wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: NWA Clash of Champions IX: New York Knockout
Image Credit: NWA
Loading...-One more show from the NWA after this one to finish out 1989. WWF still has Survivor Series, which should be done this week, and a Saturday Night’s Main Event. For the NWA we are coming off Halloween Havoc and this is the final Clash of the Year. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Jim Ross and Gordon Solie
-Date: Nov. 15, 1989
-RPI Field House, Troy, NY
-Attendance: 4000
-TBS Rating: 4.9
The Fabulous Free Birds vs. The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering)
-Sadly, this isn’t Philly against The Dynamic Dudes, so the fans aren’t into The Birds nearly as much. That stage with the steps reminds me of the nWo Souled Out PPV. This could be a styles clash! Hayes immediately bails to the floor to stall, but Animal grabs him and press slams him back into the ring between the ropes. Loud “Free Birds Suck” chant. Hawk with a Gorilla Press Slam on Hayes, who stumbles into the wrong corner and eats a right hand from Animal. Shoulder tackle from Hawk, but he gets backed into the wrong corner. Hawk fights out and catches Garvin with a dropkick. Tag to Animal and we get a double elbow. Garvin back with a snap suplex, but Animal no sells and is up first. He runs over Garvin with a clothesline, who rolls to the floor. Tag to Hayes and Animal no sells an elbow and Hayes gets a clothesline. Shoulder tackle and Hawk gets tagged back into the match. JR notes The Birds will be in the Main Event this weekend on TBS defending the Tag Titles against The Steiners. I believe that was already taped and The Steiners won the belts. The Birds finally gain an advantage as they work Animal over in their corner and the crowd goes silent. Hawk throws the ref and attacks The Birds and that would seem to be a DQ. The ref calls for the bell at 5:18.
Winner: The Free Birds via DQ at 5:18
-This was a whole lot of nothing with an awful ending. The crowd boos the finish out of the building. 1/2*
-Terry Funk and Gary Hart get interviewed by Jim Ross. Hart tells Funk not to embarrass him or Texas. Funk tells him he is the best and doesn’t need anyone’s help.
-Bill Apter presents Sting with the PWI Award for Most Popular Wrestler in the NWA. I assume Hogan won Most Popular overall! I checked and yes, Hogan did win Most Popular.
-More from Apter as Ric Flair is presented with the PWI Award for Wrestler of The Decade.
”Wildfire” Tommy Rich and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert vs. Doom (w/ Woman)
-Gilbert starts with Doom 1 (Simmons) as they lockup and Gilbert backs away. Another go and Doom 1 tosses Gilbert across the ring. He poses and that lets Eddie get a roll-up, though it didn’t even get a one count. Tag to Rich, who comes in off the top with a double axe. Doom 1 goes to the eyes and makes the tag to Doom 2 (Reed). He backs Rich against the ropes, but misses a clothesline. Rich gets a hip toss and it’s a stalemate as they stare each other down. Woman encourages Doom by reminding them of all the money he is paying them. Someone paying Simmons for protection and to beat people up will never work. Doom 2 with a suplex on Reed. Tag to Doom 1 who stomps away and delivers a right hand. Gorilla Press and Gilbert gets dropped on Doom 1’s knees. Reed back in with a knee to the ribs. Right hands to the face from Doom 2 as Gilbert gets to his feet and starts wildly punching. Neck breaker from Doom 2. Gilbert is able to get to his corner for the tag. Rich runs wild for a bit before all four men start fighting in the ring. The ref tries to get Gilbert out and that lets Doom hit their double team finish where one member comes off the top with a clothesline while the other holds him in the air. That gets the pin at 5:15.
Winners: Doom via pin at 5:15
-About on par with the opener, but it at least had a winner. *
-Jim Cornette interviews The Steiner Brothers.
The Dynamic Dudes vs. The Midnight Express
-Jim Cornette doesn’t accompany either team to the ring and stays in a neutral corner. Dudes offer a handshake and MX want no part of that. Eaton and Lane want Cornette in their corner, but he won’t do it. Eaton starts with Shane and Eaton hooks a side headlock. Shane shoves off and gets an abdominal stretch that is quickly countered, but Shane ends up countering that into an armbar. Eaton is able to get to back to his corner and makes a tag to Lane. Douglas gets a hip-toss on Lane and a dropkick that sends Eaton to the floor. Shane gets a hammerlock which is reversed and Lane pulls the hair to get things to the mat. The crowd enjoyed that! Shane counters, but again another pull of the hair. Cornette tells the ref about the hair pull as that doesn’t seem neutral behavior to me. Johnny gets the tag and hits a dropkick and then another followed by a slam. Eaton gets the tag but Johnny catches him with a pair of dropkicks and then a baseball slide sends Eaton to the floor. Shane dives from the ring and over the top with a crossbody on Eaton. Sweet! LUCHA-SHANE! Back in the ring, Lane gets a belly to back suplex on Shane, but misses an elbow. Eaton in and he gets caught with an arm-drag. Eaton lands a few punches to pop the crowd and sets Shane on the top rope. Shane escapes the super-plex and gets a roll-up for two. Crossbody off the ropes for another two count as the crowd is starting to get into this one. Johnny in and Lane uses his KARATE to gain control. Back to Eaton, but Johnny gets a monkey flip out of the corner. He goes for a head scissors, but Stan punches him in the throat from the apron. Lane goes back to his KARATE and hits a Russian Leg Sweep. Eaton up top but Johnny gets the knees up to block The Rocket Launcher. Hot (Cold?) Tag to Douglas, who runs wild to no response. All four men start brawling in the ring as Eaton grabs a chain. Cornette in and he throws it out into the crowd, but then BLASTS Shane in the back with the racket to let Eaton get the pin at 9:25.
Winners: The Midnight Express via pin at 9:25
-Solid match with a great ending. The crowd really enjoyed seeing Cornette turn on The Dudes and all is right with the world again as Cornette is back to his normal self. ***
The Super Destroyer vs. Dr. Death Steve Williams
-Destroyer is Jack Victory under a mask, which is becoming a tradition in 1989. Norman The Lunatic wanders down dressed like Santa Claus. Destroyer attacks from behind and sends Doc into the corner. Williams gets a tackle, but Destroyer sends him to the floor. Doc quickly back in and he unloads with right hands. He has to work for a Gorilla Press and does some presses before dumping Destroyer. A clothesline sends Destroyer to the floor. Doc chases to get Destroyer back in the ring and The Oklahoma Stampede finishes at 1:38.
Winner: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams via pin at 1:38
-A SQUASH to pop the crowd. SQUASH
The Skyscrapers (w/ Teddy Long) vs. The Steiner Brothers
-JR promises a slobber-knocker without saying the phrase as I don’t know if he popularized it yet. “Peanut Head” chant from the crowd directed towards Long. Spivey and Rick start and Spivey unloads with right hands. Rick floats over and tosses Spivey with a belly to back suplex. Steiner-line sends him over the top and to the floor. STEINER POSE! Back in they have a go again and Spivey hits some forearms. TOMBSTONE from Spivey gets two! He sets too early on a backdrop and Rick slugs him down and then hits another Steiner-line. Scott with the tag and he gets a FRANKENSTEINER followed by a SOS Slam on Sid. DAMN! Again, no wonder Ric Flair and others were ready to hand this man the World Title on a silver platter. Sid and Scott have a go now and Sid misses a shoulder in the corner. Scott grabs the arm, but gets back into the wrong corner. Weak dropkick from Spivey, but Sid makes up for it with a nice clothesline. Slow moving tilt-a-whirl slam from Spivey. Big Boot! Scott back with a suplex and a Steiner-line. Tag made to Rick and he throws another Steiner-line. Powerslam! Double clothesline sends Sid to the floor. Doom hit the ring and one of them gets a Frankensteiner. The match gets thrown out at 6:06.
Winner: The Steiner Brothers via DQ at 6:08
-Short, but fun with a crappy ending. They obviously didn’t want either top jobbing ahead of Starrcade, so this is what we get. ***
-All six men start brawling and in the chaos, Woman hits Rick with a shoe. He no sells and backs down women, but Nitron debuts as her bodyguard. That would be Tyler Mane, who was Sabretooth in X-Men and seemingly is coming back in Deadpool and Wolverine. Can’t wait for that movie! The Road Warriors hit the ring and all four teams start brawling as the crowd is going crazy. All four of these teams made up the round robin tournament for Starrcade and we will be getting there shortly.
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship: Lex Luger (c) vs. Brian Pillman
-This is a rematch from Halloween Havoc last month. Slow start as Luger walks around the ring yelling at the fans. Pillman patiently waits, but gets caught with a forearm. Shoulder tackle next, but Pillman lands a dropkick and then another. A frustrated Luger bails to the floor. He stalls for a bit again before getting back into the ring. Luger powers Pillman into the corner and starts unloading with right hands. To the corner and Pillman floats over and lands a clubbing blow to the back, so Luger bails to the floor again. Once back in the ring he backs Pillman into the corner, but Pillman fights out with chops. Luger ducks a clothesline, but Pillman skins the cat to come back in. He decks Luger, who begs off in the corner. Luger misses a charge in the corner and Pillman comes off the top with a dropkick for two. CHOPS from Pillman! He works the arm in the corner and rams the arm off the post (removing the Coors Light post cover). Pillman fires off chops on the floor as Luger has been stuck in neutral in this one so far. Luger gets a shot in and hits a belly to back suplex to turn the tide. Gorilla Press Slam from Luger and now he is feeling it as he flexes. Another one and this time he drops Pillman down face first like The Ultimate Warrior. Luger drops an elbow and another. Pillman fights back, but Luger pulls the tights to fire Pillman out of the ring and to the floor. Luger follows out and slams Pillman on the floor. Forearms to the chest and then Luger brings him back in with a suplex! That gets two! Luger yells at the ref, so Pillman gets a roll-up for two. Luger back with a powerslam, but he poses and that lets Pillman get another roll-up for two. They start trading blows and Pillman gets a jumping forearm. Backdrop sends Luger across the ring. Pillman heads up top and hits the crossbody, but the ref gets wiped out as well. Pillman goes to check on the ref, but counters a slam into a roll-up. No ref! Pillman sends Luger to the floor with a dropkick. That lets Luger grab a chair and he clocks Pillman in the head with it. The ref comes too and crawls over for the three count at 12:38.
Winner and Still NWA United States Heavyweight Champion: Lex Luger via pin at 12:38
-Fantastic match that kicked things into high gear the final five minutes. Luger was on a roll as he was soaking up everything around him as far as character and in ring wise. Pillman was protected pretty well here as well. ****
-Luger beats on Pillman with the chair after the match and gets The Torture Rack for fun. Sting runs down to save and Luger tells Sting it’s about time he had the guts to face him. Sting calls Luger a snot head and slaps him in the face. The crowd is jacked to see this one and I want to see it now too.
-Ric Flair sets the stage for our Main Event!
NWA World Heavyweight Championship: I Quit Match: Ric Flair (c) vs. Terry Funk (w/ Gary Hart)
-The crowd rumbling to star! Ross lets us know we have 30 minutes of air-time left. Flair lands the first chop and it sends Funk over the top to the floor. He starts flipping over the railing and swinging at air. Back in the ring Flair takes Funk to the corner and lights him up with more chops. He sends Funk from corner to corner and more chops. To the floor and more chops from Flair. Funk is able to slow things down and Flair waits from him in the ring. Funk tries boxing and lands a few jabs before we get a lockup. Funk lands a shoulder tackle, but Flair grabs the leg to get a trip. Funk goes to the eyes to break and lays the boots to Flair on the apron. Funk lands a chop now followed by a head-butt. They start trading blows and those chops from Flair have to suck to take. Funk sucks it up and sends Flair through the ropes and to the floor. Flair gets rammed head first into the railing and Funk starts throwing punches. He grabs the mic and asks Flair if he quits. CHOP! I guess that’s a no. Back in the ring Funk with another right hand and he mounts Flair in the corner as he yells for the mic. Punch after punch to Flair’s head, but he won’t quit. Funk calls Flair a pig and egg sucking dog. Flair with an inverted atomic drop and then more chops. He sets too early on a backdrop though and Funk gets a swinging neckbreaker. Funk slaps Flair in the face, so Flair grabs him by the throat. Flair with a series of chops and Funk bails. Flair gives chase and have some more chops! Flair sends Funk into the railing now and hey, here’s some more chops. Hart gets shoved out of the way by Flair for good measure. Now Flair has the mic and wants Funk to quit, but nothing doing. Hart distracts Flair, which lets Funk land a punch from behind. Another swinging neckbreaker, but Flair won’t quit. Funk sets for a piledriver, but wants Flair to quit first. Flair won’t as Solie drops his famous, “five letters, two words. I Quit,” line. Funk spikes Flair with a piledriver, but Flair won’t quit. Funk drops a leg and rams Flair’s head off the mat. To the floor and Funk gets a piledriver on the concrete. He is lucky this isn’t Memphis. Piledriver is less effective in Northern States according to one of the Laws of Physics. Funk says tribute to Magnum and Tully by beating Flair in the head with the microphone. Cool! Funk slams Flair on a nearby table and props it up against the apron. Flair uses the break to regroup and fires off some chops. Flair runs Funk head first into the table and then leans it against the railing. He dives on Funk and hits a chop before sending Funk sliding across the top of the table and into the railing. Gary Hart gets an elbow to the head and then more chops from Flair. Flair drops Funk balls first on the railing! Back in the ring Flair drops the knee and Funk goes head first out of the ring selling it. Awesome! Inverted Atomic Drop and now Flair decides to go to work on the leg. Could have worked the groin some more! Flair fires off chops and punches as Funk starts to wobble. Flair kicks the knee to drop Funk. He looks to finish, but Funk hobbles to the floor. Flair chases him down and carries him back to the ring before hitting a knee-breaker. Beautiful suplex from the apron back into the ring from Flair. Funk fights and goes to the eyes to stop the figure four from being applied. Now Funk looks for a suplex into the ring, but Flair takes him out and gets a suplex on the apron. THE HARDEST PART OF THE RING. Back in the ring, Flair gets the figure-four as Funk shouts “never.” He keeps fighting off the pain, but screams about his leg and yells “I Quit,” at 18:36.
Winner and Still NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Ric Flair via pin at 18:36
-This match is a classic and for good reason. Newer fans might wonder what the big deal is compared to what we see on a weekly basis now, but this was just a great match. They traded blows without slowing down for nearly 19 minutes and it just felt like they hated each other. The story of Flair being forced to turn into a maniac and stalking Funk before destroying him was great as Funk was just trying to survive and couldn’t. There were some call backs to previous matches between the two and to another famous I Quit Match. Flair wins clean, Funk shakes his hand, and gets to go out as a sympathetic character after Hart turns on him. Just fantastic stuff. *****
-Funk is a man of his word and shakes Flair’s hand after the match. Gary Hart decks Funk, so Flair punches Hart in the face. Muta and The Dragon Master hit the ring and start to beat down Flair as JR screams, “The Japanese have attacked Flair.” Sting is down for the save as the crowd is losing it! Funk is still selling the knee injury in the corner as Hart kicks at him. Hey, here’s Lex Luger and he cracks Luger in the back of the head. Muta then uses the chair to deck Flair. Flair gets triple teamed as Hart hits Funk with a branding iron. Luger and company leave as this was the hard sell for the men’s tournament at Starrcade. The PWI Awards ceremony from earlier gets paid off as Luger smashes the trophies with the chair.
-We get a replay of the chair shot to Sting and a last commercial for Starrcade: Future Shock!
-Thanks for reading!
