UnWrest Focus- Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat Part II (Clash of the Champions VI- Ragin' Cajun, 1989)
Welcome once again to UnWrest Focus, as I continue the dive into the iconic series of matches from 1989 involving "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The last post, which you can read HERE, reviewed the classic Chi-Town Rumble 1989 match between both men. The match saw Ricky Steamboat upset Ric Flair to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
True to his word, Ricky Steamboat gave Ric Flair a rematch for his newly-acquired world championship.
The location? The SilverDome... I mean, the Super Dome, brothers! New Orleans, LA
Attendance: 5,300. (Not exactly great given the building, but it's still a good passionate crowd nonetheless.)
Time: April 2, 1989 (going head to head with WrestleMania V).
This time, the match will be 2 out of 3 Falls to determine the World Heavyweight Champion. Fire up that WWE Network, find Clash of the Champions, go to 1989, click on Clash of the Champions VI, and fast forward to 1:03:38. And without further ado, LET'S DO THIS!
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Two out of Three Falls
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (c) vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Ric Flair comes down to the ring in style with the classic black and white feathered robe, women by his side, and a laser presentation behind him spelling his name. The problem? Whomever created the laser text put in "Rick Flair." (Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about misspelling ushigaroshe all the time.) Fireworks go off over the ring. Steamboat, his wife, and their child come out to the ring. The "Little Dragon" has a dragon's head on him. Ha. Steamboat is wearing all white carrying a kid. He's one happy accident away from wrestling in yellow.
First Fall
The bell rings. Tommy Young is the referee. Jim Ross and Terry Funk (who probably is going to call Ric Flair an "egg sucking dog" and make disparaging remarks about Flair's mother) are on commentary.
Tie up by both men. Flair pushes off Steamboat and Woo's in his face. Steamboat slaps him. Tie up again. Transitions and fast paced amateur move reverals by both men. Flair gets to the ropes and the corner. Steamboat slaps him again! Another tie up. Steamboat has the headlock in. Flair turns it into an overhead wristlock. Steamboat and Flair are jockeying for position, and Steamboat gets him down. But Flair rolls out to the outside. Flair asks Steamboat to come on down to fight him and complains to Young that Steamboat grabbed the hair.
Flair gets back in the ring. Test of Strength teased. Tie up instead. Flair gets a headlock in. Flair pushed into the ropes. Shoulder tackle by Flair. Hip toss over by Steamboat and a headlock by Steamboat. 5 minutes have passed. Flair tries to rollover Steamboat into a pin, but Steamboat continues to kickout at 2. Flair pushes Steamboat to the ropes, but he gets hit with another shoulder tackle. Then, Steamboat catches Flair again with another headlock takedown.
Flair gets Steamboat in the corner for the break. Flair gets Steamboat with a shoulder to the ribs and a chop. Another chop. Steamboat responds back with chops of his own. Flair gets hip tossed. Flying head scissors and a dropkick by Steamboat. Another headlock takedown by Steamboat. Hard crossfaces into headlocks by Steamboat now. Now, Steamboat is dropping knees on Flair's head. Flair gets snap mared by Steamboat. A chin lock by Steamboat gets Flair up on his feet to push him into the corner. Elbow to the ribs by Flair. Chop by Flair. Steamboat answers right back again and again. BIG BACK BODY DROP! Dropkick to Flair for a 2 count. Flair is begging now. "No!" (10 minutes have gone by.)
Flair is suckering Steamboat in, and he gets him with a kick to the gut. A punch to the head sends Steamboat down. Flair throws Steamboat to the ropes, but Steamboat gets him for a rollup for 2. And a big clothesline by Steamboat. High flying headlock takedown by Steamboat takes Flair down again. Another front face lock by Steamboat. Steamboat using his body to apply more pressure. Knee to the back of Flair's head. Both men in the corner now. CHOP by Steamboat. Flair rakes the eyes, but Steamboat catches him with more chops. FLAIR FLOP! 2 count. Flair catches Steamboat with an atomic drop.
MASSIVE chop by Steamboat gets Flair down for a 2 count. Another headlock. A series of shoulder tackle and strikes by Steamboat gets a multitude of 2 counts. Flair rolls to the outside and FLOPS again. Flair walks around to regain his composure and his breath. Flair comes back in the ring and immediately begs off. Flair gets back up and there's another tie up as we pass the 15 minute mark now. CHOPS by Flair in rapid succession. Steamboat starts to answer back. These are hard chops by Steamboat. Flair goes down. Steamboat gets a 2 count on Flair. (Young had to roll to the outside just to make the count.) Flair is on the apron. Steamboat catches him and delivers a delayed vertical suplex. He goes to splash Flair, but Flair gets the knees up.
Both men get back up. Flair attacks Steamboat in the corner. Snap mare by Flair. Flair steps on Steamboat's stomach. Butterfly suplex by Flair gets a few 2 counts. Headlock by Flair into a pin attempt for a few 2 counts. Logical attempts to get a pin, using his weight and the move to his advantage. Flair now uses his hands to power Steamboat down, but Steamboat kips up in a test of strength position against Flair. Flair is SCREAMING in pain!!!! Kick by both men. Chops now by both men! Hip toss by Steamboat. But he misses the dropkick! Flair goes for the Figure 4, but Steamboat reverses into a pin attempt. Flair reverses it, and FLAIR GETS THE FIRST FALL!
First Fall: Ric Flair (19:33)
Fall Grade: A. Great pacing in this fall. Both men went full speed at each other, but they did enough to save something for the rest of the match. The selling by Flair and Steamboat cannot be undersold here, especially Flair. If you aren't a fan of the flop, then you should appreciate the screaming and the panic in his eyes for the other moves in the match.
Second Fall
Both men circle the ring for a second. Fans still seem to be very invested into this match at this point. Tie up in the center of the ring. Headlock by Flair. Shoulder tackle by Flair. Press slam by Steamboat. Steamboat climbs up quickly. JUDO Chop from the top. 2 count only. Steamboat with another side headlock, now into a facelock. Flair reverses into a back suplex. Flair steps back and drills the knee into Steamboat's face. (WOOO!) Flair steps back into the corner, but he misses a 2nd knee drop. Steamboat delivers elbow drops repeatedly over and over again (like 15 at least) to Flair's leg. FIGURE 4 BY STEAMBOAT ON FLAIR!!!! Flair is screaming in pain! Flair sits up, Steamboat punches him back down. Flair continues to scream in agony, but he gets to the ropes finally.
Steamboat pulls Flair away from the ropes. Flair tries to kick him away, but Steamboat turns Flair into a Boston Crab! 25 minutes have now passed in the overall match. Flair gets to the ropes. Steamboat attacks Flair who was sitting in the corner. Punch to the stomach by Flair followed by a chop. Rinse and repeat. Chop now by Steamboat. Headlock takedown by Flair who gets a 2 count. Flair floats over into a pin attempt for a few 2 counts. Steamboat bridges up and goes for the backslide crucifix pin. He gets a 2. Flair goes outside and pulls Steamboat out. He throws Steamboat into the railing and slams him on the floor. Flair yells for the cameramen to get out of the way as he throws him into another guardrail. Flair is back in the ring. Steamboat slowly makes his way back to the apron. Flair snaps his neck across the top rope. Steamboat again is on the apron. Flair punchs him in the face, sending him down. Flair continues the attack at the 30 minute mark. Flair delivers a great vertical suplex to Steamboat, but he only gets a 2.
Flair applies an abdominal stretch to Steamboat and rolls back to try to pin Steamboat. But he's only able to get a 2 out of multiple pin attempts, even when he transitions into a headlock pin attempt and uses the ropes. (Like the last match, this is logical wrestling as he continues the pressure on Steamboat hoping to get any sort of 3 count that could be found.) Flair looks back to the crowd after giving up the pin attempts and tells someone to "Shut up!" (Sadly, again, no "fat boy" in the crowd.)
Flair continues the attack on a barely standing Steamboat. Back suplex by Flair, but Steamboat lands on his feet and goes for the rollup. But Flair kicks him off so hard that it sends Steamboat flying almost to the outside. His feet keep him from completely going out. Jackknife pin attempt by Steamboat only gets 2. Steamboat gets caught trying to backdrop Flair with a big kick. CHOP by Flair. 2 count. Flair is going to the top rope. Steamboat belts Flair and climbs up. Steamboat gets a middle rope suplex. He attacks the lower back of Flair with strikes and forearms. Double Chickenwing by Steamboat. FLAIR GIVES UP!
Second Fall: Ricky Steamboat (34:14)
Fall Grade: B+. This wasn't as fun as the first fall, and it didn't seem like Steamboat was in any real danger of going down two falls to lose this match. That being said, the effort was definitely still there, and the 2nd fall in 2/3 Falls matches tend to be the least interesting in general as we're conditioned to believe we're getting the 3rd Fall eventually. That being said, it's Flair vs. Steamboat. It's great either way.
Third Fall
We join the third fall in progress as Flair gets Steamboat off of him only to FLOP face first to the mat. Flair body chops the knees of Steamboat. (35 minutes have elapsed. We didn't miss much then.) Chops by Steamboat. Flair responds back. A massive chop by Steamboat sends Flair flopping face first again. 2 count by Steamboat. Flair begs off. Steamboat attacks Flair in the corner, whips him into another, and back bodydrops him again. Flair and Steamboat continue their fight. Chop to the back by Steamboat. Flair chops Steamboat down. Flair catches Steamboat with an atomic drop focusing on the knee, and he gets Steamboat down. Flair gets the Figure 4 in, but Steamboat gets to the ropes.
Flair gets in Tommy Young's face. Flair continues the attack, kicking at Steamboat's bad left leg. CHOPs exchanged by both men. These guys are destroying each other. Flair is sent over the corner, and Steamboat clotheslines him on the apron. God. This is incredible stuff. Flair is unconscious on the apron. Nope. He rolls back in and begs off. Steamboat gets suckered in, as Flair rolls him up and puts his feet on the ropes. But Steamboat kicks out again and again and again! CHOPS now in the corner by Flair. Flair avoids a jump by Steamboat and kicks him square in the face. Flair now drops a knee on Steamboat's leg. (40 minutes have expired!)
Steamboat whips Flair into a corner, but he misses a big kick in the corner hanging his leg on the top rope to make things worse. Flair whips him down and starts jumping on the leg in the corner. Flair pulls Steamboat back to the center of the ring and executes a beautiful knee drop on the leg of Steamboat. He pulls the leg just to watch Steamboat scream! FIGURE 4! Steamboat is in pain, waving his arms around and telling the referee he isn't giving up. Steamboat is screaming in pain as Flair is screaming in trying to apply more pressure. "NO!" Steamboat yells. He's getting counted down for near falls from almost passing out from the pain. Steamboat is pressing the mat repeated to get the crowd riled up (today, that'd be a tap out). Steamboat rolls the move over, and both men get to the ropes. Flair rolls out and whips Steamboat's bad leg against the apron.
Both men are up in the corner. Steamboat delivers massive chops to Flair. He whips Flair over the top of the corner. Flair runs the apron, climbs the ropes, and catches Steamboat with a big crossbody! 1-2-KICKOUT at 2.8! (That was a GREAT near fall.) Steamboat attacks Flair. Flair falls on Steamboat after he tries to slam him for a 2 count. 45 minutes have gone by. 15 until a time-limit draw.
Flying headbutt from Steamboat coming off the ropes to a standing Flair. Big chop to a lying Flair's face. Big flying body press by Steamboat off the top rope! 1-2-Kickout by Flair! Steamboat misses a running elbow drop. Flair elbows Steamboat in the head and continues to deliver strikes. Reverse neckbreaker by Steamboat for a 2 count. Steamboat is sent flying out through the ropes by Flair. Flair is looking to take this however he can at this point. Sunset Flip attempt off the apron by Steamboat. Flair can't get to the ropes. Steamboat gets him rolled over for a 2. Tackle by Steamboat. Sleeper hold by Flair! Flair is on Steamboat's back, using all his body weight on a standing Steamboat. Steamboat starts crumbling to the mat while Flair holds it in. The arm drops twice, but Steamboat refuses to die!
Steamboat goes into the corner, sending Flair face first into the turnbuckle. Flair is in so much pain that he ends up falling back to the floor. Flair rolls back in and kicks Steamboat in the leg. ENZIGURI by Steamboat! 1-2-kickout. These guys are exhausted! 51 minutes have expired. 9 minutes remain.
Steamboat is on the top rope, but he misses a dive on Flair! Both men are down. Tommy Young is counting both men down. But Flair gets up and just hammers Steamboat's knee against the mat repeatedly. Steamboat is in the corner. Flair kicks him in the leg and chops him a few times back and forth. Flair chases Steamboat around the ropes continuing the attack. Steamboat continues to fight back now with chops. 8 minutes remain!
Steamboat is now firing chops at Flair again and again. Flair runs into a massive chop! Terry and J.R. put over these great athletes for good reason. Flair begs off. Steamboat attacks him in the corner, hitting a few punches on the ropes. Flair goes for the atomic drop, but Steamboat clotheslines him down! 1-2-Flair gets the foot on the rope. Flair catches Steamboat with an elbow to the back of the head. Big Back Suplex by Flair! 6 minutes remain.
Flair is on the top rope, but Steamboat attacks him in the corner. Flair is sent flying off the corner back into the ring! Steamboat gets the Double Arm ChickenWing on Flair. Steamboat falls back. Flair's foot is under the ropes, but Tommy Young counts Flair's shoulders down for a 3 count.
Winner: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (still champion) (54:29)
Match Grade: A+. How can this be anything but an A+ overall? These guys went for over an hour and murdered each other for the duration of the match. Even the "rest holds" had plenty of drama with both men selling and screaming in pain. The story was great with Flair continuing to do everything he can in order to keep Steamboat down, but Steamboat showing that he has Ric Flair's number and can best Flair in an athletic contest. Both men continue to look like top tier performers, and Flair gets the out of having his foot under the rope.
Ricky Steamboat talks to J.R. after the match. He says he must go on to other contenders. J.R. asks for the video to roll that shows the disputed finish. Steamboat sees the foot, but he says "Things like that happen in our business." J.R. tells Steamboat that Flair is irate and is complaining to NWA management about that finish. Steamboat says if he was in Flair's position, he'd talk to his lawyer to see if something can be done. He says Flair has a legitimate position to ask for another rematch. But he did have Flair's shoulders down for a 3. That makes him the better man.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you set up a THIRD match!
Overall this was an incredible hour of wrestling to watch and behold. Steamboat and Flair just have one of those great chemistries that cannot be manufactured. They just have that dynamic that makes you want to see them wrestle time and time again. Speaking of which, there's one match left to go in this series. And it's another match some consider to be the greatest wrestling match of all time.
I hope you will join me for the third and final post on the Flair vs. Steamboat journey on UnWrest Focus as we dive in to WrestleWar 89! Until then, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
True to his word, Ricky Steamboat gave Ric Flair a rematch for his newly-acquired world championship.
The location? The SilverDome... I mean, the Super Dome, brothers! New Orleans, LA
Attendance: 5,300. (Not exactly great given the building, but it's still a good passionate crowd nonetheless.)
Time: April 2, 1989 (going head to head with WrestleMania V).
This time, the match will be 2 out of 3 Falls to determine the World Heavyweight Champion. Fire up that WWE Network, find Clash of the Champions, go to 1989, click on Clash of the Champions VI, and fast forward to 1:03:38. And without further ado, LET'S DO THIS!
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Two out of Three Falls
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (c) vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Ric Flair comes down to the ring in style with the classic black and white feathered robe, women by his side, and a laser presentation behind him spelling his name. The problem? Whomever created the laser text put in "Rick Flair." (Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about misspelling ushigaroshe all the time.) Fireworks go off over the ring. Steamboat, his wife, and their child come out to the ring. The "Little Dragon" has a dragon's head on him. Ha. Steamboat is wearing all white carrying a kid. He's one happy accident away from wrestling in yellow.
First Fall
The bell rings. Tommy Young is the referee. Jim Ross and Terry Funk (who probably is going to call Ric Flair an "egg sucking dog" and make disparaging remarks about Flair's mother) are on commentary.
Tie up by both men. Flair pushes off Steamboat and Woo's in his face. Steamboat slaps him. Tie up again. Transitions and fast paced amateur move reverals by both men. Flair gets to the ropes and the corner. Steamboat slaps him again! Another tie up. Steamboat has the headlock in. Flair turns it into an overhead wristlock. Steamboat and Flair are jockeying for position, and Steamboat gets him down. But Flair rolls out to the outside. Flair asks Steamboat to come on down to fight him and complains to Young that Steamboat grabbed the hair.
Flair gets back in the ring. Test of Strength teased. Tie up instead. Flair gets a headlock in. Flair pushed into the ropes. Shoulder tackle by Flair. Hip toss over by Steamboat and a headlock by Steamboat. 5 minutes have passed. Flair tries to rollover Steamboat into a pin, but Steamboat continues to kickout at 2. Flair pushes Steamboat to the ropes, but he gets hit with another shoulder tackle. Then, Steamboat catches Flair again with another headlock takedown.
Flair gets Steamboat in the corner for the break. Flair gets Steamboat with a shoulder to the ribs and a chop. Another chop. Steamboat responds back with chops of his own. Flair gets hip tossed. Flying head scissors and a dropkick by Steamboat. Another headlock takedown by Steamboat. Hard crossfaces into headlocks by Steamboat now. Now, Steamboat is dropping knees on Flair's head. Flair gets snap mared by Steamboat. A chin lock by Steamboat gets Flair up on his feet to push him into the corner. Elbow to the ribs by Flair. Chop by Flair. Steamboat answers right back again and again. BIG BACK BODY DROP! Dropkick to Flair for a 2 count. Flair is begging now. "No!" (10 minutes have gone by.)
Flair is suckering Steamboat in, and he gets him with a kick to the gut. A punch to the head sends Steamboat down. Flair throws Steamboat to the ropes, but Steamboat gets him for a rollup for 2. And a big clothesline by Steamboat. High flying headlock takedown by Steamboat takes Flair down again. Another front face lock by Steamboat. Steamboat using his body to apply more pressure. Knee to the back of Flair's head. Both men in the corner now. CHOP by Steamboat. Flair rakes the eyes, but Steamboat catches him with more chops. FLAIR FLOP! 2 count. Flair catches Steamboat with an atomic drop.
MASSIVE chop by Steamboat gets Flair down for a 2 count. Another headlock. A series of shoulder tackle and strikes by Steamboat gets a multitude of 2 counts. Flair rolls to the outside and FLOPS again. Flair walks around to regain his composure and his breath. Flair comes back in the ring and immediately begs off. Flair gets back up and there's another tie up as we pass the 15 minute mark now. CHOPS by Flair in rapid succession. Steamboat starts to answer back. These are hard chops by Steamboat. Flair goes down. Steamboat gets a 2 count on Flair. (Young had to roll to the outside just to make the count.) Flair is on the apron. Steamboat catches him and delivers a delayed vertical suplex. He goes to splash Flair, but Flair gets the knees up.
Both men get back up. Flair attacks Steamboat in the corner. Snap mare by Flair. Flair steps on Steamboat's stomach. Butterfly suplex by Flair gets a few 2 counts. Headlock by Flair into a pin attempt for a few 2 counts. Logical attempts to get a pin, using his weight and the move to his advantage. Flair now uses his hands to power Steamboat down, but Steamboat kips up in a test of strength position against Flair. Flair is SCREAMING in pain!!!! Kick by both men. Chops now by both men! Hip toss by Steamboat. But he misses the dropkick! Flair goes for the Figure 4, but Steamboat reverses into a pin attempt. Flair reverses it, and FLAIR GETS THE FIRST FALL!
First Fall: Ric Flair (19:33)
Fall Grade: A. Great pacing in this fall. Both men went full speed at each other, but they did enough to save something for the rest of the match. The selling by Flair and Steamboat cannot be undersold here, especially Flair. If you aren't a fan of the flop, then you should appreciate the screaming and the panic in his eyes for the other moves in the match.
Second Fall
Both men circle the ring for a second. Fans still seem to be very invested into this match at this point. Tie up in the center of the ring. Headlock by Flair. Shoulder tackle by Flair. Press slam by Steamboat. Steamboat climbs up quickly. JUDO Chop from the top. 2 count only. Steamboat with another side headlock, now into a facelock. Flair reverses into a back suplex. Flair steps back and drills the knee into Steamboat's face. (WOOO!) Flair steps back into the corner, but he misses a 2nd knee drop. Steamboat delivers elbow drops repeatedly over and over again (like 15 at least) to Flair's leg. FIGURE 4 BY STEAMBOAT ON FLAIR!!!! Flair is screaming in pain! Flair sits up, Steamboat punches him back down. Flair continues to scream in agony, but he gets to the ropes finally.
Steamboat pulls Flair away from the ropes. Flair tries to kick him away, but Steamboat turns Flair into a Boston Crab! 25 minutes have now passed in the overall match. Flair gets to the ropes. Steamboat attacks Flair who was sitting in the corner. Punch to the stomach by Flair followed by a chop. Rinse and repeat. Chop now by Steamboat. Headlock takedown by Flair who gets a 2 count. Flair floats over into a pin attempt for a few 2 counts. Steamboat bridges up and goes for the backslide crucifix pin. He gets a 2. Flair goes outside and pulls Steamboat out. He throws Steamboat into the railing and slams him on the floor. Flair yells for the cameramen to get out of the way as he throws him into another guardrail. Flair is back in the ring. Steamboat slowly makes his way back to the apron. Flair snaps his neck across the top rope. Steamboat again is on the apron. Flair punchs him in the face, sending him down. Flair continues the attack at the 30 minute mark. Flair delivers a great vertical suplex to Steamboat, but he only gets a 2.
Flair applies an abdominal stretch to Steamboat and rolls back to try to pin Steamboat. But he's only able to get a 2 out of multiple pin attempts, even when he transitions into a headlock pin attempt and uses the ropes. (Like the last match, this is logical wrestling as he continues the pressure on Steamboat hoping to get any sort of 3 count that could be found.) Flair looks back to the crowd after giving up the pin attempts and tells someone to "Shut up!" (Sadly, again, no "fat boy" in the crowd.)
Flair continues the attack on a barely standing Steamboat. Back suplex by Flair, but Steamboat lands on his feet and goes for the rollup. But Flair kicks him off so hard that it sends Steamboat flying almost to the outside. His feet keep him from completely going out. Jackknife pin attempt by Steamboat only gets 2. Steamboat gets caught trying to backdrop Flair with a big kick. CHOP by Flair. 2 count. Flair is going to the top rope. Steamboat belts Flair and climbs up. Steamboat gets a middle rope suplex. He attacks the lower back of Flair with strikes and forearms. Double Chickenwing by Steamboat. FLAIR GIVES UP!
Second Fall: Ricky Steamboat (34:14)
Fall Grade: B+. This wasn't as fun as the first fall, and it didn't seem like Steamboat was in any real danger of going down two falls to lose this match. That being said, the effort was definitely still there, and the 2nd fall in 2/3 Falls matches tend to be the least interesting in general as we're conditioned to believe we're getting the 3rd Fall eventually. That being said, it's Flair vs. Steamboat. It's great either way.
Third Fall
We join the third fall in progress as Flair gets Steamboat off of him only to FLOP face first to the mat. Flair body chops the knees of Steamboat. (35 minutes have elapsed. We didn't miss much then.) Chops by Steamboat. Flair responds back. A massive chop by Steamboat sends Flair flopping face first again. 2 count by Steamboat. Flair begs off. Steamboat attacks Flair in the corner, whips him into another, and back bodydrops him again. Flair and Steamboat continue their fight. Chop to the back by Steamboat. Flair chops Steamboat down. Flair catches Steamboat with an atomic drop focusing on the knee, and he gets Steamboat down. Flair gets the Figure 4 in, but Steamboat gets to the ropes.
Flair gets in Tommy Young's face. Flair continues the attack, kicking at Steamboat's bad left leg. CHOPs exchanged by both men. These guys are destroying each other. Flair is sent over the corner, and Steamboat clotheslines him on the apron. God. This is incredible stuff. Flair is unconscious on the apron. Nope. He rolls back in and begs off. Steamboat gets suckered in, as Flair rolls him up and puts his feet on the ropes. But Steamboat kicks out again and again and again! CHOPS now in the corner by Flair. Flair avoids a jump by Steamboat and kicks him square in the face. Flair now drops a knee on Steamboat's leg. (40 minutes have expired!)
Steamboat whips Flair into a corner, but he misses a big kick in the corner hanging his leg on the top rope to make things worse. Flair whips him down and starts jumping on the leg in the corner. Flair pulls Steamboat back to the center of the ring and executes a beautiful knee drop on the leg of Steamboat. He pulls the leg just to watch Steamboat scream! FIGURE 4! Steamboat is in pain, waving his arms around and telling the referee he isn't giving up. Steamboat is screaming in pain as Flair is screaming in trying to apply more pressure. "NO!" Steamboat yells. He's getting counted down for near falls from almost passing out from the pain. Steamboat is pressing the mat repeated to get the crowd riled up (today, that'd be a tap out). Steamboat rolls the move over, and both men get to the ropes. Flair rolls out and whips Steamboat's bad leg against the apron.
Both men are up in the corner. Steamboat delivers massive chops to Flair. He whips Flair over the top of the corner. Flair runs the apron, climbs the ropes, and catches Steamboat with a big crossbody! 1-2-KICKOUT at 2.8! (That was a GREAT near fall.) Steamboat attacks Flair. Flair falls on Steamboat after he tries to slam him for a 2 count. 45 minutes have gone by. 15 until a time-limit draw.
Flying headbutt from Steamboat coming off the ropes to a standing Flair. Big chop to a lying Flair's face. Big flying body press by Steamboat off the top rope! 1-2-Kickout by Flair! Steamboat misses a running elbow drop. Flair elbows Steamboat in the head and continues to deliver strikes. Reverse neckbreaker by Steamboat for a 2 count. Steamboat is sent flying out through the ropes by Flair. Flair is looking to take this however he can at this point. Sunset Flip attempt off the apron by Steamboat. Flair can't get to the ropes. Steamboat gets him rolled over for a 2. Tackle by Steamboat. Sleeper hold by Flair! Flair is on Steamboat's back, using all his body weight on a standing Steamboat. Steamboat starts crumbling to the mat while Flair holds it in. The arm drops twice, but Steamboat refuses to die!
Steamboat goes into the corner, sending Flair face first into the turnbuckle. Flair is in so much pain that he ends up falling back to the floor. Flair rolls back in and kicks Steamboat in the leg. ENZIGURI by Steamboat! 1-2-kickout. These guys are exhausted! 51 minutes have expired. 9 minutes remain.
Steamboat is on the top rope, but he misses a dive on Flair! Both men are down. Tommy Young is counting both men down. But Flair gets up and just hammers Steamboat's knee against the mat repeatedly. Steamboat is in the corner. Flair kicks him in the leg and chops him a few times back and forth. Flair chases Steamboat around the ropes continuing the attack. Steamboat continues to fight back now with chops. 8 minutes remain!
Steamboat is now firing chops at Flair again and again. Flair runs into a massive chop! Terry and J.R. put over these great athletes for good reason. Flair begs off. Steamboat attacks him in the corner, hitting a few punches on the ropes. Flair goes for the atomic drop, but Steamboat clotheslines him down! 1-2-Flair gets the foot on the rope. Flair catches Steamboat with an elbow to the back of the head. Big Back Suplex by Flair! 6 minutes remain.
Flair is on the top rope, but Steamboat attacks him in the corner. Flair is sent flying off the corner back into the ring! Steamboat gets the Double Arm ChickenWing on Flair. Steamboat falls back. Flair's foot is under the ropes, but Tommy Young counts Flair's shoulders down for a 3 count.
Winner: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (still champion) (54:29)
Match Grade: A+. How can this be anything but an A+ overall? These guys went for over an hour and murdered each other for the duration of the match. Even the "rest holds" had plenty of drama with both men selling and screaming in pain. The story was great with Flair continuing to do everything he can in order to keep Steamboat down, but Steamboat showing that he has Ric Flair's number and can best Flair in an athletic contest. Both men continue to look like top tier performers, and Flair gets the out of having his foot under the rope.
Ricky Steamboat talks to J.R. after the match. He says he must go on to other contenders. J.R. asks for the video to roll that shows the disputed finish. Steamboat sees the foot, but he says "Things like that happen in our business." J.R. tells Steamboat that Flair is irate and is complaining to NWA management about that finish. Steamboat says if he was in Flair's position, he'd talk to his lawyer to see if something can be done. He says Flair has a legitimate position to ask for another rematch. But he did have Flair's shoulders down for a 3. That makes him the better man.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you set up a THIRD match!
Overall this was an incredible hour of wrestling to watch and behold. Steamboat and Flair just have one of those great chemistries that cannot be manufactured. They just have that dynamic that makes you want to see them wrestle time and time again. Speaking of which, there's one match left to go in this series. And it's another match some consider to be the greatest wrestling match of all time.
I hope you will join me for the third and final post on the Flair vs. Steamboat journey on UnWrest Focus as we dive in to WrestleWar 89! Until then, take care of yourselves and spread some awesomeness.
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