The Meltzer 4+-Star Match Review Thread
05-03-2015
, 02:07 PM
Prepare to want to punch me in the face as well. From comments on the StarRatingsList
Quote:
Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (NWA World Wide 1/20/87)***** - Dave's quote "I can only think of two U.S. matches worth considering for MOTY, the January television match between Ric Flair and Barry Windham which went 40 minutes to a draw (which was actually better than their match-of-the-year winner last year in Orlando) and the Ricky Steamboat v. Randy Savage match at Wrestlemania." For the record he gave Savage/Steamboat ****1/2
Cool idea LKJ, and right up my alley
.edit: That cage match I watched last night between Flair and HHH that I said was ****1/2+, Meltzer gave ***1/4 to.
Last edited by .isolated; 05-03-2015 at 02:27 PM.
05-03-2015
, 02:53 PM
CWF/NWA Battle of the Belts II: NWA World Title - Ric Flair (c) vs. Barry Windham
Date: February 14, 1986
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2MvG4qR020
Background: As with too many of these early matches, I don't know. Maybe just a title match. Wasn't watching wrestling yet in 1986. I basically include this section even when I don't know in case someone else wants to chime in with the answer.
The Match: I see that Barry was rocking quite the terrible mustache at this time. After his entrance, we get a backstage interview with Flair, who talks himself up as the greatest world champion ever. It's a pretty calm and generic promo he cuts here, but I suppose it does its job in talking up just how big of a deal it would be if Windham could knock him off.
Flair comes to the ring to…"Easy Lover"? Wat. Glad that didn't take. After a commercial break, Flair offers Windham a sincere handshake to open the match. The challenger gets the better of the early action with a shoulderblock, a hiptoss, and a bodyslam. After a Flair regroup, Windham resumes control with a side headlock, but Flair works his way out fighting Windham's arms into an overhead hammerlock before Windham exerted the greater strength and forced the champ back down into an armbar. Some decent chain wrestling here, as Flair reverses into holds and Windham re-reverses into counterholds.
Barry continues to maintain most of the early control, and finds a focal point in the champ's left arm that he works over relentlessly for several minutes. I must say, arm work is rarely as compelling as leg work to me, especially on a wrestler who uses a leg hold as a finisher, but at least he's telling a story. We get a noticeable botch early on as Flair gets caught up along the top rope on a normal whip into the ropes. The parties involved, announcers included, do react to it as I've said you should with botches, by audibling into that spot hurting Flair and the announcers talking about why it would.
Love this sequence: Flair responds to that sequence by laying hurt in the corner. The old school babyface Windham backs off for a time to let Flair regain his feet. Bob Caudle talks up what a true sportsman Barry is to do that, but once Windham gets Flair back up and goes for an arm-wringer, Flair chops the **** out of him. Windham rubs at his chest and furiously points at Flair. "Windham really feels betrayed," Caudle says. Just noticed that Bill Alfonso of later ECW fame is the referee for this match. Flair is undeterred by however mad Windham might be and goes on the attack, but finds himself rolled up in a pinning combo that gets slightly botched and only gets two.
The two competitors trade right hands and chops. Windham, the more sizeable and presumably the stronger of the two, again comes out ahead in these exchanges. Boston crab by the Texan does a bit of damage until Flair gets to the ropes. Nature Boy sells the damage from the crab afterward really enjoyably, but Windham learned his lesson from earlier and interrupts Flair's suffering by hitting him with a delayed standing suplex that gets a two-count. Abdominal stretch to follow; Flair desperately hip-tosses his way out of the move, but is hurt and can't follow. Flair whipped into the ropes next, but he gets a knee up on a charging Windham that really doubles the challenger over.
Bodyslam by Flair, but his back gives out and Windham falls on him for a pinning attempt and a two-count. Ric takes the fight outside and slams Windham into the guardrail, as Bob Caudle notes that there is some growing desperation in Flair's tactics. Barry back into the ring, and he clearly bladed while he was outside; he's now busted open, and Flair is finally in firm control of the match. Lays in the right hands, executes a snapmare. Measures him for a running kneedrop, but Windham does roll out of the way of that one and Flair ****s his left knee up.
Windham immediately takes advantage by putting Flair in Flair's own figure-four hold. The champ suffers a lot in this hold, twice getting counted down for two-counts. He eventually flails far enough to catch the bottom rope and force a break. The challenger is right back on the attack on that left leg that Flair first messed up on the missed kneedrop. The psychology of that transition that started the left leg work was really solid.
Naitch reverses the momentum and gets back on the attack, but is now working with a hampered leg. He places Windham's head in a legscissor, which Windham eventually fights his way out of. The ring announcer says that there are 35 minutes left in the 60-minute time limit. Flair drops a piledriver, though not a very good one. Pins Windham for two. Turnbuckle smash. He attempts a snapmare, but gets reversed into a backslide. 1-2-…no. Flair tries for a piledriver, but it ain't happening; he takes a back bodydrop instead. Champ tries a running clothesline, the challenger ducks and then comes off with a vicious running clothesline of his own. Two-count. Great announcing work here; as they keep talking about how Flair must be wondering how he can actually win this match, as he's already thrown just about everything at the challenger.
Windham sends Ric into the corner, and Ric does the flip over the corner to the floor. Windham follows him out, punches him out on the concrete floor and then sends him back in. A low blow by Flair equalizes. Both men are groggy and just desperately throwing whatever they can at the other to try to win. The Nature Boy, now bleeding two, slaps on a sleeper.
Windham, fading fast, manages to desperately dive for a corner and in doing so runs Flair's face into the corner to break the hold. Really well-executed spot; simple in its booking, but added a lot for me.
Delayed suplex by Flair, and then he applies the figure-four. Whenever Bill Alfonso turns his back, Flair grabs the ropes for more leverage. I figured this was headed for Alfonso catching him and breaking the hold, but we get the reversal by Windham instead, forcing Flair to take the rope break for himself. Champ climbs to the top, but too slowly and gets thrown off back into the ring. Windham's turn to come up empty on a running kneedrop, as now it's his right knee that's all ****ed up.
Flair with the Kevin Sullivan double stomp onto the challenger's chest. Big chop, and he tries a pin that gets two. Tries again for another two. I kind of like that stupid sequence on a meta level; I see it as a champ who is completely spent and is insisting on trying for pins that can't possibly have a chance. Both back up throwing haymakers, and we have a ref bump as Flair gets thrown into Bill Alfonso. Flair, realizing that the ref is down, promptly throws Windham out over the top, but obviously doesn't get disqualified. Windham re-enters with a missile dropkick that floors the champ, but Bill Alfonso is way late to the count due to his injury, and by the time he gets there it's only a one-count. Count that as another little touch I like, using the one-count there instead of the two-count after all that time.
Windham with the sleeper. Flair gets near a rope break, but Windham muscles him away from it and has Flair on his back. Gets him into a pinning combo from this a couple of times, but Flair won't quit. A frustrated challenger finally gets up and sets Ric up for a running splash…again, fail, as Flair gets the knees up. Figure-four attempt by Flair gets reversed into a small package by Windham, but the small package carries them into the ropes.
Hard chops and right hands by both men. Windham tosses Flair into the corner and then follows up with another vicious clothesline. Two-count only broken by a foot on the ropes. The announcers start talking up the fact that Flair might get saved by the time limit. Windham gets reversed into the ropes, Flair follows him in, flying cross-body at the challenger carries them both out. Bill Alfonso starts the 10-count. Windham tries beating the count but gets stopped by Flair. Flair tries beating the count but gets stopped by Windham. ****, it's happening, isn't it? …yep. We get a double countout.
Result: Double countout (44:17)
Meltzer Rating: *****
My Review and Rating: This was a great match, lots of nice little touches in storytelling and nice psychology. While I immediately had a negative knee-jerk reaction to the double countout ending, I'm fine with it after digesting it for a minute or two; double countouts in WWE are always awful because they telegraph them so strongly and never go another way once they fixate on the counting referee and basically announce "we're doing a double countout now," but NWA was a lot better about it and I think it was a valid way to go with this one. Having an immediate negative reaction to that is a compliment if anything, because I was into the match enough to want something more satisfying, but it's not realistic booking to always give the fully satisfying ending.
****ing stellar announcing job by Bob Caudle too, putting over everything really intelligently and helping narrate the story in some ways I wouldn't have necessarily put together without him articulating so well.
I disagree with Meltzer (and apparently iso) about it being worthy of the full five stars, though that's not because I have any huge criticisms of the match. There's sort of a "know it when you see it" aspect to five-star bouts, and I just don't think that I had THAT much love for this one. Still excellent. ****1/2
Date: February 14, 1986
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2MvG4qR020
Background: As with too many of these early matches, I don't know. Maybe just a title match. Wasn't watching wrestling yet in 1986. I basically include this section even when I don't know in case someone else wants to chime in with the answer.
The Match: I see that Barry was rocking quite the terrible mustache at this time. After his entrance, we get a backstage interview with Flair, who talks himself up as the greatest world champion ever. It's a pretty calm and generic promo he cuts here, but I suppose it does its job in talking up just how big of a deal it would be if Windham could knock him off.
Flair comes to the ring to…"Easy Lover"? Wat. Glad that didn't take. After a commercial break, Flair offers Windham a sincere handshake to open the match. The challenger gets the better of the early action with a shoulderblock, a hiptoss, and a bodyslam. After a Flair regroup, Windham resumes control with a side headlock, but Flair works his way out fighting Windham's arms into an overhead hammerlock before Windham exerted the greater strength and forced the champ back down into an armbar. Some decent chain wrestling here, as Flair reverses into holds and Windham re-reverses into counterholds.
Barry continues to maintain most of the early control, and finds a focal point in the champ's left arm that he works over relentlessly for several minutes. I must say, arm work is rarely as compelling as leg work to me, especially on a wrestler who uses a leg hold as a finisher, but at least he's telling a story. We get a noticeable botch early on as Flair gets caught up along the top rope on a normal whip into the ropes. The parties involved, announcers included, do react to it as I've said you should with botches, by audibling into that spot hurting Flair and the announcers talking about why it would.
Love this sequence: Flair responds to that sequence by laying hurt in the corner. The old school babyface Windham backs off for a time to let Flair regain his feet. Bob Caudle talks up what a true sportsman Barry is to do that, but once Windham gets Flair back up and goes for an arm-wringer, Flair chops the **** out of him. Windham rubs at his chest and furiously points at Flair. "Windham really feels betrayed," Caudle says. Just noticed that Bill Alfonso of later ECW fame is the referee for this match. Flair is undeterred by however mad Windham might be and goes on the attack, but finds himself rolled up in a pinning combo that gets slightly botched and only gets two.
The two competitors trade right hands and chops. Windham, the more sizeable and presumably the stronger of the two, again comes out ahead in these exchanges. Boston crab by the Texan does a bit of damage until Flair gets to the ropes. Nature Boy sells the damage from the crab afterward really enjoyably, but Windham learned his lesson from earlier and interrupts Flair's suffering by hitting him with a delayed standing suplex that gets a two-count. Abdominal stretch to follow; Flair desperately hip-tosses his way out of the move, but is hurt and can't follow. Flair whipped into the ropes next, but he gets a knee up on a charging Windham that really doubles the challenger over.
Bodyslam by Flair, but his back gives out and Windham falls on him for a pinning attempt and a two-count. Ric takes the fight outside and slams Windham into the guardrail, as Bob Caudle notes that there is some growing desperation in Flair's tactics. Barry back into the ring, and he clearly bladed while he was outside; he's now busted open, and Flair is finally in firm control of the match. Lays in the right hands, executes a snapmare. Measures him for a running kneedrop, but Windham does roll out of the way of that one and Flair ****s his left knee up.
Windham immediately takes advantage by putting Flair in Flair's own figure-four hold. The champ suffers a lot in this hold, twice getting counted down for two-counts. He eventually flails far enough to catch the bottom rope and force a break. The challenger is right back on the attack on that left leg that Flair first messed up on the missed kneedrop. The psychology of that transition that started the left leg work was really solid.
Naitch reverses the momentum and gets back on the attack, but is now working with a hampered leg. He places Windham's head in a legscissor, which Windham eventually fights his way out of. The ring announcer says that there are 35 minutes left in the 60-minute time limit. Flair drops a piledriver, though not a very good one. Pins Windham for two. Turnbuckle smash. He attempts a snapmare, but gets reversed into a backslide. 1-2-…no. Flair tries for a piledriver, but it ain't happening; he takes a back bodydrop instead. Champ tries a running clothesline, the challenger ducks and then comes off with a vicious running clothesline of his own. Two-count. Great announcing work here; as they keep talking about how Flair must be wondering how he can actually win this match, as he's already thrown just about everything at the challenger.
Windham sends Ric into the corner, and Ric does the flip over the corner to the floor. Windham follows him out, punches him out on the concrete floor and then sends him back in. A low blow by Flair equalizes. Both men are groggy and just desperately throwing whatever they can at the other to try to win. The Nature Boy, now bleeding two, slaps on a sleeper.
Windham, fading fast, manages to desperately dive for a corner and in doing so runs Flair's face into the corner to break the hold. Really well-executed spot; simple in its booking, but added a lot for me.
Delayed suplex by Flair, and then he applies the figure-four. Whenever Bill Alfonso turns his back, Flair grabs the ropes for more leverage. I figured this was headed for Alfonso catching him and breaking the hold, but we get the reversal by Windham instead, forcing Flair to take the rope break for himself. Champ climbs to the top, but too slowly and gets thrown off back into the ring. Windham's turn to come up empty on a running kneedrop, as now it's his right knee that's all ****ed up.
Flair with the Kevin Sullivan double stomp onto the challenger's chest. Big chop, and he tries a pin that gets two. Tries again for another two. I kind of like that stupid sequence on a meta level; I see it as a champ who is completely spent and is insisting on trying for pins that can't possibly have a chance. Both back up throwing haymakers, and we have a ref bump as Flair gets thrown into Bill Alfonso. Flair, realizing that the ref is down, promptly throws Windham out over the top, but obviously doesn't get disqualified. Windham re-enters with a missile dropkick that floors the champ, but Bill Alfonso is way late to the count due to his injury, and by the time he gets there it's only a one-count. Count that as another little touch I like, using the one-count there instead of the two-count after all that time.
Windham with the sleeper. Flair gets near a rope break, but Windham muscles him away from it and has Flair on his back. Gets him into a pinning combo from this a couple of times, but Flair won't quit. A frustrated challenger finally gets up and sets Ric up for a running splash…again, fail, as Flair gets the knees up. Figure-four attempt by Flair gets reversed into a small package by Windham, but the small package carries them into the ropes.
Hard chops and right hands by both men. Windham tosses Flair into the corner and then follows up with another vicious clothesline. Two-count only broken by a foot on the ropes. The announcers start talking up the fact that Flair might get saved by the time limit. Windham gets reversed into the ropes, Flair follows him in, flying cross-body at the challenger carries them both out. Bill Alfonso starts the 10-count. Windham tries beating the count but gets stopped by Flair. Flair tries beating the count but gets stopped by Windham. ****, it's happening, isn't it? …yep. We get a double countout.
Result: Double countout (44:17)
Meltzer Rating: *****
My Review and Rating: This was a great match, lots of nice little touches in storytelling and nice psychology. While I immediately had a negative knee-jerk reaction to the double countout ending, I'm fine with it after digesting it for a minute or two; double countouts in WWE are always awful because they telegraph them so strongly and never go another way once they fixate on the counting referee and basically announce "we're doing a double countout now," but NWA was a lot better about it and I think it was a valid way to go with this one. Having an immediate negative reaction to that is a compliment if anything, because I was into the match enough to want something more satisfying, but it's not realistic booking to always give the fully satisfying ending.
****ing stellar announcing job by Bob Caudle too, putting over everything really intelligently and helping narrate the story in some ways I wouldn't have necessarily put together without him articulating so well.
I disagree with Meltzer (and apparently iso) about it being worthy of the full five stars, though that's not because I have any huge criticisms of the match. There's sort of a "know it when you see it" aspect to five-star bouts, and I just don't think that I had THAT much love for this one. Still excellent. ****1/2
05-03-2015
, 07:01 PM
Clash of the Champions I: NWA Title - Ric Flair (c) (w/ JJ Dillon) vs. Sting
Date: March 27, 1988
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v32286157
Background: Sting was an up-and-comer finally getting his chance to break through as world champion. Naturally it's only right that he be facing the ultimate star-maker here.
The Match: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone on the call.
Young and incredibly skinny editions of Randy Anderson and Teddy Long force JJ Dillon to get into a cage that is then suspended from the ceiling. There are judges sitting ringside in case this thing goes to the time limit, and Jim Ross notes that unlike the usual 60-minute time limit, this one is 45 because of TV time constraints.
Sting converts the early lock-up into a headlock, but Flair reverses into a hammerlock, which Sting in turn powers out of. The early feeling-out continues, as Sting offers a test of strength. Flair seems to shake it off, then goes for it, then immediately gets reminded why he didn't want to do that as he instantly crumples. The champ manages an escape and a hard chop, but Sting no-sells and intimidates a rattled Flair into taking a breather. I respect that he no-sold so effectively, because it becomes evident shortly after this that Flair actually broke Sting's pec open with that chop, as Sting carries a noticeable open wound there the rest of the way.
Press slam by the Stinger. Headscissor takeover. Side headlock into a pinning combo, but obviously no dice. Flair attempts a hip-toss as Sting comes at him off the ropes, but Sting reverses that into his own hip-toss instead. The challenger maintains control on the mat; can't say I love all the time spent in what feels like a fairly pointless resthold so early.
Flair tosses Sting through the ropes to the outside. Sting just lands on his feet and immediately pops back into the ring. Nothing Flair is doing seems to be making a dent in the challenger. We hear the announcement that 10 minutes have lapsed. Stinger sends the champ into the ropes, then hits him with a press slam. Into the ropes again, and now a bearhug. Not that I mind this spot, but I find that bearhugs just don't really work for me unless they're being executed by a huge monster. Even then I don't exactly love them, but I think they're mostly fairly stupid when non-monsters do them.
The bearhug spot goes on for a decent while. Flair, to his credit, sells that it's destroying his back. It forces Flair to his back for multiple near-falls while still in the hold. Sting eventually relinquishes on his own to follow up. Sting with a running elbowdrop that Ric rolls out of the way of, but an undeterred Sting pops back up and keeps after it, though when he follows with a missed Stinger Splash into an empty corner, he finally shows some real vulnerability, selling a right shoulder injury (where he impacted the corner).
Inverted atomic drop by the leader of the Horsemen. He rolls out and pulls an agonizing Sting out with him. Sends him into the steel barricade. Twice. Back into the ring, a hard whip into the corner by Flair is taken by Sting like it's a big bump, as he staggers out with even more lower back pain. Same thing in another corner. Flair with the measured running kneedrop. And another. This sequence where Flair just systematically works Sting over is fun.
Want to take a moment and throw out some props to Tommy Young, who is doing a lot of these NWA matches (including this one, this would be a weird tangent if this was a Randy Anderson match) and who was clearly all kinds of great at the job. As a background character he really subtly adds to the matches.
Flair stalks a staggering Sting. Throws in a hard chop, which I'm sure Sting especially appreciated given the state of his chest. Back outside. Flair tries to grab a chair, and Tommy Young stops him, physically pulling it away from him. Flair DGAF and just flings Sting into the guardrail again. Back in the ring, Flair lays in more chops. After a couple, Sting sort of hulks up and fights back at him, including an uppercut that sends the champ out over the top. Tommy Young rules that the over-the-top part was unintentional, and the match goes on.
Outside the ring, Sting goes unnecessarily for the kill shot, a Stinger Splash against the steel post. Flair moves and Sting takes a hard post bump. Love the spot, especially as squarely as Sting took it. It was kayfabe stupid by Sting, but a young up-and-comer making a mistake like that is totally believable. Jim Ross correctly notes that it was a bad decision from a risk/reward standpoint, that it couldn't win Sting the title outside the ring but that it could put him in terrible shape, and just did.
Flair is now in control, but it lasts a surprisingly short period of time, as Sting fights out of an armbar with right hands and a knee-lift, and hammers away on Flair in the corner. Gotta say, this Sting comeback was just so quick that it kind of brings down that post spot for me on the outside. That really should have led to a decently long heat segment.
Delayed suplex by the former Blade Runner. Goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, and…and…Flair fights it the whole way, then only finally succumbs to it once he's right by the ropes. I like it. Hip-toss by Sting, tries to follow with a jumping clothesline or cross-body or something, but Flair ducks and Sting goes tumbling to the outside. Sting is right back in quickly though (a little too quickly IMO) and launches a flying bodypress off the top rope that connects for two.
Nature Boy takes a measured kick at Sting's left leg that puts Sting down, and Naitch proceeds to keep working that leg hard. Sting back up, but instantly gets chopped back down by another kick to the back of it. Back suplex by Flair as the 15-minute warning is announced. Figure-four applied, and Sting is nowhere near the ropes. It's stuff like this where Tommy Young shines: Sting in the figure-four, suffering. Young trying to see if he wants to give up. From behind Young, Flair tauntingly says "woooo." Young gives him a hilarious dirty look that just says, "you douchebag," before resuming checking on Sting.
The challenger suffers for a really long time in this hold, but finally finds some adrenaline and turns the hold over. Flair takes some damage, but ultimately the hold falls apart and is broken. Flair hauls a severely hobbled Sting over toward the ropes, then goes to the apron himself and makes like he's going to suplex Sting from the ring to the floor. Sting blocks and reverses into a delayed suplex. I disapprove of the "delayed" part given the state of Sting's leg.
Flair throws Sting into the ropes, attempts to hook an abdominal stretch on the way back, but Sting reverses into an abdominal stretch of his own. 10-minute warning as Flair hip-tosses his way out of the stretch. A Flair elbow drop misses. Flair keeps charging forward and tries to go up top, but gets caught and thrown off. Sting did limp hard to go grab him, and going forward here he seems to remember that his leg is hurt. Sting drags Flair toward a corner, slips out of the ring, then pulls Flair crotch-first into the post.
Back in, Sting teases the Scorpion Deathlock and then locks in the figure-four on Flair instead. Almost nobody actually submits to this hold, and this is no exception; Flair reaches the ropes. Continues the attack, targeting Flair's knee. Flair takes a moment to push Tommy Young, seemingly seeking a DQ, and Tommy Young just pushes him down and gets out of the way. I loved Flair's ref-shoving spots. Flair whipped into the corner, flips out over the top. Sting follows and rams him into the guardrail. And the judges' table. A chop from Sting leaves Flair tumbling out over the guardrail. They brawl for a moment, but Sting gets back in to break up the count as the 5-minute warning sounds.
Flair attempts to sunset flip into the ring, but Sting blocks it and beats his own chest. Rakes Flair's eyes across the top rope. Flair manages an inverted atomic drop, but Sting no-sells and clotheslines. =Stinger Splash into the corner comes up empty, Sting flies out of the ring and seemingly conks his head on the concrete floor. Three-minute warning as Sting beats the countout back in.
Flair with a sleeper that Sting instinctively escapes from right away by sending Flair into the corner. Flair throws Sting back outside. Sting attempts to sunset flip back in as the two-minute warning sounds. Flair grabs the ropes and sits down looking for the cheap pin.
Tommy Young gets to two and sees Flair's hands on the ropes. He forces them free, which allows Sting to roll Flair through for a pin. Two-count. Great sequence. Flying cross-body from the top by Flair, Sting rolls through, two-count. These late false finishes are A+.
Flair chops, Sting again no-sells and hammers away as the one-minute warning sounds on the time limit. Sting pounds away in the corner, gets down, whips into the other corner and connects on a Stinger Splash. Scorpion Deathlock follows as the 30-second warning is announced. Flair is stuck nowhere near the ropes. 20 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and Flair is saved by the bell after withstanding Sting's submission finisher for 30 seconds.
They go the full 45 minutes and it will go to the judges' scorecards.
After a commercial, we're back with a result. First judge scores for Flair. Second for Sting. The tiebreaking third card doesn't break the tie, and instead calls the match a draw. That means the final result is a draw, and by the slimmest of margins, Flair escapes with his title.
Result: Time Limit Draw (45:00)
Meltzer Rating: ****3/4
My Review and Rating: There's part of me that wants to be hard on Sting for doing too much no-selling and seeming to have lapses in memory on selling his leg injury, but the fact is that after it's all said and done, I didn't feel like it actually brought down the match. I would say the same for the other things I criticized during my writeup. There were flaws, but when you stand back from it, this was pure greatness, even better than I remember it, and I co-sign Meltzer's rating. ****3/4
Date: March 27, 1988
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v32286157
Background: Sting was an up-and-comer finally getting his chance to break through as world champion. Naturally it's only right that he be facing the ultimate star-maker here.
The Match: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone on the call.
Young and incredibly skinny editions of Randy Anderson and Teddy Long force JJ Dillon to get into a cage that is then suspended from the ceiling. There are judges sitting ringside in case this thing goes to the time limit, and Jim Ross notes that unlike the usual 60-minute time limit, this one is 45 because of TV time constraints.
Sting converts the early lock-up into a headlock, but Flair reverses into a hammerlock, which Sting in turn powers out of. The early feeling-out continues, as Sting offers a test of strength. Flair seems to shake it off, then goes for it, then immediately gets reminded why he didn't want to do that as he instantly crumples. The champ manages an escape and a hard chop, but Sting no-sells and intimidates a rattled Flair into taking a breather. I respect that he no-sold so effectively, because it becomes evident shortly after this that Flair actually broke Sting's pec open with that chop, as Sting carries a noticeable open wound there the rest of the way.
Press slam by the Stinger. Headscissor takeover. Side headlock into a pinning combo, but obviously no dice. Flair attempts a hip-toss as Sting comes at him off the ropes, but Sting reverses that into his own hip-toss instead. The challenger maintains control on the mat; can't say I love all the time spent in what feels like a fairly pointless resthold so early.
Flair tosses Sting through the ropes to the outside. Sting just lands on his feet and immediately pops back into the ring. Nothing Flair is doing seems to be making a dent in the challenger. We hear the announcement that 10 minutes have lapsed. Stinger sends the champ into the ropes, then hits him with a press slam. Into the ropes again, and now a bearhug. Not that I mind this spot, but I find that bearhugs just don't really work for me unless they're being executed by a huge monster. Even then I don't exactly love them, but I think they're mostly fairly stupid when non-monsters do them.
The bearhug spot goes on for a decent while. Flair, to his credit, sells that it's destroying his back. It forces Flair to his back for multiple near-falls while still in the hold. Sting eventually relinquishes on his own to follow up. Sting with a running elbowdrop that Ric rolls out of the way of, but an undeterred Sting pops back up and keeps after it, though when he follows with a missed Stinger Splash into an empty corner, he finally shows some real vulnerability, selling a right shoulder injury (where he impacted the corner).
Inverted atomic drop by the leader of the Horsemen. He rolls out and pulls an agonizing Sting out with him. Sends him into the steel barricade. Twice. Back into the ring, a hard whip into the corner by Flair is taken by Sting like it's a big bump, as he staggers out with even more lower back pain. Same thing in another corner. Flair with the measured running kneedrop. And another. This sequence where Flair just systematically works Sting over is fun.
Want to take a moment and throw out some props to Tommy Young, who is doing a lot of these NWA matches (including this one, this would be a weird tangent if this was a Randy Anderson match) and who was clearly all kinds of great at the job. As a background character he really subtly adds to the matches.
Flair stalks a staggering Sting. Throws in a hard chop, which I'm sure Sting especially appreciated given the state of his chest. Back outside. Flair tries to grab a chair, and Tommy Young stops him, physically pulling it away from him. Flair DGAF and just flings Sting into the guardrail again. Back in the ring, Flair lays in more chops. After a couple, Sting sort of hulks up and fights back at him, including an uppercut that sends the champ out over the top. Tommy Young rules that the over-the-top part was unintentional, and the match goes on.
Outside the ring, Sting goes unnecessarily for the kill shot, a Stinger Splash against the steel post. Flair moves and Sting takes a hard post bump. Love the spot, especially as squarely as Sting took it. It was kayfabe stupid by Sting, but a young up-and-comer making a mistake like that is totally believable. Jim Ross correctly notes that it was a bad decision from a risk/reward standpoint, that it couldn't win Sting the title outside the ring but that it could put him in terrible shape, and just did.
Flair is now in control, but it lasts a surprisingly short period of time, as Sting fights out of an armbar with right hands and a knee-lift, and hammers away on Flair in the corner. Gotta say, this Sting comeback was just so quick that it kind of brings down that post spot for me on the outside. That really should have led to a decently long heat segment.
Delayed suplex by the former Blade Runner. Goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, and…and…Flair fights it the whole way, then only finally succumbs to it once he's right by the ropes. I like it. Hip-toss by Sting, tries to follow with a jumping clothesline or cross-body or something, but Flair ducks and Sting goes tumbling to the outside. Sting is right back in quickly though (a little too quickly IMO) and launches a flying bodypress off the top rope that connects for two.
Nature Boy takes a measured kick at Sting's left leg that puts Sting down, and Naitch proceeds to keep working that leg hard. Sting back up, but instantly gets chopped back down by another kick to the back of it. Back suplex by Flair as the 15-minute warning is announced. Figure-four applied, and Sting is nowhere near the ropes. It's stuff like this where Tommy Young shines: Sting in the figure-four, suffering. Young trying to see if he wants to give up. From behind Young, Flair tauntingly says "woooo." Young gives him a hilarious dirty look that just says, "you douchebag," before resuming checking on Sting.
The challenger suffers for a really long time in this hold, but finally finds some adrenaline and turns the hold over. Flair takes some damage, but ultimately the hold falls apart and is broken. Flair hauls a severely hobbled Sting over toward the ropes, then goes to the apron himself and makes like he's going to suplex Sting from the ring to the floor. Sting blocks and reverses into a delayed suplex. I disapprove of the "delayed" part given the state of Sting's leg.
Flair throws Sting into the ropes, attempts to hook an abdominal stretch on the way back, but Sting reverses into an abdominal stretch of his own. 10-minute warning as Flair hip-tosses his way out of the stretch. A Flair elbow drop misses. Flair keeps charging forward and tries to go up top, but gets caught and thrown off. Sting did limp hard to go grab him, and going forward here he seems to remember that his leg is hurt. Sting drags Flair toward a corner, slips out of the ring, then pulls Flair crotch-first into the post.
Back in, Sting teases the Scorpion Deathlock and then locks in the figure-four on Flair instead. Almost nobody actually submits to this hold, and this is no exception; Flair reaches the ropes. Continues the attack, targeting Flair's knee. Flair takes a moment to push Tommy Young, seemingly seeking a DQ, and Tommy Young just pushes him down and gets out of the way. I loved Flair's ref-shoving spots. Flair whipped into the corner, flips out over the top. Sting follows and rams him into the guardrail. And the judges' table. A chop from Sting leaves Flair tumbling out over the guardrail. They brawl for a moment, but Sting gets back in to break up the count as the 5-minute warning sounds.
Flair attempts to sunset flip into the ring, but Sting blocks it and beats his own chest. Rakes Flair's eyes across the top rope. Flair manages an inverted atomic drop, but Sting no-sells and clotheslines. =Stinger Splash into the corner comes up empty, Sting flies out of the ring and seemingly conks his head on the concrete floor. Three-minute warning as Sting beats the countout back in.
Flair with a sleeper that Sting instinctively escapes from right away by sending Flair into the corner. Flair throws Sting back outside. Sting attempts to sunset flip back in as the two-minute warning sounds. Flair grabs the ropes and sits down looking for the cheap pin.
Tommy Young gets to two and sees Flair's hands on the ropes. He forces them free, which allows Sting to roll Flair through for a pin. Two-count. Great sequence. Flying cross-body from the top by Flair, Sting rolls through, two-count. These late false finishes are A+.
Flair chops, Sting again no-sells and hammers away as the one-minute warning sounds on the time limit. Sting pounds away in the corner, gets down, whips into the other corner and connects on a Stinger Splash. Scorpion Deathlock follows as the 30-second warning is announced. Flair is stuck nowhere near the ropes. 20 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and Flair is saved by the bell after withstanding Sting's submission finisher for 30 seconds.
They go the full 45 minutes and it will go to the judges' scorecards.
After a commercial, we're back with a result. First judge scores for Flair. Second for Sting. The tiebreaking third card doesn't break the tie, and instead calls the match a draw. That means the final result is a draw, and by the slimmest of margins, Flair escapes with his title.
Result: Time Limit Draw (45:00)
Meltzer Rating: ****3/4
My Review and Rating: There's part of me that wants to be hard on Sting for doing too much no-selling and seeming to have lapses in memory on selling his leg injury, but the fact is that after it's all said and done, I didn't feel like it actually brought down the match. I would say the same for the other things I criticized during my writeup. There were flaws, but when you stand back from it, this was pure greatness, even better than I remember it, and I co-sign Meltzer's rating. ****3/4
. Looking forward to that one.
