Starrcade (1989)
Encyclopedia
Starrcade '89 was the seventh annual Starrcade
professional wrestling
pay-per-view
event produced under the National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA) banner. It was the second Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling
(WCW), and it took place on December 13, 1989 at The Omni
in Atlanta, Georgia.
The event solely featured the Iron Man and Iron Team tournaments. The participants were Sting, Lex Luger
, Ric Flair
and The Great Muta
for the Iron Man tournament, and Doom
, the Steiner Brothers, the Road Warriors
and The New Wild Samoans
(replacing The Skyscrapers
due to Sid Vicious
' injury) for the Iron Team tournament. This event varied from other Starrcade events by only featuring the tournaments, only showcasing a small amount of wrestlers, and not featuring title defenses. The event led to a feud
between Sting and Flair after a brief alliance as members of the Four Horsemen
stable.
to main event status by placing him in a feud
with Ric Flair
and the Four Horsemen
. This continued until October 1988, when Sting began a feud with the Road Warriors
. Throughout 1989, Flair had notable feuds with Ricky Steamboat
and Terry Funk
over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
while Sting feuded with The Great Muta
over the NWA World Television Championship
. At The Great American Bash in July, the alliance between Flair and Sting began. After Flair defeated Funk in the main event, he was attacked by The Great Muta, and Sting came out to help Flair. Sting and Flair feuded with The Great Muta and Funk afterwards, and the feud continued until Halloween Havoc in October, when they defeated The Great Muta and Funk in a Thunderdome match.
The first match was between Doom
(Ron Simmons
and Butch Reed
) (accompanied by Woman and Nitron) and The Steiner Brothers
(Rick
and Scott
). The Steiners had the early advantage over Doom until Scott missed a clothesline, and sent himself outside the ring, where Nitron attacked him. Doom had the advantage until Scott fought back, and performed a belly to belly suplex. Rick and Simmons tagged in, and Rick had the advantage until Nitron pulled Rick outside the ring. Rick performed a clothesline to Nitron, and both teams fought outside. Rick returned to the ring in time for Simmons to be counted out, and the Steiner Brothers won the match.
The second match was between Sting and Lex Luger
. Sting gained the early advantage, and performed a diving crossbody. Sting attempted another diving crossbody, but Luger caught him, and performed an inverted atomic drop. Luger had the advantage, and they fought outside the ring. As both were on the apron, Luger pulled them both over the top rope and into the ring. Luger fell on top of Sting, and pinned him while holding the rope, and having his foot on the rope.
The third match was between the Road Warriors
(Hawk
and Animal
) and Doom. The Road Warriors had the early advantage until Hawk missed a shoulder block to Reed in the corner. Doom had the advantage over Hawk, with Reed performing a diving elbow drop and a flying clothesline. Hawk countered a body slam attempt and tagged in Animal. Animal and Reed went back and forth. Animal hit Reed with a powerslam and Simmons entered the ring to break up the count. A two-on-two brawl ensued and just as Reed was about to perform his piledriver on Animal, Hawk performed a flying clothesline that knocked him on his back. Animal then pinned Reed to win the match.
The fourth match was between The Great Muta
and Ric Flair
(accompanied by Ole
and Arn Anderson
). The Great Muta was being heralded as unpinned at this point in his WCW career. The match started with The Great Muta having the advantage. After a handspring back elbow from The Great Muta, Flair fought back, and applied an atomic drop and the figure four leglock. Buzz Sawyer
and The Dragonmaster
came down to help The Great Muta, but the Andersons fought them off. The distraction allowed The Great Muta to gain the advantage, and he attempted a moonsault
, but Flair raised his knees. Flair then pinned The Great Muta with an inside cradle to win the match.
The fifth match was between the Steiner Brothers and the Road Warriors. The match started back and forth until the Road Warriors had the advantage over Scott. Scott fought back with a super belly to belly suplex, but failed to gain the advantage. Animal and Hawk performed a combination of a bridging belly to back suplex and a clothesline. The suplex resulted in Scott pinning Animal, and the Steiner Brothers won the match.
The sixth match was between The Great Muta and Sting. The match started back and forth until The Great Muta performed an eye rake, and applied the bridging grounded double chickenwing. The Great Muta kept the advantage, and attempted a moonsault. Sting avoided it, but The Great Muta landed on his feet, and performed a spin kick. The Great Muta climbed the turnbuckles, but Sting performed a dropkick
and a superplex. Sting then pinned The Great Muta to win the match.
The seventh match was between The New Wild Samoans
(Samoan Savage
and Fatu
) (accompanied by The Big Kahuna
) and Doom. The match started back and forth between Reed and Fatu. Savage and Simmons tagged in, and Simmons gained the advantage after avoiding a diving headbutt. Doom kept the advantage until Simmons missed a diving shoulder block. Fatu and Reed tagged in, and Fatu performed a flying headbutt. After an Irish whip from Reed, their heads collided. Reed fell down, and Fatu was dazed. The Big Kahuna pushed Fatu onto Reed, and Fatu pinned him to win the match.
The eighth match was between Lex Luger and Ric Flair. The match started back and forth until Flair performed several knife edge chops in the corner. Flair kept the advantage until Luger sent Flair's head into the top turnbuckle. Luger continued to attack Flair until Flair avoided an elbow drop, and applied the figure four leglock. The time limit expired while Flair had the hold applied, and the match ended in a draw.
The ninth match was between The New Wild Samoans and the Steiner Brothers. The match started back and forth until Savage kicked Scott in the face, and threw him outside the ring, where Fatu attacked him. The New Wild Samoans had the advantage over Scott until Scott fought back with a Frankensteiner to Fatu. After Scott avoided a big splash from Savage, Rick and Fatu came in without being tagged, and Rick attacked both. Fatu ran at Scott, and Scott sent him over the top rope. Scott was disqualified for doing so, and The New Wild Samoans won the match.
The tenth match was between The Great Muta and Lex Luger. The Great Muta had the early advantage by targeting Luger's injured left leg, applying the single leg Boston crab and the Muta Lock. Luger fought back, and performed a scoop powerslam, but failed to apply the Torture Rack. The Great Muta then spit green mist in Luger's face, and Luger won the match by disqualification.
The eleventh match was between The New Wild Samoans and the Road Warriors. The match started with the Road Warriors having the advantage. Savage performed an inverted atomic drop and a back body drop to Hawk, but failed to gain the advantage. Fatu gained the advantage after performing a headbutt to Animal's midsection. Savage tagged in, and applied the chinlock after several attacks. He then missed a corner slingshot splash, and Hawk tagged in. Hawk performed a flying shoulder block, and all four came in and fought. Animal knocked Fatu off the top turnbuckle, and Hawk performed a flying clothesline to Savage. Hawk then pinned Savage to win the match and the Iron Team tournament.
The main event was between Sting and Ric Flair. The match started back and forth until Flair threw Sting outside the ring. Flair sent Sting into the guard rail, and back in the ring with a delayed vertical suplex. Flair continued with a knee drop and a double underhook suplex. Sting performed a clothesline out of the corner, and Flair rolled out of the ring. Sting had the advantage with a suplex
into the ring and mounted punches. After a Stinger splash, Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock
, but Flair reached the ropes. Flair performed a shin breaker, and applied the figure four leglock, but Sting reached the ropes. Flair then targeted Sting's left leg. Flair performed a shin breaker and a seated senton onto the leg. Flair then attempted the figure four leglock, but Sting countered it into an inside cradle, and pinned Flair to win the match and the Iron Man tournament.
and Sting led to the reformation of the Four Horsemen
stable with Flair, Sting, Ole Anderson
and Arn Anderson
. However, Sting was awarded a match with Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
at WrestleWar for winning the Iron Man tournament. Flair feared losing the title, and this led to Sting being kicked out of the Four Horsemen on February 6 at Clash of the Champions X when he chose to accept the title match against the wishes of Flair and the Andersons. Later that night, Sting tore his left patella tendon in an attempt to attack Flair, and the injury put Sting out of action for the following five months. Lex Luger
was chosen to replace Sting in the title match at WrestleWar. After Sting returned, he defeated Flair, and won the title at The Great American Bash.
s featuring four competing individuals and tag team
s respectively. The point system: 20 points for a pinfall or submission victory, 15 for a countout victory, 10 for a disqualification victory, 5 for a time-limit draw and 0 for a loss.
Starrcade
Starrcade was an annual professional wrestling event held from 1983 to 2000 by the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling as their flagship event equal to WWE's WrestleMania , and featured the largest feuds of the promotion...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event produced under the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA) banner. It was the second Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW), and it took place on December 13, 1989 at The Omni
Omni Coliseum
The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378, for basketball and 15,278, for ice hockey...
in Atlanta, Georgia.
The event solely featured the Iron Man and Iron Team tournaments. The participants were Sting, Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
for the Iron Man tournament, and Doom
Doom (professional wrestling)
Doom was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. They competed from 1989 to 1991 in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling .-Before the masks:...
, the Steiner Brothers, the Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
and The New Wild Samoans
The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class...
(replacing The Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers (professional wrestling)
The Skyscrapers were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and 1990 in six distinct forms with members ”Psycho” Sid Vicious, ”Dangerous” Dan Spivey, "Mean" Mark Callous with The Masked Skyscraper making a one night appearance.-Career:In early 1989 Teddy Long was...
due to Sid Vicious
Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
' injury) for the Iron Team tournament. This event varied from other Starrcade events by only featuring the tournaments, only showcasing a small amount of wrestlers, and not featuring title defenses. The event led to a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
between Sting and Flair after a brief alliance as members of the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
stable.
Background
In February 1988, Sting was given a pushPush (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
to main event status by placing him in a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
. This continued until October 1988, when Sting began a feud with the Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
. Throughout 1989, Flair had notable feuds with Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
and Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
while Sting feuded with The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
over the NWA World Television Championship
WCW World Television Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
. At The Great American Bash in July, the alliance between Flair and Sting began. After Flair defeated Funk in the main event, he was attacked by The Great Muta, and Sting came out to help Flair. Sting and Flair feuded with The Great Muta and Funk afterwards, and the feud continued until Halloween Havoc in October, when they defeated The Great Muta and Funk in a Thunderdome match.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Jim Cornette Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling... |
| Terry Funk Terry Funk Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley... |
|
| Jim Ross Jim Ross James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand... |
|
| Interviewer | Gordon Solie Gordon Solie Jonard Frank Labiak , better known as Gordon Solie, was a Florida-based professional wrestling play-by-play announcer working for World Championship Wrestling... |
| Referee | Nick Patrick Nick Hamilton Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment... |
| Ring announcer | Gary Michael Cappetta Gary Michael Cappetta Gary Michael Cappetta is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, author, voice over artist, screenwriter and stage performer... |
The first match was between Doom
Doom (professional wrestling)
Doom was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. They competed from 1989 to 1991 in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling .-Before the masks:...
(Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
and Butch Reed
Butch Reed
Butch Reed is an American professional wrestler best known for his stints in the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling.-Career:...
) (accompanied by Woman and Nitron) and The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers
The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner...
(Rick
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
and Scott
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
). The Steiners had the early advantage over Doom until Scott missed a clothesline, and sent himself outside the ring, where Nitron attacked him. Doom had the advantage until Scott fought back, and performed a belly to belly suplex. Rick and Simmons tagged in, and Rick had the advantage until Nitron pulled Rick outside the ring. Rick performed a clothesline to Nitron, and both teams fought outside. Rick returned to the ring in time for Simmons to be counted out, and the Steiner Brothers won the match.
The second match was between Sting and Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
. Sting gained the early advantage, and performed a diving crossbody. Sting attempted another diving crossbody, but Luger caught him, and performed an inverted atomic drop. Luger had the advantage, and they fought outside the ring. As both were on the apron, Luger pulled them both over the top rope and into the ring. Luger fell on top of Sting, and pinned him while holding the rope, and having his foot on the rope.
The third match was between the Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
(Hawk
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
and Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
) and Doom. The Road Warriors had the early advantage until Hawk missed a shoulder block to Reed in the corner. Doom had the advantage over Hawk, with Reed performing a diving elbow drop and a flying clothesline. Hawk countered a body slam attempt and tagged in Animal. Animal and Reed went back and forth. Animal hit Reed with a powerslam and Simmons entered the ring to break up the count. A two-on-two brawl ensued and just as Reed was about to perform his piledriver on Animal, Hawk performed a flying clothesline that knocked him on his back. Animal then pinned Reed to win the match.
The fourth match was between The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
(accompanied by Ole
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
and Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
). The Great Muta was being heralded as unpinned at this point in his WCW career. The match started with The Great Muta having the advantage. After a handspring back elbow from The Great Muta, Flair fought back, and applied an atomic drop and the figure four leglock. Buzz Sawyer
Buzz Sawyer
Bruce Woyan was a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Buzz Sawyer. Throughout his career, he was also known by the nickname "Mad Dog". He was characterized by his crazy antics inside the ring and out.-Career:Sawyer started wrestling in 1979 in the National Wrestling Alliance 's...
and The Dragonmaster
Kazuo Sakurada
, better known as Mr. Sakurada and as the Japanese version of , is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known, under various monikers, for his work in Stampede Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling. Sakurada is also highly regarded by Bret Hart as...
came down to help The Great Muta, but the Andersons fought them off. The distraction allowed The Great Muta to gain the advantage, and he attempted a moonsault
Moonsault
A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
, but Flair raised his knees. Flair then pinned The Great Muta with an inside cradle to win the match.
The fifth match was between the Steiner Brothers and the Road Warriors. The match started back and forth until the Road Warriors had the advantage over Scott. Scott fought back with a super belly to belly suplex, but failed to gain the advantage. Animal and Hawk performed a combination of a bridging belly to back suplex and a clothesline. The suplex resulted in Scott pinning Animal, and the Steiner Brothers won the match.
The sixth match was between The Great Muta and Sting. The match started back and forth until The Great Muta performed an eye rake, and applied the bridging grounded double chickenwing. The Great Muta kept the advantage, and attempted a moonsault. Sting avoided it, but The Great Muta landed on his feet, and performed a spin kick. The Great Muta climbed the turnbuckles, but Sting performed a dropkick
Dropkick
A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
and a superplex. Sting then pinned The Great Muta to win the match.
The seventh match was between The New Wild Samoans
The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class...
(Samoan Savage
Sam Fatu
Samuel Larry Anoa'i Fatu is a professional wrestler best known under the name of The Tonga Kid, or Tama.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Fatu
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
) (accompanied by The Big Kahuna
Oliver Humperdink
John Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:...
) and Doom. The match started back and forth between Reed and Fatu. Savage and Simmons tagged in, and Simmons gained the advantage after avoiding a diving headbutt. Doom kept the advantage until Simmons missed a diving shoulder block. Fatu and Reed tagged in, and Fatu performed a flying headbutt. After an Irish whip from Reed, their heads collided. Reed fell down, and Fatu was dazed. The Big Kahuna pushed Fatu onto Reed, and Fatu pinned him to win the match.
The eighth match was between Lex Luger and Ric Flair. The match started back and forth until Flair performed several knife edge chops in the corner. Flair kept the advantage until Luger sent Flair's head into the top turnbuckle. Luger continued to attack Flair until Flair avoided an elbow drop, and applied the figure four leglock. The time limit expired while Flair had the hold applied, and the match ended in a draw.
The ninth match was between The New Wild Samoans and the Steiner Brothers. The match started back and forth until Savage kicked Scott in the face, and threw him outside the ring, where Fatu attacked him. The New Wild Samoans had the advantage over Scott until Scott fought back with a Frankensteiner to Fatu. After Scott avoided a big splash from Savage, Rick and Fatu came in without being tagged, and Rick attacked both. Fatu ran at Scott, and Scott sent him over the top rope. Scott was disqualified for doing so, and The New Wild Samoans won the match.
The tenth match was between The Great Muta and Lex Luger. The Great Muta had the early advantage by targeting Luger's injured left leg, applying the single leg Boston crab and the Muta Lock. Luger fought back, and performed a scoop powerslam, but failed to apply the Torture Rack. The Great Muta then spit green mist in Luger's face, and Luger won the match by disqualification.
The eleventh match was between The New Wild Samoans and the Road Warriors. The match started with the Road Warriors having the advantage. Savage performed an inverted atomic drop and a back body drop to Hawk, but failed to gain the advantage. Fatu gained the advantage after performing a headbutt to Animal's midsection. Savage tagged in, and applied the chinlock after several attacks. He then missed a corner slingshot splash, and Hawk tagged in. Hawk performed a flying shoulder block, and all four came in and fought. Animal knocked Fatu off the top turnbuckle, and Hawk performed a flying clothesline to Savage. Hawk then pinned Savage to win the match and the Iron Team tournament.
Suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
into the ring and mounted punches. After a Stinger splash, Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
, but Flair reached the ropes. Flair performed a shin breaker, and applied the figure four leglock, but Sting reached the ropes. Flair then targeted Sting's left leg. Flair performed a shin breaker and a seated senton onto the leg. Flair then attempted the figure four leglock, but Sting countered it into an inside cradle, and pinned Flair to win the match and the Iron Man tournament.
Aftermath
The alliance between Ric FlairRic Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Sting led to the reformation of the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
stable with Flair, Sting, Ole Anderson
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
and Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
. However, Sting was awarded a match with Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
at WrestleWar for winning the Iron Man tournament. Flair feared losing the title, and this led to Sting being kicked out of the Four Horsemen on February 6 at Clash of the Champions X when he chose to accept the title match against the wishes of Flair and the Andersons. Later that night, Sting tore his left patella tendon in an attempt to attack Flair, and the injury put Sting out of action for the following five months. Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
was chosen to replace Sting in the title match at WrestleWar. After Sting returned, he defeated Flair, and won the title at The Great American Bash.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner... (Rick Rick Steiner Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion... and Scott Scott Steiner Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order... ) defeated Doom Doom (professional wrestling) Doom was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. They competed from 1989 to 1991 in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling .-Before the masks:... (Ron Simmons Ron Simmons Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,... and Butch Reed Butch Reed Butch Reed is an American professional wrestler best known for his stints in the World Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling.-Career:... ) (with Woman and Nitron) by countout |
Tag team Tag team Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name... match |
12:24 |
| 2 | Lex Luger Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... defeated Sting |
Singles match | 11:31 |
| 3 | The Road Warriors Road Warriors The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion... (Hawk Road Warrior Hawk Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later... and Animal Road Warrior Animal Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior... ) (with Paul Ellering Paul Ellering Paul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Professional wrestling career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter... ) defeated Doom (with Woman and Nitron) |
Tag team match | 08:31 |
| 4 | Ric Flair Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... (with Ole Ole Anderson Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother... and Arn Anderson Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW... ) defeated The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan... (with Gary Hart Gary Hart (wrestler) Gary Richard Williams, was a former professional wrestling manager, as well as a professional wrestler in his early career, best known by his ring name Gary Hart... ) |
Singles match | 01:55 |
| 5 | The Steiner Brothers defeated the Road Warriors (with Paul Ellering) | Tag team match | 07:27 |
| 6 | Sting defeated The Great Muta (with Gary Hart) | Singles match | 08:41 |
| 7 | The New Wild Samoans The Headshrinkers The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class... (Samoan Savage Sam Fatu Samuel Larry Anoa'i Fatu is a professional wrestler best known under the name of The Tonga Kid, or Tama.-Professional wrestling career:... and Fatu Solofa Fatu Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:... ) (with The Big Kahuna Oliver Humperdink John Sutton , better known by his ring name Oliver Humperdink, was a professional wrestling manager who worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, Florida Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.-Career:... ) defeated Doom (with Woman and Nitron) |
Tag team match | 08:22 |
| 8 | Lex Luger and Ric Flair fought to a time-limit draw | Singles match | 17:15 |
| 9 | The New Wild Samoans (with The Big Kahuna) defeated the Steiner Brothers by disqualification | Tag team match | 14:05 |
| 10 | Lex Luger defeated The Great Muta (with Gary Hart) by disqualification | Singles match | 4:15 |
| 11 | The Road Warriors (with Paul Ellering) defeated The New Wild Samoans (with The Big Kahuna) | Tag team match | 05:18 |
| 12 | Sting defeated Ric Flair | Singles match | 14:30 |
Tournaments
The Iron Man and Iron Team tournaments were round-robin tournamentRound-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
s featuring four competing individuals and tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
s respectively. The point system: 20 points for a pinfall or submission victory, 15 for a countout victory, 10 for a disqualification victory, 5 for a time-limit draw and 0 for a loss.
Iron Man tournament
| Sting | Luger | Flair | Muta | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sting | * | 0 | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| Lex Luger Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... |
20 | * | 5 | 10 | 35 |
| Ric Flair Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... |
0 | 5 | * | 20 | 25 |
| The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan... |
0 | 0 | 0 | * | 0 |
Iron Team tournament
| Warriors | Steiners | Samoans | Doom | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Warriors Road Warriors The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion... |
* | 0 | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of American brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner... |
20 | * | 0 | 15 | 35 |
| The New Wild Samoans The Headshrinkers The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class... |
0 | 10 | * | 20 | 30 |
| Doom Doom (professional wrestling) Doom was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. They competed from 1989 to 1991 in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling .-Before the masks:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | * | 0 |