NWA (WCW) WrestleWar 1990 (Version II)

Original Airdate: February 25, 1990

From Greensboro, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Terry Funk

Opening Match: The Dynamic Dudes v Buzz Sawyer and Kevin Sullivan: Sullivan is subbing for the Great Muta here, after Muta bailed on the promotion to go back to Japan. Can't say I'd blame him there. Sawyer (and his awesomely horrible bald head/ponytail look) start with Ace, which Johnny sticking a moving. Dropkick puts Buzz on the outside for a plancha, and back in, the dust settles on Shane Douglas and Sullivan. Shane manages to reverse a whip into the corner to setup a chinlock, and Ace tags in with a 2^nd rope fist. He tries working the arm, but Kevin ignores him - only to get into a bit of a shoving match with his own partner after failing to cut the ring in half. That's a nice touch, since they're both heels who aren't regular partners, and therefore it makes sense for them to act like assholes. The assholes manage to get Shane alone on the outside for Sawyer to vertical suplex, and that's enough to start the heat segment. They settle into a nice groove as they cut the ring in half on Douglas, but he manages to escape a bearhug from Buzz, and gets the hot tag. Johnny is a surf shop of fire, but the heels can barely be bothered to sell - including a hilarious spot where Ace tries to take Sawyer down with a headscissors, and just gets totally ignored. Buzz finishes Johnny with a flying splash at 10:14. The Dudes were working hard (likely trying to get back in managements good graces for a renewed push), but the crowd wasn't buying it for the most part. Solid opener, though. * ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

Norman the Lunatic v Cactus Jack: Jack attacks before the bell, and hits Norman with a backelbow for two, but ends up taking a spill to the outside. Back in, Jack gets right back on the horse, but the horse no-sells everything, and headbutts him. Mean horse. Norman with a backelbow of his own, and he hugs him like a bear. Yeah, well, it's behavior like this that put him in a facility to begin with. No means no, asshole. Norman throws Jack around with a series of corner whips that send Cactus flying out of the ring, and Norman follows - backdropping him into the crowd. Jack is bumping around like crazy here, which is no surprise, though he's still so slim that his style is more Marty Jannetty than Mankind. Cactus manages to reverse him into the post to setup a dropkick, and he finally takes control. Inside, Jack works him over, in dull fashion. He had the wild bumping aspect down early, but Mick Foley still had a long way to go before he developed into the well rounded worker we came to know later on. Norman escapes a chinlock with an electric chair, but misses a splash, so Cactus stupidly tries a piledriver, and gets backdropped - Norman hitting a sit-down splash for the pin at 9:34. Jack's bumps were the only worthwhile aspect. ¾* (Original rating: ½*)

The Midnight Express v The Rock 'n' Roll Express: Stan Lane starts with Robert Gibson, with lots of posturing to start - including a teased fight between the referee and manager Jim Cornette. The Rock 'n' Roll Express look so old and tired here. And it's not even that they're that old (both guys were old in their early thirties), but the fact that they're still rocking the same gear and hairstyles they did in their prime (but long past it) only makes them look older. Especially when compared to the fresh Rockers over on the other channel. Of course, they look positively spry here, compared to how they've looked on the indy scene in recent years - still rocking out with that same 80s gear and hairstyles. The Rock 'n' Rolls continue to dominate and clean house in the early going, until Ricky Morton gets the worst of a bodypress that ends both he and Bobby Eaton tumbling over the top rope, with Lane rushing over and bodyslamming him on the floor for good measure. Inside, the Midnight's cut the ring in half on Morton, throwing everything they've got at him, but Ricky hanging in there through it all. While all the posturing in the early going wasn't my cup of tea, this is undoubtedly where these two teams excel, and the heat segment is tremendous, with Morton selling like mad as the Midnight's repeatedly cut him off and destroy his shoulder for ten minutes. Rocket Launcher looks to finish, but Ricky manages to lift the knees to block, and there's the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! The Midnight's start pulling out every dirty trick in the book to try and save things, but Gibson catches Lane in a cradle to counter a tandem-flapjack for the pin at 23:28. It was energetic, and well worked, but I've just never been as much a fan of some of their more clichéd gimmicks and sequences as a lot of other fans are. I can (and do) appreciate the style, but it doesn't hit me the way it does others. That said, the heat segment in particular was a textbook example of cutting the ring in half, and once the match settled into that, it was positively outstanding. *** ½ (Original rating: *** ¾)

Chicago Street Fight: The Road Warriors v The Skyscrapers: We're now down to zero original Skyscrapers, with Mike Enos (who was actually half of the reigning AWA World Tag Team Champions at this point, no less) working under a mask to fill in for Dan Spivey, after Spivey also bailed on the promotion. Big brawl to start, of course. The Warriors control, as Doom makes a cameo at ringside to form an alliance with Teddy Long (manager of the Skyscrapers). The Skyscrapers manage to turn things around briefly, but the Warriors take control during a brief foray to the outside. The crowd is largely disinterested here, which isn't at all surprising, given that the two guys who started the feud with the Warriors aren't even in the match! Doomsday Device finishes the Masked Skyscraper at 5:01. This was literally all punching and kicking, and the feud was so cold by this point that they didn't even bother using weapons, or even really fighting outside of the ring. Like, this was as paint-by-numbers of a Street Fight as imaginable. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

NWA United States Tag Team Title Match: Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk v The Fabulous Freebirds: Pillman and Zenk are fresh off of winning the title here, and jump the challengers before the bell - stealing their gear and mocking their posing after cleaning house. They then lead the crowd through a "Freebirds suck" chant, leading to the usual stalling from the challengers. The thing with the Freebird act is, it's entertaining the first time, and it gets heat, but when you have to sit through ten minutes of stalling every time you see them wrestle, it gets old fast. They're really an act that benefitted from the territory system, since they could move around and stay fresh without wearing out their welcome anywhere. Dust finally settles on Pillman and Michael Hayes, and Brian outwrestles him - frustrating the Freebird. Tags all around, and Zenk dominates Jimmy Garvin through a couple of criss crosses, but goes to the well once too often with a dropkick, and passes back to Brian. Pillman hooks Garvin in a crucifix for two, but that messes up his hair, and that Jimmy can't abide - begging off, and tagging out. Hayes gets retribution for his partner, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed, and Brian hits a flying bodypress for two. Sunset flip gets two, and Zenk hits him with a 2^nd rope flying elbowsmash. The champions trade off while working Michael's arm, but me manages to clobber Tom with a clothesline, and pass to Garvin. Unfortunately for Jimmy, the champs pick up right where they left off on him – working the arm. The Freebirds manage to take over on Pillman in the corner, and they cut the ring in half, but Jimmy runs into a shoulderblock during a criss cross, and Zenk gets the tag. He comes in hot, but a cheap shot from Garvin puts that to rest, and the Freebirds resume cutting the ring in half on their new victim. Unfortunately, unlike the energetic heat segment on Pillman, this one is mostly restholds with little psychology - though Zenk works in some nice hope spots to keep us invested. Hayes hits a bulldog for two, but runs into a DDT after telegraphing a backdrop, and Brian gets the hot tag! He's a cannon of fire, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! Finish comes as the Freebirds make a last ditch effort by throwing Pillman over the top to leave Zenk alone to eat a DDT, but Brian comes flying back in (like a FLYIN BRIAN, you might say) with a bodypress to retain at 24:32. This was a pretty good match, that unfortunately overstayed its welcome. Everything up until the initial hot tag to Zenk was quite good, but the Freebirds didn't really have anything left to bring to the table by the time they reached the second heat segment, leaving us with a lot of restholds during the final third of the match. Still, it was energetic for the most part, the selling was good, and even the stalling was a kept to a minimum. Had they went home earlier, this would have been a lot better. ** ¾ (Original rating: *)

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson: Scott Steiner starts with Arn, but Anderson takes a cheap shot at Rick Steiner right away, and things immediately turn into a brawl - the champs cleaning house. The dust settles, and Arn tries suckering Scott into the heel corner with the lockup, but no dice. Ole comes in anyway with a cheap shot, but eats a bodyslam for his efforts, and the champs clean house again. Dust settles on Rick and Ole, and Rick DOES fall for getting suckered into the heel corner, but still fights them both off anyway! Another brawl ends in the champions again cleaning house, and things settle back down on Rick and Arn. Feeling out process follows, with Rick dominating, but Arn cheating at every turn. Arn tries coming off the top, but nearly gets slammed off, and bails into the aisle to regroup - looking flustered. The solution is, as always, trying to cheat. Unfortunately for him, he runs into an inverted atomic drop from Scott, and then trapped in a figure four for his efforts. Tag to Ole, and he tries to shoot at the leg, but Scott blocks that effort with a leg-and-arm suplex for two. Back to Rick with a vertical suplex on Arn, but he gets caught in the wrong corner, and the Anderson's are finally able to turn the tide. They cut the ring in half, but Rick manages to tag out while in a leglock, and Scott comes in hot - only to get knocked into the rail while brawling on the outside. The Anderson's go to work on the arm, but Arn hits knees as he tries a 2^nd rope pump-splash, and Scott is able to follow-up with the Frankensteiner! Tag to Rick, and he's a doghouse of fire! The Anderson's try double-teaming again, but he manages to grab Ole in an inside cradle to retain at 16:08. This was good, but can you imagine how awesome this would have been with Tully instead of Ole? They took a while to properly get going, but kept the intensity levels high throughout. This one also had an interesting variation on the formula, with the Anderson's not getting control until very late into the contest, as opposed to the traditional heat segment oriented style of the earlier tag matches. ** ¾ (Original rating: ½*)

Main Event: NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Lex Luger: And, finally, a freshly face-turned Luger is subbing for Sting here, after Sting got injured during the last Clash of the Champions special earlier in the month. Luger is also the United States champion, but only Flair's title is on the line. Feeling out process to start, with Luger controlling with size and power. Ric gets sick of getting knocked around and bails, but Lex chases him up the aisle and literally carries him back in - Flair immediately taking the opportunity for a cheap shot by snapping his challenger's throat across the top rope. He thinks he suckered him good, but Luger no-sells, and press-slams him, so Ric wisely bails. Back in, he tries tiring the challenger by making him run through a long criss cross, but Lex has been up in the gym workin’ on his fitness, and hangs with Ric - press-slamming him again. Flair goes to the next episode by trying chops, but that ALSO ends in him getting press-slammed! Not a good night for the Nature Boy. Luger follows up with a bearhug this time, and gets a couple of two counts out of the deal, but Ric decks him to escape. He fails to follow-up in time, however, and Luger unloads a ten-punch in the corner, then hiptosses him - only to miss a hard charge, and go flying over the top! That's classic Flair: playing defense until the bigger guy makes a mistake, and then zeroing in. Flair immediately capitalizes on him with a shot into the rail and some chops, and Luger is staggered for the first time in the contest! Ric brings him back in only so he can have the pleasure of tossing him right back out, and the champ rams him into the rail out there again. Flair leaves him out there to take the count, but Lex insists on beating it, so Ric punishes him with a snapmare to setup a kneedrop. He does it again to wear Luger down enough to where Flair feel comfortable covering, but it only gets two. Lex tries mounting a comeback, but quickly misses a charge in the corner, hitting the buckles shoulder-first in the process. Ric zeroes right in on the part, taking Lex to the mat in a hammerlock - while using the ropes for additional leverage all the while! Flair's hair is glorious here. He keeps working the arm, but Lex throws a short-clothesline, so Flair quickly takes a cheap shot to the throat, then leaves him on the ropes for Woman to abuse. Back to the arm, but Luger manages to whip him into the corner for the Flair flip - though an out of place cameraman on the apron ruins Ric's plan to run the apron, and he falls to the floor instead. Nice save there, done so smoothly that you'd never notice the change if you didn't know what to look for. Back in, Lex gets a sleeper on, but Ric's in the ropes. Luger tries again, so Flair makes sure he gets the message this time with a side suplex to escape. He then looks to punish him with a vertical suplex out of the ring, but Lex reverses back in, then plays Ric's game by bashing his leg into the post! Figure four, but Ric quickly escapes. He tries going after the knee, but Lex manages a powerslam for two, so Ric starts throwing chops - Luger no-selling! The champ suckers Lex to the floor for an eyerake to try and keep control, but Lex counters a hiptoss into a backslide for two on the way back in! Ten-punch count, but Ric manages an inverted atomic drop to counter, and actually hits the flying axehandle for once. And for twice, even! Holy shit! It only gets two, but Ric should feel really good about the personal achievement. He'd have definitely unlocked a trophy there, if this was a videogame. Double-underhook suplex is worth two, and Luger seems to be powering up, so Flair quickly grabs a sleeper to try and cut that off. He wears Luger down in the hold, but Lex starts to power out, so Ric makes a preemptive strike by abruptly releasing, and schoolboying him for two! Pair of kneebreakers and a kneedrop to the leg are enough to setup the Figure Four, as Sting makes his way down to ringside on crutches! His presence motives Luger to make the ropes, and the challenger starts no-selling! Ric bails to try and sucker him into another rail shot on the floor, but Lex no-sells, and chases him in for a press-slam! Ric tries going up again, but the third time is not the charm for the axehandle, as Lex slams him off! Clotheslines galore put Flair on the floor, and a vertical suplex brings him back in for two. Powerslam gets two when Woman interferes, but Lex loses focus to deal with her. That allows Flair to attack - taking out the referee in the process, but Luger is still no-selling! He continues to slam Flair around at will, and a superplex looks to finish, but there's no referee! Cue the Horsemen, but Lex fights them off and gets Ric in the Torture Rack, so they go to plan-B - attack Sting! That catches Luger's eye, however, and he goes to the floor to save - getting counted out in the process at 38:07! That's such a weak ending for a forty minute match. Unlike the ’88 series, it’s understandable that they didn’t want to do a switch here, but the same result could have been achieved in better fashion. Could have done without the superfluous ref bump too, since the Horsemen could have attacked Sting on the floor to distract Luger without it, and still given Lex the visual win by having Flair in the Rack. Even though the ending was flawed, the rest of the match was a masterful exhibition in storytelling and psychology, and well worth checking out. **** ¼ (Original rating: ****)

BUExperience: Had this show ended as originally was planned, with Sting finally beating Ric Flair to win the NWA World Title in a four star classic, then this would be a show people would probably remember a lot more fondly and enthusiastically. However, as is, it’s one great Flair/Luger main event, and a really strong Midnights/Rock ‘n’ Roll tag match, but overall meant very little in the grand scheme of things.

Still, that main event is truly fantastic, and takes up a quarter of the show BY ITSELF, so that alone is enough to make it worth checking out, and everything else is just gravy

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