-Anniversary Camping Trip
-Humid Week in Maine.
-Campsite attacked by Raccoons. If you see any buff Raccoons, keep going.
-Today we look at Wrestlewar ’89 from the NWA and WCW.
-WCW Wrestlewar ’89 took place on May 7, 1989 from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. There were 5,200 in attendance for this card.
-Opening package of some of the people we will be seeing tonight.
-Jim Ross and Bob Caudle welcome us to the event. The Oak Ridge Boys sing the National Anthem. I wouldn’t have minded if they followed it up with Elvira but alas, they didn’t.
-Jim Ross plugs a concert by them later, but we don’t get to see it. He also says that Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner have to settle their personal issue on their own time so no hair VS. hair stipulation in that match.
-Rundown of the night’s card.
-Doug Gilbert (subbing for JYD) VS. The Great Muta with Gary Hart: Eddie Gilbert comes down to cheer his brother on, but Muta wins with a moonsault. We do see both green and red mist.
-Lance Russell interviews Ric Flair. He says he has to style and profile like never before to get his title back.
-Butch Reed VS. Ranger Ross: The Color Guard accompanies Ranger Ross to the ring. Teddy Long comes to ringside to “scout” new talent as he has been fired as a referee and is looking to become a manager. Reed cheats to begin. It gets clunky between the two at one point. Reed wins after a flying shoulder block.
-Lance Russell interviews Lex Luger. He says he is ready while doing the patented Lex Luger interview hand movement.
-Dick Murdoch VS. Bob Orton Jr. with Gary Hart: Texas Bull rope Match. They brawl in and out of the ring. Murdoch takes his boot off and nails Orton with it. He finally hogties and pins Orton. Hart comes in to pounce on Murdoch. He and Orton try to choke Murdoch out with the rope. They go after the referee when the ref tries to stop it.
-Lance Russel interviews Michael Hayes. He says it’s too late for Lex Luger and he will take the US title.
-The Samoan Swat Team Samu and Fatu with Paul E. Dangerously VS. The Dynamic Dudes Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace: Paul E. sucks chant goes out. The dudes look good here. Fatu hits a nice crescent kick. SST dominates early. Johnny Ace is not as bad as I’ve heard, but is the weakest of the four. Bob Caudle and Jim Ross doing everything they can to get the dudes over. Paul E. gets on the house mic and tells Johnny Ace he’s as useless as a woman from Nashville, TN. Johnny dropkicks Douglas onto Fatu to get the upset pin.
-Lance Russell interviews Lou Thesz, Pat O’Connor, and Terry Funk about how they are going to score the main event.
-NWA United States Championship Match: Lex Luger VS. Michael Hayes with Hiro Matsuda: Hayes stalls and struts to begin. Teddy long comes back out to “scout”. Clunky match to start. Hayes is good at inciting the crowd. Great visual at one point as Luger pushes off as Hayes goes for the DDT. Hayes is playing a great heel here. The crowd is digging Luger. Luger winds up outside and Matsuda attacks him. Good back and forth match. Another nice visual as Hayes goes for the bulldog and Luger pushes him off. Hayes reverses the backbreaker and hits a DDT. Referee gets knocked out and Terry Gordy comes out of nowhere and pushes Hayes on Luger. New Champion!
-Lance Russell interviews Sting. He’s excited and ready for the Iron Sheik. Sting’s black rat tail scares me.
-NWA World Television Championship Match: Sting VS. The Iron Sheik with Rip Morgan: A bunch of fans in Sting makeup precede Sting out. Iron Sheik nails Sting with the flag before the match starts. Sting comes back. They go back and forth briefly before Sting hits the splash and gets Sheik to submit to the Scorpion Death Lock.
-Lance Russell talks to Ricky Steamboat. This is his most important match. He wants no controversy, but this is Flair’s last match. No excuses, let the best man win.
-NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship Match: Ricky Steamboat VS. Ric Flair: Ric Flair comes to the ring with four ladies and 40 more lining the aisle. Steamboat comes down with piece of work Bonnie Steamboat in an evening gown as per usual and Little Ricky riding a horse. Oh boy. Little Ricky is dressed like Porter Wagoner. Gary Michael Cappetta introduces the judges. I don’t think these two can have a bad match. The chop houses come out early. Flair’s airplane crash is brought up if you’re drinking at home. Steamboat has the most impressive arm drag in wrestling. Ross brings up Tommy Young being NWA referee of the year 5 times. He also brings up the NWA is where we wrestle. They are having a classing wrestling match. The announcers talk about Steamboat concentrating on the arms to set up for the chicken wing. The judges all score the first 15 minutes to Steamboat. Flair kicks it up a notch. Steamboat goes over the top rope and immediately a fan pushes him to get up. They both wind up outside at one point but still go at it. They do the Flair goes to the outside and runs to the corner turnbuckle but gets caught by Steamboat spot if you’re drinking at home. They reopen the chop houses as well. They go to multiple close pins at one point. Crowd really into the match. They go in and out of the ring. Second round is scored for Flair in a split decision by the judges. They kick it up another notch as both get carried over the rope by momentum at one point. Back to close falls. Steamboat hits the superplex. Steamboat goes to hit the crossbody, but Flair falls into the ropes causing Steamboat to fall from the top. Flair gets the figure four on. Steamboat works up and out of it. Steamboat slams Flair, who turns it into an inside cradle as Steamboat’s leg buckles. Flair gets the pin and we have a new World’s Champion!
-Flair has his fans as there is celebrating. Flair lifts Steamboat’s hand as Jim Ross comes in to interviews Flair. Steamboat leaves the ring. Flair puts Steamboat over hard as the greatest world champion that he has ever faced. Terry Funk comes in to congratulate Flair. He also wants to be the first one to challenge Flair for the title. Flair brushes him off, saying that Funk has been in Hollywood and that there are a list of Top 10 Challengers to the title that he has to defend against and that Funk is not on that list. Funk takes that as Flair saying he’s not good enough. They go back and forth. Funk says he was just kidding before attacking Flair. He attacks and piledrives Flair on the ringside table. Funk says look at the horse tooth banana nosed jerk now over the house mic.
-They replay the piledriver again.
-Joe Pedicino interviews Nikita Koloff who is going to ref the upcoming tag match. He has a zebra stripe mullet going on, taking this referee thing just a little too far if you ask me. He says he will not be intimidated.
-NWA World Tag Team Championship Match: The Varsity Club Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams with Kevin Sullivan and a bunch of cheerleaders to begin with VS. The Road Warriors Hawk and Animal with Paul Ellering: Nikita Koloff is special guest referee for this match. Sullivan is thrown out after he gets in Koloff’s face. He also threatens Williams with the same thing. Animal catches Rotunda trying to do a crossbody and slams him. Hawk clotheslines Williams off the apron. This is a high power brawl. Road Warriors hit the Doomsday Device on Williams, but Dan Spivey and Kevin Sullivan attack Koloff causing a disqualification.
-NWA United States Tag Team Championship Match: The First Family Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner with Missy Hyatt VS. The Varsity Club Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey. It breaks loose early. Spivey keeps shoulder blocking Steiner’s shoulder into the corner post. Gilbert is going it alone due to the injured shoulder of Steiner. They keep attacking Steiner as he tries to recover. This is essentially a handicap match. Gilbert finally tags Steiner in, but the referee doesn’t see it. Spivey goes to attack Steiner, but as the referee goes to get him out, Steiner clotheslines Sullivan and Gilbert pins him to win the match. The Varsity Club attack Steiner again after the match.
-Jim Ross and Bob Caudle announce that Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda have been stripped of the titles for attacking a referee. They then recap the night. They replay the piledriver and attack by Funk on Flair again before signing off from Nashville.