Goody Bag III: Horsemen on the SuperStation

 

NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Tom Zenk: From Power Hour on February 2, 1990 (taped January 23). Flair is still technically a face at this point, just shy of the big turn at Clash XI. Feeling out process to start, with Zenk hanging with Flair, and even dominating to an extent. Zenk gets him trapped in a mat-based side-headlock that he really hangs onto, and that coaxes Flair's heel side out in the corner. Zenk reverses a cross corner whip to setup a backdrop, and a headscissors takes Flair down for another headlock. That again brings Ric's heelishness out, and he starts cracking Tom with chops in the corner, but Zenk is game to slug back! Flair bails to regroup, then suckers his challenger to the outside for some chops, but gets revered into the guardrail! Tom with a slingshot sunset flip for two on the way back in, and he hooks an abdominal stretch into a cradle for a few two counts. Flair responds by blasting him with more chops, and hitting a double-underhook suplex for two. Kneedrop hits, so Zenk tries an inverted atomic drop, but Ric reverses. Inside cradle gets a series of two counts, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Zenk tries to come back with a sleeper, but Ric escapes with a side suplex, as Woman and Nitron scout from ringside. Flair goes up, but Zenk slams him off, and a cross corner whip flips Flair to the outside. Tom helps him back in with a vertical suplex for two, and a rollup is worth two - reversed by Flair with a handful of tights to retain at 16:29. The match wasn't anything particularly special, but Flair's foreshadowing of the heel turn was nicely done. **

Ric Flair v Brian Pillman: From World Championship Wrestling on February 17, 1990 (taped two days prior). Flair is the NWA World Champion and Pillman is half of the NWA United States Tag Team Champions, but this is non-title. And Flair is a full-on heel at this point. The crowd is super hot for this, as Pillman wins a criss cross, and sends Flair to the outside with a dropkick. Back in, Ric tries to chop the pep out of his step, but Brian responds in kind! The sustained crowd heat for this is just incredible! And it's not sound sweetening, either - you can see the people losing their shit in the crowd! Backdrop sends Flair bailing for the dressing rooms, but he manages to knock Pillman into the rail as he follows. Back in, Pillman regroups with a ten-punch in the corner, but Ric escapes with an inverted atomic drop, then follows with a pair of kneedrops. Double-underhook suplex gets two, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Pillman tries a sleeper, but Flair quickly side suplexes out. He goes for the Figure Four, but Brian counters with an inside cradle for two. He tries to hold the champ back with headlock, but Flair is ready with a kneebreaker to escape, and he goes to work on the leg. Figure Four is applied, but even using the ropes isn't enough to get a submission out of the Brian! Pillman manages to reverse, but Flair's immediately in the ropes. He tries to vertical suplex Brian out of the ring, but Pillman reverses back in, and starts mounting a comeback! Sunset flip gets two when Woman slaps Pillman to save, and the distraction is enough to allow Flair to hit a high knee. He tries tossing Brian out of the ring, but he hangs on, and hits the Air Pillman for two! Flying bodypress, but Ric rolls through to retain at 11:43 - apparently accidentally shitting his pants in the process. Yuck. Good stuff, with unreal crowd heat in support of Pillman. ** ½

The Rock 'n' Roll Express v Ric Flair and Arn Anderson: From The Main Event, February 18, 1990 (taped February 7). Ricky Morton starts with Arn, and he sticks and moves to catch Anderson with a well executed Japanese armdrag. That has Arn complaining of cheating, but that doesn't gain traction, so the Horsemen try doubling up in the corner instead, but Robert Gibson comes in, and the Express clean house! Dust settles on Gibson and Anderson, and Robert sends him back to the outside after a blitz in the corner. Arn passes out to Ric, but the Nature Boy wants Morton, not Gibson. Hey, they don't call him 'Slick Ric' for nothing. Ricky holds his own slugging it out with Flair, and a rana sends him to the outside! The Horsemen strategize, but Ricky still gets Flair in a figure four, and when Anderson tries to save, he ends up in one from Gibson! Dust settles on Gibson and Anderson, and Robert pops him with an enzuigiri to send the Enforcer to the outside. Gibson is either selling a rib injury here, or wearing an early version of what we know today as Spanx. I'd like to think it's the latter. Dust settles on Morton and Flair, and Ricky leaves him in a tree of woe for a beating. Robert comes in for the tandem-dropkick, but Arn is there to save, and he posts Gibson on the outside. Man, that rail is way too close to the ring tonight. That leaves Morton without any backup, and the Horsemen are able to take over with a double-team. They cut the ring in half on Ricky, but he manages a flying bodypress for two on Anderson as Flair is caught up playing games with Gibson. Arn cuts off the comeback with a knee, however, and a stungun (with help from Flair) finishes at 14:39. ** ½

Ric Flair and Arn Anderson v Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk: From Pro, September 22, 1990 (taped September 10). Arn starts with Tom, and Zenk wins a criss cross with a savate kick to send Arn to the outside. Anderson tries a piledriver out there, but Zenk counters with a backdrop on the floor, and inside he passes to Pillman. Arn breaks the momentum by accusing them of cheating, but Brian fights him off in the corner, and hits a 2^nd rope missile dropkick to send the Enforcer back to the floor! Brian tries a sunset flip, but Arn manages to tag out while taking it, and Flair throws chops in the corner - only for Pillman to respond in kind! They blast each other with chops, but a cheap shot from Flair gives him control, and he snapmares Brian over to setup a kneedrop - only for Pillman to dodge! Brian with a figure four, but Arn breaks it up, and Flair tries a headlock. That leads to a reversal sequence that ends in Pillman hooking a backslide for two, but Flair is able to tag while taking it. Brian passes out as well, and Arn snapmares Zenk a couple of times, but Tom blocks a kneedrop, and hits an atomic drop. The faces pinball Arn in the corner, but fail to cut the ring in half, and Flair tags in. He cracks Brian with more chops, but gets reversed into the corner, and ends up flipping to the floor. Pillman uses the rail to flop Flair out there, but he runs into a lariat from Arn before he can bring it in, and Ric drops him onto the rail with a snake-eyes. Back in, the Horsemen try cutting the ring in half, but Pillman is just too tenacious, and quickly gets the tag to Zenk - Roseanne Barr the door! Unfortunately for Tom, he gets caught with a DDT on the outside by Arn, but the referee sees it, and disqualifies the Horseman at 11:49. This was all action, and was a nice variation on the traditional formula in that it didn't really have a heat segment. *** ¼

Ric Flair v Brian Pillman: From World Championship Wrestling, April 13, 1991 (taped April 1). Flair is WCW World Champion here, but this is non-title. Pillman shoulderblocks him down during a criss cross for some mounted punches, and Ric hides in the corner. He tries suckering Brian into some chops, but Pillman responds in kind, and cross corner whips him to setup a backdrop. Flair bails, but Brian is right on him with more chops, so Ric grabs a chair to scare Pillman back to get some air. Wow, they were chopping each other so viciously that Flair is literally bleeding from the CHEST! Crazy! Back in, Brian keeps chopping away, and a drop-toehold takes Flair down - Pillman wrapping his knee around the post! Half-crab, but Flair gets into the ropes to force a break, so Brian vertical suplexes him. Ten-punch in the corner, but Flair counters with an inverted atomic drop, and smacks Brian with a backelbow. Pair of kneedrops get two, and Flair chews out the fans for trying to alert the official to the leverage pin attempt. He's right, mind your own business, townies! Pillman uses the distraction to attack with another ten-punch, and this time blocks the attempted inverted atomic drop, and clotheslines Ric down for two. Flair tries another leveraged pin for two, but Brian hangs through a slugfest, so Ric mulekicks him. Cross corner whip and an elbowdrop get two, and a side suplex is worth two. Flair goes up, but Brian slams him down, and dives with a missile dropkick - only for Ric to sidestep! Flair with a hanging vertical suplex for two, but Pillman holds his own through a chopfest - only to clobber the referee with a dropkick when Flair dodges! Ric tries tossing him over the top, but Brian hangs on, and hits a flying clothesline - no referee to count! That draws Arn Anderson out, and Flair is able to clip the knee as the Enforcer distracts him! Figure Four with Arn for leverage as the referee recovers, but El Gigante comes out to break it up! After taking out Anderson he slaps a clawhold on Flair to break the Figure Four, but the referee sees it, and disqualifies Pillman at 13:16. Could have done with a better finish, but good stuff regardless. ***