Clash of the Champions VII

Legacy Review

Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory

June 14, 1989 from Fort Bragg, NC

Commentary: Jim Ross and Bob Caudle

It's a week out from the start of the Great American Bash tour (which ended with one of the greatest PPVs of all time) as the Clash rolls into the home of, among other units, the 82nd Airborne and the Army Rangers. Unfortunately for everyone involved, this show took place in a building on base that had no air conditioning, with temperatures inside almost reaching slow cooking levels. One of the features are the semifinals and finals of the tournament to crown new World Tag Team Champions, after the Varsity Club were stripped for attacking NWA officials at Wrestle War.

During the open it's clear the crowd is mostly made up of off duty soldiers. I think the words I'm looking for a are drunk and rowdy. And lest anyone think I'm making fun of our soldiers, my dad was in the army over 20 years and even though I never served myself, I know the life and have nothing but respect for our men and women in uniform. The new Turner production crew also seem to still be settling in, as all the graphics during the show are blank. Whoops.

Semifinal Match: The Fabulous Freebirds (w/Terry Gordy) def The Dynamic Dudes in 7:14- Jimmy Garvin is making his debut as an official member of the Freebirds after floating around the group for years. The Dudes are shockingly popular, and this crowd HATES the Freebirds. Like filling up the ring with almost NWO levels of trash hate. Donnybrook start. The Dudes hit stereo atomic drops and back suplexes. Ace gets a sunset flip on Hayes but ref Tommy Young is trying to restore order. The heels regroup outside. Reset with Hayes and Ace. No strutting from Hayes tonight, it's too damn hot in here to waste time. The Dudes work some double teams on Garvin. Garvin gets a double leg takedown on Douglas and the Freebirds double team. Douglas gets a sunset flip for 2. Hayes ducks an Ace crossbody attempt. Garvin with a hot shot for 2. Ace is thrown outside and Hayes works him over on the floor. Garvin/Ace midring collision and Ace makes a tag. Douglas does a slide under roll up for 2. Donnybrooking again. The Dudes double dropkick Hayes and double backdrop Garvin. Douglas rolls Garvin up but Young is distracted again. Hayes comes in, plants Douglas with a DDT, and Garvin covers to win. Match was disjointed and off from the start, which will be a theme tonight in these conditions. *1/2

We get a commercial for the Wrestling Hotline that has to be seen to be believed. I'm not even trying, just watch it. It's Rifftrax material.

 

Ranger Ross def The Terrorist in 1:25- The Terrorist is, you guessed it, Jack Victory in a mask. This is the most obvious booking you could think of for a military base show. Unlike some other military gimmicked wrestlers, Ross really was a Ranger. He's the Robin Hood with the real English accent. Terrorist ambushes Ross from behind during his entrance because that's what terrorists do. JR gets his first ad hits of the night in, working Coors and Domino's in. Ross hits a flying forearm to come back. After a flying clothesline the "combat kick" (a barely special looking kick) finishes the squash. 1/4*

The Road Warriors get the '80s music video treatment. Afterward, JR is in the ring for the Great Muta's "demonstration" with a couple of jobbers. Gary Hart shuts it all down, saying Muta's not interested in beating up a couple of gaijins and wants someone like Eddie Gilbert, Luger or Sting. Um, by definition all those guys are gaijins. Anyway, Eddie Gilbert runs in and tries to throw a fireball (some flash paper) at Muta but one of the jobbers gets it instead. Gilbert needs lessons from Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss on proper fireball throwing.

The Ding Dongs def Cougar Jay and George South in 3:00- Oh. Dear. Lord. The Ding Dongs. This is one of the most infamous pieces of wrestling crap there is. The team started out as one of many Rock N Roll Express wannabes in the southern territories, the Rock & Roll Rebels. They moved up to the big time with WCW, but unfortunately for them Jim Herd decided to saddle them with the first of his many dud gimmicks. The Dongs are from Bellville USA, wear bright orange with bell logos, have wrist and ankle straps covered in little bells, and have a large bell in their corner that is rung by whichever member is not in the ring at the time. The kids will love them, Jim Herd thought. Yeah, they were supposed to love the Gobbeldy Gooker too. Most kids are sharper than we give them credit for. Though to be fair, debuting them in an arena of 90% soldiers wasn't the best move either. JR: "I guess call that one Ding and the other one Dong, I don't know". Caudle calls them a "very bizarre team". The crowd shits all over it something fierce. The Dongs double team off a criss cross and one of them hits a Thesz press for 2. JR and Caudle complain about the incessant bell ringing messing up the audio, and comment rightly that the little wrist and ankle bells are coming off and are all over the ring. A Dong flying elbow/flying kneedrop combo finishes it. JR puts the cherry on top by straight up saying, "Well that was horrible". DUD match, MINUS FIVE STARS debut

 

Semifinal Match: The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) def The Samoan SWAT Team (w/Paul E Dangerously) in 6:00- This is a rematch of a really good match at Clash 6. The Express are still faces, for now. During their entrance a drunk fan/soldier gets in the ring. As the MPs get rid of him Cornette tells him "We're going to save your life, we're gonna let you sleep it off". Paul E taunts Cornette and Cornette takes a swing at him, setting off another match opening donnybrook. Lane and Fatu completely blow a backdrop spot. It wasn't even close. The Express hit some double teams. Samu comes in illegally and hits Eaton with a superkick to put him in peril. A chop sends Eaton outside and Fatu suplexes him on the floor. Eaton dodges and Fatu posts his shoulder. Express tag. Lane hits a Russian leg sweep. Fatu breaks the pin up and we're pier sixing again. Young goes down. The Road Warriors run in, take the SST out, and Lane covers for the pin. *1/4

JR is dripping sweat during his next stand up segment, leading into the replay of Terry Funk attacking Ric Flair after Flair's title win at Wrestle War.

 

Terry Gordy and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams go to a double countout in 6:26- These guys feuded in both Mid-South/UWF and Japan. Williams ambushes during Gordy's entrance. Football tackles. Gordy counters with a clothesline. Huge stiff Gordy corner clothesline. Williams pounds Gordy down in the corner. JR gets a Coors mention in again. Caudle says it's 120 degrees in here and JR replies with a sarcastic "Isn't it great". Bodyslam exchange. Williams hits a crossbody for 2. A forearm sends Gordy out. They "fight" (slowly walk) up the ramp for the double countout. Huge bullshit chant. It was nicely stiff as you'd expect from these two, but in the heat they were both done after a few minutes. Call me crazy, but these guys might make a good tag team someday. **

Tonight's Clash of the Champions is brought to you by Lyle.

 

Norman the Lunatic (w/Teddy Long) def Mike Justice in :47- This is Norman's WCW debut. He'd been working a bunch of different big man gimmicks, mostly in Canada, and would go on later to be the infamous Bastion Booger in WWF. Teddy Long has a set of keys that he uses to control Norman. They're supposed to be the keys to his padded cell at the nut house. Norman's also in psychiatric hospital issued pajamas. The match is a complete squash that Norman wins with an avalanche. Afterward a bunch of doctors and nurses roll a gurney out and strap Norman down on it to leave. Another Jim Herd Special Gimmick. 1/4*

Another music video style package, this one for WCW newcomer "Flyin'" Brian Pillman.

 

The Varsity Club def The Steiner Brothers (w/Missy Hyatt) in 8:36- This is Scott's first major TV match and he's out in a tshirt instead of a varsity jacket and bright yellow trunks. He walked right in to one of the hottest feuds in the company. Scott and Sullivan start. Steinerline! Rotunda runs in and Rick fights him off. A basic sequence ends with a Scott powerslam. In deference to the heat and getting through matches quickly, Rotunda forgoes the normal stalling portion of the night's program. More Steinerlines! Rotunda picks Rick up and throws him out of a headlock with a Saitoish suplex. Rick Steinerlines Sullivan coming out of the corner. Scott crossbody on Rotunda for 2. Scott hooks Rotunda up for a suplex. Rick and Sullivan both run in. While the ref is getting Rick out, Sullivan helps Rotunda get Scott up and they drop him down to the floor! On his way down Scott's back caught the corner of the commentary table and it quickly bruises up something fierce. Welcome to the pros, kid. Sullivan posts Scott and throws the ring steps on him. Back in, Rotunda hits a double underhook suplex for 2. I can't imagine how much worse those back bumps feel for Scott with that giant bruise forming. The phantom tag spot lets the heels double team, but Scott quickly dodges a dropkick and gets the real tag. Rick goes up for mounted punches on Rotunda. Sullivan goes over on the apron side, so Rick takes turns punching both of them! Rotunda gets his knees up on a Scott splash attempt. Sullivan gets a chair in the ring. Rotunda suplexes Scott onto the chair (again ouch on that bruised back) and gets the win. That's more like it. Rotunda and Sullivan kept up with the Steiners stiff for stiff and wild throw for wild throw. ***1/4

 

NWA World Television Championship: Sting (c) def "Wild" Bill Irwin in 3:14- Irwin has a whip and uses it to keep Sting out of the ring. The ref takes it away and Sting goes to work. JR notes that he offered Luger a seat at commentary and Luger refused. Planting seeds for later. Irwin goes through his not at all impressive offense. Sting counters a backdrop and hits a suplex for 1. The crowd is absolutely ballistic for Sting. Irwin dodges the Stinger Splash and catches Sting in a spinebusterish like slam. He gets his whip again, but while his back's turned Sting hits him from behind with the Splash and rolls him up to win. *

Yet one more video package for a WCW newcomer, this time Scott "Gator" Hall, the first of several failed WCW gimmicks before he hit it big as Razor Ramon in WWF. At this stage in his career Hall looks almost exactly like a slightly taller Magnum TA. It's the hair and mustache.

Next up is a pretaped JR interview of Ric Flair at Flair's home, his first appearance on TV since winning the world title back and Terry Funk's attack at Wrestle War. Flair has a neck brace on to sell the injuries. He says he's going to the hospital for rehab twice a day and has daily visits with his doctors, lawyers and accountants. He's looking at the possibility of life after wrestling. He promises to make an announcement about his future July 1. All in all, it's very similar to his '83 angle with Harley Race.

 

Finals of the Tournament for the Vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Freebirds (w/Terry Gordy) def The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) in 10:03- The crowd thinned out considerably during the Flair segment. During the Midnight's entrance Paul E comes out and nails Cornette with a loaded tennis racket. Cornette's dead and has to be carried to the back. Lane and Hayes start. Arrogant headlock from Hayes. Lane hits a couple of armdrags and Hayes scrambles for a tag. Express double teams on Garvin for 2. Garvin hides in the corner. Lane hits an enzuguri. Hayes and Garvin jaw with the crowd and stall. Garvin gets knees to Eaton's gut back in to take over. Hayes clocks Eaton with the straight left. Freebird taunting and double teams. Eaton gives Garvin a buckle shot and tags. Garvin dodges an elbow in the corner. Lane counters a Hayes backdrop attempt with a DDT. Express double flapjack on Garvin for 2. One last donnybrook. Gordy comes in, power bombs Eaton, and Garvin covers for 2 and the titles. They tried. **

 

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat def Terry Funk by DQ in 14:00- Funk's targeting former world champ and still #1 contender Steamboat as part of his path to Flair. Roll around lockup with ref Nick Patrick in the middle trying to break it up. Huge chop exchange in the corner. Shoulderblock exchange. Funk haymakers put Steamboat down. Fight on the floor. Steamboat hits chops and runs Funk into the guardrail. Back in, Funk hits a neckbreaker. Steamboat chops back. Funk does the Flair Flip, and when he goes down to the floor it's almost head first! Steamboat diving chop off the top rope to the floor! He scoops Funk up, carries him around the entire ring, and slams him on the floor. Funk gets back in. Steamboat scoops him up again, and slams him back down to the floor! Funk gets a boot up in the corner, hits some chops and the piledriver. Steamboat kicks out! A double whip reversal in the corner ends with a ref bump. Funk throws Steamboat out and hits a piledriver on the floor. He suplexes Steamboat back in, gets Patrick up and covers. Steamboat *just* kicks out! Funk goes for a splash off the top but Steamboat gets his knees up. Everyone in the ring looks exhausted and drenched in sweat, including Patrick. Steamboat diving chop off the top rope. An enzuguri to Funk's back sends him crashing outside again. Funk grabs a mic from the commentary table and whacks Steamboat with it. Patrick calls for the bell. That's what you call a show saving main event, crappy finish or no. ***3/4

 

And it's not done. US Champ Lex Luger comes out with a chair and chases Funk off. He helps Steamboat up......then kills him with a clothesline! Luger heel turn! He wants to be #1 contender and can't stand it's still Steamboat over him. He beats Steamboat down with a chair and puts him in the torture rack until Sting runs him off.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- On the bad side, the conditions weren't conductive to great wrestling and this show has a couple of the original Jim Herd dud gimmicks. On the plus side, the crowd (or what was left of it at the end) was red hot, the major matches mostly delivered and the overall booking picture continued to be great. A bit of a speed bump, but not a complete disaster.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C