NWA (JCP) Clash of the Champions III (Version II)

Original Airdate: September 7, 1988

From Albany, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle

Opening NWA Television Title Match: Mike Rotunda v Brad Armstrong: Mike takes him down in a waistlock to start, as it dawns on me how much more like his father Bo Dallas looks like now that he's switched to a singlet. Maybe he should try and shirt and tie next. Mike with a pair of European uppercuts and a 2^nd rope bodypress, but Brad rolls through for two, and Rotunda bails to regroup on the floor with Kevin Sullivan. Back in, Mike unloads with some more uppercuts, but a hiptoss gets reversed, and Brad dropkicks him back to the outside. The crowd is hot for this one! That's one thing I loved about 80s crowds - they were so passionate! They may have been smaller crowds, but everyone there was a hardcore fan, which I think makes for a better TV crowd than three thousand hardcores and eight thousand casuals. Just look at ECW. Their crowds were a quarter of what the WWE draws for RAW every week, but they were louder, and added to the show. But then, if I were a promoter, I'd prefer whatever meant more ticket sales. Criss cross goes Brad's way with a bodypress for two, and Rotunda bails back to the outside. Back in, Armstrong grabs a standing side-headlock, so Mike tries to criss cross again, but ends up on the mat in a hammerlock. Seriously, the crowd is going nuts for a fucking hammerlock, it's crazy! Rotunda escapes with a knee, and he drops Brad throat-first across the top rope before dumping him to the outside for Sullivan to abuse. Rotunda brings him back in with a vertical suplex for two, and he grabs a chinlock. Brad fights free, so Mike snapmares him over for two, then goes back to the chinlock. If they're still chinlocking this far into the match, you've gotta think that time limit draw is coming up. Which is actually smart strategy on Rotunda's part, since he retains in the instance of a draw. If he can't put him away, he might as well ground him and ride the time limit out. Mike with an elbowdrop for two, and more chinlocking happens. Backbreaker gets two, and Rotunda decides to toss him to the floor and go for the countout - Sullivan getting in his licks as well. Armstrong fights in with a slingshot sunset flip for two, but Rotunda cuts him off with a backelbow and a legdrop for two, as Steve Williams makes his way down - the crowd going wild for him. Rotunda grabs another chinlock, but Armstrong fights free, and hooks an inside cradle for two. Mike cuts him off with another chinlock, but Brad just won't stay down. Rotunda tries an airplane spin for two, and a gutwrench suplex is worth two. Inside cradle gets two, and a right hand is worth two. Now annoyed, Rotunda tries using the ropes to put this feisty kid away, but Brad just keeps kicking out! Clothesline gets two, and with only twenty seconds left, Rotunda goes for cover after cover, but Armstrong just keeps kicking out - all the way to the time limit at 20:02. Ugh! What is with all the time limit draws as openers in 1988? Not that this was a bad match mind you, but this is, like, the third straight 1988 show I've done that opens with a time limit draw. This one was a brilliant display of wrestling psychology, though it was really heavy on the chinlocking. ** ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

Last week, on World Championship Wrestling, Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotunda attacked Jimmy Garvin - breaking his leg by breaking a cement block over it. That would be the end of Garvin until June of the next year, when we returned with the Fabulous Freebirds

The Sheepherders v Nikita Koloff and Steve Williams: Luke Williams starts with Steve Williams for a battle of the Williams! That's just too much awesome for one ring, however, and it quickly turns into a brawl between the two teams - the Sheepherders retreating to the outside. The dust settles on Butch Miller and Koloff, and Miller tries dodging a cross corner charge, but Koloff is onto him, and slams both heels to clean house again. Back in, the faces work Luke's arm, and Steve vertical suplexes him to setup a flying bodypress for two - Miller breaking the count. They keep taking turns cutting the ring in half while working Luke's arm, but Steve misses a 3-point stance, and Butch tags in. The Sheepherders go to work cutting the ring in half, but Steve only sells sparingly, and tags out. Koloff is a gulag of fire, but a cheap shot from Rip Morgan takes the pep out of his step, and the Sheepherders cut the ring in half on their new victim. Koloff manages to fight Luke off, but Morgan distracts Steve, and there's no one home when he goes to make the tag. The Sheepherders make one last ditch effort at cutting the ring in half, but Luke misses a flying headbutt, and Steve finally gets the tag! He's a barn of fire, but the Sheepherders shamelessly cheat to put him down. They fail to cut the ring in half, however, and Koloff gets the tag - creaming Butch with the Russian Sickle at 17:08. It had its moments, but it was too long for what it was, and took forever to get going. * (Original rating: ¼*)

Dusty Rhodes v Kevin Sullivan: Sullivan attacks before the bell, but Dusty is all 'no son!' and doesn't sell. They spill to the outside, where Rhodes rams him into the announce table a few times, before whipping him into Gary Hart. Kevin comes back in with a weapon in tow, so Dusty bails to the floor until the referee can restore order. In, Dusty corner whips and backelbows Sullivan, before tossing him to the outside. Back in again, Rhodes uses the elbow, so Sullivan takes a cheap shot, and they spill back outside for Kevin to ram him into the rail. Gary Hart attacks with his shoe out there, since Austin Powers hadn't been released yet, and you could still get away with that kind of shit. Simpler times. Inside, Sullivan works a chinlock, but Dusty fights free, and starts unloading with slaps and elbows. It's like the prequel to Boats and Hos! Hart saves Kevin from the pinfall, however, and the distraction allows Al Perez to attack Rhodes with a chain. A beat down inside the ring in full view of the official somehow doesn't draw a disqualification, and then things get even weirder when Dusty cradles manager Hart for the official pin at 7:00. That had to be some sort of miscommunication there, because nothing about that finish made even the slightest bit of sense. –¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

NWA World Champion Ric Flair and NFL player John Ayers join Tony Schiavone to discuss a series of upcoming title defenses against Lex Luger, which Ayers will act as the special guest referee for

NWA Main Event promo

Russian Chain Match: Ivan Koloff v Ricky Morton: Koloff wins a tug-of-war, and hammers Ricky with the chain. He chokes Morton down with it, and a snapmare allows Ivan to drag Ricky to two corners before Morton fights him off. Koloff responds by dumping him to the floor, but it backfires when Morton uses the chain to pull Ivan into the ropes. Back in, Ricky pounds him with the chain, but gets choked down again. Ivan gets two corners out of the deal before Ricky swipes at the leg to stop the effort, and whips his knee with the chain. That's enough to allow Morton one corner, and Ivan hits a 2^nd rope chain-assisted axehandle. He goes all the way up to the top for another one, but Ricky uses the chain to pull him down, and gets a couple of corners before getting choked again. Ivan uses the chain to put him in a hangman, but Ricky fights free, so Koloff snapmares him, and whips him with the chain for three corners. Koloff goes back to the top, but a flying chain shot is blocked with a gut-punch from Ricky for four corners at 9:35. Afterwards, the Russian Assassin beats Koloff down for the loss at the behest of manager Paul Jones, and a second masked Russian Assassin joins in - turning Ivan face in the process. Chain matches pretty much always suck, and this was no exception. DUD (Original rating: ½*)

NWA Main Event promo

Main Event: NWA United States Title Match: Barry Windham v Sting: That's three Clash title challenge main events in a row for the Stinger! Sting with a pair of armdrags that piss Windham off, and he decks his challenger over it. A really crisp criss cross ends in Sting shoulderblocking Barry down, and adding a pair of dropkicks to knock him out of the ring. Back in, Windham tries a side suplex to escape a headlock, but Sting no-sells, and plants another pair of dropkicks to knock the champion back to the outside! Barry stalls out there, and wants a test-of-strength on the way back in - suckering Sting into it, and taking a cheap shot. Sting? Getting suckered by a Horsemen? That's crazy! Windham with a ten-punch count, but Sting escapes with an inverted atomic drop, and he backdrops the champion. Sting with a couple of facebusters and a bodyslam to setup an elbowdrop, but Windham dodges, and charges him with a knee. They spill to the outside, where Windham bodyslams his challenger on the floor, then vertical suplexes him back in. Backdrop, so Sting counters with a sunset flip for two, but Barry cuts him off with another knee. Powerslam sets up a kneedrop for two, so Sting tries an inside cradle for two, and dodges a cross corner charge to send Barry crashing back out to the floor. Sting follows to post the champion a couple of times to draw blood, and back in, he unloads with backscratches. No wonder they wanted to push him so hard - he's got the Hogan act down pat! He's even wearing yellow tights! Dropkick hits, and Sting tries a sleeper - which, along with busting Windham open with the post, is kind of odd booking considering Sting is supposed to be the sympathetic babyface. Barry uses a kneebreaker to escape, and he works the knee in true Horsemen fashion. Figure four, but the referee catches him using the ropes, and forces a break. Undeterred, Windham stays on his challenger with a side suplex, but Sting starts unloading with right hands, and he vertical suplexes Barry - only for Windham to hang on through the landing, and apply the Clawhold! Nice counter there. Sting fights up to a vertical base, and drops Windham to the outside to escape the hold. Sting uses the top rope as a slingshot to bring Windham back in the hard way, then backdrops the champion. Stinger Splash sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, but the referee is down! That allows JJ Dillon to come in with a chair, and Sting gets clobbered! Barry goes for the cover, but John Ayers runs in to prevent the three count - telling the referee what went down with the chair, and earning Windham a disqualification in the process at 21:12. Goofy finish, but it did serve to establish Ayers abilities as a referee ahead of his guest spots in the Flair/Luger matches. This was solid, but not really up to par for either guy. * ¼ (Original rating: ** ¼)

NWA Main Event promo

Ric Flair cuts a promo on Ayers and Lex Luger to close the show. Did Flair ever cut a bad promo?

BUExperience: Nothing particularly bad or good in ring, and nothing particularly bad or good angle wise. A pretty lackluster, innocuous Clash