-6/14/89
--From Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC
-Hosts are Jim Ross & Bob Caudle
-Since this show is held at a military base, there's red, white, and blue decorations on the ring. There are quick videos with various military members cut into the show.
-Match 1: NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: The Dynamic Dudes VS The Freebirds of Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (w/Terry Gordy)
-Garvin is the newest member of the group, being revealed just now. Dudes start off fast as Ace gets a sunset flip off the top on Hayes while Shane gives Garvin an awkward clothesline. One of the few times I've seen one man lower his head too early, but dodge the inevitable kick that comes with it. Well done Johnny Ace. Dudes get some double teams before Shane gets tackled from behind by Garvin and double teamed himself. Johnny becomes the face-in-peril. This is apparently the 214th birthday of Fort Bragg. Shane gets in, and has Garvin pinned until Hayes DDTs him behind the referee's back, allowing Garvin to get the pin. Match was decent, aided greatly by a hot crowd.
-Match 2: Rangers Ross VS *sigh*...The Terrorist
-Terrorist is a masked jobber. I've read it's Jack Victory. I don't care enough to look into it further. JR plus Coors Light and Domino's Pizza as The Terrorist attacks Ross. Wasn't Jim Heard a Pizza Hut guy? Ross finishes quickly with a crappy side kick.
-A Road Warriors video set to "Iron Man" airs.
-Match 3: The Ding Dongs VS George South & Cougar Jay
-This is pretty infamous. The Ding Dongs are two guys in orange bodysuits and masks with bells all over them. The crowd is not exactly pleased to see them. The one who is not in the ring constantly rings a bell in the corner. It gets really annoying about 2 seconds after it starts. The match is secondary to the fact that JIM HEARD THOUGHT THE DING DONGS WAS A GOOD IDEA. They finish rather quickly. Ross comes right out and says "that was horrible", then realizes what he said, and tries to say that he was referring to a play on words that he tried to make. I was expecting more vitrol from the crowd and from the announcers the way this had been built up, so it even disappointed on that level.
-Match 4: NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) VS The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously)
-A fan tries to jump into the ring during Cornette's intro of the Midnights, and they graciously do not take the opportunity to kill him. The SST earn my love by coming out to the theme from HALLOWEEN. I wonder if WCW actually paid John Carpenter royalties for that. Paul threatens Cornette to kick off the match. Stan and Fatu fuck up a backdrop in spectacular fashion. The Midnights have the early momentum, but the SST turn it around, leading to Fatu giving Bobby a snap suplex on the floor. Bobby is face-in-peril until Fatu misses a corner splash and rams into the ringpost. Match breaks down. The ref is bumped, allowing the Road Warriors to lay out the SST and the Midnights to get the pin. Not much here. HUGE pop for the run-in.
-Match 5: Battle of the Bulls: Terry Gordy VS Dr. Death Steve Williams
-This is a result of Kevin Sullivan paying Gordy to jump Doc over in Japan. Doc jumps all over Gordy to start, but runs into a big clothesline. JR goes over the history between the two, including their feud in Mid-South and the UWF. Match is a pretty fun heavyweight slugfest. Ross goes over the top in his shilling of Coors' Light. They eventually both say "fuck this" and fight outside to a double count-out. Fans chant "bullshit" to show how they feel.
-Match 6: Mike Justice VS Norman The Lunatic (w/Teddy Long)
-Mike is not to be confused with Sid Justice. Norman is Mike Shaw, who would go on to greater "fame" as Bastion Booger in the WWF. This would have been a more appropriate person to use the HALLOWEEN theme. Norman finishes very quickly with an avalanche. Teddy controls Norman by dangling the sanitarium's keys in front of Norman, threatening to lock him back up. Norman is placed on a gurney and taken away by orderlies as the crowd sings "the goodbye song".
-Preview for the "King of the Hill" battle royale series at the Great American Bash.
-JR interviews the Freebirds.
-A video for "Flyin' " Brian Pillman set to "Oh Yeah" by Yello, a.k.a. that song from FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF.
-Match 7: Austrailian Style Tag Team Match: The Steiner Brothers (w/Missy Hyatt) VS Mike Rotuna & Kevin Sullivan
-Odd choice for a gimmick match, and no explanation is given as to what that means. Sullivan is now being billed as from Boston. Scott is wearing gold trunks and boots. Steiners clear the ring, and Scott celebrates by doing an Ultimate Warrior rope shake. Rick might be bigger than Scott at this point. Match is a pretty pedestrian brawl until Scott gets dumped over the top onto the announce table. JR loses his shit as Sullivan works Scott over on the outside, hitting him with the ring steps and sending him into the ringpost. Rotunda falls down after missing a clothesline, but makes for it by creaming Scott on the second attempt. Cool spot as Rick gets the hot tag, and gets Rotunda into position for the corner punches. Since Sullivan walks over, Rick alternates between punching Rotunda and punching Sullivan. Sullivan steals Bob Caudle's chair and slides it into the ring. Rotunda suplexes Scott on the chair for the pin. Match was OK, didn't need a gimmick announced that was never explained, and never came into play.
-JR interviews Jim Cornette, who mocks the idea of The Freebirds being ladies men ("If one of the Midnight Express ever woke up next to what the Freebirds go out with, they'd knaw their own arm off to escape without waking the beast") while hyping the tag title match.
-Match 8: NWA World Television Championship: Sting VS "Wild" Bill Irwin
-Irwin would later suffer the indignity of wrestling as The Goon in the WWF. Irwin takes control quickly and pounds on Sting. JR foreshadows future events by noting that he asked Lex Luger to join in on color commentary, but Luger refused because he's unhappy with his spot in the Top 10 Rankings. Irwin avoids a Stinger Splash, and powers Sting down with a spinebuster, but stops to gloat, and takes the Stinger Splash and a rollup for the pin. Nothing to see here.
-A hype video for Scott "Gator" Hall, who looks strange as hell with blonde hair and his 70's porn stache.
-Pre-taped interview between JR and the injured Ric Flair at Flair's home in Charlotte. Very subdued Flair is not nearly is entertaining as raving maniac Flair. He says he'll make an announcement on July 1st, but won't go after Terry Funk until he's 100%.
-Match 9: NWA World Tag Team Championship: Jimmy Garvin & Michaels Hayes (w/Terry Gordy) VS The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette)
-Paul E. knocks Cornette out with the loaded tennis racket to remove him from the match. The Dynamic Dudes come out to carry Cornette from ringside. The Midnights control the early going. The Freebirds tell the crowd to shut up, so they respond by getting louder. Not much here. The teams go back and forth until Gordy sneaks in to powerbomb Eaton, allowing Garvin to roll on top for the pin and the titles.
-Match 10: Terry Funk VS Ricky Steamboat
-Funk had made it into the top 10, sitting at the 10 spot. Steamboat is still the #1 contender at this point. Funk is in great shape here. Both men just go for it right off the bat. Steamboat is cranky, hitting some stiff chops. Funk hits a hangman's neckbreaker, then adds a backsplash on top of it. Funk does a flip in the corner, but goes the extra mile by diving out onto the floor. Steamboat follows, picks Funk up, and walks him around the outside of the ring before finally slamming him on the floor. Funk tries to get back in, so Steamboat slams him over the top back out to the floor. He does not get DQ'd for this for no explained reason. Funk fights back, Nick Patrick gets bumped, and Funk piledrives Steamboat on the floor. That only gets two, so Funk goes up for a splash, which hits Steamboat's knees. Steamboat takes over, so Funk gets desperate, and nails Steamboat with the house microphone for the DQ. Good main event. I'm glad they didn't just have Funk run through everyone on his way to Flair.
-Lex Luger rushes out, ostensibly to stop Funk from attacking Steamboat. Luger helps Steamboat up, only to drop him with a big clothesline. Luger nails Steamboat with a chair, then locks in the Human Torture Rack to finish him off. Excellent heel turn from Luger. Sting rushes out to help Steamboat. It would have been awesome if Sting jumped him too, but that wasn't in the cards. Probably would have been more distructive than any benefit they might have gotten out of it.
-A cake is brought out to help celebrate the 214th birthday of the U.S. armed forces. WCW gets a replica of an "Iron Mike" in return for them having the show there. Members of the 82nd airborne sing "Happy Birthday" and "God Bless the U.S.A.". Shockingly, no one ends up getting smashed with the cake.
-JR & Caudle recap the event.
-This show was just there wrestling wise, with a lot of squashes, and a couple matches that didn't get out of first gear. The only thing that really stood out was the main event and the Lex Luger turn immediately after.
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