Ryan Navigates '90 - #9 (2/4 - 2/9)
Everything goes pear-shaped for the NWA.
Good day!
We’ll have a good chunk of content from NWA’s Clash of the Champions X special, and OH BOY, that one was eventful, but not in the way the NWA wanted.
We also have a hard-hitting chunk of Newborn UWF shoot-style and Kerry Von Erich hanging out with USSR hard rockers Gorky Park.
Nothing much footage-wise happened on February 4th and 5th, so we’ll start on the 6th.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6th
NWA Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout
That is an incredible logo, by the way.
We start off with an absolutely insane entrance for “Dr. Death” Steve Williams.
The intent is to portray him like an actual physician, but he dresses and acts more like a first responder than anything. He wears the shirt, but no pants, because wrestling. Doc tosses a hapless goober into the back of an ambulance, stethoscopes him, then does the dirt-worst chest compressions known to man.
He then commands the driver to head to the hospital, then he waves to us while peeking out the rear window. That patient is GONE, bud. This was so bad, but I was laughing my ass off.
We don’t get the actual match that he has with The Samoan Savage, which Doc wins via a backslide. Both guys wouldn’t be in the company for much longer, so it’s really weird that the NWA would spend so much time and money on Williams’ entrance.
We pick it up with Terry Funk bringing the Four Horsemen out to the ring for a chat ahead of tonight’s main event. I have to say that I love Sting’s shirt. He ATE here.
Ole Anderson wastes little time kicking Sting out of the group! He explains that Ric Flair called him and Arn back in to get rid of Sting, but the Andersons held off on kicking his ass because Sting helped Flair out.
Ole explained that Sting was a good, talented Horsemen, but he committed the ultimate sin of signing for a World title match against Flair. He says that when Sting signed the contract for that match, he signed his death warrant! Oh, shit.
Ole says that Sting will be allowed to live if he does one thing: give up his title shot. Sting has two hours to make up his mind. Flair says that he bought Sting some time, so he should skedaddle. Sting refuses, so Flair decks him, and the beatdown is ON. In an incredible rant, Flair warns Sting to get out of the business and kicks him in the junk for good measure.
Sure, we knew the turn was something that was going to happen, given that the Horsemen have kicked people out of the group for less, including Ole himself for attending his son’s wrestling meet. However, the angle itself was extremely well-done with solid motivation and nuance. Flair did want to give Sting some mercy, but Sting resisted and got swarmed as a result.
Sting being a gullible fool and getting betrayed hadn’t become old hat yet, so this was really effective. Ole was an overbearing, condescending prick here, which wasn’t too far removed from real life.
The argument could be made that the Horsemen turn was a bit rushed and sudden because there was still mileage on a babyface Horsemen unit (and, really, they knew that Sting had the world title match for a while). However, if everything went as planned, Sting vs. The Horsemen is always a solid direction. Unfortunately, as we’ll see later, things did NOT go according to plan.
How about an extended version of the Wrestle War ‘90 rap?!? This reminds me a lot of the DK Rap for some reason.
The Z-Man & “Flyin’” Brian Pillman defeated the MOD Squad (Spike & Basher) by pinfall after Zenk hit a bodypress on Basher.
The MOD Squad were a couple of corrupt motorcycle cops that didn’t exactly last long, only being around for a few months in 1990.
The State Patrol, another heel police gimmick, was also a thing at this time. Really weird to have two of what is essentially the same gimmick in the tag division.
We pick it up to the end of Cactus Jack vs. Mil Mascaras in a really random match-up. Jack gives Mascaras a very gentle backbreaker on the floor and looks for the Cactus elbow, but Mil scoots into the ring and dropkicks him off the apron. This results in an absolutely sickening flat-back bump onto the bare concrete (cheerfully dubbed "The Nestea Plunge”). Foley landed with a repulsive thud.
Jack stumbles to the apron, only to get suplexed back in by Mascaras (who doesn’t go down with the move). Flying crossbody secures the pin for the luchador.
Foley was in his own category of insane here, taking that horrendous bump in a complete nothing of a match. Mascaras is an undisputed legend in the industry, but Foley had not much good to say about him in his first book. Considering that Mascaras pretty much gave him nothing, I don’t blame him.
After the match, Jack got into it with the drummer of the Tough Guys house band (Wolfe Wilde, otherwise known as JT Southern), but nothing really came of it.
We get another ending here, this time the finish of Kevin Sullivan vs. Norman the Lunatic in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Norman makes a comeback and strangles Sullivan with his shirt, then they brawl up the aisle where Norman takes a back body drop onto the ramp for a two-count. We head to the back where Kevin seeks refuge in the women’s restroom. Norman, ever the gentleman, refuses to go in. A woman (apparently a WCW secretary) is seen running out and screaming.
Armed with the presumption that only Sullivan is in the ladies’ lavatory, Norman and referee Nick Patrick storm in, and we soon hear a three-count from behind the door. Sullivan staggers out and collapses, then the winner, Norman, comes out carrying a toilet seat and some TP (presumably for his bunghole).
Kind of silly that we didn’t see the actual finish, but this was pretty funny. This also looks forward to the kind of nutty brawls Sullivan would have with the Nasty Boys and Chris Benoit in later years.
The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) defeated The New Skyscrapers (“Dangerous” Dan Spivey & “Mean” Mark Callous) via disqualification after Mean Mark blasted Hawk with a chair on the outside.
We pick it up at the end of the Steiner Brothers (c) vs. Doom in a Title vs. Mask match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Doom pummels on Scott until he hits a desperation Frankensteiner and it’s HOT TAG RICK. He runs wild on Doom #1 and Steinerlines Doom #2 out of the ring. Rick goes after the mask of Doom #1 and pulls it off! Oh my God, it’s Hacksaw Butch Reed! What a development!
Reed apologizes to Doom #2 for what happened, and Rick rolls him up for the pin to retain! Doom #2 now has to unmask, or both guys will be suspended. Doom #2 turns out to be…RON SIMMONS…
…
…DAMN!
Gordon Solie is with the Horsemen backstage. Time is almost up for Sting to make his decision per Ole, then Flair says that if Sting doesn’t relinquish his title shot by the end of the cage match, the Horsemen will find him and end him.
It’s a bit interesting to me that the Horsemen had two promos, and Arn Anderson, one of the best talkers in the business, didn’t utter a word in either of them. Then again, he probably didn’t need to given that Ole and Flair were driving a lot of the narrative.
Cage Match: The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson & Ole Anderson) vs. The J-Tex Corporation (Buzz Sawyer, Dragon Master & Great Muta - Because of what took place earlier in the evening, Ole took over Sting’s spot in the match, and the match is pretty much dead in the water as a result. The J-Tex guys get little video intros before the match.
The crowd chants “WE WANT STING” as Sawyer mauls Arn to start. The crowd cheers for the Mad Dog, who ends up eating the steel cage a few times before Flair comes in. Flair and Sawyer trade blows until Dragon Master tags in. Flair gets the best of Master and tags Ole in to resume the clobbering. Dragon Master comes back, getting the crowd behind HIM. Even Dragon Master is getting babyface heat because Corpus Christi hates the Horsemen.
Ole cuts off the comeback, but Master tags in Muta, who gets a BIG pop! It’s a shame that he didn’t want to turn babyface, because the crowd really WANTED to cheer him. The NWA could have bought the WWF with the money made from selling Muta masks and T-shirts.
Muta hits a handspring elbow, leading to an AWESOME punch-drunk sell from Arn, then we get a Mutalock as Sting shows up to climb the cage! A bunch of security and midcarders come out to try to wrest Sting from the cage, doing so successfully as Flair fights him off. We get LOUD “WE WANT STING” chants as Sawyer takes a nasty back body drop into the cage from Ole. Sawyer powers up as Ole begs off, then Sting makes another run at Flair in the cage. Security yanks him down a little too hard, and Sting infamously injures his knee on what looked like an innocent landing. It was in that very moment that everything goes truly cattywampus for the NWA.
Oddly enough, Brian Pillman also hurt his eye during the fracas.
While Sting limps around, Sawyer misses a splash off the top of the cage. Arn hits a Spinebuster on the Dragon Master, and everybody brawls until Arn drillsMaster with a DDT to end the match.
After the match, Flair, not realizing that Sting was legitimately injured, makes a beeline towards him as the credits roll.
**1/2 - This was a fairly short, weird main event, but it was still pretty fun. The Horsemen turn from earlier resulted in a unique dynamic where the crowd actively cheered on the foreign heels (and Buzz Sawyer). Muta was very over here, and Buzz was very enjoyable, having great exchanges with Flair and Arn. However, nobody remembers this match for the in-cage action.
Unfortunately, Sting shredded his knee and was projected to be out of action for up to 12 months. As a result, the main event direction of the company goes completely out the window. Not only is the anticipated Wrestle War ‘90 showdown with Flair off the table, but so are the next several months’ worth of storylines.
In addition, with the Horsemen turning heel, the babyface side of the roster took a MAJOR hit within one two-hour show, and there wasn’t much of a Plan B to be cobbled with what was left over. With little in the way of main event faces to take on Flair and under three weeks to come up with a solution before the PPV, the NWA is up against it.
We’ll see what happens as we move along in the series, but Sting’s freak injury ended up being the starting point of what would be a pretty dire period for the NWA.
FEBRUARY 9th
UWF with '90 2nd
Akira Maeda vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara - The battle of RINGS vs. PWFG!
We start off with some tightly executed grappling, with Maeda initially working on top. Fujiwara looks for a legbar, but opts to try a keylock. Maeda regains the advantage and soon works into a half-crab that soon transitions to a near-full Boston crab.
He works that for a while until he goes for an ankle lock. Fujiwara applies his own leglock, and the referee calls for a break. With both guys up, Maeda hits some hard kicks, only to be caught by Fujiwara in a leglock. Fujiwara then collapses onto a grounded Maeda with a brutal headbutt to the chops, earning a knockdown. Maeda beats the count, then they grapple into the corner for some fists and more headbutts from Fujiwara.
Maeda goes for some more kicks, but Fujiwara goes for a double-wristlock and again headbutts Maeda in the jaw for some “ooohhhhs” from the crowd.
Maeda punishes him with kicks, but Fujiwara catches one and goes for a leglock. Maeda escapes via the ropes, but Fujiwara catches another kick and goes for a calf lock. After some struggle, Maeda again makes the ropes. Maeda hits a double-arm takeover and works a side choke, but Fujiwara fights out and gets a leglock. Maeda works in his own ankle grapevine, then they roll into the ropes to force a break.
Maeda wrestles his way into another side headlock, then they again apply holds on each other’s legs. Maeda is forced to eat his third rope break, resulting in him being down two knockdowns to none.
Fujiwara takes Maeda down to the mat and grinds away at the shin and ankle, but Maeda fights out and looks for an armbar. Fujiwara escapes and applies a leg grapevine, but Maeda hits some truly nasty kicks to break it up and earn a knockdown. Fujiwara arises at 9 and catches a kick with a leg takedown. Fujiwara goes for another leglock, but Maeda locks in a rear choke. A bloodied Fujiwara passes out, and the ref calls for the bell!
**** - This was heavily mat-based, but it was super-physical. The grappling was purposeful and hard-fought, and both guys pulverized each other with strikes. Fujiwara’s headbutts and Maeda’s kicks were especially brutal. It's interesting that the two actual knockdowns that occurred were from a grounded position.
Fujiwara had a response to Maeda’s kicks, catching a lot of them with leglocks and ankle picks. However, he overcommitted on that last hold, and it cost him.
USWA (Dallas)
Kerry Von Erich is in the ring, and he’s happy to introduce a rock n’ roll band who stands for world peace and anti-drug use (“Everything the Von Erichs believe in”).
Kerry brings out Soviet hard rock band Gorky Park. The members come out and have a seat in the crowd.
We then clip to Kerry coming out for a title defense against The Soultaker. He asks Gorky Park to come over, then says that they are combining the USSR and the USA into ONE POWER! Kerry reiterates that Gorky Park, along with the rest of the USWA roster, believes in family, promoting peace, and GETTING RID OF DRUGS. Does Kerry not know what industry he’s in?
He then asks the band to hold onto the Texas Heavyweight Championship belt as he makes his defense. He instructs the band to give it back to him if he wins and take off with the belt if he loses.
This was definitely…something. Gorky Park showing up in USWA Dallas was pretty random, and Kerry acting as an ambassador for peace and perestroika was kind of insane.
Gorky Park was an interesting case of a USSR band becoming successful worldwide after Mikhail Gorbachev eased on the previous Soviet administration’s restrictions on music. They were pretty hot in the US for a while, having a Billboard 200-ranking album, a big single (“Bang”) heavy radio and MTV airplay, and a tour with Bon Jovi. However, their relevance in America was short-lived due to the increasing popularity of alternative and grunge music, coupled with the fall of the Iron Curtain.
NWA Power Hour
Terry Funk breaks the news that he is no longer going to be hosting Funk’s Grill, but he is moving over to Worldwide Wrestling. For his replacement on Power Hour, he’s not looking for anyone good, like David Letterman or Arsenio Hall. He’s looking for someone BAD, like Geraldo Rivera! Oh, snap!
He wants someone who oozes into the scene like a rancid piece of meat. Since Funk uttered the magic words (“rancid meat”), Jim Cornette strolls in, and Funk offers him Funk’s Grill. Funk hands him the mic and leaves while Cornette happily boasts about his new acquisition.
Funk’s Grill will now be the Louisville Slugger, and you’ll see it every Friday night on Power Hour.
Jim Ross does his super-serious voice to let us know that Sting has been attacked by the Four Horsemen away from the arena.
Ross confirms that Sting was injured during the cage match, but the Horsemen were unsatisfied, so they tracked him down and kicked his ass. Well, Ric Flair did promise to attack him on the street. By the end of World Championship Wrestling tomorrow, we'll get an update on Sting’s future and the Wrestle War main event. They already knew he was going to be out of commission, but why not get a few extra viewers out of it?
Now it's time for THE TUGBOAT TRIBUNE!
As always, the news comes courtesy of Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The WWF officially announced that Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior will headline WrestleMania VI from the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario. No word on which championship will be on the line. Also announced was:
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase for the Million Dollar Belt
Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage & Sensational Queen Sherri in a mixed tag
Demolition vs. The Colossal Connection (André the Giant & Haku) for the tag belts
Vince McMahon and Don King had apparently been negotiating terms for a Hulk Hogan vs. Mike Tyson bout that would end up never happening.
Tyson’s still slated to guest-referee on The Main Event, unless something catastrophic happens.
Some sad news, as legendary former wrestling champion Whipper Billy Watson passed away on February 4th at the age of 74.
Not only was he a legend in the ring, but he was philanthropic outside of it, raising millions upon millions for disability-related charities. A good Canadian lad.
Tully Blanchard had been backstage at the Clash of the Champions show. The intent was apparently for him to sign a contract and appear on the show, likely with the Horsemen, but that didn’t end up happening.
It was rumored that Tully agreed to $156,000 a year for 170 dates, but when he showed up for the Clash, he was presented a revised offer of $156,000 for 300 dates, which was closer to Arn Anderson’s contract. Tully was all like “peace out, boy scout” and walked away.
NEXT TIME: The huge AJPW/NJPW Tokyo Dome show, with some killer matches and an eye-poppingly great brawl with Vader and Stan Hansen. Plus, a lot more Saturday stuff, including the Midnight Express vs. the Rock N’ Roll Express on Worldwide!
Catch up on the rest of Ryan Navigates ‘90
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