WCW Clash of the Champions VI

WCW Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun

New Orleans, Louisiana - April 1989

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Ricky Steamboat holds the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Lex Luger is the United States Champion, Sting holds the TV Title, and the Road Warriors hold the NWA World Tag Team Championships (though, surprising as it may sound, they'd lose the straps on this show in an untelevised match). Rick Steiner and Eddie Gilbert hold the United States Tag Team Championships.

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Michael "P.S" Hayes

Before the show, we're treated to a very brief video showing how Ricky Steamboat became the NWA World Champion in February. Some more clips are aired and the national anthem plays while a very poor lighting/firework show happens. Commercial break.

The Samoan SWAT Team vs. The Midnight Express open the show in a lengthy contest. The SWAT Team consisted of Samu and Fatu (the future Rikishi) and were a heel group managed by Paul E. Dangerously, who was engaged in a war with the babyface Midnight Express and their manager, Jim Cornette. The most notable thing about this match might be its running time, the match running 20 minutes but feeling like it might be twice as long. Now, that's not to say all the work is terrible - at times, it's quite good - but without a stronger finish, it is hard to recommend to fans coming into the match cold (as I was). (2.5/5)

Ridiculously sick intro for The Great Muta and his manager Gary Hart. Less impressive is his opponent, Steven Casey, who looks like he stepped out of a misfunctioning Lex Luger Cloning Machine. Very cool match with The Great Muta doing an outstanding job of both defining his character and making even somewhat ordinary moves (by today's standards, for sure) pop off the screen thanks to little twists, spooky facial expressions, and body language. Jim Ross's commentary is effective, but even with the commentary turned off (which one might recommend for some of this show, based on Hayes' work), Muta is amazing, his "death-defying style" drawing huge reactions, but his subtle character embellishments being what made him a star. As an overall presentation, its better than just calling it a "predictable squash." (3/5)

The Junkyard Dog makes a big entrance to the ring, played out with a loud marching jazz band with the crowd's excitement adding even more noise. His opponent, Butch Reed, is accompanied by the more mild-mannered Hiro Matsuda. Like most of the JYD matches I've seen, the "wrestling" is not a selling point. Junkyard Dog's offense is about basic as it gets (though, his selling might be underrated by some), but he knew how to get mileage out of it, even against a guy like Butch Reed, who is solid here (maybe even slightly better than solid) but certainly not adding enough to make this a classic. (2/5)

Though Jim Ross said the next match would feature Bob Orton and Dick Murdoch, after a commercial break we get Kevin Sullivan and "Dangerous" Danny Spivey taking on the United States Tag Team Champions, "The First Family" of Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner. Spivey has impressive size, but he's not very smooth here, benefitting tremendously from the spirited selling of Hot Stuff. Rick Steiner comes in for the hot tag and slams Spivey around the ring, the crowd barking along. The finish and post-match lets us know this feud ain't over. Not very good. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Fortunately, Terry Funk has joined the commentary team, replacing the grating Michael Hayes. Modern fans may get a little bored with this, especially if they're expecting the same workrate and high spots that we get from guys like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens in 2016, but this is a match that pays off your patience and has a much more genuine feel than what the WWE presents today, where a guy like Dolph Ziggler is happier knowing he "stole the show" above actually winning. Flair and Steamboat are trying to beat each other and they know there are no shortcuts to doing so based on their history. The first fall is all about wearing your opponent down and they unload a bevy of stiff chops to each other. Steamboat gets in some respectable suplexes and focuses on wearing down his challenger with headlocks, but knows that he needs to raise the stakes during the second fall. The urgency and viciousness grows exponentially after the first round - this is storytelling, with Steamboat eventually locking in Flair's own finisher, the figure four leglock and, when that doesn't work, transitioning right into a Boston Crab. If the first fall is a bit longwinded and repetitive (even maybe boring at times), the second fall is the exact opposite - every single move, facial expression, near fall is heated and purposeful. After hitting a superplex, Steamboat goes after Flair's injured back, the Champion willing to do whatever it takes, including targeting Flair's historically weakened back (JR plays this up on commentary by mentioning Naitch's plane crash in 1975) to hold onto his title. Minutes later, Flair is able to lock in a figure four, but Steamboat reaches the ropes and the match continues into its final act, both competitors stubbornly refusing to quit. In terms of psychology, there are some moments that defy logic (a complaint that could be lodged against many Flair matches when you consider his signature flops and tendency to go to the top rope despite never hitting a move from there), but the frenetic energy both guys show in the final minutes makes perfect sense if you factor in the adrenaline of knowing they are one fall away from becoming or remaining the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The desperation is not only painted on their faces, it is driving their every move. Flair locks in a figure four, but Steamboat won't quit, screaming in agony and trading knife-edged slaps in resistance. Minutes later, Steamboat's legs give out on him and it appears the Champion is out of gas, but miraculously he stays alive, selling the damage to his knees all the while. A huge splash from the top gets 2 and nine-tenths, the crowd erupting in shock. Needing to create space between them, Flair tosses Steamboat to the outside, but nearly ends up victim of a sunset flip from the outside. Running out of options, Flair locks in a sleeper hold that Steamboat somehow survives with tremendous heroic effort, eventually using his momentum to ram Flair face first into the corner. Flair looks like he's prepping for another figure four, but Steamboat hits a heel kick at the 50-minute mark, the war raging on as Funk calls this the "match of the year." The Dragon's selling in these closing minutes (and JR's selling of it on commentary) is spectacular, his comeback so dramatic that Flair's cut-offs feel like he's kicking the audience in its groin. With the clock winding down, we get a clever finish that can be contested on multiple levels (ensuring yet another rematch at the next month's WrestleWar 89' pay-per-view). (4.5/5)


With a Kwang score of 2.7-out-of-5, the 6th Clash of the Champions is not an "all-time great" show, but its also hard to call it a dud or even a "high risk" watch when you know that, at the very least, you're in store for a captivating appearance by the then-relatively unknown Great Muta and a match that is consistently considered one of the greatest bouts in the history of televised wrestling. I didn't go all the way and give Steamboat/Flair the full 5 stars, but only because there are some slight logic problems and the finish, while very clever from a storytelling perspective, is hardly definitive. The fun, though, is watching this show and then diving right into WrestleWar 89', where Flair and Steamboat, just a month or so after this tremendous war, will have to lock up again to finally resolve their issue.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand