NWA World Title In Japan DVD Set DIsk Four
Nov 7, 2016 23:47:51 GMT -5
TheShowJordanRichards and BobbyTheBrain like this
Post by Shatter Machine on Nov 7, 2016 23:47:51 GMT -5
This one is probably the best disk on the set.
1981.10.09 AJPW at Kurame Kokugikan, Tokyo
Best Two out of Three Falls:
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
Lord James Blears is the special referee, and Jumbo gets a cross-body early for 2. They do some mat wrestling, then reset. Jumbo gets a hiptoss and starts working a headlock. Normally I’d bitch, but they stay active with it, showing that Jumbo is controlling the champ and wearing him down. I think that ten minutes might be a bit long for one hold, even if they periodically break to do a high spot, including Flair getting chops and shoulderblocks in. Jumbo elbows his neck, but Flair fights out and hits a shoulderblock. He misses an elbow, and Jumbo gets a big slam. He goes for the butterfly suplex, but Flair hits a gut shot. They fight over a gut-wrench, and Jumbo gets it for 2. Jumbo backs him down in the corner with some shots, then chokes him with a boot. Flair comes back and hits an atomic drop out of the corner for 2. Flair starts dropping knees to Jumbo’s shoulders, then gets a chinlock. He transitions to a cradle and turns him over for a couple of 2 counts. Flair misses a kneedrop (badly), and Jumbo gets an Indian Deathlock. I’m digging Jumbo’s perm here. Oh, hey. There’s Harley Race in Flair’s corner (I guess Race was there as a kind of Policeman for the NWA and promoters back in the U.S. to make sure that there were no shenanigans from Jumbo and Baba to steal the title from Flair. Race, for his part, bitched at Flair the whole time to finish up so he could drink beer. Nobody fucked with Harley.) Flair makes the ropes for the break, and Jumbo keeps working the leg. Jumbo gets a Boston Crab, but Flair won’t give it up. He squirms to the ropes and Jumbo turns him loose. Jumbo hits a high knee and the butterfly suplex, then the prettiest missile dropkick for the pin and first fall at 17:43. Second fall starts with Flair lifting him for a slam and Jumbo falling on him for 2. Jumbo goes behind for the German, but Flair goes dead weight on it, so Jumbo rolls him over for 2. He gets a couple of near-falls, but Jumbo lets him slip free. Flair chops him, then gets the shinbreaker. Jumbo rolls to the floor. Flair suplexes him back in, then drops the elbow. He gets the spinning toe-hold, but Jumbo gets an inside cradle for 2. Flair gets a back drop suplex for 2, then locks in the Figure Four. Jumbo struggles for the ropes, and the ref stops the second fall when Jumbo passes out at 23:09. Flair taunts him during the break, and they circle to start the final fall. Flair zones in on the knee like me on a steak, then he dumps Jumbo to the floor. He sends him to the post, then goes back in. Jumbo is busted open, and Flair works on the cut like an ass. He drops a knee across it for 2. They start exchanging kicks, and Jumbo hits a high knee, then he whips Flair over the top in the corner, but Flair gets hung up. Jumbo turns him over with a half-crab, but Flair gets the ropes right away. They start duking it out, and Jumbo gets an abdominal stretch. Flair hip tosses him, wiping out Blears, and Jumbo gets a German suplex, but there’s no ref. Jumbo with a piledriver, but Flair is in the ropes. Jumbo misses a charge and crotches himself in the corner, and Flair gets the pin from that. This was somewhat disjointed, with no real story being told, but it was still quite good once it got moving. (*** ¾ 28:55)
1982.06.04 AJPW at Welfare Hall in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Rick Steamboat
Well, here’s a gem I’ve never seen. Flair backs Steamboat into the corner, and they break, then they do a headlock/rollover spot. Huge hiptoss by Steamboat, and he goes back to the headlock. The thing is, there’s a huge difference between using a headlock to be lazy and using one to tell the story of the match. This is the latter. They never stop working. There’s no “stalling” as it were. They do the same leapfrog – headlock spot, then Steamboat gets a backslide for 2, and gets the headlock again. Flair lifts him, but Steamboat rolls him over without letting go. Flair pops free, albeit briefly. They go to the corner for the break, and Flair buries a knee to the gut. Whip across, and Steamboat leaps over and gets a Sunset for 2. Big chop by Steamboat, and Flair backs off. They trade chops and forearms, and Steamboat chops him over the top. Steamboat comes off the top with a chop to Flair’s head, then buckles him. Flair keeps firing back, and they start trading shots, with Steamboat finally getting 2. He grabs a chinlock, but Flair tries a back suplex. Steamboat counters and hits an atomic drop, then we see the Flair Flip to the floor. Steamboat runs him into chairs, then goes back in. Flair comes back in, getting a back elbow. He gets a piledriver for 2. He never did that move well. Gut-wrench suplex for 2. He goes for another piledriver, but Steamboat backdrops out of it. Steamboat hits a big chop, and they go to the floor again, where Steamboat runs him to the timekeeper’s table. Flair runs his leg around the post, and we’re about 10 minutes in. Back in, and Flair drops him on the back of his head and starts working Steamboat’s knee. Shinbreaker, and Steamboat goes back to the floor. Suplex in for 2. Flair goes for the kneedrop, but Steamboat catches it and applies his own Figure Four. Flair won’t give up, of course, but it’s awesome to see. He makes the ropes, and Steamboat lets him go. Chops by Flair, and they start trading shots. Cross-body by Steamboat for 2. Suplex gets 2. Kneedrop, and Flair gets knees up on a splash. Flair lifts him for a suplex, but Steamboat falls on him for 2. Chops in the corner by Flair, but Steamboat gets a suplex. They start duking it out, and Steamboat gets a press-slam. He drops a knee for 2, but Flair is in the ropes. Another press and slam, and Steamboat hits a double thrust and goes up. He hits a cross-body, but Flair rolls through for the pin. That was nearly flawless. (**** ¾ 16:21)
1982.06.08 AJPW at Kurame Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
They start feeling each other out, going to the ropes a lot early, and this is the first time I’ve seen the diagonal red and blue mat on the ring. Jumbo gets a hiptoss, and takes Flair over with a headlock. Jumbo is starting to morph into the wrestler that most puro fans would recognize at this point. They do a couple of leapfrogs, then Jumbo gets a backdrop. He goes for a butterfly suplex, but Flair is in the ropes. Flair starts working his arm, but Jumbo takes him over with a wristlock. He turns it into a surfboard, but Flair gets to the corner for the break. Jumbo floats over on a suplex and gets a sleeper, and things look grim for Flair, but he makes the ropes again. Jumbo teases a German, but Flair sprawls. Kick to the gut, and they trade chops. High knee from Jumbo gets 2. Jumbo whips Flair to the corner, and Flair tumbles to the apron. He comes back in and gets a knee to the stomach and snap mares Jumbo over. Knee drop gets 2. A second one also gets 2. Flair goes to a chinlock, but Jumbo fights out. Flair gets a shoulderblock, but misses an elbow. Jumbo with a sunset flip for 2. Backslide gets 2. They start exchanging chops that sound like gunfire, then it just becomes a fight. Flair takes the upside down bump in the corner, and Jumbo gets the butterfly suplex for 2. He turns Flair over for the Boston Crab, but Flair won’t give up. He makes the ropes, so Jumbo releases him and starts stomping. Flair cuts that off and starts elbowing. Jumbo gets an abdominal stretch, but Flair hiptosses out. Flair misses something, and Jumbo resumes pounding. Cross-body by Jumbo gets 2, and the crowd was CONVINCED that was the end. Flair takes a walk. Back in, and they lock up. Flair gets a back elbow and a backbreaker for 2. He locks in an abdominal stretch, but Jumbo uses the power to get out of it and goes to the top. Missile dropkick, regular dropkick, and he only gets 2. Jumbo blocks and reverses a Flair suplex for 2. He misses an elbow, and Flair gets a spinning toe hold that Jumbo turns into an inside cradle for 2. Shinbreaker by Flair, and he just goes to town on the knee. Figure – Four, but Jumbo won’t give it up. He tries to reverse it, but Flair won’t allow it the first time. Second time, He rolls it over, but they roll to the ropes for the break. Flair gets a backdrop suplex for 2. Jumbo goes out, but Flair mares him back in. Flair goes up, but Jumbo slams him off for 2. Jumbo goes up again, but a cross-body only gets 2. Jumbo gets a Figure – Four now, and the roof is ready to come off the building. Flair gets the ropes, and the ref forces the break. Jumbo pulls him out and tries again, but they wind up just punching each other on the mat. Flair just mounts him and hits him about 16 times. They exchange shots, and Flair tosses him to the floor. Jumbo walks around, but Flair suplexes him back in for 2. Elbow gets 2. Flair gets a sleeper, and Jumbo backs him into the corner. They’re both down, and we get more chops. Jumbo sends him to the corner, and Flair does the flop. Piledriver by Jumbo for 2, with Flair’s foot on the ropes. High knee, and Flair falls to the floor. Flair gets to the apron, and Jumbo hits an enziguiri, then a piledriver on the floor. Flair sends him to the post, and both guys beat the count. They do a German in the corner, but it’s a double pin. That was ABSOLUTELY INSANE. (***** 29:11)
Flair would drop the title to Harley Race on 6/10/1983, then regain it on 11/24
1983.12.12 AJPW at Kuramae Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
The Great Kabuki
Did the creator of this set want me to claw my eyes out? First six Giant Baba matches, then Mil Mascaras, Now Kabuki? Who’s next, Junkyard Dog? El Gigante? Kurrigan? Jim Crockett is with Flair, who I’m sure wasn’t really happy about defending the title against a gimmick guy. Kabuki might have had the laziest match I’ve ever seen, a 13 – minute headlock against Tiger Mask II from about 1987. It was awful. Kabuki blows the mist, and gets a headlock. He hits a kick and Flair goes down and leaves the ring. Kabuki must have been about 5’4”, because Flair TOWERS over him, and Flair was about 6’1” in his prime. Kabuki takes him down with a wristlock. Flair escapes and takes him down with a hammerlock. He works that for a while and I get bored. Kabuki goes back to standing, then rakes Flair’s face to escape. They exchange chops, and Kabuki hits a neckbreaker. He uses the Vulcan nerve pinch, because he’s the laziest motherfucker alive. (He’s still kicking, he was in the New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in January. He’s 71.) Kabuki with a kick, then a chop from the second rope, and he goes back to the nerve hold. God this is awful. Kabuki looks like an aging nail salon attendant. Flair kicks him in the stomach and they trade shots again. Flair with an Atomic Drop and a gut – wrench for 2. Kabuki with more kicks, but Flair hits him in the stomach. Kabuki grabs the nerve hold again. Flair hits a Thesz press for 2, Kabuki fucks that up. Kabuki with an inside cradle for 2. More punching, and Flair gets hung upside down in the corner. Another nerve hold for Kabuki, but Flair is all “Fuck that!” and starts punching and chopping. More chops from Kabuki, who then busts out and actual wrestling move, a backdrop suplex. He misses the follow – up elbow, and Flair hits a piledriver for 2. He always did that so badly, thank god he dropped it after a while. Kneedrop gets 2. Flair with a neck crank, then they start punching. Now Kabuki has outdone himself, he’s using a fucking stomach claw. What’s next, the Penis suplex? Fuck. This is so, so awful. Probably the worst Flair match I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe Flair is selling for this mook. Kabuki with a cross - body for 2. Flair hits a stun – gun, then drops an elbow for 2. Suplex gets 2. Flair locks in the abdominal stretch, and Kabuki hiplocks out. Backslide by Kabuki for 2. Flair takes him over with a headlock, then they attempt the bridge spot, but Kabuki can’t do it. I’m shocked. Sunset flip by Kabuki for 2. Flair misses an elbow. They butt heads, and we’ve got the double – down. Flair goes up, but Kabuki slams him off. Flair whips him to the corner, but Kabuki hits a kick and a second rope chop. That gets 2. Backdrop by Flair, and he walks into another thrust kick by Kabuki that gets 2 with Flair’s foot on the ropes. Flair goes for a suplex, but Kabuki flips out and kicks him for 2. Backdrop suplex by Flair for 2. He locks the Figure – Four, but Kabuki is in the ropes. Flair shoves the ref, then stomps Kabuki to the floor. The ref keeps trying to break it up, but Flair tosses him away for the lame DQ. They keep fighting, but Kabuki sprays the mist in Flair’s face. Flair couldn’t carry Kabuki to anything good, but he was game. (* ½ 24:24)
1981.10.09 AJPW at Kurame Kokugikan, Tokyo
Best Two out of Three Falls:
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
Lord James Blears is the special referee, and Jumbo gets a cross-body early for 2. They do some mat wrestling, then reset. Jumbo gets a hiptoss and starts working a headlock. Normally I’d bitch, but they stay active with it, showing that Jumbo is controlling the champ and wearing him down. I think that ten minutes might be a bit long for one hold, even if they periodically break to do a high spot, including Flair getting chops and shoulderblocks in. Jumbo elbows his neck, but Flair fights out and hits a shoulderblock. He misses an elbow, and Jumbo gets a big slam. He goes for the butterfly suplex, but Flair hits a gut shot. They fight over a gut-wrench, and Jumbo gets it for 2. Jumbo backs him down in the corner with some shots, then chokes him with a boot. Flair comes back and hits an atomic drop out of the corner for 2. Flair starts dropping knees to Jumbo’s shoulders, then gets a chinlock. He transitions to a cradle and turns him over for a couple of 2 counts. Flair misses a kneedrop (badly), and Jumbo gets an Indian Deathlock. I’m digging Jumbo’s perm here. Oh, hey. There’s Harley Race in Flair’s corner (I guess Race was there as a kind of Policeman for the NWA and promoters back in the U.S. to make sure that there were no shenanigans from Jumbo and Baba to steal the title from Flair. Race, for his part, bitched at Flair the whole time to finish up so he could drink beer. Nobody fucked with Harley.) Flair makes the ropes for the break, and Jumbo keeps working the leg. Jumbo gets a Boston Crab, but Flair won’t give it up. He squirms to the ropes and Jumbo turns him loose. Jumbo hits a high knee and the butterfly suplex, then the prettiest missile dropkick for the pin and first fall at 17:43. Second fall starts with Flair lifting him for a slam and Jumbo falling on him for 2. Jumbo goes behind for the German, but Flair goes dead weight on it, so Jumbo rolls him over for 2. He gets a couple of near-falls, but Jumbo lets him slip free. Flair chops him, then gets the shinbreaker. Jumbo rolls to the floor. Flair suplexes him back in, then drops the elbow. He gets the spinning toe-hold, but Jumbo gets an inside cradle for 2. Flair gets a back drop suplex for 2, then locks in the Figure Four. Jumbo struggles for the ropes, and the ref stops the second fall when Jumbo passes out at 23:09. Flair taunts him during the break, and they circle to start the final fall. Flair zones in on the knee like me on a steak, then he dumps Jumbo to the floor. He sends him to the post, then goes back in. Jumbo is busted open, and Flair works on the cut like an ass. He drops a knee across it for 2. They start exchanging kicks, and Jumbo hits a high knee, then he whips Flair over the top in the corner, but Flair gets hung up. Jumbo turns him over with a half-crab, but Flair gets the ropes right away. They start duking it out, and Jumbo gets an abdominal stretch. Flair hip tosses him, wiping out Blears, and Jumbo gets a German suplex, but there’s no ref. Jumbo with a piledriver, but Flair is in the ropes. Jumbo misses a charge and crotches himself in the corner, and Flair gets the pin from that. This was somewhat disjointed, with no real story being told, but it was still quite good once it got moving. (*** ¾ 28:55)
1982.06.04 AJPW at Welfare Hall in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Rick Steamboat
Well, here’s a gem I’ve never seen. Flair backs Steamboat into the corner, and they break, then they do a headlock/rollover spot. Huge hiptoss by Steamboat, and he goes back to the headlock. The thing is, there’s a huge difference between using a headlock to be lazy and using one to tell the story of the match. This is the latter. They never stop working. There’s no “stalling” as it were. They do the same leapfrog – headlock spot, then Steamboat gets a backslide for 2, and gets the headlock again. Flair lifts him, but Steamboat rolls him over without letting go. Flair pops free, albeit briefly. They go to the corner for the break, and Flair buries a knee to the gut. Whip across, and Steamboat leaps over and gets a Sunset for 2. Big chop by Steamboat, and Flair backs off. They trade chops and forearms, and Steamboat chops him over the top. Steamboat comes off the top with a chop to Flair’s head, then buckles him. Flair keeps firing back, and they start trading shots, with Steamboat finally getting 2. He grabs a chinlock, but Flair tries a back suplex. Steamboat counters and hits an atomic drop, then we see the Flair Flip to the floor. Steamboat runs him into chairs, then goes back in. Flair comes back in, getting a back elbow. He gets a piledriver for 2. He never did that move well. Gut-wrench suplex for 2. He goes for another piledriver, but Steamboat backdrops out of it. Steamboat hits a big chop, and they go to the floor again, where Steamboat runs him to the timekeeper’s table. Flair runs his leg around the post, and we’re about 10 minutes in. Back in, and Flair drops him on the back of his head and starts working Steamboat’s knee. Shinbreaker, and Steamboat goes back to the floor. Suplex in for 2. Flair goes for the kneedrop, but Steamboat catches it and applies his own Figure Four. Flair won’t give up, of course, but it’s awesome to see. He makes the ropes, and Steamboat lets him go. Chops by Flair, and they start trading shots. Cross-body by Steamboat for 2. Suplex gets 2. Kneedrop, and Flair gets knees up on a splash. Flair lifts him for a suplex, but Steamboat falls on him for 2. Chops in the corner by Flair, but Steamboat gets a suplex. They start duking it out, and Steamboat gets a press-slam. He drops a knee for 2, but Flair is in the ropes. Another press and slam, and Steamboat hits a double thrust and goes up. He hits a cross-body, but Flair rolls through for the pin. That was nearly flawless. (**** ¾ 16:21)
1982.06.08 AJPW at Kurame Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
Jumbo Tsuruta
They start feeling each other out, going to the ropes a lot early, and this is the first time I’ve seen the diagonal red and blue mat on the ring. Jumbo gets a hiptoss, and takes Flair over with a headlock. Jumbo is starting to morph into the wrestler that most puro fans would recognize at this point. They do a couple of leapfrogs, then Jumbo gets a backdrop. He goes for a butterfly suplex, but Flair is in the ropes. Flair starts working his arm, but Jumbo takes him over with a wristlock. He turns it into a surfboard, but Flair gets to the corner for the break. Jumbo floats over on a suplex and gets a sleeper, and things look grim for Flair, but he makes the ropes again. Jumbo teases a German, but Flair sprawls. Kick to the gut, and they trade chops. High knee from Jumbo gets 2. Jumbo whips Flair to the corner, and Flair tumbles to the apron. He comes back in and gets a knee to the stomach and snap mares Jumbo over. Knee drop gets 2. A second one also gets 2. Flair goes to a chinlock, but Jumbo fights out. Flair gets a shoulderblock, but misses an elbow. Jumbo with a sunset flip for 2. Backslide gets 2. They start exchanging chops that sound like gunfire, then it just becomes a fight. Flair takes the upside down bump in the corner, and Jumbo gets the butterfly suplex for 2. He turns Flair over for the Boston Crab, but Flair won’t give up. He makes the ropes, so Jumbo releases him and starts stomping. Flair cuts that off and starts elbowing. Jumbo gets an abdominal stretch, but Flair hiptosses out. Flair misses something, and Jumbo resumes pounding. Cross-body by Jumbo gets 2, and the crowd was CONVINCED that was the end. Flair takes a walk. Back in, and they lock up. Flair gets a back elbow and a backbreaker for 2. He locks in an abdominal stretch, but Jumbo uses the power to get out of it and goes to the top. Missile dropkick, regular dropkick, and he only gets 2. Jumbo blocks and reverses a Flair suplex for 2. He misses an elbow, and Flair gets a spinning toe hold that Jumbo turns into an inside cradle for 2. Shinbreaker by Flair, and he just goes to town on the knee. Figure – Four, but Jumbo won’t give it up. He tries to reverse it, but Flair won’t allow it the first time. Second time, He rolls it over, but they roll to the ropes for the break. Flair gets a backdrop suplex for 2. Jumbo goes out, but Flair mares him back in. Flair goes up, but Jumbo slams him off for 2. Jumbo goes up again, but a cross-body only gets 2. Jumbo gets a Figure – Four now, and the roof is ready to come off the building. Flair gets the ropes, and the ref forces the break. Jumbo pulls him out and tries again, but they wind up just punching each other on the mat. Flair just mounts him and hits him about 16 times. They exchange shots, and Flair tosses him to the floor. Jumbo walks around, but Flair suplexes him back in for 2. Elbow gets 2. Flair gets a sleeper, and Jumbo backs him into the corner. They’re both down, and we get more chops. Jumbo sends him to the corner, and Flair does the flop. Piledriver by Jumbo for 2, with Flair’s foot on the ropes. High knee, and Flair falls to the floor. Flair gets to the apron, and Jumbo hits an enziguiri, then a piledriver on the floor. Flair sends him to the post, and both guys beat the count. They do a German in the corner, but it’s a double pin. That was ABSOLUTELY INSANE. (***** 29:11)
Flair would drop the title to Harley Race on 6/10/1983, then regain it on 11/24
1983.12.12 AJPW at Kuramae Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Ric Flair (Champion)
Vs
The Great Kabuki
Did the creator of this set want me to claw my eyes out? First six Giant Baba matches, then Mil Mascaras, Now Kabuki? Who’s next, Junkyard Dog? El Gigante? Kurrigan? Jim Crockett is with Flair, who I’m sure wasn’t really happy about defending the title against a gimmick guy. Kabuki might have had the laziest match I’ve ever seen, a 13 – minute headlock against Tiger Mask II from about 1987. It was awful. Kabuki blows the mist, and gets a headlock. He hits a kick and Flair goes down and leaves the ring. Kabuki must have been about 5’4”, because Flair TOWERS over him, and Flair was about 6’1” in his prime. Kabuki takes him down with a wristlock. Flair escapes and takes him down with a hammerlock. He works that for a while and I get bored. Kabuki goes back to standing, then rakes Flair’s face to escape. They exchange chops, and Kabuki hits a neckbreaker. He uses the Vulcan nerve pinch, because he’s the laziest motherfucker alive. (He’s still kicking, he was in the New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in January. He’s 71.) Kabuki with a kick, then a chop from the second rope, and he goes back to the nerve hold. God this is awful. Kabuki looks like an aging nail salon attendant. Flair kicks him in the stomach and they trade shots again. Flair with an Atomic Drop and a gut – wrench for 2. Kabuki with more kicks, but Flair hits him in the stomach. Kabuki grabs the nerve hold again. Flair hits a Thesz press for 2, Kabuki fucks that up. Kabuki with an inside cradle for 2. More punching, and Flair gets hung upside down in the corner. Another nerve hold for Kabuki, but Flair is all “Fuck that!” and starts punching and chopping. More chops from Kabuki, who then busts out and actual wrestling move, a backdrop suplex. He misses the follow – up elbow, and Flair hits a piledriver for 2. He always did that so badly, thank god he dropped it after a while. Kneedrop gets 2. Flair with a neck crank, then they start punching. Now Kabuki has outdone himself, he’s using a fucking stomach claw. What’s next, the Penis suplex? Fuck. This is so, so awful. Probably the worst Flair match I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe Flair is selling for this mook. Kabuki with a cross - body for 2. Flair hits a stun – gun, then drops an elbow for 2. Suplex gets 2. Flair locks in the abdominal stretch, and Kabuki hiplocks out. Backslide by Kabuki for 2. Flair takes him over with a headlock, then they attempt the bridge spot, but Kabuki can’t do it. I’m shocked. Sunset flip by Kabuki for 2. Flair misses an elbow. They butt heads, and we’ve got the double – down. Flair goes up, but Kabuki slams him off. Flair whips him to the corner, but Kabuki hits a kick and a second rope chop. That gets 2. Backdrop by Flair, and he walks into another thrust kick by Kabuki that gets 2 with Flair’s foot on the ropes. Flair goes for a suplex, but Kabuki flips out and kicks him for 2. Backdrop suplex by Flair for 2. He locks the Figure – Four, but Kabuki is in the ropes. Flair shoves the ref, then stomps Kabuki to the floor. The ref keeps trying to break it up, but Flair tosses him away for the lame DQ. They keep fighting, but Kabuki sprays the mist in Flair’s face. Flair couldn’t carry Kabuki to anything good, but he was game. (* ½ 24:24)
