Wednesday 15 December 2021

NWA Clash Of The Champions I Review!

 



Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that’s more dangerous than Hannibal! It’s WCW’s Clash of The Champions! Headlined by The Nature Boy defending his World Heavyweight Championship against some punk named Sting! A match that will define their careers, can it hold up to the glory that has been bestowed upon it? Is this truly the beginning of the rise of Sting? Only time will tell as we also have Barry Windham and Lex Luger taking on Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard plus The Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes taking on Ivan Koloff and The Powers of Pain! A historic event but does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!

 

(NWA Television Championship Match) Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin W/ Precious vs Mike Rotunda W/ Kevin Sullvian ©


Accompanied by Precious, Garvin is our challenger against The Varsity Club’s Mike Rotunda. I am getting very nervous ladies and gentlemen because IRS matches were a chore to me in the WWF so the prospect of watching Rotunda in action is make me sweat just a little bit. So this has different rules, all you need is a one count to win this one. We also have a rounds format so we shall see how this goes down, Rotunda is stalling so that’s a good sign. Arm-drag from the champion, arm-drag and hip-toss from Garvin. Scoop slam but Rotunda powders, Sullivan and Rotunda talk strategy before re-entering the ring. Top wrist-lock from Garvin, Rotunda pulls the hair.

 

Side headlock and punches from Rotunda, Garvin sends Rotunda to the ropes and elbows. Rotunda backs away fast, Garvin shoves down Rotunda when in the corner. More stalling, lots of stalling. The Stallmaster Rotunda, we go back to the corner and Rotunda nails a massive right. Garvin is dropped across the top rope, Rotunda lands vicious kicks to the ribs in the corner. Garvin is sent to the corner, clothesline from Rotunda. Scoop slam at the start of the next round, Garvin yanks Rotunda off the top rope. Back body drop from Garvin, Garvin wants a DDT or Brainbuster, Sullivan attacks Precious so Garvin pummels Sullivan but Rotunda schoolboys him for one. Garvin lands a brainbuster on Rotunda, Sullivan & Steiner attack Garvin but in comes Precious who takes down Steiner and Sullivan.

 

Well it was over before it started insulting me, crowd is hot for sure. Garvin is over too and big pop for Precious who takes down Steiner and Sullivan with a 2X4. The feud will continue and I am sure it will be more interesting when we get to The Great American Bash. Fine opening match!

 

Winner: Mike Rotunda over Jimmy Garvin via Schoolboy!

 

(The United States Tag Team Championship Match) The Midnight Express © W/ Jim Cornett vs The Fantastics


Should be a fun one, we start with a brawl with all four men in the ring. The Fantastics look to be winning the war. Eaton gets cracked with a chair while Lane is being beaten up in the ring. Double back body-drop, Eaton is dragged into the ring from the challengers before being smacked in the face. Rogers eats a chair to the face while Fulton gives chase to Cornette, it’s a trap for sure as the champions gain control. Rogers and Eaton settle in the ring, eye-rake from Eaton. Fulton blind-tags in and the challengers combine for a dropkick and scoop slam on Eaton. Lane is thrown into the tree of woe, right hands from Fulton on Eaton.

 

Lane takes down Rogers so Eaton can gain control, Rogers get caught in a combination from the champions. Fulton tries rallying the crowd, Lane rubs Rogers’ face into the mat. Lane hurls Rogers’ face into the mat, superkick from Lane. Tag to Eaton who staggers Rogers with a dynamite right hand, Cornette holds up a table and Rogers is ran into the table. In comes Lane who lands a leg drop and an elbow drop with a headbutt for good measure. Rogers headbutts Lane down low but Eaton has received the tag. Powerslam from Eaton, Eaton climbs high. Diving elbow drop from Eaton and a tag to Lane, Lane comes in and delivers a beautiful gut-wrench suplex. Fulton is with the referee and the champions are double-teaming Rogers. Tag to Eaton, back-breaker and elbow combination. Fulton continues arguing with the referee, Rogers begins to fight back but Eaton cuts off Rogers with a knee. Ten punches in the corner, tag to Lane.

 

Sunset flip from Rogers off an Irish whip, referee is with Fulton and misses the pin. Lane lands another kick to the head, Lane throws Rogers to the floor. Fulton wants to check on his partner while Eaton slams Rogers onto the table at ringside. Bulldog on the table from Eaton, Lane stomps all over the head of Rogers. Fulton tries waking up his partner, rib shots from Lane. Tag to Eaton, drop toehold and elbow combination from the champions, Eaton chokes Rogers. Rogers begins fighting back, Lane is decked but the referee misses the tag to Fulton. Cornette attacks Rogers with the racket, Fulton snaps and throws the referee to the floor. Fulton attacks everything in sight, Cornette cracks Eaton by mistake. The Fantastics nail The Rocket Launcher but the original referee reverses his decision and The Midnight Express walk away as winners. After the match, Cornette whips Bobby Fulton with his belt repeatedly before Rogers make the save.

 

Very fun and exciting tag team match, Midnight Express are fantastic inside of that ring and the crowd is all in on The Fantastics, sympathy is there for the hot-tag. When we get the hot-tag, the place explodes and it’s a great time. The finish comes and you know what? I don’t mind it as it builds heat for the next confrontation between these two, I can’t wait to see their next wrestling match. Good classic tag team wrestling match!

 

Winners: The Midnight Express over The Fantastics via DQ!

 

(Six-Man Barbed Wire Street Fight Match) The Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes vs Ivan Koloff & The Powers of Pain


Animal had a barbell dropped on his face so that’s why he has an amazing mask on for this match, the ropes have barbed wire on them and I imagine this will be a whole lot of brawling, Animal looks like a different person while Rhodes has the facepaint looking funky like a monkey. Koloff is getting destroyed by Rhodes, gorilla press slam and fist drop by Hawk on Koloff. More brawling around the ring, kicks and punches all over the place. Animal chokes Barbarian against the barbed wire, Warlord and Hawk are beating one another. Koloff rakes Rhodes in the eyes, Koloff bites the head of Rhodes. Animal starts headbutting people with his protective mask, Koloff is bleeding. Rhodes fires up on Warlord, crowd is going nuts as Barbarian eats a DDT. Hawk lands a diving axe handle, Rhodes kicks Barbarian out of the ring. Animal powerslams Warlord, Barbarian tries a diving headbutt but takes out his own man and Animal covers for the win. The heels get their heat back by decimating the eye of Animal after taking off the mask. Rhodes and Hawk fight back but the damage has been done.

 

Well mercifully it was brief with everyone just brawling and a finish coming much quicker than I expected not that I am complaining. A spectacle more than anything else with a finish that leaves it open for more. Liking this card so far, a lot of right decisions in terms of match length and packing in excitement which I am all for at this point!

 

Winners: Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes over Ivan Koloff & The Powers of Pain via Powerslam!

 

(NWA World Tag Team Championship Match) Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard © W/ JJ Dillon vs Barry Windham & Lex Luger


Lex Luger was a Horseman but wanted to be world champion and well, that just was not going to work as you see, nobody gets to be world champion over The Nature Boy so Luger was ousted from The Horseman and has spent late 87 and early 88 looking to take out The Horseman and wouldn’t it be sweet to take those tag team championships from the men who double-crossed him. Luger and Tully to start, Luger shoves down Tully who doesn’t want that power match. Anderson comes in and both men pay as Luger clotheslines both men down. Powerslam and torture rack with Anderson going to the knee of Luger, Anderson is tagged in and works the leg.

 

Knees to the leg, Tully comes back in with massive knee drops and dropping his weight onto the leg. Luger fights back but his knee is in a bad way, Anderson tries a figure four but Luger shoves off Anderson, in comes Windham. Right hands and noggin-knockers, Flying Lariat from Windham with a knee-drop for good measure. Powerslam for two, sleeper from Windham. Tully makes it to the ropes but Windham continues the hold on the floor, Tully is not in a good way. Anderson begins massaging and waking up Tully, Tully shoulder blocks Windham and goes high. Windham meets him and military presses Tully down, Anderson is decked too. Abdominal stretch, Dillon distracts the referee so Anderson comes in with a big left and a DDT for two.

 

Spinebuster from double A for two, Windham continues to stay alive with Anderson growing in frustration. Windham blocks Anderson with both knees, Tully comes in and elbows Windham. Right hands from Tully for a close two, Windham lands a flying crossbody for two. Both men bang heads from drop-downs and leap-frogs, Luger wants in so bad. Side headlock takedown from Tully, Windham and Tully trade pin-falls before a massive gut-wrench suplex. Anderson receives the tag, left hands to the ribs. Arm-wrench from Anderson, Windham kicks away Anderson but Anderson stops the tag. Knee-drop misses, both men rock one another. Tully receives the tag, Slingshot Suplex. 1….2… Windham kicks out!

 

Right hand from Windham, Luger receives the tag. Elbow to Anderson, elbow to Tully. Left-arm lariat on Anderson, mat-slam from Luger. Noggin-knocker from Luger, Anderson eats a shoulder block but Tully buries a knee from the ropes into the spine. Luger sends Anderson to the corner, powerslam and Luger calls for The Rack. All four men are in the ring, Tully and Windham brawl to the floor. Anderson has Luger, Dillon has the chair and Luger reverses the Irish whip and sends Anderson into the chair with Luger and Windham winning the championships as JJ Dillon freaks out!

 

Fantastic match made a million times better than the crowd going absolutely bananas throughout the entire thing. I loved it with all my heart, Luger is over like rover and everything he does is tremendous with the clotheslines and the powerslams drawing massive reactions while Windham sells his ass off as does Anderson and Tully, could not have asked for a more perfect crowd for this match. My God do they love themselves some Luger, it’s awesome from start to finish, how did this same company put on Bunkhouse Stampede months earlier? I cannot believe it as this is night and day boys and girls. What a tag team match, tremendous stuff here!

 

Winners: Lex Luger & Barry Windham over Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard via Chair To The Head!

 

(NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match) Ric Flair © vs Sting


JJ Dillon is locked in a cage above the ring for this important match, Sting came in from the UWF like a house of fire, everyone loves The Stinger so could we see a historic championship win? We have Sting backing down Flair, Flair works the arm and pulls Sting down by the hair but Sting kips up and stalks Flair. We have judges at ringside for this historic contest, side headlock from Sting. Top wristlock from Flair, Sting comes up and takes down Flair. Flair chops Sting, no effect and Sting answers with a massive dropkick. Side headlock from Flair, Flair wrenches and goes to the hammerlock. Sting reverses the hammerlock into an arm-bar, Flair shoves Sting in the face with little effect. Back to the ropes, Sting must release.

 

Flair goes to the gut with a punch and chop, shoulder block from Flair. Leap-frogs and drop-downs from Sting into the military press slam. Head-scissors from Sting, hip-toss into a side headlock takedown. Shoulder block by Sting who clamps on the side headlock again, Flair grabs the hair of Sting but can’t break the hold. Flair shoves off Sting but Sting continues to shoulder block and hip-toss the champion, Flair almost gets caught on a side headlock takedown. Flair tries rolling over, using the tights for leverage but Sting continues holding onto the headlock. Flair wrenches at the face, Sting comes up with Flair in the hold.

 

Shoulder block, Sting grabs on the side headlock again after Flair dropped down. Sting is outsmarting Flair in the early going, Sting has Flair in the corner and gives a clean break. Right hands from Sting, massive hip-toss but Sting misses a dropkick. Flair tosses out Sting but Sting comes right back in, Sting says this time for the ten punches in the corner. Knee to the ribs, side headlock takedown for two. Flair backs Sting to the ropes, Flair goes for a liver shot. Chop in the corner, right hand measured from Flair. More chops with Sting firing up with big right hands and a boot, Irish whip and another gorilla press slam. Bearhug from the challenger, Sting squeezes and squeezes Flair who almost is pinned with the bearhug. Flair sends Sting into the buckle but Sting keeps coming, Flair lands a vicious inverted atomic drop.

 

Flair chops Sting hard in the corner, hard Irish whip with Sting collapsing to the mat. Sting is whipped hard to the buckle, Flair kicks the ribs of Sting. Snap-mare and a knee-drop from The Nature Boy. Make it double, Flair rakes the back of the challenger. Flair does it again and rakes the face of Sting, Stinger is in trouble. Sting’s face is raked off the top rope, more chops from Flair. Sting is tossed out on the floor, Tommy Young stops the champion from using a chair but Flair has an idea. Sting meets the guardrail hard, Flair chokes Sting across the guardrail. Chops and elbows from Flair, Sting continues to battle back though. Sting shakes it off, right hands from Sting. Flair is decked to the floor, Flair is begging for mercy. Sting chokes Flair, Sting tries his clothesline but Flair ducks with Sting smashing his arm off the ring-post.

 

Flair continues working the arm but Sting fires up with massive right hands, Sting has Flair where he wants him, Sting delivers stinging right hands. Clothesline from Sting for a close two, Sting wants a suplex into the ring. Delivered beautifully from Sting, Sting looks out at the crowd. Scorpion Death-lock with Flair reaching the ropes immediately, the challenger will have to continue the punishment. Flair screams out in pain and begs for mercy, Sting stomps and chokes Flair in the corner. Right hand from Sting, Sting covers for a close two. Hip-toss out of the corner, Flair ducks the clothesline and Sting sails over the top rope. Sting climbs to the top rope, diving crossbody for a close two.

 

Sting fires up once more, the crowd is insane for this one. Sting tries a side headlock but Flair decides it is shin-breaker city time. Sting writhes in pain, Flair goes for it again. Belly to back suplex from Flair, Flair says it’s time to go to school. Figure Four Leg-Lock! Flair uses the ropes for extra leverage, Sting is almost pinned off the hold. Sting moves Flair from the ropes and Sting is going to turn Flair over, Sting turns the hold over and reverses the pressure. Flair is in immense pain, Flair kicks the knee of Sting. Flair wants the suplex to the concrete, Sting blocks and suplexes Flair back into the ring. Sting tries a splash but Flair blocks with the knees. Flair tries an abdominal stretch but Sting counters for his own stretch.

 

Sting has Flair and yanks him down, Sting covers for a close two. Sting grabs the leg of Flair, Flair is yanked groin-first into the ring-post. Sting wants the figure four, Flair is screaming out in pain in the middle of the ring. Flair manages to make it to the ropes, ten punches again in the corner. Another hip-toss, Flair is begging for mercy. Sting stomps all over the leg of Flair, Sting drops his weight on the ankle. Flair flip to the floor, Flair meets the guardrail while the blood flows from his head. Flair meets the ring-post and fights back though, Flair tries an apron sunset flip but Sting is too string and decks Flair in the face. Flair’s face is raked across the top rope, Flair is in the corner begging for mercy.

 

Corner kicks and punches from Sting, ten punches again from Sting. Inverted atomic drop is blocked, clothesline from Sting for two. Flair dodges The Stinger Splash, Flair slaps on a sleeper but Sting sends Flair into the buckle. Flair tosses Sting to the floor, Sting shoulder blocks and dives in for a sunset flip. Flair counters and uses the ropes for a close two, Sting reverses for a close two. Flair is begging again, Flair flip to the buckle but Flair climbs and lands a diving crossbody but Sting rolls through for a close two. Flair’s chop and kick have no effect, Sting is firing up again. Right hands from Sting, kicks in the corner and ten punches again from Sting. Stinger Splash, Flair flops to the ground. Scorpion Death-Lock! Flair does not tap so the time-limit elapses! The judges must decide who wins, one judge says Flair, another says Sting and the third judge calls a draw so Flair retains his championship!

 

What a match, definitely Sting’s coming out party because the crowd were all in on The Stinger and Sting showed serious potential in this one. Flair led Sting through his routine but Sting came off looking great from this one, the crowd reacted big to everything he did and it didn’t matter if he kept going back to punches in a corner or the occasional gorilla press slam, the fans wanted Sting was their world champion. Better than Koloff and Hawk, Sting looked like the next big thing for WCW here and it’s no surprise that soon Sting would ascend to the top of the mountain in the company. Flair’s masterful controlling performance here is top-notch, I understand how it can seem repetitive but given the right crowd and the right opponent, it’s magical.

 

Ric Flair Retains Via Judges’ Decision!

 

That was Clash Of The Champions I, one of the best events I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing! When talking about the influx of talent from the UWF and how deep the roster was at the time, this was what I expected from Bunkhouse Stampede, this show is everything that Bunkhouse Stampede is not and that’s fun. The first match sets the tone, fun nothing to serious but the crowd is loving Precious beating up the heels and we are getting what we want on this night. Both tag matches are highlights in their own rights, lots of drama and suspense. They make you want to get out of your seat and cheer, you are losing your mind when Luger is in there battering everyone or when Fulton throws the referee over the top rope. You are suckered in by the action and it’s just a good fucking time watching wrestling. The Street Fight is fine, doesn’t go too long and you get what you want there with Team Rhodes whooping Team Koloff’s ass and finally, we have a main event that is just exciting from start to finish. 45 minutes of Flair leading Sting through his star-making performance while the people in The Greensboro Colosseum believe they are going to see a new champion before their very eyes. Top quality show, one of my favourites to do and arguably the best top to bottom that I have seen from NWA/WCW so far. Highly recommend, thanks for reading and remember: there’s always another night!



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