NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush (June 1990)

Original Airdate: June 13, 1990

From Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.


Opening Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Southern Boys: Oh, how times change, as in 1990 WCW booked a team with Confederate Flags on their ring gear as babyfaces, and effeminate males as the heels. Successfully. The Boys clean house with double-teams after the Freebirds try a cheap shot before the bell, and Tracey Smothers has his way with Jimmy Garvin as we get officially underway. The Freebirds respond by acting out an episode of Glee with the front row, until Michael Hayes manages to get Steve Armstrong in a standing side-headlock. The Freebirds cut the ring in half on him, but Hayes takes too long getting to the top rope, and gets slammed to allow the tag to Smothers. He's a house of arson, and puts Garvin away at 7:25 after the Boys gets the best of a four-way brawl. Too short to properly get on my nerves, but God knows I hate the Freebirds. DUD

Bam Bam Bigelow v Tommy Rich: Bigelow throws Rich around in the early going, so Tommy starts moving his feet, and gets off a few closed fists before Bam Bam gets sick of him, and unloads a headbutt. Bigelow beats him with an inverted atomic drop, and uses a press slam to set up a chokehold until the referee disqualifies him at 3:46. This was just going through the motions until the shitty DQ ending. DUD

The Samoan Swat Team v Tom Zenk and Mike Rotunda: Fatu starts with Rotunda, and ends up outside on the elevated ramp way after taking a pair of dropkicks. That leads to both men tagging, and Zenk gives Samoan Savage a trip to the outside via dropkick as well. Inside, Zenk and Rotunda work Savage over with a series of quick tags, but a cheap shot from Fatu quickly turns the tide, and the Swat Team cut the ring in half on Captain Mike - which is code for 'nervehold.' The Samoans keep control until a double-team clothesline backfires, and Rotunda manages to pass to Zenk. Z-Man passes out dropkicks like candy (jawbreakers?), but falls prey to another Samoan double-team, so he and Rotunda pull the old switcheroo (Really? You look nothing alike, outside of both being white males), and Mike gets a sneaky sneaky cradle to pin Fatu at 5:24. Not bad, just dull. DUD

Brian Pillman v Mark Callous: Callous absolutely destroys Pillman at the bell, but Brian uses a well timed springboard to block a cross corner whip, and unloads turnbuckle smashes. Callous responds by slamming Pillman into the corner, and a bodyslam sets up a nice elbowdrop for two. Chinlock, but Pillman gets uppity, so Mark takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Brian keeps coming, but Callous is in no mood, and drives him into the mat with a sidewalk slam for two. Powerslam sets up a legdrop, but Pillman rolls out of the way, and chops at the big redwood. Dropkick dazes Callous, and a missile version gets the crowd pumped up, but he dives into a stungun moments later, and Callous gets the pin at 5:32. Callous was due a US Title shot at the Great American Bash the next month, so this was little more than a competitive squash - though energetic for the most part. ½*

NWA United States Tag Team Title Match: The Midnight Express v The Rock 'n' Roll Express: Bobby Eaton starts with Robert Gibson, and they're off to a slow start messing with armdrags and armbars that go absolutely nowhere. Things finally get going when Gibson takes him down with a headscissors off of a criss cross, but Eaton passes to Stan Lane before Robert can properly rock his roll. Stan comes in hot with a series of savate kicks, but walks into an enzuigiri, and Gibson tags out to Ricky Morton. He does so little that Lane gets bored and tags Eaton to take a rana. He and Gibson take turns working armbars, before all four end up brawling, and the Rock 'n' Roll Express start throwing double-team pinning combinations at the champs. Morton can't keep it going once the referee clears Gibson out though, and the Midnight's take turns making him their bitch. They miss a double-team to allow the tag to Gibson, and it's another four-way brawl dominated by the challengers, so Stan Lane grabs the referee to force a disqualification and save the titles at 12:07. This was like a house show version of an Express/Express match (down to the finish), but the crowd ate it up. A weird case where the pace was fine, and they were always moving, but not actually going anywhere. ¾*

Barry Windham v Doug Furnas: Furnas takes the taller Windham off of his feet with a fierce shoulderblock at the bell, and catches Barry with a sunset flip for two. Another hard shoulderblock puts Windham on the floor, and Furnas follows up with a nasty press slam when Windham re-enters - pretty much shoving poor Barry's nuts up into his stomach. Barry bails to the floor to count his nuts (one... two... and there's the third), but Furnas is uppity, and keeps after him with closed fists. Barry block a charge with his boot to take the pep out of Doug's step, and then blasts him with a quick suplex for two. Doug fires back with an inside cradle for two and a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Powerslam gets two, and a backdrop sets up a poorly executed dropkick. They recover with Windham countering a suplex with a side suplex, and pinning Furnas with his feet on the ropes at 5:42. These two did not click at all, making for a really disjointed, sloppy match - Furnas botching about half of his stuff. ¼*

Lex Luger v Sid: Ole Anderson tries to attack Luger at the bell to give Sid the advantage, but Lex shrugs it off and blasts him with a running forearm smash for the quick pin at 0:26. I can't see the logic behind that booking, considering Sid was being heavily pushed as a Horsemen. Perhaps it was meant as a 'reward' for Luger after looking like a loser choke artist at two straight pay per views before this? DUD

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: Doom v The Steiner Brothers: Ron Simmons and Scott Steiner (along with his SICK 1990 mullet) kick us off with a staredown before getting into a slugfest - won by Steiner when he kills both members of Doom with his insane full-backflip blockbusters. Ron responds by giving Scott all the punches he owns, but Scott shrugs it off in record time (even for a Steiner), and Simmons is bailing to Butch Reed. He does a power-showdown with Scott that ends in Steiner hooking a backslide for two, and a pair of bodyslams has Reed begging to tag Ron. Simmons wants Rick Steiner instead (and after that display from Scott, I can't blame him), and the Steiners oblige. It ends in Rick casually suplexing Simmons into tagging Reed again, and Doom is just flipping out at this point - taking a breather to try and strategize. Rick stupidly gives chase on the floor, but walks right into a double-team and gets... ahem... kicked like a dog on the outside. Reed brings him in with a swinging neckbreaker for two, as Doom cut the ring in half on Bitch Steiner. Awesome moment during a Reed chinlock, as the camera crew cuts to a fans sign at ringside, but the little kid apparently wrote it in #2 pencil, since it just looks like a big, blank white sign. Well, maybe he was just voicing his approval for the Steiners in this bout, who knows? A missed blind charge allows the tag to Scott, and a four-way brawl doesn't take long to break out from there - Reed unloading a cheap shot with brass knux to allow Reed to pin Scott Steiner at 11:18. The usual fun power match between the two teams. *

Arn Anderson v Paul Orndorff: Orndorff grabs a headlock right at the bell to pump this crowd up, but fucking Arn Anderson wants to actually get his cardio in for the night, and speeds things up. Bastard. They trade hammerlocks before Orndorff hooks a backslide for two, and a big right hand sends Anderson through the ropes. Arn tries to lure him into a chase, but Paul outthinks him, and suckers the Enforcer into a sleeper - bumping him into the turnbuckle for a two count. Orndorff hooks a figure four to weaken the leg, and follows up by ramming the knee into the ringpost when it doesn't get a submission. Arn responds to Orndorff's random attempts at psychology with a spinebuster, and he follows with a backbreaker to setup some closed fist abuse in the corner. Rope-assisted abdominal stretch can't get the job done, so Anderson shifts into a chinlock instead. Because of its proven track record in racking up victories? Orndorff breaks with an atomic drop to set up his pointed elbowdrop, but it's only good for two. Two more pointed elbowdrops for one more two count, but Arn blocks a Vaderbomb by lifting his knees, and cradles him - only for Orndorff to reverse, and get the pin at 11:37. Really dull stuff - just going through the motions here. ¼*

Main Event: NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Junkyard Dog: This is a pretty infamous match, as WCW picked up a long dormant JYD, and pushed him at main event level - despite having no business going above the midcard at that point in his career. Dog completely dominates the early going by overpowering the champ, and he manages to unload a few headbutts before knocking Flair out onto the elevated ramp way. Flair tries some chops on the way back in, but JYD channels Hulk Hogan and completely no-sells, railroading Flair into the corner for a ten-punch. Flair tries an eye rake to turn the tide, but I guess you really can't teach an old Dog new tricks because he just keeps no-selling. He does the Hogan popup when Flair tries his shindrop, and then no-sells a turnbuckle smash and more chops. He fires back with a couple of punches to Flop Flair, and backdrops the champ with ease. Flair tries a chair shot (no-sold), and ends up getting Flair Flipped for his troubles. Flair begs off again, but Dog is right on him, so fellow Horsemen Ole Anderson distracts JYD long enough for Flair to get off a high knee. JYD no-sells that as well, so Ole runs in for a disqualification at 6:11 - the NWA World Champion (back when that meant something) essentially getting squashed by a washed up, near retirement JYD. Pretty ridiculously booked match here, as Flair (who they needed to sell the big showdown with Sting for the Great American Bash pay per view) had all his stuff no-sold, and looked like a complete and total jobber. For his part, Flair sold like a madman for JYD, and tried his best to make lemonade with that bullshit booking, but not even Flair is that big a miracle worker. ¼*

BUExperience: The main event is rather infamous, but the rest is absolute junk, and not worth taking the time to seek out/sit through. Besides, the best stuff (Steiners/Doom) was done better elsewhere. DUD