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From the Shelf – NWA Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

July 31, 2015 | Posted by Dylan Diot
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From the Shelf – NWA Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre  

NWA Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
2-15-89
Cleveland, OH

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Magnum TA.

The Russians Assassins (#1 and #2) w/Paul Jones vs. Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette
Lane and #1 start. #1 overpowers Lane to start but Lane fires back with kicks. Tag to Eaton and he begins to work the arm of #1. Slam by #1 and #2 tags in. Elbow drop misses and Lane tags in. Clothesline by Lane and he drop toe holds #2 into an elbow drop to the back by Eaton. The Midnight Express take turns working over #2 and #1 tags in. Eaton fires away on them and both teams have to break up a confrontation between Cornette and Jones. Back in, the Express hit a double back elbow to #2 and they stack the Russians up in the corner. #1 gets dumped to the floor and Cornette nails #1 in the back with a tennis racket!!! Back in, Lane fires away on #2, knocking him to the floor. Back in, #1 switched in and he attacks Lane. Tag to #2 and they hit a double choke takedown on Lane. Bionic elbow knocks Lane to the floor and back in, #1 tags in. Bear hug by #1 but Lane is able to fight out. Tag to #2 and he suplexes Lane for 2. Bear hug by #2 but Lane is able to hip toss out. The Assassins double team Lane in the corner and #1 covers for 2. #1 stomps away and he goes back to the bear hug. Lane is able to fight out and he goes for a cannonball in the corner but misses. Slam by #1 and #2 tags in. Dropping forearm smash by #2 gets 2. Crossbody by Lane gets 2. Tag to #1 and he hits an elbow drop for 2. Slam by #1 and he grabs a half crab, grabbing the ropes for added leverage. Eaton breaks it up and the Assassins go for the Russian Missile but miss. Tag to Eaton and he cleans house. Double bulldog by Eaton and #2 dumps Eaton to the floor as we go to break. Huh? I don’t know if it was a WWE network issue or what, but I didn’t see the finish. The Express ended up winning with the Rocket Launcher.
Winners- The Midnight Express *** (Well missing the finish sucked. I thought the match was pretty good for the most part. The Assassins tendency to go to the bear hug was annoying but they had a nice heat segment on Lance and the action for the most part was interesting. )

Ricky Steamboat discusses being a father and says he’s going to win the World Heavyweight Championship to provide a future for his son. He warns Ric Flair not to interfere tonight because they’ll meet at Chi-Town Rumble.

Steve Casey vs. Butch Reed
Dropkick by Casey and he begins to work the arm of Reed. Leg drop to the arm by Casey and eventually, Reed gets to the ropes to force a break. Reed begins to work the arm but Casey regains control, so Reed backs him into the ropes to force a break. Casey catches Reed with the arm drag and he goes back to the arm. Reed goes to the floor to regroup and back in, they go to the test of strength. Reed breaks it up and he begins to work over Casey in the corner. Snap mare and Reed steps on the face of Casey. Reed dumps Casey to the floor and he snaps Casey’s neck off the ropes. Casey starts to fight back but Reed catches him with an axe handle to bring Casey down. Standing chin lock by Reed bur Casey fights out. Reed pulls Casey to the floor and he suplexes Casey back into the ring for 2. Casey begins to fight back and he misses a dropkick. Reed slams Casey’s face of the mat and goes back to the chin lock. Casey’s arm goes down twice but he runs into the corner, driving Reed into the turnbuckle to break the hold. Punches in the corner by Casey and he hip tosses Reed. Monkey flip by Reed and he catches Reed with some dropkicks. Casey goes for a crossbody but Reed catches him and hits a press slam. Reed goes up and hits a flying shoulder block off the top for 3.
Winner- Butch Reed **1/2 ( This is the second Clash in a row that had an unnecessarily long squash. The match they had was fine but they were forced to drag this out for SEVENTEEN minutes! They try to put Casey over as an undefeated talent but that’s still no excuse for this to go long and this make me believe Reed was any real threat to Sting’s championship at Chi-Town Rumble. )

Ric Flair comes out with a parade of women and claims he has the life right now. Flair offers Steamboat some of his girls and calls him out. Ricky Steamboat makes his way out and Flair asks if Steamboat is bored of being with the same woman every night. Flair tells Steamboat to do himself a favor and don’t show up for the title match. Steamboat declares his dislike for Flair and what he represents. Flair declares he is what a champion is all about and he tells Steamboat to go help the Mrs. With the dishes. Steamboat attacks Flair and he tears apart Flair’s wardrobe. Flair tries to fight back but Steamboat is able to complete strip Flair down to his boxers. Steamboat hits a crossbody off the top to Flair but Hiro Matsuda attacks from behind. He holds Steamboat so Flair could pound away on Steamboat but Steamboat is able to fight back. Steamboat and Flair brawl into the crowd and he stands tall in the ring, putting on whatever remains of Flair’s outfit.

The Blackmailer w/Hiro Matsuda vs. Lex Luger
Luger overpowers Blackmailer to start and Blackmailer is forced to bail. Back in, Blackmailer catches Luger with a back suplex but Luger hops right back up. Backdrop by Luger and he goes to the side headlock. Powerslam by Luger and he goes back to the side headlock. Press slam by Luger and he charges but misses and crashes all the way to the floor. Blackmailer hammers away to prevent Luger from re-entering the ring. Luger comes back in with a sunset flip for 2. Blackmailer rakes the eyes and he chokes Luger in the ropes. Snap mare by Blackmailer gets 2 and he goes to the chin lock. Luger fights out but Blackmailer catches him with a knee to the midsection to end the momentum. Luger blocks a suplex and he reverses into his own. Blackmailer hammers the back of Luger but Luger tosses him away. Back elbow by Luger and he puts Blackmailer on top. Superplex by Luger gets 3.
Winner- Lex Luger ** (Another long, drawn out squash. This was stereotypical 80s pro wrestling, find a dude, put him under a mask, and give his a unique nickname so he can appear to be threatening for the big baby face to come in and clean house. However, by 1989 that kind of logic had run its course and it just came across as cheesy here. )

Rick Steiner says “Alex” will give him guidance tonight against Rip Morgan.

US Tag Team Championships- The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) w/Kevin Sullivan © vs. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton)
Rotunda and Rogers start. Rogers outwrestles Rotunda to start and Rogers catches Rotunda with a cross body for 2. Williams tags in and he catches Rogers with a lariat. Elbow drop misses and Fulton tags in. Double dropkick by the Fantastics and Williams overpowers Fulton to come back. Williams charges but misses and he crashes to the floor. Back in, Fulton fires away and Rotunda tags in. Sunset flip by Fulton gets 2 and Williams tags in. Crossbody by Fulton gets 2 and Rogers tags in. Dropkick by Rogers and Williams comes back with a back drop. Tag to Rotunda and he hits a back elbow. Rogers fires back and Fulton tags in. Knee lift by Fulton gets 2. Punches in the corner by Fulton but Williams breaks it up, knocking Fulton to the floor. Williams drops Fulton onto the barricade and back in, Rotunda catches Fulton with a dropkick. Double axe handle off the top by Williams gets 2. Arm bar by Williams but Fulton arm drags out. Atomic drop by Rotunda and he hits a leg drop for 2. Slam by Rotunda and he goes for a big splash but eats knees. Williams drops Fulton in the ropes and he hits a press slam. Three Point Stance by Williams and he goes for the Stampede but Fulton is able to block. Tag to Rogers and he fires away on Williams. Springboard axe handle by Rogers and Rotunda trips him up to end that. Elbow drop by Williams misses and Rotunda pulls Rogers to the floor. Rogers hits a crossbody off the top to Williams but the ref is distracted. Knee drop off the second rope by Rotunda and Williams rolls on top for 3!!!
Winners and Still US Tag Team Champions- The Varsity Club ***1/4 (Solid match. I’m becoming a huge fan of the Fantastic’s work, as they sold like champs for the Varsity Club and made them look like ruthless killers. )

Bob Bradley vs. Ricky Steamboat
Atomic drop by Steamboat and he hits some rights. He knocks Bradley down with a chop and he bails. Back in, Bradley hits a hip toss and he slams Steamboat. Hip tosses by Steamboat and he slams Bradley. Back in, Steamboat slams Bradley face first into the mat and he follows Bradley out to the floor, where Bradley catches him with a slam. Back in, Bradley slams Steamboat and hits a back elbow. Slam by Bradley and he hits a clothesline. Bradley misses a dropkick into the corner and Steamboat begins to work the arm of Bradley. Back drop by Steamboat and he goes back to the arm. Hip toss by Steamboat and we once again go back to the arm. Bradley knocks Steamboat down with a chop and he catches Steamboat with a sidewalk slam. Bradley goes up and he misses a diving head butt. Steamboat knocks Bradley down with a chop and he goes up. Flying karate chop by Steamboat and he goes up again. Crossbody off the top by Steamboat gets 3.
Winner- Ricky Steamboat ** (This was a much shorter squash than most of the matches tonight but again, it’s nothing that we haven’t seen from Steamboat before. By the numbers Steamboat spots to give him one more showcase before his big showdown with Flair. )

Rip Morgan vs. Rick Steiner
Morgan attacks to start and Rick catches Morgan with a clothesline, forcing Morgan to bail. Back in, Morgan throws some knees to the midsection in the corner and Rick comes back with a powerslam. Rights by Steiner and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Back elbow by Morgan gets 2 and he goes to the chin lock. Slam by Morgan and he goes for a second rope splash but misses. Clothesline by Steiner and he slams Morgan. Elbow drop misses and Morgan goes for the bear hug but Steiner counters into the belly to belly suplex for 3.
Winner- Rick Steiner *1/2 (Short and to the point. Steiner came in and dominated, which continues the trend of showcasing guys who have big matches coming up on the PPV. )

Sting, Junkyard Dog, and Michael Hayes are hyped for the main event and Hayes claims he knows how to beat the Road Warriors. They head to their locker room to talk strategy but Kevin Sullivan follows and he locks the challengers inside!!!

NWA Six Man Tag Team Championships- The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) and Genichiro Tenryu © w/Paul Ellering vs. Sting, Junkyard Dog, and Michael Hayes
Before the match, the Varsity Club comes out and clear the ring of the champions. They have replaced Sting’s team after Sullivan locked them in the locker room. Animal and Sullivan start. Clothesline by Animal and he catches Williams and Rotunda coming in as well. Tag to Hawk and he hits a leaping shoulder block. Rotunda and Tenryu tags in. Tenryu knocks Rotunda down with a chop and catches him with a dropkick. Williams tags in and Tenryu catches him with an enzuigiri. Tag to Hawk and he hits a corner clothesline. Tag to Animal and Williams pulls him into the corner to regain control. Rotunda tags in and the Varsity Club double team Animal. Rotunda dumps Animal to the floor and sends him into the post. They work on Animal’s shoulder on the floor and Williams sends Animal shoulder first into the post again. Back in, Sullivan works the shoulder but Animal fires back. They collide mid-ring and both men are down. Tag to Hawk but the ref missed it, allowing the Varsity Club to triple team Animal. Sting, Junkyard Dog, and Michael Hayes come out and they begin brawling with both teams!!! The ref throws the match out as all three teams brawl.
Match ends in a Double DQ ** (That angle prior to the match was something straight out of 1999 WWF and made the face team look like goofs for getting themselves locked out of their title shot. The match was fine for a short brawl but again, this only existed to hype up various matches for the Chi-Town Rumble. )

5.0
The final score: review Not So Good
The 411
This show was basically the Chi-Town Rumble hype show. This is the first Clash that lacked a major contest and instead the entire card was used to hype up matches on the PPV. We got a pretty good Flair/Steamboat angle and some fun tags but this is easily the worst Clash of the Champions to date and pretty much a waste of the concept. A good chunk of this show showed signs that the NWA was behind on the types, as they were sticking to the old formula of long squashes and goofy gimmicks and the main event angle was so cartoonish on so many levels. This Clash is an easily skippable show. It's not horrible but it's pretty much a waste of time.
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From The Shelf, NWA, Dylan Diot