gets a big side slam, but opts to tag Sullivan instead of going for the cover. Referee disallows a tag for the champions, but as Sullivan tries to piledrive Gilbert, Steiner clotheslines him. This allows Gilbert to get a jackknife cover for the pin the retain. Spivey nails Rick in the shoulder with a chair, and Sullivan has Missy cornered until Gilbert makes the save. Match was nothing special, and a really odd choice to go on last.
-From what is shown, this was a one match show. The only match that got any real time is Steamboat/Flair, which was great as usual. The rest is pretty inconsequential. Flair/Steamboat and the aftermath is on the first Flair set, so you can safely skip this show.
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