NWA (WCW) Clash of the Champions IX (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 15, 1989

From Troy, New York; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Gordon Solie

Opening Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Road Warriors: This is non-title, as the Freebirds are technically still the tag champions, though they'd already lost the belts to the Steiner Brothers a couple of weeks prior - it just wouldn't air and become 'official' until a few days after this. Ah, for the days when you practically needed a PhD to decipher title reigns. Michael Hayes starts with Hawk - starts stalling, that is. Hawk manages to catch up to him with a press-slam, and he adds a jumping shoulderblock, so Hayes shoves him into the Freebird corner and tags. Jimmy Garvin tries turning the tide but walks into a dropkick, and Animal tags in for tandem-backelbow. Jimmy tries to rally with a vertical suplex, but gets promptly no-sold, and he passes back to Hayes. Animal no-sells a backelbow and clotheslines Michael down, then hits a jumping shoulderblock before tagging. Hawk trades wristlocks with Hayes before creaming him with a clothesline, but Garvin manages to dodge a cross corner charge from Animal, and the Freebirds immediately pounce on the guy with double-teams. The Freebirds work to cut the ring in half on Animal, as the announcers dance around referring to the Freebirds as the tag champions unless absolutely necessary. Hawk finally gets sick of the double-teaming and comes in without getting a tag first, but that doesn't fly with the referee, and the Warriors are disqualified at 5:19. Not much to this one, and a shitty ending, to boot. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

Terry Funk and Gary Hart join Jim Ross at ringside to discuss the main event. Someone should have probably clued Hart in that heels don't wear cardigans at some point

Starrcade promo

Bill Apter is here to shill his magazine, as well as present Sting with a trophy for Most Popular Wrestler, followed by one for Flair for Wrestler of the Decade

Woman promises a 'large surprise' for the Steiner Brothers later on, though if said surprise is in her bra, it looks like the secret is already out. Wow-wa-wee-wa!

Doom v Tommy Rich and Eddie Gilbert: Ron Simmons starts with Gilbert, and easily overpowers him, but gets cocky, and Eddie rolls him up for one. Tag to Rich for a 2^nd rope axehandle, but Ron shrugs off a wristlock, then tags. Butch Reed takes a hiptoss after a criss cross, but Eddie walks into a sidewalk slam, and Butch vertical suplexes him for good measure. Tag to Simmons for a press-backbreaker, and Doom cut the ring in half on Gilbert. He manages to slip between Butch's legs to get the tag, however, and Rich is a forest of fire! That brings Simmons in illegally, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! The faces make a valiant effort, but Rich ends up eating a 2^nd rope clothesline/spinebuster slam combo at 5:16. Some cool power stuff from Doom, but this was little more than a squash effort. * (Original rating: ¼*)

Starrcade promo

Jim Cornette catches up with the Steiner Brothers, with Scott officially giving his 'back flip/flying headscissors' (Cornette's words) move a name - the Frankensteiner

The Midnight Express v The Dynamic Dudes: Jim Cornette, manager of both teams, stands in a neutral corner for this. The Dudes want a handshake to start, but the Express give them the cold shoulder, and Bobby Eaton starts off with Shane Douglas. Feeling out process ends with Shane holding an armbar, so Stan Lane tries coming in, but gets trapped in the same! Lane resorts to hair pulling, but Cornette calls them on it, and Shane is able to schoolboy the distracted Stan for two. Tag to Johnny Ace, and he ducks an enzuigiri attempt, then unloads a pair of dropkicks and a bodyslam to send Stan scurrying for the tag. Criss cross ends in Ace catching Eaton with a pair of dropkicks as well, and a baseball slide sends him to the floor - Douglas diving out after him with a plancha! Dust settles on Lane and Shane, and Stan side suplexes him, but misses an elbowdrop, and gets armdragged into an armbar. Lane uses a cheap shot to escape and tag, and Bobby delivers an inverted atomic drop, but Shane blocks a superplex, and rolls him up for two. 2^nd rope bodypress gets two, and both men tag. Ace peppers Eaton, but runs into a cheap shot from Lane while trying a headscissors takedown, and the Midnight's take over - cutting the ring in half on Johnny. Rocket Launcher looks to finish, but Ace lifts his knees to block, and gets the tag to Shane. He's a bingo hall of fire, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! It boils over as the Midnight's try using a chain, but Cornette stops them - only to blast Douglas with his tennis racket anyway (to a huge face pop) for Bobby to pin at 9:25. Fun stuff. ** ¼ (Original rating: *)

Steve Williams v Super Destroyer: Super Destroyer is yet another masked character played by (you guessed it) Jack Victory. He attacks Williams before the bell, but gets reversed into the ropes, and hit with a shoulderblock. Williams with a three-pump press-slam and a clothesline to put Destroyer on the outside, then right back in for the Stampede to finish in a brisk 1:39. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

The Steiner Brothers v The Skyscrapers: As noted earlier, the Steiner's had won the NWA World Tag Team Title from the Freebirds on November 1^st, but since it hadn't aired on TV yet, they're not recognized or acknowledged as the champions yet, and thus this is non-title. Rick Steiner starts with Dan Spivey, and Rick sends Dan flying with a German suplex and a clothesline over the top! Dan responds by coming back in with a nasty looking tombstone piledriver for two, but Rick blocks a backdrop, and blasts Spivey with a Steinerline. Tag to Scott Steiner for the Frankensteiner (I love how he'd just busts out that crazy move out of nowhere, especially in the early days), so Sid Vicious runs in, but Scott is ready with a blockbuster! Nuts! Sid officially tags in, but misses a cross corner shoulderblock, and Scott works the part with a wristlock. Spivey comes in to hit Scott with a dropkick/clothesline combo, however, and he drops him with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Big boot sets up a vertical suplex, but Steiner reverses, and drops him with a lariat for the tag. Rick comes in hot with another Steinerline and a powerslam for two, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! The Brothers control, but here come Doom to attack them for the DQ at 6:06! They (along with Nitron) beat the Steiner's down after the bout, but the Road Warriors run in for the save - all four teams signed to compete in the Iron Team Tournament at Starrcade brawling! This was a really hard hitting slobber knocker of a match, with all four just dropping each other with reckless abandon. In fact, it was so hard hitting that Sid actually ended up on the shelf with a broken rib and a punctured lung from this one, and had to miss Starrcade altogether! ** ½ (Original rating: * ¾)

After the break, Jim Ross catches up with the Steiner's and the Road Warriors at ringside to hype up Starrcade. I get what they were going for with the Iron Man deals, but how badass would an eight-man with Steiner’s/Warriors versus Doom/Skyscrapers have been? Or even a WarGames. I guess it's a moot point anyway since Sid got injured, but a boy can dream!

Starrcade promo

NWA United States Title Match: Lex Luger v Brian Pillman: Luger stalls him a bit to start, before catching him with a knee, but a marvelously timed criss cross goes Pillman's way with a dropkick, and a second sends the champion to the outside. Lex stalls some more to break the momentum, and back in, Luger hammers him in the corner. Cross corner whip fails, however, and Lex wisely bails back to the outside before Brian can follow-up. In, Brian sticks and moves, but Luger overpowers him at every turn. Pillman manages to put him down with a spinkick, but Lex breaks the momentum again by hiding out in the corner. No matter, Pillman manages to reverse a cross corner whip, and this time he's able to follow-up with a missile dropkick for two. He starts going after Lex's arm as things pick up, but Luger reverses him into the corner, and executes a side suplex. A pair of press-slams and a pair of elbowdrops follow, so Brian starts throwing chops, but Luger thinks fast and dumps him to the outside. Lex follows with a bodyslam out there, then brings him back in via a hanging vertical suplex for two. Lex gets frustrated, so Pillman immediately capitalizes with a schoolboy for two, but Lex cuts him off with a powerslam. He takes too long gloating and gets schoolboyed again for two, and now Luger's downright pissed. He hammers Pillman, but Brian throws back, and he catches the champion with a hangman's clothesline. Backdrop sets up a flying bodypress, but the referee gets knocked down as well, and Luger is able to jump him. Brian counters a powerslam with a rollup, but there's no referee. Dropkick knocks Lex to the outside, so he picks up a chair out there, and waffles Pillman with it while the referee is down - covering for the dazed official to count the fall at 12:52. Afterwards, Luger decides to put this Pillman kid out of action for giving him so much trouble, but Sting runs down to make the save! This was actually shorter than the Halloween Havoc match, it felt longer due to the slow start. Excellent storytelling throughout, though. ** ½ (Original rating: ** ¼)

Ric Flair isn't afraid of Terry Funk or Jackson Pollock, for that matter

Main Event: I Quit Match: Ric Flair v Terry Funk: Flair is still the NWA World Champion, but this is non-title, and the loser must retire. Flair knocks him right to the floor with a big chop, where Funk proceeds to threaten half the front row. Back in, Ric unleashes more chops, and a pair of corner whips sends Terry running for the hills again. Funk gets the best of a brawl on the outside, then in for a ten-punch, but Flair won't quit. Terry keeps going with the closed fists well past the traditional 'ten,' but Flair manages an inverted atomic drop, so Funk puts him down with a swinging neckbreaker. Ric keeps fighting with chops to send them back to the floor, and this time it's the Nature Boy who gets the better of a brawl out there, but Terry won't quit. Gary Hart distracts Ric long enough for Funk to attack with another swinging neckbreaker, but Flair won't quit. Terry decides to punish him with the Piledriver, but Flair won't quit. Legdrop isn't enough, so Funk tosses him to the outside for a Piledriver on the exposed concrete, but that's STILL not enough! Bodyslam onto a table fails to smash it, so Funk props it up against the side of the ring to do some real damage, but gets reversed into it. Flair decimates Funk on the floor with every available ringside object as he mounts a comeback, then back in for a kneedrop, but Funk won't quit. Inverted atomic drop isn't enough, so Flair works the knee a bit. Funk tries to run, but Ric drags him back for a hanging vertical suplex to setup the Figure Four - Terry able to block. He tries a vertical suplex of his own, but Flair reverses it, and gets the Figure Four on for the submission at 18:33 - capping off one of the most perfectly booked angles of all time, and one which didn't overstay its welcome. I know this is considered by most to be superior to the Great American Bash match, but I've never felt that way, and I don't now either. Like, the Bash match was a legit classic. This was just a relatively average brawl that happened to have a great angle behind it. Where was the psychology? Where was Funk destroying the neck every which way from Sunday, with Flair doing the same to the leg, until one finally gave out? Ric didn't even take a SHOT at the leg until the last couple of minutes! And, even what Funk DID do to the neck was barely acknowledged! I mean, he PILEDROVE FLAIR ON THE EXPOSED FLOOR and Ric was back on offense two minutes later! But, hey, Magnum/Tully at Starrcade never did it for me either, so your mileage may vary. Afterwards, a big brawl breaks out with Hart turning on Funk, and Great Muta and Lex Luger battling Flair and Sting to setup Starrcade. *** (Original rating: *** ½)

Starrcade promo

BUExperience: Frankly, despite its reputation, I find this episode is quite overrated