WCW All Nighter (March 6, 1994)

 

Original Airdate: March 6, 1994

Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Eric Bischoff, Larry Zbyszko, Gordon Solie, and Chris Cruise from Schiavone's house, which is just so much better than if they did it in the studio. In another nice touch, everyone is dressed in pajamas 

NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Sting: From Clash of the Champions on March 27 1988 in Greensboro North Carolina. JJ Dillon is suspended in a shark cage for this, with Sandy Scott, Gary Juster, and Patty Mullen acting as ringside judges. Of those three, Scott and Juster are actually associated with wrestling, while Mullen is a Penthouse Pet. I guess they figured she fights off unwanted advances often enough to qualify as an expert in grappling. Flair tries to control Sting with an overhead wristlock to start, and the powerful challenger reverses, but the experienced champion is positioned close to the ropes. Test-of-strength goes the Stinger's way as well, so Flair tries chops, but Sting no-sells, and hiptosses him across the ring before knocking him out of it with a dropkick. Back in, Ric grabs a side-headlock, and shifts into a hammerlock, but Sting reverses, and shifts into a wristlock. Big criss cross once Ric escapes, ending in Sting press-slamming the champion, and executing a headscissors takedown, followed by a hiptoss before grounding Ric in a side-headlock. Flair manages to wrestle up to a vertical base in the hold, and uses a chop to escape, but gets hiptossed after another criss cross, and put back on the mat in another headlock. Ric escapes again, but this time Sting stops short to avoid having to criss cross - dropping right back down into the side-headlock when Ric hits the deck during the attempted criss cross. Flair fights free with another chop, but Sting no-sells, and executes another hiptoss/dropkick combo. Man, he really likes to hiptoss, doesn't he? Flair tries dumping him to the floor, but Sting pops right back in, and delivers some punches in the corner before taking the champ back down in another headlock. Ric escapes, and starts trying closed fists, but Sting still no-sells, and press-slams him. Bearhug wears Flair down to the mat for a few near falls, as little Wayne Arnold puts the moves on the Penthouse Pet. Good for him, the little shit. Sting gets overconfident, and misses a couple of higher risk maneuvers (elbowdrop and a cross corner elbowsmash), allowing Ric to finally put him down with an inverted atomic drop. Flair takes him to the outside for a couple of whips into the rail to capitalize, then unloads with chops on the way back in. Flair goes to work with a cross corner whip and a pair of kneedrops, followed by a pair of backscratches - as the announcers note that there is 'only' twenty five minutes left in the time limit. It's okay when they do that with only a few minutes remaining, but twenty five minutes is longer than any of the matches on the undercard - noting it repeatedly is kind of a dead giveaway of the finish. Flair cracks him with some more chops in the corner, but Sting starts no-selling, and a right hand sends the champion flying over the top. Sting goes after him, but again pays the price for trying a higher risk maneuver on the experienced champion when Ric dodges a jumping clothesline, and Sting hits the post. He manages to beat the count in, and Ric goes to work on the arm with a wristlock. Sting powers him into the corner for a ten-punch, followed by a hiptoss and a clothesline for two. Man, Sting likes the hiptoss like Burns likes the vest. Hanging vertical suplex sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, but Ric is in the ropes before the challenger can properly apply the hold. Sting keeps on him with a hard right, but again isn't experienced enough to keep Flair away from the ropes before covering. Bodypress, but Flair hits the deck, and Sting goes crashing through the ropes to the floor. Flair tries to snap his throat across the top rope on the way back in, but Sting manages to fight him off, and actually sticks a high risk maneuver with a flying bodypress for two. Ric cuts him off with a kneebreaker, however, and the champ goes to work on the leg. Another kneebreaker sends Sting to the outside, but the challenger manages to beat the count in. Ric punishes him for it by pounding the knee - though he still makes sure to take the time to taunt some fat boys at ringside. The look of pure glee on Wayne Arnold's face as Ric does so is marvelous - one proper bully appreciating another. Side suplex sets up the Figure Four, and even with Flair using the ropes, Sting will not submit! He manages to reverse the hold, but Flair gets the ropes. Ric decides to finish this punk kid off with a vertical suplex from the apron to the floor, but Sting reverses him back into the ring, and tries a splash to follow-up - only to hit the champion's knees. Abdominal stretch, but Sting reverses. Flair escapes and goes to the top rope, but the Stinger slams him down for two, then crotches him on the post for good measure. JJ Dillon protesting and calling for a disqualification from the shark cage is hilarious. Sting applies a figure four of his own, and has learned from his mistakes - making sure Flair is far from the ropes. Ric still manages to get them, so Sting goes back to what he knows best, and delivers another ten-punch, followed by a hiptoss. Out to the floor, Ric gets sent into the rail and smashed into the judges table, then takes an all expense paid trip into the post. Five minutes left in the time limit as Ric manages a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in, but Sting blocks. Ten-punch, so Ric counters with an inverted atomic drop, but Sting no-sells, and clotheslines him for two. Stinger Splash, but Flair dodges, and the challenger goes crashing to the outside, in a nice bump. Sting knows he done fucked up, but he refuses to quit - fighting in ahead of the count. Flair looks to finish with a sleeper, but Sting manages to drop him into the top turnbuckle to escape, so an increasingly desperate Flair tosses him to the floor again. Sting keeps coming with a slingshot sunset flip of his own for two, but Flair manages to get to the top rope for a flying bodypress - only for Sting to roll through for two! Stinger Splash sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, and he gets it on properly - only for the forty five minute time limit to expire at 39:14. I guess the timekeeper was distracted by Mullen? And, so, that leaves it up to our ringside judges, but they're deadlocked, and the bout is ruled a draw. Why even bother having judges then? Just do a time limit draw and be done with it. The power versus experience dynamic here was really well done, and though the match tended to be extremely repetitive, their good use of psychology kept it engaging for the full forty. This was like the type of match Triple H was always TRYING to have when he'd do those forty minute pay per view bore fests in the 2000s. And besides being a good match, it also succeeded in and is significant for making Sting into a star, as opposed to just some random UWF goof with cool face paint, not to mention is the first in what would be thirteen years worth of high profile matches between the two. And the fact that it was presented totally commercial free is just a cool little cherry on top. *** ½ 

Back at the house, Heenan is flipping out because he can’t find his ‘leisure wear,’ which he had specially flown in from Beverly Hills

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: The Enforcers v Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat: From Clash XVII in Savannah Georgia on November 19 1991. They've finally replaced the NWA tag belts with new WCW logo ones. Steamboat is, of course, a hyped mystery partner to replace the injured Barry Windham, in one of the more legendary reveals. Arn Anderson starts with the Dragon, and gets blitzed with chops, so the champ throws a cheap shot and tries to double team in the corner, but Steamboat fights both Enforcers off! That quickly turns into a brawl on the outside between all four men, with the challengers controlling, and taking the high ground. The dust settles on Larry Zbyszko and Steamboat, with Steamboat working a headlock before passing out to Dustin. The challengers utilize quick tags to work Zbyszko over, targeting the champions arm as they control the match. Arn manages to get the tag and takes over on the young Rhodes, and isn't afraid to cheat on his way to delivering a flying axehandle. Cross corner charge hits boot, however, and Dustin knocks him to the outside - Rhodes celebrating as if he just won the world title, or something. Like, chill, dude. Dust settles on Larry and Ricky, and the Dragon controls with a savate kick, but gets suckered into a chase, and clobbered by Anderson. The Enforcers quickly follow-up with a tandem move, and Zbyszko hits a vertical suplex for two. The champs cut the ring in half on Steamboat, and Ricky is opening tapping out during a Boston crab, but since this is 1991, it doesn't mean shit yet. A double-knockout spot with Anderson ends in Ricky dodging the dazed Enforcer coming off the top rope, and he gets the hot tag to Dustin! He's a barn of fire, and he catches Arn with the Bulldog, but the Enforcers fail to notice a blind tag to Ricky in the process - the Dragon diving onto Anderson with a flying bodypress to win the title at 14:48! Nice finish there, to a good formula tag match. I know a lot of people consider this to be one of the all time great tag matches, but I just don't quite see it. It's good, and certainly an excellent example of how the formula should be applied, but I just don't get a whole lot else out of it. *** ¼

Back at the house, the guys give Larry a hard time about the loss

NWA United States Title Match: Lex Luger v Ric Flair: From Clash XII on September 5 1990 in Asheville North Carolina. Welcome to the midcard, Ric! Feeling out process to start, with Flair getting dominated, and resorting to cheap shots galore. Lex shrugs them all off and press-slams him, so Flair bails to catch a breather on the outside. Back to business, Flair tries chops, but Luger no-sells and press-slams him again, then SENDS him to the outside with a clothesline over the top! He follows this time for a running clothesline on the floor, so Ric tries going to the eyes, but Luger ignores it, and press-slams him yet again. Lariat leaves Flair begging off, and he pops Luger with a cheap shot, then quickly dumps him to the floor for a whip to the rail before the champ can slam him again. Back in, Flair takes him to school with chops in the corner, and he starts working the leg. Luger hooks a backslide for two as he starts no-selling again, and he turns the tables on Ric in the corner for a ten-punch. Flair tries an inverted atomic drop to escape, but Luger lunges back at him with a lariat for two. Ric tries keeping control with a snapmare for two, but he gets slammed off the top, and Luger hits another press-slam. Powerslam sets up the Torture Rack, so Flair goes to the eyes again, but Lex fights him off with a vertical superplex for two. Ric makes a last ditch effort with a bodypress that sends them both tumbling over the top, but Lex no-sells, so Stan Hansen runs in and attacks for the DQ at 14:26. Kind of half-assed, but even a half-assed Luger/Flair match is better than anything else we've seen tonight. ** ¼ 

Back at the house, the guys are pissed that Solie still hasn’t arrived. I should note that Gene is wearing a bathrobe, which is becoming more and more undone as the evening goes on. Cruise is wearing a full suit and tie, like a loser

NWA & WCW World Tag Team Title Match: Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas v Steve Austin and Brian Pillman: From Clash XXII on Milwaukee Wisconsin on January 13 1993. I always liked how the champions carried out two sets of belts during this period, instead of just making a unified one. Which was wise in hindsight, given how long the promotional partnership lasted anyway. Steamboat starts with Austin, and a fast criss cross ends in the Dragon hitting a bodypress for two, so Brian comes in without a tag. That brings Shane in to cut off the interference, and the champs clean house. Dust settles back on Ricky and Steve, and Austin takes a cheap shot to allow the tag to Pillman. Brian throws chops in the corner, but walks into a hiptoss, and Ricky dropkicks him into some abuse from Douglas on the apron. Steamboat with an armdrag down into an armbar, then the tag to Shane for a flying elbowsmash. The champs take turns working Pillman's arms through a series of quick tags, so Brian fakes twisting his ankle during a criss cross with Shane to sucker him into a slingshot shoulderblock - only for Douglas to catch him in a powerslam for two! Tag to Austin, but Shane counters a charge with a drop-toehold, and he works a hammerlock on his challenger, as the announcers get into a weird conversation about Rush Limbaugh, and whether he's a WCW fan or not. I know they didn't like working with each other, but I've always had a soft spot for Ross and Ventura as a broadcast team. Shane with a sunset flip for two, which triggers a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Douglas hitting a nice reverse springboard bodyblock for two. That spot requires impeccable timing, and they pulled it off nicely. Tag to Steamboat, with Ricky press-slamming Douglas onto Austin, and then press-slamming an incoming Pillman onto Steve as well! He works a wristlock, but Austin whips him into a cheap shot from Pillman to escape, and Steve capitalizes with a side suplex. Tag to Brian for a bodyslam for two, and he tosses the Dragon over the top for Austin to bodyslam on the floor! Douglas rushes over for the save, but the damage is done, and the challengers cut the ring in half on the Dragon. Steamboat times his hope spots perfectly as he gets worked over, until Brian accidentally hits Steve with the Air Pillman, and Ricky is able to dive onto both with a flying tomahawk chop. Even still, Pillman cuts off the tag, and Ricky is forced to reverse a side suplex before he can finally reach Shane! Douglas comes in hot, and Roseanne Barr the door! Belly to belly suplex hits on Pillman, but Austin comes off the top to save, and puts Brian into a pinning position - Douglas able to kick out at two anyway! Shane tries a rollup, so Steve comes in with one of the title belts to save - only this time the referee sees him, and that's a DQ at 13:44! Awesome match! I short changed this one by a full star the first time around, shame on me. All action, and GOOD action at that! It sure didn't take long for Austin and Pillman to find themselves as a team, did it? **** ¼

Back at the house, Solie arrives, but everyone is mad that he didn’t bring pizza with him. “I got an idea, call Vince. He’s still in the pizza business,” suggests Eric

NWA World Title 2/3 Falls Match: Ricky Steamboat v Ric Flair: From Clash of the Champions VI in New Orleans Louisiana on April 2 1989. Terry Funk sits in to do guest commentary. They feel each other out and jockey for position on the mat - Steamboat dominating, and rattling the challenger with slaps across the face between sequences. Flair bails to the outside after losing a wristlock exchange, and resorts to accusing the champion of hair pulling to try and derail him. The referee doesn't buy a word of it, however, and starts counting him out - Flair forced to re-enter or lose a fall. In, Steamboat wins a criss cross with a hiptoss, and he takes Ric down with a side-headlock. Flair rolls it over into a few pinfall attempts, and into the corner, he throws some brutal chops to shake the Dragon off. That gets some traction, but then Steamboat starts responding in kind, and he takes Flair down with a headscissors followed by a dropkick. Back to the mat-based headlock, so Flair resorts to the chops again - again outdone in that department by the champion. Steamboat backdrops him for two, and Flair is actively begging off - able to sucker Steamboat into the corner by doing so. You know, these matches are great and legendary, but one major flaw is shit like that. That's acceptable in the first match, but by this point Steamboat should know who he's dealing with and know better than to get suckered into the corner like that. Ricky starts throwing chops to flop Flair for two, but a front-facelock is broken via an inverted atomic drop. Steamboat STILL manages to level him with another chop anyway for two, and a quick shoulderblock is worth two. Criss cross ends in Steamboat executing a double knife-edge for two, and Flair wisely bails to the floor to break the momentum. Back in, Steamboat absolutely MURDERS him with chops, but Flair is in the ropes to prevent a cover. Ricky responds with a hanging vertical suplex, but a splash follow-up is blocked when Flair lifts his knees. And, boy, Steamboat got ALL of that one. That knocks the wind out of him enough for Flair to unload chops without an equal response, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop. Double-underhook suplex gets a wonderful series of no less than a dozen two counts - Flair doing a great job of selling the psychology of the wear down attempt here. Steamboat ends up kipping up to escape the series of covers, and he hiptosses Flair out of the corner - only for Ric to dodge the dropkick this time. Right to the Figure Four, but Steamboat counters with an inside cradle (the same counter he won the title with at Chi-Town Rumble), but this time Flair reverses for the pin at 19:33! Nice callback. Yep, twenty minutes in and we've only hit the FIRST FALL with this shit! Criss cross ends in Steamboat rallying with a press-slam, and he blitzes Flair with a flying tomahawk chop for two. He grabs a headlock, but Flair escapes with a side suplex, then adds a kneedrop. Second one misses, however, and Steamboat capitalizes with a series of fifteen some-odd elbowdrops to the leg in rapid fire succession. That was quite the sequence, and a testament to the conditioning of the Dragon at this point. Ricky ends it by putting Flair in his own figure four hold, but Flair gets the ropes, so Ricky puts him in a Boston crab instead. Nice visual touch, as virtuous family man Steamboat is dressed all in white, while heelish Flair is in all black. Ric gets the ropes again to break, and a pinfall reversal sequence ends in Steamboat hooking a backslide for two. Man, he really had to fight for that one! They spill to the outside, and Ric sends him into the rail, then bodyslams him on the outside. Well, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He's in no rush to get back in either - taking his time punishing Steamboat on the floor since a double countout gives him a 2-1 win. After whipping Steamboat into the rail again, Flair goes in to get his countout, but Ricky beats it! Flair responds with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he grabs an abdominal cradle for a series of two counts - using the ropes for leverage when Ricky just won't die! Give him credit though, we're a half hour in, and that's the first time he's resorted to that. Has to be some kind of record. It's STILL not enough to pin the Dragon, however, but now Ricky is the one on the defensive, and throwing desperation chops. Flair tries a side suplex, but Steamboat counters with a rollup for two. Somersault cradle gets two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and gets blasted with a knee for two. Ric goes up, but Steamboat is able to rally with a superplex, and he starts unloading tomahawk chops and forearms to the lower back. That softens Flair up for a double-chickenwing, and he submits rather quickly at 34:14 - knowing he's got no chance of escape, and fighting the pain for an extended period will leave him vulnerable to additional falls. Wow, I don't even remember the last time I saw Flair submit, let alone cleanly. You know, for all the talk of the crowds turning on Steamboat during this period, they are pretty rabid for him here. Ricky keeps after him with an abdominal stretch, so Flair goes to the eyes to escape - but still flops to the mat out of exhaustion anyway. Steamboat throws a chop for two, and a backdrop sets up more tomahawks to the back. Ric manages to pull out a kneebreaker to slow the Dragon down, and this time he's able to successfully apply the Figure Four! Unfortunately for him, Steamboat is almost immediately in the ropes. Big chopfest ends in Flair flipping onto the apron for a chop, and the challenger is begging off again. And AGAIN Steamboat falls for it! Oh, come on! Ric sweeps him into a pin with two feet on the ropes, but it only gets two. Frankly, I'd have been fine with that as the finish, because Steamboat deserved to lose for being so stupid. Flair starts going to work on the leg, though unfortunately he doesn't try one-upping Steamboat by dropping twenty elbows to the knee, or anything. Would have been amazing if he did, though. He DOES slap on another Figure Four instead, this time at center ring, and Steamboat has to find an escape, since unlike Flair's strategy earlier, a submission loses him the match! He manages to rock the boat enough to roll it into the ropes, but Flair stays right on the leg after releasing. Flying bodypress gets two for the challenger, so Steamboat tries a bodyslam, but the knee gives out, and Flair topples him for two. Criss cross goes Ricky's way with a jumping shoulderblock, the bad wheel still slowing the Dragon down. He still manages a flying bodypress for two, and a swinging neckbreaker is worth two. Slingshot sunset flip gets two (despite a Herculean effort to block by Flair), and another criss cross ends in Ric hooking a sleeper. Steamboat drops him into the corner to escape, but Flair doesn't give him a moments peace - going right back after the leg. Steamboat responds with an enzuigiri for two, but a big flying splash misses completely, and Flair starts hammering the knee again. Steamboat summons his last wind to start throwing chops again, and it should be noted that a good number of people in the crowd are either walking around, or looking bored. Flair tries cutting the comeback off with a side suplex, but he gets slammed off the top rope, and Steamboat slaps on another double-chickenwing. Knowing full well that Flair will fight with everything now that he doesn't have the luxury of another fall, Steamboat drops back into a cradle with it, and gets the pin at 55:32. But, it turns out Flair's foot was actually underneath the bottom rope, so I guess we'll just have to have one last match at WrestleWar then. A real testament to the stamina of both guys here, as it’s one thing to go an hour, and quite another to go an hour at this pace. And, for those keeping score, that’s three great finishes in a single match, whereas today we’re lucky if we get one great finish per show anymore. While I was able to see the error in my initial judgment of the Chi-Town Rumble match, I still don’t see this one as a five-star match. It’s great, yes. It’s epic, yes. But it’s ultimately flawed by repetition and some glaring lapses in psychology. Like, they remember enough to do a callback to the Chicago finish, but then Steamboat is falling for Flair’s cliché dirty tricks not once but TWICE in the same match? Overall, I’d put this in the same category as the Flair/Sting match from the first Clash more than I would with their other matches. ****

Back at the house, Heenan has found some pajamas, but they’re not his usual ones, and they’re oversized candy striped ones. Bobby is great here, selling his embarrassment brilliantly 

Steve Austin v Brian Pillman: From Clash XXV in St. Petersburg Florida on November 10 1993. I get that there was a lot of politics involved, but breaking up the Blonds at the height of their run is still such a boneheaded move that it's annoying almost a quarter of a century later. Both guys are still sporting the team gear tonight, Tito Santana style! Pillman attacks before the bell, but gets caught up chasing Colonel Parker, and Austin manages to blast him with a clothesline on the outside. Whip into the guardrail gets reversed, however, and Brian cracks his former partner with a chop. Inside, Pillman with a backdrop, and he keeps unloading with those chops in the corner. Criss cross goes Brian's way with a headscissors, and Steve bails to the ramp - able to nail Pillman as he tries following out. Steve with a piledriver on the ramp, but Brian counters with a backdrop, and he comes off the top with a flying splash - only for Steve to lift his boot to block, then shove his former partner off of the ramp and into the rail! Steve dives after him with a flying forearm, and a snapmare on the floor sets up a kneedrop out there. Austin heads in, but Brian is on him with a slingshot shoulderblock for two - only to run into a press-drop across the top rope while looking for a follow-up! Steve with a snapmare to setup a half-crab, but he gets caught using the ropes for leverage, and has to abandon it. That allows Brian to fire off some chops, so Steve tries a corner whip, but Pillman springboard up onto the middle rope, and then dives back at Austin with a flying backelbow. Austin recovers first, and heads up, but Brian is able to crotch him on the top turnbuckle. He tries a superplex, but Steve counters with a gourdbuster off the top - only to have the follow-up dive countered with a dropkick for two! Brian tries following up with a backdrop, but Steve counters with a piledriver, so Pillman counters back with a rana for two. Another slingshot shoulderblock, but Steve counters this one with a powerslam for two, and he adds a facebuster. Straddling ropechoke misses, however, and Pillman DDTs him for two. Crucifix, but Austin counters with a Samoan drop, and he heads back to the top for a flying splash, but Brian rolls out of the way, and hooks an Oklahoma roll for two! Austin tries the Stungun, but Brian blocks - only to have Parker shove him off the ropes while trying the Air Pillman, and Austin gets the pin at 9:11! I really wish these two got twenty minutes on pay per view sometime, but at least we got this. *** ½

Cactus Jack v Van Hammer: Also from Clash XVII. Hammer gets a special music video as he makes his entrance, which definitely falls firmly into the 'so bad, it's good' category. One woman in the crowd seems to dig it, at least. And, hey, if you can reach even one person, you've done your job. And Van Hammer can certainly do a job. Jack attacks him from behind, but walks into a side suplex, and Hammer sends him to the outside with a dropkick, then dives after him with a plancha. Back in, Hammer throws a big boot, then bodyslams Cactus to setup a legdrop for two. They should have known right then and there that he wouldn't be the next Hulk Hogan. Jack fires back with a one-handed bulldog and a Cactus-clothesline sends them over the top - Jack adding a 2nd rope flying elbowdrop out there! Slugfest goes Jack's way, but a cross corner whip doesn't, and Hammer delivers a flying kneedrop for two. Shoulderblock sends Cactus back to the outside, but he whacks Hammer with his own guitar when Van tries to go after him, then covers for the pin at 4:06. Jack keeps attacking him even after the bell, but ends up taking a slingshot suplex onto the elevated ramp, and they brawl back to the dressing rooms. Very energetic stuff here, with tons of effort from the usually terrible Hammer, and a reliably strong performance from Cactus. ** ½ 

Back at the house, Tony talks to Ric Flair on the phone, as Bobby comes in with a stack of Papa Johns

The Road Warriors v The Samoan Swat Team: From Clash VII in Columbia South Carolina on September 12 1989. God, the Warriors are jacked! I'm surprised Vince McMahon didn't roll up on these guys in a dump truck full of money well before he actually did. Though, in all honestly, he probably DID, but the Warriors' likely held off signing any deals that conflicted with their Japanese commitments. Animal blitzes Fatu to start, and powerslams him, so Samu runs in - Animal clotheslining him right back out! The Swat Team regroup on the outside, and the dust settles on Hawk and Samu. Samu tries getting cute with some Freebirds-style stall tactics, but that doesn't fly with the Warriors, and he gets thrown around. Tag back to Fatu, as the Warriors continue to completely squash the Swat Team. Hawk with a clothesline for two, but he misses a cross corner charge and goes flying to the outside - Samu quick to capitalize with an attack out there! One thing I especially miss about these old Southern shows is those older ladies in the front rows who are just absolutely LOSING THEIR MINDS trying to alert the official to cheating by the heels. It's still real to them, damn it! That kind of fan kinda faded away once the Attitude Era came around, but I remember even well into the 90s seeing one such old lady nearly deck Hulk Hogan on an episode of Nitro after the heel turn in 1996. You just don't see that kind of passion from the fans anymore, and I miss it! The Swat Team cut the ring in half on Hawk, but a flying splash from Fatu hits boot, and Animal gets the hot tag! He's a pharmacy of fire, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! The Swat Team try to use manager Paul E. Dangerously's Zack Morris phone in the chaos, but it backfires, and the Doomsday Device finishes Fatu at 6:46. Afterwards, the Swat Team breakup with Dangerously. Nothing special, but it's always fun watching big heavies toss each other around. * ¼

Back at the house, Ric Flair arrives, and he’s in a full suit, even in the middle of the night. Well, he was probably coming from a night club somewhere. Poor Cruise looks put out by the fact that Flair has one-upped his suit game

Thunderdome Cage Match: Ric Flair and Sting v Terry Funk and Great Muta: From Halloween Havoc on October 28 1989 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Bruno Sammartino acts as the special guest referee, and the match can only end when the designated corner persons (Ole Anderson and Gary Hart, respectively) throw in the towel for their teams. I always found it weird that this was booked as standard tag rules, as opposed to tornado style. Muta earns his pay for the night right away by using his patented mist to put out an unplanned fire at the top of the electrified cage structure before the bell - the result of some production crew idiot putting Halloween themed hay decorations over a heat source. Flair starts with Funk, and they tear right into each other, of course. Funk bodyslams the World Champion, but Flair doesn't take that well - responding by not only slamming Funk twice himself, but then giving him a third slam over the top to the floor! Tag to Sting, and he rams Terry into the cage out there, then back to Flair for a tandem backelbow and a pair of corner whips. Chop puts Terry down for a kneedrop, and Ric knocks Muta off the apron for good measure! Tag to Sting (with Sting already in the ring when the tag is made - which would have never gotten by any referee who isn't named 'Bruno Sammartino') for a dropkick, but it knocks Funk right into a tag to Muta. Sting immediately press-slams him INTO Funk, then vertical suplexes him before passing back to Ric. Flair snapmares Muta over to setup a series of mounted punches, and an inverted atomic drop follows. Another snapmare sets up a kneedrop, and Sting tags in to take Muta to the floor for some abuse with the cage. That leads to a brawl between both teams on the outside, and Muta manages to catch Sting with some chops on the way in - knocking him into the heel corner for Funk to abuse as well. Muta with a snapmare to setup a CRISP elbowdrop and a legdrop, and Funk takes Sting back to the floor to choke. Inside, Muta executes another crisp move with a vertical suplex, and he and Funk take turns dropping elbow after elbow on the Stinger until Flair saves. Ric gives Terry a vertical suplex as Sting comes back on Muta with a bulldog - then gives Funk one as well for good measure! Scorpion Deathlock looks to finish, but Funk saves, so Flair ends up chasing him up the side of the cage. Sting and Muta end up climbing as well, though there's very little anyone can do beyond slugging it out, since the design of the structure prevents them from taking any major bumps back down. As Flair chokes Funk out with some rope on the cage, Sting presses Muta over his head for a good fifteen seconds before finally slamming him down, as Bruno loses all control over this thing. Flair comes down to side suplex Muta and put him in the Figure Four, as Sting climbs the cage and uses a rope to swing like Tarzan with a dropkick at Funk! Wild! Another try at that misses, however, and Flair ends up trapped in the Muta Lock as Funk ties Sting to the cage! That allows the heels to gang up on Flair with a spike piledriver, but Ole Anderson manages to free Sting, and he comes flying off the side of the cage with a bodypress on Funk! Hell yeah! Flair capitalizes by going after Funk's knee as Sting gets rid of Muta, and Flair puts Funk in the Figure Four! With Muta out of the way, Sting assists Flair by diving onto the prone Funk with flying splashes, but Gary Hart won't throw in the towel. That leads to a slugfest with Ole, and he ends up knocking the towel out of Hart's hands - Sammartino tricked into thinking it was intentional at 23:46. Took a little while to properly get going, but once they abandoned the tag format, it was tremendous! This didn't quite deliver the pure hatred and intensity that the buildup required of it, but it was a good match in the general sense - though I didn't care for the finish at all. Just have Hart throw it in, then build to the Flair/Funk I Quit Match on the basis that TERRY never quit. Having Ole knock it out of his hands to confuse Sammartino into calling for the bell is weak as fuck, and helps no one! *** ¼ 

Back at the house, Heenan is trying to choke down the cold pizza and stale chips

The Midnight Express v Ric Flair and Barry Windham: From Clash IV on December 7 1988 in Chattanooga Tennessee. Bobby Eaton starts with Ric, and Flair plays some mind games. Bobby responds to his taunting by paintbrushing him so hard he nearly goes flying out of the ring, and we have a slugfest, baby! Eaton controls it with a backdrop, and Flair flips onto the apron - and right into a shot from Sweet Stan Lane! Tag, and Stan savate kicks the Nature Boy down, then throws an enzuigiri before Ric tags out to Barry. Watching the Midnight's and Jim Cornette play babyfaces is so damn weird. And not because they're bad at it (they're not), it just seems wrong. Stan with a dropkick, but he gets trapped in the corner with some rights from Windham, and Barry bodyslams him - only to miss a big flying elbowdrop. Stan capitalizes with a dropkick and a savate kick to send Windham to the outside, where Bobby is ready with some abuse. Both men tag out, and a well timed criss cross ends in Eaton reversing a hiptoss, then bodyslamming Flair. The Horsemen try double-teaming, but Bobby double-clotheslines them down to clean house, and a brawl between the two teams ends in the Express hooking stereo figure fours! Flair takes a cheap shot to try to put Stan down, but Lane just keeps on coming with a backelbow (looked like he wanted to do a slingshot move there, but Flair was out of position - LEARN TO WORK, RIC), and another savate kick puts Ric down. Tag to Bobby, so Flair throws another cheap shot, but loses a slugfest. Back to Lane, and a criss cross goes Ric's way with a backelbow, and quickly passes out to Windham to powerslam him for two. As the Horsemen begin cutting the ring in half, Paul E. Dangerously shows up on the split screen to talk about the Original Midnight Express - very early into Paul's WCW run. Lane manages to slam Flair down off the top rope to allow the tag to Bobby, and he unloads on Ric with a ten-punch. Eaton with a swinging neckbreaker, and the Express tandem-flapjack Flair for two. Rollup gets two when Barry saves, and now Bobby is in trouble – Windham tagging in and punishing him with an inverted atomic drop. Vertical suplex and a powerslam follow, and Flair tags in with a kneedrop. The Express' tights tonight look like a PBS gay rights special. The Horsemen abuse Bobby on the floor (a tights-inspired hate crime, perhaps?), but Bobby manages to fight them off and tag. Lane passes savate kicks around like it's Halloween in Samoa, and a brawl breaks out between the two teams! Eaton hits Windham with the Alabama Jam, so Flair steals a shoe from JJ Dillon, clobbers Bobby with it, and Barry scores the pinfall at 17:41. Really well fun, paced match, with non-stop action for twenty minutes here, and great timing throughout. *** ½

Back at the house, Tony has put the hood on his hoodie up, so you know things are getting real

I Quit Match: Ric Flair v Terry Funk: From Clash IX in Troy New York on November 15 1989. 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. *** 

Back at the house, the guys sign off, and everyone leaves without helping him clean up before his wife gets home. It’s a Bonnie situation

BUExperience: One of the best concepts ever. This was fantastic.