NWA (WCW) Power Hour (January 12, 1990)

 

Original Airdate: January 12, 1990 (taped January 2)

From Gainesville, Georgia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette

Steve Williams v Brodie Chase: I feel like a need a bath after even looking at Chase. Steve with the Oklahoma stampede at 6:55. Yes, seven minutes to squash fucking Brodie Chase. No wonder Williams never became a big star. Stop blaming poor Bart Gunn. ¼*

Gordin Solie is in the studio for the Wrestling News Network. The big news this week is the return of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express

NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Eddie Gilbert: From World Wide Wrestling on January 6 1990 (taped December 14 1989) in Peoria Illinois. Posturing to start, controlled by the champion. Ric grounds him in a headlock for a bit, as Woman arrives at ringside, observing. Flair with a hiptoss, and Gilbert falls out of the ring. He makes it back in and gets into a double knucklelock with the Nature Boy, but it ends badly for him. A criss cross allows Gilbert a drop-toehold, and he gets Ric in a figure four, but Flair makes the ropes. Ric takes Eddie into the corner for chops, but Gilbert manages to topple him for two on a bodyslam attempt. Gilbert puts the boots to the champion, and a hotshot looks to finish, but Ric is in the ropes at two. Eddie keeps coming with a sleeper, but Flair drops him into the corner to force a break, and they trade chops from there. Flair wins the exchange, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Gilbert throws a clothesline for two on the rebound. Gilbert tries another sleeper, but Flair quickly escapes with a snapmare. Gilbert stays on him with right hands, but Flair reloads the chops. Flair tries a backdrop, so Gilbert counters with an inside cradle - only to have Ric reverse at 8:07. Solid stuff. It took a little time to find its voice, but it was really strong once it did. * ¼ 

Terry Funk hosts Funk’s Grill, with guest Kevin Sullivan. Sullivan is wearing a suit and tie, so I can’t take anything he has to say seriously. Sorry

NWA Television Title Match: Great Muta v Arn Anderson: Feeling out process to start, with Arn dominating, and hitting a vertical suplex. He works a standing side-headlock and an armbar, but Muta escapes with a leg-feed kick, and he follows up with a swift elbowdrop before dumping Arn to the outside. Muta follows to send him into the guardrail, then back in for a flying tomahawk chop on the challenger. Handspring backelbow dazes Arn for the Muta-Lock, but Anderson escapes, and hammers on him with mounted punches. Muta responds with a spinkick, but Arn counters a ten-punch with an inverted atomic drop, then adds a second one for good measure. Anderson keeps coming with a hammerlock slam, and he grabs an abdominal stretch on the champion, but Muta gets into the ropes, and both men go tumbling over the top. Muta sends him into the rail again out there, then back in for a backdrop, but Anderson blocks, and quickly adds a rotating spinebuster! That brings Muta's henchmen into play, and Anderson is knocked silly, but kicks out of a lateral press at two. Muta with another spinkick and a backbreaker to setup a flying moonsault, but Arn lifts the knees to block, and quickly adds a DDT to win the title at 13:17. This took forever to get going, and was kind of dull even once it got off the ground. Disappointing. *

Arn stops by the podium to chat with Ross, but before he can properly celebrate, Buzz Sawyer shows up to challenge him for a shot next week

BUExperience: Lots to see this week, though that Steve Williams squash felt endless.