Nickrj’s rant for Clash Of The Champions 9 New York Knockout
This event aired on TBS on November 15th 1989 from the RPI Fieldhouse in Troy, New York
Your hosts are Jim Ross and the legendary Gordon Solie
Opening Match: The Road Warriors VS The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin)
Hawk starts with Hayes who avoids an elbow by going outside the ring. Animal tosses him back in and Hayes catches a boot and Garvin catches a clothesline. Hawk gies a press slam on Hayes followed by a flying tackle. Hawk is dragged into the wrong corner and Garvin is in and takes a dropkick. Both warriors hit a double elbow. Animal is now in and takes an eyerake followed by a suplex which Animal no sells. Garvin takes another clothesline. Hayes comes in and Animal no sells an elbow. Animal misses a flying clothesline and tags Hawk. Hawk grabs the arm of Hayes and hits a clothesline. Animal comes in as does Garvin. Animal beats up Garvin in the corner and misses a charge. Hayes comes in and tosses Animal outside. Both Freebirds double team Animal. The continue for another minute dominating Animal. Hawk has had enough and tosses the ref aside drawing the DQ at 5:16. And that’s that. ½*
An awards presentation is next where the most popular wrestler of the NWA is Sting and the Wrestler of the decade is Ric Flair. Both get trophies and Sting dedicates his trophy to the fans.
Before the match Woman does an interview saying he’s got a large surprise for Rick Steiner later on tonight. Doom is Butch Reed and Ron Simmons for those who don’t know. Gilbert starts with #1 though I think that’s Simmons. Gilbert controls a side headlock but #1 tosses him off. Gilbert only gets one with a reverse cover followed by a face slam. He grabs the arm and tags Rich. Rich works on the arm but #1 tags #2 who gets armdragged. A flurry is followed by a hiptoss by Rich. Gilbert tags in who controls a side headlock on #2. #2 hits a sidewalk slam on Gilbert. He follows with a suplex. #1 comes in and starts kicking away. Followed by a back breaker. #2 comes back in and hits a knee and kicks some more at Gilbert. #1 hits a neckbreaker for 2. Gilbert tags Rich who works on #1 and hits an elbow. He hits a backdrop. All four men are now in. Doom hits the Doomsday Device on Rich for the pin at 5:15. Slightly better than the first match *1/4
Louisville Slugger segment is next where Jim Cornette interviews the Steiner Brothers. Scott calls his finishing move the Frankensteiner which is now called a hurricurana. Scott says to Woman “My mom says never hit a lady, but then again you ain’t no lady!” Funny.
Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace) VS The Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton)
Jim Cornette who had been turning on the Express and helping the Dudes must go to a neutral corner on this match. Douglas starts out with Eaton. They trade side headlocks. Douglas hits an ab stretch followed by an armdrag takedown. Eaton tags Lane who gets hiptossed Another armdrag on Lane. Lane trips up Douglas. Lane tags down Douglas with the arm. Douglas does another trip while Lane pulls the hair and Cornette tells the ref that. Douglas covers Lane for 2. Ace comes in and Lane misses an enzuguri. Ace hits 2 dropkicks and slams Lane. Eaton comes back in and maintains a side headlock. Ace hits 2 more dropkicks and a baseball slide sends Eaton outside the ring. Shane hits a flying bodypress on Eaton outside the ring. Lane comes in and hits a back suplex and misses an elbow. Douglas with a deep armdrag. Eaton comes in and Douglas with another armdrag. Eaton sets up Douglas on the top rope and Shane comes out of a superplex and covers Eaton for 2. A high cross body from the top gets another 2. Lane comes back in as does Ace. Lane kicks Ace and tags Eaton. Ace gets a hip toss followed by a monkey flip. Ace jumps on Eaton but Lane pushes him off. Lane hits a snapmare followed by a leg sweep. They go for the Rocket Launcher and Ace brings the knees up. Douglas comes back in and hits a backdrop on Eaton. Followed by a back suplex for 2. All four men are now in and Eaton gets a chain but gets backdropped. Cornette comes in and throws the chain away but then nails Douglas on the head with his tennis racket and Eaton gets the pin at 9:23 and the Midnight Express are reunited with Cornette. Rockin match ***1/4
A guy dressed up as Santa Claus comes down to the ring and the Super Destroyer starts working on Williams. They collide and Destroyer sends Williams outside. Williams hits a press slam. He clotheslines Destroyer outside. Williams pounds on Destroyer outside and inside he hits the Oklahoma stampede for the pin at 1:39 DUD. The Santa Claus guy turns out to be Norman the Lunatic.
The Steiner Brothers VS The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious and Dan Spivey with Theodore R Long)
Rick is in the audience
selling popcorn before joining his brother. Spivey starts with Rick. Rick hits
a back suplex and clotheslines Spivey out. Spivey starts working on Rick and
hits a tombstone piledriver for 2. Rick comes back with an elbow and a
clothesline. Scott comes in and hits the Frankensteiner on Spivey and a
fallaway slam on Vicious. Vicious comes in and misses a charge. Both
Skyscrapers double team Scott in the corner. Spivey comes in and hits a
tombstone slam and a big boot. Scott blocks and reverses a suplex and hits a
clothesline. Scott tags Rick who pounds away on Spivey followed by a power
slam. Both Steiners clothesline Vicious. Doom comes in and the ref calls the DQ
at 5:02. Okayish match **. Afterwards Woman hits Rick with her shoe and Rick
thinks he’s going to get his hands on Woman. But Kevin Nash makes his debut by
coming in and protecting Woman. Both Skyscrapers and Doom pound on the Steiners
but the Road Warriors come in and it turns into an 8 man brawl.
U.S. Title Match: Lex Luger VS Brian Pillman
They both start by
locking up a few times. Luger hits a knee and a sholderblock. Pillman hits 2
dropkicks sending Luger outside. They tie up again and Luger pounds away in the
corner. Pillman jumps over Luger and Luger rolls to the outside again. They tie
up in the corner again and Luger starts hammering away. Brian answers with some
chops and comes out of an atomic drop. Brian is sent to the outside and
slingshots himself back in and Pillman hits a high kick. Luger pounds on Brian
in the corner and runs into a kick. Pillman hits a missle dropkick for 2 ½.
Pillman with some more chops. He drops Lugers arm outside and rams it in the
ringpost. He rams it into the railing as well. Pillman grabs the right arm and
works on it. Luger hits a back suplex to take advantage. He hits a press slam.
He hits another one on Pillman. Luger hits 2 elbows. Pillman starts fighting
back but is pulled outside the ring. Luger slams Pillman outside the ring.
Luger suplexes Pillman into the ring for 2 and inches. Pillman rolls up Luger
for 2. Luger hits a power slam and Pillman rolls up Luger for 2 once again.
They start exchanging chops. Pillman hits a flying clothesline followed by a
backdrop. He hits a flying bodypress but the ref gets caught in it and is
knocked out. Pillman rolls up Luger but there’s no ref. He hits a dropkick
which sends Luger outside. Pillman checks the ref and Luger nails Pillman in
the head with a chair. And Luger gets the pin at 12:36. Another rockin match ***3/4.
Luger continues to nail Pillman with a chair and puts the torture rack. Sting
comes in the ring to save the youngster. Luger grabs the mike and challenges
Sting but Sting responds by slapping Luger and wants to get his hands on him
but Luger steps out of the ring drawing huge heat. Sting responds by pounding
Luger in the aisleway.
Main Event: I Quit Match Ric Flair VS Terry Funk (with Gary Hart)
This is the final blowoff
to the feud which started at Wrestle War. The first man to say “I Quit” in the
microphone is the loser. Flair brings 4 women with him to ringside. They start
by tying up. Flair chops Funk over the top rope. Flair works over Funk in the
corner and nails another chop which sends Funk to the outside again where Flair
comes out and beats up Funk some more. They come back in and Flair trips Funk
and chokes him but takes an eyerake. Funk starts beating Flair on the apron.
Flair chops Funk but gets knocked down again. Funk hits a headbutt and tosses
Flair to the outside. Funk rams Flair’s head to the railing. Funk hits him with
the mike. Flair fights back. They both go back in and Funk continues to pound
away on Flair. He does the 10 punch count in the corner and jams the mike in
Flairs face but he doesn’t say it yet. Flair hits an inverted atomic drop.
Flair runs into a neckbreaker by Funk. Flair gets up and chokes Funk and chops
him outside again. Flair chops him outside and rams him into the railing.
Another chop and Flair continues to ram him into the railing again. Gary Hart
tries to get into it. They both go back in and Flair chokes Funk and tries to
get him to say I Quit. Flair is distracted by Hart and Funk nails him from
behind. Funk hits a neckbreaker. Funk goes after the previously injured neck on
Flair. Funk hits a pulling piledriver on Flair followed by a legdrop. Funk is
ramming Flair’s head to the canvas. Funk throws Flair outside. Funk hits
another pulling piledriver on the floor. Funk hits Flair with the mike. He
throws Flair back in the ring and continues to work on the neck and hits a
headbutt. Funk tosses Flair outside and slams him on the table outside. Funk
sets up the table against the apron. Flair chops Funk outside and is rammed
into the table. Flair starts chopping away on Funk and sends him into the table
again. Flair goes after Hart and sets up Funk on the railing. Flair hits a
kneedrop and Funk goes outside the ring again. He rolls back in and takes an
inverted atomic drop. Flair starts going on the legs of Funk. He chops Funk but
he won’t go down and finally does. Funk gets out of the ring and Flair catches
him. He hits an inverted atomic drop on the knee. Flair suplexes Funk back in
the ring. Flair tries the Figure Four but gets eyeraked. Flair on the apron
suplexes Funk on the apron. Flair chops Funk down and hooks the Figure Four.
Funk hangs on for a good minute before finally saying “YES I QUIT!” at 18:34.
Awesome Brawl here *****. Gary Hart is angry about this. After the match Flair
and Funk shake hands and Hart responds by clipping the leg of Funk. Flair
attacks Hart but The Great Muta and the Dragonmaster beat up on Flair. Sting
comes in and hits the Stinger Splash on Dragonmaster. Sting puts the Scorpion
Death Lock on Muta and Flair puts the Figure Four on the Dragonmaster. Lex
Luger comes back in and nails Sting with a chair. Flair jumps on Luger but it
quickly turns to a three on one. All while Hart works on the damaged leg of
Funk. The heels leave the babyfaces laying in the ring and as Luger leaves he
destroys Sting’s trophy with his chair.
Summary: Three great
matches out of seven make this another good show for the NWA in 1989. RECOMMENDED