#125: Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair, NWA Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun (4/2/1989).
This is a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match for Steamboat's NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
I covered the Chi-Town Rumble match last week, so as a bonus, I'm covering the rematch this week - which happens to be my favorite of their legendary 1989 trilogy, and is one of the best wrestling matches I've ever seen.
One month earlier, at the Chi Town Rumble event, Ricky Steamboat dethroned Ric Flair to win his first NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. It was a huge victory for the Dragon, a man long considered to be among the best wrestlers on the planet. Flair believed that the way that match ended wasn’t clean, as a new referee had to make the final count while the official referee of the match was knocked out.
To settle the score, this 2 Out of 3 Falls match was signed for the sixth Clash of the Champions event. It was believed that this stipulation would put away any and all doubt on who the rightful owner of the 10 pounds of gold was – either Steamboat, the humble blue collar father, or Flair, the cocky rich playboy.
And...that’s it. Not much else to say about this one – not that much needs to be said. The trilogy of matches that Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair had in 1989 is the stuff of wrestling legend as far as I’m concerned. Both men made simplicity look like an art form, and in the process, created a catalog of some of the greatest matches to ever take place in pro wrestling. This match, in my opinion, is their absolute best.
The bell rings, and they lock up. Steamboat has Flair in the corner, and slaps him in the face after Flair woos at him. Another lock up sees Flair take the side headlock, followed by a drop toe hold. Steamboat is up and takes the back, causing Flair to frantically go to the ropes. Another slap to the face by Steamboat. They lock up once again, and Steamboat takes the side headlock. Flair escapes and puts the arm in an overhead wristlock.
Flair runs the back of the leg to drop Steamboat to his knees. Steamboat uses his strength to reverse the pressure and knocks Flair to the mat. The Nature Boy rolls to the outside to collect himself. Back in the ring, they lock up, and Steamboat pushes Flair into the ropes. Flair tackles Steamboat down, and gets hip tosses for his trouble. Steamboat with the side headlock takedown. Big tackle by Steamboat, and he’s back in the side headlock.
Flair is up and gets Steamboat in the corner. He drives his shoulder into the midsection, then follows with several chops to the chest. The champion fights back with chops of his own, followed by a hip toss. Flying head scissors, and a dropkick lead into another side headlock takedown. You know a match is going to be good when that move is so prominent in the beginning. Steamboat transitions to a front facelock, and then drives his knee into the back of Flair’s head.
Snap mare next, and Steamboat pulls on the neck. Flair is up and sends Steamboat into the corner. An elbow right to the ribs, followed by a chop. Steamboat retaliates with a chop that drops Flair. Beautiful back body drop out of the corner by Steamboat, and its followed with a dropkick for a 2 count. Flair kicks Steamboat right in the gut, and then goes for a closed fist. Steamboat catches Flair in a roll up for a 2 count. Huge clothesline leads into a high headlock takedown for the Dragon.
Steamboat goes for the facelock, and drops all his weight to the mat for added pressure. He gets Flair in the corner and hits several chops to the chest. Flair comes back with an inverted atomic drop. Steamboat with another big chop that gets a 2 count. Big tackle gets another 2 count for the champion. A double chop nearly gets the fall for Steamboat, as he is both outwrestling Flair and hitting his signature high speed offense.
Flair tries to beg Steamboat off, and he drives the knee into the midsection. A big chop gets Steamboat on the ropes. The champion fights back with chops and punches of his own. Steamboat suplexes Flair into the ring from the apron. He goes for a splash, but Flair gets his knees up to block it. Snap mare by Flair, followed by a standing double stomp to the stomach. Flair gets the double arm suplex and grapevines the legs for a 2 count.
Flair uses his upper body to hold Steamboat’s arms down, but the champion kicks himself up and reverses the pressure. Steamboat looks to win the test of strength, and he exchanges chops with Flair, then hits another hip toss. Steamboat goes for a dropkick, but misses. Flair goes for the Figure Four Leglock, and Steamboat turns it into an inside cradle. Flair reverses it into one of his own for the 3 count!
Ric Flair (1), Ricky Steamboat (0).
The second fall begins, and they lock up. Flair with a shoulder tackle to Steamboat, then runs into a body drop. Steamboat goes to the top, and comes down with a chop to the head. Steamboat takes the headlock again, but Flair reverses it into a side suplex. Flair follows with a big knee to the head. He goes for one more, and Steamboat moves out of the way. He immediately targets the knee of Flair. Now Steamboat traps Flair in the Figure Four Leglock!
Flair gets to the ropes, and Steamboat quickly gets a Boston Crab locked in next. Steamboat with huge chops to the head on a prone Flair in the corner. They exchange chops to the chest next, and Flair gets a side headlock takedown in. Flair transitions to a pinning predicament, and Steamboat has to use all of his upper body strength to lift Flair off of him. Steamboat fights for a backslide pin, and Flair kicks out.
Flair rolls to the outside, and he pulls Steamboat out there with him. He sends him back first into the steel barricade, followed by a powerslam on the floor. He irish whips Steamboat into the barricade, then returns to the ring. Steamboat gets on the apron, and Flair pulls his neck down on the ropes. Flair grabs Steamboat and lifts him back into the ring with a suplex, and Steamboat kicks out at 2. Flair gets the Abdominal Stretch next, then switches to an Oklahoma crossbody pin, and Steamboat is barely able to get his shoulder up.
Flair holds his body weight on Steamboat, and uses the ropes for extra advantage, and Steamboat is still able to kick out. Flair goes for a back suplex, but Steamboat counters into a roll up for a 2 count. Flair with a punt to the chest, followed by a chop. Flair goes to the top rope, and Steamboat meets him there with several chops to the chest. He goes up and brings Flair down with a suplex from the top! A huge chop to the back of Flair follows, and then big forearms right to the spine. Steamboat lifts Flair up for a double chickenwing submission, and Flair submits! Steamboat has tied it up!
Ricky Steamboat (1), Ric Flair (1).
The third and final fall will decide it all. Flair chop blocks the leg of Steamboat, who responds with chops to the head. Steamboat with elbows in the corner, followed by a back body drop. They exchange chops, and Flair catches Steamboat with a shin attack on his own leg. Flair locks the Figure Four in, and Steamboat quickly goes for the ropes. Flair argues with the referee about that call. They fight in the corner, with Steamboat chopping his way out.
He irish whips Flair into the corner, and he flops over and onto the apron. He runs into a nice clothesline by Steamboat. Flair catches Steamboat in a roll up, and he puts his feet on the ropes for advantage. Steamboat is able to kick out. In the corner, Flair chops Steamboat so hard he almost goes over the ropes. Flair with a boot to the face knocks Steamboat down, followed by a hammerfist to the back. Steamboat goes for an aerial attack in the corner, and Flair avoids it – and Steamboat gets his leg caught in the ropes. Flair zeroes in on this.
Flair drops a hard knee onto Steamboat’s leg. Flair then locks the Figure Four Leglock back on the Dragon, and they’re right in the middle of the ring. Flair applies extra pressure, while Steamboat does everything he can to survive the hold. Steamboat slaps on the mat several times to hype himself up – and funny enough, in present times, that would be a tap out! Steamboat uses his momentum to swing Flair over to the ropes to break the hold. Flair quickly slams Steamboat’s leg onto the apron. Back in the ring, Steamboat gets Flair in the corner with chops. He whips Flair in the corner, and he flops over and runs to the next corner. He comes down with an axe hammer for a 2 count.
Steamboat goes for a powerslam, but his leg buckles under him and Flair nearly gets the 3. Flying headbutt by Steamboat, followed by a chop to the head. Steamboat goes to the top and comes down with a crossbody for a close 2 count. He goes for a running elbow, and Flair moves out of the way. Steamboat gets a swinging neckbreaker in for a 2 count. Flair sends him flying to the outside. Steamboat comes back in with a sunset flip into a roll up, but Flair fights it off for several seconds. Steamboat finally gets it in and gets a close 2 count.
Shoulder tackle by Steamboat, and Flair locks in a sleeper hold. Flair is forcing Steamboat to carry him while this hold is applied. Now on the ground, Steamboat tries to fight out of this. He’s able to use his weight to send Flair head first into the turnbuckle. Flair is back in with a quick kick to the leg. He goes to take it, and Steamboat connects with an enziguri. That only gets a 2 count. Steamboat misses a high splash from the top rope. Flair slams the knee of Steamboat right into the mat. He chops Steamboat in the corner, and then follows him around the ring with more chops.
Steamboat fights back with hard chops of his own, and then drops Flair with a clothesline. He gets him in the corner with chops to the head, and Flair counters with an atomic drop, which Steamboat counters with a clothesline. A pin attempt is broken up by Flair’s foot on the rope. Flair hits an elbow to the back of the head, then connects with a back suplex. Flair goes to the top rope, and Steamboat meets him there with strikes to the midsection. He tosses Flair down from the top, then Steamboat locks in the Double Chicken Wing! His leg gives out, but he quickly transitions into a pin, and gets the 3! Flair’s foot was under the bottom rope, though.
Ricky Steamboat (2), Ric Flair (1).
Did I mention who was on commentary for this match? The legendary duo of Jim Ross and Terry Funk. Both men added a tremendous amount to this match, detailing every move and the importance of each sequence. Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair blew their Chi Town Rumble match out of the water with this one. It was 55 minutes of pure mat wrestling done to the fullest extent. There weren’t many things in the match I’d call a high spot, but my god, did they make the basics look good!
Both men had the same strategy they had in their previous match, with Steamboat using his power and speed to keep Flair backwards, while Flair targeted the leg of the Dragon. What I enjoyed most about this match is that each fall felt like its own separate match. That helps to elevate these kinds of matches to a different stratosphere. The first and third falls were my favorites, as it felt like anyone’s game by that point. The second fall was a dominant display by Steamboat.
This match has been called the best to ever take place in North America. Do I agree? I’d say it deserves its place as one of the best. For being nearly an hour, it is a super easy match to watch. And just like in their first encounter, everything here mattered. No move was done to kill time. They utilized all 55 minutes they had, and they created an extraordinary piece of art. Kudos to Flair, who wasn’t his normal repetitive self of spamming chops. Here, he wrestled just as well as Steamboat, who himself further justified being considered one of the greatest to ever do it.
Just like in their first match, the ending was a bit controversial, with Flair’s foot being under the ropes – and it also seemed like Steamboat’s shoulders were also down for that final count. So, naturally, they would have a third match down the line at WrestleWar, where Flair would regain the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, and then move on to another great series of matches with Terry Funk. 1989 was one hell of a year for the NWA, wasn’t it?