-Project 45 lands in 1989 this week as we take a look at World Championship Wrestling from January 21, 1989.
-1989- At this time, I was in 5th grade and was getting into comic books heavily.
-Intro
-Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross welcome us to the show. They preview some of what we are going to see before bringing in Eddie Gilbert. He says he's more confident than ever because his mystery partner is here today. He says to call somebody and tell them to watch the Superstation because they are going to see the biggest shock of their life today.
-Michael Hayes vs. Russian Assassin 2 with Paul Jones and Russian Assassin 1: Hayes gets a good ovation coming out. The bell rings and they circle each other. They lock up and drive to a corner. They break and threaten to punch each other. They circle each other again and the fans get behind Hayes. Assassin 2 with a wrist lock and he hits some forearms to Hayes. Hayes rolls out and kicks Assassin 2 away. He then struts to the crowd's delight. They lock up again. Hayes with a wrist lock. He then hits Assassin 2 with a forearm. Assassin 2 pushes off and Hayes comes back with a shoulder block. Hayes with an arm bar. A Badstreet chant goes out. Assassin 2 drives to a corner. Hayes breaks the hold and Assassin 2 hits him with a shot. A series of right hands to Hayes. Then a forearm and a corner whip. Hayes moves on the charge. He chops Assassin 2. Hayes goes back to a wrist lock. He gets Assassin 2 down on the mat. Assassin 2 with an eye gouge. He run's Hayes' face along the top rope. Assassin 2 throws Hayes to the outside where he is attacked by Assassin 1 while referee Teddy Long chastises Assassin 2. Hayes gets back in the ring. Assassin 2 with a clothesline. He gets a two count. Assassin 2 goes back to the arm bar. A let's go Micheal, let's go chant goes out. Hayes with some right hands to try and get out of the hold, but Assassin 2 grabs his hair to pull him down to the mat. He denies it to Long when he is asked. Assassin 2 keeps the arm bar on. Jones comes over to the desk and tells Jim and Tony that it's a different story here tonight without the Junkyard Dog here to interfere. Assassin 2 still has the arm bar on. Hayes trying to twist out of the move. Hayes gets to his feet and gets an Irish whip and a back elbow. Hayes goes to drop an elbow, but Assassin 2 moves and drops an elbow on Hayes. He gets a two count. He goes back to the arm bar. Hayes up and backs to a corner. He hits Assassin 2 with a double leg takedown but he's holding the ropes, so referee Teddy Long doesn't count the pin. Assassin 2 thinks he's won and Jones gets up on the apron. Hayes rolls Assassin 2 up for the pin.
-Butch Reed with JJ Dillon vs. George South: Weird to see Reed with Dillon. They were toying with the idea of making Reed a Horseman. They lock up. South with a wrist lock. Reed drives him down to the mat by the hair. They lock up again as JR gives Reed's athletic credentials so TASIYDAH. South goes back to the wrist lock. Reed pulls the hair again to drive South back to the mat. South pops back up and Reed punches him and drives him into the turnbuckle. Reed with a big right hand. Reed with an Irish whip and a back elbow. Reed scoop slams South. Reed with a fist drop to South. Reed with some knee drops to South. He then chokes South with his knee on the second rope. South with a shot to the stomach. Reed with an eye rake and a double ax handle. Reed with an Irish whip and a knee to the stomach. Reed with a series of punches to South's head. Reed with an elbow and an Irish whip. He hits South with a flying shoulder tackle and then goes up top and hits South with a flying clothesline. He then puts a knee on South and pins him.
-Jim Ross interviews Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan. Rotunda says he's going to regain his Television Title. He says he gave Rick Steiner a piledriver as a little taste of what's to come because he's going to get his title back because he's earned it. He owns it and he owns Rick Steiner now. The day is coming real soon. JR asks Sullivan that also coming really soon are the Road Warriors. Sullivan says obviously the Road Warriors are the favorites. He says he isn't afraid of them because fear left him a long time ago. When he was strapped to the tree of woe for 6 days and 6 nights. When they sent him to the sweat box for four days and four nights. He says the only time he's gone into a bar and seen guys with makeup on their faces is when he took a wrong turn and went into the wrong bar. He says they may be the fastest bullies on the block, they may be fearsome and the toughest around. That was until the Varsity Club came about. He says Dr. Death and Kevin Sullivan. The Road Warriors like to say they dine on danger and snack on death. He says they're going to snack on death all night long. He says the doctor is going to deliver it and right here is danger. He says he's singling Hawk out and he's going to reach down and pluck out Hawk's heart because he's not so fearsome to him.
-The Varsity Club Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotundo vs. Randy Hogan and Gene Miller: Hogan and Sullivan start. Sullivan with a waist lock takedown. Sullivan drops an elbow on Hogan and then gets a wrist lock on him. Sullivan with a scoop slam. Rotundo tagged in. He drops an elbow off the top rope to Hogan. Rotundo with an arm lock on Hogan. Sullivan tagged back in. He does a running kick to Hogan's arm while Rotundo is holding it. Sullivan then stomps Hogan's arm. Sullivan with a snap mare, he holds the arm and tags Rotundo in. Rotundo with a double leg drop. Rotundo with a hammerlock and runs Hogan into a turnbuckle. He then runs Hogan into another turnbuckle and Sullivan tagged back in. Sullivan with a hip lock. Miller tagged in. Sullivan hits him with shots and chops. Sullivan with a wrist lock and more shots to Miller. Rotundo tagged in and he stomps Miller. Rotundo with an arm bar takedown and he lifts Miller up after a one count. Rotundo with a hammerlock and dropping knees on Miller. Sullivan tagged in. He stomps Miller's arm. He gets Miller up and Rotundo tagged back in. He hits Miller with a vicious looking European uppercut. He drops an elbow and pulls Miller up after a two count. Rotundo with a front face lock into a hammerlock. Sullivan tagged in. Rotundo puts Miller into the tree of woe. Sullivan hits a running knee to Miller. He then hits another one. Sullivan with a snap mare. He double stomps Miller. Sullivan then works on an arm bar. Rotundo tagged back in. He hits a double arm suplex and gets the pin.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Eddie Gilbert. They show Ric Flair and Barry Windham attacking Gilbert in the ring. Gilbert says he's waited until this moment to embarrass the four horsemen. He says Ric Flair always says to be the man, you must beat the man and he says he has a man that can beat Ric Flair, Barry Windham, and JJ Dillon.
-Ric Flair and Barry Windham with JJ Dillon vs. Eddie Gilbert and a Mystery Partner: When they come back from the commercial break, everyone is in the ring except for the mystery partner. Flair is yelling out where's this partner? Where's the big man? The music starts to play and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat comes out. Flair is livid. An Eddie chant goes out. Steamboat and Windham start. They lock up and Steamboat with an arm drag. Then another one. Three arm drags and Windham backs away to the corner. They circle each other again and lock up. Steamboat with a side headlock. Windham pushes off. Steamboat comes back with a shoulder block. Steamboat runs the ropes. Windham with a series of drop downs to avoid being pinned. Steamboat slides between Windham's legs and scoop slams him. Flair comes in to atomic drop Steamboat, who slips behind Flair and picks him up and throws him into Windham. The Horsemen roll to the outside to confer with JJ. The crowd cheers the faces as referee Teddy Long starts counting the heels out. Back in, Flair and Steamboat lock up. Steamboat with a side headlock. Flair pushes off. Steamboat comes back with a brutal shoulder block. Flair backs to a corner. They lock up and Flair reverses Steamboat into the corner and starts chopping him. Steamboat comes back with chops of his own to knock Flair down. They lock up again. Flair with a side headlock. Steamboat pushes off. Flair with a shoulder block. Steamboat comes back with an overhead press slam. Flair rolls back to the outside. Flair gets back in on the four count. Steamboat goes over to where Jim and Tony are and tells Flair on the mic that if he wants to play, stay in the sand box. Back in the ring, they lock up again. Back to a corner and Flair starts chopping Steamboat again. They then go back and forth in the corner of the ring. Windham comes in. Steamboat fights him off and runs Windham and Flair's heads together. He then gets a corner whip and a backdrop on Flair. Flair backs away and then kicks Steamboat in the midsection. Back and forth in the corner and Steamboat chops Flair to the mat. Flair is mad and screaming at Steamboat before rolling outside again. Steamboat yells out at Jim and Tony to tell Flair to get back into the sandbox. They lock up again. Steamboat with a side headlock takeover. A Steamboat chant goes out. Steamboat with a front face lock and goes over and tags Gilbert in. Gilbert picks up the side headlock. Flair pushes him back into the corner and chops Gilbert. Gilbert fighting back and hits a flying mare out to the center of the ring. Then a flying headscissors to Flair. Flair falls head first into the mat and then tags Windham in. He and Gilbert push each other in the center of the ring. They lock up and drive to a corner. Windham with a series of right hands and kicks to Gilbert. Back and forth. Gilbert with an Irish whip and a backdrop. Windham stumbling to get up and wanders over close to Steamboat, who guillotines him on the top rope. Gilbert goes back to the side headlock. Windham picks Gilbert up and hits a belly to back suplex. Windham drives Gilbert to a corner and hits him with a right hand. Gilbert reverses a corner whip and gets some right hands and a side headlock on Windham. Windham with a right and gets Gilbert in a front face lock and tags Flair in. He kicks Gilbert in the ribs. Back and forth in the corner. Gilbert with a corner whip and Flair goes up and over and collapses on the apron. He falls to the floor and backs away. The Horsemen regroup again on the outside. Back in, Flair hits Gilbert with a kick and an elbow. He then chops Gilbert and gets a side headlock on. Gilbert pushes off and Flair comes back with a side headlock. Gilbert gets a drop toe hold on Flair. Gilbert then gets a figure four on Flair. JJ gets up on the apron to distract Teddy Long and Flair rakes Gilbert in the eyes and goes to reverse the figure four and Gilbert gets an inside cradle on Flair. He gets a two count. Windham tagged in and Windham gets an Irish whip and a power slam on Gilbert. Windham with a shot and goes for a scoop slam, but Gilbert rolls him up in a small package for a two count. Windham with another shot and an Irish whip. Gilbert ducks a clothesline attempt and comes back with a crossbody on Windham for a two count. Windham rakes the eyes, gets Gilbert in a front face lock, and tags Flair back in. Flair comes in with shots and chops. Flair goes to suplex Gilbert, who slips behind Flair and rolls him up for a two count. Flair with an Irish whip, misses an elbow strike, and Gilbert comes back and hits Flair with a clothesline. Flair rolls to the outside. Gilbert tries to make a tag, but Windham comes in and cuts him off and throws him to the outside. Flair chopping Gilbert out on the floor. Flair runs Gilbert into the corner post. Back in, Windham gets Gilbert in a front face lock and hits a nice float over suplex for a two count. Windham with a big right hand to Gilbert. Back and forth in the middle of the ring with Gilbert hitting Windham with everything he has. Windham with an atomic drop on Gilbert, who comes back with a brutal clothesline. Flair tagged in. He hits a nice double arm suplex. He then drops a knee on Gilbert. He gets a two count. Flair gets into a shoving match with referee Teddy Long. Flair cuts off Gilbert from tagging and hits him with a forearm to the back. Flair with a driving foot to the back of Gilbert. Flair with a back suplex. Gilbert kicks out at two. Flair punches Gilbert as the let's go Eddie chant starts again. Windham tagged in. Flair with an Irish whip to Gilbert and Windham hits him with a lariat. That gets another two count. Windham is frustrated. He hits Gilbert with a big right hand. He then hits him with an inverted atomic drop. He follows that up with a scoop slam. Windham then goes up top and comes off with an elbow drop, but Gilbert moves. Flair and Steamboat both tagged in. Steamboat attacking Flair with right hands. Steamboat with an Irish whip and a flying shoulder block. Another Irish whip and a backdrop to Flair. Steamboat then attacks Windham when he tries to come in. Steamboat chops Flair and Irish whips him. Then another backdrop. Then a scoop slam to Flair. Then a karate thrust to Flair's throat. Steamboat then runs Flair face first into the mat. He then does it again and is fighting off Windham when he tries to come in. He then Irish whips and press slams Flair and goes up top. He hits Flair with a high crossbody and pins him. The crowd celebrates the faces winning. JJ arguing the call with referee Teddy Long.
-Jim and Tony interview Eddie Gilbert and Ricky Steamboat. Gilbert says he has the man who beat NWA champion Ric Flair. Steamboat says he's always had a quest in his life to be a world champion. He says he's been all around the world, even to other federations, but he came back to his home. They then show the replay of some moments from the match. Steamboat says Gilbert took a tremendous amount of punishment. Steamboat says he's got a tremendous amount of motivation to be the world champion. Steamboat says he thanks the NWA fans for the support they gave while he was away. But he's coming home. Gilbert says there's a lot of people he could have picked, but there's only one man in his mind that could beat Ric Flair and he's proud to have Steamboat as his partner. The Horsemen then come out and Flair gets into Steamboat's face to tell him he has no business here and asks him what he is doing? Steamboat says this is the land of opportunity and he made his deal. JJ Dillon and Flair are livid. JJ says they weren't prepared for Ricky Steamboat and this will never go down in the record books. Flair screams that he's a multi-millionaire and that this doesn't happen to millionaires. His days are planned, scheduled, and detailed. He says if he's to wrestle Ricky Steamboat, he knows about it in advance. Everyone else tries to calm Flair down. Flair says he doesn't care if Steamboat has a kid and a wife. This is wrestling, don't walk out here in public saying he's after Ric Flair's belt. You aren't going to get it. They then sign off.
-End Credits.
-Final Thoughts: A great show to set up the Flair/Steamboat rivalry that was the highlight of the first half of 1989 NWA and WCW. Highly recommended.