Chairshot Classics: WCW Starrcade ’89 – Future Shock

Match #8: NWA United States Champion Lex Luger vs. NWA World Heavyweight Champion ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair
Flair taunts Luger and the crowd is behind him. Collar and elbow and Luger powers Flair back before a quick break up. Luger shakes it off and doesn’t like the “Woo’s” coming from the crowd. Lex reacts to the “Luger Sucks” chants. They tie up again and Flair takes him down with a side head lock. Luger reverses into a side headlock of his own and gets a couple 1 counts. Flair rolls Luger over for a 2 count but Luger doesn’t let the head lock go. Back to their feet and Flair can’t reverse it. He’s dragged to the mat by the hair and Luger cowers away from the enraged Flair. Slowly back to a collar and elbow and Flair grabs the advantage.

He chops Luger who eventually falls down. Luger rolls to the outside but Flair is on his tail with more chops. Flair chases Luger back to the ring. Luger catches him with some rights but Flair reverses the Irish whip and elevates him for a back body drop. Flair with a kick to the mid section and another chop. The Heavyweight Champ holds a wrist lock and chops the US champ back down to the mat. Flair moves it down to a hammerlock and delivers knees to the wrist. Flair is holding the hammerlock strongly. Back to their feet and Luger breaks the hold with a knee to the kidney.

Luger hammers Flair’s back, but Naitch lands an elbow off a whip and hooks both of Luger’s arms for a suplex. Luger kicks out at 2 and he’s right back in the wrist lock. Luger pulls the hair, but Flair tattoos him with another chop. Arm bar from Flair. Flair ducks a clothesline and chops Luger back down to the mat before continuing his work on the arm. Flair works Luger all the way down to the mat. Back to their feet and Luger thumbs Flair in the eye to break the hold. He drags Flair’s face across the top rope and delivers a straight right. Luger whips Flair, but Ric reverses it into a sunset flip. A couple quick pin attempts from Flair, but he can only get 2. Luger is chopped back to the mat and there is more wrist work. Luger strengths up and hot shots Flair over the top rope.

Flair is rammed head first into the turnbuckle and Luger keeps the pressure on with knees to the head. Flair is sent to the ropes and receives a clothesline. Luger follows it up with power forearms to the head and he gets a 2 count. Flair desperately fights Luger off with a chop but Luger remains in control. Lex powers Flair up for a gorilla press slam and Flair rolls out to the floor. Luger pulls Flair up to the apron and snaps his neck on the top rope before stomping his head. Flair crawls to the corner, but he blocks Luger’s snap suplex with one of his own. Both men are slow to get up but Luger is the first up. Flair blocks a hip toss and turns it into a backslide for a 2 count.

The two exchange rights and chops. Flair is sent upside down over the turnbuckle on an Irish whip but he quickly runs for the top rope. Luger blocks the high risk maneuver with a clothesline. Flair gets his shoulder up at 2. A frustrated Luger dumps Flair to the floor. Flair is back up to the apron and he rolls Luger with a sunset slip but the US champ powers out. Luger with a forearm shot to Flair followed by a straight right. The announcer explains there is 1 minute left in the time limit. Flair heads for the top rope but he is gorilla pressed to the mat.

Luger misses an attempted elbow. Flair with a chop and Luger with a straight right before Flair executes a belly to back suplex. Flair puts on the Figure Four submission and Luger is struggling. The time keeper shows that time has expired before Luger gives up.
Winner: Draw (Both receive 5 points and both now have 25 points)

• EA’s Take: It appears the company is still protecting Lex for the future. It was a good match, but not too different than other bouts I’ve seen between these two in this revisit of a classic rivalry.

Match #9: The New Wild Samoans (Samoan Savage & Fatu) w/The Big Kahuna vs. NWA World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott)
The 4 men stare each other down on all 4s. The Steiners mock the Samoans’ pre match ritual. Rick and Savage start things up. Collar and elbow tie up and the Savage gets some shots in early before a powerslam. No one is home on the elbow though and Rick responds with some rights and a Steinerline. The Samoans pace the outside of the ring and tease like they’re going back to the locker room. Settled down in the ring and it’s Fatu and Rick in the ring. Fatu reverses a hiptoss and rakes Steiner’s eyes.

Rick is hardly effected and he comes back with a Steinerline on the next run. The Savage is back in the ring and Cornette notices that a legal tag wasn’t made. Rick couldn’t care and they stare each other down on all 4s. Side headlock from Rick and Scott is tagged back in. Scott leapfrogs Savage and hits him with a clothesline. Scott holds a front face lock and works Savage over for a 2 count. Savage claims that Scott used the hair but the crowd disagrees. Arm bar held by Scott and a tag is made to Rick who keeps it going. Rick is pushed into the wrong corner but he ducks a right from Savage who hits his partner.

The Samoans argue in the ring and Kahuna tries to focus their energy on the Steiners. They hug it out and the crowd boos. A tag is made to Scott who misfires on a drop kick and the Savage takes advantage. Savage rakes the back and dumps Scott outside the ring. Scott is sent for an atomic drop on the baracade before being rolled back into the ring. Scott receives a headbutt before a tag is made to Fatu. Scott is double teamed and can’t escape through Fatu’s legs. Fatu makes a low blow to Scott and goes right into a choke hold. The Savage takes liberties while the referee is distracted. Fatu attempts a pin but Scott gets his leg on the ropes.

Rick is incensed and the referee becomes distracted with him allowed the Samoans to deliver a double clothesline. The Savage stays on him and Fatu is tagged back in. Scott is thrown over the top rope while the referee is distracted. Back to the apron, Scott fights back but cannot get the Samoan over for a sunset flip. Fatu holds Scott in a bear hug. Scott tries some rights but Fatu works him down to the mat with the bear hug. Scott gets some knees to the midsection but Fatu fights it off with a low blow. Rick enters the ring to defend his brother, but it leaves Scott vulnerable to a double team.

Scott is held in another bear hug, this time from Savage. Scott fights it off with some rights but the Savage lands a power slam. The Samoan gets a 2 count. A tag is made to Fatu, but Scott rolls him over with a backslide. The referee is not immediately looking due to Rick’s protesting and they only get a 1 count. Scott reverses a whip to the ropes with a Frankensteiner on the Savage but he’s too hurt to make the tag. Scott reverses another whip into a sunset flip but again, can only get 2. Scott is powerslammed to the mat, but he moves the Savage’s attempted splash.

An impatient Rick rushes the ring and attacks both Samoans with 2 Steinerlines. As Rick attacks Fatu, Scott back body drops the Savage to the floor. The Big Kahuna makes a big stink about it, and the referee acknowledges it and declares the Samoans the winners by DQ.
Winners: The New Wild Samoans (Disqualification/10 Points)

• EA’s Take: I can’t make any sense of the booking tonight. Are we just holding The Steiners down here to make the scorecard more interesting? What is going on here?!?

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