Wrestling Observer Flashback–03.05.90

It’s time for WrestleWar 90! And the Main Event III!

Oh, and a very bad year for WCW officially begins…

– Lots of stuff going on for Dave to review, but first…

– Ric Flair has stepped down as the booker for the NWA after seven months and a lot of heartburn medication. Although ratings were trending upwards, a lot of shit went down and fingers were immediately pointed at Flair, since he was the guy in charge. In fact, he resigned just after TV ratings broke all-time records for viewership on cable. For the moment, the committee will continue on without Flair until they figure out who will take over. Although normally an outgoing booker leaves the territory, Dave is pretty sure that’s not gonna happen in this case. The only big money match they have at the moment is Flair v. Sting, and that can’t happen until Halloween Havoc at the earliest, so Flair’s position on top is likely safe for a while.

– The Main Event III on NBC!

– Dave basically calls the show a success despite itself, since it was on network TV and featured Buster Douglas in a featured role, so anything else is gravy. Although the show did the worst in Observer polls of any major show, with 93% thumbs down. In the ratings, the show was a mild success, drawing a 12.8 rating (which beats the 11.8 that Main Event II did) but not really bringing many more eyes to the product.

– Also, it turns out that Mike Tyson’s sister died a few days before the show, so even if things hadn’t gone down the way they did, he likely would have pulled out anyway.

1. Hulk Hogan pinned Randy Savage with the big legdrop at 11:14, and it was the usual Hogan match on NBC. Afterwards, they did the deal where Douglas punches out Savage and the two World champions posed together. **1/2

2. Ultimate Warrior pinned Dino Bravo in 4:11. It was fast-paced and they worked to the extent of their very limited abilities. Dave didn’t give a rating. Warrior’s interviews on the show were increasingly bizarre, as they don’t know how to book the match from a face v. face perspective and so Warrior is playing subtle heel, even though he’s supposed to be the guy who wins the match and carries the torch as top babyface.

As for the matches that didn’t air on TV:

1. Earthquake squashed Ron Garvin in 5:00 DUD

2. Dusty Rhodes pinned Mr. Perfect with a cradle in 9:26 in an awful match. *

3. Ted Dibiase beat Jake Roberts by countout in 21:20, with mostly restholds. *

4. Andre & Haku beat Demolition to retain the tag titles when Haku pinned Smash. 1/2*

5. Rick Martel beat Brutus Beefcake using the ropes in 9:00, in the worst match of the show. No contact until 5:00 in, and then people started wishing they’d stop making contact again because it was so bad. -*1/2

6. Hogan pinned Savage.

7. Warrior pinned Bravo.

8. Bad News Brown pinned Tito Santana in 4:11 with the Ghetto Blaster. *

9. Roddy PIper and Rick Rude went to a double DQ in a lumberjack match at 11:51. Most action of the show came when some jerk tried to jump the rail and Rude choked him out like he was bouncing some fool in Minnesota again. **1/2

– For about the third straight week, Dave is all over Howard Finkel and proclaiming him to be one of the best ring announcers in history. Obviously Dave has moved on from Jack Victory once and for all.

– WrestleWar 90! To the review!

– Reaction was basically split down the middle on the show, with the different being whether people felt that two good matches and a screwjob finish in the main event merited a good show or not. Dave thinks it did.

1. Buzz Sawyer & Kevin Sullivan beat the Dynamic Dudes in 10:14 when Sawyer pinned Ace after a splash. A basic good opener. Johnny Ace was not happy about doing the job here, and his future is in question. **1/2

2. Norman the Lunatic pinned Cactus Jack in 9:33 with the sitdown splash. Jack took some good bumps, but it wasn’t much as a match. *1/2

3. The Rock N Roll Express beat the Midnight Express in 22:47 when Gibson reversed a flapjack and pinned Lane. Jim Cornette was obviously trying to steal the show here, and he succeeded. Everyone seemed to be trying to prove a point in the wake of all the contract cuts, and the match was incredible with Morton taking the beating of a lifetime. ****1/4

4. The Road Warriors beat Mean Mark & Mean Mike Enos (under a mask) in 4:58 with the Doomsday Device in a street fight. Enos didn’t look good, and Mark walked out on him before the finish, signaling his singles push. Teddy Long got tossed out of the ring by the Warriors afterwards, into the waiting arms of Doom. They actually tried to get Nitron to return as the New New Skyscrapers with Callas, but they couldn’t come to money terms. *1/4

5. Pillman & Zenk retained the US tag titles over the Freebirds in 24:30, which Dave calls “25 minutes too long”. Pillman pinned Garvin with a high cross during a melee. 1/2*

6. Rick & Scott Steiner retained the NWA tag titles over the Andersons in 16:04 when Rick cradled Ole. Dave notes that the Andersons are currently brothers, but they’ve been nephew & uncle, cousins, brothers and possibly even father-and-son a time or two. (And you thought Samoan family relations were complex!) Started slow and never really took off. **1/4

7. Ric Flair retained the World title, beating Lex Luger by countout in 38:07. Dave wouldn’t call it a classic on the level of Flair-Steamboat, but it was damn close. Apparently this time the Luger turn WORKED because the crowd was 90% behind him. The heat was incredible in the last 10 minutes, so intense that a fight broke out and no one even stopped to pay attention to it. Luger put Flair in the rack, but the Andersons went to attack Sting and Luger released the hold to go save his friend, leaving him to be counted out. ****1/2 Most complained about the screwjob, but since Luger wasn’t getting the title here, that meant that the only other option was a 60 minute draw, and Luger just wasn’t equipped for that. Plus they wanted it made clear that Luger can beat Flair, to build up the house show run between them . Dave does note that everyone, himself included, had the same criticism of the Bash 88 finish, but then they drew crazy good at house shows for weeks afterwards.

– Although the crowd was ready for a Luger title win, he was offered it and refused. Dave’s mind is boggled at that one. His own speculation is that Luger didn’t want to get the belt and then get blamed for not drawing, so he’s gonna wait until the heat over the Flair resignation dies down first.

– Meanwhile, TV ratings continue to go through the roof, with the TBS show drawing a “Clash of Champions-like” 4.4 rating for the Flair & Arn v. Rock N Roll main event.

– To Japan for a quick review of the Tokyo Dome show, where Dave reveals that in fact Hansen and Vader decided to shoot for the first few minutes, resulting in Vader’s guy getting popped out of the socket. (Ever see the third season of Deadwood?)

– Someone at the WrestleWar show had a sign that said “We’ve Herd Enough” and security freaked out and kicked the guy out, even though 90% of the viewing audience wouldn’t even have a clue what that was referring to. Also, Dave relates an interview from Herd where he talks about wanting to take famous Turner movie characters and turn them into wrestlers, like if they could find a 6’5” guy with one leg, they could turn him into Long John Silver. Dave thinks it reads like Herd trying to get some cheap publicity for WCW, but what if he’s serious?

– Nah, never mind!

– Dave is so not stoked for Wrestlemania VI.

– DON’T PANIC! Barry Windham is alive and well, and resurfaced in Japan this week after apparently disappearing off the face of the earth for months.

– The Great Muta starts for New Japan right away, and Dave is pretty sure they should just push the guy to the top right away.

– In a funny running gag in Memphis, Jerry Lawler continually refers to Kerry Von Erich as “brain damaged” every time he sees him.

– Matt Borne, role model for the classy everywhere, was getting heckled by a group of girls in the front row while doing interviews on USWA TV, so he went to the back for a cup of coffee and “accidentally” spilled it on them. Charges are likely to be filed against him.

– Bruce Hart is the latest person to talk about restarting Stampede or some variation of it, with a target date of March.

– Tully Blanchard has sunk so low that he’s probably going to work the next AWA tapings. (You see, you punk kids? THIS is what cocaine does to you!)

– Hulk Hogan has a line of vitamins that are coming out shortly. (Maybe THAT’S what Reigns and Del Rio took that got them popped!)

– In a snafu that never would have happened only a few years ago, a bunch of the syndicated WWF shows aired BEFORE the Main Event due to scheduling differences between markets, and the finishes were given away as a result to those watching.

– The Detroit Press went after the WWF with a story accusing them of being a bad role model for children due to racism, sexism, intolerance and steroids. (And that’s just Vince McMahon!)

– With all the guys leaving and hurt in the NWA, Scotty the Body is getting serious consideration for at least a tryout match.

– And finally, The Four Horsemen still need a fourth guy, and Flair is pushing for Brian Pillman. (Pillman as a Horsemen? That’ll be the day.)

Peace out.