“King of the Hill” Two Ring Battle Royal Winners: The Skyscrapers
We start things off with the finals of a $5,000 “King of the Hill” Battle Royal tournament, culminating here with 14 finalists across two rings! All the men start in Ring A and can only be eliminated into Ring B, where they continue to fight until they fall over the top and onto the floor where they are eliminated all together. The last man standing in Ring A waits to fight the winner of Ring B in a pin-fall contest for the money. As you'd expect with all 14 men in the ring, this is a bit hectic and confusing at the start, but as the competitors move into the second ring the match begins to tell a fun story. By moving only a few men into either ring, a lot of guys get to enjoy the spotlight who'd normally have been lost in the shuffle. Ring A comes down to Sid Vicious and Brian Pillman, Pillman making a great effort in his PPV début but ultimately unsuccessful against the better half of the Skyscrapers. In Ring B it boils down to Dan Spivey, and it looks like we're going to get a match between the two Skyscrapers. Teddy Long suddenly pipes in and announces that the Skyscrapers are about unity, and rather than fight they'll be splitting the money while Long gets the crown. The ending was actually well set up by Ross and Caudle, who hypothesised throughout the match what would happen if the winners were tag team partners. This was a good opener for the evening, showcasing a lot of talent and getting lots of heat on the Skyscrapers for forgoing the planned final match.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Brian Pillman Vs Bill Irwin
Flyin' Brian Pillman has been pushed well on his first PPV - the subject of a pre-show promo, one of the last men in the battle royal and now the winner here in an energetic singles bout. Bill Irwin might not look like much (He would later play The Goon in the WWF), but he brings a lot to this contest, really making Pillman look strong. I love the classic heel mannerisms of Irwin, and I especially love how vocal he is throughout the match. There's a 'Jericho-esqe' vibe to his constant berating of Flyin' Brian, his frustrated yells and taunts, that really work the crowd up too. Pillman bumps around as you'd expect, building to the climax where he is tossed into the second ring. The ref stops Irwin from pursuing across, only for Pillman to make a long high-cross body from the second ring to the middle of the first for the pin. Great effort from both guys.
Rating: 4 Stars
The Skyscrapers Vs The Dynamic Dudes
“Momentum, pacing and timing are so important...” - Jim Ross
You said it J.R., but sadly I don't think the Dynamic Dudes heard you. The team of Johnny Ace and Shane Douglas was never going to set the world on fire, but they're kind of embarrassing here. From their squeaky-clean, suck-up face gimmick to their plodding, sloppy in-ring style, it's little surprise that they'd loose most of their matches with the NWA and be gone by the following year. On their way to the ring they bring a little fat kid out of the crowd and seem to unintentionally mock him with their Frisbees, which makes me think they'd have been a great heel duo around 1999. But back in 1989 one thing's for sure – they're just not in the same league as the Skyscrapers. Once the big men take control the match becomes alright. Sid is really over with the smarky crowd, who keep up great energy whenever he's involved. There are flashes of classic double-team brilliance from the 'Scrapers, who are just impressive to behold and have a great manager in Teddy Long at ringside. The ending is one of the most pathetic power-bombs I've ever seen, can't tell who's fault it is but I'd bet money on Johnny Ace. Still, I've got to deduct something for that!
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Tuxedo
Jim Cornette Vs Paul E. Dangerously
I wasn't looking forward to this at all, but it's much better than it reads on paper. Both men deliver strong promos before the match, and Cornette and Heyman really work hard to make this an intense and hate-filled brawl befitting this hot feud. Spitting, choking, illegal powder, attacks with foreign objects... For such a short match this is packed with action and doesn't outstay it's welcome. There is some good continuity in the ending, the heel gets stripped and embarrassed, and the crowd are satisfied. It's really not that hard to make non-wrestler matches entertaining when you just make some effort. This is pretty much the exact opposite of Cole Vs Lawler at this year's WrestleMania.
Rating: 4 Stars
Texas Tornado
The Steiner Brothers Vs Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan
I mistook Rotunda for Scott Steiner at first here, as for some reason both he and Rick Steiner are wearing singlets while Sullivan and Scott are in short trunks, and nothing colour coordinates. Considering this is a fast paced Tornado tag match involving all four men at once, I think the teams should have been more unified in their attire. When you add the fact that this is the PPV début for the Steiner Brothers, it just increases the need to communicate who's who to the audience. Regardless, this is a fun, no DQ match with a solid finish involving all four guys, which is nice to see. It doesn't last long enough for my tastes, making it a bit forgettable when all's said and done. Nothing really to complain about, good intensity and athleticism that never lets up throughout from everyone involved.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
TV Championship
Sting Vs The Great Muta
Now we're getting to the big matches! Sting is completely over at this point, and Muta is just a fantastic opponent for him. Sting in this era had a Hogan quality to him, but with much more youth on his side. Both men put in an athletic, high-flying performance here that goes all over the ring and to the outside. Believable near-fall after some Muta mist to the ref and a great moonsault to the Stinger. Sting makes a comeback into a controversial finish where a pin was counted when both men got shoulders up. This would leave the TV title vacated, but in my opinion Sting did have more of it. Great mix with Muta's speed and Sting's power, leaving plenty of room for more in the future.
Rating: 4 Stars
United States Championship
Lex Luger Vs Ricky Steamboat
Fantastic reception for both men, creating an epic atmosphere to start things off. Steamboat and the audience want this to be No DQ, as The Dragon is out for revenge after Luger turned on him. The stipulation is announced, but Luger grabs a mic and tells Steamboat it's either a normal match or he walks. Steamboat begrudgingly accepts much to the displeasure of the crowd, but they really needed something to turn the fans on Luger as he was getting big pops from the smarky audience (Something Ross calls out as “somewhat hypocritical” on their part). Luger is doing the best work in his career at this time, and getting great opponents like Steamboat to work with just solidifies his heel run. Steamboat himself brings an uncharacteristic viciousness into this match, throwing some powerful chops that send Luger running to the outside, only to be met with even more ferocious chops once he gets there.
Some great agility from both men and near-falls right from the get go, setting an electric pace that stays consistent throughout. The finish is awesome – Luger brings in a chair to get intentionally DQed, only to be slingshot into the corner and take it right in the face. However Steamboat is so mad he grabs the chair and starts wailing on Luger himself for the DQ. Ricky throws the ref from the ring and keeps attacking Luger who begs him to stop, but The Dragon just keeps pummelling him, first to the outside then back up the ramp to the stage. Luger just manages to escape, while Steamboat celebrates his retribution with the chair. Just brilliant. Unfortunately, Steamboat and the NWA had a contract dispute, leading to his departure from American wrestling for a couple of years soon after this awesome, awesome contest, the Match of the Night on a very good card.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
WarGames
Team Road Warriors Vs Team Fabulous Freebirds
“There is no strategy to this...” - Jim Ross
The WarGames is a hard match type to review. The first five minutes are quite needless as no-one can get a solid advantage on the other, then a partner joins for the inevitable 2-on-1 assault until the next guy evens it up and we get something that resembles a fight. As J.R. reminds us, the purpose of this section is to weaken your opponents to get an easier submission once the match truly begins, but it's a bit boring and just feels like going through the motions to me. At one point Ross even starts chatting about other matches, an unusual deviation from the normally focused play-by-play he's known for. Thankfully we've got Paul E. and Michael Hayes on the outside being awesome as usual, Paul E. telling the camera between every entry that Hayes will be next in for the Freebirds, only to reserve him to the very end. When he finally does get in the match really picks up, with DDTs for everyone followed by a classic Freebird strut. Once Hawk enters last for the Warriors it's just pandemonium. Paul E. tries to squeeze his big phone through the cage but it won't quite fit. Finally Hawk gets Jimmy Garvin into his Hangman submission, which is pretty cool actually, and picks up the win. The Warriors leave the cage, only for the Freebirds to keep Animal inside and hold the door while they beat him up. The Warriors eventually break through the door and chase them off, but the Freebirds managed to get some heat back from the loss.
Rating: 3 Stars
World Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair Vs Terry Funk
It's time for the huge main event between the returning legend Terry Funk and the now-beloved Ric Flair. After Flair regained the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleWar, Funk requested a match for the title which Flair declined. Funk's response was to brutally attack Flair, pile-driving him into a table and putting him out of action for weeks. Funk enters to the 'Man with a Harmonica' theme from Once Upon a Time in the West, which although shamelessly stolen is simply epic and really works with his character at this time. Flair comes out with an entourage of lovely ladies, but no sooner does he step into the ring than he's on the outside brawling with Funk. They brawl in and out until Flair goes for a suplex from the apron to the outside, but Funk counters sending both tumbling to the floor.
Back on their feet, Flair throws some huge chops, then both men trade eye-rakes. Flair is out for revenge though, and starts to ruthlessly target Funk's neck, even to the point of hitting him with his own pair of pile-drivers! Flair continues to dominate until he slaps on the figure four, but Funk hits him in the face with a branding iron to bust him open and take control. Funk hits Flair with a pile-driver to his injured neck, but he's too close to the ropes to get the 3. Funk responds by choking the champion, before removing the padding around the ring, exposing the concrete and setting up Flair for another pile-driver, this time one that would frankly kill him on the outside. Flair counters at the last second, but soon Funk is back on top inside the ring after a pair of neck-breakers. Funk goes to attack Flair with the branding iron again, but Flair gets it and wallops Funk out of the ring. A bloody Funk returns and oddly changes his tactics and goes for a spinning-toe hold, only to be countered into a roll-up pin for Flair.
After the match, The Great Muta comes out and helps Funk assault Flair, setting him up for a pile-driver to a steel chair before he is rescued by Sting. Funk and Muta make tracks, but Flair's not done and pursues Funk down the aisle. Flair finds the branding iron and chases after both men into the crowd. Every time it looks like it's over, Flair goes after them again until finally he stops to talk to Ross and Caudle. Dripping with blood, he delivers one of his best ever promos and promises Funk “We just started pal!” - and boy was he not kidding. This was a bloody, back-and-forth brawl between two legends, only held back by the strange change in psychology at the end. The post-match brawl was great and sets up numerous angles for the rest of the year, including the famous 'I Quit' match at COTC IX, but especially the ultimate confrontation between Flair and Sting. Awesome main event.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
NWA/WCW The Great American Bash 1989 Final Score: 4 Stars
It's considered one of, if not THE best wrestling PPV of all time. I wouldn't go that far, as I don't think there is a true 5 Star match on the card. The Steamboat/Luger match is this close to that, but the DQ ending holds it back, as satisfying as it is to see Luger get what's coming. Had they had a final, blow-off match with a proper ending I've no doubt they'd have delivered, but alas it was not to be. Funk and Flair would meet again at Clash IX in a truly epic 'I Quit' match, but their encounter here is held back by an ending that just makes me scratch my head.
The rest of the card is solid and entertaining, aside from the Skyscrapers/Dynamic Dudes match, but as poor as that was it doesn't effect the overall score much at all. The Cornette/Dangerously match impressed me as much as the WarGames match disappointed me, I know others would swap the scores I gave them around, but I felt the quick managers match was as good as it could be while with the WarGames match I went through periods of real boredom.
Overall though, this is a fantastic show and a great example of the late 80's NWA/WCW, which to my mind was pro-wrestling at it's peak. Don't make do with the edited version though, the uncut original is where it's at and worth seeking out.
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