Clash of the Champions 9 - New York Knockout.
November 15th, 1989 from the Houston Field House, New York
Live from deep in WWF territory
The Funk - Flair feud is still raging it seems and pride it on the line!! They are going at it in a 'I quit' match later in the night.
Jim Ross and Gordon Solie are on commentary
The Freebirds vs The Road Warriors
The Freebirds enter like they at a 70's disco and descend the stairs. It's the first Clash I've seen that has a 'modern' entrance way like what we see today. Each Clash seems to get better in that respect presentation wise, although there's something about the Road Warriors walking down lit up disco steps which doesn't quite work for them.
Michael Hayes and Animal start the action and Hayes is quick to escape the ring after a couple of blows from Animal, he points to his head outsmarting the big lug but quickly realises that Animal is right behind him and tosses him back into the ring like a rag doll. The waiting Hawk takes him down, and Jimmy Garvin is given similar treatment.
Freebirds suck chant the crowd!!
Hayes is back in the ring and Hawk beats him mercilessly. How do you stop the momentum of these warriors? Garvin briefly gets the upper hand on Animal but is soon dealt with.
As expected though the Freebirds with a smart double team do get control and they quick tag and continue to double team to work over Warrior Animal. Hawk can't stand to watch though and charges the ring pushing ref Tommy Young out of the way and making the save.
The bell goes and the Road Warriors have been disqualified for the manhandling of the official as they beat on The Freebirds.
The last two Clashes also started with either a Road Warriors or Freebirds match, and it's obvious why you'd have either or both these teams kick start an event from a booking point of view, as you know they are gonna set a good opening pace. The match felt a bit forced at the end though and was ultimately disappointing.
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| Big Men. Bad Sports |
Terry Funk is interviewed by Jim Ross and cuts a promo about tonight's main event. Did you ever notice how Terry Funk talks like he's been possessed by the spirits of about 7 ghosts? His voice seems to change pitch and tone nearly every other line.
Sting is presented with a fans award for being the most popular wrestler in the NWA by Bill Apter from Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Flair collects the 'wrestler of the decade' award. Perhaps the coveted 'biggest boosh' award would have been more appropriate, as Flair's hair is absolutely massive at this stage...magnificent!
Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert vs Doom
Women presents her new tag team DOOM! I think this has some connections to that Steiner 'trip' angle at the last Clash(8) that was possibly further expanded on at Halloween Havoc '89 but I haven't seen that HH in years so will have to go back and see what went down.
Doom is of course Ron Simmons and Butch Reed and my understanding is that Simmons is pretty green here, so it was a master stroke to partner him with a steady handed veteran like Butch Reed.
Gilbert and Rich surprisingly get the early advantage in this one. But it might be the only offence they'll get in here, as momentum soon shifts to Doom who go about using slow power move after power move to work over their opponents and bring the match down to their own pace.
Tommy Rich gets nailed by a double team clothesline and Doom get the pin and victory. I wanted to see more of Tommy Rich, just not like this.
Jim Cornette interviews the Steiner Bros and asks about the new move Scott's been doing which Rick drools they've named the Franken-Steiner. The Steiner's apparently might make an exception of never hitting a female for Women.
The Dynamic Dudes vs The Midnight Express
This match starts at a great fast pace and as Ross and Solie point out this is an evenly matched bout.
The side interest here is that Cornette is in a 'neutral' corner, as he has stakes in both teams. The match continues with momentum shifting between both teams, Shane Douglas does a fantastic suicide dive/flying body press to the outside onto Beautiful Bobby which is a well worked move actually as partner Johnny Ace held down the top rope to allow extra clearance.
Back in the ring there's a nice little exchange between Douglas and Bobby in the corner as Douglas avoids a superplex and delivers a cross body from the top turnbuckle. Douglas actually looks to have come on a lot since we saw the dudes at COTC 7.
Sweet Stan nails Ace from outside the apron as he attempts a head scissors which briefly puts the Express on top but they can't sustain it and the Express are in big trouble.
Cornette enters the ring and nails Douglas with the tennis racket! It was all a ruse!! The Express get the win.
Good match. The Dudes and Douglas especially have come on leaps and bounds.
Super Destroyer vs Dr Death Steve Williams
Masked man at COTC, hang on, you don't think this is our old friend the terrorist/assassin do you?? Same build that's for sure. I'd like to think its him.
Super Destroyer starts the match as a familiar looking Santa Claus - yes I said Santa Claus - makes his way to the ring. It's Norman.
I'm distracted my the jolly lunatic (could have been a good gimmick) but the action in the ring sees Dr Death throw super destroyer out of the ring and through a ringside table. A Oklahoma Stampede slam from Williams brings this match to an end abruptly as Williams gets the 1,2,3!!
Williams celebrates with Santa
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| Dr. Death made the nice list |
The Skyscrapers vs The Steiner Brothers
This is the Vicious/Spivey incarnation of the Skyscrapers and I'd forgotten that they have decent entrance music and make quite an imposing impression as they stroll to the ring.
Skyscrapers Theme
Rick Steiner as bumbling buffoon? Is this a new development? I don't remember him being this clown like. He's in the crowd giving away popcorn as Scott makes his way to the ring alone sound tracked by 'Welcome to the jungle' which definitely doesn't suit them here.
Rick and Spivey get things started, Rick German suplexes Spivey out of the ring straight away, but he gets back in and hits Rick with what can only be described as a tombstone piledriver, Rick kicks out though. Spivey is now in control but it's short lived as Rick gets the tag to Scott who comes in and hits Spivey with a SWEET Frankensteiner and then hits the invading Sid with what Ross describes as a 'fall away slam' but it's a ugly weird looking move what ever it is. That's not to take anything away from the strength involved though.
Back in the ring, the Scrapers get the upper hand and Spivey misses a drop kick on Scott Steiner by about 8 yards, he proceeds to then do another weird looking move, what is it with this match? He looks like he's gonna tombstone him - realises hes already done that move and just kinda tosses Steiner away, good old JR still tries to convince us it's a 'side slam' though..behave JR!
Rick comes in and just as it looks like the Steiners might have done enough to get a win Doom and Women hit the ring to interfere and beat on the Steiners. Ricks about to get his hands on Women when her 'big surprise' that she hinted at in an earlier promo in the form of her new bodyguard Nitron hits the ring to save her. If the chaos couldn't get anymore errrrm chaotic the Road Warriors hit the ring too and you've now got four massive teams going at it.
US Title Match
Flyin' Brian Pillman vs Lex Luger
This kinda feels like the first match 'proper' of the evening, with the US Title on the line and Luger seemingly hesitant to lock up with Pillman, showing the importance of the match and the possible fear Luger may have of being de-throned. The opening flurry of moves from the two men sees Pillman get the edge and Luger retreats to the outside to re-think his strategy. He should have given it more time though as he quickly escapes to the outside again with plan B also letting him down.
And its the same for the third game plan too as the next exchange sees Luger stopped at every turn but the fast rising Pillman, Luger is gonna have his work cut out here. Spinning kicks, arm bars, flying drop kicks, chops, action in and out of the ring, Pillman is throwing everything at Luger who's barely replied to Pillmans considerable offence.
Inevitably though Pillman makes a mistake and Luger comes back into the match with a nod of a head that says 'right I've taken everything you've got now it's my turn'. Now Luger is hitting Brian with the power moves and tossing him around the ring. Luger takes control and Pillman attempts a few desperation roll ups as he takes the Luger barrage.
Guts get Pillman back into the match and a flying cross body from the rope leads to what could have been a 3 count but during the move the ref has taken a (quite well worked) bump and is down in the ring. Luger shows his experience and grabs a chair and nails Pillman with it just as the ref comes round to make the 3 count. Luger wins and continues to beat Pillman with the chair after the count before applying the Torture Rack. Sting comes to the ring to help Pillman. Good Match.
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Does Sting call Luger 'an arrogant smackhead'?
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Ric Flair vs Terry Funk
Jim Ross tells us that there is 'about 30 minutes of airtime left here' as the match gets underway.
Funk is immediately thrown to the outside and crashes into the guard rail leaving the Funker dazed as he staggers back to the ring.Flair seems the more fired up for this one and is chasing down Funk with avengeance, in fact it's this fire that leads Flair to grapple with Funk which is never a good idea and Terry quickly gets the upper hand, raking the eyes of Flair and putting the boots to him on the apron.
Funk takes Flair to the outside and puts some heavy hands to him against the guardrail. It's here that we the mic comes into play for the first time as back in the ring Funk puts more fists to Flair and asks if he wants to quit. Flair doesn't of course and comes back at Funk with the original fire from earlier in the match, putting his own fists to Funks head outside of the ring. This is just an out and out brawl, there's no wrestling moves as such just punches and chops.
Funk reminds Flair of his previous neck injury via the microphone and starts to work that area with a piledriver in and out of the ring. A table is set up by Funk but its Flair that puts it to use, in what is surely an accidental but good looking move, where Funk is slid across the table and hits a chair at the other side.
The war continues back and forth with each man beating on the other. Flair locks in the figure four and the ref puts the mic in Funks grill waiting for him to quit. Fuck holds on for a while but finally has to say the decisive words 'I quit'. Flair wins!!
Funk and Flair shake hands out of respect for the battle they've just had but Funks manager Gary Hart is less than impressed and nails Funk, this incenses the Nature Boy who fires back at Hart with some shots of his own.
Harts stable come to the ring and put the shots to flair before Sting sprints to the ring to make his second save of the evening. The event ends in chaos as Luger also hits the ring to hit both Flair and Sting with a chair.
