Kicking off the very first Clash of the Champions special, the Television Champion Mike Rotunda defends his title against "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin, who I always thought was a heel for his entire run. This match is fought under interesting (Australian?) rules with the bout being divided up into 3 5-minute rounds with 30 second breaks between them and instead of the usual 3-count, this match will be decided by a 1 count. Garvin shows serious fire early on while Rotunda mocks him with jumping jacks. The first 5 minutes fly by, Garvin mostly in control until the final moments of the round when Rotunda takes over. In the second round, Sullivan attempts to interfere but gets stopped by Precious. Its enough of a distraction that Rotunda retains with a roll-up. The post-match is fun and gives the crowd a real reason to go nuts as Precious chokes out Sullivan with a coat hanger. (1.5/5)
Dr. Death cuts an insane promo next. It isn't very smooth, he repeats himself, but it is undeniably a Network Nugget. (+1)
The Fantastics challenge The Midnight Express for the US Tag Team Titles next. This one starts as a wild brawl right from the start, the referee losing control of the match before it even starts. The four combatants eventually get in the ring and an actual match does start, but the intensity and feeling that anything can happen doesn't dissipate. The Midnight Express hit an insane pseudo-Total Elimination off the ropes and Tommy Rogers looks obliterated by it. With the ref's back turned, Eaton sends Rogers face-first into a table that is held up by Cornette, the heels putting on a teamwork clinic. Rogers looks like he may make a hot tag, but Eaton cuts him off with a powerslam and then an elbow off the top. "Sweet" Stan Lane hits a tilt-a-whirl suplex and the Midnights cut the ring in half. They hit another double-team move and continue to cut-off every one of Rogers' brief flurries of offense. Fulton's desperation costs him as he distracts Randy Anderson just as Rogers managers to hit a sunset flip and pin Lane's shoulders to the mat. Back to the outside they go and Eaton slams Rogers on the table. Cornette's gloating around the ring is priceless. Anderson continues to be distracted by Fulton as Lane hits a bulldog on the table. For 88' that was wild. The match slows down a bit as Fulton tries to revive his partner, but the heat is built back up once Rogers comes back into the ring and gets beaten down again. Rogers eventually makes the tag, but the ref misses it! The crowd goes absolutely apeshit (as does JR). Bedlam ensures, Cornette inadvertently strikes Eaton with the racket, Fulton and Rogers hit a Rocket Launcher and get the pin! We've got new US Tag Team Champions! Wait! No we don't! Its a "Dusty Finish" instead. After the match, the Midnights clean house and Cornette whips Fulton across the back with a belt. This was wild, unpredictable, riveting action from beginning to end. This is up there with the best TV matches or tag matches I think I've ever seen. (4.5/5)
Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors took on Ivan Koloff and the Powers of Pain in a Chicago Street Fight. The "match" goes under 5 minutes and is just a wild brawl with no beginning, middle, or end. This wasn't designed to actually do anything but further the feud between the two sides so, in that sense, it was successful, but I do kinda wish we actually got something with some structure. During the post-match, the Powers of Pain attack Animal and unmask him to go after his previously-injured eye. This is a good segment, not a good match. (2/5)
The NWA World Tag Team Championships are on the line next with The Horsemen - Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson vs. Lex Luger and Barry Windham. While only about 10 minutes in duration, this is an absolutely awesome match and, on any other show, likely be your Match of the Night. Tully Blanchard is particularly brilliant, though everyone involved shines at one point or another and plays their role beautifully. The only thing that "hurts" this match might be that it is not 100% definitive and really was just the next chapter in the evolving Horsemen/Luger/Windham storyline (Windham would eventually turn on Luger and join the heel stable himself), but the finish is still terrific and the crowd goes absolutely insane for it. I've seen some people go 5-stars on this match, like the Fantastics/Express match from earlier on the show, but I won't go as far on this one either. Instead, I'll just say that its remarkable how two tag matches on the same show can hit similar peaks in such different ways. (4/5)
Main event time - Sting vs. Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This might be the most famous Clash of the Champions ever. Its hard to watch this with fresh eyes as, even if you've never seen it, you're likely aware of the outcome and the match's reputation as the match that "made" Sting. Still, this is objectively an awesome contest and very close to being as good as Flair's classics with Ricky Steamboat a year later. The difference is that Sting was less technically proficient and unable to offer the variety of transitions, holds, and big spots that Steamboat could - but comparing anyone to Ricky Steamboat unfair and its not like this is a 45-minute carry job as Sting, while limited in what he can do and does, gets huge reactions for every comeback, for every hope spot, for every time it looks like he might actually beat the champ. There are several famous sequences during this match - a bearhug that ends with Flair screaming in agony, chops that legitimately slice Sting's chest, an overeager Sting flying all over the place but not connecting and spilling out to the floor, Ric Flair tumbling over the judge's table - and, of course, one of the most memorable time limit finishes that sees Sting apply the Scorpion Deathlock with less than 15 seconds left on the clock and Flair managing to hold on just long enough to retain the title. Of course, because we don't get a clean victory, it also hurts the match a little and prevents it from the rarefied air of "masterpiece level." This is as close to a 4.5 match as a match can get without actually being there. (4/5)
Often cited as one of the best wrestling shows of all time, the first ever Clash of the Champions is maybe not a "must watch" from beginning to end - the opener isn't very good (though at least it doesn't go very long) and the Chicago Street Fight is more an "angle" than a satisfying match - but damn if it isn't spectacular for the majority of its running time. The Fantastiks/Midnight Express fits firmly into my Top 10 Tag Team Matches ever list and the Brainbusters/Luger & Windham match isn't all that far behind. Then you've got an all-time great, star-making main event on top and there's just no way not to recommend this show to any wrestling fan whose never seen it. With a Kwang Score of 3.4-out-of-5, this one isn't Curt Hennig Level perfection, but with such a digestible runtime, its darn close...
FINAL RATING - Watch It
No comments:
Post a Comment