-From Columbia, SC
-Hosts are Jim Ross & Jim Cornette
-Opening video recaps the end of the Great American Bash and previews tonight's main event.
-JR & Cornette discuss rumors of discord in the camp of Gary Hart. They throw it to the back with Gordon Solie, who is with Hart. He naturally denies that there are any issues, and says that Sting & Flair must be spreading these rumors.
-Match 1: The Samoan Swat Team (w/Paul E. Dangerously) VS The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering)
-Halloween theme VS Iron Man. Roadies dominate the early going as Cornette, bastion of political correctness that he is, basically says that all Samoans are savages. Pure tag formula as the SST turn Hawk into the face-in-peril. Hawk gets his foot off to block...something from the top from Fatu, allowing him to make the hot tag. Animal gets Samu down. Fatu makes the save, and the match breaks down. Hawk gets a hold of Paul's phone and nails Fatu (somehow not drawing a DQ), and that sets up the Doomsday Device for the win. Ellering destroys the phone after the pin. Condensed version of the tag formula, but it was almost all action, so I can't complain.
-The SST question Paul, then leave him in the ring following the loss.
-Halloween Havoc '89: "A pay-per-view even bordering on the edge of insanity", according to the commercial.
-Match 2: The Z Man (Tom Zenk) VS The Cuban Assassin
-Extended squash for Zenk, who finishes with a sleeper. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either. Most notable part is Zenk getting a rip-off of the 1989 Batman theme.
-The World According to Theodore R. Long: Basically an add for upcoming NWA events. Disappointing.
-This Flyin' Brian Pillman video is brought to you by Coors' Light.
-Another video of it being declared "Ric Flair Day" in South Carolina.
-Match 3: Ranger Ross VS Sid Vicious (w/Teddy Long & Dan Spivey)
-Sid is announced as being from Metropolis. I don't see this going well for Ross. Sid destroys Ross with a helicopter toss followed by a powerbomb for the pin.
-Missy Hyatt and Robin Green (Nancy Sullivan/Benoit) go on a shopping spree set to "Material Girl" by Madonna. It's mainly Nancy buying ridiculously expensive stuff while Missy looks bored.
-Gordon Solie interviews NWA World Tag Team Champions Jimmy Garvin & Michael Hayes, who bitch about not getting any respect.
-Match 4: NWA World Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Freebirds [c] VS The Steiner Brothers (w/Missy & Robin)
-Steiners toss the champs around for a bit until Hayes manages to send Rick into the guardrail. Rick tries the twisting Marty Jannetty clothesline sell, but it doesn't look nearly as pretty. Rick makes the hot tag to Scott, who hits a really nice Frakensteiner on Garvin. Hayes whips Scott into the ropes. He stumbles (with the camera missing how it happened), and Hayes spikes him with a DDT for the pin to retain. The Steiners figure out one of the girls tripped Scott, but don't know which one. Match was pretty good with a nice finish.
-Match 5: Norman the Lunatic (w/Teddy Long) VS Brian Pillman (w/cheerleaders)
-Wonder how many of the cheerleaders Pillman nailed? Norman attacks before the bell, but Pillman comes back with a flying clothesline, then a dive to the outside. Pillman grabs the key from Teddy, but that allows Norman to attack him from behind. Norman gets a splash from the second rope, but that only gets two. Norman gets an avalanche with Pillman pressed against the ringpost, but misses on the second try. Pillman connects with a missile dropkicks and a couple power moves, but dives into a World's Strongest Slam for two. Pillman takes Norman down with a crucifix for the pin. Match was a really good big man VS surprisingly strong little man battle.
-Teddy chews Norman out after the loss.
-Gordon Solie is back with Gary Hart again. Gordon thinks there's a problem with Terry Funk.
-Match 6: Mike Rotunda VS Steve Williams
-THE VARSITY CLUB EXPLODES! Dr. Death gets a big military press slam seconds in. Rotunda comes back with a ropes-assisted abdominal stretch. Rotunda controls with his basic offense with brief flurries by Williams. Williams backdrops Rotunda to the outside. As Rotunda tries to get back in, Williams tries to slam him from the outside back in. Rotunda grabs the top rope to block, and the referee kicks his hand away, turning the move into a rollup, and Williams gets the pin off that. ROTUNDA WAS SCREWED. Match needed more Dr. Death offense.
-Gordon Solie interviews U.S. Champion Lex Luger, who proclaims himself the "showpiece" of the NWA, and claims that he transcends wrestling itself.
-Match 7: NWA United States Championship: Lex Luger [c] VS Tommy Rich
-Tommy Rich comes out to "All My Rowdy Friends". After all these years, it's weird to hear that song in a non-Monday Night Football context. Luger is rocking a rather Flair-esque robe. Luger gets a lot of babyface reactions when he hits something, but Rich still gets his share. Good story with Rich throwing everything he has at Lex, and barely hanging on when Lex withstands it, and turns the tide to his advantage. Major turn when Lex misses a splash from the top. Tommy fires up with a couple clotheslines. Thesz Press gets a two count as Lex gets his foot on the bottom rope. Lex rolls out, and Rich pounds away, but misses his last punch and nails the ringpost. Rich gets a sleeper with Lex still on the apron. Lex drops down to snap Rich's throat into the ropes, and Lex gets the pin off that to retain. Don't see that finish everyday. Rich tries to get more of Luger after the pin, but Lex won't allow it.
-Gordon Solie is in the back with Gary Hart for a third time, and this time, Hart presents a video of Terry Funk post-surgery after Flair hammered his arm with a branding iron. Funk claims the arm became infected and he almost lost it. Funk says he'll get revenge, presumably tonight.
-Sting & Flair don't care who Funk's replacement is. They know Terry is in the building, and he has an open invitation to come on down the aisle.
-Match 8: NWA Television Champion The Great Muta & Dick Slater (w/Gary Hart) VS NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair & Sting
-Slater has a small cast because of Flair as well. Muta spits red mist to start the match. JR explains that there's a yellow mist that is the most dangerous, but has never been seen in the U.S. These four go all-out. Quick pace, and really physical. The face team controls for the most part for the first few minutes. Flair focusing on Slater's injured arm, while Sting tries to get retribution from Muta after getting screwed out of the TV title. Match takes a turn when the heels are able to focus on Flair's neck. The faces regain the momentum. Sting hits the Stinger Splash on Muta and gets him in position for the Scorpion Deathlock, but the ref's back is turned, and Gary Hart KO's Sting with a roll of coins. That gets two for Muta, as does a powerbomb. Sting counters a Slater sleeper with a jawbreaker. Flair gets in and the match breaks down. Muta sprays Sting with the green mist. Flair gets the Figure 4 on Muta, but Slater breaks that up with a shot from his cast, which busts Flair open. Terry Funk comes in and ties a plastic bag over Ric Flair's head, because a big even isn't complete without at least one attempted murder. Stings takes a shot with the branding iron across the shin for good measure, as the match is thrown out.
-After a commercial break, JR & Cornette states that Brian Pillman was the first person out there and gave Flair mouth-to-mouth. Pillman and a medic tend to Flair as the show ends.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: A pretty good show, with a teriffic show-closing angle to really keep the heat going into Halloween Havoc. Nothing here is bad, and the opener, tag title match, U.S. title match, and the main event being really good, with Pillman/Norman being surprisingly good, considering I haven't seen much from Mike Shaw.
-NEXT EVENT: Halloween Havoc '89
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