Post by Shatter Machine on Dec 23, 2015 14:52:01 GMT -5
This is the super chopped up THE version of this, so some of the undercard stuff is heavily edited. This show alternated matches between Atlanta and Greensboro, with both of the cage matches happening in Greensboro.
Looking at the guys on the card, it doesn't look particularly promising, but it's got to be better than Starrcade '84. The basic story is that Flair and the Andersons had injured Dusty in September at the Omni, and Dusty had to overcome the injured foot, and had invited all of his friends to Atlanta to see him dethrone Flair.
Hosted by Bob Caudle and Tony Schiavone
Mid-Atlantic Title:
Khrusher Khrushchev
Vs
Sam Houston
Clipped to ribbons, which is fine, Khrusher just tosses him around the ring. Houston is in big trouble, Press slam gets 2. Clipped to Houston fighting back, even hitting the bulldog, but Khrushchevhas a foot on the ropes, and the Russian Sickle gets the pin and title at 9:30. Nothing match. Saw about 2 minutes of it. ½ *
Sombrero on a Pole Mexican Death Match:
Manny Fernandez
Vs
Abdullah the Butcher (with Paul Jones)
The ref is on the floor, and they just fight. Manny hits Abby with his boot and just mauls him with it. Both guys blade within the first two minutes. Clipped to Abby trying to climb for the hat, but Manny pulls him down. Clipped to Manny whipping him with his leather belt. Abby hits him with a loaded boot, then a headbutt. Clipped to Manny firing back again. Manny hits a suplex, then goes for the sombrero. Abby hits him with some sort of foreign object, then clipped to Manny diving off the second rope into Abby. He goes up, but misses a splash. Abby misses a charge into the corner and falls out of the ring, and Manny jumps up and grabs the sombrero at 9:07. Clipped to about 4 minutes. *
Bullrope Match:
Ron Bass
Vs
Black Bart (with JJ Dillon)
The Long Riders EXPLODE! If Bass wins, he gets five minutes with JJ. This is just the two guys tied together pummeling each other with the cowbell on the rope. It's odd seeing Bass as a babyface, Clipped, and both guys have bladed. They brawl to the floor.. Back in, and Bass controls. Clipped to a double kayo spot, and Bart misses a couple of shots. Bass knocks him down with the bell, then hits him off the second rope with it for the pin at 8:34, clipped to about 3 minutes. DUD.
Bullrope Match:
Ron Bass
Vs
JJ Dillon
JJ comes in and pummels him with the bell. Bass no-sells, and JJ tries to run, but can't, so he begs off. Clipped to a ref bump, and Dillon has bladed. Bart comes in and piledrives Bass, and the ref recovers to count the pin at 3:29. DUD. I fail to see the logic of them putting Bass in with Dillon, then putting Dillon over, even with the screwy finish. And they clipped it to about a minute and a half.
Arm-Wrestling:
Superstar Graham
Vs
The Barbarian (with Paul Jones)
Barbarian controls, then Graham comes back and wins. Paul Jones hits him with his cane, and it turns into a regular match. Barbarian chokes him out, and Graham has bladed. Graham fires back and grabs the bearhug. Paul Joens breaks it up with the cane for the DQ, but Graham grabs the cane and it's a big cluster at 3:02. Really bad. -**
National Heavyweight Championship:
Terry Taylor (Champion)
Vs
Buddy Landell
Poor Buddy, he couldn't get out of his own way. He would show what he had in the ring, then step on his own dick somehow and get fired. They trade shots, and Landell begs off. He hits some chops in the corner. Taylor hits a backdrop, clipped to Landell in control in the corner. He snapmares into a chinlock, and JJ Dillon has shown up at ringside. Taylor escapes and hits a legdrop. Suplex gets 2. He sends him to the corner, then runs his head into the buckle. He sets Buddy for the superplex, but Dillon trips Taylor and Buddy falls on top for the pin and the National Heavyweight Championship at 10:30. Looked to be **-ish.
National Tag Team Championship:
Ole & Arn Anderson (Champions)
Vs
Billy Jack Haynes & Wahoo McDaniel (US Tag Team Champions (Florida Version))
Arn looks to be about 24 or so here. BJH shows off his power against Arn, and then against Ole. Wahoo comes in, and here’s a match I’d like to have seen with both men in their prime: Ole Vs Wahoo. Wahoo chops everyone down. Arn reverses a Wahoo headlock into a headscissor. The Andersons double-team Wahoo, in classic Anderson tradition, cutting him off from his corner. Ole works his arm, and I love watching the Andersons do that. Billy Jack comes in, and the Anderson’s get some great double-teaming. Wahoo fights out, and eventually makes the hot tag. A four-way brawl ensues, and Wahoo nails the double chop on Arn. Ole saves, and then trips Wahoo from the outside, and then the Andersons get the win when Ole trips him again from the outside, and Arn falls on top for the pin, with Ole holding the leg at 9:28. Good match. ***
US Heavyweight Championship, I Quit Rules, Cage match:
Tully Blanchard (Champion, with Baby Doll)
Vs
Magnum TA
These guys hated each other, and Tully had stolen the title from Magnum some months prior. They go right to the mat, brawling like crazy. It's so great, as the hatred between the two is just a palpable thing, even now, almost 30 years later. They go toe to toe, and Magnum gets the better of it. Magnum tries to cheese grate Tully, but cannot get it. Tully gets in a couple of shots, then sends Magnum to the cage. Magnum is cut like three minutes in. Tully gets a chinlock, then we get the famous shot of Magnum powering out of the chinlock. What a great visual. Tully tries to send Magnum into the cage again, but it gets reversed, and Magnum press slams Tully into a clothesline on the top rope. Tully is rubber legged, but manages to pull Magnum into the cage. They fight with the microphone, screaming "SAY IT! NO!" Then the loud "THUNK" of the microphone against the other guy's head. This has rapidly degenerated into a bloody brawl. It's great to see them roll around on the mat. Tully has bladed his ARM at some point. Wow. Tully walks along the top rope, and drops a forearm across Magnums head. More of the hijinks with the mic. Tully misses the elbow, and Magnum takes over, doing the whole "SAY IT! NOOOOOOOOO!" thing. Magnum tries to shove the mic down Tully's throat at this point, and they roll around on the mat. They are working so stiff. It's great. They're on their knees, just wailing away at each other. Tully gets the first wrestling move of the match, an atomic drop out of the corner, then he grabs the mic and starts pounding Magnum with it. Tully tosses the ref down, and Baby Doll throws the balsa wood chair into the ring, which breaks immediately. They fight over a spike, and Magnum gets it, and digs it into Tully's head, and Tully says yes at 14:43. Tully claims, to this day, that he never said "I quit." He didn't, but who cares? Wow. That was awesome. *****
Atlanta Tuxedo Street Fight:
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey, with Jim Cornette)
Vs
Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively (with Big Mama)
Big Mama is Ron Garvin in drag. Garvin really loved to do the whole drag thing. This is a comedy brawl, with the MX in tuxes. Caudle says that this is “unique” which is to say its going to be “bowling shoe ugly”. Valiant gets a sleeper and Condrey is almost out. Eaton hits him with a chain, then the Midnights use powder. Everone blades, Valiant chokes Eaton out with a belt, then the Midnights start getting their tuxes torn off. Cornette comes in and clobbers Miss Atlanta Lively with his racket. Valiant keeps getting tossed to the floor, but keeps coming back. Eaton comes off the top, and MAL hits him with an uppercut for the pin at 6:36. That was a mess, but it was fun and the crowd was into it. ** ½ Cornette gets stripped after the match, and MAL has tapped an artery blading. That was much better than I remember.
NWA World Tag Team Championship, Cage Match:
Ivan and Nikita Koloff (Champions, with Khrusher Khrushchev)
Vs
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (with Don Kernodle)
Nobody could take an ass-kicking like the Rock 'n' Rolls, especially Ricky Morton. Nikita just throws Morton around, Morton ducks and weaves, and Nikita stalks him. Eventually, Ricky gets caught, and the Russians pummel him. Morton hits a cross-body for 2, but Ivan crotches him on the top rope. They tease going to the cage, and he tags Gibson, who nails a dropkick. Slam, followed by a kneedrop, gets 2. The R'n'R switch again, and Morton gets a near-fall. They try to use their speed to nullify the Russians' power, but eventually Ivan thumbs Gibson in the eye. Gibson runs him to the cage, and they continue beating on him. Ricky comes off the top with a punch, and then he sends Ivan into the cage. More switching, and this is a lot more competivie than I remember. Ivan tags Nikita in, and he bearhugs and runs Gibson into the cage. Then he does it two or three more times. Oddly, Gibson plays Ricky Morton, as the Russians just kick his ass. They tease so many close tags, and Gibson has bladed from the cage shots. It's really obvious how Nikita was really really raw at this point, as Ivan would carry the workload for their team, and Nikita would come in, hit some power stuff, and quickly tag back out. Also, Ivan really reinvented himself between his short WWWF Title run and this point, about fifteen years later, as he's down about 40 pounds from then. They keep the ass-whipping going, but they just can't put Gibson away. The heat for this is amazing, as the crowd stays full-throat for the entire thing. They keep teasing Gibson getting the tag, but the Russians keep cutting him off. Gibson gets a hope spot, but they cut him off and run him into the cage. Nikita chokes him, and Morton makes the save. Gibson goes underneath and hits a dropkick, but the ref gets bumped. Gibson makes the blind tag, and Morton gets a rolling reverse on Ivan for the pin and the titles out of nowhere at 12:22. *** ½ Nikita, Ivan, and Khrusher just absolutely kick the shit out of the babyfaces, with Nikita throwing Morton OVER the top of the cage. Really good, really hot match.
NWA World Championship:
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Dusty Rhodes (NWA World TV Champion)
This is an amazing showcase for these two. Tommy Young is the referee. The hatred from the fans in attendance is palpable. Dusty is wearing a “protective boot” which is just a boot that is different from the one that he normally wears. They fight out of the corner, and Dusty busts out the Flip, Flop and Fly early, and Flair scurries to the floor. He gets some shots in, but Dusty fires back with some elbows. Flair takes another walk. Rhodes works a hammerlock, and there’s this annoying fan who just keeps yelling “Dusty Rhooodes! Woo, woo, woo!” It’s super distracting, and at some point, he stops, which makes me think someone told him to STFU. Flair with chops and punches, snapmare, and finally a Kneedrop for 2. He kicks the injured ankle, and Dusty takes a walk into the crowd. Rhodes drapes Flair over the top rope, hitting elbows. He starts working on Flair’s leg, getting a leg lace. Flair’s selling is amazing, raising the rating of this match by *. Rhodes with an elbow to the knee, but Flair causes the break with a thumb to the eye. Flair goes for a suplex, but his knee gives out. Rhodes reverses, and drops an elbow to the knee. He goes back to the leg lace. Rhodes with a shoulderblock, but Flair gets a sleeper. Rhodes runs Flair to the buckle and wraps his leg around the ring post. Elbow to the ankle, then he no-sells some chops and fires back. He misses an elbow, and Flair goes up. Dusty slams him off and goes for the Figure Four, but Flair kicks him away, hurting Dusty’s ankle. Flair goes for the Figure Four, but Dusty kicks him away a couple of times. Flair stomps the ankle, but Dusty manages to send him to the corner. FLAIR FLIP! He tumbles all the way to the floor. Dusty runs Flair to the railing, and Flair blades. Back in, and Flair tosses him over the top out of sight of the referee. Dusty comes back in with a top rope body block for 2. He works the cut on Flair’s forehead. Flair’s blade job is quite good, as he’s got the red halo and a 2/3 crimson mask going on. Flair flop! Dusty with a Flip, Flop, and Fly; causing Flair to beg off. He whips Flair to the corner, and we get another flip, and Flair runs down the apron. He comes off the top, but Dusty buries a punch to the gut. Dusty goes to kick him, but Flair moves, and Dusty kicks the bottom rope. Flair turns into the pit bull and just starts dismantling the leg. Figure Four gets a couple of near-falls. Flair keeps yelling at the ref to ask Dusty if he wants to quit. Dusty won’t submit, and he eventually rolls it over. Flair makes the ropes to force the break. Rhodes no-sells some chops. Clothesline gets 2, and on the kick out, Rhodes lands on Tommy Young. Young gets knocked to the floor on a collision, and Dusty gets a Figure Four. Here’s the Andersons! Dusty knocks Arn to the floor, and Arn wipes out Young completely. Ole levels Dusty, and Flair covers for 2, as another ref has come out. Dusty gets an inside cradle for the pin, and we’ve (temporarily) got a new champion at 22:06. *** ¾ Probably the best Flair-Dusty match ever. They sent the fans home happy, but Dusty was forced to return the title because Tommy Young had recovered and seen the Anderson’s interference and was about to DQ Flair.
The Bottom Line: Well, I'm of two minds about this show. The Rock 'n' Roll Express-Russians match is something that WWE should be showing all of their trainee talent to show them about getting heat. The Magnum-Tully match is legendary, and the Street Fight is surprisingly good. Flair Vs Rhodes might be the best match of theirs that I've seen, but they nullified the title change a few days later, so it was rendered moot and makes me think this isn't that good of a show. I realize that Dusty came from the school that the thrill was in the babyface chasing the heel champion, but if people think that their heroes are going to get screwed over all the time, eventually, they'll stop paying to see him go after it. There's some quality stuff here, so it's recommended. I'd check out the WWE Network version though, because this one is just cut to shreds with bad edits.
Looking at the guys on the card, it doesn't look particularly promising, but it's got to be better than Starrcade '84. The basic story is that Flair and the Andersons had injured Dusty in September at the Omni, and Dusty had to overcome the injured foot, and had invited all of his friends to Atlanta to see him dethrone Flair.
Hosted by Bob Caudle and Tony Schiavone
Mid-Atlantic Title:
Khrusher Khrushchev
Vs
Sam Houston
Clipped to ribbons, which is fine, Khrusher just tosses him around the ring. Houston is in big trouble, Press slam gets 2. Clipped to Houston fighting back, even hitting the bulldog, but Khrushchevhas a foot on the ropes, and the Russian Sickle gets the pin and title at 9:30. Nothing match. Saw about 2 minutes of it. ½ *
Sombrero on a Pole Mexican Death Match:
Manny Fernandez
Vs
Abdullah the Butcher (with Paul Jones)
The ref is on the floor, and they just fight. Manny hits Abby with his boot and just mauls him with it. Both guys blade within the first two minutes. Clipped to Abby trying to climb for the hat, but Manny pulls him down. Clipped to Manny whipping him with his leather belt. Abby hits him with a loaded boot, then a headbutt. Clipped to Manny firing back again. Manny hits a suplex, then goes for the sombrero. Abby hits him with some sort of foreign object, then clipped to Manny diving off the second rope into Abby. He goes up, but misses a splash. Abby misses a charge into the corner and falls out of the ring, and Manny jumps up and grabs the sombrero at 9:07. Clipped to about 4 minutes. *
Bullrope Match:
Ron Bass
Vs
Black Bart (with JJ Dillon)
The Long Riders EXPLODE! If Bass wins, he gets five minutes with JJ. This is just the two guys tied together pummeling each other with the cowbell on the rope. It's odd seeing Bass as a babyface, Clipped, and both guys have bladed. They brawl to the floor.. Back in, and Bass controls. Clipped to a double kayo spot, and Bart misses a couple of shots. Bass knocks him down with the bell, then hits him off the second rope with it for the pin at 8:34, clipped to about 3 minutes. DUD.
Bullrope Match:
Ron Bass
Vs
JJ Dillon
JJ comes in and pummels him with the bell. Bass no-sells, and JJ tries to run, but can't, so he begs off. Clipped to a ref bump, and Dillon has bladed. Bart comes in and piledrives Bass, and the ref recovers to count the pin at 3:29. DUD. I fail to see the logic of them putting Bass in with Dillon, then putting Dillon over, even with the screwy finish. And they clipped it to about a minute and a half.
Arm-Wrestling:
Superstar Graham
Vs
The Barbarian (with Paul Jones)
Barbarian controls, then Graham comes back and wins. Paul Jones hits him with his cane, and it turns into a regular match. Barbarian chokes him out, and Graham has bladed. Graham fires back and grabs the bearhug. Paul Joens breaks it up with the cane for the DQ, but Graham grabs the cane and it's a big cluster at 3:02. Really bad. -**
National Heavyweight Championship:
Terry Taylor (Champion)
Vs
Buddy Landell
Poor Buddy, he couldn't get out of his own way. He would show what he had in the ring, then step on his own dick somehow and get fired. They trade shots, and Landell begs off. He hits some chops in the corner. Taylor hits a backdrop, clipped to Landell in control in the corner. He snapmares into a chinlock, and JJ Dillon has shown up at ringside. Taylor escapes and hits a legdrop. Suplex gets 2. He sends him to the corner, then runs his head into the buckle. He sets Buddy for the superplex, but Dillon trips Taylor and Buddy falls on top for the pin and the National Heavyweight Championship at 10:30. Looked to be **-ish.
National Tag Team Championship:
Ole & Arn Anderson (Champions)
Vs
Billy Jack Haynes & Wahoo McDaniel (US Tag Team Champions (Florida Version))
Arn looks to be about 24 or so here. BJH shows off his power against Arn, and then against Ole. Wahoo comes in, and here’s a match I’d like to have seen with both men in their prime: Ole Vs Wahoo. Wahoo chops everyone down. Arn reverses a Wahoo headlock into a headscissor. The Andersons double-team Wahoo, in classic Anderson tradition, cutting him off from his corner. Ole works his arm, and I love watching the Andersons do that. Billy Jack comes in, and the Anderson’s get some great double-teaming. Wahoo fights out, and eventually makes the hot tag. A four-way brawl ensues, and Wahoo nails the double chop on Arn. Ole saves, and then trips Wahoo from the outside, and then the Andersons get the win when Ole trips him again from the outside, and Arn falls on top for the pin, with Ole holding the leg at 9:28. Good match. ***
US Heavyweight Championship, I Quit Rules, Cage match:
Tully Blanchard (Champion, with Baby Doll)
Vs
Magnum TA
These guys hated each other, and Tully had stolen the title from Magnum some months prior. They go right to the mat, brawling like crazy. It's so great, as the hatred between the two is just a palpable thing, even now, almost 30 years later. They go toe to toe, and Magnum gets the better of it. Magnum tries to cheese grate Tully, but cannot get it. Tully gets in a couple of shots, then sends Magnum to the cage. Magnum is cut like three minutes in. Tully gets a chinlock, then we get the famous shot of Magnum powering out of the chinlock. What a great visual. Tully tries to send Magnum into the cage again, but it gets reversed, and Magnum press slams Tully into a clothesline on the top rope. Tully is rubber legged, but manages to pull Magnum into the cage. They fight with the microphone, screaming "SAY IT! NO!" Then the loud "THUNK" of the microphone against the other guy's head. This has rapidly degenerated into a bloody brawl. It's great to see them roll around on the mat. Tully has bladed his ARM at some point. Wow. Tully walks along the top rope, and drops a forearm across Magnums head. More of the hijinks with the mic. Tully misses the elbow, and Magnum takes over, doing the whole "SAY IT! NOOOOOOOOO!" thing. Magnum tries to shove the mic down Tully's throat at this point, and they roll around on the mat. They are working so stiff. It's great. They're on their knees, just wailing away at each other. Tully gets the first wrestling move of the match, an atomic drop out of the corner, then he grabs the mic and starts pounding Magnum with it. Tully tosses the ref down, and Baby Doll throws the balsa wood chair into the ring, which breaks immediately. They fight over a spike, and Magnum gets it, and digs it into Tully's head, and Tully says yes at 14:43. Tully claims, to this day, that he never said "I quit." He didn't, but who cares? Wow. That was awesome. *****
Atlanta Tuxedo Street Fight:
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey, with Jim Cornette)
Vs
Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively (with Big Mama)
Big Mama is Ron Garvin in drag. Garvin really loved to do the whole drag thing. This is a comedy brawl, with the MX in tuxes. Caudle says that this is “unique” which is to say its going to be “bowling shoe ugly”. Valiant gets a sleeper and Condrey is almost out. Eaton hits him with a chain, then the Midnights use powder. Everone blades, Valiant chokes Eaton out with a belt, then the Midnights start getting their tuxes torn off. Cornette comes in and clobbers Miss Atlanta Lively with his racket. Valiant keeps getting tossed to the floor, but keeps coming back. Eaton comes off the top, and MAL hits him with an uppercut for the pin at 6:36. That was a mess, but it was fun and the crowd was into it. ** ½ Cornette gets stripped after the match, and MAL has tapped an artery blading. That was much better than I remember.
NWA World Tag Team Championship, Cage Match:
Ivan and Nikita Koloff (Champions, with Khrusher Khrushchev)
Vs
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (with Don Kernodle)
Nobody could take an ass-kicking like the Rock 'n' Rolls, especially Ricky Morton. Nikita just throws Morton around, Morton ducks and weaves, and Nikita stalks him. Eventually, Ricky gets caught, and the Russians pummel him. Morton hits a cross-body for 2, but Ivan crotches him on the top rope. They tease going to the cage, and he tags Gibson, who nails a dropkick. Slam, followed by a kneedrop, gets 2. The R'n'R switch again, and Morton gets a near-fall. They try to use their speed to nullify the Russians' power, but eventually Ivan thumbs Gibson in the eye. Gibson runs him to the cage, and they continue beating on him. Ricky comes off the top with a punch, and then he sends Ivan into the cage. More switching, and this is a lot more competivie than I remember. Ivan tags Nikita in, and he bearhugs and runs Gibson into the cage. Then he does it two or three more times. Oddly, Gibson plays Ricky Morton, as the Russians just kick his ass. They tease so many close tags, and Gibson has bladed from the cage shots. It's really obvious how Nikita was really really raw at this point, as Ivan would carry the workload for their team, and Nikita would come in, hit some power stuff, and quickly tag back out. Also, Ivan really reinvented himself between his short WWWF Title run and this point, about fifteen years later, as he's down about 40 pounds from then. They keep the ass-whipping going, but they just can't put Gibson away. The heat for this is amazing, as the crowd stays full-throat for the entire thing. They keep teasing Gibson getting the tag, but the Russians keep cutting him off. Gibson gets a hope spot, but they cut him off and run him into the cage. Nikita chokes him, and Morton makes the save. Gibson goes underneath and hits a dropkick, but the ref gets bumped. Gibson makes the blind tag, and Morton gets a rolling reverse on Ivan for the pin and the titles out of nowhere at 12:22. *** ½ Nikita, Ivan, and Khrusher just absolutely kick the shit out of the babyfaces, with Nikita throwing Morton OVER the top of the cage. Really good, really hot match.
NWA World Championship:
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Dusty Rhodes (NWA World TV Champion)
This is an amazing showcase for these two. Tommy Young is the referee. The hatred from the fans in attendance is palpable. Dusty is wearing a “protective boot” which is just a boot that is different from the one that he normally wears. They fight out of the corner, and Dusty busts out the Flip, Flop and Fly early, and Flair scurries to the floor. He gets some shots in, but Dusty fires back with some elbows. Flair takes another walk. Rhodes works a hammerlock, and there’s this annoying fan who just keeps yelling “Dusty Rhooodes! Woo, woo, woo!” It’s super distracting, and at some point, he stops, which makes me think someone told him to STFU. Flair with chops and punches, snapmare, and finally a Kneedrop for 2. He kicks the injured ankle, and Dusty takes a walk into the crowd. Rhodes drapes Flair over the top rope, hitting elbows. He starts working on Flair’s leg, getting a leg lace. Flair’s selling is amazing, raising the rating of this match by *. Rhodes with an elbow to the knee, but Flair causes the break with a thumb to the eye. Flair goes for a suplex, but his knee gives out. Rhodes reverses, and drops an elbow to the knee. He goes back to the leg lace. Rhodes with a shoulderblock, but Flair gets a sleeper. Rhodes runs Flair to the buckle and wraps his leg around the ring post. Elbow to the ankle, then he no-sells some chops and fires back. He misses an elbow, and Flair goes up. Dusty slams him off and goes for the Figure Four, but Flair kicks him away, hurting Dusty’s ankle. Flair goes for the Figure Four, but Dusty kicks him away a couple of times. Flair stomps the ankle, but Dusty manages to send him to the corner. FLAIR FLIP! He tumbles all the way to the floor. Dusty runs Flair to the railing, and Flair blades. Back in, and Flair tosses him over the top out of sight of the referee. Dusty comes back in with a top rope body block for 2. He works the cut on Flair’s forehead. Flair’s blade job is quite good, as he’s got the red halo and a 2/3 crimson mask going on. Flair flop! Dusty with a Flip, Flop, and Fly; causing Flair to beg off. He whips Flair to the corner, and we get another flip, and Flair runs down the apron. He comes off the top, but Dusty buries a punch to the gut. Dusty goes to kick him, but Flair moves, and Dusty kicks the bottom rope. Flair turns into the pit bull and just starts dismantling the leg. Figure Four gets a couple of near-falls. Flair keeps yelling at the ref to ask Dusty if he wants to quit. Dusty won’t submit, and he eventually rolls it over. Flair makes the ropes to force the break. Rhodes no-sells some chops. Clothesline gets 2, and on the kick out, Rhodes lands on Tommy Young. Young gets knocked to the floor on a collision, and Dusty gets a Figure Four. Here’s the Andersons! Dusty knocks Arn to the floor, and Arn wipes out Young completely. Ole levels Dusty, and Flair covers for 2, as another ref has come out. Dusty gets an inside cradle for the pin, and we’ve (temporarily) got a new champion at 22:06. *** ¾ Probably the best Flair-Dusty match ever. They sent the fans home happy, but Dusty was forced to return the title because Tommy Young had recovered and seen the Anderson’s interference and was about to DQ Flair.
The Bottom Line: Well, I'm of two minds about this show. The Rock 'n' Roll Express-Russians match is something that WWE should be showing all of their trainee talent to show them about getting heat. The Magnum-Tully match is legendary, and the Street Fight is surprisingly good. Flair Vs Rhodes might be the best match of theirs that I've seen, but they nullified the title change a few days later, so it was rendered moot and makes me think this isn't that good of a show. I realize that Dusty came from the school that the thrill was in the babyface chasing the heel champion, but if people think that their heroes are going to get screwed over all the time, eventually, they'll stop paying to see him go after it. There's some quality stuff here, so it's recommended. I'd check out the WWE Network version though, because this one is just cut to shreds with bad edits.
