WCW Chi-Town Rumble
February 1989 - Chicago, IL
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Ric Flair is the reigning NWA/WCW World Champion. Barry Windham is the United States Champion, Rick Steiner holds the TV Title, and The Road Warriors are the World Tag Team Champions. The United States Tag Team Champions are Steve Williams and Kevin Sullivan, aka The Varsity Club, but I don't recall that being mentioned (even though they challenge the Road Warriors in what would've/could've been a title unification bout).
After commentators Jim Ross and Magnum TA run down the card, we get a pre-show music video that is all kinds of sweet, with a killer instrumental jam. Its worth checking out. (+1)
Fabulous Freebird Michael "P.S" Hayes cuts a lengthy and rambling promo before making his way down the aisle for a match against The Russian Assassin, aka Angel of Death. Lots of rest holds on display here, Michael Hayes really working the armbar. To Hayes' credit, he keeps the crowd engaged with his facial expressions and exaggerated movements, but there are still a few too many stretches where absolutely nothing is happening. Things don't get any more exciting when The Assassin takes over on offense. Hayes eventually gets the feel-good win. This went at least 4-5 minutes too long to be considered a "hot opener," though the live crowd stayed with them for the most part. (1.5/5)
After some words from Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (who has brought his whole family to the show), Sting takes on "Hacksaw" Butch Reed. Sting had debuted in late 87', headlined the first Clash of the Champions in March of 88', and been involved in a major feud with the Road Warriors, but he was still not a "made man," just a star on the rise. Jim Ross goes overboard selling Sting's speed and agility, but we don't see all that much of it. Its a small thing, but I love a properly applied side headlock and Sting locks in a great one, maintaining his hold as Reed attempts to shove him off. It doesn't make for a fascinating couple of minutes, but it adds legitimacy to what they're trying to accomplish. They do the same thing with the armbar, Reed unable to get free from Sting's submissions. The heel is finally able to get some headway when he tosses Sting to the floor, following it up by going after Sting's neck. Reed applies a chinlock of his own and every time Sting looks like he may be able to escape, Hacksaw pulls him back to the mat. I like that this match plays up how evenly-matched these two competitors are, but the match is just too repetitive, dragged down considerably by an abundance of chinlocks and armbars. Sting takes back control and hits Reed with a series of rights, followed by a body slam. He attempts a Vader Bomb (I'm not sure what the move was called before Vader made it famous), but Reed gets the knees up. It looks like Reed may have things in control but Sting rallies again, hitting Reed with a vertical suplex from outside the ring back into the center of it. This is the sort of action this match needed from beginning to end. Reed hits a neckbreaker for 2 and then...applies a very loose chinlock. Unlike the snug headlock that Sting applied, Reed's hold just looks lazy. Sting is able to escape by dropping to his knees (driving his head into Reed's chin) and hits a big clothesline. It looks like they could be wrapping up the match, but Reed sends Sting back to the outside. Sting attempts a sunset flip but Reed counters it into a pin of his own. Reed grabs the ropes for leverage, referee Teddy Long catches him and breaks it up, allowing Sting to roll him up for the 3! After the match, the fight continues. Man, when these two were just throwing punches or delivering slams and suplexes, it was heated and intense. Too bad they padded what could've been a great 7-8 match with at least 5-6 minutes of tediousness. (2/5)
Here we go with one of the bigger and more complicated-to-explain matches on the show - The Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton) with Jim Cornette taking on Paul Heyman and his "Original" Midnight Express (Randy Rose and Jack Victory [replacing Dennis Condrey]) in a Loser Leaves Town/Careers-on-the-Line match. Originally, this was supposed to be a rematch of the "New" Midnight Express vs. the "Original" Midnight Express, but Condrey left the NWA before the show, killing this feud prematurely. I'm not sure what the plan was if Condrey had stuck around. JR and Magnum try to put Jack Victory over on commentary as a younger, tougher competitor than Condrey, but Victory looks like an oaf. Lane and Rose start things off, the babyfaces taking immediate control. Victory comes in and gets taken to the mat, allowing for Cornette to come in and drop an elbow to a huge ovation. Eaton and Lane continue with the quick tags but allow Victory to tag Rose back in. Rose was 33, but looked at least ten years older. On the apron, Dangerously gets some good heat, but this match just pales in comparison to what the Midnights/Midnights match from Starrcade accomplished in terms of heat and excitement. Eaton takes a nasty bump into the guardrail, the tide turning and allowing the heels to take over. Dangerously comes in and stomps on Eaton (a guy he would end up managing years later as part of the Dangerous Alliance) before tagging Rose back in. It doesn't make a ton of sense, but Eaton tags in Cornette, who demands Dangerously to come back in. Before making the tag, though, Rose cheap shots Cornette and body slams. Why would Eaton tag him in early? Anyway, Dangerously comes in and puts the boots to Cornette before hitting him with a big right hand. Dangerously attempts a cover but only gets a 2. Cornette's bumping and selling are great - very spirited and the right amount of cartoonish. Dangerously tags out and Rose comes back in for a little bit. Victory comes in next and delivers some punches of his own before Eaton makes the save. Cornette makes the hot tag to Lane and sends Victory into the corner. Lane attempts a bulldog, but Dangerously catches him on the ropes, distracting him enough for Victory to strike and then tag Rose back into the match. Rose hits a clothesline and then sends Lane to the outside. Victory beats down on him until Eaton and Cornette try to make the rescue. Lane tries to crawl back in but Rose punches him back to the floor and then hits him a not-so-hot-looking double-axehandle to the outside. Back in the ring, Rose hits a sideslam for 2 and then attempts a piledriver. Lane reverses it into a back body drop to a mild response. Cornette works hard on the outside to get the crowd back, but things have gotten quiet. Victory comes in and out and Rose applies a headlock. Rose tags Victory back in and he sends Lane into the corner. He tries to splash him, but Lane gets his feet up in the nick of time. This allows Lane to finally make the tag to Eaton and its payback time. Eaton goes to the top and connects with a huge dropkick to wake up the crowd. Eaton then forces Victory to tag in Paul Dangerously. He socks him and then tags in Cornette, who strikes Dangerously with a series of big right hands. Cornette sends him to the ropes and hits a clothesline for 2 before Rose breaks things up. Dangerously crawls to his corner and makes a tag, but Rose is unable to capitalize as Cornette makes the tag to Stan Lane. Bedlam ensues, all 6 men coming to blows in the middle of the ring. Rose attempts a giant splash, but Lane moves away. Lane makes the cover, but only gets 2! That was a quality false finish. Rose and Victory team-up to take out Eaton, but the heels end up colliding and Lane and Eaton deliver a double-team flapjack to get the win, sending Randy Rose out of the NWA. This was okay-but-not-great, a match that benefitted considerably from the expertise of the Midnight Express, the energy of Cornette, and a crowd that went along for the ride despite not necessarily getting the match they likely expected. (3/5)
Ric Flair cuts a promo in the back. Any time Flair was on the mic in the late 80s, he was absolute gold. This isn't an all-time classic or anything, but its still nothing to fast-forward through.
Back to the ring we go for Mike Rotunda vs. Rick Steiner for Steiner's Television Championship. As I've written plenty of times on this blog, Mike Rotunda is one of my least favorite workers. You can call it "scientific" or "amateur"-based, but he's just not all that interesting between bells. I'm also not a huge fan of Steiner in this era and much prefer the early 90s when he and his brother would just suplex people out of their socks. This one starts with lots of amateur wrestling - full nelsons, waistlock takedowns, and whatnot - but Rotunda takes multiple powders early on to prevent Steiner from controlling too much. Steiner applies a headlock, follows it up with a hiptoss soon after, and then absolutely wrecks Rotunda with a Steinerline to a huge response. More of that, please. Rotunda finally gets some offense in and applies an abdominal stretch. He grabs the ropes and Scott Steiner, who is on the outside, clues the ref in but Teddy Long continues to look away and pretend to not see it. Steiner tries to reverse it, but they end up in a heap on the mat. Steiner dishes out a series of big right hands to Rotunda's head before the Varsity Club member rolls to the outside again. Rotunda takes some more big bumps and Rick Steiner even attempts a splash from the top rope. Rotunda dumps Steiner to the outside and rams him into the ring post. This is more action out of Rotunda than in the past 4 matches of his I've watched combined. Steiner is busted open, not something you see every day. Steiner rallies with a huge powerslam for 2, unable to keep Rotunda's shoulders down. Kevin Sullivan shows up, grabs a microphone, and makes a comment about Rick Steiner's dog in the locker room. Its a bizarre twist in the match. Long threatens to count Steiner out so Rick decides to climb back in, only to get suplexed by Rotunda and then rammed into the turnbuckle. Rotunda attempts a dropkick, but Steiner stays on the ropes and the Dog-Faced Gremlin deals him a series of blows in the corner. An announcement is made that there are only 5 minutes remaining as Steiner locks in a sleeper and, in a cool moment, sends Rotunda face-first into a turnbuckle only to re-apply it on the bounce back. Steiner inexplicably lies down in the ground, still applying the sleeper, but because he seemingly doesn't realize the ONE SHARED RULE of pro-wrestling, amateur wrestling, and most any wrestling, Steiner's own shoulders are on the mat and Rotunda gets awarded the victory. What a weird, weird finish. I wonder if fans, at the time, crapped on it - but I must admit to liking that it was different and did actually play into Steiner's character of being a bit nutty and not the sharpest tool in the shed. This was much, much better than I expected it would be. (3/5)
The Road Warriors cut a promo backstage. Just a few months prior, the Warriors had been turned heel but, based on what I read, it didn't work out too well so they were babyfaces again within 4-5 months.
Back in the ring, Lex Luger takes on the United States Champion, Barry Windham. I'm not sure what one would consider Lex Luger's prime, but the argument could be made that he peaked early in his career and nosedived into laziness in the 90s. Luger shows off his power early, press slamming the sizable Windham and, moments later, hitting him with an awesome clothesline. Really all of Luger's offense early on is spectacular, even his failed flying shoulderblock. Windham takes over and his offense is just as awesome. He hits a suplex that brings Luger back into the ring and, between big strikes, gets heat by signalling to the fans his attention of applying his notorious claw hold. Luger ends up on the outside, leaning against the ring post, and Windham attempts to hit him with another right hand, but Luger dodges and the tide has turned again. Windham's selling of the damage is spot-on and he even went the extra mile to cut his hand, the blood trickling into his glove. Windham applies the claw but continues to sell the pain as the commentators note that Windham is unable to "get all of it." Luger blades too, the blood smeared around his right eye. For a match that began in a very traditional way, I really like the twists they put into this. Windham hits a huge superplex and the crowd pops - which is unsurprising considering that Windham has become somewhat sympathetic in this match after suffering the hand injury. Windham then hits a back suplex and gets a 1...2...and the ref counts 3, but Luger clearly had his shoulder up! The crowd explodes, though, as the ref raises Luger's hand. It was Windham's shoulders that were down. An angered Windham then piledrives Luger onto the US Championship. Wow, that was different and worth watching (though maybe not "must see") just because of it. The biggest negative is that the finish isn't different enough from the Steiner/Rotunda match, but this was still really, really fun and interesting and nuanced. (3.5/5)
Here we go with the World Tag Team Championship Match - The Road Warriors defending the straps against Kevin Sullivan and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. The Road Warriors are mega over, a huge "LOD" chant starting up in the early going. Animal no sells some of Williams' moves and gets a big pop after hitting him with a bodyslam. Hawk comes in and eats a military press slam by Dr. Death, but the Road Warriors maintain control, hitting Williams with a double clothesline. Sullivan comes in and gets Animal into the corner, where they double team him and then get him to the outside. Sullivan strikes him with a chair and then clobbers him with a double axehandle from the apron. Back in the ring, Williams hits Animal with a kick off the ropes and then applies an armbar, working on the same arm that Sullivan hit with the chair. Animal doesn't stay down long, though, fighting his way back to his feet. Sullivan comes in and hits him with a double stomp and reapplies the armbar. Williams comes back in and delivers a bodyslam and then an armdrag. The heels do a fantastic job of cutting the ring in half and making the crowd really want the hot tag. When Hawk finally gets the hot tag, he gets a huge reaction, but the match spills out of the ring. Animal attempts to set up Sullivan for the Doomsday Device but Williams comes in and takes out his legs. Williams covers Animal as Hawk comes flying off the top rope and hits Sullivan with a clothesline. Hawk makes a cover and we get a double pin - but Sullivan is the legal man! There were parts of this that were a bit clunky, but none of these guys are known for their agility so I didn't mind it. I also liked that this match told a basic story in under 10 minutes without belaboring anything. Not an all-time classic or anything, but above average. (3/5)
Backstage, Lex Luger cuts an understated promo. After this, we get a video replaying some of the highlights of the Flair/Steamboat feud, including an extended look at their brawl at the fifth Clash of the Champions show which occurred just 5 days earlier. I've never seen that show but once I saw it took place in Cleveland my curiosity was piqued. Unfortunately, the card does not look too great.
Main event time - Ric Flair defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ricky Steamboat. Flair and Steamboat show off their athleticism and technical prowess early and there is an awesome moment when Flair retreats to the outside and gets greeted by a huge round of boos. Flair comes back in the ring and hits a big chop, but Steamboat rallies and hits a back body drop. The chop-trading that follows is excellent and the crowd erupts with each strike. JR notes that the last time they had a title match it was 1983. Steamboat hits a big dropkick, applies a headlock, and has the champ's shoulders pinned - the Chicago audience biting hard on the nearfall. Steamboat keeps the headlock on, but Flair manages to turn it into a pinfall situation for himself before getting the Dragon into the corner. Flair hits a series of chops, but Steamboat comes back with a double-chop of his own for another big 2 count. Flair takes a powder, the crowd erupting once more. This Chicago audience was really buzzing. Flair comes back in and they lock up and they go through another simple-but-effective sequence that ends with the Nature Boy flopping all the way to the arena floor. Flair comes back in, uncertain of how to get the upperhand, and they lock up again. An audible "Steamboat Sucks" chant can be heard, but most of the audience is clearly in his corner. Steamboat hits a series of big moves, including yet another perfect dropkick, but can only get 2. Steamboat applies another headlock, but Flair breaks free by pulling Steamboat's hair. Steamboat rallies again and won't stay down, even after Flair rocks him with a huge back elbow. Steamboat chops Flair over the top rope and then follows him out, an unwise move for the Dragon. Flair takes control and brings Steamboat back into the ring, dishing out a snap mare and then a knee drop straight to the skull. Flair hits a double-underhook suplex and then continues to chop down Steamboat, but the Dragon fights back and sends Flair all the way into the corner. Flair does his trademark over-the-turnbuckle flip and attempts a splash, but Steamboat rolls it over and gets 2. Seconds later, Flair applies a figure four and the crowd goes wild! There's a huge "Steamboat" chant now as Flair uses the ropes for leverage and nearly gets a pinfall victory. Steamboat slaps the mat repeatedly - but at this point, "tapping out" was not yet a thing and wrestlers would do this all the time to get the crowd going. Eventually the referee catches Flair grabbing the ropes and the hold is broken but the damage is done. Flair continues to work on Steamboat's knee, but Steamboat continues to chop his way out of every bad situation. After sending Flair to the ropes, the Nature Boy comes back and they both end up going over the top rope and landing on the floor. Flair sends Steamboat into the post and rolls back into the ring. Flair brings Steamboat back in with a big vertical suplex but can only get 2. I love Ric Flair's pins here as they look purposeful and real, like he is using every ounce of his body weight to try to keep Steamboat's shoulders down. Flair hits a back suplex and makes another cover. He shoves Tommy Young, demanding a quicker count, but Tommy Young shoves him back. Flair hits a backbreaker and uses his feet to gain even more leverage, but Steamboat keeps kicking out at 2. Flair jaws with the crowd and nearly gets rolled up. Steamboat misses a huge splash from the second rope and Flair looks to be in full control. We get a great series of pins and counters leading up to a Steamboat suplex, but Flair gets his foot on the rope. Steamboat hits a huge clothesline moments later and then a flying tackle. Steamboat heads to the top rope and hits a chop as JR loses it on commentary. Steamboat hits a crossbody from the top rope but accidentally clocks the referee too! Flair rolls Steamboat up and makes a cover (with a handful of tights), but Tommy Young is still out of it. Steamboat attempts another splash but Flair dodges it. Flair attempts a figure four but Steamboat turns it into an inside cradle and Teddy Long rolls into the ring to make the count! We've got a new World Champion! Two flawless performances, not a dull or wasted second, red hot crowd, feel good ending, lots of subtly brilliant character work out of both men, it is just about as good a pure wrestling contest as anyone could ask for. My only real gripe is probably that the finish isn't 100% pure, though this match was also clearly designed to start a series of matches between the two and not just be a one-and-done. (5/5)
I was expecting this to be a "one match show," but was pleasantly surprised by Sting/Butch Reed, the United States Championship Match, and, maybe most surprisingly, Rotunda/Steiner. The main event is a masterpiece, one of the best matches I've ever seen. With a Kwang Score of 3.12-out-of-5, Chi-Town Rumble isn't an all-time great show, but there's more to see here than just the World Title Match, especially for fans of Sting, Rick Steiner, and the Midnight Express.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand
After some words from Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (who has brought his whole family to the show), Sting takes on "Hacksaw" Butch Reed. Sting had debuted in late 87', headlined the first Clash of the Champions in March of 88', and been involved in a major feud with the Road Warriors, but he was still not a "made man," just a star on the rise. Jim Ross goes overboard selling Sting's speed and agility, but we don't see all that much of it. Its a small thing, but I love a properly applied side headlock and Sting locks in a great one, maintaining his hold as Reed attempts to shove him off. It doesn't make for a fascinating couple of minutes, but it adds legitimacy to what they're trying to accomplish. They do the same thing with the armbar, Reed unable to get free from Sting's submissions. The heel is finally able to get some headway when he tosses Sting to the floor, following it up by going after Sting's neck. Reed applies a chinlock of his own and every time Sting looks like he may be able to escape, Hacksaw pulls him back to the mat. I like that this match plays up how evenly-matched these two competitors are, but the match is just too repetitive, dragged down considerably by an abundance of chinlocks and armbars. Sting takes back control and hits Reed with a series of rights, followed by a body slam. He attempts a Vader Bomb (I'm not sure what the move was called before Vader made it famous), but Reed gets the knees up. It looks like Reed may have things in control but Sting rallies again, hitting Reed with a vertical suplex from outside the ring back into the center of it. This is the sort of action this match needed from beginning to end. Reed hits a neckbreaker for 2 and then...applies a very loose chinlock. Unlike the snug headlock that Sting applied, Reed's hold just looks lazy. Sting is able to escape by dropping to his knees (driving his head into Reed's chin) and hits a big clothesline. It looks like they could be wrapping up the match, but Reed sends Sting back to the outside. Sting attempts a sunset flip but Reed counters it into a pin of his own. Reed grabs the ropes for leverage, referee Teddy Long catches him and breaks it up, allowing Sting to roll him up for the 3! After the match, the fight continues. Man, when these two were just throwing punches or delivering slams and suplexes, it was heated and intense. Too bad they padded what could've been a great 7-8 match with at least 5-6 minutes of tediousness. (2/5)
Here we go with one of the bigger and more complicated-to-explain matches on the show - The Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton) with Jim Cornette taking on Paul Heyman and his "Original" Midnight Express (Randy Rose and Jack Victory [replacing Dennis Condrey]) in a Loser Leaves Town/Careers-on-the-Line match. Originally, this was supposed to be a rematch of the "New" Midnight Express vs. the "Original" Midnight Express, but Condrey left the NWA before the show, killing this feud prematurely. I'm not sure what the plan was if Condrey had stuck around. JR and Magnum try to put Jack Victory over on commentary as a younger, tougher competitor than Condrey, but Victory looks like an oaf. Lane and Rose start things off, the babyfaces taking immediate control. Victory comes in and gets taken to the mat, allowing for Cornette to come in and drop an elbow to a huge ovation. Eaton and Lane continue with the quick tags but allow Victory to tag Rose back in. Rose was 33, but looked at least ten years older. On the apron, Dangerously gets some good heat, but this match just pales in comparison to what the Midnights/Midnights match from Starrcade accomplished in terms of heat and excitement. Eaton takes a nasty bump into the guardrail, the tide turning and allowing the heels to take over. Dangerously comes in and stomps on Eaton (a guy he would end up managing years later as part of the Dangerous Alliance) before tagging Rose back in. It doesn't make a ton of sense, but Eaton tags in Cornette, who demands Dangerously to come back in. Before making the tag, though, Rose cheap shots Cornette and body slams. Why would Eaton tag him in early? Anyway, Dangerously comes in and puts the boots to Cornette before hitting him with a big right hand. Dangerously attempts a cover but only gets a 2. Cornette's bumping and selling are great - very spirited and the right amount of cartoonish. Dangerously tags out and Rose comes back in for a little bit. Victory comes in next and delivers some punches of his own before Eaton makes the save. Cornette makes the hot tag to Lane and sends Victory into the corner. Lane attempts a bulldog, but Dangerously catches him on the ropes, distracting him enough for Victory to strike and then tag Rose back into the match. Rose hits a clothesline and then sends Lane to the outside. Victory beats down on him until Eaton and Cornette try to make the rescue. Lane tries to crawl back in but Rose punches him back to the floor and then hits him a not-so-hot-looking double-axehandle to the outside. Back in the ring, Rose hits a sideslam for 2 and then attempts a piledriver. Lane reverses it into a back body drop to a mild response. Cornette works hard on the outside to get the crowd back, but things have gotten quiet. Victory comes in and out and Rose applies a headlock. Rose tags Victory back in and he sends Lane into the corner. He tries to splash him, but Lane gets his feet up in the nick of time. This allows Lane to finally make the tag to Eaton and its payback time. Eaton goes to the top and connects with a huge dropkick to wake up the crowd. Eaton then forces Victory to tag in Paul Dangerously. He socks him and then tags in Cornette, who strikes Dangerously with a series of big right hands. Cornette sends him to the ropes and hits a clothesline for 2 before Rose breaks things up. Dangerously crawls to his corner and makes a tag, but Rose is unable to capitalize as Cornette makes the tag to Stan Lane. Bedlam ensues, all 6 men coming to blows in the middle of the ring. Rose attempts a giant splash, but Lane moves away. Lane makes the cover, but only gets 2! That was a quality false finish. Rose and Victory team-up to take out Eaton, but the heels end up colliding and Lane and Eaton deliver a double-team flapjack to get the win, sending Randy Rose out of the NWA. This was okay-but-not-great, a match that benefitted considerably from the expertise of the Midnight Express, the energy of Cornette, and a crowd that went along for the ride despite not necessarily getting the match they likely expected. (3/5)
Ric Flair cuts a promo in the back. Any time Flair was on the mic in the late 80s, he was absolute gold. This isn't an all-time classic or anything, but its still nothing to fast-forward through.
Back to the ring we go for Mike Rotunda vs. Rick Steiner for Steiner's Television Championship. As I've written plenty of times on this blog, Mike Rotunda is one of my least favorite workers. You can call it "scientific" or "amateur"-based, but he's just not all that interesting between bells. I'm also not a huge fan of Steiner in this era and much prefer the early 90s when he and his brother would just suplex people out of their socks. This one starts with lots of amateur wrestling - full nelsons, waistlock takedowns, and whatnot - but Rotunda takes multiple powders early on to prevent Steiner from controlling too much. Steiner applies a headlock, follows it up with a hiptoss soon after, and then absolutely wrecks Rotunda with a Steinerline to a huge response. More of that, please. Rotunda finally gets some offense in and applies an abdominal stretch. He grabs the ropes and Scott Steiner, who is on the outside, clues the ref in but Teddy Long continues to look away and pretend to not see it. Steiner tries to reverse it, but they end up in a heap on the mat. Steiner dishes out a series of big right hands to Rotunda's head before the Varsity Club member rolls to the outside again. Rotunda takes some more big bumps and Rick Steiner even attempts a splash from the top rope. Rotunda dumps Steiner to the outside and rams him into the ring post. This is more action out of Rotunda than in the past 4 matches of his I've watched combined. Steiner is busted open, not something you see every day. Steiner rallies with a huge powerslam for 2, unable to keep Rotunda's shoulders down. Kevin Sullivan shows up, grabs a microphone, and makes a comment about Rick Steiner's dog in the locker room. Its a bizarre twist in the match. Long threatens to count Steiner out so Rick decides to climb back in, only to get suplexed by Rotunda and then rammed into the turnbuckle. Rotunda attempts a dropkick, but Steiner stays on the ropes and the Dog-Faced Gremlin deals him a series of blows in the corner. An announcement is made that there are only 5 minutes remaining as Steiner locks in a sleeper and, in a cool moment, sends Rotunda face-first into a turnbuckle only to re-apply it on the bounce back. Steiner inexplicably lies down in the ground, still applying the sleeper, but because he seemingly doesn't realize the ONE SHARED RULE of pro-wrestling, amateur wrestling, and most any wrestling, Steiner's own shoulders are on the mat and Rotunda gets awarded the victory. What a weird, weird finish. I wonder if fans, at the time, crapped on it - but I must admit to liking that it was different and did actually play into Steiner's character of being a bit nutty and not the sharpest tool in the shed. This was much, much better than I expected it would be. (3/5)
The Road Warriors cut a promo backstage. Just a few months prior, the Warriors had been turned heel but, based on what I read, it didn't work out too well so they were babyfaces again within 4-5 months.
Back in the ring, Lex Luger takes on the United States Champion, Barry Windham. I'm not sure what one would consider Lex Luger's prime, but the argument could be made that he peaked early in his career and nosedived into laziness in the 90s. Luger shows off his power early, press slamming the sizable Windham and, moments later, hitting him with an awesome clothesline. Really all of Luger's offense early on is spectacular, even his failed flying shoulderblock. Windham takes over and his offense is just as awesome. He hits a suplex that brings Luger back into the ring and, between big strikes, gets heat by signalling to the fans his attention of applying his notorious claw hold. Luger ends up on the outside, leaning against the ring post, and Windham attempts to hit him with another right hand, but Luger dodges and the tide has turned again. Windham's selling of the damage is spot-on and he even went the extra mile to cut his hand, the blood trickling into his glove. Windham applies the claw but continues to sell the pain as the commentators note that Windham is unable to "get all of it." Luger blades too, the blood smeared around his right eye. For a match that began in a very traditional way, I really like the twists they put into this. Windham hits a huge superplex and the crowd pops - which is unsurprising considering that Windham has become somewhat sympathetic in this match after suffering the hand injury. Windham then hits a back suplex and gets a 1...2...and the ref counts 3, but Luger clearly had his shoulder up! The crowd explodes, though, as the ref raises Luger's hand. It was Windham's shoulders that were down. An angered Windham then piledrives Luger onto the US Championship. Wow, that was different and worth watching (though maybe not "must see") just because of it. The biggest negative is that the finish isn't different enough from the Steiner/Rotunda match, but this was still really, really fun and interesting and nuanced. (3.5/5)
Here we go with the World Tag Team Championship Match - The Road Warriors defending the straps against Kevin Sullivan and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. The Road Warriors are mega over, a huge "LOD" chant starting up in the early going. Animal no sells some of Williams' moves and gets a big pop after hitting him with a bodyslam. Hawk comes in and eats a military press slam by Dr. Death, but the Road Warriors maintain control, hitting Williams with a double clothesline. Sullivan comes in and gets Animal into the corner, where they double team him and then get him to the outside. Sullivan strikes him with a chair and then clobbers him with a double axehandle from the apron. Back in the ring, Williams hits Animal with a kick off the ropes and then applies an armbar, working on the same arm that Sullivan hit with the chair. Animal doesn't stay down long, though, fighting his way back to his feet. Sullivan comes in and hits him with a double stomp and reapplies the armbar. Williams comes back in and delivers a bodyslam and then an armdrag. The heels do a fantastic job of cutting the ring in half and making the crowd really want the hot tag. When Hawk finally gets the hot tag, he gets a huge reaction, but the match spills out of the ring. Animal attempts to set up Sullivan for the Doomsday Device but Williams comes in and takes out his legs. Williams covers Animal as Hawk comes flying off the top rope and hits Sullivan with a clothesline. Hawk makes a cover and we get a double pin - but Sullivan is the legal man! There were parts of this that were a bit clunky, but none of these guys are known for their agility so I didn't mind it. I also liked that this match told a basic story in under 10 minutes without belaboring anything. Not an all-time classic or anything, but above average. (3/5)
Backstage, Lex Luger cuts an understated promo. After this, we get a video replaying some of the highlights of the Flair/Steamboat feud, including an extended look at their brawl at the fifth Clash of the Champions show which occurred just 5 days earlier. I've never seen that show but once I saw it took place in Cleveland my curiosity was piqued. Unfortunately, the card does not look too great.
Main event time - Ric Flair defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ricky Steamboat. Flair and Steamboat show off their athleticism and technical prowess early and there is an awesome moment when Flair retreats to the outside and gets greeted by a huge round of boos. Flair comes back in the ring and hits a big chop, but Steamboat rallies and hits a back body drop. The chop-trading that follows is excellent and the crowd erupts with each strike. JR notes that the last time they had a title match it was 1983. Steamboat hits a big dropkick, applies a headlock, and has the champ's shoulders pinned - the Chicago audience biting hard on the nearfall. Steamboat keeps the headlock on, but Flair manages to turn it into a pinfall situation for himself before getting the Dragon into the corner. Flair hits a series of chops, but Steamboat comes back with a double-chop of his own for another big 2 count. Flair takes a powder, the crowd erupting once more. This Chicago audience was really buzzing. Flair comes back in and they lock up and they go through another simple-but-effective sequence that ends with the Nature Boy flopping all the way to the arena floor. Flair comes back in, uncertain of how to get the upperhand, and they lock up again. An audible "Steamboat Sucks" chant can be heard, but most of the audience is clearly in his corner. Steamboat hits a series of big moves, including yet another perfect dropkick, but can only get 2. Steamboat applies another headlock, but Flair breaks free by pulling Steamboat's hair. Steamboat rallies again and won't stay down, even after Flair rocks him with a huge back elbow. Steamboat chops Flair over the top rope and then follows him out, an unwise move for the Dragon. Flair takes control and brings Steamboat back into the ring, dishing out a snap mare and then a knee drop straight to the skull. Flair hits a double-underhook suplex and then continues to chop down Steamboat, but the Dragon fights back and sends Flair all the way into the corner. Flair does his trademark over-the-turnbuckle flip and attempts a splash, but Steamboat rolls it over and gets 2. Seconds later, Flair applies a figure four and the crowd goes wild! There's a huge "Steamboat" chant now as Flair uses the ropes for leverage and nearly gets a pinfall victory. Steamboat slaps the mat repeatedly - but at this point, "tapping out" was not yet a thing and wrestlers would do this all the time to get the crowd going. Eventually the referee catches Flair grabbing the ropes and the hold is broken but the damage is done. Flair continues to work on Steamboat's knee, but Steamboat continues to chop his way out of every bad situation. After sending Flair to the ropes, the Nature Boy comes back and they both end up going over the top rope and landing on the floor. Flair sends Steamboat into the post and rolls back into the ring. Flair brings Steamboat back in with a big vertical suplex but can only get 2. I love Ric Flair's pins here as they look purposeful and real, like he is using every ounce of his body weight to try to keep Steamboat's shoulders down. Flair hits a back suplex and makes another cover. He shoves Tommy Young, demanding a quicker count, but Tommy Young shoves him back. Flair hits a backbreaker and uses his feet to gain even more leverage, but Steamboat keeps kicking out at 2. Flair jaws with the crowd and nearly gets rolled up. Steamboat misses a huge splash from the second rope and Flair looks to be in full control. We get a great series of pins and counters leading up to a Steamboat suplex, but Flair gets his foot on the rope. Steamboat hits a huge clothesline moments later and then a flying tackle. Steamboat heads to the top rope and hits a chop as JR loses it on commentary. Steamboat hits a crossbody from the top rope but accidentally clocks the referee too! Flair rolls Steamboat up and makes a cover (with a handful of tights), but Tommy Young is still out of it. Steamboat attempts another splash but Flair dodges it. Flair attempts a figure four but Steamboat turns it into an inside cradle and Teddy Long rolls into the ring to make the count! We've got a new World Champion! Two flawless performances, not a dull or wasted second, red hot crowd, feel good ending, lots of subtly brilliant character work out of both men, it is just about as good a pure wrestling contest as anyone could ask for. My only real gripe is probably that the finish isn't 100% pure, though this match was also clearly designed to start a series of matches between the two and not just be a one-and-done. (5/5)
I was expecting this to be a "one match show," but was pleasantly surprised by Sting/Butch Reed, the United States Championship Match, and, maybe most surprisingly, Rotunda/Steiner. The main event is a masterpiece, one of the best matches I've ever seen. With a Kwang Score of 3.12-out-of-5, Chi-Town Rumble isn't an all-time great show, but there's more to see here than just the World Title Match, especially for fans of Sting, Rick Steiner, and the Midnight Express.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand
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