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From The Shelf – NWA Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin Cajun
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4-2-89
New Orleans, LA
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Michael Hayes.
Samoan Swat Team (Fatu and Samu) w/Paul E. Dangerously vs. Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette
Samu and Lane start. Samu fires away and he misses a crossbody. Lane connects with one of his own for 2. Slam by Samu and Fatu tags in along with Eaton. Drop toe hold/elbow drop to the back combo by the Express and Eaton goes up. Missile dropkick by Eaton and Lane tags in. Lane goes to the chin lock as Cornette gets a tennis racquet shot in on Samu. Tag to Eaton and the Express hit a double back elbow. Tag to Lane and Fatu knocks him down. Tag to Samu and Lane gets a sunset flip for 2. Tag to Eaton and the Express continue to control Samu. Samu catches Lane with a back suplex to finally gain the upper hand and he hits a leg drop on Lane. Tag to Fatu and he slams Lane for 2. Dropkick by Lane and Eaton tags in. Backdrop by Eaton and he gets a small package for 2. The Express contol Fatu with a side headlock and he knocks Fatu down when he finally escapes. Leap frog to the back by the Express to Fatu gets 2. Samu catches Eaton with a clothesline and he works Eaton over in the corner. Spin kick by Samu gets 2. He goes to the nerve hold but Eaton fights back. Fatu takes Eaton down by the hair and he hits a back elbow for 2. Back to the nerve hold but Eaton fights out again so Fatu takes him down with a clothesline for 2. Samu tags in and he works over Eaton in the corner. Tag to Lane and he fires away on Samu. Everyone brawls and the Express rams the Samoan’s heads together. Dangerously trips up Lane and Cornette nails Fatu in the back with the racquet. Powerslam by Fatu to Lane gets 2 and he goes back to the nerve hold. The Samoans take out Lane with a double head butt for 2. Super kick by Samu gets 2. Slam by Fatu and he goes up but misses the diving head butt. Tag to Eaton and he cleans house. Double head butts by the Samoans ends his run and Fatu goes up. Axe handle misses Eaton and he nails Samu. Flying forearm by Eaton to Fatu and he hits a swinging neck breaker on Samu for 2 as Fatu saves. Rocket Launcher by the Express but the ref is distracted, allowing Fatu nail Eaton with the telephone. Samu covers Eaton for 3!!!
Winners- Samoan Swat Team ***1/2 (Really good opener to start the show. Twenty minutes was probably too long for this match and the first quarter of the match was the Express using a headlock to drag out the time but the rest was classic tag action with Lane playing an awesome face in peril and you had Dangerously and Cornette trying to out cheat the other on the outside so the whole package for the match was outstanding. )
Great Muta w/Gary Hart vs. Steve Casey
Muta blows the mist into the face of Casey to start and Muta fires away. Handspring back elbow by Muta and he goes to the chin lock. Casey fights out and begins to work the arm of Muta to come back. Muta breaks with a mule kick and he dumps Casey to the floor. Muta goes up and hits a missile dropkick on Casey. Muta rakes the eyes of Casey and he begins to work the leg of Casey. Spin kick by Muta and he goes to the nerve hold. Casey fights out and he catches Muta with a clothesline. Back elbow by Casey gets 2. Dropkick by Casey and he hits a hip toss. Dropkick misses and Muta hits a spinning heel kick knocking Casey to the floor. Slingshot pescado to the floor by Muta and he hits a handspring back elbow against the railings. Back in, Muta hits a back breaker and he hits a moonsault for 3.
Winner- Great Muta **1/4 (Great showcase for Muta. This was a bit too drawn out for a squash but Muta showed off his incredible athleticism and his offense was mind blowing for 1989. )
Junkyard Dog vs. Butch Reed w/Hiro Matsuda
JYD gets a New Orleans jazz entrance. JYD knocks Reed down and he bails. Back in, JYD knocks Reed down with a head butt and he hits some ramming head butts forcing Reed to bail again. Back in, Reed throws some knees to the midsection and JYD comes back with a hip toss. Slam by JYD and Reed fires back on JYD. Reed works over over JYD and he chokes JYD in the ropes. Elbow drops by Reed gets 2 and he goes to the chin lock. JYD fights out but Reed rakes the eyes to come back. Backdrop by JYD gets 2. They clothesline each other and both men are down. Reed leaps off the middle rope but JYD nails him on the way down. Dropping head butt by JYD misses and Reed goes up. Flying shoulder tackle by Reed gets 2 as JYD gets his foot on the ropes. JYD sends Reed into Matsuda, knocking him off the apron and JYD covers for 3!!!
Winner- Junkyard Dog ** (Very rugged match but it was one of the better JYD matches from the time period. Reed did a good job working around JYD’s limitations and we got a decent contest as a result. )
Bob Orton w/Gary Hart vs. Dick Murdoch
Feeling out process and Murdoch gains the upper hand. Orton lands a cheap shot and he gains control of the arm of Murdoch. Orton controls a key lock and he lands another cheap shot when Murdoch attempts to fight out. Orton drops some knees and he throws some shots at Murdoch. Murdoch fights back and he hits a dropkick on Orton. Hard rights by Murdoch and he works over Orton on the apron. Back in, Orton puts Murdoch on top and follows up. Murdoch fights him off and Orton rakes the eyes. Orton charges into an elbow from Murdoch and Murdoch goes for a suplex. Hart trips up Murdoch, causing Orton to fall on top for 3.
Winner- Bob Orton ** ( Five minutes of the match was spent in an arm bar, that’s all you need to know about the level of effort put in here. It picked up a little bit in the final stretch but this was as vanilla and plain a match as you will see. )
NWA Tag Team Championships- Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) w/Paul Ellering© vs. Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) w/Kevin Sullivan
Hawk and Rotunda start. Hip toss by Rotunda but he misses the elbow drop, allowing Hawk to hit a clothesline. Dropkick by Hawk and Rotunda bails. Back in, Animal tags in and he hits a press slam on Rotunda. He press slams Williams and the challengers bail. Back in, Williams and Hawk tag in. They slug it out and Hawk hits an atomic drop. Clothesline by Hawk gets 2 as Rotunda saves. Clothesline by Williams and Rotunda tags in. Elbow drop gets 2 and Animal tags in along with Williams. Double dropkick by Animal and he follows up with a double clothesline. He charges but misses and goes crashing to the floor. Williams spinebusters Animal on the floor and back in, Rotunda hits a back breaker. Tag to Williams and he hits a clothesline for 2. Bear hug by Williams and he turns it into a belly to belly suplex for 2. Abdominal stretch by Rotunda but Animal breaks with a hip toss. Tag to Williams and he hits a football tackle. Williams pulls Animal to the floor and Sullivan drives a chair into the back of Animal. Back in, Williams hits a spine buster for 2. Tag to Rotunda and Animal catches him with a clothesline to come back. Tag to Williams and he takes Animal down with another football tackle. Animal comes out of the corner with a clothesline and Hawk tags in. Powerslam into the fist drop by Hawk and he hits a press slam. Flying shoulder block by Hawk gets 2 as Williams saves. The Road Warriors hit the Doomsday Device on Rotunda but the ref, Teddy Long, refuses the count as Animal accidently knocked him down moments before. Williams rolls Hawk up and Long fast counts him for 3!!!!
Winners and NEW NWA Tag Team Champions- Varsity Club **3/4 ( Really solid tag match as the Varsity Club were one of the few times that could realistically create a good heat segment on the Road Warriors due to their natural strength and wrestling ability. The finish was cheap but it’s historical for launching Teddy Long’s manager career. )
Ranger Ross vs. Iron Sheik w/Rip Morgan
Sheik attacks to start and he hits a gut wrench suplex. Sheik stomps away and he chokes Ross with his shirt. Ross catches Sheik with a suplex for 1. Abdominal stretch by Sheik and he misses a summersault senton off the release. Super kick by Ross gets 2 as Morgan attacks with the flag pole for the DQ. Morgan and Sheik double team Ross until JYD saves.
Winner by DQ- Ranger Ross * (They had two minutes to work with, so they crammed as much as they could in that time. Not much else to it. )
Ric Flair says six times is the charm and Flair promises to recapture the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
US Tag Team Championships- Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert w/Missy Hyatt © vs. Varsity Club (Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey)
The Varsity Club attack to start and Spivey hits a Bossman Slam on Gilbert for 2. Gut wrench suplex by Spivey and he hits a tilt-a-whirl slam. Tag to Sullivan and he dumps Gilbert to the floor. The Varsity Club works over Gilbert on the floor and back in, Sullivan hits a double stomp. Head butt by Sullivan and Spivey tags in. Lariat by Spivey gets 2 as Gilbert gets his foot on the ropes to break. Spivey puts Gilbert in the tree of woe and Sullivan rams his knee into Gilbert. He misses on the second attempt and Steiner tags in. Clothesline to Spivey and Steiner hits a power slam for 2. Belly to belly suplex by Steiner and he slugs it out with Spivey. They knock each other to the floor and back in, Gilbert nails Sullivan in the midsection with Hyatt’s purse, allowing Gilbert to get the small package for 3. Spivey and Sullivan double team Gilbert after the match until Steiner chases them off with a chair.
Winners and Still US Tag Team Champions- Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert ** (Again, they got short changed on time and had to pack as much in as possible but it still ended up being a decent contest. Spivey had a good showing and Gilbert proved again he’s one of the best sellers in the history of the business. )
2 out of 3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship- Ricky Steamboat © vs. Ric Flair
Fall 1: Terry Funk joins JR on commentary. Both men grapple on the mat and Flair quickly goes to the ropes to force separation. Test of strength and Steamboat is able to overpower Flair, forcing Flair to bail. Back in, Steamboat hip tosses Flair and he works Flair over with the side headlock. Flair forces the break with some chops and Steamboat fights back with chops of his own. Hip toss by Steamboat and he hits a head scissors take over. Dropkick by Steamboat and he goes back to the side headlock. Steamboat drives his knee into the head of Flair a few times and he throws some chops. Backdrop by Steamboat and he hits another dropkick for 2. Flair catches Steamboat off guard and Steamboat catches him with the O’Connor roll for 2. Clothesline by Steamboat and goes back to the side headlock. Steamboat continues to work over the head of Flair and he throws some chops in the corner for 2. Inverted atomic drop by Flair and Steamboat knocks him down with a chop for 2. Steamboat overpowers Flair and he knocks Flair down with a double chop for 2, forcing Flair to bail. Back in, Flair throws some chops and Steamboat returns the favor for 2. Steamboat suplexes Flair back into the ring and he goes for a big splash but it eats knees. Snap mare and Flair hits a double stomp. Butterfly suplex by Flair gets 2. Inverted cravat by Flair and he converts it into the test of strength. They turn it into a chop exchange and Steamboat hip tosses Flair. Dropkick misses and Flair goes for the Figure-4 but Steamboat counters into the small package for 2 as Flair rolls through for 3!!! Flair 1-0.
Fall 2: Press slam by Steamboat and he goes up. Flying karate chop by Steamboat gets 2. Flair catches Steamboat with a back suplex and he follows up with a knee drop. Another knee drop misses and Steamboat begins to drop elbows onto the bad knee of Flair. Figure-4 by Steamboat but Flair makes the ropes to break. Steamboat pulls Flair off the ropes and he grabs the Boston Crab. Flair makes the ropes again and they trade chops again. Backslide by Steamboat gets 2 and Flair bails. He pulls Steamboat out and sends him into the railings. Flair slams Steamboat on the floor and he sends Steamboat into the railings again. Flair snaps Steamboat’s neck off the ropes and he suplexes Steamboat back into the ring for 2. Abdominal stretch by Flair and he converts it into a roll-up for 2. He maintains a rear abdominal stretch and releases when Steamboat refuses to go down. Flair throws some shots at Steamboat and Steamboat catches him with the O’Connor roll for 2. Jackknife roll-up by Steamboat gets 2. Flair knocks Steamboat with a chop for 2. Flair goes up but Steamboat stops him and follows up. Superplex by Steamboat and he throws some chops to the back of Flair. Chicken Wing by Steamboat and Flair gives!!! Tied 1-1.
Fall 3: Flair clips the leg of Steamboat and Steamboat knocks him down with a chop for 2. Backdrop by Steamboat and Flair comes back with a knee breaker. Figure-4 by Flair and Steamboat is quick to go to the ropes to break. They trade blows and Steamboat catches Flair on the apron with a chop. Flair catches Steamboat with a roll-up with his feet on the ropes for 2. Flair throws some chops and Steamboat goes for a corner knee strike but misses and gets crotched in the ropes. Flair begins to jump on the knee of Steamboat and he hits a knee drop onto the leg of Steamboat. Figure-4 by Flair but Steamboat rolls into the ropes to break. Flair slams Steamboat’s leg off the apron a few times and he goes up. Crossbody by Flair gets 2!!! Flair blocks a slam for 2. Flying head butt by Steamboat and he hits a dropping chop. Steamboat goes up and hits a crossbody off the top for 2!!! Elbow drop misses and Flair works over Steamboat. Swinging neck breaker by Steamboat gets 2. Flair dumps Steamboat to the floor and back in, Steamboat gets the sunset flip for 2. Sleeper by Flair and Steamboat’s arm only goes down twice. Steamboat runs into the corner sending Flair crashing into the turnbuckle to force the break. Flair bails and back in, Flair kicks the leg of Steamboat. Enzuigiri by Steamboat gets 2. Steamboat goes up and misses a flying splash. Flair drives Steamboat’s knee into the mat and Flair toys with Steamboat. They trade chops and Steamboat wins that battle. Punches in the corner by Steamboat and he catches Flair with a clothesline for 2 as Flair gets his foot on the ropes to break!!! Back suplex by Flair and he goes up. Steamboat tosses Flair off the top and he goes back to the Chicken Wing. They fall back to the mat and Steamboat apparently gets Flair’s shoulders on the mat for 3!!!!
Winner and Still NWA World Heavyweight Champion- Ricky Steamboat ***** ( This is all-time classic match. Every fall in this match was structured beautifully, with the mat based, more methodical first fall with both guys just looking wear each other down and eventually score a fall. The second was the desperation fall for Steamboat, withstanding the Flair onslaught and keeping himself alive. The final fall was the incredible back and forth, classic Flair/Steamboat encounter we all love and the finish set up the finish to their trilogy perfectly. One of the easiest fifty minute matches you will ever watch and one of the great matches in wrestling history. )
Ricky Steamboat thanks everyone for supporting him and he says it’s time to move on to new challengers. They watch the replay of the finish and it shows Flair’s foot was under the bottom rope. Steamboat seems to agree Flair may have a legitimate claim to another title shot as a result of the finish.
