THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #6
SEPTEMBER 24, 2001
The Match That Made Me a Wrestling Fan For Life
At the time the match took place, I was still 7 years old and was still fairly new to the pro wrestling craze. I had been a wrestling fan for 5 or 6 months, and still thought it was real (well, sort of). At the same time, many of the crazy and somewhat stupid gimmicks portrayed by WWF wrestlers entertained me, even if the action content ranged from passable to dismal most of the time.
I had just been familiar with the NWA for less then two months and could not remember some of the top stars by name. In fact, I remember one time not being able to distinguish Rick Steiner from Ricky Steamboat and Steamboat from Ric Flair! That would all change though. Talent like Flair and Steamboat, monsters like the Road Warriors (who were decent workers at the time) and rising stars like �Sting� and Lex Luger (he was also okay at this time work-wise) appealed to me more and more. In other words, I found myself more enthusiastically looking forward to �World Championship Wrestling� (NWA�s Saturday show on TBS) than WWF�s Superstars of Wrestling. While I wasn�t a hardcore wrestling fan yet, one match would not only establish the NWA as my favorite group, one match would turn me into a wrestling fan for the rest of my life.
Pay-Per-View was still in its formative stages in early-1989. The concept of PPV chanels was still a couple years away from my cable system. So, every time there was a PPV event, my cable company would block out Channel 11, a PBS station from NH. PPV revenue was also limited, at least when it came to NWA shows. The Chi-Town Rumble was only its fifth PPV event and not exactly a Wrestlemania-caliber event from a star power standpoint. With the expected and eventual low buyrate (for the time; a 1.0 was very low), they decided to air the main event in its entirety on TBS just a couple weeks after the PPV (I think it was the Saturday show but it could have been NWA Main Event). As a result, this was the first �unforgettable� match I ever saw.
Ric Flair was a heel who would always get cheered just because he was �The Man�. A five-time world champion, Flair was the number one worker in wrestling at the time. Steamboat had just returned to the NWA the previous month and pinned Flair in a tag team match. Despite a sabbatical from the spotlight, Steamboat was still a top-notch worker in his own right. The pinfall over Flair on World Championship Wrestling set up a monumental feud that began with one of the best matches in wrestling history to date.
NWA World Title: Ric Flair (c) vs Ricky Steamboat 2/20/89
Steamboat held Flair in a headlock early. Flair backed Steamboat into a corner and chopped him but Steamboat chopped back. Steamboat whipped Flair into the corner and Flair ran into a chop for an early near fall. Flair bailed out to ringside. Back in the ring Steamboat was backed into a corner and chopped. They fought out of the corner and had a fast exchange won by Steamboat when Flair ran into a chop and sailed out of the ring. Steamboat threatened to leap off the top rope as Flair regrouped at Ringside. Flair chopped Steamboat but Steamboat out-ran Flair and hiptossed him. Steamboat hit a flying headscissors, a dropkick and took Flair down with a headlock. Flair escaped by pulling Steamboat�s hair, chopped him and gave him a couple elbows. Steamboat hit a couple chops of his own but ran into Flair�s outstretched elbow. Steamboat landed a chop and sent Flair over the top rope to the floor with a second chop. Flair stalled for a bit and then dragged Steamboat by the leg outside of the ring where he rammed Steamboat�s head into the barricade. Flair dominated Steamboat outside the ring. Back in the ring Flair snapmared Steamboat and gave him a flying kneedrop to the head for a near fall. Flair hit a double arm suplex for another near fall and chopped Steamboat. They traded chops and Steamboat got the better of Flair. He whipped Flair into the corner and Flair took his trademark flip bump. Flair tried a flying bodypress but Steamboat rolled through for a great near fall. Flair fought back with an atomic drop and applied a figure 4 leglock. Steamboat did a great job of selling the damage and Flair drew heat by using the ropes for leverage. Referee Tommy Young caught Flair and forced him to release the hold. Flair kicked Steamboat�s knee twice but Steamboat fought back as they exchanged blows. Flair hit a cross-bodyblock and both men sailed over the top rope to the floor. They traded chops but Flair threw Steamboat into the ringpost. Flair gave Steamboat a vertical suplex back into the ring for a near fall. Flair back suplexed Steamboat for a near fall and gave him a backbreaker for 3 more near falls with his feet on the ropes. Steamboat surprised Flair with a cradle for a near fall. Flair whipped Steamboat into a corner but Steamboat jumped to the middle rope. He went for a flying bodypress but Flair moved. Flair landed atop Steamboat for a near fall but Steamboat bridged up, reversed Flair and double arm suplexed him for a near fall. Flair attempted a hiptoss but Steamboat caught him with a backslide for a near fall. Flair and Steamboat traded more chops. Flair whipped Steamboat into a corner but Steamboat came back with a lariat. Steamboat hit a chop off the top rope on Flair and attempted a flying bodypress but ended up crashing into both Flair and the ref, who was knocked out of commission. Steamboat attempted a pin but the ref was not able to make the count. Flair then cradled Steamboat and held the tights but again no count. Flair went to throw Steamboat over the top rope but Steamboat held on and went to the top rope but missed a flying bodypress. Flair went for a figure 4 but Steamboat rolled him up and alternate ref Teddy Long ran in and made the 3 count to crown Steamboat the new champion at 23:18. The moves themselves weren�t impressive by modern standards, but they both did a masterful job of working the crowd and taking them on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Although not among the best matches I�ve seen, it still ranks as one of my favorites.
NEXT ISSUE: It�s Vader time!
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