NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory (June 1989)

Original Airdate: June 14, 1989

From Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.


Opening NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Dynamic Dudes: The Freebirds jumps the Dudes from behind (haha, no shit), but the Dudes don't swing that way, and let them know it with a barrage of fists. The dust settles on Michael Hayes and Johnny Ace - Ace getting the best of him with armdrags early on. Hayes quickly passes to Jimmy Garvin, but he walks into an armdrag too, and the Dudes double-team. They keep control until Hayes fires off a cheap shot, and the Freebirds cut the ring in half on Ace. Johnny manages to get the best of a criss cross with Garvin to allow the tag to Shane Douglas, but the Freebirds gets the best of the four-way brawl, and a DDT finishes Douglas at 7:05. No classic, but certainly energetic - which is more than I can say for most Freebird stall sessions disguised as matches. ½*

Ranger Ross v The Terrorist: Terrorist (dressed like he just maxed out his credit card at Gander Mountain) jumps him at the bell, but sadly, his camouflage fails to disguise him in a wrestling ring, and Ross destroys him with dropkicks and clotheslines before finishing him with the Combat Kick (a superkick) at 1:25. Just a squash to appeal to the mostly military crowd, on a military base, on a military themed show - which is fine. DUD

The Ding Dongs v George South and Cougar Jay: This is the highly anticipated debut of the Ding Dongs - a bell-themed masked tag team WCW was hoping would appeal to kids, a lucrative demographic the WWF had a chokehold on. Not literally, of course, as generally choking kids was frowned upon - even in the world in pro-wrestling. Total squash, as the Dongs destroy both without breaking a sweat, and finish South with a flying elbowdrop/flying kneedrop double-team at 3:36. Can't blame them for trying to get some desirable kiddie dollars, but did anyone really think a pair of bell-themed masked wrestlers was going to compete with Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior? DUD

NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match: The Midnight Express v The Samoan Swat Team: Big brawl to start - dominated by the Midnights - but a Samoan double-team settles the dust on Bobby Eaton and Fatu. Eaton takes control with a swinging neckbreaker, but another Samoan double-team leaves him looking up at the lights again. The Swat Team cut the ring in half after a suplex on the floor, but the Road Warriors run in before they can finish the job, and that allows Stan Lane the pinfall to advance the Midnight's at 6:22. Thankfully shorter than their twenty minute 'classic' at Clash VI, and more energetic as a result. ¼*

Steve Williams v Terry Gordy: Big slugfest to start, and Williams starts unloading clotheslines to sway the momentum in his favor - only to walk into a big lariat from Gordy as he charges him in the corner. Another major league slugfest goes Williams' way, but Gordy counters a front-facelock with a side suplex to turn the tide. He works a chinlock, but when Williams shockingly doesn't submit, he tries a bodyslam instead. A second is reversed by Williams, but Gordy rolls to the floor before Steve can Stampede him. Williams follows for another slugfest, but they get too jazzy, and it's a double countout at 6:35. This never really went anywhere - thankfully it was short, because this would have been an absolute train wreck if they decided to give it another ten minutes. DUD

Norman the Lunatic v Mike Justice: Another quick squash, as the debuting Norman destroys him with clotheslines and headbutts before finishing with a sit-down splash at 0:46. Afterwards, Norman gets strapped to a gurney, and wheeled out by a team of orderlies. Norman's recently released mental patient gimmick was certainly interesting, but it raises the question: why would he continue to wear his hospital issue gown while trying to mesh back into society? God, no wonder he was so angry. DUD

The Steiner Brothers v The Varsity Club: This is effectively the debut of the Steiner's, as Scott started accompanying brother Rick to matches throughout 1989, before climbing through the ropes himself - aiding his brother in his long feud against the Varsity Club. Scott starts with Kevin Sullivan here, and wastes no time showing off his power offense. That draws Mike Rotunda in, but Rick Steiner catches him with a clothesline before he can jump Scott - the Steiner's cleaning house. The dusts settles back on Scott and Kevin, and Steiner wins a criss cross with a powerslam - Sullivan scurrying over to tag Rotunda. In comes Rick for a showdown, and he dominates Rotunda with clotheslines before taking him to the mat in a side-headlock. Mike turns the tide with a well executed belly-to-belly suplex, but Sullivan can't keep it going - getting leveled with a lariat. Both men tag again, and Scott catches Rotunda with a bodypress for two - only to have a hanging vertical suplex broken up by Sullivan. The VC dump Steiner to the floor for a shot with the ring steps, and that weakens him enough for them to properly cut the ring in half. Scott looks doomed, but Rotunda misses a dropkick, and Scott manages to pass to brother Rick. He's a doghouse of fire, but Mike manages to suplex Scott onto a chair during the ensuing four-way brawl, and that finishes things at 8:37. All four had chemistry, and put together a well paced, well worked match. *

NWA Television Title Match: Sting v Bill Irwin: Irwin tries to whip Sting at the bell (literally - he has a bullwhip), but Sting brushes him off with dropkicks, and suplexes his challenger for two. Irwin makes a token attempt at a comeback, but it doesn't take Sting long to start no-selling, and cream him with the Stinger Splash for the pin at 3:32. Sting was insanely over at this point, and this was just a quick squash to get him in front of the crowd. ¼*

NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament Final Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Midnight Express: Michael Hayes starts with Stan Lane, and a criss cross ends in Lane hiptossing and bodyslamming Hayes right into a tag to Jimmy Garvin. The Midnight's quickly brush him off with a double-team, and a backelbow gets Bobby Eaton two - triggering a stall session for the Freebirds to work the crowd. The stall provides enough of a distraction for the Freebirds to cut the ring in half on Eaton, but Lane gets frustrated, and runs in for a four-way brawl. The Express dominate, but fellow Freebird Terry Gordy powerbombs Bobby in the chaos, and Garvin pins him for the vacant titles at 9:11. Less is always more with the Freebirds, and this is no exception - acceptable for what it was, but would have been a disaster without a governor. ¼*

Main Event: Ricky Steamboat v Terry Funk: Both guys battle over the initial lockup, but Funk makes the mistake of trying to trade chops with Steamboat - and pays the price. Apparently not satisfied, Funk makes another brilliant move in slapping Steamboat across the face, and this time ends up on the floor when Ricky goes ballistic with chops. Back inside, Steamboat hits a pair of dropkicks, but a slugfest doesn't work out for him as well as the chop exchanges did - Funk dumping him to the outside. Steamboat responds by whipping him into the guardrail out there, but Funk takes control back with another series of closed fists as they climb back inside. Terry hits a neckbreaker, then follows with a neat looking splash onto the neck to hammer home that, yes, he's the guy who broke Ric Flair's neck at WrestleWar. Funk keeps pounding the neck, but the crowd rallies behind Steamboat as he fires off chops to slow the madman down. Funk Flair Flips to the floor, but this time the Dragon is right on him with gorgeous flying tomahawk chop. He adds a slam on the floor for good measure (awesomely carrying Funk around all of ringside before finally finding the perfect spot to drop him), but ends up missing an overzealous blind charge on the way back in - Funk taking over with a barrage of shots as he props Steamboat up on the ropes. Backelbow sets up a piledriver for a dramatic two count, but Steamboat starts making a comeback - only for the referee to get bumped in the process. They end up back on the outside for Funk to piledrive Steamboat on the floor, and he revives the official to insist he start counting. Unfortunately (for him), Ricky makes it back up onto the apron - so Funk responds by suplexing the punch-drunk Dragon for two. Funk with a flying splash to finish him off, but Steamboat lifts his knees to counter, and follows with a gutbuster. Flying tomahawk chop sets Funk up for an enzuigiri, but he's in no mood, and bashes Steamboat with a microphone he steals from the announcers - drawing a disqualification at 12:52. That draws out Lex Luger (in street clothes) to make the save - only for him to turn on Steamboat with a chair moments after Funk is cleared out of the ring. Fun, ECW-ish match and angle - not as balls out crazy as the Great American Bash match with Flair would be, but hot and hard-hitting, with Funk playing a proper villain. ** ¼

BUExperience: Not a great wrestling show, but certainly not boring, as it was well paced and booked not to drag. Bolstered by a super hot crowd, everyone worked hard here – especially notable because the arena had no A/C, and temperatures quickly climbed to over 100 degrees in the June heat. Along with several debuts of wrestlers in gimmicks to appeal to the WWF dominated youth market, WCW also had several hype rock music videos put together (Road Warriors! Brian Pillman! Scott Hall!) in another move to try and compete with the blisteringly popular WWF formula – with less focus on the in-ring product as during earlier Clashes. While they never quite managed to out WWF the WWF, they were clearly trying – on all levels. *